Archive for 2007
Looking for a great biography? Try John Lennon : All I Want is the Truth : a Photographic Biography by Elizabeth Partridge. If you are interested in getting to know the man behind the music, Partridge does a great job in this honest, and in-depth biography. As a singer/songwriter Lennon was a genius but behind the scenes he was a diffucult and troubled man. His personal life was fraught with problems as evidenced in his troubled relationships and in his drug use. Beginning with his years in Liverpool, his life is portrayed before, during, and after the hysteria of the Beatles. Lennon’s relationship with Yoko Ono, the most influential person in his life, is covered in detail. Many wonderful black and white photographs enhance this fantastic book.
More by Elizabeth Partridge:
Restless Spirit: The Life and Work of Dorothea Lange
Lange was a photographer who helped bring about social reforms after taking photographs of migrant workers, Japanese American internees, and rural poverty.
This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life & Songs of Woody Guthrie
Guthrie was a singer/songwriter who wrote over 3000 songs while traveling the United States. The most famous song he wrote was “This Land is Your Land.”
December 28th, 2007
Lesley
This year DC Comics published a new line of graphic novels called Minx that is a pleasant new addition to the GN world. If you are tired of the manga storyline of girl going ga-ga over pretty boy and want something entertaining with heart, great artwork and solid, real characters, you should give some Minx titles a try.
My favorite, so far, has been the P.L.A.I.N Janes by Cecil Castellucci. (I am always partial to a story with well-named characters.) The story is about four friends who not only don’t fit in with the world; they barely fit with each other. There is the drama girl, the jock, the egghead and the artistic one. What they have in common is their name–Jane–and a secret mission to create massive art installations at various locales in their small town. They just want to make people think a little.
In Re-Gifters by Mike Carey, spunky but caustic Dixie is out to win the martial art Hapkido National Championship. She is good enough to win, if she can only get out of her own way. It turns out her biggest competition is the surfer boy she has a crush on.
In Good as Lilly by Derek Kirk Kim, on her 18th birthday Grace Kwan gets the strange gift (or is it a curse) to see herself when she is 6, 29 and 70. Suddenly, three people, who are literally versions of her, show up and start living with her. A problematic situation when you are just trying to get through high school.
The books have very cool covers and feel really nice in your hands. They are a little larger and thinner than a manga. So far they are not series, which is great if you are not into commitments. Check out Minx’s website www.dccomics.com/minx/
A few other Minx titles:
Clubbing by Andi Watson
Kimmie66 by Aaron Alexovich
Confessions of a Blabermouth by Mike Carey
December 21st, 2007
Jane
What were your favorite books of 2007? Would you vote for series favorites like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows or Eclipse? Or, would you go with something totally different, like Impulse by Ellen Hopkins. Let the library know which books you think should be voted “Best of 2007″.
December 13th, 2007
Kelly
A new view of the afterlife is offerend in The Night Tourist, by Katherine Marsh. What happens if you die in New York City? You go directly into the New York City underworld, destined to set up a haunt in your favorite places. What if a living person got into the underworld? Well, that is exactly what happens to Jack, a 14-year old boy who recently had a near death experience. He travels to New York for a doctor’s appointment and ends up meeting a mysterious girl in the train station. He follows her to discover the hidden mystery of the city, only to find out that she is dead. Thankfully, he has a map and a plan, to find his dead mother’s ghost.
One of the most interesting aspects of this story is the descriptions of New York City. It is not just a setting, but a character in the book. The way ghosts travel from the underworld to the city is through the various fountains in city parks. One of the reasons I picked up this book was because of the amazing cover, which as ghosts floating out of a fountain.
Will Jack find his mother? I’m not going to tell, but check out The Night Tourist and find out for yourself.
December 13th, 2007
Kelly
What would you do if you couldn’t remember your past? How would you cope if you didn’t recognize the faces of your best friend or even your boyfriend? How could you move on with your life when so many pieces of your past were missing? In Gabrielle Zevin’s Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, these are the questions seventeen-year-old Naomi faces when a terrible fall down the school’s front steps leaves her without any memories of the last four years of her life.
Will Naomi ever recover her high school years? And, the bigger question is… does she even want to? You’ll have to read Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac to find out!
The December Book of the Month is available at the Pinney Library.
