Saturday, August 31, 2013

Grief

Bereavement comes to all of us at one time or another - the loss of a child, a parent, a spouse, a pet. Grief comes in different forms and affects us in a variety of different ways.  Some people want to talk it out, and others have different coping mechanisms, including writing, reading, being of service to others, and working on self-improvement.  If you have lost someone you love, or your job, or a friendship has suddenly ended, don't hesitate to reach out for help or take steps to help yourself.  Here are some titles from the library catalog you might consider:

Healing Grief, Finding Peace: 101 Ways to Cope with the Death of Your Loved One by Louis E. LaGrand

Healing Your Holiday Grief: 100 Practical Ideas for Blending Mourning and Celebration During the Holiday Season by Alan D. Wolfelt

A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis

Grief: Climb Toward Understanding - Self-Help When You Are Struggling, Includes Checklists of What You Can Do by Phyllis Davies

On Grief and Dying: Understanding the Soul's Journey by Diane Stein

I Can't Stop Crying: Grief and Recovery, A Compassionate Guide by Frank Ferris [eBook]

Kayak Morning: Reflections on Love, Grief, and Small Boats by Roger Rosenblatt

Loving Someone Who Has Dementia: How to Find Hope While Coping with Stress and Grief by Pauline Boss

The Art of Losing: Poems of Grief and Healing edited by Kevin Young

Writing to Heal the Soul: Transforming Grief and Loss Through Writing by Susan Zimmermann

Sorrow's Company: Writers on Loss and Grief edited by DeWitt Henry

Grieving: A Beginner's Guide by Jerusha Hull McCormack

Levels of Life  by Julian Barnes

The Still Point of the Turning World by Emily Rapp


For more books about grief, including grief of children, the religious aspects of grief, and grief therapy, try a subject search using the words "Grief", "Loss (Psychology)", or "Bereavement".

For local bereavement support groups, take a look at this list from the Albuquerque Journal.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

New & Novel: Documentary Film

Did you know that you can view the library's new movies in one convenient list?  From the library home page, from the sidebar on the left, click on the "Subject Guides" heading to find a list that includes ABC Library's "New on DVD" guide, a monthly list of DVDs ordered by the library system. There is a special tab listing "New Non-Fiction and Documentaries" - if you enjoy a good doc, consider checking that list monthly.  Here are some more new and novel documentaries you won't want to miss:


Shut Up and Play the Hits: The Very Loud Ending of LCD Soundsystem

Free Radicals - A History of Experimental Cinema

Searching for Sugar Man

Makers: Women Who Make America

The Sacred Science

One Day on Earth

Behind the Wall

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Cool Spy Stories to Beat the Summer Heat

Baby, it's hot outside! But spies, whether real or fictional, always seem cool, calm, and collected. Here are some thrilling tales of real and imagined espionage from the library catalog to take your mind off the dog days of summer, including, of course, some fun titles regarding everyone's favorite spy, James Bond.



Non-Fiction

Jungleland: A Mysterious Lost City, A WWII Spy, and A True Story of Deadly Adventure by Christopher S. Stewart

Ninja: 1,000 Years of the Shadow Warrior by John Man

The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville by Clare Mulley

Agent Garbo: The Brilliant, Eccentric Secret Agent Who Tricked Hitler and Saved D-Day by Stephan Talty


Fiction

Jack 1939 by Francine Mathews

Becoming Clementine by Jennifer Niven [eBook]

The Spymistress by Jennifer Chiaverini

The Titanic Secret by Jack Steel

The Marlowe Papers by Ros Barber

The House of Rumour by Jake Arnott

The Spy Who Jumped Off the Screen by Thomas Caplan

Death of a Citizen by Donald Hamilton [eBook]


James Bond

Best of Bond - James Bond: 50th Anniversary Collection [music CD]

James Bond In The 21st Century: Why We Still Need 007 by Glenn Yeffeth [eBook]

Solo: The New Mission by William Boyd

Bond on Bond: Reflections on 50 Years of James Bond Movies by Roger Moore; with Gareth Owen [eBook]

Sean Connery: A Biography by Christopher Bray  [eBook]

For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming + James Bond by Ben Macintyre  [eBook]

For Your Eyes Only: Behind The Scenes of The James Bond Films by David Giammarco



For more espionage fiction, try a subject search of "Spy Stories".  For more espionage non-fiction, try a subject search of "Spies".

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Featured Author: Lian Hearn

Lian Hearn is the pen name of children's book author Gillian Rubinstein, an English-born woman who has lived in Australia since 1973. As Lian Hearn, she writes a series of historical fantasy novels called Tales of the Otori, set in a fictional nation that resembles feudal Japan and which is aimed at  young adult and adult audiences.

