Staff Picks : Christian

 Christian's October Picks

Blind Tiger, by Sandra Brown—This book takes place in during the Prohibition in a small Texas town, rife with moonshiners and bootlegging.  Enter Thatcher Hutton whose amble into town seems to be the catalyst for dramatic changes to this “quiet” little berg.  Murder. Liquor wars. Suspense. It’s a good read!

 

Home, by Ellen DeGeneres – Join Ellen on a funny and enlightening tour of several of the homes she has lived in over her career.  Funny. Beautifully photographed.  Well thought out.

 

Forgotten in Death: In Death #53, by J.D. Robb –The latest in Robb’s Eve Dallas series.  It has the usual “can’t put it down” quality of this series.  Murders to be solved.  Tough choices to make.  Unbreakable bonds of “family” both at work and at home.  Love these books!  For fans of this series, this one does not disappoint.  For those who are new to it, “try it you’ll like it!’

Staff Picks : Julie

 Julie's October Picks

The Girls in the Stilt House, by Kelly Mustian - Ada is white and Matilda is black living in Mississippi during the 1920's. Both are living very harsh lives, but for different reasons. They come together when Matilda saves Ada's life by killing Ada's father. The book has been advertised as being similar to Where the Crawdad's Sing and I agree that it has some of the same feel. My only issue with the book is it seems like everything that could possibly go wrong does, especially for Matilda. Realistically, maybe only a few of those bad things would happen at one time. I enjoyed the story, though, and was happy with the resolution.

The Madness of Crowds, by Louise Penny - I read this on the recommendation of my mom - she's pretty reliable in giving good recommendations! A speaker with controversial ideas about eugenics is speaking at a small university. When an attempt is made on her life, Inspector Gamache must try to figure out the ins and outs of what happened while putting aside his own disgust with her ideas. While this is the most recent book in the Inspector Gamache series, it is the first I have read. I have the first one on hold now on Libby so I can go back and read the series from the beginning.

The Lights of Sugarberry Cove, by Heather Webber - Sadie, her sister Leala, and their mother are struggling with their relationships with each other and with their significant others. They live around a lake and the festival of lanterns where everyone in town makes a wish is soon. I have enjoyed all of Heather Webber's books. They all have fun small town settings and a hint of magic.

Patron Picks : Donna Hill

*In addition to Staff Picks, I have asked a few patrons to let us feature their recommendations. If you would like your picks featured, contact Julie at jbaxter@co.franklin.tx.us or 903-537-4916

Donna's October Picks

Still Life by Louise Penny is the first in a series of mysteries involving Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec.  Ms. Penny has created an engaging set of characters, starting with Inspector Gamache.  Each book has a different, unique murder mystery to be solved by Gamache and his underlings and friends.  The books definitely should be read in order because the characters develop and change over the course of the series.  I believe there are currently 17 books featuring Inspector Gamache.

 

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear is also the first in a series of British mysteries.  The heroine, Maisie Dobbs, "psychologist and investigator", is the daughter of a common laborer who rises above her humble beginnings.  Another series that needs to be read in order, the Maisie Dobbs books feature an engaging young woman who goes about solving mysteries and achieving success unusual to her time and place in society.  Ms. Winspear does an excellent job of conveying time and place, the England of post WWI and later.

 

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown is a non-fiction novel that relates the story of the eight-oar rowing crew from the University of Washington who managed to win the gold medal at the 1936 Olympics.  The story of the young men on the crew is inspiring, to say the least.  These were hard working, tough young men who grew up in families working to survive.  In a sport that was dominated by elite athletes from schools in the New England, they fought to become a skilled team that could win the Olympics.  While the author includes a lot of technical details about boat building, the real story is the grit and determination exhibited by the young men on the team.

 

The Flight Girls by Noelle Salazar is an inspiring novel of the young women who joined the Women’s Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) organization during WWII.  At a time when few women worked outside the home, these intrepid women came from all over the United States to train at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, TX.  Having been to Sweetwater, TX I can only imagine what culture shock these women faced when they arrived from places like New York and California.  These female pilots tested aircraft, ferried aircraft, and trained other pilots.  The novel does have a love story and it’s a good one.