Fabulous Fiction Firsts #217

Fri, 07/23/2010 - 5:27pm by muffy

Conor Fitzgerald's The Dogs of Rome introduces Commissario Alec Blume in a new projected contemporary police procedural with a smooth blending of a corrupt bureaucracy and a flawed, world-weary hero.

Seattle born expat. Alec Blume, the proverbial outsider and loner, is now police chief commissioner in Rome. When someone brutally murders Arturo Clemente, an animal-rights activist married to a prominent politician, Blume is called late to the scene. It is immediately clear that he must negotiate his way through a labyrinthine minefield that includes crooked cops, unscrupulous politicians, and an ancient city whose very history is steeped in the corruption associated with organized crime.

This promising debut is reminiscent of the early Aurelio Zen series by Michael Dibdin, gritty crime thrillers with an European setting. A personal favorite is still Cabal (1993).

For fans of another American expatriate police procedural - the Urbino McIntyre series by Edward Sklepowich, and the excellent The Commissario Guido Brunetti series by Donna Leon, both set in Venice.

You and Me and Home Sweet Home by George Ella Lyon

Thu, 07/22/2010 - 2:51pm by Tahira

What does it take to build a house? People. People who need a place to live. People who care enough to help, and people to celebrate the gift of giving. You and Me and Home Sweet Home by George Ella Lyon celebrates hope and the work of many hands.

Summer: Pseudoscience

Thu, 07/22/2010 - 2:39pm by cecile

Many of us are fascinated by aliens, Atlantis, the Bermuda Triangle, fortune telling, ghosts and things that go bump in the night. Summer and your front porch swing seem like the best combination to indulge in this guilty pleasure.

Plato probably didn't know he started a legend and an industry about Atlantis in The Dialogues Of Plato when he wrote "There was an island opposite the strait which you call the Pillars of Hercules, an island larger than Libya and Asia combined..." Gateway to Atlantis is an interesting account that somehow makes the case for Atlantis being located in the Caribbean, most likely Cuba. No matter, Andrew Collins writes an entertaining book with some wonderful illustrations. The same may be said for Imagining Atlantis which really is a fascinating historical and archaeological detective story.

Bizarre Beliefs allows you to cover UFOs, crop circles, Nostradamus, ghosts, Tutankhamun and more all in one book! Ancient Mysteries is another compendium covering Stonehenge, the Sphinx, the Somerset Zodiac, Easter Island, Druids and Schliemann's Treasure.

Finally, Loch Ness Monsters and Raining Frogs claims to solve various mysteries such as who killed Marilyn Monroe, does Bigfoot exist, what really makes crop circles and why it rains frogs.

Visit the Underground Railroad in Michigan

Thu, 07/22/2010 - 12:17pm by amy

A new book, The Underground Railroad in Michigan, by Ann Arbor's Carol Mull, is a comprehensive exploration of abolitionism and the network of escape from slavery in our state. The book includes both an overview of national events and vivid first-person accounts taken from The Signal of Liberty, an 1840s-era abolitionist newspaper published in Ann Arbor, to explore Michigan's role in the antislavery movement. The Signal of Liberty is available for full-text searching and browsing at: http://signalofliberty.aadl.org/.

For an overview of Ann Arbor's role in the Underground Railroad, you can listen to our podcast with Carol from last year or read Grace Shackman's article from the Ann Arbor Observer. You can also take your own walking tour: Start with this plaque on the Broadway Bridge, then make your way to lower Broadway to the former site where the Signal of Liberty was published (across the street from the Anson Brown Building, which today houses the St. Vincent de Paul store), followed by a brief stroll to 1425 Pontiac Trail for a glimpse of Reverend Guy Beckley's home.

Linger: Book 2 in The Wolves of Mercy Falls Series

Wed, 07/21/2010 - 2:12pm by ErinDurrett

For those of us who have read Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver, we can look forward to the second book in the Mercy Falls Wolves Trilogy; Linger. This books starts where we last left off, where it seems as if Sam has become human again. But now that Sam appears to be human, does that mean Grace will become a wolf? Grace grapples with keeping her attachment to Sam a secret from her family. And Isabelle, who lost her brother in Shiver, is intrigued and interested in a new wolf, Cole. But Cole's past threatens the future of the whole pack. Book 2 promises to be an exciting continuation of the lives of the wolves of Mercy Falls.

