Introverts Unite! Quiet By Susan Cain

Introversion and shyness are not the same thing–one point Susan Cain makes in her recent book,  Quiet : the power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking. Dictionary.com defines an introvert as “a person characterized by concern primarily with his or her own thoughts and feelings” Cain’s book makes the point that many people are introverted–between 1/3 to 1/2 of the population and we miss out on their thoughts and creativity due to their preference for solitude.

From the jacket:

“Passionately argued, impressively researched, and filled with stories of real people, Quiet shows how dramatically we undervalue introverts, and how much we lose in doing so. This extraordinary book has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how introverts see themselves.”

Watch Susan Cain’s TED Talk as she describes the ironies of introversion and leaves the audience with 3 tasks to make better use of the power of introverts. Before you watch the Talk however, read her Back Page essay in The New York Times “An Introvert Steps Out” to see how she mustered the ability to get in front of all those audience members.

New Arrivals: Books On CD

For our patrons who listen to books while they commute to work or school or while they’re working, etc., etc., we have a load of new audiobooks on CD that recently arrived:

Fiction

Carry The One by Carol Anshaw
When a car of inebriated guests from Carmen’s wedding hits and kills a girl on a country road, Carmen and the people involved in the accident connect, disconnect and reconnect throughout 25 subsequent years of marriage, parenthood, holidays and tragedies. By the award-winning author of Aquamarine.

Wild Thing by Josh Bazell
When a reclusive billionaire offers Dr. Peter Brown, a.k.a. Pietro Brnwa, a job accompanying a sexy but self-destructive paleontologist on the world’s worst field assignment, Brown has no real choice but to say yes. Even if it means that an army of murderers, mobsters, and international drug dealers–not to mention a lake monster–are about to have a serious Pietro Brnwa problem.

Stay Close by Harlan Coben
A bored suburban wife, a documentary photographer-turned-paparazzo and a detective who cannot let go of a cold case hide secrets from their loved ones only to have the past return in dangerous ways. By the best-selling author of Live Wire.

Taken by Robert Crais
Hired along with Joe Pike to investigate the alleged kidnapping of a wealthy industrialist’s son, Elvis Cole quickly disproves police theories and goes undercover to infiltrate a ring of professional border kidnappers only to be abducted himself. By the award-winning author of The Sentry.

The Thief by Clive Cussler

When a scientist he recently rescued from kidnappers is murdered, private investigator Isaac Bell discovers that a ruthless agent wants the scientist’s secret new invention in order to exploit it to seize power for Germany. From the bestselling author of The Race.

A Partial History Of Lost Causes by Jennifer DuBois
Abandoning her life when her father succumbs to Huntington’s disease, Massachusetts native Irina discovers an unanswered letter from her father to an internationally renowned chess champion and political dissident, who she decides to visit in Russia. A first novel.

Catch Me by Lisa Gardner
Approached by a young woman who claims her murder is imminent, detective D. D. Warren hears her chilling story about how all of her close childhood friends have been murdered on the anniversary of the same day and that she is the only one still alive, a case that is complicated by a vigilante shooter. By the best-selling author of Love You More

A Good American by Alex George
The Meisenheimer family struggle to find their place among the colorful residents of their new American hometown, including a giant teenage boy, a pretty schoolteacher whose lessons consist of more than just music and an spiteful, bicycle-riding dwarf.

Defending Jacob by William Landay
His happy life and long-time respectability as a suburban Massachusetts assistant district attorney shattered when his 14-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student, Andy Barber faces a wrenching decision about family loyalty when the facts increasingly suggest that the boy is guilty.

Guilty Wives by James Patterson

The vacation of a lifetime in Monte Carlo turns into a hellish nightmare when best friends Abbie, Winnie, Serena, and Bryah are arrested aboard an unfamiliar yacht and accused of an unthinkable crime. From the bestselling author of Private Games.

