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.
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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
Iron Shadows BR 12445
by Steven Barnes
4 volumes
Private detectives Cat Juvell and Jax Carpenter plan to dissolve
their partnership after they rescue a young girl from her
kidnapper father. Then comes a job they can't resist--to free a
young heiress from a New Age cult led by twins who seem to have
miraculous powers. Strong language and some descriptions of sex.
1998.
Masked Dancers BR 12492
by Jean Hager
2 volumes
Small-town Oklahoma police chief Mitch Bushyhead discovers the
game warden's body near an illegally shot bald eagle. Bushyhead
tries to question high school principal Vian Brasfield, who
sometimes holds Cherokee eagle dances on his land, but Brasfield
has mysteriously disappeared. Strong language. 1998.
Big Girls Don't Cry BR 12495
by Fay Weldon
2 volumes
London, 1971. Four feminists decide to start a publishing house
in order to further their ideals. The concept of profit is
rejected until the firm is eventually on the verge of bankruptcy.
Problems also crop up in the form of children, lovers, and
husbands. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex.
1997.
Four Corners of Night BR 12496
by Craig Holden
3 volumes
When a girl goes missing, it brings back painful memories for
cops and lifelong friends Steiner and Bank--Bank's stepdaughter
disappeared seven years earlier and was never found. They throw
themselves into this search, shocked to learn it's linked to the
old case. Strong language, violence, and explicit descriptions of
sex. 1999.
On Beulah Height: A Dalziel/Pascoe Mystery BR 12497
by Reginald Hill
4 volumes
The disappearance of a young girl mimics crimes from fifteen
years ago when three girls were lost just before a reservoir was
built. Now a drought leaves old landmarks available for clues.
Detective Andy Dalziel remembers the earlier disappearances and
vows to find the current perpetrator. Some strong language. 1998.
Riders of the Purple Sage BR 12559
by Zane Grey
3 volumes (Reissue)
Utah, 1871. When Jane Withersteen incurs the wrath of her fellow
Mormons for befriending Gentiles, gunman Lassiter comes to her
aid and makes a startling personal discovery. Violence. 1912.
East of Eden BR 12565
by John Steinbeck
6 volumes (Reissue)
This saga of two California families spans from the post-Civil
War era to the end of World War I. The Trasks, a mixture of
gentleness and brutality, contrast with the Hamiltons, the
author's own forebears, a well-adjusted, more tranquil family.
1952.
Dead Man's Walk BR 12567
by Larry McMurtry
4 volumes
In this prequel to Lonesome Dove (BR 6198) young Gus
McCrae and Woodrow Call join the Texas Rangers and set out on an
expedition to Santa Fe. Accompanying the troops is hefty whore
Matilda Roberts, who provides comfort to the men along the trek.
Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex.
Bestseller 1995.
Keeping Faith BR 12577
by Jodi Picoult
4 volumes
Shortly after her unfaithful husband leaves her, heartbroken
Mariah White is shocked when, with no religious education, their
seven-year-old daughter Faith begins conversing with spirits,
quoting the Bible, exhibiting stigmata, and performing miracles.
The media attacks, and Faith's father sues for custody. Strong
language and some descriptions of sex. 1999.
Something Wicked This Way Comes BR 12583
by Ray Bradbury
2 volumes (Reissue)
Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade, both thirteen, are fascinated
by the carnival that comes to their small town. But after a
series of frightening events, the boys realize there is something
sinister about the show and its owner. 1962.
A Personal Matter BR 12589
by Kenzaburo Oë
2 volumes
A twenty-seven-year-old Japanese man nicknamed "Bird" would like
to fly away from his responsibilities, especially after his son
is born brain damaged. He seeks escape with a former girlfriend
and whiskey while deciding on a course of action. Explicit
descriptions of sex and some strong language. 1969.
Model Behavior: A Novel and Seven Stories BR 12620
by Jay McInerney
3 volumes
Stories about the superficial nature of life in New York City. In
the title piece Connor McKnight is writing a screenplay while
working as a celebrity journalist. His live-in girlfriend is a
famous model who abruptly runs off with Connor's best friend,
Jeremy. Strong language and descriptions of sex. 1998.
Frenchtown Summer BR 12623
by Robert Cormier
1 volume
Free-verse vignettes of a long-ago summer when Eugene was twelve,
living in a small town. Recalls how his mother filled their
tenement with good cooking smells and how Eugene wondered if his
father loved him. For junior and senior high readers. 1999.
