Braille Book Review

Books for Adults--Fiction

Fiction

Fair Blows the Wind BR 13653
by Louis L'Amour
2 volumes
In this colonial adventure, Irish-born Tatton Chantry, shipwrecked on the North Carolina coast, encounters Spanish buccaneers and a lovely Peruvian lady. To win their treasure and her heart, Chantry takes on the pirates and savage Indians. 1978.

Through a Glass Darkly BR 13661
by Karleen Koen
6 volumes (Reissue)
England, 1715. Barbara Alderley, the daughter of treacherous parents, is overjoyed when she is betrothed to handsome Roger Montgeoffry. He is an earl and a former aide to her grandfather. But Roger's only motive is to acquire the Alderley family estate through marriage. Some explicit descriptions of sex and some strong language. 1986.

Paradise Park BR 13672
by Allegra Goodman
4 volumes
In 1974, twenty-year-old Sharon follows her folk dance partner and older lover, Gary, from Boston to Hawaii, where he abandons her. Reviewing her options, Sharon cashes in her return plane ticket and begins her own spiritual quest and adventures. Some descriptions of sex and some strong language. 2001.

The Bonfire of the Vanities BR 13688
by Tom Wolfe
7 volumes
In this satire of the yuppie generation, socialite bond broker Sherman McCoy tries to escape responsibility for a freak accident and finds himself in conflict with New York City's justice system, unscrupulous religious and political leaders, and the urban poor. Descriptions of sex and strong language. Bestseller 1987.

The Return of the Native BR 13693
by Thomas Hardy
5 volumes (Reissue)
Clym Yeobright returns to barren Egdon Heath and, against his mother's advice, marries the willful Eustacia Vye. Later, disenchanted, Eustacia begins seeing Damon Wildeve, her former lover, who is married to Clym's cousin. Includes a glossary of unfamiliar regional terms as well as the author's later prefaces and postscripts. 1878.

Lonesome Dove BR 13696
by Larry McMurtry
8 volumes (Reissue)
A three-thousand-mile cattle drive, from the banks of the Rio Grande to Montana's big sky country, is the centerpiece of this vivid epic of the late-nineteenth-century American West and its adventurous inhabitants. Prequels include Comanche Moon (BR 12758). Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. Pulitzer Prize. Bestseller 1985.

Gothic Tales BR 13701
by Elizabeth Gaskell
4 volumes
Short stories and the novella Lois the Witch from a nineteenth-century English realist. In "The Old Nurse's Story," a father casts out a daughter and her child to perish in the cold. In "The Crooked Branch," a son returns home to rob his parents. Introduction and notes by Laura Kranzler. 2000.

Miss Julia Takes Over BR 13721
by Ann B. Ross
3 volumes
Elderly Julia Springer hires private detective J.D. Pickens to find her late husband's mistress, Hazel Marie, who hasn't returned from a date. With Little Lloyd, Hazel's son, in tow, the trio end up at the NASCAR races. Sequel to Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind (BR 12542). 2001.

Gabriel's Story BR 13724
by David Anthony Durham
2 volumes
A fifteen-year-old African American comes of age on the 1870s frontier. When his widowed mother remarries and takes him from Baltimore to Kansas, Gabriel broods over lost opportunities and resents the hard farm life. He runs off with a band of cowboys, but the journey turns desperate and dangerous. Violence and strong language. 2001.

As Long as She Needs Me BR 13727
by Nicholas Weinstock
2 volumes
Oscar has been the assistant to the notorious Dawn, of Dawn Books, for ten years. Lauren writes a wedding column. Oscar solicits Lauren's help in planning Dawn's nuptials, but Lauren misunderstands and thinks Oscar's getting married. Some strong language. 2001.

Destiny Valley BR 13729
by Fred Grove
2 volumes
Captain Evan Shelby leaves the Civil War battlefields after contracting tuberculosis. Settling in the New Mexico territories, he regains his health. Though Shelby sides with the locals when Lucinda Holloway's cattle company starts buying up rangeland, he falls for Holloway. Some violence. 2000.

