Southlake Public Library Blog

Mr. Popper's Penguins

2012-02-08T09:51:00.000-08:00

Join us for Family Movie Night Thursday at 6:30pm. We will be watching the movie adaptation of the beloved children's classic, Mr. Popper's Penguins.

Men in Kilts

2012-02-07T09:32:00.000-08:00

In honor of the rapidly approaching Valentine's Day, I offer this list reads so that you may enjoy a (vicarious) romp with Highland rogues in these romantic tales of Scots.

Shadow Dance by Julie Garwood

At the reception of Jordan Buchanan's brother and best friend, Kate MacKenna they have a wedding crasher. He claims that there's bad blood between the Buchanan and MacKenna clans that goes back to ancient Scotland, involving the Buchanan theft of a coveted MacKenna treasure.

Kiss of the Highlander by Karen Marie Moning

Seeking an escape from her humdrum and boring life, Gwen Cassidy heads for Scotland in search of adventure, but a plunge into a Highland ravine lands her in the arms of Drustan MacKeltar, a powerful sixteenth-century warrior enchanted by a powerful spell.

Simply Magic by Mary Balough

Haunted by tragedy, fiery Susanna Osbourne is determined to keep her distance from all men, including handsome Peter Edgeworth, an aristocrat who is determined to overcome the secrets of the past to build a new future with her.

Library Closed This Week

2011-12-04T15:20:00.000-08:00

The Library will be closed through Saturday, December 10th as we work to clean up after Saturday's flood. We are tentatively scheduled to reopen on Monday, December 12th. Please call us 817.748.8249 to renew materials. Stay tuned for additional details.

Christmas with Cupid

2011-11-29T08:30:00.000-08:00

Get into the spirit of Christmas with these holly, jolly romances designed to be read in front of a cozy fire (roasting chestnuts optional).

The Christmas List by Richard Paul Evans
A successful but heartless businessman sees his own obituary in the newspaper after a case of mistaken identity, setting in motion a series of events that profoundly changes the lives of several people who have suffered due to his ruthless business practices.

1225 Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber
Beth Morehouse expects this Christmas to be one of her best. Her small Christmas-tree farm is prospering, her daughters and her dogs are happy and well, and her new relationship with local vet Ted Reynolds is showing plenty of romantic promise. But someone left a basket filled with puppies on her doorstep, that's complication number one. Number two is that her daughters have invited their dad, Beth's ex-husband, Kent, to Cedar Cove for Christmas.

Home for Christmas by Andrew Greeley

A war hero on his third deployment in Iraq, Peter is injured and finds himself both alive and dead on a wondrous spiritual journey where he is given a second chance at life from God Himself. With Christmas approaching, time is running out for Peter to complete the most important mission of his life: convincing himself that he and Mariana, the woman he left behind in Chicago, were meant to share a special message of love with the world

Lakeshore Christmasby Susan Wiggs

Prim librarian Maureen Davenport lives for Christmas--and there's nothing more magical than Christmas on Willow Lake. Finally getting her chance to direct Avalon's annual holiday pageant, she's determined to make it truly spectacular. But it might just require one of those Christmas miracles she's always read about if her co-director-- recovering former child star Eddie Haven--has his way. Is he trying to sabotage the performance to spite her? Or is she trying too hard to fit the show into her storybook-perfect notion of Christmas?

A Lawman's Christmas by Linda Lael Miller

Dara Rose Nolan finds herself without a husband or income and Blue River, Texas finds itself without a lawman after the town marshal dies. Things change, though, when Clay McKettrick becomes the temporary lawman and embarks on a marriage of convenience with Dara Rose

Family Matters

2011-11-04T10:20:00.000-07:00

Aunts and uncles and cousins, oh my! Whether visiting or living together, families both drive each other crazy and provide lots of love. These children's stories involve characters interacting with their extended families.

The Wanderer by Sharon Creech

Thirteen-year-old Sophie and her cousin Cody record their transatlantic crossing aboard the Wanderer, a forty-five foot sailboat, which, along with uncles and another cousin, is en route to visit their grandfather in England.

Finding Family by Tonya Bolden

Raised in Charleston, West Virginia, at the turn of the twentieth century by her grandfather and aunt on off-putting tales of family members she has never met, twelve-year-old Delana is shocked when, after Aunt Tilley dies, she learns the truth about her parents and some of her other relatives.

Fair Weather by Richard Peck

In 1893, thirteen-year-old Rosie and members of her family travel from their Illinois farm to Chicago to visit Aunt Euterpe and attend the World's Columbian Exposition which, along with an encounter with Buffalo Bill and Lillian Russell, turns out to be a life-changing experience for everyone.

A Corner of the Universe by Ann Martin

The summer that Hattie turns twelve, she meets the childlike uncle she never knew and becomes friends with a girl who works at the carnival that comes to Hattie's small town.

What's Cooking, Good Looking?

2011-11-03T10:03:00.000-07:00

With Thanksgiving getting closer every day, there is the (gulp) enormous and scrumptious feast to prepare. Want some new ideas? Check out these great cookbooks available at the library:

Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible

The Golden Book of Baking

At Our Table: Top Family Recipes to Share with Loved Ones

Thanksgiving Entertaining

Your Medical Mind

2011-11-02T00:56:00.000-07:00

Dr. Groopman has already proved himself an exceptional guide to the inner workings of the doctor's mind in his bestselling How Doctors Think. Now he and Hartzband, his wife and colleague at Harvard Medical School, get inside the patient's mind. The result is a chronicle of how ordinary people, landing at a medical crossroads, must decide about care, who should provide it, and for how long. They present tales of patients who must face conflicting information or uncertain outcomes and choose a course of action: a consultant finds his usual "objective” reasoning doesn't apply to the decision to undergo a bone-marrow transplant with possibly debilitating side effects; and a dying woman's change of mind about end-of-life care illustrates how unpredictable our response to death can be. The authors also illustrate the toll illness takes on a patients' loved ones as they strive to make decisions for incapacitated relatives. There are no easy answers here, no prescriptions for the "right” decision, but rather an illuminating look at how different people think about their options and the emotions and experiences that help shape their decisions. This remarkable survey can help make the uncertainty of illness and treatment seem just a bit more manageable and less lonely.

From Publishers Weekly, vol 258, issue 30

Literary Thrillers

2011-11-01T02:30:00.000-07:00

Readers will find all the appeal of typical Thrillers here: action, danger and a sense of menace. As an added bonus, these titles present sophisticated literary puzzles that revolve around mysteries of the past or intellectual challenges. Grab one today!

The Faculty Club by Danny Tobey

Enjoying a prestigious first year in law school marked by a coveted job with a top professor and a relationship with a beautiful Rhodes scholar, Jeremy Davis is admitted into a mysterious club that promises him phenomenal successes and hides a deadly ancient secret.

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

Offered a coveted job to analyze and conserve a priceless Sarajevo Haggadah, Australian rare-book expert Hanna Heath discovers a series of tiny artifacts in the volume's ancient binding that reveal its historically significant origins..

Abandon by Blake Crouch

A history professor and his daughter embark on an investigation into the abrupt disappearance of every citizen from a gold-mining town over a century earlier, even though they are aware that the last people who attempted to solve the mystery was never heard from again.

No One You Know by Michelle Richmond

Twenty years after the unsolved murder of her sister Lila, Ellie's chance meeting with the man accused of the crime leads to the discovery of Lila's secret notebook, filled with mathematical equations that lead to other enigmas in her sister's life.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-28T14:49:00.001-07:00

October 31st - Monday
Library Children's Area
4:00 - 5:00 pm

The Sock Theater is returning with
a whole new show that will have you
laughing and singing from your seat.

Great Halloween fun for families!

Don't forget to wear your costume!

When She Woke by Hillary Jordon

2011-10-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

In a dystopian take on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, When She Woke grabs ahold of its readers from the beginning and never let us go. Hannah Payne wakes up in the Chrome Ward, having been injected with a virus to turn her skin red. Having been found guilty of murder for aborting her unborn child, Hannah has been sentenced to live for 14 years as a “Red,” her skin tone advertising to all what her crime was. During her trial, Hannah refused to name her lover, a famous, married pastor whom she still loves. After 30 days in the Chrome Ward, Hannah is released, but her deeply religious family refuses to take her in. She winds up in a halfway house, but living there becomes intolerable, so Hannah flees, trying her luck in a society that is becoming increasingly dangerous for women. The author blends hot-button issues such as separation of Church and State, abortion, and criminal justice with an utterly engrossing story, driven by a heroine as layered and magnetic as Hester Prynne herself, and reminiscent, too, of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. Controversial? Yes, but an absolute a must-read.

Happy Birthday, Sylvia Plath

2011-10-27T03:34:00.000-07:00

Poet Sylvia Plath also wrote one memorable and award-winning novel, short stories, essays, and journals that continue to intrigue readers, even decades after her suicide in 1963. Madness and death dominate her remarkable writing, poetry and prose, with the images becoming increasingly macabre in her late poetry. Haunting, lyrical, and emotionally-charged descriptions characterize her writing. She was awarded a Pulitzer Prize posthumously in 1982 for Collected Poems. The powerful feminist themes in her writing have influenced women writers in the 1960s and beyond. Start with: The Bell Jar (novel) and Ariel (poetry).

Dave Leiber

2011-10-25T15:34:00.000-07:00

Dave Leiber is "The Watchdog"

Are you sick of businesses and scammers
that pick your pocket every month with fees
and hidden charges?

Then you need to fight back!

Dave Lieber can show you how.
As the founder and author of
Watchdog Nation, he can teach you all
you need to know to protect your finances.

Free Workshop @ Your Library.

October 27th - Thursday
Town Hall 3rd Floor
7:00 pm

Horrifying Reads

2011-10-24T03:11:00.000-07:00

Get in the mood for Halloween with some super scary reads. These horrors stories -- a mix of psychological and supernatural -- will frighten even those of you with a high fear threshold.

Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts by Laura Benedict

Years after ruining the life of a young priest with their lies, three women--Alice, Roxanne, and Del--find their lives unraveling, thanks to the machinations of the seductive Varick, a mysterious figure who is seeking revenge on behalf of their long-ago victim.

The Dark Matter by Peter Straub

Old friends try to come to grips with the darkness of the past--a secret ritual that left behind a gruesomely dismembered body--and find themselves face-to-face with the evil they helped create.

The Ridge by Michael Kortya

For years, a lighthouse at the top of a hill called Blade Ridge has lit up the surrounding woods. But when the lighthouse keeper is found dead, strange things begin happening to the people and animals in the area.

I Want to Be Jennifer Weiner

2011-10-21T11:42:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Weiner is one of those authors that you read and think I want to be friends with her! We should hang out. Allow me to introduce one of my favorite writers, Jennifer Weiner (we even share the same first name! clearly, our friendship was written in the stars). She was born in 1970 on an army base in Louisiana. Jennifer grew up in Connecticut and graduated with a degree in English literature from Princeton University in 1991. She worked as a newspaper reporter in central Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Philadelphia until the publication of her first novel in 2001, and has been a full-time fiction writer ever since.

Jennifer's writing is laugh-out-loud funny, but it also deals with an abundance of real life issues, including: motherhood and career; family rifts; friendship and love. Snappy dialog leavens compelling storylines containing serious undertones. Her protagonists aren't damsels in distress, but rather realistic, feisty, funny, and smart who are not unduly preoccupied by which shoes to wear. Using a conversational, unaffected voice, Weiner moves her stories at a fairly brisk pace, sometimes leaving loose ends that make the stories even more realistic. Start with: Good in Bed.

Los Angeles Philharmonic: the Inaugural Concert

2011-10-20T03:33:00.000-07:00

Join us for the monthly International Movie Night tonight at 6:30pm. We will be watching the Los Angeles Philharmonic. This DVD presents the highly anticipated Los Angeles Philharmonic opening night concert on October 8th 2009, led by the orchestra's newly appointed music director Gustavo Dudamel.

A world-class pairing, the L. A. Phil and Dudamel mark the start of their partnership with this concert, filmed live at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. The program defines everything that is fresh and exciting about their collaboration: John Adams world-premiere composition, City Noir, that steps back into the dark past of Los Angeles, and the all-embracing First Symphony by Mahler, the composer who launched Dudamel's dazzling international career.

Kindles, and Nooks, and iPads, Oh My!

2011-10-19T10:21:00.000-07:00

The first thing I get asked, once someone discovers I'm a librarian, is if I'm nervous about the disappearance of libraries now that portable readers and digital content are widely available. I respond gleefully, as I clamber onto my soap box, that libraries and iPads (or Nooks or Kindles or whatever fancy schmancy device) are not mutually exclusive. Indeed, the library is very much a part of this next step into the digital frontier. We have free digital content for your devices and we're here to show you to access it. Need some help transferring a title to your device? Done. Got a strange error message? We'll be there, my friend. Scared of the new technology, but you want to learn how to use it, darn it? We will hold your hand through the process. Just ask your friendly librarian.

