Reading Ideas

Literary Lust

- Literary Lust

What do librarians read?

Take a peek into the bookshelves and on the bedside tables of the people who work at Darebin Libraries. Find out what they borrow, what they recommend and why.

Star ratings

1 star:     The author shouldn't give up their day job;
2 stars:    I would read a chapter at night to help me to sleep but the book wouldn't
              keep me awake reading;
3 stars:   O.K. read, but considering I work in a library I should be better at selecting;
4 stars:   I wish this book was another 50/100/200 pages longer;
5 stars:   I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone and would be disturbed
              if they didn't like it.

The bedside books

We are avid, varied readers...so check out this list regularly for updated titles, comments and star ratings.

Who's reading.........	...what?	the verdict	genre	rating
Christian	Together alone : the story of the Finn brothers Jeff Apter	Although informative on the brothers’ early life (but mostly Tim – Neil did not cooperate with the author as much), it mostly covers the Split Enz years. So it’s somewhat disappointing for Crowded House fans (and features hardly anything about Neil’s solo career). Overall, it’s more of a Tim Finn biography (but an OK read for that).	biography	****
Glenn	Underground Time Delphine de Vigan	Not what I expected. I loved 'No and Me' but this book was not at all as beautiful to me. It followed two characters having a very bad day and for many many pages I was waiting for them to meet. I wondered what would happen when they did meet and how it would change their attitude to their life/day but I never really got to find out... Nothing changed by the end. This book was really a disappointment after 'No and Me' was one of my favourite reads of last year.	fiction	**
Sally F	The memory keeper's daughter Kim Edwards	A strange and thought provoking story. Everything seemed to be perfect for this newly married couple expecting their first baby, but something unbelievable happens and their lives are never the same again. An interesting book which will make you cry.	fiction	****
Katie	Bossypants Tina Fey	Tina Fey: Writer, producer, actor, comedic genius. Her biography does not disappoint with so many laugh out loud moments it should come with a warning (particularly to fellow train passengers). Her wit, honesty and intelligence spring off the page as she discusses her personal and professional life, with insights into working in an industry where an “obedient white girl from the suburbs” counts as “diversity” (Saturday Night Live interview 1997). If you’re a Tina Fey fan, I promise you will love this book.	biography	*****
Leo	Tenth of December George Saunders	George Saunders writes darkly funny stories that always surprise with an unexpected detail or twist.	fiction	****
Anna	Real murders : an Aurora Teagarden mystery Charlaine Harris	A librarian who attends a true crime buff’s meeting stumbles upon a real murder. This is a simply written mystery, full of decent red-herrings. A good alternative for those who have read all of Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series.	mystery	***
Glenn	Monsters of Men Patrick Ness	What a great book. Hard to describe how great this series is. I can't recommend it highly enough. I feel so angry at myself for not liking the first of the series. This book and the previous book were just amazing, and of course a great ending. Wish there were more books set in this world. Apparently there is a prequel on the author's website so I'll definitely be reading that soon. I recommend this to anyone. Really great, stick with it.	teenage fiction	*****
Kate	The Dunbar Case Peter Corris	Cliff Hardy up to his usual mischief - still likeable, engaging. A good light mystery to while away a quiet afternoon, thoroughly enjoyable!	mystery	***
Andrew	Comic-Con. Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope Morgan Spurlock	Seeing as the library will soon be hosting Geek Week, I picked this book up hoping to learn a little about the history and culture of San Diego Comic-Con. The book didn’t really reveal anything very enlightening, and was very superficial (even by coffee table book standards). It does have some nice photos. Try the DVD documentary of the same name instead.	non fiction	**
Leanne	I don’t want to kill you Dan Wells	This is the third book featuring John Cleaver, teenage sociopath and hunter of serial killers. Strangely compelling.	teenage fiction	****
Bruce	The Rosie Project Graeme Simsion	Thoroughly enjoyable - clever, funny, and fresh. Beautifully written with sharp dialogue - just a great read.	fiction	****1/2
Kate	Little Brother Cory Doctorow	Terrorist attacks, police aggression and smart tech-savvy teenagers hacking and partying to save democracy. This book is a geeky fun read. Great for Geek Week	science fiction	***
Katherine	Floundering Romy Ash	As the two young protagonists embark on a road trip through coastal Australia at the direction of their estranged mother, the book gets more and more disturbing. You feel the heat, smell the truck stops, and it all feels really cloying as their unease grows. Disturbing and engaging, I couldn't put this book down. Long listed for the Miles Franklin - a great read!	fiction	****½
Susan	Outlander Gil Adamson	I don't normally read historical fiction, let alone western-style ones, but this book was a surprise. I actually really enjoyed the historical elements and found the characters engaging if a little unrealistic.	fiction	***
Kate	Ready Player One Ernest Cline	Another great Geek Week read - welcome to a world where the virtual world becomes the only reality really worth living in - or is it?	fiction	****