We Have a Winner!

- Ann 1 Comment

Proving once again that reading pays off, we are pleased to announce the winner of our Favorite Book contest! Jason’s comment about Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, a “gripping and heartbreaking” novel about a girl struggling with anorexia, is our randomly chosen winner. Thanks to everyone who entered – my reading list just got a lot longer!

Looking for still more choice books, proven winners that will keep you turning the pages? Here are some sites to check for great ideas.

Book Club Girl – Focusing on books that would be great Book Club choices, there is also a lot of author information including live on-air author interviews.

Good Reads – Keep track of the books you’ve read, the books you want to read, find out what others are reading and contribute reviews and ratings.

Overbooked – Lots of annotated lists of new and notable fiction, non-fiction and crime fiction, often highlighting books that might otherwise be overlooked.

And Jason, please send your snail mail address to reference@davenportlibrary.com, attention: Ann, and I’ll get those two tickets to the Figge Art Museum out to you right away! Enjoy!

DVDs for January

- Ann Leave a comment

January 5

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

In a town where food drops from the sky like rain, a young inventor hopes to create something that will change everyone’s life. However, when the weather takes a turn for the worse, the residents of the town of Chewandswallow will find their eating habits have drastically changed.

January 12

Fame – Debbie Allen,  Charles Dutton

The inspiring story of a group of dancers, singers, musicians, and actors at the New York City High School of Performing Arts, and their spirited drive to live out their dreams of stardom. In an incredibly competitive atmosphere, each student must shine amidst the tumult of school work, deep friendships, budding romance, and self-discovery.

Big Fan – Kevin Corrigan,  Michael Rappaport

A diehard New York Giants fan meets his hero, the quarterback of the team, with disastrous results that impact his entire life and those around him.

Moon – Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey

Astronaut Sam Bell is completing a three-year contract with Lunar Industries to mine Earth’s primary source of energy, Helium-3. His declining health is causing headaches and hallucinations that lead to a near-fatal accident, rendering him unconscious. After recuperating, an unexpected discovery leads him to doubt his sanity, his identity, and the integrity of the company. Believing he is alone on his mission, his sole purpose is getting back home on his own.

January 19

The Invention of Lying – Jennifer Garner, Ricky Gervais

In a world where people speak the truth and have no concept of deception, a young man about to lose everything invents the ‘lie’ and goes on to not just change the nature of movie-making, but also creates the basis of religion. After much effort, he also gets the girl he loves.

January 26

Michael Jackson’s This is It

Presents a rare, behind-the-scenes look at Jackson as he developed, created, and rehearsed for his sold-out concerts at London’s O2 Arena. Drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage, the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, creative genius, and great artist at work is captured in raw and candid detail as he created and perfected his planned final London shows.

Surrogates – Bruce Willis, Ving Rhames

People are living their lives remotely from the safety of their own homes via robotic surrogates – sexy, physically perfect mechanical representations of themselves. It’s an ideal world where crime, pain, fear, and consequences don’t exist. When the first murder in years jolts this utopia, FBI agent Greer discovers a vast conspiracy behind the surrogate phenomenon and must abandon his own surrogate, risking his life to unravel the mystery.

Holiday Spirits

- Bill 2 Comments

No, not the ones that taunt Ebenezer Scrooge.  But they can be the kind that, like the miser himself, will cause you to wake up with a promise to amend your ways.  But hey, if your hosts have unlimited premium supplies you might want to mix-imize your efforts.

Here are a few recent books on putting together the perfect rocks glass recipes:

Good Spirits: recipes, revelations, refreshments, and romance, shaken and served with a twist

The Essential Cocktail

Shaken

Mix Shake Stir

Or, if you want my opinion, keep dry and take your friends home.  New Year’s Eve is amateur night.

Favorite Books, Part 2

- Ann 2 Comments

More favorite books from 2009 from our Blogging Librarians.

Lynn: Home Safe was my favorite book of the year because, once again, Elizabeth Berg writes so beautifully about the small moments of daily life. I loved the writing group that the main character teaches and was intrigued with her dilemma – to stay in Oak Park or move to a perfect house in California that her late husband built for her. Lynn blogged about Elizabeth Berg speaking at the Moline Library here.

Tana: My favorite book this year was The Glass Castle, a memoir by Jeannette Walls. I couldn’t put it down – I found it incredible that she not only survived her childhood, but that she was able to become a very successful adult who still obviously loved her parents. I can’t wait to read her new book about her grandmother, Half-Broke Horses.

Ann: My choice is The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Narrated by Enzo the dog, it is about a family that is torn apart by tragedy and betrayal, then slowly brought together again by love.  It is by turns heartfelt and heartbreaking and it’s a book that I still think about often, months after reading it. It made me cry, but it also made me laugh and it made me hopeful. You can read more about it here.

Now it’s your turn. What was your favorite book that you read in 2009? Don’t be shy – we’re always eager to hear about good books! AND, one lucky commenter will win two tickets to the Figge Art Museum! Leave a comment with your favorite 2009 book and why it was your favorite by midnight January 3. We’ll draw a random number and announce the winner on January 5. (Sorry, Davenport Library employees and their families are not eligible!)

