Bookblog of the Bristol Library

I Am Half Sick of Shadows: A Flavia de Luce Novel by C. Alan Bradley

2012-01-31T09:12:00.000-05:00

Reviewed by Jeanne

One of the most difficult things about doing book reviews for me is to decide exactly how much to tell about a book. In the course of my work, I read a lot of reviews; sometimes I start to feel that I’ve already read the book because I know so much about it without ever having so much as cracked the cover. In the case of I Am Half Sick of Shadows by C. Alan Bradley, I’ve thought long and hard and concluded that probably the best way to introduce it is to do a bit of a spoiler; otherwise, it’s rather difficult to explain to someone unfamiliar with this series.

When the book opens, eleven year old Flavia is skating down the long portrait hall in Buckshaw, her castle-like ancestral home. There is no heat, and once flooded, the water immediately turned into ice. She can see the pattern of the parquet beneath from the candles she set into the chandeliers. She fantasizes that some celebrity photographer will be by and take her photo, which will then appear in a leading magazine. Wouldn’t that just make her sisters puce with envy! At this point, Flavia awakens in her bed, though it’s almost as cold as in her dream.

If your reaction is, “Well, of course it was just a dream! No one would really flood a house and skate down a hall!” then you haven’t yet made the acquaintance of Flavia de Luce. People who know the precocious chemist would have no trouble at all believing that Flavia would do just that, strictly in the interest of science (and to annoy her sisters and astonish her father). Flavia is a wonderful creation; she sounds like an adult for the most part and a very learned adult at that, but she is still basically a child. Part of the fun is seeing Flavia’s interpretation of events.

The series is set in the 1950s English countryside where the de Luce family has lived for generations as the local gentry. Times have not been good; the family has been financially strapped since Harriet, Flavia’s mother, perished in the Himalayan Mountains. Now Buckshaw has been rented out to a film company in an effort to raise money. The family is divided about this turn of events. Father is embarrassed but resigned, seeing no other way out. Flavia’s older sisters Daphne and Ophelia try to appear blasé about the worldly thespians who are descending upon them but are secretly intrigued. Flavia herself is more preoccupied with her plans for the holiday, plans which should secure her place in history: she is going to capture Father Christmas. She has begun to harbor a touch of doubt about the existence of the jolly old elf, and –being Flavia—would like to settle the matter scientifically.

Meanwhile, the film crew has descended and it isn’t long before Flavia becomes aware of some conflicts held just below the surface. In a grand gesture, some of the cast agree to participate in a fundraising event for the local church. Tickets are sold and half the village shows up, just as a snowstorm makes travel impossible. This insures that there is no lack of suspects when one of the actors is murdered.

I can't say that the series continues to improve because it was a great series from the start. The second book slipped just a bit for me, but the overall quality has remained consistently high. Witty, with a wonderful set of characters and marvelous atmosphere, I recommend this series unreservedly. If you're among the fans of Downton Abbey, you might give this series a try. It's set a couple of decades later, but there is a bit of the same feel about it. You don't need to read the books in order but if that's your preference, start with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.

Nevermore: Coffee & Mysteries

2012-01-27T16:00:00.000-05:00

The first book discussed at the January 24^th meeting of the Nevermore Book Club was Coffee is Good For You by Robert J. Davis. As our director pointed out, seeing the title that way doesn’t really express what the book is about. For that you need to see the cover:

And quite a good cover it is, too! Yes, the theme is the conflicting information we get every day about the foods we eat and whether or not they’re good for us. Author Davis examines a number of these assertions and rates them on a “Truth-o-Meter” as to their validity. Does eating oatmeal lower your cholesterol? Which is better, butter or margarine? The Caveman Diet or the Mediterranean Diet? Lucky for the book club members, coffee did rate rather well, so we all drank ours without guilt. We did not check to see what mentions there might have been of doughnuts, however.

The Street Lawyer by John Grisham got a good review from our reader who really liked the amount of legal information Grisham weaves into his books. The plot has young lawyer Michael being taken hostage by a homeless man who claims he and his friends have been illegally evicted. Although he’s rescued by a police sniper, Michael begins to wonder about the homeless man. What he discovers will change his life forever.

Jo Nesbo, one of the new “Nordic Noir” authors, has had a new book published in the US. The Leopard has detective Harry Hole called back to Norway after two young women are found dead. It looks to be the work of a serial killer and since Harry has dealt with such killers before, everyone is looking to him to find the murderer. Our reviewer reports that the book requires concentration, but is definitely one she wants to finish.

Three Day Town by Margaret Maron is the latest in the very popular Judge Deborah Knott series. Deborah and her husband Dwight are on a belated honeymoon in New York City. They’ve been asked to drop off a package while they’re there, but before they can accomplish that task, a man is murdered and the contents of the package stolen. This is a book Maron fans have long awaited, since it also features Sigrid Harald, who was the main character in Maron’s first series of mysteries. Our reader likes the way Maron writes and is enjoying this book, even though he’s never read any of the Sigrid mysteries.

Newbery & Caldecott Awards

2012-01-26T09:36:00.001-05:00

The 2012 Newbery and Caldecott Awards for American Children's Literature have been announced! The winners are:

Newbery Award

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

Honor Books

Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

Caldecott Award

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka

Honor Books

Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith

Blackout by John Rocco

For more information as well as a complete list of other award winners, click here.

(On a strictly personal note, I was delighted to see Patrick McDonnell win for his picture book biography of naturalist Jane Goodall. McDonnell is the author of the MUTTS comic strip and has used the characters in several children's books. A review of Mutts: the Comic Art of Patrick McDonnell was posted some months back at our blog. You can read it here.)

A Touch of Nostalgia: Mary Stewart, Phyllis Whitney & Victoria Holt

2012-01-23T11:47:00.000-05:00

An Appreciation by Doris

Do you remember an author whose books drew you to a favorite genre? Jeanne handed me a Mystery Scene magazine this morning and the first thing I read was about Mary Stewart. I thought Ms. Stewart had passed away a long time ago so I was pleased to learn she is still very much with us. The rush of memory of how much I loved her books sent me to the computer to write this. Because of Mary Stewart and two other wonderful mystery writers of similar style, I loved reading and developed a passion for mysteries that guides what I read even today.

I lived with my grandparents in a small rural community on and off during my childhood and teen years. My grandfather and I were very close; we often sat on the big front porch at the end of the day and just enjoyed watching the world go by. My grandmother Lillie and I were also very close, and we shared a love that has lasted all my life—reading. To benefit that little farming community my grandmother took a small front room in the house and made it into a community library. Every couple of weeks the van from the Watauga Regional Library would come and deliver new books. I rushed to sort through the books and shelve them for Mamaw because that gave me first crack at the three women who would shape my love for mysteries: Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt, and Phyllis Whitney.

I learned to read very young—Aunt June was confined to bed because of rheumatic fever and she kept herself entertained by teaching me to read when I was not quite four. There were always books around the house because of my grandmother’s love for reading, and no one ever told me I could not read something because it was either too mature for me or too hard. Books by the Grand Dames of Mysteries as I called the three ladies were intriguing, exotic because they often were set in far off places, and the stories flowed. I would sit with my Papaw and read him sections of Nine Coaches Waiting or My Brother Michael. I don’t know that he really enjoyed the books, but he enjoyed having me beside him reading to him and I felt so important! When I first read The Crystal Cave, Stewart’s first novel in her Merlin of the Arthurian legends trilogy—a Christmas gift from my grandmother that still sits in a special place on my bookcase—I was enthralled. It is still, for a number of reasons, one of my all-time favorite books and it has been lovingly reread many times.

Phyllis Whitney’s books had the island locations or adventures in places had only heard about in my geography class. Mystery on the Island of Skye, Moonflower, and others gave me hours of escape into a world that fascinated me and took me far way from East Tennessee. When my mom married a career soldier and we lived in Europe, I finally got to see some of those places and castles Ms. Whitney had described so clearly in her books.

Eleanor Hibbert writing as Victoria Holt, Jean Plaidy, Philippa Carr, Eleanor Burford, and other pen names may have been the reason I majored in British literature in college. Her historical fiction including the Mary, Queen of Scotts series and her Plantagenet series were such richly drawn, richly characterized novels about England and its royal history. All that romance, adventure, and remarkable characters—how could a youngster not fall in love with all the pageantry?

Ms. Hibbert/Holt and Ms. Whitney are both gone now and Ms. Stewart is ninety-five years old and no longer writing for publication, but their books are still stalwarts on our shelves. Unfortunately it is often just our older patrons who check them out. Today’s mysteries are very different than the Grand Dames’, but these women writers along with a few others created the genre that has proven so successful for the Catherine Coulters, Janet Evanovichs, and Tami Hoags of today. The Grand Dames wrote for a simpler time when graphic sex or violence was not the mainstay of a mystery, and many of our younger readers are really missing great stories and characters because the time for the Grand Dames is believed to have passed. I plan to reread some favorites from Stewart, Whitney, and Holt and remember why I fell in love with mysteries. Come join me and take a little trip back in time!

Do you have a favorite author who hooked you on reading a genre? Share with us, please.

Nevermore: History, Mystery and Perfection!

2012-01-19T12:02:00.000-05:00

Nevermore Book Club was a free-wheeling adventure today with discussions ranging from the founding fathers to issues that face libraries and will affect our access to books in the years to come. Have you ever heard the saying, “Good is the enemy of perfect”? Mr. Barry opened the discussion with a story from Charles Baxter’s book Gryphon. The story calls into question what is perfect and if “good enough” is ultimately the enemy of perfect. The discussion among Nevermore members raised the questions, “What is perfect?” “How is perfect defined?” And, “Can ‘perfect’ really be attained?” Baxter is regarded as one of America’s best contemporary short story writers. We have Gryphon, A Relative Stranger, and Saul and Patsy available at the BPL.

Mr. Barry also discussed Stephen R. Covey’s The Third Alternative, and Carl Pillemer’s 30 Lessons for Living. Pillemer’s book is a series of interviews with elderly people about the important lessons and wisdom they have learned in their lives. The Third Alternative offers creative problem solving that looks beyond “my solution” and “your solution” to the process of finding a third solution that could be better. Called one of the most influential men in America, Covey’s newest book is sure to cause a whirlwind of discussions in Mr. Barry’s opinion. Covey is also the author of the very popular Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

The book that elicited the most discussion is Jefferson’s Sons by Bristol resident Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. A juvenile selection, Jefferson’s Son tells the stories of Beverly and Madison, one of Thomas Jefferson’s African-American sons by his slave Sally Hemings. This fictionalized account of Beverly Hemings’ first encounter with his father and the subsequent lives the boys have at Monticello brings to bear questions on Jefferson and his ethics. Another Nevermore member is reading a biography of Patrick Henry added some pertinent comments on both Jefferson and Henry. As a side note, we hope Ms. Bradley will be one of our presenters in our Discovery Series or other program.

Another member has been reading The Leopard, the newest mystery by Norwegian author Jo Nesbo. Nesbo’s Inspector Harry Hole is recalled to Norway after the discovery of two bodies seems to indicate a serial killer is on the loose. This reader also recommends Henning Mankell to anyone interested in the Scandinavian writers (perhaps sparked by the Steig Larsson books!) since Mankell is her favorite of the genre. Mankell is best known for his excellent Kurt Wallander procedural mysteries.

Bill Pronzini’s Camouflage is a mystery which deals with a detective trying to find out the real story involving injuries to a child, a woman who may or may not be psychotic, and a death. Was it murder or self-defense? Our reader says it is driving him crazy to know the answer!

