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 December Feature: “I Love Fluff” Meet the Author: Lee Smith, author of The Last Girls Reviewer Spotlight: Susan C., Independence Regional Library Celebrity Reviewer: North Carolina writer, Hal Crowther Librarian's Choice Award: “Stop, You’re Killing Me!” Reading Recommendations |
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Snow Falling on Cedars, Cold Mountain, and other literary titles have swept the nation with their popularity. But sometimes we’re just too busy to dive into a dense book. These titles provide a light, fun read for those moments when you want a good book but just don’t have the time or the desire to have to think while you read. Sometimes a little fluff is just what you need!
This month Reader’s Club interviews award-winning author Lee Smith. Ms. Smith grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia but, since she now lives in Hillsborough, NC, we’re proud to claim her as a North Carolina writer. Her novels and short stories, all set in Appalachia, are honest, humorous, lyrical, and suffused with a sense of place. Lee Smith is a regular participant in “Carolina Writer’s Night” which is held each year during our Novello Festival of Reading.
This month Susan C. from Independence Regional Library is our featured reviewer. “It was third or fourth grade when I discovered The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett”, says Susan. “Immediately, I became a full fledged, juvenile bibliophile and I haven't gotten over it yet. The very idea that an undiscovered, magical world exists just waiting to be revealed is exactly the reason I read. There are so many secret gardens of blissful escape to read and explore.”
North Carolina writer, Hal Crowther (who is married to Lee Smith) told us that Cry the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton, is a book that made a big impact on his life. This is what he had to say about it: “This great South African novel is still the best cure for anyone, white or black or "other", who falls victim to the lethal virus of racial prejudice. Whether it's your mind or your heart that needs opening and cleansing, the tragedy of the Rev. Stephen Kumalo will perform the procedure with pages to spare, and send you back to the human race no matter how far you've strayed. I read it when I was 16 and never doubted once, for the rest of my life, which side in this struggle was my side.”
Many mystery readers enjoy following their favorite characters from the beginning of a series. Have you ever had trouble finding the first book in a series? Stop You’re Killing Me! has the solution.