The Book Of Lost Fragrances by M J Rose
Haunted by memories of a past infused with exotic scents, Jac L’Etoile, the heir to a French perfume company, is hurtled into a nightmare when her brother goes missing after making a profound discovery about the family’s possession of a mystical fragrance.

Non-Fiction

Quiet : the power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking  by Susan Cain
A former Wall Street attorney, business coach and creator of ThePowerofIntroverts.com demonstrates how introverted people are misunderstood and undervalued in today’s culture, charting the rise of extrovert ideology while sharing anecdotal examples to counsel readers on how to use introvert talents to adapt to various situations and empower introverted children.

Thinking, Fast And Slow by Daniel Kahneman
A Nobel Prize-winning psychologist draws on years of research to introduce his “machinery of the mind” model on human decision making to reveal the faults and capabilities of intuitive versus logical thinking, providing insights into such topics as optimism, the unpredictability of happiness and the psychological pitfalls of risk-taking.

Imagine : how creativity works by Jonah Lehrer
An examination of the new science of creativity challenges popular misconceptions to explain that creativity involves distinct thought processes that can be tapped by anyone, revealing the practices of successful companies and creative individuals while considering how to use scientific principles to make cities, businesses and cultures more creative.

Killing Lincoln : the shocking assassination that changed America forever by Bill O’Reilly
Describes the events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the hunt to track down John Wilkes Booth and his accomplices. Featuring some of history’s most remarkable figures, vivid detail, and page-turning action, Killing Lincoln is history that reads like a thriller. From the anchor of The O’Reilly Factor.

Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson
The author of the best-selling Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit traces her life-long search for happiness as the adopted daughter of Pentecostal parents who raised her in a north England industrial town through practices of fierce control and paranoia, an experience that prompted her to search for her biological mother and turn for solace to the literary world.

Add Mad Men, Lord Of The Rings And The Borgias Together And What Do You Get? Game Of Thrones

HBO’s Game Of Thrones season 1 videos are a big hit at the Essex Library.  The books by George R R Martin are going like hotcakes too. We think one of the reasons for the popularity–beyond all the broad sword battles and porn, is the screenplay by David Benioff. Benioff, as you may recall, is the screenplay writer for other hits such as Brothers, The Kite Runner, Troy and 25th Hour (from his first novel, The 25th Hour) directed by Spike Lee. More importantly, we think, he is also the author of one of our favorite books: City Of Thieves.

City Of Thieves was published to wide acclaim in May, 2008. World War II’s siege of Leningrad provides the background for the story as two Russians, one a young soldier, the other a civilian teen, thrown together by chance, must find a dozen eggs in order to avoid being executed by a Russian colonel. The desperate search takes them out of the dangers of Leningrad and into the surrounding countryside where the two must learn to survive and the villagers aren’t much friendlier than the Germans– who will shoot them on sight. City Of Thieves is a terrific page-turner full of suspense, memorable characters, dark humor and a revelation at the end that will keep you humble for years to come. The audio version, read by Ron Perlman, is highly recommended.

So why hasn’t City Of Thieves been made into a movie yet?

“I’ve Got Your Number” Says Author Sophie Kinsella

If you’re looking for a little romance on Valentine’s Day, Sophie Kinsella has just the book for you. Her new release, I’ve Got Your Number carries on the tradition of her bestselling romance novels such as: Twenties Girl, Remember Me?, The Undomestic Goddess and Can You Keep A Secret?

Kinsella’s heroines are always intelligent, witty and resourceful and in I’ve Got Your Number, Poppy Wyatt doesn’t diisappoint. When we meet her, she’s already engaged to her ideal man but disaster strikes when she loses her engagement ring and then her cellphone is stolen the same day. Chaos ensues and readers will enjoy how Poppy keeps her wits about her while determining what it really means to be ideal.

Sophie Kinsella’s other books include the Shopaholic series and she also writes under the pen name of Madeleine Wickham.

Thank you to Random House for providing an advanced reader’s copy of the book.

