Books for the apocalypse

As anyone who knows me or who follows my blog postings, I'm a fan of the apocalypse. No, I'm not looking forward to it, nor do I believe in it*, but I am a fan of all the books that have been written about the subject.

There's been a wave of books that take place in some sort of future dystopia, places and worlds where, after some great cataclysm (known or unknown) humanity has remade itself. Many of these new books are written for young adults, but by no means limited to them.

I could go on, but since we're supposedly facing the end of the world this Friday, here are some highlights from some of the best apocalyptic fiction I've read this year:

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War & The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks - I'll admit, I'm not a big fan of zombies. I avoid books and movies about them, since they tend to emphasize the gore factor a bit too much for my taste. But then I heard that a movie was being made based on the book, and that fans of the book were up in arms about it. I had to read it.

World War Z (the book) is told, true to it's subtitle, as an oral history. Divided into chronological sections, the story is told through interviews with survivors of the war. The people interviewed range from military to doctors to ordinary people, and follow the spread of the plague, the governments' responses (or lack thereof) and how people managed to survive and, ultimately, beat back the zombie hoards. The first-person narration is gripping and brings you to the heart of the crisis. The raw terror, the helplessness and the desperation are tangible, as is the toll both the war and the terrible solution that won it took on what remains of humanity.

Brooks' companion nonfiction book, The Zombie Survival Guide, is referred to a few times as a "civilian survival manual" during World War Z and is written as such. Offering practical advice from where to go to what to bring with you, the guide is written in the same world as World War Z. It also offers more information about the virus that causes people to turn and a retrospective of recorded attacks dating back to 60,000 B.C. to the attacks that set off the global war. I'd recommend reading it after you've finished World War Z, as the history, advice and scenarios will hold more meaning.

Wool: Omnibus & the Shift series by Hugh Howey
The Wool series began as a one-off Kindle single by science fiction writer Howey. But, as the novella became a best seller, fans demanded more. Wool: Omnibus collects the five novellas that have been published so far. Howey has also written two short stories in a planned trilogy (the Shift series) that fill in the history of the world of Wool. Once the third book is published, Howey has promised to continue with Wool 9, and the Shift series should definitely be read after Wool: Omnibus. As a bonus, the Kindle edition of Wool 1 is now free!

Wool takes place in an underground silo where generations of people have lived after an unknown global catastrophe made the surface of the planet uninhabitable and deadly. The story of Wool 1 begins with the sheriff of the silo, Holston. Beyond that, it's difficult to describe further without giving major spoilers. One hint, though: people do leave the silo for "cleaning," however, they do not come back. And often times, they volunteer.

The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster - Written in 1909, this short story is amazingly prescient. Forster imagines a world in which people live in vast underground structures and have lost the ability to live independently. People are dependent on the Machine, which cares for their every need, and the vast majority of life is spent in isolated cells. Exile from the Machine means death and very few question the Machine's existence or actions. The story follows Vashti and her son Kuno, who wants to see the world outside of the Machine. And, as the Machine begins to malfunction, Kuno might get his wish. It's a great story, especially considering it was written 103 years ago, and it's available for as a PDF EPUB or Kindle book. (Hat-tip to Mike for recommending it!)

Good luck and happy reading!

~ Allison, Adult Services

* Although if anyone wants to buy me a spot in one of these, I won't object.

Bestsellers for the week of November 11th

It's a good time to be a rock star with a book, it seems. Over past few weeks, more and more memoirs and biographies by and about rock 'n' roll stars have appeared on the bestsellers list. This week, for instance, four artists have spots on the top 10:

Bruce: The Innocence, the Darkness, the Rising  by Peter A. Carlin, an authorized and painstakingly researched biography of the Boss. Drawing on exclusive interviews with members of the E Street Band, including Clarence Clemons’ final interview, and unrestricted conversations with Springsteen’s family, friends, manager Jon Landau, and Springsteen himself, Carlin gives his life the definitive treatment. Carlin also wrote a similarly sweeping biography of Paul McCartney - Paul McCartney: A Life - in 2009.

Rod: The Autobiography, the self-penned story of two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee's rise to fame that recounts his youth, his years with on tour with The Jeff Beck Group and The Faces and his three marriages and decades as a solo performer.

