tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69809564823258331192012-02-13T15:48:44.100-08:00      Random acts of blogging from the staff of the Newport Public Library.Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.comBlogger3881100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-35921563440124756162012-02-13T15:38:00.000-08:002012-02-13T15:48:44.173-08:00

Outsider in Amsterdam is a strangely enjoyable mystery combining existential attitudes and police work, laced with random musings about God, interpersonal relations, and the workings of the mind.When the founder of the communistic Hindist Society is discovered hanging from a noose in his quarters, two police detectives from the Murder Brigade of the Amsterdam Municipal Police decide to

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-52617788270895936432012-02-10T07:50:00.000-08:002012-02-10T16:52:20.080-08:00

The library has a thick book of rules that tells us how to organize things. Since fiction is shelved in alphabetical order by the author's last name, this might seem kind of unnecessary. What could be simpler than alphabetical order?But take pseudonyms. Everyone knows that Mark Twain's real name was Samuel Clemens. The rule book tells us that when an author uses a pseudonym, we should

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-13483784308580145622012-02-07T16:51:00.000-08:002012-02-07T18:09:43.431-08:00

Mike Doughty first gained fame as the lead singer of Soul Coughing, a late-90s band that gained a pretty fierce cult following without quite breaking through to big mainstream success. The band broke up, bitterly, in 2000. Doughty's solo career has consisted of a series of thoughtful albums, quite unlike Soul Coughing in mood and style. In his songs, he often confesses to a sordid past:

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-40539121939002108032012-02-03T15:51:00.000-08:002012-02-06T13:23:00.098-08:00

Michael worries. He and his family have just moved into an old, neglected house. His premature baby sister is ill, and he is terrified that she will die. As his father tries to make the house livable and his mother hovers over the baby, Michael investigates the falling-down garage. He finds someone living there. Who is this person, covered with blue-bottle flies and dust? Why is he here,

Karel Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13751782863513172389noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-61226176290046863122012-02-02T10:41:00.000-08:002012-02-06T13:12:22.543-08:00

Kvothe is the hero of a hundred tall tales, a larger-than-life figure with power, intelligence, and bravery to spare. So why is he pretending to be an innkeeper in a rural village in the middle of nowhere, while everyone thinks he’s dead? And why are there creatures straight out of the old tales, creatures that no one believes in anymore, coming after him? Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-80416551459918478672012-01-31T09:58:00.000-08:002012-01-31T09:58:49.582-08:00

The Newport Public Library will host a reading by Dr. John Baker from his latest book, Lost and Found: Lessons from Life, on Saturday, February 4, at 2:00 p.m.  Lost and Found is a collection of short vignettes highlighting everyday and profound situations in Baker’s life. Sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic, the stories bear witness to the author’s search for meaning in the challenges of life

Sherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12341323784666257041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-38104377166915897852012-01-27T13:01:00.000-08:002012-02-06T13:11:43.844-08:00

Every year, the Newport Library Foundation selects one book and invites the entire community to read and discuss it. This year, the Newport Reads! book is Ken Kesey's 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Why did the Foundation pick such an old book? One, it is an Oregon classic, written by a storied Oregon author, that addresses such Oregon issues as the seizure of Native American

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-41037631427882772702012-01-26T09:16:00.000-08:002012-01-26T09:50:56.017-08:00

In 1821, off the west coast of Chile, a ship's lookout spotted a drifting whaleboat, rigged with mast and sail - obviously the relic of a shipwreck. The boat was full of human bones, along with two living men, emaciated, incapable of speech, and apparently mad. To their horror, rescuers saw the men greedily clutch at the remains of their mates - the food that had sustained them upon their

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-52739350402335628472012-01-23T11:03:00.000-08:002012-01-23T11:14:10.995-08:00

I first read Dervla Murphy’s Full Tilt: Ireland to India With a Bicycle when I was a teenager. (Yes, I’m a Boomer – the book was published in 1965!) It made a huge impression on me. Imagine, I thought, a woman biking from Ireland to India by herself! Looking back on my decades of traveling alone, I remain thankful for Murphy’s inspiration.Murphy’s early life in Ireland was extraordinary in many

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-29052474940388024172012-01-20T15:18:00.000-08:002012-01-20T16:06:16.383-08:00

Why is Charlie such a popular name for tough, smart, female characters? I blame it on those Charlie perfume ads--the first perfume ads to feature a woman wearing pants, according to Wikipedia. In any case, this week I read Zoe Sharp’s new Charlie Fox story, and Val McDermid’s Charlie Flint, and couldn’t decide which one I liked better. The Fifth Victim by Zoe Sharp When a spate of

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-10462071026796783122012-01-18T14:10:00.000-08:002012-01-18T14:13:49.802-08:00

The Newport Public Library will host a reading by Dr. John Baker from his latest book, Lost and Found: Lessons from Life, on Saturday, February 4, at 2:00 p.m. Lost and Found is a collection of short vignettes highlighting everyday and profound situations in Baker’s life. Sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic, the stories bear witness to the author’s search for meaning in the challenges of life

Sherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12341323784666257041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-24411226889704124762012-01-13T08:53:00.000-08:002012-01-13T09:05:23.893-08:00

The great thing about a book club is that it leads you to books you might not otherwise read. I was pleased to learn that Silas Marner by George Eliot was the February book for the Newport Library's Reading Circle: it's a classic that until now I've somehow missed.Interestingly, when I mentioned to my parents that I was reading the 1861 classic, they both seemed dismayed. "Why?" asked my

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-8188941337264903752012-01-11T12:21:00.000-08:002012-02-06T12:10:12.187-08:00

Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling is a really enjoyable Oregon-based post-apocalyptic read. It focuses on the luck, skills, and strategies of the survivors and the early shoots of a new civilization struggling forth from the ashes of the old. Does it require suspension of disbelief? Heck, yeah. Unless there are a lot more people around than I thought with archery and fencing skills, not to

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-65325119468191728672012-01-06T09:03:00.000-08:002012-01-06T09:11:53.683-08:00

I barely made it to work today. I wanted to stay home and read Reamde by Neal Stephenson instead. Stephenson writes big fat books: usually visionary science fiction, but there have been forays into historical fiction, too. His novels are always funny and always bursting with ideas about economics, history, game theory, and engineering. They sometimes sprawl a little, or veer off on strange

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-67403125161031190572012-01-04T09:26:00.000-08:002012-01-04T09:52:32.608-08:00

A child’s disappearance leads her father to plumb mysteries that were better left alone in this atmospheric horror story by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist.During a family trip to an historic lighthouse off the coast of Sweden, six-year-old Maja vanishes. Two years later, her broken father Anders returns to the island where she disappeared, to drink himself to death and/or lay her ghost to

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-39183513660643544332011-12-30T10:27:00.000-08:002011-12-30T13:56:59.921-08:00

John Vaillant’s book The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival is a fascinating read. The underlying story is about a man-killing Amur tiger (also known as a Siberian tiger) in far eastern Russia.Local authorities set out to find the tiger – an incredibly dangerous hunt through dense woods, tracking a fierce predator that can see and hear them long before they detect it.Vaillant obviously

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-24922546492267752072011-12-29T15:53:00.000-08:002011-12-29T17:12:37.542-08:00

The first Thursday of the new year is coming soon and that means we will make outdated magazines available for anyone who wants to come pick them up. Thursday, January 5, the McEntee Room will be filled, at least to start the day, with the old magazines that we are discarding to make room for the new. This is a first come, first served event and folks are asked to bring their own bags to carry

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01374057752828196353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-19659708321340106792011-12-28T13:59:00.000-08:002011-12-28T14:22:27.930-08:00

You’ve seen this monster before, but you won’t recognize it until it’s right on top of you. That’s the beauty of Darkside, Belinda Bauer’s new English village mystery, which is most definitely NOT a cozy read.Jonas Holly is the local bobby, the embodiment of community policing in his rural area. He walks the streets of several villages each day to keep the peace, checking on shut-ins, giving

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-7943975469135783802011-12-23T09:12:00.000-08:002011-12-27T17:31:03.016-08:00

Jon Scalzi’s book, Fuzzy Nation, is based on H. Beam Piper’s 1962 novel, Little Fuzzy, which was nominated for a Hugo Award in 1963. Scalzi calls it a reboot, which he talks about on his blog Whatever. (Careful—his blog is addictively amusing. It’s hard to read just one post.) He’s modernized the story a bit, tuning it to our 21st century sensibilities. Fellow science fiction author Paul

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-59004059066514780762011-12-19T16:56:00.000-08:002011-12-19T19:07:23.718-08:00

I'm excited about the new Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy movie.If you haven't already read the 1974 novel by John Le Carre this movie's based upon, let me tell you: it's fantastic.Brilliant operative George Smiley was sacked in a scandal that took down most of MI6's old guard. The new leadership has reorganized the bureaucracy and updated all the procedures. Smiley is on the outside.That makes

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-37525813784721037082011-12-16T14:28:00.000-08:002011-12-16T15:01:37.698-08:00

If you’re reading this, you must have located our website—welcome! For future reference, you can get to our site in different ways—typing “newportlibrary.org” will do it, or going to the City of Newport website and clicking on “Library” in the departments menu, or typing http://newportoregon.gov/dept/lib/default.asp.So now that you’re here, what can you do on our homepage besides finding book

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-10833278749993327052011-12-14T16:49:00.000-08:002011-12-14T16:59:11.829-08:00

Katey and Evie are young, good-looking, independent, and broke. They spend New Year's Eve, 1937, at a jazz bar in Greenwich Village, seeing how far they can stretch three dollars. When a wealthy and obviously naive young man comes in, naturally Katey and Evie pick him up. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles follows our narrator, Katey, on her winding path through New York City in the year 1938.

Newport Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886729352352120530noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-9814660646338216582011-12-12T09:58:00.000-08:002011-12-12T10:09:00.489-08:00

Stan Green is a New York City cop, a hard-boiled workaholic whose wife left him and took his two kids out of state, whose partner just got hit by a car, whose firefighter brother lost half of a lung and 2/3 of his squad during 9-11. In short, his life sucks, and working in homicide doesn’t exactly add rainbows, lollipops, and kittens. The newest case seems worse than usual—a vicious killing

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-10837624149635239142011-12-07T12:19:00.000-08:002011-12-07T15:11:09.325-08:00

Nya is a young Nuer girl who spends most of her day fetching and carrying water to her home from a muddy pond. She lives in the Sudan, where for five months of the year the pond that her family relies upon dries up. Three days away is a lake that is also dry; but with a lot of digging and waiting Nya can collect enough muddy water to take to her family.Salva Dut is a boy whose story takes place

Karel Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13751782863513172389noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-75516854604855868632011-12-05T14:22:00.000-08:002011-12-05T14:34:30.458-08:00

Rose disappeared in 1990: sixteen years old, a small town babysitter with big dreams whose teenaged preoccupations were fascinating to her two eleven-year-old charges, Charlotte and Nora. They were also fascinated with all things supernatural as embodied in the Time/Life Mysteries of the Unknown series, and when Rose went away, they tried everything they could think of to find out where she’d