New Great Courses Have Arrived

We added six new Great Courses from The Teaching Company to our collections recently. For those of you unfamiliar with Great Courses, The Teaching Company records lectures by professors at Ivy League and other leading colleges on a wide range of subjects, numbering more than 300 to date. The courses are primarily on CD, with some on DVD, with accompanying print materials for the lifelong learner in you.

In addition to our other Great Courses, patrons will now be able to enjoy borrowing:

The American Revolution taught by Allen C. Guelzo

Comparative Religion taught by Charles Kimball

The Emperors Of Rome taught by Garrett G. Fagan

Greek Tragedy taught by Elizabeth Vandiver

The Italian Renaissance taught by Kenneth Bartlett

The Long 19th Century: European History from 1789 to 1917  taught by Robert I. Weiner

Reader’s Advisory: The Secret Scripture By Sebastian Barry

Sebastian Barry’s wonderful novel, The Secret Scripture, (nominated for the 2008 Man Booker Prize) was released with an audio version gorgeously narrated by Wanda McCaddon. We heartily recommend it as it’s one of the best audiobooks we’ve heard. The audio version is available on our Overdrive downloadable service as well as on CD in the Library.
Plot summary: Roseanne McNulty, once one of the most beautiful and beguiling girls in County Sligo, Ireland, is now an elderly patient at Roscommon Regional Mental Hospital. As her hundredth year draws near, she decides to record the events of her life, hiding the manuscript beneath the floorboards. Meanwhile, the hospital is preparing to close and is evaluating its patients to determine whether they can return to society. Dr. Grene, Roseanne’s caretaker, takes a special interest in her case. In his research, he discovers a document written by a local priest that tells a very different story of Roseanne’s life than what she recalls. As doctor and patient attempt to understand each other, they begin to uncover long-buried secrets about themselves.

Barry has written additional novels following the McNulty family members and has a recently published novel, On Canaan’s Side that has also enjoyed rave reviews and garnered a nomination for the 2011 Man Booker Prize.

Recent Audiobook Additions To The Collection

We add audiobooks to our collection every month although not always very many due to budget cut-backs. We’re always grateful for donations of audiobooks as we have an active group of users. Don’t forget that many more audiobooks are available through our Overdrive downloadable service.

Our FREE Overdrive service allows you to download audiobooks and e-books directly to your computer. The audiobooks can be transferred to almost any listening device including iPods, cell phones and MP3 players. The e-books can then be transferred to any of the Sony Readers, the Kobo and the Barnes & Noble Nook. Just click on the Overdrive link in our online catalog, select the titles you’d like (you can check out 4 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 and listen to or read the books. It’s quick, easy and FREE! The lending period for audiobooks is 10 days and 2 weeks for e-books. Sales of e-books are growing exponentially. You’ve probably seen that Amazon now sells more e-books than hardcovers now.  Try it out and let us know how you like it.

Recent Fiction additions to our audiobook collection include:
(click on the title to place a hold in our catalog)

Bound by Antonya Nelson
Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny
Crescent Dawn by Clive Cussler
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
Dead Or Alive by Tom Clancy
Hell’s Corner by David Baldacci
I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg
In The Company Of Others by Jan Karon
Indulgence In Death by J.D. Robb
Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane
Outlaws by W.E.B. Griffin
Rescue by Anita Shreve
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris
A Visit From The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

Recent Non-Fiction additions include:

At Home by Bill Bryson

Atlantic by Simon Winchester

Colonel Roosevelt by Edmund Morris

Decision Points by George Bush

The Emperor Of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee

I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron

The Last Boy by Jane Leavy

Let’s Take The Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell

Life by Keith Richards

My Nest Isn’t Empty by Lisa Scottoline

The Tenth Parallel by Eliza Griswold

Travels In Siberia by Ian Frazier

Washington by Ron Chernow

Our FREE Overdrive service allows you to download audiobooks and e-books directly to your computer. The e-books can then be transferred to any of the Sony Readers, the Kobo and the Barnes & Noble Nook. Just click on the Overdrive link in our online catalog, select the titles you’d like (you can check out 7 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 and read the books. It’s quick, easy and FREE! The lending period for audiobooks is 10 days and 2 weeks for e-books. Sales of e-books are growing. You’ve probably seen that Amazon now sells more e-books than hardcovers now. Stieg Larsson and James Patterson have sold more than 1 million e-books each. Try it out and let us know how you like it.

