Adult Summer Reading Club ends -

Today we awarded the final grand prizes - a $75.00 gift certificate to 16 Prospect Wine Bar & Bistro and a $75.00 gift certificate to Acquaviva delle Fonti.  Congratulations to those lucky patrons! 

We'd like to thank all the Westfield businesses that donated prizes to support this program.  Thank you to Alan's Orchard, Casa di Pizza, Cod Almighty Chippery, Cosimo's, Isabella's American Bistro, Limani Seafood, Mojave Grill, Sweetwater's Steakhouse, Theresa's, Tinga Taqueria, Trader Joe's, Turning Point, Vicki's Diner, and Wild Greens.

                                                       

 And we want to give a special shout out to the grand prize donors - thank you!

 

16 Prospect Wine Bar & Bistro

Acquaviva delle Fonti

Congratulations to all our winners.  We hope you enjoyed participating and reading the suggestions in the blog.  Even though the summer is over, you could read the books during the fall too.

Enjoy!

Summer is almost over :(

Just in case you're still searching, here are some suggestions from other sources for good summer reads -

American Booksellers Association  

National Public Radio

Entertainment Weekly

Good Housekeeping

O Magazine 

Phew - that should just about do it for summer reading!

The last day to submit prize entry coupons is Sat., August 25th.  The two August grand prizes, a $75.00 gift certificate to 16 Prospect Wine Bar & Bistro and a $75.00 gift certificate to Acquaviva delle Fonti, will be drawn on Monday August 27th.

Last weekly prizes awarded today -

Today we gave away gift certificates to La Famiglia Sorrento on Central Ave., Alan's Orchard on Quimby Street and Casa di Pizza on Elm Street.  Congratulations to the lucky patrons.

The last day to submit prize entry coupons is Sat., August 25th.  The two August grand prizes, a $75.00 gift certificate to 16 Prospect Wine Bar & Bistro and a $75.00 gift certificate to Aqauviva delle Fonti, will be drawn on Monday August 27th.

Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy...

A spy thriller always makes for a good summer read.

If you're waiting for Mission to Paris by Alan Furst, you could try one of his earlier titles -

Or perhaps one of these recently published fiction titles -

                   An American Spy - Olen Steinhauer

                        The Expats - Chris Pavone

                A Foreign Country - Charles Cumming

                      House of the Hunted - Mark Mills

                                                         Istanbul Passage - Joseph Kanon

                                                   The Silent Oligarch - Chris Morgan Jones

                                                                 Trapeze - Simon Mawer

If you like to read about real spies, you'll enjoy one of these nonfiction books -

                                                              Agent Garbo - Stephen Talty

                                                               Deception - Edward Lucas

                                                            Double Cross - Ben Macintryre

                                                         Hitler's Spy Chief - Richard Bassett

Roger that...over and out!

Two more winners!!!

Congratulations to the two patrons that won gift certificates to these restaurants, Vicki's Diner and Theresa's.  Both of the restaurants are located in downtown Westfield.

We'll have one more weekly drawing with three prizes on August 20th and then two grand prizes will be picked on August 27th.  The last day to submit prize coupons will be August 25th.

You can't play if you don't participate!

Happy Birthday, Julia!

 

August 15th will be the 100th anniversary of Julia Child's birth and so we're featuring books about her as well as some she wrote.

                            As Always, Julia - Julia Child

                          A Covert Affair - Jennet Conant

         Dearie; the Remarkable Life of Julia Child - Bob Spitz

                              Julia's Cats - Patricia Barey

                             Julie and Julia - Julie Powell

                                                      Mastering the Art of French Cooking - Julia Child

                                                                   My Life in France - Julia Child

                                           Visit Julia's Facebook page for more information about her 

                                            birthday celebration - https://www.facebook.com/JuliaChild

In addition, these recently published books are about other famous people from the culinary world.

                                                    Beaten, Seared and Sauced - Jonathan Dixon

                                                      Blood, Bones & Butter - Gabrielle Hamilton

                    The Man Who Changed the Way We Eat; Craig Claiborne - Thomas McNamee

                                                       The Sorcerer's Apprentices - Lisa Abend

                                                              Yes, Chef - Marcus Samuelsson

Bon Appétit!

Two new weekly winners -

Today we awarded a gift bag of goodies from Trader Joe's of Westfield and a gift certificate for two entrees at the Turning Point restaurant on Central Ave.  Congratulations to the lucky winners!

