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Nov/Dec 2017

Happy

Holidays

From everyone at Mail-a-Book

W il l ie Simmons Rec ommend s 1. Kiss Carlo by Adriana Trigiani 2. The Store by James Patterson 3. The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George 4. The Right Time by Danielle Steel 5. Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance 6. The Lying Game by Ruth Ware 7. The Cuban Affair by Nelson DeMille

Willie Simmons, Mail a Book Librarian

Nov/Dec 2017

The Chatter Box Nov/Dec 2017

The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter Reviewed by Bonnie Sue Pokorny Karin Slaughter has done it again. This book takes place in a rural town and the lawyer in the town is not popular because he defended and won acquittal for an alleged rapist. That same day his home is fire bombed and he and his wife find a place on an isolated farm. Two men do a home invasion while the wife and the two young daughter are home and kill the wife and take the daughters to the grave they dug to kill them One daughter is shot and is buried alive and the other runs away. The book now shifts to decades later and the daughter who had run for help, is now a lawyer. While she does not practice criminal law with her father, she is very close to him. Then one day while she is at the elementary school, a principal and a young girl are shot. Her father takes on the defense of the alleged shooter and the community is against them. There is much more to this story but I am afraid of giving away the entire story and will stop right now. This is engrossing and you will not be able to put down this book.

Gwendy’s Button Box by Stephen King Reviewed by Bonnie Sue Pokorny

Gwendy is given a special button box by a mysteri-ous stranger. Press the button on one side and a chocolate comes out and when eaten every thing becomes fine. Press the other side and a rare coin come. There is a third button which she is ad-

vised never to press except for a severe event. This is her story with the box

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Reviewed by Bonnie Sue Pokorny The author is Nigerian and this novel is about growing up in Nigeria and then going abroad for college. There are several main charac-ters that are in this book. One goes to Ameri-ca and learns for the first time what being "black" is. Another is in England ends up be-ing deported and another is an older doctor with a child and learns how to raise a child "American style". It is a fun filled and fascinating book about the different cultures and how they interact.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman Reviewed by Bonnie Sue Pokorny

Eleanor is a thirty year old woman who had a hellish childhood. She has an office job and her own apartment and is very lonely. She and a fellow worker see an elderly man fall on the street and they stop to help. A friendship is formed with the three and progresses and has a dramatic effect on Eleanor. I would recommend this book.

Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind by Yu-val Noah Harari Reviewed by Bonnie Sue Pokorny

This work of non-fiction is a fascinating history of the sapiens and written in a manner that is easy and not textbook. He starts with the earlier species of human beings and why the only survi-vors are sapiens. He discusses the cultural

and scientific impact of sapiens and the effect on this planet. It is extremely inter-esting and thought provoking.

Long Black Veil by Jennifer Finney Boylan Reviewed by Bonnie Sue Pokorny A group of college students go into a long abandoned prison and one woman disap-pears. She had been married the night be-fore. Decades later, her skeleton is discovered and the police reinvestigate. The focus of the new investigation is her husband. One of the members, happily married, can tell the truth and say she was with the husband but it would jeopardize her happy marriage. This is extremely interesting because the characters are fully developed and the situa-tion seems realistic. For me, the characters in this book will remain with me and I really en-joyed this book.

Nov/Dec 2017

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*Send your work to Mail a Book. Originals will be scanned and returned to you.

The Gap in Time by Jeanette Winterson Reviewed by Bonnie Sue Pokorny The Hogarth project is a project to update Shakespeare's play. This is an update of the Winter's Tale which is a light comedy. I would recommend that you read the play (it is short) or a summary of the play before you read this book. Knowing the play makes this story so enjoyable. It is very light and come-dic . The play is about a king who gives away his daughter and she is raised by a shepherd, The king is very repentant but has no idea where the daughter is and she falls in love with a prince who is the son of his rival. In the book, a rich man gives away his daughter to a man and she falls in love with the son of a rival. It is a lot of fun and I enjoyed it.

