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

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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.

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Previous New/Featured books for Adults:

05/31/12.

05/01/12.

04/26/12.

04/19/12.

New and Featured Audiobooks for 04/05/12:

Come and check out these and some of the other new audiobooks (or at least new to us) added to our library collection, which come in several different formats…

Audiobooks on CD…

FICTION:

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, and read by Hugh Fraser

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith, and read by Lisette Lecat

Mistress Of The Art Of Death by Ariana Franklin, and read by Rosalyn Landor

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, and read by Lynne Thigpen

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, and read by Joanne Whalley, Martin Jarvis, Dennis Boutsikaris, Jim Ward, Rosalyn Landor, and Robin Atkin Downes

The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova, and read by Treat Williams, Anne Heche, Sarah Zimmerman, Erin Cottrell, and John Rafter Lee

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and read by Sissy Spacek

Fresh Disasters by Stuart Woods, and read by Tony Roberts

Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers, and read by J. D. Jackson

Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk, and read by Paul Michael Garcia

World War Z: An Oral History Of The Zombie War by Max Brooks, and performed by a full cast featuring the author, Carl Reiner, Henry Rollins, Jurgen Prochnow, Alan Alda, Ron Reiner, John Turturro, Becky Ann Baker, and many others

Velocity by Dean Koontz, and read by Michael Hayden

NON-FICTION:

Sea Of Glory: America’s Voyage Of Discovery – The U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838 – 1842 by Nathaniel Philbrick, and read by Dennis Boutsikaris

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, and read by the author

Getting Things Done: The Art Of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen, and read by the author

Confessions Of An Alien Hunter: A Scientist’s Search For Extraterristrial Intelligence  by Seth Shostak, and read by Patrick Lawler

Team Of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin, and read by Richard Thomas

Not only is this a very interesting book, but it’s also the basis for Steven Spielberg’s upcoming film about Lincoln, which stars Daniel Day Lewis as our 16th president. Check out a picture below of the actor’s look in the film:

Michelangelo And The Pope’s Ceiling by Ross King, and read by Alan Sklar

Black Boy by Richard Wright, and read by Peter Francis James

The Professor And The Madman: A Tale Of Murder, Insanity, And The Making Of The Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester, and read by the author

City Of The Soul: A Walk In Rome by William Murray, and read by the author

The Black Swan: The Impact Of The Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, and read by David Chandler

The War That Made America: A Short History Of The French And Indian War by Fred Anderson, and read by Simon Vance

Game Change: Obama And The Clintons, McCain And Palin, And The Race Of A Lifetime by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, and read by Dennis Boutsikaris

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And we also have Audiobooks in the Playaway format…

If you don’t know much about the Playaway format, then we’d suggest that you come and check them out.

A Playaway is basically a single book loaded onto an MP3 player. All you have to do is plug in some headphones and press play and you’re off to the races. The Playway is small enough to fit into your pocket, and it’s great for working out or running/jogging, or even just doing something like cleaning the house. But where the CD format is really nice for listening to an audiobook in the car, you’d have to have something to transfer the sound from the Playaway to your car stereo. Perhaps if you do something like that with an iPod or a similar MP3 device then maybe that could work as well.

FICTION:

To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf, and read by Juliet Stevenson

The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler, and read by Kimberly Schraf

Then She Found Me by Elinor Lipman, and read by Mia Barron

Double Cross by James Patterson, and ready by Peter J. Fernandez and Michael Stuhlbarg

The Enemy by Lee Child

The Hard Way by Lee Child

One Shot by Lee Child

All read by Dick Hill

To Die For by Linda Howard, and read by Franette Liebow

The Trial by Franz Kafka, and read by Rupert Degas

The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, dramatized for audio by Yuri Rasovsky, and performed by Michael Madsen, Sandra Oh, and Edward Herrman, amongst others

A Confederacy Of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, and read by Barrett Whitener

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and read by Christopher Hurt

Atonement by Ian McEwan, and read by Josephine Baily

Deadlock by Iris Johansen, and read by Jennifer Van Dyck

NON-FICTION:

The Art Of War by Sun Tzu, translated by Thomas Cleary, and read by David Warrilow

You Had Me At Woof: How Dogs Taught Me The Secrets Of Happiness by Julie Klam, and read by Karen White