Willy Slater's Lane BR 12625
by Mitch Wieland
1 volume
Offbeat, middle-aged brothers Harlan and Erban pass their days in
a dilapidated house on their inherited Ohio farm. When Harlan
takes a mail-order bride, conflict ensues causing her to flee,
Harlan to languish, and Erban to flourish at last. Strong
language, some violence, and some descriptions of sex. 1996.
West of Venus BR 12631
by Judy Troy
2 volumes
Things are difficult and confusing for divorced waitress Holly
Parker, who is having an affair with her boss. The suicide of her
best friend's husband is a terrible shock, but one that leads
Holly to find a better life and a lasting love. Descriptions of
sex and some strong language. 1997.
Other Voices, Other Rooms BR 12635
by Truman Capote
2 volumes
Twelve-year-old Joel Knox goes to live with his invalid father in
a dilapidated Louisiana mansion. There the sensitive boy
encounters a perverse stepmother, a pathetic uncle, and a tomboy
who becomes his fast friend. 1948.
A Stranger in the Earth BR 12643
by Marcel Theroux
2 volumes
Horace Littlefair, twenty-two, has never been to the city. So
when his grandfather dies, he leaves the country village of Great
Much and travels to London where his great uncle has promised him
a job on his newspaper. But the naive yet good-natured Horace is
unprepared for urban ways. Some strong language. 1998.
The Storm BR 12648
by Frederick Buechner
2 volumes
Modern tale inspired by Shakespeare's The Tempest (BR
09178). Acclaimed writer Kenzie Maxwell is about to turn
seventy at his idyllic Florida island home. Among the birthday
celebrants will be Kenzie's brother, who exposed a scandal that
ruined Kenzie's reputation twenty years before. An approaching
storm sets the stage for family reconciliation. 1998.
Inheritance BR 12651
by Indira Ganesan
1 volume
Estranged from her mother and abandoned by her American father,
fifteen-year-old Sonil spends the summer with relatives on an
idyllic island off the coast of India. When Sonil is romanced by
an older American man, she begins to understand and forgive her
mother's emotional distance. Some descriptions of sex. For senior
high and older readers. 1998.
Salt Water BR 12656
by Charles Simmons
1 volume
When a vivacious woman and her comely daughter move into his
family's beach guesthouse, fifteen-year-old Michael encounters
love, betrayal, and a tragedy that destroys his family and
forever alters his life. Descriptions of sex and strong language.
1998.
Emperor Norton's Ghost: A Fremont Jones Mystery BR
12672
by Dianne Day
3 volumes
In the wake of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Fremont Jones
and her lover Michael open a private detective agency there.
After Fremont accompanies a friend to a seance, the two mediums
are murdered. During her investigation, Fremont sees a ghost
herself--that of Norton I, Emperor of the United States. Some
violence. 1998.
Look Back All the Green Valley BR 12675
by Fred Chappell
3 volumes
Jess Kirkman returns to the North Carolina mountains to carry out
two requests by his dying mother: that she be buried next to her
husband and that Jess close up his father's mysterious workshop.
In fulfilling her second wish, Jess develops a better
understanding of his father. Some strong language. 1999.
The Last Dance: A Novel of the 87th Precinct BR 12690
by Ed McBain
2 volumes
An apparent hanging suicide by a retired male nurse is
reclassified as homicide when traces of a paralyzing drug are
discovered. A snitch is killed after telling 87th precinct
detectives he has information on the murder. The cops comb the
city for a motive and a murderer. Strong language and some
violence. 2000.
Swords and Scimitars: The Royal Pavilions, Book 1 BR
12691
by Linda Chaikin
2 volumes
When Tancred Redwan, who is part Moor and part Norman, is accused
of killing his half-brother, he flees his Palermo home to
Constantinople. There he meets Helena, niece of the Byzantine
emperor, and joins the First Crusade to the Holy Land. Prequel to
Golden Palaces (BR 12692). For senior high and older
readers. 1996.
Caught in the Light BR 12694
by Robert Goddard
3 volumes
After a passionate love affair with a woman he met in Vienna,
married photographer Ian Jarrett returns to England seeking a
divorce. Then his beloved disappears, and Ian discovers that she
believes herself to be the reincarnation of the woman who
invented photography. Ian is gradually drawn into a murderous
plot. 1998.
The Young Oxford Book of Nasty Endings BR 12696
edited by Dennis Pepper
2 volumes
Thirty-four scary short stories with mysterious or unnerving
endings by authors such as Roald Dahl, Ramsey Campbell, E.
