Adults

We have no December meeting, so let's consider a few things you might read in the meantime.

The trope codifier for Western fantasy literature is The Lord of the Rings. Protagonists are heroic, evil is absolute, magic is grand, and violence is noble swordplay. The world is mostly beautiful and full of wonder. This is high fantasy, with a low fantasy counterpart that tends towards smaller stories in dirtier settings.

I spent an hour of my afternoon unpacking and cataloging a box of brand new books for the library (love that new book smell!) and I came across Children of the Night by Dan Simmons.  I was immediately intrigued because I absolutely loved his 2009 novel Drood.  It scared the daylights out of me and I've always meant to read more of his novels. 

Children of the Night gets good reviews on Goodreads and Amazon.com so if you are looking for a good scary read for winter break, this might be the book for you.

We have two new copies and they will be out on our New Book Shelves just as soon as I ge them labeled.  Oh, you can place your hold here.

Happy Reading!

The structure of the story mirrors the subject. There will not be a lot of action scenes. You might be better served to think of them as set pieces rather than scenes. It is like going to a museum or a circus. When there is a new tent in the Circus of Dreams, you see what is in it, how it makes people feel, who it is linked to, and why it came to be. It is both an item to be described and a unit of narrative. Once you understand that part of the circus, you understand that part of the story, next tent/plot point.

 
     Storytime and Babytime will be taking a winter break from Monday, December 17th-Friday, January 4th.  Both programs will resume the week of January 7th!

The debut novel, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis was picked as the next title in Oprah's Book Club 2.0.

The book traces the story of Great Migration-era mother Hattie Shepherd, who in spite of poverty and a dysfunctional husband uses love and Southern remedies to raise nine children and prepare them for the realities of a harsh world.

Visit Oprah's Book Club 2.0 site to find Oprah's notes about the book, to read what other people are saying or to get the reading group guide.

Due to several generous donations the library has recently received, we are able to add 7 new Lit Kit titles this winter! Watch for these titles to start showing up during the next few months!

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
The Music of Silence by Andrea Bocelli
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

Click here for a complete list of titles.

New to Lit Kits? Click here to read all about them.

Bookpage has named Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn the Breakout Book of the Year! The library has both the print and eBook formats, so reserve a copy today!

Already read the book? Feel the need to talk about Amy and Nick and their relationship? Join us at Books on Tap on March 12, I'm sure there will be a lot to discuss!

Gillian is working on writing the Gone Girl screenplay which will star Reese Witherspoon, no word yet on who will be playing Nick.

Books on Tap will be taking December off.

Join us January 8, 2013 when we will be discussing The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer.

Paris, 1937. Andras Lévi, a Hungarian-Jewish architecture student, arrives from Budapest with a scholarship, a single suitcase, and a mysterious letter he promised to deliver. But when he falls into a complicated relationship with the letter's recipient, he becomes privy to a secret that will alter the course of his—and his family’s—history. From the small Hungarian town of Konyár to the grand opera houses of Budapest and Paris, from the despair of Carpathian winter to an unimaginable life in labor camps, The Invisible Bridge tells the story of a family shattered and remade in history’s darkest hour.

February 12: Wild: from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
March 12: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Behind The Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo, this year's One Book One Community Selection, won the 2012 National Book Award for nonfiction.

The fiction award went to Louise Erdrich for her novel The Round House which tells the story of Joe, a young Ojibwe boy, whose life is forever changed when his mother is attacked and raped. Ms. Erdrich has been a finalist twice before this year's win.

In honor of National Novel Writing Month ( NaNaWriMo) (and as an antidote to Halloween ghoulishness or apocalyptic gloom), this month’s book selection is Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, a book which began its life as NaNoWriMo work. It’s a love story, set in a moody and mystical carnival.

The first few chapters are mostly dry exposition, introducing our protagonists at a young age and explaining, more or less, the point that drives the narrative. They are magicians pitted against each other by their teachers in a contest to see whose method of magic is better. That is all and the reader is told. Part of the novel’s fun is discovering what the rules and the stakes of the game are just as our heroes do. The titular circus is the venue for their demonstrations. It is a character in itself, peopled with lively and detailed characters, any of which could be the star of their own story, without intruding upon the main attraction. The story evokes a mood reminiscent of Edward Gorey or Charles Addams, somewhat melancholy, somewhat sinister, entirely enchanting.

