Latest reads

Last Resort by Linwood Barclay -- a funny, poignant memoir about the author's growing up running a campground in rural Canada with his family.   Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger - a re-read, one of my all time favorites.   The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I'm stuck halfway through. I don't know if I'll be able to make it all of the way.   The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry - a fun kid's book   Scat by Carl Hiaasen -- another great teen book by Hiaasen, whose Hoot appears on lots of school reading lists. I really enjoyed this one.   Origins of the Specious by Patricia T O'Conner and Stewart Kellerman - fun to page through and learn the origins of certain words and conventions of language   Dying to Meet You: 43 Old Cemetery Road, Book 1 by Kate and M. Sarah Klise - thanks to Trisha for this kid's book recommendation. Enjoyed it a lot.

still with the thrillers

Skulduggery Pleasant and Playing with Fire (teen fantasy/thrillers) by Derek Landy - for fans of the Rick Riordan series Lone Wolf and Stone Rain by Linwood Barclay - the last two Zach Walker mysteries - I could barely bring myself to put them down long enough to go to sleep

Recent reads

Beastly and A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn - two enjoyable teen novels that retell fairy tales in a contemporary setting.

The Sweetgum Knit Lit Society by Beth Pattillo - not bad, but a little disappointing. I enjoyed Pattillo's previous "Betsy" books but this one didn't seem quite as good.

(Many more than) Fifty Books For Our Times

Check out this week's Newsweek cover story, Fifty Books For Our Times, if you need inspiration about what to read this summer:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/204300

Need more ideas? Oprah Magazine published their top beach reads for 2009 here:

http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/200907-omag-beach-reads

Or, you could check out Amazon.com's Summer Reading bookshelf at

http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Reading-Books/b/ref=bhp_6p_sr_02?ie=UTF8&node=341154011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-6&pf_rd_r=0QV03PQBDP7YV7TG5F7N&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=482560611&pf_rd_i=283155

Or just ASK A LIBRARIAN! :)

Thriller time

I'm still on an escapist thriller kick (get to vicariously kick butt!) Bad Move and Bad Guys, both by Linwood Barclay -- funny thrillers featuring SF writer/newspaper reporter Zach Walker. I'm looking forward to reading the next ones in the series. Fans of funny thrillers by Carl Hiaasen, Bill Fitzhugh, James Swain, Elmore Leonard should enjoy this author. Daddy's Girl by Lisa Scottoline. Curse you, Phyllis, for getting me hooked on Scottoline! She writes a really good, interesting thriller and both of the ones I've read so far feature strong female main characters -- terrific reads. My favorite quote from this one is when the main character, Natalie, has a revelation. "As much as she loved teaching, she was beginning to think she wasn't very good at it. Could she really suck at her passion? Women's magazines never admitted this as a possibility." Don't know why, it just struck me as hilarious. Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen. Okay, not a thriller, but at least a mystery. It was cute, but didn't really do anything special for me (could have just been my mood).

Book bonanza

I've been too busy reading lately to keep up with the reading log. Here's what I have been reading: Nonfiction Seeking Peace: Chronicles of the Worst Buddhist in the World by Mary Pipher. A wonderful, helpful, sane memoir by the author of Reviving Ophelia, which had a big impact on me when it first came out in the early '90s. What I like about Pipher's book (and also about Sylvia Boorstein's writing) is how matter-of-fact she is about the inevitability of screwing up, then picking yourself up and trying again. It's nice to be reminded that we ALL screw up, and she's very honest about that. Thinking About Memoir by Abigail Thomas. I loved Thomas' memoir A Three Dog Night (and highly recommend it if you haven't read it). This small volume is a great way to get starting thinking about your own life and what's been important in it. I found the writing exercises that Thomas intersperses through the book to be very helpful. Why Do I Love These People by Po Bronson. This guy's previous book What Should I Do With My Life dealt with people who were struggling to find their vocation/avocation and people who had done so. This book is about families - how they stay together, how they come apart. Bronson has a great talent for telling stories about ordinary people trying to do the best they can, and the extraordinary things that sometimes result.  Fiction Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson -- (fantasy) -- a real page turner. Didn't quite grab me as much as his "Hero of Ages" trilogy but I can see that a sequel might be in the works - and I hope so. Please God, let Sanderson not get sucked into the neverending nightmare of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Let him just write one book to wrap it up and then get off the Wheel of Time & go back to building his own worlds and creating his own kick-butt characters. Have I mentioned how well he does strong female characters? He does. Read him. You won't be sorry. Look Again by Lisa Scottoline (thriller) -- wow. Phyllis recommended this book to me. I'd never read anything by this author (though I knew she was popular with the readers at my library). It was great - I couldn't put it down. I ignored everything around me. I refused to speak when spoken to. All I could do was read. Wow. Fear the Worst by Linwood Barclay (thriller) - I was lucky enough to score an advanced reader's copy of this book, which will not be published till August. This is the first book I've read by this author and all I can say is -- why haven't I heard of him sooner? The man is a really really good writer. Fans of Harlan Coben should get to their library RIGHT NOW and check out one of this guy's books. I've already started adding him to my repertoire of books to recommend to people as they check out at the circ desk. Too Close to Home by Linwood Barclay (thriller) - another excellent thriller.  The Whiskey Rebels by David Liss (historical thriller) -- WOW -- I loved this book. I don't think I've ever read a historical thriller that was done so well. It's set in the United States about 10 years after the American Revolution. Terrific thriller, and wonderful historical novel - all wrapped up in one delicious literary package. Can't wait to read more of Liss' work.

