Title: The Fear Index

Author:  Robert Harris

Publisher: Knopf, 2012

Summary/Review: If you like to read about the stock market,financial markets worldwide, and are concerned about the gyrations in the markets caused by computers using mathematical formulas for lightning fast trades (Remember the flash crash?) then this work of fiction is for you.

Dr. Alex Hoffmann, the main character, is a mathematical genius and is obsessed with artificial intelligence.  When he is unable to continue his work at CERN(due to a mental breakdown), he turned to the development of  a form of artificial intelligence, VIXAL, that utilizes a set of algorithms to buy and sell financial instruments based on what in reality is known as the VIX or volatility index, otherwise known as “the fear index”. The computers monitor events worldwide, and when the sense “fear” they will buy or sell — depending on the situation. Dr. Hoffmann and his hedge fund company become ultra-rich and everyone is very happy with the working of VIXAL–  until events start to go terribly wrong – starting with an intruder at Hoffmann’s home.

At the beginning of each chapter there is a quotation from Charles Darwin’s Origen of the Species– a work about evolution and natural selection.  At first you may not make the connection between the twists and turns of the plot and the quotation, but as you near the end of the book you realize WHAT has been evolving right under the nose of Dr. Hoffmann.

Recommended by: Sue Z, Reference Librarian

Who will like this?: Those who are interested in Artificial Intelligence and its impact on human life.  Those who are looking for a thriller with lots of twists and turns.

If you like this, try this:  If you liked Robert Harris’ writing, he has a number of other books such as “The Ghost” and “Lustrum”.   If the topic of Artificial Intelligence interests you, try the classic “2001: A Space Odyssey” by Arthur Clarke or “I, Robot” by Isaac Asimov.

If you are trying to break into the science fiction genre, try the classic “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card or “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury.  More recent science fiction includes the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins or “Insurgent” by Veronica Roth.

If this looks like a book you’d like to read, visit the Fairfield Public Library catalog to see if it’s available and to place a hold!

Title: After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall

Author: Nancy Kress

Publisher: Tachyon, April 2012

Summary/Review: In 2035, the Earth as we know it is no more. An alien attack by the mysterious ‘Tesslies’ has devastated the planet, transforming it into a poisoned wasteland.  A small band of humans have been culled to survive in The Shell, a futuristic shelter installed on the Earth’s damaged surface by the aliens. Damaged by radiation, the survivors are desperate to reproduce, thrive and restart the human race. In 2013, a brilliant statistician working for the FBI is trying to connect the dots between seemingly random kidnappings of young children and bizarre robberies occurring all over the East coast. All the cases, witnesses insist, end in a bright flash of light and the disappearance of the assailant and whatever they were taking. And in 2014, an undetected bacterium is slowly attacking plant life all over the planet.

Nancy Kress is an award-winning science fiction force and this book is a great introduction to her work. Told in the voices of Julie, the FBI analyst and Pete, a teenager born in the Shell, After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall weaves together three separate timelines that tell the story of the end of the world as we knew it.

Who will like this book? This short novel is a great choice for fans of dystopian fiction and ecological non-fiction. It is suitable for both adults and older teen readers. And with a surprising twist at the end, it’s not as bleak as it sounds.

If you like this, try this: “The World Without Us” by Alan Weisman. “Eternity Road” by Jack McDevitt. “Life as We Knew It” by Susan Beth Pfeffer.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

If you think you would like this book, visit the Fairfield Public Library catalog to see if it’s available and/or place a hold!  [Link will open in a new window]

Title: Game of Thrones, Volume One: The Graphic Novel

Author/Illustrator: Daniel Abraham/Tommy Patterson

Publisher: Random House, 2012

Summary/Review: How many times can an original work be successfully adapted? In the case of George R. R. Martin’s sprawling (and still continuing) epic, A Song of Ice and Fire, the answer seems to be at least twice: First into a popular, Emmy-nominated HBO series and now as a planned series of graphic novels. If you saw the show and are intrigued by Martin’s medieval fantasy world or have heard about it and are intrigued but don’t feel like you have the time to read the massive books, this graphic novel adaptation would be a great choice for you.

