November 15, 2007
The High and the Mighty: NBA Winners and Oprah's New Book Pick
Most folks think of basketball when they hear NBA, but the acronym also stands for the National Book Award, arguably the most prestigious literary prize in the United States. This year's NBA winners were announced last night in a gala New York ceremony. Denis Johnson's trenchant Vietnam War novel Tree of Smoke took the fiction prize, Tim Weiner's Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA won for nonfiction, Robert Hass' Time and Materials won for poetry and Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian won for young people's literature.
However, the literary champ of the week probably is veteran novelist Ken Follett. For her latest book club pick, Oprah Winfrey selected Follett's The Pillars of the Earth, 973-page opus about the building of an English cathedral in the 12th century. The book's sequel, World Without End, was released a few weeks ago and already is on bestsellers lists.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 1:43 PM
October 17, 2007
Surprise Booker Prize Winner Announced
Anne Enright's The Gathering, a dark novel about three generations of an Irish family hiding a bitter secret, was the surprise winner of the prestigious Man Booker Prize for Fiction, announced today in London. Most literary observers considered Ian McEwan's On Chesil Beach and Lloyd Jones' Mister Pip to be the favorites to win the prize, which rewards the best novel of the year written by a citizen of the British Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 4:22 PM
October 11, 2007
Doris Lessing Wins Nobel Prize in Literature
The British novelist, essayist and short story writer Doris Lessing won the Nobel Prize in Literature today, becoming the 11th woman to receive the award. The Nobel committee lauded the "skepticism, fire and visionary power," of Lessing's work, which is known for its humanism, experimentalism and concern for social inequity. Lessing is also known for her uncompromising, independent personality, which was very much in evidence when she told journalists she "couldn't care less" about winning the award.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 2:04 PM
October 5, 2007
Oprah's Latest Pick: Love in the Time of Cholera
Continuing her trend of selecting complex, highly literary novels (McCarthy's The Road, Eugenides' Middlesex, etc.) Oprah Winfrey newest book club selection is Love in the Time of Cholera by Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Márquez. The novel chronicles a love triangle decades in the making and, like most of the author's works, is set in an unnamed Latin American country. When the book was first released in 1988, the The New York Times review called it "radiant," saying it is both "an old-fashioned love story" and "an anatomy of love in all its forms."
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 10:23 AM
July 2, 2007
Book Review: Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
To the staff and fellow residents of his nursing home, Jacob Jankowski is just another cranky 90-something widower. What they don’t know—and what the reader soon discovers—is the story of Jacob’s incredible past as a circus veterinarian for the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. The novel focuses on Jacob’s memories of the summer of 1931, when he worked for the Benzini traveling circus until a bloody catastrophe shuttered the show forever. Gruen wonderfully evokes life under a Depression-era big top, filling her tale with romance, suspense and fascinating characters (including an unforgettable elephant named Rosie). With its compelling subject matter and satisfying ending, Water for Elephants is a book that stays with you long after you turn the final page.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 4:04 PM
June 11, 2007
Book Review: Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher
It’s the holiday season in the north of Scotland, where a disparate group of individuals have converged. Elfrida, a free-spirited retired actress in her mid-sixties, is acting as companion to Oscar, a retired choirmaster and organist who recently lost his wife and daughter in a car crash. They are soon joined by two of Elfrida’s distant relations and a newcomer to the area, all of whom are several decades younger. Although diverse in age and temperament, the characters eventually find solace in friendship and the comforts of hearth and home. Filled with warm characters and rich descriptions of rugged Scottish coast, Winter Solstice is a soothing, delightfully cozy read.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 1:47 PM
June 10, 2007
Nigerian Author Wins 2007 Orange Prize
Author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has won the 12th-annual Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction with Half of a Yellow Sun, her second novel. The book, a sweeping war epic set during Nigeria’s vicious 1960s Biafran conflict, was called “a moving and important book” by prize judges.
The Orange Broadband Prize is one of the the U.K.’s most prestigious literary awards, given annually to the best novel written in English by a woman of any nationality. Because of its focus, the award has been controversial. Previous winners include Larry’s Party by Carol Shields, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett and On Beauty by Zadie Smith.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 4:40 PM
May 4, 2007
Horsing Around
Saturday is the 133rd running of the Kentucky Derby, the brightest jewel of thoroughbred racing’s Triple Crown. One way to get ready for the Run for the Roses is to check out a racing-related novel. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jane Smiley (herself a breeder of thoroughbreds) gently satirized the complex world of the track with Horse Heaven, a funny story packed with human and equine characters. For a sweeping Bluegrass State-based saga, try Fern Michael’s Kentucky Rich, Kentucky Heat and Kentucky Sunrise. The trilogy chronicles the ups and downs of the Coleman clan, a wealthy family overseeing a prestigious horse farm. Readers who enjoy mysteries might like to take a gallop with Dick Francis, whose numerous equestrian whodunits have made him a household name in his native England.
