What are folks who work at the Champaign Public Library reading?  Check out this list to see.

The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor By Kirkman, Robert Author Bonansinga, Jay 2012-06 - St. Martin's Griffin 9781250008398 Check Our Catalog  Because I'm a zombie fan, I read The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor. It was so-so.      Recommended by Aaron C. In "The Walking Dead" universe, there is no greater villain than The Governor. Voted "Villain of the Year" by "Wizard Magazine," his story arc was the most controversial in the series. Fans will discover how The Governor became the man he is, and what drove him to extremes. …More

Inheritance By Paolini, Christopher Read by Doyle, Gerard 2011-11 - Listening Library 9780739372487 Check Our Catalog Recently I read Inheritance, the final Eragon book.  It was so-so.      Recommended by Aaron C. Not so very long ago, Eragon--Shadeslayer, Dragon Rider--was nothing more than a poor farm boy, and his dragon, Saphira, only a blue stone in the forest. Now the fate of an entire civilization rests on their shoulders. Long months of training and battle have brought victories and hope, but they have also brought heartbreaking loss. And still, the real battle lies ahead: they must confront Galbatorix. When they do, they will have to be strong enough to defeat him. And if they cannot, no one can. There will be no second chances. The Rider and his dragon have come further than anyone dared to hope. But can they topple the evil king and restore justice to Alagaesia? And if so, at what cost? This is the much-anticipated, astonishing conclusion to the worldwide bestselling Inheritance cycle. "From the Hardcover edition." …More

Cry, the Beloved Country By Paton, Alan 2003-09 - Scribner Book Company 9780743262170 Check Our Catalog I have been reading Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton. It is set in South Africa and deals with the emotions of two families -- focusing on the fathers -- who both lose sons.  One son is murdered, and one son commits the murder -- both are lost and both fathers grieve intensely.  The emotions are real and cross all cultures -- while revealing much of the culture, attitudes, and circumstances of South Africa.        Recommended by Lavana H.   An Oprah's Book Club selection Paton's deeply moving story of Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son Absalom, set against the backdrop of a land and people riven by racial inequality and injustice, remains the most famous and important novel in South Africa's history. Published to coincide with the Miramax film release in December, starring James Earl Jones and Richard Harris. …More

Restoration By Olafsson, Olaf 2012-02 - Ecco Press 9780062065650 Check Our Catalog This novel unfolds like the petals of a flower from the perspectives of two young women waging their own personal battles during the Allied invasion of Italy.  One setting is Rome, where a young artist restores Renaissance paintings for her lover whose risky business is selling the restored paintings to the Germans; the other setting is Tuscany and the restored villa of San Martino, where a young English woman faces tragedy and the mystery of her husband's disappearance while valiantly protecting her own small part of Italy.      Recommended by Eileen J. A blend of "The Paris Wife" and "The English Patient"--a sweeping story of love tested by the terrors and tragedies of war, set in the breathtaking landscape of Tuscany in the 1940s, from the critically acclaimed author of "The Journey Home." …More

The Witness By Roberts, Nora 2012-04 - Putnam Adult 9780399159121 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title Elizabeth has been in hiding for 12 years.  Then she meets Brooks - a man she can trust with all of her secrets and her life.  An engaging fast read with interesting characters.      Recommended by Chris S. The daughter of a controlling mother, Elizabeth finally let loose one night, drinking at a nightclub and allowing a strange man's seductive Russian accent lure her to a house on Lake Shore Drive. The events that follow change her life forever. …More

Dead End in Norvelt By Gantos, Jack 2011-09 - Farrar Straus Giroux 9780374379933 Check Our Catalog 2012 Newbery Award Winner 2012 Scott O'Dell Award Winner I just finished the audio book version read by Jack Gantos himself. Dead End in Norvelt is this year's Newbery Medal winner and a hilarious semi-autobiographical romp through Jack's summer in 1962.  He is 12, grounded, and hired out by his mother to help the town medical examiner, a "Norvelt original,” write obituaries for the local newspaper. This situation exposes Jack to various comical adventures which include melting flesh, Hell's Angels, the grim reaper, Thin Mints cookies, bloody noses, and dead bodies.  Yes, I did use the word "comical".  If you drove past me while I was listening to this, I know you saw me smiling or laughing!  It's a great read for 4th grade on up!      Recommended by Becky A. In the historic town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Jack Gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, Girl Scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from history, typewriting, and countless bloody noses. …More

Why We Broke Up By Handler, Daniel Illustrator Kalman, Maira 2011-12 - Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 9780316127257 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title Keep the tissues handy as you read this beautifully made book with a sadly familiar story:  Geeky intelligent junior girl falls for self-absorbed senior jock.  Follow Min’s step-by-step story of how Ed captured and then broke her heart.     Recommended by Betsy S. Sixteen-year-old Min Green writes a letter to Ed Slaterton in which she breaks up with him, documenting their relationship and how items in the accompanying box, from bottle caps to a cookbook, foretell the end. …More

Summer Rental By Andrews, Mary Kay 2011-06 - St. Martin's Press 9780312642693 Check Our Catalog Three childhood friends rent a vacation house in the Outer Banks for the month of August.  The house turns out to be a bit of a dump and each woman is dealing with her own life-altering crisis, making the vacation less than they had hoped.  To make things more interesting throw in a cute guy living over the garage and a fourth woman running from her past in New Jersey that agrees to rent out the room at the top of the house.  This book had a nice bit of humor mixed with the way long-time friends interact – all in a beautiful setting.  It made me wish I could go somewhere and dig my toes in a sandy beach with some of the people I grew up with.  A good read when you want to escape from whatever is going on in your own life.     Recommended by Kristina H. From the "New York Times"-bestselling author of "The Fixer Upper" comes a novel filled with her trademark warmth and humor--the story of four women, a month at the beach, and the healing power of friendship and second chances. …More

Crocodile on the Sandbank By Peters, Elizabeth 1988-01 - Warner Books 9780445406513 Check Our Catalog Elizabeth Peters - Amelia Peabody Series. Don’t miss it!  Start with Crocodile on the Sandbank, you can thank me later.      Recommended by Amy A. Thirty-one-year-old Victorian gentlewoman Amelia Peabody has not only inherited her father's fortune, but she is also blessed with his strong will as well. Now she's headed for Cairo, accompanied by a girl with a tarnished past, to indulge her passion for Egyptology. Little did she know that murder and a homicidal mummy lay in wait for her. …More

Trash By Mulligan, Andy 2010-10 - David Fickling Books 9780385752145 Check Our Catalog Don’t let the bad cover scare you away.  This Rebecca Caudill nominee is a winner.  Three boys in an unnamed poor country eke out an existence living in a garbage dump.  One day one of the boys finds something valuable—and dangerous.  The book follows their perilous path as they try to unravel the mystery behind what they’ve found while avoiding corrupt officials out to get them.      Recommended by Betsy S, Fourteen-year-olds Raphael and Gardo team up with a younger boy, Rat, to figure out the mysteries surrounding a bag Raphael finds during their daily life of sorting through trash in a third-world country's dump. …More

Chocolate Chocolate: A True Story of Two Sisters, Tons of Treats, and the Little Shop That Could By Park, Frances Author Park, Ginger 2011-05 - Thomas Dunne Books 9780312652937 Check Our Catalog This is a delightful story of two sisters who have a passion to open a chocolate confectionary shop.   Make sure you have some chocolates treats to munch on.  If you are not already a chocoholic, this true story will turn you into one!   Sit back and enjoy!      Recommended by Connie F.    A delightful memoir from two sisters who have embraced the immigrant experience to live the American dream, and who share how success is much sweeter when one takes the time to enjoy life's little pleasures. …More

How to Hug a Porcupine: Negotiating the Prickly Points of the Tween Years By Ross, Julie A. 2008-07 - McGraw-Hill 9780071545891 Check Our Catalog This is a great book for parents of tweens.  Ross has advice on talking and listening so conversations are productive and not turned into raging arguments.  Advice and ideas on how to get close to your tween and understand their need for distance as they go through this time in their life makes this book a recommended read!      Recommended by Trish O. Is your 10- to 14- year-old getting an attitude, rolling their eyes, or slamming doors? Here are painless solutions to surviving the prickly tween years. The middle school years can be a minefield for you and your kids. This hands-on communication guide by a qualified "tween negotiator" shows you exactly how to talk to your kids about peer pressure, raging hormones, mood swings, body image, computer "addiction," sibling rivalry, and other prickly issues. The author's field-tested techniques help you shift from a "controlling" to a "relationship" approach--proving that it is possible to hug a porcupine, once you know how. …More

To My Sons: Lessons for the Wild Adventure Called Life By Grylls, Bear 2012-01 - David C. Cook 9781434703583 Check Our Catalog This is a charming, easy-to-read book with many great words to live by.  The book is somewhat religious, reflecting Grylls’ faith, but not so much as to detract from the adorable graphics, sneaky health tips, and practical wisdom.     Recommended by Chris S. …More

The Name of the Star By Johnson, Maureen 2011-09 - Putnam Publishing Group 9780399256608 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title It couldn’t be a worse time for Louisiana-born teen Rory to arrive in London for her last year of school.  A Jack-the-Ripper copycat killer has the city in the grips of both terror and morbid excitement. Rory becomes an eyewitness when she sees a man on her school grounds that no one else sees and becomes embroiled in the very unusual investigation to find him before he kills again.  Never fear, it’s not all grim and gore: Johnson balances her supernatural thriller with snarky wit and a delightful protagonist who is also navigating her way through an unfamiliar boarding school experience.      Recommended by Amanda R. The day Louisiana teenager Rory Deveaux arrives in London, it's the start of a new life at a boarding school. But for many, this will be remembered as the day a series of brutal murders broke out across the city, gruesome crimes mimicking the horrific Jack the Ripper events of more than a century ago. …More

A Dance with Dragons By Martin, George R. R. 2011-07 - Bantam Books 9780553801477 Check Our Catalog If you like HUGE books, science fiction, and a bazillion and one characters who keep popping up, then this is the book for you.  An excellent series that I highly recommend!     Recommened by Amy A. Dubbed "the American Tolkien" by "TIME" magazine, Martin has earned international acclaim for his monumental cycle of epic fantasy. Now the #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author delivers the fifth book in his landmark series--as both familiar faces and surprising new forces vie for a foothold in a fragmented empire. …More

Uncommon Criminals By Carter, Ally 2011-06 - Hyperion Books 9781423147954 Check Our Catalog This is the second in an interesting series.  The teens are professional art thieves and con artists.  In this one, they are trying to steal a famous emerald in order to return it to the rightful owner and all sorts of complications arise.  Ally Carter also writes the Gallagher Girls series about a high school that trains girls to be super spies. I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You  is the first in that series, which I liked.      Recommended by Betsy S. Fifteen-year-old Kat Bishop and her fellow talented teenagers work together to find and steal the "Cleopatra Emerald" from an unscrupulous dealer and return it to its rightful owner, while a former love of her Uncle Eddie tries to get the gem for herself. …More

Love in a Nutshell By Evanovich, Janet Author Kelly, Dorien 2012-01 - St. Martin's Press 9780312651312 Check Our Catalog The name “Janet Evanovich” on the front of a hardcover book elicited happiness and excitement because I was looking forward to a fun and witty, probably quirky, story.  I was highly disappointed.  This title should have been published as a paperback romance.  If that had been the case, I would have given a review as readable, but not memorable.     NOT recommended by Chris S. Number-one bestselling author Evanovich teams up with award-winning author Dorien Kelly to deliver a sparkling novel of romantic suspense, small-town antics, secretive sabotage, and lots and lots of beer. Filled with humor, heart, and lovable characters, "Love in a Nutshell" is delicious fun. …More

