A royally good time!

Do you like Philippa Gregory, Jean Plaidy, or Margaret George?

These may be just a few of the authors we talk about when the Genre Reading Group meets tomorrow Tuesday March 31st at 6:30pm in the Library's Conference Room to discuss European Monarchy fiction!  

Join the most fun book group in town, where YOU get to pick what you read!  We select topics as a group (one each month) then you choose the book you'd like to read from that topic.  New members are always welcome!  Light refreshments served.

For more information, contact Holley Wesley by phone (205/445-1117) or email (hwesley@bham.lib.al.us)!

Goodbye Barbara Parker

Barbara Parker, a prolific writer of mystery novels, died Saturday in her home after a long illness.  Parker gave up a law practice to pursue her career as an author and went on to write 12 novels, most notably her series involving Miami lawyers Gail Conner and Anthony Quintana.

Suspicion of Innocence

Suspicion of Guilt

Suspicion of Deceit

Suspicion of Betrayal

Suspicion of Malice

Suspicion of Vengeance

Suspicion of Madness

Suspicion of Rage  

Her other novels include:

The Perfect Fake

Criminal Justice

Blood Relations

The Dark of Day

Holley

Coming Soon to HBO!

If you loved the books, now you can follow the exploits of Alexander McCall Smith's plucky heroine from the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Precious Ramotswe, and her secretary, Mma Makutsi, as they travel about the countryside of Botswana solving mysteries.  

The series will begin on HBO on Sunday March, 29th at 8pm.

Now is the perfect time to say hi to old friends by reading the series all over again!

No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

Tears of the Giraffe

Morality for Beautiful Girls

The Kalahari Typing School for Men

The Full Cupboard of Life

In the Company of Cheerful Ladies

Blue Shoes and Happiness

The Good Husband of Zebra Drive

The Miracle at Speedy Motors

Tea Time for the Traditionally Built

Happy Reading!

Holley

Girl With The Dragon Tattoo!

I read The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo for the library's book group (The Bookies) and LOVED it! I cannot wait for the second in this series, and may, in fact, order it from Amazon.UK. Although I would not naturally gravitate toward a story about corporate greed and dirty business dealings, the story sucked me in. Set in Sweden, the story begins with a wealthy businessman opening a birthday gift. He already knows what it is, because he receives the same gift every year, a framed, pressed flower in a frame. Above his desk hang many decades worth of the same gift. Why does he receive this gift? We don’t know, and neither does this character. We find out though, that he is a wealthy businessman whose favorite niece disappeared more than 30 years before and has never been found. He, and the rest of his family, assumes she is dead, but he hires an out of luck journalist to research his family and his niece’s fate. What this journalist finds is more disturbing than can be imagined, and very dangerous. The characters Stieg Larsson created were so thoroughly crafted - they felt truly real and three dimensional. I loved the girl with the dragon tattoo and can't wait to find out what happens to her, she was (odd as it may seem) my hero! I hope she finds happiness. I also enjoyed reading a novel set in Sweden. The locale was exotic as were some of the customs, I should have checked out a travel guide to Sweden to have at my side as I read this not-to-be missed thriller/suspense/mystery. You will miss out if you don’t pick up The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo!

Read This!

As usual, we received a cart of books this morning - chock full of new non-fiction that I have no time to read, but no ability to resist. My solution? I add them to my LibraryThing account, swoon and drool over them for a little while, and then, sadly, allow them to be shelved.
HoWeVeR ... I did take the time to speed read a nifty little book that came in from National Geographic entitled Essential Visual History of World Mythology.
Here's my review:
National Geographic has produced a beautiful little book detailing the myths and legends of the world's fabled god, goddesses, and heroes. The guide is touted as the essential visual history and it is gorgeous. There are full color photos, maps and illustrations throughout. Another great find - lots of photos of artifacts, temples, and statues dedicated to the gods and goddesses inside. Divided into sections, the guide covers all parts of the world: Ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Norse & Celtic Mythology, Indian, Chinese, American, African, and Australian/Oceanic. The index is nice and seems extensive, my only complaint is that there are no pronunciation guides for the names, which can be very complex! If you are looking for a little non-fiction fun, take a look at this beautiful little book.

I hope you have a great weekend, and get to spend a little time reading!

km

The Place To Be!

Like libraries across the country, your Birmingham area libraries are seeing a surge in library material circulation, program attendance, and foot traffic.  Job searches, computer classes, programs for every age, and free access (provided they are returned by their due dates!) to all kinds of library materials make your public library the ultimate destination!

Holley

New Feature for Online Catalog!

You can now save a wishlist of the items you would like to check out as you browse the Jefferson County Library Cooperative's online catalog!  Try it out!

You may not be aware that you may choose to keep a record of all the items that you check out.  The library's system does not keep up with this information, but you, as the library card holder, may opt in to this online-only service.  Try it out!

Holley