Attention MBHS AP Biology students ! ! !

The first Assignment Alert of the new school year has arrived here at Emmet O'Neal Library and we librarians are ready to help you ace the assignment!

If you have Walt Rogers' AP Biology class, then your research and project on biomes is due...
September 21, 2007.

We have plenty of books that you may check out as well as some great reference books out of which you may make copies! From home, a great place to start your research would be the library's catalog which you can access by going to our website, clicking "online catalog" from the menu on the left, and doing a subject search for "biotic communities". You will find books not only at Emmet O'Neal but also those available at other libraries across the county...all available to you with a couple of clicks and a few days wait! Also, the catalog will lead you to some great electronic resources the Jefferson County Library Cooperative offers you:

BIOME BASICS
BIOMES
BIOMES OF THE WORLD
BUILDING A BIOME
EARTH FLOOR: BIOMES
THE EVERGREEN PROJECT
HABITATS & BIOMES
INTRODUCTION TO BIOMES
NASA: EARTH OBSERVATORY--BIOMES
WINDOWS TO THE UNIVERSE: ECOSYSTEMS
THE WORLD'S BIOMES

Good luck with your assignments!
I'll see you at the library!
htw

Lasting Popularity

Sometime in late 2005, early 2006 I read a review for a soon-to-be-published book that immediately piqued my interest. Exciting travel, wondrous food, reflective introspection, romance, humor, honesty…they all seemed to be well represented in the upcoming book. February 2006 finally arrived, along with the publication of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia. Initial interest was not white-hot here at EOL and I was deep in graduate school at the time so I let it pass me by. Fast forward several months and I starting hearing the title more and more, but not from peers and coworkers…from patrons. (When a book gets this much attention word-of-mouth, it would silly not to pay attention.) Coincidentally, I was asked to participate in the Library’s book group (The Bookies!) meetings for June, July and August and one of the meetings happened to focus on nonfiction.

So this, dear reader, is how I re-stumbled on Eat, Pray, Love. I read the book voraciously as the author made her way through hidden and forgotten restaurants across Italy, respectfully as she knelt in prayer in an Indian ashram and with a zing in my blood as she struggled through the final leg of her journey of self-realization in Indonesia. I could not help but become one of the legions who had read this book and believed everyone else should to. I recommended it at the book group meeting and to everyone else who would stand still to listen. I even bought a copy for my home library so I would not have to wait if I wanted to read it again in the future. As soon as the book came out in paperback, I began to be mobbed with reserves and questions. That feverish period of interest has not yet waned either as there remains a steady list of holds for all the copies in Jefferson County across all mediums: regular print, large print, audiobook.

Never heard of Elizabeth Gilbert? Perhaps you’ve heard of the movie Coyote Ugly? Gilbert wrote an article for GQ magazine about being a Manhattan bartender which prompted the 2000 movie.
All of these reminiscences have been spurred by yet another great USA Today article from the Life/Book section, which I receive via RSS feed. I knew the book had become outrageously popular and this was confirmed by USA Today as it is plowing a path towards their Top 10 Best-Selling Books, currently residing at No. 11. I have every confidence that it will continue to climb but I do wish that its popularity had been realized during the period of time before it was released in trade paperback, just for the sake of the author.

I am a library patron, just as I am an employee, but I am also a proponent of buying books. My purchases work this way: I read the library book. If I am suitably entranced, then I go out and get a hardcover copy (if available) for my home library. I love books and want people to continue to write them. This process depends so much on us as consumers. Go to your local library and check out every book that strikes your fancy (my current check out far exceeds my eyes’ abilities to keep up!), but if you find something special, something that resonates, something you find yourself checking out again and again just to revisit the friends you made in those pages….support the author and purchase a copy.

Oh yeah, as an aside, Paramount Pictures has optioned the book just for

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...are you ready?

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....Julia Roberts!