If You Like Diary of a Wimpy Kid

2011-10-18T03:01:00.000-07:00

Try these readalikes featuring middle school kids chronicling the challenges of school, home, and friendships.

The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
Sixth-grader Tommy and his friends describe their interactions with a paper finger puppet of Yoda, worn by their weird classmate Dwight, as they try to figure out whether or not the puppet can really predict the future. Includes instructions for making Origami Yoda.

Frindle by Andrew Clements

When he decides to turn his fifth grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control.

How to Survive Middle School by Donna Gephart

When thirteen-year-old David Greenberg's best friend makes the start of middle school even worse than he feared it could be, David becomes friends with Penny, who shares his love of television shows and posts one of their skits on YouTube, making them wildly popular--online, at least.

Big Nate: In a Class by Himself by Lincoln Pierce

Supremely confident middle-school student Nate Wright manages to make getting detention from every one of his teachers in the same day seem like an achievement.

Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Lois Sachar

Humorous episodes from the classroom on the thirtieth floor of Wayside School, which was accidentally built sideways with one classroom on each story.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

2011-10-17T09:29:00.000-07:00

To a famous magician is delivered a little girl who, as it turns out, is his child, and fortunately for his future, she is possessed of magical powers. As it also happens, this magician has an archrival, who, in the face of the first magician’s jackpot in the form of his little girl, seeks a young person for him to train to rival her. What the two magicians did not anticipate, as the years pass and the two young people, the girl and the boy whom the second magician found, are honed in their specialty for performance’s sake and to outplay the other one, is that the young persons, when of an age, would meet and, surprising or not to the reader, fall in love. How will their destiny play out now?

Even if you don't like fantasy, you'll enjoy this novel for its enjoy an unusual and well-drawn story. Try if you like: The Time Traveler's Wife, Jonathon Strange & Mr. Norrell, The Magicians, or The Wise Man's Fear.

The Corpse Bride

2011-10-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

Please join us tonight for our first Family Movie Night. Starting at 6:30pm, in the library, we will be showing Tim Burton's spooktacular The Corpse Bride. It's rated PG, and for more information -- we want you to know all the details so that you can make appropriate choices for your child(ren) -- check here.

Questions? Concerns? Call us at 817.748.8243.

Happy Birthday, Elmore Leonard!

2011-10-11T12:40:00.000-07:00

Leonard was born in New Orleans, but because his father worked as a site locator for General Motors, the family moved frequently for several years. In 1934, the family finally settled in Detroit. Leonard has made the Detroit area his home ever since.

In the 1930s, two major events occurred that would influence many of his works. Gangsters such as Bonnie and Clyde were making national headlines, as were the Detroit Tigers baseball team. From about 1931 until they were killed in May, 1934, Bonnie and Clyde were on a rampage. The Tigers made it to the World Series in 1934 while winning it in 1935. Leonard developed lifelong fascinations with both sports and guns.

He graduated from the University of Detroit Jesuit High School in 1943, and immediately joined the Navy, where he served with the Seabees for three years in the south Pacific (gaining the nickname 'Dutch', after pitcher Dutch Leonard [3]). Enrolling at the University of Detroit in 1946, he pursued writing more seriously, entering his work in short story contests and sending it off to magazines. A year before he graduated, he got a job as a copy writer with Campbell-Ewald Advertising agency, a position he kept for several years and wrote on the side.

Elmore Leonard's fast-moving crime writing houses a colorful array of sleazy characters spouting inspired, street-smart dialogue in vividly described locales such as Detroit, Miami and Hollywood. Elmore brings his lean, direct narrative voice to his Western novels as well. His often wry tone suits both genres equally. Sudden eruptions of fierce violence keep readers on edge and off-balance. His fast-paced writing focuses on lifelike, idiosyncratic characters -- in pursuit of a big score, or of each other -- heading toward a final collision that not all will walk away from.

"The next best thing to reading Elmore Leonard is re-reading him." -- Mike Lupica,
New York Daily News

I Don't Want to Read Sci-Fi or Fantasy!

2011-10-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

Witches, and wizzards, and vampires, oh my! Do you ever feel like it is almost impossible to find a book that isn't fantasy or science fiction? And you've read and re-read all of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series? Cheer up, Buster, this list is for you.

Schooled by Gordon Korman

Homeschooled by his hippie grandmother, Capricorn (Cap) Anderson has never watched television, tasted a pizza, or even heard of a wedgie, but when his grandmother lands in the hospital, Cap is forced to move in with a guidance counselor and attend the local middle school. While Cap knows a lot about tie-dyeing and Zen Buddhism, no education could prepare him for the politics of public school.

Middle School, the Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson

When Rafe Kane enters middle school, he teams up with his best friend, "Leo the Silent," to create a game to make school more fun by trying to break every rule in the school's code of conduct.

The Year of the Rat by Grace Lin

In the Chinese Year of the Rat, a young Taiwanese American girl faces many challenges: her best friend moves to California and a new boy comes to her school, she must find the courage to forge ahead with her dream of becoming a writer and illustrator, and she must learn to find the beauty in change.

Deliver us from Normal by Kate Klise

With a mother who buys Christmas cards in August and a younger brother who describes the Trinity as a toasted marshmallow on a graham cracker, life for eleven-year-old Charles Harrisong is anything but normal in Normal, Illinois.

Alice Hoffman

2011-10-07T10:53:00.000-07:00

Next Tuesday, the Dallas Museum of Art will be hosting Alice Hoffman as a guest speaker as part of their Arts & Letters series. I'm fortunate enough to be attending (woo-hoo!) and in celebration, I'm taking the opportunity to blog about this distinguished writer.

Biography
Born in New York City, and raised on Long Island, Hoffman graduated from Adelphi University, where she received her BA, and received an MA in creative writing from Stanford University, where she was an Edith Mirrielees Fellow. Her first job was at the Doubleday publishing house, which later published two of her novels. She has published a total of twenty-one novels, three books of short fiction, and eight books for children and young adults.

Superlatives of Her Work:
Best Known: Practical Magic (You may have seen the movie adaptation)
Most Heartbreaking: At Risk
Best Linked Short Stories: Blackbird House and The Red Garden (a tie!)
Best for Teens: Aquamarine (also adapted into a movie)
My Favorite: The Third Angel
Coming Soon: The Dovekeepers

Healthy Eats

2011-10-06T04:33:00.000-07:00

In honor of the film Forks over Knives that we will be showing tonight, we offer you a list of cookbooks to jumpstart your healthy diet. Are we leaving out one of your favorites? Comment and let us know.

The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone

You may know Ms. Silverstone best from her Clueless character, but in this informative book she Addresses the nutritional concerns faced by many who are new to plant-based, vegetarian diets and shows how to cover every nutritional base, from protein to calcium and beyond. Features irresistibly delicious food that satisfies on every level --including amazing desserts to keep the most stubborn sweet tooth happy.

21 Day Weight Loss Kickstart by Dr. Neil Barnard

Last spring, we were fortunate to have Dr. Barnard as a guest speaker at our library. If you missed out, read his amazing book that focuses on eating as a healthy lifestyle choice. This title covers metabollically active foods, foods that tame appetite demons, cardioprotection, and an abundance of recipe ideas.

Eating Animals by Jonathon Safran Foer
Mr. Foer has been a powerful voice among America's young fiction writers. This is his first book of nonfiction, which he states he was compelled to write once he was a father. In it, he exposes common misconceptions about how animals are slaughtered and processed for food, drawing on sources from ranging from popular culture to national tradition to reveal how the meat industry misrepresents its practices..

Forks Over Knives

2011-10-05T16:22:00.001-07:00

The Southlake Public Library is hosting its inaugural Documentary Movie Night tomorrow at 6:30 pm. Join us for Forks Over Knives, a fil that tackles the issue of diet and disease in a way that will have people talking for years. This documentary examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the so-called diseases of affluence that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed food and adopting a whole foods, plants-based diet.

"A film that can save your life." -- Roger Ebert

"I loved it and I need all of you to see it." -- Dr. Oz

"Convincing, radical, and politcally volatile." -- John Anderson, Variety

Now You See it: How the Brain Science of Attention will Transform the Way We Live, Work and Learn

2011-09-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

Author Cathy Davidson offers a stunning new vision for the future, showing how the latest advances in brain research could revolutionize education and workplace management. Davidson, formerly a vice provost at Duke and now codirector of the HASTAC/MacArthur Foundation Digital and Media Learning Competitions, begins with the concept of "attention blindness," a basic principle of neuroscience stating that individuals only see a portion of the world in front of them. Davidson asks how, whether working alone or collaboratively, we might overcome this deficit and gain a broader perspective on our mental and physical surroundings. She interviews pioneers who have demonstrated amazing success in accomplishing this goal. Her focus ranges from startup charter schools in rural North Carolina to IBM, demonstrating how to move to a world that recognizes the rich interrelationships inherent in the 21st century. Duke, for instance, allowed students to bring digital experience to their (and their professors') educational experience by giving studentsiPods and asking them to "dream up learning applications." Davidson has produced an exceptional and critically important book, one that is all-but-impossible to put down and likely to shape discussions for years to come.

Review from Publishers Weekly, vol 258, issue 22

Gregory Maguire

2011-09-29T02:16:00.000-07:00

Gregory Maguire has become synonymous with fairytales revisited. Readers already know the story - they love Maguire's work for his re-imagining of established characters and events, adding fresh spin to a familiar tale. Maguire often turns the story on its head by examining the "villain's" point of view, and, in the process, sometimes rehabilitating them. Historical fiction buffs like his injection of real historical characters (e.g., Lucrezia Borgia as Snow White's Wicked Queen). His prose is beautifully surreal, giving his novels an impressionistic feel -- but like the originals of many of these tales, darkness always lurks. Read if you enjoy: fantasy fiction, character-driven plots, dark humor, puns or wordplay-filled, and a lyrical or witty writing tone. Start with: Wicked.

The Calligrapher's Secret by Rafik Schami

2011-09-28T14:06:00.000-07:00

Schami’s intricately woven tale of mid-twentieth-century Damascus is brimming with love and jealousy, prejudice, politics, and intrigue. His lively cast of characters includes Hamid Farsi, a renowned Muslim calligrapher, and his wife, Nura, a talented dressmaker and daughter of a famous scholar. Nasri Albani, widely known as a philanderer, is obsessed with Nura. And there’s Salman, a poor Christian youth who becomes Hamid’s assistant, learning the calligrapher’s art from the ground up. Hamid’s talents place his work in high demand, but when he detects weaknesses in the Arabic language, and secretly seeks to make radical reforms, he comes under the purists’ scrutiny. Though Hamid is famous, he remains a stranger to Nura long after their wedding day, leaving her isolated. Until one day she disappears, setting in motion a series of events that, like a whirlpool, never stops swirling until the novel’s end. A captivating and enlightening read, enriched by the sights, sounds, and sensuality of Damascus, and by the author making his mark by bridging the Arab world of his upbringing with his adopted home in the West.

From Booklist vol 107, number 12

Revolutionary Reads

2011-09-27T13:53:00.000-07:00

To arms! Join George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and a host of others as they participate in America’s war for freedom. Experience the plots and battles safe within the bulwark of your imagination and secure in the knowledge of the war’s eventual outcome.

To Try Men's Souls by Newt Gingrich and Willian Forstchen

A novel of the darkest days of the American Revolution follows George Washington, Thomas Paine, and Jonathan Van Dorn, a private in Washington's army, during the days surrounding Washington's crossing of the Delaware River on December 25, 1776.

Patriot Hearts by Babara Hambly

The triumphs and turmoil of early America are revealed through fictional portraits of four women--Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Sally Hemings, and Dolley Madison--who played key roles during four presidential administrations.

The Hornet's Nest by Jimmy Carter

This novel of the American South during the Revolutionary War follows Ethan Pratt, his wife Epsey, and their neighbors, Kindred and Mavis Morris, as they become caught up in the conflict and the problems confronting local Indian tribes.

Family Sagas

2011-09-26T13:35:00.000-07:00

Follow these families over the course of generations as their lives play out. Characters from a wide variety of countries and social backgrounds are represented.

Invisible Mountain by Carolina de Robertis

Follows the story of three generation of women of the Firielli family as they search for love and identity during the tumultuous political events of twentieth-century Uruguay.

New York by Edward Rutherfurd

A tale set against a backdrop of New York City's history from its founding through the September 11 attacks traces the experiences of characters who witness such periods as the Revolutionary War, the city's emergence as a financial giant, and the Gilded Age.

Bloodroot by Amy Green

Myra Lamb of Bloodroot Mountain has troubling "haint" blue eyes and a grandma whose touch charms people and animals alike. When their neighbor John Odom tries to tame Myra, he meets a with shocking, violent disaster.

Baker Towers by Jennifer Haigh

The decade following World War II becomes one of tragedy, excitement, and unexpected change for the five Novak children and the residents of their western Pennsylvania community of company houses, church festivals, union squabbles, and firemen's parades.

