http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Latest book news from Hennepin County Library Copyright 2008 Hennepin County Library en-us Sat, 17 May 2008 22:18:15 CDT 64 64 http://www.hclib.org/ http://www.hclib.org/pub/images/countywebsite/hcl_logo.gif http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Korean Manhwa.  Unlike manga, you read manhwa left to right and the art style is more angular and a bit more realistic than traditional manga.  We may also eventually see Chinese manhua make its way to the U.S.  While the Asian wave of comics expands, take a look at the library's extensive collection of manga to tide you over.   Our Josei and Shoujo list for "girl" comics and our Seinen and Shonen list for "boy" comics give you a great place to start exploring this popular art form.]]> Jody W. Thu, 08 May 2008 09:32:50 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ The Riders.  He takes us on a wild ride in this story about Scully who is abandoned by his wife Jennifer.  After they purchase an ancient cottage in Ireland, Scully stays behind to make repairs while Jennifer and their young daughter Billie return to Australia for their belongings. The day they are to fly back to Ireland, Billie deplanes without her mother.  Scully and Billie travel all over Europe desperately trying to find Jennifer.  Suspenseful and heart-wrenching, The Riders (which was short-listed for the Booker Prize) is a great introduction to Winton.   I eagerly await his new novel Breath which comes out this summer.  Now I wonder if I should read Cloudstreet or Dirt Music next?  Has anyone read those novels? 
]]> Kim B. Tue, 06 May 2008 09:50:44 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/
I Don't Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson

Sleeping with Ward Cleaver by Jenny Gardiner

Babyland by Holly Chamberlin

Mama by Terry McMillan

For more great titles, visit the MomLit website!]]> DJ Sat, 03 May 2008 10:32:19 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Minnesota is 150 years old?  Enjoy the book  Minnesota 150 : the people, places, and things that shape our state   the companion book to the exhibit at the MN Historical Society .]]> Jennifer L Fri, 02 May 2008 14:00:49 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Jean B. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:22:10 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ I don’t know, maybe you should wait till the heat of August to read The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean.  The story takes place in Antarctica, and the author describes this scene of beauty and death in such harrowing detail that you can feel the cold and see the blue ice. And that is only the backdrop for the chilling story (sorry...couldn’t resist) of 14 year-old Symone’s trip of a lifetime gone horribly wrong. Hearing-impaired and unpopular, Sym appreciates the attentions of "Uncle" Victor, her dead father's business partner and the family's seeming benefactor until his behavior and intentions fall suspect after a number of “accidents,” some deadly. Very much a survival as well as a coming of age story, The White Darkness grabs you with Sym’s clever voice, the powerful descriptions, and a near surreal but believable plot.  Don’t be put off by the fact that this is a young adult title. As with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, or Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, or Shadow Baby the teenage protagonist enhances the story with fresh insight and a lack of adult baggage. Winner of the Printz Award, 2007.]]> David L. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:02:14 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ The Kitchen Boy and Rasputin's Daughter, may want to check out his live book club webcasts on several dates in April and May. His new book, The Romanov Bride, set during the Russian Revolution, blends history and fiction in the stories of the Grand Duchess Elisavyeta (Ella), sister of Alexandra, the last tsarina, and Pavel, a young peasant revolutionary.
Read the Star Tribune review...]]> Sharon M. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 12:21:26 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Georgette Heyer, often credited with creating the Regency romance, is an author to discover and rediscover! Hennepin County Library has many of her classic titles in the catalog or 'on order', so reserve a copy or three of her historical love stories!]]> DJ Sat, 19 Apr 2008 10:37:21 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Random House Readers’ Circle offers opportunities for your group to discuss a book with the author by phone.]]> Sharon M. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:00:37 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Shadows Return is set to be released on June 24, 2008. Log into the catalog and reserve your copy now! Keep up with Lynn on her livejournal site or the yahoo discussion group, Flewelling.]]> Christine C. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:05:10 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/
Genre Fiction
Thunder Bay by William Kent Krueger
Novel & Short Story
The Last Communist Virgin by Wang Ping
General Nonfiction
The Art of Subtext: Beyond Plot by Charles Baxter  
Memoir & Creative Nonfiction
The Florist’s Daughter by Patricia Hampl
Minnesota
Land of Amber Waters: The History of Brewing in Minnesota by Doug Hoverson
Poetry
Willow Room, Green Door by Deborah Keenan 

