referencebooks

Seeking Whom He May Devour by Fred Vargas- "Each day, inhabitants of a small community in the French Alps find another of their ewes with its throat cut. When one of the villagers too is killed people begin to wonder: could it be the work of a werewolf? Soon suspicion falls on Massart, one of the villagers, because of his beardlessness (according to popular legend, werewolves have no hair on their bodies because they are inside the body)."  I enjoyed this book.  It's not great but it was a fun read.  I thought the beginning was a bit slow but once Chief Inspector Adamsbert begins his investigation, the story line quickly picks up.  I thought I had anticipated the ending...but was pleased that I still had a surprise at the story's conclusion.   3.5/5

This is a spectacular look at the history of Harlem's Cotton Club. The author writes passionately about the club, it's performers, it's mob affilitations and it's history. He also includes a good deal of information on the historical rise of Harlem itself. Haskins discusses its opening all the way through to the day the doors finally closed. The book is littered with historic images of the club and famous performers such as Duke Ellington, Lena Horne, Bill Robinson, and Cab Calloway.

It's a very quick read if you are interested in the Harlem Renaissance and the nightclub movement in WWI, Depression and WWII era.

Xposted in my book journal: book_goddess

Currently reading: Big Fish

( You are about to view content that may not be appropriate for minors. )

I'm a pretty big fan of authors like Holly Black, Neil Gaiman and Kim Wilkins who entwine the modern world with the supernatural, and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to what I should read next. I don't mind reading YA or adult novels as I'll love anything with a good plot. Series are most welcome as well. I prefer ones that have a bit of a romantic twist to them but this isnt necessary. Thanks heaps in advance.

During final exams, I read The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.  Wow.  Her writing style is brilliant.  I'm wondering now how I've lived for over 19 years without picking up a single one of her books.  I'll have to read more of her work.

I took my last exam on May 1.  Since then, I've read three books:

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

This book was so great.  Go read it if you haven't.  I'm afraid to see the movie, because I'm pretty sure it won't live up to my high expectations.  This book was so well-written.  In the book, there's a phrase: "We're the Vikings, remember?"  My friend had it tattooed on her arm.

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Of course, this is just one of those books you have to read at some point in my life.  I was wandering around Barnes & Noble a few months ago with a friend of mine who teaches college-level English, and she picked up a copy of this book and asked if I'd read it.  I told her I hadn't, and she whacked me over the head with the book.  So, needless to say, I made a point to read it, and finally did so just recently.

I liked it, but honestly, it didn't change my life.  The writing style definitely served its purpose, though.  And there were a few fantastic passages, which I bracketed in my copy of the book. 

Insecure at Last by Eve Ensler

Meh.  I don't know what I was expecting of this book,  but it seems like I was expecting more than I got, because this book didn't seem all that fantastic to me.  I've read quite a few of Eve Ensler's plays and really enjoyed them.  So perhaps this is just a genre issue with me.  This book was okay and made a few insightful points, but I didn't think it was as good as her plays.

I'm currently reading Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood.  And I'm really enjoying it!

I'm trying to locate a book written around 1970 about a family that migrates from Illinois to NW Iowa in the 1880s.  The writer is a descendant of the main characters in the book and also includes his visits to his grandmother to read the journals of his ancestors from this period. 

I know this is pretty vague, but any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Full Blast by Janet Evanovich & Charlotte Hughes
Wolfman / Tooth and Nail by Ian Rankin

Cross-posted like crazy! ;)

A few questions:

Do you use TLC to maintain your catalog?
If so, do you use OSA for your ordering? Why or why not?
How much do you routinely order a month if you do use OSA?
How large is your collection?

We're just switching from Dynix/Horizon to TLC and I'm just curious about what other people think of TLC/OSA. Previously we had just downloaded carts directly from Title Source into Horizon (no electronic billing), and so this is something new to me.

Thanks!

 

Kay so here's the deal...
I read a book in 8th grade, right before I graduated, that really made me flip out. It was so amazing! I absolutely loved it. I just recently started thinking about it, and I'd like to read it again.
I can't remember the title, but for some reason I keep wanting to think the word 'sunshine' is it...but I don't think it is...
and the most I can give you from the plot is that there are two sisters whose mother died from a mental illness, and now the older sister has the same illness, and they move to the city with their father...and it's from the younger sister's POV.

I know it's not a lot and I'm sorry, but I really would appreciate any kind of help any of you could give me.

I bought these books yesterday. Anyone read them? Also, any suggestions on good, but not dry, classics? I want to read a lot this summer. I also just finished A Wolf At the Table by Augusten Burroughs, which is a memoir about his dad. It's not as good as his other books, but it's really interesting.

Full Frontal Feminism- Jessica Valenti
100 Selected Poems- EE Cummings
Book Lust - Nancy Pearl
Bridget Jones's Diary- Helen Fielding

Urban Shaman
Writer: C.E. Murphy
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 344

The premise: after witnessing a woman in danger, protagonist Joanne Walker sets out to find this woman and make things right. Naturally, Jo finds herself entangled in a world she didn't know existed, where gods and godlings roam the Earth, banshees exist, and people are shamans.

The kicker is, she's just learned she's one of them.

With such a cool premise, I wish I liked the book more. But the plot didn't have a solid sense of direction, the villains' motivations were questionable, and to be honest, I didn't much care for the protag at the start of the book. There's a difference between ass-kicking and annoying, and unfortunately, Joanne's voice read to me as annoying. But that's me. What makes urban fantasy work for me is voice, and the voice just didn't appeal to me personally, but it might appeal to someone else. I don't mind having read this book, but I'm not interested in the rest of the books in the trilogy, even though I wouldn't mind reading some of Murphy's later, unrelated work.

The full review is in my journal if anyone's interested. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: C.E. Murphy's URBAN SHAMAN

Happy Reading! :)

Announcement for Medical Veterinary Librarian under the cut.

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I just stumbled across the author Garth Nix and thought his books looked really interesting, but like always with fantasy authors - which series to start with?!?!

Have any of you read anything by him, and which of his books would you most recommend?

Hi… Could you help me? At High School, I read a book by Mary Higgins Clark borrowed from the library. I want to read it again but forget what the title is.
The main character is a woman whose boyfriend is a detective or a cop. I remember the criminal’s nickname was Foxy. He kidnapped the woman and her boyfriend’s son. He also wanted to bomb the New York Station.
Hmm… My explanation not much but I hope it can help.

Thanks before.

Hey guys, I heard about this book on a radio program awhile back but don't remember the title.  From what I understand, the book is about basically what would happen in various parts of America (and, I guess, the world) if for some reason all the humans ceased to exist.  It details various damages that would occur to landmarks over time, what species would thrive and what ones would diminish, and all sorts of interesting things.  I'm not certain, but I BELIEVE Discover (or perhaps TLC) made a series based on this book.

Does anyone know the title of the book I'm thinking of?

Thanks!

Generation R (R Is for Reader)
The book business may be flat, but there's at least one bright spot: the booming sales of books for teens--and no, it's not all Harry Potter.

Jamie Reno
Newsweek Web Exclusive

Christopher Collins, 13, who attends Marshall Middle School in suburban San Diego, and Alexandra Roquemore, 17, who attends Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, are both typical teenagers. He likes boogie boarding, playing PlayStation 3, listening to My Chemical Romance on his iPod and watching the San Diego Chargers. She likes oil painting, speaking French, listening to Sarah Brightman on her iPod and hanging out at the mall with friends. And they both love reading fiction.( Read more... )

 

The Complete Ballad of Halo Jones, a graphic novel depicting the life of a young woman named Halo Jones who managed to become a war hero and meet many famous people just by being herself... a normal everyday girl. Overall I really enjoyed this graphic novel. Have any of you read it? What did you think?

( Spoilers Under Here )

I want to do some research into Japanese folklore for a screenplay. Any of you have any good resources? I'm particularly interested in kitsune (fox wife) or other shapeshifter legends, and ghost stories.

If you know of retellings of stories or scholarly works on the subjects, or even a good example in film (along the lines of The Grudge or The Ring, but lesser known), that'd be great.

Working on some other avenues of research, but it never hurts to ask. :-)