City of Thieves

Have you ever wondered what writers read when they are not writing their next bestseller? In the December 17, 2010 issue of Entertainment Weekly author Stephen King lists the top 10 novels he read this year. Coming in at number 10 on that list is “City of Thieves: A Novel” by David Benioff.

Lev Beniov (a fictional version of the author’s grandfather) is 17 years old and barely surviving the 1942 siege of Leningrad. Arrested by the NKVD (Russia’s public and secret police force) for a variety of minor crimes Lev is thrown in jail. His cell mate is Koyla, a soldier charged with desertion. The two are complete opposites; Lev is awkward, unsure and pessimistic while Koyla is charming, confident and charismatic. Instead of facing execution, they are given the task of finding a dozen eggs to make a wedding cake for a powerful colonel’s daughter. The people of Leningrad are starving and there is very little real food to be found. Finding a dozen eggs under these circumstances is an impossible task and they have just 5 days to complete it or they will be executed. Lev and Koyla venture out into the lawless and dangerous streets of Leningrad and soon their journey takes them into the Russian countryside, behind German lines.

Lev’s narration is engaging and self-deprecating and Kolya often inserts humor into some pretty depressing and dangerous situations. The two young men experience firsthand the lengths to which people will go to ensure their own survival. You may find yourself wondering if this could be a fictional account of a true story or did Benioff use his grandfather for character inspiration.

Rounding out the rest of King’s top 10 list are “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett, “Swamplandia!” by Karen Russell (published in early 2011), “Bloods a Rover” by James Ellroy, “Matterhorn” by Karl Marlantes, “Last Night in Twisted River” by John Irving, “Savages” by Don Winslow, “I’d Know You Anywhere” by Laura Lippman, “Freedom” by Jonathan Franzen and “Infinite Jest” by David Foster Wallace. (Entertainment Weekly 12.17.10 pg. 32)

~Amy, Adult Services

The Charming Quirks of Others

If you think you would like to be a member of “The Sunday Philosopher’s Club” you will probably enjoy the Isabel Dalhousie novels by Alexander McCall Smith. The relaxed pace of these novels befits a Sunday philosopher’s club (also the title of the first book in the series) as Isabel spends a great deal of time judging the moral and ethical implications of everyone’s decisions, particularly her own. While McCall Smith is more known for his No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency mysteries, this series gives him a chance to explore his native Scotland, particularly Edinburgh, while inventing more of the quirky characters he is known for. The titles should be read in order, as we get to see Isabel grow and change throughout the series. Isabel agonizes over her choices and philosophizes about the complications in her life.

The humor is more subtle than that in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency and the mysteries are only incidental to the stories, as this series is also about the characters and their relationships. The Charming Quirks of Others finds Isabel investigating three candidates for the headmaster’s position at a local school. A letter has been received, which hints at scandal and Isabel must determine which of the three finalists has a skeleton in his closet. We also gain insight into her relationship with her much younger fiancée, Jamie, as they talk more seriously about marriage. And as usual, Isabel learns much about herself in the process.

~ Becky, Adult Services

The Best Books Books of 2010

As the end of the year approaches, it's a time for reflection: holiday letters with the family's yearly update, New Year's Resolutions, and Best of Lists. We've compiled a list of the ten most anticipated books of 2010 at Carnegie-Stout Public Library, and you can check them out at the link below.

Ten Most Anticipated Books at Carnegie-Stout, 2010

We've also gathered together links to some of the popular Best Books of 2010 lists, and we'd love it if you shared your favorite books from the year in the comments here or on Facebook!

Publisher's Weekly: Best Books of 2010

• The source for our weekly Best Seller Lists, Publisher's Weekly starts with their ten best, before breaking the selections down by genre.

Book Page: Ten Best Books of 2010

• Book Page is the monthly magazine of book reviews available at the Recommendations Desk, and they written a series of articles on their blog about the best in books for 2010.

The New York Times: The 10 Best Books of 2010

• The New York Times is famous for their bestseller lists, and it would be surprising if they didn't compose a best of the year article.

NPR: Best Books of 2010

• The many and varied programs on NPR each week introduce listeners to a variety of different books and authors. Their collection of Best of Lists likewise cover all manner of topics from cookbooks to guilty pleasures as selected by writers, critics, and booksellers.

Library Journal: Best Books of 2010

• Library Journal covers the news of the library world and reviews thousands of books each year. This is their first end of the year Best of List, and unsurprisingly, they found it difficult to limit the list to just 10. Within the article, you can find links to lists for Genre Fiction, Audiobooks, and more.

Born Under a Million Shadows

"Born Under a Million Shadows" mixes humor, romance, and hope with the horrors of living in war-torn Afghanistan. The narrator, Fawad, is a boy on the edge of becoming a teenager, and his life has been anything but easy. His family has been torn apart and he lives with his mother in Kabul supported by the charity of resentful relatives. Through it all, Fawad remains cheerful, adventurous, friendly, and fiercely protective of his mother. Then his mother finds a position as a live-in housekeeper for a group of foreigners, and Fawad is catapulted into a different world.

The character of Fawad is based on children the author, Andrea Busfield, met during her time as a journalist in Afghanistan. Ms. Busfield's experiences over the past decade gave her access to a side of Afghanistan that is largely invisible to those of us in the Western world. The author wanted to share her love for the everyday Afghanistan and the friends she has made in her first novel, and while "Born Under a Million Shadows" does open a window into an Afghanistan beyond bombs, kidnappings, and war, it does not shy away either. The result is an engaging mix of controversy, danger, friendship, mystery, and most of all, love.

You can read more about Andrea Busfield's time in Afghanistan in this article she wrote in 2009, this author interview from 2010, or this 2009 Vogue interview.

The Forgotten Garden

After this weekend's snow, chances are pretty good that you are not gardening. But perhaps you have time to read about a garden, The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. The mystery begins when a tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book—a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dock master and his wife and raised as their own. On her twenty-first birthday they tell her the truth and with very little to go on, “Nell” sets out on a journey to England to try to trace her story, to find her real identity. Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family. But it is not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell’s death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled. At Cliff Cottage, on the grounds of Blackhurst Manor, Cassandra discovers the forgotten garden of the book’s title and is able to unlock the secrets of the beautiful book of fairy tales.

A pleasant pastime while waiting for those seed catalogs to arrive.
~Betty, Adult Services