Books For Guys

There are thousands of books published in the US every year and most can be divided into a variety of genres. One newly minted genre is chick-lit…to describe the books that especially appeal to women. The publishing industry doesn’t yet have a name for the books that especially appeal to men but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Here are a handful of fiction books that are a sure bet to appeal to the guys: “Arthur and George” by Julian Barnes; “The Quiet American“ by Graham Greene; “A Dangerous Friend“ by Ward Just; any of John Irving’s books–I witnessed two men at a dinner party competitively quizzing eachother’s knowledge of “The World According To Garp“ years ago; Cormac McCarthy’s Border Trilogy; “The Kite Runner“ by Khaled Hosseini; and Craig Ferguson’s “Between The Bridge And The River“.

And The New Harry Potter Title Is…

For those of you who are diehard Harry Potter fans, you will no doubt already be aware that J.K. Rowling posted the name of the final installment in the Harry Potter series last week on her website–probably her Christmas gift to you all. If you have had some other things to distract you recently, the title is: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. No date has been set for release of the book as Rowling is still working on it. The film of the fifth book, Harry Potter and The Order Of The Phoenix, will arrive in theaters next July.

Interestingly enough, Rowling has never won a Carnegie Medal-the British equivalent to our Newberry Award, for her Harry Potter books. The Brits also have an equivalent to our Caldecott Medal and that’s the Greenaway Medal named for illustrator Kate Greenaway. Here are a few books shortlisted for this year’s Carnegie and Greenaway medals: Lost And Found by Oliver Jeffers; Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce; Clay by David Almond; Wolves by Emily Gravett; and Russell The Sheep by Rob Scotton.

Richard Peck Read-a-Likes

If you or your children have enjoyed Richard Peck’s books such as this year’s “Here Lies The Librarian” or the earlier “Fair Weather”, “A Long Way From Chicago” or “A Year Down Yonder” then you might want to try some of these other books. They too, have quirky characters, farcical situations and a well-defined down-home humor. Try Betty MacDonald’s “The Egg And I”; Robert Ruark’s “The Old Man And The Boy”; “Cold Sassy Tree” by Olive Ann Banks and the “Ruby Holler” series by Sharon Creech.

Do You Have A Library Elf?

There is a great new service now available to our patrons. The “Elf” is a free private service not associated with the Library that will help you keep track of your borrowed library materials and send you an email, rss or text message when your holds arrive and alert you before your materials go overdue. If you have submitted your email address to us, our current Essex Library system will send you email notifications of holds that have arrived and materials that have become overdue but the Elf will notify you before your materials become overdue and they offer a variety of ways to contact you. And…you can add your family’s cards to your account and keep track of their due dates, etc., and add your other library cards–assuming those libraries are on the Elf list. Currently, all 23 LION libraries are now participating in the Elf service.

To sign up for the Elf, click on the link below and then click on the “sign up” button on their homepage. This will begin a quick 3-step process-you’ll need the bar code from your Essex Library card. Step 1 asks for your email address and name, then create a password to enable you to log in. Be sure to check the box that says you agree to the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy. Click ‘Create Elf Account’. Step 2 has you submitting your Library information. In the drop-down window under US Libraries, scroll down to CT libraries and click on ‘LION Libraries Online (beta)’–we will be listed separately as Essex Library in the next few weeks. Next, fill in your library barcode number found on the back of your Library card. There is no pin number so you needn’t worry about filling that in. Click ‘Save’. At the next window click ‘Go To Step 3′. Step 3 allows you to select how, when and how often you’d like to receive your notices. Make your selections and click ‘Finish’.

If you’ve elected to receive email notices, they will come with monthly calendars marked with days when materials are due, are already overdue and when holds have arrived. They also provide you with lists broken down into 1.Holds Ready For Pickup; 2. Overdue; 3. Not Due Yet and 4. Summary. As a value added bonus, the Elf will also illustrate a suggested book with an annotation and links to allow you to find it in a nearby library–based on a zip code area.

http://www.libraryelf.com/

What’s Your Favorite?