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-60972906389573321892011-11-30T12:00:00.000-08:002011-12-30T14:00:18.999-08:00

When the monster under the bed or in the woods turns out to be real—when the people who told you it was only a dream turn out to be wrong—when you see children float or bonelessly stretch or possibly commune with insects—then you know you’re at Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.In this new book by Ransom Riggs, sixteen year old Jacob has just lost his beloved, crazy, story-telling

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-10983491859128096132011-11-26T17:32:00.000-08:002011-11-30T14:02:20.383-08:00

Mark Spitz (not his real name) is a sweeper: an armed and armored warrior tasked with a building-by-building hunt, clearing zombie stragglers from the part of Manhattan called Zone One.The rest of Manhattan, like the rest of the world, is overrun with the undead. The global zombie apocalypse has come, and only a tiny percentage of humanity remains. Like Mark Spitz, the survivors are traumatized

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-58811382564224047112011-11-22T17:32:00.000-08:002011-11-29T12:05:52.491-08:00

What kind of man can drive women to murder? Meet Darling Jim, a stranger who rolls into Castletownbere, County Cork on his red, 1950 Vincent Comet motorcycle. Jim, whose amber, wolf-like eyes, languorous gait, and hypnotic voice cast a spell over men and women alike. He comes to life in a pair of diaries, written by Fiona and Róisín Walsh, sisters who were imprisoned and slowly poisoned by

Sherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12341323784666257041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-7487283791193129022011-11-21T09:32:00.000-08:002011-11-21T09:43:18.289-08:00

A couple weeks ago, newspapers reported that an asteroid the size of an aircraft carrier was passing nearby. If you're like me, you heard that news and wondered what it would be like if that hit the earth.Well, you don't have to wonder. Scientists at Purdue University have created Impact Earth, a meteor-strike simulator that's a lot of fun to play with.You control the parameters: how big is

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-51650316131529432162011-11-17T14:03:00.000-08:002011-11-17T14:12:25.608-08:00

William Boyle's career with the Boston PD is on track - sort of. His father helped him get a crib sheet for the detective test; and his uncle sits on the promotions board. Coming from a family of slightly-crooked cops made Billy's rise to detective inevitable, regardless of his ability to investigate crimes. Then Pearl Harbor is bombed, and Billy is off to war.The Boyles aren't about to let

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-17663314343159867862011-11-15T12:07:00.000-08:002011-11-15T12:24:43.739-08:00

We all have a brain, right? And most of us have gone through the process of growing up. Which is why Aamodt & Wang’s fun and accessibly written book, Welcome to your child’s brain: how the mind grows from conception to college is fascinating reading for everyone, not just parents. Understanding brain development can give us greater insight into human behavior. And for those of us not in the

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-83556669967302054352011-11-12T11:02:00.000-08:002011-11-12T15:10:29.889-08:00

Lost in Time presents “Puzzles, Tricks, and Illusions” at the Newport Public Library on Sunday, November 20, at 2:00 p.m.  Corlu Collier, Jane Boyden, and Eileen Flory are the musicians of Lost in Time, a consort drawn from members of the Oregon Coast Recorder Society.  They performed “Puzzles, Tricks, and Illusions” in June of 2011 as part of the Atrium concert series in Eugene. “Puzzles,

Sherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12341323784666257041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-65724491271685700412011-11-07T15:29:00.000-08:002011-11-07T15:32:44.536-08:00

Imagine a future - it isn't hard to do - in which the oceans are rising, there's no oil, and biotechnology has mutated out of control. Genetically modified diseases and pests have swept the globe, and the world is transformed by famine and violence.Calories are the basis for the new economy. Machines are designed to be powered by springs, and it takes calories to wind those springs. Since food

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-49788300520706843312011-11-04T10:40:00.000-07:002011-11-04T10:44:28.449-07:00

Alexandra Fuller's parents loved Africa. In her memoir, Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight: An African Childhood, she describes her strange and difficult childhood as the daughter of white British farmers in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). Fuller's father fought in Rhodesia's long civil war, struggling to keep the country "white-run." They called the opposing fighters, the Africans who wanted to

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-3450277196636244872011-10-31T17:16:00.000-07:002011-10-31T17:22:19.221-07:00

Diana Bishop is an American scholar studying alchemy at Oxford’s Bodleian Library. Her focus is the history of science, which she hopes will help her repress her witchy tendencies, but magic just won’t leave her alone. First, a powerful ancient text appears in her pile of to-read tomes. Then, witches and demons crowd into the library, all pretending to research and study but all obviously

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-11799218903593425422011-10-24T12:59:00.000-07:002011-10-24T13:11:37.085-07:00

Alianne of Pirate's Swoop is bored. Daughter of the legendary Lioness of Tortall, she's sixteen and ready for adventure - only her protective parents won't let her go find it.Then she is seized by pirates, sold into slavery, and confronted by a trickster god, who makes her a wager: if she can keep her current master's children safe for one summer, she will be freed and returned home. Aly

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-90936314690891498462011-10-20T11:16:00.000-07:002011-11-07T15:46:39.248-08:00

Commisario Guido Brunetti does not match our current American literary detective formula: he’s a comfortably middle-aged family man with no real vices or afflictions. He’s not an alcoholic, not terribly haunted by trauma, not carrying a bullet in his skull or a genetic abnormality in his chromosomes. In fact, he’s kind of a regular guy, with a warm marriage to a woman who is not cheating on

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-43562472847774119912011-10-17T16:05:00.000-07:002011-10-17T16:13:49.093-07:00

