2011 National Book Award Winners Announced

The winners of the 2011 National Book Awards were announced on November 17th.  There was a stellar group of finalists in the fiction and nonfiction categories.

The winner for Fiction went to Jesmyn Ward's Salvage the Bones.  The book portrays a family during the build up to a hurricane threatening their Mississippi town.  The children must help each other as their father, a notoriously hard drinker, shows little regard to the impending disaster.

Other finalists in Fiction included:

The Sojourn by Andrew Krivak
The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
Binocular Vision by Edith Pearlman


The Nonfiction winner was Stephen Greenblatt's The Swerve: How the World Became Modern.  This book describes the importance of an ancient book, On the Nature of Things by Lucretius, which helped fuel the Renaissance.

Other finalists in Nonfction included:

The Convert: A Tale of Exile and Extremism by Deborah Baker
Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention by Manning Marable

Visit the National Book Award website for information on this year's award winners and nominees.

The Night Strangers

I recently finished The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian. This is a very creepy novel with some terrific twists and turns.

The story begins with a harrowing sequence in which Chip Linton, a commercial pilot, attempts a daring crash into the Lake Champlain when his plane malfunctions.  Bohjalian's detailed description of the events during this sequence alone make this book worth reading.  The attempt goes horribly wrong and Chip leaves his Philadelphia home with his wife, Emily, and twin daughters for a new start in a small New Hampshire town.  Chip's struggles with post-traumatic stress syndrome make for a good backdrop to the key elements of the story: the creepy Victorian home the family moves to and the inhabitants of the small town. 

The new home contains a lot of secrets, including small items that the family finds throughout the home and the coal chute door in the basement.  The door is shut by 39 carriage bolts, the same number of victims in Chip's plane crash.  Chip quickly becomes obsessed with the oddities throughout the home.  The town of Bethel holds its own secrets.  The family notices that most of the houses, including their own, have a greenhouse.  A good portion of the town is populated by practicing herbalists who take their craft very seriously.  Emily is also disturbed by the way the some of the inhabitants have taken a deep interest in her twin daughters.  Are the townspeople simply showing sympathy for a family that's gone through a lot, or do they have other plans?

The Man Who Broke into Auschwitz

Take one brash British army soldier, put him in a WWII POW camp near Auschwitz III, and give him the "opportunity" to witness firsthand the savagery of the Nazis, and you've got The Man Who Broke into Auschwitz by Denis Avey (with Rob Broomby). Denis Avey was just twenty-one when he enlisted, not for King and Country but, as he put it, "for the sheer hell of it, for the adventure." Adventure he got. And hell? Enough to last a lifetime. Avey saw combat against the Italians in North Africa, but when German panzers arrived, his luck went downhill in a hurry. Captured, he was transferred from one POW camp to another until he wound up in Oswiecim, Poland. Auschwitz. Avey did time in E715, a POW camp near Auschwitz III, and he couldn't believe what he saw on a daily basis: "People talk about man's inhumanity to man, but that wasn't human or inhuman--it was bestial. Love and hate meant nothing there. It was indifference. I felt degraded by each mindless murder I witnessed and could do nothing about. I was living in obscenity." There was, however, one thing he felt he could do, and it was a foolhardy thing indeed: sneak into Auschwitz III and see the conditions of the camp and its inmates firsthand, and, as Jewish prisoners were constantly begging Avey and his fellows to do, tell the world what he saw. If he lived, that is. How Avey accomplished this and the larger story of how he managed to survive the war make for some white-knuckled reading. Only now, some seventy years later, has he felt the burden of all he saw and endured begin to lift. Of Auschwitz Avey wrote, "A part of me died in there but I stayed angry even when there was little I could do. I admit I have left it late but now people are prepared to listen and I want my story to do some good, that's all I ever really wanted."

The Importance of Reading Whatever You Want

A child recently came to me and asked for help finding a non-fiction book.  She wasn't looking for something specific, but thought maybe a biography would be a good place to start.  She liked reading, she told me, but an adult told her that she reads too much fiction.  After asking, I found this was not assigned reading for school, but reading on her own time for fun.  I quietly helped her find a biography that she seemed somewhat interested in and bid her farewell.  I readily acknowledge that I wasn't witness to the conversation that took place between this girl and the adult, so perhaps I have misunderstood what lead up to it.  But, when kids average eight hours of screen time a day, and in a year when new reports show the lowest SAT reading scores in history, and while math and science scores are going up in Ohio, reading scores have gone slightly down, is it really necessary to tell a kid that she's reading the wrong things or the wrong way? 

Various studies have shown that reading -- any reading -- has a positive impact across all areas of life.  If you haven't seen any reports on the impact of summer reading, they're pretty convincing.  Kids reading even a few books over the summer months do measurably better in school the following year.  Beyond that, there's a growing field of research in the psychology of fiction indicating that reading fiction improves empathy.  This is all not to mention that there's an awful lot of fact that you can pick up from reading fiction.  How do I know about the Cairo Conference and its impact on modern-day Iraq?  Not from the History of the Middle East class I took in college, but because of the fiction book Dreamers of the Day.  I only know anything about the Sarajevo Haggadah -- or even what a Haggadah is -- because of Geraldine Brooks' People of the Book.  Kids can learn a lot about pioneer life from the Little House series and if you've never been around a kid who's read The Magic Treehouse books, you're in for a treat.  From this series alone, my seven-year-old daughter has gleaned information on everything from the mummification process in ancient Egypt to dinosaurs to how many different types of noses Leonardo Da Vinci had categorized (if you're curious, I think it's seven but I'm not exactly sure because I haven't read the book).  And, if your kid likes the Percy Jackson books, get that kid ready for Jeopardy because Greek mythology questions pop up all the time on that show.  

If you remain concerned about the balance between fiction and non-fiction, remember that fiction can also be a great doorway into non-fiction.  Your kid is in love with The Diary of a Wimpy Kid?  Use it as a springboard to talk about other kids who have kept diaries and given us valuable information about life in another time or place, like Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl.  For some, non-fiction is going to be more appealing, and that's great to encourage, too.  Either way, treat reading books for pleasure the same way you would treat watching movies or TV for pleasure -- it's okay if they're not all documentaries.  Sometimes, it's fun to just escape in a story. 

I guess, at the core of it, my point is this: read what you want.  To paraphrase S.K. Ranganathan, for every reader there is a book and for every book there is a reader.  If your reader has found a book to love, embrace that and use it as a platform to introduce new books -- don't rip it out of her hands. 

It's a Jungle Out There!

My family and I just watched  The Elephant in the Living Room? It is a wonderful documentary. It's told with heartfelt concern for animals and their owners.  It is a plea that people not own exotic animals or at least that they remember that exotic animals are wild and not tame. They may be raised by people but they still possess animal instincts and will act on them. They are animals.  This film held my family captive for several days. I did not have the opportunity to watch it in its entirety in one sitting.  My family insisted I watch the rest of the film and then they went one step better. They watched it again with me.  Quite a statement for the documentary, if you ask me. The movie highlights what can happen when a family takes home a cute little alligator or a precious lion cub and it grows up.  The story of Lambert broke my heart. 

After watching the video I looked through our library collection and found a few books on similar subjects.  Wild Times: Tales from Suburban Safaris by Tim Harrison is excellent. Tim gives short glimpses of his life as an exotic animal control expert. This includes some of his most interesting experiences.  If you enjoy wildlife or are an animal activist, or even a normal citizen from Dayton, Ohio you might want to read this book and learn for yourself that there really is a jungle out there. It may even be in your neighborhood.
Forbidden creatures : inside the world of animal smuggling and exotic pets  written by Peter Laufer is another very educational and  intriguing book. Laufer uses his renowned journalism skills and investigates the world of exotic animals. He thoroughly explores the world of exotic pets and presents an unbiased view of how owners, sellers and smugglers operate and tries to answer the question, "Why do people want an exotic pet?". 

The thing I found most interesting is I watched the movie and read the books before Terry Thompson released his wild animals in Zanesville, Ohio.  Hopefully people are now more aware that there is a suburban jungle out there. If you want to learn more read these books.

World Cup Caliber Authors--Japan

This is the final week of our tribute to the Women's World Cup by featuring authors from the winner's countries. The 2011 winner was Japan. The Japanese Women's National Soccer Team has appeared in a total of six world cups but never placed better than the quarterfinals.  Earlier this year they stunned the U. S. and the world and became the first Asian team to win the coveted championship.
Help celebrate their victory by reading one of the following talented authors of Japanese ancestry.

Kazuo Ishiguro--this Japanese-English author is best known for his 1989 Man Booker Prize winning novel The Remains of the Day but three of his other novels have been nominated as well.

Haruki Murakami--this Kyoto-born writer is an important writer of postmodern literature and has won numerous awards for both his fiction and nonfiction.  He's also the author of one of this fall's most talked-about books, 1Q84.

Kenzaburo Oe--born in 1935 in the village of Ose, he is a major figure in contemporary Japanese literature and he won the Nobel Prize in 1994.


Hiromi Kawakami--born in Tokyo, she is known for her offbeat fiction but is also a literary critic and provocative essayist.

Yukio Mishima--this author, poet, playwright, director, and actor was nominated for the Nobel Prize three times.  He committed ritual suicide in 1970 at the age of 45.

Julie Otsuka--this Yale graduate has written two novels based on the experience of her family members in Japanese-American internment camps during WWII.

Ruth Ozeki--this Connecticut born novelist, filmmaker, and Zen Buddhist priest has won the Kiriyama Prize and the American Book Award for her works.

Nina Revoyr--this Japanese-American novelist and multiple award winner has written four fascinating novels about small-town Wisconsin, the silent film era, girl's basketball, and Los Angeles.

Fiction, take me away!



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During the month of November, we tend to turn our attention to the things in our lives for which we're thankful.  If you're on Facebook, chances are you've seen daily updates from people who are chronicling gratitude during this month of Thanksgiving.  A friend of mine has taken a unique spin on this and devoted her monthly status updates to chronicling the books she's grateful for.  I thought this was a great idea and we got into a discussion about some of the books that have been particularly noteworthy to us, for whatever reason.  We agreed that there are a few good books that transcend the pages and take root in our lives.  I'm going to borrow directly from Robin here, because I believe she said it better than I could: "our favorite books don't exist as objects to us, but instead as places that we go to when we're reading them -- as real as the rooms in our houses, they are places that are special to us and that make us feel a way that we don't feel when we're anywhere else."

Recently, I've been in a bit of a book rut.  Maybe it's because it's the time of year when I tend to switch gears from heavier literary fare to fluffier, cozier reads.  Whatever the reason, I have been drawn away from the stack of books I have waiting for me (all of which sound very interesting, but none of which sound really appealing right now) and toward some classics like A Wrinkle in Time, The Secret Garden, and The Anne of Green Gables series.  Each of these books has the ability to take me away from whatever is going on in my life at that moment and transport me to a different experience.  It's not exactly that I feel like I'm where the characters are (although I defy you to read Diana Gabaldon's Outlander and not feel like you've been transported back to 18th century Scotland along with Claire), but that I'm someplace completely apart -- someplace I can only get by reading that particular book.  Erin Morgenstern's debut novel, The Night Circus is the most recent book that completely immersed me in a different world. 

These fiction doldrums I've been in for the past week never last very long.  I imagine that within a week or two, I'll be diving back into my stacks of new books.  Until then, I'll happily go back to the books that take me away -- and that is something I'm thankful for.

In the Queue

Until Thy Wrath Be Past by Asa Larsson

With the spring thaw, a young woman’s body is discovered in Sweden’s Thorne River. Rebecka Martinsson, a prosecutor in nearby Karuna, wonders if it is the spirit of the same young woman who has been haunting her dreams.

The Silver Lotus by Thomas Steinbeck

Captain Jeremiah is an American merchant who faces storms and pirates on a regular basis. While traveling to China, he meets Lady Lee, known as the Silver Lotus. Love blooms and their adventures help shape and define the North California coast.

I Didn’t Ask To Be Born: But I’m Glad I Was by Bill Cosby

Cosby returns with a collection of wacky insights on the human condition. This book features some hilarious situations: his first date at age 15, encouraging his daughter to marry an NBA player, and how he deals with a grandchild who thinks he’s Godzilla!

How do you find new books to read?

It occurred to me today as I looked at the stack of books waiting to be read, that I don't remember what most of them are about or why I decided to check them out.  I'd like to think this isn't due entirely to my diminished short-term memory capacity, but rather because I found some books to read that haven't been getting a lot of press.  What to read next is always an interesting challenge: I want a book that has characteristics I know I'll like but that isn't exactly the same as every other book I've come across lately. 

Fortunately, I'm surrounded by news about new books every day.  More than that, I'm surrounded by book reviews every day.  On a given day, I might read a few dozen different book reviews.  As I write, I'm staring down about 10 journals I need to get through, but I actually look forward to it, because each is filled with review after review of new book.  I read reviews in trade journals like Kirkus or more public sources (Entertainment Weekly has consistently good book reviews, as does -- believe it or not -- People).  Those reviews and previews are usually how I get into the position I am now.  I have 8 books at home that I'm not sure I ever would've picked off the shelf, but the reviews were interesting enough to make me want to read them.  There's nothing like a good review from a source I trust to make me overcome my perpetual judgment of books based on their covers.

Some of the reviews I trust most, though, are from personal sources.  Friends, family, and (one of the perks of being at a library all day) coworkers are constantly telling me about what they've read recently that they think I might like.  They're able to do this because they know what I tend to like. 

Where do you turn for book suggestions?  How do you find what you're going to read next?  Do you grab them off the shelf or do you have a network of fellow readers who provide suggestions?  If you don't have that network, let us play that role.  You can fill out a personalized reading list request and within a few days we'll send you a list of books we think you'd like based on your reading interest.  We're like personal shoppers for books.  Give it a try and let us know what you think!