December 2019 - Staff Reading Suggestions

DECEMBER 2019 - STAFF READING SUGGESTIONS

NOTHING TO SEE HERE
by Kevin Wilson

Lillian is an intelligent scholarship student at a prestigious boarding school who is surprised to find friendship in her roommate Madison, the beautiful Southern Belle with a family of fortune. However, their time together gets cut short when Lillian gets kicked out of school. Years later Lillian, still down on her luck, receives and accepts a unique job offer from Madison. They haven't seen each other since the day she left school and suddenly Lillian is trying to care for Madison's two step children who have an illness in which they spontaneously combust when angry or upset. Lillian is faced with the difficult job of caring for "these fire children" and keeping them out of the limelight of Madison's Senator Husband. Nothing to See Here is wonderfully bizarre, heartfelt, and laugh out loud funny! My favorite book of 2019!

-Jackie Thorn

ALL BLOOD RUNS RED
by Phil Keith & Tom Clavin

A completely engrossing read which chronicles the extraordinary life of Eugene Bullard, the son of a former slave who holds on to his dream of living in France--a land without racial prejudice. Gene stows away on a boat crossing the Atlantic to escape the racism of the South in the hopes of starting a new life. The authors follow Gene's life as he becomes a boxer, a member of the French Foreign Legion wounded at Verdun, quite possibly the first black fighter pilot and eventually a spy in WWII. This book reads like a novel, but is all the more astounding because it is a well researched biography.

-Laura Skinner

JUST WATCH ME

by Jeff Lindsay

From the author of Dexter comes a fast paced thriller introducing Riley Wolfe, an almost likable thief who lives for the next big hit. Wolfe is a master of disguise, both in his own persona and in the art world. Confident that he can steal anything, he eyes the Iranian crown jewels en route to an obscure, family owned museum in New York. Wolfe inserts himself in the highbrow world of art at the same time an FBI agent is uncovering facts about Riley's long criminal history and more importantly, his interest in bringing down people he views as rich jerks (to put it nicely!). His creativity is inspiring, but the wake he leaves behind is beyond understanding. This thriller will be perfect for fans of Dexter who want a new criminal to love/hate.

-Beth Mynhier

THE GUARDIANS

by John Grisham

Great legal thriller! 22 years ago a man was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Disillusioned attorney and priest, Cullen Post, who works for Innocence Project is attempting to free him, but there are people who don't want that to happen. I loved it!

-Eleanor Thorn

TOUCHED BY THE SUN: MY FRIENDSHIP WITH JACKIE

by Carly Simon

I really enjoyed this unpretentious telling of the hitherto unknown curious friendship between Simon and Jackie O. The two had much in common: motherhood, homes on, and love of Martha's Vineyard, celebrity, and rewarding and heartbreaking marriages to compelling and complicated men. Their friendship plays out leisurely over lunches, movie nights, shared summer evenings with mutual friends. Ultimately, Jackie encourages and edits two of Simon's books. All in all, an engrossing and rewarding story. A chance to be a fly on a very interesting wall.

-Susan Phillips