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Mark Haddon
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
a favorite of Nancy's, Fiction and Audiovisual Services
Christopher Boone, the autistic 15-year-old narrator of this unusual murder mystery, relaxes by doing math problems in his head, screams when he is touched and takes everything at face value. When his neighbor's poodle is killed with a garden fork and Christopher is wrongly accused, our hero decides to solve the mystery and track down the killer. But his very limited understanding of the world, his literal interpretation of what he sees and hears, and the well-meaning but clueless adults in his world make this an enormous undertaking. In the process of solving the mystery of the dog's murder, he comes across an even more puzzling mystery surrounding his mother, who died two years ago. Christopher's determination and pluck combined with the obvious challenges he faces in life, make his journey and this story fascinating. Funny and poignant, this fast-reading novel provides heart-rending and respectful exposure to the world of the autistic. 1/4/05

also a favorite of Irene's, Information Services
This novel is an amazing fictional leap about a boy named Christopher who finds his neighbor's dog, Wellington, dead in the yard, impaled by a pitchfork. Who killed Wellington, he wants to know. Christopher, however, is not your typical teenager. He can't read other peoples emotions, doesn't want anyone to touch him, can't lie and takes everything at face value. His mode of relaxation is by groaning and moaning and doing complex math problems in his head. His working class parents are at a loss how to deal with him, and yet, Christopher is brilliant in math and may yet become an astrophysicists or scientist. It is absolutely fascinating to read a novel that is told from the point of view of a kid who has Asperger's Syndrome. As Christopher decides to become his favorite character, Sherlock Holmes, and solve the murder, his well-regulated world implodes in a thousand pieces. The reader follows this most likable boy in his odyssey in sorting out the emotional complexities of his world. In his debut novel, Haddon has gotten the world of Asperger's children absolutely right. Highly recommended for all readers. 1/21/08

Mark Harris
Grave Matters: A Journey through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial
a favorite of Nancy's, Fiction and Audiovisual Services
The title fully describes its contents, but the book is so much more, and handled with grace and compassion. Harris begins with a typical send-off at the local funeral parlor, with a clarity and thoroughness reminiscent of Mary Roach's excellent Stiff. He then traverses the path of most to least chemical, processing/organizational involvement, with each chapter offering a different approach to this most common and basic of human needs. The possibilities for showing respect for our bodies, showing love and understanding for those who've passed, and doing right by our earth, are beautiful and freeing. Not morbid or depressing, but uplifting and hopeful, practical, creative, and straightforward. Really gets you thinking . . . 9/29/2008

Carolyn G. Hart
Scandal in Fair Haven
a favorite of Irene's, Information Services
If you want the American version of a British cozy murder mystery, with just a little bit more excitement and blood letting, then Hart’s Henrietta O’Dwyer Collins is for you. “Henrie O,” to her friends, is a sixtysomething retired journalist–turned-sleuth who is very nosy and always asks the toughest questions. Craig Matthews is accused of murdering his very rich wife, Patty Kay, in the very wealthy town of Fair Haven, Tennessee. Beneath the glamour and wealth, Henrie O uncovers adultery, greed, desperation, and murder. This light and lively read offers a plausible plot with fascinating characters. 6/3/02

Carolyn G. Hart
Death in Lovers’ Lane: A Henrie O Mystery
a favorite of Irene's, Information Services
Pulitzer-Prize-winning ex-reporter Henrietta “Henrie O” Collins is teaching journalism classes at Thorndyke University in Derry Hills, Missouri. Her top student, ambitious, beautiful , Maggie Winslow, wants to dig up information on three unsolved murders of the last twenty years in Derry Hills. Maggie’s abrasive, in-your-face investigative reporting ends in her murder. Henrie O feels responsible. Her high standards demanded more than just a rehashing of the old crimes. Did Maggie ask too many questions? Did a murderer who killed once kill again? Great light reading. 7/1/02

Elva Trevino Hart
Barefoot Heart: Stories of a Migrant Child
a favorite of Liene's, Information Services
Elva is the youngest of an immigrant Mexican family of eight living in South Texas. To supplement the father's meager income, the entire family travels to Minnesota and Wisconsin each summer to work on the farms. Beautifully told, this story evokes sights and sounds of life among Mexican people. Each chapter begins with a Mexican "dicho," for example: "The sun is the blanket of the poor; Once mounted on a horse, one must hang on when he bucks; How beautiful it is to do nothing, and after doing nothing, to rest." An upbeat and interesting book. This is a summer read to savor. 8/25/00

Ken Haruf
Plainsong
a favorite of Irene's, Information Services
In Haruf's epigraph, plainsong is "any simple and unadorned melody or air." This book is just that: uncomplicated, warm, and tender. Set in Holt on the very edge of the Colorado plains, we meet wonderfully drawn characters. When Victoria Roubideaux, seventeen years old and quite pregnant, finds she has no place to live after her mother has thrown her out, school teacher Maggie Jones sends her to live with two elderly bachelor farmers, Harold and Raymond McPheron. The scenes with the brothers are priceless. Trying to comfort Victoria when she thinks she may have hurt her unborn child, the only comforting words the McPheron brothers can give her are: "I knew of a heifer we had one time that was carrying a calf, and she got a length of fence wire down her some way and it never hurt her or the calf." No complicated plot, just a gentle, unforgettable read about ordinary folks. 2/2/01