Marley: A Dog Like No Other by John Grogan, and performed by Neil Patrick Harris

When Janey Comes Marching Home by Laura Browder, with photographs by Sascha Pflaeging, and read by Claudia Aleck, Cassandra Campbell, Bernadette Dunne, Tavia Gilbert, Vanessa Hart, Carrington MacDuffie, Lisa Renee Pitts, Kirsten Potter, Robynn Rodriguez, Kimberly Scott, Bahni Turpin, and Pam Ward

Chinese For Dummies by Mengjun Liu and Mike Packevicz

Living Well In A Down Economy For Dummies by Tracy L. Barr, and read by Brett Barry

The War That Killed Achilles: The Story Of Homer’s Iliad And The Trojan War by Caroline Alexander, and read by Michael Page

Most Evil: Avenger, Zodiac, And The Further Serial Murders Of Dr. George Hill Hodel by Steve Hodel and Ralph Pezzullo, and read by Malcolm Hillgartner

When You Are Engulfed In Flames by David Sedaris

The History Of The Classical Music by Richard Fawkes, and read by Robert Powell

How To Stop Smoking And Stay Stopped For Good – Fully Revised And Updated by Gillian Riley, and read by Jerome Pride

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We’re looking to get into MP3 CDs, so stay tuned for that, but until then…

…can you believe that we still have audiobooks on tape/cassette available for checkout? Perfect for anyone whose car has a tape player in it.

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Please note that audiobooks 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 send us an email at robinsbaselibrary@gmail.com and we’ll put your name on the reserve list for when the item returns.

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Previous New/Featured books for Adults:

04/04/12.

03/29/12.

03/01/12.

02/02/11.

01/27/12.

New and Featured Books for 03/29/2012:

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:

State Of Wonder by Ann Patchett

The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings

This is the novel that was adapted into the Oscar nominated film (the screenplay adaption won an Oscar) directed by Alexander Payne and starring George Clooney. The movie is very good, and we’d definitely recommend the book to anyone who likes funny and poignant character-driven stories, and who likes to read the book before the movie. Check out a review of the book in The New York Times, and the author’s website.

Paradise by Toni Morrison

Red Inferno: 1945 by Robert Conroy

The Fallen Angels by Bernard Cornwell and Susannah Kells

The Valcourt Heiress by Catherine Coulter

100 Bullets: The Deluxe Edition, Book 1 by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Eduardo Risso

Like the cover blurb says, Azzarello and Risso’s long running comic book series from DC/Vertigo comics was “one of the greatest works of crime fiction in any medium,” telling some very hard-boiled pulp/noir stories in a very modern way. And this is where it began with it’s very simple initial premise: A mysterious man named Graves would visit people who had been the victim of a serious wrong and present them with evidence of who it was that was responsible for their plight. In the vein of revenge he’d then offer them a handgun and the eponymous 100 bullets, all untraceable by the police. And a lot of very interesting and very dark and very complex stories would spin out of that. Here are reviews of the series at Wired, The Comics Journal, and Pop Matters, and an interview with writer Brian Azzarello at The Onion AV Club.

The Glass Rainbow by James Lee Burke

NON-FICTION:

Women Pilots Of World War II by Jean Hascall Cole

Playing With Trains: A Passion Beyond Scale by Sam Posey

Forged: Writing In The Name Of God – Why The Bible’s Authors Are Not Who We Think They Are by Bart D. Ehrman

Harriet Tubman: Myth, Memory, And History by Milton C. Sernett

Marie Antoinette by Antonia Fraser

Unfamiliar Fishes by Sarah Vowell

This is a very fun and informative look at history by journalism, essayist, social commentator, and This American Life contributor Vowell, who looks at America’s imperialist desires and manifest destiny ideals at the end of the 19th century, and which lead to America annexing Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and invading Cuba and the Philippines. Vowell also talks about the culture clash as Christian missionaries swiftly moved in and tried to convert the far more laid back native Hawaiians to the American way of life. Here’s an interview with the author, and you can find interesting reviews of the book at The Los Angeles Times and in The New York Times.

And here’s an odd fun fact for you: Sarah Vowell, seen above, voiced the character Violet in Disney/Pixar’s The Incredibles.

