The Flight of Gemma Hardy transports the story of Jane Eyre to twentieth-century Iceland and Scotland, successfully honoring the source material while still offering a few surprises. The graceful, lilting narration of reader Davina Porter perfectly renders Gemma’s progression from neglected waif to independent young woman.
Looking for an audiobook with laugh-out-loud humor, steamy romance, quirky suspense, and memorable supporting characters? If so, take a chance on Darynda Jones’ First Grave on the Right. Since she was a little girl, Charley Davidson has been talking to dead people. Now there are three murdered lawyers who won’t cross over, and it’s her responsibility to help them. She also has a very sexy someone visiting her lifelike dreams each night. What’s a woman to do? Lorelei King, the award-winning voice of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, plays to her strengths in narrating with the right blend of sarcasm, vulnerability, and fun.
Avast, me hearties! Today marks the tenth anniversary of International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Shiver your timbers by treasure hunting at the Library. Solve the mystery of Why Do Pirates Love Parrots? or check out a soundtrack for your own pirate shenanigans. Be thrilled by buccaneer novels, true pirate stories, or romance on the high seas. Adjust your eye-patch and choose a favorite pirate movie. Ahoy, matey, ye don’t want to be thought a landlubber or a scallywag, do ye?
Not everyone has the chance to meet and marry her soul mate, but Natalie does. She and Francois are ridiculously happy together and full of plans for the future — plans that are cut cruelly short when an accident takes him away. Heartbroken and barely functional, Natalie isolates herself until one day when she impulsively kisses a stunned coworker. The odd but charming courtship that follows is the subject of La Delicatesse by David Foenkinos, a runaway bestseller in France and the adult fiction selection for this year’s Book Crossing program. At heart, it’s a playful, offbeat story about the journeys of two unlikely souls and how we are sometimes given what we need instead of what we expect.
JOIN US to chat about Delicacy on Monday, October 1, at 7 pm, and also hear about similar books and movies you may enjoy. A screening of the film adaptation starring Audrey Tautou will be shown Tuesday, October 2, at 1 pm. Registration is required for each event.
Be still our hearts! The Romance Writers of America have named the most outstanding published romance novels of the year and honored them with the 2012 RITA Awards. No matter if your preferred hero wears a kilt, holds a Regency title, has ties to the supernatural, or appreciates homebaked goods, you’ll find a winner to enhance your dreams.
Best Historical Romance: The Black Hawk by Joanna Bourne
Best Regency Historical Romance: A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare
Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements: How to Bake a Perfect Life by Barbara O’Neal
Best First Book: First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
Best Paranormal Romance: Dragon Bound by Thea Harrison
Best Romantic Suspense: New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb
Best Young Adult Romance: Enclave by Ann Aguirre
The 2012 Christy Awards, designed to honor and promote excellence in Christian fiction, newly announced top picks in a variety of genres. Click here for a complete of nominees, and choose one of the winners below to inspire your end-of-summer reading.
Contemporary Standalone: Promises to Keep by Ann Tatlock
Contemporary Series: The Amish Midwife by Mindy Starns Clark and Leslie Gould
Suspense: The Queen by Steven James
Historical: Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin
Historical Romance: The Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen
First Novel: Words by Ginny Yttrup
Cary Grant agreed to the film Houseboat because he was in love with Sophia Loren, and their attraction is obvious in this warm family comedy. Grant plays a widower, Tom, who doesn’t know what to do with his three precocious children. Enter Cinzia, a sheltered Italian socialite who desperately wants the chance to meet a real American. Pretending to be a maid, she agrees to care for the children and helps to mend fences between Tom and his estranged family. Loren is captivating as the woman who wins all of their hearts with playfulness, understanding, and an appreciation for dolce far niente, “the sweetness of doing nothing.”
Just in time to highlight great listens for summer reading, the winners of the 2012 Audie Awards have been announced! Honoring the year’s best recordings in a rich mix of categories, these awards are a perfect source of listening suggestions while traveling on vacation, basking in the sun, or making everyday routines more exciting. Try one of the most recent winners below or sample past Audiobooks of the Year. Need more incentive? Don’t forget that listening to an audiobook counts as reading in our Summer Reading Program!
Audiobook of the Year: Bossypants by Tina Fey
Solo Narration (Male): Simon Vance, narrator of The King’s Speech
Biography/Memoir: Bossypants by Tina Fey
Fantasy: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Humor: Shatner Rules by William Shatner with Chris Regan
Literary Fiction: State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
Multi-Voiced Performance: A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
Mystery: Feast Day of Fools by James Lee Burke
Narration by the Author: Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
Personal Development: Prime Time by Jane Fonda
Romance: New York to Dallas by J.D. Robb
Thriller/Suspense: The Nightmare Thief by Meg Gardiner
Diane of Fiction/AV/Teen Services recommends the delightfully clever works of Georgette Heyer:
Georgette Heyer is credited with inventing the historical romance subgenre known as the Regency romance. Her books, set in England during the early 19th century Regency era, are admired to this day for their meticulous research, sparkling wit, authentic colloquialisms, and inventive plots which include arranged marriages, cross-dressing, and the aristocracy. Heyer’s light comedy-of-manners romances set the tone for this entire genre.
When asked about her books, Heyer commented, “I think myself I ought to be shot for writing such nonsense…but it’s unquestionably good escapist literature, and I think I should rather like it if I were sitting in an air-raid shelter or recovering from flu.”
Known for their sparkling dialogue, humorous plots, and happily-ever-after conclusions, Regency romances are frothy period pieces set in England during the early 19th century. Suggestion: start with the Queen of the Regency Romance, Georgette Heyer!
For a wide range of Regency romance novels, click here.
