November Bestsellers

The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean by Susan Casey

The Washington Post - John Lanchester

This might seem a bit of a gimmick, blending as it does the worlds of meteorologists and physicists, among others, with portraits of gnarly surfer dudes such as Laird Hamilton…But somehow it all hangs together. This is due in part to its scary environmental theme…and especially to Casey's singular fascination with waves, the bigger the better, which emerge not just as hydrological phenomena but as distinctive, often malevolent personalities that in some ways are the most interesting characters in her book…Casey's descriptions of these monsters are as gripping in their own way as any mountaineering saga from the frozen peaks of Everest or K2.

White House Diary by Jimmy Carter

Publishers Weekly –

The snarl behind the toothy grin emerges in these acerbic entries culled from the 39th president's personal diary. Carter vents against everyone, from Congress ("disorganized juvenile delinquents"), to the press ("completely irresponsible and unnecessarily abusive") and the incoming Reaganauts ("group of jerks"). By contrast, he comes off as the principled, rational, speed-reading master of policy detail, with a cogent-to him-agenda of human rights, internationalism, and disarmament in foreign policy, and fiscal restraint, deregulation, and energy conservation at home. His account of the "national malaise" episode reveals a technocrat groping awkwardly toward a political vision. But the hectic, sketchy entries, annotated with after-the-fact elucidations, mainly show President Carter breasting the maelstrom of over-scheduling, mundane politics, and brother-Billy issues, while eruptions like the Iranian hostage crisis sneak up; the Sadat-Begin Camp David negotiations and other summits, where his leadership could be proactive and untrammeled, provoke his most involved and insightful passages. Carter's judgments will stir controversy: he tars Ted Kennedy with torpedoing his healthcare reforms and abetting Reagan's 1980 victory, and paints Israel ("obstinate") and its Prime Minister at the time, Menachem Begin, as the main obstacles to peace in the Middle East. His tart wit and cutting candor add flavor to a revealing portrait of presidential achievement and, especially, frustration. Illustrations.

Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich

Library Journal –

Elizabeth "Lizzy" Tucker was surprised to inherit Great Aunt Ophelia's house in Marblehead, MA, just outside of Salem, but even more surprised to hear that her own superior cupcake baking skills came from being an Unmentionable. Diesel, agent for the Board of Unmentionable Marshalls, or BUM, drops this information bomb in order to use Lizzy's ability to find empowered objects, specifically the Seven Stones of Power. BUM needs to have possession of all seven stones, each representing a deadly sin, before the "other side" collects them and brings about Hell on Earth. It's hard to find a reliably humorous author, but Evanovich always delivers. Stephanie Plum fans will recognize Diesel, Wulf, and Carl the monkey from the "Between-the-Numbers" series, and they'll also recognize some of Lizzy's characteristics, like compulsive eye-rolling, blasting her hair dry, and destroying multiple fancy black cars. But for this reader, those distractions soon fell away, and the book was only put down briefly for mealtimes. Verdict The first in an entertaining new paranormal series, a great choice for fans of Jennifer Crusie and Mary Kay Andrews. —Stacey Hayman, Rocky River P.L., OH