Before I Go to Sleep

Imagine waking up every morning and not knowing where you are. Or who the person in bed next to you is. That is the case for Christine Lucas in S.J. Watson's Before I Go to Sleep.  A mysterious accident years before left Christine with few memories of her past, and no ability to form new memories. Every morning her husband must explain her life to her.  Secretly, Christine has been seeing a doctor, and he too calls daily to encourage her to read a journal she has been keeping in hopes of trying to jog her memory. Through this journal, Christine discovers that her husband has been lying to her.  But if she can't trust her husband, who can she trust? As Christine begins to see flashes of her past, the truth about the accident begins to emerge. But will Christine be able to regain her memories before it is too late? A suspenseful novel from beginning to end.

11/22/63

In 11/22/63, Stephen King's newest book, Jake Epping is an English teacher at the Lisbon Falls, Maine high school. He is 35 years old, divorced and childless. One day Al Templeton, owner of an old diner that Jake patronizes, asks him to come to the diner. Al has something very important to ask Jake. Al has terminal cancer and wants Jake to do something he can’t - stop Lee Harvey Oswald from killing John F. Kennedy.

 There’s a time portal in the storeroom of the diner. It leads to only one day in the past, September 9, 1958. You can go to the past and stay years, but when you come back to 2011 it’s always exactly two minutes later.

As Jake stumbles into the past he uses a different name, George Amberson. Before Jake/George alters the past he wants to make sure Oswald was the real assassin. Was there a conspiracy?

Once Jake arrives in Dallas, Texas he has five years to spy on Oswald. Jake takes a job as an English teacher in a small town. There in Jodie, Texas he meets the love of his life, Sadie, a school librarian.

 Author King evokes the year 1958 so well you feel you’re there. Cars with tailfins whizzing by, early rock on the juke box, rotary phones and cigarette smoke everywhere. This novel has science fiction, romance and characters you’ll remember. Even at 890 pages I read this in three sittings.

Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era

The library's December book of the month, selected by John, is James M. McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. First published in 1988, it is widely considered the standard in the field of Civil War history. Although it is only one volume, McPherson is thorough and writes with a brisk style. Packed with drama and analytical insight, this fast-paced narrative is a must read for all Civil War buffs. Copies are available on display in the library

Mystery Book Club

The library's Mystery Book Club will meet Thursday, December 8 at 6:45 p.m. to discuss mysteries set in Wisconsin. Suggested reads are on display in the library. Choose from titles by Mary Logue, Marshall Cook, Victoria Houston, Kathleen Ernst or Sandra Balzo or select your own. New members are always welcome!