Last but not least were two wonderful books: Charles Frazier’s Nightwoods and Katherine Mosby’s Private Altars. Our reader says Private Altars is a beautifully written book, possibly due to Mosby’s skills as a poet. Nightwoods is the new book by the author of Cold Mountain. Once again North Carolina is the setting but this time it’s the 1960s instead of the 1860s. Luce has worked hard to build a life of her own after a childhood of neglect. Her relative contentment ends when her sister is murdered and Luce becomes the guardian for her sister’s two troubled children.

Southern Appalachian Celebration, A History of the World & Tales of Invention

2012-01-17T09:06:00.000-05:00

Jeanne's Books In Brief

We've been getting in a number of wonderful new books lately! Here are some brief reviews just to whet your appetite:

Southern Appalachian Celebration: In Praise of Ancient Mountains, Old-Growth Forests, and Wilderness by James Valentine is a glorious collection of photographs showcasing the beauty of the mountains in our region. Our director Jud Barry is especially fond of a shot of Roan Mountain with the rhododendrons in full bloom. While there have been any number of such photos, this one is taken from an unusual angle, leaving one to wonder just exactly where the photographer was standing. The informative text by Chris Bolgiano identifies the area and fauna along with fascinating tidbits that range from the historical to the scientific; this is one of the few books in which the captions really give an added dimension to the book. For example, along with a shot of Cumberland Falls in Kentucky Bolgiano tells us that it’s said on clear nights with a full moon one can observe a lunar rainbow. This is a real gem of a book and comes highly recommended.

A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor is a deceptively simple description for a complex book. The idea was to draw upon all the resources in the British Museum in order to tell the story of humankind. Just think about it for a moment: if you had to choose items to tell the story of all humans, all civilizations and cultures, from the beginning to the present, what would you choose? The first items in the book are stone implements. At least one color photograph accompanies each, along with commentary that incorporates what is known or theorized about the object and how it was used. The final entry is a solar light and battery from 2010. In between, there are all manner of objects, from paintings to statues to maps to musical instruments to weapons. One personal favorite is the helmet from the Sutton Hoo burial, a magnificent piece that was found as part of a ship burial for an unknown hero.

The number 100 is apparently a popular one for book titles because also on our new book shelf is Rick Beyer’s The Greatest Science Stories Never Told: 100 Tales of Invention and Discovery to Astonish, Bewilder, & Stupefy. As you might guess, the book is a fun and somewhat off-beat collection of stories . The stories are real and Beyer’s renditions are entertaining, though he reduces the stories a just about one page. There’s the tale of the Olympic gold medalist and inventor whose scientific toys were so intriguing that he prevented a ban on toy sales during wartime, and the one about King Camp Gillette who not only saw the need for a disposable razor but who had big plans to make the world a utopia. The stories are arranged chronologically. Alas, there is no index; if you want to read about Einstein’s refrigerator, you have to page through. A personal favorite is the entry for 1947-- no, you won't be surprised at what it is. Beyer does include a list of his sources, if you want more information.

The Big Year

2012-01-13T12:21:00.000-05:00

Reviewed by Jeanne

On January 1st, a number of bird-watching enthusiasts will decide to embark on a “Big Year.” That’s when a birder spends an entire year trying to see as many bird species as he can throughout North America. People have spent thousands of dollars and traveled thousands of miles in an effort to become the top birder for the year, an award that carries no prizes nor trophies, and which is done strictly on the honor system. Sound crazy? It did to Mark Obmascik, too, but he was intrigued enough to do a little research. He concentrated on one almost mythic year in which three men set out to try to break the record. The result was the book The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession, a book not just for the birds—er, birders.

First Obmascik sets the stage by explaining that he wasn’t interested in birds when he started beyond knowing a few common species like robins or cardinals. He thought bird-watchers were just a bit kooky, dashing off to inhospitable climes on short notice, enduring heat, cold, rain, and snow, just to see a bird. This impression soon gave way to a real appreciation of birders, especially the three men who set out in 1998 on their “Big Years.”

Sandy Komito was the record holder, a man who had seen over 721 species in a year. He had shattered the previous record of 711, but he knew he could do better. What was worse, he knew others could do better and he wanted to hold onto his record or even add to it. Sandy is one of those driven guys who has the focus and the money to do follow up on his ideas, though at times his personality made his quest a bit more difficult than it should be.

Al Levantin was an avid birder, but his job as an executive had kept him tied down. Now he was retired. He had time and he had money. He’d waited forty years. Now he was going to spend a year chasing birds with his family’s blessing. It was what he’d always wanted to do. . . wasn’t it?

Greg Miller was at a low point in his life. He was employed, but his job was debugging code ahead of Y2K: tedious work. His marriage had fallen apart. He felt he had disappointed his family. He felt his life was drab. The only time he relaxed and enjoyed life was when he was birdwatching, a pastime his father enjoyed. No one had ever done a Big Year and held down a full time job. Greg decided to be the first. His gift of being able to recognize birds simply by hearing their song was a definite advantage and Greg needed all the help he could get. He was definitely going the no-frills route, living off jars of peanut butter and maxing out not only his credit card but his parents’ card as well. He already felt like a loser in his father’s eyes because of his failed marriage; now he was driving them all into debt.

The reader follows these three through triumphs, near-misses, disasters, and disappointments; through swamps where the mosquitoes are nearly the size of birds themselves, bouts of seasickness on choppy waters, trudging the tundra in Alaska, and a birdwatching hot spot near a garbage dump where a sense of smell is not an asset. There is a lot of humor in the book, but it’s not poking fun at these guys nor birders in general. It’s more the slice of life humor, when Murphy’s Laws seem in full force as well as unbelievable good fortune. Not only is The Big Year a fun and fascinating look at a hobby loved by millions the world over, it’s a sort of rumination on following one’s dreams and the lengths to which one should go to achieve them. Obmascik also manages to convey the thrill of the chase along with some fascinating information about birds and birders. Funny, thoughtful and informative, this is a book that even non-birders will enjoy. I certainly did. I even pause and look at my bird feeder a bit more often, and when I hear a news report about an unusual bird showing up somewhere I mentally picture excited birders flocking to the site to add to their life lists.

Note: the book was made into a movie starring Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson. While reviews were generally good, the actors’ reputations made the audience expect a slapstick comedy. There is a good bit of humor in the film, but it’s a gentler sort with far less pratfalls and jokes about bodily functions than some would expect. It’s more about defining one’s goals and finding out what is truly important. The movie took some liberties with the story—the characters were all renamed and some background altered—but the spirit remained true.

NevermoreBook Club: Fiction from Baxter, Banks, LaPlante & Cornwell

2012-01-09T19:03:00.005-05:00

Our director Jud Barry came across Charles Baxter’s Gryphon: New and Selected Stories on the new books shelf and quickly became fascinated. He isn’t exactly certain what to call the stories but proposed “Midwest Weird." Baxter likes to take very ordinary and realistic situations and give them a twist. While short stories aren’t to everyone’s taste, our readers have found Baxter’s stories to be intriguing and very readable. Gryphon was selected by the NY Times as one of the 100 Notable Books of 2011.

Also on that list was The Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks, a novel that has been awaited eagerly by the Nevermore members who enjoyed The Sweet Hereafter and Cloudsplitter. In this novel, a character called only "the Kid" is living under a bridge in an unnamed city in Florida. At age 22, he’s a registered sex offender, which means the places where he can live are very limited. The Professor is a sociologist who wants to use the Kid as a guinea pig for some of his theories – or so he says. Banks is known for his complex, well-written, thought-provoking novels, and this one is no exception.

Turn of Mind by Lydia LaPlante is described as a literary thriller. The story is a narrated in the first person by Jennifer White, a gifted surgeon forced to retire because of increasing dementia. At the moment, she’s under suspicion of murdering a woman who was once her best friend: they’re hoping she will confess. The problem is that Jennifer doesn’t know whether or not she is guilty. This novel has been called compelling, haunting, mesmerizing and heartbreaking.

One Nevermore member was re-reading Hornet’s Nest by Patricia Cornwell for the wonderful descriptions of Charlotte, NC. Cornwell worked as a reporter for the Charlotte Observer, so she knew the town well. The plot has a crime beat reporter covering a string of murders of out of town businessmen. The novel is being filmed for a TNT movie to air sometime this year, but Wilmington is going to stand in for Charlotte.

The Nevermore Book Club meets every Tuesday at 11:00 AM. Coffee is provided by the library, while the Blackbird Bakery provides the delectable doughnuts! Everyone is invited to drop by and join in by sharing the titles of books worth reading-- or not worth reading, as the case may be.

What's Hot for 2012!

2012-01-04T14:15:00.010-05:00

As in an earlier column, we're going to list the most requested books at Bristol Public Library and our Avoca Branch Library. If you don't already have these on reserve, you can either call the library or put the books on reserve yourself through our website.

10. Sleepwalker by Karen Robards

A policeman and a female thief find themselves running for their lives in this novel that mixes romance and suspense.

9. Next Always by Nora Roberts

This is the first in a trilogy involving the restoration of an old house as a bed and breakfast. Architect Beckett Montgomery comes back home to help his mother and brother with renovations, and discovers he's still attracted to his high school crush.

8. Longing by Karen Kingsbury

This is the third book in the Bailey Flannagan series which started with Leaving. The fourth book, Loving, is scheduled to be published in March. Fans of Christian author Kingsbury will want to start at the beginning.

7. Locked In by Tom Clancy with Mark Greaney

Jack Ryan has decided to run for president again when a close friend is threatened by an unknown enemy.

6. Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris

This twelfth book in the Sookie Stackhouse series won't be published until May, 2012 but that hasn't stopped people putting it on reserve!

5. Unwritten Laws by Greg Iles

This sequel to The Devil's Punchbowl features the return of Penn Cage. Unfortunately, Iles was severely injured in a traffic accident and so the book has been delayed until some time in 2012. This book is subtitled "The Bone Tree;" volume two of Unwritten Laws may also come out in 2012.

4. Kill Shot by Vince Flynn

Mitch Rapp has been working his way through the list of men responsible for the PanAm Lockerbie attack, but his next target proves to be a trap. Due to Vince Flynn's illness, the book was delayed but now Kill Shot is scheduled to come out on February 7, 2012.

3.Guilty Wives by James Patterson and David Ellis

Four women friends are invited on the vacation of a lifetime, to revel in luxury and indulge in whatever they please. Then the police show up, accusing them of a shocking crime.

2. D.C. Dead by Stuart Woods

Stone Barrington is called to Washington to solve a murder-suicide, an job that reunites him with Holly Barker.

1. Inheritance: Or, the Vault of Souls by Christopher Paolini

The long-awaited conclusion to the Eragon saga-- enough said!

Explosive Eighteen is a dud!

2011-12-29T09:41:00.002-05:00

Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich, reviewed by Doris

Did I say after reading Janet Evanovich’s Smokin’ Seventeen that I was done with the series? Well, I lied. I suckered myself into reading Explosive Eighteen. Yes, I was on pain meds for a sore knee, but that is no excuse for such a dismal waste of time.

