April 30, 2009
The word “Staycation” has entered the lexicon. It is a term for an alternative to expensive travelling. The concept involves staying in your own town and enjoying your holidays as frugally as possible. One very good resource remains the library-membership is free and as long as you return the borrowed materials in time you should not be charged any fines. I like to point out that while fines remain on a card until it is cleared we do not charge any interest and we are the best take out in town!
I have been meandering through the stacks and have chosen titles based merely by the cover! Sometimes I was disappointed but for the most part I have enjoyed the authors and could recommend the following
What I Loved -Siri Hustvedt -2003. Suri is an interesting writer who tells a story of two families that live in an apartment building in New York. They are tragically affected by the illness of one child that results in the death of another.
What They Wanted-Donna Morrissey 2008. Not one of her best efforts-the writing has not improved and even though I finished this book it is not one that I would easily recommend to anyone. So many people are charmed by an east coast story that they can overlook a flawed story. It provided the clearest explanation on how an oil rig works.
Dale loves Sophie to death Robb Forman Dew -1981- National Book Award. This was an enjoyable read- a sort of American domestic fiction. A family spends every summer in the mother’s home town. The reasoning is that the children have freedom to run and play in a safe environment but really it provides a space where the mother can relinquish her role as wife and mother.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows. This book is a charming little sleeper that has raced to the top of the charts. It is an entertaining story about the tiny island of Guernsey and how it survived the WWII.
Life Sentences-Laura Lipman-2008. This title was highly recommended in the Globe and Mail as a brilliant story. Lipman tells the story of a writer that returns to her hometown to discover that her own story is not what it seems and that her interpretation of events are not accurate.
February 6, 2009
When the weather gets colder it is time for many of us to ‘hunker down’ with a reading list. I decided to start this season by featuring some old and new titles from the fiction and non-fiction list. Most writers are inspired by the events in their own lives and others take a classic story and modernize details to make the story more relevant to readers.
“Lopsided: How having breast cancer can be really distracting” was written by Meredith Norton. It is hard to believe that this true story about a young mother’s fight for life could be so captivating. She is brutally honest about her life and funny in her descriptions of people, places and events that she experiences.
“The Best day of Someone Else’s Life” is a fair example of ‘chick lit’ by Kerry Reichs. She creates a wry tale of a young woman who seems to be always the bridesmaid and never the bride. While yearning for the ‘BDOYL’ the main character ‘Vi’ grows self reliant and strong.
“The condition” by Jennifer Haigh is a title that was published in 2004. This novel centers on a dysfunctional New England family. One of the main characters has a rare genetic condition but as you read you discover that all of the family members have a condition of sorts. All of the family members suffer individually from unrealized expectations or closeted truths.
“She Got Up Off the Couch” by Haven Kimmel is one of those works that draws freely from the author’s life. This family is the most desperately poor and hard-living in the entire community. In spite of the overwhelming struggle for dignity some how Zippy’s mother perseveres and overcomes. This title will be added to our collection very soon.
“The Story of Edgar Sawtelle” is the latest Oprah pick. Author David Wroblewski’s first novel channels Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The story is replete with murdered fathers, ghosts and loyal compatriots-even though they are dogs. There are many worlds featured in this novel and the bridges of communication between the worlds are keenly observed. I wondered if all of the Danish ancestry in the Wisconsin area was the greater influence on the novel.
For the long winter ahead consider making your own reading list. Most major on-line outlets feature a ‘if you like this book then you might like this author’; it is a sort of referral system. There are on-line book clubs and every magazine prints a release list. Our staff will be happy to help you search!
September 19, 2008
When the weather gets colder it is time for many of us to ‘hunker down’ with a reading list. I decided to start this season by featuring some old and new titles from the fiction and non-fiction list. Most writers are inspired by the events in their own lives and others take a classic story and modernize details to make the story more relevant to readers.
“Lopsided: How having breast cancer can be really distracting” was written by Meredith Norton. It is hard to believe that this true story about a young mother’s fight for life could be so captivating. She is brutally honest about her life and funny in her descriptions of people, places and events that she experiences.
“The Best day of Someone Else’s Life” is a fair example of ‘chick lit’ by Kerry Reichs. She creates a wry tale of a young woman who seems to be always the bridesmaid and never the bride. While yearning for the ‘BDOYL’ the main character ‘Vi’ grows self reliant and strong.
“The condition” by Jennifer Haigh is a title that was published in 2004. This novel centers on a dysfunctional New England family. One of the main characters has a rare genetic condition but as you read you discover that all of the family members have a condition of sorts. All of the family members suffer individually from unrealized expectations or closeted truths.
