April New York Times Best Sellers

April 8th: Fiction and Nonfiction

April 15th: Fiction and Nonfiction

April 22nd: Fiction and Nonfiction

April 29th Fiction and Nonfiction

The Great Books Discussion Group

Last Saturday I had the pleasure of sitting in on a discussion with the Great Books group here at the Library. The Great Books Discussion Group has been meeting monthly for more than three years in the library's Conference Room, usually on the fourth Saturday of the month. Last Saturday we discussed “A Rose for Emily” by Faulkner as featured in “The Seven Deadly Sins Sampler” a collection of transgressive tales that ‘are guaranteed to arouse your moral imagination.’ The next discussion will center on “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Connor.

Faulkner is a great author to get your teeth into! The more we discussed “A Rose for Emily,” the more we came to appreciate Faulkner’s mastery. Using the text as our base we discussed definitions of pride, the old South, Faulkner’s imagery and themes and how the story structure mimicked small town gossip and legend. The discussion was rich, meaty and deep with many laughs and ‘lightbulb moments’. I will certainly be stopping by for future discussions.

The Great Books Group always welcomes new members. More information on this great group can be found here or email me at emma@topshamlibrary.org.

The New York Times Bestseller List April, 1 2012

This week's best sellers: fiction and nonfiction.

The New York Times Bestseller List March 18 and 25, 2012

March 18: fiction and nonfiction.

March 25: fiction and nonfiction.

Even More Patron Picks!

Lonely Vigil: Coastwatchers of the Solomons by Walter Lord

WWII - reference to Kennedy's rescue. Father Lobel from Brunswick helped rescue soldiers.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Written in 1937. She was way ahead of her time. Fascinating novel about the African American experience.

Sailing alone around the room by Billy Collins

Billy Collins is one of the most important living poets. He was Poet Laureate about 10 years ago. Refreshing, surprising.

The Apple Grower by Michael Phillips

Michael Phillips opens up a whole new world of possibility.

The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean

Beautifully written story of another time and place.


The Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

Intriguing story that makes you feel like you were there.

More Patron Picks!

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

Beautiful Civil War love story. Enthralling, haunting.

Light on Snow by Anita Shreve

Beautifully written mystery.

The Little Russian by Susan Sherman

If the worst was the Holocaust, this tells the story of a close second. Very engaging.

Death comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book. This P.D. James' book is a fine addition to Jane's book and I hope P.D. James will carry on with the Darcy family!

The Lovely Bones by Alice Seybold

If you liked the movie, you'll like the book probably more! It goes into such depth, exploring hearts and minds. A love story, suspenseful, imaginative, deep.

Patron Picks is still happening!

Have a book that you love and would like to recommend to us? Now is your chance with Patron Picks for the month of March! Just find the book on our shelves, grab a Patron Picks bookmark, give it to one of our staff and we will put it on display. You can tell us about it on the bookmark if you wish, but it's not obligatory.

Here  are what some of our patrons had to say about their picks:

Stork by Wendy Delsol

Sixteen-year-old Katla discovers she has some mystical power! She's enlisted into a secret society of 'Storks'.

A Good Man by Guy Vanderhaeghe

A tale of two countries in 1870. Written with respect for readers and subject. A master of the metaphor.

Masterpieces of Murder by Agatha Christie

'And then there were none' is my all-time favorite story, and the movie has a different ending.

Big Stone Gap by Andriana Trigiani

First of a series about a woman growing up in Appalachia who uncovers the mystery of her Italian family.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

About being a black maid in a white world. Great character development and perspective.

Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer

Interesting characters. Good story. Looking forward to the next book.

We're looking forward to more of your picks!

The New York Times Bestseller List March 4 and 11, 2012

March 4: fiction and nonfiction.

March 11: fiction and nonfiction.

Happy Leap Year! Patron Picks!

Legend states that on Leap Day women have the ‘privilege’ of proposing to men. In this spirit of role-reversal, for one month, we would like you, the patrons, to recommend books to us!

All you have to do is pick up a Patron Picks bookmark from the display and the book of your choice on our shelves. Bring them up to the front desk and we’ll  put them on display for you!

Staff Picks!

Need a book recommendation? Check out our staff picks here at the library.  There's a display of them behind the new book display!

The New York Times Bestseller List February 19 and 26, 2012

February 19: fiction and nonfiction.

 February 26: fiction and nonfiction.

The New York Times Bestseller List February 5 and 12, 2012

February 5: fiction and nonfiction.

 February 12: fiction and nonfiction.

