King County Library System - Library Talk. - November 2008

Love, security, health, fun... YOU!  We pretty much know this stuff deep inside but when the holiday season kicks into high gear and the commercial culture we live in swamps us with ads for what it wants us to "need" it is often hard to remember the basics.  Kids may not be able to express it so succinctly but they really would love the gift of time with you (and  possibly a new toy or two).  So this season take a deep breath, shake off the commercials for a bit and give the gift of your (unstressed) self to your child.

OK.  Breathing.  Now what!?  Here are some ideas to get you started:  

• Take a walk around the neighborhood to see the holiday decorations.
• Do some holiday baking as a family.  Yes, this can be potentially stressful but it's oh so tasty!  Just don't try for Martha Stewart-like perfection and you'll have more fun.  Try some kid friendly recipes from Kids in the Holiday Kitchen: Making, Baking, Giving or To Every Season: A Family Holiday Cookbook which covers a bunch of different holidays all in one book. 
• Read a Christmas classic and then watch the movie!  It can be fun to talk about which you like better.  Try How the Grinch Stole Christmas or The Polar Express.  Reading with your child is a powerful way to improve their reading skills.  Another relaxing thing to try is you read your favorite book (magazine, pamphlet, whatever) and your child can read theirs.  A few quiet moments in the middle of the holidays?  Priceless.

Need more ideas?  Take a look at What Kids Really Want That Money Can't Buy: Tips for Parenting in a Commercial World or Gifts from the Heart: Simple Ways to Make Your Family's Christmas More Meaningful. 

Unrealistic expectations of Silent Nights and glittering mountains of presents will still slip in to add their stress to the holidays but you can find ways to share the little (and often more statisfying) joys with your child. 

Remember to breathe!

The holidays are here and budgets are tight. The good news is that everything in the library is available for free.

What can you find at the library to help you through the holidays? We have books on holiday cooking and baking, song books, and books on how to make ornaments, wrapping paper, gift tags, cards, and other holiday craft projects.

There is even a book about having an eco-friendly holiday season. Green Christmas : how to have a joyous, eco-friendly holiday season

The library also has holiday DVDs, music CDs, children's picture books, fiction with a holiday theme, and even downloadable holiday e-videos, e-books, and e-music.

To find ideas, do a subject search in the catalog -- Gifts, Christmas Cookery (for Christmas cookbooks), Christmas music, Christmas decorations, Hanukkah, Winter solstice, and Kwanzaa.

Come into the library to get out of traffic and the mall. Speaking of malls, don't forget to check out our libraries at the Crossroads and Southcenter malls. They have comfortable chairs where you can sit and read a magazine while your friends or family are shopping.

Oh, and happy holidays!

When the weather turns cold and the sky goes dark, I seek the comfort of familiar friends from my bookshelf. Hyperion by Dan Simmons is a book I return to every few years. Each time I read it, I find a new reason to love this winner of the 1990 Hugo Award.

Hyperion is science fiction for the English lit geek. The book follows the structure of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and is named after John Keats' epic poem.  In the far, far-future, seven pilgrims travel to a distant planet to beseech the Shrike, the monstrous guardian of the planet Hyperion's Time Tombs. As they journey, the pilgrims - a priest, a soldier, a poet, a scholar and his daughter, a detective, and a consul - each tell their stories. One among them is an agent for the Ousters, mankind's foe in a war that threatens to destroy not only Hyperion but all the planets in man's Hegemony.

Simmons starts with Chaucer and Keats, throws in some religion, mixes in time travel, plays with literary genres and builds a world that will carry through three more books (Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, and Rise of Endymion). However, Hyperion is the one with the literary chops and terrific storytelling. The first pilgrim's tale, "The Man Who Cried God," had me sleeping with the light on for a week, and the last, "Remembering Siri," is a tear-jerker of a love story.

Ready your Kleenex box, turn up the heat, leave on your jammies and spend the day with this new science fiction classic.

Do you find yourself frequently searching the catalog for new books by your favorite author or on your favorite subject?  Save yourself a little bit of time by saving these searches in your library catalog account, and then you can do the search with just a click of a link.

From the KCLS homepage or from the online catalog, log into your account.  You will see a button for My Favorite Searches; if you have not yet saved any searches, your list will be blank.  Now do a search for something in the catalog; you may do a simple or a complex search.  Notice that at the top of your results page and underneath your search terms, there are now some options that you do not see if you are not logged in.

King County Library System has a new online service: Tumblebooks. Tumblebooks is an extensive online library available from your computer!  You'll find online read-alongs and animated versions of picture books.
 
Tumblebooks is great used at home for preschoolers who would like more "lap time," beginning readers and ESL students who need some extra help and high school students who need to listen to that last minute classic.  Kids can independently follow along to listen to stories with the words highlighted as they read.  Quizzes accompany most books giving kids a purpose for listening. 
 
Some exciting features:

• Story Books.  Your favorite picture books are animated.  Most entries are paired with quizzes and games to better integrate the titles into home or school lesson plans.
• Tumble Readables.  Beginning readers are presented read-along style.   An audio of the book being read aloud is paired with highlighted text so that kids can follow along.  Includes a book report generator. 
• Language Learning.  Tumblebooks includes a growing number of Spanish-language titles.  
• An Index.  Click on 'Index' for the quick and dirty way to jump to the titles you would like to find.
• Audio Books.  Tumblebooks provides a selection of classics like "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" in audio-only format.   

The best way to get to Tumblebooks is via the KCLS Homepage - Databases - Click on the letter T - Now click Tumblebooks.  You'll have to enter you King County Library Card number to access this subscription service for FREE from school or home. 

Author Meg Rosoff is no stranger to deeply intense stories about young adults trying to find their way through difficult and often extraordinary circumstances.  Her latest book, What I Was, is no exception. 

The story begins with H., our narrator, who is 100 years old and very near the end of his life, but we quickly enter the real story: H.'s formative year at an isolated boarding school.  Feeling trapped by monotonous days filled with the harsh, self-imposed hierarchies and cruelty of adolescent boys, H. spends most of his days alternately dodging beatings and avoiding the only other classmate less popular than himself.  The tedium of his existence is broken only by glimpses of a mysterious boy who lives alone in a small shack by the sea.  Driven by curiosity and the need for companionship, H. ditches his classmates during a mandatory run on the beach and knocks on the door of the shack to meet the boy, who calls himself Finn.  The two enter a tentative friendship that is easily and frequently derailed. H. quickly becomes obsessed with Finn and his life of freedom and spends most of his time plotting his next trip to the hut in what seems an effort to fully consume Finn's life and make it his own.

Although this story is framed within the nostalgic memories of a dying man, nearly all of the novel takes place during H.'s time at St. Oswold's Boarding School.  The narrator's struggle for independence within the parameters of the world that have been given to him are starkly contrasted with the freedom he sees in Finn's life and the narrator's obsession with both is true and honest.  H.'s actions in the later part of the book are especially poignant and reveal the longing of a young man trying to establish himself in a world he is reluctantly forced to inhabit.  And while H. either can't recognize or admit to himself the depth of his feelings for Finn, the reader will see them for what they are: love.

This is one of the most beautifully written novels I've read all year. Rosoff is precise and economical with her language and the story is simply told in a manner that is pithy yet very lyrical.  The sense of place in this book is simply incredible; much of the story takes place at the ocean and, as the pages are turned, the reader is alternately transported to cold damp beaches, barren landscapes and the cozy yet uneasy confines of Finn's beach hut.  As a coming of age tale, this novel succeeds spectacularly as it explores the complicated thoughts and emotions of two boys on the fringes of society.  This is a sophisticated work with much depth and those looking for an unusual coming of age tale will not be disappointed. 

(This book is equally wonderful on audio, so give it a try if you need something for your commute!)

Griff Burkett had it all--a successful career with the NFL, money, women, and fame--until he decided to throw a game and wound up in prison.  After five years, he is finally free, but without job prospects.  It seems that no one in Dallas is interested in hiring a cheating ex-Cowboy.  Enter millionaire Foster Speakman, who offers Griff big money.  All he has to do is impregnate Speakman's wife, and then break off all contact forever.  Since Griff means to stay out of the limelight anyway, the offer is worth considering.  What could go wrong?  Plenty, it turns out, as his attempts to resume a normal, quiet life are interrupted by disgruntled former fans, a few associates from his past, and his unexpected feelings for Mrs. Speakman. 

Play Dirty by Sandra Brown kept me on the edge of my seat--and that's saying something, since I was listening to the audiobook in my car.  Just when I would begin to think I had figured out where the story was going, Brown would shift into a new direction that had me starting all over again.  Even with all his flaws, I wanted Griff to have a happy ending, but I spent the whole book wondering how on earth he was going to get it.

The reader makes a vital contribution to any audiobook, and Victor Slezak does an incredible job in Play Dirty.  The voice of each character creates a clear mental picture, and he is as effective with the female characters as the men.  I have listened to other audiobooks that he has read, and he's consistently terrific.  Whether you have a long trip ahead of you over the holidays or a regular commute to work, Play Dirty will make the time fly. 

You think your life is lame?  Life really sucks for Dave. He works the graveyard shift at an L.A. convenience store. Literally, the graveyard shift!  Years ago, his boss, Radu, bit Dave and turned him into a vampire - enslaving Dave to an eternity of mean customers and rotating hot dogs. Dave is too much of a wuss to kill his own victims, so he drinks plasma from the blood bank to stay alive. Creepy vampire Wes goes after Dave's crush, forcing Dave to find the courage to fight for the girl of his dreams.  With vivid full color illustrations, Life Sucks is a chilling alternative to all the Twilight hype! 

When Evelyn's stepfather Joe returns home from World War II, she and her mother look forward to a return to life before the war.  When Joe suggests a trip to Palm Beach, Florida, Evie thinks it's simply a spur of the moment vacation.  But then she meets Peter Coleridge, a handsome young ex-GI who served in the military with Joe.  Slowly Evie begins to realize that Peter, Joe, her mother - and indeed everyone she meets at the hotel - are hiding dark secrets.  How far will they go to make sure that no one finds out?

Subtle exploration of themes of adultery,  antisemitism, truth, and loyalty make this novel an excellent read for both adults and teens.  Evie longs to grow up and out of the shadow of her glamorous mother; she idolizes actresses like Lana Turner and Barbara Stanwyck.  And there's a definite film noir feel to this historical mystery.   Full of snappy dialogue and 1940s slang, What I Saw and How I Lied is this year's National Book Award Winner for Young People's Literature.  Read an interview with author Judy Blundell here.

I am sure you well know that when a young girl runs away to London to avoid an arranged marriage, she becomes a governess in a ducal household. While there she and the handsome young heir fall in love and after much travail they marry and live happily ever after. You didn't know that? Well that is what Eustacie de Vauban, the young heroine believes in Georgette Heyer's The Talisman Ring. She takes off in the middle of the night and is quickly captured by smugglers, or free traders as they like to be known. She discovers that the leader of the group is her cousin, Ludovic who has been accused of killing a man and therefore has gone into hiding. He became a smuggler uh, free trader because it seemed like an exciting thing to do. While taking her to safety, the Excisemen arrive and shoot at the free traders, hitting Ludovic.

We just had a free concert at the Woodinville Library. Jeanne Erickson from Tune Tales delighted a full house of toddlers and preschoolers with songs.  She did this amazing thing: she used old songs, only she made them interactive and fun.

This got me thinking about all kinds of old songs that could be spruced up with a little interaction.  Here are some ideas...

Make up your own words to old songs.  My favorite is B-I-N-G-O.  

Change the words to "I know a word that starts with 'A' and Apple is it's name-o.  A-P-P-L-E...... etc. "  You could use any letter or a name of a child. 

 

Use a few props to make the songs more interactive:

• Have your little ones shake along with egg shakers (plastic Easter eggs with rice or beans in them).
• Keep the rhythm with rhythm sticks.
• Twirl around with colorful scarves.

All of these are available thought Lakeshore.  But you can make them yourself.

Try these books available at the Library for more ideas:

• Wiggle, giggle, & shake: 200 ways to move and learn by Rae Pica.
• Where is Thumbkin? over 500 activities to use with songs you already know by Pam Schiller and Thomas Moore.
• Follow me too : a handbook of movement activities for three- to five-year-olds by Marianne Torbert and Lynne B. Schneider.

La cocina Mexicana consiste de una plenitud de platillos, desde el mole al flans, nuestra comida es reconocida al nivel mundial por ser una de las mas sabrosas.Y aunque muchos de los ingredientes sean saludables, desafortunadamente tambien contienen una cantidad de ingredientes que contribuyen al diabetes tipo 2. En los Estados Unidos, aproximadamente el 10.5% (Source: National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse) de la comunidad Hispana padecen de la diabetes tipo 2. La diabetes tipo 2 es un condición en donde los niveles de glucosa (azúcar) son mas alto de lo normal. Las personas con diabetes no pueden convertir los alimentos a energia en una forma normal. Con el tiempo, altos niveles de glucosa (azucar) "dañan los nervios y los vasos sanguíneos, provocando complicaciones como enfermedades del corazón, apoplejías (derrame cerebral), ceguera, enfermedad renal, problemas de los nervios, infecciones de las encías y amputaciones" (National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse).  

Mexican cuisine is world renowned for its delectable dishes, from moles to flan; there is something for every palate. And while healthy options abound, unfortunately there are many dishes whose ingredients contribute to high blood sugar levels that can lead to type 2 diabetes. Approximately 10.5% (Source: National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse)of the Latino population suffers from Type 2 Diabetes in the United States. Type 2 Diabetes is a disease where the body produces higher than normal levels of blood sugar, stemming from defects in insulin production. If left untreated, Type 2 diabetes can lead to heart disease, blindness, and even amputation.

I polled staff at the WKED (Woodmont, Kent, East Hill [not built yet], Des Moines) cluster libraries, and these are the best books we've read in the past year. 

Most are new (or new-ish) books - click "Continue Reading" below:

I dare you to read this book without getting fired up. Frankly, I don't think it can be done. Why? Because Letter To A Christian Nation by Sam Harris is intended "to demolish the intellectual and moral pretensions of Christianity" and therefore is almost certain to generate a visceral response. This New York Times bestseller pulls no punches and takes no prisoners; there is no attempt on his part to meet his opponent halfway or to agree to disagree. As Harris states in the conclusion, there is a desperate need for "a public discourse that encourages critical thinking and intellectual honesty" and that nothing "stands in the way of this project more that the respect we accord religious faith." Consequently, he dispenses with such respect and call 'em as he sees 'em in no uncertain terms. And whether one is outraged by his overt assault on Christian tenets or is stamping one's feet in boisterous approval of Harris' irreverence, this book is likely to rile you up and, just maybe, cause you to deeply examine your own feelings about Christianity and, more broadly, faith itself. One way or another, this book will make you think and, as such, is far more valuable for what it does than for anything it actually says.

Sam Harris achieves his effect through both style and substance. Stylistically, this brief text (96 pages) is in the form of a letter to a Christian American, making it personal for anyone that ascribes to that faith (he uses the word "you" a lot). Furthermore, Harris can be undeniably funny and his frequently sarcastic humor can be used with devastating effect: "...53 percent of Americans are actually creationists...more than half of our neighbors believe that the entire cosmos was created six thousand years ago. This is, incidentally, about a thousand years after the Sumerians invented glue." As for the substance of his argument, Harris cites a number of issues. One obvious issue is the inconsistency between science and faith-based convictions: "The conflict between science and religion is reducible to a simple fact of human cognition and discourse: either a person has good reasons for what he believes, or he does not." But he also questions the morality embodied in the Bible, stating that Martin Luther King, Jr. (a Christian) based his non-violent approach on Mohandas Gandhi (a Hindu), who was ultimately influence by the Jains, whom Harris clearly admires, relatively speaking. This echoes the qualified approval he gave another Eastern philosophical tradition, Buddhism, in his previous bestselling work, The End Of Faith.

