Russia Revisited

Why do so many authors turn to Russia as a setting for their novels? It’s hard to say, but certain places just make for great stories. Russia with all its vastness, people and history, wintered in cold and darkness, shrouded in greatness just seems like a perfect setting for mystery, romance, intrigue or war. Who can forget Doctor Zhivago, Anna Karenina or John le Carre’s dark thrillers of cold war?

While not all novels can compete with the likes of these great books, there certainly are some newer books being written with that same familiar sense of place. The past and the present come full circle in the two novels described below. If it were not for the memories of the past locked up inside each of the characters, we would have no storyline. While one is the sole possessor of one’s own memories, it is in the here and now of the present that matters.

Winter garden by Kristin Hannah was fairly popular with patrons when it first came out and I still get frequent requests for it. The past (Leningrad) becomes the key to unlocking the present in this story of a mother and her two daughters. If you haven’t read anything by Hannah before I recommend you give her a try. Kristin Hannah writes contemporary stories focusing on women’s lives and relationships. Similar authors are Barbara Delinsky and Luanne Rice. I have read some of Rice’s books and have liked them. I found Winter Garden to be a satisfying read. You won’t be disappointed.

I suppose you could say the cover of Russian winter by Daphne Kalotay caught my eye when I first saw it. It’s unusual because it shows the back of a woman’s head with a necklace facing out. The necklace as it turns out is central to the story. Each of the main characters Nina, Drew and Gregori are interconnected through this necklace. Sense of place and history is well defined and the characters are equally drawn out. If you like jewelry, the ballet, a bit of romance and mystery along with an introduction to Russian history this book will appeal to you like it did to me.

I just finished reading Snowdrops by A. D. Miller. This tiny, slim debut volume was shortlisted for the 2011 Man Booker prize. It’s a psychological drama that takes place over one Moscow winter. The story is being told through the words of Nick Platt, a British lawyer living in Moscow as he confesses to a woman he is about to marry. A snowdrop is a corpse that lies buried or hidden in the winter snows, emerging only in the thaw. I’ve read you need to get past the first twenty pages to really enjoy this book. That may be true, but I was interested right from the start with the encounter at the train station. If you like a modern day story with a lot of twists and secrets this book may appeal to you.

With the film Tinker tailor soldier spy now playing in theaters, readers may be interested in rereading the novel of the same name or John le Carre’s other spy novels. It’s best to start with The spy who came in from the cold and then work your way up to the more challenging novels. Readers looking for other similarly complex, layered stories may also look to Alan Furst and Daniel Silva.


May we suggest the following additional titles?

The Russian affair by Michael Wallner
Agent 6 by Tom Rob Smith
Heart of iron by Ekaterina Sedia
The betrayal by Helen Dunmore
City of thieves by David Benioff
Three stations by Martin Cruz Smith
Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne dominion by Eric Lustbader


Picture courtesy: http://english.runsky.com/images/attachement/jpg/site1/20091120/00e061046ec50c7021320a.jpg

I GOT A KINDLE, NOW WHAT DO I DO?

This holiday season, getting a Kindle or other e-reader device from family and friends seems to be a common gift received. But now that you have an e-reader device, how do you go about using it? Sure, you could buy your books outright. And with prices under $10 for most titles, why not? But what about the books that you don’t want to own? What if you want to borrow books from the library like you have been doing for years? Well, you’re in luck because for a couple years now, the libraries in the state of Wisconsin have been pooling their resources together for OverDrive, a database that lends digital copies of audiobooks and e-books. And since September 2011, the Kindle device has joined the list of the hundreds of supported devices that can be used with OverDrive.

Borrowing e-books through the library system is free, fairly easy to navigate, can be borrowed for up to 3 weeks, returns automatically so there are no late fees, can be done in the comfort of your home, and did I mention free? Now, there can be waiting lists for titles just like there are for the physical books, but because of the automatic return process, you could get a book in a couple weeks versus a couple months.

Some recent books I have read through OverDrive:
A Veiled Deception by Annette Blair, book 1 of the Vintage Magic Mysteries
Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews, book 1 of the Kate Daniels series
Inheritance by Christopher Paolini, book 4 of the Inheritance Cycle series

The Outcasts by John Flanagan, book 1 of the Brotherband Chronicles

You may also find many popular best-sellers available in Overdrive, such as:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. A hacker and a journalist investigate the disappearance of a Swedish heiress 40 years earlier.
The Litigators by John Grisham. Partners in a small law firm take on a big case after a fast-track burnout joins them.
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson. In the second volume of the Millennium trilogy, a Swedish hacker becomes a murder suspect.
Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich. After a disastrous vacation in Hawaii, Stephanie Plum becomes the target of an international killer.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett. A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s Mississippi.
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. In the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are mustering.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson. The third volume of the Millennium trilogy, about a Swedish hacker and a journalist.

If you would like instructions on how to use OverDrive with your new e-reader device or how to download audiobooks, here are some links to instructions.
OverDrive Services Summary – audiobooks & e-books
How to get an OverDrive e-book on your E-Reader (Nook & Sony)
How to get an OverDrive e-book on your Kindle

To access OverDrive, go to http://www.flwlib.org/ and click on the OverDrive link on the right hand of the webpage or type in the internet address bar dbooks.wplc.info. Once you have clicked on the OverDrive link, the OverDrive website will load. Sign into your account by going to the top right hand corner and clicking on “Sign In.” Select “Eastern Shores Library System” from the drop down menu. You will then be prompted to enter your library card number (located on the back of your library card) and PIN number (usually the last 4 digits of your telephone number). You are now signed into your OverDrive account and can begin searching!

****Image pulled from Google Images.

GOTHIC NOVELS

I recently started reading The Distant Hours by Kate Morton, and immediately, I was struck by a layer of creepiness within the story. This got me thinking about other creepy books, and the list I came up with consisted of mainly gothic novels.

Gothic novels combine elements of horror and romance and are often melodramatic. The birth of gothic novels is often attributed to The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, written in 1764. The age of gothic novels only lasted until about 1820. Then, their popularity began to fade. However, you can still find great gothic novels written today.

The main attributes that make up gothic novels consist of a castle setting, a mysterious and suspenseful atmosphere, a prophecy, omens and visions, supernatural or inexplicable events, high emotions, a woman in distress, a powerful and tyrannical man, and/or the prevalence of gloom and horror. While not all of these elements must be present for a book to be considered gothic, more than one must be prevalent throughout the story.

There is a lot of fear, terror, surprise, and darkness in these books. They make for fun reads on gloomy winter days: perfect for sitting next to a warm fire or curling up in your favorite chair to get lost in the sensationalism of the story.


Newer Gothic Novels:

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton: A long-lost letter arrives fifty years late and sends Edie Burchill to Milderhurst Castle where she encounters the three Blythe sisters. You will follow Edie as she attempts to unravel the mysteries of the castle and the sisters.

The Ghost Writer by John Harwood follows Gerard Freeman as he sets out to solve the mystery of his family. He discovers a ghost story written long ago that implicates his mother in a terrible family tragedy. This is a story of family skeletons and stories.

Half Broken Things by Morag Joss is a psychological suspense story that looks at the lives of three lost people who come together at Walden Manor and the events that occur upon their arrival.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield tells the story of Vida Winter, a famous author of twelve tales. She tells her life story to a biographer, Margaret Lea. The story is one of beauty, ghosts, a garden, and a terrible fire. The two women must face their pasts in order become transformed by the truth themselves.

Classic Gothic Novels:

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe



Picture from http://irishgothichorrorjournal.homestead.com/IrishGothicHaslam.html

Best Books and Movies of 2011

It’s the end of another year, and “Best of” lists abound. If you’re a bibliophile, you may want to check out the New York Times Top 10 Books of the Year or its 100 Notable Books. Newsweek and The Daily Beast have their Favorite Books of 2011. Esquire publishes its Top 10 Books list, and The Atlantic has come up with a list of Best Books I Read this Year. Not to be outdone, the staff at the Weyenberg Library has come up with some of our own favorites. We hope you enjoy them:

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett—the heroine of this book must combat not only the jungle, but also a crotchety former professor, as well as her own conscience. The New York Times best-selling author takes the reader on an Amazon adventure, a modern mystery, and a journey in to the protagonist’s multi-layered past.

The language of flowers: a novel by Vanessa Diffenbaugh—Alternating chapters show us 9-year old and 18-year old Victoria, a girl who spent her childhood being shuffled from one foster home to another. She longs for a home and family, but communicates better through flowers than with words. What is the mysterious event in her past that kept her from being adopted by the loving Elizabeth? Will she ever learn to love and be loved?

The Bone House by Brian Freeman—Hilary and Mark move away from the big city to a small town, but they don’t find peace or quiet when Mark finds himself the prime suspect in the murder of a local teen. The wide cast of intriguing characters and the suspenseful plot combine to keep readers riveted to the page.

The Confession by John Grisham—Another fast-paced page-turner that dives into America’s justice system; this book will grab you in the first pages and not let go. Travis Boyette is ready to confess to murder when he realizes that his brain tumor will likely end his life. If no one listens, however, the man who has been wrongfully convicted will be executed. “When it’s over, no one really wants to die.”

Room: a novel by Emma Donoghue—This spare title is reflective of the spare environment in which the four-year old narrator lives: a single room in which he and his young mother are being held captive. But despite her youth, his mother is a remarkable woman, whose resourcefulness gives Jack an astonishingly active life, and earns her the admiration of the reader. Will Jack and his mother live inside “Room” forever?

Lethal by Sandra Brown—This suspense novel reads like an action thriller movie. Honor Gillette is a recent widow, mourning the death of her husband and trying to be a good mother to her four-year old daughter, when her fragile life is shattered. Nothing is as it seems, and it may be that the only one she can trust is the accused 7-time murderer who kidnapped her. You’ll be glued to your seat as Honor and Coburn run from the law and race toward the truth.

Guilt by Association by Marcia Clark—Yes, it’s the Marcia Clark who was the lead prosecutor in the OJ Simpson case, and in this debut novel she proves that she’s not only an able lawyer, but also an excellent writer. Clark combines her knowledge of the Los Angeles judicial system with a fast plot, great characterization, witty dialog, humor and suspense in this LA crime novel.

The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach—This novel takes place at a small college in Wisconsin, and is on the surface a novel about baseball. But more than that, it’s a novel about growing up, making choices, and the fallibility of man. Harbach marries his love of baseball to a love of literature in this novel which is sure to entertain baseball lovers and non-lovers alike.

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton—The staff member who recommended this book admitted that Sue Grafton novels sometimes disappoint, but stated that in this one, “She outdid herself!” Mystery lovers will enjoy this book even if they have not read any of the others in Grafton’s long series.

DVD: Crazy Stupid Love—People from multiple generations are looking for love in this star-studded, touching romantic comedy with a few surprise twists and a satisfying ending.

DVD: The Young Victoria—Did you enjoy the royal wedding? Well, here’s another one for you. If you like history, intrigue, or romance, this gorgeously costumed and well-acted movie is for you.

Our DVD list would not be complete without including The Help, the movie about black maids and their white employers that is based on Kathryn Stockett’s popular book. While not the first movie to explore the issue of racism, this one does it with characters who are unforgettable.

So snuggle up on the couch with a hot drink and a blanket, and don’t let the year end without checking out some of the best books and movies 2011 has to offer.

Snowflakes-Winter’s Secret Beauty

December 21st, the first day of winter, is almost here. When you think about it, we started working our way toward winter back on June 21st, the first day of summer when we had the most amount of sunlight. From that point on, we lost several minutes of light each day which allowed our part of the hemisphere to slowly cool down until we have winter. With winter comes cold and with cold comes SNOW. Now I know it’s hard to see the beauty of a snowflake when a blizzard is howling and you have 12 plus inches of swirling snow to remove from your driveway, but if you took the time to analyze one snowflake, you would see a creation that is truly unique.

Snowflakes are growing crystals, not frozen raindrops, which is what sleet is. They are usually six sided, but rarely they can be three or twelve sided. In the clouds, when one droplet of water begins to freeze, it turns to ice and a snowflake is created. It continues to grow as more water vapor in the air condenses and freezes on it. This process continues the whole time the flake is falling. A snowflake is affected by the temperature and humidity around it and because no two snowflakes fall the exact same way, each snowflake will be unique.

Through time, many people have attempted to record the different designs that are created. The first attempt was back in 1555, by Olaus Magnus, the Archbishop of Upsala. Seeing as there were no cameras back then, woodcuts were used to show what a snowflake looked like. Better observations could be made in 1665 when the microscope was developed. Robert Hooke included sketches of snowflakes in his book Micrographia. More observations and books followed the initial attempts, but these books, just like the first ones, only contained sketches of snowflakes from the author’s memory. In 1885, the first snowflake was successfully photographed by Wilson Bentley, a Vermont farmer who had always had a love affair with snowflakes. He captured more than 5,000 images of snowflakes, many of which are in his book Snow Crystals. In the children’s book Snowflake Bentley you will read about how dedicated he was to this passion of his. The next two books written by Kenneth Libbrecht are phenomenal. In The Secret Life of a Snowflake you will be taken on a step by step journey of a snowflake from its creation to its final resting point on a child’s mitten. To capture the beauty of these fleeting crystals, you need to check out The Snowflake: Winter’s Secret Beauty. You will be able to see snowflakes in a way you’ve never seen them before. The pictures will take your breath away.

If you’d rather read about someone else dealing with the snow season, then you might enjoy these titles:

-Light on Snow-Shreve
-A Reliable Wife-Goolrick
-Hard Winter-Boogs
-Brian’s Winter-Paulsen
-Winter Solstice-Pilcher
-The Mitford Snowmen-Karon
-Esther’s Gift-Karon
-Shepherds Abiding-Karon
-Snow Day: A Novel-Coffey
-Snowed In-Bartolomeo

For you mystery buffs, you might enjoy these books:

-61 Hours: A Reacher Novel
-Ice Cold: A Rizoli and Isles Novel
-The Chocolate Snowman Murders: A Chocoholic Mystery-Carl
-Tell Me Pretty Maiden-Bowen
-White Corridor-Fowler

If you can get the kids to come indoors, they might enjoy these picks:

-A Season of Gifts-Peck
-Duck at the Door-Urbanovic
-The Snow Tree-Repchuk
-Winter on the Farm-Wilder
-In the Snow: Who’s Been Here-George
-Footprints in the Snow-Benjamin
-Winter Barn-Parnall
-Bedtime for Bear-Helquist
Keep warm, happy reading, and just remember, when December 21 rolls around, we are on our way back to summer!

Picture courtesy of Easicat

The Art of Giving

Do you hear bells ringing? Perhaps you are getting married this December or maybe it’s just another angel getting its wings (think It’s a wonderful life), most likely it’s a Salvation Army bell ringer. Every year Americans willingly open up their wallets and give generously to those in need. You don’t have to be a philanthropist like Warren Buffett or Bill Gates to give. All gifts, whether they be small or large, of time or talent, goods or monies are graciously accepted locally as well as internationally.

The Salvation Army is just one of many charitable organizations whose presence can be found all around the world. It was founded in 1865 in London’s East End by William Booth, a Methodist minister and his wife Catherine. The original name of the organization was the East London Christian Mission. The Salvation Army name came about rather by accident when Booth, while dictating a letter to his secretary, George Scott Railton, said, “We are a volunteer army”. Booth’s son, Bramwell Booth, overheard the conversation and corrected his father saying, “Volunteer! I’m no volunteer. I’m a regular”. It was then the word “volunteer” was replaced with “salvation”. The Salvation Army was organized after the military. The organization adopted its own flag, music and ranks. William Booth as “General “preached to the poor and Catherine rallied support from the wealthy. The army branched out to the United States in 1880. Its reputation was greatly enhanced as a result of relief provided during the Galveston Hurricane in 1900 and the San Francisco Earthquake in 1906. The Salvation Army today can be found in 124 different countries. Its headquarters remain in London, England.

The Huffington Post reports Americans gave $291 billion to charity in 2010, up 4 percent from 2009. The economy, being what is, does not diminish the spirit of giving. Individual households, corporations and the giants like Buffett and Gates continue to give generously. Warren Buffett (chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway), Bill Gates (co-founder of Microsoft) and his wife Melinda, and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook’s CEO) have signed a promise to give at least half of their wealth to charity over time and they have invited others to do the same.

Your contributions can make a difference in the lives of people in need. America is hungry. Give to local food pantries. This is a great time of the year to donate--when the shelves are near empty. Shelter the homeless. Clothe the poor. Purchase an extra gift for the needy. Consider giving this season.

If you would like to read more about the Salvation Army, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerman or other celebrities who have made a difference in peoples’ lives check out the books listed below.

The General next to God; the story of William Booth and the Salvation Army by Richard Collier
In darkest England, and the way out [electronic resource] by William Booth
Blood and fire: William and Catherine Booth and their Salvation Army by Roy Hattersley
The snowball: Warren Buffett and the business of life by Alice Schroeder
Bill Gates: a twentieth-century life by Marc Aronson
The accidental billionaires: the founding of Facebook : a tale of sex, money, genius and betrayal by Ben Mezrich
Angelina : an unauthorized biography by Andrew Morton
Paul Newman : a life by Shawn Levy
Oprah: a biography by Kitty Kelley
Mother Teresa : come be my light by Mother Teresa
Barbra : the way she is by Christopher P. Andersen
Driven from within by Michael Jordan

If you would like to know more about a charitable organization check out the links below.

www.bbb.org/us/charity
http://www.charitywatch.org/
http://www.charitynavigator.org/

Picture courtesy of: http://www.libertychampion.com/2011/11/08/the-bells-will-ring-once-more/

Movie Genre Spotlight: WESTERNS!

In my family, John Wayne is the go-to guy for westerns. My dad loved John Wayne movies; so naturally, my sisters and I grew up loving him. By far, my favorite western starring John Wayne is McLintock! The dialogue between Maureen O’Hara and John Wayne is highly entertaining, and the scenes about the town’s picnic day are the best!
It wasn’t until college that I saw El Dorado with John Wayne and Robert Mitchum, but I grew to like this movie almost as much as McLintock! And in a close 3rd spot, I thoroughly enjoy the movie North to Alaska – it has a lot of the same elements that make McLintock! awesome. North to Alaska might be about loggers and panning for gold instead of ranchers, but the fight scenes from the two movies have the same feeling of chaotic fun. If you are interested in any more of John Wayne’s movies, here is a list of available titles in EasiCat.

Adult Movies:
The Alamo
Angel and the Badman
El Dorado
Hondo
How the West Was Won
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
McLintock!
North to Alaska
Red River
Rio Bravo
Rio Grande
Rodeo Racketeers
The Searchers
The Sons of Katie Elder
Stagecoach
True Grit

There are a couple of children’s movies that deal with the West as well, and while they do not number as many as the adult movies, they are all good stories. I grew up loving the stories about Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, so when Tall Tale came out, it was an instant hit in our family. It talks about the legends of John Henry, Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan and Calamity Jane. It also deals with the expansion out West through the railroad and how it affected families and towns.

Children’s Movies:
American Legends
An American Tale: Fievel Goes West
Home on the Range
Rango
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron
Tall Tale

Beside John Wayne movies, my sisters and I could not get enough of musicals - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was one of our favorites and would get watched over and over again. Howard Keel played the eldest of seven brothers, Adam, who was pretty clueless about women, but still managed to find a woman who agreed to marry him. His bride’s interactions with her new brothers-in-laws provide plenty of entertainment for the first part of the movie. The second part of the movie is about each of Adam’s brothers trying their hands at courting and the various mistakes they make. Howard Keel also stars alongside Doris Day in another western musical, Calamity Jane. And here are a few more musicals about the wild frontier!

Musicals:
Annie Get Your Gun
Calamity Jane
Oklahoma!
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
Last but not least, there are a couple of TV series about the Wild West available as well in EasiCat. A favorite of my father’s was Bonanza, but I grew up watching Jane Seymour in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

TV Series:
Annie Oakley
Big Valley
Bonanza
Deadwood
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
Lone Ranger
Lonesome Dove
Roy Rogers
Wanted: Dead or Alive

If you are interested in seeing a more complete EasiCat listing of the entire western DVD collection, follow this link or go to the EasiCat “Advanced Search” page and type in Western films. If you want to find out more about westerns, Most Wanted Western Movies is a good website to look at. If you are interested in looking into other classic movies, the National Film Registry’s website is also a good resource.



*Image pulled from Google images.