Staff Picks Reviewer: Forbes Library Staff

Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann [Book]

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This entertaining mystery, in which a flock of Irish sheep search for their shepherd’s killer, delivers more than it promises. As you’d expect, it’s funny, charming, and imaginative… but it’s not just a lighthearted cozy. The sheep are real, fascinating characters with as much tragedy as comedy in their lives, and the author never forgets that they aren’t simply humans in woolly coats.

By turns hilarious, mysterious, and lyrical, this fine debut novel transcends its genre and should appeal to a broad range of fiction readers.

Beautifully translated from the German by Anthea Bell.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett [Book]

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Set in 12th-century England, the narrative concerns the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge. The ambitions of three men merge, conflict and collide through four decades during which social and political upheaval and the internal politics of the church affect the progress of the cathedral and the fortunes of the protagonists.

Inside Job by Connie Willis [Book]

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Willis, one of sci-fi’s most spirited writers, rounds on the New Age; pays tribute to a great, skeptical journalist, and upends doubters and fakes alike. Unexpected ending.

The Greener Shore : A Novel of the Druids of Hibernia by Morgan Llywelyn [Book]

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Fleeing the destruction of the Sacred Grove by the invading Roman army, Ainvar the druid and the remnants of his clan flee Gaul to settle in Hibernia, where they find other Celts and druids. Along with his wife, Briga, a powerful druid in her own right, he sets out to rebuild their lives in a new homeland which is beautiful and mystical like the wanderers who are drawn to it. Sequel to The Druids.

Things Invisible To See by Nancy Willard [Book]

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A freak accident leaves Clare Bishop paralyzed from the waist down, but with the ability to see the future, enter the bodies of animals, and talk with Death .

The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle [Book]

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Heartbreaking coming of age novel about a girl growing up on a ranch. Dealing with the death of a schoolmate, a depressed mother, a father trying to keep the ranch going, and a sister who has run off with her boyfriend, this story will leave you rooting for the family to overcome all the obstacles.

Eating Heaven by Jennie Shortridge [Book]

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Eleanor Samuels, a lonely young woman who lives for food, finds her way toward family and love while taking care of her “Uncle” Benny. Very humorous and warm.

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde [Book]

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Surreal and hilariously funny, this alternate history, the debut novel of British author Fforde, will appeal to lovers of zany genre work (think Douglas Adams) and lovers of classic literature alike. Set in 1985 in an alternate London, literature is (refreshingly) so important that you can get punished for forging Byronic verses. Then someone starts kidnapping literary characters from their manuscripts. Jane Eyre’s disappearance is particularly traumatic and Special Operative Thursday Next must stop this before it’s too late.

The Djinn in the nightingale’s eye by A.S. Byatt [Book]

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A collection of fairy tales for adults. The title novella is on a middle-aged Englishwoman attending a writers’ conference in Turkey. She picks up an antique bottle and as she is washing it a djinn appears, offering to grant her three wishes. She is aware of the untoward consequences of hasty wish-making so after careful consideration, she asks for a younger body, then requests he make love to her. Very fun!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon [Book]

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This is a terrific novel about an autistic boy who tries to solve a mystery in his neighborhood and ends up exploring much further both geographically and emotionally. The main character is very real and also very endearing. It is available on CD too and the reader is wonderful.

American Theocracy by Kevin P. Phillips [Book]

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This book offers useful insight into American hubris. Fascinating background on the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) and the intertwining of oil, religion and debt.

In the Dark Places of Wisdom by Peter Kingsley [Book]

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Kingsley aims primarily to situate properly the spiritual teaching and practice of Parmenides and his successors in ancient Creek wisdom traditions. This fifth-century BCE philosopher is commonly described as the “father of Western metaphysics and logic” because he was the first thinker formally to discuss the nature of being. Recent archaeological discoveries indicate that this same Parmenides was a priest in the cult of Apollo the Healer. Kingsley argues that the magical and ecstatic aspects of this healing cult–incubation, meditative quieting of the mind, dream interpretation, and shamanic journeys to other worlds, all rooted in the Anatolian Apollo cult–made up the practical, experiential foundations of Parmenides’ philosophy. This book is a marvelous paradox: despite its overtly scholarly aim (20 pages of dense notes at the end), it is paced like a detective thriller; yet the central aim is to awaken the longing for self-transcendence.