My library is closed ~ Feb 3-8

So I had to check out lots of books to tide me over.


Fair Weather ~ by Richard Peck, 2001

In 1893, thirteen-year-old Rosie and members of her family travel from their Illinois farm to Chicago to visit Aunt Euterpe and attend the World's Columbian Exposition which, along with an encounter with Buffalo Bill and Lillian Russell, turns out to be a life-changing experience for everyone.  (Set in Illinois)


Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy ~ by Gary D. Schmidt, 2004

In 1911, Turner Buckminster hates his new home of Phippsburg, Maine, but things improve when he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, a girl from a poor, nearby island community founded by former slaves that the town fathers – and Turner's – want to change into a tourist spot.  (Set in Maine)


The Summer Book ~ by Tove Jansson, 1974

This novel tells the story of Sophia, a six-year-old girl awakening to existence, and Sophia’s grandmother, nearing the end of hers, as they spend the summer on a tiny unspoiled island in the Gulf of Finland.  I'm reading it for the Nordic Challenge.  (Set in Finland)


Twenty and Ten ~ by Claire Huchet Bishop

During the German occupation of France, twenty French children were brought to a refuge in the mountains.  One day they were asked to take in, and hide, ten Jewish refugee children.  But how would they hide the ten children if the Nazis came?  (Set in France)


The Guns of August ~ by Barbara W. Tuchman, 1962

I got this book to read the first chapter – ONLY the first chapter.  I don't want to read the history of the First World War, but Borg and Crossan mentioned (in their book The First Christmas) that Tuchman used a technique they called an "overture."


Noah's Compass ~ by Anne Tyler, 2009

Liam Pennywell, who set out to be a philosopher and ended up teaching fifth grade, never much liked the job at that run-down private school, so early retirement doesn't bother him. But he is troubled by his inability to remember anything about the first night that he moved into his new condominium on the outskirts of Baltimore. All he knows when he wakes up the next day in the hospital is that his head is sore and bandaged.  (Set in Maryland)


Range of Motion ~ by Elizabeth Berg, 1995

As Jay lies in a coma, his young wife, Lainey, is the only one who believes he will ever recover. When his doctors try to reach him, Jay does not respond. Yet Lainey believes he knows when she is there, and is stimulated by the gifts of ordinary life she brings him: sweet-smelling flowers, his children's drawings, his own softly textured shirt.



Open House ~ by Elizabeth Berg, 2000

After divorce, a woman opens up her house and her heart.  Samantha's husband has left her, and after a spree of overcharging at Tiffany's, she settles down to reconstruct a life for herself and her eleven-year-old son. Her eccentric mother tries to help by fixing her up with dates, but a more pressing problem is money.


Never Change ~ by Elizabeth Berg, 2001

Myra, at 51, has endured being alone by doting on her dog and immersing herself in her career as a visiting nurse.  And it has been enough – until Chip Reardon, the golden boy she adored from afar, is assigned to be her new patient. Choosing to forgo invasive treatment for an incurable illness, Chip has returned from Manhattan to the New England home of his childhood to spend what time he has left.


True to Form ~ by Elizabeth Berg, 2002

Katie moved to Missouri two years ago, after her mother died.  Lonely, she forges alliances when and where she can:  with a fellow misfit named Cynthia, with the old couple down the road, and with the three little boys she babysits for. When Katie tries to move up in her social world, she ends up losing her closest friend and learns some very hard lessons about herself.



Say When ~ by Elizabeth Berg, 2003

Griffin is a happy man.  Settled comfortably in a Chicago suburb, he adores his daughter and his wife.  But when he wakes one morning to hear of his wife’s love affair with another man and her request for a divorce, Griffin’s view of life is irrevocably altered.


The Year of Pleasures ~ by Elizabeth Berg, 2005

Betta Nolan moves to a small town after her husband dies, to try to begin anew.  She is determined to find pleasure in her simply daily routines.  Among those who help her are the 10-year-old boy next door, three wild women friends from her college days, a 20-year-old who is struggling to find his place in the world, and a handsome man ready for love.


We Are All Welcome Here ~ by Elizabeth Berg, 2006

Challenged by the effects of the polio she contracted during her last month of pregnancy, Paige Dunn is nonetheless determined to live as normal a life as possible and to raise her daughter, Diana, in the way she sees fit – with the support of her tough-talking black caregiver, Peacie.  (Set in Mississippi)


The Last Time I Saw You ~ by Elizabeth Berg, 2010

As onetime classmates meet up for their fortieth high school reunion, they discover things that will irrevocably affect the rest of their lives. Four decades melt away: desires and personalities from their youth reemerge, and new discoveries are made.


Library Loot is a weekly meme co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library.  Claire has the Mister Linky this week, if you'd like to share a list of the loot you brought home.