This Book is Overdue: How Librarians & Cybrarians will save us all

Reviewer: Gretchen Schroeder Date: 2/27/2010

This Book is Overdue: How Librarians and Cybrarians will save us all

Author: Marilyn Johnson

Publisher: HarperCollins Genre/Format: Nonfiction

You can be borrowed from me

This book is an exploration of the multitudinous often invisible ways that librarians impact our world and are posed to lead us forward into the new age of information.

1. Why I picked up this book.

My daughters bought this book for me as a Valentines' Day gift after I saw it in a local bookstore

2. Why I finished this book.

While much of what I read in this book, was not new to me. There were so many tasty tidbits of information, history and anecdotes about librarians and libraries that I couldn't put it down. As a librarian, its great ego boost to have someone who recognizes the various ways librarians are helping people. For the non-librarian community, there are fun and fascinating looks into an often misunderstood world. Learn about Library book cart drill teams, archivists who save boxing memorabilia and research librarians who take a personal interest in the needs of authors. There are tattooed librarians, and librarians who create virtual library collections in cyberspace, just as an enticement.

3. Who I would give this book to, and why. 

I would give this book to any and everyone, especially those who dismiss librarians as unnecessary and libraries as a thing of the past!

The Bad Girl

The Bad Girl by Mario Vargas Llosa. Translated from the Spanish by Edith Grossman and published by Picador; Farrar, Straus & Giroux, New York, 2006.

1. I read this book for my Book Club.

2. I finished it because, in addition to wanting to be able to discuss it, I was engaged in the personal and psychological drama, as well as the historical overview of Peru. While most of the story takes place in Paris, it references the main character's roots in Peru and the political changes over the span of the story. A young man of 15 meets a girl, falls for her, and then she proceeds to come in and out of his life for the next 40 years.

3. I would give the book to someone with an interest in South America and Paris, but also one who is fascinated by human motivation and love - the effects of a deeply felt connection (or is it an obsession?!)

Chasing Vermeer

Reviewer: Kathy Hoffmaster

Title: Chasing Vermeer (audio book)
Author: Blue Balliet, Read by Ellen Reilly

Publisher: Random House 2004 
Available in Woodlynde Library

1. Why I picked up this book.

I picked up this audio book because I like to learn about famous artists while reading. I also like keeping up with young adult literature, and the cover illustration had an alluring, foreboding feeling.

2. Why I finished this book.

I totally love listening to audio books on my drive to and from school. The main characters were quirky soon to be 12-year olds who introduced me to the world of pentominoes. If you don't know about pentominoes, I'll let you do your own fun research, as I did. The story, though quite improbable, was an interesting look at the patterns right in front of the listener's ears and imagination. I also discovered the patterns evident in Vermeer's paintings as I followed along in this mystery.

3. Who I would give this book to, and why.

Most younger Middle School girls would enjoy this art mystery. Boys who sometimes feel that they are on the outside or who are interested in the art world might also find the story appealing.

The Lost Quilter a book in the Elm Creek Quilt Series
Author: Jennifer Chiaverini

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Genre/Format: Historical Fiction

You can be borrowed from me: This is a Woodlynde Library book:

1. Why I picked up this book.

I picked this book up because I am a quilter and periodically I succumb to a book on, or about quilts, quilters, or quilting. In addition, it was mysteriously shelved in the mystery section of the book store. It also advertised that it included locals in Pennsylvania and South Carolina, two places close to my heart.

2. Why I finished this book.

I nearly did not finish this book, when it became clear by the second chapter that this was certainly not going to be a mystery, or at least not a very well written one. What kept me reading was the well written characters and pacing that kept me diving back into the book. It is an enticing story about a runaway slave who is recaptured in Pennsylvania and returned to slavery in the south. This story spans a timeline from 1959 to 1862, the geography from Rural Pennsylvania, to Virginia, and Hilton Head South Carolina and includes the Underground Railroad and Civil War battles, all told from the perspective of a slave.

3. Who I would give this book to, and why. 

I would give this book to any lover of historical fiction, especially about the Civil War. Anyone who would like an easily digestible story of slavery in the American South from the inside out will enjoy this story. Gone with the Wind move over this is a more interesting story.

Leviathan

Title: Leviathan
Author: Scott Westerfeld

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Genre/Format: Science Fiction -- Steam Punk


This is a Woodlynde Library book

1. Why I picked up this book.

The cover is gorgeous, the author is well known, and more importantly, the cover indicated that I may have found a book I had long been looking for; a Steam Punk novel suitable for Young Adult readers!

