Latest Additions August 31, 2009
Posted by stacey in Fiction.Tags: Latest Additions, The Reading Room
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Oh, weird weather, you are my friend! I love this freakishly cool weather instead of the humid, don’t you? It’s so refreshing and it allows me to return to one of my favorite obsessions -snack food. With the cool weather, ice cream has returned to it’s rightful spot in my “snack food” arsenal. (p.s. If you call it a snack food, then you can partake of it’s creamy goodness any time of the day… good thinking, no?) Yet, as much as I love my ice cream, I’ve begun to dream of the food you can get at the county fair. I am fully aware that deep-fried food -usually eaten off a stick- may not be so good for you but I love them anyway. I’m prepared to consume: cheese-on-a-stick, an elephant ear, and a deep fried candy bar for sure, but I’m not ruling out anything else that looks appealing. Yep. My mouth is watering already, isn’t yours? Sadly, I won’t be eating these tidbits of joy until next week, but I’m trying to savor the anticipation as much as I know I’ll savor th0se snacks… yum! Hmm, what else can I savor? How about one of the newest books to hit The Reading Room! No, they don’t taste as good as fair food, but they are less likely to clog my arteries…
The French Gardner by Santa Montefiore
Ice Run by Steve Hamilton
The Moon Looked Down by Dorothy Garlock
Below Zero by C.J. Box
Brimstone by Robert B. Parker
Emily’s Ghost by Denise Giardina
Little Brother by Cory Doctrow
Bury Me Deep by Megan Abbott
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
Thicker Than Water by Anthea Fraser
What do you think? Do you see a book that might tempt you as much as a cheese-on-a-stick? (Disclaimer: If you decide to read one of these books while eating fried foods, could you please keep a napkin handy. Okay? Thanks!)
—Stacey
A Philosophical Journey August 28, 2009
Posted by Rosemary in Non-Fiction, Thoughtful Ramblings.add a comment
Matthew B. Crawford, author of Shop Class as Soulcraft, holds a PhD in political philosophy, is a fellow at the University of Virginia, and owns his own motorcycle repair shop. Although he was raised in a commune, this isn’t another Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, in which Robert Pirsig motorcycles half-way across the country with his young son in search of himself. Crawford is not on a road trip, but a philosophical journey through the value of manual labor. Not assembly line work, where an employee often has little feel or care for the objects created, but rather the trades such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, as well as car and motorcycle repair. These are the kind of jobs that will always be, not able to be outsourced across the world; jobs in which the good worker is intimately part of building or repairing an object.
After college, time spent in an office of cubicles writing summaries of technical articles, followed by a stint as the director of a think tank, convinced Crawford to try work he loved — motorcycle repair. He repaired and rebuilt motorcycles slowly and lovingly, learning that understanding the whole machine is a necessity. Soon he was accepted by a community of riders and old-timer mechanics who knew every cycle ever made. To earn a living, he knew he would have to work faster or charge exorbitant rates, neither of which he could do. He now divides his time between manual labor and the academic world.
Crawford leaves us with the view that our modern world has disconnected us from truly understanding the material world. To reconnect, he proposes that we become able to make and repair things, not to save money, but for the satisfaction of becoming the “master of one’s own stuff.”
If you are not mechanically inclined, parts of the motorcycle sections might not be for you, but his philosophy of work could intrigue you.
~Rosemary
Latest Additions August 24, 2009
Posted by stacey in Fiction, Non-Fiction.Tags: Latest Additions, The Reading Room
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Ah, the hideous heat has been temporarily banished and I’m grateful. It’s allowed me to have thoughts other that “I’m HOT” and “I don’t like this darn humidity!” So, over the last couple of days I’ve been thinking about: how surprisingly controversial my dislike of pachysandra is and why people think it’s okay to let their pet cats roam freely over the neighborhood. The first topic comes to mind because: a) I’m not stunned by the beauty of this particular ground cover and b) it harbors decaying organic matter, which in turn attracts centipedes and I really don’t like that so I’m removing it with glee. And that brings up the second topic because, while I was yanking the pachysandra up, I made a new four-footed friend in my driveway. That brings my total outdoor cat acqauintence count up to five and at least two of them are declawed. I have an indoor cat so I’m more than happy to meet and greet these new fluff balls of fun but I worry. I worry about their safety, about their health more than anything, but I also have to think about all that new, soft ground I just uncovered. Will they come by to say,”hi” and leave a treasure in this dirt? (If you have a cat, you know what I mean.) Hmm, well. I guess I’m still a little in my August ranting mode, sorry about that. Maybe you’d like to distract yourself from my ramblings and read one of the new entries in The Reading Room? Theres a lot to choose from, that’s one thing I know for sure!
