tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17793323826999715002024-03-13T16:20:58.893-05:00Check This OutLearn about new books and discover great reads at Bee Cave Public Library.Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-30400288091366218222012-03-21T13:07:00.003-05:002012-03-21T13:54:07.092-05:00Pam Houston-A Writer You Should Check Out!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wXAB0QP6ChQ/T2oXVapN-1I/AAAAAAAAAXU/0bXx3v-wZ5w/s1600/contents.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wXAB0QP6ChQ/T2oXVapN-1I/AAAAAAAAAXU/0bXx3v-wZ5w/s320/contents.png" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> One of my favorite authors, Pam Houston, has just published her first book in seven years, <em>Contents May Have Shifted</em>. I love her work for many reasons but as I grow older, I find I am drawn to her characters because Houston’s writing focuses on that elusive beast rarely glimpsed in a fiction or film: the mature intelligent woman. While I enjoy a good chick-lit novel as much as any lover of the genre, and I never hesitate to highly recommend them as fun and delightfully escapist mind-candy, I really do not have all that much in common with the female characters. I find that I often crave connections of self-recognition and sameness with the characters in the books that I read. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> Chick-lit female protagonists are all in their late twenties to early thirties, have fabulous careers in New York or London, wear designer clothes, and are always able to neatly solve any problems so that they have a happy ending. Houston’s women are much more shrewd and independent and witty instead of slapstick funny. They are not always able, nor do they want to, to solve any problem so cleanly and easily. Their worlds are messily realistic and designer clothes are rarely worn. While Houston's women are often tempted to make their lives easier with less honorable personal choices, they most often make the hard decision to do the right thing for themselves even if it is difficult. Through this process, they carve out a life that is deeply self-satisfying. I also envy her female characters for their fearlessness and willingness to keep searching for what they need, as well as their ability to take risks and take that chance by stepping off that cliff into the proverbial unknown. </div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qE8e1gco4Pw/T2oYUra8hJI/AAAAAAAAAXk/8fLOTpUAauc/s1600/Pam+Houston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qE8e1gco4Pw/T2oYUra8hJI/AAAAAAAAAXk/8fLOTpUAauc/s200/Pam+Houston.jpg" width="160" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pam Houston</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"> Pam, the eponymously named protagonist of <em>Contents May Have Shifted</em>, is another one of these women. As expected, she goes on both a figurative and literal journey to discover what a joyful and rewarding effort it is to do the right thing, the best thing for yourself, and that it is necessary and worth the cost to lug all of your proverbial baggage along. Pam, like all of Houston’s women, discovers that bliss and empowerment of living an examined, and yet ultimately more difficult, life is worth the pain. While the premise sounds trite, done-to-death, and just a fictionalized version of <em>Eat, Pray, Love</em>, Houston’s lyrical yet pithy prose sets her work apart. She also builds such interesting layers into her characters and their lives that I become invested in them and care what happens to them. That is something that Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir never achieved in my opinion and even though it was the story of her life, I just didn’t care what happened to her and thought her journey and writing were both shallow and falsely self-reflexive. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PfN6F4Tc5PU/T2oYfQMMXOI/AAAAAAAAAXs/PxzBjPAX_BI/s1600/126742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img aea="true" border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PfN6F4Tc5PU/T2oYfQMMXOI/AAAAAAAAAXs/PxzBjPAX_BI/s320/126742.jpg" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> I first discovered Houston’s writing when I picked up her novel <em>Sight Hound</em> after the cover caught the attention of the dog person in me. The novel revolves around Dante, an Irish Wolfhound, who is dying of cancer and his mother (as I would call her) Rae. It is so much more than a sad girl-loses-dog story because it concerns the effect Dante’s illness and death have on Rae, the tough decisions she must make and the ripple effects on her and all the important people in her life. I was reading this book while out to dinner with my husband, it is our habit to both read when we go out, at one of our favorite restaurants about one month after the death of my beloved dog Max. I reached a chapter about Rae’s thoughts and feelings as she waited for news of Dante’s condition at an emergency vet clinic in the middle of the night. Houston’s amazing writing captured the terror, the fear, the loneliness, and overwhelming loss that I felt on several similar nights with Max. This intense personal connection combined with the stark beauty and intense pain of the prose made me break down and sob right there in the restaurant, much to my husband’s chagrin. Great books and writers have the ability to juxtapose such sorrow and beauty. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> I urge you to check out any of Houston’s work, which in addition to the two books mentioned above, includes two collections of linked short stories, <em>Cowboys Are My Weakness</em> and <em>Waltzing the C</em>at, and a collection of essays, <em>A Little More About Me</em>. Houston loves the West and all her work incorporates this elegant and spare spirit of the landscape, in much the same satisfying way and with a similar emotional heft, which Annie Proulx’s work does. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div>Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-37485555786938469012011-03-30T14:06:00.001-05:002011-03-30T14:27:38.041-05:00Of Debut Novels and Vampires<div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Helen to Garp, "I am a reader, not a writer." John Irving, <em>The World According to Garp, </em>1978</strong></span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> That is me-I'm a reader, not a writer. As much as I would love to be able to write a wonderful book full of gorgeous and witty prose, it is never going to happen. I do not posses the talent to write and invent my own rich world, I so wish that I could but when I have tried it always ends up "sounding" like my most recent "favorite" book or author. I think I lack an originality gene. Yet I think that I do posses a "I-love-to-read-just-about-everything" gene that gives me the, perhaps, biological imperative to be appreciative (and envious!) of all the talented writers out there. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--XkPAzydlEU/TZN1hx-n78I/AAAAAAAAAW4/9YoU6z3_9ds/s1600/dow.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" r6="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--XkPAzydlEU/TZN1hx-n78I/AAAAAAAAAW4/9YoU6z3_9ds/s400/dow.bmp" width="260" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I highly recommend the oustanding debut novel, <em>A Discovery of Witches </em>by Deborah Harkness (also famous for her blog-</span><a href="http://goodwineunder20.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good Wine Under $20</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">). This book is the first in a planned trilogy and the minute I finished it, I went to look up when the second book will be published. Alas, the second book will not be published until 2012-curses! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>A Discovery of Witches</em> reminds me of another exceptional debut novel, <em>The Historian</em>, by Elizabeth Kostova. I love <em>The Historian</em>-the writing is so lush and I am such a sucker for beautiful and evocative descriptions and Kostova excels at it. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These two novels share a number of things: libraries, archives, historians, strong women, Europe, suspense, a touch of romance, the supernatural, gorgeous writing, an ability to evoke time and place with words, and academic vampires. Yes, academic vampires. Another way of looking at it is how my best friend Leiellen described Dracula in <em>The Historian</em> "a frustrated graduate student"-that always makes me laugh when I think of it that way, how true!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Harkness' book is much more dynamic as it is imbued with suspense, mystery, and thriller elements-lots of great action. This book appealed to me on many levels as it included many of my favorite subjects—books and libraries, science and the theory of evolution, feminism, and history-all woven together in an engrossing and delightful read.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" r6="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1BpjB8bGok8/TZN3k1-ByQI/AAAAAAAAAXA/2yjst0VNfdU/s400/quality+doodle.bmp" width="400" /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> As an aside, I can't believe I keep recommending all vampire books! I never thought I would since I am not a fan of the books who are at the root of the current vampire craze for young adults, Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Series. Her books, in my humble opinion, have several serious flaws. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First, did Meyer not have an editor? They all, especially the last three books, were in serious need of a very good edit. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Next, I did not like the character of the perpetually brooding and petulant Bella at all and how she only seemed to exist because of and for her "man" - who has stalkerish qualities-he was her entire world. I do not consider Bella a good role model-I wonder how many young girls took her message to heart? Last, but not least, I do not think vampires should sparkle. So wrong! I also can't help but wonder, what are the odds that you have both a werewolf and a vampire fall in love with you? </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" r6="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vtdXOfXQH8w/TZN-wlSDMoI/AAAAAAAAAXI/3K1wKk7Eix8/s200/tigers+wife.bmp" width="131" /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HQzfoJeNeSU/TZN4UonXwAI/AAAAAAAAAXE/_Zbc9iBphXs/s1600/swamp.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" r6="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HQzfoJeNeSU/TZN4UonXwAI/AAAAAAAAAXE/_Zbc9iBphXs/s200/swamp.bmp" width="135" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Two other wonderful debut novels are <em>The Tiger's Wife</em> by Tea Obreht and <em>Swamplandia!</em> by Karen Russell. Both women were named to </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1929215150"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>The</em> </span></a><a href="http://www.newyorker.com/fiction/20-under-40/writers-q-and-a"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>New Yorker's </em>list</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> of the "20 Under 40" fiction writers worth watching. I found <em>Swamplandia!</em> to be very funny, highly imaginative, and quirky yet so very oddly endearing and sweet. I am plain envious of Obreht's talent, she is not even 30 yet, amazing! I also enjoyed the highly original <em>Mr. Chartwell</em> by Rebecca Hunt-an unusual discourse on depression and how fears can haunt everyone no matter their accomplishments or social status. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Other debuts on my TBR List (To-Be-Read) are Taylor Steven's<em> The Informationist</em> and <em>So Much Pretty</em> by Cara Hoffman. The debuts keep coming as next month we should receive <em>I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive</em> by Steve Earle (the singer-songwriter who I have long admired for his biting wit and wisdom) and <em>Blood, Bones, and Butter</em>, by Garbrielle Hamilton an evocative memoir of food and family. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy Reading,</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Angela</span></div>Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-1575668106075112192011-02-16T09:39:00.000-06:002011-02-16T09:39:06.682-06:00February - the Beginning of Sports Nirvana<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-chSU1WYcy1A/TVivFhT041I/AAAAAAAAAWU/YRu8SFPaWRI/s1600/lyl.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-chSU1WYcy1A/TVivFhT041I/AAAAAAAAAWU/YRu8SFPaWRI/s320/lyl.PNG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">h February, the month of love and even though the 14th has come and gone there are still many love celebrations to observe. There is “Love Your Library Month” and so I would like to urge everyone to email, call, write, or post on our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Bee-Cave-Public-Library/113537778676684">Facebook</a> page why you love our library! We would love to pass on these comments to the Mayor, City Council, and the City Manager. There is also a comment box in the library – so you when you come in you can write down why you love your library. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">The heart is also feted with "American Heart Month" and we have lots of heart-friendly cookbooks to check out. The animal rescue community urges everyone to observe "Responsible Pet Owners’ Month" and we urge you to put the kibosh on irresponsible pet love so that you can enjoy “Love Your Pet Day” on February 20 with a clear conscience because your pets are spayed or neutered. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-paCwxsPJ6sc/TVi0KM1JNPI/AAAAAAAAAWg/2OZ4xynGRgY/s1600/2000.dale-earnhardt.jr.079000292Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-paCwxsPJ6sc/TVi0KM1JNPI/AAAAAAAAAWg/2OZ4xynGRgY/s200/2000.dale-earnhardt.jr.079000292Final.jpg" width="195" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">February is not really about holidays for me but the middle of the month signals that some of my favorite sporting events are fast approaching: 1) Daytona, the first race of the NASCAR season (Go Junior-he has the pole!) is just a couple of days away; 2) the glory of March Madness (Go Duke-2010 Champions, repeat in 2011!) of the NCAA Tournament is just around the corner and conference play is underway; and 3) spring training is underway(Go St. Louis Cardinals and you better talk to Pujols!). It is also time to remember Dale Earnhardt, the greatest NASCAR driver of all time, who passed away on the last lap of Daytona on February 18, 2001. I can’t believe it has been a decade.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5uDNLGCLzYw/TVsQAcx85UI/AAAAAAAAAWo/3daTEsP6fAI/s1600/Coach+K.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5uDNLGCLzYw/TVsQAcx85UI/AAAAAAAAAWo/3daTEsP6fAI/s200/Coach+K.bmp" width="200" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gtspFUPsIYg/TVsPyu3E83I/AAAAAAAAAWk/4pG7ymawYbI/s1600/duke+basketball.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gtspFUPsIYg/TVsPyu3E83I/AAAAAAAAAWk/4pG7ymawYbI/s200/duke+basketball.bmp" width="154" /></a></div>While I religiously watch certain sports, it occurred to me that I do not read any true sports books unless you count <em>The Encyclopedia of Duke Basketball</em> that my husband gave me for Christmas. Oh sure there are the romance books that have a tenuous connection to sports such as the Chicago Stars Series by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. The main book characters are connected to a pro football team although it is is peripheral to the story and is a device that ties the different book in the series together. I also love her books (<em>Fancy Pants, Lady Be Good,</em> and her latest,<em> Call Me Irresistible)</em> which feature professional golfers from right here in the Texas Hill Country. I love the series but I do not read it for the sports! Oddly enough, and you think I would love them, but I do not care for the romance books set in the world of NASCAR. All of the titles I have tried seem to lack the snappy dialogue and that leavening of humor I so enjoy in my favorite romance books. The one I like best in this romance sub-subgenre was <em>Once Around the Track</em>, by Sharon McCrumb. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J1tHbZ4w2d0/TVsZVISeyYI/AAAAAAAAAWs/z_d0Dyi4LWE/s1600/Diamond+Ruby.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J1tHbZ4w2d0/TVsZVISeyYI/AAAAAAAAAWs/z_d0Dyi4LWE/s200/Diamond+Ruby.bmp" width="130" /></a></div>Of the books that I have read and enjoyed where the sport itself takes more of a center stage are <em>Diamond Ruby</em> by Joseph Wallace and <em>Playing for Pizza</em> by John Grisham. I am not a fan of Grisham's legal thrillers but I am surprised by how much I liked this small novel. It chronicles the story of how Rick Dockery, a washed up NFL player, finds himself playing professional football in Italy and what happens as a result. It's a bit sappy and predictable but who knew they played pro football in Italy! I enjoyed the afternoon I spent reading it. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UpZaibD1cJo/TVsgjds8p4I/AAAAAAAAAWw/vARRmF2ZPoo/s1600/mitchell_close.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UpZaibD1cJo/TVsgjds8p4I/AAAAAAAAAWw/vARRmF2ZPoo/s320/mitchell_close.jpg" width="126" /></a></div>Wallace's book, the better written of the two, is set in the Roaring Twenties and it fictionalizes the real life story of Virnett "Jackie" Mitchell, who was signed as pitcher for the all-male Chattanooga Lookouts at the age of 17. A phenomenal pitcher, her fame grew and then her legend was cemented when the mighty New York Yankees travelled to Tennessee to play an exhibition game. On April 2, 1931, in the first inning of a rain-delayed game, Mitchell struck out Babe Ruth (who took the called third strike very badly indeed to say the least) and Lou Gerhig on 4 and 3 pitches respectively. Baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis voided her contract and declared women unfit to play baseball as the game was "too strenuous" and I do not think it was a coincidence that the rather oddly-named northerner banned women two days after the exhibition game. <br />
