Travel Writing

Our next meeting is February 8, 2012 to discuss debut novels. I absolutely LOVE reading authors' first books, seeing where it all began. If you want to peruse a list of great debut novels, Google is a great place to start! Also, a recent issue of Booklist (Nov 1? Nov 15?) spotlighted debut novels.

April Wallace, director of the Pinson Library and faithful RA Roundtable member, is also in charge of the Project Read program. We need suggestions and recommendations for books for the program so comment here at the blog with any likely candidates.

On to the list!

The Journey North: One Woman's Story of Hiking the Appalachian Trail by Adrienne Hall
There are numerous books about thru/section hiking the AT. I would recommend these types of books to anyone interested in outdoor/hiking activities. The JCLC has a lots of AT books (a keyword search for "appalachian trail" resulted in 70 items) which include "how-to, "autobiographical, and fictional accounts of trail life on the AT.

Hall's book is an easy enjoyable read but lacks depth about the social interactions with other hikers and "trail angels" that are a huge part of hiking the AT. This is presumably because she started the AT almost 2 months before the bulk of hikers begin the AT, in hopes of avoiding "the crowds." She suffered through horrible weather (again, a reason to *wait* before starting the AT) and seemed to have a miserable and challenging time for the most part. But there were bright spots in Hall's writing, and while I would not recommend this book to someone who had not hiked on the AT, I would quickly recommend it to someone looking for an AT fix, because they will recognize and remember the AT easily through Hall's writing. Hall also drifted from personal narrative to somewhat boring accounts of historical, environmental, and legal issues related to the trail. I often skimmed these sections as I'd either read them before, or they were outdated (Hall's trip was in 1996) and felt like "old news." Plus, who wants to read 4 pages about salamanders? I don't. But for AT fanatics these type of books are still desirable, despite their flaws, because they allow us to revisit the AT (the good and the bad, the exciting and the boring) from the relative safety and warmth of our own comfy homes.
Gina, Gardendale

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
Michelle, Irondale

The Greedy Bastard Diary: A Comic Tour of America by Eric Idle
Mondretta, Leeds

Drives of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Most Spectacular Trips by National Geographic
Mondretta, Leeds

How to Eat a Small Country: A Family's Pursuit of Happiness, One Meal at a Time by Amy Finley
Amy Finley felt like she'd gotten it all after winning the top spot on the third season of The Next Food Network Star, but her husband sure didn't think so. Unhappy with a laundry list of new obligations Amy had to fulfill, he mentions the big "D" word. Amy examines her life, her successes, and her choice between family and fame becomes clear. Amy, her husband, and their two small children move back to his home country of France for some bonding, soul searching, and (maybe) a healing of their marriage. Finley's descriptions of the tiny French towns and decadent food are wondrous. The stories are honest and she doesn't hide the fights, petty comebacks, and occasional cold shoulders that accompany her marital disagreements. This book will make you believe in the power of family, even dysfunctional ones...or maybe especially dysfunctional ones :-)
Holley, Emmet O'Neal

Best American Travel Writing
Jon, Avondale

Travel is a Political Act by Rick Steves
Jon, Avondale

Volunteer Vacations
Jon, Avondale

God's Middle Finger: Into the Lawless Heart of the Sierra Madre by Richard Grant
Jon, Avondale

Places in Between by Rory Stewart
Jon, Avondale

Smile When You're Lying: Confessions of a Rogue Travel Writer by Chuck Thompson
Jon, Avondale

Tony Wheeler's Bad Lands
Jon, Avondale

Lunatic Express: Discovering the World Via Its Most Dangerous Buses, Boats, Trains, and Planes by Carl Hoffman
Jon, Avondale

Off the Beaten Path: Alabama
Leigh, North Birmingham

The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner
Former NPR foreign correspondent and professed grumpy person Eric Weiner takes on happiness on it's own turf. He travels far and wide seeking out the documented happiest places on earth and tries to get to the bottom of why they feel so cheerful. Funny, insightful, sobering, and utterly enchanting.
Holley, Emmet O'Neal

Holidays in Hell: In Which Our Intrepid Reporter Travels to the World's Worst Places and Asks, "What's Funny About This?" by P.J. O'Rourke
Travelogues of beautiful vacation spots littered the field in 1988. P. J. O’Rourke decided to write a few tips for sojourning in some of the less-desirable points on the globe, such as Beirut during the war, Seoul during a contentious political election (riots are contentious, right?), Christmas in El Salvador, and along the U.S./Mexican border. Of the many books I’ve read, this is, hands down, the funniest, and the one I place lovingly in the hands of any patron who wants humor. From “A Ramble Through Lebanon”:

“Bassboat.” “Bizport.” “Passboot.” “Pisspot.” It’s the one English word every Lebanese understands and no Lebanese can say. The first, deepest and most enduring impression from a visit to Lebanon is an endless series of faces, with gun barrels, poking through the car window and mispronouncing your travel documents.”

“…Lebanon is notably free of tour groups and Nikon-toting Japanese. The beaches, though shell-pocked and occasionally mined, are not crowded. Ruins of historical interest abound, in fact, block most streets….”

“ Spaghetteria is a favorite with the foreign press. The Italian specials are good, and there’s a spectacular view of military patrols and nighttime skirmishing along the beachfront. Sit near the window if you feel lucky….”

If you are curious about third world war zones in the 1980’s, and what it was like to have an embedded holiday, you’ll enjoy this book. It also proves that some things haven’t changed a bit! Readers’ Advisory: Among the Euro-Weenies is definitely NOT Politically Correct!
Kelly, Springville Road

Digging for the Truth: One Man’s Epic Adventure Exploring the World’s Greatest Archeological Mysteries By Josh Bernstein
910.4 BernJ 2006 Audio (Unabridged)
Read by William Dufris
Josh Bernstein is the host of the series Digging for the Truth on the History Channel. This book is a combination of biography and travel; it first chronicles how he grew up loving camping trips, wilderness experiences, and all things outdoors and then recounts his adventures and mishaps as host of his popular television series. Armchair travelers will welcome the chance to explore locales such as Easter Island and Machu Picchu from the comfort of their own homes, which will seem twice as comfortable after hearing of Bernstein’s run-ins with diseases, questionable food, and venomous or parasitic wildlife. However, none of these things can quell Bernstein’s enthusiasm for his travels and archaeological investigations. I enjoyed Dufris’ reading on the audio version, but other readers interested in this topic might want to check out the text version as well for the photographs. Digging for the Truth will bring out the Indiana Jones in you.
Mary Anne, Southern History

Don’t Go There! The Travel Detective’s Essential Guide to the Must-Miss Places of the World
By Peter Greenberg
910.4 GreeP 2009
We all hope our vacations will be flawless excursions that help us relax and leave us with fond memories. We can hope, but our dream vacations can turn into nightmares because of filthy hotels, incompetent airlines, disease-ridden cruise ships, and destinations where you stand a better than average chance of being murdered for your shoes. Greenberg, who is the travel writer for the Today show, tries to help the reader escape some of these tourist traps by listing his picks on such topics as “Worse Hotels: Paging Norman Bates”
“Worst Cruises: Ships of Fools” and “Highways of Death:God’s Not Your Copilot.” Everyone who has traveled extensively is bound to have war stories, but you could literally wind up in a war zone in “Dangerous Destinations: You’d Better Pack More Than Samsonite.” One of Greenberg’s most hair-raising accounts is of the tourist who discovered a dead body under the bed in his hotel room. Through most of this book I was torn between dismay and hilarity and while I resolved never to visit some of these locations and hotels, I thought a lot of his advice would have to be taken as a cautionary text and it would be up to me to do more research on my own if I were thinking of traveling to some of his “Dangerous Destinations”---one of which is Birmingham, Alabama. Still, Greenberg’s book could be an excellent starting point for where not to take a vacation.
Mary Anne, Southern History