Crime Scene by Jon-athan and Jesse Kellerman Reviewed by Bonnie Sue Pokorny This is a first in a new series about Clay Edi-son. He is a deputy in the Coroners Office and investigates deaths and makes a deter-mination if they were natural, accidental or a homicide. This story is about a corpse found at the bottom of stairs and his daugh-ter insisting that someone pushed him. This investigation leads him into an old crime and he keeps getting deeper and deeper that he loses concept of the dead man he is investi-gating. With the Kellermans, anything that they write I find enjoyable and engross-ing. This fits that criteria.

Y is for Yesterday by Sue Grafton. Reviewed by Bonnie Sue Pokorny This is the next to last book in the alphabet series. If you have been following this series, you will enjoy this book. Kinsey has been asked to investigate a crime that took place ten years ago. As she gets deeper into this investigation she also gets sidetracked by another aspect of this crime. All this is going down, while the threat of Ned Lowe (from other stories) is trying to kill her. This was very enjoyable.

Nov/Dec 2017

Little Face by Sophie Hannah Book Review by Renee Braverman

Alice Fancourt leaves her 2-week-old baby at home with her husband (the doting father of the child) for the first time. When she returns home, there is a baby in her home, but it is not her baby Florence. The baby has similar characteristics and is dressed just the way Alice had left her a few hours before, but this is not her baby. Her baby was switched while her husband napped. How does Alice convince her husband, her mother-in-law, and the police that Florence is not Florence, that Florence has been switched with an-other baby? This baby does not cry like Florence, doesn’t respond like Florence. It is not Florence. It’s not! Is it postpartum depression that explains this new mother’s confusion?

Or is it confusion at all? It is a new mother’s worst fear! As the plot unfolds, we get to know David Fancourt and we see a side of him quite different from the loving husband and father we first met. His behavior becomes maniacal, explained by an overbearing mother throughout his life, and the traumatic history of having been married before to a woman who had been murdered, a murder that remains unsolved. It is David’s increasingly horrific behavior that becomes difficult to understand. Although the reader gets a glimpse into his sadistic nature through early descriptions of his work as a writer, his acts of unkindness and then cruelty are extreme, and for what purpose? I relived all-to-vivid memories of chapters of the memoir of an abused boy by Dave Pelzer in A Child Called It. Is David Fancourt responsible for Florence’s disappearance? Is he responsible for the death of his first wife? The story takes some twists and turns, none completely predictable. All in all, it is an absorbing psychological thriller. It is the first in a series, although I have been told it is not necessary to read the series in any order. Recommended to me, now recommended to you.

Nov/Dec 2017

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood Book Review by Renee Braverman

Sex. Sex on every page. This book was written 30 years ago, and some-how got past me unread - until now. Kate is a handmaid, a woman believed to be fertile and forcefully made available for child-bearing. She, with so many others, are round-ed up, ripped from their families, homes, and employment, after a to-talitarian takeover. There is no time to prepare; everything is sudden, overwhelming, and unexplained. The handmaids are stripped of indi-viduality, of possessions, of thoughts, of desires. Their sole purpose is to bear a child for a childless couple of the elite. Based on strict biblical interpretation, the handmaid's life is replete with rituals and rigid adherence to law. Pregnancy is a requirement,

and failure to conceive has its consequences, too. Memories of another life (not so long be-fore) squeak through. There are those who will not comply, who will rebel - passively, aggres-sively, and passive-aggressively. Mayday! Some readers see current political trends in this dystopian society. I would not disagree. Kudos to the author. There are sex scenes aplenty, and not once is there even a hint of arousal or eroticism - an achievement I did not think was possible!

