DCL Book Chat

Alice Love wakes up on the floor after knocking herself unconscious during a spin class. She is shocked when she discovers she’s in the gym. (She hates working out!) Alice soon gets an even bigger shock because she believes that she is 29 years old, happily married and expecting her first child. Alice discovers she is actually 39 years old with three children and in the middle of a nasty divorce. What happened to those ten years? And when did sweet Alice become the control freak no one likes, not even Alice herself? This fast paced, funny and touching book, with the added delight of an Australian setting, may be your perfect beach read this summer.

Dedra

In Zanesville is a pitch-perfect coming-of-age story that fully captures the aching agony of teen angst, focusing on the alluring pull of peer pressure among the in-crowd and loyalty to the old guard. Author Jo Ann Beard’s fourteen-year-old narrator (whose name, Jo, is only hinted at) considers herself a sidekick, a role she’s happy to play until life begins to force her and her best friend, Flea (Felicia) outside their insular cocoon. “I’d like to be the kind of person who can do something weird and not become weird because of it, but that’s out of reach for me . . .” Beard’s details of life in the 1970’s are fantastic, from the plaid culottes and two-tone Capezio’s to the image of a toaster with a Wonder Bread wrapper melted to its flank. The gripping, comedic and horrific opening scene sets the tone for the remainder of the book as the story flies through a pivotal season of teen-dom with sharp, wry dialog and emotional punch. (Suitable for older teens)

Laura

As Zeke Pappas introduces his life to us, it appears he’s got it under control. He is director of GMHI, the Greater Midwest Humanities Initiative in Madison Wisconsin. He and his mother provide loving care for his two young nieces. But appearances are deceiving. As we began to see Zeke through the eyes of those around him, it is evident he’s on shaky ground. The tragedies of his life are catching up with him. He’s a young widower, his brother was killed in Iraq, and the Department of Departmental Compliance and Oversight is investigating GMHI. To add to the stress, Zeke must find a wife if he wants to keep custody of his nieces. Will it be the cute Starbucks barista who loves Zeke’s uncanny ability to guess the drink orders of perfect strangers, the attractive newly divorced neighbor, or the single mom who is his administrative assistant? Who knows, he’s always fantasized about Sophia Coppola, maybe she’ll come through for him. A kind evaluation would be that Zeke is overly optimistic, but totally clueless is closer to the truth. Will Zeke get it figured out? He takes us on a wild, funny, ironic and surprisingly tender ride and, in spite of how annoyingly obtuse he can be, you’ve got to root for him.

Marsha

Cornell professor emeritus Liam Connor’s mysterious leap to his death puzzles his daughter Maggie and his research partner Jake Sterling. But soon it becomes evident that Connor’s clandestine research into bioweapons is the key to whoever drove Connor to his death. Jake and Maggie are forcibly drawn into a race to find out who is after the professor’s secret research. A compelling, irresistible story that will appeal to fans of Michael Crichton.

Jill

This is a wonderfully atmospheric historical mystery set in 1780s England, at the time of the anti-Catholic riots. When Harriet Westerman finds a dead body on her Sussex estate, she enlists the help of her neighbor, Gabriel Crowther, to find the killer. Crowther happens to be a retired doctor who studies corpses, and pretty soon he has plenty of them to study in Sussex. The dead all seem to be connected to another Sussex estate, Thornleigh Hall, and there are many suspects. Meanwhile, Alexander Adams, the heir to Thornleigh Hall, is murdered in London. It seems likely that the killings are related, but who arranged for them?

Jill