The brightest star in the sky

by Marian Keyes. This appealing novel by the author of This Charming Man explores the lives and loves of the residents of a Dublin town house by way of a wandering spirit. At its heart are relationships, romantic and familial, and the multigenerational characters have their own individual quirks. Watching each of them grow, change, and love through the eyes of an innocent yet determined spirit makes for some very entertaining reading. The resolution is neat but not pat, and the real reason for the spirit's visit to 66 Star Street makes for a sweet twist at the end. Verdict Much has been said about the "new generation" of chick lit, but Keyes has been writing thoughtful novels about women's lives for years. She isn't afraid to tackle thorny subjects, but her appealing, relatable characters and gentle humor keep the tone light. Readers who enjoy intelligent, humorous women's fiction (a la Jennifer Weiner) should give Keyes a try. --Publisher's Weekly. (Check Catalog)

The big white book of weddings : a how-to guide for the savvy, stylish bride

by David Tutera. Entertaining expert David Tutera opens his files to reveal a wealth of detailed information about creating that perfect day, featuring advice about everything from wording invitations to negotiating with caterers, planning the meal to throwing an event on a budget. The same insight celebrity entertaining and wedding expert David Tutera gives to his A-list clientele is now at your fingertips in The Big White Book of Weddings: David’s ultimate "how-to" guide designed to get every bride down the aisle in style! It’s tough to be a bride on a budget—but David reveals his personal tips of the wedding trade that proves brides can be both sophisticatedly chic and realistically resourceful! Covering the entire wedding experience from brainstorming, budgeting, invitations, gift registries, food, music, traditional reception rituals, and even what happens after the wedding's over, Tutera has created a must-have for brides-to-be. Full of the personality that David brings to every wedding he plans and every TV show or magazine article he appears in, Big White Book of Weddings is the book every bride needs to make her wedding unforgettable for all the right reasons! Includes sections such as: - Create engaging menus and creative cocktails in "Eat, Drink and Be Married!" - Be Perfectly Polished with "Etiquette for the Elegant" - Make your entertainment a hit without needing a rock-star budget in "Strike up the Band" - Go from "Ordinary to Extraordinary" with decor and floral tips from the pro. --Publisher. (Check Catalog)

The wolf at the door

by Jack Higgins. In bestseller Higgins's exciting 17th Sean Dillon thriller (after A Darker Place), Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin is behind a plot to kill Dillon and other members of the British prime minister's private intelligence army as payback for their being such a thorn in his side over the years. In London, Gen. Charles Ferguson, who's just left a late-night meeting of Commonwealth ministers, is walking toward his car when it explodes, killing his driver. In New York City, Maj. Harry Miller, who's in the U.S. to attend a U.N. meeting, goes for a stroll in Central Park, where he neatly turns the tables on a hired hit man. Extensive flashbacks explain how the attacks on each of the marked men evolved, with much space devoted to the chief assassin, Daniel Holley. Higgins provides a more cerebral story than usual, but he doesn't stint on action. Though most of the plot threads tie up nicely, the ending makes clear that readers will be seeing Holley again. --Publisher's Weekly. (Check catalog)

The happiness project : or why I spent a year trying to sing in the morning, clean my closets, fight right, read Aristotle, and generally have more fu

by Gretchen Craft Rubin. For this chatty and intriguing little book, Rubin, a lawyer-turned-writer (Forty Ways To Look at Winston Churchill), undertook a yearlong quest for happiness. A "Resolution Chart" with specific activities for each month (e.g., "Ask for help") helped her define happiness and become happier with her very good life, as did interesting facts from her scholarly research (though there are no footnotes or formal bibliography). Peppering the text are quotes from a vast array of people who have considered happiness, including Aristotle, St. TherEse, and Viktor Frankl. Verdict This whole process might have come off as frivolously self-centered but for the excellent points Rubin highlights. Although the excerpts from her blog (www.happinessprojecttoolbox.com) begin to feel like filler, librarians will particularly like how she loves her local library, and self-helpers will be fascinated by her process. --Library Journal (Check Catalog)

