Top Books of 2010 December 7, 2010
Posted by Dori in Book List, Fiction, Literary Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thoughtful Ramblings, Uncategorized, Young Adult.Tags: Top Ten of 2010
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This has been a bumpy year for me, but journeying into so many great books provided just the escape I needed. From mysteries set in unique places to scenes from a horrific future to intimate family dramas, my top ten of 2010 were, in no particular order:
Room by Emma Donoghue – This story of a mother’s courage to raise her child lovingly under horrible conditions is especially powerful due to the exceptional voice of Jack, her young son.
The Passage by Justin Cronin – Not usually my cup of tea, I found this book to be a thrilling 600 page turner about a government created virus and one lone girl who may have the power to save mankind.
The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer – I’m a fan of war fiction and this epic novel of a Hungarian-Jewish architecture student who travels to pre-WWII Paris on scholarship and his experiences upon being forced to return home is beautifully written and emotionally resonant.
The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman - This funny and poignant first novel is a look at an English language newspaper in Rome and its odd group of writers and readers who are seeking both success and human connections.
Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny – I’m a little late to this series, but so glad I found it! Perfect for winter reading, this mystery is set in snowy Quebec where Inspector Gamache is recuperating when he finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation. A great mystery, a perfect setting, descriptions of food & drink, local history and politics – what else do you need?
Where the God of Love Hangs Out by Amy Bloom – This set of short stories about the complications and joy of family, love, relationships and life, had me enthralled from beginning to end.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Klay by Michael Chabon – This is not a new release, but my brother recommended it and I couldn’t put it down. It’s chock full of ideas from Jewish folktales to the story of American comic books with magic, art, war and love thrown in. I wish I’d find another like it.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – I re-read this for a book club and can’t believe what an amazing book this is.
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen – Franzen’s take on modern America and its preoccupation with freedom as seen through the eyes of one family.
Going Bovine by Libba Bray – This is a great, but weird, young adult title, about a young man with mad cow disease and the travels that he makes from his hospital bed encountering angels, dwarves and fire devils. It is so true and so funny and so sad.
OK, that about wraps it up. Happy reading!
~ Dori
Oh and What an Adventure It Was! November 2, 2010
Posted by stacey in Uncategorized.add a comment
Adventure books are not my natural go-to entertainment reading, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t found some really enjoyable books in this category. Sometimes you just want to get caught up in the chase between the good guys and the bad guys, right? And where better to find fast-paced action, heroes bigger than life, or an exotic locale as the backdrop than in an adventure book? This is what everyone had to say about the books they found this time around:
Janet: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins was the third and final book in The Hunger Games trilogy. Panem (formerly America) is on the verge of war. The rebels are hoping that Katniss Everdeen will become their Mockingjay to represent the revolution of the people. It is the rebels versus the dictatorship of President Snow. The author portrays war very realistically as each character hopes for the survival of their family and friends. The amount of loss of human life touches everyone. Suzanne Collins writes a plot full of action with interesting twists and turns. Character development is a little flat but there are no loose ends. All in all Mockingjay is a worthy conclusion to an intriguing trilogy.
Carol: My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time by Liz Jensen takes readers from nineteenth century Copenhagen to twentieth century London at lightning speed. This bawdy romp is part time-traveling adventure tale and part love story. Charlotte, the novel’s heroine who is living in Copenhagen and working as a prostitute, sees an opportunity for room and board when she and her sidekick, Fru Schleswig become a maids to Fru Krak, the wife of a missing professor whose inventions, including a time machine, lie in their house’s basement workshop. Along with the “decrepit old crone” Fru Schleswig, who Charlotte insists is “not her mother”, Charlotte investigates the workshop and soon, the two find themselves whisked away to modern-day London, where they encounter a strange new world. There, Charlotte meets intrepid archeologist Fergus McCrombie, a twenty-first century man whom she falls in love with. But should Charlotte stay in a world that is not hers, simply for love? Or will the fates conspire against her? This novel has plenty of action, time traveling and a host of characters that readers will cheer for—in other words, the perfect escape read.
Emma: Night Probe by Clive Cussler finds American agent Dirk Pitt and British agent Brian Shaw searching for copies of a long forgotten 1914 treaty between the United States and England. One copy is in the hands of the Canadian Prime Minister, and the other copies are at the bottom of the Hudson and St. Lawrence rivers lost in tragic accidents coincidentally on the same night in 1914. In the treaty England sold Canada to the United States for a billion dollars. In 1989 the United States and England both have vested interests in finding the documents. Offering plenty of action, I recommend reading this book.
