Ocean City Free Public Library Book Blog

  This month we discussed  Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. Most of our discussion group enjoyed this book. They loved how the story started with two sisters and how the lineage grew with each of them but at the end, those who were once separated have found their way back to each other. Also, seeing the impact and development of history throughout the generations in this story. While the book only touched the beginnings of the history of Ghana, we discussed how through this book we learned more about slave history that what we knew before. It was eye opening and though provoking. The element of trauma that can cause a generational fear in the family was interesting to see unfold through the story. How the fear of water was caused by a drowning from the past and the fear of fire was caused from a massive fire from another past trauma through in the family. It may seem insignificant but it led to the discussion of how we reflect on our own fears and the fears off our parents or famil...

Taimi The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley This Newbery Honor recipient takes place in England during World War II. I enjoyed getting to know Ada, a 10 yr. old Londoner who is born with a club foot, and celebrated with her as she overcame many obstacles throughout this novel. Although technically it is a children's book, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or titles that captures the strength of the human spirit. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, "The War I Finally Won" which will be released this fall.  The Plot To Kill Hitler: Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Unlikely Hero  by Patricia McCormick This well-researched narrative describes not only the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, but also the German Resistance. McCormick also highlights important historical events occurring in Germany during this time period. I learned much about the German opposition to Hitler during this suspense...

  From the best-selling author of The Alchemist,  Paulo Coelho's  new book is about espionage, tragedy and a story of a woman who wanted to create her own life.  Told through Mata Hari's final letter while in prison, The Spy is the unforgettable story of a woman who dared to fight against traditions and created a life of her own imagining. It is with this unique spirit that helped set course what would be a life that would later be intertwined in espionage at the height of the panic during WWI. A great fictionalized snippet of what could have happened in the final moments of the once famous dancer that came and went in history as both enchanting and dangerous.        If you want to read The Spy   by Paulo Coelho, pick up a copy at The Ocean City Free Public Library.

***       As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust is the latest installment in the Flavia de Luce mystery series by Alan Bradley. And is the first book in the series that takes place in a location other than the large English estate of the de Luce family. Set in a girls boarding school in Canada, 12 year old Flavia de Luce once again finds herself in the middle of a mystery after discovering human skeletal remains in one of the chimneys of her new home. The story follows her attempts to once again solve a murder, while also unraveling more of the mystery that surrounds her deceased mother's enigmatic past, and the secret government agency of which she was a part.       I was turned on to the Flavia de Luce series by a friend who knows that I enjoy all things science, as well as strong well written female characters. It has quickly become one of my favourite mystery series. This newest one is almost a complete reinventing of the series, come at jus...

Every once in awhile, I enjoy a nice long saga. Double points if it's historical fiction. In the past, I've enjoyed Ken Follett's historical works Pillars of the Earth and World Without End , so I figured I'd check out his latest book Fall of Giants , which is the 1st book in his new Century Trilogy. Fall of Giants details the events leading up to and including World War I through the eyes of several different characters. What's interesting about FoG is that these characters are all not only from different socioeconomic situations (e.g. an Earl, a suffragette, a poor mining community), but also from different countries as well (Allies as well as German), so it was definitely enlightening to view the war through various lenses. The bulk of the novel deals with a lot of military talk, so if that's your thing, great. For me, at times, it seemed a little tedious. Despite that, Follett is a decent storyteller and his depictions of battle were very cinematic. As pa...

Acting as a follow up to the epic Pillars of the Earth , World Without End continues to follow the lives, tragedies and successes of the citizens of 14th century Kingsbridge. This time around, Follett's main characters are a group of young friends - brothers Ralph and Merthin, independent Caris and crafty Gwenda. As the four age throughout the book, each character becomes intertwined with each other as they each take different routes in life - knight, builder, healer and farmer. Kingsbridge is well known throughout the area for having a beautiful cathedral (built in POTE ) and there is much drama when it comes to how the priory is run. Things don't get any better when the Plague hits. Though this is a really really lengthy work, it goes by exceptionally fast. I still have the same qualms with this one that I did with POTE (unrealistic dialogue and character life spans, etc), but it was still a very enjoyable read.

I think if I were to re-title this book, I'd call it "Serena: the baddest bitch of the woods" (although that probably would offend a whole lot of people, but whatever). At any rate, this novel is about a young couple who run a timber business in North Carolina during the Great Depression. At first, no one really takes beautiful Serena or her ideas about business all that seriously. That swiftly changes as even her poor husband, George, becomes a pawn in her game. Before marrying Serena, George unintentionally impregnates a local girl, Rachel. After Serena cannot bear children, Rachel and her child are her next targets. Overall, a very dark and menacing book. If you liked MacBeth, you'd probably like Serena . I think this book had the highest body count out of any book I've read in a long time, although most of the deaths are widely attributed to tree accidents.

Boy, this was a meaty read - full of violence, sex, mystery, love, murder, betrayal, war...the list goes on. Spanning 3 decades, Pillars explores life in the middle ages in England as the small town of Kingsbridge struggles to build a grand cathedral. For a book this size, there are a few main characters - Prior Philip, who must navigate corrupt waters to get his cathedral built, Tom Builder and his stepson Jack, who are master masons, and Aliena, a steely and independent woman. Does the cathedral get built? You'll have to read to find out... The book is close to 1,000 pages long, but it's worth the time. You can see why Oprah selected it for her book club.Follett, who usually writers thrillers, does a pretty good job with this one. My only complaint is the fact that his characters live to be like 60 or 70. I'm pretty sure in 1142 AD, you were lucky if you made it to 40.

This was an interesting book and a quick read. The main character, Alice Cole arrives in Boston in 1756 having survived a harrowing journey from London, during which most of her family became ill and died. Her father, incurring debts on board ship that he could not repay was forced to indenture Alice to a merchant in Boston at the tender age of seven. The book records Alice's travails as she grows up, some not so bad and some terrifying. How she deals with all the bumps in the road is pretty much the whole of the book but what I found of particular interest was the recording of daily life in Pre Revolutionary times in America. Even people who were not on the bottom rung of the economic ladder had a very hard life, filled with back breaking work. And they still had time to follow current events and stir up a Revolution. The book peters out towards the end, almost as if the author didn't know how to bring things to a conclusion, but it's worth your while. --Reviewed by Paulin...

Though I'm not one for historical fiction, after catching the steamy preview for the movie adaptation, I decided to give Boleyn Girl a shot (see for yourself at Sony's website ). Gregory's novel was originally published back in 2001 and has since risen to be a ubiquitous "book club" pick throughout the country. It's definitely easy to see why, considering that the book is chockfull of meaty discussion material ranging from sex, feminist issues, political themes of the time, familial relationships and the age old search for love (and baby making). Readers follow the plight of Mary Carey (the oft-forgotten sister of Anne Boleyn and the title's figure head) as she is used as a romantic pawn by her family in their greedy quest for riches and recognition from King Henry VIII. Eventually the tables turn and Anne becomes the proverbial apple of King Henry's eye and crown jewel of the Boleyn family. Then things start to get ugly... Gregory's novel is a he...