“The Shack”

This is a profound book written by William P. Young that addresses the age-old questions of “Why me,” or “Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain.”

Mack Phillips’s six-year old daughter is abducted while on vacation with her family and there is evidence that she was murdered in an abandoned shack in the wilderness near where she was camping with her family. Four years later, Mack receives a note, apparently from God, asking him to go back to that shack for a weekend.

As he faces his worst nightmare, what he finds at that shack will change him forever.

This is fiction but what you will learn will help you handle even the darkest moments in your life. I had many Aha! moments while reading this book.

Jan Dempsey

“The Monster of Florence”

What a story! And it’s true! Douglas Preston, author of many non-fiction books as well as co-author (with Lincoln Childs) of several murder mysteries, moves with his family to Florence, Italy in 2000. He expects to spend his time writing another mystery that would be set in Florence and involve a lost painting of mysterious Renaissance artist Masaccio.

Little did he know that he would become involved in a real life murder mystery. He meets celebrated Italian journalist Mario Spezi who tells him about a monstrous serial killer in the Florence region who murdered fourteen young lovers between 1974 and 1985. The killer or killers had never been found but many had been accused and then acquitted. Preston and Spezi decide to try and solve the case. What they didn’t expect is that Spezi would be arrested and Preston would be charged as an accessory.

It’s a thrilling, unbelievable tale of an incompetent police and judicial system, a press that only seems interested in sensationalism, a country where saving face can be more important than the truth, and two men caught in the middle.

Highly recommended!

Jan Dempsey

Used Book Sale (Childrens Books only)

A small used book sale will take place on Saturday, August 23 from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Only children’s books will be offered in this sale.

Jan

Artist Talk

Aksel Sand Pedersen will be giving an artist talk in the library art gallery on Saturday, August 23 at 10:00 a.m. Currently on display in the art gallery are Pedersen’s watercolors of Ireland.

Everyone is welcome.

Jan

Large Type Survey

If you are a Large-Type (LT) user, would you please fill out one of the printed survey forms that is over by the Large Type books in the library. This will help us to more fully develop this collection.

Much thanks!

Jan Dempsey

Books in the media

What should you do when you’ve heard about a book on a radio or television show but then later can’t remember the title? Go to the website http://freshfiction.com/medias.php and you will find out what books and authors have been mentioned in the national media, TV and radio. You can search by program (Oprah, Dr. Phil, 60 minutes, The Early Show and 70 other programs) and can subscribe to their newsletters.

Their Fresh Fiction newsletter is themed and spotlights authors, books, reviews, and contests. The Fresh Press newsletter covers the previous day’s appearances of books and authors on national media. Their Fresh Pick newsletter highlights a selected book and author. Their Fresh Thrills newsletters covers mystery, suspense and thriller titles and their Fresh Passion newsletter covers the spicy side of fiction.

 Jan

Truth-O-Meter

Now is a good time to resurrect a website that I highlighted last year in this blog that will help you separate fact from fiction in the presidential campaigns.

 http://www.politifact.com

“PolitiFact is a project of the St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly to help you find the truth in the presidential campaign. Every day, reporters and researchers from the Times and CQ will analyze the candidates’ speeches, TV ads and interviews and determine whether the claims are accurate.”

Jan

“The Story of Edgar Sawtelle”

Folks are buzzing about David Wroblewski’s debut novel. Stephen King has given it high praise along with Richard Russo. Most of the reviews on Amazon.com are favorable including both professional reviewers and readers. It is a mysterious, beautifully written story of a boy named Edgar Sawtelle who is born mute, raised in a family that breeds highly intelligent dogs, learning to communicate with his parents and the dogs with sign language.  When his uncle Claude comes to live with the family, Edgar’s world is turned upside down. His father dies and his mother turns to Claude for comfort.  Edgar soon becomes convinced that his father was murdered. After a tragic event, Edgar runs away with three of his dogs to the north woods of Wisconsin.

I thought the book was a bit too long at 576 pages and a bit too detailed in parts. And, I have to agree with a reader’s review on Amazon.com that the ending devalued all the pages leading up to it. But it still was worth reading. You will think about this book long after you’ve turned the last page. There are already a slew of questions that readers have been raising about the book on the Amazon site.

Jan Dempsey

August Art Gallery Exhibit

Currently on display in our art gallery are watercolor paintings by Aksel Pedersen. An art instructor for more than 30 years, Pedersen has numerous awards and his exhibitions have included 48 one-man shows, 12 group shows and 4 two-man shows throughout New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Delaware, South Carolina and Rhode Island.

Pedersen has worked as a commercial artist, an illustrator of books, a stage set designer and has written and produced radio dramas and murder mystery events.

On Saturday, August 23 at 10:00 am, to coincide with the Celtic Festival in Courthouse Park, Pedersen will be speaking in the art gallery at the library about his work and his current exhibit.  All are welcome.

Have you listened to a Playaway?

There’s an easy way to listen to a book while at the gym, taking a walk or at the beach. They’re called Playaways. They are about the size of an MP3 player and they have an entire book stored on them. They can easily fit in your pocket.

We don’t have any Playaways at the Cortland Free Library but you or (we) can easily request them through the online catalog from other libraries in the Finger Lakes Library System. To find out what titles are available you can search the word playaway in the keyword search field of the catalog.

Jan Dempsey