Book Review: Unleashed by David Rosenfelt

If you are a dog-lover, (as I am) and you like mysteries, (as I do), then you will love this latest mystery from the author, David Rosenfelt.  It is an addition to the Andy Carpenter series, but it is also enjoyable as a stand-alone.  Rosenfelt lived in Patterson, New Jersey and this is his 11^th Andy Carpenter mystery featuring this New Jersey city.

 Andy is an independently wealthy, criminal defense attorney.  His main interest is his girlfriend, his dog, and the Tara Foundation, a dog rescue center.  So it is no surprise that he is reluctant to take on new clients but after much persuading agrees to take on his accountant’s friend, Barry Price.  Unfortunately, Barry dies in a plane crash before meeting Andy.  It is soon discovered that the plane crash was not accidental and Barry’s wife is arrested for his murder.   Without spoiling the mystery, I can tell you that the story involves a mob of international terrorists threating a major attack on the United States, a group of octogenarian computer whizzes who assistant our attorney, and of course, you will meet some pretty special dogs, and have a thoroughly entertaining time.  This book will keep you turning the pages as fast as the plot keeps coming up with unexpected twists and turns to the very exciting end. The story is told with Andy’s wisecracking humor and unusual courtroom behavior and candid observations.  All this keeps his fans coming back for more and I believe you will be a fan after reading, Unleashed.

After you read this novel you may want to try his nonfiction book, Dogtripping.  Rosenfelt is an ardent dog lover and has rescued many throughout his life.  This book chronicles his funny account of a cross-country move from California to Maine, and the beginnings of the Tara Foundation, a dog rescue center.  Oh, and did I forget to mention that the family did this move with twenty-five rescue dogs, eleven volunteers, and three RVs?

As a side note, I would also like to add that one of our own staff members at MAPL has met David Rosenfelt and has corresponded with him.  She is also a lover of dogs.

Genre:  Legal thrillers; Suspense stories   Writing Style:  Compelling; Witty

Book reviewed by Cecelia R.

Adult Summer Reading Club ends soon!

Week 7 raffle prize

There are only a few days left to participate in the 2013 Adult Summer Reading Club.  While the Children and Teen Summer Reading Clubs both end on Friday, August 9 with the Finisher’s Day activities, the Adult SRC will continue until Monday, August 12 @ 1 PM.   This means you have plenty of time to finish that book you’re currently reading, or even start a new book if you are a fast reader.  Just remember to return your book (or audiobook) by Monday @ 1 PM to get that last raffle ticket.

Sometime after 1 PM we’ll draw for the Week 7 raffle prize, a beautiful basket of assorted summer goodies and two new books – Unwritten by Charles Martin and The Moon Says It Will by Vell Sweeney. Next we’ll pool together all the adult raffle tickets from the entire summer and draw for the Grand Prize - a Barnes & Noble NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight (courtesy of the Friends of the Library)!

Remember, you can’t win if you don’t enter!  Good Luck everyone!

Book Review: Full Body Burden by Kristen Iversen

Have you ever heard of the Rocky Flats Plant in Jefferson County, Colorado? If not, don't worry, because after reading Full Body Burden by Kristen Iversen, you'll learn the history and the secrets behind the plant.  In Iversen's autobiography she writes about her childhood (from heartbreak to family secrets and her family experiences living near the plant), and of course the real agenda behind Rocky Flats. Most residents living near the plant believed they were making cleaning products, but secretly it was a working nuclear plant creating plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons.  Throughout the book she highlights specific workers and their experiences in the plant along with events happening in her family and is able to interweave these two topics into a wonderful narrative.   
Kristen Iversen's autobiography of her time growing up near the plant reads more like a work of fiction, and at times you have to remind yourself that these events really happened and that the people highlighted were real.  If you enjoyed the movie Erin Brockovich you will love reading this book about the secrets that a plant hid from its community and the outcomes that followed the residents and workers.   

This post was written by Dennis K.

Book Review: The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer is the story of six friends who meet at summer camp in 1974 and remain part of each others lives for the next few decades. It’s a summer camp for the arts so the book has plenty to say about creative people and what role creativity plays in their lives. Is it enough to be talented without ambition? Is it better to be talented and lucky, or wealthy? At what point do you "settle"? Smart and funny, The Interestings has well drawn characters, with dramatically different lives and relationships. They support each other, they drift apart. They share secrets and lies. They celebrate each other but they can also be jealous. Wolitzer has a remarkable eye for detail, and ear for dialogue. She captures a lot of life’s beautiful small moments and larger truths. The Interestings is aptly named, and a great addition to your summer reading list.


This post was written by Susie B.

Prizes and Fun are guaranteed this summer at MAPL!