In the first few books of the Stephanie Plum series, there was humor. Grandma Mazur made me laugh, and her obsession with attending funeral home visitations reminded me of my dearly loved aunts who like to discuss who died this week. Stephanie’s struggles to learn the bail bond apprehension business were also amusing and flaunt with misadventures reminiscent of Lucy and Ethel gone bad. Lula the ex-hooker as Stephanie’s sidekick was always good for a laugh for no other reason that her clothing. And, of course there were Ranger and Morelli. Ranger is the gorgeous mystery man who may or may not be totally on the side of law and order who calls Stephanie “Babe.” Morelli is the gorgeous neighborhood bad boy who grew up into the homicide cop who definitely is one the side of law and order and who calls Stephanie “Cupcake.” Stephanie’s eternal dilemma—which gorgeous man does she want in her bed and her life forever after? Since this series has continued long past its expiration date and we have discovered that Stephanie has the brains of a deranged poodle, I no longer care which of these men she wants. I just want to know why they want her! (Just on a personal note here: I would much rather be called “Babe” than “Cupcake.”)

Explosive Eighteen follows the formula Evanovich established in the first book. Stephanie and Lula go to apprehend some miscreant. Along the way they have to eat twelve times and always at least once at the Cluck-in-a-Bucket. Then their car gets blown up or burned up or stolen. Stephanie calls Ranger. He comes and saves her worthless hide and gives her a new car to destroy. It’s kind of like eat chicken, tazer someone, Lula tries to shoot someone, the miscreat escapes, Stephanie whines, everyone goes over to Stephanie’s parents’ house for dinner, her mother drinks (so would I if this were my child), Stephanie pouts her way into to bed with one or the other of the gorgeous men available and then feels great guilt, yadda, yadda, yadda. There’s always some meandering mystery that really is not a mystery but which gives Morelli something to do besides be exasperated with Plum. Comments are made about Stephanie’s cousin and boss Vinnie who had a romantic encounter with a duck, buses explode, cars burn up, and Stephanie’s mom looks longingly at the bottle of Scotch. In this case, the man seated next to Stephanie on the return flight from an ill-fated vacation in Hawaii turns up dead. Everyone thinks he gave Stephanie something of great value, so she has Russian mob people, a really bad hairdresser, and various and assorted other criminals after her. While she tries to muddle through her latest romantic disaster and avoid getting killed for the valuable object she really doesn’t have, it is of course Ranger who comes to her rescue time and time again.

It is time for Evanovich, Morelli, and Ranger to move on. Stephanie Plum has to be one of the most incompetent, sniveling, whinny so-called heroines in current fiction. Whatever humor there was is the series died a slow, painful death on the plain of beaten to death. Unless you too have a sore knee and are pain meds, find something better to read over the holidays.

Nevermore Economics & Cut

2011-12-27T11:44:00.002-05:00

Finances tend to be a bit of a topic around December, as folks decide what their budget for gifts should be and whether or not to blow those budgets. The Nevermore Book Club went one better by taking a look at national global economics, courtesy of the books Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World and The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, both by Michael Lewis. The latter book examined the background of the 2008 economic downturn in the U.S., while Boomerang has more of a global perspective. Lewis is one of those authors who can take complex subjects and make them not only understandable but readable. . . and even funny. He’s also the author of The Blind Side, basis for the Sandra Bullock movie of the same name, as well as Moneyball, which was made into a movie with Brad Pitt.

Thomas Friedman’s That Used to be Us discusses the challenges the United States faces in order to remain a world leader, including globalization, deficits, and the information revolution. This book was considered a good one, but not exactly riveting.

Of course, this wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea; or as one club member put it, “Who needs Ambien when we have economics?”

The antidote to that was a recommendation for George Pelecanos’ new book The Cut, the first in a new series of thrillers about Iraqi war veteran Spero Lucas who specializes in recovering stolen property, no questions asked. The only requirement is that Lucas gets a flat 40% of what is recovered. He accepts an assignment from a marijuana dealer to recover some missing shipments of product, but soon learns that the personal toll may be too great to pay. Pelecanos was a writer on “The Wire,” where the city of Baltimore was so vividly portrayed that it was almost a character itself. The Cut is set in Washington, D.C., another city Pelecanos knows and describes well.

Christmas Traditions: Bagpipes??

2011-12-24T07:40:00.000-05:00

By coincidence, our director Jud Barry had just uploaded a holiday video about an album which intrigued him as a child. It's a bit hard to explain, so just watch the video. I will say there are bagpipes, stone carvings, and a dog involved. Enjoy!

Christmas Pastoral

Christmas Traditons: The Night Before Christmas

2011-12-23T09:32:00.001-05:00

Comments from Jeanne

For many families, part of the Christmas celebration includes a reading of the poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” or as it’s more popularly known, “The Night Before Christmas.” There are dozens of versions available, done by a wide variety of artists. Some are more naturalistic

Tasha Tudor illustrated this version

While others are bit more whimsical.

This verson was illustrated by Bruce Whatley.

So popular is this poem that it has spawned a host of imitations. There’s a Cajun version in which St. Nick’s sleigh is pulled by alligators while in the hillbilly version, it’s drawn by bears. There’s an African American version, a Texas version, an Irish version and many more. There are even versions that employ familiar characters, such as Sesame Street’s Elmo or Mercer Mayer’s Little Critter.

African-American version retold and illustrated by Melodye Rosales

Hillbilly Night Afore Christmas with illustrations by James Rice, text by Thomas Noel Turner.

Needless to say, there are also video adaptations that expand on the poem, including one which tells the story of how Clement Clark Moore, known as a dour classics professor and theologian, came to write light verse for children. This brings up a recent controversy: did Moore really write the poem? Or was it the work of another? In one chapter of Author Unknown: On the Trail of Anonymous, Don Foster makes the case for another author. Foster is a professor at Vassar whose work has included identifying a previously unknown poem by Shakespeare and testifying in the Unabomber case. His evidence on “The Night Before Christmas,” while circumstantial, is pretty convincing and makes for fascinating reading. The part that really won me over had to do with the names of the reindeer. Have you ever wondered why all the reindeer have names that really mean something except for two? If you buy into Foster's explanation, then the name DO mean something. Don't take my word for it: read the chapter and decide for yourself. Plus there are other fascinating mysteries in the book-- including one that involves a murder.

No matter who wrote the original or what version you prefer, “The Night Before Christmas” is definitely a holiday staple. You could say it's the poetic counterpart to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

Christmas Traditions: Charlie Brown

2011-12-20T09:45:00.000-05:00

Christy likes "A Charlie Brown Christmas." She watches it every year!

Viewers first saw "A Charlie Brown Christmas" on CBS in 1965. It was considered quite a risky show at the time, and the low budget meant shortcuts in animation and in voice actors. Reportedly, some of the children who recorded the voices had never done that sort of work before and at least one child couldn't read, so she was repeating lines from a coach. Of course, it turned out to be warmly received and widely loved. Perhaps one of the most unusual outcomes is that one can now buy an artificial version of Charlie Brown's sad little tree that no one wanted. The network wasn't sure about some of the elements in the show, but Peanuts creator Charles Schulz and animator Bill Melendez stood firm. Time has proven them right.

One aspect I hadn't thought about until a friend brought it up is the music. Jazz musician Vince Guaraldi did the score, and the results are so distinctive and such an integral part of the show that just hearing a few notes will make one think of the Peanuts characters. Guaraldi did the music for 17 of the Peanuts shows before he passed away at age 47. The library has two CDs of Guaraldi's music. Just listen and you'll know what I mean!

For some, it wouldn't be Christmas without Charlie Brown and the gang. If you missed the special on television this year, there are copies of the DVD available at both Main and Avoca.

Christmas Traditions: A Christmas Story

2011-12-16T16:36:00.000-05:00

Melon and Pam Neal recommend "A Christmas Story"-- Book and Movie!

Christmas Traditions: Amahl and the Night Visitors

2011-12-13T09:57:00.001-05:00

Every holiday has its traditions. Some are unique to a particular community, like the Easter Egg fights at Peters Hollow, while others, like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, are national. Families have their own traditions as well, so this year we thought we’d list some of the staff’s favorite holiday traditions. Feel free to join with your favorite book, video, recipe, event or memory! This one is from Jeanne:

“Amahl and the Night Visitors”

Some traditions fall by the wayside. When I was a child, my mother always looked forward to the then-annual showing of “Amahl.” This was, believe it or not, an opera that was run in prime time on a national network. No, my mother was not an opera aficionado—her musical tastes ran more to Big Band and folk, and as far as I know she never watched or listened to another opera in her life—but there was something about “Amahl” that she dearly loved. For those unfamiliar with the opera, it’s the story of the lame boy Amahl and his impoverished mother who meet the Wise Men on their way to Bethlehem. Italian composer Gian Carlo Menotti wrote the opera as a commission from NBC and it was first televised as a live performance in 1951. (It was also the debut of another tradition: it was the first production of the Hallmark Hall of Fame.) The program was performed live for over a decade, then in 1963 it was taped and rerun until 1966. Of course, this is all from hindsight and Wikipedia. At the time we weren't keeping track.

I do have a hazy memory of my mother’s disappointment when “Amahl” didn’t come on one year. At first she thought we must have just missed it, but several years went by without a sign of it. This is a time before DVDs, even before VCRs, when there were few channels and holiday specials were just that: they were only shown at the holidays and were special. If you missed “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” then you had to wait until next year and hope it was shown again. Still, on any occasion in which someone asked about a box, Mom would chant, “This is my box, this is my box, I never travel without my box” as Kaspar sings in “Amahl.”

Some seven or eight years ago I found a copy on video and bought it. My first surprise was to find out that it was an opera. I thought it was just a musical, like "West Side Story" which I knew not from the theaters but from ""NBC Monday Night at the Movies." This video was from a later version—from the 1970s, I think—but it was pretty much as I remembered. The biggest difference is that it was in color. My mother was delighted! On Christmas Eve, she insisted that we all sit down and watch “Amahl.” My older brother seemed vaguely puzzled at first, and then all at once he remembered it too. If I’d remembered more about it, I would have had tissues at the ready.

Even if you don't like opera, give "Amahl" a try if you come across a copy. If you're curious there are excerpts of various performances on youtube. There’s a book adaptation in the Children’s Department in the fiction section under Menotti.

Just keep some tissues handy.

Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher

2011-12-09T16:49:00.000-05:00

Reviewed by Nancy W.

In Wishful Drinking Carrie Fisher tells some really wild tales. She assures the reader, however, that even though many of the stories she’s telling are “way over the top,” she is leaving out plenty that are even farther past “way over the top.” This makes me want to sit down and have a conversation with her just to see if I could get her to tell me some of the parts she left out.

Carrie Fisher is the daughter of Eddie Fisher (famous crooner) and Debbie Reynolds (iconic actress). As Ms. Fisher puts it, her parents were “the Brad Pitt and Jennifer Anniston of the late 50s." And like Brad and Jen, they did not stay married.

So, here’s what happened: Eddie and Debbie were close, close friends with Mike Todd and Elizabeth Taylor. About a year after Mike Todd married Elizabeth Taylor, he was killed in a plane crash.

Carrie Fisher’s father, Eddie, flew to Elizabeth Taylor’s side to console her, “gradually making his way slowly to her front.” In short order Eddie’s involvement with Elizabeth Taylor made his marriage to Debbie Reynolds “awkward.” Divorce followed. Ms. Fisher makes this simple for the reader to grasp by offering these instructions, “think of Eddie as Brad Pitt and Debbie as Jennifer Aniston and Elizabeth as Angelina Jolie. Ms. Fisher provides us with a chart (including pictures) of her parent’s marriages, divorces and children.

Of course, there are two ways to approach this. One can be horrified at the sad shenanigans of the rich and famous, or one can turn it into some really dark humor and laugh it off as Carrie Fisher does. I must say I have enjoyed Ms. Fisher's approach.

