It is hard to believe 2012 comes to a close in a matter of days; how time flies.The year end is always a good time for reflection, and on that note, some of the Cornell Library staff pulled together their favorite books of 2012.
Let us know if what your favorite books of 2012 are, and what you plan to read over winter break!
Rhonda Murhphy’s pick
Code Name Verity
Set toward the end of WWII, a British spy and best friend pilot are shot down in Nazi-occupied France, not so unusual for the times except that they are both young women – much less common in those occupations at that time. This is a fictional story about the young spy trying desperately to avoid execution while her aviator friend tries to find and then rescue her. It is a novel but based on a lot of historical research and pretty fascinating.
Christine Ryan’s choice
Louise Penny’s mystery series.
Set mainly in a Canadian village just north of the Vermont border, and in Montreal. Her books are filled with fascinating, complex characters, and are beautifully written.
Lisa Donadio’s pick
The Night Circus –sheer magic!
Heidi Conner’s pick
The Paris Wife
Devastating and beautiful –I couldn’t put it down.
Jane Woldow’s choice:
In Chambers: Stories of Supreme Court Law Clerks and their Justices
Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy by Jackie Davis and David Soman
Carl Yirka’s pick
Sweet Tooth
Ian McEwan, perhaps best known for Atonement, his 2001 novel, made into an award winning movie in 2007, is a fine writer and I would recommend any of his works on the basis of the quality of his writing. This, McEwan’s most recent novel, published only last month, is a delight for a couple of reasons. First, McEwan tells the story from a woman’s point of view. It would be presumptuous of me to definitively suggest he does it perfectly or even well, but so few male author’s would even attempt an entire 300 page book from the woman’s point of view, that he should get some kudos for that. Second, the plot. It’s a thriller…no, it’s a love story…. Well, you will have to judge for yourself. Ok, there are spies in it, but there are authors in it as well. There are even short stories within the story. However you read it, there is a twist at the end which caught me completely off guard.
Julien & Virginia Cornell Library 