Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

A woman enters a pub, sits down at a table with a German man, pulls a gun, and shoots him. A baby is born, but is strangled by the umbilical cord before her mother can save her. Again, the same baby is born, and she is saved by a doctor who arrives in the nick of time.  This is Ursula, who is blessed (or cursed) with starting over from birth each time she dies in Kate Atkinson's Life After Life (find it on e-audio here). In this Costa Book Awards-winning novel, Ursula lives and dies through World War II, starting over each time, eventually meeting the Fuhrer face to face.

Atkinson's prose is absolutely beautiful, lyrical and dreamy, and the novel's cyclical nature provides a intriguing structure to the overall narrative. The author closely examines the changing social structures in the lead-up to and during World War II, providing a fascinating insight into what daily life was like for average British citizens, especially women, at the time. Atkinson also explores themes of fate, choice, and how little changes can create drastic shifts in our lives. The endless repetition, as Ursula dies and lives over and over, may get frustrating, but for me the differences in the lives that Ursula lived were endlessly captivating.

Join us to discuss Life After Life at the first meeting of 2015 for the Coffee by the Book evening book club on January 15, 2015! Coffee by the Book meets at Bailiwick's on South Washington St. from 6-7 p.m. every third Thursday of the month. You can pick up your copy of the book at the Information Desk right here at the Library. Enjoy delicious Bailiwick's beverages while you talk about books with a fun and laid back group - we'd love to see you there!

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Socially awkward and super intelligent, geneticist Don decides that he needs a wife. Rejecting the scattershot approach of normal dating, he creates a rigorous, scientific survey to find the perfect woman. In the middle of the Wife Project, he is distracted by a young woman named Rosie who asks him to help find her biological father. In The Rosie Project by debut author Graeme Simsion, Don's logical, orderly life is thrown into chaos as Rosie shows him that not all problems can be solved with science.

Don is a fascinating protagonist, and looking at the world from his coldly logical perspective is in turns illuminating, sad, and funny. As this is a romantic comedy, some of the situations that the characters get in are almost too cute -  Don doesn't wear a dinner jacket to a fancy restaurant and has to use martial arts to defend himself from the bouncers, and Rosie has keep him from getting arrested. In addition, Don's progression to less unemotional and logical is believable, yet I never felt in touch with his feelings, though this may be because Don was never in touch with his feelings. Simsion's first novel is a great light read for anyone who likes romantic comedies with a scientific flair and a healthy helping of a new perspective.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers

Kevin Powers, poet, author, and Iraq veteran, has written a deeply emotional and searing fictional account of the war in Iraq as narrated by a troubled young private. Switching between the battlefield and home after being discharged, The Yellow Birds is told from the perspective of Private Bartle, a man suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and the ghost of something too horrible to consciously recall.

Powers' command of language is astounding, his prose beautiful and evocative, and his descriptions poetic and lovely of even the most horrifying scenes. Through Private Bartle's perspective, he brings to light aspects of the soldier's experience that civilians may not expect: the unstoppable, unending grind of war and the PTSD that follows soldiers home. Instead of a story of a triumphant hero, the tale is tragic and its protagonist lost and alone, as things can never be the same after Private Bartle returns to the United States. One minor complaint is that Powers' sentences are often complex, but the re-read they require is rewarding and illuminating. This novel earns its comparisons to The Things They Carried and All Quiet on the Western Front and though - and perhaps because - it is a difficult, emotionally challenging book, it should be on everyone's reading list.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

The Good Lord Bird by James McBride

The year is 1857, five years before the American Civil War breaks out and two years before abolitionist John Brown's unsuccessful raid on the armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. John Brown's story ends with his hanging, the slave revolt he had tried to ignite a failure, but his actions will be a catalyst for the Civil War. Henry Shackleford's story starts when he is accidentally freed by John Brown and mistaken for a girl for years as a result. Nicknamed Little Onion, Henry journeys with Brown until his fated raid on the United States arsenal at Harper's Ferry in The Good Lord Bird by James McBride, which was the winner of the 2013 National Book Award for Fiction.

