King County Library System - Library Talk. - December 2008

Goldengrove is a heartbreaking but beautiful story about a family's loss and healing.  Prose's writing is gorgeously lyrical and she rushes nothing, letting each character mourn and reenter the world in the own time and manner.  Despite the young age of the protagonist, this is a conceptually sophisticated work filled with compassion and resonant, authentic emotions - a 'must read' for those like their fiction honest and true.

Appaloosa isn't a typical western although it does have a couple of pretty good shoot-'em-ups.  It talks of relationships with friends, the opposite sex, laws and even talks about the life of an Appaloosa stallion and his harem of mares.   A mighty fine read, pardner.

When I find a series that I love, it is hard to wait for the next book to be published. The problem is that I'm not very good at keeping tabs on those forthcoming books, so sometimes I miss one.  That was the case with Where Memories Lie by Deborah Crombie.  This latest in her mystery series featuring Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James was published in June, but I missed it completely.  Perhaps that was a good thing in the end, since I had a lot of homebound hours in the past couple of weeks in which to enjoy the book. 

This story is set in London, and it begins with an elderly man recognizing a diamond brooch in an auction catalog.  The brooch has connections to Gemma's neighbor Erika Rosenthal, who came to England from Germany during World War II.  When Erika asks Gemma to help her find out more about how the brooch came to be in the auction, neither anticipates the danger that will result from their questions.  When a murder occurs, Duncan also becomes involved in the case.  While this allows them to work together, it creates some friction with their colleagues on the police force. Then, in a true-to-life twist, the investigation takes off just as Gemma learns that her mother has leukemia, pulling her in different directions.  As a working mother with aging parents, she feels guilty for not being able to do it all. 

At the heart, Crombie's stories are police procedurals, but she has created a world of interesting and realistic recurring characters whose lives and relationships evolve over the course of the twelve books.  Duncan and Gemma's changing relationship and the resulting challenges is one of the main threads, but there are many others.  For example, we follow Gemma's friendship with Erika through several books, from the time that they meet, through their work on another case, to this point where their lives become more entwined.  I would recommend reading this series in order, starting with A Share in Death, to avoid missing any of the details. (I listened to the audio version; reader Michael Deehy does a great job.)

Where Memories Lie is one of several books in the series that features a map of the area where the story takes place.  Hand-drawn by Laura Hartman Maestro, the maps are informative, laying out all of the key sites, but they are also beautifully rendered examples of what the artist calls "friendly realism".  Maestro has produced artwork for a variety of fiction and nonfiction books, including novels by Elizabeth George and Sara Donati.   

So, when I saw that A.J. Jacobs had published The Year of Living Biblically, I was intrigued.  Jacobs is the guy who wrote The Know-It-All, about his year spent reading the Encyclopedia Britannica.  Yep, the entire thing.  But that's another blog...

The first thing you see when you open the book is 42 photos recording the growth of Jacobs' beard over the course of the year.  He started the project by reading the Bible and making note of all the rules and commands it contained.  He ended up with over 700, one of which is not shaving.  His goal was to follow the Bible as literally as possible and what he discovered was that following these rules to the letter often put him at cross purposes or forced him to break a lesser commandment to follow a larger one.

He also finds it difficult not to offend people.  It's one thing to not eat your friend's pie crust because of allergies; it's something else entirely not to eat it because of Leviticus.  And how do you follow the commandment of not touching others without being a jerk, he wonders?

Interspersed with his Biblical practices are the stories of everyday life with this 2 year old son Jasper and his wife Julie, who discovers partway through the book she is pregnant with twin boys.   Jacobs is a great writer and his attempts to build a hut in the living room,  make incense in a blender, and offer to wash the feet of his visitors come across as both humorous and poignant.

With over 3000 versions available, the Bible is without argument the best selling book of all time, and whether or not you've read it, you will find something to appreciate in A.J. Jacobs' fascinating year.

Needless to say, I am not a big mystery reader. Your standard whodunnit holds little appeal when you can skip to the end and feel no guilt at all.  When I do enjoy a mystery, it is either because the story is so compelling, I am anchored to the page. Or, it is because there is much more than a standard investigation going on.

The Likeness by Tana French is one such mystery--equal parts gripping and disturbing, it dares to tackle some thorny identity questions--are we who we think we are? who we say we are? or, who we pretend to be?