Other books by Maggie Steifvater include: Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception and it’s sequel or companion book; Ballad: A Gathering Of Faerie.

You can read my reviews of all three books on their main item pages or by clicking here: Shiver, Lament, Ballad.

Kid Bits - PIGtales

Wed, 07/21/2010 - 11:49am by ryanikoglu

"P" is for Piggy In The Puddle by Charlotte Pomerantz.

You'll find more piggies in these Tales:
This Little Piggy a book full of nursery rhymes.
Witch Gritch wants to make a Piggie Pie but can't find the main ingredient.
Some Pig!A Charlotte's Web Picture Book.
Toot And Puddle's ABC and more stories by Holly Hobbie.
Olivia And The Missing Toy and more stories by Ian Falconer.
And then Kate Dicamillo's adorable Mercy Watson series... the Watson family pig who KNOWS how to help!

Fabulous Fiction Firsts #216

Tue, 07/20/2010 - 4:26pm by muffy

Urban fantasist Seanan McGuire writing for the first time as Mira Grant introduces a new series with Feed* - a gripping, thrilling, and brutal depiction of a postapocalyptic 2039, the first in the Newsflesh Trilogy.

Twin news bloggers (as in RSS. Get it?) Georgia and Shaun Mason are thrilled when Sen. Peter Ryman, the first presidential candidate to come of age since social media saved the world from a virus that reanimates the dead (that's right, zombies) invites them to cover his campaign. Then Ryman's daughter is killed. As the bloggers wield the power of new media, they tangle with the CDC, a dark conspiracy behind the infected and the virus with one unstoppable command: FEED.

With "genuine drama and pure creepiness, McGuire has crafted a masterpiece of suspense with engaging, appealing characters who conduct a soul-shredding examination of what's true and what's reported."

* = Starred review

Alright, so you are still not quite sure you trust me. Would you trust NPR? Here is the poll for the 100 All-Time Best Killer/Thriller and do you see what's on the list of the finalists?

Make It Happen: Patchwork With Punch and Style

Tue, 07/20/2010 - 1:10pm by manz

Here are three new, beautiful books to inspire you to add a bit of whimsy into your handicraft.
What do Scandinavia and Japan have in common? Zakka. Translated it means “miscellaneous goods,” which is vague. Zakka is basically a design aesthetic featuring household items that enhance your environment. Does it truly overwhelm with beauty and cuteness? You decide.

Zakka sewing: 25 Japanese projects for the household and I love patchwork!: 21 irresistible Zakka Projects to Sew are two great books that feature projects inspired by the Japanese zakka aesthetic. They are things for the home and self with some kitsch to them. Included are wonderful photographs and easy to follow instructions. Tea cozies, coasters, bags, pillows, quilts, towels are just some of the projects waiting for your crafty hands.

For more on patchwork projects, check out Patchwork style: 35 simple projects for a cozy & colorful life. There are oodles of handmade ideas, everything from potholders to purses, using the patchwork technique.

Author Birthdays: Garth Nix

Mon, 07/19/2010 - 4:43pm by marshd

Today is the birthday of Australian fantasy writer Garth Nix, who just happens to be one of my favorite authors.

Nix has written many books for children and teens, including The Seventh Tower Series, The Keys to the Kingdom, The Abhorsen Trilogy, and a great collection of short stories, called One Beastly Beast: (two Aliens, Three Inventors, Four Fantastic Tales).

I highly recommend checking out his website; it includes writing advice, news, some of his favorite books, as well as an interactive story, kind of like a Choose Your Own Adventure.

Also, we might be expecting an addition to the Abhorsen Trilogy sometime this year.

Kid Bits - Stories Make History Happen

Mon, 07/19/2010 - 8:21am by ryanikoglu

I love historical fiction! It makes history happen by telling a story.

I just read One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. I was in High School in 1969. in 2010, I now know more about the social climate in San Francisco and community roots of the Black Panther movement, than I ever did. Three young girls have been raised by Father and Grandmother in New York City. The summer of t he story, they are sent to live with Mother in San Francisco. The mother is a poet, and has a printing press in the kitchen. The girls come to know their mother, and begin to understand why she left.

Countdown is the newest book by Deborah Wiles, and sets the era of the Cuban Missile Crisis in.