Like No Business I Know

Read on for a trio of reading recommendations on one of America's favorite topics: fame.

“Stardom isn’t a profession; it’s an accident.”

-- Lauren Bacall

- The Setup: A True Story of Dirty Cops, Soccer Moms, and Reality TV by Pete Crooks.

non-fiction

Chris Butler was a former cop who'd opened his own PI firm in California. So far, so normal -- except that Butler's firm was staffed entirely by soccer moms. Average, everyday women who had become real-life versions of Charlie's Angels.

Even before Lifetime came banging at their door to offer them a reality TV show (to be called PI Moms), Butler and his soccer moms were a hit, appearing in such places as People magazine and Dr. Phil. (They even got a mention by This American Life host Ira Glass.) When reporter Pete Crooks was promised a ride-along one on of the firm's cases, he was just a writer for the California lifestyle magazine Diablo, looking for nothing more than a typical local fluff piece.

But if Crooks's adventure with the "PI Moms" seemed too good to be true, it wasn't long before he discovered ... it was. The PI bust he'd witnessed had been a set-up, the clients and perpetrators played by actors. The whole scene had been staged -- and it wasn't the first time such a set-up had occurred. Soon, Crooks was peeling back the layers of a bizarre case involving disgruntled employees, illegal drugs, and a con intended to make good use of the lack of "reality" often required for a reality TV show.

I was personally hoping for more time spent on the "Moms" themselves, in the hopes of finding out why such ordinary people would agree to take part in such an extraordinary con, and what the determination for fame might truly cost. But if you're looking for a read on the bizarre layers of a corrupt would-be star, give this book a whirl.

Read Crooks's original article for Diablo magazine here.

Request The Setup from the Catalog



- Fame Junkies: The Hidden Truths Behind America's Favorite Addiction by Jake Halpern.

non-fiction

Fame, author Jake Halpern argues, is one of America's biggest addictions. From entertainment magazines to reality television shows, our obsession with celebrity has never been higher. In this book, Halpern tries to figure out why.

He travels the country to interview three different types of people who are committed to the pursuit of fame: hopeful performers looking for their big break (focusing particularly on would-be child stars), the workers who devote their careers to celebrities (in the forms of paparazzi or celebrity personal assistants), and obsessed fans to the stars (like the Pittsburgh woman who has a room in her house devoted entirely to singer Rod Stewart). Along the way, he talks to psychologists, sociologists, biologists, counselors, and other experts to try to peel back the layers of why we're so fascinated by the world of celebrities -- and the celebrities who inhabit it.

Request Fame Junkies from the Catalog



- Funny Girl by Nick Hornby.

fiction

Barbara Parker only entered the Miss Blackpool beauty pageant because you have to start somewhere if you want to be a star. And Barbara doesn't want to be just any type of star: she wants to go on television and star in a sit-com, like her hero, Lucille Ball. She knows she's got the talent, but she's also a woman in 1960s England, where she's more likely to be offered a job making coffee than making people laugh.

But she's got serendipity on her side, and so a chance meeting, a name change, and her own sense of committed determination leads her to a starring role in a sit-com designed just for her. The ensuing fames is beyond what she'd hoped for -- even as her own life begins to oddly mirror that of her sit-com alter ego.

Her story is intertwined with her cast and crewmates from her series: the show's creators, their producer, her on-screen husband, the occasional guest stars. The various characters gives Hornby a chance to look at different facets of show business: what it means to be famous, the art of comedy, the tension between highbrow art critics versus those in the world of popular culture, and, ultimately, what we strive for in life -- whether we're famous or not.

Request Funny Girl from the Catalog

-- Post by Ms. B 

January Library Reads

The January Library Reads list is out and here are a few highlights. Click here to see the full list. 

As Chimney Sweepers Come
to Dust: A Flavia de Luce
Novel
by Alan Bradley


“After the unexpected recovery of her mother’s body brings the de Luce’s family secrets to light, Flavia’s life is turned upside down. Now on her way to a Canadian boarding school, she must survive her first term–and more importantly, uncover the mystery of a corpse found in her dorm room chimney the night she arrives. A delightful installment in the series!”

