“Year of Wonders”

Geraldine Brooks’  “Year of Wonders” explores an English village in the year of the plague 1666 as its townsfolk quarantine their village to limit the spread of the disease.  Through the eyes of Anna Frith, a housemaid in the village, we see a village transformed by tragedy, madness, hatred and hope.  This was Brooks’  first novel and it is absorbing. It is a great work of historical fiction. -  Jan

“The Forever War”

Dexter Filkins, a foreign correspondent for The New York Times, wrote this book based upon his experiences in Afghanistan and Irag reporting from the front lines.  And I do mean front lines. While reading this I was shocked that he would put himself in so many dangerous situations and utterly amazed that he survived to write this book. It’s an eye-opening account of the people, politics and culture of these two countries. – Jan

Artist Talk

On Saturday, October 17 at 11:00 am Jan Kelly will be here to talk about her latest art exhibit which is currently on display in the library art gallery. Her talk is called “Mysteries of Water.” Her artwork which consists of acrylics, watercolors, ink & pastels, and aquarelles can be viewed during normal library hours during the month of October.

The talk is free and open to the public.

Jan

Book sales are down

Maybe they’re going to the library instead!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/08/books/08book.html

“The Lost Symbol”

Dan Brown’s eagerly anticipated new novel returns with Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon exploring the mysteries of the Freemasons. Langdon is called to Washington D.C. to deliver a lecture but he arrives to find that his close friend has been kidnapped and in order to save his life Langdon must cooperate with the kidnapper to solve an ancient mystery.

This book kept me up until 1 a.m. on a work night, which is extremely rare for me. I was fascinated with the history, the architecture, the symbols, the science, – everything. The plot was not what was most important to me. It was everything else that Brown uncovered in his research that was most fascinating.

Brown has hit the jackpot again. Look for a movie in the future and increased tourism in Washington D.C.

Highly recommended!

“West of Washoe”

It’s 1864 in Virginia City, Nevada Territory. Statehood is in the future for Nevada and Gil Ross is sent by the government to inspect the potential wealth of the region. Ross, a former magazine writer and now a mine inspector quickly becomes embroiled in the violence and treachery of the region.

Between armed holdups, duels, torching of the newspaper office , befriending Samuel Clemens, and being left to die in a mine there’s so much going on in this short novel.  And there’s so much interesting historical detail here about life in the Washoe region, I couldn’t put it down.

Jan

“the girl who stopped swimming”

When Laurel Hawthorne sees the ghost of Molly, her daughter’s best friend, leading her to Molly’s body in Laurel’s backyard pool, Laurel’s comfortable life in gated Victorianna gets turned upside down. Laurel will need to confront the dark secrets of her past including her relationship with her parents, her wacky sister Thalia, and her distant husband.

Author Joshilyn Jackson’s Southern roots shine through in this novel. Laurel and Thalia are complex, fascinating characters who come to life in this well-written psychological novel.

Highly recommended. – Jan

Senior Enrichment Day Book Discussion

Some of you may be planning to attend the book discussion that I will be leading at Senior Enrichment Day at SUNY Cortland on October 16. The book for discussion is Khaled Hosseini’s second novel “A Thousand Splendid Suns.”

A Publisher’s Weekly review states “Afghan-American novelist Hosseini follows up his bestselling The Kite Runner with another searing epic of Afghanistan in turmoil. The story covers three decades of anti-Soviet jihad, civil war and Taliban tyranny through the lives of two women.”

Copies of the book are available through the Finger Lakes Library System. You can reserve a copy online www.flls.org/cortlandlib or give us a call at 753-1042.

If you can’t be at Senior Enrichment Day, our adult book discussion group at the library will be discussing A Thousand Splendid Suns on Wednesday, October 28 at 7:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome!

Jan

September book discussion

Our adult book discussion group will be meeting on Wednesday, September 23 at 7:00 p.m. (NEW TIME!) to discuss “The Bean Trees” by Barbara Kingsolver. Copies are available within the Finger Lakes Library System. Reserve your copy online or by giving us a call at 753-1042. Everyone is welcome. Bring a friend!

Keeping Current #2

In July 2008 I posted titles to 10 magazine articles from current issues on our shelves in hopes that folks would think about maybe coming down to the library on a regular basis to peruse the magazines and enjoy a reading respite. I thought I would do it again to remind folks that we have more than 50 magazines that we subscribe to which include the arts, sports, fashion, food, health, business, gardening and many more. Current issues must be read in the library but older issues can be checked out.

Here’s what caught my eye today:

“Post-Pundit America: The End of Attack Politics” – Utne Reader

“Mixed Signals (How to See Yourself as Others See You) – Psychology Today

“Top Travel Writers’ Dream Assignments” – Smithsonian

“The Best New Idea in Business” (the Zipcar) – Fortune

“John Calvin: Comeback Kid” – Christianity Today

“The Way Green Design Changes How We Live, Learn, Work & Play” – Audubon

“What Washington Doesn’t Get About Health Care” – The Atlantic

“Grass Roots” (the Adirondacks is a haven for small-time marijuana growers and a thruway for big-time dealers) – Adirondack Life

“How to Survive Almost Anything”  – National Geographic Adventure

“Why the Beatles Broke Up” (the Inside Story) – Rolling Stone

Jan