Master the Art of Reading

Summer reading isn't just for kids. Adults who read or listen to four qualifying books and fill out an entry form will receive a packet of prizes and coupons from local businesses and the Friends of the Library. You can download an entry form or stop by the library to pick one up.

A qualifying book should either be about or include some kind of art or artist. Visual arts, decorative arts, architecture, music, dance, drama, film, literature, and everything in between. This year's theme is broad enough that nearly any book could fit, but here are some book lists for anyone needing a little extra inspiration.

On Exhibit: Great Reads About Art
Recommended nonfiction about historical art and artists from Library Journal.

overbooked.org: Art Booklist
Books about art and artists that received a starred reviews in one of the four major review publications.

Artful Reads
Recommended historical fiction about art and artists from NoveList. (library card needed for access)

Artistic Death
Recommended mysteries from NoveList involving art and the art world. (library card needed for access)

Every Picture Tells a Story: Novels on Historical Artists
More recommended historical fiction about art and artists from NoveList. (library card needed for access)

librarybooklists.org: The Arts and Entertainment
Almost thirty additional lists from libraries across the country.

The library is hosting several programs that tie into the adult summer reading program, including author talks, a poetry workshop, and a film series. Visit the library's website to learn more about these events and the summer reading programs for children and teens.

Links: Nonfiction

Business
New and popular business titles. Updated monthly.

Lifestyles
Books for active lifestyles. Updated monthly.

Nonfiction Preview
Upcoming nonfiction releases. Updated monthly.

Past and Present
Recent books on current and historical events. Updated monthly.

Science and Nature
Recent books on science and nature. Updated monthly.

The Great Books

We were recently asked if the library had a list of the greatest books ever written—a recommended reading list spanning all of human history. The short answer was “No”.

Such a list would be difficult to compile. No one person could really have the knowledge to compile an authoritative list, and no two people could completely agree on what to include. This has not stopped people from trying. Robert Teeter, a librarian by trade, has collected many such efforts. His personal home page features a fairly comprehensive and well annotated list of lists of great books.

A Time Magazine article, written in 1946 about a Great Books course offered by the University of Chicago, ends with one of the instructors stating, “The Great Books program ends only in desertion or death." Though the comment makes perfect sense—one could spend a lifetime reading—it hardly sounds like an invitation to get started.

Thankfully, there are a few best-of-the-best lists out there that are not quite as intimidating. Most of them concentrate on the last 100 years.

Time Magazine’s All-Time 100 Best Novels
Despite its title, this list only covers novels published after 1923, the year Time was first published.

The Modern Library’s 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century
Compiled in 1998 by the Modern Library’s editorial board, this list is limited English-language books. A list of non-fiction is also available, as well as a rival list compiled by the Radcliffe Publishing Course (now the Columbia Publishing Course).

BBC’s Big Read – 100 Favorite Books
A list of Britain’s favorite books based on a nation-wide survey conducted in 2003

The Guardian’s 100 Greatest Novels of All Time
Another British offering, this one published just before the BBC’s Big Read. The newspaper also published a defense of their choices.

New York Public Library’s Books of the Century
A list of titles included in the book of the same name. Published in 1996.

A Unified List of the Best 100 Novels
Some of the lists mentioned above, plus several more, merged into one.

What to Read While You're Waiting

John Grisham’s latest novel, The Associate, has been one of the most requested books in the library since January. If you are one of the many waiting to read it or a Grisham fan looking for something new, here are some authors you might enjoy.

Steve Martini

Martini writes fast-paced legal thrillers featuring underdog lawyers fighting the good fight. Martini’s books focus more on investigation than court room drama. Series character Paul Madriani has appeared in the bestsellers like The Arraignment, The Attorney, and The Jury. Martini’s most recent book is Shadow of Power. Visit his website at http://www.stevemartini.com/.

Lisa Scottoline

Scottoline, like Grisham, writes suspenseful legal thrillers peopled by sympathetic characters but adds a little humor. Many of her bestsellers involve the attorneys of Rosato & Associates, an all-women law firm. Scottoline’s most recent book is Lady Killer. Visit Scottoline’s personal website, scottoline.com, to learn more.

Brad Meltzer

Meltzer also combines fast pacing, suspense, and sympathetic characters to create legal thrillers that Grisham fans might like. His legal thrillers include First Counsel and Dead Even. He also writes comic books and Baldacci-like novels of corruption and conspiracy including The Book of Fate and The Zero Game. Meltzer’s official website can be found at http://www.bradmeltzer.com/.

David Baldacci

Baldacci doesn’t write legal thrillers. So, if you’re drawn to the legal aspect of Grisham’s work, he might not be for you. He does, however, write fast-paced, suspenseful novels of conspiracy and corruption featuring unexpected plot twists and sympathetic characters. He is also, according to an article in USA Today, a favorite author of both Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush.His most recent novel is Divine Justice. Visit his website at http://www.davidbaldacci.com/.

Some of these recommendations were taken from a “Read-Alike” list from the database NoveList. To find other writers who are similar to your favorite author, visit NoveList, type in the author’s name, and click on the “Author Read-alikes” tab. If you access NoveList from outside the library, you will be asked to enter your library card number. Links to even more author-based recommendations can be found in the If You Like… post on this blog.

Welcome!

Welcome to the LPL Book Blog, a source for book recommendations from library staff and, hopefully, library patrons like you. Ideally, a blog gives everyone an opportunity to join the discussion, and if anything invites discussion, it’s books. To comment on our book suggestions or add your own, click on the “Comments” link following each post.

To kick things off, so to speak, here are a few blog-related recommendations:

For the uninitiated, Sarah Boxer’s article on blogs for the New York Review of Books is a good introduction blogs and provides an extensive reading list of books about blogs.

There are around 15 million active blogs. Boxers own book, Ultimate Blogs: Masterworks from the Wild Web, anthologizes 27 of them, providing a sampler of some of the best the web has to offer.

The eye-opening Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog from Iraq collects the blog entries of a young Iraqi woman written during the first year of American occupation, presenting an underrepresented view of the war in Iraq in a voice that is fervent, frustrated, and darkly comic. Later posts are collected in Baghdad Burning 2. Read reviews and a summary here. The blog is no longer updated.

Julie Powell became a minor celebrity in 2004 when she detailed, on her blog, her quest to conquer all 524 recipes in Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. She reworked many of her posts into the bitingly funny but endearing memoir Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen: How One Girl Risked Her Marriage, Her Job, and Her Sanity to Master the Art of Living. Read reviews and a summary here. Julie Powell still keeps a blog at http://juliepowell.blogspot.com/.

Based on the award-winning blog of the same name, Waiter Rant: Thanks for the Tip: Confessions of a Cynical Waiter distills a Manhattan waiter’s humorous, if admittedly cynical, take on life as a waiter and the insights the job provides into the human psyche. Read reviews and a summary here. The blog can be found at http://www.waiterrant.net/.