By James Baldwin

Eight people become entangled in a web of relationships, doomed to become as destructive as the society which oppresses them.

By Hanif Kureishi

Karim's father becomes London's buddha of suburbia & draws his son into an overwhelming world of eccentric people & extravagant parties.

By Eric Garcia

Cassandra tackles the L.A. dating scene by chaining men in her basement & giving them lessons on how to treat a lady.

By James McBride
Recommended By Amy B., Children's Librarian

A black man describes growing up as one of 12 children of a white mother and black father.

By Alison Arngrim
Recommended By Amy B., Children's Librarian

The actress who played the villain Nellie Oleson on the TV show Little House on the Prairie shares her experiences.

By Allan Folsom
Recommended By Evelyn Hershkowitz, Readers' Services Librarian

An American surgeon tries to kill the man who murdered his father.

By Richard Rushfield

Documents the author's experiences at a progressive Massachusetts college, shedding his conservative California upbringing.

By Mario Puzo
With Jackie Ranaldo, Head of Readers' Services

Monday, March 14, 2011.  7 PM.

At the head of the Angeluzzi-Corbo family stands Lucia Santa, wife, widow and mother of two families. It is her formidable will that steers them through the Depression. But even she cannot prevent the violence which follows.

By Freedom Writers

A true account of a teacher who confronted a room of "at-risk" students, details their life-changing journey.

By Mohja Kahf

“Beautifully written and featuring an exuberant cast of characters, The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf charts the spiritual and social landscape of Muslims in middle America, from five daily prayers to the Indy 500 car race. It is a riveting debut from an important new voice (From the Publisher).”

By Joshilyn Jackson

Arlene Fleet finds she still has not escaped her hometown when an old classmate turns up asking questions about her past.

By Michael Gruber

Somewhere in Pakistan, Sonia Laghari and eight fellow members of a symposium on peace are being held captive by armed terrorists. Sonia, a deeply religious woman as well as a Jungian psychologist, has become the de facto leader of the kidnapped group, while her son Theo, an ex-Delta soldier, uses his military connections to find and free the victims.

By Rebecca Skloot
Recommended By Jackie, Head of Readers' Services
With Lisa Jones, Readers' Services Librarian

Tuesday, March 29, 2011. 1 PM & 7:30 PM.

Documents the story of how scientists took cells from an unsuspecting descendant of freed slaves and created a human cell line that has been kept alive indefinitely, enabling discoveries in such areas as cancer research, in vitro fertilization and gene mapping.

By Lauren Conrad
Series L.A. Candy

When 19-year-old Jane is cast in a reality show, she discovers that the fame of her new life comes at a high price to herself & her friendships.

By Melanie Rose

In this debut novel full of heart, a single, carefree woman wakes up from an accident to discover she's suddenly a married mother of four. As Jessica tries to come to terms with her new situation, she embraces a family in need and helps them heal.

By Lev Grossman
Recommended By Jessikah Chautin, Community Engagement Specialist
With Jackie Ranaldo, Head of Readers' Services

Monday, May 2, 2011. 7 PM.

"A thrilling and original coming–of– age novel about a young man practicing magic in the real world. Quentin Coldwater is brilliant but miserable. A senior in high school, he's still secretly preoccupied with a series of fantasy novels he read as a child, set in a magical land called Fillory. Imagine his surprise when he finds himself unexpectedly admitted to a very secret, very exclusive college of magic in upstate New York, where he receives a thorough and rigorous education in the craft of modern sorcery. At once psychologically piercing and magnificently absorbing, The Magicians boldly moves into uncharted literary territory, imagining magic as practiced by real people, with their capricious desires and volatile emotions. Lev Grossman creates an utterly original world in which good and evil aren't black and white and power comes at a terrible price (From the Publisher)."

By Alan Brennert
Recommended By Evelyn Hershkowitz, Readers' Services Librarian, Pam Strudler, Programming & Arts Librarian

Tracks the poignant struggle of a Hawaiian woman who contracts leprosy as a child in Honolulu during the 1890s and is deported to the island of Moloka'i, where she grows to adulthood at the quarantined settlement of Kalaupapa.

By Kazuo Ishiguro
With Jackie Ranaldo, Head of Readers' Services

Monday, March 5, 2012. 7 PM

The students of Hailsham, an elite school in the English countryside, are so special that visitors shun them. Only, slowly, do they discover their unconventional origins and strange destiny.

By Mario Puzo

"The final volume of Puzo's sensationally popular Mafia trilogy explores in characteristically slam–bang fashion the consequences of a violation of the Sicilian `code of silence` (omerta) on which Mafia security and power are based (From Kirkus Reviews)."

By Stephen Chbosky
Recommended By Lisa H., Readers' Services Librarian

A series of letters to an unknown correspondent reveals the coming–of–age trials of a high–schooler named Charlie.

Became the movie: The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

By Pearl Abraham

An orthodox rabbi’s daughter awaits her arranged marriage, however, she wishes for the freedoms enjoyed by ordinary women.

By Sue Monk Kidd
Recommended By Lisa H., Readers' Services Librarian

After her "stand–in mother," a bold black woman named Rosaleen, insults the three biggest racists in town, Lily Owens joins Rosaleen on a journey to Tiburon, South Carolina, where they are taken in by three black, bee–keeping sisters.

By Chuck Klosterman
Recommended By Stacey Mencher, Technology and Applications Manager

Explores modern cultural phenomenons, including tribute bands, baseball rivalries, and reality television.

By Frank McCourt

The author describes his personal journey during which he spent 15 years finding his voice in the classroom and the importance of teaching.

By Jan Harold Brunvand

Brunvand collects & evaluates more than 200 Urban Legends.