Books by the Lake, Beebe Library’s long-running book discussion group, recently discussed “Baking Cakes in Kigali,” Gaile Parkin’s soaring novel set in an international apartment complex in Rwanda.

Those interested in reading more novels set in Africa may want to check out the following titles: “The Bride Price,” “Half of a Yellow Sun,” and “Little Bee.” These are the titles of three Nigerian novels by three different authors and they all provide a different slice of time and culture within Nigeria.
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Local author and Wakefield Daily Item reporter Gail Lowe will be at Beebe Library on Monday September 20 at 6:30 p.m. to read from her new book, Former Things. The event is free and the public is invited. Refreshments will be served and the author will have signed copies of her book available.

Are you ready for more relaxing vacation reads? Here are a few suggestions for readers as you search for the perfect way to enjoy the last of the summer sun. Most of these titles are already at the library or soon to be found there.

Getting your hands on any copy of the Millennium Trilogy is difficult. Steig Larsson’s series begins with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, continues with the The Girl Who Played with Fire, and ends with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. While waiting, check out both Arnaldur Indridason’s Jar City (Iceland) or Karin Fossum’s Don’t Look Back (Norway) for the first in two excellent series. Continue »

Here are some other books and authors worth checking out
Jodi Picoult’s readers are immediately drawn into the lives of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. She creates communities familiar to everyone. The author then explores what happens to everyday people when their lives go out of control. Picoult is known for her current and controversial issue-oriented themes, presenting all sides of the topic, and creating sympathy for everyone involved, making it difficult to take sides. Readers return to her for her highly satisfying stories that feature consistently interesting characters in an easy-to-read but compelling, page-turning tale.
Jodi Picoult Readalikes

Hot new fiction titles
Are you ready for more beach reads? Here are a few suggestions for readers as you search for the perfect way to relax amidst the sun and sand or in your air-conditioned living rooms.
First up are some energizing adrenaline-inducing page-turners. If you are unfamiliar with Lisa Gardner and looking for a suspenseful read, then this is a great time to discover her. Her novel, The Neighbor, revolves around the overnight disappearance of a young mother. Alternating points of view and cliffhanger chapter endings drive the pace and keep readers off balance in this compelling and unsettling read.
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Whether you’ve already read Kathryn Stockett’s novel The Help, or you are on the waiting list for this enormously popular title, you may want to check out other books that have some of the same appeal factors that have made The Help such a huge best seller. Beebe Library has compiled a book list of The Help “Readalikes” to give you some ideas…

Library plans events to celebrate
During the month of January the library will be celebrating Jane Austen with displays and a variety of programs, including movies, a Regency Period Costume Demonstration and a Bollywood Bance Demonstration.
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This summer’s weather has certainly made it harder to wander from home, and our bank accounts are lower than expected so international travel this summer may be a luxury few of us can truly afford. Instead, venture mentally from your porch swing or comfortable sofa into some fictional depictions of some real places for crime and detection.
In A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley, enjoy the exotic beauty of Botswana as Detective Kubu unravels a mystifying murder and uncovers a very tangled web of conspiracy. Continue »