Suggest our Summer Book Discussion Title!

[AACPL]

Today through Saturday, June 22 you can help us pick our summer book discussion title (to be read in July). Suggest books in this thread, and the person who suggests the book we choose will win a Sony eReader! If there are multiple suggestions of the winning book, we'll do a drawing. Remember, the winner must have an AACPL library card and be able to pick up their prize at one of our 15 branches. Complete rules can be found in the summer Library Happenings . Here are some tips:

1. The book should have wide appeal.
2. The library should own lots of copies.
3. The book should have a plot that will generate lots of discussion.

That's it! We're looking forward to seeing your suggestions!

[Eric]

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

I read this book a while back and found that I just couldn't put it down. A must read, in my opinion.

[Rhona]

The light between oceans
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13...

On the island
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15...

The light between oceans was a really good book. I think it would make a great book for discussions. And it would give me an excuse to read it again.

[Doug]

I recommend Unaccountable, What Hospitals Won’t Tell You and How Transparency Can Revolutionize Health Care, by Marty Makary, MD. Makary, a surgeon at Johns Hopkins, has produced a readable and shocking “how to” manual that should be used by every family that experiences a hospitalization. Unaccountable will equip you to protect yourself in the medical marketplace where, at the moment, you are probably shopping blind--or maybe not even realizing that you are a shopper. In writing it Dr. Makary has bravely done the equivalent of breaking the Mafia code of silence.

[Cole]

I recommend "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking" by Susan Cain
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/85...

[Jennifer]

I recommend "Tell the Wolves I'm Home" by Carol Rifka Brunt. I fell in love with it and would love love love rereading and discussing it. I think about the characters in this book and the lessons i took from them at least once a day.

[Carolyn]

I recommend "Telling the Bees" by Peggy Hesketh. As a hobby beekeeper, I was drawn to the novel by the idea of a beekeeper as the main character, but the story itself was beautiful and well-developed. There is lots of bee-lore in the book -- I learned some new things myself! --- but it does not overwhelm the reader with those facts. It is a mystery, a love story of sorts, and a gentle, well-paced story that does not depend on gory scenes or soft porn to carry it.

PS - I don't know if meets the requirement that the library has lots of copies available... that is kind of a limiting condition for selecting a book that we as readers can't control or necessarily know.

[AACPL]

Hi Carolyn~it's easy to check the number of copies by looking at our library catalog at http://aacp.ent.sirsi.net. This isn't meant to be a limiter, but more of a hint. We're going to have to pick a book that many people can get their hands on, since actually reading it is the second part of the contest. Think recent bestsellers from the last year or two. We'll still have lots of copies, but there won't be a long hold list anymore. Some classics might fit this criteria too, since we always keep many copies available for checkout.

Carolyn wrote: "I recommend "Telling the Bees" by Peggy Hesketh. As a hobby beekeeper, I was drawn to the novel by the idea of a beekeeper as the main character, but the story itself was beautiful and well-develo..."

[AACPL]

These are great suggestions so far, keep them coming! We'll only be able to choose one winner this summer, but many of these look great for discussions in the future, too!

[Diane]

I have two recommendations. The first one is "The Casual Vacancy" by JK Rowling. I loved the Harry Potter books and this is the first one she did for adults. I thought it would be fun to read and discuss. My second recommendation is "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein. The premise sounds really interesting as the story is told through the eyes of the family dog. I'm looking forward to our summer book discussion.

[Sigrid]

Carolyn wrote: "I recommend "Telling the Bees" by Peggy Hesketh. As a hobby beekeeper, I was drawn to the novel by the idea of a beekeeper as the main character, but the story itself was beautiful and well-develo..."
This sounds good to me. I love stories about bees and beekeepers, but from the AACPL reply it sounds like this is not possible. Am I correct? Either way I plan to read this book.

[Sigrid]

AACPL wrote: "Hi Carolyn~it's easy to check the number of copies by looking at our library catalog at http://aacp.ent.sirsi.net. This isn't meant to be a limiter, but more of a hint. We're going to have to pick..."

So this is not an option? Just want to be clear on this.

