Authors Patrick Rothfuss (fantasy, The Name of the Wind) and Laurie King (mystery, The Language of Bees) are both big fans of the charity Heifer International, according to Heifer's magazine World Ark. Both authors have set up teams on the Heifer website to encourage their fans to donate to the nonprofit charitable organization based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Heifer International is dedicated to relieving global hunger and poverty by providing gifts of livestock and plants, as well as education in sustainable agriculture, to financially-disadvantaged families around the world.
Laurie King's "Fifteen Weeks of Bees" is over, but her Team LRK website is still up and accepting donations. "Fifteen Weeks of Bees" was a promotion for her new book combined with a an anniversary celebration of her first book and a fundraiser for Heifer.
Patrick Rothfuss' Worldbuilders donation page is accepting donations until January 15, 2010. Worldbuilders will match 50% of all donations made on his page until then. Also, whenever you donate $10 or more, you'll be entered in a lottery to win prizes--books, signed books, cool music. For more information about Patrick Rothfuss and Worldbuilders, check out the author's website.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Are you waiting for your copy of the new Sue Grafton?
The library's copies of Sue Grafton's latest Kinsey Millhone mystery, U is for Undertow, have arrived...and there's quite a hold list on copies of the book, the large print book, & the audiobook, so if you haven't put a hold on it yet, now's the time! While you're waiting you could relive Kinsey's past adventures by rereading the first 20 books, from A is for Alibi to T is for Trespass. But if you are looking to wile away your wait with a book not written by Sue Grafton but similar to her mysteries, may we suggest the following titles/series?The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
Edwin of the Iron Shoes by Marcia Muller
the Anna Pigeon mysteries by Nevada Barr, beginning with Track of the Cat
the Anna Lee mysteries by Liza Cody, beginning with Dupe
the V.I. Warshawski mysteries by Sara Paretsky, beginning with Indemnity Only
For more readalikes, check out this list by Bettendorf Public Library.
Monday, December 21, 2009
For the Love of the Crossword Puzzle
As a fervent lover of crossword puzzles, Scrabble and any kind of word game, I had no idea how the crossword puzzle started until I checked the internet to see what happened on this day in history. The first crossword puzzle was actually called a "Word-Cross" and was invented by an English editor and puzzle constructor named Arthur Wynne. Mr. Wynne moved to the United States and settled in Cedar Grove, New Jersey and went to work for the New York World.
He was asked to invent a new game for the paper and based on a game he played as a child called "Magic Squares" he came up with the "Word-Cross". The first crossword puzzles were diamond-shaped with no black squares! Eventually they were called a Cross-Word puzzle and then became known as crossword which we all know and love today. There are even different variants of the crossword puzzle in other countries. Britain uses a lattice-like structure with more shaded squares, the Japanese style grid has two additional rules which the shaded cells may not share a side and the corner squares must be white and the Swedish grid would be a high challenge for a lot of American users as they don't use grid numbers. The clues are put into the actual puzzle itself and arrows are used to indicate which direction to put the answer.
There are a couple of mystery writers who have even tied the crossword puzzle into their novels. There is a Clue for the Puzzle Lady and Dead Man's Puzzle by Parnell Hall. Nero Blanc has several titles such as Death on the Diagonal, Anatomy of a Crossword and Wrapped up in Crosswords. If you are new to crossword puzzles or cannot remember that three-letter word for a Yale student, (it's "eli"), you could try a crossword puzzle dictionary. The two best ones in the library are The Crossword Puzzle Dictionary by Andrew Swanfeldt or The New York Times Crossworld Puzzle Dictionary by Tom Pulliam and Clare Grundman. The New York Times Dictionary is an older edition, but sufficient for someone starting out solving crosswords. There is a great documentary in the catalog called WordPlay which showcases New York Times puzzle enthusiasts and participants in the 28th Annual American Crossword Tournament.
Now, if you are so inclined to make your own crossword puzzle you could check out The Complete Cruciverbalist: How to Solve and Compose Crossword Puzzles for Fun and Profit by Stan Kurzban and Mel Rosen or read about one man's journey with crossword puzzles called
Crossworld: One Man's Journey into America's Crossword Obsession by Marc Romano.
If you also like the crossword game "Scrabble" there is a great digital video in our collection called Word Wars: Tiles and Tribulations on the Scrabble Game Circuit or you could read Stefan Fatsis' book Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius and Obssession in the World of Competitive Scrabble. We also have the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary or the Everything Scrabble if you are so inclined to look up and possibly memorize certain words to be ready for your next Scrabble game, but we all know you don't really need to do that, because after all you are a whiz at getting those triple letter and triple word scores, right?
He was asked to invent a new game for the paper and based on a game he played as a child called "Magic Squares" he came up with the "Word-Cross". The first crossword puzzles were diamond-shaped with no black squares! Eventually they were called a Cross-Word puzzle and then became known as crossword which we all know and love today. There are even different variants of the crossword puzzle in other countries. Britain uses a lattice-like structure with more shaded squares, the Japanese style grid has two additional rules which the shaded cells may not share a side and the corner squares must be white and the Swedish grid would be a high challenge for a lot of American users as they don't use grid numbers. The clues are put into the actual puzzle itself and arrows are used to indicate which direction to put the answer.
There are a couple of mystery writers who have even tied the crossword puzzle into their novels. There is a Clue for the Puzzle Lady and Dead Man's Puzzle by Parnell Hall. Nero Blanc has several titles such as Death on the Diagonal, Anatomy of a Crossword and Wrapped up in Crosswords. If you are new to crossword puzzles or cannot remember that three-letter word for a Yale student, (it's "eli"), you could try a crossword puzzle dictionary. The two best ones in the library are The Crossword Puzzle Dictionary by Andrew Swanfeldt or The New York Times Crossworld Puzzle Dictionary by Tom Pulliam and Clare Grundman. The New York Times Dictionary is an older edition, but sufficient for someone starting out solving crosswords. There is a great documentary in the catalog called WordPlay which showcases New York Times puzzle enthusiasts and participants in the 28th Annual American Crossword Tournament.
Now, if you are so inclined to make your own crossword puzzle you could check out The Complete Cruciverbalist: How to Solve and Compose Crossword Puzzles for Fun and Profit by Stan Kurzban and Mel Rosen or read about one man's journey with crossword puzzles called
Crossworld: One Man's Journey into America's Crossword Obsession by Marc Romano.
If you also like the crossword game "Scrabble" there is a great digital video in our collection called Word Wars: Tiles and Tribulations on the Scrabble Game Circuit or you could read Stefan Fatsis' book Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius and Obssession in the World of Competitive Scrabble. We also have the Official Scrabble Players Dictionary or the Everything Scrabble if you are so inclined to look up and possibly memorize certain words to be ready for your next Scrabble game, but we all know you don't really need to do that, because after all you are a whiz at getting those triple letter and triple word scores, right?
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Book on the Side: Week 5
So, this is the 5th week of our reading of The Thirteenth Tale. How's it going? Are you enjoying the read? We'd love to hear some feedback! Otherwise, we'll conclude our reading of this book.
We're looking for you, our beloved readers, to suggest more titles for us to read starting in January. In the comments section of this post, please let us know any books you'd be interested in reading with us.
Alternatively, we could try a different format, & instead of having an online book group we could feature online reviews. If you would prefer to read reviews, please drop us a line in the comments section.
We crave your input & thanks for 'checking in' (ah, the library puns) with abcreads!
We're looking for you, our beloved readers, to suggest more titles for us to read starting in January. In the comments section of this post, please let us know any books you'd be interested in reading with us.
Alternatively, we could try a different format, & instead of having an online book group we could feature online reviews. If you would prefer to read reviews, please drop us a line in the comments section.
We crave your input & thanks for 'checking in' (ah, the library puns) with abcreads!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Book on the Side: Week 4
How is your reading of The Thirteenth Tale going? Are you still in the first section, "Beginnings" (pages 3-143)? Have you reached "Middles" (pages 147-344)? Or have you reached "Endings" (pages 347-406)? What do you think of the way the story is broken up?
Since we haven't heard from any of you yet (& your comments are always welcome & appreciated!), let's discuss "Beginnings". The first chapter, "The Letter", introduces both main characters. What did you think of Vida Winter from her letter?
The second chapter is "Margaret's Story", which really sets the tone of the narration, brings up themes that will reoccur & resonate later. Margaret says 'I am not a proper biographer'. Do you think that statement applies to her own story, or just to the biographical studies she writes?
After that comes "Thirteen Tales", which is about Vida Winter's writing. Do you find Margaret's descriptions of the books interesting? Do the titles of Vida Winter's books & stories sound intriguing or dull? What do you think of Margaret's assertion 'I read old novels. The reason is simple: I prefer proper endings'--do you agree or disagree?
