Gift Lit For Every Reader on Your List

Don't know where to being or what to buy for those hard to please readers on your list.  Here are some of our recommended Holiday reads!!!

Seasons Greetings

and Happy reading!!!!

For the Lazy Day Reader:
Clare of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
The Interestings by Meg wolitzer
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty

For the Action-Packed Reader:
Book of Someday byDianne Dixon
Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Tilia Klebenov Jacobs
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
White Fire by Preston & Child
The Edge of Normal by Carla Norton

For the Reading Writer:
The Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin
A Reader's Book of Days by tom Nissley
The Thoughtbook of F. Scott Fitzgerald edited by Dave Page
The Wonderbook by Jeff VanderMeer
How to Read a Novelist by John Freeman
Roth Unbound: A Writer and His Books by Claudia Roth Pierpont

For the Series/ Sequel Reader:
Why Grizzly Bears Should Wear Underpants by Matthew Inman (The Oatmeal)
Sycamore Row by John Grisham

For the Armchair Traveler:
At Night We Walk in Circles by Daniel Alarcon
The Cartographer of No Man's Land by P.S. Duffy
The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure

For the History Reader:
The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo
George Washington's Secret Six by Brian Kilmeade & Don Yaeger
One Summer: America 1927 by Bill Bryson
The Signatire of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
My Notorious Life by Kate Manning

For the Reading Artist:
American Mirror: The Life and Art of Norman Rockwell by Deborah Solomon
Fosse by Sam Wasson
The Disaster Artist by Greg Sestero
The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner
Actors Anonymous by James Franco

For the A Little Something Different Reader:
Beyond the Rift by Peter Watts
The Art of Lying down: A guide to Horizontal Living by Bernd Brunner

For the Award Winning Reader:
The Luminaries: A Novel by Eleanore Catton
The Good Lord Bird by James McBride

The Happy, Go-Lucky Reader:
The Most of Nora Ephron by Nora Ephron
Paddle Your Own Canoe by Nick Offerman

For the Interested in Lives Reader:
David and Goliath
I Am Malala
American Sniper
Johnny Carson by Henry Bushkin
Country Girl by Edna O'Brien

For that "New Adult" Reader:
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Night Film by Marisha Pessl
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

For the Readers of Bestseller/Favorite Author:
We Are Water by Wally Lamb
Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield
The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani
Stella Bain by Anita Shreve
The Circle by Dave Eggers
First Call From Heaven by Mitch Albom
Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan

Give Thanks for Good Reads!

Here are a few good reads we are thankful for...

Book of Someday by Dianne Dixon

Turn Around Bright Eyes:

The Rituals of Love & Karaoke

by Rob Sheffield

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Someone by Alice McDermott

Poor Man's Feast:

A Love story of Comfort, Desire, and the Art of Simple Cooking

by Elissa Altman

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

A Land More Kind Than My Own by Wiley Cash

A Curious Man:

The Strange & Brilliant Life of Robert "Believe It or Not" Ripley

by Neal Thompson

The Astronaut Wive's Club by Lily Koppel

Be sure to stop by before the holiday these titles will be gobbled up quickly...

Kennedy's Legacy

It's Been 50 Years

Who would have thought that 50 years later, after shots were fired on November 22nd 1963, a nation would still be curious about what happened at Dallas’ Dealey Plaza.  For decades readers have distended themselves with knowledge concerning JFK drama.  This year in recognition of our collective memories we honor and celebrate the life and achievements of John F. Kennedy.

In over 50 years dozens of authors have written about JFK’s life, death and legacy.  Looking for a good JFK book both soon to be published titles like JFK: The Smoking Gun by Colin McLaren (Dec. 2013) and 5 Days in November by Clint Hill & Lisa McCubbin (Nov. 2013), as well as, older titles like JFK the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters by James W. Douglas (Oct. 2010) and An Unfinished Life by Robert Dallek (May 2004) are great places to.  The story of JFK’s life, legacy and death are all based on well-known conspiracy theories, biographical or first-hand account of the first family and even a few bestselling authors have dipped their pen in to tell fictional versions of JFK drama.  Each adaptation depicts various vantage points of JFK's life.  From author's as distinguished as Don DeLillo and Stephen King to journalists like Jim Lehrer and Jeff Greenfield, even outspoken pundit, Bill O'Reily has added to the collection of JFK inspired writings that have engaged readers for decades.

