Another Day Dawns

If you haven't been living under a rock recently then you know what August 2, 2008 is. I can hear the screams already: "Edward", "Edward", "Edward".... That's right folks, Stephenie Meyer's Breaking Dawn will be available this Friday! It's a wonderful YA series full of vampires, werewolves, & young love. I love the audiobooks and the reader is fantastic! Read them in this order:
Twilight
New Moon
Eclipse
Breaking Dawn

If you like "creatures of the night", then try a few of these other series with "bite":
Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton
Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
Gil's All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez
Minion by L. A. Banks
Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

Will Your Ticket Be The One?

No, you won't win a magic chocolate factory like our friend Charlie Bucket, but you could win something pretty awesome in its own right. Just remember: The Adult Summer Reading Program ends August 2nd, so get those reading tickets in!

These Gentlemen Would Like You To Visit The Shack

Seriously. William P. Young (on the left in the photo above) wrote The Shack as a way to explain to his six children how he was able to move beyond a life of shame and despair to one filled with "light, love, and transformation." Eleven years ago, Young was in dire straits emotionally and spiritually, haunted by memories of childood sexual abuse and by an extramarital affair he'd carried on. Heavy, ugly stuff, which Young pushed into a dark place deep down inside of himself that he called simply "the shack." The book is a parable about visiting that dark place and confronting and overcoming the evil that lives there. Young said that when he first wrote the book back in 2005, his "only goal was to get [it] copied and bound at Kinko's in time for Christmas as a gift to [his] kids." In 2007, with the help of two former pastors, Young self-published the book since neither Christian nor secular publishing houses would touch it. Those publishers are probably kicking themselves right now, for over a million copies of The Shack have been sold since its release. (Now you know why Young and the other two guys in the photo are smiling!)

So, ready for a visit? Then get in line right here.

Catch a Thief

To celebrate the movie Bank Job coming to DVD, EW highlighted its 13 favorite heist movies last week. How about trying some of our favorite heist books? What is a heist book you ask? This is a book where master criminals plan and stage elaborate robberies. The following all fit the bill:

11 Harrowhouse by Gerald A. Browne
Void Moon by Michael Connelly
The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton
Out of Sight by Elmore Leonard
Out on the Rim by Ross Thomas
Drowned Hopes by Donald E. Westlake

These are stylish, fun, and packed full of action and humor. Want more? Try different books by Gerald A. Browne, Donald E. Westlake, and Elmore Leonard.

Pulitzer-Prize Winning Author Returns to Gilead

Who says you can't go home again? Not Marilynne Robinson, whose third novel, Home, debuts this September. Home revisits the fictional town of Gilead, Iowa, which Robinson first introduced to readers in 2004 in the subdued but powerful--and pulitzer-prize-winning, I might add--novel of the same name. There we met the elderly and ailing Reverend John Ames, his young wife, and his seven-year-old son, to whom Ames is writing a very special letter: a quiet meditation on his life and beliefs, a legacy of words to leave to his boy after Ames dies. In Home, the year is 1956 and Ames is writing his letter, but Robinson shifts the perspective from him to the family of his lifelong friend, Reverend Robert Boughton, focusing on Boughton's shiftless, ne'er-do-well son Jack. But don't call Home a sequel--Robinson doesn't believe in writing sequels: "A novel has its shape and that's that," she said in a recent interview with Publishers Weekly. If only other authors were as wise.

By Marilynne Robinson:

Housekeeping

Gilead

Home

On Agate Hill

What more could you ask for in a southern Civil War novel—a decaying plantation, dead war heroes, tragic children, mysterious strangers. Well, you get all that and more in this one. Lee Smith's page-turner becomes a “whodunit” when one of the characters is murdered and readers are left to figure out what really happened. On Agate Hill is a great read and a perfect book club selection.

On Agate Hill by Lee Smith

Superheroes

I have always had a love affair with comics and my favorite superhero is Daredevil-- and not the Ben Affleck version either. How can you not admire a blind man who can defeat evil with his wits, acrobatics, and basically a stick? Don't forget the bright red spandex either--classic! Friday July 18th, is D-Day for all of you Batman fans--The Dark Knight comes out in theaters. Along with Ironman, The Incredible Hulk, Hellboy II, and even Hancock, this has been the summer for superhero movies. I personally like the movies but my first love will always be comics, or graphic novels as they are now known. So try one of these graphic novels at your library today and get reaquainted with your favorite superhero.


Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, The Dark Knight Strikes Again


Ironman: Ultimate Ironman I, Ultimate Ironman II


Hulk: The Incredible Hulk vol. 1


Hellboy: Hellboy the Troll Witch..., Hellboy Library Edition Vol. 1


P. S. When I toss aside my glasses, let down my hair, and ditch the cardigan and comfortable shoes--I become The Dewey Decimater! So keep those voices down and read a graphic novel--you'll feel super!

Nineteen Minutes

Everyone reads Jodi Picoult – but me. So I picked up one her latest books, Nineteen Minutes, and read it over the weekend. Yes, it is 480 pages but it really is a quick read. The central character is a young man who has been bullied and tormented by his classmates his entire life. The bullying started the moment Peter stepped on the bus for his first day of school and it never stopped. He had one friend, a best friend, but she abandoned him when she started running with the popular crowd. One day, he takes four guns to his high school and kills 10 people. In flashbacks, we see how his teachers and his parents failed him. Several of the students killed were ones who had tormented Peter. Do they bear any responsibility for the tragedy? This is a great intergenerational discussion book.

"Southern Vampire" Series Coming to HBO This Fall

Readers nowadays can't seem to get enough of vampires. The paranormal romance and dark fantasy genres are just filled to the brim with writers hoping to make a buck off of those pesky bloodsuckers and their creepy pals. However, one author who's staked her claim in the genre, so to speak, and done it extremely well, is Charlaine Harris. Her popular "Southern Vampire" series, of which From Dead to Worse is the latest, is an entertaining and darkly humorous twist on Southern Gothic starring everyone's favorite telepath, Sookie Stackhouse, and in which vampires and other assorted baddies that go bump in the night are very real and make no apologies for it. And in case you've been living under a rock lately, Sookie Stackhouse and her gang are coming to TV land this fall in the form of the HBO vampire series "True Blood." Interested? You betcha! Especially since it's being produced by Alan Ball, creator of the very popular (and very good) series, "Six Feet Under." So read the books now (we've got 'em all) and get the Tivo ready for September.

The "Southern Vampire" series by Charlaine Harris:

Dead Until Dark

Living Dead in Dallas

Club Dead

Dead to the World

Dead as a Doornail

Definitely Dead

All Together Dead

From Dead to Worse

A Language Older Than Words

I don’t know what prompted me to pick up A Language Older Than Words and read it—a publisher’s blurb, a review—but by the time I finished it, I was utterly blown away. I think my whole worldview shifted, and Derrick Jensen became a sort of hero to me. For those of us whose dulled perceptions still may register a vague sense that “something” is indeed wrong, Jensen removes the anesthesia and applies a strong dose of reality. Do yourself a favor: READ IT. Then read its companion volume, The Culture of Make Believe. You may not agree with everything Jensen writes, but I guarantee you won’t view the world the same way again.

Also by Derrick Jensen: Thought To Exist In The Wild: Awakening From The Nightmare Of Zoos

2008 Macavity Nominees

The members of Mystery Readers International have released their nominations for the 2008 Macavity Awards. This award is named for the "mystery cat" of T. S. Eliot (Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats) and is for books published the previous year (2007). The four categories voted on are Best Mystery Novel, Best First Mystery, Best Mystery Short Story, and Best Mystery Non-Fiction. I have chosen a few from the first two categories to try:

Soul Patch by Reed Farrel
In the Woods by Tana French
The Collaborator of Bethlehem by Matt Beynon Rees

I picked these three because I am not familiar with the authors, and I can't resist a good mystery. Besides, how can an award named after a cat not be good?

Buon Appetito!

Beautifully written, The Saucier’s Apprentice is author Bob Spitz’s gastronomic travelogue. Recently divorced, Mr. Spitz sets out on a journey at mid-life, perhaps seeking to find solace in travel and food. His travels take him (and the reader) to some of the finer cooking schools in France and Italy. The author is candid throughout in sharing details of his emotional journey, but thankfully, not in a morose fashion. Along the way, he also shares some wonderful recipes. Having lived and worked in Italy myself for more than a decade, I had the wonderful opportunity to experience firsthand the cuisine of Italy. The author makes the ultimate brutta figura (faux paux) when cooking with Chef Claudio in the Chianti hills of Tuscany. In response to a beautifully prepared braciole, he exclaims, ‘Voila!’ He should have said ‘ecco qua’! Great inspiration for foodies and travel bugs ~ ‘Buon Appetito’ e ‘Buon Viaggio’!

