Sad Reading

Every once and a while a person, okay me, needs a good cry. So today lets talk tear jerker books. I know there is a huge list of books that me weep but just a few of my favorites are:

1) Nineteen Minutes - Jodi Picoult
2) Anybody Out There - Marian Keyes
3) The River King - Alice Hoffman
4) The Posionwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
5) I Know This Much is True - Wally Lamb
6) Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
7) The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
8) PS I Love you - Cecelia Ahern
9) Fall On Your Knees - Ann-Marie MacDonald
10) The Birth House - Ami McKay

...and the list goes on. Happy reading, or perhaps in this case, sad reading. -N

Posted by Narelle

Literature and libations

I have a number of hobbies, of which I would safely say reading is my most indulged. It's more of a hobby, though; it's a necessity, and, on certain days or with certain books, a compulsion. And while it seems that these days I don't have the luxury of controlling my reading environment, when I can, I like things a certain way.

First, a hot drink, a luxury in summer as well as winter. Tea is my number one choice, Orange Pekoe or Irish Breakfast in the mornings, Earl Grey in the afternoons, although coffee is preferred if it's required that I sneak in a little reading at 5:00 a.m. And piping hot in both cases. At night, herbal tea in spring and summer, a hot cider in the fall, hot chocolate in winter, with a mini candy cane melting away in it during the holidays, although my favourite this yuletide season has been eggnog instead of milk in my morning coffee. Yum.

Next, I must have a variety of squishy pillows to prop myself up, and if it's chilly, a big fleece blanket. Pull the coffee table close to me, so I can grab my beverage without having to actually take my eyes from the page to find it, turn the light towards me, and I'm ready to indulge, hoping I can lose myself in the pages for awhile.

Ah, perfection.

Pat

Yuletide Selections

I admit, this is my favourite time of year. I love the early darkness, the glistening lights, the snow, the cold, the layers and layers of clothes you need to wear to keep warm, the gluttony (talk about layers to keep you warm!) and I love sitting under a thick blanket with a cup of cocoa or gingerbread tea and a book full of seasonal festivity . If you like to do the same, come and check out some of the library's yuletide titles, some heart warming and other spine chilling!





To Every Thing There is a Season: A Cape Breton Christmas Story - Alistair MacLeod
Family Games - Jean Stubbs
Silent Night and The Christmas Thief- Mary Higgins Clark
Hard Christmas - Barbara D'Amato
Mr. Ives' Christmas - Oscar Hijuelos
Winter Solstice - Rosamunde Pilcher
Visions of Sugar Plums - Janet Evanovich
A Christmas Journey and A Christmas Visitor - Anne Perry
The Gift of Christmas Present - Melody Carlson
Silver Bells: A Holiday Tale - Luanne Rice
A Redbird Christmas - Fanny Flagg
When Christmas Comes - Debbie Macomber
Hot Flash Holidays - Nancy Thayer
The Christmas Quilt - Jennifer Chiaverini
Comfort and Joy - Kristin Hannah
A Season of Miracles - Heather Graham
Finding Noel - Richard Paul Evans
The Stupidest Angel: A heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror - Christopher Moore
The Gift - Nora Roberts
A Covington Christmas - Joan Medlicott
Kissing Christmas Goodbye - M.C. Beaton
Santa Baby - Jennifer Crusie, Lori Foster and Carly Phillips
His Mistletoe Bride - Cara Colter

And finally, my favourite: Christmas at Fontaine's - William Kotzwinkle



Enjoy the holiday season!

"Literature" versus "Entertainment"?

An interesting question has been recurring between patrons and staff members this past week: what motivates people to read? Why do some readers seek out what many have dubbed as 'serious' authors, whose focus is on characters, where every sentence is so well crafted that it is near perfection? Why do others prefer more plot-driven titles, where the action grips the reader into a fast-paced, stay-up-all-night-with-a-book-on-your-knees-biting-
your-fingernails journey, just waiting to reach the riveting conclusion?