Many of the titles listed below are available through the library. Some titles listed are not yet available and will be released during the upcoming months. To reserve any title listed below click on the titles.

In addition when visiting the library take a momnet to view the display case located in the lobby as you enter the library.  You will see a display commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Assassination of John F. Kennedy.  

Read all About Him!
11/22/63 by Stephen King (Nov. 2011)
1960: LBJ vs. JFK vs. Nixon by David Pietrusza (9/2008)
Ask Not by Thurston Clarke (9/2004)
Betrayal in Dallas by Mark North (7/2011)
Camelot's Court: Inside the Kennedy White House by Robert Dallek (10/2013)
Contract on America by David E. Scheim (4/1992)
Councelor: A Life at the Edge of History by Theodore C. Sorensen (5/2008)
Dallas 1963 by Bill Minutaglio & steven L. Davis (10/2013)
The Dark Side of Camelot by Seymour M. Hersh (11/1997)
Destination Dealey: Countdown to the Kennedy Conspiracy by L.D. Fitzgerald (8/20011)
End of Days: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy by James L. Swanson (11/2013)
Four Days in November by The Staff of the New York Times (11/2003)
Five Days in November by Clint Hill & Lisa McCubbin (11/2013)
If Kennedy Lived by Jeff Greenfield (10/2013)
The Interloper: Lee Harvey Ozwald Inside the Soviet Union by Peter Savodnik (10/2013)
Jack 1939 by Francine Matthews (7/2012)
Jack Kennedy:Elusive Hero by Christopher Matthews (11/2011)
Jack & Jackie: Portrait of an American marriage by Christopher Anderson (7/ 1996)
John Fitzgerald Kennedy: a Life in Pictures by Yann-Brice Dherbier (11/2003)
JFK the Last Dissenting Witness by Bill Sloan (3/1992)
JFK: Remembering Jack by Christophe Loviny (8/2003)
JFK's Last Hundred Days by Thurston Clarke (7/2013)
The Kennedys: America's Emerald Kings by Thomas Maier (10/2003)
Kennedy & Nixon by Christopher Matthews (6/1996)
The Kennedy Tapes by Ernest R. May (10/1997)
Killing Kennedy:The End of Camelot by Bill O'Reilly (10/2012)
One Minute to Midnight by Michael Dobbs (6/2008)
These Few Precious Days: The Final Year of Jack 7 Jackie by Christopher P. Anderson (8/2013)
To Move the World: JFK's Quest for Peace by Jeffrey Sachs (6/2013)
Top Down: A Novel of the Kennedy Assassination by Jim Lehrer (10/2013)
We Were There by Allen Childs MD (11/2013)

*Note this is just a sampling of what we have and of what is available through Inter Library loan. Books are also requestable in other formats (Book on CD, Large Print & MP3 Audio, as well as through edownloads/audio to an iPad, iPhone, Kindle or tablit). Please visit the Reference desk or give us a call at 631-288-3335 x114 or 118 if you have further questions.

Author Event

It was our pleasure, along with Books & Books Westhampton, to host International Bestselling Author Alyson Richman on Sunday, October 27^th.  In an intimate gathering with fans, booklovers and aspiring writers, Ms. Richman discussed her works, why she writes and answered questions from some of her very inquisitive readers.

