Blog Post
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
by RiponGood
Have you ever noticed that most movies based on a book just aren't as good as the book themselves? Here's an exception, Blade Runner. The movie is loosely based on a story called Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick, originally published in 1968. Rick Deckard is a bounty hunter, who "retires" androids, who have escaped to Earth from the Mars colony. In the movie he's played by Harrison Ford. People who have left the radioactive dust of our partially destroyed Earth are given androids as servants. Each android has a life expectancy of about 4 years and are treated as slaves. They are made entirely of organic materials, making them almost indistinguishable from normal humans. It's Rick's job to find the most recently escaped androids that are loose in the city.
Blog Post
Jonathan Franzen's Non Fiction
by pumpkin
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Jonathan Franzen is known for his novels, especially “The Corrections” of several years back. But did you know that he is an engaging and intelligent non-fiction writer as well? I enjoyed his book of essays “How to be Alone,” which you will surmise is not a self-help book, but a more serious book about our culture. You might also like “The Discomfort Zone, a Personal History,” a memoir which displays a nice irony. Franzen can laugh at himself. You can find both these books, as well as Franzen’s novels in our collection.
Blog Post
The Midwife's Apprentice
by Cherie Lee
I read Catherine, Called Birdy when I was a freshman in high school and very much enjoyed it, so this was a natural choice to look at now. I found the story of The Midwife’s Apprentice to be more melancholy than that of Catherine but still good.
Brat’s journey and her many names of Brat, Beetle, and finally Alice show her development over time from homeless urchin to a girl who knows what she wants and will do anything to be the Midwife’s Apprentice.
Perhaps one small quibble I have is that this book does not seem to acknowledge the high infant mortality of the middle ages, but otherwise it seems an accurate enough representation. It also has a somewhat repetitive, lyrical style with description which would be good for younger children (perhaps slightly younger than the ones who read Catherine). This book also shows a very different (and more prevalent) side of Medieval society than the literate Catherine since it shows the peasants who can neither read nor write. No diary for Brat but rather a dream of wanting to read. This book won the Newbery Medal for 1996. Although I think I might have liked Catherine’s story better merely because it made me smile more, I can still see where this story with its gritty look at a difficult life in the middle-ages could be very meaningful to child and adult alike.
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction First #90 (Small Gems #1)
by muffy
As in years past, as the days get shorter and the to-do lists get longer, we look for books that are smaller, slimmer, and best if they fit into our coat pockets. This year - I am bringing you some marvelous imports.
Now I challenge you to find anything shorter than Novels in Three Lines !
Félix Fénéon - the mysterious dandy/anarchist/critic, and the man who discovered George Seurat, penned thousands of these nouvelles (literally novellas or news) in 1906 for Le Matin, a Paris newspaper.
These 3-line news items speak volumes about murder, mayhem, and everyday life. They are varied - "often straightforward, at times cheekily irreverent", and the subject matter ranges from the mundane to the horrific. Here is a sample...
"Scheid, of Dunkirk, fired three times at his wife. Since he missed every shot, he decided to aim at his mother-in-law, and connected."
Blog Post
Outrageous Adventures on Ocracoke Island
by StoryLaura
If you are intrigued by the history of the magnificent Ocracoke Island or just a fan of fast-paced pirate adventures, curl up with Mystery at Blackbeard’s Cove by Audrey Penn and meet four feisty kids who face dark hidden tunnels, rattling skeletons and Blackbeard’s ghost head-on!
Blog Post
The Play Ground
by Albert
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is a wonderful source for interesting and informative talks and exhibits. Last year presidential advisor Brent Scowcroft gave his perspective on national policies and last week Thomas DeFrank revealed 16 years of private conversations with President Ford. Tonight, Barry H. Landau will discuss his new book, THE PRESIDENT'S TABLE which is a wonderfully illustrated history of presidential dining and entertainment. It is a complement to the current exhibit, "Art of Diplomacy:Head of State Gifts."
November 15, 7:30 pm, 205-0555.
Blog Post
National Book Award winners for 2007
by sernabad
The National Books Awards for 2007, announced last night in New York, all reflected the tensions and headlines of modern history.
Sherman Alexie won for Young People’s Literature. His lovely semi-autobiographical novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, tells of a Native American teen determined to overcome his bully-magnet status and the extreme poverty of his life on the reservation.
Robert Hass captured the Poetry category for Time and Materials: Poems, 1997-2005. The former U.S. Poet Laureate’s first collection in a decade includes a long lamentation on global warming.
New York Times investigative reporter, Tim Weiner, won the Nonfiction prize for Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, a scathing expose on an agency so much in the news for the past six years.
Denis Johnson, currently on assignment in Iraq, claimed the Fiction category for Tree of Smoke, set in the Viet Nam war zone between 1963-1970. His protagonist, a CIA recruit, is under the tutelage of his uncle who may or may not be a rogue agent.
Blog Post
Out of This World: Great Sci-Fi and Fantasy (Nancy Pearl's Picks)
by muffy
"I don't consider myself at all a science fiction/fantasy fanatic, I must say that selecting the books for this topic was harder than any of the others that I've done. There is simply so much excellent stuff out there — both new and old — that I know people would enjoy, that the list could have been at least four times as long.
Did she pick any of your favorites?
Blog Post
New Fiction on the New York Times Best Sellers List (11/11/07)
by Mazie
Last Sunday TBR looked back to November 12, 1972 in the "Inside the List" column. A quick comparison confirmed that there were just as many "popular" novels on the List 35 years ago as there are today with the same sprinkling of literary fiction. Remember Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Bach? It topped the List. But there was also Museums and Women by Updike. This week we have Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell entering at #1 but Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo is still holding on after five weeks.
The other new entries are A Lick of Frost by Laurell K. Hamilton and Now and Then by Robert B. Parker.
For a look at the entire list, click here.
Blog Post
Keep Climbing Girls by Beah E. Richards
by Tahira
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This picture book is based on a poem written by actor and playwright Beulah E. Richards, has a positive message for girls who want to reach for the stars.