Bookshelf Buzz

A Girl Named Stanley

2011-09-22T14:23:00.015-04:00

You would think that as much hullabaloo we've heard about our current president concerning his birth and religious preferences, we would have heard a little bit more about the woman who gave life to such a controversial president. During Obama's run for the presidency we heard about her struggles with her insurance company as she fought for her life. We also heard about her struggles as a single mother on food stamps raising a bi-racial son with the help of her parents. Yet we didn't hear about the passionate exotic independent life she led. And what a life she did lead!

Before I read "A Singular Woman" I thought that I was a lot like Ann in the sense that I was a struggling single mother who relied on the kindness of her family to help her raise her sons, and who also, like Ann, struggled with insurance coverage. However when I began to read about this extraordinary woman, I realized that we had very little in common save for the struggles of single parenthood.

A Singular Woman, written by Janny Scott, gives us a unique picture of Stanley Ann, a strong-willed, yet impulsive, financially stressed, yet philanthropic, woman of the late 20th century who admittedly made many mistakes in her personal life, yet never gave up her dream of doing what she felt was most important, giving her children a good education and integrity.

With success however there sometimes comes a price, Stanley Ann's life was rocky, often lonely, riddled with not only stormy marriages but heartache because she spent a great deal of time being absent in her son's life.(Which as a mother I find that to be reprehensible)

Ann did adore Barack and Maya, however she was more passionate about her anthropological work in Indonesia than she was about parenting and wifery. Even though I feel one should have more passion for parenting your children than anything else I cannot deny that she wasn't a brilliant woman who contributed significantly to female equality.

A Singular Woman lacks the presence of Obama and how he felt about the choices his mother made and what effect that had on him. My hope is that President Obama will write a more detailed autobiography later and discuss the major role his mother played in his life.

In the end whether you agree with her choices or her politics, Stanley Ann Dunham led a life worth reading about even if she not been mother to an American president. She was not your typical girl from the American Midwest. The girl named Stanley, like the "Boy named Sue", learned to think for herself and ignore the constraints of the norm. She sprang from generations of mavericks and had the courage to carve out her own history.

Grace in the 5th Quarter

2011-09-12T11:57:00.008-04:00

If you're attracted by high-tech special effects and big Hollywood names, then the Grace Card and 5th Quarter might not be the movies for you, but if you're interested in watching films that's are profound as well as spiritual then you definitely will not want to pass these two movies up. One movie is based on true events, the other sends a message that most of us need to acknowledge-FORGIVENESS. Both deal with tragedy and grief but in very different ways.

In the Grace Card Mac McDonald loses his young son in a tragic accident, and his life spirals down from that moment. As the years pass, he becomes bitter, estranged from his family, his career as a law enforcement officer suffers and he allows his grief to become bottled-up anger that leads him on a path to self destruction.

As a final straw Mac is forced to pair up with Sam, an African-American pastor who took the job as a police officer to pay the bills, though his true dream is to do full-time ministry. Their relationship is tense and neither understands quite why their paths intersected. When tragedy strikes, the design becomes apparent and both men realize that nothing happens by mistake. What is the lesson to be learned here? Forgiveness is free and should be given to everyone-Give them the Grace Card.

"For the entire history of mankind everyone is born and everyone dies. You think we'd have learned to handle it, but we don't." The 5th Quarter is the true story of how the Abbate family comes to terms with the most profound of losses, and how a team(Wake Forest Football) rallies around a teammate's love for his brother. This is more then a sports movie, it is a film about dealing with loss and grief in a positive way. It is a movie that everyone can relate to simply because at some point we all will lose someone we love dearly and even though we know this we are still never quite prepared for when it happens.

Keep the Kleenex close by for these two movies.

A Stolen Life

2011-07-20T13:09:00.007-04:00

Jaycee Dugaard's nightmare began when she was abducted while walking up a hill to her school bus on June 10, 1991, when she was 11 years old. It ended when her abductors, Phillip and Nancy Garrido, were asked eighteen years later to attend a parole meeting August 26, 2009, after two UC Berkeley's campus officers became suspicious of Garrido when he appeared on campus with Jaycee's young daughters. Their unusual behavior sparked an investigation that led to the positive identification of Jaycee Lee Dugard, living in a tent behind Garrido's home.

A Stolen life is Jaycee's story of how she, beginning at the age of 11, confronted 18 years of evil by doing what she had to do to survive mentally and emotionally. Her story is told with unflinching detail. It is a harsh book to read. Jaycee leaves nothing to the imagination with her ordeal at the hands of the evil Garridos. There were some parts in the book where I thought I just couldn't go on, but I'd put the book down and reflect and then pick it back up and carry on. Jaycee's story is a testament to the natural instinct that lies inside all of us to survive no matter what the cost.

I have read so many bad reviews on this book, that I have to write a good one. Some have complained about the writing being too repetitive and grammatically flawed, some of it sounding too much like a fairy tale ending(really?) . Some have said that no one who endured such atrocities could survive without having major issues and that the real story hasn't been told.(How much worse could it get?) And last but not least some have bashed her for not trying to escape.(Why this was even mentioned in a book review is beyond me)

My Rebuttal
Jaycee and Simon and Schuster for whatever reason decided she should write her story in her own words.(And we should remember that she had only a 5th grade education). For those reviewers who say it seems too fake with a feel good ending, well there was a feel good ending for Jaycee and her family, she was found alive. And lastly for those of you who question why she did not try to escape, let's take ourselves back to when we were 11 and how most of us were afraid of the dark. One never knows what one will do until they are faced with the same situation.(Would you have survived?) I do believe most critics have forgotten to ask the big question,”Was there anything to be learned from this work?” With "a Stolen Life," the answer is a resounding yes. For anybody who has ever felt insignificant, overlooked, or powerless to break out of a trap or find his or her own brand of happiness, (which is most of us) courage is a lesson in perseverance. Jaycee has survived her ordeal, she has told her story and we should rejoice in that fact. Her story gives us hope that miracles do exist.

Red Glove

2011-05-24T13:52:00.003-04:00

The Curse Worker's series is perfect! I just finished Red Glove, and NEED the third book! NOW!
Holly Black created a world where curse workers can manipulate, kill, transform, or hurt you with a single touch. Cassel Sharpe happens to be the only non-worker in a family of mobster workers. He's an outcast with a murderous and confusing past, yet tries to make up for it with his con-man finesse. When he starts being lead in his dreams to see that his past was a con in itself, he can no longer lead the normal life he was trying for and may have to go against the only people he thought he could trust.
It's a thrill-ride that will keep you guessing, a love story that will make you want to throw the book against the wall, and a fabulously original idea that will leave you aching for more!

Reviewed by Erin Reifsnider
Young Adult Coordinator

The Swiss Courier by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey

2011-05-11T08:59:00.003-04:00

I have a confession to make. I normally avoid historical fiction like a passion. Usually, the authors put so many historical details in the books that it detracts from the story line and plot. I am so glad I checked out this book!

It is a gripping story about WWII with fascinating disclosures and background information that most people don’t know about. The book is a fast-paced thriller reminiscent of the highly popular 24 television series with plot twists and pulsating action and the plot KEPT ME RIVETED.

The authors have the right combination of history and intrique. It was fascinating to learn more about Switzerland’s role in WWII, the newly formed American Office of Strategic Services in that country which was the forerunner to the CIA. If only history teachers would weave tales like this, more students would become history lovers.

Kathy Stutzman
Public Relations Manager

Ship Breaker

2011-04-19T12:19:00.002-04:00

I am always looking for the next book to put into someone's hands who can't get over the fast-paced, adventure of The Hunger Games. Similar plot lines have been written, female archer fighting to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Yet, it is not one of these books which I put into the hands of these book lovers, but rather the 2010 Printz winning novel, Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi. With a dose of Treasure Island like adventure/survival, a dash of Hunger Games apocalyptic intrigue, a pinch of Dickens coming-of-age, and a whole lot of originality, Ship Breaker is a timeless story.

On the American Gulf coast, Nailer lives in a ship-breaking beach community. From a young age, children are trained in how to strip an old ship of all of its useful materials. It's dirty, risky and dangerously competitive. Nailers luck seems to have changed when he finds a “swank” boat washed up after a huge storm. Inside the boat, however, is a girl- A girl who could get in the way of his fortune if kept alive. This book sparks questions of ethical “what would you do's?” in a future world not un-like our own. Teens will be interested to find that ship-breaking is occurring in some impoverished coastal communities!

Reviewed by Erin Reifsnider
Young Adult Coordinator

Pegasus National Bestselling Author: Robin McKinley

2011-04-11T10:07:00.002-04:00

YA SF MCK

I enjoy reading fantasy fiction written for all ages. Robin Mckinley is one of my favorite writers. In the past I have read the 1998 Phoenix Award honor book, Beauty: a Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast, the 1985 Newbery Medal winner The Hero and the Crown and a 1983 Newbery Honor book, The Blue Sword, both about the magical country of Damar. Just recently I bought and quickly devoured Robin McKinley’s novel, Sunshine, that had won the 2004 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature. I then placed on hold Pegasus at my library when I realized we had a copy here.

I have discovered that Robin McKinley always excels at creating a well-developed fantasy realm. In her Wikipedia biography Robin grew up as an only child with a father in the United State Navy. She moved around frequently and read copiously. She remembers events, places, and time periods by what books she read where. She read the Chronicles of Narnia for the first time in New York and the Lord of the Rings for the first time in Japan.

Many of her strong heroines reflect qualities that the she saw in herself as a young woman: clumsiness, plainness, bookishness, and disinterest in the usual social games that involve flirting and dating. She believes that most girls go through a time growing up when they believe they are in fact lost princesses, switched at birth. Biographer Marilyn H. Karrenbrock stated, “McKinley’s females do not simper, they do not betray their own nature to win a man’s approval. But neither do they take love lightly or put their own desires before anything else. In McKinley’s books, the romance, like the adventure, is based upon ideals of faithfulness, duty, and honor.” I found her animal characters to be memorable well-detailed, intelligent individuals.

In this novel, Pegasus, Princess Sylvi is ceremonially bound to Ebon, her own Pegasus, on her twelfth birthday as part of a thousand-year-old alliance between humans and pegasi. Amazingly, Sylvi and Ebon are able to communicate and truly understand each other, without relying on specially trained “speaker” magicians to translate. Secretly, Ebon introduced petite Sylvi to the joys of flying at night on his back. He also arranged for Sylvi to visit his homeland and to see the pegasi caves as a special 16th birthday gift. Alliance rules normally only allow the pegasi to visit the humans country. As a result of the rare three-week life-changing visit, Sylvi becomes her nation’s pegasi expert. But she is unsure of how to share what she has experienced and learned as the unique closeness of the bond between Sylvi and Ebon seems to threaten the peaceful status quo--and possibly the future safety of their two nations.

