In 1663, the small Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, situated on the edge of the wilderness on present dayManhattan, is populated by Dutch, English and Native American inhabitants. It is a hardscrabble life for colonists in theNew World, and many children become orphans at an early age. They are taken under the care of the orphan master, Aet Visser, who [...]
As a new football season is about to begin, I highly recommend Hunter Smith and Darrin Gray’s new book, “The Jersey Effect”. It’s about faith, football and keeping sports in perspective of life. Hunter Smith draws on his experiences playing football during college for Notre Dame and as the Indianapolis Colts’ punter for 10 years. Gray and Smith include testimonies [...]
Marie Grosholtz is a wax sculptor working in her family’s salon in Paris. After a visit to the salon from King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, Marie is asked to teach the art of wax modeling to Madame Elizabeth, the sister of the King. Travelling weekly between working-class Paris and the royal palaces at Versailles, Marie is privy to [...]
In 1840s New York City, a raging fire destroys bartender Timothy Wilde’s place of employment and meager apartment. His face partially disfigured in the fire, Timothy is persuaded by his politically connected older brother Valentine into joining the newly created police force and becoming a “copper star.” Walking his beat one night, Timothy bumps into a 10-year-old girl who is [...]
REVIEW By Brian Barrett, Readers’ Advisory Librarian In this riveting mystery, the focus is not on who commits the crime, but what happens after the crime is committed. Early in the story,Yasuko Hanaoka kills her abusive ex-husband when she and her teenage daughter are forced to defend themselves against him. What follows is a high-stakes chess match between two brilliant [...]
“Winning” is Gary Brackett’s story about how he became a Super Bowl champion, the captain of the Indianapolis Colts, the captain at Rutgers and the Glassboro Bulldogs (his high school football team in New Jersey).It’s also the story about the people who helped him along the way.It is a great read and will leave you highly motivated! Brackett’s family instilled [...]
“And Know This Place: Poetry of Indiana,” edited by Jenny Kander and C.E. Greer,is the first anthology of Indiana poetry to be published in more than 100 years. The 116 poets whose poetry appear in the book live in Indiana or have lived in Indiana long enough to acquire a sense of place. These include contemporary poets such as Jared [...]
“Winning” is Gary Brackett’s story about how he became a Super Bowl champion, the captain of the Indianapolis Colts, the captain at Rutgers and the Glassboro Bulldogs (his high school football team in New Jersey). It’s also the story about the people who helped him along the way. It is a great read and will leave you highly motivated! Brackett’s [...]
First-time novelist Carson Morton’s book, “Stealing Mona Lisa: A Mystery,” is an engaging mystery based on a real-life event – the theft in 1911 of the most famous painting in the world, the Mona Lisa, from the Louvre in Paris. While the painting was eventually recovered and a culprit identified, there was some speculation as to whether more people were [...]
I have enjoyed all of John Green’s books, so I just knew I would like this one before I even got it in my hands. I was not disappointed. Green has a way of creating realistic, but amazing characters. At the center of the story is Hazel, who needs assistance to breathe because her lungs are very weak. She meets Augustus [...]