If you can't quite place Carrie Fisher, think of the young woman in the movie "Star Wars" who had the funny hair. Ms. Fisher offers a few comments on the hair style in her book. She also opines that the star wars movie gave her an identity that will follow her to her grave "like a vague, exotic smell."

Ms. Fisher's book is chock full of tasty informational tidbits. I especially savored the one regarding a special talent of former president George W. Bush that is revealed on pages twenty-one and twenty-two.

You might not expect a philosophical observation about immortality to have a punch line, but Ms. Fisher's does. It is put forth in the last two paragraphs of page twenty-two.

Come to think of it, page twenty which covers the period long ago when she dated Senator Chris Dodd is pretty interesting, too.

If you think you don't have any time to fritter away reading a celebrity memoir, just drop by the library and read pages twenty-one and twenty-two. I would hate for you to miss them. Of course, you'll probably get hooked and want to read the book in its entirety.

Genetics, Prodigal Summer, Flavia, Birds, Ex Libris and The Hogfather

2011-12-06T12:09:00.000-05:00

The November 22 Nevermore Book Club readers were enthusiastic about their selections, which were fairly evenly balanced between fiction and non-fiction.

Genetics for Dummies by Tara Rodden Robinson was the first book discussed. Our reader was thoroughly enjoying it. The author explains a complex subject in relatively simply fashion. If you want to feel a bit less important, just note the number of genes in corn (maize) verses the number in a human being. Along the way one learns about the history of corn, information about European royalty, gene therapy, gene splicing and how DNA is revolutionizing crime solving.

Barbara Kingsolver’s Prodigal Summer was next up. This novel weaves three storylines together as a female forest ranger, a young widow, and two elderly neighbors redefine the concepts of home and family. One aspect that everyone enjoyed was the amount of information about the environment, ecology, culture and wildlife was woven into the story. The setting is local, which made it all the more appealing.

Ex Libris: Reflections of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman enchanted our next member. The book is a collection of essays by a woman who is passionate about reading and books. Witty and thoughtful, Fadiman covers language, books and the moment she finally felt married: when she and her husband merged book collections.

Eleven year old chemist and sleuth Flavia de Luce has acquired a devoted following since her debut in The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. In I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, the delightful fourth entry in the series, Flavia’s father has rented out the family home during the Christmas holidays to a movie company in hopes of raising some badly needed cash to keep the family solvent. Flavia had been quite involved in her latest project—capturing Father Christmas—but finds the newcomers to be a bit of an intriguing distraction. Series fans will be glad to know that the sisters are as spiteful as ever and that Dogger has a good role. You don’t have to read the series in order.

Another holiday title of sorts is The Hogfather by Terry Prachett. In Discworld, presents are delivered by The Hogfather, a jolly man in a red suit who rides in a sled pulled by pigs. Due to some unfortunate meddling, the Hogfather is not in a state to do his job in that he is. . . um, sort of dead. Since there must be a Hogfather, the role is assumed by another immortal of sorts, only this one usually carries a scythe. Let’s just say that Death is not the life of the Christmas party, though his grasp of the concept of a commercial Christmas is one to celebrate. If you like satiric British humor and word play, by all means put The Hogfather on your holiday reading list.

January 1^st is not only New Year’s Day, it’s the kick-off date for an annual bird-watching competition. On that day, a number of bird-watching enthusiasts will decide to embark on a “Big Year” which when a birder spends an entire year trying to see as many bird species as he can throughout North America. The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession by Mark Obmascik chronicles the year 1999 when three highly competitive men set out to beat the record. Even non-birders will enjoy this entertaining and true story, and come away with a bit more interest in what goes on at the backyard feeder.

New Books in Favorite Series!

2011-12-03T10:49:00.000-05:00

There are several popular series authors who have new books out in November. Many of these will be on reserve, so if you want to read these you may need to get your name on the list!

Sue Grafton fans, rejoice! Kinsey Millhone is back, though she ‘s a little worse for wear after a punch in the face leaves her with two black eyes and a broken nose. That’s just the start of the complications in V is for Vengeance, the long awaited new entry in the series that started with A is for Alibi. Reserve it today!

Before Catherine Coulter became famous for her FBI thrillers, she wrote some wonderful historical romances. The Prince of Ravenscar is her newest book and a sequel to the Sherbrooke Twins. In fact, the author suggests you reread the latter before reading the new book. Where can you find a copy of The Sherbrooke Twins? Why, your local library! We have copies in large print, paperback and on CD!

Did you love Wicked? Out of Oz is the fourth and final book in Gregory Maguire’s inspired re-imagining of the Land of Oz. Maguire brings back some of his beloved characters and gives us a good look at that Kansas girl, Dorothy Gale.

When ships suddenly begin exploding, Kurt Austin is called to investigate and uncovers a dictator’s plan to use an incredible weapon to extort tribute from the world’s governments. Devil’s Gate by Clive Cussler is another thrilling chapter in the Numa Files series!

For Harry Bosch, time is ticking down. He only has three years before he’ll have to retire from the force, and he’s anxious to solve as many cases as he can before then. Harry should know to be careful what he wishes for, when two cases suddenly show up on the same day, both with horrifying implications. Best-selling author Michael Connelly is in top form with The Drop. Reserve it today!

Fall means it’s time for a new Margaret Maron book! In Three Day Town, Judge Deborah Knott and her deputy sheriff husband are visiting the Big Apple, but their hopes for their long delayed honeymoon are dashed when their doorman is murdered and a box is missing. Maron fans will be delighted to know that the investigating officer is none other than Sigrid Harald, who was featured in Maron’s first mystery series.

Flavia is back! Everyone’s favorite eleven year old chemist /sleuth has an ingenious plan to ensnare Father Christmas, but first she has another murder to solve. Alan Bradley has concocted another winning tale with I Am Half Sick of Shadows A Flavia de Luce Novel.

James Patterson’s new book is Kill Alex Cross. Need we say more?

Eragon fans, the wait is over! Inheritance, the fourth and final book in the saga, is out this month. Christopher Paolini became a media sensation as a nineteen year old best-selling author. Now 27, his books have been licensed into 49 different languages!

If you like off-beat—and we mean really offbeat—mysteries, then Tim Dorsey may be the author for you. His protagonist is Serge Storms, a psychopathic serial killer with a strong sense of justice, sort of like a gregarious and outgoing Dexter. The new book in the series is When Elves Attack, A Joyous Christmas Greeting from the Criminal Nutbars of the Sunshine State.

Old Hollywood: Lady Blue Eyes & Rin Tin Tin

2011-11-30T15:37:00.000-05:00

Lady Blue Eyes: My Life with Frank by Barbara Sinatra

Reviewed by Nancy P.

Barbara Sinatra gives us a fabulous account of her life with icon Frank Sinatra. It is full of surprises. She relates the good and the bad of their lives during and after the Golden Age of movies and entertainment in the Fifties and Sixties and beyond. Her stories of other popular entertainers of yesteryear are very interesting and make you want to keep the pages turning. She isn’t “dishing dirt” in that her stories aren’t malicious or mean-spirited, but she does give some eye-opening moments.

Of course, most of the book is about Frank Sinatra. He had so many facets to his personality. She deals with that in depth as well as with his legacy. She says he was the most romantic man she ever met, but admits that he had a temper, especially when he was drinking. His loyalty to his friends was legendary. He touched so many lives.

If you’re a fan of “Old Hollywood,” the Rat Pack, the movie stars and entertainers, you’ll want to read Lady Blue Eyes.

Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean

Review by Jeanne

Before Lassie, there was Rin Tin Tin. If ever there was a canine Cinderella story, this was it.

It all began during World War I in France. American serviceman Lee Duncan was patrolling a bombed-out German encampment when he spotted a concrete building. When he investigated, he found it was a kennel where the German canine corps had been housed. It had been hit by shells; dead dogs were everywhere. As he picked his way through the debris, he heard a whimper and discovered a German shepherd dog with five puppies who had survived. An orphan himself, Lee was drawn to these shell-shocked dogs. He found a home for the mother and three of the puppies, keeping two for himself. He became their devoted guardian. He named the puppies after doll good luck charms that the French children sold to the troops: Nadine and Rin Tin Tin.

Lee didn’t know just how much of a good luck charm he had. He soon found out.

Even if you don’t remember watching Rinty himself, his influence on the way dogs were portrayed in movies was immense. The dog himself was a charmer, and some reviewers felt he was a better actor than his human co-stars. In fact, at one point Rin Tin Tin was the number one box office star. He’s often been credited with saving Warner Brothers Studios from bankruptcy and later inspired the 1976 comedy “Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood.”

Dog lovers and movie buffs alike will enjoy this wonderful book. It’s a loving and fascinating look at a man and his dog, the early movie industry, and the bond between humans and animals.

What's Hot!

2011-11-28T12:36:00.001-05:00

The New York Times Bestseller List is compiled by the news department of that newspaper. Exactly how they reach their list is a trade secret, but apparently they contact various chain and independent booksellers to determine what books individuals are buying as opposed to bulk buying. (At least once, it's believed, someone discovered which stores were polled and skewered the results by going to the stores and buying copies of specific books to up their standing on the list.)

Why should New York have all the fun? We decided to check the reserve list for books and create our own list to reflect local interest. What follows is the Bristol Public Library's Top Twelve Books on Reserve. (Please imagine a drum roll here.) Counting down we have:

12. Unwritten Laws by Greg Iles

11. Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

10. Kill Shot by Vince Flynn

9. I Am Half Sick of Shadows: a Flavia de Luce Novel by C. Alan Bradley

8. 11/22/63 by Stephen King

7. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini

6. The Drop by Michael Connelly

5. Bonnie by Iris Johansen

4.Shock Wave by John Sandford

3. V is for Vengence by Sue Grafton

2. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich

And the number one book on reserve is:

1. Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson!

We have multiple copies of most of these titles so the wait shouldn't be too long. You can reserve books online, by phone or in person on your next trip to the library!

New Novels for November!

2011-11-20T14:48:00.000-05:00

David Baldacci has a new book out, Zero Day! Army combat veteran and special investigator John Puller is called to the scene of a brutal murder in rural West Virginia, where nothing is what it seems to be and a local homicide might have international implications.

Anthony Horowitz has made quite a name for himself as an award-winning screenwriter as well as a novelist writing thrillers for both adults and children. Now he takes on a rather unusual assignment for the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. . . writing the first authorized Sherlock Holmes novel for 106 years. If you’re a Sherlock Holmes fan, you’ll want to reserve House of Silk.

What if you could go back in time and change an event? That’s been the hook for many a novel, some good and some very, very bad. This time, however, the question is asked by Stephen King—and the event is the Kennedy assassination. This could be very, very, very good indeed! The title is 11/22/63 and the time to reserve it is today!

Danielle Steel‘s newest book is Hotel Vendome, a behind the scenes look at a five star hotel in New York. Expect glamour, glitz, secrets, celebrities, romance—in short, all the ingredients that have made Danielle Steel a best-selling and beloved author.

Nevermore November Fiction

2011-11-17T10:27:00.000-05:00

Since we had been graced with a visit by Mary Kay Andrews, Director Jud chose to read her book Hissy Fit. Interior designer Keeley Rae Murdock sees her business take a nose-dive after she breaks up with her fiancé. Just because she caught him “doing the deed” with the Maid of Honor at the rehearsal dinner was not enough to warrant her “hissy fit”—or so HIS family thinks, and being folk of wealth and influence, they decide to ruin her business. Luckily, she meets Will Mahoney who has just bought an old manufacturing plant and who wants her to redecorate an antebellum mansion. Jud’s descriptions had the whole group laughing. One member pointed out that under her real name, Kathy Hogan Trocheck, she had written a wonderful series of mysteries set in Atlanta.