McBride's novel is satire in the vein of Huckleberry Finn, but I felt that some of the humor fell flat and did not cut as sharply as Twain's masterpiece. In addition, the characters don't have much depth - even the main character, Henry, seems like a paper cutout of a person. However, the abolitionist John Brown, who should be a hero in a slave narrative, is  portrayed as ridiculous and absurd, which lends an intriguing slant to what would be a straightforward story. McBride seems intent on proving that morality is a grey area and that heroes are not always who we want them to be underneath. Perhaps this is just not the book for me, but others who enjoy literary satire would find Little Onion and his adventures with John Brown fascinating.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

Not long after the 2011 tsunami which devastated much of Japan and destroyed the Fukushima nuclear power plant, Ruth finds a diary wrapped in a freezer bag on the shores of a Canadian island. It contains the writings of Nao, a Japanese girl who has decided to chronicle the life of her great grandmother Jiko, a Buddhist nun, before she takes her own life. As Ruth reads the diary, she becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Nao and Jiko during the tsunami. Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki is a thoughtful, deeply emotional novel that will resonate long after you turn the final page.

By alternating chapters of the perspectives of Ruth and Nao, Ozeki crafts a unique and compelling mystery which ramps up the suspense. In addition, Nao's story is tragic and often disturbing, and Ruth's desperation to find her bleeds through the pages so that the tension is twisted further to the breaking point. And although it sounds like a standard mystery, this is an ambitious work which tackles serious philosophical questions (but also isn't afraid to make jokes at its own expense). Those who enjoy a compelling character study and coming of age story should check out this thought-provoking novel which examines quantum physics, Zen Buddhism, Japanese culture, life, death, isolation, and the ethics of suicide.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

We Need New Names by NoViolet Bualwayo

In a tiny village in Zimbabwe, ten-year-old Darling lives in a hut made of corrugated tin, although before the revolution she had a big house with a swimming pool. One day she will go to the United States to live with her Auntie, but for now she plays games with her friends, such as stealing guavas from the rich people and getting the baby out of her friend Chipo's belly. With humor and honesty, NoViolet Bulawayo tells the story of Darling in We Need New Names, the 2013 debut novel that won the prestigious Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award.

For the character of Darling, Bulawayo writes in a childlike, authentic voice. Darling is not simpering, cute, or simplistic, and her thought process is believable, if disconcerting. In reading the novel, I learned about the history of Zimbabwe, a time and place I had never known about, and while the author does not go into the gory details, (as Darling is too young to know of them) there is an uneasy feeling permeating the novel that something is wrong. Once Darling moves to the United States to live with her aunt, Bulawayo perfectly captures the voice of the immigrant from the perspective of someone who is grateful for and at the same time resents her move to the United States. In this coming of age story, Darling sacrifices so much to be caught between a land that she feels will never accept her and a home that will never take her back. Fans of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Americanah will devour this one whole.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Recently laid off from his job at a San Francisco start-up, Clay searches everywhere for employment. He walks into Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, where the proprietor hires him after asking Clay what his favorite book is. Clay likes his job, but he can't understand how the store stays open - often there are no customers at all, and the ones that do come in borrow from a lending library in the back. There is more to the 24-Hour Bookstore than meets the eye, and Clay sets out to solve the mystery with the help of his friends. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan is a novel that blends genres easily, with elements of mystery, literary fiction, romance, and fantasy in the mix.

