Summer Reading Lists -- An Intriguing Spin

Hey--remember that thing I promised I would do?  The thing where I compile the Summer Reading lists for you?  Here's one I've decided I love!

Library Journal is a magazine near and dear to my heart--read it every month, thought about naming my son after it (not really, but I wanted to make sure you were paying attention).  Anyway, they made this nifty reading list that pairs new books released for summer 2012 with titles that are a couple years older.  Got a book you love from five years ago?  It could well be on the list, paired with a new book released for this summer.  Cool, huh?

Happy Reading!

Newly Notable...literally by the dozens....

It's that time of year, folks--as surely as the snow eventually melts and there is a last day of school looming in the near future, a plethora of school spring concerts and performances begin racking up, most news media organizations will publish a Summer Reading List.

As they begin to trickle in, here are a few of my favorites...

NPR's list is a perennial favorite of mine--the recommendations are typically made by independant booksellers who are near and dear to my heart (thank you, best college job ever!!!).

The Wall Street Journal is always worth a look--they tend to nab a number of the books whose reviews I find intriguing.

Also worth checking out is USA Today's funky new format, and a newcomer to my radar, Good Housekeeping, which has some very promising sounding listings. 

Happy Reading!

From Page to Screen -- The Great Gatsby

Color me intrigued... The folks who brought you the mega-production that was Moulin Rouge are now taking on F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby!



While we might have awhile to wait for this one (release is slated for Christmas day), I must say that the idea of a soundtrack including Kanye West and Jay-Z? Combined with Leonardo DiCaprio in the role of Jay Gatsby? My curiosity is piqued...

The good news? There's officially plenty of time to read the book!

Attention Book Groups

If your book group would like to try a mystery novel, our latest Book Group To Go addition is Skinwalkers, a novel by Tony Hillerman -- one of the books in the Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee mystery series.

Here is a description:  Along with the attempted murder of Officer Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police, Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn uncovers three unsolved homicides that may be linked to witchcraft buried deep within the Navajo culture.   

Newly Notable: Shadow of Night

In case you were one of the many that formed the bajillion-member fanclub of Discovery of Witches, I have good news: Harkness's second book in the trilogy, Shadow of the Night, is now available for holds!
According to the publisher...
...Picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.
The book is scheduled for realease on July 10, 2012.
Happy Reading!

Jean Craighead George

It's been a tough month for authors of childrens' books, first Maurice Sendak, and now Jean Craighead George.  Most known for Julie of the Wolves, the Associated Press announced this morning that the author had died a "peaceful and painless death" at the age of 92. 

Attention Genealogists

Join us on Monday, June 4 from 6-8 pm for a genealogy class with Gordon Mitchell.  Mr. Mitchell is a genealogist and a member of the Hastings Genealogical Society.  He has taught genealogy classes for many years. 

This is a basic class that explains many sources and how to find them plus helpful internet websites. 

iPad Beginners Boot Camp is back!

Have questions?

Need answers?

Want tips?


Join Bill Badran, from BandA Tech Solutions, for another round of beginner's boot camp tips and tricks.  Topics include how-to's and optimization. 

Choose from
Wednesday, May 23, 2012 10-11:30am
Thursday, May 24, 2012 1-2:30pm

Bring your tablet.  iPad owners of all ages welcome.  No registration required.  Meet in the lower level auditorium.

Interested in Sustainable Gardening?

Want to know more about topics such as pesticide use, fertilizer use, water conservation and lawn reduction?  Then join us in the lower level auditorium on Tuesday, May 15 from 6-8pm as the Ottawa Conservation District presents information on sustainable gardening.  This is an adult program.

Newly Notable: The Casual Vacancy

Speaking of people who are baaaaaaaack: you can now put a hold on J.K. Rowling's new book The Casual Vacancy.

According to her publisher, Little, Brown, the book is "blackly comic" and Rowling is now aiming for a more adult audience.  The publisher has offered the following description of the book:
When Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty fa?ade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…Pagford is not what it first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?
The worldwide release date is September 27--sadly, just in time to not make it onto your beach reading list.

Newly Notable: Dr. Sleep

He's baaaaaaack--and by "he," I mean little Danny Torrance, all growed up!  And, well, technically, Stephen King, too.

Just after 9:00 this morning, a post went up on Stephen King's website announcing the tentative release date of King's new novel Dr. Sleep.  The bad news is that you're going to have to make some other reading plans for awhile: the release is scheduled for January 15, 2013 (ouch, huh?).
So let's cut to the chase: Dan Torrance, now a middle-aged adult coping with his own demons (for official details on said demons, see The Shining) meets Abra Stone, a teen with the most brillian shining Dan has ever seen.  Enter also a tribe calle The True Knot: "They look harmless--mostly old, lots of polyester and married to their RVs." Unfortunately, they're also quasi-immortal, and live off the essence produced when children with the shining are tortured.  Snazzy, huh?
Sit tight, folks--I'll bring more information as it becomes available.

Literary News: Maurice Sendak

Maurice Sendak, beloved author of children's books, artist and the inspiration behind several of my most memorable childhood nightmares died early this morning in Connecticut as a result of complications following a stroke.  He was 83 years old and for many will be remembered as the pioneer in children's literature.  More details about Sendak's life, influence and creations are available on The New York Times Book page.