TONY HILLERMAN, 1925-2008

I was looking at the New York Times online on Monday, and when I clicked on the "Books" section I found that Tony Hillerman had passed away over the weekend. He is most well-known for writing a series of mysteries set in the American Southwest and featuring Native American detectives. His 2 main characters are Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. Each of these characters appears independently in several books, and then a few novels include both detectives working together to solve cases. The library owns many Hillerman novels, but here is a short selection:

The Shape Shifter

The Blessing Way

Skeleton Man

The Sinister Pig

Skinwalkers

SUPREME COURTSHIP

I was watching The Daily Show the other day, and the guest was Christopher Buckley. He is a well-known political satirist and has published several novels. I first became aware of his books when another staff member suggested No Way to Treat a First Lady, a novel about a First Lady who kills her cheating husband (who happens to be President at the time). His latest book is Supreme Courtship, a tale of what would happen if a popular reality tv judge made it to the Supreme Court.

David Foster Wallace

I am getting ready to read Consider the Lobster and Other Essays by David Foster Wallace. This is an author I was not familiar with until a colleague, who is a fan of his writing, described a few of his books. Then I heard the news that Mr. Wallace had hanged himself at his home (here is a link to a news story about his death). In reading several brief bios about his life, I became even more intrigued with his writing and decided to try one of his books. It sounds like the book world has suffered an incredible loss of a truly talented writer.

The library has quite a few of his titles, and in checking the catalog today, most are checked out.

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Consider the Lobster and Other Essays
Everything and More: A Compact History of Infinity
Girl with Curious Hair
Infinite Jest: A Novel
Oblivion: Stories
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments

WORDY SHIPMATES

A new book by Sarah Vowell is coming out next week (Oct 7), and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm quite a fan of her work because she mixes intelligent wit, humor, and historical facts all together in a very entertaining package. Her last book, Assassination Vacation, described her trip to visit sites of presidential assassinations. Sure, it doesn't sound funny but trust me, it's a laughing learning experience!

The book that comes out next week is called The Wordy Shipmates. It covers early American religious groups, and the reviews indicate that it is more of the same...humor and history. How can you go wrong with that combination?! Here is also a bit of trivia for you in case her writing is not enough. Vowell was the voice of the daughter in the animated film "The Incredibles". She will be speaking in Portland on Oct 14th at the Bagdad Theater.