The perfect card

Do you know someone whose birthday falls on December 25th? I do, and I always wondered if that was a good thing (i.e. more presents) or a not so good thing (i.e. no extra presents - they just do double-duty). Well, I just came across that funny video on YouTube. And the great thing about this is that the guy who appears in the video has written a book called House of Cards: Love, Faith, and Other Social Expressions: A Memoir. If you're curious what it's like to create greeting cards for Hallmark, or you're looking for a special card to give to your b-day/X-mas friend, check out the book by David Ellis Dickerson as well as his web site, http://davidellisdickerson.com

A real screamer...

Ever feel like a zombie during the holiday season? Going through the motions, not getting enough sleep, wrapping, wrapping, wrapping, etc.? Well, take heart that you aren't a real zombie because that would be bad. But apparently real zombies feel the need for some holiday cheer just like everyone else. How do I know this? There's a book that tells me so: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Zombies!: A Book of Zombie Christmas Carols. The walking dead can rejoice in such charmers as "I Saw Mommy Chewing Santa Claus" or "Deck the Halls With Parts of Wally." Happy Holidays!

Looking for a good yarn?

Whether or not you knit, Noro: The Man Behind the Legendary Yarn is my choice for some of the best "eye candy" around and perfect for the Northwest's typical gray, winter days. For knitters, you're probably already aware of Noro yarn, so you can revel in the stunning color photographs and reach yarn nirvana with 40 different designs to knit. For non-knitters (like me), you may be surprised to discover such intense color combinations from something as simple as yarn. A skein of Noro yarn is a piece of artwork all by itself.

ENSLAVED BY DUCKS

Enslaved by Ducks caught my eye as I was working in the stacks today. It grabbed my attention because my next door neighbor has a duck that has quite a nice coop, his own pool, and great veterinary care. This book contains humorous stories of a city guy who came to the country and ended up with quite an unusual group of animals to care for, including rabbits, geese, ducks, parrots, and cats. Also by Bob Tarte: Fowl Weather.

What was that book?

I just learned about a cool web site called Fresh Fiction. If you've ever watched or listened to a program on the tv or radio, and heard about a book you want to read, but then you forget the title or maybe you can't remember which show it was on, this site is the place to go. From a drop down menu, you can choose a program, and then it will show a list of books going back as far as 2005 in some cases. Or, you can search a book or author, and it will show which programs are reviewing it. Nice!

THE BACKYARD HOMESTEAD

The Backyard Homestead is a new book edited by Carleen Madigan. It describes how to grow "all the food you need on just a quarter acre." A significant number of pages are dedicated to vegetable gardening, but there are also sections on growing your own grains, raising poultry for eggs and meat, and even beekeeping. I've included a photo of my own backyard homestead. I'm growing some fall veggies under cover-beets, kale and spinach. I don't think I'll expand into urban chickens, but if I do there are books for that as well. Try The joy of keeping chickens by Jennifer Megyesi or How to raise chickens: everything you need to know by Christine Heinrichs.

Wretched writing

The annual Edward Bulwer-Lytton contest has announced its 2009 winners. In case you haven't heard of this award before, Mr. Bulwer-Lytton was a 19th century politician and author, who is probably best known today for writing the now infamous opening sentence to a novel, "it was a dark and stormy night." For the past 26 years the English dept. at San Jose State University has sponsored a contest asking entrants to write the most wretched opening sentence to a novel possible. This year's winner, David McKenzie from Federal Way, WA, wrote the "winning" entry:

"Folks say that if you listen real close at the height of the full moon, when the wind is blowin' off Nantucket Sound from the nor'east and the dogs are howlin' for no earthly reason, you can hear the awful screams of the crew of the 'Ellie May,' a sturdy whaler Captained by John McTavish; for it was on just such a night when the rum was flowin' and, Davey Jones be damned, big John brought his men on deck for the first of several screaming contests."