There are many books awards given out over the year with selections made by a variety of judges and panels. Many of those highly-regarded books don’t necessarily find themselves on the best-seller lists which suggests that the book-buying public thinks differently about what makes a good book–assuming one you’d buy is one you’d like. So what we want to know is, what was your favorite book published in 2006? To be honest, I don’t have one this year. But I don’t have a favorite color either so you can write me off as undecided or wishy-washy. I have high hopes for some that I haven’t had a chance to read yet like The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud. I enjoyed Apex Hides The Hurt by Colson Whitehead and Old Filth by Jane Gardam as far as fiction goes–which remindes me that I should read more non-fiction since there were many choices there this year including The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson and Uncommon Carriers by John McPhee.

Let us know what your favorites are for 2006. To leave a comment just click on the  “no comments” button below the book graphics, type your comment in the text box that appears and then click “submit comment” when you’re done.

If You Love To Read…

In the spirit of you can never get too much of a good thing, several well-known novelists have written books… about reading books. We recommend the following: Reading Like A Writer by Francine Prose-the trick to writing, she says, is reading–carefully, deliberately and slowly; Thirteen Ways Of Looking At The Novel by Jane Smiley- a thorough reflection on the art and craft of writing; The Things That Matter by Edward Mendelson-he looks at 7 great works of fiction seeking to gather practical wisdom; Rereadings by Anne Fadiman-a collection of essays on the varied ways book lovers read; and A Writer’s Coach by Jack Hart-how to achieve clear, forceful and effective writing no matter the subject (available through ReQuest at the Library).

Best YA and Juvenile Fiction For 2006

An on-the-spot poll of Young Adult Librarians recently established some consensus as to their opinions of the best 2006 fiction for their patrons. They liked: “Runaway Princess” by Kate Coombs- a takeoff on fairy tales with a few twists; “Endgame” by Nancy Garden- an illustration of the cruelty of bullying and its devastating effects; “New Moon” by Stephanie Meyer-not your typical teen vampire story; “Dairy Queen” by Catherine Murdock- perfect for the non girly-girl in your life and “Ptolemy’s Gate” by Jonathan Stroud- a fantasy London is divided between ruling magicians and oppressed commoners. This is the 3rd book in a series so it would be best to start with the first two: The Amulet Of Samarkand and The Golem’s Eye. If your teens and ‘tweens haven’t read these, give them a try!

And I Thought My Childhood Was Messed Up…

There has been a spate of memoirs recently with hellacious childhoods as their subject. Some have become bestsellers such as “The Glass Castle” by Jeannette Walls, “Running With Scissors” by Augusten Burroughs and “Angela’s Ashes” by Frank McCourt; Hollywood made movies of the last two. Here are a few more titles from authors with personal struggles they’ve made public: “Broken” by William Cope Moyers; “The Only Girl In The Car” by Kathie Dobie; “Smashed” by Koren Zailckas and “A Hole In The World” by Richard Rhodes.

Read A-Likes For Freakonomics

There has been some recent discussion among librarians concerning what to recommend to patrons who enjoyed “Freakonomics” by Steven D. Levitt. Suggestions include: “A Mathematician Reads The Newspaper” by John Allen Paulos-an interesting book by a math professor who takes an irreverant look at the often faulty use of statistics and fact in newspaper articles. “The Evolution Of Useful Things” by Henry Petroski–a far-flung historical adventure on the evolution of common culture. “The Undercover Economist” by Tim Harford–a cleverly written book applying basic economic theory to modern phenomena such as Starbuck’s pricing system and Microsoft’s stock values. “The Ghost Map” by Steven Johnson–the story of a cholera outbreak in London and the physician who struggled to find a cure. “The Culture Of Fear” by Barry Glassner–a book devoted to exploding conventional wisdom.

Green For Teens

John Green says he wants to write for teens and to prove the point, he recently won the American Library Association’s Printz Award for his book “Looking For Alaska”. His new book “An Abundnace Of Katherines”,
continues his success with depicting young adults realistically. Young adult readers are attracted to his self-deprecating humor and the sophictication and sensitivity with which he draws his characters. Check out his website for interesting information about the two books including links to anagram sources and famous last words sources. And don’t forget to look at his blog where you can get a better idea of what John Green does in his spare time.