Celebrate Juneteenth

http://beeaware.blogspot.com/2010/06/happy-juneteenth.html

Juneteenth, otherwise know as June 19th or Emancipation Day, is the oldest known celebration of the end of slavery. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that all slaves were now free. Note that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation which had become official January 1, 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had little impact on Texans due to the limited number of Union troops available to enforce the proclamation. With the surrender of General Lee in April of 1865, and the arrival of General Granger's regiment, the forces were finally strong enough to influence and overcome the resistance.

There will be a free Juneteenth celebration on Sunday, June 19th beginning at 4:00 p.m at Comiskey Park. Please follow this link for more information: http://www.cityofdubuque.org/Calendar.aspx?EID=1578

For more information on Juneteenth check out one of these websites:

http://www.juneteenth.com/

http://www.19thofjune.com/

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1815936,00.html

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/juneteenth1.html

Father's Day

This Sunday, June 19th, is Father's Day! Maybe you'll be taking a Dad in your life fishing, out for a nice meal, or calling home to say, "Thanks." For those of us not quite ready for the holiday, or for the Dads among our readers, we have some reading suggestions available at the library!

Haven't yet picked out a card for Dad? We have several books to help you make your own cards in the craft section! Try The Complete Guide to Card Making (745.5941 BEA), The Complete Guide to Greeting Card Design (741.6 SZE), or Ultimate Cardmaking (745.5941 BEA).

The talented (and speedy!) knitters among our readers might want to check out Knitting for Him (746.432041 STO) or Men's Knits (746.432 KNI).

Or if you're just looking for a good book, check out these reading lists:
Books on Fatherhood, books by fathers and about fathers funny, touching, historic, and modern.

Books for Dad, this list is based on the reading interests of the fathers I know, with Grilling Cookbooks, Triathlons, NASCAR, Butterflies, and More.

Don't forget to check out the library's magazine collection!
NASCAR Illustrated
Men's Journal
Golf Magazine
Fine Woodworking
GQ
Boating World
Outdoor Life
Sports Illustrated
Men's Health
The Hockey News
The Family Handyman

Phantom Evil -Krewe of Hunters #1 by Heather Graham

Heather Graham is an author who often writes books that could be considered mystery, romance, or science-fiction as many of her recent works contain elements from all three genres. In Graham's latest series, Krewe of Hunters, starting with Phantom Evil, she blends elements of the supernatural with a mystery that needs to be solved and throws in a dash of romance. Readers familiar with Graham will recognize the name of Adam Harrison from the Harrison Investigation series. In that series, Harrison usually brings in a paranormal investigator to solve a mystery because there is some type of paranormal activity that baffles local authorities. In the Krewe of Hunters series Harrison finally, with the FBI's blessing, assembles a group of six paranormal investigators who work together to solve crimes.

In the series opener, FBI agent Jackson Crow is asked to be the leader of this secret government unit and heads to New Orleans to meet the other five members of his team. Angela, Jake, Jenna, Will and Whitney along with Jackson all have some type of psychic talent. Their first case: a Senator's wife falls to her death off the balcony of an old historic New Orleans mansion. Did she commit suicide or was she pushed to her death by some sort of other-worldly entity? In the course of the investigation the team members must learn to trust one another and Jackson, a true skeptic, is drawn to Angela, perhaps the strongest psychic in the group.

Graham uses an obvious location, New Orleans, as the backdrop to launch this paranormal series. New Orleans it seems, has become nearly synonymous with the paranormal. Despite the choice of of location or perhaps because of it, Phantom Evil kept me on my toes. Just when I though I had figured who/what killed the senator's wife, another twist was thrown in. I typically don't start a series until at least the third book is published because I'm impatient and read too quickly. In this case, I've had the pleasure of reading advanced copies of the second and third books, Heart of Evil (June 22nd) and Sacred Evil (July 26th). Each book deals with a different member of the team. Heart of Evil focuses on Jake and takes the team to a plantation owned by Jake's former high-school sweetheart. Sacred Evil is Whitney's story and takes place in New York City following a case that mimics Jack the Ripper. The three Krewe of Hunter books I've read have plenty of twists and turns and the writing was creepy enough to keep my interest. I'm looking forward to the 4th entry in the series The Evil Inside (August 3oth).