Temptation and Surrender by Stephanie Laurens
April and Oliver by Angela Hunt
Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison
Where You Once Belonged by Kent Haruf
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
The Memory Collector by Meg Gardiner
The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand
Marked by P.C. Cast
The Defector by Daniel Silva
Jump by Tim Maleeny
Killer Cuts by Elaine Viets
The Glen Rock Book of the Dead by Marion Winik
Bound by Sally Gunning
The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner
Second Sight by George D. Shuman
Curing the Blues with a New Pair of Shoes by Dixie Cash
Allrighty then, now you can choose a new book to read or you can join me in my rants… Leave a comment/question/concern about: the heat, pachysandra, indoor vs. outdoor pets. Or -of course- you could leave a comment about a book you found in Latest Addtitions? Or maybe one you love, but you don’t think we’ve heard about yet? We’d love to hear from you!
—Stacey
Hey, Summer Isn’t Over Yet! August 23, 2009
Posted by Rosemary in Uncategorized.add a comment
Donna mentioned a few books she is hoping to read before summer is over. I have a few books, too, that I hope to read before Labor Day. I’ve just started Pat Conroy’s South of Broad, and I’m already falling for the troubled Leo. The book has received mixed reviews. A friend’s husband is well into the story, and he thinks the character development is excellent. I think Chas is right!
I’m also looking forward to David Rosenfelt’s New Tricks and Kwei Quartey’s Wife of the Gods, one of Stacey’s favorites. ~Rosemary 
Have you finished your summer reading yet? August 21, 2009
Posted by Donna in Thoughtful Ramblings, Uncategorized.add a comment
School is starting for me next week and I’m in a panic because I haven’t finished my summer reading! Oh no, I think I need a few more weeks! How did the summer fly by so fast? From my list that I posted in July, I have only read two of the four books! To be honest, I have read about 10 other books besides those two but still….I haven’t finished my list and I’m running out of time!
I’m finishing a book that wasn’t on my list and it’s great! It is The Doomsday Key : A Sigma Force Novel by James Rollins.
So…this is what I’m going to do this weekend to enjoy the last few days of August:
Hope you will too! Happy Reading! ~Donna
Latest Additions August 17, 2009
Posted by stacey in Fiction.Tags: Latest Additions, The Reading Room
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With all due respect to the people who love the month of August, I abhor these 31 days. It’s invariably hot and humid and just generally very uncomfortable weather. So now, having confessed to some ugly feelings about an unfortunate, weather challenged month, I’d like you to know you will most likely hear more about this topic. Probably four Mondays per year, perhaps? Two down and two to go…
Ack! I’m sorry… okay… Let me see if I can turn this around and focus on something positive. Oooh! I know! August is the best time to embrace your love of ice cream! Right? Right! Once I get home -after stopping at the grocery store of course- I’ll be eating a big scoop of coffee ice cream and a big scoop of rocky road and maybe a medium scoop of caramel fudge brownie! Ahhh, no. In the spirit of honesty, it’ll probably be a big scoop of caramel fudge brownie too. Yum!
And while I eat my ridiculously large servings of ice cream, I’ll be reading! Hey, maybe I’ll be reading one of these books:
Love Finds You in Last Chance, California by Miralee Ferrell
Brink of Death by Brandilyn Collins
The Painted Bird by Jerzy Kosinski
Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo
What about you? Are you ready for some ice cream and a good book?
—Stacey
A Cool Book for a Hot Day August 14, 2009
Posted by Rosemary in Fiction, New Books.add a comment
We made a quick trip down to Nashville early this week. There wasn’t going to be much time for relaxing and sinking into a good book, so I had to choose the book I would take with care. When I saw that the weather predictions were for temperatures in the high 90s, I knew exactly which book to take: The Frozen Thames by Helen Humphreys.
This pint-sized book tells the story of the 40 times the river Thames froze completely over between 1142 and 1895. Each of the 40 years has a several page vignette as told from one individual’s viewpoint. The author’s unusually creative approach to historical fiction is based on documented facts, many of which were mentioned in 3 books published from 1814 to 1887. Some
of the stories are immensely sad, since the frozen river caused much loss and pain. But there are other stories that will amuse and start the hint of a smile on the reader’s face.
~Rosemary
My Summer Reading August 12, 2009
Posted by Ann in Uncategorized.add a comment
Here is a selection of what I’ve been reading this summer. Some of the books are so good that I dreaded coming to the end.
