Book Rush

As the year draws to an end we also find ourselves at the end of this blog.

We created this space a little over a year ago to discuss the books and other library materials that we love.  We also wanted to help spread the word about the great resources the library had to offer.  For a variety of reasons, however, the time has come to end Bookrush.  We have greatly enjoyed the time we have spent here and hope you have too.  

But don’t worry, we aren’t done talking about books yet!  The discussion will be continuing in a new space, Goodreads, starting in 2013 and we hope you will join us there.

http://www.goodreads.com/saclib

http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/87232-sacramento-public-library

Happy Reading!

–Amanda, Barrie, Brendle, Chelsea, Dave and Justin

Countdown to 2013 in months, days, or hours with these classic picture books.

Chicken Soup with Rice

In 2012 we said farewell to Caldecott award winning illustrator and author Maurice Sendak, but his tribute to the months of the year when Chicken Soup may be enjoyed lives on.

Today is Monday

Sing your way through the days of the week with Eric Carle’s engaging illustrations of a different food each day.

Boom Chicka Rock

Rock around the clock with the mice of Boom Chicka Rock, or one of they many versions of the classic rhyme, Hickory Dickory Dock.

Happy New Year!

- Amanda

I don’t usually read media-tie-in novels but I made an exception for the Nikki Heat mystery series by fictional author Richard Castle. Yes, I said fictional. Richard Castle, played by Nathan Fillion, is the title character of the popular ABC television show, Castle.

On the television show, Castle is a best-selling mystery novelist who goes on ride-alongs with NYPD detective Kate Beckett to gather inspiration for his novels. With each season of the show, Castle writes a new novel inspired by the events of that season. The two main characters of these novels are NYPD detective Nikki Heat, loosely based on Kate Beckett, and journalist Jameson Rook, based on Castle himself.

The fun of these novels—the real-world versions—is that they DON’T follow the events of the show. They have their own plots but clearly show the inspiration that Castle took from his ride-alongs with Beckett, providing another piece of the story to illuminate Castle as a character.

So who actually writes the Nikki Heat series? Nathan Fillion may appear as Castle on the book jackets but he makes no claims to having written any of the novels. The books’ publisher Hyperion says that the author has appeared on the show. Castle’s on-screen poker buddies—real-world mystery writers James Patterson, Michael Connelly, and Stephen J. Cannell—seem like good candidates but have denied writing the novels. The best evidence seems to be this line from Castle’s fictional book-jacket bio:

His first novel, In a Hail of Bullets, published while he was still in college, received the Nom DePlume Society’s prestigious Tom Straw Award for Mystery Literature.

It turns out that Tom Straw is a mystery novelist and long-time television writer who reportedly did make a cameo appearance on Castle. I haven’t yet read his novel The Trigger Episode, so I can’t say whether the writing style seems similar.

Have you read any of the Nikki Heat novels? Let us know what you think in the comments.

-Dave

Man in the Empty Suit – Sean Ferrell
Ferrell’s second novel is a bit of a time traveler.  In the year 2071, the protagonist, who has toured the entirety of human history, heads to an empty hotel room in New York to celebrate his 100th birthday by getting drunk with other versions of who he has been and who he will be. He unexpectedly stumbles upon his 40 year-old self, murdered, and tries to solve the crime before all versions of himself will be dead. Coming February 5th

As Sweet As Honey – Indira Ganesan

Indira Ganesan’s third novel is set on an island in the Indian Ocean. A beautiful young woman falls for a short, round Englishman and is widowed on their wedding day. In the midst of her grief she discovers she is pregnant and the story of the island and the woman are recounted by her niece, Mina. Coming February 12th

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The Dinner – Herman Koch

A best-seller in Europe, The Dinner tells the story of two couples who meet at a swanky restaurant in Amsterdam to contend with the fact that their teenage sons have been caught on film in a gruesome act that, so far, only the parents recognize.  In the course of the meal, they’ll make the hardest decision of their lives. Coming February 12th

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Above All Things – Tanis Rideout
Tanis Rideout, a Belgian-born, Toronto-based author, gives us the story of George Mallory’s famous Everest climb from the perspective of his wife, Ruth. In England in 1924, as he is preparing for his third expedition in the wake of World War I, Ruth says, “Tell me about this mountain that’s stealing you away from me.” Coming February 12th

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Data, a Love Story: How I Gamed Online Dating to Meet My Match – Amy Webb

