The first signs of spring are already in the air. Thoughts of a morning to ourselves, a sun-drenched afternoon warm enough to sit outside, and long evenings lounging on the comfy sofa with a pile of books by our side fill our minds. At the library we have anticipated your dreams and ordered a plethora of wonderful books to fill your moments of leisure.

Once in a great while, a novel stays in your mind long after you have read it. For me it was an extraordinary first novel by Daniel Mason, The Piano Tuner. It is the mesmerizing story of Edgar Drake, commissioned by the British War Office in 1886 to travel to the magnificent jungles in hostile Burma to repair a rare Erard grand piano which is vital to the Crown’s strategic interests. Caught up in the beauty of 19th century Burma and drawn into the political plotting, the book ends in tragedy, but the reader will regret it ends at all. What a beautiful movie this would be!

A New York Times best seller for months, Alice Sebold’s haunting and heartbreaking The Lovely Bones: A Novel sustains a mood that lingers after you have put it down. The 14-year-old heroine is murdered in the first chapter and, in an odd twist that works well, narrates the story from heaven, viewing the devastating effects of her murder on her family. As time passes, we see how a tragedy can tear a family apart, and then bring them back together again. A rewarding read that I would highly recommend.

It was Oscar Wilde who said: “A man who marries his mistress leaves a vacancy in that position”. In a small book that can be put down and taken up with pleasure, be sure to check out The Most Brilliant Thoughts of All Time: (In Two Lines or Less). The best that has been thought or said on every imaginable topic seems to have been included in this inspirational, thought-provoking and just plain entertaining little book. I will leave you with a great quote from Fran Lebowitz: “The opposite of talking isn’t listening. The opposite of talking is waiting.” Enjoy.

If you are at that certain age when a mention of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt brings back a flood of memories of your younger years, then you may find that Lucy: A Novel is a remarkably sensitive exploration of the private lives behind the public marriage to Eleanor. In a piece of heavily researched historical fiction, author Ellen Feldman ably brings to life the long-term love affair between Roosevelt and his wife’s secretary, Lucy Mercer, who was with him at his death two decades later. I found it a touching love story, one with a basis in fact - and an extremely good read.

Now to a book that is not only a joy to hold – it’s pleasingly square – but so beautifully put together with its combination of photographs and just enough words to author John Wheatman’s theme of A Good House Is Never Done to make you a true believer. It is his concept that “who you are and what you want to say about yourself is continually changing,” almost assuring that you will discover small ways to make your own home an expression of who you are today – not 20 years ago. It is truly inspirational, truly beautiful and will show you how make your home an expression of who you are at this moment. This is a book – written for you and me – that is life-enriching and a real treasure.

I find I love memoirs. But a memoir that combines the magic of Venice, a middle-age romance between an American woman and a mysterious Italian, and is liberally sprinkled with culinary observations (and yes, a final section on recipes!) from the chef/food consultant author Marlena DeBlasi has a way of keeping you reading. A Thousand Days in Venice: An Unexpected Romance is at its best with DeBlasi’s descriptions of a Venice the one-time visitor may never experience - along with her gastronomic loves, so vividly written. Will this marriage last?  I’ll let you judge for yourself.

Space in this issue does not allow me to share the great variety of excellent books that I would wish to. But do peruse the shelves of new books – both fiction and non-fiction – that are there for your pleasure opposite the front desk. From there it is an easy walk into the now well-lit stacks in the fiction room – or you might stroll to our oh-so-well-known excellent collections of non-fiction just a stone’s throw away. You will find a feast for the eyes and come home with an armful!
                                                                               --  Joan Larsen
 

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