Whitney Houston, the enormously talented R&B and pop superstar voice for the past twenty-plus years, died yesterday.

Ms. Whitney's career was filled with album sales in the millions, three Grammys, and movie roles. In 1992, she co-starred in The Bodyguard with Kevin Costner. In 1993, the movie's soundtrack album (which sold 17 million copies) and her iconic cut, I Will Always Love You, won Best Album of the Year and Best Record of the Year respectively.

As her life unraveled -- stormy marriage to singer Bobby Brown, drugs, alcohol -- as lives so often do when enormous talent is fueled by endless wealth and over-zealous fans with an insatiable need for every last detail of the lives of celebrities, her voice took a beating. Her private struggles were public fodder for the tabloid grind machine.

Social media blew up Saturday and Sunday as the news dominated the web. Her breathtaking performance of the National Anthem at the 1991 Super Bowl has gone viral again. The Whitney Houston tragedy was the Top Ten trending hashtags, spurred on by the timing of her death which was on the eve of the Grammys.

Houston, who was found dead in her Beverly Hilton hotel room, was just 48 years old.

Established in 2010 by the American Library Association Collection Development and Evaluation Section (CODES) of RUSA, The Listen List recognizes and honors the narrators who are a pleasure to listen to; who offer listeners something they could not create by their own visual reading; and who achieve an outstanding performance in terms of voice, accents, pitch, tone, inflection, rhythm and pace.

This inaugural list (Be sure to check out the wonderful listen-alikes with each of the winners) includes literary and genre fiction, memoir and history and features voices that enthrall, delight and inspire.

The 2012 winners are:

All Clear by Connie Willis. Narrated by Katherine Kellgren.
This sequel to Blackout, a stellar science fiction adventure, follows the plight of a group of historians from 2060, trapped in WWII England during the Blitz. In a narrative tour de force, Kellgren brings to life a large cast of characters, including a pair of street-smart urchins who capture the hearts of characters and listeners alike.

Bossypants by Tina Fey Narrated by Tina Fey.
In a very funny memoir made decidedly funnier by its reader, Tina Fey relates sketches and memories of her time at SNL and Second City as well as the difficulties of balancing career and motherhood. In a voice dripping with wit, she acts out the book, adding extra-aural elements that print simply cannot convey.

The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley. Narrated by Dominic Hoffman.
Dominic Hoffman reads this elegiac novel of memory and redemption with fierce grace, inhabiting Mosley’s characters with voices perfectly crafted in pitch and rhythm. His rough, gravelly narration manages the pace and mood of the book with astounding skill, brilliantly capturing the mental clarity and fog of 91-year-old Ptolemy Grey’s world.

Life Itself: A Memoir by Roger Ebert, Narrated by Edward Herrmann.
Ebert’s clear-eyed account chronicles his life from his youth in Urbana, Illinois, to his fame as a world-renowned film critic in Chicago. Herrmann’s engaging, affable reading mirrors the author’s tone—honest, often humorous, sometimes bittersweet—as he unhurriedly ushers listeners through Ebert’s moving reflections on a life well lived.

Middlemarch by George Eliot. Narrated by Juliet Stevenson.
Juliet Stevenson brings crisp clarity, a witty sensibility and a charming tonal quality to Eliot’s masterpiece of provincial life. Through her deft management of pacing and tone, she reveals character motivation and illuminates the many themes of the novel. But most of all she reclaims Eliot for listeners who thought they did not enjoy classics.

The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willg. Narrated by Kate Reading.
In this Regency Christmas caper, a pudding, a spy, a hilarious school theatrical and a memorable country house party lead to laughter, love and an offer of marriage. Reading’s lovely English accent and exuberance are a perfect fit for the wide range of characters, from young girls to male teachers to members of the aristocracy.

One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde. Narrated by Emily Gray.
In this genre-bending romp, the “written” Thursday must rescue the “real” Thursday from a nefarious Bookworld plot. Emily Gray wears Thursday like a second skin, as she does the robots, dodos, and space aliens running around. The story is paced such that every nuance of pun and word play is captured and rendered aurally.

