Just as he did in The Terror, Dan Simmons draws impeccably from history to create a gloriously engaging and terrifying narrative. Based on the historical details of Charles Dicken's life and narrated by Wilkie Collins (Dicken's friend, frequent collaborator, and secret rival), Drood explores the still unsolved mysteries of the famous authors last years.

If you are looking for a book that is chilling, haunting, and utterly original, with a touch of history and literature, you might like to read Drood by Dan Simmons.

Other books you might like are:

The Terror by Dan Simmons

The Last Dickens by Matthew Pearl

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl

You can check the library's online card catalog to see if these titles are available or to place a reserve.

Travel the World from Your Living Room: India

For those of us who aren't able to take wild and exotic vacations reading about foriegn places can be almost as good. Check out these books if you want to see India, it's people, it's customs and it's food. The library's online catalog can show you what's available.

Love and Longing in Bombay: Stories by Vikram Chandra

Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry

The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar

Fasting and Feasting by Anita Desai

A Sin of Color by Sunetra Gupta

The Impressionist by Hari Kunzru

Ladies Coupe by Anita Nair

Magic Seeds by V.S. Naipaul

Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama

Where do you want to visit?

Summer is Short, Read a Story

Summer is soon coming to an end, but there is still time to get some reading done. The library has a number of story collections that are perfect for reading when you are short on time. Try one of the titles on this list, or check the library's online catalog for more suggestions.

The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: and Other Small Acts of Liberation by Elizabeth Berg

Wild Nights: Stories About the Last Days of Poe, Dickinson, Twain, James and Hemingway by Joyce Carol Oates

Coronado by Dennis Lehane

The Gardens of Reading: an Anthology of 20th Century Short Fiction About Gardens and Gardeners

Just After Sunset by Stephen King

Happy Families by Carlos Fuentes

Immortals: the Reckoning by Jennifer Ashley

Cheating at Canasta by William Trevor

Two of the Deadliest: new Tales of Lust, Greed, and Murder From Outstanding Women of Mystery edited by Elizabeth George

The Thing Around Your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The View From the Seventh Layer by Kevin Brockmeier

The Send-Away Girl by Barbara Sutton

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

Cool Books for Hot Summer Days

As Carolina steams through hot summer days, try one of these cool books.

An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris

Dry Ice by Stephen White

Fortress of Ice by C.J. Cherryh

How to be Cool by Johanna Edwards

Be Cool by Elmore Leonard

Cold Case by Kate Wilhelm

The Cold Six Thousand by James Ellroy

One Cold Night by Robert B. Parker

Cold Mountain by Charles Fraizer

Fire and Ice by J.A. Jance

Ice Blue by Anne Stuart

Fire and Ice by Julie Garwood

You can check the library's online catalog to check the availability of these titles and to place a reserve.

NPR: 100 Best Beach Books Ever

Have you seen the list of the 100 Best Beach Books Ever, put out by NPR? The list was created by NPR listeners who voted for their favorite beach books. It's a great list full of old classics and new classics. And there are some pretty large books on there which is great for summer when we have more time to read. I've read forty-three (43) of the titles on the list. How many have you read? Is there a book you think should be on the list? Leave me some comments, and if you are a Stanly County Public Library patron I'll toss your name in the pot for a free book. You can check the library's online catalog to see which titles we have and to place a reserve.