At the end of Pegasus I was left with many questions. A disgraced, power hungry “speaker” magician, Fthoom, uncovers an historical parchment document about the reign of King Ascur II, during which there was an invasion of enemy forces made up of taralians, norindours, ladons and wyverns, led by rocs. Supposedly, rocs speak truth when dying. The parchment recorded that a dying roc was overheard crying out, “the blood and breath of each [race] is poisonous to the other” over time, and the bodies of your two races “are dying of it” as the ties grow closer together. Was Fthoom lying? Many in the king’s Court fear that the two nations may not survive the escalating violent, border attacks by these old enemies again --especially if the growing bond between Sylvi and Ebon and other human-pegasi partnerships are allowed to flourish. Are the magicians holding back key information or doing things that hold back and/or jeopardize a closer, more equitable relationship between the two nations?

Regrettably I must wait almost a year for the publication of Pegasus II in 2012 to discover if the friendship of Sylvi and Ebon will end or survive in the face of the impending crisis facing their nations.

Meanwhile, I plan to read some of Robin McKinley’s other titles. I’ve got her books, Chalice and Dragonhaven, on my “to read” list. She is married to author Peter Dickinson. I may also explore the two short story collections they wrote together, Fire and Water. I look forward to many more hours of great fantasy reading.

What authors have you enjoyed reading over the years? Who has always produced a good read time and again? I plan to explore a few of my favorites with you soon. Until then, enjoy reading.

Ann Zydek
Library Director

Conspiracy in Kiev

2011-03-25T10:58:00.001-04:00

Conspiracy in Kiev, marks Noel Hynd venture into Christian fiction. This fast-paced international espionage thriller will keep you guessing. Full of twists and turns, any Ludlum and Clancy fans will enjoy this first book of a Russian Trilogy. You can tell the author is knowledgeable of the ins and outs of Washington agencies and the book is well researched. In fact, some of the practices revealed will certainly make readers wary, especially in light of the recent headlines about Russian espionage in this country. From double-crosses to unexpected help from the enemy, this book won’t disappoint you.

There is a lot of violence in this action-packed story and a number of people die. However, the events aren’t that much different than newspaper headlines today. This only serves to make the book more realistic.

Although categorized as inspirational fiction, faith is very subtlety woven through the pages making it entertaining for all crowds. In fact, it could just as easily be categorized as just mystery fiction. The female lead character, Alex DaLuca, does grow stronger in her faith but it is not a main focus point. Occasionally, the story gets bogged down when the author goes into a lot of historical background to explain situations. However, it doesn’t occur often enough to warrant putting the book down.

A tight storyline with thrilling action sequences makes this a good read.

Kathy Stutzman
Public Relations Manager

The Devil's Rooming House

2011-03-10T14:35:00.001-05:00

   Ok, first of all, I guess I read some rather morbid books at times! This book, authored by M. Williams Phelps, is a non-fiction book about Amy Archer-Gilligan, America's Deadliest Female Serial Killer.
   In running one of the U.S.'s first nursing homes from her own home, Amy was accused of murdering over 40 patients with arsenic. Between 1908 and 1916, sixty-six "inmates" as they were called, died in her care. She was only convicted of a few, including her second husband, within months of their marriage. The movie: Arsenic and Old Lace was written based on this period in history.
   Although the book was interesting, I still found myself just skimming pages instead of intently reading them. At times the book tended to drag with too much back story of other participants. But overall, if you are interested in this type of reading, it really was a fascinating story.

As Young as We Feel

2011-03-02T13:55:00.002-05:00

As Young As We Feel by Melody Carlson

This is the first book of a new series: The Four Lindas. It is a compelling journey of four friends in their fifties brought back together at a 35 year class reunion during a crossroads in their lives. Coming from four very different lifestyles and facing different crises, they find they have something in common, a desire to reinvent their lives…together.

It’s easy to relate to the story line of friends losing touch with each other and reconnecting later. Many of us have gone through the same situation. It’s also a written reminder that we all need friends in our lives.

Although, it starts out a little slow, it does pick up speed with characters so realistic that the reader begins to identify with one or more of the Lindas. With the unique life challenges of the Boomer generation: marriages in trouble, widowhood, depression, relationships with estranged children, and taking care of parents with long-term care needs, there is something for any woman of Boomer age to identify with. At the same time, those of other ages will enjoy this book also as it explores reevaluating one’s life, of taking chances, and possibly choosing a new path.

As one reviewer wrote, “This is a book for and about women -- about their trials, their strengths and their friendships. It's a book you won't want to miss, especially if you're a Boomer woman.”

Kathy Stutzman
Public Relations Manager

The Falling away

2011-02-23T11:32:00.003-05:00

The Falling Away by T.L. Hines

Run, do not walk away from this book! Captured by the back cover synopsis promising supernatural suspense, well-crafted characters, spiritual insights, and etc., I checked the book out. My mistake.

For the next 3 days I struggled through the book. Now for someone who generally finishes a book in one evening, this says volumes. The book was confusing. I have read a number of books in the supernatural suspense genre and this did not deliver. The book jumped around and the thread was hard to follow.

The allegory of a virus to describe how demonic activity infiltrates humankind was poorly developed. The scriptural references seemed misleading. In addition, the subject of cutting oneself to relieve anxiety seemed acceptable. Would I recommend it? No. Would I discourage people from recommending it? Yes.

Kathy Stutzman
Public Relations Manager

Madden 11 Xbox 360

2011-02-16T10:34:00.003-05:00

Madden 11
This weekend I went over to my
friend's house to play the new and
anticipated “Madden 11” video game
on Xbox 360. I found this line of the
series to be quite similar to the other
Madden games, but at the same time
there were many more new features
that I would know of once I started
actually playing. The graphics on the
new Madden 11 are much improved
and also the kicking style of the game
is much different. For the kicking, one
has to now press the “A” button for
how much power and accuracy they
want. (Unlike previous Madden
games). Audible play calling is also
different on the new Madden 11, which
is one thing I did not like, but on the
upside I loved the new “gameflow”
option you can choose from if you
don't want to pick the play.
“Gameflow”, which applies to both
offense and defense, lets the computer
decide which play is best for you to
run rather than you scouting out what
play to choose on each possession. This
speeds the game up. I hope you
enjoyed my review of the new Madden
2011 video game. It is a great game to
buy if you are a football fanatic like
me! :)

by Viraj Gokhale

Any Minute

2011-02-09T10:15:00.005-05:00

Any Minute by Joyce Meyer and Deborah Bedford

The story plot is similar to the Christmas Carol. The main character has too busy of a work life, forgetting family and being rude to people. Priorities are in the wrong order. She is in an accident and is taken to past, present, and future. In the end, she makes changes. Joyce Meyers is an excellent non-fiction writer. This is her second attempt at fiction. She still needs to hone her fiction writing skills. Too much of the book was spent building the background and too little spend after the main character comes back to life. It seemed like she realized she was getting close to her allowed # of pages or words and rushed through it. Although she teamed up with an accomplished writer, it fell flat.

Reviewed by

Kathy Stutzman
Public Relations Manager

The Savage

2011-02-09T10:11:00.003-05:00

There is a savage in each of us. Innocent, pure, or not. We are capable of ________ (fill in the blank).
When one young boy, Blue Baker, is left confused and in pain, he taps into that very savage, creating an artistic reality where his savage alter ego is capable of the things this boy can only dream of. Blue, a gentle kid, is connected to the savage he's writing about and is able to face his bully and take out his anger through his writings. The Savage becomes so real to Blue, that he begins to question his existence.
Getting to the core of human emotion, David Almond isn't afraid to get a little dirty, "If anybody ever seen him he chased them and cort them and killed them and ate them and chucked their bones down an aynshent pit shaft. He was savage. He was truly wild." With wild tri-color illustrations of the savage with his empty eyes and animal movements, Dave Mckean makes Almond's story as real as Blue's Savage was to him.
Loved loved loved this quick read! Recommended! For Sure!

Reviewed by Erin Reifsnider
Young Adult Coordinator

An Immortal Life

2011-01-24T14:49:00.005-05:00

I've always been curious about the cells that are referred to as HeLa. I had always wondered where and how they came to be. I am quite surprised that it has taken this long to finally write about the history of these amazing cells. The “Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” explains all this.

Rebecca Skloot set out to write a book about the cells that Johns Hopkins researchers harvested from a tumor that killed a young African-American woman named Henrietta Lacks in the 1950s. Those cells, known as HeLa, had a life of their own. They were fruitful and multiplied, they traveled around the world, and they provided science with the source of scores of life-saving discoveries (Polio for one). During the course of investigating science's use of those cells, Skloot found a much better story, one that begins with the researchers' failure to inform Henrietta's family of what they were doing. As a result of this, the family did not discover the cells existed until decades later.

This story will incite, shock and awe you when you come to learn the story of the Lacks family and their victimization by socioeconomic conditions, racism and how these cells have made tons of money for the health establishment and yet most of the Lacks family are unable to afford health coverage.

The author has done an extensive research job in putting together this book. The afterword notes that it took 10 years to complete the book. The science is easily understood by the average reader, the family story is enhanced by the author's patient relationship with the family of Henrietta.

What impressed me most about this book was the way the author presented the story in a non judgmental way. Both the family and especially the medical establishment committed acts that did no one proud. Skloot is not condescending nor patronizing to the Lacks family nor does she condemn the medical establishment. It would have been easy to sensationalize this story but she didn't, she just calmly and in a very fair and straightforward way reported it.

The human race owes Henrietta Lacks a debt that it will never be able to repay. This is a book that should be required reading in all of our schools.

Jimmy Buffet-Encores

2010-12-03T10:58:00.003-05:00

I love Jimmy Buffet, and I love how his music just makes me feel happy. When I listen to him, it takes my mind back to my Jamaica vacations....relaxing.
This being said, I wasn't overly impressed with this 2 cd set. It is just like the title suggests; it is all encore songs from various concerts from around the world. Not that that is bad, just not what I expected. I think in each song he is telling the audience that they are the best, and that locations is his favorite. That just got redundant to me.
All in all though, you can't go wrong with upbeat songs, and Jimmy Buffet is the king of upbeat!

50 Things To Do When You Turn 50

2010-12-03T10:51:00.003-05:00

Ok, this is the big one...the big 5-0. So when this book came in, I thought, what better time to read it!
50 Things To Do When You Turn 50 is a compilation of 50 experts with short essays on the subject of turning 50. Some of the essays: Stop Complaining by Garrison Keillor; Stop Obsessing About Your Flaws by Bobbi Brown; Jump Off A Bridge by Mark Fenton; and Take Your Self Back, by Erica Jong.
The book is encouraging and enlightening, as well as being humorous. While I don't think I am ready to jump off a bridge, everyone nearing this age could glean some wisdom from it.
It's not too late to make my Bucket List yet though....hmmmm.

Nightmare by Robin Parrish

2010-11-23T09:12:00.002-05:00

Do you believe in ghosts? Do you believe in the supernatural? Whether you believe or not, reports of so-called happenings happen frequently. As one of the characters in this “ghost story” questions, “ You think there are pit stops along the way?”

I like books with mystery and sometimes an edge. In the past few years, a number of inspirational writers have risen who write in the style of authors like Stephen King, albeit with a Christian touch. This book definitely had an edge and almost knocked me over the precipice. Added to that, it was a dark and stormy night when I read it. So the stage was set, as they say.

