Best books of the year? Who cares?

Last year, I posted some of my favorite books of 2009, and I was thinking about making it a tradition.  But, the more I thought about it, the more I rebelled against the idea.  I write regularly about the books I like.  I could bore you by telling you, yet again, that you should read Super Sad True Love Story or Skippy Dies.  I could ask if you've yet discovered Maggie O'Farrell's writing, especially her new book The Hand That First Held Mine and, if not, why.  I could remind you, just in case you forgot, that The Solitude of Prime Numbers and The Story of a Marriage both prompted me to use the phrase "achingly beautiful" and that Room creeped the bejeebers out of me (but in a really good way).  I decided, though, that the repetition could be annoying and, frankly, all of the end of the year activities have me too worn out to make the list. 

Instead, I'm going to admit something to you that we book bloggers sometimes keep close to the vest: there are a lot of books I've not read this year.  A lot.  But, since the point of this little post is to avoid work, it wouldn't really do to list all of the books of the year that I've not read. I'm going to let others do the heavy lifting.  Any person or organization that has a connection to books, however tenuous, feels compelled to put out "Best of" lists (check out the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, or NPR's lists).  This year, in what is perhaps destined to be my new curmudgeonly tradition, here are the top three "Best of the Year" books that I can't bring myself to read. 

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen -- I know, I know.  It's the book of the century.  But I found The Corrections to be an overwrought, overwritten, overhyped tale of family dysfunction and disdain for the Midwest, so I can't quite muster any interest in this title.  Am I wrong?  Is it really as great as the hype? 

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larssen -- I know, I know.  It's the series of the century.  I'm a little apprehensive in part because of how much I've heard it described as very, very dark, and partly because once something is such a part of the social consciousness, I wimp out.  It's easier to be the person who has never read book X, rather than be the person who really hates book X (which is why I've still never seen a full episode of The Simpsons).   

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman -- I don't know why.  I checked it out.  I picked it up and promptly put it back down without even opening the cover.  No reason, I just wasn't interested.  Is it worth overcoming my apathy and checking out again? 

I'm quite serious when I ask: can you convince me that I'm wrong and that I should give them a try? Or, are there books that are your favorites of the year that I might have missed that you think should've made it to the "Best of" lists?

Lion of Liberty

I recently picked up Lion of Liberty: Patrick Henry and the Call to a New Nation by Harlow Giles Unger.  After reading such biographies on the Founding Fathers like His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph Ellis and John Adams by David McCullough, I decided to give this a try.  Patrick Henry, while best known for his "Give Me Liberty...or Give Me Death" speech just prior to the Revolution, was a far more prominent figure during America's early years than he is often given credit.

This wonderfully written biography gives the reader a better look into this oft-forgotten Founding Father.  Henry worked as an extremely effective lawyer in Virginia prior to the Revolution.  He was far different from many of his fellow revolutionaries in that he came from the backhills of Virginia, rather than a more populated area of the colonies.  Despite his Southern drawl, he received the respect from his contemporaries almost immediately.  Whether it be in the courtroom, the Continental Congress, or the governor's office later on in his life, Henry spoke with such eloquence and passion that fellow politicians listened with awe.

What I found to be most interesting is the Antifederalist stance Henry took after the Revolution.  He refused to take part in the Constitutional Convention because he believed the states should simply edit the Articles of Confederation, not write an entirely new document creating a more powerful national government.  Unger provides insight into Henry's political beliefs and sprinkles in some facts about his personal life to create a full portrait of Patrick Henry.

Win a free Karen Marie Moning book!

Cincinnati-born author Karen Marie Moning has a new book coming out next month.  Shadowfever is the newest installment in the "Fever" series and will be released on January 18, 2011.  To help celebrate this occasion, the author has graciously donated copies of the first book in the series to the library--and you can get your hands on your very own--for free!
Just come to the Adult Services desk at either location and ask for a copy of Darkfever--and it shall be yours. 


