New and Featured Books for 05/09/2013:

Come and check out these and some of the other new books and materials (or at least new to us) added to our library collection…

FICTION:

A House Divided by Kimberla Lawson Roby

Angora Alibi by Sally Goldenbaum

Murder As A Fine Art by David Morrell

Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris

Dead, White, And Blue by Carolyn Hart

Robert B. Parker’s Wonderland by Ace Atkins

Wonder Woman, vol. 2: Guts by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Cliff Chiang

Superman – Action Comics, vol. 2: Bulletproof by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Rags Morales, Gene Ha, Cully Hamner, and Ryan Sook

Batman: Detective Comics, volume 2: Scare Tactics, written and illustrated by Tony S. Daniel

Avengers: Season One by Peter David and illustrated by various artists

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: A Graphic Novel, Book 2 by Stieg Larsson, adapted by Denise Mina and illustrated by Leonardo Manco and Andrea Mutti

Red Handed: The Fine Art Of Strange Crimes by Matt Kindt

Long Live The King by Fay Weldon

Star Wars: Dawn Of The Jedi – Into The Void by Tim Lebbon

Complex 90 by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins

NON-FICTION:

American Phoenix: John Quincy And Louisa Adams, The War Of 1812, And The Exile THat Saved American Independence by Jane Hampton Cook

A Curious Man: The Strange And Brilliant Life Of Robert “Believe It Or Not” Ripley by Neal Thompson

Through The Perilous Fight: Six Weeks That Saved The Nation by Steve Vogel

Picasso To Warhol: Fourteen Modern Masters by Jodi Hauptman, with essays by Samantha Friedman and Michael Rooks

Global Tilt: Leading Your Business Through The Gerat Economic Power Shift by Ram Charan with Geri Willigan and Charles Burck

The World’s Strongest Librarian: A Memoir Of Tourette’s, Faith, Strength, And The Power Of Family by Josh Hanagarne

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Please note that books mentioned here could be checked out between the time they end up on the blog and when you come to check them out. If you don’t see the items you’re looking for then please come up to the front desk, OR call us, OR send us an email at robinsbaselibrary@gmail.com and  we’ll put your name on the reserve list for when the item returns.

* * *

Previous New/Featured books for Adults:

04/29/13.

04/22/13.

04/17/13.

02/28/13.

New and Featured Books for 04/22/2013:

Come and check out these and some of the other new books and materials (or at least new to us) added to our library collection…

FICTION:

The Winter Witch by Paula Brackston

Easter Bunny Murder by Leslie Meier

Shadowkiller by Wendy Corsi Staub

Extinction by Mark Alpert

The Power Trip by Jackie Collins

Tales Designed To Thrizzle, Vol. 2 by Michael Kupperman

Hit Me by Lawrence Block

Little Known Facts by Chrstine Sneed

The Comfort Of Lies by Randy Susan Meyers

The Best Of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord

Ghost Man by Roger Hobbs

A Week In Winter by Maeve Binchy

The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society by Darien Gee

Burn Palace by Stephen Dobyns

A Time For War by Michael Savage

Cult by Jonathan Kellerman

Vampires In The Lemon Grove: Stories by Karen Russell

The Perfect Marriage by Kimberla Lawson Roby

Y: A Novel by Marjorie Celona

NON-FICTION:

The Inventor And The Tycoon: A Gilded Age Murder And The Birth Of Moving Pictures by Edward Ball

The Hour Of Peril: The Secret Plot To Murder Lincoln Before The Civil War by Daniel Stashower

Congressman Lincoln: The Making Of America’s Greatest President by Chris DeRose

Unleash The Power Of The Female Brain: Supercharging Yours For Better Health, Energy, Mood, Focus, And Sex by Daniel G. Amen

Washed Away: How The Great Flood Of 1913, America’s Most Widespread Natural Disaster, Terrorized A Nation And Changed It Forever by Geoff Williams

Coolidge by Amity Shlaes

Vow: A Memoir Of Marriage (And Other Affairs) by Wendy Plump

O.J. In The Morning, G&T At Night: Spirited Dispatches On Aging With Joie de Vivre by A. E. Hotchner

Days That I’ll Remember: Spending Time With John Lennon And Yoko Ono by Jonathan Cott

* * *

Please note that books mentioned here could be checked out between the time they end up on the blog and when you come to check them out. If you don’t see the items you’re looking for then please come up to the front desk, OR call us, OR send us an email at robinsbaselibrary@gmail.com and  we’ll put your name on the reserve list for when the item returns.

