Best Seller Read-Alikes for the Week of November 4th

Can’t wait to get your hands on the latest best-seller, but the hold list is too long? To tide you over, every week we’ll offer similar titles and authors to the week’s fiction and nonfiction best sellers.

Fiction

At #1 this week in fiction is John Grisham's The Racketeer. Grisham's latest legal thriller centers around the murder of a federal judge and his attractive assistant. When the investigation stalls, imprisoned lawyer Malcolm Bannister (who is serving a 10 year sentence for  money laundering) tells the feds that he knows both the killer and the motive, but will only divulge the information in exchange for his freedom. In class Grisham style, the legal twists are numerous and effective. A fast-paced read for fans of Grisham and the genre.

Books and authors similar to Grisham include:

The Black Echo by Michael Connelly - Washed-up former hero cop Harry Bosch works to prove that the apparent overdose of a fellow Vietnam vet was actually a murder. Connelly is a crime reporter in Los Angeles and brings a strong authenticity to this procedural series. His writing is gritty and atmospheric with occasional forays into the gruesomely violent.

Final Jeopardy by Linda Fairstein - Fairstein’s series of fast-paced legal thrillers featuring Assistant D.A. Alexandra Cooper are gritty and suspenseful.  Fairstein takes inspiration from real crimes, and often has Alex juggle multiple cases. The first book is Final Jeopardy, when a woman on her way to Alex’s beach house is murdered, Alex’s life as Chief of the Sex Crimes Prosecution Unit becomes even more complex.

Dead Irish by John T. Lescroart - When the boss of ex-cop and current barkeep Dimas Hardy begins an investigation into the alleged suicide of his brother-in-law, also a friend of Hardy, Hardy steps in to help the troubled bar owner and becomes privy to lives of the victim's family in his attempt to find the killer. Dead Irish is the first in an ongoing series of Lescroart's popular legal thrillers that echo Grishman's swift pacing and legal twists.

Click here for more fiction bestsellers... 

Nonfiction

At #1 in non-fiction is Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot, Bill O'Reilly & Michael Dugard's follow-up to their bestseller detailing President Lincoln's assassination (Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever). O'Reilly and Dugard take the same route here, retelling the events leading up to the assassination of President Kennedy and how the event affected the nation and the world.

Books similar to Killing Kennedy include:

Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy by Vincent Bugliosi (973.922092 BUG) - Best known as the prosecutor of the Manson murders, Bugliosi presents a thorough analysis of the assassination of JFK and its surrounding conspiracy theories draws on forensic evidence, key witness testimonies, and other sources to explain what really happened and why conspiracy theories have become so popularized.

Jack Kennedy: An Elusive Hero by Christopher Matthews (Biog. Kennedy) - Based on interviews with some of his closest associates, Matthew creates a portrait of the thirty-fifth president, discussing his privileged childhood, military service, struggles with a life-threatening disease, and career in politics. More thoughtful that shocking, this biography delves deeper into the personal life of JFK.

The Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Medicine, Madness and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard (973.84 MIL) - A narrative account of James Garfield's political career offers insight into his background as a scholar and Civil War hero, his battles against the corrupt establishment, and Alexander Graham Bell's failed attempt to save him from an assassin's bullet.

Click here for more nonfiction bestsellers ...

If you'd like more recommendations, stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor, check out NoveList Plus on the library's website, or visit W. 11th & Bluff next week for more reading suggestions. Or submit a Personal Recommendations request, and we'll create a reading list just for you!

Vote today!

After so many months (years?) Election Day has finally arrived!

If you haven't already voted, as about 30% of Dubuque County has, the Iowa Secretary of State's website can help you find out if you're registered to vote and where your polling place is. Absentee voters can track their ballot here and military voters can also find information about how to cast their ballots here.

The Dubuque County Auditor's website also has helpful information for voters, including sample ballots, precinct maps, past election results, and contact information and the locations of election offices in Dubuque County.

Wisconsin voters can get information from the State of Wisconsin Government Accountability Board's website here. Illinois voters should visit the Illinois Board of Election's website here for assistance.

