FICTION:
And the mountains echoed by Khaled Hosseini. Here is a multi-generational family saga that follows a close-knit but oft-separated Afghan family through love, wars, and losses more painful than death.
The apple orchard by Susan Wiggs. When a woman inherits half a hundred-acre apple orchard to be shared with a half-sister she never knew she had, she discovers the pleasures of family and love.
Best kept secret by Jeffrey Archer. In the third installment of this family saga, the focus shifts to a new generation – Sebastian, the son of Harry and Emma Clifton.
The best of us by Sarah Pekkanen. A touching tale of college friends whose happily ever afters aren’t as perfect as they might have once expected.
Crossing Purgatory by Gary Schanbacher. This striking tale chronicles one momentous year in the life of a plainsman on the eve of the American Civil War.
Dead ever after by Charlaine Harris. The telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse searches for the truth about the death of a former barmaid.
Flora by Gail Godwin. In 1945, a bereft 10 year old girl is waiting out a polio scare on a North Carolina Mountaintop.
The golem and the jinni by Helene Wecker. The title characters land in 1899 New York, where their magic often makes more sense than the ways of the humans with whom they now live.
Goldenland past dark by Chandler Smith. Part dark fantasy, part magical realism but all about a 16 year old hunchback and his role in a circus.
If the shoe fits by Sandra Bricker. A 20-something heroine simultaneously chases the holy grail of successful career accomplishments and a Prince Charming in this fairy tale romance.
Life after life by Jill McCorkle. The novel centers on the colorful residents of Pine Haven retirement Center in a small town in North Carolina.
Midnight at Marble Arch by Anne Perry. The Victorian sleuths Charlotte and Thomas Pitt investigate a horrific rape and apparent suicide.
Motherland by William Nicholson. A powerful story of a love triangle set in England, France, India, and Jamaica against the backdrop of World War II.
The Ophelia cut by John Lescroat. Dismas Hardy must defend his brother-in-law, who is accused of killing his daughter’s rapist.
Palisades Park by Alan Brennert. A literate, thoughtful saga covering half a century in the life of a family whose world centers on a New Jersey amusement park.
Silken preyby John Sandford. Lucas Davenport is drawn into the investigation of a Minnesota political scandal and the disappearance of an operative.
Someday, someday, maybe by Lauren Graham. A young actress tries to make it in New York City.
A step of faith by Richard Paul Evans. In the fourth book of the “Walk” series, Alan faces new challenges on his walk to Key West.
A tale for the time being by Ruth Ozeki. The author explores big themes as her characters, a teenager in Japan and an author in Canada, are linked by a diary that washes ashore.
The view from Penthouse B by Elinor Lipman. This novel is a funny, tender story of two middle-aged sisters forced by circumstances to move in together.
Wash by Margaret Wrinkle. A Revolutionary War veteran and his slave are locked in an intimate battle of wills in this tender novel, which is both redemptive and affirming.
The woman upstairs by Claire Messud. The quiet life of a teacher and frustrated artist is upended by her friendship with a glamorous couple and their son.
Zero hourby Clive Cussler. Kurt Austin, Joe Zavala, and the rest of the NUMA team search for a physicist’s machine, buried in an ocean trench that can cause deadly earthquakes.
NEW DVDs:
Zero Dark Thirty (2012) starring Jessica Chastain
The heiress (1949) starring Olivia de Havilland and Montgomery Clift
Teddy Bear (2012) starring Kim Kold
Roseanne: the completefirst season (1988) starring Roseanne and John Goodman
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) starring Charles Laughton and Clark Gable
Wild River (1960) starring Montgomery Clift and Lee Remick
A little romance (1979) starring Laurence Olivier and Diane Lane
NONFICTION:
Adultingby Kelly Brown. The author sketches the elusive formula for a successful coming-of-age in her cleverly organized guide for 20-somethings.
The Athena doctrine by John Gerzema. How feminine values of nurturing, listening, and collaborating are redefining success for both genders.
The Battle Hymn of the Republic by John Stauffer. A biography of the song that marches on, written by Gardiner’s own Julia Ward Howe.
Bunker Hillby Nathaniel Philbrick. Eighteen months in pre-Revolutionary Boston, and the events leading up to the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Dad is fatby Jim Gaffigan. Life with five kids in a two-bedroom New York City apartment.
Days that I’ll remember by Jonathan Cott. Spending time with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. A decades-long friend of John and Yoko presents an intimate account of the couple’s relationship that reveals the profoundly positive influence of Ono on Lennon and the ways they inspired each other creatively before the latter’s death.
Here is where by Andrew Carroll. Learn about discovering America’s great forgotten history.
I promise not to suffer by Gail Storey. A fool for love reluctantly follows her fiancé on a hike of the Pacific Crest Trail.
Love with a chance of drowning by Torre DeRoche. A charming memoir of how an Australian woman with a neurotic fear of the ocean set sail across the Pacific with her Argentinean lover.
Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted by Jennifer Armstrong. The juicy, entertaining and informative behind-the-scenes story of the great American sitcom that left a lasting influence on popular TV – The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
My next step by Dave Liniger. A businessman fights back from a staph infection that paralyzed him.
Route 1: Maine. The only guide you will need to enjoy the iconic road trip from Kittery to Fort Kent – and the best places to visit, stay, and eat along the way.
Saving Italy by Robert Edsel. The Allied effort to prevent the retreating German Army from stealing the treasures of Italian art.
Simple joys of grandparenting by Abigail Gehring. Stories, rhymes, recipes, games, crafts, and more.
Slow family living by Bernadette Noll. A guide to rediscovering the meaning and contentment of day-to-day family life offers 75 ideas for connecting with family that make the most of shared time and strive to strengthen family relationships.
Work with me by Barbara Annis. This discusses the blind spots between men and women in business.
Notes from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, and New York Times Book Review