Cleopatra: a Life by Stacy Schiff

I'm the first to admit that I usually don't like nonfiction, I've surprised myself. I've been completely fascinated by Cleopatra: a Life by Stacy Schiff, which I just listened to on audiobook. You can order the print version here, and the book on CD here (for those tech-savvy readers with e-readers that can play e-audio, you can find that here). This meticulously researched nonfiction title is the story of Cleopatra's life stripped of sensationalism and taken down to the bare bones.

You won't find any Shakespearean embellishment or Elizabeth Taylor reenactment here - and it shows. Schiff's portrayal of the Egyptian queen is not that of a witch preying upon men, but a savvy, intelligent woman who used everything at her disposal (including sex) to consolidate power and remain queen of Egypt. The audio version is read by Robin Miles, who reads with authority and passion. Never monotone or boring, her voice is deep, commanding, and lends emotional weight to the text. While we never get much of Cleopatra's voice, Schiff and Miles let us into her world with copious (sometimes overwhelming) background information to set the scenes. For anyone interested in history or strong women, this book by a Pulitzer Prize winning author will capture your imagination.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

Join us to discuss The Girls of Atomic City!

Feeling a little stir crazy after all these cold, snowy days? Get out of the house and join us for the first meeting of the "Let's Talk About It" book club of 2014. We will be discussing The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan this Thursday, February 6, 2014 at 10:30 a.m. in the Junior Home Room.

This is the true story of the women who worked and lived at the mysterious Site X in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, never knowing that what they were working on would change the world forever. These women held not just the traditional feminine jobs of secretaries and nurses, but were welders, engineers, statisticians, and much more besides. They took pride in making the Site X complex a home, even though they were forbidden to talk about their work in producing the atomic bomb.

To get you thinking before book club day, check out these discussion questions:

1. Denise Kiernan explains in an author’s note, “The information in this book is compartmentalized, as was much of life and work during the Manhattan Project." How does the book manage to recreate the workers’ experience of months-long ignorance, and the shock of finding out what they were working on?
2. Discuss the role that patriotism played in everyday life during World War II. Do you think Americans today would be willing or able to make the same sacrifices—including top-secret jobs, deployment overseas, rationed goods, and strict censorship—that families of that era made? Why or why not?

For a multimedia experience, including music of the period and photos of the mysterious Oak Ridge, check out GirlsofAtomicCity.com.

Join us for light refreshments and a discussion that's sure to warm up your day!

Geek's Guide to Dating

As a geek girl (though I have a boyfriend), when I saw this book, I had to read it. The Geek's Guide to Dating by Eric Smith is just what the doctor ordered for all the socially awkward geeks out there who can't find their "Player Two." From the first paragraph, Smith sits this slim tome in the middle of geek lore. With numerous references to pop culture, television, movies, comic books, and other things geeks love, Smith outlines a solid plan on how to date. As a woman, I have to say that Smith's advice is spot on - there are no easy shortcuts, no pick-up lines, and he emphasizes putting in hard work to attract the opposite sex.

I liked that Smith starts with taking a look at yourself and discovering your "special abilities" - knowing yourself before dating others. He emphasizes that you must love yourself and your interests, but also be open to new things and what other people enjoy as well. However, one complaint I have is that there are no tips specifically for the geek girl, which is unfortunate, though Smith says that you can apply his guide to both sexes.

Need a gift idea for the single geek in your life? This book is perfect for any geek ready to dive into dating and who may not want to read a traditional dating guide.

Win a copy of this book! All you need to do is correctly answer this question:

What is the best-selling video game console of all time?

First correct answer wins a copy of the book and a poster. Five correct answers after that will win a poster.


Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

Confessions of a Latter-Day Virgin by Nicole Hardy

I usually don't read memoirs (or much nonfiction), but a friend recommended this to me and I thought it looked interesting. It turned out to be a touching and evocative account of a life lived out of sync with what her community expects. Confessions of a Latter-day Virgin: a Memoir by Nicole Hardy is a memoir of a young, single Mormon woman struggling with the clash between what her church expects of her and what she wants out of life. The church wants her to practice abstinence, marry early, and give up her career for motherhood. Nicole is fiercely independent and wants to become a writer, travel the world, and not have children.

The memoir explores the loneliness and isolation of not being able to connect with the opposite sex inside or outside her church. Mormon men think she is too independent and those outside the church are confused by her faith and subsequent virginity. Hardy tells of her struggle between her own sexuality and her commitment to celibacy with poetic prose. She touches on universal doubts and troubles that I think we all share, such as the search for identity and the need to please one's parents. Check out Hardy's memoir for an inside look at the Mormon faith, or for a young woman's struggle to be true to who she is.

Shannon Wood, Adult Services Librarian

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

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.

Ohioana Book Festival

If you are a book lover, consider attending the Ohioana Book Festival at Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center in Columbus on Saturday, May 11.  This free festival runs from 10:00-4:30 and celebrates authors from the Buckeye State.   You will get the opportunity to meet many of these authors in person.  Listen to some terrific panel discussions and even live music.  There are even activities to keep the kids busy!

Just a few of the authors attending include:

Mary Ellis
Robert Olmstead
Tim Waggoner
Emilie Richards
Ellis Avery
Carla Buckley
Candice Walkins
Denise Verrico

This great event is sponsored by the Ohioana Book Association.  The association "is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and promoting the written work of Ohio’s writers, artists, and musicians".  Visit their website for more information on the Ohioana Book Association and the Book Festival.

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.

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!

Recommendations Delivered to Your Inbox!

There are so many places to get book recommendations.  I love visiting the NPR and New York Times book reveiw sites.  Goodreads and LibraryThing offer a social place to discuss books.  But what if, now stay with me, you could get lists of new and popular book titles sent straight to your Inbox?  What a crazy world that would be, right?  Welcome to that crazy world!  The Tiffin-Seneca Public Library offers amazing booklists each month that can be sent straight to your email.

Simply go to this site to browse the available booklists.  Simply click the checkbox next to each list you would like to receive, enter your email and you are set! 

We do link to the current lists on our website, so check them out if you'd like to sample them.  For instance, here is this month's New Adult Fiction and Mystery lists.  There are many others, such as Adult Biography, Junior Books, Teen Books, and Large Print.  There's something for everyone!

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.