2. Why I finished this book.

It is a great example of why I love to dip into Young Adult literature. It is a tightly written books, many better that some to the adult writing in the same genre. Steam Punk for the un-initiated is a rising sub-genre of Science Fiction, nearly 20 years old; it is swiftly becoming a favorite among teen and young adult fantasy/science fiction fans. This story combines many of the genre's major themes. It takes place in an alternative timeline which features two opposing technologies. It features a strong female character who represents the British "Darwinist" who are able to genetically manipulate life forms, and an equally strong male character representing the Austro Hungarian "Clanker" society based on steam driven automatons and clockwork machines. The adventure is kicked off by the assassination of the Archduke and his wife, draws these two characters together both literally and figuratively. Unlike most adult novels, this book features some very nifty maps and periodic illustrations. Shortly after I finished this book it won Australia's Best Young Adult Novel Award!

3. Who I would give this book to, and why.

Anyone who loves Science Fiction and or Fantasy, and of course fans of Steam Punk from middle school through adult!

The Mortal Instruments Series

Reviewer: Christy Rheam

The Mortal Instruments Series

by Cassandra Clare

Okay, I’m going to cheat a little bit here. I just finished a 3 book series (I was in the middle of the first book when I joined the challenge), so I’m going to write up one compiled review for all three.

Series Title: The Mortal Instruments
Book One: City of Bones
Book Two: City of Ashes
Book Three: City of Glass

Publisher Book One: Simon Pulse, 2007
Publisher Book Two: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2008
Publisher Book Three: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2009

1. Why I picked up these books:

I picked up the first book because my husband had given it to me for Christmas as a stocking stuffer. He had picked it up for me because he knew that I enjoyed the Twilight series and the Author of Twilight, Stephanie Meyer is quoted on the front of the book. As I’m sitting here writing this he summed it up… “I picked it for you because I thought you’d enjoy it.” I was getting close to the end of the first book right before the big snow storms were coming, and I was enjoying it, so my husband picked the other two up for me so I wouldn’t end up snowed in with nothing to read.

2. Why I finished these books:
 

When I was only 20 or 30 pages into the first book, I was unsure if I would finish it. I wasn’t sure if the book was too ‘supernatural’ for me. I read a bit further and found that it wasn’t and that I really enjoyed it. When I got to the end of the first book, however, I did get a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. Mostly, because Clare clearly wrote these intending the series to be three books long, and the amount of closure at the end of the first book was not 100% to my satisfaction. But, that did make me want to read on in the next books. Altogether I found the whole series to be enjoyable, if somewhat predictable at times.

3. Who would I give these books to and why?
 

I would suggest these books to anyone who enjoyed the Twilight series. Clare’s world is very different from Stephanie Meyer’s world, but they do have similar themes throughout. Really, anyone who enjoys some action, some romance, and/or some supernatural elements would enjoy these books.

Rainwater, by Sandra Brown

This was a book (fiction) on CD by Audioworks, unabridged, 2009 and read by Victor Slezak.
1. I picked this book up because I have read a number of books by Sandra Brown and enjoyed them. Many of her other books have been mysteries, but this was a departure from her previous novels.

2. I finished this book because I was engaged in the time, the place and the story. It took place in 1934 in a small Texas town during the Depression and a time of racial tension. A young mother runs a boarding house and cares for her ten year old son who is "different". A new boarder arrives and things change, in the boarding house, in the town, and for the young boy who doesn't speak.

3. I would give this book to anyone who enjoys books based on real-life experiences, set in a different time and a different place. In particular, this book describes what it's like for a family with an autistic child, before that term is commonly used. It also references early research and findings on autistic savants. And it is also the story of people, working together against injustice, and discovering what is really important.

Your Heart Belongs to Me

Your Heart Belongs to Me by Dean Koontz.
A book on CD by Brilliance Audio, unabridged, in 2008. Read by Malcolm Hilgartner.

1. I picked this book up because I have seen the author's name for years and wanted to try one of his books.

2. I finished the story because it was an intriguing combination of mystery and the supernatural. It is the story of a 34 year old wealthy man who discovers he has a serious heart condition and needs a heart transplant. Once received, the young man begins to have strange and then frightening experiences. I wanted to know what happened.

3. I am glad I read this, but I was not wowed by it. I found it a little tedious before I got to the crux of what was going on. But, it was also a story about values and motivation - which I found to be the redeeming qualities of the book.