Books listed in this issue of Braille Book Review were recently sent to cooperating libraries. The complete collection contains books by many authors on fiction and nonfiction subjects, including biographies, classics, gothics, mysteries, romances, and others. Contact your cooperating library to learn more about the wide range of books available in the collection.
To order books, contact your cooperating library.
Note: For the information of the reader, a notice may appear immediately following the book description to indicate occurrences of strong language, explicit descriptions of sex, or violence. The word "some" before any of these terms indicates an occasional or infrequent occurrence, as in "some strong language."
Fast Forward BR 10975
A Heart Speaks BR 10977
by LaVyrle Spencer
3 volumes
Two novellas. In Forsaking All Others, Allison Scott, photographer, is looking for the perfect man for a book cover contract. She finds him in Richard Lang--who becomes more than just a model. In A Promise to Cherish, Lee Walker, a construction estimator, grabs the wrong suitcase at the airport and ends up meeting Sam Brown of Brown and Brown, whose bid just happens to be lower. Strong language and explicit descriptions of sex. 1983.
Go Ask Alice BR 10978
by Anonymous
1 volume
Based on the diary of a fifteen-year-old girl who turned to drugs because of her feelings of loneliness and rebellion against the world. Though she tries to stop, she dies of an overdose three weeks after her seventeenth birthday. Strong language. For junior and senior high readers. 1971.
Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life BR 10985
by Herman Melville
4 volumes
Records the adventures of a whaling voyage in the Pacific. First published in 1846 and based on the author's actual experience, this novel portrays a civilized man held captive by Polynesians, who were then practicing cannibalism. 1846.
Hollywood Husbands BR 10996
by Jackie Collins
5 volumes
Depicts the brash hedonists of Tinseltown and centers on movie star Mannon Cable, studio executive Howard Soloman, and TV talk-show host Jack Python. Strong language and some descriptions of sex. Bestseller 1986.
Hollywood Wives BR 11051
by Jackie Collins
5 volumes
Can Buddy Hudson hide his lurid past and go on to be the next Marlon Brando? Will voluptuous Gina Germaine satisfy her ravenous sexual appetite and land her first serious movie role? Does Elaine Conti ever win back husband Ross? The answers capture the essence of life lived on the fastest track of all. Strong language and explicit descriptions of sex. Bestseller 1983.
Tender Is the Night BR 11055
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3 volumes
An American psychiatrist, studying in Europe in the 1920s, falls in love with a beautiful, wealthy patient in this 1934 novel about rich American expatriates. In their marriage, he reacts against her great dependence on him as both husband and doctor before he realizes his equal dependence on her. 1934.
The Great Gatsby BR 11057
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
2 volumes
First published in 1925, this classic is set in the ebullient Jazz Age of the 1920s. Wealthy Jay Gatsby strives desperately to recapture his past and his lost love, Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby's hedonistic pursuit of the American dream leads him to a tragic fate. 1992.
The Vicar of Wakefield: A Tale, Supposed to Be Written by Himself BR 11061
by Oliver Goldsmith
2 volumes
A pastoral tale written in the 1760s, told by an unworldly, generous, and kindly vicar. He and his family are forced to move to humbler dwellings. The vicar's fortitude prevails despite the seduction of his daughter and his imprisonment for debt. 1981.
Sweet Thursday BR 11062
by John Steinbeck
2 volumes
To depict the common bonds of love that unite humankind, the author turns to the outcasts of a California skid row. Portrayed are an alcoholic, a prostitute, and a down-at-the-heels philosopher. Strong language and explicit descriptions of sex. 1954.
Necessary Madness BR 11065
by Jenn Crowell
2 volumes
Novel by a seventeen-year-old tells of a young American widow in London. As Gloria Burgess helps prepare a show of her late English husband's paintings, she reflects the contrast between her short marriage and the unhappy union her parents endured after Gloria's father lost the love of his life. Some strong language. 1997.
Once upon a Galaxy BR 11067
by Josepha Sherman
2 volumes
Forty-two tales of folklore, fantasy, and science fiction. Five categories, each prefaced by an essay, include the fantastic voyage, the child who becomes a heroic leader, the hero ignorant of his origins, the quest for a magic item, and the cunning of the trickster. Violence. 1994.
Istanbul Express: Rendezvous with Destiny, Book 5 BR 11079
by T. Davis Bunn
2 volumes
Colonel Jake Burnes, his wife Sally, and the newlyweds, Major Pierre Servais and Jasmyn, have been dispatched to Istanbul to oversee a massive aid program in the Mediterranean. But as they travel on the Orient Express, the wives receive a message that their husbands are in great danger. Sequel to Berlin Encounter (BR 10598). 1995.
Cannery Row BR 11086
by John Steinbeck
2 volumes
The story of a happy-go-lucky colony of bums on the Monterey, California, waterfront and of their friends, ladies of easy virtue in a nearby establishment. A sentimental theme is treated with realism and with the philosophy that poverty-stricken independence is better than commercial success. Some strong language. 1945.
Diary of a Madman and Other Stories BR 11088
by Nikolai Gogol
2 volumes
These stories, by the father of Russian realism, are set both in his native Ukraine and in St. Petersburg, the city that was to have an obsessive effect on him. Critics have acclaimed the early nineteenth-century writer for his uncanny understanding of the development of mental illness. 1972.
