An award you wouldn't want on your mantle

There are a lot of awards I can imagine winning that I would want to proudly display.  The Man Booker Prize, for example, presents a lovely bronze pen nib.  Pretty fancy-schmancy up there on the ol' mantle with special lighting (yes, technically I'm ineligible for the Man Booker since I'm not in the UK and, yes, technically I've never actually "written" anything per se, but a girl's gotta have a plan, and why not start with the lighting design for my Booker prize display?).  

If I decide to start writing prize-winning mysteries, winning the Edgar would be pretty nifty.  It's a kitschy little bust of Edgar Allan Poe.  This would look fun and playful in a bright family room.  Of course, if the mystery I write has an amateur detective in a closed setting, I could win the Agatha, a charming teapot bearing the image of a Jolly Roger.  (To keep it from being creepy, the skull holds a rose between its teeth.)  That, my friends, would look pretty cool in any kitchen.

Other book awards, like the Nobel Prize for Literature and the National Book Award, aren't quite as fun for decorative purposes, but carry with them a certain distinction that would allow one to overlook the fact that they added nothing to the ambience of a home.  (Plus, I haven't actually started writing yet, so I probably shouldn't get carried away thinking about these two prizes.)

There are some awards, though, that would require a little more planning and ingenuity when considering where to put them.  Consider Ian McEwan's latest award: his newest novel, Solar, has won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse award for literary comic fiction.  (Of course he's got time to write great fiction; he won the Booker Prize for Amsterdam in 1998, so he had his pen-nib lighting design dilemma solved years ago and no longer has to spend time planning that.)  I want to know, though, what he's going to do with the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse award: it's a pig.  A real, live, actual pig; it's been named Solar for the book.  There is no lighting design that can make that work on a mantle.  Still, I'm intrigued about McEwan's new novel and am eager to check it out, given the good reviews the award committee gave.  If it's checked out and you're interested in other award-winning books while you wait for Solar to be available, check out our Great Books Great Libraries list of prize-winners.  (Lighting designs not included.)

What Do I Read Next Class Set for August

From August 17-24, the library will be hosting the State Library of Ohio's Mobile Internet Lab.  There will be ten classes offered during the week.  One of the classes is entitled, "What Do I Read Next?"

This class is one hour long and its primary focus will be the NoveList database.  The database is one of many offered for free through the library.  This is a terrific resource that can help you find all the books by a particular author, the next book in a series, similar books to others you enjoy, and much more!  We will show you around the database and in no time at all you will be able to find your next great read.  During the end of the class we will be looking at some free Web resources where you can search for other interesting books.

For the complete Mobile Lab schedule or more information on library programming, visit http://www.wclibrary.info/events/index.asp.  You can sign up for any of our classes on this page, or stop by the Reference Desk at either location.

Oscar The Extraordinary but Ordinary Cat

A co-worker told me about a book she read the other day called Making Rounds with Oscar: the Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat by David Dosa. 
I absolutely love cats so my interest was peaked right away.  I asked JV to write up a little note and she gave me this wonderful description that I just had to share:
"Dr. David Dosa, a Rhode Island geriatrician, is not a cat lover.  But after learning about Oscar, a cat who resides on the third floor of the Steere House Nursing and Rehab Center, Dr. Dosa decides to investigate.
Oscar is not an extremely social cat.  He would rather keep to himself than mingle with visitors.  He enjoys sleeping in sunny spots, chasing his tail, and occasionally racing around with his sister.  Oscar's specialty, however, seems to be his ability to sense when a patient is near death.  A few hours before a loved one passes, Oscar appears and settles down with them on their bed and purrs.  He remains in the room until the end and even stays with the family until the funeral director arrives.
Dr. Dosa has interviewed family members of former patients and has gathered their thoughts and comments about Oscar.  He learned that not only does Oscar bring a smile to and provide comfort to the terminal patients, but he is a welcome distraction and comfort to the family members as well.  Through these interviews, Dr. Dosa begins to see dementia from the family's viewpoint rather than just the medical.
Is Oscar a guardian angel or just a cat?  This is not just a book for cat lovers but for anyone whose life has been or is being touched by a loved one with dementia."

An irresistible book

I love reading book review magazines like Bookmarks, Booklist, and if I'm feeling especially erudite, Kirkus.  If you want to know a secret, though, lean in:  I also read People Magazine's book reviews.  Shhh...don't tell anyone.  It doesn't offer the same level of respectability that Kirkus does.  After all, if you read about a book because you happen to be trying to figure out Kim Kardashian's bikini secrets, is that really something you want to share at a dinner party?  And yet, they do have really good book reviews.

