The Lost Van Gogh

The Lost Van Gogh, by A.J. Zerries, available in the NFCC Library.

The lost Van Gogh (or was it stolen?), Portrait of Monsieur Trabuc, is returned to its rightful heir by page 60 of this book, and I wondered, so what else could happen? It turns out that was only the beginning… The painting was stolen by the Nazis in Paris during World War II, and arrived from Argentina 60 years later. Detective Clay Ryder of the art theft squad tracks the case which involves attacks on the heiress, the Mossad, histories of Nazi atrocities, black-market art auction houses, and an SS officer believed to have been dead for twenty years. The plot gets complicated, but all the strings are wrapped up in the end, except for one….
Submitted by Sheila Hiss.

A Place Called Freedom

A Place Called Freedom
Ken Follett



posted by Lynn Wyche


This novel from the Author of The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, follows the journey of two young Scottish people from two very different backgrounds. Mack McAsh is a poor young man driven to escape a life working in the coal mines of Scotland. Lizzie Hallim is a privileged aristocrat trying to balance the expectations of her family and her need to break away from the confines of her status. Both lives intersect during their time in Scotland, London and their arrival in the American Colonies. This novel offers readers an interesting story and a bit of a history lesson. If you like historical fiction this would be a good pick.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

The fourth book of the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer is the best yet. In the first book of this series, Twilight, Bella falls in love with a vampire named Edward. Edward is very different as far as vampires go - he drinks animal blood instead of human blood. This story is forbidden love at its height because Edward could kill her at anytime because her blood is more desirable to him than anything else. He learns to master this impulse because he loves Bella so much. Over the course of the series Bella and Edward have several life threatening adventures. Along the way Bella gains a best friend Jacob who is a werewolf and a vampire's mortal enemy. He falls in love with Bella while Bella does not totally return the feelings. This love triangle has sparked "Team Edward" and "Team Jacob" debates on Internet fansites.

In Breaking Dawn Edward and Bella get married and the resulting plot twists are incredible. Fans have speculated what would happen in this book but Stephenie Meyer exceeded all expectations and then some. As with all the other books in this series the author continues to reference such classics like A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Merchant of Venice. Previous books dealt with themes from Romeo and Juliet, Pride and Prejudice, and Wuthering Heights.

I encourage you to start from the beginning with Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and end with Breaking Dawn. You will love the author some have termed "the next J.K. Rowling."