I was drawn in from the first chapter of this beautifully-written love letter to books.  But the author's love does not only extend to old things and books - it also embraces fancy new technology. Somehow Sloan creates a curious melding of old and new, where books and technology exist mostly in harmony (much like a library!). His beautiful prose and arresting metaphors captured my imagination. However, the dialogue can sometimes be hard to understand since Sloan does not always put everything in quotes and the characters sometimes come off as flat. While the novel has its flaws, it is still a fast-paced, innovative, intriguing mystery that will be hard to put down.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

Joyce Carol Oates Does It Again

Joyce Carol Oates, esteemed writer of terrific fiction like Blonde and What I Lived For, is one of those timeless authors you must pay attention to.  Her fiction has won many awards, such as the O.Henry Award, National Book Award, and the National Humanities Medal.  She has also been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.  Not a bad career!

Her latest, Evil Eye, is a collection of four novellas about the dangers of love.  In the first work, we meet Mariana, who is the fourth wife to an esteemed college professor.  The first wife, with whom the husband has a polite friendship, comes to visit and Mariana learns a secret through this encounter that rocks the foundation of her marriage.  A shy, awkward teenager meets a young man who shows an immediate interest in her in the second work.  She soon learns that his interest in her goes beyond typical teenage love, towards something far more sinister.  The third work, The Execution, follows young Bart Hansen through a vicious and unthinkable crime.  The results, thanks to the love of his mother, is not what the reader will be expecting.  Finally, the last work follows Cecelia as she tries to deal with the horrible events of her childhood that threaten to ruin her first true love.

Oates creates such atmospheric pieces in these short works of fiction.  The dread and inner turmoil each character deals with through his or her journey comes right off the page, creating a believable look at love gone wrong.  It really is nothing short of amazing.

Chris May- Adult Services Manager

Check Out Library Reads for Book Recommendations

I love making book recommendations through the Readers' Corner blog, the T-SPL Facebook page, and through in-person interactions.  It's one of those cool things I get to do at my job!  But I also love to speak with fellow librarians and receive recommendations for titles I missed.

There is a terrific new resource I would like to share with you called LibraryReads.  This is a program designed for librarians from around the country to make book recommendations.  The top ten titles of the month are then shared on the website!  What makes this program especially wonderful is the fact that multiple publishers are involved, including Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, and Penguin.  The love of reading and making recommendations is bringing these publishers and librarians together.

Check out the November LibraryReads list:

Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield
Through the Evil Days by Julia Spencer-Fleming
The Death of Santini by Pat Conroy
Someone Else's Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson
The Valley of Amazement by Amy Tan
Lies You Wanted to Hear by James Whitfield Thomson
The Cartographer of No Man's Land by P.S. Duffy
The Raven's Eye by Barry Maitland
Death of a Nightingale by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis
Parasite by Mira Grant

Man Booker Prize Shortlist

I have been meaning to post the Man Booker Prize Shortlist for a few weeks now, as they were announced on September 10.  If you missed our post on the longlist, you can find it at this link.

It is a bit embarrassing to admit that I have only read one of the titles making its way to the shortlist, We Need New Names, which was a wonderful read.  The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri is currently waiting for me on my Kindle, so maybe I can make up some ground soon.  I promise to catch up and give you all a full report!


Here are the titles making it to the shortlist:

We Need New Names by NoViolete Bulawayo
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
Harvest by Jim Crace
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
The Testament of Mary by Colm Toibin

What is really interesting about this list is the vast diversity of the authors.  Authors from New Zealand (Catton), England (Lahiri, of Indian descent, and Crace), Canada (Ozeki), Ireland (Toibin), and Zimbabwe (Bulawayo) are represented here.  Take a tour of the world by reading these six finalists!

Chris May- Adult Services Manager

New Zealand, England, Canada, Ireland and Zimbabwe

The Sad Songs of Willow Frost

See what I did there with the title?  It should tell you all you need to know about this beautiful, yet heartbreaking novel by Jamie Ford.  You should remember Ford from his wonderful debut, The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, which was very well reviewed and nominated for a bunch of awards.

 This is a very touching book about young William Eng, a twelve year old boy living in an orphanage outside Seattle. He has vague memories about the night his mother disappeared, and the horrible sight that he saw but does not understand, which led to his placement at Sacred Heart Orphanage. He has never been told why she left and, more importantly, why she never came back.  Unfortunately, many of the young children at Sacred Heart have similar stories.

