SAXTON B. LITTLE FREE LIBRARY
319 Route 87 Columbia, CT 06237
Phone: 860 228 0350 Fax: 860 228 1569 E-mail: staff@columbiactlibrary.org

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Saxton Reads! & Reviews

We invite the public to post reviews to our catalog by logging into our online catalog. Reviews will then be posted to this blog. Comments can be added to existing posts or may be added as separate reviews on our catalog
JUNE 30, 2011
Authors in Suits?


Here's a different take on your favorite authors; as seen in bathing suits. Originally saw this posted 6/28/11 on Shelf Awareness and couldn't resist posting the link here.

Credit goes to Flavorwire for their gallery of Literary Greats in Their Bathing Suits,

These photos take beach reading to a new level. I love the pic of Peter Orlovsky, Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs. How about you? Which is your favorite?

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JUNE 29, 2011
Juliet ~ Ann Fortier
 comments by CarolK

It took forever for me to finish Juliet by Ann Foriter. That's what I get for  listening to this on cd in spits and spats since April 19th. In between I read some book group books, experimented with my nook and read a few other physical books which pushed Juliet to the bottom of the pile.  In the end I liked it quite a bit. I just couldn't seem to find the time to listen. Guess I wasn't walking, doing enough chores, or driving far enough to finish it sooner.

I finished Juliet on May 30th. I picked this one up originally from buzz at BEA last year and many of our library patrons told me they liked the story. Friends who liked The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield hought Juliet would be a "like" read. I think I'd agree with this.

Juliet is historical fiction and a loose retelling of Romeo and Juliet. I love stories about twins and sibling rivalry. There was plenty of both in Juliet to keep me happy. Twins Julie and Janice are left an unequal inheritance by their aunt Rose, who raised them, when she dies. Janice gets the money; Juliet gets a key to a safe deposit box in Sienna, Italy and lots of secrets to go along with it. Julie soon finds herself caught up in a tale that weaves in time and discovers she has more in common with Shakespeare’s Juliet than just her love of the story.

Juliet is full of romance, treasures, murder and intrigue, good story telling, great characters, and gelato. What could be better?

I'm glad I listened as I love the pronunciation of the Italian and I'm certain this added to my enjoyment of the story. Some readers found it predictable. Maybe, but let your self go and be caught up in the story. After all it's fiction and not meant to be anything else. Somewhere between a 3 & a 4 star...
 

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JUNE 27, 2011
Summer Reading
I love summertime as the reading is easy; that's to say book groups are on hiatus and I get to read anything my heart desires. Don't get me wrong. I always enjoy the book group books but as I am a slow reader I frequently can only fit in the two for discussion in any given month. 

So now that I've got all this free reading time the question becomes "What should I read?". Megan asked our facebook fans what they would be reading on the beach this summer. My answer was the old "LOL, what's a beach". In all seriousness I've got more on my list than I could read in a lifetime, never mind this summer. So why are all you bloggers, publishers, magazines and others posting all these great lists of the best summer reads to entice me?

 Here's a few of the lists I've found. Why should I be the only one overwhelmed by all the choices. And if you've got a list of your own or even just a book that's not to be missed, please feel free to add it here.

 Get out the sun tan lotion, find a nice sunny spot and read!

 NPR
Nancy Pearl's 10 Terrific Summer Reads
Indie Booksellers Target Summers Best Reads
Summer Books 2011 The Complete List


Library Journal
Men's Summer Fiction
Women's Summer Fiction

Goodhousekeeping - 10 Summer Beach Reads

J.P. Morgan's 12th Annual Summer Reading List

Christian Science Monitor - 11 excellent novels for summer reading

Daily Beast - 10 Must-Read Summer Books

People Magazine's Pick for Summer via EarlyWord 

and last but not least 

Oprah's Summer Reading List 2011

We've got lots of the books that are on the lists, but if we don't and you'd like to read one, let us know and we'll see what we can do to find it for you.

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JUNE 26, 2011
This is Dedicated...

The Ridge
Michael Koryta
Little Brown and Company. New York, c.2011


"For Tom Bernardo, whose generosity and friendship carried me through this one, and in recognition of the incredible mission and dedication of Joe Taft and the Exotic Feline Rescue Center of Center Point, Indiana. Deepest thanks."

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JUNE 23, 2011
Oh Horrors ~ The Stoker Awards 2011
Each year The Horror Association presents The Stoker Awards. This award named after Bram Stoker, author of the classic, Dracula, is given for superior achievement in the genre. If you are looking for a spine tingling read you can't go wrong with any of the 2011 winners.