"Arrival" is a short chapter that introduces Judith, Vida Winter's housekeeper, & takes us to Vida Winter's house. Following that is "Meeting Miss Winter", "And So We Began...", "Gardens", "Merrily and the Perambulator", "Dr. and Mrs. Maudsley", and "Dickens's Study", the bulk of which is taken up with Vida Winter's story. What do you make of the Angelfield household? What do you think of Vida Winter as a storyteller? Do you see some of the traditional Gothic themes represented in her story: the supernatural; death; decay; madness; secrets; & hereditary curses?
These are just some of the things I thought about while reading the book. What's your take? Let us know what you think!
Since we haven't heard from any of you yet (& your comments are always welcome & appreciated!), let's discuss "Beginnings". The first chapter, "The Letter", introduces both main characters. What did you think of Vida Winter from her letter?
The second chapter is "Margaret's Story", which really sets the tone of the narration, brings up themes that will reoccur & resonate later. Margaret says 'I am not a proper biographer'. Do you think that statement applies to her own story, or just to the biographical studies she writes?
After that comes "Thirteen Tales", which is about Vida Winter's writing. Do you find Margaret's descriptions of the books interesting? Do the titles of Vida Winter's books & stories sound intriguing or dull? What do you think of Margaret's assertion 'I read old novels. The reason is simple: I prefer proper endings'--do you agree or disagree?
"Arrival" is a short chapter that introduces Judith, Vida Winter's housekeeper, & takes us to Vida Winter's house. Following that is "Meeting Miss Winter", "And So We Began...", "Gardens", "Merrily and the Perambulator", "Dr. and Mrs. Maudsley", and "Dickens's Study", the bulk of which is taken up with Vida Winter's story. What do you make of the Angelfield household? What do you think of Vida Winter as a storyteller? Do you see some of the traditional Gothic themes represented in her story: the supernatural; death; decay; madness; secrets; & hereditary curses?
These are just some of the things I thought about while reading the book. What's your take? Let us know what you think!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
On storytime
When I first moved from teen librarianship in Boston to children's librarianship here, the one thing that terrified me was... gulp... doing storytime. Getting up there in front of little kids and memorizing rhymes and singing? What if I did it wrong? What if the parents thought, "Ugh, what a horrible children's librarian, she doesn't know how to do a storytime!"
Of course, nothing of the sort happened. It turns out that three-year-olds and their parents are a pretty easygoing audience, and forgiving of occasional word-flubs in songs.
Now, storytime is my favorite part of the week. I love to play with it, and come up with crafts, and think of new things to do.
So, for the uninitiated, what is storytime? Isn't it just a librarian sitting there reading a book?
Well, I suppose in theory that it could be. Storytime will tend to be whatever the librarian in question decides on. At Cherry Hills, we have two storytime models, and beginning in January, there will be a third.
The first, Preschool Passport, is Wednesday and Thursday at 10:15--except during our break months in December and August--and is aimed at children three to five years old. This one is mine. I usually read three or four books, and we sing five songs, usually "The World is Big," "Old MacDonald," "Frere Jacques," "Bingo," and "If You're Happy and You Know It." Once a month, we have a storytime dedicated to a different part of the world (so far, we've done New Mexico, Spain, and China... Scandinavia is coming in January!). Because I like to let kids have some control, I let them choose what animals Old MacDonald has on his farm--we've had the standard cows and horses, but we've also had tigers (who say "grr-grr"), dinosaurs ("clomp-clomp"), dragons ("rahr-rahr"), camels ("spit-spit"), crocodiles ("snap-snap"), and even a shark ("chomp-chomp"). Thinking of noises is always great fun, and keeps me on my toes! For Frere Jacques, which is often already known in a non-English language (generally French), it seemed like a good time to take advantage of the natural preschool affinity for language. The children choose a language at random from my collection of sixteen (so far), and sing the song as well as learning a couple of fun facts about the country or countries where the language is spoken. Always amusing to me is how much better kids are at mimicking the sounds than we adults are. I have to practice for a long time to be able to say "Hoor de klokken luiden" (Flemish), but the kids just rattle it right off when they hear it! I'm currently on the hunt for new fun facts to let them in on. (And if you happen to know Frere Jacques in a non-English language, I'd love to hear it!)
Our second storytime is the popular Toddler Time lapsit, run by Miss Mercedes. There are three books, all on simple themes and with easy, rhythmic language and bright pictures. Between them, energetic toddlers get a chance to bounce, dance, sing, rhyme, and cuddle with Mommy or Daddy (or Grandma, babysitter, and so on). It's always fun to watch them coming in, greeting our huge teddy bear, Dewey, then waiting for Miss Mercedes to get them going with "Open them, close them," which lets them know it's time to start things up. About halfway through, they get to jump and wiggle to their hearts' delight when the toddler-time signature song, "Shake Your Sillies Out," comes up. There are also rhymes and fingerplays, like "Five Little Ducks," "Hickory Dickory Dock," and "Five Little Monkeys, " that parents can learn and do at home. Toddler Time is meant as an opportunity for parents and children to play together and sing together, and it's designed as much as possible around opportunities to interact--whether in the cuddle-friendly "Five Little Monkeys" or the lifting and motion-heavy "Wheels on the Bus"--and enjoy each other's company.
In January, after other Saturday, we're introducing a new storytime with Miss Simone--Music and Movement, which puts greater stress on dance and rhythm and melody, and will include a chance to play with blocks and drums and maracas, as well as dancing with streaming ribbons. The similar Music and Movement program at Juan Tabo has been popular among children and parents. The themed sessions will include things like "Manners" and "Bunnies," with songs and rhymes and stories and even dances inspired by that week's theme. Miss Simone has been working very hard to find fabulous music to share, and we're looking forward to the kickoff!
Storytime is a terrific way to spend time with kids, and I'll let you in on a secret... it's really fun for us big people, too.
Of course, nothing of the sort happened. It turns out that three-year-olds and their parents are a pretty easygoing audience, and forgiving of occasional word-flubs in songs.
Now, storytime is my favorite part of the week. I love to play with it, and come up with crafts, and think of new things to do.
So, for the uninitiated, what is storytime? Isn't it just a librarian sitting there reading a book?
Well, I suppose in theory that it could be. Storytime will tend to be whatever the librarian in question decides on. At Cherry Hills, we have two storytime models, and beginning in January, there will be a third.
The first, Preschool Passport, is Wednesday and Thursday at 10:15--except during our break months in December and August--and is aimed at children three to five years old. This one is mine. I usually read three or four books, and we sing five songs, usually "The World is Big," "Old MacDonald," "Frere Jacques," "Bingo," and "If You're Happy and You Know It." Once a month, we have a storytime dedicated to a different part of the world (so far, we've done New Mexico, Spain, and China... Scandinavia is coming in January!). Because I like to let kids have some control, I let them choose what animals Old MacDonald has on his farm--we've had the standard cows and horses, but we've also had tigers (who say "grr-grr"), dinosaurs ("clomp-clomp"), dragons ("rahr-rahr"), camels ("spit-spit"), crocodiles ("snap-snap"), and even a shark ("chomp-chomp"). Thinking of noises is always great fun, and keeps me on my toes! For Frere Jacques, which is often already known in a non-English language (generally French), it seemed like a good time to take advantage of the natural preschool affinity for language. The children choose a language at random from my collection of sixteen (so far), and sing the song as well as learning a couple of fun facts about the country or countries where the language is spoken. Always amusing to me is how much better kids are at mimicking the sounds than we adults are. I have to practice for a long time to be able to say "Hoor de klokken luiden" (Flemish), but the kids just rattle it right off when they hear it! I'm currently on the hunt for new fun facts to let them in on. (And if you happen to know Frere Jacques in a non-English language, I'd love to hear it!)
Our second storytime is the popular Toddler Time lapsit, run by Miss Mercedes. There are three books, all on simple themes and with easy, rhythmic language and bright pictures. Between them, energetic toddlers get a chance to bounce, dance, sing, rhyme, and cuddle with Mommy or Daddy (or Grandma, babysitter, and so on). It's always fun to watch them coming in, greeting our huge teddy bear, Dewey, then waiting for Miss Mercedes to get them going with "Open them, close them," which lets them know it's time to start things up. About halfway through, they get to jump and wiggle to their hearts' delight when the toddler-time signature song, "Shake Your Sillies Out," comes up. There are also rhymes and fingerplays, like "Five Little Ducks," "Hickory Dickory Dock," and "Five Little Monkeys, " that parents can learn and do at home. Toddler Time is meant as an opportunity for parents and children to play together and sing together, and it's designed as much as possible around opportunities to interact--whether in the cuddle-friendly "Five Little Monkeys" or the lifting and motion-heavy "Wheels on the Bus"--and enjoy each other's company.
In January, after other Saturday, we're introducing a new storytime with Miss Simone--Music and Movement, which puts greater stress on dance and rhythm and melody, and will include a chance to play with blocks and drums and maracas, as well as dancing with streaming ribbons. The similar Music and Movement program at Juan Tabo has been popular among children and parents. The themed sessions will include things like "Manners" and "Bunnies," with songs and rhymes and stories and even dances inspired by that week's theme. Miss Simone has been working very hard to find fabulous music to share, and we're looking forward to the kickoff!
Storytime is a terrific way to spend time with kids, and I'll let you in on a secret... it's really fun for us big people, too.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The American Way of Volunteering
Earlier this year, the Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library System had a visitor from Germany. Beate Hoerning was traveling across the U.S. by train, interviewing volunteers in American public libraries in a search "to find historical, sociological, mental and economic roots and reasons for the very successful 'American Way of Volunteering.'" She hoped to bring some of the lessons she learned with us back to Europe, where volunteering is not as popular.Read her story as she travels from New York to Los Angeles in ALA's International Leads publication.
Do You Have an Itch to Stitch?
Many of the libraries have stitching groups these days. Juan Tabo has a Stitch in Time, Taylor Ranch has A Good Yarn, East Mountain has Sandia Stitch 'n Time--days & times vary, so check out the library website for more information. Here at Cherry Hills we have An Itch to Stitch, meeting weekly from 10AM-noon on Tuesdays.An Itch to Stitch is an eclectic group, including crocheters, knitters, cross-stitchers, embroiderers & quilters. Our intrepid needlers meet to craft together, talk together, laugh together. This past week, they celebrated the kickoff of the holiday season with a party--finger foods & fun! They have also been choosing a book to read monthly and discuss. The current book is Ghost at the Table by Suzanne Berne.
All are welcome to attend any of the library stitching groups. So drop in & meet with like-minded crafters, whether you need advice on a project or just want to chat. Also check out our Stone Soup Crafts program this Saturday, December 5th @ 3:30 PM. It's a chance for you to share your leftover craft supplies--fabric, wood, yarn, what have you--with other folks. So stop by with your leftovers & sift through other people's & out of the Stone Soup cauldron of crafts we'll brew up something new!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Book on the Side: Week 3
As we wend our leisurely way through The Thirteenth Tale, I'm happy to say that I have finally made some progress with the novel. As soon as I started reading, I was immediately sucked into the plot & especially the mystery. I think Diane Setterfield has done a really good job writing a modern Gothic novel. The Thirteenth Tale seems to me to have all the elements of Gothic fiction (as defined by Wikipedia)--a ruined house, madness, secrets, hereditary curses, secrets, darkness, doubles. & while, like many others I've spoken to, I was not exactly smitten with the protagonist, Margaret, I think that she is an important piece of the novel. She is a protagonist in the tradition of Rebecca's unnamed protagonist--"lacking self-confidence and overwhelmed by her new life." (Wikipedia)
How is your reading coming along? Are you enjoying it? The book has impressed me so far as exhibiting "a pleasing sort of terror", straddling the genres of horror & mystery. I've been at the edge of my seat reading, that's for sure.
How is your reading coming along? Are you enjoying it? The book has impressed me so far as exhibiting "a pleasing sort of terror", straddling the genres of horror & mystery. I've been at the edge of my seat reading, that's for sure.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
I made it! Last night at 1 AM I wrote my 50,000 word, went to the website to validate my word count, was told I only had 49,917 words, wrote some more, validated again, and lo and behold, I am a winner of NaNoWriMo 2009! (I get a printable certificate and a web badge.)Winning, by the way, just indicates that I reached my 50,000 word goal. Actually, I have a few more pages to write to wind up my last plot threads, and I can go back to the site and update my word count if I finish any time before midnight on Monday, November 30th. But frankly, I am so excited not to be working on a deadline that I'm not sure any more writing will be done this week. Just to give you an idea of me working against the clock, I wrote 6,000 words between Thanksgiving dinner and returning to work on Saturday morning. I'm exhausted!
Hurrah for NaNoWriMo!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Book on the Side: Week 2
I've got to confess: I'm behind in my reading of The Thirteenth Tale. What with writing 50,000 words for National Novel Writing Month (current word count: 32, 000) and getting ready for Thanksgiving, it has just fallen by the wayside.
So, our idea is, let's continue with our reading of The Thirteenth Tale into December, which will give us a chance to catch up & not give us, or any of you, another reading assignment during the busy holiday season. We'll start afresh with a new book in January, so if you have suggestions, don't hesitate to start letting us know!
For those of you who have been diligently reading & looking forward to discussion, I consulted with Thirteenth Tale fan Elisabeth for some commentary:
Elisabeth doesn't like mysteries, but she liked this book--she found it to be a great psychological story, like Rebecca, dark & slightly creepy. Elisabeth thought Margaret was a bit of a cold fish and Vida was sometimes annoying but feisty & more likeable. She also liked the characters of the housekeeper & the gardener. The most interesting thing about Elisabeth's experience with The Thirteenth Tale is that she first listened to it on audiobook, but disliked the reader & was not very interested in the book. However, when her book group opted to read the book, Elisabeth tried reading it in book form & loved it.
Do you agree? Disagree? Inquiring minds want to know, we want to know!
So, our idea is, let's continue with our reading of The Thirteenth Tale into December, which will give us a chance to catch up & not give us, or any of you, another reading assignment during the busy holiday season. We'll start afresh with a new book in January, so if you have suggestions, don't hesitate to start letting us know!
For those of you who have been diligently reading & looking forward to discussion, I consulted with Thirteenth Tale fan Elisabeth for some commentary:
Elisabeth doesn't like mysteries, but she liked this book--she found it to be a great psychological story, like Rebecca, dark & slightly creepy. Elisabeth thought Margaret was a bit of a cold fish and Vida was sometimes annoying but feisty & more likeable. She also liked the characters of the housekeeper & the gardener. The most interesting thing about Elisabeth's experience with The Thirteenth Tale is that she first listened to it on audiobook, but disliked the reader & was not very interested in the book. However, when her book group opted to read the book, Elisabeth tried reading it in book form & loved it.
Do you agree? Disagree? Inquiring minds want to know, we want to know!
What We're Reading...
We're librarians. We're surrounded by books all day. It's kind of like being a kid in a candy store. So, even though we're working all day & reading books for the library book groups all night, sometimes we just want to read something just for fun.
Joy just read Katherine Hall Page's The Body in the Sleigh, the latest book in her Faith Fairchild series. Joy's enjoyed following the adventures of Faith through the eighteen-odd books written about her. Joy was also tickled pink to see Ms. Page's Author's Note at the end of The Body in the Sleigh, which contains, in addition to the book's dedication to librarians (aw, shucks, you shouldn't have), the story of how this book came to be written and an explanation of what libraries & librarians mean to the author. Ms. Page won Joy's heart by starting off with a quote from Henry Ward Beecher (brother of Harriet): "A library is not a luxury but one of the necessities of life."
Joy recommends the Faith Fairchild series for those who like a good cozy mystery--with recipes, to boot! Over the years, Faith has come to seem like an old friend of Joy's & Joy hopes you'll feel the same.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Book on the Side: Week 1
How are you enjoying The Thirteenth Tale? We've been debating it amongst my co-workers. One didn't like the book--she found the characters too self-consciously odd, as though the author was trying too hard to make them quirky. Another did enjoy the book, particularly the mystery aspect of it.
Much of the novel takes place in two grand estates --- Angelfield and then Miss Winter’s. How are the houses reflections of their inhabitants?
As the story unfolds, we learn that Margaret and Miss Winter are both twins. What else do they have in common?
I've seen The Thirteenth Tale listed as 'having all the mystery of a modern day blockbuster' and as gothic fiction, in the tradition of the Brontë sisters. Do you agree with these classifications?
Much of the novel takes place in two grand estates --- Angelfield and then Miss Winter’s. How are the houses reflections of their inhabitants?
As the story unfolds, we learn that Margaret and Miss Winter are both twins. What else do they have in common?
I've seen The Thirteenth Tale listed as 'having all the mystery of a modern day blockbuster' and as gothic fiction, in the tradition of the Brontë sisters. Do you agree with these classifications?
Margaret Atwood & Graeme Gibson
Thanks to Bookworks, the UNM Creative Writing Program, & the Forest Guardians I (& quite a few others) were able to attend a reading & book-signing by authors Margaret Atwood & Graeme Gibson.
Ms. Atwood spoke first, primarily about her new novel The Year of the Flood, which is, she explained, not a sequel or a prequel to Oryx & Crake but occurs simultaneously--in a Victorian novel, The Year of the Flood would be the "Meanwhile..." chapter, discussing events happening to characters in the book which seem to have nothing to do with the primary story until, later, the stories converge. Ms. Atwood read excerpts from her new book in the voices of each of her three narrators, Toby, Ren, & Adam One. She also played recordings that had been made of the some of the hymns from the book which had been set to music, including Oh Sing We Now the Holy Weeds.
Ms. Atwood also spoke about creating the character Jimmy in Oryx & Crake as a response to people who said she only wrote about female characters & explained that she did research to create Jimmy by having young men of the same age read the manuscript & comment.
Mr. Gibson then read from his new book, The Bedside Book of Beasts: A Wildlife Miscellany, with an accompanying slideshow. A review says of his book, "A fascinating exploration of the chain of life, of survival and mortality. In The Bedside Book of Beasts, Graeme Gibson gathers breathtaking works of art and literature that capture the power, grace, and inventiveness of both predators and their natural prey. The Bedside Book of Beasts evokes a profound sense of the eternal connection between humans and the creatures they endeavor to tame."
After the readings, Ms. Atwood & Mr. Gibson took a number of questions, including suggestions for those suffering from writer's block--Ms. Atwood has had to throw away 2 books due to writer's block, & Mr. Gibson 3, but generally Ms. Atwood suggested trying to change the person (e.g. first person narration to omniscient narrator) or change the tense (e.g. past to present) before throwing away your work. One questioner asked how Ms. Atwood felt to be a 'focal point for students', citing a paper the questioner had written in high school, to which Ms. Atwood had a spirited reply, reminding us that when we read her works, she's not there.
Ms. Atwood & Mr. Gibson, who are a long-standing couple, also fielded numerous questions about their relationship's longevity & possible collaborations. Both were easygoing & very humorous on these rather intimate topics. They don't collaborate, but Ms. Atwood sees Mr. Gibson's work in manuscript form, she joked, because she is the only one who knows how to use punctuation. Ms. Atwood's relationship advice included having a sense of humor & tolerance, which, Mr. Gibson quipped, he had.
Margaret Atwood books
Graeme Gibson books
Hear interviews with Ms. Atwood & Mr. Gibson!
Ms. Atwood spoke first, primarily about her new novel The Year of the Flood, which is, she explained, not a sequel or a prequel to Oryx & Crake but occurs simultaneously--in a Victorian novel, The Year of the Flood would be the "Meanwhile..." chapter, discussing events happening to characters in the book which seem to have nothing to do with the primary story until, later, the stories converge. Ms. Atwood read excerpts from her new book in the voices of each of her three narrators, Toby, Ren, & Adam One. She also played recordings that had been made of the some of the hymns from the book which had been set to music, including Oh Sing We Now the Holy Weeds.
Ms. Atwood also spoke about creating the character Jimmy in Oryx & Crake as a response to people who said she only wrote about female characters & explained that she did research to create Jimmy by having young men of the same age read the manuscript & comment.
Mr. Gibson then read from his new book, The Bedside Book of Beasts: A Wildlife Miscellany, with an accompanying slideshow. A review says of his book, "A fascinating exploration of the chain of life, of survival and mortality. In The Bedside Book of Beasts, Graeme Gibson gathers breathtaking works of art and literature that capture the power, grace, and inventiveness of both predators and their natural prey. The Bedside Book of Beasts evokes a profound sense of the eternal connection between humans and the creatures they endeavor to tame."
After the readings, Ms. Atwood & Mr. Gibson took a number of questions, including suggestions for those suffering from writer's block--Ms. Atwood has had to throw away 2 books due to writer's block, & Mr. Gibson 3, but generally Ms. Atwood suggested trying to change the person (e.g. first person narration to omniscient narrator) or change the tense (e.g. past to present) before throwing away your work. One questioner asked how Ms. Atwood felt to be a 'focal point for students', citing a paper the questioner had written in high school, to which Ms. Atwood had a spirited reply, reminding us that when we read her works, she's not there.
Ms. Atwood & Mr. Gibson, who are a long-standing couple, also fielded numerous questions about their relationship's longevity & possible collaborations. Both were easygoing & very humorous on these rather intimate topics. They don't collaborate, but Ms. Atwood sees Mr. Gibson's work in manuscript form, she joked, because she is the only one who knows how to use punctuation. Ms. Atwood's relationship advice included having a sense of humor & tolerance, which, Mr. Gibson quipped, he had.
Margaret Atwood books
Graeme Gibson books
Hear interviews with Ms. Atwood & Mr. Gibson!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
National Novel Writing Month: Day 15
Well, we're halfway through with National Novel Writing Month, & I'm behind in my word count, but doing better than last year. My novel is called (for the moment) The Dwindling Prophecy, and it's a satire/parody of various fantasy and science fiction classics like Lord of the Rings & Dune. It's fun to write so far, but 50,000 words sure is a lot, even with help from all the name generators, title generators, poetry generators and the like.
In the meantime, I've been trolling the NaNoWriMo site, & they have a lot of resources. Want to see a list of NaNoWriMo authors that have been published, including Sara Gruen? Feeling stalled and need a pep talk? Here's the pep talks from this year, including Peter Carey, Jasper Fforde, and Lynda Barry, & the archive of pep talks from past years, including Sue Grafton, Neil Gaiman, Janet Fitch & Meg Cabot. Forums include discussions on tips & strategies, life during NaNo, plus a list of resources & writing support, and check out the special offers, including a free proof copy of your book!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Check out these links to find out more!
National Veterans Day Ceremony
Look for Veterans Day events & deals in Albuquerque, including:
- Military Appreciation Monday@ Golden Corral: Free "Thank You" DinnerMonday, Nov. 16, 2009,5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Today in History: 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall
I was in my German 101 class in college when we got the news that the Berlin Wall was coming down. Where were you?
Want to learn a little bit about the history of the Berlin Wall? Click here.
Want to find books about the Berlin Wall? Click here.
Find out latest news about celebrations of the anniversary of the Berlin Wall's fall here.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Rereading Wuthering Heights
Are there any Wuthering Heights fans out there? Talk to me. Please explain what makes this novel a classic. I just reread it & I still don't get it.
First, let me explain how I came to be re-reading the book. My reading often takes me on tangents. I was reading a book of essays by Judith Thurman called Cleopatra's Nose: 39 Varieties of Desire, which contains a great essay about Charlotte Brontë. This essay recommended a couple of biographies, including Unquiet Soul : A Biography of Charlotte Brontë, which I then read (& if you're interested in the Brontës, it's a very good biography). Reading a biography of one Brontë sister inevitably leads to you to others, and Unquiet Soul waxed eloquently about the mysticism of Emily and Wuthering Heights, so I decided to give it another try.
I mean, it's an interesting read, but I feel like I'm not getting what everyone else is getting. I have even picked up Wuthering Heights, Revised; An Authoritative Text, with Essays in Criticism. In between readings on the Gondal cycle of stories and Emily's poetry, I did find one excellent essay: "A Fresh Approach to Wuthering Heights," by Q.D. Leavis. (Please note that this approach was fresh in 1969.)
Q.D. (Queenie Dorothy) Leavis suggests that Emily "had some trouble getting free of a false start-a start which suggests that we are going to a have a regional version of the sub-plot of Lear." Leavis also posits that there "are various signs thatthe novelist intended to stress the aspect of her theme represented by the corruption of the child's native goodness by Society...", and, while this a "commonplace subject" of the Romantic period, it becomes "neither superficial nor theoretic because the interests of the responsible novelist gave it...a new insight..."
Leavis talks about the "genius devoted to creating Nelly Dean, Joseph, Zillah, Frances, Lockwood, the the two Catherines, and to setting them into significant action". Catherine is the real "moral centre" of the book, and Heathcliff and Hareton are giving only "very perfunctory attention..." (She also makes a lot of comparisons, based on the Catherine-Heathcliff-Edgar Linton triangle, with the movie Jules et Jim, which, given my case history, probably means I'll have to check that out in the not-too-distant future.)
I don't want to quote the essay here in its totality, but I have found reading it very useful & I'm considering tackling Wuthering Heights in all its confoundedness again. Leavis herself says, "Why does one feel that in spite of its intensely painful scenes-painful in a great variety of ways-Wuthering Heights always repays rereading?"
What do you think of Wuthering Heights?
First, let me explain how I came to be re-reading the book. My reading often takes me on tangents. I was reading a book of essays by Judith Thurman called Cleopatra's Nose: 39 Varieties of Desire, which contains a great essay about Charlotte Brontë. This essay recommended a couple of biographies, including Unquiet Soul : A Biography of Charlotte Brontë, which I then read (& if you're interested in the Brontës, it's a very good biography). Reading a biography of one Brontë sister inevitably leads to you to others, and Unquiet Soul waxed eloquently about the mysticism of Emily and Wuthering Heights, so I decided to give it another try.
I mean, it's an interesting read, but I feel like I'm not getting what everyone else is getting. I have even picked up Wuthering Heights, Revised; An Authoritative Text, with Essays in Criticism. In between readings on the Gondal cycle of stories and Emily's poetry, I did find one excellent essay: "A Fresh Approach to Wuthering Heights," by Q.D. Leavis. (Please note that this approach was fresh in 1969.)
