Lion of Ireland

Today’s post is from Peter at Davis Library:

Lion of Ireland  by Morgan Llywelyn

This is a great historical novel about Brain Boru, Ireland’s most renowned king.  Set in the 10^th century, Brian manages to unite the provincial clans of Ireland and fend off the invading Danes and Norsemen.  He also reforms laws, endows monasteries, and builds a navy to protect Ireland’s shores. Through his perilous battles and diplomatic achievements, Brian Boru can justly be viewed as the “Irish Charlemagne”. With strong characters and vivid imagery, Llywelyn has created a sweeping epic that continues in the sequel, Pride of Lions.

Candor

Today’s post is from Cecily at Haggard Library:

Candor by Pam Bachorz

Oscar Banks is superior person.  Oscar Banks is a model citizen.  He always obeys his parents, shows respectful space in every place, and knows that the great are never late.  Or at least that’s what the messages tell him.  Oscar lives in Candor, Florida – a pristine community where subliminal messages make sure that all the teenagers wear clean polo shirts and can’t stand the sight of graffiti. 

But Oscar has learned to resist the brainwashing by creating his own subliminal programming, and he knows just how to maintain his “perfect” facade so no one will suspect.  Even better, he provides his anti-brainwashing skills to the richest of the new kids and helps them escape before their minds are erased.  He has the best of both worlds.  That is, until Nia moves in across the street.  She is beautiful and rebellious and loveable, and Oscar can’t stand to watch the brainwashing erase her like all the other teens that move to Candor.  How far will Oscar go and what will he risk to keep Nia’s mind intact?

Candor is a suspenseful and scary look at the possibilities of brainwashing and having parents who are a little too in control.  The end of the story is a little abrupt and rather sad, but it is a great, edge-of-your-seat story of sacrifice for the one you love, and the expression of free will on a whole new level.

Tattoo Machine

Today’s post is from Ellen at Parr Library:

Tattoo Machine: Tall Tales, True Stories, and My Life in Ink  by Jeff Johnson

The author of this bawdy tale has been a professional tattoo artist for 18 years and is the co-owner of the Sea Tramp Tattoo Company in Portland, Oregon.  He reflects on everything from his days as an apprentice to some of the great inkers in the trade.  He tells of trying to keep artists sane and sober enough to keep his business running.  His shop is a “street shop.”  Opening at noon and staying open late into the night, the business attracts interest from late night partiers, gangsters, college girls looking for a tramp stamp, as well as just the curious.  The resulting encounters are sometimes hilarious, sometimes frightening, and always entertaining.

If you’ve thought about getting a tattoo, this book may help sway your decision.  Not for the faint of heart.

Heat Wave

Today’s post is from Annie at Parr Library:

Heat Wave  by Richard Castle

This book has been on the New York Times Bestseller list for two weeks now.  It has 4+ stars on Amazon and is ranked #18.  If you believe in the “wisdom of the crowd”, i.e. the Amazon people reviews, the book is pretty good.  There’s only one hitch—its author, Richard Castle, is a fictional character on a new television series called Castle that airs on ABC on Monday nights. 

I love the series.  Richard Castle is a mystery author who, for various reasons and because of his connections, teams up with a very attractive female detective and solves crimes in a sort of reverse Bones (another television series) situation.  The season premier last year showed Castle in a poker game with James Patterson and Steve Cannell.  This year, Michael Connelly was added to the poker mix in the series opener.  The show is on the fun, witty repartee side of drama, also like Bones.  In the series Castle writes a novel based on his female detective partner and their escapades together.  The book?  Why, Heat Wave, of course.  When the book debuts in the series, it goes straight to the New York Times bestseller list.  

I have googled assiduously trying to find out who really wrote this book.  All I have found are interviews by Nathon Filion, the actor who plays Castle in the series, continuing to play Castle the author in the interviews.  Jameson Rook is the character in Heat Wave who is the alter-ego of Richard Castle in the series, so there are rumors that perhaps James Patterson wrote the book.  There will likely be sequels in the book department–the producers of the series seem intent on preserving this “life imitating art” situation, and in the series Richard Castle is signing on to do at least three more books!

Little Bird of Heaven

Today’s post is from Lynn and Parr Library:

Little Bird of Heaven by Joyce Carol Oates

This book is full of real people living authentic and tragic lives.  The place is Sparta, New York, a dark and dying town.  The time is contemporary, though being a classic story, it could be anytime and anywhere.  The fact is, Zoe Kruller was murdered.  The question is, “Who did it?”  

 The police think either her lover or her ex-husband did it, but neither suspect is ever charged.  But what matters is not the facts or the lack of evidence; what matters is who people think murdered Zoe. 

The suspect’s families, especially their children, pay a huge price for the poor choices of their fathers.  The murder marks a turning point beyond which nothing is ever the same.  Oates is one of the best American writers of our day and Little Bird of Heaven reflects her genius in creating unforgettable characters living real lives. 

