friday july 02
Sarah Addiston Allen writes lovely books, but they are not typical slices of small-town life. There is an air of magic under the surface of the everyday goings-on in her rural North Carolina towns. Her characters all ring true, and her situations, while sometimes fantastical, are ones we can identify with. The setting comes to life, effortlessly conjuring the smells of baking cakes or the fresh cut grass from the lawn next door, the filtered light through an old apple tree, or the cold shock of jumping into the quarry swimming hole. I wouldn't exactly call her books "gentle", but they engender a feeling of contentment.
If I had to name a favorite of her three books, which would be difficult, I guess it would be Garden Spells (2007), Allen's first mainstream novel. Combining mystery, love, magic, and a big old house full of secrets, it's really the story of sisters and family, with satisfying relationships and a wonderful ending. It is also available in large print and as a digital audio book.
Allen has written two other books so far. The Girl Who Chased the Moon (2010), a story that presents a wonderful cast of colorful -- odd? -- characters, again set in a rural North Carolina town that is full of secrets. It is also available as a cd audio book.
The Sugar Queen (2008), also available in large print and cd audio book, is a story that does not end up anywhere close to where you expect it to, but in retrospect it couldn't have gone any other way. I read it straight through, in one day.
I can hardly wait for Sarah Addiston Allen's next book. I'll keep you posted.
tuesday june 15
Pathologist Nora Gavin, who went to work in Ireland to study bog bodies after the death of her sister, is convinced of her brother-in-law's resposibility for her sister's death. In False Mermaid, Nora travels back to Minnesota to work toward his arrest.
There aren't any ghosts in the book, but really, they are just a breath away. The folk history of Ireland and the close ties to the sea establish a sense of place that is creepy and comfortable at the same time. Nora's complicated family background, her love relationships, and her obsession with her sister's death are sympathetically drawn. Every character in the book has something to do with the solution to the mystery, no matter how casual the mention.
Author Erin Hart hasn't written many books, but they are all wonderful. False Mermaid is the third in a series about Nora Gavin. Haunted Ground and Lake of Sorrows, award winning mysteries, are fascinating looks at the forensic science of bog bodies, and draw us in to Nora's life.
friday april 16
That Book Woman (2008) by Heather Henson is a beautifully told story about an Appalachian family who live so far up in the hills that there is no road and no neighbors. A woman regularly rides up to their home, through rain, winter weather, and rugged countryside, to bring a delivery of library books to the family. Daughter Lark is a passionate reader, which her slightly older brother Cal views as a waste of time. David Small's beautiful ink and watercolor illustrations show us the small details of mountain home life, and give us a sense of the warmth and devotion the family feels toward each other.
This might seem fantastic, but That Book Woman is based on real people. Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky (2001) by Kathi Appelt tells the true story of these dedicated women who, under President Roosevelt's 1935 WPA Pack Horse Library Project of Eastern Kentucky, would travel to remote areas to deliver books and hope to rural struggling families. Illustrated with fascinating photographs, this book tells a wonderful story of very quiet heroes.
wednesday april 07
Local Cincinnati history is interesting, but local Cincinnati haunted history is fascinating! In view of the pending Queen City Paranormal Convention at Music Hall this weekend, some books on local haunted history might be of interest
Ghosts of Cincinnati: The Dark Side of the Queen City (2009) by Teri Casper (really!) and Dan Smith of Haunted Cincinnati Tours covers a dozen locations in and around Cincinnati. Very well written and readable, the authors have dug thoroughly into the hauntings, finding obscure history, maps, and facts. Some are well-known stories, such as the haunting of Bobby Mackey's Music World or the ghosts of the discarded souls at Music Hall, but some are not as well-known, such as the Promont House in Milford.
Cincinnati Ghosts and Other Tri-State Haunts (2008) by local author Karen Laven is full of fascinating stories and photos. She also recently released Dayton Ghosts (2009).
Haunted Cincinnati and Southwest Ohio (2009) by Jeff and Michael Morris is one of my favorites. Purveyors of the Miamitown Ghost Tour, Mike and Jeff's enthusiasm for local paranormal phenomena is contagious. (See also my blog entry of July 31).
friday july 31
There are ghosts in Cincinnati and our humble corner of Ohio. Really!
Haunted Cincinnati and Southwest Ohio (2009), the new book by brothers Jeff and Michael Morris, is a fascinating journey to haunted locations all around us. It's more than that, too, with in-depth historical research backing up all the stories. Black-and-white photos, both vintage and modern day, illustrate the interesting stories about places we have all visited, such as the Western Hills Showcase Cinema, the Museum Center at Union Terminal, Eden Park, and Music Hall. There are other more obscure locations as well, such as Congress Green Cemetery, Tiny Town, and the bridge at Miamitown.
I enjoyed this book a great deal; in fact, I couldn't put it down! The conversational tone of the writing flows smoothly, and I felt like Mike and Jeff were right there, guiding me through scary places. They are the founders and tour guides of the Miamitown Ghost Tour, and often work closely with CAPER (Cincinnati Area Paranormal Existence Research), an excellent local paranormal investigations group.
Continue Reading…
tuesday april 28
I realized that the nice weather brings out the Reading Bug in me. Sunny back porch days, rainy gloomy afternoons, or breezy evenings, I love to read and relax when Spring comes around. Here is what I've enjoyed so far this Spring:
Patricia Cornwell has written my favorite book of hers so far. Scarpetta (2009), all 512 pages of it, tells a braided up story of high technology and low-down betrayal. Available in large print and audio book as well.
Alexander McCall Smith has come through again (thank goodness!) with Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (2009), the latest installment in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. It's also available as an audio book (I highly recommend!) and a large print edition.
Tales from Outer Suburbia (2008) by Shaun Tan is a creative, fascinating novella by the author who gave us the outstanding The Arrival (2007).
Joyce Sidman's lovely children's poetry book, Red Sings from the Treetops (2009), is a beautiful tribute to the seasons. It's the perfect dessert to this feast of reading!
friday february 27
The Graveyard Book is high on my list of favorites. Neil Gaiman, the gifted author of so many stories, again puts us in the middle of the horrible, while making it ordinary. In Coraline (2002), the heroine ended up in a scary mirror world that tested her strength and smarts. Similarly, in The Graveyard Book, our hero, Bod, uses his intelligence and natural little-boy curiosity to make sense of his odd world which, to him, is very normal.
It is fabulously adventurous. Bod's trip to the land of the Ghouls is sparingly scarily described, and it turns out to be a way in which he finds one of his most ardent protectors. Poor little Bod is a normal boy in very un-normal circumstances, being raised by ghost parents, championed by a vampire, and tutored by a werewolf.
But, I have to stress that never is the book something that would spawn nightmares. The imagery is fabulous, the characterizations dead-on (pardon the pun), and the story line is satisfying without being either gratuitous or predictable. There are scary things, but there is a lot of kindness, too.
Neil Gaiman was awarded The Newbery Medal for this wonderful book, the American Library Association's award for the exemplary children's book of 2008. He has a long list of awards, but I am so glad he has been officially recognized for this quality writing for young people.
tuesday december 30
The Teen historical novel Newes from the Dead (2008) by Mary Hooper is absolutely fascinating. It carries the flavor of life in 1650 England, retelling the true story of Ann Greene, a young woman who was hung as a murderess for killing her newborn (actually stillborn).
The story starts with Ann gradually waking in her coffin, which is sitting in a medical dissection laboratory. She is unable to move and feels neither terror nor joy. She does not realize where she is, at first believing herself to be in bed and then, remembering her execution, believing herself to be in purgatory. Ann muses on her past, observes "angels", and hears distant voices.
