No Country For Old Men

As advertised last week, I did go see the Coen Brothers' Oscar nominated film No Country for Old Men this weekend. I was blown away. It was amazing. But the difference here as opposed to seeing Atonement is that I did not read McCarthy's novel.

You can read reviews of the movie, but I want to give a Readers' Advisor tip here. We got home and I went right on the internet to pull up book discussion guides on the novel. I know this is not McCarthy's movie, but knowing his work, I could tell the movie stayed true to his vision. This really helped to answer a few questions my husband and I had about the overall themes of the movie and fueled an even longer discussion on the film.

No Country for Old Men has an apocalyptic theme which I think is nicely followed by McCarthy's latest novel The Road (which happens to be one of my recent favorites). I am excited to see the film version of The Road due this year.

So, I have seen 2 of the 5 Best Picture Nominees and it is hands down No Country for Old Men in the lead now. Oh, and Javier Bardem is that good. This week is Juno or There Will Be Blood.

Library Reads: February 2020

It's Library Reads day and that means four things here on RA for All:

1. I post the list and tag it “Library Reads” so that you can easily pull up every single list with one click.
2. I can remind you that even though the newest list is always fun to see, it is the older lists where you can find AWESOME, sure bet suggestions for patrons that will be on your shelf to actually hand to them right now. The best thing about Library Reads is the compound interest it is earning. We now have hundreds and hundreds of titles worth suggesting right at our fingertips through this archive OR the sortable master list allowing you to mix and match however you want.
3. You have no excuse not to hand sell any Library Reads titles because there is a book talk right there in the list in the form of the annotation one of your colleagues wrote for you. All you have to say to your patron is, “such and such library worker in blank state thought this was a great read,” and then you read what he or she said.
4. Every upcoming book now has at least 1 readalike that is available to hand out RIGHT NOW. Book talk the upcoming book, place a hold for it, and then hand out that readalike title for while they wait. If they need more titles before their hold comes in, use the readalike title to identify more readalike titles. And then keep repeating. Seriously, it is that easy to have happy, satisfied readers.

Also, the Library Reads Board has also started another great book discovery and suggestion tool for you, a monthly What We're Reading column. This means there are even more library worker approved titles, new and old, for you to choose from. 

So get out there and suggest a good read to someone today. I don’t care what list or resource you use to find the suggestion, just start suggesting books.

Also, please remember to click here for everything you need to know about how to participate. And click here to see a database of eligible diverse titles sorted by month. 

Click here for the full list in the archive

You voted, we counted, and February's LibraryReads Favorite is:

The Authenticity Project
A Novel

by Clare Pooley
(Pamela Dorman Books)

“Julian, Monica, and others present themselves publicly in one way, but their entries in an Authenticity Project notebook reveal them to be more insecure, eager to change, and ultimately more interesting. A heartwarming story about how not everyone tells the truth about who they are. For fans of The School of Essential Ingredients, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, and A Man Called Ove.”

Maggie Holmes, Richards Memorial Library, North Attleboro, MA
NoveList read-alike: Behind Her Eyes / Sarah Pinborough

The Bear
by Andrew Krivak
(Bellevue Literary Press)
“A young girl and her father live alone in a mountain forest that fronts a lake in a devastated world. She learns from him how to live off the land, hunting for food, and finding shelter. The Bear is the moving story of a journey they make together to the ocean, and the bear who helps her find her way back home. For fans of The Dog Stars (Heller) and The Road (McCarthy).”

—Sandy Jones Boyd, Mountain Regional Public Library, Young Harris, GA
NoveList read-alike: Train Dreams by Denis Johnson

The Girl in White Gloves A Novel of Grace Kelly by Kerri Maher(Berkley)
“An interesting, fictional take on the life of one of America’s favorite actresses, Grace Kelly. She struggles to break free from controlling parents and forge her own life. Although she marries her prince, the confinements of her marriage contract assure that she never truly succeeds at happily ever after. For readers who liked The Girls in the Picture (Benjamin) and A Touch of Stardust (Alcott).”

