Upcoming Author Visit: Nancy Pickard

Acclaimed mystery writer Nancy Pickard will present a reading and book signing at the Library on Wednesday, June 2 at 7 pm. The event is co-sponsored by The Raven Book Store, which will make copies of the book available for purchase.

Pickard is the author of eighteen popular and critically acclaimed novels, including the Jenny Cain and Marie Lightfoot mystery series and the Eugenia Potter series created by Virginia Rich, as well as dozens of short stories. She is the co-author, with psychologist Lynn Lott, of the non-fiction book Seven Steps on the Writer’s Path. Nancy has won multiple Agatha, Anthony, Macavity, and Shamus awards for her short stories and novels. She is a founding member and former president of Sisters In Crime, the international organization dedicated to the advancement of women mystery writers, and a former national board member of the Mystery Writers of America. She lives in Merriam, Kansas.

Pickard's new novel, The Scent of Rain and Lightning, opens twenty-three years after Jody Linder's father, the eldest son of a wealthy and influential ranching family, was murdered in fictional Rose, Kansas, during a night of violent thunderstorms and torrential rain. When his body was found the next morning, his wife was missing and the evidence suggested that she was dead too. Now Jody's uncles have arrived to tell her that Billy Crosby, the man convicted of the crime, has been released from prison and is returning to Rose. Jody soon learns that not everyone in town believes that Billy Crosby committed the murders. As she continues to ask questions, Jody and the other members of the Linder family are forced to confront the past and reevaluate their beliefs about what happened on that fateful night.

The Scent of Rain and Lightning, like Pickard's last book, The Virgin of Small Plains, is set in a fictionalized version of an area of Kansas with distinctive geographical features that figure into the story. In The Scent of Rain and Lightning, Jody is drawn to a rock formation outside of Rose based on the Monument Rocks in Gove County, unique limestone formations millions of years old that rise suddenly out of the prairie, remnants from the time when Kansas was covered by an inland sea. Kansas weather plays a part in both books as well. Like the blizzards and tornado in The Virgin of Small Plains, the thunderstorm on the night of the murder in this book might be considered a character in the story, driving the action and influencing the actions of the other characters.

If You Liked Three Cups of Tea...

If you liked Three Cups of Tea, you might also enjoy one of these nonfiction stories of individuals on a mission to change the world in ways big and small.

	Stones Into Schools: Promoting Peace With Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Greg Mortenson Picking up where Three Cups of Tea leaves off, Mortenson tells of his ongoing initiatives to build schools for Afghan girls as a way of promoting peace and understanding. He recounts the aftermath of the 2005 earthquake in the region as well as his harrowing abduction by the Taliban. A satisfying and moving follow-up to Three Cups of Tea. More about the book
	The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew -- Three Women Search for Understanding by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner Prompted by the 9/11 tragedy and questions about faith from her young children, a Muslim-American woman reaches out to two fellow mothers, one Christian and one Jewish, for help in writing a children’s book about the shared bonds of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. The women soon realize that they need an open and honest exploration of their faiths as much as their children and start what they call “The Faith Club”. This book inspired similar clubs and conversations all over the world. More about the book
	The Middle of Everywhere: The World's Refugees Come to Our Town by Mary Pipher The author of Reviving Ophelia examines the lives of refugees from some of the world’s most war-torn areas as they make their new homes in Lincoln, Nebraska. She focuses on the lives of immigrant teenagers and their families (she herself takes in several of Sudan’s “lost boys”) as they struggle to understand American life and as the Midwesterners work to understand their new neighbors. More about the book
	Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder This is the story of one man’s mission to change the world. Dr. Paul Farmer ventured from Harvard to Haiti and beyond in an effort to cure infectious disease and bring modern medicine to the farthest corners of the world. The major players in this inspirational story includes the Boston medical community, big pharmaceutical companies, and international governmental organizations. However, the heart of the story is Farmer, who makes great sacrifices to achieve his goals, and the people of the world’s poorest nations, who benefit from those sacrifices. More about the book
	There Is No Me Without You: One Woman's Odyssey to Rescue Africa's Children by Melissa Fay Greene A moving portrait of one woman’s stand against the AIDS crisis in Africa, this book tells the story of Haregewoin Teferra, an Ethiopian woman who lost her husband and daughter to AIDS and then opened her home to orphans of the disease. What started with a local priest delivering an abandoned child to her hut for care turns into a thriving orphanage that helps the children of the epidemic find new lives and adoptive parents all over the world. More about the book

Most Popular Books: April 2010

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

1.		The Help by Kathryn Stockett More about the book
2.		U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton More about the book
3.		The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan More about the book
4.		The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney More about the book
5.		Wiggle by Doreen Cronin, art by Scott Menchin More about the book
6.		Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells More about the book
7.		I, Alex Cross: A Novel by James Patterson More about the book
8.		If You Take a Mouse to School by Laura Numeroff More about the book
9.		If You Give a Pig a Party by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond More about the book
10.		Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney More about the book
11.		The Lost Symbol: A Novel by Dan Brown More about the book
12.		Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert More about the book
13.		Dog Days by Jeff Kinney More about the book
14.		The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson More about the book
15.		Twilight by Stephenie Meyer More about the book
16.		Worst Case: A Novel by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge More about the book
17.		House Rules: A Novel by Jodi Picoult More about the book
18.		Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's Journal by Jeff Kinney More about the book
19.		If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff More about the book
20.		Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich More about the book

10 Great Books About Moms

Just in time for mother's day: ten great books about moms and motherhood.