A Night to Remember
By Walter Lord
910.4 LordW
Any top ten list of nightmare cruises would have to include the disastrous voyage of the RMS Titanic, the passenger liner that stuck an iceberg and sank early in the morning of April 15th, 1912, sending over 1500 people to their deaths in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. Most readers would not think of Walter Lord’s account of the catastrophe as travel writing in the generally accepted sense, but with what amounts almost to reverence for precise detail, Lord delivers a well-paced and moving chronicle of the ship’s last hours and gives the modern reader a real sense of what it meant to travel in the great age of luxury cruise ships. Lord interviewed many Titanic survivors while working on the book and so is able to provide numerous personal touches that illumine the tragedy and horror of the sinking with courage and dignity. Lord makes few overt attempts to manipulate the reader’s emotions, but his calm recital of the facts always leaves me in tears as the survivors in the too-few lifeboats are rescued by the RMS Carpathia and the distraught women of the Titanic protest against being pestered with too many questions: “Go away, we have just seen our husbands drown.” Considered by some Titanic buffs to be the definitive account of the sinking, Lord’s account was made into a film into 1958. With the 100th anniversary of the sinking fast approaching, many travel companies are offering commemorative cruises in memory of the doomed liner and the disaster victims, but a reader who has just finished A Night to Remember would probably choose to stay home---and immediately start reading the book again. Highly recommended.
Mary Anne, Southern History

What is YOUR favorite travel book?  Also, any suggestions for a Project Read selection in the spring?
Holley

Meeting next week

Our meeting is next Wednesday, December 14th at 9am at the Emmet O'Neal Library. We'll be discussing travel writing! It's also our annual potluck meeting, so , if you can, please bring a small snack to share with the group.

See you there!
Holley

February 2012 Debut Novels

Mary Anne just reminded me that a recent Booklist issue had the Spotlight on First Novels feature!  If you want to poke around and see what you might want to bring to the February meeting!

http://www.booklistonline.com/

Cross-Genre Romance

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, December 14th at 9am back at Emmet O'Neal Library.  We'll be discussing Travel Writing.  This is a nonfiction topic.
What are YOU reading?

Thirsty by Tracey Bateman
My first outing into Christian paranormal romance was not bad, not bad at all.  The vampire involved was angsty (obviously, since he refused to indulge his inner cravings), the woman involved was likable, and the town was suitably woodsy and isolated.  The vampire, Malcolm, encountered Nina when she was a teenager.  Nina's father's alcoholism definitely found its way down the family tree and she had passed out at her highschool graduation party.  Malcolm whisked the unconscious girl back to his cave and was about seriously thinking about draining her when the cops showed up to the party.  He found some inner strength and took her back to the river bank to be found by the authorities.  Flash forward about 20 years and Nina is returning to her hometown newly humbled.  Just out of rehab, divorced, unemployed and having lost custody of her children, Nina is coming home to live with her sister, the town's sheriff, until she can get back on her feet.  Almost immediately, Nina's careful attempts to reconstruct her life are well on the way to destruction.  Her sister's very handsome neighbor is just as compelling as he is unnerving, a series of gruesome murders occur, and Nina's stormy relationship with her teenage daughter Meg seems to only worsen as the week goes by.  The only things she's sure about is that one drink would make it all better.  Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure Malcolm feels the same way, just not about alcohol.  Lots of metaphors for the finding, and Bateman's treatment of spirituality and evangelism is subtle and well-done, as is her handling of Nina's struggles with alcoholism.
Holley, Emmet O'Neal

Hawk's Prize by Elaine Barbieri
Mondretta, Leeds

Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee
Mary Anne, Southern History

The Hand I Fan With by Tina McElroy Ansa
Michelle Hamrick, Irondale

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber
Gina, Gardendale

First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones
This debut novel is almost a “pick 6” in genres. Charlotte (Charley) Davidson is a private investigator in Albuquerque, NM (mystery). She works with and frequently assists her uncle, who is a homicide detective (police procedural). She is a young, urban professional who has a great relationship with her best friend and assistant, and they’re both single and looking (chick lit). She’s also the Grim Reaper, to which troubled souls are attracted so she can assist them to pass through her to the “other side” (paranormal). She’s got a dream lover with whom she is obsessed and who may, or may not, be a demon (romance), and her hilarious, sarcastic, and incisive dialogues are nearly incontinence producing (comedy). There’s truly something for everyone in this first novel and Ms. Jones delivers on all of them. She manages to weave the plots and sub-plots together with great characterizations and a truly innovative premise, and she’s not afraid of a little controversy.
Second Grave on the Left by Darynda Jones
Ms. Jones continues to expand the world of Charley Davidson by telling us more about the people (alive and dead) with whom she is surrounded. The mystery involves the disappearance of an old friend of Cookie’s (Charley’s best friend and co-worker). When other members of the missing woman’s high school class start turning up dead, the race is on to find the links between the past and the present. In other news, Charley’s boyfriend has left his body to be tortured by demons in order to prevent said demons from finding Charley. She’s determined to find and rescue his physical body while his spirit is determined to prevent her from doing so. Their relationship would definitely be listed as “It’s complicated” on Facebook! Throw in her lust-hate relationship with the handsome bounty hunter who works with her uncle, her growing awareness of her own special abilities, and something strange going on with her father and you’ve got all the makings of a first rate genre-crossing read!
Kelly, Springville Road

Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Shecter
Cleopatra’s Moon is a young adult novel based on the true story of Queen Cleopatra of Egypt and General Mark Antony’s only daughter, Cleopatra Selene. This is a well-written book that cross-genre fans will enjoy.

Shecter’s Cleopatra’s Moon is an interesting blend of romance, history and adventure. She paints a vivid picture of ancient Rome and Egypt, a culture filled with extraordinary sights, sounds and smells. We learn about the deities that are important in the Roman and Egyptian culture, as well as important beliefs and rituals.

Cleopatra Selene is an intelligent, loyal, inquisitive and strong young female character. She has grown up in the royal palace on the Nile and has only known a privileged life. Now, the jealous Roman Emperor Octavianus wants to control Egypt and launches a war. As a result, Selene loses everything and is taken to live in Octavianus’ palace in Rome. She vows that she will regain her dignity, return to Egypt and reclaim her kingdom. While in Rome, she meets two young men who threaten to distract her from her ultimate goal. Will she choose love or her kingdom? You’ll just have to read the book to see.

This is an interesting novel filled with historical details. Cleopatra’s Moon is a great read for young adults or adults who are interested in historical fiction, Egyptian history or books about strong women in history.
Leslie, Central Fiction

Circus of the Damned by Laurell K. Hamilton
Leigh, North Birmingham

GENERAL DISCUSSION TOPICS

One participant mentioned the plot for a book she believed would have been great for discussion but she could not remember the author or title.  We discussed a couple of websites that are useful resources for accessing the "collective knowledge" of readers to help in finding books when all you know is the plot.  First off, look to your peers for outstanding RA assistance!  Send an email to "everyone" in the JCLC email system.  Many of us have had luck finding titles this way.  Especially good for those hard to find children's titles is Loganberry Books' "Book Stumper" link.  Smart Bitches, Trashy Books is especially good for romance titles.  They have a special "Help a Bitch Out" archive and you can email them with HABO in the subject line.  They are all over Facebook too so their collective intelligence is legion.

