My California: Journeys by Great Writers edited by Donna Wares

A copy of My California is in Leatherby Libraries, but purchasing the book benefits the California Arts Council, which had its budget cut, according to the book's introduction from $31 million in 2000 to just $1 million in 2003 (to the equivalent of three cents per Californian). For those of us at Chapman here in SoCal, I especially recommend "Ode to CalTrans" by Héctor Tobar, "The Line" by Rubén Martínez, "Flirting with Urbanismo" by Patt Morrison (this one explained a lot to a Midwesterner!), and "On Being a California Poet" by Dana Gioia. Most of the essays give the reader a glimpse of specific places, often steeped with nostalgia for how things used to be (like "My Little Saigon" by Anh Do or "909" by Percival Everett).

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: F866.2 .C34277 2004
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Anna Leahy, Associate Professor, English
Rating: Highly Recommended

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

Sizzling Sixteen (2010) by Janet Evanovich is the latest numbered installment in the wild saga of Trenton, NJ-based bounty hunter Stephanie Plum. As with all novels following Stephanie's life, the story offers a colorful cast of characters, this time including some self-described Hobbits; an assortment of organized crime types and bail skips (as usual); and a bigger than usual role for cousin/employer and kidnapping victim, Vincent Plum. Add in the guaranteed continuing appearances of Stephanie's two main (AKA romantic interests) men, the ever-mysterious Ranger and sometime roomie and full-time officer of the law, Joe Morelli, as well as sidekick and reformed lady of questionable repute, Lula, and last but not least Stephanie's grandmother, and the enjoyable absurdity outweighs any concerns about violent content – this reader can't wait for #17.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: McNaughton
1st Floor McNaughton Collection
Review submitted by: Cheryl Highsmith, Coordinator of Electronic Resources & Serials, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

Anger and fear threaten to destroy both daughters as they struggle with the promises they've made to their father on his deathbed, to take care of their unloving mother and to get her to finish the fairy tale she stopped telling them long ago. What possible use could a fairy tale be to three adult women, who are already losing their grips on the present? The textures and dimensions of this tale are rich and captivating. Bring tissues!

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: McNaughton
1st Floor McNaughton Collection
Review submitted by: Tracie Hall, Librarian, Law Library
Rating: Highly Recommended

Now It Can Be Told by Leslie R. Groves

If Robert Oppenheimer is the father of the atomic bomb, then General Leslie Groves is the bomb's rigid, controlling stepfather. This volume provides an interesting, detail-laden account of the struggles that were faced in setting up the primary labs of the Manhattan Engineer District: Hanford, Oak Ridge, and Los Alamos. This book is only recommended after you have read everything else on the Manhattan Project.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: QC981.8.C5 F34 2004
3rd Floor Science & Technology Library
Review submitted by: Doug Dechow, Coordinator of Reference & Instruction Services, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Somewhat Recommended

The 9th Judgement by James Pattterson & Maxine Paetro

A killer who targets mothers and children, and a cat burglar who steals jewelry while her victims are entertaining: these are the subjects of Patterson's latest installment of the Women's Murder Club series. The 9th Judgment is a fast paced, easy and enjoyable read.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: McNaughton
1st Floor McNaughton Collection
Review submitted by: Cathy Elliott, Law Library
Rating: Highly Recommended

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

Brideshead Revisited opens at the end of WWII with Captain Charles Ryder and his troops in the English countryside as they happen upon a dilapidated family castle – Brideshead. While remembering the former beauty of the castle, Capt. Ryder takes us on a journey back to the time he spent there and to the family he became so very entrenched with. Exploring religion, Catholic zealotry and its effects on the members of a family, differing types of love, alcoholism, homosexuality, the decline of British aristocracy and so much more, Brideshead Revisited is beautifully written and a captivating read.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR6045.A97 B73 1945
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Lisa Champ, Gift Recorder, University Advancement
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

If there was a higher recommendation than "Highly" I would have chosen that. This book about revealing the lives of black domestic help in Mississippi in the 50s is realistically written, funny, sad and heroic. I felt the fear of the women (Aibileen and Minny) as they told their stories to the young white woman who desperately wanted to expose the life of blacks but at the same time knew how dangerous it was. This book is a fabulous read.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3619.T636 H45 2009
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Linda Corcoran, Anderson Center for Economic Research
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Sketches by Mark Twain