A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley. Narrated by Jayne Entwistle.
Flavia de Luce, a terrifyingly proficient 11-year-old amateur chemist and sleuth, investigates the beating of a gypsy and the death of a villager in this third outing. Entwistle’s spot-on narration reveals the irrepressible, intrepid heroine’s prowess and captures a delicious range of secondary characters in these whimsical mysteries set in 1950s rural England.

The Snowman by Jo Nesbø. Narrated by Robin Sachs.
The icy chill of the Norwegian countryside and a series of cold-blooded murders dominate this Harry Hole crime novel. Sachs contrasts Hole’s world-weary professional attitude, his unquenchable thirst for justice and his yearning for love and comfort, as he skillfully maintains a suspenseful pace and projects an overarching sense of doom.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Narrated by Simon Prebble.
The tragedy and heroism of the French Revolution come alive through Prebble’s distinctive and graceful narration. As the lives of Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton intersect, Prebble takes listeners deep into France and England, narrating terrifying descriptions and breathless acts of courage with a cadence that sweeps one away.

The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht. Narrated by Susan Duerden and Robin Sachs.
In this imaginative novel, Balkan physician Natalia, on a mission of mercy, learns of her beloved grandfather’s death. Duerden’s mesmerizing voice leads listeners through the complexities of this rich novel with its intertwining stories, while Sachs memorably relates her grandfather’s haunting tales in a gentle and gruff voice.

Why Read Moby-Dick? by Nathaniel Philbrick. Narrated by Nathaniel Philbrick.
In what should be required reading before cracking the pages of Moby-Dick, Nathaniel Philbrick’s homage to this great American novel compels the listener to experience Melville with an almost incandescent joy. His voice resonates with palpable enthusiasm and calls to mind a New England professor giving a fascinating lecture.

YOU can access almost 1,000 digital music albums directly through our AADL.org catalog. Stream or download as much as you like, DRM free, on any device you choose. No waiting for a copy. No due dates. Hooray!

PUNK / HARD ROCK
Delko: French Stoner Rock
Meet Delko, a French rock band from Haute-Loire. Influenced by Nirvana, Foo Fighters and Johnny Cash, their powerful and dark melodies will drag you into an artistic world that sounds like a post-teen delirium. Delko 321, released in 2011, is their first LP. All tracks are orchestrated by a classic squad -- bass, drums, and two guitars. This album brings together their first 3 EPs, standing as a documentary about four years in the life of the band.

NEW AGE / WORLD
Olexa Kabanov: Strings Slowly Plucked From the Soul
Ukrainian artist Olexa Kabanov is influenced by a wide range of musical interests, including the European Middle Ages, Eastern tradition, and Slavic ethnic, from jazz to folk-rock and world music. Describing the album Dale of the Muses is not easy. The sounds organically meld together -- the lyre, the deep Ukrainian violin, the Indian percussion, the mandolin with the drymba. Listen to the album to find many unexpected combinations and hidden gems.

ROCK
Arthur Yoria: Catchy, Whip Smart Alt-Rock
Ten playfully wicked songs make up Arthur Yoria's full length debut, I'll Be Here Awake. Yoria says it's a straight-forward rock album that was written from the point of view of a "nasty, egotistical fictional character" that he vicariously lives through from time to time. However, Yoria's natural warmth makes this character charming, in the way that cads can be when they're also talented, funny, and smart. "Call Me" gives insight into the mind of the chronically unavailable male, while "P.S.A." may be the most beguiling little ditty about onanism ever written. "Sevilla" describes a seething jealousy in the most lilting possible tones. "Here To Stay", the highlight of the entire album, is a patiently delivered, doggedly inspiring pop shanty.

