C-SPL Reader of the Month: Becky Maher-Jacobson

Becky Maher-Jacobson is a part-time Library Aide at the Carnegie-Stout Public Library. She is also a band director in the Western Dubuque Community School District.

 Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)?

 A. The best book that I have read in the last year is The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths. A Gothic thriller, this book is about a high school English teacher who starts receiving messages in her personal diary after a fellow teacher is murdered. With an intriguing plot line and relatable characters, this book kept me engaged throughout and I would highly recommend it to any mystery fans, especially those who love classic gothic horror novels. 

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. My ideal reading environment is wrapped up in a blanket on my old squishy leather arm chair in front of our (unfortunately electric) fireplace. Wood-burning would definitely be preferable. Dressed in cozy sweats and fuzzy socks, I usually like to have some music on in the background, but something calm and relaxing that can fade away while I am reading. Snow or rain outside would be the icing on the cake!

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next, and what about it is most exciting? 

A. The book that I am most excited about reading next is The Searcher by Tana French. Tana French is one of my favorite authors, with stand-out selections in her Dublin Murder Squad series and in her stand-alone novels. I always look forward to new releases from my favorite authors as I usually know that I will like the book in advance, especially if it’s an author whom I’ve read many of their titles. Another novel that will be released in February is a spin-off of The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths that I mentioned was my favorite read of 2020. Griffiths has taken Detective Harbinder Kaur from The Stranger Diaries and given her a new case to solve involving a 90 year old woman’s death that shouldn’t be suspicious given her heart condition, but everything may not be as it seems…. I can’t wait to read it!

Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began? 

A. I do! I remember wanting to learn to read so badly before kindergarten, sitting on the floor of my room and staring at the words and letters, willing them to make sense. I was so excited when it finally started to click. Go Dog, Go! by P.D. Eastman was the first book that I learned how to read, but the Harry Potter series really helped fuel my love of reading after my aunt purchased the first three books of the series for my 9th birthday. My parents are both big readers and read to us every night as kids, so they really instilled a love of reading in our family from an early age.

Q. Can you tell us about your reading interests in general?  

A. My belief when it comes to reading is that it should first be enjoyable, but also used to broaden your knowledge and your perspective on the world. I mostly stick to fiction since I consider it more leisurely than nonfiction, but I am honestly willing to read everything and anything, or at least give it a chance. My favorites are mystery and thriller novels (bonus points if they have an interesting twist at the end!), but I have recently been more into sci-fi type mysteries that have a supernatural or fantasy element involved, such as Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series or Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series. The most important thing though is to read, so read what you like!

Check out Becky Maher-Jacobson's book list! 

Apply to be the next C-SPL Reader of the Month!

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Colin Muenster

About Colin 

I am an Enterprise Architect at Clarke University, which is fancy for guy who does a little bit of everything.  In addition to app development and implementing strategic IT initiatives in relation educational technology, I also manage the Audiovisual Department, being the chief AV nerd on campus.  My hobbies include reading, writing, theatre, home “improvement”  projects, online gaming with my buddies, and spending time with my family.  I have worked a variety of jobs here in Dubuque, from overnight security guard, English & Theatre teacher, bookseller (River Lights), waiter (L.May), and freelance graphic design artist.  I have been hired to play a clown, and been paid money under the table to DJ at weddings.  I have a blog with some bad poetry, essays, and pictures of my daughters doing cute things.

(See the past Reader of the Month posts here) 

Q&A with Colin

Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)?

A. Since I really view them as a single book, I would say it would be the Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff Vandermeer.

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. Cramped on a too small couch with a thick, dark beer.

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next, and what about it is most exciting?

I am excited to read Borne by Jeff Vandermeer.  Honestly, I loved the SR Trilogy so much, and am completely enamored with his writing style that I can’t wait to immerse myself in words again.

Q. What book do you think more people should read, and why do you think they should read it?

A. Perhaps not a specific book, per se, but an alternative literary canon – dramatic literature. What a play or a musical can do is distill a narrative to its most essential components and lay bare a character in ways a novel often cannot.  It forces the reader to use their psychoanalytical skills that a novel often makes easier for you.  This is especially true in terms of character development and motivation.  A play also has an artistry in and of itself that is magnificent to behold and legion in variety.  While a play is incomplete until being viewed on the stage, the simple act of reading can offer a sometimes more rewarding experience than a piece of fiction.  That being said, here is my short-list based on my current mood:  Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, J.B. by Archibald MacLeish, Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen, Under Milk Wood by Dylan Thomas, and God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza. 

Q. What book has been the most challenging for you to read? How did it challenge you?

A. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner.  It took me so long to finally put my head in a place to really understand the menagerie of language Faulkner employs in crafting this book.  Having to retrain myself to understand the narrative as constructed by Faulkner was a grueling process and took the better part of year to achieve, but once it clicked, a light emanated from the novel that left me in awe of how one can paint with the artistry of words.

Q. When do you decide to stop reading a book? In other words, do you read every book to the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?

A. I like to read challenging books in the same way runners may challenge themselves with longer or more difficult courses.  They payoff in that challenge once it is completed is for me one of the greatest joys of reading, although ironically, I never really wish for a good book to ever end, delaying my sought after catharsis.  That being said, the thing that usually forces me to put a book down is boredom coupled with a busy schedule.

Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began?

A. I don’t remember its title or how old I was, although I know for sure I was a child in elementary school.  I had, for the first time, finished a chapter book, and that sense of achievement and satisfaction hit me in a way nothing ever had up to that point.  I sought every opportunity to recreate that feeling ever since. 

Q. Can you tell us about your reading life in general?

A. What is odd, I feel, about my reading life is that if you were to ask any of my teachers growing up, I think you’d find that very few of them saw me as someone who loved to read.  They would be right, as I did hate to read….what they told me to read, mostly because they told me to read it.  I read on my own, and rarely did I take the time to pick up the assigned reading, which, as you may imagine, led to some less-than-stellar grades.  I was a closeted reader, rarely discussing books with ANYONE, because some part of me felt a certain shame in the act of loving something I so openly detested in an academic setting.  It wasn’t until college, when surrounded by people with passions ranging and intermingling in the fields of art, literature, and music did I truly begin to openly, and with renewed ferocity, express my love for the written word.  I found the world far more complex, beautiful (or by contrast exasperatingly ugly) than I had ever dreamt. It is why, when I was hired to work at River Lights Bookstore after graduating from college, I felt as I had truly struck gold (which is still true for anyone who is bestowed the opportunity to work at River Lights, a place as close to heaven as you can reach while on earth). To this day, I rarely travel anywhere without something to read just in case the opportunity arises.  With three kids in tow nowadays, those opportunities are a little less frequent, but old habits die hard.  In a supreme cosmical feat of karma, my passion for literature led me to go back to school to become a High School English and Theatre teacher where I was able to couple my love of theatre and literature into something I was so fortunate to do on a daily basis for five years of my life.  I could go on, really, but you weren’t expecting a novel, or a novel written by me that is.

Check out Colin Muenster's book list! 

Apply to be the next C-SPL Reader of the Month!

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Kate and Sarah Faford-Johnson

About Kate & Sarah 

 

Kate and Sarah Faford-Johnson love spending time outdoors and enjoy kayaking, hiking, and biking. They usually have their two dogs, Bing Bong and River, along for the adventure. They are both beginning a new adventure in the fall as they relocate to New Mexico. 

Kate loves a good dystopian novel and balances that out with readings on Buddhism, meditation, and healthy living. Sarah has a true nerd-love of graphic novels and well written science fiction. She also has a deep love of anything written by the great early conservationists, like John Muir and Aldo Leopold.

(See the past Reader of the Month posts here) 

Q&A with Kate and Sarah

 

Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)?

Kate: The past year would probably be Dark Matter by Blake Crouch and best ever would be The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood.

Sarah: That’s a toss up between Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast of Champions and Tal M. Klein’s The Punch Escrow.

What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

Kate: I like reading outdoors in a cozy environment. A hammock in the backyard, a nice chair on the beach, anything that gets me outside is ideal. But if that's not possible, I will gladly take a chai latte and a quiet corner at Charlotte’s.

Sarah: I prefer a comfy chair and a quiet environment. As long as I have those two I am happy.

What book are you most excited about reading next and what about it is most exciting?

Kate: I’m excited to read (or listen to) The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey. We’re planning on listening to the audiobooks through the Overdrive app on our road trip to New Mexico this fall.

Sarah: I agree with Kate. We love The Expanse television series and I am excited to check out the books to see how they compare.

What book has been the most challenging for you to read? How did it challenge you?

