Rosewater and Soda Bread, by Marsha Mehran, states on the cover that it is a novel of three sisters, two countries, and the language of food. It is really much more. The Iranian Aminpour sisters — Marjan, Bahar, and Layla — live in Ballinacroagh, Ireland, where the operate the Babylon Cafe in the late 1980’s. Marjan is the leader, the eldest, the cook, the organizer, and a friend to anyone who will allow it. Bahar is retiring, questioning, somber, and still recovering from a disaster marriage as a very young woman. Layla is a happy go lucky high school student who wants to rush into what she is sure will be adulthood with her boyfriend Malachi. Dervla Quigley wants these foreigners out of her sight, out of her town, out of her country. She spies from behind her curtain across the street and plots their ruination. The wonderful widow Estelle Delmonico, their friend and landlady, befriends a seriously wounded young woman on the beach and further endangers all their safe lives. Who knows what intrigue can go on in a small Irish village? The village priest starts his own oldies radio show. The you “lord of the manor” returns to his family’s lands in ruins and tries to capture Marjan’s heart. Delightful dishes are served up from the cafe — Who knew that gormeh sabzi, colcannon, or chickpea cookies could sound so wonderful in a novel that you can practically smell the delicious aroma? Why does Bahar disappear every day for two or three hours? Who is the mysterious Bella that Estelle is harboring? What do webbed fingers mean? Can there really be a “healing touch”? This delightful story makes you feel that you truly want to meet the characters and is a treat for the senses and the soul. Be sure the read Pomegranate Soup first. The sequel just makes it better and better.

— Anniesse

Karen Siplin is a new author for the libraries, but according to her website, she has written two previous novels and compiled an anthology of short stories entitled This Is Chick-Lit. I’m glad I read Whiskey Road: A Love Story before I looked at her website, since I’m one of those who tend to look down their noses at “chick-lit” for no apparent reason.

Jimi Hamilton is a member of the paparazzi in Los Angeles who was fleeing her job on a brand new BMW motorcycle until she is robbed. She limps her way into the small rural New York town of Darby. As she goes into the only diner in town, she meets with a cool reception. Have they never seen a young black woman in black leather pants, jacket and boots, with a pink chunk of painted hair above her face, a gash on her forehead, a busted lip, covered in bruises and limping? A Small town contractor, a tattooed and scarred young man with a scary look about him, and native of adjoining small town Frenchman’s Bend, Caleb Atwood is interested in what he sees and doesn’t feel the hostility toward this stranger that the other diner denizens seem to emanate. A few miles down the road, Caleb picks Jimi up in his pickup and drops her off at the Inn at Frenchman’s Bend.

Over the next few days, these two troubled souls think about each other seemingly without stopping while denying to themselves that it could possibly be true. As they “accidentally” meet at the Fifth Amendment, they play word games with each other avoiding telling lies and avoiding telling complete truths.

Caleb was raised rough and lowbrow, and Jimi was raised “posh” and highbrow. These two characters are well-drawn, but some of the other characters are rather ill-defined. Overall, the story is an excellent read for those of us who enjoy character driven plots. There is some strong language and some violence that many readers will not appreciate. If you want to read something a little different from your typical Danielle Steel, Nora Roberts, etc. reading, this is a good one to try. Check her website: http://www.karensiplin.com/ to find her other books, biographical notes, and interests.

