The author of Midwives tackles transsexuality in his latest offering. The story involves Allison, a divorced mother and school teacher, who falls in love with Dana, a local university professor. Dana later informs Allison that he has always believed that he is a female and will soon undergo a sex-change operation. Despite her initial reservations, Allison continues her relationship with Dana, which draws the scrutiny of their Vermont village. Told through the voices of Allison, Dana, Carly (Allison's daughter) and Will (Allison's ex-husband), the story not only humanizes transsexuality, but also explores the depths of community tolerance as well. This a great read that's hard to put down.

Reviewed by LaJuan P., University City Regional

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Who would murder Rosezella Maynette Fisher, the Dean of Students of the Harvard Law School? That is exactly what intelligent, ambitious, young, and attractive economics professor Veronica (Nikki) Chase is determined to find out, and the majority of the prime suspects are powerful and influential members of the elite Harvard University staff. Discovering and exposing the killer could mean the end of Nikki's career and even her life. Thomas-Graham's first novel is suspenseful, flowing and entertaining.

Reviewed by Michelle G., Scaleybark Branch

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It is a new term at the Oakland School in Stansfield, England. Natalie Ouspensky is fifteen and has been murdered. As Detective Inspector Judy Hill and Detective Chief Inspector Lloyd come up with a list of suspects, each seems stranger than the one before. Could it have been one of Nat’s teachers with whom she was an affair, a jealous wife, or someone else closer to her? What secrets are shared by her best friends and classmates and will they have a bearing on the case? The plot is intricately woven with the reader moving along each step of the investigation with a surprise ending.

Reviewed by Natalie M., Morrison Regional

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McKinney-Whetstone's third novel entitled Blues Dancing is a wonderful read. Set in present day Philadelphia with flashbacks some twenty years back, McKinney-Whetstone tells the story of Verdi and Johnson who met their freshman and sophomore year of college. This is the love story of Verdi and Johnson and then some. The author takes her readers on a marvelous journey using her descriptive writing style. The book is a slow paced one but well worth reading once the well-developed characters have been fully introduced. As in all of her novels, McKinney-Whetstone leaves her readers with characters who are not forgotten once the story ends.

Reviewed by Vickie C., West Boulevard Branch

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A softly-scented breeze can evoke forgotten sweet memories of our tender years. And so, Landon Carter remembers his seventeenth year and tells his story of the love he found at Beaufort High in 1958. Never in his life could he have imagined being attracted to the minister's daughter, Jamie Sullivan. Yet, after being cast as her leading man in the Christmas play and thrown together constantly, Landon begins to see the luminous beauty hidden behind Jamie's strait-laced, eccentric exterior. By the spring of his senior year, he declares his love for Jamie, who has been harboring a tragic secret of her own. Author Nicholas Sparks once again weaves his special brand of romantic magic with a story that will make you smile, make you cry, and make you believe in miracles.

Reviewed by Ginny H., Mint Hill Branch

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Baroness James, England’s Grand Dame of mystery, brings back the indomitable Scotland Yard detective, Adam Dalgliesh, in this grippingly taut, piece-de-resistance. An austere little village off the east coast of England is the setting for St. Anselm’s, a centuries-old theological college. The body of student Ronald Treves is washed up on the shore. While Dalgliesh investigates, the unexpected death of housekeeper, Ms. Munroe, shocks the staid faculty even more. The pace quickens; for as Dalgliesh realizes with horror that he has stumbled upon an intricate and diabolical series of murders, the college suffers once again, with the scandalous death of the Archdeacon. A sense of urgency accelerates in this gem of a long line of bestsellers by this highly acclaimed novelist.

Reviewed by Rosanne L., Matthews Branch

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A intriguing and literate mystery. This is P.D. James at her best!
-Anne, Kingsport, TN

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You’ve heard of split personalities? Well, you won’t believe the split that takes place in this book, unless you remember that the author is Stephen King. The protagonist, Thad Beaumont, is a college professor who is also a writer of crime thrillers. A writer writes, right? A writer can also be a killer - but the killer’s not who you think he is. Or is he? Confused? You won’t be once you read this thriller with elements of mystery, horror, and fantasy - plus a good old bone chill.

