Top 5 Romantic Books at the Library - E-Book Edition

Earlier this week, we posted about the top 5 most checked out romantic books in the Dick Smith Library's physical collections. This time we're listing the library's top 5 romantic e-books - which, by the way, can be checked out by Tarleton students, faculty, and staff no matter where you are.

1. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

When New Yorker Rachel Chu agrees to go to Singapore with her boyfriend to meet his family, she finds out that he is, in fact, very wealthy and one of the most eligible bachelors in all of Asia.

You can find Crazy Rich Asians by clicking here.

2. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

The first book in Aveyard's Red Queen YA fantasy series, in which those with Red blood serve those with Silver, who have superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red but discovers that she has an ability only Silvers should have. Those who like love triangles may want to check this out.

You can find Red Queen by clicking here. The e-audiobook version is also available.

3. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor and Park are two teens growing up in Omaha in the 1980s. Park has an American father and a Korean mother and does his best to blend in. Eleanor is the "new girl" with a difficult family situation. They find themselves drawn to each other, and their friendship gradually morphs into something else.

You can find Eleanor & Park by clicking here.

4. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

In this Beauty and the Beast-inspired YA fantasy, Feyre is taken to a magical kingdom for the crime of murdering a faerie. She eventually begins to fall for her captor, who is suffering from a mysterious curse.

You can find A Court of Thorns and Roses by clicking here.

5. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Yes, Outlander managed to make it onto both the library's print book and e-book top 5 lists. If you're a fan of the TV series, you might want to read (or reread) one of the books in this time travel romance series to make the wait for Season 5 a little easier.

You can find Outlander by clicking here.

Top 5 Romantic Books at DSL

It's February, and you know what that means: it's almost time for Library Lovers Week! Oh, and also Valentine's Day.

Here are the top 5 checked out romantic books in the Dick Smith Library's physical collections. If you prefer e-books, don't worry, we'll be posting a similar list for those on Wednesday.

1. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Outlander is the first book in Gabaldon's time travel/historical fiction/romance series. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is transported from the year 1945 to 1743 Scotland. She finds herself torn between her memories of the life and husband she left behind and the new life she begins building with Jamie Fraser, a young Highland warrior.

You can find Outlander in the General Stacks upstairs with the call number: PS3557 .A22 O98 1991












2. Foul Play by Janet Evanovich

You may know Janet Evanovich best as the author of the long-running Stephanie Plum mystery series, but did you know that she'd previously written several romantic comedies? Foul Play is one of them. It stars Amy Klasse, a woman who loses her TV job to a dancing chicken and its attractive handler, and Jake Elliott, the veterinarian who offers Amy a new job as his receptionist. When the chicken disappears, Amy and Jake work to prove Amy's innocence and end up finding romance along the way.

You can find Foul Play in the General Stacks upstairs with the call number: PS3555 .V2126 F597 2008

3. Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson

Jennifer returns to the village where she grew up because her beloved grandmother is in a coma. While there, she discovers a stack of letters that her grandmother wrote to her, telling her about her life. As she learns her grandmother's secrets, Jennifer also reunites with Brendan, a childhood friend. If you're a fan of emotional books, you may want to check this one out.

You can find Sam's Letters to Jennifer in the General Stacks upstairs with the call number: PS3566 .A822 S26 2004











4. The Big Bad Wolf Tells All by Donna Kauffman

Tanzy Harrington is a romance columnist who likes dating but isn't interested in settling down. She thinks men fall into two categories: wolves and sheep. Women date wolves but marry sheep, and she prefers wolves. When her aunt asks her to house sit, Tanzy finds herself in close proximity with her aunt's new personal assistant, Riley, a total sheep...or is he?

You can find The Big Bad Wolf Tells All in the General Stacks upstairs with the call number: PS3561 .A816 B54 2003

5. The Secret by Julie Garwood

In this historical romance, Judith Hampton, an English woman, promises to be by her Scottish best friend's side when she gives birth, and to learn everything about midwifery that she can in order to help her survive. Iain Maitland, Laird of his clan, acts as her escort, and the two gradually fall in love with each other.