At the beginning of We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver, we know that Eva Khatchadourian's teenage son Kevin has committed a mass murder at his school. The novel is composed of Eva's letters to her absent husband, Franklin. She compares the details of her life before and after that dreadful day, and tries to make sense of what happened.You might be picturing Eva as a loving mom,

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-83333628520789799542011-10-11T13:39:00.001-07:002011-10-11T16:14:53.446-07:00

What would an outsider, arriving in Berlin in 1933, say about Hitler's Germany? Erik Larson found two such outsiders, who left copious impressions in diaries and letters.They were William Dodd, the American ambassador who came to Berlin in 1933; and Martha Dodd, the ambassador's 25-year-old daughter. Larson's book, In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-65170980874946595892011-10-07T14:25:00.000-07:002011-10-07T14:33:58.632-07:00

Dream Park is a quick fun read for the sf/fantasy crowd. This aptly told tale is set in 2051, where holographic imaging has advanced to provide a full-immersion experience. Dream Park is a grown-up version of Disneyland, a gamer’s paradise that offers virtual vacations in fantastical and/or historical settings. Participants play characters like wizards, engineers, healers, or warriors, and go

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-43642221171314772172011-10-03T16:53:00.000-07:002011-10-03T17:05:26.401-07:00

“I’m not ashamed, you see," writes Harry Flashman of his distinguished career. "I can look at the picture above my desk and say that it is the portrait of a scoundrel, a liar, a cheat, a thief, a coward - and, oh yes, a toady."The eponymous hero of George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman is all of those things - the most reprehensible hero a hilarious series of novels ever had.Harry Flashman hails

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-66089797966116220422011-09-28T12:00:00.000-07:002011-09-28T12:19:24.714-07:00

Todd Hewitt is the last boy in Prentisstown, surrounded by men and the Noise they can’t help making since the Spackles attacked. There are no women—they all died of the same biological warfare that turned the men’s thoughts and feelings into a constant river of Noise. Todd was the last baby born before the women died off, and he lives in a dank, hopeless, shrinking town of anger and secrets

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-91736901877744857922011-09-26T09:00:00.001-07:002011-09-26T09:10:51.241-07:00

Anya is a sullen teen who hates school and isn't very nice to her family and friends. She's sort of a portrait of me at sixteen, except with more cigarettes. And oh yes, a ghost.Anya acquires the ghost when she accidentally falls down a well, where a girl named Emily died ninety years ago.Emily the ghost seems lonely. She hangs around with Anya, asking questions and demanding attention, and

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-90934029665931736862011-09-23T14:20:00.000-07:002011-09-23T14:28:47.811-07:00

An Empty Death is the second mystery in Laura Wilson’s series featuring Detective Inspector Ted Stratton. This atmospheric book is set in London circa World War II, where Stratton and his wife Jenny are bearing up as well as possible after their children have been evacuated to the countryside. Wartime rations, nightly blackouts, and the constant presence of loss wear them down, but their

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-59808434531319014482011-09-21T16:54:00.000-07:002011-09-21T19:34:08.932-07:00

Kindle-compatible e-books are now available free from the library. Log in here with your library card number and PIN to start downloading.Of course if you have another kind of e-book reader, like a Nook or a Sony, you've been able to download free e-books over a year now. You knew that, right?More than ten thousand titles are available, free from the library, for you to start downloading and

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-15144533648268975072011-09-20T09:52:00.000-07:002011-09-21T12:05:26.422-07:00

I think I was nine when my family traveled across the Great Plains on a Greyhound bus. "Look at that," said my mom at one point, and outside the window I saw I majestic statue of a gigantic cow. We were in New Salem, North Dakota, and the sign said "World's Largest Holstein Cow." It was. I didn't stop giggling 'til Bismarck.Ever since then I've enjoyed spotting such things - what are they

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-80832924451929431742011-09-16T10:01:00.000-07:002011-09-16T10:07:54.800-07:00

Senior policeman Alastair Gilbert has been bludgeoned to death, and no one is sorry, not even the Scotland Yard detectives sent to see justice done. Mourn Not Your Dead is a British mystery in the classic “village mystery” tradition, where the murder and its resolution lie entirely within the population of a small Surrey village. It’s number four in the Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series, and

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-87461470409776984412011-09-14T12:54:00.000-07:002011-09-14T12:54:17.659-07:00

I’ve always thought the term, “speculative fiction” was a silly way to try and get readers to take science fiction seriously. But in the case of Tony Daniel’s 2001 novel, Metaplanetary, the term is apt. Cloaked in a classic space opera setting is a novel that dares to ask radical questions, posits far-out concepts, and challenges the reader to speculate on the nature and validity of their own

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08531412651650643244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-3391121264764361722011-09-09T10:21:00.000-07:002011-09-09T10:28:08.169-07:00

Going to school? Me too! Are you writing a paper? So am I! Do you think that the "Works cited" page is the hardest part? I know I do.I used to just write down a list of all my references, and then leave the actual composition and formatting of the list until the very last moment. Why? Because it was hard.I didn't know how to cite different types of resources. What if I wanted to cite a

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-9288191402795941912011-09-06T10:48:00.000-07:002011-09-06T10:55:09.471-07:00

Lillian Leyb is a newcomer in 1920s New York. She is young and pretty and barely speaks English, but she is no innocent; the survivor of pogroms that killed her entire family in Russia, Lillian is not about to let New York defeat her.She outwits the other applicants for a seamstress job at the Goldfadn Yiddish Theatre. When the handsome lead actor of the theater seems attracted to her, she lets

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-70476160402202067672011-09-01T14:03:00.000-07:002011-09-01T14:12:56.727-07:00