* * *

Previous New/Featured books for Adults:

04/17/13.

02/28/13.

02/07/13.

01/31/13.

01/02/13.

New and Featured Books for 08/23/2012:

Come and check out these and some of the other new books and materials (or at least new to us) added to our library collection…

FICTION:

Maggie By The Book by Kasey Michaels

Gold Of Kings by Davis Bunn

Baudolino by Umberto Eco, and translated from the Italian by William Weaver

Daisy Miller and Washington Square by Henry James

The Catch: A Joe Gunther Novel by Archer Mayor

Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley

American Outrage by Tim Green

Murder On Bank Street: A Gaslight Mystery by Victoria Thompson

Apologize, Apologize! by Elizabeth Kelly

Tangled Web: A Black Jewels Novel by Anne Bishop

Bones Are Forever by Kathy Reichs

Rizzoli & Isles: Last To Die by Tess Gerritsen

NON-FICTION:

Lighting Their Fires: Raising Extraordinary Children In A Mixed-Up, Muddled-Up, Shook-Up World by Rafe Esquith

Bloody Crimes: The Chase For Jefferson Davis And The Death Pageant For Lincoln’s Corpse by James Swanson

Get Rick Click! – THe Ultimate Guide To Making Money On The Internet by Marc Ostrofsky

Losing Mum And Pup: A Memoir by Christopher Buckley

Universal Design For The Home: Great-Looking, Great-Living Design For All Ages, Abilities, And Circumstances by Wendy A. Jordan

The Twentieth Century: A People’s History by Howard Zinn

The Portable Jung, edited by Joseph Campbell

Myths Of The Greeks And Romans by Michael Grant

The Dog Whisperer: A Compassionate, Nonviolent Approach To Dog Training by Paul Owens with Norma Eckroate

Secret Empire: Eisenhower, The CIA, And The Hidden Story Of America’s Space Espionage by Philip Taubman

* * *

Please note that books mentioned here could be checked out between the time they end up on the blog and when you come to check them out. If you don’t see the items you’re looking for then please come up to the front desk, OR call us, OR send us an email at robinsbaselibrary@gmail.com and  we’ll put your name on the reserve list for when the item returns.

* * *

Previous New/Featured books:

08/15/12.

08/09/12.

08/02/12.

07/27/12.

07/18/12.

New and Featured Books for 07/27/2012:

Come and check out these and some of the other new books and materials (or at least new to us) added to our library collection…

FICTION:

The Queen Of The Big Time by Adriana Trigiani

The Fallen Angel by Daniel Silva

Creole Belle by James Lee Burke

Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez

Friends Forever by Danielle Steel

The Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman

Batman, vol. 1: The Court Of Owls by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Greg Capullo

Silver Surfer: Parable by Stan Lee and illustrated by Moebius and Keith Pollard

Green Lantern, vol. 1: Sinestro by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Doug Mahnke

The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

The Hunters by James Salter

NON-FICTION:

Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama by Alison Bechdel

Adapt: Why Success Always Stars With Failure by Tim Harford

Physics Of The Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny And Our Daily Lives By The Year 2100 by Michio Kaku

Most Talkative: Stories From The Front Lines Of Pop Culture by Andy Cohen

The Hammer And The Anvil: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, And The End Of Slavery In America by Dwight Jon Zimmerman and illustrated by Wayne Vansant

Lots Of Candles, Plenty Of Cake: A Memoir by Anna Quindlen

In The Wake Of The Plague: The Black Death And The World It Made by Norman F. Cantor

* * *

Please note that books mentioned here could be checked out between the time they end up on the blog and when you come to check them out. If you don’t see the items you’re looking for then please come up to the front desk, OR call us, OR send us an email at robinsbaselibrary@gmail.com and  we’ll put your name on the reserve list for when the item returns.

* * *

Previous New/Featured books for Adults:

07/18/12.

07/03/12.

06/27/12.

06/14/12.

06/07/12.

New and Featured Books for 07/18/2012:

Come and check out these and some of the other new books and materials (or at least new to us) added to our library collection…

FICTION:

Back Fire by Catherine Coulter

Close Your Eyes by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen

Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil

The Avengers: X-Sanction by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Ed McGuinness

Batman – The Dark Knight: Golden Dawn, written and illustrated by David Finch (with Grant Morrison)

Batman: Noel by Lee Bermejo

Batman And Robin, vol. 1: Born To Kill by Peter J. Tomasi and illustrated by Patrick Gleason

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel

NON-FICTION:

Venus On Fire, Mars On Ice: Hormonal Balance – The Key To Life, Love, And Energy by John Gray

Satch, Dizzy & Rapid Robert: The Wild Saga Of Interracial Baseball Before Jackie Robinson by Timothy M. Gay

The Complete Idiot’s Guide To American History by Alan Axelrod

My Next Phase: The Personality-Based Guide To Your Best Retirement by Eric Sundstrom, Randy Burnham, and Michael Burnham

How To Get Your Cat To Do What You Want by Warren Eckstein and Fay Eckstein

Prague Winter: A Personal Story Of Remembrance And War, 1937 – 1948 by Madeleine Albright

End This Depression Now! by Paul Krugman

It Worked For Me: In Life And Leadership by Colin Powell with Tony Koltz

Service: A Navy SEAL At War by Marcus Luttrell with James D. Hornfischer

Manhunt: The Ten Year Search For Bin Laden From 9/11 To Abbottabad by Peter L. Bergen

* * *

Please note that books mentioned here could be checked out between the time they end up on the blog and when you come to check them out. If you don’t see the items you’re looking for then please come up to the front desk, OR call us, OR send us an email at robinsbaselibrary@gmail.com and  we’ll put your name on the reserve list for when the item returns.

* * *

Previous New/Featured books for Adults:

07/03/12.

06/27/12.

06/14/12.

06/07/12.

05/31/12.

New and Featured Books for 06/07/2012:

Come and check out these and some of the other new books and materials (or at least new to us) added to our library collection…

FICTION:

Kingdom Of Strangers by Zoe Ferraris

Amped by Daniel H. Wilson

Dead Men by Richard Pierce

Mortal by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee

11th Hour by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Home by Toni Morrison

In One Person by John Irving

Goliath by Tom Gauld

Mark Twain’s Autobiography, 1910 – 2010 by Michael Kupperman

Two of the most interesting and funny graphic novels from the past year, one a retelling of the classic story of David and Goliath, and the other detailing the continuing and fantastical adventures of one of our country’s great literary minds.

XO by Jeffrey Deaver

A Conspiracy Of Friends by Alexander McCall Smith

Niceville by Carsten Stroud

NON-FICTION:

The Cost Of Hope: The Story Of A Marriage, A Family, And The Quest For Life by Amanda Bennett

The Avengers: The Ultimate Guide To Earth’s Mightiest Heroes by Scott Beatty

American Grown: The Story Of The White House Kitchen Garden And Gardens Across America by Michelle Obama

A Good Man: Rediscovering My Father, Sargent Shriver by Mark K. Shriver

The Banana Wars: A History Of United States Military Intervention In Latin America From The Spanish American War To The Invasion Of Panama by Ivan Musicant

Dark Pools: High-Speed Traders, A.I. Bandits, And The Threat To The Global Financial System by Scott Patterson

Failures Of The Presidents: From The Whiskey Rebellion And War Of 1812 To The Bay Of Pigs And War In Iraq by Thomas J. Craughwell

The Fish That Ate The Whale: The Life And Times Of America’s Banana King by Rich Cohen

Autopsy Of War: A Personal History by John A. Parrish

* * *

Please note that books mentioned here could be checked out between the time they end up on the blog and when you come to check them out. If you don’t see the items you’re looking for then please come up to the front desk, OR call us, OR send us an email at robinsbaselibrary@gmail.com and  we’ll put your name on the reserve list for when the item returns.

* * *

Previous New/Featured books for Adults:

05/31/12.

