Solano County Library Staff Picks
| The Litigators The clean, crisp writing is classic Grisham. Attorneys Finley & Figg, partners for 20 years, scratch out a living handling DUIs, quickie divorces and an occasional car wreck. In stumbles David Zinc, a burned-out attorney who’s just gone on a bender and walked away from his fast-track career at a fancy downtown firm. Acting more like the Three Stooges than seasoned litigators, Wally Figg convinces the other two to tackle a really big case in the hopes of making themselves fabulously rich without being required to actually practice much law. Funny and a good read! Recommended by: Yvette K. Want it? |
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| The Art of Maynard Dixon Dixon's color-saturated sprawling western landscapes of California and the southwest and his sympathetic portraits of Native Americans are among the great achievements of American art. Recommended by: Serena E. Want it? |
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| The Quilter's Homecoming: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel A great series and you don't need to be a quilter to enjoy. The endings are never what I expect to happen. Recommended by: Joanne G. Want it? |
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| Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind: Perfect Collection 1 From the acclaimed animation director behind Studio Ghibli films (Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke), Hayao Miyazaki is considered a legend in the world of sequential storytelling. And if anything, this graphic novel proves it. Nausicaa tells the tale of a young, compassionate, warrior princess concerned with the survival of her small village against the looming threat of warring nations and the Sea of Corruption—a poisonous jungle filled with gigantic insects. As Nausicaa encounters these series of ordeals, she realizes the complexities of good versus evil, humans versus nature, and survival versus extinction. Like Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, this post-apocalyptic epic treats the fantasy genre with intricate care and detail—not only in the story, but in Miyazaki’s finely penciled and elaborate artwork. This is one book you hope will never end—luckily there are three more! Recommended by: Ryan K. Want it? |
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| Surreal Lives: The Surrealists, 1917-1945 This book covers the Dada and Surrealist movements of the early 20th c. It follows the lives of the main artistic players and shows the friendships, affairs, marriages, and the many clashes--sometimes life-long friendships turned to ruin. The main man is Andre Breton, the leader of the movement whose style of leadership was heavy-handed and unyielding. Then there is Salvador Dali--what a very strange personality, some of his behavior suggests insanity. True insanity? Or was it an act? Or both? At any rate, the accounts of his behavior are sometimes hilarious. Recommended by: Jeff K. Want it? |
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| The Great Gatsby (Audiobook) In “The Great Gatsby,” F. Scott Fitzgerald weaves a tale of decadence and betrayal. Set post-WWI, Nick Carraway settles in Long Island in search of opportunities. Nick’s social group includes his affluent cousin Daisy Buchanan, her ruthless husband Tom, and the cynical Jordan Baker. Through a series of lavish parties, Nick encounters the enigmatically wealthy Jay Gatsby—who pines for Daisy. Nick soon learns that his new habitat is a breeding ground for shattered dreams. This book on CD is brought to life by Academy Award-winning actor Tim Robbins’ narration. Recommended by: Jonathan W. Want it? |
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The Cole Porter Songbook: Night and Day (Music CD) When I listen to “The Cole Porter Songbook,” I imagine looking at San Francisco’s lights from the North Point Vista on a spring evening. Cole Porter is notable for his urbane songwriting that features clever and double entendre lyrics. In the “…Songbook,” his timeless songs are sung by legends such as Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and many others. The standout track for me is Betty Carter’s rendition of “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye.” Her breathy vocals complement the song’s sentiment. Recommended by: Jonathan W. Want it? |
| Defiance (DVD) Based on a true story about the Bielski Brothers escape from the Nazi regime. The Bielski's also help other escaped refugees to safety. The real story is the departure of standard movie--fare regarding holocaust history. In this story the Bielski's form an army of refugees who fight back and survive, using their wits and living within a forest, the Bielski Otriad live to have their story told. Recommended by: Jacqueline B. Want it? |
