Read about Geeks Behind Video Games

Fri, 05/19/2006 - 12:06pm by Eartoground

For those who didn't make it to the Electronic Entertainment Expo here's a book that might provide some perspective on the videogame industry: Smartbomb: The Quest for Art, Entertainment, and Big Bucks in the Videogame Revolution, by Heather Chaplin and Aaron Ruby. From the jacket: "Meet the geeks, geniuses, and mavericks behind this burgeoning culture." The book is showing available, shelved with new non-fiction books on the second floor of the Downtown Library.

New York, New York! The Big Apple from A to Z by Laura Krauss Melmed

Thu, 05/18/2006 - 2:37pm by Tahira

New York New York The Big Apple from A to Z takes you on an alphabetical tour of some of the major tourist spots in New York City. Each page has a poem dedicated to a particular sight and facts, history and information in small captions. Watercolor illustrations add a colorful backdrop. This book is fun for native New Yorker's like myself or anyone interested in this great city.

First Impressions

Wed, 05/17/2006 - 7:33pm by sstonez

"For the rest of her life, Charlotte Cleve would blame herself for her son's death because she had decided to have Mother's Day dinner at six in the evening instead of noon, after church, which is when the Cleves usually had it."
So begins The Little Friend by Donna Tartt. Librarian extraordinaire Nancy Pearl considers this a great first line, a first line that compels the reader forward into the thick of the Cleve family's tragedy. Other compelling first lines: Christopher Morley's Parnassus on Wheels, Michael Chabon's Wonder Boys, and even a slightly morbid nonfiction work, Mary Roach's Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. But there must be others...

Pearl also mentioned these works with great first lines:
James Crumley--The Last Good Kiss
Susan Orlean--The Orchid Thief (the film Adaptation was based on this book)
L.P. Hartley--The Go-Between

What other memorable first lines have sucked you into a book or stayed with you long after reading?

What, Me Worry?

Wed, 05/17/2006 - 2:40pm by tkj

If upon reading above caption, you immediately grin, smirk, chuckle, snort, or downright guffaw, then you're one of the millions who've enjoyed MAD since its inception in 1952.

So go ahead, check out what AADL has in its collection - from the magazine (yes, there's even a kids' version) to several books put out by the "Usual Gang of Idiots."

And for those of you who have never read the magazine, but watch MADTV, just where did you think Spy vs. Spy came from?

Enjoy, kids!

- Alfred E. Neuman

Two new fiction titles

Wed, 05/17/2006 - 11:05am by Maxine

Anne Tyler's latest book, Digging to America has its typical cast of quirky characters including Bitsy McDonald, newly adoptive mom of Jin-Ho who has just arrived from Korea. A bit self-righteous but well meaning, Bitsy initiates a friendship with an Iranian couple who are picking up their daughter, Susan, at the airport at the same time. The two couples and their extended families meet every year for an anniversary party to celebrate the girls' arrival day. The story is not only about the adjustment of the girls but the difficulties of assimilation for any immigrant. Maryam, Susan's grandmother and frequent caretaker, exemplies this predicament as she tries to preserve her own cultural traditions in the midst of the americanization of the children.

Robert Hellenga, author of the acclaimed The Sixteen Pleasures, gives us another treasure in his latest, Philosophy Made Simple. Rudy gives up his successful business in Chicago and buys an avocado farm in Texas. In the meantime, one of his daughters is planning her wedding to an Indian man who is a student of philosophy (in Ann Arbor, no less). Rudy prepares for the wedding at his farm where his future son-in- law's family converges. Add to this mix an elephant named Norma Jean who paints, a Mexican gentleman farmer who introduces Rudy to the concept of "cultural holidays" across the border and Rudy's ruminations on philosophy. Hellenga masterfully pulls these threads together to create a
a story that makes you laugh about the absurdities of life while still experiencing it fully.

History Bits - Girl Inventor

Tue, 05/16/2006 - 2:18pm by ryanikoglu

Mattie E. Knight was a natural inventor. At 8 years old, she invented a footwarmer for her mother, so her mother could keep her feet warm as she sewed late into the night to support the family. When she worked in the fabric mills by 13, she invented a shuttle stop to protect workers from injury when the looms malfunctioned. As a young adult she developed the machine that would fold paper into square bags ... the kind we carry groceries in today. Marvelous Mattie is a picture book biography about a girl at the turn of the century who held drawings and patents on her inventions.

History Bits: Houdini

Tue, 05/16/2006 - 12:38pm by ryanikoglu

Houdini World's Greatest Mystery Man And Escape King is a new picture book biography on Harry Houdini, the escape artist and magician. It was written by Kathleen Krull and illustrated by Eric Velasquez.

Baby Bits - Deep Blue Sea

Tue, 05/16/2006 - 12:18pm by ryanikoglu

Take a Deep Sea Trip and never leave the tub with with your toddler. For sea adventure try Way Down Deep In The Deep Blue Sea, Ten Little Fish, and Jack's New Boat. Don't forget your water wings.

Final book in Uglies trilogy is here!

Mon, 05/15/2006 - 2:18pm by K.C.

Well, almost. Specials, released May 9th, is on order at AADL. You can place a request on it. Last week it reached the number six spot on the New York Times chapter books list just behind Marcus Zusak’s The Book Thief. This is the third and final book in the series which began with Uglies and continued with Pretties. It’s set in a future society that seems to only value beautiful people. Check out Scott, Uglies, Specials and more at Westerblog.

Pearl's Picks for Youth and Teens

Mon, 05/15/2006 - 12:45pm by sstonez

Librarian extraordinaire Nancy Pearl joined us at the Downtown library on Sunday for a talk about books, reading, and writing. She suggested several great books for young people, from picture books like Knuffle Bunny and Skippyjon Jones to chapter books like Three Terrible Trins, Whales on Stilts, and Ragweed. For teens, she especially liked Feed, by the same author as Whales on Stilts, Lisa Yee's Millicent Min, Girl Genius, Richard Peck's Teacher's Funeral, and the difficult but moving story in Looking for Normal by Betty Monthei. Already read these? Ask any librarian for more suggestions.

P.S. Many of these are available as audiobooks, too!