~Amy, Adult Services

Read Alike: Lee Child

Lee Child has been a big name in the fast-paced suspense genre since the publication of his first novel, Killing Floor, in 1997. Killing Floor, an Anthony Award winner, was also our introduction to his independent hero, Jack Reacher. Reacher was a decorated officer in the U.S. Army Military Police before he mustered out, but life as a civilian has proven to be anything but peaceful.

Mr. Child's plot-driven novels are often violent, but never dull. The series can be read in any order, but the first title in the character's chronology is The Enemy. While most books are written in the third-person, a few, like The Enemy, are written in the first-person, which gives readers a greater insight into how Reacher's mind works.

Before trying his hand at novels, Mr. Child worked in British television. Most recently he edited First Thrills, an anthology of short stories by thriller and suspense authors both new and well-known. His next installment in the Jack Reacher series, The Affair, is scheduled for publication in October. You can read more about Lee Child and Jack Reacher on their official website: http://www.leechild.com/

If you're a fan of Lee Child, you may also like these authors:

F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack series about the fast-paced adventures of the independent Jack Nelson include more supernatural elements than the Reacher novels, but the action-filled plots and interesting characters draw readers into the dangerous setting. Mr. Wilson has also written a prequel of sorts intended for a young-adult audience, starting with Jack: Secret Histories.

Bob Lee Swagger is a retired Marine sniper who served three tours in Vietnam, and the hero of Stephen Hunter's fast-paced suspense series. Mr. Hunter's writing was the basis for the 2007 action movie, Shooter, starring Mark Wahlberg as Swagger. The most recent title in the series, Dead Zero, has Swagger on the hunt in the deserts and caves of Afghanistan.

P. T. Deutermann is another author who excels in writing fast-paced suspense novels. His Cam Richter series of mysteries follow Lieutenant Richter's adventures in North Carolina. The series starts with The Cat Dancers pits Richter's skills against a vigilante, and a growing group of people who enjoy taunting mountain lions.

James Lee Burke first-person mystery novels are not always as fast-paced as Mr. Child's novels, but his hardboiled heroes, like P.I. Dave Robicheaux, are no strangers to action. In the first book of the series, The Neon Rain, someone in New Orleans wants Robicheaux dead, and there are no shortage of suspects.

Michael Connelly's ex-military hero, Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch, is a maverick detective with the L.A. police department who carries the scars of his time in Vietnam. His fast-paced mysteries have a gritty, noir atmosphere. His most recent Harry Bosch novel, The Reversal, also features Mickey Heller, the main character of his legal thriller series, as they fight to bring a child murderer to justice.

Robert Crais is known for taking the elements of the hardboiled detective story and adding a touch of humor to keep things a bit more upbeat. Readers of Lee Child may enjoy Mr. Crais's more recent Elvis Cole novels which introduce Joe Pike, and a slightly darker tone, or his stand alone titles like The Two Minute Rule, whose main character has been released from prison to find his son is dead.

Barry Eisler's Japanese-American hero, John Rain is a paid assassin and military veteran who follows his own moral compass, despite the danger to himself. The first book in this fast-paced series, Rain Fall, finds Rain protecting the daughter of a Tokyo politician.

You may also enjoy our Read Alike suggestions for Clive Cussler.

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. Or submit a Personal Recommendations request, and we'll create a reading list just for you!

Palace of Mirrors

I got a Kindle for Mother’s Day! I wanted to buy an e-reader for Christmas, but didn’t want a Kindle because I couldn’t check out library books on it. Once Amazon announced they would be partnering with Overdrive to allow library users to check out books on a Kindle, my kids decided it would be the perfect Mother’s Day/birthday gift. Unfortunately, the Amazon Overdrive partnership won’t be happening until summer. In the meantime, I either had to purchase books from Amazon or find free ones to download. I am on the committee to help select the 2012-13 Iowa Teen Awards, so I finally broke down and spent the $5.99 to download Palace of Mirrors by Margaret Peterson Haddix, one of the 40 books I need to finish reviewing this summer.

I have read many of Haddix’s series “Shadow Children” and really enjoyed them, so I was looking forward to this title. It is much lighter than that series, but her writing style is still outstanding. This title is filled with humor and written for grades 5-9. It is the story of Cecelia, a princess who is in hiding as a peasant. Her parents (the king and queen) were killed just after she was born, so advisers whisked her away to a secret spot to wait for her turn to become the princess she always knew she was.

With her childhood friend, Harper, she travels to the palace to take her “rightful place.” A bit of intrigue, a bit of romance and some complications ensue. Ella, from Just Ella, also by Haddix, makes an appearance to help sort things out.