JAZZ / PIANO
Antonio Ciacca Quartet: Jazz Played with Earthiness, Fire and Intellect
Driemoty is the first album of Antonio Ciacca, released in 1996, early in his brilliant career in the world of jazz. Antonia Ciacca plays with elements of Thelonious Monk, Wynton Kelly, Red Garland, and Bobby Timmons, recalling the most creatively vital and yet oddly neglected schools of jazz. Nowadays the New York based pianist and composer Ciacca enjoys his work as Director of Programming at Jazz at Lincoln Center. If you enjoy his music, be sure to visit his website http://www.antoniociacca.org/

R&B / SOUL
Ty Gibson: The Spirit and Soul of A Woman
R&B/Soul singer Ty Gibson hopes to make a difference with her debut album, Goin' My Way. Finding inspiration in the works of legendary singers such as Nina Simone, Denise Williams, Whitney Houston and Minnie Riperton, Ty offers her listeners a taste of what's on the inside of all of us -- a passion to live, love, and just be taken seriously. One of the notable tracks on this album, "I'll Be Home Soon", was written with the men and women of the military in mind. Ty is actually singing a letter that a soldier wrote to his loved one back home.

Science and great storytelling come together again this Thursday when Story Collider comes back to Ann Arbor. This time we've taken the show out of the library to BTB Cantina on South University, but regulars can expect the same kinds of stories about science in people's lives. Storytellers Adam Becker, Justin Konen, Cheryl Moy, Eric Rabkin, Rachel Bitney Wecht, and Lian Zhu join hosts Brian Wecht and Erik Hofer to bring us stories of Openness.

If you want to learn more about Story Collider and how it came about, check out our podcast interview with co-host and co-creator Brian Wecht. And if you missed previous installments, you can watch Story Collider Ann Arbor events from last March and July from AADL in our Video on Demand collection.

Story Collider: Openness | Thursday, January 26 | 7pm | BTB Cantina

If you are one of the 142 library patrons waiting to catch up on the First Season of the PBS Masterpiece Theater's Downton Abbey, or you'd scheduled your Sunday activities around the Second Season now in progress, then read on.

This immensely popular British period drama set in a grand country house in North Yorkshire is largely the creation of actor/writer Julian Fellowes (with illuminating behind-the-scenes tidbits), whose niece, author Jessica Fellowes has published The World of Downton Abbey (photography by Nick Briggs) - a companion book about the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants, as well as insights into British society in the early years of the twentieth century.

If you and your friends are caught up in the Downton fever that's sweeping the country, the New York Times has some smashing ideas that involve theme parties (tiaras optional, menus suggested).

If your participation tends to be the solitary variety, or you are already suffering from fear of withdraw once the last episode airs on February 19, then be comforted that the major publishers have already anticipated your needs with a further reading list.

Readers Advisory Guru (and my good friend) Neal Wyatt has come up with her impeccable suggestions in this RA Crossroads article "What To Watch (and Read) After Downton Abbey" that is sure to bring you many hours of reading/viewing/listening pleasure until Season 3.

Jenny and David Heitler-Klevans make up this dynamic duo and once in a while they cruise through A2, singing their inspiring and original songs for the whole family. Join us for clapping and dancing along as we celebrate their brand new CD, Sing Me Your Story, on Thursday, January 26 at 7 pm Downtown!

Actor/playwright/filmmaker Ayad Akhtar is now a first-time novelist with the publication of American Dervish * last week. With rights sold to 19 countries, this might just be the first Muslim-American novel to reach commercial mainstream.

"(B)rilliantly written, nuanced, and emotionally forceful look inside the interplay of religion and modern life", the novel opens with Hayat Shah, heavy with guilt, remembering his first love, Auntie Mina - independent, beautiful and intelligent, and his mother's oldest friend from Pakistan. Her arrival enlivens their previously dour and secular household with laughter and she brings an abiding Muslim faith which she begins to share with Hayat, awakening in the 10 yr.old boy a fierce infatuation, and a new religious identity.

When Mina falls for his father's Jewish colleague Nathan, Hayat feels betrayed. A reckless scheme to set things right brings on devastating consequences for all those he loves most.

"The young teen's personal story about growing up in pre-9/11 Muslim America is both particular and universal, with intense connections of faith, sorrow, tenderness, anger, betrayal, questioning, and love."

A readalike for Leila Aboulela's The Translator (2006) and Hisham Matar's Anatomy of a Disappearance (in audio), (2011).

Ayad Akhtar is an American-born, first generation Pakistani-American from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. An award-winning playwright (Brown, Columbia) he starred and co-wrote The War Within (2005), which was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay and an International Press Academy Satellite Award for Best Picture - Drama.

