Our Favorite Books of 2016 (Pt. 6)

In what has become a tradition here at Syosset R and R, we will be running a series of blog posts throughout the month of December telling you about our staff’s favorite reads for this year.  The books mentioned were read during 2016 but not necessarily published in 2016. Here’s the sixth installment:

Lisa H., Reference Services Librarian:

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Reunited when the elder’s husband is sent to fight in World War II, French sisters Vianne and Isabelle find their bond as well as their respective beliefs tested by a world that changes in horrific ways

“I felt every emotion while reading this book. A good historical fiction pick.”

Famous Nathan: A Family Saga of Coney Island, the American Dream, and the Search for the Perfect Hot Dog by Lloyd Handwerker

Traces the rise of Nathan’s Famous from a small Coney Island concession on an undeveloped boardwalk to an international brand, tracing founder Nathan Handwerker’s flight from World War I-stricken Europe and his menial jobs in 1912 New York before building an empire that has become the object of a heated legal dispute.

“Nathan really did live the American dream after arriving in New York City.”

The Girls by Emma Cline

Mesmerized by a band of girls in the park she perceives as enjoying a life of free and careless abandon, 1960s teen Evie Boyd becomes obsessed with gaining acceptance into their circle, only to find herself drawn into a cult and seduced by its charismatic leader.

“Could not put this one down. Based on the Manson murders, Evie is looking for love in all the wrong places.”

Bonnie, Circulation Clerk:

The Velvet Hours by Alyson Richman

In the face of the German Occupation, Solange leaves her late grandmother’s treasure-filled Paris apartment, unsure if she’ll ever return, but as she sets out on a new path, her grandmother’s legacy of cultivating a life of art and beauty guides her.

“I really enjoyed The Velvet Hours. It was very different for the usual Historical Fiction.”

Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber

Follows the experiences of an aspiring journalist who starts a blog to seek revenge against a handsome but arrogant neighbor who she treats with exceeding kindness in the hopes of breaking through his cold exterior.

“Debbie Macomber’s holiday book was a very entertaining and enjoyable read.”

Evelyn, Readers’ Services Librarian:

Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue

An immigrant working class couple from Cameroon and the upper class American family for whom they work find their lives and marriages shaped by financial circumstances, infidelities, secrets, and the 2008 recession.

“This was my favorite book this year and would make for an excellent book discussion.”

The Nix by Nathan Hill

Astonished to see the mother who abandoned him in childhood throwing rocks at a presidential candidate, a bored college professor struggles to reconcile the media depictions of his mother with his memories and decides to draw her out by penning a tell-all biography.

 “An exceptional debut novel”

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi 

A Ivy League-trained, award-winning young neurosurgeon describes his how after receiving a terminal diagnosis with lung cancer he explored the dynamics of his roles as a patient and care provider, the philosophical conundrums about a meaningful life and how he wanted to spend his final days.

“This was my favorite non-fiction title of the year.”

(All plot summaries from the publishers.)

Tell us in the comments what your favorite 2016 reads were and check in with Syosset R and R for more of “Our Favorite Reads of 2016” next week when we wind up the series!

-posted by Sonia, Reference Services

New in DVD

The Dressmaker

Drama R

The Dressmaker tells the story of the beautiful and talented Tilly Dunnage. After years working as a dressmaker in exclusive Parisian fashion houses, Tilly returns home to a town in the Australian outback to reconcile with her eccentric mother Molly. She also falls in love with the pure-hearted Teddy, and armed with her sewing machine and haute couture style, Tilly transforms the women of the town, exacting sweet revenge on those who did her wrong.

 

No Manches Frida

Foreign PG-13

After serving a jail term for robbery, Zequi is freed, only to discover his buried loot lies directly under a newly built high school gym! To gain access to the cash, Zequi cons his way into a job as Frida Kahlo High’s cool new substitute teacher. But before Zequi collects the money, the ex-thief will have to face a class of rowdy kids and a beautiful teacher who just might steal his heart in this over-the-top and outrageously funny comedy.

-posted by Ralph, Media Services

Our Favorite Books of 2016 (Pt. 5)

In what has become a tradition here at Syosset R and R, we will be running a series of blog posts throughout the month of December telling you about our staff’s favorite reads for this year.  The books mentioned were read during 2016 but not necessarily published in 2016. Here’s the fifth installment:

Pam. S., Reference Librarian:

Saving Sophie by Ronald Balson

On the run after becoming the main suspect in an embezzlement case, Jack Sommers races to save his daughter Sophie from her grandfather, a suspected terrorist in Palestine, teaming up with Liam, Catherine, and a new CIA operative who hopes to thwart a terrorist attack in Hebron.

