Bestseller Read-Alikes for the Week of April 23rd

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

This week's #1 book on the fiction bestsellers list is Calico Joe by John Grisham. Once again, Grisham leaves his usual legal thriller genre and ventures into the lives of athletes, as he did in his earlier novel, Playing for Pizza (2007). Calico Joe tells the story of two major-league baseball players, rookie phenom Joe Castle and and journeyman pitcher Warren Tracey. In 1973, Castle hit a home run off of Warren and at his next at-bat, Warren drilled a fastball at Castle's head. The damage was severe, and leaves Castle brain-damaged and disabled. Warren's son, Paul, narrates the story as he attempts to find closure for his dying father decades later.

Other books with similar writing themes to Grisham's Calico Joe include:

Battle Creek by Scott Lasser - Gil Davison, coach of an amateur baseball team that has always made it to the championship finals but never won, is resolved that this season they will win it all. A man who has always loved the purity of baseball, he finds that the thirst for winning leads him to compromises that are hard to live with. The book also explores the other key members of his team--the aging pitcher who cannot admit to the pain his arm is giving him, the assistant coach who is dying of emphysema, the young phenom who would long since have been tearing up the major leagues if he hadn't been in prison for beating the brains out of his girl's other guy. The baseball is lovingly, truthfully described, with poignant and disturbing insights into father-son relationships.

Blockade Billy by Stephen King - Another author who occasionally steps outside his usual genre, Stephen King tries his hand at sports fiction writing. This short novella tells the story of Blockade Billy whose brief career in the big leagues was banished from the record books. Naive country boy William Blakeley quickly establishes himself as the real deal—hitting a ton and blocking home plate with a ferocity that earns him the nickname Blockade Billy. But what is that curious Band-Aid he sometimes wears on his finger, and why do players seem to get hurt whenever he wears it? A suspenseful read for sports and King fans alike.

Click here for more fiction bestsellers...

Nonfiction

This week's #1 nonfiction book is again Rachel Maddow's Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power and you can find read-alikes for that title here. At #2 is Mrs. Kennedy and Me: An Intimate Memoir by Clint Hill. Hill, a former Secret Service agent, served on former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's protection detail for four years - from the beginning of her husband's presidency and after his assassination. Through his recollection of the everyday routines of the First Lady and her public appearances, Hill creates a deeply personal portrait that offers an intimate glimpse into Jacqueline Kennedy's life.

Other books similar to Mrs. Kennedy and Me include:

Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy - A collection of original audio recordings and annotated transcripts taken from interviews Jacqueline Kennedy gave with Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. in 1964, after her husband's assassination. Annotated by historian Michael Beschloss, this collection offers a detailed account of life in the White House with JFK.

America's Queen: The Life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis by Sarah Bradford - biographer Sarah Bradford explores the life of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in a definitive portrait that is both sympathetic and frank. With an extraordinary range of candid interviews, Bradford offers new insights into the woman behind the public persona. She creates a coherent picture out of Jackie's tumultuous and cosmopolitan life-from the aristocratic milieu of Newport and East Hampton to the Greek isles, from political Washington to New York's publishing community. She probes Jackie's privileged upbringing, her highly public marriages, and her roles as mother and respected editor, and includes rare photos from private collections to create the most complete account yet written of this legendary life.

Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America, 1789-1989 by Michael Beschloss -Historian Bescholss documents crucial historical moments in each of the first forty presidencies during which the future of the United States has been dramatically affected by a bold executive decision, and offers insight into the factors that influenced the choices made by each president. Included are Washington, John Adams, Jackson, Lincoln, Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt, Truman, JFK, and Reagan.

Click here for more nonfiction bestselllers ...

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!

Earth Day Reads

Earth Day is this Sunday, April 22nd. To celebrate the City of Dubuque and the Petal Project will host a free Sustainable Dubuque Trolley Tour sponsored by Dubuque Bank &Trust on Monday, April 23. You can read more about this event on the city's website here. Be sure to check out Dubuque 365 Ink's list of area Earth Day Events too!

Carnegie-Stout has a great collection of materials on environmentalism, the green movement, and sustainability. Check them out to learn more, or to get some ideas on changes you can make in your life. Though we don't recommend you go to quite the extremes as some of the authors below!

No Impact Man by Colin Beaven
(333.72 BEA) Colin Beaven, author of historical biography, turns his attention to his impact on the environment. Mr. Beaven, his wife and child spent a year trying to leave no carbon footprint. From cloth diapers to replacing toothpaste with baking soda, his book is a personal examination of what the individual can do.

Confessions of an Eco-Sinner by Fred Pearce
(333.72 PEA) Mr. Pearce, a science writer who focuses on the environment, became curious about the origins of those things we use in everyday life, from coffee to clothing. Confessions of an Eco-Sinner documents his quest to find the source and impact (environmental, social, and economic) our consumerism has on the larger world.

Tree Spiker by Mike Roselle
"Non-violent extremist" and environmental activist Mike Roselle's biography covers his involvement in activism from the founding of Earth First! to the current fight against global warming. Controversial, outspoken, and colorful, his memoirs provide a unique look at the environmental movement.

The Next Eco-Warriors
Emily Hunter, daughter of Robert and Bobbie Hunter, Greenpeace co-founders, profiles 22 young people involved making a positive impact on the environmental movement today.

