Great New Teen Series!

Are you looking for a new series to fill the spot of Harry Potter, Twilight or The Hunger Games? Do you like action/ adventure novels? Fantasy novels? Dystopian fiction like The Hunger Games? How about fairy tale retellings? Or books like Twilight? Well, here are some new teen series that may appeal to a lot of people, not just teens!

Fantasy Fiction
One of my favorite genres is fantasy, so I am always excited to find a new fantasy series or author that I really enjoy. Here are some great fantasy series that are new or have a new book being released soon. I am a huge fan of both Kristin Cashore and John Flanagan, so I cannot wait for their new books to come out!

Seven Kingdoms Trilogy by Kristin Cashore
(Book 1: Graceling, Book 2: Fire, Book 3: Bitterblue)

Seven Realms by Cinda Williams Chima
(Book 1: The Demon King, Book 2: The Exiled Queen, Book 3: The Gray Wolf Throne, Book 4: The Crimson Crown)

The Brotherband Chronicles by John Flanagan
(Book 1: The Outcasts, Book 2: The Invaders)

Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa
(Book 1: The Iron King, Book 2: The Iron Daughter, Book 3: The Iron Queen, Book 4: The Iron Knight)

His Fair Assassin by Robin LaFevers
(Book 1: Grave Mercy)

Beyonders by Brandon Mull
(Book 1: A World Without Heroes, Book 2: Seeds of Rebellion)

The Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer Nielsen
(Book 1: The False Prince)


Dystopian Fiction
By now, a lot of people have read The Hunger Games and are eagerly awaiting the movie release. If you enjoyed Suzanne Collins’ books, or have read The Maze Runner or The Knife of Never Letting Go, here are some other dystopian books that you may enjoy!

Matched by Ally Condie
(Book 1: Matched, Book 2: Crossed, Book 3: Reached)

Clarity by Kim Harrington
(Book 1: Clarity, Book 2: Perception)

Insurgent Trilogy by Veronica Roth
(Book 1: Divergent, Book 2: Insurgent)

Dustlands by Moira Young
(Book 1: Blood Red Road)

Science Fiction
Science fiction is another one of my favorite genres, made memorable to me after I read A Wrinkle in Time and Ender’s Game for the first time. From there, I devoured all the other books in the two series. Here are some new teen books/series that having been getting a lot of buzz lately and hopefully will inspire others to read more science fiction titles. I especially enjoyed Cinder!

Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare
(Book 1: Clockwork Angel, Book 2: Clockwork Prince)

BZRK by Michael Grant
(Book 1: BZRK)

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
(Book 1: Cinder)

Paranormal Fiction
I love paranormal fiction. I have always been a fan of books about vampires, werewolves, faeries, ghost hunters...etc. So, when I read about a new paranormal series coming out, I get excited and cannot wait to read the first book. Here are a few new paranormal titles that sound really good, including print versions of the e-book sensation and bestseller Amanda Hocking!

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
(Book 1: Everneath)

Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking
(Book 1: Switched, Book 2: Torn, Book 3: Ascend)

Violet Eden by Jessica Shirvington
(Book 1: Embrace)

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

March is Women’s History Month! It is a time to celebrate the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society.

Women’s History Month has only been around since 1987 when Congress expanded the focus of Women’s History Week to a whole month. It began as a way to teach the topic of women’s history in the classroom, as it was a subject generally ignored; the event was a way to increase knowledge of the American population.

Women have made contributions in many areas including science, sports, art, politics, civil rights, and medicine, and they deserve to be recognized for their hard work. Take some time to pick up a book or do research on your own to learn more about these amazing people and their involvement in shaping the world we know today.

For more information on Women’s History Month take a look at these websites:
http://womenshistorymonth.gov/
http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_resources/whm/
http://www.nwhp.org/whm/history.php

Here are some great biographies on remarkable women:

Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie
Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life by Lisa Chaney
Amelia Earhart: the Turbulent Life of an American Icon by Kathleen C. Winters
The Curies: A Biography of the Most Controversial Family in Science by Denis Brian
Florence Nightingale: the Making of an Icon by Mark Bostridge
There Is No Alternative: Why Margaret Thatcher Matters by Claire Berlinski
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by Randy J. Taraborrelli
Becoming Jane Austen: A Life by John Spence
The Beecher Sisters by Barbara Anne White
My Name is Anne, she said, Anne Frank by Jacqueline van Maarsen
Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman by Sam Wasson
Kate: the Woman Who Was Hepburn by William J. Mann
Rosa Parks by Douglas Brinkley
With Billie by Julia Blackburn
A Necessary Spectacle: Billie Jean King, Bobby Riggs, and the Tennis Match That Leveled the Game by Selena Roberts
Oprah: A Biography by Kitty Kelley
The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown
The Bronte Myth by Lucasta Miller
Tete-a-Tete: Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre by Hazel Rowley
Virginia Woolf by Alexandra Harris
Jane Goodall: the Woman Who Redefined Man by Dale Peterson
Emma Goldman: Revolution as a Way of Life by Vivian Gornick
Georgia O’Keefe: 1887-1986: Flowers in the Desert by Britta Benke
Dorothea Lange: A Life Beyond Limits by Linda Gordon
Reading Jackie: Her Autobiography in Books by William M. Kuhn
Ball of Fire: the Tumultuous Life and Comic Art of Lucille Ball by Stefan Kanfer

For Kids:

Amelia Earhart: the Legend of the Lost Aviator by Shelley Tanaka
Marie Curie: Discoverer of Radium by Margaret Poynter
Susan B. Anthony by Martha E.H. Rustad
Eleanor, Quiet No More: the Life of Eleanor Roosevelt by Doreen Rappaport
Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Mia Hamm by Clay Latimer
Indira Nehru Gandhi, Ruler of India by Carol Greene
Eva Peron: First Lady of the People by Kremena Spengler
J.K. Rowling by William Compson
Clara Barton: Founder of the American Red Cross by Barbara A. Somervill
Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette and the French Revolution by Nancy Plain
Elizabeth Blackwell: the First Woman Doctor by Ira Peck
Jane Addams: Champion of Democracy by Judith Bloom Fradin
The True Story of Pocahontas by Colleen Adams
Sally Ride: Astronaut, Scientist, Teacher by Pamela Hill Nettleton
Sacagawea: A Photo-Illustrated Biography by Barbara Witteman
Harriet Tubman: Freedom Leader by Tanya Savory
Sojourner Truth: Speaking Up For Freedom by Geoffrey M. Horn
Dirt on Their Skirts: the Story of the Young Women Who Won The World Championship by Doreen Rappaport

Check out these films for entertainment pertaining to influential women:

Marie Antoinette
The Young Victoria
Pocahontas
Evita
Becoming Jane
Elizabeth, the Golden Age
My Week With Marilyn
A League of Their Own
Coco Before Chanel


Picture from http://www.apbspeakers.com/speaker-news/womens-history-month-profiles-courage

I Want to Read a Bestseller!

If you enjoy reading the books that everyone’s talking about, or simply like to stay abreast of current books, the New York Times Bestseller list is a great resource. You can access it directly through Easicat: from the Easicat page choose the “Search” tab, and then either “Keyword” or “Browse”. On the left side you’ll see a sidebar that says “NY Times Bestsellers.” If you click on the drop-down arrow, you can choose from bestselling fiction, non-fiction or advice titles (advice includes self-help, cookbooks and fitness books), as well as children’s and young adult chapter books (think Hunger Games), paperbacks, and picture books.

The best part about viewing the bestseller lists from Easicat is that you can immediately request a title by clicking the “Request” button. Or if you’re like me, and you have more books checked out than you have time to read, Easicat will keep a list of books you hope to read in the future: log on with your barcode number and PIN under the “Patron Account” tab, and then when you find a book you’d like to read, click on “Add to list” on the right-hand side of the screen.
While the NYT bestseller lists are top-10 lists, you’ll find as many as 50 entries in the Easicat version of the list. That’s because each book is listed in all the available formats. You can decode these by looking at the icon that appears next to the picture of the book.
means it’s a traditional book
means it’s a large print book

indicates a non-musical sound recording, which is a book on CD

Got an e-reader or an mp3 player?

indicates an e-book which you can download onto your e-reader or computer and

is the icon for an audiobook which you can listen to on an mp3 player or computer. Just click on the link that says “Click here to access the title or place a request” and it will take you the Wisconsin Library Digital Download Center (Overdrive).

Looking at the NYT Bestseller list is an easy way to find your next great read. Here’s a few I’ve read or listened to lately:

From the Adult Non-fiction list: Unbroken: a World War II airman’s story of survival, resilience and redemption by Laura Hillenbrand—I didn’t think I would be interested in the story of a WWII airman who was shot down over the Pacific Ocean, but so many people recommended it to me I decided to give it a try. I found myself riveted to the story of a man whose determination and mental toughness brought him to the 1936 Olympics, enabled him to survive weeks at sea in a lifeboat, and then carried him through months of brutality and horror in Japanese POW camps. It sounds like a grisly story, but in the end is an inspiring one.

