Archives for February 2016

I challenge you to be more a woman/man than I am. I started a very interesting book, entitled “City on Fire”, by Garth Risk Hallberg. It is not for the faint of heart! To begin with, it is an extremely dense, heavy book. That should have been my first clue….

After reading the first 153 pages of 907, I admit that I was somewhat caught up in the characters. However, the next chapter was set 17 years in the past. True, it was going to connect; but, I wasn’t ready, having just figured out how most of the already introduced characters connected. There are asides that are handwritten letters, photos, cartoons. It is a complex book that demands focus.

The book is set in the middle of the 20th century in New York City. Fascinating place, interesting times, interesting people. Maybe my lack of focus has to do with the accumulated sugar in my system, residue from Christmas. Whatever the reason, I concede that at this time, I cannot delve further into “City on Fire”. But, I challenge you to do better. Pick it up. Check it out. Read it in its entirety and then, tell me how fantastic it is!! I promise to try it again….

Deb

Admittedly, I’m a bit behind the times. I have just recently picked up the book, “Outlander”, by Diana Gabaldon. One of my daughters recommended it. The first few chapters were a little slow…

Then, the main character, Claire, steps back in time 2 centuries! We go from WWII Britain, back to the time of Bonnie Prince Charlie, and the clashes between clans; the clashes between Scots and Brits. The story gains momentum. There is action, love, small bits of humor. It becomes a complexity of characters and connectedness.

It’s history. It’s fantasy. It’s romance. It’s action. It’s not for the faint of heart, or the easily embarrassed. There also are hundreds of pages, a real tome! But, I thoroughly enjoyed it and, am halfway through the second book of the series! It too has grabbed, and held, my attention.

Check it out… “Outlander”, by Diana Gabaldon. It’s in the fiction stacks under GAB….

For those readers who love a good mystery, Drake Public Library has a wide array to choose from… Financial mysteries, medical mysteries, political mysteries, ‘who done it’s?’ on Indian reservations, on National Park Service land, etc.

I just finished the latest in the Kay Scarpetta mysteries, by Patricia Cornwell. The main characters in this series include Kay, a chief medical examine, her  FBI husband and her niece Lucy. This latest one pits those three against psychopath, killer and longtime enemy, Carrie. No one knows who to trust, what is fact, what is ‘data fiction’. It is complex, emotional and up to the standard of Cornwell.

Check it out!