Nov/Dec 2017

A Man Called Ove by Frederick Backman Reviewed by Marion Mango

Seldom does a novel as irresistible and uplifting as this one appear on the scene. We’ve all known people like Ove ---who seemingly put the “cur” in curmudgeon. Much to our chagrin, almost imperceptibly, they inch their way into our hearts and take up residence there. Many of us have gone through the challenges he has faced---losing a job we’ve had for decades only to be shown the door (behind which there is no prize---where is Monte Hall when you need him?); the loss of some-one – perhaps the only one who really understood us.; new neighbors who definitely don’t understand the meaning of rules and regulations and the importance of privacy. But these same people (and Ove consid-ers almost everyone—especially those who would even consider, let

alone own, any car other than a Saab) to be an “idiot” are the ones who come to his rescue without his even realizing it. And speaking of rescue, Ove does just that to a man about to be run over by a fast-approaching train. Does he want any recognition for his derring-do? No---and eschews (God bless you!) the publicity offered by an overly – aggressive reporter. Ove is totally devoted to his wife—his one and only—and goes to great lengths to secure for her a much-deserved teaching position for which , both temperamentally and experientially , she is absolutely perfect. Many a former student has more than one kind about her positive influence on their lives. This book is a tribute to the transformative power of love, friendship and acceptance. With the help of a stray cat who worms its way into Ove’s heart, he becomes almost a “purrmudgeon” ! Mr. Backman is an internationally well-known Swedish author whose latest novels include “ Britt-Marie Was Here” and “ My Grandmother Asked Me to Say She’s Sorry.” Wish it weren’t “Ove”r! Adjo (Goodbye).

Audio available pm CD. Also available in Large Print

Nov/Dec 2017

The Poet In You

Nov/Dec 2017

SYMPATHETIC By Marion Mango I feel sorry for ducks--- All their doctors are QUACKS!

QUESTION By Marion Mango What would Adam be without Eve? Just a fig leaf of your imagination!

Poli-Tricks By Marion Mango Donkeys are strong; Elephants live long; No matter the political party, squeezed in the middle are we.

AAA-HH CHOOO!! By Marion Mango I sneeze with ease; I cough oft. But what can I do? I'm at a loss. Into my nose the Flonase flows, But sometimes I wonder does it nose where it goes? Of Benedryl and Zyrtec I'm in the know (Oh, how I'm praying for some snow!) My nose is so red with Rudolph I'd compete; my eyes are all teary, I really look neat! What guy a girl like me would like to meet? (Sigh. Sniffle, sniffle. Cough, cough. Wheeze. Stifled sneeze.) (Dedicated to allergy sufferers eve-rywhere, especially, Melba, Cecile and Denise)

Fall's Here

All around

The leaves are falling

F

A

L

L

Is here!

The leaves are crisp,

The colors are so bright they bring out my lisp!

Reds, oranges, browns and yellows

Time to go to school and meet some fellows!

Rakes are out,

The birds are starting to fly south,

Gracious me I can't shut my mouth!

Leaves upon leaves,

The piles pile up and I am no longer at ease,

Time to work and have some dry heaves!

The chill is in the air,

Black Friday is drawing near,

I will surely need new clothes my dear,

After Thanksgiving all my jeans tear!

Time for all pumpkin flavored stuff,

As for me I've already had enough,

Boy Halloween sure was tough!

Winter will soon creep in,

All the sweaters have to be dug out from in the bin,

And wearing shorts will be considered a sin,

And no more half naked dressing that requires a pin!

So what is one to do,

When it becomes awfully clear,

That boy oh boy,

Fall is here!

-Shyan Bhairo Shyan Bhairo

Queens Library Mail-a-Book

Older Adults Services Programming Assistant

Thanksgiving by Marion Mango The smell of fresh bread, gravy, giblets, sweet potatoes (candied, of course), cranberries simmering --- Perhaps with a touch of orange -- pumpkin, mince, and apple pie, and the star of the show -- the Bird, permeates the room. We all gather round the table amid the clatter of utensils, dishes and glasses, and the low murmur of conversation, at the ready for the coming feast. The head of the family calls for silence -- we all bow are heads in reverence for what is before us and around us (even if we think there's more than one turkey in the room), A time for appreciation -- a child's smile, golden sunset, even aches and pains (they remind us we're alive!). A time for reflection on what truly matters --- people, not things; A time to realize that THANKSGIVING isn't a day -- it's an Attitude.

The Life Coach says --- By Jerry Sexton Stand over there on the other side of laughter. Someone will call you. Or take a nap, then, a new tack for dealing with the world. Find a new metaphor image to develop. Kindness may enter in. And do, do make up what's left of your mind.

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