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.
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."
Kristin Lavransdatter: Volume 2, The Mistress of Husaby BR
10086
by Sigrid Undset
4 volumes
Set in medieval Norway, the story of Kristin's stormy married
life and her struggle to preserve an estate for her seven sons.
Sequel to The Bridal Wreath (RC 40412, BR 10085). 1925.
Kristin Lavransdatter: Volume 3, The Cross BR 10087
by Sigrid Undset
4 volumes
A historical novel set in fourteenth-century Norway, concerning
Kristin's problems with her husband and children, her retirement
to a convent, and the horrors of the Black Plague. Sequel to
The Mistress of Husaby (BR 10086). 1927.
This Savage Race BR 10196
by Douglas C. Jones
4 volumes
A historical western about the efforts of a pioneer family to
carve out a better life for themselves. Mr. Jefferson was
president when Boone Fawley took his wife, his sons, and his
sister and struck out from St. Louis. But instead of heading
west, they made their way south into the Arkansas wilderness.
The life they found was often wretched, but they met all
difficulties with a resilient spirit. Some strong language.
1993.
Raintree County BR 10207
by Ross, Jr. Lockridge
10 volumes
Epic novel describes a day in the life of a schoolteacher on
July 4, 1892, when he participates in the holiday ceremonies in
his small Indiana town. His meeting with two old boyhood friends
sets off a series of flashbacks in which he relives his
schooldays, Civil War experiences, and marriages. Some strong
language. 1948.
Microserfs BR 10245
by Douglas Coupland
3 volumes
In 1993 Dan, twenty-six, works at Microsoft and worships Bill
Gates. He and five other microserfs live in a group home and
realize that they have to give up their entire lives if they
want to work on cool projects. When gifted Michael breaks away
to form his own company, he offers to take the others with him.
They move in with Dan's mother and father (who has been laid off
from IBM) and begin "coding" in earnest. Strong language.
Bestseller 1995.
Ulysses BR 10287
by James Joyce
7 volumes
Epic novel that deals with a single day--June 16, 1904--in the
life of Leopold Bloom, a Dublin advertising salesman. The
stream-of-consciousness style and the use of interior monologues
expose the personalities of the characters. Strong language and
explicit descriptions of sex. 1922.
Quiet-Crazy BR 10309
by Joyce Durham Barrett
2 volumes
When depression causes her to stop working at a pants factory,
twenty-eight-year-old Elizabeth Miller leaves her parents' home
to go to a mental hospital. There she reflects on the problems
she has with her domineering mother. When Elizabeth's older
sister was four, Mrs. Miller accidentally ran over her.
Thereafter Mrs. Miller acted strangely, especially toward her
second daughter. Strong language. 1993.
The Last Unicorn BR 10311
by Peter S. Beagle
2 volumes
A beautiful white unicorn worries that she is the last of her
species and so sets out in search of any surviving relatives.
Accompanied by a second-rate magician and a sad, thin woman, the
unicorn has fairy-tale adventures and finds her family enslaved
by a wicked king. 1968.
Nineteen Eighty-Four BR 10312
by George Orwell
3 volumes
Classic dark satire written in 1949. In a future time under a
totalitarian regime, the people believe ignorance is strength
and war is peace. For senior high and older readers. 1949.
Working Men: Stories BR 10316
by Michael Dorris
2 volumes
Some of Dorris's working men, such as the pond-building
protagonist of "The Benchmark," are long wedded to their jobs.
Others experience spur-of-the-moment employment: a man's new
wife encourages him to fake his way into a position teaching
high-school French in "Oui" and rescues him just as his fraud is
about to surface. A returned draft dodger marries an older
divorcée and buys a gas station rather than take a
parent-pleasing path. 1993.