Guernesy Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer was the next book mentioned. The reader enjoyed it a great deal but said it took some time to get into it, and she found the format a little difficult because she couldn’t picture the characters. The story, however, is excellent. Guernsey spent five years under German occupation during World War II, and the residents had to improvise the Society as a cover for the resistance. The story is told in retrospect through a series of letters from an American journalist looking for a story and some of the island’s residents. Our reader recommended it, though she admitted it was tough going at first. She ended up enjoying the book very much.

Craig Johnson is a West Virginia native who now lives in Wyoming where he sets his Walt Longmire mysteries. Walt is a long time sheriff in the Gary Cooper mold, a man of moral convictions tempered by compassion. Johnson spins a great story and has an excellent supporting cast of characters, including Walt’s friend Henry Lone Bear. In the latest entry in the series, Hell is Empty, one character is given lists of books to read by his co-workers. Each list reflects the interests of the particular compiler, from Pilgrim’s Progress to Madame BovaryKip Carey’s Official Wyoming Fishing Guide. to Our reviewer recommends the series to anyone who likes a good mystery, especially those who favor Western settings.

Now You See Me by S. J. Bolton

2011-11-14T15:01:00.001-05:00

Reviewed by Jeanne

Policewoman Lacey Flint meets a dead woman standing by her car. Technically, the woman is still alive but at the rate blood is spewing forth it’s obvious that her life span is now to be measured in seconds. There’s no sign of the slayer; the women still wears expensive jewelry, though her purse is gone. There’s no identification on her, no cell phone, no car keys. As the police struggle to identify the victim, a reporter turns up with a letter that refers to Lacey and to the crime, using phrases that would sound alarm bells for any historical crime buff:

Saucy Jacky is back.

As a child, Lacey was fascinated by Jack the Ripper so she knows what the letter means. She also realizes that the woman was murdered on the same day as the Ripper’s first known victim, and that the wounds are similar. It soon becomes apparent that someone is replicating some of those crimes and the police are racing against time to prevent more murders. It’s also apparent that the killer is fixated on Lacey, who has some things in her past that she’d rather forget.

Bolton is a British thriller writer whose books tend to follow a certain follow a pattern, though they aren’t formulaic. Her novels usually feature a strong, gutsy female lead with a damaged past and a willingness to sometimes rush in where angels fear to tread if she feels someone is in danger. There is a well developed supporting cast of characters. Bolton also does a wonderful job with setting, describing places in vivid and tactile terms, and knows just what buttons to push to ratchet up the tension. In her previous books, she kept the violence a bit removed by placing it in the past but in this book certain things are immediate and visceral—no pun intended. She can take something ordinary and make it frightening. For example, the song “My Favorite Things” runs all through the book; it was one of Lacey’s favorite songs, one she found comforting in difficult times. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to listen to that song again without feeling a sense of unease.

Another factor is always the past: not just the characters’ pasts—which are important—but history and folklore always figure into the story in some fashion. Legend is as apt to lead you down a wrong path as a right one; figuring out the important bits is part of the puzzle. Bolton’s books are good illustrations of the Faulkner quotation that the past isn’t dead. It isn’t even past.

Finally, Bolton’s solutions are complex and riveting; there are twists you don’t see coming. That’s true of this book in particular. It makes it a little difficult to do a review in some ways, because to do it justice the reviewer would have to reveal some things best left for the reader to discover. She also doesn’t seem to believe in the pat happy ending; not all of her books end with folks walking off into the sunset together, holding hands.

I’m not a fan of graphic violence so some sections were definitely unsettling; but I can offer the same comment about many current thrillers and forensic books. (And, to be fair, there are other thrillers that are much more graphic.) I did enjoy the characters and the plotting, the attention to detail and the bits of “Ripper-lore”—I can always count on Ms. Bolton to do her homework in such things!—and the ending was a shocker.

Nevermore Bookclub: November Nonfiction!

2011-11-09T14:28:00.000-05:00

Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy F. Baumeister was a popular topic in the Nevermore Bookclub. The term “willpower” has been thrown around by self-help gurus and diet mavens, mostly in the context of “lack of willpower.” Psychologist Baumeister’s groundbreaking study on the nature of self-control and willpower explains when and why people give into temptation and how an individual can improve his or her willpower. He contends you can actually strengthen your resolve by practicing will power. A surprising number of things affected the ability to exercise self-control: glucose levels and sleep patterns were factors as well as the number of decisions a person was required to make (more decisions wore away resolve). Using the “buddy system” was effective in many cases. Nevermore members found Baumeister’s conclusions fascinating, and a good basis for understanding their own behavior, as well as a good basis for planning how to resist temptation. Willpower is a fascinating book and quite readable for the layperson.

Another new popular science book is Sex on Six Legs: Lessons on Life, Love and Language from the Insect World by Marlene Zuk. People have varied responses to insects: the little creatures are loved, loathed, studied, and even eaten but rarely given credit for being anything other than a sometimes necessary annoyance. Zuk’s book takes a look at the way insects interact, communicate, and reproduce. Did you know some insects seem to have facial recognition? In one experiment, bees that flew toward a particular photograph of a man were rewarded; some of the bees would return regularly to the photograph even if the face was inverted. They also seemed to remember the photograph for weeks. This is a book to entertain and inform the curious!

Roger Ebert has been a movie critic for over 40 years, but it’s his life behind the scenes that takes center stage in his memoir, Life Itself. He does recount some encounters and interviews with celebrities and discuss his sometime tempestuous relationship with his co-star Gene Siskal, but most of the book takes place out of the spotlight. Many reviewers mention his storybook childhood and his often madcap escapades as he embarked on a career in journalism, but the heart of the book recounts his struggle with alcoholism and with the cancer that robbed him of the ability to speak, eat or drink. The book is gracefully written and, as the title indicates, is more of a reflection on life than a gossipy tell-all. Our Nevermore member thought it was marvelous!

What Horses Say by Julie Dicker

2011-11-05T09:48:00.000-04:00

Reviewed by Nancy

It seemed like such a fantasy when I was a child, to be able to talk to the animals. Of course, now I talk to my animals all the time, but who knows what they really understand, and if they talk back to me I don't much get it.

But, it seems, there has been a real-life "Doctor Dolittle" amongst us. Her name was Julie Dicker and with her co-author, Anna Clemence, she wrote the book, "What Horses Say," which details her experiences as an animal healer and communicator.

Ms. Dicker, a resident of the UK who passed away in 2006, developed the ability to communicate with animals during early childhood. It wasn't as if she had learned to speak "horse" and then "cat" and then "bird" and then "dog." I tried this verbal method once myself, and found it to be impossible, especially the "cat." No, Julie Dicker was smarter than I am. She communicated with animals with her mind and her heart.

During the years that she worked as an animal communicator and healer Ms. Dicker built relationships with horse professionals who requested her assistance and insights regarding the behavior of their equine charges.

"What is wrong with my horse?" This is the question that drove many people to seek Ms. Dicker's assistance. According to Ms. Dicker, horses are smart, and have long memories. There is the story of Ozzie, who was a model steed as long as no one got near her wearing green boots. When green boots approached, Ozzie turned from a docile companionable friend into a raging lunatic of a horse, thrashing and churning and lashing out at anyone near.

Ms. Dicker had a session with Ozzie and learned that Ozzie had had some very bad experiences with people wearing green boots in the past. Once Ozzie's owners learned this they ditched their green boots and everything was fine.

This may sound silly to you, but there you have it. The horse was smart enough to connect green boots with bad experiences and also to retain this information for a long period of time.

Five years after learning this little quirk about Ozzie one of her owners forgot about the green boot phenomena one day. It was raining, and since it was raining he was wearing boots, and, uh-oh, they were cursed green boots. When he attempted to bring her in from the pasture she absolutely refused to be caught. He sloshed into the house, complaining to his wife that the usually cooperative Ozzie was determined to stay out in the rain. Once they realized he had on green boots, the wife, who was not wearing green boots, went to the pasture and caught the horse easily.

Then there's Lucy. Lucy was sold at auction, but chose another owner by reaching out of her stall and grabbing the clothes of Pippa, the woman passing by, who smelled good to her. When Pippa looked at the horse's face and body she knew that she had to have her. She went and found the man who had bought the horse and made a deal with him. It turned out that Lucy had been terribly mistreated early in her life, but fully recovered after receiving healing from Julie.

One of my favorites of the tales related was about Dan. Dan was a bay gelding who had been with the same owner for five years. During this time he had been a great horse to ride, never spooking, and had gotten along quite well with his owner. Then suddenly the good times were over, and Dan was a nightmare to ride, scooting and spooking at every turn.

When Ms. Dicker arrived to give Dan healing he was very eager to tell her what was going on. It turned out his owner/rider had recently started riding with a friend and spent the ride conversing with her friend instead of paying attention to Dan. So Dan decided negative attention was better than no attention. He started spooking at bushes and plastic bags and jumping across the road at every opportunity. When he did this conversation stopped and his rider turned her attention to him. Once this was explained to Dan's owner, she cut the chatter and everything was fine.

I suppose there are two ways to view Ms. Dicker's work. Either it's amazing, or it's just another load of hooey. If you are a person who is very invested in the idea of the mystical, magical unseen world around us, I suppose you might fall into the "it's amazing" camp.

On the other hand, if you are one of those individuals who insists that they believe only in things that they can see and touch, only in things that appear to be concrete, this one might be a little too far "out there" for you. If ever there was a book that might pull a person from the "concrete" camp into the "mystical" camp this might be it. Maybe you should risk a look.

The Night Bookmobile: Two Views

2011-10-31T12:31:00.000-04:00

There was quite a buzz when it was revealed that Audrey Niffenegger, author of the critically acclaimed The Time Traveler’s Wife, had written and illustrated a graphic novel. Would it work? Was it just a gimmick? As with practically any book, the answer to that depends on the reader. Some have loved it, some have hated it; there are few who are indifferent. The main point made in many reviews is that this is not a book for children, since many people still equate illustrated story with comics for kids and not another form of literature suitable for adults. This isn’t a children’s book anymore than Cancer Vixen by Mary Acocella Marchetto (a graphic novel detailing a woman’s bout with breast cancer) or the classic Maus by Art Spiegelman, which tells the story of the Holocaust.

As the story opens, Alexandra is walking alone in the wee hours of the morning, having had a fight with her boyfriend. She sees an old Winnebago and hears music, so she stops to see what is going on. It’s the Night Bookmobile, the driver tells her, and invites her in. She browses awhile, then discovers her old diary on the shelves. She realizes that she has read all the books on the bookmobile. Of course, she is told, it is her collection. From this seemingly chance encounter, an obsession is born: she must unlock the secrets of the bookmobile.

Here are two viewpoints about the book. First up is Gena:

Even by graphic novel standards, this is a strange piece of work.

I read a lot of graphic novels, though I confess they are usually more of the cape and spandex super hero variety. I respect the literary ambitions of the medium, but I am always a little suspicious when someone from the prose world tries to capitalize on its recent success. Thus, when I first heard that Audrey Niffenegger of The Time Traveler's Wife fame was trying her hand at a graphic novel, I wasn't sure what to expect.

The end result is a disturbing story about the nature of reading and libraries in our lives.

