Sacramento Public Library discussion

Got a great read, a gift suggestion, a book you just have to share? Please leave a comment below!

My December read is currently Into the Beautiful North by Urrea. Saw it was a 2013 one book a border town in Texas and as part of their programming they watched The Three Amigos with Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short and I thought, "this town has a sense of humor," so I wanted to see what could be compelling about Urrea's book.

I'm a couple of chapters in and so far it has a lot of tongue in cheek humor, such as the one gay man in a sleepy conservative Mexican town names his bar "The Limp Hand" and all the straight men think he's super macho for being in their face about being gay or a comment that the local liberal arts educated parents name all their children after their indigenous "roots." (Which I found funny in a am-I-laughing-because-it's-true-and-does-that-make-me-offense? way because I have a friend who has done that exact thing with all five of her sons.)

I can see how this book could definitely generate some conversation b/c I'm wondering, can this author write this sort of thing and get away with it b/c he's latino or could an author of a different race write it and get away with it b/c it's true? I'll let you know what I think when I finish with it.

We are reading "The Snow Child" by Eowyn Ivey in our Literature class. We are reading it a little differently though from the other books. We are doing it as a book club discussion and we each have to present two questions from our particular section. It has led to some lively discussions at the end of a wonderful semester. We all wanted to read ahead--a sign of a very good book! I am also reading samplings from Leslie Marmon Silko because I picked her for my final paper. I find her works inextricably linked to other Native American writers like Momaday and Harjo.

I just finished reading Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan for our library book group and thought it a delightful fun read that takes place at the intersection of OK (old knowledge and tech) and NK (new knowledge and tech), making it a thought provoking read too. There are plenty of nerdy references sprinkled throughout and plenty of laugh out loud moments. I would definitely give it to any book lover or tech lover on my gift list.

Brendle wrote: "I just finished reading Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan for our library book group and thought it a delightful fun read that takes place at the intersection of OK (old knowledge and ..."

Thanks for the review, Brendle. I've been interested in this book for some time, but heard widely varying reviews. Your opinion counts for a lot - after all, you're the one who suggested "The Sparrow," one of my favorite SF books of all!

I just finished racing Savannah . it was good. I adore this series.

Brendle wrote: "I just finished reading Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan for our library book group and thought it a delightful fun read that takes place at the intersection of OK (old knowledge and ..."

I will definitely put it on my reading list for my winter break. Thank you for the tip!

Chip wrote: "Brendle wrote: "I just finished reading Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan for our library book group and thought it a delightful fun read that takes place at the intersection of OK (ol..."

I read it (and selected it for the book group) because several people around me had read it and recommended it. It turns out it is the start of a series. I am curious to see where he goes with the themes he raised.

I'm presently reading "Childhood's End," by Arthur C. Clarke, for McKinley's SF-Squared book group. It's an interesting take on the alien first contact story line. It's nothing like "Independence Day" or "V" (the original miniseries, not the remake)--the aliens appear in the skies, make one statement to everyone on Earth, and effectively end war, hunger, and oppression. Then the aliens, whom no one even knows what they look like, withdraw to their spacecraft with the promise to return to Earth in 50 years. Meanwhile the population of Earth is left trying to figure out what the aliens really want...

Along with this I'm finishing up the audio book of "Sad Cypress," by Agatha Christie.

I'm reading the 'Maze Runner' trilogy (currently on book 2). They are so fantastic and exciting! : )

I've read three books so far this month: "Infrared" by Nancy Huston, "The Case of the Frozen Addicts" by Wm. Langston, MD, and "The Reason I Jump," by Naoki Higashida. I'd give them all 4/5 stars. The first is a novel about a middle-aged photographer traveling with her father and stepmother - lots of interesting interior dialog, but a bit overwrought for my tastes. I was fascinated by the way the author managed to shift the narration back and forth between the first and third person. The second is from the 1990's - a "medical mystery" along the lines of "And the Band Played On" about how a bad batch of synthetic heroin led to breakthroughs in Parkinson's research and treatment. The last is a current best-seller by a 13 year-old Japanese boy with autism. I don't know much about autism, so I don't know how well all his assertions apply to others with autism, but it was a fascinating read.

School's out so I am reading "Cross My Heart" by James Patterson. This is one is definitely more involved!

I have read so far Road Rash...loved it and almost done with Enders :)

I've been reading A Commonplace Killing by Sian Busby which was mentioned on a best reads of 2013 list I saw on Twitter. It's based on a true incident from postwar Britain and though one might class it as a mystery, there is nothing especially mysterious about it. The pleasure here is in the way the author has structured the tale. We get alternating chapters from the victim's final day and the investigation into her death. It's a fascinating portrait of London in 1946 but also a strong tale of murder. Sadly the author died before publication so there won't be more books like this, making this truly one of a kind.

I finished December's reading challenge a day into the new year but still wanted to share my review:
Pete Hamill's "The Christmas Kid and other Brooklyn stories" moves from poignant to vengeful, heart-warming to hopeless, yet each story is linked in this collection by its Brooklyn setting. Early to mid-20th century Brooklyn emerges as the main character of this book and now feels familiar even though I grew up in a very different time and place. The loyalty of working class immigrants to their neighbors, the fierce stubbornness that causes some characters to cling to their own clearly defined sense of right and wrong, the innocence of childhood and of young love that more often than not leads to disillusionment permeate these stories as ultimately does the lifelong hold Brooklyn has on its residents. While certainly not a book about Christmas, in spite of its title story, these stories are about community and family and friends, all of which are highlighted during every holiday season. The Seamus Heaney quotation from "A Herbal" that prefaces this collection aptly sums up the essence of each story as well as how this reader feels after completing this book: "... I had my existence. I was there. Me in place and the place in me." I'm grateful to have received this book as a Goodread's giveaway and to have been motivated to move it to the top of my "to read" stack by the December challenge.

*** SPOILER ALERT *** (re: Dan Brown's Inferno)

After the last three books being fairly heavy reading (see above), I was looking for something quick and easy, a light, entertaining, page turner, so I thought I'd read Dan Brown's Inferno. I just finished it last night. I've read all of Brown's books and enjoyed them, but I hated this book! The plot is just too, too contrived. It felt like Brown asked himself how many plot twists he could cram into 500+ pages. Well, the answer is "too many." All the good guys turn out to be bad guys and all the bad guys turn out to be good guys. Except for those who appeared to be bad guys at first but then were revealed to be good guys but then turned out to really be bad guys after all. And those who appeared to be good guys at first but then were revealed to be bad guys but then turned out to really be good guys after all. Stupid! Like I said, I hated this book. I wish I could get the time back I wasted in reading it. I had read all his books up to now, but I'm pretty sure this will be my last Dan Brown.

I'm halfway through Marisha Pessl's "Night Film" and really enjoying its noir atmosphere and creative use of varying texts (newspapers, websites, texts, etc). I loved her first novel, "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" and am eager to see how she ties up all the mysteries in this one.

Francie wrote: "I'm halfway through Marisha Pessl's "Night Film" and really enjoying its noir atmosphere and creative use of varying texts (newspapers, websites, texts, etc). I loved her first novel, "Special Top..."

I am about 70 pages into Night Film and I am loving it! I haven't read Calamity Physics yet, but I may have to.

Chip wrote: "Francie wrote: "I'm halfway through Marisha Pessl's "Night Film" and really enjoying its noir atmosphere and creative use of varying texts (newspapers, websites, texts, etc). I loved her first nov..."

"...Calamity Physics" is more traditional than "Night Film," but I recommend you read it, too. Pessl has made it onto my list of must-read whatever they write authors.