Time travel came up, and you can't mention time travel and cross genre romance without also mentioning Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series.  Also rans include Time and Again by Jack Finney and the 1979 movie, Time After Time, based on Karl Alexander's novel of the same name.

Thomas Perry's The Butcher's Boy, Sleeping Dogs, and The Informant.
Kirkus Reviews 2011 April #1
Twenty years after a trio of lowlifes forced him out of retirement (Sleeping Dogs,??1992, etc.), the Butcher's Boy is back. When you're a professional killer who works freelance, your employers are likely to include a large number of nasty guys. So it's not clear to Perry's nameless hero, who started calling himself Michael Schaeffer when he moved to England and settled in Bath as the husband of Lady Margaret Holroyd, which of his former associates sent the three men who inadvertently flushed him out of hiding and then tried to kill him. He has no trouble tracing the three to midlevel New York capo Michael Delamina, whom he kills on page two. In order to identify Delamina's boss, however, he has to consult his old nemesis, Elizabeth Waring of the Justice Department. Taking a leaf from Hannibal Lecter's??playbook, he urges her, "Tell me, and I'll tell you something." When Elizabeth fingers rising under-boss Frank Tosca as Schaeffer's next target, he gives her some juicy information on an old Tosca murder in return. But although "he had never failed to accomplish his goal when all it entailed was killing someone," her news comes too late to help. By the time Schaeffer kills Tosca, the ambitious under-boss has convened a sit-down in which his counterparts from across the country have agreed to join his vendetta against the Butcher's Boy-a goal Tosca's death only makes them more eager to pursue. For her part, Elizabeth is so determined to bring Schaeffer into the Witness Protection Program as the ultimate informant that she's willing offer him a series of unauthorized deals, which of course he spurns. Schaeffer is squeezed between two collective adversaries with virtually unlimited personnel and resources. On the other hand, only Schaeffer is the Butcher's Boy. Beneath the sky-high body count, the twisty plot is powered by Perry's relentless focus on the question of where the next threat is coming from and how to survive it.
Jon, Avondale

California - police officer dealing with ghosts who can do certain things
at certain times/locations- good read.

AUTHOR Dorst, Doug.
TITLE Alive in Necropolis / Doug Dorst.
PUBLISHER New York : Riverhead Books, c2008.
Booklist Reviews 2008 June #1
Headstones outnumber citizens in the sleepy California city of Colma, just south of San Francisco. Twenty-nine-year-old rookie cop Michael Mercer patrols the streets and cemeteries of this eerie enclave, where such legends as Joe DiMaggio and Wyatt Earp are buried and where the spirits of celebrities seem to materialize at will. But it's the real-time assault of privileged teenager Jude DiMaio (found drugged, bound, and naked in a burial area) that puts the neophyte officer to the test. Who would do such a thing, and why is DiMaio so reluctant to report the perpetrators? Meanwhile, Mercer has problems of his own. A romantic relationship with an older woman turns sour, and he seems to be drifting away from his cadre of college friends. He's also troubled by thoughts that a recently deceased officer lost his sanity toward the end, filing police reports about the offenses of residents long dead. Dorst's atmospheric if overlong debut is part mystery, part compelling account of an angst-ridden young man finding his way in the world. Copyright 2008 Booklist Reviews.
Jon, Avondale

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Atta Olivia Clemens series: A Flame in Byzantium, Crusader's Torch, and A Candle for D'Artagnan.  Epic historical vampire romance, what's not to like?  And BIG kudos to BPL for being the only library in the county carrying all three.  I've just put A Flame in Byzantium on hold.
Holley, Emmet O'Neal

Also, Laura Whitcomb's A Certain Slant of Light.  She haunts them, rather benignly, until they die (though not causing the unfortunate event).  This time around, it's an English teacher and she enjoys her days listening to his lectures until the day she notices that one boy in class actually sees her.  This has never happened before since she became a ghost.  Then he talks to her!  Turns out he's a ghost too and has discovered that you can possess a body, someone who's just committed suicide.  Now they have to find her a body.  Love ensues.
Holley, Emmet O'Neal

RA Roundtable meeting reminder!

We'll be meeting tomorrow morning (Wednesday, October 12) at 9am at the Springville Road Library located at 1224 Old Springville Rd, Birmingham, Alabama 35215-7512.  Their telephone number is (205) 226-4081.  We'll be discussing cross-genre romance and I am eager to see the variety of titles that Roundtable members will be bringing to the table!
Happy reading,
Holley

Rountable meets next week!

Where:     SPRINGVILLE ROAD LIBRARY (1224 Old Springville Rd 35215, 205-226-4081)
When:      Wednesday, October 12 at 9am
What:       Cross-genre Romance
Who:        The Roundtablest with the mostest
Why:        Because we're awesome


If you've got questions, I've most likely got answers!  hwesley@bham.lib.al.us, 205-445-1117

JCPLA Staff Development Day notes

I don't know about you, but I thoroughly enjoyed the 2011 JCPLA Staff Development Day.  I hope you attended as many sessions as you could and were able to take something valuable from each and every one.  The RA option this year was a reboot of last year's "Opening Doors, Opening Books" program and I am sharing the results of our discussion here.  We had a talkative and rowdy group of attendees, ready to share their knowledge and expertise with the group.

*In reference to our mini breakout discussion about apps, it is People magazine that puts a changing selection of 5 interesting smartphone apps on the back of each weekly issue.*

This program was a condensed version of reader’s advisory guru Nancy Pearl’s 2010 Public Library Association half-day preconference program. In order to effectively match up a reader with just the right book, it’s helpful to understand how to apply the concept of “doorways” in suggesting reading material. This session will focus on defining, identifying, and using doorways in RA interviews.

Nothing cements a library in a community like providing the connections that service gives and this is a service EVERYONE has the chance to excel at on a daily basis.

Whole library RA – don’t be afraid to recommend an audiobook or a video on a subject someone might like. Also, readers need to discover that they can have the same reading experience by taking books from different parts of the library, not just the same area they always visit (i.e. the patron who only reads one genre/author).

RA isn’t like a reference interview. In a RI, the capital of Peru is always Lima but a person’s reading interests change depending mood.

Don’t feel like you can only suggest books you’ve read, it’s impossible to remember every book much less the plot details of each one.

RA is not about us. The reader should never know our opinion about a book unless they ask for it.

It’s essential to make an effort to read books in areas we wouldn’t normally read, especially if those areas are popular in your library. We need to be willing to read anything. Even if we don’t like it we only need to read it long enough to be able to answer the question, “What kind of reader would like this book?” Read promiscuously

Provide three suggestions: one spot on, one similar, and a “reach” choice.

“suggest”, not “recommend” because “recommend” carries with it the subtle insinuation that the potential reader should have the very same experience with the book that you did.

Don’t ask what they like, but what they liked about it.

Invite the reader to come back and discuss the book with you.

The Doorways: Story, Character, Setting, and Language

Each book has all four but the difference is in the size of each doorway within the book.

These are the EXTREMELY on-the-fly notes I took via Google Documents while session participants fired titles at me! Please forgive the informality of it all! 