Happy Reading!

htw

Misguided Geniuses

I will be the first to admit that I have only the most common of knowledges about Charles Lindbergh and most of that revolves around a tragic child abduction. Next week however, you'll be able to get a different view of Lindbergh; a view that many people don't know about and one that just may curl your hair! The Immortalists: Charles Lindbergh, Dr. Alexis Carrel, and Their Daring Quest to Live Forever will be on sale Tuesday August 21, 2007.

Sharing the biographical stage with Lindbergh will be 1912 Nobel prize winner for medicine, French scientist Alexis Carrel. These two men will work together towards their dreams of defeating death and pursuing immortality through "the mechanics of pumps, experimental operating room machines and science." An unfortunate obsession with eugenics takes the experiments from their lofty beginnings of trying to save a family member down to a misguided focus away from science towards social engineering, a research direction in which the Nazis were also very interested.

On one hand it is easy to see Lindbergh becoming so focused on this research to take his mind off the abduction and murder of his child and the suffocating tensions of his household, but racial purity? I will be very interested to hear the buzz about this book after it is published and readers have a chance to form their opinions.

The author of the USA Today article where I found a review of this book listed some alternate subtitles that could be applied:

"Geniuses Do the Creepiest Things" or

"Brains Aren't Everything"

Funny....but sad.

Happy Reading!

htw

upcoming releases

Shelf Awareness Daily News has highlighted the following new releases for August!

Selected new hardcover titles appearing on Tuesday, August 21:

Away: A Novel by Amy Bloom (Random House, $23.95, 9781400063567/1400063566) is the story of Lillian Leyb, a Jewish immigrant who arrives in New York in 1924 only to travel back to Russia in search of her sister, who survived the pogrom that killed their parents.

The Chicago Way by Michael Harvey (Knopf, $23.95, 9780307266866/0307266869) follows PI Michael Kelly as he investigates a rape and unwittingly finds himself on the wrong end of a conspiracy involving cops and criminals.

The Sanctuary by Raymond Khoury (Dutton, $25.95, 9780525950295/052595029X) is a thriller about a centuries-old conspiracy surrounded by death and destruction.

Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson (Morrow, $25.95, 9780060527334/0060527331) is the 14th culinary mystery featuring Goldy Schulz.

Power Play by Joseph Finder (St. Martin's, $24.95, 9780312347482/0312347480) follows a group of business executives as hunters attack their lodge during a retreat.

Knit Together: Discover God's Pattern for Your Life by Debbie Macomber (FaithWords, $22.99, 9780446580878/0446580872) uses the metaphor of knitting to persuade Christian women to tie together their lives together.

Letters to a Young Teacher by Jonathan Kozol (Crown, $19.95, 9780307393715/0307393712) gives solutions to some of the gravest problems in the American education system through this memoir of 16 letters written to a first grade teacher in an inner city public school.

Ike: An American Hero by Michael Korda (HarperCollins, $34.95, 9780060756659/0060756659) chronicles the leadership of Dwight D. Eisenhower during World War II and his presidency.

Appearing on Wednesday, August 22:

Hard Row by Margaret Maron (Grand Central, $24.99, 9780446582438/0446582433) is the 13th mystery starring Judge Deborah Knott.

Appearing on Thursday, August 23:

Still Summer by Jacquelyn Mitchard (Grand Central, $24.99, 9780446578769/0446578762) follows four women lost at sea in the Caribbean.

Happy Reading!

htw

The Man Booker Prize Longlist Announced ! ! !

This longlist of 13 books, the ‘Man Booker Dozen’, was chosen from 110 entries; 92 were submitted for the prize and 18 were called in by the judges.