Hooper interweaves Ann's past with her present in a fascinating can't-put-it-down read. The compassion of the doctors and the heartless cruelty of prison are both brought to life through Ann's story. Contemporary pamphlets were printed telling about Ann's "miracle", one of which is reprinted in the back of the book.
friday october 31
Halloween is a happy time of year...wait, no, really!! If you love all things "haunted", this is the best time of year of all. Not that ghosties and gremlins wait for October to come around, but this is when most people think about them.
Just in time for the Presidential Election (now, that's scary), there is a terrific new children's book, Who's Haunting the White House: The President's Mansion and the Ghosts Who Live There (2008) by Jeff Berlanger. Not just for kids, this book has the lowdown on hauntings and ghosts in the White House.
Some people (like me) want to go looking for ethereal, ephemeral occupants that co-exist with us. In other words, we want to go ghost hunting. Cincinnati Magazine has an article in this current October 2008 issue, I, Ghosthunter, in which a skeptical reporter accompanies the paranormal investigation group CAPER (Cincinnati Area Paranormal Existence Research) into a house to gather evidence of a haunting, and... well, let's just say she changes her mind.
Cincinnati Ghosts (2008) presents absorbing evidence on local haunts that will shake the doubt of the most serious skeptic. The author, Karen Laven, and her husband are extremely entertaining speakers, and will be at the Oakley and Anderson branch libraries on Nov 3 and Nov 5.
Southwest Ohio Is Haunted (2008) by local authors Michael and Jeff Morris of Miamitown Ghost Tours is a fascinating case study of paranormal activity in our area. They will be speaking on Nov 6 at the Cheviot branch.
Happy Reading....and have a Happy Halloween!
monday september 15
It's almost time for The Biggest Loser again; the competition is set to air on NBC starting September 16, this time Biggest Loser Families.
At first this concept put me off. I thought is seemed sensationalistic and gratuitous to showcase people who were willing to debase themselves on national television to win a prize. Then I actually watched the show.
There is more than a little bit of "if he can do it, I can do it" inspiration; but, dramatic interpersonal issues aside, this is a terrific learning laboratory. There isn't time on the show to get into details about how the fitness plans are supervised or how the diets and food are decided. All I can say is, these people literally work their butts off.
The Library has Biggest Loser books adapted from the NBC TV show in the collection, all quality guides to health and fitness:
Continue Reading…
friday september 05
Stories of magic and romantic adventures have grabbed me ever since I read about Dorothy in the Oz books. J.K. Rowling has done a lot to bring magic to the forefront with her Harry Potter books. I have some new recommendations:
The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black is a modern-day series, and it's spot-on as far as how kids would deal with the magical realm. Happily, the movie adaptation is very good.
The Magic Thief (2008) by Sarah Prineas is a new book, heralding itself as first in a series, and so is Marie Rutkoski's brand new The Cabinet of Wonders: The Kronos Chronicles: Book I.
I would also highly recommend the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage. The first book, Magyk, sets the scene and draws us into a very believable magical world with a slightly late-renaissance flavor.
What a wonderful escape on a rainy weekend! Again I tell you: Children's books...not just for kids!
Continue Reading…
monday august 18
In the autobiographical Running With Scissors, we were fascinated and amazed at Augusten Burroughs' life with his family. His largely absent brother, John Elder Robison, wrote the absorbing Look Me In The Eye, which tinted the view through Asperger's Syndrome.
In Wolf at the Table, Burroughs talks about his young life with his parents, starting with a protective run to Mexico where his mother took him to hide from his father. As his story unwinds, we discover that his mother suffered from depression and paranoia, and his father suffered from alcoholism and painful skin disease.
While this sounds like a very grim book, somehow it left me feeling hopeful. This wonderful successful man, this literate and well-spoken man, this man with so much compassion for his older brother, emerged from that dysfunctional and even scary home.
Continue Reading…
monday august 11
I love the ocean more than most people love the ocean. I am happiest on a little sandy island, surrounded by the ocean as far as the eye can see.
Somehow, in Duma Key Stephen King brought alive all the magic of being on an island in the ocean. Granted, Duma Key is creepy, and some of the ordeals of the main characters' lives are difficult at best to read about, but the underlying presence of the ocean permeates the book.
Edgar Freemantle discovers that he has the gift of art; he is terribly injured in an accident, and when he goes to Duma Key to rest and recuperate in beautiful seclusion, he suddenly starts producing amazing artwork. He develops close friends on the island, but the inevitable course their lives follow is sinister and threatening. I will not give away the terrible secret of Duma Key; I will only say that it is not what you expect it to be.
Just listen to the surf. Listen to the shells. They are warning you...
Continue Reading…
monday august 04
I am a little girl again...it is Saturday evening...and I hear the wooden steamboat whistle and the long-awaited announcement, "Welcome to the Grand Ole Opry!!" I actually teared up when I saw the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville for the first time a couple of years ago. You just never forget!
I have found a book that makes me happy: Around the Opry Table: A Feast of Recipes and Stories from the Grand Ole Opry, by Kay West (2007). This book is full of stories of original and modern Opry stars, including favorite recipes of the musicians and a few induction party menus.
There are a lot of books on Opry history, but a couple that I have enjoyed are A Good-Natured Riot: The Birth of the Grand Ole Opry (1999) by Charles K. Wolfe, about the origins and savvy business decisions that established the radio show; and Saturday Nights With Daddy at the Opry (2003) by Libby Leverett-Crew, a fascinating memoir about being the take-along daughter of the Opry photographer (lots of photos in this one!).
Continue Reading…
friday july 11
In 2002 the great Neil Gaiman wrote a children's novel, Coraline. Darkly spooky, scary and suspenseful, the book brings to mind a fairy tale, with a resourceful heroine facing daunting odds to save the day. It also brings to mind Alice in Wonderland, where Alice is confused but still seems to know whom to trust and where to find help -- and the way out.
Recently published is the graphic novel, Coraline, adapted and illustrated by the award winning P. Craig Russell. At first I was worried: how could I accept this new version of Coraline, a pre-teen in t-shirt and jeans? How could the atmosphere of the spooky old house and its inhabitants, so well developed in Gaiman's words, possibly be communicated in pictures?
I needn't have worried. Russell brings it all to vivid life, a little bit scarier than the novel was, with pictures lifted straight out of the imagination. This is the everyday brought to nightmare level, with buttons for eyes and confederate cats and souls trapped inside mirrors.
Come along with Coraline...stay...we want you to...
tuesday june 17
As little girls, I think every woman of my generation fell in love with Atlantic coastal island life when we read Misty of Chincoteague (1947) by Marguerite Henry. The adventures of Paul and Maureen Beebe and their family seemed so exciting and wonderful! I was fascinated by the ponies, the ocean, the islands, and daily island life.
The book opens with the escape of terrified ponies on board a Spanish galleon that runs aground in a storm in the early years of Spanish exploration. These ponies were the ancestors of the present day island ponies that live all along the barrier islands of the east coast.
Henry was awarded a Newbery Honor for Misty of Chincoteauge. She followed it up in 1949 with Sea Star, Orphan of Chincoteague that she was inspired to write on a visit back to Assategue Island, the home of the ponies. Later, she wrote Stormy, Misty's Foal (1963) after the devastating 1962 "Ash Wednesday Storm" ripped into the islands.
I have had the extreme privilege of seeing the wild island ponies on North Carolina's Outer Banks islands. They weren't afraid of us humans, but they really didn't have much time for us, turning their backs pointedly as we tried to photograph them.
Continue Reading…
thursday april 24
Celebrating Spring and our earth, Mother Earth and Her Children: A Quilted Fairy Tale (2007) is a German children's poem with gorgeous needlework illustrations by quilter Sieglinde Schoen Smith. This is a modern translation by Jack Zipes of Sibylle von Olfers' 1907 German book, Etwas von den Wurzelkindern ("Something About the Root Children"). Soon we'll see Mother Earth's ABC.
