Mounting Fears by Stuart Woods

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I have just finished reading the latest Stuart Woods Washington, D.C. political mystery, Mounting Fears. I have to admit to never having read any of his books before, though he is the author of 38 others. Yet another one is due out in April 2009.

This is what the summary in our catalog says about Mounting Fears:
"New York Times'– bestselling author Stuart Woods returns with another page-turning thriller. President Will Lee is having a rough week. His vice president just died during surgery. Confirmation hearings for the new vice president are under way, but the squeaky-clean governor whom Will has nominated may have a few previously unnoticed skeletons in his closet. And Teddy Fay, the rogue CIA agent last seen in Shoot Him If He Runs, is plotting his revenge on CIA director Kate Rule Lee—the president’s wife. Plus there are some loose nukes in Pakistan that might just trigger World War III if Will’s diplomatic efforts fall short. It’s up to President Lee—with some help from Holly Barker, Lance Cabot, and a few other Stuart Woods series regulars—to save the world, and the upcoming election."

Having stayed up late at night to finish this book, I am no longer surprised by the frequency with we are asked for this author at the reference desk. Mounting Fears has multiple plot lines, but Woods skillfully dovetails them all together while avoiding unbelievable coincidences and keeping our interest going in each suspenseful thread. I thought Woods showed himself to be a very sophisticated writer because he manages to maintain that suspense without hyperbole. There is violence and ruthlessnes, much of it under the surface and handled with kid gloves. Mounting Fears is a short book and no word is wasted; much as no word is wasted by the ruthless power players in the book. The spare prose just recounts events as they unfold. The reader feels that for the space of the book he or she is truly a Washington insider. The situations seem to be lifted straight from the news of today. Mounting Fears features Holly Barker and Lance Cabot of the CIA. These characters have appeared in other books and appear fully fledged in this one with no introduction. Rather than detracting from the book, this adds to the atmosphere of secrets, conspiracy, manipulation and the oppression of absolute power that makes this such a good read.

Sebastion Barry Wins 2008 Costa Book of the Year Award

The Secret Scripture, by Irish author Sebastion Barry (Find this book in our catalog) was awarded the 2008 Costa Book of the Year Award. The Award was announced in London on January 27. Barry will receive £25,000 in prize money (click here for information on the Award).

The Secret Scripture is a moving account of one woman's stolen life and her journey to reclaim the past. This is how it is summarized in our catalog: "A gorgeous new novel from the author of the Man Booker finalist A Long Long Way. As a young woman, Roseanne McNulty was one of the most beautiful and beguiling girls in County Sligo, Ireland. Now, as her hundredth year draws near, she is a patient at Roscommon Regional Mental Hospital, and she decides to record the events of her life. As Roseanne revisits her past, hiding the manuscript beneath the floorboards in her bedroom, she learns that Roscommon Hospital will be closed in a few months and that her caregiver, Dr. Grene, has been asked to evaluate the patients and decide if they can return to society. Roseanne is of particular interest to Dr. Grene, and as he researches her case he discovers a document written by a local priest that tells a very different story of Roseanne’s life than what she recalls. As doctor and patient attempt to understand each other, they begin to uncover long-buried secrets about themselves. Set against an Ireland besieged by conflict, The Secret Scriptureis an epic story of love, betrayal, and unavoidable tragedy, and a vivid reminder of the stranglehold that the Catholic Church had on individual lives for much of the twentieth century."

Sundance Film Festival honors Push, based on novel by Sapphire

At the Sundance Film Festival (click here for more details of the Festival, which ran from January 15 to 25, 2009) the movie Push, based on the novel by Sapphire won three major awards--the Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Dramatic, the Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic, and a Special Jury Prize for acting.

Find this book in our catalog

This is what it says in our catalog about the book: "Relentless, remorseless, and inspirational, this "horrific, hope-filled story" (Newsday) is certain to haunt a generation of readers. Precious Jones, 16 years old and pregnant by her father with her second child, meets a determined and highly radical teacher who takes her on a journey of transformation and redemption."

Books Into Movies Strong Oscar Contenders

Oscar Nominees were announced yesterday, Thursday, January 22, 2009 (click Oscar.com for the official list of nominees).

