Blog Post
Women Writing
by Van
Journalistas: 100 Years of the Best Writing and Reporting by Women Journalists, edited by Eleanor Mills and Kira Cochrane. Jill Abramson, in her review in The New York Times Book Review (January 8, 2006), hated the title and was doubtful of the concept but she was won over, “most of the pieces…are so marvelous I quickly cast aside my doubts. Their choice of writers, including Martha Gellhorn, Rebecca West, Susan Sontag and Mary McCarthy, as well as a number of British writers who were less familiar to me, is superb.”
This Day in the Life: Diaries from Women Across America created, compiled, and edited by Joni B. Cole, Rebecca Joffrey, and B. K. Rakhra. On June 29, 2004, a diverse group of women wrote down their thoughts. “The results are fantastically complex: an entertaining, heartwarming, and empathetic glimpse into many lives” (Library Journal, November 2005).
Women’s Letters: America from the Revolutionary War to the Present, edited by Stephen J. Adler. Chronologically arranged letters from the famous and the unknown with biographical information on the writers, contextual information about the letter or topic, and many period illustrations.
The Aunt Lute Anthology of U. S. Women Writers, edited by Lisa Maria Hogeland and Mary Klages. The editors have “gathered a startling variety of female texts, from a report of Anne Hutchinson's 1638 heresy trial to Emily Dickinson's poetry and an anti-lynching essay by Ida B. Wells” (Choice Reviews, June 2005).
Blog Post
Wickett's Remedy by Myla Goldberg
by Maxine
In a story eeriely relevant for our time, Myla Goldberg, acclaimed author of Bee Season, creates in Wickett's Remedy a tale that chronicles the Spanish Influenza epidemic
of 1918 through the travails of the main character, Lydia Wickett, who creates a medicinal tasting mixture that her husband tries to market. Lydia loses her husband to influenza and is exploited by a shady businessman who converts the remedy into QD Soda which becomes a nationwide sensation and makes him millions. Returning to South Boston, Lydia begins nursing victims of the disease and then naively volunteers for an unethical research project on Gallups Island using prisoners as subjects to be exposed to the virus. Along with the narrative are bulletins describing the 75th anniversary of QD Soda and articles on the ravages of the influenza. Sidebars in the margins are written from "the other side," i.e. the dead, commenting on the story. Wickett's Remedy is an ambitious undertaking that vividly depicts the tragedy that took so many lives.
If interested in the history of pandemics, check out the upcoming talk by Dr. Matthew Boulton, Associate Dean of UM School of Public Health on Thursday, February 9 at 7 p.m. at the Downtown Branch. Read more about it on our events page.
Blog Post
Calling all Edge Chronicle Fans!
by lola
Mark your calenders to meet the authors, Englishmen Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell, of the popular series the Edge Chronicles at Nicola's Bookstore on Wednesday, March 15th at 11am. The Edge Chronicles is a cool British fantasy series with woodtrolls and sky pirates. You might even be able to get your books signed! If you love Harry Potter, you should try this series out.
Blog Post
Barnyard Chuckles
by kidlit
Who couldn't use a giggle or two during these gray days of winter?
Two recent picture books that both take place in the barnyard are sure to provide laughter for both children and the adults that read to them.
Punk Farm by Jarrett Krosoczka is about a rock band (cow, pig, goat, sheep and chicken) that swings into action when Farmer Joe goes off to bed. The concert will have all readers and listeners singing along.
Chicks and Salsa by Aaron Reynolds will have readers rushing off to the kitchen in search of munchies. This is the story of what happens to a normally quiet barnyard after the rooster sneaks up to the farmhouse and sees an episode of a cooking show on television.
For more barnyard antics, also check out Doreen Cronin's classics Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type and Giggle, Giggle, Quack.
Blog Post
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
by Tahira
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert takes the reader on an imaginary journey of a leaf with two acorns for eyes and a burr for a mouth. The beautiful collage pictures of ducks, geese and prairie animals accentuate the simple text with the refrain "A Leaf Man's got to go where the wind blows."
Blog Post
2006 Michigan Notable Books, part 1 -- Non-fiction winners
by sernabad
The Library of Michigan announced the winners of the 2006 Michigan Notable Books. These twenty titles, all published last year, highlight “…Michigan people, places and events.” They must be written by a Michigan native or resident and are wide-reaching in coverage.
On the list this year are 14 non-fiction titles, four novels, and two children’s books. The winners in alphabetical order are:
Non-fiction
Beast of Never, Cat of God: The Search for the Eastern Puma by Bob Butz
Beyond Glory: Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling, and a World on the Brink by David Margolick
Booking Passage: We Irish and Americans by Thomas Lynch
The Dodge Brothers: The Men, the Motor Cars, and the Legacy by Charles K. Hyde
Grit, Noise, and Revolution: The Birth of Detroit Rock 'n' Roll by David A. Carson
Legends of Light: A Michigan Lighthouse Portfolio photographs by Ed Wargin
Made in Detroit: A South of 8 Mile Memoir by Paul Clemens
Michigan Agricultural College: The Evolution of a Land-grant Philosophy, 1855-1925 by Keith R. Widder
Michigan Shadow Towns: A Study of Vanishing and Vibrant Villages by Gene Scott
Mighty Fitz: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Michael Schumacher
Singing in a Strange Land: C.L. Franklin, the Black Church, and the Transformation of America by Nick Salvatore
Soapy: A Biography of G. Mennen Williams by Thomas J. Noer
Under Michigan: The Story of Michigan's Rocks and Fossils by Charles Ferguson Barker
Vintage Views of the Charlevoix-Petoskey Region by M. Christine Byron and Thomas R. Wilson
Blog Post
2006 Michigan Notable Books, part 2 -- Fiction and Children's winners
by sernabad
Fiction
How Like an Angel: A Novel by Jack Driscoll
The Lake, the River and the Other Lake: A Novel by Steve Amick
Please Don't Come Back From the Moon by Dean Bakopoulos
The Summer He Didn't Die by Jim Harrison
Children
Winter's Tale: An Original Pop-up Journey by Robert Sabuda
Blog Post
Fantasy Bit - Medieval Magic
by ryanikoglu
"For a green-eyed reader filled with desire" a volume of blank parchment pages may reveal the magic of Northumbria. "Rich with mystery and atmosphere, this is a thought-provoking fable" about magic and greed. Avi does it again for a tale to share-aloud among families, The Book Without Words.
Blog Post
Kid Bits - Loss
by ryanikoglu
For generations Comfort Snowberger's family has owned the funeral home in town. With care and cosmic understanding the family handles the loss of a family member at the same time that Comfort is losing peace with her best friend, Declaration. With southern charm and humor the rhythms of life flow with Each Little Bird That Sings, a lovely family read-together.
Blog Post
Ball Don't Lie
by Bertha
March Madness is just around the corner, so now's a great time to check out some fiction about basketball. Ball Don't Lie, by Matt de la Pena is a great place to start. Between foster homes and living in the street, Sticky 17, has developed some amazing basketball skills; enough to get him noticed by big-time scouts. He hangs out at Lincoln Rec, a gym in L.A. which functions as a shelter and a place where serious ball players go. Sticky's compulsive about his stance, his routine, and his shots, but way beyond normal. He's obsessive as he tucks his shirt in six or more times, until he gets it right. Detailed game action pulses like a fast court break. Anh-thu, is Sticky's girlfriend and she too wants him to reach his dreams.
Other top picks for basketball-fiction: Black and White, Perfect Shot, Learning the Game, and How I Fell in Love and Learned to Shoot Free Throws.