Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #91 (Small Gems #2)
by muffy
Mr. Thundermug is the "inventive and poignant story of a baboon who acquires the ability to eloquently speak human language".
As squatters in a condemned apartment building in a fictional city (think London), Mr. Thundermug and his family face eviction. His trouble escalates when he is arrested for, of all things - cruelty to animals! "The amusing and frustrating transactions between baboon and society attain urban-legend status".
This little fable-like tale is enhanced by moody, sepia-toned photographs throughout. A noteworthy debut for British Cornelius Medvei.
Blog Post
Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life
by joy k
Scott Pilgrim's just another twenty-something slacker living in a cold Canadian town. He's cheerfully unemployed, crashing at his gay best friend's apartment, and playing bass for a truly terrible band. But when a cute Amazon.ca delivery girl starts rollerblading through his dreams, he suddenly has a mission in life: to defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends so he can win her heart. The Scott Pilgrim series is easily one of the funniest that I've read in the past year. But don't just take my word for it--find out for yourself! The library owns the first three volumes (1, 2, 3). You can also find previews at the official website.
Blog Post
November Noteworthy Books to Films
by muffy
No Country for Old Men, a Coen Brothers’ adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s fast-paced thriller gives us a “disturbing look into the vortex created by drugs and violence in America and a moving meditation on good and evil, freedom and fate, time and change”, guaranteed to keep you at the edge of your seat.
The film version of Beowulf , an epic poem, is a big-budget, digitally-enhanced tale of a warrior sent to battle monsters terrorizing the countryside.
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez is an enduring classic about two star-crossed lovers. I heard the adaptation is equally engaging.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death by Jean-Dominique Bauby is an autobiographic story of the author who became completely paralyzed at the age of 43. Artist Julian Schnabel received Festival de Cannes Best Director award for this remarkable film.
Blog Post
New Fiction on the New York Times Best Sellers List (11/25/07)
by Mazie
The Camel Club is back for a third time in Stone Cold by David Baldacci. It enters on top of this week's List. Baldacci has been building a huge fan base with his political thrillers. This particular series, featuring a secret society in Washington, D.C., delivers all the murder and mayhem a conspiracy buff could want.
The other new books are Creation in Death by J.D. Robb, The Chase by Cussler, Rhett Butler's People by McCaig, and Third Degree by Iles.
Checkout the rest of the List online.
Blog Post
No Parent Left Behind
by battlem
Ever feel like your child is speaking a different language? Are you so far behind on the tech lingo that you don't understand how they are using technology in their lives? Check out E-Parenting by Sharon Miller Cindrich to learn more about digital technologies, how kids are using them, and how you can make the most of these technologies to bring your family closer together. Cindrich defines terms such a "wiki", "vlog", etc., and provides Tech Tips for parents on how to approach tech-related topics with their child. In addition, you'll find specific instructions for family projects that highlight the family-friendly capabilities of multimedia technology.
Blog Post
Tween Scene: Share the Warmth
by lola
Spend your day off from school making something warm for others as we move into the cold, wintry season. Come to the Malletts Creek Branch on Wednesday, November 21 at 2 PM. We'll have until 4 PM to create no-sew fleece blankets to be donated to a local non-profit organization. In the spirit of giving, choose from a rainbow of colors and prints and spend the afternoon making blankets for others in our community.
Blog Post
No Time For Goodbye By Linwood Barclay
by detra
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A teenage girl, Cynthia Bigge, wakes up one morning to find her entire family gone; they’ve simply vanished! Are they dead or alive? Why did they leave her? Will they ever come back for her? All of these questions (and many more) are answered 25 years later.
Bravo to Barclay! What an amazing storyteller!
Blog Post
Happy Birthday, Alistair and Dick
by Maxine
November 20 is the birthday of two unlikely bedfellows, Alistair Cooke and Chester Gould. Cooke, broadcast journalist and author, was born in 1908 in Salford, England but moved to the U.S. in the 1930's. His program, "Letter from America" on BBC radio was broadcast in more than fifty countries. He is perhaps best known to Americans for his eloquence as a host of PBS's Masterpiece Theatre.
Chester Gould's name may not ring a bell but his comic strip, Dick Tracy was read by thousands. Gould was born in Pawnee, OK, and later moved to Chicago. His square-jawed, clean-cut Tracy was the epitome of a no nonsense detective. The strip first appeared Oct.4, 1941 in the "Detroit Daily Mirror" and went on to be syndicated in nearly 1,000 newspapers. Who could forget lovely Tess Trueheart and bad guys named Mole and Pruneface?
Blog Post
The Secret History
by jaegerla
For anyone looking for a fun read, definitely pick up a copy of Donna Tart's The Secret History. By "fun" I mean this was a real "page-turner." There's so few new mysteries out there these days that are actually impressive, it made this somewhat morbid book extremely compelling. It may sound like an exaggeration for a modern mystery, but it could be described as "Dostoyevsky-esque." The story is narrated by a pathological liar, and the opening scene reveals that a murder has taken place that the narrator and his friends were involved in. The true mystery of the book lies in what lead up to the murder as well as the narrator's examination of the nature of his college life. The Secret History plays with ideas of guilt, punishment, and social pathology paralleled with everyday apathy.
Blog Post
Christmas Cooking
by Robb
Well it's that time of year. Time to start planing what to eat during the upcoming Holiday season. Click here for a list of library holiday cookbooks. One specific new book to consider is Paula Deens latest Christmas with Paula Deen which is to be reviewed on the Diane Rehm show on 11-28-2007. The library also subscribes to the magazine "Cooking with Paula Deen" at the downtown branch.