Whether Sam Harris makes you furious or you find yourself saying "Right on!" over and over again, Letter To A Christian Nation is a fundamentally thought-provoking book that is well worth reading. Check it out.

I'm not sure why it's comforting to read a British mystery; someone has been killed after all. Maybe it's similar to being indoors on a stormy night - thankfully I'm not out in that. Or, thankfully there was no dead body sitting at my desk this morning. It's probably best not to think too much about it.

Charles Finch's first novel, A Beautiful Blue Death, is set in the Victorian London of genteel balls, old families and new money. When a servant girl named Prudence Smith apparently kills herself, her former employer Lady Jane Grey calls in a friend to investigate. Enter our detective, Charles Lenox, a gentleman whose hobbies include planning exotic trips he'll never take and solving cases that have stumped the local police. As Lenox's case and suspect list begin to grow, so do the chances someone else will share Prudence's fate.

Finch's strengths here are his characters and style. Lenox surrounds himself with intelligent and interesting friends, including his Bunter-like valet Graham, his kindly older brother Edmund, and the brilliant Doctor Thomas McConnell. Lenox and Lady Jane are next door neighbors, but their shared scenes hint at the happy possibility of a closer proximity in the future. I hope Finch hasn't created all these characters just for this one enjoyable book but with an eye to a series.

Jogging is not my thing. Just thinking about it makes my knees hurt. So when my husband recommended I read a book about a guy who routinely runs over one hundred miles at a time, my patellas balked. It was hard to imagine finding any pleasure in such a story. But I was wrong.

Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner by Dean Karnazes is an amazing, almost impossible-to-believe chronicle of a corporate desk jockey who has a second life: a long, and I mean LONG, distance runner.

If mountain climbers scale mountains just because they are there, Karnazes seems to run ultramaratons just because they are held. The grueling Boston Marathon with its infamous "Heartbreak Hill" has nothing on the Western States Endurance Run, a one day 100-mile run, with elevation changes that are about the equivalent of running up the stairs of the Empire State Building 30 times. Karnazes even treats these ultraruns as a warm-up for a marathon. At one point he finished a 13-mile run at the starting line of a marathon with just minutes to spare and off he went for another 26.2 miles.

And if the running isn't amazing enough, the amount of food he eats will astound you. I think I gained weight just reading it. During one 100-mile run he will typically consume 28,000 calories. We're talking an entire pizza, 8 powerbars, gallons of Pedialyte, a bag of Doritos, a cheesecake, 3 burritos, a bunch of bananas, and more. His regular diet is very strict but his mid-run diet includes a huge amount of empty calories or his body will shut down. It literally would not be possible to consume enough "healthy" food to fuel his body. How many spinach salads would you need to eat to get the calories you enjoy in just one Snickers?

This book was a quick read and a glimpse into a lifestyle most of us would consider impossible, if not downright insane.

In Nation by Terry Pratchett, an teenaged islander named Mau is off on his coming-of-age rite when a tsunami destroys everything he knows--his family, his people--leaving him an empty island save one inhabitant. Ermintrude, now calling herself Daphne, is a proper  English miss and the sole survivor (or so she thinks) of the shipwreck that leaves her stranded with Mau. She too is one of the last of her line. Unbeknownst to her, back in the story's alternate Britain, the 137 people between her family and throne have died of the plague and her father, now king, is desperate to bring her home. Despite their different cultural backgrounds, the two attempt to construct a new life from the wreckage. Soon enough other survivors wash ashore, looking for a "nation" to call home.  

Pratchett laces this survivor's tale with equal doses of humor and philosophy, confronting thorny questions of godhood and empire.  Mau and Daphne are thoroughly engaging characters, each on their own journey of discovery--Mau searching for the spirit of his people and Daphne for the coreof strength inside herself. Together they face everything from pirates and cannibals to regurgitating Grandfather birds.

Pratchett is the author of the Discworld series for adults and the Wee Free Men for teens. This book stands alone and is more adventure than fantasy, although it is set in an alternate reality sometime in the 19th century. Readers new to Pratchett will appreciate his absurd sense of humor, which is reminiscent of Monty Python's Flying Circus. Who else would use names like the "Gentlemen of Last Resort"? Fans of the author's collaboration with Neil Gaiman, Good Omens, will feel right at home when he takes a break from the action to allow his characters time to discourse with the island's gods.

For an adventure with humor, heart, and a greater purpose, visit this Nation.

If there is one cure for the cold winter blahs, it is reading a warm, summer love story and Call Me By Your Name is a scorcher. Elio's father is a professor of some renown living  in an Italian villa. Elio is used to sharing his summers with visiting graduate students seeking his father's attention. Nevertheless, he is unprepared for the arrival of Oliver, a handsome, charismatic charmer finishing his thesis. The 17 year-old longs for Oliver and despite his cavalier exterior, Oliver comes to care for Elio. The strength of their attraction is a force that moves them from friendship to intimacy to obsession. When their affair comes to its inevitable end, the two find themselves forever changed by the summer they fell in love.

Elio is a precocious narrator, well-schooled in classical studies but new at the workings of the human heart. The book's rich, evocative imagery does not overwhelm its underlying tenderness. Ultimately, it is Elio's father who offers him the best advice for surviving his heartbreak.

Pairing a gorgeous setting and smoldering love story, Call Me By Your Name will heat up the coldest winter day.

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Yelena, in prison for murder, is presented with a unique alternative to death; she may become a food taster for the Commander, the authoritarian ruler of Ixia. Commander Ambrose overthrew the corrupt monarchy that once ruled Ixia, winning him the respect of the people, but his own strict, militaristic Code of Behavior has earned him enemies. Assassination is a very real threat. Yelena must study poison tasting under the unyielding tutelage of Valek, the chief of security in the palace. Valek, to ensure her loyalty, doses her with a poison for which only he can provide the antidote. To make matters more complicated, Yelena murdered the abusive son of a powerful general. That general still wants her dead and he doesn't care that she is now the Commander's slave.

Despite her situation, she finds herself intrigued by the enigmatic Valek, especially as he helps her navigate the tense political landscape of Ixia. The Commander, too, is not the man she expected. As she works with them, she finds herself less and less willing to betray them, although she knows she must try to escape. But as she grows stronger and more capable, she begins to realize that she another problem, one as dangerous as poison or the general. She has magical powers, forbidden in Ixia since the fall of the monarchy. If her powers are discovered, she will be put to death anyway. The neighboring kingdom of Sitia offers refuge to mages fleeing Ixia and they would welcome anyone willing to help them against the Commander, who they fear has designs on their country. Escape is her only option, no matter the cost or consequences.

I enjoyed the Poison Study's blend of political intrigue and romance. Yelena lives in a dark, dangerous world, but she is more than a little dark and dangerous herself. Her feelings for Valek, who would never be accused of being nice either, are believable in this context. Part of the attraction between them is that they are both survivors, capable of anything under duress. Compassion is something neither can afford to exhibit often, although it is a trait that they both secretly possess. As Yelena's situation grows more untenable, readers will hope for some miraculous rescue, but Yelena doesn't wait for one. She actively seeks out her own solutions and takes her opportunities where she finds them, another reason why she's an appealing heroine. The world isn't as fleshed out as one finds in many fantasy novels, but Yelena's first person narrative helps balance this. Readers see the world from her point of view, so if that vision is sometimes obscured it doesn't detract too much from the story. Teasers about Yelena's background and origin lead readers naturally toward the sequels, Magic Study and Fire Study.