Evelyn: The Wrecker by Clive Cussler and Justin Scott. Hired by the Southern Pacific Railroad, detective Isaac Bell of the famed Van Dorn agency travels the country trying to apprehend a saboteur nicknamed “The Wrecker” who is trying to stop the railroad from completing a shortcut through the Cascade Mountains of Oregon. This entertaining and lightning-paced historical adventure set in 1907 is the second in a series, but can stand alone.
Rosemary: Double Eagle by James Twining. FBI Agent Agnes Browne hopes to redeem her tarnished reputation within the FBI by finding the five rare Double Eagle gold coins stolen from Fort Knox. Her international search leads her to Tom Kirk, an ex-CIA agent and jewel thief with many secrets of his own. They form an uneasy and dangerous alliance while uncovering the multiple layers of deceit involved with the case. A very promising debut novel.
Megan: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan is the first book in a new series featuring the demigods of Camp Half-Blood. The last Percy Jackson adventure had the heroes of Camp Half-Blood defeating the Titans and saving Olympus but the celebrating is short-lived. Just months after their victory a hero is missing and a new threat is rising. Three new and mysterious demigods arrive at camp, each keeping a secret. Jason has no memories before arriving at camp, Piper has a painful choice to make, and Leo is running from his past. These three misfits set off on an adventure filled quest that is the first step in fulfilling a brand new prophecy. With their metal dragon, Festus, they encounter angry gods, undead villains, and some really nasty weather. The cliffhanger ending promises more adventures to come. Percy Jackson and mythology fans of all ages will love this new adventure series.
Chris: The Road by Cormac McCarthy. A father and son, two survivors of a nuclear war (we think, the author never says), take to the road in search of food, shelter and safety. They head south to escape the cold and grey snow in hopes of finding life and nature as they knew it, but instead are confronted with land on which nothing grows and people who have become cannibals in order to survive. They have a cart to hold anything of value they find along the way; and a gun with two bullets. Should something happen to the father, the young son has been instructed to put the gun to the roof of his mouth and pull the trigger. They trudge on.
Stacey: Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz is a novel written for teens but would appeal to anyone who likes a classic James Bond sort of adventure. Fourteen-year-old Alex Rider’s parents are gone and left his uncle as his guardian, but his uncle is always away on business. It turns out that his uncle was working in the business of spying and he’s just disappeared. When Alex is approached to work for his government and maybe find some clues about what happened to his uncle, how can he say no?
Next time? We’ll be reading books with a Holiday theme! You could choose to read about any holiday really, but I’m guessing we’ll mostly have wintery stories to share. How about you?
— Stacey
Words of a Butterfly October 29, 2010
Posted by Julie in Thoughtful Ramblings, Uncategorized.Tags: Music & Lyrics
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It’s time for another edition of “wisdom from my car stereo.” Well, perhaps wisdom isn’t quite it, but certainly “things-I-should-remember-when-life-is-bogging-me-down” applies. Today’s was courtesy of Butterfly Boucher from her CD: Scaryfragile. The song is “I found out” and the stanza I liked in particular:
I found out I can only be who I am
I can only do what I can
I won’t try to describe the relief
Retrieved 10/29/10 from: http://www.lyricsreg.com/lyrics/butterfly+boucher/I+Found+Out/
I’ve only listened to half of the CD so far but really like it and am looking forward to the drive home so I can finish! Put it on hold in the catalog and read more about her.
— Julie
P.S. Check out the bass line and drums on track 2, “For the Love of Love” – nice.
Latest Additions October 18, 2010
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Have you ever heard someone say how you won’t miss something until it’s gone? And maybe it sounds true, but you don’t think about it too hard because you have everything you need? Then something happens, like you get a toothache and it forces you to realize how much you took being able to eat your meals -or snacks- for granted? Well. Every once in a while -to0 frequently for my liking but not frequent enough that I don’t become forgetful again- I realize how much I take a good night’s sleep for granted. And then I remember how much I don’t enjoy not sleeping. I also remember that it seems to take waaayyy too long to get back my zzzz’s. Sigh. So. I hope this explains why I might seem a little more scattered at times? Anyway. On to bigger and better things! Like The Latest Additions!
Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn
Savages by Don Winslow
Ape House by Sara Gruen
To Fetch a Thief by Spencer Quinn
Under the Dome by Stephen King
And you? What is it that you haven’t missed until it’s been gone? (I hope it’s never been a book!)
