Staff Picks Category: Fiction

The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King [Book]

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This historical mystery, by an Edgar Award-winning author, introduces the strong intelligent character of Mary Russell, with a well-imagined ‘retired’ Sherlock Holmes in a supporting role. Mary Russell first meets Holmes as her neighbor in Sussex Downs in 1915 at the age of 15, as she almost stumbles over him. Holmes, impressed with her wit and intelligence, takes the orphaned Russell under his wing, and gives her the equivalent of an apprenticeship. After working together on a few interesting cases, Russell and Holmes soon find themselves faced with a nefarious foe who wants to make Holmes suffer, and his friends die.

Still Life by Louise Penny [Book]

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This award-winning book, the first in the Chief Inspector Gamache series, introduces us to the sleepy village of Three Pines, a village difficult to find on a map. This book is a more literary, slower-paced mystery. It has very strong characterization, and a well-drawn setting in the countryside of Quebec. Chief Inspector Gamache and his team are called in to investigate the suspicious death of Jane Neal who has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it’s a tragic hunting accident, but Gamache suspects something more. Has some similarities to the Commissario Guido Brunetti mysteries by Donna Leon, and to Christie’s Poirot.

City of Thieves by David Benioff [Book]

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Iron Lake : a Cork O’Connor mystery by William Kent Krueger [Book]

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First in a series, Iron Lake introduces us to Cork O’Connor, former sheriff of wintry Aurora, Minnesota. Facing personal problems after being voted out of the office of sheriff, Cork finds himself compelled to follow up on the suspicious death of a leading Aurora citizen, as well as other strange happenings in the town of Aurora and the reservation that shares the eponymous lake. I enjoyed both the character development and the chilly sense of place.

Day for Night by Frederick Reiken [Book]

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To say this is a novel of interconnected stories, doesn’t do this narrative justice. Stories of depth, of shadows, good versus evil, night versus day, the holocaust and cults, manatees and coral reefs… Reiken, a local author, says that it is a novel of “opposite things resolving.”

Room by Emma Donoghue [Book]

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Jack, a delightful, endearing 5 year old, narrates this unique and compelling novel that I could not put down until the last page. He describes the daily life and activities that are shared with his mother within the confines of an 11′ x 11′ room which is the only world that he has known. We soon learn that “Ma,” whose goal is to keep Jack safe, is a prisoner whose kidnapper makes late nightly visits while Jack is sleeping in a wardrobe. We are spared any descriptive shocking details of her experience because Jack tells the story from an innocent child’s perspective. His 5 year old voice is totally convincing as it portrays a lovable, intelligent boy who is happy in the secure environment that his mother provides where he has fun, plays, learns, and is entertained. All is cozy in room until things begin to change, and Ma realizes that they must get Outside.

This is the story of a mother and child’s love as well as one of abduction. It is an absorbing and spellbinding read, with moments of humor and tenderness. It stays in my mind, and Jack is unforgettable.

The Shanghai Tunnel [Book]

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Newman, known for her historical accuracy introduces a new character into 1860s Portland Oregon, in this departure from her Catherine LaVendeur series. Emily Stratton, the daughter of missionaries in China, is in San Francisco when her ship-captain husband dies. She accompanies his body back to the young town of Portland, and tries to make a home there. When she investigates her husband’s suspect business practices, someone wants her to stop. She must find out who to save her new life and her son. Will appeal to readers of Dianne Day and Laurie R. King.

Alfie [DVD]

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Lewis Gilbert’s 1966 masterpiece drama/comedy stars Michael Caine in the title role. Alfie is a street smart character who is here only to enjoy life and often has little consideration for others. He moves quickly from partner to partner (sometimes in seedy arrangements), but is eventually forced to come to terms with his reckless behavior, lack of income and aging body. Alfie sports an interesting storytelling model: either to have a quick laugh or explain how he’s feeling at any given time, Caine often breaks the fourth wall to converse with the viewer.

With supporting characters played by Shelly Winters, Jane Asher and Denholm Elliott, clever comedic dialog, twists and turns to the tragic and a swinging jazz score by Sonny Rollins, Alfie remains one of the richest films to ever grace the screen.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows [Book]

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Following World War II, British author, Juliet Ashton is looking for inspiration for her next book. She begins corresponding with a man from Guernsey who was part of a book club, the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, during the war while the island was occupied by the Germans. The club acted as an alibi to protect the residents from arrest. She begins corresponding with other members of the club and draws inspiration from their story of courage and preservation. The book is told through the correspondence and is a touching read.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary by David Sedaris [Book]

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David Sedaris, our favorite expatriate, quirky, self-deprecating funny man, has penned a new collection of short stories. The issues and tone are certainly classic Sedaris, but this time his subjects are animals! For instance, a baboon hairdresser is having difficulty finding a common gossip angle with a cat who is at the salon for an appointment… also, a self righteous lab rat wishes diseases on those who aren’t kind to her. Readers who enjoy dark, observational humor will enjoy this wonderful collection.

Murder in the Marais by Cara Black [Book]

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Aimée Leduc is a tough private detective who specializes in computer security investigations. She is hired by a rabbi to work with an encrypted photograph. Needing money to pay back taxes, she takes on this anomalous investigation which takes us through richly-drawn Paris in the Marais district, November 1993 and during the occupation, including politics, past and present, Nazis and neo-Nazis, and has Aimée running for her life.
The first in the Aimée Leduc Investigations series, which explores a different area of Paris in each novel.

Excellent Women by Barbara Pym [Book]

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Excellent Women is one of Barbara Pym’s best — a funny, engaging, and insightful story of post WWII English life. Like Jane Austen, Pym examines the small, seemingly mundane lives of ordinary people in an extraordinary manner.