Webb, an award-winning journalist, lacked luck in the online dating scene. She regrouped and went back online masquerading as a man. She used keywords, timing and photos to glean what really worked, rewrote her profile, and received a flood of replies. Suffice it to say, she succeeded and met her current husband. Coming January 31st

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Fresh off the Boat: A Memoir – Eddie Huang

Eddie Huang was born to “fresh off the boat” Taiwanese parents in the South. He made his mark, after an adolescence filled with football, partying, and drugs, by opening a successful Taiwanese sandwich shop in the East Village. Coming January 29th

 Sticks and Stones: The New Problem of Bullying and How to Solve It – Emily Bazelon

Bazelon, who has reported on bullying and teen suicide at Slate Magazine, discusses bullying in the age of the internet. A graduate of Yale Law School, she not only informs but advises. She participates in Slate’s weekly podcast, “Political Gabfest.” Coming January 19th

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 Facing the Wave: A Journey in the Wake of the Tsunami – Gretel Ehrlich

Ehrlich, a lover of Japanese art and poetry, visits Japan’s Tohoku coast in the wake of last year’s devastating tsunami. She interviewed fishermen, farmers, teachers, monks and an elderly geisha to understand their stories and survival. Coming February 12th

-Barrie

In my family, our Christmas Eve has always ended with my father reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by the light of the Christmas tree. Last year was my first Christmas away from home, but we set up Skype on my mother’s laptop so that I could take part in the family tradition from here in California. Reading together as a family has remained a meaningful experience for us long after my brother and I learned to read, and this tradition has endured into our adult lives.

My grandmother introduced my brother and I to the 1986 Caldecott Award Winner, The Polar Express, where Chris Van Allsburg’s distinctive illustrations whisk you away on an unforgettable adventure to the North Pole. The Polar Express is another great title to share with the whole family, reappearing on bestseller lists each year during December.

Christmas music also brings back memories for me of singing along to favorite Christmas albums as we baked, wrapped, and decorated. Traditional carols have been illustrated as picture books, many of them more than once. The Twelve Days of Christmas, Jingle Bells, and Silent Night are just a few examples, so check one out and sing along together.

My wish for you and your family during this busy time of year is that you will find the time to create some quiet, lasting memories of this magical season.

- Amanda

I’m originally from the Midwest, and I haven’t adjusted to a holiday season without snow. Luckily, some of my favorite books are perfect for transporting me out of the California sunshine and back into the hushed cold of a real winter.

In Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising, on Will’s eleventh birthday, he learns that he is part of an ancient order tasked with protecting the world from the forces of The Dark. The magic begins late on a December night as snow blankets the world. Cooper’s writing perfectly captures the dreamlike combination of light snow in darkness that brings muted silence and sets a winter evening aglow in an ideal setting for otherworldly events.

The classic novel by C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, always makes me long for a chance to crunch through the snow to the soft glow of the lamppost. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy stumble into a snow-covered fantasy, but soon learn that this is a winter wonderland with an icy edge. The tragedy of a world in which it is “always winter but never Christmas” has resonated with readers for generations, and even winter-lovers welcome the eventual arrival of Aslan, and with him, spring.

Ellen Obed’s new book, Twelve Kinds of Ice, is based on the author’s Maine childhood. With a feeling of cozy nostalgia, Obed traces a winter’s evolution, from the first ice floating in a pail of water that breaks under a child’s touch to the dark ice of a frozen lake to the creation of a backyard ice rink that keeps skating children happy for weeks. Obed’s deceptively simple prose is full of the sights, sounds, and feel of winter snow and ice in all their glory.

Enjoy some seasonal shivers with one of these great books!

-Chelsea

Check out these great reads suggested by the SES Middle School book group.

The Serpent’s Shadow by Rick Riordan
I think it’s a book for anyone who likes Egyptian mythology. The author knows how to show great emotion and paints a very vivid picture of the setting.
Recommended by Kimore B. Grade 8

Leviathan by Mr. Scott Westerfield
This was a great book that gives you hope and that when you least expect it and when it seems that you don’t have friends they show up in the unlikeliest of places.
Recommended by Kevin H. Grade 7

The Enemy by Charlie Higson
It’s a fast paced horror/action novel with a bit of mystery mixed in that takes place in London.
Recommended by Gavin D. Grade 8

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
It’s a really interesting book about a bully who is sentenced to live on an island where he learns to be a better person.
Recommended by Elizabeth G. Grade 8

The teens are currently reading Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. (available as an ebook)

     When the weather turns cold and wet outside all I want to do is curl up with a cup of tea and a book. Lately my cold weather reads have taken a turn northward to Scandinavia. I have been devouring a number of freshly translated mystery and thriller authors that hail from the north of Europe. These books vary greatly in style and theme as one would expect, but they all tend to feature psychological insight into their characters—both the heroes and the villains. They are also all captivating reads, perfect for a cold evening read. Want to join me and go beyond Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo? Check out these authors:

The Department Q series by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen features a disgraced detective working on cold cases. Two of the five book series have been translated into English.