“She Got Up Off the Couch” by Haven Kimmel is one of those works that draws freely from the author’s life. This family is the most desperately poor and hard-living in the entire community. In spite of the overwhelming struggle for dignity some how Zippy’s mother perseveres and overcomes. This title will be added to our collection very soon.
“The Story of Edgar Sawtelle” is the latest Oprah pick. Author David Wroblewski’s first novel channels Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The story is replete with murdered fathers, ghosts and loyal compatriots-even though they are dogs. There are many worlds featured in this novel and the bridges of communication between the worlds are keenly observed. I wondered if all of the Danish ancestry in the Wisconsin area was the greater influence on the novel.
For the long winter ahead consider making your own reading list. Most major on-line outlets feature a ‘if you like this book then you might like this author’; it is a sort of referral system. There are on-line book clubs and every magazine prints a release list. Our staff will be happy to help you search!
November 17, 2008
So Many Books——–
Fall is settling in; the leaves are turning and there is a cool nip in the morning air. It is good ‘berry picking weather’ as we say on the east coast but instead of partridgeberries I have chosen a couple of titles…..
An Irish Country Village by Patrick Taylor is part of an ongoing series that centers on the life of an Irish country doctor. A sort of combination of Dr. Finley’s case book and Ballykissangel set in the 60’s.
The Monsters of Templeton by Laura Groff was a peculiar sort of read. Set in a fictional New England town the story centers around the genealogy of a young grad student. Add a strange cast of characters and throw in a mythical lake monster and you have the condensed version of this book. I recommended it to some people that loved the story and other who couldn’t finish the first chapter.
I have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes by Jaclyn Moriarty was another strange read. This Australian writer spent some time in Ontario but it left her with no great affection for Canadians. That however, is a minor detail in a complex story line. When it starts you think you are reading about modern day witches but that is not the case.
Children of the Day by Canadian author Sandra Birdsell was a story I could not put down. When it opens in the morning we meet the Vandal family, parents and two children and it seems that everyone is on the verge of their own personal collapse. The day develops and there are glimpses into the past that motivates the characters and helps to enlighten the reader. The situations that are forced on the family members, even the youngest, are fraught with trauma.
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So many books….so little time…. (Posted July 14)
And here we are in the ‘dog days of summer’. Most readers look for a beach read-something light and not too challenging- to enjoy during their vacations. I tend to read whatever appeals to me and do listen to the patrons at the desk when they tell us how much they enjoy one author or another.
Earlene Fowler was recommended as an enjoyable writer. People are still lining up for the new Patricia Cornwell and Clive Cussler has a devoted following even though he, like Robert Ludlum, are sharing authorial credit with other writers.
“Comfort Food” – a new book from Kate Jacobs-2008- author of Friday Night Knitting Club has arrived in our library. The plot is tres-light and not too challenging. The main ‘Martha-like’ heroine faces a variety of problems and there is a typical ending but none the less it is an enjoyable read.
The new Marian Keyes has arrived. “This Charming Man” is really three stories about three young women and the problem that they all share-unbeknownst to each other until the end. It was odd at first to see three different fonts used for each character. While the subject manner is serious, Marian uses light hearted humour to describe the characters and the unusual people that share their lives. I can’t tell you who I like more, Aunt Bid and her beauty critiques, the Friday night cross dressing group or the old lady that runs an off-license pub in her living room. My favourite main character was Lola.
I read a couple of older titles that we had on the shelves.
“Set This House In Order – a romance of souls” by Matt Ruff (2003) is certainly not an easy beach read. The story is a compelling drama about a person with multiple personality disorder. I won’t tell you the major plot twist but it was gripping.
“The Village of Small Houses” by Canadian author Ian Ferguson was a real find. An older title-published in 2003, Ferguson captures the hard scrabble Northern life that his family shared. This is a biography of a struggling family but he also describes the North and its people so well that the reader can put a face to everyone. In that way it reminded me of Elizabeth Hays “Late Night on Air” except that this is a real story about real people and, because it is told through the eyes of a child, there is no real romance. The only abiding love is the one Ian has for the North.
The last book that I read and can whole heartedly recommend to anyone is “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen. It is anything but a standard narrative tale that focuses on the life of Jacob Jankowski, an old man in a nursing home. Through a series of flash backs the seedy underside of circus life in the 1920’s is explored. This was so well written I could not put it down and in fact, I finished reading the book in two days. Not too shabby when I consider all the other interesting demands on my time!
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Thank you! Glad to be on your favorites list!
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.