Would you rather bask in the grandeur of the language in Helen Humphreys' Afterimage, where an Irish born/English bred housemaid's influence aids in the disintegration of a couple in a now loveless marriage ("Annie imagines Tess cutting her fingers as she forced the sprigs of holly into a clumsy circle. The sharpness of the leaves sticking like the fine points of loss into her skin. Holy.") or be swept up in the bordering-on-insane lifestyle of Janet Evanovich's bounty hunter Stephanie Plum in Seven Up ("Lula launched herself at Joyce, and the two of them went down to the floor, scratching and clawing. Bob stayed firmly under the desk. Vinnie hid in his office. And Connie moseyed over, waited for her opportunity, and buzzed Joyce on the ass with the stun gun. Joyce let out a squeak and went inert.")

Personally, I'm a fan of both styles as many of us are. Sometimes we are reflective and need a soul-enriching book, featuring realistic characters with realistic flaws in realistic situations, with flowing, beautifully written, thought provoking descriptions and dialogue that make us stop and savour what we'd just read. Other times we need to escape with something 'lighter,' some quixotic and capricious title that makes us laugh out loud, and helps us transcend and forget daily life for awhile.

Is one style better or more admirable than the other? Does one take more talent to produce than the other? I don't think so; whether the author's talent is character or plot oriented, if it gets readers to immerse themselves in someone else's world, whether for minutes or hours, it's a winner.

P.

Vampires

The whole world has gone "Twilight" crazy. I admit I really like Vampires but I think that there are other series that are far better. Katie Macalister writes one of the funniest vampire/romance books that I have read. Her characters are interesting and the situations they get into are hilarious. (titles include: The Last of the Red Hot Vampires, Even Vampires get the Blues, and Sex, Lies and Vampires, etc.) Lynsay Sands has a great vampire series that revolves around the Argeneau family. These books are also fairly light and humourous. (Titles include: A Bite To Remember, Love Bites, Single White Vampire, etc.) The queen of serious vampire romance is Christine Feehan. (Titles include: Dark Desire, Dark Gold, Dark Fire, etc.) Nora Roberts has a vampire trilogy too (Morrigan' s Cross, Dance of the Gods and Valley of Silence) Lastly, the library just got in most of the books in the Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris. These books are what the HBO "True Blood" show is based on. (Titles include: Dead as a Doornail, Dead Until Dark, All Together Dead, etc.) Happy Reading - N.

Posted by Narelle

More gut-splitting and -spilling titles

If you want other mystery titles that will tickle your funny bone, try Hailey Lind's Art Lover's series. Annie Kincaid, a talented, perhaps too talented artist, is resigned to starting up a faux finishing interior decorating firm after being caught working with her equally talented grandfather as an art forger. Although distancing herself from her grandfather, it seems crime continues to follow in her wake, although now she's on the right side of the law... well, most of the time. Enjoy the titles Brush with Death and Shooting Gallery. Murder has never been so amusing...

The Fairy Godmother

One of my favorite books is "The Fairy Godmother" by Mercedes Lackey. This romantic fantasy is a new approach to the classic cinderella story. The heroine, Elena, is smart and funny. Although she starts off in the cinderella role she quickly apprenctices as a fairy godmother. The book is a great read for anyone who knows fairy tales. "The Fairy Godmother" is the first book in the Five Hundred Kingdom Series. (Book 2: One Good Knight, Book 3: Fortune's Fool and Book 4: The Snow Queen)

If you liked "The Fairy Godmother" you may also like Jim Butcher's Dresden File series, "Eragon" by Christopher Paolini, or the Mercy Thompson books written by Patricia Briggs. Happy Reading - N.

Posted by Narelle

Funny Stuff

Janet Evanovich has one of the funniest book series in print. Her Stephanie Plum books start with One For the Dough and continue to the latest book; Fearless Fourteen. These books are light and funny, full of bizarre characters and zany situations. The books follow Stephanie Plum, a not so talented bounty hunter, and her attempts to apprehend fugitives.

If you have read and like Janet Evanovich's books you may also want to try: Jennifer Crusie - Faking It, Agnes and the Hitman, Katie MacAlister - A Hard Day's Knight, The Corset Diaries, Sandra Hill - Pink Jinx, Red Hot Cajun, and Carl Hiaasen - Skinny Dip, Lucky You.

Posted by Narelle