Looking for a book recommendation?  Look no further!  Here are a few good books I've enjoyed lately...

Book Review: Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker

Teenaged sisters Cass and Emma disappeared on the same night.  Emma’s shoes, car, and purse were found on a nearby beach, but there were no other clues and the search was eventually abandoned.  Our story begins when Cass appears on her mother’s doorstep three years later, having escaped from her kidnappers, and desperate to find Emma. 

Told from the alternate perspectives of Cass and Abby, a forensic psychologist with the FBI who is assigned to the case, information is fed to the reader slowly and in deliberate pieces.  This is a well-crafted psychological thriller that, like many psychological thrillers, relies on an unreliable narrator.  Emma in the Night is also an interesting exploration of narcissistic personality disorder and its effect on family life.  A suspenseful page-turner, I would recommend this book to fans of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. 

 

Book Review: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

Just shy of nine years old, Rose Edelstein bites into the lemon cake that her mother has baked and discovers she can taste the emotions her mother was feeling as she made the cake.  She is horrified to learn that her mother, who she believed to be just fine, is full of sadness and despair.  She is also horrified to realize that this “gift” of tasting emotions is not a one-time experience, but something that will happen every time she takes a bite.  Rose’s whole life soon becomes consumed by figuring out how to deal with her “gift” as she is immersed in others’ emotions anytime she eats anything.

As Rose struggles under the weight of her supernatural ability, it becomes clear that she may not be the only one in her family with an unusual “gift.”  For readers who like clear-cut explanations and neatly tied up endings, this book will not satisfy, as we never really discover the whats, whys, and hows of the family’s gifts.  What we do see is how an emotionally dysfunctional family endeavors to love each other the best they can. 

Book Review: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

Do you ever think about how different your life might have been if you had made a single different choice?  What if you had gone to a different college? Pursued a different career path?  Bailed on the blind date where you met your spouse?  What if you hadn’t fallen out with that friend?  Or gotten fired from that job?  Life is full of what ifs, and unknowns.    

Jason Dessen has an unexceptional life.  He’s married, with a teenage son, and teaches physics at the college level.  He’s not famous or wealthy, and he’s never accomplished anything spectacular, but he loves his wife and son and enjoys his work.  Life is good, but he’s about to discover just how different it could have been.

Through a seemingly impossible string of events, Jason finds himself coming face-to-face with a series of scenarios of what his life could have been and he finds himself frantic to get back to his old life, to save his wife and son, and maybe even save himself.

Dark Matter is a fast-paced thriller with some dodgy science.  Great for action lovers, although serious science-lovers may want to give this one a pass. 


What about you?  What good books have you read lately?

Long before becoming a librarian, Emily was an avid library patron. She enjoys reading fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, biographies, and classic children’s literature. Her favorite book is Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.

 

We just got this great new Emily Gravett book!

I'm a fan of her quirky books and this one, true to form, has fantastic pictures and a silly plot. It also sneaks in an important life lesson about trying to be fashionable by following what everyone else is doing.

I tried it out with a visiting Preschool this morning and it was a hit. Students created pictures of their goofy hats or hair after storytime. I used 11x17 paper to make a head with lots of space above. I added a sentence at the bottom where kids could choose the word they were illustrating. In a lot of cases, the creativity was just too much and kids had both hat and hair circled.

We had a wonderful time reading this book, talking about this book, and creating pictures from the ideas in this book. A great picture book will help adults READ/TALK/WRITE/PLAY/SING with kids. There's learning everywhere!

It's National Introverts Week!  Fun Fact #1:  Although we value quiet time, introverts are not necessarily shy.

Growing up, I was the only introvert in an extroverted family and I endured several loving efforts to help me change (I lovingly resisted).  Fortunately, recent years have seen a reevaluation of this label.  I always knew there was nothing wrong with me but it's nice to see the rest of the world catching up.

Here are a few books in our collection which highlight challenges introverts face and the strengths we bring to the table.



Becky likes to read … A LOT. When she’s not reading, she likes to pretend that she can garden. Her favorite books are The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz and The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman..

While Sir Arthur Conan Doyle may have tired of Sherlock Holmes, readers have not. Nearly 130 years after Holmes first appeared in A Study in Scarlet, there remains such an interest in this consulting detective that other authors have taken up the cause and offered their own contributions to his story.  Let's begin with some short story collections.



In Sherlock Holmes in America, edited by Martin Greenberg, we are treated to 14 stories by a list of authors including Loren Estleman, Matthew Pearl, Bill Crider, and Jon Breen.  Each story is set in an American locale such as New York, St. Louis, San Antonio, and Salt Lake City.  Each is told in the writer's own voice but still captures the spirit of the Holmes stories.



