Preview of coming attractions

One of the great things about my job at the library (I'm the collection development coordinator for the library district) is that I work in close proximity to the department that catalogs and processes all of the material ordered for the collection. When I'm selecting titles from a vendor's database, I can see the cover art ... if I'm lucky. Sometimes I am ordering far enough ahead that the book jacket hasn't been designed yet or it just may be unavailable for viewing. So, whenever I have a chance, I like to scan the recently arrived material to see it in the "flesh." This allows me to see all sorts of interesting items getting ready for the collection, and as I work on this blog, I will try to mention from time to time what's coming soon to a library near you.

Today I spotted a cart of Playaways waiting to be cataloged. Near the end of 2006, the library decided to try a new audio format - an audio player called a Playaway - and it has proven to be quite popular. If you aren't familiar with this product, it's very similar to an MP3 player. And one of the really neat things about a Playaway is that it's self-contained - no tapes or discs to insert. It's small enough to wear around your neck (each one comes with a lanyard) and flexible enough to allow for those inevitable interruptions when listening to a book (it remembers where you left off). The initial collection was around 100 childrens, young adult and adult titles, and since then, new titles continue to arrive.

I think they're very cool, so I strongly recommend giving one a try!

A few of the new titles heading out soon:

One for the Money - Janet Evanovich
The Sunday List of Dreams - Kris Radish
Dark Tort - Diane Mott Davidson
The Secret - Rhonda Byrne
The 6th Target - James Patterson

DEXTER ACTOR NOMINATED FOR EMMY....BUT IT WAS A BOOK FIRST!

Michael C. Hall was nominated for an Emmy last week for his performance as Dexter in the Showtime series of the same name. But....the book came first! On several occasions I have heard people discussing the show, and how much they enjoy it. Unfailingly they are surprised when I mention that it is based on a series of books by Jeff Lindsay.

The print series started in 2004 with Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Dexter Morgan is a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department, and he is a serial killer. The twist here is that he is a serial killer who only kills OTHER serial killers. His sister, Deb, is a homicide detective with the same police department. Season One of the television series followed (more or less) the storyline of Darkly Dreaming Dexter. Season Two of the show was more "inspired by" the series than actually following anything that happened in the books. Book two is Dearly Devoted Dexter, and book three is Dexter in the Dark.

Dexter tries to live a normal life. He has a girlfriend with two small children. He brings doughnuts to work, and goes out for drinks with the guys. But deep down inside he is a sociopath without feelings or conscience. His adopted father (also a police officer) recognized his proclivities at a young age and taught Dexter how to fit-in, and how to avoid being caught when his dark desires became too strong. Try reading the Dexter series and judge for yourself which is better...the TV show or the book?!

Shadow Divers

My book group (Extreme Reads) just finished reading and discussing Shadow Divers: the true adventure of two Americans who risked everything to solve one of the last mysteries of World War II. It's a really interesting and absorbing account of a group of wreck divers from New Jersey and their discovery of a sunken U-boat. The first thing we noticed was that the subtitle seemed really excessively long! And yes, I would have to agree with that one, but once I started reading I was hooked on the story.

The author writes in a very narrative style using some traditional story arcs such as the two main characters being at odds at the beginning of the story, and growing into a solid team as time progresses. These two guys, John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, are real people and this is a true story, but the things the author choose to highlight make the story more interesting.

It took the team six years to finally identify the sub. The wreck was in such deep waters, and was so dangerous, that only the best deep sea divers could attempt it. They could only stay on the bottom for 15-20 minutes at a time because of the pressure and the nitrogen build-up in their blood. A story spanning six years, diving in 15 minute intervals in which nearly every dive reveals nothing could indeed seem like a pretty tedious read. In the hands of this author, though, this was a total page-turner.

Because the wreck was a World War II U-Boat the story also contains a lot of history, some of which I was not at all aware. For instance, I had no idea that during WWII the United States used blimps to drop bombs on German submarines! Checkout my one minute video of Shadow Divers on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeoUGOLyrY0

Up next for the Extreme Reads book group is Touching the void: the true story of one man's miraculous survival. We will be meeting on Tuesday Aug 12th at 7:30pm in Library Hall. Copies of the book are available at the Main Library Checkout desk if anyone is interested in participating!

A different life

Right now I'm reading Bar Flower: My Decadently Destructive Days and Nights as a Tokyo Nightclub Hostess by Lea Jacobson. I'm finding it to be quite fascinating. There have been many books written about geishas in Japan - Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden being one of the most famous - but there is another side of Japanese culture that also has to do with offering pleasure to others. The "rules" are very rigid - no touching, always smile, pour drinks for the customer and be sure to wipe off any condensation on the glasses, offer hot towels to the same customers as they exit the restroom. Physical relationships are not allowed, but a hostess is expected to make her customer feel as if he is sitting with his girlfriend. What is fascinating to me is that many foreign women get these jobs - and the Japanese love this. The author was one of the few Americans to become a bar hostess, so she was especially interesting to her Asian customers. It is the type of cultural phenomenon that many women will find disturbing because it illustrates an undeniable subservience to men.