Going Hollywood

"The book was so much better than the movie!" "No, no, the movie was better." How many times have you heard this conversation? We hear it all the time and, often, are joining right in on the conversation. If you'd like to join in on the conversation and check out some books that have been made into movies, we have you covered! This month's Great Books Great Libraries featured list is "Going Hollywood."

Check out such timeless classics as the Godfather by Mario Puzo, The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Or try a contemporary title such as Forrest Gump by Winston Groom, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, The Pianist by Wladyslaw Szpilman, and The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje.

Leave us a comment comparing your favorite book/movie combination!

You just gotta laugh

Lately it seems life is just too serious, too hard and the news lists many horror stories. It's just depressing and I would like a little good news. I don't think that's too much to ask. Recently, I saw a book that just looking at the cover made me laugh. I picked it up, glanced at a few pages and laughed some more.  Then of course I wanted to check it out, but...no someone else was taking it home (sigh). Guess she wanted to laugh, too.   I decided then and there the world must laugh.

In my effort to make the world a brighter place, I  put together a list of humorous books (at least I think they are humorous). Just so you know, the first book on my list is the one I saw today. It's titled Cake Wrecks : When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong. This book is everything the front cover led me to believe it would be. I picked it up glanced at a few pages and laughed uproariously. When I got it home of course there were errands to run so I left it on the table.  I returned home and the book was opened.  I figured it was my children, but I knew that wasn't the case when my husband said, "Nappy, blob, blob". I, being the resourceful person that I am, realized the page he left the book open to was a birthday cake mishap that was captioned, "Nappy BLOB BLOB TO YOU". Needless to say we cracked up all over again. My whole family loved this book. It's funny, witty and at times a little gross, but we laughed together, we laughed apart and we just plain laughed. This book definitley made my top list of funny books.  Here are a few others including some that won the Thurber award:

Letters from a Nut by Ted Nancy
With a forward by Jerry Seinfeld how could this book go wrong?  This is a collection of ridiculous prank letters sent to companies and includes their responses. A perfect table top book. 

I Love You Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle (2008 Thurber Award Winner)

This book is about a nerdy guy who falls for the head High School cheerleader. Through the use of comics and cleverly written script it is a story that will bring you to tears. 

Ant Farm by Simon Rich (2008 Thurber Award Finalist)
This is a hilarious collection of short stories. Ever wonder what it's like when a child realizes their teacher tricked them with the quiet game?...well Simon gives us insight into ordinary situations from a child, teen and crazy adult point of view. It's definitely a must have!

The Other Shulman by Alan Zweibel (2006 Thurber Award Winner)
A terrific feel good novel that will make you laugh and give you insight into human nature! It's a win-win!

Lamentations of the Father by Ian Frazier (2009 Thurber Award Winner)\
Ian Frazier takes ordinary everyday occurrences and turns them into comedic prose that leaves the best comedy headliners wishing they were as witty!

How I became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely (2010 Thurber Award Winner)
Steve Hely in his first novel writes a comedic parody of the top fiction novels of our time. If you find yourself often at the bookstore looking at the new arrivals or anxiously awaiting the NY Times Book Review this book is destined to be in your collection.  It is wonderfully funny and will make you think twice about the books you love and why.

The final book on my list is more of a pictorial homage to cats and laughter. Bad Cat is a collection of cat pictures with funny captions. If you love or hate cats this book is for you. 

Lessons in Psychological Fiction

Lately, I seem to be reading a lot of books that build suspense while placing the protagonists in very uncomfortable positions.  These are the books that make one wonder, "What would I do if I were in that situation?"  The overarching theme of the next three books are people who are trying to survive those situations and then, more importantly, to move on.

I just finished Emma Donoghue's newest novel, Room.  This is not a happy-go-lucky story by any stretch of the imagination.  Five year-old Jack and his mother, who is referred to as Ma throughout, live their entire lives confined within Room.  Their supplies come from "Old Nick" who stops by a few evenings a week.  Both Jack and Ma are scared of Nick and they try to keep him happy by asking for very little in the way of supplies each week.  Ma won't even let him look at Jack.  This book builds the suspense to such an uncomfortable level.  Just when you begin to put the pieces together, you wonder if you actually want to put it all together.

There are a lot of similarities between Room and Still Missing by Chevy Stevens.  Annie O'Sullivan has escaped from her captor, whom she dubs "The Freak."  She recounts the whole harrowing experience to her therapist and, even though we know she has managed to escape, the reader's heart breaks as Annie tells of all the horrible things that happened during her captivity.  The main character is very believable as she we go through her conversations with the doctor as sometimes she wants to discuss certain matters at other times does not.  As psychological suspense goes, this one was hard to put down.

