SUMMER READS 2008

It's nearly summertime again, and NPR has published it's "Critics' List" of good summer reads. I'll get to their list in just a minute. Since I work with books every day, and reading is such an ingrained part of my life, I don't really notice a difference in my summer reading. I just read, read, read all the time. When I was a kid, though, summer was great. I grew up in the cornfields of Indiana and lived outside of the taxing district for our local library so I couldn't get a card without paying for it, and lived too far away to walk or bike to the library on my own. My grandmother was a hairdresser and she took Mondays off, and used that day to go to "the mall" in Terre Haute. I went with her quite often and would save any money I could get my hands on in order to buy a book at the bookstore in the mall.

My first book obsession was Nancy Drew. My great grandmother (the hairdresser's mother) gave me a copy of The sign of the twisted candles, and from then on I would buy another in the series when I went to the mall. Another fun summer series when I was a kid was the "Choose your own adventure" books. These have made a comeback recently, and FVRL has several titles in the series such as Journey under the sea. The books are old-school interactive. At the end of a section, the reader is given two (or more) choices and told to turn to a specific page to continue the story based on the choice that they have made for the characters. I really enjoyed them when I was a "tween" (8-12 year olds). I progressed from the Nancy Drew obsession, to an Agatha Christie obsession when I was 13. I spent my teenage years reading every book she ever wrote (more than 80!). And now that I think of it, this obsession was also started by hairdresser grandma who gave me two books that year, Agatha Christie's Peril at End House, and Danielle Steel's Palomino. Agatha stuck, but Danielle didn't! Hmm...actually both of these were kind of interesting choices for a thirteen year old.

Now back to the NPR list of good reads for Summer 2008. Their recommendations include Now you see him by Eli Gottlieb; Let the Northern Lights erase your name by Vendela Vida; Mudbound by Hillary Jordan; America America by Ethan Canin; Wrack & Ruin by Don Lee; and City of Thieves by David Benioff. (Click here to see the entire list at the NPR website.)

Indiana Jones returns!

I have to admit that I am a big fan of the Indiana Jones' movies, so it is quite exciting to be just a couple of days away from his latest adventure, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I can still remember when Raiders of the Lost Ark was released in June 1981 - I must have gone to the theater 3 or 4 times that summer to see it. Except for Star Wars, I had never been so enthralled with a movie that I wanted to pay to see it again....and again.

Some cool books are being published to help generate excitement over the newest Indy movie, and the library has quite a selection. Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide by James Luceno is a really fun book published by Dorling Kindersley. (If you're not familiar with this publisher, it's well worth checking them out. They publish a fantastic series called Eyewitness for children - the library has many, many titles.) The Ultimate Guide is packed with fun and interesting information about all four movies, and it has some great pictures.

Several novelizations of the movies are making appearances such as the omnibus edition, The Adventures of Indiana Jones by Campbell Black, James Kahn, and Rob MacGregor. If you're really more interested in the most recent film, try Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull by James Rollins. And I don't know about you, but a new movie from Steven Spielberg makes me think back on his other movies, so a new book available at the library sounds like the perfect choice: Empire of Dreams: The Science Fiction and Fantasy Films of Steven Spielberg by Andrew Gordon.

Now all I have to do is wait patiently for the May 22 premiere. I probably won't stand in line to see it on opening day (hey, I'm older now, and the fact that I'll probably be able to buy it on dvd within a relatively short time frame changes the whole experience), but I'll definitely go to the theater at some point so I can enjoy the action on a big screen. Wonder if Indy will have to face those darn snakes again?

Robert Ludlum: The cure for the common cold

Captain Criticism:
I've been out sick with a bad cold the past couple of days, and nothing makes me feel better than Robert Ludlum. Hmm...sounds strange, perhaps? But it's true. When I'm feeling ill (or "poorly" as we say in Indiana), I just like to curl up with my box of tissues, cup of hot tea, and any of the DVDs from the Jason Bourne series (Bourne Identity, Supremacy, and Ultimatum). Yes, I watched the movies, but they are based on books by Robert Ludlum.

The Spy Thriller is a very popular genre. Tom Clancy has the Jack Ryan series which includes The Hunt for Red October, and Patriot Games. (Okay, yes, those are movies also, what can I say?!) John Le Carre, a former British Secret Service agent, has written several books in this genre such as The Spy who came in from the cold, and The Constant Gardener. (Ah! That's a movie, too! Maybe I should just give up librarianship and become a movie critic!) And, well, I mustn't forget the James Bond novels written by Ian Fleming. Some of his novels include Casino Royale, For your eyes only, and You only live twice. (Yes, all movies. Spy thrillers make good movies! It must be true!).

There are many other wonderful authors writing in the Spy Thriller genre. The next time you are at the library, just ask one of our librarians and they will gladly assist you in finding a great spy novel!