The Tales were originally published as a trilogy, but now a sequel and a prequel have been added to the mix. The books in the trilogy consist of two episodes each; you can read a couple of the episodes in a one- or two-volume format - the two-volume format features books that are quite small. The trilogy is the story of Takeo, a young warrior with special powers, and "his struggles to avenge an adoptive father, escape the legacy of his biological father, and pursue the love of his life in the midst of an enormous power struggle involving dozens of clan lords and thousands of warriors." [Wikipedia


Across the Nightingale Floor
Episode 1, The Sword of the Warrior
Episode 2, Journey to Inuyama

Grass for His Pillow
Episode 1, Lord Fujiwara's Treasures
Episode 2, The Way Through the Snow

Brilliance of the Moon
Episode 1, Battle for Maruyama
Episode 2, Scars of Victory

The Harsh Cry of the Heron (sequel)

Heaven's Net is Wide (prequel)

Links

Lian Hearn website

Gillian Rubinstein website

Lian Hearn on writing about other cultures

An interview with Lian Hearn

Monday, August 19, 2013

Back to School

What is a school supply that everyone needs and is completely free?  
Your Library Card!

Now that the hubbub of the first week of school has died down - school supplies are purchased and routines have been worked out - we can focus on making the school year successful.

With your library card, you have access to a number of online resources, including free online tutoring with a professional tutors.  Tutor.com helps K-12 and college students with homework, studying, projects, essay writing and test prep in English, Math, Science, and Social Studies, including subjects like Chemistry, Algebra, and Calculus.  Adults can get help with resume writing, GED prep, and academic support.  All sessions are online and one-to-one with a live tutor, available every day from 3 to 10 p.m.

ABC Library has other helpful online resources to complement these tutors, with language learning software, research article databases, test preparation software, encyclopedias, biography and literature reference centers, hot-topic event viewpoints, and reading lists for teens and kids.  We have guides to conducting Science Fair projects/experiments and how to use article databases for research.

In addition to our collection of books, audiobooks, music, and movies, we also have downloadables like eBooks and eAudiobooks.  Students can use library public PCs to do research, work on projects, and print, as long as a parent has signed permission on their library card application.  The public PCs have Microsoft Office Suite installed, with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Publisher available.  (Remember to bring a USB drive to save your work.)

We also have programs to help your child get ready for school or participate in activities that will reinforce learning.  Teens are encouraged to get involved in our Teen Advisory programs, a valuable extracurricular to add to a college application.  Stop by your local branch, visit our Programs & Events page to see what's happening, or look at the list below.
Lastly, we have expertise.  If you have questions, difficulties, or want more information, simply ask!  In-person reference assistance is available at all of our branches.



Thursday, August 15, 2013

New Adult Fiction

Hold the phone, there's a new genre in town! What is "new adult fiction", you ask? These are books that are aimed at twentysomethings, or anybody who feels they have outgrown Young Adult fiction but are looking for books about people just a little older. Protagonists are slightly older than those in Young Adult fiction, usually about 18-25, but the books are often still published by children's book departments, perhaps because they are seen as "coming of age" novels.  As JJ, an editorial assistant at St. Martin's Press (the first publishing house to identify the genre in 2009), says: "there is a gap in the current adult market–the literary fiction market–for fiction about twentysomethings. You never stop growing up, I think, but little in the market seems to address the coming-of-age that also happens in your 20s." Whether you are a twentysomething looking for fiction to reflect your reality or just intrigued by the birth of a new genre, here are some likely titles you can check out from the library catalog!


Losing It by Cora Carmack [eBook]

Slammed by Colleen Hoover

Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire

Easy by Tammara Webber

Taking Chances by Molly McAdams  [eBook]


Links

What is New Adult Fiction?

From Young Adult to New Adult: Books for the in-betweeners

Monday, August 12, 2013

Coming Soon: Young Adult Books to Movies

Are you a fan of Young Adult novels?  It's OK, you can admit it, even if you're an adult! Everyone is reading YA these days. If you are a fan of the genre, you might be interested in this list of novels that have been made (or are being made) into movies.  (Unless you think that books are always better than movies...but that's another blog post.) If you are a parent, you might consider checking out these books also, so when your child wants to go see the film you will know if you want to let them!  Here are some upcoming releases:

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
Expected Release: August 7, 2013


by Cassandra Clare
Expected Release: August 21, 2013


by Meg Rosoff
Expected Release: October 18, 2013


by Orson Scott Card
Expected Release: November 1, 2013


by Markus Zusak
Expected Release: November 15, 2013


Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Expected Release: November 22, 2013


by J. R. R. Tolkien
Released as "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
Expected Release: December 13, 2013
 

by Joseph Delaney
Released as "The Seventh Son"
Expected Release: January 17, 2014


by Richelle Mead
Released as "Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters"
Expected Release: February 14, 2014
 

by James Dashner
Expected Release: February 14, 2014

 
by Veronica Roth
Expected Release: March 21, 2014


by John Green




Friday, August 9, 2013

Uncommon Pets: Aquarium & Terrarium Dwellers

Not everyone who wants a pet is drawn to cats or dogs.  There are plenty of folks out there who would prefer a fish, a lizard, a turtle, a snake - and the ABC Library catalog has books for these pet lovers as well!  Here's a sampling:

500 Ways to Be a Better Freshwater Fishkeeper by Mary Bailey ... [et al.].

The Aquarium Fish Handbook by Mary Bailey, Nick Dakin

Complete Encyclopedia of the Freshwater Aquarium by John Dawes

An Essential Guide to Choosing Your Pond Fish and Aquatic Plants by Graham Quick

The Ocean at Home: An Illustrated History of the Aquarium by Bernd Brunner [eBook]

The New Encyclopedia of the Saltwater Aquarium by Greg Jennings

Bring Me Home!: Saltwater Aquariums Make a Great Hobby by John Tullock

Aquariums: The Complete Guide to Freshwater and Saltwater Aquariums by Thierry Maître-Allain and Christian Piednoir

Frogs and Toads by Steve Grenard

Green Iguana: The Ultimate Owner's Manual by James W. Hatfield

Terrarium and Cage Construction and Care by R.D. Bartlett and Patricia P. Bartlett

Care of Uncommon Pets: Rabbits, Guinea pigs, Hamsters, Mice, Rats, Gerbils, Chickens, Ducks, Frogs, Toads and Salamanders, Turtles and Tortoises, Snakes and Lizards, and Budgerigars by William J. Weber

Box Turtles by Tess Cook

Becoming Best Friends with Your Iguana, Snake , or Turtle by Bill Gutman

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Counting Down to the 2013 Man Booker Prize: The Longlist


I always look forward to this time of year - the announcement of the Man Booker Prize longlist!  Hailed as "The Man Booker dozen 2013", the prize website announces that these titles "comprise an eclectic list of 13 novels that will surprise and intrigue in equal measure". The Telegraph says "this longlist is an incitement to read...[it] is dominated by epic tales that criss-cross the globe." Your ABC Library catalog has quite a few of these titles already...place your holds now!


A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

Five-Star Billionaire by Tash Aw

Harvest by Jim Crace

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri

The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín

TransAtlantic by Colum McCann

We Need New Names by Noviolet Bulawayo


Keep watching for more Man Booker updates! The shortlist will be announced in September, and the winner in October. See the Man Booker website for a full list of nominees and other information.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

When Diets Don't Work Anymore




 
According to the Eating Disorders Coalition, approximately 11 million Americans suffer from an eating disorder. Food addictions are confounding and it may be something that has taken over your life. Sometimes when a compulsive eater goes on a diet, it is about as effective as an alcoholic trying a little controlled drinking. People who are not addicted to sugar and junk food might not understand the difference between phases of excessive indulgence and a full-blown, debilitating binge eating disorder. However, your library is here to help you research some long-term solutions.

Dr. Robert H. Lustig, author of Fat Chance Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease has written a sobering book detailing the forces beyond will power that eaters are up against these days, such as processed foods, biochemistry and politics tampering with the food industry, school cafeterias and our healthcare system. Robert Lustig’s 90-minute YouTube video Sugar: The Bitter Truth”, has been viewed more than three million times. Now his completely scientific book can shed further light on what every eater needs to know about what lurks in the supermarket.

Dr. Mike Dow, co-host of the cringe-worthy TLC TV series Freaky Eaters, offers a four week plan to curtail a junk food addiction without the debilitating effects of withdrawal. The premise of his book: Diet Rehab : 28 Days to Finally Stop Craving the Foods That Make You Fat, establishes that the brain needs two neurotransmitters to regulate mood and functions: serotonin and dopamine. While consuming addictive foods, we get "high", but if we quit junk food and sugar abruptly, the serotonin and dopamine withdrawal will cause inevitable relapse and make even the most resolute dieter fall off the chuck wagon. Dr. Dow not only offers a physical solution to this vicious cycle, but reveals activities and strategies to establish emotional equilibrium for a new way of living.

Geneen Roth has been writing for decades about the psychological aspects of compulsive eating. Her latest book: Women, Food and God : An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything considers the spiritual underpinnings of compulsive eating and features tools needed to stop using food to blot out reality. Geneen Roth's backlog of helpful books is considerable and can also be found in ebook and Playaway formats.


Additional titles for your consideration: