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
OCTOBER 31, 2010
This is Dedicated...

So Many Books, So Little Time: A Year of Passionate Reading
Sara Nelson


To Claude Nelson,
1917-1990, who didn't know
what he was getting himself into when
he taught me to read all those years ago
and
To Charley Yoshimura,
who lives with the results everyday

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OCTOBER 28, 2010
Two for the Dough ~ Janet Evanovich
****reviewed by Mercedes

Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich

This book was a lot of fun. I've been hearing about what a great series this was and how laugh out loud it was but never had the time or inclination to sit down and read it. In needing a book to read, I finally read the first book in the series a couple of weeks ago. Not bad but not as funny as everyone had said. But it hooked me and I patiently waited for the next in the series to come into the library. I have to say, this book was much better. I really did laugh out loud in several spots. The story was well-paced and the characters have really gained in life. They are what makes the story so much fun. You can picture everyone around the table and hear the conversation that your reading, inflections, sarcasm and all. It makes me ready to continue reading the series. I'm not sure how long its appeal will hold out, especially if certain scenarios don't resolve themselves before too long, but for now, I'm content to add the next book to the list and carry on with the series.

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OCTOBER 25, 2010
Hypothermia ~ Arnaldur Indridason
****CarolK

Hypothermia
by Arnaldur Indridason

This mystery was just as it should be. A woman commits suicide or did she? The detective must determine if it’s murder or not. The story is revealed a step at a time, a logical progression of deduction and you, the reader, get to go along for the ride.

Hypothermia was satisfying from start to finish. I haven’t read any of the others in the series but like the character, Detective Erlendur. He’s just flawed and quirky enough to hold my interest. I could grow to really like him as he seems to have a sensitive side that has appeal. I got just enough of a chill, both literally and from the setting, Reykjavík, Iceland. I didn’t figure out the whole mystery until quite close to the end.  

I’ll have to try another at a future date and see if I can get a bit more info on what makes Erlendur tick. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this to those liking Steig Larrson’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo but would hand it to anyone liking a mystery that is serious, a bit brooding, and with a well thought out plot.

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OCTOBER 24, 2010
This is Dedicated...
The Junkyard Wonders
Patricia Polacco
Philomel Books, c2009.

To the Wonder of Mrs. Peterson and my tribe.



Sometimes, a book dedication in itself tells little of the story inspiring the words. Patricia Polacco dedicates this book to a special teacher who changed her life. Polacco, as a young girl was diagnosed with dyslexia and Mrs. Peterson encouraged Patricia to her fullest potential. Read this delightful book to learn the whole story that inspired this dedication.







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OCTOBER 18, 2010
October is National Reading Group Month
October celebrates oh, so many things. It's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, for which our library has done displays, National Animal and Safety Protection Month, Gay and Lesbian History Month, Positive Attitude Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, among others, and of course Halloween.

The one celebration I'd like to highlight today is

National Reading Group Month Celebrating the Joy of Shared Reading

National Reading Group Month was started by The Women's National Book Association, WNBA, an organization which was founded in 1917, before women had the right to vote, whose mission states in part "is a national organization of women and men who work with and value books."


National Reading Group Month is the brainchild of two sisters, Martha Burns and Alice Dillon, two members of WNBA and began in 2007 as the premier event of its 90th anniversary. If your reading group needs help finding the next selection you can't go wrong with WNBA's list of Great Group Reads. The 2010 list is a humdinger, providing thirteen intriguing titles.


Blame by Michelle Huneven
The Blessings of the Animals by Katrina K
Cheap Cabernet: A Friendship by Cathie Beck
Eternal on the Water by Joseph M
The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi W. D
Little Bee by Chris Cleave
The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli
Molly Fox's Birthday by Deirdre Madden
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
The Queen of Palmyra by Minrose Gwin
Room by Emma Donoghue
Safe from the Sea by Peter G
Up from the Blue by Susan Henderson

I've linked to our catalog for the books we own and for those that we do not, remember interlibrary loan is a great way to seek out these books.

Saxton B. holds several book groups each month, for all ages. Our adult fiction and non-fiction groups have been meeting for years and we always welcome new members. What I love about the belonging to these books group is not only the shared reading, but the sharing of ideas and conversation about the books. Last month's Second Tuesday Book Group choice was Embers by Connie Seymour led the discussion. She hadn't read the book when she recommended it to the group and after reading it, wondered if there was enough substance to carry on an hour talk about the book. There was an hour and more! Our group members are always amazed on what we take away from these discussions. Each of us brings something to the mix and each of us gains from listening to a member's point of view. Our book groups are definitely a shared joy of reading.

And now for you...
How many of you belong to a book group?
What are you reading?
Has there been one book that prompted an exciting discussion?
One you would not recommend?

Please share a bit about your experiences with book groups and celebrate National Reading Group Month with us.

 

 

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OCTOBER 17, 2010
This is Dedicated
A Complaint is a Gift: Using Customer Feedback as a Strategic Tool
Janelle Barlow and Claus Moller
Berret-Koehler Publishers, c.1996.



This book is dedicated to all the people

who complained about various drafts of this text and

thereby gave the authors an incredible gift.




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OCTOBER 11, 2010
The 100 Most Influential Series
Our Young Adult department has a set of really neat books all starting with the title The 100 Most Influential, published by Britannica. I recently took out The 100 Most Influential Women of All Time edited by Kathleen Kuiper. I love books like this that you can dip in and out of, find lots of neat facts and which spark my curiosity to learn more about someone or something.

There’s some really great and strong women highlighted in this book. Some like Hatshepsut, Cleopatra and Eleanor of Aquitaine, I knew something about. Others like Mira Bai, a Hindu mystic and poet, I had not come across. Her date of birth is given as 1450?, death 1547?. She was a princess, the only child of Ratan Singh, the younger brother of Merta. She married and after being widowed became known as somewhat of a rebel for her religious beliefs and for a lifestyle which did not fit a widowed Rajput Princess. She was a lifetime devotee of Krishna. On one occasion a poisonous snake was sent to her in a basket of flowers. When she opened it she found an image of Krishna and was saved. She belonged to a group of poets who expressed their love of God through their relationships, mother to daughter, friend to friend, etc. Her poems and songs remain popular in Northern India to this day. Who knew?

Each entry is just a few pages, and has black and white images. Other titles that we own include The 100 Most Influential
Inventors
Philosophers
Scientists
World Leaders
Writers

We seem to be missing Painters and Sculptors of the Renaissance and Musicians. I’ll see if I can get our Children’s Librarian to remedy this.

Great for reports or someone like me who just wants a bit of a bio to enjoy over coffee.

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OCTOBER 9, 2010
This is Dedicated...


Read it Before You Eat It
Bonnie Taub-Dis, MA, RD, CDN
BTD Nutrition Consultants, c.2010.


This book is dedicted to the four most amazing men in my life:
My husband, Mitch, for sharing his life with me for over a
quarter of a century and for always being there with
                          sage advice and strength.
     And for our three sons, Adam, Sam, and Jesse,
who forever inspire me and treat me like a queen.
                   I love and appreciate you all

more than any words can ever express.

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