STORY / PLOT


Possible display title: “Stories You May Not Have Heard”

The drive to know what happens next becomes the main motivation, “I stayed up all night, I just HAD to know what happened”, and “a real page-turner”


burnt mountain - anne rivers siddons
room - emma donoghue
abandon - blake crouch
escape - carolyn jessup
the millennium trilogy - steig larsson
crooked letter, crooked letter - tom franklin
laurie king - mary russell series
charlaine harris - southern vampires
daniel silva - gabriel allon series
adriana trigiani
anne rice
ranger’s apprentice - flanagann
hunger games
city of bones trilogy
charles dickens

CHARACTER


Possible display title: “People You Ought To Meet”

“I felt like I knew him/her”, “That was my family”, “I know people like that”

Is the main character named or described in the title? This MIGHT be an indication of a character-drive book.


glass castle
garden spells
prince of frogtown
art of racing in the rain
snow flower and the secret fan
winter’s bone
rutherford - new york
the haunting of hill house - shirley jackson
we have always lived in the castle - shirley jackson
never let me go
the house next door
freedom - jonathan franzen
the book thief - markus zusak
song of ice and fire - george r.r. martin
patricia cornwell
alexander mccall smith
philippa gregory
sandra gulland
lonely polygamist - brady udall

SETTING


Possible display title: “Places You Should Go”

“This book just brought this place to life”, “I felt like I’d been there”, “I could see it clearly in my mind’s eye”

Is the place name in the title? This MIGHT be an indication of a setting-driven book.

SF/F world building makes great setting portals, westerns, dystopian fictions, Scandinavian mysteries, any sort of regional/ethnic literature (why do we like Southern literature so much?),


james michener
anne george
pat conroy
sci-fi/fantasy
westerns
southern literature
low country fiction
jan karon’s new book
peter mayle
frances mayes
anna and the french kiss
snow flower and the secret fan
night
day in the life ivan dnisovitch
kite runner
thousand spelndid suns
swan - frances mayes
the worst hard time - timogh egan
the falls - joyce carol aotes
robert mccammon
geraldine brooks

LANGUAGE


Built in lists in the literary awards: Pulitzer Prize, Man Booker Awards, Orange Prize, National Book Awards, etc.

Usually “the classics”, more literary, sometimes require more effort to read and get into, frequently feature complex plotting and potentially confusing viewpoints


geraldine brooks
gabriel garcia marquez
moby dick - herman melville
wolf hall - hilary mantel
w. somerset maughwayam
ernest hemingway
raymond carver
daniel woodrell
per petterson
jonah leher
murakami
irene nemirovsky
tom robbins
jonah lehrer
comedy / humor
david sedaris
lewis grizzard
erma bombeck
dave barry
lane smith
jon sczeska
kate dicamillo
shell silverstein

What have we missed?  What authors/books would you add to the list in each category?

Happy reading!
Holley

is it a map or a cloud?

whatever you call it, Gnook is readalicious and all you have to do to get started is type in an author's name and watch the clouds brew....

http://www.gnooks.com/

Happy reading!
htw

Award-winners

We have a handful of meeting location changes. Our next meeting on Wednesday, October 12th (cross-genre romance) will hit the road, literally! We’ll be meeting at the Springville Road Library! It’s pretty far out on the calendar at this point, but make note that our February 8, 2012 meeting will be held at the new Pinson Library! Finally, and farthest out on your planning calendar, I am in negotiations to have our December 12, 2012 meeting in the Southern History department at the Birmingham Public Library downtown so that we may also view their local/historical cookbook collection!

Here are the meeting topics for 2012, look for exact dates in the sidebar!

February – Debut Novels

April – Cowboys vs. Aliens (westerns and/or science fiction)

June – Beach Reads

August – Young Adult

October – Audiobooks

December – Cookbook Potluck (bring a cookbook AND make a recipe!)

The following is an alphabetical list of the awards won by the books we discussed today.

Agatha Award

ALA Notable Book

Alex Award

Audie Award

Bram Stoker Award

California Book Award for Young Adult Literature

Committee Young Adults' Choices

Commonwealth Writers' Prize

Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers

Hugo Award

Indigo Books Heather's Pick

International Reading Association (IRA) Literature for Young Adults

Irish Book Award

James Beard Foundation Award for Healthy Focus

Man Booker Prize

National Book Award

New York Times Best Books of the Year

New York Times Notable Book of the Year

Publisher's Weekly Listen Up Award

Pulitzer Prize

Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize

Salon Book Award

YALSA Best Books for Young Adults

YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

YALSA Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults

The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon
(Hugo Award for Best Novel, 2008)
Michael Chabon, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, comes up trumps again with The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, winner of the 2008 Hugo Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. In this alternative history, the Jewish Homeland is not in Israel but in the Sitka district of Alaska. However, it has only been a temporary homeland; control of the district is about to be handed over to Alaska once more, leaving the Jewish refugees fearful for their futures. In the midst of this uneasy atmosphere, detective Meyer Landsman takes on a baffling homicide case that has occurred in the hotel where he drags out his days guzzling alcohol, missing his estranged wife, and reflecting on how “these are strange times to be a Jew.” It seems he is the only one who wants to solve the murder; the word from his higher-ups is to close the case at once. But Landsman persists, determined to do one thing right in a life that has gone completely wrong.  Part speculative fiction, part hard-boiled detective novel, The Yiddish Policemen’s Union is an outstanding achievement in plot and style. Reminiscent of the noir worlds of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, Chabon’s nod to the pulps takes nothing away from his unique narrative voice. The world-building is solid and readers may find themselves tempted to check a map of Alaska to see if the Jewish district really exists there. Mazel tov to Chabon for the creation of an excellent read.
Mary Anne, Southern History

Prior to the Hugo for The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, Chabon won a Pulitzer for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. Critics argued that those awards would not have been awarded the other way around. The chances are slim Chabon would have been considered for the Pulitzer if he’d won the Hugo first.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
(2010 Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers, YALSA 2008 Best Books for Young Adults, YALSA 2008 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, YALSA 2008 Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults, The International Reading Association (IRA) Literature for Young Adults Committee Young Adults' Choices 2009, 2007 California Book Award for Young Adult Literature)
Clay Jensen comes home from high school to find a package on his porch, addressed to him with no return address. Inside, there are seven audio cassette tapes. When he plays the first tape, he is astounded to hear the voice of Hannah Baker—a girl from his school who recently committed suicide. He wonders if this is some kind of strange suicide message, but then hears the following: “I hope you’re ready, because I’m about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you’re listening to these tapes, you’re one of the reasons why.” She further instructs that he is to listen to the tapes and then pass them on to the next person, that’s he’s being watched, and if the tapes are not forwarded, a copy will be released to the public. What follows is an excruciating narration of the destruction of a young girl’s life, interspersed with Clay’s reaction to each part of it. Hannah is not being vindictive. She just wants people to realize that no one knows the affect they may have on another person and how easily the most innocuous remark or action can contribute to pushing someone over the edge. This book switches from Hannah’s voice to Clay’s as he listens and then fits what she is saying into his memories. A movie is being made from the book, and Selena Gomez has been cast as Hannah.
Kelly, Springville Road

The audiobook for Thirteen Reasons Why is very highly regarded. There are two narrators for the separate parts of the book and, as you can see, it was a YALSA Selected Audiobook in 2008. The movie adaptation is in development and expected in theaters, according to IMDB, in 2013. April mentioned that Jay Asher is an excellent acquaintance to make on Facebook!

The Simple Art of Eating Well Cookbook: 400 Easy Recipes, Tips and Techniques for Delicious, Healthy Meals by Jessie Price & the EatingWell test kitchen
(The James Beard Foundation Award for Healthy Focus, 2011)
Gina, Gardendale

A flurry of foodie talk erupted at this point. We discussed how cookbooks have changed over the years from simple self-help to visually stunning volumes works of biography and local history.

Some very interesting stories may be found in books such as:

Fannie Flagg's original Whistle Stop Cafe Cookbook : Featuring Fried Green Tomatoes, Southern Barbecue, Banana Split Cake, and Many Other Great Recipes by Fannie Flagg; with recipes from the Irondale Cafe.

