What Books are Your Local Librarians Reading?

Looking for a new book to read?  📚  Wondering what your favorite librarian is reading?  📕📖📘 The librarians here at the Linton Public Library would like to share with you some of their favorite books they've read this past year.

Many of these books can be found on our shelves, and are available for checking out. However, when looking for good authors, our librarians can be very creative and find ways to get them. Good books can be found on our Book Sale shelves to buy, and that is where one of the librarians usually finds her next read.

As much as we would like to have every book you would like on our shelves, our building is not the humongous massive structure that it would take to hold them all. So, librarians also use Interlibrary Library Loans available through the Evergreen system. If another library has what you are looking for, they can usually send it to us with no problem.

So...What is your favorite librarian reading these days? 

Let's read on, and find out!

Charlotte

I read several books in 2020, and it is tough to choose a favorite! I believe I would have to say The Exiles by Kristina Kline Baker. This book is Historical Fiction, and focuses on the practice by the British of exiling young women who have been convicted of a crime to Australia in the 1840's. The book follows 2 young women who find themselves arrested through no real fault of their own, and on a ship sailing to Australia. A third young lady is a Native of Australia whose tribe was relocated to make room for white settlers. The book is rich with details of 19th Century life of young, poor women, and how one wrong turn can change their life's path forever. The author weaves the stories of the three women together to tell a beautiful story of friendship and perseverance during unimaginable loss. Worth the read!

Diane

Recently, I have been very interested in reading the stories of the "women behind the men". While these women have intriguing lives for the most part, we rarely hear of them. "Finding Dorothy" is a fictionalized account of the life of Maud Gage Baum, wife of L. Frank Baum. Of course, Frank is well-known as the author of "The Wizard of Oz", and the 1939 movie plays just as much a role in "Finding Dorothy" as does Baum's original book.

Letts did a very thorough job in her research, and it shows throughout the book. Maud's story alternates between her life story from childhood until 1939, when the movie is being made. From growing up with a well-known suffragette for a mother to working her way on to the movie studio, you will be swept up in this indomitable woman's story until the very end. Determined to ensure that the movie stays true to her husband's vision, Maud becomes a regular fixture on the set, tries hard to protect a young Judy Garland from the "suits" who ran the studio. 

After finishing this, you will find yourself singing Over the Rainbow, which has a small storyline of its own near the end. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who loves historical fiction, "The Wizard of Oz" and stories of strong women. 

The following book review sums this book up quite well ~~“Readers looking for an inspiring true story will be delighted. . . . Fans of the Oz novels or film will be enchanted. This is a great fit for readers of Christina Baker Kline and Lisa Wingate . . . [A] well-researched novelization.”—Library Journal

Jennifer

I am the type of reader who has an emotional reaction when a story I love ends.  Because of this, I tend to look for series so that I can hold on to the characters and story a little longer.  These books take you on a journey of romance, joy, sadness, laughter and love.

To find which book is next in a series, I use a website called Fantastic Fiction. All of us here at the library absolutely love this site. If you look at the photo above, you will see that it gives a short biography of my recent favorite author, Lauren Layne. After the biography it will break down her books into new books, series in order, and stand-alone novels. 

Also, since I love using my e-reader for my reading, I have downloaded the app to my device and load the books onto my Overdrive bookshelf. It makes it so easy to now read on the go!

STILETTO & OXFORD, Lauren Layne

Sex, Love and Stiletto is a series of contemporary romance novels by American author Lauren Layne. The series follows the columnists of the magazine Stiletto. These aggressive female columnists will do whatever it takes in order to get a story, except for one thing – fall in love.

The series spins off into Layne’s Oxford series featuring the male writers of the magazine. You've seen the ladies of Stiletto risk their hearts for a story. Now it's time to meet the men of Oxford. Watch as Manhattan's expert in all things women learn that when it comes to the right woman ...
They don't have a clue.

After the Kiss
Love the One You're With
Just One Night
The Trouble With Love
Irresistibly Yours
I Wish You Were Mine
Someone Like You
I Knew You Were Trouble
I Think I Love You

Mary

I have two books that I really enjoyed this year.

1. What You Wish For by Katherine Center.  Its a cute, sweet, fast read.  It has a sad element to it as well, that I don't want to give away, but it is there so be warned.  But you will not want to put this one down.  

2.The Midnight Library by Matt Haig.  This is not a book I would normally pick up, but I gave it a shot.  It is a book about the choices we make and how they affect our lives and the lives of others. Nora Steed "passes away" and find herself in a library of endless books.  Each book tells her story with different choices she has made.  As she reads them she gets to live that life. She learns something about herself and those she cares about with each of these books.  This book really made me stop and think about the choices we make, why we make them and how they affect others.

Connie

When our library doesn't carry a book that I am interested in, the first thing I do is to see if any of the other 120+ libraries in Evergreen do. If I find what I am looking for, I can put it on hold for that library to send it to me, here at the Linton Public Library. And, that is exactly what I did with an author whose books I have been enjoying recently. 

Kellie Coates Gilbert writes with depth as she creates authentic characters and emotionally gripping plots.  She draws from her experience as a legal investigator and headline news. The series "Texas Gold" is a collection of four stories of heroines who are challenged with difficult matters. She creates empathy for people involved in complex situations as the novel's characters fumble to reclaim and reestablish their faith when society's judgment and solutions aren't neessarily God's choices.
The books can be read as standalones.  You will not be able to put the books down once you begin.  Please try a read of Kellie Coates Gilbert as a Merry Christmas gift.

Here are the titles:

Texas Gold

   1. A Woman of Fortune (2014)
   2. Where Rivers Part (2015)
   3. A Reason to Stay (2015)
   4. What Matters Most (2016)

These are other books to try:

Sun Valley

   1. Sisters (2017)
   2. Heartbeats (2018)
   3. Changes (2018)
   4. Promises (2019)

Sun Valley: Love on Vacation

 Otherwise Engaged (2017)
 All Fore Love (2017)

Pacific Bay

   1. Chances Are (2020)
   2. Remember Us (2020)
   3. Chasing Wind (2020)

Ginger

Hidden Talents

I just read the book Hidden Talents by David Lubar and definitely enjoyed it. It is the story of a middle schooler named Martin who finds himself in an alternative “boarding” school because he has gotten in so much trouble back home. When he gets to the school he gradually makes friends with 5 guys who all have various problems. There are also bullies at the school who make other students miserable and teachers who are often overwhelmed by their jobs.

As the story progresses Martin is surprised to discovers that his friends all have supernatural powers but don’t realize it. I won’t tell you what their powers are. You will have fun finding out if you decide to read the book. Martin helps them believe that they have these gifts and helps them learn to control and develop them which builds their self-confidence. But, it looks like Martin doesn’t have a superpower himself. Not until the school is under threat of being closed down and the students decide to try to stop it from happening does Martin’s special ability show up.

I enjoyed the story. I also enjoyed the writing style very much. The author brought Martin’s personality to life by writing the book from his perspective with his troubled teen-guy voice. Martin is a smart teen and has interesting insights and humor.  As the story progresses the characters come to understand others and themselves better and make end up making some positive changes in their lives as a result. The book has a slightly dark, quirky, realistic but fantastic feel to it which is interesting. The only thing I didn’t like about the book is that it has a few mild curse words...Other than that, it is an terrific book. 

 

Donita

While our library loans wonderful books, our Book Sale shelf holds some delightful ones also, and I found several.

Hanging by a Hair by Nancy J. Cohen, A Bad Hair Day Mystery

 

Hairstylist Marla Vail and her detective husband Dalton are delighted by their new home, until their next door neighbor illegally erects a fence on their mutual property line  Marl’s hopes for making friend are ruined when Dalton argues with the man who happens to be the homeowners association president.  The next day, he’s found dead in his home. Despite a suicide note, Dalton suspects foul play but he can’t work the case due to a conflict of interest.  At her husband’s suggestion, Marla learns more about the guy next door…