The story is simple enough. The lead character stumbles across a bookmobile on a late night walk. In its collection it has every book she's ever read in her life right down to her own childhood diary. She's drawn to the place and wants to stay, but that is not permitted for reasons that can't be explained. Our heroine obsesses over the
bookmobile and searches for it for years to the detriment of her life and relationships. Eventually she becomes a librarian, and every decade or so, she finds it again. The result is always the same: she cannot stay. Finally, she decides to take drastic measures to change the state of things with unsettling results.

The art is lovely, and while the story is poignant, it is disturbing on a level that makes me question whether or not I want to read as much as I do or ever set foot in a library again!

Jeanne has an alternate view:

Hmm. . . I will say that I found the story memorable and given that I have the memory of a gerbil, that’s saying something. It did make me a bit uneasy, but it didn't turn me against books or libraries! I was more reminded of the lines from the Merle Travis classic, "Dark as a Dungeon":

"Like a fiend with his dope, or a drunkard his wine, a man will have lust for the lure of the mines."

Most of us have obsessions with one thing or another: collecting things, a sport, watching television or whatever. We spend too much time on that and not as much on the everyday business of living and interacting. We get absorbed and neglect other things, possibly more important things. I say “possibly” because we can only judge what really IS important for ourselves; Sequoia’s wife, according to legend, burned his first version of the Cherokee writing system because she felt he was wasting too much time on it instead of taking care of his family. I was intrigued by the whole premise: just think of it, your own private sanctuary where all you’ve read is stored.

Yet that is also the one aspect that gives me pause as a reader (and I mean as a reader in general, not as a reader of this book): there are no new books there, nothing that hasn’t already been read. If Alexandra didn’t finish a book, the pages are blank after the point where she stopped. It’s comfortable and sometimes comforting to reread some books, but wouldn’t you want to read something else once in awhile? Is the Night Bookmobile something that is basically narcissistic, a way of glorifying self? Is it true that we are what we read? Or is there something more?

I don’t have the answers to those questions, but I like that the questions are asked. While I found the ending a bit shocking, I wasn’t repulsed. I thought in some ways it was more reflective of the old adage, “Be careful what you wish for.” Yet, is the ending bad? I don’t know. I found the story both sad and oddly hopeful, a passing of the torch as it were.

I’m a bit ambivalent about the art. I grew up reading comics and am still a fan, though these days I’m more a reader of comic strips than comic books. I can’t start my day without a cup of coffee while reading 9 Chickweed Lane, Rose is Rose, and several other strips. I have not gotten into magna; I’ve read a few but some of the stylistic conventions are off-putting for me. In The Night Bookmobile, the art varies: in places it’s very flat, rather amateurish looking, while in others it’s beautiful and evocative. It works to express certain themes in the story, I think, but if I had just picked the book up and glanced through it I don’t know that I would call it beautiful. The cover I do like a lot, with those wonderful shelves of books and the red carpet looks so inviting: sort of velvety. It makes me want to sit right down on it and start looking at the books.

October New Book News!

2011-10-28T15:39:00.001-04:00

The Affair by Lee Child is just out. It’s set back in Reacher’s Army days and explores the reasons he left the service. Reserve it today! (Did you know that there’s a Reacher movie in the works, with Tom Cruise as the star? Do you think Cruise can pull it off?)

Nicholas Sparks has a new book out this month! The Best of Me tells the story of two star-crossed high school sweethearts who meet again after 25 years. Nobody does romance like Sparks! Get your name on the reserve list today!

If you’re a Beverly Lewis fan, the wait is over! The Mercy, the third book in “The Rose” trilogy is out now! Call or stop by the library to get your name on the reserve list!

John Sandford is famous for the Lucas Davenport “Prey” books, but some fans are even fonder of his new series starring Virgil Flowers. Shock Wave is the new book out in October and early reviews say this is one of his best!

Janet Evanovich has a new Stephanie Plum adventure due out in November. It’s called Explosive Eighteen. You can put it on reserve now! The movie version of One for the Money starring Katherine Heigl as Stephanie will be in theaters in January.

Dexter fans will definitely want to get on the list for Jeff Lindsay’s latest entry, Double Dexter. Dexter isn’t pleased to find that someone is copying his methods of eliminating other serial killers-- and we all know what happens when Dexter isn’t happy….

Vince Flynn fans, it looks as Kill Shot is going to be delayed until February, 2012. Mr. Flynn has been ill but according to his website, he hopes to back writing as soon as his treatments are finished. The plot sounds intriguing: Mitch Rapp is hunting a target in France when the tables are turned and he becomes the hunted.

Just in time for Halloween, F. Paul Wilson comes out with the last of the Repairman Jack novels, The Dark at the End. What, you don’t know Jack? He’s just one of the best supernatural characters to come along in the past decade or so! If you’re intrigued, start no earlier than Bloodline.

Terry Prachett fans, rejoice! There’s a new Discworld book out, Snuff. The master of satiric fantasy remains at the top of his game. Yep, Snuff is up to snuff!

John Grisham has a new book out in October! The title is The Litigators, and the story revolves around two all but down and out attorneys who suddenly acquire a new associate and maybe a case that will net them millions. Several reviewers have said this one has more humor than some of Grisham's books and it seems like the author is really having fun. When authors have fun, readers usually do too!

If you love British historical fiction, then you know the name Sharon Kay Penman. After a long hiatus, Penman has a new book out: Lionheart, about Richard I. It’s full of the same detail and romance Penman fans have come to expect!

New York to Dallas is the latest installment in J.D. Robb’s very popular “In Death” series. A violent pedophile has escaped prison, and Eve is determined to track him down. The trail leads her back to Dallas and to face some of the ghosts from her past.

Raven Report: October 18

2011-10-26T12:08:00.000-04:00

Reported by Jeanne

The Nevermore Book Club was very lively this week! Russell Banks was still under discussion, with one person championing his novel Rule of the Bone as his best, while others praised The Sweet Hereafter. Director Jud Barry had a serendipitous experience by following Cloudsplitter with Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible. He felt the themes of the two books complimented each other.

Michael Connelly was praised by several there, especially his novel The Poet. When reporter Jack McEvoy finds evidence that a series of suicides might be the work of a serial killer, he finds himself behind the scenes of an investigation. The killer is leaving quotations from Poe at the scene, so the reader learns quite a lot about Edgar Allan in the course of the investigation. McEvoy turns up in several other Connelly books, including Scarecrow and The Narrows.

Stuart Woods’ Son of Stone was praised as a fun read as were the books of the late Stephen J. Cannell. The latter made his name first in television where he was a successful writer and producer, overcoming dyslexia to do so. His ability to tell a good story makes his Shane Scully novels great escapist reading.

Ken Follett has started a new epic after his best selling Pillars of the Earth. The new book is Fall of Giants and it follows the fortunes of five families from different countries (England, Germany, Russia, America, and Wales) through the tumultuous years of the First World War. There are two sequels planned.

At the other end of the scale is Abide with Me by Elizabeth Strout which deals with a small New England community in the 1950s. The town’s minister suffers a terrible loss and finds himself questioning his faith and his community questioning his fitness as church leader. Strout is also the author of the critically acclaimed Olive Kitteridge.

Non-fiction was well represented, too. 1491 by Charles C. Mann is a new look at the Americans before Columbus. New archaeological research offers challenges to our previously held view of Native American civilizations, which were both thriving, complex and, in some cases, technologically superior to their European counterparts. Mann is careful to explain how these new conclusions have been reached in a fascinating challenge to conventional views.

Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States also questions some standard assumptions. Zinn’s focus is not on towering individuals but on what he perceives as the struggle between various classes and groups of people. It was noted that some of what Zinn says might have particular resonance today with the “Occupy Wall Street” movement.

The Greater Journey: American in Paris by David McCullough is another winning look at history from the man who gave us 1776 and John Adams. Americans in the 1800s were venturing abroad in goodly numbers, bringing back with them ideas and inspirations that would change their homeland. At that time France was seen as the center of the arts and sciences, a place where dance and medical advances stood together. Many of the people were accomplished in several areas, though became known for one: Samuel Morse, for example, is justly celebrated for his telegraph, but he was also an accomplished painter. James Fennimore Cooper, Mark Twain, Mary Cassalt, Elizabeth Blackwell and Harriet Beecher Stowe are just a few of the accomplished folk we meet in these pages. As ever, McCullough tells a fine story and makes history come alive.

New Book News!

2011-10-24T19:12:00.000-04:00

Some favorite authors have new books out in October! Here are some of the ones we think you might like:

Back in 1977, there weren’t many female detectives outside of Nancy Drew or nosy little old ladies in English villages. That was the year Marcia Muller debuted her detective Sharon McCone, a hard-boiled private eye in San Francisco. In City of Whispers, a search for her half-brother leads her to two murders and a race against time. This series just keeps going strong!

If you love English historical fiction, you’re in for a treat! Philippa Gregory has a new book out, The Lady of the Rivers. It’s set just before the War of the Roses, and the main character is Jaquetta, who will be the mother of Elizabeth Woodville. Passion, power, and the fate of a nation—what more could you ask for?

For years, Eve Duncan has tried to discover what happened to her seven year old daughter. Now at last, Iris Johansen gives fans the answers in a three book arc:the first book is Eve, followed by Quinn and now at last comes Bonnie. Yes, we do get the answers we've waited for; and no, it is not the end of the series.

Lethal is the new book by Sandra Brown and it's another thrilling page-turner! Honor Gillette finds her world turned upside down when an accused mass murderer shows up in her yard, claiming that he was framed and that Honor's late husband's death was no accident. There are twists and turns aplenty, just as we've come to expect from Ms. Brown!

You can tell the holidays are fast approaching when the publishers start putting out the Christmas books! Debbie Macomber fans are already on reserve for 1225 Christmas Tree Lane, the latest in her popular series set in Cedar Cove. Glenn Beck has followed The Christmas Sweater with another holiday tale, Snow Angel. The publisher describes it as a tale about family, forgiveness and "a future free of the past." Donna VanLiere's 2011 book is The Christmas Noe, which tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two women as one searches for a family she didn't know she had. Christmas Treasures is the title of the new Cape Light book Thomas Kinkade. It's due out in November. Last but certainly not least, there's The Christmas Wedding which sounds as if it should be the new Nora Roberts or Danielle Steel. Surprise! It's the new book by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo. As the title suggests, it's a family drams about a widow who announces that she is going to remarry at Christmas-- but she won't tell her children the identity of the groom.

You can reserve these books online, in person at the library or by calling 276-645-8780.

Raven Report: Russell Banks

2011-10-21T14:14:00.000-04:00

The Nevermore Book Club had a lively discussion of Cloudsplitter by Russell Banks. The novel is told from the point of view of Owen Brown, son of John Brown who led the 1859 raid on Harper’s Ferry. It’s a masterful recreation of a pivotal point in American history, drawing a vivid picture of the political and emotional turmoil in the years immediately preceding the Civil War. The themes are just as timely now as then: when does idealism turn to action then to violent confrontation? Is violence in pursuit of a greater good justifiable? On an individual level, Cloudsplitter details the evolution of one man’s beliefs and the effect it has on his family and a nation.

Also recommended was another of Banks’ novels, The Sweet Hereafter. When a school bus accident claims the lives of several children, a community is changed forever. In this novel, Banks uses a variety of points of view to draw the reader into the story: Delores, the school bus driver who survives; Billy, who witnesses the accident and the deaths of his two children; Nicole, a cheerleader left paralyzed by the accident; and a lawyer who helps—or manipulates—the bereaved.

