Since Beth reviewed books she read for her class on children’s literature, I’m turning the tables to look at a few books that are found in the adult area of the library.
A co-worker introduced me to the
Kate Burkholder Series, which feature a
female chief of police in a small town in Ohio who grew up in the local
Amish community. The books in the series
are “Sworn to Silence,” “Pray for Silence,” “Breaking Silence,” and “Gone
Missing.” Publisher’s Weekly called the book overwrought, but I enjoyed the
sense of time and place and liked Kate as a character. P.L. Gaus is the writer who first hooked me
on mysteries set in Amish communities, and his books are perhaps a bit more
satisfying. Read “Clouds Without Rain” or “Blood of the Prodigal.” But Linda Castillo writes a good story, and sometimes
I just like a fun read. 
I started using a free, devotional e-book
recently, “Walking with Frodo: A Devotional Journey through the Lord of the
Rings,” by Sarah Arthur. I have been a
fan of The Lord of the Rings since about 1967, have all the movies, and am
waiting expectantly for part one of “The Hobbit,” directed by Peter Jackson. Combining thoughts and readings from the LOTR
books and movies with the Bible may seem to be an odd combination, but it works
for me. 
Middle School and High School book
clubs are reading “A Long Walk to Water”, by Linda Sue Park. This book is nominated for the 2013 Maud Hart
Lovelace Award in Division II. Based on
the experiences of Salva Dut, founder of Water for South Sudan, “A Long Walk to
Water” is a poignant look at a part of the world we prefer not to think
about. I found it interesting to read about well drilling projects at www.thewaterproject.org and www.waterforsouthsudan.org.
I may or may not be Irish on my
father’s side, so “The Graves are Are Walking: the Great Famine and the saga of
the Irish People,” by John Kelly, intrigued me.
Our lives are so comfortable that it is difficult to imagine what drove
so many people to try to make a new life in America. I’m still working my way
through “The Graves are Walking.” It’s really difficult to read about the
famine and the unbelievable response of the British government. Mr. Kelly is also well known for his book about the ravages of plague, “The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time.” When I’m finished with the Irish devastation, I may tackle the Black Death. Cheerful thought. “The Great Mortality” is available at the Litchfield library, and “The Graves are Walking” is available through interlibrary loan. 
Finally, of all my guilty pleasures, the Dresden books by Jim Butcher
are at the top of the list. In “Cold
Days,” Harry Dresden, urban wizard, continues his fight against the forces of
darkness, having survived everything from zombie dinosaurs to a near-death
experience. If you’ve read “Ghost Story,” you know that although Harry died, he
was only absent. His adventures away
from his corporeal body are explained, but you just have to read the entire series,
which hasn’t run out of steam even though this is the 14th Dresden
novel.
Remember that the December book sale
is this Saturday, December 15, starting at 10.
See you at the library!