“A great legal thriller with lots of twists and turns.”

What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman

Ten years ago, Izzy Stone’s mother fatally shot her father while he slept. Devastated by her mother’s apparent insanity, Izzy, now seventeen, refuses to visit her in prison. But her new foster parents, employees at the local museum, have enlisted Izzy’s help in cataloging items at a long-shuttered state asylum. There, amid piles of abandoned belongings, Izzy discovers a stack of unopened letters, a decades-old journal, and a window into her own past.

“A story about how someone could be identified as mentally ill when they were perfectly fine – very frustrating but a beautiful book using two characters at two different times to bring out the story.”

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan

Lost in the Black Forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and finds himself entwined in a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica–and decades later three children, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California find themselves caughtup in the same thread of destiny in the darkest days of the twentieth century, struggling to keep their families intact, and tied together by the music of the same harmonica.

 “This YA novel is a story of a harmonica and how three different lives intersected by way of this harmonica!  – beautiful stories.”

Ed, Head of Reference Services:

The Passenger by Lisa Lutz

Changing her name and appearance to flee town after leaving her husband dead, a fugitive woman forges an uneasy alliance off the grid at the side of a female bartender with whom she races from city to city to escape her past.

“Tanya Pitts Dubois comes home one day to find her husband, Frank, lying at the base of the stairs, quite dead, with a big gash on his head. She decides that if she notifies the police and remains at the house until they arrive, she will be the most likely suspect. For various reasons, she concludes, this would not be a brilliant idea. So, she packs her bags and leaves.”

Freedom’s Child by Jax Miller

Living in witness protection to hide from her late husband’s violent family, Freedom Oliver risks her life in order to save the kidnapped daughter she gave up for adoption.

“The prologue, which you should go back and read again after you finish the book, begins ‘My name is Freedom Oliver and I killed my daughter. It’s surreal, honestly, and I’m not sure what feels more like a dream, her death or her existence. I’m guilty of both.’ “

 When the Music’s Over by Peter Robinson

The case of a poet claiming she was assaulted decades earlier by a revered public figure and the murder of a girl found on a remote roadside leads to an exploration of a more innocent time and an unexpected suspect.

“Peter Robinson’s Inspector Banks series never fails to please and When the Music’s Over is no exception. Like most (all?) books in the series, it tackles both a current case and a cold or older case. In this particular instance, Robinson also tackles the ethnic hatred that currently seems to be running rampant throughout our ‘civilized’ world.”

(All plot summaries from the publishers.)

Tell us in the comments what your favorite 2016 reads were and keep checking in with Syosset R and R for more of “Our Favorite Reads of 2016”!

-posted by Sonia, Reference Services

Our Favorite Books of 2016 (Pt. 4)

In what has become a tradition here at Syosset R and R, we will be running a series of blog posts throughout the month of December telling you about our staff’s favorite reads for this year.  The books mentioned were read during 2016 but not necessarily published in 2016. Here’s the fourth installment:

Brenda, Reference Librarian:

Forty Autumns by Nina Willner

A former American military intelligence officer traces the experiences of five women in her family who were separated by the Iron Curtain for more than forty years and who endured terrifying Communist rule before being reunited after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

“Forty Autumns is about a family split by the division of Germany. Personally interesting with my travels. But the story resonates for any of us who lived through the cold war and the eventual fall of the Wall.”

The Hour of the Land by Terry Tempest Williams

From the Grand Tetons in Wyoming to Acadia in Maine to Big Bend in Texas and more, Williams creates a series of lyrical portraits that illuminate the unique grandeur of each place while delving into what it means to shape a landscape with its own evolutionary history into something of our own making.

“The Hour of the Land is a loving tribute to the NPS. And the amazing, awesome, miraculous protection of the land in the US.”

Heir to the Empire City by Edward Kohn

A riveting account of a man and a city on the brink of greatness, Heir to the Empire City reveals that Roosevelt’s true education took place not in the West but on the mean streets of nineteenth-century New York.

