W. 11th & Bluff

Looking for a good book?

2012-02-11T09:12:00.000-06:00

Even avid readers sometimes aren't sure what to pick up next. Maybe you've read everything by your favorite author, or the next book in the mystery series you're reading won't be published until next December. If you're at loose ends for what to read next, Carnegie-Stout is here to help!

We now offer Personal Recommendations at, you guessed it, the Recommendations Desk! This new program allows us to take the information you provide about your reading preferences and create a list of books we think you'll love. Stop by in person to pick up a blank form or submit a form from home. The form is found on our website (www.dubuque.lib.ia.us) under the Adult Services menu,or follow this link to download and submit a pdf.

We'll also be offering reading suggestions on our Facebook page again soon. Stop by on March 1st and leave a comment with a favorite title or author, and we'll respond with a reading suggestion!

Spotlight on True Adventure: Discovery & Battle of Wits

2012-02-10T09:16:00.001-06:00

Nonfiction or True Adventure stories deliver the adrenaline rush of exploration, survival, and discovery, without having to leave your comfiest chair. Though similar to Adventure Fiction (see Clive Cussler), part of the enjoyment to be found in True Adventure are the practical details. Whether it's the tools and procedures for mountain climbing, or descriptions of far off or extreme landscapes, readers will be immersed in a fantastic, but all too real, world.

This is our second post on True Adventure titles. You can read our first post, which focused on Survival Stories and Natural Disasters, by following this link: http://carnegiestout.blogspot.com/2012/01/spotlight-on-true-adventure-survival.html

Voyages of Discovery
The Lost City of Z: a tale of deadly obsession in the Amazon by David Grann
(918.11 GRA) Author David Grann retraces the 1925 journey of Percy Fawcett, who disappeared in the Amazon while in search of a missing city filled with Incan gold.

Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson
(940.5451 KUR) The story of two scuba divers who discover an unknown U-boat off of the coast of New Jersey, and their dangerously obsessive 11-year quest to identify the wreck.

The Far Traveler: voyages of a Viking woman by Nancy Marie Brown
(970.013 BRO) Gudrid, a heroine out of Viking legend, was part of the early 11th century voyages to Vinland. Ms. Brown brings legend, history, and the latest archaeological information together to bring Gudrid's world to life.

Blind Descent: the quest to discover the deepest place on earth by James M. Tabor
(796.525 TAB) Not a tale for the claustrophobic, Mr. Tabor provides a look at the competitive world of professional spelunking from Oaxaca, Mexico to the Republic of Georgia.

Too Far from Home: a story of life and death in space by Chris Jones
(629.45 JON) When the space shuttle Columbia was destroyed, two American astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut became stranded on the International Space Station. Journalist Christ Jones combines the details day-to-day life in space, with the dangerous rescue attempt à la Apollo 13.

The Lady and the Panda: the true adventures of the first American explorer to bring back China's most exotic animal by Vicki Croke
(LP 599.789 CRO) In 1936 socialite Ruth Harkness' husband was killed in an attempt to capture a Giant Panda for an American zoo, and Ms. Harkness decided to complete her husband's dangerous quest.

A Battle of Wits
Agent Zigzag: a true story of Nazi espionage, love, and betrayal by Ben Macintyre
(Biog Chapman) Conman Eddie Chapman trained as a spy for the Germans, but when given a mission to destroy a British airplane factory, he became a double agent for MI5 instead.

Sex On the Moon: the amazing story behind the most audacious heist in history by Ben Mezrich
(364.1628 MEZ) Thad Roberts worked hard to escape his life in Utah and become a NASA fellow, but then he decides to impress his girlfriend, a NASA intern, by involving her in a plot to steal moon rocks. Ben Mezrich is also the author of The Accidental Billionaires, the book behind The Social Network.

The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: the astonishing rise and spectacular fall of a serial impostor by Mark Seal
(364.1633 SEA) When Clark Rockefeller's marriage comes to a bad end, he kidnaps his young daughter, but the FBI investigation turns up more than expected. Rockefeller is not the man he claimed to be.

Flawless: inside the largest diamond heist in history by Scott Andrew Selby
(364.162 SEL) In 2003, upwards of a hundred million dollars of diamonds and other gems were stolen from the high security Antwerp Diamond Center. Though, unlike a Hollywood crime caper, the thieves do not get away, but most of the valuables were never recovered.

Readers may also be interested in our Ann Rule Read Alike post, which includes reading suggestions about crimes and criminals.

Please stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor, check out NoveList Plus on the library's website, or visit W. 11th & Bluff next week for more reading suggestions. Please do leave a comment here or on Facebook if you have a request for a future Spotlight topic.

Happy 200th birthday, Mr. Dickens!

2012-02-07T10:00:00.000-06:00

Today marks the bicentennial of Charles Dickens's birthday, which has been the cause of great celebration around the world as literary scholars, fans and anyone who has ever enjoyed "A Christmas Carol" pay tribute to the great author. Today Prince Charles laid a wreath on Dickens's grave at Westminster Abbey and later visited the Charles Dickens Museum in London where actress Gillian Anderson (who played Miss Haversham in a BBC adaptation of "Great Expectations") read from the novelists' works. The British Council is sponsoring a global read-a-thon, with 24 reading from 24 of Dickens works in 24 hours, which began at 7:00 a.m. GMT (1:00 a.m. CST).

The celebration has also been the cause for new discoveries and reflections on the man, his life, and his works. Recently, a letter that Dickens wrote to his oldest son, Henry, was reexamined. In it, he counsels his eldest son - who had just arrived at Cambridge to begin university- to watch his spending closely, but also encourages him to enjoy undergraduate life. Reinforcing this wish, Dickens also sent his son 102 bottles of various liquors and wines.

If you've found most of Dickens's work a bit too dense or intimidating to explore, the U.K. newspaper The Guardian created "Digested Dickens" - abbreviated versions of three of Dickens's best known works."Great Expectations," "Bleak House" and "David Copperfield." Of course, if you'd rather read his novels in their entirety, the library carries over 35 works by Dickens in various formats, including TV serials and movies. If you'd like to learn more about the man himself, we also have a list of biographies and of works that were inspired by Dickens.

You can also enjoy a tour of Charles Dickens's world in photographs, a "Dickens" of a quiz to test your knowledge of the author and his works and a wealth of digitized manuscripts and letters from the collection of The Morgan Library & Museum in New York.

Happy reading!

Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich

2012-02-06T10:00:00.010-06:00

Janet Evanovich is best known for her Stephanie Plum series beginning with One for the Money. Anyone familiar with that series knows that there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and quirky characters. With that in mind I picked up Evanovich's latest novel, Love in a Nutshell, co-authored with Dorien Kelley.

In this stand-alone story, Kate Appleton has been fired from her job as a magazine editor and moves to Keene's Harbor, Michigan to live in her family's summer home known as The Nutshell. Kate plans to turn the house into a bed and breakfast but she runs into one problem after another. The biggest problem is that Kate is months behind on the mortgage, the house is in need of major repairs and she is broke. Out of desperation Kate essentially forces brewery/restaurant owner Matt Culhane to give her a job. Matt owns The Depot and lately someone has been sabotaging his business. Matt is sure it is an inside job and decides that Kate, being new to town, can snoop around for him without arousing suspicion. If Kate finds the culprit, Matt will give her a $20,000 bonus.

I had high hopes for Love in a Nutshell. Having read the Stephanie Plum series I expected some wacky hijinks and quirky characters. I knew that Matt and Kate would end up together and that on their road to happiness there would be obstacles to overcome. This is a romance novel after all and given the title of the book I don't think I'm spoiling the story for anyone. Sadly, I was disappointed. Love in a Nutshell had the potential to be a really funny, nice romance story. If I could pinpoint the one big flaw I would have to say it suffers from too many secondary characters and random plotlines that initially seem to be important to the story but fizzle out in the end. Perhaps if this were the first book in a series all the additional characters and plots would serve as a incentive to read the next book, but as a stand-alone all they do is confuse the story and act as filler.

Not everything about this book is bad. There are some hijinks and wackiness surrounding The Nutshell. Kate's house has a lot of problems spanning from bad plumbing to a bee infestation. She is plagued by an incompetent handyman who hauls around a mysterious blue cooler. The best part of the book is the mystery surrounding the saboteur. When Kate is linked to Matt romantically the sabotage moves from petty little annoyances to more destructive and dangerous incidents. This widens the pool of suspects from those who want to ruin Matt's business to those who also want to hurt Matt personally. I honestly had no idea who the culprit was until the big reveal at the end.

I have not read any of Evanovich's other series or stand alone novels. Out of fairness I have to say I probably would have enjoyed this book more if I read it without my Stephanie "Plum" colored glasses.

~Amy, Adult Services

P.S. If you are a fan of Janet Evanovich and want to try similar authors please check out our Read-Alike blog post here.

Super Bowl XLVI

2012-02-04T10:00:00.001-06:00

Are you ready for some football?!

Whether you're a die-hard football fan or not, odds are you know the Super Bowl is coming up. You might even know who's playing this year. The Super Bowl has become ingrained in American culture, from the game itself to the media hype surrounding it.

This year the New England Patriots face off against the New York Giants (not to be confused with the former baseball team of the same name, as I may or may not be guilty of) February 5th at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CST. This year's halftime show features performances by Madonna, The Black Eyed Peas, The Who, Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Prince, the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney and U2 (whew!)

And, of course, there are the Super Bowl commercials, the airing of which has become an event of its own. Portions of this this year's ads have already been leaked online, and the debate over the greatest Super Bowls ads of all time rages on.

To help your pre-game prep, we've collected some of the many books the library has about football. We've even selected a range of the books just about the Pats and the Giants, written by former players, coaches, historians and fans. Finally, test your Super Bowl knowledge at the source.

And if you're not a fan, there are alternatives, such as The Puppy Bowl VIII, a new episode of "Downton Abbey" on PBS or fight hunger in your community by participating in The Souper Bowl of Caring.

Good luck to both teams, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

Personal Recommendations

2012-02-03T10:29:00.003-06:00

Instead of our usual Friday Read Alike post, we're trying a bit of an experiment on our Carnegie-Stout Facebook Page. We're offering individual book suggestions to our patrons! If you have a Facebook account, leave a comment with a book or author you love, and we'll give you a reading suggestion.

Don't have a Facebook account? Reading this after 5pm of Friday the 3rd? No worries! Stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor of the library, and we'll give you a Personal Recommendation.

Be sure to stop by the blog next Friday for our next Read Alike post!

African American History Month 2012

2012-02-01T13:00:00.000-06:00

Prof. Carter G. Woodson
via Library of Congress

Today marks the beginning of African American History Month, established to pay tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled to achieve full and equal citizenship in American society. The celebration began in 1925 with the creation of Negro History Week, established by Harvard-trained historian Carter G. Woodson and the organization he founded, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History).

What began as a week-long event held during the first week of February grew quickly in popularity. In 1976 (the nation's bicentennial), President Gerald R. Ford urged all Americans to, “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history." Since then, each succeeding U.S. president has issued yearly proclamations affirming African American History Month. You can read President Obama's 2012 proclamation here: http://goo.gl/0LiiB

Making the rounds of the Internet is a letter from a former slave, Jourdan Anderson to his former master, which was published in the New York Daily Tribune on August 22, 1865. The letter was written is response to a message sent by Col. P. H. Anderson to Mr. Anderson - who had since moved to Ohio after being emancipated - asking him to return to Tennessee: "To My Old Master"

To learn more, look here for a list of selected resources about African American history at Carnegie-Stout, or stop by the Recommendations Desk at the library. You can also explore a the links below for an interactive timeline of important events, biographies of important and influential African Americans and much more.

Library of Congress - Links to historical documents, photographs and in-depth examinations of important events: http://www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/

History Channel - Videos, photo galleries and interviews: http://www.history.com/topics/black-history-month

Smithsonian Education - Events, teaching resources, plus an African American Cultural Heritage virtual tour: http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/heritage_month/bhm/index.html

Biography.com - Black History interactive timeline: http://www.biography.com/tv/classroom/black-history-timeline

National Endowment for the Arts - Teaching resources: http://edsitement.neh.gov/feature/edsitement%E2%80%99s-guide-black-history-month-teaching-resources

Magazine of the Month: Brides

2012-02-01T10:11:00.000-06:00

Ah! Romantic February, with both Valentine's Day and a designation as National Wedding Month, what better choice for magazine of the month than Brides?

This Condé Nast publication has been providing information on the latest wedding trends to brides-to-be for over 50 years. With everything from hairstyles to honeymoons and fashion to fitness, Brides is a comprehensive guide to the nuptial world.

Brides has embraced the latest in technology, with mobile apps and interactive features. Visit their website to try a virtual makeover, or to take advantage of their many wedding planning tools. Website: www.brides.com

Or stop in to Carnegie-Stout today and take a peak at the latest issue!

Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates from Kennedy-Nixon to Obama-McCain by Jim Lehrer

2012-01-30T09:00:00.000-06:00

Tension City sounds like a honky tonk song from Loretta Lynn more than a book title by respected National Public Radio commentator and producer Jim Lehrer. Lehrer borrowed the words “Tension City” from President George H.W. Bush, who used them to describe how he felt about presidential debates as Lehrer described in this C-Span interview.