Sign up now for our annual Adult Summer Reading Club. Every time you return a book, audiobook, or Playaway, you will have the chance to win fun weekly prizes such as gift cards, gift baskets, and much more! The more you read, the more chances you have to win. In order to win prizes you'll need to register for the club at the Circulation Desk.  You'll be assigned a number and receive a FREE tote bag courtesy of the Friends of the Library. While you're there pick up a brochure with details on all the amazing programs going on at the library this summer! Learn about Life At An Edwardian Manor (7/22 @ 7 pm) , the History of the Jersey Shore (7/31 @ 7 pm), or listen to the music of Gregory Irish (7/19 @ 7 pm), plus so much more.  The sooner you get started, the more chances you'll have to win. At the end of summer all the raffle tickets will be put back in the jar for a chance to win the Grand Prize - a Barnes & Noble NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight (also from the Friends of the Library).

Good luck to everyone!

This post was written by library intern, Dennis Kuhn, with reference librarian, Jill Stafford.

Peeling the Onion

I like books that evolve and reveal, and like peeling an onion, show what’s underneath or what’s behind. Two of my favorite books of this sort are People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks and Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.

People of the Book follows Hannah Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, as she restores the Sarajevo Haggadah, a beautifully illuminated Hebrew manuscript created in fifteenth-century Spain. Hannah has her own life story drama, but for me the real drama came as she peels apart the book and finds the relics that reveal the book’s rich history: an insect wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, and a white hair. Inspired by the Haggadah’s true story, each relic’s origin is imagined with touching, engrossing stories that bring each character to life. In fact, at times, I found myself more interested in the people of the book’s past than in Hannah’s story. Yet, there is mystery and intrigue afoot around one of the oldest Sephardic Haggadah’s in the world, and Hannah unwittingly is entangled in the connivance. I have read this book twice and still love it.

Forgotten Garden, I realize, is similar in that a book leads to a historical past. Found abandoned on a pier in Brisbane, Australia, a young girl carries a suitcase that contains some clothes and a single book of fairy tales. On her twenty-first birthday, the harbor master who adopted her tells her the truth of her origins. Feeling lost and foundation-less, Nell, as she was named, has little but the book to lead her to her true past. After many years of pondering her past, Nell decides she will finally travel to England but she is suddenly left to care for Cassandra, her granddaughter, and her search is thwarted. After Nell’s death, Cassandra finds clues that set her off on the hunt. Her pursuit leads to all the layers of Nell’s story being unpeeled. This book intertwines stories more “densely” than People of the Book does, in that chapters jump between time frames more rapidly and diversely, but each chapter is dated and each story is easily followed. Nell and her granddaughter Cassandra are both strong women, each with a tale I loved following. The unveiling of Nell’s childhood home will likely sound familiar to fans of The Secret Garden with some traces of Downton Abbey thrown in, as well. I have only read this book once but know it too will be read again.

This blog post was written by Adult Services Librarian, Jeanette Walker.

Book Reviews: New Computer Books

The Matawan Aberdeen Public Library has recently acquired some new books that are perfect for tech-geeks and aspiring learners alike. The books range from topics such as:

·         Communicating with Siri

·         Cloud Computing

·         Pinterest

·         Searching the Internet Effectively

·         Blogging

Talking to Siri by Erica Sadun is a great way to learn how to maximize your productivity with your iOS device. Learn how to teach Siri to recognize requests and take dictation more accurately, launch apps, look up movie reviews, send messages by voice, answer math and science problems, and more.

Cloud Computing in Easy Steps by David Crookes is a great way to get started in learning to utilize the cloud. Written in plain English and full of illustration, this book is easy to follow from Chapter 1. Learn how to use Google’s cloud services, such as Google Drive & Google Calendar, as well as services such as Microsoft’s SkyDrive, Dropbox, Apple’s iCloud, and more.

 

My Pinterest by Michael Miller can show you how to get started on the latest social network, Pinterest. Read how to create new pinboards, pin items such as intriguing digital media, comment on your friends’ pins, and more. This easy read is complete with easily understandable pictures that will enable you to immediately get the hang of the site.

 

Extreme Searcher’s Internet Handbook by Randolph Hock is an excellent tool for power users. Learn how to optimize your search engine of choice to instantly redirect you to your page of interest. Whether you’re looking for Historical Documents, Statistics, Maps, Professional Directories, or Databases, this book will assist you in learning to become an efficient Internet searcher.

Blog Inc.: Blogging for Passion, Profit, and to Create Community by Joy Deangdeelert Cho is an excellent start on the journey to blogging online. Learn how to design an attractive site, manage content, choose the right advertisements (if any), use great photos, and more. While the book may be text heavy, it is worth the read for any aspiring blogger who wishes to make a name for themself.

 

Hybrid Cloud for Dummies by Judith Hurwitz is a book primarily aimed at aspiring technical professionals. Concepts include information management with regards to hybrid clouds, identifying business value, delivering cloud services, and making it all work together seamlessly.

Come check out these books and our technical book selection today!

Skyler Lutz

Computer Technical Assistant

Matawan Aberdeen Public Library