Lizzie Gall, Grand Rapids Public Library, Grand Rapids, MI

The Girl on the Train: A Novel
by Paula Hawkins


“Rachel is a washed-up thirty-something who creates a fantasy about the seemingly perfect couple she sees during her daily train ride into London. When the woman goes missing, Rachel manages to insert herself into the investigation of the woman’s disappearance. In the vein of Gone Girl, this dark psychological thriller is fast-paced and features some very unreliable narrators.”

Andrea Larson, Cook Memorial Public Library, Libertyville, IL

The Dress Shop of Dreams: A Novel
by Menna van Praag


“Tidy, romantic, and fine escapism. All the characters here have interesting back stories: Cora is believable as a no-nonsense gal trying to rebuff sweet Walt’s advances, and Etta is someone I’d like to meet in real life. Reminiscent of Love Actually and P.S. I Love You, this cute little book is recommended to readers who want to be charmed by the possibilities of love.”

Andrienne Cruz, Azusa City Library, Azusa, CA

The Bishop’s Wife
by Mette Ivie Harrison


“As a practicing Mormon, I felt Harrison did a great job of detailing Mormon culture and doctrine without evangelizing. I appreciated that the bishop is a good man, and the bishop’s wife is a woman who has been through her own struggles. The bishop’s wife sometimes can barely keep up with all the drama and mysteries around her. But she does, and does it quite well under the circumstances. This is a rather brave book.”

Amanda Monson, Bartow County Library System, Cartersville, GA

First Frost
by Sarah Addison Allen


“First Frost is a great continuation of the stories of sisters Claire and Sydney, and Sydney’s teenage daughter, Bay. Each of the Waverlys has their own somewhat supernatural gift, and all of them struggle with issues of identity and family. As with Allen’s previous works, this novel will appeal to fans of Alice Hoffman and readers who enjoy family stories that are not overflowing with angst and drama.”

Lauren Mitchell, Pima County Libraries, Tucson, AZ






--Post by Tracy

Get Organized

January is Get Organized Month -- but if you're like me, that's easier said than done. Read on for some tips, tricks, and advice on getting order back into your life!



At Home:

5 Projects You Always Say You’ll Do ... and How to Finally Do Them -- Cleaning a closet, reclaiming a junk drawer, even planning meals in advance: here's how to complete those five chores we all mean to get to "one day!" (RealSimple.com)



10 Ways to Cut Clutter in Your Home -- Try these simple suggestions to cut through the clutter. (WebMD)


Organizing Mistakes That Make Your House Look Cluttered -- You may be more organized than you think!  Follow these expert tips to be truly clutter-free. (HGTV)



At Work:

Organizing Your Desk -- A neat workspace doesn't just suggest professionalism, it also makes it easier to access your tasks. Here's some great tips if (like me) you need a little help in figuring out how to clear off your workspace. (Getting Organized Magazine)


5 Tips for Getting Organized at Work -- It's not just about appearance: structure allows for stress release!  It's also important to remember that "organization" may mean different things for different people. Find the method that works for you. (HowStuffWorks)



Going Digital:

PCMag's "Get Organized" Series -- A collection of columns offering advice on organizing your digital world. (PC Magazine)


Taking Your To-Do List to Task! -- A list of recommended apps for creating a virtual "to-do" list. (Getting Organized Magazine)

At Life:

When Resistance Smacks You in the Face -- Drawing on his experiences as a writer, author Leo Babauta shares ways to organize your own distractions and doubts to get any task done.

From the Collection:

Get Organized -- by Ron Fry.

How to Organize (Just About) Everything: More Than 500 Step-by-Step Instructions for Everything from Organizing Your Closets to Planning a Wedding to Creating a Flawless Filing System -- by Peter Walsh.

Time Management Secrets for Working Women: Getting Organized to Get the Most Out of Your Day -- by Ruth Klein.

Managing Workplace Chaos: Solutions for Handling Information, Paper, Time, and Stress -- by Patricia J. Hutchings.

The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential, in Business and in Life -- by Leo Babauta.



The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload -- by Daniel J. Levitin.

And remember: it's a work in progress.

Stay positive!

