Lost in the Stacks

Check out the new book display in the lobby of the Shapiro Lobby–Relationship Reads!

Half Life is a beautifully written historical novel with two parallel stories. One is about the famous scientist Marie Curie, and follows the events of her life: her marriage to Pierre Curie, her scientific discoveries, and her Nobel Prizes. The other is completely fictional and is about the woman Marie Curie might have become if she had stayed in Poland and married her first love. Both stories feature an admirable, brilliant woman as the protagonist. The real story and the fictional story are equally compelling.

In this mystery set in Brighton, England, in 1965, private detective Emma Holmes investigates the murder of a theatrical impresario. His wife, a former music hall star, is accused of killing him. To prove her innocence, she hires Emma and her partner in the firm, Samantha "Sam" Collins, to solve the crime. Emma is also the wife of the police superintendent, Edgar Stephens, and they decide to work together, along with a young police officer, Meg Connolly. Griffiths writes vividly about the world of theater, film, and television in England in the 1960s, in this entertaining mystery.

This sequel to The Three Musketeers continues the adventures of d'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. The new ruler of France is the cunning and manipulative Cardinal Mazarin. During a rebellion against his rule, the musketeers find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. They travel to England to save Charles I from execution, and fight against Mordaunt, the evil son of Milady, who is determined to avenge his mother's death.

Every year the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards to honor some of the best books published that year. The five judges for the award this year consisted of four published authors and one librarian. They chose winners in five categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature and Young People’s Literature. This is a post consisting of the winners, with a spreadsheet of all of the longlist of nominees that are available at the library.

This is a wonderful, complex historical novel about a group of Smith College graduates who go to France during World War I to give aid to French villagers whose homes were devastated by the German invasion. The novel focuses on Kate and Emmie, two friends from very different backgrounds, and how the tensions created during their time in the war zone threaten to destroy their friendship. Author Lauren Willig paints an unforgettable portrait of life in the war-torn French countryside.

As we are in the middle of leaves changing, trips to the pumpkin patch, horror movie marathons, and perfect sweater weather... I present a book collection that is there for all your fall book reading needs.

Mistress of the Sun is a historical novel about Louise de la Vallière, the first mistress of Louis XIV. The daughter of an impoverished nobleman, Louise is an excellent horsewoman who, at the age of six, tames a wild stallion no one else has been able to tame. Later, she becomes lady-in-waiting to Louis XIV's sister-in-law, and finds herself drawn to the king, who shares her love of horses, and of reading. They keep their relationship a secret at first, then, when it comes out into the open, Louise becomes the object of intrigue at court. It is also during his relationship with Louise that Louis XIV transforms Versailles from a hunting lodge into a grand palace.

September 15-October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month. In celebration, I have highlighted various Latinx authors and books from amidst our collection that you can check out.

The Last Mona Lisa is a multi-layered thriller inspired by an actual event. In 1911, Vincent Peruggia, a former employee of the Louvre, stole the Mona Lisa and ransomed it to the Italian government. Ever since then, there have been rumors that the painting returned to the Louvre was a forgery. Santlofer invents a great-grandson of Peruggia, Luke Perrone, who finds his great-grandfather's diary and searches for the truth behind the theft. But danger awaits as a killer stalks him, and everyone who has touched the diary turns up dead. Will Luke discover the truth before he becomes the next victim?