After reading An Abundance of Katherines I was pretty much sold on anything by John Green for life (at least for now). John Green's Looking for Alaska won the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature in 2006 (a big deal in the teen book world).

It felt like I had been waiting forever for his new book Paper Towns to come out and then my hold finally came in. I read Paper Towns over the weekend and loved it! Here's the story: Quentin Jacobsen is about to graduate from high school, and he's pretty comfortable being the geeky, loner-ish guy he's been all of his life. Everything changes one night when his next door neighbor, the girl he has had a huge crush on his entire life, shows up at his bedroom window and takes him out for an all night spree of pranks and living on the edge. The next day she disappears and Quentin and his friends set out to find her. This book is the perfect combination of mystery, romance, and humor.  I laughed out loud and I cried a little too.

For more info on the author and Paper Towns checkout this recent article in the Seattle P-I.

If you don't check out his books (which I highly recommend), then at least take a look at the video blog that he does with his brother. It's funny and very geeky. http://www.youtube.com/vlogbrothers 

One of the best things about historical romances is that many authors create large families or groups of friends and then set about telling you the love stories of all the members, over the course of many books.  This is a lot of fun, because you can get to know groups of characters, and visit with them once or twice a year.  And while titles are related, they're not precisely series, so nothing is ruined if you miss one or get out of order.

Let It Be Love by Victoria Alexander is one example of this, telling the story of Jonathon Effington and Miss Fiona Fairchild.  Jonathon is a member of the Effington family, and part of a group of gentlemen who are avoiding marriage.  Fiona's father left her the care of her younger sisters, but she can only provide for them if she marries promptly.  Hoping to sidestep an arranged marriage, she seeks the assistance of her cousin.  He notes that Fiona exactly fits his friend Jonathon's description of a perfect wife--the lady he'd marry immediately if she simply presented herself to him.

Fiona's cousin arranges a meeting between the two, Fiona proposes marriage to Jonathon, and he cheerfully accepts.  The problem is, he believes she's an actress hired to play a joke on him.  When Jonathon learns the truth, his honor demands that he help Fiona find a husband or a fortune before it's too late.

This entertaining tale, set in high society Victorian era London, has humor, passion, and charming personalities to recommend it.  You can also read the stories of the Effingtons and Jonathon's gentlemen friends in Victoria Alexander's other books!

King County Library system has a lot of great resources to get you ready for college.  There are two ways to access useful websites from our home page.  One way is to do the following:

• www.kcls.org
• click on "Web Sites" at the top left corner
• click on the first link "Browse Web Sites"
• under "Education" you will find links to "Post-Secondary" (college information) and "Scholarships and Aid" (financial planning)

You can access other college and financial planning information this way:

• www.kcls.org
• look for the green section labeled "Pages For" and choose "Teens"
• then click on "Teen Web Sites" at the upper right side of the page
• from there you can click on "College" to find both college and financial planning information

Also, some libraries have Career Centers which contain great resources for college and financial planning.  Here is a sampling of titles to give you an idea of what we have to offer.

• Peterson's Four-year Colleges 2009
• Peterson's Two-year Colleges 2009
• The College Board College Handbook
• Bears Guide to Earning Degrees by Distance Learning by Mariah Bear and Thomas Nixon
• The College Blue Book  Volumes 1-6
• Peterson's Scholarships, Grants & Prizes 2009
• Scholarships, Fellowships, and Loans by Norman and Marie Feingold
• The Scholarship Book by Daniel Cassidy
• Choosing the Right College, 2006 : The Whole Truth About America's Top Schools
• Ultimate College Guide 2008 by the Staff of U.S. News & World Report

Some libraries have free presentations that offer college or financial planning information.  For example on November 18 at 7pm Vashon Library will have a presentation on "Finding Money for College".  To see what other programs might be happening in the system check this link http://www.kcls.org/programs/index.cfm. 

It takes courage to try out for the Denver Broncos, especially when you're a 43 year old journalist, weigh 170 pounds, and have never played organized football in your life. But Stefan Fatsis likes to research his books thoroughly, and for his most recent effort, A Few Seconds of Panic, he takes the field with the some of the best players in the National Football League. Preparing to write his book Word Freak, Fatsis spent a year among the world's best competitive Scrabble players, even working his way up to 180th on the world Scrabble rankings.

Playing pro football would prove more challenging.

Like his 300 pound teammates, at first you might wonder why Fatsis thinks this is a good idea. But some of us are sports obsessed, dreaming of glory days we probably never had, and we want to know what it's like to catch a ball in front of millions of fans. Or what goes through the mind of someone whose career could be over after every play? And how would a regular person like me perform in an NFL game? Fatsis works hard to find out.

When George Plimpton wrote his famous book Paper Lion, the public looked up to pro athletes as heroes. Today NFL players are lucky to last a handful of seasons, often in different cities, before their bodies give out. Sports stories often center on an individual player's poor off-field behavior, giving the impression that most pro athletes are thugs. Fatsis manages to humanize the players, to present them as more than the commodities they've become, and he does it with a humorous and easy style. His self-deprecating humor and, more importantly, his earnest efforts to understand the players are welcomed by his teammates and readers alike.

Skim is not. Skim that is. In Skim, a graphic novel by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, Skim is Kimberly Keiko, a mixed-race, not-slim, Goth-girl and wannabe Wiccan searching for her own place in the private girls' school she attends with her best friend, Lisa. When the boyfriend of a classmate commits suicide, the place becomes downright oppressive as Skim's peers target her dark moods and darker wardrobe. Enter Ms. Archer, Skim's free-free-spirited drama teacher. Suddenly, Skim finds meaning in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The two begin a romantic relationship that leaves Skim questioning her sexuality and, when it ends, her self-worth. Ultimately, it is in reaching out to Katie, girlfriend of the boy who committed suicide, that Skim finds her voice again.

Through the lens of a few years, and the comfort of a grownup chair, the age of 16 is easier to bear. This graphic novel was published for a teen audience but adults will empathize with Skim's growing pains. The book is set in early 1990s Toronto and its panels feature details that will take adult readers back to their own school days. Adolescent anxiety may be a painful thing to remember, but here it is drawn in flowing black-and-white.  The novel's sharp dialogue and the school's reaction to the suicide are eerily reminiscent of the 1989 Christian Slater-Winona Ryder movie, Heathers.  

Pairing an elegant package and a winning voice,  Skim will resonate with teen and adult readers alike.

Let's face it... sometimes the music created for children can make you weep instead of sing. 

In order to avoid the heartache (or earache) of terrible tunes I've compiled a list of absolutely marvelous music you can share with your child.

Let's start this musical tour with the tuneful and silly musical stylings of the Chenille Sisters.  My favorite album of theirs is Teaching Hippopotami to Fly which includes the messily wonderful song Noodles.  This trio of singer's beautiful blending of voices sounds a lot like the Andrew's Sisters.  Quality singing of very kid friendly songs! 

Marcy Marxer often works in (Grammy Award Winning) partnership with Cathy Fink but some of her best work is on her solo album Jump Children.  She has a rich, lively singing style that will have you and your child up and dancing while you sing along.  My favorite Cathy Fink/Marcy Marxer collaborative effort is Scat Like That which includes their usual mix of styles (jazz, folk, polka, blues, etc) and fun.

Jim Gill is another award winning children's musician with a long list of albums.  One of my favorites is Jim Gill Sings the Sneezing Song and Other Contagious Tunes which includes Hands are for Clapping and many other active, fun songs.

You and your child might also enjoy Jessica Harper, The Wiggles (a favorite with dads), Charlotte Diamond, or Sharon, Lois and Bram.

