Westport Public Library BOOK blog

The Soloist by Mark Salzman is the selected title for WestportREADS 2007.
A committee of volunteers and staff has planned a month of events & discussions for March. Read all about the plans, the book and the author on the Library website. We have many copies of the book for you to borrow or buy here at the Library.
Special thanks to Jerry A. Tishman for sponsoring WestportREADS!

Does one of the themes of The Soloist intrigue you? Jury trials? Buddhism? The world of musicians? The progression of our dreams into our realities? Invite your friends and neighbors to get together and discuss The Soloist during WestportREADS month in March. The Library will provide discussion guides. Skilled facilitators are also available.Contact me for more information.

Salzman was a Pulitzer finalist for his first book, Iron & Silk (about the two years he spent in China.) Iron & Silk is also a DVD; the film was written by and starred in by Salzman. His other books include: Laughing Sutra ( a novel about China), Lost in Place: growing up absurd in suburbia (his childhood in Ridgefield, CT), Lying Awake(a nun's dazzling visions: spiritual inspiration or brain tumor?) and True Notebooks: a writer's year at juvenile hall (teaching at a lock-up for violent teens.)

Well, I don't hate it, but neither do I love it. For all the critical acclaim for The Emperor's Children, it is becoming tiresome as I try to keep reading through the second half. Claire Messud has captured a certain segment of older-young-adults living in New York city, but as with Sex and the City on television, I view these characters with a fervent wish that they would broaden their horizons! Perhaps the catastrophic event (9/11) in the final pages will affect the characters in ways that raise them in my esteem.
I am also reading Francine Prose's Reading Like a Writer, in which she recommends "close reading" and re-reading. Children read closely; as adults we skim and read for meaning, thus missing the subtleties the author intended. One book I will be re-reading is Jamesland by Michelle Huneven. For the last week or so, I have been whining to my coworkers, because, I could not remember the title or author of this multi-layered novel about "How do people live in this world?" This one looks at religion, romance, friendship, dreams and family traditions. It has a touch of mysticism, too.

Which do you prefer? To read the book before you see the movie? Or to see the movie first?
Currently, the movie buzz is about Notes on a Scandal starring Judith Dench & Cate Blanchett based on a 2003 novel, What Was She Thinking by Zoe Heller. Heller's book was short-listed for the Booker Prize, but she is "really really pleased" with Patrick Marber's screenplay. A proper older English school teacher befriends a younger, new teacher who becomes involved with one of her students. A story of the complexities of friendship with a jolting final twist.

Children of Men written by P.D. James in 1993 is the genesis of the movie thriller now playing. James, best-known for her Adam Dalgleisch & Cordelia Gray mysteries, applied her considerable writing skills to this tale of a bleak future where the glimmer of hope unites a group of dissidents.Clive Owen & Julianne Moore star.

Eragon, the fiery saga of dragons and magic written by the 17-year-old Christopher Paolini is on the screen with a cast including Jeremy Irons & John Malkovich. Part two of the trilogy, The Eldest continues the story on the page.

Coming soon is Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris who managed to write the novel and the screenplay simultaneously! Find out about the bloody doctor's origins in this prequel to Silence of the Lambs.

If reading the book before you see the movie is your preference, here are some tips for you.
In 2007, film adaptations are planned for The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory, Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt by Anne Rice, I Don't Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson & World War Z by Max Brooks.

From a pioneer of the medieval mystery:

The Trinity Cat and Other Mysteries is a collection of fifteen tales of mystery by Ellis Peters (1913-1995) most of which were written before a certain Benedictine made her rich and famous and one story of which is published here for the first time anywhere.

The cat, alas, does not belong to our beloved Brother Cadfael

Ellis Peters was just one of the many pseudonyms of Edith Mary Pargeter.

She won an Edgar in 1963 for Death and the Joyful Woman, which was one of the titles in her lesser known George Felse series.

From a pioneer of psychological suspense:

The Couple Next Door is a collection of short stories and two all-but-unknown novellas from the 1940s by Margaret Millar (1915-1994).

Millar won an Edgar for A Beast in View in 1956.

Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, W.H. Auden and Truman Capote were among her devoted fans.

Her husband was Kenneth Millar, who is known to mystery fans as Ross Macdonald.

This week, we ordered replacement copies of The Great Santini by Pat Conroy. Pat Conroy's books have longtime appeal for many readers. His novels are steeped in his experiences with his strict and abusive father and his youthful days in the American south. I often wonder if my old favorites would strike the same chord if I re-read them now. Sometimes, the right book at the right time can seem very different at a different time. Do you have old favorites ?
Here are a few of mine:
Illumination Night by Alice Hoffman, Body & Soul by Frank Conroy, Saturday by Ian McEwan, Lost in the Forest by Sue Miller, Saint Maybe by Anne Tyler, Giant's House by Elizabeth McCracken, Three Junes by Julia Glass, Charms for the Easy Life by Kaye Gibbons, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett.

My family included many musicians. My cousin, the cellist, expressed disdain for pianists who could not play a string instrument because they did not have a "good ear." In The Soloist by Mark Salzman, cellist Renne worries about his "ear" until his anxiety interferes with his ability to perform. This anxiety about being perfect is one of the themes of this story about dreams and reality and how we learn to accept our gifts and our limitations. Haven't read it, yet?
You may borrow a copy of The Soloist or purchase one from the Library store.
March is WestportREADS month and there are very interesting programs for which you might want to mark you calendar. Would you like to get together with your friends and neighbors to discuss The Soloist? The Library will provide a discussion guide and, also, a facilitator for your discussion.Contact me for details.

