Gift Ideas - For History and Mystery Buffs

Some more gift ideas from the Deweys - today we pick our some of our favourite histories and mysteries.

For the History Buff

Susan:

The Reckoning of Boston Jim by Claire Mulligan

Immersed in the sights, sounds and smells of the Cariboo Gold Rush, these finely drawn, complex characters interact with historic people, places and events while struggling towards goals which, finally, are not about gold at all. This book was on the Giller longlist and a Quill and Quire Best Book of 2007. Historical fiction

Two Trails Narrow, by Stephen McGregor

Set against the residential school experience for Native children and the looming shadow of the Second World War, Two Trails Narrow recounts the pain of a young generation of Natives who were pulled into the vortex of forced battle at home and overseas. Historical fiction.

Rosalyn:

House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest by Craig Childs

Childs searches for an answer to one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in history- what happened to the Anasazi people?
Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the Hidden Rivalries That Ignited the Space Age by Matthew Brzezinski

A look at the early days of the space race.
Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Execution by Caroline Weber This book provides a fascinating look at the doomed royal, using the unique lens of her fashions- from her first appearance in court, right up to her appointment with the guillotine.

Maylin:

Bad Faith: A Forgotten History of Family, Fatherland and Vichy France by Carmen Callil.

This is in many ways a tough book to read, but an important and mesmerizing one. What does one do when one's father is a complete monster? Callil knew personally the daughter of Louis Darquier, the Vichy Commissioner for Jewish Affairs who sent thousands of Jews to their death and it was her suicide that prompted Callil to investigate this family history.

In Europe: Travels Through the Twentieth Century by Geert Mak

Part travel memoir and part journalism, Mak recounts the key historical events of the twentieth century by travelling around Europe during 1999, visiting the places where events happened, talking to the survivors and describing the lasting effects on the cities and countries he visits.

The Age of Conversation by Benedetta Craveri

A fascinating look at French salon society - and the women who ruled there - between the reign of Louis XIII and the French Revolution.

Eleanor:
Forge of Empires by Michael Knox Beran. This is a non-fiction version of War and Peace. A fabulous story of three great leaders - Lincoln, Bismarxk and Alexander II, who gave birth to three great empires.

Saffron:

Mapping a Continent: Historical Atlas of North America, 1492-1814 by Raymonde Litalien et al. Fabulous historical maps of Canada never published before.

For the Mystery Lover

Susan:

The Humbugs Diet by Robert Majzels

A story that seeks to answer why old folks are falling out of windows at a retirement home.

Rosalyn:

For those who love a dark, twisted mystery: Heartsick by Chelsea Cain

Portland Detective Archie Sheridan was kidnapped and tortured by Gretchen Lowell, a beautiful serial killer whom he was tracking. Now Gretchen is locked away, while Archie is in a prison of another kind, addicted to painkillers, and powerless to erase Gretchen from his mind. When another killer begins snatching teenage girls, Archie volunteers to lead the investigation, shadowed by reporter Susan. They need to catch this killer before he strikes again, and maybe somehow Archie can free himself from Gretchen once and for all.
For those who love a great historical mystery: The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin

It is 1836. Europe is modernizing and the Ottoman Empire must follow suit. But just before the sultan announces sweeping changes, a wave of murders threatens the fragile balance of power in his court. Who is behind them? Only one intelligence agent can be trusted to find out. The first Investigator Yashim mystery. Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel.
For cozy mystery readers: Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter by Blaize Clement

She’s left her job as a sheriff’s deputy and has set up a pet sitting business, but crime seems to follow Dixie Hemingway. While checking on her current client, an Abyssinian, she finds a dead man face down in the cat bowl. The owner is missing and Dixie can’t help but get involved. This book falls on the darker side of ‘cozy’- Dixie is dealing with the tragic loss of her husband and child- but her witty humour and insight into the pet sitting business makes this a great read.

Anne:

Friend of the Devil by Peter Robinson
On a cliff edge overlooking the North Sea, a quadriplegic woman in a wheelchair stares unseeingly at the waves. She had been murdered. And, miles away, in a storeroom in the Maze, a medieval warren of yards and alleys at the heart of Eastvale, Yorkshire, a young woman lies sprawled on a heap of leather scraps, also murdered. DCI Alan Banks and DI Annie Cabbot attempt to solve these crimes as a ghost from the past is back to haunt both them. DCI Banks is a super character. I care as much about what is going on in his life as I do about the mystery itself.
Beautiful Lies by Lisa Unger
Ridley Jones saves a little child from being hit by a car and because of the publicity, someone slips a note under her door that says “I think you are my daughter”. This book is one of the most intense, addictive mysteries I have ever read. I really liked the character of Ridley Jones and fortunately she re-appeared in Sliver of Truth. Booklist calls this second book a sizzling sequel and I couldn’t agree more. Treat yourself.

Maylin:

Wash This Blood Clean From My Hand by Fred Vargas

This bestselling author from France is just terrific. In this latest Adamsberg mystery, he and his Paris team travel to Quebec to take a course on DNA testing. Adamsberg inevitably gets tied up in a murder, except he becomes the main suspect. How he manages to escape the Quebec police and the RCMP and all of airport security to get out of Canada so he can solve the crime is absolutely ingenious! For Reginald Hill fans in particular. Watch for her new one in January, This Night's Foul Work.

Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indridason
A skeleton is found on a construction site but it is several decades old. Detective Erlendur's team is skeptical that they can find out how it got there but secrets always come back to life. A mysterious green lady, a missing fiancee and a cryptic note written by a dying octogenarian all provide clues. For fans of Henning Mankell and Karin Fossum, Indridason is the new, great voice in Nordic Crime. This novel won the CWA Gold Dagger and caused some controversy when complaints poured in that too many works in translation were winning the award. Which is of course a complete load of poppycock.
For something a little more lighthearted - the myseries of Edmund Crispin are a lot of fun. Featuring eccentric Oxford don Gervase Fen, these always have lots of fun literary references sprinkled in. Try Holy Disorders, Love Lies Bleeding or his most famous The Moving Toyshop.

Eleanor:

Gotta be Protect and Defend by Vince Flynn!! He is the king of high concept mystery and his key character Mitch Rapp is back. Reading Flynn is a wonderful experience, but listening to him on audio is exceptional!

Saffron:
The Law of Three: Sara Martin Mysteries by Caroline Pattison

Best Books of 2007 - Dewey Picks Part 3

Two more Top Ten Lists from the Dewey reps for H.B. Fenn and Simon & Schuster Canada.

Rosalyn's List:

1. Heartsick by Chelsea Cain

2. Bobbie Faye’s Very (Very, Very, Very) Bad Day by Toni McGee Causey

As Lahring puts it ‘Into everyone’s life, a little fluff must fall’! This book made me laugh hysterically and was an action-packed romp from start to finish. Criminals have kidnapped Bobbie Faye’s good-for-nothing brother, and are demanding her Contraband Queen tiara (the only thing of her mama’s she has left) as ransom. With the clock ticking, Bobbie Faye has to outwit the police, organized crime, former boyfriends, and a hostage she never intended to take in order to rescue her brother, keep custody of her niece, and get back in time to take her place as Contraband Queen in the Lake Charles Contraband Festival parade.
3. The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

4. The Terror Dream by Susan Faludi

This examination of the cultural impact of 9/11 will both shock and educate the reader.
5. The Elephant & Piggie series by Mo Willems: Today I Will Fly! /My Friend is Sad! /I am Invited to a Party! /There is A Bird on Your Head

6. Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell

7. The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

8. Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity by Mo Willems

9. Little Mouse’s Big Book of Fears by Emily Gravett

Little Mouse takes the reader through his many fears, from ‘whereamiophobia’ (fear of getting lost) to ‘Teratophobia’ (the fear of monsters). The book is a masterpiece of design, from it’s ‘mouse nibbled’ die-cuts to the fold out map of the (mouse-shaped) ‘Isle of Fright’ with labels such as ‘Wide Eye Lake’, ‘Mount Apprehension’, ‘Loose Bottom’ and the towns of ‘Balking’ and ‘Great Wimp’. This is a book that benefits from multiple readings- each time you’ll discover something new in the illustrations.
10. Black Book of Secrets by F. E. Higgins

Eleanor's List:

1.On Borrowed Wings by Chandra Prasad - A great read, reminiscent of the movie Yentl that Barbra Streisand starred in . Adele assumes the identity – and gender – of her deceased brother to gain entrance into Yale. Read and find out how this tale of deceit plays through.
This is part social history and part coming of age – totally intriguing , very well written and researched.

