Reading Blog
Happy Birthday, Charles Dickens!
Today is the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens' birth. One of the great writers of the English language is being celebrated all over, with the British council staging a read-a-thon to the Royals honoring him in a memorial service at Westminister Abbey. Check out National Public Radio's piece on Dickens here--it's a lovely tribute.
My thoughts run back to the first time I was won over by the characters of Dickens--in Lionel Bart's Oliver! musical (my father's favorite)--in which I played a street merchant and orphan in Hagerstown's Nettle Creek summer theater (which is sadly no more), and later in high school with the story of Pip in Great Expectations and astoundingly enough, David Copperfield. Frankly, I was surprised at how compelled I was to finish such a humongous book in my busy high school years. But Dickens' characters are some the best creations ever, and he always gives us plenty to think about. His stories are just as modern now as they were when he wrote them.
How will you celebrate Dickens? We will be discussing Great Expectations at our Classics Challenge book club on March 15th at 6:30 pm. Won't you join us?
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
Our guest blogger and children's librarian, jan gillespie, writes about the novel War Horse:
World War One and the terrible slaughter to men on both sides is something to ponder, but do we ever give thought to the horses in the cavalry?
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo is a story told by an English farm horse, Joey. Joey has a strong relationship with Albert, the son of a farmer. Life is hard and it becomes even harder for Joey when Albert’s father sells Joey to an English Cavalry officer and it is off to war in France. Joey endures the hardships of war, living for a time on a French farm, being captured by the Germans and finally after sustaining terrible injuries in No Man’s Land, he becomes the property of the English again with a coin toss. Joey is able to understand language no matter if it is English, German or French and the antiwar message comes through.
War Horse is now a motion picture, but read the book before you see the film. You will be much richer for having read it.
We're Loaning the NOOK!
Would you like to buy an eReader, but don't know which one to select? We've got a solution: we're loaning out a 'Simple Touch' NOOK preloaded with 22 books! You can check it out at the main library circulation desk for 14 days and see how you like it. How cool is that?
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<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next > End >>Brown Bag Book Chat
Join us for the next Brown Bag Book Chat to discuss Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin on February 28 at 12 noon in the library board room. Bring your lunch and share your thoughts. We'll also be giving away a free copy of March's pick -- Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok. Our book club meets the last Tuesday of the month at 12 noon in the library board room:
March 27 - Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
April 24 - The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
E-BOOK USERS GUIDE (PDF)
Are you looking for more books by your favorite author or want to explore similar authors? Not sure of the next book in the series you're reading? Found a book you love and now want more like it? Try NoveList - it's a great resource for finding your next favorite book. Available anywhere using your library card.
Reading Links
Book News - Book awards, bestsellers, and book newsletters.
Good Reads - Goodreads members recommend books, compare what they are reading, keep track of what they've read and would like to read, form book clubs and much more.
Stop, You're Killing Me! - A website to die for...if you love mysteries.
Library Thing - A home for your books. A community of over 1,000,000 book lovers.
All About Romance - this website features helpful sensuality ratings
Reading Lists
Looking for your next book? Our staff have created these lists of recommended books. Check back often, as we'll be adding new lists regularly.
If You Like Janet Evanovich...
If You Liked "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"...