The library has two books by Mr. Bulwer-Lytton if you're curious about his florid writing. Something I didn't know about him: he is credited with coining some very well known phrases such as "the pen is mightier than the sword," "the great unwashed," and "pursuit of the almighty dollar."

The Coming Race
The Last Days of Pompeii

Piece of cake!

Recently I was at a party celebrating a friend's anniversary, and the cake, bought from a well-known bakery, had a misspelling on it. I thought it was pretty comical, considering that the word misspelled (instead of "on" the message said "om" - very zen-like) was just about the easiest word to get right. Guess what? Someone else thinks food errors are funny too! Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong by Jen Yates proves that master pastry chefs make mistakes too, and if you can feel better about that lopsided chocolate cake you made from a box, what's better than that?

Chicken Soup

A new biography is out called Long Past Stopping: A Memoir. It's by Oran Canfield, the son of Jack Canfield who is well-known for his "Chicken Soup" books. If you're thinking that this book will be similar to the "Chicken Soup" books in tone and message, please turn away, because Oran Canfield has had a strange, addiction-filled life, about as far away from "warm and fuzzy" as a person can get. However, it sounds like a fascinating read, and I hear that Oran is being compared to another memoirist, Augusten Burroughs.

The World According to John Lithgow

In case you haven't heard yet, John Lithgow is going to be the featured speaker at this year's Fort Vancouver Regional Library Foundation's Authors & Illustrators Dinner and Auction - very exciting! The dinner will be held November 17th, 5-9p, at the Vancouver Hilton, and if you haven't attended one of these dinners before, this year would be the perfect time to start. For information about tickets, please call 360-699-8846.

In addition to his stage, film and television career, Mr. Lithgow also writes poetry and stories for children. We have many of his books as well as quite a few videorecordings showcasing his talent as a narrator. One of my favorite books is Micawber by John Lithgow, illustrated by C.F. Payne - it's about an art-loving squirrel, and since we're right in the heart of squirrel country out here in the Northwest, I suggest becoming acquainted with Micawber's amazing artistic abilities. I also love I Got Two Dogs, illustrated by Robert Neubecker. It's a musical tribute to some lovable canines, and as a bonus, a CD is included (yep, you get to hear John Lithgow singing - barktastic!)

So, get a head start on the Lithgow oeuvre by checking out some books and DVDs now, and then when you attend the dinner in November, you can amaze your dinner mates with your John Lithgow literary tidbits!

Check these out:
* Mahalia Mouse Goes to College
* The Poets' Corner: The One-and-Only Poetry Book for the Whole Family
* Carnival of the Animals
* Classical Baby, The Poetry Show: I'm Grown Up Now (dvd)
* Marsupial Sue
* The Remarkable Farkle McBride
* The Amazing Bone - William Steig (cd)

NEW KRAKAUER BOOK

Jon Krakauer has a new book out titled Where Men Win Glory: the odyssey of Pat Tillman. Tillman was an Army Ranger and former NFL football player who was killed in Afghanistan in 2004 in a friendly fire incident. Krakauer brings his usual excellent writing and extensive research to the table in telling this story.

The library has two other books about Pat Tillman:
Boots on the ground by dusk: my tribute to Pat Tillman by Mary Tillman
Fields of honor: the Pat Tillman story by Jonathan Rand

THE STRAIN

I just started listening to the audio version of The Strain, a new book by Guillermo del Toro. It is the first of a trilogy about a vampire virus sweeping New York. The author is perhaps best known as a film director (Pan's Labyrinth) and is scheduled to direct the film version of The Hobbit. It is suspenseful, scary, bloody, and very well done.

Back to school...and work

I found it a little bit hard to get back in the work mode today. Which is pretty lame because I was off for just 3 days...not the whole summer as a significant segment of our population just experienced. Remember the sinking feeling when Sunday evening closed in around you, sending a not so subtle reminder that another school week was just hours away? Ah, the good ol' days...