The Perils of Sherlock Holmes by Loren Estleman offers 11 stories and 3 essays for Holmes fans to savor.  Highlights include "The Adventure of the Three Ghosts" in which Holmes aids a man experiencing nightly visitations and "The Devil and Sherlock Holmes," in which an insane asylum inmate has convinced the medical staff that he is Satan himself.



And a couple of series . . .

One of the most popular book series today is Laurie King's Mary Russell series.  The first book in the series, The Beekeeper's Apprentice, introduces a retired Holmes to a 15-year-old girl whose brilliant intellect, caustic wit, egotistical personality, and gift for detail rival his own.  He mentors her in the art of detection and allows her to participate in cases.  A kidnapping case will test their friendship -- a master criminal is clearly pulling the strings and Holmes is the target -- as well as everyone he holds dear.  Excellent characterizations, delightfully atmospheric. 

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz has the distinction of being the first Sherlock Holmes novel to be authorized by Arthur Conan Doyle's estate.  A year Holmes's death,  Watson (now in a retirement home) finally recounts the most scandalous case of Holmes' career, a case he hadn't written about at the time because it was "too monstrous, too shocking".  Back in 1890, a fine art dealer approached Holmes and Watson to ask for help.  A few days later, the dealer's home is robbed and his family is threatened.  And then, the first murder takes place.  As they investigate, Holmes and Watson find themselves drawn into an international conspiracy, a conspiracy Holmes fears will tear apart society.  A tight, compelling plot and finely drawn characters do justice to the Holmes canon.  Horowitz's Sherlock Holmes series currently has two additional titles to offer.

You may also want to check out these titles:  Lyndsay Faye's Dust and Shadows, Leonard Goldberg's The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes, Bonnie Macbird's Art in the Blood, and Larry Millett's Sherlock Holmes and the Eisendorf Enigma.

Have you read any of these books?  If so, what did you think?  Have you read other "new" books featuring Sherlock Holmes that you'd like to recommend?



Becky likes to read … A LOT. When she’s not reading, she likes to pretend that she can garden. Her favorite books are The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz and The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman..

Good News! The Allen County Public Library's online catalog now has the added capacity of searching for titles by Lexile Level. We've added it as one of the limiters on the left hand side of the catalog search screen.



As a librarian, I've helped lots of families find books for kids by Lexile level, but it was always a chore to hop onto the lexile.com site, find interesting titles, then go back to our catalog to see if they were available at Grabill or another library in the county. Now I can skip the first step and go directly to our catalog.

It's a help to librarians and parents! When you're using the online catalog from home you can get Lexile info in each library book record or you can search by Lexile level to get the level you need and limit by your favorite library. You can also have books at the needed level sent to whatever library you'd like.



If you have any questions about this new part of the catalog, you can ask a librarian in person, or ask us online using our ask a librarian email reference service.

We hope this helps get just the right book into your students' hands!

A collection of works by Fort Wayne artist Janak Narayan.

March 5, 2018 - April 15, 2018
Jeffrey Krull Gallery

www.janaknarayan.com

When my parents died… I wasn’t able to cry.  Not one bit.  – Yaichi

Manga Review:  My Brother's Husband by Gengoroh Tagame

Diving into manga or anime – if I’m being honest, I would add “most of the canon of western sequential art” to that as well – you might be disappointed at the lack of offerings in the way of narrative written from the point of view of people who fall in the LGBTQ spectrum.  Heck, finding positive (meaningful and not frankly insulting) depictions of LGBTQ characters is a chore in and of itself!  

While that’s not to say that the work that does exist is not in and of itself praise worthy and wonderful in many cases (the critically acclaimed Fun Home springs immediately to mind), but by no stretch of the imagination is there an embarrassment of riches to choose from.   If you were to file that amount down to a manga that is remarkably emotionally intelligent, as well as aimed at either the young or young at heart (and has been translated into English and released in the west!), then you have very little to choose from.   Mind you, I’m speaking from the perspective of someone who is barely scratching the surface on a true understanding of manga.  And I am not talking about the vast array of manga with a focus on gay relationships, which have a different intent and audience in mind than this one does.

As I understand it (and I am, again, admittedly very ignorant when speaking on this matter, so please bear that in mind) Japanese culture is currently going through an identity crisis related to its real and present LGBTQ population.  It makes manga like My Brother’s Husband already an interesting addition to the canon.  Now released in English, Tagame’s story is not just an important work appearing during a period pivotal to its subject, but is one worthy of being read, even without the tie it has to the still marginalized culture of LGBTQ folk, providing crucial characterization that proves to be far from being cliched representatives.

My Brother’s Husband has thus far only had a single omnibus released in English, but having read it, I am already excited to recommend it to anybody and everybody.  Heartfelt? Check.  Adorable?  Check.  Truly, albeit quietly, groundbreaking?  Oh, you’d better believe it.

The story focuses on themes of loss, family, masculinity, love, and emotional honesty.  The story begins with the death of Yaichi’s twin brother, Ryoji.  Still trying to contextualize the feelings that Yaichi is haunted by for his brother – a sorrow over his death that he feels unable to express and articulate, as well as a lingering feeling of betrayal, leftover from when Ryoji announced that he was gay – Yaichi finds himself the mostly unwilling host to the biggest shock he could have imagined –

His brother’s very large, very Canadian widower, Mike Flanagan.

If not for the fact that Yaichi’s ultra adorable and headstrong daughter Kana is absolutely taken by the thought of having a Canadian uncle, he might never get the courage to get to know his brother’s widower.   What makes Yaichi a truly interesting character is that far from being treated as a character who only needs to be this narrative's straw man, he is a stay at home dad and from what I have learned, appears to be an accurate representation of modern Japan’s cisgender struggle with their own homosexual population in the face of a world that is increasingly accepting their own population of LGBTQ peoples. 

Truly remarkable is the realistic manner in which Yaichi begins the story afraid to have his shirt off while around Mike, out of a lingering fear that toxic culture has taught him, which is that Mike may just try “something” with him.  The idea that Mike - and his brother, for that matter - are deviants is something that lingers often in the periphery of the way that Yaichi views his house guest, sometimes acted out, in spite of his desire to provide a good standard of hospitality.  

Mike isn’t a boring character either, in fact is far from it.  I’ve always wondered how Japanophiles would be treated in a manga (aside from what I’ve seen in Oishinbo) and Mike is an out and out fanboy of his widow’s culture.  I think what is most important in this story is that this is not a one-sided story or education, but is rather a sharing of knowledge between two very different outlooks on life and a realization of how two different people cope with emotional trauma and culture shock.

Everything about the book is quite heart warming, and Tagame’s ability to bring across the subtleties of masculine emotions is unlike anything else in manga.   Interestingly, the book features many instances of near-male nudity, and after some time spent thinking about that addition in a book that would “otherwise” be suitable for people of all ages, I realized that the way that the mature adult male body is portrayed in this book is not unlike the manner that female bodies are portrays in a lot of modern manga.  The muscular, thick bodies of men are portrayed as things of beauty, sometimes almost coming off as, somehow, delicate.   It’s truly striking to see the male form treated as an object of admiration, in much the same way that a female’s body is often viewed in the same manner.

For this being Gengoroh Tagame’s first foray into family friendly work, I have to say that I am thoroughly impressed and would highly recommend this story to anyone.

Kayla loves all things weird, wonderful, and macabre. Her soul’s in writing, and her hobbies include gaming, watching movies and television shows, and reading anything and everything. Her black cat’s TOTALLY, 100%, not evil.

Book Review:  Beyond Scandal and Desire by Lorraine Heath

I have never experienced reading a Lorraine Heath book. Oh sure, I have one in my TBR pile, but Beyond Scandal and Desire is my first read. I was pleasantly surprised, especially since I'm not a big fan of the revenge plot. This story begins Ms. Heath's newest series, Sins for All Seasons. I'm guessing this series will revolve around a group of "siblings" who were abandoned as babies to a woman named Ettie Trewlove. There are two women, Gillian and Fancy, and four men, Aiden, Finn, Mick and Ben/Beast. Beast is the one with the requisite scar. None of them are related except for Finn and Aiden, however, they consider themselves to be family. Even though the blood relationship between the siblings is weak, there is nonetheless a sibling bond between all of them. They grew up in the dredges of London and their loyalty to each other is something that cannot be denied. They are also very devoted to the woman who took them in, Ettie. She is the woman they look on as their mother. She has their love and respect.

Mick Trewlove is seeking revenge on the man who abandoned him when he was a baby. He knows who the man is  -- the Duke of Hedley. The Duke has a son, Kip, and is also guardian to Lady Aslyn. Lady Aslyn's parents were killed when she was a young child and she has grown up in the Duke's household. She has also grown up very sheltered in their household. She knows that they love her and she loves them in return. She has a great affection for Kip and expects that someday she and Kip will marry. Everyone just kind of expects it. Aslyn is comfortable with her situation. Oh sure, sometimes she feels as if she's missing something, but she hasn't found the need to find out what that missing something is. Then Mick Trewlove crosses her path.

Mick Trewlove does not cross Lady Aslyn's path by accident. He has made up his mind that ruining Kip through Lady Aslyn is the perfect way to get his revenge on Hedley. So, with the help of his spunky sister, Fancy, he meets the two one evening on an outing. It wasn't long before I found myself becoming absorbed by the story.

What I found so fascinating was that this was more than just a romance story. All the secondary characters were well-rounded, they are part of the story of Mick and Aslyn and I was never distracted by their presence. I liked Mick a lot. Sure he wanted to get revenge, but it wasn't long after he meet Aslyn that he began to struggle with his idea of revenge. He finds himself drawn to Aslyn and not too much time passes before he's running into problems with his grand revenge plan and fighting his need for Aslyn.

Aslyn is almost too good to be true. She isn't class conscious at all. She has no problem with Mick's family and is fascinated with how Mick has made his way up from the dregs of the London streets. I was worried for a while that she wouldn't stand up for herself when it came to her engagement with Kip. However, almost from the moment she becomes engaged to her childhood friend, she starts to question the wisdom of their engagement. She recognizes that there isn't any spark between the two of them. When she finds out that Kip is addicted to gambling, she is up front with Kip and tells him where he can get off.

While I enjoyed the romance between Aslyn and Mick very much, I was equally fascinated with Kip, Hedley, and Hedley's wife. All three of these secondary characters had enormous problems, which can be a big distraction to some stories. In this case, the secondary plotlines were given just the right amount of time in the story. They added to the overall plotline instead of detracting from it. I found all of these secondary characters very intriguing.

Bottom-line. I loved this story. It was a full, robust tale of more than just romance. It was emotionally satisfying and I can hardly wait for the next in the series. I was pretty impressed with Lorraine Heath's Beyond Scandal and Desire.


Kay is an avid reader of historical romance books, maybe with a little trip into paranormal land and an occasional journey into mystery world.

March 14 is my favorite day of the month.  It’s a holiday (of sorts) if you weren’t aware.  A holiday that is more like an inside joke to those “in the know” like Star Wars day (May the Fourth).  It’s a day to celebrate the irrational number of pi (the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter). 

Pi is a pretty amazing number when you think about it.  While most of us remember the 3.14 part (hence, 3/14 being Pi Day), pi never ends and it never repeats itself.  It is also pretty incredible that any circle, no matter what the size, will give you pi if you divide the circumference of the circle (distance around) by the diameter (distance across).

Even if math isn’t of particular interest to you, Pi Day can still be a lot of fun.  First of all, you can’t celebrate Pi Day without pie, and who wouldn’t want to celebrate a holiday that involves pie?  Secondly, just because pi is a mathematical ratio, that doesn’t mean that you can’t use it to make beautiful art.

Mathematical arts and crafts are how we will be celebrating here at the Main Library in Children’s Services on Pi Day. Join us anytime between 3:30 and 4:30 pm to make some mathematical art or a pi bracelet!  We will even have some yummy pie to eat!

I’ll listen to this album again, but First Aid Kit’s newest, Ruins, seems to be suffering a bit from their new major record label’s Sophomore Slump.  Or, maybe Ruins just doesn’t have an admirably written tune like “Waitress Song” to anchor it as did their previous effort, Stay Gold.  Either way, on a first listen, I was a little bummed by some of the clichéd and overly abstract lyricism, though the ladies still sing quite prettily with a most-satisfying original flair.  That latter aspect of the album stood out to me even more on the first half of a second listen, thank goodness, way before I’d even gotten close to the miracle of “Hem of Her Dress”  (track 9) and what a concrete image can do for a record to elevate it beyond elevator music.  Pun intended.

Suggested Use: Take this one on your next trip, elevator or otherwise, but especially if you’re driving.  The harmonies speak of wide-open spaces and rural mountainsides, while the actual lyrics about postcards, what one leaves behind, and “getting where you’re going you dirty rascal” add some much needed duende to the beauty that surrounds one … on vacation.  Don’t need duende in your vacations?  Save this for your drive when you return to work for a month of Mondays and then some.  No matter how much you love your job, you’re going to need some beauty like this album provides.  Believe me.

Craig B is a thirty-something lover of books, movies, and rock and roll whose grandmother still worries that he might not be eating enough. (Love you, Grandma!) He lives with his charming wife in the small town of Berne, IN (in sight of the clock tower) where he busies himself keeping the Roses of Sharon in check and training his chinchilla in the ancient arts of the Ninja. Craig’s current favorite book is Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann.