Waging Heavy Peace: A Hippie Dream by Neil Young. The early anticipated memoir recalls his childhood in Ontario, to his first gigs with the Squires as they traveled Canada in his 1948 Buick hearse, his spur-of-the-moment move to California in 1966 and the brief but influential time with Buffalo Springfield to his solo career and work with Crazy Horse and Crosby, Stills and Nash. Young also delves into his personal life, recounting the influence his wife and three children have had and finally coming to rest in the contemplative natural beauty of Hawaii.

There have been a few other biographies written about Young, including Shakey: Neil Young's Biography by Jimmy McDonough (2002), Neil Young Nation: A Quest, an Obsession, and a True Story by Kevin Chong (2005) and Neil Young: The Definitive History by Mike Evans (2012), but this is the first memoir penned by the artist himself.

Who I Am: A Memoir by Pete Townshend - The lead guitarist and founding memoir of The Who tells the story of his life in this memoir - a book that has taken him nearly a decade to write. A candid recollection of his difficult childhood in West London, the beginnings of his career with Roger Daltry and his struggles with the trappings of drugs, sex and fortune that inventively come with the lifestyle of a rock star.

Last week also saw Peter Criss' Makeup to Breakup: My Life In and Out of KISS, In the Pleasure Groove: Love, Death and Duran Duran by the band's co-founder John Taylor and How Music Works by David Byrne, which is less of an autobiography than an exploration of the evolution and meaning of music.

For a full list of this week's fiction and nonfiction bestsellers, visit us on Pinterest!

Book Title Trends

Today I was reading a pamphlet on great books for book discussion groups and I thought for about the 100th time, "Why do so many books have (insert word here) in the title?"  Recently, the title trend that always catches my eye is books with "The Art of" in the title.  Here are just a few books with that title:

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television and by listening closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. On the night before his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through, hoping, in his next life, to return as a human.

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
At Westish College, baseball star Henry Skrimshander seems destined for the big leagues until a routine throw goes disastrously off-course. In the aftermath of his error, the fates of five people are upended and Henry's self-doubt threatens to ruin his future. College president Guert Affenlight has fallen unexpectedly and helplessly in love. Owen Dunne becomes caught up in a dangerous affair. Mike Schwartz realizes he has guided Henry's career at the expense of his own. And Pella Affenlight returns to Westish after escaping an ill-fated marriage, determined to start a new life. As the season counts down to its climactic final game, these five are forced to confront their deepest hopes, anxieties, and secrets.

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Phillips Sendker
A poignant and inspirational love story set in Burma, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats spans the decades between the 1950s and the present.  When a successful New York lawyer suddenly disappears without a trace, neither his wife nor his daughter Julia has any idea where he might be - until they find a love letter he wrote many years ago to a Burmese woman they have never heard of. Intent on solving the mystery and coming to terms with her father’s past, Julia decides to travel to the village where the woman lived. There she uncovers a tale of unimaginable hardship, resilience, and passion that will reaffirm the reader’s belief in the power of love to move mountains.

Please do not get me started on all the titles similar to/or parodies of Fifty Shades of Grey. Since the success of E.L. James trilogy there have been a slew of parodies and books with the title of "Fifty Shades of __________".  Beloved classic literature and fairy tale characters have gotten the Fifty Shades treatment (Mr. Darcy and Alice in Wonderland, I'm looking at you).  If you don't believe me, go to Amazon and type in "Fifty Shades of" and see how many results you get.  Many of these are self-published or only available as an e-book.

Are there any book title trends that you have noticed? There are a lot of sound-alike titles out there, check out the library's Sounds the Same board on our Pinterest page.  Please feel free to leave a comment.

Amy, Adult Services

The Unwritten by Mike Carey & Peter Gross

"This week a co-worker came up to me with a crazed look in her eye and said “Yesterday I was shelving some comics and started flipping through the first volume of The Unwritten. Before I knew it I’d read all five volumes the library owns. When will there be more?” It’s always great to watch someone enjoy something I liked a lot. It’s even more fun when their excitement borders on the maniacal." Andrew, from No Flying, No Tights.

