Lorie’s Comments (group member since Dec 09, 2009)

Lorie’s comments from the Olathe Public Library- GoodReads Branch group.

Rachel wrote: "I'm all ready a fan of book talk!"

Rachel wrote: "I'm all ready a fan of book talk!"
COOL!

First the Bad News: The Olathe Public Library Goodreads Branch is officially closed. We will no longer be posting to this site.
Now the Good News: We have migrated to a new Facebook Page called Book Talk. The URL is here -
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Olat...
PLEASE come visit us there....we'll be posting all kinds of book news as well as reviews!
See you on Facebook!

Greetings Goodreads visitors! We are planning some changes that will mean the demise of our Goodreads page but will open a whole new chapter in the Olathe Public Library online presence!
Recently we launched a OPL Facebook page for reader services. It's part of our efforts to update our online "reader's advisory" services. You can reach that page by searching Facebook for Olathe Public Library Book Talk, or by using this URL:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Olat...
The new Facebook page will make it easier and more efficient for us to post news and reviews...and we hope will encourage you to post your own comments.
We're also working on changes to our library web site page (also called "Book Talk") and have some great changes in store.
We'll drop our Goodreads page at the end of July, but most of us have personal Goodreads pages so we will still have an opportunity to share what we are reading.
Please feel free to post a comment here. Do you have other ideas for improving our online services?
In the meantime, see you in the stacks!

Got to add this to my to-read list. I keep hearing good things about this author, but just haven't had the time to sit down and partake!

"Bury Your Dead" by Louise Penny, newest in the Chief Inspector Gamache series, was the most perfect winter read I have come across this year.
Wonderful writing weaves three murders, all separated by time, into a cohesive story set in Quebec, Canada in the depths of winter. By book's end I felt I had been to Quebec myself, wandering charming narrow avenues in deep snow, bundled against the cold, and ducking into musty bookstores, warm cafes and welcoming pubs to sip cocoa and nibble croissants.
The best of this young series so far, in my opinion. If you aren't already familiar with Penny, now is a great time to become acquainted.

Me too Rachel! Bryson's books are favorites of mine for recommending!

Susan Casey's new nonfiction book (551.463) takes the reader on a fasicinating, terrifying journey in search of monster waves capable of swallowing boats whole, and we are along for the ride when obsessed "big wave" surfers take them on.
Casey's first book, "The Devil's Teeth: A True Story of Obsession and Survival Among America's Great White Sharks," was an equally quirky and breathtaking ocean adventure. In "The Wave," she explores an obscure phenomenon gaining prominence as scientists tracking climate change attempt to determine what creates rogue waves 70, 80 and even 100 feet high.
At the same time she introduces us to the elite few who are driven to challenge the wild sea.
"The Wave" is just the thing for the armchair adventurer, and even better as a mental respite from a dark cold Kansas winter.

I am fascinated by tales of early American lives, but have never wished to have lived in that time. "The Wolves of Andover" by Kathleen Kent confirms my understanding that life then was harsh and uncertain.
The book is a "prequel" to Kent's debut novel, "The Heritic's Daughter." In both novels she bases the story on family legends of her own ancestors, including one Martha
Allen Carrier, who was hanged as a witch in Salem in 1692.
The Martha of Kent's novels is a complex character with foibles as well as admirable traits. While "The Heritic's Daughter" relates a fictionalized account of the time leading up to her execution, "The Wolves of Andover" sets the scene for later events by showing us how Martha's eccentricities were shaped by her life experiences.
Both novels are rich in authentic period detail. It's probably as close as I would want to come to keeping house and caring for a family in 1690s America.
Both books are gems and are on my list of all-time favorite historical novels.

I'm finding Bryson's "At Home" a wonderful browsable
read. (Us browsable a word? If it isn't, it should be!)
I have to own up to skipping parts I'm not particularly interested in, but I love Bryson's writing no matter what the topic. And the book is fascinating....currently I'm midway through the chapter on the development of "the bedroom" and the bed. There was a time when a good bed was such a prized possession it often actually sat in the front room, even in front of a window, where it could be admired. hmmm. People were sure strange then. Wonder what they would have to say about home theatres?

If you haven't visited lately, check out the library's online catalog. This month you have a chance to sample our new version, and in December the new catalog comes front and center.

The new catalog includes lots of the features we all like about Goodreads...you can keep lists of all types, keep shelves of books to read and books you have read, sort your books by tag, make comments and read and respond to the comments of others.

