Current events often drive our reading interests, so I wanted to remind everyone of my posting on The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East and the discussion my group had after reading this book.
This post also has further reading options at the end.
I hope this helps you and your patrons.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
BPL Display: Hot Reads for Cold Times
It is cold here in Berwyn, IL and it has been for an obscenely long time now...and it's only January!
To help combat the cold, Betty compiled this list of "Hot Reads for Cold Times" to help you escape the cold, without leaving your house.
Just looking at the display is keeping me warm, or so I am telling myself.
To help combat the cold, Betty compiled this list of "Hot Reads for Cold Times" to help you escape the cold, without leaving your house.
Just looking at the display is keeping me warm, or so I am telling myself.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
More Nancy Pearl Reading Suggestions
Nancy Pearl was back on NPR this week, suggesting books that "dip below the radar." This list is eclectic, with something for just about every reader. I have already added one to my Shelfari "to read" shelf, and I know of a few patrons who will enjoy other titles on this list.
This list serves as a reminder that when you get in a reading rut, there are always interesting books out there that you have never heard of. And, your local librarian is always there to help point you in the right direction to find them.
This list serves as a reminder that when you get in a reading rut, there are always interesting books out there that you have never heard of. And, your local librarian is always there to help point you in the right direction to find them.
Friday, January 2, 2009
BPL Display: January 2009
First new display of the year at the Berwyn Public Library looks back at the best of 2008.
Remember, this list is but a small sampling of the dozens of books filling this display, just waiting for you to check them out.
As a reminder, you can always access past annotated lists here.
Remember, this list is but a small sampling of the dozens of books filling this display, just waiting for you to check them out.
As a reminder, you can always access past annotated lists here.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
What I'm Reading: December 2008
This month I read a favorite author, a natural history title, and a holiday offering.
I read The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman as soon as I could get my hands on it. He is one of my favorite authors, but if anything, that makes me more critical. Luckily, he did not disappoint since The Graveyard Book made my top ten for the year. This new title aimed at "middle readers," was awesome. Our story begins rather gruesomely for a "children's book." An assassin, Jack, is climbing the stairs of an old home, carrying a knife that has already killed 4 members of the family, leaving only the baby boy in the attic left to be murdered. However, the toddler has escaped out the back door and into a nearby historic graveyard, now turned nature park. The boy's newly dead parents ask for the resident ghosts to protect the boy, and so begins the boy's life as the only living resident in the graveyard. Renamed, Nobody (Bod for short) the boy is raised by Mr and Mrs Owens and cared for by a guardian who can come and go from the graveyard, providing Bod with food, clothes, books, and contact with the outside world.
Although the story first appears to be a simple tale of Bod's interesting life, there is a larger story involving a secret society of assassins and Bod's mythic place in their world. Like all of Gaiman's works, there are richly drawn characters, beautiful descriptions, and a constant comparison between the living world and the fantasy world lurking just beneath the surface, specifically those that can travel between the two. This is a fast read, but it will also leave you thinking about its issues and themes for many days after its completion.
Although the book itself tells one continuous story, in true children's literature fashion, each chapter is almost its own self contained "story." This novel also contains wonderful illustrations by long-time Gaiman collaborator, Dave McKean. I also highly suggest checking out Gaiman's web site.
The most obvious readalike here is The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. Bod's story of being raised in a graveyard by ghosts until he must rejoin the world of the living is a clever (and twisted) retelling of Kipling's classic story. Robin McKinley also writes fantasy for young adults which appeals to adults. Her narrative style, although not as blatantly horror laced as Gaiman's, is still clever and twisted enough to appeal to Gaiman fans. Try Beauty, her retelling for Beauty and the Beast.
For readers who want a more adult experience, I would suggest Joe Hill's fabulous ghost story, Heart-Shaped Box or Kat Richardson's Greywalker urban fantasy/mystery series, which follows a PI who moves between the worlds of the living and the dead. The Graveyard Book is about the cemetery as a beautiful place full or art, history, and surprises. Those who enjoyed that aspect of the novel should click here for nonfiction about cemeteries.
