School Visit Books-- Get some great recommendations!

During the month of May, our Youth Services librarian, Mrs. Jarombek, visited 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-grade classes at local elementary schools to talk about new and exciting books and to promote our summer reading program and book clubs for kids.

Check out the list of books she recommended for some great picks!

What We're Reading at Perrot: Book Recommendations from our Reference Desk

What We're Reading at Perrot: Book Recommendations from our Reference Desk

August 2016

Click on each book cover image to see the item in our catalog and place a hold

Nine Women, One Dress
by Jane L. Rosen
[Fiction]

Come and read about the perfect little black dress and how it touches and changes the lives of the many people who come into contact with it. The action takes place mostly in Bloomingdale’s New York. This is truly a six degrees of  separation kind of story, from the first model who promenades the runway, to the unrequited love story of an assistant and her boss and everyone in between.  These are sweet scenarios, and Rosen definitely set this up as a chick lit story. It’s a fast-paced book and you will love it!

New York
by Fabio Mollica
[Non-Fiction]

What a wonderful, well-illustrated collection of recipes, activities, places to stay in NYC! Each restaurant featured one of its tastiest dishes, and the book is presented both in English and Italian. The author of this collection is trying to get across the diversity and excitement of the city through beautiful pictures and alluring descriptions on how to prepare and present mouth-watering dishes. In his own words, Fabio says "New York isn’t America. It’s more, it’s magic, it’s exaggeration, it’s madness and desire." Lovely book to enjoy and be tempted by.

Black Rabbit Hall
by Eve Chase
[Fiction]

Picture a well-to-do London family, four children, late 1960’s, escaping to their second home for holiday. Black Rabbit Hall is a sprawling mansion, turrets and all, on a seaside estate in Cornwall. Amber and Toby are twins. They are in their early teens. Kitty and Barney are the "little" guys. Mother is beautiful, fun and much loved by father. Tragedy strikes and lives change. Enter a second story line, 30 years later, Lorna is looking for a wedding venue and is drawn to Black Rabbit Hall. She has a dim memory of visiting when she was very, very young. Now the plot really thickens! Wonderful, happy, sad story that goes back and forth over the 30 years. Worth the read.

The Bones of You
by Debbie Howells
[Mystery]

At first I thought this book was going to be a clone of Lovely Bones, which I did not like! It is not! Rosie is dying, being murdered in the opening chapter. What follows is a look behind the curtain at emotional and physical abuse, warped personalities, tempered by all too caring, well-meaning friends. This is so well done. The suspense keeps you guessing until almost the end. Rosie sums it up with this thought. "…I know, also, the consequences of what happens if you leave a heart unloved, un-nurtured, unimportant, destined never to reach its potential."

The Lightkeepers
by Abby Geni
[Fiction]

This is a very different, but mesmerizing novel. At the center of the novel is a young woman, Miranda, who is a nature photographer. She lost her mother while she was still a young girl, and this loss is what drives Miranda to restlessly travel the world, photographing the glories and horrors of nature. This new adventure of hers takes her to the Farallon Islands, a dangerous and isolated archipelago 30 miles off the coast of California. The living space is fairly primitive and is inhabited by a small group of scientists and biologists. A nasty turn of events takes place and the person behind this turn is found dead shortly after. To tell you more would be to reveal too much. Suffice it to say, the descriptions of the sea and bird life are stunning.

Lit Up:  One Reporter, Three Schools, Twenty-Four Books That Can Change Lives
by David Denby
[Non-Fiction]

What a fascinating concept! Get 10th graders to read! Get them off their devices and on to the printed page. Let’s face it, nothing feels quite like a book. Oh what places you’ll go! David Denby worked with three different secondary schools: one in NYC, one in New Haven, and one in Westchester. The reading lists were diverse, Kite Runner, Slaughterhouse Five, Glass Castle, The Scarlet Letter. I did not notice one  Tess of the D’Urbervilles anywhere! Credit goes to the impassioned, dedicated teachers who had a bunch of doubting 15 year olds under their tutelage. Very interesting book– and it includes a complete bibliography.

Hostage Taker
by Stefanie Pintoff
[Fiction]

This thriller grabs you at the onset and just keeps going! It’s typical of this genre, since it is fast-paced and the action occurs in one day (for the most part).  The author uses the beloved St. Patrick’s Cathedral as the stage, and it’s during the Christmas holidays-- which is one of the busiest times of the year for that part of New York City. It is supposed to take place on the evening of the lighting of the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center. You can imagine how valuable St Patrick’s Cathedral is to all the parties concerned: NYPD, FBI and others as they all work together to try to save the hostages and the building.