Q.D. (Queenie Dorothy) Leavis suggests that Emily "had some trouble getting free of a false start-a start which suggests that we are going to a have a regional version of the sub-plot of Lear." Leavis also posits that there "are various signs thatthe novelist intended to stress the aspect of her theme represented by the corruption of the child's native goodness by Society...", and, while this a "commonplace subject" of the Romantic period, it becomes "neither superficial nor theoretic because the interests of the responsible novelist gave it...a new insight..."
Leavis talks about the "genius devoted to creating Nelly Dean, Joseph, Zillah, Frances, Lockwood, the the two Catherines, and to setting them into significant action". Catherine is the real "moral centre" of the book, and Heathcliff and Hareton are giving only "very perfunctory attention..." (She also makes a lot of comparisons, based on the Catherine-Heathcliff-Edgar Linton triangle, with the movie Jules et Jim, which, given my case history, probably means I'll have to check that out in the not-too-distant future.)
I don't want to quote the essay here in its totality, but I have found reading it very useful & I'm considering tackling Wuthering Heights in all its confoundedness again. Leavis herself says, "Why does one feel that in spite of its intensely painful scenes-painful in a great variety of ways-Wuthering Heights always repays rereading?"
What do you think of Wuthering Heights?
Museum of Modern Art
Today is the 80th birthday of one of the country's most famous museums, the Museum of Modern Art or MOMA as it is sometimes abbreviated. Opened on November 7th, 1929, just nine days after the stock market crash, it is located at 11 West 53rd Street in New York City and has become a treasured stop for artists and non-artists alike when visiting the Big Apple. It is one of the biggest depositories of contemporary and modern art in the world with well over 300,000 items. There are several books in the library catalogue that MOMA has published through the years and are available for checkout. Some of the more interesting titles are an exhibition of work by Alberto Giacometti, a work on still life called "Objects of Desire: The Modern Still Life" by Margit Rowell and a work on the exhibition of Latin American artists titled
"Latin American Artists of the Twentieth Century" from 1993. The catalogue also has DVD's on modern art such as: "The Impressionists" by A&E Television and "The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo" narrated by Rita Moreno. It is a true testament of art lovers around the country that MOMA survived the depression of the 1930's and is today one of the premier art museums in the world.
"Latin American Artists of the Twentieth Century" from 1993. The catalogue also has DVD's on modern art such as: "The Impressionists" by A&E Television and "The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo" narrated by Rita Moreno. It is a true testament of art lovers around the country that MOMA survived the depression of the 1930's and is today one of the premier art museums in the world.
Book on the Side: November
Our second Book on the Side read will be The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. Booklist Reviews has this to say about it: "Margaret Lea, a bookish loner, is summoned to the home of Vida Winter, England's most popular novelist, and commanded to write her biography. Miss Winter has been falsifying her life story and her identity for more than 60 years. Facing imminent death and feeling an unexplainable connection to Margaret, Miss Winter begins to spin a haunting, suspenseful tale of an old English estate, a devastating fire, twin girls, a governess, and a ghost. As Margaret carefully records Vida's tale, she ponders her own family secrets.Readers will be mesmerized by this -story-within-a-story tinged with the eeriness of Rebecca and the willfulness of Jane Eyre. A wholly original work told in the vein of all the best gothic classics. Lovers of books about book lovers will be enthralled."
The Thirteenth Tale is also available in large print and audiobook. There is no need to sign up for Book on the Side! Feel free to leave your comments and reviews for The Thirteenth Tale any time during the month of November. Leave your comments and reviews in the comment form of the blog. Don't forget to check back often to see what other readers are saying about the book!
Thank you for visiting abcreads! We look forward to discussing The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield with you.
Articles about Diane Setterfield & The Thirteenth Tale:
British Teacher Becomes a Literary Sensation in the U.S.
Debut Writer's Million-Pound Success Story
The Girl from Theale
The Thirteenth Tale is also available in large print and audiobook. There is no need to sign up for Book on the Side! Feel free to leave your comments and reviews for The Thirteenth Tale any time during the month of November. Leave your comments and reviews in the comment form of the blog. Don't forget to check back often to see what other readers are saying about the book!
Thank you for visiting abcreads! We look forward to discussing The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield with you.
Articles about Diane Setterfield & The Thirteenth Tale:
British Teacher Becomes a Literary Sensation in the U.S.
Debut Writer's Million-Pound Success Story
The Girl from Theale
Monday, November 2, 2009
National Novel Writing Month: Day 2
Ah, November. It's fall, the leaves are changing color, my family's trying to figure out where we're doing Thanksgiving dinner...& I'm going to try to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I started last night.
What is it? It's NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month--"a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30," explains the website. This crazy endeavor started out with 21 participants in 1999, and in 2008 there were over 120,000 participants. If you are interested in taking part, you can still sign up! The rewards you'll reap are mainly personal fulfillment; if you finish your novel, NaNoWriMo just puts your name up on their Winner’s Page and sends you a winner’s certificate and web badge.
The NaNoWriMo website has lots of starting tips, a "Procrastination Station" forum, & if, you sign up for it, you can receive pep talks in your email from established writers such as Philip Pullman & Sara Gruen. Also, if you are 17 years old or younger, you can still do NaNoWriMo as part of the Young Writers Program.
This is my second year participating but last year I didn't finish, so cross your fingers & wish me luck!
What is it? It's NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month--"a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30," explains the website. This crazy endeavor started out with 21 participants in 1999, and in 2008 there were over 120,000 participants. If you are interested in taking part, you can still sign up! The rewards you'll reap are mainly personal fulfillment; if you finish your novel, NaNoWriMo just puts your name up on their Winner’s Page and sends you a winner’s certificate and web badge.
The NaNoWriMo website has lots of starting tips, a "Procrastination Station" forum, & if, you sign up for it, you can receive pep talks in your email from established writers such as Philip Pullman & Sara Gruen. Also, if you are 17 years old or younger, you can still do NaNoWriMo as part of the Young Writers Program.
This is my second year participating but last year I didn't finish, so cross your fingers & wish me luck!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Book on the Side: Dreamers of the Day Wrap-up
So, are you all finished reading Dreamers of the Day? Did you like it? Dislike it? How did you feel about the characters? The plot? Do you like historical fiction that includes real people as characters? (I was at a book group recently where they were not fans of figures from history as fictionalized characters.)
Once again, here's a link to some discussion questions. Let us know what you think of the book or your Book on the Side experience! Don't forget to vote for November's Book on the Side!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Putting on quite a display
Believe it or not, sometimes, people don't know what they want to check out when they come to the library.To help with this knotty problem, every month we offer new displays on different topics, with books set out for easy browsing. At Cherry Hills, our Duchess of Displays (also, your most prolific blogmistress) sets up one large adult display and several smaller once. For October, the large display has featured books that you might like to read in a book group... and highlighted our collection of downloadable books.
The smaller displays, set up in cubes toward the front of the library, might feature anything, from marathon running to jazz music to Eleanor Roosevelt. There's also a rotating display of mysteries, to meet the tastes of any of Cherry Hills' many mystery fans (if you're one of them, you might like our Mystery Book Group!). Just look for the little cubes with the small signs, like this:
Your friendly neighborhood children's librarian (aka, me) doesn't like to see her clientele go without displays, so each month, there is a large display in the children's area, sometimes attached to a monthly event, like Hispanic Heritage Month (right), and sometimes just pulled from thin air, like a popular geography display.And why ignore the teens? They might want to know what to read next as well. So in the teen area, we set up displays for back to school, or displays of action/survival books, or, as this month, displays related to events like Teen Read Week, this year with the theme "Read Beyond Reality."
So come on in and check them out... you might find something you never knew existed!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
View from the Top (of the Library)
Books alone are liberal and free; They give to all who ask;They emancipate all who serve them faithfully.
— Quote on the side of the L.A. Public Library
I recently enjoyed a vacation in sunny & mild Los Angeles. While I was there, being the library geek I am, I couldn't help but stop by their lovely Central Library. Of course, it is much bigger than any of ours!
Here are some pictures from inside the library to give you an idea of just how big:
These are the chandeliers hanging in a giant foyer.
This is just one of their 3 or 4 check-in/check-out desks, each with a long snaky line of customers.
Just for pretty, this is another chandelier they have in a different part of the building.
If you are in L.A. & have a little extra time, I would highly recommend dropping by the library. In addition to a beautiful building, they have many interesting program & exhibits--& quite a lot of books, too!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Book on the Side: Week 3
Here are some topics to mull over in Week 3 and another interview with the author. Enjoy!
Unlike Mumma and her devout sister Lillie, Agnes struggles with her faith. Why are some people so at home in the religion they were born to, while others chafe at it? Does her trip to the Holy Land change Agnes's philosophical framework, or is she left without a moral compass? Where is Agnes at the end of the novel? Is she a “soul who cannot find her way?”
Russell paints a vivid picture of America in the Roaring Twenties, and identifies a strong correlation between identity and consumption (with Freud and postwar advertising to thank). How has advertising changed since the 1920s? Do you recognize modern America in the descriptions?
