It’s Raining, It’s Pouring
Perfect books to curl up with on a rainy spring day By Brianna Snyder | Illustration by Emily Jahn
A
pril can be a cruel month. Little bursts of warmth and sunshine excite us for summer, while days-long stretches of rain and cold remind us we’ve still got some time before we can break out the beach towels. That makes April a perfect time to curl up by the rain-streaked window with a cup of hot tea and absorb yourself in a good — no, great — book. We talked to area librarians to find out what they and their patrons have been reading this year, and they recommended all kinds of different writers and genres. “Everybody’s looking for something a little bit different,” says Ike Pulver, director of the Saratoga Springs Public Library. In library jargon, the “appeal factor” is what you like in a book and finding the appeal 64 | Life@Home
factor can be “a little bit of a science,” Pulver says. Do you like character development/ study? Are you a plot person? Are you looking for great storytelling? Pulver was joined by Mary Ann Hunter, who stocks the fiction shelves at the Saratoga Springs library; Sarah Clark, a librarian at the Albany Public Library; and Carol Roberts, a librarian at the Troy Public Library, in compiling a list of their (and our) favorites.
Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls, David Sedaris, Little, Brown, 288 pages, $26.99 David Sedaris fans, get excited. It’s been awhile since Sedaris released a
book of essays, and this one about his travels around the world is sharp, funny and moving.
The Lady Most Willing: A Novel in Three Parts, Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, Connie Brockway, Avon, 384 pages, $7.99 A regency romance that takes place right around the Napoleonic War, The Lady Most Willing is historical fiction of the highest caliber, Mary Ann Hunter says. “It’s funny but it’s also sensual,” she says. “It’s not 50 Shades. … These are three very solid romance writers — regency legends,” who write witty dialogue and smart prose.