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Magdalen Nabb Dies

by Van

Magdalen Nabb, creator of the estimable Marshal Salvatore Guarnaccia, died at the age of 60 last Saturday of a stroke while out riding in Florence, Italy.

The genial Marshal, a domestic man (wife, two sons), was slow moving and solved his cases through a quiet indirection, chatting with the proprietors of cafes, bars, and shops in Florence. The mysteries are as nonviolent as murder mysteries can be. The Sicilian-born Marshal was with the Carabinieri. The stories were generally based on real cases, the Carabinieri would bring the case files to her to study. Officers of the Carabinieri in full ceremonial dress formed a guard of honor at her funeral.

She had finished one last Guarnaccia novel, Vita Nuova, due out in 2008. Nabb started writing the stories when Simenon stopped writing his Maigret books. She always sent the first copy of each of her books to Simenon.

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Fabulous Fiction Firsts #81

by muffy

If you don’t read another mystery this summer, you must read The Tenderness of Wolves* by Stef Penney

The winner of the 2006 Costa Book of the Year (formerly known as the Whitbread Awards), this debut novel by a former filmmaker is set in Dove River, an isolated settlement in the Canadian tundra of 1876. Mrs. Ross, our primary narrator, stumbled onto the brutal murder of her neighbor Laurent Jammett, a reclusive fur trapper, the same night her teenaged son Francis, went missing, along with a mysterious ancient bone tablet of great value.

Penney seamlessly weaves multiple plotlines, (including the disappearance of two young girls 17 years ago) as the search parties trek northward on the trail of the killer, bracing brutal elements and the threat of predatory wolves, towards an explosive conclusion.

Tenderness is much more than a mystery - it is a psychological thriller, an adventure tale, a well-research period piece that captures the cultural and social history of the Canadian north, and most of all, a probing exploration of the unfathomable topography of the human heart.

* = Starred Reviews

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An A+ Audiobook

by Bertha

Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic regardless of the year or the season. Sissy Spacek is the narrator of the 2006 audiobook version, and her Southern lilt and range of emotion brings the characters to life. This classic court case will keep you driving around the block or running extra miles tuned into the story.

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Fabulous Fiction Firsts #80

by muffy

Well, I wasn’t going to read it. Another Chicklit. I thought, and a bit too cute, judging from the cover. But I was stuck in an airport and it was there. Soon I was turning pages, surprised to be hooked by this engaging debut about a wounded healer and her African elephants.

In Still Life with Elephant by Judy Reene Singer, horse-trainer Neelie Sterling is not a good listener. She knows that and she tries hard. But when her cheating husband, veterinarian Matt tells her his partner is having his baby, Neelie can’t deny that she is dense and blind as well.

As a last-ditch effort to save her marriage, she volunteers to join Matt's rescue mission to save injured elephants in Zimbabwe. The trip is dangerous, exhilarating and the nursing of the elephants back home is grueling and frustrating. However, Neelie soon learns that healing could be mutual and there is “still” life (pretty marvelous at that) worth living, especially when the charming millionaire who sponsored the rescue comes knocking.

Nicely paced and sparkled with humor, a debut novel to wrap up the summer. The elephants will steal your heart and the romantic in you will cheer. For fans of Jennifer Weiner and Jenny Colgan.

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Adopt a Black Dog

by anonymous

Are you considering adopting a dog? Think black. My family adopted a black Labrador Retriever from the local humane society in June, and although we noticed quite a few black dogs, we didn’t adopt her for that reason. Then, the June 11th People magazine had an article about a woman who rescues black dogs and finds adoptive parents for them because they are sometimes seen as menacing and therefore harder to find a permanent home while staying at shelters. Finally, the Humane Society of Huron Valley declared August “Black Dog Adoption Month”. Celebrate with $25 off the adoption fee, and check out a list of reasons why you should adopt a black dog. Personal experience tells me number 7 is too true.

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New Fiction on the New York Times Best Sellers List (8/19/07)

by Mazie

Annie Dillard has a devoted following for her meticulous and brilliant observations of our natural world. In The Maytrees she turns her keen and sympathetic eye on a family and the love story at the heart of it. This is only her second novel but it seems guaranteed to win her new fans. It is a family saga unlike anything else you will read this summer.

The other two new entries are Beyond Reach by Slaughter and Settling Accounts: In at the Death by Turtledove.

You can check the rest of the List online.

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A captivating summer read from 1860

by emilyas

If you are looking for a captivating read for the end of the summer, check out this recommendation on NPR from author Jennifer Egan. Egan recommends The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, a thriller that was published in 1860 and continues to captivate audiences to this day. If you are waiting on the hold list for that title, check out The Moonstone, another Collins book that Egan recommends.

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Waking With Enemies by Eric Jerome Dickey

by detra

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Waking With Enemies is the ideal sequel to Sleeping With Strangers. Eric Jerome Dickey effortlessly picks up right where Sleeping With Strangers left off--something that sequels rarely do. The sequel answers many questions that were left unanswered in Sleeping With Strangers. EJD provides many unique twists and turns throughout this story. In this fast paced drama, nothing is what it appears to be so it is important to pay attention to all of the little details. Note: in order to fully understand Waking With Enemies you should read Sleeping With Strangers first.

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More new Arabic books!

by Tara LS

Here is a selection of new Arabic books at the library. Use the links below to reserve a book or browse the shelves at each branch looking for the "NEW" stickers on each book. The selection is different from branch to branch. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about Arabic books at the library, e-mail stantont@aadl.org. Enjoy!

حالة حصار / Ḥālat ḥiṣār by محمود درويش / Maḥmūd Darwīsh
آداب الزفاف في السنة المطهرة / Adāb al-zafāf fī al-sunnah al-muṭahharah
by محمد ناصر الدين الألباني / Muḥammad Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Albānī
عاشقة فى محبرة / ʻĀshiqah fī miḥbarah by غادة السمان / Ghādah al-Sammān
الباذنجانة الزرقاء / al-Bādhinjānah al-zarqāʼ by ميرال الطحاوي / Mīrāl al-Ṭaḥāwī
حكاية حب / Ḥikāyat ḥubb by غازي عبد الرحمن القصيبي / Ghāzī ʻAbd al-Raḥmān al-Quṣaybī

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New Arabic books at the library

by Tara LS

Here is a selection of new adult Arabic books at the library. Use the links below to reserve a book or browse the shelves at each branch looking for the "NEW" stickers on each book. The selection is different from branch to branch. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions about Arabic books at the library, e-mail stantont@aadl.org. Enjoy!

خارج المكان / Kharij al-makaan
Edward Said's biography "Out of Place" translated into Arabic.
طيور الجنوب / Tuyur al janub
"Birds of the South", by Amani Abu al Fadl, a prize winning book about the difficulties of the lives of Arabs in the diaspora after 9/11.
تسكع داخل جرح / Tasakkuʻ dākhil jurh by غادة السمان / Ghada al Samman
جدارية محمود درويش / Jidārīyat Maḥmūd Darwīsh
اجملهن: رواية / Ajmalahunna: riwāyah by عبد السلام العجيلي / Abd al-Salām al-ʻUjaylī
العدامة / al-ʻAdāmah by تركي الحمد / Turkī al-Ḥamad
المدينة الملونة / al-Madīnah al-mulawwanah by حليم بركات / Halim Barakat