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MARCH 28, 2013
Midnight in Austenland
![]() Our main character is Charlotte Kinder, a thirty-something recent divorcee, who has decided to celebrate her newfound freedom by having a fling in Pembroke Park. One evening, while playing a parlor game called “Bloody Murder”, Charlotte thinks she’s discovered a real murder and begins an investigation. This is a comic romp, a mystery, a romance, with a series of fun filled twists and turns, and even a happy ending! This is an enjoyable light read guaranteed to provide a cozy little distraction from the hubbub of daily life.
Categories: Staff Reads, Lets Talk Books MARCH 22, 2013
Among the Mad
![]() The story is shows great empathy toward the victims of war and experiment, and lets us inside Masie’s personal life. But it is first and foremost a study in detective work – one in which the reader gets some insight to the difference between the work private investigator whose knowledge and instincts can lead in very different directions as a huge bureaucratic police investigations team.
Categories: Staff Reads, Lets Talk Books MARCH 15, 2013
One Man's Walk through the English Countryside to Empathy and Understanding
![]() After reading about this book, I was pleasantly surprised to find the popular award winner currently available for check-out (no waiting!) from our Northern California Digital Library. I immediately checked-out the book, downloaded it onto my kindle, and my journey with Harold began. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry is a beautifully written story of a recently retired Englishman who sets out one afternoon to mail a letter to a dear friend from his past, and ends up walking over 600 miles across the English countryside, from his southern town of Kingsbridge to Berwick-upon-Tweed. Harold's pilgrimage changes his life and touches the lives of those he meets along the way. The book is filled with beautiful text, full of empathy and human compassion, as well as breathtaking sections brilliantly describing the beauty of being alone and outdoors. I found myself constantly highlighting sections on my kindle version of the book--so many beautiful, nod-your-head-in-agreement passages. Here are a couple I found read-again worthy: "Life was very different when you walked through it. Between gaps in the banks, the land rolled up and down, carved into checkered fields, and lined with ridges of hedging and trees. He had to stop to look. There were so many shades of green Harold was humbled. Some were almost a deep velvety black, others so light they verged on yellow." And... "He had learned that it was the smallness of people that filled him with wonder and tenderness, and the loneliness of that too. The world was made up of people putting one foot in front of the other; and a life might appear ordinary simply because the person living it had been doing so for a long time. Harold could no longer pass a stranger without acknowledging the truth that everyone was the same, and also unique; and that this was the dilemma of being human."
Categories: Lets Talk Books, Library Tech MARCH 15, 2013
A House at Tyneford
![]() She is sent to an estate in Tyneford, a tightly knit, sleepy little rural seaside village. The Lord of the manor is the 40ish Mr. Rivers. He’s a kindly man, but he maintains old world reserve and draws a clear line between the family and the staff. So, Elise who had her own servants in Vienna doesn’t fit in with the servants or the family. She’s lonely, she’s had no word from her parents and she’s terrified for them, war has broken out, and Elise is crestfallen. That is, until Mr. River’s son, Kit, returns home from school at Oxford. He and Elise become fast friends, and even fall in love. Meanwhile, the village is changing quickly. The local lads are going off to war, Mr. Rivers has to work the fields himself to help keep the estate running. The distinction between “upstairs” and “downstairs” begins to melt away as people pull together to soothe the sorrows that war brings to the home front. This lovely novel explores family relationships, the remnants of the dying household service system, class snobbery that brushes both ways, disappearing village life. It’s both sad and sweet and has a satisfying ending. I think it would make a great selection for book discussion groups.l
Categories: Lets Talk Books, Staff Reads MARCH 14, 2013
Best Library in Monterey County
![]() This doesn't sound particularly humble, but we can't help being pretty proud of the work that we do! At the same time, we happen to think that all the libraries in Monterey County do a great job, and when a library - any library - is recognized for the benefit it brings to a community, it reflects well on all libraries. Nevertheless, we gratefully accept this honor and thank MC Weekly readers for the vote of confidence!
Category: In the Know MARCH 7, 2013
Judging Books by Their Covers
![]() P.S. This illustration is an example of drop caps from the Book of Kells.
Categories: Lets Talk Books, Staff Reads, In the Know |
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