Salon's Best Fiction of 2009

On December 8th, 2009, Salon columnist Laura Miller posted her picks for the Best Fiction of 2009.

The list included five novels or short story collections. Here's the list, with hotlinks into the library catalog for the titles already owned! Click the link above to see Miller's full commentary on each title.

Salon's Best Fiction of 2009

The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt
Await Your Reply: A Novel by Dan Chaon (a Nebraska Author!)
Chronic City by Jonathan Lethem
Love in Infant Monkeys: Stories by Lydia Millet
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

Fringe: The Complete First Season

Fringe: The Complete First Season

Looking for an X-Files type of fix on television today? Look no further than Fringe, the spooky series currently in its second season (2009-2010) on FOX. If you haven't sampled it yet, I definitely recommend viewing the first season on DVD. Much the same as The X-Files, Fringe has a complicated overall story arc, with scattered stand-alone episodes mixed in. The series features FBI agent Olivia Dunham joining a team of investigators looking into "the Pattern", a series of incidents involving cutting edge and experimental sciences. Assisting her is Professor Walter Bishop, a genius who has spent the past 17 years in a mental institution, and his son Peter, a former conman who is the only one who can keep his father's fragile grip on reality intact. Viewers with delicate sensibilities should be forewarned -- Fringe can get rather gruesome at times, and rather scary as well. But it is worth it for the fantastic performances of Anna Torv as Olivia and John Noble as Walter. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this series ] | [ official Fringe web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Ethan Frome

Ethan Frome
by Edith Wharton

The story is age old: a man married to one woman and in love with another. The appeal lies in the homey details of its New England setting. A girl wearing a cherry-colored scarf at a church social and dancing the Virgnia reel. Fiddle music. Ice cream saucers. Snow. Zeena Frome, Ethan's wife, in her best merino. Fresh doughnuts, stewed blueberries, pickles in a red glass dish. A sled flying over the snow. The Frome graveyard. -- recommended by Rianne S. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in audiotape and compact disc formats -- the title links above should take you to all formats.]

[ Wikipedia page for Ethan Frome ] | [ www.edithwharton.org ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Scary Stuff

Scary Stuff
by Sharon Fiffer

Jane Wheel is a PPI (Picker and Private Investigator). As a Picker, Jane canvasses estate sales, garage sales and auctions looking for items to buy and resell to antique dealers. Jane also looks for bakelite buttons and McCoy pottery for her personal collection. Jane is an apprentice Private Investigator. (She would be a licensed private investigator if she would just take the private investigator's exam instead of running off to estate sales.) Her partner is Bruce Oh, a retired police detective and a licensed private investigator. (He found the time to take test.) Jane met Bruce Oh when he was a police detective and she stumbled across dead bodies while antiquing. When this book opens Jane is in Palm Springs visiting her brother Michael and his family. One night they are out to dinner and Michael is accosted. A man threatens Michael until he looks at him closely and says that Michael is not Honest Joe, the man who cheated him on Ebay. Afterwards, Michael tells Jane that two other people have mistaken him for Honest Joe. After Jane returns home she decides to track down Michael's look-alike and is surprised to find that the trail leads to her mother's doorstep in Kankakee, Illinois. Fiffer created some very likeable characters in this series. Besides Jane and the inscrutable Bruce Oh, we meet Bruce's wife, the elegant Claire and Tim, Jane's flamboyant friend. -- recommended by Donna G. - Eiseley and Walt Branch Libraries

[ official Sharon Fiffer web site ]

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
by Douglas Adams

When hitchhiking through the galaxy, the traveler's most indispensible accessory is his towel. Fortunately, Ford Prefect, a native of the planet Betelgeuse, and a roving researcher for the Hitchhiker's Guide, always keeps his in his satchel. To avoid the destruction of the Earth, Ford and his British friend, Arthur Dent, stowaway on a Vogon flagship. When the captain discovers them aboard, he reads poetry to them: the Guide specifically warns against listening to Vogon poetry: it is the third worst in the universe. The second worst is that of the Azgoths of Kria, and the very worst poetry perished with its creator, Paula Nancy Millstone Jennings, in the destruction of the planet Earth. Without mercy, the captain catapaults them into space. They are rescued by Zaphod Beeblebrox and his Heart of Gold ship. Zaphod is the ex-hippie President of the Imperial Galactic Government. They arrive in the vicinity of the planet Magrathea--and are asked to leave. When they remain, a computer launches a warhead at them. An explosion creates a sperm whale and a bowl of petunias. The whale dies; the petunias think, "Oh, no, not again." Arthur now learns that the computer Deep Thought was created to discover the answer to life, the universe, and everything. After thinking for seven and a half million years, computer (the second best ever) announces the answer: "forty-two." Earth was created to develop the question--and it was destroyed just five minutes before its ten million year mission was to be accomplished. In that case, since they're feeling a bit peckish, the intrepid travelers will stop for a bite at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe. -- recommended by Rianne S. - Bennett Martin Public Library
[The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy began as a radio play, which was then adapted into three novels. The fourth and fifth novels were original to novel form. All stories in the series have been produced in audio format, either as book-to-cd adaptations or as recordings of the original radio plays. The library has several audio versions of these stories.]

[ BBC's official Hitchhikers Guide web site ] | [ official Douglas Adams web site ]

See more books like this on our In Space No One Can Hear You Laugh booklist
Listen to a discussion of this book in our 'Casting About, Program 23 podcast

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

The Accidental Billionaires (on CD)

The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook - a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal
by Ben Mezrich [Compact Disc 338.76 FacYm]

For those interested in the details and personalities associated with the origin of today's hottest social-networking site, Facebook, this is a fascinating, if depressing read. Or listen, in this case, since I ended up trying this as a book-on-cd. Facebook only started within the past 5 years, so there's a sense of immediacy to the telling of the creation of this online behemoth. The subtitle of this book, "a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal" pretty much sums it all up. Facebook began as an experiment by a couple of Harvard geeks to catalog and "rate" the women at their university, then rapidly grew into a more broadscale site that allowed people to identify and associate with their friends and/or interest groups online in a way that had not been done before. Adding users campus by campus, before ultimately taking Facebook to the general public (where it now flourishes), programmer Mark Zuckerberg and his college friend and financial backer Eduardo Saverin launched the site from a Harvard dorm room on a single laptop. The trail from that humble beginning to the multiple millions who use the service now is strewn with broken friendships, misappropriated intellectual property, mangled egos and numerous lawsuits. Despite the dark tone, I found this to be a fascinating topic, and the audio narration by Mike Chamberlain was very well done. If you're into contemporary web trends, I recommend trying this book out. After finishing it, I've seen online commentaries indicating Mezrich soft-peddled a lot of the conflicts between the major players, but The Accidental Billionaires is still worth reading to get a sense of what was involved in the birth and explosive growth of Facebook. [Note: One warning I would offer -- the language is definitely "R" rated in this particular book/book-on-cd. Listener beware!] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[Also available in print format.]

[ publisher's official Accidental Billionaires web site ] | [ official Ben Mezrich web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

The Red House Mystery

The Red House Mystery
by A.A. Milne

A. A. Milne, of the Winnie the Pooh fame, made one foray into detective fiction. He wrote a cozy for his father who was a devotee of mysteries. The Red House is a country manor, home to Mark Ablett, and a gathering place for his friends. The tranquil atmosphere is disrupted when Mark's ne'er-do-well brother from Australia comes to visit. At the same time Antony Gillingham, who is in between careers, has impulsively chosen to get off the train at Woodham Station because he likes the look of the area. Antony is man of independent means who likes to try out a variety of careers. He has been a valet, a waiter, a newspaper reporter as well as a shop assistant. He works as long as the job interests him and then he quits. Right now he does not know what career to pursue next, so he left London for a holiday in the English countryside. Antony settles into a country inn and, during a conversation with the proprietor, learns that the Red House is nearby. Antony decides to visit his friend Bill Beverley who staying at the Red House. As Antony walks up to the Red House he finds Mathew Cayly banging on the library door and yelling for Mark. Antony asks if he can help and Cayly explains that Mark was meeting with his brother when a shot was fired in the library. The door is locked. When Antony and Cayly finally break into library they find Robert dead on the floor and that Mark has disappeared. The police are called. They ask that Antony stay at the Red House along with the other guests until the inquest. At that point, Antony decides upon his next career, that of a private inquiry agent, ala Sherlock Holmes. Antony talks Bill into acting as his Watson. Antony and Bill sort through a myriad of clues and red herrings to solve this locked room mystery. The book is a fun read that received critical acclaim. Alexander Woollcott, critic for the New Yorker magazine, called it "one of the three best mystery stories of all time". Raymond Chandler called it "an agreeable book, light, amusing in the Punch style, written with a deceptive smoothness that is not as easy as it looks." -- recommended by Donna G. - Eiseley and Walt Branch Libraries

[ Wikipedia page about this novel ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

New York Times Book Reviews' 10 Best Books of 2009

In their December 13th, 2009 issue, the New York Times Book Review listed their Ten Best Books of 2009.