2. Ice Trap by Kitty Sewell

3.Wife in the Fast Lane by Karen Quinn
4. The Wilde Women by Paula Wall
5. Waiting to Surface by Emily Listfield
6. Billie Standish Was Here by Nancy Crocker
7. Lacemaker and the Princess by Kimberley Brubaker Bradley
8. The Miner's Daughter by Gretchen Moran Laskas

9. Indie Girl by Kavita Dawasni

10. When the Black Girl Sings by Bill Wright

Nonfiction pick:

To Cork or Not to Cork by George M Taber - Wonderful book for anyone who enjoys drinking wine or sharing unusual tidbits about wine over the dinner table. Taber traces the history and use of cork from Ancient China through to Middle Ages, Renaissance and into today and also discusses how cork has been challenged by screwtops, plastic, glass and even zork! There is also talk about memorable characters and pivotal moments in wine production, consumption , and storage. A great read for the inquisitive as well as the wine lover!

Font fun

I watched this terrific documentary last night (now available on DVD). Helvetica traces the design and cultural impact of this 1950s Swiss font, through a series of interviews with a number of graphic and type designers around the world. These people are absolutely obsessed by typeface and it makes for extraordinary viewing. I particularly loved the interviews with Erik Spiekermann, a self-confessed "typomaniac" whose passion for fonts was inspiring. One may never want to use "Arial" again after hearing what he has to say about its creation (make sure you check out the additional interviews in the "extras"). There's a nice mixture of designers who absolutely idolize Helvetica and others who swear they will never, ever use the font in their work. One even mischievously suggests it could be partly responsible for the Vietnam and Iraq wars. But these are the unsung people behind our urban, corporate and cultural landscapes and this film definately opens your eyes to the impact, beauty and power of typography.

Favourite Reads of 2007 - The Librarian's Picks Part 3

Continuing our series, today we have some great reading picks by librarians from Toronto and Kingston.

Valerie Casselman - Toronto Public Library

My titles are all literary fiction. Because I am a librarian, they are in alpha order by title:

The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta
Absurdistan by Gary Shteyngart
Consequences by Penelope Lively
Exit Ghost by Philip Roth
The Lay of the Land by Richard Ford
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan
The Pesthouse by Jim Crace
The Post-birthday World by Lionel Shriver

The Song Before it is Sung by Justin Cartwright

Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris

Valerie Casselman is the Adult Materials Collections Librarian for the Toronto Public Library. Her proudest accomplishment is having raised two readers - twin boys who have both asked for "some serious fiction" for Christmas!

Bessie Sullivan - Kingston Frontenac Public Library

Like many librarians, I am an avid reader. It wasn’t until recently that I began to realize that there is some pattern to my reading. Also that some of my reading directly influences the next choice. The YA titles I chose are good examples of books that encourage young people to think individually and to be aware of, and involved in, social issues. The non-fiction title I chose appeals to my love of statistics and the ways in which they can be interpreted. The fiction titles represent an eclectic mix of Canadian mystery, fiction about other cultures, and women’s stories. I want to be entertained by what I read but sometimes I also want my thoughts provoked. The following are what stood out the most for me over the course of my reading in 2007.

YA Fiction

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
In his first novel for a younger audience, Carl Hiaasen plunges readers into the middle of an ecological mystery, made up of endangered miniature owls and the owls' unlikely allies--three middle-school kids determined to beat the screwed-up adult system. All of Hiaasen’s dark humour slightly sanitized for the young adult reader. This effort was followed by Flush in 2005.
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
The story centres on a new tenth grade student at Mica Area High School in Arizona: Stargirl Caraway, an eccentric and compassionate non-conformist vegetarian who has spent her previous years in homeschooling. Eleventh-grader Leo Borlock narrates with equal amounts of grudging admiration for her eccentricity and the hope that Stargirl could somehow be more normal, and thus attract less ridicule. A sequel, Love, Stargirl, was released in August of this year.
Schooled by Gordon Korman
This book is about Capricorn Anderson, a home-schooled boy raised in isolation by his grandmother, an ex-hippie from the sixties. It's the story of what happens when he's suddenly thrust into a large middle school. An accident befalls his grandmother, Rain, and Cap is placed in the care of a social worker while his grandmother recuperates. Having never handled money or lived in a house with a telephone, Cap finds himself baffled by what the people around him take for normal.

Non-Fiction
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
The book is a collection of economic articles written by Levitt, translated into prose meant for a wide audience. Levitt had already gained a reputation in academia for applying economic theory to diverse subjects not usually covered by "traditional" economists. This fascinating book connects economic statistics with social and cultural phenomenon.

Adult Fiction

Later at the Bar by Rebecca Barry
By telling the stories of regular patrons at Lucy’s Tavern, Rebecca Barry captures the idiosyncrasies of an upstate New York backwater where social life revolves around the happenings of the bar.

Brick Lane by Monica Ali
Nazneen is a Bangladeshi girl whose father arranges a marriage to Chanu, a Bengali immigrant living in England. Although Chanu—who is twice Nazneen's age--turns out to be a foolish blowhard, Nazneen accepts her fate, thereby applying the main life lesson taught by the women in her family. Over the next decade and a half Nazneen grows into a strong, confident woman who doesn't defy fate so much as bend it to her will.

Still Life by Louise Penny
The residents of a tiny Canadian village called Three Pines are shocked when the body of Miss Jane Neal is found in the woods. Miss Neal, the village's retired schoolteacher and a talented amateur artist, has been a good friend to most of the townsfolk, and so her loss is keenly felt. At first, her death appears to be a tragic accident, but the seemingly peaceful, friendly village hides dark secrets.

The Birth House by Ami McKay
Modernity meets tradition during World War I in the isolated coastal town of Scots Bay, Nova Scotia, where the men make their living building boats and fishing and the women tend to matters of the home, including birthing and raising children, feeding their families, and cultivating gardens and friendships. When Dr. Gilbert Thomas arrives, promising to bring safe and hygienic methods to childbirth, the local women are faced with the choice of turning to him or continuing to be cared for by the midwife and all she represents.

The Lizard Cage by Karen Connelly
Karen Connelly’s first novel recreates the world of a Burmese prison, and of the country’s tumultuous years in the late 1980s, when millions of people rose up to protest against the brutality of their military government. This is a story of human resilience, love and humour in a world that celebrates the human spirit in the midst of injustice and violence.

By the Time You Read This by Giles Blunt
Giles Blunt is Canada’s answer to Ian Rankin. This dark, gritty novel is the latest in a series featuring Detective John Cardinal. Here, he is on the hunt for an ingenious killer even as he mourns his own wife’s tragic death. In this thriller of heart-stopping suspense, Blunt makes Northern Ontario seem not so removed from big-city problems, after all.

Bessie Sullivan is the Branch Librarian for the Calvin Park, Kingscourt, and Pittsburgh branches of the Kingston Frontenac Public Library. Her eclectic reading habits are derived from having too many cats, kids, and parents. (Two, two, and two) Thankfully she has a supportive partner who understands that reading is ”professional development” and doesn’t get too concerned about the lack of cleaning that gets done at home.

Gift Ideas - for the Poetry Lover

In some ways, poetry can be the most intimate gift that one can give but also one of the most thoughtful and lasting; unlike some novels, a well-loved, humourous or provocative collection can be dipped into again and again and often becomes a companion for life. So stuff some stockings with these Dewey picks:

Susan's picks:

Found by Souvankham Thammavongsa
These spare poems were inspired by a scrapbook that the poet's father kept while he lived in a refugee camp in Thailand.
Sitcom by David McGimpsey
Mischievous, generous and side-splittingly funny, this collection of wry soliloquies and sonnets begins with a milestone birthday. One of the Q&Q's Best Books of 2007
All Our Wonder Unavenged by Don Domanski
A poet explores the implicit relationship between the matter and spirit and the interconnectedness of the universe. Winner of the Governor General's Award for Poetry, 2007.

