Books listed in this issue of Braille Book Review were recently sent to cooperating libraries. The complete collection contains books by many authors on fiction and nonfiction subjects, including biographies, classics, gothics, mysteries, romances, and others. Contact your cooperating library to learn more about the wide range of books available in the collection.
To order books, contact your cooperating library.
This page includes Web-Braille links to full-text braille versions of books. Eligible patrons may sign up for Web-Braille through the library that handles their braille magazine subscriptions.
Note: For the information of the reader, a notice may appear immediately following the book description to indicate occurrences of strong language, explicit descriptions of sex, or violence. The word "some" before any of these terms indicates an occasional or infrequent occurrence, as in "some strong language."
Fiction
Invitation to a Funeral BR 12203
by Molly Brown
2 volumes
London, 1676. Infamous playwright Aphra Behn is in the middle of
rehearsing a new play with her patron's mistress miscast in the
lead role, when Aphra learns that an old friend has been
murdered. She feels obliged to investigate the seaman's death,
which unravels more political secrets than she anticipated. Some
violence. 1995.
Stately Pursuits BR 12239
by Katie Fforde
3 volumes
Recently dumped, British Hetty Longden agrees to house-sit for a
hospitalized relative. Villagers convince her to try to save the
house from being torn down by the owner's heir, Connor Barrabin.
But when Connor arrives, Hetty's growing feelings for him
complicate matters. Some strong language and some descriptions
of sex. 1997.
We'll Meet Again BR 12274
by Mary Higgins Clark
3 volumes
Socialite Molly Lasch is paroled from prison after serving time
for killing her physician husband. Fran Simmons, a former
classmate of Molly's who is now an investigative reporter, is
assigned to do a story on her. Fran becomes convinced that Molly
is innocent even though her late husband's lover is soon
murdered. Bestseller 1999.
Into the Wilderness BR 12298
by Sara Donati
8 volumes
In 1792 spinster Elizabeth Middleton leaves England to join her
brother and father in upstate New York to teach school. Once she
is there, her father is determined to marry her off to a wealthy
doctor, Richard Todd. But Elizabeth falls in love with Nathaniel
Bonner, son of Hawkeye and a member of the Mohawk tribe. 1998.
Gate of Ivory, Gate of Horn: A Novel in the Mythago Cycle BR
12342
by Robert Holdstock
3 volumes
As a boy, Chris Huxley is scarred twice: psychologically by his
father's preoccupation with the mysterious warriors in Ryhope
Wood and physically by a cut on the brow by one of these men. As
an adult, Chris undertakes his own quest in the wood. 1997.
Annie's Rainbow BR 12345
by Fern Michaels
3 volumes
Annie Clark finds a cache from a bank robbery and keeps it to
help her family and start a business. After becoming wealthy and
falling in love, Annie anonymously repays the money. But years
later a determined insurance investigator and a paroled bank
robber remain suspicious. Some strong language. 1999.
Snow BR 12347
by Calvin Miller
1 volume
As Christmas approaches in 1929, young Pennsylvania widow Mary
Withers has barely enough money to buy fuel to keep her
asthmatic daughter warm. When the coal vendor's son, professor
Erick Mueller, takes over for his injured father, Erick and Mary
are able to help each other's family during a snowstorm. 1998.
The Hollowing: A Novel in the Mythago Cycle BR 12348
by Robert Holdstock
3 volumes
Strange appearances, disappearances, and reappearances occur in
Ryhope Wood, and thirteen-year-old Alex becomes one of them.
Five years after Alex's presumed burial, his father, Richard
Bradley, is approached by a mysterious stranger who wants to
help Richard find his son. It seems Alex has been communicating
with her from within the wood. 1993.
Like a Hole in the Head BR 12351
by Jen Banbury
2 volumes
Los Angeles bookstore employee Jill buys a Jack London novel
from a dwarf. She then sells it to a dealer, making a handsome
profit. Later that day, a giant of a man--accompanied by the
dwarf--comes in demanding the book. Jill is soon the target of a
kidnapping attempt and worse. Strong language. 1998.
The One-Way Trail BR 12352
by Max Brand
2 volumes
Three short novels: Forgotten Treasure, first published
in 1922; Outcast Breed, published in 1934; and The
One-Way Trail, from 1922. In the title piece a young gunman
known as "the shifter" is arrested when the sheriff's son
disappears after their encounter on a narrow, one-way track in
the mountains. 1998.
The Rings of Saturn BR 12353
by W.G. Sebald
2 volumes
A walking tour of England's southeast coast frames a wide-ranging series of meditations on literature and stories from
Britain's imperial past. A stay in a Norwich hospital prompts
the protagonist to search for naturalist Thomas Browne's skull;
a railroad bridge over the river Blyth recalls England's silk
trade with China. 1998.