I mentioned Fragile by Lisa Unger in a previous post and it definitely works in this genre as well.  Another of Unger's works, Black Out, is another good candidate.  Annie Powers has put her previous life behind her and lives happily with her family in Florida.  Of course, Annie isn't her real name.  Her real name is Ophelia.  And Ophelia has many dark secrets that Annie has tried to hide.  A dangerous figure from her past seems to have returned and Annie does not know how best to deal with the situation.  To make matters worse, she finds that other people may know about her past.  Some of whom are very close to her.

The Next Great Crime Series!

There is no doubt that crime fiction is hot! Just look at Stieg Larrson's Millennium trilogy that most libraries can't keep on their shelves. Here is 
the next great crime series by Zoe Ferraris. Her first book Finding Nouf led off the series. However, when I picked up City of Veils I didn't realize it was a sequel. Fortunately this novel is so well written it stood alone and is creating A HUGE SENSATION! Now I have to go back and read the first one in the series.

Ferraris creates a realistic murder mystery set in Jeddah. Her story is multi-faceted and weaves a tale that shows us a social mosaic of Saudi Arabian culture and the role of Islam in their world.  She combines this cultural education with an intriguing murder mystery/who done it, that made me 
want to know....what HAPPENS NEXT! Just when I thought I knew who did it and why,...she presented another angle and I had to reevaluate my thoughts.


The tale begins as a young woman's mutilated body is found on the beach. In this country where women must wear a burqa in public and are not meant to be seen or heard (by men outside of their immediate family) investigating a crime surrounding her death can be difficult. Most women's faces are never seen and in fact the viewing of a woman's face and hair can lead to their imprisonment by the regular or even the religious police.


As the story unfolds we learn more about Islamic culture and women's rights through Katya and Miriam. Katya is a forensic scientist who works in a crime lab (quite unusual for most women in Saudi Arabia) and Miriam is an American woman whose husband is a bodyguard working in Saudi Arabia. Her husband disappears and she is left bereft in a foreign culture where women have no voice and should not be seen. She unwittingly becomes acquainted with a devout Muslim, Nayir, who breaks conventions to help her.


Ferraris shows us the male perspective of this culture through the eyes of Nayir Sharqi. He struggles throughout the book to understand the changes in his own culture/religious beliefs and his own concerns about the changes. He doesn't understand his motivation to help Miriam or understand his attraction to Katya. Katya after all is an 'infidel' who shrugs off convention by working outside her home and she speaks to men who are not from her family.

City of Veils is so much more than a criminal fiction story it opens your eyes to cultural differences around the world, gives you a straight look at gender segregation and asks how you are going to cope with the changes when they come.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a riveting mystery that has a rich background.

RITA Awards Part Two

Here are the remaining RITA Award finalists and winners the Washington-Centerville Public library owns. You can find the complete listing of winners and finalists at http://www.rwanational.org/cs/2010_rita_finalists.

For Historical Romance

Not Quite A Husband   (Winner) by Caitlin Alexander
This novel will make you laugh, cry and fall in love time and again.

Wicked All Day by Liz Carlyle
Reserved man meets a spoiled,yet charming woman, who consistently requires him to save her from herself.

With Seduction In Mind by Laura Lee Gurhke
This story has well-developed characters. The characters are set opposite each other and get on each others nerves until the sparks fly.

To beguile a beast by Elizabeth Hoyt
A blend of fantasy, reality and a sensual romance story.


Knight Of Pleasure by Margaret Mallory
A romance adventure story that shouldn't be missed!


For Inspirational Romance

Entertaining Angels / Judy Duarte
This is an uplifting inspirational novel that teaches readers to accept others for who they are and not what they look like.

An eye for an eye / Irene Hannon.  Irene Hannon.
This novel is a story of personal growth filled with romance, suspense and a strong christian message.

The Silent Governess / Julie Klassen
The Silent Governess is an interesting and satisfying soujourn into 19th century England.

For Paranormal Romance

Kiss Of A Demon King (Winner) by Kresley Cole
A dark paranormal romance in an urban setting filled with hot scenes where the evil queen plays with the handsome righteous king. 


For Best Regency Historical Romance

What Happens In London by Julia Quinn
A fun light-hearted historical romance.

A View To A Kiss by Caroline Linden
A sweet historical romance filled with intrigue and suspense.

Surrender Of A Siren  by Tessa Dare
A passionate tale of a runaway bride and a dark, dangerous privateer.