Daniel Abraham does a great job of adapting the book into the graphic novel format while preserving Martin’s signature point of view writing style. Patterson is a skilled illustrator who has woven his own distinct style into each full-color panel. Like the TV show, the creators have chosen key scenes to tell the story and manage to pull it off without sacrificing too much detail. This is not a novelization of the HBO series: It features scenes omitted from the show and presents others in a way that more closely matches Martin’s work in its intensity, brutality and mature content.

This graphic novel tells about half the story of the first book and another volume is planned for later in the year. And while I would recommend reading Martin’s books first – yes: all 3000 pages and counting – this graphic novel is the next best thing.

Who will like this?: Fans of the TV or book series might be interested in giving this different take a try. Those who enjoy graphic novels, who aren’t afraid of some intense content.

If you like this, try this: If you are interested in the content, try out Martin’s other books, if you have the time to devote to them.

If you are interested in getting into more graphic novels, “Watchmen” by Alan Moore, “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi, and “Maus” by Art Spiegelman might be a good place to start. These are popular staples of the genre.

If you’re interested in the fantasy/science fiction aspect, some other great books in that genre are J.R.R Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”/”Lord of the Rings” series. For younger readers, “Harry Potter” by J.K Rowling.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

You can visit the Fairfield Public Catalog to check availability, or to place a hold on this book! [Link will open in a new window]

Title: Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs

Author: Molly Harper

Publisher: Pocket Star, 2009

Summary/Review: This year brought Fairfield a light winter and an early spring, so I am channeling summer and diving into some good beach reads!

When Jane Jameson is unjustly fired from her position as the town’s Children’s Librarian, she heads off to the local pub. After a few rounds, she stumbles home only to be accidently mistaken for a deer, shot, and left for dead in a field. But, then a good-looking vampire – a group who has recently gone public thanks to a federal lawsuit – finds her and offers to turn her. She accepts the offer and three days later wakes up to find her world changed. Welcoming Jane to this new life is a gift basket from the Newly Undead Welcoming Committee, as well as, a cute and mysterious sire, Gabriel.

When someone starts framing Jane for a series of murders in her small town of Moon Hollow, Jane sets out to prove she’s still the nice girl she has always been. This book is the first in a series about Jane Jameson and her supernatural friends, but very normal family.

Written with humor (and a few jokes only a Children’s Librarian would understand), Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs is great for those readers who enjoy a little paranormal romance in their lives.

Who Will Like This Book: Fans of the Sookie Stackhouse series, Nora Roberts fans, and adult readers of the Twilight saga.

If You Like This, Try This: A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon,  Sign of the Seven Trilogy by Nora Roberts,  The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley,  Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Recommended by: Mary Sorhus, Head of Children’s Services

Does this look like your kind of book?  Visit the Fairfield Public Library Catalog to check if it’s available and/or place a hold!

Title: When She Woke

Author: Hillary Jordan

Publisher: Algonquin Books, 2011

Summary/Review:In the not-so-distant future, only the most dangerous criminals serve their sentences behind bars. All others are made to serve their time on the outside, living among the rest of society but with one big difference. In order to readily identify them as criminals, they are injected with a virus to change the color of their skin. Most of these “Chromes” are Yellows, serving short sentences for misdemeanors. Child molesters are Blues but they don’t fare so well out in society so they are rarely seen. Hannah Payne is a Red. She has been convicted of killing her unborn child. Dangers to Hannah and those like her come in many forms. Religious fanatics and vigilantes have them in their sights. How will she ever survive her 16 year sentence?

