Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #292
by muffy
Admittedly, William Giraldi's debut Busy Monsters * * appears at first a bit outside my comfort zone. But I have learned from experience that adventurous reading is often its own reward.
I was intrigued by the publisher's blurb... "Echoing a narrative tradition that includes Don Quixote and Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions, William Giraldi's debut novel is a love story of linguistic bravado that explores American excess, the diaphanous line between fiction and fact, and what desperate men and women will do to one another."
Charles Homar, a "memoirist of mediocre fame" for a weekly magazine rescues Gillian Lee, superman-style, from a stalled Ferris wheel and is immediately smitten. Before he could march her down the aisle, she takes off to pursue her passion for a legendary giant squid. To win her back, Charlie crisscrosses the country seeking counsel, confronting creatures both mythic and real: Bigfoot on the Canadian border, space aliens in Seattle, a professional bodybuilder with Asiatic sex slaves in suburban New Jersey, all the while "battling his own equally dangerous internal monsters", and writing about it.
"Charlie's last name is no coincidence as here we have a seriocomic picaresque that references everything from the Odyssey to medieval romances to Don Quixote and Moby-Dick. A brilliant first novel that may well be in the running for 2011's literary awards." (Remember how Goon Squad came out of nowhere to snatch several major awards?)
Quirky, hilarious at times, and surprisingly engaging. Well worth the time and effort.
* * = starred reviews
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #291
by muffy
It is only a slight exaggeration to say that Stephen Wetta's debut novel If Jack's in Love * took a lifetime to write (see bio), and lucky for us, it's finally in print.
It's 1967. School is out but Jack Witcher, our 12 year-old boy genius, is not having a good summer. Jack is in love with Myra, and knows she is out of his league. In fact, the Witchers are despised as white trash in their Virginia neighborhood.
When the town's golden boy (and Myra's brother) disappears and is later found dead, Jack's mean, brash, pot-smoking brother becomes the chief suspect. With the guidance of his only friend - Mr. Gladstein, the town jeweler and solitary Jew, Jack schemes to win Myra's love but first, he must overcome prejudice, navigate the slippery slope between loyalty and self-preservation, and find solid ground.
"At turns unsparing, tender, and disturbing when it comes to rivalry and the nuances of love versus obligation, this is no typical bildungsroman. That Jack emerges from a crucible determined never to look back is unsurprising; it is the path leading him to this conclusion that is intelligently, wonderfully conceived."
* = starred review
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #290
by muffy
Screenwriter for the 2008 cult film classic Fanboys, Ernest Cline makes his fiction debut with Ready Player One *, "an exuberantly realized, exciting, and sweet-natured cyberquest."
In the year 2044, global warming and oil crisis have rendered the world bleak and inhospitable. To escape, orphaned Wade Watts immerses himself into OASIS - a virtual utopia where you could be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.
While he spends his days on video games with his avatar Parzival, Wade soon joins an increasingly violent effort to solve a series of puzzles hidden by OASIS's creator James Halliday who promises an immense fortune as well as the rights as his heir. Joining the hunt are powerful players who are willing to commit real murder to beat Wade to the prize.
"Mind-twisting settings, nail-biting action, amusing banter, and unabashed sentiment make for a smart and charming Arthurian tale that will score high with gamers, fantasy and sf fans, and everyone else who loves stories of bumbling romance and unexpected valor."
"...a blend of Avatar, The Matrix , and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."
" A great geek beach book, an unapologetic romp with brains and style."
Check out the book's website for news and photos. Movie adaptation already in the works.
* = starred review (See the New York Times review).
Blog Post
AADL Staff Picks Searchable Online!
by jaegerla
AADL offers so many ways to locate new finds to suit your interests. You can search by topic through the community made booklists, tags, and reviews. You can ask for reading recommendations from one of our many friendly librarians or visit our Staff Picks shelves located at the Downtown Branch. Best of all, a recent update to the catalog allows you to search staff recommendations from any computer! Simply run a catalog search for Call Number “Staffpick.” If you’re looking for a certain material type indicate it in the materials drop down menu. Now you are free to peruse selections made by the AADL staff. A diverse group of workers means a diverse set of tastes, and there’s sure to be something for everyone in the AADL Staff Picks.
