NF - The Residence by Kate Anderson Brower

Fascinating and well documented account of the behind-the-scenes activities in the White House as told from the perspective of the predominately African-American Staff. The author researched accounts from long ago, but mostly interviewed surviving staff members of  "the House".

Spanning from the FDR years though the present day Obama administration, these are the revelations of devoted butlers, maids, secretaries, waiters, electricians, janitors, and dog walkers. How they got their positions, the eccentricities of their charges, and the effects of long hours on their families.

Some of the vignettes are heartbreaking - the JFK assassination; others hilariously funny - LBJ's shower dilemma; still others are poignant or eye-opening.  Nothing too scandalous, just a rewarding insight into the inner workings of our country's most famous residence.

Fict - Dream Lover by Elizabeth Berg

Interesting take on the life of George Sand, the cross-dressing authoress of mid 18th century Paris.  Born Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin, she had a unique ancestry which eventually shaped her life. She married early and well, as required, but soon chafed at the boring life of a privileged woman. Having been left a sizeable estate by her grandmother, she was able to devote her post-married life to her writing and her quest for knowledge.
Changing her name to get published more easily, and dressing as a man to go solo to plays and concerts, "George" embarked on a series of love affairs with both sexes.   And her salon gatherings became legendary - famous painters, actors, writers, politicians, and musicians all gathering for a night of drinking, intellectual discussions, and games.

Fict - A Paris Apartment by Michele Gable

A fictionalized account of a real life 1890s Parisian courtesan holds so much potential. However this debut novel quickly spiraled into melodramatic chick-lit and stretched my personal limit of how bad a book I can finish.  Lots of 4 and 5 stars on Goodreads though, so I am in the minority.
Upon discovering a Paris apartment filled with antiques untouched for 80 years, a high end NY auction house sends their premiere furniture authority to Paris to oversee the cataloguing. She spends her time mooning about her very rich husband vs her newly acquired slouchy, stubbled, french boyfriend and obsessing over the diary of the owner of the treasures.
I stayed with the story to immerse myself via flashback in the historical 1890s Belle Epoque era of Paris, and the courtesan who collected these objects from famous writers & painters; ultimately skimming the last 50 pages only because I wanted to find out the results of the actual auction.

Fict - Compulsion by Meyer Levin

Compelling fictionalized account of a chilling real-life murder which occurred in Chicago in the 1920's.  2 extremely gifted college students from 2 of Chicago's wealthiest Jewish families forge an unusual bond based on latent sexual tension and a shared quest for knowledge and enlightenment. 

Obsessed with Neitzche's idea of a superhuman being not subject to men's laws, the boys plot an experimental and arbitrary killing - simply for the experience.  The narrative also focuses on the friends and family and how what is being called as the "crime of the century" affects each of them.

The progression of the initial bonding, the crime, and the courtroom drama form an easy flow, producing an engrossing study of twisted youth delusions and aspirations. 

Short Stories - Turtleface & Beyond

Turtleface & Beyond: Stories by Arthur Bradford is a quick and entertaining read. It's a great collection of stories that made laugh out loud several times - always a good sign. There were twists I didn't see coming. The main character throughout the stories seems to be down, but not out. He keeps moving along despite one setback after another. I'd recommend it.

YA - Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

Challenger Deep chronicles the decent of Caden Bosch, artist, student, friend, and son, into the depths of his psychotic delusions.  As Caden slowly declines, pulling away from friends and family, his parents make the difficult decision to check him into an impatient psychiatric facility.
As Caden's point of view shifts between his reality and his delusions, readers are lead on an adventure via a large, metamorphosing ship to the Mariana Trench.  Caden is unsure whether or not they'll reach their destination, and what terrors or treasures may await them there.  The captain, the parrot, the navigator, and other crew members are representations of people he is engaged with at the hospital.  Readers will root for Caden throughout, hoping that he makes it to the trench and back home.
I think this book is important.  I think the subject matter and the way it's presented is important.  That being said, I had a difficult time getting through it.  I wasn't uncomfortable with the subject, I really liked Caden, his family, his friends on the outside, and the friends he made while inside the facility, but for some reason it took me a while to get through the book.  Maybe I just wasn't in the mood, or for whatever reason it didn't resonate with me.  I don't particularly feel one way or the other, personally, but professionally I know that young adult novels should showcase different types of people with different types of challenges.  It's a good book if your in the mood for a serious read.

