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October 17th
What's New from Carol!
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 The End of Innocence by Allegra Jordan
A powerful story about love and hope beginning in the halls of the prestigious Harvard-Radcliffe Colleges in 1914 as Germany is aggressively pushing into Western Europe prior to America's intervention into the Great War. The story follows a cast of formidable characters into the 1930's. In 1914, Boston is the scene of many demonstrations against Germany's move to invade western European countries in hopes of building a Third Reich Empire. Young Germans studying at Harvard are being targeted by the Political League formed by affluent Boston college students. More than Harvard's story, it is one of trust and betrayal woven around the war that tore families apart, but eventually drew strength out of long-buried loneliness. Highly recommended. (Sourcebooks, $24.99) Reviewed by Carol
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 Lisette's Listby Susan Vreeland
In 1937, 20 year-old Lisette Roux, an aspiring gallery apprentice, gives up her dreams in Paris to move with her husband, Andre, to a remote village in the south of France to care for Andre's aging grandfather Pascal. Pascal has in his possession several paintings and tells Lisette of his friendship during the 1880's with two great artists: Cezanne and Pissarro. Following Pascal's death, and then soon after the German army invaded Paris and turned the art world into "an ash heap", Andre returns to the capital to help the French cause, leaving Lisette safety behind after hiding Pascal's precious paintings to keep them out of Nazi hands. When Lisette is notified that Andre has been killed on the French front and his best friend has been taken prisoner, she begins a list of vows to herself: a lesson she learned from Pascal. Through joy and tragedy, Lisette learns to forgive the past and to love again. The author's amazingly vivid descriptions paint their images across the pages for her readers as masterfully as the artists in her story brushed the canvases of their masterpieces. This is a wonderful literary journey I didn't want to end. (Random House, $27.00) Reviewed by Carol
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 The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
I found this author's debut novel to be a compelling page-turner; it is haunting, and full of magic and surprises. The city glitters with wealth but oppresses religion when 18 year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam in 1686 as the wife of 39 year-old Johannes Brandt, a rich merchant trader with the West India Company. She finds a beautiful new home, but a distant husband committed to his work who leaves her alone with his sharped-tongued sister in a house holding dark secrets. But, when Johannes gives Nella a "shrunken image" and perfect replica of their home as a wedding present, Nella's world changes when she employs a miniaturist to furnish the cabinet-sized piece whose creations bring about eerie and unexpected events. An enchanting tale, both beautiful and suspenseful in which Burton's fictional creation is based on the real life of Petronella (Nella) Oortman and her husband Johannes Brandt amid the surroundings of Amsterdam during the late 17th century. (Ecco/HarperCollins, $26.99) Reviewed by Carol
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The Paris Architect
by Charles Belfoure
Lucien Bernard, an up and coming French architect, is teetering on the edge of debt in German-occupied Paris in 1942. When a wealthy industrialist offers him a large sum of money to design a hiding place for his Jewish friend who is being sought by the Gestapo, Lucien refuses, but the offer is increased if he will also design a large factory where the Germans can manufacture weapons for the war effort. For the money he "sells his soul to the devil" in order to further his professional career. Lucien soon finds himself caught in a collaboration he can not back away from and at the same time endangering his life. This novel tells about a desperate time in history surrounding the lives of Parisians affected by the Nazi's takeover of the city during the 1940's. An emotionally stirring story about choices and sacrifices. Highly recommended.(Sourcebooks,$14.99) Reviewed by Carol
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 One Kick
by Chelsea Cain
Suspense fans put this thriller on your list to read. If you've never read Chelsea Cain you can start with this new series where she introduces a new heroine, Kick Lannigan, who as a six-year-old was kidnapped and five years later rescued in an "accidental" FBI take down where she was being held by her abductor. Kick is now 21, and after trying unsuccessfully for ten years to return her life to normal, she replaces therapy with mastering martial arts and other life saving skills. But, when two children go missing just weeks apart, Kick is approached by John Bishop, himself with a mysterious background, to help him recover the children. What Kick doesn't know is that when she reluctantly agrees to help Bishop, many of the hidden answers they search for will open dark corners of Kick's past. This is a heart-stopping ride in a mystery novel you won't want to miss. I also recommend Cain's bestselling Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell thrillers beginning with Heartsick all now in paperback. (Simon & Schuster, $25.99) Reviewed by Carol
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Debbie Lane
Bookshelf Stores, Inc.
11429 Donner Pass Rd. Ste#2
Truckee, CA 96161
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