Sleepytime Books

2011-09-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

The Napping Hou se by Audrey Wood

While the World is Sleeping by Pamela Duncan Edwards

Tell Me Something Happy Before I Go to Sleep by Joyce Dunbar

Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

2011-09-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

Set in New York City in 1938, Rules of Civility tells the story of a watershed year in the life of an uncompromising twenty-five-year- old named Katey Kontent. Armed with little more than a formidable intellect, a bracing wit, and her own brand of cool nerve, Katey embarks on a journey from a Wall Street secretarial pool through the upper echelons of New York society in search of a brighter future.

The story opens on New Year's Eve in a Greenwich Village jazz bar, where Katey and her boardinghouse roommate Eve happen to meet Tinker Grey, a handsome banker with royal blue eyes and a ready smile. This chance encounter and its startling consequences cast Katey off her current course, but end up providing her unexpected access to the rarified offices of Conde Nast and a glittering new social circle. Befriended in turn by a shy, principled multimillionaire, an Upper East Side ne'er-do-well, and a single-minded widow who is ahead of her times, Katey has the chance to experience first hand the poise secured by wealth and station, but also the aspirations, envy, disloyalty, and desires that reside just below the surface. Even as she waits for circumstances to bring Tinker back into her orbit, she will learn how individual choices become the means by which life crystallizes loss.

Elegant and captivating, Rules of Civility turns a Jamesian eye on how spur of the moment decisions define life for decades to come. A love letter to a great American city at the end of the Depression, readers will quickly fall under its spell of crisp writing, sparkling atmosphere and breathtaking revelations, as Towles evokes the ghosts of Fitzgerald, Capote, and McCarthy.

Read if you like: Historical and/or literary fiction, a lyrical and witty tone, and character-driven plots with a strong sense of place.

Comparable Authors: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edith Wharton, or any other Jazz Age writer

Overcoming Adversity

2011-09-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

These are accounts of individuals dealing with catastrophic disruptions in their lives. Bear witness to their valiant struggles to cope with or overcome their ailments.

Look Me in the Eye by John Elder Robison

The author describes life growing up different in an odd family, his unusual talents, his struggle to live a "normal" life, his diagnosis at the age of forty with Asperger's syndrome, and the dramatic changes that have occurred since that diagnosis.

My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor

A brain scientists recounts her experiences after suffering a stroke at the age of thirty-seven, describing her discovery of differences in the left and right side of the brain and the steps she took over a period of eight years to recover her health.

The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan

Traces a San Francisco newspaper columnist's life experiences as evaluated during her late thirties, describing her relationships with her husband, children, and Irish-American father before and during her battle with breast cancer.

Swallow the Ocean by Laura Flynn

Traces the author's coming of age under the shadow of her mother's paranoid schizophrenia, a disorder that ended her parents' marriage and caused the author to be raised in accordance with her mother's distorted perceptions of the world.

Not Just for Teens: Fantasy

2011-09-17T10:30:00.000-07:00

Enjoy these explorations into the world of make believe written for young adults but sure to please the young at heart as well.

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

Torn from their parents in a society increasingly controlled by the government, 15-year-old Wisty and her older brother, Whit, are incarcerated in a totalitarian prison where they discover they have incredible supernatural powers.

Summerland by Michael Chabon

Ethan Feld, the worst baseball player in the history of the game, finds himself recruited by a 100-year-old scout to help a band of fairies triumph over an ancient enemy.

Hero by Perry Moore

Thom Creed, the gay son of a disowned superhero, finds that he, too, has special powers and is asked to join the very League that rejected his father, and it is there that Thom finds other misfits whom he can finally trust.

Coming of Age Stories

2011-09-16T00:20:00.000-07:00

Growing up is no easy task as these novels demonstrate. Compare your own experiences with those depicted here--you're sure to empathize with many of these characters no matter which decade you were born into!

The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen

When twelve-year-old cartography genius T.S. Spivet receives a prestigious award, he leaves his quiet ranch home in Montana for Washington, D.C., and he learns more about himself and the world around him on his journey.

Goldengrove by Francine Prose

Grieving after the drowning death of her sister, thirteen-year-old Nico falls into a seductive and dangerous relationship with her sister's enigmatic boyfriend during a summer when she realizes that she has moved beyond the help of her parents.

Invisible by Paul Auster

Poet and student Adam Walker meets the enigmatic Frenchman Rudolf Born and his silent, seductive girlfriend, Margot, sending Adam into a perverse triangle that leads to a shocking act of violence that will alter his life.

The Girl who Fell from the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow

After a family tragedy orphans her, Rachel, the daughter of a Danish mother and a black G.I., moves into her grandmother's mostly black community in the 1980s, where she must swallow her grief and confront her identity as a biracial woman in a world thatwants to see her as either black or white.

Library Catalog Update

2011-09-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

We will be upgrading the Library catalog system today and tomorrow to better serve you. The Library will be open with limited services during this 2-day period .

Available
Manual Material
Check-in and Checkout

Temporarily Unavailable
Customer Accounts
Catalog Searches
Hold Requests

Fatally Funny Mysteries

2011-09-14T16:12:00.000-07:00

Nuclear Jellyfish by Tim Dorsey

Serge A. Storms, Florida's resident madman and serial killer, continues to dispense his own variety of justice against society's evildoers--this time he and his pal Coleman are out to get an assortment of skinheads and shysters as well as a particularly nasty thug called Jellyfish.

Wicked Appetite by Janet Evanovich

On Boston's North Shore, pastry chef Lizzie Tucker is recruited by newcomer Diesel to track down a cache of priceless ancient relics while keeping them out of the hands of Diesel's criminal mastermind cousin.

Withering heights by Dorothy Cannell

Heading for her young cousin Ariel's delightfully Gothic mansion on the Yorkshire moors, Ellie Haskell discovers that a mysterious villain is stalking the house's picturesque halls.

On the Lam

2011-09-10T13:51:00.000-07:00

This list contains characters from many different types of thriller. All that they have in common is that they are on the lam. Who is chasing them? You'll have to find that out for yourself.

The Girl She Used to Be by David Cristofano
When Melody Grace McCartney was six, she and her parents witnessed an act so brutal that it changed their lives forever. The federal government lured them into Witness Protection with the promise of safety, but the program took Melody's name, home, family, and ultimately her innocence. Twenty years later, Melody's had countless identities. So when a man accosts her and calls her by her real name, it's a thrill she can't resist.

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn
For a price Libby Day will reconnect with the players that murdered her mother and two sisters in "The Satan Sacrifice of Kinnakee, Kansas." Having testified that her brother Ben was the murderer on that fateful night twenty-five years ago, now she is not so sure as, piece by piece, the unimaginable truth emerges, and Libby finds herself right back where she started--on the run from a killer.

Money to Burn by James Grippando
Michael Centella is a rising star at Wall Street investment bank Saxton Silvers. Everything is going according to plan until the love of his life, Ivy Layton, vanishes on their honeymoon in the Bahamas. Seven years later, Michael's got undercover FBI agents afoot, spyware on his computer, and mysterious e-mails from a "JBU." Embroiled in corporate espionage, he's desperate to clear his name. He doesn't want to believe it, but the signs point to his first wife, Ivy. Could she be back from the dead to destroy him?.

Divine Justice by David Baldacci
Having assassinated the two men who had been inhibiting his freedom, John Carr becomes the target of a manhunt involving the highest levels of the U.S. government, prompting Joe Knox to launch an investigation that tests the resources of the Camel Club.

Teen Reading: If You Like the Pretty Little Liars

2011-09-08T10:06:00.000-07:00

You're read the series and even watched the first season on DVD. But what to read next? If you enjoy fast-paced, high drama, and intense mysteries, try on of these other great reads.

The Carter House Girls series by Melody Carson
Why: The Pretty Little Liars books and the Carter House Girls books are high-drama Chick lit and realistic fiction about Rich teenage girls.
Start Here: Mixed Bags. DJ's grandmother is a former fashion model who has restored an old mansion and turned it into a boarding house for rich teenaged girls who are interested in fashion, presenting DJ with a conflict between retaining her tomboy identity or changing her style, as she decides whether or not to try to fit in.

Privilege by Kate Brian
Why:If you enjoy the Pretty little liars series, you might also enjoy the Privilege books. Both are intense mystery reads about the secrets of teenagers. And the secrets keep coming!
Start Here: Privilege. Ariana Osgood plots her escape from the mental insititution where she was locked up after being arrested for the death of Thomas Pearson at Easton Academy, as she plans to reunite with and seek revenge on her old friends.

The Carlyles by Cecily Von Zeigesar

Why: Both series are realistic fiction featuring the lives of teenage girls at elite schools. Rumors, romance, and riches are a big part of both.

Start Here: The Carlyles. Triplets Avery, Baby, and Owen Carlyle have different approaches to their new life in a Manhattan penthouse and elite private schools, but soon each has cause to want to return to their home on Nantucket Island.

We're just Wild about Harry

2011-09-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

Harry Bosch is the lead character in Michael Connelly's bestselling series. And he is one tough guy. Born in 1950 in Los Angeles to Marjorie Phillips Lowe, he was named Hieronymus Bosch after the 15th century Dutch artist and nicknamed "Harry." He became an orphan at 11 when his mother, a prostitute, was murdered. Harry grew up living in a youth hall and foster homes. He joined the army and did two tours in Vietnam. Harry returned to Los Angeles and joined the LAPD in 1972. He became a detective after five years in patrol.

The Harry Bosch series will interest you if you enjoy character-driven and intricately plotted mysteries, a gritty writing style, and a suspenseful and atmospheric tone. These novels are intense and fast-paced, but there are seventeen novels in the series so far, with number eighteen coming out this November. Start with Black Echo and work your way through to The Fifth Witness.

Happy Labor Day

2011-09-05T05:45:00.000-07:00

We'll be back in business tomorrow. In the meantime, put your feet up, grab something cool to drink, and enjoy a good book. We'll be doing the same.

In the Kitchen

2011-09-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

Are you a die-hard Foodie? Then you'll love these personal accounts of those involved in the food world. Whether you are looking for the stories of professional chefs, curious home cooks or experimental foodies, you'll find plenty to keep you entertained (and recipes to try).

Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain
Tracking his own strange and unexpected voyage from journeyman cook to globe-traveling professional eater and drinker, and even to fatherhood, Bourdain takes no prisoners as he dissects what he's seen, pausing along the way for a series of confessions, rants, investigations, and interrogations of some of the most controversial figures in food.

Blood, Bones, and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton
The chef of New York's East Village Prune restaurant presents an account of her search for meaning and purpose in the central rural New Jersey home of her youth, marked by a first chicken kill, an international backpacking tour, and the opening of a first restaurant.

Spiced by Dalia Jurgensen
Follows the author's decision to leave her office job and become a pastry chef despite male-dominated kitchens.

Th e Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn
Recounts the author's decision to change careers and attend the famed Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris, describing how she survived the program's intense teaching methods and competitive fellow students, in an account complemented by two dozen recipes.

Tales from Tinsel Town

2011-09-02T17:50:00.000-07:00

There's no business like show business, but what takes place behind the scenes once the movie screen goes dark and the theater lights come up? These novels explore some possible scenarios from Sunset Boulevard to the Hollywood Hills.

Celebutantes by Amanda Goldberg
Hollywood during the glitter, glamour, and hype of Oscar week forms the backdrop for the adventures of Lola Santisi, the daughter of Hollywood royalty, and her friends, Kate, a Hollywood talent agent, and Cricket, a struggling model and actress.

Tell-All by Chuck Palahniuk
After personal assistant Hazie Coogan discovers that a new suitor of her boss, movie star Katherine "Miss Kathie" Kenton, has already written a celebrity tell-all memoir foretelling Miss Kathie's death, Hazie realizes she must hatch a plan to save Miss Kathie.

Murder at the Academy Awards by Joan Rivers
While hosting Oscar night on the red carpet, Hollywood personality Maxine Taylor witnesses an actress's suspicious drug-overdose death, which she investigates as part of a plot to separate her daughter from an unworthy boyfriend.

Ten days in the Hills by Jane Smiley
In the wake of the 2003 Academy Awards, a group of friends and family gathers in the Hollywood hills for ten transformative days of love, memories, gossip, movies, and more, including Max, an Oscar-winning writer/director whose career is waning; his lover Elena; his ex-wife, film star Zoe Cunningham; their daughter Isabel; and others.

Poor little B*tch Girl by Jackie Collins
Enjoying power and wealth in their respective positions as a Los Angeles attorney, a senator's mistress and a celebrity madame, three former high school friends find their destinies intertwining with another friend from their teens in the aftermath of a devastating murder.

Southern Sass: Strong Female Characters in Fiction

2011-09-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

These Southern women are depicted as strong-willed survivors who know what they want and how to get it, even if they must resort to their womanly wiles to do so. So, fill your glass with sweet ice tea, sit back on your porch swing, and enjoy the rich stories of the south.

