tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-233080372009-12-21T17:27:39.841-05:00A description of interesting books read, skimmed, or claimed as read by adult services staff at the Twinsburg, Ohio, Public LibraryFredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00084926916002176258noreply@blogger.comBlogger376125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-62061747923686927072009-12-21T17:08:00.003-05:002009-12-21T17:27:39.850-05:00

by Christopher MooreThe first book I read by Christopher Moore was The Stupidest Angel, about Santa turning into a zombie and taking over an entire town during Christmas. So, I expected A Dirty Job to have the same quirky, odd ball humor and fantastical scenerios. I wasn't disappointed.You'll meet Charlie, a self-titled "Beta Male", who undergoes a sudden change after the passing of his wife when

Beth Hatchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-32620195766870161602009-11-24T14:10:00.002-05:002009-11-24T14:14:57.095-05:00

I started listening to Greg Iles on the recommendation of a librarian from Shaker Heights. I listened to Turning Angel, and I loved the way Iles told a story. Even though it was graphic and the subject matter wasn't my favorite, Iles's mastery of the language and his ability to build a compelling plot led me to pick up True Evil. I loved this audiobook; it was suspenseful, the characters were

Carihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08946089089327911719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-32831674479764971452009-11-14T12:45:00.001-05:002009-11-14T12:45:37.405-05:00

An excellent literary tie-in with the Fables series of graphic novels. If you haven't read the graphic novels (really, you should, they're fantastic) this still stands on its own. If you are familiar with the series, this fills in some back-story and builds on the main story line.

Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00084926916002176258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-50408991824131100742009-11-14T12:44:00.000-05:002009-11-14T12:45:15.609-05:00

A tremendous resource for those curious about brewing their own beer. This book covers the history of brewing and how the American commercial brewing scene evolved, the science behind brewing, and the actual art involved.

Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00084926916002176258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-17218154914014470782009-11-10T14:25:00.004-05:002009-11-10T14:56:05.775-05:00

If you haven't read this book and enjoy audiobooks, this is a fantastic one to listen to. Frank McCourt narrates this autobiography of his childhood growing up in Ireland. His thick Irish brogue is charming and his tale transports you to the dirty streets of Limerick. Living in the lane, children went without proper shoes, food, and were plagued by the guilt ingrained in them by the Catholic

Beth Hatchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-49506630247627221802009-11-10T14:11:00.001-05:002009-11-10T14:12:29.248-05:00

by Chris TusaTusa immediately draws you into the world of Hailey Trosclair, a typical teenager discovering herself, questioning the meaning of life and the existence of God in a world fraught with misery, loss, and desperation. In such a short amount of time, you become entangled in the lives of the people in Hailey's life - genuinely feel for them, sharing their trials and their triumphs. Only a

Beth Hatchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-58819723225862903702009-10-19T18:30:00.002-04:002009-10-19T19:15:03.427-04:00

by Audrey NiffeneggerWe begin with a death. Elspeth Noble is dead and leaves her two twin nieces, Valentina and Julia, her flat in London with the stipulation that her sister and twin, Edie, and her husband are not allowed in the flat and the twins have to live there for a year before they can sell it. Other tenants of the building await the twins' arrival: Elspeth's lover, Robert, lives in the

Beth Hatchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-14532637342895804062009-10-12T17:08:00.004-04:002009-10-12T18:31:07.111-04:00

by Elizabeth KimOut of the frying pan and into the fire... that sums up life for this Korean war orphan. A product of an American soldier's conquest, this young child and her mother are shunned by their Korean families and neighbors. They form a tight union of mother and daughter, alone in a world that views them as nonpersons, not worthy of existence. One fateful night, her mother is killed in

Beth Hatchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-55596840129359253462009-10-11T10:21:00.001-04:002009-10-11T10:21:41.696-04:00

A serious graphic novel about relationships, and the false impressions that can destroy them.

Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00084926916002176258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-50795192798275876752009-10-01T09:36:00.003-04:002009-10-01T10:09:53.171-04:00

by David Sedaris (audiobook)Back again from the author of Me Talk Pretty One Day, Sedaris' book of comical and insightful essays had me in stitches. I found myself laughing out loud at his descriptions of people and events. His boyfriend Hugh's habit of losing him anytime they walk anywhere. The woman who kept a babyfood jar filled with water and old cigarette butts that she sniffed anytime she

Beth Hatchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-25971621354224378962009-09-29T13:29:00.000-04:002009-09-29T13:30:49.810-04:00

I'd read this before and remembered it fondly. The recent movie prompted me to revisit it. This book is a classic, having single-handedly given graphic novels legitimacy. The intricacy of plot and subtlety of artwork come together in a spectacular work of art.

Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00084926916002176258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-88177462886578370542009-09-18T10:05:00.003-04:002009-09-18T10:21:14.410-04:00

by Ann PatchettA suspenseful romantic story of a soiree gone wrong. A wealthy Japanese businessman, Mr. Hosokawa, is thrown a birthday party by a South American Vice President in order to gain his favor so that he might construct factories in their country. To lure Mr. Hosokawa to the affair, the Vice President hires the Japanese man's favorite opera soprano, Roxanne Coss, to entertain.Diplomats

Beth Hatchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-73728523210425707732009-08-26T09:24:00.002-04:002009-08-26T09:31:37.453-04:00

by Dr. PhilIn this book, Dr. Phil explains the five factors for a phenomenal family (great alliteration, right?). To do this you need to create a nurturing and accepting Family system; promote rhythm in your family life; establish meaningful rituals and traditions; be active in your communication; and learn how to manage crisis. I found this book to be helpful and, at least, reassuring about my

Beth Hatchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-15917073556106744312009-08-10T17:23:00.004-04:002009-08-10T17:43:02.079-04:00

by Antwone Quenton FisherI know this one was posted before but I wanted to elaborate a little....This autobiography strikes into the heart as we follow a young Cleveland foster child, Antwone Fisher, through his years of abuse and neglect at the hands of his foster mother, Mrs. Pickett. Though the scenery is familiar to me, the family dynamic - if you can call it that - is foreign, shocking, and

Beth Hatchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-33992947461715013152009-07-30T10:11:00.001-04:002009-07-30T10:11:34.638-04:00

The latest of Delisle's graphic novel travelogues. Graphic novels have proven to be a great medium for this type of thing. Delisle has an eye for odd visuals, like the fact that Burma, a former British colony, intentionally switched to driving on the right side of the road. Meanwhile, because of trade restrictions, people there can only get cars with the wheel on the right side, which makes

Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00084926916002176258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-54727675119814595112009-07-27T14:57:00.003-04:002009-07-27T14:58:27.559-04:00

by Neil GaimanA little baby toddles off to the graveyard one night, narrowly escaping a murderous villain named Jack, who dispatches the baby's entire family. In order to protect the child, the ghosts of the graveyard adopt the boy, keeping him safe from harm, naming him Nobody Owens - "Bod" for short. As he grows, Bod is able to live the life of ghosts. Taught by ghosts and his guardian Silas,

Beth Hatchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-17697036335985135552009-07-26T16:23:00.001-04:002009-07-26T16:23:56.477-04:00

This is a look back at the many-branched tree of the human evolutionary tree. The many versions of human (all but one, Homo Sapien - us - being extinct). This collection is a thought-provoking. Most of the critters featured survived longer than we've so far been around. It's entirely conceivable that we could wind up one of the least successful man-apes dreamt up by nature. Also interesting is

Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00084926916002176258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-49577930279512628952009-07-23T14:15:00.002-04:002009-07-23T14:39:09.973-04:00

I decided to read A Simple Plan by Scott Smith on the recommendation of my friend John, who had heard about it from Stephen King. John is a huge King fan and will read pretty much anything he recommends. And I like King too--although I was kind of annoyed about what he said about the Twilight books. Still, I loved Case Histories by Kate Atkinson, which King also recommended, so I decided to go

Carihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08946089089327911719noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-77174820628753915902009-07-21T18:25:00.001-04:002009-07-21T18:25:31.797-04:00

A graphic novel about a strange arrival in a small town. Pretty decent. It has kind of a Daniel Clowes feel to it.

Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00084926916002176258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-14671648562185355052009-07-20T13:34:00.002-04:002009-07-20T13:51:37.424-04:00

by Laura Whitcomb (audiobook)An enrapturing tale of two ghosts, Helen and James, who inhabit human bodies, vacant of souls, in order to share their love in physical form while unraveling the mystery behind each of their deaths. Their former hosts experienced trauma or tragedy in their lives that enabled them to vacate their bodies. James and Helen uncover the mystery of their own deaths as well

Beth Hatchnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-13646044303619511642009-07-11T11:37:00.003-04:002009-07-11T11:37:22.289-04:00

Humorous shorts in comic form, starring Skullboy, a supervillain whose trials in elementary school threaten to derail his career aspirations.

Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00084926916002176258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-83365631263383609282009-07-11T11:31:00.002-04:002009-07-11T11:34:25.519-04:00

The first volume in this manga series shows great potential. It's a romp through a fictional universe featuring airships, pirates, martial arts and more. Good fun, and an (extremely loose, in that typical manga fashion) interpretation of the Wizard of Oz stories.

Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00084926916002176258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-69298120429087159002009-07-09T16:14:00.002-04:002009-07-09T16:32:33.097-04:00

The Cutting is a mystery set in Portland, Maine. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I used to live there 20 some years ago and I like to read books set there. Anyway, Hayman is recently transplanted there from NYC and writing novels is a second career for him. The book is a bit salacious but a decent first mystery. I find that most mystery writers take a couple of books to get really good but

Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01911517660501208328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-91016399717425249212009-07-09T15:57:00.002-04:002009-07-09T16:02:15.222-04:00

Author Seth Grahame-Smith has mostly just used the original Jane Austen classic. His minor changes include making the Bennet clan a formidable band of Shaolin-trained killers, and the inclusion of zombies. Lots and lots of zombies.Thematically, it holds up rather well. I read the Cliff's notes to the original alongside, and the modifications actually seemed surprisingly superficial. And honestly,

Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00084926916002176258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23308037.post-5224792285543457172009-07-09T15:53:00.002-04:002009-07-09T15:57:10.475-04:00

Scripted by Harvey Pekar, this is a pretty straightforward bio of the more prominent Beats. The accompanying artwork leaves a great deal to be desired, and there's not much depth of information. Still, given the graphic format and accessible information, it could help to introduce a new generation to this important literary movement.

Fredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00084926916002176258noreply@blogger.com0