Captain Hawaii BR 10319
by Anthony Dana Arkin
2 volumes
Captain Dan's Zodiac Pirate Tours sounds exciting to Arron, who
is a nature lover. Unlike his parents, he didn't come to Hawaii
just to sit by the pool. And he is pleased that Kate, the
captain's daughter, is pretty too. But then events erupt when a
rival tour company tries to put Captain Dan out of business,
involving Kate and Arron in the process. For junior and senior
high readers. 1994.
The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern BR 10321
by Lilian Jackson Braun
2 volumes
Jim Qwilleran, a prize-winning reporter, and Koko, the Siamese
cat with extraordinary talent and a flair for mystery, are
joined by Yum Yum--a lovable Siamese adored by Jim and Koko.
This unusual detective team investigates a very clever murderer.
1967.
The Martian Chronicles BR 10324
by Ray Bradbury
2 volumes
Science fiction classic covering the period from January 1999
through October 2026. Closely connected short stories chronicle
repeated visits by humans to Mars. The Earth people attempt to
create a new world, but they get an unfriendly reception from
the Martians. For high school and older readers. 1958.
Camaro City BR 10331
by Alan Sternberg
2 volumes
Ten stories about working-class life in a Connecticut factory
town. Work, however, is scarce and monotonous, so anything that
breaks the routine is welcome. In the title story, the
townspeople insist on buying Camaros, even though proliferation
of the cars makes the town a target for professional thieves.
And in "Blazer," a teenager hanging out in a fast-food parking
lot sets himself afire. Some strong language. 1994.
You Will Learn to Love Me BR 10333
by Susan Chace
1 volume
Kate adores her small daughter, Eliza, but Kate realizes that
she does not love Hank, her husband of eight years. Like Eliza's
friend's mother who is dying, Kate must learn to withdraw, to
say goodbye. Some strong language. 1994.
The Last Known Residence of Mickey Acuña BR 10334
by Dagoberto Gilb
2 volumes
Mickey Acuña is staying at the YMCA in El Paso because he needs
an address where he can get mail. He is waiting for a check. But
as the weeks go by and the check doesn't come, Mickey takes on
odd jobs, finally ending up as the desk clerk at the YMCA. He
then learns someone is tampering with the mail, and he soon
suspects imminent disaster. Some strong language. 1994.
Rain BR 10337
by Kirsty Gunn
1 volume
Twelve-year-old Janey adores and mothers her little brother,
Jim, who is five. While her parents spend the summer
socializing, Janey and Jim search for hidden places at the lake
to play and picnic. Until the unthinkable happens. 1994.
The Stolen Gods BR 10360
by Jake Page
2 volumes
When Santa Fe gallery owner Walter Meyers is murdered, FBI agent
Larry Collins tries to prove Meyers was involved in stolen Hopi
religious symbols. Local blind sculptor Mo Bowdre is also
intrigued with Meyers's death, especially when it turns out to
peripherally involve his half-Hopi girlfriend. As the FBI track
one lead across the Southwest, Bowdre turns to the reservation
for clues. Strong language and some violence. 1993.
MotherTongue BR 10362
by Demetria Martínez
1 volume
His nation of El Salvador had chewed him up and spit him out.
Mary, nineteen, met him at the New Mexico airport after he was
smuggled into the country. It was up to her to help him adjust
to life in the United States, but she had also decided she would
fall in love with him. Now twenty years later, Mary explains to
their love child why their love had no future. 1994.
The Ghostway BR 10363
by Tony Hillerman
2 volumes
Navajo Albert Gorman is injured in a shoot-out, and the other
man dies. Albuquerque tribal policeman Jim Chee is with the FBI
when they find Gorman's body at his elderly relative's hogan.
The hogan's owner has vanished but not before mailing a warning
letter to his granddaughter. The double-murder case is being
handled by the FBI, but Chee conducts an investigation into the
disappearance of the granddaughter. Some strong language and
some violence. 1984.
