Ages 18+.
Blog Post
New Fiction Titles on the New York Times Best Sellers List (2/11/07)
by Mazie
Jim Harrison is the cover story this week. This Michigan author's latest critically acclaimed novel, Returning to Earth, celebrates his lusty appetite for life.
At #4 is White Lies by Jayne Ann Krentz: "Two members of the Arcane Society, dedicated to paranormal research, investigate a series of murders and foil a plot to take over the society."
At #5 is The Castle in the Forest by Norman Mailer: " An imagined life of the young Adolf Hitler."
At #15 is Lords of the North by Bernard Cornwell: "In this third volume of the Saxon Tales, set in the late ninth century, a Saxon warrior is betrayed by a Danish ally and joins forces with King Alfred."
Blog Post
Calling all Prom Dresses!
by lola
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The Youth Department is hosting a teen program called Mission: Prom on April 14 at the Malletts Creek branch. The program will include a dress exchange, as well as make-up tips and DIY shoe embellishments.
We don't want to exclude anyone doesn’t have a dress to exchange or shoes to embellish, so we are looking for dresses in various sizes, as well as formal shoes. Don't worry about the dresses being outdated. Some very imaginative teens will be able to create something great and prom-worthy from our old dresses. Please help us clothe these teens for Prom! Drop off any dresses to the Youth Department at the Downtown library. Call the Youth Department at 327-8301 with questions. Thank you for your support!
Blog Post
"You're a good man, sister."
by Maxine
Who else could have said this if not tough guy, Sam Spade, the no frills detective of The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett. On February 14, 1930, The Maltese Falcon was published by Alfred A. Knopf in New York. It was originally published as a story in the pulp crime magazine, Black Mask and later became the famous film starring Humphrey Bogart as Spade. Hammett drew on his work as a Pinkerton detective to create the rough characters in his novels. His gritty stories that were set in the dark corners of the city became a precedent for what later was called the "hard boiled detective novel." Hammett later became a screen writer and was active in defending writers during the McCarthy hearings.
Other writers of the "hard boiled genre" are:
Raymond Chandler
James M. Cain
Ian Rankin
Dan Simmons and
Jim Fusilli.
Blog Post
Hey! Listen to This - Blood and Chocolate
by Bertha
So, Vivian must choose between her werewolf world and her love for a human.
If you've never listened to a story read by, Alyssa Bresnahan, now if a good time to start.
Sharing only the title, Elvis Costello has a cd Blood & Chocolate that's worth your time too.
Blog Post
Love Chooses Us: Quirky fiction for the romantic at heart
by muffy
Lamb in love by Carrie Brown. .
True love comes crashing into the life of the middle-aged postmaster of a small English country town.
The Madness of Love by Katherine Davies
A charming romantic comedy of contemporary manners and a sly modern take on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. Published in Great Britain in 2004 as A Good Voyage.
Skylight Confessions by Alice Hoffman .
“A gothic fairy tale of doomed passion, shimmering, multigenerational melodrama bewitches with supernatural imagery”. Heartbreaking.
The Giant's House : a romance by Elizabeth McCracken.
The peculiar and unique relationship between a lonely spinster librarian and a boy 14 years her junior.
The Rug Merchant by Meg Mullins.
Finding love in the most unlikely places, when one least expects it. A must read first novel.
Selling the Lite of Heaven by Suzanne Strempek Shea.
A woman jilted for God, a 2.75-karat engagement ring and strangers knocking at the door. Rich, funny and gentle.
The Train Home by Susan Richards Shreve.
Troubled families, dark secrets, and the irresistible, nearly magical forces of fate and love plays out on a train bound for New York.
Mazie just reminded me of one of our favorites:
The Second Coming of Lucy Hatch by Marsha Moyer.
An engaging tale of love, life, and second chances, set in a small Southern town. For fans of Billie Letts, Adriana Trigiani, and Lorna Landvik. Trust us on this one...
Blog Post
Swedish novelist Marianne Fredriksson has died
by sernabad
Marianne Frediksson, a Swedish author who enjoyed considerable international success with several novels, died February 11, in Sweden.
A former journalist, Fredriksson published her first novel at the age of 53.
Hannah’s Daughters was her first novel to be translated into English (1998). A multi-generational saga of women trying to carve out a better life for their children, Hannah’s Daughters was compared to the work of Ingmar Bergman. Simon’s Family, another family saga, is set in World War II.
Ms. Fredriksson was 79.
Blog Post
Happy Birthday President Lincoln
by Van
To celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s birthday today on the Twelfth of February read one of these twelve books (all published in the past two years):
Father Abraham: Lincoln’s Relentless Struggle to End Slavery by Richard Striner
The Gettysburg Gospel: The Lincoln Speech That Nobody Knows by Gabor Boritt
The Intimate World of Abraham Lincoln by C. A. Tripp
Lincoln: a Life of Purpose and Power by Richard Carwardine
Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney: Slavery, Secession, and the President’s War Powers by James F. Simon
Lincoln in the Times: the Life of Abraham Lincoln, as Originally Reported in the New York Times
Lincoln’s Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness by Joshua Wolf Shenk
Lincoln’s Sword: the Presidency and the Power of Words by Douglas L. Wilson
Manhunt: the Twelve Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson
Mr. Lincoln Goes to War by William Marvel
Mr. Lincoln’s T-Mails: the Untold Story of How Abraham Lincoln Used the Telegraph to Win the Civil War by Tom Wheeler
Team of Rivals: the Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Blog Post
Fred Mustard Stewart, author, has died
by sernabad
Fred Mustard Stewart, popular novelist who wrote across several fictional genres, died Wednesday, February 7, in New York City.
Stewart’s first novel, The Mephisto Waltz (1969, out of print) a creepy horror tale of an aging concert pianist who inhabits the body of a young writer, was made into a movie by Alan Alda two years later.
However, it was his large body of family sagas, framed by U.S. history, that built his popularity. Century, The Titan, and The Magnificent Savages (the first of four volumes to track a larger-than-life American family dynasty), are still in demand.
Stewart was 74.
Blog Post
Welcome Back
by Sis
After a three year absence from the Billboard 200 Chart, Norah Jones has her third number one cd on the chart with Not Too Late. You can see Norah Jones at michtheater.org Friday, May 4 at 7:30 pm. Tickets go on sale February 14 at 10:00 am.
Blog Post
Future Politics
by RiponGood
What happens when you mix political intrigue with people who pilot massive robots? You get The Scorpion Jar by Jason M. Hardy. The story is set in the Battletech/ MechWarrior universe. Set on Earth, the Exarch Damien Redburn calls a meeting of the Paladins to elect his replacement. The Paladins assemble from all corners of The Republic, each one attempting to persuade the others elect him/her as the new Exarch. Wonderful writing makes this book a great read for any science fiction fan.