Question of the Week: What do YOU recommend?

I suggest a lot of titles to customers, plus my family and friends, but I don't normally ask for recommendations (probably because I always have a tall stack of books waiting to be read). I'd love to hear from you. What have you recently read that was amazing? Shocking? Fun? Weird? Compelling?

Here are a few recommendations from me:

I recommend listening to the audiobook of The Glass Castle. I got so hooked while I was driving that I didn't want to get out of the car.

Question of the Week: What cookbook can't you cook without?

There are a slew of new cookbooks coming out this fall and I am wild with excitement to check them out and try something new. Nothing smells like autumn to me like a loaf of bread baking in the oven and a pot of chili simmering on the stove. I don't know about you but my cooking takes a nosedive in the summer and I live off of bread salads and BLTs and grilled salmon until the temperature outside is far cooler than the temperature inside. The shift from summer to fall always inspires me to slip on an apron and flip through cookbooks until I find the perfect dish to try. My husband's cooking bible is The Joy of Cooking but I tend to lean toward new classics like Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and Kate McMillan's Soup of the Day. 

What cookbook or cookbooks can't you cook without?

Question of the week: What are some of your favorite audiobooks for car trip listening?

 Do you have a car trip vacation in your future? Do you have a long daily commute to work? Believe it or not, I actually look forward to my car time because sitting behind the wheel gives me permission to transport myself into another world - steampunk Victorian England, a Regency Period servant's quarters, pre-Civil War era Charleston, or just someone else's current reality.  A car trip suddenly becomes a treat rather than a trial (as long as I remember to keep my eyes on the road...).  Of course, a great narrator is a must for creating that experience and I have become quite a connoisseur of excellent readers.  Here are a few of my favorite recent car "reads." What are you listening to?

Question of the Week: What types of humor books do you like to read?

 In your opinion, what makes a book really funny? Do you read humorous fiction? Books by comedians? Funny essays? As part of a training session I'm working on, I've been looking at all the different categories of humor. There are way more than I had realized! I typically read humorous biographies and memoirs, but I'm currently trying some essays. What types of humor books do you like to read?

Question of the Week: What is your favorite memoir?

I read a lot of memoirs. In fact, four of the last ten books I read were memoirs. Most recently I devoured Delancy: A Man, a Woman, a Restaurant, a Marriage by Molly Wizenberg, Grace After Midnightt by Felicia "Snoop" Pearson, and Sous Chef by Michael Gibney, three very different books. I enjoy getting lost in other people's stories and more often than not find true life even more fascinating than fiction.

What memoir or biography have you read recently that you enjoyed?

Question of the Week: What is your favorite trilogy?

I read a lot of trilogies, and I often find that I love the first book in the trilogy, am slightly disappointed in the second, and really like the third one. Here are some trilogies that I enjoyed:

1.Smitten  2.Secretly Smitten  3.Smitten Book Club

1.Proof  2.Poison  3.Peril

1.Hostage in Havana  2.Murder in Miami  3.Payback in Panama

                       1.Lightkeeper's Daughter  2.Lightkeeper's Bride  3.Lightkeeper's Ball

                   1.When the Smoke Clears  2.When a Heart Stops  3.When a Secret Kills

What are your favorite trilogies?

Question of the Week: What Have You Learned from a Book You Recently Read?

Occasionally I have a hard time finding non-fiction titles that capture my interest, so a couple of weeks ago, I decided to browse my library's non-fiction audiobook section. I also checked out OverDrive's eBook nonfiction titles. I found some great selections including Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat by Hal Herzog. According to the publisher's description, "Hal Herzog, a maverick scientist and leader in the field of anthrozoology offers a controversial, thought-provoking, and unprecedented exploration of the psychology behind the inconsistent and often paradoxical ways we think, feel and behave towards animals". While listening to this book, I learned about many fascinating studies and surprising statistics on topics ranging from dog breeds and vegetarianism to cockfighting and gender differences in the treatment of animals. 

Two other books that I'm thoroughly enjoying are Moonwalking with Einstein and The Mind's Eye.
What interesting information have you learned from a book you recently read?

Question of the Week: What is your favorite science fiction novel?

One of my all time favorite science fiction novels is The left hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin.

 

A groundbreaking work of science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants can change their gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter's inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. But to do so he must bridge the gulf between his own views and those of the completely dissimilar culture that he encounters.

 

Le Guin was in the forefront as science fiction really began to discuss women's issues.

 

I recently read Among others by Jo Walton.  Walton crosses genre boundaries in this book, so it is really not science fiction, but Morwenna finds her salvation in reading science fiction.  She is very excited when she joins a science fiction only book club.  I really enjoyed remembering the many titles I had read that are mentioned in Among others.

 

Are you interested in reading more science fiction.  Look at our new science fiction lists under Recommended Reading listed under Books on our homepage. 

Question of the Week: Have You Secretly Enjoyed a "Kids" Book?

The Wall Street Journal and Publisher's Weekly have both recently highlighted a trend of adults reading books marketed to middle school aged children.  As the WSJ article mentions:

Some children's-book authors are deliberately shaping their books for adults. Mr. Kinney, author of the mega best-selling series, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," said he first envisioned his illustrated books about a middle-school kid named Greg as wry cartoons for adults. His first draft was 1,300 illustrated pages. His publisher, Abrams, convinced him to target kids, arguing that the sassy young narrator would appeal to children, and adults would follow. 

Personally, I couldn't agree more that books that are supposed to be for fifth and sixth graders are some of the most delightful reads out there, especially in the fantasy and historical fiction genres. Do you have a favorite kid's book that you have enjoyed as an adult, or that you know an adult has enjoyed?

