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Gerald Green, author of The Last Angry Man, has died

by sernabad

Gerald Green, creator of beloved Dr. Sam Abelman who railed against the “galoots” in The Last Angry Man (1956), has died.

Green’s writing accolades popped up everywhere during his more than 50-year career. In 1952, he was one of the creators of the Today show. He wrote a mini-series for NBC, Holocaust, which won an Emmy in 1978. He then penned the novelization which earned the Dag Hammarskjold International Prize in 1979.

Gerald Green was 84.

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Steve Hamilton, 2006 Michigan Author Award winner

by sernabad

Detroit native, Steve Hamilton, has been named the 2006 Michigan Author. This award, co-sponsored by the Michigan Library Association and the Library of Michigan’s Michigan Center for the Book, is bestowed on a Michigan author for his or her “…contributions to literature based on an outstanding published body of work.”

Alex McKnight, Hamilton’s private eye character, made his first appearance in1998 in A Cold Day in Paradise, which won the Edgar in 1999 for Best First Novel. The seventh title in this series, A Stolen Season, will be released in September of this year.

Hamilton, a University of Michigan graduate and winner of a Hopwood, will receive his award at the annual Michigan Library Association Conference in October.

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Plan a Michigan Wine Harvest Tour

by annevm

Plenty of Ann Arborites are planning Fall trips to visit Michigan wineries - to witness the harvest and buy wine. You can plan your own midwestern oenological adventure by checking out Wineries of the Great Lakes: A Guidebook, by Joe Borrello. For complete and updated information on Michigan wineries - locations, hours, and more - go to the Michigan wine website.

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Naguib Mahfouz, author of the Cairo trilogy, has died

by sernabad

Naguib Mahfouz, one of the Arab world’s most beloved authors, has died in Cairo. He had been hospitalized since July, after a fall seriously injured his head.

Mahfouz, the first Arab writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature (1988), was known as the voice of reason and religious tolerance throughout the Middle East. His moderate views attracted heated opinions at both extremes – in 1994, at age 82, he was stabbed by a man inflamed by a militant cleric’s condemnation of his ideas.

One of Mahfouz’s most important works in his enormous body of work, was his Cairo trilogy. In Palace Walk (1956), Palace of Desire (1957), and Sugar Street (1957), he brought to life generations of middle class Egyptians in a part of the city where he lived for many years.

Raymond Stock, Mahfouz’s biographer and translator of his short story collection, The Dreams, said, “He is a great son of Egypt, a patriot in the fullest sense of the world.”

Mahfouz was 94.

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New Fiction Titles on the New York Times Best Sellers List (8/27/06)

by Mazie

George Pelecanos has garnered great reviews and accolades from fellow mystery writers for years but has never had the sales or visibility of Michael Connelly or Ian Rankin. This time out his publisher made a big push promoting his latest murder mystery and it has paid off with a spot on this week's List.

At #3 is Crisis by Robin Cook: on the other hand, Cook's books almost sell themselves; another medical thriller involving shocking malpractices from a master of the genre.

At #8 is Happiness Sold Separately by Lolly Winston: her first book was a step away from the usual chick lit. In Good Grief the heroine was not looking for love; she was in mourning. Her new book chronicles how infertility and infidelity can explode a marriage.

At #12 is The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos: after 20 years a serial killer may once again be loose on the mean streets of Washington, DC; as in all his best work, including his scripts for HBO's The Wire, the action is authentic and real.

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What New Car?

by Robb

It’s never too late to buy that 1946 Chevy or other car you’ve forever had on your mind. In the meantime, while you’re deciding the Library has several magazines to help you dream and plan your next move. With over 600 pages the monthly Hemmings Motor News a favorite of mine has for years offered classified ads for both collector cars and parts ads in addition to informative articles on how to repair cars, rallys, auctions, and other auto related subjects. Auto Restorer is a How-To Guide for Car & Truck enthusiasts with more emphasis on the” How To”. Another great magazine with a British twist is “Practical Classics” with lots of great color pictures. I especially like the articles with good color photos of parts being repaired. These magazines can all be found at the Downtown Branch.

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What season are you watching?

by jillean

According to Amazon.com's Top Sellers list, T.V. is tops. Check out these popular television series titles on DVD to find out what all the fuss is about or to catch up in time for next season.

1. Lost
2. Arrested Development
3. Grey's Anatomy
4. House M.D.
5. Desperate Housewives
6. Nip/Tuck
7. South Park
8. Rome
9. Veronica Mars

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The perils and politics of research

by Maxine

Allegra Goodman in her new novel, Intuition, takes us to a struggling research lab in Boston where Cliff, a somewhat careless postdoc when it comes to record keeping, finds that the R-7 virus he's had little luck with is now producing amazing remissions in his cancerous mice. Sandy Glass, lab director, pounces on these findings and broadcasts them to the medical research community at large. While all this is happening, Robin, Cliff's jilted lover and unsuccessful researcher in the same lab, discovers his sloppy notes and reveals possible fraud to an NIH watchdog group. Goodman spins a suspenseful, well-written tale that reveals the tenuous existence of medical research that is dependent on grants, connections and political maneuverings.

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Marketing Research: Key tool for entrepreneurs

by ulrich

Robert J. Kaden's new book Guerrilla Marketing Research provides an accessible introduction to all phases of marketing research for prospective, new and established entrepreneurs. Presented in a clear, easy-to-read format, the book examines topics such as how to get started, how much it costs, how much research should be done, how to develop a research plan, and the various methods of getting information such as surveys, focus groups, sampling, brainstorming, etc. The subtitle of the book says it all: 'Marketing Research Techniques That Can Help Any Business Make More Money.' It's a great place to start for all business people.

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The 2006 Quills Awards: The OTHER Election

by sernabad

Last year, the Quill Awards was established as “…a consumer-driven celebration of the written word created to inspire reading while promoting literacy.” Booksellers and librarians nominate authors and titles in 19 categories. The lists are then opened up to consumers online. The Quill Awards and the Quills Literacy Foundation are initiatives supported by Reed Business, Inc.

The 2nd annual Quill Awards are fast approaching. Winners will be announced on October 11, 2006, and broadcast on NBC, the Quills’ official broadcast partner, on October 28, 2006.

So hurry and cast your vote here.