The 2007 shortlist will be announced on Thursday 6th September at a press conference at Man Group’s London office. The winner will be announced on Tuesday 16th October at an awards ceremony at Guildhall, London

Darkmans by Nicola Barker (pub'd 5/07 in UK)

Self Help by Edward Docx (pub'd 7/07 in UK)
The Gift Of Rain by Tan Twan Eng (5/07 in UK)
The Gathering by Anne Enright (pub date 9/10/07)
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
Gifted by Nikita Lalwani (pub dat 9/11/07)
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
What Was Lost by Catherine O’Flynn (pub'd 5/07 in UK)
Consolation by Michael Redhill
Animal’s People by Indra Sinha (out of print)
Winnie & Wolf by A.N.Wilson (pub date 9/25/07)

Happy Reading!

htw

Pre-publication Buzz Follows Debut Novel to Shelves

Frank Lloyd Wright was born to William Russell Cary Wright and Anna Lloyd (Jones) on June 8, 1869 in Richland Center, Wisconsin. His father was a musician and clergyman from New England, his mother a schoolteacher of Welsh descent, with strong roots in the Unitarian faith and community. After the family settled in Madison, Wisconsin in 1880, Frank spent summers working his uncle’s farms nearby, shaping his vision of what was to become “organic architecture.”

“You may see in these various feelings all taking the same direction that I was
born an American child of the ground and of space, welcoming spaciousness as a
modern human need as well as learning to see it as the natural human
opportunity”—Lecture, 1935.

After a few unfulfilling years studying civil engineering at the University of Wisconsin, Wright struck out for Chicago in 1887 and settled finally as an assistant to architect Louis Sullivan. The Adler-Sullivan firm was the most progressive architectural firm of its time, and Wright would later acknowledge Sullivan as his “master and inspiration.” Since Sullivan was primarily interested in skyscrapers, most of the commission for houses fell to Wright and he honed his skills well, developing what came to be known as “Prairie” houses and many other world famous structures.

Wright married Catherine Tobin in 1889 and the couple immediately began a large family as well as some large debts.
(World Authors 1900-1950, H.W. Wilson Company: 1996. entry: Wright, Frank Lloyd)

It is Wright’s family life that Nancy Horan’s debut novel takes as its focus and it is a life fraught with angst, anger, jealousy and adultery. Loving Frank is based on true events surrounding the real-life love affair Wright had with the wife of a client. From all reports and early reviews, this will be a hit with book clubs and a savory read for fans of literary fiction. This title was slated to hit the shelves yesterday and the Emmet O’Neal Library does have it on order, so call us (445-1121) to reserve your copy today! You may also search the county’s catalog via our website at http://www.eolib.org/!

Happy Reading!

htw

The Boleyn Frenzy Continues...

The tale of two sisters caught in the whirlwind of court life during the reign of King Henry VIII took the world by storm with the publication of Philippa Gregory’s The Other Boleyn Girl. Men, women, teenagers, book groups, garden clubs and more have visited libraries and book stores in waves looking to follow the machinations of the Boleyn clan and now the story is headed to Hollywood. Scarlett Johanssen and Natalie Portman will take to the screen as Mary and Anne Boleyn while Eric Bana takes the role of their brother George Boleyn.

If you haven’t heard of this series or just haven’t gotten to it yet, here is a list!

The Tudor novels
The Constant Princess
The Other Boleyn Girl
The Boleyn Inheritance
The Queen’s Fool
The Virgin’s Lover

The Lacey Trilogy
Wideacre
The Favored Child
Meridon

Garden novels
Earthly Joys
Virgin Earth

Stand-alone novels
Fallen Skies
The Little House
A Respectable Trade
The Wise Woman
Zelda’s Cut

Happy Reading!
htw

Holley Reads Lulu and Loves It!

Move over Sophie Kinsella! Clear a path Lauren Weisberger! Jennifer Weiner just needs to go home! Let me introduce you to my new favorite person, Mia McMurry!

In Danielle Ganek’s debut novel, Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him, she introduces the reader to the world of the gallery girl.

“They call us gallerinas. We’re generally considered a loathsome breed, gallery receptionists. Aren’t we represented almost universally as obnoxious, entitled, pretty girls in great clothes? Yes, yes, stock characters in miniature art-world dramas, we’re pretentious creatures in intellectual fashion and high heels, dripping with attitude and sarcasm, rolling our eyes at visitors requesting something as mundane as the price list. God forbid you want to know where the bathroom is.”

