Summer Reads!

Hey Readers,
Check out NPR's list of summer reads handpicked by independent booksellers!

Stop by or give us a call for more suggestions. We'd also love to show you Novelist Plus, our database of recommended books! Check it out here (link is on the lower right). You'll need an active library card number to log in.

Fiction readers, start (or rev) your engines!

For all the fiction fans out there, next week is BIG in terms of fiction releases. Check out the list of books coming up here, and start placing those holds!

Oprah's Summer Reading Calendar

Need help finding some good reads for the summer? Check out the summer reading calendar on Oprah's website. She even has a bookmark checklist you can print out to keep track of what you've read.

Summer Book Calendar

It's not too early to start planning for your summer reading! Check out USA Today's Summer Book Calendar to see new books that are coming out soon, and then start placing those holds . . .

photo by Ellen Munro on flickr.

Need a cheerful, uplifting read?

Here's a list of books for those readers who like to read books that are literary, but not depressing.

In other words, "feel-good fiction with substance," from the website Positively Good Reads.

Enjoy!

Click here for the list.

For more information about Positively Good Reads, see the main page here.

(Photo from flickr commons by user mmcdonnell.)

Books: The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea

I just had the good fortune to take a little trip down to Tucson, Arizona for a vacation. I spent a few days getting to know phainopeplas, saguaros, javelinas, prickly pear cacti, and other desert flora and fauna. My literary companion on the trip was the excellent novel The Hummingbird's Daughter. Set in late 1800's Mexico, the book tells the story of real life Teresita, the Saint of Cabora. Born to a 14 year old Yaqui girl known as The Hummingbird, Teresita grows up under the watchful eye of Huila, a midwife and healer. Eventually, as mystical, political, and social events collide, Teresita becomes an international sensation as a miracle worker.

The Hummingbird's Daughter is a fascinating and dazzling portrait of a woman and her country. As author Gail Tsukiyama writes, Urrea's landscape is "swollen and untamed, populated by rich, educated Dons, Mexican soldiers, valiant revolutionaries, dusty vaqueros, poor Yaqui and Mayo Indians, spiritual healers, and corrupt politicians."

If you're a fan of historical or literary fiction, add this book to your reading list!

Literature of the West at High Country News

The October 29th issue of High Country News, the magazine "For people who care about the West" includes book reviews and information about Western literature, new and old.

Scroll down the page to "Book Reviews" and check out a fall reading list, a new book by Deirdre McNamer about Montana, a new collection of essays by William Kittredge, two books about wildfires, and a 'best of' list of books about the Pacific Northwest.

My favorite selection is the literary trivia quiz; you can see the questions online and make your guesses, but to find the answers you'll need to visit the library and take a look at the hard copy of the magazine - on the shelf in the periodicals at the Main Library. Consider it a bit of a scavenger hunt, and take some books home with you to get started on your wintertime reading.