Detective Cassie Maddox is enjoying the relative quiet of the Dublin Domestic Violence unit after losing her partner and her cool in a particularly ugly case in the Murder division. Then a body is discovered, a woman who is the exact likeness of Cassie. The woman is identified as Alexandra Madison, a university student. Lexie Madison is the name that Cassie herself used as an undercover agent years before when she infiltrated the college's drug ring. Now Cassie is called on to be Lexie Madison once more, this time adopting the dead woman's identity to catch her killer.

The Likeness is the sequel to French's bestselling debut In the Woods. While you do not need to have read the first book, its fans will learn what happens when Cassie's past comes back to haunt her--much as her partner's did in the first book. Mystery readers and non-mystery readers alike will enjoy the books' Dublin setting and flawed, not-altogether reliable, narrators.

Just as everyone has an annoying reading habit, everyone is supposed to have a doppelganger. Let us hope that our own do not meet Lexie's unfortunate end.

Trying to decide whether to get a tattoo can be complicated. I'll list the variables you need to calculate your answer. A = your age. C = how conservative is your job. F = how conservative are your friends and family. J = how much you want to advance in your job. H = how many Harleys you honestly plan to have in your garage during your midlife years. S = how much your decision to get a tattoo is motivated by a desire to shock people. And V = your level of irrational attachment to the idea of getting a tattoo. I scored a negative 81.9 so it looks like I won't be getting a tattoo.

Each variable has a range that is well-explained. For example if you're wondering whether to run for public office, variable D - have you ever toured with a rock band? - ranges from one to ten. One is no I've never toured with a rock band and ten is yes, I toured with the band Phish.

According to Sundem, he and his college friends developed the equations to help others with similarly modest social skills, but people looking here for real answers will instead find a few laughs. The author knows a calculator can't really make life's gray areas black or white, but it's fun to watch him try.

When I was a kid my resolution was to remember to brush my teeth I do that twice a day now, but still have trouble sticking to other resolutions.

Adults tend to make resolutions like eating healthier, getting in shape, spending more time with friends and family, getting out of debt, saving money, making a budget, learning something new like Spanish, volunteering to help others, getting organized, and quitting smoking.

How can the library help you meet your goals? Well, if one of your goals is to get out debt and start saving then the library is your new best friend - you can get all your books, CDs, DVDs, magazines, and newspapers at the library for FREE.  Why buy a new book if you only use it once?  We also have many books on getting out of debt and planning a budget.

If you are trying to get organized and de-clutter you can donate your books to the library?  Most libraries turn around and sell the books through the "Friends of the Library" groups to raise money for library programs.

How about eating better and getting fit? The library has hundreds of books on dieting and eating healthier, as well as DVDs on getting fit I often check out a fitness DVD from the library to see if I like it before buying it from a bookstore.

Spending time with friends and family? Bring everyone in to the library for a storytime or even just to hang out . Check out books on things to do in the Seattle area.

Want to learn something new? Try finding it at the library - we have books, CDs, and DVDs and databases on learning a new language and how to knit.

Happy new year and best wishes for 2009!

Books by Marlena De Blasi

Yes, I know it's not sunny in Italy ALL the time but today when all around us is deep snow, it sure seems like it!  

Marlena's incredible journey to residing in Italy began in A Thousand Days in Venice: An Unexpected Romance, the events of which describe meeting and marrying her Italian husband Fernando.  This title was followed by A Thousand Days in Tuscany: A Bittersweet Adventure, The Lady in the Palazzo: At Home in Umbria and the most recent title That Summer in Sicily: A Love Story.   Some of the great things about these titles are that they are about Italy, the interesting people they have met and food!  Glorious, delicious, life-affirming food.  In fact, several other books by De Blasi in the King County Library System catalog are about the food and cooking of Italy.  

So why do I like them so much?  Let me give you a taste of the stories she tells (and lives).  In The Lady in the Palazzo, Marlena and her husband have long-term leased a decrepit ballroom in a building in Orvieto that the owners, who live elsewhere, promise to renovate but the work is progressing very, very, very slowly.  In fact, for stretches of time, nothing is done.  Marlena is just about to tear her hair out as she doesn't have a proper kitchen and as a chef, cooking is her life.  When she isn't fretting about her kitchen she and Fernando discover amazing food festivals, drink wonderful wine and eat delicious meals in neighborhood trattorias.  

How will it all end?  Will they one day be able to serve a meal to friends in their renovated ballroom?  Will they finally find a real home on the miraculous tufa plateau in beautiful Orvieto?  I can guarantee you will love finding out!