The Naturalist: Theodore Roosevelt, a Lifetime of Exploration, and the Triumph of American Natural History by Darrin Lunde

Demonstrates how a young Theodore Roosevelt actively modeled himself in the proud tradition of influential museum naturalists who had a significant influence on the 26th President’s personality and politics, exploring how his passion for the natural world set the stage for America’s wildlife conservation movement.

“These last two are about Theodore Roosevelt…the first has the premise that TR would never had done what he did with his experiences (personal and professional) in NY…the second delves into TR’s fascination with the natural world. A narrow topic for sure but well written.”

Stacey, Readers’ Services Librarian:

This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

Minutes after the principal of Opportunity High School in Alabama finishes her speech welcoming the student body to a new semester, they discover that the auditorium doors will not open and someone starts shooting as four teens, each with a personal reason to fear the shooter, tell the tale from separate perspectives

It is a book about a school shooting in a fictional small town. It is written in the perspective of four connected teens, their connection from the student who commits the act. It is a very quick read and heartbreaking, because every character has their own troubles and redeeming acts. I couldn’t put it down.

 Her Darkest Nightmare by Brenda Novak

While running a psychiatric prison in Alaska, Dr. Evelyn Talbot, who survived an attack by a psycopath when she was a teenager, wonders if her past has come back to haunt her when a serial killer targets the small Alaskan town.

This is a new romantic suspense author and series for me. I am a sucker for that genre. It is about a famous psychiatrist and her facility for psychopaths in Alaska. There are so many deranged people out there and this books seems to bring them all together. One thing I found interesting is at the beginning of every chapter the author puts a quote from real life psychopaths – something she came across in her research for this book.

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard 

Preparing for a difficult future as a truce between three warring empires ends, two magic-wielding witches team up with a royal privateer to outmaneuver a vengeful witch and preserve the balance of power in their world.

“This is a new YA fantasy book about two girls with powers and the trouble they run into. I tried reading the actual book but couldn’t get into it. I really enjoyed the audio because it pulls you into the adventure.”

(All plot summaries from the publishers.)

Tell us in the comments what your favorite 2016 reads were and keep checking in with Syosset R and R for more of “Our Favorite Reads of 2016”!

-posted by Sonia, Reference Services

New in DVD

The Disappointments Room

Horror R

The door to heart-pounding terror swings wide open in this gripping psychological thriller based on true events. Looking for a fresh start, Dana, David, and their five-year-old son move from the big city to a rural Southern mansion in need of restoration. But the young family’s dream home quickly becomes a chilling nightmare when Dana discovers a hidden room in the attic, unleashing unexplainable events that test her sanity and slowly reveal shocking secrets from the past.

The Magnificent Seven

Action PG-13

The town of Rose Creek is under the deadly control of Bartholomew Bogue, the townspeople are desperate for protection. They find protection in seven outlaws. These seven mercenaries find themselves fighting for more than money.

Sully

Drama PG-13

On Thursday, January 15th, 2009, the world witnessed the ‘Miracle on the Hudson’ when Captain Chesley Sullenberger glided his disabled plane onto the frigid waters of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard. However, even as Sully was being heralded by the public and the media for his unprecedented feat of aviation skill, an investigation was unfolding that threatened to destroy his reputation and his career.

Our Favorite Books of 2016 (Pt. 3)

In what has become a tradition here at Syosset R and R, we will be running a series of blog posts throughout the month of December telling you about our staff’s favorite reads for this year.  The books mentioned were read during 2016 but not necessarily published in 2016. Here’s the third installment:

Amy, Children’s Librarian

The Assistants by Camille Perri

When a technical error at a multinational media conglomerate gives a financially strapped veteran employee a chance to pay off her student loans in ways the company will never notice, she embarks on a downward spiral involving other employees with crushing debts and fewer scruples.

The Rainbow Comes and Goes: A Mother and Son on Life, Love, and Loss by Anderson Cooper

Correspondence between the CNN journalist and his celebrated mother, exchanged in the aftermath of the latter’s brief illness, shares a rare window into their relationship and the life lessons imparted by an aging mother to her adult son.

Live Fast Die Hot by Jenny Mollen

A collection of comedic stories describes the author’s life as a reluctant adult and mother.

