Ohioana Book Award Finalists Announced

The Ohioana Library recently announced the finalists for the 2012 Ohioana Book Awards.  If you are not familiar with the Ohioana Library, check out the website here.  The organization "is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and promoting the written work of Ohio’s writers, artists, and musicians".  The awards reflect that by showcasing the best works by Ohio authors over the past year.  On to the nominees!

Fiction

Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
The Devil All the Time by Donald Ray Pollock
Doc by Mary Doria Russell
Ziggy by Tom Wilson

About Ohio/Ohioan

Literary Cincinnati: The Missing Chapter by Dale Patrick Brown
George Szell: A Life of Music by Michael Charry
Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War by Tony Horwitz
Destiny of the Republic : A Tale of Madness, Medicine, and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard
Over-the-Rhine Tour Guide: Cincinnati's Historic German District, Over-the-Rhine, and Environs by Don Heinrick Tolzmann

Visit the Ohioana website for more information on the 2012 awards.

Fifty Shades of Grey

Alright, I admit it. I was intrigued when I heard all they hype about E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey. I was one of the few who had not heard anything about this book, until it's recent release.  Amazing I know, but...it is the truth. Surprisingly enough it was not until several of our patrons quietly requested this book that I heard the buzz.  This book is attracting women and men. However the primary pull seems to be women over the age of 21 (thank goodness) this book is steamy and there ought to be a warning label on it. 

Fifty Shades allegedly began as a take-off from the Twilight series on fanfiction. It was touted as a sexy, racy (BDSM) romance.  Well, what I read had a glimmer of romance and plenty of hot racy steamy,  cover your eyes sex. Both Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey have a male and female protagonist, but there is where the similarities (for me) end. Where Twilight is a novel my daughter read, Fifty Shades of Grey is not a title I want my daughter anywhere near. Women everywhere may be cheering in praise of this young woman, Anastasia embracing her sexuality, but come on people this novel is not a literary masterpiece and was not intended as one.

Anastasia Steele is an innocent 21 year old girl, who I wish had more spine and a stronger sense of self. Christian is a 27 year old multi-millionaire who is a powerful business man and a dominant in the bedroom. Anastasia is a typical kid and has no idea what she is getting into, when she becomes involved with the exceedingly handsome Christian. I think Christian truly cares for Anastasia, but he is still recovering from his traumatic childhood and is extremely possessive/obsessive. Will he change to be what Anastasia needs him to become? Can Anastasia accept the role he wants her to play or is he asking far too much?

 I have a few wishes and perhaps by the third book my wishes will be granted. I wish Anastasia had more backbone, stood up for herself and said, "Stop, I don't want you to do that."   I wish Christian would just be human, get help and get over his childhood trauma. (It's a fictional story, it could happen.)   A little less repetition would be nice too, but overall the story is good.  If you are looking for a story where the hero adores the heroine this may be it. Christian does adore Anastasia he just has a funny way of showing it sometimes.   

Most of the reviewers of this book have very strong opinions about it. Either they love it or they hate it. I neither love nor hate this novel. Do I like it enough to read the next two books? Yes, I want to know what happens next in the story. So I will be reading Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed and I am sure I will not be alone. Fifty Shades of Grey has gone viral and created quite a sensation. It is currently number one on the NY Times Combined Print and E-book Fiction Best Seller list and has been on the list for the past 11 weeks.  I am not sure if the book is so popular because of the BDSM, the glimmer of romance or if it is just curiosity that is drawing people in.  Read it and judge for yourself.

Will you be our friend?

I know that nosy friends are supposed to be interested in what's in the medicine cabinet. That never had any appeal for me: not only does it seem like a huge invasion of privacy, but it doesn't really tell me anything about my friend other than, perhaps, that he struggles with acid reflux or that she prefers Crest over Colgate. No, for me, the place to nose around is right in the open. The first time I'm in a friend's house, you'll likely see me facing the bookshelf with my head at a 90-degree angle trying to read the titles. Aside from the uncomfortable crick that occasionally develops in my neck, I find scanning others' bookshelves to be a very rewarding experience. I can get a sense of what we have in common and get recommendations for books I wouldn't have thought of reading or hadn't heard of before.