This semi-autobiographical National Book Award winner is a departure for acclaimed Native-American author Sherman Alexie in that is is geared for "YA" (young adult, or teen) readers. The narrator, Arnold "Junior" Spirit, is 14 years old and most of the secondary characters are also teenagers. But make no mistake; this is a classic work from a classic author that will appeal to anyone who has ever considered himself an outsider...in other words, all of us.

Junior, a Spokane Indian living on "The Rez" in northeastern Washington, is a poor, small, awkward, geeky-looking guy that is terribly insecure but also ambitious enough to want more that his reservation high school can offer him. So he announces to his alcoholic but loving and supportive parents that he intends to go to Reardon High School in an all-white small town nearby. Most of the people on the reservation consider him a traitor for this, including and especially his tough, loose-cannon best friend Rowdy, who punches him out and then disowns him. Likewise, Junior is initially treated like an unwelcome interloper at Reardon, but this is thankfully not a story about good guys and bad guys. Junior stands up to bullying and earns the respect and friendship of the perpetrator, a popular and ultimately decent jock named Roger. Initially rebuffed by his new heartthrob, the gorgeous blond Penelope, his concern and empathy over her own esteem issues earn not only her trust but also her willingness to be his girlfriend. But there still remain dramatic differences between his world on The Rez and small-town Reardon. How the various characters respond to these differences is what ultimately makes this a rich and refreshingly optimistic book.

Sherman Alexie is a gifted writer with a real facility for poetic yet believable language. The prose of Junior's narration is enhanced by many delightfully humorous illustrations, supposedly drawn by Junior himself but actually the creation of Seattle illustrator Ellen Forney. Like much of Alexie's prose, many of these illustrations are a complex mixture of wit and pathos; a great example of this is the "Are You Poor?" cartoon on page 128.

Yet the book never seems heavy-handed or moralistic. True, Sherman Alexie is himself a Spokane Indian and the narrowness of many of the white folks in Reardon is plainly described. But neither does he pull any punches with respect to narrowness among the Indians on The Rez or the alcoholism that he sees as the chief source of his people's poverty and misery. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is actually more universal in its tone. It is less about an Indian leaving his reservation than about a stifled soul seeking to expand his horizons and improve his opportunities. It is less about a clash between the white world and the Indian world than it is about a more general clash between insiders and outsiders, haves and have-nots.

Junior doesn't have to reject his origins or culture in order to avail himself of the advantages of another culture. The beauty of this book is that it demonstrates that, with a little courage, one can bridge the gap between two worlds because the people inhabiting those worlds are, surprisingly, more alike than different.    

Joseph Burke left Guadalcanal with five .25 caliber slugs in his stomach, and it wasn't long afterward that his wife left him. In Robert Parker's novel Double Play Burke's physical wounds heal quickly, but it's only in trying to save another man's life that Burke really begins to recover.

Being a bodyguard is rarely an easy job. Burke's been hired to protect Jackie Robinson, who in the midst of segregation has just broken major league baseball's color barrier by signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers. As hard as it is for Burke to guard the Dodger's new first baseman, Robinson himself has the far more difficult job. Parker gives us a small glimpse into the scrutiny, pressure and overt racism Robinson faces. It's eye-opening for Burke, who is white, to see the day to day difficulties Robinson encounters, from death threats to just hailing a taxi. Inspired by Robinson's courage and character, Burke begins to rebuild his life.

Double Play is a serious novel, but it's also a tight story filled with crime bosses, hitmen, and romantic interests that might be more trouble than they're worth. The dialogue is spare and sharp; Burke doesn't waste words and neither does Parker. There's action in the stands of Ebbots Field, fitting for this evocative story surrounding the more important story of Jackie Robinson.

It begins--as do all of Emerson's books, in my opinion--with a great opening line:  "I'm a mad dog. Utterly mad."  Jim Swope, firefighter, is naked on the roof of a police car, holding a cell phone to one ear and a gun pointed at the other.  He's sure that he's experiencing his last moments of life, and he has made his peace with that.  The story of how he came to be there begins in chapter two, with Jim responding to an accident on an icy stretch of I-90.  It is a normal night of work for the department, and no one knows the strange events that that the accident has set into motion.

Six months later, the firefighters who were on the scene that night begin to have accidents and illnesses that can't be explained.  When Jim shows the first symptoms of sharing their fate, he realizes that he must figure out what happened to them all, or his life will be over within a week.  We spend that week with Jim as he rushes to put together clues and to find a way to save his own life and those of his fellow firefighters.  And we don't find out whether he's successful or not until the last page. Now that's suspense. 

 
by Jessica Day George

On a cold and snowy night, a polar bear comes to the poor wood cutter's hut.  The bear offers to make the family wealthy if only the youngest daughter lives with him for a year. 

