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Written by two middle-aged brothers from a close-knit family, this is the true-life tale of how they, in the two years after their parents' deaths, lost over $250,000 of their inheritance in Mississippi riverboat casinos. The authors, both college professors and writers of literary fiction, analyze their obsessive behavior, offer psychological insight into the trauma of coping with the loss of their parents, as well as presenting interesting insights into feelings that run through a gambler's mind while winning and losing. Though it is hard to have sympathy for these two and their admittedly self-destructive behavior, this fast paced story is well crafted and full of engaging tales of day to day life in a casino.

Reviewed by Lynn L., Hickory Grove Branch

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Step into the exotic world of Savannah, Georgia with John Berendt’s travelogue/murder mystery which remained on the New York Times bestseller list for years and transformed Savannah into a tourist mecca. The story of Jim Williams, self-made millionaire antiques dealer and owner of the fabulous Mercer Mansion (built by the great-grandfather of songwriter Johnny Mercer), and his arrest and four trials for the murder of his houseboy/lover, is fascinating in itself. Add to this a voodoo priestess, a crazy inventor who carries poison around threatening to pour it into the water supply, a flamboyant cross-dressing nightclub performer, and other zany characters, and you have a book that would make anyone curious enough to visit a city that could produce such an assortment of misfits. Highly recommended and much better than the movie.

Reviewed by Ruth H., North County Regional

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Reader's comments about this book

This is truly one of the sexiest murder mystery books I have ever had the pleasure to read. I read it over and over again and can see something new every time.
-Ashley, Panama City, FL

I found this book fascinating and so did my husband so we visited Savannah when in the US - and found it fascinating, too!
-Kaye, Auckland, New Zealand

It amazes me that one man,an outsider who is a New York author, could have been absorbed into the confidence of the closed society of Savannah and could have found so many "off-the-wall", ecentric, persons in one closed city about whom he could describe in his writing.
-Char, Ormond Beach, Fl

One of the most powerfully written evocations of place in the 20th Century, this book is a love song to a city wrapped up in a murder mystery. Rich, wonderful crime writing at its best.
-Ian, Charlotte, NC

Excellent book. One powerful statement- You are my North, my South, My East, My West.
-Terry, Folly Beach, SC

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Anne Lamott gives us glimpses into her turbulent past of alcohol and drug abuse. Against all odds her life experiences lead her to belief in God and then in herself. Here is an honest look at dating, dimpled thighs, dreadlocks, doubt, death, life, family - forgiveness and faith connect them all together. Her heart-rending stories will fill you with laughter and tears. Anne Lamott's thoughts on faith are insightfully witty and charmingly humorous. You too will become an Anne Lamott fan.

Reviewed by Tammi C., Main Library

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"How are my tech stocks doing?" "Is my parka ergonomically engineered?" "Should I get a latte or a frappucino?" These are the important questions in life, at least for the newest creature to the urban jungle. David Brooks tells us how America's youngest elite has united intellect and profit, becoming bourgeois bohemians: Bobos. Brooks guides us through the changes from 1950's Aristocracy to 1990's Meritocracy, where status is based on achievement. A sensitive social critic and self-professed Bobo, Brooks' writing is humorous and refreshingly honest.

Reviewed by Kjersti K., Mint Hill Branch

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Would you date a "lunatic chicken farmer" for free rotisserie? That’s exactly what Angela Nissel did. The Broke Diaries is a hilarious account of how a college student lives her year surviving on little to no cash. Nissel’s diary entries describe her numerous adventures, including being banned from a Wal-Mart, scamming publishers for free textbooks, and a bad case of the bitter bus-stop blues. How far can you actually stretch a dollar? Find out in this witty and exciting diary that will remind all former students of what it was like to live on campus freebies and ramen noodles.

Reviewed by Amy R., University City Regional

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If you like the essays of David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell, then quick, drop what you're doing and read Fraud. David Rakoff, like Sedaris and Vowell, is a contributor to National Public Radio's "This American Life" and this collection, his first, is full of the honest, irreverent commentary that the show is known for. Whether he is working on a kibbutz, attending a Buddhist retreat led by Steven Segal, or even recounting his battle with Hodgkin's disease, you will laugh with and at the author as he finds funny in these situations and others. Rakoff's dark humor strips the everyday of its pretensions and, thankfully, we get to stand pointing and giggling at what he finds.

