His decision to take the leap and marry his cousin Emma Wedgwood is the subject of Deborah Heiligman's 2009 National Books Award finalist  Charles and Emma: the Darwin's Leap of Faith..

Darwin was a pragmatist, an agnostic, and a scientist. Emma was his intellectual match and yet devoutly religious. Theirs was a true love story--a match of wits and wills, of science and religion. Despite her reservations about Darwin's theories, Emma helped edit her husband's work.She honestly feared for his soul and at the same time bore him ten children, three of whom died before the age of ten.

Heiligman is a skilled nonfiction writer. The Victorian Era is brought to vivid life through the couple's letters and other primary sources. This setting is the backdrop for one of the great marriages of history. Although originally published for the teen market, Charles and Emma will equally engage adult readers, who will know something more about the ups-and-downs of married life than its intended audience.  

It is a story that might have turned out quite differently if Darwin had decided to settle for the company of that dog after all. 

Break Into Fiction by multipublished authors Mary Buckham and Diana Love uses popular films to demonstrate the points of each technique they discuss. They've also provided templates for important story elements such as developing a story premise, creating believeable, motivated characters, strengthening conflict, and raising the stakes.

Many writers struggle with the beginning of a story, not knowing where to start. When facing the blank page, it can be a challenge. These successful authors suggest that the frustration can often be traced to a lack of preparation. If you have insight into the goals and motivation of your main character, it can be easier to get the words on the page. Taking the time to understand the story arc, how conflict must be escalated and the story question answered can help the beginning writer move beyond fear and into the flow of the narrative.

If you are interested in learning more about Power Plotting, NaNoWriMo programs offered throughout the library system will include workshops with Mary Buckham.

It is easy to find ideas on home décor and stores are relentless in their push to sell you the latest thing that you absolutely need for your home. Create the Space You Deserve takes a different  approach  by tapping into the emotional process of designing space. This book inspired me to look at my living space with a fresh eye. Your living area can be a powerful expression of who you are and in these hard economic times I find myself in the nesting mode more than ever. For me it is the little things that tend to make me happiest...like sitting at home in a comfy chair, sipping tea and watching the clouds.

Considered to be the most prolific mathematician in history, Erdös co-authored nearly 1500 scientific papers.  During most of his adult life, he traveled from university to university, or conference to conference, living out of two suitcases.  He never owned other possessions, did not have a home, and gave away money he didn't need.  Often, he would simply show up on a colleague's doorstep unannounced, spending a few days or weeks solving research problems before moving on to another city.  

Hoffman's interviews in the math world uncovered some great stories.  Later in his life, Erdös apparently needed an operation to correct his dimming vision, but delayed surgery because he was reluctant to lose precious work time.  He finally agreed to the procedure only when he mistakenly believed that he would be able to work during surgery.

In honor of his work and life, mathematicians humorously developed the Erdös number.  Erdös himself was awarded the number 0.  Erdös co-authors are awarded the number 1.  Co-authors of co-authors, the number 2.  And so on.  A low Erdös number is considered to be a great distinction (Steven Hawking, Bill Gates, Noam Chomsky and J. Robert Oppenheimer are 4's; Einstein a 2).  Hank Aaron jokingly has a 1 after co-signing a baseball with Erdös.  And, of course, a few mathematicians have tried to auction their Erdös numbers on Ebay.

In 1946 Mr. Nichols longed to escape post-war London, so he went looking for a small Georgian House, not too far from the city, with about 5 acres of land where he could create a garden.  He found Merry Hall.  It fit all his requirements, and he bought it, even though the Georgian lines of the building had been ruined by remodeling and additions, the interior was in shambles, the five acres were mostly weeds and nettles, and the gardener who came with the house was devoted to all the mistakes of the former owner.  With the help of his incredibly efficient factotum, Gaskin; the reluctant but expert aid of the gardener; the company of his cats, One and Four; and the occasional interference of neighbors, he turned Merry Hall into his dream house and garden.  He tells the story with classic deadpan British humor.

You don't have to be a gardener to enjoy this book.  (My favorite garden activity is to recline gracefully in the shade on a hot day with a cool drink and a good book.)  You do need to be prepared for strong prejudices, mostly about plants, but also about women and what Nichols considers the lower classes, and accept that he was a creature of different times.  He brings the best of those times alive most enchantingly.

Indeed, the great revelation of The End of Empire is that it's not always clear who was the greater barbarian, the Huns or the Romans. Attila's sometime-ally and sometime-nemesis Flavius Aetius was also cunning and politically savvy but he was equally known for his ruthlessness and divided loyalties. Theodosius II, along with most other late-period Roman emperors, is portrayed as being largely ineffectual. The general impression is that the rot had set into Roman society, particularly in the west, and that it could no longer defend itself against a seemingly endless stream of invaders of whom the Huns were the most dangerous and most feared. And a huge part of what made them so fearsome was the powerful figure of Attila himself.

Full of maps, illustrations, high drama and surprising conclusions, Christopher Kelly's The End of Empire is a refreshing take on a subject that has preoccupied students of history since 476 A.D. Check it out!  

Each chapter uses jokes and cartoons to illustrate particular philosophical questions in areas such as ethics, epistemology, and the philosophy of language.  The book opens with my favorite philosophical/astronomical joke: What holds up the world?  A turtle.  What does the turtle stand on?  Another turtle.  And what does that turtle stand on?  It's turtles all the way down, of course!  (Okay, it might not be a knee-slapper, but just try to imagine it!)  Cathcart and Klein go on to explain that this particular joke relates to the philosophical idea of infinite regress, an aspect of the discussion regarding a First Cause (for the universe, time and space, etc.).  Of course, a sense of humor is necessary to receive the maximum benefit from this book, especially the Philosophy of Religion chapter.  The approach is certainly irreverent, but the point of philosophy is to ask questions about what we believe and how it is that we can believe what we decide on, if we actually reach that point.

The jokes provide the authors a common reference to work from for each philosophical idea, almost like a case study, and propel the discussion of what could be rather esoteric subjects, like stoicism, forward.  (The one about the dentist and his "stoic" patient is priceless!)  Since many jokes are necessarily ironic, the section on the nature of irony provides some of the best.  Between the giggle and guffaws, Cathcart and Klein provide succinct descriptions of philosophers' contributions to the problems of existence, justice, and how we express ourselves.  Similarities in Eastern and Western philosophy are demonstrated through discussing such notions as Shopenhauer's relationship to Buddhism, which comes down to a question of resignation or release.  It's a simple concept with significant room for meditation, or may just be semantic.  Whether you're in it for the serious analysis or just the funny bits, this book will give you what you want, along with much we all need.

The author is the host of a British radio show that follows this format called "The Write Stuff."  He has quizzes about famous authors, literary rivalries, characters who appear in multiple books, and even uncovering author mistakes in various book excerpts.   

This book is great fun or greatly frustrating when the answer is just out of reach.  You'll find out just how well-read you are (or aren't!)

These guys don't have the high-tech bikes or light-weight gear that we have today, and in some places they don't even have passable roads. They run into all kinds of trouble too, including wild animals, oncoming trains, a couple of fist fights, plenty of flat tires, and even a little romance.

Book-It Repertory Theatre in partnership with 4Culture will present a dramatization of this exciting story at two King County Libraries:

Auburn LIbrary, Sunday, September 27, 1pm

Covington Library, Thursday, October 15, 7pm

This is a short and fun read about an exciting period in northwest history told through the eyes of two eager young men, and it should make a great play.

The Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition is celebrating its centennial anniversary throughout 2009. For more information about events and activities go to http://www.ayp100.org/.

And then a logger-turned-environmentalist cut it down.  To protest logging.  Go figure.

I'm not giving away the story - John Vaillant begins The Golden Spruce:  A True Story of Myth, Madness and Greed with this sad event.  It's an intriguing story, and even though it's Vaillant's first book, he writes masterfully.  Readers who enjoy Jon Krakauer will like this book.  In between the story line, Vaillant offers vivid descriptions of the natural and cultural history of the Canadian pacific coast.

Grant Hadwin was apparently a bit of a cross between Rambo and Edward Abbey, which I know sounds nutty.  Those who knew him said that he would disappear into some of the most rugged portions of Canada's pacific forest, carrying just a rifle.  He would re-emerge days or weeks later, none the worse for the wear.  And although he worked on and off as a logger in his earlier years, he came to see the logging industry as a rapacious and malignant entity.  So why cut the tree down?  And - in a further mystery - what happened to Grant Hadwin?