Football Reads for National Signing Day

Tomorrow is National Signing Day.  If you're a college football nut, like I clearly am, you know this is the first day for high school athletes to sign their letters of intent to where they plan to play.  There are definitely negative things to be said of college sports these days, but thankfully there are plenty of good stories too.  Take the recent Heisman winner, Robert Griffin III as a good example of what happens when your determined and work hard to achieve your goals.  With that in mind, here are some good college football titles.

Meat Market by Bruce Feldman is a terrific (and somewhat disturbing) book about college football recruiting.  It shows the tactics that former University of Mississippi head coach Ed Orgeron used during one year of recruiting as he tried to attract talent away from other SEC schools.  A new book, Illegal Procedure, is due out soon.  It promises to bring to light many of the corrupt dealings between sports agents and college athletes.  Every Week a Season is another interesting look at how big college football has become.  Although it deals with high school football, Friday Night Lights is still a favorite of mine. The movie and television series were both great, but the book really hits on the struggles of being a high school athlete. 

For something a bit more positive, check out Michael Oher's uplifting story in The Blind Side.  Oher's amazing transition from outcast to nationally recruited athlete and the support he had along the way makes for inspirational reading.  Learn more about some of college football's most famous players in The Heisman: Great American Stories of the Men Who Won.

And, of course, who doesn't want to discuss the possible Death to the BCS?

I Shall Not Hate

You may have heard of Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish. He's known around the world as the "Gaza doctor" and he's a tireless spokesperson for peace, coexistence, and forgiveness. Perhaps you're aware of the foundation he created to honor the lives of the three beautiful daughters (Bessan, Mayar, and Aya) and niece (Noor) he lost during the Gaza War: Daughters For Life, an organization whose ultimate goal "is the creation of a credible voice throughout the Middle East on societal issues that affect the lives of girls and women." No? Then introductions are required, and the perfect way to acquaint yourself with this great man is to read I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity. You'll read all about Abuelaish's life, from the impoverished early years he spent growing up in the Jabalia refugee camp in the war-torn Gaza Strip, to his achievement of becoming a doctor who sought to relieve the shame of women who were either infertile or who bore daughters rather than sons. But the single shining thread that runs throughout much of the darkness of Abuelaish's life story is the commitment he made as a young man to act as a bridge across the divide between Palestinians and Israelis. Abuelaish has always maintained that doctors can and should be ambassadors of peace, and during his practice in the Middle East he saw no distinction in the patients he treated, whether Israeli or Palestinian. That he has never wavered in his dedication to peace in spite of the tragic loss of his daughters and niece is a testament to the truth that revenge is a choice, and each of us has the power to choose not to hate. Do yourself a favor and read I Shall Not Hate. I promise you'll learn something.

Short Stories with Plenty to Think About

I've been on quite a short story kick for a while now.  Reading short stories is a great way to sample an authors work since you can easily read a story or two and then decide whether to continue or find another author.  Some of my favorites include:

Dan Chaon- An Ohio native, Chaon is always experimenting with different writing styles.  He has plenty of short stories and a few novels out there.  I'm eagerly awaiting his newest, Stay Awake, which is another set of short stories.  Among the Missing was my introduction to his work.  This is a fascinating work focusing on human relationships in new and subtle ways.  "Safety Man" is a great story from this collection, in which a widow desperately tries to protect herself and her family with a crime deterrent dummy.

Alice Munro- I've only read Too Much Happiness and Something I've Been Meaning to Tell You, but I will definitely be checking out more from Munro's extensive short story collection.  Her ability to write about people ranging from juvenile to old age is nothing short of amazing.  Too Much Happiness is actually about death, regret, and loss, yet the final story in the collection brings new meaning and a fresh perspective to these life truths.

Kevin Brockmeier- I'm still not sure how I feel about Brockmeier's full-length books, but his short stories are terrific.  Check out The View from the Seventh Layer for something different.  The stories can sometimes be described as fables and other times seem more like science fiction.  I'll admit, it was very cool to see one story done in the Choose Your Own Adventure format!

Tove Jansson- I mentioned Jansson in my Favorite Books of 2011 post and would really like to mention Fair Play again.  It's not really short stories as much as the story of two artists shown through short vignettes.  Jansson has a knack for showing how the little moments in life we take for granted have a major effect on who we become.