For more information on the Kentucky Derby, trot on over to our Reference News blog.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 3:59 PM
April 16, 2007
Pulitzer Prizes Announced
The 2007 Pulitzer Prizes have been announced. Here are some of the winners available at the library:
Fiction: The Road by Cormac McCarthy
History: The Race Beat by Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff
Biography: The Most Famous Man in America by Debby Applegate
General Nonfiction: The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright
Music: Sound Grammar by Ornette Coleman
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 5:41 PM
March 28, 2007
Oprah's Latest Pick: The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Oprah Winfrey has once again spoken: Her latest book club pick is Cormac McCarthy's The Road, a tale of a father and son journeying across a bleak, post-apocalyptic landscape. The notoriously private McCarthy, best-known for dark stories of the West such as All the Pretty Horses and The Crossing, will be interviewed by Winfrey in an upcoming episode of her talk show.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 11:22 AM
Book Review: Jim the Boy by Tony Early
In these complicated, stressful times, sometimes there is nothing better than curling up with a comforting, old-fashioned read. Tony Early's debut novel, Jim the Boy, fits the bill perfectly. This understated, graceful book traces an ordinary year in the life of Jim Glass, a 10-year-old living in Depression-era rural North Carolina. Although his father died unexpectedly a week before Jim’s birth, the boy has been happily brought up by his quiet mother and three devoted bachelor uncles. During the course of the story, Jim begins to see his place in the wider, sometimes discomfiting world: visiting the seashore, enrolling in a new school, consoling a polio-stricken friend, and meeting his estranged grandfather. Jim the Boy’s clear prose, endearing characters and bittersweet nostalgia gently evoke a time when less was more.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 10:45 AM | Comments (9)
March 19, 2007
Read Any Good "Blooks" Lately?
In case you’re not yet in the know, a “blook” is the newest publishing phenomenon: a book based on original content previously published in a blog, website or web comic. The self-publishing website Lulu.com has even launched the Lulu Blooker Prize, “the world’s first literary prize devoted to blooks.” This year’s Blooker Prize shortlist has been announced; the diverse nominees include Crashing the Gate: Netroots, Grassroots and the Rise of People-Powered Politics by Jerome Armstrong, My War: Killing Time in Iraq by Colby Buzzell, Words in a French Life: Lessons in Love and Language from the South of France by Kristin Espinasse, Mom’s Cancer by Brian Fies, and My Secret: A PostSecret Book by Frank Warren. Last year's Blooker Prize winner was Julie Powell’s popular “food memoir,” Julie and Julia.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 4:13 PM
February 5, 2007
Oprah's New Book
Oprah's latest book club entry is Sidney Poitier's The Measure of a Man: a Spiritual Autobiography. Her website has some information on Mr. Poitier and his memoir. You can also read or listen to an excerpt from the book.
To read more about the man, check out this article from the GaleNet Biography Resource Center. There are other articles in this database, go to the library's database page, type in your library card number and click submit. Then, scroll down to the "Biography and Genealogy" category and click on GaleNet.
A list of Mr. Poitier's movies can be found on the Internet Movie Database (IMDB).
Mr. Poitier's films and books in the Hinsdale Library collection can be viewed by clicking on this catalog link.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 12:27 PM | Comments (99)
January 5, 2007
January Staff Picks
Get the new year off to an orderly start by checking out some of the books on organizing we've compiled in this month's staff picks. The books listed, plus many more, will be on display near our reference desk for the remainder of January.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 10:44 AM | Comments (101)
November 1, 2006
November Staff Picks
Now that there's a chill in the air, why don't you light the fireplace, grab a cuppa and curl up with one of the cozy reads suggested in this month's staff picks?
