Erin’s Comments (group member since May 25, 2013)

Erin’s comments from the Discuss @ Carroll County Public Library group.

I own so many books that I've never read! So, besides books for work, school, and book club, I'm attempting to only read books that I already own this year.

I'm really enjoying the audio version of A Wild Swan by Michael Cunningham. It's an updated and or harshly realistic look at some of the most famous fairy tales.

I'm not a mystery/thriller person (or even much of a fiction person, actually), but on a whim gave Nicci French a shot. I only recently found out that "Nicci" is actually a husband and wife writing team! I loved "Until It's Over" and "Secret Smile." Their books are suspenseful and take place in contemporary England. The characters are well-rounded and unpredictable. There's always a twist and I almost never see it coming! Definitely good for those whodunit fans. If you've seen Midsomer Murders or Broadchurch (both PBS British mysteries), you'll probably like these.

The first time I read The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov was around Christmas and I think about rereading it around that time each year. Not a holiday book, per se, but it's cold Russian setting is just perfect for this time of year. Plus, it's filled with humor and mysticism, as all holidays should be. :)

Two of the funniest books I've ever read are Kick Me by Paul Feig (creator of Freaks and Geeks and Bridesmaids) and A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy O'Toole. Hilarious in different ways, but I think about the latter one about once a week...and I read it nine years ago!

Angie wrote: "I just recently read a great picture book, Battle Bunny by Jon Scieszka. I picked it up because it looks a little different than other picture books. The cover has an old fashioned sweet looking li..."
Battle Bunny is totally hilarious! I definitely think it has older kid appeal.

My favorites growing up were books by Tomie de Paola and Ezra Jack Keats. I still love revisiting any and all of them as a grown up.

Sorry I'm late to the game here, but I wanted to mention the last great sci fi book I read, "The City and the City" by China Mieville. It's a sci fi book for those who aren't necessarily into sci fi. There's no gadgets, no time travel, no alien worlds. But the story has you thinking of reality as something that is all about perception and what you choose to experience. It's hard to even explain, but the Goodreads reviews do a better job of it than I'm doing here. I'm eager to read Mieville's other works (though, Bryan graciously lent me a comic series he worked on which was also fantastic). He's got a uniquely weird voice and paints a setting with his words that's very like our own, but off-the-mark enough to make you consider it long after you've finished the book.

That's a great story, Chris! Not horror, but properly creepy.

One book that scared the daylights out of me was House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. I don't want to go into too much of the plot here, mostly because it's too nebulous to attempt to explain, but it's mainly about a house with a mind of its own. Now, re-reading that description makes it sound like a hokey horror book, but it's definitely not. Very cerebral, very complex, and the terror is real. I was very jumpy while reading it, but I loved it!

What a great book, Michele! Did you know the long awaited sequel is now available? It's called "Doctor Sleep." I can't wait to read it!

I agree with Bryan about Little Children. Loved both, but there are elements of the movie that really stick with me.

I have to say, that "About a Boy" by Nick Hornby was a much better movie than it was a book. The only time I've ever encountered this! I think the soundtrack and the grey scenery of contemporary London helped portray the feelings of modern despair more than the book did.

My all time favorite teen book is actually cataloged under Juvenile. It's "Love Curse of the Rumbaughs" by Jack Gantos. A super weird, but incredibly touching tale of a daughter and her love for her mother. It's also the only book for kids that features human taxidermy (that I know of, anyway)!

Hi! I love to read all kinds of things! Mostly nonfiction, with a quirky fiction (adult and young adult) thrown in there every once in a while. I'm also a fan of graphic novels, but I don't read them nearly enough. This summer I'm reading a number of correspondences between famous people. I'm most excited to read Napoleon's letters to his wife, Josephine.