[Diane]

I doubt if "Telling the Bees" will be selected based on the number of copys the library has. I went to the AACPL site and searched for the book. I only saw 4 copies with none available and four people have the book on hold. Maybe if there is enough interest the library will buy some additional copies. It would be interesting to learn how the library decides which books to buy and how many copies. I wanted to read the new book out by Allison Sweeney (The Star Attraction)and I've had a hold on it for weeks but I don't think the library has bought any copies. I've also wanted to read "Racing from death : a Nikki Latrelle racing mystery" by Sasscer Hill. The action is set right here at the Laurel Racetrack in Maryland and the first book I read was a really entertaining mystery. I've had a hold on the second book in the Nikki Latrelle series for months but it has never come in. Tried to get a copy from a different library system but that system would not loan the book out because it was too new.

[dbbks3]

What about The Black Count? It is the true story of Alexander Dumas' father who went from slave to Count to hero of French Revolution. He was inspiration for The Count of Monte Cristo and it is his sword work that is used in The Three Musketeers. It is an interesting read.

[Henry]

"And the Mountains Echoed" by Khaled Hosseini. The third time is still a charm for this talented and far teaching author.

[AACPL]

Hi Sigrid~realistically, it probably wouldn't work for this discussion because although we have 15 copies, all are currently checked out. It might make a great discussion later on, though, when its popularity is fading and there are more copies on the shelf!

Sigrid wrote: "Carolyn wrote: "I recommend "Telling the Bees" by Peggy Hesketh. As a hobby beekeeper, I was drawn to the novel by the idea of a beekeeper as the main character, but the story itself was beautiful..."

[AACPL]

Hi Diane, thank you for your feedback!

We have purchased "Star Attraction" (only things we've purchased appear in the catalog), but have not received or processed our copies yet. As soon as we do, they'll be sent right out to fill those holds. "Racing from Death" has also been ordered, and from the catalog, looks like it just left the Cataloging Dept to head out to fill its first holds.

The library tries to buy all bestsellers and a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction to meet every reader's taste. It's just a team of two people who do all the ordering for all of Anne Arundel County, though, so inevitably, books will be missed occasionally. If a book is newer than 6 months old and we have not ordered it yet, please contact us at http://www.aacpl.net/ask_a_librarian/... to request that we purchase the title. If you include your library card number and pick-up branch, we'll even place the hold for you when it appears in the catalog!

As for holds on new titles, we try to minimize this as much as we possibly can. We offer 7-Day Express copies of popular bestsellers (that don't allow holds), so you always have a chance to find something new on the shelf. Also, if we underestimated the popularity of a book and see that the wait is getting to be too long for the number of copies we have, we will order more. We do this often, especially for new authors who we didn't know were going to be so popular.

Ordering these extra copies to keep popular books available is one reason we often have lots of copies of bestsellers from 1, 2, 3 years ago on the shelf, and why those (only very slightly) old bestsellers make great book club selections...lots of available copies means anyone who wants to participate is able to do so.


Diane wrote: "I doubt if "Telling the Bees" will be selected based on the number of copies the library has. I went to the AACPL site and searched for the book. I only saw 4 copies with none available and four p..."

[Diane]

Thanks so much for getting back to me. I'm so glad I joined this group. I'm really looking forward to our discussion. it's also nice to know that the books I was so interested in reading are making their way into the library and then into my waiting hands. Thanks again for your update. Very much appreciated!

[Louise]

My suggestion: The Fever Tree, Jennifer McVeigh

[Deana]

My recommendation is Palisades Park by Alan Brennert. Not only was it a great read, I learned so much about the park. I couldn't put it down! P.S. It would be a great summer read, too!

[Deana]

My other recommendation would be The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

[Carolyn]

The End of Your Life Book Club was wonderful and would generate a lot of interesting discussion.

[Ashley]

Although it is young adult, The Fault in Our Stars, it has a longer waiting list, but there are still lots of copies, and there are ebooks.

[Carol Jen]

I love The Fault in Our Stars as well. Actually John Green is my favorite author so I pretty much love all of his books and I'm always excited to see someone else recommend his stuff :-) Great book with lots to talk about! It's fun to see so many great suggestions!

Ashley wrote: "Although it is young adult, The Fault in Our Stars, it has a longer waiting list, but there are still lots of copies, and there are ebooks."

[B]

I agree. There is a ton of things to talk about as well.
Rhona wrote: "The light between oceans
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13...

On the island
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15...

The light between ..."

[AACPL]

We're absolutely open to young adult and even kid's chapter books. Thanks for the suggestion!

Ashley wrote: "Although it is young adult, The Fault in Our Stars, it has a longer waiting list, but there are still lots of copies, and there are ebooks."