Favorite Books, Part 1

- Ann 1 Comment

Before we ring in the new year, let’s take a quick look back at 2009 and list some of our favorite books of the year. Our Blogging Librarians talk about the book that stood out to them this past year, although these books weren’t necessarily published in 2009. You’re sure to find some great titles to add to your to-read list. And watch tomorrow’s post for information on a contest – you could win two tickets to the Figge Art Museum!

garden spellsRita starts us off with Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, a story of magical realism. In a garden surrounded by a tall fence, tucked away behind a small, quiet house in an even smaller town, is an apple tree that is rumored to bear a very special kind of fruit. In this luminous debut novel, Allen tells the story of that enchanted tree and the extraordinary people who tend it. Rita says “This book made me feel good. It is magical, southern and romantic without being silly.” Rita wrote more about it here.


Book Review Drinking With GeorgeBill considered choosing Methland (which he blogs about here), but it ended up being the runner-up to it’s polar opposite, Drinking with George: a Barstool Professional’s Guide to Beer by Geroge Wendt. “Under one set of covers, Wendt gives you a mini-biography, a slew of interesting beer facts, funny beer anecdotes from his own life, and lighthearted fare regarding the 5.5% ABV antics of his Hollywood friends.” Read Bill’s complete post here.

Amber’s choice: The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice tells the story of Penelope, a young woman who feels her life will forever be average when she suddenly gets roped into sharing a cab with keepingSecretsa free-spirited socialite named Charlotte. Penelope and Charlotte quickly become close friends over their shared love for American crooner Johnnie Ray, and soon Penelope is wearing Dior, attending posh parties with Charlotte’s cousin Harry, and becoming a confidant for Harry’s mother. Imagine if Pam from the Office suddenly found herself hanging out with Serena from Gossip Girl, a jaded Edward Cullen, and Whoopi Goldberg. Penelope’s setting and circumstances: living in a romantic, rundown English estate with an eccentric single-parent and lots of financial woes, reminds me of my favorite book of all time I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. Pure loveliness.

Watch for more Favorite Books – and a contest! – in tomorrow’s post!

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey

- Ann Leave a comment

christmasmiracleIn searching for something new to read in celebration of the season, I came across this beautiful picture book by Susan Wojciechowski.  The author had worked as a school librarian and admitted that “every December, I read the same two or three classic Christmas stories aloud to the students.  I wanted another special one to read aloud, so I tried to write my own.”  She has succeeded with The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey.

This is a lovely book, handsomely illustrated by P.J. Lynch, who actually traveled from his home in Ireland to do research at a Vermont museum to further authenticate his artwork.  He too, succeeded.

In a nutshell, Mr. Toomey is a gloomy woodcarver whose wife and baby died.  He is approached by the widow McDowell and her son who ask him to carve a nativity scene to replace one lost in a recent move.  During the time that it takes to carve the set, Mr. Toomey not only comes to terms with his grief, but he also begins to appreciate his life anew. A touching story and recommended for children and adults alike.

Winter Birds

- Ann 1 Comment

backyard bird feedersThat wintry landscape means difficult times for our feathered friends. While some birds fly south for the winter, many common Iowa backyard birds stay – chickadees, song sparrows, cardinals, juncos – and stick it out through the brutal cold and snow. You can give them a helping hand – and in the process get a chance to enjoy watching them up close – with just a few simple steps.

Two of the most important things to provide are shelter and water. Shelter for the birds can be a brush pile, or vines or perennials that you don’t cut down in the fall. Providing water during bird feeder bookfreezing temperatures can be more difficult; heaters for bird baths available, or simply keeping some water open by hand will also do the trick.

Finally, you can feed the birds. Placing the feeders so that you can watch the birds from inside your house can provide hours of entertainment as they brighten our winter landscape. For information on what food suits which birds, check out some of these titles from the library:

The Backyard Bird Feeders Bible by Sally Roth

outwitting squirrelsCreating a Bird-friendly Backyard Habitat by Scott Edwards

Experts Guide to Backyard Birdfeeding by Bill Adler

The Bird Feeder Book by Donald Stokes

And, just because where there’s a bird feeder, there’s bound to be squirrels, Outwitting Squirrels by Bill Adler

Marathon? How adorable.

- Bill 1 Comment

Imagine a race of superhumans capable of tearing off 300-mile jaunts on foot in fits of blinding speed than span days on end with little sustenance.  They exist in a remote region of the planet Earth away from all human beings.  They are impervious to most disease and live to an extraordinary age.  Oh yeah, they don’t wear shoes.

Now, stop imagining.  They are the Tarahumara tribe from Mexico’s Copper Canyons.  Perhaps the secret to their powers is their geographic remoteness or lack of roads to their hidden homes carved out of rock.  To get even somewhat close to the Tarahumara requires traversing perilous terrain guarded by bands of murderous drug cartels.

The author of Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World has Never Seen, Christopher McDougall, is an aspiring runner plagued by injury.  He seeks out this mythical people to learn of their secrets.  He discovers a peaceful and protectively withdrawn people that crosstrains for their multimarathon races with gallons of corn beer and nightlong dancing jags.  What’s amazing about this New York Times bestseller is that isn’t fantasy at all.

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