More than a modern “Scarlet Letter”, this is a very thought provoking and riveting story. Full of controversial topics, I’m sure it will lead to some interesting conversations. Adding to the disturbing nature of “When She Woke” is the realization that we can see glimpses of the fanaticism portrayed in this story just by watching CNN.

Recommended by: Sue B, Circulation Coordinator

A second look: If Margaret Atwood had written The Scarlet Letter, it would read like this book.  This is a slightly futuristic story where the Religious Right has taken over so that, for instance, abortion is legally considered murder.  Not only that, viruses have been developed that produce changes in skin color.  Yellow for misdemeanor, blue for child molester, red for murderer – a clever solution to prison overcrowding. Criminals are released into society to fend for themselves in a world that can see what you’ve done.

Our heroine woke to find herself chromed red after being convicted of murdering her unborn child.  She keeps her lover’s name a secret, protecting this powerful and well-respected man.  She soon discovers that life on the outside is fraught with danger – even from those who claim they will protect her.

Recommended by: Lauren, Reference Assistant

Who Might Like This?: Fans of dystopian novels, science fiction.

If you liked this, try this: If you’d like to read more Hillary Jordan, try out her incredibly popular “Mudbound”.  If you’re interested in dystopian novels, “1984″ by George Orwell or “Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood are two classics.  For younger readers, “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins or “The Giver” by Lois Lowry both depict dystopias. If you liked the book overall, check out “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne or one of the many other books based off this classic.

Does this look like a book you’d like to read? Visit our catalog here, where you can check availability and place a hold. [Link will open in a new window]

Title: Robopocalypse 

Author: Daniel H. Wilson

Publisher: Doubleday, 2011 

Summary: Robopocalypse pulled me in from the first line and it’s one of those books that you don’t want to stop reading.  Imagine a mix of “I, Robot”; “Terminator:  Rise of the Machines” and “World War Z” with characters that you really come to care about and you’ll have some idea of the fun you’ll have reading Robopocalypse.

In a not too distant future, the machines that we have come to rely on to a scary extent, unite and turn against us.  Under the leadership of Archos, their goal is to decimate human kind.

I’ve always thought the machines would bring us down by slowly driving us insane.  The copy machine that jams when you need it the most, the plane that’s just late enough to make sure you miss your next connection, the AC that gives out when the temperature reaches 99+.  The machines in Robopocalypse aren’t quite that subtle and some serious carnage results.

The war starts with isolated incidents that can be passed off as malfunctioning machines but when the smart cars start jumping curbs and running people down and the commuter planes start dropping from the sky like bombs, human kind must actually unite against a common enemy.

The action is riveting but it’s the characters, both human and machine, that make this book the absorbing read that it is.  My only complaint about Robopocalypse is the length.  At under 400 pages, it’s just too short.  There are too many stories left to tell.  I wanted to hear all about Lark Iron Cloud’s 3 day journey in the unknown, how Tiberius and Cherrah met while escaping from Albany, what happened to Brightboy squad on their cross country journey to Gray Horse.  I was looking for a 1,000 page doorstop of a book.

I’ll be waiting for Daniel H. Wilson’s next book – and maybe a movie version of Robopocalypse!

Recommended by: Sue D’Num; Technical Services Department

Does this look like your type of book? Click here to visit our catalog and check availability/place a hold

Title: The Devil’s Alphabet

Author:  Daryl Gregory

Publisher: Random House, November 2009

Summary: Paxton Martin, a preacher’s son, is returning to his hometown of Switchcreek, TN, for the funeral of a childhood friend. Pax left Switchcreek 12 years ago, soon after an outbreak of Transcription Divergence Syndrome devastated the population of the small town. TDS, or The Changes, killed a third of the people living in Switchcreek and caused three different mutations in most of the people left alive. The victims of TDS-A, or Argos, became gray-skinned and grew to abnormal heights. TDS-B victims, or Betas, became hairless and seal-like, and TDS-C victims, or Charlies, became grotesquely obese. A few residents, Paxton included, were unaffected and remained unchanged. When Paxton returns for the funeral, he finds that there are many unanswered questions surrounding the suicide of JoLynn, and with the help of his friend Deke he tries to unravel the mystery of her death.