 

 

Book Price Wars

Today’s p0st is from Annie at Parr Library:

This month is the first salvo in the book price wars.  Wal-Mart, Amazon, and Target have all announced a new low price ($9 or lower) for ten new-release hardcovers that will hit the shelves, real and virtual, this month: 

Heat Wave by Richard Castle
Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton
Ford County: Stories by John Grisham
Ice by Linda Howard
Under the Dome by Stephen King
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
Breathless by Dean Koontz
Going Rogue by Sarah Palin
I, Alex Cross by James Patterson
Kindred in Death by J. D. Robb 

There is much consternation at bookstores like Borders, Legacy Books and Barnes and Noble, as these prices are less than it costs to publish the books, and while books are not Wal-Mart’s bread and butter, they are Legacy’s.  However, many readers are rubbing their hands with Christmas glee and stocking up on books as presents.  Of course, the inveterate library users among us will just put all these books on hold (if we haven’t already) and read them for free.  FREE, I repeat!  The library beats all the big retailers!

When You Reach Me

Today’s post is from Annie at Parr Library:

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

It’s 1978 and Miranda’s life in the Upper West Side of New York City is ticking along nicely.  She has her best friend Sal, a close relationship with her mother, and she knows most of her neighbors.  Everything seems to change when Sal gets punched for no apparent reason by Marcus, a very intelligent boy from their school.  Sal withdraws from Miranda into his own world, which is bad enough.  But then Miranda starts receiving strange notes.  The first reads:

I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own.
I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter.

The subsequent notes foretell future events to prove to Miranda that the writer is sincere in his need for the letter detailing her life.  The book is Miranda’s “letter” to the unknown writer wherein she describes her 6^th-grade friends, her job at Jimmy’s deli, Sal’s withdrawal, the strange Laughing Man on her street corner, and so on. 

 The story is a mystery puzzle and once it’s solved, readers will want to go back to the beginning to see how the clues fit.  An entertaining story for 9 to 12 year olds.

A Night in the Lonesome October

Today’s post is from Erik at Schimelpfenig Library:

A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny

Since Halloween is nigh upon us I thought I would write about my personal favorite Halloween story.  A Night in the Lonesome October may not be everyone’s cup of tea, which kind of describes most of author Roger Zelazny’s work, but I really like this particular effort. 

Briefly, the story is told from the point of view of Snuff, canine familiar to Jack.  Snuff, Jack and several other recognizable literary and historical figures all work to either open or keep closed a gate that would allow the “Great Old Ones” access to our world.  Even Sherlock Holmes comes by to lend a hand which is always a high point for me in any book.

The story is great and the characters are fun and well-developed, it’s a little creepy but not gory in the extreme, it’s wonderfully illustrated by Gahan Wilson; it’s a perfect Halloween story!  So you might be asking yourself why this wouldn’t be my cup of tea it seems to have it all!  Well, it’s Zelazny; and Zelazny wouldn’t be Zelazny if he didn’t get a little off track at some point.  Still, this is easily one of his more accessible novels and there are those who firmly believe Zelazny totally hung the science-fiction/fantasy moon so he is definitely worth a shot. A Night in the Lonesome October isn’t perfect but it is a great read, sets a wonderful holiday mood and serves as a good “gateway” book into one of the true masters of Science-fiction/ fantasy.

Arsenic and Old Lace

Today’s post is from Cynthia at Harrington Library:

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)  directed by Frank Capra, starring Cary Grant, Priscilla Lane, Josephine Hull, and Peter Lorre

“Insanity doesn’t run in my family…it practically gallops” Mortimer Brewster

It’s Halloween and theater critic and confirmed bachelor Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) marries Elaine Harper (Priscilla Lane), the girl next door. Packing for his honeymoon Mortimer is horrified to discover the nature of one of his beloved Aunts’ (Josephine Hull & Jean Adair) charitable activities. The Aunts have been serving elderly bachelors homemade elderberry wine laced with arsenic. The Aunts see their work as permitting the men a peaceful escape from loneliness. Mortimer is concerned about the bodies in the basement. Further complications ensue when Mortimer’s older brother Jonathon (Raymond Massey) arrives with his companion Dr. Einstein (Peter Lorre). The zaniness continues to escalate in this black comedy as Mortimer tries to contain his family. Create a new Halloween tradition and enjoy Arsenic and Old Lace, the original horror spoof.

Immortal Beloved

Today’s post is from Susan at Schimelpfenig Library:

Immortal Beloved (1994) directed by Bernard Rose; starring Gary Oldman, Jeroen Krabbe and Isabella Rosselini.

Usually, I am an audio listener of historical fiction, but I happened to pick up this DVD and it was fabulous!  A letter addressed to “Immortal Beloved” was found among the papers of Ludwig von Beethoven when he died.  This is fact and the letter is currently in a museum.  In the movie, Beethoven’s assistant goes from place to place interviewing the women in the musician’s life in an effort to discover his “Beloved.”  We see by flashback what his life was like from childhood on and it is fascinating.

Of course his wonderful music is played throughout the movie, whether we see the musicians or it’s in the soundtrack.

Oh yes, we do find out who Beethoven’s mysterious “Beloved” is in the movie.