LibraryTechtonics

I can read

Posted on August 2, 2005 under Uncategorized

I must say, the summer reading program at Reading really has done wonders for my meatspace reading habits. Not only do we have a children’s, teen’s, and adult’s reading program, but we have a staff reading program. Like the adult program, every staff member fills out a slip that includes their name, phone number, the book they read, and the author, which goes into a cute little tin bucket. Audio books count, which is super keen, because I have recently rediscovered the wonder of audio literature entertainment.

Anyway, at the end of the summer, a name is drawn from the bucket, and the winner is awarded a gift certificate (this year it’s from Pier 1 Imports). Naturally, like most raffles, the more entries you have, the better your chance of winning, so reading more is in your best interest.

Just as a general thing, I’ve been trying to get myself back to literature, and especially reading books, particularly books that aren’t necessarily just professional development (I do a lot of library and tech book reading). All work and no play makes Andrea an entirely too cerebral librarian. The summer reading program has helped me to really resolve to be more a reader reader, like so many of our patrons (boy, can these people read, and I’m *not* complaining), which definitely helps with my reader’s advisory skills, not to mention fleshing out my little spot on the Staff Picks display.

Let’s see what I’ve been up to:

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

My friend and colleague Esme hit it right on the head when she mentioned that this book, at times, could be a bit “precious”. While it was overall an interesting story, at times it could be a bit to soft and squishy and sentimental for my tastes. While the premise of the story really should rest on the nu shu writing (the “secret” language of women) on a fan that two laotongs, or “old sames”, use to communicate with each other, there is a considerable amount of time and text spent on the footbinding experience in the lives of the two Chinese women, and the women around them.

While I see how footbinding was ever-present in the lives of Chinese women, I felt that the time spent on footbinding was a bit excessive, and I found myself often thinking, “Enough with the golden lillies already, can we get back to the story!” However, it was a well-written and engaging, and a considerable amount of research went into the book (including the author’s trip to China), so the fiction felt good in the context of history.

Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews (abridged CD version)

This book starts out with the most fabulous southern girl hissy fit *ever*, then settles into a story that you wouldn’t expect after such a scandalous opening. It’s a little Unsolved Mysteries, a little Steel Magnolias, and a little Southern Comfort, rolled into one story. The laugh riot scenes flow seamlessly into the poignant and even sad moments. Isabel Keating is a wonderful reader, although she does let her awesome and necessary southern accent slip noticeably now and again. While I’m not sure what I might have missed listening to the abridged version, the story didn’t seem to have any huge holes, and was still overall complete and enjoyable even through whatever snips were made.

Yeah, it’s a little chick lit-heavy, which isn’t my usual speed. I didn’t intend it that way, but I enjoyed both titles all the same. Besides, I balanced it out with the preview version of the first chapter of Anansi Boys: A Novel by Neil Gaiman (which I promptly put on the book buy list for the library), and Technology planning : preparing and updating a library technology plan by Joseph R. Matthews (which deserves a post in and of itself).

I’m currently listening to and *loving* the unabridged version of Truth & Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett. I’ll do a review when I’m done, for sure, but suffice it to say for now it makes me want to *write like crazy*.

Tags: reading