Known for their condescending attitudes and general snobbery gallerinas have acquired quite a nasty reputation that Mia is determined to get rid of single-handedly simply through courtesy. She’s nice to all of the artists, dealers, and collectors who shove their way through the hard-to-open doors of the Simon Pryce Gallery in New York’s Chelsea art scene.

One artist in particular has her smitten (in a sweet kind of way, Mia has sworn off dating any artists or members of their entourage) at the moment and he DEFINITELY doesn’t fit the mold of hot emerging artist. Quite the opposite, Jeffrey Finelli is a short round fifty-eight year old man missing one arm. The night of his very first opening, the pinnacle of his career, the unexpected happens and Jeffrey is struck by a cab and killed. Instantly the popular opinion on his artwork goes from ho-hum effort to ultra in-demand must have and this is most especially true of his masterpiece painting entitled Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him, a figurative painting of his niece as a young girl.

As demand heats up for the titular painting, a buffoonish competition erupts between greedy gallery owners, back stabbing collectors with more money than brains and Jeffrey’s niece Lulu who feels she should get the painting because her uncle promised it to her. Mia is torn between loyalty to her eccentric boss, the affection of a new friendship with Lulu, and the possibility of love from an unexpected (and unwelcome) direction. Mia’s in trouble alright, but she finds that years of social training in New York’s art scene have toughened her in unexpected ways and she just may be able to come out ahead of the game.

I truly, truly, truly LOVED this book! Just last night I went to the book store and bought my own copy to add to my personal home library so that I can take it back out and revisit these people at my leisure. Go out to the library and get a copy today!

Danielle Ganek is a former Mademoiselle and Woman's Day editor now living with her husband and three children in New York.





Some of the great reviews from her website (and take note she got one from Vera Wang!):



"...an amusing, suspenseful novel that delights..." PEOPLE MAGAZINE



"Danielle Ganek truly captures the excitement, intrigue and seduction of the contemporary art world. This book is filled with larger-than-life characters engaged in a glamorous high-stakes game. I loved it." VERA WANG



"Danielle Ganek has crafted not only a page- turning story with engaging characters but a wry look into the world of contemporary art—a delightful journey for anyone who loves getting lost in a good book." ARTHUR GOLDEN



"If I was a copycat I’d take this book and call it mine." RICHARD PRINCE



"She got it right, and that’s saying something. Sometimes a picture is worth considerably more than a thousand words." LARRY GAGOSIAN



"In her debut novel, Lulu Meets God And Doubts Him, Danielle Ganek captures the absurdity of the New York art scene with wide and witty brushstrokes." VANITY FAIR

"...a page-turner set against a refreshingly unique backdrop..." PEOPLE MAGAZINE

Happy Reading!

htw

Fans of Daniel Silva Rejoice ! ! !

Things are looking good for all you Daniel Silva readers out there who've been ready to see his characters brought to life on the big screen. Cinematical reports that Universal Studios paid a hefty sum (over seven figures!) to get their hands on Mossad agent-turned art restorer Gabriel Allon. At this time Universal does not seem to be concerned about following the series from the beginning, choosing instead to start with The Messenger. This storyline involves the Vatican and attacks against the powers-that-be in Silva's invented papal administration.

No screenwriter has been assigned as yet, but Pierre Morel will have the helm as director.

If you are not familiar with Daniel Silva or are now inspired to start the series again, here's a list!

Gabriel Allon, Mossad agent-turned art restorer
The Kill Artist
The English Assassin
The Confessor
A Death in Vienna
Prince of Fire
The Messenger
The Secret Servant

Michael Osbourne, Washington D.C.-based CIA agent
The Mark of the Assassin
The Marching Season

Stand-alone novel
The Unlikely Spy

Happy Reading!

htw

New Poet Laureate Announced!!!

The nation's new poet laureate, Charles Simic, is described by Librarian of Congress James Billington as being “very hard to describe, and that’s a great tribute to him. His poems have a sequence that you encounter in dreams, and therefore they have a reality that does not correspond to the reality that we perceive with our eyes and ears.”

Happy Reading!

htw