Cat Spitting Mad: A Joe Grey Mystery BR 13736
by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
2 volumes
Felines Joe Grey and Dulcie, along with librarian Wilma and bachelor Clyde, investigate a double murder in their dangerous village of Molena Point, California. In addition to a kitten they've adopted, the two have to contend with a fierce cougar and an escaped murderer. 2001.

The Jungle BR 13742
by Upton Sinclair
4 volumes (Reissue)
Grim account of the deplorable conditions in the Chicago meatpacking industry around 1900, as seen through the eyes of Lithuanian immigrant Jurgis Rudkus. When first published, the novel aroused the indignation of the American public and forced government investigations that led to the passage of pure food legislation. 1985 introduction. Some violence. 1906.

The Gardens of Kyoto BR 13756
by Kate Walbert
2 volumes
Forty years after her favorite cousin, Randall, died on Iwo Jima, Ellen recounts their bond. Her story told in parallel lines encompasses her relationship with Lieutenant Henry Rock, who is sent to Korea, and threads of Randall's life. Yet all Ellen remembers may not be true. Some strong language. 2001.

The Kiss BR 13760
by Danielle Steel
3 volumes
Isabelle Forrester, wife of a Paris banker and mother of an extremely ill son, and Bill Robinson, a married Washington power broker, have had a telephone friendship for years. When they finally meet in London, their relationship begins to change. Then they are involved in a deadly crash. Some strong language. Bestseller 2001.

Midnight Bayou BR 13763
by Nora Roberts
3 volumes
Tired of being a Boston lawyer, Declan Fitzgerald buys Manet Hall near New Orleans with plans to restore the old plantation. But he does not expect to find his house haunted by rape, murder, and betrayal. Strong language, some explicit descriptions of sex, and some violence. Bestseller 2001.

The Blue Last: A Richard Jury Mystery BR 13764
by Martha Grimes
3 volumes
Superintendent Richard Jury of Scotland Yard is asked by a dying colleague to investigate the possibility that babies were switched during the London blitz. Jury and his friend Melrose Plant discover two intertwined, wealthy families; a duplicitous nanny; and a pair of precocious, endangered children. Some strong language. 2001.

Jackdaws BR 13766
by Ken Follett
4 volumes
British intelligence agent Felicity "Flick" Clairet must train a group of English women, within days, to blow up the Nazis' main telephone exchange in France and paralyze communications on D- Day. American spymaster Paul Chancellor falls in love with Flick as they plan the mission. Some violence and some strong language. Bestseller 2001.

The Case of the Shoplifter's Shoe BR 13777
by Erle Stanley Gardner
2 volumes
Attorney Perry Mason defends Virginia Trent's eccentric Aunt Sarah--a kleptomaniac who is now accused of murder. 1938.

The Night Is for Hunting BR 13778
by John Marsden
2 volumes
In this sequel to Burning for Revenge (BR 13344), teenagers Ellie, Lee, Homer, Fi, and Kevin are still in Australia fighting the invaders of their homeland. They rescue four feral children and hide out in the desert until they are attacked by enemy forces. For junior and senior high readers. 1998.

Never Change BR 13779
by Elizabeth Berg
2 volumes
Visiting nurse Myra Lipinski, a self-described lonely old maid, discovers that old high-school crush Chip Reardon is her newest patient. Chip and Myra resume their friendship and gradually fall in love before he makes a fatal decision. Some strong language. 2001.

Ella in Bloom BR 13786
by Shelby Hearon
2 volumes
Fortyish Ella returns for a family visit to Austin, Texas, and reestablishes a relationship with her former brother-in-law after her sister's death. Ella has spent her life playing second fiddle, trying to please her demanding mother, until she discovers some family secrets. Some descriptions of sex and some strong language. 2000.

Bad Girl Creek BR 13787
by Jo-Ann Mapson
3 volumes
After wheelchair-user Phoebe inherits a California flower farm from her aunt, she needs help running it. So she takes in three women housemates--Ness, Nance, and Beryl--who have each made bad decisions in the past and welcome a new start. Some descriptions of sex and some strong language. 2001.

The Seduction of Ellen BR 13789
by Nan Ryan
2 volumes
1899. Alexandra Landseer, a wealthy American, wants to stay young forever. A London advertisement catches her eye and entices her and her skeptical niece, Ellen, to travel across America with the alluring Mister Corey. They are searching for the Magic Waters in the Lost City of the Anasazi. Explicit descriptions of sex. 2001.

Wurst Case Scenario BR 13792
by Catherine Clark
2 volumes
In this sequel to Truth or Dairy (BR 13249) Courtney accepts a scholarship to her grandparents' alma mater, a small rural college in Wisconsin. But being a vegetarian in meat-and- dairy country turns out to be a comic challenge. She also misses her boyfriend, Grant, back home in Colorado. For senior high readers. 2001.

Close Ups: Best Stories for Teens BR 13795
edited by Peter Carver
2 volumes
Seventeen short stories from Canadian writers dealing with growing up and making choices. In "The Rink," neighborhood kids compensate an elderly neighbor's need for his own estranged family. In "Leaving the Iron Lung," a girl with polio learns to accept her new sister. Some strong language. For senior high readers. 2000.

The Case of the Fabulous Fake BR 13798
by Erle Stanley Gardner
2 volumes
A nameless young woman appears in attorney Perry Mason's office and gives him a retainer for future services. The case later involves embezzlement and murder. 1969.

The Bay of Angels BR 13806
by Anita Brookner
2 volumes
Introspective Zoë Cunningham leads a sheltered life in London until her widowed mother rather abruptly marries an older man and moves to Nice. Later, when her stepfather dies and her mother collapses, Zoë divides her time between England and France, trying to hold her life together. 2001.

Big as Life: Three Tales for Spring BR 13808
by Maureen Howard
2 volumes
Three stories concerning family life. In "Children with Matches," a woman inherits a crumbling mansion. In "The Magdalene," a young woman banished from Ireland is sent to her uncle's wealthy family in New York. In "Big as Life," the neglected wife of John James Audubon contemplates her fate. Some strong language. 2001.

North to the Rails BR 13809
by Louis L'Amour
2 volumes
Tom Chantry is unarmed when he heads west to buy cattle. The man he hires to drive back the livestock considers Chantry to be an easy victim, just as the other gunslingers did in New Mexico. But the gunman soon discovers that Chantry is a man to be reckoned with. Some strong language. 1971.

The Lobster War BR 13811
by Ethan Howland
1 volume
Maine teenager Dain wants to be a lobsterman like his late father. However his mom and older brother, Eddie, want him to go to college. Dain continues setting up his traps after school but someone keeps sabotaging them. Some strong language. For junior and senior high readers. 2001.

Lonely on the Mountain BR 13812
by Louis L'Amour
2 volumes
The saga of the Sacketts continues as Tyrel and Tell help cousin Logan herd eleven hundred steers across the desolate Dakota plains to the gold-mining country of British Columbia. Sequel to Treasure Mountain (BR 2412). Bestseller 1980.

All That Remains BR 13817
by Bruce Brooks
1 volume
Teens deal effectively with the loss of a loved one in three novellas. In the title piece, two cousins help bury their eccentric aunt, who died of AIDS. In "Playing the Creeps," a jock discovers that he likes his recently orphaned, introverted cousin. Some strong language. For senior high readers. 2001.

The Unknown Errors of Our Lives: Stories BR 13819
by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
2 volumes
Author draws on her Indian heritage to relate nine tales of immigrant life in America. She writes about cultural and generational differences, and how people adjust to transition. In "Mrs. Dutta Writes a Letter," a widow finds living with her son's family in California disappointing. Some descriptions of sex and some strong language. 2001.

Easy Silence BR 13821
by Angela Huth
3 volumes
Darkly comic tale of William, a violinist, and Grace, a painter, whose comfortable long-term marriage in a London suburb is destabilized when a young woman joins William's string quartet. Infatuated, William decides to do away with Grace. She in the meantime has befriended a strange young neighbor. Some strong language. 1999.

