My coworkers at the library are an interesting group of women. We all have different interests, talents, and strengths. One thing that we have in common is that we all love to read.
I have been reading The Taming of the Shrew for book club. I just finished John Sandford’s Field of Prey, and I’m in the middle of Elliott James' Daring, kind of an unusual assortment. I began to wonder what other library staff might be reading, and it was so interesting that I just had to share it with you.
Beth C. is reading Atonement, by Ian McEwan. This is the book for adult book club this month. She said she isn’t really enjoying it. Oddly enough, I think this is a good reason to be in a book club, because it encourages you to read out of your comfort zone. Beth enjoyed Erak’s Ransom, book 7 in the Ranger’s Apprentice series, by John Flanagan.
Mary just finished The Wednesday Letters, by Jason F. Wright. She says it’s a good read, and she enjoyed it. It sounds like a wonderful family story that spans a lifetime of letters that a husband writes to his wife. 
Rebecca has been reading Dying to Be Me, by Anita Moorjani. This memoir tells the story of a woman who survived an overwhelming near-death experience and cancer, who now devotes herself to sharing her insights with others. Rebecca also has been reading The Sound of Paper, by Julia Cameron, personal essays about how spiritual life affects one’s artistic work. Rebecca also has enjoyed reading children’s books.
Elizabeth K. has been sharing Jane Smiley’s books with one of her daughters. She also has recently read Sparkly Green Earrings and The Antelope in the Living Room, both by Melanie Shankle. Motherhood and marriage can be emotional subjects, but Ms. Shankle finds the humor in life’s situations.
Elizabeth S. is home with a brand new baby. She says that when she can keep her eyes open, she’s reading The Far Pavilions, by M. M. Kaye. 
Judy H. said that she’s been reading The Taming of the Shrew (same book club). She has been enjoying All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr. This story is set during the second world war, but it is much more than a war story. Judy says it is fabulous. She has also enjoyed Lisette’s List, by Susan Vreeland. This is a novel set during the occupation of France in the 1940’s.
Margaret W. said, “In a flurry of self-discovery my recent reads were Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual-Spatial Learner by Linda Kreger Silverman and Visual-Spatial Learners by Alexandra Golon. The first was authored by a Ph.D. in in educational psychology and special education who discovered some interesting patterns related to spacial intelligence/visual thinking in the gifted children she was working with. Her subsequent research and investigation led her to develop techniques, identification methods and teaching techniques for the kids she dubbed 'visual-spatial learners'. These are the kids who predominately learn by 'seeing' instead of traditional auditory sequential methods. The book was well-written, fun and practical. It left me feeling validated, with a better understanding of why it had been so hard for me to learn to read in grade school. The second book describes useful and practical classroom teaching strategies which I found applicable to story time, teen programming and adult instruction in the library!” Margaret has also enjoyed reading Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman” graphic novels.
Kristin C. said that she has enjoyed The Cuckoo’s Calling by J.K. Rowling writing as Robert Galbraith. This book created a lot of buzz when it was revealed that Harry Potter’s creator was writing mysteries.
Finally, Elisabeth K. has very young children at home, so her response was “I read board books!” I missed talking to Adele, Linda, and Kate, but I’m sure that they are each reading something interesting. See you at the library!