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| Dearly, Departed Staff Picks Dearly Departed by Lia Habel Here’s a very unusual classic romance, thriller, rip-roaring adventure, and macabre comedy all in one slim volume of a book. The year is 2195. The place is New Victoria—a high-tech nation modeled on the mores of an antique era. Norah, who has debutante status, is certainly not interested in attending balls or have any interest in her country’s political unrest. But suddenly she is kidnapped by an army of walking corpses. She did not expect to align herself with a rebellion and fall in love with her jailer, but she does. He’s handsome, brave, noble, but also very dead; a zombie. She did not know her own father was a mad scientist. You will not believe the drama in this book! Once you pick it up, you won’t be able to put it down! Recommended by: Debbie W. Want it? |
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| Tiny Furniture (DVD) This film is written and directed by Lena Dunham who won a Golden Globe award for her HBO TV series "Girls". It's largely an autobiographical story about a young woman fresh out of college and trying to "figure things out" while living at home with her mother and younger sister. Neuroses, insecurities, getting into relationships with jerky men--it's all familiar ground she's covering. However, the allure of the film is that it flows along so realistically that it seems you're just watching somone's actual life unfold on the screen. A very sure-footed film that doesn't resort to familiar plot devices. Recommended by: Jeff K. Want it? |
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| Dying to be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True Healing (Audiobook) Forget other NDE (near death experience) books, just read this one. After fighting cancer for almost four years, Moorjani’s worn-out body begins shutting down. As her organs fail, she enters into an extraordinary NDE that allows her to understand her inherent worth and gives her insights into the impact of one’s thinking on one’s life and health. Regaining consciousness, her condition improves so rapidly that she is able to be released from the hospital within weeks . . . in total remission. Recommended by: Yvette K. Want it? |
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| The Beach Although the film adaptation starring Leonardo DiCaprio is a little dated, author Alex Garland’s debut novel The Beach remains a page-turning, high-octane thrill rush. Follow English twenty-something, expatriate Richard backpack his way to the Gulf of Thailand into a world of mystery, love, and adventure. One night, while rooming at a precarious hostel, he meets a doped-up madman called Daffy Duck. He tells Richard secrets of a hidden beach, a lost island, removed from the hustle-bustle and encroachment of Western ideals—a modern Eden. The next morning Richard finds Daffy dead—an apparent suicide. He also finds a map—a map to paradise. With the help of a French couple, Richard makes way for the undiscovered Utopia and lands into a thicket of troubles: pot farmers, sharks, and the truth behind Daffy’s death. There’s a reason why Garland transitioned so well to the big screen, penning 28 Days Later, Sunshine, Dredd. Forget lightning in a bottle, this is Hollywood in a book. Recommended by: Ryan K. Want it? |
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| Lucha Loco: The Free Wrestlers of Mexico Free wrestlers of Mexico represent a unique side of wrestling, a side where culture, hope and tradition rule. Their masks are amusing, their names are revealing but their history is unique. See pictures and quotes from Doctors, Lawyers, Government Officials, Butchers and generations of family wrestlers. Kids LOVE the masks! I can’t decide if Batman or El Pandita (panda) is my favorite. Recommended by: Vanessa V. Want it? |
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| Oleander Girl : A Novel This book reminded me of a cultural dance between India and the United States. A young woman from an old and respected Hindu family walks the path of her mother’s life. Her path brings her to the University of Berkeley in California. Korobi finds herself at a crossroad, her fiancée in India and her newly discovered father in the US. She refuses to live a life of secrecy. Discovering her mixed race jeopardizes her future wedding, her family’s political ties and their financial security but does it jeopardize Rajat’s love for her? Recommended by: Vanessa V. Want it? |
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| Mrs. Roopy is Loopy! (Book on CD) The Dewey Decimal System, that strange system those weird library people use to put books about horses, history and dinosaurs together. I’ve heard many people explain it to kids but this is the first time I’ve listening to it with entertainment. Dan Gutman teaches kids about the Dewey Decimal System by weaving a hilarious tale about a librarian of many “characteristics.” Students interact with this strange librarian while characters from history mysteriously plop into their world. Reading it is fun but listening to it on audiobook is hilarious, it screams car trip. Recommended by: Vanessa V. Want it? |
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| The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo I had to read this book! I love Alexander Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo. This is the story of Alexander Dumas’s father, Thomas Alexander Dumas, a Count in his own right, a black general in the military and the son of a slave. This infamous man broke racial boundaries, powered his way into military ranks and led his men with a vigor that rivals Olympians and Gladiators in battle. He was the real deal, an absolutely fascinating man. Read the story of the Black Count and you’ll get a glimpse of Alexander Dumas’s inspiration. Recommended by: Vanessa V. Want it? |