Book Review:  Pandora's Lab by Paul Offit.

Paul Offit is best known as the doctor who defends vaccination against critics who claim it causes autism. Given the storm of anger you can readily find if you Google his name, it's impressive that his recent book, Pandora's Lab: Seven Stories of Science Gone Wrong, invites still more disdain. Even more impressive, however, is his ability to make his cases.

When I saw that Rachel Carson was one of his targets, I braced myself against any disparagement of one of the inspirational people in my life. Yet, when I finished the chapter about the impact of her most famous book, Silent Spring, I was deflated. Offit credits her book with inspiring an environmental movement that humanity needs, but he nails her and the movement for ideological absolutism. Silent Spring led to a world-wide ban on the pesticide DDT. The purpose was to protect wildlife and prevent cancers, and Offit thinks this was based on dubious science. The ban, however, was so unbending that millions of people died from malaria borne by mosquitoes that would have been killed by DDT aimed specifically at them. Eventually, the ban was relaxed. 

Among the scientists ripped by Offit are several who thought they could turn opium into a safe pain-killing drug. One version was heroin, which was first marketed by the German company Bayer (of aspirin fame) and in the United States by Indiana's own Eli Lilly. The modern chapter of this tragedy is the opioid epidemic. 

Perhaps the most grotesque miscarriage of science described by Offit was a supposed miracle cure for mental illness. A widely respected physician Walter Freeman, went around the country lobotomizing thousands of brains, many of them with an ice pick. But the darkest chapter told how some of the most admired leaders of the early 20th century promoted the pseudo-science of eugenics that was picked up by Adolf Hitler and morphed into mass murder.

Offit is most definitely not anti-science. He advocates science based on solid data and separated from scientists' agendas, bank accounts, and egos -- although he writes so strongly that I'm guessing his own ego is pretty sturdy and his critics accuse him of profiting from his stances.

Nevertheless, Offit is also willing to recognize that even good science comes at a cost. His biggest example is at its core the biggest question today about civilization. Scientific breakthroughs such as the creation of artificial fertilizer have allowed the human population to top 7 billion -- and so, for that matter, has DDT. That's good for those who have not starved or died of malaria, but we 7 billion are also rapidly changing our planet in ways that Offit and others think will cause our doom, and this doctor offers no miracle cure.


Evan - Married, three children, two grandchildren, formerly a newspaper journalist, now a public librarian, at all times a board game nut.

What if you could swallow a magic pill that could help make all of your dreams come true? For Jeremy Heere, that sounds like just what he needs. Jeremy is a stereotypical high school dork. He sits silently in class while he listens to the popular people talk about their more exciting lives. He keeps "Humiliation Sheets" where he makes a tally each time he is bullied or teased. He has fallen for a pretty, smart girl named Christine, but each time he tries to strike up a conversation with her he inevitably chickens out or says something stupid. When his best friend mentions a pill that his brother took to ace the SATs, he can't help but be intrigued, although it seems to good to be true.

When he musters the courage to go to the school dance, he is approached by Rich, one of his tormentors. Rich tells him about the "squip", a super computer in pill form that can tell you how to be cool. After watching Rich go make out with some of the prettiest girls in school, Jeremy knows he has to have one.

This book was extremely engaging and hard to put down. It really makes you consider what it means to be popular, and the importance of staying true to yourself. It does have some crude language and sexual references, so it is recommended for older teens. Overall, this is a very interesting and creative story that will draw you in and make you think about how a squip could change your own life!

This book is available in print, and as a ebook and audiobook on Hoopla.
If you enjoy the book, be sure to check out the musical based on the story; the soundtrack is available on Hoopla.

When kids gain the ability to read independently and fluently everyone shouts HOORAY! Teachers are ready for more great learning to begin and parents are pleased that all those bedtime stories are now paying off.

It’s such a joy to see the growth and confidence at this point that it’s easy to forget how important it is for adults to KEEP READING to these kids.
But why worry about read-alouds when your child is capable of reading on his own?
Let me count the ways!

1. When your child was a baby, you knew that reading together provided wonderful bonding time. It’s still true, but your kid would probably roll their eyes at you if they heard anything about bonding so let’s just call it “hang out time” instead.
2. Even confident readers have to work at reading. Give them a break and let them get carried away in the story while you’re doing all the work.
3. Vocabulary. The more books you expose your child to the better her vocabulary will be. SATs here we come!
4. It’s fun reading time for you too. Pick a classic that you’ve never had time to read, and read it together.   

AND don't limit yourself to chapter books. Picture books are fun, no matter how old you are. Here are some of my favorites, totally appropriate for kids in grades 4-6.

Yes, it's once again time for a few upcoming releases. These books are due to be released between March 15 to April 14, 2018. Remember, those are the dates the publishers are going to release them, not necessarily the date they will reach a book shelf near you. These are also books I am hearing good things about.

Historical Romance

	Lenora Bell http://www.lenorabell.com/ What a Difference a Duke Makes School for Dukes series   March 27
	Candace Camp http://www.candace-camp.com/ His Wicked Charm The Mad Morelands series March 27
	Eva Leigh http://evaleighauthor.com Counting on a Countess The London Underground series March 27

Historical Fiction

Stephanie Dray http://www.stephaniedray.com Laura Kamoie http://LauraKamoie.com My Dear Hamilton:A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton April 3

Contemporary Romance/Mainstream Fiction/Woman's Fiction/New Adult

	Toni Aleo http://tonialeo.com Misadventures with a Rookie Misadventures series Contemporary Romance April 10
	Emily Belden http://www.emilybelden.com/ Hot Mess Mainstream March 20
	Lauren Dane http://www.laurendane.com Jagged Whiskey Sharp series Contemporary Romance March 27
	Christina Lauren http://www.christinalaurenbooks.com/ Love and Other Words Mainstream April 10
	Carla Neggers http://www.carlaneggers.com/ The River House Swift River Valley series Contemporary Romance March 27
	Alisha Rai http://www.alisharai.com/ Hurts to Love You Forbidden Hearts series Contemporary Romance March 27
	Kate Rorick http://www.katerorick.com The Baby Plan Mainstream March 20
	Jodi Thomas http://www.jodithomas.com/index.html Mornings on Main Mainstream April 10

Mystery/Thriller/Suspense/Romantic Suspense

	Tess Diamond https://www.facebook.com/TessDiamondBooks/ Be a Good Girl Romantic Suspense March 27
	Lea Griffith http://www.leagriffith.com/ Running the Risk Endgame Ops series Romantic Suspense April 3
	Jane Haseldine https://janehaseldine.com Worth Killing A Julia Gooden Mystery series Mystery March 27
	Lisa Renee Jones http://www.lisareneejones.com Murder Notes Lilah Love series Romantic Suspense March 27
	Lisa Scottoline http://scottoline.com/Site/ After Anna Suspense April 10
	Simone St. James http://www.simonestjames.com The Broken Girls Suspense March 20

Paranormal/Fantasy/Science Fiction/Urban Fantasy

	Christine Feehan http://www.christinefeehan.com Covert Game A Ghost Walker series Paranormal Romance March 20
	Tessa Gratton http://tessagratton.com The Queens of Innis Lear Fantasy March 27
	Kevin Hearne http://www.kevinhearne.com Scourged The Iron Druid Chronicles Urban Fantasy April 3
	Shelly Laurenston http://www.shellylaurenston.com/ Hot and Badgered The Honey Badgers series Paranormal Romance March 27
	Mark Lawrence http://www.marklawrence.buzz Grey Sister Book of the Ancestor series Fantasy
	Matt Wallace http://www.matt-wallace.com/ Taste of Wrath A Sin du Jour Affair series Urban Fantasy April 10

Young Adult/Teen

	Emma Berquist https://twitter.com/eeberquist?lang=en Devils Unto Dust Debut April 10
	Amanda Foody http://www.amandafoody.com Ace of Shades The Shadow Game series April 10
	Justina Ireland http://www.justinaireland.com Dread Nation April 3

Inspirational Romance/Main Fiction

	Mary Connealy http://www.maryconnealy.com The Accidental Guardian High Sierra Sweethearts series April 3
	Katie Ganshert http://www.katieganshert.com No One Ever Asked April 3
	Sarah E. Ladd http://www.sarahladd.com The Weaver’s Daughter April 10

Erotica

Opal Carew http://www.opalcarew.com/ X Marks the Spot

Kay is an avid reader of historical romance books, maybe with a little trip into paranormal land and an occasional journey into mystery world.

Book Review: Norman Mailer's winner of the 1980 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, The Executioner's Song

I don’t have strong opinions about New Journalism, though I think there are some pretty strong opinions floating around out there (think Truman Capote vs. Lester Markel), but I have been kicking around the idea that in some way the act of New Journalism does what in theatre they call breaking the fourth wall; that moment when a performer looks out at the audience and addresses them directly.  One of my favorite examples of this can be found in the early moments of the classic comedy, Airplane! when Robert Hays looks at the camera and lets us know just exactly how he feels.  For me, in New Journalism (and I’m going to err on the side of capitalizing it, despite its detractors), there’s something about the “facts” it incorporates that seem to constantly address the reader (who is ostensibly reading just a novel) with assertions of, “and yes, this really did happen,” that breaks the “fourth wall.”  These “facts” keep highlighting the relationship readers have with the storyteller in a way that is almost “meta” (not to mention a line like the “quote” attributed to Larry Schiller, the real-life producer/director of NBC’s 1982, The Executioner’s Song: “He would also tell the truth and not protect himself.”  Thank you for the assurances, Mailer) while also reinforcing the emotional ties readers might have towards the story. 

And so, because of New Journalism (or even in spite of it) I have come to have a fairly strong (positive) opinion about the “New Journalistic” winner of the 1980 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, Norman Mailer’s The Executioner’s Song.  I mean, just the effort that went into creating the book is impressive: 15,000 pages of interviews, 15 months of full-on writing, with a nearly thousand page book garnering a major award.  (And that major award wasn’t even the author, Norman Mailer’s, first.  He had won the General Non-Fiction Pulitzer Prize for Armies of the Night in 1969.)  And it doesn’t stop there.  Mailer also managed to mostly convince me of something in his novel, the beauty of the thing being that I’m not even sure he was trying to.  I’m even going to use a bit of hyperbole and insist that Mailer intuitively understood the importance of the story of Gary and Nicole and how it really needed to be told without any political agenda, and so that’s what he did.  But maybe that’s just the devious elements of New Journalism talking, and, of course, that doubt I’m having is part of the furor surrounding New Journalism.  How can such a “subjective” form of “journalism” in which the author seeks “truth” more than “facts” (that debate is from yet another film somehow connected in my mind to Mailer’s novel, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) lack a political agenda, a personal bias?  I don’t know, but I do feel it’s not impossible to get close, (see my post about Cozzens’ Guard of Honor for more on this) and at the end of the day, I’m not sure it really matters for Mailer’s novel anyway.  As a novel, (and I feel I can speak fairly authoritatively on this because I read the book cold, not knowing it as anything other than a “novel”) Mailer’s story was crafted in such a fashion as to truly show and not tell.  His “Song” is never preachy, never self-righteous, though it might verge on being “twee” with its meta-fictional qualities which could drive some readers away.  (Though if you’re going to be breaking a fourth wall, makes a lot of sense to do it in a book about a guy in prison, right?)  But none of this is why I have reservations about the book and won’t be reading it ever again (at least any time soon).  It may be brilliant and memorable like Airplane! (just an opinion, folks, not a fact), it may even come to us in a form that engages with philosophical ideas about Truth, but unlike Airplane! and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade it’s just too darn long.  I mean, unless you’re like my friend Beachey and have trouble respecting books of a reasonable length, who has the time to read this shelf-groaner once let alone twice.  Take my word for it, just take Airplane! out for a spin.

Craig B is a thirty-something lover of books, movies, and rock and roll whose grandmother still worries that he might not be eating enough. (Love you, Grandma!) He lives with his charming wife in the small town of Berne, IN (in sight of the clock tower) where he busies himself keeping the Roses of Sharon in check and training his chinchilla in the ancient arts of the Ninja. Craig’s current favorite book is Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann.

The books listed here are more new teen romance novels to read for the grey days of February...

Scott M, Editor - Scott is known around Shawnee Branch and about town as the “Library Dude” and is kind of squirrelly!  His favorite short story is Leaf by Niggle written by JRR Tolkien and he also works for chocolate brownies and Rice-Crispy treats!

 

The puppets are coming!

We are just a few short weeks away from Children's Services' annual Preschool Puppet Show! This year, we'll be courageous with the Brave Little Miss Muffet, and we'll try our best to Don't Wake the Tiger. In between shows, there will be singing and dancing and getting our wiggles out.

Interested in joining the fun? The dates for this fantastic event are listed below:

Wednesday, March 14 at 9:30 am, 10:30 am, and 1:30 pm.
Thursday, March 15 at 9:30 am, 10:30 am, and 1:30 pm.
Friday, March 16 at 9:30 am, 10:30 am, and 1:30 pm.
Saturday, March 17 at 10:30 am.

The Preschool Puppet Show will be held in the Main Library's theater. Space is limited, so please plan to show up early.

Large groups of 10 or more people must register for the show by calling 421-1220. Smaller groups do not need to register, but will be seated on a first come, first served basis.

Hope to see you there!

We saw some amazing board games created during our last Design It! program. Lots of thought and planning went into the layout of each game, and the games were so creative and fun to play!