Palacio, R. J. Wonder. Alfred A. Knopf, 2012. 

Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.

Sage, Angie. Physik.  Katherine Tegen Books, 2007. 

Pulled through a glass that brings him back in time, Septimus Heap becomes the apprentice of an alchemist.

Question of the Week: What is your favorite time period in fiction books?

My favorite time period is actually not a time in history that I would have wanted to live through, but it makes for very riveting reading: World War II in Europe. Why? I love the suspense and action involved with spies and members of the Resistance. Aid raid sirens, ration books, secret hiding places--the horrors people had to live through are heartbreaking, but it fascinates me to read stories about people who fight back and triumph over evil.

I recently finished Snow on the Tulips, which is set in the Netherlands near the end of WWII, and it gripped me from the very first page. Cornelia wants nothing to do with the war after losing her husband on their wedding day, and she helps hide her younger brother Johan in a secret spot in her home, afraid of losing him to a German labor camp. Johan comes home one day with a wounded Resistance fighter named Gerrit, and Cornelia has no choice but to hide Gerrit and nurse him back to health. With the Gestapo constantly knocking on doors and searching homes, Cornelia lives in fear but can't bring herself to kick Gerrit out.

I'm in the middle of reading All God's Children, a story about an American living with her German relatives in Munich in 1942. She hides a Jewish family in her relatives' apartment while they're out of town, but things get complicated because a German army doctor is also living in the apartment. I can't decide which of the two books I like more!

What's your favorite time period? Are you a fan of historical fiction? Do you prefer to stick with contemporary stories? Or are you all about the future?

Question of the Week: Has a book ever deceived you?

Admit it:  there's nothing quite like the feel of a brand-spanking-new library book, complete with fresh plastic cover.  I satisfy my urge to be the first customer to read a library book by scanning the publishing magazines.  When I find something that sounds good, I see if Sno-Isle owns it, and Bob's your uncle.

Every now and then, the cover doesn't match what I expected.  When I got my copy of Vicious by V.E. Schwab, I couldn't for the life of me recall why I had requested it. 

The cover depicts a man in a trench coat standing on a balcony that overlooks a high-tech cityscape.  The man's skin is deathly pale and his veins are clearly visible.  Blood drips from his hand. This cover hints of near future and horror. Hey, wait!  It looks like Science Fiction or Fantasy!  I read Mysteries.  The book's summary must have been incorrect.  This isn't my cup of tea - or is it?

The book stayed on my nightstand for several days, until it was time to choose my next read.  I decided I'd give this a try.  Am I ever glad I did!  From page one, I was entranced and turning pages long into the night. 

 Two college roommates have an interest in physiology.  Victor decides to do his thesis on adrenaline; Eli's will focus on EOs (ExtraOrdinaries,or "super" people).  Now, Victor is a little jealous of Eli's thesis topic; it doesn't help that he's also dating the woman of Victor's dreams.  But now that Eli has chosen the better thesis topic, Victor has got to get in on the glory that's sure to follow his success.  The pair hypothesize that an EO can be manufactured by providing them with an NDE, a Near Death Experience.  Victor volunteers to go first, but things go wrong.  He comes back, but he isn't in any way better.  When it's Eli's turn, they know a bit more and can plan better.  Eli's attempt is successful:  he is an EO.  Victor is in a jealous rage, and nothing will stop him from achieving his own EO status, with or without the help of his "friend."

Would you know "evil" if you saw it?  Are you sure?

Tell me about a book that deceived you.   Were you glad you'd read it?

Question of the Week: What Series Keeps You Coming Back for More?

I am a big fan of mystery series.  Some of my favorites are dark and gritty, and some are decidedly cozy and gentle.  Some are long-running, and some are just getting started.  There is one thing they all have in common:  characters I want to know better.  I'd like to share some of my favorites with you. 

  

Patrik Hedström Mysteries by Camilla Läckberg
Set in Fjällbacka, Sweden, each entry has proved to be gripping and satisfying.  The page-turning action is nicely paired with characters who develop in every outing.  Think Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with a teeny bit more heart.  There are four books in this fairly new series, the first of which is The Ice Princess.

Inspector Alleyn Mysteries by Ngaio Marsh
Marsh was a contemporary of Agatha Christie, and was often compared to her.  It is my opinion that Marsh was a top-notch mystery author whose work easily stands on its own.  Her classic mysteries are cozy without being twee, and her main character is someone you wish you knew in real life.  With 32 entries, this is a series for those who are looking for a long-term relationship.
 
Dr. Siri Paiboun Mysteries by Colin Cotterill
These charmingly funny mysteries are set in Laos.  Dr. Paiboun would like nothing more than to retire and enjoy life.  Unfortunately, at 72 years of age, he's been named the National Coroner and, in post-revolutionary Laos, you don't refuse such a job offer.  Paiboun discovers he has the ability to communicate with the spirits of the dead.  This can be quite handy - and frightening, too.  First up is The Coroner's Lunch.

What is your favorite series?  Why?

Question of the week: What is your book equivelent of comfort food?

It's that time of year again...cold season!  And if you are like me, you need to have a couple of really wonderful books set aside to get you through those sick days.  One I always find soothing is The Princess Bride by William Goldman.  Maybe it is because it is set up as a grandfather reading to his grandson when he is sick.  Or maybe it is because the humor always cheers me up, or the fact I know love will win out in the end.

What are your comfort books?  And what is it that keeps you coming back?