July Staff Picks

Juli's Pick

The Reader

by Bernhard Schlink

PT 2680 L54 V6713 1997

Set in post-war Germany, "The Reader" takes us through the relationship of Michael and Hanna in three different parts. They meet innocently when Michael is a teenager and Hannah is nearly twice his age. Unexpectedly, their relationship develops into one of sensuality and enlightenment for both. Manhy years after their relationship ends, Michael learns much more about Hanna than she ever dared to reveal when they were together. Her secret exposes her dark history and sheds light on the woman Michael loved and lost while leaving the reader pondering many moral dilemmas associated with a multi-generation romance, WWII Germany, regret, and redemption.

June Staff Picks

Jan's Pick

Killing Raven

by Margaret Coel

AMIND PS 3553 .O347 .K55 2003

I enjoy Coel's books because they are set in Wyoming/Fremont County. As her stories unfold, I picture the sites and towns I know. It makes the intrigue even more personal. Killing Raven involves the emotions of the community surrounding a new Native American owned casino as a background to murder...a lot of the true-to-life conflicting ideas- embellished with some fictional characters. This book includes some of Coel's characters we have grown to know in her previous books, but it is a stand-alone enjoyable read for those who want to try her talented approach to a Wyoming mystery.

June Staff Picks

Candy's Pick

Brunswick Gardens

by Anne Perry

Anne Perry writes mystery stories ocurring in England's Victorian Age. She writes a couple of series of mystery stories with different protagonists, but the ones with Charlotte and Thomas Pitt figuring out whodunit are my favorite. Thomas Pitt is Superintendent and is given charge of handling sensitive cases of murder usually involving members of Parliament, the English aristocracy, and even in Buckingham Palace. All of it occurs with the backdrop in the day and age when Queen Victoria reigned over England and at that time, most of the planet. Her description of the characters, their dress, scenes, buildings, and even English cockney accents, is worth the read.

June Staff Picks

Kristy's Pick

The Fractal Murders

by Mark Cohen

PS 3603 .O475 F7 2002

A murder mystery with math! But even if you hate math you will enjoy this story. :-)

June Staff Picks

Cory's Pick

Population:485

Michael Perry

F 589 .N42 P47 2002

Population: 485 is a thoughtful, reverent look at the knitted garment that is a small town. Through the lens of his role in the volunteer fire department, Michael Perry takes us through the characters and events that form a community. Carefully written and both solemn and funny, the book is a reminder that we are not islands; whether actively or passively, we shape the lives of our neighbors.

June Staff Picks

Juli's Pick

The Oxford Book of American Short Stories

Joyce Carol Oates

PS 648 .S5 O94 1992

Want to explore a variety of authors but don't have the time to read a gazillion novels? Then read short stories! This collection offers a plethora of famous writers' works for you to sample. Stories I recommend reading first include:

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The Ghost in the Mill by Harriet Beecher Stowe

In a Far Country by Jack London

A Late Encounter with the Enemy by Flannery O'Connor

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

That Evening Sun by William Faulkner

Short Stories are perfect for summer reading! Give these a try!

Lifting the Sky, by Mackie d'Arge

This fall, the libraries of Fremont County are cooperating on the next installment of One County, One Book. This year's book is Lifting the Sky, by Crowheart author Mackie d'Arge.

Keep watch for more information about OCOB events.