Aura by Carlos Fuentes

It is often difficult to distinguish the magical from the real in Fuentes' book, which is written in second person, a technique that blurs the lines of the characters and reality. The story follows Felipe Montero as he becomes employed in the house of a very old widow to edit her deceased husband's memoirs, meets Aura, the widow's beautiful niece, and discovers the true relationship between Aura and her aunt. It is a complex story that mixes beauty and horror, witchcraft and religion, the dream world and reality.
 

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PQ7297.F793 A85 1986 , 2nd Floor Humanities

Review submitted by Andrew Tessandori, Cataloging Assistant, Leatherby Libraries

Rating: Highly Recommended

In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

 

It was a very informative book on an ambassador's life in Berlin in 1933. The book shows how Hitler slowly took the helm of power and started to increase persecution and control.

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

Rating: Highly Recommended 

Man Who Planted trees by Jean Giono

 

In 1910, while hiking through Provence, France, the narrator meets a shepherd who has chosen to live a solitary life in an isolated valley and devote himself to planting trees, by hand. The narrator recounts his visits with the shepherd for 4 decades, describing how his successful reforesting efforts change the environment and the effect it has on people in the area. Woodcut engravings, by Michael McCurdy, record the beautiful changes. A truly lovely book for any reader with an interest in the environment.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PQ 2613. I57 H5813 1985,  2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by Theresa Paulsrud, Head of Acquistions, Leatherby Libraries

Rating: Highly Recommended  

This child will be great: Memoir of a remarkable life by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became Africa's first female Head of State when elected President of Liberia in 2006 and then re-elected in 2011. Sirleaf has survived an early and abusive marriage, 14 years of a vicious Civil War in Liberia, separation from her children and family, imprisonment and exile. In telling Serlief's story, this book also presents the interesting and complicated history of Liberia, its cultures, many difficulties, and connection to the U.S. Sirleaf was a co-recipient of the recent Nobel Peace Prize in 2011, along with Leymah Gbowee (also from Liberia) and Tawakel Karman, from Yeman. I found it interesting to compare the memoirs of Sirleaf (a politician) to Leymah Gbowee's (an activist).

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: DT636.53 J64 A3 2010,  2nd Floor Humanities Library
Review submitted by Theresa Paulsrud, Head of Acquistions, Leatherby Libraries

Rating: Recommended  

Born on a Blue Day by Daniel Tammet

I never thought I would be riveted to a story about whether an autistic young man could memorize 22,514 numbers of pi for charity. This story of Daniel's life as as a man diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome enables the reader to understand the inner experiences of being autistic due to his unusual ability to communicate with others, which is often impossible for the autistic person. It is engaging and enlightening, and follows his story as a young boy who was bullied by his peers to someone who can work with the world's leading authorities in understanding the mysteries of the savant.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: RC553.A88T36 2007,  3rd Floor Science and Technology Library
Review submitted by Jeanne Walker, Counseling Services (SPCS)

Rating: Recommended  

The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje

This book tells the story of a young boy who takes a three week journey via ocean liner from Colombo to England during the 1950's. While it was not an unpleasant read, I found it difficult to get through due to the slow pace of the story, which had only brief moments of excitement. Also, the assertion that this voyage was truly life-changing for the protagonist seemed doubtful and unrealistic.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: McNaughton,  1st Floor McNaughton
Review submitted by Ashley Kemp, Special Events

Rating: Not Recommended  

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Thinking she is safe after having survived the Hunger Games, Katniss returns to District 12 to find more trouble waiting. With rebellion in the air, the rules for the 75th Anniversary edition of the Hunger Games are announced and once more Katniss and Peeta are the representatives from District 12. What follows is a story of friendship and survival against all odds.

  

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS 3603.04558 C38 2009, 3rd Floor Muth Library of Children's Literature
Review submitted by Cathy Elliott, Law Library

Rating: Highly Recommended  

Joshua Tree: Desolation Tango by Deanne Stillman

Stillman describes Joshua Tree National Park, a landscape where the Colorado and Mojave deserts come together, as a special place that speaks to her heart. While briefly discussing history, geology, plants, and animals, she also provides insights into such issues as environmental degradation (often that which comes from the park's proximity to the Los Angeles area) and the devastating decline of the desert tortoise population. Excellent black and white photographs accompany the sometimes bizarre narrative of this fascinating wonderland.
 