— Stacey
The Freedom to Read…What I Want! September 30, 2010
Posted by carol in Science Fiction, Thoughtful Ramblings, Uncategorized.add a comment
I like to celebrate Freedom to Read Week (aka Banned Book Week) by rereading Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. For me, this novel, which is set in a futuristic society, is the ultimate book about censorship. Ironically, it was banned by the Mississippi School District (1999) and is also No. 69 on the American Library Association’s list of top banned/challenged books from 2000 to 2009. In Bradbury’s classic Guy Montag is a fireman whose job is not to put out fires but instead to burn books, and the temperature referred to in the title, 451ºF, is the temperature that books ignite.
At first, Guy loves his job, agreeing that books stimulate ideas that threaten the social order, but he undergoes a moral transformation when he realizes how shallow his life is without new thoughts. He is tired of a life filled with media overload. Guy begins hoarding books, instead of burning them, and he becomes a fugitive, joining a group of people who preserve books. That’s the power of books and reading!
So, the next time you find yourself flipping from one inane television program to another, be glad you live in a society where it’s okay to turn off the tube and read a book. -Carol
Make ‘Em Laugh August 25, 2010
Posted by Janet in Thoughtful Ramblings, Uncategorized.add a comment
Some things in life make me laugh easily: my children, “Red” from That 70′s Show, “Grandpappy Amos” from The Real McCoys, and “Miss Julia” from the book series by Ann Ross. However, it is extremely rare that a book or movie can make me genuinely laugh. I am just a tough nut to crack.
The original The In-Laws with Peter Falk is the only movie that has earned that distinction.
Books don’t fare much better. Pontoon by Garrison Keillor is number one on my list followed by Janet Evanovich’s “Stephanie Plum” series.
My next category of books that have made me laugh could be called “living well is the best revenge” group. Lucky Me by Debra Borden, Horseplay by Judy Reene Singer and Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter by Lisa Patton all deserve a mention.
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeffry P. Lindsay brought several smiles to my face – no laughter, just wry smiles. Every belly laugh, every giggle, every smile was priceless.
−Janet
I Had to Graduate in a Dress August 20, 2010
Posted by Janet in Thoughtful Ramblings, Uncategorized.add a comment
Looking back to high school I remember it as being so serious and repressed. Teachers were stern and quick to let the students know that they might let us have a little fun but we were really “under their thumbs.” My high school years were 1966 – 1969, grades 10, 11 and 12. As a girl dresses or skirts were expected for all thirteen years. Only a year later I was a student at Kent State University. In the fall of 1969 I felt as if I landed in a different world. Jeans and overalls dominated. I arrived on a campus that had 24 hour visitation privileges from day one. The drug culture was everywhere. I let my hair grow and grow. Such freedom! My best friend from high school who was attending Ashland College sent me a memorable book called Five Smooth Stones by Ann Fairbairn which I loved. It was reissued in April of 2009. For the times this was a scandalous book because the main characters were an interracial couple. The song Society’s Child by Janis Ian addressed the same issue and it also caused a ruckus. Both titles were released in 1966.
When you look at the years of my high school education, a lot was going on: The Vietnam War, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, Woodstock, the riots at the Democratic Convention in Chicago, Prague Spring, Black Power and a resurgence of the Women’s Movement. However, in Hamilton, Ohio everything was still under control. Our parents sent us off to college and we were innocent children. We had never been allowed to grow up.
Several months later in the spring of 1970, antiwar protests lead to the deaths of four students on the grounds of Kent State University. The remnants of our innocence were gone. I don’t believe there is a definitive book for the Kent State shootings. However, bibliographies can be consulted.
Other books from this time were Listen to the Warm (1967) by Rod McKuen, Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1970) by Richard Bach and Love Story (1970) by Erich Segal. It’s hard to believe these books were phenomenal at the time. Perhaps their appeal was their simplicity because they certainly were published in a tumultuous time.
P.S. In 1968 I was seventeen. When my son turned seventeen the book 1968:the year that rocked the world by Mark Kurlansky was published. I gave it to him and said, “When I was seventeen, this is what was going on in the world.”
— Janet
The Best is Yet to Come August 11, 2010
Posted by Janet in Thoughtful Ramblings, Uncategorized.add a comment
As one of the outreach librarians I take library materials to the people who live in Rocky River and can no longer get to the library themselves. The majority of the people I see are in their 80s, 90s and 100s. Our outreach patrons have never stopped being interested in life, which I think is one of the secrets to a long life. They stayed engaged with the world while bravely facing difficulties that come their way. They are positive and outgoing. Sometimes I see a quality that I also think is necessary – stubbornness.
