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Reading Rescue, September 2009:
Great Books for Fall
 By Anne Allen and Mary Anne Fulmer
There is already a nip in the air, and fall is on the
way. As the days grow shorter the Reading Rescuers (no boring books
here!) know it is time to leave the frothy beach books behind and reach
for more challenging fare. Fortunately for you, we've spent our summer
reading and have a whole crop of engrossing books to suggest.
We've recommended Daniel Silva's thrillers featuring
Gabriel Allon before, and if you still haven't started on this wonderful
series, what are you waiting for? The latest book is The Defector,
but we strongly suggest reading the previous book, Moscow Rules,
first. While enjoying a delayed honeymoon in the Italian countryside,
Gabriel is called back to work: a Russian journalist has sent word that
he has information about a grave threat to the West, specifically
Israel. He insists he will speak only to Allon, but despite Israeli
efforts, he is assassinated. And then the hunt is on, first to identify
the threat and then to prevent it. The operation Allon and his team set
up is a thing of beauty even by the standards of the Office and, in
addition, old friend Sarah Bancroft, on loan from the CIA, returns to
help out. In the sequel, The Defector, it becomes clear that
although Russian tycoon Ivan Kharkov's business and reputation have been
hurt, he is still in the game and powerful enough to do terrible damage
in return. When Gabrielis wife Chiara disappears and her bodyguards are
murdered, Gabriel and his group are back in deadly action and this time
it is definitely personal.
If someone recommended to us a book about car racing
narrated by a dog, we'd think they were joking. But put aside your
prejudices and grab Garth Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain.
Pooch Enzo is nearing the end of his life and is reminiscing about his
life with aspiring racecar driver Denny Swift. Enzo's first role is
sidekick to Denny; as their family increases, Enzo welcomes Denny's wife
Eve and becomes daughter Sophie's protector. Stein maintains the canine
viewpoint beautifully, his story is both touching and humorous, and
Reading Rescue Husband (a veteran of several high speed driving schools)
affirms that the racing information is right on the money. After reading
this book, you'll never regard the family pet in the same way, and watch
out for those stuffed zebras!
After being convicted in a Swedish court of libeling a
prominent businessman, financial journalist Mikael Blomquist knows his
career is over. So when wealthy industrialist Henrik Vanger approaches
him with an offer of help, Blomquist is tempted. Vanger promises he has
information that could bring down the corrupt Han-Erik Wennerstrom, but
there's a catch: Vanger's niece mysteriously disappeared from the family
compound in northern Sweden 34 years earlier, and he demands that Mikael
commit a year to investigating it. Blomquist reluctantly agrees and,
even less willingly, accepts the assistance of the researcher Vanger
suggests, Lisbeth Salander. The tattooed, free spirit Salander has been
a ward of the state for years, and, as Mikael learns, she has serious
issues with authority and a highly personal moral code. In Stieg
Larsson's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Blomquist and Salander
delve into deeply buried family secrets and sins. With compelling
characters, an exotic setting, and plenty of political and sexual
corruption, this book grabs your attention and won't let you put it
down. When you finish, go get the sequel, The Girl Who Played With
Fire. Mikael and Lisbeth are back at work and in danger, as
Blomquist's magazine prepares an expose of the Swedish sex trade so
powerful it results in murder. When the secretive Salander is accused of
the crime, she reluctantly accepts Blomquist's help, slowly revealing
more of her troubled past. Drug dealing, motorcycle gangs, computer
hacking: this book has it all, and it is a thrilling read. One warning:
these novels are translated from the Swedish, and there are a few minor
annoyances. (For example, it is helpful to know that 100 Kronor is worth
about $14.)
If you haven't read Kristin Hannah for a while, it's
easy to forget what a compelling storyteller she is. True Colors,
her latest novel, is set in what we think of as Hannah country, a
sparsely populated section of the Pacific Northwest. The Grey sisters
(Winona, Aurora, and Vivi Ann) have always been close, but the death of
their mother and their emotionally cold father cause them to draw
together even more. Skipping forward 13 years, Winona has become a
lawyer in town, Aurora is a doctor's wife, and Vivi Ann, a champion
barrel racer, is running rodeo events on the family horse ranch. The
sisters' close ties are strained when Winona's high school friend and
secret love Luke returns to town and is attracted to Vivi Ann. As their
relationship grows, a recently hired ranch hand exerts a strong pull on
Vivi. There are betrayals, jealousy, and passion as the sisters break
apart, come together, and reaffirm the strong bonds of sisterhood. There
is always drama in a Hannah novel, and this is no exception: you'll
laugh, you'll cry, but you'll never be bored, and she uses her setting
beautifully.
We've been the Reading Rescuers for four years now
(thank you Penn-Trafford News!), and our goal continues to be to point
you toward a varied selection of books old and new, familiar or obscure;
books that are available in the Penn Area Library. These are books that
we enjoy or find thought provoking, books we consider deserving of
attention. We hope you will continue to read along with us. The Adult
Fall Reading Program is scheduled for October, and there are some nice
prizes lined up for participants. As always, you can reach us at
724-744-4414 or mfulmer@pennlib.org.
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