Blog Post
This Sunday is the Kerrytown Book Festival
by manz
Attention book lovers: The seventh annual Kerrytown Bookfest is happening all day on Sunday at the Kerrytown market area.
You can… draw with author and illustrator Ruth McNally Barshaw (of the Ellie McDoodle books), Deb Diesen will read some of her children’s books, join a Michigan lit discussion with local authors such as Bonnie Jo Campbell and Michael Zadoorian, visit the Paranormal Fiction & Poetry discussion, catch a live interview with Caldecott winner David Small, do a kids craft project or two, get in on some bookmaking worshops, and peruse the aisles of book related vendors. Really, there is way too much great stuff going on to list it all, so be sure check the full schedule. Get your book lovin’ on!
Blog Post
Man Booker 2010 short list announced
by sernabad
The Man Book Prize 2010 shortlist titles were announced today in London.
Judging by the six titles on the list, the judges are going to have their hands full picking a winner.
Peter Carey's Parrot and Olivier is a loose interpretation of of Alex De Toqueville in early 19th century France. Carey already has two Bookers to his credit.
Room, by Emma Donoghue, is the harrowing tale of a young woman imprisoned by her abductor who tries desperately to create a normal life for her five-year-old son who narrates this stunning novel.
In The Long Song, by Andrea Levy, Miss July, who is a slave in the 1800s in Jamaica, moves into her mistress's great house and is taught to read and write in order to assist in the family business. Miss July stays on even after emancipation.
For a complete roster of the shortlist authors, click here
The Man Booker Prize, considered the leading literary prize in the English-speaking world, will announce the 2010 winner on October 12.
Blog Post
The Odious Ogre
by marshd
The creators of the long-loved classic The Phantom Tollbooth have gotten back together after an almost 50-year span apart to create a new picture book, the Odious Ogre. Written by Norton Juster and illustrated by Jules Feiffer, the new book is perhaps simpler, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's only for younger children.
In a NPR interview, Feiffer stated, "I wanted to do the biggest, meanest, filthiest ogre in the history of ogreship — and one who could barely fit on the page. And he does barely fit on the page."
In the same interview, Juster comments on the story itself: "The story means what it means to you. That's the way I look at all these stories. There's no one moral, unless you want to make one for yourself."
Blog Post
Visit Zion National Park...RIGHT NOW!
by ccamp
Searching for the perfect fall getaway? Look no further than Zion National Park! I just spent three terrific days at Zion, hiking by day (in 100 degree heat!), and relaxing in the charming desert hamlet of Springdale, Utah, by night. Whether you're a casual visitor or a seasoned adventurer, Zion has trails for every level of hiker, from the peaceful Riverside Walk to the steep and arduous Angels Landing. Though short, the trip was one of the best vacations of my life and I can't recommend this beautiful and majestic park enough. And if you do decide to go, don't forget to check out one of our many park guides.
Blog Post
Coyotes in Our Midst
by ballybeg
The Ann Arbor Observer reports this month on the sighting of coyotes in Ann Arbor. Not just on the edges of town, or in parks, but in residential neighborhoods. This is, apparently, not unusual and not entirely unwelcome. The presence of coyotes has been reported in every major city of the US. They begin to appear when the population of rodents and rabbits, with no real predators in town, reaches ungainly proportions and they are actually a part of the solution to that imbalance. Though they are not a threat to humans, the article advises special care be taken at dawn and dusk to protect small pets.
The library has sources for learning more about these creatures which, through choice or desperation, are moving closer and beginning to share our spaces. For general information, try Wild Dogs, Spirit of the Wild Dog or Coyote: Seeking the Hunter in Our Midst. How they come to be so close is the theme of these books: Coyotes in the Crosswalk: True Tales of Animal Life in the Wilds of the City and Animals Among Us: Living With Suburban Wildlife.
With their reputation as wily hunters and escape artists, coyotes have captured the imagination of many of the First Peoples of this continent. We have many trickster tales, folktales and native tales about coyotes, this one in the form of a graphic novel.
The book I learned the most from about coyotes is fiction, Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver, where she relates beautifully the great advantages of welcoming these animals into the natural order of our world. Main Street might be a bit close for comfort though!