Lehrer, author of twenty novels, three plays and two memoirs, has moderated eleven presidential and vice-presidential debates, starting with Bush-Dukakis in 1988. Tension City provides his insider view of the debates he participated in as well as tidbits from follow-up interviews with many of the politicians who were running for office.

I thoroughly enjoyed the history lesson. Some of the incidents I remember from having watched the debates myself -- the first Bush checking his watch and Gore's sighs in his debate with the second Bush -- but many of the incidents Lehrer writes about contain details only someone who was on the stage can provide. Lehrer has a clear voice, and he is as critical of his own performance as he is of the candidates. I admire his ability to remain impartial in demanding political settings.

Several reviewers criticized Tension City as being too personal, but that's what I found to be charming. I did not find Lehrer's book too fluffy. The chapters of the book do not progress in a lineal chronology, and I liked that, too. Lehrer's prowess as an author of fiction transfers well to his vivid memoir; it reads well at a fast pace and is never boring. Now that I have read Lehrer's nonfiction, I may try some of his other books. I'm curious about what kind of plays he writes. Will they be political? And I learned that his wife Kate is an author also, so I have another name to add to my list of authors to sample.

Check out Lehrer’s PBS biography, and just for fun take a look at some of Loretta’s song titles.

- Michelle, Adult Services

In theaters: "One for the Money"

2012-01-27T10:00:00.000-06:00

Today marks the release of the feature film One for the Money, based on the incredibly popular Stephanie Plum mystery series, written by Janet Evanovich. The film stars Katherine Heigl as the gutsy and impulsive Stephanie Plum, who, out of work and out of money, turns to her bail bondsman cousin for help - and a job. Her first case: bringing in Joe Morelli (played by Jason O'Mara), a cop accused of murder and with whom Stephanie shares a romantic past.

One for the Money is the first in Evanovich's on-going series, currently up to eighteen with Explosive Eighteen. Stephanie Plum also appears in the Between the Numbers series - short novellas published between major installments in the series- Visions of Sugar Plums, Plum Lovin', Plum Lucky, and Plum Spooky.

Evanovich hasn't limited herself to Stephanie Plum's mysteries. Her latest novel, Love in a Nutshell, co-authored with Dorien Kelly, adds romance to a suspenseful tale of Kate Appleton, wannabe bed & breakfast owner turned corporate spy. Evanovich has partnered with other writers for the earlier Max Holt romance series, which she wrote with Charlotte Hughes. Those aren't the only series Evanovich has written during her prolific career! For a full listing, click here.

To find theaters and show times in Dubuque for One for the Money, click here.

If you're already a fan of Evanovich, check out our read-alike post to find similar authors. And finally, keep up with the latest from Evanovich on her official website, www.evanovich.com/.

Free tax preparation in Dubuque, Delaware & Jackson Counties

2012-01-25T09:00:00.000-06:00

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program provides eligible individuals with low to moderate incomes free and confidential tax preparation at any of the filing tax sites listed below.

VITA is coordinated by Operation: New View and the Earned Income Tax Credit Outreach Task Force of Dubuque, Delaware and Jackson Counties. For more information, including what to bring with you, visit their website at: www.operationnewview.org/ and click on "Programs."

Hills and Dales Lifetime Center (AARP)
3505 Stoneman Road, Dubuque, IA - Map it
February 1 - April 15
(563) 585-0560
By appointment only

Loras College
1450 Alta Vista, Dubuque, IA - Map it
February 20 - March 26
Mondays at 2:00 p.m.
(563) 588-7695
By appointment only

Operation: New View, Dubuque
1473 Central Avenue, Dubuque, IA - Map it
January 26 - April 12
Mondays and Thursdays
6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
(563) 556-5130 ext. 14
By appointment only

St. Matthew's Lutheran Church (AARP)
1780 White Street, Dubuque, IA - Map it
February 1- April 15
Monday - Friday
12:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Walk-ins only

University of Dubuque
2000 University Ave., Dubuque, IA - Map it
Tuesday, February 7
Wednesday, February 8
4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
(563) 556-5130
By appointment only

Operation: New View, Maquoketa
904 East Quarry, Maquoketa, IA - Map it
Saturday, Feburary 11 & 25
Saturday, March 10
10:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.
(563) 652-5197
By appointment only

Operation: New View, Manchester
721 South 5th Street, Suite B, Manchester, IA - Map it
Saturday, February 4 & 18
Saturday, March 3
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
(563) 927-4629
By appointment only

Storm Front by Jim Butcher

2012-01-23T12:01:00.000-06:00

Storm Front, the first novel in Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series, is a fast-paced and exciting read with a twisty mystery and plenty of magical action. The main character, Harry Dresden, is a professional wizard with a tarnished past living in Chicago and trying to eek out a living doing private investigation work and consulting with the Chicago PD’s Special Investigations unit.

Urban fantasy is all over the place these days. We’ve got shelf after shelf of books about witches, vampires, shapeshifters, and fairies who solve crimes and fight evil in a gritty modern setting. As much as the genre appeals to me, I’d tried a lot of urban fantasy series without finding one that really held my attention. For one thing, most of what I’d tried was paranormal romance and I don’t have a lot of patience for angsty longing or meaningful glances. Butcher leaves the romance out and draws inspiration from hard-boiled detective novels, which suited me fine.

Storm Front opens with Dresden in his office worrying about his rent payment. He’s interrupted by a phone call from a woman in distress and then another from a police detective who needs his help with a grisly magical murder. The plot quickly develops into a tangle of demons, mobsters, and thaumaturgy as Dresden chases down leads and leans on informants. It’s not unlike a Raymond Chandler story expect Dresden is more likely to pull a wand than a gun. Butcher doesn’t break a lot of new ground in either the mystery or fantasy genres but he gives each some new twists and combines them with a well-developed voice and highly readable style.

I’d been meaning to check out the Dresden Files ever since I heard their virtues extolled by Patrick Rothfuss, author of the Kingkiller Chronicles. I’m often in the market for some unpretentious plot-driven fantasy and am quite happy to have a well-established series to add to that reading list. The trick now will be to keep myself from plowing through five or six of them in quick succession like a foolish child with a sack of Halloween candy.

~Andrew

Read Alike Downton Abbey

2012-01-20T08:40:00.090-06:00

Downton Abbey is back on PBS for a second season! The popular British series explores the social and technological change during the period surrounding WWI from the perspective of country home's residents and staff. If you missed the first season (or want to be on the list for season two), you can place a hold in our catalog or watch online at PBS (including bonus features).

If you're one of the many caught up in the drama and romance of Downton Abbey, we've put together a list of other books and programs that you may enjoy.

Upstairs, Downstairs (TV DVD) The original drama of life of the nobility and their servants in a stately (London) home and the upheaval of the early 20th century.

Gosford Park (Feature DVD) A comic murder mystery at a posh weekend house party. Dame Maggie Smith (Dowager-Countess Violet Crawley) appears in this film.

Manor House (DVD 942.082) British reality television program inspired by Upstairs, Downstairs and Gosford Park. The Olliff-Cooper family spend three months living as an early 20th century aristocratic family, while several other people take on the roles of the servants.

Anyone curious about the details of life in England during the events of Downton Abbey's first season should take a look at Juliet Nicolson's The Perfect Summer. From the coronation of George V to the fight for women's suffrage and the rights of industrial workers, this book provides an engaging look at history.

Ken Follett is the author of over twenty books that range from spy thrillers to epic multi-generational Historical novels. His most recent novel, Fall of Giants, is set during the upheaval of WWI and the years following. This compelling and character-driven novel is the first in a planned trilogy that will follow five families from different walks of life, from the mines of Wales to the Russian revolution.

Jean Marsh is a co-creator of Upstairs, Downstairs, an actress (she played Rose Buck on Upstairs, Downstairs), and an author of fiction. Her novel Fiennders Keepers is a story of forbidden romance between the daughter of the gamekeeper and the heir to the estate set during the early 20th century. Also try The House of Eliot

Kazuo Ishiguro's novel about a stoic butler and his memories of a bygone era, The Remains of the Day, was awarded the Man Booker prize. Mr. Ishiguro is known for his character-driven, thoughtful and occasionally funny fiction, and this story of the snobby, dignity obsessed Stevens is no exception.

Nancy Mitford, eldest of the Mitford daughters, used her aristocratic and somewhat eccentric upbringing to write a series of novels. The Pursuit of Love ; and, Love in a Cold Climate collects two of her better known witty and satirical titles in one volume.

The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy is a three volume novel of a family elevated to wealth through their success in trade during the late 19th century. A dramatic family saga of the changing fortunes of love and society.

Hearst Castle: the biography of a country house (728.809794 KAS) A history of American newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst's extravagant West Coast home built between 1919 and 1957.

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque A classic novel written in reaction to the horrors of the Great War, this bleak and gritty tale of German soldiers in the trenches remains a classic.

You may also enjoy the works of P.G. Wodehouse, Agatha Christie, and these other authors:
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
The Observations by Jane Harris
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
A Bitter Truth by Charles Todd
Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford
A Room With a View by E.M. Forster
The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin
Gone With The Windsors by Laurie Graham
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

Please stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor, check out NoveList Plus on the library's website, or visit W. 11th & Bluff next week for more reading suggestions. Please do leave a comment here or on Facebook if you have a request for a future Spotlight topic.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

2012-01-16T09:00:00.000-06:00

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers his
"I Have a Dream" speech in Washington D.C.
Via Library of Congress

Today, January 16th, is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federal holiday in the United States that commemorates the birthday of civil right activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King's actual birthday is January 15th, and the holiday takes place every third Monday in January.

King was the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement, which protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon after his assassination in 1968. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed on January 20, 1986. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. The holiday was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

To learn more about King's life and his legacy, check out this selection of books from the library's collection, or click through to the websites listed below.

Listen to a recording of King's 1963 "I Have a Dream" speech here: http://www.archive.org/details/MLKDream

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change - Located in Atlanta at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, which includes King's birth home, Freedom Hall and his crypt. Their digital archives are scheduled to go live today.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute - Provides a searchable online database of King's correspondence, sermons, speeches, published writings, and unpublished manuscripts.

Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial - The official website of the national memorial in Washington D.C.

Spotlight on Urban Lit

2012-01-13T10:00:00.001-06:00

Urban Lit (a.k.a Urban Fiction, Street Lit) is an increasingly popular genre that features African-American and Latino characters, often set on the gritty streets of the city, whose lives are circumscribed by racism, violence, drugs, love and sex. The tone of the stories is frequently dark, as the characters struggle to survive on the street, and the language is often frank and explicit. Many stories are presented as cautionary tales, and a means of shedding light on the struggles and inequities of daily inner-city life, but they also offer hope and the possibilities of a better life.

Some must-read urban lit:

True to the Game, True to the Game II and True to the Game III by Terri Woods – This fast-paced trilology follows Gena, a young girl from the projects, who meets Quadir, a millionaire drug dealer, and falls madly in love. Quadir builds a massive empire while fighting his rivals and enemies. Gena faces the challenges of holding onto her man, and the life she’s fought so hard for. Both of them find themselves caught up in a vicious yet seductive world, and learn that success in this game is no easy win.

The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah – After Winter Santiaga’s drug-kingpin father is arrested, the young teen leaves the easy and luxurious life she has known for a much rougher existence in foster care. An urban lit classic.

Push by Sapphire - When 16-year-old Precious, who lives in the projects and is pregnant with her father’s child, enrolls at an alternative school, she slowly forges a new path out of her dire circumstances. The 2009 Oscar-winning movie Precious was based on this novel.

Let That Be the Reason by Vickie Stringer – This semi-autobiographical novel features Carmen, a single-parent hustler who deals drugs and starts her own escort business to support her daughter.

A Hustler’s Wife and Forever a Hustler’s Wife by Nikki Turner - Des, one of the leading criminals in Richmond, Virginia, and Yarni, an innocent girl from a well-to-do family, hook up. But when Des is arrested, Yarni begins exploring the city’s criminal underworld.

Death Before Dishonor by 50 Cent and Nikki Turner - Hip-hop megastar 50 Cent and this collaboration with Nikki Turner follows successful beauty shop owner Sunni who despairs of finding a lasting relationship and Trill, who, after serving time in prison for a crime he did not commit, plots revenge.

Eviction Notice by K’wan - Porsha: the ghetto princess. Boots: the scandalous baby mama. Frankie aka Francine: the con artist. These three girls live in one apartment and are into all kinds of hood foolishness while having fun until one day they find an eviction notice taped to their door. Now they have seventy-two hours to find out how to come up with all the money they owe in months of back rent.

Decoded by Jay–Z (782.421649) – An exploration of the process and meaning behind Jay-Z’s music, Decoded also presents the evolution of hip-hop and rap, set against the the author’s own life and the lives of prominent African-American artists.

Please stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor or check out NoveList Plus on the library's website

It's tax time!

2012-01-09T14:02:00.001-06:00

"... in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” - Benjamin Franklin, Letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy, 13 Nov 1789.

It's tax time again, and we want to help keep you up-to-date on the latest information you need to file your Federal and Iowa taxes.