In 2011, I will turn 60. This milestone has made me think about what I want to do that I haven’t done. It feels like now or never. At 60 I can audit classes at Cleveland State. I can move things to the front burner that have been on the back burner for a long time. It truly is exciting.
Jeanne Ray is one author that began her writing career at the age of 60. Julie and Romeo was her first book. It was very successful. Since then she has written Step−Ball− Change, Eat Cake and Julie and Romeo Get Lucky. I would highly recommend her as an author.
Another one of my favorite authors who got started at 61 is William Steig. He is a children’s author/illustrator probably best known for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, which was awarded the Caldecott Medal for illustration. Mr. Steig also won the Newbery Medal for Doctor De Soto. His stories are unique and memorable. Mr. Steig’s vocabulary is also quirky and interesting. Two of my favorites are Brave Irene and Pete’s a Pizza
We cannot stop the march of time but what we can do is live instead of merely existing. Be spontaneous, reinvent ourselves, find a creative outlet and above all soak it all in.
−Janet
Books into Summer Movies July 29, 2010
Posted by Dori in Fiction, Mystery, Uncategorized.add a comment
Summer is traditionally when Hollywood releases a load of blockbusters – movies that are big on action and meant to rake in money – not become works of art. Some summer films are little less action packed – some are even inspired by books! Let’s take a look at what’s been released already and what we have to look forward to:
June:
Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky (June 11), based on the 2002 biographical novel by Chris Greenhalgh, is about their revolutionary approaches to art and their eventual love affair.
Winter’s Bones (June 11) is based on Daniel Woodrell’s 2006 book set in the Ozarks about a young girl who must search for her drug-dealing father in order to keep her family together.
The Killer Inside Me (June 18 – limited release) is based on the 1952 novel by pulp fiction writer Jim Thompson about a psychotic West Texas deputy sheriff.
Twilight Saga: Eclipse (June 30) is adapted from the 2007 third novel in Stephanie Meyer’s vampire series and focuses on Bella’s choice between werewolf Jacob and vampire Edward.
July:
The Girl Who Played with Fire (July 9) is based on Steig’s second novel about computer hacker Lisbeth and journalist Mikael as they investigate a sex-trafficking ring.
Ramona and Beezus (July 23) is adapted from Beverly Cleary’s classic 1955 novel about the adventures of young Ramona Quimby and her big sister Beezus.
Charlie St. Cloud (July 30), based on Ben Sherwood’s 2004 novel The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud, is a romantic drama about a young man who must choose between his commitment to his dead brother and his new relationship.
The Extra Man (July 30) is based on the 1998 novel by Jonathan Ames about a man who works escorting wealthy widows in New York’s Upper East Side.
August:
Flipped (Aug. 6) is based on Wendelin Van Draanen’s 2001 young adult novel about two eighth graders who start to have feelings for each other despite being total opposites.
Eat Pray Love (Aug. 13) is an adaptation of the memoir by Elizabeth Gilbert about a woman who decides to travel the world after realizing she needs to change her life.
Tales from Earthsea (Aug. 13) is an animated adaption featuring characters and plots from Ursula LeGuin’s Earthsea fantasy series.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Aug. 13), based on The comic Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O’Malley is about a young man who must defeat his new girlfriend’s seven evil exes in order to win her heart.
Mao’s Last Dancer (Aug. 20 – limited release) is based on Chinese-Australian ballet dancer Li Cunxin’s 2003 autobiography about his defection after a cultural exchange trip to Texas.
Nanny McPhee Returns (Aug. 20), an adapted sequel based on the Nurse Matilda children’s books by British author Christianna Brand, is about how Nanny helps a young mother trying to run the family farm while her husband is away at war.
The Switch (Aug. 20) is adapted from the short story “Baster” by Jeffrey Eugenides about an unmarried 40-year-old woman who becomes pregnant through artificial insemination and her best friend who, seven years later, finds out that he is the father of her child.
~ Dori
Get your Daily Prophet here! June 26, 2010
Posted by Julie in Fantasy, Uncategorized.Tags: Book news, Families, Fantasy, Harry Potter, Young Adult
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The Wizarding World of Harry Potter has opened in Universal Studios Orlando!! It looks like it an amazing experience for fans of the books (which would seem to include a great proportion of the world’s population). An interesting note is that althougth there are no doubt numerous opportunities to shop in the park, Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods is the only place to buy Rowling’s books. Fun, no?
I need to start planning my trip to Florida – do you think the Floo Network operates between Cleveland and Orlando?
— Julie