As the co-worker in question, I cannot dispute Andrew's description of my excitement over The Unwritten. I'm still new to graphic novels, and, Andrew's selections for the Graphic Content book discussion are always interesting.  What drew my attention to this particular selection was the very last chapter, which imagines (or exposes, as the story would have it) the life and career of Rudyard Kipling, who, despite being a talented writer in his early days, did not come to fame without the assistance of a mysterious cabal of powerful men who seem to influence - if not determine - the course of  world events. (Mark Twain makes a special guest appearance, too.)

But I'm getting ahead of myself. The full title of the first volume of the on-going series by Mike Carey and Peter Gross is The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity. The Tommy of the title is the main character in a highly popular series of books written by the reclusive author Wilson Taylor. The Tommy Taylor series is modeled on the Harry Potter books (with Tommy as Harry) complete with wizards, wands and made-up Latin spells. The authors give a nod to Rowling's work in the first chapter, which completely won me over to the series.

There is another Tommy in the story, however, the "real" one (perhaps). Tom Taylor, son of Wilson and on whom the character was modeled (or maybe not). Tom has grown up in the spotlight and shadow of his father's fame. With his father's mysterious disappearance after the release of his last book, Tom travels the convention circuit reluctantly, having failed as a musician, actor and author. It is at one of these "TommyCons" that a young woman calling herself Lizzie Hexam publicly casts doubt on Tom's identity and whether or not he is Wilson Taylor's son.

The notion that Tom is a fraud creates an explosive amount of controversy, with a level of emotion only devoted fans can muster. Tom becomes a pariah, and on his way into hiding, is kidnapped by a crazed attacker pretending (or is he?) to be Count Ambrosio, the Lord Voldemort to our Tommy. With all of the internet watching, Tom survives and is suddenly elevated to  messianic status, something that turns out to be nearly as bad as being universally reviled.

But Tom's fortunes are about to change, again. Tom - now doubting his own past - begin looking for answers of his own. The search takes him to his childhood home of Villa Diodati in Switzerland (not coincidentally, this is also where Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein - the novels are filled with these bits of literary trivia and seeming coincidences.) Tom, joined by Lizzie, finds more questions than answers, though, along with a map, a crystal doorknob and more than a few dead bodies. It seems that Tom's activities have caught the attention of some very dangerous people who don't seem to be fans of Tommy Taylor.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of this novel are the secrets that are hidden within. Hints and clues are sprinkled throughout for the sharp-eyed reader, allowing us to participate in Tom's search for the truth. Much like our hero, if we look deeper into the story, we can perhaps find out what's really going on. Some of these clues - such as Tommy Taylor's name being printed in blue - might turn out to be nothing (this isn't repeated in the later novels). However others - especially those that feature Tom's pursuer Mr. Pullman and what becomes of objects he touches with his wooden hand - provide excellent foreshadowing.

Sue Morganstern and Mr. Pullman -
The letters that appear in the clay seems to spell
"man made vessel". Hmm.

I went back and re-read the first five volumes in the series not once, but three times, each time searching for further clues, especially in light of what happens in later novels. Of course, sometimes a cigar is only a cigar. Some passing knowledge of literature helps, and I found myself referring to Wikipedia and Google Translate more than a few times during my re-reading. It was well worth it.

The sixth volume in the series, Tommy Taylor and the War of Words, is set for release in October. In the meantime, we'll be talking about The Unwritten at the next Graphic Content book discussion on Tuesday, August 14th at 7:00 p.m. Come join us and find out if, in the words of Count Ambrosio, stories are the only thing worth dying for.

~ Allison, Adult Services

Record-breaking rainfall

North Fork of the Little Maquoketa
(click to enlarge)
Image courtesy of Chel H.

It may be hard to believe, but last year at this time the tri-state area was dealing with aftermath of record-breaking rainfall.

On the evening of July 27th, a frontal boundary stalled along the Highway 20 corridor, spawning a series of thunderstorms that inundated the tri-states with record rainfall. Here at the library, we watched the streets outside the library flood briefly and momentarily lost power. Lightening struck and damaged the Bishop's Block Building downtown, but the library escaped with little damage, especially compared to many others in Dubuque, East Dubuque and the surrounding area.

While we're no strangers to flash floods and extreme weather here, the July 27-28 event broke six rainfall records for Dubuque, including the most rainfall ever recorded in a 24-hour period (10.62 inches; previous record of 8.96 in 2002), most rainfall recorded in July (16.01 inches; previous record of 12.68 in 2010) and most rainfall recorded in a single month (16.01 inches, previous record of 15.46 inches in 1965). It also caused the Mississippi River to rise four feet in 12 hours, caused an estimated $2 million in damage, left many homeless and resulted in one fatality.

Mississippi River level
(click to enlarge)
Image courtesy of NOAA

The National Climatic Data Center collects and publishes storm data from around the nation, including observations from weather spotters, photographs and illustrations. To read the report for the July 27-28, 2011 event, visit the NDCD's Storm Data Publication website, and select 2011-07. A .pdf report will be created; information from the event begins on page 180.

For news accounts, the library offers access to past issues of the Telegraph Herald to regular card holders. Just go to our Research Databases page and select NewsBank. Login with your library card number and PIN, and then select Telegraph Herald from the list of available newspapers. Click here for a list of selected articles about the event (login required to view articles).

And for a look back at some extreme weather events - from Union park to the floods of 1965, 1993 and 2008 - check out these books:

• A Watershed Year: Anatomy of the Iowa Floods of 2008, ed. by Cornelia F. Mutel
• Flood of 1965 - vertical file (a collection of local news stories and photographs)
• Iowa's Lost Summer: The Flood of '93, ed. by Mike Wegner, Lyle Boone and Tim Cochran
• Superstorms: Extreme Weather in the Heart of the Heartland by Terry Swails
• Union Park, A Place of Memories by Michael Boge
• Un-Natural Disasters: Iowa's EF5 Tornado and the Historic Floods of 2008 by Terry Swails and Carolyn S. Wettstone

17th Street Flood by cypotter



Dubuque flood (behind John Deere) by ZimmyBuffett



Sources: National Climatic Data Center, NOAA, National Weather Service, and the Telegraph Herald.

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

I don’t generally enjoy reading literary fiction.  Give me a mass market bestselling romance any day.  No vampires please, but time travel and dragons are okay.  Even though Chad Harbach grew up in Racine, Wisconsin, he is a founder and editor for n+1, an East Coast literary magazine that holds little fascination for me.  So why am I writing a review of his debut novel, The Art of Fielding?
 
Baseball.  I like baseball.  Baseball stories.  Baseball movies.  Baseball songs.  You gotta have heart ... Buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks ... I don’t watch major league baseball on TV since free agency changed the game I grew up loving, but I still read baseball books, mostly fiction but also biographies like Jim Bouton’s Ball Four,  Jimmy Piersall’s Fear Strikes Out, and Dubuquer Brian Cooper’s baseball biogs of Red Faber and Ray Schalk.  I’ve been to the Bob Feller Museum in Van Meter, not far from where I grew up.  When we visited the Amanas, Bill Zuber’s Dugout was the only place my dad wanted to eat.  Who can deny the magic of “Is this heaven?  It’s Iowa”?
 
Anyway, just how literary can a baseball book be?  More literary than you might think when the novel’s setting is Westish College in northeastern Wisconsin.  The Westish teams are the Harpooners.  Harpooners on Lake Michigan?   Yes, well, Herman Melville spoke at the fictional Westish in the 1880s and current college president discovered the Melville papers and the Melville statue on the campus quad is a landmark ... I am well and thoroughly hooked listening to the audio version.

The Art of Fielding is an ensemble masterpiece, plus Holter Graham is a great narrator.  Listening to Holter use his voice to characterize Henry, the shortstop; Mike, the catcher; Owen, self-described as Henry’s “gay mulatto roommate”; Pella, running from an unhappy marriage; and her father Guert, Westish president and Melville scholar; kept me sitting in my car at lunch to hear just another chapter.  I was sad when the story ended.

