Fall for Books September 30, 2008
Posted by Donna in Fiction, Thoughtful Ramblings.add a comment
I can’t believe that tomorrow is October 1st. Now the weather has turned a little nippy, I guess I can say that summer is gone. Sigh… and I love summer because I seem to get more time to read (and I love reading). But as I was looking at the calendar, I had to admit to myself that I like fall for reading too. It’s great to snuggle in on a cold weekend morning with a good book or curl up with a book and a cup of hot apple cider. I can still read while the leaves change colors. I can still read in my car while I wait for the trains on my way to work. I can still read at mother’s house. I can still carry a book or two in my purse because my fall purse is just as big as my summer purse. I guess I really don’t need summer to read…I can read at any time and in any place. In that case, I’m going to make fall my favorite time of the year to read! I hope it is yours too!
Happy fall and Happy Reading! ~Donna
I’m reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and I must say that this is my favorite book (so far) this fall.
Latest Additions September 29, 2008
Posted by stacey in Fiction.Tags: Latest Additions, The Reading Room
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How’s it going? Are you keeping up with the speedy readers here on our staff? Uh oh… There’s more again!
A Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen
Fade Away by Harlan Coben
Chasing Darkness: An Elvis Cole Novel by Robert Crais
Don’t Tell a Soul by David Rosenfelt
The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
Did you know that you can add titles into a “bookbag,” print the contents, and keep the list handy for those reading emergencies when you just don’t know what to choose next. Phew, what a relief. Now you can relax and enjoy these (and many more!) at your leisure. How great is that?
— Stacey
Latest Additions September 22, 2008
Posted by stacey in Fiction.Tags: Latest Additions, The Reading Room
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On this Monday, you have five reasons to look forward to the weekend. No, not the five days of the week but five books to choose from for your reading pleasure! They are:
1. The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent
2. I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert
3. The Last Embrace by Denise Hamilton
4. More Than This by Margo Candela
5. The Smart One by Ellen Meister
I don’t know if two days off will be enough though. When’s the next three day weekend?
— Stacey
I’ve Read the Book. Why Bother With the Movie? September 20, 2008
Posted by carol in Uncategorized.add a comment
I have a problem. Nothing makes me want to tear my hair out more than when a movie based on a novel ruins everything I love about the book. I am a reader first, a film lover second. As I read, I imagine what the characters in books look like. I cling to the words on the pages, the descriptions of setting and the pace of the book. All of these things are reasons I keep reading a title. Seeing a film version simply is just not the same. The creative folks in the film industry have done all the thinking for me–they’ve selected the actors and costumes, and they’ve built the sets and painted the scenery. And, I know the film version will only always last around 90 minutes.
So when a film is made based on a book I’ve read and loved, I often just won’t see it. You can tell me how much you loved it and I still might have to pass.
My new problem arose when I listened to a book suggestion. A patron said I simply must read Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson. This book, originally published in 1938, was made into a film with Amy Adams and Frances McDormand and was released earlier this year to much acclaim.
Set in the 1930s, the book is the memorable, fun, and hilarious story of a day in the life of Miss Pettigrew. Miss Pettigrew thinks she is answering an advertisement to work as a governess, but instead she is shocked to find herself sorting out the scandalous love life of Miss LaFosse, a young, beautiful and modern gal with lavish taste in clothing and who performs as a singer in a nightclub.
It’s too bad I loved this adorable book–now can I bear to watch the film?
Constitution Day September 17, 2008
Posted by Donna in Thoughtful Ramblings, Uncategorized.add a comment
Constitution Day is today, September 17. Since this is a blog with Words about Words, I have to comment on the powerful words found in the Preamble of The Constitution of the United States:
”We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
Just think – the Constitution was written in 1787, ratified in 1789 and only 27 Amendments have been added to it over the years! This great document has withstood the test of time…wow….the power of words!
The original Constitution is on display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Check out the website: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution.html
Happy Reading!
~Donna~
Latest Additions September 15, 2008
Posted by stacey in Fiction.Tags: Latest Additions, The Reading Room
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Could it be? Could it be that the third time’s the charm and this is the list of Latest Additions to The Reading Room from which you choose your new favorite book of all time? If not, you might just find a book to tide you over until you do find that new favorite. Are you ready to peek?
Breaking Cover by J.D. Rhoades
Smoke Screen by Sandra Brown
Vanishing Point by Marcia Muller
No One You Know by Michelle Richmond
We’ve done our work, now it’s in your hands. Hmm, as in you hold a book “in your hands?” Ha ha?
-Stacey
The Power of Words September 11, 2008
Posted by stacey in Thoughtful Ramblings.add a comment
It can be so hard to find the right words, but I’m trying. I can’t tell you how or why, but it seemed like the Universe was poking at me to pay attention to the power of words. Now I’m making the effort to think of things in a positive way and then express myself accordingly. I don’t mean to imply that I’m all sunshine and rainbows, but I’m trying to see the brighter side. If there’s something coming up that I think I might not enjoy, I’m looking to find something I can be excited about and focus on that. Then when I talk about it, I’ll talk about what I’m happily anticipating.
Um, this is sounding a bit too mumbo-jumbo-y. Let me try an example. I’m going to pretend that I’m about to adopt a friend (cat) for the cat I already know and love, my cat Lucy. I would like to adopt from a no kill shelter, so I can check out the list on Save Our Strays under Ohio, but would consider adopting from any reputable source. So maybe I would check out Petfinder or just take a drive over to the nearest shelter. Now I could focus on what could go wrong: Lucy doesn’t like the new cat, Lucy and the new cat fight, the new cat might not be friendly. But it would be better to focus on what could go right: Lucy has a new friend, Lucy is getting more exercise from playing with another cat, Lucy will be happier now that she’s got two objects to torture -me and the new cat- ha ha! Then I could say out loud, “I can’t wait to adopt another cat because I think it’s going to really improve Lucy’s quality of life!” (It sounds dorky, but I’m trying to make a point here…)
Now I’m really thinking about my choice of words and I’m trying to make sure that I’m sticking with positive ones. I’m a big believer that the Universe is listening and I’d rather get a universal hug, than a slap. Wouldn’t you? I’ll let you know how it’s going and if you decide to try this too, let me know. Okay?
— Stacey
Remembering September 11, 2001 September 11, 2008
Posted by Donna in Uncategorized.add a comment
A deed so cruel, so unjust, so unkind.
In disbelief we saw so much,
Knowing death would so many touch.
Our tears were shed, emotions enflamed,
Our understanding and thoughts were drained.
But many found much courage deep,
They gave their lives, now they sleep.
Thus left behind, family and friends,
And many who wonder how to make amends.
Some in anger, some in fear.
War is the word we did often hear.
But American leadership is very strong,
Voices were raised in patriotic song,
A people in crises always do unite,
The scoundrel, the villain, they will fight.
And those with wounds do suffer now,
For you in the future we do vow,
Remembrance, you served your country
When struck by the common enemy.
For in our freedom we do share.
All those who worked with much care,
To rescue all who could be saved,
So many images in our minds engraved.
This day we will never forget,
A remembrance day to beget,
A day our strength to renew,
With blessings, many to accrue!
© Lou Reeves
I will never forget what I was doing and where I was when I heard about the airplanes crashing into the World Trade Center Twin Towers. Let’s hope that we never have a tragedy like that again. ~ Donna
Latest Additions September 8, 2008
Posted by stacey in Fiction.Tags: Latest Additions, The Reading Room
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Hey, look! It’s Monday again! That means it’s time to share our latest additions to The Reading Room. (Now you know why you were excited it was Monday, right?)
Blue Smoke and Murder by Elizabeth Lowell
Final Theory by Mark Alpert
Rites of Spring (Break): An Ivy League Novel by Diana Peterfreund
Scream for Me by Karen Rose
Sepulchre by Kate Mosse
The Map Thief by Heather Terrell
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
That’s a pretty eclectic list. Do you see something you’d like to read? We like to make it easy for our fellow readers, so every The Reading Room entry has a link to the library’s online catalog. If you click on the “iBistro” button, in the ISBN box, you’ll be opening a new window that’s already searching our holdings. Now you can see if there’s a copy available or if you’ll have to place a hold on the book. If it’s on the shelf, just give us a call and we can put it aside for you. It’s our pleasure!
— Stacey
In Praise of Slowness in a Hectic Time September 6, 2008
Posted by Victoria in Non-Fiction.add a comment
It’s that wonderful time of year again. Back to school. There are those individuals who welcome this time after a summer of lazing around. And then there’s the rest of us. The ones who dread being overscheduled, with too much to do, too many places to go, and too little time during the day.
Well, it’s all a matter of perspective, isn’t it?
Do we all really need to be busy all the time? What ever happened to “free time”, “play time”, or whatever you want to call it? You know, the time of day when kids can indulge their imagination, and adults can indulge their desire to be alone for a while?
It seems that as time marches on, we feel there is more and more to do and the expectation that it will be done quickly. Yet, our accomplishments are far outweighed by the quality of our life. We plod through our days exhausted, distracted, and constantly feeling inadequate.
In Praise of Slowness: How a Worldwide Movement is Challenging the Cult of Speed by Carl Honore is the story of how one “speedaholic” changed his life and found balance. He decribes how this desire to slow down and actually live life is actually turning into a movement. Overwhelmed individuals everywhere are beginning to change their environments; their schools, offices, neighborhoods, etc. into places where speed is no longer a priority and life is.
The whole thing reminds me of when I traveled to Europe in the mid-90′s. I had never been there, and found restaurant service frustrating. It seemed to take forever to receive your food, and afterwards, the check. When I arrived home, I realized it was a mindset that Europeans held onto dearly. The idea that meals were to be enjoyed, savored, and experienced. Time was not an issue when food was involved. This was a foreign concept to me, but on further reflection, it made perfect sense. What’s the point of rushing through a meal when you wind up eating more, feeling sick, and not enjoying it?
I am by no means a convert to the slowness movement. I still find myself trying to do three things at once, balancing my cell phone while trying to eat my lunch and pay for my dry cleaning all at the same time. But, having read Honore’s book, I certainly do appreciate the value of looking at time with a different perspective.
-Victoria
