Monday, July 25, 2011

Novel Destinations and Beyond


We hope you have been enjoying our blogs this summer.  We have traveled to India and China, delved into memories and the mind, encountered vampires, experienced romance and mystery, and even had a few laughs.  We will continue to blog throughout the fall every 2 weeks starting August 15th.  You will be able to find our blog in August under the Adult Services tab on our website. 

In the meantime, if you’re looking for a good book, take a look at our What Do I Read Next page under the Adult Services tab.  On this page we have listed our favorite websites for finding new authors.  On the right hand side of the page we have reading lists by separated by genre and subject.  Would you like a Regency romance, a forensic mystery, or Star-Wars science fiction?  You can find lists for those and many more.

This week we’d like to hear from you.  What good books have you read this summer?  What made them memorable?

4 comments:

  1. Lenee Bookhardt7/26/2011 8:23 PM

    I have enjoyed this blog, so thank you!

    I found a random novel to read titled "Drowning in Honey". I found it to be an interesting read that kept me on my toes and surprised me toward the end.

    I also liked the "Fire Ice" (Kurt Austin series) book that was randomly given to me when I registered for the reading program. I have found a new and interesting author to read based upon the above books.

    I look forward to your future blogs! :)

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  2. Lenee, though I've never read Drowning in Honey, you might be interested to know that the author Kate Hatfield writes under 2 other pseudonyms: Natasha Cooper and N J Cooper.

    The library has some of the Natasha Cooper's. Her newest books though are being published under NJ Cooper. We could try to get them for you through Interlibrary loan if you wish.


    Thanks for reading our blogs :)

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  3. James W. Harris7/29/2011 3:37 PM

    The best books I have read this summer include (so far):

    The Little Brothers of St. Mortimer by John Fergus Ryan. This is a masterpiece of humorous writing, with a Southern twist. Breathtaking cynical black humor and satire, brilliantly written, hilarious, horrifying. A cast of con-men, dim-witted murderers, morons, hillbillies, perverts, and man-eating hogs, set in the deep and lost rural areas of Arkansas. Told in a wonderful first-person voice that is a pleasure and joy to read. One of my favorite books ever, by one of my favorite authors. Ryan wrote two other books, one of which, The Redneck Bride, is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read.

    The Facts: A Novelist's Autobiography by Philip Roth. Roth is arguably the best literary novelist in America today. This isn’t one of his very best, but it is very good. The bulk of the book is autobiographical remembrances, and while they are interesting, they are a bit bland.

    But the book suddenly jumps to life when Roth has his fictional alter-ego Zuckerman comment on Roth's autobiography! The book then swings into high gear, becoming an energetic, hilarious and extremely insightful commentary on Roth's own life, his view of himself, how fiction can lead to greater truths than autobiography, etc. This commentary by the fictional Zuckerman moves this book from good Roth to great Roth.

    This Letter to Norman Court // Mister Trot from Tin Street by Pablo D’Stair. These two suspense/noir novelettes are part of a planned 5-novelette series. They feature a sleazebag petty criminal, Trevor English, whose small-time crimes threaten to blow up into big and dangerous ones. The author creates a gloomy, downbeat noirish atmosphere and generates a lot of suspense in these short tales. Anyone who likes the more literary of the noir novels published by Black Lizard books or Hard Case Crime should consider checking them out. These are small-press books; I downloaded both for free from the Smashwords website.

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  4. Lenee Bookhardt7/30/2011 6:32 PM

    Thank you Bartow Bookworm! I have written those two pseudonyms down and will come in soon and ask about them.

    I also finished up "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo and it was a wonderful read.

    Thanks again for the suggestions!

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