The problem with this method, of course, is that a) you have to be invited to the person's house to see the bookshelf and hope that it's in plain view so you don't have to poke around the house looking for it and 2) it only tells you about the books the person owns. This means that if you read a lot of library books (and don't we all?), you don't get to see most of the books your friend is reading. Plus, there's the added danger of seeing books that have been given to a person as a gift but are really not something that they would ever choose to read of their own volition (not that I have any like that on my shelves...).

The solution? Goodreads.com is a social media site designed to keep you and your friends in the loop on what you're reading and what you think about it. You, in turn, get to see their feedback on what they're reading. It's a great resource to keep up-to-date with a much wider variety of books. We've set up our own account and we'd like to be friends with you. Those of us who write for the Fine Print blog have all got our own shelf and we're adding titles that we've been reading. We'd like to see what you like and what you don't, too.  If you're on Goodreads, think of adding us as a friend. Our username is "wclibrary," so look for us and we'll let the book discussions begin. Best of all, you can look at the screen straight-on, so you won't get a crick in your neck!

War Photographers of the Civil War and Beyond

Is a picture worth a thousand words?  How many times have we seen a photo in the paper or on the news that touches us, shocks us, even horrifies us?  Probably too many times to count.  My first experience with war was probably after seeing the cover of a Time/Life magazine or maybe a National Geographic.  These images can stay with us for decades and help us see from generation to generation--maybe teaching us compassion and how to learn from our past mistakes. These brave men and women risk their lives to bring us news from all over the world and hopefully their courage and skill will help make the world a better place.  The following are some of the greatest in their field:

Margaret Bourke-White--She is one of America's most famous photojournalists and is known as the first Westerner to photograph Soviet industry, the first female photographer for Life Magazine, and the first female war correspondent permitted to work in war zones. She died in 1971 of Parkinson's Disease at the age of 67.


Mathew Brady--He was born about 1823 in New York and is one of America's pioneering Civil War photographers. His photos of fallen soldiers showed the public the carnage of war. He gambled his life savings on the project and died penniless never knowing the impact he had.

Larry Burrows--This Englishman born in 1926 and famous for his pictures of Vietnam, was killed in 1971 with three other journalists when their helicopter was shot down over Laos.


Robert Capa--Born in 1913, this Hungarian photojournalist covered five different wars.  He died with his camera in his hand after stepping on a land mine in Southeast Asia in 1954.

Ron Haviv--This American photojournalist is best known for his coverage of the atrocities of the Yugoslav wars. His work focuses on raising awareness of human rights violations worldwide.

Tim Hetherington--Born in 1970, this British/American is best known for co-directing the Oscar nominated documentary Restrepo. He and photographer Chris Hondros were killed by mortar fire April 20, 2011 while covering the Libyan civil war.

Tim Page--This English photographer who covered the Vietnam War, was wounded in action four separate times.  He founded an organization in memory of the 135 journalists and photographers who died covering all sides of the Indochina conflicts.

For the World to See: The Life of Margaret Bourke-White by Jonathan Silverman
Brady's Civil War by Webb Garrison
Vietnam by Larry Burrows
Blood and Champagne: The Life and Times of Robert Capa by Alex Kershaw
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: A Photographer's Chronicle of the Iraq War
by Ashley Gilbertson
Blood and Honey: A Balkan War Journal by Ron Haviv
On Their Own: Women Journalists and the American Experience in Vietnam
by Joyce Hoffmann
Combat Photographer by Nick Mills
Tim Page's NAM by Tim Page
Restrepo--DVD
Vietnam's Unseen War--DVD
War Photographer--DVD

"I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony.  The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated."
James Nachtwey subject of War Photographer

A Secret Gift

"Suppose if I were confronted with an economic situation where the bread of tomorrow is the problem of today..."

On December 18, 1933, a tiny ad ran in the morning edition of the Canton Repository. Written by a mysterious stranger known only as Mr. B. Virdot, it promised monetary aid to families suffering the ravages of the Great Depression. All they had to do was respond with a letter describing their need. Within a couple days, the post office was flooded with such letters, and B. Virdot carefully selected 150 respondents and mailed each five dollars--an amount that in 1933 would have been worth closer to one hundred dollars. As promised in the ad, the identities of these families were never made public, nor was the true identity of their benefactor, and this secret was kept for over seventy-five years until investigative journalist Ted Gup discovered that Mr. B. Virdot was his very own grandfather, respected Canton merchant Sam Stone! As Gup began to sort through his family history, he discovered that his grandfather was a man of many secrets and that much of his known life-story was a complete fabrication. In uncovering the truth, Gup found a story worth telling, and he reveals all the details in A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness--and a Trove of Letters--Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression. Of equal interest are the stories of the letter writers themselves, and their narratives are offered throughout the book. Readers with connections to Canton, Ohio, as well as those interested in reading about the Great Depression will find much to like here. Needless to say, Sam Stone's selflessness should serve as an inspiration to all of us during today's trying economic times to reach out and help someone in need.

