The County Library discussion

What do you think about the Reader's Choice books? Have you read any that you really like? The only one I've read from the July-October 2010 list is Goddess of the Hunt, which was quick and racy brain candy. Anyone have any favorites?

I have read three--Bound South, Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter and Untraceable. My favorite of those three would be Untraceable (enough suspense to keep me reading), but so far none of them have really been off the charts great for me. I am going to keep reading though, hoping for that hidden gem of a book that I will really LOVE!

I have read 7 of them. The one I like best is Quiet Belief in Angels. It's a literary serial murder mystery. I also like the Physick book of Deliverance Dane and the 13th Hour. If you like suspense, then the 13th Hour has quite a bit.

I have read two--Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter and Untraceable. I will be starting Three Weissmans of Westport soon.

Where did you find the list for July-October?? I want the list! lol

Britt,

I can email you the list, which will OFFICIALLY be out next week on July 1st. Send me a message at: rcheesman@slcolibrary.org, and I'll email you back the list.

Thanks! I emailed you!

Just finished Deliverance Dane, and will be starting on The Affinity Bridge at lunch today. :)

I just posted all the July-October 2010 Reader's Choice books on the "read" bookshelf. I know the list doesn't officially come out until July 1st, but I figured the Goodreads group could have a head start.

Make sure to fill out a ballot at your library for each RC book you read, and ask if they have a frequent reader card program. Some county libraries are giving away a free book for every 7 RC ballots you turn in. Happy reading!

Thanks for posting the list, Jennifer! I haven't read any of the books - which I think must be a first for me. I look forward to reading as many as I can!

I haven't read any of these yet either! Hopefully I can read a lot of them this time... didn't do too well the last couple of rounds.

Two down, 26 to go! lol

Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "Two down, 26 to go!"

I saw your review of Jane Bites Back, but which other one have you already read?

Finished The Day the Falls Stood Still late last night. I've put up a GoodReads review now.

I'll have the full reviews on my blog next week. :)

I just finished Affinity Bridge It's a murder mystery set in a steampunk victorian England. Very quick pace, clear descriptions, and scientific twists behind every closed door. I really liked the self-sufficiency of the female character, who's a research assistant to a Sherlock Holmes type figure. Plus, there's a twist in the epilogue that made me want to go back and read the whole book all over again!

I enjoyed that one too. There will be more-- it's a series! :D

The sequel is called The Osiris Ritual. I have it on hold (it's on order).

I have it on hold, too. Couldn't remember the name of the sequel last night though... Partly because I also looked up the sequel to The Crossing Places recently and I couldn't remember off the top of my head which was which!

I previously have red Wife of the Gods and The Postmistress. I have The Day the Falls Stood Still on my shelf waiting. I always love looking at the Readers Choice selections.

I just returned Darkborn, which I thought was okay, and Glassblower of Murano, which I just couldn't stomach. The corniness of the writing style prevented me from getting into the story. But I'm super-sensitive to corniness, so no offense if you loved it! I picked up two more, so hopefully my next lot will be better. Now I want to read Affinity Bridge- thanks for the recommendation, Tina!

To date, I've read The 13th Hour - a unique time travel thriller, which I loved - and Untraceable - also a thriller and a nice vacation read for me. Up next for me, I think, is The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane.

Just finished The 13th Hour the other day, and finished Homer's Odyssey last night.
So far I've read 10 total, plus the one I just couldn't finish.

Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "Just finished The 13th Hour the other day, and finished Homer's Odyssey last night.
So far I've read 10 total, plus the one I just couldn't finish."

You really are racing through the list! I need to make more time to read - or figure out how to read faster.

I'm not letting myself read anything else! lol

If I can keep up the pace, I'll finish them all, no problem! :)

I was thrilled to learn my debut novel, The Day the Falls Stood Still, is included in the Salt Lake County Library Reader's Choice July-October 2010.

TDTFSS is a Barnes & Noble Recommends Selection, an IndieNext pick, a Historical Novels Society Editors' Choice Title and a New York Times bestseller.

To give me a chance to convince you to crack open The Day the Falls Stood Still, read on...


"A wonderful love story…Buchanan weaves Niagara Falls’ history and her storytelling together masterfully.” − Elle

“Few first novels exhibit the mastery, maturity and majesty of Buchanan’s riveting fictional debut, a heart-wrenching, soul-racking, spell-binding tale interwoven with guts, anguish and glory guaranteed to remain in readers’ minds.” − The Globe and Mail

“The Day the Falls Stood Still stands on its own elegant prose and the vibrant voice of its narrator.” − USA Today

1915. Niagara Falls. The dawn of the hydroelectric power era. Seventeen-year-old Bess Heath, who has led a sheltered existence as the younger daughter of the director of the Niagara Power Company, meets Tom Cole by chance on a trolley platform, and finds herself inexplicably drawn to him—against her family’s strong objections. Tom is not from their world. Rough-hewn and fearless, he lives off what the river provides and has an uncanny knack for reading the whims of the falls. His daring river rescues render him a local hero and cast him as a threat to the power companies that seek to harness the power of the falls for themselves. As the paths of Bess and Tom become entwined, she must make a painful choice between what she wants and what is best for her family and her future.

(If you have questions about the book or the writing life, I've begun a discussion in the group's What Should I Read section.)

Cathy wrote: "I was thrilled to learn my debut novel, The Day the Falls Stood Still, is included in the Salt Lake County Library Reader's Choice July-October 2010.

TDTFSS is a Barnes & Noble Recommends Sele..."

Great to have you, Cathy, and sounds like your book is doing really well! I moved the discussion of your book into the "What Should I Read" section, since I'm a little OCD about my organizational structure. What can I say? I'm a librarian!

Jennifer wrote: "Great to have you, Cathy, and sounds like your book is doing really well!"

Thanks, Jennifer. A few Salt Lake County bloggers have agreed to review TDTFSS so hopefully I'll have "local" reviews to post soon.

Just finished "Something Missing"- it was unexpectedly sweet, with the main character surprisingly endearing. I really liked it.

I liked that one, too. Very quirky and cute!

Finished The Day the Falls Stood Still and enjoyed it very much!

I have read 21 of the 28 books so far. My favorites are: Crossing Places, Bound South, The Day the Falls Stood Still, The Tale of Halcyon Crane, and Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'Easter. I didn't expect to like Crossing Places and Whistlin' Dixie as much as I did. I also quite liked The Man Who Liked Books too Much and Lost City of Z.

I did not like: Goddess of the Hunt (not into the explicit sex scenes), Henry's Sisters (I was so disappointed. I was really looking forward to reading this one), Jane Bites Back (knew I wouldn't like it based on the title and cover), Darkborn (had to skim it to get through it), The Three Weissmanns of Westport, and Wife of the Gods (again I had to skim to get through it).

The 13th Hour, The Affinity Bridge, Bad Things Happen, The Bricklayer, The Glassblower of Murano, The Postmistress, Something Missing, and Untraceable all fall in the middle for me.

Lahni wrote: "I have read 21 of the 28 books so far. My favorites are: Crossing Places, Bound South, The Day the Falls Stood Still, The Tale of Halcyon Crane, and Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'Easter. I didn't exp..."

Yay!!! So glad to be a favourite. 21 out of 28, I am really impressed.

Cathy
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http://cathymariebuchanan.com/
http://www.facebook.com/CathyMarieBuc...

Just finished A False Dawn. The Reader's Choice list seems a little heavy on the mystery/suspense books and after reading so many of them I feel like I have to force myself to read them now. I wasn't looking forward to this one at all. I told myself if I wasn't liking it I would just skim it and get it over with. I actually really liked it. I'm even looking forward to reading the next one in the series.

I've read two: Jane Bites and Affinity Bridge. Both just OK. I'm kind of snooty when it comes to my Jane Austen stuff and this one just didn't cut, IMO. I love steampunk so I thought I'd love Affinity Bridge, but nope. It didn't have enough clout or story for me. The characters were wooden and felt the whole thing was more of a cliche of dialogue. Oh well.

I'll be reading Homer's Odyssey soon. The 13th Hour looks really good.

The lists usually seem a little heavy on mystery, but I LOVE mysteries so that always works for me!!

I think A Quiet Belief In Angels is my favorite so far.

I've also read the sequel to Affinity Bridge now. It was fun, but the opium use is getting old fast.

Check out Salt Lake County blogger Bibliobabe's review of The Day the Falls Stood Still:

"My days have been filled with thoughts of this story and I longed to get back to it each night."

See full review at http://www.bibliobabe.com/?p=2877

Four more down two to go:

Physick book of Deliverance Dane: disappointing.

Homer's Odyssey: cute but just ok

The Rivers Run Dry: I would have liked the psychotic behaviors of the kidnapper explained. Someone just after money would not have done the things he did.

A Quiet Belief in Angels: The best book I've read in a long time. I want to read it again and just get lost in the language. The blurb made it sound like another murder mystery rather than a literary journey through a man's life.

I've posted a review of The Day the Falls Stood Still on my book blog here. I thought it was beautifully written!

alisonwonderland wrote: "I've posted a review of The Day the Falls Stood Still on my book blog here. I thought it was beautifully written!"

If you liked this book, vote for it on our book club poll, and we'll read it next month!

@Lahni-- I'm am right there with you on A Quiet Belief in Angels. Amazing. I've read 18 now (I think...) and I'm pretty sure that one's my favorite.

I'm listing all of my Reader's Choice reviews on my challenge page-- Review list. (Alisonwonderland's reviews are linked there too.)

Alison(wonderland) am I missing any of your reviews on that list? I think I only have a couple...

Britt, Book Habitue wrote: "Alison(wonderland) am I missing any of your reviews on that list? I think I only have a couple..."

I've only written two reviews so far. Hopefully I'll get another two done tomorrow. I'll be sure to post the links. Thanks!

alisonwonderland wrote: "I've posted a review of The Day the Falls Stood Still on my book blog here. I thought it was beautifully written!"

Thanks you Alisonwonderland. I thought your review was beautifully written.

Just finished Major Pettigrew's last stand. I gave it 4 stars but it was really more like 3.8 for me. I think because it was slow getting into.

So I managed to read 26 out of 28. Favorites were A Quiet Belief in Angels and The Last Ember. Least favorites were Goddess of the Hunt and Bound South.

Books that I didn't expect to like but did-- Jane Bites Back and Whistlin' Dixie in a Nor'easter.

I managed to get them all read. I don't know if I'll ever try to read all the reader's choice again but it was a fun goal.

Lahni- that's amazing! I think only 2 or 3 of the librarians can even say the same.

I just finished Untraceable, which was quite fun. It wasn't groundbreaking or anything, but I think there's a kind of quiet genius in just doing a basic thing well. I've read so many books lately where an author is more ambitious, but then makes mistakes in the execution (like The 13th Hour, for instance). Or books where the author is trying to be too literary, and it strangles the life out of the story. So I have a lot of respect for a little book well done like Untraceables.

So, it's almost January-- do we have a new list?!

:D

Yes it is almost January and time for the new Reader's Choice list which will be on display at all of the libraries January 3rd. But here is the actual list for your advanced perusal: (You will notice that some of the titles have been reviewed already in our Goodreads Account). Enjoy!

Ark adventure/thriller
Blonde Bombshell Humorous. Action Sci Fi (aliens)
Book of Spies Thriller
Bulletproof Mascara humorous/romantic suspense
Captain's Duty NF
Cookbook Collector character novel/romance
Council of Dads: my daughter, my Illness, & the men who NF
Eye of the Red Tsar suspense/mystery
Hazard mystery/mine accident
How High the Moon gen fiction/romance
Insider thriller
Invisible Bridge historical/WWII
Making Rounds With Oscar NF /cat
Miss You Most of All relationships/sisters
Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English British, character novel, cry, laugh
Once a Spy funny caper novel
Poacher's Son relationships/mystery
Rebellion of Jane Clarke gen fiction
Saving CeeCee Honeycutt friendship/humor/Southern
Scent of Rain and Lightning mystery
Tainted suspense/romance
Things that Keep Us Here general fiction/futuristic/psychological
Through Black Spruce gen fiction
Touched by an Alien Para normal/aliens/romance
Truly Madly mystery / romance / chick lit
Vintage Affair relationships/character novel
Watermark: novel of the middle ages historical fiction

Thanks Marsha! Also, one of the RC books, The Cookbook Collector, is our book club pick for January. So read that one first!