Ms. Richman charmingly captured the audience’s attention as she spoke of her books, four in total and one on the way, due out next fall.  She shared her background as to how she became an accomplished, well-known novelist. Her craft wasn’t cultivated through the typical love of reading and a profound appreciation for classic literature, though Ms. Richman does indulge in reading many popular book selections.  Ms. Richman was not a formal literature student; attending lecture on the great writers of the past and studying their works.  She was born on Long Island to a painter, her mother and her father, an engineer.  As a teenager her family moved to Japan due to her father’s career.  After spending much of her young adult life in a foreign country, Ms. Richman attended Wellesley College, where she majored in art history.  Ms. Richman said she constantly was asking questions and searching for answers.  She was often told, by her art history professors, that she had a unique ability to tell the story behind the art itself.  When she graduated Ms. Richman secured a grant and traveled back to Japan this time immersing herself in the culture as an apprentice to a Noh Mask Carver.  These carvers were rare and few still exist.  They came from long lineages of carvers and most times one mask could take a year or more to carve.  From this opportunity she began crafting her debut novel, The Mask Carver’s Son; asking herself what it would be like to grow up in the traditional Japanese culture, but desire something else much different, more modern, from what was expected of you.  What was it like to be the first of your family to shed the customs of one’s inheritance and follow your dreams?  What would it have been like to be an impressionist painter during the Meiji Period while living in Japan? Hence the story of Yamamoto Kiyoki, his strained and distant relationships and his desire to be a painter, not a mask carver like his father.

The Mask Carver’s Son, just rereleased this fall, was Ms. Richman’s first title published.  In acknowledgment of its second publication the Monday Night Book Club chose it as their October book pick.  As Ms. Richman read eloquently aloud to her audience from The Mask Carver’s Son she furthered her reader’s love of her writing.  Attendees learned of Ms. Richman’s writing process; how she researches the answers to her questions for a year, traveling and meeting with individuals to help piece her stories together. She the submits the first draft, after a year of writing and editing, then edits it and eight months to a year later it’s done and published.

Ms. Richman also discussed her three other titles, including the well enjoyed, 2012 Long Island Reads Winner, The Lost Wife.  She said by book four she finally found her audience who are now patiently waiting her fifth novel to be revealed next fall.  In anticipation of her next book Ms. Richman fed the audience bread crumbs of the story to come; we know the title, The Garden of Letters, along with the setting, during WWI, and the character, a messenger for the Italian Resistance.

Thank you to Alyson Richman and her lovely daughter for joining us on Sunday.  The discussion was fantastic and Ms. Richman is a wonderful storyteller.  Many readers were thrilled to have met such a phenomenal writer and are eagerly awaiting The Garden of Letters.  For more information or to check out Ms. Richman’s other titles visit her website at AlysonRichman.com.

An Article of Interest: To Be Well-Read or Not?

Is one person well-read if they were to read 100 books, 1,000 books or a million books? If so, which books would be on that list?

As I read through my daily newsfeeds, favorite websites, blogs, etc. I came across this questioning article from Bookriot.com, about what makes an individual well-read.  How many books, 1 or 50, how about 100, would someone have to read to be well-read? Do they have to be a certain type of book? Does a book other than a well-known literary classic count? Can you be well-read if you read graphic novels, romance or if you enjoy reading about future worlds?  Is being well-read like being well-rounded, so if you read a little of everything you’d be well-read or is it reading a percentage of the forever growing titles published each year.

I’m not too sure myself, but I liked this article, From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books, and thought you would too!  Plus it comes with a list of 100 titles you may want to consider trying as you make your way to becoming well-read.

Article: From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books

Do you agree or disagree with the article above? Which titles would you have included?  What are your thoughts on being well-read?

Author Event

Wicked Reads for Halloween

Looking to get in the Halloween "Spirit"? Here are some eerily, strange and horrifically, creepy reads that will make your skin craw and the hairs on the back of your neck stand tall.

The Nature of Monsters by Clare Clark
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
After Dark by Haruki Murakami
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
The Best of Poe: Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, The Cask of Amontillado and 30 Others by Edgar Allan Poe
The Little Stranger by Sara Waters
Doomed by Chuck Palahniuk
The Tale of the Body Thief by Anne Rice
Pet Sematary by Stephen King
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire
Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty 
Carrie by Stephan King
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
The Daylight Gate by Jeannette Winterson
The Shining by Stephan King
Long Island Oddities: curious locales, unusual occurrences and unlikely urban adventures by John Leita & Laura Leita
Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
Ghost Story by Peter Straub
The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead by Max Brooks
The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse
The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
Sorry by Zoran Drvenkar
The Right Hand of Evil by John Saul
Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
The Skull Beneath the Skin by P.D. James

See a wicked read you'd like to try? All above titles are available in our collection.  Stop by, give us a call, 631-288-3335 x114/118 or request it online through our online catalog.

