Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Fear not, this not a review. I'm not going to spoil it for those of you still waiting.
Just know that the seventh and final volume of Harry Potter is superb.


Happy Reading!

A Thousand Splendid Suns by khaled Hosseini

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Wow! If you thought the Kite Runner was good, then this second book by Hosseini is a must read. This heart-wrenching story is bound by two women of differing backgrounds, Miriam, the illegitimate child of a wealthy businessman in Herat, and Laila, a much younger, educated woman raised by liberal parents in Kabul. Wishing to remove Miriam from the legitimate family, the 15-year-old is betrothed to a shoemaker three times her age. When she cannot produce an heir, her husband becomes a brute. Set in the second half of the 20th century, war grips Kabul as the Russians, tribal factions, and the Taliban all tear the country apart. Laila is born the day the communists take over. She is adored by her father but emotionally neglected by her mother in favor of her older brothers. Laila turns her affections to Tariq, a neighborhood boy who lost one leg to a land mine. When Tariq’s family flees to Pakistan amid the turmoil, Laila stays with her parents, only to see them killed in a mortar attack on their home. Laila is 14, wounded, and in need of care. Miriam and her husband, Rasheed, take her into their home. To secure a safe future, Laila, is forced to make a horrible decision and she marries Rasheed. As life becomes constrained for the women of Afghanistan, both Miriam and Laila comfort each other trying to survive a despotic household. That this is probably an accurate portrait of life in a male-dominated society is the most disturbing aspect of this book.

Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich

Lean Mean Thirteen by Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum, the not-so-great bounty hunter from Trenton, New Jersey, is up to her neck in problems in this 13th book of the series. When her oh-so-mysterious friend, Ranger, asks her to plant a bug on her ex-husband Dickie Orr, the operation goes terribly wrong. The next day Dickie ends up missing and bloodstains are found on the floor of his home. Stephanie is the prime suspect in his disappearance and possible death. To clear her name, Stephanie investigates and finds that Dickie has allied himself with some unsavory business partners who are involved with drug running and money laundering. Add to this her other wacky bond skips and the book is non-stop fun. Hunky Joe Morelli, her sometime boyfriend, and sexy Ranger, a fellow bounty hunter that leaves her breathless, have their hands full trying to keep Stephanie out of harm's way. Plum’s dysfunctional family members and the cast of quirky characters are all back for this latest adventure.

Summer Reading Grand Prizes

At the end of this month, we will hold the drawings for the Summer Reading Grand Prizes. Prizes are:

• First place: 2 one day passes to Cedar Point
• Second Place: 1 AAA membership with a Rand McNally Road Atlas
• Third Place: 2 one day adult tickets and 2 children's tickets to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo & the Rainforest.

Winners are drawn from among all weekly entries. The more you participate, the better your chances. Its not too late! To enter: simply read a book, attend an adult program at Ritter Public Library, or participate in one of the library's book discussions and then fill out an entry form. You may enter as many times as you like.

Good Luck!!!!!

Mystery Contest Enters Final Week

This is your final week to quialify for the chance to win a summer's worth of ice cream!Adults and children alike are welcome to participate.

  Come in and pick up an entry form listing the authors of books that are missing their titles. Book covers are hanging around on display in the children's, adult and teen areas. They are numbered to match the authors on the entry form. Next, locate the book cover that corresponds with the author on your entry form, find the book in the library and write the title down on the entry form. It's that easy!

 When you've finished, put your entry form in the box marked "Mystery Contest Entries." Good luck and don't forget to write your name and phone number! Yummy ice cream awaits you!

p.s. This picture of the contest entry box was taken from my cell phone.

Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier

Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier

I really enjoyed reading Cold Mountain which brought a lot of fame to writer Charles Frazier. Thirteen Moons is what is called his “sophomore effort.” This book is written in the first person and follows the life of Will Cooper, a 90-year-old survivor of the North Carolina frontier. The author loosely based his main character on a real person in North Carolina’s history. Will is orphaned at a young age and sent off to a remote post next to the Cherokee nation to tend a general store. For seven years he looks after the store for its owner. When the owner dies, Will inherits the store, and becomes a prosperous merchant. He then teaches himself the law by reading law books late into the night. Will also becomes an honorary white chief of the Cherokee nation, using his title to help defend the Indians from being raped of their land and culture. In the end he must bear witness to the Trail of Tears when the Cherokees were removed from their land. Giving in to his wanderlust, he travels around the country and during the Civil War organizes a troupe of Indians to fight for the Confederacy. Later in his career he becomes a state senator. Throughout his life, Will pines for his one true love, Claire, a girl he won in a card game. The last scenes find Will sitting on his back porch taking pot shots at the passing trains. This book is truly for history buffs. It is long, but richly written, and in the end worth the time spent.

Cape May Court House: A Death in the Night by Lawrence Schiller

I recently finished reading Cape May Court House: A Death in the Night by Lawrence Schiller and I have to say I was hooked from the start. I'm usually reluctant to read non-fiction because it doesn't often interest me, but this book succeeded where others have failed.

In this true crime novel, a man, Eric Thomas and his wife, Tracy, who is six months pregnant, head out late one snowy night to take their fevered daughter to the hospital. Tracy was driving.

When they were found a few hours later, their Ford Explorer had hit a telephone pole. Tracy was dead, her husband was injured and her daughter was unharmed and appeared to be fever-free.

The Medical Examiner, after trying and failing to get information on air bag fatalities, declaired the cause of death was asphixiation possibly caused by the force of the airbag.

It seems like nothing's amiss right? Are you sure, because Forensic experts hired by Ford disagree. They think it was murder.

This was a really engaging book covering all of the facts of this case. All through the book, I felt like I was on the journey of discovery with the lawyers. I speculated right along with them. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves true crime and to people who like crime shows, but are reluctant to read non-fiction crime accounts.

If you would like to place a hold on this book or any of the others mentioned in this blog, send an e-mail, info@ritter.lib.oh.us, with your name and library card number. If you do not want to pick up the book at Ritter, please let us know which library you would like to have your hold sent to.

As always, comments are welcome!