Borden Chantry BR 13829
by Louis L'Amour
2 volumes
A mysterious gunman goes on a rampage, killing men in cold blood. Borden Chantry, who has reluctantly taken on the job of town marshal, is hard pressed to find the murderer. Sequel to Over on the Dry Side (BR 3604). Some strong language. 1977.

Kydd BR 13841
by Julian Stockwin
3 volumes
Twenty-year-old wigmaker Thomas Paine Kydd is impressed into the Royal Navy to join the fight against the postrevolutionary French. Gradually he learns the ways of the sea and is guided by a seasoned sailor and an adventurer. He endures battles, shipwrecks, and desertion. Some violence. 2001.

The Secret of Shambhala: In Search of the Eleventh Insight BR 13844
by James Redfield
2 volumes
Author of The Celestine Prophecy (BR 9732) continues his quest for spiritual enlightenment. As he travels from Kathmandu, Nepal, to Lhasa, Tibet, in search of Shambhala (a.k.a. Shangri- La), he encounters many perils in the Himalayas. Sequel to The Tenth Insight: Holding the Vision (BR 10416). 1999.

Fleeced: A Regan Reilly Mystery BR 13855
by Carol Higgins Clark
2 volumes
Los Angeles private investigator Regan Reilly is visiting her parents and her lover in New York City. While there, she is hired to solve the mysterious murders of two retired jewelers. When the men were about to donate diamonds to their run-down residential club, they were killed and robbed. 2001.

Embers BR 13857
by Sándor Márai
1 volume
Hungary, 1940. The old general, Henrik, entertains his closest childhood friend, whom he has not seen in forty-one years. As he talks and questions Konrad, a complex history of friendship, passion, and betrayal is untangled. First published in Budapest in 1942. Translated by Carol Brown Janeway. Bestseller 2001.

A Dish Taken Cold BR 13859
by Anne Perry
1 volume
In the midst of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution, Celie's baby dies in the care of a friend. When she later learns that the infant was left alone while her friend was with her lover, Celie vows revenge and denounces the couple. 2000.

An Officer and a Lady and Other Stories BR 13861
by Rex Stout
2 volumes
Short stories dealing with the relationships between men and women by the creator of the Nero Wolfe mystery series. In the title piece, a veteran burglar is surprised by the occupant of the house he robs. In "Excess Baggage," a traveling salesman finally marries but ends up in trouble. 2000.

Memory Boy BR 13868
by Will Weaver
1 volume
In 2008, two years after globally catastrophic volcano eruptions, ash still falls and society is a shambles. Sixteen-year-old Miles Newell, his sister, and his parents flee the violence-torn suburbs for their lakeside cabin. But there they discover dangerous squatters who refuse to leave. For junior and senior high readers. 2001.

Tishomingo Blues BR 13877
by Elmore Leonard
2 volumes
Professional high diver Dennis Lenahan arranges a gig at a new casino hotel in Tunica, Mississippi. He witnesses a murder by the "Dixie Mafia," befriends Detroit gangster Robert Taylor, participates in a Civil War reenactment with live ammunition, and falls in love. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. Bestseller 2002.

Daddy's Little Girl BR 13928
by Mary Higgins Clark
2 volumes
Reporter Ellie Cavanaugh of Atlanta returns to Westchester County, New York, to protest the parole of wealthy heir Rob Westerfield, convicted of murdering her teenaged sister twenty- two years ago. Even as Ellie reopens the case and starts a web site, she experiences some doubts. Then someone threatens her life. Bestseller 2002.

Out of the Shadows BR 13933
by Sigmund Brouwer
2 volumes
Professor Nick Barrett returns to Charleston, South Carolina, to discover the truth behind his mother's disappearance decades ago. His own past includes losing a leg in a car accident and abandoning his bride. Before he leaves town Nick will rediscover his faith in God and escape attempts on his life. Some violence. 2001.

Razzle BR 13995
by Ellen Wittlinger
2 volumes
Fifteen-year-old Ken, an aspiring photographer, moves to Cape Cod with his semiretired parents. There he meets Razzle--an unusual girl working at the local dump--and her nemesis, the flirtatious Harley. He ends up in the middle of their feud. Some strong language. For senior high readers. 2001.


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