Reviewed by James K., Freedom Regional

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One does not have to be a lover of horses to respond to the story of Seabiscuit and the unique personalities of the men who scripted the Cinderella story of an ungainly, unwanted, unbeautiful animal that became a racehorse legend. The narrative vividly describes the Depression years, life at the race track, and the thrilling events that captured the imagination of the American public and thrust Seabiscuit into the status of legend and “one of a kind” sports history. In the year 1938, more newspaper space was given to Seabiscuit than to FDR or Hitler! He was a symbol of hope for all those who felt they were losing the race for success.

Reviewed by Dave B., Jazz Great

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“The bottom-line fascination we hold for Hollywood is not the gold, not even the magic, but the sense of tragedy - the waiting for those absurdly beautiful people to fall off the tightrope and wreck their lives…” When Natalie Wood fell from her tightrope and was found dead off of Catalina Island under mysterious circumstances, she was a legend. The story of Natalie Wood began years ago under the control of a legendary stage mother who pushed a five-year-old into stardom. This biography is the story of Natalie struggling to find her identity, and the story of Old Hollywood. Filled with Hollywood tidbits, the story never fails to titillate. However, the true essence of a little girl lost in fame, makes one want to reach through pages and time, to protect a fragile young woman.

Reviewed by Diana S., Main Library

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Feeling old? Need some excitement or a new experience? What about dodging polar bears and icebergs in the Arctic, bird-watching in the Galapagos Islands, touring the Egyptian pyramids by camel, or floating down the Amazon -- just a few possibilities from this collection of travel stories by 28 courageous older women. Each contributor, who is over the age of fifty, has a thirst for adventure as well as a voice for vivid and eloquent prose. Edited by Jean Gould, who spent her fiftieth birthday hiking in the Everest foothills, these remarkable tales will inspire and captivate travelers of any age.

Reviewed by Kim W., University City Regional

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There were only two rules. The submissions had to be short and they had to be true. When novelist Paul Auster and the staff of NPR's Weekend All Things Considered put out the call, they were inundated with over 4,000 submissions. The National Story Project had begun. This book is an anthology of 179 of those stories grouped into loose topic headings like "Objects," "Strangers," and "Love." Each piece reads like an old friend sitting across from you at the dinner table telling you a story. Each is that familiar. Each is that honest.

Reviewed by James K., Freedom Regional

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My most recent favorite book is Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. The images of Ireland, poverty and hope all seen from the eyes of a child make it a story that is ageless and heartfelt. Even though I first read Angela's Ashes over five years ago, Frank McCourt's humor and take on life still remain with me always.

Reviewed by Vanessa W., Actress

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Reader's comments about this book

Luv it!!
-Stacey, Florida

I had to read this book for an English 12 class and found it very difficult to get into as did the rest of the class. Since it was an assignment I kept reading and then I became hooked! I couldn't put it down and then read the sequel. My emotions were in a constant turmoil. I could relate to how alcoholism affected this family and the sadness it brought into Frank's life throughout the years. I think I'm the only one that finished it in my class but I am glad that I read it.
-Lois, Margaretville, NY

The book changed my perspectives on a lot of things. It shows you that when you think you have it bad, someone always has it worse. But you can always pull through in the end. The book is the best I have read to date!
-Lana, Scotland

It's just one of those books that will make an impact on your life. I recommend this book to anyone with an open spirit and who likes a good laugh and the Irish speech. This book is touching and, even though speaking about a boy in the 30's and 40's, feels as if it was in today’s world.
-Kaitlyn, PEI, Canada

I read this book for my tenth grade honors English class as an individual novel project. The book is fantastico. i loved it very much. it reminded me of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, I.E. the drunken father, poor childhood, irish background.
-vi, Mobile, Alabama

I really loved this book. It really had a great motive to the story. I would truly recommend it to people who love to read.
-Angel, Charlotte, NC

I thought that this book was great.
-Stacy, Charlotte, NC

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Travel writer/adventurer Bill Bryson takes the reader on a humorous hike along the Appalachian Trail in his book, A Walk in the Woods. Setting out in North Georgia and hiking through North Carolina and Virginia, Bryson’s account is full of laugh-out-loud observations on hiking, the Trail, and the people he encounters along the way. Written from the perspective of a casual, weekend hiker, A Walk in the Woods will educate and amuse anyone from the armchair adventurer to the rugged outdoorsy-type. In fact, after reading the book, don’t be too surprised to find yourself driving west, in search of your own adventures on the AT.

