Please browse here to find books that I think are worth your time.... or are real stinkers. I will let you know what I REALLY think of what I am reading. You might not find the newest and most popular books here, but I would LOVE it if you find something unexpectedly great!

I will indicate on each post the Lexile level of the book.
To find out more about Lexile levels, go HERE.

Use the labels list on the right side of the screen to find a title about something you are interested in. You can also search by Lexile levels.

Happy Reading!

Monday, May 28, 2018

Rules of Civility

By Amor Towles
Lexile = ?

I'm approaching a dilemma here in the Ridgeline Library, and it's all about that question mark you see above. When a book I post here doesn't have a Lexile number, it's because it isn't a "kids" book.... Lexiles indicate reading level and they are super helpful in schools when a reader is looking for an appropriate book. Here's the problem: the collection here seems to be straddling two (or maybe three) worlds. You can see from the green labels at the right that I have books that are around 400 reading level... that is about 2nd grade reading! Granted, the subject matter is NOT appropriate for elementary, but still.

So, who do I buy books for? Well, ALL OF YOU, but that leaves the library straddling. All of this leads me to The Rules of Civility. It's an adult read... not because of of inappropriate content, but because it has a slower pace, more textual development and adult themes. (no one is going to the prom in this type of book!)

Katey is living in New York City and happens to meet Tinker Grey on New Years Eve. He is a charming and successful banker. Katey and her friend, Evelyn, begin to spend time with Tinker. Well, because of unforeseen circumstances, Tinker and Evelyn end up together. Where does this leave Katey? The rest of the novel is untangling the mess. Again, slow character building. People I thought were minor characters suddenly explode into major plot movers. I felt like I could write a great AP type essay on so many aspects of this book! But it isn't a difficult read.... just intriguing and thoughtful.

Lots of memorable quotes here, as well:

"I'm willing to be under anything...as long as it isn't somebody's thumb."

"If we only fell in love with people who were perfect for us, then there wouldn’t be so much fuss about love in the first place."

“If you could relive one year in your life, which one would it be? [...] The upcoming one.”

Rules of Civility has been compared to The Great Gatsby, and I wonder this this may just be a "classic" some day as well.

Watch a short video of the author describing the book HERE.

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