Cedar Rapids Public Library staff picks for summertime reading

Summer reading is here. “Groundbreaking Reads” is the 2013 Adult Summer Reading program theme at the Cedar Rapids Public Library. For young adults the theme is “Beneath the Surface.”

Prizes and special events highlight both programs. The start date is June 1. Find registration forms online at Crlibrary.org or at the Ladd Library.

While there, check out the library's new fiction and non-fiction, perfect for summertime.

“Staff Picks” is back - just in time for warm weather reading. These favorite selections by library staff members are located on a nesting table near Ladd Library's lighted coves of new non-fiction.

Shelver Barbara Bernier recommends “An Unexpected Guest” by Anne Korkeakivi. Is there a lovelier setting for a novel than Paris in the spring? Its architectural and cultural beauties provide the backdrop for an extraordinary day in the life of a diplomat's wife. The re-emergence of an old flame, an encounter with a suspected terrorist, and her teen son's sudden appearance from boarding school, threaten to reveal secrets destroying Moorhouse's marriage, family and sending an innocent man to prison.

A very different sort of mystery is the key to “The Ashford Affair,” librarian Jennifer Hansman's staff pick. When a New York lawyer attends her grandmother's 99th birthday celebration, something she hears compels her to investigate a long-hidden family secret. With a former beau's help, she traces her ancestors from aristocracy residing in London's Ashford Park mansion to Kenya's rich coffee plantations. Those who love historical romance and intrigue a la “Downton Abbey” and “Upstairs, Downstairs” will enjoy Lauren Willig's new fiction.

When best-selling writer Dennis Lehane appears in Cedar Rapids on June 28 as part of the Metro Library Network Outloud! Program his 2012 novel “Live by Night” will likely spark lively discussion. Lehane sets this Roaring '20s story of rumrunners run amok in Boston, Tampa, and Cuba. Twenty-year-old Joe Coughlan is the rebel son of a high-ranking Boston police official and already one of the toughest gangsters Beantown has ever seen. He falls for Emma Gould, a beautiful dame who is speak-easy kingpin Albert White's moll. Is Joe and Emma's love genuine enough to let them escape lives of crime? Or as one character says,“…(we're) not God's children, we're not fairy-tale people in a book about true love. We live by night and dance fast so the grass can't grow under our feet. That's our creed.” Lehane's expansive narrative has it all - memorable characters, fast-paced plot, snazzy patter. Readers will easily imagine this tale translating to the big screen with Bogart-and-Cagney-like tough guys or a cast similar to “The Untouchables.”

Award-winning young adult author Chris Crutcher spoke recently at the Independence Public Library and noted that his dad once said that all stories have already been written. Seeing the aspiring writer's crestfallen look, he added, “But they haven't been written by you.” Crutcher, a former teacher, family therapist, and child protection specialist is known for his unique literary perspective. “Period.8,” his latest work, proves no exception. A group of high school students and a teacher gather during this time each day to share thoughts and feelings or just hang out and eat lunch. The only rule: whatever they say must be truthful. Sometimes that gets difficult. When a Period 8 attendee goes missing, someone in the group is lying about her whereabouts. In Crutcher's latest novel, he once again captures the way teens talk to each other and to adults. His plot about a missing student could be snatched from today's headlines; the ending both surprises and resonates. “Period.8” is a crossover book; it has very strong language and subject matter. Adults as well as very mature young adults will find this a challenging, satisfying read.

A new Christian fiction romance, “Wishing on Willows,” is an ideal summer selection for those looking for a captivating storyline with a Hawkeye state setting. Written by Iowa's own Katie Ganshert, the plot features Willow Tree cafe owner Robin Price, a widow and mom in the fictional small town of Peaks. When a real estate developer wants to tear down her cafe, which also houses a community outreach, to build condos will she take the money and run? Or fight to preserve her livelihood and advocacy? And will she open her heart to love again? Ganshert, a Bettendorf native, is also the author of “Wildflowers from Winter.”

Melia Tatman is a librarian at the Cedar Rapids Public Library.