Smith took Olfers' illustrations and created a gorgeous award-winning quilt based on the original illustrations. She started quilting for comfort after her son passed away, and the book is dedicated to him.
Another lovely book celebrating spring is Monarch and Milkweed (2008) by Helen Frost and Leonid Gore. Beautifully illustrated, the book describes the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly, so closely dependent on the Milkweed plant.
Another one for Spring is Ruth Brown's Ten Seeds (2001), the pictorial countdown from 10 seeds to one sunflower in the garden, naturally giving us ten more seeds.
Happy Spring!
friday april 04
April is National Poetry Month; Earth Day 2008 is April 22. There are lots of poetry books that celebrate Spring and the Earth on the library bookshelves.
The 2006 Caldecott Honor book Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems (2005) by Joyce Sidman makes a lovely connection between Earth Day and Poetry Month. Beckie Prange's gorgeous hand colored woodcuts pull together the poetry and scientific information on pond life.
Pat Mora and Steve Jenkins' This Big Sky (1998) brings us to the desert Southwest in words and pictures. Katharine Boling's New Year Be Coming!: A Gullah Year (2002) is illustrated with Daniel Minter's fascinating linoleum block prints illustrating the Gullah life of the Southeast coast, so closely tied to the earth and seasons.
Marilyn Singer's Turtle in July (1989) is a collection of poems about animals, stunningly illustrated by the great Jerry Pinkney. Fireflies at Midnight (2003) by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Ken Robbins, also celebrates animals and insects.
Pause and enjoy these charming tributes to our Earth. The simplicity and uncomplicated joy will refresh you, and make you realize how universally appealing "Children's" poetry can be.
Continue Reading…
friday february 01
My grandmother's house was big, old, and beautiful, with enormous trees and a cool-in-the-summertime basement. It sat high on a hill with an impossible set of steps leading up to it from the road.
In The Good House (2003) by Tananarive Due, the grandmother's house is a lot like that, including the steps, except it is located in a place that is alternately blessed and evil. The characters in the book, led by strong-willed and sensible Angela, are gradually and helplessly drawn down into the whirlpool of evil that was mistakenly set loose through vodou by her grandmother Marie.
There is a bit of the classic Haunted House tale in the book, but the story is more creepily centered in the woods where there is magic and magic gone wrong. Due has a gift for plot twists and turns. The characters ring true, and the underlying sense of place sets the tone for a very creepy story.
Continue Reading…
thursday january 10
Anthony Bourdain has published a fantastic memoir of his travels in No Reservations: Around the World on an Empty Stomach (2007). It is mostly a book of photographs taken by his small crew who travels with him on the production of his Travel Channel series, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. Anthony comments on all the pictures and muses about how each location affected him.
On TV it looks like such a wonderful vacation, traveling around and eating as a way of life. These photos and the accompanying insights, however, reveal the bitter truth: They really are having a ball. Although the locations are not always plush, and they have to deal with some pretty hard things, these folks are true ambassadors for peace. They respectfully share food and lifestyle with real people in real places all over the world. I feel lucky to vicariously go along.
wednesday january 02
Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, aka the Ghost Hunters from SciFi channel, have written a book about investigating the paranormal. Ghost Hunting: True Stories of Unexplained Phenomena from The Atlantic Paranormal Society (2007) covers many of the series' investigations, but they are fleshed out with photos, more action, and fascinating behind the scenes information.
Another terrific book of true hauntings is David Domine's Phantoms of Old Louisville: Ghostly Tales from America's Most Haunted Neighborhood (2006). I have met and talked with people whose stories are in the book, and these intelligent down-to-earth people are absolutely convinced of their hauntings. I have no reason to doubt them, and every reason to believe them. David's tireless research and endless patience have resulted in a wonderful collection of stories exemplifying the beautiful old neighborhood.
I would love to see the Ghost Hunters go to Old Louisville, the nation's largest preserved Victorian neighborhood, with 50 square blocks of original restored Victorian houses. It is also reputedly the most haunted neighborhood in the country. Well, no wonder. It's so gorgeous, who wouldn't want to hang around?
Continue Reading…
wednesday december 26
Steve Martin, noted actor and comedian, will be among the honorees at the 30th Annual Kennedy Center Awards this evening.
He has written a book about his own life, Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life (2007), which I enjoyed as an audio book. Martin tells affectionately about his life so far and his road to fame. He originally wanted to be a magician, and for years he had magic (and poetry reading!) as part of his act.
Martin has a fascinating and very smart mind, but really I don't know why this should be a surprise. His comedy and acting are clever and easily accessed by almost everyone but especially people around my age, baby boomers who weirdly have things like flower power and air raid drills in our common history. He seems to sum us up, somehow.
It's not a long book. It is succinct. I loved it. And if I have gotten to know Steve Martin at all, I think he is probably a bit bemused by his prestigious honor this evening.
friday december 21
Fans of the audio versions of the Harry Potter books by J.K.Rowling are already familiar with my favorite audio book narrator, Jim Dale. According to his web site he has been nominated for a 2008 Grammy Award for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows!
I did a little research and discovered that Jim Dale has a widely varied background on the stage and in movies in addition to audio book narration. For example, much to my surprise and delight I discovered that he was the "bad guy" in the movie Pete's Dragon, a favorite of my kids when they were little.
The list of his awards and accomplishments is too long for my limited space here, but I was probably the most impressed by his Tony Award for his creation and performance on Broadway of the main character in Barnum! OK, did you know Jim Dale wrote the lyrics to the song Georgy Girl?? Neither did I!!
What a gift he is, this talented multi-faceted man who has touched so many lives with his award-winning performances, not the least of which are the Harry Potter books.
monday december 17
Hiding between the covers of a children's book is a very funny collection of grown-up cartoons. Steve Martin and Roz Chast have teamed up to create a gem, The Alphabet from A to Y, With Bonus Letter Z! (2007). It really almost comes across as a parody of children's alphabet books.
For example, Q: "Quincy the kumquat queried the queen, Cleverly, quietly, without being seen." Or how about, "Amiable Amy, Alice, and Andie, Ate all the anchovy sandwiches handy." The pictures, in classic Roz Chast style, mix the mundane with the weirdly worrisome, putting alligators under coffee tables and eels enjoying eggs at the dinette.
Adults will enjoy this book much more than kids will. It is an alphabet book, yes, but some of the sophisticated humor will go right over their heads. And it might prompt some awkward explanations, while you are trying to catch your breath from laughing as you put it into simple words why it's funny that Tough Tommy wants to try on Tina's tutu. Or that the man on the "D" page is, well, um, "dizzy".
Continue Reading…
tuesday november 20
Who doesn't love the Moon, sometimes lovely, sometimes spooky, always fascinating with its undeniable influence over the time and tides of earth?
The Native Americans all over the continent mark time with the moon, but they count 13 of them. A lovely book that explains this is Joseph Bruchac's Thirteen Moons on Turtle's Back: A Native American Year of Moons (1992).
Long Night Moon (2004) by Cynthia Rylant describes the full moon in 12 months of the year, explaining the names of each. Another gorgeous book is by Penny Pollock, When the Moon Is Full: A Lunar Year (2001).
In How the Moon Regianed Her Shape (2006) Janet Ruth Heller borrows from Native American tales to tell the story of the moon phases. Included is interesting factual information on the moon, along with a list of names of each full moon.
We'll have a full moon this weekend, and if my reckoning is right, it will be the Frosty Moon. Or the Beaver Moon. But either way, it will be beautiful!
friday october 26
Last year I wrote about some stunning pop-up books that adults might enjoy. There have been some new releases that you really shouldn't miss, especially if you are a fan of paper-engineered books.
Matthew Reinhart has come out with Star Wars: A Pop-Up Guide to the Galaxy (2007), an unbelievable treasure depicting the original 3 movies.
David A. Carter has followed up his terrific One Red Dot (2005) with Blue 2 (2006) and 600 Black Spots (2007), both as much fun as the first.
Alive: The Living, Breathing Human Body Book (2007) from Dorling Kindersley, engineered by Iain Smyth, is a fascinating look at the human body.
This year Robert Sabuda gave us Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Mega-Beasts (2007), a wonderful study in ancient animals. And you shouldn't miss How Many? (2007) by Ron Van Der Meer, an intriguing study in shapes and paper sculpture. The mechanics and complexity of the book make us see things in new ways.
Continue Reading…
friday october 19
On a recent road trip I listened to a fraction of the over 21-hour audio book on CD of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows narrated by the incomparable Jim Dale. It swept me away.
Harry and his friends again exhibit their talents and resourcefulness without becoming too "precious". These kids ring true and act like kids everywhere, with maybe a little extra grit and courage. And magic. I refuse to reveal anything except that the ending is very satisfying.
There is, I must admit, a long waiting list for The Deathly Hallows on CD, but don't forget all the rest of the Harry Potter audio books while you are waiting. Refer to my past blog entry, Tell Me a Story and Make The Commute Bearable, for the entire list.
Jim Dale also narrates other books, such as the Peter and the Star Catchers series, Peter Pan, and Arthur and the Invisibles. Look for more information in a later entry, devoted entirely to this talented man.
thursday october 11
I am privileged in my work to serve the population of special needs children in our county. While I enjoy all of them, there is a special spot in my affections for the Autistic and Asperger's kids.
John Elder Robison's look me in the eye: my life with asperger's (2007) is the memoir of a life with Asperger's syndrome. Undiagnosed as a child, his unusual family did not really help this brilliant man on the road to normalcy (whatever that may be), and his younger brother Augusten Burroughs wrote his own memoir about that, Running with Scissors (2002).
Daniel Tammet's Born on a Blue Day (2007) also relates what it is like to grow up with Asperger's. This incredibly creative man, who recited Pi to over 22,000 digits, also has savant syndrome capabilities and synesthesia; but he has grown up to fit in to his everyday world and excel in it, developing a language-tutoring website for learners of new languages.
In their own words, these books describe how these incredible men grew up. I admire them.
Continue Reading…
friday october 05
Charlie and I went on another road trip to Chicago, and of course, music was involved.
Dinosaur Junior and the related Sebadoh, with Dinosaur Junior's bass player, were great. They bring to mind the rock bands of 15-20 years ago, and the fabulous guitar playing of J Mascis took me back to the glory days of my youth, admiring the great guitar players. Oh wait...he was one of them!
The Hold Steady are kind of gritty, kind of bouncy, with folk music overtones but solid rock presentation.
Bright Eyes calmed us right down with mellow acoustic pieces, and the easygoing county music-like songs set a very nice no-stress atmosphere.
My pick for the day was Gary Allan's Greatest Hits, country music with a rough-cut rocky edge.
I must mention
It's a long drive to Chicago and back in one day, but it's a great time for music.
tuesday september 04
Anyone who has watched Bravo-TV's Project Runway knows that the name Tim Gunn is synonymous with tasteful criticism and witty critique. So many times I enjoyed his choice of words and delivery, giving aspiring designers the exactly right dose of "Make it work" encouragement...or was that a challenge?
Joy of joys, Tim has written a book for us, A Guide to Quality, Taste, and Style (2007). In it, he expounds on fashion and how to find the right look for each of us. In his learned, cultured, yet approachable and unpretentious way, he forces a look at who we really are and enables us to dress ourselves in a flattering yet totally honest way.
And, happily, Tim Gunn's new television show, Tim Gunn's Guide to Style, will premier on Bravo this Thursday evening.
Fashion is evidently important to the public at large. The fashion magazines are enormous this month! Vogue ("840 pages of fearless fashion!"), Elle (592 pages), and InStyle (618 pages) magazines are thicker and heavier than ever. Unfortunately, so am I. Oh, well! Glorious browsing!
Continue Reading…
tuesday august 14
Gordon Ramsay certainly speaks his mind. But you know, he is almost always right! What I have discovered, however, is that this talented and volatile chef is a very nice man underneath all that bravado, and an excellent teacher as well.
Besides being a television personality on popular shows in Britain (Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares) and the US (reality series Hell's Kitchen and the soon-to-be-aired Kitchen Nightmares), Chef Ramsay has published lots of cookbooks and a couple of autobiographical books that read like novels. He has also opened and run a number of restaurants, earning lots of Michelin ratings.
Anthony Bourdain, another TV chef, has a fascinatingly cynical view of life and the world of food. His documentary-style series on the Travel Channel, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, follows Bourdain around the world in pursuit of flavor. He, too, has lots of books to his name, including novels, cookbooks, and memoirs such as the fascinating Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. He cooks at the Brassiere Les Halles in New York City.
Continue Reading…
thursday july 12
In all the Harry Potter brouhaha, don't overlook a movie coming out this summer by a fantastic writer, Neil Gaiman. The movie is Stardust, based on the wonderful book of the same name. This is a grown-up fairy tale, with richly spare writing and fantastic imagery.
The story follows Tristran Thorn's quest for a fallen star, which turns out to not quite be what he expected. But then, as we continually find out, things are never quite what you expect in the land of Faerie. As Tristran seeks to fulfill his quest to bring the fallen star to his beloved, he quite naturally finds out whom he really is and what it is that he really wants.
This is again the story of the Hero's Quest, just like Star Wars and Luke Skywalker, The Odyssey and Odysseus, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Dorothy, and so many others, even Harry Potter and all of his adventures.
Stardust is also available as a digital audio book, read by the author.
Neil Gaiman might be familiar to some as a graphic novel author, most notably perhaps being the Sandman series.
Continue Reading…
thursday june 14
Some of my happiest times have been spent in the company of chickens. Their unabashed presence can turn a day from gloomy to whimsical.
If you are interested in trying out a little flock of chickens, here are two very enjoyable titles on the subject:
Keeping Pet Chickens (2005) by Johannes Paul tells us how to "bring your backyard to life and enjoy the bounty of fresh eggs from your own small flock of happy hens". Well illustrated, but lighter on the information than the following selection.
Keep Chickens: Tending Small Flocks in Cities, Suburbs, and Other Small Spaces (2003) by Barbara Kilarski is a cleverly written, enthusiastic book of instructions for those interested in fresh eggs and gardening help from a little flock of hens. She understands and explains very well the quirks and personalities of chickens.
Two more excellent resources:
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wednesday june 06
Hurray! TAPS (The Atlantic Paranormal Society), my favorite crew of ghost-hunting plumbers, is back on the air, and starting June 6 there will be new episodes of Ghost Hunters on SciFi with new investigations! These Ghost Hunters take their investigations very seriously, coming at it from the point of view of disproving it. Sometimes they can't...
Along those lines, I have a little stack of books on my desk about proving and debunking paranormal events.
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tuesday may 29
Whenever my son Charlie takes a road trip, he organizes a sound track. I had the pleasure of experiencing one of these sound tracks with him recently on a trip back from Nashville. I have a new appreciation for indie rock and some new favorite music.
Bright Eyes with Conor Oberst is a wonderful band from Omaha. 2007's Cassadaga has great music and wins for Best Album Cover (a nifty little tool reveals words and pictures all over it).
Arcade Fire's Neon Bible was overall the best one. Charlie saw this Canadian band in concert in Chicago a couple of weeks ago and said it was sublime.
Dragonforce...and now for something completely different! This is speed metal from England, hearkening back to the 80's but with 2000's sophistication. I loved it. Described as a "power metal band", I think their concerts should be at Stonehenge, or in front of dramatically lit castles with laser light shows.
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friday april 13
The whole world is a little dimmer now. Kurt Vonnegut passed away at the age of 84.