Maylin's Picks:

The Door by Margaret Atwood
I love the bite Atwood delivers in her poetry and short stories; I think she's at her best in these two literary forms. This is her first collection of poetry in over a decade.
Conversation Pieces: Poems that Talk to Other Poems selected by Kurt Brown and Harold Schechter
Everyman's Library publishes The Pocket Poets series - lovely, tiny, little volumes perfect for slipping in a purse or pocket. This anthology is a lot of fun. The editors have paired poems that are direct, conscious responses to other, mostly famous poems. Some are parodies, others are worshipful tributes. And some are deliciously nasty. I particularly like Ezra Pound's "A Pact" which starts out with "I make a pact with you, Walt Whitman - /I have detested you long enough." This is followed by Charles Harper Webb's "Another Pact" that begins, "You've cowed me long enough, Ezra, with your red/ beard and fascist eyes./I don't need you to teach me How to Read./ Tom Sawyer did that years before I'd heard of you. "
The Stray Dog Cabaret: A Book of Russian Poems translated by Paul Schmidt
The Stray Dog Cabaret opened in St. Petersburg in 1912 and was a club where Russia's bohemian artists drank, talked, debated, played music and read their work on its open stage. This short anthology contains wonderful pieces by some of Russia's best known poets and writers, including Anna Akhmatova, Osip Mandelstam, Marina Tsevetaeva, Boris Pasternak, and Alexander Blok.

Rosalyn's Pick:

Poet’s Corner: The One and Only Poetry Book For the Whole Family compiled by John Lithgow
I normally stay away from celebrity books, but this one was so good I couldn’t resist! Lithgow, a poetry enthusiast since childhood, has compiled a collection of works from fifty different poets. The book is arranged in alphabetical order according to the poet’s last name and are each introduced by Lithgow, who also provides definitions, historical tidbits, favourite poems, further readings and interesting websites to visit to further the learning experience (like a Dorothy Parker site on which you can listen to the poet reading her favourite poems). Lithgow’s essential criterion for inclusion in the collection is that ‘each poem’s light shines more brightly when read aloud’. Keeping with this idea, the book comes packaged with a MP3 CD containing a selection of poems read by Lithgow and other celebs, including the fabulous Helen Mirren, Glenn Close, Susan Sarandon, Jodie Foster, Morgan Freeman, and more.

Saffron's Pick:

Forage by Rita Wong

Favourite Reads of 2007 - The Librarian's Picks Part 2

Today we have some librarian picks from Western and Central Ontario. The Deweys have been bumping into Sharron Smith at various libraries all across the province this fall, as she is in high demand with her seminars for readers' advisory staff. She also teaches a course at the Library School of the University of Western Ontario where John Miedema, our second guest, is a student. He also runs the terrific slowreading blog

Sharron Smith's picks - Kitchener Public Library

Here is my list of some of my favourite reads of 2007:

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
Debut novelist Horan blends fact and fiction as she recounts the affair between Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney, the wife of one of Wright’s clients. Commissioned to build a home for the Cheney’s in 1903, the two went on to have an affair that shocked society of the day and destroyed themselves and those around them. Horan is able to draw the reader into the life of Mamah and her thoughts and feelings about her choices and Wright himself come through clearly. This is not so much the story of an affair, but rather the implications of choices that were made by a woman trying to carve out a life for herself beyond the bonds of the early twentieth century.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hoseini
Two boys, Amir, son of a prominent and wealthy man, Hassan, son of Amir's father's servant, it is through the recounting of the relationship between these two boys that the reader is taken into Afghanistan. Hosseini, through the pages of his story explores relationships – the bonds between fathers and sons, the bonds between two boys raised in the same home yet worlds apart and the bonds of culture. Through the recounting their lives and their choices, we learn about life in Kabul before the Russian invasion and then the destruction of all they held dear. This is a tour de force that clearly demonstrates the power of story.

Smoke by Elizabeth Ruth
Travel back to rural Southern Ontario in the 1950s through the pages of Elizabeth Ruth’s second novel, Smoke. Here we meet Buster McFiddie, a popular, handsome 15-year-old whose life changes forever one night after he falls asleep in bed smoking and Doc John, the town doctor who tells Buster stories of a Detroit mob gang in the 30’s to help him ease the pain of his burns. As the story unfolds, the reader is asked to consider what is most important, who we are on the outside or the inside.

