Books That Make You Go "Ewww!"

Ever read a book and come to a part that gets you all hot and bothered, and not in a good way? You know, you're zipping along through the story and BAM: you're suddenly subjected to some author's ridiculous version of erotica. And as you try to erase the look of disgust--or incredulity--from your face, you think to yourself, "Why, dear God, why?" Well, fellow reader, take comfort in the fact that you're not alone. Indeed, there's an actual annual award given for the year's worst, I repeat, WORST, erotic writing. It's called the Literary Review Bad Sex in Fiction award, and it was established "with the aim of gently dissuading authors and publishers from including unconvincing, perfunctory, embarrassing or redundant passages of a sexual nature in otherwise sound literary novels." (Laurell K. Hamilton, I'm looking right at you, and if you actually wrote literary novels you'd win this hands down. Every year.) So you're probably wondering who, ahem, is up for it this year. Here's the shortlist:

James Buchan for The Gate of Air

Simon Montefiore for Sashenka

John Updike for The Widows of Eastwick

Kathy Lette for To Love, Honour and Betray

Alastair Campbell for All in the Mind

Rachel Johnson for Shire Hell

Isabel Fonseca for Attachment

Ann Allestree for Triptych of a Young Wolf

Russell Banks for The Reserve

Paulo Coelho for Brida

Update: Rachel Johnson is the winner of the 2008 Literary Review Bad Sex in Fiction Award! Unfortunately--or fortunately, depending on your perspective, we don't own a copy of Shire Hell here at the library, but I'm sure the requests for it will start pouring in. Now get your minds out of the gutter!

Native American Mysteries

Since November is Native American Heritage month I thought I would highlight a few of my favorite mystery series. First off the new Jane Whitefield novel by Thomas Perry will be out in January! I have waited ten years for a new one in this exciting series and now the wait is over! While I not-so-patiently bide my time until the new year, I will be content with these other fantastic entries:

Blood Memory by Margaret Coel

Snake Dreams by James D. Doss

Coyote's Wife by Aimee & David Thurlo

and don't forget:

Runner by Thomas Perry

National Book Awards to be Announced

The 2008 National Book Awards will be held on Wednesday, November 19th. This is the 59th year for the award, sponsored by the National Book Foundation. The awards are divided into Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry and Young People's Literature. Check out some of the books that are available at the library!

Fiction

Lazarus Project by Aleksander Hemon
Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner
Shadow Country by Peter Matthiessen
Home by Marilynne Robinson
End by Salvatore Scibona

Nonfiction

This Republic of Suffering by Drew Faust
The Hemingses of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reed
The Dark Side by Jane Mayer
Final Salute by Jim Sheeler
The Suicide Index by Joan Wickersham

Check out the National Book Foundation website for a complete list of nominees and winners!

Love Is For The Birds

Written by naturalist and one-time Nairobi resident Nicholas Drayson, A Guide to the Birds of East Africa is a hoot of a tale (no pun intended). It's the story of mild-mannered widower Mr. Malik and his quest to win the honor of inviting the woman of his dreams, the lovely Rose Mbikwa, to the Nairobi Hunt Club Ball. But he's got stiff competition: the womanizing, four-time divorced Harry Khan, who also has designs on Rose. To settle their dispute, the two men engage in a friendly contest of sorts: whoever can identify the most species of birds in a week's time wins the right to ask Rose to the ball. Simple enough, right? Not if you're Mr. Malik, and not if you're having to face down robbers one day and Somali bandits the next. But it's all in the name of love, and Mr. Malik is more than willing to fight the good fight. Will he win? Well, you'll just have to read the book and find out for yourself! Fans of Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, bird lovers in general, and readers simply looking for a good yarn will definitely enjoy this book.

Paying our Respects

This week we are commemorating Veterans Week at WCPL. The focus this year is Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place for thousands of our military veterans. The exhibit acts as a historical overview of the wars the United States has fought. The collection of artifacts is stunning and complete with uniforms, photos, books and memorabilia. However, the result of the exhibit has been far more personal than any collection of keepsakes. Many veterans and veterans' loved ones have visited and shared their stories. They have also shared their thanks for being remembered. I must admit that being thanked by a veteran was both startling and humbling to me. As someone who has never served in the military, I feel indebted to these brave men and women and, in fact, I thought there was nothing I could do or say to express the depth of my gratitude. After speaking with some of these heroes, I realized that a simple "Thank You" is all they require. And so, I say "Thank You" for defending our nation, our rights and our people.