I didn't check "highly recommended" as I defer to Mr. Twain who disliked this collection of short stories so much he destroyed the printing plates. I, however, enjoyed Twain's acerbic wit, particularly A Complaint to Correspondents (who hasn't received letters or had conversations about persons/events back home that you don't care a "twaddle" about?) and The Story of the Bad Little Boy, the one who can commit all kinds of childish atrocities and never come to harm, while the rest of us make one negligible error and all heck rains down on us. This collection of tales and essays is good for a chortle or two.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS1322 .C4 1996
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Diane Gennuso, Student Teaching Advisor, Antelope Valley Campus
Rating: Recommended

The Ghost Road by Pat Barker

Pat Barker won the Booker Prize for The Ghost Road, the final installment of a novel trilogy based on real-life soldiers in WWI (including poet Wilfred Owen). The narration is often dialogue heavy or based in journal entries, which means that there's not a lot of lush authorial description (and not always a clear linear movement from scene to scene), but the novel is graphic in its recounting of sexual encounters and of battle injury and death. When I first heard of Pat Barker, I read her most recent book, A Life Class, and was disappointed (kind of bored), but The Ghost Road is riveting.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR6052.A6488 G48 1996
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Anna Leahy, Associate Professor, English
Rating: Recommended

The Long Summer: How Climate Changed Civilization by Brian Fagan

I enjoyed the general premise of this book, but felt that the language was too technical in quite a few places. I was also hoping for discussion about climate in relation to specific historical events, which the author did very nicely in another of his books called The Little Ice Age.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: QC981.8.C5 F34 2004
3rd Floor Science & Technology Library
Review submitted by: Jennifer Bevan, Associate Professor, Communication Studies
Rating: Somewhat Recommended

Cinnamon Kiss by Walter Mosley

This is a 2005 entry in the Easy Rawlins series of detective fiction. I previously read Devil in a Blue Dress, which was the first in the series and I quite liked it. The series follows Rawlins who is a Black private detective in Los Angeles beginning in the late 1940s and up through the 1960s which is when this book takes place. Rawlins is asked to find a missing girl and during his investigation he travels through the counter-culture scene developing in 1966 San Francisco and a panicky and racist Los Angeles just after the Watts Riots. Those details make the book interesting and the Rawlins character is too. The plot itself is less interesting and though I enjoyed the book enough to read it over the weekend I don't think that I would revisit this title again. Still and all, if you are a fan of Easy Rawlins, then you will probably enjoy it.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3563.O88456 C56 2005
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Ran Boyd, Special Collections & Archives Librarian, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Somewhat Recommended

Machine Gun Kelly's Last Stand by Stanley Hamilton

An interesting book to read on the kidnapping of Charles Urschel by Machine Gun Kelly and his wife Kathryn. The personalities and attitudes of the characters involved were well described in this book. The author's extensive research and background made reading this book worthwhile. What ever happened to the rest of the ransom money?

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: HV6248.K414 H345 2003

2nd Floor Social Science Library

Review submitted by: James McCulloch, Carpenter, Facilities

Rating: Recommended

Dragon Bones by Lisa See

Dragon Bones is from the Red Princess Mystery Series, and is set in China, during the building of the dam at the Three Gorges. Liu Hulan is sent to investigate the death of an American found floating in the river, while her husband David Stark is looking into the theft of artifacts from the excavation site. Lots of twists and turns.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3569.E3334 D73 2007
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Cathy Elliott, Law Library
Rating: Highly Recommended

Washington's Crossing by David Hackett Fischer

This book details the events surrounding Washington's crossing of the Delaware - an event that served as a critical momentum shift for Americans in the Revolutionary War. I kept finding myself comparing this book to Fisher's other book entitled Paul Revere's Ride, which offered historical facts alongside details that allowed me to imagine Paul Revere as a person. Though definitely informative, I wish more of that human element about George Washington had emerged in this book.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: E263.P4 F575 2004
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Jennifer Bevan, Associate Professor of Communication Studies
Rating: Recommended

Blood Ties: A Bishop/Special Crimes Unit Novel by Kay Hooper

Blood Ties: A Bishop/Special Crimes Unit Novel (2010) by Kay Hooper is the third in the trilogy featuring this character set, and three other trilogies have preceded this one. I did read the second in this trilogy, Blood Sins (2009), but have yet to read the first, Blood Dreams (2007). This ultra-violent third novel is bloated with characters, both new and old, but suffers from a lack of plot innovation. In this reality the “crimes unit” is the “FBI's most controversial and effective team," and the word “special” is to be interpreted as “uniquely psychic” – The X-Files did it better.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: McNaughton
1st Floor McNaughton Collection
Review submitted by: Cheryl Highsmith, Coordinator of Electronic Resources & Serials, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Somewhat Recommended

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs

As the title suggests, this is the true account of the life of Harriet Jacobs who grew up as a slave in North Carolina, but escaped to New York where eventually she was bought and given her freedom. The book was first published in 1861, at the onset of the Civil War. In order to protect herself and family, all of the characters are given assumed names. For many years this autobiography was thought to be a fictionalized account. As letters and other corroborating evidence have given credence to Harriet's tale, Incidents has been touted as a significant window into the brutal world of enslaved women. This is an engrossing read about a dark era in our nation's history.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: E444.J17 A3 2000
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Diane Gennuso, Student Teaching Advisor, Antelope Valley Campus
Rating: Highly Recommended

Morning in the Burned House by Margaret Atwood

The poems in this collection are beautifully written. Among the subjects Atwood deals with are longing, dreams, the passing of time, and the death of a father. A longer poem titled "Half-hanged Mary" describes several hours in the life of Mary Webster, a woman "who was accused of witchcraft in the 1680s...in Massachusetts and hanged from a tree" (p. 58). What is startling about this story is that Mary was left hanging all night, but did not die. In fact, after being cut down "she lived for another fourteen years" (p. 58).

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR9199.3.A8 M67 1995b
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Stacy Russo, Chair of Public Services, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

The Complete Tales & Poems of Edgar Allan Poe

Do you enjoy macabre myths and tenebrous tales? If so, EAP's short stories and poetry will really get you out of your comfort zone. His combination of punctilious vocabulary and morbid imagination may have been ahead of his time, but fit in nicely with the horror genre of today. EAP's short stories say more with less, making them perfect for around the campfire, on an airplane, or in the bathroom.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS2600 .G02 2002
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Cristian Bourgeois, Student Employee, University Advancement
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Ginger Man by J.P. Donleavy

It's always a pleasure to find a gem that was previously unknown by yourself or others for that matter. I have found one in The Ginger Man, a novel from 1955 and one originally banned and censored in its day. It is a story of an American studying law at Trinity College in Ireland with his English wife and child. In spite of what I just wrote, it has almost nothing to do with his studies. It is actually a story of his excessive drinking and sundry shenanigans. He is completely unapologetic in his habits and unlike The Days of Wine and Roses there is no moral to be had in his lack of control. When I read up on the book I was surprised to find that it was commonly referred to as a comic novel. I can't quite agree with that assessment. It is certainly written in a light style and is somewhat amusing in places, but I would not call it a comic novel. The novel is written in an almost Joycean manner where the narrative will change POV from third person to first person introspective (is that the correct term?) dramatically and without warning, but the prose is very lyrical and it did not surprise me to find out that Donleavy was a poet. I wish more poets would write novels. As an aside, read Deliverance by James Dickey, another poet-written novel where the language is a joy to read.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3507.O711 G5 1969
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Rand Boyd, Special Collections & Archives Librarian, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Rene is the 50ish concierge of a posh hotel in Paris. She is extremely intelligent, but rather plain looking. Paloma is a highly intelligent twelve year old bent on burning down this same hotel and committing suicide. Each tells her own story. As their paths cross they form a special friendship and teach each other some valuable lessons on life and love.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PQ2662.A6523 E4413 2008
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Cathy Elliott, Law Library
Rating: Highly Recommended

My Father's Kites by Allison Joseph

Allison Joseph, author of My Father's Kites, will be at Chapman University on November 9, 2010, so as soon as the copy is processed, I'll put it on reserve. The poetry is very inviting, often autobiographical, always vivid and candidly trustworthy. The second section is filled with sonnets, but that form doesn't impose itself, instead letting the little stories unfold about a father in sometimes unexpected syntax or diction--and about what losing a father might mean: "How memory holds on to guilt and shame, / the sting of words still making us unsure."

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: in processing, available soon
Review submitted by: Anna Leahy, Associate Professor, English
Rating: Highly Recommended

Differentials: Poetry, Poetics, Pedagogy by Marjorie Perloff

If you're interested in contemporary poetry or in understanding poetry that might be more experimental, Differentials is a good touchstone and is really accessible, as literary scholarship goes. If you read only part of the book, read "Introduction: Differential Reading" and "Teaching the 'New' Poetries: The Case of Rae Armantrout." Differentials author Perloff visited Chapman University last year, and Pulitzer Prize winner Armantrout will be here on September 14, 2010.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PN511 .P47 2004
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Anna Leahy, Associate Professor, English
Rating: Recommended

Edgar Saltus: The Man by Marie Saltus

After reading three Edgar Saltus novels, I thought it would be good to find out about him, but I'm not sure this was the best source. Written by Saltus's third wife (he drove the first two to divorce) who was just as nutty as Edgar, this is more an homage than a biography. If you want to learn about batty theosophists, this is the book for you.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS2753 .S3 2006
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Nancy Stenerson Gonzales, Cataloger, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

Vanity Square by Edgar Saltus

The characters are as opaque as ever, and you'll feel like you're in a Twilight Zone episode, but at least the women aren't all evil by nature. Saltus is sort of growing on me.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS2752 .V36 2008
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Nancy Stenerson Gonzales, Cataloger, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

An End to al-Qaeda by Malcolm Nance

This book, with the extensive documented research and historical background, gives the reader the motivation and mindset of the leaders of al-Qaeda. I would recommend it to anyone who desires to know more about the world conflicts with al-Qaeda.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: McNaughton
1st Floor McNaughton Collection
Review submitted by: James McCulloch, Carpenter, Facilities
Rating: Recommended

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

The classic tale of infidelity on so many banned reading lists pales in comparison to the books, movies, and TV shows today. Flaubert is a master at portraying everyday life in the 1850s. Emma Bovary is so lost in her world of fantasy, I wanted someone to tell her to 'snap out of it', but then there would have been no story! If you are looking to read a classic, I highly recommend it.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PQ2246.M2 E5 1950
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Diane Gennuso, Student Teaching Advisor, Antelope Valley Campus
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Bird Artist by Howard Norman

This novel tells the story of Fabian Vas, a bird artist in a remote Newfoundland village called Witless Bay. Not only is Fabian an artist, but he is also a murderer (this is revealed in the first chapter) and just one odd individual within a cast of eccentric villagers. Norman beautifully captures a sense of place and offers great dialogue, making the novel captivating from page one.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR9199.3.N564 B57 1995
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Stacy Russo, Chair of Public Services, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

Survival City: Adventures Among the Ruins of Atomic America by Tom Vanderbilt

I liked the idea of this book - the author visits Cold War sites and interprets them as archaeology. However, the author could not seem to decide if the book was geared toward an academic or lay audience and thus shifted uncomfortably between both. Some information was interesting (i.e., that suburban sprawl was partially due to decentralizing cities to protect against nuclear attack) but other parts were difficult to slog through.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: F595.3 .V36 2002
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Jennifer Bevan, Associate Professor of Communication Studies
Rating: Somewhat Recommended

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

This is the tale of three people who, separately, but also because of the other two, each take up a search to prove the belief that Vlad Tepes still lives. The three story lines in the book run from 1930 to 1972, but it feels like a march through Eastern European history and the Ottoman Empire. It gets very dense at times and very slow to read. It is a long novel, and it could have easily been 100-150 pages shorter and not lost anything pertinent to the story.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3611.O74927 H57 2005
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Lisa Champ, Gift Recorder, University Advancement
Rating: Recommended