Us
by David Nicholls
[Fiction]

Is divorce a sign of failure or is it a necessary step in some marriages? This is the question raised and haltingly answered in the latest novel from David Nicholls, the bestselling author of One Day. Douglas Petersen, husband and father, is a scientist who approaches life rationally. He is rich in quiet virtues: sincerity, honesty, and a muted but ever-present sense of self-deprecation. Connie, his wife of almost 30 years, is a still-beautiful artist. Initially attracted to Douglas’ steadiness and calm, she has begun to feel restless in their marriage and is considering leaving her husband once their 17 year-old son, Albie, leaves for university. Before anything irreversible happens, however, Douglas arranges a month-long European tour for all three. The plan is to give the family one last time to bond over shared experiences, or, with luck, to save the marriage. As with many of the best-laid plans, things go awry, but throughout the journey Douglas compensates with his powerful optimism. Funny, sad, and at times, achingly true, the cannily titled Us offers its readers a journey worth taking.

What We're Reading at Perrot: Book Recommendations from our Reference Desk

DID YOU EVER HAVE A FAMILY, BY BILL CLEGG

[Fiction] This is a story of extremes: happiness and sadness; marriage and divorce; forgiveness and resentment; youth and middle age. It is the story of a previously loosely connected group of individuals who are dealing with an unimaginable tragedy: a catastrophic accident that kills an entire family. This well-received debut novel, longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, is the very model of a page-turner, drawing readers in and holding on to them through its completion. Set initially in a small town in northwestern Connecticut, the story expands and concludes in Washington State. We learn the story from the viewpoints of its participants, coming eventually to understand the many different factors that contributed to the tragedy at the heart of the novel. Ultimately a tribute to the human spirit, this is a great read and a perfect choice for book groups.

See the rest of our list of recommendations!

What We're Reading at Perrot: Book Recommendations from our Reference Desk

What We're Reading at Perrot:

[Fiction] This haunting novel is told by three people: Catrin, Callum and Rachel.  Young children are going missing from a little village located on one of the Falkland Islands. Catrin lost her two young sons in a freak car accident three years ago. The accident took place when Catrin’s best friend, Rachel, left them alone while she ran into her house for just something quick. The car went over the cliff and into the sea in the blink of an eye. Catrin becomes insular. She shuts Rachel out of her life. Ben, her husband, left her and remarried. Callum, a PTSD sufferer as a result of the carnage caused during the Falkland War, still loves her and tries to bring her back to life. In the search for the latest two missing boys, all of their lives change. I thought I had this figured out, but the last paragraph in the book changed everything!  Great book!

Click here to see the rest of our recommendations!

What We're Reading at Perrot: Book Recommendations from our Reference Desk

What We're Reading at Perrot

FAMILY LIFE, BY AKHIL SHARMA
[Fiction] Akhil Sharma’s small but powerful novel is the semi-autobiographical story of a family who emigrates from India to Queens, N.Y. Filled with dreams of a better life and opportunities for their two young sons, the parents are hard-working and self-sacrificing. When tragedy strikes the older son, the impact on everyone in the family is enormous. We experience first-hand the pain of the parents as well as the emotional yearning of the other brother, whose efforts to secure his parents’ attention go unheeded. Told through the eyes of this younger son, Family Life is a universal story of love, loss, and survival.

See the rest of our list of recommendations!

What We're Reading at Perrot: Book Recommendations from our Reference Desk

What We're Reading at Perrot

THE BOSTON GIRL, BY ANITA DIAMONT

[Fiction] The author of this delightful book is known for her previous best sellers-- The Red Tent and Day After Night, among others. Without retelling this story, it begins with an 85-year-old grandmother talking to her 22-year-old granddaughter, answering the question, "How did you become the woman you are today?" The author has such a keen eye for historical detail and an ear for voices, both young and old. This is a great choice for book groups.

See the rest of our list of recommendations!

Book Recommendations from the Reference Desk

What We're Reading at Perrot


THE ART FORGER, BY BARBARA SHAPIRO
[Fiction] How well we all remember the theft of some famous paintings from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. . . Claire Roth works for a company which produces legitimate copies of famous works. She is a fine artist in her own right. When Aiden Markel, the owner of a famous Boston Gallery approaches Claire to make a copy of one of the stolen works form the Gardner, she is flabbergasted. After receiving assurances that her work will never be seen, except by the rich owner, and the original Degas will be returned, she agrees. What follows is a fabulous look into the world of art forgery and also into the technique of Degas. This is a great tale in more ways than one.


