Librarian Favorite Reads, 2007

These books rank as some of our favorites of the last year

Please click on individual titles to check for availability. Want to know more? Ask a librarian.

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	Bageant, Joe Deer Hunting With Jesus: Dispatches From America's Class War
Picks up where where Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed left off, exposing the brutality of our present economic system.
	Basinger, Jeanine The Star Machine
In their golden era of the mid-twentieth century, Hollywood studios were able to transform ordinary young men and women into glamorous movie stars. This entertaining book gives detailed behind-the-scenes information about these extraordinary makeovers.
	Bloom, Harold Fallen Angels
A fascinating single lecture length essay that presents a history of angels (as well as demons and devils) while drawing connections between angels' literary heritage and our human state.
	Culkin, Macaulay Junior
The former exploited child star debuts a fictionalized memoir with unpredictable to-do lists, illustrations and quizzes. Not a book, not a novel and certainly not for everyone.
	July, Miranda No One Belongs Here More Than You: Stories
Unexpected, personal and beautiful moments make this an arresting collection of short stories.
	Messinger, Jonathan Hiding Out
Ranging from the side-splittingly funny to the achingly despairing, Hiding Out observes innately awkward, lonely, repressed personalities with deadpan delivery and clever sarcasm.
	Parker, Robert High Profile
Sometimes it is so relaxing to read another book in a long series. This Jesse Stone mystery features the title character solving the murder of a right-wing radio host while dealing with his residual feelings for his ex-wife Jen.
	Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
A totally satisfying ending to a wonderful series.
	Sandoval-Strausz, A.K. Hotel: An American History
A fascinating social/cultural exploration of an institution easily taken for granted.
	Schenone, Laura The Lost Ravioli Recipes of Hoboken
Schenone's obsession with recreating her ancestor Adalgiza's ravioli recipe is both funny and sad at once. If you're interested in Italian food, armchair genealogy or New Jersey, you'll find something delightful in this true story which is a mish-mash of all three elements.
	Sheffield, Rob Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time
A music critic's memoir of love and death expresses the inexpressible by way of mix tapes.
	Smith, Lee On Agate Hill
Master of the feminine perspective, Smith provides a historical novel with a haunting heroine set in the post-Civil War American South.
	Tan, Shaun The Arrival
In this wordless graphic novel, talented children's illustrator Shaun Tan renders the immigrant experience strange and moving in sepia-toned panels lush with emotive expression and surreal beauty.
	Thyre, Sarah Dark at the Roots: A Memoir
This comedienne's story is both hilarious and dark. I found it a fluid, engaging read.

Updated: 1/17/2008