Sarah: I think Cormac McCarthey’s The Road has been the most challenging book I have read recently. It was just such an emotionally challenging book to read and without giving too much away, it just felt so real. It was an excellent book and I applaud him for making me feel so uncomfortable.

When do you decide to stop reading a book? (In other words, do you read every book to the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?)

Sarah: Kate will give up on a book when she is not interested or it just is not the right time. I have a horrible habit of believing every book is worthy of my time. I cannot give up on a book, no matter how terrible, until the final page.

Do you remember when your love for reading began?

Kate: My love of reading began in elementary school. We had a reading challenge that I was really into. It started with Goosebumps and Harry Potter books, and in high school, I got more into non-fiction books about Buddhism and books about multicultural issues, other social issues, and environmental issues.

Sarah: I was fortunate to grow up in a household where my parents really encouraged my innate curiosity about everything. They took me to get a library card as soon as I was old enough and even set up a dedicated corner in my bedroom to serve as my personal library, complete with a reading square carpet just like the one we had in my kindergarten class. I loved reading about everything I encountered and that passion has continued throughout my life.

Check out Kate & Sarah's Favorites book list! 

Apply to be the next C-SPL Reader of the Month!

There's a Snake on My Book!

Librarians spend a lot of their time with books. Reading about books, organizing books, purchasing books, thinking about books. When you spend that much time with books you start to notice patterns. Similar titles, similar stories, similar covers.

Lately, I've been noticing snakes.

• The Andalucian Friend by Alexander Soderberg
• Boy, Snow Bird by Helen Oyeyemi
• Dark Age by Pierce Brown
• Deviation by Luce D'Eramo
• The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
• Famous in Cedarville by Erica Wright
• Gun Island by Amitav Ghosh
• Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
• Queen of the Conquered by Kacen Callender
• The Remaking by Clay McLeod Chapman
• Trinity Sight by Jennifer Givhan
• The Water Museum by Luis Alberto Urrea

~Sarah, adult services

Some Fun Things

I've used this time of working from home and social distancing to discover new fun things on the internet. Not everything out there is doom and gloom, there are actually some positive things that have appeared due to everyone being under some type of quarantine in order to stop the spread of this terrible virus.

Okay...enough with the depressing stuff, let's move on to the fun things!

First off, have you seen John Krasinski's YouTube episodes of Some Good News? They are fantastic. You probably know Krasinski from The Office, Jack Ryan, and as the director of A Quiet Place. He's also married to Mary Poppins....er, I mean Emily Blunt.

John has been gathering good news from around the world via Twitter and other social media channels and presenting short segments in the format of a news channel. I laughed. I cried. These are just fantastic. Episode 2 is just so amazing, it gave me goose bumps.  Click on the link to watch Some Good News.

Next up we have LeVar Burton of Roots, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Reading Rainbow fame. He has launched a Twitter live stream of his podcast LeVar Burton Reads for all ages on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Here is his current schedule and you can follow him on Twitter at @LevarBurton:

• Mondays for Children: 9:00 a.m. PT/12:00 p.m. ET
• Wednesdays for YA: 3:00 p.m. PT/6:00 p.m. ET
• Fridays for Adults: 6:00p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. ET

If you miss an episode, you can replay them on Twitter.

Speaking of Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members, how about Sir Patrick Stewart? Since Saturday, March 21, this incredibly talented, Oscar nominated actor has been treating people to a reading of one Shakespeare sonnet at day. Stewart had a long run with the Royal Shakespeare Company (1966-1982) so he is certainly qualified to read Shakespeare sonnets.

You can follow him on Twitter at @SirPatStew. As with LeVar Burton, if you miss a reading you can replay them on Twitter.

Authors Kevin Hearne and Delilah S. Dawson have a podcast called Ask the Bards in which they talk about many aspects of writing. The first episode came out on February 23, and they have continued to produce episodes. Kevin Hearne is very much into craft cocktails and birds, so if you have interest in either of those things you can follow him on Twitter at @KevinHearne.

Author Veronica Roth has a Twitch channel and during the month of April she is partnering with other authors to talk about writing, publishing, and other topics. 

Do you have a favorite author, artist, musician, or entertainer? Chances are they have started putting free, entertaining content on the internet via some social media platform. If you've discovered something new and wonderful, please share!

~Amy, Adult Services

June is Audiobook Month: Speculative Fiction

June is Audiobook Month! To celebrate, borrow a Science Fiction audiobook from Carnegie-Stout Public Library's collection. Here are a few recent titles of science fiction and fantasy that you might enjoy:

The Black Prism by Brent Weeks
Brent Weeks writes dark and gritty fantasy novels. The Black Prism is the suspenseful first book in his Lightbringer series about the growing threat of war and the complicated ties of family and politics. The audiobook is produced by Graphic Audio, and includes a full cast of narrators and sound effects giving it the feel of a modern radio drama.



Indexing by Seanan McGuire
Seanan McGuire writes whimsical, yet gritty, urban fantasies with intriguing world-building and colorful characters. Indexing explores a world where fairy tales have the potential to become very real and dangerous. The ATI Management Bureau attempts to keep the world safe. Mary Robinette Kowal skillfully narrates by providing distinctive character voices and accents.



The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Joe Abercrombie is known for writing fantasy stories filled with adventure, gritty violence, and sex. His writing is sometimes referred to as “grimdark fantasy,” and will appeal to fans of Game of Thrones. The Blade Itself is the first in a series filled with dark humor and less-than-honorable protagonists. Steven Pacey’s audiobook narration provides impressively distinct character voices.



Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer
This is historian Ada Palmer’s thought-provoking first novel. Too Like the Lightning takes the philosophies of the 18th century Enlightenment and creates a distant science-fictional future. Jefferson Mays narrates the audiobook and he provides distinct voices for the various characters.

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Bill Carroll

Adult Services Manager Bill Carroll has been selected as C-SPL Reader of the Month for June. Here he's shared what kind of books offer him the best kind of escapism and shows what has most influenced who he is today.

Q. Can you tell us about your reading interests in general?

A. In general, I enjoy reading books to escape. I enjoy graphic novels and sci-fi and fantasy. On the other hand, you’ll also find me reading current non-fiction science books, particularly in geology or biology. I think reading is important to escape life for a little while, and for me, it is a different form of entertainment outside of sitting in front of a TV. Interestingly, I’m a sucker for books about maps too. I’m not talking travel books per se, just books about how to create, read, interpret, enjoy, or use maps.

Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year?

A. The best book I have read over the last year is Zucked: Waking up to the Facebook Catastrophe by Roger McNamee. I think this is an eye-opening look at tech giants and how they collect and store user information. All of us that are connected frequently agree to user terms and agreements without really examining what we are agreeing to. McNamee gives an insider look into the realities of our online lives.

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. My ideal reading condition is quietly in bed after a long day. If the book is a real page turner, I can be comfy just about anywhere!

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next and what about it is most exciting?

The next book I am most excited to read is New York Times best seller The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells. This is exciting because the author pairs reputable scientific data with real world possibilities and outcomes that impact human beings across the planet. I anticipate this will be a grim read regarding climatological disasters yet unseen to us. At the same time, I am hopeful this book will be able to provide some level of hope to all that read it that these potential disasters might yet be averted.

Q. What book do you think more people should read and why do you think they should read it?

A. I think more people should read, and then re-read as an adult, 1984 by George Orwell. This classic resonates for me today even more than it did when I first read it back in high school. This literary masterpiece is a reminder of who our society was, is, and potentially, where it may go in the future.

Q. When do you decide to stop reading a book? (In other words, do you read every book to the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?)

A. This can be different for each and every book! Generally, I’ll stop reading a book after trying to get through the first quarter of the book and it has not engaged me (yes, I actually count the total pages and divide by four). The great thing about the library is if I am not enjoying the book I checked out, there are always thousands more to choose from that will likely better hold my interest.

Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began?

A. My love for reading began in high school. The first book that got me addicted was Terry Brooks’ The Sword of Shannara. The book is a fantasy book similar in style and story to JRR Tolkien. I’ve been a reader ever since.

Check out more of Bill's Favorite Books!

---------------

See the past C-SPL Reader of the Month blog posts here.

Want to be the next C-SPL Reader of the Month? Apply here.

A few books for National Astronaut Day

May 5th is National Astronaut Day, a celebration of the United States' achievements in space exploration. The date was selected in commemoration of Alan Shepard's successful spaceflight on Freedom 7 on May 7, 1961 which made him the first American in space.

As a librarian who loves reading about space explorations both real and imagined, I thought I'd share a few of my favorites here today. I hope you'll share some of your favorites in the comments as well!