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| Do I Look Like an ATM?: A Parents' Guide to Raising Financially Responsible African American Children What Mom or Dad hasn’t lamented “If I had a nickel for every time my kid hollered ‘Gimme,’ ‘Can I have,’ or ‘I want,’ I could retire to a Caribbean island!” Written by the CEO of WorldofMoney.org, a leading provider of financial education for youth ages 7 to 18, Lamb advises that parents must reeducate themselves about their own relationships with money if they want to make sure the next generation does not fall into the spending trap that can become a family legacy. The book gives step-by-step advice to help parents and children establish new financial behaviors. Very good book for all parents. Recommended by: Yvette K. Want it? |
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| Loving Frank I'm so in love with the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. This is a historical fiction based on facts of his life. What a wonderful story about a very talented man. Recommended by: Mary Ann P. Want it? |
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| Impressionism: Origins, Practice, Reception Impressionist artist Auguste Renoir once said “the pain passes, but the beauty remains.” Who would have guessed that the birth of Impressionism could have received so much unpopular opinion during the late 1800s? Yet today, the world of art could not “be” without the fine European works of Manet, Cézanne, Monet, Degas, and of course, the American artist Cassatt. Regardless of their humble beginnings, these artists became the crème de la crème, and left all of us years of beauty to gaze upon. Read about the professional relationships and origins of some of art’s finest masters. Recommended by: Jo-Ann W. Want it? |
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| Timeline The best book ever written by Michael Crichton! Time travel, science, archeology and romance all mixed together with great writing. What impressed me was the amount of research on quantum physics to write this story. Recommended by: Nanett O. Want it? |
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| Transcendent Man: The Life and Ideas of Ray Kurzweil (DVD) This DVD gets inside the mind of the award-winning scientist while also chronicling Kurzweil’s brilliant accomplishments and his unique vision of the future. When his controversial 652-page book “The Singularity is Near” hit the bookshelves, it was an instant best seller. Kurzweil’s premise? Technology is accelerating at such a rapid rate that computers will have consciousness within 25 years. Put another way, technology is changing our way of life so rapidly that humans will decide to MERGE with technology in order to better enhance their physical and creative abilities and extend their lifespans. Cyborgs by 2040? Wow. Recommended by: Yvette K. Want it? |
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| King Arthur (DVD) “Knights! The gift of freedom is yours by right. But the home we seek resides not in some distant land, it's in us, and in our actions on this day! If this be our destiny, then so be it. But let history remember, that as free men, we chose to make it so!” – Arthur I can watch this movie over and over again for its awesome script. There are so many quotes that make my hairs stand on end. Recommended by: Katrina L. Want it? |
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| The Fairy-Tale Princess: Seven Classic Stories from the Enchanted Forest Satisfying tales accompanied by astonishing paper sculptures. Recommended by: Natasha N. Want it? |
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| Millions The UK is about to switch its currency from Pounds to Euros, giving a gang a chance to rob the train loaded with old money on its way to incineration. During the robbery, one of the bags literally falls from the sky on Damian's playhouse. What would you do if a bag of millions found you? If you’re Damian, you’re sure it’s a miracle meant to pave your path to sainthood. If you’re his older brother Anthony, you’re sure God wants you to have the latest BMX bicycle. Lots of dry wit and Monty Python wackiness. Ignore the juvenile cover featured here. This book is adult-worthy and funny. Recommended by: Yvette K. Want it? |
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| A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier Have you ever wondered what war looks like through the eyes of a child soldier? Or how does one becomes a killer? And, how does one stop? A Long Way Gone : Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is a riveting account of a boy who loses his family, his village and all that is near and dear to him when his choice is to join the army to avenge the loss of his family in Sierra Leone or die. Read about his long rehabilitation to try to recover his childhood and joy. You will not forget his story. Recommended by: Debbie W. Want it? |