Lorna Recommends...

There are so many gems to be found in this lovely little volume of animal essays. Translated from the French (some had to be left out because the puns were just not translatable) and collected beginning in 1896, Renard's Histories Naturelles were illustrated at one time by Toulouse-Latrec. They are full of humor, understanding , joy and compassion. Some are so short but also so true, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Start with one of my favorites, The Finch, and you will see what I mean.

I love this book, set in Montana in 1919, it's full of wonderful characters and beautiful writingEvery book lover should read it for the library scenes alone!

This amazing book is Maira's love letter to NYC and America and Democracy. A wonderful companion to her book The Principles of Uncertainty, its hard to describe but easy to appreciate. It's a visual tour through American history and government and politics and issues facing our country today seen through her artists eye and heart.

More than just a cozy quilt mystery, Earlene Fowler covers relationships, racial relations and ranch life in California.

The best of all guilty pleasures - a book featuring identical twins who trade lives. What a soap opera plot but it's good and it's fun. It's been around forever and it was made into a movie starring Barry Bostwick and Stephanie Powers.

Eleven Americans embark upon an art history tour of Burma planned by their recently murdered friend, San Francisco socialite Bibi Chen. Bibi's ghost follows the group as they make changes to her trip and encounter dangers along the way. This isn't your typical Amy Tan but I really enjoyed this trip to Burma.

I really didn't think I would like this middle-reader novel about a 10-year old boy who lives in the woods of Alabama with his survivalist Dad. Left on his own, Moon has to learn how to make his way in a world that is totally foreign to him. This amazing, likeable boy won me over. I loved every minute of Moon's story. I think it's a great book for kids and adults, a wonderful book club pick and a modern classic.

Starting with the title, Dog On It, I knew right away that author Spencer Quinn was a clever man and I found his first book a joy to read. It's a perfect new mystery series with sharp writing, great characters and fast paced action. The narrator is a dog named Chet, an almost K-9 school graduate who likes to ride shotgun with his owner private detective Bernie Little. Chet presides over the action and keeps you informed except of course when distracted by something like a toy at the bottom of a pool, or a smelly parrot, or when he really needs a nap. I never got tired of Chet's narration, the seriously clever, inside the dog's mind view of things is fresh and funny and never takes away from the mystery at the heart of this story. I haven't read all the books that are out there right now that are narrated by dogs but this one is a winner. I look forward to Chet and Bernie's next adventure.

I've been reading mysteries and detective fiction all my life and I found this book fascinating. Its partly a true crime drama (a la Devil in the White City and Thunderstruck) but also an amazing study of who and what detectives are. Throw in some Dickens, Collins and Poe, who were around at the time and totally fascinated with what the new "detectives" were doing. It made me stop and think about all the detective fiction I read and how their authors portray them.

This was the first book by Nevada Barr that I ever read and I loved it! All of her books are set in National Parks. They are filled with interesting information and lots of thoughtful, emotional detail. The information about spurlunking was great too!

The second novel from Leif Enger (read his first Peace Like a River if you haven't already) did not disappoint me. I find his writing to be beautiful and surprising. It's part western, part road trip with a group of wonderful characters that seem so real and unimaginable at the same time.