According to an article today in Shelf Awareness, an online publication of the American Booksellers Association, "Adapting novels to film once again proved to be a winning formula for Oscar nominations in major categories..."
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was nominated for best picture, best director (David Fincher), best actor (Brad Pitt), best supporting actress (Taraji P. Henson) and best adapted screenplay. The story was anthologized in Tales of the Jazz Age and can be found in our library in Novels and stories, 1920-1922 Find this book in our catalog.
Slumdog Millionaire, based upon Vikas Swarup's novel Q&A, was nominated for best picture, best director (Danny Boyle) and best adapted screenplay. Find this book in our catalog.
The Reader, based upon Bernhard Schlink's novel, was nominated for best picture, best director (Stephen Daldry), best actress (Kate Winslet) and best adapted screenplay. Find this book in our catalog.
Revolutionary Road, based upon the novel by Richard Yates, was nominated for best supporting actor (Michael Shannon), best art direction and best costume design.

The Oscars will be presented Sunday, February 22.

John Mortimer, Barrister and Writer Who Created Rumpole, Dies at 85

According to the New York Times of January 17, 2009, "John Mortimer, barrister, author, playwright and creator of Horace Rumpole, the cunning defender of the British criminal classes, died on Friday[January 16] at his home in Oxfordshire, England. He was 85."
Click here for the New York Times article.
Mr. Mortimer is known best in this country for creating the Rumpole character, an endearing and enduring relic of the British legal system who became a television hero of the courtroom comedy.
Here is a list of some of his titles:
Rumpole Misbehaves Find this book in our catalog
Quite Honestly Find this book in our catalog
Rumpole on Trial Find this book in our catalog
Rumpole and the Reign of Terror Find this book in our catalog
Rumpole and the Reign of Terror [audiobook] Find this book in our catalog
Rumpole and the Reign of Terror [large print] Find this book in our catalog
Rumpole and the Angel of Death Find this book in our catalog
Rumpole Rests His Case Find this book in our catalog
Rumpole and the Primrose Path Find this book in our catalog
Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders Find this book in our catalog
Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders [audiobook] Find this book in our catalog
Rumpole and the Age of Miracles [audiobook]Find this book in our catalog
Rumpole a la Carte Find this book in our catalog

American Book Awards 2008

The American Book Awards for 2008 were recently announced by The American Booksellers Association. Click here for more information.

The American Book Awards, established in 1978 by the Before Columbus Foundation, recognize outstanding literary achievement from the entire spectrum of America's diverse literary community. The purpose of the awards is to recognize literary excellence without limitations or restrictions. There are no categories, no nominees, and therefore no losers.

2008 Awards:
How Does It Feel to Be a Problem Being Young and Arab in America by Moustafa Bayoumi
Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A. Blackmon
Russians in Tlingit America: The Battles of Sitka, 1802 And 1804 by Nora Marks Dauenhauer, Richard Dauenhauer, and Lydia T. Black, and Anóoshi Lingít Aaní Ká
All That Lies Between Us by Maria Mazziotti Gillan
The Collected Poetry of Nikki Giovanni: 1968-1998 by Nikki Giovanni
Prairie Style by C.S. Giscombe
Where I Must Go: A Novel by Angela Jackson
Each Month I Sing by L. Luis Lopez
Doing Nothing: A History of Loafers, Loungers, Slackers, and Bums in America by Tom Lutz
Steer Toward Rock by Fae Myenne Ng
The Ocean in the Closet by Yuko Taniguchi
Don't Deny My Name: Words and Music and the Black Intellectual Tradition by Lorenzo Thomas, Aldon Lynn Nielsen, editor
Incognegro: A Memoir of Exile and Apartheid by Frank B. Wilderson III
Al’ America: Travels Through America’s Arab and Islamic Roots by Jonathan Curiel
Lifetime Achievement Award: J.J. Phillips, Author of Mojo Hand: An Orphic Tale

Edgar Allan Poe Awards Announce Nominees

According to a press release of 1/16/09, The Mystery Writers of America has announced the nominees for the 2009 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, as it celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of Poe.

Awards will be presented on 30th April in New York City.