A few days after visiting The Field Museum of Natural History with my kids, I began listening to A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. This is a great example of perfect timing; this book quickly discussed many of the things I saw at the museum. Everything is a short overview, as the title implies. Bryson takes the history of earth and picks interesting points to elaborate on. One of my favorite stories was about Yellowstone. Apparently, the geysers there are actually part of a huge inverted volcano that could blow at anytime, wiping out all life on earth. Scary stuff! Actually, this is Bryson's overall theme, the pure luck that we are here on earth at all, and swiftness with which we could all be annihilated.
Bryson mentions many scientists and writers throughout his book, but two would specifically appeal to fans of this book: Stephen Jay Gould and/or John McPhee. Newton plays a small part in Bryson's history, and I kept thinking of Rebecca Sott's Ghostwalk which I read in September. It is fiction, but features Newton and his life story. Really, I think any historical fiction about science and scientists would work as a readalike here too. Pick your interest and look for titles. Here is the link for the 100 books A Short History of Nealry Everything cites to get you started.
Speaking of good timing, my friend Mike was reading The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday by Les Standiford, and after listening to him talk about it, I quickly put my name on hold to get it before my December 20th tickets to see the play, A Christmas Carol, at Drury Lane in Oak Brook, IL. Thankfully, I placed my hold before Standiford went on every known talk show discussing the book, resulting in a ten-fold increase of holds on the slim volume.
The title pretty much tells you what you need to know about the plot. If you like Dickens, A Christmas Carol, or just Christmas in general, this was a great title to read in the days leading up to Christmas. I do not know if it would hold up as well read in June though. Personally, I was so inspired by this book that I went out and bought multiple copies to give out as gifts.
The most obvious readalike here is A Christmas Carol and Dickens' other holiday stories. Standiford's writing style also reminded me of Mark Kurlansky, and his microhistories of how one humble object changed the world forever. You could try The Big Oyster which is a history of oysters and New York City and mentions Dickens' trip to NYC which is also in Standiford's book. There is also Jane Smiley's short but accurate biography on Dickens.
But my favorite suggestion to people who are saying "been there, done that," about A Christmas Carol, is to read Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol by Tom Mula, based on the author's one-man show following Marley as he tries to save Scrooge's soul. Even the most jaded reader will enjoy this holiday offering.
That's a wrap on another year of reading.
I read The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman as soon as I could get my hands on it. He is one of my favorite authors, but if anything, that makes me more critical. Luckily, he did not disappoint since The Graveyard Book made my top ten for the year. This new title aimed at "middle readers," was awesome. Our story begins rather gruesomely for a "children's book." An assassin, Jack, is climbing the stairs of an old home, carrying a knife that has already killed 4 members of the family, leaving only the baby boy in the attic left to be murdered. However, the toddler has escaped out the back door and into a nearby historic graveyard, now turned nature park. The boy's newly dead parents ask for the resident ghosts to protect the boy, and so begins the boy's life as the only living resident in the graveyard. Renamed, Nobody (Bod for short) the boy is raised by Mr and Mrs Owens and cared for by a guardian who can come and go from the graveyard, providing Bod with food, clothes, books, and contact with the outside world.
Although the story first appears to be a simple tale of Bod's interesting life, there is a larger story involving a secret society of assassins and Bod's mythic place in their world. Like all of Gaiman's works, there are richly drawn characters, beautiful descriptions, and a constant comparison between the living world and the fantasy world lurking just beneath the surface, specifically those that can travel between the two. This is a fast read, but it will also leave you thinking about its issues and themes for many days after its completion.
Although the book itself tells one continuous story, in true children's literature fashion, each chapter is almost its own self contained "story." This novel also contains wonderful illustrations by long-time Gaiman collaborator, Dave McKean. I also highly suggest checking out Gaiman's web site.
The most obvious readalike here is The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. Bod's story of being raised in a graveyard by ghosts until he must rejoin the world of the living is a clever (and twisted) retelling of Kipling's classic story. Robin McKinley also writes fantasy for young adults which appeals to adults. Her narrative style, although not as blatantly horror laced as Gaiman's, is still clever and twisted enough to appeal to Gaiman fans. Try Beauty, her retelling for Beauty and the Beast.
For readers who want a more adult experience, I would suggest Joe Hill's fabulous ghost story, Heart-Shaped Box or Kat Richardson's Greywalker urban fantasy/mystery series, which follows a PI who moves between the worlds of the living and the dead. The Graveyard Book is about the cemetery as a beautiful place full or art, history, and surprises. Those who enjoyed that aspect of the novel should click here for nonfiction about cemeteries.
A few days after visiting The Field Museum of Natural History with my kids, I began listening to A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. This is a great example of perfect timing; this book quickly discussed many of the things I saw at the museum. Everything is a short overview, as the title implies. Bryson takes the history of earth and picks interesting points to elaborate on. One of my favorite stories was about Yellowstone. Apparently, the geysers there are actually part of a huge inverted volcano that could blow at anytime, wiping out all life on earth. Scary stuff! Actually, this is Bryson's overall theme, the pure luck that we are here on earth at all, and swiftness with which we could all be annihilated.
Bryson mentions many scientists and writers throughout his book, but two would specifically appeal to fans of this book: Stephen Jay Gould and/or John McPhee. Newton plays a small part in Bryson's history, and I kept thinking of Rebecca Sott's Ghostwalk which I read in September. It is fiction, but features Newton and his life story. Really, I think any historical fiction about science and scientists would work as a readalike here too. Pick your interest and look for titles. Here is the link for the 100 books A Short History of Nealry Everything cites to get you started.
Speaking of good timing, my friend Mike was reading The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday by Les Standiford, and after listening to him talk about it, I quickly put my name on hold to get it before my December 20th tickets to see the play, A Christmas Carol, at Drury Lane in Oak Brook, IL. Thankfully, I placed my hold before Standiford went on every known talk show discussing the book, resulting in a ten-fold increase of holds on the slim volume.
The title pretty much tells you what you need to know about the plot. If you like Dickens, A Christmas Carol, or just Christmas in general, this was a great title to read in the days leading up to Christmas. I do not know if it would hold up as well read in June though. Personally, I was so inspired by this book that I went out and bought multiple copies to give out as gifts.
The most obvious readalike here is A Christmas Carol and Dickens' other holiday stories. Standiford's writing style also reminded me of Mark Kurlansky, and his microhistories of how one humble object changed the world forever. You could try The Big Oyster which is a history of oysters and New York City and mentions Dickens' trip to NYC which is also in Standiford's book. There is also Jane Smiley's short but accurate biography on Dickens.
But my favorite suggestion to people who are saying "been there, done that," about A Christmas Carol, is to read Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol by Tom Mula, based on the author's one-man show following Marley as he tries to save Scrooge's soul. Even the most jaded reader will enjoy this holiday offering.
That's a wrap on another year of reading.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Wall St. Journal's Best of 2008
More best lists. This time from the Wall St. Journal, who had no financial books on the list. Oh, wait, that is probably a good idea after the year Wall Street has had.
Seriously, here are their 12 Most Memorable Books.
Seriously, here are their 12 Most Memorable Books.
Friday, December 26, 2008
About.Com's Best of the Bestsellers
I follow About.Com's Bestseller forum moderated by Erin Collazo Miller. This week, she posted her list of the ten best books to make the bestseller list this year.
I find this list interesting since it only considers those books which hit "bestseller" status. It offers another spin on the whole best list idea.
Ms. Miller posted a "People's Choice" top ten list as well.
I find this list interesting since it only considers those books which hit "bestseller" status. It offers another spin on the whole best list idea.
Ms. Miller posted a "People's Choice" top ten list as well.
Monday, December 22, 2008
BPL Display: Patrons' Picks
To go with our Holiday themed display here at the Berwyn Public Library, we solicited patrons to fill out forms recommending books to other patrons. We used their picks and comments to create a display and this accompanying list:
Win (Library) Friends and Influence People - Patron Recommendations.
This display has generated interest because patrons are interested in what their fellow library users have read and enjoyed. If you want to try this idea at your library, make sure you actively solicit the filling out of the (short) forms, and begin gathering the information at least 2 months in advance if you want to have enough book suggestions to fill up the shelves and enough usable comments to make an annotated list. I cannot stress active solicitation enough. We sent a form home with literally every single person we helped over those 7 or 8 weeks.