-Anniesse

The latest Miss Julia novel by Ann B. Ross features that wonderful lady of an indeterminate age (but past the middle definitely) in her Abbottsville milieu. She awakes one morning to find that three of her dearest friends are suddenly missing husbands — mega-wealthy Mildred’s husband has possibly been killed in a car accident; steady Helen’s Richard has evidently absconded with many people’s investment money; and best friend Lou Anne’s husband has had enough and leaves her to find himself. As if that’s not bad enough, the City Commissioners have sold the beautiful old Courthouse to a Yankee developer who is going to tear it down and build a high rise condominium. Miss Julia’s wonderful husband Sam seems to be consoling poor Helen a little too much and her not so beloved Pastor of her beloved Presbyterian church is thinking of leaving for greener pastures. Miss Julia Paints the Town continues to satisfy this and other readers who enjoy conversation and character based stories. I find these stories absolutely hilarious. If you’ve never read Miss Julia, you must start at the beginning with Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind, in which she becomes the widow of Wesley Lloyd Springer and learns that her stodgy banker husband had a paramour Hazel Marie and a son “Little Lloyd” when they show up on her doorstep. She never slows down from that day onward. Her faithful friend and housekeeper Lillian is always nearby to offer solace, help and advise as is Sam Murdoch, her friend and attorney. Miss Julia’s household expands to include Hazel Marie and “Little” Lloyd in her further adventures in : Miss Julia Takes Over, Miss Julia Throws a Wedding, Miss Julia Hits the Road, Miss Julia Meets her Match, Miss Julia Stands her Ground, and Miss Julia Strikes Back. Definitely, read these stories in order of publication and be prepared to laugh out loud.

No Strange Fire by Ted Wojtasik is a story about the Nebraska Amish – the Yoder and Hostettler families. Nineteen year old Jacob Hostetler leaves the order to live among the English to experience freedom. After six Amish barns (with livestock) are burned to the ground resulting in the death of 10-year-old Eli Yoder, Jacob becomes a primes suspect and begins to question the real meaning of freedom. No Strange Fire is loosely based on a historical event of March 14, 1992 when six Amish barns in Big Valley, Pennsylvania burned. Wojtasik lived among this group of people for several week researching the novel in order to portray their plain and simple lives as accurately and realistically as possible. A job well done.

- Kay

Greg Iles’ Third Degree is a page-turning suspense thriller about a day in the marriage of Dr. Warren Shields and his wife of 12 years, Laurel. Laurel is pregnant, but is the father her husband or her lover? When the doctor suspects his wife has betrayed him, he holds her hostage in their home. Laurel tries to keep her secrets hidden, but as time passes the reader discovers Dr. Shields has secrets of his own.
-Kay

Click here to see information from our catalog on this title. Large type is also available.

Susan Wiggs is a popular author for light reading pleasure. Her most recent paperbacks have been in the Lakeshore Chronicles series. These include Lakeshore Cottage (2005), Summer at Willow Lake (2006), Dockside (2007), Winter Lodge (2007), and Snowfall at Willow Lake (2008). These have all been quite popular with library patrons. Sharon just finished Snowfall at Willow Lake and gives a brief summary and opinion: Sophie is a lawyer who helps people in countries at war. She becomes a hostage and has regrets about her home and family. She goes back home to fix the problems with her family. Into her life comes the local veterinarian who has the touch with 4 legged animals but not women, until he meets Sophie. Not my favorite from the Lakeshore Chronicles (drags a little), but I still enjoyed reading about Sophie & Noah.

Robin Parrish has officially released the cover art and plot description for Merciless, the third and final chapter in his Dominion trilogy. 

I’ve placed the plot description behind a MORE tag as a favor to those who’ve yet to read the first two books. Merciless releases this July.

The Earth is gone.

Rising in its place is a twisted, barren, dangerous world.

A DarkWorld.

Deep beneath the mountains of Turkey, Grant Borrows has fallen to his doom. But when something crawls out of the place where he fell — something dark and merciless with unrestrained power — it proclaims itself “Oblivion” and begins molding the planet into this DarkWorld.

But who or what is Oblivion? Is it Grant Borrows, returned from the dead? Or is it something more sinister — something no human ever imagined possible?

As Grant’s remaining friends finally learn the ultimate truth behind the events that have shaped their lives, they secretly gather for one last battle — a final showdown between good and evil that will prove to every soul on earth that even in the bitterest twilight, when all is lost…

Hope still lives.

 Click MORE to read the plot description. I placed it there as a favor to those who’ve yet to read the first two books.