Nf - Driving the Saudis: A Chauffeur's Tale of the World's Richest Princesses by Jayne Amelia Larson

Sometimes you just want an easy summer "fluff" book and this fits the bill quite nicely.   Armed with an Ivy League education, Jayne Larson moved to Hollywood with the hopes of having a screen-writing career. She struggled several years, networking and taking small acting jobs here and there to make ends meet. But living in Southern California was expensive, and when the opportunity came up to take a job as a chauffeur, she jumped at the chance.

In the male-dominated field, she had run-ins with other drivers, but being educated and having inside knowledge of Hollywood, she did well enough to be called as part of the entourage for the Saudi Royal Family's visit to California.

Allowed to drive only the women, she witnessed firsthand the shopping excesses, the myriad plastic surgery appointments, and the brutal  treatment bestowed on their servants.  Becoming friends with some of the family as well as the servants, and seeing some of the inner workings of royalty, she had an experience few can ever imagine.

Fict - Still Alice by Lisa Genova

I usually don't do "disease" books, but this came highly recommended and it did not disappoint. It's a heart-wrenching story of a Harvard psychology professor who contracts Alzheimer's disease.

The progression of events from when she starts to forget things, how she handles the diagnosis while still cognitive, and her eventual descent into a world of innocence and wonderment, plays out against the backdrop of how her husband, children, and colleagues view her. 

It's not truly depressing, just eye-opening. And the story stays with you long after you have finished the book, and have forgotten where you put your car keys. 

Bio - The Quiet Don by Matt Birkbeck

Having grown up in Central Pennsylvania in the 60s and 70s, I was familiar with the name Russell Bufalino.  Spoken in hushed voices, it conjured up images of gangsters and guns.  So I was keen on learning more about this unassuming man who was the alleged model for Marlon Brando's character in "The Godfather".  Quietly living a very modest lifestyle in Northeastern PA, Bufalino was one of the most ruthless and feared mob bosses in the US.

But inaccuracies, material "borrowed" from another book, & haphazard organization combined to ruin what should have been an entertaining, enlightening story. There are some eye-opening moments regarding Cuba, Las Vegas, Jimmy Hoffa, & the making of the Godfather movie. But they are buried in mountains of minutiae of Pennsylvania politics, newspaper quotes, and backgrounds of countless small-time hoodlums. 

A much better read is "I Heard You Paint Houses" by Delaware author Charles Brandt.

Fict - The Book of Jonas by Stephen Dau

"What is it like to lose everything?" they ask him.  He replies "What is it like not to?"  So starts a deeply moving and disturbing book about the consequences of actions in the Middle East War.

Younis, an arab boy who witnesses something he cannot or chooses not to remember, finds himself on a plane hurling towards a new life in Pittsburg. The story chronicles his experiences growing up trying to adjust to the American way of life,  while repressing memories and exhibiting Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.  Woven into this narrative are the soldier he remembers, who is MIA, and the soldier's mother who has started a support group for families of missing and dead veterans.

Flashing back and switching between characters, the story comes together in an unexpected finale.  A great book for a book club discussion.

Fict - The 100-Year-Old man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

What a surprisingly quirky, laugh-out-loud, fun book!  Think Carl Hiaasen meets Forrest Gump in Sweden.  Spry centenarian escapes a nursing home hours before his 100th birthday and with nothing to lose, goes on an absurdly hilarious adventure, meeting a variety of characters & getting accused of burglary & murder.

No spoilers here, but through flashbacks, we find out about his exciting and unusual life - traveling and meeting world leaders in unusual situations - all the way to the point where he enters the nursing home.   A simple man with common sense but no formal schooling, Allan Karlsson hates politics and religion, and only wants to practice his trade and drink as many kinds of vodka as possible.

With undercurrents of absurdity, irony and satire, this book makes history come alive in a fun way. If I were a teacher, I would use this as a textbook - kids from middle school upwards would love it, and I guarantee they would learn and remember.  Each event could be analyzed and discussed for a complete history of the 20th century.

Fict - The Ploughmen by Kim Zupan

A literary masterpiece debut novel - shades of Cormack McCarthy & Jim Harrison. 

This is a psychological study of the bond which develops between a hardened serial killer and a young sheriff.  Set in present day Montana, the story unfolds in profoundly disturbing detail. Several plotlines weave together.  The writing is lyrically beautiful, bleak as the landscape.