I would not describe myself as a science fiction fan, but I really enjoyed this one. It had great characters, bits of mystery and humor, and a few parts that rated about a 9.5 on my ickiness scale.

Who will like this book? Science fiction fans.

Recommended by: Sue, Circulation Coordinator

Title: These Children Who Come At You With Knives and Other Fairy Tales

Author: Jim Knipfel

Publisher: Simon & Schuster, June 2010

Summary: Fractured fairy tales have long been a popular genre in youth literature, and in this wicked, inspired collection, the grown-ups finally get their own twisted takes on ‘happily ever after.’ If you are expecting a modern-day Cinderella or Little Mermaid story, this is not the book for you.

Instead, you will meet a chicken who is too smart for her own good, a demented gnome bent on world domination, and a gossipy houseplant that would give Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors a run for her (it’s?) money. And it’s not giving too much away by saying that none of the stories has the traditional fairy tale ending. This bold collection will make you laugh and squirm at the same time.

Who will like this book?: Fans of satire. Cynics. People who think to themselves, ‘if Cinderella’s slippers were really made of glass, wouldn’t she cut up her feet?’

If you like this, read this: Another great (albeit less brutal) take on fairy tales for grown-ups, the Fables graphic novel series by Bill Willingham.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

Title: The Tale of Halcyon Crane

Author:  Wendy Webb

Publisher: Holt, Henry & Company, Inc.,  March 2010

Summary: Hallie James has lived her life believing that her mother Madlyn was killed in a fire when Hallie was a small child. Now 35 years old, Hallie is dealing with her divorce and her father’s terminal illness. When she receives an envelope in the mail, she is shocked to find it contains a letter from her mother. As it turns out, Madlyn has lived the last 30 years believing that Hallie and her father were killed in a kayaking accident on the lake. The letter from Madlyn is accompanied by a letter from her attorney breaking the news that Madlyn has recently passed away. In order to find out why her father went to such lengths to keep her from her mother, Hallie travels to her mother’s home on Grand Manitou, a remote island in the Great Lakes. It isn’t long before Hallie realizes that something supernatural inhabits the mansion and grounds which she has just inherited.

  The Tale of Halcyon Crane is an unnerving ghost story that’s setting on a secluded island makes it even creepier.

Who will like this book? Ghost story aficionados.

Recommended by: Sue, Circulation Coordinator

Title:  Broken Angel

Author:  Sigmund Brouwer

Summary: Set in a Christian dystopia, in the not-so-far-off future, Broken Angel is the story of religious fundamentalism gone horribly wrong. Caitlin has grown up in Appalachia, an independent country within the United States run by fanatics who have distorted Christianity. Punishments for crimes in Appalachia (including the heinous crime of reading and teaching others to read) range from forced labor to death by stoning. No wonder there is secret network of people, known as the Clan, who help people escape this hell hole. Oops-that probably would have gotten me 5 years of hard labor in the factory. 

As Caitlin reaches puberty, her father plans for her escape to the Outside. You see, Caitlin was born with a deformity that they have been able to hide up until now. If this deformity is discovered, she will certainly be put to death. Since everyone’s movements in Appalachia are monitored by the government, escaping is never easy. Caitlin is forced to flee on her own as her father tries to draw the bounty hunters away from her tracks, but she eventually meets up with two other fugitives. Together, they must help each other survive while keeping ahead of their pursuers. Will all three of them make it? What really happened to her father when the bounty hunter caught up to him? Is everyone in Appalachia what they appear to be? What is this mysterious deformity of Caitlin’s? Brouwer does a great job of keeping this a fast paced story with intriguing characters and plot twists.

Recommended by: Sue, Circulation Coordinator