Essex resident and Essex Library staff member Jenny Tripp has written a juvenile fiction book titled “Pete and Fremont” which will be released by publisher Harcourt on Tuesday, May 1st. We were all very excited to see it reviewed in ‘Booklist’ (page 49, March 15th issue) and would like to share the review with you:

“Pete is an aging poodle performer in a small-time circus. After getting his tail scorched while jumping through a hoop, he is demoted to a part in the clown act. Hoping to return to star billing, Pete tries to persuade the circus’ recently acquired grizzly bear, Fremont, to join him in a new act. Fremont isn’t interested, though; he wants to return to his familiar mountains and forests. Finally, however, the bear relents; catapults Pete into the center ring; and joins him in a juggling act. At the story’s end, Pete pays Fremont back for his many kindnesses by helping him escape to a national park. Pete is an entertaining narrator who has all the bravado of a show-biz veteran. Young readers will enjoy this story of a circus in which the animals, unbeknownst to their human managers, actually run the show.–Todd Morning”

The Essex Library will be having a book launch party for Jenny on Friday, May 18th from 7-8pm. You are all welcome to come meet our sparkling new author!

In case you haven’t already seen it, here’s the link to the cover art for the last Harry Potter book–”Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows” which was unveiled today. The link opens slowly so be patient–get a sandwich, etc. And… once again Jim Dale has done the honors in narrating the audio book which will be released on July 21st as well. Jim Dale also narrated the first six HP books.

http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/gallery/dhus

The Gumshoe Awards are given by Mystery Ink each year to recognize the best achievements in the world of crime fiction. The nominated books were chosen from those published for the first time in the United States in 2006. The winners will be announced on May 1, 2007.

The nominees for Best Mystery are: White Shadow by Ace Atkins; City of Shadows by Ariana Franklin; The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos; All Mortal Flesh by Julia Spencer-Fleming and Hollywood Station by Joseph Wambaugh.

The nominees for best Thriller are: The Hard Way by Lee Child; The Last Assassin by Barry Eisler; Prayers for the Assassin by Robert Ferrigno; Marked Man by William Lashner and The Venus Fix by M.J. Rose.

We’re taking advantage of the Library’s very own authorial talent by adding a new feature on The Short List and also in Librar-E-Lations called Gentle Reader which is penned by staff member Jenny Tripp. In this installment, Jenny gives us a sprightly review of “The Lost Life Of Eva Braun” by Angela Lambert.

Angela Lambert's "The Lost Life of Eva Braun" postulates 

a prickly conceit; that Eva Braun, Hitler's mistress, was at 

heart a good German girl, typical of the women of her 

place and time, unfairly relegated to the part of Evil's 

footnote. Not a racist or a sadist, neither was she the 

bird-witted bimbette that some of her contemporaries 

dismissed. And Lambert's put in an enormous amount 

of research to prove it. 

Trouble is, she doesn't -- at least, not for me. I'm not 

suggesting that Eva wasn't a dim bulb; despite the 

author's best efforts, her subject keeps revealing herself 

as a vain, rattle-headed good- time girl, the kind of girl 

who these days would attach herself to a married, 

touring rock star, then sell his shorts on EBay. Where 

the whole thing falls apart for me is that Eva very 

clearly knew that Hitler was the worst sort of racist 

cant-spouting bully, but found him irresistible in 

spite of it. Maybe even because of it; her own parents 

were appalled at her choice, and perfectly clear about 

their daughter's boyfriend's points of view. And it's 

not as though he wasn't screaming it all from the 

rooftops at every opportunity. 

Lambert tries to buy Eva a pass by describing her as 

"apolitical", as though her stubborn, willful ignorance 

lets her off the hook. Vanity, vanity -- her looks, her 

needs, her longing for her undersexed paramour to 

present her with some token; "a chest of drawers, 

perhaps, or a puppy --"  What, Jews? For her, the war 

years were "All About Eva". Apparently, there just 

weren't enough hours in the day for this terminal 

blond to tear her gaze away from her mirror long 

enough to consider the fallen state of her soul. Tipsy 

with the fizzy wine of reflected power, Eva chose to 

close her eyes and think of Adolph. 

The International Thriller Writers have announced the finalists for their 2007 awards. The winners will be announced in July at the Thrillerfest in New York City. Finalists for Best Novel are: “False Impression” by Jeffrey Archer; “Killer Instinct” by Joseph Finder; “Cold Kill” by Stephen Leather; “The Messenger” by Daniel Silva and “Beautiful Lies” by Lisa Unger.