Here is a small description from Karen's website:
"MacKayla Lane’s life is good. She has great friends, a decent job, and a car that breaks down only every other week or so. In other words, she’s your perfectly ordinary twenty-first-century woman.
Or so she thinks... until something extraordinary happens.
When her sister is murdered, leaving a single clue to her death–a cryptic message on Mac’s cell phone–Mac journeys to Ireland in search of answers. The quest to find her sister’s killer draws her into a shadowy realm where nothing is as it seems, where good and evil wear the same treacherously seductive mask. She is soon faced with an even greater challenge: staying alive long enough to learn how to handle a power she had no idea she possessed–a gift that allows her to see beyond the world of man, into the dangerous realm of the Fae..." 
Darkfever at www.karenmoning.com.

The free give-away starts Tuesday, December 21, 2011 and will continue as long as supplies last. One book per person please.

Whether you get a free copy or not please try this great series which the author calls a romance, fantasy, mystery, and even a thriller. And don't forget to put yourself on hold for the newest book Shadowfever.

Darkfever
Bloodfever
Faefever
Dreamfever
Shadowfever

Growing older isn't always easy

I just read a wonderful story by Stacey McGlynn called Keeping Time. I was raised in a multi-generational home.  My grandparents lived with us so initially Dennis in the story drove me crazy.  I wanted to smack him for being clueless and pretty near heartless.   Daisy, his 77 year old widowed mother, has some elderly glitches.  She can no longer mow the lawn, fix things around the house, but she is far from useless.  When she gets stuck on a ladder in her basement, Dennis determines this is the last straw and she must move into an assisted care facility. 

Daisy has spirit and faces life changes with gusto.  She decides rather than sell her home she will go find the man of her dreams.  She met him and corresponded with him when she was a teenager. She doesn't know anything more about him, except he was a concert pianist.  She visits long lost relatives in America and ends up sharing her quest with them.

This story will make you laugh, sigh and at times make you want to smack a few of the characters.  For me Keeping Time was a coming of age story--for Daisy.  McGlynn shows that there is value in all people and that doing the unexpected may bring you answers and inner peace.

The (Greatly Exaggerated?) Death of Chick Lit

I will freely admit that my reading habits are a bit backward from what might be expected.  I often hear about "beach reads" for the summer, followed by a wintry season of more serious, literary works.  Maybe I'm literarily Australian, because I tend to work in reverse of that norm.  In the summer, I can handle the heavier, headier tomes.  In the winter, I like to read cozy, funny, and light...which is all to explain why, on a recent cold day I was desperately looking for some new chick lit.

I was somewhat disheartened when I started searching for new chick lit titles and found almost nothing.  I started panicking, and realized that I'd not seen many new chick lit titles for a while.  I started looking at some of my favorite chick lit blogs and noticed that they hadn't been updated in a while, which made me a little more nervous.  Is chick lit... dead?  A quick Google search assured me that, while many say it is, Chick Lit is not dead (including a fantastically factual and funny defense of the genre at the blog chicklitisnotdead.com). 

The biggest problem is that chick lit, because it's had a bad rap, is often not identified as such.  Authors and publishers try to make it sound more respectable with the label "women's fiction."  And, it is women's fiction, because it's largely by women, for women, and about women.  But, it's not just women's fiction because it's told in a different voice; it's got more humor, and it usually feels far more personal and confiding.  So, if you're a chick lit fan and have despaired about the lack of good titles, never fear: they're there, they're just hiding in serious labels.  If you want some help sorting through those, we're here for you: sign up for the chick lit newsletter -- we'll deliver it to your inbox monthly.  (And, if you don't like chick lit, but are looking for other books, there are other newsletters, too.)

A great holiday read!

Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor is a wonderful feel good novel. It is a light hearted romance. The main plot surrounds Holly a six year old girl, whose mother recently passed away. Her Uncle Mark becomes her legal guardian and knows nothing about being a parent. In her will Holly's mother advises that he should, “love her and everything else will follow.” The story of Uncle Mark becoming Holly's father is tested when the teacher sends home a note that Holly wrote to Santa.  Holly wants a new mom for Christmas. Lisa Kleypas puts a sweet spin on a classic story of boy meets girl. The story is sweet, funny and endearing a wonderful tale to curl up with on a cold night. I’m sure you’ll root for Mark as he realizes he cares for a spritely woman, named Maggie, who helped Holly find her voice. This book just made me smile. The Thanksgiving scene is hillarious and made me quite happy that I know how to cook. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did.  It is a quick read that will put you in the perfect mood for the holidays!

In the Queue

The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards

Returning from Japan, Lucy still finds herself haunted by her father's unresolved death a decade ago.  A love affair with an artist leads to discoveries about her family's complex past.

Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

If you need cheering up, you can't go wrong with a romance novel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips.  HEr characters travel the rocky road to romance with a huge dose of hilarity.

How I Killed Pluto & Why It Had It Coming by Mike Brown

Pluto was a planet and now it's not a planet!  Read about the geeky astronomer who ruined the lives of everyone who loved the planet with a funny name.

Pimp my bookcart, please!

Who says librarians aren't cool? Just take a look at the winners and runners-up of Unshelved's 2010 Pimp My Bookcart contest. For the unaware (and for those who never thought they'd see the words "pimp" and "bookcart" in the same sentence), "Pimp My Bookcart was an annual contest run by the library-themed comic strip Unshelved, inspired by this comic strip sequence, to see who can best pimp, trick out, or otherwise improve a standard book cart. Libraries and schools often stage kids and/or teen programs to generate entries." Unfortunately, this year's contest will be the last, so if you and your fellow librarians were hoping to get your pimp on, you're out of luck. By the way, The Readbox rules!

And if all this talk of bookcarts doesn't interest you, don't forget to check out Unshelved. They've got a Bookclub where they offer great book reviews, a store, and, of course, a hysterical daily comic strip to brighten your day. Enjoy!

Who knew salt, forks, and bedbugs were this interesting?

Alright, I'm trusting you to keep quiet here: don't let the Fine Print advisory board know, but I'm once again crashing the fiction party with a post about non-fiction.  I promise there's a good reason.  I have a very important question to which I need an answer: is there anything that Bill Bryson can't make interesting?  This is a man who made walking the Appalachian Trail, Iowa in the 1950s, and chemistry, physics, and geology (and a host of other scientific things that typically scare me) not only informative, but downright entertaining. 

In his latest release, At Home: A Short History of Private Life, Bryson turns his attention to the fascinating world that is our everyday lives.  Have you ever wondered why we keep salt and pepper on the table rather than some other spices?  Or why there are four tines on a fork rather than two?  Yeah, I never had, either.  Still, it was fascinating.  When reading any of Bryson's books, there are a lot of etymological nuggets, which is lovely for word geeks like me.  I've been going around giving all sorts of unwanted information to everyone who doesn't ask, like: why we have a "pantry," why we talk about "room and board," and what the difference is between a "rector" and a "vicar."  I also never knew I was interested in things like the materials used for building homes or when and why servants started wearing uniforms until Bryson kindly pointed out to me that I really should be.  I would've been more comfortable if Bryson's focus on his study was on something like the role of books or work in daily living, rather than as the room in which he catches the most mice.  I'm sure that someone finds the prodigious procreation of rats, mice, bedbugs,and other creatures fascinating, but as a warning derived from my own experience: this is definitely not the chapter to read in bed right before attempting to sleep. 

The room-by-room structure felt, at times, a bit forced.  For example, much of the chapter on the bedroom focuses on graveyards and burial practices...I suppose it brings a new light to the term "the big sleep."  It reads as more of a history of British and American culture than specifically the history of the home (and, in an odd way, pairs nicely with the Daily Show's new book, Earth (the book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race).  But, once I got over my initial thinking that the chapter about a room would be largely about that room, this examination of how all the facets of our ordinary lives have quite interesting histories is definitely worth a read.  Check it out, get comfortable in your favorite reading spot and learn how that chair came to be in your house in the first place.