There has been some interest expressed recently about reviving the Library's Usual Suspects mystery book discussion group. If you would like to see this happen as well, please contact Jane Murphy by either posting a comment to this blog or sending an e-mail and let her know whether you would prefer daytime or evening sessions.

And now on to the unusual detectives.

What should you wear to a meeting with a serial killer?

In Go to Helena Handbasket, our not-so-very-intrepid heroine, PI Helena Handbasket, has a real need to know.

She has found herself caught up in a case that has spiraled out of control to include not only the aforementioned serial killer but also a major jewel heist, car bombings and the FBI – which is truly remarkable, since the story takes place in the UK.

In this spoof of the crime novel, author Donna Moore pokes fun at every cliché in the genre, much as Ellis Weiner did in Drop Dead, My Lovely.

When Weiner’s PI Pete Ingalls comes to after being knocked unconscious by a pile of books in a Manhattan bookstore, all he remembers are the hard-boiled detective novels he's read. So he dons a fedora and sets himself up in the business.

Ingalls puts in a second anachronistic appearance in The Big Boat to Bye-Bye, which one reviewer called “A sophisticated, very funny pastiche.”

Each Thursday, staff who select the books to be added to the Library collection meet and discuss our choices from the reviews read and requests received. The Library collection covers a wide range of subjects and each of us has our own interests and expertise.We try to include all sides of any issue. Here are a few titles from this week's order.
Necropolis: London and its dead by Catherine Arnold –“everything you might want to know about perishing in London… from plague-pit burial to Grand Heraldic cortege.”

Sixth Extinction: journeys among the lost and left behind by Terry Gavin – specific examples of disappearing species and human diversity around the world.

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali – Somali-born, Dutch parliamentarian is in hiding from Muslim militants angered by her outspoken views on Islam’s enslavement of women- this is her harrowing story.

Monkey Girl: evolution, education, religion and the battle for America’s soul by Edward Humes – the very angry debate continues.

Survival of the Sickest: a medical maverick discovers why we need disease by Sharon Moalem & Jonathan Prince-theory that certain disease-related genes make you sick, but protect you from dying.

Kings of New York: a year among the geeks, oddballs, and geniuses who make up America’s top high school chess team by Michael Weinreb- a fascinating subculture.

If you’re a book club member, have you ever wondered what other clubs are reading? I’m often asked this question when a club is trying to decide what to read next. With the end of the year approaching, I thought it might be interesting to go through my notes and see what the most popular book club choices in Westport were this year. On Beauty by Zadie Smith, a story of two radically different families and the Westport READS selection, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon were read by more clubs than any other books this year. Close runners-up were The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, and March by Geraldine Brooks, the story of an idealistic chaplain during the Civil War. What was your club’s favorite choice this year? What book led to a great discussion?

The Library can help you find the perfect holiday gift! Get some ideas from the latest Reading Suggestions. Come in and browse the Express and New book areas. You might even find a bargain on the Friends' Book Sale shelves. Still stumped? Tell me about the interests of the recipient and I will give you some book ideas. Get suggestions for a child's book.

When you come to the Library, take a look at the Library store. Literary Luminaries are bookmarks & notecards with caricatures of authors.(These make great place cards, too.) See characters from children's books such as Judy Moody or Alexander, magnetic poetry kits and nifty umbrellas featuring Shakespeare or Great Women Writers.

While you're here, pick up a good book or a fun movie and plan a relaxing break for yourself.

Mystery writer Alafair Burke is the daughter of acclaimed writer James Lee Burke.

The work life of Alafair Burke’s character Samantha Kincaid is based on the experience of the author herself, who served as Deputy District Attorney for Multnomah County, in Portland, Oregon.

On her website you can view a map of Portland with photos of actual locations in the books.

James Lee Burke has won two Edgars.

Fans of his character Dave Robicheaux take note: Robicheaux gear is available on his website including the "Robicheaux's Bait & Tackle" t-shirt worn by Terry McCaleb in Michael Connelly's Blood Work.

Just the thing for mystery fans on your holiday shopping list!

To all you "baby boomers" out there, have you considered the soothing effect of reading without eyestrain? As the US population ages- and incidentally the median age in Westport is 41 years 4 months- publishers have been increasing the type size of books. Many of the older books have 9-point type; most now have at least 12-point and Large Type books have 14-point or larger. These are great for reading on the treadmill, for recovery from a day at the computer, or for reading in bed without glasses. Even paperback books are being produced with larger type to accomodate our older eyes. Read author Tess Gerritsen's comments.
Large Type books used to be mostly "gentle reads", romances or westerns, but now the popular bestsellers are also in Large Type. This week, we ordered Innocent Man by John Grisham, Collectors by David Baldacci, Cross by James Patterson, Wild Fire by Nelson DeMille and Hundred-Dollar Baby by Robert B. Parker.
Look for the New Large Type books near the Art Table in the Library display area.

In a starred Publishers Weekly review James Church’s A Corpse in the Koryo is heralded as “an impressive debut that calls to mind such mystery thrillers as Martin Cruz Smith's Gorky Park.”

Set against the backdrop of totalitarian North Korea, Police Inspector O is called in when the government becomes desperate to hunt down and eliminate anyone who knows too much about a series of decades-old kidnappings and murders.

After the discovery of a corpse in the Koryo, Pyongyang’s main hotel, Inspector O must choose between the devils he knows and those he doesn’t.

The pseudonymous Church is a former a former Western intelligence officer with decades of experience in Asia.

A new and exciting addition to the international mystery genre.