Author Interviews

Identity Theory is a web based magazine on literature and culture. Interviews, by Robert Birnbaum a bookish journalist, of recently published authors are a regular feature.

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Reference Desk, 2nd Floor, Beale Memorial Library

Reference Desk, 2nd Floor, Beale Memorial Library
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Beale Memorial Library on Flickr.

May Recommendations for Kids

Fiction

Runemarks by Joanne Harris - Young Maddy Smith, who bears a mysterious mark of a rune on her hand, learns that she is destined to join the gods of Norse Mythology and plays a role in the fate of the world. The world of Runemark is rich with new and old ideas, and good and evil are not so easy to tell apart. This is a great book for the experienced fantasy reader that is looking for something new.

The Bakers: Babies and Kittens by Kyle Baker - This is a fantastic graphic novel that reads like a cartoon! All seems well with the average crazy family when a mouse causes chaos! This lease to a failed cartoon idea, secret adoption of a kitten, disappearing cake, and the baby seems to always end up in bed with mom and dad. A quick funny read with great cartoon illustrations.

The Highwayman's Footsteps by Nicola Morgan - This is an engaging story about Will and Bess, two people from different ends of society. Will is a highborn son on the run, and Bess is an orphan daughter of a highwayman. Soon events unfold and bring these two together for a common cause and a memorable ending. Based off the famous poem "The Highwayman," this is a fantastic work of historical fiction for all to enjoy.

Rex Zero, King of Nothing by Tim Wynne-Jones - Rex is wondering who is going to save him? He's stuck with the Substitute Teacher from hell, but there is something strange about her. Soon mystery after mystery builds up; who is the woman in white, a black book filled with names, and how does this relate to the mystery of love? Follow Rex and his friends as they unravel these mysteries in a fun and very enjoyable read.

The Puzzling World of Winston Breen by Eric Berlin - Winston Breen loves puzzles and is always looking for the next one to stump him. Things get interesting when he accidentally gets his sister a strange puzzle piece for her birthday. Soon he is involved in a mystery that will rely on his ability to solve some of the toughest puzzles he has ever faced. Pick up this read for a good time and a mystery that will leave you guessing to the end. Also the book is filled with fantastic puzzles that you can attempt to solve yourself!

The Runaway Shopping Cart by Kathy Long - Soon an average trip to the grocery store turns into a wild adventure. Young Kaleb is whisked away in a runaway shopping cart and onto a wild trip through town. He attracts the attention of others in town as various people come to his aid. This is a fun story with simple pictures with a great memory game involved. A great story for young readers.

Whatley’s Quest: An Alphabet Adventure by Bruce Whatley - This is a great ABC book that is filled with action pictures that make it easy to create a new story every time you read it! Great for identifying different things belonging to different letters! There is even a mystery buried in the pages for the careful eye to find.

Robert Goes to Camp by Barbara Seuling - Robert is going off to camp with his best friend Paul. While there he meets Zach, who is a lot of fun to hang out with but discovers that doing so may get him in trouble. Robert is worried that he may not get to go on the special trip to the Seaport, and tries his best to stay out of trouble. Then there is his nosy classmate Lester who maybe is more trouble. How is Robert going to stay out of trouble and survive Camp? This is a great chapter book for the younger reader getting ready for summer!

Eleven by Patricia Reilly Giff - Sam is having the strangest dreams that feel incredibly real, and what is up with the number eleven appearing in those dreams? Then there is Caroline, the new girl in class. Before he knows it he and Caroline are becoming friends and working together to unravel the mystery that is Sam and his dreams. This is a great story of friendship and mystery sure to be a good read.

Help! A Story of Friendship by Holly Keller - Mouse, Hedgehog, Rabbit, Squirrel and Snake are all great friends. All is well until rumor and gossip begin to cause problems among these friends. What do friends do when another is in trouble, or when one friend hurts another's feelings? Read this book to explore a well written story exploring friendship. Filled with great art work and a simple story that kids can relate to, this book is a great read.


Nonfiction

Gibson Girls & Suffragists: Perceptions of Women from 1900 to 1918 by Catherine Gourley - The turn of the 20th century is an exciting time for women as they explore new roles in society. Fighting for the right to vote, taking on adventures, even playing sports. This book is full of great information, a complete index, and wonderful reproductions of art and pictures form this exciting time for women in American history.

May Recommendations for Teens

Fiction

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill - Aging former death-metal rocker Jude Coyne collects unusual objects: among his many macabre collectibles are an used hangman's noose and a 16th century trepanned skull which serves nicely as a pen holder. But nothing he possesses is as dreadful as his latest discovery for sale on the Internet, a thing so terribly strange, Jude can't help but reach for his wallet. For a thousand dollars, Jude will become the proud owner of a dead man's suit, said to be haunted by a restless spirit. He isn't afraid. He has spent a lifetime coping with ghosts — of an abusive father, of the lovers he callously abandoned, of the bandmates he betrayed. What's one more? But what UPS delivers to his door in a black heart-shaped box is no imaginary or metaphorical ghost, no benign conversation piece. It's the real thing. Tip of the hat to Nirvana for the title, no complaints here, this is a tale of true horror, a perverse homage to our compulsive need to own things.

Lemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes - Five teens with nothing in common, except their love of music, start a band during detention one day. Though the group faces many challenges, they find ways to help each other while inspiring everyone with their unique brand of music.

Before I Die by Jenny Downham - What would you do if you only had months to live? Seventeen year old Tessa has a list, that grows and changes, even as she slowly fades away. When she does die, she does so knowing that she has lived fully every day she was given.

Kamichama Karin ( Series ) by Koge Donbo - This 7-volume graphic novel introduces Karin, a orphaned teen, who has just lost her best friend, her cat, Si-chan. Enter a mysterious boy and his cousin, who know more about Karin than they should, a potential boyfriend who may or may not be out to kill her, and a twist to end all twists, Kamichama Karin is fun and intriguing from start to finish. (A second series will start in June of 2008.)


Nonfiction

Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Joan Druett - What is the most important thing to have in a shipwreck? The surprising answer is: a good leader. The year was 1864. Two ships wrecked off the coast of New Zealand. One survived and even thrived over their two year stay on the island. The other group was not so fortunate…

Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure (Rachel Fershleiser and Larry Smith, Editors) - If you could use only six words to describe your life, what would you say? The editors of Smith Magazine, "Everyone has a story," have published a collection of submissions to the Featured Stories Project Wall (which by the way is an ongoing project, you can still submit). Funny, thought provoking, incomprehensible, profound, random, succinct, it's amazing how much six words can convey. Better than bathroom grafitti, not quite haiku.

Please Excuse My Daughter: A Memoir by Julie Klam - The only daughter of a privileged family, Klam grew up in a family of career-shunning, dependence-seeking, fun-loving, and extravagent women. While this worked for her mother, Klam found that being unmarried and unemployed was not all that much fun. Marriage and motherhood forced her to take the first steps toward twenty-first-century self-reliance. Delivered in an uproariously funny, sweet, self-effacing, and utterly memorable voice, Please Excuse My Daughter is a bighearted memoir from an irresistible new writer.

Lily Dale: The True Story of the Town that Talks to the Dead by Christine Wicker - Is it a hoax, or real? In upstate New York, the town of Lily Dale has existed for over a hundred years. It is a town founded by Spiritualists and peopled by those who say they can communicate with the dead. Every summer, twenty thousand people descend on Lily Dale, hoping to make contact with their loved ones who have crossed over.

The Dangerous Book for Boys by Conn Iggulden - With computers taking over every aspect of life, what essential skills do we miss out on? This book for guys and their dads teaches all the old skills: knot tying, hide tanning, map reading, and battle planning, among so much else. Learn everything you need to survive in real life, read this book.

The Daring Book for Girls by Andrea Buchanan - Don't worry girls, there's a version of the Dangerous Book for Boys for you, too. No learning how to sew here, this book covers everything a girl needs to know to live a full life of adventure. This book as it all, check it out.

May Recommendations for Adults

Fiction

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz - Things have never been easy for Oscar, a sweet but disastrously overweight, lovesick Dominican ghetto nerd. From his home in New Jersey, where he lives with his old-world mother and rebellious sister, Oscar dreams of becoming the Dominican J. R. R. Tolkien and, most of all, of finding love. But he may never get what he wants, thanks to the Fuk — the curse that has haunted Oscar's family for generations, dooming them to prison, torture, tragic accidents, and, above all, ill-starred love. Oscar, still waiting for his first kiss, is just its most recent victim. Diaz received the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for fiction and the coveted Powell's 2008 Tournament of Books Rooster Award.

A Carrion Death by Michael Stanley - Game rangers discover a body on the Kalahari Desert in Botswanna and Detective David "Kubu" Bengu is assigned to the case. Nicknamed for the deceptively docile hippopotamus, Kubu follows a blood-soaked trail through lies, superstition, and bureaucratic roadblocks to the highest levels of government, uncovering the criminal enterprises of corrupt officials. A memorable detective makes his debut in this gritty, mesmerizing thriller set amid the beauty and darkness of modern Africa.

The Darcy Connection by Elizabeth Aston - A Jane Austen read-a-like seems to be published every month and to this popular genre Ashton adds the fifth title in her series of Darcy family inspired novels. Mr. Collins, once the parson at Rosings Park (Pride and Prejudice), now Bishop of Ripton has two daughters of marriage age, one of "extraordinary beauty," the other "possessing a lively intelligence." Aston has skillfully used Austen's themes of wit versus beauty, the consequences of small fortunes on marriage prospects, jealous rivals, lively heroines, and plots to ruin reputations and created a thoroughly entertaining novel.

Gardens of Water by Alan Drew - Brought up in a traditional Kurdish family, 15 year old Irem befriends the 17 year old son of expatriate American teachers. Her father, troubled by the Americanization of his eldest daughter, wants to return to his old village. When an earthquake devastates the region, the survival of both families depends on their ability to override mutual distrust. Called "simply breathtaking" by reviewers, Alan Drew's stunning first novel brings to life two unforgettable families and the sacrifice and love that bind them together.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen - Generations of Waverlys have cast culinary spells on the townsfolk of Bascom, N.C. with recipes prepared from the fruits of their private walled garden. Claire, the last of the Waverlys, quietly tends the family plot and runs a successful catering business and life is good, until the return of her rebellious sister with a young daughter in tow. In her review, Luanne Rice said, "she believes in love, and that is her magic."


Nonfiction

From Harvey River: A Memoir of My Mother and Her People by Lorna Goodison - In lush, vivid prose, textured with the cadences of Creole speech, Lorna Goodison weaves together memory, history, and mythology to create the tapestry that captures life in rural Jamaica. She takes us deep into the heart of a complete world to tell a universal story of family and the ties that bind us to the place we call home. Reviewer Lisa Fugard said: "Being introduced to the cast of From Harvey River is like sitting down at the family dinner table."

Home: A Memoir of My Early Years by Julie Andrews - The world's favorite actress began her stage career at the age of 3 and her popularity has never waned. Recalling her childhood in the slums of London during the Blitz, early singing career, and stage roles up until Camelot, Julie tells it all with appealing candor and humor. An incredible memoir with tons of never-before-seen photos.

Mama Rock's Rules: Ten Lessons for Raising a Houseful of Successful Children by Rose Rock - Structure, control, order, honesty, and good manners are the bedrock of Mama Rock's parenting philosophy. How she imparted these vital lessons to her 10 children and 17 foster children make her story good reading. Parents and children alike will connect to her funny and highly practical lessons such as the basic tenet of "Feed Them and They Will Tell You Anything" and sharing her secrets on how little traditions as well as the big ones knit a family together.

No Man’s Lands: One Man’s Odyssey through the Odyssey by Scott Huler - NPR contributor Huler declared, on the air, that he would never read James Joyce's Ulysses. Devotees of Joyce threw down the gauntlet and Huler read not only Ulysses but Homer's Odyssey as well. Inspired, he embarked upon his own epic journey, sailing from Troy to Ithaca. Huler's light-handed touch deftly mixes literary and historical detail while keeping it real with sketches of the people and places he visits.

The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez - Schizophrenia drove Nathaniel Ayers from his promising career at Julliard to LA's Skid Row where Los Angeles Times columnist and novelist Lopez discovered him playing classical and jazz tunes on a two stringed violin. Though homeless and mentally ill, Ayers made a life in his "Little Walt Disney Concert Hall" sidewalk concerts. Despite good intentions and connections, the uncontrollable nature of Ayers' illness undermines every attempt to return to a "normal" life. His story will inspire you.