Thursday, May 29, 2014

June Library Reads


The June Library Reads list is now available. Here are a few of the top picks.

To see the full list click here.

Library Reads June Favorite
Elizabeth is Missing: A Novel
by Emma Healey

“Maude sinks into a confusing world in this gripping psychological mystery written in the voice of an aging woman with Alzheimer’s. She can’t remember what she’s doing or where she is, but she is obsessed with one thought–her good friend Elizabeth is missing. Book groups will enjoy this satisfying and entertaining read!”

Mary Campanelli, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, OH










China Dolls: A Novel
by Lisa See

“Set in 1938 San Francisco, this book follows the lives of three young women up through WWII. Grace travels to California seeking stardom, where she meets Helen, a young woman from Chinatown, and the two find jobs as nightclub dancers. While auditioning, they cross paths with Ruby, and the book alternates between all three viewpoints. Lisa See is one of my favorite authors, and her newest title doesn’t disappoint.”

Catherine Coyne, Mansfield Public Library, Mansfield, MA







The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street: A Novel
by Susan Jane Gilman

“In the tenements of old New York, a young Russian Jewish immigrant woman is taken in by an Italian family who sells ice. Through sheer persistence and strong will, she manages to build an ice cream empire. Lillian Dunkle is a complex character who will both make you cheer even as you are dismayed. Have ice cream on hand when you read this book!”

Marika Zemke, Commerce Township Public Library, Commerce Twp, MI







The Lobster Kings: A Novel
by Alexi Zentner

“This well-crafted story truly captures the beauty and brutality of living by the sea. The characters show what it’s like to have saltwater in your veins and commitment to family and community. Zentner depicts a way of life that is fast disappearing. Perfect for summer reading.”

Lisa Marie Joyce, Portland Public Library & South Portland Public Library, Portland, ME








The Quick: A Novel
by Lauren Owen

“This book starts out slowly, with an unconventional Victorian-era romance and builds to an unexpected development by the end of part one. Owen continues the slow boil of suspense with a curiously-enticing plot, centering on members of an exclusive London gentleman’s club who are testing the boundaries of their own organization. For those who enjoy historical fiction with a twist.”

Lucy Lockley, St. Charles City-County Library, St. Peters, MO








--Post by Tracy

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Romance novels


While mystery is probably the most popular book genre in our library, romance books are a very close second. This can probably be compared with overall book sales as well. According to the Romance Writers of America, romance fiction generated $1.438 billion in sales and was the top-performing category on the best-seller lists in 2012. Also, romance fiction was the largest share of the U.S. consumer market in 2012 at 16.7 percent. The numbers don't lie!

One of the most popular romance writers of all time was Janet Dailey. It is estimated that between 100 million and 300 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide. Dailey started her career in the mid-1970s and her first best seller, Touch the Wind, was published in 1979. At the time her books were a bit different than the average romance novel in that her stories were set in America and that many of the female characters were working women.

Today there is such a wide variety of romance sub-genres readers shouldn't have any trouble finding one that suits their tastes.

In honor of what would have been Janet Dailey's 70th birthday, I'll take a look at some of the more popular Romance genres and the authors that write them.


Contemporary Romance -- This sub-genre takes place anytime after World War II no matter what the setting. These type of books generally has the heroine dealing with more ordinary problems such as single parenthood or career difficulties. These hardships tend to be at the center of the romantic relationship as the couple deals with these issues.

To read titles like this check out these authors:

Kristin Hannah
Susan Mallery
Debbie Macomber
Sherryl Woods



Historical Romance -- This is one of the most popular romance sub-genres. Books that fall into this category have stories set in any historical time period. The most popular time period is the Regency era.

To read titles like this check out these authors:

Mary Balogh
Eloisa James
Sabrina Jeffries
Stephanie Laurens


Inspirational Romance -- Romance novels in which religious or spiritual beliefs (in the context of any religion or spiritual belief system) are a major part of the romantic relationship.

To read titles like this check out these authors:

Lori Copeland
Karen Kingsbury
Janette Oke
Francine Rivers


Paranormal Romance -- These novels use otherworldly characters, such as angels and psychically-gifted humans, to tell stories of romance set in the future or a fantasy world.

To read titles like this check out these authors:

Chrstine Feehan
Sherrilyn Kenyon
Jayne Ann Krentz
Karen Marie Moning




Romantic Suspense -- Romance novels in which suspense, mystery, or thriller elements constitute an integral part of the plot.

To read titles like this check out these authors:

Suzanne Brockman
Heather Graham
Lisa Jackson
Karen Robards


--Post by Tracy

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Staff Recommendation #30: The Martian by Andy Weir

"Maybe there'll be a day of national mourning for me, and my Wikipedia page will say, 'Mark Watney is the only human being to have died on Mars.' And it will be right, probably. 'Cause I'll surely die here. Just not on Sol 6 when everyone else thinks I did."

As any of our regular readers know, I am a fan of science fiction. But that usually means television. I'm always searching for a great sci-fi read, but I'm very choosey. I like my science fiction to be a bit more science based and I like it be in relation to Earth. The Martian by Andy Weir meets my criteria on both counts.

Set in the near future, The Martian opens with us meeting astronaut Mark Watney six days after being left for dead on Mars. Watney is the engineer and botanist on NASA's second manned mission to Mars. During an escape attempt during a dust storm, Watney gets knocked down from flying debris and assumed dead by his crew mates who must continue on with out him or they will never make it back to the ship.

Watney figures he most likely will be the first man to die on Mars. Everyone thinks he's dead, he has no way to communicate with Earth and even if they did know he was alive, his provisions wouldn't last long enough for a rescue mission to reach him.

But Mark Watney is resourceful, optimistic and determined to live as long as he can.

Told mostly from Watney's point of view through his journal entries, we also get to witness NASA's reaction to this disaster. Through these personal observations we get a chance to see Watney's determination and humor while he tries to survive on Mars.

This is a hard sci-fi book that should appeal to readers who like Michael Crichton as well as Stuart Woods. This is the author's first published novel and he made a determined effort to make everything that happens to Mark Watney as plausible as possible. The suspense and tension of Watney's survival is very compelling. And with his wit and humor you can't help but like and admire Mark Watney.


-- Click here to request The Martian



Click here to see the book trailer for The Martian by Andy Weir


--Post by Tracy

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Staff Recommendation #29: Daria


"I'm too smart and too sensitive to live in a world like ours at a time like this with a sister like mine. Maybe I do miss out on stuff -- but this attitude is what works for me now."


From Freaks and Geeks to Friday Night Lights; from Beverly Hills, 90210 to Buffy the Vampire Slayer; from The Wonder Years to Smallville -- television shows exploring the trials and tribulations of high school are hardly in short supply. And the variety of approaches that such shows have taken are truly extraordinary, incorporating elements of everything from sci-fi to soap opera.

But for me, there is no show about high school that's quite like Daria.



Daria and Friends
(Such as they are)


The show centers on the title character, a seventeen-year-old high school student whose family has just recently moved to the town of Lawndale. Her family includes her mother, Helen, a workaholic attorney who nonetheless means it when she says that family comes first; and her father, Jake, a slightly-unbalanced but well-meaning consultant, who rarely understands his kids but is always there for them. And then there's Quinn, Daria's younger sister, a materialistic and Popular girl who becomes vice president of her new school's Fashion Club within the first week ... and who has more depth to her than anyone (least of all Daria) might always see. They are characters who contradict themselves, making them a fitting family for Daria herself -- as complex a character as you could ask for.

Filled with biting wit and sarcastic observations, Daria is known as a dorky "brain" at school. She's an outsider to most of her fellow students, and has few friends. Luckily, she's got one -- a best friend, Jane, who comes from her own quirky family and wants to be an artist.


Daria and Jane on a school field trip.
Heavy emphasis on the "field."


There's a lot of reasons to love Daria: she's a reader, a writer, and a person willing to think for herself. But it's also hard not to admire her for her quippy one-liners:


"Sometimes, your shallowness is so thorough, it's almost like depth."

"Do you think if you breathe on me, I might catch your enthusiasm?"

"My biggest fear right now is that I'll wake up and this conversation won't be a dream."

"I've been busy procrastinating all day."

"I don't like kids. I didn't even like kids when I was a kid."

"It never would've worked. I mean, unless I tried, or something."

"There is no moment in life that can't be improved with pizza."

"You're never going to make friends if you keep your nose buried in a book!"
"Let's hope."


Daria and her baby-sitting charges


But Daria isn't quite the cynic she makes herself out to be. She's not miserable or hard-hearted -- she just likes to think for herself. And she knows there's often a price for that -- including the undeniably tough position of not always feeling accepted. "I'm so defensive," she admits at one point, "That I actively work to make people dislike me, so I don't feel bad when they do." Her sarcasm is more of a shield than a sword -- though she's not afraid to wield such verbal weapons as needed when she finds a cause she believes in.

