Westport Public Library BOOK blog

She is a "celebudroid" -- an android created to look and act like Marilyn Monroe.

Oddly enough, she begins to grow as a person in this new incarnation, and ends up partnering with a San Francisco police inspector to save mankind from a vast conspiracy.

Oh, why not?

This book is the newest title on the mysteries set in the future list.

The most famous, of course, are the J. D. Robb books featuring Eve Dallas, a futuristic 21st century New York City police officer, who had her debut in 1995 in Naked in Death. The series has progressed through more than twenty titles, with a new title, Strangers in Death, due in February.

The series is set in late 2050s New York City. Other planets have been discovered and humans have built man-made worlds, some as vacation destinations and some as penal colonies. Androids are commonly used as servants and office workers.

Other recent books include Penny Deacon’s mysteries, which take place in a vague post-apocalypse setting on England’s waterways, where people live on decaying barges and kill for food and evil crime bosses rule.

Philip K. Dick’s classic 1968 Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the basis of the film
Blade Runner, is classified as science fiction yet actually qualifies as a mystery as well.

SciFi giant Alan Dean Foster’s The Mocking Program offers a blend of police procedural and science fiction, featuring a police inspector in a megalopolis that encompasses Mexico and part of what used to be the United States.

David Drury’s All the Gold of Ophir (2005) features a private investigator called in after several unexplained deaths on a space station orbiting Jupiter.

So, if you could have a celebudroid made to order, whom would you choose?

Did you read a book in 2007 that compelled you to tell your family and friends about it? One that lingers in your mind and, maybe, affects the way you view the world? Or a book that took you far away from the stress of everyday to another fascinating world? Please share your 2007 treasures here on the Book Blog.

Some of the best from my 2007 reading:
Maytrees by Annie Dillard- a catalyst for thoughts on love & death and a sensual setting that lingers.

New England White by Stephen Carter- great atmosphere of “not-Yale” campus and informative about life as African-American elite.

Charm City: a Walk Through Baltimore by Madison Smartt Bell- Baltimore in all its quirky character with lots of history mixed in.

Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta- quick read that captures our suburban culture and some of the current religious disconnect.

At Large and At Small: Familiar Essays by Anne Fadiman – I love her writing. If you enjoy essays, read her Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader.

Do you keep a reading journal? Starting a journal may be a good and useful New Year’s resolution. (Reading journals are for sale in the Library store.) Let’s exchange some titles to get us started. I look forward to your comments.

May the New Year bring good health, happiness and peace!
And lots of interesting reading!

There are a few other new additions to our collection of mysteries set in Connecticut.

Sisters in Crime President Roberta Isleib has a paperback series I discovered at the recent Crime Bake mystery conference -- the “Advice Column” mysteries featuring Dr. Rebecca Butterman, a Guilford clinical psychologist and advice columnist.

Besides Justin Scott’s new Ben Abbott mystery, Mausoleum, which I mentioned in a previous posting, there are two other new titles featuring popular Connecticut sleuths.

The third Annie Seymour mystery, Dead of the Day, from Karen Olson is here! You can get a head start by reading the first chapter on-line at the author’s website. Olson’s fans might want to join the Usual Suspects Mystery Reading Group on May 18th when she will be the special guest author.

Cora Felton, a.k.a. The Puzzle Lady, returns in The Sudoku Puzzle Murders, which is due in April. Will Shortz, New York Times crossword puzzle editor, has constructed original sudoku puzzles that help solve the mystery. If you haven’t met Cora yet you might want to check out one of her crossword puzzle mysteries and find out why Kirkus magazine dubbed her "Miss Marple on steroids!"

You can meet Will Shortz in person on Saturday, February 2nd at the Library's Ninth Annual Crossword Puzzle Contest. Online registration begins in January on our website.

Use some of your vacation time to settle in with a recent novel.
Here are ten new books that may not have made it onto your literary radar, yet.

Sons and Other Flammable Objects by Porochista Khakpour
The travails of an Iranian-American family in the post 9/11 culture of fear and confusion; “luminously intelligent debut” novel.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Diaz dazzles in this tragic, historical, intelligent multicultural look at what it means to be Dominican wherever life unfolds.

Snake Stone by Jason Goodwin
Challenging mystery set in early 19th-century Istanbul abuzz with a mix of religions and cultures; sequel to Janissary Tree.

The Exception by Christian Jungersen
Four women working in a small office – studying genocide- become infected with distrust and paranoia in this interesting spin on office politics.

Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond
A woman loses her fiance’s 6-year-old daughter on a foggy beach; suspense builds as the couple search for the girl and seek to regain their trust of each other.

Last Rituals by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Murder with hints of demon worship- the victim was in Iceland to study the country’s history of witch hunting.