Southern Country Cooking from the Loveless Cafe: Hot Biscuits, Country Ham by Jane & Michael Stern  (There is a new Loveless Café dessert cookbook coming out in September, Desserts from the Famous Loveless Cafe: Simple Southern Pies, Puddings, Cakes, and Cobblers from Nashville's Landmark Restaurant by Alisa Huntsman, 978-1579654344, $24.95)

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl by Ree Drummond

Aunt Bee's Mealtime in Mayberry by Jim Clark and Ken Beck

White Trash Cooking by Ernest Matthew Mickler

The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook: From Cauldron Cakes to Knickerbocker Glory--More Than 150 Magical Recipes for Muggles and Wizards by Dinah Bucholz

On the fun side, there are many blogs devoted to food and food culture. Here are the three that came up in discussion:

The Inn at the Crossroads
“In the Game of Food, you win, or you wash the dishes…”
From the blog:
“We are two big fans of George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series. We are also fans of food. What, then, would be more natural than to combine them into one fabulous blog? In the coming months, we will be delving deep into the world of Westeros and far over the Narrow Sea to explore the mouthwatering cuisines favored by the fantastic cultures in the books. Where appropriate, some recipes will be two-fold: A modern recipe, and a traditional recipe more in keeping with the quasi-medieval world of the series. So loosen your belts, sharpen your knives, and whet your palate for the foods of Westeros…”



The Gallery of Regrettable Food
From the blog:
“What were they thinking? How did they eat this bilge? Good questions, but you won't find them answered here. This is a simple introduction to poorly photographed foodstuffs and horrid recipes. It's a wonder anyone in the 40s, 50s and 60s gained any weight; it's a miracle that people didn't put down their issue of Life magazine with a slight queasy list to their gut, and decide to sup on a nice bowl of shredded wheat and nothing else.”

Cake Wrecks
“When professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong”

Did you know that the Southern History department at the Birmingham Public Library downtown collects local/historical cookbooks? Me either! Road trip!

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King
(Bram Stoker Award for Fiction Collection, 2010)
Mondretta, Leeds

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny (first in the series is Still Life)
(Agatha Award for Best Novel, 2010)
Shannon, Hoover

The Long Quiche Goodbye by Avery Aames
(Agatha Award for Best First Novel, 2010)
Beth, Homewood

If you are a fan of mystery or you are the favorite librarian of someone who is, bookmark the following websites! They are timesavers and easy peasy ways to put together interesting displays!

Stop, You’re Killing Me
“Stop, You’re Killing Me! is a resource for lovers of mystery, crime, thriller, spy, and suspense books. We list over 3,600 authors, with chronological lists of their books (over 41,000 titles), both series (4,100+) and non-series. Use the alphabetical author and character links above or the special indexes in the left column. And it’s perfectly fine with us if you print our pages for your private use, especially for a trip to your local library or bookstore.”

Berkley Prime Crime

Cozy Mystery List
A Guide to Cozy Mystery (and Other Favorite) Books and DVDs

So Much for That by Lionel Shriver
(National Book Award, 2010 Finalist)
April, Pinson

April mentioned that Shriver’s other book, We Need to Talk About Kevin, will be out in theaters later this year.

Room by Emma Donoghue
(longlisted for the 2011 Orange Prize, won the 2011 Commonwealth Writers' Prize regional prize, was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2010 and was shortlisted for the 2010 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize[4] and the 2010 Governor General's Awards, Indigo Books Heather's Pick (2010), New York Times Best Books of the Year (2010), New York Times Notable Book of the Year (Fiction & Poetry, 2010), Salon Book Award (Fiction, 2010), Alex Award (2011), Publisher's Weekly Listen Up Award (Audio Book of the Year, 2010), ALA Notable Book (2011), Irish Book Award (Novel, 2010)
Susan, Trussville

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Nora Neale Hurston
(Audio Publishers Association Audie Award for Solo Narration-Female, 2001)
I consider Janie Crawford to be one of the strongest, most independent female characters I’ve ever encountered. Even during those times when she is dependent on someone else, she is, to paraphrase, living entirely between her hat and her toes, keeping her own counsel, dreaming her own dreams. She suffers through loveless marriage and through too much loving, poverty, constant discrimination, and tragedy, yet she continues on, beating the odds. The language is beautiful already, but Ruby Dee’s narration bumps it up into transcendence!
Holley, Emmet O’Neal

What are YOU reading?

Meeting Reminder

We are meeting tomorrow morning at 9 am to discuss award winners! If you are bringing a book or books to the meeting, please also bring a brief description of the award your books have won!

Fiction of Choice

Our next meeting is Wednesday, August 10th and the topic is award winners! Please bring a brief description of the award your selection has won and don't be afraid to reach for any obscure awards. I look forward to seeing what you select!


Our topic this time around was Fiction of Choice and the variety was astounding! Read on and see!


Holley, Emmet O'Neal
The Flavia de Luce mysteries by Alan Bradley
 The books, in order of publication, are: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag, and A Red Herring Without Mustard.
Calling the heroine of this wonderful cozy series precocious is a massive understatement. Chemist savant, amateur detective, partial Cinderella, and bratty little sister combine to give you 11-year-old Flavia de Luce. The rambling old de Luce country house resides in the tiny English town of Bishop's Lacey and seems to have not held much interest for Flavia up to this point. However, one dead man in the cucumber patch later, things are hopping and Flavia, dashing about on her trusty bicycle Gladys, is on the case whether the local constable knows it or not! These delightful books, while clean and safe for many younger readers, are published for adults.


Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Major Pettigrew, a widower in his 60's, has just learned of his brother's death. Staggered, stunned, and greiving, he answers the knock at the door and discovers Mrs. Ali demanding the paper boy's wages. Mrs. Ali quickly recognizes shock and grief when she sees it and hustles in to make him some of the fine tea which Major Pettigrew has purchased at her very own tea shop. From this sweet first meeting, an intense relationship emerges that will test the resolve of the Major, the town, and the power of love. I absolutely adored this debut novel and have been telling everyone who will stand still long enough to listen that I wish Major Pettigrew were 30 years younger or I was 30 years older!


The Beauty Killer series by Chelsea Cain
The books, in order of publication, are: Heartsick, Sweetheart, Evil at Heart, and The Night Season.
On one hand, you have Gretchen Lowell: staggeringly beautiful, boundlessly cruel, brutally psychotic. On the other, Archie Sheridan: broken, holding on to the fragile shreds of sanity Gretchen left him, and a raging Vicodin addict. In the middle are the murder victims Archie knows Gretchen couldn't actually have killed as she's finally behind bars...isn't she? Intrepid reporter Susan Ward falls into the mix seeking the truth behind the Beauty Killer's relationship with Archie and just how he brought her to justice. It may be the truth she's after, but trouble (and terror!) are what she gets. Not a safe bet for sensitive readers.


I mentioned that Archie really reminds me of Dr. Gregory House, Hugh Laurie's character on the popular tv show House and this brought our discussion around to another tv show with a flawed, yet brilliant detective: the new BBC miniseries Sherlock, a 21st century adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's series.


Mary Ann, Southern History
The Seven Per Cent Solution by Nicholas Meyer
The West End Horror by Nicholas Meyer
Prisoner of the Devil by Michael Hardwick
The Revenge of the Hound by Michael Hardwick
The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie King (Mary Russell series)


Kelly, Springville Road
My Brother Michael by Janis Owens (the two other books in the trilogy are Myra Sims and The Schooling of Claybird Catts)


Shannon, Hoover
The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew
The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg
The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg


Ramona, Leeds
A Turn in the Road by Debbie Macomber


Mary, Emmet O'Neal
Through a Glass Darkly by Donna Leon
One of a series of Commissario Guido Brunetti mysteries, set in Venice where Leon, an American, has lived for many years. A relaxing contemporary whodunit with elements of culture and politics. This is the first of the series that I have read, and I look forward to reading more of them.


The Matchmaker of Kenmare by Frank Delaney
As Booklist succinctly puts it, this novel “…combines the charm of an Irish yarn with the excitement of a political thriller and the romance of a1940s war movie.”


Leslie, Vestavia
Room by Emma Donoghue
Room is based on an original, arresting, thought-provoking premise. It's narrated by a five year old boy (Jack), who has spent his entire life living inside a small room where he and his mother are held prisoner. His mother was abducted at the age of 19 and has been repeatedly raped: Jack being born some 2 years later. Jack's mother is frequently depressed and desperate to escape. However she has protected Jack from the realities of their situation and one of the book's central ideas is that when you know no better, you always think the world that you live in is normal and it will still represent home to you. Having a child narrate the book is very clever in many ways. Jack is oblivious to the heroic efforts that his mother makes to protect and entertain him, but these are obvious to the reader. However he never really worked as a narrator for me. He starts the book speaking in quite broken English but quickly leaves that affectation behind. I realize that he was meant to be a highly developed child in some areas while very behind in others. But I couldn't reconcile a child who knew words like omnivore, nutritional and antenna and then at other times would describe something as "the hurtest". These inconsistencies kept interrupting the flow of the book for me. There were also times when I would like to have been given a better insight into the reasons for his mother's actions, which the choice of narrator made impossible. It's a story with two distinct acts, punctuated by a nerve-wracking section in the middle. I felt that the story loses momentum in the second half of the book, petering out towards the end. This is one of those books that sucks you into its world and makes you reconsider your own. It's a quick read that's highly absorbing. I can understand why so many people think that it's brilliant, but I only found it good, not great. 


House Rules by Jodi Picoult
Jacob Hunt is a teenage boy with Asperger's syndrome. He's hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject--in his case, forensic analysis. He's always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do...and he's usually right. But then his town is rocked by a terrible murder and, for a change, the police come to Jacob with questions. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger's--not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, flat affect--can look a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel. Suddenly, Jacob and his family, who only want to fit in, feel the spotlight shining directly on them. For his mother, Emma, it's a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it's another indication of why nothing is normal because of Jacob. And over this small family the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder? Emotionally powerful in that House Rules looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way--and fails those who don't. My biggest problem with this book is that it could have used a good editing…….too much excess detail detracted from the major plot line and lead to “reader fatigue.”


The Map of True Places by Brunonia Barry
Brunonia Barry, the New York Times bestselling author of The Lace Reader, offers an emotionally compelling novel about finding your true place in the world. Zee Finch has come a long way from a motherless childhood. She's now a respected psychotherapist about to marry one of Boston's most eligible bachelors. But the suicide of Zee's patient Lilly throws Zee into emotional chaos and takes her back to places she though she'd left behind. What starts as a brief visit home to Salem after Lilly's funeral becomes the beginning of a larger journey for Zee. Her father, Finch, long ago diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, has been hiding how sick he really is. His longtime companion, Melville, has moved out, and it now falls to Zee to help her father through this difficult time. Their relationship, marked by half-truths and the untimely death of her mother, is strained and awkward. Overwhelmed by her new role, and uncertain about her future, Zee destroys the existing map of her life and begins a new journey, one that will take her not only into her future but into her past as well.


Mondretta, Leeds
Last Light by Terri Blackstock
Light Source by Bari Wood
The Insane Train by Sheldon Russell


Beth, Homewood
Sister Chicks in Gondolas by Robin Jones Gunn
Jenna and Sue are sisters in law that really like each other. They travel to Venice to cook for a group of men who are there on retreat. When not planning the meals and shopping for the ingredients they are tasting many of the gelato flavors and exploring Venice. Everything they do is an adventure for them, including the cooking and serving. They unexpectedly have aha moments while in this very lovely and romantic of settings. It is a good read and a refreshing story about relationships and being available for aha moments.


Maria by Eugenia Price
I read and enjoyed this Florida trilogy years ago and decided it time to read it again. Maria is the first title. Maria and her British husband move to St. Augustine which has been under Spanish control but is changing over to British rule. She is a midwife by profession and he is a military man. The descriptions of the natural environment, plants and topography as well as architecture make it worth reading the book. As she tells about the characters, their lives and surroundings it is easy to feel you are there. How Maria lives and deals with the many changes in her life is the story. She is a strong woman who is smart and surrounds herself with people who are her friends and people who can help her grow. Reading this trilogy gave me a desire to see St. Augustine and the nearby area.


Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
I enjoyed reading this first title in the Hannah Swensen Mystery series. Hannah owns the Cookie Jar- bakery and coffee shop. She has always been good with baking and even developing recipes for cookies so her job is just perfect for her. Her brother in law, Bill, is police chief of Lake Eden, a small town in Minnesota. When Ron was killed very near her shop and shortly before he was to make a delivery to the Cookie Jar, Hannah was shocked and saddened. Then curious and also concerned that they actually had a murderer on the loose in their quiet little town. Bill asked her to help him investigate the crime but don't let anyone know she was snooping around. As she considered the possible motives and people involved she proceeded to make inquiries. Hopefully the guilty party would not realize what she was doing or her life would also be in jeopardy. Before all was done Hannah had enlisted the help of Bill's wife and the man she found was really funny, Norman the dentist. Of course, free cookies were given to everyone she would "visit" and all who helped her. I learned I can read the story without reading the enticing recipes and getting too hungry. I will continue with this series and see what Hannah cooks up next.


Beth mentioned a couple of great websites for mystery fans: stopyourekillingme.com and cozy-mystery.com


Jon, Avondale
Pump Six, and Other Stories by Paulo Bacigalupi
Hull Zero Three by Greg Bear
Hollywood Hills by Joseph Wambaugh
The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster
Ashes of the Earth by Eliot Pattison
Dead Zero by Stephen Hunter
The Passage by Justin Cronin (Jon said this was one of the best books he'd ever read, on par with (and possibly better than!!) Stephen King's The Stand and Salem's Lot!)


Now, what are YOU reading?

Project Read One Book

Via project coordinator April Wallace:

Project Read programs just wrapped up for the Spring 2011 selection. Thank
you to all of the libraries who were able to participate. There were a lot
of really creative programs! I know our book group really enjoy meeting
at the Irondale Cafe.


I want to remind everyone to keep PROB in mind when planning your fall
programming. Our fall selection is Leaving Gee’s Bend by Irene Latham.
This is technically a Young Adult title, so programming could be geared
towards adults or teens. Libraries could possibly collaborate with area
schools, as well.


Program Ideas for Leaving Gee’s Bend:
- Show the documentary “The Quiltmakers of Gee's Bend”
- Quilting programs


The author has several downloadable tools (Gee’s Bend Discussion Guide,
Literature Circle Questions, Activities) on her website
(http://www.irenelatham.com).


Let me know if you have any questions!


Thanks,
April

You may reach April at: adeaton [at] bham [dot] lib [dot] al [dot] us

Meeting this week!

Fiction of Choice

Wednesday June 8th

9am

Emmet O'Neal Library

:-)

Meeting Reminder

RA Roundtable will meet at Emmet O'Neal Library next Wednesday, June 8th at 9am to discuss Fiction of Choice!