When the group is taken to a theater, William sees a woman on screen, Willow Frost, who looks just like his mother. He decides he must find this woman in an effort to finally find out the truth.  Aided by his best friend, Charlotte, a young blind girl in the orphanage, William escapes Sacred Heart in a desperate search for Willow Frost in the unlikely event that she is his mother.

The characters are very well developed. Charlotte, in particular, is an amazing young person in this story. Many of her moments with William are both beautiful and heartbreaking.  When you combine William's unfortunate past with Charlotte's, you have some powerful stuff.  But their will to not only survive, but to thrive, makes for a wonderful side story to William's search.  

Chris May- Adult Services Manager

Paul Harding's Follow-Up to Tinkers

I encountered Paul Harding's work in 2010, after his novel Tinkers won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.  Tinkers was about George Washington Crosby, a clock repairman whose own time is about to run out.  As he lays on his deathbed, Crosby relives his troubled childhood and his relationship with his epileptic father.  I had mixed feelings about the book, but Harding's unique and mesmerizing use of language was apparent.  His follow-up, Enon, is due out this month and I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advance copy.

Harding's subject this time is Charlie Crosby, grandson of George Washington Crosby.  The mood, as in the first book, is certainly not light.  Charlie has just lost his daughter in an accident and his wife has left to spend time with her family, though it becomes clear she is not coming back.  The reader delves into Charlie's day to day life which becomes more and more unsettling.  He barely eats, wanders the town of Enon, visits his daughters grave nightly, and has bizarre interactions with the people of the town. 

If there is one thing to take from this book it's that Paul Harding is an absolute master with language.  The disconcerting details of Charlie's plunge into borderline madness, mixed with the vivid descriptions of Enon and its people, are truly amazing.  The subject matter, while unpleasant, shows what a parent with no support could go through after losing a child.

Chris May- Adult Services Manager

2013 Ohioana Award Winners Announced

The 2013 Ohioana Award winners were recently announced, with a reception to be held on October 11 at the Ohio Statehouse.  If you are unfamiliar with the Ohioana Library Association, visit the organization's website here.  According to the site "The Ohioana Book Awards are given annually to recognize and honor outstanding books published the previous year by authors who were born in Ohio or who have lived in Ohio for at least five years, the exception being a book about Ohio or an Ohioan and, this year’s the special category, fiction set in Ohio".

Here are this year's award winners:

Ohioana Book Award for Fiction
The Coldest Night by Robert Olmstead

Ohioana Book Award for Nonfiction
The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birds by Julie Zickefoose

Ohioana Book Award for Juvenile Literature
His Name Was Raoul Wallenberg: Courage, Rescue and Mystery During World War II by Louise Borden



Ohioana Book Award for Fiction Set in Ohio
The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier

Ohioana Book Award for About Ohio or an Ohioan
America's Other Audubon by Joy Kiser

Man Booker Prize Longlist Announced

 I'm very excited because the longlist for the Man Booker Prize was recently announced.  This award, along with the National Book Awards, is one of the few literary awards I pay attention to year after year.  Besides being excited, I'm also a bit overwhelmed since I have to add most of these to my to-read list.  Keep in mind, a few of these titles are not officially out until the Fall.

