So I know I
originally started this blog to review bookstores & libraries, but there’s
just something about snow that makes me want to get out a hot cup of Chai Tea
or Hot Chocolate, snuggle up in some fuzzy pajamas with my cats, and crack open
a new book. So since I am doing exactly
that, I figured I could give some great snowy-day book recommendations! I’m only going to review a few of my
favorites, and I’ll try to stay away from largely popular books; I’m sure we
have all read plenty of reviews on Harry Potter or Dan Brown. So without, further ado, here are the books I
will be recommending/reviewing:
Young Adult Fiction – The
Legend of Holly Claus by Brittney Ryan
General Fiction – Mr.
Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
Thriller/Mystery – The
Poet by Michael Connelly
The Legend of Holly Claus is actually a
book I bought a very long time ago at Baldwin’s Book Barn – it is one of the
reasons I distinctly remember that bookstore.
Sometimes things like that just stick.
Holly Claus is – obviously – Santa Claus’s daughter, if the last name
didn’t fill you in. She is born with a
terrible curse of a frozen heart and is also the reason all of Forever (where
Santa Claus lives, clearly) has its gates frozen shut. Determined to break the curse, she travels to
New York with her animal companions to undergo a long series of adventures and
meet new people, trying to learn more about herself and her curse. I’d say more, but I don’t want to spoil
anything. This book is truly a great
magical read, especially near Christmas-time or when there is snow on the
ground. Looking through the book a
little more – it’s been years since I have read it – it might be closer to a
children’s genre rather than Young Adult – think along the lines of Percy Jackson or Inkheart age-range. However,
this is the type of book I really feel like you could read at any age, and
still experience the magic and "delightfulness" of the writing. If you have young ones at home, this is also
a great book to read out loud, although it is pretty long.
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is
actually the book I am currently reading, so I can’t give too much information
on it. Basically, a young man named Clay
ends up working at – wait for it, - Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, and
notices that very strange characters show up in the late hours of the night. Furthermore, he is instructed not to touch
any of the books, and to not look inside them.
When Clay does happen to take a look inside the books, he finds that the
books don’t contain words, but codes.
Together with some friends, he embarks on a journey to figure out just
who Mr. Penumbra is, why his books are the way they are, and what is the
connection between everything. If you
like books that have codes in them or books that will keep you on your toes and
are fast paced, I highly recommend this book.
It was hard pretty hard to tear my eyes away from the page to take a
break and write this post! And at just
under 300 pages in paperback, it’s a quick, easy read for a beautiful snowy
day.
The last
book I want to recommend today is one of my all-time favorite books: The Poet by Michael Connelly. Honestly, even if you weren't a fan of
Michael Connelly, I would recommend this book to you. It is SUCH a fast-paced
thriller/mystery/horror book that you will never put the book down until it is
finished. Because this book throws you
so many curve balls, I’m not going to tell much of the plot since it is
constantly changing. Basically, there is
a killer on the loose who leaves weird Edgar Allen Poe pieces as his signature. Reporter Jack McEvoy tries to work with the
homicide cops on the case to try and find the killer. Note: if you don’t like gore or horrifying
situations/murders, this isn’t the book for you. However, if you like a good thrill like I do,
then you will be hooked into this book from the very beginning.
So those
are my 3 snowy-day recommendations!
Sorry I don’t go into much detail, one of my biggest pet-peeves are
people that write book recommendations and then end up telling you everything
that happens in the book. I like the
thrill of opening a new book, and not knowing where it is going to take me;
much like not knowing what you will find in the next bookstore/library you go
into. So there’s that.
Stay tuned for later
this week (weather-permitting) where I will review the University of
Pennsylvania Libraries!