Indianapolis, his birth city, is celebrating 2007 as The Year of Vonnegut. The Indianapolis Marion County Public Library has lots of events planned, too, and the One Book One City selection, announced just day before yesterday, is Slaughterhouse Five. Now this will all sadly be In Memoriam.
Slaughterhouse Five was written a long time after his experiences in WWII as a prisoner of war in Germany. He was actually there in the bombing of Dresden, and he survived it with other POWs in an old slaughterhouse cellar, which is why I feel this event is so poignant in the book.
I miss him already. Chances are, he doesn't miss us much, being up there talking to Newton and Shakespeare and all those folks he was looking forward to meeting.
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tuesday april 10
L. Frank Baum's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a lovely memory of my childhood. Outside the bedrooms in the upstairs hallway of my grandparents' house the walls were lined with old glass-fronted bookcases, filled with my mom's books from her childhood. All 14 Oz books were there, and I spent many happy hours reading them.
Robert Sabuda adapted the first book to his magical pop-up format, staying true to the original illustrations and story.
The cast of characters from Oz would happily surprise any Harry Potter fan: Tick-Tock the Royal Army of Oz, flying monkeys, witches and sorceresses, Ozma, Jack Pumpkinhead, and of course Dorothy herself who would give Harry a run for his money in resourcefulness and courage. The stories were written early in the 20th century but maintain a fantastic sense of adventure that is still enjoyable.
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monday march 19
The Vernal Equinox comes every year in the Northern Hemisphere around March 20. Spring arrives! Day and night, for one 24-hour period, are equal.
I find that springtime light brings a lifting of moods and a deep contentment that never fails to brighten my spirits. I have dug up a variety of books from a variety of subject areas, all about spring:
Chasing Spring: an American Journey Through a Changing Season Bruce Stutz writes about following spring from the Gulf of Mexico to the Alaskan arctic, experiencing renewal and joy at the beauty of the awakening season.
Boys of Spring: Timeless Portraits from the Grapefruit League, 1947-2005 Ozzie Sweet is a renowned photographer, and this book of baseball photographs will get you in the mood for a game.
Everything for Spring: A Complete Activity Book for Teachers of Young Children: Activities for March, April, and May Spring fever is especially rampant in classrooms. These activities will help keep our youngest students busy.
The beautiful symphonic works of Aaron Copeland's Appalachian Spring and The Tender Land cannot fail to move you; available on CD or cassette.
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friday march 09
It is, alas, time to set the clocks forward an hour to ostensibly "save" an hour of daylight every day. This coming Saturday night/Sunday morning at 2 AM it will suddenly become 3 AM.
According to Michael Downing in his 2005 book, Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time, normal everyday people do not really understand why we change our clocks. As he says, however, quoting a friend, "Time is quantifiable, but that doesn't mean time is a quantity." Um, I still don't understand.
In Seize the Daylight by David Prerau, we learn that the idea of Daylight Saving Time goes back to Benjamin Franklin, but it was put into practice in Europe and the US during World War I. Don't blame the farmers, it wasn't their fault. It was war, manufacturing, and the government that did it.
The time change is a hot topic of conversation. Everyone has an opinion, probably because it affects everyone. David Prerau says, "It seems like such a simple gesture. Spring forward, fall back. Does anyone know what we're doing?"
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monday march 05
Anne Rivers Siddons, noted author of contemporary North Carolina "low country" fiction, produced one and only one horror novel, The House Next Door. I wish she would write more!
The seeping darkness of a gorgeous modern marvel of a house stands out like a stain in the well-to-do, long established neighborhood where it is built and takes on a life of its own. It also takes over the lives of its owners. It's an interesting twist on the haunted house story, based on a sleek brand new contemporary house rather than a decrepit mansion.
The stunning beauty of the house hides the misery and terror that it seemingly causes, making rational people do wildly irrational things and turning spotless lives into great big messes.
The book was written in 1978, and the lack of "modern" technology shows but doesn't detract from the suspense.
Siddons has a crafty way of describing things in terms of everyday life, which makes the horrifying events even scarier, placing them just outside the kitchen door.
Be careful, and wish your neighbors well...
friday february 23
The Horror Writers Association has announced that Thomas Harris will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bram Stoker Awards Banquet at the end of March during the annual HWA Conference that will be held in conjunction with the 2007 World Horror Convention in Toronto.
Harris hasn't written a lot of books, but his fiction is very finely crafted and creepy. He is, of course, recognized for his perfectly written saga of Hannibal Lecter, the compelling psychopath from Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs, and Hannibal.
The latest and final installment, Hannibal Rising, is actually the first installment, starting with Hannibal as a young boy in Eastern Europe during World War II. It offers the reasons for Hannibal becoming the way he is.
Harris wrote the screenplay for the movie at the same time as the novel. Hannibal Rising is available in audio as well as print, and as a digital audio book for download from the Ohio eBook Project.
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tuesday february 13
Hockey is by far my favorite sport. I love the slap shot, the body check, the zamboni, and the fights. I sit and cheer and wish for skates as those "little boys" fight it out to get the tiny puck in the elusive net. And when they do, boy oh boy!
In 1980 something wonderful happened. Our young, green little boys duked it out with the big, seasoned Russian hockey team in the Olympics, and they won!
Wayne Coffey's 2005 book The Boys of Winter tells their story, which is even more fascinating than you think. The coaching was unconventional, and by using tactics that were unpredictable and new the Boys outsmarted the Men. They simply played better hockey, newer hockey, and their devotion and grit paid off in a gold medal.
Something wonderful happened in 1998 too: The US Women won Olympic Gold in hockey! Read about it in Crashing the Net by Mary Turco.
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monday january 29
Olympus Fashion Week in New York City is looming, when all the designers showcase their new looks for Fall 2007. Couture Week is in full swing, and the collections vary all the way from Jean Paul Gaultier's beautiful sleek monochromatic lines to Elie Saab's diaphanous fanciful frills.
Not everyone owns a couture gown, but everyone owns a pair of jeans. In Jeans: A Cultural History of an American Icon (2006) by James Sullivan you can find out why.
Designer and fashion expert Randolph Duke helps us all dress well in his book, The Look: A Guide to Dressing from the Inside Out. In a very comfortable way, he helps us look at our figures and work toward expressing our own personal style.
Truth is, high fashion really does trickle down to our department store sales racks and into our closets. Fashion Week shows set trends, highlight colors, and establish the general mood for the clothing we will be wearing. My question is, Will there be any blue jeans on the runway?
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wednesday january 17
Who are are all these great big people in my house, and where did my cute little toddlers go?
I have a few questions for parents everywhere: Which is more stressful, potty training or teaching your child to drive? Or, would you rather feed strained peas to a baby or a crisp fresh salad to a 13-year-old? Or how about watching your 1-year-old take his first steps toward you, then realizing, as you watch your 18-year-old walk away, that those first steps just weren't that long ago?
Jim Borgman and Jerry Scott have uncanny insight into parenting a teenager and an incredible talent for putting it onto paper. They co-author Zits, a daily comic strip about family life with a teenaged son. There are several collections available in book form.
We are expecting a new Zits sketchbook soon, Are We Out of the Driveway Yet? In the meantime, there are other Zits books in our collection with fabulous titles such as Pimp My Lunch and Growth Spurt.
Where did my toddlers go? The bigger mystery right now is, with all these teenagers around, where did all the food go?
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wednesday december 27
Ghosts and spooky happenings have always been interesting topics for books and stories.
Edgar Award winner Phillip DePoy has created a well-written fiction series about a folklorist named Fever Devlin who returns to his Appalachian roots and whose investigations delve in just short of the paranormal: The Devil's Hearth (2003), The Witch's Grave (2004), and the recent well-received A Minister's Ghost (2006).
