iPhones And Books, Industry Pulse By Flurry
November 3, 2009
According to a report (Flurry Smartphone Industry Pulse, October 2009), 20% of the apps released in the App store in October were for reading books (eBooks); more than were released for gaming, an industry first. What does this all mean? Well, if you were thinking that Amazon’s Kindle, Sony’s Reader or Barnes & Noble’s Nook were going to be the eBook readers of choice, you might want to think again. Instead of going out and buying a second device, no matter how cleverly designed, many people are opting to read books on the cell phones they already own.
Unfortunately, here at the Essex Library we can’t offer downloadable eBooks due to lack of funds in our budget. However, we do offer downloadable audiobooks for iPhones and iPods–as well as many MP3 players through our FREE OverDrive downloadable audiobook service. In some cases, the audio version of a book enhances the story to make it a much more enjoyable experience. Want to try out the service? It’s easy.
Just click on the Overdrive link on our online catalog, select the titles you’d like (you can check out 5 at-a-time), download the Overdrive software to your computer (you’ll only need to do this once, it only takes a minute) then download the books. You can then transfer them to your iPod or iPhone. It’s quick, easy and FREE!
We add new tiltes every month. Titles added in October include:
Alex Cross’s Trial by James Patterson
Alger Hiss And The Battle For History by Susan Jacoby
And The Desert Blooms by Iris Johansen
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Bonfire Of The Vanities by Tom Wolfe
Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
The Deep Blue Sea For Beginners by Luanne Rice
The Devil’s Company by David Liss
The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
Hell’s Gate by Stephen Frey
Hothouse Orchids by Stuart Woods
Swimsuit by James Patterson
Amazon’s Best Books Of 2009
November 2, 2009
Although it’s only the beginning of November, Amazon has put together their Editors’ List of the Top 100 Best Books Of 2009. They have also put together Amazon’s Customer’s Top 100 Picks based on orders placed through October on books published for the first time in 2009. It will come as no surprise that Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol and Kathryn Stockett’s The Help headline the Customer’s Top 100, however they didn’t make it into the top 10 of the Editors’. Here’s what did though:
Let The Great World Spin by Colum McCann
Strength In What Remains by Tracy Kidder
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
Beautiful Creatures by Margaret Stohl
Crazy For The Storm by Norman Ollestad
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
The City & The City by China Mieville
Stitches by David Small
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind by William Kamkwamba
November’s Programs For Adults
October 31, 2009
We have a terrific lineup of programs coming up in November for adults. There’s a little something for everyone, from dance and photography instruction to opera performance along with a very special presentation on Veteran’s Day from a group of local women’s veterans. Come hear about their military experiences on the home front and abroad.
December will be equally gratifying with the return of the Centerbrook Architecture Series with Jim Childress, a visit by Eugenia West to talk about her upcoming book as well as programs on cooking and wine to whet your appetite for some great holiday meals.
Check out the programs schedule on our website.
Broadway Theater Trip…It’s On!
October 30, 2009
Tickets are now on sale for our trip to see the Tony-winning revival of West Side Story, Saturday April 24th. Tickets include comfortable round-trip transportation on a Dattco Motor coach, and an orchestra seat to the matinee performance of this smash-hit musical, all for just $159. Seats are limited. This would make a great gift for the theater lover on your list. Call the Library at 767-1560 for more information. Tickets must be paid for at time of reservation.
October’s New Fiction At The Essex Library
October 26, 2009
Observers of the publishing world have been universally enthusiastic about the future of book publishing after hearing about this fall’s fiction releases. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown touched off the fall fiction frenzy. But don’t be blinded by all the blockbusters; there are plenty of critically acclaimed new fiction titles out as well. Here is a sampling of what’s new at the Library. Put a hold on a book by clicking on the title; have your Library barcode handy and follow the Request/Hold instructions.
Invisible by Paul Auster
The Children’s Book by A. S. Byatt
The Man In The Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam
Once In A Blue Moon by Eileen Goudge
Last Night In Twisted River by John Irving
Pilgrims by Garrison Keillor
Family Album by Penelope Lively
Chronic City by Jonathan Lethem
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
The Museum Of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk
Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett
Windfall by Penny Vincenzi
The National Book Awards finalists for Young People’s Literature and Poetry have been announced. The winners will be announced on Wednesday, November 18th.
Finalists in Young People’s Literature:
Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
Stitches by David Small
Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia
Finalists in Poetry:
Versed by Rae Armantrout
Or to Begin Again by Ann Lauterbach
Speak Low by Carl Phillips
Open Interval by Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon
Transcendental Studies: A Trilogy by Keith Waldrop
National Book Award Finalists Announced, Fiction and Non-Fiction
October 22, 2009
The National Book Awards was begun in 1950 by a consortium of publishing groups whose goal was to enhance the public’s awareness of exceptional books written by fellow Americans, and to increase the popularity of reading in general. The National Book Awards have become the nation’s preeminent literary prizes with Awards given to recognize achievements in four genres: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Young People’s Literature. The Winners, to be announced on November 18th, are selected by five-member, independent judging panels for each genre, and receive a $10,000 cash award and a crystal sculpture.