Blog Post
The Princess Curse: Author will discuss fairy tale/myth
by annevm
A debut tween novel, The Princess Curse will be discussed by the author Oct. 4 from 4-5:30pm in the Gallery of U-M Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library. The author is the library's own Merrie Haskell Fuller. In her fairy tale/myth, twelve princesses suffer from a curse -- and whoever breaks it will win a reward. Reveka sees the money could bring her a master herbalist position, so she goes for it. On her quest she meets a shadowy stranger, finds a blighted land in need of healing, and must decide whether to break the curse at the peril of her soul. On Oct. 4, the author will discuss the book and the process of getting published.
Blog Post
Welcome to End Times, Player One
by Caser
Douglas Coupland’s 2010 novel, Player One, is the kind of book that is more engaging in the questions that it asks than in the narrative itself. The story -- four strangers trapped in an airport lounge while an apocalyptic event transpires around them -- is becoming pedestrian, but the ideas the characters discuss here are far more interesting than other works in this genre. Those familiar with Coupland’s previous works, like Generation X and Microserfs, will recognize this as another fine zeitgeist piece where the characters look at life in this moment, then back at what it was, and into what it will become.
Some questions the novel poses: What happens when we stop seeing our lives as stories? Why is memory making so crucial to our humanness? Would we be able to survive without a sense of linear time? What are the consequences of living in frankentime, which is what time feels like when you realize you spend all your life on the Internet? Is singularity a real possibility and how close are we? Will globally linked computer systems form an overriding post human sentience? And will this new sentience relieve people of the need to be individuals?
Perhaps the best part of the entire book is the glossary at the end, where dozens of concepts that were only briefly alluded to in the novel are given identifiable terms, which in turn unlocks many of the questions above.
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #289
by muffy
Erin Morgenstern's debut novel The Night Circus * * * * won't be out until this coming week but the queue has been forming for sometime, and rightly so. This is my Fantasy PICK OF THE YEAR and I won't be surprised to see it on a couple of award lists.
Without warning or fanfare, Cirque des Rêves (the Circus of Dreams) would arrive (and leave) at the edge of town under the cover of night. But in between, well, expect to be amazed and enthralled, intrigued and perplexed, confounded and confused, but royally entertained as no circus could (for you, the readers as well).
Celia and Marco, two young illusionists are not only tied to the running of the circus, but are locked in a contest of skills. As the acts grow more elaborate, imaginative, and fantastical, they fall hopelessly in love, only to find that the challenge is an ultimate one. Only one will survive. And the game must play out.
Multiple plotlines and perspectives; inventive and cinematic settings; engaging secondary characters; lush and seductive prose all build towards a breathtaking and stunning (and the reader a bit stunned, I expect) conclusion, with reckless fearless love at the center pulling strings and casting spells.
"A literary Mr. Toad's Wild Ride,... completely magical".
"A feast for the senses and the heart."
Rights sold in 22 countries. Film rights to Summit Entertainment. 175,000-copy first printing. When you get it in your hands, lock the door, turn off your phone, and tell your Mom not to worry - you'll call her later, much later... You wouldn't want to be disturbed.
* * * * = Starred reviews
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #288
by muffy
At long last, got my copy of Rules of Civility * by debut novelist Amor Towles . Mesmerized by the seductive language and imagery, my lunch temporarily forgotten, I found myself at MOMA at the 1966 Walker Evans' Exhibition Many Are Called, of photos taken on the New York City subways in the 1930s with a hidden camera.
Narrator Katey Kontent is at the opening with her husband Val, who has no knowledge of Katey's connection to one of Evan's subjects - Tinker Grey, and Katey is intent on keeping her secrets private.
New Years Eve 1937, the 25 year old Katey and roommate Eve Ross met Tinker Grey, a handsome patrician banker with easy charm at a Greenwich Village jazz bar, this chance encounter would alter the course of their lives.
The title, taken from George Washington's Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation (see appendix) is a reminder that how spur-of-the-moment decisions could define one's future, and bear in mind always, Rule #110, that the "Little Spark of Celestial fire Called Conscience".
"Elegant and captivating... , Rule of Civility is remarkable for its strong narrative, original characters and a voice influenced by Fitzgerald and Capote, but clearly true to itself". It is also a tribute and a kaleidoscopic portrait of arty-boozy-jazz-aged Manhattan in the late1930s when an optimistic nation was rising out of the Depression and the world was being drawn into another war. Amidst the prosperity, the contrast between the working masses and privileged class was never more stark.
Snappy dialogue and descriptive prose, wrapped in a compelling narrative would please Edith Wharton readers. Also try Louis Auchincloss. His Manhattan Monologues and East Side Story (among his 60 works) will affirm his rightful claim as the "chronicler of New York's Upper Crust" and the master of manners.
* = Starred review. (Here are links to reviews in USA Today and The New York Times).
Blog Post
September's Books to Film
by muffy
Drive, an action-packed speed thriller starring Ryan Gosling as a Los Angeles wheelman for hire, stunt driving for movie productions by day and steering getaway vehicles for armed heists by night.
When he falls for Irene (Carey Mulligan), a vulnerable young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld, he find himself shifting gears and going on the offense. Based on the mystery novel Drive by James Sallis (also available in audio).
I Don’t Know How She Does It is based on the novel by Allison Pearson. Sarah Jessica Parker plays Kate Reddy, whose daily life is a non-stop balancing act - between her job and family. Complicating matters is Kate's charming new business associate Jack (Pierce Brosnan), who begins to prove an unexpected source of temptation.
Straw Dogs is based on The Siege of Trencher's Farm-Straw Dogs by British writer Gordon Williams. In this re-make of a 1971 film, David and Amy Sumner, a Hollywood screenwriter and his actress wife, return to her small hometown in the deep South to prepare the family home for sale after her father's death. Once there, tensions build in their marriage and old conflicts re-emerge with the locals, including Amy's ex-boyfriend Charlie, leading to a violent confrontation.
Killer Elite is based on a shocking true story that pits two of the world's most elite operatives --- Danny, an ex-special ops agent, and Hunter, his longtime mentor --- against the cunning leader of a secret military society. Originally published as The Feather Men by Ranulph Fiennes.
Michael Lewis's Moneyball : the art of winning an unfair game (also in audio) is now adapted in a film starring Brad Pitt as Billy Beane - the Oakland A’s general manager who reinvents his team to outsmart the richer teams by signing undervalued players considered flawed but who have a knack for winning games.
What’s Your Number? is based on the novel 20 Times a Lady by Karyn Bosnak. When Delilah Darling reads a survey revealing that most people have 10.5 sexual partners in their lifetime, she begins to feel like a tramp. She’s slept with 19 men so far --- almost twice the national average. Unwilling to up her number, but also unable to imagine a life of celibacy, Delilah tracks down every man she’s ever slept with in a last-ditch effort to make it work with one of them.
Blog Post
New Book Clubs to Go
by muffy
Thank you for all the nice comments about our Book Clubs to Go, and the title suggestions. Rest assured that we are listening....
Just in time for another season of book clubs after the summer break, we will be rolling out 8 new titles this week. (The new totes we ordered finally came in after a long delay. Your patience is greatly appreciated).
The Help. Perennial bestseller and now a major motion picture. (No, there is no DVD in the tote but we will put one in when it is released).
Cutting For Stone The story of twin brothers orphaned at birth, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, but torn apart by their passion for the same woman.
Waiting Lin Kong, a dedicated doctor is torn by his love for two women: one who belongs to the New China of the Cultural Revolution, the other to the ancient traditions of his family's village. Winner of National Book Award and the PEN/Faulkner Award.
The Surrendered A brilliant, haunting, heartbreaking story about how love and war unalterably change the lives of those they touch.
The Art of Racing in the Rain A tale in which Enzo, a loyal family dog, tells the story of his human family, how they nearly fell apart, and what he did to bring them back together.
A Fierce Radiance Set in the early days of penicillin, this ambitious medical thriller combines history, commercial rivalry, espionage and thwarted love.
Lark & Termite Set in rural West Virginia Lark and Termite follows an inquisitive 17-year-old girl; her younger, developmentally challenged brother; and their aunt, the hardworking woman who raised them, through a single, eventful week in 1959.
Snow A spellbinding tale of disparate yearnings – for love, art, power, and God – set in a remote Turkish town cut off from the rest of the world by a snow storm. By a Nobel laureate.
We will be bringing out new titles intermittently. Watch out for them.