Sara Blaedel is very well known in her native Denmark. Her books featuring Detective Louise Rick first made an appearance in the US last year.

 
Camilla Ceder made the bestseller list in Sweden with her 2010 debut, Frozen Moment, a solid police procedural that holds great promise for a strong series with Inspector Christian Tell.
 

Camilla Lackberg’s books feature author Erika Falck and her partner, Detective Patrik Hedstrom, and are set in the small Swedish seaside vacation town of Fjällbacka. Three of the eight book series have now been translated in to English.

–Brendle

It’s that most wonderful time of the year, when rainy evenings are clearly meant for curling up with a favorite story or going out to the movies. Les Misérables and Anna Karenina bring two classics to life, and the adaptation of surreal bestseller Life of Pi is in theaters now. If you’re taking the whole family to the movies, check out this year’s adaptations of popular teen and children’s books.

Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King kicks off the Guardians of Childhood series, overflowing with adventure and fantasy. The action-packed series follows the defense of the town of Santoff Claussen from the Nightmare King, and was the inspiration for the film Rise of the Guardians.

Coming soon is a film that book lovers have been eagerly anticipating since the highly successful adaptation of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hits theaters on December 14^th, but The Hobbit, or, There and Back Again is available now at the library. While you wait to see Bilbo on the big screen, check out the library’s series of programs, Full Circle: A Special Tolkien Event, to delve deeper into Middle Earth.

- Amanda

I’m a gamer from way back. I like board games, card games, puzzle games, role-playing games, video games, massively multiplayer online role-playing games—just about any kind of game really. And, because I also like to read, I especially enjoy fiction that makes playing games an integral part of the story.

Most such fiction seems to fall into the science fiction or fantasy genres—hardly surprising considering how many gamers are also fans of science fiction and fantasy. I’d like to recommend four books that mix game playing with science fiction or fantasy.

Split Infinity by Piers Anthony is both science fiction and fantasy with its action split between two parallel worlds, the science fiction Proton and the fantasy Phaze. Most of the action on Proton revolves around The Game, played by Citizens for status and by serfs for Citizenship. Competition between two players of The Game consists of a preliminary metagame in which they first seek to outmaneuver each other in selecting a contest followed by their competition to win the selected contest. Contests may consist of nearly any two-player competition ranging from Twenty Questions to tiddlywinks to chess to auto racing to a dance off.

The Player of Games by Iain M. Banks is from Banks’ series of hard science fiction novels about the Culture, a post-scarcity galactic civilization in which no one has to work. Jernau Morat Gurgeh, a renowned player of boardgames and similar contests, is pressed into service by Special Circumstances—the Culture’s “secret service” organization—to travel beyond the Culture’s borders to the expansionist Empire of Azad. There he is to compete in an enormously complex game—also called Azad—played to determine social and political status within the Empire.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline takes place in a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), a virtual universe called OASIS. The year is 2044, and the world is a pretty grim place. That’s why most people spend their lives in OASIS. They work there, play there, and some like Wade Watts even go to school there. Wade is obsessed with both the game and its late creator James Halliday, who, before his death, hid an Easter egg consisting of a series of puzzles within OASIS. According to Halliday’s will, whoever finds and solves those puzzles will inherit Halliday’s vast fortune including OASIS itself. Wade, determined to win the ownership of OASIS, has immersed himself in the decade of Halliday’s youth, the 1980s. He is certain that knowledge of the music, the movies, and especially the video games of the 1980s will be key to solving Halliday’s puzzles.

The manga series Hikaru No Go is what you get when you mix an inside look at the Japanese world of professional Go players, two boys’ obsession with the game, and the centuries-old ghost of a legendary Go master. This series, by itself, has repopularized the ancient game of Go among Japanese youth.

Do you have any favorite game-related fiction? Please share in the comments.

-Dave