Cree Black, Daniel Hecht's fictional paranormal investigator, explores haunted houses and weird happenings in City of Masks (2003), also available as a digital audio book; the series continues with Land of Echoes(2004) and Bones of the Barbary Coast (2006).
Another good ghost story is Jodi Picoult's Second Glance; it is one of those stories with characters and time playing tricks on the reader.
Some other books with a paranormal story line are the International Horror Guild's award winning Fogheart by Thomas Tessier, John Passarella's Kindred Spirit, and Charlie Price's Dead Connection.
tuesday december 12
I recently posted a Turning the Page entry about the Charles Dickens book A Christmas Carol. It was published in 1843, 163 years ago.
Looking at these dates gave me pause. My great-grandfather George Peet, who was my mother's father's father, was born in 1844, the year after A Christmas Carol was published.
This same great-grandfather fought in the Civil War, lost his leg at the Battle of Cedar Mountain, spent time in the dreaded Libby Prison, and came home to tell about it. Thank goodness, since consequently here I am. He was a member of the 5th Ohio Volunteers, based out of Camp Dennison, Ohio, which is just a little bit east of Cincinnati.
It's fascinating to me how literature can span time and unify us like it does. And it also shows yet again how there really is nothing new under the sun.
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tuesday november 28
Charles Dickens wrote a masterpiece when he came up with A Christmas Carol. I am partial to stories with ghosts in them, and this is one of the best. We have not only the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet-to-Come scaring the socks off Scrooge, but old Marley long deceased showing up as well. And how about the homeless suffering poor that wail their dirge outside Scrooge's window? Creepy, but he deserved it.
I will never forget that Scrooge was in denial as long as possible. He blamed the manifestations on "an underdone potato" or "an undigested bit of beef"!
There have been lots of film adaptations of the story with terrific portrayals of Scrooge, including George C Scott, Patrick Stewart, musical Albert Finney, and even Bill Murray in the modern "Scrooged". My favorite has to be "Scrooge" (1951) with Alastair Sim capturing the old miser perfectly!
It's just amazing to me how a story created in 1843 can be so timely today. Merry Christmas, 163 years later!
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thursday november 16
Robert Sabuda, the premier paper engineer pop-up artist around, is coming to Cincinnati!
We have exciting plans for this Saturday, Nov. 18: A Pop-Up Party with Robert Sabuda from 1-3 in the Main Library Atrium. It will be fabulous fun: a talk with slides from Mr. Sabuda, pop-up crafts for everyone, exhibits of his work throughout the library, and opportunities to get Robert Sabuda's real live signature in your copies of his books (available at the Friends Shop)!
Every book by Robert Sabuda is a glorious work of art. My favorite, Winter's Tale, is a gorgeous white and sparkly depiction of winter, from the first pop-up of a soaring pure white owl to the last twinkly forest clearing.
I have written before about the appeal of pop-up books. Remember: definitely NOT just for kids!
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friday november 10
I love lighthouses. This past weekend I stood in awe of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse at night, resplendent in the light of the full moon and sending out its reassuring beam across nearly 20 miles of ocean.
Dawson Carr's 2002 chronicle Cape Hatteras Lighthouse: Sentinel of the Shoals tells the history of the beautiful lighthouse, including the monumental 1999 3-week move of the structure to a safer spot further from the edge of the ocean. It was moved inland from the encroaching surf by lifting the entire building and hydraulically pushing it forward very slowly along a track to its new location 2900 feet away.
An interesting book about lighthouses that were not as lucky as Hatteras is Lost Lighthouses, full of true stories such as my favorite about Deer Island Lighthouse in the harbor near Boston, where one of the keepers had a cat who would dive from the platform, catch a fish, and climb back up the ladder with it.
For anyone who loves lighthouses and loves cats, it doesn't get any better than that!
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tuesday october 31
We tend to think of scary books at Halloween, and I'll take this chance to promote some of my favorite creepy audio books and reading for any dark night.
The Edgar Allan Poe Audio Collection is read by Vincent Price and Basil Rathbone. Poe's work distills all that is eerie, and these two masters of voice bring the recordings to chilling life.
The Shining by Stephen King is a perennial favorite, good at the movies but terrific as the original book.
Peter Straub's Lost Boy Lost Girl is as creepy as it gets, an excellent read along with its sequel In The Night Room.
And don't forget the Classics: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley; Dracula by Bram Stoker and the wonderful silent film Nosferatu; and even War of the Worlds by HG Wells, which was a written work long before it was performed as a radio play or movie.
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tuesday october 24
Like many working people, I spend about an hour and a half in the car on my way to and from work. Enter my friends, Audio Books. I have passed many a happy commute listening to accomplished readers share books with me.
I greatly enjoyed Thomas Harris's creepy Hannibal Lector trilogy, Red Dragon, Silence of the Lambs, and Hannibal. I was fascinated by the twists and turns of Maeve Binchy's Tara Road. I laughed helplessly at the antics of Georgia Nicholson in the teen series by Louise Rennison that starts off with Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging. I was drawn completely into Diane Setterfield's dark and mysterious 13th Tale.
J.K Rowling's Harry Potter books are fabulous, read by the incomparable Jim Dale. If you start with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and travel through the whole series, you will be set for a long time. Let's see, if I add it up that's almost 95 hours of happiness on your commute!
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thursday october 12
Adriana Trigiani has written a charming trio of books centering on a woman of Italian descent who lives in a small Virginia coal-mining town. The Big Stone Gap novels are effortless, interesting reads.
Happily, according to Adriana Trigiani's web site, we can expect a new Big Stone Gap novel at the end of October: Home to Big Stone Gap. How wonderful!
Big Stone Gap (2000), the first of the novels, introduces our protagonist, pharmacist and part-time EMT Ave Maria Mulligan, and the cast of everyday characters that populates her small town of Big Stone Gap, Virginia. Ave Maria learns a long-guarded secret about herself and comes to terms with Who She Really Is.
The second two installments are just as appealing as the first, but they all attend to the grittiness of everyday life and consequently are not cloying.
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thursday october 05
The Bluegrass music tradition is well represented with masters of the genre at Tall Stacks this year: my favorite Del McCoury Band, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Cherryholmes family, Ralph Stanley, and so many more fantastic musicians. This is heaven on earth!
Many of these groups are award winners, and all of them have played on the stage of The Grand Ole Opry!
We have music here at the Library by these extraordinary musicians, as well as books to read about the Bluegrass heritage.
The Bluegrass Reader (2004), edited by Thomas Goldsmith, is an entertaining collection of articles about the Bluegrass music scene.
From Every Stage: Images of America's Roots Music (2005) by Stephanie P. Ledgin is a fascinating look at the development of bluegrass among other types of music that originated in the Americas.
Bluegrass might be something that is unfamiliar to you. Give it a chance; get to know it. It is original American Music that expresses the heart of all of us.
wednesday september 20
Fashion Week in New York just concluded this past weekend. All the designers were there, showing gorgeous runway fashions that will be the prototypes for our Spring 2007 clothes.
"The Independent Woman" is apparently about whom the designers were thinking this year, as it is a common theme among the collections.
Visionaries: Interviews with Fashion Designers (2001) by Susannah Frankel gives us a look into the lives and creative processes of fashion designers through interviews with them.
Stylemakers: Inside Fashion by Marcia Sherrill (2002) outlines influential behind-the-scenes people in the fashion world: trend spotters, stylists, photographers, and business people who choreograph what we will eventually see in stores.
An interesting behind-the-scenes book about the Men's fashion industry is Joseph Abboud's autobiography, Threads: My Life Behind the Seams of the High-Stakes World of Fashion (2004).
Fashion Designers by Pamela Golbin (2001) is a beautifully illustrated chronicle of trends by some of the most influential designers.
