Red Letter Day for the Library

I was tempted to stay up until midnight last night to celebrate the arrival of 7 February 2006, which is the day on which the Spokane Library returns to something resembling normal hours after a lengthy period of closing the branches four days a week. Since my local South Hill branch is one of the more heavily used, it will now be open Tuesday through Saturday. Halleluiah!

I went to the South Hill branch this afternoon and picked up some books that I had reserved. I haven’t read any of them yet, obviously, so I can’t tell you a lot about them. Here is the list:

MARK TWAIN: A Life (2005), by Ron Powers. I’ve read a couple of Twain biographies and I learn something new from each one. The guy is fascinating. This book got good reviews.
LEAVING HOME (2005), by Anita Brookner. A novel. I like Brookner’s work. More about that in a future post.
IN HER SHOES (2002), by Jennifer Weiner. I read her first novel, GOOD IN BED (2002), when it was first published and loved it. Weiner has a marvelous sense of the ridiculous. I’m really looking forward to this comedy.
THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING (2005), by Joan Didion. This is a book about how Didion got through the first year after the death of her husband. It is one of the NY Times "Best Books of 2005," and I really like Didion.
THE BLUE ROSE (2004), by Anthony Eglin. I haven’t a clue why I requested this mystery, but the title is intriguing, don’t you think?
FULL DARK HOUSE (2003), by Christopher Fowler. The first book in a mystery series recommended by Sarah. It takes place during World War II and I like mysteries set in the recent past and especially during and just after war time. (There’s a niche market for you.)
A GRACE DISGUISED: How the Soul Grows Through Loss (1996), by Gerald L Sittser. Another book about grief. The author teaches at Whitworth College. Our cat sitter, Sue, recommended this the other day, and she made it sound so interesting I had requested it from the library before she left the house. I think I’m gong to read this one first.