The Slippage

Why am I still on this dysfunctional family and/or marriage kick?  I can't seem to stop.  I may have developed a serious problem.  Anyway, I just finished an advance copy of The Slippage by Ben Greenman, due for a late-April release.  You can tell what you're getting into by the first line of this review.

The story centers on William Day, who seems like your typical suburban professional.  He lives with his wife, Louisa, and pretty much makes it through life one day at a time.  But he must deal with a loss of control in his life once his wife shows him the plot of land where she wants to build a home.  To summarize, here are some of the things William must now deal with:

A previous affair that is now entirely too close to home.

He's spending time with the son of another former affair (not his).

An incident at work may threaten his job.

An arsonist is loose in his city.

Got your interest?  Good.  This is really a fun, and disturbing, story.  Greenman has created a character who the reader sometimes feels sorry for and at other times hates.  There are plenty of clever turns of phrase and hilarious moments.  But the overall theme is that the ordinary life is sometimes anything but.

Join us for Coffee by the Book on March 21

We discussed Eleanor Brown's debut novel, The Weird Sisters, at last Thursday's Coffee By the Book meeting at Bailiwicks Coffee Company.  The discussion was very interesting as we talked about the relationship between the three sisters, their parents, and the people from the small Ohio town in which they have found themselves again.  If you missed it, or are interested in attending for the first time, consider coming to the next meeting on Thursday, March 21 from 6:00-7:00 pm at Bailiwicks.

The book we will be discussing is A Working Theory of Love by Scott Hutchins.  Neill Bassett, newly divorced, finds himself navigating the San Francisco dating scene.  His luck is mixed as he meets women who pique his interest, but have issues of their own.  Neill also works for a small company in which his boss is trying to create the first computer that uses natural language in communicating with the user.  The reason for this is to win a prestigious prize and then sell the company.  How is this done?  Neill's father kept a very extensive diary throughout his years and this language is fed into the computer, leading Neill to become obsessed with this computer that sounds like his father. This debut raises a lot of interesting questions about the human experience.

So come out and enjoy great company, discussion of the book and some delicious coffee!

Ways of Going Home

It is very hard to describe Alejandro Zambra's debut novel, Ways of Going Home, in a way that does the writing style justice.  This short novel is a very good read, but it might take the reader some time to get used to the writing style.

We have two "stories" going on throughout this work.  The first is about a divorced writer, living in Chile, who is struggling to come up with something worth writing about for his next novel.  Inspiration strikes, but his relationship with his ex-wife is changing and he is not sure what to make of the change.  The second story is the one our narrator is writing.  It focuses on a nine year old boy who meets a twelve year old girl in the aftermath of an earthquake.  They strike up a unique friendship until she asks him to do her a big favor.

So, we have a story of a young boy (who we also see as a young man later on) which is actually the story our author friend is writing.  Confused yet?  It isn't nearly as confusing as it sounds.  Actually, it makes for an interesting literary device.  If you are looking for something different that is a quick read, pick this one up. 

Ghana Must Go

Taiye Selasi's debut novel, Ghana Must Go, is certainly one not to be missed.  I received an advance copy of this title, due out in early March, and was very pleased.  If I haven't mentioned it before, I did study post-colonial literature during my college days.  My focus was more on Indian literature, but I also studied a lot of African titles, too.  It's been a while, so it was nice to read this one.

The story begins with Dr. Kweku Sai's death early one morning.  We see vignettes of his past life and the people with whom he was involved.  Specifically, we meet his former wife, Fola, who Kweku abandoned with four children.  The eldest, Olu, lives a good life as a doctor, but he saw something at a younger age that still haunts him.  Sadie is the baby of the family and beloved by everyone.  And then there are the twins, Taiwo and Kehinde, who have a relationship only twins can enjoy.  Both of them have their faults, too, and take turns feeling like the family outcasts.  They also keep a horrible secret relating to the aftermath of their father leaving.

I really love that the story is broken up into three sections.  The first gives the reader Kweku's background.  His rise through medical school, the various loves of his life, his interactions with the children, and his eventual abandonment of them is laid out in detail.  The second section presents background information on the four children and the struggles they have had to endure since the night their father left.  The twins were dealt a huge blow during the immediate aftermath, which is a heartbreaking portion of the story.  The final section sees the four children and their mother reunited in Ghana, in an effort to deal with Kweku's death and their feelings towards him and each other.

This is a powerful debut novel and I look forward to Selasi's next offering.

(Anti) Valentines Day Reads

I was wondering what to write about today and figured I couldn't go wrong with Valentines Day reads.  But then I started my search and came across several "good reads for people who don't care about Valentines Day" articles.  Sold.  This is just too good to pass up.

