Book: The News From Spain

Author: Joan Wickersham

Reviewer: Dr. Angela Wiseman, Assistant Professor, Elementary Education

This book features seven short stories that focus on love and relationships among very different kinds of people at different times in history (in fact, two of the stories are based on prominent historical figures).  The one strand that connects these stories together is that a phrase “the news from Spain” that emerges in each story.  By using vivid descriptions, realistic characters, and true to life relationship contexts, I found myself drawn into complex and insightful stories.

Book: Never Let Me Go

Author: Kazou Ishiguro

and

Book: Waiting for the Barbarians

Author: J. M. Coetzee

Reviewer: John Papalas, Friends of the Library board member

So hard to pick one favorite, so here are my top two.

In the wake of Ray Bradbury’s death earlier this year, I made a point to read some works by authors he had influenced. The title of the book Never Let Me Go, by Kazou Ishiguro could also describe the readers’ reluctance to put the book down after delving in. What makes the story so subtly unsettling is the otherwise near complete contextual normalcy in which three all but normal friends mature to self-actualized individuals. No cheap thrills are needed (or used) as Ishiguro masterfully highlights the thin yet dark lines that divides our humanity from medical progress.

Do not read Waiting for the Barbarians by J. M. Coetzee if you are looking for a quick pick-me-up. Within the confines of just a few pages, this novel holds a mirror up to the Imperialistic tradition of expansion and progress, and what you see looking back is alien, if not loathsome.   This Nobel laureate draws upon the evocative themes of isolation (mental and physical), exposure to elemental extremes, and societal disorder, to keep the reader eagerly hoping for just a dash of good fortune for the narrator. When I finished reading this book, I was eerily reminded of the prophetic words mumbled by Joseph Conrad’s’ Mr. Kurtz, another monstrosity of Imperialism;  “The horror! The horror!”

Book: Lay Down Your Arms, The Autobiography of Martha von Tilling

Author: 2d revised edition by Bertha von Suttner; authorized translation by T. Holmes

Reviewer: Orion Pozo, Collection Manager for Engineering & Computer Science, NCSU Libraries

Google Books, Internet Archive and other online sources of Public Domain literature have opened up a new world for me in 19th and early 20th century reading. In 1905 Bertha Von Suttner was the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize for her novel, Die Waffen nieder! (Lay Down Your Arms!), and for her work in organizing an international peace movement. This popular novel, written in an autobiographic style, introduced thousands of readers of her time to the arguments of pacifism by telling the story of a woman, raised in a military family, who becomes opposed to war, and sets out to document rational arguments against the patriotic reasons nations put forward to justify their wars. Leo Tolstoy compared the effect Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin had on the abolition of slavery to the effect Lay Down Your Arms was having towards the abolition of war. Her hope to find a rational way to end armed conflict is so inspiring to me.

Book: 11/22/63

Author: Stephen King

Reviewer: Anna Snyder, Intern, NC LIVE

Jake Epping, a high school teacher, reads a story one of his GED-seeking students wrote about his horrible family history, and then finds out the local diner has a gateway to the past in it. Jake sets out to change the past, starting with preventing the crime his student’s father committed, and then takes over the mission to prevent JFK’s assassination. With good intentions (more civil rights progress, no Vietnam war), Jake finds that every change made in the past creates unexpected changes in the future. With incredibly in-depth details about the years leading up to JFK’s assassination, Lee Harvey Oswald’s life, and an interesting cast of characters, this book is one you cannot put down.

Book: Ready Player One

Author: Ernest Cline

Reviewer: Jason Raitz, Business and Technology Applications Technician, NCSU Libraries

This book is for the gamers and children of the 70′s-80′s.  It’s a book that is equal parts Zork, John Hughes, Atari, Willy Wonka, treasure hunting, virtual reality, and of course coming of age.  If you like text adventures, virtual worlds and the movie Sixteen Candles, then you’re really going to enjoy this book.  There was a real life easter egg hunt this summer sponsored by the author to win a Delorian, but unfortunately, someone’s already claimed it.

Book: Drowned Cities

Author: Paolo Bacigalupi

Reviewer: Cris Crissman, Adjunct Asst Professor, Curriculum, Instruction & Counselor Education

My vote for best young adult novel for 2012 goes to Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi.  Frighteningly realistic after hurricanes have “drowned” New Orleans and New York, Bacigalupi’s dystopian, biopunk setting presents a grim future of what might yet be if we can’t quell the ravage caused by climate change and loss of homeland and humanity that result. Tool, a bioethics nightmare, is one of the most complex, fascinating characters I’ve ever met.

Book: Martina the Beautiful Cockroach

Author: Carmen Deedy

Reviewer: Sharon Silcox, University Library Technician, Design Library

I know you are looking for a new, delightful book for all the young and young-at-heart on your Christmas list! Martina the Beautiful Cockroach by Carmen Deedy fits the bill perfectly! How does a cheeky little cockroach find true love with the help of her wise Abuela ( grandmother) and – COFFEE? This amusing, clever re-telling of a Cuban folktale will solve that mystery and have you cheering for Martina and all her cucaracha family! Plus, it is so much fun to read aloud! This is what I call a surprise book, a story and pictures that comes seemingly out of the blue and makes my heart smile.

Book: Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore

Author: Robin Sloan

Reviewer: Keith Morgan, Librarian for Digital Technologies and Learning

This intelligent and amusing book features bookstores, 3D modeling software, references Aldus Manutius,  plus a dungeons and dragon fantasy , describes the Gerritzoon font  (standard on all Macs according to the novel) and an ancient conspiracy involving books.  A trip to the Google campus in Mountain View and a visit to the Google Book Scanner add more candy to the mix. There’s also lots of conversation about the differences between reading books and reading on a device, between reading and actually not reading books. Recommended for fans of Zafon’s Shadow of the Wind or the bibliothriller in general.

Book: Dancing After Hours

Author: Andre Dubus II

and

Book: Townies

Author: Andre Dubus III

Reviewer: Kathy Brown, Director, Planning and Research, NCSU Libraries

After reading Dancing after Hours by Andre Dubus II, I’ll be tracking down his other collections of short stories.  Dubus conveys the struggles of his characters with compassion and a beautiful style, and he was regarded as a master of the short story genre.  A man of great insight, Dubus wrestled his own demons during his life and was, from all accounts, an incredibly lousy father.  Townie, a memoir by Andre Dubus III (also the author of The House of Sand and Fog), describes a life of abject poverty in Haverhill (Massachusetts) after his parent’s divorce.  The younger Dubus exposes the rage that stemmed in large part from his father’s absence and offers a compelling view of how natural it was for him to move down a path of self-destructive violence.  Writing sustained the father and undoubtedly saved the son, who was able to achieve a measure of forgiveness and love for someone who did little to earn it.

Book: 2666

Author: Robert Bolano

Reviewer: Chris Tonelli, Assistant to the Director, NCSU Libraries

This book is like Javier Bardem’s character, Anton Chigurh, in No Country for Old Men. It’s will is simply more imposing than the will of other books. There is more at stake. It is both more disciplined and more brutal. Like Bolano’s Savage Detectives, 2666 splits time between Europe and Mexico and features a group of European literary critics, a Mexican professor, an American journalist, hundreds of murdered young Mexican women, and a young writer on the Eastern Front of WWII. With what amounts to a kind of Cubist narrative, Bolano relentlessly explores the juxtapositions of art, politics, violence, and love.

Book: Little White Lies
Author: Aimee Laine
Reviewer: Nicole Zimmerman, MBA, ’02, NC State

The author has created an intricate world for her characters. Readers find themselves drawn into the details of this world and the characters’ abilities. Also key to the story are the relationships between the characters; especially between Charley and Wyatt. The suspense builds throughout the book as the story unfolds. Without giving too much away, there are some unexpected twists and a satisfying ending. I look forward to joining these characters in their next adventure.

Book: The White Woman on the Green Bicycle
Author: Monique Roffey
Reviewer: Suzanne Weiner, Executive Director of the North Carolina Textile Foundation, NC State

This is a story of newlyweds who go to the small island of Trinidad to follow his dream of a better life.  He falls in love with the complex richness of the island, but her struggle to find balance is what shapes the story.  She is torn between her love for him, and an inability to understand and accept his love of this country.   She finds her way using many different coping mechanisms but throughout the book is best known for her youthful trips around town on her green Raleigh bicycle.

Book: The Wise Man’s Fear
Author: Patrick Rothfuss
Reviewer: Frankie Johnson, student, Natural Resources, and Park Scholar

This is one of the best fantasy books I’ve ever read. The characters are crafted intricately and the plot is told in a frame story format which creates suspense and intrigue. You can really root for the hero, while simultaneously knowing he is making the idiotic decisions that we all sometimes make. This book is amazing and I can’t wait for the next in the series!

Book: Skippy Dies
Author: Paul Murray
Reviewer: Jamie Bradway, Preservation Librarian, NCSU Libraries

As the title suggests, some pretty horrible things happen in this book. That these things happen in a boarding school (to kids) would normally be enough to turn me off of what is, essentially, an entertainment. But there are also some very beautiful things written in this novel; even some very funny things. It’s the book I needed to read to remind myself that novels should be more than mere entertainments.

Book: Kafka on the Shore
Author: Hakuri Murakami
Reviewer: Richard Felder, Hoechst Celanese Professor Emeritus, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

A couple of years ago someone recommended Haruki Murakami’s novel The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, and I read it and was mesmerized by the surreal world he created. I’ve read several more since then and had the same reaction. I recently read Kafka on the Shore and nominate it for this year’s best. I plan to plunge into 1q84 if I can overcome my intimidation by its 944 pages.

Book: The Name of the Wind
Author: Patrick Rothfuss
Reviewer: Jason Raitz, Business and Technology Applications Technician, NCSU Libraries

I loved this thick, fantasy novel about a young, precocious boy who undergoes continuous tragedies in his pursuit of love, music, secrets, magic and revenge. It’s full of song, hardship, tragedy, magic and longing.  There is a Harry-Potter-esque magic school, but it plays out a good bit differently and is not really the focus of the entire story. I love the various female roles as well. So many fantasy novels give women such predictable and often sexist roles. Some epic fantasy is hard to continue reading day after day; I was surprised when I reached the end of this one.  Rothfuss is a great new author and I also loved the sequel to this one, called Wise Man’s Fear. Warning, this is an unfinished trilogy which the author has decided to start finishing as part of NaNoWriMo.