For Young Adult Romance

Perfect Chemistry (Winner) by Simone Elkeles
A story of forbidden love, acceptance and courage.

And the RITA goes to ...

As you may recall I like happy endings so what better medium for a happy ending than a romance novel. On July 31st in Orlando, FL the winners of the 2010 RITA awards were announced. A RITA Award of Excellence Winner is an award that recognizes outstanding published romance novels and novellas.  The winners are voted the best of the best by their peers within the Romance Writers of America.

There are 12 categories for RITA awards so I am doing a two part series. Here is the initial listing of finalists and winners that our library owns.

For Best First Book:

One Scream Away(winner) by Kate Brady
Witty Dialogue and a good use of police procedures combined with a dose of psychological profiling creates a great suspensful thriller fans will love. A fast paced romantic thriller.

He Calls Her Doc by Mary Brady
A western romance filled with challenges of Emergency procedures and being accepted as a woman in a man's profession out west.

The Better Part Of Darkness by Kelly Gay
This is a captivating urban fantasy romance.

Stolen Fury by Elizabeth Naughton
An archeological adventure story filled with mystery, intrigue and danger.

Nothing Like You  Lauren Strasnick.
A quick paced powerful read about poor choices, consequences and friendship.

The Last Will Of Moira Leahy : A Novel/ Therese Walsh.
A cross genre novel that entwines romance, mystery and intrigue.

For Contemporary Series Romance Novel

A Not-So-Perfect Past (winner) by Beth Andrews
A story of redemption, healing and second chances.

For Contemporary Series Romance Suspense/Adventure Novel

Mountain investigation by Jessica Anderson
A renegade FBI agent rescues a beautiful woman, who he believes was involved in the murder of his loved ones.

For Contemporary Single Romance Novel

Too Good To Be True (Winner) by Kristan Higgins
An excellent funny light-hearted story with loveable characters.

Talk Me Down by Victoria Dahl
A steamy story about Molly Jenkins, a secret writer of erotic fiction, her stalker and the lawman who needs to save the day.

True Love And Other Disasters by Rachel Gibson
Faith's husband dies leaving her loaded with a hockey team to run. A lively story filled with steamy scenes on and off the ice.

For The Love Of Pete by Sheryl Woods
A light hearted story about forgiveness and everlasting love.

Dirty Sexy Knitting by Christie Ridgway
A funny story of true love with all its ups and downs. This is part of a trilogy but can also stand alone.

Instant Attraction by Jill Shavis
The first of a trilogy introduces readers to the Wilder clan.  This book is witty and fun.

For Novel with Strong Romantic Elements

The Better Part Of Darkness (Winner) by Kelly Gay
Charlie Madigan is a divorced mother and police officer who is trying to keep her loved ones safe from off-worlders.  This is a complex and captivating urban fantasy.

Giving a whole new meaning to "eating your words"

Imagine what life would be like if your senses were tied together.  If, for example, you saw colors assigned to each letter or number; or if each different color, and each shade of each color, evoked a different musical note.  This is the experience of synesthetes, people whose senses are crossed.  Imagine what your life would be like if you tasted words.  That is the fate of Linda Hammerick, the main character in Monique Truong's new book, Bitter in the Mouth, and yet it is not definitive of her story.

 

Linda, who narrates the book, offers a deliberately obtuse presentation of her life.  Stories are reintroduced several times, each time providing a new perspective, a new nugget of truth, a new sense of what was, and what might have been.  In the book's opening, Linda lays down the facts of her life as cards on the table, but warns the reader that, in looking at the cards, there are "bound to be distorting overlaps...The only way to sort out the truth is to pick up the cards again, slowly, examining each one." 

At times, vital pieces of the story are deliberately hidden, as if Linda doesn't want to reveal them until she trusts the reader enough to go back and fill in what she had left out before.  I realize I am referring to Linda's, rather than Truong's, literary decisions, but the sense of character is incredibly strong; Truong has effectively presented a protaganist who is distant and closed off, but who is without question the voice of the story, and whose method of telling of the story is as much a part of the characterization as the words she does share. 

As a word of warning, Linda's narration presents dialogue the way it comes to her, tastes included.  A sample conversation between Linda and her best friend reads:

"I'll neverbubblegum speaklemonade to youcannedgreenbeans againpancakenosyrup!"

"Youcannedgreenbeans neverbubblegum say anyricethingtomato to me now."

Fortunately, Linda doesn't like to talk a lot, and dialogue is kept to a minimum.  And, while distracting, the presentation does provide an insight into the impact Linda's synesthesia has in her interactions with others.

This is a book best read slowly and deliberately, the way Lindamint presents it.