BOOK WORM

June 24, 2008

PLAYAWAYS

FICTION

WHITE OLEANDER by Janet Fitch: Astrid is an only child who journeys through a series of foster homes after her mother commits the murder of her lover and is sentenced to prison. Astrid confronts the challenges of loneliness and poverty and strives to learn who she can become.

AGNES GREY by Anne Bronte: Depicts the life of a governess through the character of Agnes, a rector's daughter. Agnes suffers through pressures, frustration, isolation and insensitivity with moral responsibility, energy and persistent optimism.

THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UNDEAD by Kim Harrison: Rachel Morgan, a former bounty hunter and her reformed vampire roommate are getting along well until the roommate's ex-boyfriend decides he wants her back and Rachel too. To save herself and Ivy, Rachel must confront the vampire master and the dark secrets she's hidden even from herself.

THE ALIBI CLUB by Francine Matthews: A murder that could alter the outcome of World War II draws together a group of expatriates with only on thing in common-- to stop the attempt to keep a deadly weapon out of German hands and to protect the Alibi Club.

DEAR JOHN by Nicholas Sparks: After he is released from the Army, John Tyree plans to spend the rest of his life with University of North Carolina student Savannah Lynn Curtis, but the events of September 11 change everything.

CONSEQUENCES by Penelope Lively: A chance meeting begins young Lorna and Matt’s intense relationship. Wholly in love, they leave London for a cottage in a rural Somerset village. Their intimate life together—Matt’s woodcarving, Lorna’s self-discovery, and their new baby, Molly—is shattered with the arrival of World War II.

THE LAST JUROR by John Grisham: Danny Padgitt was accused of raping and murdering a young woman and sentenced to life imprisonment. Willie Traynor reported every detail in his newspaper and improved his prosperity. Danny was paroled early and began to act on his threat of revenge against the jurors.


NONFICTION

LEADERSHIP: GREAT LEADERS, GREAT TEAMS, GREAT RESULTS by Stephen Covey: Today the call for organizational greatness is more important than ever before. Covey explains the four imperatives: clarify purpose, unleash talent, align systems, and inspire trust in order to help sustain financial performance, intense customer loyalty, a winning culture and a distinctive contribution in the marketplace.

BROTHERS IN BATTLE, BEST OF FRIENDS by William Guarnere: Two young men from Philadelphia, who had never met until they joined the 101st Airborne Division, Easy Company, fight in World War II and become buddies. After one is wounded and sent home, while the other stays to liberate concentration camps and capture Hitler's Eagle's nest. After the war they reconnect and become the best of friends.

AMERICAN CREATION TRIUMPHS AND TRAGEDIES AT THE FOUNDATION OF THE REPUBLIC by Joseph J. Ellis: Presents an historical account of the twenty-eight years between the start of the War for Independence in 1775 and the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, focusing on significant people and events in the founding of the American nation.

OUR DUMB WORLD: THE ONION’S ATLAS OF THE PLANET EARTH: A news-parody compendium of world non-facts; features maps and incorrect statistics for all of the world's independent nations, from Afghanistan to the Ukraine, and includes the world's rejected flag designs and the planet's most annoying handicrafts.