Spokane Public Library Blog

Reader's Corner Blog  Subscribe!

National Book Award

Thursday, November 19, 2009 – 8:05 pm

Let the Great World SpinThis year’s winners of the National Book Awards were  announced on November 18th. The choice for fiction, Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann, is one of my favorite books from this year’s reading, and I was thrilled to find out this morning that it had won this prestigious award.  Too often in recent years I have been disappointed by the winner, but this choice is one that I will be able to personally recommend with enthusiasm. Set in New York City during the days in 1974 that Phillipe Petit crossed a wire between the twin towers of the World Trade Center, each chapter is told from a different character’s point of view.  The individual stories connect in surprising and satisfying ways.


What was the best? Your chance to vote.

Friday, October 2, 2009 – 8:07 pm

National Book FoundationThe National Book Foundation is giving the American reading public the chance to vote for the best. The Foundation has chosen six previous winners of its prestigious annual award for fiction written by an American author and invited readers to choose their favorite.  Four short story collections and two women authors are on this short list.  Click here to vote and to see more about the National Book Award.


How about a Pulitzer Prize winner?

Thursday, August 6, 2009 – 8:04 pm

Olive KitteridgeI just finished reading this year’s winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction, Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.  This character driven series of interconnected stories set in a small town in Maine is characterized by an emotional intensity expressed in elegant writing.  Olive is in each story, sometimes she’s the main character, sometimes she has a cameo.  This book was one of my favorites so far this year and it got me thinking about other novels that have won this coveted prize in previous years.  So what follows is a list of some of my favorites–one from each of the last six decades, although I had a hard time choosing one from the 1990s and had only read one from the 1960s.  The prize was first awarded in 1948 so my list starts with the 1950s.

The Travels of Jamie McPheetersThe Travels of Jamie McPheeters by Robert Taylor (1959) is a sprawling, raucous saga of a boy during California’s Gold Rush.

To Kill a MockingbirdThe only winner in the 1960s that I’ve read is the perennially popular To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1961).  Told in the authentic voice of a young girl, the characters and theme remain unforgettable.

Angle of ReposeI had no trouble choosing a favorite from the 1970s.  It had to be Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner (1972). One of the best writers from the West, Stegner presents a loving, if sometimes harsh, portrait of a couple trying to keep their marriage alive in the mining camps of the late 1800’s.  Wonderful writing.

Lonesome DoveLonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (1986) was my obvious choice from that decade.  The sweeping scope of the novel makes reading it an even better experience than watching the mini-series.

The Tale of an American DreamerI decided that I would highlight Martin Dressler: the Tale of an American Dreamer by Stephen Millhauser (1997) as my pick from the 90s.  New York City during the Gilded Age is the setting for this story of a young man’s ‘rags to riches’ rise in society.  Concise, dreamlike in places.The Interpreter of Maladies

The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (2000) is my pick for the 2000s.  The immigrant experience is expertly and poignantly portrayed in a series of short stories featuring Indians in both America and India.

Other favorites of mine include Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, The Shipping News by Annie Proulx and Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie. For a complete list of winners visit the Pulitzer Prize website.


Summer Book List 2009

Thursday, June 25, 2009 – 8:57 pm

A Song for SummerEva Ibbotson has recently gained recognition for her light-hearted fantasy fiction for grade school children but she started out writing romantic novels for adults.  A favorite of this genre is A Song for Summer.  Set in Austria just before the start of World War II, Ellen is a housekeeper at an eccentric boarding school.  The summer that she falls in love with Marek (the mysterious groundskeeper at the school) seems enchanted—just like the natural enchantment that summer brings to the Alps.

The Summer SistersAnother author known more for her novels for young people, Judy Blume has written a fast paced story of family and friendship in The Summer Sisters.  The novel features the six summers that wild, wealthy Caitlin and quiet, dull Victoria spend together on Martha’s Vineyard from the time they are in middle school through college.  As breezy as a summer day, this is a perfect beach read.

Sag HarborOne teenager’s summer on Long Island is the focus of Sag Harbor by Colson Whitehead. Benji and his family are middle class African American New Yorkers who spend every summer at their beach house in Sag Harbor.  The author admits that this book blurs the line between fiction and memoir as he himself was just such a teenager in 1985 when the book is set.  Any reader can relate to the teenage escapades and emotional dramas of this humorous and thought provoking book while also appreciating the glimpse it provides of this particular community.

Love FallsA sun drenched summer in Tuscany with a group of eccentrics awaits the reader of Love Falls by Esther Freud. Seventeen-year-old Lara accompanies the father she rarely sees to visit an old friend with an Italian villa.  A neighboring villa houses a disgraced British aristocrat and his family. Lara is immediately attracted to the handsome Kip but is charmed by the whole family.  This coming-of-age novel is not always happy and light but it is fascinating and intelligent.

The Summer BookAn old woman and her six-year-old granddaughter spend the summer together on a tiny island in the Gulf of Finland in The Summer Book by Tove Jansson.  Sometimes cranky, grandmother is also wise; sometimes impetuous, young Sophia is also attentive to her grandparent’s needs.  Together they explore this small, complete world as they discuss the important things in their life: family, love and the nature that surrounds them.


Stephen King Suggests 7 for Summer

Thursday, June 4, 2009 – 7:28 pm

Perennially popular author Stephen King, writing on Entertainment Weekly’s website, offers seven fiction titles to try this summer.  All are owned by Spokane Public Library and range from contemporary to classic.  As could be expected from this master of suspense, they are mostly mystery or adventure titles.  Click on the titles below to find out if a copy is available today or could be reserved.

ShatterShatter by Michael Robotham–”an exceptional suspense novel”

Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson –”told with a sense of humor. Very cool.”

Dog on ItTourist by Olen Steinhauer –”best spy novel…not written by John Le Carre.”

Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens –”his most sentimental, absorbing, delightful novel.”

Drood by Dan Simmons –”a masterwork of narrative suspense.”

Dog On It by Spencer Quin  –”a new genre–call it canine noir.”

Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult –”a medical/legal thriller” that ” never descends into soap opera.”


Recent Award Winners

Wednesday, May 13, 2009 – 5:54 pm

The American Booksellers Association recently announced the winners of the inaugural Indies Choice Book Awards. An expanded version of the ABA’s Book Sense Book of the Year Award, the winners this year include Sherman Alexie who was chosen as Most Engaging Author.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie SocietyThe Best Indie Buzz Book for fiction went to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Written as a series of letters, this historical novel is both humorous and poignant as it tells a story of the German occupation of one of the Channel Islands during World War II.

The Wordy ShipmatesChosen as Best Conversation Starter was the non-fiction book about the Puritans, The Wordy Shipmates, by Sarah Vowell.

Mystery lovers will welcome the recent announcements of both the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar awards and the Malice Domestic winners for books published in 2008.

Blue HeavenThe Edgar for best novel went to Blue Heaven by C. J. Box, described as an adrenaline producing adventure featuring two children on the run in the woods of North Idaho.

The Cruelest MonthThe Agatha goes each year to a traditional, or ‘cozy’ mystery and is this year awarded to The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny. When a seance in a small village in Quebec turns deadly, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is called to investigate.


Novels from Indian Authors

Thursday, April 2, 2009 – 8:32 pm

Q and AQ and A by Vikas Swarup, the book upon which the Academy Award winning film, “Slumdog Millionaire” was based, has a short waiting list. Here are half a dozen more novels by Indian writers that you might want to try.

A Suitable BoyA Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth is a sprawling multi-generational story about a Hindu family in 1950 India trying to find a suitable husband for their daughter.

The God of Small ThingsThe language in The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy is as lush as the landscape of Kerala, the southernmost state in India, in which this family drama takes place.

Nectar in a SieveWritten in the mid-fifties, Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya is a poignant portrait of a peasant woman finding solace and joy amidst the tragedies and disappointments of her life.

Sea of PoppiesSea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh, set in the heyday of the British Raj, tells the amazing life stories of half a dozen or so people whose destinies come together on a ship bound for the Seychelle Islands.

A Fine BalanceOprah picked A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry for her book club.  Set in 1975 in a city by the sea, it is the story of four strangers who are forced to live together in a small apartment during the nerve-wracking time of a national emergency.

The Toss of a LemonIn Padma Viswanathan’s The Toss of a Lemon a young Brahmin widow shocks her orthodox family by moving back into her husband’s house. This decision has ramifications for generations to come.


Candy’s Favorite Books

Tuesday, March 10, 2009 – 1:39 am

From Russia with LunchWe feature a staff favorites shelf every month at the Downtown Library.  This month one of our reference Library Assistants, Candy Huddleston, chose her favorite books for the shelf. Here are a few of them but stop by to see the rest (and check them out!).
Quilters RecipeQuilter’s Recipe Book by Celia Eddy
I Sing the Body Electric by Ray Bradbury
Assiti Shards Series by Eric Flint (“1632” is the first book in the series)
Chet Gecko Mysteries by Bruce Hale (14 of them currently – “From Russia with Lunch” is the newest)1632
Atlas Shrugged – Ayn Rand

Check back each month for new “favorite books” - these are all available for check out.


Book Club Recommendations

Wednesday, November 5, 2008 – 10:25 pm

Many book clubs will be choosing their 2009 list this month and next.  Here are some suggestions that are different from the usual.

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’FarrellThe Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox
Iris Lockhart’s life is further complicated when she learns her great-aunt Esme, whom she never knew existed, is being released from a mental hospital after 61 years.

My Year of Meats by Ruth OzekiMy Year of Meats
Told concurrently by Jane Takagi-Little, a Japanese-American documentary filmmaker, andAkiko Ueno, the wife of Jane’s boss (in Japan), this quick read about the American meat industry is serious and well written.

Away by Amy BloomAway
When Lillian Leyb’s family is destroyed in a Russian pogrom, she comes to America alone and embarks on an odyssey that takes her from the world of the Yiddish theater in New York, to Seattle’s Jazz District, and up to Alaska toward Siberia.

Last Night at the LobsterLast Night at the Lobster by Stewart O’Nan
Managing a failed seafood restaurant in a run-down mall, Manny DeLeon coordinates a final shift of mutinous staff members, an effort that is complicated by his love for a waitress, a pregnant girlfriend, and an elusive holiday gift.Madonnas of Leningrad

The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean
In a novel that moves back and forth between the Soviet Union during WW II and modern-day America, Marina, an elderly Russian woman, recalls images of her youth during the height of the siege of Leningrad.


What’s your reading mood?

Wednesday, August 13, 2008 – 4:23 pm

There seem to be at least as many suggested reading lists these days as there are websites for avid readers. Plenty of books full of suggestions too, but here’s a new one with an interesting and fun approach to choosing your next reading adventure–1001 Books for Every Mood.

Author Hallie Eprhon provides short lists for over 90 moods, from ‘a good laugh’ to ‘reinvent yourself.’ Each title has a short annotation plus a star rating and an icon that gives you a little more information such as ‘page turner’, ‘easy read’ or ‘family friendly.’ You’ll have so much fun reading about the books, you won’t have any time for the books themselves!


City of Spokane

POLICIES | ENTRIES (RSS) | COMMENTS (RSS)

Spokane Public Library • 906 W. Main Spokane, WA 99201 • 509.444.5300

© 2007 SPOKANE PUBLIC LIBRARY