Newly Noticed Books
Bluegrass Is My Second Language: A Year in the Life of an Accidental Bluegrass Musician by John Santa (Josten's Publications) John Santa had been playing blues for plenty of years when he found himself inadvertently jamming with some serious bluegrass musicians and he became born again bluegrass musician. This is the story of falling in love with performing happy music, full of the beginner's mind, the enthusiasm and fresh insights that brings us into the bluegrass world as rarely it is described by anyone except in retrospect. More
Podcast of John Santa Paean to Local Bluegrass
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A provocative and deeply thoughtful new novel about a life shaped
by the worst horrors of the twentieth century and one man’s attempt
to reclaim happiness:
A Mad Desire to Dance by Elie Wiesel, translated by Catherine
Temerson (Knopf) Elie Wiesel was Chairman of the President's
Commission
on
the Holocaust until 1986, the year he won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Shortly thereafter, he established the Elie Wiesel Foundation for
Humanity. He has written more than 40 books, including his memoir
Night, which has been translated into more than 30 languages. For
his literary and human rights work, Wiesel has received numerous
awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the U.S.
Congressional Gold Medal, the Medal of Liberty, and the rank of
Grand-Croix in the French Legion of Honor. A Mad Desire to Dance is
a novel that profiles a life shaped by the worst horrors of the
20th-century and one man's attempt to reclaim happiness despite his
overwhelming loss. More
The Solitude of Prime Numbers: A Novel by
Paolo Giordano (Viking) A bestselling international literary
sensation about whether a "prime number" can ever truly connect with
someone else
A prime number can only be divided by itself or by one-it never
truly fits with another. Alice and Mattia, both "primes," are
misfits who seem destined to be alone. Haunted by childhood
tragedies that mark their lives, they cannot reach out to anyone
else. When Alice and Mattia meet as teenagers, they recognize in
each other a kindred, damaged spirit.
But the mathematically gifted Mattia accepts a research position
that takes him thousands of miles away, and the two are forced to
separate. Then a chance occurrence reunites them and forces a
lifetime of concealed emotion to the surface.
Listen to interview with Paolo and Paul:
The Solitude of Prime Numbers April 13, 2011 at Flyleaf Books
The Sweet In-Between: A Novel by Sheri Reynolds (Shaye Areheart
Books) Kendra, or “Kenny,” has grown up in a family that’s not
really hers. Her momma died of cancer when Kenny was very young, and
“Aunt” Glo is, in fact, her daddy’s girlfriend, who took her in when
her father was sent to jail for drug trafficking.
Nearing
eighteen years old and facing confusion over her sexuality, Kenny
binds her chest with ACE bandages
and keeps her hair cropped short
like a boy’s. Her gender ambiguity makes her an outcast at school
and, even at times, at home, where her adopted family isn’t really
sure what to make of her.
When a senseless murder occurs in their run-down coastal town—a
college student mistakenly entering the wrong home is killed—Kenny
becomes obsessed with thoughts of the dead girl and with her own
fears that she will be alone in the world when she turns eighteen.
She makes it her mission to become indispensable to Aunt Glo in the
hopes that she can win the older woman’s love, despite their not
being bound by blood.
A lyrical tale of a family of misfits in a town that’s seen its best
days come and go, The Sweet In-Between is also a poignant story of
an unforgettable character’s coming-of-age.
More
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Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment by Deepak Chopra (UNABRIDGED], Audio CD, BBC Audiobooks America) the listen-ability of Chopra is well known and this fine audio production of this fictional life of Jesus is just fine. Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment by Deepak Chopra (HarperOne) The New York Times bestselling author of Buddha captures the extraordinary life of Jesus in this surprising, soul-stirring, and page-turning novel. Uncovering the transformational "lost years" that are not recounted in the New Testament, Deepak Chopra has imagined Jesus's path to enlightenment moving from obscurity to revolutionary, from doubt to miracles, and then beyond as the role of the long-awaited Messiah. As a teenager, Jesus has premonitions of his destiny, and by the end, as he arrives to be baptized in the River Jordan, he has accepted his fate, which combines extremes of light and darkness. Any close student of the gospels will find this fantasy implausible and ahistorical.
With his characteristic ability for imparting
profound spiritual insights through the power of storytelling,
Deepak Chopra's Jesus portrays the life of Christ as never
before, ultimately leading us closer to understanding the nature of
God and the soul. As the author shares, "I don't want the Jesus in
this book to be worshiped, much less to push him forward as
definitive. The events of the tale are pure fiction. But at a deeper
level, the Jesus in this book feels real because we've gotten a
glimpse into his mind. One flash of insight answers many prayers.
More"
Mysteries
Suspense
From one of the most celebrated crime writers in Europe comes
another epic thriller featuring the maverick methods of Police Detective Harry Hole ...
Nemesis by Jo Nesbø, translated by Don Bartlett (Harper)(Paperback)
Gripping and surprising, Nemesis is a nail-biting thriller from one
of the biggest stars in crime fiction.
Grainy closed-circuit television footage shows a man walking into an Oslo bank and putting a gun to a cashier's head. He tells the young woman to count to twenty-five. When the robber doesn't get his money in time, the cashier is executed, and two million Norwegian kroner disappear without a trace. Police Detective Harry Hole is assigned to the case.
While Hole's girlfriend is away in Russia, an old flame decides to get in touch. Former girlfriend and struggling artist Anna Bethsen invites Hole to dinner, and he can't resist a visit. But the evening ends in an all too familiar way as Hole awakens with a thundering headache, a missing cell phone, and no memory of the past twelve hours. That same morning, Anna is found shot dead in her bed. Hole begins to receive threatening e-mails. Is someone trying to frame him for this unexplained death? Meanwhile, the bank robberies continue with unparalleled savagery.
As the death toll continues to mount, Hole becomes a prime suspect in a criminal investigation led by his longtime adversary Tom Waaler and Waaler's vigilante police force. Racing from the cool, autumnal streets of Oslo to the steaming villages of Brazil, Hole is determined to absolve himself of suspicion by uncovering all the information needed to crack both cases. But the ever-threatening Waaler is not finished with his old archenemy quite yet. More about Nesbo
Science Fiction
Fantasy
Romance