—Debbie Lease, Hillsdale Public Library, Hillsdale, NJ
NoveList read-alike: Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor

Golden in Death
An Eve Dallas Novel
by J. D. Robb(St. Martin's Press)“Hard to believe that this is #50 in this series. Even harder to believe that the stories remain fresh and the characters compelling, but it does not disappoint. There's a satisfying path to solving the very distressing murders, and particular pleasure in seeing the characters continue to change and grow. For fans of the In Death series, Linda Howard, and Lisa Gardner.”

—Beth Mills, New Rochelle Public Library, New Rochelle, NY
NoveList read-alike: Rizzoli and Isles series by Tess Gerritsen

Mercy House
A Novel
by Alena Dillon
(William Morrow Paperbacks)
“Mercy House, a battered women’s shelter run by nuns, is being investigated by an arrogant bishop and threatened by a violent gang leader. In a world full of predators, Sister Evelyn protects her traumatized and diverse flock of women with everything she’s got. She is a rousing, radical, literary hero of heart-stirring courage. Give to fans of Elizabeth Berg and Anita Diamant.”

—Jill Minor, Washington County Public Library, Abingdon, VA
NoveList read-alike: The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott

Oona Out of Order
A Novel
by Margarita Montimore
(Flatiron Books)
"During the New Year countdown, 19-year-old Oona Lockhart faints and wakes up in her 51-year-old body. I can't wait for my bookish friends to read this time-jumping debut novel so we can discuss it. For fans of Audrey Niffenegger, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Liane Moriarty."

—Darla Dykstra, Mid-Continent Public Library, Independence, MO
NoveList read-alike: The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle

he Other Mrs.
A Novel
by Mary Kubica
(Park Row)
"Sadie, Will, and their two children move to Maine following Will’s sister’s suicide, to care for her teenage daughter Imogen. Soon after, a strange murder happens in the house across the street. The family’s past is revealed along with the unraveling of the neighbor’s murder. For fans of You by Caroline Kepnes (both the book and the Netflix show)."

—Christine Edgar, Farmington Libraries, Farmington, CT 
NoveList read-alike:The Hidden Girl by Louise Millar

Saint X
by Alexis Schaitkin
(Celadon Books)
"Claire was a child when her much older sister Alison died and there are many gaps in her knowledge of who Alison was and how she died. This is a deep character study and a story about obsession, grief, and finding a path after loss. For readers who enjoyed What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons and The Other Americans by Laila Lalami."

—Rebecca Swanson, Fitchburg Public Library, Fitchburg, MA
NoveList read-alike: Going East by Matthew D’Ancona

The Splendid and the Vile
A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson
(Crown)
"Once again Larson's new book is nonfiction that is as hard to put down as the best fiction. The book recounts the early days of Churchill as prime minister when France fell to Germany and the British Empire stood alone against Hitler. For readers who like John M. Barry (The Great Influenza) and David King (Death in the City of Light)."

—Celia Morse, Berkley Public Library, Berkley, MI
NoveList read-alike: Their Finest Hour by Winston Churchill

The Worst Best Man
A Novel
by Mia Sosa
(Avon)
"A classic enemies to lovers plot told from the perspective of both sides of the would-be couple, both likable and the chemistry between the two was well-written and believable. For fans of Red, White & Royal Blue and The Wedding Party."

—Karma Campbell, Catoosa Public Library, Catoosa, OK
NoveList read-alike: Faker by Sarah Smith

The Sun Down Motel
by Simone St. James (Berkley)
"Another chilling ghost story from St. James, who seems to surpass the level of shiver with each book. A young woman uncovers old secrets and stirs up vengeful ghosts when she travels to upstate New York in search of an aunt who disappeared 35 years earlier."
—Patricia Uttaro, Monroe County Library System, Rochester, NY
Read-alike: The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon Read-alike: The Vanishing by Wendy Webb Read-alike: The Ghost Orchid by Carol Goodman Read-alike: An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

Every Reader Reads a Different Version of the Same Book

That is my first rule of Readers' Advisory. What I find most appealing about a certain novel may not be why you liked it. As we librarians help leisure readers, we need to pay attention to how they describe a book that they recently enjoyed, and we have to listen even more carefully if we have read this book ourselves.