Any library materials, including Playaways and Books on CD, can be used to enter the contest.  So if you're going on a road trip, why not listen to a book and use that check out to enter the Adult Summer Reading Club.  

Under the radar -

July is gone, but we've still got August for summer reading fun. These recently published fiction books got good reviews, but haven't received much attention from the media yet...

                                                          Absolutist - John Boyne

                                                   Jack 1939 - Francine Matthews

                                      The Light Between the Oceans - M.L. Stedman

                                       The Other Woman's House - Sophie Hannah

                                                      Overseas - Beatriz Williams

                                                  Shine Shine Shine - Lydia Netzer

                                                     Syndrome E - Franck Thilliez

                                               This Bright River - Patrick Somerville

                                  The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D - Nichole Bernier

                                               The Uninvited Guests - Sadie Jones

                                  The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry - Rachel Joyce

                                                          Wife 22 - Melanie Gideon

Enjoy!

July Grand Prize awarded!

Congratulations to the lucky patron who won a $75.00 gift certificate to the Westfield restaurant, 16 Prospect Wine Bar & Bistro.  Thank you to the owners for their generous donation in support of our program.

We still have 6 weekly prizes to give away during August and 2 more grand prizes to award at the conclusion of the club.

Oh to be in England -

In honor of the Olympics, we are featuring some recently published fiction set in London and some nonfiction about the city. 

Fiction -

                         Abdication - Juliet Nicolson

                       Angelmaker - Nick Harkaway

                                                                    Blue Monday - Nicci French

                                                                      Capital - John Lanchester

                                                                 Chemistry of Tears - Peter Carey

                                                                 The Demands - Mark Billingham

                                                                          Gold - Chris Cleave

                                                                 How it All Began - Penelope Lively

                                                                      The Reckoning - Jane Casey

                                                                   The Spoiler - Annalena McAfee

Nonfiction -

                                                     Johnson's Life of London - Boris Johnson

                         London Under; the Secret History Beneath the Streets - Peter Ackroyd

                                Londoner's; the Days and Nights of London Now - Craig Taylor

Cheerio!

Two more gift certificates awarded -

Yesterday, we gave away prizes from the Theresa Restaurant Group and Cosimo's Restaurant and Pizzeria both located in downtown Westfield.  Congratulations to the lucky patrons who won!

On Monday, July 30th, we'll be awarding the monthly grand prize, a $75.00 gift certificate to 16 Prospect Wine Bar & Bistro. 

You can't win if you don't participate...  

Going, going "Gone Girl" -

If you're waiting for this bestselling thriller, by Gillian Flynn, we have some suggestions for other books to read.  You could start with her two previous titles:

                             Dark Places and Sharp Objects

If you've already read those, here are some other books that will keep you on the edge of your beach blanket.

                                 Already Gone - John Rector

                   Come and Find Me - Hallie Ephron

                                                               Darkness all Around - Doug Magee

                                                                    The Empty Glass - J.I. Baker

                                                        Into the Darkest Corner - Elizabeth Haynes

                                                                 Playing Dead - Julia Haeberlin

                                                                        

                                                                   Ransom River - Meg Gardiner

                                                        Say Nice Things About Detroit - Scott Lasser

And two books by Chevy Stevens - Still Missing and Never Knowing

For even more thrillers, check out the website, Stop, You're Killing Me!

Two new weekly winners -

Yesterday we awarded gift certificates to two restaurants on Central Ave. - The Turning Point and Tinga Taqueria.  Next Monday we'll draw two more prizes.

The air conditioning is on full blast in the library.  Come in - cool down - check out some materials - fill out a prize entry form.

You could be the next lucky winner!

The real thing -

If your idea of a "good beach read" is a true story, you'll enjoy these recently published nonfiction books -

In honor of the discovery of the Higgs particle, we'll start with some titles for the science geeks out there -

                                 Chasing Venus - Andrea Wulf

                                      Gravity - Brian Clegg

                   Horseshoe Crabs and Velvet Worms - Richard A. Fortey

And for the true crime addicts -

                                Cemetery John - Robert E. Zorn

                                Midnight in Peking - Paul French

                    People Who Eat Darkness - Richard Lloyd Parry

And for the sports fans -

                           American Triumvirate - James Dodson

                               Dream Team - Jack McCallum

                              Pinstripe Empire - Martin Appel

Let's not forget the history buffs -

                               Atlantic Fever - Joe Jackson

                           Freedom's Forge - Arthur Herman

                          Two Americans - William Lee Miller

We'll be looking at other nonfiction genres in future blogs, so stay tuned. 