Hey Book Clubs! What are you Reading?

October is National Reading Group month.

Here is a list of the top ten books published this month that libraries across the country are loving.

Click to print top ten Library Reads flyer for October

For More information about Library Reads please visit their website at Libraryreads.org

Book Review

In Broken Places
By Michele Phoenix

I was so please to have had the opportunity to read In Broken Places by Michele Phoenix. I had not read her previous title, but look forward to picking it up shortly. In Broken Places was such a gratifying read. Phoenix’s writing style and her ability to craft a truly compelling story kept me reading and has me now recommending it to everyone looking for a new literary voice.

I really liked how each character brought a new depth to the story Phoenix tells. Like a main character should, Shelby guides you deeper and deeper as you meet her broken spirit. She truly has a shaded perspective of who she is and what she has to offer. This damaged vantage point is because of her abusive father and her dysfunctional childhood which she shared with her older brother. As a reader you sincerely feel Shelby’s hardships as she struggled to find herself worthy of giving and receiving love. Her need for sarcasm when feelings got to close is a true defense mechanism and her own personal character flaw; thus, making Shelby’s character even more believable. Through the story you witness Shelby’s self-destruction as she internally battles to change for her daughter. As Shelby realized her burdens aren’t as heavy as she believes them to be, she hooks you and from then on you cannot help but rooting for her. If you try and put the book down, you're at a loss, you have no choice but to finish. In Broken Places is a unique story of an all too well feeling many individuals feel all too often. With insight and clarity, Michele Phoenix tells an absorbing tale of genuine, unconditional love, the strength to overcome one's past and the tenderness of wounds that we all carry with us. It’s a hard read not to enjoy.

Click on the image link above to view a book trailer of In Broken Places. Book trailer provided by YouTube.com

Banned Books Challenge

Calling All Readers!!!

What a wonderful event Hachette, Reading Group Guide and McNally Jackson Books have planned for reader.  On Saturday, September 7th bask in literary heaven while you meet authors and experience an opportunity to mingle with other book lovers.  Tickets are $50 and include lunch and book bag. Visit http://www.mcnallyjackson.com/hachette-reading-group-day for registration info.

WellRead Reader's Pick

Above All Things

by Tanis Rideout

Set in 1924 in post-World War I Cambridge and on the cliffs of Mount Everest, Above All Things is a truly adventurous tale of one's love.  Written in alternating perspectives, George and Ruth Mallory, retell the story of their love and the devastation on their family, which George causes due to his obsession with conquering Mount Everest.  This debut novel is a gripping, historical tale composed of two interlocking themes - love and extraordinary adventure.

For George and Ruth Mallory will there be redemption amid their divided devotions? George is a husband and father of three.  He leaves his wife and children in Cambridge to fuel his passion, a third attempt to reach the summit of Mount Everest, and be known to the world as the first to surmount its high peaks. While his wife and children are a world away, at home awaiting his fate.

This story is not just about the relationship between a husband and his wife nor is it about just a mountain or one's failure or even one's loyalty. Above All Things is about what two people can endure for each other, it's about faith and honor, it's about one's duty, and the guilt or shame one feels.  Tanis Rideout's debut novel has a air of timelessness woven though its words.  It is clear that Rideout's characters are driven by their deepest desires and need to be loved,regardless of their successes and short comings.  Read Above All Things with an open mind and you'll be sure to look at the world a little differently when you've finished.

Thank you Pat B. for your WellRead Reader's Pick.

Click on the links below to view other titles you may like if you enjoy this pick.

Books About Wives of the Famous

Mount Everest

Win an "Author's First"

For those readers who have visited the reference desk and have been inquiring about the Author's Firsts display titles; here is a list, with covers, of the titles available to win if you join our Westhampton Free Library Adult Summer Reading Club.  The more you read the more chances you have to win. Happy reading!!