The Healing

In the past, I've shared my frustration with the lack of imagination exhibited by reviewers and blurbers (I'm going to pretend that's a real word for the people who write the blurbs on book jackets) in making comparisons between books.  It seems that if they can't compare it to something that's been atop the NY Times Bestseller list for 72 weeks, it's not worth making the comparison.  Having said that, you will inevitably hear Jonathan Odell's forthcoming novel, The Healing compared to The Help.  Both take place in Mississippi.  Both revolve around the lives of women, mostly African-American.  Both involve a struggle for true freedom.  That's really where the similarities end.  

The Healing is a poignant story about the lives of slaves on an antebellum plantation, their roles in the house and field, the relationship to their owners, and their struggle with the concept and dream of freedom.  In the author's note that follows the book, Odell (a white man born and raised in Mississippi) confesses that when he told an African-American friend that he was writing about slavery, his friend warned him not to write another To Kill a Mockingbird.  Odell's reaction was, like mine, "I thought everybody loved that book!"  His friend cautioned that he didn't want to read another book where the characters of color are rescued by the benevolent white person.  Odell seems to have taken his friend's message to heart and wrote complex, real characters who rely on themselves rather than the plantation owners to deal with the situations they face. 

And now, I'll add my comparisons to the mix: like Lalita Tademy's Cane River, The Healing is an intricately woven story of the connections between slaves on a single plantation and the relationships that develop across generations.  Like Dolen Perkins-Valdez's Wench, The Healing examines the complicated and double-edged relationship between the plantation owner and the most favored slaves.  Like The Story of Beautiful Girl it considers the impact on a childless old woman who is suddenly made guardian of a small child with an unknown story.  But, as they used to say on Reading Rainbow, don't take my word for it!  Read The Healing and tell me what comparisons you'd make.

Amaryllis in Blueberry

One of our patrons recommended I read Amaryllis in Blueberry by Christina Meldrum.  She said it is similar to some other titles that  I recommended for her and she loved it.   I read it and found I love it, too!

Amaryllis in Blueberry is a historical fiction novel. It explores the complexity of human relationships and is set against an amazing and unforgettable backdrop. The setting of this story is exquisite whether it be the dusty red roads of Africa or the picturesque visage of Danish Landing, Michigan. The author paints beautiful images with her words that will transport you around the world.

The story is told through the voices of Dick and Seena Slepy and their four daughters. It is a story of secrets long buried and the family's struggle to overcome them. The author’s descriptive language gathers you and propels you down a path that entrances you with spellbinding geography, morality, truth and leads you to answers to life’s big questions.   It is a soulful and compelling story.  Meldrum's descriptive writing paints a clear picture and keeps you turning pages until the very end.  This is an exquisite example of literary fiction. It is similar in style to the The The Poisonwood Bible, The Secret Life of Bees and Rooms.  So I recommend you read Amaryllis in Blueberry and see for yourself how wonderful it is.

Can't get enough Downton Abbey? Try some of these!

Are you heading for the vintage store in search of Edwardian fashions?  Does life in a country house sound ever more appealing?  Have you considered trading in your smartphone for stationery and telegraphs?  If so, then you, my friend, might have a case of Downton Abbey fever.  Fear not -- it's a common affliction these days and, by all accounts, is harmless except for causing an insatiable desire to surround oneself by all things Edwardian.  If you're looking to satisfy some of those urges, we've got some great books and movies to keep you entertained between Sundays.

You could start with the classic Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford, which explores the implications of World War I for the British ruling class.  If you're looking for more of the sparkling social lives of the English wealthy, check out Nancy Mitford's Love in a Cold Climate, a romantic comedy that takes place between the wars.  You might also be interested in E.M. Forster's classic Howard's End or, for the perspective of the staff in the post-war days, Kazuo Ishiguro's Remains of the Day.  The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy is a trilogy of books that portray the life of the upper-middle-class in Victorian England. Of course, you could do worse than check out Julian Fellowes' Snobs. (Yes, that is the Julian Fellowes who created Downton Abbey...and a little Academy-Award-winning movie called Gosford Park).  The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for its portrayal of aristocracy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  If you're interested in non-fiction accounts of the help, Below Stairs: The Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoir That Inspired Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey is a great choice because, as the title suggests, it inspired...I know, you caught it.  

