Michelle recommends "Annie's Ghosts"

This is the 2013-2014 selection for The Great Michigan Read and it is an excellent selection. The author is locally connected and really takes the reader on his impossible genealogical adventure.  Annie is actually buried within 2 miles of the South Branch of Clinton-Macomb Public Library, taking Steve’s story right into our neighborhood. It was a well-researched project and interesting to follow as the author discovers a few long forgotten family secrets. Additionally, it is an amazing historical perspective of the mental health system in Michigan throughout the 1900s, showing how things were done in the early decades in comparison to today’s system.  There is a lot of heart in this story, but it does a wonderful job of educating the reader, too.
The South Branch will be discussing Steve Luxenberg’s Annie’s Ghosts on Saturday, November 9^th at 12 pm with our monthly book discussion group.

Recommended for Adults

Kathy recommends Charlie LeDuff's "Detroit : an American autopsy"

If you think you are aware of the troubles Detroit is facing, read reporter Charlie LeDuff’s Detroit : an American autopsy.  Be forewarned, what Charlie has to say is not for the faint of heart.  Detroit’s litany of woes borders on the unimaginable, and how the city has survived this long is a mystery. Through his own very personal experiences in the city and his interviews with Detroit’s movers and shakers, along with those who still work and live there, he paints a dismal picture of a once vibrant metropolis now in the final stages of decay. Although it would require a herculean effort to right all that is wrong with Detroit, he still maintains it is a tragedy that is impossible to ignore.  Riveting!

Recommended for Adults

Beth recommends: "This Case is Gonna Kill Me" by Phillipa Bornikova

How would I describe this book?  Legal thriller?  Urban fantasy?  Mystery? Race relations?  Actually it’s a wonderfully off-beat, slightly quirky mixture of all of those.  Linnet Ellery is a newly-minted lawyer, starting with a prestigious law firm.  On her first day, she is assigned to work, with another associate, on a disputed-will case that has languished for 17 long years.  She is dismayed at being stuck with a seemingly minor case, but delves in in a professional manner.  Okay, bright, enthusiastic new lawyer, first case = legal thriller.  But here is what hooked me in the reviews…please keep reading!  Back in the 1960’s, it was revealed that the major players in the world – the top businessmen, lawyers, financiers, etc, - were supernatural beings.  Vampires, werewolves and the Alfar – collectively known as the Powers -  had somehow managed to rule from the shadows for centuries.  By the time our story opens, humans have been aware of the Powers for half a century, creatively working out their co-existence - not the least of which was the arrangement by which Linnet was raised in a vampire household.   Linnet’s case turns out to be not so humdrum after all, and she ultimately has to use skills and resourcefulness not acquired in law school to stay alive.

Now – if you are tempted to brush this aside – “I don’t read vampire books” (actually a typical reaction for me) – STOP!  Consider trying a chapter or two – perhaps you will enjoy, as much as I did, the intriguing characters and their fast-moving adventures – which continue in the sequel, Box Office Poison.

Recommended for adults.

Kathy recommends "Corrupt Practices"

After a mentor and a colleague both fall victim to staged suicides, Parker Stern must overcome his stage fright in the courtroom in order to bring down a dangerous cult.

This debut is the promising start to a new series for legal thriller fans of John Grisham or Michael Connelly.

If you enjoy mysteries, thrillers or detective fiction, please join us at the program Once Upon a Crime on Wednesday, September 25 at 7pm in the Main Library.  The Popular Materials Librarians have scoured the shelves and will give you the inside scoop on the authors you must read and titles you should check out!  Participants are encouraged to come with one or more of their favorite titles to share with the group.

Recommended for adults.

Lisa recommemds "The Day the Crayons Quit"

What would you do if you went to color one day and all of your crayons were gone?  This hilarious story told in letters from the individual crayons to Duncan is a fun read for ages 3-7. 

Michelle recommends "Light Between Oceans"

How often does an entire twenty-person book group give a title a thumbs up?  Very rarely, but for this story they did. Light Between Oceans is an emotionally complex story of decisions made between a married couple that unbelievably affects the lives of others. This is surprising considering the seclusion of a rocky island they live on, with only the communication to the mainland coming seasonally. The novel has a little bit of everything we love about a good novel – brilliantly described setting, well-developed characters, a bit of history, tragedy and dilemma.

Recommended for adults.

Kathy recommends "All the Summer Girls"

A good beach read set on the Jersey Shore.  Three childhood friends, Kate, Vanessa, and Dani, reunite in the beach town where they spent summer vacations as young adults.   During college, a tragic death altered their friendship and caused the once best friends to drift apart.  Now 29, all three are facing life changing issues and harboring secrets that only the tranquility and peace of the beach can resolve.