The Summoning

The Summoning is the first book of the Darkest Powers Trilogy by Kelley Armstrong. Chloe Saunders wants to be a normal 15 year old but she has one problem: she can see ghosts. After an horrible encounter with a ghost she is sent off to Lyle house, a center for "disturbed" teens. At first Chloe just wants to get better but when her roommate disappears, Chloe begins to get suspicious about Lyle House and the other teens there. Why are they there? Who owns Lyle House? What is wrong with her? Step by step Chloe Saunders begins to uncover the truth about Lyle House, the residents there, and more her special ability.

Reviewed by Fuxia

Breath

Tim Winton

Farrar, Straus, Giroux 2008

Reviewed by Keith Darrock

With writing as raw as a drying reef and smooth as a peeling left point, Breath delivers on every level. Set in rugged Western Australia in the 1970's - two boys searching for adventure are taken under the wings of a legendary big wave surfer. What they tap into will change them forever. Breath is one ride you don't wanna miss.

The 19th Wife: A novel. David Ebershoff. Random House. New York. 2008

Reviewed by patron: Catherine Robinson

This is a well written "mystery" about polygamy in Utah. The story moves back and forth between Brigham Young's 19th wife and a modern day 19th wife. The story is especially insightful about the effect of polygamy on the men and the children as well as the women.

Summer Reading

Borderlines. Nevada Barr. G.P Putnum's Sons. 2009

Reviewed by patron: Kathleen Kenneweg

First, I love reading mysteries set in the National Parks, the ones I've visited and the ones that I have yet to discover. Second, I enjoy her lead character, Anna Pigeon, who solves the mysteries despite being surrounded by the inept gang of male park rangers. If you have ever worked at one of these parks you know what I mean!

Happy Fourth of July!

America America. Ethan Canin. Random House. 2008
Reviewed by Pauline Carter

Here are two books I got from "book club" table at Lynnwood library. America America by Ethan Canin is a Richard Russo type novel of politics and family life in a midwestern town. Named a 2008 "best books of the year" book by Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and other papers. John Updike liked it. I really enjoyed it. The next is Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris (2008)which I just started but looks great. A first novel by a woman who lived in Saudi Arabia and also a "best books" choice of Washington Post. It is a mystery set in Saudi Arabia so lots of interesting and new to me info about that country. Excellent writing in both.

Cris Wilson adds: If you don't have the time to read David McCullough's John Adams this week check out the HBO Miniseries starring Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney as the spirited Abigail. There is also an interview with David McCullough at his home and in his "writing shed." Port Townsend residents will love this feature.

Literary Latte Reviews

This summer our patrons are sending in reviews to earn Literary Latte coupons. We will post them here. Cheers to reading diversity!

Bill Bryson. Mother Tongue.

reviewed by: Lauren Brown

While some of this history of English is familiar territory, it is told with Bryson's trademark humor and offers a few insightful nuggets. Lauren also recommends, When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It, She says, "This is a usage book, very entertaining, that challenged many of my long-held preconceptions."

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. Dai Sijie and Ina Rilke. Anchor. 2002

reviewed by: Jennifer Nielsen

I picked up Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress from your staff picks shelves and was very glad I did. It was very engaging. I enjoyed the story and the style. I teach English at PTHS and as part of our World Literature curriculum we read the great Orwell classic, 1984. I can see ways I will use Balzac...to enrich our study of 1984 since both are about oppressive regimes and how people cope with the loss of great works of literature.

The Theory of Clouds. Stephane Audeguy. 2007

Reviewed by Sarah Fairbank

I am now fascinated and interested in clouds and have joined the Cloud Appreciation Society. This all started with two books from Port Townsend Public Library: (I LOVE having a book that leads to another and then onward in an ever increasing and never ending palette of ideas and questions. ) The first book was "The Cloudspotter's Guide: the Science, History and Culture of Clouds", by Gavin Pretor-Pinney 2006. The other, "The Theory of Clouds" by Stephane Audeguy ,2007, is a novel about an archival librarian who works with an eccentric collector of cloud memorabilia . Her job become listening to his story rather and doing her work. It is the story of story of the classifying and naming of clouds. The academic hubbub and politics of presenting this to a scientific community with all the cast of characters, the stealing of work, the wheedling, the posturing. One interesting and creepy aspect of this book is that many of the cloud scientists lost it and became mentally ill.

Sarah Fairbank

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

Dial Press Book. August 2008.

Reviewed by Cris Wilson

Port Townsend already loves this book. I think we are a mirror to the Guernsey Literary Society and the island's regular folks ourselves. If you enjoy Alexander McCall Smith's "Sunday Philosophy Club" series you'll like this even more. Traditional without seeming stale, and romantic without being naïve” (San Francisco Chronicle), this epistolary novel, based on Mary Ann Shaffer’s painstaking, lifelong research, is a homage to booklovers and a nostalgic portrayal of an era. As her quirky, loveable characters cite the works of Shakespeare, Austen, and the Brontës, Shaffer subtly weaves those writers’ themes into her own narrative.(Book List) However, it is the tragic stories of life under Nazi occupation that animate the novel and give it its urgency; furthermore, the novel explores the darker side of human nature without becoming maudlin. The Rocky Mountain News criticized the novel’s lighthearted tone and characterizations, but most critics agreed that, with its humor and optimism, Guernsey “affirms the power of books to nourish people during hard times” (Washington Post).

Reading Ivan Doig

Book Lover's Cafe met on November 3 and discussed favorite books written by Seattle author Ivan Doig. Residents of Port Townsend particularly enjoy reading "Winter Brothers". The book relates the life of James Swan, an early resident of Port Townsend and Neah Bay and a collector of Northwest artifacts for the Smithsonian Institution.

We also enjoy reading the Montana trilogy that begins with "Dancing at the Rascal Fair", a personal all time favorite of mine. The family saga continues with "English Creek" and concludes with "Ride with Me, Mariah Montana.

Ivan Doig, the author selected for November, gave a radio interview Friday 11/07/08 about his latest book "The Eleventh Man" on the Weekday 9 a.m. hour on public radio station KUOW 94.9.

Here's the link to download a podcast:

http://www.kuow.org/program.php?current=WK1

Kathleen in Port Townsend, WA where retirement is great

Sue Estes recommends "Agent Zig Zag" by Dan MacIntyre. 2007

Vivian Chapin thinks the novel "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblowski 2008, and "The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey" by Candice Millard, 2005, are well worth your time .

"A Sudden Country", by Karen Fisher is highly recommended by Brad Offutt.