Even if you do not use this idea at your own library, try to make it your work related New Year's Resolution to include your patrons more in 2009. To encourage you further, I will also try to focus on providing more specific customer focused library tips and ideas throughout 2009.
Win (Library) Friends and Influence People - Patron Recommendations.
This display has generated interest because patrons are interested in what their fellow library users have read and enjoyed. If you want to try this idea at your library, make sure you actively solicit the filling out of the (short) forms, and begin gathering the information at least 2 months in advance if you want to have enough book suggestions to fill up the shelves and enough usable comments to make an annotated list. I cannot stress active solicitation enough. We sent a form home with literally every single person we helped over those 7 or 8 weeks.
Even if you do not use this idea at your own library, try to make it your work related New Year's Resolution to include your patrons more in 2009. To encourage you further, I will also try to focus on providing more specific customer focused library tips and ideas throughout 2009.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Best Books I Read in 2008
In honor of all of the best lists I have been posting, I present my second annual list of the ten best books I read this year, in my opinion of course. I will list the books with genre and month read, but they really are in no particular preference order.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (youth) 12/08
The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti (historical fiction) 10/08
Fun Home by Allison Bechdel (graphic novel/memoir) 9/08
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (literary fiction) 5/08
Dangerous Laughter by Steven Millhauser (short stories) 4/08
The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan (nonfiction) 4/08
The Uncommon Reader by Allan Bennett (literary fiction) 1/08
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (literary fiction) 1/08
City of Thieves by David Benioff (historical fiction) 10/08
North River by Pete Hamil (historical fiction) 6/08
To see everything I read and considered for this list, click here. And for those who are interested, here is last year's list.
A few comments on this year's top ten. First, I was surprised that only two nonfiction titles made the cut this year since I read 11 total. Second, only 1/2 of these books came out in 2008, which is a great reminder of the almost infinite back list of titles available at your local public library. Finally, if I had to pick a favorite book I read this year, I think it would be The Good Thief by Tinti because it was fun to read and though provoking (use the link above to read the details of how I felt about it.) I am not alone on liking this novel though, Tinti's work has already been honored on many of the year's best lists, including the NYT's Notable Books List and a Borders Original Voices nomination.
Let me know what you read this past year that really stuck with you. Happy Holidays! Here's to more great reading in 2009.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (youth) 12/08
The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti (historical fiction) 10/08
Fun Home by Allison Bechdel (graphic novel/memoir) 9/08
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (literary fiction) 5/08
Dangerous Laughter by Steven Millhauser (short stories) 4/08
The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan (nonfiction) 4/08
The Uncommon Reader by Allan Bennett (literary fiction) 1/08
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (literary fiction) 1/08
City of Thieves by David Benioff (historical fiction) 10/08
North River by Pete Hamil (historical fiction) 6/08
To see everything I read and considered for this list, click here. And for those who are interested, here is last year's list.
A few comments on this year's top ten. First, I was surprised that only two nonfiction titles made the cut this year since I read 11 total. Second, only 1/2 of these books came out in 2008, which is a great reminder of the almost infinite back list of titles available at your local public library. Finally, if I had to pick a favorite book I read this year, I think it would be The Good Thief by Tinti because it was fun to read and though provoking (use the link above to read the details of how I felt about it.) I am not alone on liking this novel though, Tinti's work has already been honored on many of the year's best lists, including the NYT's Notable Books List and a Borders Original Voices nomination.
Let me know what you read this past year that really stuck with you. Happy Holidays! Here's to more great reading in 2009.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
BPL Book Discussion: The Sun Also Rises
It's December and that means party time for the Monday afternoon book discussion group at the Berwyn Public Library. Each December, our group meets for 4 hours to enjoy a luncheon (sandwiches provided by the library, side dishes and desserts by the participants). We always read a "classic," watch the movie version, and discuss both.
6 months ago, my group really wanted to read Hemingway, so Kathy and I picked The Sun Also Rises because it was the shortest of his novels and it was also the first. I also had to consider the movie versions of Hemingway works and this film version was the best available in our library system (Thanks Indian Prairie).