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

Pulitzer Prize winner Eugenides once again delivers a novel that is rich, engrossing and filled with enough literary references to please even the most dedicated book-lover. The novel follows Madeline Hanna, Leonard Bankhead and Mitchell Grammaticus as they navigate through their final year of Brown and the year following their graduation. Madeline, an English-major whose thesis gives us the title of the novel, meets Leonard, a brilliant and enigmatic student,  in a Semiotics class and the two begin a relationship, one that is marred by Leonard’s diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Mitchell, a theology major, holds on to the hope that he is the one destined for Madeline. 

Eugenides has denied reports that the novel is based on real life events, but it’s hard not to see Eugenides in Grammaticus, while much has been said of Bankhead’s similarity to David Wallace Foster, who was in a relationship with Mary Karr, the memoirist, in the early nineties.  That said, I found these links enhanced my enjoyment of the novel.

The Marriage Plot has already garnered praise from many places including the New York Times, Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus Review and Library Journal. Eugenides’ exploration of love and well-drawn characters make it the kind of book you find yourself thinking about long after you have read it. 

Emma

The New York Times Bestseller List January, 29 2012

This week's best sellers: fiction and nonfiction.

The New York Times Bestseller List January, 22 2012

This week's best sellers: fiction and nonfiction.

Top 5 of 2011!

What were your top reads of 2011? We asked our staff the same question and they narrowed down all the books they had read to five favorite ones. Read what the TPL staff thought then please tell us your top 5 using the comments feature (please note that you can choose from the books you read this year no matter what the publication date).

Julie:

1. Laina Taylor  DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE
2. Patrick Ness A MONSTER CALLS
3. Kim Harrison PALE DEMON
4. Beth Revis  ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
5. Karen Marie Moning  DARK FEVER

Mariah:

1. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins – Exciting!! I literally could not read fast enough  
2. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen – long, sometimes torturous, but ultimately redemptive
3. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness – Get your tissues out
4. Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches From the Front Lines of the New Girlie-girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein – enlightening and infuriating
5. The Flavia de Luce novels by Alan Bradley – fun!

Linda:

1. Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn – first book in a series which could be all five of my favorites!
2. The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill
3. A Rule Against Murder by Louise Penny  - If you haven’t read any of her books, start with her first book – Still Life
4. A Small Death in the Great Glen by A.D. Scott
5. The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

Emma:

1. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness - A truly heartwrenching but masterful allegory of grief and human resilience.
2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - This story of two lovestruck magicians is unlike any you will read this year.
3. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell - Gladwell examines the secrets behind success and upturns conventional wisdom. This was a fascinating read.
4. Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma - Haunting and eerie, this is an intense story of two sisters that goes beyond the parameters of realism.
5. The Doll: The Lost Short Stories by Daphne du Maurier - I am a big fan of du Maurier so this newly published collection was a real treat.

Susan:

1. House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz—first time in its one-hundred-and-twenty-five-year history, the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate has authorized a new Sherlock Holmes novel
2. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson—satisfying novel of life and love in all its’ forms set in the English countryside.
3. The Elegance of a Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery—surprising episodic novel about the lives of those who live and work in a Paris apartment building.
4. The Shanghai Moon: A Bill Smith/Lydia Chin Novel by S.J. Rozan—a wonderful mystery for people who don’t like mysteries.
5. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness—a superb example of the power of storytelling. A story of one young man's attempt to deal with tragedy in his life and also an allegory about how the human spirit can overcome great pain and despair.

Mary Ann:

1. See, Lisa –Snowflower and the secret fan
2. Senate, Mellissa – The love goddess’ cooking school
3. Doiron, Paul (editor of Down East)--  Trespasser  (2^nd novel)
4. Hamlin, Ardeana –Pink chimneys (#1)
5. Hamlin, Ardeana – Abbot’s reach

Helen:

1. The Ridge by Michael Koryta
2. The Restorer by Amanda Steves
3. Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
4. One was a Soldier by Julia Spencer-Fleming
5. A Double Death on the Black Isle by A.D. Scott

Lynne:

1. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
2. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
3. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
4. Before I go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
5. The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield

Cyndi:

1. Murder of the Century by Paul Collins
2. Warped by Maurissa Guibord
3. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
4. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
5. Faerie Winter by Janni Lee Simner

The New York Times Bestseller List January, 15 2012

This week's best sellers: fiction and nonfiction.

The New York Times Bestseller List January, 8 2012

This week's best sellers: fiction and nonfiction.

The New York Times Bestseller List January, 1 2012

This week's best sellers: fiction and nonfiction.

The New York Times Bestseller List December 25, 2011

This week's best sellers: fiction and nonfiction.