Shift Your Habit by Elizabeth Rogers
(640 ROG) Going green doesn't mean spending big bucks on organic food, solar panels, and hybrid cars. At its core, green living is simply about moderation, efficiency, and living less expensively. Included are hundreds of habit-shifting suggestions to leave you with thousands of dollars you would otherwise never see again. These are tiny modifications that any family can make.

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!

"The Rook" by Daniel O'Malley

"Dear You,
"The body you are wearing used to be mine...
"You are probably aware of this next part already, since if you are reading this then you have survived several immediate threats, but you are in danger. Just because you are not me does not make you safe. Along with this body, you have inherited certain problems and responsibilities. Go find a safe place, and then open the second letter.
Sincerely,
Me"

Myfanwy Thomas (rhymes with Tiffany) awakes in a field, in the rain, surrounded by dead people, with two letters, and no idea who she is or how she got there. Thus starts The Rook, Daniel O'Malley's offbeat, fast-paced, highly entertaining first novel, and while there are hints that it could someday be developed as a series, it happily stands alone.

One of the most popular ways to tell a story with a fantastic setting is through the eyes of an outsider. From Harry Potter to The Matrix, the reader learns that the world is not as ordinary as they thought along with the hero. My belief that the characters are as clueless as I, helps me to accept all the background information as necessary (and even interesting!) exposition rather than a pointless infodump. Perhaps my love of epistolary novels made the difference here, as I found myself wanting more bits of background from Myffanwy's former self.

Don't misread! There's plenty of action, with creepy supernatural baddies, and a wicked sense of humor. The secretive government agency that Myffanwy is a part, the Checquy, of is a bit of a cross between Torchwood and the X-Men, but ridiculously powerful and well funded. It's a fun read that's receiving positive reviews from both professional critics and average readers (Goodreads is averaging 4.18/5 for 818 ratings). I recommend it to anyone looking for an escape from the everyday world.

You can read more on Mr. O'Malley's website (there's even a book trailer) here, and join me in looking for hints of a book two: www.rookfiles.com

~Sarah, Adult Services

Read Alike: Anne Tyler

Anne Tyler, whose career spans decades, is known for her character-driven stories and quirky characters. Her books are often set in the Baltimore area. The focus of her insightful novels on the trials of family and domestic life, with a touch of the unexpected, has proven popular with readers and critics. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1989 for Breathing Lessons, and her Digging to America was selected as the 2008 All Iowa Reads title.

Ms. Tyler is also well known for rarely making author appearances or in person interviews, but with the publication of her latest novel, The Beginner's Goodbye, she did participate in a rare interview with NPR. The Beginner's Goodbye is the story of a middle-aged man haunted by the unexpected death of his wife, and how he learns to go on.

If you enjoy Ms. Tyler's writing, you may also enjoy these authors:

The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards
Ms. Edwards writes character-driven novels that focus on family relationships. She is best known for her debut novel (and the topic of an earlier read alike post) The Memory Keeper's Daughter. Ms. Edwards' writing tends to have a more melancholy tone than Ms. Tyler's, but readers find it easy to relate to her strong female characters and typically hopeful endings. Her most recent novel, The Lake of Dreams, tells the story of Lucy Jarrett who has returned to her family home after a long absence and faces the unresolved emotions from her father's death.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Ms. Simonson’s first novel of love and family in a small English community tackles the issues of globalization and the legacies of colonialism with warmth and humor. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand is a quiet, character-driven romance told from the perspective of Major Pettigrew, a widower and entirely conventional community member who finds he shares an unexpected bond with the widowed Mrs. Jasmina Ali.

Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg
Ms. Berg tackles difficult yet universal challenges such as death and unrequited love in her character-driven novels, leavening the tragic with a touch of humor. Her moving stories follow average women as they are faced with the unexpected. Try Home Safe, the recently widowed Helen Ames discovers that her husband secretly withdrew $850,000 from their retirement savings. Helen and her daughter Tessa embark on a heartwarming journey to discover where the money went.

An Available Man by Hilma Wolitzer
Ms. Wolitzer, the mother of author Meg Wolitzer, has been publishing novels for decades (with one twelve year gap) that explore the changing mental and emotional realities of family life. Her characters are colorful, and the tone of her novels range from funny to bittersweet. In her most recent novel, An Available Man, Edward Schuyler discovers that a widower in good health of a certain age is a hot commodity on the senior's dating market. Mr. Schuyler, however, is not ready to move on from the unexpected death of his much younger wife.

The Widower's Tale by Julia Glass
National Book Award winner Julia Glass is another author known for writing character-driven novels that explore the dysfunctional aspects of family life. She makes great use of descriptive language, and often has multiple narrators. The Widower's Tale, her most recent novel, also tackles the challenges of life after the death of a spouse. Funny and thought-provoking, the plot follows septuagenarian Percy Darling as he opens his home to a preschool, his family, and the people brought into his life by the preschool.

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!

National Library Week

Join Carnegie-Stout as we celebrate National Library Week from April 9th to the 14th! This year's theme is You Belong @ Your Library, and we'd love to hear what Carnegie-Stout has meant to you. Share your thoughts in our comments here, on our Facebook page, or come into the library and add to our poster near the Recommendations Desk! And pick up one of our library meme bookmarks while you're in.

You can also change your Facebook cover image to support libraries with one of the banners created by the ALA.

Or check out one of the PSA's by National Library Week's Honorary Chair, Brad Meltzer: