Tasha Tudor, Children’s author and illustrator June 30, 2008
Posted by Donna in Book Awards, Fiction, Uncategorized.add a comment
Tasha Tudor, children’s author and illustrator, died on June 18, at the age of 92 in her home in Marlboro, Vermont. She had written and illustrated nearly 100 books. Her first book Pumpkin Moonshine was published in 1938. Her Mother Goose (1944) and 1 is One (1956) were named Caldecott Honor Books and she received the Regina Medal in 1971 for all of her contributions to children’s literature.
She lived the life that she illustrated in her books. Her beautiful, delicate pastel watercolors depicted life in the 19th century and that is how she lived her life on her farm. She did not have electricity or running water in her farm house until her youngest child turned five years old. Her art and lifestyle will be continued by her family. Visit the Tasha Tudor and Family website http://www.tashatudorandfamily.com/ to find out more.
I have grown up with Tasha Tudor and have loved all of her illustrated books. Thank you Tasha Tudor for all of your contributions to children’s literature. You will be missed!
~Donna
Damsels Causing Distress! June 25, 2008
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I tend to read books from several different genres—mystery, romance, contemporary/literary fiction, and historical fiction. One thing most of my favorites have in common is the character development in the story. And, I’m not afraid to admit that sometimes I like a tough chick story. No shrinking violets allowed!
One of my favorite characters is Paddy Meehan. Paddy is a tough Scottish lass and a memorable and realistic character who stars in a series by mystery author Denise Mina. All three of the books in this series so far (Field of Blood, The Dead Hour, and Slip of the Knife) are set in the gritty newspaper world of Glasgow in the 90s. This series is filled with nonstop action and intricate plotting and each book makes for a compelling read. Paddy’s character develops and grows over the course of the books—the reader feels part of her reflections on her past choices and her complicated love life. This series is for mystery lovers who aren’t afraid to get a little dirty and it just gets better and better with each book!
For something a little different but equally enjoyable, I recently read The Sister by Poppy Adams. I picked this one up and hardly could put it down. The tough chicks in this story are sisters Ginny and Vivien Stone. Vivien, the younger of the two, returns to their family estate in England after an estrangement of almost 50 years. Ginny, now an eccentric 70-year-old living in the crumbling gothic-style mansion has lived alone with her family’s secrets all these years and it is her riveting narrative that will drawn in the reader. Ginny and Vivien’s versions of the truth of their histories greatly differ. What has brought Vivi home? Which sister is tougher? You’ll have to check out this haunting gothic novel to find out.
~Carol
It’s Always “Time” for a Great Book! June 18, 2008
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Some people find the notion of time travel troubling. Not me. Whether or not time traveling is scientifically possible doesn’t really interest me. I just love the idea that if you can go back in time, you can change what happens in the future.
It’s not surprising then that one of my favorite movies is 12 Monkeys with Brad Pitt and Bruce Willis. In this film, Bruce Willis travels back in time on a dangerous mission to collect information on a virus that killed five billion people and drove everyone else to live beneath the Earth’s surface. This film is action packed with genius plot lines and, did I mention that Brad Pitt is in this movie?
Two of my favorite books involve time travel too!
Octavia Butler’s classic novel Kindred might just be the best book ever. Butler’s blend of science fiction and historical fiction really works in this story about Dana, a modern African American woman in the 1970s who is whisked to the antebellum South. There, she meets Rufus, the white son of a plantation owner who Dana quickly learns it is her duty to save. Dana is unfortunately mistaken as a slave. This novel is a quick read, packed with historical info and full of surprises.
I also love The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. This is a sweet story involving Henry (a librarian) and Claire. Life couldn’t be more perfect for these two, except for Henry’s unplanned time traveling. Unfortunately, Henry’s affliction is one he cannot control. Ultimately, this book is an adorable love story, a little bit of a tearjerker, and-dare I say it-timeless!
-Carol
Ah…..the joys of summer reading! June 18, 2008
Posted by Donna in Book Awards, Fiction, Non-Fiction.add a comment
It’s a good thing that I love to read because I have added more books to my list…On May 1, the Mystery Writers of America announced their 2008 Edgar Allan Poe Award Winners. Wow! These books look great and I can’t wait to read them!
Best Novel
Down River by John Hart
(Reviewed in our Reading Room)
Best First Novel by An American Author
In the Woods by Tana French
(Reviewed in our Reading Room)
Best Paperback Original
Queenpin by Megan Abbott
Best Fact Crime
Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy by Vincent Bugliosi
Best Critical/Biographical
Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters edited by Jon Lellenberg, Daniel Stashower and Charles Foley
I also finished reading The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen and I loved it! It was just as magical, tender yet bittersweet as her first book. Look for my review in our Reading Room Database.
Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life.
~ Mortimer J. Adler ~
Happy Reading!
Donna
These books (might) help beat the heat! June 13, 2008
Posted by carol in Fiction.add a comment
It’s that time of year here in the Cleveland area. Once again, we’ve managed to avoid Spring altogether & proceed directly to Summer. And it’s Hot!
I recommend heading into the library ASAP, grabbing a book or two, a cold beverage of your choice, and settling into a cool comfortable afternoon spent reading.
If you are looking for a great title to help while away this heat, try Raffaella Barker’s Hens’ Dancing or Summertime. In both of these books, Venetia Summer is trying to keep her head above water and raise her two children in her ramshackle cottage. Sure Venetia has her share of problems: an evil ex-husband, an overbearing and usually hung-over mother, a house full of chickens & dogs, and an unreliable automobile. But, Venetia is adorable and readers will actually envy her despite her many woes. She lives in the English countryside, she’s funny and tough in the face of adversity and of course, there is promise of new love on the horizon. Almost makes a reader want to be this character, actually.
I’m patiently waiting for a new release by this fabulous author. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and keep our cool, shall we?
~Carol
Summertime is Reading Time! June 9, 2008
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Yeah! School’s finally out and now I can get back to what I live to do…READ! Every January, I make my resolution to read at least 2 adult books and 3 children’s books each week. As of today, I am very far behind my goal so…I better get READING! 
Hmmmm….What to read first? Since I loved Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, I’m going to start with her new book, The Sugar Queen. 
I’ll let you know what I think of the book.
Happy Reading!
~Donna~
Books for Readers…Readers for Books…Equality for All! June 6, 2008
Posted by carol in Uncategorized.Tags: Bromance
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Women readers really have it all. There’s Chick Lit, Women’s Fiction, Romance. Plenty of books out there are geared toward women readers—just take a look at book covers, never mind those widely used genre descriptors. What happens if you are a man looking for a book that tells a sexy story or one that takes a look at the male experience? Do you brave the romance shelves on your own? Ask the wife to pick something up for you? Avoid conflict entirely by placing holds remotely on the Internet and then using our drive up to retrieve your holds?
Or, like me, what if you are a woman who appreciates male-driven stories? How do you find these titles? I tend to find such titles accidentally, by browsing and by reading book reviews. That’s how I found authors like Nick Hornby, Mike Gayle, Tim Sandlin, Tom Perrotta and my latest favorite Jonathan Tropper (Whose novel How to Talk to a Widower just knocked my socks off when I read it!) These guys really know how to deliver the male version of chick lit—funny, sexy reads with well-drawn characters and a compelling story line. These are guys who are writing beach reads for The Man.
If you are not a librarian though, how would you know? Those that market novels have captured the attention of women by taking ownership of labels like “chick lit,” a label that I know some writers and readers find offensive. Maybe they need to do the same for men. Shouldn’t there be reading equality for all? The celebrity gossip website that I like to visit uses the word “bromance” to describe strong male friendships—they apply “bromance” to male friends who seem be together all the time.
Will “bromance” be the next “chick lit?” Would you read a “bromance?”
~Carol
B.E.A.-utiful! June 2, 2008
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BEA or BookExpo America just ended and it was fabulous! “What is BEA,” you ask? It’s like fashion week for books. You know: the hot, the up and coming, the funky, and the classics, all in one spot at one time. It’s overwhelming and overwhelmingly great! The only downside? Along with all the new books are some new blisters and sore shoulders from walking up and down the aisles of two large convention halls. A small price to pay for sure!
We’ll be back in the library in less than 24 hours and life will be back to the same routines, but I’ll never forget how great an experience this was. All books all the time? You can’t beat it. When you see me in the library, feel free to ask me about it!
-Stacey