-- Post by Ms. B 

Honorable Mentions

Charles Dickens is rightly remembered for such beloved classics as Great Expectations and Oliver Twist -- but his most famous work remains A Christmas Carol. First published on December 17, 1843, the story tells the tale of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, and the three Christmas ghosts who appear throughout Christmas Eve night to warm his heart -- and save his soul. It's been adapted dozens of time for stage and screen, and has become an undeniable staple of the holiday season.

But did you know that A Christmas Carol wasn't Dickens's only ghost story?  Dickens actually wrote a variety of stories featuring ghosts -- some of which, like The Signal-Man, could be considered outright horror thrillers. (The title character of The Signal-Man works on the railway, and is haunted by a specter who appears before him every time a terrible event is to occur.)

Dickens is not the only author whose own wild success actually overshadowed some of his lesser-known efforts. Here are five more authors whose littler-known works are still undeniably worthwhile:



~ Louisa May Alcott's Thrillers

She's best remembered for writing titles that might now be considered part of the "young adult" genre -- classics like Little Women and Eight Cousins. But Louisa May Alcott wrote several stories for older audiences, usually under the pen name "A. M. Barnard" -- and many of those works were not only thrillers, but stories that dealt with radical issues of nineteenth-century sexism and the constraints of society and culture.

Her most critically-acclaimed work is, arguably, the thriller novella Behind a Mask. The story details the life of Jean Muir, a character with a shady past (she was formerly an actress, a considerably more scandalous profession in the nineteenth century) who has reached her thirtieth birthday still a spinster. And then she finds one last chance to fulfill society's expectations of her: she takes the job of governess in a house with two unmarried sons and one unmarried uncle. She means to adopt the mask of a "little woman" herself -- appearing the perfect example of a polite, respectable young lady (she wins her place as governess with a feigned fainting spell in front of the family) until she ensnares a husband. But Jean's motives are far more clever, and downright manipulative, than what you'd see from the March sisters -- though this may not stop you from rooting for her!

Request Behind a Mask from the Catalog



~ Edgar Allan Poe's Detective Stories

Sherlock Holmes is the name we remember, but C. Ausguste Dupin got there first. While Conan Doyle drew on several inspirations for his Sherlock Holmes character (including his med-school professor Dr. Joseph Bell), he was always quick to praise Edgar Allan Poe for his detective stories that paved the way for Sherlock Holmes. ("Where was the detective story," Conan Doyle once asked, "until Poe breathed the breath of life into it?")

Poe is remembered as the master of horror, but he actually wrote in a wide variety of genres, including science fiction and detective stories. In the latter category, he produced three short stories: Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Mystery of Marie Roget, and my personal favorite, The Purloined Letter. The stories star Dupin, an amateur detective (although the word "detective" had not yet been invented) who assisted the police in a trio of bizarre investigations. He's accompanied in his adventures by our unnamed narrator, who serves as Dupin's closest friend and our window into Dupin's world.

Request the Dupin stories from the Catalog



~ Conan Doyle's Historical Fiction

Most Sherlock Holmes fans already know about Arthur Conan Doyle's love-hate relationship with his most famous fictional creation. While Conan Doyle ultimately seemed to be fond enough of his consulting detective (and also loved writing about the adventures of Professor Challenger in such tales as The Lost World), he always considered his best and most important works to be his historical fiction.

Such historical works include extensively-researched novels like The White Company and Sir Nigel, both set during the Hundred Years' War between the royal houses of England and France. There was also Micah Clarke, a coming-of-age story set in seventeenth-century England that details the religious and political tension of the time; and a series of comical short stories about Brigadier Gerard, a soldier in the French Army during the Napoleonic Wars, who Conan Doyle used to comment on the stereotypes and prejudices that the British and French had for one another.

Request The White Company from the Catalog

Request Sir Nigel from the Catalog

Request Micah Clarke from the Catalog

Request the Brigadier Gerard stories from the Catalog



~ Agatha Christie's Love Stories

Agatha Christie remains the best-selling novelist of all time, beloved for her classic mysteries like And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express, as well as such characters as Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. But while she has come to be affectionately known as "the Queen of Crime" due to her incredible skills in the mystery genre, she also wrote half a dozen novels of a different sort entirely.

