I'll read anything, except. . .

I am a pretty adventurous reader. While I have my favorite authors and genres, I will try anything, except. . . science fiction and horror. I have no desire. I still remember watching my first (and nearly last) horror movie in junior high. I refused to take the trash out alone for weeks afterward. I hate horror. . . I don't mind an occasional sci-fi movie (loved the Matrix and X-men series), but I have never read sci-fi. I have long held the theory (recently confirmed) that only REALLY brilliant people read science fiction. My husband, one of the smartest men I know, reads sci-fi almost exclusively. Our G/T coordinator at school prefers sci-fi (she was an astro-physicist in a former life), and my brother-in-law (very brilliant mind) reads sci-fi (he also reads other books - that I would consider textbook quality - for fun). Like I said, brilliant minds. . .

Last month our book club re-convened. Bigger, more diverse and better than ever. In hopes of keeping our few males members interested, we all agreed to read their book of choice. Hyperion by Dan Simmons. I half-heartedly started the book, and by the second page, I was so confused, I nearly quit. In all honesty, it took almost 100 pages for me to enjoy the story, but by then I was hooked. We all were. Only one member of our club quit, the rest finished, though for most, it was really outside of our comfort zone. It was a cleverly crafted story and most members of our club are already on the second book. In October, we're reading a mystery (a Nero Wolfe novel) and in November/December we are reading a western by Cormac McCarthy. Anyone want to join us?

I picked up a new YA book this week. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. It is a horror story about (wait, brace yourself. . .) zombies. Seriously. I read the whole book on Sunday afternoon and enjoyed the story. It has a strong female character, which I love, and is an easy, entertaining read. I thought the book ending somewhat abruptly, leaving me to wonder if there would be a book two. . . If so, I will read my second horror story.

So, now as I wander the stacks in search of the perfect book for a student, I can no longer say, "Well, I will read anything, except. . . "

The Thirteenth Tale

Last week, a colleague walked into the library and asked me if I had read The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. I had not. She told me I had to read it, set the book on my counter, visited for another minute and then walked out.

From September to May, I read a fairly steady diet of YA and cross-over lit (books written for adults, but read by teens). This may sound like work, but, in all honesty - YA is my guilty pleasure. I love this genre. Feeling like I should read one more novel, I started the book that same night. My plan was to give at least 25 pages (my advice to kids), skim the rest and return it. I was hooked from the first page. There were some sentences that took my breath away. Brilliantly crafted in Gothic style, it was reminiscent of Wuthering Heights (hated it) and Jane Eyre (one of my favorite books of all time), this story captivated me. The ending completely surprised me - me . . . I almost always read ahead to the ending of a story (this book was no exception) and I was still surprised!

This is not a book I would have read from the summary on the back. It was only read to appease a friend, but I am so glad I gave it a try.

S0, in the continuing spirit of stepping out of our comfort zones . . our book club has chosen to read Hyperion by Dan Simmons. Lance and Dave selected it for us and most of us are looking forward to being forced out of our tried and true genres - will keep you updated on what our group thinks of this book. Why don't you read it with us?

"Our Community Reads"

This past week was crazy in the library. We are in the middle of setting up for the book fair (if I say anymore about that I will start to whine. . .), it's the end of the trimester for elementary and it was Valentine's week. In the middle of this, we hosted an "Our Community Reads" lunch in the library.

I love this program. We had 22 High School students and 17 adults from our community signed up. Marty (public library director) and I chose five books. The adults and students are matched by the titles they choose. In the past, we have had all types of books: sci fi, historical fiction, non-fiction, bios and YA lit. This time around we decided to focus on social justice issues - something that is near and dear to the hearts of our Love Alliance group. It was so cool to look around the library and see teens and adults, many of whom had just met, discussing issues and the books they are reading. Several of the adults and students are planning on reading more than one title. Success!

The Books (the issues):

The Soloist by Steve Lopez (mental health and homelessness)

Sold by Patricia McCormick (Sex trade, slavery)

Irresistible Revolution: living life as an ordinary radical
by Shane Claiborne (social justice, poverty)

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson (literacy, education)

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Holocaust)

Words cannot describe the joy I felt I as listened to students and adults talk about these issues and wrestle with ways they can change the world around them. I am so proud of our students and community. So, I am going to encourage you to take a moment this month to educate yourself about a social justice issue. Warning: It may change your life.

Confessions. . .

You may have noticed that I added Wuthering Heights in my "Good Books I've read recently". I lied. . . Not about reading the book - I read it for my book club (we're all still scratching our heads over that selection). I lied about the fact that I thought it was good. I didn't. Sorry. This is a very un-librarian thing to admit. It's true, I did not like the book. Finishing it was a bit like finishing the marathon, brutal, but I was SO proud of myself when I read that last sentence and put the book down - I had made it!! Further confessions (this will give you some clue as to the caliber of our club): Our "president" did not even finish the book and the average rating (on a scale of 1-10) was a 3. Our discussion was good, most of us were glad we had read it (there are lots of literary references to this book and now we know what people are referring to. . .), but not many of us understood what makes this book a classic. Any ideas???

Our next month's selection: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows