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Thrillerfest - Thriller Awards Announced

2008-07-21T12:06:00.000-05:00

Early this month I wrote that the Third Annual Thrillerfest was due to meet in Manhatten July 9-12. This International Thriller Writers' conference duly took place and featured stars such as Lee Child, Alafair Burke, Katherine Neville, Steve Berry, a host of others, and their fans.

2008 Thriller Award winners announced on July 12 were:
2008 ThrillerMaster: Sandra Brown
The Silver Bullet Award for contributions to the advancement of literacy was presented to both Macy's and to David Baldacci.
Best Novel - The Ghost by Robert Harris Find this book in our catalog
Best First Novel - Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill Find this book in our catalog
Best Paperback Original - The Midnight Road by Tom Piccirilli Find this book in our catalog
Click here for the official Awards site

Awards round-up July 18

2008-07-18T07:55:00.000-05:00

Here is news of recent book awards that I have been gathering up over the last few days. Awards encourage excellence in all kinds of writing. Award books are often good choices for book discussion groups. These four awards cover a wide range of publishing, and should give you lots of reading suggestions to work on: Strand Magazine Critics Award (for mysteries and short stories); Best of the Booker (for literary fiction); Dylan Thomas Literary Prize (English language literature from around the world); Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction.

Strand Magazine awards - Winners of 2007 Strand Magazine Critics Award are Laura Lippman for best novel (What the Dead Know) and Marcus Sakey for best first mystery novel (The Blade Itself). The winners were announced at an invitation only cocktail party in Manhattan. Click here for the article in Strand Magazine. Strand is a magazine for mystery and short story lovers.

Best of the Bookers - Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children won the Best of the Booker award after being judged--through an online public vote that drew more than7,800 responses--to be the greatest book ever to win the Booker Prize. Click here for the Guardian newspaper article announcing the award. Best of Booker is a new award celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Bookers.

According to the BBC : "A long-list of 14 books being considered for the Dylan Thomas literary prize has been announced. The award is given to English language writers under 30, drawn from around the world.
The biennial £60,000 prize has become one of the largest literary awards, with the winner announced in November. The list includes authors from Dylan's native south Wales, and the rest of UK, South Africa, Kenya, the US and Iran.

Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-fiction - Kate Summerscale's The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, "a detailed account of the famous murder, in 1860, of a three-year-old child of a respectable middle-class family," won of the US$60,064 Samuel Johnson prize for non-fiction, according to the Guardian. Judges said: "this is one of those great non-fiction books that uses the techniques of fiction to magnificent effect... On first reading, it is an absolute page-turner. Then, when you reread it, you realise how many levels it has, how much it tells you." (see my earlier posting about this book). Click here for more info about the prize.

Beach Reads

2008-07-17T09:18:00.000-05:00

On June 30th, Good Morning America and Parade Magazine released a list of beach reading. They recommended titles in fiction, mystery and general non-fiction. Their selections included:
Chasing Harry Winston Find this book in our catalog by Lauren Weisberger
How to be Single Find this book in our catalog by Liz Tuccillo
Love the One You're With Find this book in our catalog by Emily Griffin
Netherland Find this book in our catalog by Joseph O'Neill
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle Find this book in our catalog by David Wroblewski
Palace Council Find this book in our catalog by Stephen L. Carter
Billionaire's Vinegar Find this book in our catalog by Benjamin Wallace
Girls Like Us Find this book in our catalog by Sheila Weller
The Prince of Frog Town Find this book in our catalog by Rick Bragg

Anybody got another beach read to share? For further recommendations you might like to try ReadersPlace, which currently has a list of beach reads suggested by HCLP librarians.

Great airplane reading?

2008-07-15T09:18:00.001-05:00

On NPR's Morning Edition on July 10, Nancy Pearl, celebrated reader's advisor and inspiration for a famed librarian action-figure, addressed the dilemma of choosing a perfect airline carry-on book. Click here for more on the story.

Nancy said: "I've finally realized what makes a perfect carry-on book: You want a book — either fiction or nonfiction — that's complex enough to smother your annoyance when the guy in the row ahead reclines his seat into your lap, but not so intellectually challenging that it demands a dictionary. No plotless wonders with paragraph-length sentences; you need to be able to put the book down when the person sitting by the window needs to step over you to get to the bathroom. Mostly you want something that's intriguing enough to make you forget that you're 34,000 feet in the air and, in your heart of hearts, you don't really understand how the plane stays up."

These are my choices of intriguing page-turners:

Tell me where it hurts : a day of humor, healing and hope in my life as an animal surgeon by Nick Trout. Find this book in our catalog.
An insider portrait of a veterinarian and his furry patients. This is humorous and touching, and intriguing because of the blend of old-fashioned instincts and cutting-edge technology.

The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman Find this book in our catalog.
Three women are drawn together in London for an impending marriage and by a tragic accident witnessed by one of them at age twelve. Lucy blames herself for the accident and spends four decades searching for the Third Angel - the angel on earth who will renew her faith. This draws you in by its strangeness and the sense of history repeating itself. It also has a ghost.

And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander Find this book in our catalog.
Emily questions the role in Victorian society to which she, as a woman, is relegated. To escape her overbearing mother she accepts a loveless marriage, but when her dashing husband is killed on safari soon after their wedding she is intriqued to find evidence in his diaries of a life she knew little about. Her inquiries take her into the realm of stolen museum treasures and into danger where no-one is really what they seem. What's intriguing about this is the mystery of the identity of the art thieves. The setting of Victorian Society is very detailed.

The Bride's Kimono by Sujata Massey Find this book in our catalog.
I enjoy all of Sujata Massey's mysteries - they will transport you with the cultural background of the protagonist, Rei Shimura, a young Japanese-American antiques dealer. This absorbing, romantic, and sexy murder mystery was particularly well-reviewed. Rei is commissioned to bring a parcel of valuable kimonos from Japan to Washington. One of the kimonos disappears, and Rei has to dicover its significance in an ancient Japanese love triangle, and also unmask a murderer.

The Book of Air and Shadows by Michael Gruber Find this book in our catalog.
This is a great page-turner that should make you forget everything else. Jake Mishkin, whose seemingly innocent job as an intellectual property lawyer has put him at the center of a deadly conspiracy and a chase to find a priceless treasure involving William Shakespeare. As he awaits a killer - or killers - unknown, Jake writes an account of the events that led to this deadly endgame, a frantic chase that began when a fire in an antiquarian bookstore revealed the hiding place of letters containing a shocking secret, concealed for four hundred years. In a frantic race from New York to England and Switzerland, Jake finds himself matching wits with a shadowy figure who seems to anticipate his every move. What at first seems like a thrilling puzzle waiting to be deciphered soon turns into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse, where no one is to be trusted.

What would your preferred airline reading be?

Jhumpa Lahiri adds Frank O'Connor Prize to her honor role of awards

2008-07-13T08:52:00.000-05:00

Jhumpa Lahiri's Unaccustomed Earth Find this book in our catalog US$55,055 Frank O'Connor prize for a short story collection, according to the Guardian newspaper on July 5, 2008, which reported that the contest's jurors chose to dispense with "the ritual of issuing a shortlist" because Lahiri's work "was so plainly the best book." Click here to find out about the Frank O'Connor award.

This is what it says about Unaccustomed Earth in our catalog: "From the internationally best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, a new work of fiction: eight stories that take us from Cambridge and Seattle to India and Thailand as they enter the lives of sisters and brothers, fathers and mothers, daughters and sons, friends and lovers." "In the title story, Ruma, a young mother in a new city, is visited by her father, who carefully tends the earth of her garden, where he and his grandson form a special bond. But he's harboring a secret from his daughter, a love affair he's keeping all to himself. In "A Choice of Accommodations," a husband's attempt to turn an old friend's wedding into a romantic getaway weekend with his wife takes a dark, revealing turn as the party lasts deep into the night. In "Only Goodness," a sister eager to give her younger brother the perfect childhood she never had is overwhelmed by guilt, anguish, and anger when his alcoholism threatens her family. And in "Hema and Kaushik," a trio of linked stories - a luminous, intensely compelling elegy of life, death, love, and fate - we follow the lives of a girl and boy who, one winter, share a house in Massachusetts. They travel from innocence to experience on separate, sometimes painful paths, until destiny brings them together again years later in Rome."

Norrisville Book Discussion Group June - Half Broken Things

2008-07-07T08:09:00.004-05:00

HALF BROKEN THINGS By Joss Morag

Norrisville’s Book Discussion Group agreed that Scottish author Morag has crafted a fascinating book. This Silver Dagger Award winner is inhabited by three fascinating, flawed, damaged human beings who somehow manage to find each other and create a gruesome caricature of a close-knit family. Jean is a sixty-something-year-old house sitter. She has no friends, no family, nothing to anchor her—and now her agency has written her a letter informing her that her services are no longer needed after she completes her current nine-month assignment taking care of an elaborate mansion in a small rural town. Given the circumstances, she finds it impossible to resist taking on the persona of lady of the manor. Yet she still dreams of a non-existent family, centering around an imaginary long-lost son who will come and save here from her bleak future. Amazingly, the “son” shows up, another loser barely surviving on the meager spoils of various robberies and looking for a safe haven. With him is a young pregnant woman, another lost soul whom life has treated poorly. They immediately take to each other out of common yearning, and go farther and farther out on the limb of fantasy to keep their tiny bubble of safety intact.

According to the group, Morag’s real triumph involves seducing the reader into feeling sympathy for these lost souls, only to pull back in revulsion at their delusional amorality. Are these characters to be pitied or abandoned by the reader? Do they deserve a measure of happiness, or are they too warped to deserve anything other than jail time or worse?

For the most part, Morag makes clever use of the various characters points of view. However, her switching from third to first person in following Jean had most of the group confused at the beginning and almost despairing of catching onto the story. Fortunately, the group hung in there, and Morag’s slow but steady building of the story ultimately caught the group in her storytelling web.
Half Broken Things does not have a happy ending. Yet its characters and plot are so interesting that it’s worth reading anyway.

Submitted by Alan Zuckerman, the Norrisville group discussion moderator. Please call 410-692-7850 for information about future group meetings.

3rd Annual Thrillerfest July 9-12

2008-07-02T12:15:00.005-05:00

Thrillerfest takes place in New York City this year from July 9-12. At the 2004 Bouchercon World Mystery and Suspense Conference in Toronto a group of thriller authors got together to establish a new organization to celebrate and promote specifically thrillers. International Thriller Writers, Inc. (ITW) was founded to award literary prizes and promote connections in the thriller-writing world. Thrillerfest this July will be their 3rd annual convention. See http://www.thrillerwriters.org/ for more info.

See also My Next Good Book for a list of Staff Picks - Favorite thrillers.

De Niro's Game wins IMPAC Dublin Literary Award

2008-07-01T10:38:00.000-05:00

Find this book in our catalog

De Niro's Game by Rawi Hage has won the 13th annual International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, which aims to promote "excellence in world literature." Books are nominated by public librarians and can be from any country but must be published in English, at least in translation. The prize is managed by the Dublin Public Libraries. De Niro's Game was first published by House of Anansi Press in Canada and was nominated by the Winnipeg Public Library. Rawe Hage was born in Beirut, Lebanon and now lives in Montreal, Canada.

The Prize described the book this way: "De Niro's Game is told through the eyes of Bassam, as he grows up with his childhood friend George, in war-ravaged Beirut. As the young men reach adulthood they must choose their futures: to stay in the city and embrace a life of crime or go into exile abroad, alienated from the only existence they have known." The five judges praised the book for being "an eloquent, forthright and at times beautifully written first novel. Ringing with insight and authenticity the novel shows how war can envelop lives. It's a game where there are no winners, just degrees of survival. It's a wonderful debut and a deserving winner." Click here for more details.

Prince of Asturias literary prize

2008-06-30T09:45:00.002-05:00

Canadian author Margaret Atwood has won Spain's 2008 Prince of Asturias Award for Letters. Click here for information on The Prince of Asturias Foundation.

The Foundation website says of Margaret Atwood: "The leading figure in Canadian literature and one of the most outstanding voices of contemporary fiction, Margaret Atwood offers in her novels a politically committed, critical view of the world and contemporary society, while revealing extraordinary sensitivity in her copious poetical oeuvre, a genre which she cultivates with great skill."

Margaret Atwood works available in the library:
Alias Grace
The Blind Assassin
Bluebeard's Egg and Other Stories
Cat's Eye
The Door
Good Bones and Simple Murders
The Handmaid's Tale
Lady Oracle
Moral Disorder: Stories
Oryx and Crake
The Penelopiad
The Robber Bride
Surfacing

In Memoriam George Carlin

2008-06-30T09:17:00.001-05:00

Famed stand-up comedian George Carlin died earlier in the week. He was a counter-hero and creator of black comedy, which often deliberately crossed that invisible line of good taste.

On the news of George's death many commentators rushed into print and onto the Web and the airwaves with obituaries and assessments of George's work.

Why not check out some of his books and make your own assessment? These books of his are available at the Harford County Public Library:

When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops Find this book in our catalog
(also available as audio book and e-book)

Napalm & Silly Putty Find this book in our catalog

Brain Droppings Find this book in our catalog

Still Life with Elephant By Judy Reene Singer

2008-06-27T12:31:00.003-05:00

Well the summer is upon us and many of us are going to the beach. So here is a light beach read from the author Judy Reene Singer. This is her second novel after Horseplay. Still Life with Elephant is by turns humorous & sad.
Here's what Publisher's Weekly said of it.

From Publishers Weekly
Divorce is the elephant in the room for Singer's second novel, following Horseplay. When social worker turned horse trainer Cornelia "Neelie" Sterling finds out her vet husband, Matt, is cheating on her, she throws him out, but can't bear to make it legal. Faced with losing her house and barn, Neelie jumps aboard Matt's mission to Zimbabwe to rescue two wounded elephants, thinking the transatlantic journey will convince him to recommit to the marriage. There, she finds behemoths in need of care—and the philanthropist who's funding the trip. The secondaries lack texture, but Neelie's misguided struggle rings true. (July)

This was the Abingdon book group selection for June. In general we found it entertaining. It was not as humorous as we had thought, but was quite poignant in places, with some reflections on the terrible treatment of elephants by poachers in Africa. The descriptions of Africa were very nicely done and helped the reader appreciate why Neelie would want to return there. The novel deals with her husband's infidelity, horse training, elephant rescue, and the impact of a past tragedy on Neelie's present life. The humor comes mainly from her inability to hear or comprehend a lot of what is said to her, causing many misunderstandings. Her husband tells her he is getting a collie to help with the lions - or so Neelie hears, but really he is getting a colleague to help with the clients. The colleague turns out to be the one who also helps him with his love life, and so the story begins.

See Ms. Singer's website for her biography & other content.
http://www.judyreenesinger.com/

One Maryland/One Book - Update

2008-06-25T13:13:00.004-05:00

The other day I posted Harford County Public Library's news release about the library's participation in the One Maryland/One Book program. Since the statewide announcement of the book to be read this fall, the title of which had been previously kept under wraps, HCPL has made a slight adjustment to its plans for the program.

Since the target audience for the selected book is adult readers, we will schedule another type of activity with the Boys & Girls Club. We will be working with several of our branches to coordinate adult book discussions of A Hope in the Unseen to take place in the fall.

The Secret Lives of the Kudzu Debutantes by Cathy Holton

2008-06-25T12:21:00.004-05:00

I just finished this book while I was on vacation and can recommend it for beach or poolside, particularly if you are somewhere in the South.

Following The Revenge of the Kudzu Debutants, this second installment in the lives of an independent group of women from Ithaca, Georgia, is the ideal fun beach read, “packed with authentic Southern flavor and characters as colorful as azaleas in full bloom,” according to the jacket notes. Nita, Lavone, and Eadie are fast friends from the time each was married to one of the three partners in the most prestigious law firm in town. Now the partnership and two of their marriages are dissolved, and the three friends are getting on with their lives, each having newly discovered her independence. As the book opens, however, each friend is facing anxieties and sadness. Nita is anxious about her impending marriage to a man thirteen years her junior, who makes some very risky financial decisions to prove himself to his new bride and her connections. Lavonne is lonely and longs for love despite her new slim figure and her business success. Eadie remains married to Trevor but feels neglected and indulges in an excess of alcohol and wild behavior, ignoring her own artistic gifts. At this most vulnerable time, Virginia Broadwell, grand dame of Ithaca and Nita’s ex-mother-in-law, sees her opportunity to exact her revenge on the three friends for their part in her own social and economic downfall in the wake of the scandal that ruined the law firm. Virginia hatches a devious plot, but hides secrets in her past that could prove her Achilles heel. Will the friends be able to pull together their wit, spirit, and gumption in order to derail Virginia’s scheme?

This is a fun read and it is also a very good picture of friendship among women. I thought the characters were very sympathetically and perceptively drawn, even the larger-than-life character of Virginia Broadwell. Her over-the-top persona provides a good bit of the comedy in the book, which is very funny in places. There is lots of sly observation of character and motive that makes people believable among all the characterizations. Perhaps the book makes you think how people can start to believe their own legends of themselves? Give the book a try and tell me what you think.

One Maryland/One Book Project - HCP Will Participate - Here's How

2008-06-09T08:32:00.003-05:00

The Maryland Center for the Book is launching Maryland’s first-ever statewide community reading program. Various community organizations will partner with the Center for the Book and offer free programs in August, September or October 2008 related to the book A Hope in the Unseen: an American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League by Ron Suskind, its themes and topics.

The goal for the One Maryland/One Book Project is to bring diverse Marylanders together in a library, school, or community setting to generate conversations and share different perspectives on race by reading and discussing a common work of literature.

Harford County Public Library is partnering with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Harford County to bring a book-centered discussion to two of their locations – the Bel Air Unit and the Havre de Grace Unit. This will be followed up by a One Maryland/One Book Blog, where the teens can further their discussions, their readings and perhaps communicate with the author or Cedric Jennings.

HCPL will also sponsor a facilitated discussion open to the public at the Jarrettsville Branch on Saturday, October 18 at 2:00 pm. A staff member will be taking a course this summer to be trained as a professional facilitator to conduct these sessions.

On Saturday, June 14, at 11:00 am, The Maryland Center for the Book will launch One Maryland/One Book at the Enoch Pratt Central Library. Katie O’Malley, First Lady of Maryland Honorary Chairperson for the One Maryland/One Book Project, will host the celebration, and the subject of the book, Cedric Jennings, will be present as well.

Benjamin Franklin Awards and ForeWord's Book of the Year

2008-06-05T08:32:00.006-05:00

Announced in a ceremony on May 29: The Benjamin Franklin Awards for 2008. Given by The Independent Book Publishers' Association and named in honor of America's most cherished publisher/printer, the Benjamin Franklin Awards™ recognizes excellence in independent publishing.

Publications, grouped by genre are judged on editorial and design merit by top practitioners in each field. The winners are listed here.

ForeWord magazine has announced its 10th annual Book of the Year Awards. Some 210 winners were selected in a range of categories by booksellers and librarians. Click here for details.

Two other books won $1,500 Editor's Choice Awards:
* Fiction: The Other Press for The Folded World by Amity Gaige
* Nonfiction: Gibbs Smith for Women of Courage: Intimate Stories from
Afghanistan by Katherine Kiviat and Scott Heidler

Choosing Civility: the Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct by P. M. Forni

2008-06-04T13:00:00.003-05:00

Find this book in our catalog.

Dr. Forni teaches civility and Italian literature at Johns Hopkins University and was the co-founder of the Johns Hopkins Civility Project (1997-2000). He now directs The Civility Initiative at Johns Hopkins. I was recommended Choosing Civility at a business and professional networking training and again at the Maryland Library Association annual conference, at which Dr. Forni was the keynote speaker. I am so glad I read this book!

I recommend Choosing Civility for business professionals and to all walks of life, to young and old, to people who already value civility, and to those who are suspicious of civility as something outdated, restrictive, elitist, or hypocritical. This book is of immense value to anyone who is interested in connecting effectively and happily with others.

In Choosing Civility Dr. Forni explains why this connection is essential to us all, though the book’s focus is America. Dr. Forni examines some social influences on current American manners, which are just one part of civility. Though American social interactions are perhaps more informal than those in Europe, Dr. Forni acknowledges a tradition in America of democracy which encourages a respect for others, one of the behaviors which fosters civility. Dr. Forni avoids broad labels; instead he focuses on behaviors. His book is a pleasure throughout and reads like a courteous conversation with a mentor.

Part One of the book explains what civility is and why it is essential to us all. Most important for a happy and successful life are our relationships with others. Civility ensures these relationships are positive and rewarding. Civility is not a sign of weakness, and is practiced by the self-confident, not the subservient. Civility is not out-dated, but has been transformed in the 21st century by an increased value placed by society on self-esteem. Self-esteem, however, is not self-centeredness. Civility is practiced by those who understand self-restraint, and stems from a genuine concern to treat others as one would like to be treated.

Part Two explains the twenty-five rules, most of which one feels one knows. There is no sense of boredom, however, nor a sense of complacency. The plentiful examples give food for thought and things to practice. Part Three explains why we as a society are rude and what we can do to at the personal level, taking responsibility to eradicate the causes of rudeness from our lives.

As Dr. Forni says:
“Just about the most important thing we do is interacting with other human beings. Shouldn’t improving the quality of this interaction be at the top of our agendas? Being civil in our every-day lives is a time-tested way to bring about such improvement. A better quality of human interaction makes for a better life – a saner, more meaningful, healthier, and happier life. It is that simple. It really is that simple. All we have to do is stop, think about it, and then act. The sooner the better.”

Cokie Roberts named "Living Legend"

2008-06-04T11:42:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Cokie Roberts! On April 12th Roberts was honored as a “Living Legend” by the Library of Congress. This award is selected by the Library’s curators and subject specialists to honor artists, writers, activists, filmmakers, physicians, entertainers, sports figures, and public servants who have made significant contributions to America's diverse cultural, scientific, and social heritage. This information is from a HarperCollins newsletter. Click here for more information.

Also honored: race car driver Mario Andretti, civil rights activist Julian Bond, musician Herbie Hancock, historian David McCullough, baseball player/manager Frank Robinson and TV newsman Bob Schieffer.

Ms. Roberts' latest best seller is Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation. Find this book in our catalog.

Summary from our catalog:
"In Ladies of Liberty, Cokie Roberts presents biographical portraits and behind-the-scenes vignettes chronicling women's public roles and private responsibilities." "Recounted and drawing on personal correspondence, private journals, and other primary sources - many of them previously unpublished - Roberts brings to life the extraordinary accomplishments of women who laid the groundwork for a better society. Almost every quotation here is written by a woman, to a woman, or about a woman. From first ladies to freethinkers, educators to explorers, this exceptional group includes Abigail Adams, Margaret Bayard Smith, Martha Jefferson, Dolley Madison, Elizabeth Monroe, Louisa Catherine Adams, Eliza Hamilton, Theodosia Burr, Rebecca Gratz, Louisa Livingston, Rosalie Calvert, Sacajawea, and others. Roberts gives these ladies of liberty the recognition they so greatly deserve."

Historical True Crime

2008-06-04T09:26:00.002-05:00

On May 22 I blogged about The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, a true crime story of a murder of a four-year-old child that happened in Wiltshire, England, in 1860 and which enthralled the popular press for over a year. Find this book in our catalog

This morning I saw a short article from Library Journal 6/2/08 by Neal Wyatt. Neal is a collection development and reader's advisory librarian from Virginia. Neal was recommending other historical true crime stories for summer reading. They included:

The Forger’s Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century by Edward Dolnick Find this book in our catalog

The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi Find this book in our catalog

The Baby Thief: The Untold Story of Georgia Tann, the Baby Seller Who Corrupted Adoption by Barbara Bisantz Raymond Find this book in our catalog

Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler

2008-06-03T08:13:00.005-05:00

Someone drew my attention today to an article in the English newspaper, The Guardian about a locket, containing what is believed to be Jane Austen's hair, which is expected to reach more than five thousand pounds (or US$9,812) at auction. Click here for the article.

This snippet of trivia reminded me that my book club has just finished reading The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler. What a great summer read this book would be! And of course, it is perfect for a book club. My group was looking for something lighter now the evenings are getting longer but our reading time is getting shorter. At first glance The Jane Austen Book Club appears almost like chick lit. Six people, five women and one man, meet each month in the hot California summer to discuss all the books of Jane Austen in turn. They meet in each other's homes, and there is a lot of attention paid to interior decoration, clothes, and snacks. When we got into it, however, my group found lots more to discuss.

I got an awful lot out of it, though I didn't express my opinions very vocally, because I was not sure if everything I saw was really there. The book's a bit like that, it creeps up on you and keeps you off balance. One reviewer talks of Fowler's "sly wit." I thought all of the book was a bit sly. Maybe Fowler just did it for her own amusement to see if she could write a 21st century book like Austen? If so, she certainly manages the irony, the bons mots, and the almost unnoticed put-downs very well. We saw lots of sentences we wanted for sheer delight to quote during our discussion.

The plot also keeps you off balance. On the face of it is a story of how the six meet every month and how their relationships grow. Jocelyn is a key figure in the book, and it is she who invites the members of the club. I was a bit puzzled in the beginning as to why she invited whom she did. Obviously she had a purpose, and you think you know what it is, and then the plot twists and you are no longer so sure. The members meet together and use the stories of Jane Austen to help them work through their own problems of life and love. Each book is seen through the eyes of one of the participants, but the focus soon wanders off the book to the hidden lives, desires and motives of the characters. Will each character have a happy ending, and will the happy ending be the one you think it will be? You must check this book out to find out!

Other similar suggestions:
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

The Baltimore Sun Read Street

2008-05-29T12:09:00.004-05:00

The Abingdon Lite at Night book group is featured on the Baltimore Sun online reader's site, Read Street, today. This site is dedicated to the readers of Baltimore and beyond. It includes news, events and information about book groups around the greater Baltimore area. To check out the site, go to
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/books/blog/
To go straight to the book clubs go to
http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/books/blog/book_clubs/

The Abingdon group is currently reading Still Life with Elephant by Judy Reene Singer which we will be discussing on Monday, June 23rd at 6:30 pm. We are very casual and sociable and welcome new faces, so please come and join us.

A few of the group are pictured here, still in our winter clothes, with hot chocolate and cookies.

Contact authors through our online book clubs with Author Buzz

2008-05-27T08:26:00.004-05:00

Many of our readers have said that they would often like to learn more about, or even contact an author, particularly if he or she is the author of a book club book they are reading. As you know, at Harford County Public Library's Readers Place you can find all sorts of online book clubs to sign up for and get a chapter a day delivered to you by e-mail, together with all sorts of extra features. One of those extras is Author Buzz.

Author Buzz is a great way for readers to talk with authors, discover new authors, and find new titles. Readers can click on the link included in their Online Book Club emails and it brings them to Author Buzz. Once at Author Buzz, they will see the featured author for that week. As well as providing information about the author, each feature provides a way for patrons to communicate with him or her if they would like to learn more. It's really fun, because it is rare for readers to have direct access to authors, and the authors also offer prizes that can be won each week!

Click here to see what's new at AuthorBuzz this week.

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: a shocking murder and the undoing of a great Victorian detective by Kate Summerscale

2008-05-22T09:59:00.006-05:00

Do you like a classical murder mystery set in an English country house? What’s more, do you prefer your murder to be set in the Victorian era, when in upper and middle class homes complex and rigid social conventions only too often bred secrets and perversions behind closed doors? If you do, The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher should be just the thing for you; despite the fact that it is not a fictional tale at all, but a true story that took place in England in an upper class country home in Wiltshire in 1860.

Ms. Summerscale, a journalist and former literary editor, has written an enthralling true crime story that encompasses all the details that fans of true crime stories find essential: the crime, the suspects’ actions, the police investigations, blunders, and breakthroughs, and also the detailed proceedings of the various court hearings. At the same time, she has managed to pen a story that draws you in with its narrative style and does not get bogged down in the detail. The book is very well crafted and leads the reader on, not only through the details of the case, but also through Ms. Summerscale’s argument. She argues that this case was the real case that gave rise to the conventions and popularity of country house murder fiction continuing today. Many of the real details of the case appeared in fiction in the years that followed; for example, the case influenced tales like The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. Mr. Whicher, one of the founding eight members of the Detective force at Scotland Yard, was the original popular heroic detective, and was interviewed and quoted by Charles Dickens. Like the fictional Cuff in The Moonstone, Whicher embodied for the public the archetype intuitive, intellectual detective, who caught criminals by using his powerful observation of people and clues. When Whicher’s long career was substantially ruined by this case in Wiltshire, there arose a further era of detective fiction where the detective is seen as either crass and inept, or as a dark influence, a lower-class intruder into the sanctity and secrets of the middle class home.

This book can be enjoyed on many levels. You can appreciate Ms. Summerscales’ scholarship in the infinite details of mid-Victorian English culture that she lays out for us, and in her deep knowledge of the crime fiction of the era and also of Scotland Yard and the judicial system. She writes perceptively of the people involved in the case, so that you soon begin to see that all the characters involved in the case are full of secrets. Ms. Summerscale compares this case to classical murder mysteries where everyone is a suspect with things to hide. The detective has to sift through all the secrets and see which suspect is hiding the fact that he or she is a murderer. In this case in Wiltshire, the person convicted may or may not have been the culprit. You will have to read the book to find out!

Three Bags Full a sheep detective story by Leonie Swann

2008-05-20T11:44:00.006-05:00

The Abingdon Book Group read Leonie Swann's first novel, Three Bags Full, and had mixed reactions. Many thought this story, which features a whole assortment of characters, some sheep, some human, to be rather confusing. Yet others liked it even so. I initially read the book last year and enjoyed it more when I reread it before the discussion. There are 19 sheep in the story, but Ms. Swann does make things easier for the reader by providing a list of the names and their temperaments on the back cover of her book, as well as on an inside page prior to the story. Some parts of the book are a little slow, and there are frequent literary allusions that readers may or may not understand. Despite all of these things, however, this is a delightful and charming book. The main thread of the story deals with the shepherd, George, whom the sheep discover lying dead in the meadow with a spade stuck though him. The sheep determine that justice must be served and it is up to them to discover the murderer and expose him or her. The sheep give some wonderful insights into the behavior of the local humans and this is where some of the comedy arises as they mistake things that they hear and do not completely understand. One of the characters blames Satan for the murder, but to the sheep, Satan is an old donkey in the next field & they cannot understand why he would be the murderer. There is a sub-plot concerning an event from several years back, and more puzzlement when a mystery woman arrives in the village. Set in a small Irish community, Leonie Swann has captured the essence of the location and has some lovely descriptions of the countryside. All in all this is an enjoyable book, but not one you can rush through.
As Ian Sansom wrote in his article of July 22, 2006 in the Guardian newspaper (UK), Three Bags Full "is without a doubt the best sheep detective novel you're going to read this year."

From Booklist
*Starred Review* A completely original, sparklingly inventive, cleverly written story, first published in Germany, about a flock of Irish sheep who vow to solve the murder of their shepherd, George. George has always treated the flock like humans, reading to them, feeding them the best fodder, protecting them from the local butcher, acknowledging their individual personalities, and even promising to take them to Europe. Imagine the flock's shock when George is found dead in their meadow with a spade stuck in his chest! Led by Miss Maple, the smartest of them all, the sheep decide they must find out who killed George (depriving them of the best--and only--shepherd they've ever had). How they finally achieve this ambitious goal makes for a quirky, humorous, lively, weird, surprisingly dark yet joyous tale that shows how a disparate set of sheepy personalities can work together for the greater good. Although the plot meanders a bit, readers willing to accept the premise will find themselves engaged--rooting for the sheep, marveling at the ingenuity of the author, or simply enjoying the madcap story. Good fun and a fine first novel from a promising new writer. Emily Melton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Awards Round Up - Nebulas and Stokers

2008-05-14T08:59:00.003-05:00

Last month I posted a message about the Nebula Award nominees. Rather belatedly, here is a link to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America website, where the winners are listed.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Presented the Nebula Awards® for 2007 at the Omni Austin Hotel Downtown in Austin, Texas on April 26, 2008.

Novel: The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
Novella: "Fountain of Age" by Nancy Kress
Novelette: "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate" by Ted Chiang
Short Story: "Always" by Karen Joy Fowler
Script: Pan's Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro

Stoker Awards
Each year, the Horror Writer's Association presents the Bram Stoker Awards for Superior Achievement, named in honor of Bram Stoker, author of the seminal horror work, Dracula. Click here for information about the awards and this year's winners announced March 30, 2008.

Novel: The Missing by Sarah Langan
First Novel: Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill
Long Fiction: Afterward, There Will Be A Hallway by Gary Braunbeck
Short Fiction: "The Gentle Brush of Wings " by David Niall Wilson
Fiction Collection: (Tie)Proverbs for Monsters by Michael A. Arnzen and 5 Stories by Peter Straub
Anthology: Five Strokes to Midnight edited by Gary Braunbeck and Hank Schwaeble
Nonfiction: THE CRYPTOPEDIA: A Dictionary of the Weird, Strange & Downright Bizarre by Jonathan Maberry & David F. Kramer
Poetry Collection: (Tie)Being Full of Light, Insubstantial by Linda Addison and Vectors: A Week in the Death of a Planet by Charlee Jacob & Marge Simon
Lifetime Achievement Award: John Carpenter, Robert Weinberg
Richard Laymon President's Award: Mark Worthen, Stephen Dorato, Christopher Fulbright

The Cruellest Month: a Three Pines Mystery by Louise Penny by

2008-05-12T11:31:00.005-05:00

Find this book in our catalog.

I have just put this book down and can recommend it as an absorbing fast read. It should appeal to fans of cozy mysteries, who will recognize lots of the elements they have come to love: a small, closed community, somewhat out of time and certainly eccentric; a group of friends and neighbors, apparently well-known to each other, but all with something to hide from their pasts, which gradually comes out under the stress of a murder investigation. The location and the lifestyle is apparently idyllic, yet always there is something evil under the surface like a canker in a rose. The Cruellest Month received a Starred Review from Publishers Weekly, and this is how they described the book: "Chief Insp. Armand Gamache and his team investigate another bizarre crime in the tiny Québec village of Three Pines in Penny's expertly plotted third cozy (after 2007's A Fatal Grace). As the townspeople gather in the abandoned and perhaps haunted Hadley house for a séance with a visiting psychic, Madeleine Favreau collapses, apparently dead of fright. No one has a harsh word to say about Madeleine, but Gamache knows there's more to the case than meets the eye. Complicating his inquiry are the repercussions of Gamache having accused his popular superior at the Sûreté du Québec of heinous crimes in a previous case. Fearing there might be a mole on his team, Gamache works not only to solve the murder but to clear his name. Arthur Ellis Award–winner Penny paints a vivid picture of the French-Canadian village, its inhabitants and a determined detective who will strike many Agatha Christie fans as a 21st-century version of Hercule Poirot."

All of these elements are there, and yet I thought that there was a great deal more complexity to the book. I saw similarities to the novels of P.D. James, and even Ruth Rendell. The book delves very deeply into the nature of love, loyalty, and jealousy. Chief Inspector Gamache is a very complicated and engaging hero. More complex and less of a caricature than Poirot, he has issues with his own past, as does James' Commander Adam Dalgleish, and the single-mindedness and secretiveness of Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley. He commands the loyalty of his team just as Inspector Maigret used to. At the same time, like these other detectives before him, he is gentle and sensitive with those who need his care and also supremely moral.

The icing on the top of this layer cake of a book is that at times it is extremely funny. Louise Penny pulls this off, I think, because she is such an acute observer of people. I had a little bit of discomfort with the ending, perhaps because I felt that after everything that went before it was a bit rushed and pat, perhaps because Penny was leaving room for a sequel. This book is part of a series though it can be read alone with no problem. Penny skilfully fills in the background without giving everything away. I just have to go back and read the earlier books to find out what went on in the Hadley house the last time Gamache visited Three Pines!