In fact, it was because I was reading their book reviews that I learned about The Irresistible Henry House, a new book by Lisa Grunwald.  It is the story of Henry Gaines, formerly known as Henry House, who started life as a "practice baby" at a university's "practice house."  Apparently, it used to be a common practice for home economics students to learn the craft of motherhood with babies who were loaned or leased from orphanages until they were toddlers.  The book came about because Grunwald wondered what emotional difficulties could have arisen from babies being passed around during a critical time of brain development and forming attachments. 

Grunwald never becomes didactic, and simply presents the story of a man who doesn't quite know how to truly open himself to others.  Set against the backdrop of the Walt Disney Studios and the psychedelic 1960s, Henry's journey is entertaining and richly described. 

Literary Legacies

This month three authors with "connections" are making their debuts.

Maggie Pouncey is the daughter of Peter Pouncey (Rules for Old Men Waiting) and her new novel, Perfect Reader, is about family secrets.

Chris Binchy is the nephew of Irish novelist Maeve Binchy.  His fifth novel (first in the United States) is Five Days Apart and is a family drama ala auntie Maeve.

Carin Clevidence is the stepdaughter of Annie Dillard (Pilgrim at Tinker Creek) and her first novel is The House on Salt Hay Road which is set on the beach just before the Long Island hurricane of 1938.

Now these three are not the first with relatives in the book business--here are a few others that come to mind:

Joe Hill--son of Stephen King
Carol Higgins Clark--daughter of Mary Higgins Clark
Christopher Rice--son of Anne Rice
Jeff Lindsay of Dexter fame--nephew of Ernest Hemingway by marriage

Can you name some of your favorite authors with literary relatives?

What Does It All Mean?!?!

It happens to the best of us: life is just moving along until BAM! Something happens that causes us to question the very meaning of our lives. Do we have a purpose? Does anything matter at all? This is the theme tackled in Danish author Janne Teller’s Nothing, a young-adult novel that’s been likened to William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. In Nothing, a group of seventh-grade school friends are antagonized by classmate Pierre Anthon, who without warning marches out of class one day, climbs a plum tree, and begins shouting to passersby that life is absolutely meaningless: “If something’s worth getting upset about, then there must be something worth getting happy about. And if something’s worth getting happy about, then there must be something that matters. But there isn’t!” He continues, “In a few years you’ll all be dead and forgotten and diddly-squat, nothing, so you might just as well start getting used to it!” Charming fellow, that Pierre. But as harsh as his words are, his classmates, particularly narrator Agnes, begin to wonder if he’s right. Because if he is, well…he just can’t be! So they set out to prove him wrong by building in an abandoned sawmill what they call their “heap of meaning,” a makeshift monument consisting of items that hold special value to their contributors. But what starts off as a reasonably good idea quickly spirals out of control when spite and vengefulness begin to dictate what items get added to the heap, and this leads to a devastating conclusion. Nothing is a thought-provoking read—after all, who hasn’t been in Pierre’s tree at one time or another?—but when it’s all said and done, you may wonder as I did: Where in the world were the parents?

So Much for That

A lot of authors rely on current events to create the plot and drama in a novel.  Lionel Shriver is such an author, and often writes about events that you could read about in the daily news.  However, unlike many of her contemporaries, Shriver's writing never has a "ripped from the headlines" quality to it.  She consistently creates complex characters who some of the most well-developed I have ever read.  Reading a Lionel Shriver book, you can sense that she absolutely knows every one of her characters's thoughts, influences, and desires.  Her latest book, So Much for That, doesn't disappoint. 

In So Much for That, Shriver considers the health care system and the worth of human life through the medical conditions of four people in handyman Shep Knacker's life.  When his wife is diagnosed with mesothelioma, an aggressive form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure, Shep's lifelong plans to escape to a tropical island and live like a king off his savings are cancelled.  Again.  Shep struggles to understand the impact his wife's illness has on his future, even while he comes to term with the idea that his wife likely doesn't have a future to consider. 