Fiction:

	I Don’t Know How She Does It: The Life of Kate Reddy, Working Mother by Allison Pearson A funny, wry look at modern motherhood through the eyes of Kate Reddy, supermom. She manages a hedge fund, two young children, and mountains of laundry with wit and wisdom, often applying parenting tips in order to handle her boss and boardroom management techniques to birthday party organization. More about the book
	Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner Kate is an former investigative journalist and avowed city girl who can’t quite seem to find her place in her new upscale Connecticut neighborhood where she is a stay-at-home mom of three. That is, until she discovers a neighbor’s body and explores the darker side of suburban bliss. A rollicking good foray into the mystery genre for popular author Weiner. More about the book
	The Good Mother by Sue Miller Anna is a freshly divorced single mother to three-year-old Molly when she meets Leo, a passionate man who is the polar opposite of her buttoned-up ex-husband. When her ex sues for custody of Molly, Anna and Leo’s affair is put on trial, as is her role as a “good mother”. This was Miller’s first novel. More about the book
	Nursery Crimes by Ayelet Waldman A lawyer-turned-stay-at-home-mom finds herself in the role of amateur sleuth as she investigates the death of the headmaster at a posh preschool. A light, humorous mystery that is the first in the “Mommy Track” series from this author. More about the book
	The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent Based on a true story, this is the fictional account of Martha Carrier, the first woman to be accused of and tried for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, as told by her daughter, Sarah. As the hysteria mounts in Salem and the accusations fly around various families, Martha’s love for Sarah and her siblings leads her to great sacrifice in order to save them. More about the book

Nonfiction:

	Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts You may know plenty about John Adams, Ben Franklin, and George Washington, but what about Abigail, Deborah, and Martha? In a highly readable alternate look at our country’s founding, Roberts examines the wives and mothers who were revolutionary in their own right. More about the book
	Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic by Martha Beck An ambitious, highly educated, “power” couple gets the unexpected news that they are pregnant and soon learn that the baby will have Down’s Syndrome. This account of their decision to not only keep the baby but embrace all that such a diagnosis brings with it is by turns heart wrenching, sad, insightful, and funny. More about the book
	Mom’s Cancer by Brian Fies The ways that a mother’s cancer diagnosis affects an entire family are honestly told in this moving graphic novel. An unflinching memoir of a family’s struggle with illness told in a unique manner. More about the book
	The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less by Terry Ryan While the author’s father consistently drank away the family’s income, her mother chose to find creative ways to make ends meet in the 1950s, a time when few moneymaking venues were open to women. By entering contests, writing jingles, and keeping her chin up, Evelyn Ryan provided financially and emotionally for ten children. More about the book
	Daughter of the Queen of Sheba by Jacki Lyden NPR correspondent Lyden writes of her childhood with a bipolar mother who one day thought she was the Queen of Sheba and the next declared herself to be Marie Antoinette. By turns hilarious and horrifying, the author tells the story of both her essentially absent mother and the grandmother who ultimately raised her, a strong, colorful character herself. More about the book

Have You Read...Sebastian Faulks?

Sebastian Faulks is one of Britain's most popular literary authors, yet he remains relatively unknown in the US. A former journalist and editor who turned to fiction in his late twenties, he writes richly detailed, well-researched stories that are deeply evocative of the some of the 20th century's most remarkable periods and places, from WWII-era Europe to America on the brink of the Vietnam War. His perspective is thoroughly modern, but his books have an old-fashioned, epic feeling--often due to their wartime settings and lush romantic plots. As a testament to his popularity, and in a break from his usual work, Faulks was commissioned by the Ian Fleming estate to write a new James Bond book, Devil May Care, for the 2008 centenary of Fleming's birth. If you enjoy sweeping historical dramas that have decidedly literary bent, check out Sebastian Faulks.

	Birdsong A young British executive travels to France on business in 1910 where he meets and falls madly in love with an unhappily married older woman. The two share a brief but passionate love affair, the consequences of which will linger long after he goes back to Britain. Six years later he returns to France as an officer about to enter the brutal trench warfare in the Somme Valley and encounters his former love again. More about the book
	Charlotte Gray The title character is a young Scottish woman who travels to London during WWII where she falls in love with an RAF pilot. When he disappears on a mission over France, she volunteers for the government's secretive "G Section" and heads to France to aid the Resistance and locate her lover. This book was adapted into a movie starring Cate Blanchett. More about the book
	On Green Dolphin Street In 1960, the reserved wife of a troubled British diplomat stationed in America falls for a jazz-loving New York journalist. Their affair unfolds amid some of the 20th century's watershed events--the Nixon-Kennedy campaign, the escalation of the Cold War, and the dawning of one of the most tumultuous decades in America. More about the book
	Human Traces This sweeping story takes place at the dawning of modern psychiatry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and follows two doctors who meet and discover a shared passion for the workings of the human mind. Both doctors have their own personal motivations and very different approaches to their work, but they share a mutual goal of establishing an innovative treatment facility for the mentally ill. As the pair's work takes them through Europe, America, and Africa, the reader glimpses each character's own exposure to illness, tragedy, grief, and madness. More about the book