Mary wt's three book challenge

Finding time to read for fun can be tough nowadays. There's just so much going on. So when I get a chance to hunker down and devour a book, I usually grab a title similar to one I've enjoyed in the past. For me, that's a romantic suspense thriller, an exciting mystery, fascinating true crime, a juicy biography, or just some quirky volume of nonfiction that's caught my interest.

Last month I deliberately decided to read something different, and selected three books I normally wouldn't consider--a humorous fantasy, a nonfiction graphic novel, and a picture book for children.  And I LIKED them!

So here's my challenge to all of you out there--take a chance and read outside your comfort zone. That is, select three promising titles from genres you wouldn't normally choose and try them out. If you're not sure what might appeal to you, talk to one of us librarians. We select the books for the library and know quite a lot about them. We can help you discover a different type of read that will fit your mood and interests. Just drop by, or call us at 217-367-4405.

The Urbana Free Library has an expansive collection of novels and readable nonfiction of all types. Take my challenge and broaden your reading horizons. You may discover a whole new group of books that are just perfect for you!

Join me in the challenge. Here are my three books. What are yours? I'd love to hear about them.

Darkroom: a Memoir in Black & White  
Lila Quintero Weaver

Striking, almost photographic images, illustrate this autobiographical graphic novel.

Weaver comes to Alabama as a child with her middle-class Latino family from Argentina in the early 60s and encounters a world where differences matter.

 



 


It's a Dog's Life 
Michael Morpurgo ; illustrated by Patrick Benson

Russ, a border collie, tells us about his life on the farm in this beautifully illustrated  British picture book.

 

Good Omens
Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Gaiman and Pratchett pooled their talents and created their own personal and humorous account of the coming Armageddon. 

This unique, multi-layered view of angels searching for the missing antichrist at the end of the world may not be the fantasy novel for everyone. But it's a tale well told, with allusions, many characters, and an underlying sense of satire.

Confessions of a Prairie Bitch

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to play with Laura Ingalls? Have Mary as an older sister? Punch Nellie Oleson in the nose? Finally, you can find out when you read Alison Arngrim's Confessions of a Prairie Bitch A book about being the rottenest, meanest, most terrible teen to ever homestead on the prairie.

Alison lets the reader in behind the scenes of Little House on the Prairie to find out even more about our beloved TV friends and what it was really like to work portraying the enemy of all young girls in the 70's. Alison uses her twisted sense of humor to explain not only life on the set, but also her struggles with sexual abuse, her very unusual family, (her mother was the voice of Casper the Friendly Ghost), and how she found her way through the jungle that is adolescence in the public spotlight. If you liked watching Little House this book is a must read if only to finally allow you to forgive Nellie Oleson while revisitng Walnut Grove one more time.

Want more info and gossip about the women of Walnut Grove? Check out these other recent autobiographies by Melissa Gilbert, (Laura) and Melissa Sue Anderson, (Mary):

Rocker Chicks

White Rabbit--Total Eclipse of the Heart--Black Velvet. These powerful rock anthems by Grace Slick, Bonnie Tyler & Alannah Myles proved to me that women could rule in the rock 'n' roll world. But I still don't know much about the voices behind the songs.

I'm intrigued by a recent trio of autobiographies released by women who helped sculpt the musical landscape of the late 70s and the 80s. I'm working my way through them. Here's the list, so you can join me as I find out more about Cherie Currie, Belinda Carlisle & Pat Benatar.

Cherie Currie, lead singer of the 70s group The Runaways, has updated and rereleased her biography Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway. Cherie's journey has taken her from Davie Bowie devotee, to singer/actor, to drug addict, to champion chainsaw sculptor. Interest in The Runaways is high right now, because of the new movie based on their band. This film stars Kristen Stewart & Dakota Fanning, who just like the The Runaways have experienced fame at a young age. If you want to know even more about The Runaways, a biography focusing on Joan Jett is coming out later this summer.

The two other books I'm enjoying are brand new. Belinda Carlisle, the front woman for the Go-Gos, reveals her life and band experiences in Lips Unsealed: A Memoir. And the iconic Pat Benatar highlights the strength her long-enduring marriage has provided as she's lived her career in Between a Heart and a Rock Place.






We'll be happy to place holds on any of these new titles for you. Give us a call at 217-367-4405, or email us at The Urbana Free Library reference desk.