Book: Arrowsmith
Author: Sinclair Lewis
Reviewer: Samuel Stephen Gaetz, Building Services, NCSU Libraries

Satirical, witty and insightful, Arrowsmith accompanied me on a trip this summer and was by far the best book I’ve read this year. The portrait of early 20th century American life was new and enjoyable. And I found much of the drama and tension in the story (following a medical doctor making his way through life) to still have weight — some of it almost alarmingly so. The plot seemed to waiver at times but ultimately Lewis crafted an incredible read that was both thought-provoking and humorous.

Book: REAMDE
Author: Neal Stephenson
and
Book: Steve Jobs
Author: Walter Isaacson
Reviewer: Keith Morgan, Research and Information Services, NCSU Libraries

In REAMDE Stephenson reinvents himself as a master of the high-stakes, fast-paced, terrorist-populated thriller. Plus he includes a completely integrated subplot involving a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) called T’rain. There’s also a computer hacking subplot, Russian Mafia credit card theft, sneaking in and out of China, British Mi6 operatives, wilderness action in the wilds of British Columbia and a band of jihadists migrating from China to Idaho. What’s amazing is how Stephenson balances all of these subplots together and then weaves them together. All of this is accomplished in only 1,044 pages. I was sorry when it was over.

Here is the  whole story of Apple, the garage founding, the early successes, the decline and triumphant resurrection. All mediated through the personality of Steve Jobs.  The wealth of detail, combined with Isaacson’s access to Jobs, even as the Apple CEO struggled with his cancer, provides a vivid portrait of the cantankerous contradictions of Steve Jobs. Yes, we learn that he could be rude, manipulative, and boorish but the grand progression of “i-things” plus the legacy of Pixar are surely enough to put Steve on any Mount Rushmore of American innovation.

Book: Swamplandia!
Author: Karen Russell
Reviewer: Sarah Stein, Associate Professor, Communication, NC State

One of the best novels I read in 2011 was Swamplandia! by Karen Russell. There’s a genre called Florida Gothic which doesn’t at all appeal to me by its name, but I think Swamplandia! fits and is a terrific book. It is a story about a family of alligator wrestlers in the Everglades, told by an 11 year old, and as adult readers we infer what she cannot. The writing is so limpid and engaging, however, I lost the ability to step outside the narrative as the book went along, and was thus caught up in the events as they unfurled as much as the protagonist. A funny, fascinating, and at times heartrending piece of imagination — I highly recommend it.

Book: The Hundred Year Diet: America’s Voracious Appetite for Losing Weight
Author: Susan Yager
and
Book: Jackson Brodie series
Author: Kate Atkinson
Reviewer: Sarah Ash, Professor, Food, Bioprocessing & Nutrition Sciences

For a scholarly book, I’d recommend The Hundred Year Diet:America’s Voracious Appetite for Losing Weight by Susan Yager. I think most people assume that dieting is a relatively recent phenomenon, but she does a wonderful job tracing the fascinating history of our obsession with weight.

For pure page-turning enjoyment, I recommend the Kate Atkinson series of Jackson Brodie books. Her writing is sharp and witty (the British do it so well), as are her characters. She can make you laugh and cringe on the same page. You really should start at the beginning with Case Histories and work your way up to the present as many of the characters in the later books get introduced in the earlier ones. I can’t put them down.

Book: Snuff
Author: Chuck Palahniuk
Reviewer: Rebekah Anne Jaeger, staff, Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Center, NC State

Chuck Palahniuk is one of my favorite authors whose writing style is like no other authors I have read.  His writing style is poignant, honest and agressive and his stories depict life through a non fairy tale lens.  Snuff depicts a young woman who wants to break a record in the porn industry and is told primarily by three men who are waiting to be filmed each with their own agenda.

Book: More Ghost Stories
Author: M. R. James
Reviewer: Robert St. Amant, Associate Professor, Computer Science

This collection contains one of my favorite stories of the supernatural, “Casting the Runes.” It begins with letters of regret to a Mr. Karswell, who responds badly to the rejection of his work on alchemy… In this collection, published exactly 100 years ago, the stories have an atmosphere perfectly suited to the events: “So he put his hand into the well-known nook under the pillow: only, it did not get so far. What he touched was, according to his account, a mouth, with teeth.”

Book: The Inner Circle
Author: Brad Meltzer
Reviewer: Benjmain van Ooyen, Staff, NCSU Bookstore

As an avid reader I am always looking for new books that pique my interest, and reading The Inner Circle by Brad Meltzer did just that.  This is a book that will keep you entertained from the first page through the last.  It is the story of a young archivist working in the National Archives, when he stumbles upon a dictionary that leads him on a the hunt to solve one of the nation’s oldest secrets.