Reading

The background: So, I'm a librarian, right?  Librarians have master's degrees.  And professional organizations.  Well, I'm in my local professional organization and I'm trying to be a better professional.  So I volunteered to be on this committee that creates a list of recommended adult fiction reading each year.  I didn't really know what I was getting into.  Seriously.  You remember how my goal was to read 12 books in 2012 (goal already met - I missed reading!)?  Well, my committee activity just started and OMG I could have to read 120 books in this next year.  120!

I'm offering this background so we can all understand why I'm going to be posting more about books.

I've already finished 3 books this June.  All for the committee:
Running the Rift by Naomi Benaron.  Sacré Bleu by Christopher Moore.  And Arcadia by Lauren Groff.  Here's my take on these 3:

Running the Rift is about a runner growing up during the lead-in to the Rwandan genocide.  I decided to read it for the running.  The running is there, but it isn't a novel about running.  It is a novel about ethnicity, personal identity, love, and hope in the face of unimaginable circumstances.  This book was NOT a depressing read, and it could easily have been.  Best book I've read in years.  Go read it.

Sacré Bleu is... a fun read.  With art.  You know you want to read a novel in which one of the main character's name is "Poopstick".  You know you want to.  (On a serious note, well researched, *believable* fiction, despite the fantastic.)  One note: I had to read this on the iPad and not the (base model) Kindle because there are clips of the art that I couldn't see on the Kindle that really added to the story.

Arcadia. I didn't like Arcadia.  I went through this phase when I was a kid where I imagined myself to be metaphysical.  In which I was an observer of the world and the way it worked, and I had these moments where I imagined I could feel events moving, the earth moving through space, that there was something deep going on that no one else could notice.  That is what this book is.  But I moved on, and Bit doesn't.  And the language - it just got on my nerves.  Not to be an ass, but sometimes washing clothes is just washing clothes, you know?  Also, I didn't think the ending was sufficiently fleshed out.

Now I've started on Julia's Child, which I can already tell I'm going to enjoy, and the Royal Wulff Murders, which is also shaping up to be a fun read.  More on these and many Many MANY more to come!