I teach this and we discuss it every semester, but never was this concept more clear to me than over the weekend when I saw this post in which Abe's Books customers named The Road the most depressing book ever.

Would it surprise you that I found this post-apocalyptic novel of a boy and his dad traveling through a ruined American landscape extremely uplifting? Those of you who think I am being sarcastic, I assure you, I am not.

I found The Road uplifting because despite the almost end of the world, a father protects his son at all costs. Their love for each other is inspiring. And the ending is hopeful; in fact, it is the most hopeful and optimistic ending I have ever seen in a Cormac McCarthy book.

Obviously a great number of people disagree with me, but that is fine. I read my own version of this book. Someone helping me would need to use what I said about The Road to find me other dark but uplifting titles.

Other books I would suggest to a patron with these criteria (in this case myself) would be Haruki Murakami's Kafka on the Shore, books by Ian McEwan, and The White Tiger (which again lots of people say is too depressing, but I disagree). Also, other books on the list of the 10 most depressing novels may also be good options, although looking at it I know I hated Jude the Obscure, but not because it was depressing. I just didn't care enough about the main character to be caught up in his problems.

So, please remember as you help others and even as you reader reviews for yourself: we all read a different version of the same book. What is considered depressing to you, may be perfect for me. And finding a reader the best book for them, based on what they want to read at that moment, is the ultimate goal.

What I’m Reading: Cabin At the End of the World and Clickers Forever

I have 5 reviews in May 15, 2018 issue of Booklist but I am breaking them up because 2 are horror and 3 are SF.

Before I get to the reviews of the horror ones today I wanted to share that both of these horror books made me cry, and not out of fear, out of true emotional feelings. That is the sign of an amazing horror book. I am sharing this because you can use that extra info to help booktalk the titles. 

As always, here on the blog, I post the draft reviews [which are longer than the published ones] with extra appeal info, readalikes, and my “three words.” 

 The Cabin at the End of the World.

Tremblay, Paul (author).

 
June 2018. 288p. Morrow, hardcover, $26.99  (9780062679109); e-book (9780062679123). 
First published May 15, 2018 (Booklist).

Tremblay is back with another thought provoking, page turning, horror novel that stabs readers directly in the gut, twists the knife, yet leaves them begging not to be let go. Wen is almost eight years old. She is on vacation, with her Dads, Andrew and Eric, at the end of a dirt road, on a lake in New Hampshire, with no one for miles. While catching grasshoppers on the front lawn, Leonard, a large man in a white button down shirt, approaches Wen, asking her for help to convince her Dads to let him and his friends into their home, for you see, they have come here, to this secluded place, with their menacing and crude weapons, to stop the world from ending, and Wen and her Dads are the key to humanity’s survival. What follows is an extremely intense, anxiety inducing thriller that puts the family in mortal danger while forcing them, and the reader, to tackle a universal dilemma-- how does the sacrifice of one balance against that of 7 billion others? Told from various points of view, including all members of the family, all are unreliable in the sense that each only understands part of the situation, but then again, the reader too is caught up in the emotional struggle not knowing what to believe or who to trust. Is the world really going to end? Does it even matter if you don’t have the ones you love most with you. The inclusion of flashbacks into the lives of Wen, Andrew, and Eric and the family they have built together despite the odds deftly builds their characters and amplifies the dread and terror which permeates every sentence. This is a novel with the heart and tone of The Road by McCarthy, but will also appeal to fans of Ruth Ware, Josh Malerman and Joe Hill.

Further Appeal: First, in case you missed it, this title made the PW Best Book of Summer 2018 list.

Right after I turned in this review, I got to meet Tremblay in person and he told me that this novel is what happened when he challenged himself to write a home invasion story that he would want to read. Well apparently, a lot of other people want to read it too.

Readers here on the blog know I read a lot of dark books, but this one literally kept me up and gave me anxiety nightmares. By the way, for a horror fan, that is a good thing.

