Saturday, January 1, 2011

Staff Selections - Joan 2, Reference

What is your favorite genre? Fantasy and sci-fi. That's all I read for many years. The longer the series, the better! When working in the library, I started branching out. Now I read a little of everything! My favorite discovery is the Young Adult section. My best advice is not to be afraid to explore the Children's side of the library!

Who are your favorite authors? Robert Jordan, George R.R. Martin, Juliet Marillier, Jennifer Fallon, Kathy Reichs, Dean Koontz, Charlaine Harris, Kate Morton, Mercedes Lackey, Sara Douglas, Lisa Lutz, and Alice Hoffman (especially her Young Adult novels).

What are you reading now? Enchanted, Inc. by Shanna Swendson and Seer of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier.

What have you read recently? Coronets and Steel by Sherwood Smith, Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier, Miss Julia Speaks her Mind by Ann B. Smith, Fallen by Lauren Kate, and The Demon’s Parchment by Jeri Westerson.

What is your favorite classic? Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers series and The Count of Monte Cristo. Ah, Aramis and Edmond Dantés, my first loves!

What is your all time favorite series? I have been reading Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series since the first book, Eye of the World, was published in 1990. Over the decades I actually worried that either Jordan or I would die before he finished! He passed away several years ago after the eleventh book. Brandon Sanderson was selected to complete the series, which will total fourteen. I just completed Towers of Midnight, number thirteen, and loved it! Odd Thomas is a series of books by Dean Koontz—part thriller, part paranormal, part humor, all great. Charlaine Harris has many great series; I love her Harper Connelly series, which starts with Grave Sight.

What is your all time favorite book? That’s a tough question, I hate to leave anybody out! Five Smooth Stones by Ann Fairbairn, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell, Illumination by Terry McGarry, and A Man Rides Through by Stephen R. Donaldson. I have to include The Wayfarer Redemption series by Sara Douglass, even though we do not have the entire series in our collection. I’ll have to work on that, because it is awesome!

What are your favorite recommendations? The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz (a quirky, funny mystery series), Charlaine Harris’ Aurora Teagarden and Lily Bard series, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, One Second After by William Forstchen, The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton, Becoming Finola by Suzanne Strempek Shea, The Heroines by Eileen Favorite, The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss (because everyone should have at least one romance novel!), The Obsidian Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory, The Wolfblade Trilogy by Jennifer Fallon, Holder of Lightning by S.L. Farrell, The Runelords by David Farland.  I love the Young Adult section. It is full of talented authors that offer a somewhat quicker, easier read—but do not confuse “quick and easy” with “childish!” Here are some of my favorites: Skinned by Robin Wasserman, Trickster’s Choice by Tamara Pierce, The Fetch by Chris Humphreys, Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr, The Dark Divine by Bree Despain, The Maximum Ride series by James Patterson, The White Cat by Holly Black, Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken, Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, and Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta. A great non-fiction book, the only one I’ve ever read cover to cover, is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. The 5-Minute Face: the Quick and Easy Makeup Guide for Every Woman by Carmindy is another good one. My last recommendation, Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, is important because it made me laugh out loud! I would never, ever have read it if my friend hadn’t suggested it.  That’s why I love my B.L.U. Tuesdays book club so much — it’s all about the recommendations!

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