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By
Nora Levine
Nora Levine can be reached
at
.
SHOOT THE MOON,
by Billie Letts.
This was a fascinating tale about Mark Albright, Beverly Hills veterinarian-to-the-stars,
who finds out that he was adopted, a secret the only parents he knew
kept from him while they were alive. Mark travels to the town where
he was born to meet and talk to his birth-mother and find out about
his father. He uncovers a town mystery about his mother's situation
and his disappearance 30 years ago from De Clare, Oklahoma. He slowly
works to unravel that mystery through research and by talking with
many in the town. The town's characters are charming and seem very
authentic. The story is very intriguing as Albright, neé Nicky
Jack Hargrove, discovers his heritage.
Lauri Flynn
THE GEOGRAPHER’S LIBRARY, by Jon
Fasman.
It has been compared to other "suspense thrillers" like
“The DaVinci Code.” The book starts with a real person from history,
Al-Idrisi, a Spanish-Muslim philosopher, cartographer, linguist, and
scholar who served in the court of King Roger of Sicily in Palermo
in the year 1154. In his old age Al-Idrisi starts to travel the world
and that is where the story begins. While traveling, Al-Idrisi's house
is robbed. We never learn why he left behind all of these valuable
items but we do learn about their estimated value and subsequent owners.
We also learn that alchemy is another interest for Al-Idrisi.
There is a second story that weaves through the first one. The second
story involves a reporter, Paul Tomm, working for a local paper in
a small Connecticut town. While working on an obituary of a local
professor he finds more questions than answers. For instance why was
the mysterious professor still at the college when he didn't teach
classes, why did he receive a salary of $1/year, and why did he exhibit
bizarre behavior like shooting guns on campus? I liked all the elements
of the story, and yet for me the whole seemed somehow lesser than
the sum of the parts.
THE LAST POPE by Luis M. Rocha
This novel is in the same genre as “The Geographer’s Library."
The author suggests there was a conspiracy around the death of Pope
John Paul I who was only pope for 33 days. The book involves secret
societies within secret societies. The drama comes from a young woman
who receives an odd letter from an old friend of her father's. Immediately
her life is in danger. Her father tells her to go to a certain place
in London where someone will find her and protect her. She makes it
to the place, but has no idea who to trust. A mysterious stranger
appears who may be the person sent to help her, or may not be. There
are of course chase scenes, flights across the globe and secret codes.
If you liked “The DaVinci Code” you may like this as well.
Cathy Hardy
Hanson Bridgett
THE GLASSBLOWER OF MURANO by Marina
Fiorato
I have been fascinated by Murano glass since I saw a chandelier made
out of it on a trip to Venice. This is the story of a woman who changes
her life by going back to her roots - roots she knew barely anything
about. A sudden turn of events in Nora's life, which, thankfully,
the author deals with quickly and succinctly, leads her to Venice
and a new life following in the footsteps of her ancestors.
In Venice, Nora returns to her given name, Leonora, and with it a
whole new life. This story isn't written in a straight line and there
are twists and turns along the way.
One of the appealing aspects is the reach back to the past, using
a flashback style. In a way this method is like reading two stories
at once. I liked that the author dealt with the mistakes that people
made.
This book has a great tone and the characters seem real -- not the
perfect robots that seem so frequent in some fiction lately. This
is definitely a book I would like to read again.
Jaye A. H. Lapachet
Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass LLP
HARDBALL by Sara Paretsky
This is the thirteenth V.I. Warshawski mystery and one of the best.
In the course of trying to find out what happened to a man who disappeared
in 1967, V.I. finds herself immersed in the racial turbulence that
hit Chicago during that summer. The violence and tensions of the times
split not only the city, but her family. Very evocative of the '60s.
A must for Paretsky fans.
MURDER LOVES COMPANY by John
Mersereau
This is a reprint of a book that was first published in 1940. If you
collect or read mysteries extensively, you should check out the web
site of the publisher Rue Morgue Press (www.ruemorguepress.com) and
read about their company, which sells mystery novels online and publishes
forgotten mysteries. Mersereau's book takes place at the 1939 Golden
Gate International Exposition. The protagonist is a professor of horticulture
at Berkeley and he has planted olive trees at the fair. He and an
ace "girl" reporter witness a murder while they are driving
on the Bay Bridge and off the mystery proceeds. Okay, it's dated (rather
sexist), but there is an innocence to it and a cluelessness about
what is to befall the country. I kept wanting to warn them! It's an
interesting glimpse at a much different Bay Area. And if you're interested
in the GGIE, Rupert Holmes's "Swing: A Mystery" also covers
much of the same ground (the fair, U.C.). Holmes has written a far
superior book, but each is interesting in its own way.
Paula Lichtenberg
Keker & Van Nest LLP
PEOPLE OF THE BOOK: A NOVEL by Geraldine
Brooks
I was immediately captivated by the story of the Sarajevo Haggadah.
Dr. Hanna Heath, an Australian book restoration expert, travels to
Sarajevo to preserve this beautiful manuscript. Through her documentation
of what she finds during the restoration process (an insect's wing
and a wine stain among other things) we travel back in time to discover
how each of the book's various components come together over time
to create a priceless museum piece. Why does this Jewish prayer book
have exquisite illuminations when ornamentation is against Jewish
beliefs? How did the book survive the Spanish Inquisition? These and
many other questions are answered. We also explore Hanna's relationship
with her mother and uncover some behind-the-scenes intrigue along
the way. There is a lot going on in this book, and that could be its
downfall. The author just scratches the surface but I found my imagination
filling in the gaps.
Ramona Martinez
Boalt Law Library
HIVE FIVE, by Janet Evanovich
Fifth in a series of Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum novels. It is hysterical
and has great local Jersey color and cast of characters. Stephanie,
after losing her job as a lingerie buyer, takes a job as a bond enforcer
for her cousin Vinnie, who runs one of Trenton NJ’s bail bond operations.
In book five, Stephanie’s Uncle Fred disappears, and she has to apprehend
a wily FTA (Failure to Appear), and has to track down Uncle Mo, local
candy and ice cream purveyor and beloved figure of the Berg (neighborhood
in Trenton). However, there seems to be something much more sinister
below the surface of Uncle Mo’s ice cream cones.
Lori Ruth
Winston & Strawn
“Atlas Shrugged on my iPhone because I didn't want
to carry a 1200 page book on my commute.”
Kurt Shuck
Foley & Lardner
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