Reviewer Spotlight

Branch: Main Library

This month Reader's Club spotlights Lydia from Main Library. Lydia has contributed thoughtful reviews of both fiction and non-fiction. Here is what Lydia has to say about reading and writing book reviews:

"I enjoy reading Asian or Asian-American women authors of both fiction and autobiography. Some of my favorite authors include Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Jhumpa Lahiri, Monica Ali, and Adeline Yen Mah. While I have traveled extensively in Asia, I had mostly experienced these foreign cultures from the outside looking in. These authors have given me the opportunity to view their worlds from the inside looking out, especially from the late 20th century Asian immigrant perspective.

In addition I like unusual genre authors like Sarah Waters. Her novels take the reader into the underbelly of Victorian England, as well as into the realm of subconscious emotions and desires. I have also read all of Jane Hamilton's novels, which place ordinary people in extraordinary situations physically, situationally, and emotionally.

Because I am a very slow reader, I allow myself not only to be choosy about what I start to read, but to also finish only those books that engage me. Consequently, I enjoy most of the titles I read, and regularly review them. Often, I ask my co-workers,whose reviews and opinions I enjoy, what they are reading. The only problem with that is that they themselves often review those titles they recommend. Of course this is not really a problem, but if I like what a "Reader's Club" reviewer recommends to me, I will often seek out other titles by the same author to read, enjoy, and review myself. I enjoy writing reviews because it gives me a chance to reflect on what I have just read, as well as challenging me to communicate the author's intention and tone of the work briefly, yet effectively. "

Thanks Lydia!