Greetings fellow readers! This is an update on the status of this blog, and an introduction of myself….

Donna Jo Atwood, the author of many blog posts and our fiction selector extraordonaire, has retired after many years of wonderful service to the Olathe Public Library and its patrons.

For a woman with such little feet, she leaves mighty big shoes to fill! My name is Lorie Hyten, and I will be doing my best to carry on with her work.

I have been with the Olathe Public Library for about 6 years as a reference librarian and as one of the selectors of nonfiction books. With DJ’s retirement, I am moving to selection of fiction, so I have inherited the A Reader blog and the Third Thursday book discussion program. I’m not planning any huge changes for a while. I’ll need some time to get up to speed on all that is involved with my new job responsibilities. In the meantime I welcome your comments and suggestions! I hope to post something new to the blog every week, and my first entry will be a rundown of books I’ve either just read (and loved!) or am reading (and love!):

“The Story of Edgar Sawtelle” by David Wroblewski - Whatever buzz you’ve heard about this book, believe it. Beautifully written with complex and compassionate characters.

It’s a  debut novel and supposed to offer a modern take on Hamlet. Set in rural Wisconsin, the hero, Edgar, is born mute. He communicates with his own version of sign  language. Edgar’s grandfather started a line of dogs–the Sawtelles–by selectively breeding for temperment and intelligence. His sons carried on his work, but humans aren’t selectively bred and the difference in members of the same family can be substantial. I haven’t finished this one yet, but I can already tell you it will be on my top 10 of the year list.

“The Plague of Doves: a Novel” by Louise Erdrich. I am a longtime Erdrich fan, beginning with “The Last Report on the Miracles at Little Big Horse” (2001). This one continues with themes regarding the lives of Native Americans. This time the story is intergenerational, told by aging Mooshum Milk to his grandaughter. This is another I’ve not finished yet, but I am savoring the experience of listening to the audio version. If you have liked Erdrich’s other books, you are sure to enjoy this one.

 I’m also rereading “The Left Hand of Darkness” by Ursula Le Guin in preparation for the Sept. 18 Third Thursday book discussion. This was one of my favorite science fiction novels years ago, and rediscovering it has been a delight. It tells the story of a lone human Emissary to Winter, an alien world whose inhabitants can change their gender. His goal is to facilitate Winter’s inclusion in a growing intergalactic civilization. Hope you will join us on Sept. 18, even if you haven’t had a chance to read (or reread) the book!

The next book ,for discussion on May 15, is The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
Set during World War II in Germany, Zusak’s groundbreaking novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing, encounters something she can’t resist: books.
Join us at the Indian Creek Branch at 7:00 p.m. for an enjoyable time talking about this book.

Please join us at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 17, at the Indian Creek Branch for the Third Thursday book discussion. This month will be a little change of pace: a non fiction book that reads like a fictional grand adventure story!

We will dare to explore shark-infested waters in “The Devil’s Teeth” by Susan Casey, 597.83

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The Spa by Fay Weldon.  Grove Press, 2007      329 pp.

If you could go to an expensive exclusive spa for a fraction of the cost, would you do it?
Even if it was for the week encompassing Christmas and New Years?
Even if it meant telling the story of one of the “sordid” little secrets of your life?
Especially if it meant escaping from the mundane wreck of your life?

This story of ten high-powered women is really like The Canterbury Tales or The Decameron—stories of human drama told to entertain a captive audience.  Some unlikely friendships develop and may even endure in the “real” world.
If you want to read grown up Chick Lit, this is a good entry.

On March 20, 2008 the library’s Third Thursday Book Discussion will talk about Lisa See’s book Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.   Set in China in the 1800s, this book explores the world of Chinese women and their friendships.
Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review,  saying “See’s engrossing novel set in remote 19th-century China details the deeply affecting story of lifelong, intimate friends (laotong, or “old sames”) Lily and Snow Flower, their imprisonment by rigid codes of conduct for women and their betrayal by pride and love. . .. As both a suspenseful and poignant story and an absorbing historical chronicle, this novel has bestseller potential and should become a reading group favorite as well.”
Please join us at the Indian Creek Branch at 7 p.m. to talk about what Snow Flower and the Secret Fan has to say.

From first time author, Sarah Addison Allen, comes this delightful tale of two sisters who are completely disenchanted with each other. While Claire chose to embrace small-town life in Bascom, N.C. as a caterer, along with the family legacy of folk magic, her sister, Sydney, was embarrassed by the family’s reputation as the “town peculiars.” She fled as quickly as she could for a new life and a new name. Ten years pass by with no contact between the two until the day when Sydney and her young daughter return to Bascom under very mysterious circumstances, effectually turning Claire’s routine life upside down. Now the sisters must confront their past differences in order to reconcile their new life together.

From the tasty (and magical) dishes that Claire creates, to the backyard apple tree that enjoys flinging its prophetic fruit at people, this is a tender, modern fairy tale that is sure to enchant.

Hosseini has again written a personal story set against the larger backdrop of the political turmoil that has plagued the country of Afghanistan for thirty years.  A Thousand Splendid Suns follows the life of two Afghan women whose lives eventually and unexpectedly intertwine.  The story of how war and conflict can abruptly change an individual’s life is central to the story.�
At times, the circumstances seemed too convenient and I felt the emotional connection between the two women could have been more developed.  However, the emotion is there at the end and Hosseini is wonderful at showing the individual people inside the country of Afghanistan.  It brings the country and the struggles of its people a little closer to home.  If you liked The Kite Runner, you will like A Thousand Splendid Suns.       �

    Many years ago I scared myself silly reading “Communion: a true story” by Whitley Strieber. It was one of the first, if not THE first, non-fiction books addressing the phenomena of alleged alien abduction. In that book Strieber, previously known as a horror novelist, related his own experiences as an “abductee.”

   Fast forward to 2006 and Striber’s best selling novel, “The Grays” which deals with the same creatures he first depicted in “Communion.” But this time there was less sniping by critics at Strieber’s veracitude and more praise for a suspenseful tale well told.

   Now comes “2012: the war for souls,” a new Strieber novel combining elements of science fiction (or hard science? I’m not sure how to catagorize a story line that includes the presumption of parallel universes) thriller, supernatural horror and some peculiar spiritual themes (ie: the repurcussions of scientific proof of the existence of the soul).

   For those of us who follow these types of things, 2012 is supposed to be a significant year for a number of reasons, but mainly because that is the year the ancient Mayan calendar ends.

   “2012″ is a good yarn with plenty of suspense for those willing to accept some mind-bending presumptions (including shape-shifting reptilian aliens

) and it poses some weighty questions for those who enjoy a little extra challenge with their aliens.

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Phillips, Kevin.  American Theocracy: The Perils and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil and Borrowed Money in the 21^st Century., read by Scott Brick, Books on Tape 2006, CDAUDIO 973.93 Phillips

     Phillips, the Republican consultant who engineered the GOP takeover of the South, notes at the end of this book that his last three works have been indictments of the party, something he never envisioned when he was writing The Emerging Republican Majority.
      Picking up a theme developed by Paul Kennedy some years ago in (Read on …)