Wednesday, June 22, 2011

New Best Sellers

FICTION

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris. The telepathic waitress Sookie Stackhouse seeks the culprit in a firebombing.

10th Anniversary by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Detective Lindsay Boxer and the Women's Murder Club race to find a missing baby.

Conviction by Aaron Allston. The Jedi Order has taken control of the Galactic Alliance. Meanwhile, Luke and Ben Skywalker are pursuing the evil entity Abeloth. A Star Wars novel.

Buried Prey by John Sandford. The Minneapolis detective Lucas Davenport investigates the murders of two girls who were kidnapped in 1985 and whose bodies have just been found.

The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry. The former government operative Cotton Malone foils an assassination attempt on the president and finds himself at dangerous odds with a secret society.

The Snowman by Jo Nesbo. The Oslo detective Harry Hole searches for a serial killer who builds snowmen outside the homes of his victims.

The Final Storm by Jeff Shaara. The three month struggle for Okinawa in 1945, from the perspectives of combatants on both sides.

Sixkill by Robert Parker. In the final Spenser novel, a woman dies in an actor's hotel room.

Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks. A Puritan missionary's daughter forms a bond with a scholarly Indian.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain. Ernest Hemingway's first wife, Hadley, narrates this novel set in Paris.

NONFICTION

The Greater Journey by David McCullough. The historian explores the intellectual legacy that France settled on its 19th century visitors.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. An Olympic runner's story of survival as a prisoner of the Japanese in World War II.

Seal Team Six by Howard Wasdin and Stephen Templin. An expert sniper and former member of the Navy Seals recounts his training and missions.

On China by Henry Kissinger. China and America are mutually dependent economic giants, Kissinger writes, but they need a design of partnership.

CHILDREN
A Picture Book of Amelia Earhart by David A. Adler and illustrated by Jeff Fisher. Readers glean a sense of Earhart's courage and determination.
A Picture Book of Eleanor Roosevelt by David A. Adler and illustrated by Robert Casilla. Key events are highlighted, from Roosevelt's early childhood to her role as representative to the United Nations.
A Picture Book of Thomas Alva Edison by Daivd A. Adler and illustrated by John and Alexandra Wallner. Provides interesting glimpses of an inquisitive youth who grew into a hard-working visionary.
TEENS
Jerk California by Jonathan Friesen. A compelling story about Sam, a high-school student with Tourette syndrome, who embarks on a cross country road trip to discover his roots and identity.
Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia. The much anticipated part two of the three part series Beautiful Creatures.

Friday, June 17, 2011

Grown Up Fun at Your Library

It's an encouraging trend that more and more libraries across the country are offering summer programs for adult readers. It's about time! Kids have had all the fun for years during the summer.

Here at Armstrong Library, we are in our second summer of adult programming. The theme this year is Novel Destinations, so our events are predominately travel related. On Thursdays through July 21 from 4-5:30 pm, we are presenting travel dvd's, individual accounts of interesting trips, and tips on taking better digital pictures. We'll also be watching and discussing the movie Eat, Pray, Love.

Once again we are having weekly drawings for recent hardback titles and theme related prizes. This activitiy was very popular with patrons last year, and there are plenty of entries again this year. Just fill out one entry form for each book read. Drawings are each Wednesday. Patrons willing to write a short book review to post on our bulletin board will receive a Novel Destinations book bag (while supplies last!) Click here for copies of both forms and details about the program.

If anyone has taken an especially exotic or beautiful trip and would like to share pictures and experiences with our group, please let us know.

Next month we will start a brown bag book discussion group. We will be reading Brad Watson's Aliens in the Prime of their Lives, a collection of short stories which recently won the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters 2011 Fiction prize. Participants will bring their lunches, and the Library will provide beverages. Please contact us to sign up.

We are always open to ideas for programs! If you have a skill or interest you'd like to share, or have a collection we might display in our front foyer display case, please let us know.

If you're on Facebook, be sure to friend Judge George Armstrong to receive updates on events. Also, National Public Radio has a wonderful book page on Facebook which has excellent interactive book lovers' information. It's NPR books. Who says the book is dead?!

Have a great summer and keep on reading!