Blog Post
This is l33t
by RiponGood
Looking for something l33t to read? Try MegaTokyo Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, and Vol. 4. MegaTokyo is webcomic by Fred Gallapher, who will be judging the upcoming Manga Drawing Contest hosted by the library. The story revolves around two friend Piro and Largo who find themselves stuck in Japan, trying to earn enough money to buy plane tickets back to the USA. Piro manages to get himself a job using his Japanese and fanboy skills. Largo on the otherhand, tries to defend himself from 3vil using his l33t skilz.
Blog Post
Saul Bellow Remembered
by Maxine
On this Suday, June 10, Nobel Prize winning author Saul Bellow would have been 92. Born in Lachine, Canada, Bellow broke from the literati in writing picaresque novels like The Adventures of Augie Marsh in which the title character says about himself: "...I have taught myself, free-style, and will make the record in my own way: first to knock, first admitted; sometimes an innocent knock, sometimes a not so innocent." Bellow glorified the urban anti-hero who questioned the morals of his society but like Herzog, one of his most lovable characters, with a humorous deadpan look at his own foibles.
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #70
by muffy
If you had missed the first Baby Shark in this gritty 1950s Texas noir crime series, (I did!) you can catch up with the new Baby Shark's Beaumont Blues*, by Robert Fate.
Baby Shark begins with young Kristin Van Dijk, a young pool player, ganged raped and forced to watch her father’s murder, and ends with Kristin finally getting her sweet revenge, Rambo style.
In this second in the series, Kristen is now a licensed PI in the Dallas area, and is hired to investigate the disappearance of a Texas oil heiress. She never counts on coming across a truckload of cash in the process, and that the runaway heiress is a witness to a double murder. Now, you think the bad guys are going to leave her along?
“Fate's witty dialog, colorful characters, and nonstop action make this pulp-style piece sparkle”. You can’t go wrong with this one. A hot summer read.
* = Starred Review
Blog Post
Mr. Ferlinghetti’s Poem: Story and Woodcuts by David Frampton
by Tahira
David Frampton offers a colorful look into one of the poems of Lawrence Ferlinghetti. The woodcut illustrations bring the poem about a hot day in the city and Ferlinghetti’s imagination to life.
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #69
by muffy
In this About a Boy meets The Nanny Diaries, first-time novelist Holly Peterson hits the mark.
Manny (a nanny of the male persuasion) is the only thing that stands between busy Upper East Side TV producer Jamie Whitfield and a nervous breakdown. Between her high-powered and emotional distant lawyer husband, 9 year-old holy-terror of a son Dylan, and baby Gracie, she is in constant overdrive. She needs a nanny and better yet, a strong male presence in Dylan’s life.
The answer to her prayers arrives neatly packaged as Peter Bailey – a warm, sensitive, 29 year-old Internet entrepreneur waiting on funding. Things work out a lot better than she could have hoped for but she had not anticipated that “the help” will save her in more ways than one.
Smart, sexy, amusing and “a fabulous sharp skewering of the silly-rich in New York”, while it is not great literature, you will be entertained.
Blog Post
Nancy Drew on screen
by anonymous
A movie adaptation of the popular girl’s detective and adventure series, Nancy Drew, reaches theater screens June 15th. In the film, Nancy is conspicuously out of place as a student at Hollywood High, but soon, she is up to her old ways investigating the death of actress Dehlia Draycott. Interesting factoid, Carolyn Keene is actually a pseudonym for the many different writers that penned the series since it was created in 1930. For example, Mildred Wirt Augustine is the author of the very first book, The Secret of the Old Clock.
Blog Post
Martha Stewart, scrapbooking maven
by remnil
According to a recent article in The Economist (you will need to login to your AADL account to follow the link), a familiar figure is poised to take the scrapbooking world by storm: Martha Stewart. Her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, recently released a new line of scrapbooking supplies that will undoubtedly sell well and bear Stewart's characteristic sense of style.
Stewart comes relatively late to scrapbooking, which was a $2.6 billion industry in 2006, according to the Craft & Hobby Association. But her company's size and dedicated following still place it in a good position become a market leader.
Are you a scrapbooker? What do you think of Stewart's new products? Interested in getting into scrapbooking? Check out a few of our books on how to organize and display your family memories in scrapbooks.
Blog Post
Bad Luck & Trouble
by Robb
Lee Child has once again written a great story in this 11th entry in the series featuring ex cop, ex vet, hero Jack Reacher. It's a definite page turner. I just had to stay up really late to finish it. Usually when it gets late I'll just skip to the end and call it quits. Couldn't do that with this book.
The squeamish be warned there's a high body count that's described in much detail.
Click here for a handy reference for finding titles in a Fiction series.
Blog Post
Paul Gauguin
by Maxine
French Impressionist painter Paul Gauguin was born on June 7, 1848 in Paris, France. Originally a stockbroker, Gauguin renounced his profession in middle age to become an artist and moved to Tahiti a few years later. Gauguin was also known as a mentor and companion of Vincent Van Gogh although their relationship was also stormy and often destructive. Best known for his earthy palette and broad strokes in depicting Tahitian women, Gauguin was known as one of the prime artists of French Impressionism.
Blog Post
Farsi/Persian books at the Ann Arbor Library
by Tara LS
Have you read or checked out Farsi books from the library? Are you interested in checking out Farsi books from the library? Do you have any suggestions or comments regarding the Farsi collection here?
The library is considering discontinuing the Farsi collection at the library because it is not often used. I would like to have your opinions, suggestions, comments etc. about the Farsi language collection and whether you have or would use it.
Please feel free to e-mail me, Tara, at stantont@aadl.org. I would love to have patron input on whether or not to continue offering Farsi books in the foreign language collection. Thanks!