Using the pen name "Mary Westmacott," Christie wrote a series of romance and family stories, referring to them as "bitter-sweet stories about love." The books enjoyed modest success -- much to Christie's delight, as the novels succeeded under their own merits and not due to her name being on the cover (her identity as Westmacott would remain hidden for nearly two decades). She wrote the Westmacott books throughout her life, telling stories that focused not only on romance, but on family relationships between parents and children or between siblings. The results were among the works she was most proud of.

Read an essay about "Mary Westmacott" written by Rosalind Hicks, Christie's daughter

Request Westmacott books from the Catalog



~ Michael Crichton's Medical Thrillers

Before he was a best-selling author of such novels as The Andromeda Strain and Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton was a med student. But while he was earning his MD from Harvard Medical School, Crichton had his first publishing success, writing under the pen names "Jeffery Hudson" and "John Lange."

He published ten mystery thrillers that sold well enough to help pay his way through med school -- no mean feat, as any pressed-for-time med student could tell you. While Crichton viewed them mostly as pulpy entertainment ("I write them fast and the reader reads them fast and I get things off my back," he explained in a 1969 interview), they showcased his skill at engaging characters and tightly-plotted storylines, not to mention a love of research and accuracy. Though Crichton successfully graduated with his MD, it's not surprising to know he turned to writing full-time -- always incorporating his love of science into his stories.

Read more about Michael Crichton's "med school" thrillers

Request A Case of Need from the Catalog



-- Post by Ms. B 

Giving Thanks: 2014 Edition

As we approach Thanksgiving Day, your friendly neighborhood Library bloggers are here to tell you what they're most thankful for this year ...



TRACY'S PICKS: 

-- Orphan Black (BBC America)

Just what I needed -- another television show to obsess about. But once I got into it, there was no turning back for me with Orphan Black. This Canadian-produced show became a huge hit for BBC America in the spring of 2013. Actress Tatiana Maslany stars as Sarah, a street-wise single mother desperately attempting to get her act together so she can get her daughter back. She discovers that she is not as alone as she thought she was. After witnessing the suicide of Beth, a woman who looks exactly like her, Sarah finds that she is one of many clones who have been placed with a variety of families. And now, someone is trying to kill them off, one by one.

The show can be a little out there at times, but the heart of the show is about families and relationships. First off is Sarah's relationship with her daughter, Kira, and her foster brother, Felix. And then there are the other clones, each one more unique than the last. From hippy scientist Cosima to control freak Allison to trained assassin Helena, television has never really seen the likes of them before. The most amazing part of the show is the fact that Ms. Maslany plays every one of the clones. Sometimes it's easy to forget that they are not different actresses playing these parts. She is truly amazing.

So, for this wild and never-boring show, I am very thankful!

Click here to request Season One and Two of Orphan Black from the Catalog



-- The Guardians of the Galaxy Soundtrack

Guardians of the Galaxy was a lot of fun, but far from the best superhero film I've ever seen. However, I absolutely LOVED the soundtrack! These are the songs of my youth. I was pleasantly surprised throughout the entire movie with 70s hit after 70s hit blaring throughout the theater.

Listening to the soundtrack makes me so happy and takes me back to a much simpler time in my life, when all I had to worry about was whether I wanted to go out and play, watch TV or listen to 13Q on my brand-new clock radio. For the past several months, this has been my go-to music to cheer me up, help me to clean my house and to just pass the time.

My favorites are Come and Get Your Love by Redbone, Hooked on a Feeling by Blue Swede, Fooled Around and Fell in Love by Elvin Bishop and I Want You Back by the Jackson 5.

For these songs, and the whole soundtrack, I am truly thankful.

Click here to request Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 from the Catalog



-- Comic Books

This past year, I rediscovered my love of comic books. Not that I was ever a huge fan of the genre, but as a kid, and even into my teens, there were several comic books that I liked. Of course, I loved to read just about anything, so it's really no surprise that the stories were more important to me than the artwork. While I can't remember every comic book that I read, I know that I liked a wide variety of them. One of my favorites as a teen was The Fantastic Four.

Now I'm mostly reading comic books with characters I already know from television shows (Doctor Who, The X Files, Sleepy Hollow). I've also been reading graphic novels like Snowpiercer by Jacques Lob, The Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman and The Intergalactic Nemesis by Jason Neulander.

For rediscovering my love of comic books, I am thankful.

Click here to request The X-Files Season 10 from the Catalog



-- Honorable Mention: The Phryne Fisher Series by Kerry Greenwood

For finding a new mystery series to check out, I am thankful! Thanks, Ms. B!

Read Ms. B's review of this series here.




MS. B'S PICKS:

-- Interstellar (Directed by Christopher Nolan)

When I heard that Christopher Nolan -- one of my favorite filmmakers -- was doing a movie about space travel, I could not have been more excited. So when I say Interstellar exceeded my wildest expectations, that is no mean feat.

There's no need to spoil the plot; I've found that Nolan movies are at their most effective when the story beats and plot twists come as a surprise. What I can tell you is that, as a lifelong enthusiast for all things related to astronomy and space travel, watching Interstellar on an IMAX screen was the emotional equivalent of buying a first-class ticket on board the next space shuttle. This was the first film that made me feel just how overpoweringly vast, immensely lonely, and awesomely mind-bending space really is. The alien worlds were more alien, the cost to visit them more extreme. It makes for a story that feels like a true window into the possibilities of uncharted territory -- along with a great set of characters, a crackerjack plot, an emotional core that deeply resonates, and a fantastically sarcastic robot.

So, for a sci-fi film that gave my imagination a ride through the final frontier, I am truly thankful!

Click here to request the making-of book Interstellar -- Beyond Time and Space: Inside Christopher Nolan's Sci-Fi Epic by Mark Cotta Vaz from the Catalog

-- Eighteen Years of South Park

As often as not, I try to keep my affection for South Park under wraps. Convincing non-fans that this rude, crude, foul-mouthed, and all-around irreverent television show is anything more than its surface appearance can often prove something of a challenge.

But what started life as a rather simple animated television show (that is absolutely not intended for children) has grown into something more than a showcase for swear words and crude humor. Don't get me wrong; there's still plenty of that. But for years now, South Park has been used by its creators (Trey Parker and Matt Stone) to offer biting social commentary on a wide variety of issues --  politics, religion, freedom of speech, the environment, poverty, sexism, prejudice, and, at the core of it all, childhood.

South Park's continual ability to provide all that and more, while still telling good stories filled with irreverent humor, is an incredible feat. All the more stunning is their track record. As this year's eighteenth season continues, many of the episodes are on par with the best work Parker and Stone have ever done.

South Park can't last forever, but for now, it's going strong -- and, for that, I'm quite thankful!

Click here to request Season 17 of South Park from the Catalog



-- Loki: Agent of Asgard (by Al Ewing and Lee Garbett)

"You are your own worst enemy." The saying's a cliché for the best of reasons: it's so utterly true. For most of us, the person who holds us back from reaching our full potential is ourselves.

It's a concept that forms the backbone of the story being told in the pages of Marvel's new comic Loki: Agent of Asgard. If you've seen the Marvel movies, you already know that Loki is not only the kid brother of the heroic Thor -- he's also a jealous megalomaniac who is bent on conquest, revenge, and all your usual boilerplate bad-guy schemes.

... or at least, he used to be that guy. Now, after a rather complicated series of events, Loki finds himself on the path to redemption. He's got a fresh new outlook, and he's keen to do what he can to make up for his past ways. But there's a few problems along the way -- including an older version of Loki himself, traveling through time to lure this new and improved Loki back to his former ways.

It all makes for a unique, heartbreaking, and undeniably fun story that explores the struggle to keep the world from stuffing you into its own expectations of who you really are ... and what you have to do to find your own path to the truest version of yourself. It's a story that resonates with me more than any other comic I've ever read -- which, as a lifelong comics fan, is truly saying something.

With crackerjack writing and stunningly emotive artwork, it all makes me quite thankful for the Agent of Asgard.

Click here to request Loki: Agent of Asgard - Vol 1 from the Catalog



-- Honorable Mention: The Martian by Andy Weir

For introducing me to one of my new all-time favorite novels, I am thankful. Thanks, Tracy!

Read Tracy's review of The Martian here.

And, of course, Dancing Groot. Who isn't thankful for Dancing Groot?