Reviewed by David S., University City Regional

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David Ghantt earned $8.15 an hour working for Loomis Fargo, an armored-car company, when Kelly Campbell convinced him to rob his employer. Ghantt, in love with Campbell, wanted his share of the American dream. Convinced that he had the perfect plan, Ghantt needed someone to move the money. Unfortunately, Campbell, the go-between, arranged for Steve Chambers to move and hide the millions. Chambers fancied himself a master criminal, but nothing could be further from the truth. Tempted by easy money, Chambers and his gang paid for real estate, automobiles, and plastic surgery with large amounts of cash, raising suspicion among acquaintances and the FBI. Diamant, formerly of the Charlotte Observer, chronicles a story of humorously inept criminals that rival those in any novel.

Reviewed by Sarah H., Independence Regional

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“No heroes” – that was the only request Arthur, Chris Offutt’s father-in-law, made about having his Holocaust survival story told. Offutt relates an oral history of his Polish in-laws’ concentration camp experience. He alternates chapters with his own story of moving back to rural Kentucky – his home – to teach writing at Moorhead State University. He uproots his wife and two sons from New Mexico so he can fulfill his need to live in the woods and reconnect with his parents. Each chapter reads like a diary entry with an entertaining vignette or a thought-provoking incident. The book is a journey of self-discovery for both Offutt and his in-laws. The memoir’s descriptive and conversational style has the feel of a well-crafted novel.

Reviewed by Megan M., Main Library

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While working for various technology and defense journals, Nick Cook stumbled over clues to a secret world of scientific research deep within the military industrial complex. In scenes that remind one of Bob Woodward's meetings with Deep Throat, Cook describes his multi-year quest to get to the bottom of one of the great phantom stories of modern physics and military technology: antigravity. He traces the history of the research from its early days in the Third Reich to modern inquiries into anti-gravity technology and zero point energy. The cast of characters range from the reputable to the insane, and although Cook never stumbles on a clear answer, many interesting questions are raised, including the possibility of infinite, cheap energy and breaking the light barrier.

Reviewed by Nathan C., Main Library

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The CIA has done plenty of wacky things in its history. What wasn't known, at least as a matter of official historical fact until the early 1990's, is that the CIA actively recruited, trained and used, as spies, psychics from around the world. President Bill Clinton put an official stop to the program, and declassified much of the information relating to the CIA's 'Stargate' program, and the bulk of this book relies on recently declassified information. Using facilities and professors from some of the United States most reputable colleges and universities, the CIA ran a thirty-year psychic spy program that rivals a great science fiction plot. A quirky, engaging look at one of the more odd subhistories of American intelligence during the Cold War.

Reviewed by Nathan C., Main Library

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At first it feels no different from a flu. Quickly, the back pains start, followed by uncontrollable fever and blistering. Your insides begin to liquify, and in a matter of a few days, you're dead, your internal organs have literally melted. Reader, meet Ebola. Richard Preston’s The Hot Zone explores Ebola from its first appearances in the rain forests of Africa to its one outbreak in the United States, at a monkeyhouse in Reston, Virginia, a short drive from Washington, D.C. He focuses on the history of the disease, and gives us a look into the high security world of the CDC and the U.S. military's viral technicians. Truth is often more frightening than fiction. Enjoy the book, and don't forget to wash your hands.

Reviewed by Nathan C., Main Library

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It is in the belly of the green bird, according to Islamic legend, that martyrs are flown to heaven. There are plenty of martyrs in Iraq these days. Sunni fights Shia, Baathists fight to regain power lost when Saddam fell, and Shia struggles with Shia over the interpretation of Islam. They all fight Americans because occupation, any Muslim will tell you, is not liberation. Rosen, at considerable risk to his own life, has gone among these armed and extremely dangerous factions and reported back in detail and with candor hardly available anywhere in American media today. His exciting and beautifully articulated book, a non-fiction cliff-hanger if ever there was one, is essential to understanding what is happening in - and to - Iraq.

Reviewed by Jim B., Main Library

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On June 8, 1795, 10-year-old Louis-Charles Capet died in Paris in the Temple tower after being imprisoned there for the most of 2 years. His crime? He was the son of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, both executed in 1793. With discrepancies in records, secrecy, and rumors of a prince-and-the-pauper switch, what ensued over the next 200 years was an on-again, off-again probe into the true fate of the young dauphin. The rising use of DNA testing provided an interesting answer in late 1999 and early 2000. Did the preserved human heart removed during the 1795 autopsy belong to the skeletal remains purported to be those of the dauphin? History, true crime, and science - in one fascinating, thrilling volume!

Reviewed by Susanne W., South County Regional

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In The Worst Hard Time NY Times journalist Timothy Egan tells a story of boom, bust, and environmental disaster in West Texas and the Oklahoma panhandle during the 1930s. Egan has taken the testimony of Dust Bowl survivors and combed local newspapers to create a vivid account. The worst dust storms reduced even indoor visibility to zero, created such static electricity that people were afraid to touch anything, and left thousands suffering "dust pneumonia." Amazingly, most chose to stay and survived the "Dirty Thirties." Egan adds chapters on the response of the Roosevelt adminstration and finds a hero in North Carolinian Hugh Bennett, "the father of soil conservation."

Reviewed by Tom C., Main Library

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In 1794, Congress passed a law calling for the building and arming of six frigates. Thus the United States Navy (as opposed to the Continental Navy) was born. As the threat (Algerian pirates) faded the shipbuilding slowed even stopped. However other threats to the new nation appeared; the six frigates and other vessels would be finished and put into action against the French, the Tripolitan Pirates and a rematch with the British called the War of 1812. Physically larger and more heavily armed than other nations’ frigates, these six would serve well during the war. The last reminder of those early vessels is the USS Constitution is preserved in Charlestown, MA.

Reviewed by John C., Main Library

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Personal spending drives economies worldwide, but individually we may often consume on auto-pilot. Award-winning journalist Judith Levine tries to disengage by consciously avoiding unnecessary purchases, and documenting the journey chronologically in “Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping.” By realigning her endeavors with her passions rather than her purchases, the author’s self-perception shifts, energizing her project, at least initially. Her enthusiasm soon wears thin, as her supplies run out, though. Her evolving definition of necessity puts her in quandaries, particularly with her partner, Paul. Are Q-tips a necessity? Does it count if friends treat you to a coffee or a meal? These personal choices have no clear-cut correct answers, but monitoring them highlights the fascinating complexities of human consumption patterns.

Reviewed by Lydia T., Main Library

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“`Fitz changed my life.’” That is how Coach Billy Fitzgerald’s former baseball players at New Orleans’s Isidore Newman School felt. Lewis, author of Moneyball, reflects on the coach’s life lessons when he finds out alumni want to build a new gym in honor of Fitz. Coach Fitz taught his players “how to cope with the two greatest enemies of a well-lived life, fear and failure.” At the same time parents of his current players complain the coach is too strict and threaten to remove their children if the school does not fire Fitz. Coach Fitz feels the players are not held accountable for their actions. Remniscent of Tuesdays with Morrie, this slim memoir illustrates how one coach’s approach could be applied to today’s youth.

Reviewed by Megan M., Main Library

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This book, part of the “hinges of history” series, attempts to show how the much lauded Renaissance began during the Middle Ages, a period often treated with disdain. Cahill does this by depicting the exceptional individuals who fathered (or mothered) feminism, modern science, and Renaissance art. My hat's off to Thomas Cahill, first for writing a fresh and interesting history on a very covered subject, and second for convincingly tying historical events and people to world events today. He gets a little too heated about current events at times, but he draws some amazing conclusions about human nature and the progress of society. I found it delightful, enlightening, and surprisingly moving.

Reviewed by Meri H., University City Regional

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