The Tenth Circle

Author Jodi Picoult mounts another expedition into the moral world of the American family. Daniel Stone is a work-at-home father who is a comic book artist and his wife Laura is an English professor at a local college specializing in Dante’s Inferno; their only child Trixie is a fourteen-year-old with a promising future. Then, Trixie’s world goes askew when she claims that she has been raped by her boyfriend. Daniel, as the parent closest to Trixie, doesn’t know how to bridge the sudden distance between them. Laura, who has secrets of her own, cannot handle the situation either.

The community turns against Trixie, favoring her ex-boyfriend, the local high school football hero, in the case. Trixie runs off to Alaska, where Daniel grew up as a white boy among the Eskimos. Here he acted out by cheating, stealing, and carrying out other delinquent activities in reaction to the teasing and bullying he received. Daniel ran away when he reached adulthood, vowing never to return and recreating himself as the modern father and mild-mannered man. When Daniel and Laura follow Trixie to Alaska, the situation comes to a boiling point and then reaches resolution, but not before some surprising events take place. The tenth circle in Dante’s Inferno is the worst area of Hell; the Stone family travels there and back in their quest for justice.

Comic book illustrations complement the storyline. This book is ideal for discussion.

True Detectives

The latest mystery written by Jonathan Kellerman, this book features the return of Los Angeles police detective Moses Reed and private investigator Aaron Fox, half brothers and bitter rivals. They were introduced to readers in Kellerman’s last “Alex Delaware” novel; here the characters and the plot are so well-developed that you won’t miss Alex and his friend Milo Sturgis this time around.

When a young woman disappears, a wealthy client contacts Aaron to get some answers for the girl’s father, his employee. Moses gets involved too; this disappearance is a continuation of a police case he was unable to crack earlier. Despite the enmity between Aaron and Moses, they realize that they work well together and a new-found respect for one another develops. The tightly-woven conundrum unravels as the duo discover several sinister individuals and nefarious doings that would be shocking even to Los Angeles’ relaxed moral code. Good triumphs over evil however, when the case is solved. Also, the reader is pleased to witness the brothers’ journey along the road to psychological growth.

Afternoon Book Discussions

Join us once a month, on a Wednesday afternoon from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., to discuss a fiction or non-fiction book selection. Coffee, tea and cookies are served. Books are available at the Circulation Desk three weeks before the discussion date. Our schedule is:

Wednesday, July 15th
Arthur & George by Julian Barnes

Wednesday, August 19th
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

Wednesday, September 16th
North River: A Novel by Pete Hamill

Wednesday, October 21st
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year
of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver

Wednesday, November 18th
Welcome to Shirley: A Memoir from an Atomic Town by Kelly McMasters

Wednesday, December 16th
Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen: How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, And Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living by Julie Powell

House Beautiful 500 Makeovers: Great Ideas & Quick Changeovers

Published by the editors of House Beautiful magazine, this volume of decorating ideas contains 500 designs to guide the reader in redecorating the home, be it in one room or several. Over 400 pages of full-color photographs illustrate, chapter by chapter, the basic components of design, including those of balance, simplicity, impact, function, details and color. Whether you accomplish a little or a lot, you’ll be inspired to begin creating your dream home.

Drown by Juno Diaz

Drown is a collection of 10 short stories dealing with the immigrant condition. The stories cover a whole range of life experiences, from childhood through adulthood. “Ysrael,” “Aguantando,” and “No Face” are set in the barrios of the Dominican Republic and examine the childhood experience among poverty and in the absence of a father. “Fiesta, 1980,” “Edison, New Jersey” and “Negocios” reflect the Dominican migrant experience and family structure within the United States. “Aurora;” “Drown,” “Boyfriend” and “How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl, Whitegirl, or Halfie” examine the harshness of inner city life, relationships, sexuality and drug abuse.
Diaz’s stories are honest, unapologetic accounts of life, sometimes under the harshest of conditions. Themes addressed in these stories include loss of fathers, the separation of families through immigration and the pursuit of the “American Dream,” the identity crisis of the immigrant, and inner city life.

Audience

The stories in Drown contain harsh language and depictions sexuality and drug abuse. This book is for your literary reader who is not offended by such things. The stories in this collection would be great for a book discussion.

About the Author

Junot Díaz was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and immigrated to the Unites State with his family when he was six. He published Drown when he was 27 years old and 11 years later he won the Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao (2008). His fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, African Voices, Best American Short Stories (1996, 1997, 1999, 2000), in Pushcart Prize XXII and in The O'Henry Prize Stories 2009.

Read-A-Likes

The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez

Let It Rain Coffee: A Novel by Angie Cruz

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything across Italy, India, and Indonesia

Here is author Elizabeth Gilbert’s account of her quest for spiritual, psychological and physical balance after a divorce and other personal problems upset her well-being. Ever the traveler in her work as a freelance writer, Liz plans to visit three countries over the course of a year in order to escape her deep depression and regain her joy of living. Her choices are: Italy, to sample the ultimate in fine cuisine and enjoy their effect on her five senses; India, to study at an Ashram belonging to a guru she met in Manhattan; and Indonesia, where her desire is “to learn . . . how to live in this world and enjoy its delights, but also devote my self to God”. Along the way she makes new friends and finds true love.

The One Hundred: A Guide to the Pieces Every Stylish Woman Must Own

What are fashion’s timeless pieces? Almost every woman has asked herself this question at one time or another. Nina Garcia, the author of this book and The Little Black Book of Style, and also a fashion judge on the television show Project Runway, is a legitimate authority to make these selections. Accompanied by sophisticated illustrations by artist Ruben Toledo, Ms. Garcia alphabetically reviews the top one hundred items in essay format, accompanied by many witty remarks and (fashion) historical insights. This is the perfect book to browse through before going on that big shopping trip.