How to Save a Life Sara Zarr
The Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian
India Black and the Widow of Windsor by Carol K. Carr
A Winter Haunting by Dan Simmons
Be the Miracle by Regina Brett
1222 by Anne Holt

Enjoy!

— Stacey

Steve

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
The Mark of the Golden Dragon by L.A. Meyer
For Better, For Murder by Lisa Bork
Winter Town by Stephen Emond
Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich and Dorien Kelly
The Call by Yannick Murphy
Gil’s All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez

So how about that? This just might be a list that could very well blow you away… ha ha!

— Stacey

The other, Attack the Block, a low-budget English production, was great fun- a little scary, a lot funny, super edgy and high energy, with a bit of social commentary thrown in. Its premise: a gang of young toughs from South London are attacked by aliens and have to defend their turf. Initially, their English accents (not as posh as Downton Abbey I’m afraid) were a little hard to understand, but I got the hang of it after a while.

On to this week’s (January 24th) new releases:

50/50: An autobiographical tale of two best friends, one of whom is diagnosed with cancer, and how their lives change as a result.
Real Steel: Hugh Jackman, fighting robots – a preteen boy movie I think.
Final Destination 5:  They’ve made a 5th one?
The Whistleblower: Inspired by actual events – this one is about a U.N. Peacekeeper in Bosnia who discovers a sex-trafficking ring – lots of great actors.
Beware the Gonzo: “The Gonzo” is an underground high school newspaper which gives voice to the misfits.
Another Happy Day: A family gathers at the wedding of an estranged son.
Punished: A Chinese thriller with Maggie Cheung.
Godzilla: The classic 1954 Japanese monster movie – rereleased by Criterion.
Queen of the Sun: What are the Bees Telling Us: A documentary about the disappearance of bees.

Happy Watching!

~ Dori

Chris: Come Closer by Sara Gran tells the story of demonic possession. The evil one announces her arrival with a tapping-sound-that-won’t-stop in the loft where Amanda and Edward live. Before long Amanda changes into a liar, a thief, a mind-reader, a sleep-around, a meanie and a killer. Scary stuff!

Carol: Jacquelyn Mitchard’s The Midnight Twins is a teen horror book and the first of a trilogy. In this novel, Mallory and Meredith Brynn are identical twins who have always shared dreams and could communicate telepathically. But when a fire nearly destroys them, they begin having different dreams. Mallory starts dreaming of the future while Meredith dreams of past events. Soon they realize that a demented psychopath is out to get them–unless their special gifts can save them. This story was worth the read and would be suitable for teens over the age of twelve, due to some violent content.

Emma: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson was originally published in 1886. Jekyll is a well-respected physician who creates a chemical potion that allows himself to separate his good and evil personalities. The good is represented by Jekyll and the evil is Hyde. The person of Hyde is younger and smaller. He tramples over a small girl and eventually kills a member of Parliament beating him to death with Jekyll’s walking stick. At the beginning Jekyll is able to transform himself back and forth easily between Jekyll and Hyde, but it becomes more difficult as time passes. The persona of Hyde takes over. Jekyll finally locks himself in his laboratory sending his butler all over town searching for the essential ingredient in the potion with no success. Utterson and the butler break into the laboratory to find that Hyde committed suicide.

Janet: ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King was published in 1975, long before Stephanie Meyers introduced us to Edward, Bella and Jacob. At the time of its publication ‘Salem’s Lot would have been terrifying. It is still scary but it has not disturbed my sleep. The main character Ben Mears, a writer, has returned to town to face some of his childhood demons. A stranger, Mr. Barlow, arrives at about the same time and takes up residence in the old Marsten House. This stranger is a very old vampire who is planning on taking over the town by turning the small town residents into his army of vampires. Fortunately there is good to fight the evil. With lives at stake as well as the fate of the town ‘Salem’s Lot is riveting until the very end.

Megan: Gil’s All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez is the story of how a werewolf, a vampire, a ghost, and a waitress band together to defeat the old demon gods that have been summoned by a teenaged girl dabbling in black magic. This book is a campy, quirky, horror spoof. Dysfunctional characters and even more dysfunctional relationships combine in a laugh-out-loud poke at horror. Jam-packed with zombies, demons, ghosts, and plenty of action, this book will be hit with fans of Christopher Moore’s irreverent vampire tales.

Rosemary: Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King was the best selling novel of 1992. More than a few people in Little Tall Island believe Dolores Claiborne murdered her drunken and abusive husband, Joe. Now Vera Donovan, the wealthy and very old woman Dolores has cared for 30 odd years, has died under suspicious circumstances. All the evidence is pointing to Dolores, again. This is a compelling story of a mother protecting what she holds most dear–her children. Redemption and grace are not two words usually associated with the horror genre, but Stephen King has written Dolores Claiborne with real grace and a surprising sense of redemption.