If your Downton Abbey fever has you more interested in staying by the screen, we've got you covered there, as well.  Aside from Gosford Park, Upstairs, Downstairs and screen adaptations of Howard's End and Remains of the Day, try Berkeley Square, a BBC series about three young nannies and they wealthy families for whom they work in England at the turn of the century.  You can also imagine how you would respond to the challenges of living in an English country house with the PBS reality show Manor House.

If these titles don't quite satisfy your Downton Abbey fever, check with a librarian.  We'll prescribe more books tailored to your case.

Books and food - the perfect pairing

I've been known to take home cookbooks just to read recipes, even if I have no intention of making them.  I also have a long history of seeking out books about chefs, bakers, home cooks, and anyone else who likes food.  There's something particularly gratifying to an aspiring foodie like me in reading an engrossing story that also whets the appetite.  I've already raved about White Truffles in Winter, so I won't go on about that, but really...check it out. 
 
Angelina's Bachelors and Aftertaste: A Novel in Five Courses are both stories of women who cope with the loss of their husbands through food.  In the former, it's the unexpected death of her husband that leaves part-time office manager and amateur cook Angelina with a surplus of time and emotion, which she pours out into the food that she makes for her neighbors.   In Aftertaste, Mira struggles to make sense of her life when her husband, with whom she co-owns a trendy Manhattan restaurant, leaves her for the new restaurant hostess.  Mira's reaction lands her in court-ordered management classes and in doubt about her life's meaning outside a restaurant. 

I've also just started the classic My Life in France by Julia Child.  Unlike Julie and Julia, which left me feeling and impatient with the author, I've found that the further I got in this book, the more affection I felt toward Julia Child (which is saying something since I've long watched reruns of her show whenever I get the chance). 

I consider it a happy fate when I can find books that provide a good story, tempt my palate, and help me plan my meals for the week.  That's the kind of multi-tasking I can get behind.

A Shameful Period in Our History

It seems that I have been reading a lot of books lately with the same theme or at least the same subject matter: the Japanese-American internment camps during World War II.  My grandfather was a Navy corpsman in the Pacific at Saipan and Okinawa during the war so I am familiar with some of that history.  However, I knew nothing about the internment camps in our own country.  President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the expulsion of people with Japanese ancestry from the West coast of the U. S. on February 19, 1942, with Executive Order 9066.  Approximately 110,000 Japanese-Americans and Japanese who lived on the Pacific coast were "relocated."  This exclusion order was not rescinded until January 1945 and the last camp was not closed until 1946.  During WWII, Colorado governor Ralph Lawrence Carr was the only elected official to apologize publicly for the internment of American citizens--it cost him re-election but a statue of him was erected by the residents of Denver's Japantown.  It wasn't until the 1980s and 1990s that the internees or their heirs were paid reparations--or a formal apology was issued by the U. S. government.  Whether you believe it was justified, was racial persecution, or you are divided on the subject, please read the following books.  They will introduce you to a part of our not so distant past, teach you about hardship and resiliency, and tug at your emotions as you look through the eyes of the internees and their families.  Please read these stories because it is important to understand our history so that we're not doomed to repeat it. 

 Non-Fiction

Korematsu v. United States by Karen Alonso

Looking Like the Enemy
by Mary Matsuda Gruenewald

Farewell to Manzanar
by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston

Years of Infamy
by Michi Nishiura Weglyn

Fiction

Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
by Jamie Ford

Snow Falling on Cedars
by David Guterson

When the Emperor Was Divine
by Julie Otsuka

Southland by Nina Revoyr

Why She Left Us
by Rahna Reiko Rizzuto

Camp Nine
by Vivienne Schiffer

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today we take a look back at the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  This is an important date celebrating one of the great people in American history.  The library carries many titles about Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement.  Here is a sampling of what you can checkout today:

Dr. King

The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr.
A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr.
At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-68 by Taylor Branch
Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference by David Garrow

Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement: An Eyewitness History by Sanford Wexler
Freedom's Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830-1970 by Lynne Olson
Civil Rights Chronicle: The African-American Struggle for Freedom by Clayborne Carson
Marshalling Justice: The Early Civil Rights Letters of Thurgood Marshall

Forget resolutions, the new year is a time for new books!

