Tuesday, October 31, 2006

New Books for November 2006

November 1
Ines of My Soul by Isabel Allende From the "New York Times" bestselling author of "Portrait in Sepia" comes a captivating new novel that chronicles the brave deeds and passionate loves of Ins Surez, a spirited woman who journeys to the New World and helps establish the nation of Chile.
The Shape Shifter by Tony Hillerman
Legendary Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn is back in this latest tale of murder and mystery from "New York Times" bestselling author Tony Hillerman. With Jim Chee and Bernie Manuelito on their honeymoon, Joe's left on his own to pick up the threads of a crime he thought impossible to solve.

November 6
Wild Fire by Nelson DeMille
From #1 "New York Times" bestselling author Nelson DeMille comes a suspenseful new novel featuring Detective John Corey and an all-too-plausible conspiracy to detonate a nuclear bomb in two major cities.

November 7
Born in Death by J.D. Robb
Lt. Eve Dallas struggles with the end-and the beginning-of life, in the #1 New York Times-bestselling series set in 2060 New York City.
A Christmas Secret by Anne Perry
With this brand-new volume, "New York Times" bestselling author Anne Perry continues what is now her annual tradition--a seasonal stand-alone mystery that reunites readers with Dominic and Clarice Corde, who are charged with solving the brutal murder of the local vicar.
The Gods of Newport by John Jakes
Jakes, "the godfather of the historical novel" ("Los Angeles Times"), leaves the South to travel north for an epic tale of scandalous doings in one of the world's most famous resorts.
The Godfather’s Revenge by Mark Winegardner
The third and final installment in Puzo's epic chronicle of the Corleone crime family achieves a stunning crescendo with a story that imagines the role of the Mafia in the assassination of a young, charismatic president.
The Handmaid and the Carpenter by Elizabeth Berg In this wonderful novel about love and trust, hope and belief, Berg, the bestselling author of "We Are All Welcome Here" and "The Year of Pleasures," transports readers to Nazareth in biblical times to reimagine the events of the classic Christmas story.
The Rising Tide: A Novel of World War II by Jeff Shaara The "New York Times" bestselling author of "Gods and Generals" embarks on his most ambitious undertaking to date with this first novel in a staggering trilogy that portrays the momentous and increasingly dramatic events that pulled America into the vortex of World War II.
The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog by Dave Barry
From the Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist and bestselling author comes a delightful Christmas story for all ages that will touch the heart and make readers laugh out loud.

November 13
Cross by James Patterson
The bestselling author returns with the pinnacle of all Alex Cross thrillers: the chance at last to capture the psychopath who murdered Alex's wife, Maria. Patterson also goes back in time to answer the questions fans have been asking since the first Alex Cross appearance in "Along Came A Spider."

November 14
The Long Night of Winchell Dear by Robert James Waller The beloved storyteller and author of the international bestseller "The Bridges of Madison County" returns with a classic tale of greed, corruption, and redemption in the American West.
Santa Cruise by Mary Higgins Clark
America's queen of suspense, Mary Higgins Clark, joins forces with her daughter, Carol, bestselling author off the Regan Reilly mysteries, for this fast-paced novel set on a holiday mystery cruise.

November 21
John’s Story: The Last Eyewitness by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins
The first in a series, John's Story: The Last Eyewitness is a remarkable and thrilling account of the life of the Man who came to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament and to save all of mankind. To bring deeper understanding to the story, each of the four books include the text of the corresponding gospel as an appendix. John's Story illuminates the times of Jesus, His life, and His messages like never before. Using cutting-edge historical and academic research, as well as biblically based themes, they are first and foremost page-turning novels that could come only from the pens of Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins.


November 28
Brother Odd by Dean Koontz
Koontz's beloved hero, who triumphed in two "New York Times" bestsellers, leaves the small desert town of Pico Mundo for the solitude and peace of an isolated monastery as he tries to find a way to live fully again. But Odd Thomas has a knack for finding trouble and must confront an enemy who eclipses any he has yet encountered.
Empire by Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card is a master storyteller who has earned millions of fans for his science fiction and fantasy novels. Now he steps a little closer to the present day with this chilling look at a near-future scenario of a new American Civil War.
Next by Michael Crichton
In his brilliant new blockbuster, Michael Crichton takes the reader into the realm of genetics: fast, furious and out of control. Prepare to enter a world where nothing is as it seems and a new set of possibilities is opening up at every turn. NEXT challenges your sense of what is happening, what is true and what is ethical. NEXT will overturn your assumptions of what you thought you knew. Provocative yet playful, dark and disturbing, NEXT is Michael Crichton as you've never seen him before.
Temperatures Rising by Sandra Brown
From the blockbuster "New York Times" bestselling author of "A Whole New Light" comes a sizzling tale of a love that bridges two different worlds.
Treasure of Khan by Clive Cussler and Dirk CusslerA mysterious Mongolian mogul is conducting covert deals for supplying oil to the Chinese while wreaking havoc on global oil markets. The Mongolian harbors a dream of restoring the conquests of his ancestors, and holds a dark secret about Genghis Khan that just might give him the wealth and power to make that dream come true.
Annotations from Baker & Taylor , Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Candles Burning and The Virgin of Small Plains

I read two growing-up-in-a-dysfunctional family books this past summer and as the leaves are falling, am finally getting around to writing about them. The first was the suspense, The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard. Imagine a small town in the middle of nothing Kansas where a gruesome body is found by the younger son of the sheriff while out in a blizzard. No one “knows” who she is but of course certain people know. Mitch Newquist, son of the town judge, witnesses the destruction of the frozen body by the doctor and the sheriff putting him in a very precarious situation, one calling for him to leave town and his favorite girl Abby (the aforementioned doctor’s daughter) immediately. Mitch’s sudden departure and the discovery of the dead girl leave’s all in the tiny town to wonder, especially Mitch’s closest friends, Abby and Ray. Much time passes and the prodigal son returns only his return creates all the dust to be stirred and the true past uncovered. Coming from the perspective of living in a big town all my life, life in a small town seems a bit alien to me. The family dynamics and how the families dealt with each other seem so dependent on social status and while the children of the three families are from almost equal footing, there is definite undercurrents of major power struggles. Also, there is a bit of the gothic strange happenings towards the end which seemed a bit contrived but all in all, the plot definitely held my attention.
The second book was a paranormal Southern gothic experience… Candles Burning by Tabitha King and Michael McDowell. Calley Dakin’s comes from an extreme split in the old social status divide. Her mother comes from a prominent wealthy established Alabama family and she never lets anyone forget it. Calley’s father has more humble beginnings and had to scrape and work his way up the automobile industry until he finally made his wealth only to be cut short by his gruesome murder. Calley and her mother end up in Pensacola Beach where Calley explores her second sight and she does all she can to find out who killed her father all those years ago. Now I assumed it was going to be a horror since I saw Tabitha King... wrong. It was more like a becoming of age type novel of Calley’s childhood experiences and her encounters with paranormal happenings. Side note: Tabitha King completed an unfinished manuscript Michael McDowell left after his death in 1999. I hadn’t heard of this author (famous for his gothic horrors) but he has worked on some very noticeable scripts such as Thinner, Beetlejuice and Nightmare Before Christmas. Tabitha gives an interview about completing the manuscript on her website www.tabithaking.net

Thursday, October 12, 2006

The Quill Awards 2006

The Quill Awards were announced a couple of days ago. It will be televised October 28th on NBC. And the winners are…..

Book of the Year
Don’t Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea’s Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life by Tyler Perry

Debut Author of the Year
Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen by Julie Powell

Audio Book
Marley and Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog by John Grogan

Children’s Illustrated Book
If You Give a Pig a Party by Laura Joffe Numerofff

Children’s Chapter Book/Middle Grade
The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket

Young Adult/Teen
Eldest by Christopher Paolini

General Fiction
A Dirty Job: A Novel by Christopher Moore

Graphic Novel
Naruto, Volume 7 by Masashi Kishimoto

Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich

Poetry
Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem by Maya Angelou

Romance
Blue Smoke by Nora Roberts

Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror
A Breath of Snow and Ashes of Diane Gabaldon

Religion/Spirituality
Mama Made the Difference by T.D. Jakes

Biography/Memoir
Marley and Me: Life and Love with the Word’s Worst Dog by Josh Grogan

Business
The Girl’s Guide to Being a Boss (Without Being a Bitch): Valuable Lessons, Smart Suggestions, and True Stories for Succeeding as the Chick-in-Charge by Caitlin Friedman

Cooking
Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners by Rachael Ray

Health/Self Improvement
It’s Not Easy Being Green: And Other Things to Consider by Jim Henson

History/Current Events/Politics
An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore

Humor
Don’t Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea’s Uninhibited Commentaries on Love and Life by Tyler Perry

Sports
Get Your Own Damn Beer, I’m Watching the Game!: A Woman’s Guide to Loving Pro Football by Holly Robinson

For more information on the Quills Awards, take a look at their website http://www.thequills.org/

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Book Number Two



"Not long after I moved with my family to a small town in New Hampshire, I happened upon a path that vanished into a wood on the edge of town"-A Walk in the Woods, Bill Bryson


Henderson Libraries is starting October's book from the Not-So-Grown-Up Book Club. You may pick up a copy of the book at Gibson Library's Reference desk. We will be meeting on November 2nd @ 6:00pm. Here is a brief summary of the book we are currently reading:

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail By Bill Bryson

"Follwing his return to America after twenty years in Britain, Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. The AT, as it's affectionately known to thousands of hikers, offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes-and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to test his own powers of ineptitude to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings.

For a start there's the gloriously out-of-shape Stephen Katz, a buddy from Iowa who accompanies the similarly unfit Bryson on the trail. Katz's modus operandi is a simple one: jettison everything from his backpack and head for the nearest town, where there are cozy restaurants filled with waitresses called Rayette. But eventually Bryson and Katz settle into their stride, and it's not long before they come across the fabulously annoying Mary Ellen, whose disappearance ruins a perfectly good slice of pie; a gang of Ralph Lauren-attired yuppies from whom Katz appropriates a key piece of equipment; and a security guard in Pennsylvania who, for no ascertainable reason, impounds Bryson's car. Mile by arduous mile these latter-day pioneers walk America, along the way surviving the threat of bear attacks, the loss of key provisions, and everything else this awe-inspiring country can throw at them.

But A Walk in the Woods is more than just a laugh-out-loud hike. Bryson's acute eye is a wise witness to this fragile and beautiful trail, and as he tells its fascinating history, he makes a moving plea for the conservation of America's last great wilderness. An adventure, a comedy, a lament, and a celebration, A walk in the Woods is destined to become a modern classic of travel literature." -BOOK JACKET

To discuss this book, come to the Gibson Library on Thursday November 2nd @ 6:00pm. For more information contact Elizabeth at 564-9261 or Nicole at 564-9287.

Friday, October 06, 2006

Awards given at Bouchercon 2006

Bouchercon World Mystery Convention was this past weekend and with that came the winners of the Anthony, Shamus, Barry and Macavity awards.

Anthony Award Winners

Best Mystery Novel: Mercy Falls by William Kent Krueger
Best First Mystery: Tilt-a-Whirl by Christopher Grabenstein
Best Critical/Nonfiction: Heirs of Anthony Boucher by Marv Lachman
Best Paperback Original: The James Deans by Reed Farrel Coleman
Best Short Story: “Misdirection” by Barbara Seranella in Greatest Hits: Original Stories of Assassins, Hitmen, and Hired Guns

Barry Award Winners given out by Deadly Pleasures magazine

Best Novel: Red Leaves by Thomas Cook
Best First Novel: Cold Granite by Stuart MacBride
Best Thriller: Company Man by Joseph Finder
Best British Mystery Award: The Field of Blood by Denise Mina
Best Paperback Original: The James Deans by Reed Farrel Coleman
Best Short Story: “There is No Crime on Easter Island” by Nancy Pickard in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Sept/Oct 2005 issue

Shamus Awards given by Private Eye Writers of America

Best Hardcover: The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly
Best First Novel: Forcing Amaryllis by Louise Ure
Best Paperback Novel: The James Deans by Reed Farrel Coleman
Best Short Story: “A Death in Ueno” by Michael Wiecek in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine Mar 2005 edition

Macavity Awards given by Mystery Readers International

Best Novel: The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly
Best First Novel: Immoral by Brian Freeman
Best Nonfiction: Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her by Melanie Rehak
Best Short Story: “There is No Crime on Easter Island” by Nancy Pickard in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine Sept/Oct 2005 issue
Sue Feder Historical Mystery Award: Pardonable Lies by Jacqueline Winspear