Quick plot summary of the novel to begin with because although I thought I knew what it was about ahead of time, I have to say I never knew the entire plot hinged on the narrator's loss of his manhood (physically and literally) during WWI. Basically, this novel is the story of ex-pat Americans and British living in Paris after WWI. Jake Barnes, a journalist, and inured war vet (he is impotent now) is our narrator. The story follows Jake and his "friends," their travels to Spain for the running of the bulls, and Jake and Lady Brett Ashley's unconsumatable (not a word technically, but I am trying to summarize Hemingway in a few sentences, go with me on it) love.
Overall, although no one loved reading this book, we did all agree that it was important book to have read. We spent most of our discussion talking about...all of the drinking. Seriously, there is a lot of it. We did discuss why there was so much drinking though. The people portrayed in this novel became known as the lost generation. They had fought in WWI, the first world war after the longest major peace in the history of mankind. It was also the first war in which men were killed by machines, not other men. The things they had seen led to depression and an overall sense of being lost.
We talked about the final words of the movie, "Where do we go from here?" This summed up the entire generation and the overall theme of the novel. The movie, made in the 1950s, did a nice job of capturing this theme. It reflected well on the 1920s (the setting of the book) and the 1950s when the film was made. Both "settings: were post-World War, and had much in common.
We continued this line of discussion into the present and talked about the new lost generation of veterans coming out of our current wars, with deep physical and emotional injuries like Jake.
It is hard to find readalikes for Hemingway, but one of my participants mentioned the similar themes and setting found in Jacqueline Winspear's Masie Dobbs series, and I agree having read some of these books myself. Also, I would suggest Hemingway's posthumously published essay collection, A Moveable Feast. If you are interested in more information about the lost generation, click here. For more about Hemingway, click here. And for more about bullfighting in Spain, use this link.
Finally, I would caution anyone trying The Sun Also Rises in the 21st Century, to read it along with some critical material, even the Cliff Notes, to help you to appreciate why Hemingway's work is so important.
6 months ago, my group really wanted to read Hemingway, so Kathy and I picked The Sun Also Rises because it was the shortest of his novels and it was also the first. I also had to consider the movie versions of Hemingway works and this film version was the best available in our library system (Thanks Indian Prairie).
Quick plot summary of the novel to begin with because although I thought I knew what it was about ahead of time, I have to say I never knew the entire plot hinged on the narrator's loss of his manhood (physically and literally) during WWI. Basically, this novel is the story of ex-pat Americans and British living in Paris after WWI. Jake Barnes, a journalist, and inured war vet (he is impotent now) is our narrator. The story follows Jake and his "friends," their travels to Spain for the running of the bulls, and Jake and Lady Brett Ashley's unconsumatable (not a word technically, but I am trying to summarize Hemingway in a few sentences, go with me on it) love.
Overall, although no one loved reading this book, we did all agree that it was important book to have read. We spent most of our discussion talking about...all of the drinking. Seriously, there is a lot of it. We did discuss why there was so much drinking though. The people portrayed in this novel became known as the lost generation. They had fought in WWI, the first world war after the longest major peace in the history of mankind. It was also the first war in which men were killed by machines, not other men. The things they had seen led to depression and an overall sense of being lost.
We talked about the final words of the movie, "Where do we go from here?" This summed up the entire generation and the overall theme of the novel. The movie, made in the 1950s, did a nice job of capturing this theme. It reflected well on the 1920s (the setting of the book) and the 1950s when the film was made. Both "settings: were post-World War, and had much in common.
We continued this line of discussion into the present and talked about the new lost generation of veterans coming out of our current wars, with deep physical and emotional injuries like Jake.
It is hard to find readalikes for Hemingway, but one of my participants mentioned the similar themes and setting found in Jacqueline Winspear's Masie Dobbs series, and I agree having read some of these books myself. Also, I would suggest Hemingway's posthumously published essay collection, A Moveable Feast. If you are interested in more information about the lost generation, click here. For more about Hemingway, click here. And for more about bullfighting in Spain, use this link.
Finally, I would caution anyone trying The Sun Also Rises in the 21st Century, to read it along with some critical material, even the Cliff Notes, to help you to appreciate why Hemingway's work is so important.
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