Remember, Federal and Iowa tax forms and instructions are available online 24/7 at the websites listed below. You can print your forms at the library for 10 cents per page, at either our public Internet terminals or at the Reference Desk.

Federal - The library has received a limited number of the following forms: US 1040, 1040A (and instruction booklet), 1040EZ (and instruction booklet) and Schedules A, B and EIC.

Printing of the US 1040 instruction booklet has been delayed, and may not arrive at the library until early February.

You can call the IRS to order forms at 1-800-829-3676, or download forms at www.irs.gov/formspubs/. You can also contact a local IRS office in Iowa for assistance, listed here: http://goo.gl/og44H.

Note: The library does not supply or print the 1099-MISC, W-2 or any multi-part, carbon-copy form. These forms must be ordered directly from the IRS.

Iowa - The library cannot supply any Iowa tax forms this year. The Iowa Department of Revenue has discontinued the mailing of tax forms to individuals and institutions. All forms and instructions are available online at www.iowa.gov/tax.

You can also call the Iowa Department of Revenue to order forms at 1-800-532-1531, e-mail IowaTaxForms@Iowa.gov or write to: Iowa Department of Revenue; P.O. Box 10460; Des Moines IA 50306-0460.

Spotlight on True Adventure: Survival & Natural Disasters

2012-01-06T08:20:00.001-06:00

As most avid readers will tell you, a book can offer an escape from your everyday life. Nonfiction or True Adventure stories deliver the adrenaline rush of exploration, survival, and discovery, without having to leave your comfiest chair. Though similar to Adventure Fiction (see Clive Cussler), part of the enjoyment to be found in True Adventure are the practical details. Whether it's the tools and procedures for mountain climbing, or descriptions of far off or extreme landscapes, readers will be immersed in a fantastic, but all too real, world.

Whether you're already a fan or you're looking to try something new, we've put together a list of suggestions for True Adventure.

Stories of Survival
Lost in Shangri-la by Mitchell Zuckoff
(940.548 ZUC) Three Americans survive a WWII plane crash in remote New Guinea.

Not Without Hope by Nick Schuyler
(910.452 SCH) Mr. Schuyler survives a terrible boating accident that kills three of his friends, two of whom played in the NFL.

Miracle in the Andes: 72 days on the mountain and my long trek home by Nando Parrado
(982.6 PAR) Mr. Parrado's tragic tale of survival after a tragic plane crash high in the Andes is considered a classic of the True Adventure genre.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston
(Biog Ralston) While hiking in Utah, Mr. Ralston becomes trapped beneath and boulder and must make a difficult decision. His story is the basis for the film 127 Hours.

Into Thin Air: a personal account of the Mount Everest disaster by Jon Krakauer
(796.522095496 KRA) Journalist Jon Krakauer's deadly 1996 Mt. Everest expedition is another classic in True Adventure writing.

The Ledge: an adventure story of friendship and survival on Mount Rainier by Jim Davidson
(796.522092 DAV) This more recent account of mountain climbing tells of a 1992 disaster on Mount Rainier, and its inspirational impact on survivor Jim Davidson.

Natural Disasters
The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin
(977.031 LAS) The story of a tragic blizzard in 1888 that caused the death of many recent and unprepared immigrants, especially school children.

F5: Devastation, survival, and the most violent tornado outbreak of the twentieth century by Mark Levine
(551.553 LEV) In April of 1974 more than one hundred tornadoes struck the central U.S. Mr. Levine focuses on the impact of these deadly storms on a community in rural Alabama.

The Perfect Storm: a true story of men aginst the sea by Sebastian Junger
(974.45 JUN) This account of the deadly storm which struck the New England coast in October of 1991 is another True Adventure classic and served as the basis for the 2000 movie.

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
(976.335 EGG) Mr. Eggers tells the story of Abdulrahman Zeitoun who disappeared in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

When the Mississippi Ran Backwards: empire, intrigue, murder, and the new Madrid earthquakes by Jay Feldman
(551.22 FEL) The story of the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and '12 and how they affected the people and politics of the day.

Please stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor, check out NoveList Plus on the library's website, or visit W. 11th & Bluff next week for more reading suggestions. Please do leave a comment here or on Facebook if you have a request for a future Spotlight topic.

Free Tax Preparation in Dubuque 2012

2012-01-05T14:58:00.001-06:00

Individuals with low and moderate incomes are eligible to receive free and confidential tax assistance at several free filing tax sites in Dubuque.

Thanks to Becky from Operation: New View Community Action Agency for this information. This was last updated in January 2012.

"JET" is January's Magazine of the Month

2012-01-03T20:02:00.000-06:00

Our January magazine of the month, JET, was founded in 1951 by John H. Johnson of Chicago, Illinois. We selected Jet in honor of this weekly magazine's 60+ years of publication, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 16th.

Mr. Johnson was also the founder of Ebony, which features coverage of African-American celebrities and politicians. Jet includes news features, along with features on celebrities and dating, diet, fashion, and other advice. One popular Jet feature, started in 1952, is the "Beauty of the Week."

You can read more about Jet and Ebony on their website: www.ebonyjet.com

Or stop in the library and check out the latest issue!

Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton

2012-01-02T13:40:00.000-06:00

My first exposure to Kate Beaton's work was through a friend who posted a wonderfully funny strip about Shakespeare's King Lear on Facebook. After spending an inordinate amount of time clicking through her website (Hark! A Vagrant) and laughing to the point of stomach cramps, I was hooked. How could I not love a webcomic that has its own index!

Hark! A Vagrant is a collection of strips previously published on Beaton's website, plus author commentary and a handful of previously unseen strips. Mixing both the historical and the contemporary, Beaton's deceptively simple illustrations cast an erudite and witty eye on history, literature and pop culture. I will admit to needing to look up more than a few of the historical characters and events that appear in this collection (especially those that had to do with Canadian history), but one needn't be a history expert to enjoy the sheer silliness of the characters' expressions and one-liners. Beaton also lampoons Nancy Drew, Aquaman, 1980s business women and her younger self, to name a few more modern targets, and the collection includes some singularly hilarious non sequitur strips to boot.

Beaton previously self-published a collection of her web comics that appeared between 2007 and 2009, Never Learn Anything From History, (which are also included in this collection) and contributed to the Marvel comic anthology Strange Tales II. She also won the 2011 Harvey Award for Best Online Comics Work and her collection was named as one of the best works of fiction in 2011 by Time Magazine.

I'm certainly not an expert on graphic novels, but Beaton's work has risen to the top of my list of favorites. Anyone that can make me interested in Canadian history is certainly a talented person! Pick this book up for a laugh, and you'll probably learn something on the way. I'll leave you with one of my favorites, about (what else?) Canada Day.

Happy reading, eh!

- Allison, Adult Services

New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-01T00:01:00.005-06:00

It's once again the time of year to consider making a New Year's Resolution. Whether you promise yourself to eat healthier, get a handle on your finances, or just to read more great books, Carnegie-Stout is here to help!

Stop in and check out our display of books on Diet, Exercise, Addiction, and Managing Stress. Our collection includes everything from Pilates to the Paleo diet.

We've brought a selection of our Exercise DVDs down to the first floor too. Don't forget our Music CD collection, we're sure to have something to get you on your feet!

You might also want to take a look at our popular New Year's Resolutions lists from 2011:

Addiction
Budgets and Debt
Career
Diet
Exercise
Stress
Vacation
Volunteer

Best Books We Read in 2011

2011-12-30T10:18:00.012-06:00

Not every book we read and loved this year came from the New Shelf. Here are some of our favorite reads in 2011 that were published in 2010 or earlier. To see our favorite new books of 2011, follow this link.

Angie, Circulation - The Magicians by Lev Grossman
This fantasy novel is the coming-of-age for a sarcastic, sardonic, and flippant young man who finds that dreams sometimes do come true. The audio book brings the characters vividly to life.

Amy, Youth Services - Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail by Malika Oufkir
A true story about the daughter of the king of Morocco's closest aide. In the 70's, her father was accused of trying to assassinate the king, and their family was imprisoned for two decades. Such a good book.

Lisa, Circulation - The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The characters and their intricate relationships, the rich descriptions of the merging Civil Rights movement, and the style of the writing all make The Help my favorite book of 2011. The book was both uplifting and entertaining, as well as shocking and heartbreaking at times. The character of Skeeter shows a determination that is inspiring, as she navigates her new role as a college graduate in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi, who sees that change in necessary and inevitable. The Help is a page-turner, and tells a story that needs to be told.

Michelle, Circulation - Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
I read this story about the great runner Louis Zamperini's WWII experience as a POW in a Japanese camp to my Dad, who was also a WWII veteran and flyer. Dad did not see action but could really relate to all of the descriptions of the planes and being in the military. He and I both had tears in our eyes as we read of the courage and spirit these POWs displayed. Though they may have been "unbroken", many of the men (boys) came back permanently damaged in ways most of us can not imagine. It was a beautiful story made even more special to me having shared it with my dad.

Brooke, IT - Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon
The story line was very detailed, in a fictional landscape. I love to read books about strong independent women. Paksenarrion overcomes great odds, and you are constantly growing with her as she becomes a Paladin.

Sarah, Adult Services - Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal
A Jane Austen inspired romance with a literal touch of magic. Not too serious, or too dark, it was the perfect escape from the stresses of the Real World.

Andrew, Adult Services - Fifth Business by Robertson Davies
This is a bit of a cheat, because while I did read this book this year it was maybe the fourth time I'd read it. Fifth Business is a novel crammed full of saints, stage magicians, and Jungian archetypes. Davies's clear and unpretentious prose keeps to book from getting bogged down by its heaps of larger-than-life ideas.

Michelle, Circulation - Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Ok so I'm jumping on the Dragon Tattoo band wagon. After the first 75-100 pages of the first book I was completely sucked in. Sometimes the narrative got a bit detailed for me and I found myself skimming to get to the action, but I usually didn't have to skim for long because there was more action right around the corner. I found the vigilante justice to be a guilty pleasure since it was balanced by the fact that there was a price to be paid for all the characters actions, both good and bad.

Amy, Youth Services - The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
A book about zombies, but in a way that's compelling to read about. This series would make a great movie.

Be Tech Savvy @ Carnegie-Stout

2011-12-27T15:50:00.000-06:00

Photo by: Josh Fassbind,
flickr.com/photos/
joshfassbind/4683365102

Got a new gadget and don’t know what to do with it? Or do you want to do more with the stuff you already have? We’ve got the resources to help!

Stop by the Recommendations Desk to browse through our collection of books & DVDs that will help you get started with your new device. We also have step-by-step guides to help you use the library's downloadable collection, and of you're new to computers, we also offer computer classes to help get you started.

Adult Computer Classes
Carnegie-Stout Downloadable Collection - Click on "My Help"
Library e-Books on your Kindle: A how-to guide

The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis

2011-12-26T08:48:00.014-06:00

I don't read many books shelved in mystery these days, so I've largely missed the Scandinavian mystery craze. I take mysteries home, but once I figure out who done it, I tend to pick something else out of my ever growing TBR (To Be Read) pile. So I was surprised to find myself staying up way too late after opening The Boy in the Suitcase.

Before turning to crime novels, both Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis were the authors of books aimed at children and young adults (most of which are, unfortunately, not available stateside). While The Boy in the Suitcase may appeal to some older teens, it's definitely not a children's book.

You may've seen Andrew's Facebook link to S.S. Van Dine's "Twenty-two rules for writing detective stories," and I'm happy to say that The Boy in the Suitcase breaks almost every rule. It's no spoiler to say that the very young boy in the suitcase is the victim of kidnapping, and not murder.

The novel is delightfully fast-paced, as the various narrators are drawn together. I enjoy this technique, especially when the characters are compelling. Despite damaged Red Cross nurse Nina Borg's billing as the heroine, even minor side characters are given color and personality. An important fact in a novel where there is no secret as to who placed a 3 year-old Lithuanian boy in a luggage locker in Denmark train station, and the reader is instead asked to guess why.

The book jacket promises that this is the first in a series of novels featuring the adventures of Nin Borg, but I haven't been able to find any hint as to when a second book will be out in English. So, while I'm waiting, I plan to try The Exception by Christian Jungersen and Sun Storm by Asa Larsson, reviews of which promise fast-paced mysteries with strong female characters. It's never too late to jump on the Scandinavian bandwagon!

-Sarah, Adult Services

Staff Picks: The Best Books of 2011

2011-12-23T10:23:00.007-06:00

The best books of 2011 as selected by the staff of Carnegie-Stout Public Library, or at least a short list of our favorite reads in fiction, biography, graphic novels, and more!

Amy, Youth Services - Wither by Lauren DeStefano
This book was a neat twist to all the futuristic dystopian society books out there. This book was creepy, romantic, and had an interesting storyline. It's the first in a series.

Michelle, Circulation - Sister by Rosamond Lupton
A mystery surrounding the disappearance of a New York career woman"s (transplanted from England) sister back in England. The story is told from older sister Beatrice's point of view. She is called back to England by her mother because her sister, Tess, has disappeared. Although they are vastly different the sisters have stayed in touch and are very close. Bea narrates the story as if she is talking directly to Tess and also as she tells it to a detective. I found the narration very interesting and did not figure out the surprise ending until nearly finishing the book. Loved the voice and loved the mystery.

