Jamie recommends "The Light Between Oceans"

The Light Between Oceans is the story of a husband and wife who live on an isolated island because of his job as a lighthouse operator.  After several miscarriages, Isabel is desperate for a child. When a rowboat containing a baby and dead man washes ashore, it seems that all of Isabel's prayers for a child have been answered, but what of the child's mother? This story was well-written because it made you feel for all the characters involved. You understand Isabel's yearning for a child, but you understand her husband's sense of moral right and wrong. Overall, this was an engrossing book.

Meghan recommends "Big Little Lies"

"Big Little Lies"

by Liane Moriarty

Liane Moriarty has been on my radar lately. Her latest book (Truly, Madly, Guilty) has been getting great press, and a friend recently recommended her, so I picked up Big Little Lies, which was a library pick several months ago.

Right from the beginning, Big Little Lies grips the reader. We know someone dies, but not who. The circumstances of that death, told from the points of view of various characters, is unraveled over the course of the book. The main plot follows charming busybody Madeline, young single mother Jane, and the effortlessly beautiful Celeste, all parents of kindergartners in a small beachy community. As the women become friends, they become enmeshed in the politics of the playground, and bullying among the kindergartners quickly escalates in the parents’ relationships. Characters sometimes seem straight out of “central casting,” but Moriarty makes you love them anyway.

This book is a fun, fast-paced page-turner with a satisfying ending. Reese Witherspoon optioned the book and stars in the limited series coming to HBO in February of 2017, so read it before it’s on everyone’s list!

Jamie recommends "Poldark"

Poldark

I am recommending the new adaptation of Poldark, currently airing in the U.S. on PBS under Masterpiece Theatre.  Season one of this series, beloved since the 1970s, revolves around the life of Ross Poldark, a gentleman who goes off to war in America in 1776.  When he returns home to Cornwall, he finds his life much changed, including his cousin's engagement to the woman he loves. As he struggles to find his way, he meets a miner's daughter, battles with an up and coming gentleman in town and tries to save his family's copper mine.

Season 2 of Poldark is currently airing on PBS and the 1970s adaptation is also available, including the novels on which this series based!  If you like period pieces, Poldark offers several avenues for you to enjoy the story of Ross Poldark.

Meghan recommends "The Big Short"

The Big Short

You know what I'm going to say. The book was better. That said, director and screenwriter Adam McKay managed to make a film that is entertaining, educational and often quite funny. The Big Short, based on the book by Michael Lewis, tells the story of the 2007 mortgage and banking crisis through the actions of a few men who, working separately, managed to foresee the crash, bet against the mortgage business, and make a bundle in the process. These outcasts and trouble-makers are happy to make a buck at the banks’ expense, but they realize the absurdity of the system they’re working in, and some are troubled by the knowledge that the inevitable crash will have a negative impact on people far beyond Wall Street.

We’re the people far away from Wall Street, and the film does its best to make complex financial transactions comprehensible to lay people. The tone of the movie sparks a strange combination of amusement and outrage, and by the end, we’re shocked and troubled by the absurdity too.

If you’re not interested in the banking industry, you’ll probably still like this movie. If you are interested in what Wall Street gets up to, you should definitely check out this movie (and then read the book.)

​

Jeannie recommends "Ink and Bone"

Jeannie recommends “Ink and Bone” by Lisa Unger, available in hard cover and on CD. A fast-paced psychological thriller and ghost story in one. I literally could not put it down, a terrific read!

Kira recommends "Stormdancer"

In an alternate world, Japan has become a steampunk nation reliant on a crop known as 'blood lotus', burned to fuel their amazing technologies. A young girl, Yukiko, is the daughter of a renowned hunter, who has been tasked with the impossible. Her father must find a fantastical beast, an 'arashitora', or 'storm tiger', half white tiger, half eagle. The problem is, with lotus smoke choking the earth and skies, no one has seen an arashitora for decades. With a secret gift, a powerful airship, and will or steel, the two set out to find their arashitora, and find more than they bargained for regarding the beasts, the blood lotus, and the shogunate.

​

Rebekah recommends "Forever Princess"

Years ago I watched both movies adaptation and fell in love with Princess Mia.  Now years later, I finally got to read all the Princess Diaries books. Although I loved the first two in the series, this one has to be one of my top favorites. Princess Mia is finally a senior in high school with so many decisions to make (where will she be attending college in the fall; who is her one true love).

I am excited to read the latest addition, "Royal Wedding."

CMPL recommends Hot Summer Reads!

Are you looking for something good to read this summer? We've got a list of all the hot summer reads and we've purchased multiple copies of these books to help you get your hands on a good book even faster!  Read one or read 'em all.  We've got fiction and nonfiction on the list and call numbers to help you find them!