This new fairy tale is part of a growing trend of princess stories written for middle school girls, but stands out as one of the best, alongside Ella Enchanted (Gail Carson Levine) and Princess Academy (Shannon Hale.)

Bookclub Read Alikes

Whether you're looking for the next title for your book club, or just looking for a good read, we have some suggestions for you! Carnegie-Stout's own Book Club will be discussing Shadow Divers on July 12th, you can find all the details on the library's calendar.

You may also be interested in a new service the library is offering, the Book Club in a Bag. These sets come with discussion questions, author information, and read alike lists. We currently have three titles available: The Maltese Falcon, The Weight of Silence, and Land of a Hundred Wonders. If you're interested in using one of these sets for your next book club, please stop by in person, or call the library at (563) 589-4225 and ask for the Reference Desk.


The Maltese Falcon, written by Dashiell Hammet in 1930, and first adapted to the big screen in 1941, is today recognized as a classic among detective stories. Mr. Hammet used his experience working with Pinkerton's National Detective Agency in Baltimore, Maryland and Washington state to infuse a grittier reality into the detective genre. The Maltese Falcon is a page-turner of a mystery with action, humor, and engaging dialogue. Mr. Hammet's distinctive style introduced many archetypes of the mystery genre, from the femme fatale to the hardboiled detective.

As the NEA says, The Maltese Falcon is "a brilliant literary work, as well as a thriller, a love story, and a dark, dry comedy. The only criticism one could offer Hammett’s private-eye classic is that it is so much fun to read, it might be hard the first time through to realize how deeply observed and morally serious it is."

Check out these hardboiled Read Alike suggestions for The Maltese Falcon: http://library.booksite.com/6673/nl/?list=CNL6&group=EB40&preview=1
-Sarah, Adult Services


Heather Gudenkauf, local Dubuque author, graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in elementary education and for the past sixteen years has worked with elementary children. Currently, along with writing, Heather is an Instructional Coach, an educator who provides teachers with curricular, student, and professional development support. Heather lives in Dubuque, Iowa with her husband and children.

Here is a brief summary of Gudenkauf's debut novel The Weight of Silence:
When two seven-year-old girls go missing, all are under suspicion. Calli Clark is a dreamer. A sweet, gentle girl, Callie suffers from selective mutism, brought on by a tragedy she experienced as a toddler. Her mother Antonia tries her best to help, but is confined by marriage to a violent husband. Petra Gregory is Calli's best friend, her soul mate and her voice. But neither Petra nor Calli have been heard from since their disappearance was discovered. Now Calli and Petra's families are bound by the question of what has happened to their children. As support turns to suspicion, it seems the answers lie trapped in the silence of unspoken secrets.

If you enjoyed The Weight of Silence, may we suggest the following books: http://library.booksite.com/6673/nl/?list=CNL9&group=EB37&preview=1
-Amy, Adult Services


Land of a Hundred Wonders by Lesley Kagen
The summer Gibby McGraw catches her big break, the cicadas are humming, and it’s so warm even the frogs are sweating. Brain damaged after a tragic car accident that took both her parents, Gibby is now NQR (Not Quite Right), a real challenge for a fledgling newspaper reporter. Especially when she stumbles upon the dead body of the next governor of Kentucky, Buster Malloy.

Author Lesley Kagen, Cedarburg, Wisconsin, is an actress, voice-over talent, and restaurateur. She is also the author of the bestselling titles, Whistling in the Dark and Tomorrow River. Her new book, Good Graces, is coming out in September 2011.

All three of Kagen's titles are fast paced, family stories, that take place in rural, small towns, during the 50's, 60's and 70's. Her books are filled with quirky characters, many who must learn tolerance of those who are a little different. They contain elements of mystery and suspense, but are also sprinkled with humor.

The reading list found at this link represents other titles with those same attributes:
http://library.booksite.com/6673/nl/?list=CNL16&group=EB54&preview=1
-Becky, Adult Services

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. Or submit a Personal Recommendations request, and we'll create a reading list just for you!

Magazine of the Month: "Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel"

In celebration of Novel Destinations, June's Magazine of the Month is Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel. Budget Travel is a magazine for those of us who don't want to spend thousands of dollars for a vacation published by the company behind Frommer's Travel Guides.