See the rest of our latest list of recommendations!

New Book Recommendations from the Reference Desk

What We're Reading at Perrot

SOME KIND OF FAIRY TALE, BY GRAHAM JOYCE

[Fiction] Twenty years have passed since 16-year-old Tara Martin disappeared. On Christmas Day, she rings her parent’s doorbell. What happened? If you believe in fairy tales, you will believe her. This is a captivating tale. It is told with great appeal and some delightful humor. Graham Joyce draws you into his story. You are pleased with all the people involved. However, there is that lingering question… what if?

See the rest of our latest list of recommendations!

Author Talk with Lucia Greenhouse

In fathermothergod: My Journey Out of Christian Science, Lucia Greenhouse courageously pulls back the curtain on the Christian Science church chronicling its complicated legacy for her family, personal loss, and the boundaries of faith.

"This beautifully written account is a soul-searching, sometimes jaw-dropping read about how religion can splinter a family."

The author will be at Perrot to discuss her book on Wednesday, November 7th at 7:30 pm.

Author Talk with Sheri Koones

In her latest book, Prefabulous + Almost Off the Grid, author Sheri Koones highlights the many ways of using prefabrications to create almost-off-the-grid homes—houses that are not only environmentally friendly but often operate at nearly zero annual energy cost. Ms. Koones will be at Perrot for a discussion and book signing of her latest book on Wednesday, October 17th at 7:30 pm.

She is an award-winning author whose previous books include From Sand Castles to Dream Houses, House About It, Modular Mansions, Prefabulous, and Prefabulous + Sustainable.

Author Talk with Sheri Koones

In her latest book, Prefabulous + Almost Off the Grid, author Sheri Koones highlights the many ways of using prefabrications to create almost-off-the-grid homes—houses that are not only environmentally friendly but often operate at nearly zero annual energy cost. Ms. Koones will be at Perrot for a discussion and book signing of her latest book on Wednesday, October 17th at 7:30 pm.

She is an award-winning author whose previous books include From Sand Castles to Dream Houses, House About It, Modular Mansions, Prefabulous, and Prefabulous + Sustainable.

Calling All High School Seniors!

The time has finally come to start getting those college applications ready, and Perrot can help! From SAT/ACT prep to writing the perfect essay--we've got you covered. Check out some of these titles:

Fifty Successful Ivy League Application Essays

by Gen Tanabe

378.1616 TANAB

Don't Stalk the Admissions Officer: How to Survive the College Admissions Process Without Losing Your Mind

by Risa Lewak

378.1616 LEWAK

The College Hook: Packaging Yourself to Win the College Admissions Game

by Pam Proctor

378.1616 PROCT

Barron's SAT 2400: Aiming for the Perfect Score

by Linda Carnevale & Rose Teukolsky

378.1664 BARRO

  

In-a-Flash Vocabulary for the SAT & ACT

by Joan Carris

378.1662 CARRI

The latest book recommendations from the Reference Desk

What We're Reading at Perrot: New book recommendations from our Reference librarians

THE LOST EMPIRE OF ATLANTIS: HISTORY'S GREATEST MYSTERY REVEALED, BY GAVIN MENZIES 

[Non-Fiction] Did we ever get over the idea of Atlantis really existing long, long ago? Not I. As a true believer, a trip to Santorini and Akroteri brought it home. Historian Gavin Menzies has taken the lore and lure surrounding this fabled civilization and brought it into more detail. He has gone from Minoans to Mayans, from the Mediterranean to the Great Lakes. Using DNA, metallurgy, navigation techniques, etc., he traces a fascinating path that connects so much of early history. This thoughtful book will stir your imagination. One reviewer says it is "as riveting as an Indiana Jones adventure."

Read the rest of our recommendations here!

New Book Recommendations from the Reference Desk

What We're Reading at Perrot- New Book Recommendations from Our Reference Desk

ON CANAAN'S SIDE, BY SEBASTIAN BARRY
[Fiction] As the story opens, 89-year-old Lilly Beve sits in the guest cottage of a Bridgehampton estate, desolate after receiving the news that her grandson, Bill, is dead. She has nothing left to live for. Her life is over and lonely. She decides to end it all, but only after going back and looking at what brought her to this place. In Ireland, during "the troubles," Lilly’s father was identified as an informer with a price on his head. Together they fled to New York and then on to Chicago. The tale unfolds from this hopeful start. How beautifully written this book is. The language is so thick with Irish lyricism that it winds and weaves its way around the reader. Ultimately, we come to a rather surprising ending. Enjoy the fabulous prose and fascinating plot.