150 Pounds

It's May so chances are pretty good that you've seen at few dozen reminders that it's time to get in bikini shape and if you just read this book/magazine/website you'll get the magic cure for finding your ideal size.  We are a society obsessed with weight.  In her new book, 150 Pounds, author Kate Rockland addresses this fixation with size in the form of two bloggers.

Shoshanna, who weighs 215 pounds, writes Fat and Fabulous and lives her life based on what feels good at the moment.  Alexis, 100 pounds dripping wet and creator of the Skinny Chick blog, counts every calorie and wakes up at 4:30 every morning to start her day at the gym.  When the two meet on Oprah their opposing views clash in a personal way. The title itself should come with a spoiler alert because (spoiler alert!) over the course of the next year, each blogger has weight changes ending at 150 pounds. Of course, with the change in weight, there are a few changes of heart, especially for Alexis.

Yes, it's a bit predictable and yes, at times the characters verge on caricatures, but it's an enjoyable read that raises some interesting points about our obsession with weight and how we view ourselves and others.

Thank you, teachers

I don't remember Teacher Appreciation Week being around when I was a kid but, as a parent, let me just say that practically every day is Teacher Appreciation Day in my mind (which is to say, I know Teacher Appreciation Week was last week, but please don't grade me down because I'm turning in my homework late). I'm constantly amazed by the things my kids will casually mention, dropping information that was clearly a part of the lessons from school -- because I certainly didn't know how to teach them the life stages of reptiles. At 8 and 5, I give them about another year and a half before they completely surpass me in useful knowledge. As for patience and understanding, well...let's just say I'm pretty sure the teachers are usually besting me there, too. 

It's only fitting, then, that last week -- Teacher Appreciation Week -- poet Taylor Mali's new book What Teachers Make : In Praise of the Greatest Job in the World hit the shelves. Mali wrote this book to "remind teachers that they are dearly loved." It's a short book, with pithy chapters like "Your Child is My Student," on the dispassionate way in which teachers are able to view children (and, in so doing, see them more clearly) and "Definitely Beautiful," on the simple ways in which teachers can make memories that ensure learning stays with their students.

If you are a teacher, I thank you and I encourage you to read What Teachers Make as a reminder of the difference that you make every day.  If you aren't a teacher, I encourage you to read it as a reminder of the many ways in which teachers make a difference in our lives.  And, if you've never seen the poem that started it all, check it out.

Maybe it's time for another look

My daughter is dyslexic.  The other day she had two group projects to finish for High School. It seems the group projects my children are on always become a one person project, the other kids are happy for the A, but.. it's a little like The Little Red Hen (sigh).  Sorry her dyslexia is what led me to read a book while she was cutting, pasting and making a beautiful version of Goodnight Moon. She had 3 chapters to read and a lot of work on the last project, so she asked me to read To Kill A Mockingbird to her while she worked on the project. 

After the first paragraph, I fell in love all over again with this book, as did my son and daughter.  Reading is a struggle for her so she wasn't really enjoying it before I began reading it. I am a good raconteur (aka a good storyteller) but I truly believe it is Harper Lee's wit, prose and writing style that hooked us. The characters are incredible as well. Scout, who is a smart little girl and loves to read, just can't understand why the teacher told her she should not read with her father anymore. Everything she did with the best of intentions on her first day of school just got her into more trouble with her teacher.  We laughed, we commiserated and just fell in love with the book. I can't wait to finish rereading the story.

This made me wonder if some of the other titles I read in school might be even better the second time around.  For instance, I loved John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men when I reread it with my children a couple years ago so maybe it'll be the same for The Grapes of Wrath, Fahrenheit 451, All Quiet on the Western Front and Don Quixote. If you haven't read these classics in awhile (or perhaps never read) maybe it's time for another look.  You might find a very pleasant surprise awaits you.