The Joy of Funerals by Alix Strauss

This is a book of individual stories about how death has affected the main character of each story. A few are too weird to recommend, but there were several that were very moving. The story lines were all over the board from the woman who - after losing her husband - managed to fornicate with any willing male at the cemetery during her gravesite visits to the woman falling apart at the side of the motherly beautician making up her dead mother for the open casket viewing. I enjoyed the book, because of the stories which brought me to tears; the others I was amused by in a “really ?” sort of way.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3619.T743 J695 2003
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Linda Corcoran, Anderson Center for Economic Research
Rating: Somewhat Recommended

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

I'm glad to have finally read In Cold Blood, which tells of the murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, committed by two parolees. The bird's eye view provided of residents within the Holcomb community, law enforcement members assigned to the case, and, especially, the two men convicted of the murder, allow the reader to delve deep into the characters' thought processes. Definitely a good read if you are into journalistic fiction, crime novels, and/or psychological thrillers.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: HV6533.K3 C3 1965
2nd Floor Social Science Library
Review submitted by: Annie Knight, Coordinator of Brandman Library Services, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Highly Recommended

This Body of Death: An Inspector Lynley Novel by Elizabeth George

This Body of Death: An Inspector Lynley Novel (2010) by Elizabeth George is the 16th book featuring Det. Insp. Thomas Lynley. At nearly 700 pages long, it is quite a read and brings a true sense of place to the signature English locales. The well-bred Thomas Lynley is back on the case after a hiatus following the murder of his wife where he is reunited with former partner Barbara Havers, who is hard-working but known neither for her sartorial nor for her ingratiating personality. The author has chosen to interweave the details of a past horrific crime (re-envisioned from a true life case) into the narrative canvas, and the reader does not suspect how the separate accounts will be joined until the end of the novel. While an office romance for Lynley with a superior doesn't do much to advance the plot, overall I would rate this a satisfying read.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: McNaughton
1st Floor McNaughton Collection
Review submitted by: Cheryl Highsmith, Coordinator of Electronic Resources & Serials, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

SMAX by Alan Moore

Though I am a fan of Alan Moore, there are many titles of his that I have yet to dip into due to a lack of initial interest; SMAX being one of these. It is an off-shoot of his excellent Top Ten series and, like League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, deals with the whole, "fictional worlds are real" conceit that the previous mentioned titles deal with in some depth. SMAX's fictional world is that of the fantasy genre; Lord of the Rings, et. al. The story follows two of the characters from the Top Ten series as they enter a world where electricity doesn't work, let alone exist. The only natural laws are those found in fantasy fiction so magic, elves, etc. abound; with a cynical Moore twist of course. If you are a fan of the genre and don't mind a little bit of good-natured kidding about elves and their hygiene than you will probably enjoy this graphic novel.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PN6737.M66 S63 2004
1st Floor Graphic Novels Collection
Review submitted by: Rand Boyd, Special Collections & Archives Librarian, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

The Last of the Peterkins, with Others of Their Kin, and the Queen of the Red Chessmen by Lucretia P. Hale

This late 19th century book contains 7 whimsical short stories beginning with Elizabeth Eliza Peterkin who belongs to the Circumambient Club, where one must approach everything circuitously--this seems to put the dimmest witted in highest standing, a good thing for Elizabeth Eliza who comes by her wits naturally, we decide, when we meet her family. Perhaps the most delightful of these stories is the one about the Red Queen, Isabella, who must learn to adjust to life off the chess board and not speak of her past—because having been a chess piece is just crazy talk! They are all fun stories and the antiquated references, such as to “salt bottles” (smelling salts, I think) add to their charm.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS 1774 .H13 L37 1965
3rd Floor Education Muth Library
Review submitted by: Tracie Hall, Librarian, Law Library
Rating: Recommended

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Not my favorite Jane Austen book. It feels unfinished and a little rough around the edges. Not being a literary intellectual, many of her jokes relating to Gothic novels went over my head. However, it's a charming story, but not nearly as compelling as her other literary works. If you have never read Jane Austen, don't start here.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR4034 .N6 1948
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Taryn Stroop, Administrative Assistant, Departments of History & Sociology
Rating: Somewhat Recommended

The Mossad: Israel's Secret Intelligence Service by Dennis Eisenberg, Uri Dan, and Eli Landau