The Well and the Mine is a very good debut novel by Gin Phillips. Set in the coal-mining country of rural Alabama during the Depression era, the many voices of the Moore family depict a life of poverty, racial tensions and backbreaking work in the dangerous coal mines. Among the hardships and triumphs of family life looms a mystery, forcing the family to face the darker side of the community – who threw the baby in the Moore’s well and why? Very, very good book with a southern flavor.

I’ve read two first time authors, with two very different styles of writing, two great books within the past two months. There are still some good books out there without raw language and explicit sex and I was lucky enough to find two of them.

-Kay

We’ve recently updated our music collection to include lots of new and classic albums. Please click here to see a list of some of our current additions sorted by musical genre. Be sure to stop by both our Central City and Greenville locations and browse our music racks often … you might find your new favorite band!

Author Robin Parrish was kind enough to talk with me a bit about the first two books in his Dominion Trilogy series, Fearless and Relentless. He also mentions what to expect in the third installment. Both of Parrish’s books are available at the Muhlenberg County Public Library.

Wes: Give us a bit of background on yourself along with your biggest inspirations as a writer.

Robin: I’m a 32 year old professional novelist from High Point, North Carolina. Married to a wonderful wife Karen, and at the time of this interview, we are expecting our first child any day now! We know he’s a boy, and we’re naming him Evan.

My background is in journalism and marketing, both of which come in pretty useful as a novelist. Any kind of writing you can do on a regular basis — even if it’s journalism — can’t help but strengthen the way you string together words. It’s like anything else: the more you do it…

My biggest inspirations as a writer largely come from unconventional mediums (for a novelist) like film, television, and comic books. But a few of my favorite novelists are Michael Crichton, my friend James Byron Huggins, Ted Dekker, Neil Gaiman, and Peretti’s early stuff. And of course Lewis and Tolkien.

Wes: Describe the plot of the Dominion Trilogy to our readers without giving away too much.

Robin: Wow, what a loaded question… The Dominion Trilogy is about a group of people who discover that they have been given extraordinary powers, but they don’t know why. Book 1 is about their discovery of this power and how they learn to use it. Book 2 is about their decision to use their powers for good, and the consequences of that decision. And Book 3 is about what happens when they finally find out the reason they were given these powers — and it wasn’t what they expected.

The story centers around our hero, Grant Borrows. He’s an everyman with a painful past who must overcome his own hurts and biases about other people to become the most powerful of all the heroes. But a 7,000 year old conspiracy has designs on Grant that tempts him down a path that leads to a very dark destiny. Can destiny be overcome? Do we get to make our own choices, or is everything predetermined? And is there power in fighting the good fight — even if the battle has already been lost?

These questions and many more form the basis of The Dominion Trilogy.

Wes: What first sparked the idea to create this world and its inhabitants?

Robin: It was one of those sudden flashes of inspiration, like the old story you hear about C.S. Lewis and how he had this mental image that came out of nowhere of the faun in the snow, carrying an umbrella near a lamppost. Similarly, I had a vision of a man who was getting off of the bus on his way to work one morning in a big city, and across the street at the bus stop, he sees… himself. Figuring out what that was all about, and answering all of the questions that it created, birthed the entire idea in my mind.

Wes: Both books in the series appeal to fans of supernatural tales like Heroes and Lost. Do you feel the book and movie industry is more acceptant of stories such as these than ever before?

Robin: No question. Audiences love big-budget spectacles, but they also love stories that speak to ancient truths of the human condition. Truths like — these are ideas that are engrained in us, built into our DNA, and we can’t deny them no matter what. They move us, because somewhere in our souls, we know they’re true.

Wes: You, along with a visual artist, produced an online comic strip entitled Guardian which bridged the two books together. Are there any plans to do this before the release of the third book? Any plans to revisit these characters in comic form after Dominion is done?

Robin: No, no current plans to tell more stories in the Dominion Trilogy universe. It made sense to do the mini “graphic novel” as we called it between books 1 and 2 because there was a two-month gap in storytelling time between them. There is no gap whatsoever between 2 and 3; 3 picks up at the exact moment that 2 ends.

