SDPL Recommended Books

Reviewed by Brenda Wegener

Branch Manager, Carmel Valley Branch Library

San Diego Union-Tribune, March 15, 2020

 

Benjamin Black, pseudonym for Irish fiction author John Banville, usually writes detective novels taking place in Dublin in the1950s.But this novel is very different.In World War II London, just before the start of the German Blitz, the King and Queen secretly send the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret to the rundown estate of the Duke of Edenmore deep in the countryside of neutral Ireland. The girls will be guarded by Cecilia Nashe, an MI6 agent posing as a governess and a young Anglo-Irish detective. The days on the estate are leisurely, with Elizabeth riding horses and Margaret getting into mischief until the secret begins to get out, first among the servants and then the townspeople.When a group of Irish rebels get wind of the princesses’ true identities,the situation becomes dangerous for all concerned. Anyone caught up in “The Crown” series will find this book engaging.

Reviewed by Jason Rogers

Accessibility & I CAN! Center Manager, Central Library

San Diego Union-Tribune, March 1, 2020

 

Everything about Orange’s novel has an energy that keeps crackling along, from the passionate prologue through the tense conclusion. It begins with a series of seemingly disconnected character sketches of several Native Americans in and around Oakland. We get to meet each character in their current circumstance and gradually learn about their personal histories that eventually lead them to the novel’s climax, a big community powwow. The narrative jumps between characters as well as chronologically, but each character is rendered in such terrific details that you will be immersed well before the plot connections begin to show themselves. The range of voices that Orange presents in the book is truly impressive, but so is the way he constructs the story to keep the reader engaged through the final page.

Reviewed by David Cederholm

Library Assistant II, Allied Gardens/Benjamin Branch Library

San Diego Union-Tribune, February 16, 2020

 

Fresh off a Pulitzer Prize, Colson Whitehead gives us this startling and all too familiar story of Elwood Curtis.  An intelligent and idealistic kid with a seemingly bright future, he plans to enroll in the local community college when things go sideways and he is convicted of a petty crime.  Jim Crow is on full display as Elwood is sentenced to the Nickel Academy.  Outwardly, a respected and long-established Florida institution for the reform of youthful offenders, in truth a penal farm where Elwood and the black “students” are put to work in the fields and homes of local officials and gentry.  Beatings, sexual abuse and disappearances occur with regularity and Elwood learns that dreams and an optimistic outlook may not be enough to keep himself alive.

Reviewed by Vanessa Gempis

Manager, Pauline Foster Teen Center, Central Library

San Diego Union-Tribune, February 2, 2020

 

Magic, murder, and mayhem abound in the first book of the “Crown of Shards” series. Fronted by a compelling and engaging main character and a host of memorable side characters, Estep’s world is a fun, page-turning ride all the way through. With no obvious magical ability and as seventeenth in line for the throne, Lady Everleigh is oft overlooked. She keeps her head down and does as she’s told, biding her time until she can secure permission to leave the court of Bellona and make a quiet life that’s all her own. Everything changes when the crown princess assassinates the queen and massacres the rest of the royals, leaving Evie the only royal survivor. Forced to flee, she finds safety and strength amongst a group of gladiators. As Evie finds her strength and her confidence, she also finds a new goal: become a gladiator herself…to kill the queen.

Reviewed by Christine Miller

Librarian II, Humanities, Central Library

San Diego Union-Tribune, January 19, 2020

 

Two teenage cousins and one horrific act bring four affluent parents together to navigate an outcome while trying to keep their well-groomed lives intact. An expensive, classy restaurant is the perfect setting for the not-so-perfect complexities of these good families. Money, power, politics and human nature are on the table in this dark saga, not to mention sibling rivalries, ulterior motives, upper crust values and life out of balance. This dinner will be intense. By the time dessert arrives, you’ll be wondering whose reality is this, anyway? Elements of current events will surely come to mind. For fans of psychological suspense reminiscent of Defending Jacob and The Talented Mr. Ripley, there’s something to sink your teeth into here.

Reviewed by Trevor Jones

Branch Manager, Scripps Miramar Ranch Library

San Diego Union-Tribune, January 5, 2020

 

True crime fans rejoice! Readers of Michelle McNamara’s “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” should check out this page-turner as a great follow-up. Jensen outlines his own beginnings as an amateur sleuth and investigative reporter, slowly developing a method to “crowdsource” crime solving via social media — with results! Several cases are examined — some unsolved to date — as Jensen helps find missing persons, works hand-in-hand with police. and receives tips from literally thousands of people. Jensen also offers wisdom and several guidelines for would-be detectives in the new age of Internet sleuthing.