 WINTER READING
Long, involving books are perfect for long, winter evenings. These are books you may not have time for at other times of the year. There is a little something for everyone.
 Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood[FIC ATW, CAS, Pbk F 1467]
In 1843, 16-year-old servant Grace Marks is convicted of murdering her employer and his mistriss. Some believe she is innocent and others believe she is insane and evil. Grace claims to have little memory of the event. Dr. Simon Jordan comes to interview Grace; their conversations will fascinate and haunt you..
 The Alienest by Caleb Carr [MYS CAR, CAS]
In 1896, serial killers are a new kind of criminal and psychologists (known as "alienists") are treated with scathing scepticism. However, when a young boy is found murdered in the East River of New York, an unusual team begins work on the case. The team consists of a crime reporter, a psychologist and a police department secretary. Their search for this new kind of killer will keep you glued to the book long into the night..
 The Cider House Rules by John Irving [FIC IRV, Pbk F 1089]
Irving has often been called the American Dickens and deservedly so. This is the story of orphan Homer Wells and his guardian Dr. Wilbur Larch. So much happens to this young man as he searches for his place in the world that summaries do the work a great injustice.
 City of Light by Lauren Belfer[FIC BEL]
Louisa Barrett is the headmistress of the Macauley School for Girls in turn-of-the-century New York. Though ostensibly turning out "marriageable young girls," Louisa secretly believes equality for women will eventually come and educates her charges accordingly. When an unexpected death occurs, Louisa must face the past she tried to escape and reevaluate all she treasures. This ambitious novel contains many themes and issues of the day and reads like an old-fashioned Victorian novel.
 Cloudspitter by Russell Banks[FIC BAN]
The story, a masterful blending of fact and fiction, is told from the viewpoint of Owen Brown, the only surviving son of infamous abolitionist John Brown. Banks recreates the social and political atmosphere in America in the years before the Civil War, as well as showing the Browns in all their complexity.
 The Constant Gardner by John LeCarre [FIC LEC, CAS]
The young, beautiful Tessa Quayle is gruesomely murdered in northern Kenya. Her lover, a doctor with one of the aid agencies, disappears from the scene. Her older husband, career diplomat and avid gardener, takes off on a search for his wife's killers and their motive and becomes a target himself.
 East of Eden by John Steinbeck[FIC STE, Pbk C 1087]
Set amid the lush farmlands of the California Salinas Valley, this story follows the intertwined lives of the Trask and Hamilton families as they reenact the fall of Adam and Eve and the rivalries of Cain and Abel. You'll become enmeshed in their lives and in the panorama of American culture from the Civil War to World War I.
 The Emperor of Ocean Park by Stephen L. Carter [FIC CAR, LP]
Respected Ivy League law professor Talcott Garland investigates the death of his father, a prominent African American judge, once nominated for the Supreme Court. To find the answer to the mysteries surrounding his father, Talcott must risk everything. However, as he digs, he unearths some secrets about his father's professional past. This legal thriller also tackles the issues of race, politics and sex.
 Empire Falls by Richard Russo[FIC RUS, LP]
The relationship between Miles Roby and his daughter Tick is at the center of this novel set in the decaying mill town of Empire Falls, Maine. Miles runs the local diner and contends with his impending divorce, his troubled younger brother and his business partner, a widow who runs the town. Russo's beautiful writing illuminates this blue collar world. His irreverent sense of humor and sincere empathy for his characters make this work shine..
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 Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry[FIC MIS]
Seventy-nine year-old Nariman Vakeel suffers from Parkinson's disease and, when he breaks an ankle, the stepchildren with whom he lives in a spacious apartment fail to care for him. He is forced to move in with his daughter and her family who live in a small, crowded home. His presence will test everyone in unexpected ways. Mistry's humor provides comic relief as the narrative of Vakeel's deterioration mirros that of his beloved country.
 Folly by Laurie R. King [MYS KIN]
Master woodcarver Rae Newborn is 52 and has a history of mental illness. Plagued by paranoia and depression, rae decides to move to a secluded island in the Pacific Northwest to rebuild her uncle's house there. Her first act is to throw out all her medication as she struggles to prove to herself and others, most particularly her daughter, that she is sane. Rae uncovers many secrets about herself, her family, and the island. Psychological suspense combined with a fascinating character make this book a must read.
 A Mother and Two Daughters by Gail Godwin [FIC GOD]
Leonard Strickland was a beloved father, husband and Southern gentleman. When he dies, he leaves behind a wife and two grown daughters who must try to cope with life without him. As they do, they find that the past hat has kept them apart may now bring them together. Beautifully told.
 No Angel by Penny Vincenzi [FIC VIN]
Celia Lytton is the beautiful and strong-willed daughter of wealthy aristocrats, and she is used to getting her way. She makes difficult and often dangerous decisions that affect herself and others - her husband, Oliver, and their children; the destitute Sylvia Miller, whose life is transformed by Celia's intrusion; as well as Oliver's daunting elder sister, who is not all she appears to be. All this is set in New York and London during the first World War.
Possession by A.S. Byatt [FIC BYA, CAS]
Two contemporary scholars, each studying one of two Victorian poets, reconstruct their subjects' secret extramarital affair through poems, journal entries, letters and modern scholarly analysis of the period. You can't fail to become involved in the love of these two fictional poets as Byatt masterfully intertwines past and present.
 A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell [FIC RUS]
It is 1943 and 14 year-old Claudette Blum is learning Italian with a suitcase in her hand. She and her father are among the thousands of Jewish refugees scrambling over the Alps toward Italy, where they hope to be safe, now that the Italians have broken with Germany. However, the Blums soon discover that Italy is anything but peaceful, as it becomes an open battleground among the Nazis, the Allies, resistance fighters, Jews in hiding and ordinary Italian civilians trying to survive. Russell tells the little known but true story of the network of Italian citizens who saved the lives of 43,000 Jews during the war's final phase.
 Trinity by Leon Uris [FIC URI]
This is a powerful epic adventure that captures the culture of Ireland during its long and bloody struggle for freedom. It is the electrifying story of an idealistic young Catholic rebel and the valiant and beautiful Protestant girl who defied her heritage to join his cause. It is a tale of love and danger, of triumph at an unthinkable cost - a magnificent portrait of a people divided by class, faith and prejudice.
Try a First Novel
 The Faithful Spy by Alex Berensen
This winner of the 2007 Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award for a First Novel was written by a reporter for the New York Times. John Wells, an American CIA agent, has spent the last decade of his life successfully infiltrating the inner sanctums of al-Qaeda. Guilt-ridden over not having been able to stop the attack on September 11, he readily accepts the chance to return tot he U.S. when he's recruited as one of the primary participants for an act of terrorism designed to bring the country to its knees. However, hiding in the mountains of Pakistan biding his time has changed him. He is now a Muslim who views the U.S. as decadent, yet hates the way al-Qaeda uses Islam to justify terrorism. After being taken into custody by a suspicious CIA, Wells escapes and goes undercover on his own with the fervent hop that he can prevent whatever terrorism al-Qaeda is looking to unleash.
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