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 3:31 PM | Comments (488)
October 12, 2006
Orhan Pamuk Wins Nobel Prize in Literature
Today the Swedish Academy announced that Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk has won the 2006 Nobel Prize in Literature. A native of Istanbul, Pamuk is known for his vivid, innovative writing, which includes the best-selling novels My Name is Red, Snow, and The Black Book. Pamuk is also famous in his home country for controversial social commentary—in January, an Istanbul court dropped criminal charges against the writer, who had been accused of insulting Turkey’s national identity by discussing the country’s killing of Armenians in World War I and Kurds in subsequent years. In praising Pamuk’s work, the Nobel committee stated that “in the quest for the melancholic soul of his native city [he] has discovered new symbols for the clash and interlacing of cultures.”
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 3:43 PM | Comments (1134)
September 25, 2006
Reading is Fun(damental)
“Never apologize for your reading tastes” is a maxim coined by the late Betty Rosenberg, a well-known librarian who championed the joys of reading for pleasure. Now the English author Nick Hornby has taken up the cause, penning a delightful essay on leisure reading for an English newspaper. For more of Hornby's essays on reading, check out his collections Housekeeping vs. the Dirt and The Polysyllabic Spree.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 5:02 PM | Comments (58)
September 18, 2006
Talkin' Tolkien
Here's some great news for Lord of the Rings fans: According to various news outlets, JRR Tolkien's son has completed The Children of Hurin, one of his late father's unfinished stories. The finished book will be published next year. And speaking of LOTR, auditions for a London stage adaptation are being held today; it appears that no one taller than 5 foot 7 need apply.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 3:28 PM | Comments (455)
September 14, 2006
Booker Prize Shortlist Announced
This shortlist for the 2006 Man Booker Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious literary awards, has been announced. Now in its thirty-eighth year, the Booker aims to reward the best novel of the year written by a citizen of the British Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland. The nominees are:
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
Mother's Milk by Edward St. Aubyn
In the Country of Men by Hisgam Matar
Carry Me Down by M.J. Hyland
The Secret River by Kate Grenville
The winner will be announced October 10 in London.
10/10/06 UPDATE: Kiran Desai's The Inheritance of Loss was named the winner!
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 2:34 PM | Comments (55)
September 12, 2006
Book Review: A Country Year: Living the Questions by Sue Hubbell
According to the book jacket, “a country year is something like a baker’s dozen: it contains an extra season.” In this case, A Country Year is the chronicle of one spring to the next on Hubbell’s Ozark farm, where she keeps bees and keenly observes her surroundings. Among the book's warm, plain-spoken vignettes are descriptions of animal life from the common (dogs, deer, rabbits) to the creepy (wood cockroaches, moth ear mites, brown recluse spiders), as well as fascinating details on the art of beekeeping and Hubbell’s reflections on humanity’s place in the wild. Hubbell’s contemplative prose is reminiscent of Annie Dillard; even the most dedicated city folk will want to head to the countryside after reading this lovely, peaceful narrative.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 2:30 PM | Comments (108)
August 28, 2006
Quill Power
Literary awards such as the National Book Awards, Pulitzer Prizes, and Booker Prize receive a lot of press, but they certainly lack glitz and mass-market appeal. Last year, Reed Business Information (the folks behind Publisher’s Weekly) and NBC tried to change all that by creating the Quill Awards, a “celebration of the written word” that is voted on by the reading public and culminates in a nationally televised gala. Public voting for the second-annual Quill Awards is now open (finalists were chosen by booksellers and librarians). From now until September 30, you can cast a ballot for your favorites in 20 categories, including Book of the Year. Award winners will be announced in New York City on October 10.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 3:46 PM | Comments (196)
August 23, 2006
Book Review: His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
Equal parts fantasy, historical drama and naval romance, Naomi Novik’s page-turner His Majesty’s Dragon is one of the more engrossing and ingenious debut novels to be released in a long while. Novik faithfully recreates European warfare during the Napoleonic era, with one twist—in her books, nations have ships, guns, and dragons at their disposal. So when Captain Will Laurence of the Royal Navy unexpectedly bonds with Temeraire, a dragon hatchling seized from a French vessel, he’s relegated to Britain’s Aerial Corps to fight Napoleon’s advancing forces. While Novik’s imaginative melding of historical detail, military adventure and dragon lore is seamless, what sets the book apart is rich character development, particularly the unexpectedly touching relationship between Laurence and Temeraire. Once you finish His Majesty’s Dragon, be sure to follow the continuing exploits of this extraordinary duo in the sequels Throne of Jade and Black Powder War.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 10:21 AM | Comments (20)
August 22, 2006
Happy Birthday, Ray Bradbury!