05/01/12.

04/26/12.

04/19/12.

New and Featured Books for 04/26/2012:

Come and check out these and some of the other new books and materials (or at least new to us) added to our library collection…

FICTION:

Earth Abides by George R. Stewart

Stay Close by Harlan Coben

Loving by Karen Kingsbury

Come Home by Lisa Scottoline

Survivors: A Novel Of The Coming Collapse by James Wesley, Rawles

The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson

Cain by José Saramago

Expats by Chris Pavone

Gypped by Carol Higgins Clark

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

NON-FICTION:

Some Assembly Required: A Journal Of My Son’s First Son by Anne Lamott with Sam Lamott

Me, The Mob, And The Music: One Helluva Ride With Tommy James And The Shondells by Tommy James, with Martin Fitzpatrick

A Family’s Guide To The Military For Dummies by Sheryl Garrett and Sue Hoppin

Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide To Better English In Plain English by Patricia T. O’Conner

Winston’s War: Churchill 1940 – 1945 by Max Hastings

Rin Tin Tin: The Life And The Legend by Susan Orlean

The Man Without A Face: The Unlikely Rise Of Vladimir Putin by Masha Gessen

Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer

Fraternity by Diane Brady

Jobs And The Military Spouse: Married, Mobile, And Motivated For Employment by Janet I. Farley

The Mark Inside: A Perfect Swindle, A Cunning Revenge, And A Small History Of The Big Con by Amy Reading

* * *

Please note that books mentioned here could be checked out between the time they end up on the blog and when you come to check them out. If you don’t see the items you’re looking for then please come up to the front desk, OR call us, OR send us an email at robinsbaselibrary@gmail.com and  we’ll put your name on the reserve list for when the item returns.

* * *

Previous New/Featured books for Adults:

04/19/12.

04/11/12.

04/04/12.

03/29/12.

03/01/12.

New and Featured Books for 04/04/2012:

Come and check out these and some of the other new books and materials (or at least new to us) added to our library collection…

FICTION:

Calico Joe by John Grisham

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

Dorchester Terrace by Anne Perry

Stories For Nighttime And Some For The Day by Ben Loory

Death Of A Kingfisher by M. C. Beaton

The Lady Of The Rivers by Philippa Gregory

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Richard Wright

The Invincible Iron Man: Extremis by Warren Ellis and illustrated by Adi Granov

Ex Machina: The Deluxe Edition, Book 1 by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Tony Harris

Guilty Wives by James Patterson and David Ellis

Another thriller from best selling author James Patterson (and one of his co-writers), this time about a group of women on the vacation of a lifetime that’s gone horribly wrong. You can find an interview with the author at CNN, and a rather large excerpt from the book from the author’s own website.

The Fat Years by Guanzonghong Chan

NON-FICTION:

Career Success Without A Real Job: The Career Book For People Too Smart To Work In Corporations by Ernie J. Zelinski

Drift: The Unmooring Of American Military Power by Rachel Maddow

A fascinating book about how the way we go to war has changed by the author of the popular political talk show. Maddow’s book is not really about the politics, but about ideas and facts (something that politics should treat as a little more holy), and the book features a cover blurb from FOX News’ chief, Roger Ailes, which reads as: “People who like Rachel will love the book. People who don’t will get angry, but aggressive debate is good for America. Drift is a book worth reading.” You can find an interview with the author at The Chicago Sun-Times and reviews at the Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, and at The New York Times.

Distrust That Particular Flavor by William Gibson

A very nice collection of essays, articles, and speeches from the past three decades from Gibson, the writer of science fiction and thrillers, and who has been long proclaimed as a cyber visionary. You can find some very interesting reviews of the book at Tech Crunch, Boing Boing, and on The Verge.

400 Years Of The Telescope: A Journey Of Science, Technology And Thought by Donald Goldsmith

Tension City: Inside the Presidential Debates, From Kennedy-Nixon To Obama-McCain by Jim Lehrer

Elizabeth The Queen: The Life Of A Modern Monarch by Sally Bedell Smith

The Hilliker Curse: My Pursuit Of Women by James Ellroy

The Next Decade: Where We’ve Been… And Where We’re Going by George Friedman

Looking Within: How X-Ray, CT, Ultrasound, And Other Medical Images Are Created – And How They Help Physicians Save Lives by Anthony Brinton Wolbarst

* * *

Please note that books could be checked out between the time they end up on the blog and when you come to check them out. If you don’t see the items you’re looking for then please come up to the front desk OR send us an email at robinsbaselibrary@gmail.com and we’ll put your name on the reserve list for when the item returns.

* * *

Previous New/Featured books for Adults:

03/29/12.

03/01/12.

02/02/11.

01/27/12.

12/27/11.

And for Young Adults:

04/03/12.

03/20/12.

03/06/12.

02/21/12.

And for Kids/Juvenile Readers:

03/27/12.

03/13/12.

02/28/12.

02/23/12.

Author quotes: Burning books.

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. once said, “We must be careful what we pretend to be,”  which is one of my favorite quotes of all time, but Vonnegut was a highly opinionated and prolific author and essayist, and he was always a good source for a good quote or a witty turn of phrase.

The other day I got into a conversation with a few patrons not just about the need for intellectual curiosity in people, especially in this day and age, but the need for constant access to the tools that could inspire and grow that curiosity in these modern times, and it reminded me of something Vonnegut had said a few years before his death (in 2007):

“While on the subject of burning books, I want to congratulate librarians, not famous for their physical strength, who, all over this country, have staunchly resisted anti-democratic bullies who have tried to remove certain books from their shelves, and destroyed records rather than have to reveal to thought police the names of persons who have checked out those titles.

So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House, the Supreme Court, the Senate, the House of Representatives, or the media. The America I loved still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.

And still on the subject of books: our daily news sources, newspapers and TV, are now so craven, so unvigilant on behalf of the American people, so uninformative, that only in books do we learn what’s really going on.”

-from A Man Without A Country, his 2005 memoir/essay collection.

You can find an excerpt from the book over at The Guardian, which includes the portion the above text comes from. Much of this book, and in particular this excerpt, are very political with Vonnegut discussing his disappointment in the then-current political climate of the country. Whether you agree with Vonnegut’s politics there or not, you have to admire that there are some nuggets of common sense true for all people, and that he always maintained a strong humanistic outlook on life.

Also, on a side note, in the paragraph preceding the above quote Vonnegut references Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, his documentary about the September 11 attacks and everything after, and reminds us that the title of the documentary is a reference/parody of Ray Bradbury’s great, classic science fiction novel, Fahrenheit 451. That novel refers to the fact that 451 degrees Fahrenheit is the combustion point, at which paper and the information on it will burn.

The gist of it is this: Not to toot our own horn (too much) but libraries curate and cultivate information, and with information comes intelligence, which is never a bad thing and always in short supply. The library is a resource that you should never let go to waste.

by Eddie Campbell, from here.

Elsewhere on the internet:

Vonnegut’s obituary in The New York Times.

15 things Vonnegut said better than anyone else ever has or will.

Venus On The Half-Shell by Philip José Farmer under the name “Kilgore Trout.”

Vonnegut’s advice for writers.

Vonnegut’s story diagrams.

“Harrison Bergeron,” Vonnegut’s classic short story.

An interview with Vonnegut in The Paris Review.

“2BR02B,” a 1962 short story that appeared in Vonnegut’s third collection, Bagombo Snuff Box.

“The Big Trip Up Yonder,” a short story that appeared in Vonnegut’s first two collections under different names.

The Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library in Indianapolis.

Dave Eggers reviews Vonnegut’s first collection of unpublished fiction.

At the library we have quite a few books both by Vonnegut and about his life and work, including When Mortals Sleep, a posthumous release of previously unpublished short fiction by the author, as well as And So It Goes – Kurt Vonnegut: A Life, a new biography of the author by Charles J. Shields, and…

Vonnegut And Hemingway: Writers At War by Lawrence Broer, which draws interesting parallels between these two literary artists, who previously might have been only been coupled together by how vastly different they were. Both were born under the spectre of hereditary insanity, forged in wartime experiences, and used their writing as a means of therapy and survival. And how much more fitting to see them linked, since Hemingway was our quoted author last week? I hope you’ll come and check them out.