Reading Room Blog

Hello! Since you read a wide variety of authors - Haruki Murakami,
Gail Tsukiyama, Amy Tan, Alexander McCall Smith, John Irving, and Anne Tyler - I have recommended a broad range of authors and titles for your enjoyment:

"Kangaroo Notebook" by Kobo Abe

"In the last novel written before his death in 1993, one of Japan's most
distinguished novelists proffered a surreal vision of Japanese society
that manages to be simultaneously fearful and jarringly funny. The

You asked for a book similar to Pyro by Earl Emerson, and mentioned that you
also like Wambaugh's Fire Lover and Picciotto's Last Man Down. Here are
a few suggestions, both fiction and nonfiction, featuring firefighters:

Fiction:

Emerson has written quite a few books featuring firefighters, including
a series about a female ex-firefighter and arson investigator, Mac
Fontana, such as Morons and Madmen, Going Crazy in Public, and The Dead
Horse Paint Company. But, one of his books with a male firefighting

Thank you for requesting a Book Match from the Central Rappahannock Regional Library. You asked us to match Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara, and mentioned that you liked well-written biographies. Let’s start with novels which, like Gods and Generals, are historical fiction. Some feature actual historical figures, some chronicle actual events using fictional characters. Some are set in the Civil War, most deal with war.

The killer angels : a novel / Michael Shaara

I’m glad you liked Blue by Joyce Moyer Hostetter. The library has many more good historical fiction books. Here are a few you might also enjoy.

For Freedom: The Story of a French Spy by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.

Despite the horrors of World War II, a French teenager pursues her dream of becoming an opera singer, which takes her to places where she gains information about what the Nazis are doing--information that the French Resistance needs.

The Primrose Way by Jackie French Koller.

Here are some more titles about high school kids that I hope you will enjoy.

Hidden Talents by David Lubar.

When thirteen-year-old Martin arrives at an alternative school for misfits and problem students, he falls in with a group of boys with psychic powers and discovers something surprising about himself.

Dairy Queen :a Novel by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.

I tried to find books based on your recent reading of "The
Adoration of Jenna Fox", "Remembering Raquel", "Waiting for Normal", and "The Boy Who Dared". It seems you read a wide variety of books, so I picked books from all sorts of genres. I hope some of these titles sound interesting!
 

"Dust" by Arthur Slade

Since you enjoyed 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson, I am sending you a list of titles of books that I hope you will like as well.

Schooled by Gordon Korman.

Homeschooled by his hippie grandmother, Capricorn (Cap) Anderson has never watched television, tasted a pizza, or even heard of a wedgie. But when his grandmother lands in the hospital, Cap is forced to move in with a guidance counselor and attend the local middle school. While Cap knows a lot about tie-dyeing and Zen Buddhism, no education could prepare him for the politics of public school

If you are interested in finding other titles like Dave Pelzer's “A Child Called It,” then I'm sure you'll want to read the sequels, "The Lost Boy" and "A Man Called Dave", if you haven't already done so. A couple other titles you may want to try are:

Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen.

After running away from her fifth foster home, Holly, a twelve-year-old orphan, travels across the country, keeping a journal of her experiences and struggle to survive.

We have other titles by Jack Canfield including:

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul II : 101 More Stories of Life, Love, and Learning compiled by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Kimberly Kirberger.

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul Letters : Letters of Life, Love, and Learning compiled by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Kimberly Kirberger.

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff : Stories of Tough Times and Lessons Learned compiled by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Kimberly Kirberger.

Other titles include:

Here are some titles like Fairest you might like:

Beast by Donna Jo Napoli.

Elaborates on the tale of "Beauty and the Beast," told from the point of view of the beast and set in Persia.

Owl in Love by Patrice Kindl.

A fourteen-year-old girl, who can transform herself into an owl at will, discovers interesting new relationships with both humans and owls when she develops a crush on her science teacher.

Alanna: The First Adventure (first in the series about Alanna adventures) by Tamora Pierce.