From One Book Lover

2023 was a busy reading year for me. I got into the triple digits, discovered some great cozy reads, and lured another unsuspecting person into the World of Books. My husband was a perfectly normal person who would read books when the mood struck. Then he discovered Andy Weir, began listening to audiobooks, joined a book club, and installed bookshelves in the living room for his growing collection. It's fun to hear him say, "You'd like this book I read." It wasn't an instantaneous transition, but it has stuck long enough to be a part of his personality now. But back to the topic at hand: I read 102 books. (Goodreads calculates the average book length at 264 pages.)  I indulged in  Escargot  and met  The Knight Owl;  encountered octopuses, an ogress, Christopher Marlowe, and an alien with a Scottish accent; and discovered Dark Academy.  I read popular books, including Demon Copperhead  and Lessons in Chemistry . I discovered Howl's Moving Castle a...

As a child, I couldn't wait for the Summer Reading Program to begin at the Norwalk Library. I was a voracious reader, and I unfurled my competitive flag with a crisp  snap . Whatever came my way, I was going to win. And Reader, that I did. I always read the most, answered every weekly quiz correctly, and practically camped out in the Children's Section. The carpeted circle ringed with full bookshelves was my oasis.  My Librarians loved me, but they gently reigned me in. They explained why they left my name off the quiz winner list: others loved to see their names as much as I did. They redirected my energy by seeking my input on book displays, and I made a few of my own, propping up books or leaving them in the reading area. They found me new books to devour, escorting me from time to time over to the Adult Section. I finally realized it was time to grow beyond the Children's Section — which meant No More Summer Reading Program.   Until I realized I could make one myself ...

Everyone in the Book World has been heralding "summer reading" since March. Hopefully, you've taken up the torch (or, perhaps, flashlight ) for the cause. What are you reading? Myself, I've been bouncing all over the place. I've read fiction and non-fiction, listened to audiobooks, uploaded books to my e-reader, lugged hardbacks and paperbacks to the park, on vacation, and my backyard. Here are a few of my favorites: Ghost Fleet — What will World War III look like? This book supposes the event to take place at an unspecified time in the late 2000s. An archnemeses of the United States takes it upon themselves to restructure the world order, and we meet the key players on both sides. It read like a movie in my head. The characters were diverse and powerful, and the story riveting. Written in 2014 by military-technology experts, we got a glimpse of how it might go down. If you read the e-book, you can skip the embedded footnotes, which add nothing to the story but a...

Summer reading may have been over for a brief time — but time is fluid these days, and why not let your mind wander back to times of warmer weather (in the northern hemisphere) and longer days. I read a few good books, a few meh books, and one or two that didn't do the trick for me. Let's start with the ones I disliked so much I stopped reading them.  People really like Glennon Doyle, but with  Untamed , I skipped ahead to find something that didn't sound like heady new love and platitudes. I surrendered and stopped listening after about 70 percent. Stranded  should have been my jam, but I could not stand the thoughtless, selfish, and reckless central character Sophie. Sure, if I was in the same situation, I may fight against a new reality that shoots me back a century into a completely different society. However, I doubt I would willfully, blatantly, and thoughtlessly offend and jeopardize my protective host. I gave it a surprisingly long time to find its groove, and the...