Here's an open invitation to readers to post recommended titles. I just finished reading "Garden Spells" by Sarah Addison Allen and it was the perfect book for a snowy Sunday afternoon. Featuring an enchanted tree and the quirky Waverley family, this debut is about relationships, family, food, and more. It is magical, whimsical, and terrific - and also delves into various edible flowers, listing how they can affect behavior. I always knew that the smell of lavender makes me smile - now I know why! Bette Ammon
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
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No matter your age it’s time to visit Teen Central; especially for the three books we have by Stephenie Meyer starting with “Twilight.” Her books have been named by the American Library Association as the “Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults” and “Top Ten Books for Reluctant Readers,” with good reason. I found the series hard to put down and eagerly read the misadventures of Bella, a young girl who just moved to rural Washington and immediately falls in love with a vampire, who possibly want to kill her- guaranteed good times. If you enjoyed the first one you can quickly move to the second book “New Moon” and the third book “Eclipse” with the heady knowledge of an impending fourth book scheduled for release this fall.
I'm currently reading Dianna Mott Davidson's newest mystery "Sweet Revenge" and before the first chapter is over a murder takes place in of all places "the library". Caterer Goldy Schultz is setting up for the Aspen Meadows Library Christmas breakfast when someone finds a dead body in the stacks. A missing map and sightings of a woman supposedly long dead add spice to this story. If you haven't read one of Davidson's culinary mysteries in a while, try this one. The mouth-watering recipes and entertaining plot are sure to please.
Laurie King’s newest historical novel is titled Touchstone and it is amazingly good. Set in England, post World War I, the intricate story revolves around union organizers, conspiracy, and the class struggle in Britain. The main character is a charming renegade American FBI agent named Harris Stuyvesant who is tenacious when it comes to tracking down the culprit who set bombs in the United States (one injured Stuyvesant’s brother). King is a terrific writer, particularly when it comes to historical fare. I love her Mary Russell series featuring Sherlock Holmes and an intrepid young American woman.
"People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks, what an incredible weaving of fact and fiction concerning the Sarajevo Haggadah. This is a fascinating tale of a 500 year old book that has survived traveling thousands of miles and unimaginable hardships (like the Spanish Inquisition). A wonderful story for all book lovers.
"The Crazy School" is Cornelia Read's second book. It too features the fearless and frank Madeline Dare ("A Field of Darkness"). Here Madeline is teaching in a boarding school for wayward teens. Her feelings of outrage and unrest turn out to be justified when two students are murdered and Madeline herself becomes a suspect. The dialogue is snappy and the language is realistically graphic.
It’s time again not to judge a book by its cover. I recently fell prey to the cliché myself by not reading “The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss. The Coeur d’Alene Library copy has what looks to be a red haired mad man on the cover, which didn’t appeal. I only read the book after checking out the Post Falls copy of the book that had a more modest cover. What makes the book a great read is what’s inside. What’s behind the cover of “The Name of the Wind” is a fast paced fantasy story in a unique world with a loveable character. If you make it past the first a slow chapter in the expository period you will be in for quite an enjoyable ride. I would say ‘Tolkienesque,’ but that has been placed on so many books of I fear we will all be soon jaded against it. Reader’s should take a chance though and find our copy of “Name of the Wind.” If you don’t believe me you can trust Publishers Weekly who gave it the Best of the Year award.
Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley is set in Smokehill. This wilderness park (in a parallel universe) is a threatened haven for scarcely-seen dragons. Teen protagonist Jake relates how he illegally saves and raises a dragonlet whose mother was killed by a poacher. The style here is memoir so there’s not much dialogue and the action is definitely third-person. But dragon aficionados will love the detail and the “scientific” information.
My most recent read was “Gods Behaving Badly” by Marie Phillips. Ever wonder what your twelve favorite Olympians are up to? Marie Phillips answers they are living in London and not large. O how far the mighty have fallen. God of the Sun, Prophecy, and Medicine, Apollo is now a T.V. psychic. The wise Athena, is just as wise but completely incomprehensible to everyone else. The mighty Artemis; goddess of the Hunt, Chastity and the Moon is now a dog walker. Some things, however, never change the Greek gods and goddesses still love their mischief. Watch as their antics spill into the lives of the unassuming mortals around them. If you are easily offended you might want to miss this mischievously entertaining waltz through mythology sprung to life.
Books written by Molly Gloss are always terrific - and this newest novel is no exception. Set in eastern Oregon during World War I, this heart-warming western story stars 20-year-old Martha - a young woman who leaves home and travels from farm to farm breaking (really gentling) horses. She has a peculiar talent - both with horses and people - in spite of her awkward shyness. Gloss is truly an authentic western voice for women and history.
The title of the Gloss book mentioned above is "The Hearts of Horses."
For some fantastical fast paced library themed fun try “Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians” by Brandon Sanderson. Follow your young male (possibly orphaned) protagonist through nearly nonsensical adventures in this memoir styled novel. Watch out for an inside look at the super secret most definitely classified look inside how your library really functions. If you’ve read and enjoyed either Harry Potter or Artemis Fowl give Alcatraz a try.
Call Number:
YA
SANDERS
ALCATRA BK.1
If you’re aching for more epic fantasy you might want to try Jim Butcher’s Codex Alera Series. The series is good for fast paced action intensive fun. Jim, of the Dresden Files fame, writes hard to put down novels set in a unique fully realized world. Any fan of R.A. Salvatore should enjoy.
JIM BUTCHER
Codex Alera series
Furies of Calderon | Call Number FIC BUTCHER
Academ's fury | Call Number PB BUTCHER
Cursor's fury | Call Number BUTCHER
Captain's fury |Call Number NEW BOOK BUTCHER
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