Personally, I really enjoyed the flashbacks into Wen, Andy and Eric’s lives both before they met each other and after. They are the center of this story. And, this is a little mean spirited, but I love that there will be readers who get pissed at Tremblay for holding up Wen and her Dads as being the quintessential family that can save the world. They may not be “normative," but the thing is, they are quintessential. They have so much love and respect for each other. They are not perfect, but it is nice to read about a caring, loving family for a change. However, it is still a horror novel, so you have to be willing to read about a loving family going through intense trauma too.

Which is a good point, I should remind you that this is Horror not a typical suspense story. It is horror both for the speculative elements and because of how the story plays out. Be careful. You will have your heart shattered but, in the process, you be given a lot to think about. This is an original and just outright amazing cautionary tale for our times.

Three Words That Describe This Book: family-centered, thought provoking, menacing

Readalikes: As I say above, The Road is the single book that this is most like. But, I did think of specific titles by the other authors I mentioned in the review as I was reading Cabin at the End of the World. Specifically if you could combine, The Woman in Cabin 10, Bird Box and The Fireman into one tight package, that best describes what Tremblay has given us here.

I also think The Changeling by Victor LaValle could work for some. The Changeling is much more fantastical and epic in scope than Cabin at the End of the World but they both have an emotionally driven parent-child story at their center.


Clickers Forever: A Tribute to J. F. Gonzalez.
Keene, Brian (editor).
 Feb. 2018. 440p. Deadite Press, hardcover, $15.95  (9781621052746). 
First published May 15, 2018 (Booklist).

In this tribute to Mexican-American trailblazing author Gonzales, who died of cancer in 2014, horror master Keene, used Gonzales’ first novel, the cult-hit, crabs gone wild, Clickers, as a framework, asking his fellow writers to contribute to a collection that would honor the author. The result is a moving, compelling, and just plain fun to read volume which seamlessly melds critical essays on, such as one by Jonathan Maberry on the history of the “munch-out” subgenre, personal recollections by the Gonzales’ closest friends on the author and his work, including more than one piece about his influence as a writer of color, and even a few unpublished works by the subject himself. But those are the book’s exoskeleton, the meat lies in the 20 brand new tales of terror, set in Gonzales’ worlds, spun by those from the current generation of horror, authors like Jonathan Janz, Matt Hayward, Adam Cesare, Amber Fallon, and Stephen Kozeniewski, stories that show admiration, yes, but also showcase these up and comers own talents. Just the authors listed in the table of contents alone will have readers dying to get their claws on this volume, but combined with the recent revival in popularity of pulp horror as chronicled in Grady Hendrix’s Paperbacks From Hell, this a collection that libraries need to shelve. However, the best thing about CLICKERS FOREVER is that not only will readers come away from this collection with a desire to read more by Gonzales [and all the featured authors], but also, they will feel an affection for the man himself, a man whose works they might not have ever read, a man they almost certainly have never met, but a man whose loss they will nonetheless feel because they came into contact with this book.

Further Appeal: First, wowza! That cover. Perfect for displays.

So many authors contributed to this, but despite the fact that there is fiction and nonfiction mixed together, Keene created a unified volume that has an affection for Gonzales uniting the volume. It is a book that entertains, educates, and gives you all the feels along the way.

You want more inclusive titles at your library, right? Gonzales was one of the most influential horror authors of his generation period. But specifically, there are pieces here by authors of color who share what Gonzales as a peer and an influence meant to them.

Pulp horror is also extremely popular right now; the result of a combination of the success of Paperbacks from Hell  and Generation X nostalgia. Clickers Forever fits into this trend perfectly.

Finally, Keene is the executor of Gonzales’ literary estate and all of the proceeds of this book go to the late author's widow and daughter. Keene has also been working to get Gonzales’ backlist titles back in print. Click here to see those. Grab a few for your library’s collection. Your patrons will hank you.

Three Words That Describe This Book: episodic, heart-warming, pulp

Readalikes: Just look at the table of contents or go to the killer animals chapter in Paperbacks from Hell. That will keep you and your patrons busy for a good long while.

Flashback Review: In the Valley of the Sun with Updated Readalikes

Sometimes you read a book that just fell into your lap, one you had no idea even existed, one that you had never heard about, and after reading it, you are stunned, you want to run and tell every person, everywhere to read it, and it never leaves you. This is what happened to me the first time I read In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson.

I cannot use enough superlatives to talk about not only this book, but how much it blew me away. And I went out of my way to spread the word far and wide. I championed it for a Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel [it was a finalist], I made sure a member of the RUSA CODES Reading List knew about it and it made the 2018 horror list as an honorable mention, I included it in a Library Journal column, obviously the Booklist review below, and I even talked about it on Nebraska Public Radio.

Enough sales were generated for the hardcover that a paperback was just recently released by Skyhorse. And, Davidson recently signed a 2 book deal with FSG/Macmillan to publish 2 Big 5 horror novels. The first, entitled The Boatman's Daughter is due February 2020 is already generating buzz. In general FSG has been publishing more subtle and literary horror-- The Grip of It and Universal Harvester are two critically acclaimed examples-- and I am very excited about this. These titles will get ordered by libraries; these titles will get read; and that means more patrons will be asking for more horror like the books they just enjoyed.

If you haven't read In the Valley of the Sun yet, or don't own it, now is the time to grab a paperback for your collections. You will also then be ready for Davidson to break out early next year. This novel is unlike any vampire novel you have ever read and will greatly appeal to fans of modern westerns [of which there are many as I wrote about here] too.

Below is the original review post from May 2017. But to this review, I would also add two books that have come out since which are great readalikes. Both are literary horror with lyrical language and a perfectly rendered, highly detailed setting-- The Hunger by Alma Katsu and Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi both of which were among my favorite horror readers of 2018. You can use the link to read my longer reviews for each.


In the Valley of the Sun.

Davidson, Andy (author).

June 2017. 384p. Skyhorse, hardcover, $24.99  (9781510721104); e-book (9781510721111). 
First published May 1, 2017 (Booklist).

It is 1980 and the US is still reeling from the effects of the Vietnam War, especially in the harsh landscape of rural Texas. Travis is not a good man, he even wears a black hat. Haunted by his violent past, he takes it out on the women he meets. But one night, a strange, pale skinned girl leaves him bloodied and weak in his own trailer only to awaken with an inability to tolerate daylight and a strange and overpowering hunger. When widow Annabelle and her ten year old son Sandy, see the trailer in the parking lot of their long empty roadside motel, she offers the sickly cowboy some work around the place in exchange for his board. The three lonely souls soon strike up an awkward friendship, but not for long because a veteran Texas Ranger is following the trail of dead girls that leads right up to Travis’ doorstep, and no one, not even Travis, understands the monster they are truly up against. The shifting point of view smoothly moves between the major players, allowing the reader to sympathize with all, even the most evil ones. But this is not your typical vampire novel, rather it is actually a lyrical western, with a large dose of psychological suspense. Everyone has a secret here and no one is completely innocent. It is a story dripping with atmosphere, a hauntingly dark, yet oddly beautiful debut with wide appeal, where the plot and the characters play with your mind, and the pacing is like the harsh landscape, a slow but riveting burn. This is one that readers won’t easily forget after turning the final page. Hand it often to fans of literary, psychological suspense with a strong sense of place who don’t mind a subtle touch of the supernatural, and especially target fans of the film Hell or High Water and the novels of Cormac McCarthy or Stephen Graham Jones

Further Appeal: This book was amazing from the first page. First of all, talk about a flawed protagonist, Travis wears a black hat for goodness sake. The unease in this book starts from the dead, lifeless girl on page one and only builds from there; it is intense. The characters are all complicated and flawed. The setting is rendered perfectly-- both the beauty and savagery of the landscape and the time period [post Vietnam War]. And the whole vampire thing is so subtle. I normally dislike vampire stories, but for this one, it works perfectly both as a metaphor AND literally.

But what is the most striking thing about this book it the lyrical beauty of its language. This is a book you can give out to readers who read for language. Over the years I have found that there are a lot of those readers. They don’t care as much about plot or other appeals as long as the language itself captures them.

I was a little sad when I finished this book because I think I read the best debut horror book I will read all year and it is was only March when I finished it. Expect me to bring this one up A LOT in the coming months.

