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Crafty Fiction
Enjoy the crafting experience vicariously through these novels. Whether you are a crafter or not you can enjoy these entertaining and crafty stories.
Beach Reading
It's summer time and the reading is easy. It is time for sand, surf, sun, and beach books!
Dixie Chicks
Nietzsche wrote, God created woman. And boredom did indeed cease from that moment. The dixie chicks in these books may not sing, but they certainly won’t bore you! Hope you enjoy these titles which feature strong southern female characters.
Featured Review:
 The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood
When Mary Baxter's only child dies suddenly, she is completely lost. She feels like she can't do anything to ease her grief. When her mother suggests knitting, Mary thinks there is no way she could concentrate enough to learn how to knit. But, reluctantly she joins a knitting circle and starts learning. As Mary learns various knitting techniques, she also gets to know the members of the knitting circle. As she spends time with the other members Mary begins to realize that she is not the only person suffering. Finally Mary begins to open up to the group about her own loss and realizes that knitting helped save her from her grief. The Knitting Circle is a heart-warming book about the power of relationships.
- Reviewed by Jessica B., Morrison Regional
Entertainer, Dick Clark's review of Seabiscuit, an American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand (2001):
You and I are inundated with raw data. We are drowning in electronic output; ones and zeros flooding us nearly senseless, dulling our ability to think on our own and comprehend a time when simple quiet was not to be prized but taken for granted. There was such a time. And it existed when people relied upon what was found inside of themselves more than anywhere else. Call it character or guts or the human spirit. All of it played into a non-fiction book that affected me more than any other, Seabiscuit: an American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand. Poignant, raw, emotional, ironic, humorous at times... it's an unlikely story about winning against the odds. There is a sense of melancholy in the story but also great heart, hope and perseverance. And taken as a metaphor of America itself during the Depression era, I couldn't help but be moved. Seabiscuit: an American Legend is a book you don't just read, it's a gritty, unsophisticated (by our standards) time and place into which you agree to live. I'd suggest it for anyone with a heart and soul.
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This month we spotlight Dale, a librarian who works at South County Regional Library. Dale is leader of the library's Reader's Advisory Team and is very knowledgeable about the art of finding a good read. She has reviewed a variety of fiction and non-fiction for Reader's Club. Here is what she has to share with us:
“Growing up in a very small town, my only access to books was from the school library and the Little Golden Books my mother bought me every week at the grocery store (which I still have). My favorites were biographies and stories about families with lots of children. As an only child who longed for siblings, I found an extended family in books. This has carried over to my adult reading as a love of series fiction. The characters become so familiar to me that they are almost like family members.
I’m not sure what a psychiatrist would make of this, but I tend to read dark fiction, usually crime novels, with very troubled protagonists. I especially like James Lee Burke’s Dave Robicheaux, Lawrence Block’s Matthew Scudder, and Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch and have enjoyed seeing how the characters have evolved over the years. I also enjoy fiction with controversial topics and often recommend books by Jodi Picoult, Andre Dubus, or Rosellen Brown. On occasion, I read something light and have found the Mitford series to be a breath of fresh air after all the angst and violence of my usual reads.
When doing research for the Reader’s Advisory team, I often see Reader’s Club mentioned as a resource. We should be very proud of our reputation. By writing reviews, we strengthen PLCMC’s commitment to promoting reading and literacy. As Francine Fialkoff, editor of Library Journal said, “All the surveys we’ve seen, conducted by librarians as well as non-librarians, indicate that there is virtually no service library users value more highly than the ability to match a book with a reader or to answer the question ‘What do I read next?’”
Read Book Reviews by our Featured Reviewer
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