BookPage’s Best of 2009

This post is from Annie at Parr Library.

BookPage, the nifty book magazine you can pick up FOR FREE at any Plano library, has announced its 2009 Best Books list.  Its list is divided into parts: Teen fiction, middle-graders’ books; picture books; audiobooks; cookbooks; fiction; and nonfiction.  Click here to see all the lists.    

You can also sign up to receive BookPageXtra, which is BookPages’ enewsletter.  In addition to advance book reviews and author news, each person who receives the newsletter and responds when the monthly drawing is announced is eligible to win free books!  I’ve won it before—you get about 5 or 6 current books.  Nice!   To sign up, click here.    

And finally, BookPage also has a blog called The Book Case.  It’s an newsy blog, with information about books and authors, and all the most popular BookPage information, all in one place. 

Pretty good deal.  And did I mention that IT’S FREE at all Plano libraries?

National Novel Writing Month: An Update!

Today’s post is from Erik at Schimelpfenig Library:

Book With No Title…Yet: Possibly a Memoir but More Likely just a Bunch of Crazy Fiction by Erik Knapp

I mentioned a while back that I was going to participate in the National Novel Writing Month event and I thought, because I am largely an ego-maniac, that you all would like an update on said participation.  To jog your memory, the National Novel Writing Month event is a deal where you sign up on the website and agree to write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November.  This tallies out to be 1, 667 words a day (I’m doing that from memory so if my math is off, there you go).  It’s all about the writing, moving forward and not worrying about such concepts as proofreading, plot and, in at least my case, intelligibility.  It was under those guidelines that I started my story.

I settled on the idea of a Candide-esque sort of story thinking that the modular nature of it would fit in pretty well with the need for speed.  I could take my hero anywhere or anywhen I wanted and it would at least be semi-plausible.  I gave him a partner on his journey so I could fill space with dialogue and also, thanks to a tip from Blackswan one of my fellow bloggers, I gave him an arch-enemy and dogged pursuer in the form of celebrated French actor Gerard Depardieu.  From there, off we went!

Today is November 16th and according to my math I should have over 25,000 words written.  I am sorry to say that according to this expectation my participation can only be considered an epic fail.  At least it would be if I were just concerned about word count (which is technically exactly what I should be concerned with).  However, I have discovered what I consider to be the secret joy in this event.  It’s the anticipation of the whole thing, the world of possibilities that opens up in your mind when you decide to give it a try; that has been the fun part for me.  I’ve had some technical difficulties this month trying to get it done and I sincerely doubt I will get all 50,000 words in there unless I decide to go all Jack Nicholson in The Shining on myself (which has been suggested).  But that doesn’t really matter to me…I plan to keep plugging away at it until the end of November and see what I can do and where I am and then keep going until it’s done.  I actually like the story I’ve come up with and I am interested in seeing where it goes.  So, technically you could say, barring some unforseen miracle or sickness that  gives me about 7 straight idle days, my participation wasn’t a full success.  I, however, would have to respectfully disagree.

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.

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.

Discworld – The City Watch Novels

Today’s post is from Erik at Schimelpfenig Library:

  

  

Discworld: The City Watch novels by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels may seem entirely overwhelming at first, after all there are over 35 of them and they seem to just keep coming.  However, when you know how they work then the whole idea gets much easier to swallow.  Sure, there are a bunch of them BUT they are actually conveniently grouped into a series of books each pertaining to a different character set in Discworld, for example the City Watch novels I’ll be talking about today.  Clear as mud?  Well, stick with me cause there’s a big payoff at the end.

The City Watch novels consist of 6 books: Guards, Guards!, Men at Arms, Feet of Clay, The Fifth Elephant, Night Watch and Thud!.  They all follow the exploits of the much-put-upon City Watch of Ankh-Morpork, Discworld’s largest city, led by Sam Vimes, Sgt. Fred Colon, “Nobby” Nobbs and Carrot Ironfoundersson (who might just be the rightful heir to the whole darn city).  As the story goes, the cast of characters grows but it mostly stays centered around this group.  The stories are basic police procedural mysteries (albeit with a quirky set of procedures) set in a town where technology meets fantasy meets cornball humor meets highbrow pathos.  The characters are fantastic, some of the best written in fantasy literature and they form the main hook for the stories.  It’s not that the writing isn’t good, it’s wonderful, it’s just that the characters are that much better.

There are other discworld series that focus on different character sets such as The Witch novels, Rincewind, Death, Moist Von Lipwig and even a series for the teens about a young witch named Tiffany Aching.  They range from about 3-6 books in length and most are still growing.  There is some overlapping of characters (Death makes and appearance in every book) but there is nothing that takes away from the characters primary arc.  The Watch novels are my personal favorites but all of them are absolutely wonderful and you will develop your favorites over time as you get attached to certain characters. 

My advice, read the first book or two in each series, you can literally track them down anywhere, and see what you like.  If you’re anything like me, you’ll like them all and you’ll find that you can’t wait for the next one no matter who Terry Pratchett decides it’s about.  And I will try over the course of the next several weeks to cover some of the other character sets, just to whet your appetite.  Look at it this way, at 37+ novels and growing, these may be able to keep you busy reading for quite a while!