Gone for a Handsomer Man by Michael Lee West

After ending her relationship with her unfaithful fiancee, out-of-work Charleston pastry chef Teeny Templeton is wrongly accused of his murder days later and turns to a lawyer ex-boyfriend, who broke her heart a decade earlier, for help.
Summer Rental

Bulls Island by Dorothea Benton Frank

Twenty years after breaking her engagement to a prominent Southern blueblood in the wake of her mother's suspicious death, Betts Barrett returns to her home on Bulls Island to fight local developers and faces unexpected and dangerous challenges.

Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! by Fannie Flagg

TV anchorwoman Dena Nordstrom, the pride of the network, is a woman whose future is full of promise her present rich with complications, and her past marked by mystery.

Carolina Moon by Jill McCorkle

The lives and fortunes of the inhabitants of Fulton, North Carolina intersect at the establishment of Quee Purdy, an energetic, widowed free spirit and tireless entrepreneur whose specialty is fixing broken hearts and changing lives.

The Best Movies You've Never Seen

2011-09-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

Have you run out of good movies to watch? Do you look at our enormous movie wall and feel like you've seen them all? Then this list is for you, my friend. Enjoy!

Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont

Idiocracy

In America

In the Loop

MirrorMask

Run Lola Run

Brick

Babies

So what am I missing? What are the best off-beat movies that you've seen?

What Should I Read Next?

2011-08-31T11:26:00.000-07:00

If you loved the Percy Jackson & the Olympian series, then try these other great action-packed adventure series.

The Alchemyst: Secrets of the immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott (no, not that Michael Scott)

While working at pleasant but mundane summer jobs in San Francisco, fifteen-year-old twins, Sophie and Josh, suddenly find themselves caught up in the deadly, centuries-old struggle between rival alchemists, Nicholas Flamel and John Dee, over the possession of an ancient and powerful book holding the secret formulas for alchemy and everlasting life.

Wolf Brother: Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver

6,000 years in the past, twelve-year-old Tarak and his guide, a wolf cub, set out on a dangerous journey to fulfill an oath the boy made to his dying father--to travel to the Mountain of the World Spirit seeking a way to destroy a demon-possessed bear that threatens all the clans.

Jack Blank and the Imagine Nation by Matt Myklusch

Twelve-year-old Jack, freed from a dismal orphanage, makes his way to the elusive and impossible Imagine Nation, where a mentor saves him from dissection and trains him to use his superpower, despite the virus he carries that makes him a threat.

Passenger by Jane Yolen

Abandoned in the woods of medieval England, a young boy grows wild during the subsequent year in which he is forced to forage for food and run from wolves, until he is rescued by a falconer and remembers his name and the legacy of magic he is to inherit.

I Don't Read Romances!

2011-08-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

Here we have a variety of romantic stories. Some are lighthearted while others are much more bittersweet. These are about all relationships, not just the romantic one between the protagonists.

The Opposite of Love by Julie Buxbaum
Ending her happy relationship just as her boyfriend is on the verge of proposing, successful, twenty-nine-year-old Manhattan attorney Emily Pratt struggles to deal with the sense of emptiness she hides behind an independent facade.

Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer
Rescued during a break-in by an unlikely hit man who has been directed by the mob to protect her, food writer Agnes Crandall finds her situation further complicated by a missing cache of money that becomes a key factor in a Southern mafia wedding.

The Boy I Loved Before by Jenny Colgan
While dealing with her friend's wedding and prompted by her boyfriend's proposal, Flora Scurrison makes a wish that she could live her life again and wakes up the next morning to discover that she is once again sixteen years old.

Love and Other Impossible Pursuits by Ayelet Waldman
Harvard Law graduate Emilia Greenleaf's perfect life with her beloved husband Jack is turned upside down by her new preschool-age stepson, William, a situation that is further complicated when she loses her own newborn daughter.

We Love Vince Flynn

2011-08-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

If you're eagerly awaiting the release of Vince Flynn's latest political thriller later this Fall (Kill Shot, coming this October*), you may need a few books to tide you over until then. If you enjoy international intrigue, political crises, technical details, and complex missions full of fast-paced action, give these other authors a try.

Tom Clancy
Why: Thick with dramatic tension, featuring heroes who must triumph in order to save the civilized world, Tom Clancy and Vince Flynn write thrilling espionage fiction set against a backdrop of horrors fresh from the front page.

Jack Higgins
Why: Jack Higgins' fast-paced, action-packed novels are often characterized as Adventure novels, but he features elements of Political Thrillers as well--international intrigue, conspiracy, espionage. His series heroes, while more amoral, echo Flynn's series lead Mitch Rapp's independence and drive for justice.

Robert Ludlum
Why: Looking for action-packed, fast-paced Spy Thrillers featuring a heady mix of espionage, conspiracy, political suspense, and terrorists whose actions cause wide-ranging international implications? Both Vince Flynn and Robert Ludlum should fit the bill!

Daniel Silva
Why: Flynn and Silva both write fast-paced and suspenseful Suspense stories and spy fiction books for adults concerning Terrorism and international intrigue

* Did you know that you can request a book before it is in our catalog -- even before it is released? Simply fill out this form and, if we get the title, we will put your name down for it. And, yes, of course we will be getting Kill Shot. So if you want it first, act now!

This One's for the Guys: Sports Fiction

2011-08-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

With football season almost upon us, a reading list for sports fans seems entirely relevant. Besides, you need something handy to get you through all those commercial breaks.

The Red Zone by Mike Lupica

Sudden Death by David Rosenfelt

Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben

Playing for Pizza by John Grisham

Back to School Reading for Adults

2011-08-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the summer hiatus, but promise the blog will be back in full swing. To kick off the beginning of the fall semester, I humbly submit a back to school themed reading list for you adults.

Unfinished Desires by Gail Godwin

Tildy Stratton is the undisputed queen bee of the ninth grade class at Mount St. Gabriel's all-girls' Catholic School. Chloe Starnes, a student recently taken in by her uncle following her mother's death, is thrilled when Tildy befriends her. When Tildy has Chloe and all her classmates acting in a play based on the founding story of the school it changes her life, their teacher's and the school's matriarch, forever. So much so that 50 years later she is still trying to reconcile the past and the present. Read it if you like: Character-driven fiction, literary fiction, reflective and relaxed paced fiction.

Schooled by Anisha Lakhani

Struggling to make ends meet as a poorly paid Manhattan private school teacher, Anna joins an underground circle of nighttime tutors for privileged students and finds herself indoctrinated into her patrons' affluent lifestyles. Read it if you like: quick and humorous reads, a taste for New York high society life.

Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

During the late 1980s, fourteen-year-old Lee Fiora leaves behind her close-knit, middle-class Indiana family to enroll in an elite co-ed boarding school in Massachusetts, becoming a shrewd observer of, and eventually a participant in, their rituals and customs. Read it if you like: coming-of-age stories, candid and witty writing, a bittersweet tone.

The Uncoupling by Meg Wolitzer

In the wake of a drama teacher's decision to direct "Lysistrata" for the high school play, the women in the town begin to reject their husbands and boyfriends in ways that force both men and women to reevaluate their views on relationships. Read it if you like: multi-voice fiction, magical realism, women's fiction.

Happy Birthday, Maurice Sendak

2011-06-10T01:52:00.000-07:00

We wish glad tidings and birthday joy to beloved children's author and illustrator, Maurice Sendak! You've undoubtedly read his classic, Where the Wild Things Are, but did you know these interesting facts:

1. The original draft of Where the Wild Things Are featured horses instead of monsters.

2. When deciding to use monsters, Sendak used exaggerated caricatures of his relatives (and you thought your family was unfair!)

3. When the book was first published in 1963, it was quite controversial, generating negative reviews and being banned at libraries. Chief among the complaints was that the mother sent Max to bed without supper.

4. In the 1980s, Sendak worked with British composer Oliver Knussen on a children's opera based on the book.

5. According to recent estimates, Where the Wild Things Are has sold almost 20 million copies.

Bluebonnet Reading Tomorrow

2011-06-07T14:08:00.000-07:00

Join us tomorrow at 2pm for the reading of the first part of The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda. Sixth-grader Tommy and his friends describe their interactions with a paper finger puppet of Yoda, worn by their weird classmate Dwight. Can the puppet really predict the future? Plus, the book has instructions on how to create your own origami Yoda!

Happy Birthday, Richard Scarry

2011-06-05T09:04:00.000-07:00

It was a sad, sad childhood for you if you didn't grow up reading the Richard Scarry books. I vividly recall reading What do People do All Day? and longing to be an adult. After all, who wouldn't want to grow up in a world where worms drive apple cars and cats direct traffic?

Funny Face

2011-06-02T13:37:00.001-07:00

I was browsing through the shelves for some lighthearted audiobook entertainment, when I came across the new release Bossypants by Tina Fey. Since I was anticipating a lengthy road trip, I figured a few laughs would make those miles fly by. And this book is hee-larious, I mean it is laugh-out-loud funny. However, Ms. Fey also conveys an intelligence, candor, and thoughtfulness that transcend the typical comedienne fare.

Certainly Bosspants contains the self-effacing and witty biography of a typical memoir, including tales of personal rejection and shamelessness: What 19-year-old Virginia boy doesn’t want a wide-hipped, sarcastic Greek girl with short hair that’s permed on top? she asks. What’s that you say? None of them want that? You are correct. So I spent four years attempting to charm the uninterested. But interjected between these stories are sharp insights on such diverse topics gender, politics, parenthood, and work. Ms. Fey, or Tina (as I’ve already cultivated a close personal relationship with her – at least in my mind) is at her best when she discusses what it means to be a woman today and the difficult juggling act that it entails.

Run, run, my friends and listen to this audiobook. Or read it, I’m totally flexible. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Happy Birthday, Bob Dylan

2011-05-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to arguably the most famous singer songwriter ever. He's been active and influential in the music industry - and American culture - for over five decades. To get your Dylan fix, read these books or watch this movie.

This One's For the Girls!

2011-05-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do is to browse bookshelves and pick something new. I've come across several delightful novels with this scientific approach. This one's for the girls!

Girls by Lori Lansens

Sisters Rose and Ruby Darlen share a particular closeness –as most twins do. But the Darlen twins are special. They are conjoined twins, bound together at the head by a spot the size of a bread plate. Their lives literally depend on one another. At first the oddity of this arrangement may turn you off – nothing screams circus freak like attached human beings – but the characters are well drawn and immensely likeable. Rose and Ruby are normal sisters in many ways, with distinct personalities and rivalries. It's a novel you won't be able to put down or stop thinking about once it's over.

The Wide Smiles of Girls by Jennifer Fenske
Another sister tale! March and Mae Wallace are nothing alike. Mae, the dependable older sister, sees the world as a project to be saved. March is happily overweight, confident, and charismatic. Then an accident changes everything about their lives and their relationships. The interesting turns and resistance to conventional stereotyping make this a quick and enjoyable read.

Lucky Girls by Nell Freudenberger
In this short story collection, we follow five young women far from home. Set in Southeast Asia and on the Indian subcontinent, these expatriates are both attracted to and repelled by the unfamiliar places they live. Although love is often a component to these tales, the most intriguing relationship is the one between the characters and their adopted country. A thoughtful, entertaining, and insightful read.

Let's Get Digital, Digital

2011-05-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

Please put on your Olivia Newton John aerobic gear and sing along:

Let’s get digital, digital

I wanna get digital

OverDrive really rocks, really rocks

OverDrive really rocks

Clearly I'm no Joni Mitchell (just say a silent hallelujah that you don't have to hear me sing it), but the library's new digital collection is pretty amazing. We've eBooks and eAudio that work with a variety of devices, including Nook, the Soni reader, MP3 players, iPods, and iPads. And Kindle friendly fare will be available a little later this year. Even if you're a Luddite, it's easy to get started: just click on the My Help section for step by step instructions. Need help? Check out are FAQs or email us for assistance.

Happy Birthday, Gary Paulsen

2011-05-17T07:36:00.000-07:00

Mr. Paulsen is one of today's most popular writers for young readers. You might have enjoyed Lawn Boy, a recent Texas Bluebonnet nominee or his most recent, Liar, Liar. I read Hatchet in elementary school and was simultaneously enthralled and repulsed by its thrilling plot. A thirteen year old boy is stranded in the Canadian wilderness after his plane crashes. Highlights of his fight for survival include learning to build a fire, eating turtle eggs, and creating an array of weaponry. If you've got a tween boy, he will be in awe of this hero.

Mr. Paulsen himself isn't too shabby, either. He ran away from home and joyed the circus at age fourteen. He's worked as a ranch hand, a magazine proofreader, and an Alaskan dog sled racer. And he's consumed a steady diet of books since a librarian gave him a book to read and his own library card. To Mr. Paulsen, reading is the ultimate adventure: "I owe everything I am, and everything I ever will be to books."