The first article that jumped out at me is 3 Biting Books for Those Bitter on Valentine's Day from NPR.  The NPR site has also collected several other articles about books for people who are sick of Valentine's Day.  This is an eclectic little list of anti-romance books, including:

Ladies' Man by Richard Price

Cassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker

Miss Lonelyhearts & the Day of the Locust by Nathanael West

Booklist Online has a great post about anti-Valentine's Day reads, too.  This one has collected a few more titles than NPR, including:

Gone Baby Gone by Dennis Lehane

Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp

Heartsick by Chelsea Cain

Going Down by Jennifer Belle

You may also want to check out this post from the San Mateo County Library and this great post of Anti-Valentine's Day cards.

Want More eBooks?

If you love eBooks, you have no doubt checked out some titles from the library.  Overdrive has made eBook lending possible for libraries and there are some great titles available. 

But there are alternatives available.  The obvious one is Google Books.  Check out the different classics and nonfiction titles available through this powerful resource.  There are many different options available for both students and professional development.  Google Play has your popular and bestselling fiction and nonfiction titles (as well as many free classics).  This consists mostly of titles for sale (I've found some of the prices to be very reasonable) but there are free titles, too.  The best part?  You can read this online, or on your eReader, Android, or iPod/iPad device!

The Internet Archive has some very cool digitized items.  This is more for obscure texts and it is very cool to browse.  As you can see from this old copy of Pride and Prejudice, you can download books within your browser as well as EPUB and Kindle versions.  Internet Archive also links to Open Library, which boasts a more user-friendly interface.  The same goes for the Directory of Open Access Books, though this collection is very eclectic.

Project Gutenberg is perhaps the most widely known of the free eBook options.  The site recently launched a much improved interface, making for a better user experience.  Tip: If you are using a Kindle Fire, you're best option is to download the free Overdrive Media Console app and download titles from Project Gutenberg in EPUB format.

The best thing about these free eBooks is that they don't expire.  Keep them for as long as you want.  These resources are expecially valuable for students who are reading classic works, but don't want to purchase a copy of a title they can get for free.  Check it out and let us know what you think!

Canadian Authors

Our neighbors to the north have produced some of the greatest literature in history.  I was recently researching some authors for a friend and realized how many of them were from Canada.  That got me thinking that it would be fun to do a blog post strictly on Canadian literature.

There are many classic works by Canadian authors.  Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery penned the classic Anne of Green Gables, a beloved story for generations.  Consider The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, which is one of the most well known titles from up north.  Michael Ondaatje became the first Canadian to win the Booker Prize for his classic, The English Patient.  A few recent titles that come to mind are Room by Emma Donoghue, The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, and Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay.

My all-time favorite short story author, Alice Munro, isn't the only short story specialist from Canada.  W.P. Kinsella penned Shoeless Joe, which was later adapted for the big screen as Field of Dreams.  Caroline Adderson has written novels as well as short stories.  Stuart McLean, a Canadian Authors Association Award recepient, is another popular choice.

Do you have any favorite Canadian authors?

Come to Online Resources for Readers on Saturday!

The Tiffin-Seneca Public Library is hosting a new computer class called "Online Resources for Readers" on Saturday, Feb. 9 from 11:00-12:00.

Have you wondered what tools librarians use to make book recommendations?  Are you wanting to find the next book in a series?  Perhaps you're simply not sure what to read next and want to see what others are reading?  Attend this class and learn how we use websites like Fantastic Fiction, Goodreads, and Book Browse to recommend titles to our patrons.  A trained Readers’ Advisory specialist will show you other free resources for title/author read-alikes, genre lists, and even some print resources that will help you find your next great read.

Register by calling the library at 419-447-3751or by using our new online calendar.

The Dinner

The Dinner by Herman Koch is one of those books you may not expect to like, but it grabs you from the beginning and gives you plenty to think about.  This internationally bestselling book was originally released in 2009 and is being made available in English, translated from the original Dutch, for the first time.

The entire story takes place during one meal, set in Amsterdam, involving two couples.  Paul Lohman and his wife Claire are meeting with Paul's brother, Serge, who is a candidate for prime minister and his wife Babette.  The couples decide to meet for dinner to discuss the situation their respective fifteen year old sons, Michel and Rick, have found themselves in.  We start off with pleasantries and small talk.  But as the evening progresses, we find out much more about the two couples and their sons.  To say the situation becomes uncomfortably tense is to put it mildly.

There is not a whole lot I can say without giving away too much of the plot.  I can say that this book does a lot of things better than last year's The Good Father was able to do.  This story is executed so well that the reader feels like they are sitting in a restaurant overhearing this painful conversation.

For a sneak peak into this fantastic book, check out NPRs Exclusive First Read.