Prizes - prizes - prizes!

We awarded two more weekly prizes, a gift certificate to Cod Almighty Chippery on South Ave. and the Limani Seafood Grill on North Ave.  Congratulations to those patrons!

We have ten more weekly prizes and three grand prizes to giveaway during the Adult Summer Reading Club.   A complete list of the prizes, donated by Westfield businesses, is on display in the library.

You can't win if you don't participate!

Fifty shades of

- gotcha ya - you thought it was going to grey, but it's actually red.  There is a lot of new fiction with the color red in the title and they want to be "read" -

                                                         One Red Bastard - Ed Lin

                                            The Red Book - Deborah Copaken Kogan

                                                          Red Cell - Mark Henshaw

                                                 The Red Chamber - Pauline Chen

                                                   The Red House - Mark Haddon

                                                    Red Means Run - Brad Smith

                                              Red Star Burning - Brian Freemantle

                                                          Redshirts - John Scalzi

                                           Tigers in Red Weather - Liza Klaussmann

Of course we do have some books with the color grey in the title too -

                                                Fifty Shades of Grey - E.L. James

                                                 Fifty Shades Darker - E.L. James

                                                 Fifty Shades Freed - E.L. James

P.S. Happy Red, White & Blue Day!

We have two winners!!!

Today we gave away a gift certificate to Wild Greens and a gift certificate to Sweetwaters Steak House to two lucky patrons.  Congratulations! 

Next Monday we'll draw two more prizes donated by wonderful local merchants - thank you!

Come to the library - check out an item - enter to win prizes - it's all good.

We're talking at least 350 pages

and longer is even better!  If you enjoy getting lost in a lengthy historical fiction saga, these recently published books should do the trick -

                                            Bringing up the Bodies - Hilary Mantel

                                                         (sequel to Wolf Hall)

                                         

                                                 The Chaperone - Laura Moriarty

                                   

                                            The English Monster - Lloyd Shepherd

                                               Equal of the Sun - Anita Amirrezvani

                                       The House at Tyneford - Natasha Solomons

                                   The House of Velvet and Glass - Katherine Howe

                               A Lady Cyclist's Guide to Kashgar - Suzanne Joinson

                                            The Orphanmaster - Jean Zimmerman

                                             The Time in Between - Maria Duenas

Here are some older titles you may have missed -

                                               An American Heiress - Daisy Goodwin

                                                     The Book Thief - Markus Zusack 

                                                Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese

                                                  The Invisible Bridge - Julie Orringer

                                                  Kitchen House - Kathleen Grissom

                                                     Rules of Civility - Amor Towles

                                               The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield

Don't forget, if any of these books are checked out, you can place a reserve on the title.  Enjoy!

For more suggestions, check out the Historical Novel Society website.

 We're having a heat wave...

Summer reading means different things to people.  For some it's light fiction while others like to tackle a book that's a little more literary.  Many readers can't go on vacation without a good mystery or thriller.  But for other people, non-fiction is their preference.  We'll explore each of these genres as well as others in future posts.

For now, it's too hot to tackle anything but a light "beach read".  Check these out -


                 

                                            Beach House Memories - Mary Alice Monroe

                                     

                                           The Cottage at Glass Beach - Heather Barbieri 

                                                   

                                                         Sea Change - Karen White

                                             

                                                      Summer Breeze - Nancy Thayer

                                                       Summer Days - Susan Mallery 

                                                   The Summer House - Marcia Willett

                                                      Summerland - Elin Hilderbrand

Summer is here - woo hoo!

 

Today is the first day of summer and that means we are officially open for business.  The Adult Summer Reading Club and its accompanying blog are back.   

The club runs from June 25th - August 25th.  We’ll have weekly random drawings for prizes and three grand prize drawings.  The first weekly prize will be drawn on July 2nd.  Grand prizes will be drawn at the end of July and August.  Patrons may begin submitting prize entry forms on Monday, June 25th.  Prizes will be drawn on Monday mornings with the winners announced on the blog that day.  The complete list of rules is available at the circulation desk.

If you’re looking for summer reading suggestions, the library has two places for you to consult.  Regular blog posts will feature recommendations and there is a display of "good summer reads" on the first floor of the library.  The blog and display will feature fiction and nonfiction titles that you’ll enjoy while on vacation or in your back yard.   

So come in - enjoy your library - Westfield Reads!