Ruby Thomas in Wallace's book not only faces the same sexism that Jackie Mitchell faced but his story also places his heroine in the broader societal context of the 1920s. The novel expands upon many of the other simmering issues of the time including anti-Semitism, class, and even the disastrous cultural effects of World War I and the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918. While the author can go on a bit long at times, it is still a rich and well-woven tale.<br />
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Happy Reading!<br />
Angela<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FgW13YJyWSw/TVsjUtdhndI/AAAAAAAAAW0/cmq9ffMSJl4/s1600/LiveWire_hb_us500h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FgW13YJyWSw/TVsjUtdhndI/AAAAAAAAAW0/cmq9ffMSJl4/s200/LiveWire_hb_us500h.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>p.s. if you are both a mystery and a sports fan, try Harlan Coben's long running Myron Bolitar series, which features a crime solving sports agent. I haven't read any of his books but I know that Coben is one of our patrons' favorite mystery writers. The newest book in this series, <em>Live Wire</em>, will be out on March 22 and I expect it to be in great demand here at the library. </div>Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-5258005794814175292011-02-02T14:47:00.012-06:002011-02-03T13:51:10.727-06:00Happy Birthday Charles Darwin!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TUm11CbU6HI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/j5gbwF21AY4/s1600/aye-aye.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" s5="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TUm11CbU6HI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/j5gbwF21AY4/s200/aye-aye.bmp" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My husband and I moved to Texas ten years ago so that I could pursue my Ph.D. in biological anthropology at UT. I was (and still am) interested in the ecology and behavior of nocturnal prosimian primates (i.e. the cute little ones). I wanted to know how some species hunted insects and if the size of external ears and other morphological characteristics of the auditory system were evolutionary evolved adaptations to insectivory and if a reliance on insects as a food source played a role in the earliest primate origins and evolution. My all time favorite primate is the unique, and in my eyes adorable, <em>Daubentonia</em> <em>madagascariensis</em> commonly known as the aye-aye, inspired this line of inquiry. I was very tempted to title my dissertation “My Little Primate, What Big Ears You Have!”. I have to mention that my best friend Leiellen gave my beloved aye-ayes the very unflattering sobriquet of bat opossum. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TUm4IJr4wLI/AAAAAAAAAVY/yORTkoFEwZI/s1600/AYE-AY%257E1-9540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="150" s5="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TUm4IJr4wLI/AAAAAAAAAVY/yORTkoFEwZI/s200/AYE-AY%257E1-9540.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">During my program, I discovered that I was no longer quite ambitious or driven enough to devote myself to going full throttle after what few jobs there were in academia and in doing all the things that I would have to do to get there. My heart was no longer in it and it really showed. Academia no longer made me happy nor did it give me a sense of satisfaction that I was doing something that had a deeper meaning, had a lasting impact, was important, made a difference, etc. </span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TUm41kLjqTI/AAAAAAAAAVc/2Axgv9qhCBs/s1600/ayeaye_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="150" s5="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TUm41kLjqTI/AAAAAAAAAVc/2Axgv9qhCBs/s200/ayeaye_02.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> I loved having the opportunity to teach and share my fascination with primates and the beauty and elegance of science with others but teaching well has less value than publishing large numbers of papers and securing lots of grant dollars. The great thing about librarianship is that every day is full of moments where you help people discover and learn all sorts of different things. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Even though I am no longer in science I still love reading books about different scientific fields and research. Ah, so you think books about science are all dry and dusty tomes? Au contraire! There are truly talented authors that can take good and often complex scientific ideas and research and bring these stories to life so that anyone, including nonscientists, can become totally engrossed in the story. A good science story is as exciting as any adventure tale that has ever been written! </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TUm5diX5C2I/AAAAAAAAAVk/BJ_gU-syvC4/s1600/the_canon_1_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TUm5diX5C2I/AAAAAAAAAVk/BJ_gU-syvC4/s320/the_canon_1_large.jpg" width="211" /></span></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Two of the authors that I feel are particularly talented are Natalie Angier, a scientific writer at The New York Times and author of <em>The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science</em>, and Mary Roach, whose latest book is <em>Packing for Mars</em> although I believe that <em>Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers</em> is my favorite. Both authors have a great sense of humor and I think that helps them tell the stories so well. Angier’s goal was to write a basic primer of scientific literacy so that the reader is able to acquire a firm basic understanding in a number of areas. She argues, and I agree, we need this basic understanding so that we can evaluate the information that we are bombarded with on issues as global warming. Roach has a more multidisciplinary approach in her exploration of what would it take for humans to realistically travel to Mars.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TUm-jiVBZkI/AAAAAAAAAWI/muoQGDyhwzs/s1600/why.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" s5="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TUm-jiVBZkI/AAAAAAAAAWI/muoQGDyhwzs/s320/why.jpg" width="203" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Because of my background, I especially enjoy books about evolutionary biology and since it is Charles Darwin’s 202nd birthday on February 12th, you could celebrate by reading one of the books we have about evolution. You could read Darwin’s <em>On the Origin of Species</em>, which is wonderfully written but rather full of delightfully florid Victorian prose. A great basic and concise primer is Jerry Coyne’s <em>Why Evolution is True</em>, exceptionally well-written also but the florid prose is at a minimum. We also have two brand new titles you can check out: <em>The Evolutionary World: How Adaptation Explains Everything from Seashells to Civilization</em>, by Geerat Vermeij and <em>Written in Stone: Evolution, the Fossil Record, and Our Place in Nature</em>, by Brian Switek. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TUnCambyuEI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/icPgOZm3CDc/s1600/written_in_stone_cover1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" s5="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TUnCambyuEI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/icPgOZm3CDc/s200/written_in_stone_cover1.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TUnCUp1V4hI/AAAAAAAAAWM/KBv79ljEuwk/s1600/Evolutionary+world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" s5="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TUnCUp1V4hI/AAAAAAAAAWM/KBv79ljEuwk/s200/Evolutionary+world.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Of the two books, I like Switek’s best. Vermeij, after an excellent and clear discussion of adaptation in the natural world takes a leap (and he is not the first person to ever do so) and begins to apply the principles of adaptation to cultural phenomena. I have always disliked talking about culture and other nonbiological systems in this way because I feel that it leads to the dangerous justification of Social Darwinism. I just don’t buy it. Switek’s book not only examines the growing body of fossil evidence that has accumulated in science Darwin’s time but he also looks at the scientists and how they made their discoveries. It is such an enjoyable armchair historical journey! </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Try to stay warm this week with a great book about science or any good book. Don’t forget to join us here at the library for our author event for Lake Travis Reads, “An Evening with Ben Rehder” on Wednesday, February 9, at 7:00 pm. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Happy Reading!</span> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Angela</span></div>Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-10577305920381683052011-01-26T09:04:00.008-06:002011-01-26T09:09:17.159-06:00Facebook, Book Club, & The Top 100<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">If you are a social media aficionado, please become our "Friend" by clicking on “Like” at the top of <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/pages/Bee-Cave-Public-Library/113537778676684">our Facebook page</a>, it is a very easy way to keep up with all the breaking news at BCPL!</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TT5mJ0Zt5SI/AAAAAAAAAUk/YnzuOBhumO0/s1600/169_cartoon_book_club1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TT5mJ0Zt5SI/AAAAAAAAAUk/YnzuOBhumO0/s400/169_cartoon_book_club1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;">I’d also like to invite everyone to join our monthly <b>Bee</b><b><b> Cave Book Club</b>, </b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1209449322">click</a></span></b><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1209449322"> here to see </a><a href="http://pl.beecavetexas.com/upload/tiny/Selections%20for%202011%20akp%20rev%20%282%29.pdf">our selections for 2011</a>. Once again we continue our tradition of having</span></b> an eclectic and interesting mix of fiction and nonfiction.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> There are some really great books on this year's list!</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Are you saying to yourself, I’ve never joined a book club because they are stuffy and academic?</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Not this group!</span><span style="font-size: small;"> We are a very informal and diverse bunch of people of all ages who get together to share our love of reading and to enjoy relaxed conversation.</span></div></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TT8injZ8PGI/AAAAAAAAAVA/0L7HVEWkWmM/s1600/thebookthief.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TT8injZ8PGI/AAAAAAAAAVA/0L7HVEWkWmM/s200/thebookthief.jpg" width="126" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;">We always welcome new members and invite everyone who is interested to join us, even if you have not read the book. Come for whichever book(s) strike your fancy!</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">We will meet the first Monday of each month (holidays can change the schedule) and beginning in February, 2011, we will meet at the Barnes & Noble in the Hill Country Galleria (since the Library is closed on Mondays).</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Look for us in the comfy chairs in the cookbook section.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"> Any changes in the meeting location or date will be announced on our <a href="http://pl.beecavetexas.com/">Web site</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/pages/Bee-Cave-Public-Library/113537778676684">Facebook page</a>, and <a href="http://pl.beecavetexas.com/upload/tiny/Newsletter%20January%202011.pdf">monthly newsletter</a>. Contact me if you need more information.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TT5pG6_naXI/AAAAAAAAAUs/cJGciNwRWtY/s1600/people-of-the-book.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TT5pG6_naXI/AAAAAAAAAUs/cJGciNwRWtY/s200/people-of-the-book.jpg" width="150" /></a></span>I'd like to share the most circulated books of 2010 with you. Here are the 100 top most popular books in Adult <a href="http://pl.beecavetexas.com/upload/tiny/Adult%20Fiction.pdf">Fiction</a> and <a href="http://pl.beecavetexas.com/upload/tiny/Adult%20Nonfiction.pdf">Nonfiction</a>, <a href="http://pl.beecavetexas.com//upload/tiny/YA.pdf">Young Adult Fiction</a>, <a href="http://pl.beecavetexas.com/upload/tiny/JF.pdf">Juvenile Fiction</a>, and <a href="http://pl.beecavetexas.com//upload/tiny/E2.pdf">Easy (Picture) books</a>. The Adult Fiction List was dominated by books that have been on (and usually at the top) of the best seller list for months, and in some cases (e.g. <i>The Help</i> and <i>The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</i>) for over a year. Thrillers and mysteries were also the most popular genres. My favorite books on this list are <i>People of the Book</i>, <i>Loving Frank</i>, and <i>Roses</i>-an old-fashioned sweeping generational saga, it could be made into a 1980s type miniseries. If you like this type of fiction, try Ken Follett's most recent book, <i>Fall of Giants</i>, which I am listening to right now.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TT8i10HyjII/AAAAAAAAAVE/dq9yqv3ufao/s1600/Pastry+Queen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TT8i10HyjII/AAAAAAAAAVE/dq9yqv3ufao/s200/Pastry+Queen.jpg" width="161" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;">The most popular type of nonfiction books was cookbooks of all kinds-from healthy eating titles such as <i>The Kind Diet</i> to Rebecca Rather's <i>The Pastry Queen. </i>Rather has a bakery/restaurant in Fredericksburg and her book is a must-check-out because it contains one of the most incredible cake recipes ever - Mexican Chocolate Fudge-Pecan. Heaven! The nonfiction list was also topped by books that have been on the bestseller list for years, and in some cases four or more years (e.g. <i>Eat, Pray, Love</i>; <i>Three Cups of Tea</i>; and <i>The Tipping Point</i>). We are on trend here in Bee Cave!</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Don't forget Lake Travis Reads is just a couple of weeks away! Please join us for an evening with Ben Rehder on Wednesday, February 9, at 7:00 pm. Here is the <a href="http://pl.beecavetexas.com/upload/tiny/Final%20Ben%20Rehder%20poster%20rev%20%20Nov%20%2015.pdf">flyer</a> for more information-it is going to be a very fun evening!</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Happy Reading!</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Angela</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TT8j7Gjw3dI/AAAAAAAAAVI/2K_9_dDwMBU/s1600/mexican+chocolate+cake1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TT8j7Gjw3dI/AAAAAAAAAVI/2K_9_dDwMBU/s200/mexican+chocolate+cake1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;">p.s. to tempt you further, here is a picture of the Mexican Chocolate Fudge-Pecan cake that has been made into mini-cakes. You can also make a bundt cake or cupcakes with the recipe. It is super easy to make and it looks so incredible. Impress your guests, friends, and family with some of this moist, toasted pecan goodness! It is an excellent Valentine's Day treat too!</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-80627217891063790792011-01-14T16:11:00.005-06:002011-01-15T08:52:11.552-06:00New Year, New Books Part Two<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TTD6xlXXEAI/AAAAAAAAAUI/3HzFjkU523o/s1600/Lake+Travis+Reads+logo+2011+as+JPG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="110" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TTD6xlXXEAI/AAAAAAAAAUI/3HzFjkU523o/s200/Lake+Travis+Reads+logo+2011+as+JPG.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Our 4th year of Lake Travis Reads is currently underway. This year it is "Lake Travis Reads Ben Rehder" and we are inviting everyone to read any of his very funny Blanco County mysteries. Join us here at Bee Cave Public LIbrary on Wednesday, February 9, at 7:00 pm for a visit and talk by Ben Rehder himself (the event is free, there will be refreshments, and he will be signing books!). I can't wait to hear him in person because by all reports he is a fabulous speaker. What a great way to spend an evening! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Last week I talked about some of the nonfiction books I am eagerly waiting to read. I wanted to share that the author of one of those books, Rodney Crowell, will be at <a href="http://www.bookpeople.com/event/rodney-crowell-chinaberry-sidewalks">BookPeople on Friday, January 28, at 7:00 pm</a>. Sure to be a great event. Kester Smith reviewed Crowell's book on <a href="http://bookpeopleblog.wordpress.com/2011/01/13/kester-reviews-crowells-chinaberry-sidewalks/">his blog</a> and it included this great line when talking about Crowell's family, "</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">To put it a different way, if Rodney Crowell’s family hadn’t existed, Flannery O’Connor would have had to make them up… and then Johnny Cash would have had to sing about it." I just love that line!</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TTD7Htsg-OI/AAAAAAAAAUM/JeQ_dOG1Z20/s1600/Call-Me-Irresistible-300x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TTD7Htsg-OI/AAAAAAAAAUM/JeQ_dOG1Z20/s200/Call-Me-Irresistible-300x300.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> I am not just looking forward to reading nonfiction as I am also awaiting a number of less serious and wonderfully confectionery mind candy fiction titles in January. I think I have shared that I love to read romance novels, particularly those set in the Regency period in England but in the past 5 or 6 years I have enjoyed contemporary romances also. I am absolutely thrilled that one of my favorite contemporary authors, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, has a new book coming out this month! Her books always make me laugh and for months beforehand I very eagerly look forward to the publication of each book in the American Lady (her new book,<i> Call Me Irresistible</i>, is the third in this series) and Chicago Stars/Bonner Brothers Series. I also can’t wait to read <i>There is Cake in My Future</i>, by Kim Gruenenfelder-it contains a touch of magic to go along with the romance and humor. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TTD_EtUJdHI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/-x1-NdZqVoo/s1600/Girl+in+the+Gatehouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TTD_EtUJdHI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/-x1-NdZqVoo/s200/Girl+in+the+Gatehouse.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Not that I have forgotten about my beloved Regency period, because I hope I have a nice rainy day to curl up and read <i>Dukes to the Left of Me, Princes to the Right</i>, by Kieran Kramer; <i>The Girl in the Gateho</i>use, by Julie Klassen; and the latest in the Secret History of the Pink Carnation series, <i>The Orchid Affair</i>, by Lauren Willig. Willig’s series focuses on the real and imagined “flower spies” that fought the good fight against Napoleon-c</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">heck out her very nice <a href="http://www.laurenwillig.com/">Web site</a>.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Her books are flavored with the spiciness of espionage and intrigue, liberal doses of witty dialogue, just the right amount of romance (for my taste), and tasty historical detail. The historical detail is not surprising as Willig has a Ph.D. in English history from Yale as well as a law degree (magna cum laude) from Harvard. So who says that romance writers and readers aren't serious scholars? </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TTEC7QgJAyI/AAAAAAAAAUU/rBYMqvS_-jE/s1600/dragonflylamp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TTEC7QgJAyI/AAAAAAAAAUU/rBYMqvS_-jE/s200/dragonflylamp.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> Susan Vreeland’s <i>Clara and Mr. Tiffany</i> continues her fictionalization of the lives of artists but this time she moves away from painters to explore the life of Clara Driscoll, one of premiere glass artists in Louis Comfort Tiffany’s art nouveau studio. If you have ever watched Antique’s Roadshow I am sure you have seen her work, such as the shade on the famous Dragonfly lap. I seem to remember that all the works are attributed to Tiffany and not individual studio artists, unlike the works of famous pottery schools. Vreeland's new book exposes the inequities and hardships that women faced and just how little credit they received for their enduring contributions that resulted in the success of the House of Tiffany. Vreeland also addressed such shoddy treatment of women n my favorite book of hers, <i>The</i> <i>Passion of Artemisia</i>, which chronicles the interesting life and career (!) of the 17th century Italian female painter, Artemisia Gentileschi. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TTEEgaVx8sI/AAAAAAAAAUc/YZge5FDiJ78/s1600/still.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TTEEgaVx8sI/AAAAAAAAAUc/YZge5FDiJ78/s200/still.jpg" width="113" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> I have recently began dipping my toe back into the pool of mysteries and have found that I prefer (no surprise!) the chick-lit romance type (e.g. Lisa Lutz or Harley Jane Kozak) or the more traditional “Agatha Christie like” mystery. I loved Dame Christie’s books growing up. One of the best writers in that tradition is Canadian Louise Penny and I have fallen in love with her exceptionally well-written Chief Inspector Gamache series. I urge you to try these, the first book in the series is <i>Still Life</i>. After reading the review for the second book in Elly Griffith’s Ruth Galloway series and I decided that it strongly reminds me of Penny’s’ books. So I am going to continue reading mysteries with Griffith’s <i>The Janus Stone</i>. I also urge you to check out Alan Bradley's precocious heroine, Flavia de Luce, the third book in this delightful series comes out in the next month.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TTEFUZZ2xhI/AAAAAAAAAUg/yo670Gt-ups/s1600/the-radleys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TTEFUZZ2xhI/AAAAAAAAAUg/yo670Gt-ups/s200/the-radleys.jpg" width="142" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A wild card book, which I am surprised appealed to me at all because I am heartily tired of reading reviews of books that feature vampires (Jane Austen as a vampire anyone?), is <i>The Radleys</i>, by Matt Haig. I have seen it described as an exploration of the modern nuclear family, which just happens to be composed of vampires; quirky and intriguing. My interest in this title was also piqued by the line “We’re middle-class and we’re British. Repression is in our veins” that was quoted in the Booklist review. I wonder if the title is a reference to the Radley family in <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i>? Love the cover too!</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">It's a new year, so try one new book in a genre that you usually would not read, you might enjoy it. I have found that the one problem with branching out on a regular basis is that my "just read" list gets longer and longer.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Happy Reading!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Angela</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div></span>Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-22852638413281246012011-01-07T16:00:00.001-06:002011-01-12T09:47:26.838-06:00New Year, New Books<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Yet again, I have crashed out of the blogosphere but this being the season of resolutions hereby let it be known that I, Angela Palmer, am resolved to become a very regular blogger in 2011. This week, I’ll ease myself into the practice by spotlighting some of the upcoming releases that I just ordered for the library that I look forward to reading. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TSeLl0dvWpI/AAAAAAAAAT4/dNi_C5_7_pI/s1600/bliss_pb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" n4="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TSeLl0dvWpI/AAAAAAAAAT4/dNi_C5_7_pI/s200/bliss_pb.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> We are getting some great nonfiction and recently I have been reading more nonfiction than fiction. As someone who leans toward falling on the more pessimistic end of the life outlook spectrum, I am surprisingly eager to read <em>The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World</em>, by Eric Weiner. Weiner apparently inhabits my part of the spectrum but his search lead him to some interesting insights about what makes us humans happy. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TSeLu3M9auI/AAAAAAAAAT8/XWFAOMfUQlo/s1600/chinaberry+sidewalks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TSeLu3M9auI/AAAAAAAAAT8/XWFAOMfUQlo/s200/chinaberry+sidewalks.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> Singer Rodney Crowell is publishing a memoir, <em>Chinaberrry Sidewalks</em>, which focuses on his early life and his parents. I’ve long admired his pithy storytelling/songwriting and I predict that he will use the same talent to write a dynamic book. I also enjoyed his ex wife’s, Roseanne Cash, 2010 memoir <em>Composed</em>. It was deeply thoughtful and personal but it was not a Hollywood mudslinging/finger pointing blame fest, and I expect that his will be the same. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TSeMBhpoVJI/AAAAAAAAAUA/V8xWz4dvzLI/s1600/susanbrand_snail03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TSeMBhpoVJI/AAAAAAAAAUA/V8xWz4dvzLI/s200/susanbrand_snail03.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> Due to budget constraints, I did not get to purchase two nonfiction titles, <em>Zeitoun</em>, by Dave Eggers and <em>The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating</em>, by Elisabeth Tova Bailey, when they were first published. However, I squeezed (by bumping other titles that were being published this month) some room in the current month’s budget because they both lived up to their initial rave reviews and have been showing up on every “Best Books of 2010” list. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TSeMRLQIkXI/AAAAAAAAAUE/124Vb9YmPjg/s1600/zeitoun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" n4="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TSeMRLQIkXI/AAAAAAAAAUE/124Vb9YmPjg/s200/zeitoun.jpg" width="136" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> I do worry that <em>Zeitoun</em> will discuss the plight of companion animals in the wake of Katrina and since I worked with many animal survivors of that storm, I may have to read it with a large box of Kleenex by my side. Bailey's memoir chronicles her fascination with the daily life of a snail, which she closely observed on a plant brought to her by a friend during a long and mysterious illness. The reviews and descriptions of this book intrigue me as does writing about such a focused and small subject.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> When the new books arrive, I’ll post a message on our <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Bee-Cave-Public-Library/113537778676684">Facebook page</a>. This gives me the opportunity to urge you to follow us on Facebook. Just click on the “like” button at the top of the page, to the right of our name (and I can’t pass up the opportunity to say “like us, really like us” as Sally Field would). We will be posting periodic updates about all sorts of news and information about the library, we’ve entered the world of social media! So keep an eye out for the new books are here announcement. It is so exciting opening up the boxes of new, shiny books and it makes my “to-be-read” list grow by leaps and bounds-I plan on reading a great deal in the weeks to come!</span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Happy Reading!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Angela</span>Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-17886252212778243022010-09-17T16:28:00.009-05:002010-09-21T13:59:14.760-05:00WWOP and Fun Fiction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TJPLzi_Y1oI/AAAAAAAAASQ/uBEtRPYMusc/s1600/cartoon-744002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" qx="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TJPLzi_Y1oI/AAAAAAAAASQ/uBEtRPYMusc/s200/cartoon-744002.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">WWOP for her book club swan song? (WWOP=What Would Oprah Pick). As I write this post on Friday, devoted Oprah Book Club fans, authors, and most of all book retailers and publishers, all of whom had been poised in a heady froth of anticipation and speculation, now know the title Oprah chose for her very last book club: <strong><em>Freedom </em>by Jonathan Franzen</strong> (and really does this book need any more media frenzy? As I said in an earlier post, I have to agree with </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-pinter/jodi-picoult-jennifer-weiner-franzen_b_693143.html"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Weiner</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> and </span><a href="http://twitter.com/jodipicoult/status/21310647486"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Picoult </span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">about this very topic</span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">). </span></div><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">I am really very disappointed, Oprah. I was hoping that you would embrace something different. Now, Oprah, this isn't because Franzen turned down the honor of letting his last book, <i><strong>The Corrections</strong></i>, becoming a 2001 book club is it? A way to see that they all <strike>crawl back</strike> eventually give in to your very substantial medial power? In my humble opinion, Franzen's "thanks but no thanks" to you in 2001, was fairly snarky and condescending not only to your talk show queen self but to the reading public that embraces Oprah's picks. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TJPLmwDfQ0I/AAAAAAAAASI/67yIpMbbeio/s1600/090309_oprahs-book-club.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="240" qx="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TJPLmwDfQ0I/AAAAAAAAASI/67yIpMbbeio/s400/090309_oprahs-book-club.gif" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">I always got the impression that Franzen thought us ordinary folks lacked the proper appreciation of (and dare I say the capacity to appreciate?) literary fiction. I got this impression from his interviews, such as his </span><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1131456"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">interview with NPR's Terry Gross in 2001</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> and even a </span><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129799680"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">recent one with All Things Considered Guy Raz</span></a><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">, where he managed to display a good deal of patronizing disdain for "regular" fiction. He also displays a shocking lack of any sense of humor, perhaps the bigger crime in my book! As much as Franzen might deny it, <em>Freedom</em> is really a book in the classic "Oprah Book Club Book"style. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TJPNVhdF9JI/AAAAAAAAASg/k1q1jtkX22M/s1600/some+sing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="200" qx="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TJPNVhdF9JI/AAAAAAAAASg/k1q1jtkX22M/s200/some+sing.jpg" width="128" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Jonathan Franzen has nothing on me, I am pretty snarky about all of this myself. Is it because I am disappointed she did not choose one of my predictions (<strong>Some <em>Sing, Some Cry</em> by Ntozake Shange & Ifa Bayeza; <em>Room</em> by Emma Donoghue; <em>The Help</em> by Kathryn Stockett; or <em>To Kill a Mockingbird</em> by Harper Lee</strong>-what an excellent discussion this could have been!) and I will have to live with being mocked by my fellow members of the library staff? Of course! Or is it because every time I hear the title, and you know we will be hearing about it, of Franzen's book the George Michael song starts playing in my head? Most definitely - horrible 1980s flashbacks! </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" qx="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TJPORytNOBI/AAAAAAAAASo/oPh73GW7fxw/s200/room+emma.jpg" width="129" /></span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Perhaps the root of my snarkiness might lie in a long term criticism I have had of Oprah and her Book Club. While I heartily applaud her for getting people to read books they they may never have tried and for generating tons of excitement about books and reading in general (and in specific titles and authors) I think that her choices ultimately perpetuate the myth that books are only "worthy enough" to be read if they are "serious literature". I think that this ties in to a social stereotype that people hold about books, and by extension libraries, as being parts of elitist institutions. Patrons have even said to me, when I am offering reading suggestions to them, "I am not smart enough to read that book or that author." </span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TJPdT7JJStI/AAAAAAAAATY/lqrGhA48Qww/s1600/20070725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" qx="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TJPdT7JJStI/AAAAAAAAATY/lqrGhA48Qww/s200/20070725.jpg" width="186" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Usual Perception</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">I think that anyone can read anything but that we all have different tastes and interests and we might not want to read literary fiction or get the same things from the same book. All of this is okay! Differences in abilities and tastes are good! Just once I wish she could have picked a book that is fun-good, fluffy, enjoyable fun. If Oprah would have done this, would lots of Americans have then come out of the closet (where they store their mass market paperbacks) and admit that they love romance, thriller, adventure, and mystery books? Would the New York Times then start reviewing chick lit? Nirvana! </span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Since I strongly believe that it is okay to read for fun, this week I would like to recommend some of my favorite fun read authors. Okay, may I confess that I just got the irony of the situation and realize I am doing the same thing, "making suggestions from on high", one of the very things I criticized Oprah for. But to have her power, I promise, I would only use it for good.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TJPH2f90BXI/AAAAAAAAASA/Ov1NEDVWqMw/s1600/Christopher+Moore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="200" qx="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TJPH2f90BXI/AAAAAAAAASA/Ov1NEDVWqMw/s200/Christopher+Moore.jpg" width="130" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">One of my favorite "funny" authors that I read is Christopher Moore. Now, he may not be an author that all would find funny because Moore writes in a delightfully warped way that I really enjoy. Death becomes funny in <strong><em>A Dirty Job; </em></strong>King Lear becomes a comedy in <strong><em>Fool</em></strong>; and you will not find an angsty vampire anywhere in his <strong>Love Story</strong> <strong>Series</strong>, although you will find a vampire cat. I just love what he said about Stephenie Meyer: "Her vampires are sparkly, which I think we can all agree is wrong." (Snarky again!).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TJPjfQ195mI/AAAAAAAAATg/GSuV0H_DUKw/s1600/HHGG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" qx="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TJPjfQ195mI/AAAAAAAAATg/GSuV0H_DUKw/s200/HHGG.jpg" width="132" /></a></div> <span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Douglas Adams shares Moore's ironic view of existence in his epic, and especially funny, science fiction series <strong>The</strong> <strong>Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Series</strong>. Adams and Moore could even be the intellectual children of Kurt Vonnegut's school of writing because like him they are also masters at using absurd humor to comment on the human condition and society. Flannery O'Conner was also a master at this, although I never quite laugh as much or as loud when I read her books-much more introspective laughs (i.e. I did not laugh until I cried). </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" qx="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TJPaQ9-I_FI/AAAAAAAAATI/LKKHJ7lZ8Lw/s200/Eyre.jpg" width="132" /></span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TJPayaTZPJI/AAAAAAAAATQ/xdS-r484Q4U/s1600/howperfect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="200" qx="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TJPayaTZPJI/AAAAAAAAATQ/xdS-r484Q4U/s200/howperfect.jpg" width="133" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">There are just so many authors that can make you laugh! I love reading Sarah Bird and Ben Rehder and their takes on Central Texas and beyond; Carl Hiaasen, who I only recently began reading, has a great sense of what I would call broad comical farce and Tim Dorsey writes similar novels. Jasper Fforde is another one of my personal favorites, I love his Thursday Next Series, as are Nick Hornby and Jonathan Miles. Some of the funniest books I read are my beloved chick lit and Regency Romances, particularly authors that I frequently mentioned: The Two Jennifers, Cruise and Weiner, Susan Elizabeth Philips, Marian Keyes, and Julia Quinn. Nonfiction writes can also make you laugh, two of my favorites are Augusten Burroughs and David Sedaris. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times;">Happy Reading and Laughing This Week,</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times;">Angela</span></div>Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-1716969121961867902010-09-10T19:28:00.000-05:002010-09-10T19:28:04.565-05:00Books About Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIrJsWYvlvI/AAAAAAAAAR4/dkVMFNSg_Ys/s1600/Don%27t+Hex+with+Texas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIrJsWYvlvI/AAAAAAAAAR4/dkVMFNSg_Ys/s200/Don%27t+Hex+with+Texas.jpg" width="128" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIrJqU8GwgI/AAAAAAAAARw/L7JzcM9gzcw/s1600/roses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIrJqU8GwgI/AAAAAAAAARw/L7JzcM9gzcw/s200/roses.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The vast expanse of country from the Colorado to the Rio Grande, from El Paso to Houston, has inspired many writers to feature Texas as a setting or even as an integral character in their work. Texas stars in such varied works as the timeless and classic westerns of Elmer Kelton, Larry McMurtry, and Edwin Shrake; the humorous adventures of Ben Rehder's mystery solving Blanco County Game Warden, John Marlin; Sarah Bird's delightfully tongue-in-cheek social commentary; Shanna Swendson's tales of magic and romance; the bleak depressing hopelessness of Cormac McCarthy; and the sweeping family saga of Leila Meacham's <em>Roses. Roses,</em> whose cover is misleading<em>,</em> made me nostalgic for the grand multi-generational epics of the 1980s - the ones that were always turned into miniseries, another grand 1980s tradition! Just from this brief review of a few authors, it is easy to see how literature set in and about Texas is as varied as the geography of the state. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIqcARVhrAI/AAAAAAAAAPo/F1ou2XrNv9g/s1600/White+City+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="156" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIqcARVhrAI/AAAAAAAAAPo/F1ou2XrNv9g/s200/White+City+2.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIqbUJAS4oI/AAAAAAAAAPI/F39AmCHZPiM/s1600/DevilWhiteCity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIqbUJAS4oI/AAAAAAAAAPI/F39AmCHZPiM/s200/DevilWhiteCity.jpg" width="135" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Most of the books about my home state, Illinois, are set in Chicago. One of my favorite "Chicago" books is Eric Larsen's <em>The Devil in the White City</em>. Larsen blends together the true stories of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, the Colombian Exposition, and its architect Daniel Burnham with the serial killer Dr. H.H. Holmes, who used the Fair to lure victims. This is a book that is both creepy (no better word for it!) and engrossing-a great book to read around Halloween. I have always admired Larsen's ability to bring together seemingly disparate and random narrative threads of the people, places, and history of a time into one beautifully cohesive woven work. </span><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIqbXwfBD0I/AAAAAAAAAPY/fK05ajgyT2o/s1600/Fifth+Floor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIqbXwfBD0I/AAAAAAAAAPY/fK05ajgyT2o/s200/Fifth+Floor.jpg" width="132" /></span></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIqbfuX2zdI/AAAAAAAAAPg/2zTLlx-7bmQ/s1600/NaturalBornCharmer_lg.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIqbfuX2zdI/AAAAAAAAAPg/2zTLlx-7bmQ/s200/NaturalBornCharmer_lg.gif" width="126" /></span></a><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Michael Harvey is another master storyteller and his Michael Kelly series (<em>The Chicago Way</em>, <em>The Fifth Floor</em>, and The <em>Third Rail</em>) combines the tough, smart working class reputation of Chicago along with its rich and powerful history of a town with a strong political dynasty (sometimes corrupt, but always interesting) with intelligent noir mystery. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I also love Susan Elizabeth Phillip's Chicago Stars series, my favorite is <em>Natural Born Charmer</em>. Have I already mentioned in this blog how much I love the beginning of the very first chapter of this book? You see, the lead female character, Blue, is walking down the road in a beaver costume...Phillips writes some of the wittiest dialogue in chick lit (</span><a href="http://www.susanephillips.com/sneakpeek.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">read the chapter I am talking about</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">)! This series by Phillips and its characters are also related to the series and characters of her books set in Wynette, Texas-a fictional Hill Country town near Austin and San Antonio. So, a connection between my two home states!</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIq-u5qUyEI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/msXRBGG3y4g/s1600/Water+Tower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="133" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIq-u5qUyEI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/msXRBGG3y4g/s200/Water+Tower.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIq-sIfhpkI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ydjPGqRDCRM/s1600/Dongola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="133" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIq-sIfhpkI/AAAAAAAAAQw/ydjPGqRDCRM/s200/Dongola.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIqhpg3QyqI/AAAAAAAAAPw/EzMYxx1iLag/s1600/garden-of-the-gods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="160" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIqhpg3QyqI/AAAAAAAAAPw/EzMYxx1iLag/s200/garden-of-the-gods.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIqhu1JAfMI/AAAAAAAAAP4/71XkJSeVNbo/s1600/Garden+of+the+Gods+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="133" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIqhu1JAfMI/AAAAAAAAAP4/71XkJSeVNbo/s200/Garden+of+the+Gods+2.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I love the city of Chicago and have spent a fair amount of time there (visiting the </span><a href="http://www.artic.edu/artaccess/AA_Impressionist/index.html"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Impressionist Collection</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> at the Art Institute is one of my absolute favorite things to do on the planet, the peace and beauty of those rooms...). We even honeymooned there. However, I am from a much different part of Illinois, a very small town (approximately 800 people) in far, far Southern Illinois, </span><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=dongola,+illinois&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=Dongola,+IL&gl=us&ei=2p6KTLX7LYSBlAfe66HlCw&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBcQ8gEwAA"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Dongola</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">. I miss is the physical beauty of Southern Illinois, particularly in the fall when everything is a riot of glorious color! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Thanks to a geological gift of nature, glaciers from the last ice age made it two-thirds of the way through Illinois, scouring most of it flat, luckily their progress stopped short of the southern end of the state. The glaciers helped to create and preserve spectacular scenery. The two photos above are pictures of Southern Illinois during the wonderful days of fall. The bottom picture is the famous Camel Rock from </span><a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c4/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gDfxMDT8MwRydLA1cj72BTJw8jAwjQL8h2VAQAzHJMsQ!!/?ss=110908&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&cid=FSE_003714&navid=110160000000000&pnavid=110000000000000&recid=10685&actid=50&ttype=recarea&pname=Shawnee%2520National%2520Forest%2520-%2520Garden%2520of%2520the%2520Gods%2520Recreation%2520Area"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Garden of the Gods, part of the Shawnee National Forest</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, which covers extensive parts of Southern Illinois from the Mississippi to the Ohio River. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIql3bXJU-I/AAAAAAAAAQA/cHyhOr9Fj80/s1600/Reckoning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIql3bXJU-I/AAAAAAAAAQA/cHyhOr9Fj80/s200/Reckoning.jpg" width="150" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">After several digressions and a few rambles, I am finally getting to the impetus for this post, two books that are actually set in Southern Illinois. <strong><em>Reckoning at Eagle Creek: The Secret Legacy of Coal in the Heartland </em>by Jeff Biggers</strong> is a historical, but poetic, examination of the soft coal industry across the nation and the toll it has taken on people and land as personified by this particular region. The book is also deeply personal as Biggers, a Southern Illinois native describes how coal mining has effected his family. I think that the memoir aspects brought the larger story down to a personal and relatable level. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Here is a </span><a href="http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wsiu/.artsmain/article/5/416/1620923/Books/Reckoning.At.Eagle.Creek.The.Secret.Legacy.of.Coal.in.the.Heartland"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">link</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> to a great interview with Biggers as he talks about this book, which focuses on past and current mining activity and the resulting social implications (union wars, slavery, environmental destruction, political maneuverings, contribution to global warming, etc.) of coal mining in the area immediately surrounding the Garden of the Gods. All the soft (bituminous) coal underneath Southern Illinois is partially a result of the same glacial legacy that helped shaped the geography of the region. I always like to think that the glaciers gifted Southern Illinois with a "beauty and the beast" of a gift. <strong><em>Reckoning at Eagle Creek</em></strong> is an engrossing read that helped me to better understand the region I was born in and the many forces that shaped it.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIrAVYbeGbI/AAAAAAAAARI/xRPGkgiCWMs/s1600/Horseshoe+Lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIrAVYbeGbI/AAAAAAAAARI/xRPGkgiCWMs/s200/Horseshoe+Lake.jpg" width="129" /></span></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIq7ZWoy9ZI/AAAAAAAAAQg/6SExd0PyLE8/s1600/Southern+Illinois.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIq7ZWoy9ZI/AAAAAAAAAQg/6SExd0PyLE8/s200/Southern+Illinois.jpg" width="147" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I do love reading about places I know but it also breaks my heart knowing that these gorgeous, important, and biologically unique areas are being destroyed. I also sympathize with the miners and their families (and indeed with those dealing with the colateral damage caused by shoddy coal mining practices: houses that are caving in due to mine subsidence, contaminated, etc.). Not only because of their health problems but because they working are caught in such a quandary between needing a decent job and being hurt by that same job. The coal industry is one of the small number of jobs that actually pay a decent and real living wage in an area that is economically disadvantaged. A perfect example of a Catch-22 scenario and yet even these jobs are disappearing because of a number of factors-mining mechanization, reduced reliance on soft coal, etc. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIrI4h_0bLI/AAAAAAAAARo/df2GTlJO_Jk/s1600/Snakewoman+of.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIrI4h_0bLI/AAAAAAAAARo/df2GTlJO_Jk/s200/Snakewoman+of.jpg" width="151" /></span></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The second book about Southern Illinois, <strong><a href="http://www.bloomsburyusa.com/books/catalog/snakewoman_of_little_egypt_hc_625"><em>Snakewoman of Little Egypt</em> by Robert Hellenga</a> </strong>is not out yet, it will be published on September 14 and I am anxious to read it because of a several factors: I enjoy Hellenga's work; the reviews have been wonderful; this story of reinvention and redemption sounds fascinating; and once again I may recognize places and people in the story. So if the story is about Southern Illinois why is Little Egypt in the title? Are there deserts, a sphinix, or some really great pyramids?</span><br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIrE2j5cueI/AAAAAAAAARY/8PKec6HBqeY/s1600/Missippi+and+Ohio+Meet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="150" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIrE2j5cueI/AAAAAAAAARY/8PKec6HBqeY/s200/Missippi+and+Ohio+Meet.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Convergence of the Missippi & Ohio Rivers</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> So glad you asked these questions! While I've seen no evidence of any sphinx, etc. (although I do admit that Cahokia has some huge mounds that are pyramid like) many of the towns have Egyptian names, although non-Egyptian pronunications: my very own Dongola, Thebes, Karnak, and Cario, like Karo Syrup. One explanation for the term Little Egypt is that Southern Illinois was a "promised land" for those leaving other less hospitable places although I doubt this is the reason because in the Bible the "promised land" is sought by those leaving Egypt. Another is that the area contained fertile land due and/or a delta like region at the convergence of the Mississppi and Ohio Rivers. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIq7a9EVA_I/AAAAAAAAAQo/Kd_n4214QLM/s1600/Baldcypressswamp-southernIllinois.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="135" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIq7a9EVA_I/AAAAAAAAAQo/Kd_n4214QLM/s200/Baldcypressswamp-southernIllinois.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Heron Pond</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Again I doubt the validity of this explination as while the land is good for some types of farming the early settlers found that they had quite a bit of swamp land to drain or rocky hills to tackle before they could begin substantial farming operations. The most likely and historically accurate reason for this name is that in the 1830s the settlers in Northen Illinois experienced several years of very poor harvests due to droughts and that they had to travel south to purchase grain from an abundant harvest just, according to the Bible, as some ancient people had been forced to travel to Egypt to do. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIrFaaakeOI/AAAAAAAAARg/SIjKh0AkiC8/s1600/Trixie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIrFaaakeOI/AAAAAAAAARg/SIjKh0AkiC8/s200/Trixie.jpg" width="128" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Ever since I first saw Cario and Cape Girardeau, Missouri (another old stomping ground) mentioned in <strong><em>Mystery on the Missippi</em></strong> (Trixie Belden #15) I am thrilled to read about places that I know well and have actually been to. I hope that I discover additional books written about Southern Illinois or that more are written in future. In the meantime, there are lots of books set right here in Central Texas that give me that little thrill of reading about home.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Happy Reading,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Angela</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIq_I87UQxI/AAAAAAAAARA/_PS8LMVW5Sk/s1600/Fort+Kaskaskia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TIq_I87UQxI/AAAAAAAAARA/_PS8LMVW5Sk/s320/Fort+Kaskaskia.jpg" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Fort Kaskaskia - We were married right here</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-43852133351298520462010-09-02T13:21:00.001-05:002010-09-02T14:23:00.161-05:00New Books! New Books! New Books!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TH_dhUf8nrI/AAAAAAAAANg/9xBTFQLct8g/s1600/Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TH_dhUf8nrI/AAAAAAAAANg/9xBTFQLct8g/s400/Blog.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Well, my ability to blog, and my stern resolution to do so, in a timely manner crashed and burned as we approached the end of summer reading. May I plead sheer exhaustion of my mental capacity? After a wonderfully busy June and July, my brain shut down for the entire month of August. Our summer reading programs were a success with over 1,000 children, teens, and adults participating this year. It boggles my mind because just five short years ago we only had 120 participants. My, we have really grown in such a short time! </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TH_maDdtyMI/AAAAAAAAAOI/wNaS6YBAbkk/s1600/magicofreading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TH_maDdtyMI/AAAAAAAAAOI/wNaS6YBAbkk/s200/magicofreading.jpg" width="148" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">However, I am already looking forward to Summer Reading 2011 because we are going to have a "magic" theme in honor of the release of the last of the Harry Potter movies (sigh, first the books and now this...). I am already ruminating on what the "title" will be and so far "Magical Adventures" is the front runner. You know how I love Harry Potter! Now, if I can only con, I mean talk and convince, Barbara that turning the Galleria into Hogsmeade and the Library into Hogwarts is a wildly fantastic and amazing idea...</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Back to 2010. We have just placed our last book orders for this fiscal year and the first items arrived yesterday. <strong>NEW BOOKS! I love getting NEW BOOKS!</strong> The best perks of my job are selecting new titles for purchase and getting to see and touch the books as they first arrive when I am processing them. I get giddy and excited when I see the UPS driver bringing them in.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We have many of the current, or soon to be, bestsellers from the old reliables such as <strong>Kathy Reichs, James Patterson, Sandra Brown, Lauren Weisberger, Clive Cussler, Philippa Gregory</strong>, etc. as well as the much buzzed-about new book by <strong>Jonathan Franzen</strong>. As a side note about the Franzen book, <em>Freedom</em>, I agree with <strong>Jodi Picoult</strong> and <strong>Jennifer Crusie's</strong> analysis and thoughts on the buzz concerning this author. Check out their interview </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-pinter/jodi-picoult-jennifer-weiner-franzen_b_693143.html"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">here</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> and Crusie's </span><a href="http://jenniferweiner.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">blog</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> beginning with the August 25 post; I howled with laughter over "franzenfreude" - my new favorite word for the phenomena they describe! My favorites are some of the books that may not become bestsellers but sound fantastic and strongly appeal to me for a variety of reasons. I want to read all of them right away. I am thrilled that there is a long weekend coming up, maybe I can read at least 3 of them. That would be lovely!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TH_p54TBQfI/AAAAAAAAAOY/5UV0wMKrzMo/s1600/The+Tower+the+Zoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TH_p54TBQfI/AAAAAAAAAOY/5UV0wMKrzMo/s200/The+Tower+the+Zoo.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TH_jNlhXM7I/AAAAAAAAAOA/qljtAczwm0U/s1600/crusie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TH_jNlhXM7I/AAAAAAAAAOA/qljtAczwm0U/s200/crusie.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Here are some of the titles on my "I-wish/want-to-read-these-right-now-list" and just a few words about why they appeal to me:</span></div><ul><li><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>Our Tragic Universe</em>, by Scarlett Thomas</strong> - tongue-in-cheek and whimsical</span></div></li>
<li><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>The Tower, The Zoo, and The Tortoise</em>, by Julia Stuart</strong> - clever and unusual premise</span></div></li>
<li><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>Juliet</em>, by Anne Fortier</strong> - history, mystery, intrigue, and Shakespeare</span></div></li>
<li><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>Shades of Milk and Honey</em>, by Mary Robinette Kowal</strong> - Regency England and Magic</span></div></li>
<li><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>Dragongirl</em>, by Todd McCaffrey</strong>-Pern, I've loved this world since I was a teen</span></div></li>
<li><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>My Hollywood</em>, by Mona Simpson</strong>-social commentary disguised as chick lit</span></div></li>
<li><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>The Cailiffs of Baghdad, Georgia</em>, by Mary Helen Stefaniak</strong>-first few pages hooked me</span></div></li>
<li><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>Maybe This Time</em>, by Jennifer Crusie</strong> (yes, same as above) - it will be funny, smart, and have witty dialogue - LOVE her books</span></div></li>
<li><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>Entanglement</em>, by Zygmunt Miloszewski</strong> - I want to see if I can start a Polish Noir craze to replace the Scandinavian Noir trend fueled, but not originated with, by Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy. My grandmother was also Polish.</span></div></li>
<li><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>Skippy Dies</em>, by Paul Murray</strong> - very English and nominated for the Booker Prize</span></div></li>
<li><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>Deeply, Desperately</em>, by Heather Webber, <em>I Love This Bar</em>, by Carolyn Brown, <em>She's Gone Country</em>, by Jane Porter</strong> and <strong><em>Perfect Blend</em>, by Sue Margolis</strong> - mind candy fun and I loved the first book Webber's series</span></div></li>
<li><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>Murder in Vein</em>, by Sue Ann Jaffarian, <em>Wicked Witch Murder</em>, by Leslie Meier,</strong> and <strong><em>Murder on the Bride's Side</em>, by Tracy Kiely</strong> -mystery spiced with chick lit, which is how I like my mysteries, and I adore Jaffarian's Odelia Grey books and the Kiely title, while set in the present, draws on Jane Austen's <em>Sense and Sensibility</em></span></div></li>
<li><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>Nashville Chrome</em>, by Rick Bass</strong> - quirky premise and based on real people, one of my mom's favorite singers? (I think, have to check this out)</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em></em></strong></span></div></li>
<li><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>The Way of Kings</em>, by Brandon Sanderson</strong> - High fantasy epic, been hearing about this book for eons</span></div></li>
<li><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>What Alice Knew: A Most Curious Tale of Henry James and Jack the Ripper</em>, by Paula Marantz Cohen</strong> - I'm intrigued by the subtitle</span></div></li>
<li><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>Stiltsville</em>, by Suanna Daniel</strong> - I suspect that this book whose subject matter seems quiet and uneventful will have powerful prose</span></div></li>
<li><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>Composed</em>, by Roseanne Cash</strong> - I love her intelligent songwriting abilities and I believe they will translate nicely to her skill as a memoirist.</span></div></li>
<li><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong><em>Clockwork Angel</em>, by Cassandra Clare</strong>- the first book in her new series, The Infernal Devices. I loved her Mortal Instruments series and she always has my heart for her short story <strong><a href="http://www.baen.com/chapters/W200411/0743488571___5.htm">"The Girl's Guide to Defeating the Dark Lord"</a></strong>and her humorous send up of one of my favorite books of all time, <strong><em>The Lord of the Rings</em></strong>, <strong><a href="http://www.ealasaid.com/misc/vsd/">The Very Secret Diaries of Lord of the Rings</a></strong> (warning: absolutely hilarious but a bit racy for some tastes).</span></div></li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TH_iqJ4c5nI/AAAAAAAAAN4/Z_iudSNM6xU/s1600/DRagongirl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TH_iqJ4c5nI/AAAAAAAAAN4/Z_iudSNM6xU/s200/DRagongirl.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">So which book do I start with? I am conflicted, they are all calling to me, "read me first!" and I want to succumb to the siren call of every single one of them. I wish I could clone myself to do just that and I would make an extra clone to do errands, laundry, etc. too! Since it is a holiday weekend I am going to begin with all the fantasy and science fiction books, genres I have always loved but do not read as much as I used to and I'll start with a return trip to visit Pern and its dragons. Then Jennifer Crusie's newest and then I'll go on to a chick lit or two. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Come in and check out all the new books and see what appeals to you. Try a new genre, author, or the latest from an old favorite. If you need any suggestions or are wondering "what do I read next" because you have finished all the books by a favorite author come by and see me. Helping people find their next great read is one other part of my job that I love. Not only the joy and fun of introducing people to new books but getting suggestions from our well-read patrons. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend and Happy Reading!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Angela</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div>Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-77528136156067061142010-08-09T23:18:00.000-05:002010-08-09T23:18:28.982-05:00It's Not Too Late for Summer Reads!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TGDPp724YlI/AAAAAAAAAMI/SxMYjevFato/s1600/summer+reading+t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TGDPp724YlI/AAAAAAAAAMI/SxMYjevFato/s200/summer+reading+t.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">While the number of new books that we get each month has been reduced due to budgetary constraints, I think I can state with confidence that the quality is still there. Even as we near the end of the fiscal year, we have received some great new releases in the past couple of weeks that I think would make some great summer reads. It is definitely not to late for summer reads, it isn't Labor Day yet! Here are just a few new titles that I recently enjoyed and that I think are summer read worthy. I must confess that yes indeed, there are two more dog themed books. I wonder if there is a support group for women who read too many books about dogs? And they say librarians are mostly crazy cat ladies in sensible shoes...</span><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></i></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TGDKnZv8UpI/AAAAAAAAALQ/kqmHxn7nBI8/s1600/stay-cover-photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TGDKnZv8UpI/AAAAAAAAALQ/kqmHxn7nBI8/s200/stay-cover-photo.jpg" width="135" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Stay </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">is the debut novel of <b>Allie Larkin </b>and it is definitely “chick lit”, which I am not ashamed to admit that I enjoy reading, but one that embraces bigger themes in a more substantial way. I won’t deny that there is the genre staple here of the working class girl (Savannah "Van" Leone) who loves a socially superior boy-loses said boy-has tribulations-good luck finds her-discovers the "real one" who appreciates her for just who she is, social class and all-meme. I really love the heart of this novel and how loving animals can bring out the best in us and almost define what makes us human. Allie is also more realistic than many heroines of this genre, especially her anger and faults are out there to see, she is not perfect and Larkin doesn’t pretend that she is. My biggest complaint is that she buys (!!!) her pup Joe off of the Internet. An even lighter chick lit dog book that is just pure bubbly shallow fun is <b><i>Home is Where the Bark Is</i>, by Kandy Shepherd</b>.</span><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TGDK6cKEDPI/AAAAAAAAALY/yE4TjRdXLKA/s1600/dogs+purpose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TGDK6cKEDPI/AAAAAAAAALY/yE4TjRdXLKA/s200/dogs+purpose.jpg" width="128" /></a><b><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">A Dog's Purpose</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><b>, by W. Bruce Cameron</b> is another new dog-themed debut novel book that has received tons of buzz and interest among reviewers and readers. Like <i>Stay, </i>this book also explores the themes of how our love for animals and their love for us, how that strong resulting bond can have such redemptive and healing powers. I don’t want to give too much away as spoilers here may make you want not to read it because it sounds too contrived but will say it is the story of a journey. This journey is described by an unique voice (voices? The plural might work better here) and I could not put it down, it was a one afternoon read. It was also the proverbial laugh-and-cry (okay, I was sobbing) kind of read. It reminded me of two other books I loved, <b><i>On the Divinity of Second Chances</i>, by Kaya McLaren</b> and <b><i>One Good Dog</i>, by Susan Wilson</b>.<span> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TGDL270HoMI/AAAAAAAAALo/4gsyDF-nkU0/s1600/fly+away+home+jennifer+weiner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TGDL270HoMI/AAAAAAAAALo/4gsyDF-nkU0/s200/fly+away+home+jennifer+weiner.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TGDNblAXNYI/AAAAAAAAALw/fLxmFLkyUcw/s1600/american+wife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TGDNblAXNYI/AAAAAAAAALw/fLxmFLkyUcw/s200/american+wife.jpg" width="129" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><b>Jennifer Weiner</b> is an author whose publication dates for new titles are written in on my calendar and <b><i>Fly Away Home</i></b> is her newest and the first book in several years that was not a romantic suspense novel co-written with Bob Mayer (which are good books too!). Her new book centers on the female members of a politician’s family, wife Sylvie and daughters Diana and Lizzie, and how their lives change when the knowledge that he had an affair that erupts into a scandal (shocking, huh? Think John Edwards). The scandal ripples out to encompass his whole family and it shows the collateral damage that occurs through the selfish acts of one person. While this is not my favorite of Weiner’s novels, <b><i>Good in Bed</i></b> will always hold that title, she is still able to <span id="goog_712552018"></span><span id="goog_712552019"></span>amaze me with her skill as a writer, she makes it look so easy with her layers of words and richly draw scenes. I also appreciate that her flawed female characters are also physically realistic; I really like this honesty in her writing. Oh, it is also a hoot to read with Weiner’s trademark snappy and witty dialogue.<span> </span>Anything that can make me laugh when the air conditioning is broken down (and the repair guy is AWOL) in 100+ degree heat has got to be pretty darn funny!<span> If this book sounds good to you, try <b><i>American Wife</i>, by Curtis Sittenfeld</b>-another excellent read!</span></span></div><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"><span></span>Happy Reading,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Angela</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">p.s. A huge thank you to all of our adult patrons that participated in our 1st Teen and Adult Summer Reading Program - it was a grand success! Almost 900 book reviews were submitted by the 250+ participants. I'll be sharing some of the readers favorite titles and their reviews in the near future. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;"> </span>Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-57795615093581914802010-07-22T23:51:00.020-05:002010-07-23T13:04:02.144-05:00It's All About the Dog Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkMlyAgf_I/AAAAAAAAAJw/jHHdBDJaLCY/s1600/harry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkMlyAgf_I/AAAAAAAAAJw/jHHdBDJaLCY/s200/harry.jpg" width="166" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harry</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">If you talk to me for at least 5 minutes, it is a fairly good bet that I have probably worked dogs into the conversation somehow. I am always willing to share stories about my dog rescue adventures or regale you about the antics of one of our own literary named dogs: Harry Potter, the Maltipoo banshee; Elizabeth Bennet, aka Lizzie the Psycho Dingo</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">; Charlie Weasley, a Lhaso mix with OTD (obsessive toy disorder); Talia, our beautiful red and very loud Finnish Spitz, whose namesake is the heroine of Mercedes Lackey's Herald of Valdemar series; and Sheldon the frog eating Shih Tzu, who may have developed a complex because his name is not truly "literary" - my husband named him after his favorite TV character. There are so many great books about dogs. Incredible picture books, touching fiction for young people, and really wonderful books for us adult dog lovers. I want to share some of my recent and cherished favorites with you. </span></span></span></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEfvQBb2dZI/AAAAAAAAAII/QGX5vIInzaA/s200/Chase+me+Mom+Talia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Talia</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkG91O6USI/AAAAAAAAAJY/dspO_N7_Z2U/s1600/12208TheModernDog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkG91O6USI/AAAAAAAAAJY/dspO_N7_Z2U/s200/12208TheModernDog.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></span><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEj2XFUCXoI/AAAAAAAAAJA/k_04f4nzXeU/s200/wolfintheparlor.jpg" width="132" /><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">In one of my pre-library life incarnations, I was a student of animal behavior and I still really enjoy books that attempt to explain the mysterious workings of the animal mind. I am always on a quest to find any information that will shed light on all those quirky things that the dogs in my life do. Even though I am "science geeky" all of these books are written for a nonscientific audience, and they are well written. Both <b><i>The Wolf in the Parlor: The Eternal Connections between Humans and Dogs</i>, by Jon Franklin</b> and <b><i>The Modern Dog: A Joyful Exploration of How We Live with Dogs Today</i>, by Stanley Coren</b> explore the evolution of interactions between dogs and humans since dogs became fully domesticated and humans began settled farming approximately 12,000-10,000 years ago. Among the topics these books explore are how dog and human behavior have shaped and been shaped by each other - I find these books fascinating. </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></span></div><h1 class="parseasinTitle"><span id="btAsinTitle"></span></h1><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkK6nWmRvI/AAAAAAAAAJg/cvRZKU2V4Pw/s1600/Our+girl+Lizzie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkK6nWmRvI/AAAAAAAAAJg/cvRZKU2V4Pw/s200/Our+girl+Lizzie.jpg" width="138" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lizzie</td></tr>
</tbody></table><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkLPMBwr8I/AAAAAAAAAJo/hOEHbYh-iOI/s200/Inside-of-a-Dog-cover.jpg" width="132" /><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Alexandra Horowitz has also written a wonderful and </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">highly accessible </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">book,<i> <b>Inside of a Dog: What Dogs Think and Know</b></i>, that has helped me find some of those answers. It is a fascinating and conversational exploration of why dogs do what they do, see what they see, etc. from their point of view. This book has great insight into how dogs see and react to the world and while reading it I would look at my dogs in fascination and I swear they were saying, "Well, duh - we have been telling you that for years!" </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEf1HBkNjsI/AAAAAAAAAIY/FFHjLbf7deI/s1600/love+is.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Horowitz also discusses how we humans have become rampant consumers of almost anything that will make their dog's life better, perfect, more complete, etc. , at least according to those who are trying to sell us something for our pets. Michael Shaffer's book, <i><b>One Nation Under Dog: Adventures in the New World of Prozac Popping Puppies, Dog-Park Politics, and Organic Pet Food</b></i>, explores this topic in greater depth and in a larger cultural context. You won't look at that $20 toy at PetCo the same way again. </span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEf1HBkNjsI/AAAAAAAAAIY/FFHjLbf7deI/s1600/love+is.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkEGYJDA8I/AAAAAAAAAJI/6cyizrHKD2I/s1600/Sight+hound+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkEGYJDA8I/AAAAAAAAAJI/6cyizrHKD2I/s200/Sight+hound+2.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">One of my absolute favorite works of dogcentric fiction is <b><i>Sight Hound</i>, by Pam Houston</b>. The book is told from various canine and human perspectives but the most striking voice is that of Dante, the Irish Wolfhound that the story revolves around. Houston wrote a marvelous chapter that absolutely devastated me, it reduced me to a sobbing puddle of tears in the middle of a restaurant. The chapter describes the feelings of utter despair and helplessness that Rae, Dante's human, feels as she waits for news of his fate. This chapter captures, exactly and perfectly, how I have felt as I also waited in a similar cold and barren veterinary ER at 3:12 am. </span></span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkESHbFKfI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/4kHBEwK_l6g/s1600/dog+on+it.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkESHbFKfI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/4kHBEwK_l6g/s200/dog+on+it.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkNTq9aT_I/AAAAAAAAAJ4/t2_tFPZS4Fs/s1600/dogs+and+goddesses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkNTq9aT_I/AAAAAAAAAJ4/t2_tFPZS4Fs/s200/dogs+and+goddesses.jpg" width="122" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">I felt like Houston was describing my exact experiences of sitting on those uncomfortable wooden benches. I always feel like I am hunched over in the emotional and physical agony as I wait to hear if my beloved pet would live or die even while I am still shaking from the adrenaline of flying at high speeds along the dark highway rushing to get Sadie, Max, or Rilla to the ER before it was too late. Houston is a master at describing emotions so vividly that I can actually feel and almost see them. </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">On a lighter dog fiction note, I love the <b>works of Rita Mae Brown</b>, whose Mrs. Murphy mysteries feature the intrepid crime solving Corgi Tee Tucker; the books of former Late Night comedy writer <b>Merrill Markoe</b>; the wit and wisdom of Enzo from G<b>arth Stein's <i>The Art of Racing in the Rain</i>;</b> and the dry wit of Chet, the canine half of the mystery solving team in <b>Spencer Quinn's </b>books. I can't forget about the frothy fun of <b><i>Dogs and Goddesses</i>, by Jennifer Crusie et al</b>. just pure good fun!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkXg7PLq2I/AAAAAAAAALA/Pyyxc74LWL0/s1600/love+is.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkXg7PLq2I/AAAAAAAAALA/Pyyxc74LWL0/s200/love+is.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Nick Trout, a Boston veterinarian, has written two very appealing books, <i><b>T</b><b>ell Me Where It Hurts</b></i> and <b><i>Love is the Best Medicine</i></b>. Both books chronicle his observations about the strong emotional bond between dogs and their humans and allow the readers fascinating glimpses into Trout's work as a 21st century veterinarian. Even with all the technology, vets are still limited If you know any animal loving teens, especially any aspiring vets, give them these two books to read. Actually, these books are great for pet loving readers of any age.</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="178" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkS-90wGGI/AAAAAAAAAKQ/EluVQr8tX1M/s200/charlie+and+his+toy.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlie</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkUedf-bGI/AAAAAAAAAKw/nHk04MBI3ZM/s200/DSC_0443.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="156" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheldo<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">n</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></span></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkWCTiTd5I/AAAAAAAAAK4/Kz494_z0k-A/s1600/51OJLWxFqgL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkWCTiTd5I/AAAAAAAAAK4/Kz494_z0k-A/s200/51OJLWxFqgL._SL500_AA300_.jpg" width="159" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">In the past year, several books have been published that tell the heartbreaking stories of dogs rescued from horrific situations. Two of these books, <b><i>A Rare Breed of Love: T</i><i>he True Story of Baby and the Mission She Inspired to Help Dogs Everywhere, </i>by Jana Kohl<i> </i></b>and <b><i>Saving Gracie: How One Dog Escaped the Shadowy World of American Puppy Mills</i></b>, <b>by Carol Bradley</b>, are particularly timely as they focus on the horrors of puppy mills. I have fostered dogs rescued from puppy mills. I once had two small little Maltese foster boys, 5 and 7 lbs respectively, that did not know how to sleep lying down because they had spent their whole life in a crowded and filthy cage that had no place or room to lie down. </span></span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span></span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkTRzOPKHI/AAAAAAAAAKg/QyoxuEtyXz4/s1600/Saving-Gracie-bookjacket8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkTRzOPKHI/AAAAAAAAAKg/QyoxuEtyXz4/s200/Saving-Gracie-bookjacket8.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">These books, while sad, have uplifting and happy endings. <b><i>Saving Cinnamon: <span id="goog_1304799697"></span><span id="goog_1304799698"></span>The Amazing True Story of a Missing Military Puppy and the Desperate Mission to Bring Her Home</i>, by Christine Sullivan </b>also has a happy ending and because of Cinnamon and other dogs like her, the successful rescue Operation Baghdad Pups was created. Grab your tissues when you read these books but I urge you to read them! The books are even better when you curl up to read them with your favorite fuzzy four-legged friend. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> Happy Reading!</span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Angela</span></b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkSoPSuzQI/AAAAAAAAAKA/fORbmUGkCJY/s1600/saving+cinnamon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TEkSoPSuzQI/AAAAAAAAAKA/fORbmUGkCJY/s200/saving+cinnamon.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><br />
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</a></div>Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-21128811995714987632010-07-13T19:00:00.012-05:002010-07-15T15:00:17.623-05:00Summer Means Series Sequels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDz2Ig5S4PI/AAAAAAAAAGI/8A3JWbdIoas/s1600/20070625094111_ac_window_airconditioner_whi1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" rw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDz2Ig5S4PI/AAAAAAAAAGI/8A3JWbdIoas/s200/20070625094111_ac_window_airconditioner_whi1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Ah, summer in Texas! Those few short months between February and November are the perfect time to seek out a cool place read the newest entries in your long running favorite series and to find some great new, although somewhat lesser known, ones to enjoy. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDz2dJOO5-I/AAAAAAAAAGQ/oDfB8W_Xuq0/s1600/sizzling-sixteen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" rw="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDz2dJOO5-I/AAAAAAAAAGQ/oDfB8W_Xuq0/s200/sizzling-sixteen.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Each summer, Janet Evanovich publishes another chapter in the continuing adventures of Stephanie Plum, Joe, Ranger, Lulu, Grandma Mazur, Rex the Hamster, and all the rest of the gang in Trenton, New Jersey. This year's entry is <i>Sizzling</i> <i>Sixteen</i> and while Evanovich says she will always write about Stephanie and her cohort, it is the last "numbered" book that she is under contract for, at the moment. If you are a Evanovich fan, try one of these series -all of them have new installments: the Riley Spartz series by Julie Kramer; the Izzy Spellman Mysteries by Lisa Lutz; and the Odelia Gray Mysteries by Sue Ann Jaffarian.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDz2xX9q5uI/AAAAAAAAAGY/Q_2DrW4WQKQ/s1600/9780312622879.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" rw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDz2xX9q5uI/AAAAAAAAAGY/Q_2DrW4WQKQ/s200/9780312622879.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Thanks to Eric Van Lustbader, Jason Bourne continues his mysterious and dangerous existence in the latest installment of the Robert Ludlum originated series, <i>The Bourne Objective</i>. If you like international intrigue a la Bourne, may I suggest that you explore the two books in the Milo Weaver series by Olen Steinhauer, <i>The Tourist</i> (soon to be a movie with Johnny Depp) and <i>The Nearest Exit. </i>Alan Furst also has another World War II spy thriller, <i>The Spies of the Balkans</i>, a fine follow-up to <i>The Spies of Warsaw</i>. While the Magdalene Line series (<i>The Expected One, The Book of Love, </i>and <i>The Poet Prince</i>) by Kathleen McGown is not technically a spy series, as it is very similar to Dan Brown's Robert Langdon books, it is full of enough conspiracy, adventure, and over-the-top intrigue to make it a perfect summer read for any Ludlum/Van Lustbader fan. </span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDz3TR9WYKI/AAAAAAAAAGg/x-yq4cUotqk/s1600/savor_moment.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" rw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDz3TR9WYKI/AAAAAAAAAGg/x-yq4cUotqk/s200/savor_moment.JPG" width="127" /></span></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDz39-jDc_I/AAAAAAAAAGw/E2AzKHCz3IM/s1600/9780061735066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" rw="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDz39-jDc_I/AAAAAAAAAGw/E2AzKHCz3IM/s200/9780061735066.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDz6I1A9sPI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/ywMsOSjCSJc/s1600/41MGA29jmyL__SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" rw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDz6I1A9sPI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/ywMsOSjCSJc/s200/41MGA29jmyL__SL500_AA300_.jpg" width="136" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Looking for something a bit more romantic? Nora Roberts has just published the third book in her Bride Quartet series, <i>Savor the Moment, </i>and Mary Balogh recently concluded her Huxtable Quintet series with the publication of <i>A Secret Affair</i>, another delightful romp through Regency England. For all you vampire romance fans, the prolific Meg Cabot has published the first book, </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><i>Insatiable, </i></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">in a new series. She describes this book as a "modern sequel to Dracula" although it is has a rather unconventional, at least as far as most Dracula related books I've seen, setting: the set of a soap opera which just happens to be populated with all manner of supernatural denizens. It maybe an odd juxtaposition but what a fun piece of "mind candy". A sequel is expected early next summer. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Two of my favorite Jennifer Crusie titles, <i>Tell Me Lies</i> and <i>Crazy for You</i>, have just been released in an easier to read trade paperback format. Okay, they are not parts of a new series but I just love her books and I always take any opportunity to urge people to read them!</span></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDz5vKc-8BI/AAAAAAAAAHI/zqiTYFNLI1A/s1600/51p65qGdCCL__SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" rw="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDz5vKc-8BI/AAAAAAAAAHI/zqiTYFNLI1A/s200/51p65qGdCCL__SL500_AA300_.jpg" width="136" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDz5AvmNVcI/AAAAAAAAAHA/WvqfhhSZ5YM/s1600/9780312583965.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" rw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDz5AvmNVcI/AAAAAAAAAHA/WvqfhhSZ5YM/s200/9780312583965.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There are also some wonderful new books in both new and established mystery series. Donna Leon (the Guido Brunetti series), Elizabeth Lowell (St. Kilda series), and Elizabeth George (Inspector Lynley series) all have new entries in their long running series, respectively: <i>A Question of Belief</i>; <i>Death Echo</i>; and <i>This Body of Death</i>. Two very well-received and award winning series, which published their first entries last year, have just published their second volumes. <i>Pray for Silence</i> is the new book in Linda Castillo's intriguing and unusual Kate Burkholder series. Stefanie Pintoff has also created a wonderfully flawed, haunted, and tortured all-too-human hero in her historical Simon Ziele series and <i>A Curtain Falls </i>is just as riveting as the first book <i>In the Shadow of Gotham. </i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Enjoy the next book in an old favorite, or discover a new series that draws you in and leaves you wanting more and hopefully that more will continue in the next installment! So, get series-ous with your reading this week (sorry, couldn't resist the horrifically bad pun).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Happy Reading,</span></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Angela</span>Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-30422934058230301782010-07-06T12:15:00.015-05:002010-07-07T19:14:44.576-05:00Happy 50th Birthday "To Kill a Mockingbird"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDNcGku3VoI/AAAAAAAAAFg/XELEHJnbLAI/s1600/mockingbirdfirst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDNcGku3VoI/AAAAAAAAAFg/XELEHJnbLAI/s320/mockingbirdfirst.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This week, my blog entry is not about some new books or authors I would like to introduce you to but it is some personal thoughts about one of my favorite books, <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i>, which will "turn" 50 this coming Sunday. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">On July 11, 1960 Harper Lee published her only novel. <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> was an immediate bestseller and it went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1961. It was made into a movie, which I also love, in 1962, garnering Gregory Peck an Oscar for his portrayal of <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">Atticus</span> Finch. However, it did not win Best Movie that year, something I'll never understand. While I love the grandeur and epic of <i>Lawrence of Arabia</i>, not to mention the young and gorgeous Peter O'Toole, <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> is a much better movie in my opinion and I think that Horton <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">Foote's</span> screenplay adaptation is one of the best translations of a book into a movie ever done. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDNcf8ONTqI/AAAAAAAAAFo/qKMmJmnorY8/s1600/tokillamockingbirdscout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" rw="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDNcf8ONTqI/AAAAAAAAAFo/qKMmJmnorY8/s200/tokillamockingbirdscout.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I love this book and it had profound and lasting effect on me as a young person as it did many people. Heck, it is even Oprah's favorite book. <i>To</i> <i>Kill a Mockingbird </i>is on every list of best/favorite books that I have ever seen and <i>Library Journal</i> named it as the most influential work of fiction in the 20th Century. It is also famous (or notorious) for being one of the most challenged books of all times. I think that so many people love this book because it is so accessible - it's delightfully easy to read- and it contains humor. Unfortunately, humor is rare in the "great works" of literature - I think that William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, <span style="background-color: white;"><span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">et</span> </span><span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;"><span style="background-color: white;">a</span><span style="background-color: white;">l</span></span>. would have vastly improved their work with just a little levity (as an aside, I love this quote by Nora Joyce to her husband James: “Why don’t you write books people can read?"-she agrees with me!). You can hardly beat the laugh-out-loud quality of the scene in <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> where the kids were aiming at Ms. Maudie with a BB gun as she bent over in the garden. I can just picture it so clearly... </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDNbW737xdI/AAAAAAAAAFY/yX9jKShxaUY/s1600/harper_lee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" rw="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDNbW737xdI/AAAAAAAAAFY/yX9jKShxaUY/s200/harper_lee.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think another large part of its appeal is that at its heart, <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> is a <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">bildungsroman</span>, a fancy <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">schmancy</span> literary word for a coming-of-age novel. Everyone can relate to the painful process of growing up, seeing a sibling leaving you behind, and finding out that a parent is fallible. I related to this book on many other personal levels, I saw Scout as a kindred spirit (to steal a term of another of my favorite literary heroines, Anne Shirley) who had so many things in common with me. Scout and I both were from small southern, bigoted, and rural farming towns; had a parent who died when we were young; were both tomboys with BB guns; did not fit in at school; were voracious readers (I suspected and believed she was at any rate); and she had lots of women (<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">Calpurnia</span>, Miss Maudie, and Miss Rachel) to help her figure out the world in her mother's absence, I had men in my life (favorite and my Grandpa Miller-who also strongly reminded me of <span style="background-color: white;"><span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: repeat;">Atticus</span></span>) to help fill the void left by my father's death. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDNg48uShzI/AAAAAAAAAF4/JTqPsrrBA5c/s1600/Northern%2520mockingbird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" rw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDNg48uShzI/AAAAAAAAAF4/JTqPsrrBA5c/s200/Northern%2520mockingbird.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Yes, <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i>, covers deeper and more important issues of racism, prejudice, justice, and how difficult and lonely it can be when you do the right thing even when it is unpopular and against the majority but for me its lasting appeal is the personal resonance and connection I feel. As I got older and reread the book, which I think I read for the first time during the summer between my 5th and 6th grades because my Uncle Mike let me read his books-we had no public library, I got different things from it. As I matured and built up my own store of life experience, I related to Scout's dawning realization and education about how cruel and unfair the real world can be at times with no logic or reason. Scout, like all of us had to (or at least on our good days) experience moving from the childhood bubble of protection and fantasy, those wonderful years of magical thinking, before we are forced into the stark world of adult realism. Every year when I reread this book, I find something new in it. It is like visiting an old friend who you haven't seen in such a long time. You get to rediscover just how wonderful that she is all over again.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDNgtiRfHtI/AAAAAAAAAFw/j5vQCszWEBc/s1600/Mockingbird1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" rw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDNgtiRfHtI/AAAAAAAAAFw/j5vQCszWEBc/s320/Mockingbird1.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>Nell Harper Lee, who is still alive and a famous recluse, has been the subject of much interest and speculation since she withdrew, with a few notable exceptions, from the public eye in 1965. There was a recent biography of her, <i>Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee</i>, by Charles Shields, and it is an interesting and very enjoyable read in terms of many of the details about the writing of <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> but it does not shed a strong light on Harper Lee herself. It covers the last 40 or so years, 1965 on, in just a few pages and you could find that information on <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">Wikipedia</span>. I did enjoy it though beause it did flesh out and shine a light on a few more aspects of the autobiographical aspects of <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i>. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDNiFh7DoBI/AAAAAAAAAGA/jeQW_UTUeTY/s1600/small_harper_Lee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" rw="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TDNiFh7DoBI/AAAAAAAAAGA/jeQW_UTUeTY/s200/small_harper_Lee.jpg" width="170" /></a></div>Last of all, in a July 2006 "letter to the editor" to <i>O Magazine</i>, Lee once again gave voice to her strong beliefs in the importance of reading, books, and libraries. It makes me love her more for singling out libraries during a period where they are seen as <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">obsolete</span> and as luxuries. Let me share the my favorite part of that letter: "Now 75 years later in an abundant society where people have laptops, cell phones, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">iPods</span>, and minds like empty rooms, I still plod along with books. Instant information is not for me. I prefer to search library stacks because when I work to learn something I remember it." Amen, Harper Lee.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, next Sunday I am going to curl up with <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> and reread a book I still love and appreciate, as it only gets better with age (or as I age?). Once a year, I get the chance to visit my much younger self and to remember that feeling of absolute exhilaration when I discovered a book and characters that absolutely transported me and took me completely into their world. I am also thankful that the long ago me had books such as this growing up but to escape to so that I could begin to imagine a much wider world than my small and limited one inside a couple of counties in Southern Illinois. Have you ever had that feeling after you read that all things are possible?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Happy Reading and Happy Birthday Scout, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">Jem</span>, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">Atticus</span>, Calpurnia, Dill, Boo <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">Radley, Miss Maudie</span>....</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Angela</div>Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-40818609080885184412010-06-30T15:53:00.000-05:002010-06-30T15:53:07.332-05:00Not Your Usual Beach ReadsLike movies, books follow a seasonal pattern and you can count on the more popular and "big" authors (e.g. James Pattersonand Janet Evanovich) having major releases to try and grab the title of "best beach read of the summer." While these best sellers do provide some undeniably good mind candy, I like to look for books that do not quite make it to the top of the <em>New York Times</em> list. Little hidden summer reading jewels, here are a few of my recent favorite discoveries.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TCuOlK_wT9I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/NNuF8p8Y3S8/s1600/venetia1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ru="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TCuOlK_wT9I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/NNuF8p8Y3S8/s200/venetia1.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><strong><em>Venetia Kelly's Traveling</em> <em>Show</em> by Frank Delaney. </strong>Delaney is an exceptional Irish storyteller, who usually writes massive and sweeping tomes. This book has big themes of 1930’s Irish politics, tragedy, lost love, and revenge but the time scale is much more compressed and it gives the book a more intimate and personal feel. If you like sweeping epics, try any of Delaney's other titles or <strong><em>Roses </em>by Leila Meacham</strong>-this one took me back to some of the happy reading I did in the 1980s.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TCuOzEpLLRI/AAAAAAAAAEY/nmmKaQg43SY/s1600/blood+oath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ru="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TCuOzEpLLRI/AAAAAAAAAEY/nmmKaQg43SY/s200/blood+oath.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><strong><em>Blood Oath</em> by Christopher Farnsworth. </strong>A cross between a political thriller, with lots of conspiracy fun thrown in, and a vampire tale, which are all the rage these days. Yes this book features a vampiric 140-year-old secret service agent, the President's Vampire. It is much better than this might sound-never thought I would seriously recommend a vampire book! For more supernatural fun, zombies this time, try <strong><em>World War Z</em> by Max Brooks</strong>. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TCuO_OMzb1I/AAAAAAAAAEg/JeXGt5URN9U/s1600/immaculate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ru="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TCuO_OMzb1I/AAAAAAAAAEg/JeXGt5URN9U/s200/immaculate.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><strong><em>Our Lady of Immaculate Deception</em> by Nancy Martin. </strong>First book in a new series by the author of the Blackbird Sisters mysteries. While the premise of this book could be dismissed as Stephanie Plum in Pittsburgh (and with a dog instead of a monkey or rodent), Martin brings a edgier and more earthy feel to her heroine Roxy Abruzzo. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TCuPFzaXZ2I/AAAAAAAAAEo/VU0F56FHkHw/s1600/venus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" ru="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TCuPFzaXZ2I/AAAAAAAAAEo/VU0F56FHkHw/s200/venus.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><strong><em>Venus Envy</em> by Shannon McKelden. </strong>After numerous trangressions, the goddess Venus is sent to earth, where she is sentenced to "fairy godmother community service", specializing in extreme life makeovers. While the books ending is a foregone conclusion for veteran romance and chick-lit readers, the journey from beginning to end is hilarious and enjoyable with some unusual and highly entertaining characters. This book was published several years ago but we just got a copy - so while it isn't newly published, it is new to us and I had never read it before. If you like the concept of the Olympic Gods come to Earth, check out <strong><em>Gods Behaving Badly</em></strong> <strong>by Marie Phillips.</strong> <br />
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<strong>Happy Reading,</strong><br />
<strong>Angela</strong>Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-31289499237298904052010-06-22T23:03:00.000-05:002010-06-22T23:03:10.868-05:00Travel from Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TCGG7ir8J4I/AAAAAAAAAEA/rCPwiAKrirY/s1600/armchair+travel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TCGG7ir8J4I/AAAAAAAAAEA/rCPwiAKrirY/s200/armchair+travel.jpg" width="146" /></a></div>Is work keeping you at home this summer? Are airline baggage charges just too outrageous to even think about flying? Then why not take an exciting, thrilling, and slightly dangerous trip right from the comfort of your favorite chair by reading a mystery from your favorite library that is set in a faraway place. Its cheaper,easier, and you never have to put your shampoo in a smaller container. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TCGHHOV4QdI/AAAAAAAAAEI/I7_6ywe69cE/s1600/Island_of_Exiles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TCGHHOV4QdI/AAAAAAAAAEI/I7_6ywe69cE/s200/Island_of_Exiles.jpg" width="137" /></a></div>We have mysteries from all over the world. There are titles that are set in all seven continents thanks to Robert Masello, whose <i>Blood and Ice</i> is set in Antarctica. So pick a geographic region and start exploring the "Crimes in the Cold Climes"; be tempted by "Trouble in the Tropics", or dedicate yourself to reading about "Death in the Desert". I have created and printed out lists of authors who set their books in specific geographic regions and I'd also be happy to email the lists to you also. Just send an email to apalmer@beecavetexas.gov. <br />
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Happy Reading and Traveling!<br />
Angela<br />