Larry Heinemann
Paco's Story
a favorite of Irene's, Information Services
Recently I reread this Vietnam era novel and found it as impressive as I did years ago. The horribly wounded, sole survivor of a devastating Viet Cong attack on fire base Harriette, returns to civilian life as a dishwasher in a short-order restaurant. Language is used as a weapon in this heart-wrenching tale of war. Heinemann, a Chicagoan, won the National Book Award for this novel. 3/1/04

Bernd Heinrich
One Man's Owl
a favorite of Nancy's, Fiction and Audiovisual Services
I'll never be a part of great horned owl parenting, but after reading this fascinating book, I have a good sense of the rigors, perils, and delights of doing so. Bernd Heinrich found an abandoned great horned owlet and adopted it with scientific discovery in mind, seeing this as an opportunity to study the mobbing activities of certain species of birds towards great horned owls. A beautiful relationship develops between the two, with the author (mostly) maintaining a respectful naturalist's distance from this (by necessity) domesticated, yet truly wild bird named Bubo. The fun of the book is in the descriptions of Bubo's faltering, accidental, naïve, occasionally hilarious learning processes: establishing himself in relationship with the resident cat; learning what is prey and how to approach it; first experiences with flight, bathing in water, meeting other birds. My favorite laughing-out-loud event covers Bubo's interactions with a mechanical mouse dressed in rabbit fur. By adopting baby crows, too, Heinrich has a chance to study the mobbing behavior which originally interested him. Heinrich's deep understanding of birds and the natural world inform his writing and add special relevance to his observations, but it is the human story and relationship that make this book so engaging and great fun. 8/1/05

Sue Henry
Death Takes Passage: An Alex Jensen Alaska Mystery
a favorite of Irene's, Information Services
In July of 1897, a ship sailed from Skagway, Alaska to Seattle, Washington carrying two tons of Yukon gold, which set off the famous Klondike Gold Rush. Now the Spirit of '98 is recreating the famous voyage with Alaska State Trooper Alex Jensen and his lady love, the "Iditarod musher" Jessie Arnold, on board. Both look forward to a pleasurable and leisurely trip, but soon a spate of robberies ensues. Then Death comes on board and the pleasure trip ends. It is up to Jensen to unravel the lies, greed, and murder on this historic cruise. 8/1/02

James Herriot
Vet in Harness
a favorite of Irene's, Information Services
Pure joy! I took this audiobook with me when I walked with my dog. As I vigorously walked, I would burst into raucous laughter. People must have thought me a bit daft but who cares! Reader Christopher Timothy's rendering of the dialect of the Yorkshire Dale farmers is marvelous. It is like having a one man theatrical performance. The usual menagerie of animals, pets, and owners makes for joyous listening from beginning to end. James Herriot always restores my faith in humanity. 1/4/07

Peter Hessler
Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China's Past and Present
a favorite of Nancy's, Fiction and Audiovisual Services
Without a doubt, this is my favorite book on China. Hessler's a wonderful, clear and concise writer, with the enticing style of a reporter and the excitement and content only a confirmed Chinaphile could muster. In this, his second book on China, he covers China's history from its earliest documented times -- documented on oracle bones - up through the Great Leap forward and beyond into current times. His ability to engage ordinary people and through them to tell these stories of the country is uncanny. It's such an easy, fun, engaging, and compelling read you hardly know it's good for you. A fascinating book. 2/4/08

Peter Hessler
River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze
a favorite of Nancy 's, Fiction and Audiovisual Services
Peter Hessler's book on his Peace Corps time in the small Chinese river town of Fuling offers fascinating, compelling access to the experience of life in rural China. He and a colleague were sent to this small river town on the confluence of the Yangtze and Wu Rivers to teach English and English Literature to the rural college students. Fuling hadn't seen foreigners in over 50 years, and received these two men in many special ways. Hessler is articulate and sensitive, a keen observer of and happy participant in the life and culture around him. His acquisition of the Chinese language adds delightful flavor and insight to his observations. His two years there spanned the momentous occasions of the death of Deng Xiaoping, the return of Hong Kong to the mainland, and marked progress of the Three Gorges Dam along the Yangtze; he covers these events not only from an immersed westerner's point of view, but also from the perspective of his students, whose writing is liberally sprinkled through the text to delightful, insightful effect. While he provides some historical perspective, this memoir is mostly a compassionate personal account of his time in this diverse, complex, ever-changing country. Fascinating stuff. 8/27/07

