Reader's Corner - April 2013 Update

"The Diviners is the cat's meow!"

So April was not the cruelest month. It was one of those months that zipped on by in a whirl of collection development and library programming.

While I got very little reading done, I did get a chance to listen to some wonderful audiobooks. (I have a feeling I should change this monthly post from Reader's Corner to Listener's Corner.) 

First of all, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is absolutely magical. There's a love story and a coming-of-age story, but really, it's about a place so special that everyone who reads the book wishes they could go to the Night Circus while wearing a red scarf to meet other people who know how special it is. The Circus itself is a character, the most important character of all, built from love and pining and loss.

The other audiobook I listened to was The Diviners by Libba Bray. Evie O'Neill is a flapper in 1920's New York who has the ability to "read" objects and see the past. She lives with her Uncle Will, who runs an occult museum, and together they investigate a series a horrific murders. 

But The Diviners isn't just about Evie. It's a huge, sprawling novel that introduces many characters who also have special gifts. This is the first in a series, so most of these characters are incidental to the main plot but you know they'll have their own storylines in future volumes.

Even though there's a lot going on in the novel, it doesn't seem bloated with unnecessary detail or story threads. In fact, the historical details are entertaining, as well as thorough, and really bring 1920's New York to life.

Also, The Diviners is as scary as hell. 

The Diviners book trailer: