Finding New Books

Something about the cold weather today made me think of Andrei Makine, a contemporary Russian author. He grew up in Soviet Russia and emigrated to France in the 1980s. He writes about his childhood in the Soviet Empire, about the shift from aristocratic Russia to the Soviet Empire, and about being an emigrant in the United States (bonus points for anyone who can explain the difference between an immigrant and an emigrant). Dreams of My Russian Summers is his most popular book, but Once Upon the River Love is my favorite. And the graveyard on Elmwood Avenue in Burlington always reminds me of The Crime of Olga Arbyelina, for some reason.

However, I didn't want the boring certainty of something I had already read. I wanted to discover a new story. How does one find a new book when one is in the mood for something specific? Several of you have mentioned friends or family members who can recommend books, based on what they know of your tastes. I tried that today; I asked the librarians at the Fletcher Free Library, in Burlington, if they could recommend somebody like Makine. I had to think hard for a second to really identify what it was about Makine's books that I enjoyed, but I was pleased by the results. The first recommendation was Paul Auster, whom we have read in class. A brilliant suggestion, except for the fact that I've read all the Auster in the library. However, I ended up with four authors, all new to me, and walked away with two new books.

Another tool is the website, gnooks.com. This website suggests authors related by writing style or thematic style. You type in an author you like, and the website creates a web of similar authors. An easy way to get some direction towards new books you might like. Sometimes it's successful, sometimes you end up with a dud, but it's a starting point.

Speaking of libraries, are you all patrons of your local libraries? The school library is quite impressive, but there are lovely libraries with other books all across Vermont. Fairfax, Fairfield, Georgia, St. Albans, and Waterville all have local libraries, so you don't have to fight over the one copy of Redwall.

josiah