It sounds like a fairy tale, doesn't it?  That's because it's based on the fairy tale East of the Sun and West of the Moon.  But this is more than just unwanted daughters, talking bears and evil trolls.  It is layers of folklore and mythology woven together in a delicious blend of mystery, romance and adventure. 

Pika was the unwanted youngest daughter of a woodcutter.  Her mother did not care enough to even name her.  Pika just means "girl" in the language of the north.  But Pika was an unusual child.  When her older brother returned from the sea, she listened closely to his tales.  A strange encounter with an enchanted stag gave her the ability to speak with animals.  This gift brought her first and truest companion, a young wolf cub.

So when she went to live with the bear, she quickly realized that things were not quite what they seemed.  But that's okay because Pika has a few surprises of her own.

Click here to place a hold on Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow

If you enjoy this story, you might also want to check out

East by Edith Pattou
 
 
 

Min Dobbs is an actuary.  Cal Morrissey is a player.  Min is smart and funny and not thin.  Cal is successful and too good looking.  Min and Cal meet at a theme bar where her ex has just dumped her three weeks before her sister's wedding.  The ex bets Cal $10,000 he can't get her into bed in a month.  Min overhears this and decides to string Cal along to be her date for the wedding.  And it goes from there in Jennifer Crusie's Bet Me.  Min's two best friends are alternately helpful and devastating to the potential relationship, as are Cal's two business partners.  Min's mom and sister are not exactly what one might hope a mother and sister should be.  Krispy Kreme donuts play a pivotal role.

Filled with delicious food (I've made Emilio's Chicken Marsala, and it's just as good as it sounds!), fabulous shoes (I'm still looking for those heels with cherries on them), and sexual chemistry (whew!), Jennifer Crusie keeps you laughing, involves you in the lives of her characters, and cuts her sweetness with a healthy dose of skepticism in Bet Me.

There's a magazine out there for just about every interest, hobby or activity you could think of, including tons of magazines for gamers! Here's a sampling of what you might find at your library.  Note: Magazines can be checked-out for one week, but the newest issues are for library use only.

Electronic Gaming Monthly includes feature articles on hot games, interviews with pro game designers, directors, and players, and reviews, reviews, reviews! Covers all console platforms. If you are wondering if you should shell out the 50 plus bucks for that new game, you might want to see EGM's reviews. You can search and read back issues of EGM by using our online databases. First, search for Electronic Gaming Monthly, then choose a database to search for specific topics or to browse back issues online.

PlayStation: The Official Magazine. This one is all Playstation, all of the time. If that's your game, then it's a must see.  I thought it was kind odd that no game review got less than 3 stars, so you might want to take their opinion with a grain of salt, but even so there's tons of info on what's coming up for Sony.

Nintendo Power is celebrating their 20th anniversary. Can you believe it?!  Like the  Playstation magazine, this is exclusively Nintendo stuff.

Gamepro has game previews, reviews, cool game screen shots and all kinds of game-related miscellany.

These are just the titles we have at the Covington Library; your branch might have the same or different titles.

His thick eyeglasses and modest physical stature created an unassuming demeanor, but

Perhaps his greatest personal growth occured during his presidency. After President Franklin Roosevelt's death less than three months after inauguration to his fourth term in 1945, Vice President Harry S. Truman became the "accidental President" without any real preparation for the immense responsibilities facing him at that crucial moment in history. Many suspected that the "little man" was not up to the task. And yet, after overcoming his own fears and insecurities, he accomplished a great deal: he made the fateful decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan, ending WWII; he established the Truman Doctrine, resisting Soviet aggression around the world; he sponsored the Marshall Plan, reviving the ravaged economies of war-torn Europe; he averted German starvation by initiating the Berlin Airlift in 1948; he achieved a remarkable upset victory in the 1948 presidential election, thanks to his famously fiesty "Whistle Stop" campaign; and he honored America's obligation to the United Nations, which he help to create, by intervening in Korea in 1950.

Truman takes you through all the periods of his life in exquisite (though never unnecessary) detail. The lengthy source notes and bibliography at the end are a good indication of the depth and breadth of research that was undertaken by the author and this translates, thanks to David McCullough's eminently readable writing style, into a rich and frequently moving portrait of this (seeming) Middle-American Everyman that ultimately became the 33rd President of the United States. This book is long: 1,117 pages. But it doesn't really seem long at all...it just flies by...and this, too, is a reflection of McCullough's unique abilities as a writer.