[Karen]

I recommend The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson: http://aacp.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_U.... The book just won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize, has many riveting twists and turns, provides an interesting perspective on the North Korean regime and totalitarianism in general, and is thought provoking about the philosophical question of how far people will and will not go in order to survive. It could also engender a lively discussion about morality and choices. How far is right and wrong mitigated by circumstance or by ill treatment?

[Erika]

The Giver!! It is an amazing book!

[Linda]

I recommend Sweet Salt Air by Barbra Delinsky. Summer beach setting, drama, romance, and great food all in this fun book! This book is a great read and would bring up many great discussions! Loved it!

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16...

[dbbks3]

The Sleepwalkers by Paul Grossman telling the story of a Jewish detective in Berlin as the Nazis are coming to power. Powerful book told simply.

If people have never read To Kill a Mockingbird, they should. It is a book worth rereading.

[Gail]

Anne Of Green Gables series was originally written by Lucy Maud Montgomery as a mild satire aimed at her hometown on Prince Edward Island/Canada, but to this day (since 1909) many readers consider them children's classics (she was really more like Mark Twain than Louisa May Alcott in her writings in that she aimed at 2 levels of readers---adults & kids). I wish I had read them as a kid, but I am enjoying them as an adult (I'm on #2/Anne Of Avonlea now). I got interested in these books due to Family Radio Theater/WAVA 104.1 FM/ Sat 6 PM EST, this month Anne Of Green Gables is the feature & it mostly follows the book.

[Gail]

2 historical fictions I read recently from 1954: Katherine (anya Seton) & Imperial Woman (Pearl Buck).Katherine was the royal mistress of a 15th century Prince of england, which thru their descendants produced K. Henry VIII, Q. Eliz I & Q. Mary of Scots; Imperial Woman was the last Empress of China/19th century---a real dragon lady---& the great-aunt of the last Emperor of China.

[Doug]

Eric wrote: "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

I read this book a while back and found that I just couldn't put it down. A must read, in my opinion."

I Liked this book and would be happy to read it again.

[Doug]

Karen wrote: "I recommend The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson: http://aacp.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_U.... The book just won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize,..."

This is a “two-fer”-- good fiction with moral content and useful background for current events.Having recently published my own novel involving Kim I was especially interested in Johnson’s take on him and the bizarre society the Kim family dynasty created.Code Word: Paternity, A Presidential Thriller

[AACPL]

Thank you for all of your wonderful responses! We've made a chart and are deep into discussions about which book will be the best choice. Check back on July 1 for the decision!

[Gail]

Instead of buying extra copies of a book---since The Great Recession is Still Going On---maybe borrow those extras from a nearby county library---like Calvert, Baltimore City, Balt Co, P.G, etc.

[AACPL]

Thanks again to everyone for your great suggestions- I know that many of us have added your choices to our To-Be-Read lists!
We've chosen what we think will be an excellent book for our first discussion: Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. Eric suggested this title and he's the proud winner of our Sony eReader!
Unbroken is available in various formats through AACPL- regular print, large print, audio, downloadable audio and ebook. Place a hold here: http://ow.ly/myrrv
Discussion will start August 1st, so you have some time to start reading. And don't forget- someone who participates in the discussion during the month of August will also win an eReader!

Thanks to everyone for your ideas and comments- we look forward to many future book discussions with you!

[Wendi]

Oh I'm excited. This fits right into the unintended pattern my summer reading has taken, historical fiction. (with the small exception that I'm reading World War Z over the fourth.

[Deana]

Congratulations, Eric!!!

[Doug]

I'm looking forward to reading this again and know I will get more out of it the second time around, with the added insights of group members. It's a powerful story, superbly written! Thanks, Eric for nominating Unbroken

[Eric]

Thanks for the congratulations, Deana. I, too, am excited to be rereading Unbroken. This book would not let me put it down the first time and I suspect the same will happen this time as well.

[Gail]

I have just put this book on hold with pickup at Edgewater Library---meanwhile I'm still reading the Anne Of Green Gables book series---I'm now on #3/Anne Of the Island (which mostly deals with her returning to college to complete her B.A.[these books remind me of Little Women & Little Men]).

[Gail]

I just picked up this book at Edgewater Library---I'll be reading it after I finish AOTI---also, I was at the Edgewater Sr Ctr all day 2day: I borrowed a book from their lending library, Lily Dale: The True Story Of The Town That Talks To The Dead(since 1916, near Buffalo, N.Y.)---I'll read that after the rest of the Anne books.