Rebecca BR 12354
by Daphne du Maurier
4 volumes
Rebecca, the glamorous mistress of a great English estate, died
eight months before Maxim de Winter brought a young and
frightened second wife to live there. Mystery, intrigue, and
violence eventually reveal the circumstances surrounding
Rebecca's death. 1938.
Black Notice BR 12389
by Patricia Cornwell
3 volumes
Richmond medical examiner Kay Scarpetta investigates a
decomposed body found on a freighter. Evidence leads her to
Interpol in Paris, where she learns of a serial killer who calls
himself a werewolf. Back in Virginia, Kay and policeman Peter
Marino find more victims. Violence, strong language, and some
descriptions of sex. Bestseller 1999.
"O" Is for Outlaw: Kinsey Millhone Private Eye BR
12393
by Sue Grafton
3 volumes
When P.I. Kinsey Millhone buys items from a storage salvager,
she is surprised to find an old letter exonerating her ex-husband, vice cop Mickey Magruder, of murder. Now Mickey has
been shot and lies in a coma. Kinsey investigates the shooting
and becomes the next target. Some violence. Bestseller 1999.
Hard Time: A V.I. Warshawski Novel BR 12395
by Sara Paretsky
4 volumes
Chicago private detective V.I. Warshawski finds a fatally
injured female escaped convict in the road. Police want to
charge V.I. with murder, and the victim's powerful former
employer is less than helpful. The relentless sleuth is
burglarized, beaten, and imprisoned before she learns the truth.
Violence and some strong language. Bestseller 1999. 1999.
Life with Swan BR 12399
by Paul West
3 volumes
A fictional account of the author's courtship of and marriage to
the poet and naturalist Diane Ackerman, here called Ariada
Mencken (aka Swan). Their friend, astronomer Raoul Bunsen (Carl
Sagan), takes them to Cape Canaveral to witness the shuttle
launch that leads to the couple's passion for cosmic events.
1999.
The Trouble with Harriet: Ellie Haskell Mystery BR
12400
by Dorothy Cannell
2 volumes
Ellie and Ben Haskell are looking forward to their vacation, but
while running last-minute errands, Ellie is confronted by a
gypsy who warns her not to leave. When Ellie gets home, her
long-lost father has arrived, carrying the ashes of his recent
love, Harriet. Ellie's problems are just beginning. 1999.
The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe BR 12401
by Daniel Defoe
3 volumes
After the death of his wife, Crusoe and his man, Friday, set
sail from London to return to his beloved island. This 1719
sequel to Robinson Crusoe (BR 9250) contains an
introduction and editorial notes by Joe Wheeler for Tyndale
House Publishers. 1999.
Biting the Moon BR 12407
by Martha Grimes
3 volumes
An amnesiac teenager learns she is registered at a New Mexico
bed and breakfast with a man claiming to be her father. She
hides out in the woods freeing trapped animals for months before
she and a new friend decide to solve the mystery of her
identity. Strong language and some violence. 1999.
Sis Boom Bah BR 12408
by Jane Heller
3 volumes
After her mother's heart attack, Deborah Peltz moves to her
mother's Florida town even though it means living near her
detestable sister. Both sisters are attracted to their mother's
flirtatious cardiologist, but when they find him dead, they put
their differences aside to prove that neither of them is the
murderer. Some strong language. 1999.
Body Language BR 12410
by James W. Hall
3 volumes
At eleven, Alexandra shot and killed the neighbor boy who had
raped her, and her cop father covered up the crime. Now a police
photographer, Alexandra is in a troubled marriage, caring for
her father (who has memory problems), and working on a serial-killer case. Strong language, violence, and explicit
descriptions of sex. 1998.
LadyGold BR 12411
by Angela Amato and Joe Sharkey
3 volumes
NYPD detective Gerry Conte is leery of her new assignment:
posing as the girlfriend of Eugene, a young gangster who is
being forced to help bring down a mob boss. When it becomes
clear that the force doesn't plan to protect Eugene, Gerry
fights for him. Strong language and some violence. 1998.
Old Scores BR 12413
by Nicholas Delbanco
2 volumes
In the 1960s, college professor Paul Ballard and student
Elizabeth Sieverdsen have an affair. Paul is hurt in a car
accident and withdraws, leaving Elizabeth to give up the child
he didn't know existed. Years later the couple finally reunites.
Some strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex.
1997.
Layover BR 12415
by Lisa Zeidner
2 volumes
After her little boy dies and her husband reveals he's been
unfaithful, medical supplies salesperson Claire Newbold refuses
to return home from a business trip. She alters her identity,
travels from hotel to hotel without paying, and lies to her mate
about where she is. Strong language and explicit descriptions of
sex. 1999.