If you or another adult someone in your household is feeling a bit blue now that September has arrived, boost those spirits by checking out Why is My Mother Getting a Tattoo?: and Other Questions I Wish I Never Had to Ask by Jancee Dunn. Her descriptions of her family and the trials and tribulations of becoming an adult are, as one reviewer put it, a hoot. Anything that is described as a "hoot" is all right in my book...or Jancee Dunn's book in this case.

Did you know...

that Faye Kellerman has a doctorate in dentistry? And she was involved in oral biology research? I found this interesting fact while searching the Harper Collins web site. Ms. Kellerman's latest is Blindman's Bluff, and yes, it's very popular right now, so while you're waiting for a copy, we do have some of her previous titles available right now, and this would be a perfect time to revisit or discover for the first time Prayers for the Dead, Jupiter's Bones, The Forgotten...

And if you haven't been to the dentist in, (cough, ahem) quite some time, consider taking one of the Decker/Lazarus mysteries with you to your "soon-to-be-made-because-Faye Kellerman-would-want-me-to-do-that" appointment. Or check out Cure Tooth Decay: Heal and Prevent Cavities with Nutrition if you'd rather stall for a little time...

Fiction - the long and short of it

I've been reading reviews of The Drowned Life by Jeffrey Ford, and I think I'll have to check it out. Short story collections, which this is, don't always fare so well in libraries. I think that's too bad because some of the best writing out there happens in shorter fiction, and unless an author has a name that people recognize, many titles go unnoticed. Now, Jeffrey Ford is not an unknown - he's written several novels including last year's The Shadow Year which received very positive reviews for its intriguing blend of genres. But I hope that readers will give The Drowned Life a try too - it's eclectic enough to entertain just about anyone. In a quick check of the library's catalog, I see that we have two copies, both on the shelf.

Every cat has his day

Remember all of the dog books that reached best seller lists in the past couple of years? Marley and Me, A Good Dog, The Dog Whisperer ... Well, the cats knew their time was coming, and sure enough, a cat named Dewey busted through the doggie door and captured the hearts of feline lovers everywhere. Now there's another one, and it looks to be a hit as well. Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper tells the amazing and touching story of a blind cat who learned to do everything that sighted cats do while teaching his owner about the resilient nature of animals.

Waiting for Julia

I just checked our delivery area to see what kinds of new books are soon heading to library shelves. If you've been to the movies to see "Julie and Julia" and are now waiting patiently to read the book, you'll be happy to know that we've ordered more copies - so hang in there! And I've been reading about the fantastic consequences of releasing the movie - Julia Child's cookbooks are in hot demand! I did a quick check in the library's catalog, and yep, anything by the grande dame of cooking is checked out. But try not to be too disappointed if you have to wait for one of her books - several new cookbooks will be cataloged soon. Here are three I recommend:

Fresh Mexico by Marcela Valladolid
1000 Gluten-Free Recipes by Carol Lee Fenster
Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Ostyn

Bon appetit!

The Land of Umpires

There is a new book out that should be of interest to sports fans, As they see 'em: a fan's travels in the world of umpires by Bruce Weber. The author goes behind the scenes to see how umpires are trained, and how they are treated by players and fans. It looks like this should be a very entertaining read, just in time for playoff season in October.

Enticements

I find that I am fascinated with the growing phenomenon of book trailers. I've blogged about this before, and I just found another one that is simple yet compelling - Deanna Raybourn's Silent on the Moor. Some trailers are pretty elaborate and feel more like mini-movies than advertisements for a book. Perhaps trailers are the new way to entice readers of the tweeting/blogging/gaming generation. I'd love to hear what others think about this - would you be more likely to read a book based on a trailer than on a traditional print review?

Want to place a hold on Silent on the Moor? Click here.

SECRET SERVICE

FVRL has a new book on order about the Secret Service, and it looks really interesting. The author has been making the talk show rounds recently, playing up the "never before revealed" stories contained in the book. The title is: In the President's Secret Service: behind the scenes with agents in the line of fire and the Presidents they protect, by Ronald Kessler. And since this title is just "on order", why not try this one while you wait: Standing next to history: an agent's life in the Secret Service by Joseph Petro.

REDISCOVERING JOHN SANDFORD

I've been listening to John Sandford books lately as I commute to work. His latest, Wicked Prey, is set in Minneapolis as the city hosts the Republican National Convention. The "Prey" series began back in the late 80s with Rules of Prey, and features the main character detective Lucas Davenport. After reading the first few books long ago, I drifted away from the series, but now I am rediscovering the author's fantastic ability to create interesting characters and to move the story along in a fast-paced suspenseful manner.

FOOD PRESERVATION

Every spring the 635s clear out at the library. This is the general dewey number for Gardening books. This area of the shelves stays pretty bare until August or September, and then patrons begin asking for books on Food Preservation so that they can enjoy their garden harvest for months to come. We have several books on canning and preserving at the library. One example is Putting Up: a year-round guide to canning in the Southern tradition by Stephen Dowdney.

Here are some others on this subject:

Well-preserved: recipes and techniques for putting up small batches of seasonal foods by Eugenia Bone

Jam it, pickle it, cure it: and other cooking projects by Karen Solomon

Preserving in today's kitchen: new faster techniques for preserving foods at their peak of flavor by Jeanne Lesem

URBAN FARMING

I started a vegetable garden this year, and already I'm addicted to gardening books. I really like the new one by Novella Carpenter titled "Farm City: the education of an urban farmer". She lives in Oakland and takes over a nearby abandoned lot to create a garden. She even raises "meat birds", a goose, turkeys, and chickens, in her very small backyard. It's very well written and a fast, enjoyable read.

Zombies and Sea Monsters

If you haven't heard about Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, you might want to get your name on the waiting list for it because a second Quirk classic is about to debut: "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters." Called a literary mash-up, the creative folks at Quirk Books take a classic novel and mix it with scary creatures and bloody mayhem. The result is hilarious, and the first Austen title became a bestseller. Watch a book trailer for the new title coming out in September. The library will be ordering it soon, so also watch for it in the library's catalog. Monsters set in a regency time period - classic...

CLEAN HOUSE!

I have a couple of friends who have moved recently or are planning a move and the topic of clutter has come up a lot. Seems like no matter how little you think you have, when you start packing it up to move, it seems like a whole lot more than you imagined. I know that there are several storage containers in my garage that have not been opened since 2005. So in keeping with the cleaning and decluttering theme, I thought I'd post some books here to help.

From Peter Walsh of TLC's "Clean Sweep" we have:

Enough already!: clearing mental clutter to become the best you

Does this clutter make my butt look fat?

It's all too much: an easy plan for living a richer life with less stuff

Gail Blanke has a very popular book out called: Throw out fifty things: clear the clutter find your life

And then there is Don Aslett. He has been writing books about cleaning and clutter for YEARS. When I was a teenager living at home in Indiana I remember finding one of his books on clutter underneath a pile of newspapers at my Grandmother's house. Here are just a few of his books:

Weekend makeover: take your home from messy to magnificent in only 48 hours

Is there life after housework

For packrats only: how to clean up, clear out, and live clutter-free forever!

SHOP CLASS AS SOULCRAFT

Two books about work were recently featured in Newsweek, Shop Class as Soulcraft, and The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work. "Shop Class..." by Matthew Crawford focuses on the value of hands-on physical work. He says that the fastest growing demographic group at Community Colleges are people with 4-year college degrees who are going back to get a marketable vocational degree. He promotes the job satisfaction that is attained by having a job with a clear goal that is obviously successful or not. For instance if you are installing a new lighting fixture...does the light come on or doesn't it? Did you do it correctly? Or not?

In The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, author Alain De Botton looks at work from various angles and time periods. Among other aspects of work, he talks about why we think we should enjoy our work. Why isn't work...work? Why do we think it should be a fun and happy place?

REAL LIFE MEDICAL DRAMAS

The next book on my personal "to read" list is Life Support: three nurses on the front lines, by Suzanne Gordon. The book follows three nurses as we learn about the trials and also the positive side of this profession. In a similar category, the next book for my Book Group is Complications: a surgeon's notes on an imperfect science, by Atul Gawande

Activating the Stargate...

I heard that Dom Deluise passed away yesterday. I was always a fan of his screwball-like comedic antics, so I felt a little sad to hear of his death. I also thought about the tv series, Stargate SG-1. Why, you ask? Amazing how the brain makes connections from seemingly unrelated topics. If you aren't a Stargate SG-1 fan like I am, you probably won't know that Mr. Deluise starred in an episode called "Urgo." And you probably also don't know that he has three sons, all of whom either produced, directed or acted in the Stargate series. The "Urgo" episode is a good one, and it allowed Dom Deluise to do what he did best - make people laugh. I will miss him, and it still pains me that Stargate SG-1 ended its run after 10 seasons...at least there are reruns!

The library has quite a few books related to Stargate, and even (surprise!) a few titles related to Dom Deluise.

Stargate books:
The Barque of Heaven - Suzanne Wood
Roswell - Sonny Whitelaw
Stargate SG-1: The Illustrated Companion, Seasons 5 & 6 - Thomasina Gibson

Dom Deluise material:
Lamb Chop's Chanukah & Passover Surprise (this is a children's DVD - Dom Deluise is a special guest)
Dom DeLuise's The Nightingale (children's picture book)
King Bob's New Clothes (children's picture book)

Winners of the Pulitzer

The 2009 Pulitzer Prize winners were recently announced, and the library owns almost all of the titles. The only title we don't yet own is the winner for drama, "Ruined" by Lynn Nottage. Her play is scheduled to be published for general readership at the end of this year, and we'll be adding it to the collection. For the other categories, here are the winners:

Fiction - Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
History - The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed
Biography or Autobiography - American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham
Poetry - The Shadow of Sirius by W.S. Merwin
General Nonfiction - Slavery by Another Name: The Re-enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A. Blackmon

Check out some incredible writing!

COLUMBINE 10 YEARS LATER

Monday is the 10th anniversary of Columbine. I remember where I was when the story broke because I was home sick that day, napping in a recliner in Louisville KY. The news broke in with coverage, and I remember watching an injured young man jumping/falling out of a window trying to escape. His name was Patrick Ireland, and he did survive although he suffered a shot to the head and had to learn to walk and talk again. My co-blogger, Jan, said that she was the Telephone Information supervisor at that time, and she remembers that her husband called her to let her know something had happened and then she used the internet to find out more information. One of the journalists covering this story from the beginning is Dave Cullen, and he has a new book out called Columbine that has been getting a lot of press in the past few weeks. The reviews have all been quite favorable, and I just picked up a copy myself last weekend. Cullen has spent 10 years working on this story. He has interviewed countless individuals dozens of times and read all of the documents released by the investigation. His website has extensive information including links to the Jeffco Sheriff's Office final report on the shootings, transcripts of the "basement tapes", and samples from the killers' journals. The story is fascinating, compelling, disturbing, and a recommended read from this librarian.

Other books about Columbine in the FVRL collection include:
The journals of Rachel Scott : a journey of faith at Columbine High
Rachel's tears : the spiritual journey of Columbine martyr Rachel Scott
Nobody left to hate : teaching compassion after Columbine

Sharon Olds--My Favorite Poet

Sharon Olds is my favorite contemporary American poet. I first discovered her in a college English class (yes, I was an English major). I'm particularly fond of her book The Gold Cell, and the poem "I go back to May 1937." I was reminded of my fondness for this poet last year when I was in a dark movie theater watching the film Into the Wild. (Based on the book by Jon Krakauer). The main character was reading the aforementioned poem to his sister to illustrate the anger and mixed-feelings that he felt toward his parents. No credit was given to Olds in the dialogue between the characters, but of course I was nudging my movie-going companion saying excitedly in a whisper "That's Sharon Olds!", and "Hey really....it's Sharon Olds!" It was nice to have my interests in poetry and Adventure Nonfiction collide in the film.

Cruise reads

I recently returned from a cruise to the Caribbean. There were lots of things to do and see, but I managed to squeeze in some time for books. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks was a fascinating read - one of those novels that treated its subject matter so well I now want to know more about the Hebrew text, the Haggadah. I also read The Solitary Vice: Against Reading by Mikita Brottman. Don't let the title fool you - this book will convince you to read even more. And if Hollywood biographies float your boat, Ms. Brottman will eloquently explain why she's a fan of them too.

The Survivors Club

Ben Sherwood has a new book out called The Survivors Club: the secrets and science that could save your life. One of the subject headings is "survival skills", but not in the typical way you might imagine. You won't find information about foraging for food, or starting a fire with a flint in this book. For instance, one of the secrets is to wear shoes that lace and tie when flying rather than slip-ons. The author talks about the increased trend to wear slip-ons in airports since we all have to remove our shoes when going through security. He says that wearing more secure footwear is very important in a plane crash, as you can better dash through holes in the fuselage. The book is an entertaining read, and who knows...maybe I'll wear better shoes the next time I fly.

Super Puppy Sunday

Yes, I did watch the Superbowl this past Sunday - mainly because I wanted to see the commercials (not a big football fan here). While I enjoyed the ads - and, yes, maybe a bit of the game, too - the best part of the day was watching the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet. Talk about taking the cuteness factor to infinity and beyond! By the time the kitten halftime took place, I was hooked, and found myself repeatedly saying "awww." Too bad it only happens once a year, but if looking at cute baby animals is your thing, there are many DVDs in the library's collection that will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy for days.

Growing Up Wild: Amazing Baby Animals
Animals at Play: Cute and Cuddly
The Essential Guide to Caring for Your New Puppy
Understanding Cats

VOLUNTARY MADNESS

I just checked out the book Voluntary Madness by Norah Vincent. This book is her follow-up to Self-Made Man, the story of a year spent dressing as a man to see how people reacted to her as a male. During this period she even went so far as to glue finely-cut hair clippings to her face to simulate a beard in order to help with the illusion. After going through this experience she had some psychological issues to work through which brings us to Voluntary Madness. She voluntarily checked herself in at three different mental health facilities in order to both address her own mental health issues, and also study how patients are treated at facilities catering to different socio-economic groups.

Harold Pinter and Donald Westlake

The end of 2008 saw two well-known authors pass away: Harold Pinter and Donald Westlake. I was an English major before deciding to become a librarian, and I can remember reading several of Mr. Pinter's plays for one of my courses. It was the first time I had heard the phrase "theatre of the absurd," which describes a philosophy that life is inherently without meaning, and I struggled a bit in understanding what Pinter and and some of his contemporaries were trying to say. It was a fascinating class, but one I hadn't thought of in years until Mr. Pinter's death. The library owns several of his titles, including a book of essays Death, Etc. published in 2005.

The library also owns many titles by Donald Westlake who passed away New Year's Eve. When I worked at the information desk in Vancouver, I helped patrons find his books in our collection, but I never actually read him myself. Now I would like to give him a try; ironic, isn't it, that an author's passing tends to generate more interest in and sales of the author's work.

CHICAGO 1893

My book group is currently reading The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. It's the story of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair (also known as the World's Columbian Exposition). So much happened at this fair...so many "firsts" that I just couldn't stop reading it. The first Ferris Wheel (so large that more than 2,000 people could ride it at one time), the first sampling of Juicy Fruit gum, the first zipper, the introduction of shredded wheat. The list goes on and on.

In addition to the story of the fair and the architects who made it happen, the author tells the story of the first recorded serial killer in the United States, Herman Mudgett. He built a hotel for fair-goers and only rented rooms to single women (who often subsequently went missing under mysterious circumstances.)

The book group is meeting on Tuesday Jan 13 at 7:30 at the Main Library (1007 E Mill Plain Blvd, Vancouver, WA). Any interested readers are invited to attend.