Carl Hiaasen
Skinny Dip
a favorite of Irene's, Information Services
If you want a good laugh and a fun read then the murder mystery writer Carl Hiaasen is the author for you. He is deeply concerned about the preservation of the Florida Everglades and minces no words describing the ruthless evil doers who drain them, pollute them, and generally destroy the entire ecosystem for their personal gain. He does this in the most delightful way, through humor. Incredibly ignorant, marine biologist, Chaz Perrone Ph.D., is a monumental cad whose main care in the world is money. When his wife Joey discovers that he is working for the biggest polluter of the Everglades and is running a secret scam of pollution statistics, Chaz tosses her overboard on their second wedding anniversary cruise. She survives by clutching a bale of Jamaican pot. Six times married former policeman, Mick Stranahan, rescues the poor lady. With the help of Mick, Joey decides not to go to the police but rather to bedevil Chaz and slowly drive him crazy. Hiaasen takes the reader on a rollicking ride as the greedy destroyers of the Everglades get their comeuppance. 9/1/06

Julia Butterfly Hill
The Legacy of Luna
a favorite of Bryan's, Information Services
In December 1997, a young woman climbed a thousand year-old redwood tree by the name of Luna and lived in it for three weeks in order to protect it and a whole forest from being cut down. Two years later, she climbed down from the tree. The Legacy of Luna is the story of her two year battle that revolutionized and revitalized the environmental movement. This novel is autobiographical and a fun read. 2/2/01

Glen Hirshberg
The Two Sams: Ghost Stories
a favorite of Eric's, Information Technology
This is one of the best collections of short stories I've read in a long time. The stories are told in modern ways, but carry the tone and atmosphere of the classic Victorian ghost story. My personal favorites are Struwwelpeter and Mr. Dark's Carnival, but all the stories are terrific reads. 9/10/07

Jim Holt
Stop Me If You've Heard This: A History and Philosophy of Jokes
a favorite of Alan's, Fiction and Audiovisual Services
This thorough overview of the history and philosophy of jokes ranging from ancient times through Freud, and even tracing jokey-etymology, is short, sweet, scholarly, engaging, and appropriately funny. 8/25/2008

Adam Hochschild
Bury the Chains
a favorite of Donna's, Maze Branch Library
This is the story of the world's first human rights campaign, namely, the effort to end slavery in the British Empire beginning in 1787. Appalled by the reports of kidnapping in Africa, horrendous conditions during the Atlantic crossing, and brutality and murder in the West Indian colonies, twelve men gathered to pursue what seemed an unreachable goal. But this is not only the story of the fight for abolition, but the history of the beginnings of modern political action, consumer boycotts, issue-oriented voting records, and all the trappings of what are now familiar political tactics. I was riveted by this book and learned much. It is extremely well written and I highly recommend it. 7/1/05

Adam Hochschild
King Leopold's Ghost
a favorite of Jim's, Administration
Fascinating history of the colonization and super-exploitation of the Congo by King Leopold of Belgium and the human rights struggle to end that exploitation. Reads like a novel with a cast of incredible characters including explorer Henry Morton Stanley, novelist Joseph Conrad, black American George Washington Williams who wrote the first comprehensive indictment of King Leopold's reign, Irish patriot Roger Casement, and Edmund Morel who led the international crusade against Leopold. 1/11/02

Susan Holtzer
The Wedding Game
a favorite of Bryan's, Information Services
Set in the city of Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan, Susan Holtzer's The Wedding Game is a murder mystery that takes place half in our world and half on the Internet. Though the novel's plot was fairly basic (woman and her fiancé attempt to solve murder investigation in which they are suspects before the wedding takes place), the story had the novelty of none of the suspects in the murder investigation ever meeting in person. That made for an interesting plot complication. Don't let the computer-ese frighten you away from this novel. It is worth reading, especially if you've ever been to Ann Arbor, Michigan. 4/7/08

Nancy Horan
Loving Frank
a favorite of Irene's, Information Services
Loving Frank is a novel, based on historical facts, that encompasses seven years of the tumultuous affair of Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney. Horan drew from the known facts of the affair. She also had access to the heretofore unknown letters written by Mamah to the Swedish feminist Ellen Key. These letters mainly dealt with Mamah's translation of Key's works, but at times showed her inner turmoil about her love for Wright and the despair and sorrow she felt in abandoning her children. Mamah stated, "I have been standing on the side of life, watching it float by. I want to swim in the river. I want to feel the current." By loving Frank, she did just that. She swam in the torrential, white water rapids of the river of life. 1/7/08

Ada Louise Huxtable
Frank Lloyd Wright
a favorite of Irene's, Information Services
If you are going to read a Wright biography this year, then this is the one to grab. Huxtable, the Wall Street Journal architecture critic, combines Wright's architectural achievements with his scandal ridden private life, including his abandonment of his first wife, murder of his mistress and her children, marriage to the vindictive second wife who was a drug addict, and the third wife who secretly carted off his cremated remains to Taliesin West. Edgar Hoover considered Wright a danger to the country but others succumbed to his con-man like charm. Wright was supremely confident, fiscally totally irresponsible, and had a phoenix-like ability to reinvent himself time and time again. This is a fascinating, informative book that is geared to the general reader. 11/1/06