What are you reading?

The kids are back to school and summer is quickly coming to a close. So there should be more time in your schedule for a good book! Okay, maybe not, but here are some great books that the librarians, library trustees and staff members at the Pearl River Public Library are currently reading.

Christina L.
The Smartest Kids in the World and How They Got that Way by Amanda Ripley
When the U.S. scored 26th in critical thinking in math, below the average for the developed world, acclaimed journalist Amanda Ripley wondered why some students learned more and others less than their global counterparts.

Kathy H.
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Sixteen-year-old Miles Halter counts down the days to tragedy, drawing the reader into his new life at an Alabama boarding school.

Denise P.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
An unnamed protagonist and narrator returns to his childhood home in the English countryside to recover his memory of events that nearly destroyed him and his family when he was seven. 

Pedro M.
The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
A new twist on the old laws of attraction, The Secret is a new-age, self-help book that touches every aspect of life; money, health, relationships, happiness, and interactions with others. 

Angela D.
Bomb Shell by Catherine Coulter
FBI agent Griffin Hammersmith learns on his way to a new assignment in Washington, D.C., that an intruder has attacked his sister, in her home. With the assistance of local law enforcement and the DEA, Griffin discovers that his sister was the target of a sinister drug ring.

Ann D.
Daddy’s Gone A Hunting by Mary Higgins Clark
When Kate makes a clandestine visit to her father's business at 4:30 a.m. she is caught in a fiery explosion that lands her in a coma and quickly becomes the prime suspect of attempted arson at her father's floundering business.

Laurie W.
Assholes: A Theory by Aaron James
This book is one author’s theory about people who are considered to be assholes and a discussion of what to do about them.

Noel Y.
Last Rituals: An Icelandic Novel of Secret Symbols, Medieval Witchcraft, and Modern Murder by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
An Icelandic lawyer helps investigate the murder and mutilation of a witchcraft-obsessed student.

Vicki B.
Refusal by Felix Francis
Retired jockey, Sid leads a happy life with his wife and daughter. Sir Richard Stewart, chairman of the British Horseracing Authority asks Sid to investigate some nefarious happenings in the racing world. His involvement in the case places Sid and those dear to him at risk.

Annadora P.
The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew QuickPat Peoples, former high school history teacher, has just been released from a mental institution and placed in the care of his mother. Not one to be discouraged, Pat believes he has only been on the inside for a few months, rather than four years, and plans on reconciling with his estranged wife.

Liz Y.
The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food by Jennifer 8. Lee
There are more Chinese restaurants in America than McDonalds, Burger Kings, and Wendy’s combined. New York Times reporter and Chinese-American Jennifer 8 Lee, traces the history of the Chinese-American experience through food.

Jim C.
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann
What were the Americas like before the arrival of Christopher Columbus changed the native cultures of the Western Hemisphere forever? Mann, a correspondent for Science and the Atlantic Monthly, provides an in-depth examination of this question.

Debra M.
The Dinner by Herman Koch
A high-class meal provides an unlikely window into two brothers (and their families) lives containing privilege, violence and madness.

Kathy R.
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road' chronicled his years of traveling the North American continent with his friend Neal.

Kathleen C.
Lost by S.J. Bolton
Lacey Flint needs some downtime after her last case, but she can't stay away from danger when the kids in her neighborhood keep vanishing.

Peggy D.
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
After more than 32 homes, 18-year-old Victoria Jones, abandoned as a baby, has given up on the idea of love or family. Now graduating out of state care, Victoria must make her own way.

Sue D.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Thomas wakes up with no memory, surrounded by boys his own age. He has been placed in a maze with obstacles and monsters to fight, but more important is figuring out how he got there, and what happened to all the adults.

Rosemary A.
The Fallen Angel by Daniel Silva
Art restorer and spy Gabriel Allon uncovers a ring of antiquities smugglers when his friend Monsignor Luigi Donati, the pope's private secretary finds a body of a beautiful woman lying shattered beneath the dome of St. Peter's Basilica.

Ellen F.
The Orchard House by Lucinda Riley
Julia Forrester returns to Wharton Park, recalling how she enjoyed wandering through the hothouse where her grandfather raised lush orchids. At Wharton Park, she discovers an old diary and sets out to find her grandmother to discover the truth behind a love affair that nearly destroyed the family on the eve of World War II.

Holly F.
The Oath: The Obama White House and The Supreme Court by Jeffery Toobin
Grappling with issues such as campaign finance, abortion, and the right to bear arms, the (Chief Justice) Roberts court has put itself squarely at the center of American political life. Jeffrey Toobin portrays key personalities and cases and shows how the President was fatally slow to realize the importance of the judicial branch to his agenda

Brian D. is reading the Sports Section of the Rockland Journal News, today and every day.