I left a great library system behind in Brisbane but the county one here seems very good. One of the best things about it is that they obviously have a different selection of books, so apart from dredging my memory trying to remember authors I had given up on finding in Australia I can also walk into libraries and pick up new and interesting books.
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Incarceron by Catherine Fisher was one of those books I was able to just pick up. I knew people on the net had read and enjoyed it so grabbed it without a second thought and was soon gobbling it down. The blurb probably would have sucked me in anyway:

(Sorry for taking the lazy way out but doesn't it sound intriguing?)
Incarceron was really good - my favourite Catherine Fisher so far. I thought the setting was intriguing. The main characters were believably confused and even unsympathetic at times (in the way lots of real people are).The story combined YA themes of finding identity and self-questioning with political maneuvering and adventure. The book ended fairly abruptly, with lots of loose ends that could make up sequels, so be warned!* The slightly grim overtone of the story also makes it less likely to become one of my favourite re-reads, although this may be mitigated by more cheerful sequels of course.

A book I just finished was also gleaned through briefly walking through the library. This was The mobile library: the case of the missing books by Ian Sansom. I can see why the librarians of the shire liked it enough to highlight it as book of the month. It tells the story of the hapless Israel, who moves to the north of Ireland to become a librarian - a step up from his dead-end job selling books in a discount store in London. But when he arrives the library is shut down and he is given a run-down bus to open a mobile library route. He has to live in a building that doubles with a chicken coop. Oh, and the 15 000 books from the library collection are also missing.

The book follows Israel's journeys around the countryside and his encounters with the eccentric locals as he attempts to discover the location of the books. One example is Mrs Roulston "who lived by herself somewhere down near Ballygodknowswhere, and who had somehow ended up with all sixty-one volumes of the library's collected St Aquinas, which she'd been working through and testing by the yardstick of the Holy Bible and her own strong Presbyterian faith; and it turned out that he had the wrong end of the stick, apparently, Aquinas".

I loved the premise of the story and there were lots of funny moments as the city bred Israel learnt to deal with the different culture. I wouldn't recommend this to someone looking for a mystery as it formed a fairly minor part of the story. Israel was almost too bumbling and stupid - at times I had to glance away from the page in embarrassment for him. All in all, it was a fun read but I was surprised at the glowing quotes from major newspapers given on the back cover.

OK that's tired out my memory skills enough for one day. I'll try to return before next weekend with more books!

*I have just gone and checked at So many books and apparently there will be more books! Yay! Thanks for the good news Lady S.

Tags: books, fantasy, fisher, mystery, sansom, young adult