Finally, it is important to note that the Western is having a moment once again, but it is in this reimagined way. Pay attention to that because it is trend that is still on an upward trajectory.

Three Words That Describe This Book: lyrical, haunting, atmospheric

Readalikes: Seriously, if you could stuff Cormac McCarthy into Stephen Graham Jones- mix the old Texas master with one of the up and coming ones and have that newly created author write a book- you would get this novel. Mongrels by Jones and either No Country for Old Men OR The Road by McCarthy [depending on your personal preferences with storyline] are where you should begin.

Mentioning No Country for Old Men which is also a very good movie, brings me back to the fact that in the review I give a watch alike. This book is more similar to Hell or High Water than any book I have ever read. The setting of that Oscar nominated movie is more contemporary, yes, but otherwise the feel, characterizations, and bleak beauty are all there. I hand sold this title to best selling horror author Jeff Strand based on this comparison alone.

Finally, if you want a Southern Gothic classic that also has a monster storyline, but one that is not the crux of the story, try the often forgotten, but absolutely AMAZING The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell. It’s set in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse, but the zombies are not why you read this novel.

EW 100 Best Books of the Last 25 Years

In the current, double, print issue of Entertainment Weekly (June 27 and July 4, 2008), beginning on page 95, there is an article listing the "New Classics," or their version of the Best 100 Books of the Last 25 Years.

Their number 1 is The Road by Cormac McCarthy, which I personally loved. It is a great mix of dystopian SF, apocalyptic fiction, and a moving father-son drama, all with an un-McCarthy ray of hope ending. You should check out the list, which is compiled with annotations, and considers a book's importance, not just its quality of writing (see Bridget Jones' Diary at number 20).

There is also a list of new monster books by Neil Gaiman and an article by EW contributor Stephen King about his favorite year for books in the last 25 years (It was 1999).

Writing about this list also reminds me to mention what a great resource Entertainment Weekly is in both print and online. As a Readers' Advisor, you not only have to read the professional reviews, you also must read what your patrons are reading. Popular publications with book reviews and/or book news on their websites (like EW) are an excellent resource. I go through EW every week and make sure we have the B+ and higher reviewed works. We generally do, but once in awhile I catch something we may have missed. For example, a book that was dismissed in Publishers Weekly 4 months ago, but now that it is out, is catching fire with the public and gets a big write up in EW.

Also, remember, as you help patrons with their leisure reading needs, you also need to know about the entire media landscape. Reading EW allows me to keep up to date with the hottest TV shows and movies without having to actually watch them. For example, I know all about CSI, but have never watched it, and I get many requests for books like CSI, so I am prepared. Ditto for all the superhero movies based on graphic novels.

Do have a look at this current list in EW though; you might find the next great read for your patrons or yourself.

Suggestions for a Guys Book Group

I had a patron come to the desk at BPL on Monday to tell us about his new book group. It consists of a dozen or so 30-something, fathers, who meet in a local bar to hold their discussions. They had their first meeting last month and they read The Road by Cormac McCarthy. They are reading Confederacy of Dunces next and Motherless Brooklyn in August. All three are excellent choices to get a guys group going.

I told him I would compile I list of suggestions for future months. His requirements were that the books be less than 350, they wanted fictions and nonfiction, a few classics, short stories, a "scary book for Halloween, and anything I just thought might be good.

So here are the suggestions, for both his group, and anyone else out there, to peruse.

Let's start with the "scary" book suggestion. I have three. The first two might have less to discuss in the traditional book discussion sense, but are VERY scary, and the third is not as scary, but a good book discussion title. Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box and Scott Smith's The Ruins, are the two best horror books of the last few years (IMO). The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue is about changelings and has provoked a lot of conversation and accolades. It also deal with fatherhood.

Now onto other suggested titles. I will list fiction and nonfiction separately. Each is linked to Amazon, where interested readers can find not only summaries, but comments from actual readers. When choosing titles for a book discussion, I always look at a few 5 star reviews and a few 1 star reviews to get the full spectrum of opinions on a book. It has served me well for 7 1/2 years of picking book discussion titles.