Reviewers call The Art of Fielding a coming-of-age story.  Each of the five main characters develops as the book progresses.  While Henry may be the main character, the supporting roles are equally important to the story’s outcome.  Henry takes inspiration from a book by his hero, Cardinals shortstop Aparicio Rodriguez, also titled The Art of Fielding, which has mediation-like mantras:  “The shortstop is a source of stillness at the center of the defense.  He projects this stillness and his teammates respond.”  Owen, Henry’s roommate nicknamed Buddha, tries out and makes the baseball team, but sits in the dugout reading philosophy.  When an errant throw from Henry hits Owen in the cheek causing a concussion, both their lives are changed, as is the team chemistry and Westish history.

Another thread in the novel is the pressure to perform, both individually and as a team and commitments to oneself and others.  Mike is completing his senior thesis and trying to get in to a prestigious law school.  Henry, a junior is being scouted for the major league draft.  A fellowship in Tokyo will take Owen away from his friends at Westish.  The Harpooners baseball team is battling for their first ever berth in the national college playoffs.  Tired of the strictures of playing wife to her much older husband’s professor, Pella leaves San Francisco to be with her father in Wisconsin.  She finds satisfaction in working in the school cafeteria and regaining her mental balance and self-esteem.

Chad Harbach took almost ten years to find a publisher.  It was worth the wait.  Play ball!

~ Michelle, Adult Services

A Review of By the Iowa Sea by Joe Blair

I was sort of excited when I first heard about Joe Blair's By the Iowa Sea, a memoir written by a middle-aged, working-class Iowa transplant who feels trapped by his wife, kids, house, and job. It almost seemed as if Joe had written this book for me. I am approaching middle age. I've been married to Maggie May for close to twenty years. Our two kids are rambunctious and demanding. Our house is so small I tell people we live in a shoebox. I'm a librarian, not a pipefitter, though I'm sure some analogy could be made between the two. I often wonder, "What in the hell am I doing in Iowa?" And like Joe, I think, "I want to be in love again. I want to be brave, to give everything away, to be iconoclastic, idiosyncratic, and artistic."

Besides identifying with Joe's Midwestern midlife crisis, I was also interested in reading about the 2008 Iowa floods, though I was skeptical about the premise that the floods "revived in Joe the hope and passion that once seemed so easy to come by." In October 2008 I volunteered to help gut a house in Cedar Rapids which had been destroyed by the floods. The water had reached the middle of the second floor, and we were ripping out carpeting, linoleum, drywall, and fixtures, everything down to the wooden frame, so building inspectors could later decide if the structure should be saved or razed. The wood itself was permeated with muck and mold and stench three months after the floods, so our stumbling around the wreckage seemed pretty pointless. And this was just one house among five thousand. When I heard about By the Iowa Sea, I was worried that it would trivialize loss and suffering by using the floods as a syrupy metaphor for marital rejuvenation.

But as it turns out, By the Iowa Sea is not exactly sweet. Joe Blair reminds me more of Michael Perry (Truck: A Love Story) than Raymond Carver (What We Talk About When We Talk About Love), but he's probably nothing like Vicki Myron (Dewey: the Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World), as the readers' advisory database NoveList would have us believe. "If you enjoy 'By the Iowa Sea,' you may also enjoy 'Dewey,'" NoveList suggests, "because both are moving Family and Relationships [sic] about Iowa." I doubt it, considering Joe Blair writes about such things as learning how to masturbate, fishing feces out of his child's bath, shopping for a vibrating dildo, getting drunk at the Wig and Pen, having sex in an alley after smoking marijuana, his wife's forgetting to remove a tampon, and so on. I have not read Dewey the Library Cat, but I certainly would reconsider doing so if it included witticisms like this: "The thought of a venereal disease put a major kink in our romantic, postflood love vacation."

While not trite, By the Iowa Sea seems constrained, like Joe doesn't quite believe his own story. Passages swing from the strange ...

Elton John sings about butterflies being free. "Butterflies are free to fly." This is what he sings. And then he wonders why the butterflies fly away. It's a touching sentiment I suppose. Bugs being free. But a bug being free doesn't mean very much to me. What do bugs do with all that freedom anyway?

... to the moving, especially when Joe describes his relationship with his autistic son, Michael:

Our faces are very close in the dark. Mike likes it this way. Close. He is a beautiful boy. His eyes are large and liquid. His facial features are clean."Mike," I say in the darkness, "you're a good kid." I say it, and then I listen, for once. I don't stop listening after a few seconds but let the seconds run on. Mike has ceased his laughter now. After some time, I don't know how long, Mike whispers very quietly, "You're" and "a good kid." And then, "A good." And then,"Kid." And then "Mike, you're a good kid."

Joe's range is interesting, but his effort to ascribe some sort of sense or meaning to it doesn't quite ring true. I wonder if this uncertainty is a result of how Joe wrote By the Iowa Sea. In recent interviews, Joe says he writes for about one hour each day, and for every one or two writing sessions he produces an enclosed one-thousand-word essay. You can read some of these on Joe's blog. For By the Iowa Sea, he took hundreds of these enclosed essays, opened them up by "chopping their heads and feet off," and rearranged them into one book-length story connected by a simple narrative arc, personal redemption through natural disaster. Joe did this, he explains, because "life is a goat path." In other words, without the narrative arc, a book of his disparate essays wouldn't make sense.

A favorite passage of mine is when Joe reads one of his essays to his writing partner:

Pamela frowns."I don't get it," she says.
"Don't get what?" I say.
"The whole thing," she says. "I mean, here's a guy working on a piece of equipment, and then he drives to Wal-Mart."
"Yeah?"
"I don't get it."
"Maybe there's nothing to get," I say."I mean . . . I just wrote the thing five minutes ago. I can’t really explain it to you."
She nods professionally.

That passage makes me think of Raymond Carver, how Carver's characters never quite seem to know what's going on. My midlife crisis, my life, feels more like that.

And Carver struggled with the editing process, too:

 "I know there are going to be stories… that aren't going to fit anyone's notion of what a Carver short story ought to be… But Gordon, God's truth… I can't undergo the kind of surgical amputation and transplant that might make them someway fit into the carton so the lid will close. There may have to be limbs and heads of hair sticking out" (Raymond Carver: the kindest cut). 

I don't want Joe Blair to chop the heads and feet off of his stories in order to try to make sense out of them. I want "irredeemable characters who circle the drain," as Joe has described his unpublished fiction in recent interviews. I want the goat path. Let the goat path be the narrative arc, Joe.

Michael May


Joe Blair's Blog
http://blog.joeblairwriter.com/


Joe Blair Interviews

Other People with Brad Listi

Talk of Iowa with Charity Nebbe

Book Nook with Vick Mickunas

Talking With...Yale Cohn


By the Iowa Sea: A Memoir by Joe Blair was published on March 6, 2012 by Scribner, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. This review was based on the digital galley obtained from Simon & Schuster through NetGalley.com.

Earth Day Reads

Earth Day is this Sunday, April 22nd. To celebrate the City of Dubuque and the Petal Project will host a free Sustainable Dubuque Trolley Tour sponsored by Dubuque Bank &Trust on Monday, April 23. You can read more about this event on the city's website here. Be sure to check out Dubuque 365 Ink's list of area Earth Day Events too!

Carnegie-Stout has a great collection of materials on environmentalism, the green movement, and sustainability. Check them out to learn more, or to get some ideas on changes you can make in your life. Though we don't recommend you go to quite the extremes as some of the authors below!

No Impact Man by Colin Beaven
(333.72 BEA) Colin Beaven, author of historical biography, turns his attention to his impact on the environment. Mr. Beaven, his wife and child spent a year trying to leave no carbon footprint. From cloth diapers to replacing toothpaste with baking soda, his book is a personal examination of what the individual can do.

Confessions of an Eco-Sinner by Fred Pearce
(333.72 PEA) Mr. Pearce, a science writer who focuses on the environment, became curious about the origins of those things we use in everyday life, from coffee to clothing. Confessions of an Eco-Sinner documents his quest to find the source and impact (environmental, social, and economic) our consumerism has on the larger world.

Tree Spiker by Mike Roselle
"Non-violent extremist" and environmental activist Mike Roselle's biography covers his involvement in activism from the founding of Earth First! to the current fight against global warming. Controversial, outspoken, and colorful, his memoirs provide a unique look at the environmental movement.

