The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Socially awkward and super intelligent, geneticist Don decides that he needs a wife. Rejecting the scattershot approach of normal dating, he creates a rigorous, scientific survey to find the perfect woman. In the middle of the Wife Project, he is distracted by a young woman named Rosie who asks him to help find her biological father. In The Rosie Project by debut author Graeme Simsion, Don's logical, orderly life is thrown into chaos as Rosie shows him that not all problems can be solved with science.

Don is a fascinating protagonist, and looking at the world from his coldly logical perspective is in turns illuminating, sad, and funny. As this is a romantic comedy, some of the situations that the characters get in are almost too cute -  Don doesn't wear a dinner jacket to a fancy restaurant and has to use martial arts to defend himself from the bouncers, and Rosie has keep him from getting arrested. In addition, Don's progression to less unemotional and logical is believable, yet I never felt in touch with his feelings, though this may be because Don was never in touch with his feelings. Simsion's first novel is a great light read for anyone who likes romantic comedies with a scientific flair and a healthy helping of a new perspective.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

The Good Lord Bird by James McBride

The year is 1857, five years before the American Civil War breaks out and two years before abolitionist John Brown's unsuccessful raid on the armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. John Brown's story ends with his hanging, the slave revolt he had tried to ignite a failure, but his actions will be a catalyst for the Civil War. Henry Shackleford's story starts when he is accidentally freed by John Brown and mistaken for a girl for years as a result. Nicknamed Little Onion, Henry journeys with Brown until his fated raid on the United States arsenal at Harper's Ferry in The Good Lord Bird by James McBride, which was the winner of the 2013 National Book Award for Fiction.

McBride's novel is satire in the vein of Huckleberry Finn, but I felt that some of the humor fell flat and did not cut as sharply as Twain's masterpiece. In addition, the characters don't have much depth - even the main character, Henry, seems like a paper cutout of a person. However, the abolitionist John Brown, who should be a hero in a slave narrative, is  portrayed as ridiculous and absurd, which lends an intriguing slant to what would be a straightforward story. McBride seems intent on proving that morality is a grey area and that heroes are not always who we want them to be underneath. Perhaps this is just not the book for me, but others who enjoy literary satire would find Little Onion and his adventures with John Brown fascinating.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

Terms and Conditions by Robert Glancy

When Frank wakes up in a hospital bed with quite a few broken bones, he can't remember how he got there. In fact, he can't remember who he is. His wife and brother mention a "little episode" he had, but won't give him any other details. Amnesiac Frank eventually learns that he is a contract lawyer specializing in the small print that no one reads. In Terms and Conditions by Robert Glancy, Frank struggles through the journey back to himself as he observes the world and himself with biting wit.

The most striking stylistic choice in Glancy's novel is that it is presented as a series of contracts, with Frank's fine print (numerous, hilarious footnotes) adding insight the narrative. Frank is an everyman, someone who could be one of your coworkers or acquaintances, which makes him extremely sympathetic and relatable as a character. However, what Frank hates about himself is what many of us dislike about ourselves: cowardice, passivity, and total lack of ambition. The novel is about how memory shapes who we are and whether one can be a better person if they forget who they are and start over. At the same time, it is a searing portrait of a marriage falling apart and of a couple growing into different people than when they met. Glancy's debut novel will appeal to anyone who likes insightful, funny novels, or who found the movie Office Space hauntingly true-to-life.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian