Thursday, May 21, 2009
I'm too busy
I have so many post ideas in my head but so much is going on right now that they never make it to the computer! Summer is a different world in the Hamptons and it has already begun. I am again coordinating our Adult Summer Reading Program and I have some big events in my personal life as well. So, until I get to sit down and write about all the books and authors that I love (and hate), I had a guest sit down and give us a list of 8 books to read this summer. This is a man whose reading advice I would take!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Don't be a stranger...
I was thrilled to wake up this beautiful, sunny, Mother's Day to a review of Sarah Waters' new book in my newspaper. And what a great review it was! I feel like maybe too many details were given away but if it gets more readers for Ms. Waters then it's worth it!
You can read the review here.
You can read the review here.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Aren't you lucky
I was lucky enough to see Sarah Waters for the second time the other day. She has published her fifth book, The Little Stranger, and crossed the pond to do a Barnes & Noble "one on one" interview. And lucky you, the interview is available online. So while I had to find parking near Union Square in NYC, you get to just click here.
Luckily, the video only shows the interview portion, not the book signing portion. I think I babbled a bit when I tried to tell Ms. Waters how much I love her writing ... I'm glad that wasn't captured on video!
Luckily, the video only shows the interview portion, not the book signing portion. I think I babbled a bit when I tried to tell Ms. Waters how much I love her writing ... I'm glad that wasn't captured on video!
An interview with Martin Millar
Again, stolen from Shelf Awareness.
Martin Millar is Scottish, from Glasgow, but has lived in London for a long time. He writes books under his own name and has also written a series about Thraxas under the name of Martin Scott--in 2002 he won the World Fantasy Award for Thraxas. He's published 16 books, "sometimes successful, sometimes not so successful." Soft Skull Press has been publishing Millar in the U.S., with Milk, Sulphate and Alby Starvation, The Good Faeries of New York, Suzy, Led Zeppelin and Me and Lonely Werewolf Girl. His latest is a novel, Lux the Poet, is being published this month.
On your nightstand now:
Complete Letters of Pliny the Younger. His correspondence dates from 97-112 A.D., and contains all sorts of fascinating information about ancient Rome, including his first-hand account of the eruption of Vesuvius that buried Pompeii. I'm interested in anything from ancient Rome and Greece.
Also, quite a few volumes of manga, including Claymore by Norihiro Yagi, Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto and others. I like Japanese comics, and recently I've been reading a lot of them.
Favorite book when you were a child:
The Biggles books by Captain W. E. Johns. Biggles was a fighter pilot in the First World War. As I child, I often imagined myself heroically piloting a Sopwith Camel biplane over enemy lines.
Your top five authors:
P. G. Wodehouse, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Somerset Maugham, Cicero. I appear to be living in the past.
Book you've faked reading:
Moby Dick. Turgid. I hated it. Nothing would induce me to finish it. But I did pretend to read it because a girl I knew really liked it. Seems strange now I think about it. Why on earth did she like Moby Dick so much?
Book you're an evangelist for:
Hmm. I can't think of any. If I was recommending anything, it would probably be Somerset Maugham, but I doubt anyone would listen. He was a really fine storyteller. His writing was quite plain and unadorned, and I like that.
Book you've bought for the cover:
None that I can remember.
Book that changed your life:
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. I doubt I'd have got started on my writing career if I hadn't read that. That led me on to Slaughterhouse-Five, which was also a very important influence.
Favorite line from a book:
"A lesser man, caught in this awful snare, would no doubt have ceased to struggle; but the whole point about the Woosters is that they are not lesser men."--From Right Ho Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse. (I've borrowed and adapted that line a few times.)
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
I wish I could read all the Jeeves and Wooster novels by P. G. Wodehouse again for the first time. They're the funniest books ever written.
Name a really great filmed version of a book:
Election, a novel by Tom Perrotta, film version directed by Alexander Payne, starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon. Election was a good novel, and I thought the film version was brilliant.
Martin Millar is Scottish, from Glasgow, but has lived in London for a long time. He writes books under his own name and has also written a series about Thraxas under the name of Martin Scott--in 2002 he won the World Fantasy Award for Thraxas. He's published 16 books, "sometimes successful, sometimes not so successful." Soft Skull Press has been publishing Millar in the U.S., with Milk, Sulphate and Alby Starvation, The Good Faeries of New York, Suzy, Led Zeppelin and Me and Lonely Werewolf Girl. His latest is a novel, Lux the Poet, is being published this month.
On your nightstand now:
Complete Letters of Pliny the Younger. His correspondence dates from 97-112 A.D., and contains all sorts of fascinating information about ancient Rome, including his first-hand account of the eruption of Vesuvius that buried Pompeii. I'm interested in anything from ancient Rome and Greece.
Also, quite a few volumes of manga, including Claymore by Norihiro Yagi, Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto and others. I like Japanese comics, and recently I've been reading a lot of them.
Favorite book when you were a child:
The Biggles books by Captain W. E. Johns. Biggles was a fighter pilot in the First World War. As I child, I often imagined myself heroically piloting a Sopwith Camel biplane over enemy lines.
Your top five authors:
P. G. Wodehouse, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Somerset Maugham, Cicero. I appear to be living in the past.
Book you've faked reading:
Moby Dick. Turgid. I hated it. Nothing would induce me to finish it. But I did pretend to read it because a girl I knew really liked it. Seems strange now I think about it. Why on earth did she like Moby Dick so much?
Book you're an evangelist for:
Hmm. I can't think of any. If I was recommending anything, it would probably be Somerset Maugham, but I doubt anyone would listen. He was a really fine storyteller. His writing was quite plain and unadorned, and I like that.
Book you've bought for the cover:
None that I can remember.
Book that changed your life:
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. I doubt I'd have got started on my writing career if I hadn't read that. That led me on to Slaughterhouse-Five, which was also a very important influence.
Favorite line from a book:
"A lesser man, caught in this awful snare, would no doubt have ceased to struggle; but the whole point about the Woosters is that they are not lesser men."--From Right Ho Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse. (I've borrowed and adapted that line a few times.)
Book you most want to read again for the first time:
I wish I could read all the Jeeves and Wooster novels by P. G. Wodehouse again for the first time. They're the funniest books ever written.
Name a really great filmed version of a book:
Election, a novel by Tom Perrotta, film version directed by Alexander Payne, starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon. Election was a good novel, and I thought the film version was brilliant.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Spring is here!
How do I know? There have been a few clues. First, we have had glorious weather the past few days and the flowers are blooming. Second, Madonna stopped by the Hamptons to go horse back riding, fell off, and was taken to our local hospital. Then, as I was leaving work yesterday evening, I slowed my car as I drove through the library parking lot for an attractive older gentleman in a white suit. Yup, Tom is back. For me, this means spring!
It's time to pull out my hammock. This is where I do the majority of my reading in the spring, summer and fall. My dog lies in the sun and I gently rock and turn the pages. It's heaven in my back yard. And I better get that hammock up quick: I have a lot to read!
A story: when I was in elementary school the school Librarian told us that an author was coming to visit our school. A real, live author! I had never met an author before and I was so excited (things never change). I got a copy of the book, called Where It Stops Nobody Knows by Amy Ehrlich. It was a great book and I have vivid memories of listening to a REAL, LIVE author talking to my school. Recently, I was thinking about this book and wanted to read it again. None of the libraries in my library system had it. I checked amazon.com and there were a few used copies available but it seemed to be out of print. I was bummed, so I googled around the Internet, looking for information on Amy Ehrlich. I remember from her visit that she had said she wanted to name the book Joyride but that the publisher had changed it to Where It Stops Nobody Knows and that blew my mind - it never occurred to me that an author might not have complete control of their book. Suddenly, I came across an interview with Amy Ehrlich, who was talking about her book Joyride. Huh? Did she like the title so much that she used it on another book? As I read on, it seemed the plot of this Joyride was the same as the plot of my well-remembered and well-loved book. I clicked back to the library online catalog as quick as I could, and searched for Joyride. Bingo. Then I looked in amazon.com again. There it is. With a cool new-millennium cover. So Amy Ehrlich finally got her way after all, and republished her book with the title she preferred. I have the book in my hands now and I can't wait to reread it. It may have a new title and a new jacket, but it is the same book I read 20 years ago. And I can't wait to get on my hammock and take the joyride again.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
It's time to pull out my hammock. This is where I do the majority of my reading in the spring, summer and fall. My dog lies in the sun and I gently rock and turn the pages. It's heaven in my back yard. And I better get that hammock up quick: I have a lot to read!
A story: when I was in elementary school the school Librarian told us that an author was coming to visit our school. A real, live author! I had never met an author before and I was so excited (things never change). I got a copy of the book, called Where It Stops Nobody Knows by Amy Ehrlich. It was a great book and I have vivid memories of listening to a REAL, LIVE author talking to my school. Recently, I was thinking about this book and wanted to read it again. None of the libraries in my library system had it. I checked amazon.com and there were a few used copies available but it seemed to be out of print. I was bummed, so I googled around the Internet, looking for information on Amy Ehrlich. I remember from her visit that she had said she wanted to name the book Joyride but that the publisher had changed it to Where It Stops Nobody Knows and that blew my mind - it never occurred to me that an author might not have complete control of their book. Suddenly, I came across an interview with Amy Ehrlich, who was talking about her book Joyride. Huh? Did she like the title so much that she used it on another book? As I read on, it seemed the plot of this Joyride was the same as the plot of my well-remembered and well-loved book. I clicked back to the library online catalog as quick as I could, and searched for Joyride. Bingo. Then I looked in amazon.com again. There it is. With a cool new-millennium cover. So Amy Ehrlich finally got her way after all, and republished her book with the title she preferred. I have the book in my hands now and I can't wait to reread it. It may have a new title and a new jacket, but it is the same book I read 20 years ago. And I can't wait to get on my hammock and take the joyride again.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Pulitzers and Oranges!
The Pulitzers were announced yesterday, as well as the shortlist for the Orange Prize for Fiction. This information was cut and paste (stolen) from Shelf Awareness.
Book-related winners and finalists for the Pulitzer Prize were announced yesterday. The winners are:
Fiction: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Drama: Ruined by Lynn Nottage (not yet published)
History: The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed
Biography: American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham
Poetry: The Shadow of Sirius by W. S. Merwin
General Nonfiction: Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A. Blackmon
The shortlist for this year's £30,000 (US$43,701) Orange Prize for Fiction has been named and chair of judges Fi Glover said, "We were right down to the wire on several of the books and choosing just six was far harder than I had imagined, but we all left the judging room proud of the list we have chosen. We have stretched our heads getting to this shortlist," the Guardian reported.
The Orange Prize finalists are:
Scottsboro by Ellen Feldman
The Wilderness by Samantha Harvey
The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt
Molly Fox's Birthday by Deidre Madden
Home by Marilynne Robinson
Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie
The winner will be announced June 3.
Book-related winners and finalists for the Pulitzer Prize were announced yesterday. The winners are:
Fiction: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Drama: Ruined by Lynn Nottage (not yet published)
History: The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed
Biography: American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham
Poetry: The Shadow of Sirius by W. S. Merwin
General Nonfiction: Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A. Blackmon
The shortlist for this year's £30,000 (US$43,701) Orange Prize for Fiction has been named and chair of judges Fi Glover said, "We were right down to the wire on several of the books and choosing just six was far harder than I had imagined, but we all left the judging room proud of the list we have chosen. We have stretched our heads getting to this shortlist," the Guardian reported.
The Orange Prize finalists are:
Scottsboro by Ellen Feldman
The Wilderness by Samantha Harvey
The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt
Molly Fox's Birthday by Deidre Madden
Home by Marilynne Robinson
Burnt Shadows by Kamila Shamsie
The winner will be announced June 3.
Monday, April 13, 2009
This is a blog.
At the Reference Desk this weekend, a women runs up and wants to know how she can print an article from the computer. This is a question we get a lot, so I get up to help her. She begins to tell me, in a very concerned voice, about this horrible and scary thing that is happening (it involves international politics, and I won't get into it here). She is offering to make me copies of this article, and how no one seems to know what is happening, and it is so scary, and on and on. A partial quote is, "Can you believe this? I found it on the Internet!"
When I get to her computer, her and her husband are pointing, enraged, at this article. It has a cute orange "B" logo in the upper right corner, and the web address is blankyblank.blogspot.com. It's a blog. Someone, like me, is sitting somewhere writing whatever they want and posting it. It's a very simple process really, and there is absolutely no policing, editing, or verifying the content.
Aliens are attacking.
Fact? No. But according to many of my patrons, since it is in print, on the Internet, it MUST be true.
When I get to her computer, her and her husband are pointing, enraged, at this article. It has a cute orange "B" logo in the upper right corner, and the web address is blankyblank.blogspot.com. It's a blog. Someone, like me, is sitting somewhere writing whatever they want and posting it. It's a very simple process really, and there is absolutely no policing, editing, or verifying the content.
Aliens are attacking.
Fact? No. But according to many of my patrons, since it is in print, on the Internet, it MUST be true.
Friday, April 10, 2009
So Many Books, So Little Time (to blog)
Oh, I've been reading. I've been a reading maniac. Let me tell you what I've enjoyed.
My friend Heidi was right. I did get my hands on an advanced copy of The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters.
This book will be released on April 30, coincidentally, the day I will be seeing Ms. Waters in NYC! This book is different from Water's other historical novels: it is a slow, creepy, slightly supernatural novel. It has her astonishing writing and detailed historical accuracy but feels like an old-fashioned novel - which is a good thing! I just think she may lose some of her fans, even if she picks up more hard-core historical fiction fans (as she did with Night Watch). In the realm of "Sarah Waters novels" it is a very good book. In the realm of "all novels" it is exceptional. I stayed in bed for 12 hours straight with this book, slowly reading and absorbing the expertly drawn characters and constantly being surprised by the subtle historical details that just suck you into a time and place.
After Waters, Trigiani felt like a shock. I read Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani and, after shifting gears and getting used to the severe genre change, very much enjoyed it.
Valentine is one of three daughters in an Italian-American family in New York. She runs the family business with her grandmom - get this - making shoes! Of course, times have changed since they opened in Greenich Village in 1903 and the business is drowning in debt. Valentine is asked by Bergdorf Goodman to compete for the opportunity to have her custom designed and custom made shoes grace the Christmas window displays. She is up against huge names (Prada among others) and this could make or break the family business. Add a trip to Italy, an on-again, off-again New York boyfriend and the possibility of a fling in Italy, plus some family drama and surprises and it makes for a really satisfying, quick read. This is the first of a new trilogy and is cute, stylish and fun.
I've discovered two new authors that I cannot get enough of. The first is Simon van Booy, a British short story writer who will be giving a talk at my library in early summer. While he edits books of philosophy and is working on a children's book and a novel, his two books of short stories is what really caught me. His first, The Secret Lives of People In Love, takes place all over the globe but deals with themes that effect everyone: love, loss, loneliness.
His next collection of short stories, out in June, is titled Love Begins in Winter.
My other new favorite is a Canadian writer named Helen Humphreys. I only took her new book - The Frozen Thames - out of the library because, well, it was about the Thames.
But it turns out, that didn't matter. This is a writer so skilled at short stories, that she could write about doorknobs and it would be beautiful and fascinating. The Frozen Thames is forty short stories - the Thames has frozen forty times - that touch on what was happening in London during each freeze. The point of view is always different - sometimes royalty, sometimes peasants, sometimes children, sometimes third person. The stories are very short but incredible effective. Each story is based on facts from Humphrey's research.
When I discovered that Humphreys has been publishing books since the late 1990s, I was thrilled! I grabbed Wild Dogs next from the library (which is rumored to be on its way to Hollywood) and I can't wait to start it.
My friend Heidi was right. I did get my hands on an advanced copy of The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters.
This book will be released on April 30, coincidentally, the day I will be seeing Ms. Waters in NYC! This book is different from Water's other historical novels: it is a slow, creepy, slightly supernatural novel. It has her astonishing writing and detailed historical accuracy but feels like an old-fashioned novel - which is a good thing! I just think she may lose some of her fans, even if she picks up more hard-core historical fiction fans (as she did with Night Watch). In the realm of "Sarah Waters novels" it is a very good book. In the realm of "all novels" it is exceptional. I stayed in bed for 12 hours straight with this book, slowly reading and absorbing the expertly drawn characters and constantly being surprised by the subtle historical details that just suck you into a time and place.
After Waters, Trigiani felt like a shock. I read Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani and, after shifting gears and getting used to the severe genre change, very much enjoyed it.
Valentine is one of three daughters in an Italian-American family in New York. She runs the family business with her grandmom - get this - making shoes! Of course, times have changed since they opened in Greenich Village in 1903 and the business is drowning in debt. Valentine is asked by Bergdorf Goodman to compete for the opportunity to have her custom designed and custom made shoes grace the Christmas window displays. She is up against huge names (Prada among others) and this could make or break the family business. Add a trip to Italy, an on-again, off-again New York boyfriend and the possibility of a fling in Italy, plus some family drama and surprises and it makes for a really satisfying, quick read. This is the first of a new trilogy and is cute, stylish and fun.
I've discovered two new authors that I cannot get enough of. The first is Simon van Booy, a British short story writer who will be giving a talk at my library in early summer. While he edits books of philosophy and is working on a children's book and a novel, his two books of short stories is what really caught me. His first, The Secret Lives of People In Love, takes place all over the globe but deals with themes that effect everyone: love, loss, loneliness.
His next collection of short stories, out in June, is titled Love Begins in Winter.
My other new favorite is a Canadian writer named Helen Humphreys. I only took her new book - The Frozen Thames - out of the library because, well, it was about the Thames.
But it turns out, that didn't matter. This is a writer so skilled at short stories, that she could write about doorknobs and it would be beautiful and fascinating. The Frozen Thames is forty short stories - the Thames has frozen forty times - that touch on what was happening in London during each freeze. The point of view is always different - sometimes royalty, sometimes peasants, sometimes children, sometimes third person. The stories are very short but incredible effective. Each story is based on facts from Humphrey's research.
When I discovered that Humphreys has been publishing books since the late 1990s, I was thrilled! I grabbed Wild Dogs next from the library (which is rumored to be on its way to Hollywood) and I can't wait to start it.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
“After all, reading is arguably a far more creative and imaginative process than writing; when the reader creates emotion in their head, or the colors of the sky during the setting sun, or the smell of a warm summer’s breeze on their face, they should reserve as much praise for themselves as they do for the writer - perhaps more.”
This was a new approach; I mulled the idea around in my head.
“Really?” I replied, slightly doubtfully.
“Of course!” Snell laughed. “Surf pounding the shingle wouldn’t mean diddly unless you’d seen the waves cascade onto the foreshore, or felt the breakers tremble the beach beneath your feet, now would it?”
“I suppose not.”
“Books” - Snell smiled - “are a kind of magic.”
From The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde.
This was a new approach; I mulled the idea around in my head.
“Really?” I replied, slightly doubtfully.
“Of course!” Snell laughed. “Surf pounding the shingle wouldn’t mean diddly unless you’d seen the waves cascade onto the foreshore, or felt the breakers tremble the beach beneath your feet, now would it?”
“I suppose not.”
“Books” - Snell smiled - “are a kind of magic.”
From The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Duh.
An angry patron comes stomping down the stairs to the Reference Desk. He is angry because he borrowed a book from us and then mailed it back. (Why did he mail it? I have no idea.) He is being charged for the book because it apparently never arrived. So he is here to check the shelf. Ok, no problem. He wants me to check with him. Ok, again, no problem. He tells me that he'll know it's the copy he borrowed because he UNDERLINED huge segments of the book and wrote notes in the back. When we locate the book he triumphantly shows me the blue and red ink all over the front, inside and back cover of the book. Great. Now we will know who to charge to replace the returned book.
Duh.
Duh.
Drood is heavy
Seriously. It weighs about 4 pounds and is 777 pages. This will keep a lot of people from reading it which is incredible unfortunate.
It is an amazingly well done book. Dan Simmons took the last few years of Charles Dickens life (1865 - 1870), added accurate and beautiful descriptions of Victorian London, created a mystery with an air of ghosts and mysticism to create a book that is a historical fiction/mystery told through the eyes of novelist Wilkie Collins.
The reality of daily life in London as well as Dickens and Collins' lives are not sugar coated. Dickens was a workaholic and adulterer and Collins was a drug addict. They were best friends, collaborators and competitors. While Dickens becomes more and more obsessed with corpses and crypts, Collins loses his mind and all his money in the underground opium dens of London. The pages fly by as Simmons takes us from the sewers to the countryside of London and as Dickens and Collins' reality becomes blurry and they seem to go mad we wonder if it is the drugs, sickness, or real life ghosts.
Read this book! Don't let the number of pages disuade you - by the end you will be wishing for more. Publishers Weekly and others are reporting that Guillermo Del Toro will be directing the film version of this book. It may end up being 6 hours long!
It is an amazingly well done book. Dan Simmons took the last few years of Charles Dickens life (1865 - 1870), added accurate and beautiful descriptions of Victorian London, created a mystery with an air of ghosts and mysticism to create a book that is a historical fiction/mystery told through the eyes of novelist Wilkie Collins.
The reality of daily life in London as well as Dickens and Collins' lives are not sugar coated. Dickens was a workaholic and adulterer and Collins was a drug addict. They were best friends, collaborators and competitors. While Dickens becomes more and more obsessed with corpses and crypts, Collins loses his mind and all his money in the underground opium dens of London. The pages fly by as Simmons takes us from the sewers to the countryside of London and as Dickens and Collins' reality becomes blurry and they seem to go mad we wonder if it is the drugs, sickness, or real life ghosts.
Read this book! Don't let the number of pages disuade you - by the end you will be wishing for more. Publishers Weekly and others are reporting that Guillermo Del Toro will be directing the film version of this book. It may end up being 6 hours long!
The Lisa Files
McNally Jackson books, an independent book store in New York City, is not only clean and spacious but is also full of good books and helpful people. I was also impressed by their displays - numerous and well done. But the real reason I stopped by McNally Jackson books was for their author event.
Lisa Lutz, promoting her third installment of the Spellman series, was at the bookstore this week. She seemed younger then I'd imagined but just as funny and sarcastic as her main character, Isabel Spellman.
When an audience member asked if it was true that she would never write more than 4 Spellman books (and she is finishing writing the fourth - it is due out next March) Lisa winced and looked at her editor, publisher and agent, all sitting in the front row. "Were you planted by my editor?" She demanded. There are no promises of Spellman books after the fourth installment, although she added that she had trouble tying up all the loose ends.
Lisa Lutz, promoting her third installment of the Spellman series, was at the bookstore this week. She seemed younger then I'd imagined but just as funny and sarcastic as her main character, Isabel Spellman.
When an audience member asked if it was true that she would never write more than 4 Spellman books (and she is finishing writing the fourth - it is due out next March) Lisa winced and looked at her editor, publisher and agent, all sitting in the front row. "Were you planted by my editor?" She demanded. There are no promises of Spellman books after the fourth installment, although she added that she had trouble tying up all the loose ends.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Loving Lutz
I just finished listening to the first two books in the Spellman series by Lisa Lutz: The Spellman Files and Curse of the Spellmans. These were great books to listen to. Isabel Spellman is a private investigator from a family of private investigators. She works for Spellman Investigations in San Francisco - the company is Isabel, her mom and her ex-cop dad. Isabel is a sarcastic, heavy drinking, ex-vandal with a bit of a record. She is overly suspicious in everyday life - which leads to family fights and losing over 9 boyfriends. These part-mystery, part-comedy books are quick reads or great listens: narrator Christina Moore gives a fabulous performance.
If you, like me, have finished the first two Spellman books and are left wanting more, there is not long to wait! The third installment, Revenge of the Spellmans, will be released tomorrow (March 10)!
I couldn't wait until March 10, so I did the next best thing - I found a copy of the movie Plan B. This is a 2001 straight to video movie starring Diane Keaton and Paul Sorvino. It was written by Lisa Lutz before she wrote the Spellman books. As movies go, it's not fabulous. But if you have read Lisa Lutz you can find that Spellman humor in this movie, as well as similar themes (she must have a brother - both Isabel Spellman and Fran from Plan B have brothers with OCD). Lisa Lutz wrote an article about her 10 years of writing and rewriting the screenplay of Plan B for Salon.com.
Still, not enough Lisa Lutz for me. So I will be driving into the city on Monday, March 16 to meet the woman behind the sarcasm in person. Lisa Lutz will be at McNally Jackson Books in NYC to sign and read from her new Spellman book.
If you, like me, have finished the first two Spellman books and are left wanting more, there is not long to wait! The third installment, Revenge of the Spellmans, will be released tomorrow (March 10)!
I couldn't wait until March 10, so I did the next best thing - I found a copy of the movie Plan B. This is a 2001 straight to video movie starring Diane Keaton and Paul Sorvino. It was written by Lisa Lutz before she wrote the Spellman books. As movies go, it's not fabulous. But if you have read Lisa Lutz you can find that Spellman humor in this movie, as well as similar themes (she must have a brother - both Isabel Spellman and Fran from Plan B have brothers with OCD). Lisa Lutz wrote an article about her 10 years of writing and rewriting the screenplay of Plan B for Salon.com.
Still, not enough Lisa Lutz for me. So I will be driving into the city on Monday, March 16 to meet the woman behind the sarcasm in person. Lisa Lutz will be at McNally Jackson Books in NYC to sign and read from her new Spellman book.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Sigh.
I just shushed two patrons. Finger to lips and everything. They did not teach me that in Librarian school ... I guess it just comes natural.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
My new boyfriend
I'm in love.
His name is Martin Millar but sometimes he goes by Martin Scott. He is a writer who was born in Scotland but lives in London. Most of his books were published years ago in the UK, but thanks to Soft Skull Press here in Brooklyn, they are slowly being released with nifty American covers.
I read Lonely Werewolf Girl after reading an odd review of the 560 page book. The back explained only enough to make me curious:
"While teenage werewolf Kalix MacRinnalch is being pursued through the streets of London by murderous hunters, her sister, the Werewolf Enchantress, is busy designing clothes for the Fire Queen. Meanwhile, in the Scottish Highlands, the MacRinnalch Clan is plotting and feuding after the head of the clan suddenly dies intestate. As the court intrigue threatens to blow up into all-out civil war, the competing factions determine that Kalix is the swing vote necessary to assume leadership of the clan. Unfortunately, Kalix isn’t really into clan politics — laudanum’s more her thing. Even more unfortunately, Kalix is the reason the head of the clan ended up dead, which is why she’s now on the lam in London. . . This expansive tale of werewolves in the modern world — friendly werewolves, fashionista werewolves, troubled teenage werewolves, cross-dressing werewolves, werewolves of every sort — is hard-edged, hilarious, and utterly believable."
It was the funnest book I've ever read. And now, Soft Skull has just released Milk, Sulphate and Alby Starvation, which was originally published nearly 20 years ago. When I was flipping through the New York Times Book Review last week and saw a review of this "new" Millar book I just about peed my pants. And it's a great review! You can read it here.
My boyfriend's other books include The Good Fairies of New York, Suzy, Led Zeppelin, and Me and Lux the Poet. Writing as Martin Scott, he received the World Fantasy Award for his series Thraxes. Warning: these books have the worst sci-fi cover art I have ever seen and people WILL judge you and your book by the cover. I am hoping Soft Skull will release these with cool new covers soon.
You can check out my boyfriend's blog here.
His name is Martin Millar but sometimes he goes by Martin Scott. He is a writer who was born in Scotland but lives in London. Most of his books were published years ago in the UK, but thanks to Soft Skull Press here in Brooklyn, they are slowly being released with nifty American covers.
I read Lonely Werewolf Girl after reading an odd review of the 560 page book. The back explained only enough to make me curious:
"While teenage werewolf Kalix MacRinnalch is being pursued through the streets of London by murderous hunters, her sister, the Werewolf Enchantress, is busy designing clothes for the Fire Queen. Meanwhile, in the Scottish Highlands, the MacRinnalch Clan is plotting and feuding after the head of the clan suddenly dies intestate. As the court intrigue threatens to blow up into all-out civil war, the competing factions determine that Kalix is the swing vote necessary to assume leadership of the clan. Unfortunately, Kalix isn’t really into clan politics — laudanum’s more her thing. Even more unfortunately, Kalix is the reason the head of the clan ended up dead, which is why she’s now on the lam in London. . . This expansive tale of werewolves in the modern world — friendly werewolves, fashionista werewolves, troubled teenage werewolves, cross-dressing werewolves, werewolves of every sort — is hard-edged, hilarious, and utterly believable."
It was the funnest book I've ever read. And now, Soft Skull has just released Milk, Sulphate and Alby Starvation, which was originally published nearly 20 years ago. When I was flipping through the New York Times Book Review last week and saw a review of this "new" Millar book I just about peed my pants. And it's a great review! You can read it here.
My boyfriend's other books include The Good Fairies of New York, Suzy, Led Zeppelin, and Me and Lux the Poet. Writing as Martin Scott, he received the World Fantasy Award for his series Thraxes. Warning: these books have the worst sci-fi cover art I have ever seen and people WILL judge you and your book by the cover. I am hoping Soft Skull will release these with cool new covers soon.
You can check out my boyfriend's blog here.
oh NO you di'nt!
My MAINE guy, Stephen King, was doing an interview with USA Weekend earlier this month and he totally dissed Stephenie Meyer. Kim, from our Teen Department, rushed down to reference to insist I blog about it. She is also considering pulling all of Stephen King's books off the shelves. Here is what has got all the teenage Twilighters online abuzz:
"The real difference is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can't write worth a darn," he said. "She's not very good."
But it wasn't just Stephenie ...
King declared Perry Mason author Erle Stanley Gardner "terrible," Dean Koontz "sometimes…just awful," and James Patterson "a terrible writer" who is nonetheless "very very successful."
I saw Stephen King, J.K. Rowling and John Irving read from their works a few years ago. They seemed to be good buddies, and Stephen King had a great comment (I don't know the exact quote - but something like "Rowling writes books that get kids ready for the books Irving and I write.") I don't think he has an issue with overhyped authors, just bad writing. King is a very well read man (and he doesn't just write horror - try On Writing) and I actually trust his opinion. And, I admit, I have not yet read the Twilight books. For shame.
"The real difference is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can't write worth a darn," he said. "She's not very good."
But it wasn't just Stephenie ...
King declared Perry Mason author Erle Stanley Gardner "terrible," Dean Koontz "sometimes…just awful," and James Patterson "a terrible writer" who is nonetheless "very very successful."
I saw Stephen King, J.K. Rowling and John Irving read from their works a few years ago. They seemed to be good buddies, and Stephen King had a great comment (I don't know the exact quote - but something like "Rowling writes books that get kids ready for the books Irving and I write.") I don't think he has an issue with overhyped authors, just bad writing. King is a very well read man (and he doesn't just write horror - try On Writing) and I actually trust his opinion. And, I admit, I have not yet read the Twilight books. For shame.
Friday, February 20, 2009
I couldn't make this up ....
These are the problems our patrons have:
A patron called and Terry answered the phone. She wanted a book that we don't have in our library. Another library in the county has it, and we can inter-library loan it. This takes about 3 days. The patron wanted the book now, so Terry called the other library and had them hold the book for the patron, who was going to go get it. The library requires the patron's library card number, which Terry gave them.
The patron calls back. She has sent her driver and her housekeeper to pick up the book at the other library. She is concerned now about whether the library will give the book to her housekeeper and her driver, since they don't have her library card.
Terry is currently calling the other library back to explain that the patron will not be there, but the patron's driver and housekeeper (why both of them, I don't know. Apparently the driver must drive the housekeeper).
Truth is stranger than fiction.
A patron called and Terry answered the phone. She wanted a book that we don't have in our library. Another library in the county has it, and we can inter-library loan it. This takes about 3 days. The patron wanted the book now, so Terry called the other library and had them hold the book for the patron, who was going to go get it. The library requires the patron's library card number, which Terry gave them.
The patron calls back. She has sent her driver and her housekeeper to pick up the book at the other library. She is concerned now about whether the library will give the book to her housekeeper and her driver, since they don't have her library card.
Terry is currently calling the other library back to explain that the patron will not be there, but the patron's driver and housekeeper (why both of them, I don't know. Apparently the driver must drive the housekeeper).
Truth is stranger than fiction.
Perks
Isabella Rossellini was just here, sitting at a study desk. We all pretended we were not looking at her.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
The Generation Gap
An older, rich couple came in to the library the other day. Despite being computer illiterate, they decided to find a hotel in Paris using the Internet. Mrs. Rich continuously waved her hand and "yoo-hoo'd" me to help while Mr. Rich sat patiently next to her. For half an hour I bopped up and down, showing them how to do a Google search, suggesting they use our travel books to recommend a hotel instead of the Internet, showing them how to close the countless advertisement boxes that popped up, found the "rates" link in each web page, and so on. The entire time Mr. Rich silently sat next to Mrs. Rich, watching me navigate the mouse. Finally, as they were asking for help on how to log off, Mr. Rich spoke up.
Mr. Rich: "This is bad."
Bethany the Librarian: blink.
Mr. Rich: "I have a doctorate."
Bethany the Librarian: "Oh?"
Mr. Rich: "But you were BORN with computers, right?"
Bethany the Librarian: "Pretty much."
Mr. Rich: "I was born with a secretary."
Mr. Rich: "This is bad."
Bethany the Librarian: blink.
Mr. Rich: "I have a doctorate."
Bethany the Librarian: "Oh?"
Mr. Rich: "But you were BORN with computers, right?"
Bethany the Librarian: "Pretty much."
Mr. Rich: "I was born with a secretary."
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
NYC Comic Con 2009!
I had so much fun at this year's Comic Con in New York. I got to see Mo Willems (author of the Pigeon children's books, among others) read out loud while jumping, running and screaming around the stage. He was amazing. I also got to meet Bryan Lee O'Malley, author of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels as well as Ryan Kelly and Brian Wood, who illustrated and wrote Local. I saw Jeff Kinney, author of the Diary of Wimpy Kid series but his line was too long!
I could never explain the amount of people crammed into the massive Javits Center, the elaborate costumes, the horribly overpriced foods or the feeling of camaraderie with other geeks - it was an amazing experience. Here are a few photos to illustrate.
This doesn't do the crowd justice - I needed a wide angle lens to capture that space. There were booths with publishers, artists, tv, films, video games, dolls, toys, clothes .... and on and on.
I had to wear comfortable shoes.
Checking out our signed copy of Local while waiting for Mo Willems.
Mo! He taught us how to draw the pigeon.
Long line for Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
I love to see people excited about books!
I could never explain the amount of people crammed into the massive Javits Center, the elaborate costumes, the horribly overpriced foods or the feeling of camaraderie with other geeks - it was an amazing experience. Here are a few photos to illustrate.
This doesn't do the crowd justice - I needed a wide angle lens to capture that space. There were booths with publishers, artists, tv, films, video games, dolls, toys, clothes .... and on and on.
I had to wear comfortable shoes.
Checking out our signed copy of Local while waiting for Mo Willems.
Mo! He taught us how to draw the pigeon.
Long line for Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
I love to see people excited about books!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
As they say in Family Feud ... good answer!!
Between Coraline and Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman is being interviewed everywhere you turn. In one interview I was reading today, the last question seemed a bit strange ... but Neil had a beautiful answer.
"So what do you think about children's books?"
"They're terrible; they should be banned. What kind of question is that? I think they're wonderful. When I was a kid, I was a kid with a book. As far as I was concerned, had you asked me at the age of seven what the most important things in the world are, I'd probably say the first six Narnia books, the first three Mary Poppins books. . . . Had I discovered The Hobbit yet? Not yet. The books that took pride of place on my shelves were Stig of the Dump by Clive King, Tales of Ancient Egypt by Roger Lancelyn Green. I was the kind of kid who, during my summer holidays, would persuade my parents to drop me off at the library in the morning, and I'd spend my day there. Sometimes I'd pack a lunch. At 6:30 when they closed, I'd walk home.
Children's fiction, for me back then, was the most important thing there is. It has a holy place and position that adult fiction doesn't have. Adult fiction is a wonderful thing and enriching to the soul and mind, and it takes you to great places. But children's fiction can change the world and give you a refuge from the intolerable. It can give you a place of safety and show you the world is not bounded by the world you live in--there's more than that."
"So what do you think about children's books?"
"They're terrible; they should be banned. What kind of question is that? I think they're wonderful. When I was a kid, I was a kid with a book. As far as I was concerned, had you asked me at the age of seven what the most important things in the world are, I'd probably say the first six Narnia books, the first three Mary Poppins books. . . . Had I discovered The Hobbit yet? Not yet. The books that took pride of place on my shelves were Stig of the Dump by Clive King, Tales of Ancient Egypt by Roger Lancelyn Green. I was the kind of kid who, during my summer holidays, would persuade my parents to drop me off at the library in the morning, and I'd spend my day there. Sometimes I'd pack a lunch. At 6:30 when they closed, I'd walk home.
Children's fiction, for me back then, was the most important thing there is. It has a holy place and position that adult fiction doesn't have. Adult fiction is a wonderful thing and enriching to the soul and mind, and it takes you to great places. But children's fiction can change the world and give you a refuge from the intolerable. It can give you a place of safety and show you the world is not bounded by the world you live in--there's more than that."
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
James Brady, local writer, dies
James Brady, a resident of East Hampton and author of books set in the Hamptons has passed away. A full obituary from Newsday is here.
From the article:
"I'm a city boy, born in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn," Brady told Newsday in 1997, upon publication of his Hamptons novel, "Further Lane." I have never lived in a place - and I've lived in Paris, London, Washington, Manhattan - which I've found as beautiful, as comfortable and as wonderful as East Hampton. Part of that is the strangeness of it."
It seems we have lost so many writers lately ... I hope they have a good library in heaven.
His story is now complete.
John Updike has passed away. The New York Times has a story here. Pay your respects: read one of his books.
Rabbit novels
(1960) Rabbit, Run
(1971) Rabbit Redux
(1981) Rabbit Is Rich
(1990) Rabbit At Rest
(2001) Rabbit Remembered
Bech books
(1970) Bech, a Book
(1982) Bech Is Back
(1998) Bech at Bay
Buchanan books
(1974) Buchanan Dying (a play)
(1992) Memories of the Ford Administration (a novel)
Eastwick books
(1984) The Witches of Eastwick
(2008) The Widows of Eastwick
Other novels
(1959) The Poorhouse Fair
(1963) The Centaur
(1965) Of the Farm
(1968) Couples
(1975) A Month of Sundays
(1977) Marry Me
(1978) The Coup
(1986) Roger's Version
(1988) S.
(1994) Brazil
(1996) In the Beauty of the Lilies
(1997) Toward the End of Time
(2000) Gertrude and Claudius
(2002) Seek My Face
(2004) Villages
(2006) Terrorist
Rabbit novels
(1960) Rabbit, Run
(1971) Rabbit Redux
(1981) Rabbit Is Rich
(1990) Rabbit At Rest
(2001) Rabbit Remembered
Bech books
(1970) Bech, a Book
(1982) Bech Is Back
(1998) Bech at Bay
Buchanan books
(1974) Buchanan Dying (a play)
(1992) Memories of the Ford Administration (a novel)
Eastwick books
(1984) The Witches of Eastwick
(2008) The Widows of Eastwick
Other novels
(1959) The Poorhouse Fair
(1963) The Centaur
(1965) Of the Farm
(1968) Couples
(1975) A Month of Sundays
(1977) Marry Me
(1978) The Coup
(1986) Roger's Version
(1988) S.
(1994) Brazil
(1996) In the Beauty of the Lilies
(1997) Toward the End of Time
(2000) Gertrude and Claudius
(2002) Seek My Face
(2004) Villages
(2006) Terrorist
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Neil's Newbery!
I nearly drove off the road this morning when I heard on the radio that Neil Gaiman had received the Newbery Medal for The Graveyard Book. I am a huge fan of Neil and he has won numerous awards in the past - but mostly sci-fi or graphic novel related. The Newbery - as he said in an interview - is like winning the Nobel or an Oscar. It is extremely prestigious.
I met Neil when he was on tour for his last collection of short stories, Fragile Things, and he said my favorite quote of any author at any signing. Someone from the audience asked about his tendency to wear dark colors and Neil responded that he liked his clothes to be "a reassuring shade of black."
This comes at a perfect time for Neil. Another children's book that he wrote to great reviews will be released as a movie on February 6. Coraline the book is a great read-aloud (as it the Graveyard Book) and Coraline the 3D movie will be showing soon! I will be in New York City that weekend for Comic Con so I may just slip into a late showing of Coraline after a day of rubbing shoulders with Art Spiegelman, Bryan Lee O'Malley and Brian Wood.
I met Neil when he was on tour for his last collection of short stories, Fragile Things, and he said my favorite quote of any author at any signing. Someone from the audience asked about his tendency to wear dark colors and Neil responded that he liked his clothes to be "a reassuring shade of black."
This comes at a perfect time for Neil. Another children's book that he wrote to great reviews will be released as a movie on February 6. Coraline the book is a great read-aloud (as it the Graveyard Book) and Coraline the 3D movie will be showing soon! I will be in New York City that weekend for Comic Con so I may just slip into a late showing of Coraline after a day of rubbing shoulders with Art Spiegelman, Bryan Lee O'Malley and Brian Wood.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Beautiful Children: Pretty Ugly
I started out liking Beautiful Children by Charles Bock. It is a novel set in Las Vegas and begins with a missing boy. From the publisher:
"In this masterly debut novel, Charles Bock mixes incandescent prose with devious humor to capture Las Vegas with unprecedented scope and nuance and to provide a glimpse into a microcosm of modern America. Beautiful Children is an odyssey of heartache and redemption–heralding the arrival of a major new writer."
At times Bock's writing is almost beautiful - most of the time it is tedious. It verges on pseudo-philosophical and there are scenes that have actually turned my stomach. I was excited to read a book based in Vegas - with Vegas as a character - but I have been sorely disappointed. It seems only the dirty, seedy side of Vegas is of any interest to Bock. Missing children, pregnant runaways, porno, strippers, pawnshops, and drugs surround a family that is falling apart.
I don't mind dark books, or mysteries and thrillers where bad things happen. But I don't like books that seem to try to shock me with each new chapter. As I progress I think, "Maybe he is getting at something with this .... I'll just trudge through this and get back to the plot ..." Alas, something disturbing is happening in Vegas with every turn of the page.
NOT recommended.
"In this masterly debut novel, Charles Bock mixes incandescent prose with devious humor to capture Las Vegas with unprecedented scope and nuance and to provide a glimpse into a microcosm of modern America. Beautiful Children is an odyssey of heartache and redemption–heralding the arrival of a major new writer."
At times Bock's writing is almost beautiful - most of the time it is tedious. It verges on pseudo-philosophical and there are scenes that have actually turned my stomach. I was excited to read a book based in Vegas - with Vegas as a character - but I have been sorely disappointed. It seems only the dirty, seedy side of Vegas is of any interest to Bock. Missing children, pregnant runaways, porno, strippers, pawnshops, and drugs surround a family that is falling apart.
I don't mind dark books, or mysteries and thrillers where bad things happen. But I don't like books that seem to try to shock me with each new chapter. As I progress I think, "Maybe he is getting at something with this .... I'll just trudge through this and get back to the plot ..." Alas, something disturbing is happening in Vegas with every turn of the page.
NOT recommended.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Happy Anniversary!
January 11 was my one year blogging anniversary, and this article in the New York Times was the best present ever!
"...for the first time since 1982, when the bureau began collecting such data, the proportion of adults 18 and older who said they had read at least one novel, short story, poem or play in the previous 12 months has risen."
"...for the first time since 1982, when the bureau began collecting such data, the proportion of adults 18 and older who said they had read at least one novel, short story, poem or play in the previous 12 months has risen."
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Yes, Doctor!
In the other blog that I contribute to, I reviewed a fabulous book: Doctor Olaf van Schuler's Brain by Kirsten Menger-Anderson. To my great surprise (and delight ... I am an author groupie) Mrs. Menger-Anderson quoted part of my review on her blog!
Here is my original review.
Here is the author's blog.
Here is my original review.
Here is the author's blog.
Books and Movies: The Good, the Bad, the Overhyped
So much blogging I want to do, so little time. I have been enjoying so many books and movies lately, I just had to share. Here are my mini-reviews:
Books made into movies:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: the short story is fabulous, the movie is great but too long and really just takes Fitzgerald's general theme and creates a whole new story with it. Worth seeing in the theatre for an amazing naval war scene.
The Reader: Powerful, beautiful and well acted. Be warned, sex scenes and nudity abound. Worth seeing in the theatre.
Doubt: (based on the Pulitzer-prize winning play). An amazing play, an amazing cast, and the playwright-turned-director is fantastic. Bring a friend, you will want to have a discussion when this film is over. Worth seeing in the theatre.
Books:
I finished the last pages of Doomsday Book by Connie Willis, reading through the tears in my eyes. Outdated and lengthy, the core story is timeless and the book is well worth a read.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stied Larsson: I know one person who is enjoying this book ... I know two who gave up. I am the third person to give up. The beginning is wordy, confusing, has many characters and keeps flashing back. I kept getting lost, then I started day dreaming, then I returned it to the Library.
The Lagoon by Lilli Carre: eh. This is a short, beautifully drawn, sci-fi-ish graphic novel. It is worth checking out because the full page pictures are so great and, while the ending was really neat, it didn't really make sense and I kept looking for more pages to turn. A sequel maybe? Or just a short, pretty, weird book.
Beautiful Children by Charles Bock: a first novel, I can't decide if this is fiction, mystery or literary fiction. It is set in Las Vegas and is the story of a missing boy. But not a cute, 4-year-old with rosy cheeks. This is a 12-year-old brat who uses horrible language and is beyond rude to his parents. The author goes into the lives of surrounding characters - his parents, a comic book artist, a stripper, teen runaways. It's weird but I like it.
The Angel Maker by Stefan Brijs: I wasn't quite sure at first, but now I'm loving this creepy mystery. In a small town in Belgium, a geneticist returns after being mysteriously gone for 20 years. He brings with him 3 identical infants that he keeps in his house - no one sees them or hears from them. When Charlotte, a local retired teacher, is hired to take care of the three boys she begins to unravel the mystery of the doctor and his strange sons.
Books made into movies:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: the short story is fabulous, the movie is great but too long and really just takes Fitzgerald's general theme and creates a whole new story with it. Worth seeing in the theatre for an amazing naval war scene.
The Reader: Powerful, beautiful and well acted. Be warned, sex scenes and nudity abound. Worth seeing in the theatre.
Doubt: (based on the Pulitzer-prize winning play). An amazing play, an amazing cast, and the playwright-turned-director is fantastic. Bring a friend, you will want to have a discussion when this film is over. Worth seeing in the theatre.
Books:
I finished the last pages of Doomsday Book by Connie Willis, reading through the tears in my eyes. Outdated and lengthy, the core story is timeless and the book is well worth a read.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stied Larsson: I know one person who is enjoying this book ... I know two who gave up. I am the third person to give up. The beginning is wordy, confusing, has many characters and keeps flashing back. I kept getting lost, then I started day dreaming, then I returned it to the Library.
The Lagoon by Lilli Carre: eh. This is a short, beautifully drawn, sci-fi-ish graphic novel. It is worth checking out because the full page pictures are so great and, while the ending was really neat, it didn't really make sense and I kept looking for more pages to turn. A sequel maybe? Or just a short, pretty, weird book.
Beautiful Children by Charles Bock: a first novel, I can't decide if this is fiction, mystery or literary fiction. It is set in Las Vegas and is the story of a missing boy. But not a cute, 4-year-old with rosy cheeks. This is a 12-year-old brat who uses horrible language and is beyond rude to his parents. The author goes into the lives of surrounding characters - his parents, a comic book artist, a stripper, teen runaways. It's weird but I like it.
The Angel Maker by Stefan Brijs: I wasn't quite sure at first, but now I'm loving this creepy mystery. In a small town in Belgium, a geneticist returns after being mysteriously gone for 20 years. He brings with him 3 identical infants that he keeps in his house - no one sees them or hears from them. When Charlotte, a local retired teacher, is hired to take care of the three boys she begins to unravel the mystery of the doctor and his strange sons.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
You know you are a Librarian when...
you are stuck in traffic so you begin to translate licence plate numbers to Dewey numbers. Hmmmm... NY 746, must be a knitter.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Happy New Year!
Whew, the holidays are over! They really get in the way of my reading time. Currently, I am very much enjoying Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. It was published in 1992 and won both the Hugo and Nebula awards. According to Wikipedia (which means, take it with a grain of salt...) it is the most-honored work of science fiction in recent history. It was recommended to me by Elizabeth, our head of Reference.
What is so cool about this book is that it blends science-fiction with historical fiction. While I have a few sci-fi books that I really love, I am not first and foremost a sci-fi reader. But when you throw in time travel, I'm there! Connie Willis is also a great writer - keeping up the pace in a somewhat lengthy book while sprinkling in humor and great character studies. And did I mention a historian from 2054 gets sent back to 1320 and there is a mysterious plague in both times?!?!
One drawback to the plot is, because it was written in 1992, cell phones were not such a prevalent part of society. However, the book is set in 2054 and although there are "video phones" in use, the author did not predict cell phones. While there is a massive epidemic and historians lost in time, much of the tension is around characters not being able to get in touch with each other, or waiting around for phone calls from this specialist in Scotland or that archaeologist at a dig. It seems funny, but if I can let go of reality enough to imagine time travel, I think I can imagine a world without portable telephones.
I have also just received my copy of The Angel Maker by Stefan Brijs from the Library and it looks so amazingly creepy:
The village of Wolfheim is a quiet little place until the geneticist Dr. Victor Hoppe returns after an absence of nearly twenty years. The doctor brings with him his infant children—three identical boys all sharing a disturbing disfigurement. He keeps them hidden away until Charlotte, the woman who is hired to care for them, begins to suspect that the triplets—and the good doctor— aren’t quite what they seem. As the villagers become increasingly suspicious, the story of Dr. Hoppe’s past begins to unfold, and the shocking secrets that he has been keeping are revealed. A chilling story that explores the ethical limits of science and religion, The Angel Maker is a haunting tale in the tradition of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Frankenstein. Brought to life by internationally bestselling author Stefan Brijs, this eerie tale promises to get under readers’ skin.
Also, I stumbled across a review of a book in the newspaper - The Lonely Werewolf Girl by Martin Millar. I was thrilled that our library owns it, but I have been enjoying hanging out in 1320 so much that I didn't want to start a new book. Terry caught sight of it and got just as excited as me - werewolf fashion designers and werewolf outcasts running the streets of London and being called back to their Scottish castle to take over the royal werewolf family. So, I shared and let Terry borrow it first. She loves it so far and I'll be reading it before long!
New Years Resolution: read more.
What is so cool about this book is that it blends science-fiction with historical fiction. While I have a few sci-fi books that I really love, I am not first and foremost a sci-fi reader. But when you throw in time travel, I'm there! Connie Willis is also a great writer - keeping up the pace in a somewhat lengthy book while sprinkling in humor and great character studies. And did I mention a historian from 2054 gets sent back to 1320 and there is a mysterious plague in both times?!?!
One drawback to the plot is, because it was written in 1992, cell phones were not such a prevalent part of society. However, the book is set in 2054 and although there are "video phones" in use, the author did not predict cell phones. While there is a massive epidemic and historians lost in time, much of the tension is around characters not being able to get in touch with each other, or waiting around for phone calls from this specialist in Scotland or that archaeologist at a dig. It seems funny, but if I can let go of reality enough to imagine time travel, I think I can imagine a world without portable telephones.
I have also just received my copy of The Angel Maker by Stefan Brijs from the Library and it looks so amazingly creepy:
The village of Wolfheim is a quiet little place until the geneticist Dr. Victor Hoppe returns after an absence of nearly twenty years. The doctor brings with him his infant children—three identical boys all sharing a disturbing disfigurement. He keeps them hidden away until Charlotte, the woman who is hired to care for them, begins to suspect that the triplets—and the good doctor— aren’t quite what they seem. As the villagers become increasingly suspicious, the story of Dr. Hoppe’s past begins to unfold, and the shocking secrets that he has been keeping are revealed. A chilling story that explores the ethical limits of science and religion, The Angel Maker is a haunting tale in the tradition of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Frankenstein. Brought to life by internationally bestselling author Stefan Brijs, this eerie tale promises to get under readers’ skin.
Also, I stumbled across a review of a book in the newspaper - The Lonely Werewolf Girl by Martin Millar. I was thrilled that our library owns it, but I have been enjoying hanging out in 1320 so much that I didn't want to start a new book. Terry caught sight of it and got just as excited as me - werewolf fashion designers and werewolf outcasts running the streets of London and being called back to their Scottish castle to take over the royal werewolf family. So, I shared and let Terry borrow it first. She loves it so far and I'll be reading it before long!
New Years Resolution: read more.
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