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tuesday september 12
Shortly before the turn of the 20th century there was a group that formed with the goal of investigating and either proving or not the existence of ghosts. Ghost Hunters: William James and the Scientific Search for Proof of Life After Death (2006) by Deborah Blum recounts the efforts this group put forth to prove the paranormal in a time when science and religion were at odds. It is fascinating.
Interestingly, William James was one of the founders of the American Psychological Association and brother of writer Henry James.
I'm always ready for a good ghost story. Brad Steiger's Real Ghosts, Restless Spirits, and Haunted Places (2004) is a book full of documented cases and oral histories of hauntings and paranormal occurrences. It is refreshingly grounded, offering a bibliography, a list of good ghost movies, and a listing of haunted cities. Cincinnati is there, citing among others a ghost lion at the Zoo.
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tuesday september 05
I just remembered a wonderful book that I read about 2 years ago. Ursula Under by Ingrid Hill (2004) is the story of a little girl, Ursula Wong, who accidentally falls down the air shaft of an abandoned copper mine.
The book goes back in time to follow the family history that led to Ursula, whose ancestry is an amazing yet typically American mixed assortment of cultures and people. We also get to know Ursula's modern world and how wonderfully everything around her helps make her who she is.
Ursula's story is engrossing, it is empowering, and it has an ending that will stay with you for a long time. I loved this book!
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tuesday august 22
Abarat (2002) is one of the most engaging books I have ever had the pleasure to experience. It is one of Clive Barker's young adult fantasies that takes the heroine, Candy Quackenbush, to a strange and unexpected world that somehow stands up to logic, in spite of being constructed completely out of Barker's imagination.
The books are filled with Barker's paintings, which were apparently his basis for the books. He says he was inspired by the movies The Wizard of Oz and Fantasia, CS Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, and by Cirque du Soleil. (information from the Abarat web site)
The sequel, Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War (2004), is every bit as wonderful as the first book. The best news is: This will be a quartet of books. We have two more to look forward to reading!!
Immerse yourself in the world of Abarat. You will never go anywhere like it again.
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tuesday august 15
There is always a stack of novels on my desk, lurking there in the corner, waiting for me to crack the cover and enter their world.
Right now, for example, I have:
- In the Dark of the Night by John Saul; in spite of a few distracting continuity problems and inconsistencies, it's a pretty good story.
- Hawkes Harbor by SE Hinton; wonderful book, bordering on fantasy/horror, and completely unlike her popular teen novels; for a mature reader.
- Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War by Clive Barker; fantasy; total immersion. Look for a future post dedicated to the Abarat books.
- Dark Light by Randy Wayne White; a hurricane exposes an old wreck, which leads to mysterious places and people on the Florida coast.
- The Descent: A Novel by Jeff Long; unwitting explorers discover a vast underworld society.
- Forests of the Night by James W. Hall; intuitive policewoman follows a creepy trail involving an old feud; I picked it up from a display
So, that is part of the stack of dark books on my desk. Maybe you'll find a few of them to be of interest.
monday august 07
It is finally here! I always wait in great anticipation for the new Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child books. This one, The Book of the Dead (2006) landed on my desk last week. It takes all my will power not to devour it in one sitting.
Set in the slightly fictionalized Natural History Museum in New York City, it is another intricate suspense thriller from Preston and Child. This one involves an ancient cursed Egyptian tomb that was installed in the museum basement in 1872, yet has been bricked up, sealed for seventy years for mysterious reasons, and all but forgotten by the museum. Strange things start to happen when the tomb is re-opened.
The cast of characters is varied, flawed, and believable. The grand old museum building, with its attics, sub-basements, laboratories, and storerooms is the real star of the story. Its shadowy presence sets a tense mood, the perfect setting for the creepy and suspenseful story.
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friday july 28
State Fair by Arthur Grace (2006) captures in black-and-white photos an amazingly accurate feeling of The Fair. Look deep: next to the slightly strange is the touchingly wholesome; these are lovely images of innocence and accomplishment that I recognize and lived through with my own family.
Fairs have always been big, important parts of our summers. We are regulars at the Hamilton County Fair. In years past we have been exhibitors, showing 4-H cattle, dogs, chickens, and rabbits. One of my daughters was even the Hamilton County Fair Queen! My other daughter was, however, Grand Champion Poultry Showman, an accomplishment that should not be underestimated.
Our Hamilton County Fair is not the biggest or grandest, but it is a 151-year tradition that will hopefully survive its current monetary hard times. It definitely has its share of faithful fans.
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monday july 24
Project Runway, a fashion design reality show on Bravo! every Wednesday night, is one of my favorite television shows of all. "Who will be the next big fashion designer?," asks hostess Heidi Klum. It is fun to watch, and also it is inspiring!
In the spirit of the design competition, our catalog offers a variety of books and magazines on women's style and fashion design.
Style and fashion design tips:
Fashion Magazines, all of which are available in the Library collection:
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wednesday july 19
A little bit like Elmer Fudd "huntin' wabbits", here we go on the trail of phantom phenomena.
Get the basics on ghost hunting in The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ghosts and Hauntings (2004) by Tom Ogden, a surprisingly entertaining collection of ghost stories, evidence, and instruction on tracking down supernatural phenomena. You can also consult Joshua P. Warren's How To Hunt Ghosts (2003), listing what to look for and the equipment you need to find it and prove it.
Maybe you are having trouble finding a ghost. There are guides to haunts, such as Ghosthunting Ohio (2004) by John B. Kachuba that takes you around the state to visit documented ghostly places. Haunted Hoosier Trails (Wanda Lou Willis, 2002) is a similar guide to Indiana. William Linwood Montell's Haunted Houses and Family Ghosts of Kentucky (2001) is a collection of stories and folk history from our neighboring Commonwealth to the south.
Happy Hunting! ...or should that be "Happy Haunting"??
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wednesday july 12
I was in the eighth grade in 1968 when I first read Frank Herbert's novel Dune (1965). I told everyone I knew that it was the best book I had ever read, and probably the best book ever written; I am not ashamed to admit that I uttered those words again as recently as last week.
This fabulous Science Fiction story won the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award. It is an ecological cautionary story about dependence on energy and political control, about ecological change and disaster, about people's need for leadership and the temptations of corruption, and mostly about one remarkable man: Paul Atreides, whose fate it is to become Maud'Dib, the leader of millions.
Dino de Laurentis made a truly terrible movie based on the book; the SciFi Channel made a better mini-series adaptation in 2001.
Fremen...Bene Gesserit...House Harkonnen...sand worms...Spacing Guild...planets Arrakis, Geidi Prime, and Caladan. Come join us in the universe of Dune.
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saturday july 08
Emily Carr was an artist of renown in the early 20th century. Born in British Columbia, she went into the forests of Canada at a time when women did not routinely travel alone. Her paintings and writings portray the wilderness of Canada with love and reverence, especially the Native American Indians of her area.
A book of her memoirs, The Book Of Small (2004), is a reissued volume of anecdotes from Emily's childhood. The adult Carr wrote the memoirs in a wide-eyed, loving manner, giving us a picture of childhood in a place that was just a breath past "frontier", a place that gave "Small" a grand chance to accumulate her early life experiences where her world was wide open and slightly wild.
Books of Emily Carr's paintings evoke the beauty of the western Canadian forest and the noble local culture. Emily Carr at the Edge of the World (2003) is a perfect introduction.
Susan Vreeland has written a novel about Emily Carr, The Forest Lover (2004), which is loosely based on her life.
Get to know Emily Carr. She will inspire you.
friday july 07
I have just traveled to India between the covers of this stunning book: India, by Oliver Follmi (2005). The photography in this book is amazing, displaying the beauty and diversity of this enormous country.
I love cities, and The Cities Book: A Journey Through the Best Cities in the World (2006) published by Lonely Planet takes us to 200+ cities of all sizes around the world. This is a follow-up book to The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World (2005) that covers 230 different countries.