Obnoxious, kind of preachy, and absolutely hilarious—Beauty Queens is a thrilling feminist pop-culture-eviscerating extravaganza of laughs, worthy of reading yourself or suggesting to your teens. The Corporation, monopolistic maker of such fine self-improvement products as Lady ‘Stache Off and Maxi-Pad Pets, is sponsoring the Miss Teen Dream Beauty Pageant—but the plane carrying the 50

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-18937380588512555962011-08-25T09:01:00.000-07:002011-08-25T10:28:26.886-07:00

The Psychopath Test is the newest book by Jon Ronson, author of The Men Who Stare At Goats (which was made into a hilarious movie with George Clooney) and Them: Adventures with Extremists. Ronson’s foray into the world of psychopathology is much more fun than the topic would suggest. Ronson has what he calls a “nebbishy” outlook on life. (“Weak-willed or timid” from the Yiddish nebekh,

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-42168595165782355022011-08-23T16:51:00.000-07:002011-08-23T17:04:43.984-07:00

The Hugo Award is arguably the most prestigious accolade in the science fiction world. Winners of this coveted prize were announced by the Science Fiction Writers of America this weekend. To the surprise of few, Connie Willis's masterful two-volume novel, Blackout /All Clear, won for best science fiction novel. It is the tale of a group of Oxford history students from the future, who are sent

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-9733243226238314372011-08-20T10:36:00.000-07:002011-08-20T10:37:45.477-07:00

When so much television seems to be screaming at the audience these days, either in violence or just plain volume, I’d like to recommend Rain Shadow, an Australian mini-series that first aired in 2007. More of a whisper than a shout, Rain Shadow has an understated beauty and power that is often missing from that vast wasteland of TV. Jill Blake is a young veterinarian fresh out of college who

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08531412651650643244noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-1425243598947283822011-08-16T15:00:00.000-07:002011-08-16T15:14:33.476-07:00

Neawanaka is a little town on the Oregon coast. The logging industry has pretty much died, the shingle factory is going out of business, and not many people fish commercially anymore. But in spite of its hardships, the town at the mouth of the Mink River is a magical place, where crows speak poetry, black bears rescue children, and people while away their hours telling stories, rather than

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-60380018144864545122011-08-15T14:38:00.000-07:002011-08-15T17:01:37.559-07:00

AND thou art dead, as young and fair As aught of mortal birth; And form so soft, and charms so rare, Too soon return'd to Earth! ~by: George Gordon (Lord) Byron (1788-1824) To continue with my creepy ghost-story theme, (see Don’t Breathe a Word and The Raising), I

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-40367492692043071522011-08-11T15:21:00.000-07:002011-08-12T15:23:55.753-07:00

Thursday, August 4 was the Newport Library's Teen Henna Night, hosted by special guest Lyn Getner, a henna body art specialist. Early in the evening Lyn gave us a bit of background about the history and significance of henna. Did you know that use of henna dates back 9,000 years? Eastern Indians traditionally only use henna for ceremonial purposes, such as wedding ceremonies. After that, each

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-23906704600107869602011-08-10T11:35:00.000-07:002011-08-10T11:35:57.299-07:00

The plight of spotted owls has resurfaced in the news recently in the same breath with barred owls. Barred owls, which can live in more diverse habitats than their spotted cousins, are thriving and crowding spotted owls out of what remains of old growth forests. In an attempt to keep spotted owls from becoming extinct, the U.S. Forest service is proposing killing thousands of barred owls. T.C

Sherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12341323784666257041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-52890042294611177772011-08-08T15:34:00.000-07:002011-08-08T15:46:08.878-07:00

I remember how refreshing and different Bordertown was, when I was a teenager. Back then - this was in the early 1980s - I read a lot of fantasy novels. They tended to be deeply influenced by Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Stephen R. Donaldson, Patricia McKillip, Terry Brooks, Katherine Kurtz - they all depicted magical worlds modeled on medieval Europe. There were kings and queens,

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-84132459153584518912011-08-04T13:52:00.000-07:002011-08-05T15:22:46.302-07:00

Newport Library's summer reading shows in Literacy Park are over for another year, but young readers still have time to finish their reading goals and collect a yellow "One World, Many Stories" t-shirt.If you have young readers at your house who're working on their reading goals, please remind them that they have until August 31st to finish and collect their reward.

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01374057752828196353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-74058038941758869972011-08-03T19:34:00.000-07:002011-08-04T10:04:15.756-07:00

Although only fourteen teens signed up ahead of time for the Newport Library Teen Summer Reading Club's French Culture Night on Thursday, July 26, more kept walking through the door. The final count was 25 teens. Three of those were French students, here in Oregon for a 3 week homestay with local families through the American Discovery Program based in Eugene. We started with a challenge.

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-48739861907624311612011-08-01T09:59:00.000-07:002011-08-01T10:35:45.964-07:00

Magic, music, dancing, laughter and stories have filled Literacy Park this summer. This week is the last show for our "One World, Many Stories" summer reading program and we're going to finish with puppets, just like we have for the past four years. Jason Ropp and his cast of characters from Dragon Theater Puppets will bring their show to Newport, Wednesday at 1:00.This year’s show, "Rapunzel

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01374057752828196353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-34480063327319172672011-07-29T17:08:00.000-07:002011-07-29T17:11:56.480-07:00

Maybe it’s because I’m a RPCV (Returned Peace Corps Volunteer), or maybe it’s because I’ve been to China, but I think the real reason I loved Michael Levy’s book Kosher Chinese: Living, Teaching, and Eating With China's Other Billion is because it’s FUNNY! There were times I laughed so hard I had to put the book down.Michael Levy is a nice Jewish boy from Philadelphia who joins Peace Corps and is

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-70274863508588182622011-07-27T16:40:00.000-07:002011-07-27T16:52:17.487-07:00

Michael can't speak out loud. He's trapped in his head, always reliving a particular day that happened when he was only eight years old, a day when he needed to be very very quiet. But he has two survival skills that developed in compensation: he can draw, and he's taught himself to open locks of all kinds. In the back of his mind: the Day, over and over. In the foreground: psychiatrists,

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-19455155427795588132011-07-25T10:13:00.000-07:002011-07-25T10:19:22.843-07:00

Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson is narrated by Arlene Fleet, a graduate student in Chicago whose roots are sunk deep in small-town Alabama. She is a smart, difficult, uneasy young woman; flashbacks take us back to when she was a damaged, furious, self-destructive teenager.Back then, Arlene promised God that, if he would do one little favor for her, she would never tell a lie, have sex, or go

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-31114977764710164452011-07-22T16:10:00.000-07:002011-07-22T16:18:10.924-07:00

One of my favorite storytellers and children's authors, Margaret Read MacDonald, visits our library this Wednesday, July 27, at 1:00 pm in Literacy Park. Part of the "One World, Many Stories" summer reading program, her show perfectly fits the theme. She travels all over the world to places like Mahasarakham, Kota Kinabalu, and Rio telling stories and collecting new ones which she then tells or

Newport Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886729352352120530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-65578468584999124322011-07-21T15:51:00.000-07:002011-07-21T16:00:15.367-07:00

In 2008, The Newport Public Library acquired a book called 30,000 Years of Art, which I called "a treasure trove for serendipitous flipping." It was true: magnificent full-color images of art from all over the world, printed on thick, creamy paper, arranged in chronological order so that you can compare what was happening in different parts of the world during the same historical period.30,000

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-61334093141984390002011-07-18T16:57:00.000-07:002011-07-20T17:42:34.223-07:00

I like mysteries starring animals, especially cats. Animals are insightful in ways not available to less-sensitive humans. Some of my favorite cat detectives are Mrs. Murphy and Pewter (Rita Mae Brown), Midnight Louie (Carole Douglas), and of course Koko and Yum Yum (Lillian Jackson Braun). In these mysteries, we readers are privy to the workings of the cats' minds, but their humans are woefully

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-20280981345721356362011-07-16T10:01:00.000-07:002011-07-16T10:02:29.518-07:00

If you enjoy the beautiful sounds of the Andes Mountains, join us in Literacy Park this Wednesday for Chayag's show. Part of our "One World, Many Stories" summer reading program, the 1 p.m. show is open to everyone.Alex Lluminquinga, a Chayag member for many years, promises an exciting program of Latin American folkloric music from the Andes Mountains, using a wide variety of authentic

Newport Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886729352352120530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-31750810075009450052011-07-14T16:05:00.000-07:002011-07-15T09:21:59.480-07:00

Sam, Lisa, and Evie grow up together, the children of sisters, but Lisa disappears when she's only 12, vanishing into the woods to meet the King of the Fairies who’s been leaving her secret gifts. McMahon slowly pulls the veil away from that summer of their childhood, even as the present unfolds through the eyes of Phoebe, 25-year-old Sam's serious girlfriend. In the past, the three children

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-15077119444380128722011-07-13T19:56:00.000-07:002011-07-13T20:06:39.178-07:00

Last Thursday, a man in his 50s with a gray beard was reading Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon on a bench in Prospect Park in Brooklyn. On Saturday, a woman in her 20s, wearing jeans and a tank top, was asleep on an commuter train with a library copy of Freedom by Jonathan Franzen on her lap. The previous Wednesday, another young woman, wearing a red skirt and pink shoes, was spotted

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-43649778244411072972011-07-11T16:27:00.000-07:002011-11-07T15:44:51.910-08:00

I just finished listening to Eli the Good, narrated by the author, Silas House, in his soft, slow Appalachian drawl. The story is flawless; it is descriptive without being effusive, and carries the reader along its narrative stream like a floating leaf on a lazy summer afternoon. The protagonist, ten year old Eli Book, has an old soul. He observes his family, friends, and nature with full

Sherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12341323784666257041noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-16321136197820868952011-07-11T11:06:00.000-07:002011-07-11T11:57:59.794-07:00

Our summer reading program this week features the Oceana Family Literacy Bucket Drummers. This Lincoln City group of children and adults will be making music and teaching the audience how to drum on buckets. The show is at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 13.If you’re planning to come you can either bring your own bucket (or drum) or use one of the empty ice cream, yogurt or coffee ‘buckets’ we’ve

Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01374057752828196353noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-79372279901867288932011-07-08T12:03:00.000-07:002011-07-12T16:27:24.562-07:00

On the surface, this book is a story about traumatic events on a college campus and how they skewed the lives of the people involved. But more than that, this book is threaded with death and the response of the living to the dead. Based on the title, the cover art, and the brief description in Library2Go, I expected a light and probably cheesy gothic novel. What I found instead was a

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-19117963082632518892011-07-06T11:41:00.000-07:002011-07-06T16:36:09.973-07:00

Bakersfield, California in 1959: a dusty, gossipy little town, just close enough to L.A. to know how desperately unglamorous it is by comparison. That's the setting of What You See In The Dark, a noirish novel about race, violence, and inevitable change by Manuel Muñoz.The most eligible man in Bakersfield, Dan Watson, starts dating Teresa Garza, the Mexican woman who works at the shoe store.

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-59498923152670830882011-07-01T11:25:00.000-07:002011-07-01T11:27:07.747-07:00

CelloBop is what Gideon Freudmann calls his own style of cello music, a fusion of blues, jazz, folk and much more. On Wednesday, July 6 at 1:00 p.m. you can hear what Cello Bop is when he plays in Literacy Park. Freudmann has performed at The Montreal International Jazz Festival, The Prague Swing Jazz Festival and throughout the US. His music is also frequently heard on NPR's All Things

Newport Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886729352352120530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-7860584887667908132011-06-30T15:50:00.000-07:002011-06-30T17:38:44.737-07:00

Teenagers are often faced with bewildering challenges that leave them and their families wondering which way to turn for help. Some teens struggle with eating disorders, while others may worry about a friend who is using drugs or is suicidal. We recently added several titles to our reference ebook collection which offer a starting point for people needing information about sensitive health issues

Sherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12341323784666257041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-19367196972459793682011-06-27T16:39:00.000-07:002011-06-27T16:54:53.582-07:00

Christine wakes up, confused and frightened. She does not know where she is; the man in bed with her is a stranger. Patiently and kindly, he explains: he is her husband, Ben, and he loves her. She suffers from a brain injury that prevents her from remembering more than one day's events. Whenever she goes to sleep, she forgets everything. Ben shows her pictures of their life together. How

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-87245702850595463782011-06-24T11:41:00.000-07:002011-06-24T14:01:41.617-07:00

In Savvy, Mibs (short for Mississippi) is coming up on her 13th birthday, an exciting milestone in a family that develops a special magical talent at age 13. Mibs’ mother’s talent is being perfect (imagine living up to that!) and her older brother Rocket has influence over storms and electricity. Mibs can’t wait to find out what her savvy will be—but when her dad is in a car accident that lands

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-69901363561846829422011-06-22T10:13:00.000-07:002011-06-22T15:48:36.029-07:00

Edward Baltram is looking for redemption. After a practical joke on his best friend goes horribly awry causing the friend’s suicide, Edward seeks refuge in the dilapidated country mansion of the father who’d abandoned him, the famous painter Jesse Baltram. Among extended family within the cloister-like confines of his father’s house, Edward is determined to pare his life down to a monkish

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08531412651650643244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-72157840690491944112011-06-21T15:10:00.000-07:002011-06-21T16:47:44.192-07:00

Allisa and Eduardo were expecting their first child when Eduardo lost his job with a Manhattan brokerage firm. Pressure to pay bills overshadowed the joy of the upcoming birth, and Allisa sometimes fantasized a new life, far away without her husband. A job offer from Cantor Fitzgerald promised an end to their worries, and Eduardo started work on September 10, 2001 at the World Trade Center.

Sherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12341323784666257041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-70647709744189463232011-06-17T11:31:00.000-07:002011-06-20T14:06:43.973-07:00

One World, Many Stories, Newport Public Library's summer reading program, features Cowboy Buck & Elizabeth this week at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 22. All children and families are invited to attend this free program.Cowboy Buck & Elizabeth promise to put on high energy shows that include interactive musical comedy with dancing, singing and ventriloquism. Cowboy Buck spent many years as a

Newport Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886729352352120530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-54216240975548954632011-06-17T10:17:00.000-07:002011-06-17T10:28:41.720-07:00

Rick Riordan is famous for his best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, but prior to that, he was just a very respectable mystery author whom I had never read. (The guy won the Edgar, Anthony, and Shamus awards for his mysteries, but I didn’t know that at the time!) My dad passed one of his books on to me lately and I thought, “Nah, this guy’s a children’s fantasy book writer, no

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-22757458646843012562011-06-16T10:43:00.000-07:002011-06-16T10:49:01.075-07:00

So says Bosco, an aging punk guitarist once known for his athletic stage antics. His body is so wracked with disease and hard living that if he attempted to perform like that now, it would almost certainly kill him - and that's what he's banking on. He plans a Suicide Tour, in which he courts death by playing with all his customary verve. Audiences will flock to every show, hoping to catch his

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-17909455927904990802011-06-13T16:44:00.000-07:002011-06-13T16:55:27.566-07:00

Ah, summertime, when the evening skies remain light, and evening reading is a pleasure. Every few summers I return to an old favorite, which I first read when I was about fourteen. Watership Down by Richard Adams is almost forty years old, but it remains, for me, the best summertime novel ever written.It is the tremendously exciting tale of a band of adventurers who leave their home when they

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-29971081170380298492011-06-09T11:50:00.000-07:002011-06-11T15:43:46.938-07:00

Meaty, intricate, full of twists and twisted too - Jo Nesbo's new book, The Snowman, goes on my "Dark Favorites" shelf.Harry is a familiar character-that brilliant, slouchy, melancholy detective with the kind of insight that solves crimes and the kind of personality that rubs the brass the wrong way. In this novel, he's helplessly drawn back into an affair with his ex-lover Rakel, who’s living

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-84460642315978036182011-06-07T09:35:00.000-07:002011-06-08T11:09:50.609-07:00

Newport Public Library's One World, Many Stories summer reading program features the Puckett Family Magic show on Wednesday, June 15 at 1:00. All children and families are invited to attend this free program in Literacy Park. Puckett Family Magic provides a dynamic family illusion show for multigenerational audiences. Working together as a family, the Pucketts' award-winning talent combines

Newport Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14886729352352120530noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-82950719096532686622011-06-06T14:10:00.000-07:002011-06-06T14:18:25.199-07:00

I did not expect to love Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann.Three Bags Full is the story of a flock of Irish sheep whose shepherd, George, was murdered. George was found in the meadow with a spade through his chest, and once the sheep come to understand that George could not have accidentally fallen upon the spade - that the spade was put there, by someone - they are determined to find out who.

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-37218484914418600562011-05-31T15:48:00.000-07:002011-05-31T16:51:39.235-07:00

Have you ever wished for a book-fairy, who could magically read your mind and pick exactly the right book for you to read next? Or, the tech version—a metal cap with wires and flashing lights that you screw onto your head? Well, we have that!OK, Novelist doesn’t have cute little wings and fairy dust, or screw onto your head, but many people view that as a plus. Novelist is simply a database.

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-63476025567775009502011-05-27T09:10:00.000-07:002011-05-27T09:20:07.637-07:00

Three woeful losers, Henry, Will, and Molly, enter Buena Vista Park in San Francisco, where they get lost. It is not a very large park, but it lies under an enchantment. The faerie Queen, Titania, has lost her Boy to leukemia, and in her intolerable sorrow and rage, she has committed a rash act. The faeries panic, because Titania has released the malevolent Puck. Molly, Henry, and Will are in

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-49766817949256451672011-05-24T16:20:00.000-07:002011-05-24T16:33:59.486-07:00

New York poet Michael Czarnecki is traveling the length of US Highway 20, from Boston to Newport, writing poems and taking photos along the way. At the completion of his journey, he will share stories, haiku, poems, and photos at the Newport Public Library on Thursday, June 9 at 7:00 p.m. “US 20 is the longest US highway,” said Czarnecki. “It connects the two coasts, crosses the Mississippi

Sherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12341323784666257041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-19789482482483232942011-05-23T14:16:00.000-07:002011-05-23T14:26:26.083-07:00

Yikes! A new book by one of my old favorite authors almost got by me! Tad Williams, epic fantasy writer extraordinaire, published Shadowheart, Book Four in the Shadowmarch series in November 2010, and I didn’t catch it until now. (Williams is known for Tailchaser’s Song and the Otherland series, among others.) So now, of course, I have to go back and reread from the beginning.The series starts

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-9397120554498097922011-05-18T12:26:00.000-07:002011-05-18T12:26:41.897-07:00

As a writer whose collection of rejection letters is bafflingly large (at least to me), I can draw solace from a little gem of a book, Rotten Rejections. And I thought editors had it in for me? Here’s just a sampling of some of the rotten rejections writers have received: Rejection letter to Pearl Buck on her novel, The Good Earth: “Regret the American public is not interested in anything on

Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08531412651650643244noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-39010106516228455982011-05-16T12:38:00.000-07:002011-05-16T13:58:27.647-07:00

A patron was reading a historical novel, in which a character used the word supersonic. This struck the patron as historically inaccurate - he didn’t think that word was being used during the time period of this book.To find out when and how people first started saying supersonic, I turned to the Oxford English Dictionary, a tremendous multi-volume reference work. As well as giving word

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-46912340444776928572011-05-13T09:58:00.000-07:002011-05-13T10:37:18.259-07:00

Moonlight Mile, the sixth book in the Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro series, is a smooth, noir ride. Lehane has an uncanny ear for dialogue, and the writing is so good the words disappear; it’s just you and the story. Kenzie is the first person narrator, a PI good at sensing BS and not so good at putting up with it. Now that he’s a married man with a preschooler and bills to pay, he’s

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-8250988838265383462011-05-11T10:24:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:28:43.322-07:00

The year is 2006, and Detective Chief Inspector Sam Tyler works for the Greater Manchester Police. While on a case, he is struck by a car, and wakes up in 1973, where he is a newly transferred Detective Inspector working at the same police station. The atmosphere of Life on Mars is spot on. Weed-choked vacant lots surround derelict factories in “pre-urban revitalization” Manchester. The color

Sherylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12341323784666257041noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-77564814111258383542011-05-09T14:08:00.000-07:002011-05-09T14:20:22.821-07:00

Have you ever been inside the house of a hoarder? I have. I won't describe the experience, because you may have eaten recently.I bet a lot of readers can imagine it, though, because hoarding is a much more common condition than once thought, according to an eye-opening book called Stuff: Compulsive Hoarding and the Meaning of Things by Randy O. Frost and Gail Steketee. Most hoarders never seek

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-29089061407631006722011-05-04T13:28:00.000-07:002011-05-04T13:37:08.507-07:00

"She loved me, there's no question of that, and I knew it and felt secure in it, but it transpired that she loved me like a favored household pet... I was not a real person to her, not a true soul with all the potential for grace and failure that implies. My error was to not recognize this."So writes Sally Naldrett about her lady, in the opening paragraphs of The Mistress of Nothing, a

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-54739794988419531952011-05-03T15:49:00.000-07:002011-05-04T14:26:39.966-07:00

In Cara Hoffman's So Much Pretty, sociopathic sexism and radical independent morality intersect and blow a community apart. The author strings pieces of narrative from the past and the present together to gradually form a picture of crime and punishment. The crime: months of torture, gang-rape and abuse leading to murder. The punishment: death, meted out by a teenager who believes it’s up to

Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10045767609678959977noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6980956482325833119.post-67118759897786882912011-05-02T10:58:00.000-07:002011-05-02T11:13:21.565-07:00

The results of the Newport Library Best Mystery Novel of the Year contest are in, and there's no question of the winner: Bury Your Dead by Canadian author Louise Penny received more than twice the votes of its nearest competitor.On Saturday, Bury Your Dead was also awarded the Agatha Award for best traditional mystery of 2010 by the Malice Domestic convention in Maryland.Bury Your Dead is the

Jennifer K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/10015663762165629217noreply@blogger.com0