The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion

I love that Bill Gates picked The Rosie Project as one of his 6 favorite books of 2014. I thoroughly enjoyed it and know many others (geeks and non-geeks) who have read it loved it, also. As a result, I have been eagerly anticipating the publication of its sequel, The Rosie Effect, and was not disappointed. Once again, Professor Don Tillman struggles with change due to a major life event: becoming a father. His difficulties with interpreting social nuances lead to all kinds of escapades (such as an encounter with the police when he tries to learn by observing children in the park). 

Several plot threads become cleverly entwined as one secret leads to another and another. Some of the humor in this book comes just from trying to track just which character knows what – after all, people hear “what they want to hear” and it does get complicated!  Be ready for references to What to Expect when You’re Expecting, worries about nutrition, stress and health during pregnancy and Tillman’s overly logical approach to it all. Start with The Rosie Project which deals with finding a mate and introduces several characters. These works are truly laugh-out-loud books; you will enjoy both! I am already looking forward to Graeme Simsion’s next one.

When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning

When Books Went to War is a fascinating chronicle of the efforts to provide troops with a break from the war environment. Librarians like Raymond Trautman and Althea Warren feature prominently in this account. There was a major drive for book donations with even President Roosevelt making an appeal and stressing books' essential role in the "fight for freedom."  In addition, When Books Went to War tells about the development of paperbacks - rising from a few hundred thousand in 1939 to over forty million in 1943.

Manning also describes how Armed Services Editions were specifically sized to fit either in a breast or hip pocket for easy access.  She quotes a sailor who said that a man was "out of uniform if one isn't sticking out [of] the hip pocket." Obviously she has a great affection for books and the United States so many of her comments are extremely patriotic. As unbelievable as it may seem, she indicates that Germany had destroyed over 100 million books in Europe before V-E Day, including half of all the books in Czechoslovakia.  I know that we have several classes who read and watch The Book Thief and having access to these statistics will make the censorship and frightening suppression of ideas even more real.

Roughly a fourth of When Books Went to War is an appendix listing the 1,200 or so titles which were made available to troops in various waves, and this, too, would be interesting to study - noting both well-known and some half forgotten authors. A search on Armed Services Edition links to images to various ones available through amazon.

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

I have a colleague who says that Jodi Picoult is too good at playing with her head... She's right; think organ donation in My Sister's Keeper and the ideas of right and wrong in A Change of Heart.  Well, Picoult has done it again and in a fabulous way in Leaving Time.

This novel centers on elephants, memories, and, most importantly, the ties between mothers and daughters.  It is fascinating to read this story which is told by several voices: teenage Jenna, her mother Alice, and investigators Serenity and Virgil. The story spans about a dozen years and crosses continents, with Alice often contributing details about her work on grief and animal cognition at an elephant sanctuary in Africa. I found Leaving Time to be a totally engrossing read with likeable characters.  It is one I wanted to start re-reading as soon as I finished. Highly recommended if you like mysteries, are curious about elephants, and welcome an opportunity to reflect about mother and daughter relationships.  

For another read about human-animal relationships, try, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler which won the Pen/Faulkner award in 2014, was nominated for the Nebula Award and shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

New titles for Young Adults from Random House

Random House published two new young adult books this week that are worth a look:

King Dork Approximately - by Frank Portman

If you enjoyed Holden’s voice in Catcher in the Rye, then you may have already read King Dork and should definitely pick-up the recently published sequel, called King Dork Approximately. While I agree with fans of these books that the characters’ self-centeredness is spot on in terms of its depiction of some teens, I personally do not find that snarky, albeit humorous, voice very appealing.   However, I know many students (and librarians) who say they love those books and have eagerly anticipated the sequel from Frank Portman about high school sophomore Tom Henderson. 

Suspicion by Alexandra Monir

Looking for mystery and romance with English country estate setting? Throw in some paranormal activity and choose Suspicion by Alexandra Monir. The story begins with the new 17 year old Duchess of Wickersham, Imogen, returning to the UK and Rockford Manor where her parents died years earlier… There is plenty of danger and adventure in Suspicion – overall, a relatively fast read that combines gothic suspense with a modern twist for a light, pure entertainment read.  Plus, isn't the cover amazingly beautiful?

For a third new title from this publisher, look for Princess of Thorns by Stacey Jay.  That fantasy title features another strong heroine and is receiving positive reviews.

The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant

The voice of 85-year-old Addie Baum was very real to me and I eagerly “listened” to the stories she told her granddaughter about being an immigrant in Boston, living in poverty, and finding a life partner.  As I read The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant, I found myself thinking of my own grandparents and their experiences – the learned wisdom that is often lost and yet so precious when shared in families.

The Boston Girl will have wide appeal, especially to those with immigrant roots. Like Gilman’s Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street, Diamant’s new book will add another story to Jewish American literature. I am excited to be booktalking The Boston Girl next Tuesday on its debut publication day since I think it is definitely a fit for our Junior Theme research project.  Students will enjoy the conversational tone of this novel and be able to develop a research paper touching on one or more of many themes: fitting in and the immigrant experience, American Dream, discrimination and gender, race and religion, and class differences.

I also loved Diamant’s The Red Tent so I hope that reading the newly published The Boston Girl will generate more interest in that earlier noteworthy work, too.