Read the rest of our list of recommendations!

New Book Recommendations from the Reference Desk

What We're Reading at Perrot- New Book Recommendations from Our Reference Desk

BOTTOM OF THE 33RD: HOPE AND REDEMPTION IN BASEBALL'S LONGEST GAME, BY DAN BARRY

[Non-Fiction] "Getcha Beer heah!" For baseball’s longest game ever played, one would need more than just a beer. On April 18, 1981, Holy Saturday, just after dusk, the game between the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings was underway. It played on and on into the night. What a good look into the lives of many people: umps, players, bat boys who carried on with the integrity of the game in the forefront. Enjoy this wonderful baseball book as our own baseball season is almost ending. Once reviewer writes: "…a pitch-perfect and seamless meditation on baseball and the human condition."

Read the rest of our list of recommendations!

New Book Recommendations from the Reference Desk

What We're Reading at Perrot

THE CROSSING PLACES AND THE JANUS STONE (RUTH GALLOWAY MYSTERY SERIES), BY ELLY GRIFFITHS
[Mystery] It is so much fun to come across a new mystery writer! Ms. Griffiths is clever and intelligent. Her main character is a forensic archaeologist named Ruth Galloway. She is slightly overweight and very well-versed in discoveries made in the mounds and fens and bogs of seaside England. Both books capture you with cleverly plotted stories. One book does lead into the next and I can hardly wait for the third. Ruth is the most unlikely of heroines. The men in her life go to all sorts of extremes to protect her from herself and from those who feel she is getting too close to the truth. The history told in these books is great fun. Enjoy!

Read the rest of our list of recommendations!

Latest Lists of Book Recommendations

What We're Reading at Perrot-- the latest book picks from the Reference Desk
http://www.perrotlibrary.org/great_reads/greatreads-mar11.html

Our Picks! for March 2011: Books About Baseball-- selections on a theme from Youth Services Staff
http://www.perrotlibrary.org/our_picks/ourpicks-mar11.html

New Book Recommendations from the Reference Desk

What We're Reading at Perrot

UNBROKEN: A WORLD WAR II AIRMAN'S STORY OF SURVIVAL, RESILIENCE, AND REDEMPTION, BY LAURA HILLENBRAND
[Non-Fiction] Laura Hillenbrand has done it again! Her first book, Seabiscuit, was a big winner. From all the reviews and reports, Unbroken will follow suit. Ms. Hillenbrand met the central character of this book while working on Seabiscuit. Louis Zamperini, a runner in the 1936 Olympics, had a fascinating story to tell. The Germans invaded Poland shortly after those Olympics in Berlin, followed not long after by Pearl Harbor. Zamperini was drafted into the Army Air Corps and subsequently was captured by the Japanese. Zamperini's exeperiences were horrifying; no one could have imagined that man’s inhumanity to man could go so far. Broken and beaten, Zamperini had to make his way back into society and find his inner peace. This will be a big best-seller.

Read the rest of our list of recommendations!

Book Recommendation: Private Gardens of CT

Garden lovers will certainly enjoy the new book, Private Gardens of Connecticut, by Jane Garmey; with photographs by John M. Hall. The many towns depicted show a real variety of garden types. These are private, as the name suggests, yet several are part of the Garden Conservancy’s popular Open Days program and accept visitors a few times per year. While we await an invitation to visit at these homes, we can just enjoy this book and look at the terrific photographs.

-The Reference Librarians

New Book Recommendations from the Reference Desk

What We're Reading at Perrot

THE GALÁPAGOS: EXPLORING DARWIN'S TAPESTRY, BY JOHN HESS
[Non-Fiction] This is a beautiful book, filled with wonderful pictures of the flora and fauna of the Galápagos. The text provokes the imagination of any naturalist. This cluster of volcanic islands near the Equator always makes one think of Edens lost. Is this where prehistory still exists? Who can ever forget the ancient mariner with the albatross around his neck? Is this an albatross from those seemingly barren islands? Naturalist or not, one can’t help but feast on this book. It is a treat for the eyes and a treat for the mind.

Read the rest of our list of recommendations!