Ages 18+.
Blog Post
Calling all bibliophiles
by StoryLaura
There is a free event on Tuesday, April 17 at 7:30 p.m. at the Arbor Women's City Club, 1830 Washtenaw Ave., for teachers, parents, grandparents and book lovers. "LANGUAGE, LEARNING, AND LIFE LESSONS: How four readers became writers for young people" is an opportunity to hear authors Shutta Crum, Nancy Shaw, Carol Stepanchuk, and Hope Vestergaard share their personal perspectives and suggestions on exploring and using a world of books. The American Association of University Women is opening their meeting for all to discover the writing magic.
Blog Post
Grandparents, Kids & Pets!
by iralax
Wed. April 18 6:30-7:30 pm, Malletts Creek Branch Library
If this sounds like a purrfectly heehaw event, then bring your grandchildren and a photo of a favorite pet, and let's have a horse laugh together! Everyone will get the chance to tell a story about a pet you have now or one from long ago, we'll sing pet songs, and kids can color pictures of many different animals. Before you go, there will be a snack and a chance to borrow a nice picture book to read together, or something about the joys and challanges of being a grandparent.
Blog Post
Tim McGraw Tops the Chart
by Sis
After staying out of the recording studios for nearly three years Tim McGraw returns with Let It Go, his fourth number one on the chart in a week with seven releases that debuted in the top ten on the Billboard 200.
Live Like You Were Dying was the last release for Tim McGraw in 2004.
Blog Post
Michael Dibdin, author the Aurelio Zen mysteries, has died
by sernabad
Michael Dibdin, prolific and hard-to-pigeonhole mystery writer, best known for his Aurelio Zen mysteries, died March 30, 2007, in Seattle.
Born in England, Dibdin’s popular series of the Italian Police Commissioner, Aurelio Zen, charmed its readers with its skewering of Italian politics and its unbeatable mix of complicated plots and underscored humor. Ratking was the first in the series. Number 10, Back to Bologna, came out last year. His 11th, and final, Aurelio Zen book, End Games will be published posthumously this fall.
Dibdin kept the critics hopping with his other books which were darker and more cynical.
Dibdin, married to the crime writer, K.K. Beck, was 60.
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #58
by muffy
Michael Wallner’s, debut novel April in Paris*, is a thrilling read.
The story begins in the summer of 1943, in German occupied Paris. Roth, a 22 year-old German corporal, fluent in French, is newly assigned to the SS headquarters to translate the confessions of the local Resistance fighters caught and tortured. In the evenings, he takes to wandering the city disguised as “Monsieur Antoine” a Frenchman, and meets up with Chantal, a bookseller's daughter who is connected to the Resistance.
When a bomb at a club kills several high-ranking German officers, Chantal disappears, leaving Roth as suspect in the hands of the SS, and his future very grim.
Realistic and suspenseful, with authentic period details of war-torn Paris, this love story of two decent individuals finding each other in the wrong place and at a difficult time will move you and keep you hoping for a happy ending.
Michael Wallner is an actor and screenwriter. He divides his time between Berlin and the Black Forest. The book is translated from the German by John Cullen.
* = Starred Review
Blog Post
aadlfreespace is free!
by MarilynG
Looking for a place to have a small meeting and can't afford to rent a room? Check out the aadlfreespace on the 3rd floor of the Downtown Library. It holds up to 32 people. You can reserve this room for meetings for free up to four times in a calendar year and make your reservations on line. Reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance. You will need an AADL library card to make the reservation. Date availability is shown as well on line. Can't get to a computer? Call 734-327-8323 to make your reservation.
Blog Post
New Fiction on the New York Times Best Sellers List (4/1/07)
by Mazie
Lionel Shriver changed her name from Margaret Ann when she was fifteen. She left North Carolina a long time ago and has lived in England most of her adult life. Her previous novel (her seventh), We Need to Talk About Kevin, concerned a mother's reaction to her son's violence at school (Columbine?). It was a major bestseller there and also won the 2005 Orange Prize for Fiction. While it only enjoyed modest success here, her name became more widely known.
While she claims her latest novel is not a thinly veiled autobiography, she admits to being haunted by her own past dilemma. She too had to pick one man over another. In Post-Birthday World she explores this question of what does the future hold if you choose this person or that person. After the first chapter the story splits into two alternating narratives, presented in alternating chapters. This book has garnered a lot of attention stateside and could become a book club favorite. There is a lot to talk about.
The other new titles are Daddy's Girl by Lisa Scottoline and What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman.
Blog Post
The War on Coca in Columbia
by emilyas
National Public Radio (NPR) has been working on a five part series about the "forgotten" war on drugs. The latest installment covers how the United States has been spraying defoliant to prevent the growth of coca crops in Columbia. For further reading check out these resources.
Blog Post
Sancho's Scene: Community Events that Wander off the Path
by Sancho Panza
Fans of Project Runway should head to the Downtown Library this Friday at 6 to check out the Project Design Fashion Show featuring the work of local high school and college students. Still need convincing? The models will take the runway to the sounds of DJ Jacoby, and a reception with light food and drinks caps off the evening.
Blog Post
The Best Words in Their Best Order
by joy k
In honor of National Poetry Month, Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux has started a poetry blog where you can listen to mp3s of poets reading their own work and the poetry of others who have influenced them. Today you can listen to Seamus Heaney reading “The Thought-Fox” by Ted Hughes. If you like that, you can find more books by Heaney and Hughes in the AADL’s collection.