Sharon, Youth Services - Life by Keith Richards
I actually listened to this and although it was twenty discs long I had a hard time getting out of my car wanting to know what happened next. Johnny Depp & Joe Hurley do a fabulous job narrating but when Keith himself takes over - well let's just say it's a "hoot"
Keith makes no apologies, sets straight the many rumors surrounding himself and for Rolling Stones fans, like myself, he shares his knowledge and love for his music and his mates.

Andrew, Adult Services - Finder Vol. 1 & 2 and Finder: Voice by Carla Speed McNeil
These impeccably crafted science fiction comics establish a complex futuristic world but focus on compelling character and interpersonal relationships. Speed McNeil has obviously accomplished some deep and fascinating worldbuilding but does a masterful job of revealing only what's necessary for each short story, never bogging the reader down with needless factoids or technobabble.

Michelle, Circulation - Falling Together by Marissa de los Santos
This is more of a love story with a little bit of a mystery thrown in. It revolves around the friendship of 3 people who meet in college and form an unlikely bond. Something causes them to agree to end their friendship for 6 years until they are drawn back together for the very sake of that friendship. It has some smart dialogue that made laugh out loud a few times. I found the writing very engaging and finished the book with that feeling of having had a satisfying read.

Sarah, Adult Services - Bossypants by Tina Fey
I know this is one of those books that people have been talking about all year, but this is the first time since Kindergarten that I've really loved an audiobook. Ms. Fey was the perfect companion for an otherwise long and otherwise boring drive. Her self-deprecating humor and obvious balance in a way that made the miles fly by.

Allison, Adult Services -5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth (and Other Useful Guides) by Matthew Inman
Written and illustrated by the creator of the blog "The Oatmeal" this book manages to be both hilarious and informative. Learn the proper way to use a semicolon from a party gorilla, why Nicola Tesla was the most awesome geek who ever lived and eight ways to prepare your pets for war (bunnies are ideal for special ops!) Caution: not suitable for work, children or while eating.

Danielle, Youth Services - The Death Cure by James Dashner
The Maze Runner Trilogy by Dashner is a great YA dystopia series that will keep you on the edge of your seat with action and suspense. I highly recommend the audio book versions as the characters really seem to come alive.

Mike, Adult Services - How the End Begins: The Road to a Nuclear World War III by Ron Rosenbaum
Contrary to popular belief, the likelihood that we'll all be incinerated in a nuclear holocaust has actually increased since the end of the Cold War -- it's a matter of when, not if. "At least you can't say you haven't been warned," Rosenbaum concludes.

Mirdza, Adult Services - Pilgrimage by Annie Leibovitz
Photographer Annie Leibovitz (of Rolling Stone and Vogue fame) traveled to locations she could explore and document with no other agenda than curiosity. These included Niagara Falls, Old Faithful, and the homes of Virginia Woolf, Emily Dickinson, Thoreau and Emerson, Elvis Presley, Freud, and Eleanor Roosevelt, among others. “When I was watching my children stand mesmerized over Niagara Falls, it was an exercise in renewal, it taught me to see again.” Leibovitz provides commentary about the history of these places and Doris Kearns Goodwin writes an introduction.

Michelle, Adult Services - Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning
I'm not sure this is the BEST book I read in 2011, but it certainly was the one I was most anxious to read. I absolutely HAD to know what happens to Jericho Barrons. And what exactly is Barrons? Fae? Druid? Seelie or the Unseelie King? A male sidhe-seer? The sixteen month wait between Dreamfever and Shadowfever seemed like forever. This is only book I ever pre-ordered from Amazon.

Amy, Youth Services - Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
This book was such a breath of fresh air this year. It's quite the story and very funny.

The Best Books of 2011

2011-12-16T10:00:00.002-06:00

As the end of the year approaches, it's a time for reflection: holiday letters with the family's yearly update, New Year's Resolutions, and Best of Lists. We've compiled a list of the ten most anticipated books of 2011 at Carnegie-Stout Public Library, and you can check them out at the link below.

Ten Most Anticipated Books at Carnegie-Stout, 2011

We've also gathered together links to some of the popular Best Books of 2011 lists, and we'd love it if you shared your favorite books from the year in the comments here or on Facebook!

Publisher's Weekly: Best Books of 2011

This year, Publisher's Weekly presents their Top Ten lists as an interactive guide, beginning with their top ten of all books published this year. You can also browse their list by genre.

Book Page: Ten Best Books of 2011

Book Page is the monthly magazine of book reviews available at the library, and the contributors have written a series of articles on their blog about the best in books for 2010.

The New York Times: The 10 Best Books of 2011

The New York Times is famous for their bestseller lists, and it would be surprising if they didn't compose a best of the year article. They have also created a list of the 100 Most Notable Books of 2011.

NPR: Best Books of 2011

The many and varied programs on NPR each week introduce listeners to a variety of different books and authors. Their collection of Best of Lists likewise cover all manner of topics from cookbooks to guilty pleasures as selected by writers, critics, and booksellers.

Library Journal: Best Books of 2011

Library Journal covers the news of the library world and reviews thousands of books each year. This is their first end of the year Best of List, and unsurprisingly, they found it difficult to limit the list to just 10. Within the article, you can find links to lists for Genre Fiction, Audiobooks, and more.

Photo: "I Love to Read" by Carlos Porto

Poinsettia Day

2011-12-12T12:03:00.003-06:00

Photo: Poinsettia by maaco

Every year Carnegie-Stout receives a cheerful delivery from Leisure Services: Poinsettias! If you stop by the library this December you'll notice their bright red blooms sharing joy throughout the building.

Today, December 12th, just so happens to be Poinsettia Day, so what better time to share some facts and tips on these seasonal favorites? Well, perhaps December 21st, the date for this year's Poinsettia Bowl, when the TCU Horned Frogs will play football against the Louisianan Tech Bulldogs. Those aren't local teams though, so we'll stick with today.

One of the most common misconceptions is that Poinsettias (Euphorbia Pucherrima) are deadly poisonous. While it is a terrible idea to eat them because their sap can cause irritation of the skin, or vomiting, it's safe to have a poinsettia in a house with pets or small children. You can read more about poinsettia care and their Aztec origins at the University of Illinois Extension's Poinsettia Pages.

If you're concerned about your ability to care for a poinsettia, never fear! Carnegie-Stout has several books with tips on keeping house plants of all types happy and healthy:

The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual (635.9 PLE) Poinsettias on page 98

How to Grow Practically Everything (635 ALL) Poinsettias on page 393

Indoor Plants (635.965 COU) Poinsettias on page 83

And I highly recommend that you name your Poinsettia "Percy," just for luck.

The Resilient Gardener by Carol Deppe

2011-12-12T09:26:00.000-06:00

Are you interested in moving toward a more self-reliant and sustainable life? Do you page through Mother Earth News, Hobby Farms, Backyard Poultry and Countryside, tear out articles and dream of the day your garden will feed your family? Have I got a book for you: The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times including the five crops you need to survive
and thrive: potatoes, corn, beans squash, and eggs.

Carol Deppe has a BS in zoology from the University of Florida, a PhD in biology from Harvard and special dietary needs brought about by allergies to wheat, dairy and gluten. Her educational background fits well with her practical gardening experience, and when combined with her ability to write, the result is a comprehensive and useful book. She covers growing, storing and using vegetables and eggs in both good times and also when economic, climate, health issues make times uncertain. Her book is personal and global; she is realistic and optimistic. Climatology, ecology, nutrition, sustainable agriculture, health and medicine are some of the fields in the book.

The book is divided into twelve chapters. The first seven set the stage by discussing basic gardening and sustainability rules, climate change, diet, exercise, water and soil. The final five chapters are devoted to the actual crops--potatoes, squash and pumpkins, beans, corn, and my favorite, "The Laying Flock." Deppe prefers ducks to chickens; her coastal Oregon home is more hospitable to web-footed denizens. Just when you must be thinking how boring this book must be, you can learn how to zap potatoes, make duck egg hash and a perfect pumpkin pie, cook beans "for maximum flavor and minimum toot" and bake skillet cornbread.

The appendices provide citations for further reading and contact information for seed companies, including Iowa's own Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, one of my spring pilgrimage sites for the past few years.

This book will not appeal to all readers, but it certainly is in my top ten for 2011. It’s on my gift wish list. I’ll stick it on the shelf between the Michaels: Pollan’s Food Rules and Perry’s Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs and Parenting.

--Michelle

Read Alike: Kim Edwards

2011-12-09T10:00:00.003-06:00

Kim Edwards' character-driven writing style in "The Memory Keeper's Daughter," with themes of unbreakable family bonds, the roller-coaster of emotions she takes her readers on, and the ultimately hopeful ending, is shared by many other popular authors. If you enjoyed "The Memory Keeper's Daughter," you might enjoy books by these authors as well!

Anne Tyler - Like Edwards, Anne Tyler's novels center around family relationships and her characters are usually driven by their roles within their families. Her novels also center on the discovery of or the tension caused by some kind of family secret. Tyler's stories unfold at a leisurely pace, often infused with humor and are character-driven. Tyler's 2001 novel "Back When We Were Grownups," focuses on 53-year-old grandmother, Rebecca Davitch - widowed after only 6 years of marriage - as she reflects on the life she might have had if she hadn't followed her heart to the altar at age 19. In one of Tyler's earlier works, "Breathing Lessons," (1988) readers follow Maggie and Ira Moran as they make the 90-mile drive to Maggie's best-friend's husband's funeral. On the way, they reflect on their lives together and apart in this character-driven, seriocomic journey.

Sue Monk Kidd - Kidd's debut novel, "The Secret Life of Bees" (2000) is set in 1964 and features fourteen-year-old Lily and her motherly servant Rosaleen as they run from Lily's abusive father and the police who battered Rosaleen for defending her new right to vote. Following an inscription of "Tiburon, S.C." found on one Lily's late mother's possessions, she and Rosaleen travel to South Carolina and take shelter with a trio of African-American beekeepers. There, Lily and Rosaleen find a safe haven and Lily begins to uncover the truth about her mother. Themes of friendship, self-discovery and redemption are strong throughout thus novel, which in 2008 was made into a major motion picture. Kidd's 2005 novel "The Mermaid Chair" follows similar themes as as a woman is called back to the island she grew up on to care for her mother who has inexplicably cut off one of her fingers, perhaps in atonement for a secret transgression. While there, she develops a strong attraction to a Benedictine monk and is forced to reexamine her marriage and the choices she has made.

Jane Smiley -Jane Smiley's Pulitzer Prize winning "A Thousand Acres" (1991) examines the buried secrets that haunt the family of Larry Cook, owner of a 1,000 acre farm in Iowa, and his three daughters as Larry abruptly announces that he is giving up farming, and turning the family farm over to his two oldest daughters. With echoes of "King Lear," Smiley's novel exposes the tension that can exist in families, and the guilt and bitterness that results. Smiley's 2010 novel, "Private Life" has a similarly dark tone, this time set in pre-World War II America, as the wife of a brilliant yet distant scientist is forced to reexamine her life in light of her husband's deepening obsessions.

Elizabeth Strout - Best-selling Elizabeth Strout first novel, "Amy and Isabelle" (1998) explores the complex relationship between mother and daughter in a small New England town during the late 1960s. When 16-year-old Amy falls in love with her math teacher, her mother Isabelle's barely repressed shame and anger over her own past is exposed. Events come to a head when Amy's relationship with her teacher is revealed, and members of Amy's father's family, who Isabelle claimed were dead, suddenly get in touch. This bittersweet, character-driven novel focuses on the interactions between family members, and how the pressures of the larger world affects them. Strout's 2008 "Olive Kitteridge" also takes place in a small town and, in thirteen linked short stories, follows abrasive and vulnerable retired schoolteacher Olive as the world - and the people around her change. Again, Strout looks beneath the surface of ordinary life to expose the sadnesses and the joys of everyday life.

Please stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor, check out NoveList Plus on the library's website, or visit W. 11th & Bluff next week for more reading suggestions.

Happy reading!

~ Allison, Adult Services

"A date which will live in infamy"

2011-12-07T13:15:00.010-06:00

Photo: By sarhaynes

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which lead to our military involvement in World War II. Well over 2000 Americans were killed on December 7th, 1941, and many hundreds more were injured.

There are many sources of commemoration and education about this tragic event, its effects, and to honor those who were there.

The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum has resources available for the anniversary on their website, including audio of President Roosevelt's Day of Infamy speech: www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/aboutfdr/specialtopics.html

The National Park Service, which is responsible for the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, also has information available on their website: www.nps.gov/valr/index.htm

The Library of Congress's After the Day of Infamy collection is available as part of the American Memory project. A collection of "Man-on-the-street" interviews that capture the reactions of average Americans to the attack on Pearl Harbor: memory.loc.gov/ammem/afcphhtml/afcphhome.html

Carnegie-Stout has several books and DVDs, both historical and fictional, about the attack on Pearl Harbor. A selection of these titles can be previewed by following this link: library.booksite.com/6673/nl/?list=CNL8&group=EB70&preview=1

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

2011-12-05T11:13:00.001-06:00

I’ll tell you right up front that Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One isn’t for everyone. The rather involved premise will alienate as many people as it attracts. The book takes place in the near future where a high school kid named Wade lives in a trailer park somewhere in what’s left of the United States after a global energy crisis. The only bright spot in Wade’s life is a massively-multiplayer online simulation called OASIS. OASIS is kind of like Second Life, if Second Life had assimilated World of Warcraft, Dungeons & Dragons, and all the other role-playing games you can think of. If you’re not familiar with or interested in MMOs, Second Life, or RPGs, that’s your first clue that this book isn’t aimed at you.

