Fire Lover

Fire Lover by Joseph Wambaugh is a true story about an arsonist that terrorized a community for years.  Known as “probably the most prolific American arsonist of the twentieth century” he left behind destruction and death, until that fateful day when he finally slipped up.  Joseph Wambaugh, author of The Onion Field and The Choirboys, tells this story with his usual meticulous research and attention to detail.  Fire Lover is brilliantly told, keeping you on the edge of your seat, covering the world of arson, law-enforcement and fire-fighting while exploring the deviant personality of the arsonist.  SG

A Seaside Saga

The Cottage at Glass Beach by Heather Barbieri is a modern-day fairy tale for adults. Nora is a political wife from Boston who has suffered the scandal of an extra-marital affair. She has recently received a letter from a distant aunt and decides to seek refuge on Burke’s Island off the coast of Maine. Once there, she revisits her childhood memories and the mystery surrounding her mother’s disappearance. As she works to come to terms with her problems she is introduced to the mythical folklore the island dwellers believe. While this book is not terribly deep, it does put a positive spin on dealing with current issues and finding the strength to carry on. A good summer read. DB   

Not Exactly Camelot

In 1935, before he penned Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck wrote a short novella about a group of friends living the life in a poor district of Monterey, called Tortilla Flat.  Based loosely on Arthurian legends, Steinbeck's story centers on the accidental landowner Danny and his tribe of devoted comrades as they conspire, drink, gossip, and have a holy experience or two.

For more retellings of classic stories, check out our reading list at the Adult Reference Desk, "Covering the Classics."  HM

Coming of Age

The Age of Miracles is a fiction debut by Karen Thompson Walker, a new author worthy of attention.  The earth’s rotation is slowing causing changes in time, weather and gravity.  But this book is more about a young girls coming of age during this turbulent time than anything that could be considered sci-fi.  Julia, a middle-school student, must deal with all the issues a young teen has to deal with, while also dealing with major changes in the world as she knew it.  This book is highly readable and reminds me somewhat of Life As We Knew It, a teen fiction by Susan Beth Pfeffer (also recommended). SG

In Death

J.D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts) has written over 30 books in her “In Death” series. I was reading a blog about Richard Castle readalikes and was surprised when Robb’s books popped up in the conversation. Naturally I had to give one a try and so looked up her series in our “What’s Next” link on the Adult Services’ Reading Ideas page. Naked in Death is the first book in the series and I have to admit I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the next. The books are set in the future and the main character, Eve Dallas, is the tough, sexy detective that always gets her man. Although Roberts tends towards romance, the Robb books are definitely mysteries with a bit of romance thrown in ala Richard Castle and his Nikki Heat character. I am always happy to find a new series and am looking forward to being entertained in the months ahead. SG

Indie Music and More!

Yo La Tengo, the influential rock band formed in the post-punk fervor of the early 1980s and still going strong today, receives its due in this fascinating if sprawling biography, Big Day Coming, by music journalist Jarnow. He focuses primarily on the band's founders, Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley, and their efforts to make a quirky, eclectic sound out of their many influences and their "equally intense love of art-noise bands like Mission of Burma alongside perennial favorites NRBQ, the Kinks, and others."  He details the early days of rising and soon-to-be influential bands such as Black Flag and the Replacements experimenting in Maxwell's, Yo La Tengo's favorite bar in its home base of Hoboken, N.J., and he captures the all-encompassing spirit of the current post-indie scene...  Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Buddha Lite?

Is there a punch line to Rinzler's jokelike title of The Buddha Walks Into A Bar? Not one, but many. Yet this is in no way a superficial treatise. A young, New York-based Buddhist teacher who will connect especially well with readers in their twenties and thirties, Rinzler is able to take a relaxed, colloquial approach to meditation and its many benefits because he's so well versed in Shambhala and Tibetan Buddhism. As sophisticated as his knowledge is, however, he addresses the basics with energizing specificity, beginning with how to make time to meditate and discern one's core motivation.  Rinzler cogently explains how the cultivation of generosity, discipline, patience, joyous exertion, tenderness, and social consciousness can help individuals resolve conflicts associated with work, family, romance, sex, money, and health. With examples ranging from superheroes to YouTube videos, Rinzler brings timeless teachings to the buzz of now in an engaging, richly instructive, genuinely illuminating spiritual guide.--Seaman, Donna Copyright 2010 Booklist