I've done a very poor job of updating my reading list on my side bar of late so I thought I would do a bit of updating in a post.
First off, Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson (inspiration for the post title--I don't know any evil librarians myself). Fun, fun young adult read about how evil librarians run our world by controlling knowledge and information--and, of course, our only hope is a 14 year old orphan. I picked it up for the title alone and ended up very please with it--only found out later that the author is LDS and lives in Provo.
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortensen and David Oliver Relin. The true story of an American who builds schools in Pakistan and why the work he does is so very important in the fight against terrorism.
A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute. A sweet little romantic love story that takes place during and just after World War II first in Indonesia (or similar setting) and then the outback of Australia.
Impossible Things by Connie Willis. A collection of short stories by an excellent Sci Fi author MBC introduced me to. Spice Pogrom was my favorite--imagine the silly romantic capers of the 30s and 40s (It Happened One Night) set in space with aliens. Loved It!
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. A story about a group of women who gather once a week to knit and find their lives weaving together in unexpected ways. (I read the sequel as well and didn't care for it very much so read this one then stop)
These Three Remain by Pamela Aidan. This is the third installment of Pride and Prejudice written from the view of Mr. Darcy. A fun, Austenesque read (books 1 and 3 are the best of the trilogy--I had one friend who skipped book 2 all together).
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas. So very good. It is a classic for a reason. Don't let the number of pages turn you away from this read. It reads quickly and is so very well written.
Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos. I'd like to take a moment here to apologize for my not-very-good reviews. If you were sitting here with me I could tell you a bit more about why I loved these books, but finding the words to type just escapes me and tends to come out more as "I loved it," "liked it," "didn't like it." For this book, though, head here to MBC's review and you will find an excellent review by an excellent reviewer (who is not an evil librarian).
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt. This is the story of the lone seventh grade Protestant boy of a small town during the late 1960s. On Wednesday afternoons he is stuck reading Shakespeare with his seventh grade teacher while all the Jewish and Catholic kids escape to their respective religious instruction classes. Loved this book.
Ok, so there you have the short list of a few books I have read and loved over the last few months.
What have you been reading?
4 comments:
This is a great list. Our librarians here are not evil, but our library is. I actually have to pay $100 a year for a library card. I should do it, but I never seem to have an extra hundred bucks.
My own list is way down at the bottom of my side bar, I tend to only review the ones that really strike me. But even then, not always.
Oh bother... I just typed out this nice long and juicy comment full of good reads and encouragement. And then I deleted it by accident. So I'll tell you my top three reads of 2009 so far:
The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
and
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
(If you never saw the video on Youtube, watch it, and then read the book)
Good luck with any evil librarians lurking in your future...
I should be so organized and put interesting things in my sidebar.
And who should have to pay $100 per year for a library card? Now THAT's just evil.
Oh, I'm glad you read Belong to Me and The Wednesday Wars! Those are two of my very favorites from the last year.
STM--$100 does seem a bit excessive. I am very lucky with the area I live in. I have cards to two great libraries for free! (technically only 1 card but access to both libraries)
Jenny--The Guernsey....is one of my all time favorite books. I also read The Book Thief last year and loved it. I will be adding The Last Lecture to my to-read list. Thanks.
MBC--Both books are on my all-time favorite lists. I love your recommendations--you'll still be reading in Europe right?
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