As for plans to revisit these characters…. Nothing is planned right now, though you never know what the future might hold. I’m definitely not going to say “never,” because while Merciless is the definitive ending of Grant’s story, it leaves open some possibilities for some of the supporting players. And there’s room for more stories in the Dominion Trilogy universe, I think, but what I do next will be a fresh start, set in a different world unconnected to the Trilogy.

Wes: While your trilogy will predominately appeal to those who enjoy tales of superheroes, there are also dashes of romance and spirituality. Is this something you purposely did to grab the attention of outside audiences? Or, do you feel that a good tale of supernatural heroics cannot exist without those aspects?

Robin: Any good superhero story is going to be a morality tale, no matter how you slice it. The main character has something in their past or some fatal flaw that must be overcome, and in their overcoming it, that makes them a hero and therefore worthy to go out and help others. That’s just the basic blueprint for how superhero stories work, particular superhero origins.

But on a more personal level, I just happen to love stories that mix in elements of lots of different genres. The Dominion Trilogy are most easily described as “suspense/thrillers,” but there’s loads of other stuff in there too. As you said, you’ll find bits of romance, drama, a sprinkling of fantasy, plenty of mystery, and bucket loads of action. I also love witty dialogue, so anything funny that I try to write usually comes out in banter between characters. I love superheroes. I love the classic hero’s journey and all of the archetypes that come with it (and taking those archetypes as far outside of the box as they can go and still making them work was one of the funnest aspects of designing this story, for me). And I love stories that have something to say about the nature of human existence, why we’re here, what we’re doing here, who put us here and why.

All of those things are stuff you can probably look for in most of my future work, though I intend to have a go at lots of different genres and try my hand at a little of everything.

Wes: The final book releases in 2008 – can you give us a tease of what’s to come? And, a note to our readers, please skip this question if you don’t wish to have the first two books spoiled.

Robin: That’s a tough one, because I have avoided talking about this one in a very strict, very intentional way, because it contains everything that the fans have been waiting for, and I don’t want to spoil the experience. Every major mystery is answered and resolved, and in a very real way, the first two books were merely set up and back-story for what happens in Merciless. This is without a doubt the main event.

Without getting too specific… Characters live, characters die. The epilogue at the end of Fearless wasn’t a throwaway bit, with all of the world’s timepieces stopping. Time as we understand it has literally been removed from the equation, and this is a major plot point with huge ramifications. Did Grant die when he fell in that abyss? Well, yes he did. But what makes you assume death is the end? What becomes of all of the friends he left behind without him there to lead and guide them, and what jaw-dropping, mind-boggling thing comes crawling out of that hole in the ground where Grant fell? Whatever it is, it’s what the entire plot of the last two books has been building to.

Oh, and the world ends.

How’s that?

Wes: Sounds fantastic! Hearing your previous statement makes my anticipation for the final book all the more greater. That’s all the questions I’ve prepared, so, please leave us with any closing words or thoughts you might have.

Robin: I can report that I have just signed a contract with Bethany House for three more novels, which will keep me writing through 2011. No more trilogies or series for me for a long while, though. This was a real brain-buster and I need a breath of fresh air. So I’ll be doing three standalone novels next.

The first is titled Offworld — and this is the first time I’ve publicly revealed that title. It’s got all the action and suspense and whatnot that you’d expect from me, but it’s a complete departure from the Trilogy. It’s a science fiction story first and foremost, with a big twist and a huge mystery at its core that’s going to keep you up at night, trying to figure it out.

After that I’m planning a supernatural thriller that’s also going to keep you up at night, but for different reasons. I think I’ve settled on a title for that one now, but since it’s so far out, I’m going to hold off on revealing any details just yet.

Wes: Thanks for talking with us, Robin, good luck with the trilogy and Offworld. Can’t wait to find out how Dominion ends!