We’re reading across the spectrum this week at Library Journal/School Library Journal, with nonfiction and fiction both represented. A cross theme of strong women, from actress Anjelica Huston to warrior maiden Alanna to Anne Frank’s sister, is in play, with some humor and fantastic fantasy thrown in. There’s also real-life drama, as beleaguered hospital staffers make life-and-death decisions after Hurricane Katrina swamps and isolates them.

Mahnaz Dar, Associate Editor, Library Journal

This week, I’m reading Kids These Days by Drew Perry (Algonquin). This novel about a couple awaiting their first child reminds me a bit of the indie film Away We Go, also about a rootless expectant thirtysomething pair. After Walt loses his job and Alice gives up hers, the couple move to Florida, where Walt will work for Alice’s brother-in-law, Mid. Sounds simple, but there’s already a strain of quirkiness running through this one (Mid just handed Walt a check for 30 grand to cover him and Alice for the next few months in lieu of a traditional paycheck and told him that part of his job entails checking up on a self-serve ice station once or twice a week).