.....Several of our library staff members are reading the novel, The Postmistress, by Sarah Blake.  Weaving together the stories of three very different women loosely tied to each other, debut novelist Blake takes readers back and forth between small town America and war-torn Europe in 1940. Single, 40-year-old postmistress Iris James and young newlywed Emma Trask are both new arrivals to Franklin, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod. While Iris and Emma go about their daily lives, they follow American reporter Frankie Bard on the radio as she delivers powerful and personal accounts from the London Blitz and elsewhere in Europe. While Trask waits for the return of her husband—a volunteer doctor stationed in England—James comes across a letter with valuable information that she chooses to hide. Blake captures two different worlds—a naïve nation in denial and, across the ocean, a continent wracked with terror—with a deft sense of character and plot, and a perfect willingness to take on big, complex questions, such as the merits of truth and truth-telling in wartime.

I have just started the novel, The Pallbearers, by Stephen J. Cannell. Abandoned by his parents as an infant, Shane Scully was reared in an orphanage, Huntington House. The only positive thing in his young life was the attention of the Home’s director, Walter “Pop” Dix. Pop, an avid surfer, would take a small group of kids for early morning surfing. He was the only father any of them had ever had.

That was thirty years ago. Now, Shane is forced to revisit these memories when Pop is found dead, the victim of an apparently self-inflicted shotgun blast. He leaves a message asking six specific people, all of whom attended Huntington House, to be his pallbearers, and Shane is one of the chosen. He and his fellow pallbearers don’t believe it was a suicide. Shane wants to know if it was murder; why, and by whom? Together, the pallbearers embark on a dangerous odyssey in pursuit of justice for Pop and for retribution against those responsible for his death. Their journey takes them up against an unforeseen adversary whose power and influence far exceed anything they could have imagined.

I have been a fan of Stephen J. Cannell since his TV series Adam 12, The Rockford Files, and my favorite of all, The A-Team.  An Emmy award-winning writer/producer and Chairman of Cannell Studios, Cannell overcame severe dyslexia to become one of television's most prolific writers. In a highly successful career that spans three decades, he has created or co-created more than 40 shows. His hits include Greatest American Hero, Hunter, Riptide, Hardcastle & McCormick, 21 Jump Street, Wiseguy,

As with his popular TV series, Cannell’s novels do not disappoint. The books are an easy, enjoyable read.

As usual, I am reading more than one book at a time, including listening to an audio book in my car.  A book I am enjoying is, How to Never Look Fat Again: Over 1,000 Ways to Dress Thinner- Without Dieting!  The new groundbreaking style-guide from bestselling author Charla Krupp tell you how to look 10 pounds lighter, 10 years younger and 10 times sexier every day, all year--in summer, winter, at the gym, even in a swimsuit! Charla Krupp also wrote How Not to Look Old.  Sadly, I am in need of tips on both of these subjects.   So—if you've ever put on a piece of clothing and asked "Does this make me look fat?"—finally, here is the book that will answer your question.

Come check-out all the great new gardening books to get your yard looking its best for spring and summer. When you have the backyard looking beautiful, enjoy a tasty outdoor meal with a recipe you have prepared from one of our new barbeque cookbooks. Back