From the Adult Fiction list: Fall of giants by Ken Follett—The master historical fiction writer wows us again with this book, the first in a series of three that will take us through the twentieth century. Follett’s characters include the rich and the poor, the influential and the ordinary, and the stories take us from the United States to England, France, Germany and Russia as we trace the fates of five inter-connected families.

From the Adult Advice list: Heaven is for real: a little boy’s astounding story of his trip to heaven and back by Todd Burpo—This is a wonderful story about a boy whose brush with death left him with stories about heaven that are nothing short of remarkable. He tells of people he met in heaven who he would not otherwise know because they were not alive during his life on earth, and he tells details of heaven that are consistent with facts in the Bible which he had not yet been taught in his short life. This book will bolster your faith in God, and provide comfort to any who are mourning those who have preceded them to heaven.

From the children’s chapter book list: Wonderstruck by Brian Selznik—This book tells two stories simultaneously: the story of a young boy looking for his father, told entirely with words, and the story of a deaf girl, who has no words, told entirely in pictures. It is by the same author as The Invention of Hugo Cabret, which was the inspiration for the movie Hugo.

Other NYT Bestsellers that have been made into award-winning movies include War Horse by Morpurgo, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, The Descendants by Kaui Hemmings, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John Le Carre, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, and The Vow by Kim and Krickett Carpenter. You can check out the book or the DVD, which is indicated by an icon that looks like this:

What should I read next? There’s bound to be something great on the New York Times Bestseller List.

Photo courstesy of Google Images

Wisconsin Arts and Crafts

Since 1976, the Wisconsin Arts Board has created the Wisconsin Arts and Craft Fair Directory. This directory is quite handy for those people who like to go to fairs or for those who would like to sell their handicrafts. In this directory, there is a description of the fair, what facilities are available, size and cost of a booth, and the contact person. The fairs are listed chronologically and there is both a city and county index. Some of the fairs are strictly a craft event. There is one totally restricted to gourd artists. Many include live music, children’s activities, horse pulls, fish boils, micro brew tasting, and wine and cheese tasting. As you can see, some fairs have something for the whole family and most of them are admission free events. The settings for these fairs are as varied as the fairs themselves-a botanical garden setting, waterfront sights, an island, and the Calatrava Center. Many celebrate the bountiful harvest of the state- sauerkraut, strawberries, gourds, sweet corn, watermelon, cranberries, apples, pumpkins, and the wine harvest. Some of these events are as close as our own back yard. Each year, Cedarburg celebrates Strawberry Fest and Wine Harvest Fest. Should you want to attend the biggest of all the fairs, you need to go to the Warrens Cranberrry Fest, with 850 arts and crafts booths, 350 flea market booths, and 100 farm vendors.

I like going to craft fairs, but I love to try my hand at crafting even more. So instead of just going to fairs, why not give it a try? If you’re not sure what you’d like to try then you might start out with books like The Michael’s Book of Arts and Crafts or the Martha Stewart’s Encyclopedia of Crafts. Both books are brimming with ideas. For nature lovers, there are nature craft books like The Complete Book of Nature Craft Techniques and Creative Nature Crafts. Using the bounty from nature such as grasses, feathers, vines, twigs, seeds, gourds, and pine needles, you can create some beautiful garlands, baskets, wreaths, vinegars, and much more. There are other books like Wreaths and Bouquets that focus more on wreaths and floral designs.

Going from the very natural, we move to Steampunk Chic. According to the author, Jennifer O’Neil, it is a “Victorianesque restyling of everyday objects into home accents imbued with mystery and romance”. In other words, it’s the combining of antique technology with Victorian charm and elegance. Because so many of the supplies for this craft are old pieces of lace, cogs, watches, keys, etc., this is a perfect craft for those who love to frequent flea markets and garage sales where such treasures can be found. What a great way to recycle.

Beading is quite popular right now and there are some unbelievable design patterns and great instructions in books like Seed Bead Fusion and Complete Beading. Knitting and crocheting are fun in themselves, but these two crafts are taken to a whole new level when you choose to add felting into the process. The Felted Bag Book and Knit One, Felt Too will show you some of the possibilities of this art form. If you think ribbons are for hair and tying up presents, you have not seen the beautiful ribbon work projects in Elegant Ribboncraft and Glorious Ribbons. Similar projects would be cloth covered boxes found in Making Decorative Fabric Covered Boxes. Many of the projects found in this book make use of ribbon work to decorate the boxes.