The Next Eco-Warriors
Emily Hunter, daughter of Robert and Bobbie Hunter, Greenpeace co-founders, profiles 22 young people involved making a positive impact on the environmental movement today.

Shift Your Habit by Elizabeth Rogers
(640 ROG) Going green doesn't mean spending big bucks on organic food, solar panels, and hybrid cars. At its core, green living is simply about moderation, efficiency, and living less expensively. Included are hundreds of habit-shifting suggestions to leave you with thousands of dollars you would otherwise never see again. These are tiny modifications that any family can make.

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!

The Books You've Always Meant to Read

Inspired by this WPA-era poster created for an Illinois statewide Library Project we've been thinking about the books we've always meant to read, but haven't yet. Maybe the book is too big, or the subject too complex. Or maybe it's a book enthusiastically recommended by a friend who just knows you'll love it, but you're not quite sure. And there are those books that you think you should read, but, well, you're a busy person and don't have time to sit down and read War and Peace, for goodness sake!

From classic to contemporary, our lists are long. Here are a few highlights from library staff. Leave your list in the comments section, or join the discussion on Facebook and G+!

Allison:

• Twilight by Stephanie Meyer - A neighbor and friend just adores the "Twilight" series, and even lent me her copies of the whole series. But, well, it's Twilight, y'know?
• The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender - My mom, who knows a thing or two about books and about me, really thinks I'd love this book about a young girl who can taste people's emotions in food. It's on my coffee table, but so are about 10 other books.
• Under the Dome by Stephen King - I'm a huge King fan and I've read everything he's written, up until this book. I've tried, but it's just so, so big!

Sarah:

• My official To Be Read list has well over a hundred titles at any given time (Goodreads is both a blessing and a curse). I've had The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls on the list for over five years, and I never hear anything but praise. I think I'm slightly afraid that it won't live up to everyone's enthusiasm.
• A more recent addition to my list is The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. I have checked it out from the library twice without reading it. I know it's a character-driven story set on the campus of a small liberal arts college in Wisconsin, but I look at the cover and think, "Ugh, 500+ pages of baseball."
• And sitting on my shelf of books that I own, but haven't read, staring at me accusingly is Moloka'i by Alan Brennert. I read the first chapter and fell in love 3 years ago, but somehow books I own just can't compete with library books and their due dates.

Mirdza: I’ve always wanted to read Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past (or In Search of Lost Time)—depending on the translation. I admit I haven’t read it, or baked madeleines. But I will some day!

Jennifer: I love to read "the classics" and these are the ones I had left on my list before I had my kids.

• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens - Fell asleep by the 2nd chapter.
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Can never find the time with three kids.

Amanda:

• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy - When I was in 8th grade the teacher issued the challenge that if we read this book and wrote a review of it, all of our other reading assignments would be waived. I tried but I just didn't get it - maybe someday.
• The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells - I admire Wells for his stance on suffrage in a time when many men laughed at the idea, but have yet to read any of his work. My great aunt tells the story of hearing Orson Welles' reading The War of the Worlds on the radio in the 30's. She said they were so scared that her mother made the family go into the root cellar.
• Atonement by Ian McEwan - I lost a bet and was supposed to read this. Sadly I haven't yet.
• The Iliad or The Odyssey by Homer: I've SEEN these but have yet to read them. Something that has been around for over 800 years is probably worth reading.

Angie: Moby Dick! It has been my whale for over ten years! I decided I MUST read it when I couldn't answer the trivia question: "What famous book starts with the line 'Call me Ishmael ?'" I have started it no less than 6 times, get to about page 100 and get stuck every time in the section about the physiology of the whale. One day, one day.

Mike: I’ve always meant to read the German novel Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald: This stylistically complex, lyrical story employs a first person, stream of consciousness narrative to richly describe the struggle of Jacques Austerlitz to uncover his identity as he follows the memory of his childhood back to the heart the Holocaust in war-torn Europe. Although the pace is relaxed, the storyline is character-driven and intricately plotted, and the tone is haunting and melancholy. Or so I’ve heard. Wikipedia says Austerlitz is notable because of its lack of paragraphing, digressive style, and very long and complex sentences, including one sentence which is nine pages long. Along these lines, I like to believe I’d also enjoy reading H. L. Mencken’s Prejudices: The Complete Series, and The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams, and Ulysses by James Joyce. “Scutter, he cried thickly!”

