Selection for Sept. 16: "Lights All Night Long"

“In a decrepit mining town in northern Russia, Ilya discovers his gift for language while watching Die Hard with his charming, indolent older brother, Vladmir. As they get older, Vladmir’s gusto for the seedier things in life (prostitutes, partying) grows dangerous when a powerful new, opiate-like drug comes to town. Just before 15-year-old Ilya leaves for an exchange program in America, Vladmir is accused of murder. The reader is then thrown into a raucous, Christian family in Louisiana where the oldest daughter has a secret with an unexpected connection to Ilya’s personal mission to exonerate his brother.”

The contrast between Ilya's freezing, hopeless home town and the steamy, alligator-infested community that he joins is just one of the pleasures of the book. Ilya's adventures learning English is another. The audio version is well done, in case you want to listen. See you all (one way or another) on Sept. 16! ~Carroll