Showing posts with label Readers' Advisory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Readers' Advisory. Show all posts

Friday, August 9, 2013

Rainy Day Reads

When I lived in Chicago I frequently listed to radio station WNIB, which until 2000 played classical music.  The morning host for a time there was a gentleman named Obie Yadgar.  On rainy mornings Obie would give a brief weather report followed by the remark, "It's a good day to stay inside with a samovar of tea and a Russian novel."  I was usually on my way to work at the time and often thought, "Yes it is Obie," and it was all I could do to not turn the car around and head home.

Well, my friends, today is definitely one of those days.  I'm at work, so the samovar of tea is out, but here at the Wells Public Library we have plenty of Russian novels.  If Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Pasternak are not to your liking, maybe you'd like to read another good "rainy day read."  Here are some books that just might suit your rainy day mood.  They're dark, gloomy, and bleak - perfect for a day like today. And while not written by a Russian, many of them do reflect Tolstoy's observation, "All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick and The Wives of Henry Oades by Johanna Moran.  I'll  be spending the weekend rereading these dark, yet compelling historical novels about difficult marriages.
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. This story of a race car driver narrated by his faithful dog is a poignant tale of love, loss, and loyalty.
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.  If you haven't read this gripping psychological thriller do it now, before the movie comes out.  
Evidence of Love by Melissa McConnell. I read this thriller about a woman searching for her missing fiance who gets mixed up in some shady Washington dealings a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. 
The Punch by Noah Hawley. Hawley takes family dysfunction to new levels in this dark, yet occasionally funny story about two brothers, their mother, and their father's funeral.
The Tie that Binds by Kent Haruf.  Haruf's novels reflect the harsh, sparse, yet beautiful Great Plains of northern Colorado where they are set.  In his first novel he tells the story of a brother, a sister, and the father who controls their lives.  

That's my list, although I'm sure I could come up with many more suggestions.  If you'd like to read these or other books, just visit the MINERVA online catalog, or call the library at 646-8181.

Enjoy your weekend, and we'll see you at the library.


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Monday, June 4, 2012

Calling Invisible Women

Note: This is the first of what we hope will be regular book reviews from Library Staff members.


Calling Invisible Women by Jeanne Ray tells the story of Clover Hobart, a middle-aged wife, mother, and journalist, who wakes up one morning to discover she's become invisible. And I don't mean invisible in the metaphorical sense, but actually, clothes-floating-in-space invisible. While her best friend notices right away that Clover's appearance has changed, Clover's own family doesn't notice that anything is different.

Her new condition, along with her family's indifference sends Clover into a state of depression, until the day she reads a notice in the local paper calling all invisible women to meet at the Sheraton Hotel.  There, Clover discovers a support group for other invisible women who eventually decide to take action - to use their invisibility kind of like a super power- to right wrongs, including taking on the big pharmaceutical company  believed to be responsible for their invisibility.

When I read the review of this in Library Journal, I was intrigued, but skeptical.  I'm not a fan of fantasy and thought this might be too fantastic for my taste.  But, I was surprised. Despite its premise, it was grounded in realism, and Ray obviously spent a lot of time thinking about the problems that invisibility would cause, and how to overcome them. The characters are likable, and Ray manages to inject humor into the situation.  And even though Clover's invisibility was an actual physical manifestation, the author does cause the reader to think about invisibility in the larger, metaphorical sense. I found Calling Invisible Women to be a light, enjoyable way to spend a summer afternoon.


This book is not yet available at the Wells Public Library but may be requested from another library through the MINERVA online catalog.
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Thursday, May 31, 2012

Summer Reading Lists

It's almost summer, and time for lazy days in the sun with a cool drink and a good book.  If you're looking for a few ideas of what to read, the State Library has posted a list of Summer Reading Suggestions from various websites. Remember that if there's a book here that you want to read and we don't have it in our collection, we are happy to help you to request it from another library through our MINERVA catalog. And, as always, if you need more suggestions feel free to ask a librarian.  We're always happy to help you find just the right book.

Here they are.  Enjoy!

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