Before I Wake by Robert J. Wiersema
The lives of the characters in this book are changed forever following a hit-and-run accident that leaves three year old Sherry Barrett in a coma. Sherry’s parents, forced to confront every parent’s nightmare - the loss of a child, take their daughter off life support, however, the child breathes on her own, this is only the first of a number of “miracles”. At home, Sherry’s nurse discovers that the child’s touch has the power to heal and as word of this gift leaks out believers begin to gather. Like Sherry’s parents, the reader is asked to consider questions of faith and belief.

October by Richard B. Wright
With a grace and gentleness of style Wright weaves the story of a man who must confront both his present and his past and the connection between the two. James Hillyer, a retired professor, is in England to spend time with his daughter, she has recently been diagnosed with cancer. While there, he has a chance encounter with a man he knew as a teenager and it is through this meeting that he comes to recall a summer spent with his uncle in Quebec and to consider a unique request that will help him face the possibility of outliving his child.

Never wanting to waste a “free” moment, I indulged myself during my recent weekly travels between Kitchener and London, with some great pleasure reads. Audiobooks are a fabulous way to experience books that you might just not find time to get to. Here are some recent “reads” that have engaged and entertained while on the road.

Austenland by Shannon Hale
The Sea by John Banville
Abundance : a novel of Marie Antoinette by Sena Jeter Naslund
Mary Modern : a novel by Camille DeAngelis

The secret life of Josephine : Napoleon's bird of paradise by Carolly Erickson

Sharron Smith is the Manager of Readers’ Advisory Services at the Kitchener Public Library and the co-author of Canadian Fiction: a guide to reading interests a resource designed to connect readers and books; as well, she is an active participant in a professional readers’ advisory committees both in Ontario and the U.S. A committed promoter of reading in her community through appearances on local television, public speaking and community outreach; she has been actively involved with the Region of Waterloo’s One Book, One Community program, one of the first community reading campaigns in Canada, since it began in 2002.

John Miedema's Top 10 Books of 2007 - University of Western Ontario Library School :

I have a strong preference for Canadian fiction writers as you can tell by the list. Salamander was the top pick because it is a wonderful story about a printer, and I grew up in the printing shop of my family home. Black Water was my first BookCrossing catch (bookcrossing.com); what fun! I enjoy reading slowly; the top ten are almost all the books I have read for pleasure this year.

Salamander, Thomas Wharton
Conceit, Mary Novik
The Republic of Nothing, Lesley Choyce
Bloodletting & Miracle Cures, Vincent Lam
The Memory of Running, Ron McLarty
The 100 Mile Diet, Alisa Smith & J.B. Mackinnon
Home Schooling, Carol Windley
A History of Reading, Alberto Manguel
Job: A Comedy of Justice, Robert Heinlein
Black Water, TJ MacGregor

John Miedema is a library student at the University of Western Ontario, and author of the blog, slowreading.net

Best Books of 2007 - Dewey Picks Part 2

Continuing our series of Top Ten Books for 2007, today we have two Deweys who are reps for The Literary Press Group and Kate Walker & Company - both of whom represent a wide variety of different publishers including many small Canadian presses. I guarantee you'll be introduced to some great new authors by browsing their lists.

Susan's Top Ten Picks

1. The Reckoning of Boston Jim by Clair Mulligan

Immersed in the sights, sounds and smells of the Caribou Gold Rush, these finely drawn, complex characters interact with historic people, places and events while struggling towards goals which, finally, are not about gold at all. This book was on the 2007 Giller longlist. Historical Fiction.

2. The Evergreen County: A Memoir of Vietnam by Thuong Vuong-Riddick

A Chinese family’s struggle to overcome difficulties during the rise of the Viet Cong in Northern Vietnam and their eventual journey to Southern Vietnam where war would soon follow them. Memoir.

3.GreenTOpia: Reimagining Green in Toronto, Edited by Alana Wilcox, Christina Palassio and Jonny Dovercourt

4. The Girls Who Saw Everything by Sean Dixon.

5. The Bone Cage by Angie

6. The Paper Trail by Arleen

7. Be Wolf by Wayne

8. Rather Laugh, Than Cry: Stories from a Hassidic Household by Malka Zipora

9. The Good Lie by D.F. Bailey.
10. Wages by John Armstrong

Saffron's Top Ten List:

1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

Absolutely worth all the hype and wait.

2. How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read by Pierre Bayard

A funny, tongue in cheek (but not necessarily) on how to deal with all of those unread books piled up beside your bed.