Blog Post
Labor-free Leisure
by flora
Staying in town over Labor Day weekend? There are plenty of sights to see and things to do right at home for little to no cost. Here are a few ideas to entertain you and your family during the last few days of summer.
The Matthaei Botanical Gardens are an obvious choice for a serene and beautiful afternoon. If you’re looking for the quirkier side of gardens, be sure to visit before the month is over: pink lawn flamingos, bedecked and bedazzled by local artists, currently populate Matthaei.
One of my favorite things about Ann Arbor is its abundance of art, most of which is free to enjoy. Try a walking tour of downtown galleries, including Ann Arbor Art Center, Jean Paul Slusser, Warren Robbins, and Work Galleries (featuring art from U of M’s School of Art & Design), University of Michigan Museum of Art, Clay Gallery, Barclay Gallery, Selo/Shevel Gallery, and the many others you’re sure to pass by while strolling through the downtown and campus area.
Take a trip to the Kerrytown Farmers’ Market on Saturday between 8am and 3pm for delicious locally produced food.
And get don’t forget the many parks throughout the city. Perhaps a picnic, some frisbee, or simply some outdoor reading is in your future?
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #221
by muffy
William Ryan's The Holy Thief** opens in Moscow, 1936, when Stalin’s Great Terror is beginning.
In a deconsecrated church, a young woman is found dead, her mutilated body displayed on the altar for all to see. Captain Alexei Korolev, finally beginning to enjoy the benefits of his success with the Criminal Investigation Division of the Moscow Militia, is asked to investigate. But when he discovers that the victim is an American citizen, the NKVD—the most feared organization in Russia—becomes involved. Soon, Korolev’s every step is under close scrutiny and one false move will mean exile to The Zone, where enemies of the Soviet State, both real and imagined, meet their fate in the frozen camps of the far north.
Committed to uncovering the truth behind the gruesome murder, Korolev enters the realm of the Thieves, rulers of Moscow’s underworld. As more bodies are discovered and pressure from above builds, Korolev begins to question who he can trust and who, in a Russia where fear, uncertainty and hunger prevail, are the real criminals. Soon, Korolev will find not only his moral and political ideals threatened, but also his life.
With Captain Alexei Korolev, William Ryan has given us one of the most compelling detectives in modern literature. Readers will likely draw comparison to Leo Demidov, the hero in Tom Rob Smith's Child 44, another smashing debut when it was published in 2008.
Read Ryan's interview with 10 librarians and get a sense where the sequel will take us.
** = starred reviews
Blog Post
Sport Bits - 4th-8th grade
by ryanikoglu
Mike Lupica, a syndicated columnist for the New York Daily News, writes great sports fiction for youth and adults. You can find many titles by Lupica in the web catalog.
Comeback Kids is a new series for middle school ages.
The books are under 200-pages.
The stories work out everyday kid-issues tangled among school, parents, siblings, and "the game".
The characters are fully-rounded.
The issues are age-appropriate.
Conflict is treated with creative solutions.
The games have great play-by-play details.
Hot Hand, follows ten-year-old Billy, In the wake of his parents' separation. Billy seems to have continual conflict with his father, who is also his basketball coach. Quiet, younger brother Ben, a piano prodigy, is having even more trouble adjusting, and Billy seems to be the only one to notice.
Blog Post
101 Places Not to See Before You Die
by breaking_glass
Didn’t get time to travel over the summer? Don’t fret. Author Catherine Price’s new book 101 Places Not to See Before You Die describes in detail all of the places you never should have bothered to see. From The Museum of Tap Water in Beijing (sounds thrilling) to the germy Blarney Stone in Ireland, Price has done the legwork so you don’t have to. One particularly exciting-sounding destination that caught my attention is the Karostas Cietums Prison Hotel in Liepaja, Latvia where, and I quote, “guests” of the prison sleep on iron beds or prison bunks. For an extra-special occasion, you can arrange to be abducted at your workplace and delivered to the hotel.” Check out the author’s blog to follow Price’s further adventures in travel madness.
Blog Post
Peaceful Heroes by Jonah Winter
by Tahira
What do Jesus of Nazareth, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Abdul Ghaffar Khan and Aung San Suu Kyi have in common? They all believed that peace was the answer to injustice. The lives of these Peaceful Heroes and several others are presented in this engaging and informative book by Jonah Winter, written in simple language that can be read aloud to young children.