Placing a hold will become much easier, as will online browsing.

We aren't sure yet how the catalog will affect our Goodreads branch. It would be wonderful it you could post some of your thoughts here!

Rachel wrote: "

I loved this book. No other book about NASA or space travel that I have read has been more griping. Mike's ..."

Rachel wrote: "

I loved this book. No other book about NASA or space travel that I have read has been more griping. Mike's ..."

Rachel wrote: "

I loved this book. No other book about NASA or space travel that I have read has been more griping. Mike's ..."

Putting this on my list Rachel...I read "Packing for Mars" and really enjoyed it, but you she's still writing from the outside looking in."

Have been remiss in posting here, so will try to get caught up a little bit....

"Hide" by Lisa Gardner is an excellent suspense/thriller/mystery, with great characters, a complex plot and plenty of action. I wasn't all that familiar with Gardner, but this one has convinced me to go back and pick up some of her earlier books.

"Burning Wire" by Jeffrey Deaver is one of those classic Lincoln Rhyme mysteries and will give you a whole new respect...if not outright paranoia...about electricity, weapon of choice for the murderer. Fast moving, some make-your-palms-sweat scenes, recommended for its entertainment value.

"Dracula in Love" by Karen Essex is an excellent take on the original Dracula story, with a gothic feel and style. Some relatively graphic sex scenes for those who are put off by such things.

"The Dogs of Riga" by Henning Mankell. I have fallen for Swedish detective Kurt Wallander as a result of the PBS series based on the books. This was my first venture into the series and had all that dark, angst-ridden flavor of the television series. Mankell's series may be a good candidate for those who crave read-alikes for "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo."

As you can see, I have been on a mystery bender. But current reads are completely different and include "At Home" by Bill Bryson and "Some Sing, Some Cry" by Ntozake Shange and Ifa Bayeza.

By the way, you might want to try "The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie," first in a new mystery series featuring a precocious 11-year-old girl with a passion for chemistry and a fondness for poisons. Author's name escapes me, but I a loved it and this sassy, goofy and extremely bright little girl.

Ah yes...don't know about other parts of the country, but the midwest is royal territory. Seems every small town festival has its own version. And don't forget the rodeo queens!

How can I recommend a book that brought me to tears as I read the last few pages long past midnight?

Because it is very, very good.

This is a haunting and beautifully written story of an abandoned four-year-old and the life he fashions as a member of pack of feral dogs on outskirts of Moscow. It is not for the faint of heart, the squeamish or those without at least a token interest in dogs.

But it is far more than a dog story in any conventional sense. Hornung leaves us questioning the nature of humaness, and who is the more brutal - the dogs or the humans.

I picked this book up because I have been intrigued by stories of "feral" children since reading about Mowgli in Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book. Hornung drew her story idea from a true tale of a child in Moscow, similarly abandoned and who survived by living with street dogs.

So it's a "call to action" of sorts?

Rachel...I judge a book by its cover too! (among other things of course lol)

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake introduces us to Rose Edelstein, a very normal child in every respect except one - in everything she eats, she is made aware of the emotions of the person who prepared the food.
The insight comes to her as a nine-year-old and soon becomes less a gift than a burden. At a tender age she learns more of her parents emotional state than any child should have to cope with. As she grows older she finds ways of coping.
This book just nicks the edge of what could be called "magical realism," a style that mixes elements of magic with a text that is, in other respects, a reflection of "normal" life.
Those who like family drama may enjoy this book, although it is darker in its feel and outlook than what I expected based on the title.
Still, it has been a best seller and is likely to become a book club favorite.

Tina wrote: "

Annie O'Sullivan embellished her real estate signs with four leaf clovers so that a little Irish luck would rub off on her sales. Unfortunately, her luck ran ou..."

OOOO....this sounds really good! For some reason I have really been in a thriller/suspense kick lately. Maybe to take my mind off the heat? But "best in years" is high praise from you, so I will try and make this one my next read.

Just a reminder....we are posting many of the newest books in the OPL collection on the bookshelves. For fiction, I am adding titles as I receive the invoices, meaning we have just received the books and they are probably still in processing. The older books posted are being deleted as I add new ones to keep the list manageable. New nonfiction is being added too.

This is a great way to see what we are adding and get your hold on a title before the holds list is huge...OR see what is new that you may not have even heard about. You can see the entire list, or browse it just by category - general fiction, mystery, large print etc.