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: F868.J6 S75 2006 , 2nd Floor Humanities

Review submitted by Andrew Tessandori, Cataloging Assistant, Leatherby Libraries

Rating: Somewhat Recommended

The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson

Larsson's second and most exciting installment in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series picks up where the first left off, and doesn't waste any time jumping into the plot. A journalist and his wife who are working with Mikael Blomkvist are murdered shortly before they are going to expose a sex trade operation, and Lisbeth Salandar's prints are found on the weapon. It is a tense, unpredictable read that steals your breath and keeps you up all night without wanting it to end. 

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PT 9876.22A6933 F5713 2009, 2nd Floor Humanities
Review submitted by Ashley Kemp, Special Events

Rating: Highly Recommended  

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg LarssonThis absolutely fantastic book takes place in Sweden, and follows the story of recently discredited journalist Mikael Blomkvist and socially awkward yet brilliant computer hacker Lisbeth Salandar as they attempt to solve a kidnapping/murder cold case for one of the country's wealthiest families. Unexpected secrets begin to emerge, and solving the case becomes increasingly dangerous as the unlikely pair come closer to unraveling the long-buried mystery.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PT 9876.22A6933 M3613 2009, 2nd Floor Humanities
Review submitted by Ashley Kemp, Special Events

Rating: Highly Recommended  

Sacré Bleu by Christopher Moore

Christopher Moore's newest novel drops the reader into Paris, France circa the late 1800's, when many of the best-known impressionists and other artists of the 19th century were coming into their own. The engaging and surprisingly funny story opens with a scene suggesting that Vincent van Gogh did not actually commit suicide as believed, but was murdered by the sinister Colorman he often referred to in letters to his brother. The book jumps from scene to scene non-chronologically, is told from the perspectives of various quirky characters, blends the real and surreal indiscriminately, and keeps the reader guessing about the true identity of the mysterious Juliette until nearly the end
 

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: McNaughton, 1st Floor McNaughton

Review submitted by Ashley Kemp, Special Events 

Rating: Recommended  

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

Research scientist in the Amazon fails to report back to employer as to research progress for fertility in older women. Co-worker ends up going to Amazon to find the research site and get information. A good read, but had some highly unlikely scenarios which were unsatisfying. My book club had good discussion about research, pharmaceutical companies, and fertility for older females.
 

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PS 3566.A7756 S76 2011, 2nd Floor Humanaties Library
Review submitted by Pam Ames, Purchasing

Rating: Recommended  

The Dancing WuLi Masters by Gary Zukav

The author wrote this book in the hopes that it would be a useful “translation” to aid people who are not scientifically minded to understand the new physics. He shows the similarities between quantum physics and Eastern philosophy. Written in 1979, I am sure that parts of it are dated. For someone such as me, who had no knowledge of the subject, it was still a useful introduction.
 

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: QC173.98 .Z84 1979, 3rd Floor Science & Technology Library
Review submitted by Cathy Elliott, Law Library

Rating: Somewhat Recommended  

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Life of Pi is a wonderful, breath-taking novel about a young boy named Pi who ends up stranded on a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean as the sole human survivor of a shipwreck. To his dismay, he is accompanied on the lifeboat by a full-grown tiger and a handful of other animals that were also on board, which adds additional challenges to his already bleak situation. Pi's story is quite a page turner, and a debatable twist at the end will keep readers questioning what they have read.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: PR 9199.3 M3855 L54 2002, 2nd Floor Humanities
Review submitted by Ashley Kemp, Special Events

Rating: Highly Recommended  

Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

Lisa See's follow up to the highly acclaimed "Shanghai Girls" does not disappoint: the story begins with Joy fleeing to China following her discovery of a life-altering family secret to join the People's Republic of China during Mao's Great Leap Forward in 1957. Desperate to rescue her daughter, Pearl chooses to accept the risks and return to her homeland and bring Joy back to Los Angeles. See writes a breath-taking tale of their experiences and explores themes such as forgiveness, love, trust and courage.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: McNaughton, 1st Floor McNaughton
Review submitted by Ashley Kemp, Special Events

Rating: Recommended  

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

The Paris Wife is a historical fiction novel which delves into the early beginnings of Ernest Hemingway's life and career through the eyes of his first wife, Hadley Richardson, from their first meeting in Chicago to living in post-war Paris during the 1920's. McLain paints a vivid picture of the free-wheeling culture that eventually forces the couple apart, and provides a comprehensive backstory for the rest of Hemingway's life. The tragic unraveling of Ernest and Hadley's complicated relationship feels both painful and authentic, and leaves the reader with a sense of having peeked into the private life of one of America's most renowned authors.

Leatherby Libraries Call Number: McNaughton, 1st Floor McNaughton
Review submitted by Ashley Kemp, Special Events

Rating: Recommended