What's in Your Library Bag Wednesday?

     Hello. Your friendly librarian here. You know what I want to ask you. I ask every week and I'll continue to ask every week, hoping that it encourages you to read and share. I love to read and I love to talk about reading! So, here goes....

     What's in your library bag?!! I actually have a couple of things that I am reading right now. Crazy right? It's kind of hard to get really into one story and then switch, but I am reading one book and listening to the other because different circumstances call for different things.

     The book that I am reading is kind of a surprise. It's The Touch of Fire by Linda Howard. I've read Linda Howard before and really enjoyed her. She usually has snappy dialogue and some funny parts mixed in with light mystery and of course: romance! You know who you're talking with, right? Anyway, this title was suggested to me by a fellow reader. She had listened to it on a trip she recently took and really enjoyed it. We didn't have a paper copy, so we ordered it and I am currently reading it. I think it is one of her first titles. It definitely has romance, but this one is really more western than anything else. The whole premise of the story is that a wanted outlaw gets shot and kidnaps a woman doctor to help heal him while he is on the run. Yep, you guessed it: they fall in love and the story weaves on from there.

     The time period is right after the Civil War and women aren't widely accepted as doctors or anything really and justice is more like what agenda the sheriff  might have in mind, unless of course the bounty hunters get to you first and then it's shoot first, ask questions later.

     I just can't imagine such a hard life; no running water, i.e. no toilet, no shower, etc. Shudder! Now, I like cooking over a campfire as much as the next person, but not having the choice to throw a frozen pizza in would be tragic! :) But, it's always circumstances like these that are fodder for such great love!! You know, swoon, "He might die tomorrow! I couldn't live without him!" So, I'm enjoying my surprise western. It's good to have a change of pace once in a while.

     I am actually having a change of pace in both books I am reading. The other book I am reading/listening to is The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I know, it's old news and I should have read it by now. I tried. Really, I did. The southern dialect just took too much concentration for me. But, listening to it is amazing!! It sounds like the characters are sitting down and having a conversation with me! It's that real. I am loving it! I haven't gotten very far yet; I am only just getting to know the characters right now. The change of pace is in listening instead of reading and in that I don't think there is going to be any romance in this one...I am having fun with it anyway!!

     Go try a change of pace in your reading!! It'll take you on new adventures!

Turn the Page on your favorite book....

One of my favorite things to do here at the library is to talk with people about the books they are reading. I know, I’m a librarian right? Seriously. I love to read and it is so much fun for me to listen to people get really excited about what they are reading. It is, in turn, very satisfying to me to turn someone on to a new author and hear how much they really enjoyed reading it. I find that I also get some great reading ideas from our readers in the process. It’s especially fun to talk about a book you both loved and compare parts of the story and find new favorites together to share.


My reading tastes have changed some throughout the years, but there have been constants. Two such constants are that I typically enjoy a story more if there is some element of romance involved and also an element of fantasy, like vampires, werewolves, fairies or time travel. Historical romance, western romance, mystery romance, fantasy romance, etc…I do branch out to some non-fiction, like biographies, but I tend to skim those books more. I think, it has to do with the fact that it kind of feels like I am back in college, so I just catch the highlights.

Currently, my favorite genres are urban fantasy and paranormal romance. Urban fantasy’s main characteristic is that it takes place in an urban setting; a town or city. They normally occur in modern times, but can happen in historical times or even futuristic times, so long as it is in a city and not the country. Very often, urban fantasies also include something of the supernatural, thereby combining my favorite elements. Some really awesome authors and their books include Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series; also her Merry Gentry fairy series, Keri Arthur’s Riley Jensen series, Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire series a.k.a. True Blood, Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series and Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series to name a few of my favorites.

Right now, I am in the middle of the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. The main character is a girl. (I also like novels where the protagonist is a strong, stand on your own two feet, woman). She is also a mechanic and a walker which means she can turn into a coyote at will. She has vampire and fae friends and enemies and she is dating the local Alpha werewolf. There is always a mystery to solve, someone she cares about to save and magic thrown in for good measure. They are fast paced, exhilarating, and a little bit scary, but in a good way. I have discovered that if I read scary in the context of things that are not real, like vampires, werewolves and people who can change into a coyote, it doesn’t keep me up at night worrying over the story and real life consequences. However, if I read something like say, James Patterson, who writes graphic murder mysteries that could happen in real life, I have to stay up until it is finished or I hear things go bump in the night and stay awake all night anyway.

But, once I start reading a Patricia Briggs’ novel, I don’t want to put it down. I have to tell myself at midnight that 6 a.m. comes quite soon. Other times, I know I won’t be able to read, but I bring the book along just so it is with me. I am obsessive about a good story like that.

Another fantastical element that I have loved in my reading is time travel. Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series is about a lady, Claire Beauchamp, who “falls” through standing stones in 20th century Scotland into 18th century Scotland and meets her love of all time, Jaime Fraser. Throughout the series, Jamie and Claire go on many adventures trying to change the course of history, while at the same time cementing and testing their love for each other. A lot of history is thrown in along with the romance and time travel. Jaime and Claire are old friends that I revisit often as their love story is one of the best.

What types of books do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors? Stop in here at the library and let’s talk about it. Perhaps we’ll both discover something new.