Answers to Go
Q. I am looking for something “new to me” to read. What hidden gems of literature can you recommend? What happens if the Library does not have everything I want to read?
A. The San Marcos Public Library has a treasure trove of literature that are “hidden gems.” I will note here some of my favorites as well as those of my colleagues here at the library.
Rumer Godden is one of my favorite authors. She wrote in excess of 30 novels for adults and 22 works for children, including non-fiction works about India. One of my favorites is “An Episode of Sparrows.” This is a story of childhood, belonging, and a garden. The library has some of novels, as well as the DVD Black Narcissus, based on one of Godden’s novels. Internet Movies Data Base summarizes the plot this way: “A group of nuns struggle to establish a convent in the Himalayas, while isolation, extreme weather, altitude, and culture clashes all conspire to drive the wellintentioned missionaries mad.”
“The Anomaly” by Michael Rutger is a favorite hidden gem of library clerk Tristan. Rutger’s debut novel, as reviewed by Booklist Magazine should, “appeal to fans of The X-Files or Fringe as well as anyone looking for an enjoyable supernatural tale.” Tristan also describes it as a “new take on the cave horror genre.”
Library clerk and SMPL Virtual Book Club aficionado Jennifer Kebay recommends “Let Him Go” by Larry Watson as a surprisingly good read. Booklist Magazine describes the work as “Superb storytelling from a writer who continues to find a special kind of melancholy poetry in the unforgiving landscape of the mountain states.” Another hidden gem from Jennifer is “The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao” by Martha Batalha. The book’s publisher describes it as “A darkly comic portrait of two rebellious sisters in 1940s Rio de Janeiro that illuminates contemporary issues of feminism and domestic equality.”
Another “hidden gem” of the library comes from library clerk, Emily., who manages the periodicals at the library and recommends checking out back-issues. We retain the current year and previous year’s issues. The San Marcos Public Library has hundreds of magazines titles in its collection. Back issues can be checked out five at a time and have a one-week checkout period.
“The Dark Frontier” is spy novelist Eric Ambler’s first novel. Ambler, often referred to as the first successful spy novelist, went on to publish 20 more novels, many of them considered classics in the spy thriller genre. While the library owns “The Dark Frontier,” it does not own many of his other works and many are out of print. Thus, this author’s books would be good candidates for interlibrary loan.
While the library has almost 180,000 items, it does not have everything that everyone wants. For those items that we do not own, we have the Purchase Suggestion process or the Interlibrary Loan process. The library has a Purchase Suggestion form that we encourage our patrons to fill out if there is something the library does not have. However, we are not able to buy everything requested by our patrons. Often, many things are no longer in print. This is where Interlibrary Loan comes in. Interlibrary Loan is a reciprocal borrowing program that allows us to borrow things from other libraries in Texas and the United States to loan them to our patrons. There is a charge of $4 per item (for postage) and a short form to fill out.
The library is currently closed but will open on May 24. At that time we invite you to come to the library to discover your own “hidden gem.”
Suzanne Sanders is the new columnist for the Library. She is the Community Services Manager for the San Marcos Public Library and came from the Austin Public Library in 2015 after having served there as a librarian for over 20 years. She gratefully accepts your questions for this column.
