Linda the Librarian

There are so many places to find out about great reads and to discuss wonderful literature or just really fun books.  Here is another for your consideration.  Two fellow librarians discuss what they're reading on their podcast  Lexivore . Enjoy! Until next time...

I usually have a non-fiction and a fiction book going at the same time.  I find it helps to be able to go back and forth.  If I'm reading a particularly intense non-fiction book, a lighter work of fiction allows me to have a break from thoughtful wrestling.  This was a delightful read.  If you're gearing up for toasty weather this weekend and want a book to take into your air-conditioned happy place, I recommend this to you.  If you have enjoyed Amish fiction in the past, then you'll know the basic plot line:  An Amish girl meets an Englischer and falls in love then faces the choice whether or not she should remain in the community or leave it.  I won't tell you what she chooses, but I will tell you that this was a light, breezy, and enjoyable read. Pull out your library card and prepare for a lovely literary weekend! Until next time...

When I picked up this book I really expected it to be a "where I am now a decade after my kidnapping" kind of book.  There was that element to it, but it was so much more.  Ms. Smart interviewed numerous people who have been through great difficulty and came out on the other side whole and thriving. Please allow me to use some quotes from her book to whet your appetite: "Every time I speak, I talk about how each one of us goes through his or her own trials.  I try to tell people that it's not what happens to us that makes us who we are, but how we react, the choices we make moving forward.  It doesn't matter what our current struggle is; it's what we do about it.  But there's a long road between knowing that and putting it into practice."  page 67 Ms. Smart interviewed Diane Von Furstenberg who said, "I met a very interesting woman, and she said that there are two types of survivors:  the ones who did not die, and the ones who live.  Th...

I really am a librarian.  This may shock some of you, but I love to read.  My TBR pile is usually in some state of being completely out of control and I like it like that.  I never have to worry about a gap between books.  In January of last year I learned about the  Christian Reading Challenge  that Tim Challies puts together over at his blog.  My TBR pile is still out of control, but now it has some more direction.  I didn't realize until I started this program of loosely guided reading how stuck in a rut I had become.  I tend to like what I like and that's what I read.  My reading tastes have expanded.  I feel that I'm learning to read more broadly and deeply. Last year and continuing into this year, I've posted what I've read on my Facebook page.  I realize that some of my friends and family simply do not care about all of the amazing books I've read over the last 18 months, but I still wanted to share.  So this...