Jane Austen ruined my life

by Beth Pattillo. Emma Grant, the heroine of Pattillo's first outing, has a major beef to settle with her literary heroine, Jane Austen. Austen's novels taught Emma, a college professor, to believe in happy endings, but her own happy ending goes up in flames when she discovers her husband, Edward, in the arms of her teaching assistant, after which the two have her professionally discredited by claiming she plagiarized a paper. Disillusioned and disgraced, Emma flees the U.S. for her cousin's house in England after being contacted by Gwendolyn Parrot, an elderly woman claiming to be in possession of a stash of lost Austen letters. Rather than simply handing over the letters, Mrs. Parrot sends Emma on a succession of tasks that gradually reveal a secret about Austen's life previously unknown to scholars. Along the way, Emma reconnects with Adam, her former best friend whom she fell out of touch with after marrying Edward. Filled with all the whimsy and romantic literary fun the title promises, Pattillo's novel is a rewarding read. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

Stones into schools : promoting peace with books, not bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan

by Greg Mortenson. *Starred Review* Mortenson's best-seller, Three Cups of Tea (2009), introduced his commitment to peace through education and became a book-club phenomenon. He now continues the story of how the Central Asia Institute (CAI) built schools in northern Afghanistan. Descriptions of the harsh geography and more than one near-death experience impress readers as new faces join Mortenson's loyal Dirty Dozen as they carefully plot a course of school-building through the Badakshan province and Wakhan corridor. Mortenson also shares his friendships with U.S. military personnel, including Admiral Mike Mullen, and the warm reception his work has found among the officer corps. The careful line CAI threads between former mujahideen commanders, ex-Taliban and village elders, and the American soldiers stationed in their midst is poetic in its political complexity and compassionate consideration. Using schools not bombs to promote peace is a goal that even the most hard-hearted can admire, but to blandly call this book inspiring would be dismissive of all the hard work that has gone into the mission in Afghanistan as well as the efforts to fund it. Mortenson writes of nothing less than saving the future, and his adventure is light years beyond most attempts. Mortenson did not reach the summit of K2, but oh, the heights he has achieved. -- Booklist (Check Catalog)

Noah's compass : a novel

by Anne Tyler. "In the sixty-first year of his life, Liam Pennywell lost his job." Echoing loudly the cadences of biblical prose, Tyler's opening sentence portends Liam's ominous downward spiral. Soon after he's forced into early retirement from a second-rate private boy's school, Liam moves to a smaller apartment. Once unpacked, he lies down to sleep and wakes up the next morning, head sore and bandaged, in the hospital. With no recollection about how he ended up there, Liam wanders through his days searching, much like Noah scanning the desolate waters for land. Along the way, he meets Eunice, who cannot prod his memory of that night but does stir some of Liam's other long-forgotten feelings. Working at her characteristically leisurely pace, Tyler poignantly portrays one man's search for wholeness and redemption as he picks up the shards of a life shattered by the crashing waves of aging. Unlike similar Updike and Roth characters, who worry more about their inability to perform sexual athletics any longer, Tyler's character struggles with the visceral loss of identity brought on by forced retirement and the indignities of memory loss. Verdict Another winning effort by Tyler; for readers of Reynolds Price's The Promise of Rest and early Tyler novels such as Dinner at Homesick Restaurant. --Library Journal. (Check catalog)

Look me in the eye : my life with Asperger's

by John Elder Robison. First-time writer Robison diagnosed himself with Asperger's syndrome after receiving Tony Attwood's groundbreaking work on the subject from a therapist friend ten years ago. In his well-written and fascinating memoir, the fifty-something brother of Augusten Burroughs (Running with Scissors) addresses the difficultly of growing up in a household with an abusive and alcoholic father, the social problems he encountered at school, and his great affinity for mechanics. It made no difference that he lacked a high school diploma-Robison's natural skills landed him work as an automobile restorer, Milton Bradley engineer, and stagehand responsible for the pyrotechnic guitars used by rock band KISS in the late 1970s. Despite these successes, the author suffered social difficulties while developing his ability to connect with and understand machines, a thread that is explored in great detail. If there is a drawback here, it is that readers do not get a strong sense of how his self-diagnosis impacted his life. But even among the growing number of books written by those diagnosed later in life, this entry is easily recommended for public and academic libraries with autism collections. --Library Journal. (Check catalog)