Like most people, Wade lives most of his life in OASIS. He goes to a virtual school and then spends his free time in a virtual basement playing virtual recreations of old video games or watching virtual copies of old movies. Why all the nostalgia? The explanation requires another geeky vocabulary word: Easter egg. Video game designers often hide little jokes, messages, or rewards within their creations and these have come to be known as Easter eggs. James Halliday, the guy who created OASIS, hid the biggest Easter egg of all time: ownership of OASIS and the company and fortune it spawned. Halliday made it clear that in order to find his Easter egg you’d have to share his obsession with the games, movies, and television of the 1980s. So Wade and all the other egg hunters (or “gunters”) memorize facts about Atari games, giant robots, and John Hughes movies just in case one of these trivia bits turns out to be the key to untold riches.

I’m guessing that by this point in the review you’ve already made up your mind about Ready Player One; that big mishmash of nerd culture sounds either totally rad or totally stupid. Trust your gut on this one. Cline writes well, but not quite well enough to win over a reader who’s turned off by high-stakes Pac-Man games and Small Wonder jokes. I can think of several people who would absolutely hate this book.

But I can also think of several people who would absolutely love this book. The plotting is good, the puzzles are fun, and the main characters all reminded me of good friends of mine. The pop culture references usually transcend simple name-checking and achieve something witty and interesting. The fight scenes are full of the sort of jaw-dropping images that would really sell a cutscene or get rehashed by your D&D group for years to come. If this book works for you, it’ll work in a big way. My only disappointment is that I read the book before I realized I could have listened to the audio version read by uber-nerd Wil Wheaton.

~Andrew

Cozy Mysteries-Books and Libraries

2011-12-02T10:00:00.000-06:00

A list of cozy mystery series just wouldn't be complete without taking a look at all the authors writing about books, bookstores, libraries and librarians. I found eleven different series, but I think my favorite has to be Lawrence Block's Bernie Rhodenbarr, a bookseller who also happens to be a thief.

Clicking on the blue hyperlink will take you to the library catalog for the entire series. The bold title is the first book in the series, followed by a description, provided by NoveList.

Booktown mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
By: Barrett, Lorna
Murder is Binding: When fellow bookstore owner Doris Gleason is murdered, Tricia Miles, deciding to investigate, discovers that someone wanted to get their hands on a rare cookbook in Doris's possession and that the locals believe that someone is her.

Bernie Rhodenbarr mysteries (Most Recent: 2004)
By: Block, Lawrence
Burglars Can't be Choosers: Hired to perform a seemingly simple break-in, Bernie Rhodenbarr is horrified when he takes the fall for a murder rap and is forced to flee, and stationed in an out-of-town apartment, he tries to discover why he was set up.

Ophelia and Abby mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
By: Damsgaard, Shirley
Witch Way to Murder: Thirty-something librarian--and psychic--Ophelia Jensen and her grandmother Abby, a practicing witch, set out to uncover the truth about an enigmatic, handsome stranger whose recent arrival in their tranquil Iowa town has apparently triggered an onslaught of disaster, from the theft of bomb-making materials to murder.

Christy Castleman cozy mysteries (Most Recent: 2008)
By: Darty, Peggy
When the Sandpiper Calls: Christy Castleman, a pretty, young novelist, has made a name for herself writing books about mystery and intrigue. The Sassy Snowbirds, a group of lively ladies, spread fun, friendship, and good deeds around the seaside town of Summer Breeze. Everyone is content in their cozy world–until a message is found in a small Victorian glass bottle half buried in the sand.

Aurora Teagarden mysteries (Most Recent: 2003)
By: Harris, Charlaine
Real Murders: A society of crime buffs discovers a mutilated body in their clubhouse kitchen and the town librarian suspects a fellow member because the crime closely resembled the club's "murder of the month."

Death on Demand mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
Alternate series name: Annie Laurance Darling mysteries
By: Hart, Carolyn G.
Death on Demand: Annie Laurance, the lovely, young owner of the "Death on Demand" bookstore, and her wealthy lover, Max Darling, search for a killer after author Elliot Morgan is murdered during a meeting of famous mystery writers.

Crochet mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
By: Hechtman, Betty
Hooked on Murder: When Molly Pink, a bookstore event coordinator, is accused of murdering the leader of the weekly crochet group at Shedd & Royal Books and More, she, while unraveling the clues, decides to take up crocheting to catch the real killer.

Cat in the stacks mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
Alternate series name: Charlie Harris mysteries
By: James, Miranda
Murder past Due: A famous author returns to his hometown and is murdered. It's up to Charlie Harris, the town's librarian, and his cat Diesel, to find the killer before the wrong person is arrested for the crime. The trouble is, every last one of Charlie's friends and coworkers had a score to settle with the novelist.

Haunted bookshop mysteries (Most Recent: 2009)
By: Kimberly, Alice
The Ghost and Mrs. McClure: When a guest author drops dead in the middle of a book signing after revealing a secret about a 1940s mystery that is linked to their bookstore, young widow Penelope Thorton-McClure and her aunt set out to find the truth - with a little otherworldly assistance.

Murder by month mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
By: Lourey, Jess
May Day: Mira decides to begin a new life in rural Battle Lake. Right away she is offered jobs as an assistant librarian and part-time reporter, and falls into an unexpected romance with a guy who seems to be the perfect man until he turns up dead between the reference stacks her tenth day on the job.

Marjorie McClelland mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
By: Meade, Amy Patricia
Million Dollar Baby: Successful young writer Marjorie McClelland leads a solitary, comfortable life in the quiet, post-prohibition town of Ridgebury, CT. Her tranquil life is disrupted when she meets Creighton Ashcroft and they stumble across a body while touring the ample grounds of Creighton's new estate.

Country house crime novels (Most Recent: 2011)
By: Raichev, R. T

The Hunt for Sonya Dufrette: Twenty years after a little girl disappears during the melee of Charles and Diana's royal wedding, Antonia Darcy, a divorced assistant librarian at the Military and Naval Club, puzzles over the ongoing bizarre behavior of the child's family and their absent former nanny.

December's Magazine of the Month is "Food Network Magazine"

2011-12-01T09:20:00.009-06:00

December is a busy month for food, with holidays, parties, and gatherings galore! In addition to the Big Holidays, December has National Fruitcake Day (27th), Eat a red apple day (1st), National Cotton Candy Day (7th), National Brownie Day (8th), and best of all, National Chocolate Covered Anything Day (16th). To help you plan your celebrations we've selected Food Network Magazine as our magazine of the month for December.

Don't forget, Carnegie-Stout has cookbooks and more from many of your favorite Food Network Stars. Click the links below to be taken to our catalog!

Mario Batali
Anne Burrell
Alton Brown
Cat Cora
Paula Deen
Giada De Laurentiis
Guy Fieri
Bobby Flay
Tyler Florence
Ina Garten
Duff Goldman
Robert Irvine
Emeril Lagasse
Nigella Lawson
Sandra Lee
Jamie Oliver
Rachel Ray

A Review of The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco

2011-11-28T19:44:00.014-06:00

Umberto Eco's new novel The Prague Cemetery is a fictional account of the origins of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a fake document first published at the turn of the 20th century which claims to reveal a Jewish plot to take over the world. Even though the text was proven to be a forgery in the early 1920s, Adolf Hitler and the Nazis used The Protocols as justification for the Holocaust. The Protocols continued to be published after World War II, and is thought to be "the most the most widely circulated work in the world after The Bible."

In The Prague Cemetery, Eco (The Name of the Rose, 1980; Foucault's Pendulum, 1988) imagines The Protocols to be the work of a single man, Captain Simone Simonini, a fictional character Eco describes a bit optimistically as "the most cynical and disagreeable in all the history of literature." Simonini is a 19th century forger who, throughout his career in Italy and France, is entangled in intricate plots involving secret police and criminals, monarchists and revolutionaries, Jesuits and Templars, Freemasons and Satanists, etc. Simonini draws on his own many misdeeds, for example his fabrication of evidence used in the Dreyfus Affair, in composing his penultimate work, a masterpiece forgery which scapegoats Jews for Europe's upheavals.

Sounds pretty straightforward, eh? Well, in order to tie all of this together, the story is told by an unidentified narrator who comments wryly on Simonini's diary which in turn includes disconcerting entries by a third character, the Abbe Dalla Piccola, who may or may not be Simonini's split personality. The narrator does not fail to note the humor in this confusion:

"Certainly, the papers your Narrator is browsing are full of surprises, and might be worth using one day as the basis for a novel."

"The narrator is beginning to find this amoebean dialogue between Simonini and his intrusive abbe rather tiresome."

"To be frank, if it were not for the fact that these pages refer to events that actually took place, such alternations between amnesic euphoria and dysphoric recall might seem like a device of the Narrator."

On top of it all, Simonini is a gourmand, and much of The Prague Cemetery reads like this:

"So he went at the earliest opportunity to Laperouse, in quai des Grands-Augustins, and not downstairs, where they served oysters and entrecotes as they used to, but upstairs, in one of the cabinets particuliers where you could order barbue sauce hollandaise, casserole au riz a la Toulouse, aspics de filets de lapereaux en chaud-froid, truffes au champagne, pudding d’abricots a la Venitienne, corbeille de fruits frais and compotes de peches et d’ananas...."

"The other place that had immediately seduced me was the Cafe Anglais, on the corner of rue de Gramont and boulevard des Italiens. It had once been a restaurant for coachmen and servants and now served le tout Paris at its tables. There I discovered pommes Anna, ecrevisses bordelaises, mousses de volaille, mauviettes en cerises, petites timbales a la Pompadour, cimier de chevreuil, fonds d’artichauts a la jardiniere and champagne sorbets. The mere mention of these names makes me feel that life is worth living...."

"With a feeling of relief I invited Golovinsky to dinner at Paillard, on the corner of Chaussee-d’Antin and boulevard des Italiens. Expensive, but superb. Golovinsky clearly appreciated the poulet a l’archiduc and the canard a la presse. But someone who came from the Steppes may well have tucked into choucroute with the same enthusiasm. It would have cost me less, and I could have avoided the waiters’ suspicious looks at a customer who masticated so noisily...."

At one point, a skeptical character asks, "How can an American girl who’s only just arrived in France know all the secrets of Italian politics?" I would add, "Or French cuisine?"

But I appreciated most, if not all, of The Prague Cemetery, chewing through it as noisily as I did. How can one not enjoy a true-to-life novel which includes "sewers filled with corpses, ships that explode in the region of an erupting volcano, abbots stabbed to death, notaries with fake beards, hysterical female Satanists, the celebrants of black Masses, and so on"? I especially enjoyed the contemporary illustrations, which are reminiscent of Sidney Paget's original drawings of Sherlock Holmes in Strand Magazine.

My only criticism is that while The Prague Cemetery focuses on the roots of modern anti-Semitism, Umberto Eco seems uninterested in seriously examining the profound suffering it causes. Instead, Eco is satisfied in his belief that his fiction is more real and devious than Dan Brown's.

If, like me, your knowledge of 19th century European politics, religion, and literature is a little rusty, you might start off with the graphic novel The Plot: The Secret Story of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion by Will Eisner. The Plot, with an introduction by Umberto Eco, provides context which makes The Prague Cemetery much more enjoyable.

~Michael May, Adult Services

The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco was published on November 8, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. This review was based on the digital galley obtained from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt through NetGalley.com.

Mystery Movie Night with Your Favorite Authors

2011-11-28T13:30:00.000-06:00

Beginning November 29th, the TNT network will be airing original made-for-TV movie based the books of best-selling mystery writers Scott Turow, Sandra Brown, Lisa Gardner, Richard North Patterson, April Smith and Mary Higgins Clark & Carol Higgins Clark. Turow's thriller "Innocent" is first up, starring Bill Pullman as a judge accused of his own wife's murder.

Returning to TNT the same week is the series "Rizzoli and Isles," based on Tess Gerritsen's mystery novels. Click here for TNT's Mystery Movie Night page, which includes show times and clips from the movies.

Of course, if you're not much of a TV watcher, or would rather read the books for yourself, we have mysteries by all of the authors, and more! Browse our catalog using the links above, or stop by the Recommendations Desk to learn more!

Cozy Mysteries - Great Britain

2011-11-25T07:04:00.001-06:00

The last specialty cozy category we are going to explore is mysteries set in Great Britain; including England, Scotland and Wales. This category tends to be a favorite of mystery readers. Although she is not included here, Agatha Christie is perhaps the most well known of all cozy mystery writers. So it is fitting that we close out our look at cozies with those set in Great Britain.

If you find that you still haven't had your fill of cozy mystery series, stop down at the Recommendations desk and ask for more!

I hope you have enjoyed checking out this series of lists as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

Clicking on the blue hyperlink will take you to the library catalog for the entire series. The bold title is the first book in the series, followed by a description, provided by NoveList.

Roger Hayes mysteries (Most Recent: 2007)
By: Armstrong, Vivien
No Birds Singing: After being transferred to the quiet village of Newton Greys, Chief Inspector Roger Hayes investigates the murder of hairdresser Sandy Prentice, and slowly begins to realize that not everything is as it seems.

Aunt Dimity mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
By: Atherton, Nancy
Aunt Dimity's Death: Summoned from her latest dreadful temp job by her lawyers, Lori Shephard discovers that Aunt Dimity--her mother's favorite bedtime story heroine--was a real person who has left her millions and the challenge to solve an eerie mystery.

Agatha Raisin mysteries (Most Recent:2010)
By: Beaton, M. C.
Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death: In order to introduce herself to the picturesque English village where she has just retired, Mrs. Agatha Raisin enters a quiche in a local competition and promptly finds herself a murder suspect when the judge dies from her poisonous pie.

Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
By: Bebris, Carrie
Pride and Prescience: Just after their wedding, the newlywed hero and heroine of Pride & Prejudice become involved in a bizarre mystery involving wedding guest Caroline Bingley, who has become engaged to wed a wealthy, charismatic American.

Constable Evans mysteries (Most Recent: 2006)
By: Bowen, Rhys
Evan's Above: As constable of the Welsh village of Llanfair, Evan Evans enjoys the quiet life among the town's eccentrics, until two visiting hikers are found dead, and Evan must discover the link between their murder and the destruction of prize-winning tomatoes.

Royal Spyness mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
Alternate series name: Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie novels
By: Bowen, Rhys
Her Royal Spyness: A penniless twenty-something member of the British nobility, Lady Victoria puts her sleuthing talents to work when an arrogant Frenchman, who is determined to gain control of her family's eight-hundred-year-old estate for himself, ends up dead in her bathtub.

Fethering mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
By: Brett, Simon
The Body on the Beach: Retiree Carole Seddon's peaceful life in the English seaside town of Feathering is turned upside down when she stumbles upon a corpse on the beach while walking her dog and joins forces with her bohemian neighbor, Jude, to find a killer.

Ellie Haskell mysteries (Most Recent: 2009)
By: Cannell, Dorothy
The Thin Woman: Reluctant to show up at her family reunion carrying so many extra pounds, unmarried, overweight Ellie Simons hires Bentley T. Haskell to pose as her fiancé, thus beginning a weekend of romance, jealousy, and murder.

Dorothy Martin mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
By: Dams, Jeanne M.
The Body in the Transept: Struggling through a painful first holiday season after the death of her beloved husband, eccentric amateur sleuth Dorothy Martin finds further trouble when she discovers a dead body, but a handsome chief constable lifts her mood.

Dido Kent mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
By: Dean, Anna
Bellfield Hall, or, the Observations of Miss Dido Kent: Visiting Bellfield Hall to comfort her niece, who has been seemingly abandoned by her wealthy fiancé, Miss Dido Kent investigates the possibly related death of a young woman, a situation that is complicated by surprising secrets.

Cornish mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
Alternate series name: Eleanor Trewynn mysteries
By: Dunn, Carola
Manna From Hades: The day after collecting donations, elderly widow Eleanor Trewynn and the vicar's wife find the dead body of a longhaired, scruffy-looking youth hidden in the stockroom of the charity shop. Then they discover that some donated jewelry thought to be fake is actually very real, very expensive, and the haul from a violent robbery in London. Making matters more complex, the corpse found in the storeroom is apparently not one of the robbers.

Daisy Dalrymple mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
By: Dunn, Carola
Death at Wentwater Court: When her father dies and her boyfriend is killed in the war, the Honorable Daisy Dalrymple declines the opportunity of living with her mother and strikes out on her own as a journalist. She's hired by a magazine to do a series of articles, of English country manor houses. At Wentwater Court, her first assignment, she's with old friends and a new face, the sinister Lord Stephen Astwith. When he's found dead, the connection is made to area jewel thefts, but the house is full of likely suspects.

Harriet Martens mysteries (Most Recent: 2008)
By: Keating, H. R.F.
The Hard Detective: Two of hard-nosed detective Harriet Martin's officers have been murdered, and Harriet must desperately try to prevent further deaths as she connects the murders to a quote from the Book of Exodus about "Life for life, eye for eye".

Isabel Dalhousie mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
Alternate series name: Sunday philosophy club
By: McCall Smith, Alexander
The Sunday Philosophy Club: The editor of "The Review of Applied Ethics" and a curious lover of puzzles, Isabel Dalhousie decides to investigate when she witnesses the fatal fall of a young man and discovers that he had been probing misdeeds at his brokerage firm.

Believing is Seeing (Observations on the Mysteries of Photography) by Errol Morris

2011-11-21T15:49:00.001-06:00

Errol Morris is an Academy Award-winning director. His new book investigates the nature of truth in photography, and the limitations of vision. Ironically, Morris himself confesses to having limited sight in one eye.

Morris selects famous, even infamous, examples of photography across two centuries and analyzes the history behind the creation of the images, and what the images mean. The photographs are political-- with one exception, they are wartime images. Many of these I have seen countless times in textbooks, and had drawn easy conclusions about their meaning : these include a photo set (1855) with cannonballs by Roger Fenton shot during the Crimean War; the images at Abu Ghraib (2004), where Morris presents compelling interpretations of body language for what constitutes a “real” smile versus a fake one; photographs taken during the Depression by Walker Evans and Arthur Rothstein; pictures of children’s toys amidst rubble after Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon (2006); and an ambrotype of three children that was found in the hand of a dead Union soldier at Gettysburg (1863).

Believing Is Seeing includes photographs, some tangentially related to the discussion. Morris presents compelling research about the photographs (who took them, why), and includes dialogues with archivists and historians he visited around the globe. Morris uncovers possible staging within the images of people and objects in the photographs. Following his meticulous questioning, I was surprised by what I thought I had “seen” and what I now saw in these images.

Morris not only defends the use of such staging techniques, but also suggests that we can never wholly avoid them. A review in the NY Times notes that Morris himself has paid a price for “posing.” In 1989, he was passed over for an Oscar nomination for The Thin Blue Line (1988) because of his use of recreations that conflicted with Academy standards for documentaries. In 2004, he finally won an Oscar, for The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons From the Life of Robert S. McNamara.

Before his filmmaking career took off, Morris had a day job as a detective, and he urges us to read these essays “as a collection of mystery stories.” Like ¬Sherlock Holmes, Morris believes that truth can be revealed by attending to details overlooked or misinterpreted by others.

An interesting detail he includes in a discussion with David Humiston Kelley, an expert on archaeoastronomy, is about the Maya prediction that the world will end on December 21, 2012. Kelley says this is based on “a false assumption.” The Maya are 208 years too early—the correct date is December 21, 2220. You’ll have to read the interview to make sense of it.

What I especially enjoyed was following Morris’s thinking and detective work, and his ability to fly to any location and speak with the best scholars.

Last, I will put in a good word for a documentary (or is it fiction?) by Morris called Vernon, Florida. It is quite a weird (“hypnotically bizarre”) and engaging film. After seeing it, rethink the message in the title (it is a real place) and brush up on your Latin.

~Mirdza, Librarian

Read Alike: Nevada Barr

2011-11-18T10:00:00.001-06:00

Nevada Barr’s U.S. Park Ranger heroine, Anna Pigeon, is a larger-than-life woman whose contradictory thoughts and feelings mirror those of many readers. Anna is at once capable yet self-doubting, professionally dedicated to her work and reluctant to commit to a personal relationship, serious and logical but with a wryly humorous outlook and a willingness to accept the supernatural as a possibility. Although claustrophobic, she will enter caves, tunnels and wells in pursuit of the truth. Fiercely loyal herself, she is nonetheless always amazed when others demonstrate their loyalty on her behalf.

Elements of paranormal activity often show up in Barr’s stories in the form of ghostly appearances of long-dead persons, hallucinations or visions, etc. Frequently there is a strong historical tie with emotional or unhappy events of the past. Barr, a park ranger herself, employs a strong sense of place in all of her stories, setting them in various areas of spectacular beauty or historical interest, from West Texas to Florida to the Statue of Liberty, and many points in between. While identifying the evil and tracking down the killer in each setting, Anna in her official role is dedicated to nurturing and protecting the natural world against the greed of those who would despoil it for their own purposes.

The continuing internal conflict between the demands of Anna's work and desire for independence vs. the loneliness she experiences after accepting far-flung posts allows Barr slowly to develop a complex and often long-distance relationships. Other friends she meets in her various positions offer on-the-spot support in crisis, forming short-term bonds which seem as deep and strong as those of the close family Anna lacks. Pacing is not rushed in fact some sequences feel almost dreamlike at times. Barr skillfully builds tension throughout the stories and the series by re-introducing characters from past novels in continuing roles, embroiling Anna in family and friendship issues, and allowing her at times to digress mentally from the current situation into what-if scenarios.

Although each book in the Anna Pigeon series stands alone as a mystery, Track of the Cat was the first story and as such offers valuable insights into Anna's current character, strengths and foibles and develops a basis for the rest of the stories. When Anna's husband dies, she leaves New York City for a job as U.S. Park Ranger in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park of western Texas. Shortly thereafter, she discovers the remains of a fellow ranger, Sheila Drury, who was apparently killed by a mountain lion. Anna is not convinced, however, and begins her own investigation into the death.

Read-alikes:

Of the range of Wildlife Mystery Thrillers currently available, Jessica Speart's Rachel Porter mysteries are perhaps the closest to the feel of the Anna Pigeon stories. Sassy and spunky, yet with an underlying vulnerability, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agent Rachel Porter investigates all sorts of crimes for which she is woefully unprepared. Every time she solves a crime her bosses affect a transfer to somewhere even more remote and undesirable, where she immediately finds herself in more trouble. In Border Prey, Rachel is cultivating a snitch that is then found dead -- murdered with his cell phone. Hot on the track of smugglers, she discovers that a booming business in all sorts of exotic animals is being conducted in her territory, by the man who previously held her job. The action is fast-paced and the characters range from pathetic, to ornery, to lovable but eccentric. Meanwhile, Rachel's continuous stream-of-consciousness commentary ties it all together with humorous asides and wistful musings on the location and status of her absent lover, FBI agent Jake Santou, who is currently stationed half the continent away.

Karen Kijewski's Kat Colorado Mysteries, although set in big-city environments rather than scenic parklands, embody many of the same factors which appeal to Barr's readers. Kat is a private investigator with a cop for a boyfriend in an on-again, off-again long-distance relationship. Although the pacing is more rapid than in Barr's work, the same sense of urgency prevails, drawing the reader along from one shocking discovery to another but leavening the experience with humor and well-developed recurring secondary characters who support Kat as she works through issues in both her personal and professional life. In Alley Kat Blues, Kat tries to find the person who mutilated a young woman and left her along the highway. At the same time, she has discovered her lover's bed is occupied by an exotic dancer and his time is taken up with trying to identify and apprehend a brutal serial killer, which leaves him neither the energy nor the inclination to reassure Kat of his fidelity and interest in her.

Finally, a book set halfway across the world with traditional Scotland-Yard detectives may take the reader in different directions, but there are many parallels between A Finer End, by Deborah Crombie, and the adventures of Anna Pigeon. Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Sergeant Gemma James were formerly partners at Scotland Yard. Since Gemma's promotion to Inspector, they no longer work together but their personal relationship has grown and prospered. Gemma, however, has a small son and is not quite ready to take the plunge into matrimony, while Duncan is facing parenting issues of his own. When his childhood friend and cousin calls requesting help, Duncan sees this as a chance to spirit Gemma off to Glastonbury for a mini-vacation and some courting practice. The location itself is exceptionally dramatic, being an ancient Druidic ruin and former legendary Abbey. Malevolent forces, visions and tangled pasts combine to create a situation fraught with tension and evocative of both paranormal and criminal experiences, while Gemma tries to sort out herself, her feelings and intentions toward Duncan, and the murder of one person and attempts on at least two more.

Other authors that may write in a style similar to Barr include: Peter Bowen, C.J. Box, Lillian Jackson Braun, Linda Fairstein, Sue Grafton, Sue Henry, Tony Hillerman, J.A. Jance, and Dana Stabenow.

Annotations courtesy of NoveList.

Please stop by the blog next Friday for more read-alike suggestions. If you have a particular author or book you would like to see a read-alike list for, please feel free to comment on the blog or on Carnegie-Stout’s Facebook page.

Sony Readers are here!

2011-11-16T15:08:00.001-06:00

The Sony Reader PRS-350,
now available at your library!

If you've been wanting to try an eReader, but aren't ready to buy one, you're in luck! The Carnegie-Stout Public Library now has Sony Readers that you can borrow, just like a regular library book!

Each Sony Reader will be preloaded with up to 7 eBooks of your choosing from our downloadable collection. You can keep the Reader for 14 days.

You can browse our collection of eBooks here: http://tinyurl.com/7jn9nvg. Note: Sony Readers are compatible with Adobe EPUB and Adobe PDF eBook formats only.

To check out a Sony Reader, stop by the Reference Desk on 2nd floor. You must be a a full-service library card holder in good standing and be 18 years or older. Please bring with you your library card and a valid government-issued photo ID.

If you have any question, please give us a call at 563-589-4225 or e-mail us at yourlibrarian@dubuque.lib.ia.us.

Many thanks to the Carnegie-Stout Library Foundation, the Dubuque Racing Association and the City of Dubuque for helping us build the C-SPL's eBook collection!

The World Without Us by Alan Weisman

2011-11-15T15:11:00.000-06:00

I have a confession to make: I love the apocalypse. Not so much the event itself, or the events leading up to it, but what happens afterward. Any book that takes place after the end of the world - be it the immediate aftermath of the event, as in Cormac McCarthy's The Road, or years afterwards, as in the world of The Hunger Games' Katniss Everdeen - always captures my attention.

Before you start thinking that I must be some sort of literary masochist, not all apocalyptic fiction (or nonfiction) is dark and hopeless. Most often, the appeal lies in the struggle that comes after; the pulling together (or apart) of individuals and groups, finding strength and hope in the face of utter catastrophe, and the odd comfort in seeing that even without society as we know it, the world does go on.

So what would happen if, suddenly and for no reason, all of humanity simply disappeared? What happens to our homes, our shopping malls, or our pets that would be left behind? That is the question that journalist Alan Weisman takes up in The World Without Us. As Weisman states in the first chapter, this is not a book about how we disappear, but what happens after we're gone.

In exploring what might happen without humanity, we also discover the long-lasting impact we have already had on our planet. Some impacts are as short-term as the buildings we live and work in, which in Weisman’s estimation would be consumed by the landscape in 200 or so years, whereas the plastic we created will remain in our environment for hundreds of thousands of years after we are gone. And what would happen to the nuclear power plants, the dams and reservoirs and the oil pipelines - all the things that require meticulous human attention - if those attentions suddenly ceased?

Weisman bases his book on scientific studies and observations from a variety of settings and locations. Some areas, such as the Korean DMZ, Chernobyl, or the small sliver of primeval forest on the border of Poland and Belarus called Białowieża Puszcza, show us how quickly and remarkably nature recovers and continues in the absence of immediate human intervention. Weisman also looks at what remains of the civilizations that have come before us, such as the underground cities beneath Cappadocia, Turkey, thought to be 8,000 to 9,000 years old.

While such a subject could easily become dry and uninteresting, taking the tone of yet another ecological doomsday lecture, Weisman artfully weaves the factual and hypothetical into an engaging and ultimately hopeful tale. Some passages, such as Weisman's description of the effect our lights, power lines and buildings have on the navigation of birds, border on the poetic. Other chapters take a sadder tone, particularly the sections that describe the possible fates of our pets. The World Without Us is a great read for anyone interested in the environment, history, or biology, or who are simply curious about the world be live in and the effect we humans have on it.

DVD 576.84 LIF

The History Channel produced a television series that also took up the question of what might happen if humanity disappeared. Life After People uses CGI animation, along with interviews with biologists, engineers and other experts, to speed up time, allowing us to watch the gradual (and occasionally dramatic) destruction of the most iconic buildings and monuments humanity has created, such as the White House and the Sears Tower, as well as the future of our more mundane creations. The library caries the first season of the program, and you can watch video clips on the History Channel's website here: http://www.history.com/shows/life-after-people.

779.99774 MOO

Finally, for a vivid look at what happens when people abandon a city, Andrew Moore's Detroit Dissembled documents the slow disintegration of once-bustling areas of Detroit. Moore's photographs look inside abandoned factories, offices, schools and libraries. While humans do still occupy some of the abandoned areas (as evidenced by the proliferation of graffiti) the abject neglect of these structures is striking, especially as nature moves to consume them. The photos are part of a traveling exhibit, currently showing at the Akron (Ohio) Art Museum.

Happy (and hopeful) reading!

~Allison, Adult Services

Cozy Mysteries-Gardening

2011-11-11T10:00:00.001-06:00

Flower shops and gardens play a prominent part in many cozy mystery series. Personally, I've never understood the mystique of "getting my hands in the dirt." I garden in pots, so I don't have to weed, just water every few days. Since I'm not really a gardener, I thought I would share this website full of garden quotes.

Clicking on the blue hyperlink will take you to the library catalog for the entire series. The bold title is the first book in the series, followed by a description, provided by NoveList.

China Bayles mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
By: Albert, Susan Wittig
Thyme of Death: When her friend Jo dies of an apparent suicide, ex-lawyer and herb-shop proprietor China Bayles looks with suspicion upon the friendly faces of quaint Pecan Springs.

Darling Dahlias mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
By: Albert, Susan Wittig
The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree: The Depression-era women of a Darling, Alabama, garden club get to the bottom of a mysterious buried treasure and a young woman's murder.

Flower shop mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
By: Collins, Kate
Mum's the Word: When her vintage Corvette falls victim to a hit-and-run, flower shop owner Abby Knight, crusader for all things good, joins forces with gorgeous cop Marco Salvare to catch the culprit, an investigation that becomes filled with deadly twists and turns.

English garden mysteries (Most Recent: 2009)
By: Eglin, Anthony
The Blue Rose: Believing they have found their dream home in a beautiful English garden house, Alex and Kate Sheppard make a science-defying discovery in their garden and find their world unraveling in the wake of genetic experiments, coded journals, and murder.

Lady Susanna Appleton mysteries (Most Recent: 2007)
By: Emerson, Kathy Lynn
Face Down in the Marrow-bone Pie: Lady Susanna Appleton, an herbalist with a wide awareness of the medicinal values of plants, ignores her husband in Elizabethan England and investigates the possibility of poisoning in the murder of their manor's steward.

Dirty business mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
Alternate series name: Paula Holliday mysteries
By: Harris, Rosemary
Pushing Up Daisies: When landscaper Paula Holliday stumbles upon a mummified corpse on the overgrown property of a wealthy dowager's estate, she joins forces with an ex-colleague, an aging rocker, and a secretive Mexican laborer to solve the crime.

Gardening mysteries (Most Recent: 2005)
By: Harrison, Janis
Roots of Murder: A small Midwest town fills with doubt and suspicion as Bretta Solomon, a widowed flower shop owner, begins to investigate the mysterious death of an Amish farmer who has always supplied her with her best flowers.

Gardening mysteries (Most Recent: 2006)
Alternate series name: Louise Eldridge mysteries
By: Ripley, Ann
Mulch: Organic gardener-turned-sleuth Louise Eldridge discovers that life is not always rosy, when, while mulching her yard with neighbors' clippings, she discovers body parts in some of the bags.

White House gardener mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
By: St. James, Dorothy
Flowerbed of State: When White House gardener Casey Calhoun is attacked by an unknown assailant and discovers a dead body, she tries to find the killer before she meets the same fate as the dead woman.

The Enchantment of Amish Country

2011-11-09T11:53:00.005-06:00

Books set in or featuring characters from Amish and Mennonite communities continue to be popular choices here at Carnegie-Stout Public Library. Whether you're looking for a romance, a family saga (with a touch of romance), a murder mystery (cozy or no), a quilt pattern, or even a story about Amish werewolves, we have a book for you!

Stop by the Recommendations Desk to see our display, or check out this blog post about Bonnet Books from last year (includes reading suggestions!). If you're already a fan, be sure to check the New Book Shelves.

And here's a tip for readers who love series of all types: Did you know Carnegie-Stout's catalog includes series information provided by NoveList Plus? It does!

Simply look up a book from the series, click on the title to see the full record, scroll down past the blue line, give it a a few moments to load, and Ta Da! And while you're looking, be sure to check out the reader reviews, reading suggestions, and other cool features available.

Click on the image at right to see what I'm talking about, and if you have any questions, run into any problems, or just want to chat about your latest read, stop by the Recommendations Desk.

The Best Books You've (Probably) Never Read

2011-11-08T16:38:00.000-06:00

Every year, there are a handful of books that capture the nation's attention. They rocket to the top of the best-sellers list, the author makes the talk shows rounds and the waiting list at the local library is miles long. With hundreds of thousands of novels published every year in the U.S., there are bound to be some wonderful and interesting books that just simply overlooked.

If you're looking for one of those hidden gems - or just needs something new to read - we've rounded up some of The Best Books You've (Probably) Never Read. There are memoirs, mysteries, stories from the past and from around the world. There's even a tale of a book-eating rat.

Click here for the full list, read below for highlights, or stop by the Recommendations Desk to browse the titles in person!

Meteor in the Madhouse by Leon Forrest (Fiction Forrest)
A posthumous collection of five linked novellas from "the most overlooked author of the last 30 years." Each story is set in the author’s lively fictional universe, Forest County, a mirror-image of Chicago’s South Side. The intrepid hero, Joubert Antoine Jones, a successful playwright is enthralled by the misadventures of his loved ones and recounts numerous wild stories of love and betrayal, art and politics, fantasy and eccentricity.

Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife by Sam Savage (Fiction Savage)
Born in a bookstore in a blighted 1960's Boston neighborhood, Firmin the rat miraculously learns how to read by digesting his nest of books. He quickly realizes that a literate rat is a lonely rat. In a series of misadventures, Firmin is ultimately led deep into his own imaginative soul.

The Broken Shore by Peter Temple (Mystery Temple)
After being brutally assualted in a Melbourne stakeout that went horribly wrong, homicide detective Joe Cashin is reassigned to the sleepy oceanside town of Port Monro to recuperate. But when a Port Monro entrepreneur is discovered in his ransacked house on the verge of death, Cashin finds himself back doing serious police work. Suspicion falls on three aboriginal boys who live in the nearby ghetto; two are later killed in a botched stakeout and the other drowns in an apparent suicide. But Cashin probes further, running up against local politics, the seemingly endemic racial prejudice against the Aborigines, corrupt and inept colleagues, and the residue of his own past.

Last Night, by James Salter (Fiction Salter)
A compilation of short fiction explores the themes of love, honor, friendship, sacrifice, memory, and abandon through the lives of a translator assisting in his wife's suicide, a rare books collector, a profoundly lonely married woman, and others. Sex, betrayal, aging and death are dominant themes, whether in a night of soul-bearing among single girl friends that ends in a plaintive cry for attention; a vignette showing a charismatic, unstable male friend's effect on a complacent marriage; or the tale of a married bookseller's resistance to the promiscuous former lover.

Texaco by Patrick Chamoiseau (Fiction Chamoiseau)
Translated from Creole and winner of France's most prestigious literary prize, Texaco is told from the point of view of Marie-Sophie Laborieux, daughter of a freed slave, who founds a shantytown in an area formed by Texaco's presence on the the Caribbean island of Martinique. Her story, and the story of those around her, covers the period from the abolition of slavery in 1848 through de Gaulle's 1964 visit using lush and colorful language, tangled metaphors and at a leisurely yet exciting pace.

Samedi the Deafness by Jesse Ball (Fiction Ball)
Witnessing the murder of a man who warns him of a conspiracy led by a man known as "Samedi," James Sim, a mnemonist who possesses a photographic memory, is abducted and taken to a country mansion that houses a sanatorium dedicated to curing chronic liars, where James seeks to uncover the mystery of Samedi. Poet Ball uses the language of his trade to breathe life into his inspired thriller about memory and truth.

Happy reading!
~ Allison, Adult Services

Sockology by Brenna Maloney

2011-11-07T09:05:00.000-06:00

I adore Carnegie-Stout's collection of craft books. While we don't have everything, it's delightfully eclectic and there's always room to expand. The problem with having such an extensive collection is that it's hard to know where to start! You could check out either of the lists I put together for National Craft Month (Craft Books One or Craft Books Two), or browse the New Book Shelves (start around Dewey 646 or 745).

I first spotted the colorful ducks of Sockology in the New Books. Although the idea of cutting up my beloved socks sounded crazy, I kept thinking about the adorable stuffed animals. I finally gave into temptation earlier this month (with the help of a pack of clearance crew socks in entirely the wrong size), and checked out both Sockology and Ms. Maloney's first book, Socks Appeal.

Not only are the projects adorable and fun, the writing is entertaining and accessible to crafters like myself who have only the most basic grasp on sewing, much to the frustration of my more knowledgeable friends and family.

I opted to tackle the cover project of Sockology, the Sitting Duck, because with only five pieces to keep track of and only one technical term (gusset, which until just now, I was convinced was a technical term for the underside of a duck) it seemed to be within my abilities. I managed to follow most of the directions, though I attached the beak incorrectly and I opted to use lentils rather than rice as stuffing. I'll leave it to you, loyal readers, to judge my success, but I can't wait to try another pattern!

-Sarah, Adult Services

Book Sale and Book Crafts

2011-11-04T16:00:00.002-05:00

The Friends Book Sale starts today (November 4th) at 4:00 with admission to anyone who is a Friends member. Memberships can be purchased at this time ($5 for a year). From 6:00 until 8:00 this evening, the sale will be open to everyone. The Book Sale will be open from 9:00-3:00 on Saturday. If you bring your own bag (or box), you'll get a free book!