Graphic Novels

Wow! We needed to have had a court reporter today with the amount of information flying around! I tried to get it all written down, but please let me know if you remember something from the meeting that didn't make its way here to this list!

The overarching theme to the advice we received seemed to be, “Choose...but choose wisely.” The bright, vivid colors and cartoonish characters, especially with the manga, often mislead the average browser into thinking these materials are for children and this is NOT always the case. Read the reviews for this material carefully to make sure the books and anime are being catalogued and shelved in the appropriate section of your library.

Our next meeting will be Wednesday, June 8th at 9am at Emmet O'Neal Library for Fiction of Choice.

If you run a book group or your library sponsors one and would like it to be added to the RART blog sidebar item, send me an email with the meeting dates, times, and selections. We started this feature so that book group moderators might have a place and a means for assistance in selecting book group choices so that everyone is not reading the same book at the same time if multiple copies are not available in supportive numbers. Also, if you know of an author available for speaking engagements or other programs, send me contact information and I will post it on the blog so that it will be available to all.

Our roundtable is responsible for a program at the JCPLA Staff Development Day on Friday, August 26, 2011. Any program ideas and/or suggestions are welcome and appreciated! What sort of RA program sessions would YOU attend? What sort of questions/problems crop up day to day in your RA work? Let me know!

Jared's recent Flash Fiction program at Hoover was a lively meet indeed! Have a look at the video and consider joining the group!


Flash Fiction - Open Mike Night 2011 from Hoover Library on Vimeo.

Jared, BPL
Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud (Several people in the group said this is an essential purchase for all libraries! $22.99, 978-0060976255)
I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and J. M. Ken Niimura
Solomon Kane by Robert Ervin Howard
Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughn, Pia Guerra, and various
The Rocketeer by Dave Stevens
Magnus, Robot Fighter by Russ Manning, Robert Schaefer and Eric Friewald
Starman by Jack Burnley and various
Powerman & Iron Fist by Chris Claremont and various

Jared also prepared an excellent handout about comics/graphic novels in general with a glossary, timeline, and list of important writers and artists to know. I placed the document in a separate blog post, so click here to appreciate Jared’s research for yourself!

Maya, West End
Vampire Knight by Matsuri Hino

(ADULT) At the Cross Academy, students of the Day Class are human and students of the Night Class are vampires.  As a Guardian of the Day Class, Yuki helps protect them from the denizens of the Night Class. 

Skip Beat by Yoshiki Nakamura
Aria by Kozue Amano

(ADULT) Sci-Fi shojo (girl) manga about a futuristic water world that recreates Venice and its canals.  They even have gondoliers who are the main characters in this funny, feel good manga.

Blood+ by Asuka Katsura
Alice in the Country of Hearts by QuinRose and Hoshino Soumei
Otomen by Aya Kanno

(TEEN) Tomboy, Ryo Miyakozuka admires tough guy, Asuka Masamune and wants to learn from him.  There’s one problem, Asuka is not nearly as tough as he appears, he likes to cook, sew and read shojo manga.  

Biomega by Tsutomu Nihei

(ADULT) Futuristic world where a zombie virus has laid waste to the human population.  Zombies have taken over (does this sound familiar?...)  Mankind’s only hope is a hero who’s not human and a girl who may or may not be the cure for the plague.

Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit by Motoro Mase

(ADULT) Japan wants to have a prosperious and productive society and in order to achieve this people have to die.  In this dark manga, every citizen is inoculated with a nano device that could kill them between the ages of 18-24.  Citizens’ names are placed in a lottery and their fate is decided.  They are notified, of their fate, by an Ikigami 24 hours before their death.  

Black Lagoon by Rei Hiroe

(ADULT) Black Lagoon is gritty and hardcore.  Japanese salaryman, Rock, can never go home again.  He’s been betrayed by the coporation he worked for and finds himself destitute in one of the most dangerous Southeast Asian cities, Roanapur.  Rock becomes the fourth man of a mercenary team.  Will this former accountant manage to stay alive?  

Black Bird by Kanoko Sakurakoji

(ADULT) Misao Harada is the bride of prophecy.  Destined to be the wife of whichever demon clan claims her.  She’s in a fight for her life; some demons just want her blood, others want to eat her.  How will Misao stay alive?

Deadman Wonderland by Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou

(ADULT) Middle school student Ganta Igarashi is accused and convicted of being a mass murderer and is sent to Deadman Wonderland prison.  He’s innocent but can’t prove it.  The prisoners in Deadman Wonderland are injected with poison and must take an antidote, called “candy” everyday or they die.  The only way to get “candy” is to fight and kill other prisoners. 

Chocomimi by Konami Sonoda

(CHILDREN) Best friends Choco and Mimi get into all kinds of trouble but they do it with style.

Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya
Heaven’s Will by Satoru Takamiya
Cirque Du Freak: The Manga by Darren Shan and Takahiro Arai

(TEEN) Manga adaptation of Darren Shan’s Cirque Du Freak series of novels.

Pet Shop of Horrors: Tokyo by Matsuri Akino

(ADULT) Count D, from Pet Shop of Horrors, opens a new pet store in Tokyo.  This strange pet shop owner never ages and is very particular about his customers.  When one purchases a pet at his store, a contract must be signed and woe to anyone who breaks the contract.  This manga is reminiscent of Xxxholic. 

Kyo Kara Maoh by Tomo Takabayashi and Temari Matsumoto

(TEEN) While being bullied by his classmates, Yuri Shibuya discovers a world where he is the king, the “Demon” king.  As King, Yuri is expected to lead his people in a war against humans.

The Story of Saiunkoku by Yukino Sai and Yura Kairi

(TEEN) Impoverished noblewoman, Shurei Hong, becomes the consort of the Emperor Ryuki.  Will she be able to encourage her husband to govern the empire instead of his advisors?

Love.com by Aya Nakahara

(TEEN) Risa Koizumi is the tallest girl in the school and Atushi Otani is the shortest boy in school.  Will a romance develop?

Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto
The Dark Hunters by Sherrilyn Kenyon and Claudia Campos
(ADULTS) The manga adaptation of the Kenyon's Dark Hunter series of novels.
Special A by Maki Minami and Nancy Thistlethwaite

(TEEN) Hakari wants to be number one in her class.  The problem?  Kei Takishima is always number one.

Maximum Ride: The Manga by James Patterson and NaRae Lee

(TEEN) Manga adaptation of James Patterson’s Maximum Ride series of novels.

Me & My Brothers by Hari Tokeino

(TEEN) Orphaned twice, fourteen-year-old Sakura believes she has no one to care for her.  When her four long lost, older brothers enter the scene, life will never be the same.

Otaku USA (periodical)
ICv2 Internal Correspondence (periodical)
Shonen Jump (periodical)

In addition to two teetering stacks of titles to share with the group, Maya also shared a list of review and information sites for manga and graphic novels:

ICv2: Inside Pop Culture Online Newsletter
Diamond Comic Distributors Inc.
Comics Worth Reading
Anime News Network
Bookletters: Graphic Novels BPL
Graphic Novel Reporter
Grovel Graphic Novel Reviews
Comic Book Resources
Newsarama
Bleeding Cool

Mary Ann, Southern History
The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel by Diana Gabaldon and Hoang Nguyen

(Adult) This graphic novel covers the Diana Gabaldon novel Outlander up to the point at which Claire reveals her secret to Jamie: that she is a woman of the twentieth century who has accidentally traveled back to the eighteenth century through a time gateway in a ring of standing stones. Claire, who has struggled over whether to try and return to her own time, finally decides to stay with Jamie in the past, but as anyone who has read Galbaldon’s novels can tell you, this is only the beginning of their troubles and adventures. The Exile will doubtless appeal to fans who have already read Gabaldon’s novels but could also be an excellent introduction to the Outlander series; it’s entertaining to see this artist’s interpretations of what the characters look like (and read the endless arguments about this among the fans on various review sites). The Exile earns its adult rating for depictions of sex and violence, women in exceedingly low-cut gowns, and Scotsmen running about with nothing under their kilts---or sometimes no kilt at all. 

