We all say we want to read more. But in a world full of electronic toys (book-readers, aside), it can be tough to actually get around to cracking open a good book.
So let's use this space to discuss a few great ones and get each other reading up a storm this year. Pick your favorite book from 2011 in the poll below (choices taken from Barnes & Nobles's list of the 100 bestsellers of 2011), but even better, leave a comment below recommending a book (from any year) to fellow Patch readers.
Jennifer Honadel-Wilson
12:15 pm on Thursday, January 26, 2012
I loved the Help but read that in 2009 -- In 2011, I loved the Hunger Games series but some other favorites were Sarah's Key, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Room, BossyPants, Sing you Home. So many good books last year!
Judy Mottl
1:23 pm on Thursday, January 26, 2012
I want to read all those books this year as well as Big One Small and Destiny of the Republic. I also want to re-read 'Where the Wild Things Are' given author Maurice Sendak's interview on Stephen Colbert's show this week.
Jill Kogler
12:10 am on Friday, January 27, 2012
Hunger Games was awesome! Just finished the last book and actually kinda sad it's over...
Therese
9:22 am on Friday, January 27, 2012
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand is a powerful true story of World War II heroes. It focuses on the life of a rebellious boy who as a young man transforms his grit and opposition into a masterful focus of mind and will, ingenuity to survive, and unfailing drive to go beyond what seems possible. I could not put it down.
The Litigators by John Grisham is a very witty novel about courtroom antics and colorful characters. At the center of this good read are the seedy ambulance chasing lawyers from a "boutique" law firm whose lives and practices are hilarious. When a bright young Harvard educated lawyer finds himself at their doorstep after he realizes the lucrative but lifeless grind at a top Chicago law firm is just not worth it, the entertainment begins. It is an absolute laugh out loud story.
Andrew Hamm
2:10 pm on Friday, January 27, 2012
The Tiger: A True Story of Vengance and Survival by John Vaillant is a fascinating account of an episode in 1997 in the far eastern frontier of Russia involving a man-eating Amur Tiger and the desperate struggle of an elite group of paramilitary game wardens to unravel the mystery of the attacks and track down the rogue tiger in the depths of the brutal Russian winter. This true tale, beyond being an exciting detective and adventure story, give the reader an unusually vivid description of the geography and ecology of far easter Russia, the natural history of nature's biggest, most deadly and endangered wild cat, and the political, economic and social upheavals that rocked this remote area in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union. A good read! Copies of the book are available in both print and audio book at the Circulation Desk of the West Islip Public Library, and a book discussion will be held on Tuesday, February 21 at 7:30pm at the library. A note for film buffs: a film based on this book is currently in development starring Brad Pitt as the intrepid game warden Yuri Trush.