Colleen McCullough is Awesome

2011-05-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

Probably everyone in the free world (and beyond) has heard of The Thorn Birds. You may or may not be as familiar with the author, Colleen McCullough. She is, in a word, awesome. Allow me to share a small tidbit of Ms. McCullough's history. She was born in Canada, but her family moved frequently before eventually settling in Australia. A ravenous reader, Ms. McCullough worked as a teacher, librarian, and journalist before beginning her training in medical school. An allergy to surgical soap kept her from becoming a medical doctor, so she focused her studies on nueroscience. It was while Ms. McCollough was researching and teaching in the Nuerology Department at Yale Medical School that she wrote her first two books, including The Thorn Birds. She was then able to devote herself completely to writing (hooray for us) and moved to Norfolk Island where she met and married a man almost fifteen years her junior. More recently, she underwent and survived major brain surgery. It's worth repeating -- Colleen McCullough is awesome.

I've read about half of her published works, but what I'm really into is her Carmine Delmonico series. The first book, On/Off, is simply the best pyschological thriller/mystery that I've ever read. The two novels that follow - Too Many Murders and Naked Cruelty - are equally unpredictable and engrossing. If you haven't already, run to the library and check them out.

NYT Bestsellers

2011-05-13T10:38:00.000-07:00

Published: May 15, 2011

__________________
FICTION HARDCOVER

THE SIXTH MAN, by David Baldacci. (Grand Central, $27.99.) The lawyer for an alleged serial killer is murdered, and two former Secret Service agents are on the case.
Call #: F BAL

THE LAND OF THE PAINTED CAVES, by Jean M. Auel. (Crown, $30.) The latest volume in a series that began with “The Clan of the Cave Bear,” set during the ice age.

BEL AIR DEAD, by Stuart Woods. (Putnam, $25.95.) In this Stone Barrington novel, the New York lawyer makes enemies when he represents a widow in the sale of a movie studio.

A TURN IN THE ROAD, by Debbie Macomber. (Mira, $24.95.) A middle-age woman takes a cross-country road trip with her daughter and former mother-in-law.
Call #: F MAC

THE FIFTH WITNESS, by Michael Connelly. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) The
lawyer Mickey Haller represents a woman facing home foreclosure who is accused of killing a banker. Call #: F CON

BORN OF SHADOWS, by Sherrilyn Kenyon. (Grand Central, $21.99.) In the Ichidian universe, a smuggler and a woman warrior must fight together to survive; a League novel.
Call #: F KEN

I'LL WALK ALONE, by Mary Higgins Clark. (Simon & Schuster, $25.99.) A woman haunted by the disappearance of her young son discovers that someone has stolen her identity.
Call #: F CLA

CHASING FIRE, by Nora Roberts. (Putnam, $27.95.) A smoke jumper faces a new season of firefighting in Montana after the loss of her partner.
Call #: F ROB

THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNET’S NEST, by Stieg Larsson. (Knopf, $27.95.) The third volume of a trilogy about a Swedish hacker and a journalist.
Call #: F LAR

Back to School with Sweet Valley High!

2011-05-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

Sweet Valley twins Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield are back in Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later! If you were a child of the 80s or 90s (or had a tween or teen in the 80s or 90s), then you have at least heard about the Sweet Valley twins, even if you weren't a die-hard, devoted fan. For those of you that missed out, I have the joy of recapping the sisters.

Elizabeth and Jessica are identical twins: "blonde hair, blue-green eyes, perfect size six figures." In typical twin fashion, we've got a good girl and a bad girl. See if you can guess which one is which: Elizabeth bakes cookies for the elderly, rescues cats from trees, and befriends the ugly and unpopular students. Jessica frames her sister for crimes and steals her love interests. There really isn't too much grey area, is there?

Nonetheless, my sister and I devoured the Sweet Valley books - the twins, junior high, and high school editions, natch. We felt a great connection with Elizabeth and Jessica because we were twins, too. Since my sister claimed to more Elizabeth-like, that left me with Jessica. This arrangement suited me just fine, as even at the tender age of eight, it seemed like Jessica had all the fun.

The book itself is a scintillating, sugary concoction of twin drama, secret affairs, and high school updates. Yes, it is silly, but oh so sensational. I don’t think I’m alone here, as Sweet Valley Confidential wound up on the NYT bestseller list as soon as it was released. And the good news: with its apparent success, Ms. Pascal, the creator of the original series who must be worth about 80 billion dollars by now, is considering writing another book. Yes, please, although please leave the bland and boring Todd Wilkens out of it!

2011-04-30T09:02:00.000-07:00

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Phone: (817) 748-8243
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"A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.
~Tenneva Jordan

Happy Mother's Day! If you need an idea for a good book for Mom, we're here to help.

FEATURED NEW RELEASE

THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS As someone who hated science in high school and dreaded having to take it in college, I was a little wary of reading this book. I was surprised, then, by how much I actually enjoyed it. The author, Rebecca Skloot, does a stellar job of explaining complex scientific ideas in layman’s terms. Skloot tells the story of Henrietta Lacks, a name that has become notorious in the medical community. Lacks was an African-American woman in the 1950’s who had a particularly advanced form of cervical cancer. Without her knowledge or consent, one of the doctors treating her took some of her cancerous cells to see if they would live and reproduce outside of her body. This practice of attempting to culture cells was revolutionary for the times, and doctors had been previously unsuccessful in growing human cells outside the body. However, Lacks’ cells took off and haven’t stopped growing since. It is said that if you placed her cells beside each other, there would be enough cells to wrap around the Earth three times. Her cells helped make it possible for doctors to create the polio vaccine and make advances in gene mapping, chemotherapy, and in vitro fertilization. They’ve even been to outer space. It is a shame, then, that not much was known about the woman responsible for saving so many lives. In fact, journalists and scientists often got her name wrong. But Skloot’s book clears up the story, giving many rich details about Henrietta’s life and the lives of her ancestors. And most importantly, Skloot finally gives Henrietta the recognition she deserves. Call #: BIO LAC

FICTION HARDCOVER

THE SIXTH MAN, by David Baldacci. (Grand Central, $27.99.) The lawyer for an alleged serial killer is murdered, and two former Secret Service agents are on the case. Call #: F BAL

THE LAND OF PAINTED CAVES, by Jean M. Auel. (Crown, $30.) The latest volume in a series that began with “The Clan of the Cave Bear,” set during the ice age. Call #: F AUE

THE FIFTH WITNESS, by Michael Connelly. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) The defense lawyer Mickey Haller represents a woman facing home foreclosure who is accused of killing a banker. Call #: F CON

CHASING FIRE, by Nora Roberts. (Putnam, $27.95.) A smoke jumper faces a new season of firefighting in Montana after the loss of her partner. Call #: F ROB

I'LL WALK ALONE, by Mary Higgins Clark. (Simon & Schuster, $25.99.) A woman haunted by the disappearance of her young son discovers that someone has stolen her identity. Call #: F CLA

QUICKSILVER, by Amanda Quick. (Putnam, $25.95.) In this Arcane Society novel set in Victorian London, two paranormal talents must find a murderer before they become the next victims. Call #: F QUI

EVE, by Iris Johansen. (St. Martin's, $27.99.) The forensic sculptor Eve Duncan searches for answers to the mystery of her daughter’s disappearance. Call #: F JOH

SAVE ME, by Lisa Scottoline. (St. Martin's, $27.99.) A mother’s action during a school emergency causes an uproar in a Philadelphia suburb. Call #: F SCO

THE PRIEST'S GRAVEYARD, by Ted Dekker. (Center Street, $24.99.) A priest and a young woman cross paths as they seek to bring a powerful man to justice. Call #: F DEK

THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS' NEST, by Stieg Larsson. (Knopf, $27.95.) The third volume of a trilogy about a Swedish hacker and a journalist.
Call #: F LAR

44 CHARLES STREET, by Danielle Steel. (Delacorte, $28.) The owner of a Greenwich Village town house takes in boarders and bonds with her tenants. Call #: F STE

THE PALE KING, by David Foster Wallace. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) In this unfinished novel, Wallace explores the innards of the Internal Revenue Service, the value of work and the meaning of heroism. Call #: F WAL

SING YOU HOME, by Jodi Picoult. (Atria, $28.) Picoult takes on the issue of gay rights in this novel about a music therapist who desperately wants a child; CD of songs included.
Call #: F PIC

THE PARIS WIFE, by Paula McLain. (Ballantine, $25.) Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley, narrates this novel set in Paris. Call #: F MCL

TOYS, by James Patterson and Neil McMahon. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Hays Baker, a top operative for the Agency of Change and a national hero, suddenly finds himself a hunted fugitive who must fight to save humans from extinction. Call #: F PAT

NONFICTION HARDCOVER

BOSSYPANTS, by Tina Fey. (Reagan Arthur/Little, Brown, $26.99.) A memoir from the creator of "30 Rock."
Call#: BIO FEY

UNBROKEN, by Laura Hillenbrand. (Random House, $27.) An Olympic runner’s story of survival as a prisoner of the Japanese in World War II.
Call#: BIO ZAM

SHE WALKS IN BEAUTY, selected and introduced by Caroline Kennedy. (Voice/Hyperion, $24.99.) Poems that inspired the former first daughter. Call#: 808.81 SHE

I'M ALL OVER THAT, by Shirley MacLaine. (Atria, $22.) The actress offers observations on what remains important to her. Call#: BIO MAC

ALL THAT IS BITTER AND SWEET, by Ashley Judd with Maryanne Vollers. (Ballantine, $26.) A memoir by the actress and humanitarian. Call#: BIO JUD

ONWARD, by Howard Schultz with Joanne Gordon. (Rodale, $25.99.) Schultz tells of his second stint as the C.E.O. of Starbucks and how he helped return the company to profitability. Call#: MCN 647.957 SCH

THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES, by Siddhartha Mukherjee. (Scribner, $30.) An oncologist's history of cancer. Call#: 616.994 MUK

BLOOD, BONES, AND BUTTER, by Gabrielle Hamilton. (Random House, $26.) A memoir by the chef and owner of the Manhattan restaurant Prune. Call#: BIO HAM

MOONWALKING WITH EINSTEIN, by Joshua Foer. (Penguin Press, $26.95.) A journalist who covered a mnemonics championship tries competing himself. Call#: 153.14 FOE

CHILDRENS PICTURE BOOKS

THE EASTER EGG, written and illustrated by Jan Brett. (Putnam, $17.99.) A story of caring and the hatching of spring. (Ages 4 to 8) Call #: E BRE

SILVERLICIOUS, written and illustrated by Victoria Kann. (Harper/HarperCollins, $17.99.) Pinkalicious has a loose tooth, and it’s her sweet tooth. (Ages 4 to 8)
Call #: E KAN

A SICK DAY FOR AMOS MCGEE, by Philip C. Stead. Illustrated by Erin E. Stead. (Roaring Brook, $16.99.) After a zookeeper falls ill, his animals take care of him for a change. (Ages 2 to 6) Call #: E STE

OF THEE I SING, by Barack Obama. Illustrated by Loren Long. (Knopf, $17.99.) In a letter to his daughters, the president has a message about heroes. (Ages 5 to 8) Call #: J 973.9 OBA

LADYBUG GIRL AND THE BUG SQUAD, by David Soman and Jacky Davis. (Dial, $16.99.) Lulu, a k a Ladybug Girl, is having a playdate. (Ages 3 to 5) Call #: E SOM

LITTLE WHITE RABBIT, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes. (Greenwillow/HarperCollins, $16.99.) An imaginative rabbit hops through the day. (Ages 4 to 8) Call #: E HEN

CHILDRENS CHAPTER BOOKS

THE LOST HERO, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, $18.99.) A return to Camp Half-Blood and semi-divine characters old and new. (Ages 10 and up)
Call #: J F RIO

THE RED PYRAMID, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, $17.99.) Ancient gods (this time from Egypt) and a mortal family meet. (Ages 10 and up)
Call #: J F RIO

EONA, by Alison Goodman. (Viking, $19.99.) Eona and her fellow rebels are on the run from High Lord Sethon’s army. (Ages 12 and up) Call #: YA F GOO

A WORLD WITHOUT HEROES, by Brandon Mull. (Aladdin, $19.99.) A young boy is transported to a world ruled by an evil wizard. (Ages 8 to 12)
Call #: J F MUL

I AM NUMBER FOUR, by Pittacus Lore. (HarperCollins, $17.99.) Members of another civilization live secretly among Earth-dwellers. (Ages 14 and up)
Call #: YA F LOR

INVINCIBLE (THE CHRONICLES OF NICK), by Sherrilyn Kenyon. (St. Martin's Griffin, $17.99.) Next assignment: raise the dead. (Ages 12 and up)
Call #: YA F KEN

Southlake Public Library Blog

2011-04-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

1400 Main Street, Suite 130
Southlake, Texas 76092
Phone: (817) 748-8243
http://www.southlakelibrary.org/

"April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain.”
~T.S. Eliot

And April also seems to be one of the busiest months - Tax Day, Passover, Easter, and Art on the Square. Southlake Public Library also has its book club coming up. Join us for a discussion of the American classic, "True Grit," by Charles Portis on April 21st at 6:00.

FEATURED NEW RELEASE

SWEET VALLEY CONFIDENTIAL: TEN YEARS LATER I used to read Sweet Valley High as a young girl and remember it as a series with characters I grew to love who always suffered the appropriate consequences when they did wrong. I was slightly sheepish picking up the new book, feeling silly and too old to read a “Sweet Valley” book. But I enjoyed it as a fun, light read. In this new novel for adults, the twins are 27 years old and living adult lives. Jessica is back, but this time she’s in love with Elizabeth’s ex-boyfriend, Todd. Elizabeth is working in New York and feeling betrayed by the two most important people in her life. Todd and Jessica are living together back in Sweet Valley, where many of the original characters still reside. Lila Fowler, Ken Matthews, and Enid Rollins , all familiar names from the high school series, play a part in the new book. While the cast of characters may not have changed, the intended audience definitely has. This is written for adults with mature themes. I may not have liked where some of the characters ended up, and it seems that Jessica never will change, but a certain twist involving bad boy Bruce Patman redeems the ending. And, I enjoyed getting inside the characters’ heads, especially Jessica and Todd’s. Jessica’s insecurities go a long way in helping readers understand her selfish behavior, and while they do not justify her, they at least help remind us she is human. Call #: F PAS

FICTION HARDCOVER

THE FIFTH WITNESS, by Michael Connelly. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) The defense lawyer Mickey Haller represents a woman facing home foreclosure who is accused of killing a banker. Call #: F CON

THE LAND OF PAINTED CAVES, by Jean M. Auel. (Crown, $30.) The latest volume in a series that began with “The Clan of the Cave Bear,” set during the ice age. Call #: F AUE

I'LL WALK ALONE, by Mary Higgins Clark. (Simon & Schuster, $25.99.) A woman haunted by the disappearance of her young son discovers that someone has stolen her identity. Call #: F CLA

44 CHARLES STREET, by Danielle Steel. (Delacorte, $28.) The owner of a Greenwich Village town house takes in boarders and bonds with her tenants. Call #: F STE

MILES TO GO, by Richard Paul Evans. (Simon & Schuster, $22.) After losing his wife and business, a man sets off on a cross-country journey on foot, but a violent encounter robs him of the ability to walk. Call #: F EVA

LOVER UNLEASHED, by J. R. Ward. (New American Library, $27.95.) Book 9 of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. Call #: F WAR

CRUNCH TIME, by Diane Mott Davidson. (William Morrow/HarperCollins, $26.99.) The caterer and sleuth Goldy Schulz tries to help a friend whose rental house has been destroyed by arson. Call #: F MOT

TOYS, by James Patterson and Neil McMahon. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Hays Baker, a top operative for the Agency of Change and a national hero, suddenly finds himself a hunted fugitive who must fight to save humans from extinction. Call #: F PAT

LIVE WIRE, by Harlan Coben. (Dutton, $27.95.) Myron Bolitar’s search for a missing rock star leads to questions about his own missing brother. Call #: F COB

SING YOU HOME, by Jodi Picoult. (Atria, $28.) Picoult takes on the issue of gay rights in this novel about a music therapist who desperately wants a child; CD of songs included.
Call #: F PIC

THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS' NEST, by Stieg Larsson. (Knopf, $27.95.) The third volume of a trilogy about a Swedish hacker and a journalist.
Call #: F LAR

MYSTERY, by Jonathan Kellerman. (Ballantine, $28.) The Los Angeles psychologist-detective Alex Delaware and the detective Milo Sturgis work on a grisly homicide case. Call #: F KEL

THE SATURDAY BIG TENT WEDDING PARTY, by Alexander McCall Smith. (Pantheon, $24.95.) The 12th novel in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. Call #: F MCC

NONFICTION HARDCOVER

UNBROKEN, by Laura Hillenbrand. (Random House, $27.) An Olympic runner’s story of survival as a prisoner of the Japanese in World War II.
Call#: BIO ZAM

ALL THAT IS BITTER AND SWEET, by Ashley Judd with Maryanne Vollers. (Ballantine, $26.) A memoir by the actress and humanitarian. Call#: BIO JUD

ONWARD, by Howard Schultz with Joanne Gordon. (Rodale, $25.99.) Schultz tells of his second stint as the C.E.O. of Starbucks and how he helped return the company to profitability. Call#: MCN 647.957 SCH

UNFAMILIAR FISHES, by Sarah Vowell. (Riverhead, $25.95.) A wry look at the odd and exceptional history of Hawaii. Call#: 996.9 VOW

JEANNIE OUT OF THE BOTTLE, by Barbara Eden with Wendy Leigh. (Crown Archetype, $25.) The star of the television series “I Dream of Jeannie” tells of her five decades in Hollywood. Call#: BIO EDE

ALL MY LIFE, by Susan Lucci with Laura Morton. (It Books/HarperCollins, $25.99.) A memoir by the woman known as the “leading lady of daytime” for her role on the soap opera “All My Children.” Call#: BIO LUC

CHILDRENS PICTURE BOOKS

SILVERLICIOUS, written and illustrated by Victoria Kann. (Harper/HarperCollins, $17.99.) Pinkalicious has a loose tooth, and it’s her sweet tooth. (Ages 4 to 8)
Call #: E KAN

THE EASTER EGG, written and illustrated by Jan Brett. (Putnam, $17.99.) A story of caring and the hatching of spring. (Ages 4 to 8) Call #: E BRE

A SICK DAY FOR AMOS MCGEE, by Philip C. Stead. Illustrated by Erin E. Stead. (Roaring Brook, $16.99.) After a zookeeper falls ill, his animals take care of him for a change. (Ages 2 to 6) Call #: E STE

ARTHUR TURNS GREEN, by Marc Brown. (Little, Brown, $16.99.) Arthur explores ways to save energy at home. (Ages 4 to 8) Call #: E ART

LADYBUG GIRL AND THE BUG SQUAD, by David Soman and Jacky Davis. (Dial, $16.99.) Lulu, a k a Ladybug Girl, is having a playdate. (Ages 3 to 5) Call #: E SOM

INTERRUPTING CHICKEN, written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein. (Candlewick, $16.99.) A rooster struggles to tell a bedtime story. (Ages 4 to 8) Call #: E STE

LITTLE WHITE RABBIT, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes. (Greenwillow/HarperCollins, $16.99.) An imaginative rabbit hops through the day. (Ages 4 to 8) Call #: E HEN

OF THEE I SING, by Barack Obama. Illustrated by Loren Long. (Knopf, $17.99.) In a letter to his daughters, the president has a message about heroes. (Ages 5 to 8) Call #: J 973.9 OBA

CHILDRENS CHAPTER BOOKS

THE LOST HERO, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, $18.99.) A return to Camp Half-Blood and semi-divine characters old and new. (Ages 10 and up)
Call #: J F RIO

A WORLD WITHOUT HEROES, by Brandon Mull. (Aladdin, $19.99.) A young boy is transported to a world ruled by an evil wizard. (Ages 8 to 12)
Call #: J F MUL

INVINCIBLE (THE CHRONICLES OF NICK), by Sherrilyn Kenyon. (St. Martin's Griffin, $17.99.) Next assignment: raise the dead. (Ages 12 and up)
Call #: YA F KEN

THE RED PYRAMID, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, $17.99.) Ancient gods (this time from Egypt) and a mortal family meet. (Ages 10 and up)
Call #: J F RIO

TALES FROM A NOT-SO-POPULAR PARTY GIRL, by Rachel Renée Russell. (Aladdin, $12.99.) The further reflections of Nikki Maxwell on the agonies of middle school; a "Dork Diaries" book. (Ages 9 to 13)
Call #: YA F RUS

MOON OVER MANIFEST, Clare Vanderpool. (Delacorte, $16.99.) In this Newbery winner, 12-year-old Abilene solves a mystery in Depression-era Kansas. (Ages 9 to 12) Call #: J F VAN

I AM NUMBER FOUR, by Pittacus Lore. (HarperCollins, $17.99.) Members of another civilization live secretly among Earth-dwellers. (Ages 14 and up)
Call #: YA F LOR

Southlake Public Library Blog

2011-04-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

1400 Main Street, Suite 130
Southlake, Texas 76092
Phone: (817) 748-8243
http://www.southlakelibrary.org/

Actual questions asked of librarians: Do you have books here? Do you have any books with photographs of dinosaurs? Can you tell me why so many Civil War battles were fought on National Park sites?

Happy April Fools! If you're looking for a good laugh, come check out a humorous read from the library. And think about joining us for our discussion of "True Grit" on April 21 at 6:00. It is a laugh-out-loud American classic.

FEATURED NEW RELEASE

DISCOVERY OF WITCHES I absolutely inhaled A Discovery of Witches. It started off a little slowly but quickly picked up its pace. The story centers around a witch named Diana Bishop, who is extremely wary of practicing her powers. Her parents, also witches, suffered a gruesome death, so she has shunned her witch heritage. She is a historian at Oxford who one day requests an old book, and when she touches it, she instantly recognizes its magical powers. She returns the book and meets a stunningly attractive vampire, Clairmont. He, along with all the other vampires, witches, and demons in town, have been attracted by the book, which had remained hidden until Diana was somehow able to summon it. This book is said to contain the secrets of the origins and powers of the three different kinds of species. The action mounts as Diana and Clairmont pair up to discover the mysteries of the book and the latent powers that Diana holds. Even if you haven’t jumped on the recent vampire bandwagon, you’ll still probably enjoy the action, history, and interesting twists in this well-told story. Call #: F MOR

FICTION HARDCOVER

LIVE WIRE, by Harlan Coben. (Dutton, $27.95.) Myron Bolitar’s search for a missing rock star leads to questions about his own missing brother. Call #: F COB

TOYS, by James Patterson and Neil McMahon. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) Hays Baker, a top operative for the Agency of Change and a national hero, suddenly finds himself a hunted fugitive who must fight to save humans from extinction. Call #: F PAT

THE SATURDAY BIG TENT WEDDING PARTY, by Alexander McCall Smith. (Pantheon, $24.95.) The 12th novel in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. Call #: F MCC

SING YOU HOME, by Jodi Picoult. (Atria, $28.) Picoult takes on the issue of gay rights in this novel about a music therapist who desperately wants a child; CD of songs included.
Call #: F PIC

NIGHT ROAD, by Kristin Hannah. (St. Martin's, $27.99.) Three teenagers make a calamitous decision that changes the course of their lives. Call #: F HAN

THE JUNGLE, by Clive Cussler with Jack Du Brul. (Putnam, $27.95.) Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon undertake rescue operations from Afghanistan to Myanmar.
Call #: F CUS

THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS' NEST, by Stieg Larsson. (Knopf, $27.95.) The third volume of a trilogy about a Swedish hacker and a journalist.
Call #: F LAR

THE TIGER'S WIFE, by Tea Obreht. (Random House, $25.) In an unnamed Balkan country, Natalia, a young doctor, investigates the mysterious circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfather’s death. Call #: F OBR

COLD WIND, by C. J. Box. (Putnam, $25.95.) Joe Pickett, a Wyoming game warden, must try to prove that his mother-in-law isn’t guilty of murdering her fifth husband. Call #: F BOX

THE PEACH KEEPER, by Sarah Addison Allen. (Bantam, $25.) Two women are thrust into an unlikely friendship when one of them restores a formerly grand Southern home, with plans to open an inn. Call #: F ALL

BREAKING THE RULES, by Suzanne Brockmann. (Ballantine, $26.) Izzy Zanella and his estranged wife are beginning to mend their marriage when they are caught up in the turmoil of a runaway fleeing a crime ring. Call #: F BRO

THE PARIS WIFE, by Paula McLain. (Ballantine, $25.) Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley, narrates this novel set in Paris.
Call #: F MCL

A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES, by Deborah Harkness. (Viking, $28.95.) The recovery of a lost ancient manuscript in a library at Oxford sets a fantastical underworld stirring.
Call #: F HAR

NONFICTION HARDCOVER

UNBROKEN, by Laura Hillenbrand. (Random House, $27.) An Olympic runner’s story of survival as a prisoner of the Japanese in World War II.
Call#: BIO ZAM

THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS, by Andre Dubus III. (Norton, $25.95.) by Rebecca Skloot. (Crown.) The story of a woman whose cancer cells were extensively cultured without her permission in 1951.
Call#: BIO LAC

DECISION POINTS, by George W. Bush. (Crown, $35.) The former president’s memoir discusses his Christianity and the end of his drinking; his relationships with members of his family; and his decisions on 9/11, Iraq and Katrina.
Call#: 973.931 BUS

CHILDRENS CHAPTER BOOKS

INVINCIBLE (THE CHRONICLES OF NICK), by Sherrilyn Kenyon. (St. Martin's Griffin, $17.99.) Next assignment: raise the dead. (Ages 12 and up)
Call #: YA F KEN

A WORLD WITHOUT HEROES, by Brandon Mull. (Aladdin, $19.99.) A young boy is transported to a world ruled by an evil wizard. (Ages 8 to 12)
Call #: J F MUL

THE LOST HERO, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, $18.99.) A return to Camp Half-Blood and semi-divine characters old and new. (Ages 10 and up)
Call #: J F RIO

I AM NUMBER FOUR, by Pittacus Lore. (HarperCollins, $17.99.) Members of another civilization live secretly among Earth-dwellers. (Ages 14 and up)
Call #: YA F LOR

THE RED PYRAMID, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, $17.99.) Ancient gods (this time from Egypt) and a mortal family meet. (Ages 10 and up)
Call #: J F RIO

JUSTIN BIEBER, FIRST STEP 2 FOREVER, by Justin Bieber. (HarperCollins, $21.99.) Short takes and photos from the pop star. (Ages 6 to 12)
Call #: J BIO BIE

TALES FROM A NOT-SO-POPULAR PARTY GIRL, by Rachel Renée Russell. (Aladdin, $12.99.) The further reflections of Nikki Maxwell on the agonies of middle school; a "Dork Diaries" book. (Ages 9 to 13)
Call #: YA F RUS

MOON OVER MANIFEST, Clare Vanderpool. (Delacorte, $16.99.) In this Newbery winner, 12-year-old Abilene solves a mystery in Depression-era Kansas. (Ages 9 to 12) Call #: J F VAN

Southlake Public Library Blog

2011-03-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

1400 Main Street, Suite 130
Southlake, Texas 76092
Phone: (817) 748-8243
http://www.southlakelibrary.org/

"Every spring is the only spring - a perpetual astonishment."
~Ellis Peters

It's officially the first day of spring! We here at Southlake Public Library hope you're enjoying the nice weather and beautiful flowers at Town Square. Be sure to stop by and say hello.