3. My Last Supper by Melanie Dunea

4. Nature of Monsters by Claire Clarke

5. Do Not Open by various authors
6. Exploits of A Reluctant (But Extremely Good Looking) Hero by Maureen Fergus.

7. Porn for Women, by the Cambridge Women's Pornography Collective

8. One Well: The Story of Water on Earth by Rochelle Strauss, illustrated by Rosemary Woods.

9. Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks
10. I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids by Trisha Ashworth and Amy Nobile

Gift Ideas: Books for Cooks. . . (or Eaters)

We all have a food lover on our gift lists, or we know a great cook who we want to keep happy and inspired. Here are some Dewey suggestions for great gifts for the chef in your life (hmmm, how many books can Anthony Bourdain write an introduction for?)

Rosalyn:

A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman (see my previous post about this book)

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzbert & Zoe Francois. Make a batch of dough on the weekend, keep it in your refrigerator for up to two weeks, and cut a chunk off to bake whenever you want a bit of fresh baked bread. Brilliant (and tasty)!!

Saffron:

My Last Supper by Melanie Dunea (one of my favourite books of the year!). Top chefs talk about what would be their last meal, who they would eat it with, where, what music would be playing, who would make it, etc. It's a game chefs play all the time. The photographs are stunning and the book is quite fun.

Susan:

Polenta at Midnight: Tales of Gusto and Enchantment in North York by Glenn Carley. Loosely structured as an Italian opera, the reader is introduced to the love and passion of the author's "adopted" Italian family.

Eleanor:

The Elements of Cooking by Michael Ruhlman. An essential handbook for anyone who cooks! An ABC listing of techniques - using the right tools, understanding heat - a launching pad to success with any recipe!

Maylin:

Nigella, Nigella, Nigella

The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food by Judith Jones. A memoir about publishing and hanging out with some of the great chefs and personalities of the twentieth century including Julia Child, Marion Cunningham, M.F.K Fisher, Claudia Roden and James Beard.

Kitchen Essays by Agnes Jekyll. This is a lovely collection of cookery essays (with recipes) originally published in 1922 but brought back into print by Persephone Books. Here you'll find all sorts of menu suggestions for those particular occasions such as a "Little Dinner Before the Play" and "A Little Supper After the Play" and what to serve for luncheon during a motor excursion in the winter. There are chapters entitled "For Men Only", "For the Too Thin", "Food for Artists and Speakers" and my favourite, "Food for the Punctual and the Unpunctual". Agnes was the Nigella of the 1920s; I can't say I've ever cooked anything out of here, but it's so much fun to read.

Listmania continues. . .

The Village Voice has picked their top 20 books of 2007 and as always it's a very ecclectic and interesting list. Worth checking out because they highlight books that didn't necessarily get a lot of media and review attention. Personally, I'm thrilled that three of the books are published by one of my favourite presses - NYRB.

And The Washington Post chimes in with their top 10 as well. Trust my favourite reviewer boyfriend Michael Dirda to pick a newly discovered book by Alexander Dumas. I love it when a classic or a dead author makes a best-of list.

Best Books of 2007 - Library Wholesaler Picks

Today we have two Top 10 lists focusing on children's and teen books by selection staff from library and school wholesalers.

Kate Newman's Top Ten List - National Book Service

Great fiction for teens! (In no particular order)

1. Soames on the Range by Nancy Belgue
2. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
3. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (the third book in the Twilight series)
4. How It Happened at Peach Hill by Marthe Jocelyn
5. Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers
6. Leaving Simplicity by Claire Carmichael
7. The Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher
8. Pride of Baghdad by Brian Vaughan with art by Niko Henrichon (Yes, it’s a graphic novel… and totally mind blowing!)
9. The Blue Helmet by William Bell
10. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Bonus Book:

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff – while not published this year, it is one of the most moving, thought provoking, and riveting books I have ever read.
Why these books:
Finding amazing books for teens can be very difficult. I always look for books with the right balance of maturity and fun; that is, books that acknowledge the intelligence of the reader and still manage to keep readers (me) interested. Books that ring true to the teenage experience (angst and all) are always winners.