The Crack in the Lens

Today’s post is from Erik at Schimelpfenig Library:

The Crack in the Lens by Steve Hockensmith

I’ve mentioned before that I love Sherlock Holmes stories and Jack the Ripper stories.  I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned I love westerns as well but I do.  This one has all of that…sort of.  The Holmes on the Range mysteries of which The Crack in the Lens is the fourth, follow the adventures of Otto “Big Red” Amlingmeyer and his brother Gustav, aka “Old Red.”  We learn, just prior to the first book’s action,  that while spending time out on the dusty trail, the ever-affable Big Red has introduced his older, laconic brother to the real-life adventures of Sherlock Holmes; and in so doing, opened Old Red’s eyes to his true calling, namely solving crimes using the “deducifyin’ ways” of the Great Detective.  This sets the stage for what have been, up to now, four extremely enjoyable mysteries.

The fourth book sees our heroes with their arrow finally pointed upward.  They have some cash, some success and for Big Red, even a fancy new outfit; so what better time to go back to San Marcos, Texas and solve the crime that may have started it all in the mind of Old Red, the murder of his “soiled dove” fiance, Gertie.  How do Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper fit into all this…well, you just need to read and find out.

This series has lots of things to enjoy; the plots are fast-paced and the characters and characterization are great.  One convention that I really enjoy is that Holmes, though only referred to in the context of his books to this point, actually does exist in this world, with one of the characters in the fourth book having met him, much to the chagrin of Old Red.  The stories themselves do follow an order beginning with Holmes on the Range; however, The Crack in the Lens can be read as is since the action in this one is relatively self-contained.  But where is the fun in that, go get the first one and enjoy the story from the beginning.  You’ll be happy you did.

The Forgotten Garden

Today’s post is from Marta at Harrington Library:

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. This family saga takes place in Australia and Cornwall, England. The mystery of a young girl’s true identity drives this multi-generational story. Interspersed in this tale are fictional fairy tales of a rather dark nature. I did not want this story to end…..I can easily recommend that you read this novel as well.

Changes Coming to PPLS on October 1

A reminder that, beginning October 1, these changes will take effect:

Borrowing will be limited to 50 total items per cardholder. Once the limit is reached, borrowing will not be permitted until  the number of items on the cardholder’s record falls below 50.

Hold requests will be limited to 20 per cardholder. Existing holds will be honored, but new holds will not be permitted until the cardholder’s request list falls below 20 items.

Remote book drops will be closed. These are the four book drops located at Park Blvd and PrestonRoad, 15th Street and Custer Road, Park Blvd and Dallas North Tollway, and Custer Road and McDermott Drive. You may still return materials to any Plano library.

Over 275,000 items are checked out of the five Plano libraries each month, and an average of 55,500 holds are filled by staff during the same time. In the last year, circulation has risen by 12%, and the number of holds by 33%.

We hope that you will comment here on any concerns you have, or share your questions with staff members when you visit your favorite library. We appreciate the continued support of all our readers and library users.

National Novel Writing Month

Today’s post is from Erik at Schimelpfenig Library:

National Novel Writing Month

Some of you may know that November is National Novel Writing month and here is a website and an opportunity to challenge us all.  I know it’s just September but this is such a cool idea I thought you all might need some extra time to wrap your brains around the concept.  For ten years now the NaNoWriMo folks have been giving people the opportunity to complete that one task that seems to be a part of all our make-up…write our own novel.  All you have to do is join (it’s free!) and all that is required is for you to write 50,000 words in 30 days.  It may sound daunting, heck it may sound impossible, but I for one am going to give it a try and I would encourage all of you to join me!

“No plot, no problem,” thats the motto and I can tell you from experience that the single toughest obstacle to writing anything, is finishing that sucker up.  Completion is the goal here; write, write, write; you have the rest of your life to edit but for 30 days just go FORWARD!  It doesn’t matter what you write…just that you write and tell a story; if the story makes sense, GREAT!  If the story needs some massaging when you’re finished, hey, are any of us REALLY all that busy in December anyway?  Besides, it’s always easier to edit what is already on paper than what exists only in our hopes and imaginations.

Check out the site, see what they offer in terms of support and encouragement; if it seems too much to tackle then no problem, nothing lost but a couple minutes.  However, if you decide to give it a whirl, I will be right there with you!  Look me up, I will be writing in the D/FW region under “bariumcrunch.”  I thought I might come up with a more clever pseudonym to write my first novel but I decided to save all my imagination for November, I have a feeling it’s going to come in handy.  Good luck and see you on the other side!

Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator

Today’s post is from Erik at Schimelpfenig Library:

Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator by Jennifer Allison

There seem to be several series lately that feature plucky young girls who try their luck at solving mysteries; the Gilda Joyce series has become one of my favorites and I look forward to new ones when they come out.  Psychic Investigator is the first and lays the groundwork for Gilda’s story.  After her father’s death two years aearlier, thirteen year old Gilda is convinced she has gained psychic abilities and decided “psychic investigator” is the career for her.  So she does what any girl would do; she invites herself to her spooky Uncle’s house for a summer visit to track down the ghost of her Aunt who committed suicide. 

This story is good and the subsequent stories seem to just get better.  Gilda is full of energy and resourcefullness as well as bearing a deep sense of grief over the loss of her father; whose typewriter she uses to compose letters to him and ask for advice.  This may sound maudlin but thats far from the case.  The stories are light, funny, whimsical and sometimes a little over the top but Gilda is such an engaging character it seems just fine.

These books are perfect for fans of Harriet the Spy or just anyone looking for a good middle-school book.  AND, if you want something a little meatier when you are done I would suggest Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams, it’s not quite as light but a very good mystery and an equally enjoyable heroine.  There you go internet people, two good books (and both of them series at that!) in one post!  SHA-BAM!!