Fiction Pick of the Week: An Available Man

An Available Man by Hilma Wolitzer 2012

Sixties-something widower, Edward Schuyler is grieving his beloved wife Bee. Following a suitable time though, his friends and family are wondering when he will relinquish his loss of a great love. What follows is an often hilarious, and sometimes poignant portrayal of Edward’s re-entry into the world of dating. The reader will never stop rooting for Edward as he encounters the grieving widow whose house is a shrine to her dead husband and the seventy-something plastic surgery addict who confesses a desperate search for vanished youth. And for a time he reunites with his former love, who left him at the alter all those years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed this tender exploration of the human spirit.

Fiction Pick of the Week: Perfect People

Perfect People by Peter James 2012

After losing their first son to a rare fatal interaction between the couple’s gene pools, John and Naomi have decided to have another son. They seek the assistance of Dr. Leo Dettore, a genetic scientist, who offers a gene-screening process which allows couples to “design” their unborn children. As Dr. Dettore’s patients begin to die at the hands of a murderous cult, the couple flees to England, believing they are safe.

Their troubles have only begun. After Naomi delivers boy-girl twins, and not the son they had selected, they realize the ethical dilemmas of the doctor’s plan for a new breed of humanity. In this well-written, fast-paced page-turner, both the main characters and the readers are left questioning the ethics of genetic manipulation.

Friday at the Branches: My Sister's Voice

We have many wonderful readers and reviewers on staff. This week we'll begin a feature called Friday at the Branches so that you can see what staff members across Burlington are reading. Enjoy!


My Sister's Voice by Mary Carter



This is a book about two sisters who did not know about each other until a note appeared in Lacey's mailbox pointing one sister to another. Lacey grew up in a home for children with disabilities, while Monica was raised by her parents. Lacey is an up-and-coming deaf artist, while Monica promotes a book that her boyfriend wrote. The two sisters could not be more different, and at one point the sisters will meet, and discover each other. This is a complex, and moving novel about sisterhood, and love of every shape. This book is the fourth novel that the author wrote.

Fiction Pick of the Week: Homecoming

Homecoming by Cathy Kelly 2012

Four women’s lives come together in the small Irish town, Golden Square. Eleanor returns to Ireland after the death of her husband. She brings only a few items including her mother’s recipe book that is full of wisdom. Megan runs away to the town to hide with her aunt after being dragged through the tabloids. Rae who works at the local tea shoppe, tries to keep the past from haunting her while happy-go-lucky Connie feels she has passed her prime and will never find true love. As Eleanor re-reads her mother’s recipe book, will these words of wisdom help the women in Golden Square overcome their own personal issues? Cathy Kelly's writing is similar to Maeve Binchy.

Fiction Pick of the Week: Gods of Greenwich

The Gods of Greenwich, by Norb Vonnegut 2011

Vonnegut follows his debut novel, Top Producer, with another financial thriller about Wall Street's hedge fund industry. In 2007, Jimmy Cusack, an honest money manager, finds himself in trouble after his hedge fund collapses thanks to the pullout of his biggest investor. He takes a job with Leeser Capital, run by the shady Cy Leeser, whose investment strategies have always been far from transparent. Cusack's misgivings grow as losses begin inexplicably mounting at Leeser amid rumours about the company's involvement in an Icelandic bank and a hedge strategy based on life insurance claims. This is an enjoyable murder mystery too, written with a quick wit and a keen knowledge of the financial industry!

Fiction Pick of the Week: Joy for Beginners

Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister 2011

The friendship between six women – all in different situations – began when Sara moved in with her newborn twins. To help the young mother, a “holding circle” is formed. When Kate announces that she has cancer, the friends’ focus shifts. Months later, at a celebratory dinner, a healthy Kate announces that she is going white water rafting. Kate challenges each do something that frightens them. The catch - Kate gets to pick their task.

Even though they seem simple, Kate knows that each woman will struggle confronting her deepest fear. This moving, character-driven novel will make you laugh, cry, and smile. Each lyrical chapter chronicles the women’s lives, how they met and how they conquer their personal challenges. Fans of Maeve Binchy and Rosamunde Pilcher will enjoy Bauermeister’s heart-warming stand-alone follow-up to The School of Essential Ingredients.

Fiction Pick of the Week: Anthill

Anthill by E.O. Wilson

E.O. Wilson, at the age of 80, has written his very first novel. It is a story that takes place in the Longleaf Pine Savanna of the deep South where 10 year old Raff Semmes Cody explores the natural world of the plants and creatures that dwell near Lake Nokobee. As Raff grows up and earns a degree in environmental studies he discovers some uncanny similarities between ants and humans. Ants also conduct savage wars, take slaves, have a worker caste system, infant nurseries and in many ways are even more altruistic than us.

The author E.O. Wilson is a world renowned biologist, an expert on ants, and has more than 20 books to his credit as well as 2 Pulitizer Prizes plus numerous scientific awards achieved during his career as a Harvard Professor. He has given a voice to the ants as he takes us on a journey through their habitat.

Meanwhile the stage is set for a clash between land developers, environmentalists and religious groups as they fight over the pristine wilderness of Lake Nokobee. Our hero Raff, at age 30, is now an Harvard-trained environmental lawyer and leads the legal tangle of opposing viewpoints. This is a powerful and inspiring story with many revelations and a very shocking conclusion.