Our Shelf Talker

This book is about a family who has lived in New Orleans for thirty years.
They are of Islamic origins. The father is a painter. When Hurricane Katrina struck, the wife and kids left but the father stayed. This is his story about the damage and awful things done to a handful of people. The combination of physically being in the “Third world” and maybe criminally being in the
“Third world” is how Eggers chooses to define this story. It is engaging from beginning to end.


Roxanne

Our Shelf Talker

TC Boyle was recently at the store with his new book which is a collection of short stories. The main story, almost a novella, is about the boy from the 19th century who was retrieved from the forest. Boyle is an extremely satirical writer with such a strong sense of the absurd and in the story he makes you think about what is civilized and what is uncivilized. As a reader you just have to go with it. You can’t judge. You will be enlightened at the end of it.
- Roxanne

Our Shelf Talker

What I love most about Amy Bloom's writing is the compassion and insight with which she regards her characters - and the way in which she honors the complexity of their emotional lives, and refuses to judge - how refreshing! These beautifully crafted stories are alive with honest feeling and characters that are fully realized and captivating.
- Lily

Our Shelf Talker

You know I stress all the time the importance of reading to young children and this is just a great picture book with its fun illustrations. Perfect to read aloud.
- Roxanne

Our Shelf Talker

A Vietnam vet had trouble getting back into society after the war but has worked through all that with a tremendous amount of effort. Many years later he accompanies another vet back to Viet Nam to help him find the family of the soldier he killed. This other vet had gone through the pockets of the Vietnamese soldier (as they were ordered to do) and he found a journal indicating that he was medic for the vietnamese. The palpable quality of the writing personalized the death for the American soldier and it never left his mind that he wanted to find the family. What happens when he does find the family is remarkable. They are able to forgive him because the story of the death of their family member is returned to them and they could now have his funeral. This is an extremely moving story.
- Faith from the Faith Middleton Show