The Wayward Bus BR 11090
by John Steinbeck
2 volumes
A group of travelers interrelate when they are stranded overnight at a roadside gas station and lunchroom in California. Some strong language. 1947.
Noctuary BR 11091
by Thomas Ligotti
2 volumes
A discussion of the genre of weird fiction, followed by twenty-seven short weird tales, presented in three parts. "The Medusa" probes the power of classical myth in modern life, "Conversations in a Dead Language" explores the tradition of trick or treating at Halloween, and "Autumnal" examines death. 1994.
3001: The Final Odyssey BR 11095
by Arthur C. Clarke
2 volumes
After being killed and abandoned in space, twenty-first-century astronaut Frank Poole is revived a thousand years in the future. He finds that humanity has spread throughout the solar system and lives in a state of near utopia. But all is not well in the third millenium. The mysterious black monoliths are still present and may now pose a threat. Sequel to 2061: Odyssey Three (BR 7226). 1997.
The Gambler BR 11100
by Fyodor Dostoevsky
2 volumes
Set in a fashionable nineteenth-century German spa, this story tells of a young Russian tutor who becomes so addicted to the passion of gambling that everything else loses meaning for him. Originally written in 1866. 1964.
The Ship Who Sang BR 11171
by Anne McCaffrey
2 volumes
Born a deformed human, Helva wins the title of shellperson and her brain is transferred into the control center of an intergalactic scout ship. Traveling among the stars, she shares her missions with one normal human, and Helva finds that even a spaceship can fall in love. 1969.
PartnerShip BR 11172
by Anne McCaffrey and Margaret Ball
3 volumes
As a brand-new member of the elite Central Worlds' Courier Service, shellperson Nancia, half human and half spaceship, undertakes her first mission, carrying a group of young aristocrats across the galaxy. She faces a dilemma when her passengers hatch a conspiracy to acquire power and wealth. Sequel to The Ship Who Sang (BR 11171). Strong language. 1992.
For Your Eyes Only BR 11189
by Rebecca York
2 volumes
Jenny Larkin lost her sight in a car accident in high school. She blames herself, though no one else does. Ben Brisco has always loved Jenny, yet never expressed it. Their feelings come to the surface when Jenny becomes a possible witness in her best friend's murder. Some descriptions of sex. 1997.
The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg BR 11193
by Mark Twain
1 volume
A mysterious stranger leaves a sack of gold to an unknown citizen of Hadleyburg on the condition that the townsman can prove he is the kind person who once befriended a man in need. The temptation has a remarkable effect on the townspeople, who take great pride in their virtue. For junior and senior high and older readers. 1986.
Podkayne of Mars BR 11197
by Robert A. Heinlein
2 volumes
Indomitable young Podkayne (Poddy) Fries jumps at the chance to accompany her uncle Tom on a mission to Earth. The only drawback is that she'll have her loathsome little brother along for the trip. But even greater dangers face the niece of a diplomat from Mars who has powerful enemies. For junior and senior high and older readers. 1963.
Mary Wolf BR 11206
by Cynthia D. Grant
2 volumes
When Mary Wolf's father loses his upscale position, he takes his family on the road in an RV for an extended vacation. Mary, sixteen, soon realizes they are actually homeless and broke, her pregnant mother shoplifts, and her angry father can't hold down even the most menial job. Some strong language and some violence. For senior high and older readers. 1995.
The Halls of Justice BR 11212
by Lee Gruenfeld
4 volumes
Feeling betrayed by the legal system she has worked so hard to uphold, Santa Monica attorney Diane Pierman and her sister seek revenge against their attacker after he is acquitted on a technicality. They find themselves at the center of a web of legal intrigue with unexpected personal and political implications. Strong language, some violence, and some descriptions of sex. 1996.
That Summer BR 11256
by Sarah Dessen
2 volumes
The summer she is fifteen, Haven must endure the weddings of both her father and her sister, her mother's new lifestyle, her growth spurt to almost six feet, and her best friend's turning into a boy-crazy stranger. Missing her old life, Haven is relieved to meet a boy her sister dated during happier times. Some strong language. For junior and senior high readers. 1996.
Silas Marner BR 11257
by George Eliot
1 volume
A simplified edition retold by Clare West of Eliot's 1861 novel. After an embittered weaver is robbed of his gold, he finds by chance a yellow-haired child who delights him and becomes his treasure. Also intertwined is the story of the local squire and his two sons. 1994.
The Persian Pickle Club BR 11261
by Sandra Dallas
2 volumes
As the crops wither without rain, members of the Persian Pickle Club keep up their spirits by swapping gossip and fabric scraps while quilting. The bonds among the "stitch and itch" ladies are tested when a newcomer investigates a murder in the small Kansas town of the 1930s. 1995.
A Lost Lady BR 11262
by Willa Cather
1 volume
A portrayal of the moral disintegration of a lovable woman as seen through the eyes of a boy. Some strong language. 1923.
Past Forgiving BR 11266
by Gloria D. Miklowitz
1 volume
Fifteen-year-old Alexandra can't believe popular senior Cliff is her boyfriend. When they both get summer jobs at the Y, Alexandra is surprised by Cliff's temper and jealousy, but she refuses to believe her friends' warnings about him. Some strong language. For junior and senior high readers. 1995.
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