Like many people, I think of the new year as a great time to start fresh.  It's a time to work on breaking bad habits and replace them with better ones.  However, I realized I wasn't doing too well on some of the traditional resolutions (somehow, the resolution to re-landscape my front flower beds has been on the list for three years and still hasn't gotten done...but this year I mean it!).  So, instead of focusing on the resolutions that within a month I'm apt to get frustrated by, amused by my overly zealous ambitions, or just plain forget, I've decided to focus on the great books I'm looking forward to reading this year. 

I'll start by admitting that I'm a bit of a political junkie, but that I'm already a bit weary of the campaign season.  Thinking that we have another 10 months of ads and debates is enough to make me run for cover...the cover of Taft 2012.  This book, slated for release next week (Jan. 17, 2012), imagines an alternate history in which President William Howard Taft disappeared from the lawn of the White House after his defeat in 1912 only to reappear today.  As he considers running as an independent, he is forced to consider the impact of a changed time and culture.  I anticipate turning off the C-SPAN coverage of the real election and following this debut novel by Jason Heller, instead. 

American Dervish is Ayad Akhtar's debut novel.   Set in the pre-9/11 Midwest, it's about a Pakistanti-American boy trying to reconcile the conflicting roles and views he finds himself surrounded by, all while trying to navigate the emotional riptide of first love.

Moving from the Midwest to the South, I'm really looking forward to Joshilyn Jackson's newest release, A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty.  I've enjoyed her family dramas infused with humor in the past and am intrigued by the prospect of this story about the women of the Slocumb family and the curse that has brought trouble every 15 years for generations.

The best part about the new year's offerings of books?  This doesn't even get beyond the books scheduled to be published in January.  I'm excited to see what February brings!

Why Crossover?

Someone asked me yesterday, "Why read a crossover novel?" I thought to myself for a minute and said, "Why not?" Of course, this is not much of an answer so I added, "I enjoy them."   I explained these novels are usually character driven, the plot is fast paced and tells a compelling story. I enjoy stories where there is fast paced actions, strong character development and a great storyline.  Most of the crossover titles I have read have these fantastic characteristics, which makes them an exciting read.

If you are one of the many adults who heads for the Young Adult section of our library, know that you are not alone. Many people choose to read Young Adult titles. I think the best part of reading a crossover title is that you can discuss it with just about anyone from teen to an elderly adult.  The language used in it is not usually offensive.

One of my favorite crossover authors has written an exciting conclusion to his series.  If you read Eragon, Eldest and  Brisingr you will be happy to learn that  Inheritance by Christopher Paolini has finally arrived!  I have waited so long for the conclusion to this series that I, like many others, thought it would never get here. It was well worth the wait. This is a lengthy novel, but it is told so well that you won't feel like it takes forever.  Christopher provides an introduction that is a bit of a refresher so you don't need to reread the other volumes to make sense of this one. The plot is fast paced and the varden finally battles Galbatorix. 

Although now I question if this is the end of the series. The series is concluded, but...I see potential for another series to follow these characters as they move on to new adventures.  Guess I'll have to wait and see. The last book was a long time coming so if the author does create another series I may have a couple years to wait (sigh).

The Invisible Ones

Stef Penney's newest title, The Invisible Ones, is everything I love in a good mystery.  The characters are intriguing and well thought out.  We have drastically different point-of-views as two of the key characters take turns telling the story.  And we have an ending that I never saw coming.

Rose Janko, who married into a gypsy family, disappears seemingly into thin air.  Nobody knows where she's gone, nor if she left with anyone.  Enter private investigator Ray Lovell, from a gypsy family himself, who is hired by the girl's father.  The catch...Rose has been missing from the Janko family for seven years.  Lovell must make contact with the Jankos, who are not the most cooperative bunch, to find out everything he can about Rose.  The story alternates between Lovell's thoughts and JJ's, a young boy within the Janko family.  J.J.'s shares with the reader what things are like within the gypsy family and what little he knows about Rose and the inner workings of the Janko clan.

I picked up an advance copy of this book because, besides enjoying a good mystery, I knew very little of gypsy culture.  Penney's treatment of the subject is true to life from the other reviews I've seen.  It makes for a good mystery since Lovell must get as much information as he can from a group known to keep to themselves.  I felt like I had the ending nailed at least twice, but was very wrong on both occasions.  Check this one out if like a good page turner that keeps you guessing until the very end.