FEATURED NEW RELEASE

MADAME TUSSAUD This fascinating novel chronicles the life of Madame Tussaud, the woman made famous for her wax figures during and after the French Revolution. I always enjoy historical fiction that presents events in a new light and opens your eyes to both sides of a conflict. This book does just that as the author made sure to detail the flaws of both the patriots and the royalists during the reign and subsequent beheading of Marie Antoinette. Madame Tussaud learned the wax trade from her uncle, Curtius. Together, they built an incredibly successful business as they played both sides of the Revolution, hosting men like Robespierre and Lafayette in their evening Salon, yet giving wax lessons to Madame Elizabeth, the King’s sister. Even though their exhibits could be controversial, they saw themselves as simply purveyors of the news. However, as the Revolution grew more bloody, and Tussaud was forced to choose between her business and the man she loved, she would come to regret her unwillingness to choose a side. I had no idea that after the royalty were thrust from power that the pendulum had swung so far the other way. People were guillotined for having ever gambled with a royalist. This book was fantastic because it brought out all the interesting events and details that one just doesn’t learn about in school. I highly recommend it. Call #: F MOR

FICTION HARDCOVER

THE JUNGLE, by Clive Cussler with Jack Du Brul. (Putnam, $27.95.) Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the Oregon undertake rescue operations from Afghanistan to Myanmar.
Call #: F CUS

SING YOU HOME, by Jodi Picoult. (Atria, $28.) Picoult takes on the issue of gay rights in this novel about a music therapist who desperately wants a child; CD of songs included.
Call #: F PIC

THE WISE MAN'S FEAR, by Patrick Rothfuss. (DAW, $29.95.) In this sequel to “The Name of the Wind,” the magician Kvothe continues to narrate his fantastical life story.
Call #: F ROT

THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS' NEST, by Stieg Larsson. (Knopf, $27.95.) The third volume of a trilogy about a Swedish hacker and a journalist.
Call #: F LAR

LOVE YOU MORE, by Lisa Gardner. (Bantam, $26.) Detective D. D. Warren must solve the case of a dead husband, a battered wife and a missing child.
Call #: F GAR

A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES, by Deborah Harkness. (Viking, $28.95.) The recovery of a lost ancient manuscript in a library at Oxford sets a fantastical underworld stirring.
Call #: F HAR

MINDING FRANKIE, by Maeve Binchy. (Knopf, $26.95.) A motherless girl is cared for by a Dublin community.
Call #: F BIN

THE PARIS WIFE, by Paula McLain. (Ballantine, $25.) Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley, narrates this novel set in Paris.
Call #: F MCL

RIVER MARKED, by Patricia Briggs. (Ace, $26.95.) The shapeshifter Mercy Thompson and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, must confront evil lurking in the Columbia River.
Call #: F BRI

SILENT MERCY, by Linda Fairstein. (Dutton, $26.95.) Alexandra Cooper, a Manhattan assistant district attorney, is called when a woman’s decapitated body is found burning on the steps of a Harlem church.
Call #: F FAI

THE TIGER'S WIFE, by Tea Obreht. (Random House, $25.) In an unnamed Balkan country, Natalia, a young doctor, investigates the mysterious circumstances surrounding her beloved grandfather’s death. Call #: F OBR

TICK TOCK, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) The New York detective Michael Bennett enlists the help of a former colleague to solve a rash of horrifying crimes that are throwing the city into chaos. Call #: F PAT

TREACHERY IN DEATH, by J. D. Robb. (Putnam, $26.95.) Eve Dallas and her partner, Peabody, investigate a grocer’s murder. Call #: F ROB

THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett. (Amy Einhorn/Putnam, $24.95.) A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s Mississippi.
Call #: F STO

ONE OF OUR THURSDAYS IS MISSING, by Jasper Fforde. (Viking, $25.95.) Literary detective Thursday Next disappears just as a genre war threatens the Bookworld, and a trip up the Metaphoric River reveals an evil plot involving the Men in Plaid.
Call #: F FFO

NONFICTION HARDCOVER

UNBROKEN, by Laura Hillenbrand. (Random House, $27.) An Olympic runner’s story of survival as a prisoner of the Japanese in World War II.
Call#: BIO ZAM

TOWNIE, by Andre Dubus III. (Norton, $25.95.) In this memoir, Dubus explores his attachment to violence and his relationship with his famous father.
Call#: BIO DUB

A SIMPLE GOVERNMENT, by Mike Huckabee. (Sentinel, $26.95.) The ex-governor of Arkansas proposes 12 things he says Americans need from the federal government.
Call#: 320.52 HUC

DECISION POINTS, by George W. Bush. (Crown, $35.) The former president’s memoir discusses his Christianity and the end of his drinking; his relationships with members of his family; and his decisions on 9/11, Iraq and Katrina.
Call#: 973.931 BUS

CLEOPATRA, A biography of the last queen of ancient Egypt.
Call#: BIO CLE

BLOOD, BONES, AND BUTTER, by Gabrielle Hamilton. (Random House, $26.) A memoir by the chef and owner of the Manhattan restaurant Prune.
Call#: BIO HAM

CHILDRENS PICTURE BOOKS

SILVERLICIOUS, written and illustrated by Victoria Kann. (Harper/HarperCollins, $17.99.) Pinkalicious has a loose tooth, and it’s her sweet tooth. (Ages 4 to 8)
Call #: E KAN

OF THEE I SING, by Barack Obama. Illustrated by Loren Long. (Knopf, $17.99.) In a letter to his daughters, the president has a message about heroes. (Ages 5 to 8) Call #: J 973.9 OBA

I BROKE MY TRUNK, by Mo Willems. (Disney-Hyperion, $8.99.) Gerald tells Piggie the long, crazy story about breaking his trunk. (Ages 4 to 8) Call #: E WIL

ART AND MAX, written and illustrated by David Wiesner. (Clarion, $17.99.) Two artists mix methods and media. (Ages 5 to 8)
Call #: E WIE

CHILDRENS CHAPTER BOOKS

I AM NUMBER FOUR, by Pittacus Lore. (HarperCollins, $17.99.) Members of another civilization live secretly among Earth-dwellers. (Ages 14 and up)
Call #: YA F LOR

THE LOST HERO, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, $18.99.) A return to Camp Half-Blood and semi-divine characters old and new. (Ages 10 and up)
Call #: J F RIO

JUSTIN BIEBER, FIRST STEP 2 FOREVER, by Justin Bieber. (HarperCollins, $21.99.) Short takes and photos from the pop star. (Ages 6 to 12)
Call #: J BIO BIE

THE RED PYRAMID, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, $17.99.) Ancient gods (this time from Egypt) and a mortal family meet. (Ages 10 and up)
Call #: J F RIO

TALES FROM A NOT-SO-POPULAR PARTY GIRL, by Rachel Renée Russell. (Aladdin, $12.99.) The further reflections of Nikki Maxwell on the agonies of middle school; a "Dork Diaries" book. (Ages 9 to 13)
Call #: YA F RUS

THE GIFT, by James Patterson and Ned Rust. (Little, Brown, $17.99.) A sister and brother flex their new powers. (Ages 10 and up)
Call #: YA F PAT

Southlake Public Library Blog

2011-03-05T08:35:00.000-08:00

1400 Main Street, Suite 130
Southlake, Texas 76092
Phone: (817) 748-8243
http://www.southlakelibrary.org/

""The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook."
~Julia Child

Mark your calendars for the next meeting of Southlake's Who Picked This Book? Club. We'll discuss "My Life in France," the autobiography of the brilliant Julia Child on Thursday, March 24th at 6:00 p.m. There will be delicious treats and great conversation!

FEATURED NEW RELEASE

TRUE GRIT I remember loving “True Grit” as a little girl, so I was very excited to see the new version by the Coen brothers. It did not disappoint, and I think it absolutely merits its Oscar nomination. When the library received a new edition of the novel to tie in with the movie release, I instantly snapped it up. And I must admit, I had no idea it would be so humorous. The movie is quite true to the book, so all of the hilarious one-liners that come out of Mattie’s mouth were there, and I found myself laughing out loud at several parts in the book. Mattie steals the show, both in the book and the movie. She is a precocious, non-nonsense girl with unyielding values. She is also incredibly persuasive, which explains how she manages to convince Rooster Cogburn, a U.S. Marshal, to take her along on the mission to find and bring to justice her father’s killer. Cogburn is another memorable character in American fiction. Mattie hires him because she is told he has “true grit” and does not go soft on criminals. Mattie and Rooster are accompanied by a Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf, a vain man, who manages to come through when it matters most. Charles Portis does an excellent job of introducing each character, and there is just the right mix of description, dialogue, and action. It is a true American classic. Call #: F POR

FICTION HARDCOVER

TREACHERY IN DEATH, by J. D. Robb. (Putnam, $26.95.) Eve Dallas and her partner, Peabody, investigate a grocer’s murder. Call #: F ROB

PALE DEMON, by Kim Harrison. (Harper Voyager/HarperCollins, $26.99.) The witch Rachel Morgan has three days to clear her name; Book 9 in the Hollows series. Call #: F HAR

GIDEON'S SWORD, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. (Grand Central, $26.99.) Gideon Crew avenges his father’s death and is sent on a mission by a government contractor. Call #: F PRE

A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES, by Deborah Harkness. (Viking, $28.95.) The recovery of a lost ancient manuscript in a library at Oxford sets a fantastical underworld stirring.
Call #: F HAR

TICK TOCK, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) The New York detective Michael Bennett enlists the help of a former colleague to solve a rash of horrifying crimes that are throwing the city into chaos. Call #: F PAT

THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS' NEST, by Stieg Larsson. (Knopf, $27.95.) The third volume of a trilogy about a Swedish hacker and a journalist.
Call #: F LAR

THE UNION QUILTERS, by Jennifer Chiaverini. (Dutton, $24.95.) Members of a quilting circle protect their homes and families during the Civil War; an Elm Creek Quilts novel. Call #: F CHI

THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett. (Amy Einhorn/Putnam, $24.95.) A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s Mississippi.
Call #: F STO

THE PARIS WIFE, by Paula McLain. (Ballantine, $25.) Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, Hadley, narrates this novel set in Paris.
Call #: F MCL

NIGHT VISION, by Randy Wayne White. (Putnam, $25.95.) Doc Ford must find a young girl from Guatemala who disappears after witnessing a murder. Call #: F WHI

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE MURDER, by Joanne Fluke. (Kensington, $24.) Hannah Swensen discovers that a dead clergyman was not all he seemed; recipes included. Call #: F FLU

DEAD OR ALIVE, by Tom Clancy with Grant Blackwood. (Putnam, $28.95.) Many characters from Clancy’s previous novels make an appearance as an intelligence group tracks a vicious terrorist called the Emir.
Call #: F CLA

ROOM, by Emma Donoghue. (Little, Brown, $24.99.) A mother’s prison is her young son’s entire world.
Call #: F DON

THE CONFESSION, by John Grisham. (Doubleday, $28.95.) A man who committed a crime but allowed another to be sent to death row in his place now wants to admit his guilt, but must convince the authorities he’s telling the truth.
Call #: F GRI

