Friday at the Branches: The Hypnotist's Love Story

The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriarty

Ellen and Patrick meet through an online dating site. Ellen is a 35 year-old hypnotherapist, never married but with a couple of failed relationships in her past. She lives and works in a beach front house left to her by her grandparents. Patrick is a surveyor with his own business, a widower with an 8-year-old son and a monthly habit of visiting his wife’s gravesite and her parents. The one relationship he has had since the death of his wife did not end well. In fact Patrick is now being stalked by his ex-girlfriend. Ellen is curiously fascinated by the stalker, who turns out to be a new client (now stalking Patrick and Ellen). After three months Patrick proposes, Ellen is pregnant, and Saskia/Deborah is furious! Saskia is a menace, but is she dangerous-- is her behaviour escalating? Patrick is a likeable fellow but is he still in love with his dead wife? Is he comparing Ellen to a ghost? Ellen is helping Patrick sleep, but is she crossing an ethical line when she hypnotizes him? Interestingly, the narrative alternates between Saskia’s voice and Ellen’s voice.

Also available in large print!

Fiction Pick of the Week: The French Gardener

The French Gardener by Santa Montefiore

I just discovered this author this summer and am so glad I did. Like Rosamunde Pilcher, Montefiore has charmed me with her tender novel about marriage, passion, loss, renewal, and the healing power of love.  Miranda Claybourne has ditched her posh Notting Hill digs for the English countryside. Her idyll is short lived however – her husband is preoccupied with his job and his mistress and the kids lash out at each other. Once  Miranda finds the former owner’s secret journal, she becomes engrossed in dramatic events from 20 years prior.  Ava, former lady of the house was a brilliant gardener with many secrets. Could the sudden appearance of the new French gardener, Jean-Paul, have a tie with the past?

Fiction Pick of the Week: The Violets of March

The Violets of March by Susan Jio 2011

Those who enjoy the works of Rosamunde Pilcher or Nicholas Sparks might enjoy The Violets of March. This first novel by Susan Jio is a romance, mystery and historical novel all rolled into one. Writer Emily goes to Bainbridge Island to stay with her aunt after her husband leaves her for another woman. The discovery of a diary from the 1940s sets Emily on a path to unravel secrets of the past that ultimately concern her. Along the way, a couple of handsome men show interest in our heroine and help her move on from her heartbreaking divorce. Will Emily find the answer to this decades-old mystery? Will she find true love along the way? You’ll have to read The Violets of March to find out. Named a Library Journal Best Book of 2011 in the Women’s Lives category, this one will keep you guessing until the very end!

Fiction Pick of the Week: Scared Stiff

Scared Stiff by Annelise Ryan 2010

This light cozy mystery is the second book of the Mattie Winston mystery series written by an ER nurse. Typically following the pattern of “cozies”, this crime fiction is set in an intimate small-town community where everyone knows everyone. The book has a cast of quirky characters, forensic details, and a very likable lead character in the wry Mattie.

Mattie a nurse-turned-coroner is back on the dating scene (she caught her surgeon husband cheating in the first book of the series) but is relieved to be rescued from a boring date when she is called to check out the latest murder in town. Shannon, a waitress cum part-time model is found dead on a front yard littered with fake bodies and blood, all part of a gory Halloween display gone bad. Shannon’s husband is the obvious suspect, but Mattie is determined to dig deeper to find the real killer.

Readers who enjoy Janet Evonovich’s sassy heroine Stephanie Plum will find a kindred soul in the wry and humourous Mattie Winston. An enjoyable no-pressure fun read, the next in the series is Working Stiff.

Fiction Pick of the Week: Wicked Appetite

Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich 2010

Lorelei King reads the first in the series of the “Seven Deadly Sins” in which Evanovich brings back the hunky and unmentionable Diesel from the Stephanie Plum Novels. This time Diesel is paired with pastry chef Elizabeth Tucker whose character is reminiscent of the infamous bounty hunter Plum. Set in Salem, Massachusetts, this duo has to track down the gluttonous stone of power before Wulf (Gerwulf Grimoire) gets his hands on it. Sure to please Evanvovich fans who like her fun romps and simple writing style. Familiar and new eccentric characters make this tale different but similar to her more famous series.

Fiction Pick of the Week: The Prodigal Father

With Father's Day around the corner, we selected this book about a new father:










The Prodigal Fatherby Kara Lynn Russell 2009

I have an interest in how works of fiction portray individuals with disabilities and selected this book as one of the characters is a little girl who has Down syndrome. Kara Lynn Russell is the perfect author to capture such a character as she has a child with Down syndrome herself. What I particularly enjoyed about this book was that unlike many novels, the disability is part of the characters’ lives, but it isn’t actually the main conflict or crisis of the book!

At the centre of this story are the characters Scott and Beth who married very young when she discovered she was pregnant. After losing her baby to miscarriage, Beth became very depressed and her relationship with Scott became so damaged that he eventually left without telling anyone where he would be going. Unbeknownst to him, Beth was already pregnant for a second time with daughter Risa, who was born with Down syndrome. Three years later, Scott returns to town to try to make things work with Beth and discovers he is a father. The novel focuses on the relationship between the characters as they try to decide whether they will be able to make their relationship work. I would characterize this novel as a “cozy” romance, but it might also appeal to those who like Christian themes in fiction, which the title—The Prodigal Father— indicates.

