1	Books at Twilight Presented by the Reader Advisory Librarians St. Charles Public Library
2	“Reading is Life… the rest is just footnotes” Today’s Presenters: Mary Jane Carol Trudy Jean Marlise Technical Support: Jill
3	Mary’s Pick A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
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5	A Fine Balance Resilience and humaneness of four misfits surviving amid horrific circumstances. A study of the devastating effects of societal strictures on people A vast, rich depiction of Indian daily life during the time of Indira Gandhi John Lee’s audio production of this haunting epic is dignified and realistic.
6	Similar Books The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh Snakes and Ladders: Glimpses of India by Gita Mehta.
7	Jane’s Pick
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10	The Poisonwood Bible White, American missionary family living in the African Congo Daring, unflinching examination of Western interaction with the Congo’s struggle for independence in the 1960s Interrelated themes of family relationships, truth, justice, culture clashes, political struggle & ecological issues Descriptive, lyrical use of language Location as character Compelling, insightful audio version
11	Similar Books Difficult novel to find comparisons for, but options include: the early works of Louise Erdrich Richard Russo or Joyce Carol Oates for family saga aspects Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart Paul Theroux’s The Mosquito Coast
12	Carol’s Pick Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller
13	Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight
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15	Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight Memoir of childhood in Africa Focuses on life during the Rhodesian (now Zimbabwe) Civil War, 1971-1979 Stark, unsentimental portrayal of daily life and hardships felt by family Vivid imagery, keen observations Dynamic audiobook performance by Lisette Lecat
16	Similar Books Scribbling the Cat by Alexandra Fuller (memoir, part 2) The Darling by Russell Banks (fiction set in Liberia during political upheaval)
17	Trudy’s Pick
18	The Lady and the Panda
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20	The Lady and the Panda Story of Ruth Harkness, 1930s Manhattan socialite who brought the first panda to the West Adventure story of success against all odds Gutsy, independent woman with strong sense of self For the armchair adventurer: bandits, war, romance & nearly impenetrable terrain
21	Similar Books West with the Night by Beryl Markham The Mapmaker’s Wife: A True Tale of Love, Murder, and Survival in the Amazon by Robert Whitaker
22	Jean’s Pick
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26	The Torso Second police procedural by Helene Tursten to be translated from Swedish. Set in Goteborg, on the Swedish coast Features Detective Inspector Irene Huss, wife of a chef, the mother of twin teenage girls, and an ace investigator. This intriguing mystery is not a “cozy” as it features a violent and gruesome serial killer. Will please readers who enjoy foreign settings, dogged, detailed police work & strong women
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29	Similar Authors The Inspector Sejer mysteries of Karin Fossum The Kurt Wallander mysteries by Henning Mankell
30	Marlise’s Pick
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33	Monkeewrench
34	Similar Authors John Sandford’s Prey series Harlan Coben
35	Don’t Forget! We are constantly updating the Readers Services page on the Library’s website, including: Recommended Reading lists Staff reviews New Releases Links to other great websites about books Go to www.stcharleslibrary.org and click on “Readers Services”
36	Technical Support Thanks to Jill for keeping us up and running and helping with today’s presentation. Thanks also to Steve, Michelle and Jean for additional support!