Authors from India--Finally!

Last month I did a couple of blogs on Southern Asian authors and I promised you one on authors from India.  So here it is.  Finally.  Sorry it took so long.

Try one of the following talented novelists, poets, and writers from India:

Chetan Bhagat--According to the NY Times he is "the biggest selling English language novelist in India's history."

Amit Chaudhuri--He is an internationally recognized author and academic but also a poet, critic, and classical musician.

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni--This Indian-American author, poet, and professor of writing received her masters degree from nearby Wright State University.

Amitav Ghosh--He is an award-winning historical fiction writer and professor at Queens College, NY.

Tabish Khair--He is an Indian-English writer, poet, and professor at the University of Aarhus in Denmark.

Red Earth and Pouring Rain by Vikram Chandra
English, August: An Indian Story by Upamanyu Chatterjee
That Summer in Paris by Abha Dawesar
The Artist of Disappearance by Anita Desai
Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard by Kiran Desai
Blind Faith by Sagarika Ghose
Lucky Everyday by Bapsy Jain
The Blue Bedspread by Raj Kamal Jha
The Romantics by Pankaj Mishra
Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry
Miss New India by Bharati Mukherjee
Mistress by Anita Nair
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
Chef by Jaspreet Singh

Taking a break from coming-of-age stories

Ever since Holden Caulfield first decried the phonies surrounding him, the lives of prep school and Ivy League students and the experiences that lead to their eventual coming of age have fascinated authors and readers...except me.  Given the critical and popular support for these titles, I sometimes wonder if I'm missing something. Maybe it's because as a middle-class Midwesterner who attended the local public high school I just don't understand the lifestyle enough to appreciate it. Maybe it's because I'm from the wrong generation, as this New York Times article from few years ago suggests. Maybe I'm just old and cranky. Whatever it is that makes one appreciate stories about prematurely world-weary teens and new adults feeling rudderless and disaffected has skipped right over me. 

I've tried and tried to like them. After the obligatory high school read of The Catcher in the Rye, I moved on to Tom Wolfe's I am Charlotte Simmons, which remains memorable only in its cartoonish depictions of college life. I was willing to give the benefit of the doubt that it was because I'm not a big Tom Wolfe fan in general (I find his characters' frequent disdain of women more than a bit off-putting), so I moved on to Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep. Prep was so popular among some of my friends that I thought it would surely be the one to break through my block against this type of book. It wasn't. It read like the younger sister of Charlotte Simmons. This year alone, I tried some of the year's most popular titles, The Marriage Plot and The Art of Fielding along with less well-known books like The Starboard Sea and How to Buy a Love of Reading. Still, no matter how good the writing, it felt like I was reading the same book over and over.  And let me clarify, in some cases the writing was very good(Jeffery Eugenides and Chad Harbach, I am looking at you). Lest you think I'm just biased against books set in schools, The Adults and The Sleepy Hollow Family Almanac stepped in with their disaffected 20-somethings who were no longer in school but experienced the same kind of ennui and lack of direction as the kids in the ivy-covered halls and provoked the same lack of empathy in me.

Ultimately, I think it's time coming-of-age stories and I take a little break from each other. We need to give each other some space, and I need to take the advice I give others: there's no right or wrong thing to like when you read.  If you like it, read it; if you don't like it, don't. Even when you're swimming against the tide (oh, how I wanted to like The Art of Fielding more than I did), there are too many good books out there to waste time reading ones that just make you feel old and cranky. 

In the Queue

A Gift for My Sister: A Novel by Anna Perlman

A heartwarming and touching story about the power of female friendship told through the eyes of two sisters.  When a series of tragedies strikes, Tara and Sky come together in the face of heartbreak, dashed hopes, and demons of the past.  They examine what sisterhood really means.

Calling Invisible Women: A Novel by Jeanne Ray

If you ever felt unattractive and unappreaciated you will understand how Clover felt.  As she enters her 50s, wife and mother Clover wakes up one morning and discovers she has become invisible, a condition which goes completely unnoticed by her family.

The Art of Intelligence: Lessons in the Life of the CIA's Clandestine Service by Henry A. Crumpton

A legendary CIA spy and counterterrorism expert tells the spellbinding story of his high-rish, action-packed career while illustrating the growing importance of America's intelligence officers and their secret missions.