The main character, Maia, is the child of a Christian and an agnostic who are paranormal investigators that experience “hours of tedium, punctuated with seconds of skin-peeling terror”. Looking to escape this way of life, she enters college preparing to go in a new direction. In her senior year, she is approached by a fellow student, Jordin, an heiress who has an unhealthy thirst for the supernatural who hires Maia to show her the supernatural world. The hunt takes a turn for the worst as they traipse through scores of famously “haunted” sites, stirring up the spirit realm. Jordin disappears and Maia, with the aid of Jordin’s fiancée and soon-to-be pastor, Derek, has to use her investigative skills to bring her back to the physical world. They soon are in a battle for not only Jordin’s but Maia’s soul.

Interestingly, my husband and I have actually visited several of the sites mentioned in the book, the U.S.S. North Carolina battleship and Gettysburg battleground. While we never experienced any of the events mentioned in the book, we did tour during the daytime and not at nighttime when most experiences seem to occur. At the conclusion of the book, the author shares that the kind of events depicted in the book actually have happened. He explains that each site has had countless reports of paranormal activity. In conclusion, he stresses that touching the paranormal is inherently dangerous and compares it to swimming with sharks or sword swallowing.

Sooooo…would I recommend reading this book? Hmmm…if you want a challenging read, this is definitely one that will test your nerves and your beliefs. If you’re prone to having nightmares or have to sleep with the lights on, maybe not.

Kathy Stutzman
Public Relations Manager

Elvis is in the building!

2010-11-22T13:39:00.004-05:00

To mark what would have been the 75th anniversary of the birth of Elvis Presley, Sony Legacy released this 4-disc career-spanning compilation. As a Elvis fanatic since I was about 10, I have to say that this is the GREATEST Elvis collection I have ever seen. (But then Elvis could have belted out the phone book and I'd have been there, standing and applauding all the way through)

While other artists reinvented themselves to fit the times, Elvis bent the times around himself staying true to his voice and himself as everything around him changed. His producers, songwriters, and musicians kept turning over, but in the center of it all Elvis sang a surprisingly straight line from 1953 to 1977. Even as his voice matured and the productions were influenced by his Vegas stage show, the fire in his delivery remained. Whether singing rock, blues, country, soul, pop or gospel, his performances found a true line stretched from the Sun sessions through RCA studios in Nashville, New York and Hollywood, a stint in the army, a catalog of often mediocre films, his 1968 resurrection, a triumphant return to Memphis, and country sessions that brought him back to his roots.

There's something for every Elvis fan here. Like music from his movies? No problem; there's a lot of that here. Whether it be his music from the movies he starred in "Jailhouse Rock" with Elvis really rocking to that a great beat and a musical interlude that couldn't be better; "King Creole" from the movie of the same name with that male backup that works perfectly as well as "Trouble" and "Viva Las Vegas" from the movie of the same name, Elvis never skips a beat! He never lets go of a single superfluous note. Elvis invariably sings with great passion and you can tell he's singing from the heart with just one listen!

Whether you believe Elvis Aaron Presley was the GREATEST entertainer/performer who has ever lived, you cannot deny that he had more impact on popular music than anybody who has ever lived. What is amazing about Elvis was that he could sing any type of music; country, R&B, pop, gospel, as well as rock and hearing him sing the listener would believe that that field of music was Elvis's forte.

After taking a listen to this compilation one cannot deny that Elvis was and still is the King of Rock n Roll.

Keep the Faith

2010-11-17T11:26:00.006-05:00

Have A Little Faith by Mitch Albom

This is a phenomenal true story of diversity, although not as captivating as "Tuesdays with Morrie", none the less it will engage your soul. It's a story of two men of God; one an aging rabbi, and the other, an African American pastor working in a ghetto. Two men---two different faiths; two entirely different backgrounds.

"Have a Little Faith" made me see that people can gain faith and develop a love of God from almost any place in life. What I really appreciated about this book is it does not preach nor does it favor either of the religions. Instead it suggests to look at yourself and perhaps refocus on the important things in life...family...friends...faith. In a time where the world seems to be in a frenzy of hate- peace, love and understanding doesn't seem like a bad thing.

Albom helped me to understand our tendencies as humans to focus on the messenger rather than the message; to focus on the appearance rather than the substance, not just in our own faith but of others' faiths as well. And everyone from time to time needs to focus on these things

Regardless of your faith, or lack there of, this book has a message to tell and the message is clear, even to those of us who aren't listening; Faith gives us Hope. Hope gives us Strength. Strength gives us the Courage to deal with whatever life sends our way.

Late at night with my school girl Idol

2010-11-01T16:08:00.008-04:00

It's been said be careful who you idolize. They might not live up to your expectations.(Or they just might)

In the 1980's I was a shallow teenager who absolutely adored Rick Springfield. Posters decorated the walls of my bedroom. My lunch money was saved in order to purchase Mr. Springfield's albums and 45's (I know I am dating myself).I spent many a night using my hairbrush as a microphone dancing around singing "Jessie's girl" like a fool. As the 80's came and went so did my adolescence wanton lust. I grew up and Rick slowly faded from the limelight and soon he became a distant memory. Now that I have become middle aged I find myself looking back quite a bit and longing for those adolescent days. When I heard that Rick Springfield was writing a book I knew I had to read it. So with some trepidation, I began to read...I mean did I really want hear the warts and all story about someone I had idolized as a hormonally challenged teenager? Yeah, I rationalized, yeah I did.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that "Late, Late at Night" was brutally honest and did not paint a pretty picture of my beloved idol. In his autobiography Rick is very candid about his lifelong problems with depression (the notorious “Mr. D.”) addiction, and infidelity. By his no holds barred technique we get to see the human side of him, what lies deep beneath the surface. While reading, half the time I didn't know whether to be disgusted with him or take him to my bosom and tell him that everything was going to be all right. Many parts of this book are upsetting and very dark, but being one who has battled the big bad D word herself, there is nothing happy or bright about this illness. I also appreciated the fact that he owned all those not-so-admirable things he'd done in his life without blaming it on the booze, his mommy or chemical imbalance (Way to man up Rick). On a lighter note many parts of this book are hilarious as well as touching. I admire the deep and abiding love his has for his family and his dogs and all that they mean to him.

So does Rick Springfield have a story to tell? Yes, indeed, he does! And while it's not a pretty one, he let's us know that he's a work in progress even at the age of 60(and might I add a hot 60). Had I read this book back when I was 15, it would have undoubtedly scarred me and made me burn all of my Rick memorabilia. Now that I am an adult and have suffered through life, I have come to realize that at the end of the day we're all the same...even the idols.

Memory Keepers Daughter

2010-10-13T13:54:00.003-04:00

I don't read a lot of fiction, and the fiction I do read revolves around a handful of authors, but on occasion a book will grab my attention and I think to myself, gee why not? The Memory Keepers Daughter was one of those books.

It is an epic story that begins in Kentucky(this was what first got my attention). In the middle of a terrible Blizzard Dr. David Henry is forced to help deliver his own twins when his wife Norah goes into labor. The next three decades keep two families tied together with a secret that most of them aren't aware of. In it's conclusion, their son Paul is left with the undeniable truth. That happily ever after is a myth. That good people are flawed. That you can attempt to right wrongs but in the end all you can do is choose not to repeat them. It was a decision that, once made, could not be redeemed nor remedied. Time inexorably moves away from that moment but, instead of becoming distant, it grows tentacles that seize their beings and influence everything for the next three decades. We learn a photograph can capture a moment but it cannot tell you what encompasses it, what came before and after. It cannot effect change, it cannot correct. One moment, one choice, and an ever-widening circle of consequences, many roads taken and many not.

The writing in The Memory Keeper's Daughter is so well-articulated, the story itself is so engrossing and so different from any I have read before, that hard as I tried to remain disaffected, about 100 pages before the end I felt actual pain knowing there was a last page. As I came to know every nuance of these characters, I wanted to reach into the pages and tell them everything, something, anything, to stop time, to take a different road and change the past, then go on again. Honestly, I have never felt quite this way about a book before.

Kim Edwards takes us to the heart of several very complicated issues.It is written in painstaking detail and most likely not the best read for someone looking for a fast paced, dramatic novel. The sentiment in this book can be rather overwhelming at times.

Overall, I found The Memory Keepers Daughter a beautifully written story that slowly builds to create a powerful message of family and the ties that bind them.

2010 Caldecott Medal Winner

2010-04-07T13:48:00.002-04:00

THE LION AND THE MOUSE by Jerry Pinkney

Glorious lion face on the front cover is of this book is just the first hint to the rich pictures in this nearly wordless retelling of Aesop's fable. Set in Africa's Serengeti plain, the crux of the story is a mouse who accidentally disturbs a sleeping lion is captured by the lion then unexpectedly released. When the lion is capture in a hunters net, the mouse returns to chew through the net, releasing the lion in return. It's a moral of one selfless act being rewarded by another selfless act.

Interestingly, the only words in this book are sounds, the screech of owls flying through the tree tops, the lion's roar when capture in the net and the squeaks of the mouse as she tells her little mice of her release. You can can almost hear her saying “You're never going to believe what happened to me today.” The only humans, the men who build the net that captures the lion, are shown with faces hidden and create there own noises as they build the net.

Jerry Pinkney, a five time recipient of both the Coretta Scott King award winner and Caldecott Honor, was long overdue for a the Caldecott Award. This book shows how Pinkney's talent can make words unnecessary. The wordless of this book lets the child and the adult story sharer (you can't call them readers) develop a dialogue about the story on their own and lends to the possibility of a bigger dialog between child and adult about the value of helping others without thought of personal gain.

Patricia Schroader
Children's Librarian

2010 Newbery Medal Winner

2010-04-07T13:45:00.002-04:00

It makes sense to me that a book where an integral part of the story relies on information from a past Newbery Medal winner would become an Newbery Medal winner itself. In When You Reach Me, the favorite book of Miranda is A Wrinkle in Time, the 1963 winner.

Miranda's life is pretty unremarkable until the day she finds a note in her library book. Miranda is 12 year old, living with her mother in apartment in a run down section of Manhattan in 1979. Beyond the normal middle school politics of who's cool and who's not, the biggest crisis in her life is the loss of her friendship with her childhood friend, Sal. Then she finds a note with a cryptic message that tells her “I am coming to save your friend's life, and my own...I will not be myself when I reach you,” asking her to “write me a letter.” This book is the letter Miranda wrote to her unknown pen pal.

There is plenty of suspense, intermingled with Miranda's struggles to connect with new friends, to keep this book a true page turner. The ending is ironically both expected, yet unexpected, as Stead neatly ties in all the gaps, leaving the reader thinking, “Aha! That's what that clue meant.” This book receives my vote as a worthy Newbery Medal winner.

Patricia Schroader
Children's Librarian

The man who sold the world

2010-02-02T12:21:00.006-05:00

"The Man who sold the world" by William Kleinknecht could not have come at a more appropriate time for Americans. I personally found this book to be a very valuable insight into the so-called "legacy" of one of America's most revered and misunderstood presidents. At first I was a little bit shocked as to what I was reading, but the further I read the more I came to realize that sometimes things are not as them seem (especially when it comes to government).