Literary legend Ray Bradbury was born 86 years ago today in north suburban Waukegan. Although best known for his science fiction classics The Martian Chronicles and Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury often crosses genre boundaries with moving tales such as Dandelion Wine, a nostalgic coming-of-age story based on the author’s childhood in Illinois. (In fact, Bradbury has written a sequel to Dandelion Wine, Farewell Summer, which is due out this fall.) If you’re looking for evocative, character-driven books that are tinged with the fantastic, pick up one of Bradbury’s many works the next time you stop by the library.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 8:00 PM | Comments (917)
August 8, 2006
Puppy Love
Now that we’re slogging through the dog days of summer, what better time than now to pick up a book about man's best friend? John Grogan’s heartwarming tale of an incorrigible Labrador retriever, Marley & Me: Life and Love With the World’s Worst Dog, has topped the bestseller lists for months. Other touching real-life tales of dog/human relationships include Jon Katz’ A Dog Year: Twelve Months, Four Dogs, and Me, Willie Morris’ My Dog Skip, and Dan Dye’s Amazing Gracie: A Dog’s Tale. Dog lovers who prefer fiction might enjoy the novel Sight Hound by Pam Houston or Laurien Berensen’s charming mystery A Pedigree to Die For.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 5:56 PM | Comments (56)
August 2, 2006
Book Review: Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
If Charles Dickens and Susie Bright had had a love child, she may have written something like Sarah Waters’ gripping third novel, Fingersmith. The story begins as the narrative of Sue Trinder, an orphaned teen raised by a gang of pickpockets (a.k.a. “fingersmiths”) and small-time criminals in a seedy corner of Victorian London. One day a fellow crook asks her to become a maid for the wealthy Maud Lilly, part of an elaborate plot to steal the young lady’s inheritance. Sue reluctantly agrees to the con, but regrets her deceit when she and Maud develop a regard that grows into passion. Still, the scheme proceeds until Sue discovers that she, in fact, has been the one done wrong, a plot development that plunges the reader into a cunning web of twists, turns and double-crosses. Thick with period detail and sharp characterizations, Fingersmith is a supremely literate page-turner.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 10:29 AM | Comments (311)
July 26, 2006
Happy Birthday, GBS!
George Bernard Shaw, one of the most prolific writers in the English language, was born on July 26, 1856, in Dublin. A playwright, critic, and essayist, Shaw was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1925. For a taste of his famous wit, peruse our collection of Shaw’s plays or check out the screen versions of his classic drama, Pygmalion. It first was adapted as a 1938 film starring Leslie Howard and Wendy Hiller, and later remade as the 1964 musical, My Fair Lady.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 10:33 AM | Comments (384)
July 20, 2006
Comic-Con International and the Will Eisner Awards
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the comic industry’s Oscars, will be presented this Friday at the Comic-Con International festival in San Diego. The library’s collection includes some of last year’s winners and the nominee for the 2006 Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award: Spiral Bound by Aaron Renier
2005 Eisner-Winning Graphic Novels at the Hinsdale Public Library:
Best Limited Series: DC: The New Frontier, by Darwyn Cooke
Best Publication for a Younger Audience: Plastic Man, by Kyle Baker and Scott Morse
Best Graphic Album-Reprint: Bone, by Jeff Smith
Best Archival Collection/Project: The Complete Peanuts, edited by Gary Groth
Best Publication Design: The Complete Peanuts, designed by Seth
Best Writer: Brian K. Vaughan, Y: The Last Man and Runaways
Best Comics-Related Book: Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book, by Gerard Jones
LA
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 7:25 PM | Comments (429)
July 12, 2006
July Staff Picks
What better task for the lazy days of summer than reading a good book? If you're looking for reading ideas for the whole family, check out our youth services department's staff picks.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 10:27 AM | Comments (124)
June 21, 2006
Dean Koontz Readalikes
Dean Koontz’ latest pulse-pounding suspense thriller, The Husband, tops several bestseller lists this week. If you’re a fan of Koontz and are looking for more atmospheric, character-driven chills, you may also enjoy:
Darwin’s Radio by Greg Bear
Lost Boy Lost Girl by Peter Straub
Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King
The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 10:32 AM | Comments (228)
June 15, 2006
Et tu, Google?
In honor of its sponsorship of New York City's Shakespeare in the Park, Google has launched a microsite that allows you to read and search within all of Shakespeare's works. If you find it difficult to decipher the Bard through your computer monitor, be sure to check out the library's Shakespeare collection—you'll find plays, biographies, criticism, and much more in the 822.33 area of our nonfiction shelves.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 1:34 PM | Comments (519)
June 14, 2006
New Poet Laureate Announced
Today New Hampshire native Donald Hall was named the new poet laureate of the United States. A prolific writer, he has published poems, essays and children’s books, and is known for employing a plainspoken style that has been compared to the verse of Robert Frost. Hall succeeds Ted Kooser as poet laureate. According to the Library of Congress, during his or her term the poet laureate “seeks to raise the national consciousness to a greater appreciation of the reading and writing of poetry.” Past poets laureate include Frost, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Billy Collins.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 3:25 PM | Comments (119)
June 6, 2006
Zadie Smith Wins Orange Prize
British author Zadie Smith has won the Orange Prize for Fiction for her book On Beauty. This international award, which honors a full-length English-language novel written by a woman (and is judged exclusively by women), is known for its roster of compelling, evocative winners. Past honorees include We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, Larry’s Party by Carol Shields, and Property by Valerie Martin.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 6:34 PM | Comments (260)
June 1, 2006
June Staff Picks
The library's staff picks page has been updated. This month, the recommendations come from our reference librarians. Enjoy!
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 3:42 PM | Comments (57)
May 18, 2006
Da Vinci Code Readalikes
Will you be looking for something to do this weekend after going to see the film adaptation of The Da Vinci Code? A sequel to the mega-selling book won’t be coming until 2007. In the meantime, you might want to try one of the “readalike” novels below, many of which feature elements of mystery, history, religion, art and/or conspiracy:
The Last Cato by Matilde Asensi
Templar Legacy by Steve Berry
The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra
The Third Secret by Steve Berry
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 4:36 PM | Comments (159)
May 11, 2006
Book Review: The Preservationist by David Maine
What exactly happened to Noah inside that ark? That’s the premise behind first-time novelist Maine’s The Preservationist, a frequently witty, occasionally bawdy and ultimately moving retelling of the Great Flood. God instructs pious Noe, as he is called in the book, to build an enormous ship and fill it with animals. His long-suffering wife, sons and daughters-in-law question Noe’s sanity, but dutifully obey his wishes. These all-too-human characters, each telling a different part of the story, provide wry observations and earthy details, bringing alive the (bizarre) sights, (shrill) sounds and (pungent) smells of life aboard the ark. But don’t let Maine’s irreverent storytelling fool you: The Preservationist offers a tender, thought-provoking exploration of faith, family and survival.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 10:42 AM | Comments (81)
May 4, 2006
May Staff Picks
Looking for a thumping good read? You may want to try one of our staff picks. This month, the diverse recommendations come from the voracious readers in the library's circulation department.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 11:47 AM | Comments (54)
May 2, 2006
Steal This Book!
Just a few months after the James Frey debacle, another scandal has hit the book world. This one involves 19-year-old Kaavya Viswanathan, whose acclaimed debut novel How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life has been withdrawn by its publisher after allegations that the Harvard sophomore plagiarized numerous other works. Initially, reports surfaced that Viswanathan’s book resembled Megan McCafferty’s young adult novel Sloppy Firsts. Now, The New York Times has pointed out similarities between Opal Mehta and Sophie Kinsella’s Can You Keep a Secret?, while the Harvard Crimson alleges that the book contains similar passages to Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries and Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories. The good news? The controversy has spiked interest in all of the books in question.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 7:06 PM | Comments (298)
April 17, 2006
2006 Pulitzer Prizes
The 2006 Pulitzer Prizes for letters and drama have been announced. The winners are:
Fiction: March by Geraldine Brooks
Drama: No award
History: Polio: An American Story by David M. Oshinsky
Biography: American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin
Poetry: Late Wife by Claudia Emerson
General Nonfiction: Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya by Caroline Elkins
Music: Chiavi in Mano by Yehudi Wyner
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 3:29 PM | Comments (667)
Muriel Spark 1918-2006
Scottish-born author Muriel Spark died in Italy on Thursday at the age of 88. Best known for her 1962 novel The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Spark wrote 24 other novels, several short stories, and three well-received biographies during her long career. In granting her the 2001 Campion Award, the Catholic Book Club hailed her ability to write provocative and entertaining fiction: "Themes universal to the human condition ... are incarnate in her writing with a sometime eerily familiar face. For good or bad, hers are characters that endure in our memory." For more on the author, visit the National Library of Scotland's Muriel Spark Archive or sample one of her many books available at the library.
Posted by hplreadingcorner at 10:24 AM | Comments (637)