Nesbit, T.H. White, and Ray Bradbury. For junior and senior high
and older readers. 1997.
The Tree of Bells BR 12697
by Jean Thesman
2 volumes
Seattle, 1922. When a storm fells The Ornament Tree (BR
11448) outside the Deveraux boarding house, it is replaced
with a tree that house residents decorate with bells to symbolize
their hopes. Clare, sixteen, wonders about her future until she
rescues an abused young boy. For junior and senior high readers.
1999.
Canone Inverso BR 12699
by Paolo Maurensig
1 volume
As the protagonist contemplates his newly acquired seventeenth-
century violin in a London hotel, he is interrupted by a stranger
who missed the Christie's auction. The visitor recounts the
tragic story behind the instrument, involving two musicians and
their destructive rivalry. 1998.
Exposé BR 12705
by Laura Van Wormer
3 volumes
Reporter Sally Harrington, who has moved back to her Connecticut
hometown, is tipped that her father's long-ago death wasn't an
accident. Meanwhile, things look up for her career when she is
asked to write a profile for a posh magazine--but there's a
catch. Some strong language and some explicit descriptions of
sex. 1999.
Roses, Roses: A Harpur and Iles Mystery BR 12706
by Bill James
2 volumes
Detective Chief Superintendent Colin Harpur's wife is stabbed to
death next to her car after returning by train from London. She
had been with Colin's former colleague and had been planning to
leave Colin. He has not been faithful either, but he is driven to
find the murderer. Strong language. 1993.
The Prosecution: A Legal Thriller BR 12708
by D.W. Buffa
2 volumes
Attorney Joseph Antonelli gave up law after persuading a witness
to lie. Now he is asked by friend Judge Woolner to serve as
special prosecutor in a murder-for-hire case against the
assistant district attorney. During that trial, Antonelli agrees
to defend Woolner's wife, who is suspected of murder. Some strong
language. 1999.
I Am One of You Forever BR 12709
by Fred Chappell
2 volumes
Jess grows into manhood on a farm in the North Carolina
mountains, surrounded by an eccentric, but loving, extended
family. But most important to Jess is Johnson Gibbs, an orphaned
teenager who lives on the farm until he leaves for military
service in World War II. Some strong language. 1985.
The Age of Innocence BR 12711
by Edith Wharton
3 volumes (Reissue)
A novel of manners set in New York society in the 1870s, an age
of convention, propriety, and tribal solidarity. Newland Archer
is torn between his attraction to Countess Olenska, a femme
fatale, and his security in a bland but proper marriage to her
cousin May. Pulitzer Prize. 1920.
A Window Facing West BR 12718
by John S. Tarlton
1 volume
As his forty-seventh birthday approaches and his friends
gleefully describe their rejuvenating extramarital affairs, Baton
Rouge financial advisor Gatlin reflects on his life and long
marriage. Meanwhile, he must cope with memories of his father,
who committed suicide when he was Gatlin's age. Strong language
and some explicit descriptions of sex. 1999.
The Self-Made Brain Surgeon: And Other Stories
BR 13034
by Mark Harris
2 volumes
Thirteen stories featuring characters who not only learn to
adjust to life's vagaries and setbacks but find wisdom in doing
so. In "The Bonding" a sixty-nine-year-old slow-pitch baseball
player lets down his team when he fumbles a game-winning fly ball
in right field. 1999.
Komarr: A Vorkosigan Adventure BR 13036
by Lois McMaster Bujold
3 volumes
When an out-of-control star ship collides with the solar mirror
that sustains life on Komarr, Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan
is dispatched to handle the disaster. But Miles's efforts to save
the endangered planet are hindered by official corruption and
terrorism. Sequel to Memory (BR 11295). 1998.
Second Hand BR 13038
by Michael Zadoorian
2 volumes
Richard happily owns a secondhand store in a small Michigan town
and spends his free time "junking." As he grieves over his
mother's death and discovers secrets about his parents' past,
long-celibate Richard begins a relationship with an appealing,
troubled woman. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of
sex. 2000.
Drowning Ruth BR 13187
by Christina Schwarz
3 volumes
In March 1919, nurse Amanda Starkey, seeking refuge, returns to
her family home to live with her younger sister Mathilda and
Mathilda's three-year-old child, Ruth. Within a year, Mathilda is
dead and Amanda is raising Ruth as her own. But both Amanda and
Ruth are hiding memories of the night Mathilda died. Bestseller
2000.
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