Betty T., Graphic Artist

Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill  by Candice Millard

Presents a narrative account of Churchill’s heroics during the Boer War, describing his daring escape from rebel captors, trek through hundreds of miles with virtually no supplies, and eventual return to South Africa to liberate the soldiers captured with him

“Even the book’s full title is a grabber: Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill  by Candice Millard(author of Destiny of the Republic and The River of Doubt).  As a 24-year-old war hero and escaped prisoner of war, Winston Churchill crossed 500-miles of the South African Transvaal alone —— but he did have four chocolate bars and one biscuit ——  to fulfill the destiny he knew was his to become —— the Prime Minister of Great Britain!  Loved it.”

Rosemarie B., Children’s Librarian

Let Me Die in his Footsteps by Lori Roy

When a 15-year-old girl from a small mid-20th-century Kentucky town sneaks onto a rival family’s property and discovers a dead body, she is forced to confront dangerous events from the past in order to protect the town. By the Edgar Award-winning author of Bent Road

Delicious Foods by James Hannaham

In Delicious Foods, James Hannaham tells the gripping story of three unforgettable characters: a mother, her son, and the drug that threatens to destroy them. Through Darlene’s haunted struggle to reunite with Eddie, through the efforts of both to triumph over those who would enslave them, and through the irreverent and mischievous voice of the drug that narrates Darlene’s travails, Hannaham’s daring and shape-shifting prose infuses this harrowing experience with grace and humor.  WINNER OF THE 2016 PEN/FAULKNER AWARD FOR FICTION

Grandma Gatewood’s Walk:  The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery

Drawing from Gatewood’s diaries, journals, and correspondence, documents the life of the first woman to hike the Appalachian Trail alone in 1955 as well as her efforts to bring public attention to the once little-known footpath.

(All plot summaries from the publishers.)

Tell us in the comments what your favorite 2016 reads were and keep checking in with Syosset R and R for more of “Our Favorite Reads of 2016”!

-posted by Sonia, Reference Services

Readers’ Services Year-End Celebration and Author Visit

-Photo Credit: Robert Presutti

Tuesday, December 20 at 2 PM in Meeting Room B/C

 Join the Readers’ Services staff for a fun Year-End Celebration featuring       Long Island author Alyson Richman.

Ms. Richman is the author of six novels including the 2012 International bestseller The Lost Wife now being adapted to film. 

Copies of her latest novel The Velvet Hours will be sold by the Friends of the Library at the event.   

Inspired by the true account of an abandoned Parisian apartment, Alyson Richman brings to life Madame de Florian and Solange Beaugiron, the young woman forced to leave her fabled grandmother’s legacy behind to save all that she loved.

The Velvet Hours explores the unlikely relationship between two women who pursue freedom and independence during uncertain times, as Solange and Marthe’s stories unfold like velvet itself, each stitched with its own shadow     and light.

~ From the Publisher

Ms. Richman will discuss the writer’s life, as well as the creation of and inspiration behind her six novels.

Free event. 

No registration required. 

Light refreshments will be served.

Each attendee will receive a ticket to win a raffle prize. 

We have all of Alyson Richman’s novels currently available at the Library to borrow. Start reading one today!

 For more information on author Alyson Richman, visit her website:

http://www.alysonrichman.com/

-posted by Jackie, Readers’ Services

New in DVD

Ben-Hur

Drama PG-13

The epic story of Judah Ben-Hur, a prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother, an officer in the Roman army. After years at sea, Judah returns to his homeland to seek revenge, but finds redemption.

Florence Foster Jenkins

Drama PG-13

A New York socialite dreams of becoming a great opera singer. While the voice she hears in her head is beautiful, to everyone else it is hilariously awful. Her husband and biggest fan, St. Clair Bayfield, is determined to protect his beloved Florence from the truth. But when Florence stages a huge concert at Carnegie Hall, he faces his greatest challenge to make sure her performance is a rousing success.

Morgan

Sci Fi R

A corporate troubleshooter is sent to a remote, top-secret location, where she is to investigate and evaluate a terrifying accident. She learns the event was triggered by a seemingly innocent ‘human,’ who presents a mystery of both infinite promise and incalculable danger.

Southside with You

Drama PG-13

Chronicles the summer afternoon in 1989 when the future President of the United States, Barack Obama, wooed the future First Lady, Michelle Robinson, on an epic first date across Chicago’s South Side.

Suicide Squad

Action PG-13

US intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined that only a secret group of despicable individuals with nothing to lose can avert a potential apocalypse. So she has assembled the world’s most dangerous super villains, given them a powerful arsenal of weapons, and sent them off on a suicide mission.

-posted by Ralph, Media Services