Fall of Troy by Peter Ackroyd
Clever mirror of the Helen of Troy legend with a novel about archeology and the snags of truth and deception; a romance, a mystery and a meditation on reality and imagination.

Trespass by Valerie Martin
Moral fiction with complex characters; a young wife disappears to her homeland of Bosnia to find her mother. Her husband and his self-righteous parents seek to understand.

Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
Imagine if George W. became besotted with books and reading and wanted to talk of nothing else. That is the fate of Queen Elizabeth II in this humorous political & literary satire.

Cheating at Canasta by William Trevor
Unexcelled writing with pitch-perfect dialogue, amazing detail and characters who linger; even readers who eschew short stories will appreciate these bleak and wise pictures from the 80-year-old Irish master.

I know I am not the only one still doing holiday shopping. Of course, my first thought is always about books.
Did you see our latest Reading List ? Maybe you will find an appropriate suggestion for someone on your gift list. If not, you may contact Library staff for more suggestions for adults or children. Or, honor your friends and family with a donation for a book to be added to the Library collection. A bookplate will commemorate your gift.
Want to talk about this? Contact me.

Happy Reading! and Happy Holidays!

PS: Don't forget to browse at the Library store for inexpensive & distinctive items.

A few hearty souls made their way in on Sunday to join me for the Usual Suspects discussion of Ngaio Marsh's Tied up in Tinsel.

I don't know what I was thinking when I came up with the "In the Dead of Winter" theme for our January and February books. I should have come up with something tropical.

On Sunday, January 20th, at 2 p.m. we will be discussing Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon.

This is the first title in a critically acclaimed series - “A splendid series . . . with a backdrop of the city so vivid you can almost smell it.” The Sunday Telegraph (London).

There is little violent crime in Venice, a serenely beautiful floating city of mystery and magic, history and decay. But evil does occasionally rear its head in the jurisdiction of Guido Brunetti, the suave, urbane police commissario.

All of his admirable abilities must come into play in the deadly affair of Maestro Helmut Wellauer, a world-renowned conductor who died from cyanide poisoning during an intermission at La Fenice.

But as the investigation unfolds beneath bleak Venetian wintery skies, a chilling picture slowly begins to take shape -- a detailed portrait of revenge painted with vivid strokes of hatred and depravity. And the dilemma for Brunetti will not be finding a murder suspect, but rather narrowing the choices down to one.

The Library has acquired one new copy of each title in the series, including the ones previously only available abroad. I have come up with a handy guide to the American titles that includes the corresponding UK titles and a synopsis of each book. This is one set where it was a mystery just to figure out which book was which and whether I had read it already. Just send me an e-mail and I will send back a copy.

Which books does everyone want to read? Here are the Library's most requested for this week. I am giving you some links to follow for more on each author. Enjoy!

1-Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo
2-Stone Cold by David Baldacci
3-Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta
4- T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton
5-Book of the Dead by Patricia Cornwell
6-The Choice by Nicholas Sparks
7- Run by Ann Patchett
8-The Gathering by Anne Enright
9- Playing for Pizza by John Grisham
10- Letters of Noel Coward NYT Review.
(note: During her talk at the Library on Wednesday, author Amy Bloom told us she is currently enjoying the Letters of Noel Coward.)
*Most of these books are available at the Library as audio books and in Large Print also.

If you have already read through the list, consider placing holds on some even more recent titles. They may still be on order, but your hold will create a pleasant surprise for you, when the books arrive.
John Grisham- The Appeal
Ian Rankin-Watchman
Alice Hoffman - Third Angel
Jeffrey Archer- Prisoner of Birth
Fay Weldon - The Spa
Carol Higgins Clark - Zapped

P.S.: the most popular DVDs right now ?
Ratatouille, The Waitress and Hairspray.

December is a busy month for many people. Everyone seems to have other obligations, whether it be holiday parties, shopping or traveling to either enjoy the winter (skiing?) or avoid it (the beach!). I’ve noticed that a lot of book clubs can’t fit in a meeting at this time of year either. If your group’s too busy to meet this month, why not see a movie instead? The end of the year is always a time when lots of great movies are released. This year several of the new films that are opening are based on book club favorites. At the top of the list is Atonement. This film is already being tagged as an Oscar favorite. Ian McEwan’s novel of love and war, shame and forgiveness is emotionally intense and moving. If your club has read this book, go see the movie to see how it compares.

Another favorite of book clubs, The Kite Runner is also set to open this week. This story of two boyhood friends in Afghanistan also deals with betrayal and forgiveness. Khaled Hosseini’s first novel brought us a new understanding of Afghanistan, its history, customs and people.