-- Post by Tracy and Ms. B

Eight Writing Tips from YALLFest 2014

This past weekend saw the fourth annual Charleston Young Adult Book Festival -- or YALLFest, as it's come to be known. Sponsored by the Blue Bicycle Books shop of Charleston, South Carolina, the event was a two-day spectacular of lectures and panels from sixty young adult book authors.

This Teen Services Librarian was lucky enough to attend the festivities. It was a great chance to delve into the latest teen reading trends and get a bit of an insider's scoop on up-and-coming projects. It was also a marvelous opportunity to hear all about the process of what each author puts into their writing -- how they find their ideas, portray their characters, and tell their stories to their audiences.

So read on for eight writing tips from the authors themselves. (And if you'd like to give their books a try, just click on their names for a full list of their titles in the Catalog!)

Author Veronica Roth

1. Don't write what you know -- write what you like. Don't worry about what genre it should be classified as, or what you feel you ought to be writing about. Just tell the story you want to tell. You'll figure it out:

"I know [my latest book, Atlantia] is science fiction because I did so much dang research on underwater cities and underwater welding ... that's not even in the final book." -- Ally Condie

"I just threw in everything I like [to read about]!" -- Alexandra Bracken


2. Let your characters do the misdirection for you. Trying to figure out how to write a juicier mystery, or add more plot twists to your thriller?  That's what untrustworthy characters are for:

"It's about misinformation. There's a ton of information [the characters] can access [in their technologically-advanced world], but a lot of it is lies. You can circumvent the power of the internet with misdirection." -- Kami Garcia

"Have your characters lie. It makes the scenes more interesting. Have them leave something out, and it makes the plot more interesting." -- Scott Westerfeld

Scott Westerfeld

3. Vary your characters. A diversity of characters makes for a more interesting story -- and that means diversity both of personality and of background:

"That 'too' is what makes a character. If we can't make a character too rude or too cold or too difficult, we'll have boring books. ... Make the character 'relatable' and 'believable' over 'likable.'" -- Leigh Bardugo

"There's not just one type of kick-butt heroine. It's just [female characters] with agency. Also, have more than one [female character] -- then you'll get different kinds of characters!" -- Leigh Bardugo


4. Write strong characters. And remember that "strong" doesn't just mean physically tough and unfailingly infallible:

"A kick-butt character is one who may not start with power, but learns to find strength." -- Alexandra Bracken

"Resilience: a character may temporarily fall apart, but then they put themselves back together and fix the problem." -- Sarah Fine

Marie Lu

5. Don't let fame go to your head. If you make it to the big time, remember to stay humble:

"It was very demoralizing to do the red carpet next to [Bones actress] Emily Deschanel, who is thirty years younger and like six feet taller." -- Kathy Reichs

"I write with my mommy, I"m 36 years old. I'm the coolest guy in the room!" -- Brendan Reichs


6. Don't worry about the movie. For writers and readers, it's important not to worry about the film version too much:

"Fans think they want it just like the book, but that doesn't work." -- Gayle Forman

"The book will always be there for you to experience. I look at the film as a way to experience the book again in a new way." -- James Dashner

James Dashner

7. Let yourself write how you write. Everyone has a different method that works for them:

"I'm a Seat-of-the-Panters; I write by the seat of my pants. About halfway to two-thirds of the way through, I have a panic attack [trying to figure out what happens next]. Then I stop and outline the rest of the way backwards." -- Scott Westerfeld

"I do a very detailed outline during revision." -- Alexandra Bracken

"I cannot outline. I always fail. For [one book], I wrote 17 outlines. Number 16 was called Help Me, Jesus. Number 17 was called Jesus Can't Help You." -- Libba Bray


8. Don't preach, just tell. 

"I think our job is to pose questions. Part of the challenge of the reader is to make up their own minds." -- Leigh Bardugo

Hollywood Squares -- Author Edition

-- Post by Ms. B

November Library Reads

The latest Library Reads list is here and below are a few of the highlights. To see the full list click here.

Us: A Novel
by David Nicholls

“Every once in a while you stumble upon a book that makes you wish you could meet the characters in real life. This is the case with Us, the poignant story of a middle-of-the-road British family spiraling out of control, and one man’s attempt to win back their love. Quirky, delightful and unpredictable, the novel delves into what makes a marriage, and what tears it apart.”

