Charity's Reading Log

Hotel Babylon by an anonymous author with the help of Imogen Edwards Jones - A psuedo-fictional book that exposes the eccentric inner workings of the luxury hotel business. Set in a fictional hotel in London, the book unfolds over a 24 hour period in the life of the hotel. From overbooking to up-pricing, to celebrities to the help staff, every element of the hotel is examined in honest and often hilarious detail. The most famous underbelly of the hotel business, prostitution, offers some of the more humorous scenes in the book. An "extra pillow' requested from the concierge most assuredly is no reference to what it may seem, so be careful the next time you find yourself requsting one during your next vacation! (Thanks for the suggestion, Jessa!)


A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly - Mattie Gokey promised her dying mother that she would always take care of her father and younger siblings. She is stuck on a farm, living in near poverty, with no way of escaping, even though she has been accepted at Barnard College because she is a very talented writer. Against her true desires, she promises to marry Royal Loomis, the handsome neighbor, even though he doesn't seem to love her in the least. Now, Mattie has promised Grace Brown, a guest at the Adirondack summer resort where she works, to burn two bundles of letters. Then, before she can dispose of the letters, Grace's body is found in the lake, and the young man who was with her disappears, too. This is a thoughtful tale, complex and well-written, wrapped around a true story. The portryal of how women were regarded in the late 1800s was dead-on, and the dedication that Mattie feels for her family and for doing the "right thing" is a refreshing detour from many of today's young adult fiction books.