Reviews From Our Readers

What's being read this summer?
Here are a few comments from our Adult Reading Contest entry forms. Maybe you'll want to try one of these books, too...

A few classics are being read such as:
Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility "I really liked it- liked reading about the society & culture of 19th century English society" - Susan L.
Agatha Christie's Appointment With Death "I love mysteries! Though she didn't explain one big detail, I did not guess who the murderer was... I love to be surprised!" - Rebecca F.
Zane Grey's The Trail Driver "Good. The language is a little hard to follow at times." - Jonathan F.

As well as some books by new favorite authors such as:
Chris Bohjalian's The Double Bind (2007) "An intriguing story with a very confusing ending." - Treena F.
Wanda Brunstetter's The Quilter's Daughter (2005); The Storekeeper's Daughter (2005); & The Bishop's Daughter (2006) "Enjoyed this series about Lancaster County Amish... Enjoyed reading about places I am familiar with..." - Connie J.
Meg Cabot's Queen of Babble In the Big City (2007) "Great story. I hope there is a sequel..." - Rachel C.
Clive Cussler's The Chase (2007) "A delightful novel, stepping away from Dirk Pitt & the NUMA, yet remaining a true Cussler." - Marilyn D.
Mary Higgins Clark's I've Heard That Song Before (2007) "Was a good book, but more predictable than her other books." - Jill H.
Jeffrey Deaver's The Empty Chair (2000) "Good book -many plot twists -as always in Deaver's books." - LuAnne F.

This is just a small sampling of the books people are reading this summer and writing about to enter the Adult Summer Reading contest here at the BCL. There is still plenty of time for more adults to read more books and turn in contest entries. Some great prizes remain to be claimed!

The Shack by William P. Young - A Staff Review

This one grabs you by the heart.

I read this book each morning at breakfast, promising myself just one chapter a day. One or two [of those] days I really wanted to just be VERY late.

It's a parent's worst nightmare... a family vacation ending with a kidnapped child. And all clues indicate a repeat offender whose victims are never found.

This story takes you inside the family as they try to pick up the pieces that were left after Missy's disappearance. Mostly it chronicles the father's search for meaning to this torment he is experiencing. Where was God when all this happened?

Drawn by a mysterious invitation back to "the shack" where the crime was committed, Mack is drawn into a world that will make you cry for joy and laugh at the humanness of us all.

The experience is not what you expect, but in your heart you want it all to be so true.

You will read this book once for the story and then again for the deep meaning behind it. You won't be the same. 

Book Review by BCL Assistant Circulation Manager Deb Focht.

Twilight: the movie or the book?

Staff Review by Deb Focht.

Once again, the book wins.

Why do we love Bella so much? She is a klutzy, ordinary, remarkably unself-possessed teenager. Not so much of this comes through in the movie. Edward takes her up towering evergreens and lets her wander on the branches. Now we all know that our Bella would have slipped off the branches and fallen to her death. Even Edward knew better than to put her at those risks. Why do you think he piggybacked her through the forest - not just because it was faster?

Remember that Bella moved to Forks so that she could give her mother space and a chance to cement her new marriage? Upon arriving she started fixing dinners for her father because she thought his diet was in need of intervention. In the movie, she never even makes toast for her poor father. You don't get the connection that built between them and why her parting words, which were identical to her mother's, caused him so much pain.

I am sorry, but the movie also did not convey the level of passion and sexual tension between Edward and Bella.

Taking a male point of view, the fight scenes were well done.

But my biggest disappointment was the meadow scene. What meadow scene? See, you really need to read the book.

Deb Focht is our Assistant Circulation Manager (which is a title that doesn't convey all she really does at the library -look for a vivacious, dark-haired woman who may be small in stature but is big on personality and whose favorite color is green.)

What I've Read - Update by Marta

Back in December I wrote that I was planning to read two books and report on them. I can now report that I did indeed read them (I finished several weeks ago) and I enjoyed both. Let me tell you about first one and then in another post about the other and you can decide if you will want to read one or both of them as well.

