About Schmidt by
Louis Begley
Albert Schmidt is a lawyer of the old school. After years of a carefully
managed life, his world is falling apart. His beloved wife dies, he takes
early retirement, and his yuppie daughter is marrying a man that he can’t
approve of.
About The Author
by John Colapinto
Cal Cunningham calls himself a writer, but he hasn’t actually written
anything yet. When his roommate, a reclusive, hard-working law student
named Stewart Church is killed in an auto accident, Cal finds in Stewart’s
desk a novel based on Cal’s own exploits. Cal is appalled, and then
inspired. He sends it to a publisher and the rest is history. When Cal
finds out that someone is in possession of a copy of the original
manuscript, this farcical tale turns into a cat-and-mouse thriller.
Resurrection Day
by Brendon Dubois
Carl Landry, a Boston Globe reporter, is investigating the shooting of a
60 year old retired serviceman. The military’s in-house censor warns him
off the story. Landry keeps digging into Swenson’s past when he uncovers
the truth behind the rumors of what really happened in the White House as
the Cuban Missile Crisis spun out of control. This alternate history
thriller is so plausible it will keep you reading until the last page is
turned.
The Monk Downstairs
by Tim Farrington
This is the story of the beguiling romance between Rebecca Martin, a jaded
graphic designer who’s lost her faith in men, and Mike a disillusioned
monk who’s lost his faith in God. Mike rents the downstairs apartment in
Rebecca’s house. Before they know it, life’s strange twists and turns
bring them together and they glimpse the real mystery of love and the
unfathomable depths of faith.
Matchstick Men
by Eric Garcia
Matchstick men are con artists, represented here by Roy and Frankie. Roy
is the obsessive one of the pair, forever swallowing pills to stabilize
his disorders. Frankie scatters his money freely and is constantly on the
prowl for more of everything. When Roy finds out that he is the father of
a 14 year old girl who is interested in the family business, it might be a
wedge to break the pair up.
Thale’s Folly by
Dorothy Gilman
Andrew Thale is sent by his businessman father to Massachusetts to inspect
a supposedly neglected property that had belonged to Aunt Harriet Thale.
What he doesn’t know is that Aunt Harriet was a collector… of people who
were down on their luck and they are still in the house five years after
her death.
Peregrine’s Rest
by Jennifer Gostin
What does a resident caretaker of an historic cemetery, a self-styled
explorer and a 70-year-old comic book collector have in common? All three
aid each other in their quests while foiling a plot to desecrate the old
cemetery. This is a light and engaging whodunit.
Sole Survivor by
Derek Hansen
Rosie Tretheway is disillusioned with her daily grind in Auckland, New
Zealand. She finds that she’s inherited a shack on an isolated island, off
the coast of New Zealand. There are only two other inhabitants where she
will be, and they don’t want her there. One man is a survivor of a
Japanese POW camp. The other is a retired, burnt out police officer. Can
these three strangers in search of a new life, be able to survive each
other’s company?
Plainsong by
Kent Haruf
Holt, Colorado, is the kind of small town where everyone knows everyone’s
business before that business even happens. The story centers around eight
characters whose lives undergo a radical change during the course of one
year. Strong characterizations help this story come alive and show you a
little slice of small town life.
The Big Picture
by Douglas Kennedy
Ben Bradford has it all; a beautiful wife, a big suburban home, two kids
and a partnership in a prestigious New York law firm. But Ben’s heart lies
with his dreams of being a photographer. When he discovers his wife is
having an affair with the man next door, who happens to be a photographer,
Ben snaps and carries out an act that will commit him to a whole new way
of life, forever.
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
by Ken Kesey
A new patient, the free-spirited McMurphy, who enters a pitched battle of
wills with the head nurse, galvanizes the inmates of a mental hospital.
Whichever way you look at it, good vs. evil, sanity over insanity, or
humankind trying to overcome repression, this is a great read.
Fatal Flaw by
William Lashner
Lawyer Guy Forrest is on the front stoop of his lover’s house, stark naked
in the pouring rain, a gun beside him, the lover’s bloody corpse on the
bed inside. He sure looks guilty, but nothing is what it seems in this
legal thriller.
The Funnies by
J. Robert Lennon
Tim Mix has been left a legacy by his father. He has three months to learn
to draw his father’s "Family Circus"- esque comic strip or get nothing. In
his search Tim learns about cartooning, his father and family.
The Pleasure Of My Company: a novel
by Steve Martin
Daniel Pecan Cambridge, an ex-Hewlett-Packard communiqué encoder, is a
savant whose closely proscribed world is bounded on every side by neuroses
and obsessions. One day Daniel’s routines are shattered when he gets
entangled with Clarissa, a single mom, and the chaos that ensues with her
life. This beautifully written novel shows that a man that has horrors of
his own making can still have compassion, and when tapped into, can help
heal lives, theirs as well as his own.
’57 Chicago by
Steve Monroe
Down-and-out fight promoter Eddie "The Lip" Lipranski tries to put
together the bout of his life. The rising star he is promoting is young
black fighter Junior "The Hammer" Hamilton, a devastatingly powerful
physical specimen with some unsavory family connections and a history of
violence outside the ring. Of course, the syndicate fixes the fight but a
deft plot twist keeps the story going in an unanticipated direction. This
is a solid piece of pulp fiction not to be missed.
Fluke by
Christopher Moore
Fluke is a wonderful tale of a man who realizes one day that the world of
marine science and whale research is not what it seems. Throw in some
whales with unusual markings, a beautiful stranger, a Rastafarian wannabe,
and other memorable characters, and you have a very entertaining read in
the humor/sci fi genre of today.
Nobody’s Fool by
Richard Russo
Sixty-year-old Sully is "nobody’s fool," except maybe his own. Down to his
last few bucks, he’s worried that he’s started on a run of bad luck. The
comic timing and continuous warmth of this intricately woven novel lets
you enjoy its humor while appreciating the stark realities of the lives of
the people in it.
Lucky Us by Joan
Silber
Elisa finds out that she is HIV positive just before her marriage. She
turns against the stable and caring Gabe reigniting her abusive
relationship with an ex-boyfriend. Her path of self-destruction is
grounded in guilt, but it eventually leads to personal growth and
acceptance.
Those Who Favor Fire
by Lauren Wolk
This tale is about a small Pennsylvania town, the coal fire that rages
beneath it, and how its inhabitants deal with their fears.