If you'd like to do some last minute research on the candidates, the TH has a great collection of election information here (remember, you can read the THonline for free at the library). For information about the Judicial Ballot, The Iowa Bar Association has published their yearly Judaical Performance Review here . If you're puzzled about some of the claims made by candidates, FactCheck.org is a good place to start.

Curious about the Electoral College? The National Archives hosts a website that describes the College's purpose and function here (it's a process, not a place!) You can also view past results and make your own map to predict and track election results. Or, you can watch School House Rock's musical explanation here!

And once you've performed your civic duty, reward yourself with this video of Internet sensation Maru attempting to fit into a series of small boxes. Because you've earned it!

Books to Movies, recent and upcoming

It would be easy to write a blog post every other month with updates on books classic and recent, obscure and popular that are making the transition to Hollywood. In addition to the coming excitement of Oscar Season, the fall holds a few action titles with literary beginnings. We've gathered a few together, with some reading suggestions.

Alex Cross, based on Cross by James Patterson
Release date: October 19
This is the third film based on Patterson's popular Alex Cross series. The first two films, Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider, star Morgan Freeman as Cross, while the most recent film stars Tyler Perry. The series starts with Along Came a Spider, and the next book, Merry Christmas, Alex Cross, comes out in November.
Readers may also enjoy:

• Rules of Prey by John Sandford, the first book in his Prey series featuring Lucas Davenport. Fast-paced, violent, and full of gritty details, these suspenseful mysteries mix elements of police procedurals with the psychology of the criminals.
• If I Should Die by Grace Edwards, the first book in her Mali Anderson series. Set in Harlem, this fast-paced series has a tough, intelligent, African-American woman as the detective. Anderson left the police force over racism and sexism, but when a murder is committed before her eyes, she puts her skills to use.

Cloud Atlas, based on Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Release date: October 26
Mitchell's experimental novel about the interconnections between the generations makes for a rather unusual movie, where stars like Halle Berry and Tom Hanks play multiple roles. It is a complex and thought-provoking novel that features Mitchell's skills at changing voice and style.
Readers may also enjoy:

• David Mitchell's most recent novel, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet, set in late 18th century Japan with a diverse cast of characters.
• If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino is the novel that helped to inspire Cloud Atlas  (http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2004/may/22/fiction.italocalvino). This book includes ten different stories written in varied styles.

Anna Karenina, based on Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Release date: November 9
The latest in a series of film adaptations of this Russian classic about society's expectations and doomed love stars Keira Knightley and Jude Law, and should appeal to fans of luscious costume dramas. While you're waiting for the theatrical debut, you can check out the adaptation from 1934 starring Greta Garbo.
You may also enjoy:

• The Awakening by Kate Chopin. This highly controversial late Victorian novel of a woman dissatisfied with her marriage who begins a tragic affair. Chopin's novel shares a similar leisurely pace, though it is more lyrical than weighty.
• If you're looking for a good costume drama, try Phantom of the Opera, Marie Antoinette, or Vanity Fair. Vanity Fair is based on the novel of the same name by William Thackeray, about a young English girl who plots and schemes her way up the social ladder.

 
Life of Pi, based on Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Release date: November 21
Martel's haunting, suspenseful, and spiritual story of a young boy, Pi Patel, stranded at sea in a lifeboat with wild animals, including a tiger, will be guided to the big screen by director Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Brokeback Mountain).
You may also enjoy:

• A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer. This moving Newbery Honor book tells the story of an 11 year-old girl who has to make the dangerous journey from Mozambique to her father's family in Zimbabwe. Farmer incorporates many elements of the Shona spirit world in the book. Though Nhamo's journey is dangerous, she maintains her sense of humor.
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. This inspirational and reflective novel by the highly regarded Brazilian author has been translated into 71 different languages. A parable or fable about following your heart and the meaning of life, this story is spiritual and gives the reader much to consider.

Please stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor, check out NoveList Plus on the library's website, or visit W. 11th & Bluff next week for more reading suggestions. Or submit a Personal Recommendations request, and we'll create a reading list just for you!