Statue in Search of a Pedestal: A Biography of the Marquis de Lafayette by Noel B. Gerson

2011-10-15T14:23:00.000-04:00

Reviewed by Gena

I read a lot of strange things for escapism. Lately I can't get enough of the 18th century. There is just something endlessly fascinating to me about a century that began with an elderly Louis XIV in stockings and high-heeled boots and ended with George Washington on his deathbed.

One of the most interesting characters from the latter half of that century was the Marquis de Lafayette. At age 19 he was already a French military officer, married with children, and unfathomably wealthy. Then he risked it all when he defied direct orders from King Louis XVI and snuck out of the country to fight the British in the American colonies. By his death at age 76, he had taken part in one American and two French revolutions and supported many revolutionaries in other lands.

Noel B. Gerson nimbly follows Lafayette through seven decades of exploits in the out-of-print gem Statue in Search of a Pedestal: A Biography of the Marquis de Lafayette (Call Number 921 LAF). You need not be a historian to enjoy this book. It is a light read that presents Lafayette's story with just enough background detail to help along readers who haven't had a history class in years. The historical detail doesn't bog down the narrative, but it still does a comprehensive job of covering Lafayette's life as a teenaged major general under Washington, his complicated and controversial role in the French Revolution, his stormy relationship with Napoleon, and his part in the July Revolution that deposed Charles X, the last Bourbon king of France.

At this point, I’ve read a lot about Lafayette, and I know most of his story. Still, this book held some surprises even for me. A favorite unexpected anecdote involved the Huger family of South Carolina. Benjamin Huger was the first to greet Lafayette upon his arrival in America when his boat landed near Georgetown, SC (well shy of his intended destination of Philadelphia). Years later, when Austria imprisoned Lafayette while at war with the French revolutionary government, Benjamin's son Francis went all the way to Austria and attempted to break him out of jail. Talk about Franco-American relations!

The book may be too much for schoolchildren doing quick reports on the American Revolution, but for anyone wondering what actually happened in the French Revolution and why so many people lost their heads, Lafayette's story might be a good start.

Note: Gena is a new librarian who is volunteering at Main. She reads widely, and is going to share some of her book picks with us. Thank you, Gena!

Southern Living Off the Eaten Path: Favorite Southern Dives and 150 Recipes That Made Them Famous by Morgan Murphy

2011-10-11T18:18:00.000-04:00

Reviewed by Jeanne

If you’re looking for a cookbook with hundreds of recipes, this isn’t the book for you, but we have some wonderful Southern Living cookbooks that should fit the bill.

If you’re looking for a book with hundreds of suggestions of places to eat, I’d recommend one of the books by the Jane and Michael Stern, the authors of several books about road food.

If you’re looking for a book with the stories behind local eateries, I’d recommend Fred Sauceman’s wonderful series of books called “The Place Setting.”

If, on the other hand, you’re looking for a fun browsing book with charming pictures, local color and delicious recipes, a book to dip into while relaxing, then this is just the book for you. It’s one of those rare delights which is the total package: text, photos and design just come together perfectly. There’s even an introduction by Fannie Flagg!

The cover as well as the title is a good indication of content: it has a 50s retro look, evoking those old roadside diners that are usually dismissed as “greasy spoons,” yet which evoke fond memories. My father’s was Black’s Fish Camp, a place I don’t think I could ever find again if I tried. I seem to remember something about a very long dirt or gravel road out in the middle of nowhere. It was several hours out of our way, but Daddy swore they served the best catfish he’d ever eaten and he was a man who liked to eat.

This book is an homage to such places, with wonderfully evocative photos and commentary. The theme is definitely “Road Trip.” The book is divided up by state, starting with a “Best Drive” recommendation. The one for Tennessee is Highway 129, the (in)famous twisty road beloved by motorcyclists and nicknamed the “Tail of the Dragon.” Tips offered include “Don’t go on a full stomach” and “Don’t take interns who get carsick.” For each state, there is a small selection of out-of-the-way places to eat. Photos give you a good visual sense of the place, while the text gives you some of the spirit. Unsurprisingly, most are mom-and-pop establishment with a folksy feel. There are recipes for the signature dishes of each establishment. Not only did most sound absolutely delicious, but the photos were definitely drool inducing. (Note: NOT a good book to peruse unless you’re going to have a very good meal very soon. I found my brown bag lunch to be woefully inadequate.)

The food selections are very interesting, and I don’t mean that in a negative sense. I’m fascinated by the idea of a chocolate fried pie, and the recipe for strawberry rhubarb pie sounded easy enough. Some old favorites showed up as well, including one for Watergate Salad and another for Hummingbird Cake. Other notable recipes included Jalapeño Hushpuppies, Kentucky Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie and (are you ready for this?) White Chocolate Banana Cream Pie with Sugar Cookie Crust. I can't even begin to imagine what that tastes like

While no really local places made the cut (and no Black’s Fish Camp, either), there are places you’ll recognize such as “The Roanoker” in Roanoke. “The Snappy Lunch” in Mount Airy, NC has been immortalized in a song by the VW Boys and yep, the recipe for their Pork Chop Sandwich is included.

I’ve mentioned the book’s design already, but it’s hard to do it justice. Every detail has been thought out, from the endpaper maps to using route sign shapes for the page number. The author even made the trip in a blue vintage Cadillac. The book reminded me of all those childhood trips we took, stopping at diners and some genuine dives where the food was all the things we’re now told we shouldn’t eat.

The author asks for suggestions and I do have a couple I want to send. Not only do I want some recognition for local treasures, but I want another volume of this wonderful book! It’s pure nostalgia for those of us of a certain age, and a peek back for younger folk.

Knight in Shining Armor

2011-10-08T10:54:00.000-04:00

A Knight In Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux

Reviewed by Susan

A Knight In Shining Armor is one of the most romantic stories I have ever read. It was the first of Jude Deveraux’s books to come out in hardcover and even she says it is her favorite. It is here that she establishes a pattern that she continued to use in most of her romances.

It is a historical romance set in the present and in Tudor England. The characters fall in love not once but three times: in the present, the past, and in their future. It is wonderful how she does it.

In the present, Dougless Montgomery is abandoned by her abusive fiancée and his daughter in the middle of nowhere England. Totally alone and without her cell phone, she goes into a small church and prays. When she weeps upon the grave of a knight, he is pulled from the past into the future—our present. They don’t believe each other’s story at first. There is a lot of humor as the knight, Nicholas Stafford, is introduced to modern times. Eventually Dougless realizes that she really is a strong woman and she and Nicholas fall in love. When they finally have an intimate relationship, he is pulled back into the past. No one in the present except Dougless remembers him. She begins to research history to find out what happened to him. She discovers that he died the date he disappeared, and that he was executed by royal command. He was innocent of the crime of which he was accused but his innocence wasn’t discovered for years.

Once again she goes to the church, weeping and praying. This time she is the one who changes times as she is pulled back into the past with Nicholas. The problem is that he doesn’t remember her. In order to save him, she has to warn him of the plot against him but he doesn’t believe her. Once again they fall in love just in time to be torn apart again, as Dougless is returned to her time.

There are more twists and turns in store in this wonderful novel. I highly recommend that you read this book. Believe me, you will enjoy it. You need to read the about the power of chocolate brownies, too!

Raven Report: Sept. 27

2011-10-05T19:29:00.002-04:00

Reported by Doris

There was a broad range of great books discussed today. One member discussed South Carolina author Mary Chestnut who has been called the most important Southern writer of the Civil War era. Chestnut kept extensive diaries during the war and worked them into a book in the early 1880’s. Her detailed descriptions of life on her family’s five plantations in the Carolina Low Country and her comments on the slaves and their treatment lead to a lively discussion about slavery. This tied into the previous discussions on Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell and Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Another member grew up in California and said she really did not remember a great emphasis on the Civil War in her school history classes. She said that while there are so many books on the issues of slavery, there are relatively few books that point out the issues of the Native Americans. It was pointed out by some that the different sections of the country each had their own concerns at the time: while the eastern part of the country was fighting the Civil War, the West was embroiled in its own brutal war as Native Americans lost more freedoms and their lands. Library Director Jud Barry mentioned two books he thought very interesting on the topic—Everything You Know About Indians is Wrong by Paul Chaat Smith and Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James Loewen. Another member observed that most of what people read about the Native Americans of today comes from the books of Margaret Coel, James Doss, Tony Hillerman, Dana Stabenow and other writers who place their stories within the Native American culture. She also pointed out that reservations have changed due to the oil, gas, and mineral deposits and these changes along with the serious issues such as alcoholism, poverty, and crime are being reflected in the new novels.

The work of Russell Banks was highly recommended by one member, especially The Sweet Hereafter. He has a new book coming out which has been very well reviewed, The Lost Memory of Skin. Banks tends to write about people who have fallen through the cracks or who are otherwise isolated or shunned by society. In his new book, the protagonist is a twenty two year old sex offender called “the Kid” who is more or less forced to live under a causeway with other dregs of society. He’s befriended—more or less-- by “the professor,” an arrogant and manipulative man who claims to be doing a sociological study.

The discussion then switched to the new “wave” of Norwegian and Scandinavian mystery writers that have gained popularity since Stieg Larsson’s series of tremendously popular “The Girl Who” mysteries. Henning Mankell was suggested as a great read. His Kurt Wallander series by Mankell has it all—crime, Swedish setting, great plots, and a fast pace.

Doris suggested Daniel Silva and his Gabriel Allon series to those who like thrillers. Allon is a deep cover Israeli agent who is an art restorer. The newest book in the series is Portrait of a Spy and it is an intense, very timely look at the current situation in the Middle East along with an intriguing plot about a new terrorist cell that plans to strike deep into America.

World Change: Tipping Points

2011-10-01T15:18:00.000-04:00

Some of the Nevermore readers enjoy challenging topics and what could be more challenging than changing the world? That was the topic of a new book The Miracle of Freedom: Seven Tipping Points That Saved the World by Chris and Ted Stewart which postulates seven events which, they believe, were pivotal to creating free societies. These events include the discovery of the New World, the victory of the Greeks over the Persians at Thermopylae and Salamis and the failure of the Mongols to conquer Europe. Agree or disagree, the book serves as a good jumping off point to discuss other crucial points in history.

The American Civil War might well be the choice of many, and with this being the 150^th anniversary of the start of the war, there are many, many new books out on the topic. One such is 1861: Civil War Awakening by Adam Goodheart which examines the start of the war as seen by lesser known folk in New York or Maryland instead of through major politicians and generals. Do you know who Elmer Ellsworth was? You will after you read this book! Goodheart is a journalist and historian who revisits events we think we know and shows them from more of a cultural perspective, as people are forced to re-examine what they believe and why.

Playing the Race Card: Melodramas of Black and White from Uncle Tom to O.J. Simpson by Linda Williams is an examination of the way race has been portrayed in America. Most of the emphasis is on film portrayals going back to “Birth of a Nation” but Williams includes the media coverage of the Simpson trial in her analysis. She is particularly interested in showing how stereotypical images have been used to promote harmony as well as segregation or reinforce prejudices.

World War II is considered by many to be another crucial point in history. There have been numerous books on that topic, fiction and non-fiction. Most of them try to answer the question, “How did people like Hitler and Mussolini come to power?” or “How could the concentration camps and death camps have existed?” One recent children’s book, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, has made quite an impact, proving the lasting fascination with that period of history.

Of course, September 11, 2001 is often cited as another tipping point, a time when the world changed forever. The question was asked, “Where are the books about 9/11?” Oh, there are many non-fiction books and even some novels which tackle the terrible events of that day, but so far there hasn’t been a defining novel about 9/11 the way that Red Badge of Courage defined the Civil War or All Quiet on the Western Front defined World War I.