Rather than take the easy way out and present empty social mores and personal attacks, the author presents evidence of cause-&-effect scenarios that were directly or indirectly the result of Ronald Reagan's influence (an influence that is still a very viable and dominant force in business and politics today, both in America and around the world). The author dares to question that influence, and does so not by making blanket statements with little real backing, but genuine qualifications of facts and figures that any honest man or woman would find hard to refute in any serious debate. This book is not a slam or attack towards the 40th president unlike other books tend to do when discussing the Carter or Clinton Administrations. Kleinknecht tears away at the legacy of "Reaganism": discussing the after-effects of that legacy and what it means to us today in our current situation.

I also found it interesting and fair that Kleinknecht's time-line of hypocrisy is not limited to the GOP. He allows the evidence to speak for itself. The main theme of the book is that Reagan's populism was more from his Hollywood past than his upbringing and the values he appeared to believe strongly in. By the end of the book we see how a misguided, mixed up Administration began a mess that sadly has led to today.

So what did I learn from reading this? We, as a country, cannot place blame on one person or political party,rather all who have served the past 25 years are to blame either because they have had their own agendas or simply turned a blind eye to the growing hurricane.The president and his administration should have a vision but he should also have his team together(both sides);the right people should be chosen and he/she should understand how Congress works. In my opinion the most important thing for a president is to study the previous administration and not fix or meddle in things that aren't "broke".

What should we, as Americans, be willing to do? We must learn to become bi-partisan when it comes to electing our leaders and be willing to place the blame where it should be placed and learn to be able to criticize someone we may support. Now wouldn't that be a more perfect union?

Coal keeps lights on!

2010-01-13T13:08:00.005-05:00

After a hiatus I am glad to report that we are back and it couldn't have come at a better time as I've a review on a book and documentary about a subject that is very near and dear to my heart... “mountaintop removal.” Coal mining is and has been a part of my heritage for at least 4 generations. My grandfather and father, as well as my stepbrother, uncles, and cousins have all been coal miners at one time or another. I must admit at first I was on the fence when it came to being for or against coal mining and mountaintop removal. On one hand if it's done correctly I can see the positive side of mining. Coal mining has given Appalachia many jobs and opportunities that wouldn't have been afforded them had there been no mining. On the other hand I have witnessed first hand the mess, destruction and disease that is left behind once Appalachia has been pillaged and left bare. Needless to say when the documentary “Burning the future , Coal in America” came across my desk I was unable to resist watching.

While I sat back and watched I could not help but notice that it was very one sided. If one were to watch it without keeping an open mind you would be unable to stop yourself from wanting to grab a sign and head to Appalachia and begin the fight to stop mountaintop removal.

The documentary does a wonderful job of illustrating the effects of the coal industry on the lives of ordinary people in Kentucky as well as West Virginia. It features a group of uncomplicated people who have lived in the heart of the coal land for generations. Each and every one of these people have taken on roles they never saw themselves fulfilling as their communities struggle and fight to save the culture that is being threatened. Suddenly their lives have become very complicated because of the politics and greed of coal.

As I watched the profit-mad coal companies as well as congressmen turn a deaf ear to the whole mess I felt this overwhelming sadness that went all the way to my soul. I felt that something needed to be done to help these people, but what? I am well aware that coal generates more than half of all the electricity in the US as well as provides jobs for people so how could that be so wrong?

A few weeks after I saw “Burning the future” a book entitled “Something's rising, Appalachians fighting mountaintop removal” came across my desk so once again I found myself thrust back in the middle of this controversial topic. Like the documentary, the book seems to be one sided as well but with one difference...it is a book of beautifully written stories from all types of Appalachians, including country singer Kathy Mattea. The people who tell their story do not come across as angry or pushy individuals but instead as ones who have a genuine concern for their homeland and people. After finishing “Something's Rising” you may ask if I am still straddling the fence? Unfortunately I am but as I sit here I ask myself these questions... Is it true that coal has done little for my people and the land that they have loved for generations? Has Appalachia been used, abused and left for dead? The answers are not simple, but as with life nothing is ever simple. There is something rising and burning no doubt about it.

The Summer Kitchen by Lisa Wingate

2009-12-14T14:41:00.002-05:00

This is a great read. Particularly in light of the Christmas season and the economic challenges this past year. It is a heart-wrenching story written in first person from two persons viewpoint, a middle-aged wife and an orphaned girl on the run.

It is a moving story of second chances involving two orphaned siblings attempting to making it on their own, a disintegrating family, and an once-thriving community slowly changing into a less savory area. The book takes us through a tale of how a family tragedy brings the community together once again. It makes the reader take a good look at their own life and how misplaced priorities might lead to missed opportunities. While inspirational, it is not preachy.

Kathy Stutzman
Public Relations Manager

Lost Symbol

2009-10-28T09:16:00.003-04:00

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Exciting, thrilling, a roller coaster ride mystery based in Washington, D.C. Full of twists and turns. A few parts were a bit gruesome (and creepy), however, they weren't a major part of the book. A few cuss words popped up but overall pretty clean. Definitely will be made into a movie! Loved the puzzles and codes. It was hard to put down. My only criticism was the romanticizing of the Freemasons. Having been in the Eastern Star in the past and knowing some Freemasons, it is not as innocent as made out to be in this book, despite Dan Brown's and others protestations made in the Matt Lauer interview last week. Outside of that, it is a good read.

Kathy Stutzman
Public Relations Manager

Ladies in Lavender movie

2009-10-19T15:20:00.003-04:00

An English movie definitely. The story is built slowly, layer by layer. Two sisters befriend a mysterious foreigner who washes up on the beach of their 1930's Cornish seaside village. Multi-talented, Judi Dench plays her role wonderfully as Ursula. As the film progresses, you begin to wonder if she is a little slow, mentally handicapped somehow or just incredibly sheltered by her sister. It is actually a sad movie. The young foreigner brings out their maternal instincts while at the same time causes internal conflict with Ursula who has never experienced a love relationship. Very poignant tale.

Kathy Stutzman
Public Relations Manager

Chocolate is divine but Johnny is better!

2009-10-06T08:18:00.006-04:00

Good movie! The only thing missing was a box of chocolates to eat while watching it. In the beginning, there is a love scene with nudity but you can always fast forward through it and I would suggest you do as the movie is worth seeing.

Set in a small French town, the movie chronicles town life and its residents. It is a movie about redemption and salvation from a battered wife rescued from her husband, to the Mayor who comes to grip with his judgmental attitude which nearly ends in the death of some visiting gypsies. In the end a mother stops smothering her son, a wife-beater gets his due, a love unrequited for years takes bloom, a grandson is reunited with his grandmother, a married couple regain their love and passion for each other, etc. All of this resulting from the compassion of the new chocolatier in town and her mystical chocolate recipes.

Be prepared and get some chocolate to nibble on before watching this movie! My husband and I ended up having a double chocolate fudge shake after watching this!

Kathy Stutzman
Public Relations Manager

John Adams

2009-09-15T08:52:00.003-04:00

I first heard about this HBO seven-part movie series featuring Paul Giamatti from facebook. Unfortunately, it was so popular at our library that I had to keep watch on the returns in order to check it out myself and I work at the library. It was worth the wait! This was quite a series. It chronicled most of John Adam’s political life and his role in founding our country. The depiction of his life and role was fascinating. So much so that my husband and I watched a dvd from it nearly every night, wanting to know what would happen next.

I learned more about John Adams than I ever had before. I was amazed at his tenacity and perseverance that led to us having independence from Britain. Granted, he was a stubborn, opinionated person. However, it was these qualities that made him who he was…a leader and ultimately, Vice-President and President of the United States. I was surprised to learn how much his wife affected his decisions. He sought her advice time after time despite his being a college graduate and she having no formal education.

An amazing love story and a riveting historical account of the early years of our country’s existence and unforgettable glimpses into the lives and roles of other important historical figures of that same time period-Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and many others. Those who view this series will not be disappointed.

Kathy L. Stutzman
Public Relations Manager

The Lovely Bones

2009-08-31T14:40:00.005-04:00

First of all let me say that this book isn't about happy endings. Sadly most stories in life don’t have happy endings and this is what the author, Alice Sebold was trying to tell us. The Lovely Bones is about how the Salmon’s family’s world was turned upside down one winter night when their eldest daughter, Susie, disappears on her way home from school.
With next-to-nothing clues to go on, her father becomes obsessed with the neighbor who he thinks did it. The mother drowns her sorrow into escaping from the family. Lindsey, the sister, has to endure the stigma of being the murdered girl's sister and Buck, the baby, has to endure everyone's loss as well as his. Not only does Susie's death affect her family, it affects two of the people she knew in life, her first love and a friend she barely knew.

Written from Susie's point of view as she observes life on earth from heaven, it is written in a very touching way. This book should have come with a warning on the front cover; "Kleenexes are necessary while reading this book." It is haunting, and the sorrow lingers long after the last page has been turned. This novel is about how people deal with grief and how they move on in spite of the death of a loved one. It is about letting go and remembering. It is about life and death. In spite of its premises, it really isn't a book about revenge. It is about life.

I would definitely recommend you read The Lovely Bones, more so now since the movie based on the novel hits theaters on December 11, 2009.

Searching for Bobby Fischer

2009-08-20T12:47:00.004-04:00

Two thumbs up for this movie. Yes, I realize it is an older one. Buy hey, cheese and wine get better with age and this video is no exception.

I had purposely ignored this dvd for years despite others saying it was a good movie. It just seemed like it would be boring. After all, Bobby Fischer? Chess? However, this week was one of those weeks and I decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did. Based on a true story, it is an eye opener on the world of chess and a demonstration of true sportsmanship. This is a story about finding one's character and courage in the face of mounting pressure and high expectations. Although Bobby Fischer’s story and name are weaved in and out of the movie, it is about prodigy chess player, Josh Waitzkin, a young man who even now is the highest place chess player under 18 in the country. You get to experience the world of chess behind the scenes and what a world it is.

It has a great cast of actors such as Laurence Fishburn, Joan Allen, Joe Mantegna, Ben Kingsley, David Paymer, and William H. Macy.

Intensely fascinating, thought-provoking, and heartwarming aptly describe this gripping movie. You will be fascinated by the chess world, aghast at the motivations of some, warmed by the ultimate decision of Josh’s parents and thrilled by the end result. You will find yourself rooting and cheering for Josh as the movie progresses.

This is a must see! You won’t be disappointed.

Kathy L. Stutzman
Community Relations Assistant

The Girl With the Crooked Nose

2009-08-17T14:30:00.003-04:00

If you like true story murder tales, you will find this book interesting. Written by Ted Botha, this book follows Frank Bender as he goes from being a photographer to creating plaster busts of unidentified murder victims. His uncanny ability to "see" a face through a blank skull, leads to identifications of many missing people, and arrest of the murderers.
This informative book also has photos detailing his procedures and the finished busts with photos of the actual victim. It is uncanny the ability that he has to do this "artwork."
A mix of true murder and creative crime solving, you'll enjoy this book from beginning to end!

“Alive a must read for anyone interested in learning what being human really means”

2009-07-29T10:32:00.010-04:00

Time has not diminished the drama of the tale of the Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashed in the Andes Mountains on October 12, 1972. Of the forty-five people on the plane, thirty-five initially survived but only sixteen came down from the mountain 72 days later with a saga of survival that is still remembered 37 years later.

Piers Paul Read unfolds a tale that is gripping in the telling, as enthralling as it is almost unbelievable. Masterfully written, it is a well-balanced narrative that takes great pains to ground the experience of the survivors deep into your mind. I must admit there were a few parts I skipped over due to the fact I was a little bit squeamish (yes can you believe that?) but nonetheless I felt this story would somehow make a difference in my life so I continued on and I am so glad I did.

What most of the world remembers about this story is that after their food supply had run out and realizing that their days were numbered and if they didn’t have sustenance they would never get off that mountain, they all made a decision. Digging deep into their conservative, religious souls, they found a way to justify what they were about to do. Their fallen comrades would now provide the means of their nourishment. At first some refused but all eventually succumbed to this only means of survival.

As horrifying as it was, there is an upbeat message in this book about the unshakable will to live, about the utility of human solidarity in the face of death (and some 30 years later all these men are still very close with one another), and the mystical communion between the survivors and their dead comrades who saved their lives by providing the nourishment to survive.

A movie was made about these events, which is on DVD, included in the special features is a documentary about the 16 survivors 25 years later. One of the survivors, Nando Parrado, (one of the two who actually hiked through the perilous mountains to find help) has written about his experiences on the mountain the memoir is called Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home. This is an excellent read as well due to the fact you get to actually hear from one of the survivors and what was going on in his mind during those 72 grueling days.

The means that these men took to let the world know that indeed they were still ALIVE will astound even the most jaded of readers. It is an account of human endurance that is thought provoking and compelling, a quest to reconcile physical needs with the spiritual. It is, above all a testament to life.

The Paper Architecture

2009-07-29T09:13:00.004-04:00

I just happened to see the book on display at the Library and was instantly intrigued by it. Filled with fascinating architecture origami from easy to advanced levels, it drew me in. I was awestruck by the 20 different projects ranging from a simple pyramid to the Tower Bridge in London. One of the staff and I just oohed and aahed over the examples shown. Soooo, I thought I would try one. I went for an easy project. Not wanting to waste card stock, I tried the process initially on plain paper. Not too hard. It looked decent too. Emboldened, I tried it on card stock. That’s when it got difficult. I had a terrible time attempting to fold the valley folds without crumpling the paper.

I think anyone with a mathematical mind or someone loving origami (or even a curious person like me) would absolutely love attempting the projects. Working with card stock can be a little tricky and I found the project to be much simpler on plain 8.5 x 11 paper. They look just as good as good also, just not as sturdy. An origami project from this would be a great activity on a rainy day or even a bad winter day.

Review by Kathy Stutzman Community Relations Assistant

True Stories of C.S.I.

2009-07-16T16:16:00.004-04:00

I have to admit..I love anything to do with crime, especially True Crime. Although this book has nothing to do with the C.S.I. television show, it discusses true crimes which some of the C.S.I shows were based on.

Written by Katherine Ramsland, this book portrays behind-the-scene insights into stories that made the real headlines. The insights into the methods used to solve crimes in this book intrigued me. Although slightly gruesome at times, it really makes me think about the depravity that is in this world.

If you, like me, enjoy books on criminals and crimes, I think you will find this one interesting. The chapters are short, and they really hold your attention. It is a fast and easy read. And it will probably make you shake your head and ask "Why?"

At long last on the "Twilight" Bandwagon

2009-07-06T15:51:00.008-04:00

Ok I admit it, I thought it would never happen but to my shock it did! A few months ago I finally found myself at long last on the “Twilight” bandwagon. I fought it for long as I possibly could. How did I manage to find myself tangled up in something that is definitely not my style? While I do have a thing for vampires and such, I normally don’t have a thing for all the mushy stuff that comes with the Twilight series. How wrong I was! I was pleasantly surprised that there is still a young, innocent 17-year-old girl lurking inside of me somewhere. I watched the movie while I was sick (Yeah that's the excuse I will use for being so shameless) and was expecting cheesy and sappy instead my heart and mind was transported back to when I was 17 and still in that fairy tale stage of love. Back to a time when the only worries were what to wear to school and high school crushes. I ended up watching the movie several times (which I rarely do) and decided I had to run right into the library and get a copy of Twilight to read. While reading Twilight I found some parts of it that irritated me. The “movie” Bella I was fond of but the “book” Bella was a huge irritation for me. Not since Jay Gatsby has a character aggravated me more. With that said I did like the other main character Edward Cullen (and who wouldn’t?) and that gave me the desire to root for their forbidden love.

It is a typical teenage love story with a twist – When young Bella Swan moves to a new town and starts school, the boy she inevitably falls in love with turns out to be a vampire. What happens next is somewhat predictable: vampire boy struggles with whether to hold her hand in the hallway or shove her into a dark corner and drink her blood. There are no real surprises to the story - but that doesn't stop it from being a page-turner, I did find myself from time to time wondering what the Adonis-like Edward saw in plain, boring ordinary Bella but, despite all of that, I enjoyed the book. Stephanie Meyer is a wonderful storyteller. There was a cliffhanger at the end of each bite-sized chapter pressing the reader to continue on, if for no other reason than to see whom else is glaring or grimacing at whom. The story also had a light-hearted comedic edge, which played in its favor. For some reason once you’ve started reading it’s hard to stop. I realized this when I found myself quickly moving through the other books in the series, I had to wait a little while on the last book “Breaking Dawn” but I can tell you it was definitely worth the wait. I was a little apprehensive about how it was going to end, I had my worries that Ms Meyer wouldn’t see the logical ending the way I saw it. In the end she and I both were in agreement and I was satisfied with the ending. My biggest dilemma now is… waiting patiently until the release of the movie “New Moon.” November 20th seems like a long way away!

For those who are interested in reading the series here are their titles....

1. Twilight
2. New Moon
3. Eclipse
4. Breaking Dawn

Finding Oz: How Frank L Baum Discovered the Great American Story

2009-06-10T13:12:00.003-04:00

This interesting book follows the life of Frank L. Baum, not just the history behind the famous Wizard Of Oz classic that we all know and love.
From the beginnings of his life, episodes that affected Frank as a youth and adult, played parts in what became the Wizard of Oz.
Although Baum failed at many ventures, and his family lost their fortune and ancestral home, none of these things deterred him from becoming successful later in life. Baum blends his life and his circumstances into a wonderful classic that has stood the test of time.

Directed Verdict

2009-06-10T10:48:00.003-04:00

Directed Verdict by Randy Singer.

Fast paced, twists and turns, mysteries within mysteries, and a dash of romance… I would have to agree with those critics that say Randy Singer is as good as, if not better than, John Grisham in writing legal thrillers. I couldn’t put it down and was racing to read it to the end.

Although it starts out a little slow in building the background for the trial, it quickly turns into a fascinating tale with multiple plot lines that keeps you guessing and at the edge of your seat. The book is about an unprecedented civil rights suit brought against Saudi Arabia and the ruthless head of the Muttawa, religious police, who think nothing of killing those who defy them and the Muslim religion. “A case with David and Goliath odds with one lawyer willing to challenge an entire nation.” Witnesses disappear, jurors are bribed, lives are threatened and the defense team appears to be infiltrated. There is a maze of deception and treachery as the attorney risks his career, his case and his personal life.

I highly recommend this new book and predict this book will be another one that will keep flying off the shelf.

Review by Kathy Stutzman, Community Relations Assistant

So you think you know what happened at Columbine?

2009-06-03T13:05:00.008-04:00

Anyone who was alive in America on April 20, 1999 knows how Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold shot and killed 12 students, a teacher, wounded 23 others, and then killed themselves. We've all heard the story of the girl who --- seconds before she was shot --- looked the killers in the eye and told them she believed in God. We've heard about the "Trench Coat Mafia" and the violent video games. And we've heard that Harris and Klebold were social outcasts who, angered by continual bullying, decided to get even by staging the biggest massacre ever at an American high school.

You will be shocked to learn that most of what you've heard is wrong. If David Cullen is even slightly correct, Cassie Bernall was not killed because she said yes (Turns out it was another girl), Harris and Klebold weren't outcasts or bullied,(in fact the two of them did more bullying to others than what was done to them). They weren’t targeting jocks or Christians (anyone and everyone was fair game), and they most certainly weren’t “addicted” to violent video games (They enjoyed playing them). Truth be told, "Columbine" presents a much more terrifying story than the one you know.

David Cullen’s “Columbine” let’s us into the lives of Harris and Klebold and what motivated them to kill. For Eric Harris it was raw hatred, a desire to kill as many people as possible-to end the world if he could. For Dylan Klebold, it was the hunger for love. And when he couldn’t find it, an all-consuming desire for death.

We come to know a side of these boys that was never portrayed in the media. Dylan was a secret drunk who was deeply depressed, while Eric, seemingly obedient, was really a psychotic control freak with a messianic-level superiority complex.

But why should we take Cullen’s word for what happened against the media’s and what was widely reported in the first 10 days after the shootings? Cullen was one of the first reporters to arrive on the scene that fateful Tuesday, April 20th 1999. At first he fell for most of the false conclusions, but after investigating the teen killers for 10 years he came to realize that what happened wasn’t because of bullying, Hitler, violent video games, or Marilyn Manson instead it was the pure unadulterated hatred of one rage filled teenager and his bewildered disheartened sidekick.
If indeed this is the case, and there was no motive apart from hatred and rage, then the nationwide reaction to the Columbine massacre has given us no reason to feel secure --- metal detectors and guards can't tell the difference between a kid with a bit of teenage angst and the grinning psychopath with raging violence in his heart. A bit scary don’t you think?

While reading you will ask yourself who in their right mind would dream up a plan like that? Who would spend years planning it? And who, when the plan went haywire, would settle for taking out as many as possible before blowing their brains out? Some really disturbed kids, if you’re charitable you could say, “sick” if not then “evil” might be a better term. If Cullen got it right (and I believe he did) don’t call them “tormented” or “misunderstood” (which is how I viewed them for years) because they weren’t. They gave away clues, they committed some serious crimes prior to their “day of reckoning” and not only did they bamboozle their parents, but they managed to fool everyone.

It is unfortunate to say that each set of parents has remained tight-lipped even after 10 years. So we cannot truly know how really unaware they were about the gun purchasing, the bomb making, the video diaries and the hate filled journals.

Cullen beseeches us to remember there are psychopaths in every city and small town and that what happened at Columbine can happen anywhere. Most psychopaths are nonviolent, and very few are as diabolical as Eric Harris, but when they are beware, because there are plenty of despondent teens like Dylan Klebold for them to snare.

I would recommend you read “Columbine” for the stunning reportage and the heroism of the students and teachers. And at the end instead of letting out a sigh of relief that this nightmare didn’t happen to our town, you should ask yourself a variation of the infamous question, “Do you know who your children are?”

Double minds

2009-06-01T12:59:00.003-04:00

Double Minds by Terry Blackstock

Terry Blackstock is one of my favorite authors. In fact, I wait anxiously for any new books authored by her. As a result, I was excited to see that WCPL had the latest release of hers now on the shelves, Double Minds.

The plot centers around singer/songwriter Parker James who is struggling to make her mark on the Nashville music scene amidst fierce competition,
Parker gets drawn into a murder mystery when a young woman is killed at the recording studio where Parker works. Putting her own life at risk, she attempts to uncover high-level industry corruption and unmask the murderer.
I earnestly plowed through the book, hoping it would pick up speed. It never did. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why I couldn’t seem to get engaged in the story. Was it too much focus on character development and not enough focus on the plot? Perhaps.

Admittedly, it was difficult to figure out who the murderer was. So in that respect, the book succeeded. However, the book bogged down in the long, detailed description of the heroine, Parker James, to the degree that it sapped the energy from the book’s story.

Sooooo… Sad to say, I can’t recommend the book. Perhaps you might think differently, but that’s my say on it.

Review by Kathy Stutzman Community Relations Assistant

Bread Alone

2009-05-21T12:46:00.004-04:00

BREAD ALONE

"[Bread baking is] one of those almost hypnotic businesses, like a dance from some ancient ceremony. It leaves you filled with one of the world's sweetest smells...there is no chiropractic treatment, no Yoga exercise, no hour of meditation in a music-throbbing chapel that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts than this homely ceremony of making bread."
M. F. K. Fisher, The Art of Eating

I first read Bread Alone in 2002. The cover art intrigued me, and I turned it over to read the back; before I'd finished reading, I was already pulling out my money to take it home. I read it in a single night, the first of many such times I would do that, always wanting more when I reached the final page.
Justine Wynter Franklin knows her marriage isn't very happy just now, and nothing seems to symbolize that more to her than taking a 'cube' of bread from the bread machine, a gift from her husband. David has never understood that making bread, for Wyn, is not just about the end product, but the entire creative process. This is a woman who has studied in a Paris bakery for an entire summer, and learned how to really feel the dough come alive, in a way that only true bakers know. (And yes, I know this feeling very well.)
As her marriage crumbles, Wyn leaves California for Seattle, where her best friend CM lives. She's come there just to get away and ponder through the situation, but when she returns home she finds her possessions outside the house, the locks changed, and life--as she knew it—over. She returns to CM's place, and makes a loaf of bread, and if you think that's too simple a sentence, it doesn't begin to show the depths of this woman; that loaf of bread lands her a job.
Judith Ryan Hendricks is a writer of such skill that every one of her characters come alive in this book, become people you recognize, identify with, love or pity or hate. There was so much of my own life at the time that mirrored Wyn's, and I wanted to see how she would come through the fire, better on the other side. I wanted to know how Wyn had come to lose so much of herself in her marriage, and when she would realize that who she had become was someone she'd never meant to be. I wanted to know more about CM, and Mac, and Wyn's own mother Johanna, and the father Wyn still missed and mourned. I loved watching what had been a loving but distant relationship between mother and daughter bloom into something based on more similarities than Wyn could ever have imagined.
Ultimately, I wanted to live in the small house she found, decorate cakes with Diane, sling espresso with Ellen. I wanted to hang out at the bar where Mac worked, listen to the mixed tapes he made for her. I loved the way Wyn began creating new bread recipes, because that's something I do, myself, and it is a wonderful feeling when something no one ever dreamed of—until you—turns out to be something delicious. Most of all what I loved was watching this woman emerge from a feeling of victimized hopelessness into someone who knew with all surety who she was, and is, and will be. I liked the woman she became, and I learned a lot from her, fictional though she is.
Anyone who loves baking will love this book. Anyone who is a fan of someone making something good for herself, when everything she thought was hers is taken, will love this book. And it is not a 'chick lit' book by any means; my husband read it, and was as drawn into it as I was. I have read this book so many times that I now own it in paperback—my copy to lend—and hardcover, which is my copy to keep. I was delighted to find a sequel a few years later (The Baker's Apprentice) and to read in an author interview just yesterday that a third book is in the works:
“I think my next project is going to be the third part of Bread Alone. I’m kind of interested in finding out what those characters are up to about 15 years down the road.”
Apparently a lot of other readers have found Wyn and Mac unforgettable, too.

Review by Beth Anne Cox
Children's Services

Vivacious Reading: Very Valentine

2009-05-02T14:26:00.004-04:00

After filling my head with DNA templates and shark intestines all week (yes, I've been studying for finals...), I must say that this book was exactly what I needed! Set in modern day Manhattan it follows the ups and downs of an Italian family desperately trying to maintain their history, while keeping up with the times.

Valentine, the middle, only un-married child, is turning 34, and obviously will soon be destined to spinsterhood if she doesn't find herself a beau immediately. However, the real love of Valentine's life is her grandmother, and the family shoe shop. The shop has been in the family since they came to America from Italy over a hundred years ago, and despite the impending financial crisis, Valentine is determined to keep the shop up and running.

If you're familiar at all with the author, you know that Adriana Trigiani ("The Big Stone Gap" series, and "Lucia Lucia") weaves excellant stories, full of cultural flavor in a very unique voice. I really think she came into her element with this book though. Her style is light, and pulls you in the same way "SALE" signs in front of a shoe shop do. The dialogue is witty, and a little reminenscent of "Gilmore Girls," yet it is still full of rich Italian culture and history.

If you've had as stressful a week as I have, I suggest you treat yourself to a few hours with this book. It just might be the refreshment you need!

Play It Again, SAHM

2009-04-29T12:39:00.004-04:00

Play It Again, SAHM by Meredith Efken

Like creative approaches? Tired of the cut and dried themes? Get ready for a truly innovative way of writing. The author manages to tackle serious topics but with just enough light-hearted humor to keep you reading. I discovered it by accident at the library and wasn’t sure I would really like it. However, it deals realistically with issues moms deal with and in an entertaining way. It’s based on a friendship between 7 ladies who have never met before. A friendship forged in emails, no less.

They finally meet and like a blind date, all sorts of unknown things come to the surface. Personalities clash, belief systems collide, and attitudes surface. Yet, amazingly the friendships survive, strengthened by the disasters and trouble encountered together.

If you are a stay at home mom, you will quickly relate to this book and the different struggles they all face, both alone and together. It’s so realistic, that it’s scary. Chances are you will see yourself in one of these dynamic women.

Review by Kathy Stutzman Community Relations Assistant

Book Thief

2009-04-07T14:03:00.005-04:00

It is a strange thing for a librarian to admit she doesn’t want to return a book, that she would like it to make a book be part of the “extremely overdue” collection. However strange the feeling, The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, is such a book for me.

I’ve just finished reading it and am now trying to put into words how this book moved me.

It’s the story of Liesel Meminger who is the book thief. It follows her life as a foster child in Molching, Germany, a small working class town outside of Munich, from 1939 to 1943. She is a girl with a dead brother and mother, and no father. She moves in with Mama and Papa, her foster parents. She can’t read or write yet, but she can steal. She makes friends and enemies and helps her parents keep a secret that will change all their lives. She goes from a little girl to an almost women while the world around her deals with the insanity of war torn Nazi Germany.

The complex nature of this book surprised me. But the first surprise comes early in the book. Should I tell you? I will. The books narrator is Death. And he is an excellent narrator, at that. As he says often in the book, he is always surprised at how much humans can take and still survive and still want to live.

If you’d like to read a book about the power of the human spirit that is real, that doesn’t sugar coat the darkest aspects of human nature and that recognizes that ordinary people can turn the smallest glimpse of hope into “a yellow raining sun,” then you’ll like the book thief.

For now, I may have to buy a copy for myself, or possibly at least donate one to the library to replace the “extremely overdue” copy.

Review by Childrens Librarian Patricia Schroader

Brace yourself; you will need tissues for this movie!

2009-03-26T13:07:00.022-04:00

It is through an eight-year-old boy named Bruno that the movie "Boy in the striped pajamas" unfolds. Bruno's father, Ralf, is a Nazi soldier, a highly ranked one at that. Bruno's grandfather is proud of his son's position in the German military, convinced that his son is "making history." Bruno's grandmother is a German citizen who opposes Hitler's views, much to the chagrin of her own son. And Bruno's mother is a society wife, who at the beginning of the film is concerned only with her own family and their secular German life. At the beginning, you see these four points of view and how sheltered Bruno has been -- politics isn't discussed in front of the children, so Bruno and his older sister Gretel have a cheerfully ignorant childhood. When Bruno’s dad is promoted he brings his family to the country and Bruno discovers a “farm” in the distance and wonders why the farmers wear their pajamas all day. As Bruno explores he finds a boy named Shmuel who is also 8 years old sitting on the “farm” side behind an electric barbed wire fence. Bruno and Shmuel become good friends, despite their different backgrounds and situations. The movie eventually leads up to one critical moment where Bruno makes a mistake he immediately regrets and seeks to right the wrong. Without hesitation the boys make a pact…one made in innocence and friendship. The boys who play the two eight year olds are brilliant both with expressive eyes and believable acting.

I read some reviews citing that the boy Bruno is too naïve, but I think Bruno represents not just a boy but also something bigger. Bruno seems to be a representation of Germany, perhaps even humanity, itself, and the failure to deal with the evil right before one's very eyes. So many Germans claimed the innocence that we see in Bruno, saying they had no knowledge of the Final Solution to the Jewish Problem that Hitler and his SS were carrying out across the European continent. Even today, despite all the existing evidence, there are still those that deny the Holocaust happened, not wanting to acknowledge the great evil of which humanity, perhaps even their neighbors and family members, is capable. More than anything else, this film shows the great price humanity pays for such utter naivete.

This is a Holocaust movie with sufficient realism to remind the viewer that this horror did in fact happen. I would not recommend it for younger viewers for there are no attempts to 'sanitize' this film. This is no doubt probably one of the saddest movies you’re likely ever to see, not so much for the wrenching intimate tragedy it portrays but for the historical reality it epitomizes. Toward the end I realized what was going to happen, I saw it coming practically from the beginning and when it did happen my jaw still dropped and I cried and by the time the credits rolled I was too stunned to move, still doubting what I had seen. I probably won’t watch this movie again due to the fact my heart just couldn’t take it. Watch it, it will leave a lasting impact on you.

A Son's Treachery and a Father's Forgiveness

2009-03-12T11:54:00.004-04:00

"Murder by family" by Kent Whittaker is a quick read, partly because you cannot put it down. I found this book fascinating. I had watched this story on "48 Hours" and on "Oprah" and was interested in the forgiveness this father had for the son that murdered the rest of the family. Mr. Whittaker talks in detail of how God allowed different circumstances and events to happen as they did and how He used them to show Mr. Whittaker that He is in charge and although we may not understand, He is all about His own glory. Mr. Whittaker also is very candid about his own anger and confusion and clearly states that some of this anger was based on not knowing all that the police knew. I must say that while I find his forgiveness remarkable, I am not convinced of his son's repentance but, then again, I don't have to be. I felt bad for the father, but do think the son got what he deserved especially since the murder was his third attempt to kill his family. It is the ultimate betrayal any child can do to their parents and the fact that Kent can not only forgive his son, but also write about the journey is incredible.

