http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/madreads Book news and reviews from Madison Public Library Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:34:42 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Dave Egger’s 1999 memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius chronicled his life while taking care of his younger brother Christopher "Toph" Eggers following the cancer-related deaths of his parents.  Eggers has since gone far beyond the personal narrative and into the chaotic world outside himself.  In his 2006 book What Is ... http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/madreads/index.php/2009/11/20/show-not-tell/ This year's National Book Award winners were announced Wednesday night at a dinner in New York City.  The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T.J. Stiles, won the $10,000 National Book Award for Nonfiction.  The fiction prize went to Irish-born writer Colum McCann for Let the Great ... http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/madreads/index.php/2009/11/19/national-book-award-announced/ My new favorite novel is The Flying Troutmans by Miriam Toews. Now, if I told you the story was about a woman named Hattie, who had just broken up with (been dumped by) her boyfriend in Paris and flown home to take care of the kids of her sister, Min, who ... http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/madreads/index.php/2009/11/18/road-tripping-with-the-kids/ Judging from David Small's award-winning children's books illustrations, it's hard to imagine that the same man is behind the dark tale recounted in the graphic novel memoir Stitches.  Best known for his work with wife Sarah Stewart and his Caldecott Award-winning artwork in So You Want to be President?, Stitches reveals ... http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/madreads/index.php/2009/11/17/healing/ Quirk Books' mission is to “amuse, to bemuse, to entertain, and to inform (not necessarily in that order, but usually all at the same time).”  Even though they are a small, relatively new publishing house, several of their books have become national bestsellers, including The Worst-Case Scenario books and ... http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/madreads/index.php/2009/11/16/fanged-beasts-and-ballasts-and-ferrars-oh-my/ When I first picked up The Art of Making Money I thought, “Great.  Probably one of those Suze Orman books and I’ll be chastised for buying another latte." (According to Suze Buzzkill, my coffee purchases may be impeding my retirement plans).  But, reading further, I note the second part of the title--The Story of ... http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/madreads/index.php/2009/11/13/artful-dodging/ It's nearing the end of the year and I had a little vacation time to use (or lose) and naturally I did some reading.  Not as much as I thought I would of course, all that nice sunshiny weather got in the way of that plan, but I did get ... http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/madreads/index.php/2009/11/12/death-and-destruction-or-how-i-spent-my-fall-vacation/ Michelle Huneven's new book Blame is just as good as all the reviews say it is.  As I read through them trying to come up with the right words to describe it I decided EW's Leah Greenblatt said it best, "the novel combines the compulsive pleasures of a page turner with the deeper ... http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/madreads/index.php/2009/11/11/read-it/ Sometimes a book is a good read (or listen) just because it is fun and entertaining and has likable characters.  Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella, author of the the very popular Shopaholic series, is exactly that.  It doesn't really matter that the story is a bit silly and unrealistic; it is easy to ... http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/madreads/index.php/2009/11/10/flappers-in-the-21st-century/ Jennifer Hull's Beyond One: Growing a Family and Getting a Life crossed the reference desk the other day and caught my eye.  "Hey," I thought, "I have one child and no life!"  Plus, two sweet-looking children were pictured on the cover, snug as bugs in what appear to be crisp, ... http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/madreads/index.php/2009/11/07/to-breed-or-not-to-breed/