And Only To Deceive by Tasha Alexander

Eh.

Nice thorough review of the Kindle DX

CNET has a nice review of the recently-released Kindle DX. http://reviews.cnet.com/e-book-readers/amazon-kindle-dx/4505-3508_7-33643953.html The two things that I covet from this version are the ability to switch to landscape viewing mode and the increased font size (you can jack it up higher than on previous Kindles.) And of course the bigger display is nice, but that is offset by the fact that I can't carry the thing around in my purse and the fact that it's heavier than previous Kindles... and the price, of course. I'll stick to my Kindle 1 for now -- it's working great for me, I love it -- but will continue to watch and see what Amazon does!

Recent reads

The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar - interesting and powerful Still Alice by Lisa Genova - a profoundly sad, and truthful, book about a woman descending into Alzheimer's disease Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart (yes, Diane, I finally got around to reading this one!)

What I've been reading

Birds by Kevin Henke - a fun, gorgeously illustrated picture book. I could look at it all day.   Help Me, Mr. Mutt by Janet Stevens (picture book). Dogs write in to Mr. Mutt for advice about their people problems and he answers them in his advice column. My favorite one is the dog who complains that his people like to dress him up. I must confess Jim and I used to make Daisy wear his superhero robe and pretend she was Superman. And also, just this year, we made Molly wear a headband with rabbit ears on Easter. Oh goodness, I wonder if Molly wrote to Mr. Mutt about ME??!   Flygirl by Sherri Smith (teen) -- a fictional account of a black girl who passes for white so she can join the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) and help her country during World War II. I've always enjoyed books about the WASP and this one was no exception. Very good.   Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child. The latest Jack Reacher thriller. It was just fine for what it was, though I find that I prefer the books in the series where Child writes in the third person instead of the first person.   The Scarecrow by Michael Connelly. Normally I enjoy Connelly's books but I have a thing -- call me crazy, but I just don't enjoy reading about serial killers -- so about the 3rd chapter I had to stop. The book was giving me bad mental hygiene. But if you don't mind serial killers I'm sure you'll like it. It did get good reviews.   Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman (teen fantasy) -- This really needs to be marketed for older young adults. Heavy themes, sometimes disturbing, and a frustratingly wussy main character. It got good reviews (4 stars in Bookmarks magazine!!) and I wanted to like the book, I did, but I just couldn't. The book was too long but didn't really focus on any one aspect of the character's development for enough time to satisfy me. And it ended with a jaw-dropping cliffhanger that I guess is supposed to make the reader want the sequel but I was just glad it was over. Can't recommend this one.

Rebel Without A Minivan: Observations on life in the 'burbs by Tracy Beckerman

I picked up this book at one of my local independent bookstores (Sage's Pages in Madison, 973-377-7777, in the Madison Plaza on Main Street. If you live around here, be sure to go - it's a lovely place. But also be prepared to spend money. You can feel good about keeping them in business while simultaneously indulging your wanton desire to buy lots and lots of books and, in my case, stationery. But I digress.)   Anyway, I really enjoyed this book, which is a collection of humorous essays taken from a column that Beckerman writes for the local paper. She's quite a good writer, and funny too. I'm going to donate this copy that I bought to my library (thus feeling DOUBLY virtuous) and then demand that all my library patrons read it.

What's been on my list lately

Dogs and Goddesses by Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart & Lani Diane Rich. I wanted to like this, really I did -- the writing was very good, and the characters were interesting, and there were dogs -- but I just couldn't swallow the supernatural premise (ancient goddess tries to take over town) and had to reject it 1/3 through. Oh well.   Emily the Strange: The Lost Days by Rob Reger & Jessica Gruner Weird, but interesting, teen novel that will be coming out in a few weeks (I snagged an advanced reader's copy). It kind of reminds me of those Ellen Raskin mysteries I used to read as a kid, the ones where you never quite knew what was going on until the end (and maybe not even then), only updated for the 21st century. Enjoyable.   The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley Many thanks to Pat D who recommended this book to me. What a delightful read! I loved the cranky 12-year-old heroine and I loved the characters and the writing and... well, it was really good. I am looking forward to the others in the series.   Silent on the Moor by Deanna Raybourn Quite a satisfying conclusion to the Lady Julia Grey trilogy of Regency romance/mysteries. I can't wait to see what Raybourn writes next!   The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt I liked the writing and the characters, but I enjoyed the verbal sparring between the characters much more than the actual love scenes because... ahemm... the love scenes were a bit too steamy and torrid for my tastes. But that's just me.

New Kindle

Jeez, how many Kindles is Amazon going to unveil this year? They just announced the new Kindle DX, which will be available sometime this summer and which is aimed at the university market (people who have to lug textbooks around). The NYT published an article about it here.

One thing that I think is neat about the new Kindle (aside from the larger screen size) is you can choose whether you want to read landscape or portrait.

But I'm not sure I personally could use the Kindle as a substitute for a "paper" book if I was in school, though. The highlighting/note feature on the Kindle is hard for me to get used to (I'm a "stick post-its everywhere, underline and highlight things" kind of gal). But maybe the younger generation, unlike fuddy-duddies like me, won't have a problem with this.

It will certainly be an interesting thing to keep an eye on. And just think of all the future back problems that could be averted for kids and college students if they could just carry a Kindle instead of 15 different textbooks!

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

****Fantastic*** finale to the Lightning Thief series, which if you haven't read yet, why are you still reading this blog post? Get thee to a library and check the first one out! You won't regret it.

This satisfying book leaves the door open for a new series of adventures with Percy Jackson and the other demigods, which can only be a good thing.

Rick Riordan is a fabulous writer, engaging, funny, interesting -- I can't say enough good things about him or this series.

Still haven't read it yet?

What the heck are you waiting for? GO GET IT!!! Don't make me come over there.

Reading is fun

I've been reading some pretty light stuff lately (and enjoying myself unrepentantly).   Silent in the Sanctuary by Deanna Raybourn. The second in the Lady Julia Grey series. Anyone who's a fan of Regency romances, strong female characters, witty repartee with sexy private enquiry agents, excellent writing, laugh-out loud humor or any of the above should run out and start with the first of this series, Silent in the Grave.   I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci.  A very fun food/failed romance memoir. Well written and easy to read. I gobbled it up in one afternoon. Then I made some pasta. :)   The Man with the Golden Torc by Simon Green. Thank you Tara for recommending this one to me. (See? I remember!) It was very entertaining. I enjoyed the first part quite a lot, but then it became sort of... I don't know... less interesting to me as the book went on. Here's what I know, though. Any guy who makes disparaging comments about women reading romances (not that they would dare risk the intimidating Librarian Stare by saying that to me) would then hear a tirade from me about how this type of book (and Jim Butcher's series, and a whole host of others) are totally romances for guys. They just have lots of explosions, magic, etc. thrown in. So don't let anyone fool you into thinking guys don't read romances. They do... but usually they are more well-disguised than the romances women read. (At least romances marketed to women don't usually sport a half-dressed Fabio on the cover anymore. Publishers have become *slightly* more subtle about it.)

Recent reads

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. TERRIFIC fantasy novel. Thanks to Tara for recommending this to me. Couldn't put it down. I'm dying for the sequel. Dying, I tell you!

Fashion Kitty & the Unlikely Hero by Charise Mericle Harper - I thoroughly enjoyed this third in the Fashion Kitty graphic novel series (targeted to tweens, probably 3rd grade and up).

Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich and Frankenstein Takes the Cake by Adam Rex -- this guy is amazingly talented. These books of funny poetry for kids (and monster-lovers) are beautifully illustrated with lots of sight gags. These are the kind of books that people of all ages will enjoy - adults for different reasons than kids.

