The Transformation of Bartholomew Fortuno by Ellen Bryson

This is something different than I usually read. I like the Sci-Fi and Mystery sections best. That said, it was pretty interesting. It's a sort of love story set in 1865-ish New York, and features the Curiosities of P.T. Barnum's famous museum. The characters are odd and different, but once you get past that you start to care about them in their quirky ways. There's a lot of descriptive passages that help you "see" the world around the characters but it's still a stretch sometimes. At points, I wanted to scream "enough already, move on!" but the characters weren't ready for the story to move as quickly as I was.

I'll be waiting to see what Ms Bryson's next book offers.
Overall rating: B+
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PS - I'm about 3/4 of the way through The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It's a futuristic tale of a post-war ravaged North America which has been reformed as Panem. As part of the new "civilization," there are annual Hunger Games where youth - children aged 12 to 18 - from the 12 Districts fight to the death on live TV. It's rather... disturbing and difficult to put down at the same time. I'm late to the bandwagon, having only picked up the first book in the trilogy after reading lots of chatter about the third book, Mockingjay.

Matterhorn

I figure I should update on the book "The Matterhorn". I actually finished it over a week ago and have actually recommended it to someone who came into the library the other day. I thought it was an excellent book, describing the mindset of not only war, but the conditions of war. As Kate had commented earlier on this blog, the book's story is based on an actual event during the Vietnam war.
The story is well written, the events and conditions are gripping, even in the "down time", and you start to care about the characters, even though there are a lot of them. The author does a good job creating a character that you can really dislike, and then show a little of the reasoning of why he is doing the things that make you hate him, and makes you wonder what you would do in that situation.
If you like war novels, even though there isn't a lot of combat there is still a lot of tension through out, I highly recommend it. It is a fairly large book, over 600 pages, but the last 50 pages the author breaks down some of the jargon and military terms used throughout the book. That might have helped me to know before I read it, so I will pass it on. The author does do a good job of writing it so that you get the general idea of those terms, all though not the specifics.

Lucy by Laurence Gonzales

This is a wonderful book, I read it in print in less than two days - and I don't read anything that quickly! It's the story of a primatologist who gets chased out of the Congo by the revolution. On her way out of the country, she discovers the daughter of a dead colleague and brings her back to Chicago. Once she's back home, Jenny learns that Lucy is a half-human hybrid. I won't go into too much more detail because it's fascinating stuff. It would make a fabulous book club title - there are ethical and moral and political implications to the story. It doesn't have a Hollywood ending, although you do get a resolution that satisfies the soul.

Overall Grade: A-
To see the cover and check its availability in the Keene Memorial Catalog, click here: Lucy by Laurence Gonzales

The SecretDiary of Anne Boleyn

I just finished the book The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn by Robin Maxwell. It was a very interesting approach to an old story. Basic plot is that Elizabeth is given her Mother's diary at the start of her reign. Quick read, nice diversion if you enjoy historical fiction.

Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer

Just started this book yesterday. It's by John Grisham, who usually writes for grown-ups. So far, I like it. He's not trying to dumb it down for kids but he is doing a great job of explaining legal concepts and so forth. Not sure if kids will actually enjoy it, but I am!

--Laura

Matterhorn

still reading

I am currently reading Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War, by Karl Malantes. I am about halfway through it and it is a very good read. There are a lot of characters at first and it is sometimes hard to keep them straight, but as the story goes on it gets easier. It is quite gripping at times and as I read before I go to bed, sometimes I find myself staying up too late, being engrossed in what is happening.
So far I would recommend it as a great war story, and has been compared to Mailer's The Quick and the Dead, which I am a big fan of.

Welcome to KML Blog!

This is so exciting! KML has a blog!!
I would like to recommend a new YA title that I just finished : Riker's High by Paul Volponi- Great book!! Love this author and loved this book!
Cathy

Best books I've ever read...

That's a pretty tall order, I know. But there are some books that just feel that way. In no particular order, here are the ones that come to mind right away.

1. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch - quick, easy read that means so much more than just a quick, easy read.
2. The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R. King - love the new take on the Sherlock Holmes legend.
3. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis - time travel, intrigue and character development all wrapped up in one. And I went to college with her daughter :)
4. Undead and... series by MaryJanice Davidson - I laugh out loud every time I crack one of these open.
5. The Gideon Oliver mysteries by Aaron Elkins. Can't pick a favorite, they're all good. There's science, romance and mystery as well as just plain good old-fashioned sleuthing.

More to come, but for now, that;s probably plenty.
See you in the stacks!
Laura

Welcome.

We are hoping that everyone will find this as a fun way for everybody to connect with other readers and share books that they have read and their thoughts, either likes or dislikes. We think that this will be a good way for people to discuss books, and although a lot of people are too busy to meet weekly, this way they can join up and share some quick thoughts.

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Join in and tell us what you are reading.