The Best of Ray Bradbury: The Graphic Novel by Ray Bradbury and various
(Older Teen and Adult) This feast of a graphic novel presents twelve of Ray Bradbury’s best-known stories illustrated by art ranging from stark minimalism to saturated color to almost photographic-quality realism. Every story is excellent, but my standouts were “Come Into My Cellar,” illustrated by Dave Gibbons of Watchmen fame (earth is being invaded---by mushrooms!); “Picasso Summer,” with art by John Van Fleet (Picasso drawing in the sand on the beach---take some photographs quickly); “The Fog Horn,” with illustrations by Wayne Barlowe (the story that inspired the Ray Harryhausen film The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms), and “A Sound of Thunder” with art by Richard Corben (whatever you do, don’t step off the path). Known for rich imagery, Bradbury’s stories lend themselves well to the graphic novel format, and Bradbury himself acknowledges his debt to “comic strips, comic books, and the creators of comics” in his moving introduction to the collection. This is a must for Bradbury fans, though all of them would clamor for more stories that should have been included. This is shelved in the adult section due to some scenes of violence and disturbing imagery, but would be suitable for older teens as well.
Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury, Howard Zimmerman, and Dennis Calero (7-19-11, $30.00, 9780809067930)
Ray Bradbury’s Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury and Ron Wimberly (7-19-11, $30.00, 9780809087464)
Kill Shakespeare: A Sea of Troubles by Connor McCreery and various
(Adult) The cover blurb says it best: “This dark take on the Bard pits his greatest heroes (Hamlet, Juliet, Othello, Falstaff) against his most menacing villains (Richard III, Lady Macbeth, Iago) in an epic adventure to find and kill a reclusive wizard named William Shakespeare.” My first reaction was “Greatest heroes? Falstaff?!” But I was certainly intrigued enough to take a look and was drawn in from the very first page. Though populated by Shakespeare’s characters, this universe differs greatly from that of Shakespeare’s plays: Falstaff does come across as braver than his stage counterpart, though still fond of his booze, snacks, and women; Juliet is the leader of a revolutionary faction, and Hamlet is hailed as the “Shadow King” who supposedly will free the characters from the tyranny of the mysterious William Shakespeare. Other things, however, have not changed: Hamlet can’t make up his mind what to do; no one should believe one syllable spoken by Iago without confirmation from a trustworthy source, and Richard III is even more of a homicidal Machiavel than the dark Plantagenet of the theatre. The adult rating is for a brutal array of violence including battle scenes, eye-gouging, and tongue-slicing---but if you have teens who are already interested in Shakespeare, you won’t be able to keep them away from this intriguing and darkly comic spin on the Bard. Highly recommended.
Will Super Villains Be On the Final?: Liberty Vocational By Naomi Novik and Yishan Li (4-26-11, $10.99, 978-0345516565)

Check out NPR Talk of the Nation host Neal Conan’s interview with Connor McCreery and Anthony del Col, author and illustrator of Kill Shakespeare.

Jon, Avondale
Locke & Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son.)
Mercy Thompson: Homecoming by Patricia Briggs and various (based on Patricia Briggs book series)
Modern Warfare 2: Ghost by David Lapham and Federicco Dallocchio (based on the Call of Duty video game)
Preacher: Proud Americans by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore and various

Maya, West End
Ooku: The Inner Chambers by Fumi Yoshinaga

Patrick, Leeds
Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas (Marvel Spotlight, not an ideal edition as the entirety is broken up and published in small, hardcover issues at a higher price)
Great Expectations: The Graphic Novel by Charles Dickens (abridged)
Kare Kano: His and Hers Circumstances by Masami Tsuda
Peach Girl by Miwa Ueda
Gale offers some classic novels in graphic novel form, check their website.

April, Irondale
Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by G. Neri and Randy DuBurke
The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger
Blankets: An Illustrated Novel by Craig Thompson
Vietnamerica: A Family’s Journey by G.B. Tran

Holley, Emmet O’Neal
30 Days of Night by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith
The tiny of Barrow, Alaska has unknowingly rung the vampire dinner bell. Due to their global position, the sun will soon set in Barrow and not rise again for 30 days and nights. With the darkness come the hungry vampires and the only thing standing between the town and a complete and bloody annihilation are the beleaguered Sherriff and Deputy, a husband and wife team desperate to save the people of Barrow. Full color, with gore and strong language.

The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard, and Cliff Rathburn
Police Officer Rick Grimes awakens from a gunshot-induced coma to discover an abandoned world...abandoned by everyone alive, that is. The tension ramps up immediately as Grimes, weak and practically defenseless, stumbles into the zombie horde that seems to be the only thing left. His one thought is to get to the last known location of his wife and son to see if they’ve survived. Madness, chaos, drama, love, sex, death, and redemption follow. Gore, strong language, and sexual situations.

The Walking Dead was adapted for a miniseries which debuted last year on Halloween night on AMT. Jason (Trussville) let the group know that Stephen King is in talks with the producers about working on the second season, set to premiere, as the first season did, on Halloween night!

Generel discussion brought up Invincible by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley.
(Amazon product description: Mark Grayson is just like most everyone else his age. The only major difference being that his dad is the most powerful superhero on the planet! And, Mark seems to be inheriting his father's powers! See Mark thwart super-villains, alien invasions and all sorts of craziness, as he gets the hang of all this super-heroing stuff.)

Jared, BPL
Dark Tower: The Gunslinger, Volume 1: The Journey Begins by Stephen King, Robin Furth, Peter David, Sean Phillips, and Richard Isanove
American Vampire by Scott Snyder, Stephen King, and Rafael Albuquereque

Leigh Wilson, North Birmingham
Babymouse: Monster Mash by Jennifer L. Holm and Matt Holm
Princess Candy: Sugar Hero by Michael Dahl and Jeff Crowther
The Boxcar Children Graphic Novels by Shannon Eric Denton, Gertrude Chandler Warner, and Mike Dubisch

Shannon Haddock, Hoover
Locke & Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez (Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son.)
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Keep in mind that several movies have come out recently, or will be coming out soon, which are based on comic books/graphic novels. Now is the perfect time to stock your shelves!

I’m not certain of the authenticity of this list since the dates are off for more than a few, but it’s entertaining to contemplate! Click through for yet another list from Den of Geek!

2011
• Jan 14 - The Green Hornet
• Mar 4 - Priest
• May 6 - Thor
• Jun 3 - X-Men: First Class
• Jun 17 - Green Lantern
• Jul 1 - Transformers: Dark of the Moon
• Jul 22 - Captain America: The First Avenger
• Jul 29 - Cowboys and Aliens
• Aug 19 - Conan
2012
• Feb 17 - Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
• May 4 - The Avengers
• Jul 3 - Spider-Man Reboot
• Jul 20 - Batman: The Dark Knight Rises
2013
• May 3 - Iron Man 3
Release Dates Unknown
• Deadpool
• Sin City 2
• Superman Reboot
• Judge Dredd
• Runaways
• Ant-Man
• Kick-Ass 2: Balls To The Wall
• Wanted 2
• Wolverine 2
• Green Lantern 2
• Preacher

Happy reading!
Holley