If you’d rather just stay home, there are some wonderful choices currently out on DVD. The Namesake is now available on DVD at the Westport Library. This is a saga of an Indian American family and their immigrant experience. Gogol Ganguli, the namesake of the title, must find his own path in his parents adopted country. This is a story of family, traditions and self-acceptance. Jhumpha Lahiri won the Pulitzer Prize for Interpreter of Maladies, but The Namesake, her first novel, expands on the themes of assimilation and the clash of cultures.

And in anticipation of WestportREADS in March, why not check out The Wonderful Wizard of Oz on DVD? Be sure to plan on reading the book with your club during the next few months. Watch the movie, read the book and be prepared to have fun as we explore this classic family favorite. And let me know if you’d like to reserve any of these books for your book club.

Saturnalia, an ancient Roman festival of the winter solstice, was originally celebrated for three days beginning December 17th, but later extended to seven days – seven days of non-stop revelry that make all modern celebrations pale by comparison.

A large and important public festival in Rome, it was by far the most popular. Besides the public rites there were a series of private family celebrations as well.

If you would like to learn a little more about it, enjoy a good mystery and have a few laughs at the same time, try Lindsey Davis’s Saturnalia, the eighteenth title in her Marcus Didius Falco series, in which Davis does her usual sound job of bringing first-century Rome to life.

Set in Rome in 76 CE against the riotous backdrop of the season of misrule, Falco, with an imperial commission from Emperor Vespasian, is pitted against his old rival, the Chief Spy Anacrites, in a race to find Veleda, a rebellious German priestess believed to have murdered a nobleman of the household where she was being held under house arrest awaiting execution as part of the morally depraved city’s festival activities.

Woven into the tale, in Davis’s own inimitable style, are Falco’s personal holiday woes. What to buy for his wife? What to buy for his mother? Whose household will host each night’s festivities? Where has his brother-in-law disappeared to? What will happen if his estranged parents both show up?

Sound familiar?

Happy holidays.

It is packed full (624 pages worth!) of advice for both novice and experienced travelers.

Greenberg’s website is also a fantastic resource and currently features a few holiday gift-giving suggestions from the author.

Did you know that food gift sales accounted for nearly 50 percent of all gifts bought last year?

Greenberg offers a list of Internet gourmet food sites where you can find that lychee-flavored sake from Tokyo, aged pecorino from Tuscany, or smoky barbecue sauce from Texas that someone couldn’t stop telling you about.

Tasty holidays!

This is hardly the moral of the story, but it does indicate how L. Frank Baum chose to portray the triumph of good over evil in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Baum stated that his book “aspires to being a modern fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out.” You may be apprehensive about the flying monkeys, but you know that good, and not evil, will prevail.

Making the fantasy believable, the images indelible (the 1939 movie helped a lot here,) and the characters icons, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has become a template for any three characters lacking intelligence, compassion and courage wherever we encounter them in life or fiction. And the wizard? Powerless fraud, trickster, manipulator behind the scenes… this is another familiar cultural concept.

For WestportREADS 2008, we are planning a month of entertaining and informative events for the whole family in March. To get ready, read the original 1900 edition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. You may purchase a copy at the Library store or borrow it. You will notice the bright yellow cover in the Library paperback racks or on the top of the New book shelves.
This is a story to be relished by the imaginative young and by the nostalgic not-so-young, as well as by those who enjoy digging for metaphor and symbolism.

Stay tuned. This one should be a lot of fun!

If you are looking for a good seasonal read try one of our many Christmas mysteries. It appears that every major series author has managed to come up with some manner of foul play under the mistletoe and some very clever titles too, including A Holly Jolly Murder, Slay Ride and Wreck the Halls.

This year I found a mystery called Chanukah Guilt by Ilene Schneider. Good to see the December mayhem being spread around a bit!

If you are looking for the perfect gift for your favorite mystery lover or aspiring mystery writer you might want to consider one the following:

Mystery Lover’s Puzzle Book: Crosswords with Clues from Your Favorite Mystery Series. Crossword puzzles based on popular mystery series along with a general synopsis and check-list of titles for each series featured. (Bellwether Books, 2007 9780970426530 $10.95)

Mystery Muses: 100 Classics That Inspire Today’s Mystery Writers, edited by Jim Huang & Austin Lugar. Essays by 100 published writers about the mysteries that matter to them. (Crum Creek Press, 2006 9780962580499 $15.00)

Don't Murder Your Mystery: 24 Fiction-Writing Techniques to Save Your Manuscript from Turning up D.O.A., by Chris Roerden. This year’s Agatha Award winner for Nonfiction focuses on what it takes to write mysteries that will survive both an agent's and a publisher's screening process. (Bella Rosa Books, 2006 9781933523132 $17.95)