Sue's Staff Picks

See what Sue recommends. . .

The Burgess Boys (Hardcover)

By Elizabeth Strout
$23.40
ISBN-13: 9781400067688
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Random House, 3/2013
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I loved this author's novel, Olive Kittridge, so I thought I would give this a try.  She is a wonderful writer whose characters are very human and often suprise us.  I liked the family dynamic between the two brothers, the sister's unconditional love for her son despite his poor choice and the ties that bind them all together as a family.  The backdrop of New York City and Maine were perfect choices too!

The Buddha in the Attic (Paperback)

By Julie Otsuka
$12.56
ISBN-13: 9780307744425
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Anchor, 6/2012
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A tiny but powerful novel on a topic I know nothing about.  Sometimes the best suggestions for book club force us to read outside the box.  This was written in a beautiful and unique style that lent descriptions to all the possiblilities that the Japanese war brides experienced.  - from their first night as new wives, to raising children, to the onset of war and the discrimination they faced.  This was appalling and enlightening at the same time.

The Unchangeable Spots of Leopards (Hardcover)

By Kristopher Jansma
$24.26
ISBN-13: 9780670026005
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Viking Adult, 3/2013
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When 3 co-workers told me how awesome this was, I knew I had to read it.  Kristopher Jansma can not only write but he can tell a story within a story, within a story.  Wonderful plots, characters, descriptions and never ending page turning fun.  Great references to all kinds of literature.  The well read will surely enjoy!

The Art Forger (Paperback)

By B. A. Shapiro
$13.46
ISBN-13: 9781616203160
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 5/2013
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This wonderful novel was so timely for me because my Mom and I had just visited the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.  It was both lovely and mysterious.  This story grabs you right away because it is based on the true art heist of 13 major works of art from this museum.  You will fall in love with the main character, Clarie, her life in Boston, the beautiful descriptions of her life as an artist, and the mystery she trys to unravel.  Just try to put it down!

What Do You Expect? She's a Teenager!: A Hope and Happiness Guide for Moms with Daughters Ages 11-19 (Paperback)

By Arden Greenspan-Goldberg
$13.49
ISBN-13: 9781402256240
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Sourcebooks, 8/2011
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A perfect guide book for those of us with teenage (or soon to be) girls from ages 11-18.  One day your daughter is holding your hand and listening to your every word and the next she is rolling her eyes and shutting the door to her room.  This book has great suggestions and insights for surviving this period as a parent, for having empathy for your daughter and all that she is going through and for loving and enjoying her along the way.

How It All Began (Paperback)

By Penelope Lively
$14.40
ISBN-13: 9780143122647
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin Books, 11/2012
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A very sweet little, very British book.  Taking place in London and starting with a mugging it tells the stories of all the lives that were effected by this event - directly and indirectly.  I especially loved the little romance between Rose and Anton. Brillliant!

Vampires in the Lemon Grove: Stories (Hardcover)

By Karen Russell
$22.46
ISBN-13: 9780307957238
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Knopf, 2/2013
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Another get-me-outside-my box book club pick.  I am now in awe of Karen Russell!  She is an incredibly gifted writer and so deeply creative.  These stories were the kind that stay in your mind long after you have read them.  They are slightly creepy. slightly bizarre but at the same time have these very real characters with real underlying needs, wants and desires....love, freedom, and sometimes a place to call their own.  I definately want to read Swamplandia! now!!