Andrew: I’ve been meaning to read Orlando by Virginia Woolf for an awfully long time. I’ve made a little progress into it in the past year, maybe a quarter of the book. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it or it’s a chore to read, but something always distracts me . . .

Michelle: The classic Russians. I have not read Dostoyevsky or Tolstoy. No Brothers Karamazov. No Crime and Punishment. No Anna Karenina. No War and Peace. I haven’t even watched the movies. I have to save something to do in retirement. If I read one page a day, it would only take about 10 years to get through all four!

What book have you always wanted to read? What's keeping you?

Staff Picks: The Best Books of 2011

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.

13 Days of Scary Movies

Halloween is approaching, and what better time to curl up on the couch with some popcorn and scary movie? Check back here each day, or like us on Facebook, to read about 13 of the most horrifying movies available at Carnegie-Stout Public Library.

The Exorcist
This 1973 film, based on the novel by William Blatty, was nominated for ten Academy Awards (winning for Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay), and is consistently selected as one of the scariest movies of all time.

Shaun of the Dead

This 2004 British zombie comedy stars Simon Pegg and is directed by Edgar Wright. The two had previously worked together on the comedy series Spaced. This is the only zombie film I will ever be brave enough to watch.

Dawn of the Dead

This 1978 film is the follow up to George A. Romero's 1968 Night of the Living Dead, though the only characters they have in common are the zombies. For fans of the zombie genre, it's difficult to pick a favorite between the two, but there's no doubt that the zombies remain popular to this very day.

Alien
Ridley Scott's 1979 horror film set in deep space role has influenced science fiction and horror over the past three decades.The film stars Sigourney Weaver in her first film role. Alien continues to be influential today, with unforgettable special effects and scares like the chestburster. In addition to a number of Saturn awards, the film won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

Saw
This intensely violent 2004 film proved popular enough for six sequels, as well as a comic book. The Jigsaw Killer's twisted morality and gory torture has been compared to the earlier film Seven, though not always favorably. Despite the criticisms, the Saw franchise has been an undoubtedly popular addition to the horror genre.

Rosemary's Baby
Roman Polanski's 1968 film was based on the novel by Ira Levin, and started a trend of horror films about Satanism. Ruth Gordon won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the entirely too creepy neighbor.

Plan 9 From Outer Space
Ed Wood's 1959 film has zombies, aliens, terrible special effects, and Vampira. Both a cult classic and one of the worst films ever made, the library's copy includes commentary by Mike Nelson of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

The Shining
Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of Stephen King's novel initially met with poor reviews due to its slow pacing, and was one of the first films to be nominated for a Razzie. However, opinion has shifted to the film's favor over the decades. The film is now considered to be an iconic source of pop culture imagery, but many still prefer the original novel.

Let the Right One In
This 2008 film combines two of the hottest trends of the 21st century: Swedish literature and vampires. Young Oskar is lonely, bullied, and not terribly happy but then a new little girl, Eli, moves in next door. There was an American remake in 2010, Let Me In, but the reviews weren't as favorable.

Psycho
It's difficult to select a single Hitchcock film, but Norman Bates, inspired by Ed Gein, is slightly more terrifying than a bird. Not only did Psycho (1960) receive four Academy Award nominations, it was so controversial at its release that it prompted the resignation of film critic C.A. Lejeune.



The Thing
The story of parasitic extraterrestrials that invade a remote Antarctic base started life as a story written by John W. Campbell, and was first adapted to the big screen in 1951 as "The Thing From Another World." The film was remade in 1982 by John Carpenter with Kurt Russell. This fall a prequel to the 1982 film was released to somewhat poor reviews.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
We start off our list of 13 scary movies with one of the earliest. This silent film from 1920 is a notable example of German Expressionist film making, and boasts one of the first twist endings.



Paranormal Activity
What started as an independent film written and directed by Oren Peli, and filmed in his own home became one of the biggest hits of 2007. The story of a young couple who suspect that all is not right in their home, the film packs big scares with minimal special effects. A third film in the series was released this October.