Finalists in Fiction:
American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
In Other Rooms, Other Wonders by Daniyal Mueenuddin
Lark and Termite by Jayne Anne Phillips
Far North by Marcel Theroux
Finalists in Non-Fiction:
Following the Water: A Hydromancer’s Notebook by David M. Carroll
Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origins of Species by Sean B. Carroll
Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford’s Forgotten Jungle City by Greg Grandin
The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome’s Deadliest Enemy by Adrienne Mayor
The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T. J. Stiles
Essex Library Book Clubs In November
October 21, 2009
The Essex Library offers six on-going book clubs for adults with something for every reader’s taste each month. All book clubs welcome new faces each month with no obligation to appear every month. Click on the book title to reserve a copy of the book or visit the Library where extra copies are available to check out. We also have children’s ( Magic Tree House) and teen (Twilight) book groups meeting in November. Here is the November meeting schedule for the Adult Book Clubs:
First Tuesday (Formerly Second Monday) Book Club
This book club meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 4p.m. in the Essex Library Program Room. The group will meet again on November 3 to discuss Colm Toibin’s Brooklyn.
Mystery Readers Book Talk
Clue readers in to your favorite books, old or new, by sharing the lowdown on a recently read Action Adventure, Detective, Espionage, Police Procedural, Thriller or True Crime novel. This group will meet on the second Thursday of every month with the next meeting on November 12 th from 6:30 to 7:30 PM. Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear will be discussed.
The American History Book Club meets every other month to discuss a book, primarily non-fiction, that deals with a topic, time-period or biographical work related to the rich history of the United States . The group is moderated by Library Director Richard Conroy. Selections are based on suggestions from club members and from trusted, critical book review sources. The next meeting will take place on Monday, November 16th at 7:00 p.m. American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham will be discussed.
Third Wednesday Book Club
This book club, open to all, meets on the third Wednesday of every month at 10:30 a.m. at Essex Meadows. Their next meeting will be on November 18th when Truman by David McCulloufgh will be discussed. Library Director Richard Conroy will moderate the discussion.
The Shakespeare Play Reading Group
Join Jenny Tripp for a lively discussion of Shakespeare plays. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 27 at 6:30 p.m. Troilus And Cressida will be discussed. Stay tuned to The Short List for the play to be discussed in November.
Adventure Book Club
Do you enjoy stories of physical and spiritual adventure, danger, and survival? Do you like a lively discussion with other similar book enthusiasts? The Essex Library invites you to join our Third Monday Adventure Book Discussion Group: Great Reads, Great Deeds. The group meets on alternate third Thursdays at 7 p.m. with the next meeting taking place in December. Visit The Short List again soon for the announcement of the next meeting’s book selection.
Are You Feeling Lucky? Win A Treat From The Library!
October 16, 2009
The Library is raffling off 3 sets of five brand new paperback books from Hachette Book Group. The books in the sets are:
The Heretic’s Daughter by Kathleen Kent
Sins Of The Flesh by Caridad Piñeiro
When Ghosts Speak by Mary Ann Winkowski
BoneMan’s Daughters by Ted Dekker
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
Patrons can enter to win by submitting their name and e-mail address which the Library will use to: send Lion Courtesy Notices (those helpful reminders of materials coming due and notices that requested materials are ready for pick-up), subscribe to the monthly Librar-E-Lations newsletters for Adults and Children and send Book Club members meeting information. The raffle winners will be notified on Monday, November 16th. Winners must provide a mailing address for delivery of the books from Hachette. Patrons who are already subscribed to LION Courtesy Notices and Librar-E-Lations may also enter the raffle; just confirm your e-mail address with us.
To enter, just call–767-1560, e-mail us– staff@essexlib.org or stop by the Library and give one of our friendly librarians your information.
Man Booker Prize Winner Announced
October 7, 2009
Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall has won the 2009 Man Booker Prize as predicted by the bookmakers. Mantel beat out other better-known authors (and previous winners) such as A.S. Byatt and J.M. Coetzee. Wolf Hall is scheduled to be released in the US next Tuesday (October 13th). Mantel will take home a cash prize of just over $79,000 and the satisfaction of greater international sales of her book due to the prestige of the Prize.
The book’s description: “England in the 1520s is a heartbeat from disaster. If the king dies without a male heir, the country could be destroyed by civil war. Henry VIII wants to annul his marriage of twenty years, and marry Anne Boleyn. The pope and most of Europe opposes him. The quest for the king’s freedom destroys his adviser, the brilliant Cardinal Wolsey, and leaves a power vacuum. Into this impasse steps Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell is a wholly original man, a charmer and a bully, both idealist and opportunist, astute in reading people and a demon of energy: he is also a consummate politician, hardened by his personal losses, implacable in his ambition. But Henry is volatile: one day tender, one day murderous. Cromwell helps him break the opposition, but what will be the price of his triumph?”
See our post from September 10th for a rundown on the other shortlisted books.
