What's On My Desk - January 2008

Secret Life of Becky Miller. MOPS book discussion pick. Christian fiction. DONE.
Loosely based on the Secret Life of Walter Mitty, this is a good book for today's busy Christian woman to read.

Ralphie's Wives by Christine Rimmer. Romance/mystery. DONE.
This is a pretty good Harlequin, but even a pretty good Harlequin will probably be forgotten in less than 6 months.

Medicine Road by Charles de Lint. Fantasy. DONE.
I have read a number of his short stories in anthologies, but the libraries around here don't seem to have many of his novels. It is probably because he is Canadian.
The author is Canadian, but this is set in Sedona, Arizona, so they still use spellings such as "colour" to describe a place in the U.S.
Apparently the characters were introduced in another book before this one. It is not essential to read the other book first, but is annoying that they refer to events that are not fully discussed in this book. The first book is Seven Wild Sisters.

God Gave Us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren and Laura J. Bryant. Children's picture book. DONE.
Polar bear tells a cub about how he was born.

ABC Cats by Kathy Darling and Tara Darling. Children's picture book. DONE.
Breeds of cats.

Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen and Keven Hawkes. Children's picture book. DONE.
A lion visits the library. Will he be allowed to stay? An ode to the New York Public Library lions.

Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson. Children's fantasy book. DONE.
I found this on a list of "If you like Harry Potter" readalike books. Yes, it has some similarities to Harry but is more like the Series of Unfortunate Events books. Of course, it has some fine library and librarian references. The evil librarians refuse to let the general public know about the presence of magic and the additional continents (with scholar dinosaurs) that make up our world. Librarians are very stereotypical - they wear buns, glasses, and sensible sweaters. They are also the wielders of great power - information. It is a goofy romp of a book, sometimes a bit boorish with the author's sarcasm, but otherwise a humorous read.
<<"Glasses,," I said. "Snobbish face. Usually has her hair in a bun." "The glasses," Grandpa Smedry said slowly. "Did they have...horn rims?" "Usually." "Hyperventilating Hobbs!" he exclaimed. "A Librarian!">>
<<"The downtown library, to be exact. We'll have to be very careful infiltrating that place." I cocked my head. "I've been there before. Last I checked, it wasn't too hard to get in." "We don't have to just get in, "Grandpa Smedry said. "We have to infiltrate." "And the difference is...?" "One requires far more sneaking.">>

The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs. Children's fantasy book. DONE.
I found this on a list of "If you like the Series of Unfortunate Events" readalike books. Lewis is orphaned in the 1940's and goes to live with his magician uncle. As many children do, Lewis gets carried away with bragging about magic and sets in motion some terrible events that may destroy the world when he dapples in his uncle's magical books. It is illustrated by the famous Edward Gorey, so some patrons may be interested in it just for the artwork. The cover says that John Bellairs also writes adult books, so I may see what else is available by this author. My local library catalog shows only children's books by him. I would recommend this book over the Evil Librarians book as it is more polished.