The Betrayal: The Fear Street Saga, Volume 1 BR
10368
by R.L. Stine
1 volume
In Wickham Village, Massachusetts, in 1692, Susannah Goode and
her mother are accused of witchcraft by Benjamin Fier, the
father of the boy Susannah loves. They may be burned at the
stake. And in 1900 in the village of Shadyside, Nora Goode
stands before the Fear mansion listening to the screams of those
trapped inside the blazing house. Prequel to The Secret (BR
10369). For junior and senior high readers. 1993.
The Secret: The Fear Street Saga, Volume 2 BR 10369
by R.L. Stine
1 volume
Wickham Village, Massachusetts, 1737. Ezra Fier and his family
return to Wickham where Ezra vowed revenge against George Goode,
the brother of Susannah Goode, who was burned at the stake. Now
Ezra has found the Goodes at last. And in 1900 in the village of
Shadyside, Nora Goode must continue to write the story of what
happened in Wickham years earlier. Sequel to The Betrayal (BR
10368). For junior and senior high readers. 1993.
The Burning: The Fear Street Saga, Volume 3 BR 10370
by R.L. Stine
1 volume
New Orleans, 1845. Simon Fier has changed his name to Fear and
moved to New Orleans in hopes of escaping the curse that has
afflicted his family for generations. But the curse seems to
persist. And in 1900 in the village of Shadyside, Simon's
grandson meets Nora Goode and they fall in love. Sequel to
The Secret (BR 10369). For junior and senior high
readers. 1993.
Lando BR 10378
by Louis L'Amour
2 volumes
After stewing for six years in a Mexican prison and becoming a
bare-knuckle prizefighter, Orlando Sackett of Cumberland Hills
will stop at nothing to get even with the men who betrayed him.
Violence. 1962.
Laughing Boy BR 10379
by Oliver La Farge
2 volumes
A Pulitzer Prize-winning novel set in the Navajo Southwest of
1915. In telling the haunting story of the young lovers,
Laughing Boy and Slim Girl, the author depicts the lives of the
Indians from his experience as an anthropologist. Some violence
and some strong language. For high school and older readers.
1929.
What Kind of Love? The Diary of a Pregnant Teenager BR
10412
by Sheila Cole
1 volume
In her diary, Valerie worries about her late period. She's
fifteen and has had sex only once with her boyfriend, Peter, so
surely she can't be pregnant! When Valerie is finally tested, it
is too late for an abortion. Peter decides they should marry,
but Valerie's happiness is cut short when their parents find
out. Some strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex.
For junior and senior high readers. 1995.
The Tenth Insight: Holding the Vision, Further Adventures of
The Celestine Prophecy BR 10416
by James Redfield
2 volumes
In The Celestine Prophecy (BR 9732), the author
experienced nine ancient spiritual insights. Now he searches for
the tenth insight as he looks for his friend Charlene Billings,
who has disappeared into the Appalachian Mountains. Some strong
language. Bestseller 1996.
The Bluebird and the Sparrow BR 10427
by Janette Oke
2 volumes
Berta gets a new playmate, a baby sister. But it is a long time
before Glenna is old enough to play with, and her arrival upsets
Berta's world. As they grow into young women, Berta finds
herself resenting the lovely Glenna and vows to be her complete
opposite. Berta soon drives a wedge between herself, the rest of
the family, and her God. It will take a family tragedy to change
Berta's attitude. 1995.
When Death Comes Stealing BR 10429
by Valerie Wilson Wesley
2 volumes
Now a private detective, Tamara Hayle quit her job on the police
force when her young son, Jamal, was harassed by cops just
because he was black. Her ex-husband, DeWayne Curtis, has four
other sons, all by different women. When two of the sons die,
DeWayne begs Tamara to find out if someone killed them. Strong
language, some violence, and some descriptions of sex. 1994.
Sights Unseen BR 10434
by Kaye Gibbons
1 volume
Five years after Maggie Barnes's death at sixty-two, her
daughter, Hattie Barnes, remembers the times before her
manic-depressive mother was stabilized. Hattie and her brother
were raised primarily by maid Pearl Wiggins, but they still had
to ride out Maggie's storms. Some strong language. 1995.
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