Closer to home, enjoy the view in Panoramic Parks: An Appreciation of Cincinnati's Parks (2005), by Thomas R. Schiff, or go to each of Ohio's 88 counties to see Ohio's Bicentennial Barns (Beth Gorczyca, 2003).
You could go out west and explore with Bart Smith Along the Pacific Crest Trail (1998), or take off on a train trip in Great American Rail Journeys (2000).
Travel in library books: it's free, there are no timetables, and you don't need to worry about learning how to get by in another language. Have a great trip!
thursday june 29
It is vacation time again, which means it is time for beach books. Here is some recommended summertime reading:
The Highest Tide (2005), by Jim Lynch, is a funny fascinating story set on the northwest US coast. We learn a lot about 13-year-old Miles' uncanny relationship with the sea and his friends, family, and the press.
John Banville's The Sea, the 2005 Man Booker Prize winner, is the intriguing story of a man who returns to a seaside town from his past following his wife's death.
For intriguing mystery by the sea, PD James' The Lighthouse (2005) will keep you riveted.
Island romance is always a wonderful getaway. Nora Roberts' Three Sisters Island Trilogy is great paperback reading -- a little witchcraft, a little romance, a little New England island scenery. Dance Upon the Air (2001), Heaven and Earth (2001), and Face the Fire (2002).
Jaws (1974) by Peter Benchley is a fun read by the sea. I also recommend the now classic 1975 movie based on the novel, directed by a fledgling Steven Spielberg at 26 years old.
Have a nice vacation...and don't forget the books!
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tuesday june 27
Kathy Reichs, a real live forensic anthropologist, writes wonderful mysteries surrounding a main character, Tempe Brennan, who is (guess what) a forensic anthropologist.
Tempe, like Kathy, works both in Charlotte, North Carolina, and in Montreal, Canada. Rather than self-aggrandizing and egocentric, her novels come across fresh and natural...well, at least as natural as a human being can be who is, for instance, digging teenage girls' bones out of a septic tank or trying to sort out whether this is a bag of bear bones or people bones.
In the latest novel, Cross Bones (2005), Tempe's investigation of a questionable death takes her to Israel and the world of biblical archaeology, along with the very attractive detective Andrew Ryan.
A new book is expected in July: Break No Bones. The pre-publication publicity promises that this will be the best one yet, a wonderful blend of good writing, a good story, and scientific expertise.
While the novels are written in series, the reader would not lose any enjoyment by reading them out of order.
Get to know Tempe Brennan and Kathy Reichs. You won't be sorry!
wednesday june 21
In Newark, NJ, at their annual conference this past weekend the Horror Writers Association announced the best in Horror Writing for 2005. The members voted on a long ballot of worthy award recipients competing for the Bram Stoker Award in such categories as Novel, Short Story, Anthology, and Poetry. Yes, Horror Poetry.
There was a tie for Best Novel this year. Creepers by David Morrell and Dread in the Beast by Charlee Jacob. Creepers follows a group of urban explorers into a huge abandoned hotel built in 1901 where OF COURSE they find more than old furniture and bats. Creepy.
I am sorely disappointed that I did not get to be there this year to see one of my favorite authors, Peter Straub, receive the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Peter Straub has been writing exceptional horror fiction since 1976's Julia. His latest books, In The Night Room and Lost Boy Lost Girl, are exemplary novels, fascinating in their twisted representation of reality and unbelievable word craftsmanship. You might recognize his name from his partnerships with Steven King (Black House, etc).
Congratulations to all of the award winners!
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thursday june 15
Remember being a little kid and spending delightful hours with your Cinderella or Winnie-the-Pooh pop-up book? Pop-up books have changed! Pop-up artists -- or rather Paper Engineers -- are producing beautiful books worthy of being call works of art.
Robert Sabuda is arguably the best popup artist around. His latest creation, Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Sharks and Other Sea Monsters (with Matthew Reinhart, 2006) is a fascinating, fabulous exploration of sharks, dinosaurs, whales, and mollusks from ancient times to today. For a patriotic boost, look over his America the Beautiful (2004), or enjoy the beauty of snow in Winter's Tale (2005) with illustrations that will leave you speechless.
Also noteworthy, David A. Carter's One Red Dot (2005) has delighted and surprised every audience I have presented it to, of every age.
Of course after seeing these books you will be inspired to make one. The Elements of Pop-Up: A Pop-Up Book for Aspiring Paper Engineers by David A. Carter will show you how.
Paper Engineering for Adults? Of course -- but I prefer "Pop-Ups for Grown-Ups"!
Continue Reading…
monday june 12
How about something cold and shivery on a hot summer day?
One of my favorites is The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (1959). This scary little novel was the inspiration for two movies, 1963's excellent The Haunting, and 1999's slightly cheesy remake, also called The Haunting.
Another classic is A Stir of Echoes (Richard Matheson, 1958), a deliciously creepy ghost story with a psychological angle. It was made into a movie in 1999, but it is more of a "jump" feature and doesn't have that scariness-lurking-beneath-our-normal-lives feeling of the book.
Jodi Picoult's Second Glance (2003) is a wonderful ghost story with a very natural voice that brings the reader right into the incredible experiences of the characters. No movie, which might be all for the better.
Annie Wilder wrote a fascinating memoir of living with ghosts, House of Spirits and Whispers: The True Story of a Haunted House (2005). It's a quick chilly read for a hot summer day -- and you will never look at your cat the same way again...
wednesday june 07
For a soothing, peaceful getaway I love to visit Precious Ramotswe and her friends at The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency in Gabarone, a small city in Botswana. Blue Shoes and Happiness (2006), Alexander McCall Smith's seventh book in the series, again wraps the reader in the atmosphere of life in modern Africa that is very much in tune with the natural world of the countryside.
Mma Ramotswe, a lovely "traditionally built" African Lady, is the proud owner of the detective agency. The slower pace of days, the interaction with friends and family, the urgencies and concerns of life and business -- all are pleasantly and quite capably addressed and dealt with, in a practical and sensible manner, usually over a pot of bush tea.
It is easy to step down the pace of life a bit with these interesting mysteries. They are gentle without being cloying and give us a picture of life in modern Africa that is both eye-opening and appealing. We are reminded, respectfully, that these are people just like us, living half a world away.
I experienced these wonderful stories as audio books, in fascinating performances by South African actress Lisette Lecat. She brings the characters beautifully to life with her understanding of the subtleties of African languages.
So brew up some bush tea, and settle in with Mma Ramotswe and company solving mysteries and facing the everyday challenges of life at The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.
friday june 02
The Bell Witch: An American Haunting (1997, Brent Monohan) is a retelling of a terrifying ordeal endured by an early 1800's Tennessee family. What makes this story so frightening is the power of the human mind, and what people can do when pushed to the absolute limit of their tolerance.
And by the way...don't bother with the movie version of this book, unless you are looking for a murky, jerky costume picture where you can see 1818 school kids playing soccer and a photo of an 1820 wedding couple. It is an inaccurate sadly skewed misrepresentation of a fascinating story.
Terrific book for fans of The Unexplained. Disappointing movie for fans of the book.
British author Ramsey Campbell has mastered the knack of establishing an unsettling mood that seeps right into everyday life around you. His seemingly normal people and places eventually reveal themselves to be way outside of the ordinary, with tree people peeking over the back fence, ancient evil oozing up out of the stacks in a bookshop, and co-eds' fathers indulging their daughters to death.
Campbell's latest book, The Overnight (2005), centers on a big brand-new chain bookstore in suburban England that is a repository of ancient evil. The story starts out gritty and chilly, and the tone is unrelentingly dark, leading to a satisfyingly inevitable conclusion.
It just might make you think twice about going to the mall at night, alone, in the dark...