Painting, whether you use watercolor, oil, or acrylic, can be very rewarding. You need not stick to just canvas for your painting surface though. You can expand your horizons when you try other surfaces. There are some great projects in Handpainting Your Furniture, Tole Painted Outdoor Projects, and Better Homes and Gardens Painted Crafts.

Have fun, whether you attend some of Wisconsin’s finest fairs or you try your hand at some project yourself. We have a lot of topics to choose from in Easicat, so I’m sure you will be able to find some project to your liking. Who knows, maybe we’ll find you at one of those fairs selling your creations next year.

Mardi Gras, a reason to celebrate

Who doesn’t love a good party? With Mardi Gras occurring this week partygoers will have much to celebrate. While not everyone can take to the streets of New Orleans to party, there are plenty of books set in the city to give you that same colorful flavor.

Mardi Gras refers to the carnival events surrounding the celebration, according to Wikipedia. Known as Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday in English, it’s the last night before the fasting season of Lent. Mardi Gras is celebrated around the world with great revelry, lots of food and merrymaking. Many cities celebrate this holiday, but it is best known for the celebrations in the ethnic French city of New Orleans. Mardi Gras has its roots going back to 1699 in the United States.

King Louis XIV of France sent the brothers Pierre Le Moyne d’lberville and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville to claim the territory of Louisiane (Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana) for France. On March 3, 1699 the expedition brought them to an area 60 miles south of New Orleans where they set up camp and named the spot Point du Mardi Gras which is French for Mardi Gras Point and the nearby tributary became Bayou Mardi Gras.

While most people associate New Orleans with its Mardi Gras celebration there is much more to the city. Known for its flavorful French cuisine, the city is also rich in architecture, strong in voice, music and soul. No wonder so many writers choose New Orleans as the setting for their novels.

If you’d like to read about Mardi Gras celebrations in novels you may enjoy the following books.

Death swatch: a scrapbooking mystery by Laura Childs
When float designer Archie Baudier turns up dead during a Mardi Gras party at Jeckl Hardy’s French Quarter apartment, scrapbook store owner Carmela Bertrand, a guest at the party, races against time to find the killer before she becomes the next victim.

Fat Tuesday by Sandra Brown
In the French Quarter during Mardi Gras week, New Orleans narcotics cop Burke Basile sets out to avenge the acquittal of the murderer of his partner by kidnapping the sheltered wife of the defense attorney.

New Orleans mourning by Julie Smith
In New Orleans, police detective Skip Langdon searches for the killer of Rex, King of Carnival for this year’s Mardi Gras, a member of the powerful but tragic St. Amant family.

A thin dark line by Tami Hoag
This book follows the struggle of Louisiana investigator Annie Broussard to bring to justice the killer of a young woman, a quest that allies her with a shady, volatile fellow detective.

A free man of color by Barbara Hambly
As Mardi Gras draws near in 1833 New Orleans, Benjamin January, a Creole musician and free Black man, struggles to clear his name when he becomes suspect in the murder of an octoroon woman.

If you like fiction with New Orleans as the setting may we suggest the following new titles.

Devious by Lisa Jackson
When her sister, a novice nun named Camille, is found brutally murdered at St. Marguerite’s Cathedral in New Orleans, Valerie Houston, convinced that the police aren’t doing enough, investigates and discovers that a depraved killer is determined to purge St. Marguerite’s of all of its sins.

Phantom evil by Heather Graham
Heading a group of paranormal investigators for the government, Jackson Crow, part English, part Cheyenne, uses his link to the realm of spirits to help solve the mysterious death of a senator’s wife with the help of Angela Hawkins, a police officer with paranormal intuition.

Storm damage by Ed Kovacs
Investigating the murder of a politically connected New Orleans bar owner in the aftermath of a devastating Category 5 hurricane, former police officer and mixed-marital artist Cliff St. James discovers possible CIA involvement in the crime.

Image courtesy of: http://www.holidays.net/mardigras/images/hostory01.jpg

Urban Fantasy Fiction

As Wikipedia describes it, “urban fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy defined by place; the fantastic narrative has an urban setting. Many urban fantasies are set in contemporary times and contain supernatural elements.” Urban fantasy is quickly becoming one of my favorite subgenres to read and there are more and more urban fantasy titles to choose from.



