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Every day at the Newport Beach Public Library reference desk, we librarians are asked for suggestions and recommendations about hot, new, good books that don’t necessarily make the bestseller lists. Although reading tastes vary and what one person may find fascinating, another may find boring, the American Library Assn. has a division created from its membership called the Notable Books Council, which compiles a yearly list for the general adult reader. The criteria is that titles are selected for “their significant contribution to the expansion of knowledge and for the pleasure they can provide to adult readers.” Here is a sampling of a few exceptional titles for 2007.

IN FICTION

“The Madonnas of Leningrad” by Debra Dean: This exciting historical fiction uses World War II war stories from the Soviet Union and tales from modern-day America to explore the reminiscences of Marina, an elderly Russian woman. The famous siege of Leningrad forms the backdrop as she recalls her youth and struggle for survival.

“The Road” by Cormac McCarthy: Short-listed as a finalist for the National Book Critic Circle Award, McCarthy’s latest novel is set in a futuristic, devastated American landscape where a father and son struggle to preserve their lives and sanity. McCarthy also wrote “Blood Meridian” and “All the Pretty Horses.”

“The Secret River” by Kate Grenville: Australian author Grenville researched her own family and adapted the historical record to chronicle the lives of 19th century Londoners sent to the penal colony of New South Wales. Tensions arise between the indigenous Darug people and the early white settlers and the ways in which people view each other.

“The Whistling Season” by Ivan Doig: Raised in the Montana Rocky Mountains, Doig brings the Western landscape into his books with poetic description. Set in the early 1900s, homesteader Oliver Milliron hires a housekeeper and her brother to educate his motherless sons during an irrigation project of massive proportions. Doig has been nominated for a National Book Award.

IN NONFICTION“Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War” by Nathaniel Philbrick: A personal favorite, this fascinating account from the Pilgrims’ perilous ocean crossing to the first Thanksgiving is a true history of those courageous individuals presented in epic proportions. Issues raised in those far-off times still resonate and dominate the news today. And, yes, this book did achieve the “bestseller” designation on national lists.

“The Judgment of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade that Gave the World Impressionism” by Ross King: In print and in unabridged CD, this title explores the revolutionary Impressionistic style of painting arising in the studios of 19th century Paris. Quite controversial at the time, King reveals how art changed both history and culture as it spread around the globe.

“The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl” by Timothy Egan: The Dust Bowl era, from 1931 to 1939, witnessed the dust storms and drought that devastated the American Great Plains and brought tragedy to families and struggling communities. This title presents an oral history following several individuals who give their personal observations on perseverance and faith during the Great Depression.

is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public Library. This week’s article is by Mary Ellen Bowman. Use your Newport Beach Public Library card to reserve these titles at www.newportbeachlibrary.org or call (949) 717-3800 and press 2.