Greenburgh Public Library Blog

Greenburgh Public Library Ravenous Readers! Sci Fi & Fantasy

Everyone has a story about reading; what books mean to them, where they like to read, when they first began reading. In this blog series, I have reached out to Greenburgh patrons asking what makes them ravenous readers and what they like to consume most. Here is the first story from Kathy, a long time Greenburgh patron.

Christina: What were your reading habits as a child?

Kathy: It’s funny, both my parents worked hard. There was not a whole lot of money for extras but my mother always found extra money to buy me books. I remember going to the Scholastic Book Fair at school where other kids would buy one or two books and my mother would give me enough money for 15. She knew I would go right through them. At that same time my 6^th grade teacher called me an omnivorous reader. I didn’t know what that word was so I looked it up and learned that it meant “undiscriminating” or “indiscriminate” and I remember taking offense to that because I cared about what I read and always chose my books with care.

Christina: Where and how do you prefer to read?

Kathy: I prefer a physical book. There is something about turning a page and still flipping back to something previously read making sure that I have the facts straight and that the author does too. I also always have a book in my bag. I never go anywhere without a book. You never know if you will be stuck somewhere and it would be horrible to be stuck without something to read.

Christina: If you were trapped on a desert island what kind of books would sustain you?

Kathy: Sci-Fi/Fantasy! The planet is a limited resource and the future is outer space and since I won’t live to see it I am so glad I can read about it. Also, this genre was always more open and accepting of people’s differences even before it was in style. Examples of this are the Darkover Series by Marion Zimmer Bradley and of course Star Trek!

Christina: What is the book(s) that hooked you into this genre?

Kathy: The Hobbit by J.R. Tolkien. I was 12 years old when my brother introduced me to this book and said I had to read it. The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings opened doors to many other Fantasy books. By college I discovered Isaac Asimov and The Foundation series. I have read absolutely everything Asimov has ever written. In fact, I have also read The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester who was Asimov’s inspiration to become a writer.

Christina: What recent titles would you suggest to other Sci-Fi/Fantasy fans?

Kathy: The Shadow of What was Lost by James Islington- Very seldom does a book surprise me and there are many unexpected surprises in this series.

The Forgetting Moon by Brian Lee Durfee – He is a talented new author.

Salvation and Revenger by Peter Hamilton and Alastair Reynolds – These authors are carrying on in the tradition of Asimov.

Thanks to our Ravenous Reader, Kathy for sharing her reading gems. You can get all these Sci-Fi/Fantasy books and more through the library catalog and online with Cloudlibrary, Overdrive, Hoopla and Total BooX. Happy reading!