Lucy Ann's Kindle 2

When I found out Lucy Ann commutes to work on the train every day and also loves to read, I told her she MUST come see my Kindle because it is perfect for people like her. My sales pitch worked -- she was hooked -- and a week later she was back to show me HER Kindle, which is the newest model (and therefore innately cooler than mine). Yep, it was awesome to touch it. I still love my Kindle but what I really like about the new model is the "text to speech" feature. It's easy to switch from reading the book visually to having the book read to you (in a somewhat computerized voice, but not as horrible as the voice in the grocery store self-checkout line). This would be great for commuters like ME, who resent having to get in the car to drive to work because it means we have to stop reading our book and concentrate on the road.   I tried to get Lucy Ann to look the other way, even distract her with chocolate so that I could "borrow" her Kindle 2 for a few days, but she was having none of it. She's already loving it. I'm so glad that she does, but I must admit a pang of guilt as a librarian, because maybe she won't use the library as much! Still waiting for Amazon to come up with a way of allowing libraries to purchase e-books and then lend to their patrons, but I doubt it'd be a wildly profitable thing for them (and there's also that digital rights management thing) so it'll be a while, if ever, before that is ready for prime time. For more on that subject, I recommend this article from the Christian Science Monitor. http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0318/p09s01-coop.html

What's been on my "shelf" lately

Honolulu by Alan Brennert -- this is a really good historical novel about a Korean woman who comes to Hawaii in the early 1900s as a "picture bride." It's narrated in the first person. I really enjoyed it and could hardly put it down. A great book not only because the main character's journey through life is so interesting and so fleshed out, but also because Brennert makes the history of Hawaii (and Honolulu) during that period of time come alive. I don't know how he writes women characters so well. But I hope he keeps writing.   Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn -- a fun regency mystery/romance featuring the wry and observant Lady Julia Grey as protagonist. Think of this as a slightly updated version of a fun Georgette Heyer novel, with a modern-thinking protagonist matching wits with the extremely sexy inquiry agent Nicholas Brisbane. Delightful! Thank you to Amazon, for suggesting this book when I was looking up The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie King because I wanted to re-read it on my Kindle.   Kitty and the Silver Bullet by Carrie Vaughn -- Read this one on the beach (on my Kindle, which only got slightly sandy). Fun, light entertainment. Perfect beach read. The third in a series about Kitty Norville, werewolf and radio talk show host of the supernatural.   Molokai by Alan Brennert -- looked this up as soon as I finished Honolulu. This is an earlier book of Brennert's, about a woman named Rachel living in the leper colony on the island of Molokai in Hawaii, in the early part of the 20th century. Once again, I love the way Brennert describes his characters so well and I really enjoy his meticulously researched (but not boring) descriptions of life as a leper. This man can write.   My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett -- thanks to my coworker Janet, who said she read this book to her kids when they were young and they adored it. How did I miss it, growing up? What's interesting is that I read the book on my Kindle first and then I had to read the "paper" version of it because the Kindle just didn't do the illustrations justice. I don't think, in terms of children's books with lots of illustrations or picture books, that the Kindle is quite ready for prime time. I can't imagine reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret on it. Some things, you still need paper. (Especially for a picture book that's in color.)   The Saddlemaker's Wife by Earlene Fowler -- thanks to Phyllis for recommending this interesting book about a woman named Ruby who brings her husband's ashes back to his hometown only to find herself embroiled in family dramas and a years-old mystery. Fowler has a great way of defining the characters in her book. I enjoyed it.   Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools by Philip Caveney -- yes, Michelle, you recommended this to me months ago and I forgot all about it and rediscovered it on my own recently. It was great! I should have listened to you earlier. Mea culpa. Just don't be too hard on me. You'll get old too and you will have the same problem.   Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Society by Mary Anne Shaffer (re-read) -- I don't often re-read books any more, but this one is so wonderful (and was so conveniently available on my Kindle) that I had to. And I still adore it.   Pete & Pickles by Berke Breathed -- a charming picture book with great illustrations and a nice story   Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan (kids/teen book) -- if we MUST wait (im)patiently for The Last Olympian, the fifth and final book in the Lightning Thief series (due out May 5, 2009) then this book of short stories and brief character bios will have to tide us over. A couple of fun short stories about Percy and other demigods are interspersed with "interviews" with some of his classmates and other fun stuff. A quick read, but as always with this series, extremely enjoyable.

Man on Wire (documentary DVD)

Xena and I really enjoyed watching this fascinating documentary about Philippe Petit, the French wirewalker who spent 45 minutes walking back and forth between the Twin Towers on a wire in 1974. The story of how he and his friends set this up and pulled it off is pretty riveting. Well, okay, maybe not THAT riveting, since Xena fell asleep... but she's a cat. What do you expect.

I love my Kindle, but apparently I should feel guilty about it

This article from the Christian Science Monitor has some good points (and raises some serious concerns) about Amazon's model of Kindle and e-book usage. http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0318/p09s01-coop.html

And I agree with almost all the points they make... but that doesn't mean I am going to give up my Kindle. At least not until something better comes along. Even if it does mean I'm a bad librarian... I guess I'll just have to live with the guilt. Now please excuse me, I have to go download another sample chapter from Amazon, spawn of the devil and bane of the e-publishing industry.