More information about the Minnesota Book Awards.]]> Sharon M. Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:29:41 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ this National Geographic website that reviews new travel writing and offers a guide to classic travel lit, organized by place!]]> Stephanie S. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:36:00 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Mudbound by Hillary Jordan.   It recently won the Bellwether Prize for Fiction, deservedly so.  It's a gritty story of racism set in the Mississippi Delta after World War II.  College educated, city-bred Laura resigns herself to being an "old maid" until she is wooed by much older Henry McAllan.  His dream to be a farmer takes them to Mississippi to live in a shack with no indoor plumbing or electricity.  If that wasn't miserable enough for Laura, Henry's father moves in with them.  Pappy is a despicable racist and sexist man.  Every time he was in the story I wanted to smack him.  The story is told in six alternating first person voices.   Laura, Henry, Jamie (Henry's charming younger brother), Florence and Hap (husband and wife who are black sharecroppers) and their intelligent son Ronsel (a war hero who has just returned home) are beautifully crafted.  This complex novel oozes with the metaphor of mud.  Laura accurately dubs their cotton farm home Mudbound and the mud slows down the lives of these characters.  Listen to Hillary Jordan discuss her novel on NPR; you can also read an excerpt from Mudbound (in Jamie's voice).]]> Kim B. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 09:23:14 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Scott H. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:32:28 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ With the NCAA Final Four happening as I write and the professional basketball season well under way, how could you resist Full Court Press by sports novelist Mike Lupica? Don’t get me wrong; this is not great literature. But it is face-paced and sharp-witted, as most all of Lupica sports writing is. So what happens when the owner of the worst pro-team in the country signs the first woman ever to play in the NBA? Well, all hell breaks loose and the final score is hilarious, irreverent and even a wee bit thoughtful. I have not laughed this much during a novel since Dave Barry’s Big Trouble. Check out a copy to bring to the next Timberwolves game and you can laugh and cry at the same time!]]> David L. Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:10:19 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Denvention 3 66th World Science Fiction Convention Website.]]> Christine C. Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:10:41 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Shooting War by Anthony Lappe and Dan Goldman.  When anti-corporate blogger Jimmy Burns vlogs a terrorist attack in NYC, he comes to the attention of a news media conglomerate who hires him to go to Iraq as their "man on the streets".  These streets are meaner and dirtier than anything he'd ever experienced before as the atrocities of war overwhelm him.  Sharp satire, black humor, and a firm grounding in the reality of war make this a truly outstanding read, especially with Goldman's photorealistic illustrations. 

This graphic novel has its own website where you can find out its history as an online comic, to the hardcover graphic novel I'm reading, and its future as a television series.   Lappe is the executive editor for Guerrilla News Network (GNN) and Goldman is a founding member of the daily comics anthology ACT-I-VATE, and after exploring these sites it's very apparent that they write what they know.  Definitely talent to watch.]]> Jody W. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:44:26 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Moloka'i. The story begins in the late 1890s on Oahu when the last monarchy was nearing its end.  Young Rachel Kalama lives on the island with her loving parents.  One day her mother notices a pink sore on Rachel's skin that she desperately tries to conceal but soon officials discover it and banish the seven-year-old to the quarantined leprosy settlement on the island of Moloka'i.  Rachel's life profoundly changes.  She clings to her beloved Uncle Pono who had been sent to the settlement a few months earlier.  Rachel has a mild case of leprosy and she grows up on Moloka'i with infrequent visits from her seaman father.  I was totally absorbed in this novel.  Publishers Weekly gave Moloka'i a starred review, "Compellingly original... Brennert's compassion makes Rachel a memorable character, and his smooth story-telling vividly brings early twentieth-century Hawai'i to life...a touching, lovely account of a woman's journey as she rises above the limitations of a devastating illness."]]> Kim B. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:52:53 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ I was recently in the lovely West Coast city of Monterey and, as you might guess, decided to re-read two of John Steinbeck’s novels, the classic Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday. Both were as incredibly fun and rewarding as I’d remembered. Cannery Row follows the lives and foibles of a group of social misfits living on the edge of the fish-packing district of Monterey. The characters and their interactions are often amusing but not at all lacking in depth, and I found myself caring as much for the ladies of the local flophouse as for marine-biologist Doc, arguably the central character in the novel.  I was glad to have brought Sweet Thursday along since it extends the pleasure of reading about these often amusing and sentimental good people. The New Republic described this book as an “emphatic statement of Steinbeck’s single greatest theme: the common bonds of humanity and love which make goodness and happiness possible."  How true it is.  Join the fun and take a fun literary trip back to Monterey.]]> David L. Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:09:58 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Irish American Heritage Month and St. Patrick's Day with a romance from the Emerald Isles. Be swept away with an Irish love story recommended by the Historical Romance Writers or All About Romance. When Irish eyes are smiling...they steal your heart away!]]> DJ Fri, 29 Feb 2008 11:45:15 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Godland is a fabulous superhero romp featuring Commander Adam Archer, altered into a cosmic being by aliens with mysterious motives.  Archer's 3 sisters join him in his quest to save the universe time and again as they face a motley and creative bunch of villains including Friedrich Nickelhead (a gentleman and a villain), Discordia (she has a thing for inflicting pain), and Basil Cronus (whose skull floats in a jar).  If you're a Jack Kirby fan, like the Fantastic Four and the New Gods. ]]> Jody W. Mon, 25 Feb 2008 14:41:41 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Baseball titles in preparation for the 2008 season.]]> Jennifer L. Sat, 23 Feb 2008 11:24:16 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ The 2007 Nebula Award ballot is available from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) website.  The awards will be given at the Nebula Awards banquet on April 26.  I'll post the winners as soon as I hear the announcement following the banquet.  This is your chance to take a peek at some the nominated works prior to the announcement of the winners.  I have to admit that I haven't read any of the novels up for the Nebula so I'm going to get cracking as some of them look mighty good!