The Rest of Her Life by Laura Moriarty speaks to everyone, especially women. In a moment of inattentiveness, teenager Kara Churchill hits and kills a pedestrian (another student) in a traffic accident, and from that moment on the rest of her life changes. With insight, grace, and pain, Moriarty probes mother-daughter relationships and family relationships in the wake of tragedy. This is Laura Moriarty’s second novel, and it’s another stunning achievement. I discovered Laura Moriarty when she wrote her first novel, The Center of Everything. I’m happy that her third book, While I’m Falling, has just been released.
The Family Man, Elinor Lipman’s latest, is lots of fun. Bachelor Henry Archer finds his life enriched when he gradually changes his lifestyle from single lonely man, to attached with a family, albeit an unconventional one. With Lipman, expect the laugh-out- loud humorous observations of mother-daughter and family relationships as well as society in general.
I’ve been saving Ice Run by Steve Hamilton because it’s the last Alex McKnight book he’s written. This book is so descriptive of place (the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and southern Ontario) and setting (a cold snowy February), that even if you read it in the middle of summer, it will make you shiver. Alex McKnight has a new girlfriend, Natalie, a woman who is an Ontario Provincial Police officer. Their relationship is very sudden, very intense. But of course if you’ve read previous books in the series you know that Alex is going to find his way to trouble- and as often as not through no fault of his own. This time trouble begins at the Ojibway Hotel in Sault St. Marie, Michigan (the Soo) when an old man watches Alex while he’s there with Natalie. Later he delivers a hat to them saying, “I know who you are.” The next day the old man is found dead, frozen to death on the cold streets of the winter Soo. The non-stop pace of this mystery/thriller will chill you to the bone.
I couldn’t put Liz Rigbey’s Summertime down. Her first book, Total Eclipse, written in 1995, was equally a page-turner. In this book, the lovely and lonely northern California coastal region is the setting. Lucy returns to California after a three year hiatus when her father mysteriously dies. Tragedies and stories from the past muddy the waters of the present in this wonderful mystery. I can’t find much information about author Liz Rigbey, but sure wish she’d write another book!
~Ann
Latest Additions August 10, 2009
Posted by stacey in Fiction, Non-Fiction.Tags: Latest Additions, The Reading Room
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I just have to mention -it’s hot out! And it’s the kind of hot that you can only get in Northeast Ohio: a little bit of blazing sun and a lot of oppressive humidity, sort of like you’re trapped in a sauna. This is my least favorite type of weather and it comes every August, no ifs, ands, or buts. The only thing that makes it bearable is the old a/c. And then this makes me think, how did people live here before air conditioning? I mean really. How could you stand knowing that you would feel hot and sticky all day? No relief in sight? I would hate that, wouldn’t you? I feel lucky to live after Mr. Carrier found a way to cool our air, allowing us to live full and productive lives in most horrible humid heat. Plus, he worked with the Whitman Candy Company to cool their factory in 1923… cool me, cool my candy? I love that! So let’s honor this visionary man by selecting some tasty chocolate, picking up a book, and reading indoors. Hey, maybe you’ll want to read one of these books:
Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen
The Daily Coyote by Shreve Stockton
Deep in the Heart of Trouble by Deeanne Gist
Doesn’t She Look Natural by Angela Hunt
If you aren’t lucky enough to have air conditioning at home, please come to the library. We’ve got it here and we’re willing to share! (Along with free books, magazines, movies, and music!) Pretty sweet, right? Free stuff and it’s cool to boot. That’s a win/win! And remember to take it easy when it’s so super hot, okay?
—Stacey
Time for a Change August 5, 2009
Posted by Rosemary in New Books, Non-Fiction, Thoughtful Ramblings, Uncategorized.add a comment
Summer reading is often thought of as light and breezy. The nonfiction book I am recommending is definitely easy to read, but it also takes a deeper, more philosophical, turn as the story unfolds. Building a Home with My Husband: A Journey Through the Renovation of Love by Rachel Simon is a memoir of the time Rachel and Hal renovated their very old home in Delaware. After a burglar enters their home, Rachel decides they should move to a different neighborhood. Once they review their finances, they understand that renovation is all that they can afford. Hal is an architect, so he designs the renovation and hires the general contractor. The renovation begins, but soon there are many expensive difficulties to face and many time delays.
Rachel and Hal’s tale would be interesting enough on its own, but Rachel layers in
compelling memories of her family and a heartrending breakup with Hal thirteen years earlier. The author deftly shows how everyday lives can be luminous with meaning as she explores the intricacies of human relationships. Even if you have no interest in home renovation, you will be captivated by Rachel’s memoir because, underneath the travails of renovation, it is a love story through and through.
~Rosemary~