More than anything else, Truman brings out the essential humanity of a man that loved a good game of poker and a daily shot (or two) of bourbon, knew how to cuss like a longshoreman, adored his difficult wife Bess and talented daughter Margaret, never forgot where he came from and never, ever forgot a friend. I guess the best tribute I can give is that, when I finished Truman a few days ago, I felt really let down. This was not because I was disappointed in the book...far from it. The truth is, I missed Harry. Perhaps you will as well.

If you've never read Sedaris, this is a good place to start. Holidays on Ice contains Sedaris' best known and career-launching story, Santaland Diaries, which chronicles a brief but humiliating stint as a Macy's elf during the Christmas season. Those of you who prefer your holiday untainted by the darker side of humanity may want to skip this one, but if you are looking for stories that are hilarious and more than a little disturbing, Holidays on Ice is not to be missed.

"Spinning - known as helicopter spins, also rolling across a floor mat

- primary purpose - to encourage body awareness. Spinning also stimulates the same part of the brain that popular impulse-control medications stimulate - producing a calmer, more focused child.

- classroom relevance - leads to an understanding of left to right, a pre-reading skill. Also helps with body awareness. Students who have problems with body awareness may fall out of their chairs, have short attention spans or reverse letters or words".

When your child participates in Teddy-Bear, Teddy Bear at story time, guess what? They are learning the skills listed above.

For more information read the full article, and don't forget to bring your child to our excellent story times!

Creative Commons photo by Gemsling.

So far I have only mentioned the suspense and the mystery part of this story, but Public Secrets by Nora Roberts is also a romance.  I'll just say the romance is connected to the kidnapping.

Nora Roberts is one of the most prolific romance writers ever.  As of today, Saturday, she has written more than 140 novels. Each novel has a strong, smart heroine who runs headlong into a strong, smart hero.  They wrestle with their hearts and each other and in the end they both come out on top with their love. 

Experienced researchers can limit their searches to individual databases for more precise results. The best way to do this is to click on "record types" and to "browse" by category You will be surprised to find many unique resources available in categories such as immigration, newspapers, military, and census. Many of the larger collections found in WVR - the U.K. Census, and two popular newspaper databases (Newspaper Archives to 1923 and Small Town Papers,) for example - are fully indexed and searchable. The U.S. Federal Census collection contains only partial records for many states and is not indexed. However, fully indexed U.S. census information is available through Ancestry Library Edition, which is available inside any KCLS library branch.

A nice feature of online services like World Vital Records and Ancestry Library Edition is the fact that they are constantly growing, adding new databases every month. Check out WVR's free online newsletter to find out about recent database additions and changes to the service. When it comes to genealogy, nothing ever stays the same for too long!

And, it makes just as good a book as it does a movie.  At the heart of Jennifer Donnelly's novel The Winter Rose, the Beauty and the Beast story plays out brilliantly.

Lovely India Selwyn Jones is an idealistic young lady in Victorian London fresh out of medical college.  Though from a wealthy family and engaged to Freddy Lytton, an ambitious young politico with his eye on Parliament, India chooses to practice in the poorest part of town with patients who can ill-afford her services.

Enter the beast.  When crime boss Sid Malone is seriously injured, India patches him up, beginning a fascination that turns to passion and ultimately to a love that survives separation over years and continents.

While there is a love story at the core of this novel, it's really a historical epic about a time when London was being terrorized by both Jack the Ripper and the crime bosses who wanted to kill the dock workers' union.  Both atmospheric and seductive, this novel is intriguing, socially-aware, and above all, eminently page-turning.   When you're done with it, look for The Tea Rose which is actually a prequel and shows how little Charlie Finnegan ended up as the powerful Sid Malone and how Joe Bristow ended up in that wheelchair.

The biggie book awards - Nobel, Pulitzer, National Book Award, Printz, Newbery, Caldecott - are just the tip of the iceberg.

Most genres have their own book awards, including audiobook awards.  A good place to start is the KCLS website, where we list a number of popular awards and their annual winners.

For some of the less-often mentioned awards, you might try Books In Print (you'll need your library card number), accessed via the KCLS databases webpage.  Click either the patron or professional edition, they both link to a great number of awards listings.  A nice touch here is the subject listing for book awards (religious, environment, ethnic, etc.).  If you'd like to roam further, most of our other reading-related KCLS databases also contain awards lists.

