Blog Post
Teen Stuff: A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
by Caser
In the summer of 1906, at a posh resort in the Adirondack mountains in upstate New York, the body of twenty year old Grace Brown was discovered beneath a capsized boat. Her boating companion, Chester Gillette, had mysteriously disappeared. What happened next became transfixed in America's consciousness, as Gillette was put on trial for the murder of his clandestine lover, who was pregnant with his child at the time of death. The trial is famous for its readings of Grace's love letters to Chester, which were then sold in booklet form after the trial. Gillette was convicted of murder despite his persistent pleas of innocence and the fact that the evidence used against him was purely circumstantial. He was executed in the electric chair in 1908.
In Jennifer Donnelly's historical fiction reimagining of these events, A Northern Light, sixteen year old Mattie Gokey is an aspring writer who works at Big Moose Lake lodge, where the murder takes place. She is entrusted by Grace Brown to take her letters and burn them, just before Grace heads out on her doomed canoe trip. In this startlingly realistic narrative, the novel confronts issues of gender, racial, and class prejudice with a detailed backdrop of American life at the turn of the 20th century.
Also check out Theodore Dreiser's classic novel, An American Tragedy, and the brilliant 1951 film, A Place in the Sun, with Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor, for other renderings of this murderous affair.
Blog Post
The Return of the Revenge of AXIS Coffeehouse
by MariaK
Like some monster out of the depths, AXIS Coffeehouse just keeps on coming back.
Unlike most b-movie monsters, however, AXIS Coffeehouse will let you write poetry, hang out, and eat snacks...Oh, and it will give you goodies like $5 fine forgiveness coupons when you present your work at the mic. How delightfully nefarious!
The mayhem will take place at Malletts Creek branch, from 6:30 -8 PM on Friday March 5th. Be there!
Blog Post
World War I Like Never Before...
by ringenka
Have you ever wondered what World War I would have been like had it been fought between advanced biotechnology masters and futuristic mechanical engineers? If so, Scott Westerfeld has written just the book just for you.
Leviathan by best-selling author Scott Westerfeld is the first in a planned series exploring this alternate version of history. He has thoroughly created a drastically different, fun, and bizarre version of the world. Leviathan is fascinating and inventive with unusual characters and very original crossbred animals. I always prefer a book with pictures, and Keith Thompson’s illustrations nicely compliment the book.
Blog Post
Book Bingo!
by kidlit
B-25! That's Bingo. We'll be playing bingo and giving away lots of books as prizes. It's a great way to spend a winter afternoon so come over and join us for this fun game.
Thursday, February 25th | 2:00-3:00 p.m. | Pittsfield Branch
Blog Post
Great Lakes, Great Times Reading Series
by manz
Great Lakes, Great Times is a monthly reading series that, according to the host, “showcases the best established and up-and-coming writers working today.” The February reading will take place at 826Michigan, and will feature readings from authors Blake Nelson (Author of teen titles, Girl, They Came From below, and Gender Blender, among others), Kevin Sampsell, and Chelsea Martin.
Check here to see which authors are up next in the series. So many authors are visiting! I hear January’s event had quite the turn-out.
The monthly event is geared towards adults, admission is FREE, and anyone is welcome. It's all happening Saturday, February 27, 7pm at 826michigan/ The Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair Shop at 115 East Liberty.
Blog Post
Quirky Mystery Novels starring the Quirky Spellman Family
by manz
The Spellmans are not your ordinary family, nor are they your ordinary crew of private investigators. That’s right, the Spellmans are all in the family P.I. business.
Lisa Lutz’s series starts with The Spellman Files, which introduces us to the family, and centers around the rebellious Izzy, who at the age of 28 is obsessed with Get Smart, is sneaking out of windows, assuming false identities, and performing background checks on potential boyfriends. Eventually Izzy wants out of the business (like her lawyer brother David) and her mother gives her “one last case” before she is allowed to quit. Izzy is always into trouble, and her much younger sister Rae is following in her footsteps… until she goes missing, and Izzy finds herself on the other side of the interrogation table. Will Izzy be able to call it quits?
Mom is tailing Izzy, Uncle Ray always wears his lucky shirt, and keeps going on “lost weekends” requiring the family to hunt him down and bail him out of whatever insanity he got caught up in during his black outs. His namesake, young Rae, is addicted to sugar, when she gets grounded she is denied going on stake-outs, and she won’t do anything without being paid or negotiating first. Not your typical bunch! Follow Izzy and the zany Spellman family for more adventures in the laugh out loud Curse of the Spellmans, Revenge of the Spellmans, and coming soon is The Spellmans Strike Again. (Note: The Spellman Files, won a 2008 Alex Award, given annually to ten books written for adults that appeal to young adults age 12-18.)
Blog Post
A "sweet" read and more
by Maxine
Author Katharine Weber gives us a funny and inventive story in her latest, True Confections. Because of a fire she started that burned down a friend's house, teenager Alice Tatnall loses her college acceptance and instead gets a job at Zip's Candies where she falls in love and marries the owner's handsome son, Howard. Taking to the business side of candy making, Alice helps the company survive the years when the mega-stores and brands are quickly supplanting the little guy.
In the meantime, we learn a lot about the candy business including the manufacture of their special treats like Little Sammies and Mumbo Jumbos, the latter inspired by Sam, the owner's, reading of Little Black Sambo. Of course, in the period of political correctness, the business is accused of racism. Add this to their connections with the Jewish mafia, and you have one delicious, multi-layered tale. Yum.
Blog Post
A castle on an island....
by Maxine
If you like historical fiction with a bit of whimsy, check out a new teen novel, A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper. Sophia and her cousin, sister and brother are the last of the FitzOsbornes, a royal family, who live in a crumbling castle on an island off the coast of England. Also living in the castle is their reclusive uncle, the mad King John and his caretaker, Rebecca. The year is 1936. One day, they spy a boat with two Germans who declare themselves historians there to do research on the island. But the peace of the island is about to be broken. Sophie records daring escapes, romantic yearnings, murder and betrayals in her journal.
Blog Post
Monthly Book Discussions at Crazy Wisdom
by manz
Looking to read a book and join a discussion on it? Check out Crazy Wisdom’s monthly book discussions, which take place at 7 p.m. at Crazy Wisdom Community Room. Titles to be discussed in the near future are:
February 12: Taking the Leap: Freeing Ourselves from Old Habits and Fears by Pema Chodron
March 12: How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons
April 9: When Technology Fails by Matthew Stein
There is no registration, just show up! Check here for full details!
Blog Post
The Meaning of Intelligence
by DavidQ
For one year, I built boats in Maine in a beautiful spot way out in the country. This was before I started library school and after I had finished college and worked in the non-profit sector for a few years... mostly working at a desk in an office. It was work that required lots of thought and planning on my part, but not much hands on work. I chose to build boats because I wanted to work with my hands and see what that was like. I loved it in so many ways, but the great pleasure was in learning the skills of applying tools to physical materials at the same time that I learned to apply my intelligence to understand a boat design and planning the construction of the boat.
A couple of weeks ago on Speaking of Faith, Krista Tippett talked to Mike Rose about his study of work, intelligence, education, and civic life. Mostly, they focused on his book The Mind at Work which I have never read but which has captured my imagination. Rose focuses on our tendency to categorize work as either work of the mind or work of the hands... manual labor or intelligent labor. Not surprisingly, this topic begs many questions about class divisions and education, themes that Tippett and Rose explore in their rich conversation.
It was wonderful food for thought and brought back memories of building boats on the coast of Maine.