The Lost Temple by Tom Harper was an incredibly 

detailed archeological adventure story delving into the ancient history of Greece and the Trojan War through the writings of Homer. While reading the book I often wondered about all the research the author must have done for the detail he included and whether he had actually done archeological work in Greece and Albania or if he was a literature scholar concentrating on Homer. 

If you enjoy history and are interested in the research involved in archeology you will positively love this book. If you are looking for another Indiana Jones adventure you will probably be somewhat statisfied but not necessarily thrilled with the action (there are indeed some interesting chases but the maps in front do not help in the visualization of where the characters are going). I found it a little difficult to keep the time period straight, it takes place just after WWII ends but covers incidents that happen during the war and of course the ancient period of the Trojan War.

Similarly to the Indiana Jones character Tom Harper's protagonist (Sam Grant) has tunnel vision when archeology competes with a fascinating woman. There is a slight sexual tension running through the plot which breaks into the open suddenly in the last quarter of the book but just as quickly fades away when the archeological prize comes to the surface. 

Do I seem to be using the word archeology a lot? Well this is definitely not a techno thriller although the prize seems to be an element with great scientific properties highly sought by several governments (represented by the CIA, KGB & British Intelligence). While not a fast read, the book didn't bog down anywhere and I definitely found it interesting. I would recommend it to anyone.

What I’m Reading – Guest Review by Sandy Polen

For Us, the Living: A Comedy of Customs, by Robert A. Heinlein (pub.2003)

First let me start by saying that I am a die-hard Sci-Fi fan. It makes up virtually ALL of my pleasure reading. Also, Robert Heinlein is my favorite Sci-Fi author. I read my first book by Heinlein when I was 12 (I’m 58 now) and didn’t stop reading his books until his death in 1988. 

I’ve read everything he published. So this review is not written by someone unfamiliar with his work.

 

According to the book jacket, For Us, the Living is a lost novel which appears to be his first, never published, work. Apparently Heinlein wrote it and put it away… and for good reason. For Us, the Living is a 75 page short story squeezed into a 239 page novel. Seriously, I can’t believe the people who got this book published did not read it and realize that Heinlein didn’t publish it for a reason. That reason is simple, it is over written.

 

Anyone familiar with Heinlein knows he has a tendency to insert the occasional rambling description and sex into his novels, but this one reaches the abyss and takes several steps too many. There are a hundred pages of description which have no bearing on the actual plot of the book. Reading the first 50 pages, about 20 pages in the middle of the book and the last 50 pages is sufficient to enjoy this without getting bogged down in the rambling.

 

The book is the story of Perry Nelson who while driving in 1939 loses control of his auto and goes over a cliff only to wake up in someone else’s body in 2086. In attempting to adjust to the very new culture of the time he breaks the somewhat obscure traditions/law of the day and is sentenced to be rehabilitated, which is really acclimated, to this new time. In the end he finds his niche in society and presumably lives happily ever after. An interesting plot ruined by the need to tell the reader every single piece of information about the new society in minute detail.

My suggestion is you skim the detail of the “modern society” and read the basics. You’ll enjoy the book much more.

 

If you really want to read some good books by Robert Heinlein, I would suggest the following: Starship Trooper (nothing like the movie); The Moon is a Harsh Mistress; Tunnel in the Sky; Have Spacesuit, Will Travel; Methuselah’s Children; Puppet Masters (again, nothing like the movie); and my favorite, Sixth Column.

--Sandy Polen is president of the Board of Trustees of the Boyertown Community Library

Jasper Fforde AND Charlotte Bronte

Many ask me, “What are you reading?” At this time I must answer that I am not reading something I have never read before, but that I am re-reading a book by an author introduced to me a couple years ago by one of my fellow co-workers.

The book? – The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. In fact I have almost finished the re-reading but have now paused to pick up a book (also one I have previously read) which is frequently referred to in Mr. Fforde’s work – Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. In fact, I plan on reading other books referred to within the spell-binding plot of Mr. Fforde’s Sci-Fi/Mystery work (which is filled with literary allusions, puns and twists) – especially Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens.

The Eyre Affair is the first in a series starring Thursday Next, a woman employed by the LiteraTec division of Spec Ops in an England not exactly the same as the England of our world. History has been changed (the Crimean War still goes on, Wales is a separate Republic, and Zeppelins are the usual mode of air-transport) and people can change the great classics of literature by erasing lines or characters from the original manuscript thereby causing all copies and versions of the same title to be affected world-wide –hence the need for the LiteraTec Operatives.

Why read Jane Eyre before finishing The Eyre Affair? Well, first of all remember this is a re-reading of both for me. Then consider that in Jasper Fforde’s novel, Miss Bronte’s novel is slightly different from our true Jane Eyre. Also things start happening to it and within it that, well, suffice it to say I just wanted to see the differences and make comparisons between the two books. Since I don’t have a copy of Jane Eyre, though, I am reading it online from the Project Gutenberg free access. (http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1260 or just Google any classic title and look for the listing for your title with the Gutenberg URL.)

While you are online and after you have enjoyed reading The Eyre Affair or any of the subsequent books by Jasper Fforde, I highly recommend checking out his website. http://www.jasperfforde.com/ You will find a whole realm of interesting tidbits including supposedly deleted scenes, Goliath Corporation ads (inside joke), etc. to tickle your grey cells. How he finds time to create a website as complex as his books and still write is beyond me.

I really enjoy Jasper Fforde’s style of writing. His wit combined with his amazing imagination makes it difficult to stop anywhere while reading – in other words he writes a real page-turner. I do strongly recommend that you either read Jane Eyre or view one of the many film versions of this great classic novel before reading The Eyre Affair. But -if you enjoy British authors, their humor and style; if you have read any of the classics; or if you just enjoy a good alternative history, Sci-Fi Mystery you ought to try The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde. It will certainly make you smile if not laugh out loud.

What Non-Fiction is Being Read? (A-D)

Here are a few of the books being read by our patrons. The comments/reviews were submitted during our 2008 Adult Summer Reading Program.

Tracy Acost, DVM, “Your Dog’s Life”, 1999. …I learned a lot to teach our new ‘naughty’ J puppy. – Michael S.

Stephen Ambrose, “Citizen Soldiers”, 1997. …An interesting and informative account of the conditions endured by soldiers during WWII. – Frank D.

Valeri Bertinelli, “Losing It”, 2008.
…At times a little too much of a ‘tell-all’ but interesting how she is turning on a positive track. – Dawn A.
…Quick read and pretty well written. – Sue A.

Rick Darke, “The Encyclopedia of Grasses”, 2007. …Interesting read, lots of pictures, descriptions, and knowledge packed into this book. – Cheryl B.

Howard Dayton, “Your Money Map”, 2006. …This book provided practical financial guidance in the areas of spending, saving, & investing. – Kendra M.

More reviews are forthcoming. If you would like to submit your own review or even comment on the books already reviewed please feel free to do so.

Remember - not every submission may appear.

Book Reviews Return

As stated in the introduction to this Blog, periodically I planned on posting some reviews of books by staff and by patrons of the library.

Events in the past few months have conspired to make this low on my “To-Do List”. But now I will revisit that intention and post a number of reviews received through the summer from our patrons. These were individuals who entered our Summer Reading Program for Adults by filling out a brief form with the title and author of a book they had read and added a comment or two about it. Not all the books were new and some were read by several people.

Maybe the comments posted here will help you make a choice on the next book you will read. I will not post all of them nor too many at one time.

Check the Blog periodically for a new posting with more reviews as the last few months of the year speed by.
…And Happy Reading to you!