There's just too much good stuff out there to waste a moment on flat, tuneless, elevator music.  Check some of these gems out and start singing and dancing with your kids!   For even more ideas go to the website BestChildren'sMusic.com.  They have samples, lyrics and reviews to help you discover the best music out there for children.

How do you define your favorite book?  Is it the one that you have re-read the most?  Or the one that you associate with a special place or time?  Perhaps a favorite person introduced you to the book and that connection has stayed with you.  Oddly enough, my favorite book has none of these attributes, but it is the one that I have recommended to the most people--Crescent, by Diana Abu-Jaber. 

Crescent is a story about love and family.  Sirine, thirty-nine and never married, cooks at a Lebanese restaurant in an Arab-American community in Los Angeles and lives with the Iraqi uncle who raised her after her parents died.  Her family includes her outspoken boss, the other employees at the restaurant, and the Middle Eastern university students who come to the restaurant to feel closer to home.  One day she meets Hanif, an Iraqi exile and professor at the university.  As their relationship develops, Sirine begins to consider her life as an Arab-American while Han faces a difficult decision about his responsibility toward his family back in Iraq.

Abu-Jaber conjures atmosphere that surrounds you as you read, so that the smells of the food and the sounds of the students speaking Arabic are almost real.  She portrays Arab culture and the complexity of intercultural relationships with honesty and sensitivity, while examining issues that challenge everyone who chooses to love others. 

Why is this book my favorite?  It's as difficult to explain as the scent of mjeddrah or the feel of phyllo--read Crescent and experience it for yourself. 

Celebrate the release of Twilight, the movie, with trivia, music from the soundtrack, a photo opportunity, costume contest and prizes.

Space is limited so arrive on time!

Open to teens in middle, junior and high school.

As a raving locavore and huge fan of cooking, it's no surprise that Jamie Oliver's new book, Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life, is a delight on many different levels.  Jamie has always emphasized using fresh local ingredients, but in this book he advocates getting as fresh and local as possible and uses his own organic garden and farm as inspiration. 

The book is organized by season, with each section divided into chapters devoted to a main ingredient such as orchard fruit, winter vegetables, game, mushrooms, etc.  Each chapter then contains a handful of recipes that showcases its star ingredient.  The accompanying photos are gorgeous, showing dishes lovingly prepared (or still cooking!), often right where the food was grown or foraged.  The recipes are classic Jamie: loose, rustic, and amazingly simple.  He lets the food speak for itself, choosing combinations that showcase the glories of the earth and just how much a cook can do with a little manipulation and a generous amount of olive oil. 

Home cooks not familiar with Jaime's style or those needing precise instructions may find themselves annoyed as the author's famously casual style often includes such measurements as "a knob of butter" or a "nice handful" of this or that.  Even cooking instructions can get a little vague; I'm not sure what "preheat the oven to full whack" means, but I'm guessing it's somewhere around "really hot."  Those who tend to use recipes as guidelines or launching points, however, will appreciate the freedom to experiment and improvise.

Jamie writes with a familiar chummy tone that makes the book fun and accessible.  He's surprisingly intimate when talking about his garden, and the man clearly loves his 'winter veg' so much it's almost embarrassing.  Even if you don't use any of the recipes, the lovely pictures, discussion of organic and local ingredients, and supplemental gardening information make this a worthy read.

After reading your favorite children's books, it's fun to then do a craft or related activity to reinforce ideas and extend the literature beyond the page.  This helps kids develop narrative skills, one of the six early literacy skills that kids need to know before they can learn to read.

Grace Lin's website: is full of colorful activities to go along with her very colorful books.

If you like to read page-turning thrillers that also give you something to think about, then by all means put Michael Crichton's Airframe on your list.

As in many of his books, Airframe focuses on a controversial contemporary topic which he illustrates by way of a suspenseful mystery. Here the focus is on mid-air disasters resulting from unsafe aircraft manufacturing. The book opens with a catastrophic accident on a commercial airline that results in many deaths and injuries. Subsequently, the story centers on heroine Casey Singleton, who is a VP and quality assurance investigator at fictitious Norton Aircraft, the manufacturer of the plane. She is charged with the task of discovering the cause of the accident in an impossibly short time-frame so that a much-needed deal with a Chinese carrier can go through. But union troubles, corporate intrigue, and scandal-hungry media types (who smell a juicy corporate negligence story) all conspire to make it increasingly difficult for Singleton to complete her mission and save her own career.

As Casey Singleton digs deeper and deeper, the reader finds out much about the aircraft manufacturing industry, which is generally portrayed sympathetically. Crichton helps the reader out by explaining the frequently technical points in a clear manner that doesn't make the dialogue seem stilted. One gets the impression, as with many of Crichton's works (for example, Jurassic Park or State of Fear), that the author has definitely done his homework and come to some strongly-felt conclusions about the issue at hand...though his conclusions may not necessarily be your conclusions. This is one of the more interesting by-products of reading a book by Michael Crichton: whether you agree or disagree with his position, the book is nevertheless bound to be extremely thought-provoking and induce discussion.

Yet Airframe is anything but a dry discourse on the airline industry. The writing style is crisp and the dialogue is believable, if a bit-one-dimensional. Indeed, character development is deemphasized while the forward momentum of the plot and the all-important setting are the primary points of focus. This trademark approach is enhanced by the use of numerous, short chapters conceptually similar to scenes in a television crime-drama. In any given chapter, Crichton makes his point with economy and then moves on to the next scene without further ado.

The end-result of Michael Crichton's style and substance is a book that draws you in and is hard to put down. So if you are looking for a quick, easy, informative and eminently enjoyable read then definitely check out Airframe.

I know that Seattle hosted a world's fair less than 50 years ago, but somehow I always think of them as being from an earlier time.  They create an image of wonder and excitement that hardly seems possible in our era.  That is why I picked up Murder on the Eiffel Tower, by Claude Izner. The story is set in Paris in 1889, with the Paris Exposition as the scene.  The Eiffel Tower is new, and people flock to see this technological wonder.  While on such a visit, a young woman collapses and dies, and bookseller Victor Legris becomes involved in the investigation of her murder.  Victor is not an experienced sleuth, and as more people die, he begins to suspect everyone--even the man who is as close to him as a father.  His investigation takes him to the Exposition again and again, allowing us to experience this historic event through his eyes while he strings together clues to find the killer.

The book is written under the pen name Claude Izner by two French sisters who are second-hand booksellers and experts on 19th-century Paris.  With this knowledge they re-create the atmosphere of the 1889 Paris Exposition in detail, and give Victor credibility as the owner of a used book shop.  The mystery is satisfying, but it is the window into Parisian history that will appeal to Francophiles, history buffs, and fans of fairs and expositions. 

This is the first book in a series, but the only one to have been released in the U.S. so far.  While you are waiting for more, you might try Cara Black's series featuring Aimee Leduc, beginning with Murder in the Marais, which is also set in Paris (though in the mid-1990s), or French author Pierre Magnan's series with Commissaire Laviolette, set in Provence and starting with Death in the Truffle Wood.

Go right now (OK, after you finish reading this) and check how many kinds of vinegar you have in your cupboard. You probably have at least five different kinds, right? I mean, you NEED the balsamic to make your favorite salad dressing. You NEED the rice vinegar for that yummy Asian salad. You NEED the white vinegar for cleaning, and hey, it is better for the environment than using Windex. 

This was the reality journalist Judith Levine faced when she examined her cupboards. She NEEDED all these different kinds of rice, she NEEDED more new shoes, she NEEDED to go out to dinner several times per week. Or did she? To explore her motivations, she wrote Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping.

Levine and her husband spent a year examining the global question of what it means to be a consumer in the United States and the local question of what is it that she actually needs, versus what she just wants to have. At times you have to laugh at the absurdity of our personal indulgences, but at times you have to cringe. She is describing all of us, after all.