Superior Achievement in a Novel
A Dark Matter by Peter Straub

Superior Achievement in a First Novel (tie)
Black And Orange by Benjamin Kane Ethridge
Castle of Los Angeles by Lisa Morton

Superior Achievement in Long Fiction
Invisible Fences by Norman Prentiss

Superior Achievement in Short Fiction
“The Folding Man” by Joe R. Lansdale

Superior Achievement in an Anthology
Haunted Legends edited by Ellen Datlow and Nick Mamatas

Superior Achievement in a Collection
Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King

Superior Achievement in Nonfiction
To Each Their Darkness by Gary A. Braunbeck

Superior Achievement in a Poetry Collection
Dark Matters by Bruce Boston

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JUNE 22, 2011
Gone ~ Mo Hayder
Gone ~ Mo Hayder
recommended for fans of fast paced, gritty thrillers or those loving Minette Walters


As posted to GoodReads June 7, 2011
Yesterday, I was almost finished with Gone, you know at the point where everything is coming to a head and wrapping up. I was so bummed that I had to go to work. Now, I’m really a good employee, rarely sick and hardly ever take time off, but boy was I tempted to call in, stay home and finish this edge of your seat thriller. Reason won out and I convinced myself that when I got home at nine, I could finish Gone and that anticipation would just make it better. I suppose I could have brought it to work with me but for those of you who think working in a library is great, because all we do is read, I hate to burst your bubble, but I rarely get a chance to read at work. Yesterday would have been impossible.

I arrived home a bit after nine, quickly chatted with my husband; “no, nothing new, anything with you?, fine dear, talk later”. And then I hopped into my chair, put my feet up and raced to the finish.

If you’ve been bored with a certain thriller writer, not mentioning any names, then pick up Gone by Mo Hayder. This is the fifth to feature Detective Jack Caffrey. I don’t feel deprived that I haven’t read the first in the series. This was a very satisfying read on it’s own but I wouldn’t hesitate going back to read the rest. Hayder can join the men in her capacity for gritty storytelling. Where Hayder stands out is her descriptions of the psychology of evil and the writing of some great dialogue. But there’s a softer side too, a nice blend of punch you in the gut action and when you think you can’t take anymore, Hayder will give you a bit of a reprieve from harsh reality. All might not be as bad as it seems.

Gone is about a jacker, a despicable guy, a man who comes out of nowhere, knocks you to ground, calls you some awful names, jumps in your car and speeds off. You’d lick your wounds and all would be ok, only your child happens to be in the car. Imagine the terror? This is not a one-time incident and as no bodies have been found, no ransoms sought, it’s up to Caffrey and his team to figure out this guy’s motivation. Not a small order for a flawed group of police with hearts in the right place.

Suspenseful, fast paced, with graphic violence that’s not gratuitous; put this on your list. Be certain you don’t get caught having to go to work towards the end as I can’t be responsible for your actions.

Postscript...As I was reading Gone, I realized I didn't know if Mo was a man or woman. I decided not to find out until I was done. Do you ever do this? not look at the book flaps so as not to have a mental image of the writer? does it change your perspective to know?

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JUNE 22, 2011
State of our Blogs
No, this is not an address of the nation but a heads-up on what's been happening on our blogs. Over 2 1/2 years ago our staff set out to start a blog in hopes of engaging our patrons. We believe we did. Readers flocked by the thousands each month to read our postings and yet there was little direct interaction and we rarely knew who was reading what we had to say. Blogging each week is harder than it's cracked up to be. Speaking Volumes chatted about lots of subjects but invariably wrapped it up by talking about some books in our collection.

This blog, Saxton Reads is primarily my voice in letting you know what I'm reading. We have decided to discontinue Speaking Volumes and have migrated some of that content to Facebook.

I'm not quite ready to give up Saxton Reads. I may not post as often but I'd like to continue to offer what I'm reading, occasional author posts and musings from time to time. Though you can see what our staff is reading on GoodReads, this is also a new venture for the library and is slow in getting started. You can find our group on GoodReads by searching in groups, Saxton B Library Reads.

Many of our readers have no presence on either Facebook or GoodReads so I'm certain I'll continue to catch up with some of you here as you reads my comments about books.

I'm immediately going to post a recent book I've read.

As always, please feel free to chime in with a question, comment or your own review of a good book you've read. Send me your reviews at ckubala@columbiactlibrary.org. I'll post here, to our GoodReads Account if you don't know how, and to our online catalog. Sharing the books we've read with others is a treasure.

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JUNE 19, 2011
This is Dedicated...

Thanks to basbleu...Happy Father's Day!

The First Love Cookie Club
Lori Wilde

Here's to all great dads out there.
Long may you love.

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