Reviewed by Jeff G., North County Regional

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Former University of New Mexico football player Drew Garvin is pleased to attend another homecoming game but he stumbles into the making of a dangerous mystery instead. Running into an old college flame and her husband lead sportswriter Drew to do more than reflect upon college days as he is drawn into their troubles. Burdened with gambling debts, Drew attempts to help and walks into the world of bookies and menacing enforcers. His path changes, however, as he soon encounters big businessmen, possible political corruption and death. Nicely paced with interesting characters, Charlotteans will smile at the NBA subplot.

Reviewed by Lawrence T., South County Regional

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Fritz Tullis, a dismissed history professor, thinks he is going to take some time to rejuvenate on his family’s estate which borders a swamp. Things change, however, when while taking pictures of birds through his long-range camera lense, he views a man being shot and killed. Accept Fritz’s premise that this is not the time to go to the police and you will understand why his life spirals out of control. Fritz must figure out how to stop it.

Reviewed by Mel B., North County Regional

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When Mr. Simet asks T.J. Jones to help him form a swim team at Cutter High School, T.J.'s response is "NO." Cutter High doesn't have a pool, and organized school athletics leave T.J. cold. But after he sees the football team picking on Chris Coughlin one time too many, he decides that maybe what Cutter High School needs is a new team. A swim team, where non-athletes and other misfits can work toward the symbol of ultimate achievement at Cutter High - The Varsity Letter Jacket. So T.J. recruits his team from the most unlikely places, and ends up with the strangest looking swim team ever seen. But the question remains, will the Cutter High Athletic Council give them the letters they have earned? This quick-paced story is realistic; almost painfully so. As the team bonds with one another, you feel as if you belong too.

Reviewed by Tammy S., University City Regional

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Wallace only tells the truth, a quirky habit which creates trouble when he is to report on the book "Old Shep, Old Pal" for his English class. He ponders, "Why does the dog in every classic book always have to croak at the end?" His report does not please his teacher, who orders Wallace to attend play rehearsals rather than his football practices until he can write a satisfactory report on the book. Coincidentally, the school play, directed by Wallace's English teacher, happens to be based upon this classic dog drama. Wallace and a unique cast of characters discover the meaning of friendship as the canine tragedy evolves into a rock-and-roll extravaganza through this quickly-paced tale of hysterical consequences which result from Wallace's refusal to lie.

Reviewed by Tricia B., South County Regional

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If you were lucky, you had a teacher like Winter Sorbeck. He challenged, he yelled… he changed who you were and who you would become. When Happy, a first-year art student, innocently enrolls in Sorbeck’s graphic design class, he is unprepared for the questions that he is forced to ask about his work and of himself. Author and graphic designer Chip Kidd has written a novel that captures the anxiety and comedy of the undergraduate student experience as a whole and the art school experience in particular. Set in a rural college town in the 1950s, The Cheese Monkeys overflows with hilarious dialogue and unforgettable characters. Kidd’s is a witty debut.

Reviewed by James K., Freedom Regional

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Clay Robinette and Reggie Brogus are both professors at Arden University in Arden, Ohio. Clay, a journalism professor, is always on the lookout for the perfect story to rectify his failing writing career. Reggie, pro militant during the turbulent 1960’s, turned black Republican, teaches African American Studies. Reggie has a wealth of enemies, any of which would love to see his career tarnished. Maybe that explains the reason for the dead body found in his campus office - the body of a naked white female who happens to have been the former lover of Clay Robinette. Told from Clay’s perspective, If 6 Were 9 is a fast paced story that should keep readers interested in the plot until the very last page.

Reviewed by Vickie C., West Boulevard Branch

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Richard Papen, a native Californian, dreams of cellos, bleak window panes, and snow when he arrives at Hampden College, a small Vermont liberal arts school, for his freshman year. He becomes part of the Classics crowd who worship their professor, Julian Morrow. They go to the woods to re-enact a Bacchanalian celebration similar to the rites Morrow discussed in class. They want to remove the “burden of self.” Tartt’s debut literary thriller explores “sin unpunished, innocence destroyed, and evil passing for good.” Her suspenseful storytelling, subtle wit, and detailed characterization makes this novel a must-read.

Reviewed by Megan M., Main Library

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Michael Tillman is a single, forty something, tenured business professor at the local university. At this point in his life he is pretty content teaching at the university, riding his motorcycle and spending lonely days and nights with his cat and dog. That is until he meets his new colleague Jimmy Braden and Braden’s lovely wife Jellie. Jellie stirs up all kinds of emotions in Michael. He knows it from day one and so does she. As in his previous best-selling novel, The Bridges of Madison County, Robert James Waller sets his novel in the Midwest and along that same storyline - how to deal with choices concerning matters of the heart. This compact book is bittersweet and thoroughly enjoyable.

Reviewed by Vickie C., West Boulevard Branch

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My dad calls the mall a "big vacuum cleaner for money.” This is one of the many astute observations Jeremy Reskin shares in his journal of his sophomore year at Hutch Falls High School in New Jersey. Jeremy has a stream of consciousness writing style without regard to commas, or apostrophes “because the most important thing is to express yourself anyway” according to his creative writing teacher. Jeremy describes his first crush, his first prom, and his first failing grade. Weisberg captures the essence of high school in the 1980s including listening to Queen, worshiping your Charlie’s Angels’ poster, and drinking Tab. This is an accurate, funny, coming-of-age debut novel that will also be of interest to teens. It takes you back to 10th Grade.

Reviewed by Megan M., Main Library

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Rebekah Nathan (a pseudonym), is a cultural anthropologist and had been a professor of anthropology for 15 years at AnyU. After auditing some courses, she noticed a disconnect between how faculty and the students saw the University. During her sabbatical year, Prof. Nathan decided to research student life at her own institution. As she had with her fieldwork in Tonga, she lived among the studied population (college freshmen) including residing in student housing. Her observations raised a stir in academic circles but will be familiar to anyone who has been a resident college student, although the students seem to have more, especially electronic, “stuff”. Since publication of this book, the author has been identified as Professor Cathy Small of Northern Arizona University.

Reviewed by John C., Main Library

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Librarians must constantly reinvent themselves, not from choice but necessity. As the world of information evolves, so does the information professional. With technology completely changing the game, librarians must now not only be book friendly but cyber savvy. Skills ranging from how to use a print index to how to download music to an IPod are essential in any daily shift of working a reference desk. Librarians are the rock-stars in the age of Google, according to author and library user Marilyn Johnson. Her collection of stories from librarians in the field offer a humorous and enlightening read, helping dispel the 'shhh'ing old lady behind the desk' stereotype. Anyone who has visited a library recently will agree that "in tough times, a librarian is a terrible thing to waste."

Reviewed by Kim W., University City Regional

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Are our bodies just another commodity to be exchanged on the open market or are they sacred? That`s the question Scott Carney explores in this book. Technological advances make this question imperative for global community to address; especially since the body supply chain always takes from the poor and gives to the wealthy. “The current ethos that rules red markets around the world is the assumption that there is an ethical way to build a commercial system of flesh exchange on top of altruistic donations. When supply falters criminal elements look for illicit ways to increase supply.” Most of us during our lifetime will receive blood and some will even donate tissue--this exploration of the dark side of consumerism is a must read for all.

Reviewed by Gina d., Main Library

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What do all humans have in common? We all think we`re above average: better, smarter, prettier than others. So when things go wrong, as they inevitably do, we need someone to blame. “With this capacity for self-delusion it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that we seek to blame others. The idea of Attribution Theory states that we have an urgent need to find reasons for an event, and this leads us to leap to conclusions and hold others responsible.” Recognizing this condition, we have the ability to break the cycle in our own lives and this small, informative book is a must read for all interested in breaking the cycle.

Reviewed by Gina d., Main Library

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