The show, which premiered in 1997 on MTV, ran for five seasons. Throughout its run, Daria faces challenges to her friendships, her relationships, and her own belief system. By the end of the series, Daria is not only graduated from high school and preparing for her first semester of college -- she'd also discovered that it might be okay to leave some of her cynicism behind.

She finds her answers in an unquestionably Daria-ish fashion, and without compromising the core of her wholly unique character. But her unique character is precisely what makes her so easy to relate to -- even after you've left high school behind.






-- Post by Ms. B 

Thursday, May 8, 2014

May Library Reads


The May Library Reads list is now available. Below are a few of the top picks.

To see the full list click here.

Library Reads May
Favorite
We Were Liars
by E. Lockhart

“This brilliant and heartbreaking novel tells the story of a prestigious family living on a private island off the coast of Massachusetts. Full of love, lies, secrets, no shortage of family dysfunction, and a shocking twist that you won’t see coming. Though this book is written for teens, it shouldn’t be overlooked by anyone looking for a fantastic read.”

Susan Balla, Fairfield Public Library, Fairfield, CT










The Bees: A Novel
by Laline Paull


“This book is set entirely in a beehive, but the novel and its characters are so beautifully rendered that it could have been set anywhere. Societal codes and social mores combine with the ancient behavior rituals of bees, bringing forth a remarkable story that is sure to be a book club favorite.”

Ilene Lefkowitz, Denville Public Library, Denville, NJ







Delicious!: A Novel
by Ruth Reichl

“Billie leaves college to take a job with a soon-to-be disbanded food magazine. What follows is an intriguing story involving dusty archives, long-forgotten letters written during World War II to the illustrious James Beard, and a young woman in New York City who learns to trust her culinary talents. This novel is a delectable feast.”

Paulette Brooks, Elm Grove Public Library, Elm Grove, WI







Bird Box: A Novel
by Josh Malerman

“Close your eyes! Don’t look! Something is out there that will drive you mad if you see it. Is it an alien invasion? An environmental toxin? Two sisters, Malorie and Shannon, embark on a journey seeking safety and other survivors. I was unable to put this book down. Horror at its best, not graphic, but truly creepy and scary. Highly recommended for fans of psychological suspense.”

Mary Vernau, Tyler Public Library, Tyler, TX







Delancey: A Man, a Woman, a Restaurant, a Marriage
by Molly Wizenberg

“As Wizenberg tells the story of how she and her husband opened the successful pizza restaurant Delancey, I felt like I was hanging out with a close friend. She also shares delicious sounding recipes for the everyday food they made at home during the hectic days of launching the restaurant. Wizenberg’s writing is so sincere and relatable.”

Michelle Marx, Eagle Valley Library District, Avon, CO









--Post by Tracy

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

The Play's the Thing



It goes without saying that plays are written to be performed. And yet, there's a certain enjoyment to be had in reading a play's script for yourself, rather than viewing it as a performance. When you read a play, you become, in a sense, the director -- casting the roles, choosing the pacing, and finding your own interpretation of what the story has to say.

Here are four recommendations of plays that -- in my opinion, at least -- have a particular magic all of their own ... even when they're only on the printed page.



Inherit the Wind




Written by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, Inherit the Wind is a fictionalized version of the 1925 Scopes "Monkey" Trial. Bertram Cates, a small-town high school teacher, is placed on trial for teaching the theory of evolution in violation of state law. His lawyer is Henry Drummond, a famous defense attorney who finds himself pitted against his former friend and fellow lawyer, Matthew Harrison Brady, in a courtroom battle that rocks not just the town, but the entire country.

Loosely based on real-life lawyers Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan, the play takes place primarily in the courtroom. Though the themes focus on family, politics, and intellectual freedom, the ending makes it clear that the moral of the story is that science and religion are not only conflicts that can co-exist peacefully -- but that they don't have to conflict at all.

-- Click here to request Inherit the Wind



The Miracle Worker




When Helen Keller was not quite two years old, she contracted an illness that left her both blind and deaf. This fictionalized (though well-researched) account by William Gibson shows Helen's struggles as a six-year-old child cut off from communication to the outside world.

Enter Annie Sullivan, a twenty-year-old governess who suffered herself from problems with her sight. Hired by Helen's parents, Annie was determined to teach the little girl not only discipline and self-control -- but also how to "speak."

Annie taught Helen the American Sign Language alphabet, in order to spell words into Helen's palm. It was, initially, an arduous task, as Helen did not understand the concept of objects each having their own individual name. Angry at her teacher for imposing discipline and structure, Helen fought off Annie's attempts to reach out to her -- until the powerful moment when the idea of words finally clicked into place for Helen, and opened the world to her.

