CHECK IT OUT

Ever wonder what people who work around books read for fun? Asked for

their favorite books published in the past year, librarians at Newport

Beach Public Libraries named memoirs, autobiographies and true-life

tales.

For readers seeking gastronomic adventures, Peter Mayle serves up some

of the best in “French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork and

Corkscrew.” Whether hunting down the tastiest frog legs, plumpest

escargot or most colorful local, the author of “A Year in Provence” takes

virtual vacationers on another delightful romp through France, replete

with witty descriptions and laugh-out-loud dialogue.

Also recommended for armchair travelers is “On Rue Tatin,” in which

French cooking teacher Susan Herrmann Loomis chronicles her renovation of

a medieval monastery with her American husband and young son. Recipes and

accounts about village life in rural Normandy add spice to the vivid

memoir.

Memories of a different ilk combine in “Red Dancer,” a fictionalized

biography of notorious spy Mata Hari. In his debut novel, Richard Skinner

uses imagined accounts of historical figures who knew Margaretta Zelle to

explore the duplicity and sexuality the opportunistic femme fatale used

to obtain military secrets from Allied officers during World War I.

More heroic war stories make up “Always Faithful,” William W. Putney’s

chronicle about trained dogs used to detect mines, alert troops and carry

supplies during World War II. As commander of the 3rd Marine War Dog

Platoon, the retired Marine Corps captain and veterinarian was

responsible for a host of courageous canines who lived and died during

some of the worst fighting of the war.

The backdrop is New York’s Little Italy in the postwar era in Louisa

Ermelino’s “The Black Madonna.” On center stage are three strong-willed

Italian mothers who use the power of prayer and faith in Old Country

traditions to transform their lives.

Electroshock treatments are the transforming element for Andy Behrman,

who opens a window into a manic’s world in his high-octane autobiography,

“Electroboy.” For anyone interested in the mind’s complexities, this

personal account about the potentially deadly spiral of mental illness

offers insight into diagnosis and treatment.

Ready for lighter escape? Check out “The Best a Man Can Get,” John

O’Farrell’s hilarious debut novel starring an advertising jingle writer

who finds an outrageous way to escape the stress of parenthood. During

the week, he shares a bachelor pad with three slackers, telling his wife

he’s working late or away on business; on weekends, he returns to his

devoted clan. It’s a ruse that can only last so long, that may or may not

be “the best a man can get.”

Other titles deemed among the best readers can get will be listed on a

“Librarians’ Picks” bookmark available at all Newport Beach Public

Libraries this month.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Melissa Adams, in collaboration with

Susie Lamb. All titles may be reserved from home or office computers by

accessing the catalog at www.newportbeachlibrary.org.