Books for Adults by Sandy Mitchell, Librarian Supervisor at LPLS's Columbia Branch Library
1) Sarah’s Key by Tatiana De Rosnay
Ten-year-old Sarah, her parents and other Jews are brought by French police to a stadium outside Paris with their final destination, Auschwitz. Locked in a secret cupboard during the roundup, where her younger brother should be safe, Sarah holds the key, not knowing how difficult it will be to return to unlock and free her younger brother. On the 60th anniversary of the Vel’d’Hiv’ roundup, American-born journalist, Julia Jarmond, is working on a magazine story about the roundup. Told in alternating chapters of past and present, Sarah’s and Julia’s lives become deeply entwined, as secrets come to light and actions of the past, come to the forefront in this memorable novel with vivid characters.
2) Dead Man’s Grip by Peter James
British author Peter James’s seventh crime novel begins with a traffic accident involving a truck, car, van and bicyclist in Brighton, England. The bicyclist dies. Detective Superintendent Roy Grace investigates the case. The bicyclist had mafia connections and the parents hire a hit man to kill the three drivers. The plot will keep you reading in this action packed mystery. The characters will intrigue you, as you get caught up in their lives. The first book in the series is Dead Simple.
Nonfiction Books
3) Breaking the Code: A Father’s Secret, A Daughter’s Journey, and the Question That Changed Everything by Karen Fisher-Alaniz
On his 81st birthday a father gives his daughter two very old notebooks filled with letters he had written to his parents during World War II. The daughter has listened to her father’s accounts of his life during this time period, but only knew surface details. Her father suffered from PTSD. This memoir breaks the silence of what happened to her father during World War II and provides a touching message for all of us.
4) The Odyssey of KP2: An Orphan Seal, A Marine Biologist, and the Fight to save a Species by Terrie M. Williams
A newborn monk seal is abandoned by his mother after birth on the Kauai beach. Terrie Williams tells about the rehabilitation and study of KP2 (given the name by the National Marine Fisheries Services), an endangered marine mammal. Terrie Williams shares with us the politics that come into play with KP2, while telling of the heartwarming journey and bonds created between man and the orphan seal in the search for a place to call “home” for him.