Tempest By Cross, Julie 2012-01 - St. Martin's Griffin 9780312568894 Check Our Catalog Local author Julie Cross wows readers with what she describes as a mash-up of The Time Traveler’s Wife and The Bourne Identity, but with teen characters.  Tempest follows the troubles of 19-year-old Jackson Meyer as he gets stuck in 2007, working desperately to change a horrible event he’s already witnessed in 2009.  …More

Ran Away By Hambly, Barbara 2011-12 - Severn House Publishers 9780727880826 Check Our Catalog This latest in the Benjamin January mystery series set in New Orleans in mid-1800 is an exceptionally good one!  The whole series discusses the way French New Orleans was changing due to  the friction between French, Spanish, American, free blacks, and slaves.  The financial upheaval in America caused by President Andrew Jackson’s bank regulations is also part of the story line.  Highly recommended!                 Recommended by Peggy B.                   The new Benjamin January novel from the best-selling author - RAN AWAY. So began a score of advertisements every week in the New Orleans newspapers, advertising for slaves who'd fled their masters. But the Turk, Huseyin Pasha, posted no such advertisement when his two lovely concubines disappeared. And when a witness proclaimed he'd seen the "devilish infidel" hurl their dead bodies out of a window, everyone was willing to believe him the murderer. Only Benjamin January, who knows the Turk of old, is willing to seek for the true culprit, endangering his own life in the process . . . …More

The Art of Fielding By Harbach, Chad 2011-09 - Little Brown and Company 9780316126694 Check Our Catalog The story takes place at a small Midwestern college where the sport teams are called, oddly enough, the Harpooners, in honor of Moby Dick. (There are almost as many literary references as baseball references.)  The book is about the baseball team and primarily its shortstop Henry Skrimshander, (another whaling reference) who begins his collegiate baseball career as absolutely outstanding, progresses into unbelievably great, and then is abruptly brought down by an attack of severe self-doubt.  Initially hesitant to check this title out, I enjoyed it very much - a quick read to be pondered on later.                     Recommended by Connie F. At Westish College, a small school on the shore of Lake Michigan, baseball star Henry Skrimshander seems destined for big league stardom. But when a routine throw goes disastrously off course, the fates of five people are upended. …More

The Buddha in the Attic By Otsuka, Julie 2011-08 - Knopf Publishing Group 9780307700001 Check Our Catalog A very quick and interesting read, Otsuka uses an unusual narrative technique to tell the story of picture brides from Japan.  The timespan covers early years of the 20th century up to WWII and touches on themes that are still very relevant today.  She even puts a quote from Dick Cheney into the mouth of a California politician!       Recommended by Linda Otsuka delivers the long-awaited follow-up to "When the Emperor Was Divine"--a stunning tour de force that tells the story of a group of women brought from Japan to San Francisco in the 1900s as mail-order brides. …More

Bossypants By Fey, Tina 2011-04 - Reagan Arthur Books 9780316056861 Check Our Catalog The audiobook Bossypants is narrated by Tiny Fey herself, and she will make you laugh out loud!  Her sharp wit shines through as she shares her comedic reflections on life moments from childhood right through to her professional ventures on Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock.  For a light-hearted listen or read. …More

Pie By Weeks, Sarah 2011-10 - Scholastic Press 9780545270113 Check Our Catalog BookPage Notable Title Pie is a story with a mystery, pies, capable girls and women, more pies, an ill-tempered cat, supportive boys and men, a sneak thief, and a missing recipe for the world’s best pie crust. Told with warm humor and sprinkled with fourteen mouth-watering recipes (for pie!), Pie is sure to please.    Recommended by Molly When Alice's Aunt Polly passes away, she takes with her the secret to her world-famous pie-crust recipe. Or does she? In her will, Polly leaves the recipe to her extraordinarily surly cat Lardo . . . and then leaves Lardo in the care of Alice. Suddenly Alice is thrust into the center of a piestorm, with everyone in town trying to be the next pie-contest winner. …More