Persepolis July 28, 2008

Jennifer says:

Yes, it’s a “graphic novel”. But don’t miss this intimate, searing autobiography just because it comes fully illustrated, panel cartoon style, with portrayals of the author and her family, friends, and relatives. Caricature is a skill Ms. Satrapi perfected in post-Islamic revolution Iran, while she sat in class in her hijab, silently lampooning her teachers in the margins of her notebooks. This book, like Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi, offers a human perspective on Iran that is missing from most news stories. In Persepolis the perspective is that of a girl child. Satrapi grows up before our eyes as her life changes inexorably through the upheaval in her homeland. If you have never read a graphic novel, Persepolis should be your first, especially if you enjoy reading autobiographies.

A Pioneer’s Search for an Ideal Home: A Book of Personal Memoirs July 28, 2008

Deborah says:

After seeing this book in a display case at the Lynden Library, I decided to read it to become more acquainted with local history.  I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.  The book is a memoir of Phoebe Judson, the founder of Lynden.  She was over seventy years of age when she wrote her story and ninety-five when it was published.  The history is indeed very interesting, but the strength, sense of humor and bravery of this woman was astonishing.  Her memoirs begin in Vermillion, Ohio where she began a trip across the country, with her family, in a wagon train to the Puget Sound area.   I read the book and enjoyed the photograph at the end of the book.  This week I read in the paper that a monument will be made of Phoebe Judson and her husband Holden Judson.  I am glad the monument will be made and I will appreciate it all the more after reading her memoirs.

A Pioneer’s Search for an Ideal Home: A Book of Personal Memoirs by Phoebe Goodell Judson

The Crazy School July 18, 2008

Kyla says:

I read The Crazy School by Cornelia Read. This book was about a group of kids that lived in a boarding home for behaviorally challenged teens and the teachers that taught them.  I really enjoyed reading about how the teachers interacted with the kids living at the boarding home. The book started off a little slow but got more exciting as I read. In the book there is a major incident that affects everyone at the home. I wasn’t able to put the book down until I had discovered who was involved in the incident. I liked that the book kept me guessing.

The Book Thief July 17, 2008

Lisa says:

We have been hearing quite the hoopla about The Book Thief written by
Markus Zusak.  My book group read it and all 5 of us overwhelmingly
enjoyed it and had no trouble at all staying focused on discussing the
book (which isn’t always the case).   Narrated by the character, Death,
during World War II in Germany, The Book Thief is full of warm
relationships, heartwrenching events, and the day to day activities of
varied residents of a small town. The reader slowly gets very deeply
attached to these people.  You find yourself crying, smiling, hoping and
cheering for them.  Extremely touching.  Highly recommended!

Samaritan July 15, 2008

Regan, Lynden Library manager, says:

Just enough mystery binds together a lot of great characters hanging out in the New Jersey projects in this well written novel.  Ray Mitchell, a former project kid himself, has made some money writing for TV and returns to the community to volunteer at the local high school.  Well, we all know that even good intentions can have bad results.  The stand out character is Detective Nerese Ammons, a childhood pal from Ray’s past. Ready for retirement she relentlessly and with a clear vision pursues truth.

Samaritan by Richard Price

The Road July 15, 2008

Nina from Ferndale says:

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy is a compelling book.  I read it in a day but it will stay with me a long time.  It is not a happy book even though it sort of has a happy ending.  It is a beautiful story about familial love and the strength of the ties between parent and child.  The determination to survive and just keep going is striking.