Levine soldiers on through a year of figuring out how to entertain, give gifts, stay clean, and even feed and clothe herself while spending money only on the very barest necessities. By the end of the year, she's pretty worn out, but she's also saved quite a bit of money and best of all, she's discovered the benefits of using the public library! My work here is done...

Boys are dogs!  At least that's what Annabelle is beginning to think.  She's just started 6th grade, and the boys in her school are terrible.  They trip her in the hallway, call her names like "Spazabelle," and generally make her life completely miserable.  Life at home isn't much better, either.  When Annabelle was away at camp this summer, her mom's boyfriend moved in, so now there's this new guy in the house all the time (he's not so bad, but still, it's kind of weird). One really good thing happened, though; Annabelle got a puppy.  But, puppies take a lot of work, so Annabelle spends most of her free time training Pepper not to do bad puppy things like pee on the floor or chew on her shoes.  And finally, after weeks of work, the puppy starts to listen.  Things are school are still pretty bad, though, and Annabelle knows that she's going to need to take drastic measures unless she wants to spend the next three years getting picked on.  So, she starts to really look at how the boys at her school act and she realizes they reminder her a bit of Pepper when he's not behaving.  And if the boys are acting like puppies, then maybe, just maybe, those training strategies she used on Pepper might work on boys, too.

This is a great book for younger readers that tackles some weighty subjects in a way that is inspiring and fun.  Kids face many changes and challenges as they enter middle school, and Boys Are Dogs shows how inner strength and a little determination can help them adjust to new situations.  I also appreciate that this book portrays blended families in a positive but realistically complicated manner.  Annabelle is a likeable character that readers can relate to (who hasn't been picked on at one time or another in their life?), and she navigates her situation with plenty of pluck and some serious 'can do' attitude.

The influx of manga into the American graphic novel market has made for a dizzying array of choices. A nice side effect of this is that there are more graphic novels available with female main characters and romantic, as well as adventurous, subplots. One of the shojo manga (manga aimed at women and girls) that I greatly enjoy reading is the series Red River. It is long, twenty-eight volumes total, some of which are still forthcoming, but the adventure is nonstop!

A spell sends Yuri, a young Japanese teen, back in time to the ancient Hittite Empire. Queen Nakia, the sorceress who cast the spell, wants to use Yuri as a blood sacrifice to ensure that her son becomes the next king. While trying to escape the evil queen, Yuri stumbles upon Prince Kail, one of the brothers in line for the throne. He mistakenly thinks that Yuri is a tool of his conniving stepmother. When he realizes that she's just an innocent pawn, he promises to protect her until they can figure out a way to send her home. Of course, when the prince spends so much time with Yuri, everyone else assumes she is his concubine. Kail decides that Yuri will be safest if they continue to let everyone believe that they are lovers. This keeps Yuri out of Queen Nakia's clutches, but conflicts with other empires, notably Egypt, soon draw Kail away from the palace, leaving Yuri vulnerable on several fronts. She must learn to navigate the brutal landscape of the ancient world, protecting herself and sometimes Kail as well. After one adventure, Yuri is declared an avatar of Ishtar, the Hittite goddess of love and war. The army believes that with her at Prince Kail's side, they can defeat any enemy. This declaration binds Kail and Yuri even closer together, and, as more time passes, Yuri isn't sure she wants to leave Kail at all, even if it means missing her chance to go home.

With clean, crisp artwork and a good sense of drama and suspense, Red River is an easy, fun read. Personally, I often struggle with the love triangles that drive most manga storylines. Thankfully, Red River doesn't revolve around one. Rivals for Kail and Yuri's love pop up from time to time, but none are serious threats. The obstacles they face are usually more diverse, political machinations and continuous warfare chief amongst them. Their love affair is racy enough to be amusing and sweet enough to be heart-warming. Readers looking for a romantic adventure will find one here.

The patrons of the Waystone Inn aren't entirely comfortable with their new innkeeper, but it's still the best place to catch up on news. Unfortunately, none of that news is good. Times are bad and getting worse. Some villagers even whisper about monsters in the night. Soon enough, the whispers are proven right. A demonic spider attacks a traveling bard and Kote, the innkeeper, saves him, revealing just a little too much power and knowledge in the process. Now Chronicler, the bard, is suspicious. Is it possible that this worn and weary innkeeper is really Kvothe the Bloodless, Kvothe the Kingkiller, Kvothe the Arcane, a legendary mage and musician?

When his suspicions are confirmed, Chronicler demands Kvothe's true story (for posterity, naturally). Kvothe reluctantly agrees. A child of the Edema Ruh, accomplished traveling perfomers, Kvothe knows how to weave a tale and he intends to make a thorough job of this one. He tells the bard that it will take three days to tell his story- this first novel is the first day. Readers quickly learn that Kvothe's father secretly studied tales about the Chandrians, evil demons whose origins are lost in legend. Kvothe believes that his father's discoveries led to the massacre of his tribe. Before he can seek out more information about the Chandrians, young Kvothe, now orphaned, must survive in the world alone, sometimes living like a hermit in the wilds and sometimes begging in the city streets. Eventually, he makes a place for himself at the University, the center of arcane lore, and begins his quest in earnest.

Rothfuss uses a third person perspective for the present timeline and a first person narrative for Kvothe's memories. Flashbacks and narrative changes usually make for a very difficult novel, but in this case, they help move everything along. The reader gets to see the hero through the eyes of other characters, but also experiences his story intimately. Young Kvothe, witty and often reckless, is charming even when arrogant or insecure. The older Kvothe is wiser and more powerful, but consumed by doubts and regrets that are still foreign to his younger self. Readers can easily connect with both, but will eagerly await more revelations about his transformation from young braggart to hesitant hero. The world is rich in detail and complexity, but doesn't overload the reader with too much information or too many names. Both lush and concise, The Name of the Wind is an engrossing start to the Kingkiller Chronicle. The second novel, The Wise Man's Fear, is due out in Spring of 2009. I'll be looking for it!

Goodman's lush and atmospheric novel offers mysteries old and new. The Sonnet Lover opens with the return of film-student Robin Weiss to Hudson College. Robin just made a film at the college's extension campus, the Italian villa La Civetta. His film, a reading of Shakespeare's sonnets accompanied by a sonnet supposedly written by the Bard's anonymous "Dark Lady", has inspired both the scholarly world and the film world. A producer wants to make a movie about Shakespeare and Ginevra De Laura, the 16th century resident of La Civetta. Robin's film implied that she was the author of the new poem and Shakespeare's famous lover. Rose Asher, a professor at Hudson, has little to do with any of this until Robin comes to her, obviously upset. A Renaissance scholar, Rose knows more than a little about the poets involved. She also knows Robin, a talented student, but one with a history of plagiarism. She studied at La Civetta twenty years ago and never found any of Ginevra's legendary manuscripts. But before she can speak to him, Robin apparently commits suicide, jumping from a balcony at the premier party for his film.

Rose worries that his death wasn't actually a suicide. Before he died, he passed her a manuscript of the poem. She assumed that he wrote it himself, but this manuscript looks suspiciously authentic. Even though Robin is dead, production on the movie continues and everyone seems eager to get Rose on board as their Renaissance poetry expert. With Robin's manuscript in hand and the mystery of his death looming large, Rose reluctantly agrees, even though returning to La Civetta is something she's always avoided. Bruno Brunelli, an expert on sonnets, teaches at La Civetta. Bruno and Rose had an affair that she still hasn't forgotten. Now she must face him again, and this time with the knowledge that his son, Robin's partner on the film, may have been responsible for Robin's death. Can she discover the truth about Ginevra, solve the mystery of Robin's death and escape La Civetta with her life and her heart intact?

Florence comes alive through Rose's eyes, especially the decayed and spooky villa. La Civetta is a location worthy of any gothic novel, from the haunted stairs, stained by the blood Ginevra shed after she was raped by the villa's tyrannical master, to the maze-like rose garden that she planted for her secret lover. Snippets of Ginevra's sonnets enrich the story. Rose is an engaging heroine, caught between the past and the present but propelled on by her own scruples and instincts. Like the Da Vinci Code, The Sonnet Lover blends a modern tale of intrigue with details from the past, reinterpreting them to fit the story. Though not as fast-paced or sensational as the Da Vinci Code, readers looking for a literary mystery with a touch of romance will be thoroughly satisfied.

Around the globe, there are approximately 320 million children under the age of sixteen who work.  Nearly half of those are in dangerous professions, and some are working under conditions that practically guarantee an early death, such as forced military service or prostitution.  Since 1992, epidemiologist and human rights advocate David L. Parker has traveled the globe many times to photograph children and the often deplorable conditions they work in.  These are collected in a new book, Before Their Time: The World of Child Labor.

There isn't much text in this book, just a brief forward and introduction, plus short essays on different industries children are forced to work in.  Instead, the author lets the pictures speak for themselves and he was brilliant to do so.  The black and white images are brutally honest in their depictions of child labor, yet often quite beautiful in their starkness and raw human emotion.  Many of these children are so world-weary and carry themselves with such self-assuredness they appear to be miniature adults.  It is impossible not to see the exhaustion from endless hours of hard labor, yet a few of the photographs capture workers smiling, laughing, or even playing, reminding us that they are indeed children.

While this book is undeniably heartbreaking, it is also hopeful.  The number of children forced to work continues to decline through the efforts of Mr. Parker and a number of non-governmental organizations mentioned in the book, and a brief closing essay quotes a number of workers who have been rescued from servitude.  Despite the difficulty of the subject matter, this is a riveting book that I found impossible to put down. 

Confession time: I'm an English Lit major with a weakness for military romance novels. Suzanne Brockmann and Marliss Melton both write fast-paced romantic suspense about Navy Seals and I eat them up. I love the military action, the split-second life-and-death decisions, and of course, the alpha male heroes.

Recently, I picked up Allah's Fire by Chuck Holton and Gayle Roper. It has all the features I want in romance novels such as interesting characters that you really care about, genuine love that grows between the characters, and believable situations. It also has all the authentic military action that I enjoy. And, in addition to that, it has characters struggling in their relationship with God.

Set in Beirut, Lebanon, the novel follows journalist Liz Fairchild, as she tries to uncover information about the kidnapping of her sister, Julie. With God's help, she's willing to risk everything to find her sister before it is too late.

Meanwhile, Army Master Sergeant John Cooper, who in true romantic hero style is not only tough and sexy but also smart and kind, works with his explosives hunting team members to find the terrorists who have a new undetectable explosive. Something of a lost sheep, John is conflicted in his belief in a God who seems to let terrible things happen.

Armed with guts and an ever-growing faith, John and Liz race to save a sister, a city, and maybe even their souls.

Sirantha Jax lost everything when her spaceship crashed. Her pilot and lover died, as did several important passengers, and Jax may be the one to blame. She was the navigator, the one responsible with seeing the ship safely through Grimspace, the dimension that allows ships to travel between star systems. Very few people are capable of becoming navigators. It requires a special gene and, even with that gene, not everyone can take Grimspace. Most navigators burn out pretty quickly. Jax is old for a Grimspace jumper, but she doesn't think she's burnt out yet. She doesn't believe she could have caused the crash either, but the Corporation doesn't care about her reasoning. They're holding her responsible and they control the galaxy. It doesn't help that Jax can't remember the crash at all, just the bloody aftermath. Held in a Corporation facility for evaluation, Jax knows it's just a matter of time before they declare her insane and lock her away forever. Death seems like the only option until a stranger infiltrates her sealed quarters with an offer she can't refuse. He'll help her escape if she agrees to join a group of rebels. They want to take the Corporation down, but they can't do it without navigators and they've picked Sirantha Jax, once the darling of the Corp., as their jumper.

Readers looking for a fast-paced and entertaining space-opera will be pleased with this novel. It has a touch of noir to it- Sirantha is darkly funny as she deals with the blows fate sends her way and March, the mysterious man who rescues her, is the perfect straight-man for her high-jinks. Other characters offer intriguing plot threads as well- the alien slave whose biology was changed so that he must belong to someone or die, the deposed-princess-turned-engineer, the pacifist doctor, the pirate king... just to name a few. With shades of Firefly (quirky, rebellious colonials and a tyrannical, corrupt central power), Pitch Black (a hero with a dark, mysterious past and a planet of carnivorous critters that relentlessly hunt humans) and Andromeda (a scrappy but damaged heroine - think Beka Valentine after her Flash addiction--and a slipstream-like method of travel) there's a lot here for a science fiction fan to love! The sequel, Wanderlust, is already available.

An American anthropologist named Martiya van der Leun lived among the Dyalo tribe of Northern Thailand, murdered a Christian missionary named David Walker, and killed herself years later in her Thai prison cell. At the beginning of Mischa Berlinski's first novel, Fieldwork, a friend tells the narrator Martiya's story, and he tries to untangle the events that lead to her ruin. He interviews her friends and the Walker family - American missionaries who have lived in East Asia for generations. But it's a difficult task to research and truly understand another's life.

Fieldwork addresses serious issues, is written in an entertaining style, and still tells a gripping story; a rare achievement. Berlinski originally planned to write a history of the Lisu people of Northern Thailand's conversion to Christianity, but he had difficulty selling his idea to publishers. One day he woke up from a nap with the plot to Fieldwork, and his history became a novel. Religion remains at the heart of Fieldwork, and a tension between faith and reason is never fully resolved. Martiya's reason and the Walkers' faith are both given a sympathetic and intelligent voice, one of the book's great strengths. His depiction of the fictional Dyalo tribe is equally convincing and mysterious.

The Dyalo and the Walkers agree: there are spirits in the hills of Northern Thailand. Martiya's life haunts many people in Fieldwork, and it will likely stay with you long after you've finished the book.

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir is Bill Bryson's witty and affectionate look at his childhood years in 1950s Des Moines, Iowa. This book contrasts his innocent (well, not always so innocent) Middle American childhood with the larger, and often darker, events of post-war America.

Bryson tells us that his own childhood wasn't terribly eventful, yet his engaging and sometimes bawdy writing style makes every little incident seem terribly interesting. For example, Bryson celebrates his father for his gifts as a respected local sportswriter while amusingly pointing out his various eccentricities, such as his legendary cheapness (with one striking exception) as well as his rather distinctive bedtime attire. Bryson also remembers his thankless stint as a paperboy, his obsession with comic books, reading the already antiquated Dick and Jane books in school, and his ongoing discovery of sex (including his first look at a stripper).

On a grander scale, Bryson describes Des Moines as being typical of its time for its uniqueness: "Every community was special and nowhere was like everywhere else. If our commercial enterprises in Des Moines weren't the best, they were at least ours." But he also contrasts the prevailing innocence and optimism of the time with the anti-Communist hysteria and rapidly escalating nuclear arms race as we became "the first nation in modern history to build a war economy in peacetime." Yet these observations don't create a dark, cynical picture of America; on the contrary, he creates a rich, often hilarious portrait of conflicting and contrasting aspects that typified mid-20th-centry American life.

Readers used to linear storytelling should be aware of the sometimes disorienting jumps across time, depending on the subject Bryson addresses. In addition, those expecting the Thunderbolt Kid shtick to be a prominent feature might be surprised by the fact that it is ultimately a secondary element that occasionally, though humorously, illustrates a mischievous, sometimes bratty kid's revenge fantasies. Finally, Bryson also "cheats" to the extent that much of the latter portion of this book about the 1950s actually occurs in his teen years during the 1960s. Of course, the upside of this is that we get an early look at his Walk In The Woods partner and legendary reprobate, Katz, known as the "chipperest, friendliest, most party-ready human being the Earth had ever known when sober and even more when drunk, which he was much of the time even at age fourteen."