The only downside to this book is that I wanted to know more about Bart, Kent’s son, and the whys and how this son who came from a good Christian family could end up being the mastermind behind the murders of his mother, brother and the attempted murder of his father. If you are looking to understand the mind of a killer, you only get one chapter in the book to illumine that question. Instead this book is a peek into the heart of a grieving husband and father who determined that he would live out his faith in the face of the worst circumstances imaginable. It's a glimpse of the prodigal son’s father, of King David mourning Absalom. It will leave you humbled and in awe. What makes this book so mesmerizing is the wrenching agony of the father as he comes to grips with the knowledge of what his son has done. And then to read how, as a devout Christian, Kent painfully tries to forgive his son and heal the rift between them. Anyone who is interested in the how-to of forgiveness and mercy will be engrossed by this story.

His life changed history. His courage changed lives.

2009-03-10T10:35:00.010-04:00

Before the movie I had heard of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician and how he and the Mayor of San Francisco George Moscone were assassinated by Dan White on November 27,1978 and the whole “Twinkie defense” theory. So I was very interested in seeing "Milk" and learning a little bit about the life and times of this famous activist. Milk is a stunning achievement and I love the fact that it manages to make its point without ever being preachy or trite, while remaining as true to the facts as any film bio could ever hope to be. The movie skillfully tells us the story of Milk's rise as a leader in the Castro Gay Community of San Francisco. Gus Van Sant, who directs the movie, shows Milk as a resilient man, an idealist with hope for the future no matter how many times he gets knocked down (and believe me he does get knocked down more than you can imagine). The movie makes him a martyr, but so was Martin Luther King, Gandhi and so many others who defied contemporary morals and ethics.

Sean Penn gives the performance of a lifetime as Harvey Milk and he certainly does deserve that Oscar he won.When I first heard that Sean Penn was playing Harvey Milk, it was hard for me to imagine, but he pulled it off brilliantly. Josh Brolin as Dan White and James Franco as Scott Smith do outstanding acting as well. Josh Brolin was superb as the lonely outcast council member who murders Mr. Milk and Mayor Moscone. James Franco, as Harvey Milk's partner, did a wonderful job showing compassion, limit setting and support for Harvey Milk's endeavors. Even after their relationship ended, he was Milk's unconditional friend.

If there is a villain in the film it is Anita Bryant who had an agenda of prejudice and hate that motivated Milk and his allies. This film gives everything a sense of urgency and intensity, which adds to its power. In the end Milk dies (and we knew that) but what he started and accomplished lives on so the movie does end on a hopeful note. In comparison to life now as opposed to the 70's portrayed in the film, there appears to have been a great amount of progress when it comes to the acceptance of all those who are different. It's a scary thought to know that the denunciation by some, who would like the world to think they lead perfect lives, can bring themselves to sneer or attack another human being because of religion, race, sexual orientation, disability or even one's physical appearance. By the end of the movie you realize that Harvey Milk was just not an activist for the gay community but for all those who have struggled to be heard and accepted. Harvey Milk's life's work can be summed up in two of his famous quotes. “Without hope, life's not worth living.” and “All men and women are created equal. No matter how hard you try, you can never erase those words.”

Intriguing Mystery

2009-03-10T10:31:00.003-04:00

Farraday Road by Ace Collins

I absolutely love mysteries and especially those I can't solve, which I firmly believe is a sign of a good mystery. This book is a good mystery book, no, make that a "great" mystery. It is about a small-town lawyer, determined to find out why his wife was murdered, after both are chased by killers on a deserted road.

Twists and turns filled the pages and kept me reading the book until the wee hours. I finally had to put it down because I was falling asleep reading it! It has a surprise ending. (No cheating! Read it from the beginning). I passed it to my husband who enjoyed reading it also. I had to force him to put it down to eat.

Review by Kathy Stutzman

Graveyard book

2009-02-17T13:30:00.006-05:00

By early 2009 The Graveyard Book written by British-born author Neil Gaiman and published by HarperCollins Children’s Books had spent over 15 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller list. I hesitated reading the book because I didn’t think I was ready for a spooky fantasy tale in midwinter. But recently I learned that the book was nominated and just won The John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature. At that point I knew I had to check it out for myself from our library and start reading. After a few pages I recognized I had a book in my hands from a writer with a gifted imagination for people of all ages to enjoy.

The Graveyard Book revolves around the life of a normal boy, Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, who just happens to be growing up in a graveyard. I understand the theme of this book was inspired twenty summers ago when the author was watching his then two-year-old son ride a tiny tricycle between gravestones. The book starts out when Bod was a baby and tragically his family was murdered in their sleep. Bod amazingly managed to escape a similar death by crawling out of his baby crib, down the stairs and out the open front door. He reached the safety of the neighborhood graveyard where over the years he remained protected and educated by the resident ghosts he can see and a mysterious solitary guardian.

I returned to the book frequently eagerly awaiting whatever new breathtaking adventures young Bod would get tangled up as he slowly matured into a thoughtful and considerate young man. Dave McKean’s dramatic illustrations and Neil Gaiman’s suspenseful cliffhanger chapter endings made for an effective “can’t stop reading” novel. I regretted the book ending so soon and look forward to a sequel.

Review by Ann Zydek

Debating Racism

2009-02-03T18:10:00.004-05:00

As many know, February is Black History Month. There are endless names of people you could read about in honor of this month, but there are lots of movies you could see, too. Just the other day I watched "The Great Debaters" starring (and also directed by) Denzel Washington. It looked entertaining - Denzel normally puts on a good show - but I did not expect it to be so moving. I cannot begin to describe how impactful this movie was - by the end of the movie, I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat, shaking - but I have 300 words here to try to interest you in it enough that you go and watch it for yourself!

The movie tells the true story of Melvin Tolson, an African American professor at Wiley College in Texas in 1935. He leads an all black debate team, and they are the best in the state. His dream is to take his team to debate Harvard...but Harvard is an all white university, and the white people of the little Texas community are determined to make sure that this professor and his team "remember their place."

To make matters worse, Tolson is also giving a voice to the share croppers - black and white alike. He recognizes their poverty and lack of education, and organizes rallies for them, trying to inspire change and better working conditions. Most smart men of his social statis and ethnicity would have minded their own business, did what good they could and turned a blind, albeit sad, eye to the attrocities being committed in the name of superiority. But Tolson wouldn't stand for that. He refused to be silent, and neither the threat of prison or lynching could persuade him to keep quiet.

Better yet, he encouraged both the sharecroppers and his students to stand up to injustice. He told of a man named Lynch who used fear to drive slaves out of their minds, so that they would be submissive. He said, "I am here to help you to find, take back, and keep your righteous mind."

So I'll spoil it a bit in hopes that you'll watch it: The debate team does make it to Harvard, without Tolson. But will they be able to use their strong minds to carry their voices? Will they say what so many are leaving unsaid? Will they be able to battle the best?

You'll have to see for yourself!

The staff is reading...

2009-01-26T08:48:00.005-05:00

It's still bitterly cold outside and a good excuse to stay inside and read. Here are the books that some of the library staff is reading. You will find a great mix to perhaps explore on your own.

K. S. has just finished Healing Waters by Nancy Rue and Stephen Arterburn, the second book in the Sullivan Crisp series. This is a great read for any woman struggling with self worth. Involving an offbeat psychologist, it combines romance, mystery and self discovery. J. B is reading two books, Simon Green's new Nightside novel, Just Another Judgment Day. It is an urban fantasy novel set in an alternative world called The Nightside. The novel follows the protagonist John Taylor as he tries to stop the Walking Man who has come to clean up the Nightside by killing all sinners (which is pretty much the entire population of Nightside). J.B. is just now starting a lunch time read, Shirley Damsgaard's, The Witch's Grave. It's a mystery series that follows Ophelia Jensen who happens to be a small town librarian who is also a good witch. It's a mystery cozy with a little supernatural thrown in for good measure. L.B. is reading Micheal Greenberg's, Hurry Down Sunshine. The story is about Sally, the author's fifteen year old daughter who was diagnosed as bipolar. Revealing insights to help those interested in learning more about Bipolar Disorder. S.R. is just starting Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. Called by reviewers as "an emotional hanky read". A novel showing what friendship really is and how it can endure over the years. S.R. is also currently listening to The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller, an audiobook, in her car on the way to work. The author gracefully addresses marital infidelity in the world of politics.

I did believe!

2009-01-23T14:50:00.008-05:00

Wally lamb has once again created a great American novel. "The Hour I First Believed" speaks to our current generation. It's the story of Caelum Quirk and his wife Maureen and how they attempt to put their lives back together after Maureen miraculously survives the massacre at Columbine High School. Even though she survives she is deeply scarred, because of this the couple move back to Caelum's family farm in Connecticut in attempt to escape the horrible memories left by the tragedy. As you follow their journey you learn life is not so easily put in a box and sometimes destiny has more tragedy in store. The core of the story is Caelum's quest to discover his past through a cache of old letters, diaries, and newspapers he finds hidden in the old family house. From this he is able to reconstruct his legacy that hold long "buried" secrets. His past is the backdrop for the couple as they struggle to form a future.

"The Hour I first believed" takes us on an epic journey from 1998 to present day. Lamb throws in tidbits of real life events so much so it gives the feel of almost non-fiction instead of fiction. In the ten-year span the Quirks do stupid things, as well as good things. I felt sorrow as well as disgust for the Quirks but even when I was feeling disgusted I still cared for them.

Wally Lamb is an excellent storyteller, he can write and even though I loved this novel I think he wrote a little bit too much this time around. The book is 740 pages, definitely not for those who like to breeze through a book. Still he manages to wrap so much into Caelum's story...Columbine, Hurricane Katrina, prison reform, Mark Twain, marital infidelity, family secrets, etc. With all the interwoven plot lines, thematic parallels and rich allegory the main premise of the story is about finding your way in a world that seems to have gone mad, yet being able to find hope when all hope seems to be gone, hence "The Hour I first believed"

The Chosen

2009-01-14T09:49:00.003-05:00

While this is not a new book by any means, it is worth revisiting. Written in 1967 by Chaim Potok, an ordained rabbi, it gives a revealing picture of the Jewish community.

It chronicles the life of two Jewish boys from two different Jewish communities, the Hasidic Jews (who live completely within the bounds of traditional Jewish law) and Orthodox Jews (who follow modern methods of studying Judaism) . Although the two grew up only blocks away from one another, they had never met, due to the differences between the Hasidic and Orthodox Jewish religions.

While the story is taking place, many references are made to outside events, including World War II, the Holocaust, and the founding of the State of Israel. Potok reveals the reactions of the different Jewish groups to each of these events. It was intriguing to read of these events in light of recent developments in Israel.