Here are the titles:

Five Star Billionaire Tash Aw (Fourth Estate)

We Need New Names NoViolet Bulawayo (Chatto & Windus)

The Luminaries Eleanor Catton (Granta)

Harvest Jim Crace (Picador)

The Marrying of Chani Kaufman Eve Harris (Sandstone Press)

The Kills Richard House (Picador) 

The Lowland Jhumpa Lahiri (Bloomsbury)

Unexploded Alison MacLeod ( Hamish Hamilton) 

TransAtlantic Colum McCann (Bloomsbury) 

Almost English Charlotte Mendelson (Mantle) 

A Tale for the Time Being Ruth Ozeki (Canongate)

The Spinning Heart Donal Ryan (Doubleday)

The Testament of Mary Colm Tóibín (Viking)

- See more at: http://www.themanbookerprize.com/news/longlist-2013-announced#sthash.xb5SNatr.dpuf

Five Star Billionaire Tash Aw (Fourth Estate)

We Need New Names NoViolet Bulawayo (Chatto & Windus)

The Luminaries Eleanor Catton (Granta)

Harvest Jim Crace (Picador)

The Marrying of Chani Kaufman Eve Harris (Sandstone Press)

The Kills Richard House (Picador) 

The Lowland Jhumpa Lahiri (Bloomsbury)

Unexploded Alison MacLeod ( Hamish Hamilton) 

TransAtlantic Colum McCann (Bloomsbury) 

Almost English Charlotte Mendelson (Mantle) 

A Tale for the Time Being Ruth Ozeki (Canongate)

The Spinning Heart Donal Ryan (Doubleday)

The Testament of Mary Colm Tóibín (Viking)

- See more at: http://www.themanbookerprize.com/news/longlist-2013-announced#sthash.xb5SNatr.dpuf

Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw
We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
Harvest by Jim Crace
The Marrying of Chani Kaufman by Eve Harris
The Kills by Richard House
The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri 
Unexploded by Alison MacLeod 
TransAtlantic by Colum McCann
Almost English by Charlotte Mendelson 
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan 
The Testament of Mary by Colm Tóibín

TransAtlantic and We Need New Names have both been reviewed here at the Readers' Corner.  But it looks like I definitely have some catching up to do!

Chris May- Manager of Adult Services

Fall "Let's Talk About It" Book Club Preview

It's getting to be that time again... book club season! The "Let's Talk About It" book group is starting up again on September 5*. Check out this preview of upcoming titles!

The novel for the first meeting is one I've reviewed for this blog before and one I greatly enjoyed: The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. It is the story of Liesel, a young German orphan who goes to live with foster parents during World War II. You can read my review of it here, but suffice to say it is deeply emotional and moving. Copies of The Book Thief are available now for check out at the Information Desk.

For a little variety, I included a nonfiction title in our Fall book club lineup. Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder is a biographical account of the life of Paul Farmer, a doctor and anthropologist who traveled the world  fighting diseases, tuberculosis in particular. The discussion starts on October 3, so don't miss it!

The November selection is a relatively new title, published in May of this year: The Dog Stars by Peter Heller. We will talk about this one on November 7. In a post-apocalyptic world, a man lives in an aircraft hanger with his dog. When he receives a message on his radio, he ventures out to find the source, and what he discovers is nothing he ever expected.

For the last book before the holidays, I decided on something a little lighter. On December 5, we will discuss Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson. In a small village in the English countryside, Major Pettigrew lives in peace and quiet until his brother dies unexpectedly. This sparks a friendship between he and Miss Jasmina Ali, a Pakistani shopkeeper in the village. As their friendship turns into something more, the relationship is tested by those who think that romance between locals and outsiders is wrong.

Please join us for our first meeting on September 5 - you can expect lively discussion and light refreshments. We hope to see you there!

*All meetings of the "Let's Talk" book club are at 10:30 a.m. on the first Thursday of the month and take place in the Junior Home room at T-SPL.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

Carnegie Medals Shortlist

I did it!  My stack of books to read is at a manageable level!  Oh...wait...the shortlists for the Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction were recently announced?  And I still have not read some of these titles.  Disregard my previous statement about my to-read list being at a normal level.  It's not.

These awards are some of the newest in the list of literary prizes.  In only the second year, the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the American Library Association have made the fiction and nonfiction awards into highly respected prizes.  Here's this year's shortlist:

Finalists for Fiction

This is How You Lose Her- Junot Díaz
The Round House- Louise Erdrich
Canada- Richard Ford

Finalists for Nonfiction

Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher- Timothy Egan
The Mansion of Happiness- Jill Lepore
Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic- David Quammen

The winners will be announced at the American Library Association Annual Conference on June 30.