Biography and Non-Fiction

Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances by Leland Melvin

A memoir by the former NASA astronaut and NFL wide receiver traces his personal journey from the gridiron to the stars, examining the intersecting roles of community, perseverance, and grace that create opportunities for success.

Endurance: A Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery by Scott Kelly with Margaret Lazarus Dean
The veteran of four space flights and the American record holder for consecutive days spent in space, Scott Kelly has experienced things very few have. He describes navigating the extreme challenge of long-term spaceflight, both existential and banal.

Packing for Mars: the Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach
Space is a world devoid of the things we need to live and thrive: air, gravity, hot showers, fresh produce, privacy, beer. Space exploration is in some ways an exploration of what it means to be human. From the space shuttle training toilet to a crash test of NASA's new space capsule (cadaver filling in for astronaut), Roach takes us on a surreally entertaining trip into the science of life in space and space on Earth.

Sally Ride: America's First Woman in Space by Lynn Sherr
This book is a biography of Sally Ride, America's first woman in space, with exclusive insights from her family and partner, and by the ABC reporter who covered NASA during its transformation from a test-pilot boys' club to a more inclusive elite. A member of the first astronaut class to include women, Ride broke through a quarter-century of white male fighter jocks when NASA chose her for the seventh shuttle mission, cracking the celestial ceiling and inspiring several generations of women.

Novels and Science Fiction

The Calculating Stars by Mary Robinette Kowal

On a cold spring night in 1952, a huge meteorite fell to earth and obliterated much of the east coast of the United States, including Washington D.C. The ensuing climate cataclysm will soon render the earth inhospitable for humanity, as the last such meteorite did for the dinosaurs. This looming threat calls for a radically accelerated effort to colonize space, and requires a much larger share of humanity to take part in the process. Elma York's experience as a WASP pilot and mathematician earns her a place in the International Aerospace Coalition's attempts to put man on the moon, as a calculator. But with so many skilled and experienced women pilots and scientists involved with the program, it doesn't take long before Elma begins to wonder why they can't go into space, too. Elma's drive to become the first Lady Astronaut is so strong that even the most dearly held conventions of society may not stand a chance against her.

The Wanderers by Meg Howrey

In four years Prime Space will put the first humans on Mars. Helen Kane, Yoshi Tanaka, and Sergei Kuznetsov must prove they're the crew for the job by spending seventeen months in the most realistic simulation ever created. Retired from NASA, Helen had not trained for irrelevance. It is nobody's fault that the best of her exists in space, but her daughter can't help placing blame. The MarsNOW mission is Helen's last chance to return to the only place she's ever truly felt at home. For Yoshi, it's an opportunity to prove himself worthy of the wife he has loved absolutely, if not quite rightly. Sergei is willing to spend seventeen months in a tin can if it means travelling to Mars. He will at least be tested past the point of exhaustion, and this is the example he will set for his sons.

The Martian by Andy Weir

Mark Whitney was nearly killed by a dust storm on Mars and was abandoned by his crew who thought him dead. Now he's all alone with no way of letting Earth know he's alive, which doesn't matter because his supplies would run out before they'd get there. Either way, the environment or human error will likely kill him first. Not giving in, Mark works to survive, battling obstacle after obstacle, but will it be enough? 

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Luke Vorwald

April's C-SPL Reader of the Month is a paralegal, avid D&D player, and frequent library user. Luke Vorwald has been gracious enough to share all about his reading interests, the best snacks to accompany a book, and—if you're not getting into a story—what page number it's safe to call it quits.

Luke's Reading Interests  

I tend to lean towards fantasy and sci-fi as my go-to genres of books and novels. Rather seldom will I pick up a biography or a book on real-world history. For me, it's all about the story. If the book doesn’t have an interesting narrative, it will get a hard pass from yours truly. In my humble opinion, I get plenty of real-world experience in my adult day-to-day, and while that is important, I would rather spend what precious little free time I have reading something I wouldn't otherwise experience. The same for me is true with video games; why would I play a golfing video game (an extremely achievable real-world act), when I could be shooting dragons out of the sky with lightning bolts?

However, I have been branching out into some non-fiction work, although they would be more on the fantastical side. Books on the paranormal, cults, and lesser-known history are of particular interest to me. Even when it comes to “real world” stories, I love to be astounded and amazed.

I also spend a fair deal of my reading time on published Role Playing Games books, especially Dungeons and Dragons material. While not a traditional book one might use for casual reading, I find these books contain some amazing stories and ideas; furthermore, these books contain amazing stories and ideas you can actually participate in. Playing an RPG with other folks through the vehicle of these books is the closest one can come to actually experiencing and affecting the same stories we love to read. With the support of books such as these, we are able to create our very own version of The Hobbit by living as our very own personal Gandalf. I also enjoy D&D books on a separately nerdy level, being that I love their lore and world building. I really geek out on knowing the ins and outs of different cosmologies, creation stories, magic systems, and rules that come along with these worlds. This gives me more street cred when talking with other nerds.

To me, that which is not real is just as important as that which is real. Works of fiction are both tools to learn from to prepare ourselves for reality, as well as an extension of reality itself. Our species has been given the unique capability of living in both the real and the fictional, so it would be a shame if we didn’t exercise that capacity.

• “Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot.”
  ― Neil Gaiman, Dream Country

• “The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.”
  ― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

Q & A with Luke

Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)?

A. Within the past year, I would have to give it to What the Hell Did I Just Read? by David Wong. I checked that book out on a whim (which is something I normally don’t do as I always have a large “to read” pile), and I was so pleased when I finished it. It was the first horror novel I had read in a long time to actual make me feel fear.

As for Ever… the choice is very difficult, but ultimately it has to be American Gods by Neil Gaiman. That novel was probably the most influential story I had ever read. I discovered it my first year on my own away from home in college, and it not only resonated with much of my core beliefs, but also helped to form new ones.

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. Location: On my sectional in my living room, on the bed in my upstairs bedroom, a big comfy chair in a library, my futon in my old bedroom at my dad’s house, by the man-made pond of the Waterloo KOA, or on the bench under that huge oak tree on the corner of North West Arterial and JFK. During the fall, preferably.

Sound: Either rustling leaves or those long videos on YouTube of post-rock albums with no lyrics. I could also deal with some of those long lo-fi atmospheric videos as well.

Snacks: York Peppermint Patties, beef jerky, belVita blueberry crackers, Crown Royal Apple, some Stone Cliff wine, and a glass of milk. Not all at the same time though.

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next and what about it is most exciting?

A. I am most excited to read Fire and Blood by George R. R. Martin. I had finished A Dance with Dragons on this most recent Thanksgiving, and I am jonesing for more Ice and Fire. For me, as well as pretty much all the other fans of his work, I love to piece together the subtle connections Martin works into the story, as well as realizing how he takes classic fantasy tropes and filters them through a lens of realism.

I’m also pumped for The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited by the McElroys, which I believe is to be released this year. Those good boys are just too funny and make content with a lot of heart.

Lastly, Jim Butcher, please will you finish and publish Peace Talks? Pretty please???

Q. What book has been the most challenging for you to read? How did it challenge you?

A. The book that challenged me the most would have to have been Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. As you can tell by the majority of the books provided as my favorites in the attached list, I primarily read fantasy and sci-fi. This book, however, is a western, and a very lengthy one at that. I decided to read it as the 4-part made-for-TV mini-series has a very special place in my heart, thanks to growing up watching it with my family. Lonesome Dove was such a challenge for me due to its lack of familiarity. There were no dragons, no vampires, and no magic systems to learn. The demons and monsters the protagonists faced came in the form of other men and from within themselves. This book is about as raw as it gets in terms of what it means to be human. While I had to completely readjust how I view a novel while reading it, I enjoyed it all the more for doing so.

Q. When do you decide to stop reading a book? (In other words, do you read every book to

the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?)

A. A wise man once told me that in order to determine when it is ok to give up on a book, one must take 100 minus your age. The result is the page at which you can truly determine if the book is not for you and can toss it over your shoulder. I will admit I have not always followed this method, and I have given up on a book before the end. There have been times when I read books all the way through, only to find the rewarding lesson at the end was that I wasted my time. It seems to me I could have been using my precious reading time on books I actually would enjoy.

However, it's still worth giving books their fair shake. The Way of Kings was a bit of a rough go for me until about page 800 (out of approx. 1,200) when I first read it, but I am so glad I finished it (and all of the books that follow it).

However, if you don’t want to use the method I provided above, you could always use the Luke Vorwald Method: your heart will tell you when to raise the white flag. 


Check out  Luke's Favorite Reads for a list of books in the library catalog!