Yet these are mere quibbles, for The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid is a delight to read. Whether you lived it or just saw it in reruns, Bill Bryson proves that childhood in 1950s Middle America was a lot more interesting than the Cleavers ever let on.

Not to be restrictive or anything but sometimes a guy just wants to read a book written by another guy.  Boys in 3rd through 6th grade have some great authors to choose from when they are in that kind of mood.

One of my top choices is Gary Paulsen.  He's a versatile writer of many, many books including Hatchet (survival adventure at its very best), The Legend of Bass Reeves (historical fiction that will knock your socks off), and How Angel Peterson Got His Name: And Other Outrageous Tales About Extreme Sports (one of Gary's many biographies that will make you laugh until it hurts).

Next on my list of excellent guy writers is Roland Smith.  Thunder Cave is a book that boys repeatedly recommend to me!  It is a heart stopping adventure story that is almost impossible to put down.  Zach's Lie is another exciting adenture story by Smith with plenty of laugh out loud moments in it.

Some other authors that rank high on the guy index include Gordon Kormon, Anthony Horowitz, Will Hobbs, and for our younger guys I suggest Jon Sciezka's Time Warp Trio or his hysterical new biography Kucklehead for everyone!  Also for younger guys there is Dav Pilkey and Captain Underpants (Mom's just look the other way and you'll be OK).

For more ideas check out The Association for Library Service to Children Guys Read page.  NPR also has an excellent interview with Jon Sciezka on the topic of boys and reading.

Read to your boys, read with your boys, read in front of your boys... READ!

 

I once read a humorous essay that pointed out that Thanksgiving was the only day during the year when Americans ate better than the French.  I was in France at the time, and honestly, I had to agree.  Perhaps the upcoming holiday is one reason why I recently felt an urge to revisit one of my favorite books, Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, by Peter Menzel and Faith D'Aluisio.  This husband and wife team has collaborated on several books that combine his photography and her writing. In Hungry Planet, they look at the eating habits of 30 families in 24 countries.  This isn't a dry statistical comparison of pounds of vegetables per year. Instead, they spent a week with each family to learn about their lifestyles, habits, and culture.  Then they photographed each family in their kitchen (or, at least, in the spot where they did their cooking), along with the food and drinks they would typically consume in one week.

Hungry Planet is meant as a snapshot of eating habits at a time when traditional diets are being shifted by cross-cultural influences and migration. There are Coca-Cola cans in unexpected places, along with an essay and photos on one of the most recognizable exports from the U.S.--McDonald's.  However, it was not the American influence on world cuisine that made the greatest impact when I first read the book.  It was the photo of the family of six in the Breidjing Refugee Camp in eastern Chad, seated on a mat with their weekly United Nations food rations--a quantity of food that might just fit in my reusable QFC shopping bag--in front of them. It is an image that comes back to me from time to time, such as during my annual Thanksgiving dinner shopping trip.

As for whether the French really eat better than Americans?  Take a look at Hungry Planet, and see what you think.

Come to the Covington Library on Tuesday, November 18th at 7pm for what promises to be an entertaining multicultural evening with an amazing storyteller, Gene Tagaban, full of story, laughter, insight, vision and spirit. Be it trickster stories, creation stories, a portrayal of his grandmother or his personal life journey of becoming the "Raven Dancer," Gene masterfully weaves them all together.

Gene Tagaban/Guuy Yaaw, is an accomplished and gifted speaker, storyteller, actor, dancer, musician and trainer. His heritage is Cherokee, Tlingit and Filipino. He is of the Tak'deintaan Raven Freshwater Sockeye clan of Hoonah, Alaska, and the Child of a Wooshkeetaan Eagle Shark clan of Juneau, Alaska. He was featured at the National Storytelling Festival and played a lead role in Sherman Alexie's The Business of Fancydancing.

 

Gene Performing for the Dalai Lama at the Key Arena in Seattle 

I've heard a little bit about it, but what IS NaNoWriMo, anyhow?

NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month.

Yeah....so? What is it?

NaNoWriMo is an organized attempt to encourage people to write a novel...in a single month.

The goal is to get people over the hump of expecting a first draft to be good--because first drafts are never good! Writers who liberate themselves from expectations of goodness are more likely to actually write that first draft...and then, once it's written, they can actually move forward and do some editing and revising and maybe actually FINISH WRITING THE BOOK!

But in November, the whole idea is to just write.  50,000 words is the goal, which results in a 175-page book.

To achieve the 50,000-word goal, writers need to churn out approximately 1600 words per day if they plan to write every day.Or, if folks work weird schedules like me, they can write 4,000 words in a day or two, and then not write a single word for a day or two, and then write more when they have a chance. Remember that it doesn't have to be good, it just has to be written down!

Are there meetings and stuff?

The library system is offering writing workshops, writing coaches, and opportunities for writing support groups to meet in the library throughout the month. The entire list of library system programs for NaNoWriMo is located on our website:http://www.kcls.org/events/nanowrimo.cfm

Participants in NaNoWriMo (we call ourselves "WriMo's" for short) are not required to attend meetings or workshops. The only requirement is registration on the NaNoWriMo website (conveniently called www.NaNoWrMo.org ); participants update their own wordcounts.

There are other regional WriMo events, which can be found on the www.NaNoWriMo.org website. Again, not required.

On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama made history as the first African-American elected to the office of President of the United States of America.  The evening was an emotional one for many Americans and record numbers at the polls shows that democracy is alive and well in America. 

Obama is already a published author!

• The audacity of hope : thoughts on reclaiming the American dream
• Dreams from my father : a story of race and inheritance

Get to know the man who will become president on January 20, 2009: 

• The American journey of Barack Obama / the editors of Life
• Yes we can : a biography of Barack Obama
• Barack Obama (DVD) by A&E Home Video
  

With the recent publishing boom in graphic novels, many libraries and bookstores have devoted more and more space to these books.  Yet it can still be somewhat difficult to find graphic novels that are appropriate for students in elementary school.  So how do you make sure a child ends up with Babymouse and not Sin City?  Here are a few tips:

Check the cover.  Graphic novels usually list an age range on the back cover.  The manga publisher TokyoPop has developed a ratings system much like the one the video games industry uses, with "A" standing for All Ages (6 and up) and "Y" for Youth Age 10 +.  There is no industry standard, however, so be aware that each publisher's definitions of what is appropriate for children will likely differ.

Check the publisher and imprint.  For example, Scholastic's Graphix imprint publishes a mix of titles for ages 6 to 14, including both original titles and graphic adaptations of popular series like Goosebumps and The Babysitters Club. 

Papercutz, a publisher of graphic novels for children ages 8 to 14, has given Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys a manga-style makeover.

Top Shelf Productions and Roaring Brook's imprint First Second both publish original graphic novels for a variety of ages, and each has published an award-winning series for children. If you haven't already, check out Owly and Sardine in Outer Space.

Check with your Children's or Teen Librarian.  They can take into account your child's reading level and interests can point you in the direction of appropriate titles and authors.

Read on for some of my favorite graphic novels for the 12 and under set.

October through May, the King County Library Foundation sponsors a reading incentive program called Ready-Set-Read in which elementary school-aged kids can earn free books at all King County Libraries!  All kids have to do is read at least 20 minutes per day for 20 days within one month.  Many kids have to do this as part of their homework so earning a free book from the library is an added bonus!  A grown-up helps the child keep track of the number of days a child has completed by dating and initialing one footprint on the Ready Set Read Form.  When all 20 footprints have been initialed, come to your King County Library with your completed Ready-Set-Read form and claim your prize.

For more information about Ready-Set-Read and family reading tips, check out this information on the KCLS KidsPage.