December 2nd, 2007
Krissy
One of my all-time favorite authors is Robin McKinley. I especially love her dragon books, The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword. They are both about women who love horses and who have a passion for fighting dragons. Both of these books have the perfect mix of adventure, fantasy and a smidgen of romance.
Recently, she wrote a new book called Dragonhaven that I’m reading right now. The main character in this book is a teenage boy who works for a sort of dragon preserve/zoo. On his very first solo overnight camping trip, he discovers a dying dragon and her newly born pups. One of the pups is still alive and he takes the dragon with him to try to save it. I haven’t finished it yet, but it promises to be an excellent read!
If you enjoy dragon books too, here are a few others you might want to read:
Eragon by Christopher Paolini — a relative newcomer to the dragon genre, but full of classic details.
Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey –an old classic. The first tale of the Dragonriders of Pern. If you like this one, there’s lots more in this series!
Dealing wth Dragons by Patricia Wrede — Light and funny dragon story about a princess who doesn’t want to marry a prince, so she runs away and asks a dragon to kidnap her. Adventure ensues!
November 29th, 2007
Carissa
In Keeping Corner, by Kashmira Sheth, twelve year-old Leela’s enthusiasm for life is infectious — her mom can no more resist Leela’s love for bright new bangles than she can Leela’s urging to wear the sari she think looks the most beautiful on her. Set in Gujarat, India in 1918, many think that Leela shouldn’t be so indulged. She has, after all, been married for the past three years and will be going to live with her husband in the not too distant future. Won’t it be that much more difficult for her to acclimate to her new life if she’s spent her childhood being pampered? Leela’s parents don’t agree — Leela’s mother in law loves Leela like her own daughter and they know she will be in good hands.
Except that Leela never gets the chance to find out. After her husband dies suddenly, her entire future disappears and she has to face the fate of a brahman widow — women who she had always avoided and pitied like everyone else. She loses all of the adornment she loves, her head is shaved, and she’s left with a life forever devoid of anything beautiful or fun. In a tradition Leela finds cruel, she not only has to face this future, but she must do it while not leaving her parents’ home for the entire first year of her widowhood. With nothing to think about but her loss, Leela feels she might go crazy.
Filled with breath-taking imagery and lush descriptions, Keeping Corner sweeps its readers into the life of a girl who’s future seems lost, but who finds healing and courage from different places. Drawn from the life story of the author’s aunt, Keeping Corner also beautifully weaves in the true life inspiration of Gandhi during this time period.
November 19th, 2007
Bridget
Have you ever yelled at a character during a scary movie when they were just about to do something you were sure will get them hurt or worse? That’s how I felt almost from the beginning of November’s Book of the Month, Acceleration, by Graham McNamee. Time passes agonizingly slowly for Duncan, stuck in a summer job working in the Toronto Transit Authority lost and found. It’s a two month sentence brought on at the insistence of his father, and it seems to Duncan that it will never end. Then he finds the diary. The entries are more than disturbing. As Duncan reads on he realizes that the man who owns this diary is stalking an unnamed woman, intent on killing her. It becomes a race against time as Duncan and his best friend Wayne try to track down the owner of the diary and save his next victim. Copies of Acceleration are available at the Sequoya Library.
This book is also soon to be included in Madison Public Library’s book discussion kits collection, with a discussion guide. Other upcoming book discussion kits include The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Lightning Thief, Sabriel, and Elsewhere.
November 8th, 2007
Karen
Last Friday Madison Public Library held their first (as far as I know) Teen Short Film Fest featuring films made by local teens. About 25 people showed up at the Orpheum to watch themselves and their friends on the big screen. Everyone enjoyed free popcorn and pop. We screened ten different films that were anywhere from 2 minutes long to an epic sixteen minutes. Some were funny, some were scary, some were “silent” films with musical soundtracks and others were animated movies created in library workshops last winter.
If you attended the Teen Film Fest, which movie was your favorite? If you didn’t go, would you like to see us do this again sometime? If you like to make short movies with your friends, tell us! We’ll let you know if we decide to try this again next year.
October 30th, 2007
Carissa
Come play Yu-gi-oh at the Lakeview Branch Library November 10th at 2:00 p.m.
Bring your friends!
October 30th, 2007
Bridget
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