Glynnis, Shep's wife, is a classic Shriver character.  Far from the quietly, peacefully, suffering wife who tries to bring everyone together with a sense of grace that we're often presented in fictionalized accounts of terminal illness, Glynnis remains hard, sharp, and ungracious to those around her.  She's not always likeable, but she always feels real.   The characters wind their way through heavy, heated discussions about health care, taxes, being used, the cost of life, and the value of life, and still come to a conclusion that leaves a feeling of freedom.

Five Days Apart

I just finished Chris Binchy's newest novel Five Days Apart. There have been some comparisons to Dan Chaon's work, which is what drew me in to this title. I loved Chaon's latest, Await Your Reply, and was hoping for something similar. While I believe the comparisons between the two authors miss the mark, I still thought this was a fun, quick read. Five Days Apart is set for a late June release, so enjoy this sneak preview.

The novel centers on David and Alex, two old friends living in Dublin, Ireland. David is shy, quiet and not quite sure of himself around the opposite sex. Alex is the exact opposite and has a very easy time speaking to anyone. When David sees Camille at a party and runs to tell Alex about this girl, he unwittingly sets off a ticking time bomb that threatens all three of their personal lives.

Alex winds up hitting it off with Camille while David is left to wonder why his friend would betray him when he knew that David liked her. He deals with it by immersing himself in his new IT job where he gets along very well with his boss and impresses a few important people along the way. Eventually he does make contact with Alex who begins inviting David to go out with him and Camille. While things go well for awhile, you get the feeling that David's past feelings for Camille are going to eventually surface.

This is a very quick read that makes one think about missed opportunities. David finds himself in a conundrum, stuck between his best friend and his secret love. His decisions can make him happy in the end, miserable, or both.

Lambda Literary Awards 2010

The 2010 Lambda Literary Awards or "Lammys" were awarded May 27, 2010 in New York City.  The "Lammy", in its 22nd year, is the most prestigious, competitive, and comprehensive literary award offered specifically to LGBT authors.  The awards are given for the finest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans literature available in the United States.

Try one of the following winners:


A Field Guide to Deception by Jill Malone


Lake Overturn by Vestal McIntyre


The Creamsickle by Rhiannon Argo


Blue Boy by Rakesh Satyal


Sprout by Dale Peck


Death of a Dying Man by J.M. Redmann


What We Remember by Michael Thomas Ford


Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente


The Talented Miss Highsmith: The Secret Life and Serious Art of Patricia Highsmith by Joan Schenkar


Ardent Spirits: Leaving Home, Coming Back by Reynolds Price


For more great LGBT books go to the Good Reads section on our website.

Great Books: More Lasting Legacies

The focus on Lasting Legacies (great books that changed the world) continues this month.  If you're still looking for a book that changed the world, try one of these:

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

The account of a fictional immigrant family and their experiences working in a meat packing factory in Chicago is seen as a vital part of the Progressive Movement of the early 20th century and led to the Meat Inspection Act and the creation of the Food and Drug Administration.

Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
The story of poor farmers fleeing the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma became a rallying cry to improve the conditions of the poor during the Great Depression.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, or Life Among the Lowly by Harriet Beecher Stowe
The story of a slave who is a better man than his three successive owners, this novel is famous for generating support for the Abolitionist Movement in the run-up to the Civil War.

Great Books: Lasting Legacies

The Great Books Great Libraries celebration reaches the halfway point this month with a new featured list. June's focus is Lasting Legacies, highlighting great books by first-time authors. As with all of the featured genres this year, a paper booklist is available at the Readers' Advisory table at each library, and an expanded list is available online.


Books entertain, enlighten, and educate us each individually. Sometimes, though, a book can change the world. The books chosen for the Lasting Legacies list have all, in some way, had an impact that went far beyond the individual readers. Some introduced groundbreaking stylistic choices that shaped the way fiction is written, such as Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Others, including Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover and Miller’s Tropic of Cancer, stretched the boundaries and made society question what it we are willing to accept. Still others shaped the way we consider politics (Machiavelli’s The Prince), gender roles (de Beauvier’s The Second Sex) or ourselves (Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams).

On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Considered by many to be the heart of the Beat Movement, this autobiographical novel follows Sal Paradise as he travels from New York to the West Coast, Mexico, and back again.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
A dystopian novel widely seen to warn against the socialist movement and promoting Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism, or rational selfishness.

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Holden Caufield, the original cynical teenager, recounts his exploits at prep school and around Manhattan in the classic story that redefined the portrayal of teenagers in popular fiction.

So, grab one of these books with a lasting legacy and see if it changes your world.