Scott Lenski, Head of Adult Services
I’ve been at the Whitefish Bay Public Library since 2012. I plan most of the adult programming, update the website and do the library’s social media. I love to read a little bit of everything, from literary fiction to mystery, and sci-fi to nonfiction books about science. Some of my favorite authors are John Irving, Dennis Lehane, Tana French, Meg Wolitzer, and John Scalzi.
s.lenski@wfblibrary.org
The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer
The Interestings is the story of six teenagers who meet at an arts summer camp. We follow these teenagers to middle age, as each must deal with their successes (or lack thereof). This book examines what happens to our dreams when we grow up. Wolitzer’s style reminded me of John Irving. I cherished every single page of this book and look forward to reading some of her other work.
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A Widow for One Year by John Irving
This is John Irving at his best as he chronicles the life of writer Ruth Cole. Tragedy strikes the Cole family before Ruth’s birth and this leaves her mother and father broken and shattered. As Irving often does in his novels we follow the main character throughout most of her life. There is a particularly riveting scene that has been stuck in my head since first reading this gem.
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The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Tart’s first novel follows a group of highly intelligent and eccentric college students as they plunge into a world of drinking, drugs, and darkness. An accidental murder is at the heart of this book which is part literary fiction and part psychological thriller. The prose is absolutely wonderful and you’ll want to savor every word.
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A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Ignatius J. Reilly is a bumbling 30 year old who still lives at home with his mom. He is scribing his life story on giant writing pads that he keeps hidden under his bed. A car accident by his drunk mother sends him looking for a job, and then he finds himself in some pretty ridiculous situations. In real life Ignatius would drive me crazy, but as a literary character he is hilariously memorable, so much so that I named by dog after him.
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His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman is a trilogy of books that follows Lyra Belacqua as she navigates a world with many similarities but also some differences from our own. In Lyra’s world every person has a daemon, an animal that is a representation of a person’s inner being. This special connection is at risk as children are being taken and experimented on. Pullman is a master world builder and he is in the process of expanding on the original books with a second related trilogy called The Book of Dust.
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