summer bookshelf Book Reviews from the Owners & Staff of Bridgton Books
justin’s list One of my favorite recent reads has to be Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder. Not since Bel Canto has Patchett released such a riveting novel. Dr. Marina Singh journeys to the Amazon Jungle after learning about the death of her friend and colleague, Dr. Annick Swenson, who was there working on a medical research project. She is sent by Swenson’s wife to unravel the mystery of his death, and also by the pharmaceutical company they work for, to get a status report on the drug they are testing. That is all of the plot that I’m going to reveal. The vivid prose make it a pleasure to read, and Patchett’s descriptions will make you feel as though you can even smell the jungle. This multi-themed novel moved me in so many different ways. Take an armchair adventure around the Arctic Circle with Sara Wheeler in her travelogue Magnetic North. Never have I read such a comprehensive, yet readable survey of the unique breed of people inhabiting one of Earth’s harshest climates. The author spends time with climate scientists in Greenland, miners in Svalbard Island, Russians in the Far East Post-Soviet Empire, and many other indigenous peoples, providing a virtual cornucopia of the history, ecology, economics and sociology of the areas and their citizens. Wheeler’s book is full of interesting little snippets and anecdotes that will keep you turning the pages. With the discovery and success of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo trilogy by Stieg Larsson, customers have been asking me whether there are any other good Scandinavian crime writers out there. Henning Mankell and his Kurt Wallander mystery series immediately come to mind, but he has been around for a while, and most people are already familiar with him. Two new authors who are just beginning to get translated into English are definitely worthy of mention. I really liked The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen. Danish Detective Carl MØrck won’t win a popularity contest any time soon, and when he is almost killed and loses his partners, he
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becomes even more impossible. No one else wants to work with him. The solution is to promote him to the basement and put him in charge of Section Q, the newly created cold cases bureau, of which MØrck is the only member. Soon, with the help of his new, colorful assistant Assad, a recent Syrian émigré, he revisits the case of a politician who vanished years ago. A must read if you love detective stories. Camilla Läckberg is a best-selling Swedish author, with three of her mysteries now translated into English. The Ice Princess is well done, especially for a first novel, with good character development and various sub-plots. Erica Falck returns to live in her hometown and discovers her childhood friend dead of a suicide. Later, it is found to be murder, and together with another old friend (Patrik Hedström) who happens to be a policeman, she attempts to find the killer. This intricately plotted mystery is comparable to Elizabeth George or P D James, and not for the impatient reader. John Ford’s new memoir entitled Suddenly the Cider Didn’t Taste so Good; Adventures of a Game Warden in Maine is full of true stories from his twenty years of service in Waldo County. The cat and mouse games between law violators and himself are brought to life by the author, who proves he can write just as well as he can arrest. Some of his depictions are exciting, and many are hilarious. This book will appeal to everyone, not just the fish-and-game types. Ford is quite a storyteller, and we hope he’ll visit
the bookstore for a reading this summer. Bent Road by Lori Roy is an entertaining suspense/mystery novel set in America’s heartland. When Arthur Scott brings his family back to his hometown in Kansas to start a new life, old memories and dark secrets resurface in this Gothic story. The clever way the narrative switches point of view, and the author’s straightforward, fluid writing style make this book hard to put down. This is a gritty, haunting read!
sue’s pic k If you want to immerse yourself in a feel-good, inspirational novel, then you must read Blind Your Ponies, by Stanley Gordon West. This is the moving story of Sam Pickett, an English teacher at a small Montana high school (18 students) who, after seeing potential in two recent arrivals, decides to coach the basketball team—despite their previous 93 losses in a row. The author fills the pages with lively, endearing characters: Will Peter Strong, the young basketball player who is spending the year with his grandmother after his parents’ divorce, make a difference for the team? What about Olaf, the gangly 6’11’’ Norwegian exchange student, who has never touched a basketball? Then there is Grandma Chapman, who doesn’t give a darn what people think of her. In this small town of believers and unbelievers, no one can avoid the impact the team will have on their lives. You don’t have to be a basketball fan to appreciate this story full of hope, determination and passion. R