Most Popular Books: January 2010

The twenty most checked-out books at the library during the month of January. Click on titles to view and reserve these books in the catalog. Click on More about the book for reviews and summaries.

1.		The Lost Symbol: A Novel by Dan Brown More about the book
2.		Dreams From My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama More about the book
3.		U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton More about the book
4.		South of Broad: A Novel by Pat Conroy More about the book
5.		Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells More about the book
6.		Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich More about the book
7.		If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond More about the book
8.		Alex Cross's Trial by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo More about the book
9.		The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson More about the book
10.		While I'm Falling by Laura Moriarty More about the book
11.		Wiggle by Doreen Cronin, art by Scott Menchin More about the book
12.		The Help by Kathryn Stockett More about the book
13.		The Scarpetta Factor by Patricia Cornwell More about the book
14.		If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Joffe Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond More about the book
15.		A Touch of Dead: Sookie Stackhouse: The Complete Stories by Charlaine Harris More about the book
16.		Nine Dragons: A Novel by Michael Connelly More about the book
17.		If You Give a Pig a Party by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond More about the book
18.		I, Alex Cross: A Novel by James Patterson More about the book
19.		13 1/2 by Nevada Barr More about the book
20.		Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer More about the book

Staff Pick: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

The protagonist of this charming debut novel set in postwar Britain is Flavia de Luce, a precocious eleven year old girl who loves chemistry and loathes her older sisters. When a dead body turns up in the cucumber patch at her family's English manor house, Flavia turns to amateur sleuthing to solve the crime and clear her father's name. As Flavia rides her trusty bike named Gladys around the sleepy village of Bishop's Lacey, the reader takes a ride with her -- learning a bit about chemistry, poison, British stamp collecting, de Luce family history, and more. While the mystery at the heart of this book has all of the trapping of a classic, "Golden Age" British mystery, Flavia is a totally original and utterly fresh voice -- and she's surrounded by a great cast of characters to boot. If you loved Harriet the Spy as a young reader, you'll love Flavia de Luce. A second installment in this promising new series is due out this March.

Susan - Adult Services

More about the book

The Most Popular Books of 2009 at Lawrence Public Library

The twenty most checked-out books at the library during 2009. Click on titles to view and reserve these books in the catalog.

1.		Twilight by Stephenie Meyer More about the book
2.		Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich More about the book
3.		Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling More about the book
4.		Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich More about the book
5.		The Virgin of Small Plains: A Novel by Nancy Pickard More about the book
6.		The Associate by John Grisham More about the book
7.		The Lost Symbol: A Novel by Dan Brown More about the book
8.		Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling More about the book
9.		New Moon by Stephenie Meyer More about the book
10.		Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer More about the book
11.		Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer More about the book
12.		The 8th Confession by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro More about the book
13.		Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney More about the book
14.		Run for Your Life: A Novel by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge More about the book
15.		The Shack: A Novel by William P. Young More about the book
16.		Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling More about the book
17.		The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski More about the book
18.		Cross Country: A Novel by James Patterson More about the book
19.		Brisingr by Christopher Paolini More about the book
20.		Handle with Care: A Novel by Jodi Picoult More about the book

Staff Pick: Sharp Objects

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

The main character of this dark debut thriller is Camille Preaker, a newspaper reporter in suburban Chicago who has worked hard to leave her troubled past and dysfunctional family behind her in southern Missouri. She is forced to revisit her old life, however, when her editor sends her back to her hometown to get a personal angle on the story of two murdered girls found there, the victims of a suspected serial killer. She returns to her childhood home and reunites with her distant, cold mother, her ghostly/ghastly stepfather, and her half sister, who is at thirteen, the ultimate mean girl. As the murder investigation unfolds, the reader peers into both Camille's troubled past as well as the small town's darkest corners. Flynn does an excellent job at conveying an impending sense of doom as well as misdirecting the reader right up until the last page. An original and satisfying literary mystery.

Gillian Flynn was born in Kansas City, graduated from KU with degrees in English and journalism, and went on to be the chief TV critic at Entertainment Weekly. Sharp Objects was a finalist for an Edgar Award and the winner of several Dagger Awards. The author is currently working on the screenplay adaptation of this book. Her second book, Dark Places, was also a critically acclaimed best seller.

Susan - Adult Services

More about the book

If You Liked The Kite Runner...

If you enjoyed The Kite Runner, you might also like one of these stories of individual struggles and triumphs in the midst of overpowering regimes and repressive cultures.

	The Swallows of Kabul by Yasmina Khadra This short, compelling novel follows the lives of two men, one a jailer and the other a shopkeeper, and their wives as they struggle to live under the Taliban’s oppressive regime. An act of brutal public violence sets off a chain of events that affect them all in unforeseen ways and intertwine their lives forever. More about the book
	Madras on Rainy Days by Samina Ali Layla, a young Indian woman who spent much of her life in America, returns to India for an arranged Islamic marriage . There, she tries to reconcile the freedom she has experienced with the traditions she is now expected to uphold, all the while trying to keep secrets hidden and appearances proper. More about the book
	The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay A powerful coming of age story set in apartheid-era South Africa, this novel is told by young Peekay, a white boy who must fight to find his place amidst black and white, Boer and English, and ultimately good and evil as he makes his way from farm life to boarding school to the boxing ring to adulthood. More about the book
	Sister of My Heart by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Two cousins are born on the same day into vastly different worlds of Indian society, one is the daughter of a wealthy upper-caste scion and the other the child of the family’s black sheep. Despite their differences, the two girls always feel a deep, inexplicable bond that is eventually shattered by a dark family secret that will set them on two very different paths. More about the book
	Sons of Heaven by Terrance Cheng Xiao-Di is a an intelligent and idealistic young man who, having been blacklisted by the Chinese government and shunned by his older brother, joins the growing student protest movement in Beijing. Inspired by the famous photo of a lone, unknown young man standing in front of an army tank during the Tiananmen Square uprising, this novel speculates on the people and events that led up to that iconic moment. More about the book