The list included five fiction and five non-fiction titles, of which the Lincoln City Libraries own most. Here's the list, with hotlinks into the library catalog for the titles already owned. The others will be ordered!

Fiction

Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It by Maile Meloy
Chronic City by Jonathan Lethem
A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
A Short History of Women by Kate Walbert

Non-Fiction

The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science by Richard Holmes
The Good Soldiers by David Finkel
Lit: A Memoir by Mary Karr
Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed
Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life by Carol Sklenicka

Duplicity

Duplicity

Checked this one out from the DVDs to Go shelves a couple of weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. The chemistry between Julia Roberts and Clive Owen is remarkable, and the plot twists and turns of this film are quite intricate. This is not a film to have playing in the background and enjoy in bits and pieces. If you're going to watch this one, pop some popcorn, ignore your phone, and watching it straight through, paying attention to the details. In addition to Roberts and Owen, there are some marvelous supporting performances as well, particularly from Paul Giamatti as a bombastic corporate executive. Overall, the best phrase to describe Duplicity is "multi-layered fun." -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Duplicity web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

The Mouse That Roared

The Mouse That Roared
by Leonard Wibberley

This book is an outrageously funny spoof of politics, especially foreign policy and war. The Duchy of Grand Fenwick (five miles long and three miles wide) needs revenue. It grows a small black grape from which is obtained the noble Pinot Grand Fenwick, but the proceeds from its sale is not filling the coffers. The Duchess Gloriana XII talks with the chief forester of the Duchy, Tully Bascomb, who suggests the the tiny country declare war on the United States--and lose. The Americans always generously assist the defeated. The Fenwickians even have an excuse: a California wine company has been bottling the spurious Pinot Grand Enwick, an insult to Fenwickian wine. Tully thus outfits his fighing force (they will attack with their national weapon, the longbow). At the same time that the Fennwickians arrive, the States are learning about a powerful new bomb, the quodium bomb. Rumors fly: liquor and salami may counteract atomic radiation! Hip flasks become fashionable! And Tully captures the bomb's creator, Professor Kokintz. Grand Fenwick is now in a position to dictate terms! -- recommended by Rianne S. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Wikipedia pages for The Mouse Who Roared and Leonard Wibberley ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Deck the Halls: Quilts to Celebrate Christmas

Deck the Halls: Quilts to Celebrate Christmas
by Cheryl Almgren Taylor [746.46 qTay]

Quilt patterns for holiday-themed banners, table tops, mantle runners, a stocking, and wall hangings. A good assortment of quick projects, or easy ones, or several applique quilts. Great ideas for colors, and I especially liked viewing the mantle decorations. Includes the standard Quilting Basics instructions at the beginning, and applique patterns to copy. Lots of color photos and well-written instructions. Another terrific quilt book from "That Patchwork Place" publishing co. [If you like this, you may also enjoy Favorite Christmas Quilts from that Patchwork Place, 746.46 qFav] -- recommended by Charlotte K. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Cheryl Almgen Taylor web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Space Travel

Space Travel

by Ben Bova with Anthony R. Lewis [808.388 Bov]

Third of four volumes in Writers Digest's Science Fiction Writing Series. Bova and Lewis provide a good overview of the history of actual spaceflight technology and physics, then explore the many conceptual or theoretical methods of space exploration from a scientific background. Their discussions of the theoretical methods of space exploration include both interplanetary as well as interstellar travel. I particularly appreciated chapters entitled Starships, The Universe and the concluding chapter Military Uses of Space. As with previous volumes in the this writing guide series, there is both an extensive glossary and bibliography at the back, leading readers (and writers) to many additional sources for more detailed, more technological assistance. Of the four volumes in this series, this was probably one of the most reality-based guides, and should prove to be a helpful tool for both beginning and experienced writers of speculative fiction. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ official Ben Bova web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

