PATRON PICKS -- On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon

Kassie's pick is On the Occasion of My Last Afternoon, by Kaye Gibbons

Synopsis:  In the year 1900--on the afternoon she suspects might be the last of her long, eventful life--Emma Garnet Tate Lowell sets down on paper what came before, determined to make an honest account of it. Born to privilege on a James River plantation, she grew up determined to escape the domination of her bullying, self-made father, Samuel P. Tate, and ultimately seceded from his control to marry Quincy Lowell, a surgeon and member of the distinguished Boston family. But then came the Civil War. Working alongside Quincy, assisting him in the treatment of wounded soldiers, she witnessed scenes that would be engraved forever in her memory. And, before beginning the long journey of her own reconstruction, she must face the shame of her relationship to her "servants" and learn the terrible secret that shaped her father's life.

Kassie says:  Pre-Civil War South, death, slavery, violence, passion--but this book is an elegy for all that.  The beauty of the writing and unexpected forms of love and redemption make it flow to the end.  

STAFF PICKS -- Contagion (DVD)

Patti's pick is Contagion (DVD).

A thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and an international team of doctors contracted by the CDC to deal with the outbreak.

Patti says:  Great movie!  I loved the fast pace and the "ticker" in the background was perfect.  I'm glad the story focused more on how they dealt with the disease rather than on the people who were sick.

PATRON PICKS -- Mudwoman

Deborah's pick is Mudwoman, by Joyce Carol Oates.

Synopsis:
Meredith Ruth (M.R.) Neukirchen is the first female president of an ivy league university, clearly modeled after the author's own place of work, Princeton. She is driving to upstate New York to deliver a speech about the Iraq war, which she is opposed to in spite of the politics of her school's opinionated donors. Understandably, she's stressed. Not-so-understandably, this leads her to abandon the presentation to visit the mud flats that overrun the town where she grew up.

Soon, the trauma of her childhood is revealed to us: Her wayward mother attempted to drown her in those very flats; her mother's husband sexually abused her; she was taken in mistakenly by another fanatically religious couple. M.R. (aka Mudwoman) begins to lose herself in these memories, and her psyche begins to deteriorate, as she and the reader lose sight of what's real and what's not.

Deborah says:  Complex story that modern women can relate to.  Interesting dream-state fugues.

STAFF PICKS -- Wonder Show

Gina's staff pick is Wonder Show, by Hannah Barnaby

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, step inside Mosco’s Traveling Wonder Show, a menagerie of human curiosities and misfits guaranteed to astound and amaze!  But perhaps the strangest act of Mosco’s display is Portia Remini, a normal among the freaks, on the run from McGreavy’s Home for Wayward Girls, where Mister watches and waits.  He said he would always find Portia, that she could never leave.  Free at last, Portia begins a new life on the bally, seeking answers about her father’s disappearance. Will she find him before Mister finds her? It’s a story for the ages, and like everyone who enters the Wonder Show, Portia will never be the same.

Gina says:  Cute circus story.  Light read with excitement and a lot of story.

STAFF PICKS -- The Dressmaker

Gina's staff pick is The Dressmaker, by Kate Alcott.  (This is the second recommendation for this book.)

A vivid, romantic, and relentlessly compelling historical novel about a spirited young woman who survives the disaster only to find herself embroiled in the media frenzy left in the wake of the tragedy.

Gina says:  It's like a gentle read that most would enjoy!"

PATRON PICKS -- Witches of East End

Linda's pick is Witches of East End, by Melissa de la Cruz (her first novel for adults)

Synopsis:  The three Beauchamp women--Joanna and her daughters Freya and Ingrid--live in North Hampton, out on the tip of Long Island. Their beautiful, mist-shrouded town seems almost stuck in time, and all three women lead seemingly quiet, uneventful existences. But they are harboring a mighty secret--they are powerful witches banned from using their magic. Joanna can resurrect people from the dead and heal the most serious of injuries. Ingrid, her bookish daughter, has the ability to predict the future and weave knots that can solve anything from infertility to infidelity. And finally, there's Freya, the wild child, who has a charm or a potion that can cure most any heartache.

For centuries, all three women have been forced to suppress their abilities. But then Freya, who is about to get married to the wealthy and mysterious Bran Gardiner, finds that her increasingly complicated romantic life makes it more difficult than ever to hide her secret. Soon Ingrid and Joanna confront similar dilemmas, and the Beauchamp women realize they can no longer conceal their true selves. They unearth their wands from the attic, dust off their broomsticks, and begin casting spells on the townspeople. It all seems like a bit of good-natured, innocent magic, but then mysterious, violent attacks begin to plague the town. When a young girl disappears over the Fourth of July weekend, they realize it's time to uncover who and what dark forces are working against them.

With a brand-new cast of characters, a fascinating and fresh world to discover, and a few surprise appearances from some of the Blue Blood fan favorites, this is a page-turning, deliciously fun, magical summer read fraught with love affairs, witchcraft, and an unforgettable battle between good and evil.

Check out the book trailer!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x39BpWsPO_w

Linda says:  Very captivating.  Finished first book in one day and started second book the same day.  [The sequel is called Serpent's Kiss]

PATRON PICKS -- The Dark Tower series

Vincent's pick is The Dark Tower series, by Stephen King.

About The Dark Tower series:  Set in a world of extraordinary circumstances, filled with stunning visual imagery and unforgettable characters, The Dark Tower series is King's most visionary feat of storytelling, a magical mix of science fiction, fantasy, and horror that may well be his crowning achievement.

To find out more about the series, check out the official website!
http://www.stephenking.com/darktower/book/

Vincent says:  I really like [Stephen King's] books and his Dark Tower books are some of his best.

The Gunslinger

The Drawing of the Three

The Waste Lands

Wizard and Glass

Wolves of the Calla

Song of Susannah

The Dark Tower

The Wind Through the Keyhole