Of course there are lots of websites too.  For an interesting twist, browse book award winners by the number of awards received, at the website Fantastic Fiction (British site).

Good holidays to all.

Raised by a poor single mother on the south side of Chicago, Shivana Montgomery has never had high expectations for herself.  She figures the best she can do is try to make it through high school without having a baby.  But when she becomes pregnant after an unsatisfying affair with a much older man, Shivana is determined not to follow her mother's footsteps.  Unable to face the responsibilities of parenthood at such a young age, Shivana steals enough money to pay for an abortion.  And here's where the story starts to get really interesting.

Intertwined with Shivana's story comes another voice.  An old and wise voice, one that has been aching to be heard for centuries: Shivana's unborn child.  This ancient soul has come very near life three other times, only to lose it each time to circumstances beyond the mother's control. This unborn child, sentient, willful and determined not to lose yet another chance at life, begins to shape Shivana's world into something that will sustain both Shivana and itself.

If Conception sounds like an intense book, it is.  But it is also rich and emotionally resonant, from Shivana's darkest days to the hopeful yearnings of both Shivana and her unborn baby.  The author very skillfully plays these two voices off each other, and they are distinct and fascinating characters that this reader was fully drawn into.

This may be one of the best audiobooks I've ever listened to, period.  Reader Bahni Turpin is outstanding, able to shift her voice so thoroughly and convincingly between characters that I sometimes forgot that I was only listening to a story.  If you are ready for an intense but satisfying read, pick this one up.

Fans of Connie Willis know that she writes humorous and serious science fiction equally well, but some may not know that she has written several Christmas stories. All Seated on the Ground definitely falls in the humorous category (with a touch of romance and a bit of suspense added in), and at just over 120 pages it is a great choice for those days when you have only a little time between the shopping and the baking.

This is the simple premise of Richard Russo's Bridge of Sighs. From the first chapter, you might think you are going to read a travelogue. However, Russo (author of Nobody's Fool and Empire Falls) is known for his characters and he has three great ones in Lucy, Sarah, and Bobby. As we read about their growing up on the right and wrong sides of the tracks, we learn the secrets of Thomaston and its residents. Lucy's parents own a store and his uncle's shady past is a source of conflict in their marriage. Sarah's father is a depressive high school English teacher with a pot habit. And just why did Bobby Marconi suddenly leave town, never to return?

Russo deftly alternates between humor and tragedy, all the while staying true to the people and places he so clearly loves. He is unafraid to explore the conflicts between parents and children, friends and lovers, and youth and age. As I was reading, more than once I put down the book, soaked in what I had just read, and gave a heartfelt sigh.

It was just that satisfying. 

I met Elizabeth Boyle recently and found her charming and witty, so when I learned she writes historical romances, I decided to give her a try.  His Mistress by Morning is the first of her latest set of linked novels (The Marlowe Series), and the events are set in motion by a magic ring.  Now, I don't generally go in for magic, but the magic is corollary to the characters and romance and events, rather than pervading them all.

Charlotte Wilmont is a reserved spinster.  Sebastian Marlowe, Viscount Trent, is the handsome but dull brother of Charlotte's dearest friend Lady Hermione.  She's loved him forever.  He can't seem to remember her name.  Disappointed when a promised inheritance is a small ring rather than a fortune, Charlotte wishes to be the woman Sebastian loves.  The next morning, she awakens in his arms in a world turned upside down.  Sebastian is a dashing rake, Charlotte his charming mistress.  Her wish has been granted!

After her initial shock, Charlotte decides to enjoy herself, and Sebastian's love, but soon finds herself wanting more.  Titled gentlemen don't marry mistresses, regardless of love, and the prospect of Sebastian marrying another to save his family's fortunes is unbearable.  Charlotte must find a way to be the woman Sebastian loves and his wife at the same time.

I have to admit, I read romances because I like knowing how they're going to turn out.  I know the suspense presented will be resolved by the end, with the primary characters alive and happy in each other's arms.  Ordinarily, I can see the path that resolution will take.  In this book, Elizabeth Boyle keeps you guessing.  She tells a fun and sexy story while you wonder how everything could possibly work out (although you have faith it will).  And if you like His Mistress by Morning, you can read Lady Hermione's story in Tempted by the Night.