Fiction books using 9/11 as a backdrop include Falling Man by Don DeLillo, Terrorist: A Novel by John Updike, Karen Kingsbury’s Tuesday Morning series, Netherland by Joseph O’Neill and Absent Friends by S. J. Rozan.

What events do you see as tipping points?

YA books too good to miss!

2011-09-28T09:14:00.000-04:00

Teen books aren’t just for teens anymore! There have been a number of YA and children’s books which have attracted an adult audience: Rowling’s Harry Potter series, Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series and the gritty, realistic books by Ellen Hopkins. Teen Librarian Pam Neal joined the Nevermore Book to talk about some new teen books too good to miss:

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare is the first in the “Mortal Instruments” series. Clary is an average teenager living an average life until the night she witnesses an apparent murder except that the victim disappears. She soon discovers that she’s seeing people no one else does, and that there’s a “Shadow World” all around us. This new urban fantasy series has fans panting for the next installment; a movie is in the works.

Themes in fiction often follow real world events. In the last few years, the news has been dominated by the rise and fall of governments as well as questions about the relationship between government and the governed so it’s not surprising that books in which people question the status quo are filling the best seller lists. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins has been the most successful so far, but here are two up and comers:

Divergent by Veronica Roth is set in a future society where people are divided up into factions. At age 16, each person has to chose a faction and competes for the right to join that faction; the catch is that the person also remains there for the rest of his or her life—even if it means leaving your family behind forever. As Beatrice struggles to find where she belongs, she also discovers that the “perfect society” may not be quite so perfect.

Can you imagine a world where love would be considered a disease? Lauren Oliver does just that in Delirium. Lena is perfectly content to undergo the operation that will cure her of deliria (love), and to have her occupation and husband chosen for her. Then she meets a young man named Alex and her world will never be the same. Oliver has won praise not just for her imaginative world, but for her lyrical writing.

Just in case futuristic societies are not your cup of tea, there’s If I Stay by Gayle Forman about a young girl who suddenly becomes aware she is watching the aftermath of a horrific car accident—and she is one of the victims. While her body remains in a coma, Mia considers her options and remembers her life with her family while she tries to decide if she wants to live or die.

Another member of Nevermore wanted to recommend some “children’s books” which adults love too. Goodnight, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian tells the story of a young Londoner evacuated to the English countryside in the days before World War II. Willie is a shy child, abused by his mother who is at first bewildered and overwhelmed by his new situation. As he gradually bonds with his new guardian, Mr. Tom, he begins to blossom and Mr. Tom grows to love his charge. After Willie is sent back to London, Mr. Tom becomes increasingly concerned when he doesn’t hear from the child. Magorian does a wonderful job of portraying the relationship between a gruff old man and a frightened child as well as depicting England in the late 1930s.

There are a number of other wonderful children’s/YA books out there and we’ll spotlight some in future posts. In the meantime, just ask Pam for other recommendations!

Koala of Death by Betty Webb

2011-09-22T10:19:00.000-04:00

Reviewed by Jeanne

The second book in the delightful Gunn Zoo series opens with Theodora “Teddy” Bentley finding a body floating in the harbor near her boat, the Merilee. The situation only gets worse when she realizes that she knows the dead woman: it’s one of her fellow zoo keepers, Kate Nido, who does as TV segment as Koala Kate. Kate had been attending a party on another boat the night before, so Teddy’s first assumption is that Kate had a bit too much to drink and fell overboard. The coroner soon decrees that theory wrong: Kate was strangled and died before she went into the water. As it turns out, Kate had a nose for gossip and could wield a mean keyboard with a blog filled with innuendo. Now the list of suspects starts to add up, and there are a number of Teddy’s friends and coworkers on the list: Outback Bill, an Aussie zookeeper who was Kate’s boyfriend before someone dumped someone; Robin Chase, the big cat keeper who doesn’t like Teddy; Sam and Doris Grimaldi, the party’s hosts and zoo supporters who may have something to hide; Speaks With Spirits, a so-called “pet psychic;” and just maybe Cleo, Teddy’s mother.

Teddy, in addition to trying to solve the mystery, is called on to take over Koala Kate’s weekly liveTV segment featuring animals from the zoo and a TV anchorwoman with an apparent inability to follow instructions such as “Don’t touch the animals.” Teddy’s boyfriend, Sheriff Joe Rejas, takes a very dim view of Teddy’s investigations, putting a little strain on the relationship.

Sometimes second books in a series disappoint. The novelty has worn off: the exotic setting isn’t so exotic, the characters a bit less sparkling. I’m very happy to report this is not the case here. I enjoyed this outing just as much as the first. Again we are introduced to the habits of several different fascinating creatures in a non-tutorial manner. Koalas take center stage, as you might guess, and little Wanchu almost steals the show. One other point I have to mention: Teddy still goes back and visits Lucy the anteater, animal star of the first book. I know that’s a minor point, but it’s a pet peeve—no pun intended—of mine, when a character meets a new person or animal, seems extremely fond of same, and next book has totally forgotten about that new BFF or else mentions same just in passing. Teddy is loyal. I like that in a person. She has several other fine traits too,including her love for animals and her job. Webb doesn’t glamorize the zookeeper’s life: overworked, underpaid, dealing with animals who could injure or kill at any time, cleaning up waste, and sheer hard labor. It isn’t all cuddling koalas, folks.

I also like the relationship between Teddy and Joe. While there is a bit of strain over criminal investigation, there isn’t that sense of manufactured drama some writers employ over and over in an artificial effort to create tension.

While I would classify these as “light mysteries” since there is not a great deal of Serious Social Commentary or Deep Psychological Analysis, I found them both entertaining and educational about animals. There are some really funny scenes in the book, but it isn’t silly or slapstick. The characters are well done; Webb avoids the easy stereotypes and manages to surprise us, just as people do in real life.

You don’t need to have read Anteater of Death to enjoy this one. Me, I’m already looking forward to the next in the series, The Llama of Death.

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi

2011-09-19T19:14:00.000-04:00

Reviewed by Jeanne

John Holloway is a space age prospector, working on the planet Zarathustra. More specifically, he’s an independent contractor working more or less on his own for ZaraCorp, seeking out valuable mineral deposits to exploit. John’s one of those guys who just loves to push the envelope—and to push his boss’s buttons, so it’s probably just as well that he prefers to work alone. Just as John is fired—again—he discovers an incredibly valuable seam of gems in a cliff he’s just destroyed by accident. He’s immediately rehired and plans are being made to extract the gems.

Then John discovers something else.

Something alive. . .

Something furry and cute. . .

Something that might be a sentient being.

Something that could be a big problem, since ZaraCorp’s licenses specify they can work only on planets without sentient life forms.

As John becomes more and more convinced that the Fuzzies are indeed intelligent beings, ZaraCorp becomes more and more determined to preserve its claim, even if it means eradicating the Fuzzies.

If this plot sounds familiar, it may be that you have encountered the Fuzzies before. In 1962, H. Beam Piper published a book called Little Fuzzy which was the inspiration for this book by Scalzi, who took the story, updated it a bit and made some changes in characters and events. He gives full credit to Piper for the inspiration. Scalzi is a well known science fiction writer in his own right, and one of many who have loved the Fuzzy stories through the years. Piper himself wrote two and part of a third before his death; other authors have picked up the Fuzzy tales through the years.

I had read those books as well as Piper’s and have enjoyed them all. I also like Scalzi’s version. His Holloway isn’t a grizzled prospector but a young man with a yen for a certain xenobiologist (who dumped him) and a somewhat checkered past which included a stint as a lawyer. (The latter comes in very handy during one of the best courtroom scenes I’ve read outside of Perry Mason.) The Fuzzies are as enchanting as ever, and some of the questions the story raises are perhaps even timelier. It’s a light, fun read (despite one terrible incident) that will have you laughing, crying and cheering. Even if you don’t think you like science fiction, give Fuzzy Nation a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.

She Walks in Beauty: A Woman's Journey Through Poems; and Good Poems

2011-09-16T14:16:00.001-04:00

Reviewed by Jeanne

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis spent the last several years of her life working as a book editor, bringing to print such books as The Wedding by Dorothy West and Dancing on My Grave by Gelsey Kirkland. John F. Kennedy won a Pulitzer for Profiles in Courage. Daughter Caroline Kennedy has followed in her parents’ literary footsteps by writing and editing a number of books. Her most recent is She Walks in Beauty: A Woman’s Journey Through Poems. The title comes, of course, from the famous poem by Lord Byron:

She walks in beauty, like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that's best of dark and bright

Meet in her aspect and her eyes;

Thus mellowed to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

Most people remember the first four lines, or else the first verse; but I'm ashamed to admit I'd forgotten the rest. It was a bit like revisiting a place you thought you knew well and suddenly realizing how lovely it is. There are a lot of "old chestnuts" that we take for granted, in part because they were required in school, and don't take the time to reread as an adult to see why these poems (or novels or stories or whatever) have stood the test of time.

I'll apologize in advance because I'm about to climb on a soapbox here. Sometimes literature, like fashion, goes through fads. Certain poetic styles go out of fashion, superseded by new techniques; or certain poets become passe. For example, Rudyard Kipling was lionized in his lifetime, only to be thoroughly disparaged after his death. Now people are re-evaluating his contribution and deciding that perhaps he wasn't too bad after all. Other writers were dismissed during their lifetimes, but somehow their work has lasted through the years. For me, that's the key: no matter if some feel the phrases are hackneyed or too sentimental or the rhyme scheme is off or the work is too commercial, these are the works that meant something to a lot of people, that evoked emotion from the readers. Poetry IS emotion.

This isn’t to dismiss the craftsmanship and artistry behind more “literary” poems. Those impart a different sort of pleasure, an intellectual delight. I’m just saying there is a place for both and both can be appreciated. I feel that too much analysis can sometimes drain the joy right out of poetry, making people believe that it's dull and boring. Far from it! Poetry has been the medium of handing down history, of rousing men for battle, of lulling children to sleep, evoking laughter and tears.

Hopping off the soapbox and getting back to the review now!

The book is divided up thematically (Falling In Love, Breaking Up, Marriage, Growing Up and Growing Old, etc.) Kennedy introduces each section with a brief essay, sometimes explaining why certain poems were chosen and explaining the intent of each section.

The poems are a good mix of old standards by authors such as Christiana Rossetti, Edna St. Vincent Millay, John Donne, and Anne Sexton along lesser known poets and poems. All are accessible. You’ll meet a lot of old friends and make some new ones with this collection—I know I did.

I also wanted to put in a plug for Good Poems, selected and introduced by Garrison Keillor. I enjoyed listening to his "Writer's Almanac" when it ran on WETS and was familiar with some of his other poetry collections. Like Caroline Kennedy's book, this volume is divided up thematically. I do like that in a poetry collection which I'm reading for pleasure. Many such today are divided up by poet or by region. As with Kennedy, Keillor mixes selections from old standbys with those from newer poets. It's a wonderful browser's book, and Keillor has a good eye and ear for selecting poems.

Last but not least, American Folk Poetry: An Anthology is a wonderful collection of poems, songs, ballads, hymns and other forms of popular verse. It's one of those oldie but goodie books. You'll find old favorites as well as some which were known only in certain regions. Some are "true events" ballads such as "Legend of Jesse James," while others express universal emotions or beliefs. Most are by that most prolific of authors, Anonymous. It's a book I go back to again and again.