August 28, 2008

Patron Review of the Day

Pandora’s Daughter by Iris Johnson

“A good book. I would recommend it. This author is new for me and I would definitely read her again. The book kept me interested from beginning to end.”

Posted by EricaB at 09:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 27, 2008

Patron Review of the Day

Abbeville by Jack Fuller

“A poignant down-to-earth tour of the American scene in the 19th and 20th centuries. Well-written and an accurate description of the best and worst of the human condition.”

Posted by EricaB at 09:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 23, 2008

Patron Review of the Day

The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares.

“I loved it! A great love story, but also about sisterhood and friendship. Great for summer – makes you want to head to the beach.”

Posted by Kate at 07:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 22, 2008

Patron Reveiw of the Day

Absolution by Caro Ramsay

“A novel of obsession and murder. A very different tale with many interesting characters, all with their secrets, fears and internal conflicts.”

Posted by Kate at 07:34 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 21, 2008

Patron Review of the Day

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen

“Not a light read, but an interesting analysis on sanity and institutions of the late 1960s. More intellectual than emotional (unlike the movie).”

Posted by Kate at 07:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 20, 2008

Patron Review of the Day

Drop Shot by Harlen Coben

“Lots of interaction between assorted characters, lots of sub-stories. Interesting twists & turns in the story keeps you “on your toes” on “whodunit.”

Posted by Kate at 02:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 19, 2008

Patron Review of the day 8.19.2008

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

“This is by far the best book of short stories I have read. The author writes beautifully and I felt pulled into her stories. I’m looking forward to reading her Interpreter of Maladies. “

Posted by Kate at 03:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 18, 2008

Patron Review of the Day

Resolution by Robert Parker

"When I get my hands on a new Robert Parker novel, it is invariably read within a day and a half. I love the dialogue (and all that is left unsaid), and the hunky heroes, as well as the messages about justice, courage, and real love."

Posted by EricaB at 09:38 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 15, 2008

Patron Review of the Day

Sea Glass by Anita Shreve

"This author weaves a story with disparate characters who, in the beginning, seem to share nothing. An unusual story set in the strife of union/mill/depression events. Really good reading."

Posted by EricaB at 10:42 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 14, 2008

Patron Review of the Day

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

"Well-written, humorous story of a Greek family coming of age in the late 60s & 70s. Easy to read and well told. Main character's secret is uncovered to the shock of many. Unputdownable!"

Posted by EricaB at 09:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 13, 2008

Patron Review of the Day

Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum

"Well written, appears well researched. An interesting story told int he past and the consequences of that past in the present."

Posted by EricaB at 01:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 12, 2008

Patron Review of the Day

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon

"Fabulous! A very interesting perspective from an autistic narrator, an unexpected twist, some great humor - I loved it!"

Posted by EricaB at 10:55 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 11, 2008

Patron Review of the Day

Hollywood Crows by Joseph Wambaugh

"Great character and an interesting main story. Mr. Wambaugh's former employment as an L.A. policeman brings reality to his book."

Posted by EricaB at 01:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 08, 2008

Lost and Found

The media buzz about the opening ceremony for the 2008 Summer Olympics (to be televised tonight at 7:30pm on NBC) is that it is mesmerizing...spectacular...not to be missed. And one of the most not-to-be-missed moments will happen when Team USA marches into the stadium while led by flag bearer Lopez Lomong, a 23-year old runner competing in the 1500-meters relay and whose own story is a feat of Olympic-size proportion in its own right.

As a six-year old boy, Lomong was forced to flee the civil war that had completely devastated his country of Sudan. He began running. And he ran for miles and miles until he reached Kenya, where he remained in a refugee camp for the next ten years as one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan," a group of almost 30,000 displaced young men and boys separated from their family or orphaned by the loss of their parents. As a teenager, Lomong was able to relocate to a foster home in the U.S. and he continued to run in high school and college - not because he had to, but finally because he wanted to. He became a citizen last November and now, with a place to call home, he will represent his country with one of the biggest honors to be bestowed upon an amateur athlete these next couple of weeks.

It's quite a proud moment for humankind, and certainly one not to be missed.

To learn more about the Lost Boys, check out these books:

The Lost Boys of Sudan by Mark Bixler
God Grew Tired of Us by John Bul Dau with Michael Sweeney
They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky by Benson Deng, Alephonsion Deng, and Benjamin Ajak

Posted by EricaB at 02:54 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Patron Review of the Day

They Did It With Love by Kate Morgenroth

"A wonderfully suspenseful story about life for a group of couples in Greenwich, CT. Nothing is as it seems and the surprise ending was great!"

Posted by EricaB at 09:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 07, 2008

Patron Review of the Day

Stoner by John Williams

“One of the most beautifully written books I ever read; as a matter of fact, I didn’t want to start the last chapter because that was the end.”

Posted by EricaB at 09:11 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 06, 2008

Incredible Iceland

A hidden danger of library work: authors we know with names we don't know how to pronounce. My latest favorite is an Icelandic mystery writer known informally around here as "The Jar City guy." Arnaldur Indriðason writes small, elegant thrillers you can devour in an afternoon.

Set in Reykjavik, these murder mysteries allow me to indulge my fascination with Iceland and revel in a series of gritty and sometimes horrifying tales of homicide and the inner workings of the mind of an Icelandic detective.

For a look at earlier Icelandic writing (about eight centuries earlier!), check out today's web site of the day: The Icelandic Sagas.

Posted by Kate at 09:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Patron review of the day

Where Are You Now? by Mary Higgins Clark

“She’s done it again! I couldn’t put it down. Riveting from the first page to the last. A young man disappears for 10 years, yet calls home every Mother’s Day, and his sister decides to find out why, only to discover past disappearances of young girls. Clark’s characters all have a shady past. With every new clue, I thought I knew who the villain was, only to change my mind with the next chapter. Great summer read!”

Posted by EricaB at 09:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

August 05, 2008

Book reviews by......you!

Here at the Library, you'll never have to search far and wide to find a staff member who is passionate about reading. Books are what we love. They're what we think about and talk about, and we're never happier than when we're recommending a book that has unexpectedly taken our breath away, completely consumed our lives (if only for a brief moment in time), and compelled us to tell everyone we know about the best read we have encountered during a day, week, month, year...or maybe ever.

And boy, are we lucky that every day, hundreds of people walk through our doors who share our same passion. Since the beginning of our Adult Summer Reading program in June, we've received over 600 reviews of books that you, our patrons, have read in just the past few months. The reviews are incredibly thoughtful, fun, funny, serious, eye-opening...and we can easily tell that they have been written with a love for reading and sharing about books that is just bursting off the paper.

How can we possibly keep them to ourselves?!

We've already posted new reviews on our bulletin board each week, but starting today, we'll also be sharing a patron book review of the day on our blog!

Plus, for taking the time to share your thoughts, we're going to thank you. Please join us for a celebration at our Adult Summer Reading Grand Finale on Wednesday, August 13th at 7:00 p.m.

And now, for the first...

Patron review of the day:

The Prince of Frogtown by Rick Bragg

"Another wonderful, heart-warming book by one of the world's great storytellers. He has you crying one minute and laughing the next. Not to be missed!"

Posted by EricaB at 10:25 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

July 28, 2008

Bright shiny comeback...

Who would have thought that James Frey would have the guts to write another sentence, let alone two more books, after completely misleading our nation’s readers? For the record, I would like to assure you I was not in the return line at the bookstore trying to get my money back for A Million Little Pieces. I happily bought the book believing what I was about to read was going to be true, for the most part. When I soon learned that the book was fabricated, so much so that it was said to be siding on fiction, I was not angry. Whether the book was a memoir or a fictional representation of a life experience did not matter to me, I loved the book all the same.

I’m quite certain I wasn’t the only person proud to own this book until the day Oprah practically eviscerated Frey on live TV. That was the turning point in Frey’s career, for some, the end. Frey did not give up, but he later wrote an extension of his debut book called My Friend Leonard.

Throughout the years of being verbally stoned to death by the negative feedback and bad karma, Frey persevered. Bright Shiny Morning is his new book and it blows the others out of the water. This book is considered fiction and trust me, he lets us know it with the opening page, stating... “Nothing in this book should be considered accurate or reliable.” I’m glad Frey is keeping his wits about him after all this backlash; he no longer has anything to worry about. Bright Shiny Morning is brilliant. Frey follows a handful of Los Angeles stereotypes around LA on their journey to maintain whatever it is they feel comfortable calling life. Although Frey bases his characters on people typical of Los Angeles residents, you will never be able to predict how each of their stories ends. To keep you turning the pages faster, Frey includes many Los Angeles facts and statistics regarding everything from gangs, nature, traffic, pollution, deaths, and many more demographic figures.

This is a summer must-read; I assure you that you will not be returning this one for your money back.

Posted by erica at 11:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

July 22, 2008

Destination Everywhere

We've been saying it all summer.

Books really are the ultimate escape!

Who wants to spend any amount of time on a long, cramped flight to Venice or Sydney when instead, you can hide out at one of Darien's beaches under a big umbrella, sunglasses and water bottle in tow, and escape from the everyday with a classic work of fiction or the hot, new detective mystery that everyone is talking about. In the time it takes to turn a page, you can find yourself transported to the dark, vast moors of the English countryside or the glamorous streets of Hollywood. You can't beat the convenience...the savings...even the variety of exotic locales that are available to you simply by browsing the shelves of the Library for a good book. No, not even JetBlue can provide you with Destination Everywhere.

And so it is quite fitting that for this year's Adult Summer Reading program, we chose beach reads as our theme. We put out the call for patrons interested in telling us your thoughts about the books you have read these past few months, and you certainly answered! So far, we've received over 400 written reviews of books, and even more from your conversations with our Reader Advisors. Take a look at just a few of your comments:

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart:
"The entire family enjoyed this book on cd on a road trip to So. Carolina. Engaging enough even for adults. Good mix of mystery, suspense, & humor. My 12 yr. old is now reading the next in the series."

A View of the Ocean by Jan de Hartog:
"Thoughts, memories, emotions expressed in beautiful words of both simplicity and complexity. A moving, insightful memoir of his extraordinary mother - as well as father."

