Local librarians weigh in with books to beat the heat

By Andy Kozlowski
C & G Staff Writer

MADISON HEIGHTS/HAZEL PARK — Libraries can be a daunting place.

With wall after wall packed full of books — and all the wild worlds, raw emotions, head-scratching questions and life-changing revelations therein — you never know how a given tome will touch you.

And where to start? Well-versed in books, a librarian can be a compass pointing to literary gold. Here’s what some of them recommend this summer, organized by librarian:

Sally Arrivee
The head reference librarian at the Madison Heights Public Library loves to relax in the shade with a good book and several gallons of ice-cold tea.

“My reading taste leans toward the romance genre, with dips into true crime, some mysteries, historical and paranormal fiction, and English history tossed in for good measure,” Arrivee said.

She suggests a couple of series: Robyn Carr’s “Virgin River” and Debbie Macomber’s “Cedar Cove.”  

The first book in the “Virgin River” series, about a small settlement nestled in the redwood country of northern California where neighbors look out for one another, focuses on the blossoming love of former military man Jack Sheridan, owner of the local bar and grill, and Melinda Monroe, a recent widow and nurse from an L.A. trauma center. Characters that run through the other 11 books are introduced in the debut book.

“It’s a nice salute to all of the men and women who serve or have served in the armed forces,” Arrivee said. “Carr releases these books in trilogies, usually beginning in January. I can’t wait for January 2011.”

In the “Cedar Cove” series, set on the west side of Puget Sound, strong women such as the family court judge, her mother and the town librarian provide heart and humanity.

“The characters ring very true to form, and there’s not always a happy ending to some things,” Arrivee said. For example, in “311 Pelican Court,” about a divorcing couple and the custody of their children, “the burning question now is will the parents reunite or will they meet other people.”

Liz Colombo
Hazel Park Memorial Library’s reference librarian discovered several memorable stories this past year.

“My absolute favorite genre is historical fiction, of which there are two outstanding novels on my list,” Colombo said, those two being “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett and “Wolf Hall” by Hillary Mantel.

“The Help,” set in 1960s Mississippi, has three radically different women — a 22-year-old hounded by her mother to marry, a black maid heartbroken by the loss of a child and a sassy, out-of-work cook — who come together to start a movement that forever changes the town and the way women of all ages view one another. 

“Wolf Hall,” meanwhile, is set centuries prior, during the turbulent reign of Henry VIII in 1520s England. Seen through the eyes of the king’s chief minister, the cunning Thomas Cromwell, the story puts a fresh spin on the hot-and-cold temperament of the king and the bloody events that transpire as a result. 

“Whether you select the American South during the civil rights movement, or jolly old England where Henry VIII ruled with a scepter in one hand and an axe in the other, you can’t go wrong with these compelling stories,” Colombo said.

Corrine Stocker
“I read mainly general and historical fiction, with some mystery and chick lit thrown into the mix,” said Stocker, Hazel Park’s adult services librarian. “Some of my favorite authors include Isabel Allende, Adriana Trigiani, Jennifer Weiner, Sue Monk Kidd and Lisa Lutz.”

She recommends five books: Jamie Ford’s “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet,” Jeannette Walls’ “Half Broke Horses,” Kate Morton’s “The Forgotten Garden,” Tracy Chevalier’s “Remarkable Creatures” and Jess Walter’s “The Financial Life of the Poets.”

“Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” is about first love, racism, the pitfalls of patriotism, and the secrets between kids and their parents. Set in 1942, the story sees two American fifth-graders, one Chinese and the other Japanese, become friends, fall in love and become separated as the Japanese are sent to internment camps. Forty years later, one finds mementoes of the other, starting the love anew.

“Half Broke Horses” is the true-life story of the author’s grandmother, a spirited woman of many hats — rodeo rider, poker player, Prohibition-era bootlegger — and the rough-and-tumble life she leads finding love and surviving tornadoes and floods in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Illinois.

“The Forgotten Garden” is a mystery spanning generations. The case to crack is the origin of a girl with no name, no past, nothing but a fairytale book in 1913 Brisbane, Australia. She’s given the name Nell, grows up and begins to piece together her past, but before she can leave for England to discover her identity, she’s given her granddaughter to raise. When she dies, the granddaughter decides to finish what Nell started.

“Remarkable Creatures” focuses on fossil hunters in 1800s England, and a working class woman’s discovery of a hitherto unknown animal’s skeleton that brings her to the forefront of the scientific community. But her discovery quickly becomes an uphill battle for approval in a male-dominated society, highlighting Jane Austen-esque themes of class and social prejudice.

“The Financial Life of the Poets” follows a failed business reporter and aspiring poet allured by an illegal moneymaking scheme that presents itself at a time when he’s losing his home, his wife may be having an affair, and finances are drained by support for his senile father and kids’ private school tuition. The story combines satire, heart and bits of the protagonist’s poetry, to boot.

Jessica Keyser
“I would describe my reading tastes as eclectic,” said Keyser, Hazel Park’s library director. “My favorite genre is probably contemporary adult fiction, but I also really enjoy nonfiction, young adult and juvenile literature, and children’s books.”

One title she recently finished is Brady Udall’s “The Lonely Polygamist”.

“I am still reeling from it,” Keyser said. “This novel is about a plural-marriage family in the 1970s. It is funny, tragic and deeply moving. The struggles of this family will resonate with readers even though the concept of plural marriage seems so alien to many of us.”

Rebecca Stead’s “When You Reach Me” is about a New York City sixth-grader whose life becomes a series of bizarre incidents, among them a series of notes from a stranger that seems to know all about her, including things that haven’t happened yet, and who is leading her to prevent a tragic death that apparently only she can stop.

“The Omnivore’s Dilemma” is by Michael Pollan, a journalist who makes some disturbing finds at factory farms, large-scale organic farms and small-scale local farms, which “fundamentally changed the way that I think about food,” Keyser said.

Tara Parker-Pope’s “For Better: The Science of a Good Marriage” takes scientific findings on marriage and translates it to practical advice, such as how eye-rolling can be a predictor for divorce, and can be enjoyed as a sociological study or a guide to improving one’s relationship.

Keyser adored “Flying” by Kevin Luthardt, saying, “This is a very simple but beautiful children’s picture book about a conversation between a boy and his father. I absolutely loved everything about this book, so much so that I had to buy a copy for my son at home.”

Last but not least is her recommendation of “Sh*t My Dad Says” by Justin Halpern.

“This book had me laughing out loud on every page,” Keyser said. “It is a very quick-to-read, funny memoir about the author’s relationship to his opinionated, quirky but ultimately loving father.”

The Madison Heights Public Library is located at 240 W. 13 Mile Road and can be reached at (248) 588-7763. The Hazel Park Memorial Library is located at 123 E. Nine Mile Road and can be reached at (248) 546-4095.