from Nancy Chick, President of the Friends of the Library Board
"A book that stays with me is Joanne Harris's Five Quarters of the Orange. Her more popular book is Chocolat, which became an even more popular movie, but I prefer this story of a girl growing up in post-war France. As a young girl, she doesn't fully realize what the Germans are doing in her village, but she and her siblings befriend a young Nazi soldier named Tomas, a friendship that of course becomes more complicated. Also central to the book are her attempts to understand her secretive mother who suffers from migraines brought on by the scent of oranges. If the title alone doesn't grab you, the representation of memory and past and present and mothers and daughters will."
from Mary Ellen Fisher, Former President of the Friends of the Library Board
Mary Ellen enthusiastically brought "NoveList" to the attention of the Board at the March meeting. It's an easily searchable fiction database with brief summaries, helpful reviews, links to authors' websites, "Read-Alike" articles that offer similar authors and titles, a handy "find similar books" button, book discussion guides, and much more! Everyone interested in fiction should play around and see what wonderful resources are available through NoveList. Access it by following the "NoveList Reader's Advisory" link on the library's home page.
from Heidi Weber
On Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink: "After several friends encouraged me to read Caddie Woodlawn, I thankfully put it at the top of my pile. A quick historical fiction sure to bring many smiles, it's great to read alone or to your children. It was fun to envision what the Chippewa Valley landscape and lifestyle was like 100 years ago."
On The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini: "It's rare for me to reread a novel, but this book is worthy. The story begins in Afghanistan before Russia and the Taliban overthrew the government. A difficult book to put down and sure to cause you to reflect on our comfortable life in America."
