The Girls In the Picture

The Girls In the Picture by Melanie Benjamin

Screenwriter Francis Marion and America's sweetheart, actress Mary Pickford,  are two ambitious women that form a bond of friendship during the early days of motion pictures. Both women are seeking fame and companionship. Mary finds living in the spotlight a challenge. There are many obstacles for both to overcome as their friendship develops and wanes along with the motion picture industry. This book gives a realistic view of life with its ups and downs as well as information on early movie production.
This book is found on CD at the library.

American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt

American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt
by Karen Harper

American Duchess is based on the life and marriage of Consuelo Vanderbilt, an American heiress forced into a marriage with the ninth Duke of Marlborough. Though she was only 18 and in love with another man, her mother forced her to marry, trading Vanderbilt money for a title. Despite her youth and strict (and sometimes harsh) upbringing, she manages to make a difference in the lives of those around her with her charity work and good will. The book spans her adult life and includes her friendship with Winston Churchill as well as her experiences during the onset of the second World War. Karen Harper writes in a first person narrative, giving the book the feel of a memoir. This book is a new title in the library, and can be found in the Adult Fiction section.

360 Degrees Longitude

360 Degrees Longitude: One Family's Journey Around the World

by

John Higham

The Higham family saved for many years to take a year long journey around the world on tandem bikes. They are a family of four, John, September and their children; Katrina age 11, and Jordan age 8.  The book tells of their experience of getting to know people and costumes along the way.  Not everything went as planned, however, they were able to find ways to overcome difficulties.  At the end of the book the author gives a list of the costs and places to look for more information for those interested in a similar adventure.

You can find this book on Utah's Online Library.

The Pianist From Syria

The Pianist From Syria: A Memoir

By

Aeham Ahmad

The Ahmad family had to flee Israel to seek refuge from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and settled in a refugee camp in Damascus, Syria.  Syria became an area of conflict as well.  The family did the best they could under the circumstances.  Young Aeham had a talent for music and his father encouraged him for years, traveling with him on buses across the city to take lessons.  When the conflict became so great they couldn't get around, Aeham found refuge in his music.  He would take his piano into the streets for concerts to help give the people a little peace and hope.  Aeham and his family eventually made it to Europe to live.

This book can be found in the non-fiction section of the library, 786.2092 Ahmad.

Finding Dorothy

Finding Dorothy

by

Elizabeth Letts

This book is historical fiction based on the life of L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  It tells a lot of the daily life of Frank and his wife and children.  He loved the theater, but had to earn a living for his family and had many different jobs, he was always a storyteller.  He was not alive to witness the filming of the movie, but his wife Maud felt it her duty to make sure his dream was kept alive and accurate.  She was very impressed by the young Judy Garland and offered her support and advice.

The author did a great deal of research to make this book as authentic as possible.  She has written other books which have been very informative as well.

This book can be found in the Adult Fiction section of our library.

The Clockmaker's Daughter

The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton

This book, however, I found rather convoluted with extended characters and subplots that just sort of lost me or left me less than in engaged. At the end most of the loose ends do come together, but the main 'reveal' (I dont want to ruin the plot) was a little unbelievable. I was surprised the character involved in this didn't step up and say something, which they would have due to their relationship with Edward. A little bizarre. I also at the end of the book had to go back through my Kindle using Xray and find out when Juliet had actually 'talked' with Leonard. The answer is she didn't.. she was there, he was there and thats it. How they pieced together she was the girl under the tree and he was the man in the house from1928, ( I spent a solid 10 minutes looking for this info), just isn't there. A neat coincidence but no where is it noted they knew who one another was in that brief minute. Minor details - but just another thing that added to the confusion of this story. All in all I think the book is 'ok'. Not my favorite of this author. I imagine a lot of plot planning went into this novel in order to tie up the tons of characters and their relationships and I appreciate her efforts on this but just wasn't one of my favorites. I did love her imagery of the house on the river bend though and could almost see it in my head. The authors description of 'place and time' (two big components of this novel) are definitely well written.

 Amazon Review

Skyward: Claim the Stars

Skyward: Claim the Stars

by

Brandon Sanderson

The remnants of the human race are trapped on a planet that is being attacked frequently by mysterious alien star fighters.  Spensa, a teen age girl, longs to become a pilot to try and help the human race survive. Spensa's world has been under attack for hundreds of years, and she has wanted to help fight the aliens, despite the fact that her father has been labeled a traitor.

This is the first book in the new science fiction series by Sanderson.  I was pulled into the story right from the beginning, there's lots of action and adventure. While training in flight school, Spensa discovers an old air ship hidden in a cave that appears to have a soul, she tries to figure out the history of the airship as she works to fix it. This is a story of war, loyalty and friendship. I am looking forward to book #2.

You can find this book in the Young Adult section of the library.