Of course, the Man Booker Prize longlist is set to be announced at the end of July.  Looks like I have some catching up to do.

Man Booker International Prize Finalists

The Man Booker International Prize finalists were announced back in January.  Somehow this flew under my radar.  Better late than never, I suppose!

According to the Man Booker Prize website, "the prize is awarded every two years to a living author who has published fiction either originally in English or whose work is generally available in translation in the English language."  Past winners/nominees included such well-known authors as Milan Kundera and Joyce Carol Oates.  But, as the press release states, this year's list does not include many famous authors, aside from Marilynne Robinson and Aharon Applefield.  I see this as a strength rather than a weakness.  Readers will be introduced to authors they have never previously read.  That is something to celebrate!

Check out this year's finalists:

U R Ananthamurthy
Aharon Appelfeld
Lydia Davis- Check out Varieties of Disturbance to get a taste of this magnificent short story author.
Intizar Husain
Yan Lianke
Marie NDiaye- Three Strong Women has been on my "to read" list for way too long.  The reviews I have seen have been stellar.
Josip Novakovich- Terrific essayist is also known for his novel, April Fool's Day.
Marilynne Robinson- Check out popular works Home and Gilead.  Her book of essays, When I Was a Child I Read Books, is a solid collection.
Vladimir Sorokin
Peter Stamm- I really enjoyed Seven Years and We're Flying.

The Book Thief

I had always heard that The Book Thief by Markus Zusak was a must-read book. The novel has won many awards, including the American Library Association's Best Books for Young Adults in 2007 and the Publisher's Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year in 2007. I finally got a chance to read it this last week, and it surpassed my expectations.

It is a hard book to describe, in many ways. The narrator is Death, an entity who is sympathetic to humans despite his reputation for being grim and cold. Against his better judgment, he follows a young girl named Liesel as she lives through World War II in Nazi Germany. The girl's mother sends her to live with a foster family in a town near Munich, where Nazism has grown deep roots. As the Hitler cult reaches a fever peak, the family takes in and hides a Jewish man in their basement. However, this book is not action-oriented - it is more of a character study, with in-depth detailing of the thoughts and feelings of the main character, Liesel, which make her come alive in your mind.

The text is rich with evocative description and vivid emotion. The brief interjections from Death are at times heartbreaking, funny, or enlightening, sometimes all at once. Unlike many other Holocaust books, The Book Thief explores Nazi Germany from the perspective of a regular German family, giving new light to an event tread many times over. At its heart, this is a novel about words - over the course of the novel, Liesel learns to read and write, steals books, and learns the power of words to change the world, for better or worse. This is a book that takes hold of you and does not let go till the very end.



Ohioana Book Award Finalists Announced

I don't pay attention to all of the book awards, but I do watch for the Pulitzers, the Man Booker Prize, and the National Book Awards.  I also pay close attention to the Ohioana Book Awards which, as thename suggests, celebrates authors from the state of Ohio.  With so many great authors being from Ohio (Dan Chaon and Toni Morrison are two of my personal favorites) it's no wonder why these awards are popular.  Here are this years finalists for fiction and non-fiction:

Fiction
Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
The Devil All the Time by Ronald Ray Pollock
Doc: A Novel by Mary Doria Russell
Ziggy by Tom Wilson

Non-Fiction
History of a Suicide: My Sister's Unfinished Life by Jill Bialosky
Toward a Better Life: America's New Immigrants in Their Own Words-From Ellis Island to the Present by Peter Morton Coan
Dance Anatomy by Jacqui Greene Haas
The Quest for the Perfect Hive: A History of Innovation in Bee Culture by Gene Kritsky
Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legend by Susan Orlean

Check out the Ohioana website for more info on the awards.