If you have read (or are going to read) this novel, please join us on Wednesday the 28th, at 7PM, in the Storytime room (behind the Children’s area).

Have a great idea for a novel? Want help getting started? This is the month to do something! You can start by visiting The National Novel Writing Month website. This site will challenge you to write your novel in a month. You begin by creating an account, once that is done you"ll have access to resources to track your progress, get support, meet other writers online and much more. 

Want support closer to home? The library offers two groups for local writers. 

Drop-in Writer's Workshop which meets once a month on a Monday, 7-9pm.

MSU Writing Center Group which meets twice a month on Tuesdays, 7-9pm.

Check out our newsletter for future meeting dates.

Car giving you trouble? Did you know the library offers online access to the Chilton's Auto Repair Manuals? Just click on the Research button at the top of the page, click on the link "Alphabetical list of all databases" and then click on the link for ChiltonLibrary.com. Once there you can access the database from home by logging in with your library card number.

When you are logged in you can use the Vehicle Selector to select the year, make and model of your car. Then depending on what attention your vehicle needs you can click on Repair, Maintenance or Bullitins/Recalls.

Have you seen this YouTube video a 4th grade class in NYC made encouraging people to vote on Nov 6?  Their song, set to the tune of the pop hit "Call Me Maybe", is non-partisan and promotes voting as a civic duty.  View it here.

Celebrate with a baseball DVD from the library this weekend!

Angels in the Outfield
Bull Durham
Eight Men Out
A League of Their Own
Moneyball
The Rookie

Or if you feel like curling up with a good book, try one of these.

Al Kaline: The Biography of a Tigers Icon by Jim Hawkins
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
Calico Joe by John Grisham
For Love of the Game by Michael Shaara
The Last Natural by Rob Miech
Nobody's Perfect by Armando Galarraga
Rocks Across the Pond by Richard and Kathy Verlander
Sparky and Me by Dan Ewald
Tales From the Detroit Tigers Dugout by Jack Ebling

Our book for October is The Nightmare People by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Eric has already provided some commentary, so let me introduce the author.

Lawrence Watt-Evans is a former president of the Horror Writers Association, which combined with the upcoming holiday to suggest his horror novel The Nightmare People for our October title, although last year's How to Prosper During the Coming Zombie Apocalypse could have been a strong competitor. You may note that one was published under the pseudonym Nathan Archer, which he uses for much science fiction. (Have we hit the saturation point on zombie apocalypses yet? Zombie is the new vampire.)

Lawrence Watt-Evans is probably best known for the Ethshar series, starting with The Misenchanted Sword. He has been noted for his surprisingly reasonable take on fantasy. Eliezer Yudkowsky comments, "If a Watt-Evans character gets their hands on a powerful cheat, they are going to exploit it to the fullest and actively think about creative new ways to use it. If they find a staff of healing, they're going to set up a hospital. If they invent a teleportation spell, they're going to think about new industrial uses." Yes, there is dragon-slaying in the series, but the titular misenchanted sword leads to considerations of military tactics, facing certain death for duty, and the problem of having eternal life without eternal youth. In The Nightmare People, consider the opening of chapter two and how the protagonist runs through the situation in the problem-solving fashion he might use at work.

Mr. Watt-Evans's characters are also part of a larger world that does not revolve around them. Events happen, sometimes throwing their lives and plans dramatically off course. If this were George Martin, half the cast might die in the process; Mr. Watt-Evans's tone is significantly lighter, perhaps closer to Heinlein's Friday, in which the title character goes through several unplanned career changes.

I picked The Nightmare People, but I had no idea what we are getting ourselves into other than that it is a horror novel by a good writer. We are all starting with that rare opportunity to be completely unspoiled. It is a quick read, so you still have time to finish even if you have not started yet. Please join us at 7PM on October 24 at the East Lansing Public Library.