Library patrons share their favorite reads
Warning: this article may be hazardous to your “must-read” list. Six random Hastings Public Library patrons who were kind enough to share with me some of their recent favorite reads presented some compelling reasons for expanding my to-read list: maybe yours too! Here’s a sampling of what Hastings is reading:
1. Juggling an armload of fiction, her reading for just one week, Adriana Casas said she’s an avid reader of Sandra Brown’s romantic suspense books. “I like how she describes the people; how her books transport you. The books are very romantic, sometimes spicy!” she noted. Brown’s books are available in regular, large print and audio. Adriana said she prefers large print because she reads so much. “It doesn’t tire my eyes.”
2. Fans of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings would enjoy the fantasy of Alagaesia, recommends Katie Gayman. Alagaesia is the magical land featured in “Inheritance,” a trilogy series by young, 24-year-old author, Christopher Paolini. In the first of the series, a boy named Eragon finds a blue gemstone in the middle of the forest. It hatches a sapphire-blue dragon and story that leaves its readers wanting more. Katie enjoyed the series’ first, “Eragon,” so much that she’s looking forward to reading the sequel, “Eldest.” The release date of the trilogy’s third book has not yet been announced but the library will carry it as soon as it is available. The library has multiple copies of “Eragon” and “Eldest” in print and audio recordings and recently added “Eragon,” the movie, in DVD.
3. Winifred Kunkel, a resident of Goldbeck towers, was checking out a copy of “The Broker,” possibly the only John Grisham book she hadn’t read. “I think I’ve read them all,” she decided. “Painted House” topped her list of favorite Grishams, she said, because it is a refreshing change from his intense legal thrillers. Set in 1952, the story focuses on a rural Arkansas family that hires a crew of migrant Mexicans and local “hill people” to pick 80 acres of cotton.
4. “I didn’t used to like poetry until Kooser,” admitted Dennis Erickson, who said he’s currently absorbed with “Sure Signs” a collection of poetry by Nebraska’s beloved Poet Laureate, Ted Kooser. “He catches you off guard. You can feel what he’s saying. What an awesome mind he has to make the common things become so uncommon.”
5. Stephanie, a library patron who just moved to Hastings from Lincoln, said she’s a scrapbooker and has been enjoying picking up some HPL titles about the hobby that are different from what she’s already seen in the Lincoln Public Libraries. Stephanie said she browses the library’s catalog for titles, “always looking for new ones.”
6. A local Catholic clergyman and avid reader who wished to remain anonymous, shared his passion for historical fiction. “It gives a real feel for the time. You can “fill in different parts of history (you’re unfamiliar with),” he said.
Among his top picks is the Sharpe series of 22 books by Bernard Cornwell. This series follows the heroic escapades of British soldier, Richard Sharpe, during the Napoleonic Wars. Cornwell is known for covering a battle with such insight his readers feel they’re right there.
Check out any of the recommended reading at Hastings Public Library. The library is open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Chances are good too that if you’d like to own a title by any of these authors, you can pick one up among nearly 100,000 used books at the Friends of Hastings Public Library’s annual three-day sale, “Treasure Island,” opening Friday the 13th of July at the city auditorium.