The Emperor’s Children Coming To The Big Screen

Claire Messud’s fine novel, The Emperor’s Children, surrounding three Brown University graduates and their intertwined lives is coming to the big screen in the summer of 2011. Full of sympathetic yet unlikeable characters who sometimes can’t get out of their own way to take the high road, the book should make for a good film.

According to IMBD, the Internet Movie Database, Keira Knightley, Michelle Williams, Eric Bana and Richard Gere will star.

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day With A Book

March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, commemorating the patron saint of Ireland. So this is the perfect time to dive into an Irish book! Each of these tales has a prominent Irish theme, either taking place in Eire or featuring Irish or Irish-American characters. Click on the title to put a hold on the book (or audiobook) in the Library’s catalog.

The Fall of Light by Niall Williams

Anybody Out There? by Marian Keyes

The Navigator by Eoin McNamee

The Guards by Ken Bruen

Charming Billy by Alice McDermott

Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha by Roddy Doyle

Haunted Ground by Erin Hart

Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir by Frank McCourt

Pearl by Mary Gordon

The Return Journey by Maeve Binchy

The Death Of A Joyce Scholar: A Peter McGarr Mystery by Bartholomew Gill

The Mermaids Singing by Lisa Carey

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

The Case Of The Missing Books by Ian Sansom

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March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day, commemorating the patron saint of Ireland.  So this is the perfect time to dive into an Irish book!  Each of these tales has a prominent Irish theme, either taking place in Eire or featuring Irish or Irish-American characters.

The Fall of Light By Williams, Niall

Anybody Out There? By Keyes, Marian

The Navigator By Eoin McNamee

The Guards By Bruen, Ken

Charming Billy By McDermott, Alice

Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha By Doyle, Roddy

Haunted Ground By Hart, Erin

Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir By McCourt, Frank

Pearl By Gordon, Mary

The Return Journey By Binchy, Maeve

Death in Dublin: A Peter McGarr Mystery By Gill, Bartholomew

The Mermaids Singing By Carey, Lisa

The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

The Case Of The Missing Books by Ian Sansom

Free E-Books Have Arrived At The Essex Library

Essex Library patrons don’t have to wait any longer to have access to free e-books. Our Overdrive service now provides over 250 e-books, both fiction and non-fiction with more to be added. The e-books may be downloaded to your computer–PC or Mac, a Sony Reader or a Barnes & Noble Nook. Look for additional compatible reading devices to be made available in the future. As with the Overdrive downloadable audiobook service,  Apple devices were eventually licensed to be compatible and we might expect the same to happen with the E-Book service. No idea when or if the Amazon Kindle will become a compatible device in the future, but we can hope so.

The E-Book service is as easy to use as Overdrive’s downloadable audiobooks. Just download the Adobe software to your chosen device–it took us less than 5 minutes to sign up for a free Adobe ID and then to download the software. Downloading the book to our computer took approximately 4 seconds. And there it was, at our fingertips. Features on the Adobe software include:  the ability to increase (or decrease) the font size on the page, bookmark multiple pages with notes and search for words or phrases throughout the text. How cool is that? Overdrive now allows for 7 titles in any combination of audio or e-book to be checked out at one time. The audiobooks check out for 10 days and the e-books for 2 weeks. The files expire automatically with no overdue fines to worry about. Even if you think you’d never enjoy an e-book, try one out…it’s free, and it might prove to be a way to increase your access to reading materials.