If you would like to read more about the great men and women who have served our country, there are many, many books available in the library on the topics of military personnel and history. These are some of the books that I found most interesting.

For Comrade and Country, Oral Histories of World War II Veterans, edited by Robert G. Thobaben

The War in Iraq, A Photo History

Arlington National Cemetery, A Nation's Story Carved in Stone, photographs by Lorraine Jacyno Dieterle and forward by John McCain

America's White Table, by Margot Theis Raven

Atmospheric Disturbances

I just finished reading Rivka Galchen's newest book, Atmospheric Disturbances. Galchen does not waste any time as the plot quickly unfolds in the home of Dr. Leo Liebenstein. Something as simple as Dr. Liebenstein's wife coming home sets off the story. The reason is that this isn't his wife Rema, but someone who looks, speaks and acts just like her. Despite this, Liebenstein immediately realizes that she is not his wife.

Leo begins his quest to find out who this imposter is and where the real Rema is located. He also uses assistance from two other people throughout the search. The first is a patient of Leo's named Harvey, who believes he works for an organization that can control weather patterns. The second is the mysterious Dr. Tzvi Gal-Chen, who apparently works for Harvey's organization, but whom Dr. Liebenstein has never met. The only communication between them is through text messaging.

Galchen has mixed humor and emotion in a way that causes the reader to identify with Dr. Liebenstein. But it also asks the reader one important question: What would you be willing to do and believe in order to find the person you love? This book will keep you guessing until the very end.

This is NOT your mother's hot chocolate!

I have found the most sinful book in the library! Hot Chocolate: 50 heavenly cups of comfort by Fred Thompson is a chocolate lover's dream. During the two weeks that I enjoyed the book, we savored nearly all of the recipes - some of them twice! It was simply gluttonous. I'm warning you: this is not your mother's hot chocolate. One variety is very simply Ghirardelli chocolate caramel squares melted together with whole milk! Talk about rich! Other recipes are more exotic, incorporating cinnamon or mint. And, there are recipes with an international flair, like the hot chocolate from Angelina's in Paris. This was my favorite recipe, although it really is best when you drink it in Paris, at Angelina's, looking at the Louvre. I was thrilled to find this recipe as I have craved this elixir since leaving Paris in 1987! Turns out, Fred Thompson has many wonderful cookbooks including topics like crab and BBQ. Gee, I wonder if he has a recipe for crab cakes as good as in New England . . . I'll get back to you on that.

In the Queue

Once Were Cops
by Ken Bruen
Michael O’Shea is an Irish policeman teetering on the edge of insanity. An exchange program with the NYPD brings him to the United States with disastrous results.

Outliers: Why Some People Succeed and Some Don’t
by Malcolm Gladwell
The author of Blink and The Tipping Point is back with an interesting perspective on the best, the brightest and the most successful—-the people he calls “Outliers.”

The Private Patient
by P.D. James
Commander Adam Dalgliesh and his team are called in to investigate the murder of journalist Rhoda Gradwyn, a patient of the famous plastic surgeon, George Chandler-Powell.

Native American Heritage Month

November is Native American Heritage Month. This month of recognition to Native Americans was signed into law in 1990 and has been a very important tribute ever since. It is sponsored by such prestigious organizations as the Library of Congress and Smithsonian Institution. This year's theme is "Celebrating Tribal Nations: America's Great Partners."

There are many terrific books available by or about Native Americans. One such author is Sherman Alexie, who grew up on a reservation near Spokane, Washington. James Welch is considered a key member of the Native American Renaissance of the 1980's. This time was considered a renaissance because more and more books were coming out by Native American authors than any other time in history. Other authors considered to be a part of this movement include N. Scott Momaday, Simon Ortiz, and Joy Harjo.

Go to the Native American Heritage Month website to learn more.