Hilda C. Landers Library & Archives

Lisa Williams has won the monthly prize drawing for July.

Submit a review by August 17 to be eligible for the our next drawing. Don’t forget prizes are available for all participants who submit a review between June 4 and August 17. Note that the prizes are cumulative, so if you review ten books you pick one prize from every category.

1. Submit one review and win a bookmark or mini puzzle.
2. Submit three reviews and win a refrigerator magnet.
3. Submit five reviews and win a set of postcards or poster from Unshelved.
4. Submit seven reviews and win a tote bag or a book.
5. Submit 10 reviews and win a bag of library swag.
6. Monthly prize drawings.

If you enjoy reading books by Koontz, King, and the like, then you should definitely check out this book. Having said that, I believe it goes without saying that this book is not for the faint of heart. It is one of the strangest and darkest books I have read because it takes place entirely within the realm of real human action — nothing supernatural. It is a reminder of the lengths people will go to make their point but also of how much people are willing to do for the ones they love. Best of all, this book keeps you on the edge of your seat and drops your jaw by the end.

Availability: COSMOS and USMAI
Review Submitted by: Samantha Schwartz, SMCM student
Rating: Must Read

I found the beginning of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins a little bit slow going, but once the Games themselves started, I was riveted. The premise of the fall of the United States and the rise of Panem was fascinating. I would enjoy a world-building book that described life in each of the 12 districts and the Capitol, along with the rebellion and the destroyed 13th district, much more than I would more stories about these characters.

Availability: SMCM Library and COSMOS
Review Submitted by: Rebecca Thayer
Rating: Recommended

Read Mandy Reinig’s reviews of The Hunger Games,  Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

I would recommend this book but with reservations. I am usually kept on the edge of my seat by Stephen King books, but this one didn’t quite do it for me. Most of the action took place in flashbacks, which makes it seem as though the story is dragging and the reader is just waiting for real action to happen in the present. The plot was original enough — a stranger showing up with a car from another dimension/planet/somewhere unknown. The car continues to do strange things, acting as a portal. I certainly don’t feel as though I wasted my time reading this book, I just would not add it to the top of my to-read list.

Availability: COSMOS
Review Submitted by: Samantha Schwartz
Rating: Recommended with reservations

I thought this was a beautifully written play. The cast of characters is small and the dialogue is simple, but within that, William Inge is able to weave a complex portrayal of human desperation. The play centers around Lola and Doc, a long-married couple that rent out their spare room to Marie. Maire at once embodies the two didactic ideals of a what Lola and Doc think a young woman should be: Lola sees Marie as a flirt and encourages her fling with the school jock while Doc sees Marie as pure and “a good girl.” As the play goes on, Doc is forced to realize that Lola’s image is closer to the truth, bringing up memories of Lola and Doc’s own relationship and the cause of their shotgun wedding.

While the plot of the play itself is average, the dialogue conveys so much about the desperation that Lola and Doc feel about their marriage which Doc never wanted. Doc knows he owes it to Lola to love her, while Lola wants only to be truly cared for by her husband.

In many ways, this play reminded me of Tennessee William’s A Streetcar Named Desire. To anyone who is a fan of that play, Inge’s dialogue and stage direction will be welcomed and familiar.

Availability: SMCM Library (Four Plays)
Review Submitted by: Lauren Grey, SMCM Alumn ’11
Rating:  Highly Recommended

I’d been hearing a lot of buzz about this book lately. I was a little apprehensive to read it because I was never really a fan of “young adult” books, but I feel the themes in this book transcended this categorization.

A review on the back of the book labels it “compulsively readable,” which is the best way for me to describe it. I don’t remember the last time I tore through a book that quickly. The story is about Hazel, a 16-year-old stage IV thyroid cancer survivor who just keeps holding on thanks to her miracle (fictional) drug. She grudgingly attends a support group where she meets Augustus Waters, and the two form a rare relationship. They begin bonding over books, and Hazel’s favorite, the fictional “An Imperial Affliction,” becomes what drives this novel’s plot. I don’t want to give any more of the story away. Suffice it to say, tears were shed—it was a powerful story.

My only beef with The Fault in Our Stars was the characters’ quirkiness. I’m not a fan of excessive quirkiness in characters (in books, movies, or TV) because I find it a bit unrealistic, but that’s just me. Their common personalities are a driving force in the plot, so it works here. I highly recommend this novel if you’re looking for a quick, unique, and moving read—I believe it’s in the works to become a movie, too.

Availability: USMAI
Review Submitted by: Jordan Gaines, Alum ’11
Rating:  Highly Recommended

I have not seen the movie and was excited to read the book before potentially seeing the movie. However, this book, while having an interesting story, was difficult to read since it jumped around from person to person without great transitions between characters. It made it hard to understand what was going on in the story and created the need to re-read pages to try to figure out what was happening. The overall story was interesting and expressed a compelling relationship between father and son and beyond in the wake of 9/11 but it would have been better if it were easier to read and follow.

Availability: SMCM Library, USMAI and COSMOS
Review Submitted by: Mandy Reinig
Rating: Recommended with Reservations

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant is the story that isn’t in the Bible: that of the wives of Jacob, Leah, Rachel, Zilpah and Bilhah, and Jacob’s only daughter, Dinah. Dinah narrates the story of the lives of her mothers, as she calls all of them, and her own life when she leaves them. I love historical fiction that tries to fill in the gaps of history, and this is a great example. I felt like I was sitting at Dinah’s feet, listening to her tell the story of her and her mothers.

Availability: COSMOS & USMAI
Review Submitted by: Rebecca Thayer
Rating:  Highly Recommended.

Included in the Millions list of upcoming titles are a few of the books the library summer reading program is offering as prizes; The Twelve by Justin Cronin, NW by Zadie Smith, Telegraph Avenue by Michael Chabon and Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures by Emma Straub. Check out The Great Second-Half 2012 Book Preview to find out more about them.

2012 has already been a rich year for books, with new novels from Toni Morrison, Richard Ford, and Hilary Mantel and essay collections from Marilynn Robinson and Jonathan Franzen, to name just a fraction of what we’ve featured, raved about, chewed on, and puzzled over so far. But the remainder of this year (and the hazy beginning  of next year) is shaping up to be a jackpot of literary riches. In just a few short months, we’ll be seeing new titles from some of the most beloved and critically lauded authors working today, including Martin Amis, Zadie Smith, Michael Chabon, Junot Díaz, Alice Munro, Ian McEwan, George Saunders, and David Foster Wallace. Incredibly, there’s much more than that to get excited about, but, were we to delve into it further up here, we would risk this introduction consuming the many previews that are meant to follow.

See the first half, Most Anticipated: The Great 2012 Book Preview.