T. E. Lawrence, Karl Weilbacher, Gertrude Bell, Lord Cox, and Winston Churchill all have theories on imperial rule and how to best resolve the growing conflicts in the Middle East. What are their ideas and how do they hold up to hindsight and a modern historical perspective?
Mary Doria Russell discusses writing Dreamers of the Day (another interview with the author)
Unlike Mumma and her devout sister Lillie, Agnes struggles with her faith. Why are some people so at home in the religion they were born to, while others chafe at it? Does her trip to the Holy Land change Agnes's philosophical framework, or is she left without a moral compass? Where is Agnes at the end of the novel? Is she a “soul who cannot find her way?”
Russell paints a vivid picture of America in the Roaring Twenties, and identifies a strong correlation between identity and consumption (with Freud and postwar advertising to thank). How has advertising changed since the 1920s? Do you recognize modern America in the descriptions?
T. E. Lawrence, Karl Weilbacher, Gertrude Bell, Lord Cox, and Winston Churchill all have theories on imperial rule and how to best resolve the growing conflicts in the Middle East. What are their ideas and how do they hold up to hindsight and a modern historical perspective?
Mary Doria Russell discusses writing Dreamers of the Day (another interview with the author)
Friday, October 23, 2009
Digital Videos That You Can Download
Did you know that the library's downloadable digital media section has 1,152 videos that you can watch on your computer or a WMV device? Now, these videos are not first-run movies or the latest hot television series, but there are some treasures if you are willing to take the time to look through the various titles available. I have gone through every page and was quite amazed at the variety of stuff available. I found a Japanese anime movie called "Ninja Scroll" a 1993 Citizen Award Winner from the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival, a drama called "Hog Island", about a woman who walks away from a comfortable home and ends up becoming involved with two drifters, and a 1959 horror classic called "House on Haunted Hill" with one of Hollywood's greatest actors, Vincent Price. There are also documentaries such as "An Adventure of a Different Nature" about Gros Morne Mountain in Newfoundland, Canada, now a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the original "The Fast and the Furious" from 1955 with John Ireland and Dorothy Malone. Who would have thought there would be a female character in a 1950's movie who is driving a muscle car? You will also find comedies, classics, old cartoons, and foreign films. So, for those of you who like to try offbeat videos for free, head on over to the "Featured Video" section and check out some of the titles for download. Or if you have the time, look through every single video like I did and you just might fine a hidden gem.
I have tried the video download, choosing a PBS Nature program and in about fifteen minutes, I was watching a documentary on birds.
If you have the Overdrive Media Console software already installed, the video will download in about ten minutes or so with a high-speed internet connection. I am not sure how it works with most computers, but for mine it opened up in a small window and then I clicked the small Windows Media Player icon on the bottom and the video then displayed in a larger picture through Windows Media Player. If you are not sure if you are able to watch videos on your computer or device, be sure and go to the "Help" section for answers and troubleshooting if you are having problems.
I have tried the video download, choosing a PBS Nature program and in about fifteen minutes, I was watching a documentary on birds.
If you have the Overdrive Media Console software already installed, the video will download in about ten minutes or so with a high-speed internet connection. I am not sure how it works with most computers, but for mine it opened up in a small window and then I clicked the small Windows Media Player icon on the bottom and the video then displayed in a larger picture through Windows Media Player. If you are not sure if you are able to watch videos on your computer or device, be sure and go to the "Help" section for answers and troubleshooting if you are having problems.
Happy Birthday, iPod!
CUPERTINO, California—October 23, 2001—Apple® today introduced iPod™, a breakthrough MP3 music player that packs up to 1,000 CD-quality songs into an ultra-portable, 6.5 ounce design that fits in your pocket.
--from apple.com
Remember the days before iPods? Remember when you had to drag CDs (or even cassette tapes) around with you if you wanted to listen to music? Now you can practically fit your entire music collection in this tiny player. But have you considered downloading audiobooks to your iPod?
From our website, you can download audiobooks, eBooks, even videos. Just recently, the iPod-compatible format was added to this feature! Now you can search our Digital Library for iPod compatible audiobooks. Downloading is easy with the help of our handy FAQs. Or stop by your local branch & check at the Information Desk--we have helpful handouts for you!
From our website, you can download audiobooks, eBooks, even videos. Just recently, the iPod-compatible format was added to this feature! Now you can search our Digital Library for iPod compatible audiobooks. Downloading is easy with the help of our handy FAQs. Or stop by your local branch & check at the Information Desk--we have helpful handouts for you!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Happy Birthday, Ursula K. LeGuin!
It is above all by the imagination that we achieve
perception and compassion and hope.
--Ursula K. LeGuin
Ursula LeGuin (born October 21, 1929) is a renowned American science fiction and fantasy author. She has won 5 Hugo Awards and 6 Nebula Awards for her work. In 2003 she was awarded the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Grand Master Award. Her books The Lathe of Heaven and the Earthsea trilogy have been adapted for television.
Ursula LeGuin writes for adults, young adults, and children--her Hainish Cycle, beginning with Rocannon's World, is for adults, and the award-winning Annals of the Western Shore series, which starts with 2004's Gifts, is for young adults.
Interview: Ursula LeGuin on The Left Hand of Darkness (celebrating its 40th anniversary this year)
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Welcome to Teen Read Week
Okay, so it's officially been Teen Read Week since Sunday, but hey, we'll go with it.
This year's theme is "Read Beyond Reality," so I figured I'd open up the discussion for everyone's favorite science fiction/fantasy/horror books. Here are my top ten--what are yours?
10. Foundation - Isaac Asimov
Using psychology as a base science, Isaac Asimov's Hari Seldon sets out a plan to save the galaxy from itself. Not the most engaging characters in the genre, but an undisputed classic, and definitely worth a read on the pure idea front.
9. The Talisman - Stephen King and Peter Straub
Jack Sawyer is the modern American version of a prince--the son of a movie star. Unfortunately, she's dying, and when she flees to the east coast in an attempt to avoid the duplicitous Morgan Sloat, a frightened and depressed Jack stumbles onto the magical world of the Territories--both wondrous and terrifying, and populated by "Twinners" of people in his world. He makes a daring trek across the Territories--and the United States--in search of the magical Talisman, which will save his mother, and both worlds in which she is queen. Excellent character work.
8. Animal Farm - George Orwell
Orwell's short allegory of the Russian Revolution features pigs who decide that they've had enough of being ruled over by humans--four legs good, two legs bad!--and lead the animals of Manor Farm in a successful revolt. But as the revolution grows darker and the pigs become more like the humans, even the basic tenets of Animalism come into question. A great, quick read that will make you think... but which is also an entertaining story in its own right.
7. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
While The Hobbit's famous sequel, Lord of the Rings, rightly holds pride of place, The Hobbit itself is worth reading on its own merits. Initially meant to entertain children, it is the story of a comfortable hobbit who--much like Tolkien himself--loves tea parties, stories, and a good smoke in the garden. When adventure overtakes him, he goes along unwillingly as a burglar for a troop of dwarves trying to reclaim their treasure from a dragon. But Bilbo the hobbit has greater reserves of strength than he suspects, and his kindness and fairness ultimately save more than his own skin. As he travels, he never loses his love of his home, but can he ever be truly comfortable there again?
6. The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis
Some books in this series are better than others (I can live without The Last Battle), but the power of Lewis's story is unshakeable. Four children, at the height of the Blitz, are taken to the country. There, they find a wardrobe that leads to the magical world of Narnia, and its mystical creator, Aslan--who is not, after all, a tame lion. As the books progress, others join the Pevensies, even replacing them in later books, as they fight through battles both physical and moral. A note on the numbering: At some point, the publishers decided to re-number the books in chronological order of their events. This makes very little sense, as in the original order--which began with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the reader discovers Narnia along with the characers, while in the chronological order, the prequel, The Magician's Nephew comes first, and there are many things in it that refer to books that are technically later in the series. In my opinion, it's better to read these books in the original order.
5. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Not quite as visibly SF/F as some of the others (but very much in the horror tradition), Lord of the Flies is still speculative fiction. A plane carrying schoolboys away from a war crashes on a paradisical island, leaving the boys on their own. Set up as a contrast to boys' adventure stories where everything works out, in Golding's view, everything goes wrong. The boys carry a seed of their own destruction with them, and when, at the end, the adult world comes to rescue them, the reader is left wondering if they're any better off.
4. The Stand - Stephen King
Very few plot ideas are simpler to explain than The Stand: Virus wipes out 99% of humanity, and the survivors regroup. How does that go on for 1100 pages? Because King delves into how it would feel to the survivors to go through the now barren landscape, in which magic is starting to reassert itself. Not for the fainthearted, the extended version of The Stand contains some occasionally questionable segments, but the powerful vision at the core--the haunting idea of the empty world and the resurgence of wild magic--carries this through as a classic of speculative fiction.
3. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
Ender Wiggin is a genius born among geniuses. A third child in a world of two-child limit laws, Ender was requested by the government in order to save the world from a race of invading aliens. Sent to the elite battle school, he finds himself twisted into increasing complex "games" meant to train him for the war, and losing means more than dropping a point or two in the statistics. In the life and death world of battle school, Ender is forged into a soldier in this story where questions of what we ask of our children take the forefront.
2. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
(Link to first book in the series.)
Oh, the horrors! It's a children's series! Let's create a whole new bestseller list so it doesn't crowd out "real" books!
:eyeroll:
When JK Rowling set out with her bespectacled boy wizard to tell a modest story about saving the world while drinking pumpkin juice and flying Firebolt brooms in Quidditch games, she probably had no idea what she was getting into. A worldwide phenomenon that got kids and adults reading together--and reading long and fairly challenging books, at that--Harry Potter has earned its place as a fantasy classic. Beginning with eleven year old Harry having a fun adventure involving a three-headed dog named Fluffy and a dragon named Norbert, the series grows up with Harry, evolving into a story about the sins of the past, the power of love, and the mystery of death. If you've discounted Harry Potter as a kiddie phenomenon, give it a try--you'll be surprised.
1. Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
(Link to first volume.)
In the end, as they say in The Highlander, there can be only one, and in the world of fantasy that "one" is Lord of the Rings. It's the taproot of modern fantasy.
Picking up a few decades after The Hobbit left off, Bilbo's nephew, Frodo Baggins, inherits the ring of invisibility Bilbo found... which belongs to Sauron, the dark wizard who once enslaved all of Middle Earth, and who now wants it back, to call all of his minions to him and send his shadow armies marching across the face of the world. While Aragorn, the king-in-exile, leads great battles to reclaim his throne, Frodo and his companion, Samwise Gamgee, take a long, thankless trek across the dark realm of Mordor, to destroy the Ring in the fires where it was forged. As they go, the power of the Ring acts on everyone who comes into contact with it, no one more devastatingly than Frodo.
But even as they fight their large battles, there is another one waiting at home. Will the hobbits find the strength to defend their own beloved Shire, or will all be lost in the end?
This year's theme is "Read Beyond Reality," so I figured I'd open up the discussion for everyone's favorite science fiction/fantasy/horror books. Here are my top ten--what are yours?
10. Foundation - Isaac Asimov
Using psychology as a base science, Isaac Asimov's Hari Seldon sets out a plan to save the galaxy from itself. Not the most engaging characters in the genre, but an undisputed classic, and definitely worth a read on the pure idea front.
9. The Talisman - Stephen King and Peter Straub
Jack Sawyer is the modern American version of a prince--the son of a movie star. Unfortunately, she's dying, and when she flees to the east coast in an attempt to avoid the duplicitous Morgan Sloat, a frightened and depressed Jack stumbles onto the magical world of the Territories--both wondrous and terrifying, and populated by "Twinners" of people in his world. He makes a daring trek across the Territories--and the United States--in search of the magical Talisman, which will save his mother, and both worlds in which she is queen. Excellent character work.
8. Animal Farm - George Orwell
Orwell's short allegory of the Russian Revolution features pigs who decide that they've had enough of being ruled over by humans--four legs good, two legs bad!--and lead the animals of Manor Farm in a successful revolt. But as the revolution grows darker and the pigs become more like the humans, even the basic tenets of Animalism come into question. A great, quick read that will make you think... but which is also an entertaining story in its own right.
7. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
While The Hobbit's famous sequel, Lord of the Rings, rightly holds pride of place, The Hobbit itself is worth reading on its own merits. Initially meant to entertain children, it is the story of a comfortable hobbit who--much like Tolkien himself--loves tea parties, stories, and a good smoke in the garden. When adventure overtakes him, he goes along unwillingly as a burglar for a troop of dwarves trying to reclaim their treasure from a dragon. But Bilbo the hobbit has greater reserves of strength than he suspects, and his kindness and fairness ultimately save more than his own skin. As he travels, he never loses his love of his home, but can he ever be truly comfortable there again?
6. The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis
Some books in this series are better than others (I can live without The Last Battle), but the power of Lewis's story is unshakeable. Four children, at the height of the Blitz, are taken to the country. There, they find a wardrobe that leads to the magical world of Narnia, and its mystical creator, Aslan--who is not, after all, a tame lion. As the books progress, others join the Pevensies, even replacing them in later books, as they fight through battles both physical and moral. A note on the numbering: At some point, the publishers decided to re-number the books in chronological order of their events. This makes very little sense, as in the original order--which began with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the reader discovers Narnia along with the characers, while in the chronological order, the prequel, The Magician's Nephew comes first, and there are many things in it that refer to books that are technically later in the series. In my opinion, it's better to read these books in the original order.
5. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Not quite as visibly SF/F as some of the others (but very much in the horror tradition), Lord of the Flies is still speculative fiction. A plane carrying schoolboys away from a war crashes on a paradisical island, leaving the boys on their own. Set up as a contrast to boys' adventure stories where everything works out, in Golding's view, everything goes wrong. The boys carry a seed of their own destruction with them, and when, at the end, the adult world comes to rescue them, the reader is left wondering if they're any better off.
4. The Stand - Stephen King
Very few plot ideas are simpler to explain than The Stand: Virus wipes out 99% of humanity, and the survivors regroup. How does that go on for 1100 pages? Because King delves into how it would feel to the survivors to go through the now barren landscape, in which magic is starting to reassert itself. Not for the fainthearted, the extended version of The Stand contains some occasionally questionable segments, but the powerful vision at the core--the haunting idea of the empty world and the resurgence of wild magic--carries this through as a classic of speculative fiction.
3. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
Ender Wiggin is a genius born among geniuses. A third child in a world of two-child limit laws, Ender was requested by the government in order to save the world from a race of invading aliens. Sent to the elite battle school, he finds himself twisted into increasing complex "games" meant to train him for the war, and losing means more than dropping a point or two in the statistics. In the life and death world of battle school, Ender is forged into a soldier in this story where questions of what we ask of our children take the forefront.
2. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
(Link to first book in the series.)
Oh, the horrors! It's a children's series! Let's create a whole new bestseller list so it doesn't crowd out "real" books!
:eyeroll:
When JK Rowling set out with her bespectacled boy wizard to tell a modest story about saving the world while drinking pumpkin juice and flying Firebolt brooms in Quidditch games, she probably had no idea what she was getting into. A worldwide phenomenon that got kids and adults reading together--and reading long and fairly challenging books, at that--Harry Potter has earned its place as a fantasy classic. Beginning with eleven year old Harry having a fun adventure involving a three-headed dog named Fluffy and a dragon named Norbert, the series grows up with Harry, evolving into a story about the sins of the past, the power of love, and the mystery of death. If you've discounted Harry Potter as a kiddie phenomenon, give it a try--you'll be surprised.
1. Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
(Link to first volume.)
In the end, as they say in The Highlander, there can be only one, and in the world of fantasy that "one" is Lord of the Rings. It's the taproot of modern fantasy.
Picking up a few decades after The Hobbit left off, Bilbo's nephew, Frodo Baggins, inherits the ring of invisibility Bilbo found... which belongs to Sauron, the dark wizard who once enslaved all of Middle Earth, and who now wants it back, to call all of his minions to him and send his shadow armies marching across the face of the world. While Aragorn, the king-in-exile, leads great battles to reclaim his throne, Frodo and his companion, Samwise Gamgee, take a long, thankless trek across the dark realm of Mordor, to destroy the Ring in the fires where it was forged. As they go, the power of the Ring acts on everyone who comes into contact with it, no one more devastatingly than Frodo.
But even as they fight their large battles, there is another one waiting at home. Will the hobbits find the strength to defend their own beloved Shire, or will all be lost in the end?
Sarah Vowell Live!
Hi folks! Greetings from L.A., where I'm currently on vacation. In the midst of my museum-hopping, I made a little time to stop by a local book store called Book Soup, where Sarah Vowell was doing a reading & signing.
I don't know about you, but I'm a bit of an author groupie. In addition to Sarah, I've checked out bookish events featuring Sandra Cisneros, Bruce Campbell, Anne Rice, David Sedaris, & most recently Elizabeth Gilbert. It's hard to top David Sedaris live, but Sarah Vowell did not disappoint.
For those of you unfamiliar with Sarah's work, she writes about historical events from a personal (& often snarky) perspective. The first book I read of hers, Assassination Vacation, is about her tour of the U.S. seeking out places & facts about the first 3 presidential assassinations. In the book she was reading & signing last night, The Wordy Shipmates, she's writing about the Massachusetts Bay Colony, specifically her two main 'characters', John Winthrop (of the 'city on a hill' sermon) & Roger Williams. Don't call it her book about the pilgrims! She is specific that the Pilgrims were a different bunch of folks. She is writing about the Massachusetts Bay Colony, after the pilgrims' landing & before the Salem Witch Trials.
Sarah is careful to call herself a reporter rather than a historian. Don't expect to find a lengthy bibliography in her works. She reads first-person accounts & interprets for herself. You are more likely to find interviews with park rangers & asides about friends & family (particularly her nephew Owen) she has brought with her to collect information than more dense scholarly sources.
Last night, Sarah read from her book & fielded a lot of questions. She's a very entertaining speaker, her wit as dry in person as in her books. Anyone who can make folks want to read about assassination & Puritanism has got to be something special! Look for her next book, which apparently will be about Hawaii & missionaries. Owen has discovered video games now, but he's still traveling around with his aunt & knows more about King Kamehameha than most ten-year-olds.
I don't know about you, but I'm a bit of an author groupie. In addition to Sarah, I've checked out bookish events featuring Sandra Cisneros, Bruce Campbell, Anne Rice, David Sedaris, & most recently Elizabeth Gilbert. It's hard to top David Sedaris live, but Sarah Vowell did not disappoint.
For those of you unfamiliar with Sarah's work, she writes about historical events from a personal (& often snarky) perspective. The first book I read of hers, Assassination Vacation, is about her tour of the U.S. seeking out places & facts about the first 3 presidential assassinations. In the book she was reading & signing last night, The Wordy Shipmates, she's writing about the Massachusetts Bay Colony, specifically her two main 'characters', John Winthrop (of the 'city on a hill' sermon) & Roger Williams. Don't call it her book about the pilgrims! She is specific that the Pilgrims were a different bunch of folks. She is writing about the Massachusetts Bay Colony, after the pilgrims' landing & before the Salem Witch Trials.
Sarah is careful to call herself a reporter rather than a historian. Don't expect to find a lengthy bibliography in her works. She reads first-person accounts & interprets for herself. You are more likely to find interviews with park rangers & asides about friends & family (particularly her nephew Owen) she has brought with her to collect information than more dense scholarly sources.
Last night, Sarah read from her book & fielded a lot of questions. She's a very entertaining speaker, her wit as dry in person as in her books. Anyone who can make folks want to read about assassination & Puritanism has got to be something special! Look for her next book, which apparently will be about Hawaii & missionaries. Owen has discovered video games now, but he's still traveling around with his aunt & knows more about King Kamehameha than most ten-year-olds.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Happy Birthday, John Le Carré!
Enjoy a good spy novel? So do we! In honor of John Le Carré's birthday, please consider this list of espionage novels you might have missed! (John Le Carré is the pseudonym of David John Moore Cornwell, born 19 October 1931.)
Bloodwood by Gillian Bradshaw
Assassination Day by Clive Egleton
Killer Instinct by Joseph Finder
The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie
The Guns of Navarone by Alistair MacLean
Witch Hunt by Ian Rankin
Visibility by Boris Starling
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Happy Birthday, Ntozake Shange!
Where there is woman there is magic.
--Ntozake Shange
Ntozake Shange is an African-American poet, playwright & author, most famous for her choreopoem For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf. I also recommend her children's book about jazz, Ellington was Not a Street, and her adult novel Sassafrass, Cypress and Indigo, about 3 artistic sisters from North Carolina. Ms. Shange is also a Poet Hero! Among her many awards are an Obie, a Los Angeles Time Book Prize for Poetry, and a Pushcart Prize.
Alaska Day
In 1867 the United States took possession of Alaska from Russia for a cost of $7.2 million and is celebrated every year as Alaska Day. From the library catalog a keyword search looking for information on the 49th state will get you a return of five-hundred and ninety three books where the word "Alaska" is featured! Though many derided William Seward for his decision to purchase this land one-hundred and forty-two years ago it turned out to be a wise choice after all. Alaska has become a treasure to our country and judging by the myriad of choices of books and videos available to the library we will be able to spend a fair amount of time learning more about the state often called "Land of the Midnight Sun".
The newest titles the library has to offer is "Fifty Miles from Tomorrow: A Memoir of Alaska and the Real People" by William L. Iggiagruk Hensley, or the DVD about the Iditarod "Toughest Race on Earth" and the new Kate Shugak novel by Dana Stabenow called "Whisper to the Blood". Also if you click on the "Download Digital Media" link on the main page and use "Alaska" in the search box you will find six downloadable movies and two audiobooks. If you are interested in learning more about Alaska point your mouse to the library catalog and search the huge array of books that will feed your curiosity.
The newest titles the library has to offer is "Fifty Miles from Tomorrow: A Memoir of Alaska and the Real People" by William L. Iggiagruk Hensley, or the DVD about the Iditarod "Toughest Race on Earth" and the new Kate Shugak novel by Dana Stabenow called "Whisper to the Blood". Also if you click on the "Download Digital Media" link on the main page and use "Alaska" in the search box you will find six downloadable movies and two audiobooks. If you are interested in learning more about Alaska point your mouse to the library catalog and search the huge array of books that will feed your curiosity.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Celebrate Diwali!
'Tis the season for festivals of light around the world. Consider reading up on Diwali (also called Deepavali), an official holiday in India. Arts Alliance has an article about the East Indian community in Albuquerque that includes a discussion about Diwali.
Book on the Side: Week 2
Hope you are enjoying the book! Here are some discussion questions for you to consider as you read. Don't miss the link to the interview with the author that follows!
Agnes begins to break the mold when she buys new clothes and gets her hair bobbed. Makeover shows are popular on television today, and people often say that “this has changed my life.” Do you believe them? Are appearances really that powerful?
Clothing is mentioned a great deal in the novel. In what ways are the characters in Dreamers of the Day defined and/or influenced by their clothes? How do Agnes, Mumma, Gertrude Bell, and T. E. Lawrence use their fashion choices as indicators of their attitudes? Is your clothing a tool or a disguise or just something to cover your nakedness?
What does Rosie embody for Agnes? Is her attachment to her little dog “pathetic,” as she suggests? How does Rosie's existence color the novel and influence its chain of events?
Interview with Mary Doria Russell about Dreamers of the Day
Agnes begins to break the mold when she buys new clothes and gets her hair bobbed. Makeover shows are popular on television today, and people often say that “this has changed my life.” Do you believe them? Are appearances really that powerful?
Clothing is mentioned a great deal in the novel. In what ways are the characters in Dreamers of the Day defined and/or influenced by their clothes? How do Agnes, Mumma, Gertrude Bell, and T. E. Lawrence use their fashion choices as indicators of their attitudes? Is your clothing a tool or a disguise or just something to cover your nakedness?
What does Rosie embody for Agnes? Is her attachment to her little dog “pathetic,” as she suggests? How does Rosie's existence color the novel and influence its chain of events?
Interview with Mary Doria Russell about Dreamers of the Day
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Happy Birthday, P.G. Wodehouse!
Boyhood, like measles, is one of those complaints which a man
should catch young and have done with, for
when it comes in middle life it is apt to be serious.
--P. G. Wodehouse
--P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (15 October 1881 – 14 February 1975) is the author of several series of comic novels. I've been reading his Jeeves & Wooster series since my teenage years--great light comedy for when you need a break! Now you can also watch episodes from this series on DVD, starring the inimitable Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Teen Reads-But Not Just for Teens!
For fans of dystopian fiction, or adventure stories and who don't mind reading Young Adult fiction, put your name on the waiting list for "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. While it is not for the faint of heart, it is still a story to be savored, with characters who draw you inside and make you want to see the book to its conclusion. If you click on the book jacket after bringing up the title, you can click on reviews to get a feel for what this book offers to readers of all ages. The second book in the trilogy "Catching Fire" is already out and has a long waiting list of eager fans. If you like this book, you might want to try the Scott Westerfeld series "Uglies", "Pretties", and "Specials", which is also hugely popular with library customers, young and old alike.
Monday, October 12, 2009
30th Anniversary of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Wow! Have I been living under a rock? Today is the 30th anniversary of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and, in England, Eoin Colfer's continuation of Adams' series And Another Thing was just published (our library system does have it on order!). To hear Eoin Colfer talk about his sequel, check here. Read about the enduring appeal of the series here. & finally, I recommend the audiobook version, read by Stephen Fry.
1939: Film's Finest Year?
I just read an article in Entertainment Weekly celebrating 1939 as 'film's finest year'. Here are a list of the films they list to lend credence to this claim. Have you seen them all? Do you agree with EW? Check them out and see!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
World Cup 2010
For soccer fans out there, World Cup qualifying continues apace with many games today. So far, 4 new teams have qualified (Cote d'Ivoire, Denmark, Germany & Serbia). Keep checking the FIFA site for more World Cup updates! If you're interested in reading about soccer while you're waiting the 243 days left before the World Cup, check out our library catalog.
Book on the Side: Week 1
Have you had an opportunity to start reading Dreamers of the Day? Here is an article about the Semiramis Hotel, where our heroine planned to stay. Want to know more about Thomas Edward Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia? Find out more about Gertrude Bell and read a few excerpts from her letters.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)