Hilda C. Landers Library & Archives

I am a sucker for stories about peoples’ lives: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is my favorite book, and Forrest Gump is my favorite movie. The Time Traveler’s Wife does not disappoint; not only does this novel chronicle the lives of Clare Abshire and Henry DeTamble, but it does so tastefully, imaginatively, and, despite the science fiction aspect of the novel’s central theme, believably.

Henry suffers from a genetic disorder that causes him to time-travel, unexpectedly leaving his present and arriving in different times and places in his life, naked; as a result, he spends most of his time pick-pocketing, searching for clothes, and running from the police. It is only when, in his mid-30s, Henry is able to travel back to his wife Clare’s childhood that he is finally safe. From the ages of 6 to 18, Clare secretly meets her future husband in her backyard, hiding him from her family and getting to know a little more about him with each visit.

When they finally meet again in their 20s, Henry has no knowledge of Clare, although Clare has grown up with Henry. The book chronicles their lives together; the frustrations of time travel on Clare’s end, and the excitement on Henry’s. They face many challenges, including the fear of the unexpected, problems with conceiving a child, family struggles, and ultimately, the grave consequences of time travel.

This was Niffenegger’s debut novel; her second novel came out last year. Not only was this novel beautifully-written and fascinating, but it really made me reflect on aspects of my own life and how I can better appreciate what I have and accept the things that I don’t. This is a must-read (and not a “chick” novel, even if the 2009 movie version is)!

Availability: SMCM
Review Submitted by: Jordan Gaines
Rating: Must Read                                                                                              

Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of Elle magazine in France when he suffered a stroke in 1995 that landed him in a coma. When he awoke 20 days later, he found himself in what he describes as “locked-in syndrome,” where he was completely paralyzed albeit some eye movement. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly chronicles Bauby’s daily life, from his thoughts about family and coping, to how people treat him and the strong memories of his past.

Early in my reading, I wondered how Bauby was able to write or even dictate the memoir to somebody. My questions were answered halfway through the book; the entire book was written by Bauby blinking his left eyelid using “partner assisted scanning,” in which the transcriber repeatedly presented a series of letters to Bauby, with Bauby blinking at the correct letter. The average word took two minutes to write, and, in all, the book was written by ~200,000 blinks.

More than anything, I was amazed by the complexity of the sentences Bauby was able to produce; the patience and memory it must have taken to compose the memoir is mind-blowing. It was fascinating to be in the mind of someone facing such a debilitating condition, and I read the book in one sitting.

Sadly, Bauby died from pneumonia just two days after publication. I highly recommend this quick read; if not for the content, one can at least appreciate its mode of composition.

Availability: USMAI
Review Submitted by: Jordan Gaines
Rating: Highly recommended                                                                          

My boyfriend’s best friend asserted that The Name of the Wind was the best book he’d ever read. When I read a review online that described it as “Harry Potter for adults,” I knew I had to check it out for myself. Although a longer read, the book captivated me. It was very easy to become engrossed in the characters’ lives, especially Kvothe, the main character who is forced to grow up faster than any child should be allowed; I was shedding tears before page 100. Although I wouldn’t consider myself well-read in the fantasy genre, I would have to agree that this book ranks with some of the greatest out there.

The Name of the Wind is the first of what will be a series of three books, The Kingkiller Chronicle. The second will be available in early 2011, delayed due to writer’s block, according to Patrick Rothfuss’ blog on his official website.

This book was exciting, well-written, and although I am a slow reader, my boyfriend gobbled it in just 3 or 4 days. I can’t wait to see what else Patrick Rothfuss has up his sleeve for Kvothe’s life; after all, Book 1 only covers a few years of his childhood!

Availability: USMAI
Review Submitted by: Jordan Gaines
Rating: Highly recommended                                                                          

Elizabeth Hay’s wonderful novel Late Nights on Air takes the reader on an ultimately haunting trip to the dauntingly barren but breathtaking reaches of the Canadian North in the mid-1970’s, where a finely-drawn ensemble of characters are brought together in the minuscule town of Yellowknife. Hay’s talent is to create authentic, recognizable people and situate them in a place that may be exotic in its way yet one that very few of us would choose to visit for very long. For many of the characters, Yellowknife is a brief stop on their way through life, a place of possible escape where they’ve somehow landed after a disappointment or professional failure has sent them to this lonely town way off of the beaten path. Others have settled in the town years ago and decided that it would be as good a place as any to call home. The story is centered on a radio station, a nearly forgotten Canadian Broadcasting outpost that may or may not survive the coming of a new television station. An oil pipeline is also in the works causing much debate among the residents.

Although the physical setting of the book, the town and the vast natural wilderness surrounding it, is virtually a personage unto itself, the human characters that Hay has so vividly brought to life are the book’s, and Hay’s, greatest achievement. The people and the place stay with you and that, to me, is the highest praise that I can give to a book. If my description of the plot, such as it is, sounds like thin gruel, this may not be the book for you. But if you value writers who can survey the inner workings of a disparate group of individuals and plant their stories unforgettably in your mind, Elizabeth Hay is one to be cherished. This is the first book of hers that I’ve read (thank you Celia for the recommendation) but it will not be the last.

Availability: SMCM
Review Submitted by: Curt Barclift, Acquisitions Technician
Rating: Highly Recommended                                                                         

The SMCM Library’s Summer Reading Program will begin on June 1 and will end on August 15.

The Summer Reading program is open to all members of the SMCM Library community including students, staff, faculty and residents of the Tri-County area (St. Mary’s, Calvert and Charles.) You can read anything you want as long as a copy is available at the SMCM Library or via USMAI. To get points you must post a review on the blog.

See About Summer Reading for more information.

Christopher Miller’s novel, The Cardboard Universe, is presented as a manuscript for an encyclopedia; fully indexed with both literary and biographical information about the life and work of a prolific science fiction writer, named Pheobus Dank. The entries ramble and digress revealing as much about Dank as it does the co-authors of the work. B. Boswell is the leading Danken scholar and Hirt, the childhood friend and neighbor of Dank. By page 400 the reader thinks they know these three men, Dank’s a hack, Boswell is a fawning sycophant who would rather write fiction than teach it, and Hirt is a failed poet and bitter critic who pronounces Dank a hack at every opportunity. It’s around this point, page 400, that the conceit, a working manuscript edited by the two writers with opposing viewpoints, gets tired. You may be tempted to give up. Don’t. Right around the enough already point the tone of the manuscript changes. Everything we thought we knew about Dank and his biographers is upended. The ending moves at breakneck speed and is bizarre and yet, oddly believable.

Christopher Miller’s fake encyclopedia is longer and more digressive than Roberto Bolano’s, Nazi Literature in the Americas, but is great example of the fictional reference book genre.

Availability: USMAI
Review Submitted by: Pamela Mann, Reference, Instruction and Outreach Librarian
Rating: Recommended

Anne Tyler’s books are readable if somewhat predictable and Noah’s Compass does not stray from the formula. It is a pleasant read, if a tad too comfortable. The literary equivalent of garlic mashed potatoes.

Availability: USMAI
Review Submitted by: Pamela Mann, Reference, Instruction and Outreach Librarian
Rating: Recommended