SHADOW CREEK by Joy Fielding is a new one on the shelves. Ms. Fielding is a favorite author as her plots move and move and the characters sure are similar to your neighbors; just ordinary folks. In the latest she speaks of five major characters: a woman who is going through a divorce from her more than occasionally unfaithful husband; her 16 year old rebellious daughter; several friends: an avant-garde strong woman who owns her own business of selling semi-antique jewelry, and her employee, a former dancer, slightly on the gay side. Then add the appearance of the new, luscious young fiancee of the strayed husband, and you have an intriguing plot.
Forced to take the fiancee and daughter to meet the almost ex-husband to the Adirondacks for a holiday weekend, she must then give up her special plans with her friends for a birthday weekend at the Plaza in NYC. Of course, the husband never shows up as he has committed; the daughter hates what and where; the luscious young fiancee always looks gorgeous and perky despite the weather and terrain, and our heroine somehow suffers through it, though grudgingly. And then you add a pair of teenaged crazed killers in the mix, and what a story with a surprising twist at the ending.
Ms. Fielding writes in such a manner that the pages turn by themselves; she tells the story in conversational manner although conversations may not always be there. Her books are a delight, and, luckily, we have several in the stacks. If you haven’t enjoyed her books, stop by and pick one up.
And, then, there’s a book by Dave Barry, a Pulitzer-prize winning columnist for the Miami Herald, who has turned into a novelist. And he was also the star of an extremely well-done TV program in the late 90’s, entitled “Dave’s World”, depicting his family life. (Actually, I think it won an Emmy or other award, which gave it the death knell.) His book, TRICKY BUSINESS is one of the funniest I’ve ever read; an unbelievable plot that changes with every page, and I’m not really certain in which area he’s dug up the characters. This is not deep rolling laugh funny, but total amusement at not just an amazing story line, but with heroes and heroines that you can’t really believe. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I heartily recommend it to someone who is looking for fun. However, there are more than a few “cuss” words in the conversation, but they are not there to be salacious, but to render to the reader the true personality of the speaker. No sex, but after a sea journey through a major tropical storm, it’s easy to understand.
ASSIGNMENT TO HELL by Timothy M. Gay is a collection of correspondence from major war journalists covering the various battles of World War II. Featured are Walter Cronkite, Andy Rooney and Hal Boyle with pieces from A.J. Liebling and Homer Bigart. The first three are very familiar to most of us; the last two are not. Fascinating reading of the works of these journalists, and what is even more fascinating, is to see how they evolved into the characters they now are. If you are not really that familiar with many of the battles of WW II, I heartily recommend this book as it gives not just the statistics of the battle, but the involved personalities as well. If you are somewhat familiar, meaning you were about five or six years old during that period, read it, as you will discover many stories you may have heard from your parents at that time.
And remember: Our Library is open on Monday and Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. On Wednesday, we open at 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m.; Thursday from 12:00 Noon till 5:00 p.m. and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
“When an old person dies, a Library burns down.”
Karin Gillespie
