What Credo is Reading – August 2009
Once again, staff members are Credo Reference are sharing what they are reading!
Sara Ortins says: “I am reading Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and author of The Namesake. This book is a compilation of eight short stories that take us from Cambridge to Seattle to India and Thailand, as they explore the secrets of family life. The stories dramatize the divide between immigrant parents and their American-raised children and explore the lack of deep-down understanding and trust in a marriage between a Bengali and a non-Bengali. The stories have left me just as satisfied as I am after reading a lengthy novel. Lahiri is able to expose the complexities of multiple characters all within a short story. As one reviewer commented, “ideal for people with limited time for pleasure reading and a hunger for serious literature.””
John Dove is reading a book recommended by Jenny Walker: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a novel by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. He says: “It’s a fictional account of the lives of Channel Islanders during the 4 years that they were under German occupation and cut-off from both British and German societies until the War was over. It’s funny.”
Mike Sweet just finished listening to Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. He states: “This book tells a different story about why certain people become extremely successful and others do not. Gladwell challenges the widely held notion that success solely comes from people being more naturally talented or just working harder than others. Among other things, it argues that luck, circumstance, and cultural background all play much bigger roles in success than is often believed. To emphasize its points, the book uses many fascinating examples taken from the lives of very famous and successful people.”
Mike also recently read Iron John by Robert Bly, and he says that it “offers an intriguing look at the factors influencing the development of the male psyche.”
Heather Blaine states: “I just finished Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. It’s a historical novel that looks at life in Seattle during WWII – particularly the treatment of Japanese-Americans. The story is told through the eyes of Henry Lee as a 12 year old in 1942 and as a widower in 1986. It’s a sad and beautiful story, I’ve been suggesting it to anyone and everyone who asks for a book recommendation!”
Right now, Heather is reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. She says that: “She’s writing about a year in which her family made the decision to be true locavores – growing and raising as much of their own food as possible and buying locally otherwise. I’ve only just started, but it’s fascinated me thus far.”
Heather is also very excited for the arrival (on her Kindle) of the newest Daniel Silva novel – she says: “it’s my guilty-pleasure summer read!”
The always-hilarious Anne Kail has just finished reading The Gone-Away World by Nick Harkaway.
Anne describes the arduous process: “I had to take a holiday to finish it. Over 500 pages. I never intended to read it, but I hate waste. I’d bought it for my partner, Mick Fortune, as Nick Harkaway is the nom de plume of the son of David Cornwell and that’s the nom de plume of John le Carré and Mick is a huge fan. But not of the son. I’d bought it, so it had to be read. Another good reason for using your library! I thought that the concept of The Gone-Away World itself was extraordinary, but then I don’t read (m)any post-apocalyptic war books. Like the curate’s egg, it was good in parts. And I’ve finished it! I’m free! Now what? Perhaps I’ll take a recommendation from one of my Credo colleagues. Wonder if any of them will want to read TGAW after reading this?!”
What have you been reading lately?
