February 2019

​With thousands of books being published every year, how do you choose which books to read? If you don’t have time to browse the shelves at the Library, the staff and library volunteers are always eager to share their book recommendations. I asked a number of these dedicated readers to reflect on books they read in 2018.  (These titles were not necessarily published in 2018.)
 
Suggestions from Library Staff:
 
Kay:  Because of The Great American Read, I read “A Prayer for Owen Meany,” by John Irving. I found it very thought-provoking.
 
Elizabeth:  I enjoyed reading “My Brilliant Friend,” by Elena Ferrante, and look forward to seeing the HBO adaptation when it comes out on DVD.
 
Anne Marie: My book for last year would be "Beloved," by Toni Morrison. I love all things Toni Morrison.
 
Cheryl:  I can’t stop thinking about “Educated: A Memoir,” by Tara Westover. If you are a fan of “Under the Tuscan Sun,” then pick up Frances Mayes’s latest book, “Women in Sunlight.”
 
Stacie: I am recommending “Before We Were Yours,” by Lisa Wingate.  I read this book for my book club.
 
Suggestions from Library Volunteers:
 
Carol:  “The House of Scorta,” by Laurent Gaudé is a well-written story that recounts the saga of the Scorta family, “one of infamous crimes, forsaken loves, and lifelong secrets.”
 
Deb: “Enlightenment Now:  The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism and Progress,” by Steven Pinker, will make you think. For a laugh, read “The Road to Little Dribbling: Adventures of an American in Britain,” by Bill Bryson.
 
Holly: I feel everyone should read “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End” by Atul Gawande.  As a nurse, I often observed medical care prolonging life but also prolonging suffering. This book would be helpful to families in making choices about what they want toward the end of life.
 
Ilana:  I have two suggestions. The first is "The Dalai Lama's Cat,” by David Michie. The second is "A Gentleman In Moscow," by Amor Towles. Both were wonderful for very different reasons.
 
Janice:  “The Long Haul: A Trucker’s Tales of Life on the Road,” by Finn Murphy, is one of my favorite books.  I liked reading about the author’s experiences with the moving industry.
 
Mary:  I am recommending two nonfiction books:  “The Line Becomes a River,” by Francisco Cantú, and “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Company That Addicted America,” by Beth Macy.
 
Valerie: In “Exit West,” by Mohsin Hamid, I found the combination of magical realism set in the modern world fascinating.  The love story, coupled with the possibility of escape through doorways to different unpredictable areas of the world, made it possible for me to read a narrative of civil war in a country in the Middle East.
 
These titles are available in various formats from the Yavapai Library Network. If you need assistance placing a hold, please contact the Library.
 
For more information please call Cheryl Yeatts, Manager of Sedona Public Library in the Village, at 928-284-1603, or email voc@sedonalibrary.org.