Ann: The Ridge by Michael Koryta is set in a rural area of Kentucky. Creepy things are happening on Blade Ridge. For the longest time a man named Wyatt French has tended a lighthouse there- right in the middle of the woods. Everyone just thought Wyatt was a sort of crazy drunk guy. Then he commits suicide, but before he does he contacts both the local newspaper reporter and the local cop, Kevin Kimball. When Kimball investigates, he finds a list of names, photographs, and maps on the walls at Wyatt’s lighthouse. The names are all people who died (over almost a century) near the Ridge. The Ridge had always been a spooky place, and the question now is what was Wyatt investigating? A delightfully scary ghost story that reminds me of Joe Hill’s Heart-Shaped Box.

Dori: A Winter Haunting by Dan Simmons. After a failed suicide attempt brought on by two botched relationships, Dale Stewart takes a sabbatical, drawn by a recurring nightmare back to his boyhood home in Illinois where he hopes to stay the winter and write a book about his childhood and the murder of his friend, odd but brilliant Duane McBride. Camping out at Duane’s long unoccupied house, even sleeping in Duane’s bedroom, he begins to get cryptic messages on his computer, visits from packs of black dogs and threats from local neo-Nazis. Claustrophobic and suspenseful, this horror novel is well-written with a truly surprising ending.

Steve: Stationary Bike, by Stephen King,is an interesting tale about commercial artist Richard Sifkitz. After a doctor visit reveals his unhealthy levels of cholesterol, he decides to get in shape by riding a stationary bike. As he increases his exercise routine and transforms into a much healthier body, he begins to have odd dreams. He envisions workers who were cleaning the fatty cholesterol from his body, and they are mad because their workload has been decreased due to Richard’s exercising. The story peaks with Richard’s inability to stop exercising, even though he is tormented with these workmen who haunt his dreams. The line begins to blur between reality and fantasy, and the question becomes will Richard be able to have a healthy body as well as a healthy mind?

Stacey: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury is a book that will give you a few sleepless nights the next time you see a traveling carnival come to town. Two boys, Will and Jim are drawn in by the excitement of all the different rides, the interesting people, and the unusual “tricks” they’ve found, but soon the boys become uncomfortable. There’s something strange about this carnival and the people who work there. In fact, maybe it’s brought something wicked to town and now no one is safe? What can Jim and Will do to fight against the almost irresistible pull of trouble released by this place? What would you do if you found evil lurking behind the curtain at a booth on the midway?

And next time? We’re going to try something completely new -we’re going to be reading First Novels! These will be books written by authors who were published for the first time some time in the last twelve months. Or it could be that they’ve published a book in a genre that’s new to them, like a mystery writer trying narrative nonfiction. Let’s check back in about a month, okay?

— Stacey

Once you’ve exhausted yourself with all things Year of Dragon-y, would you like to kick back and read? Maybe you’re looking for an award winning book? Maybe a book that has just won a Big Award at the American Library Association’s Winter Meeting? The Reference and User Service Division has two long lists of winning titles for you to look over! There’s the Reading List and/or the Notable Books list that have just been announced, both full of interesting titles! Or you might want to indulge your inner child with the Newbery Award or Caldecott Award winners, as well as a host of award winning titles for young people!

What a wonderful Monday… Enjoy!

— Stacey

Legend by Marie Lu
The Revisionists by Thomas Mullen
Boxer Beetle by Ned Beauman
The Gift by Pete Hamill
The Sisters by Nancy Jensen
India Black by Carol Carr
The Snow Angel by Glenn Beck

Here’s hoping one of these books, and the weather!, is exactly what you’ve been wishing for!

— Stacey

What I’m talking about is the 8th annual TMN Tournament of Books. The Morning News, an online magazine, along with Powell’s Books  and Field Notes brings us this compitition of novels written in 2011 that begins March 7, 2012. So get your office pools going and get in on the “action.” Among the competing titles in the first round are Ann Patchett’s State of Wonder  vs. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt.  March madness rules!!

—Julie

The Dog Who Knew Too Much by Spencer Quinn
Nightwoods by Charles Frazier
The Kings of Clonmel by John Flanagan
Dressmaker by Kate Alcott
Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
Started Early, Took My Dog by Kate Atkinson

Enjoy!

— Stacey

But anyway,  it’s a lovely little rendition of Frank Loesser’s song, (What are You Doing) New Year’s Eve. Check out their version on Youtube, so sweet! And if you’re still on Christmas time, check out Zooey in the movie Elf bringing some Christmas cheer. Or you can hear more of her music as part of the group She & Him  - yes the library has copies of the CDs.  Happy New Year!!

—Julie