Tis the Season, 11/11/09

Making Christmas lists has always been a painful procedure for me – not only gifts I want for myself, but gifts I want to give to other people. My mother has given up on me and just sends me a catalogue, telling me to circle what I want and then mail it back. I struggle every year over what to buy for my husband, hoping to get just the right thing (it hasn’t happened yet).

So in light of that time of year, I thought I would list a few books that could probably be put on a Christmas list for yourself or for someone you know. A lot of popular authors released books in November and the list I’ve included here is by no means complete. Stop in to the library for a listing of the books we ordered this month. Here are just a few:

Ford County by John Grisham
Seven short stories, set around seven different characters, makes this an unusual book from Grisham. Set in the same area as A Time To Kill, these stories will entertain you and some of them will make you laugh out loud. A definite must for followers of the author.

I, Alex Cross by James Patterson
An edge-of-your-seat thriller is delivered yet again from Patterson. Alex is pulled from a family gathering to learn that another relative has been brutally murdered. The quest to catch the killer will lead him into a seedy underbelly of secrets, where your credentials can get you anything you want, and there are some that will do anything to keep their fantasies a secret. The revelation the evidence points to could change everything…

Kindred in Death by J.D. Robb
Coming home from vacation, the new Captain of the NYPSD and his wife are looking forward to spending quality time with their daughter, who stayed at home. They return to find her brutally murdered and Eve Dallas is called in to solve the crime. The evidence points them in one direction, but the killer is using all sorts of tricks to throw them off the trail. To start the Dallas stories at the beginning, read Naked in Death.

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
Harrison Shepherd is American born, but raised by housekeepers in Mexico. His journey back and forth across the border brings him into contact with Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Lev Trotsky and dozens of other vivid characters as he throws his lot in with art, revolution, and politics. Kingsolver does an excellent job showing how one’s life can be formed and altered by public opinion and her settings and characters are rich and engaging.

Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton
The year is 1665. The place is Port Royal, Jamaica. From the storyteller who brought us Jurassic Park comes a swashbuckling story of treasure, piracy, and adventure. A ragtag group of English ruffians, led by a notorious pirate, learn of gold contained within a Spanish galleon and can’t resist the lure, though the capture of such a ship seems impossible.

The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell
Kay Scarpetta has been asked to host a television series in the midst of all the other strange things going on in her life. Someone leaves a possible bomb at the front desk of her building, she’s receiving strange phone calls, and suddenly finds herself sucked into a situation that involves a famous actor and a missing millionaires. Don’t miss this one, though if you need to start at the beginning, start with Postmortem.

Shades of Blue by Karen Kingsbury
Life doesn’t always play out like a fairy tale, even if it seems like it’s going to. Brad Cutler believe he has everything he wants – a perfect fiancé, a perfect job, a perfect life – until memories begin to haunt him and he realizes there’s an old love he needs to make amends to. Turning to God for help, Brad struggles to regain the fairy tale he so desperately wants.

206 Bones by Kathy Reichs
If you enjoy the Bones series on FOX, you really should be reading the books the series was based on. While the television series is only loosely based on the book series, the books are fabulous. This installment finds Dr. Brennan not only trapped in a tomb, but fighting to save her reputation after an alleged botched autopsy. If you haven’t been reading the series but would like to start, the first book is called Deja Dead.

Under the Dome by Stephen King
What would you do if the town of Pipestone was entirely sealed off from the world by an invisible forcefield? What if your family was at home and you were running errands in Marshall? King explores this scenario with the fictional town of Chester’s Mill, Maine. What happens to the people of a town when they are suddenly and very completely on their own?

We also have six new DVDs, four new audio books, and several non-fiction and largeprint selections, but you’ll have to come in and browse for yourself to get those titles. Yes, that’s my shameless way of getting you into the library.

And if books are just not your thing, then I must admit I’m at a loss. Having purchased everything from hockey lessons to specialty wine corks for Christmas gifts, I have a tendency to be a little wacky. Just hope I won’t be your secret Santa.

If you have any questions, or have a book to reserve or renew, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 507-825-6714. The hours for Meinders Library are Monday through Thursday, from 10 AM to 8 PM, and Friday and Saturday from 10 AM to 5 PM.