FICTION AND TRUE CRIME SHORTLISTS IN FULL:
BEST NOVEL

Missing by Karin Alvtegen

Blue Heaven by C J Box

Sins of the Assassin by Robert Ferrigno

The Price of Blood by Declan Hughs

The Night Following by Morag Joss

Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz
BEST FIRST NOVEL BY AN AMERICAN AUTHOR

The Kind One by Tom Epperson

Sweetsmoke by David Fuller

The Foreigner by Francie Lin

Calumet City by Charlie Newton

A Cure for Night by Justin Peacock
BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL

The Prince of Bagram by Alex Carr

Money Shot by Christa Faust

Enemy Combatant by Ed Gaffney

China Lake by Meg Gardiner

The Cold Spot by Tom Piccirilli
BEST FACT CRIME

For The Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb and the Murder that Shocked Chicago by Simon Baatz

American Lightning: Terror, Mystery, the Birth of Hollywood, and the Crime of the Century by Howard Blum

Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It To The Revolution by T.J. English

The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Hans van Meegeren by Jonathan Lopez

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale

Click here for more details

"Authors revealed" for book groups

Simon and Schuster has launched a new website, according to Craig Morgan Teicher in PW Daily Report for 1/14/09: www.simonandschuster.com.

Teicher writes, "The completely redesigned site replaces the old www.simonsays.com and features an array of new capabilities, including in-depth author and book hubs, author blogs, multimedia and interactivity... A main feature of the new site is the “Author Voices” section, a series of blogs by S&S authors, each of whom is given access to a dashboard through which they can post at will (subject to S&S approval). Other author-related features include “Authors Revealed,” for which authors answer a standard set of non-book-related questions to give readers a broader impression of who they are. S&S also built an in-house digital studio, where the company films author videos for use on the site. All author content is woven together on each author’s page, and also appears in other relevant places on the site."

Check this site out as a resource for your book discussions.

Book groups can contact speakers' bureaus for authors

I learned in The PW Morning Report for 1/14/09 in an article by Dermot McEvoy that Macmillan has become the latest publisher to establish a speakers bureau for its authors. Several other publishers have already established this service. Speakers can usually be arranged for a fee. Book groups especially enjoy the many authors who are willing to do telephone chats for free.

Click here for more information on Macmillan Speakers.com

From a quick check of the site it does not look as if the speakers will do phone chats; however, MacMillan does say, "We can find a speaker uniquely positioned for your audience and budget. We would be pleased to help you begin your speaker selection. Please contact us and we will assist you in finding the ideal talent for your event."

When visiting the website you can search a database of about 100 speakers by topic, name, or geographic location. You can sign up to receive information about speaker appearances,special offers, and news.

Finalists for Story Prize

The three finalists for the Story Prize, which honors a book of short fiction, are:
* Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
* Demons in the Spring by Joe Meno
* Our Story Begins by Tobias Wolff

The prize will be awarded in March

Original Voices in Fiction and Nonfiction

2008 Borders Original Voices Awards
The winners in the categories for adults of the 2008 Borders Original Voices Awards, which honor "fresh, compelling and ambitious written works from new and emerging talents," are going to:
* Fiction: The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway Find this book in our catalog The committee commented: "A haunting story of ordinary and not-so-ordinary people trying to find and retain their humanity in the midst of war and siege."
* Nonfiction: The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the
Happiest Places in the World by Eric Weiner Find this book in our catalog "Part travelogue, part self-help, part anthropological study, the best part of this entertaining and informative book is Weiner's rich, clever writing." Click here for a list of the nominees.

Award Books Make Good Book Club Picks

Costa Book Awards Category Winners

The Costa Prize (formerly the Whitbread Prize) will be announced January 27.

The following winners of Costa prizes in five categories are competing for overall book of the year:

Somewhere Towards the End by Diana Athill (2008 Costa prize for biography)
The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry (best novel)
Just Henry by Michelle Magorian (best children's book)
The Outcast by Sadie Jones (best first novel)
The Broken Word by Adam Foulds (best poetry collection)

Family Acts by Louise Shaffer

The Abingdon Book Group read Family Acts for January.
Family Acts is a novel that contains several stories. Two complete strangers, Katie Harder, a New York City scriptwriter and Randa Jennings, a Hollywood business manager, are left an old theater in Georgia. They have no idea how they are connected either to each other or to the theater and on the one hand the book is their story - how they discover those connections. On the other hand it is the story of the Venable family who owned the theater from the 1800s. In particular it is about Juliet, the first Venable owner, her daughter, Ophelia, and Ophelia's niece Olivia. The chapters move between the present and the past, and there are a lot of characters and events that can cause the reader some confusion. In general the book group liked this novel, although some felt there was such a lot going on in it that it could have almost been made into two books. The ending was more trite than some liked with the very convenient introduction of love interests for Katie and Randa. However, don't be put off. The author obviously knows the theater well and the Venable theater is a character in its own right. Anyone who is interested in genealogy or family dramas would enjoy this novel. It is fascinating to discover how the past connects to the present.

Reading On the Rise Among Adults

A National Endowment for the Arts study released Monday said that for the first time since 1982, "the proportion of adults 18 and older
who said they had read at least one novel, short story, poem or play in
the previous 12 months has risen [to 50.2%]."
Click here for the study called "Reading on the Rise: a new chapter in American Literacy," and based on data from the Census Bureau compiled last year.
The increase was most notable among 18-24 year olds and involved novels
and short stories more than poetry or drama. Literary reading also
increased among Hispanic Americans.
For the first time, the study included Internet reading, which might have helped boost rates, although it has been suggested that some people don't count reading online or on e-readers as "book" reading.
Among the key findings:
Literary reading increases
For the first time in the history of the survey - conducted five times since 1982 - the overall rate at which adults read literature (novels and short stories, plays, or poems) rose by seven percent.
The absolute number of literary readers has grown significantly. There were 16.6 million more adult readers of literature in 2008. The growth in new readers reflects higher adult reading rates combined with overall population growth.
The 2008 increases followed significant declines in reading rates for the two most recent ten-year survey periods (1982-1992 and 1992-2002).
Demographics of literature readers
Young adults show the most rapid increases in literary reading. Since 2002, 18-24 year olds have seen the biggest increase (nine percent) in literary reading, and the most rapid rate of increase (21 percent). This jump reversed a 20 percent rate of decline in the 2002 survey, the steepest rate of decline since the NEA survey began.
Since 2002, reading has increased at the sharpest rate (+20 percent) among Hispanic Americans, Reading rates have increased among African Americans by 15 percent, and among Whites at an eight percent rate of increase.
For the first time in the survey's history, literary reading has increased among both men and women. Literary reading rates have grown or held steady for adults of all education levels.
Trends in media and literary preferences
Fiction (novels and short stories) accounts for the new growth in adult literary readers.
Reading poetry and drama continues to decline, especially poetry-reading among women.
Online readers also report reading books. Eighty-four percent of adults who read literature (fiction, poetry, or drama) on or downloaded from the Internet also read books, whether print or online.
Nearly 15 percent of all U.S. adults read literature online in 2008.
A tale of two Americas
The U.S. population now breaks into two almost equally sized groups – readers and non-readers.
A slight majority of American adults now read literature (113 million) or books (119 million) in any format.
Reading is an important indicator of positive individual and social behavior patterns. Previous NEA research has shown that literary readers volunteer, attend arts and sports events, do outdoor activities, and exercise at higher rates than non-readers.

Death's half Acre by Margaret Maron

Publisher's Weekly called Death's Half Acre (Find this book in our catalog) "a mellow, down-home mystery." I just consumed this book in only a few sittings and I sure it will have enormous appeal for readers of traditional mysteries for whom the key to a good read is an up-beat ending where the forces of right come out on top. I suppose this could almost be called a "cozy" mystery; but don't be afraid, Death's Half Acre has none of the cuteness and few of the frothy frills, enjoyable though they can be, of the current crop of punning mysteries centered on cooking or handicrafts.

Margaret Maron has got the tone just right in this 14th novel to feature Judge Deborah Knott. Drawing on her own North Carolina roots the author began the series with The Bootlegger's Daughter, which almost swept the board of major mystery awards. Light-handedly, Maron delineates her large cast of characters, the Judge's friends and vast extended family who populate rural Colleton County. Sure enough, the characters are rather stereotypical, but are drawn with sensitivity, humor, affection and tolerance for their failings. The author clearly understands what makes ordinary people in Colleton County tick.

When the book starts, people in the county are preparing for what will probably be a contentious hearing of the Planning Committee of the County Commissioners. County residents and politicians are divided about growth, as housing developments and shopping malls squeeze out the small farmers. Then the apparent suicide of Candace Bradshaw, a sexy and power-hungry small business owner and Chair of the County Commissioners uncovers a chain of corruption and murders.

Judge Knott tries to stay aloof from the investigation, carried out by her newly-wed husband, sheriff's deputy Dwight Bryant. For one thing she is busy with settling disputes in court and attending gatherings of family and friends. She's also concerned about what scheme her ex-bootlegger father can be up to with a manipulative and egomaniacal preacher. Eventually, however, worried about her political future, Deborah is driven to interfere with Dwight's case: she bends the law a little and suddenly is in the most terrible danger.

I'm sure I won't spoil the story if I say that good does triumph in the end in this is a modern-day parable about the dangers of greed spoiling the good things you already have. I am sure you will find as I did that it's very pleasurable just seeing how everything works out. I closed the book anticipating the next installment of the series, and I might go back and read some of the earlier books too; though it's not essential to be familiar with what went before to thoroughly enjoy this southern mystery!

The 2009 Winter Reading Program, Go Nuts About Reading!, begins today

The 2009 Winter Reading Program, Go Nuts About Reading!, begins today and runs through March 7. To complete the program, adults must read or listen to 5 books and high school teens must read or listen to 3 or more books. During January, February and early March, you may register and receive a commemorative Winter Reading pen (while supplies last), and when you finish, you will receive a Winter Reading mug (while supplies last). Stop by your local HCPL branch to register, or for the first time since WRP began, we are accepting online registrations this year. If you would like to register online, visit “Reader’s Place” and click on “Go Nuts About Reading”. After you register, while supplies last stop by your branch for your pen and reading log.

New Year's Resolutions - Living Green

Interesting reading to help you with your resolution to live more eco-friendly.

Easy Green Living: The Ultimate Guide to Simple, Eco-Friendly Choices for You and Your Home by Renee Loux (find this book in our catalog)
Loux--accomplished raw food chef, award-winning author, and host of Fine Living TV's "Easy Being Green"--now applies her whole-foods philosophy to home, garden, and beauty routines.

Go Green, Live Rich: 50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth and Get Rich Trying by David Bach (find this book in our catalog)
Bach outlines 50 ways to make one's life, home, shopping, and personal finances greener--and get rich trying. He offers ways to improve the environment while spending less, saving more, earning more, and paying fewer taxes.

The Toxic Consumer: Living Healthy in a Hazardous World by Karen Ashton (find this book in our catalog)
More than ever, we want to know how to make informed, responsible choices about what we buy, for our own good and for the good of our planet. "The Toxic Consumer "provides the answers, precisely and accessibly. And you don't need to be a scientist to understand the information. One by one, the guide breaks down such noxious substances as PFCs, phthalates, perchloroethylene, and formaldehyde and explains what each one is and what threats it poses, what items contain these poisons, and how they interact with our bodies and well-being. Then it outlines healthier options for bedding, flooring, cosmetics, clothing, food and drink, and everything else we need.

The Lazy Environmentalist: Your Guide to Easy, Stylish, Green Living by Josh Dorfman (find this book in our catalog)
It is now perfectly possible (and increasingly easy) to be well fed, well coiffed, well dressed, and well traveled while remaining deeply committed to an ecologically sustainable lifestyle. In "The Lazy Environmentalist," Josh Dorfman, host of the Sirius Satellite Radio program of the same name, provides comprehensive guidance to fashion-forward consumers who are as concerned about the long-term health of our planet as they are about the design of their bathroom fixtures. Covering topics that range from clothing to electronic gadgetry, home decor to recreation, and gardening to financial investment, Dorfman lets us know which trends to watch and which eco-conscious products to buy. Green, it turns out, can be an extremely stylish color.

Cool Green Stuff: A Guide to Finding Great Recycled, Sustainable, Renewable Objects You Will Love by Dave Evans (find this book in our catalog)
This full-color collection of the latest in environmentally conscious--yet incredibly stylish--products reveals the imagination and innovation of leading designers at work around the world today. Each product is accompanied by a brief description explaining its environmental significance.