Library staff picks books for their summer reading

As published in the Red Rock News
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Good day, Red Rock News readers! It’s hot outside. How hot is it you ask? It’s so hot that two Hobbits came into the Library today asking which way was Mordor. The only way to combat the heat that we’re going to experience in Arizona for the next couple of months and while we wait for the monsoons to come is to stay in the air conditioned indoors and curl up with a good book. Library staff has recommendations for just what you need. 

​There may be many ways to spend your summer, but reading a good book is one of the best. Many avid readers have their automatic go-to authors:  McMillan, Child, Jance, and some even have a bit of the Bard mixed in for good measure. Your Sedona Public Library staff are no different. I’m on a Grisham, Patterson, Connelly rotation of audiobooks right now. In my car currently is “The Racketeer” by John Grisham.  
 
Marcy Young, our Information and Technology Librarian, splits her time between reading professional development books on her breaks at the Library and personal improvement and escapist fiction at home. “The first one is embarrassing, I’m reading ‘Networking for Dummies’ by Doug Lowe, ‘Learning to Say No’ by Carla Wills-Brandon, ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a ****’ by Mark Manson, and ‘Nothing to See Here’ by Kevin Wilson. 

Jami Rangel, our Bilingual Outreach Librarian, just discovered a new audiobook to listen to on her commute to work! “I’m listening to ‘3rd Degree’ by James Patterson. I just discovered his Women's Murder Club series! I like reading about strong, professional women who solve crimes!” 

Discovering a new author that has writing style that speaks to you can be an exciting thing. But where does one begin? If you’re in the Library, near the Reference Desk, you can peruse our new books section. Just look for the yellow tape at the top of the books. Also near Reference, we have several rotating themed book displays that offer authors and titles you might want to explore.  

Patty Kelly, one of our new Reference Librarians, is reading a great biography, “Happiness Becomes You” by Tina Turner. “I'm reading it because Tina Turner still rocks, physically and spiritually, at 82 years old, so I know I can learn something from her.” 
 
Another great resource when you’re trying to find something new to read or even if you’re finally getting around to reading the classics is our catalog of books online. Just visit sed.catalog.yln.info and click any of the tabs for great book recommendations. I start with the “New and Highlights” tab to see what was just released for the current month, and then I click over to the “Fiction” and “Movies” tabs.  
 
Summers in Arizona seem to last forever or at least until the weather cools, and sometimes we still can’t get to all that reading we want to do. But we try. Meghan Gula, our Graphics and Design Library Specialist agrees. “I have had the same book sitting at my bedside table for a while now: ‘The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain’ by Annie Murphy Paul. I heard the author on a podcast, and the book sounded interesting. She discussed how cognition is affected by our body movements, surrounding environment, and social relationships, and how walking/hiking, being in nature, and even taking a shower, can lead to a-ha moments of insight.” 

Jo Figueroa, our new Cataloging Library Specialist, multitasks her reading. “The current audiobook I’m listening to is ‘Assassin's Quest, Book 3’ of ‘The Farseer Trilogy’ by Robin Hobb. The current book I’m reading is ‘The Queen's Bargain, Book 10’ of the ‘Black Jewels’ series by Anne Bishop. I tend to look for fantasy authors that have multiple books in the series, since once I develop the world I am reading into my mind...I like to stay there for a bit. If there's magic or dragons, it's a plus for sure.” 

And Anne Marie Mackler, our Development Director, is usually reading and listening to a book. “Right now it’s ‘The Love of My Life’ by Rosie Walsh, recommended by Maureen Corrigan who said ‘. . . the narrative is studded with evasively worded passages that lure us readers into dead ends, switchback turns, false sutures between scenes and a startling final climax.’ I was duly lured in just the first few pages, and I immediately cared about the characters, even the dog!”  

Making time to read a good summer book, or a book to help you grow in your understanding of a particular subject of interest, is a fabulous way to take some time for yourself. No matter how you absorb the material-- whether digitally or analog, know that the staff at Sedona Public Library is always available to help you find your next great read. 
Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.  

Sedona Public Library  
​News Column for June 17, 2022 
Written by  Jan Marc Quisumbing,  Program & Marketing Coordinator