Mockingbird

In the wake of the 2007 tragedy at Virginia Tech, Virginia native Kathryn Erskine was left wondering how things like this happen, and how our lives would be different if we understood people better. She sets the fictional Mockingbird in the aftermath of a deadly shooting at a small-town middle school. Fifth-grader Caitlin's brother was one of the children killed, and Caitlin's father is struggling. But Caitlin has Asperger's so she has trouble understanding emotions and has to Work At It to figure out how to find closure for her father and herself, learning to make friends and feel empathy in the process.


Although this is a short book, 232 pages, it took me a long time to read because it was so heartbreaking. Very moving, and stays with you long after you put the book down. Well-deserved winner of the 2010 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.

Kabul Beauty School

I recently read a review for Cup of Friendship: a Novel by Deborah Rodriguez (released 1/25/2011), and was reminded of her 2007 nonfiction book Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil. Rodriguez took her first humanitarian trip to Afghanistan shortly after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Once there, she feared that she would be of little use, as her training as a hairdresser was not as practical as those with medical training. However, Rodriguez finds herself able to make quick friends with the Afghans, and is highly sought after by Westerners in need of good haircuts.

Inspired by her experiences and the Afghan women who’ve proudly been running their own salons, Rodriguez persuades corporate and international sponsors to help her open the Kabul Beauty School in 2003. Rodriguez empowers Afghan women, and shares their deeply personal stories. Through her students’ struggles and triumphs, Rodriguez finds the courage to leave her own bad marriage and find love in Afghanistan.  


I really enjoyed Kabul Beauty School, and would love to hear opinions from anyone who has read Cup of Friendship. 

June's Top 10 of 2010

Looking for something good to read? Try one of June’s favorites from books published in 2010:

• Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier
• Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin
• Endless Forest by Sara Donati
• False Mermaid by Erin Hart
• Lady and the Poet by Maeve Haran
• Great Lover by Jill Dawson
• Ark by Stephen Baxter
• Distant Hours by Kate Morton
• Composed by Rosanne Cash
• Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths

City of Bones

If you like warlocks, vampires, werewolves, demons and shadowhunters this is the book for you. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare is the first book in the fantastic series that will have you at the edge of your seat the whole way. Clary thinks she just witnessed a murder, but how can you report a murder when the body disappears? This is where she first meets the shadowhunters-- warriors trained in the art of demon slaying. After their meeting, Clary finds herself pulled into their world when her mother goes missing and she is attacked by a slimy demon. Jace--the cocky, witty, and handsome shadowhunter from the murder scene-- wants to know why Clary suddenly has the Sight and why a demon would go to such great lengths for ordinary mundanes. Surprising them both, Clary will soon find out just how far from ordinary she is, with a past to match...


Selected by Brittany as our January 2011 Book of the Month

Welcome

Welcome to Prairie du Sac Library Reads, where staff of the Prairie du Sac Library will share reviews of what we’ve been reading and pass along recommendations we’ve received from patrons. Let us know what you think, or share your own reviews and recommendations! All comments will be monitored by library staff.