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AuthorTitlePagesSet Rental Set Rental (Member) (Non-Member)
Albom, MitchTuesdays With Morrie192 pp.$15.00$20.00
The author, an alumnus of Brandeis University, tells of his meetings with a former professor suffering from Lou Gehrig's disease and of the lessons he learned about life and death from his college mentor.©1997 15 copies.
Allende, Isabel*The House of the Spirits433 pp.$ 5.00$10.00
The epic story of the passionate Trueba family begins at the turn of the century in South America, seen through three generations of willful women – their loves, hates and ambitions – from the beginning of this century to the fall of the Government. ©1982 15 copies.
Austen, Jane*Pride and Prejudice317 pp. $ 5.00$10.00
In early nineteenth-century England, a spirited young woman copes with the courtship of a snobbish gentleman as well as the romantic entanglements of her four sisters.©1962 15 copies.
Austen, Jane*Sense and Sensibility315 pp.$15.00$20.00
Two sisters of opposing temperaments share the pangs of tragic love as their mutual suffering brings a closer understanding between the two and true love finally triumphs.Orig. pub. 1811 15 copies.
Bradbury, Ray*Fahrenheit 451179 pp.$10.00$15.00
After learning that books are a vital part of a culture he never knew, a book-burning official in a future fascist state clandestinely pursues reading until he is betrayed.©1953 15 copies.
Bronte, Charlotte*Jane Eyre477 pp.$ 5.00$10.00
Jane, a plain and penniless orphan in nineteenth-century England, accepts employment as a governess at Thornfield Hall and soon finds herself in love with her melancholy employer, Mr. Edward Rochester, a man with a terrible secret. Orig. pub. 1847 15 copies.
Burns, Olive AnnCold Sassy Tree391 pp.$15.00$20.00
Grandpa Blakeslee marries a young milliner just three weeks after Granny Blakeslee has gone to her reward. Young Will is boggled by this act but becomes the newlyweds' conspirator and confidant; meanwhile he does some growing up on his own. ©1984 9 copies.(TV MOVIE)
Burroughs, Augusten*Running With Scissors: a memoir315 pp.$15.00$20.00
The author chronicles his adolescence and young adulthood, describing the sexual and psychological abuse he suffered in the home of his mother's psychiatrist after she abandoned him there when he was twelve years old.©2002 15 copies.
Cather, Willa*My Antonia372 pp.$ 5.00$ 7.00
When Antonia arrives in Nebraska from the European province of Bohemia with her family, she is unprepared for the dangers and challenges she must face on the farm with its unproductive soil.©1918 15 copies. (TV MOVIE)
Chevalier, Tracy*Girl with a Pearl Earring233 pp.$15.00$20.00
Set in Holland in the 1660s, the life of sixteen-year-old Griet is transformed forever when she goes to work as a maid in the turbulent household of a Dutch painter and sparks the interest of the artist. History and fiction mix to form a portrait of the young woman who inspired Johannes Vermeer's mysterious painting for which this book is named.©1999 15 copies.
Collins, WilkieThe Woman in White564 pp.$10.00$15.00
At one o'clock in the morning on a deserted London road, young drawing master Walter Hartright encounters a ghostly apparition, a “woman in white” who has a mysterious resemblance to the woman he loves. One of the earliest works of 'detective' fiction with a narrative woven together from multiple characters, Collins partly based his infamous novel on a real-life eighteenth century case of abduction and wrongful imprisonment. Full of secrets, mistaken identities, surprise revelations, amnesia, locked rooms and locked asylums, and an unorthodox villain. ©1860 15 copies. (TV MOVIE)
Dai SijieBalzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress184 pp.$15.00$20.00
Two boys, moved to the country for "re-education" as part of Mao's Cultural Revolution, find little to amuse them, but things change when they discover a stash of Western classics in Chinese translation and use the stories of Balzac to capture the attention of the beautiful daughter of the local tailor.©2001 15 copies.
Dickens, Charles*Oliver Twist346 pp.$15.00$20.00
In nineteenth-century England, a young orphan boy lives in the squalid surroundings of a workhouse until he becomes involved with a gang of thieves who train him to be a pickpocket. ©2002 11 copies. (ALT. MOVIE TITLE: OLIVER)
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor*Crime and Punishment430 pp.$15.00$20.00
Raskolnikov, an impoverished student in St. Petersburg, Russia, convinces himself that he is above the law and murders an elderly pawnbroker. But his subsequent guilt is overwhelming. ©1914 10 copies.
Du Maurier, Daphne*Rebecca380 pp.$15.00$20.00
Mrs. Maxim de Winter lives in the shadow of the first Mrs. de Winter. Still a young bride, her efforts quickly and strangely are directed to find the real fate of her husband's first wife, Rebecca.©1938 15 copies.
Edwards, KimThe Memory Keeper’s Daughter401 pp.$15.00$20.00
On a winter night in 1964, Dr. David Henry is forced by a blizzard to deliver his own twins and when he discovers that his daughter has Down syndrome, he asks his nurse to take the baby to an institution and never reveal the secret.A stunning drama articulating every mother’s silent fear: what would happen if you lost your child and she grew up without you?©2005 15 copies.
Foenkinos, DavidDelicacy250 pp.$15.00$20.00
Natalie and Francois are the perfect couple, and perfectly happy. But after Francois dies suddenly, only seven years into their still blissful marriage, the widowed Natalie erects a fortress around her emotions into which no one can gain access. Until the most unlikely candidate appears: Markus, Natalie’s Swedish, geeky, and unassuming coworker. ©2011 9 copies. (ORIGINAL TITLE IN FRENCH: LA DELICATESSE)
Franklin, MilesMy Brilliant Career267 pp.$5.00$10.00
Sybylla Melvyn flees her parents' farm in Australia only to find she must choose between a safe, comfortable marriage and the career she wants so fiercely. She grows to understand that life is a series of trade-offs, that no one can have it all, and that no one can please everyone. ©1980 15 copies.
Frazier, Charles*Cold Mountain356 pp.$15.00$20.00
Inman, a wounded disillusioned Confederate soldier, leaves the hospital where he is being treated and determines to walk home to the Blue Ridge Mountains and to his sweetheart Ada, only to find the land and the girl he remembers as changed by the war as he.©1997 15 copies.
Garcia Marquez, Gabriel*Love in the Time of Cholera348 pp.$15.00$20.00
In their youth, Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza fall passionately in love. When Fermina eventually chooses to marry a wealthy, well-born doctor, Florentino is devastated, but he is a romantic. Fifty years, nine months, and four days after he first declared his love for Fermina, he will do so again. ©1988 15 copies.
Gibbons, KayeCharms for the Easy Life290 pp.$15.00$20.00
A tale about three generations of strong, feisty Carolina women. Charlie Kate, the nineteenth-century grandmother is a self-proclaimed doctor, daughter, Sophia, inherits her mother's wisdom and will and wishes to control the world around her. Margaret, the granddaughter struggles towards adulthood during World War II and discovers that passion is a natural and blessed gift. ©1993 15 copies.
Gibbons, Stella*Cold Comfort Farm233 pp.$15.00$20.00
Flora, a young, educated recently orphaned girl ignores the sage advise of Mrs. Smiley and moves to the country to live on a decrepit farm with her eccentric melodramatic relatives, where she finds ample material for the novel she wishes to write. This novel has been called a satire of such authors as Thomas Hardy and D. H. Lawrence. ©1932 14 copies.
Gilbert, Elizabeth*Eat, Pray, Love334 pp.$15.00$20.00
In her early thirties, Elizabeth Gilbert had everything a modern American woman was supposed to want, but instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she felt consumed by panic and confusion. This book is the story of how she left behind all these outward marks of success and of what she found in their place.©2006 15 copies.
Golden, Arthur*Memoirs of a Geisha428 pp. $15.00$20.00
Nitta Sayuri, is a young Japanese woman who was taken from her home at the age of nine and sold into slavery as a geisha, in a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion. She discovers a rare opportunity for freedom when the outbreak of World War II forces an end to the only life she has ever known.©1997 15 copies.
Greene, Graham*The Quiet American189 pp. $10.00$15.00
In 1950s Indochina, an English correspondent observes a well-intentioned but misguided young American military advisor covertly setting up a "Third Force" to replace the French-backed emperor, and then takes actions to stop him when they become embroiled in a love triangle with his Vietnamese mistress.©1955 15 copies.
Gruen, SaraWater for Elephants340 pp.$15.00$20.00
Ninety-year-old Jacob Jankowski finds himself haunted by memories of his life in the circus during the Great Depression, recalling the bond he developed with Rosie, the show's troubled elephant, and Marlena, the star of the equestrian act and the unfortunate love of the circus boss.©2006 15 copies.
Guterson, David*Snow Falling On Cedars460 pp.$15.00$20.00
When a newspaper journalist covers the trial of a Japanese American accused of murder, he must come to terms with his own past. A tale of love and war and the ways men and women struggle for survival and redemption. ©1995 15 copies.
Harris, Joanne*Chocolat306 pp. $10.00$15.00
A newly opened chocolate shop provides just the right confections to coax villagers to abandon themselves to temptation and happiness. The shop owner soon sparks a dramatic confrontation between those who prefer the cold comforts of the church and those who revel in their newly discovered taste for pleasure. ©1999 15 copies.
Harris, RobertThe Ghost412 pp.$15.00$20.00
The prime minister of Britain is hiding out at Martha's Vineyard trying to write his memoir, however, his ghostwriters are coming up dead.©2007 10 copies.
(MOVIE TITLE: THE GHOST WRITER)
Hemingway, Ernest*For Whom the Bell Tolls471 pp.$10.00$15.00
The story of Robert Jordan, a young American in the International Brigade fighting during the Spanish Civil War with the anti-fascist guerillas in the mountains of Spain. A story of loyalty and courage, love and defeat, and the tragic death of an ideal.©1940 15 copies.
Hillerman, TonySkinwalkers275 pp.$10.00$15.00
United for the first time, Navajo Tribal Police officer Jim Chee and Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn together embark on a murder investigation that leads them into the dark and mystical world of Indian witchcraft.©1988 15 copies. (TV MOVIE)
Huxley, AldousBrave New World268 pp.$15.00$20.00
A satirical novel about a futuristic World State where all emotion, love, art, and human individuality have been replaced by social stability, a world in which babies are decanted from bottles and the great Ford is worshiped. ©1932 15 copies.
Ishiguro, Kazuo*The Remains of the Day245 pp.$15.00$20.00
Stevens, butler at Darlington Hall for some thirty years, muses on his life of service to the "great gentleman," the late Lord Darlington. It is 1956 and Stevens, persuaded by his new employer to take a vacation, is motoring through the English countryside. Below the surface of perfection and correctness, some doubts about Lord Darlington's sterling image begin to niggle.©1988 15 copies.
Kidd, Sue MonkThe Secret Life of Bees302 pp.$15.00$20.00
During the summer of 1964 in rural South Carolina, fourteen-year-old Lily and Rosaleen, an African-American woman who has cared for her like a mother since she was four, flee their home after Rosaleen is victimized by racist police officers and find a safe haven in Tiburon, at the home of three eccentric beekeeping sisters, May, June, and August.©2002 15 copies.
Kundera, MilanThe Unbearable Lightness of Being314 pp.$15.00$20.00
Tomas, a hopeless philanderer and successful surgeon, flees Prague when the Russians invade in 1968 and heads for Switzerland where he must provide for himself and his lover by working as a window washer. A novel about love and existential loneliness in Eastern Europe before the Wall came down.©1984 15 copies.
Lahiri, JhumpaThe Namesake291 pp.$15.00$20.00
A young man born of Indian parents in America struggles with issues of identity from his teens to his thirties. ©2003 15 copies.
Larsson, Stieg*The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo590 pp.$15.00$20.00
Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared off the secluded island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger family. Harriet's uncle, Henrik, is convinced that she was murdered by someone in her own family – thedeeply dysfunctional Vanger clan. This is a violent and bloody thriller, a sinister family saga, a mystery of massive financial fraud and an ambiguous and haunting love story. ©2008 15 copies.
Markham, BerylWest with the Night294 pp.$15.00$20.00
A memoir of the author, who grew up in East Africa, became a bush pilot in Africa, and in 1936 made the first solo flight east to west across the Atlantic. ©1942 15 copies.
(MOVIE TITLE: A SHADOW ON THE SUN)
Martel, YannLife of Pi319 pp.$15.00$20.00
Pi, sixteen, is the sole human survivor of a shipwreck. He shares his lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra and a Bengal tiger. Pi must overcome his fear and use his knowledge and cunning to stay alive. Man Booker Prize winner. ©2001 30 copies.
Mayes, Frances*Under the Tuscan Sun291 pp. $15.00$20.00
A chronicle of the author's first four years living in rural Italy, describing her purchase and restoration of an abandoned villa in the Tuscan countryside, her transformation of the overgrown gardens, and the sensual pleasure she found in her discovery of the many links between the food and culture of the region.©1996 15 copies.
McCarthy, Cormac*All the Pretty Horses302 pp. $15.00$20.00
The tale of young John Grady Cole, who at sixteen finds himself the last of a long line of Texas ranchers and, along with two companions, sets off for Mexico on a sometimes idyllic, sometimes comic journey to a place where dreams are paid for in blood. The first volume in the Border Trilogy. ©1992 15 copies.
McCourt, Frank*Angela’s Ashes363 pp. $15.00$20.00
Memoir of a childhood growing up in the perpetually damp Depression-era country of Ireland, with the stereotypical long-suffering mother and a drunken father who nurtures in his son an appetite for stories. McCourt transforms the story of an Irish-Catholic childhood lived in poverty, misery, and despair into a mesmerizing tale filled with wit, love, and forgiveness. ©1996 15 copies.
McEwan, Ian*Atonement351 pp.$15.00 $20.00
On a hot summer day in 1935, imaginative thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses a moment’s flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the housekeeper's son and Cecilia’s childhood friend. Briony’s misinterpretion of the scene, together with her precocious literary gifts, brings about a crime that will change all their lives and create long-lasting repercussions.©2001 15 copies.
Moggach, DeborahThe Best Exotic Marigold Hotel320 pp.$15.00$20.00
When Dr. Ravi Kapoor's cousin sets up a retirement home in India, Ravi's father-in-law is one of its first guests, but what the renovation lacks in promised amenities and luxury, it makes up for in adventure, stunning beauty, and unexpected love. ©2004 9 copies.
Mosher, Howard FrankA Stranger in the Kingdom421 pp.$15.00$20.00
The town's new pastor is accused of adultery and murdering a seventeen-year-old girl to whom he had given shelter. His trial climaxes in a courtroom confrontation that leaves the small New England town changed forever. Inspired by true events, the story chronicles the bigotry, closed-mindedness and violence that greeted a black former Army chaplain when he moved to rural Vermont.©1989 15 copies.
Mowat, Farley*Never Cry Wolf164 pp. $15.00$20.00
More than a half-century ago the Canadian Wildlife Service assigned the naturalist Farley Mowat to investigate why wolves were killing Arctic caribou. This is Mowat's account of the summer he lived alone in the frozen tundra in the Keewatin Lands northwest of the Hudson Bay, studying the wolf population and developing a deep affection for these wild creatures (who were no threat to caribou or man) and for a friendly Inuit tribe known as the Ihalmiut.©1963 14 copies.
Orwell, GeorgeAnimal Farm128 pp.$15.00$20.00
Farmer Jones' domesticated animals revolt against their cruel master, are then taken over by the pigs, and soon find they have succeeded in exchanging one form of tyranny for another, and once again are forced to unite in a common cause. A political satire of the Russian Revolution.©1946 15 copies.
Parini, JayThe Last Station290 pp.$15.00$20.00
As Leo Tolstoy's life draws to a tumultuous close, his tempestuous wife and most cunning disciple are locked in a whirlwind battle for the great man's soul. Torn between his professed doctrine of poverty and chastity and the reality of his enormous wealth and thirteen children, Tolstoy dramatically flees his home, only to fall ill at a tiny nearby rail station. A fictionalized account of the last year of the Russian author's life and the people around him. ©1990 15 copies.
Powell, Julie*Julie & Julia307 pp.$15.00$20.00
Julie Powell is 30 years old, living in a rundown apartment in Queens and working at a secretarial job that's going nowhere. She needs something to break the monotony of her life, so she invents a deranged assignment: she will cook all 524 recipes in Julia Child's 1961 classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking. In the span of one year! Her unexpected reward, a new life lived with gusto.©2005 15 copies.
Reisen, HarrietLouisa May Alcott: the woman behind Little Women 444 pp. $15.00 $20.00
Historical documentarian Harriet Reisen presents the first complete biography of the beloved author whose work has delighted millions of readers, a vivid, energetic account that explores Louisa May Alcott's life in the context of her works, all of which are to some extent autobiographical. Her life was no children's book – as full of incident, surprise, and heroism as any plot she invented; her childhood was one of high ideals, low finances, and some thirty household moves. ©2009 15 copies. (TV MOVIE)
Rhys, Jean*Wide Sargasso Sea190 pp. $ 5.00$10.00
Beautiful and wealthy Antoinette Cosway's passionate love for an English aristocrat threatens to destroy her idyllic West Indian island existence and her very life. This is the story of what happened when Mr. Rochester met and married his first wife, and how she became the madwoman locked in the attic. A prequel to Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.©1966 15 copies.