* = starred review

We SING in Storytime. You SING in the yard ... in the car ... at the park. We sang "Two Kinds Of Seagulls ... HEgulls and SHEgulls" by Tom Chapin in Storytime with Ms. Sarah. Folks liked it and asked for more suggestions.
Here is a list of some of my favorite recording artists for young families.
These artists provide fun songs for elementary school ages,
AND the preschool siblings enjoy going along with the fun.
Cellabration! A Tribute to Ella Jenkins with various artists all singing songs written by Ella Jenkins
You'll Sing A Song And I'll Sing A Song with Ella Jenkins
Making Good Noise with Tom Chapin
Jim Gill Sings Do Re Mi on His Toe Leg Knee with Jim Gill
Daddy-O Daddy with various artists all singing songs written by Woody Guthrie
Train Songs And Other Tracks with Kevin Roth
You Are My Little Bird with Elizabeth Mitchell
All Wound Up! with Cathy Fink
Crazy Hair Day: original songs and stories with various artists
SING-on !

My reading gets downright frantic when the "Best Of" lists start showing up at the end of the year. Glad this one made the lists.

Named by both the Kirkus Reviews' as one of the Best of 2011 Mysteries, and a Library Journal Best Mystery of 2011 Stealing Mona Lisa * * was published to coincide with the 100th Anniversary of the theft of the most recognized painting in the world from the Louvre in 1911.

First-time novelist Carson Morton (professional musician, screenwriter, and playwright), "smoothly blends fact and fiction while evocatively exploring the era's seamy underbelly."

Paris, 1925. On his death bed the Marquis Eduardo de Valfierno recounts to a young reporter his audacious plan to steal the Mona Lisa, and the elaborate scheme to pass 6 forged copies off into the hands of American tycoons with insatiable appetite for the unattainable. As well orchestrated as the plan was, it was undone by nature - human and otherwise, when "love, lust, jealousy, greed, and murderous revenge come into play, along with excessive rains and the worst flooding in contemporary Paris history."

Stealing Mona Lisa is a "sophisticated, engaging caper, complete with a richly imagined group of con artists and a historical mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end." The twisty conclusion will leave you wondering about the authenticity of the art on museum walls !!

For a historical account of the famous heist and largely unsolved mystery, try R.A. Scotti's Vanished Smile: the mysterious theft of Mona Lisa (also in audio).

The Crimes of Paris: A True Story of Murder, Theft, and Detection by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler is "part fast-paced thriller and part social history," and an unwieldy and engrossing account of life and crime in belle époque Paris, with the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa serving as the centerpiece.

One last thing...do allow for the author's exercise of artistic license with the chronology of the Paris flood which actually took place the previous year, as captured in these vintage photos. You might also find fascinating Paris Under Water : how the city of light survived the great flood of 1910 by Jeffrey H. Jackson.

* * = starred reviews

Looking through the new DVDs list in the catalog, I was excited to see that AADL will soon have copies of the movie, Backbeat! As a huge Beatles fan, this is one of my favorite movies because of how funny and also fairly accurate it is in its portrayal of the early days of the group.

In general, the story follows the band's start in the seedy nightclubs of Liverpool and Hamburg. More specifically, it chronicles the close friendship between John Lennon and "Fifth Beatle," Stuart Sutcliffe. The film is touching in its honesty towards this relationship and Lennon's struggle with Sutcliffe's decision to leave the Beatles in order to pursue a promising painting career (you can view some of his art at the link above...). Sometimes with all the "peace and love" Lennon tributes and memorials out there, it's easy to forget that the icon was once an angry, smart-aleck teenager with all kinds of abandonment issues. For me, understanding this Lennon makes me appreciate all the more the person he grew into later in life.

"Backbeat" is R-rated and as gritty and raw as the streets in which it takes place. The music, of course, is great. It's well worth checking out (if only to learn all about how the group got its famous hair-cut...), along with other John Lennon videos and albums. Or you can always buff up on your Beatles history with the wide range of books and videos at the library. And, of course, there will ALWAYS be the music.