You can find The Secret in the General Stacks upstairs with the call number: PS3557 .A8427 S4 1992B

Terrifying Children's Books

Flavorwire has a list of the 10 most terrifying children's books from around the world. The Dick Smith Library owns several of these:

• Struwwelpeter by Heinrich Hoffmann
• The courtship, merry marriage, and feast of Cock Robin and Jenny Wren, to which is added The doleful death of Cock Robin illustrated by Barbara Cooney
• Outside over there by Maurice Sendak

The two books that frightened me most as a child are Der Struwwelpeter and Wilhelm Busch's Max und Moritz (available at the library as part of The genius of Wilhelm Busch edited and translated by Walter Arndt).

What books scared you when you were little? Are there any you'd add to this list?

Romance Novels at the Library

If you've been by the library lately, you may have noticed our Valentine's Day display, which has tons of romantic items...and romance novels! Romance is one of my favorite genres, so I thought I'd list a few that the library has in its collection. Some of the books I've listed below have been used in the display, so be sure to ask for help if you have trouble finding one you'd like to read.

• Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn - A Regency romance novel. Penelope Featherington is resigned to the idea of becoming an old maid, even though she has been in love with Colin Bridgerton, her best friend’s brother, for years. What she doesn't realize at first is that Colin has finally started noticing her as more than just a family friend.
• Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz - This romantic suspense novel features a psychic heroine and a private investigator hero.
• The Host by Stephanie Meyer - I'm sure just about everyone has at least heard of Meyer's Twilight series, but did you know that Meyer has also written about aliens? Although not technically a romance novel, this book features strong romantic subplots. It stars an alien who has taken over the body of a human girl.
• The Big Bad Wolf Tells All by Donna Kauffman - This book mixes suspense with romantic comedy. The heroine, Tanzy, is a columnist with a stalker. She's unaware that her great-aunt's seemingly boring and dependable personal assistant is actually a private investigator her great-aunt hired to keep an eye on her.
• A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux - Douglass is abandoned by her boyfriend while vacationing with him and his spoiled daughter in England. Heartbroken, she wishes she had a knight in shining armor, and Nicholas, a knight from the 16th century, magically appears. This book is much-loved by many fans of time travel romances.
• Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - Speaking of time travel romances, if you'd like something where the heroine travels into the past, this book (and the others in the series) might be for you. In 1945, Claire, an English nurse on her honeymoon in the Scottish Highlands, is transported to 1743. She becomes torn between the husband she left in her present and the young Highland warrior she eventually falls for in the past.
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - A classic romance novel. If you've already read it, this might be the perfect month for a reread.
• The Secret by Julie Garwood - In this historical romance, the heroine, Judith, is determined to attend the birth of her best friend's first child and to find her father. Her escort from her home in England to her friend's Highland home is Iain, a Scottish laird. One of the things about this book that hooked me when I first read it was the strong bond between Judith and her friend.

You can find more romance novels, books about romance novels, and books with strong romantic elements in the library's catalog by doing a subject search for "love stories."

Top Ten Tuesday: My Top 10 from NPR's Top 100 Science-Fiction/Fantasy Books List

NPR's list of the top 100 science-fiction and fantasy books is up, and here are my top 10 from that list. I've linked to the ones the library owns, so you can see if they're currently available for check out.

1. The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman
2. Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey
3. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
4. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
5. Going Postal by Terry Pratchett (we only have this as an audiobook, but at least Stephen Briggs is a fantastic reader)
6. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
7. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
8. Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb (the only book in the Farseer Trilogy I've read)
9. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (available both in print and audio formats!)
10. Sunshine by Robin McKinley

There were quite a few books on the top 100 list I haven't read yet, although I have a feeling that, even if I had read them all, Gaiman still would have nabbed several spots on my top 10 list. He's one of my favorite authors.

So, which books would you have chosen?