Under the dome : a novel

by Stephen King. The frequent accusation that King writes too long is sometimes deserved. However, when he works in an epic mode, depicting dozens of characters and all their interrelationships, he can produce great work. He did it with The Stand and with It, and he has done it again here. A small Maine town is enclosed one October morning by an impermeable bell jar of unknown origin. Within this pressure cooker, the petty differences and power struggles of village life are magnified and accelerated. Opposing camps develop, one headed by Big Jim Rennie, the Second Selectman, and the other by Dale Barbara, a drifting Iraq vet who was nearly out of town when the Dome fell. The characters are well rounded and interesting while retaining the familiar appeal that has drawn and kept King fans for decades. Verdict Regular King readers will rejoice at his return to his strengths. Some will balk at the page count, but a fast pace and compelling narrative make the reader's time fly. Highly recommended. --Library Journal. (Check Catalog)

The new frugality : how to consume less, save more, and live better

by Chris Farrell. America's mad romance with consumer debt is finally on the decline, and Farrell, economics editor for public radio's Marketplace Money, guides readers to a healthier relationship with their finances. Personal finance is more than just money, he points out; it's about deciding how to live a good life, figuring out what you really cherish and value, then putting your money behind those goals and beliefs-and how living environmentally conscious is a natural outgrowth (and happy consequence) of living within your means. He examines the evolution of consumer debt and moves on to offer concrete advice on dealing with risk and debt, putting savings aside for investing, college, retirement, charitable giving-and realizing if and when you "have enough." With an emphasis on changing the way we live to make the most of what we have and promoting moderation, Farrell provides a solid and encouraging high-level overview of individual financial health. --Publisheer's Weekly. (Check Catalog)

Not my daughter

by Barbara Delinsky. Delinsky proves once again why she's a perennial bestseller with this thought-provoking tale of three smart, popular teenage girls who make a pact to become pregnant and raise their babies together. Lily, Mary Kate, and Jess also happen to be the daughters of best friends Susan, Kate, and Sunny, and the mothers are thrown into a tailspin by this unexpected news. Susan, the principal of the town's high school, has the most to lose, when the schools superintendent and editor of the local newspaper question her abilities as a leader and mother, and other parents prove quick to blame her-a single mother herself who got pregnant as a teenager-as a poor role model. But all three women must come to grips with where they failed as mothers, how the dreams they had for their daughters are disappearing, and scathing smalltown judgment. Timely, fresh, and true-to-life, this novel explores multiple layers of motherhood and tackles tough questions. --Publisher's Weekly. (Check Catalog)

Mennonite in a little black dress : a memoir of going home

by Rhoda Janzen. Forty was not fabulous to poet and professor Janzen (Babel's Stair). In the same week, she was dumped by her husband for Bob, the guy from Gay.com, and suffered an injury in a car accident. Our devastated author did the logical thing and headed back home to her parent's house and the conservative Mennonite community in which she was raised. This soulful, affecting first memoir renders a potentially off-putting subject-the Mennonite community in America-engrossing and will enchant anyone who has ever gone back home after suffering a setback. --Library Journal. (Check catalog)

Impact

by Douglas Preston. Wyman Ford, hero of Tyrannosaur Canyon and Blasphemy, returns in Preston's latest thriller, where the stakes involve not only the salvation of the world but also the solar system. A young woman in Maine sees a meteorite streak through the sky and decides to find the crater. A scientist working on Mars data finds something so startling that he is murdered to keep the information secret. And Ford heads to Cambodia to investigate the source of a new gemstone on the market that has radioactive properties. When he arrives, he realizes that the mine is an exit hole. How can a meteorite travel through the earth? Verdict Preston has done it again. The thriller elements mix well with the science aspects of the story, and the author makes even the hard-to-grasp concepts easy to understand. Most readers will consume this in one sitting; not to be missed. --Library Journal. (Check catalog)

Churchill

by Paul Johnson. Churchill remains one of the most admired, compelling, yet enigmatic historical figures of the last century. Acclaimed historian Johnson has written a compact biography concentrating more on his subject's personality quirks and contradictions rather than the minutia of his long life. Yet, as Johnson makes clear, those personality quirks offer the best explanations for many of his decisions and actions at critical moments. Churchill adored his parents, but at a distance, since neither of them were very attentive during his childhood. His deep attachment to his nanny left him with great sympathy for lower social classes. Churchill's political and social attitudes were products of the Victorian age, yet this apparent arch imperialist showed remarkable sympathy for the resentments of the ruled toward their rulers. His romantic nature and experiences in India and Africa led him to write about the nobility of the warrior, but he dreaded the mass mechanized slaughter that he witnessed on the western front. He was a nineteenth-century man who understood earlier than most that totalitarianism would be the scourge of the twentieth century. Short but incisive. --Booklist. (Check Catalog)