All is not forgotten by Wendy Walker *July 2016* FIC WALKER

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders SF ANDERS

All the missing girls by Megan Miranda *June 2016* MYS MIRANDA

All Things Cease to Appear by Elizabeth Brundage FIC BRUNDAGE

American Housewife by Helen Ellis SS FIC ELLIS

Ashley Bell by Dean Koontz FIC KOONTZ

Assistants by Camille Perri FIC PERRI

Before the fall by Noah Hawley FIC HAWLEY

Behold the dreamers by Imbolo Mbue *Aug 2016* FIC MBUE

Black widow by Daniel Silva FIC SILVA

Breaking Wild by Diane Les Becquets FIC BECQUETS

City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong MYS ARMSTRONG

Coincidence of coconut cake by Amy Reichert FIC REICHERT

Dancing with the tiger by Lili Wright FIC WRIGHT

Decent proposal by Kemper Donovan FIC DONOVAN

Drowning girls by Paula Treick DeBoard MYS DEBOARD

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld FIC SITTENFELD

Flight patterns by Karen White FIC WHITE

Game for all the family by Sophie Hannah MYS HANNAH

Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer FIC HAMER

Girls by Emma Cline FIC CLINE

Girls on fire by Robin Wasserman MYS WASSERMAN

Guilty One by Lisa Ballantyne MYS BALLANTYNE

Here’s to us by Elin Hilderbrand FIC HILDERBRAND

Hero of France by Alan Furst FIC FURST

I almost forgot about you by Terry McMillan FIC MCMILLAN

I let you go by Clare Mackintosh FIC MACKINTOSH

If I forget you by Thomas Christopher Greene FIC GREENE

I’m thinking of ending things by Iain Reid FIC REID

Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye MYS FAYE

Katherine of Aragon, the true queen by Alison Weir FIC WEIR

LaRose by Louise Erdrich FIC ERDRICH

Lake House by Kate Morton FIC MORTON

Lilac girls by Martha Hall Kelly FIC KELLY

Losing it by Emma Rathbone FIC RATHBONE

Maestra by L. S. Hilton MYS HILTON

My best friend’s exorcism by Grady Hendrix FIC HENDRIX

My name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout FIC STROUT

Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar MYS ABDUL- JABBAR

Passenger by Lisa Lutz FIC LUTZ

Redemption Road by John Hart MYS HART

Rich and Pretty by Rumaan Alam FIC ALAM

Security by Gina Wohlsdorf FIC WOHLSDORF

Shelter by Jung Yun FIC YUN

Singles game by Lauren Weisberger FIC WEISBERGER

Summer before the war by Helen Simonson FIC SIMONSON

Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin FIC BENJAMIN

Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler FIC DANLER

Things we keep by Sally Hepworth FIC HEPWORTH

Truly madly guilty by Liane Moriarty *July 2016* FIC MORIARTY

Twisted river by Siobhan MacDonald MYS MACDONALD

Under the harrow by Flynn Berry MYS BERRY

Underground airlines by Ben Winter FIC WINTER

We could be beautiful by Swan Huntley FIC HUNTLEY

We love you Charlie Freeman by Kaitlyn Greenidge FIC GREENIDGE

Weekenders by Mary Kay Andrews FIC ANDREWS

What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan MYS MACMILLAN

Widow by Fiona Barton FIC BARTON

Woman in cabin 10 by Ruth Ware *July 2016* FIC WARE

Happy medium: life lessons from the other side by Kim Russo 133.91 R

Grit: the power of passion and perseverance by Angela Duckworth  158.1 D

Tribe: on homecoming and belonging by Sebastian Junger 302.3 J

Billion dollar spy by David Hoffman 327.1209 H

Shoe dog: a memoir by the creator of Nike by Philip H. Knight 338.76887 K

Five presidents: my extraordinary journey with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford by Clint Hill 363.28309 H

Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson 914.1048 B

Bill O’Reilly’s legends & lies: the patriots by David Fisher 973.3 F

Valiant ambition: George Washington, Benedict Arnold, and the fate of the American Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick 973.38209 P

Every little step: my story by Bobby Brown BIO BROWN

Rainbow comes and goes by Anderson Cooper BIO COOPER

When breath becomes air by Paul Kalanithi BIO KALANITHI

I’m just a person by Tig Notaro BIO NOTARO

Jamie recommends "What Remains of Me"

Kelly Lund went to prison for shooting a famous Hollywood director when she was just 17. Out of prison now, she begins to try to put her life back together with her husband, the brother of her former best friend, but murder seems to follow Kelly. When her father-in-law is found dead in a pool of blood in his home, Kelly is the prime suspect. This story, told through flashback and present day, has a lot of twists and turns. It is a quick, enjoyable beach read. It's a great option for adults, especially those participating in the Summer Reading Club!