If you are strapped for cash, or just looking to put a little creative spin on your gift giving this holiday season, there are many, many books that can help get your creative juices flowing with ideas for homemade gifts.  Here are a few to get you started:

Re-creative: 50 projects for turning found items into contemporary design by Steve Dodds

Note: The projects in this book might be better for someone who is good with a hammer or saw, rather than a needle and thread or scissors and glue.

Got Tape?: roll out the fun with duct tape! : 25+ quick and easy duct tape projects for the whole family by Ellie Schiedermayer

Retro Revamp: funky projects, from handbags to housewares by Jennifer Knapp

Who wouldn't want a unique, homemade gift?! I guess I can think of a few people on my list that might rather have a certain gadget or videogame, but I'll bet their face will light up when they see what I've made just for them (at least I hope!).

In one small example Wood is discussing narration and point of view.  He offers the sentence "Ted watched the orchestra through stupid tears." Whose word is "stupid"? Is the author calling his character stupid for listening to an orchestra? The word more likely belongs to Ted, embarrassed at crying. Wood refers to this as free indirect style, and most writing today makes use of its flexibility. It has the omnipotence of the third person narrator combined with the personal first person. The two points of view mix. I now notice free indirect style in many books I read.

Wood pulls literary examples from some of the world's greatest writers; Austen to Henry James, Flaubert to Joyce, Tolstoy to the Bible. Dissecting these passages he gives us a deeper understanding of the skills that go into good writing, efforts that readers can easily take for granted. It's also a joy to read passages from these authors, and you may find yourself adding their books to your wish list. How Fiction Works doesn't read like a textbook, as one section flows easily into the next, but you may learn something about each of the novels on your bookshelf.

Sanborn maps have been around for over a century - large scale plans of cities and towns created for the use of fire insurance companies to assess the risk of insuring specific properties.  KCLS has made these available for many years.  But you had to travel to Bellevue and fire up the microfilm reader...

Put Your Microfilm Away

Maybe you've used Sanborn Maps to chart the growth of cities in the larger Seattle area.  Maybe you've been tracing your family history, looking for a rare piece of property information.

And now you can do it online.  Visit Sanborn Maps through kcls.org and find more cities (all of Washington State) and more details to browse and print.  

Visit us in any of our libraries or search from home for textual information on building materials used, plot measurements, building use and, more broadly, a fascinating collection of what once was.

Case in point: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. This elegant debut novel, over 10 years in the making, is a multi-generational 20th-century search for Vlad the Impaler, the sadistic medieval ruler of Wallachia (today a province in Romania) who was the inspiration of the Dracula legend and that, in this book, still walks the earth today with his undead minions, looking for blood. There are three main threads within this lengthy work. In the early 1970s, Paul, an American diplomat in Amsterdam, recounts to his teenage daughter the 20-year-old story of the mysterious disappearance of and his desperate search for his beloved mentor, Professor Rossi, guided by a bundle of ominous and seemingly fantastic letters written by Rossi twenty years before that, in the 1930s. These letters describe the sudden appearance of a book, blank except for an ornate woodcut on the cover, depicting a dragon. Unlocking the secret of this book ultimately leads first Rossi, then Paul (along with his partner, Rossi's estranged daughter Helen), and finally Paul's own daughter in search of the resurgent "Drakulya." Their quest to solve the riddle of the book and the disappearance of several characters leads the protagonists not only across time but also across the European continent, from Oxford to Istanbul with stops in Amsterdam, the French Pyrenees, Budapest, Bulgaria and (of course) Romania.

What made this book especially appealing to me was that, instead of reading it, I listened to it. Audiobooks have the capacity to really bring to life a good book and this one is especially successful. The narrators are Justine Eyre and Paul Michael, each of whom spoke with numerous distinct voices to match the abundance of characters. Justine Eyre is very believable as the narrator, Paul's daughter, though a bit less so with her cockney-sounding portrayal of her traveling companion, Barley. Paul Michael is especially effective in his portrayal of Paul, Professor Rossi, Helen (who is credibly feminine) and finally Vlad himself, who by the way bore no audible resemblance to Bela Lugosi. There were no sound effects or musical passages...just the voices from these two gifted narrators. And that was more than enough.

Part horror tale, part historical fiction, part travelogue and part Da Vinci Code-esque mystery, Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian is a unique blend of genres that succeeds on every level. Give it a listen.

