STAFF PICKS--When the Emperor Was Divine

Melissa's staff pick is When the Emperor Was Divine, by Julie Otsuka

Synopsis:
Julie Otsuka’s commanding debut novel paints a portrait of the Japanese internment camps unlike any we have ever seen. Otsuka uses a single family to evoke the deracination—both physical and emotional—of a generation of Japanese Americans. In five chapters, each flawlessly executed from a different point of view—the mother receiving the order to evacuate; the daughter on the long train ride to the camp; the son in the desert encampment; the family’s return to their home; and the bitter release of the father after more than four years in captivity—she has created a small tour de force, a novel of unrelenting economy and suppressed emotion. When the Emperor Was Divine is a haunting evocation of a family in wartime and an unmistakably resonant lesson for our times.

Melissa says:  It gave an enlightening perspective on the severe hardships the Japanese Americans had to endure during WWII.

PATRON PICKS--Invisible Sun

Patrick's pick is Invisible Sun, by David Macinnis Gill

Synopsis:
Obsessed with MUSE, the clandestine project that created the AI in his brain, mercenary chief Durango draws the ire of the government when he steals part of the secret project data and hightails it with his lieutenant, Vienne, to an ancient monastery.  There, he meets the monks who raised Vienne from an orphan and also encounters soldiers working for his old nemesis, the crime lord Mr. Lyme.  Lyme controls the territory surrounding the monastery, as well as the data centers housing the rest of MUSE.

Undeterred, Durango and Vienne pull off an ill-advised raid on Lyme's complex.  During the ensuing battle, however, Vienne is captured, and Durango is beaten and left for dead.  Now, wounded and shaken, Durango must overcome bounty hunters, treacherous terrain, a full scale civil war, and a warrior monk with an eye for vengeance (not to mention his own guilt, self-doubt, and broken arm) to find Vienne and free her from Archibald, a brain-washing pyromaniac with a Napoleon complex who wants to rule Mars--and kill Durango in the process.

Patrick says:  Invisible Sun was an amazing book.  It was a great mix of action, adventure, sci-fi, and even a little comedy and romance.  I love how even though Mimi, Durango's AI, is supposed to be protecting him, she mocks and annoys him almost every other second. Invisible Sun is a must-read book.

PATRON PICKS--Jurassic Park (DVD)

Chris' DVD pick is Jurassic Park.

Synopsis:
During a preview tour, a theme park suffers a major power breakdown that allows its cloned dinosaur exhibits to run amok.

Chris says he likes it because of the dinosaurs!

PATRON PICKS--A Lasting Impression

Rosemarie's pick is A Lasting Impression, by Tamara Alexander

Synopsis:
Claire Laurent's greatest aspiration is to paint something that will bring her acclaim. Yet her father insists she work as a copyist. A forger. When she's forced to flee her home, her path collides with attorney Sutton Monroe, who shows her kindness by not turning her in to authorities. But when he later refuses to come to her aid, Claire fears she's sorely misjudged him. Finding herself among the elite of Nashville society, Claire believes her dream of creating a lasting impression in the world of art is within reach--but only if her past remains hidden.

 

The Federal Army destroyed Sutton's home, confiscated his land, and threatens to destroy his family's honor. His determination to reclaim what belongs to him reveals a truth that may cost him more than he ever imagined--as well as the woman he loves.

Set at Nashville's historic Belmont Mansion, a stunning antebellum manor built by Adelicia Acklen, A Lasting Impression is a sweeping love story about a nation mending after war, the redemption of those wounded, and the courage of a man and woman to see themselves--and each other--for who they really are.

Rosemarie says:  Excellent plot!  Kept your interest from the first page.  Memorable (actual) characters.

PATRON PICKS--Home Front

Pat's pick is Home Front, by Kristen Hannah

Synopsis:
Like many couples, Michael and Jolene Zarkades have to face the pressures of everyday life---children, careers, bills, chores---even as their twelve-year marriage is falling apart. Then an unexpected deployment sends Jolene deep into harm’s way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls. As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a solider she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth. But war will change Jolene in ways that none of them could have foreseen. When tragedy strikes, Michael must face his darkest fear and fight a battle of his own---for everything that matters to his family.

At once a profoundly honest look at modern marriage and a dramatic exploration of the toll war takes on an ordinary American family, Home Front is a story of love, loss, heroism, honor, and ultimately, hope.

Pat says:  The author presents a different perspective of injured soldiers coming home from war--the feminine side.  Good depiction of impact on soldier and family.

STAFF PICKS--Caleb's Crossing

Carol's staff pick is Caleb's Crossing, by Geraldine Brooks.

Synopsis:
The narrator of Caleb's Crossing is Bethia Mayfield, growing up in the tiny settlement of Great Harbor amid a small band of pioneers and Puritans.  Restless and curious, she yearns after an education that is closed to her by her sex.  As often as she can, she slips away to explore the island's glistening beaches and observe its native Wampanoag inhabitants.

At twelve, she encounters Caleb, the young son of a chieftain, and the two forge a tentative secret friendship that draws each into the alien world of the other.  Bethia's minister father tries to convert the Wampanoag, awakening the wrath of the tribe's shaman, against whose magic he must test his own beliefs.  One of his projects becomes the education of Caleb, and a year later, Caleb is in Cambridge, studying Latin and Greek among the colonial elite.  There, Bethia finds herself reluctantly indentured as a housekeeper and can closely observe Caleb's crossing of cultures.

Carol says:  A great historical novel about the Wampanoag Indians who settled on Martha's Vineyard--their lifestyle and ultimate Christianization by English settlers.

PATRON PICKS--Time and Again

Louise's pick is Time and Again, by Jack Finney

Synopsis:
First published in 1970, this highly original cult classic tells the story of Simon Morley, a young Manhattan illustrator who is selected by a secret government agency--presumably to test Einstein's theory that the past actually co-exists with the present--and finds himself suddenly transported back to the New York of the 1880s. Written with style and elegance, this bold, visionary novel provides "Mind-boggling, imagination-stretching, exciting, romantic entertainment."-- San Francisco Examiner.

Louise says:  I read this book years ago and have never forgotten it.  I loved the use of historical photos in the book.  One of the best time-travel novels ever!

STAFF PICKS--The Dressmaker

Patti's staff pick is The Dressmaker, by Kate Alcott.

Synopsis:
Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she's had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic's doomed voyage.  Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire.  But on the fourth night, disaster strikes.

Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat.  Tess's sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon's questionable actions during the tragedy.  Others--including the gallant Midwestern tycoon--are not so lucky.

On dry land, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic.  Set against a historical tragedy but told from a completely fresh angle, The Dressmaker is an atmospheric delight filled with all the period's glitz and glamour, all the raw feelings of a national tragedy and all the contradictory emotions of young love.

Patti says:  This was a fascinating story about what happens to Titanic survivors after they reach America.  I didn't know much about this part of the tragedy before I read this book and now I want to do some research on it.  I thought The Dressmaker was a well-written, compelling story.  It was hard to put down!

PATRON PICKS-- A Stockbridge Homecoming

Kassie's pick is A Stockbridge Homecoming, by Penelope S. Duffy

Synopsis:
This is a gripping narrative of separation, journey, and reunion, played out against the political and military upheaval of the Communist Revolution and the quiet streets of New England.


Kassie says:  If you are feeling jaded or dreary, this short memoir is as restorative as cold water on a hot day.

PATRON PICKS--The Hunger Games

Zach's pick is The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

Synopsis:
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts.  The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games.  But Katniss has been close to dead before--and survival, for her, is second nature.  Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender.  But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Zach says:  I loved how much action was in the book!