Non-Fiction Pick of the Week: You Say Tomato, I say Shut Up

You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up: A Love Story by Annabelle Gurwitch and Jeff Kahn 2010

Married for 13 years, Hollywood writers Annabelle Gurwitch and Jeff Kahn put every aspect of their relationship out there in a he said/she said chronicle of their relationship. They’ll make you laugh out loud with their no-holds barred approach in telling their tale and often warn that married life is no picnic – it’s work. Hard work. It’s all about being able to laugh at yourself and all the craziness life will throw at you. With the birth of their son who has a myriad of birth defects, it’s also a survivor’s tale. Topics include dating, marriage, intimacy, codependence, parenting, in-laws, and couples therapy.

Anyone who has ever been in a relationship will enjoy this book. It reads like an entertaining HBO series. Even those who are single might just appreciate that fact after reading it! A fun read that is adult in most of the content.

Fiction Pick of the Week: Her Fearful Symmetry

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger 2009

Written by the author of the very successful Time Traveler’s Wife, Her Fearful Symmetry is a modern day gothic romantic ghost story. Twenty-year-old “mirror” twins, Valentina and Julia have to spend a year in their deceased Aunt Elspeth’s London flat next to the Highgate Cemetery in order to inherit their aunt’s fortune. Quirky characters, such as an inventor of crossword puzzles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder living above them, a former young lover on the floor below plus the ghost of Elspeth in their flat create a recipe for a fabulous ghost story. Niffeneger has a deft way of invoking a ghostly atmosphere with her prose. It will make a great movie!

Watch the trailer here:

In the Mood for a little Romance???

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, we thought we'd highlight one of fiction's most popular genres: Romance.

Romance? Really? Is it so popular? In fact it is! In 2007, Romance Novels made up more than 25% of all fiction sales in the U.S. If you think of the popularity of some works such as Stephanie Meyer's Twilight series, Jane Austen's
Pride and Prejudice, and Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, you can see the widespread appeal of a love story with a happy ending.

Depending on your preference, there are many different types of romance novels to choose from. You may like a historical setting or a futuristic setting; realistic characters or paranormal ones; steamy love scenes or more of a "sweet" story.

How do you find these novels at BPL? Well, the easiest way this week is to check out the display on the third floor! But you can also consult some of our lists of Romance authors, such as Contemporary Romance, Historical Romance and Romantic Suspense.

And always feel free to come in and chat with us about what type of Romance you desire. We'd be happy to hook you up in time for Valentine's Day!

Fiction Pick of the Week: Plum Spooky

Plum Spooky: A Stephanie Plum between the numbers series by Janet Evanovich 2009

This series, intended to satisfy those waiting for the next numbered mystery to come out, is sure to also delight those that like a bit of romance and enjoyed the author’s earlier romantic titles. The author introduces us to a new character Diesel, an attractive man with extraordinary powers that Stephanie has a hard time resisting. This is one of four titles in the series published. Each of the titles have the same great characters that are in the original numbered mystery series, contain humourous storylines and the romantic tension between Stephanie and Diesel is exhilarating. Another title in this series is slated to be released in January and if you like the character Diesel, the author is planning to launch a new series centered just on him. For a real treat, check out the audio version of this title which is read brilliantly by Lorelei King.

Fiction Pick of the Week: Addition

Addition by Toni Jordan 2008

Attractive, educated Grace Lisa Vandenburg (19 letters) counts everything, yes, everything. She orders her life around numbers and while others feel her obsession confines her, Grace is comforted by it. That is until she meets Seamus Joseph O’Reilly (also 19 letters!). His deep feelings for Grace encourage her to explore her behaviour and experiment with treatments. Grace is still unsure as her studies of the great mathematician and inventor, Nikola Tesla (also a counter), have led her to believe that if he were alive today doctors would be trying to diagnose the strange but brilliant workings of his mind and “normalize” him—and thus robbing the world of his numerous creations. Uproariously funny while surprisingly sensitive and thought-provoking, it is a cross between Bridget Jones’s Diary and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Grace’s wit will leave you laughing out loud but also wondering whether those who “suffer” from obsessive-compulsive disorders really do benefit from efforts to “cure” them.

Wednesday's Pick!

Mitchell Graham is a welcome new voice on the thriller scene with his book, Majestic Descending. Katherine Adams, an Atlanta lawyer dealing in domestic cases, sees herself as "damaged goods" because as a teenager she was abducted by a madman. Now she's off on an oft-delayed cruise to Europe with her best pal and old college roommate. They board the Ocean Majestic in Miami along with biogenetics professor Ellis Stephens, who's just made a discovery that promises major medical miracles and vast personal wealth. Perhaps aimed at both a thriller and romance audience, this novel is entertaining and definitely can be recommended as a page-turner.

My Pick of the Week!

I read a wonderfully exotic romance novel this weekend!

Iris & Ruby by Rosie Thomas is told in two time periods, modern day Cairo and Cairo during World War II. The main character, Iris is now a grandmother in Cairo who during World War II fell madly in love with a dashing Captain Xan Molyneux. Alas, Xan died in a battle before Iris and he could be married. Ruby comes to visit her grandmother whom she has not seen for many years.
If you like an intergenerational story line with strong female characters I think you will enjoy reading this book. Thomas’ writing reminds me of the style that Rosamunde Pilcher and Maeve Binchy use in their writing.

Please let me know what you're reading, I'm always looking for new authors!