This book was an eye-opener for me. I was surprised to read that there were Jews against the formation of the State of Israel. I really enjoyed learning more about the Jewish religion and the intricacies of thier religion and customs.

I found this book to be very fascinating and would highly recommend it.

Princess Leia tells all!

2009-01-05T16:05:00.005-05:00

Long ago in a galaxy far far away two Hollywood icons decided to marry and procreate and the product of their union was none other than the icon herself, Carrie Fisher.
In "Wishful Drinking" Carrie shares with us what it's like to grow up as an ultimate Hollywood child (being the daughter Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds). She describes her famous parents as the Jennifer Aniston & Brad Pitt of their era with Elizabeth Taylor playing Angelina Jolie. Carrie gives us a glimpse of what it’s like to grow up in Hollywood and believe me it isn’t pretty. With that said the entire undertone of the book is quite funny and entertaining so much that I laughed till I cried. Even though she seemed to have it all by being born into Hollywood royalty not to mention adored by Star wars fans, I still felt sorry for Carrie living in this fast paced atmosphere. She reveals her life from the inside; the scandals, the marriages and remarriages of each of her parents and her own marriage to Paul Simon as well as her battle with addiction and mental illness. Her glib style objectifies her painful reality and allows the reader to grasp some of her loneliness and despair while laughing at it. She even manages to find humor in her electroshock therapy.

There is a disturbing but knee-slapping moment in the book in which Fisher describes how someone told her that she is actually in the "Abnormal Psychology" textbook. "Obviously, my family is so proud," she writes. "I'm a PEZ dispenser and I'm in the Abnormal Psychology textbook. Who says you can't have it all?" It's funny, until she reveals that the picture they use of her for the textbook is none other than Princess Leia with her hair in side buns. (Hey at least it wasn’t one of her in that bikini chained up next to Jabba the Hut!) The book almost feels as if you are having a conversation with Carrie herself, the downside to this is that it’s way too short and leaves you wanting and asking for more. The part in the book that made me the saddest is that she tells her younger friends that one day they’ll be somewhere and look up at the television set and there will be a picture of Princess Leia with two dates underneath and they’ll say "awww ---she said that would happen." What makes it sad is that it will probably happen, however Fisher is smart enough to realize that she and Princess Leia are forever intertwined and she has learned to find it amusing. I recommend this to everyone, because let’s face it, in this day and age we’re all a little nuts and it helps to have someone a little nuttier than we are to laugh at.

To Bee or not to bee...?

2008-12-23T17:19:00.005-05:00

It is two days until Christmas, and other than the first half of "A Berenstein Bear's Christmas" that I read to a passle full of hungry children to keep them out of the kitchen at a party the other night, I haven't read a blessed Christmas book this year. But the new year is coming, and that calls for stories of new beginnings, starting over, and hope resurfacing. I need these types of stories to motivate me past sub-zero weather and gloomy gray skies. So, in a pinch, I'm turning to an old book with a new movie, and one of my all time favorites: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd (also the author of "The Mermaid Chair" - another excellant new year's book, though currently movie-less).

In October of this year, this story of personal growth and redemption was released on the Big Screen, starring such names as Quenn Latifah, Dakato Fanning, and Paul Bettany. However, since we live in a podunk town, I would wager to guess that most Warsaw-ians won't see it until it comes out on DVD. Which leaves you plently of time to still read the book, if you haven't already, or reread it before seeing the movie! (Because the truth of the matter is that a good movie is only ever the shadow of the book behind it....)

I think I fell in love with this story because it bridges the girl-woman gap. In a hundred and fifty pages or so, Lilly, the stereotypical eleven year old - who loves the memory of her mother, Southern mornings, and the house cook, and who has seemingly learned how to manage her cranky father - sees racism, emotional disabilities, and the bloody intracacies of love in all their vibrant colors through previously blinded eyes. As much as you learn about the South during the 60's, and as interesting as the characters are, it is the story of coming into oneself, and learning the strength of patience through pain.

I'm excited to see the movie - the story line is interesting, and caries the energy of a moutain creek, simultaneously meandering and rushing over scenes and characters. But I doubt they will be able to capture the poetry of Lilly's thoughts, her musings and verbal snap shots of life. (I do have faith, though, that if any child star in Hollywood can be both emo and charming, it is Dakato Fanning!) And this was by far my favorite part of the whole book - Sue Monk Kidd captures the essence of pre-teen feeling - putting into words that time of life, giving it its voice. It runs across the generations, because every woman has been there, and every man has known a girl there (and wondered what was wrong with her!)

I'm much better at opening lines than closing lines, so in conclusion - if you get a chance, read the book, see the movie....let us know what you think!

You'll shoot your eye out kid!

2008-12-12T13:58:00.001-05:00

There's no denying that we're fast approaching that time of year again, the smell of pine and the faint sound of bells jingling on the horizon. How do you get into the holiday mood? Decorate the tree with popcorn, bake gingerbread cookies, gift-wrap your dad's car or roast chestnuts on an open fire? Does anyone actually roast chestnuts on an open fire? Another way to get into the holiday spirit is to watch a Christmas movie.

Here are some of my favorites that I try to watch every Christmas.
"It's a Wonderful Life." Whose heart hasn’t melted as neighbors rush in to empty their pockets to help George replace the missing money from Bailey Building and Loan?

Another excellent Christmas movie is "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." Who can forget the moment the Grinch realizes the true meaning of the holiday, learning that Christmas is in the heart and not in presents?

Are you in the mood for a Christmas miracle? Well, look no further "Miracle on 34th Street." Kris Kringle is in danger of being committed to an asylum because of his insistence that he is the true Santa Claus. Can Kris’ attorney save Kris and Christmas?

Good grief, who wouldn’t enjoy "A Charlie Brown Christmas"? Everyone remembers how Charlie picks out the most pathetic tree imaginable and his friends pitch in to decorate it and miraculously transform it into a beautiful sight.

The film "A Christmas Story" is everyone’s childhood wrapped into one. All Ralphie wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder Carbine Action, 200-shot, Range Model Air Rifle, but his hopes of getting one dim as each adult he encounters (even Santa) tells him he’ll shoot his eye out.

Tired of all the old Christmas classics? Why not try "The Polar Express" which is a glorious example of holiday cheer, and rediscovering the pure spirit of a child at Christmas.

And last but not least is Dickens classic tale "A Christmas Carol", with Ebenezer Scrooge transforming from, well, a scrooge, into an affectionate, compassionate person.

There's still plenty of time left to gather the family and snuggle up with your favorite Christmas movie.

Amazing...Grace

2008-12-08T13:26:00.000-05:00

There's Chick Lit and there's Chick Lit. Meaning some are just fluff and not worth reading while others are witty, funny, creative and yet manage to have real substance.

This book, Faking Grace, was definitely the latter. I loved the creativity of quick-witted writer, Tamara Leigh, who used a "Dumb Blonde's Guide To Christianity" book (a take-off on the Dummies book line) as part of the romance storyline. This enabled her to give a lot of information on Christianity, but without the preachiness.

Hilarious fun, an out-of-the-box approach, with lots of "Lucille Ball", zany moments. Leigh effectively delivered the message of finding faith and receiving grace in a non-preachy way while delivering a delightful, hard-to-put down storyline. It "delivers spiritual truths among chuckles" as one reviewer put it.

It was well-written with very realistic characters who were shown as imperfect Christians. Both non-Christians and Christians alike should find this novel enjoyable.

He had me at “hello”

2008-12-04T09:25:00.000-05:00

I just recently read The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch a professor at the climax of his career who discovers he has pancreatic cancer and has only months to live. This is one of the few books I have read this year that I strongly recommend.

Professor Pausch gives us plenty of amusing but thought-provoking anecdotes, as well as useful advice and inspiration to make the most of life. Instead of wincing and cursing he receives his death sentence with a broken-heart but also with good-humor. He was heart-broken because he knew he had to leave his wife and small children behind, but nevertheless he was good-humored because he was a born optimist and believed there is always a silver lining to any trouble encountered in life.

In the middle of reading this book I realized that it was not written for the reader but rather it’s his legacy to his children. All the life lessons a parent hopes to pass on to their children is captured in this book. Randy Pausch tells it like it needs to be told. He holds back nothing and at times I was moved to tears. Many times in our lives, we know what we should be doing but don’t always do it. The message that Professor Pausch tries to get across is that don’t wait till you receive a terminal diagnosis to start doing the things you always wished you could do, instead do them now. The book doesn't end the way you would assume, with death, but it ends with a life lesson. The lesson is to enjoy your life and fulfill your dreams. Pausch reminds us that we, too, can live our lives and die our deaths with honesty and integrity. After all, we are all dying people. Gandalf the Grey said it best "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us." (Randy Pausch passed away on July 25, 2008.)

It's Time to be Daring!

2008-11-20T13:48:00.000-05:00

I just finished this first book in a new series, Getaway Girls by Laura Jensen Walker, and it was fun reading. Called Daring Chloe, it is centered around a book club and its members who love books. Deciding to add a little adventure to their book club, they decide to pull out an adventure from each book read and do it as a group. Adventures range from rafting to camping out, depending on the book read. Life challenges and successes are also woven into the book and makes for interesting reading.

This would be a great springboard in starting or revamping an existing book club plus it has great life lessons. There are great pointers to get one started.

By the time you have finished reading the book, you will want to become a member yourself of the Paperback/Getaway girl Book Club. I have already requested getting the next book, Turning Paige, when it comes out in March 2009!

Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrook

2008-10-27T15:50:00.000-04:00

Don't let the thickness of this book keep you away! It goes into details that few books have gone into...the good, the bad, and the ugly. Filled with authentic details, the author gives the perspectives of both the English Americans and the Native Americans, exploding popular myths.

This is a fascinating read in an easy-to-understand style!

This is the current selection for our new book discussion group, "Great Books and Coffee", which is held every second Monday at 11 a.m. Join the lively discussion on it on November 10.

Some Reviewer comments:

"Beyond Turkeys, Cranberry Sauce, Tall Hats, and Buckled Shoes. This was simply a terrific read, a fascinating glimpse into the events and people serving as the first bricks in our nation's foundation."

"Two stories in one book...gives lots of interesting trivia about the original colony..."

"An excellent read for this Thanksgiving"

Just do it!

2008-10-07T15:57:00.000-04:00

New ideas. New concepts. New direction. The digital age is upon us! Recently, several of our staff members attended a Library Camp, an unconference. Yes. You read it correctly. "Un" conference. A new idea. A new direction for the meeting world. Interesting. Thought-provoking. A new experience which challenged traditional ideas of what a conference is. It's in the beginning stages, however, what I experienced I liked. The brainstorming. The camaraderie.

We came back excited with lots of ideas to implement for the digital age.

Here's the official definition from Digital Web magazine: "Everyone who attends an unconference, such as those put together by organizations like BarCamp or BrainJams, is required to participate in some way: to present, to speak on a panel, to show off a project, or just to ask a lot of question."

They usually cost less money and can be done more frequently because of the simpler makeup of the meeting.