Kimberly McGee, Lake Travis Community Library, Austin, TX

Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover: The Fourth Rule of Scoundrels
by Sarah MacLean

“Having lost her innocence in a teenage love affair, Lady Georgiana is a social pariah. Trying to save the tatters of her reputation, she must marry and marry well. By night, she is Anna, the most powerful madame in London, and a powerful seductress in her own right. Will Georgiana succeed in re-entering society, or will her past catch up with her once and for all?”

Emily Peros, Denver Public Library, Denver, CO

Lives in Ruins: Archaeologists and the Seductive Lure of Human Rubble
by Marilyn Johnson


“Johnson takes a fascinating look at the field of archeology, profiling a number of archaeologists at work. She visits sites as diverse as an army base, Rhode Island, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and Peru, but the best part of this book is learning about the archaeologists and their passions. A fun, interesting read that may cause an uptick in field school applications.”

Jenna Persick, Chester County Library, Exton, PA

The Forgers
by Bradford Morrow


“Narrator Will and Adam Diehl have something in common: they are both forgers, able to produce and sell authentic-looking inscriptions of Arthur Conan Doyle and Henry James’ books. When Adam is found bludgeoned and missing his hands, Will is inevitably drawn into the murder investigation. The clues and horror mount until realization bursts upon the reader at the end.”

Nancy Russell, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, OH

Mermaids in Paradise: A Novel
by Lydia Millet


“This delightful book starts out as almost chick-lit, turns into a fantasy adventure, then leads into an underdog heist. The tone reminds me of Libba Bray’s Beauty Queens, with just enough absurdity in a tropical location to keep you on your toes. Protagonist Deb’s husband, Chip, is a total babe (in a nerdy way) and her BFF, Gina, is the best kind of snarky. A highly entertaining read!”

Amanda Monson, Bartow County Library System, Cartersville, GA







--Post by Tracy

Lost in a Good Book ... on TV!

It was recently announced that the Stephen King novel 11/23/63 will be made into a mini-series to be broadcast on the online network Hulu. This, of course, is not the first time one of King's books has been turned into a mini-series or even into a recurring series. Back in 1994, a four part mini-series of The Stand was aired on ABC and currently the King novel, Under the Dome was just renewed for a third season on CBS.

Books have a long history of having their stories made into movies for television and theatrical release. And there have been many occasions of best selling novels getting the mini-series treatment, most notably the epic Roots in 1977.

Nowadays there is a plethora of television series based on books with many more being announced almost every week. Some are a faithful adaptions, while others are just "inspired by" the original. Below are a few of the choices readers and viewers alike have to choose from!


-- A Game of Thrones

The first book in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series, along with the rest of the titles, have been turned into one of the most successful and talked about TV shows on HBO. While there are many changes from the books, Game of Thrones has pleased many fans with its faithful adaptation of the books.

-- Dead Until Dark

True Blood, the HBO show inspired by the Sookie Stackhouse books, recently ended its run after seven seasons. The show focuses on telepath Sookie and the supernatural world of Louisiana. While the show is still mostly about Sookie, after the first season the show differs greatly from the books.

-- Deja Dead

Dr. Temperance Brennan, is introduced in this 1997 book based on author Kathy Reichs's experience as a forensic anthropologist. Bones, now in its 10th season on Fox, like True Blood, is loosely based on this series. Dr. Brennan is still the main character, but that is about the only similarity between the books and the show.

-- Outlander

Is it science fiction, historical fiction or romance? How about, all of the above! This hugely popular book series, from Diana Gabaldon, follows the ongoing adventures of Claire and Jamie Fraser, finally got the television treatment its faithful fans have been longing for for twenty years. 

-- American Gods

In this 2001 award winning novel from Neil Gaiman, an ex-con, Shadow, becomes the bodyguard of Mr. Wednesday who turns out to be an actual Norse god. Shadow is caught in a fight between older gods, like Wednesday, and the new upstart, modern gods. The Starz series is in pre-production.

-- The Surgeon

The TNT show, Rizzoli & Isles, is based on this long running book series from Tess Gerritsen. Medical Examiner Isles and Detective Rizzoli work together to track down killers in Boston. The show is a bit more light than the books. It also portrays the characters as BFFs, but in the books their relationship is much different. 

--Post by Tracy