A HEARTBEAT AWAY, by Michael Palmer. (St. Martin’s, $27.99.) A terrorist group unleashes a deadly virus in the Capitol on the night of the State of the Union address. Call #: F PAL

SWAMPLANDIA!, by Karen Russell. (Knopf, $24.95.) The pleasures and miseries of life at a failing alligator theme park in the Everglades.
Call #: F RUS

NONFICTION HARDCOVER

UNBROKEN, by Laura Hillenbrand. (Random House, $27.) An Olympic runner’s story of survival as a prisoner of the Japanese in World War II.
Call#: BIO ZAM

KNOWN AND UNKNOWN, by Donald Rumsfeld. (Sentinel, $36.) The former defense secretary’s memoir discusses his role in the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Call#: 352.293 RUM

DECISION POINTS, by George W. Bush. (Crown, $35.) The former president’s memoir discusses his Christianity and the end of his drinking; his relationships with members of his family; and his decisions on 9/11, Iraq and Katrina.
Call#: 973.931 BUS

AGAINST ALL ODDS, by Scott Brown. (Harper/HarperCollins, $27.99.) The senator from Massachusetts describes his life of hardship and second chances.
Call#: BIO BRO

CLEOPATRA, A biography of the last queen of ancient Egypt.
Call#: BIO CLE

BATTLE HYMN OF THE TIGER MOTHER, by Amy Chua. (Penguin Press, $25.95.) A Chinese-American mother makes a case for strict and demanding parenting.
Call#: BIO CHU

I BEAT THE ODDS, by Michael Oher with Don Yaeger. (Gotham, $26.) This memoir by the Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle describes how he broke out of the tough streets of Memphis and into a world of opportunity.
Call#: BIO OHE

A WIDOW'S STORY, by Joyce Carol Oates. (Ecco/HarperCollins, $27.99.) The prolific author describes her struggle to comprehend a life without her husband. Call#: BIO OAT

THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS, by Rebecca Skloot. (Crown, $26.) The story of a woman whose cancer cells were cultured without her permission in 1951. Call#: BIO LAC

LIFE, by Keith Richards with James Fox. (Little, Brown, $29.99.) The Rolling Stones guitarist’s revealing autobiography is also a portrait of the era when rock ‘n’ roll came of age. Call#: BIO RIC

THE PIONEER WOMAN, by Ree Drummond. (Morrow/HarperCollins, $25.99.) The proprietor of ThePioneerWoman.com describes her marriage.
Call#: BIO DRU

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARK TWAIN, VOL. 1, by Mark Twain. (University of California, $34.95.) In his autobiography, published unexpurgated for the first time, Twain is pointedly political and willing to play the angry prophet.
Call#: BIO TWA

CHILDRENS PICTURE BOOKS

SILVERLICIOUS, written and illustrated by Victoria Kann. (Harper/HarperCollins, $17.99.) Pinkalicious has a loose tooth, and it’s her sweet tooth. (Ages 4 to 8)
Call #: E KAN

OF THEE I SING, by Barack Obama. Illustrated by Loren Long. (Knopf, $17.99.) In a letter to his daughters, the president has a message about heroes. (Ages 5 to 8) Call #: J 973.9 OBA

MADELINE AT THE WHITE HOUSE, written and illustrated by John Bemelmans Marciano. (Viking, $17.99.) Madeline and the other girls meet Candle, the lonely daughter of the president. (Ages 4 to 8) Call #: E MAR

PONYELLA, written by Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans. Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. (Disney-Hyperion, $16.99.) The classic, retold as a pony tale. (Ages 4 to 8) Call #: E NUM

I BROKE MY TRUNK, by Mo Willems. (Disney-Hyperion, $8.99.) Gerald tells Piggie the long, crazy story about breaking his trunk. (Ages 4 to 8) Call #: E WIL

CHILDRENS CHAPTER BOOKS

I AM NUMBER FOUR, by Pittacus Lore. (HarperCollins, $17.99.) Members of another civilization live secretly among Earth-dwellers. (Ages 14 and up)
Call #: YA F LOR

THE LOST HERO, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, $18.99.) A return to Camp Half-Blood and semi-divine characters old and new. (Ages 10 and up)
Call #: J F RIO

THE RED PYRAMID, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, $17.99.) Ancient gods (this time from Egypt) and a mortal family meet. (Ages 10 and up)
Call #: J F RIO

THE GIFT, by James Patterson and Ned Rust. (Little, Brown, $17.99.) A sister and brother flex their new powers. (Ages 10 and up)
Call #: YA F PAT

TALES FROM A NOT-SO-POPULAR PARTY GIRL, by Rachel Renée Russell. (Aladdin, $12.99.) The further reflections of Nikki Maxwell on the agonies of middle school; a "Dork Diaries" book. (Ages 9 to 13)
Call #: YA F RUS

MATCHED, by Ally Condie. (Dutton, $17.99.) In this dystopian romance, a girl rebels against a deterministic future society. (Ages 12 and up)
Call #: YA F CON

DELIRIUM, by Lauren Oliver. (Harper/HarperCollins, $17.99.) Coming of age in a society that imposes "a cure for love." (Ages 14 and up)
Call #: YA F OLI

Southlake Public Library Blog

2011-02-21T16:07:00.000-08:00

1400 Main Street, Suite 130
Southlake, Texas 76092
Phone: (817) 748-8243
http://www.southlakelibrary.org/

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page."
~St. Augustine

The end of February means Spring Break is just around the corner. I for one am already planning my trip and finding help at the library. We've got maps, travel guides, and books about myriad destinations around the world. And if you aren't planning on going anywhere, let a book do all the work by allowing you to explore different places, people, and cultures without leaving home!

FEATURED NEW RELEASE

MATCHED is a story of a society where statistics and probability rule. "Bad" genes have been bred out of the gene pool, so disease, crime, and other unsavory aspects of human life are virtually nonexistent. Also, people are no longer allowed to create things. There is no writing or painting, and cursive is considered a lost art. The story centers around Cassia, who at the beginning of the book has just had an important birthday. When teenagers turn fifteen, they receive their Match, a mate that has been selected for them based on the probability their match will be successful, determined by several factors. Cassia's Match turns out to be her best friend, and she is ecstatic. However, just before the screen goes blank, she sees another face. So, which mate is truly her Match? The story unfolds in a compelling way, with Cassia's eyes slowly being opened to the cruelties of a society where choice is at a premium. I couldn't put the book down, and I look forward to the next installment. Call #: F MOO

FICTION HARDCOVER

TICK TOCK, by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) The New York detective Michael Bennett enlists the help of a former colleague to solve a rash of horrifying crimes that are throwing the city into chaos. Call #: F PAT

A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES, by Deborah Harkness. (Viking, $28.95.) The recovery of a lost ancient manuscript in a library at Oxford sets a fantastical underworld stirring.
Call #: F HAR

THE GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS' NEST, by Stieg Larsson. (Knopf, $27.95.) The third volume of a trilogy about a Swedish hacker and a journalist.
Call #: F LAR

THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett. (Amy Einhorn/Putnam, $24.95.) A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s Mississippi.
Call #: F STO

DEAD OR ALIVE, by Tom Clancy with Grant Blackwood. (Putnam, $28.95.) Many characters from Clancy’s previous novels make an appearance as an intelligence group tracks a vicious terrorist called the Emir.
Call #: F CLA

THE SECRET SOLDIER, by Alex Berenson. (Putnam, $25.95.) When the king of Saudi Arabia is threatened, the former C.I.A. operative John Wells goes undercover to help.
Call #: F BER

THE INNER CIRCLE, by Brad Meltzer. (Grand Central, $26.99.) An archivist discovers a book that once belonged to George Washington and conceals a deadly secret.
Call #: F MEL

THE CONFESSION, by John Grisham. (Doubleday, $28.95.) A man who committed a crime but allowed another to be sent to death row in his place now wants to admit his guilt, but must convince the authorities he’s telling the truth.
Call #: F GRI

ROOM, by Emma Donoghue. (Little, Brown, $24.99.) A mother’s prison is her young son’s entire world.
Call #: F DON

STRATEGIC MOVES, by Stuart Woods. (Putnam, $25.95.) In the 19th Stone Barrington novel, the New York lawyer works with the C.I.A. to transport a fugitive.
Call #: F WOO

SWAMPLANDIA!, by Karen Russell. (Knopf, $24.95.) The pleasures and miseries of life at a failing alligator theme park in the Everglades.
Call #: F RUS

WHAT THE NIGHT KNOWS, by Dean Koontz. (Bantam, $28.) Someone is murdering entire families, recreating in detail a crime spree that took place two decades earlier.
Call #: F KOO

THE SENTRY, by Robert Crais. (Putnam, $26.95.) Joe Pike and Elvis Cole, Hollywood private eyes, try to help a woman who is not as innocent as she appears.
Call #: F CRA

THE WEIRD SISTERS, by Eleanor Brown. (Amy Einhorn/Putnam, $24.95.) Three sisters from a highbrow family return home, each with a secret she’s unwilling to share.
Call #: F BRO

NONFICTION HARDCOVER

KNOWN AND UNKNOWN, by Donald Rumsfeld. (Sentinel, $36.) The former defense secretary’s memoir discusses his role in the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
Call#: 352.293 RUM

UNBROKEN, by Laura Hillenbrand. (Random House, $27.) An Olympic runner’s story of survival as a prisoner of the Japanese in World War II.
Call#: BIO ZAM

CLEOPATRA, A biography of the last queen of ancient Egypt.
Call#: BIO CLE

BATTLE HYMN OF THE TIGER MOTHER, by Amy Chua. (Penguin Press, $25.95.) A Chinese-American mother makes a case for strict and demanding parenting.
Call#: BIO CHU

DECISION POINTS, by George W. Bush. (Crown, $35.) The former president’s memoir discusses his Christianity and the end of his drinking; his relationships with members of his family; and his decisions on 9/11, Iraq and Katrina.
Call#: 973.931 BUS

I BEAT THE ODDS, by Michael Oher with Don Yaeger. (Gotham, $26.) This memoir by the Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle describes how he broke out of the tough streets of Memphis and into a world of opportunity.
Call#: BIO OHE

THE PIONEER WOMAN, by Ree Drummond. (Morrow/HarperCollins, $25.99.) The proprietor of ThePioneerWoman.com describes her marriage.
Call#: BIO DRU

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MARK TWAIN, VOL. 1, by Mark Twain. (University of California, $34.95.) In his autobiography, published unexpurgated for the first time, Twain is pointedly political and willing to play the angry prophet.
Call#: BIO TWA

CHILDRENS PICTURE BOOKS

SILVERLICIOUS, written and illustrated by Victoria Kann. (Harper/HarperCollins, $17.99.) Pinkalicious has a loose tooth, and it’s her sweet tooth. (Ages 4 to 8)
Call #: E KAN

OF THEE I SING, by Barack Obama. Illustrated by Loren Long. (Knopf, $17.99.) In a letter to his daughters, the president has a message about heroes. (Ages 5 to 8) Call #: J 973.9 OBA

LOVE SPLAT, written and illustrated by John Bemelmans Marciano. (Viking, $17.99.) written and illustrated by Rob Scotton. (HarperCollins, $16.99.) Splat likes Kitten. Spike likes Kitten. Well, Kitten? (Ages 3 to 7)
Call #: E SCO

WHEREVER YOU ARE, MY LOVE WILL FIND YOU, written and illustrated by Nancy Tillman. (Feiwel & Friends, $16.99.) All about the tenderness a parent feels for a child. (Ages 4 to 8)
Call #: E TIL

CHILDRENS CHAPTER BOOKS

I AM NUMBER FOUR, by Pittacus Lore. (HarperCollins, $17.99.) Members of another civilization live secretly among Earth-dwellers. (Ages 14 and up)
Call #: YA F LOR

THE LOST HERO, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, $18.99.) A return to Camp Half-Blood and semi-divine characters old and new. (Ages 10 and up)
Call #: J F RIO

THE RED PYRAMID, by Rick Riordan. (Disney-Hyperion, $17.99.) Ancient gods (this time from Egypt) and a mortal family meet. (Ages 10 and up)
Call #: J F RIO

WITCH AND WIZARD, by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet. (Little, Brown, $9.99.) One of each, a sister and brother, flex their new powers. (Ages 10 and up) Call #: YA F PAT

DELIRIUM, by Lauren Oliver. (Harper/HarperCollins, $17.99.) Coming of age in a society that imposes "a cure for love." (Ages 14 and up)
Call #: YA F OLI

MATCHED, by Ally Condie. (Dutton, $17.99.) In this dystopian romance, a girl rebels against a deterministic future society. (Ages 12 and up)
Call #: YA F CON

TORMENT, by Lauren Kate. (Delacorte, $17.99.) A novel about the nephilim, the children of humans and fallen angels. (Ages 12 and up)
Call #: YA F KAT