Flights of Angels: Stories BR 12417
by Ellen Gilchrist
3 volumes
Eighteen stories, set mainly in the South, in which Gilchrist
uses some characters from previous collections. Several stories
involve Aurora Harris, a precocious sixteen-year-old who goes to
France with her parents and gets pregnant. In "A Lady with
Pearls," a woman suddenly realizes she no longer loves her
husband. 1998.
Dearly Beloved BR 12423
by Mary Jo Putney
3 volumes
Following a hasty marriage--the result of youthful passion--Gervase Brandelin deserts Diana Lindsay. But fate takes Diana to
London and places her in a position to make Gervase pay for his
cruelty. Gervase is unaware of Diana's disguise as a courtesan,
but she will make sure he finds out--at the right time.
Descriptions of sex. 1990.
A Month of Sundays BR 12426
by John Updike
2 volumes (Reissue)
After exposure of his sexual indiscretions brings scandal to his
congregation, the Reverend Thomas Marshfield is officially
exiled for a month of rest and relaxation. During his thirty-one-day banishment, he ponders his infidelity. Strong language
and explicit descriptions of sex. 1975.
The House of Sleep BR 12427
by Jonathan Coe
3 volumes
Sarah suffers from narcolepsy, causing her some confusion
between dreams and reality. Friends and lovers are influenced by
Sarah and her sleep disorder in a time frame that alternates
between various university connections in 1983-84 and career
settings in 1996. Some strong language and some descriptions of
sex. 1997.
Some Deaths before Dying BR 12433
by Peter Dickinson
2 volumes
Ninety years old and bedridden with a degenerative disease,
Rachel Matson nonetheless uses her keen mind to resolve a long-standing mystery concerning her late husband. Her background as
a photographer helps her conduct her search, which focuses on
antique dueling pistols. She relies on her nurse and daughter to
do the legwork. 1999.
Beach Boy BR 12441
by Ardashir Vakil
2 volumes
The growing pains of a young boy in 1970s Bombay. Cyrus
Readymoney is obsessed with watching Hindi movies, learning
about sex, and cadging extra meals at his friends' homes. But
the events that cause the biggest changes in his life are his
parents' separation and his father's heart attack. Some
descriptions of sex. 1997.
Groucho Marx, Private Eye BR 12452
by Ron Goulart
2 volumes
Radio star Groucho Marx and his scriptwriter, Frank Denby have
had it with costar Polly Pilgrim, a spoiled child prodigy, but
then her actress mother is accused of murdering a plastic
surgeon. Marx and Denby set out to prove the actress's innocence
and uncover interesting information on the doctor. Some strong
language. 1999.
Irresistible Forces BR 12453
by Danielle Steel
3 volumes
When New York investment banker Meredith Whitman accepts a job
in California, her physician husband, Steven, agrees to join her
soon. But a long-distance marriage is hard to maintain, and
Meredith eventually has an affair with her boss, while Steven
becomes involved with a coworker. Some descriptions of sex.
Bestseller 1999. 1999.
Blue at the Mizzen BR 12454
by Patrick O'Brian
2 volumes
After the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, Captain Jack Aubrey
and Dr. Stephen Maturin are ordered to Chile to help liberate
the country from Spain. But half of the crew deserts and the
Surprise encounters disaster at sea. Sequel to The
Hundred Days (BR 11850). Bestseller 1999. 1999.
Black Ajax BR 12458
by George MacDonald Fraser
3 volumes
In the early 1800s, Tom Molineaux, a former slave from America
known as the Black Ajax, becomes famous throughout England for
his fights with boxing champion Tom Cribb. Various witnesses
describe Molineaux's rise to fame and how it eventually destroys
him. 1997.
No Escape: A Masey Baldridge/Luke Williamson Mystery BR
12483
by James D. Brewer
2 volumes
1873. When a yellow fever epidemic strikes Memphis, Captain Luke
Williamson is quarantined on his steamboat. The rest of the
staff of the Big River Detective Agency, Masey Baldridge and
Salina Tyner, are hired to find out who is murdering patients
while panic spreads. Some violence. 1998.
The Nick Adams Stories BR 12500
by Ernest Hemingway
2 volumes (Reissue)
Twenty-four of Hemingway's stories featuring Nick Adams.
Arranged to depict segments of Adams's life in chronological
order, they portray his childhood and adolescence, followed by
his years as a soldier, veteran, writer, and parent. Strong
language and some descriptions of sex. 1972.
Next section of Braille Book Review | Previous section of Braille Book Review | Braille Book Review Home Page
Go to the NLS Home Page