In his Moving On column today in the Wall Street Journal, Jeffrey Zaslow reminds us why libraries are so important in communities–for children, families and adults alike.

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB117391084682537392-hYHzbmgYdJHvC39XtBH8loF8JZQ_20070413.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top

Throughout the month of April, the Essex Library will host “Essex Reads”, the town’s fourth annual one book, one community reading initiative. Essex Reads is a town-wide reading and discussion program that encourages all our residents to read the same book at the same time to create a town-wide book club. For the 2007 Essex Reads, the book selected is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

One of the best-loved stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has earned many distinctions since its original publication in 1960. It won the Pulitzer Prize, has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, and been made into an enormously popular movie. Most recently, librarians across the country gave the book the highest of honors by voting it the best novel of the twentieth century.

All community members are invited to join their neighbors and friends for special events throughout the month of April.

Some scheduled events include:

· Kick-off– Film showing, Sunday, April 1st at 4pm

The library will show the acclaimed film version of the novel. Gregory Peck stars as attorney Atticus Finch, the distinguished lawyer in a small Southern town who chooses to defend a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman. His compassion and courage in the face of the town’s unjust rage teach his children the meaning of social conscience.

· Guest lecturer presentation - Sunday, April 15th at 4pm

Rose Quiello, PhD, lecturer at Albertus Magnus College, will offer insights about the novel and about the life of Harper Lee. Dr. Quiello is a regular guest and contributor to Faith Middleton’s Book Show on NPR, and is the moderator for the R. J. Julia Book Store Book Club.

· Sunday, May 6 at 4pm. Town-wide Book Discussion of To Kill a Mockingbird

All participants are invited to join their neighbors for an exciting and informative discussion of the novel.

The event is co-sponsored by the Ivoryton Library. All programs are free and open to the public but seating is limited and reservations are required. For more information, please call the Essex Library at 860 767-1560 or the Ivoryton Library at 767-1252.

Copies of the book are available to be borrowed at both the Essex and Ivoryton Libraries. Drop in soon to get your copy.

In response to the outpouring of interest about the environmentally sensitive building practices incorporated into its new addition, the Essex Library is hosting a series of programs featuring clean energy initiatives. The series will be co-sponsored by Essex Citizens for Clean Energy and will include two popular films, a panel discussion, and will culminate with a forum which will focus on the practical applications of the information presented at the previous events.

The series will open on Wednesday, March 28 at 6:30pm with a showing of Al Gore’s Academy Award winning film, An Inconvenient Truth. On April 25 at 6:30pm, the public is invited to view the thought-provoking film, Who Killed the Electric Car. The film investigates the death and resurrection of the electric car, as well as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living in our country’s future. Following both films, energy experts from Noble Environmental who were trained by Al Gore will invite audience participation in discussions of the issues raised by the films. The series will continue on May 9th with a panel discussion by local home owners, business leaders and architects who have successfully utilized clean energy technology in recent construction projects. The date of the final event will be announced at a later time. It will focus on how average citizens can implement clean energy strategies in their daily lives and become more active in local energy initiatives.

Admission is free but seating is limited and registration is recommended. Call the library at 860 767-1560 to register or for more information. Check the library’s website at www.essexlibrary.lioninc.org for updates.

The winners for the 2006 National Book Critics Circle Awards are: for Fiction: “The Inheritance Of Loss” by Kiran Desai; for autobiography: “The Lost : A Search for Six of Six Million” by Daniel Mendelsohn; for non-fiction: “Rough Crossings: Britain, the Slaves and the American Revolution” by Simon Schama; for biography: “James Tiptree, Jr.: The Double Life of Alice B. Sheldon” by Julie Phillips; and for criticism: “Everything That Rises: A Book of Convergences“ by Lawrence Weschler.

The Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America sponsor an annual award for the best novel, novella, novelette, and short story eligible called the Nebula . An anthology including the winning pieces of short fiction and several runners-up is also published every year. Winners will be announced in May. This year’s nominees for best novel are:

The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner; Seeker by Jack McDevitt; The Girl in the Glass by Jeffrey Ford; Farthing by Jo Walton; From the Files of the Time Rangers by Richard Bowes and To Crush the Moon by Wil McCarthy.