Jeannie recommends "I Let You Go"

by Mackintosh, Clare

In audio and Overdrive format.

Fantastic novel! I was actually Googling Swansea and Penfach, Wales, in search of photos of the setting because of the way it was vividly described. Realistic, gripping, with twists and turns and ups and downs. Highly recommend!

Kathy recommends "Station Eleven"

Michigan Humanities Council is announcing the fifth round of Great Michigan Read, a biennial statewide literary program focusing on humanities themes. The Great Michigan Read aims to connect us as Michiganians by deepening our understanding of our state, our society, and our humanity. A statewide panel of teachers, librarians, community leaders and book lovers select the Great Michigan Read every two years. The 2015-16 Great Michigan Read title is Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel.

“When I first visited the Michigan lakeshore on a book tour in 2010, I liked it so much that I decided I wanted to set my next book there, and I’ve taken every possible opportunity to return to the area since then. I was delighted by the news that Station Eleven had been selected as a Great Michigan Read, and I’m very much looking forward to spending more time in Michigan over the coming year. It’s an honor to have been selected, and I’m deeply grateful.” ~ Emily St. John Mandel

“This novel examines the collapse of civilization after a deadly flu wipes out most of the world's population. Moving gracefully from the first days of the plague to years before it and decades after, Mandel anchors the story to Arthur Leander, a famous actor who dies of a heart attack while playing King Lear on stage.”  The subject matter of this book was not normally something I would have read.  However, it was my book club selection and to my surprise, I read the book in one sitting!  I was entranced by the story and thought about it for days afterward.  Beautiful, compelling, and entirely plausible.  ~ Kathy

For more Librarian recommendations, CMPL is pleased to present Chapter One on Wednesday, May 4, 2016 at 7 pm in the Main Library Auditorium.  Four librarians will booktalk their favorite titles over the last six months. We will include fiction, nonfiction, and audio selections. You may bring a title to share with us!

The Lunar Chronicles

"The Lunar Chronicles" by Marissa Meyer (Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Winter)



The lunar chronicles take place in a futuristic setting where the moon has been colonized, and tensions have grown to the brink of war between Earthens and Lunars. The story revolves around four strong young women- Cinder, a cyborg from the Eastern Commonwealth; Scarlet, a feisty pilot from France; Cress, a genius hacker lunar who was kept hidden in a satellite; and Winter, the beautiful princess of Luna. Each of the four books introduces a new character and builds upon the story, a story of war and revolution, a story of love and loss. Many secrets are hidden in these pages, and the only way to learn them is to read this sci-fi re-telling of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White.

Jamie recommends "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks"

Henrietta Lacks is truly immortal.  Her cells, harvested from her cervix, have been used to help develop the polio vaccine, in vitro fertilization and gene mapping, yet Henrietta was buried in an unmarked grave, unknown to the world until now.  This book follows what the author can piece together of Henrietta's life through her children.  Although nonfiction, it sometimes reads like a fiction novel and really gets you to think about the ethics of medicine.  Are our cells really ours or do they belong to history once we're gone?  I thought this was a wonderful, true story that made me think more about the ramifications of medical ethics than I ever had before.

Recommended for adults.

Jeannie recommends “Do Unto Animals”

Do Unto Animals by Tracey Stewart (new 1/16).

If you love animals, you have to check this one out…describes animals in their happiest environments, as well as what makes them sad. Includes animal-related crafts and recipes for your favorite pets; super guide to making animal’s lives better!

Kathy recommends "One Plus One"

Suppose your life sucks. A lot. Your husband has done a vanishing act, your teenage stepson is being bullied, and your math whiz daughter has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you can't afford to pay for. That's Jess's life in a nutshell-until an unexpected knight in shining armor offers to rescue them. Only Jess's knight turns out to be Geeky Ed, the obnoxious tech millionaire whose vacation home she happens to clean. But Ed has big problems of his own, and driving the dysfunctional family to the Math Olympiad feels like his first unselfish act in ages. Maybe ever. They cram into Ed’s car … along with Jess's bullied stepson, Nicky, and Norman, a slobbering 80-pound dog of "indeterminate" breed …for a hilarious and heartbreaking adventure. 

 You'll laugh, you'll weep, and when you flip the last page, you'll want to start all over again.

Recommended for Adults.  Available in multiple formats:  Book, Large Print, Audio CD and Overdrive Ebook.