Wauconda Area Library - Staff Picks

Leonard Maltin's 151 Best Movies You've Never Seen

I love movies.  I have seen a lot of movies and I intend to see a lot more.  When I saw this book I just had to check it out.  The author shines his light for the most part, on the movies of the last twenty years.  Leonard devotes about two pages to each title.   I like the clear way he lists each movie:

1.  American Dreamz (2006)
Directed by Paul Weitz, Screenplay by Paul Weitz
Actors:  Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid


I honestly like to skip the preface of books but this one explains what criteria he chose to select the 151 films.   The reviews are filled with interesting and really wonderful kernels of trivia that all movie buffs will love.  If you are looking for a gift this is a sure winner.

Check the library catalog or go to Amazon.com to read more about the title.

Recommended by Darla, Adult Services

Chronicles of Chrestomanci: The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones

I’m tired of Bella. Katniss just depresses me. J. K. Rowling isn’t going to write an eighth Harry Potter book. In the rising tide of angst and series endings in juvenile and young adult fiction, it’s a breath of relief to pick up a Diana Wynne Jones novel again. Her contribution to the fantasy genre is vast, including Howl’s Moving Castle and most recently, Enchanted Glass. This novel in the Chrestomanci series takes up the life of a young enchanter, Christopher Chant. Actually, his nine lives and this lands him in a pinch. Nine-lived enchanters are quite rare and powerful, as well as useful to nefarious men like his uncle Ralph. And the trouble with Christopher is that he keeps losing those lives in various foolish ways while traveling to other worlds. The novel is reminiscent of C. S. Lewis’s The Magician’s Nephew and is chalk-full of Jones’s witty sense of humor, worlds between worlds, a cheeky goddess and her cats, and an epic showdown between magical law enforcement and a band of seedy ne’er-do-well witches and warlocks.

The Lives of Christopher Chant is fluffy, magical fun, the sort Harry used to enjoy before things got Very Bad. So say goodbye to Edward. Forget romantic triangles or characters that chew on other characters (or wildlife…whatever). I’ll take Christopher Chant.

Check the library catalog or go to Amazon.com to read more about the title.

Recommended by Christen, Children's Services

The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean by Susan Casey

Half of this book was fascinating to me, and the other half I could have done without. I confess to skipping some of the extended portions about big-wave surfing, which simply doesn't interest me. But the statistics cited (supported by evidence from Lloyd's of London among others, the author tells us that "every year, on average, more than two dozen large ships sink or otherwise go missing, taking their crews along with them") and the scientific discussions of various weather phenomena, current research, and climate change were informative and made it well worth reading. Of course, the book will also be entertaining to those who are interested in extreme sports and less so in sinking ships.

Check the library catalog or go to Amazon.com to read more about the title.

Recommended by Lynn, Adult Services

Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

This book is about Mara, a slave in Egypt.  One lucky day, she is freed from her master but she has to spy for the Queen.  Later that same day, to save her spy identity, she has to spy for the true King.  She then is a double spy, but fate steps in and she finds who she truly wants to work for and who she loves.

This item is available through inter-library loan or go to Amazon.com to read more about the title.

Recommended by Michelle, Children's Services

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Delightful!   I really enjoyed it!  Very uplifting and full of Southern charm!  This is the story of a young girl who first loses her mother to mental illness then was killed in an accident.  CeeCee finds comfort from a long lost aunt and friends that take her in and save her.

Check the library catalog or go to Amazon.com to read more about the title.

Recommended by Claudia, Circulation Services

Dracula, Prince of Many Faces: His Life and His Times by Radu R. Florescu and Raymond T. McNally

Vlad III of Wallachia (the real one, not Bram Stoker’s version) in his mediaeval Eastern European context. Extremely interesting, actually.  People are so complex.

This item is available through inter-library loan or go to Amazon.com to read more about the title.

Recommended by Lynn, Adult Services

Castles in the Air: The Restoration Adventures of Two Young Optimists and a Crumbling Old Mansion by Judy Corbett

It's always nice to read about someone who pursued a dream against all reason and actually saw it come true.  

This item is available through inter-library loan or go to Amazon.com to read more about the title.

Recommended by Lynn, Adult Services

Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals by Rupert Sheldrake

Interesting book. The author discusses the power of bonds, not only between animals and humans, but among humans, too. He argues convincingly that just because western science can’t explain something, doesn’t mean it can’t be true.

Check the library catalog or go to Amazon.com to read more about the title.

Recommended by Lynn, Adult Services

The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie is great for busy times, when you want to read something that's fun and quick.

 Check the library catalog or go to Amazon.com to read more about the title.

Recommended by Lynn, Adult Services

In the Woods by Tana French

In addition to being a good mystery, this is also quite an interesting reflection on memory and how people cope with things that are too big for them to integrate.  The main character is an Irish homicide detective who, as a child, was the only witness to a terrible and still-unsolved crime.  Though he has no memory of the event, and believes that it has no effect on his adult life, a similar crime in the same location forces him to face the fact that "In ways too dark and crucial to be called metaphorical, I never left that wood."  The writing is beautiful.

 Check the library catalog or go to Amazon.com to read more about the title.

Recommended by Lynn, Adult Services