The Rockford Files: Season One

The Rockford Files: Season One

The Rockford Files ran for six seasons, from 1974 to 1980, then returned for 8 TV-movies from 1994 to 1999. The series was groundbreaking for its time, focusing on a private investigator who wasn't a "knight in shining armor" dedicated to the highest of ideals and willing to sacrifice himself for a client, as most P.I.s from 1950s and 1960s series had been up to that point. Instead, drawing from the type of self-serving character that James Garner had perfected in Maverick, Jim Rockford was an ex-con (although he didn't do the crime he was jailed for) who was just trying to make a living. He didn't like weapons, and he really didn't like getting in fights for his clients, even though the bad guys regularly beat him up. He lived in a broken-down trailer on the beach; his father didn't really approve of what he did for a living; and he was constantly being hit up for favors by his shifty friends and former cellmates. When Jim Rockford punched somebody, he tended to break his own hand rather than the other guy's chin. As the series progressed, the humorous elements became more prominent, but in this first season, the series was a bit more gritty and downbeat. Watch for guest appearances by many of today's big stars in some of their earliest television work. And don't be thrown by the different actor playing Rocky in the pilot episode! The series featured stellar supporting work by Joe Santos as Jim's cop friend, Dennis, Noah Beery Jr. as Rocky, Gretchen Corbett as Beth, and Stuart Margolin as Angel Martin. If you like this first season, following the remaining seasons in sequence -- the character relationships build over time! -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library


[ Rockford Files at epguides.com ] [ Internet Movie Database entry for this series ]


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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Mistletoe Mysteries booklist -- Updated for 2009!

In honor of the season, we've got the traditional Mistletoe Mysteries book display up at the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown. This holiday-themed selection of mystery fiction has become something of an annual tradition here, and the online booklist that inspired the display has been updated for 2009 as well.

The following titles (below) have been added to the Mistletoe Mysteries booklist this year. We'd love to have you look through the full list on our BookGuide web site and then reply to the following question:

If you're a fan of mystery fiction, do you have a favorite among holiday mystery novels, particularly among those on our Mistletoe Mysteries booklist?

New additions for 2009:

• Emily Brightwell -- Mrs Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen
• Leslie Caine -- Holly and Homicide
• Joanna Carl -- The Chocolate Snowman Murders
• Joanne Fluke -- Plum Pudding Murder
• Carolyn H. Hart -- Merry, Merry Ghost
• Alex Kava -- Black Friday
• Katherine Hall Page -- The Body in the Sleigh
• Anne Perry -- A Christmas Promise
• Maggie Sefton -- Fleece Navidad
• Livia J. Washburn -- Christmas Cookie Murder
• Sherlock Holmes in America -- Anthology edited by Martin H. Greenberg

The Vintage Caper

Vintage Caper

by Peter Mayle

Dan Roth is a Hollywood entertainment lawyer with a fine wine collection. He is very proud of his collection. So proud, that he invites the Los Angeles Times to write a profile about it. Roth basks in the afterglow of this article until Christmas when he goes to Aspen for a week. When Roth returns he is distraught to find that the precious bottles have been stolen. Roth insured the wine for 2.8 million and his insurance company would rather find the wine than pay the claim. This is where Sam Levitt, corporate lawyer, crime expert and wine connoisseur enters the picture. The insurance company hires Sam to find the wine. Sam follows the trail to Bordeaux where he teams up with insurance agent Sophie Costes and her cousin, journalist Philippe to track down the errant bottles. Levitt is suave and charming, just as the character Alexander Mundy was on the old TV show It Takes a Thief. This work of fiction reads like a culinary travelogue of Bordeaux and Marseille with a little sleuthing thrown in for spice. -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[ publisher's official Vintage Caper web site ] [ official Peter Mayle web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Great Plains: America's Lingering Wild

Great Plains: America's Lingering Wild

by Michael Forsberg [917.8 qFor]

Michael Forsberg was the driving force behind this project. He found the funding and enlisted the writing skills of Ted Kooser, Dan O'Brien and Dan Wishart. The book is filled with breath-taking images of the sparse beauty of the Great Plains. This is an area that is often referred to as the "flyover zone" by impatient people who require beauty to jump to out at them as it does in the majestic Rockies. Here one must be patient and wait for the land to reveal its subtle beauty in the waving grasses and cloud-dotted azure skies. University of Nebraska geography professor Dan Wishart describes how the Great Plains evolved geologically and culturally. South Dakota rancher and writer Dan O'Brien wrote essays about small towns that are fading into oblivion and water, the most important commodity in the Great Plains. This book is more than trip through the beauty of the Great Plains. It is a compelling argument to preserve what remains of the greatest grassland in the world. -- recommended by Donna G. - Virtual Services Department

[Also available in audiotape, book-on-cd, and Large Print formats.][ official Great Plains page on the official Michael Forsberg web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Grand Canyon and Other Selected Poems