I have placed a * in front of my top 10 picks for discussion. But this is only my opinion.

FICTION
*Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
*Blindness by Jose Saramago
*Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (which is technically 18 pages over the limit, but many of the pages are just pictures)
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami (Short Stories)
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro (Short Stories)
*Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (Short Stories)
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
*On the Road by Jack Kerouac
The Van by Roddy Doyle

NONFICTION
(The page limit really held my choices back here, but these are all great options. Many are under the limit in text, but over when you count the notes sections)
Cod by Mark Kurlansky
*Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
*Maus or In the Shadow of No Towers by Art Spiegelman (both graphic novels)
The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
*Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson
*Longitude by Dava Sobel
The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean
*1776 by David McCulough
Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis
Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

Good luck to the Berwyn guys and anyone else who chooses to use this list. Please feel free to use the comments to add to the list. I know there are a lot more books to add because I had to force myself to stop.

Introducing Flashback Fridays

This is a busy time of year for me in terms of anniversaries. My wedding anniversary is in June. I also had a birthday recently, one of my kids has her birthday 2 days later, and then I remembered that this month marks 10 years at the Berwyn Public Library for me.

It is my anniversary, but it is also the anniversary of the creation of RA service at the BPL. We have come a long way in 10 years. One of the biggest marks of the RA department's success is the fact that the person I worked so hard to create the department with, is now the Director of the BPL. Not to mention all I have accomplished.

Next month, also marks the 3rd anniversary of RA for All. Three years and 570 posts later, even I don't remember everything I have talked about here. I go back and search for things from time to time and am surprised at how good and useful some of it is.

So in order to remind myself and all of you readers about the treasure trove of information hiding in this blog's archives, I have begun "Flashback Fridays." From now on, every Friday I will re-post something from the current week in a previous year.

Today, to mark the first Flashback Friday I want to point you to a post from two years ago today and it is one I have gone back to for my own use over the last 2 years.

Suggestions for a Guys Book Group

I had a patron come to the desk at BPL on Monday to tell us about his new book group. It consists of a dozen or so 30-something, fathers, who meet in a local bar to hold their discussions. They had their first meeting last month and they read The Road by Cormac McCarthy. They are reading Confederacy of Dunces next and Motherless Brooklyn in August. All three are excellent choices to get a guys group going.

I told him I would compile I list of suggestions for future months. His requirements were that the books be less than 350, they wanted fictions and nonfiction, a few classics, short stories, a "scary book for Halloween, and anything I just thought might be good.

So here are the suggestions, for both his group, and anyone else out there, to peruse.

Let's start with the "scary" book suggestion. I have three. The first two might have less to discuss in the traditional book discussion sense, but are VERY scary, and the third is not as scary, but a good book discussion title. Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box and Scott Smith's The Ruins, are the two best horror books of the last few years (IMO). The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue is about changelings and has provoked a lot of conversation and accolades. It also deal with fatherhood.

Now onto other suggested titles. I will list fiction and nonfiction separately. Each is linked to Amazon, where interested readers can find not only summaries, but comments from actual readers. When choosing titles for a book discussion, I always look at a few 5 star reviews and a few 1 star reviews to get the full spectrum of opinions on a book. It has served me well for 7 1/2 years of picking book discussion titles.

I have placed a * in front of my top 10 picks for discussion. But this is only my opinion.

FICTION*Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
*Blindness by Jose Saramago
*Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (which is technically 18 pages over the limit, but many of the pages are just pictures)
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami (Short Stories)Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro (Short Stories)
*Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri (Short Stories)
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
*On the Road by Jack Kerouac
The Van by Roddy Doyle

NONFICTION (The page limit really held my choices back here, but these are all great options. Many are under the limit in text, but over when you count the notes sections)
Cod by Mark Kurlansky
*Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
*Maus or In the Shadow of No Towers by Art Spiegelman (both graphic novels)
The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
*Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson
*Longitude by Dava Sobel
The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean
*1776 by David McCulough
Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis
Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

Good luck to the Berwyn guys and anyone else who chooses to use this list. Please feel free to use the comments to add to the list. I know there are a lot more books to add because I had to force myself to stop.