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October 29, 2007
Tis the season
The Library received eighteen boxes of books last week as Fall is a major season for publishers to issue new titles! Here are a just a few of the new books you'll be seeing on our shelves in November.
You, staying young : the owner's manual to extending your warranty by Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz with illustrations by Gary Hallgren. This book makes recommendations for promoting optimal health and longevity after age thirty, in a reference that likens the aging process to the maintenance of city systems
Write it when I'm gone : remarkable off-the-record conversations with Gerald R. Ford by Thomas M. DeFrank In a series of interviews conducted over sixteen years with the stipulation that they not be released until after his death, the former president describes his relationships with other presidents and offers opinions on a wide range of topics
A family Christmas is an anthology of writings selected and introduced by Caroline Kennedy, illustrated by Jon J. Muth and Laura Hartman Maestro. This collection showcases favorite holiday stories and excerpts including "The Night Before Christmas," by Clement C. Moore; "Little Tree," by e.e. cummings; and "A Christmas Carol," by Charles Dickens.
Other Non fiction:
Sage-ing while age-ing : the violence of enlightenment by Shirley MacLaine
American creation : triumphs and tragedies at the founding of the republic by Joseph J. Ellis
Steve & me: Life With the Crocodile Hunter by Terri Irwin
Fiction:
Amazing grace by Danielle Steel
Everlasting by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss
The heir by Barbara Taylor Bradford
Murder on K Street : a Capital crimes novel by Margaret Truman
Protect and defend : a thriller by Vince Flynn
The race by Richard North Patterson.
Posted by MaryF at 11:39 PM | Comments (0)
October 25, 2007
Time to Listen
Our shelves are bursting with new audio books we recently added to the collection.
Pastor Will Bowen challenged his congregation to go twenty-one consecutive days without complaining. His book, A Complaint Free World, explains what constitutes a complaint, why people complain, how complaining is destructive, and how to get others to stop.
David Halberstam explores the lesser-known elements of heroism and pathos that marked the Korean War and evaluates political decisions and miscalculations on both sides of the conflict in The Coldest Winter
Donna VanLiere brings us The Christmas Promise, a holiday story of interpersonal relationships. Taking what he hopes will be his first long-term job, lonely department store security officer Chaz McConnell reaches out to a four-year-old child, while Gloria Bailey, a charity worker who has taken in a single pregnant woman and a cantankerous senior, struggles with ensuing personality clashes
More audio book titles recently added:
Novels
Exit Ghost by Philip Roth read by George Guidall
Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemirovsky read by Mark Bramhall
Run by Ann Patchett read by Peter Francis James
The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta read by Campbell Scott
Home to Holly Springs A Father Tim Novel by Jan Karon read by Scott Sower (October 30th release date)
The Secret Life of Josephine by Carolly Erickson read by Margot Dionne
Protect and Defend by Vince Flynn read by George Guidall (October 30th release date)
Shoot Him If He Runs AStone Barrington Novel by Stuart Woods read by Tony Roberts
The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold read by Joan Allen
Biographies and Memoirs
Clapton by Eric Clapton read by Simon Vance
Life’s a Campaign by Chris Matthews read by the author
Power to the People by Laura Ingraham read by the author
Escape by Carolyn Jessop read by Ann Marie Lee
Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks read by John Lee
A Time to Lead by Wesley K. Clark read by the author
Posted by MaryF at 04:44 PM | Comments (0)
October 19, 2007
Design Inspiration
The Library recently received some beautiful books as donations that were made to inspire. A heartfelt thank you to the donors for these feasts for the eyes and the imagination.
Wadia Associates of New Canaan's work is the subject of one of the New Classicists American Architecture series. Exquisite photographs of the interiors and exteriors of New Canaan and Darien houses show off the excellent detailing and fine materials that typify Dinyar Wadia's work. The diversity of stylistic approaches that characterize Ken Tate's work is shown in the equally sumptuous volume Ken Tate Architect, Selected Houses.
If your looking for inspiration for detailing - say for a doorway, a staircase, or a bookcase, you won't lack for ideas after spending an hour or so with The Way We Live. It's an amazing book of over 400 pages of photographs taken in houses worldwide. Full color pages of single rooms and full color pages of thumbnail photos of design elements make this book "an ultimate treasury for global design inspiration."
Once the house is done move into the garden with Tania Compton's Dream Gardens. With photos and illlustrations of over 100 modern and contemporary gardens worldwide, it's the ultimate sourcebook for gardeners who dream. Tania Compton is herself a garden designer and a former editor of House & Garden magazine.
Posted by MaryF at 04:38 PM | Comments (0)
October 15, 2007
New Books on CD
New this month to the Books on CD collection are Jeffrey Toobin's Nine, Alan Greenspan's Age of Turbulence, an audio book version of Ken Burns' The War, Phil Spector's Tearing Down the Wall of Sound and Margaret MacMillan's Paris 1919.
Darien listeners can't seem to get enough of Nicholas Spark's novels on CD so we've updated and added new copies of his most popular books - A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Message in a Bottle and A Bend in the Road.
And if mysteries are your favorites, check out Ethel White's classic The Lady Vanishes, Martin Cruz Smith's Stalin's Ghost, Faye Kellerman's latest Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus novel The Burnt House or Harlen Coben's The Final Detail or One False Move.
Be on the look out for the following biographies that are on order: John McCain's Hard Call, Richard Frank's MacArthur and Nancy Gibbs The Preacher and the Presidents. And these classic mysteries are on order as well: Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers, Rex Stout's Too Many Women and P. D. James' An Unsuitable Job for a Woman.
Posted by MaryF at 01:27 PM | Comments (0)
October 11, 2007
"It's a royal flush"
Doris Lessing has always been a writer that I've admired but haven't read in quite awhile. But her comment when speaking with reporters after being awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature reminded me of why I liked her work.
It's forthright, honest, and always relevant to what's happening in the world.
She told reporters the prize had dealt her the literary equivalent of the best possible hand in poker.
"I've won all the prizes in Europe, every bloody one. I'm delighted to win them all, the whole lot."
"It's a royal flush."
Doris Lessing at 87 is still writing and publishing. Her latest novel, The Cleft , received mixed reviews. Publishers W eekly thought it a generally lethargic battle of the sexes. Library Journal highly recommended it and called it a "multifaceted account of life, love, gender, history, and the power of story is engrossing if not easy reading."
Whatever the book, it's a joy to know that the oldest recipient of a Nobel Prize in literature still has the talent and power to stir up such emotions with words. And bravo to the Nobel committee for recognizing that.
Posted by MaryF at 04:39 PM | Comments (0)
October 09, 2007
Colbert Nation the day is here!
Stephen Colbert's I Am America(And So Can You!) is out today. It's a "must have" for members of the Colbert Nation.
Those of us who attended Book Expo this year got a chance to nab a preview copy of I Am America (And So Can You!). While the book isn't as stingingly funny as The Colbert Report - he's no fan of books, remember - it will keep you laughing with it's breezy style and interactive fun zones.
Colbert covers Family, Religion and a very funny chapter on Old People under the heading My American Childhood. Sex & Dating is included in My American Adolescence. And he riffs on the Media, Class War, Race, and Immigrants under My American Maturity. There's a Science Glossary - "Kites: See "Magic," below....Psychiatry: Psychology with balls. And a prescription pad." - and the appendix includes the transcript of the White House Correspondents' Dinner Video.
It's amazing to me how Colbert can always get his point across without breaking character. In his talk at Book Expo, he said it was sometimes frustrating to remain in character while interviewing as it didn't allow him to ask smarter questions. That may be so, but it seems to me he gets his point across just fine.
Posted by MaryF at 10:24 AM | Comments (0)
October 08, 2007
Christmas is just around the corner!
So what if the temperature feels more like July.
There are only 78 more days till Christmas and who's counting?
People who want to get started on Christmas craft projects, that's who!
The Library's Christmas book collection is out of storage and waiting for eager DIYers to check them out.
There's a nice selection of cross-stitch Christmas projects along with all things Martha at Christmastime.
And for those who really want to get a jump on the season, there are plenty of cookbooks to browse through to plan the holiday meals.
The collection this year is shelved next to the elevator on the Mezzanine.
Posted by MaryF at 04:47 PM | Comments (0)
October 01, 2007
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Despite lower statistics in recent years, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in American women. It is estimated that about 178,480 women in the United States will be found to have invasive breast cancer this year.
Books that focus on useful information to help the patient, their family, and friends are being displayed at the Library during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The three books featured here offer no-nonsense advice and are good examples of what the Library's collection has to offer:
Debra Jarvis, author of It's Not About the Hair, reacted to her diagnosis with the thought "Oh, shit." Not what you'd expect from an ordained minister who worked as an oncology care chaplin.
A reviewer said of Boobs "If a protagonist from a Sophie Kinsella novel wanted to learn about mammograms, she'd consult this book while getting her lowlights done." Author Elixabeth Squires maintains the Books on Boobs website.
One of the most popular books with Library readers, Debbie Cohen's Just Get Me Through This is a practical guide full of straight shooting advice from a cancer survivor.
Posted by MaryF at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)