Grand Canyon and Other Selected Poems
by Amil Quayle [811 Qua]

This is a handsome volume of diverse poems collected over a lifetime's work. Quayle utilizes a colloquial style to achieve a direct, intimate connection with his readers. Every poem is a journey, physical, emotional, and spiritual, and by the end, we feel as if we have gotten to know an old friend. Illustrated with many photographs and drawings. [If you like this one, you may also enjoy Village Journal by Greg Kuzma and We Have Always Been Coming to This Morning by Greg Kosmicki] -- recommended by Jim W. - Gere Branch Library

[ Quayle interview at Idaho State University ] [ Amil Quayle page at the Nebraska Center for Writers ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

New Booktalk Booklist: ALA Notable Books 2009

ALA Notable Books - 2009
Gere Books Talk, November 30, 2009 and Bethany Books Talk, December 18, 2009
Pat L.

Since 1944, the goal of the Notable Books Council has been to make available to the nation's readers a list of 25 very good, very readable, and at times very important fiction, nonfiction, and poetry books for the adult reader.

FICTION

The Hakawati
by Rabih Alameddine

The Wasted Vigil
by Nadeem Aslam

Peace
by Richard Bausch

City of Thieves
by David Benioff

The Plague of Doves
by Louise Erdrich

Atmospheric Disturbances
by Rivka Galchen

Unaccustomed Earth
by Jhumpa Lahiri

Dangerous Laughter: Thirteen Stories
by Steven Millhauser

Resistance
by Owen Sheers

Olive Kitteridge
by Elizabeth Strout

The Ginseng Hunter
by Jeff Talarigo

NON-FICTION

The Bin-Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century
by Steve Coll [Biography Bin Laden]

This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War
by Drew Gilpin Faust [973.71 Fau]

The Forever War
by Dexter Filkins [956.704 Fil]

Defying Dixie: The Radical Roots of Civil Rights, 1919-1950
by Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore [323.4 Gil]

The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family
by Annette Gordon-Reed [Biography Hemmings]

Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood
by Mark Harris [791.43 Har]

A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World
by Tony Horwitz [970.01 Hor]

The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals
by Jane Mayer [973.931 May]

In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto
by Michael Pollan [613 Pol]

American-Made: The Enduring Legacy of the WPA: When FDR Put the Nation to Work
by Nick Taylor [973.917 Tay]

Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)
by Tom Vanderbilt [629.283 Van]

The Suicide Index: Putting My Father's Death in Order
by Joan Wickersham [155.938 Wic]

POETRY

Special Orders: Poems
by Edward Hirsch [811 Hir]

Ghost Soldiers: Poems
by James Tate [811 Tat]

The Greatest American Hero

The Greatest American Hero

One of my all-time favorite television series, which ran on ABC from 1981 to 1983. What do you get when you combine an idealistic, liberal school teacher with a conservative guns-blazing FBI agent and then throw in mysterious aliens, a super-powered super-hero suit, and a mandate to save the world? What about if they lose the instruction manual to the supersuit and have to learn how to use it by trial and error? This early 1980s series from Stephen J. Cannell (The Rockford Files, 21 Jump Street, The A-Team, Wiseguy) starred William Katt, Robert "I Spy" Culp and Connie Selleca, with a supporting cast that included Michael "Houston Knights" Pare and Faye "V" Grant. GAH managed to find a nice mix of both serious and comical storylines, with quirky new powers of the suit popping up when least expected. One of the series absolute best episodes, "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys", was in this first season. Fun extras on this first-season DVD set include retrospective interviews with the cast and producers. The series lasted three seasons -- here's hoping the libraries pick up seasons 2 and 3! [Note: This series has been optioned for a feature film remake. Whether it comes to pass or not remains to be seen.] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library


[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] [ Greatest American Hero at epguides.com ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.

Life at Burghley

Life at Burghley: Restoring One of England's Great Houses

by Victoria Leatham [914.253 Lea]

Anyone with a fascination for English castles and English history would enjoy reading this book. Written by Lady Victoria Leatham, the current owner of Burghley Hall, the book uses humor and family stories from the point of view of someone raised in this Great House to illustrate the importance of maintaining collections of art and treasures from Europe's past. [If you like this, you may also enjoy The Cecils of Hatfield House: An English Ruling Family by David Cecil.] -- recommended by Kim J. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Wikipedia entry on Burghley House ] [ official Burghley House web site ]

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide web site. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide blog individually over the course of the entire month.