Theresa Connolly, Audio Production Services Supervisor
Geography Club by Brent Hartinger.
Russell knows from observation that bullies rule the social scene at his high school and he is certain that he will be ridiculed, spurned and probably physically hurt if it becomes known that he is gay. He is surprised when he finds out there are other gay kids “hiding” at school. When they think of a way to have group meetings under the guise of a Geography Club, Russell and the other gay kids finally feel they have a place where they can drop their disguises and have understanding friends. Bad things happen, though, and love and friendship do not always prevail. Russell and his friends discover how hard it is to be decent people in the face of fear and how horribly easy it can be to betray someone or not stand firm against cruelty. Digital book DBW 8034 and available as a download from the WTBBL website www.wtbbl.org/login.aspx.
David Junius, Volunteer Services and Outreach Coordinator (and 1968-1990 Las Vegan)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter Thompson.
A wild ride between Los Angeles and Las Vegas culminates in several days of “bad craziness” that mirror the zeitgeist of the book’s 1971 setting. Touching on numerous Nixon- and Vietnam-era counterculture conceits, the book also shows a side of “Sin City” that has largely vanished. Cassette book CBA 6922.
Tyler Kaye, Patron Registrar
Our Inner Ape by Frans de Waal.
Chimpanzees and their lesser-known relatives, bonobos, can teach us a lot about our own human behaviors, according to de Waal, a Dutch primatologist. Drawing on over 30 years of research in zoos and in the wild, the author explores parallels in violence, sex, power, and gender politics. He also discusses traits once thought to be unique in humans, such as tool-making, that have since been observed in primates. Braille book BR 17152.
The Great Chicago Fire and the Myth of Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow by Richard F. Bales. While the supposed cause of the 1871 fire that destroyed Chicago is an indelible part of American folklore, the true sequence of events remain shrouded in mystery. Painstakingly recreating that October evening using public records, Bales argues that the fire’s origins were manmade, not bovine. Along the way he uncovers a parade of bureaucrats deflecting blame and opportunists seeking fame. Cassette book RC 65881. Digital book DB 65881 and available as a downloadable talking book from BARD at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.nls/db.65881.
Danielle Miller, Program Manager
Shanghai Girls by Lisa See.
In 1930s Shanghai, Chinese sisters Pearl and May are “beautiful girls” living a beautiful life. Then, their father loses their fortunes and sells the sisters to brothers living in Los Angeles. Pearl and May decide to flee, rather than be sold in to marriage, however, they narrowly escape the invading Japanese and end up in Los Angeles after all. See’s powerful descriptions of the prejudice and harsh treatment the sisters receive as they try to assimilate and make a life for themselves is heart wrenching. Some violence. Braille book BR 18386, and cassette book RC 69160. Digital book DB 69160 and available as a downloadable talking book from BARD at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.nls/db.69160.
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson.
Cassie and Lia are best friends both struggling with eating disorders. When anorexic Lia finds she has lost Cassie for good, haunting guilt and the need to be thin torment her. For grades 8 and up. Braille book BR 18651, and cassette book RC 69104. Digital book DB 69104 and available as a downloadable talking book from BARD at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.nls/db.69104.
Gregg Porter, Evergreen Radio Reading Service Broadcaster
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America by Bill Bryson.
An expat living in London, Bryson returns to his boyhood home in Iowa for his father’s funeral. He then borrows his dad’s car for a road trip throughout much of the U.S., and his eye for the hilarious aspects of American life is recounted in this humorous travel journal, the book that launched Bryson’s career as a successful author. Cassette book RC 66259. Digital book DB 66259 is only available as a downloadable talking book from BARD at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.nls/db.66259.
Amy Ravenholt, Assistant Program Manager
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan.
The more Americans worry about nutrition, the less healthy we seem to become. Pollan suggests: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” He advocates following any traditional diet (French, Japanese, Greek, etc.)—if it weren’t a healthy diet, the people who follow it wouldn’t still be around. He challenges both the food industry and nutritionists, and advises us to eat “real” food—the sort of food our great grandmothers would recognize. Avoid processed foods with ingredients you can’t pronounce, and bring pleasure back to eating. Cassette book RC 65229 and large print book LP 23496. Digital book DB 65229 is only available as a downloadable talking book from BARD at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.nls/db.65229.
Eura Ryan, Electronic Services, Instruction & Administrative Librarian
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.
Just in time for Halloween, dive into a truly spooky, but warmhearted book by great science fiction storyteller, Neil Gaiman. The Graveyard Book tells the story of a young boy named Nobody “Bod” Owens, who is raised in a graveyard with a varied group of humorous and spine-tingling guardians. Follow him as he learns about himself, his true identity and how to survive in the non-ghost world. Cassette book RC 68027, large print LP 24918, and braille book BR 18241. Digital book DB 68027 and available as a downloadable talking book from BARD at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.nls/db.68027.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Set in 1990s England, this great alternative world novel tells the story of Kathy H., Ruth and Tommy. Told from the point of view of Kathy H. the reader slowly pieces together the mystery of Hailsham, the children’s privileged lives and the reason for their existence. Cassette book RC 59667, large print LP 21599. Digital book DB 59667 is only available as a downloadable talking book from BARD at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.nls/db.59667.
Rick Slama, Shipping Department
The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta.
After sex-education teacher and atheist Ruth Ramsey gives her students more information than the local church would like, she is forced to teach an abstinence-only curriculum. Further complicating her life, her daughter’s Christian soccer coach leads the team in prayer. Tom Perrotta’s nuanced look at a microcosm of America’s “Culture Wars” takes Ruth from feeling besieged by her town’s religious community to an eventual coming-to-terms with the things she might have in common with her perceived enemies. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. Cassette book RC 65430. Digital book DB 65430 is only available as a downloadable talking book from BARD at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.nls/db.65430.
The Magicians by Lev Grossman.
Feeling something is missing from his likely future of Ivy League schools and success in any chosen field, brilliant high school senior Quentin is pleased to be offered the chance to apply to a college for magic. After overwhelmingly rigorous studies and typical college hi-jinks, Quentin graduates, only to have his mind blown by the discovery that the mystical land of his favorite book series, the Narnia-like Fillory, is real. Will he and his friends find the Fillory of their childhood dreams or something far more sinister? Strong language and some descriptions of sex. Cassette book RC 69579, large print LP 25099. Digital book DB 69579 and available as a downloadable talking book from BARD at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.nls/db.69579.
Herrick Heitman, Adult Services Librarian
Ghost Riders (#7, Ballad Series) by Sharyn McCrumb.
The Civil War haunts the mountains of Tennessee and western North Carolina, literally and figuratively, in this book. Interlocking stories tie the past to the present. A backwoods politician rises to power only to find himself helpless in the face of war fever. A proud mountain couple defy their neighbors when forced to choose sides. Present day residents and Civil War reenactors attract the ghosts of Civil War fighters and learn it was nothing like “Gone With the Wind”. The author is true to the voices of her characters and lets you see how the war might never end for some of the people caught up in it. Some violence and folk wisdom. Braille book BR 15724, large print book LP 20000. Digital book DB 69124 and available as a download from BARD at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.nls/db.69124.