This Is Your Brain On Music: The Science Of A Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin

Raw Basics: Incorporating Raw Living Foods Into Your Diet Using Easy And Delicious Recipes by Jenny Ross

The Intimate Lives Of The Founding Fathers by Thomas Fleming

The Reading Promise: My Father And The Books We Shared by Alice Ozma

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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 and we’ll put your name on the reserve list for when the item returns.

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Previous New/Featured books for Adults:

03/01/12.

02/02/11.

01/27/12.

12/27/11.

And for Young Adults:

03/20/12.

03/06/12.

02/21/12.

02/09/12.

And for Kids/Juvenile Readers:

03/27/12.

03/13/12.

02/28/12.

02/23/12.

New and Featured Books for 03/01/2012:

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:

Tigerlily’s Orchid by Ruth Rendell

The Fear Index by Robert Harris

The new thriller from author/journalist Robert Harris, who wrote The Ghost, which was adapted into The Ghost Writer, which was directed by Roman Polanski. Check out reviews from The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Guardian, and there’s a nice interview with the author at CBS’s Author Talk.

The Secret Mistress by Mary Balogh

God’s Gift To Women by Michael Baisden

Side Jobs: Stories From The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

Djibouti by Elmore Leonard

A book about modern day pirates by the author who’s been called “The Great American Writer” by Stephen King. You can find an excerpt from Djibouti at Esquire and reviews of the novel from The New York Times and The Millions. You can check out Leonard’s blog, and also read about his admiration for Kathryn Bigelow at The Wall Street Journal.

The Death-Ray, written and illustrated by Daniel Clowes

All My Friends Are Going To Be Strangers by Larry McMurtry

In My Father’s House by E. Lynn Harris

The Wreckage by Michael Robotham

The Angel Esmerelda: Nine Stories by Don Delillo

Harlem Renaissance: Five Novels Of The 1920s, edited by Rafia Zafar

and

Harlem Renaissance: Four Novels Of The 1930s, edited by Rafia Zafar

This is a very exciting two volume set looking at classic works of fiction from an important time in literature and African American history, and featuring authors like Langston Hughes, Nella Larsen, Jean Toomer, and George S. Schuyler, and others. As author Junot Diaz says in his blurb on the back of the 1920s edition, “To have all these novels in one place is the best gift any reader could ever ask for.”

Escape by Barbara Delinsky

Camouflage by Bill Pronzini

Shattered by Karen Robards

Gets off to a bit of a slow start, but another fine example of romantic suspense done right by Robards. Check out an excerpt at the author’s website.

NON-FICTION:

New Men: Manliness In Early America, edited by Thomas A. Foster

This is a very intriguing historical gender study of what it was like for men, fresh from the Old World, coming into the New World, and how the definitions of being an American Man were set, based on old prejudices, manners, and mores, through the colonial periods into the revolutionary era, and shaped by a new culture, society, economy, and political system, and factors such a racism and warfare.

Lions Of Kandahar: The Story Of A Fight Against All Odds by Rusty Bradley and Kevin Maurer

Shades Of Glory: The Negro Leagues And The Story Of African-American Baseball by Lawrence D. Hogan

The Insider’s Guide To Colleges, 2012: Students On Campus Tell You What You Really Need To Know, compiled and edited by the staff of The Yale Daily News

Cooking In Other Women’s Kitchens: Domestic Workers In The South, 1865-1960 by Rebecca Sharpless

This book has been said to show the real version of what was tamefully dramatized in The Help, and that alone makes it fascinating, beyond its being a very insightful and informative read, from what a few patrons have told me. And as one review nicely pointed out, the book is very successful in its goal to “discover how African American cooks successfully functioned within a world of extremely hard work, low wages, and omnipresent racial strife.”

A Quick Start Guide To Google Adwords: Get Your Product To The Top Of Google And Reach Your Customers by Mark Harnett

A Quick Start Guide To Cloud Computing: Moving Your Business Into The Cloud by Mark I. Williams

Burn This Book: PEN Writers Speak Out On The Power Of The Word, edited by Toni Morrison

Firebrand Of Liberty: The Story Of Two Black Regiments That Changed The Course Of The Civil War by Stephen V. Ash

The Elements Of User Experience: User-Centered Design For The Web And Beyond by Jesse James Garrett

This is the second edition of the book, a nice refinement from the first edition, and helpful in taking a lot of the simple ideas for good design that you might use on the internet and bringing to other things. Check out an interview with the author from the publisher.

Border War: Fighting Over Slavery Before The Civil War by Stanley Harrold

The Triple Agent: The Al-Qaeda Mole Who Infiltrated The CIA by Joby Warrick

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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 and we’ll put your name on the reserve list for when the item returns.

* * *

Previous New/Featured books:

02/02/11.

01/27/12.

12/27/11.

12/23/11.

And for Young Adults:

02/21/12.

02/09/12.

01/31/12.

And for Kids/Juvenile Readers:

02/28/12.

02/23/12.

02/16/12.

01/28/12.

New and Featured Books for Kids/Juvenile Readers for 02/23/2012:

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

EASY READING:

My Uncle Martin’s Words For America: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Niece Tells How He Made A Difference by Angela Farris Watkins and illustrated by Eric Velasquez

A wonderful memoir in pictures of MLK’s life, as told by his niece, who shares her uncle’s positive message about how there’s a place for everyone in this world, living life side by side. This is a great book for younger readers, and is very informative, and the pictures in it are very realistic and warm. Highly recommended.

Caves And Caverns by Gail Gibbons

Dinosailors by Deb Lund and illustrated by Howard Fine

Press Here by Hervé Tullet

There’s a button and they’re just daring you to touch it. How can you resist that?

Emma’s Poem: The Voice Of The Statue Of Liberty by Linda Glaser and illustrated by Claire A. Nivola

A very nice book about the life of Emma Lazarus and her famous sonnet, “The New Colossus,” which is engraved in bronze on the Statue of Liberty. You may not realize you know it, but it’s the poem that includes the words: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” This is a good read for younger readers, and especially ideal for helping them to understand what the American Dream is about.

What Color Is My World?: The Lost History Of African-American Inventors by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Raymond Obstfeld and illustrated by Ben Boos and A. G. Ford

The Astonishing Secret Of Awesome Man by Michael Chabon and illustrated by Jake Parker

Peeny Butter Fudge by Toni Morrison and Slade Morrison and illustrated by Joe Cepeda

When The Shadbush Blooms by Carla Messinger with Susan Katz and illustrated by David Kanietakeron Fadden

We March by Shane W. Evans

FICTION:

How Not To Run For President by Catherine Clark

Sarah, Plain And Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

The Case Of The Deadly Desperadoes by Caroline Lawrence

How To Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier

A very entertaining and funny novel about a word full of fairies, who are there to hinder humans doing the most mundane of tasks, and one girl’s attempt to do as the title suggests, and ditch her own personal fairy. Check out an excerpt. The paperback version’s cover, seen below, is also pretty funny, and fitting to the story.

NON-FICTION:

Black Pioneers: An Untold Story by William Loren Katz

Isaac Newton: The Scientist Who Changed Everything by Philip Steele

Twist It Up: More Than 60 Delicious Recipes From An Inspiring Young Chef by Jack Witherspoon and Lisa Witherspoon, with photographs by Sheri Giblin

This 11 year old chef has spent half his life battling leukemia, and now has his own cookbook. His story is an incredibly inspiring one, and the recipes are all extremely good and kid-friendly. You can catch a preview below as young chef Jack Witherspoon makes baked ziti:

Stokely Carmichael: The Story Of Black Power by Jacqueline Johnson

The Best Of Times: Math Strategies That Multiply by Greg Tang and illustrated by Harry Briggs

My People by Langston Hughes and illustrated by Charles R. Smith, jr.

African American Military Heroes by Jim Haskins

Tsunami! by Kimiko Kajikawa and illustrated by Ed Young

Tornadoes! by Gail Gibbons

Heart And Soul: The Story Of America And African Americans by Kadir Nelson

The Civil Rights Movement: An Interactive History Adventure by Heather Adamson

Citizen Scientists: Be A Part Of Scientific Discovery From Your Own Backyard by Loree Griffin Burns, with photographs by Ellen Harasimowicz

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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 and we’ll put your name on the reserve list for when the item returns.

* * *

Previous New/Featured books for Adults:

02/14/11.

02/02/12.

01/27/12.

12/27/11.

12/23/11.

And for Young Adults:

02/21/12.

02/09/12.

01/31/12.

And for Kids/Juvenile Readers:

02/16/12.

01/28/12.