Although, this book is over 30 years old, and a lot of the information is about spy missions from the 1950's - the early 1970's, this was a very informative text for those interested in Israel's most famous (some may say infamous) clandestine organization, the Mossad. Details of the Eichmann kidnapping, the Six-Day War, the theft of a MIG fighter, and detailed accounts of some of the most famous heroes of Israel, including Eli Cohen, Isser Harel, and many others, made for fascinating reading, and I would recommend this book to those interested in reading about some of the difficult decisions the Israelis have had to make in the defense of their national security.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: UB271.I8.E37 1978
3rd Floor Science & Technology Library
Review submitted by: Kevin Ross, Associate Dean, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

SAS: Shadow Warriors of the 21st century by Barry Davies

A nice general overview of Great Britain's most elite military unit, the Special Air Service (SAS). This book covered the creation of the SAS, its basic weaponry, selected aspects of training, and highlighted some of its well known and not so well known domestic missions against the IRA and international missions against German, Japanese, and Middle Eastern terrorist organizations. Includes a nice variety of rarely seen photographs of the SAS, but of course, all with faces blurred to avoid recognition. Not a great deal of detail, as one might anticipate, but it is a quick and interesting read.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: UA659.S67.D38 2002
3rd Floor Science & Technology Library
Review submitted by: Kevin Ross, Associate Dean, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Somewhat Recommended

Private by James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Private, a world wide investigative firm, is contracted to solve three very different crimes. Jack Morgan, head of Private, must make peace with the ghosts from his past, if he and his company are going to be successful. As always, Patterson creates an easy to read and enjoyable story.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: McNaughton
1st Floor McNaughton Collection
Review submitted by: Cathy Elliott, Law Library
Rating: Highly Recommended

The Truth about Tristrem Varick by Edgar Saltus

Tristrem Varick is a perfectly acceptable guy who loses his heart to the wrong woman. This novel, published a year before The Transient Guest and The Pace that Kills, is romantic and tragic. Are women really that mesmerizing?

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS2752 .T78 2007
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Nancy Stenerson Gonzales, Cataloger, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

The Pace that Kills by Edgar Saltus

Roland Mistrial left Columbia (College) suddenly and under cloudy circumstances, and just as mysteriously returns to New York ten years later. Love, money, and revenge play large roles in this 1889 novel.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS2752 .P33 2009
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Nancy Stenerson Gonzales, Cataloger, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Recommended

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

I enjoyed the dense, descriptive writing and can appreciate the writer's effort to make this story believable, going so far as to write a forward by a fictitious doctor. I could not ever get to the point of enjoying the subject matter and after reading a review of the book, quit reading the book about 1/2 way through.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3527.A15 L6 1997
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Kathy Wright, Executive Assistant, Office of the Executive VP & COO
Rating: Somewhat Recommended

The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer

The thing that I like about the Community of Readers program is that it gives me an excuse to read books that I never had a strong enough reason to read in the past. Mailer's The Naked and the Dead is one of those titles. I am conflicted about this novel in a number of ways. On one hand it is well written and very realistic in it portrayal of men in an extreme all-male environment. How they speak to each other, etc. and the novel works on this level very effectively. On the other hand, it's when Mailer delves into the personalities of the characters and their back stories that the characters break down into disturbing stereotypes and the narrative suffers for it. The other thing that bothers me is the overarching misogyny of the novel. No character has anything good to say about women and I can't find any good reason within the logic of the novel for this. So, the fact is that I can't rightly recommend this read. If you are interested in this genre of novel than you would be much better served in reading From Here To Eternity, a novel whose characters, male and female, ring with a truth that is refreshing after Mailer's distasteful book.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS3525.A4152 N34 1948
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Rand Boyd, Special Collections & Archives Librarian, Leatherby Libraries
Rating: Not Recommended

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

This is the story of Snow Flower and Lily, two young Chinese girls who are matched together to have the most special and revered friendship two Chinese girls/women can have with each other. As the two women grow up together, their lives take on different paths, which often lead to misunderstandings between the two of them. Can these circumstances break up the strong bond these young women have or can the love they have developed for each other prevail?

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS 3569.E3334S66 2005
2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by: Nadia Arriaga, Administrative Assistant, Political Science
Rating: Highly Recommended