Fakebook by Dave Cicirelli

(Pub date: September 2013)

The Affairs of Others by Amy Grace Loyd

(Pub Date: August 2013)

Hammett Unwritten by Owen Fitzstephen

(Pub Date: February 2013)

The Center of the World by Thomas van Essen

(Pub Date: June 2013)

Naked by Betsy Franco

(Pub Date: November 2013)

Mother, Mother by Koren Zailckas

(Pub Date: September 2013)

The Residue Years by Mitchell S. Jackson

(Pub Date: August 2013)

The Night Guest by Fiona McFarlane

(Pub Date: October 2013)

Knocking on Heaven's Door by Kathy Butler

(Pub Date: September 2013)

Loteria by Mario Alberto Zambrano

(Pub Date: July 2013)

Teatime for the Firefly by Shona Patel

(Pub Date: September 2013)

The Blood of Heaven by Kent Wascom

(Pub Date: May 2013)

The Returned by Jason Mott

(Pub Date: August 2013)

The Grammarian by Annapurna Potluri

(Pub Date: February 2013)

Appletopia by Brett T. Robinson

(Pub Date: August 2013)

The Lion Seeker by Kenneth Bonert

(Pub Date: October 2013)

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

(Pub Date: October 2013)

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

(Pub Date: September 2013)

Wash by Margaret Wrinkle

(Pub Date: February 2013)

The Gravity of Birds by Tracy Guzeman

(Pub Date: August 2013)

The Hope Factory by Lavanya Sankaran

(Pub Date: April 2013)

Queen's Gambit by Elizabeth Fremantle

(Pub Date: June 2013)

The Cartographer of No Man's Land by P.S. Duffy

(Pub date: October 2013)

Tomorrow-Land by Joseph Tirella

(Pub Date: January 2014)

*P.S. These titles have also been ordered for the collection so check the New titles shelf or ask a librarian next time you visit.

Local Author Debuts!

Looking for a great book to read. Our local author section is a great place to start.   Bursting with "Author's Firsts" picks you'll be happily reading in no time.

Here are a few local "Author's Firsts" we recommend.

Never Have Your Dog Stuffed by Alan Alda

Girl's guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Banks

Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby by Tom Wolfe

Lab 257 by Michael Christopher Carroll

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

Close Relations by Susan Isaacs

Life with an Accent by Marilyn Gottlieb

An Impressive List of "Author's Firsts"

Here is a list of a few (well I may have gotten carried away) Author's Firsts!!!

And don't forget to log your books for a chance to win your very own autographed or advanced copy of an "Author's First".

Happy reading!!!!

Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson

The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker

Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

Year of Wonder by Geraldine Brooks

The Opposite of Love by Julie Buxaum

April & Oliver by Tess Callahan

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon

Because I Said So by Birdie Clark
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

A World Made of Fire by Mark Childress

Nicholas Cooke by Stephanie Cowell

The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox

The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean

The Big Love by Sarah Dunn

The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow

Blind Submission by Debra Ginsberg

Three June by Julia Glass

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf

Ordinary People by Judith Guest

We are all Fine Here by Mary Guterson

Tinkers by Paul Harding

Bread Alone by Judith Ryan Hendricks

Ursula Under by Ingrid Hill

The Center of Winter by Marya Hornbacher

Setting Free the Bears by John Irving

Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

The Ha-Ha by Dave King

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolover

She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb

Patty Jane's House of Curl by Lorna Landvik

Then She Found Me by Elinor Lipman

In the Lap of the Gods by Li Miao Lovett

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight

Rainlight by Alison McGhee

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Astrid & Veronika by Linda Olsson

The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer

The Dive From Clausen's Pier by Ann Parker

Strange as this Weather Has Been by Ann Pancake

Consumption by Kevin Patterson


Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

The Department of Lost & Found by Allison Winn Scotch

Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

When We Get There by Shauna Seliy

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead

Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots by Jessica Soffer

Torch by Cheryl Strayed

Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Juliet in August by Dianne Warren

Overseas by Beatriz Williams

When God was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman

Good Grief by Lolly Winston