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Dystopian Novels That the Dick Smith Library Offers

Looking to take a journey? You can find what you’re looking for at the Dick Smith Library. Here is a list of ten dystopian novels the Dick Smith Library has to offer. What is a dystopian novel you may ask? They are stories of the future with a cautionary tale, typically commenting on how we live society today and the consequences of living that way. Several of these titles can also be found on the Banned Books list. You can check out any of these books on this list; just remember to have your Tarleton I.D. or a photo I.D. with you.

Lord of the Flies- William Golding
PR 6013.035 L6 1975

Handmaid’s Tale-Margaret Atwood
PR9199.3 A8 H3165 2004

Neuromancer- William Gibson
PR3557.I2264 N48 2004

Iron Heel- Jack London
PS3523.046 I7 1957

The Running Man- Richard Bachman aka Stephen King
PS3561.I483 R8 1999

The Children of Men- P.D. James
PR6060.A467 C48 1993

The Time Machine- H.G. Wells
PR5774.B8

1984-George Orwell
PR6029.R8n5 1949

Fahrenheit 451- Ray Bradbury
PS3503.R16F3 2003

Brave New World- Aldous Huxley
PR6015.U9B65 1950

Some New Audiobooks

For you commuters or anyone about to take a long road trip, the Dick Smith Library has a growing collection of audiobooks in CD format, with many audiobooks still available in cassette format. They are located on the lower level of the library, just to the right in the Audiovisual Collection area as you exit the elevator or the stairs. You can check them out for four weeks; plenty of time to take them on a vacation (just be sure you don't lose any of the pieces!). Here are some of our newest acquisitions:

History-General

F592.7 .A49 1996B - Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West, by noted historian Stephen E. Ambrose

F1230 .L45 2008AB - Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs by Buddy Levy

Social Science

HD31 .B527 2003AB - The One Minute Manager by Kenneth H. Blanchard

HM1033 .G53 2007 - The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, by Malcolm Gladwell

Political Science

JK468.I6 B89 2008D - Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorism Agent, by Fred Burton

Education

LD571 .B418 S383 2004AB - Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson, by Mitch Albom

Literature

PQ9281.A66 E6813 2008AB - Blindness, a dystopian novel by Nobel Literature prize-winner Jose Saramago

PR6119.E86 T48 2006AB - The Thirteenth Tale, a Gothic suspense novel by Diane Setterfield

PS3555.B4824 A615 2008AB - The 19th Wife, by David Ebershoff, a novel with a present-day murder mystery intertwined with a fictionalized memoir (that's based on a real one written in 1875), all involving polygamy

PS3566.I372 H37 2008 - Harvesting the Heart, by bestselling author Jodi Picoult

PS3569.E314 W48 2008 - When You Are Engulfed in Flames, humor by David Sedaris

PS3569.T736 O5 2008AB - Olive Kitteridge, this year's Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction by Elizabeth Strout, a set of 13 short stories linked by the title character, a 60-something math teacher in Maine

PS3602.A777548 L131 2008 - The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry, suspense set in present-day Salem, Massachusetts

PS3607.R696 W38 2006AB - Water for Elephants, historical fiction set in and around a Depression-era circus, by Sara Gruen

PZ7.Z837 BOO 2006C - The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, historical fiction set in World War II Germany, with Death as the narrator

Suggestions for CD format audiobook purchases are always welcome; use the comments area below!

Father's Day and other manly musings

Wow! Here is a site that offers a list, the 100 Must Read books for men (or for women who want to understand them). It is a combination of summer reading, reading you should do before you die, ideas for Father's Day, etc.. Titles run from children's books to heavy heavy reading and include Into the Wild, several from Doestoevsky, The Hobbit, Hatchet, Leviathan, and 95 or so MORE.

At that site is also a link to 'Manly Skills' which includes 'How to Give an Impressive Handshake' and 'Every Man Should Carry a Pocketknife' and more.

As a bonus, the comments are entertaining, and offer other book ideas as well. Check it out! And then, check out some books!
The Essential Man's Library