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Hidden in plain view Thursday

Written by Kirsten on October 22nd, 2009

From Tutu’s Two Cents, a blog I started reading because of our geographical connection; she’s a Mainer, and I’m a former Maine…. resident. :) I like the idea of choosing a random book to single out, as I often forget the answers to the very questions she asks about the title highlighted by the random generator for this weekly.

Welcome to the weekly feature where we use Random.org to pick a book from our library shelves (real or virtual) and bring it out into daylight.  To join in, pick a random book from your library and tell us:

  • title, author, #of pages, edition, (tags, and collections if LT)
  • why that book is in your library, (how and when you acquired the book)
  • whether you’ve read it or not
    • if so did you like it and why;
    • if not, do you plan to read it?

My LibraryThing catalog view is set to 100 books per page, so I first chose a page (5) and then a book on that page (55) and came up with… Loser, by Jerry Spinelli; paperback, 224 pages, YA fiction. My review (which is brief because, well, you all know I hate writing reviews): This book had me in gasping, gut-wrenching sobs for the first half, and wondrous contemplation for the second. A simple, swift read, but one that brilliantly captures the soul of a child as he leaves the emotional safety of a loving home and comes in contact with the world around him, its cruelties immense and looming.

I wish I could remember where I got the recommendation; I really need to start using the private comments in LT for that. At any rate, I loved Spinelli’s prose, was absolutely enamored of Donald (the protagonist), and will certainly be reading more by this author (have already purchased Stargirl but – say it with me, now – haven’t gotten to it yet).

 

4 Comments so far ↓

  1. Tina says:

    Thanks for playing the Hidden in Plain View meme. I think many of us have loads of hidden treasures on our shelves, and it’s a shame to keep that out of sight. This one sounds like one I’ll be on the lookout for. As my grandchild gets older, I’m starting to look at more YA books, so this author is on my list.
    .-= Tina´s last blog ..Review: The Christmas Cookie Club =-.

  2. Kirsten says:

    I think it’s a great meme; I think in the future, once I’ve re-shelved my library, I’ll use it to decide what to bump up the TBR list if I’m feeling fickle.
    If you need YA recommendations, it’s one of my favorite genres; I’d be happy to talk about the books that might appeal to your grandchild :)

  3. Valentina says:

    Hello, I’m glad you liked “Loser”! I think it was my review that made you read it:D
    http://valentinasroom.blogspot.com/2009/05/loser-jerry-spinelli.html
    .-= Valentina´s last blog ..Some thoughts about reading and blogging in 2009 =-.

  4. Kirsten says:

    Valentina, sorry for the delay – my latest post gives the dish as to why :) At any rate, yes, it was your review that prompted me to read Spinelli; I picked up Stargirl immediately upon completing Loser and just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Hopefully this year!

Reply to Valentina