]]> Christine C. Fri, 22 Feb 2008 13:42:55 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Moon Tiger (the 1987 Booker Prize winner for fiction),  I wanted to try Lively's new book Consequences.  It's one of those wonderful novels you can dive into and forget the world for awhile.  Covering three generations, the story begins with Lorna and Matt.  Lorna is from a privileged (and stuffy and uncomfortable) London family and one day she meets Matt on a park bench.  He is an up-and-coming artist and after they marry, they settle into a run-down yet charming cottage in the country. They are very happy until World War II calls Matt for duty and their idyllic life drastically changes.  Their daughter Molly grows up to find her unconventional life (including details of her first job as a library assistant at the Literary and Philosophical Institute, under the direction of Miss Clarence  -- beautifully told), and later Molly's daughter Ruth is the author's focus.  This is a novel to savor.]]> Kim B. Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:12:56 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Vampire Romance Novels site.]]> DJ Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:54:43 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Jean B. Mon, 18 Feb 2008 13:44:36 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ a personal profile page that brings together your comments and book lists, with an option to share info about yourself and your reading interests. 

We'd also love to have some new BookSpace photos to celebrate this month. If you'd like to see yourself on BookSpace, send us a photo of yourself reading in a favorite place. Photos will be posted on the Hennepin County Library Flickr page and selected photos will be featured on BookSpace or in other HCL publications.]]> Sharon M. Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:35:14 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Kent Haruf’s Plainsong, however, is quite a bit different. Here we see the lives of eight people change and adapt to a variety of challenges in a small western town. Our pregnant friend Victoria, who has been evicted from her home, is living with two elderly farmers who know more about birthing a foal than consoling a teenage mother-to-be. Meanwhile Tom Guthrie, a local teacher in this small Colorado town, is struggling to raise his two small boys after his marriage falls apart. Haruf (author of The Tie that Binds) does not offer us an exciting, fast-paced story; rather, this is a novel where the compassion and perseverance of the characters, plus the beauty and depth of descriptions carries you along. Plainsong was a finalist for the National Book Award, for good reason.]]> David L. Sun, 10 Feb 2008 13:16:02 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Both Indiana Jones and Rick O'Connell will be returning to movie screens this year.  Check out the official website and the fun fansite, Raider.net to learn more about the new Indy film.  The 3rd Mummy movie is coming but I hear rumors that Rachel Weisz is not returning.  Hmmm...  Want some reading to get you psyched?  Try To Wake the Dead by Richard Laymon, The Attraction by Douglas Clegg, Search the Shadows by Barbara Michaels, The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry.  Or, suggest some for me.  I could use a good read!  Just finished Child of a Dead God from the Noble Dead series.  Liked it!

]]> Christine C. Wed, 06 Feb 2008 10:55:52 CDT http://www.hclib.org/pub/bookspace/blog/ Did you enjoy  the movie Into the Wild or  Jon Krakauer's book?  If so try these titles Outdoor Adventure and Survival  too.

]]> Jennifer L. Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:00:35 CDT