You can check out the magazine's website for travel tips and tricks: http://www.budgettravel.com/

Or the main Frommer's website for more in depth destination information and interactive features: http://www.frommers.com/


Some other wonderful travel (or travel inspired) magazine titles available at Carnegie-Stout are:

• Arizona Highways
• Backpacker
• Bicycling
• Conde Nast Traveler
• Camping
• Chicago
• Heartland Boating
• Boating World
• Boating
• Islands
• National Geographic Traveler
• National Parks
• Outside
• Outdoor Life
• Runner's World
• Trailer Life
• Yankee

A Little Bit Wild by Victoria Dahl

I've never been very good at New Year's Resolutions. The middle of winter has just never struck me as a time for new beginnings. I prefer to set my goals in the warmer months, or at least on a sunny day. Thus, in early April as I was looking at the 2011 RITA finalists, I set myself a challenge: I would read as many of this years nominees as I could manage to squeeze in.

The RITAs, for those of you who don't know, are the romance equivalent to the Oscars. Every year at their national convention, the Romance Writers of America award the best romances published in categories like Best First Book, Young Adult Romance, and Inspirational Romance. For this week's staff review, I'm focusing on the Historical Romance category.

This year's finalists managed to defy my expectations for historical romance by breaking conventions big and small. I'm hesitant to pick a winner, as I tend to do poorly predicting for the Oscars, Kentucky Derby winners, and March Madness Brackets, and I really did enjoy them all, but I do have a favorite.

A Little Bit Wild by Victoria Dahl
"The man above Marissa York groaned loudly, his breath shuddering over her cheek."
I read the first sentence and paused in dismay, positive the author was being cutely misleading. The implications of that opening line, of our heroine engaged in rather anonymous and unpleasant sex, that just does not happen. But Ms. Dahl was not being cute, and Miss York was indeed more than a little bit wild. I was drawn in by the break from the tradition of the innocent, virginal heroine, and enchanted to recognize the plot's use of Beauty and the Beast (I will read anything based on a fairy tale). The icing on the cake was a supporting cast made up by characters who had a bit of depth and personality, even the villains were sympathetic. Overall, A Little Bit Wild managed to meet my expectations for a satisfying romance with a believable Happily Ever After, AND throw in a few pleasant surprises.

And just for fun, here are my thoughts on the other Historical Romance finalists:

His at Night by Sherry Thomas
You wouldn't think a love story about a woman so desperate to escape her domineering uncle that she's willing to force a marriage with a feather-headed man she's only just met could be funny, but I enjoyed the wit and humor. There's just enough of a mystery to distract from the misunderstandings keeping the characters apart (does anyone else ever want to shake the characters and shout "Just talk to each other!"), that the pages fly by.

A Kiss at Midnight by Eloisa James
Have I mentioned that I'm a sucker for fairy tale adaptions? A Kiss at Midnight is based on Cinderella, and it's the first in a series of fairy tale based novels by Eloisa James. It's light-hearted and fresh; the pages are filled with quirky characters. My favorite part was the hero and heroine's complete inability to keep secrets, thus avoiding painful misunderstandings.

The Forbidden Rose by Joanne Bourne
This book, the third in a series featuring spies and espionage, is set in Revolutionary France, somewhat earlier than the first two books. I found some of the abrupt switches in location or perspective a little jarring, but overall it's a fun adventure filled with double-crosses and determined, capable female characters.

Last Night's Scandal by Loretta Chase
I was horribly upset when I turned the last page and realized that there wasn't any more story. The hero and the delightfully impulsive heroine are on a Gothic-tinged adventure to renovated a Scottish castle, but all the hero really wants is to return to his scholarly pursuits in Egypt.

One Wicked Sin by Nicola Cornick
Beyond it's setting in Regency England, this is anything but a traditional historical romance; the heroine is a divorcée reduced to working in a brothel, and the hero is a French prisoner of war. I enjoyed this departure from the expected, but found it a little steamier than I generally prefer.

Open Country by Kaki Warner
This, the second in a series, was probably my least favorite of the finalists, through no real fault of its own. I'm not a fan of Old West Texas ranch settings, or overly adorable orphaned children, so I probably didn't sit down with the right mindset. It wasn't to my taste, but I know some people I'll be recommending it to!

Countess of Scandal by Laurel McKee
A "Romeo and Juliette" tale set during the Irish Rebellion of 1798, and the author's first novel, this novel balances the line between bleak and unbelievable. The tension of the impossible romance is only magnified by the growing unrest of the Irish under English rule. The first in a series of Irish historical romances, there is plenty of set up for the next title in the series.