Some of the authors who really set the groundwork for the urban fantasy sub-genre include:

Jim Butcher - Dresden Files series
Laurell K. Hamilton - Anita Blake series
Kim Harrison - Rachel Morgan series

Popular Series & Authors
Ilona Andrews – Kate Daniels series
Kelley Armstrong – Women of the Otherworld series
L.A. Banks – Vampire Huntress series & Crimson Moon series
Patricia Briggs – Mercy Thompson series
Rachel Caine – Outcast Seasons series
Karen Chance – Cassie Palmer series
Kresley Cole – Immortals After Dark series
MaryJanice Davidson – Queen Betsy series
Jeaniene Frost – Night Huntress series
Tate Hallaway – Garnet Lacey series
Charlaine Harris – Sookie Stackhouse series & Harper Connelly series
Sherrilyn Kenyon – Dark Hunter series
C.E. Murphy – Negotiator trilogy
Jennifer Rardin – Jaz Parks series
Kat Richardson – Greywalker series
Carrie Vaughn – Kitty Norville series
Rachel Vincent – Shifter series
J.R. Ward – Black Dagger Brotherhood series

Because urban fantasy in a sub-genre of fantasy, most of the books tend to be published first as paperbacks, and it is not until they become popular series that they begin to be released in hardcover. So, while some of these authors may not be available through our library system in a regular book format, you may be able to find them as e-books in OverDrive.

Fresh New Voices
Kristen Callihan
Molly Harper – Jane Jameson series
Kevin Hearne – Iron Druid series
Nancy Holzner – Deadtown series
Darynda Jones - Charley Davidson series
Jenna Maclaine – Cin Craven series
Chloe Neill – Chicagoland Vampires series

If you are interested in learning more about urban fantasy or would like to keep on top of new urban fantasy books, a great blog to follow is All Things Urban Fantasy.




**Image pulled from Google images.

PRESIDENTIAL READS

In the month of February we have Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (February 12) and George Washington’s birthday (February 22), and Presidents’ Day.

Presidents’ Day was initially a celebration of George Washington’s birthday, but over time it has evolved to celebrate both presidents: Lincoln and Washington. However, not everyone celebrates this day in honor of both (or even all) presidents; some only honor George Washington, others may honor all the presidents that have come from their respective states, and others may honor all U.S. presidents. No matter how you look at it, thinking of one president often sparks interest in others.

The United States has had 44 presidents: starting with George Washington and ending with our current president Barack Obama. Did you know that there was a president who only served for one month? Or, that one president is credited with inventing the swivel chair? We’ve had presidents with names like Millard and one with a middle name of Gamaliel. From the forefathers to our present day leaders, books on the United States presidents can be fascinating reads.

For more general information on U.S. presidents such as election results, cabinet members, notable events, and interesting facts, check out this website: http://www.ipl.org/div/potus/

Looking for more about the leaders of the United States? Check out these titles:

American Crisis: George Washington and the Dangerous Two Years After Yorktown, 1781-1783 by William M. Fowler
First Family: Abigail and John by Joseph J. Ellis
Flight From Monticello: Thomas Jefferson at War by Michael Cranish
James Madison by Richard Brookhiser
The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation’s Call to Greatness by Harlow G. Unger
Mr. Adams’s Last Crusade: John Quincy Adams’s Extraordinary Post-Presidential Life in Congress by Joseph Wheelan
A Being So Gentle: the Frontier Love Story of Rachel and Andrew Jackson by Patricia Brady
A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War, and the Conquest of the American Continent by Robert W. Merry
The Remarkable Millard Fillmore: the Unbelievable Life of a Forgotten President by George Pendle
Franklin Pierce by Michael F. Holt
Abraham Lincoln and Horace Greeley by Gregory A. Borchard
U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth by Joan Waugh
A Secret Life: The Lies and Scandals of President Grover Cleveland by Charles Lachman
The President and the Assassin: McKinley, Terror, and Empire at the Dawn of the American Century by Scott Miller
Colonel Roosevelt by Edmund Morris
Woodrow Wilson: A Biography by John Milton Cooper
Calvin Coolidge by David Greenberg
Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage by Hazel Rowley
1948: Harry Truman’s Improbable Victory and the Year that Transformed America’s Role in the World by David Pietrusza
Brothers, Rivals, Victors: Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, and the Partnership that Drove the Allied Conquest in Europe by Jonathan W. Jordan
Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero by Christopher Matthews
1960: LBJ vs JFK vs Nixon: the Epic Campaign that Forged Three Presidencies by David Pietrusza
Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter: the Georgia Years, 1924-1974 by E. Stanly Godbold
My Father at 100 by Ron Reagan
Decision Points by George W. Bush






Picture from http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington