- November 19, 2021
Patten Free Library staff love to read (it’s part of why we work here!). Here’s a selection of what we are reading and listening to this week:
Still Life by Louise Penny
China by Edward Rutherford
What I Carry by Jennifer Longo
Alone with the Horrors: The Great Short Fiction of Ramsey Campbell by Ramsey Campbell
Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
Transient ...
Read more… - November 12, 2021
Sometimes you just need a really good mystery to sink your teeth into, and Tana French is the best of the best. Not only are her mysteries complex and rewarding, but her language is luminous and rich. It’s not often you find a series that appeals to readers of both thrillers and literary fiction, but ...
Read more… - November 5, 2021
This is the third book that Strout has created around the character Lucy Barton; I was eager to read Oh William! because I love the story and backstory that Strout has created around her in My Name Is Lucy Barton and Anything Is Possible. (She is nothing like Olive Kittredge!) I love Lucy’s simple, honest, ...
Read more… - October 22, 2021
I loved that this book incorporated history (with the usual liberties fiction takes), family history, romance, adventure, and other elements in a sort of epic story that spanned multiple time periods. This book made me want to visit Istanbul.
Read more… - October 8, 2021
It seems as though all of a sudden kids have way more options for horror literature. This is excellent news. Gone are the days of R.L. Stine (not really; still super popular and fun) and Mary Downing Hahn (also not really; still creepy)! Over the past few years we’ve added some genuinely creepy titles to ...
Read more… - October 1, 2021
Books don’t scare me easily, but I had to stop reading this after dark.
When Merry was eight, her teenage sister began to exhibit signs of schizophrenia. When nothing seems to help and Marjorie’s symptoms grew more disturbing, a local Catholic priest suggests exorcism. Out of options and falling into debt, the family agrees to be ...
Read more… - September 24, 2021
I have always loved Octopus and, after reading this book, you will too. A rich, fascinating, and surprisingly heartwarming exploration of these smart (and funny!) sea dwellers, with stunning color photos that take a deeper dive (pun intended) into their fascinating world.
Read more… - September 17, 2021
In September, I always find myself leaning into the back-to-school spirit of becoming more interested in the non-fiction section of the bookstacks.
I heard some buzz about the book, Downeast: Five Maine Girls and the Unseen Story of Rural America by Gigi Georges and set to finishing it. My family and I travelled to Downeast Maine ...
Read more… - September 10, 2021
This book is absolutely captivating. It’s a tale of bootlegging, a government investigation to stop the smuggling, and a marriage gone awry. It reads like a novel, but you’ll find it in the nonfiction stacks. Abbot has researched the real-life case of George Remus and every phrase of dialog, detailed article of clothing, and weather ...
Read more… - September 3, 2021
Mike’s in hot water – or, rather, cold water. In the first several paragraphs, we witness warden investigator Mike Bowditch hit metal spikes tossed onto the road for his benefit, skid off a corner, and plunge into the icy Androscoggin River. Part survival story, part multi-threaded mystery thriller, and Doiron’s best work to date answers ...
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