Have more books than you know what to do with them? You might find inspiration in the works of Scotland's Unknown Book Sculptor, or artist Brian Dettmer. The book sculpture on the right is Mr. Dettmer's "Webster Withdrawn."

Or if you'd like to tackle a more practical craft, the internet provides dozens of ideas and projects:

Please do NOT attempt any of these projects with books which you have checked out from the library, borrowed from a friend, or you might want to read again! And if you can't bear the thought of taking scissors to a book, stop by Carnegie-Stout to check out books with tips on recycling other things into objects beautiful and practical!

Read Alike: Twilight Series

2011-11-04T09:55:00.000-05:00

www.stepheniemeyer.com
Stephenie Meyer's four-part series of supernatural romance novels grew more popular as each book was released. Popular with both adults and teens, the series offers a darkly atmospheric (yet wholesome) tale of forbidden love between a high school girl and a vampire, mixed with a complex plot about good triumphing over evil. In addition to the Twilight series, Meyer has also written a romance/science fiction novel for adults titled The Host as well as YA novella called The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner based on a minor character from Eclipse (Twilight series #3). Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn have all been made into movies. Breaking Dawn will be released in two parts with part 1 scheduled for November 18, 2011.

If you enjoyed the Twilight series, may we suggest the following:

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Grace Divine, almost seventeen, learns a dark secret when her childhood friend--practically a brother--returns, upsetting her pastor-father and the rest of her family, around the time strange things are happening in and near their small Minnesota town.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

In all the years she has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house, Grace has been particularly drawn to an unusual yellow-eyed wolf who, in his turn, has been watching her with increasing intensity.

Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber

Sixteen-year-old Raven, an outcast who always wears black and hopes to become a vampire someday, falls in love with the mysterious new boy in town, eager to find out if he can make her dreams come true.

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

After fifteen-year-old Chloe starts seeing ghosts and is sent to Lyle House, a mysterious group home for mentally disturbed teenagers, she soon discovers that neither Lyle House nor its inhabitants are exactly what they seem, and that she and her new friends are in danger.

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

In Morganville, Texas, a town where evil terrorizes the streets under the cover of darkness, Claire Danvers, who has had enough of her current dorm situation, moves off campus and discovers that Morganville is run by vampires. Morganville Vampires series 1.

Full Moon by Rachel Hawthorne

As the time for her werewolf transformation draws near and a deadly threat to the Dark Guardians escalates, Lindsey finds herself increasingly captivated by Rafe despite her long-standing commitment to Connor. Dark Guardian novels 2.

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman

When her estranged grandmother dies and leaves her mother the family home on Selkie Island, sixteen-year-old Miranda meets her mother on the Georgia island, where she discovers mysterious family secrets and another side to her logical, science-loving self.

Vampire High by Douglas Rees

When his family moves from California to New Sodom, Massachusetts and Cody entersVlad Dracul Magnet School, many things seem strange, from the dark-haired, pale-skinned, supernaturally strong students to Charon, the wolf who guides him around campus on the first day. Vampire High series book 1.

Never Cry Werewolf by Heather Davis

Forced to attend a camp for teens with behavior problems, sixteen-year-old Shelby Locke's attempts to follow the rules go astray when she meets a handsome British werewolf.

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause

Having fallen for a human boy, a beautiful teenage werewolf must battle both her packmates and the fear of the townspeople to decide where she belongs and with whom.

Bloodline by Katy Moran

In this story told primarily through journal entries, a British soldier in World War I makes the horrifying discovery that his regiment commander is descended from Count Dracula. Bloodline series book 1.

Tithe by Holly Black

Sixteen-year-old Kaye, who has been visited by faeries since childhood, discovers that she herself is a magical faerie creature with a special destiny. Modern Faerie Tales series book 1.

The Frenzy by Francesca Lia Block

When she was thirteen, something terrifying and mysterious happened to Liv that she still does not understand, and now, four years later, her dark secret threatens to tear her apart from her family and her true love.

Terrier by Tamora Pierce

When sixteen-year-old Beka becomes "Puppy" to a pair of "Dogs," as the Provost's Guards are called, she uses her police training, natural abilities, and a touch of magic to help them solve the case of a murdered baby in Tortall's Lower City. Becca Cooper series book 1.

Please stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor, check out NoveList Plus on the library website or visit the adult services blog next Friday for more reading suggestions. Feel free to leave a comment if you would like a read-alike list for a specific author or book.

"Diabetic Living" is November's Magazine of the Month

2011-11-01T10:48:00.036-05:00

November is both National Diabetes Month and Diabetic Eye Disease Month, and because of this we've selected Diabetic Living as our Magazine of the Month.

Diabetic Living is part of the Better Homes and Gardens, and each month they provide information and helpful articles for both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics, including delicious recipes! You can check out issues at Carnegie-Stout or take a tour of their website: www.diabeticlivingonline.com

In the United States today, an estimated 25.8 million adults and children, or 8.3% of the population, have diabetes. The American Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.org) and the CDC (www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/factsheet11.htm) are both sources for up to date statistics, as well as other helpful information.

Carnegie-Stout also has a collection of books and DVDs on topics related to diabetes, and of course we have a number of excellent cookbooks!

Check out a short list of our Diabetic Cookbooks here.

Some other helpful books and DVDs include:
Mayo Clinic Wellness Solutions for Diabetes (DVD 616.462)

Moving Forward -- with diabetes (DVD 616.462)

American Diabetes Association Complete Guide to Diabetes (616.462 AME)

Diabetes and You by Naheed Ali (616.462 ALI)

Diabetes A to Z by the American Diabetes Association (616.462 DIA)

Diabetes Rising : How a Rare Disease Became a Modern Pandemic, and What to Do about It by Dan Hurley (616.462 HUR)

Cheating Destiny: Living with Diabetes, America's Biggest Epidemic by James Hirsch (616.4 HIR)

The Fight to Survive: A Young Girl, Diabetes, and the Discovery of Insulin by Caroline Cox (616.462 COX)

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

2011-10-31T10:00:00.008-05:00

In honor of Halloween I decided to review one of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy series that will make wonder what really does go bump in the night. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs is the first book in the Mercedes Thompson series. Mercedes Thompson (Mercy) appears to be your average Volkswagen mechanic in in the Tri-City area of Washington State. Mercy is anything but normal for many reasons:

Mercy Thompson is a shape shifter. She shifts into a coyote and as far as she knows she is the last of her kind.
When Mercy was a baby, her mother decided she could not raise a shape shifter and dropped her off in Montana with Bran and his clan. Bran is the Marrok, otherwise known as the leader of the North American werewolves.
Mercy’s mentor, former boss, and father figure, Zee, is a Fae. In Mercy’s world the Fae are no longer in hiding and the world is aware of their existence. However, the world only knows what the Fae want them to know, and that isn’t much. The extent of magical abilities of the Fae is still a well-kept secret.
Mercy’s neighbor is Adam, the Alpha of the local werewolf pack. The werewolves only tolerate Mercy’s presence and only because Adam has told them to leave her alone.
One of Mercy’s closest friends, Stefan is a vampire who drives an old Volkswagen van.

Mercy attracts trouble but she is clever, wily and knows when to run instead of fight. When she finds a young werewolf sleeping in Stefan’s Volkswagen van she tries to decide if introducing him to Adam is a good idea. Unfortunately she waits to long and some shadowy characters (unfamiliar werewolves) kill Mercy’s young charge. Adam’s pack is attacked, his teenage daughter is taken and he is injured so badly that Mercy’s only option is to take him to the Marrok. The problem with taking Adam to the Marrok is that there is a chance Mercy will run into Samuel, Bran’s oldest son and the man Mercy was convinced she would marry. Obviously that didn’t work out the way she planned. The attack of the young werewolf and on Adam’s clan signals something more sinister than conflicts between werewolf packs.

What I enjoy about the Mercy Thompson series is that Patricia Briggs writes her characters as flawed individuals who take responsibility for their actions and make no excuses for who they are. Mercy is extremely loyal to those she loves, even if they have not always been good to her. While she gets herself in trouble, she rescues her friends as often as they rescue her. Mercy is not a damsel in distress. There is no clear line between good and evil and the relationship between all the “magical” races is complicated and not always friendly. As the last of her kind, most of the magical races have no idea what to make of Mercy. Should she be pitied, coveted or eliminated? One thing is for certain, Mercy seems to bring out strong emotions in all of the races she encounters. The world of Mercy Thompson seems believable even with the supernatural elements. Briggs and Mercy Thompson is a good choice for those who want to try out the sci-fi/fantasy genre. Yes this is an alternate world, but the basis is grounded in the “real” world so there are very familiar elements. As the series progresses it does delve more deeply into the myths of vampires, werewolves and other supernatural beings.

To date Patricia Brigg’s has written 6 books in the series, Moon Called, Blood Bound, Iron Kissed, Bone Crossed, Silver Borne and River Marked. I would recommend reading the books in order as each one builds upon the previous relationships and story-lines. My only wish was that Briggs would write faster because I am eagerly awaiting the seventh book in the series. Unfortunately, according to Brigg’s website, it is scheduled for release in the spring of 2013. In the meantime, Brigg’s has another series that is a spin-off of Mercy Thompson called Alpha and Omega. This series focuses on Charles, also a werewolf, the brother of Samuel and son of Bran. Book 3 of the Alpha and Omega series, Fair Game, is scheduled to come out in early 2012.

~Amy, Adult Services

Cozy Mysteries-Animals, Bugs, and Birds

2011-10-28T10:00:00.001-05:00

Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, the cats from the Rita Mae Brown series, were my first introduction to animals who helped solve mysteries. Cats seem to be the most popular sleuths, with at least four series just about them. Animals, bugs or birds play a part in several other cozy series.

Clicking on the blue hyperlink will take you to the library catalog for the entire series. The bold title is the first book in the series, followed by a description, provided by NoveList.

Meg Langslow (Most Recent: 2011)
By: Andrews, Donna
Murder, with Peacocks: (Not Owned) So far Meg Langslow's summer is not going swimmingly. Down in her small Virginia hometown, she's maid of honor at the nuptials of three loved ones--each of whom has dumped the planning in her capable hands. One bride is set on including a Native American herbal purification ceremony, while another wants live peacocks on the lawn. Only help from the town's drop-dead gorgeous hunk, disappointingly rumored to be gay, keeps Meg afloat in a sea of dotty relatives and outrageous neighbors.

Cat mysteries (Most Recent: 2007)
By: Babson, Marian
To Catch a Cat: Eleven-year-old Robin wants to join a popular gang at school. They'll accept him, though only if he kidnaps the prize-winning cat of old Mrs. Nordling first. But when Robin sneaks into the Nordlings' house in the dark of night, he gets more than just a schoolyard thrill. An argument, strange sounds, a woman's cry, and the cat--hurled out of a room--are all Robin needs to grab the frisky kitty and get packing. Then Mr. Nordling, covered in his wife's blood, lurches out into the hallway, and Robin runs for his life...feline prize in hand.

Melanie Travis mysteries (Most Recent: 2008)
By: Berenson, Laurien
A Pedigree to Die for: (Not owned) Thinking her life could not be worse after a disastrous summer peaks with her uncle's death, Melanie Travis realizes that she is in for more trouble when the disappearance of her uncle's prize-winning poodle suggests that murder has taken place.

Cat Who mysteries (Most Recent: 2007)
By: Braun, Lilian Jackson
The Cat Who Could Read Backwards: Former author and newspaper reporter, Jim Qwilleran, who has been taking lesser jobs and even been unemployed for a long time, is offered a starting job in the Feature Department, at the Daily Fluxion. As Qwilleran begins meeting artists, for an article, he senses strange undercurrents among the so-called modern art set. After Qwilleran moves into an apartment, he finds an ally in Koko, his landlord's Siamese cat. And when vandalized paintings, accidents, and murder occur, Qwilleran and Koko together solve the puzzle.

Mrs. Murphy mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
By: Brown, Rita Mae
Wish You Were Here: Mary Minor Haristeen, postmistress of Crozet, Virginia, joins forces with her willful cat, Mrs. Murphy, and her Welsh corgi, Tucker, to investigate a series of bizarre postcards sent to the town's inhabitants that forecast impending death.

Sister Jane Foxhunting mysteries (Most Recent: 2008)
By: Brown, Rita Mae
Outfoxed: In a mystery set in the high-class and tradition-bound world of Virginia foxhunting, the murder of a candidate for the coveted "joint-master" leaves many suspects among the social climbers vying for the position.

Dog walker mysteries (Most Recent: 2011)
By: McCoy, Judi
Hounding the Pavement: Manhattan dog walker Ellie Engleman becomes a murder suspect when one of her clients is found dead and the deceased's prizewinning bichon is missing, and she works with handsome Detective Ryder to discover the true culprit.

Queen bee mysteries (Most Recent: 2010)
By: Reed, Hannah
Buzz Off: During National Honey Month, beekeeper Story Fischer sets the town of Moraine, Wisconsin, abuzz when she must defend her bees, her business and her ex-husband from a murder accusation.