Join us for the next Design It! program at the Main Library on Wednesday, February 28 from 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM in the Program Room of Children’s Services. We’ll have all the materials you’ll need to create a Mixed Media Collage to take home, hang on your wall and enjoy. Let your artistic imagination run wild. Washable paints will be available for the collages, so please keep that in mind when deciding what to wear.

“What lies beyond the veil of death is, after all, the ultimate unknown. And what could inspire fear more than the terror of uncertainty?” – Dr. Hill

We’ve survived winter. I think.  I hope.  And when I think of this season these days, I can’t help but recall this recent homage to the subgenre of slasher horror.

Until Dawn is a game that was dreamt up originally as a Playstation Move title, but after it had been canceled for use with that periphery, it rose up from the dead to live once more.  After all, what could be a more fitting turn of fate for something from the horror genre?

In spite of the setbacks that the road to its release found, in my opinion this game proves to be, not only a great slasher horror from the same minds that made You’re Next, but one that is worthy of checking out through the merit of it being a fantastic game to play.

The gameplay is focused on player choices, investigation, and quick time events.  All of these aspects remind me of what was promised with Heavy Rain (and, for that matter, most games made by Quantic Dream), but never were able to be fully delivered on.   This game is the only faux-movie horror game I’ve played thus far that has the production budget, great writing,characters, and genuinely engaging gameplay to sustain both a fun experience and multiple playthroughs. Well, I would have said that before last year - that is, when Resident Evil VII: Biohazard was released and has thoroughly proven itself to be this game’s equal in the field of a near-cinematic horror experience.  (Okay, with a definite honorary mention of Alan Wake thrown in for good measure, with the caveat of it being more of a supernatural thriller.)   

The game’s story takes place around the Blackwood Pines Lodge, which is owned by the strange Washington family.  The Lodge - and the character of Josh Washington - provide a great commentary on horror movies, due to the fact that the Washingtons made much of their money from the making of cult horror movies.   This is a game that does not shy away from some more meta commentary, on both the nature of horror as well as some fourth-wall breaking inclusions.  This is most noticeably visible in the role that the “analyst” character, Dr. Hill, plays in the parts of the game where he seems to be trying to deconstruct the player’s morality and fears.   This aspect of the game reminds me of the similar attempt in Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, but it is far better utilized here.  In fact, it seems as though this is a game that thrives on concepts that other studios have attempted and have failed.

After a tragedy occurs in the game’s prologue/tutorial, the youthful survivors and once friends arrive to memorialize the one year anniversary in the mountain ski lodge where it occurred.   Upon arriving, everything that can go wrong does, as everyone seems to be at each other’s throats (to what extent is controlled by the player) and the fact that there is a storm set to arrive shortly that will strand them in the remote, mountain top resort creates the makings for a terrifying loss of power with no guarantees that everyone will be making it off of the mountain alive.

The motion capture on the characters is some of the best I’ve seen in a game, and the mountain that the game takes place on is often a beautiful nighttime winter wonderland, while the inside of the Lodge house itself proves to be a dark and unsettling place to try to hide from the game’s killer, once the lights go out.   It’s an action-packed thrillride as you try to keep your characters from dying as they try to evade everything that seeks to kill them, and the seemingly short amount of gameplay (nine hours for a single play through, generally) is actually more than that, when taking into consideration that the game encourages multiple playthroughs to see what will happen as a result of the different choices available through the game’s touted “Butterfly Effect” system.   Although, admittedly, what could be seen as the game’s major selling point – the butterfly effect - is a bit of a white lie, but going into the game with the thought that your choices matter makes for a much more engaging playthrough.

I personally recommend not looking at anything else available on the title online, because spoilers on this game are abundant and easy to find(!).  And this, like any good thriller/suspense, is not a story you want spoiled before you play it. 

The best first play through is done with your gut, first instinct for choices, so you can really enjoy further plays by seeing what can change.

With the recent release of the much anticipated The Inpatient which acts as a spin-off… prequel (?) to this game, I think it’s safe to say that if you’ve never had the chance to play through Supermassive Game’s honorable send-up of the horror and thriller genres – there’s never been a better time to play it.   Until Dawn is a Playstation 4 exclusive, and along with The Last of Us, this is exactly the sort of title that I am happy to see as a Playstation title.

The ACPL has multiple copies of Until Dawn, so why not give it a shot?

Kayla loves all things weird, wonderful, and macabre. Her soul’s in writing, and her hobbies include gaming, watching movies and television shows, and reading anything and everything. Her black cat’s TOTALLY, 100%, not evil.

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