Biblical Stories Retold by David Maine

Thu, 09/21/2006 - 10:05am by Van

I just read the Fallen, have checked out The Preservationist, and have placed a hold on The Book of Samson.

The Fallen is the story of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel. The book starts with the last chapter with Cain waiting to die and moves backward to the first chapter where God leaves Adam and Eve after expelling them from the Garden of Eden.

Cain is a rebellious, questioning, often sullen child, his shrugs riling both his parents but especially Adam. Abel is an earnest, often platitudinous and oblivious, child, trying to reconcile his brother and his father after Adam banishes Cain from the family home. Adam and Eve learn to fish, hunt, grow crops, tame animals, use fire, make bricks. Eve learns how to give birth. God expels Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, God delivers judgments on Cain and Abel’s offerings, Cain murders Abel, God brands Cain, Cain wanders. And there are the other children and the other people.

Detail and incident fill the story and reveal the personalities of Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel.

The Preservationist is the story of Noah, his family, the building and stocking of the Ark.

Due out in November is The Book of Samson.

Tracing your family history? The Genealogical Society can help.

Wed, 09/20/2006 - 2:25pm by ulrich

If you are exploring your family history, the Genealogical Society of Washtenaw County, Michigan is a great place for getting help, listening to informative speakers and meeting fellow genealogists. The society will be holding its next meeting on Sunday, September 24, 2006 at the Education Center Auditorium on the St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Campus at 5305 Elliott Drive in Ypsilanti. The featured guest speaker will be James Craven, noted conservator at the Bentley Historical Library, who will speak on repairing and restoring books, manuscripts, maps and photos. Also on the program is a class dealing with researching Connecticut ancestors. The program begins at 1:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

International Day of Peace

Tue, 09/19/2006 - 8:07pm by Maxine

On September 21, 2002, the United Nations declared that day International Day of Peace, a time "devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples." This day would be observed by all nations committing to a global ceasefire and non-violence. Vigils, speeches, music and other activities mark the day in cities throughout the world.

There are many peace groups working on a national and local level. Families for Peaceful Tomorrows is a group of people who all lost a family member in the 9/11 tragedy. They have come together to work for peaceful solutions to terrorism.

On the local level, Michigan Peaceworks is a grassroots organization that was organized in response to 9/11 and has grown into a significant activist group working for changes in national policy.

The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom is an international organization connecting people working for peace and justice.

To further explore this topic, check out a new dvd in our collection, Peace One Day a documentary by Jeremy Gilley which portrays one man's attempts to persuade the world to declare a day of non-violence. Anthony C. Zinni has written a persuasive book, The Battle for Peace, encouraging a more in-depth look at causes of international conflict.

Oriana Fallaci, Italian journalist and author, is dead at 77

Tue, 09/19/2006 - 12:11pm by sernabad

Oriana Fallaci, given the red carpet treatment by world leaders who granted her requests for interviews and who dreaded seeing her pull out her questions, has died.

Fallaci began her “journalist as lightning rod” reputation during the Vietnam War, cemented it right before the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico when she was shot multiple times and left for dead during a protest, and resurrected it, post 9/11, with her incendiary writings about Islam, including The Rage and the Pride (2001) and The Force of Reason (2006).

Fallaci died in Florence, Italy. She was 77.

Elisabeth Ogilvie, author of The Tide trilogy, has died

Tue, 09/19/2006 - 11:53am by sernabad

Maine author Elisabeth Ogilvie, who brought to life the romantic adventures of the Bennett family in her “Tide” books, has died.

Ms. Ogilvie used the wild weather and remote beauty of Maine’s islands beauty as backdrops to her old fashioned, popular “Tides” trilogy. High Tide at Noon was the first, published in 1944. It was followed by Storm Tide (1945) and The Ebbing Tide (1947). She updated the lives of the Bennetts in later titles, including An Answer in the Tide (1978).

Ogilvie, who also penned several children’s and teen books, was 89.

Fabulous Fiction Firsts #34

Sat, 09/16/2006 - 12:54pm by muffy

If you missed the full-page ad in last week’s New York Times, here is my personally endorsement…

If you like historical thriller, it does not get any better than The Interpretation of Murder. Set in the turn of the 20th century Manhattan, during his first and only visit to the United States, Sigmund Freud is drawn into the mind of a clever and sadistic killer who is savagely attacking the most privileged of society heiresses.

Fans of Caleb Carr will find themselves a new author to watch. Jud Rubenfeld is not only a distinguished legal scholar, but knows a thing or two about Freud and Shakespeare.

Here, he not only brings to life the glitter of the gilded age, the squalor of the working masses, the re-imagined relations between Freud and Carl Jung, but also such historic events as the building of the Manhattan Bridge. With a complex plot and great storytelling, it's sure to please. You won’t be able to put this down. Don't take my word for it... read these reviews for yourself.

Warning! These books are bad for you!

Fri, 09/15/2006 - 3:41pm by K.C.

Ever read a banned book? Check out the most challenged books of the 1990s. Are any of these titles favorites of yours?

As part of Banned Books Week September 23-30, the American Library Association would you to vote for your favorite banned book.

New Fiction Titles on the New York Times Best Sellers List (9/17/06)

Fri, 09/15/2006 - 3:07pm by Mazie

Armed with good reviews, appearances on NPR and lots of publisher pr, Claire Messud enters the List for the first time with her own 9/11 novel. She joins three other veterans returning with their latest books.

At #1 is Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen: "The lives of two sisters, one the host of a television show and the other a social worker."

At #5 is The Emperor's Children by Claire Messud: "A group of privileged 30-somethings try to make their way in literary New York just before 9/11."

At #6 is Armegeddon's Children by Terry Brooks: "In an urban, postapocalyptic United States, Knights of the Word battle the Void."

At #16 is Fool Me Once by Fern Michaels: "A young woman grapples with revelations about her mother's true identity and her past."

An Apple for Agatha

Fri, 09/15/2006 - 1:07pm by Maxine

Now that the weather's cooler, cuddle up with your favorite Agatha Christie mystery in celebration of her birthday today, September 16. Christie, born in Devon, England in 1890, was most famous for her Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple novels. By the time of her death in 1976, she had written over 100 novels and was the best selling English novelist in history.

While reading, grab an apple in celebration of "International Eat An Apple Day." There are so many varieties of Johnny Appleseed's favorite fruit that even just in Michigan, there are many to choose from like the rare Arkansas Black apple that originated in Missouri.

The Library has many books on apples. Two new ones are Best Apples to Buy and Grow published by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the charming picture book by Swedish writer, Gorel Kristina Naslund, Our Apple Tree in which two elfin children descibe the life cycle of an apple tree.

Super Smash and Double Dash Tournament Weekend

Fri, 09/15/2006 - 11:48am by eli

Registration is open for Friday Night's Super Smash Bros. Melee Tournament from 6-9 PM for ages 13 and up, and Saturdays' Round 2 in the Super Smash Double Dash Championship Series! Register now to bypass long lines at the event and get right to open play. Tonight's Melee tournament will be 100% ITEM-FREE, so those of you that have no love for lady luck can relax a little, but remember that you'll have no excuse if you lose. Read on for more.