Allegorical & dark, not a fuzzy warm chick read, The Ploughmen won't be for everyone.

YA - we all looked up by tommy wallach

we all looked up by tommy wallach is the modern day Breakfast Club in a pressure cooker.  An asteroid is on a collision course with Earth, and based on the science, The Jock, The Princess, The Slut, The Stoner, The Outcast and The Criminal have less than two months to live. As all of their lives begin to intersect, they realize that theirs is a "karass", bound to be together until the final moments.  How this plays out is the story.
I was speaking to a co-worker the other day about how much fun it is to write reviews filled with snark when you really dislike a book.  It just seems more fun.  This is not one of those reviews.  we all looked up is a stellar debut by tommy wallach and I wouldn't be surprised if his name becomes very familiar to us all.  This book was so much fun to read.  The chapters flip back and forth between the different character's POVs.  They're all flawed in ways that ring true - self conscious, dependent, lost, confused - especially so in high school. I highly recommend you give this book a try BEFORE it becomes the next hot title.

YA - The Evil Librarian by Michelle Knudsen

Cyn has a major thing for Ryan, but her best friend Annie has a HUGE thing for the new librarian Mr. Gabriel.  Cyn's problems with this are many.  First, he's like 30 and second, Cyn's pretty sure that he's a demon.  As Annie falls deeper in love with Mr. Gabriel, Cyn sees him for what he is.  He is slowly sucking the life out of everyone at their high school.  With all of this going on Cyn is still focused on being the best Tech Manager she can be for the school's upcoming production of Sweeney Todd.  After a little while, Mr. Gabriel can no longer be ignored.  People are dying!  Worst of all, Annie is completely under his spell.

Honestly, I picked up this book because of the title, I mean, I am a librarian after all.  I'm so happy I did.  The characters are well developed.  We have a strong female heroine, and while she is a tad bit boy crazy (for Ryan only), she never loses sight of her missions - putting on the best school play in history and saving her best friend from a demon's clutches.  This book was really fun.  Lots of twists and turns, and quite a few laugh out loud moments.  Michelle Knudsen has quite a few children's books under her belt, but I wouldn't be surprised if we see some really good YA from her in the future.

Fict - In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

Amazing fictional account of real-life heros - the Mirabel sisters -  in the Dominican Republic of the 1960's.  Their code name was "las mariposas",  Spanish for butterflies.

The communist movement was sweeping 3rd world countries, Fidel Castro was mobilizing rebels in Cuba, private property and businesses were being confiscated, and people were disappearing in the night. 

Told from the perspective of the lone surviving sister, it's a  moving story of  family ties and relationships during the rise of the brutal Trujillo dictatorship.  Families everywhere had hard choices to make for themselves, their businesses, and their futures.

 Perfect blend of history and drama.

Fict - The Vacationers by Emma Straub

I almost stopped reading after the first few pages after finding out that Sylvia (frustrated 17 yr old virgin) is upset about HAVING to go to Spain with her family before heading off to the Ivy Leagues.  Boo Hoo! Then we meet mother Franny (famous journalist who thinks cooking fabulous gourmet meals cures anything); father Jim (serious NY editor who has just been caught cheating on his wife with a summer intern); Bobby (lazy, suntanned prodigal son dabbling in real estate in Florida; and Carmen (Bobby's Latino gym-rat Lucite-heeled cougar girlfriend). Add a middle-aged gay married couple contemplating adoption, then mix well and bake for 2 weeks in a gorgeous vacation home in the hills on the Spanish island of Malorca.  We are non-discriminatory here with our stereotypes: the aging, scowling, handsome continental tennis pro; a seductive, tan Adonis Spanish tutor with rippling muscles; a reed-thin JetSet English land lady popping in; and a puzzling person named Terry who recklessly whizzes around dirt roads on a motorcycle. The only thing missing is the Mafia hit man I hoped would show up to make all these self-absorbed, annoying people go away. (Except for Carmen - I think he would have liked her.)

Fict - "The Martian" by Andy Weir

So good! This book had my attention from the first sentence to the last. The science was interesting and I appreciated that the author assumed you could follow along and didn't repeat the details over and over. I know nothing about Mars and space travel, but the author certainly made me believe that all of this was possible. I was on the edge of my seat at the end waiting to find out what happened to Mark. Fingers were crossed!

This is currently being made into a movie starring Matt Damon. I don't go to a lot of movies, but I'll definitely go see this one.