How Tough Could It Be by Austin Murphy:
"Laugh out loud view of motherhood from a father's perspective."

The Art of Keeping Secrets by Patti Callahan Henry
"Definitely 'chick lit' but an easy beach chair read. Mystery, love, friendship, etc. Fun!"

More Than It Hurts You by Darin Strauss:
"Brilliant writing. Portrays his characters with such life. Absorbing story dealing with Munchausen by proxy. Suspenseful and disturbuing and oh so readable."

Over the next few weeks, we'll be posting all of your reviews on the Library bulletin board, with new reviews listed each week.

Stop by, browse the reviews, and get ready to add a few more destinations to your reading list this summer!

Posted by EricaB at 07:26 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

July 17, 2008

Dubus Delivers

Will we ever run out of BookExpo stories? I don't know. Probably not. While in L.A., we attended an author breakfast, where the panel included author Andre Dubus III (along with Alec Baldwin, Magic Johnson, and Phillipa Gregory(!)). All highlights! If I had to choose my favorite speaker, it would be Andre. He was candid and funny, very personal, and a little bit gritty.

Andre Dubus III

As I continue what I'm calling my "fictional summer" (aka: my summer of fiction-reading) I need to take a bit of a pause to catch my breath after reading his newest book, The Garden of Last Days, which is intense, disturbing, and more than a little bit gritty. Most of the action (so to speak) takes place at a strip club in Florida in the final days leading up to 9/11. Much of Dubus' story is told through his characters' inner voices and we hear them loud and clear. It may not sound too pretty, but this is about as real as it gets.

The Garden of Last Days is no walk in the park. It is an important novel that may leave the reader practically bleary-eyed in its glare and truth -- weary from its urgency, and world-weary from its topic and themes, but it is time well spent. This is an absolutely worthwhile read.

Posted by BarbaraT at 03:32 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

July 03, 2008

Inside or Outside?

My answer is always, “Outside, thank you.” Dining outside is one of the more enjoyable aspects of summertime for me unless it is 90 degrees and humid or lightning and thunder is raging nearby!

Come to the Library for sources of special al fresco dining choices in Connecticut Magazine’s “Best of the Season: Great Places to Enjoy a Summer Meal” or John Mariani’s article in the July issue of New Canaan Darien & Rowayton. I agree with Mr. Mariani that we in Connecticut cannot duplicate the heavenly atmosphere of Portofino or the hills surrounding Firenze, but summertime outdoor dining can still provide an “Ahh” experience.

More ideas can be found in books such as Connecticut Restaurants or Westchester Hudson Valley Restaurants by Zagat or Food lovers' guide to Connecticut: best local specialties, markets, recipes, restaurants, events, and more. Check for more choices at http://www.fairfieldcountyonline.com/directory/restaurants/outdoor-dining/
One of my favorite restaurants is the G.W. Tavern in Washington Depot which is warm and unique inside any time of year, but the patio is irresistible in summer with the sounds and views of the charming Shepaug River.
Any favorites you’ll share with us???

Posted by Terry at 04:34 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

June 30, 2008

Let's Chat!

When Louise read the editorial page last week and spied Nick Troilo’s plea for a summer read it began a week of really wonderful dialogue with my colleagues and librarians from all over the United States.

For those who missed it, Nick was looking for two different reads: the first he based on Portia’s impassioned plea to Brutus on the state of their marriage in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Portia wanted a true partnership with her husband - anything less was not so much a marriage to her mind, but shall we say a business arrangement. Sure, a woman can plead for this but is there a book where the man also wants it? The second book was to be an account of a failed marriage/relationship from a man’s point of view. Feel free to read Louise’s response to Nick here: http://www.darienlibrary.org/directorsblog

We really had fun with this one and it just goes to show just how committed we are to bringing you the best service we can. We all spoke not only with each other but we reached out to fellow readers, both professional and just plain rabid from across the U.S. via websites, blogs and e-mails. We had some great conversations about books, new and old, forgotten and beloved.

Reader’s Advisory is something we feel passionate about here. We are constantly reading - reading reviews, talking to each other about what we have read, what we have heard about what others are reading. Many of our conversations here with each other begin not with “Hello” but “So, what are you reading?” We even went this past month to what we consider to be Book Heaven: Book Expo America, where we chatted with people in the publishing industry to hear what they were excited about in their upcoming new releases. We even got some of these books before they are officially “out” so that we can read them ahead of you and be able to speak to you about them with either excitement or perhaps regret, or perhaps a bit of both.

We want a dialogue with you too. Reader’s Advisory is not something that is done in a vacuum. It is a relationship that we establish with you, our patron. We want to know all about what you are reading, what you have read, what you loved, and what you hated. We want to know what is going on in your life. This may not be the time to introduce something heavy and serious, or on the other hand, maybe a deep read is just what you are looking for now.

I hope that this is the start of an ongoing dialogue with Nick and that we can start more ongoing dialogues with patrons. This is not really an assignment or challenge that can be met right off the bat. This is, hopefully, the start of a great conversation that will be going on for many years to come.

Posted by JenniferD at 01:25 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)