In the Queue

These books are coming soon.

This Land Is Their Land: Reports From A Divided Nation
by Barbara Ehrenreich
This book isn't for anyone who is already feeling depressed. Former Big Read author, Ehrenreich deplores a land where the wealthy buy power and the poor can barely buy lunch, and the wealthy have cosmetic surgery while the poor go without basic healthcare.

Summer Blowout
by Claire Cook
Ready for a summer romance? After her husband leaves her and runs away with her sister, Bella vows never to fall in love again. But who can resist Sean Ryan and a cute little dog?

Don’t Tell A Soul
by David Rosenfelt
Not in the mood for romance? How about murder? After his wife is killed in a suspicious boating accident, Tim Wallace listens in horror as a drunken stranger confesses to murdering a woman on a boat! Is this his wife’s murderer?

The Million-Dollar Man

Chances are you've probably never heard of Andrew Davidson, but come August that may all change. His literary debut, The Gargoyle, is set to be released on August 5, and if the buzz surrounding the novel is any indicator of its success, Davidson should have a bestseller on his hands. Matter of fact, Davidson's book deal with Doubleday is reportedly worth a cool million--$1.25 million, to be exact. Yep, Doubleday thinks he's got the goods. So what's the book about? Simply put, a burn victim is befriended by a rather strange woman who informs him that they were lovers in 14th-century Germany. But that, my friends, is only the beginning of it, and I should know because I'm reading the book right now. Not to rub it in, but one of the perks of being a librarian is getting my mittens on publishing-industry goodies like advance reading copies of books yet to be published. But don't fret: August 5th will be here before you know it. Reserve your copy right now, then come back in another month or so and tell us what you thought of it.


The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson

Singer of Souls

By Adam Stemple
F Stem
Click here for more information

This solo debut is an original fantasy with a dark edge. These are not the "warm and fuzzy" fairies we are used to reading about. They will scare the bejesus out of you! Doc's battle with heroin addiction is very real and when he runs up against evil--you will believe. Now the second in the series is out, Steward of Song, and I can't wait to read it! This wonderful and original series is from the son of fantasy queen Jane Yolen.

It’s Good to Bad!

I’m usually a “good girl”, which is probably why I was so amused by my most recent pick, Wicked by Gregory Maguire. The story, which recounts the Wizard of Oz from the perspective of the Wicked Witch of the West, turns convention on its head for those who know and love the original plot. I listened to the book on Playaway, which was great since I was headed on a cruise and didn’t want to sacrifice one ounce of my 50 lb. suitcase allotment to a heavy book. A word of caution… while entertaining, this book is a marathon to get through (19 plus hours of audio), but Maquire threw in just enough nuggets from the original story along the way to keep me interested to see how it would end.

Other twists on classics by Gregory Maguire:

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister

Mirror, Mirror

For the Kids: Leaping Beauty and Other Animal Fairytales

Memoirs

Despite reports that the stories are sometimes embellished, shall we say, memoirs continue to be hugely popular. Often the bestselling memoirs were not written by celebrities, but by everyday folk. Is it because we're a voyeuristic society or because we're looking for something more personal? I tend to lean toward the later. Whatever the appeal, here are some great memoirs to try:

Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction by David Sheff

Born on a blue day : inside the extraordinary mind of an autistic savant by Daniel Tammet

Have You Found Her by Janice Erlbaum

House Rules by Rachel Sontag

Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp by Stephanie Klein

Summer Time & the Livin's Easy?

Summer is often the time for high drama, at least in the minds of fiction writers. Personally, I've never spent my summer plotting against tourists, investigating the death of a family member, or caring for an ecentric elderly woman at an upscale resort. If, like me, your summer plans consist of mowing the grass and watching TV shows you missed last fall, consider picking up one of these books to add some excitement.

Last Lessons of Summer by Margaret Maron

The Lake, the River, and the Other Lake by Steve Amick

Summer People by Brian Groh

Read the Fine Print!

Welcome to the Washington-Centerville Public Library's Fine Print blog. Each week, we will bring to you the finest in fiction and nonfiction, or at least the titles that strike our fancy. New releases, old favorites, and everything in between will be covered, so check back often and don't hestitate to share your comments.