Dark Dude n. 1. What a male of light skin is derisively called by persons of color (colloquial, Harlem 1965-1970). 2. A person considered suspect because of his light complexion, especially in criminal circumstances.  3. Someone who is not considered 'streetwise.'  4. A white person considered not to be 'hip.' Cf. "Straight." "Uncool." 5. An outsider, particularly in the context of ghetto society. - The Hypothetical Dictionary of American Slang

 
Late 1960's, New York City.  Rico, the "palest Cubano who ever existed on the planet," is so light skinned that he is routinely mistaken as white.  While this usually causes only minor inconveniences (he keeps a special "getting jumped" fund in his pocket due to constantly being robbed), when Rico starts attending a public high school in Harlem his pale skin makes him a very visible target.  After being constantly harassed and badly beaten at his new school, it doesn't take too long before Rico quits going altogether.   When tensions at home escalate to threats of military school, Rico flees New York City with his best friend Jimmy, who is dealing with problems of his own.  Their destination?  Probably the least likely place for a couple of Latino city boys: a friend's house in rural Wisconsin.

This finely crafted novel examines race and identity through the eyes of a young man trying to figure out just who he is and where he fits in.  Back in New York, Rico's light skin and poor Spanish make him an outcast, even in his own family.   In Wisconsin, everyone just assumes Rico is white but, with that comes a whole new set of issues because, as it turns out, looking like everyone else doesn't keep you from being hassled, either.  With distance and time comes perspective, and as Rico starts to build some new relationships and an independent life away from home he also gains some understanding of himself, his family, and human nature in general.  He also gets a little help from his favorite book, Huckleberry Finn.

Although Hijuelos had a teen audience in mind when he wrote this book, there is much here for adults to appreciate.  The story is so firmly entrenched in the time period that anyone who lived through it will instantly be transported back 40 years (when was the last time you heard someone say 'jive'?).   And as anyone who has made it to adulthood can testify, figuring out who you are takes a lot of work.  Reading "Dark Dude" will remind you of your own journey as you follow Rico through his. 

His Western Crossroads is all about that; the American Southwest is harsh and beautiful, the hero is larger than life, with a hunger for adventure and the women are mysterious and idealized. Dix Van Dyck is a hell raiser, he enjoys fights and he has killed a man in self defense.  After earning the hatred of the new sheriff, Dix decides to head out for adventure and new worlds to conquer.  The title of chapter one is Destination - The World.  However Dix doesn't get very far; he stopped for a meal in the town of Double Bend and saw a beautiful young woman whom the other men in the saloon were avoiding.  She piqued his interest and asking questions, he discovered that she was bad luck.  She had all the good luck and the people who got close to her lost money, horses and sometimes their lives.  Dix decided she was just the adventure he was looking for. Jacqueline "Jack" Boone was intrigued that Dix wasn't afraid of her reputation and saw her as an opportunity for action and adventure.  As they ride off together into the sunset, actually, the adventures begin..there are villains in Jack's past out to get her and that new sheriff that Dix insulted is out for blood.

I must make this disclaimer. Crossroads was written in 1919 and has all the prejudices and beliefs of the times.  The women are either good or bad.  The villains are completely villainous. The Latinos and Native Americans are either noble or foolishly wrong.  But if you can live with this Crossroads is an exciting adventure story and yes even a sweet romance

Have you discovered an author and/or book that you really liked and wanted to find more like it?  King County Library has many different ways to help you locate similar books.  One way is to contact a librarian.  You can call on the phone, interact with one online through live chat, and/or visit a library to get a librarian's assistance with finding a similar book.

We also have several ways online.  From www.kcls.org find the green square to the bottom right called "Pages For", select "Teens".  On the Teen Page you will find a list of booklists with "Twilight Read-A-Likes" toward the bottom.  Soon we will have Eragon and Stormbreaker too!

We also have two databases on our web page which can assist with finding similar books.  To get to these you go to www.kcls.org and at the top left click on "Databases".  Then choose "Reading" as a category.  If you are not in a King County Library, you will need to enter your library card to link to these databases.  One of them is "Fiction Connection" which allows you to pick a topic you're interested in and get a list or you can pick an author or title you like and then link to "Find Similar". 

The other is "Novelist" which has three different ways to find "Read-A-Likes".  When you log into the database you can go directly to a list of "Author Read-A-Likes" in order by last name of the author.  Another way is to pick a book and/or author you like and then choose the details you liked from that book which will then allow you to find similar books from those details.  In addition most listings have links to similar authors.  So when using Novelist, for example, if you searched for "Prodigal Summer" by Barbara Kingsolver you could then link to "Similar Authors" from that record, Author Read-A-Likes and link to "Find Similar Books" to choose what characteristics you'd like from Prodigal Summer in another book.