Piece of cake

I just love the title of Aimee Bender's latest book - The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake.  It has been receiving quite a bit of press which has resulted in heavy demand, so if you're on the waiting list for it, you might want to check out Aimee's web site, www.flammableskirt.com.  She has done some very creative things on her site, including fun graphics, writing exercises, links to interviews, etc.  The library has her previous titles (as of this morning, two titles have holds, but The Secret Society of Demolition Writers and The Girl in the Flammable Skirt had copies available), so you might want to take a dip into one of these titles while waiting for Lemon Cake.  Ok, the more I say "lemon cake," the more I'm starting to crave lemon cake.  Books that make you want to eat - that could be an interesting list...

Job hunting tools

Having a hard time finding a job in this economy?   The library is a great resource for job help, and if you haven't yet taken a look at the "Get Job Help @ Your Library" link on the library's home page, take a moment to click on it, and you'll discover several options to assist you in your job search.  In addition, the library has lots of books on this topic, and, in fact,  we just received two new job hunting guides that sound especially good. 

Get a Great Job When You Don't Have a Job by Marky Stein

101 Best Ways to Land a Job in Troubled Times by Jay A. Block

What thriller authors are saying...

All Things Considered on NPR is running a new series called "Thrilled to Death," where established thriller authors are coming on the air to talk about books they love.  Scott Turow was recently interviewed, and do you know what he chose to talk about?  The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene, a book I read a long time ago but often thought I'd like to read again.  Another Greene title I'd like to read is The Quiet American.  I saw the movie starring Michael Caine - which I enjoyed - but reading the book will be a different experience, I'm sure.  The NPR series should be an interesting glimpse into the reading tastes of some of our favorite authors. 

New titles!

Many new titles are working their way through the cataloging department, and here are just a few:

- Roman Blood by Steven Saylor
- The Anniversary Man by Roger Jon Ellory
- Arm Candy by Jill Kargman
- Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson
- Just Let Me Lie Down: Necessary Terms for the Half-Insane Working Mom by Kristin Van Ogtrop
- Murder in the High Himalaya: Loyalty, Tragedy, and Escape from Tibet by Jonathan Green

Seaworthy

Linda Greenlaw is back with another memoir and she will be speaking at Powell's bookstore tomorrow evening, June 8th, at 7:30pm. This one is called Seaworthy, and it is about her return to being a swordboat captain.

Greenlaw first became well known when she was mentioned in the book The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger. She has written several books including, The Hungry Ocean, and All Fishermen are liars.

Aw, come on!

I told myself I wouldn't complain about the rain because I know I live in the Northwest, and every person outside of the Northwest says we're all about the rain, and the rain is why it's so beautiful and our surroundings are something to be envied...but...but...biting my rain-soaked tongue...

Ok, every cloud has a...well, another cloud behind it...no, no, no, a silver lining, and the lining in this case happens to be books.  Rain doesn't stop us Northwesterners from doing things, but it does provide an excellent opportunity for reading.  And there are two books that I think can provide a form of pseudo-sun-therapy.  Humor Me: An Anthology of Funny Contemporary Writing (Plus Some Great Old Stuff Too) is edited by Ian Frazier, a writer for The New Yorker, and a very funny guy himself.  This collection includes funny stuff from Roy Blount, Jr., David Sedaris, Steve Martin, Calvin Trillin, and more, and if these writers can't induce a few yucks, well, then, mercy me.

The other title, I Know I Am, But What Are You? is by Daily Show correspondent, Samantha Bee (she's dressed like a bee on the cover which seems a little obvious to me, but hey, if my last name was Cat, I'd probably wear whiskers).  Her essays can be a little edgy (meaning, if you're expecting clean, Art Linkletter-like humor, don't go here), but she definitely has an interesting take on life.