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p.s. I also have another fun list for your to check out - books that feature real people solving imaginary crimes. Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-28002686287276811612010-06-15T17:18:00.000-05:002010-06-15T17:18:37.702-05:00It's Really Okay to Read for Fun in the Summer!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TBf6RlBNVbI/AAAAAAAAADw/rnQP5Aei2Kw/s1600/summer_reading_051509_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TBf6RlBNVbI/AAAAAAAAADw/rnQP5Aei2Kw/s200/summer_reading_051509_m.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">How many of you have ever made the vow that you were going "to read only good books this summer, all the classics"? While this is a worthy and noble sentiment, I firmly believe that reading in the summer should be for fun. If reading the classics sounds like resounding good fun for you, go for it! However, I would like to encourage everyone to just read anything that appeals to you, no matter how horrific the reviews or if it is supposed to be a "good" book. It is so hot during our summer that I think we need to give our brain a break. Save those classics you are supposed to read and all those serious books for temperatures below 75 degrees. I heartily endorse reading and devouring some fun, escapist, fluffy mind candy. A book that whisks you away to its world; a book that you just do not want to put down until it is finished. </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TBf6seMK8uI/AAAAAAAAAD4/6BvGI5VDvdU/s1600/willig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TBf6seMK8uI/AAAAAAAAAD4/6BvGI5VDvdU/s200/willig.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial;">Here are some of my purely favorite fun reads-I won't say beach reads because in Texas I strongly feel that it is best to do your summer reading curled up on the couch with the dogs in the A/C. </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong><em>Bet Me</em>, <em>Welcome to Temptation</em>, and<em> Crazy for You</em>, by Jennifer Crusie; <em>Natural Born Charmer</em><em>,</em> by Susan Elizabeth Phillips </strong>(absolutely hysterial opening pages!); <strong><em>Bridget Jones</em>, by Helen Fielding</strong> (an oldie but a goodie - MUCH better than the movie, although I am always happy to picture Colin Firth as Mark Darcy); <strong>the Jane Madison Series by Mindy Klasky</strong> - how could I resist, it is a series about a librarian who is a witch; <strong>Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, by Julia Quinn</strong>-a delightful and witty Regency romp; and speaking of the Regency period I have enjoyed all the books in the <strong>Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig</strong>. Yes, most of these have elements of chick lit but that is what makes them great summer reads!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I also enjoy the <strong>Mrs. Murphy and Jane Arnold mysteries by Rita Mae Brown</strong> but my favorite book of hers is <strong>Bingo</strong>, I stayed up all night laughing and reading. I can keep going: <strong>To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee</strong>; <strong>any book by</strong> <strong>Sarah Vowell or Mary Roach</strong>; <strong>Cold Comfort Farm, by Stella Gibson</strong>... </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">Of course, no summer is complete without reading some of my favorites once again: <strong>Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and all of Jane Austen's work</strong>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So, this summer just think about reading for fun. Let yourself embrace your favorite flavor of delicious mind candy. Don't forget, I am available to help you find new books to explore or "read alikes" of your favorite genre or author. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Happy Reading!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Angela</span>Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-19967477153178101772010-06-10T17:13:00.003-05:002010-06-10T18:08:44.315-05:00Fundraiser, Sign-Up, and Good Listening<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TA_aT1EMCUI/AAAAAAAAADI/KR6-nce-fj0/s1600/Feb.+17,2010+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TA_aT1EMCUI/AAAAAAAAADI/KR6-nce-fj0/s200/Feb.+17,2010+002.jpg" width="191" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Library Fundraiser</strong>-Buy a Ticket for a Chance to Win This Gorgeous Quilt, tickets are $5 each or 3 for $10 and all proceeds benefit the library. This gorgeous quilt was handmade and donated by one of our wonderful volunteers, Jeanetta Sanders. Come and take a chance and help us raise money for books! </span><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Did you know that June is National Audiobook Month? </strong>I love audiobooks and I listen to one every day, driving back and forth to Austin. It makes the time go faster in the delightful traffic. They are also lifesavers for trips, either driving or on a plane. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>We have three different types of audiobooks: </strong> 1) on CDs; 2) Playaways (portable pre-loaded MP3 players that weight less than 3 ounces); and MP3-CDs, which you can listen to on your computer, in your car (if your car can play them-older ones generally can't), and even download them to an MP3 player - yep, even an iPod! For the kids, we have a fantastic selection of read-along kits (a copy of the book and an audio version in an easy-to-carry bag) and a great selection of titles on Tumblebooks.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">An audiobook is a great way for a family to share a book on a trip and we have lots of family-friendly titles that everyone can enjoy. I always recommend the Harry Potter Series, read by the fabulous Jim Dale, or the Percy Jackson Series, read by Jesse Berenstein (who some of you may remember from Dawson's Creek), for families to share. Some of my favorite adult titles are those where the readers have made the author's prose just come alive. I particularly loved: </span></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>The Historian</em>, by Elizabeth Kostova</span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Canon: A Whirligig of the Beautiful Basics of Science</em>, by Natalie Angier</span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Natural Born Charmer</em>, by Susan Elizabeth Philips </span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Wordy Shipmates,</em> by Sarah Vowell</span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>People of the Book</em>, by Geraldine Brooks</span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie</em>, by Alan Bradley</span></div><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></li>
</ul><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I might be prejudiced, but I think we have a great variety of both fiction and nonfiction audiobooks. <strong>Here is a<a href="http://pl.beecavetexas.com/upload/tiny/Recently%20Added%20Audiobooks,%20June%202010.pdf"> list</a> of some of the most recent titles we added to entice those summer trip takers.</strong> One last thing to mention, don't forget that there is still time to sign-up for the kids, teen, or adult summer reading program. Audiobooks are a great because you can count the titles or minutes you listen to them towards your summer reading goal! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Happy listening!</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Angela</span></div>Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-34467043841083555832010-06-04T18:37:00.001-05:002010-06-04T18:39:05.858-05:00Join the Adult and Teen Summer Reading Program. Explore nonfiction this summer!For the first time we are offering a summer reading program for our teen and adult patrons-I hope that all of you consider participating. It’s easy, the more you read or listen to, the greater your chance to win a prize! Click<a href="http://pl.beecavetexas.com/upload/tiny/2010%20Adult%20FULL%20PAGE%20SRP%20flyer.pdf"> here</a> to see a flyer for more information on how participate. <br />
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How about reading some great nonfiction this summer? I know, I know, some of you think that nonfiction are those books that you “have” to read because they are “books that are good for you” – these are books you are supposed to read to make you smarter, for you to learn something from. Heavens, these books are not for fun and you are not supposed to enjoy them!</div><div style="border: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border: medium none;">Granted, some nonfiction books can be as painful to read as the driest text book you had to read for the dullest course you took in college. BUT I am here to assure you that there are GREAT nonfiction books out there that are as exciting, thrilling, and engrossing as the most recent suspense bestseller. Here are some of my top choices from among the recent nonfiction arrivals as well as some of my all-time favorites. </div><div style="border: medium none;"><br />
</div>Join the summer reading program and grab some great nonfiction!<br />
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Happy Reading,<br />
Angela<br />
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</div><div style="border: medium none;"><b>Great Recent Nonfiction Arrivals</b> </div><div style="border: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border: medium none;"><i>The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks</i>, by Rebecca Skloot</div><div style="border: medium none;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TAlUMcG-CyI/AAAAAAAAACg/9Kc1KHU71Rk/s1600/the+immortal+life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TAlUMcG-CyI/AAAAAAAAACg/9Kc1KHU71Rk/s320/the+immortal+life.jpg" /></a></div><ul><li style="border: medium none;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TAlUMcG-CyI/AAAAAAAAACg/9Kc1KHU71Rk/s1600/the+immortal+life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444;"></span></a><span style="color: #444444;">Timely. How the use of cells, which were obtained without permission, tells the story of not only science but the intersection of race, class, and who owns the rights to our body and DNA.</span> </li>
</ul><div style="border: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border: medium none;"><i>A Kingdom Strange: The Brief and Tragic History of the Lost Colony of Roanoke</i>, by James Horn</div><div style="border: medium none;"></div><ul><li style="border: medium none;"><span style="color: #444444;">A mystery and adventure story about the “lost” colony, whose fate has always fascinated me. The author suggests that the colonists were not really “lost” after all.</span></li>
</ul><br />
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</div><div style="border: medium none;"><i>No One Would Listen: A True financial Thriller</i>, by Harry Markopolos </div><br />
<ul><li><span style="color: #444444;">Markopolos and his team investigated Bernie Madoff for years and called for his arrest long before he was “investigated” by the SEC</span>.</li>
</ul><br />
<div style="border: medium none;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TAlUl1OF1BI/AAAAAAAAACo/SYLYX5KveeA/s1600/saving+gracie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><i><img border="0" gu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TAlUl1OF1BI/AAAAAAAAACo/SYLYX5KveeA/s320/saving+gracie.jpg" /></i></a><i>Saving Gracie: How One Dog Escaped the Shadowy World of American Puppy Mills</i>, by Carol Bradley</div><br />
<ul><li> <span style="color: #444444;">I am a dog rescue person and have had numerous fosters from puppy mills (another timely topic!). This book relates both the horror that these dogs go through as well as the hope for a healthy and loved future that some are granted.</span></li>
</ul><br />
<i>Reckoning at Eagle Creek: The Secret Legacy of Coal in the Heartland</i>, by Jeff Biggers<br />
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<ul><li><span style="color: #444444;">Beautifully written! Details the sad legacy of coal mining on the people and the land, where I am from in Southern Illinois.</span> </li>
</ul><br />
<i>Still Life: Adventures in Taxidermy</i>, by Melissa Milgrom<br />
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<ul><li> <span style="color: #444444;">This book is entertaining, enthralling, and fascinating and yes, it is about taxidermy. Milgrom reminds me of Mary Roach.</span></li>
</ul><br />
<div style="border: medium none;"><i>This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All</i>, by Marilyn Johnson</div><div style="border: medium none;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TAlVN0RLL_I/AAAAAAAAACw/1Fqne2Wpa3M/s1600/this+book+is+overdue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TAlVN0RLL_I/AAAAAAAAACw/1Fqne2Wpa3M/s320/this+book+is+overdue.jpg" /></a></div><ul><li style="border: medium none;"> <span style="color: #444444;">Of course, I think everyone should read this book!</span></li>
</ul><div style="border: medium none;"><br />
</div><i>When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present</i>, by Gail Collins<br />
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<ul><li> <span style="color: #444444;">A review of a recent history as well as convincing argument that the issues raised in the 1950s and 1960s are still in need of addressing today. I love the way Collins writes.</span></li>
</ul><b>A Few of Angela’s All Time Nonfiction Favorites</b><br />
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</div><div style="border: medium none;"><i>Assassination Vacation</i>, by Sarah Vowell </div><div style="border: medium none;"></div><ul><li style="border: medium none;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TAlTr8NJcGI/AAAAAAAAACY/6YBTSEabAZk/s1600/assassination+vacation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/TAlTr8NJcGI/AAAAAAAAACY/6YBTSEabAZk/s320/assassination+vacation.jpg" /></a> <span style="color: #444444;">One of my favorite opening chapters of any book I have ever read. Vowell makes history funny and interesting. She has a knack of taking various historical threads and weaving them together into a beautiful and very accessible tapestry with her dry wit. I love all her books</span>.</li>
</ul><br />
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<i>The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science</i>, by Natalie Angier<br />
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<ul><li> <span style="color: #444444;">Science made accessible by a Pulitzer-winning science writer. Not only is this book accessible, but it is funny too! A great read!</span> </li>
</ul><br />
<div style="border: medium none;"><i>Love is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time</i>, by Rob Sheffield</div><div style="border: medium none;"></div><ul><li style="border: medium none;"> <span style="color: #444444;">Heartbreaking, but you cannot put it down.</span></li>
</ul><div style="border: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border: medium none;"><i>Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA</i>, by Brenda Maddox</div><br />
<ul><li><span style="color: #444444;">One of my all time favorite scientific heroines. Her story thrills, angers, amazes and saddens me.</span> </li>
</ul><br />
<i>Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers</i>, by Mary Roach<br />
<ul><li><span style="color: #444444;">Roach has a gift of taking on those subjects that make you say “ew, gross!” and turning them into books that you can’t put down.</span> </li>
</ul><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1779332382699971500.post-60881816407623957662010-05-27T16:02:00.003-05:002010-05-27T18:04:44.516-05:00Welcome to "Check This Out"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Welcome to my new blog! I hope that you will discover new books and authors here that you will enjoy. I would also like to urge all of you to contact me if you would like some personalized reading recommendations or to share any favorite books and authors. For this inaugural post, I would like to share some brand new books which we have just received. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/S_7eh159rFI/AAAAAAAAABw/7CB0WxZXF5I/s1600/61+hours.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/S_7eh159rFI/AAAAAAAAABw/7CB0WxZXF5I/s320/61+hours.jpg" /></a></div><br />
New installments in some very popular series…<br />
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61 Hours, by Lee Child (Jack Reacher Series)<br />
This Body of Death, by Elizabeth George (Inspector Lynley Series)<br />
Dead in the Family, by Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse Series)<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/S_7fLRBtQFI/AAAAAAAAACI/2kXksn21W-g/s1600/the+girl+who+kicked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/S_7fLRBtQFI/AAAAAAAAACI/2kXksn21W-g/s320/the+girl+who+kicked.jpg" /></a>The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, by Stieg Larsson (Millennium Series)</div>Fever Dream, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (Pendergast Series) <br />
The Nearest Exit, by Olen Steinhauer (Milo Weaver Series – the first book, The Tourist, is being made into a movie starring Johnny Depp)<br />
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Some very interesting and intriguing titles…<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/S_7etTSy0_I/AAAAAAAAAB4/3GGToHz6vLA/s1600/map+of+true+places.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/S_7etTSy0_I/AAAAAAAAAB4/3GGToHz6vLA/s320/map+of+true+places.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The Map of True Places, by Brunonia Barry <em>(her last book </em><em>The Lace Reader</em><em> was a surprise hit)</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Amandine, by Marlena de Blasi</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Eye of the Red Tsar, by Sam Eastland <em>(the next “hot” geographical area for thrillers and mysteries is predicted to be Russia – so is it goodbye Scandinavia?) </em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The Council of Dads: My Daughters, My Illness, and the Men Who Could Be Me, by Bruce Feiler</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/S_7e9SOwoCI/AAAAAAAAACA/yz63sYBhgHk/s1600/frozen+rabbi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_sJ3GW5mmIq0/S_7e9SOwoCI/AAAAAAAAACA/yz63sYBhgHk/s320/frozen+rabbi.jpg" /></a>War, by Sebastian Junger</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Girl in Translation, by Jean Kwok </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The Invisible Bridge, by Julie Orringer</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The Scent of Rain and Lightning, by Nancy Pickard</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The Frozen Rabbi, by Steve Stern</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Look for these on our “new fiction and nonfiction” shelves or if they are out, you can place a hold. Remember, that summer is a great time to read for fun- I plan on enjoying some great Chick Lit and Regency Romances in the next couple of months! </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Happy Reading,</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Angela</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Angela Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00536074877725138216noreply@blogger.com2