-- Click here to request The Miracle Worker



Waiting for Godot 




First performed in Paris, Waiting for Godot has become a classic of modern theatre -- despite being so unusual and irrational that many audience members attending those early performances left before the play was over. And, in many ways, it's not hard to understand why. The dialogue is oddly patterned. The set is nearly bare. The structure of the play has none of the usual dramatic beats (the second act has a plotline nearly identical to the first); the action is almost nonexistent. 

The play itself concerns two older men, Vladimir and Estragon, who are, as the title suggests, waiting for the arrival of Mr. Godot, who they know is going to save them. At the end of each act, they are reassured by a passerby that Mr. Godot will be coming the following day. 

Not much on action. But the waiting characters spend their time ruminating on the nature of suffering, salvation, repetitiveness, and time itself. Part character study, part philosophical reflection, Samuel Beckett's bleak, stark examination of life is open to a wide variety of interpretations. As Beckett himself said: "I don't know who Godot is. I don't even know (above all don't know) if he exists. And I don't know if they believe in him or not – those two who are waiting for him. All I knew I showed. It's not much, but it's enough for me, by a wide margin."




Amadeus




Peter Shaffer's Amdeus first premiered in London in 1979, to glowing reviews and box office success. (A year after its initial release, people were lining up at six in the morning to buy tickets for that day's performance.) The play offers a fictionalized account of the life of composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with particular attention paid to his real-life rivalry with Antonio Salieri, the court composer for the Emperor of Austria.

Shaffer first became interested in the two musical rivals after he learned that the circumstances around Mozart's death are a bit murky. Delving into extensive research, Shaffer found no evidence that the real Salieri had murdered his incorrigible (and undeniably more talented) rival -- but the idea for the story wouldn't go away.

The play opens with Salieri as an old man, who makes his confession to the audience about his role in the death of Mozart. He then presents the story as a "flashback" to the audience, in an attempt to fully confess his side as the story. What follows is a tale of jealousy, rivalry, and the best and worst of human nature. As Peter Shaffer himself put it, "The conflict between virtuous mediocrity and feckless genius took hold of my imagination, and it would not leave me alone."

-- Click here to request Amadeus




-- Post by Ms. B 

Thursday, May 1, 2014

How Does Your Garden Grow?




Do you have a "green" thumb? Do you love to get your hands dirty and spend a beautiful spring day working in your yard? If so, you are not alone. According to The National Gardening Association, 85 million households did some sort of gardening in 2012. And since 2008, food gardening has increased by 13%.

This summer, I hope to be one of those new food gardeners when I get my vegetable garden started. It's something I've been wanting to do for several years, but have always hesitated because it's been a very long time since I've had a vegetable garden -- and I just didn't know where to start. This year is going to be different!



My plan to achieve this goal is reading as many books about gardening as I can get my hands on, and then jump right in and see what happens.

So, if you're like me and need some advice and guidance -- or just would like to get some new ideas -- check out some of the books below for inspiration.

Happy Gardening!





Month-By-Month Gardening in Pennsylvania: What To Do Each Month to Have a Beautiful Garden All Year by Liz Ball

An important part of gardening is using the right plants in the right places. Knowing what works best in different parts of the country is very important. This book will help you with that, and also gives great advice on what needs to be done in your garden throughout the entire year.






New Encyclopedia of Gardening Techniques by the American Horticultural Society

One of America's leading gardening authorities, the American Horticultural Society brings together all of the skills you will most likely need as a gardener in one helpful and informative book. This is a beneficial source for beginners and experts alike.






All New Square Foot Gardening: The Revolutionary Way to Grow More in Less Space by Mel Bartholomew

Whether you have a small yard or just don't want to deal with the size of a typical vegetable garden, you will find a great way to grow your own produce with no fertilizer, no weeding and lots of veggies in this informative guide.






The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch

This is an excellent choice for beginning gardeners. Damrosch, an experienced gardener and owner of a farm in Maine, lays out everything that you need to know to start your garden. From what tools your need to how to start your own seeds. Filled with beautiful and helpful illustrations.









Plantiful: Start Small, Grow Big With 150 Plants That Spread, Self-sow, and Overwinter by Kristin Green

This book will show you how to do more with less. Kristin Green will show you that making the right choices for your garden will help you save money and give you a beautiful garden. It will also help you identify the plants that have taken over your garden and how to tame them.





--Post by Tracy