Kate Newman is the Young Adult Selection Specialist for National Book Service. I am lucky enough to work in an industry that I love, one that allows me to help bring great books to young people. With my background as a children’s bookseller, my time in the publishing world, and now, as a book buyer, I have had the privilege of learning about the delicate balance of matching the perfect book with the right reader.

Helen Wilding Cook's Top Ten List - Library Bound

If I’m honest, these are the books that I couldn’t wait to start, and was sad to finish. They have literary merit, too. I love fantasy novels as my list, with few notable exceptions, shows.

Top Ten 2007 Novels
1. Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher
2. Becca at Sea by Deirdre Baker
3. Power Plays by Maureen Ulrich
4. Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley
5. The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
7. Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson
8. The Ellie Chronicles. While I Live by John Marsden
9. Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks
10. Hamish X and the Hollow Mountain by Sean Cullen

Artemis Fowl: The Graphic Novel by Eoin Colfer
- did an excellent job transforming to Graphic Novel.
(To see reviews of most of these titles, please click the link, then “Staff Favourites”. )
http://www.librarybound.com/

Top Ten 2007 Books I Still Really, Really Want to Read
(alphabetical order)
Before I Die by Jenny Downham
Big Big Sky by Kristyn Dunnion
The Corps of the Bare-Boned Plane by Polly Horvath
Darkwing by Kenneth Oppel
Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
Into the Ravine by Richard Scrimger
Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Mirrorscape by Mike Wilks
Schooled by Gordon Korman

Helen Wilding Cook is the Children’s Collection Development Coordinator at Library Bound Inc.

Favourite Reads of 2007 - The Librarian's Picks Part 1

Today we have a real treat. Nobody spends more time recommending books than librarians, and so here are two extremely avid readers and their picks for the top books of 2007

Ann Archer's Top 10 list - Ottawa Public Library

Because I love literary biographies and memoirs:

Uncommon Arrangements: Seven Portraits of Married Life in London Literary Circles 1910-1939 by Katie Roiphe

Lover of Unreason: Assia Wevill, Sylvia Plath's Rival and Ted Hughes's Doomed Love by Yehuda Koren and Eilat Negev

Wild Mary: A Life of Mary Wesley by Patrick Marnham

Leonard Woolf by Victoria Glendinning

American Bloomsbury: Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, et al, by Susan Cheever

Peeling the Onion by Gunter Grass

Some fiction that gave me pleasure in 2007:

Does Your Mother Know by Maureen Jennings
The Friends of Meager Fortune by David Adams Richards
Septembers in Shiraz by Dalia Sofer
The Architects are Here by Michael Winter
The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies

And the must read book of the year:

28: Stories of AIDS in Africa by Stephanie Nolen

Ann Archer is the coordinator of adult collections at Ottawa Public Library, dream job. Domestic bliss with new husband, trying to carve more time out for reading and knitting. Too bad one can't knit and read and sleep at the same time.....

Shonna Froebel's Top 10 List - Barrie Public Library

Many of the books I’ve chosen for this are ones that I had difficulty putting down when I was reading them. For fiction books, I was often struck by the characters, but the plot is important as well. It is a rare book that I like that doesn’t have a good plot to it. I’ve avoided some of the big hits (like A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini) as I feel readers are already aware of them. I’ve also limited myself to books aimed at adults although I’ve read some excellent children’s and teen books this year as well.
The nonfiction I’ve included here has all taught me interesting things (good for conversations) and often made me look at things in a new way. For more on the books I’ve read see my blog

In no particular order:
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell
Remembering the Bones by Frances Itani
Cloud of Bone by Bernice Morgan
Quirkology: How We Discover the Big Truth in Small Things by Richard Wiseman (NonFiction)

The Unknown Terrorist by Richard Flanagan
Being Caribou by Karsten Heuer (NonFiction)
A Good Death by Gil Courtmanche
Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself by Alan Alda (NonFiction)
Q & A by Vikas Swarup
This Book Will Save Your Life by A.M. Homes


Shonna Froebel is the Manager of Adult Information Services at Barrie Public Library. Previous to that she worked in corporate libraries. She is on the CLA Advisory Committee on Intellectual Freedom and the OLA Readers’ Advisory Committee and OLA Evergreen Committee. She reads widely and voraciously thanks to the infinite patience of her husband, and the relaxing companionship of her two cats.