Check out our new eNewsletter for fiction fans

Whether your a fan of sit on the edge of your seat thrillers or nice light romances, odds are you'll find something useful in our newest eNewsletter for Fiction Lovers.  The latest edition has some sound advice on judging a book by its cover.

Romance in the Stacks: Tempted Again by Cathie Linz

Tempted Again by Cathie Linz
PB Romance Linz
Find it in the catalog!

Teen librarian Marissa Bennett has just went through a painful divorce and wants to start over in her hometown of Hopeful, OH.  Unfortunately, she doesn't exactly make the best first impression when she makes a wrong turn and accidentally crashes the Founder's Day in her beat up lime green VW bug.  She's pulled over by hunky cop Connor Doyle.  Doyle is a former, third generation Chicago police officer who moved to Hopeful after seeing too many of the teens he was trying to protect from gangs wind up murdered.  He also has a history with Marissa.  They dated when she was in high school and they worked at the same pizza place.  Connor dumped her with not even so much as a phone call.  Naturally, she still hates him.

However, the fates seem to keep on pushing them together.  First, Marissa and Connor are forced to work together on a teen group.  Then, Marissa accidentally signs a lease next to Connor. No way these two adversaries get over their mutual disdain and find true love, right?

Praise:  Cathie Linz is a former librarian, so the portrayal of Marissa's job is pretty accurate.  I like the support characters a lot, especially Connor's extremely proud, Polish granny.  Marissa's dad, a history professor who turns every conversation into a dissertation on ancient Egypt, is pretty funny too.  Also, I found the obstacles to Marissa and Connor's relationship refreshingly realistic.  Marissa is on the rebound and has been hurt by Connor once before, and Connor isn't ready to settle down yet. 

Quibbles:  I'm kind of tired of the police officer/ librarian pairing.  This is the third library romance where the love interest is an officer.  Nothing against dreamy cops (or anyone dreamy), but I'd like a little more variety!  Why not a dreamy firefighter or chef for a change? 

Overall, this book was pretty enjoyable.  It's not too sappy or emotional like some of the romances that I've read.  Some parts of the book are laugh-out loud funny. Tempted Again reads more like witty chick-lit than a traditional romance novel.

Romance in the Stacks: Open Season by Linda Howard

Open Season by Linda Howard
Call #: FICTION HOWARD
Find it in the catalog!
Daisy Minor is a small town librarian in Alabama, who initially seems very librarian-like.  She's in her 30s and still lives with her mom and aunt.  She hasn't been on date in years and dresses very frumpy.  Basically, she's a pair of glasses and a cat away from a perfect stereotype.  However, on her 34th birthday, she has an awakening.  She wants a husband and family.  So she gets a makeover from Todd Lawrence, a gay antiques dealer in town who once worked on Broadway.  Now blonde and fabulous, she decides to frequent nearby bars to meet men.  Unfortunately, she seems to keep running into brawny cop Jack Russo at every turn, making people think they are couple.  However, when she unknowingly witnesses something sketchy at a night club one evening, Daisy just might need Jack's help.

Praise:  This book has a definite sense of humor about it, even though the actual mystery is quite dark.  The characters are unique and quirky, not the standard romance archetypes.  Daisy is humorously naive, yet super competent and intelligent.  Jack Russo is sharp-witted and not afraid to swear (every other word or so).  But he's also good at his job and tough as nails.  Some of the interactions between Jack and Daisy are laugh out loud funny.  It definitely has more of a screwball romance vibe to it.  Howard also does a good job at portraying small town life and gossip in a lighthearted way.

Quibbles: Okay, this really isn't Linda Howard's fault or anything, but I kept on picturing Jack Russo as Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy.  Both worked as police officers in New York and Chicago, and have greying hair.  The similarities are eerie!  No offense to McCarthy, but I wouldn't exactly describe him as dreamy.  Thank goodness Jack doesn't have a mustache!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book.  The murder mystery isn't really that much of mystery, but it kept me on edge of my seat as to how it was going to play out.  I would highly recommend the book to fans of Janet Evanovich or Meg Cabot's Heather Wells mysteries.

Romance in the Stacks: Montana Creeds: Dylan by Linda Lael Miller

Montana Creeds: Dylan by Linda Lael Miller.
Call #: PB ROMANCE MILLER
Find it in the catalog!

Montana is a apparently the official state of library romance, since both The Librarian's Secret Scandal AND this book are set there.  The Montana Creeds series follows three Creed brothers: Logan, Taylor and Dylan, as they learn to tame their wild Creed ways and settle down.  In this book, we follow middle brother Dylan.  Once a hard-partying rodeo cowboy, Dylan is now trying to take care of his two year daughter Bonnie after her equally wild mother left her is his truck one night.  Dylan returns to home to Stillwater Springs to ask his lawyer brother Logan for help gaining sole custody of Bonnie.  However, once in town, he starts to develop feelings again for the town librarian, Kristy Madison, whom he dated before he got into a drunken brawl with his brothers at his dad's funeral.  Kristy is still single but really wants a family.  She is slightly wary of Dylan, but immediately taken with Bonnie. However, she has a lot on her plate right now, like the fact that they found two bodies in her parents yard and her father might have been the killer!   

Praise:  I liked the character of Bonnie.  She seemed like a realistic two year old troublemaker.  I also really liked Dylan's relationship with his brothers.  They are a bunch of stubborn, good ol' boys who reminded me a lot of the Riggins' boys on Friday Night Lights- but with a lot more money. In fact, Taylor Kitsch would be my pick to play Dylan in the movie version. 

Quibbles:  I didn't really like Kristy Madison.  I thought it was cool that she was handy and kind of a spinster (though she's only like 30 in the book), but I didn't like how baby-obsessed she was.  This plays into one creepy, but supposedly romantic love scene.  I also think it's unrealistic that she would be a perfect caretaker to Bonnie right away, despite not having any kids of her own and seeming to be an only child.  I mean, we don't even know if she babysat before taking care of Bonnie!  

I also though the plot was kind of uneven.  It seems like more attention is paid to Dylan's struggles against following in the Creed legacy of being poor parents and jerk husbands, than the murder mystery surrounding Kristy's family. I found the latter plot more interesting, but it never really built up that much suspense. Of course, being a romance book over a mystery, you kind of know how it's going to end anyhow.  Overall, this was not my favorite library romance.  I'd only recommend it to fans of the series or dreamy cowboys.

Tome Trivia

I had a reference question recently about the first book printed in the United States, which wasn't too hard to track down: The Whole Booke of Faithfully Translated Psalmes in English Metre, more commonly know as the Bay Psalms Book. It was printed in 1640 and, as the title suggests, is an English translation of scripture. Read more about it, and see a couple of photos, at the Library of Congress American Treasures webpage.


So, now you can throw out this tidbit of information at your next party and impress (?) your friends.

New York Public Library's "Mad Men" Reading List

If you are a dedicated fan of AMC's Mad Men (and I'm just going to assume that you are), you know that the characters frequently reference books and films specific to the show's 1960s milieu. One of the more notable examples would be Don Draper's  moving voice-over recitation of a poem by Frank O'Hara in the second season. But even the more casual glimpses of what books the characters are interested in can be revealing. Don's daughter, Sally, reads age-appropriate Nancy Drew mysteries. Bert Cooper, not surprisingly, extols the virtues of Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand's 1100-page love letter to the free market. The ladies of the secretarial pool whisper about Lady Chatterley's Lover, the genuinely racy D.H. Lawrence novel that was the subject of an influential obscenity trial in 1959. These are just a few of the many literary works that have been spotted on Mad Men. And, for that reason, we can thank the fine librarians at the New York Public Library for compiling a fairly extensive list of the books cited throughout the show's run. Needless to say, you can search our catalog for any of the titles that interest you.

The 'Mad Men' Reading List - New York Public Library

Romance in the Stacks: The Librarian's Secret Scandal

The Librarian's Secret Scandal (2010) by Jennifer Morey.
Find it in the catalog!

Like so many who come to the library profession, Lily Masterson was a bad girl in her youth.  But 15 years after she left her hometown of Honey Creek, she has put her bar fights and affairs behind her and is a reformed lady.  She's now a mother to teen-aged May and takes care of her dying father.  However, the rest of Honey Creek still continues to gossip about her and her daughter.  And she's got even bigger problems, the man who raped her 15 years ago is up for parole.  In fact, she runs (literally...with her car) into hunky Sheriff Wes Colton in the prison parking lot after testifying for the parole hearing.  Lest you think there is not nearly enough drama going on, Colton's brother was just recently acquitted of a murder after severing several years in prison...and the real killer is on the loose.

Quibbles:  I wish there was more moral ambiguity with the characters.  Lily may have been a bad girl in her past, but now she's downright stoic.  She puts up with her father treating her like mud, even though she's taking care of him instead of sending him to a nursing home.  She tells her daughter May not to defend herself from the gossip mongers.  And she tries to keep her residual pain from her rape a secret from everyone, including Wes.  Likewise, Wes is very honorable and is the only person who doesn't judge Lily on her past.  Meanwhile, the rest of the townsfolk come off as mean and petty.  Also, I found Lily to be frustratingly stubborn, though that's probably supposed to show her strength of character. 

The novel's plot takes a long time to develop and doesn't quite wrap up in a satisfying way either.  I honestly don't even remember who the real killer is, granted the suspense storyline is less important than the romance one.  Also, it is mentioned several times that Wes mysteriously left the Navy SEALS, but that plot line is kind of dropped.  This book is part of a series, so it's possible these loose ends are tied up in another book.  

Praise:  I prefer my leading men to be more quirky, but until Harlequin publishes a series about sensitive hipsters with beards or neurotic intellectuals, I guess I'll have to make do with typical hunky sheriff who probably wears flannel shirts unironically.  That being said, Wes is pretty dreamy. First, his name sounds super manly (seriously, say "Wes Colton" out loud...Manly).  Second, he's good at taking charge of a situation.  Third, he's the only sheriff from Montana who refuses to wear a cowboy hat in public. And fourth, he's probably better at defending you from an attacker than a Jesse Eisenberg type.  Also, in my brain, Paul Schneider played him.

The Librarian's Secret Scandal was a quick and easy read.  The librarian angle doesn't play too much into the plot, once and a while Lily will shelve books or read a trashy romance.  The book probably works better within the context of the whole Coltons of Montana series.  On it's own, I would recommend it to fans of romantic-suspense novels, small town life, and hunky sheriffs.

Romance in the Stacks: What the Librarian Did

 What the Librarian Did (2010) by Katrina Bliss
Find it in the catalog!

I first became aware of this book from Awful Library Books, so my expectations weren't super high when I checked out.  Especially since I'm not really a romance reader (I prefer romance's neurotic sister- chick lit).  But I actually liked the book, even though the plot was a little bit overstuffed.

The book takes place at Auckland University in New Zealand, where former rock star turned student Devin Freeman has just enrolled (James Franco style).  Freeman has just quit his band (Rage) and his life of hard partying.  While at Auckland U, he keeps on running into librarian Rachel Robinson, who has just turned down a marriage proposal despite being 34 and wanting a family.  She has her own secret, though, which we'll get to later.  Naturally, being a librarian, and therefore totally unaware of popular culture, Rachel is the only person who doesn't know Devin is famous.  Therefore, he feels slightly more comfortable around her.

Devin also befriends a 17-year old kid and aspiring musician, Mark, while at the university . Mark is adopted and looking for his birth mother, who is 34 and works at the university (gee...I wonder who that could be!). Rachel worries that Devin might be a poor influence on Mark, but also uses her flirtation with Devin so she can be a part of Mark's life.

Quibbles:  There's a lot going on in the plot.  Rachel has her secret child to deal with and a strained relationship with her mom.  Devin has family problems of his own- his brother (and Rage's lead singer) might have stolen money from him.  Also, his mom, who had health problems, might be falling in love again.  There's also a lot of conflict between Rachel and Devin; they always seem to assume the worst about each other.  

Praise:  The characters are all fairly enjoyable here.  I have a soft spot for bad boys with a heart of gold (at least in fiction; in real life they almost never look like Taylor Kitsch), so naturally I liked Devin right away, even with his purple boots.  Rachel might come off as prim and proper at first, but she's totally cool.  She is funny when she verbally spars with Devin and she's a vintage clotheshorse to boot!  The book is lighthearted and funny, and fairly tame as romances go. Also, the characters have refreshingly normal names for a romance! 

Overall, What the Librarian Did is a fun, humorous and quick read.  It should appeal to fans of chick lit as well as romance readers.

Romance in the Stacks: The Dewey Decimal Sytem of Love

The Dewey Decimal System of Love (2003).

By Josephine Carr.

Find it in the catalog!

When I came across this book in the stacks, my first thought was “My goodness!  What a terrible title!”  The cover has a red pair of glasses on it and old school card catalog entry on it.  How could a librarian resist such a promising trashy library romance?  Unfortunately, Dewey Decimal System of Love (DDSoL) is far too tame to qualify as a “trashy romance.”  So tame in fact that the main character, reference librarian Allison Sheffield has lived a chastely for 15 years.  DDSoL is actually a combination between the chick lit genre and mystery; but if you are thinking Stephanie Plum the librarian, your expectations might be a little to high!  DDSoL lacks the laugh-out humor of Janet Evanovich (it’s more crack a smile funny) and the mystery plot never really amounts too much suspense.

At the beginning of the novel, Allison Sheffield lives the quiet, monk-like existence of a forty-yearold spinster librarian.  She takes no pleasure in food or fashion (what’s wrong with her!) and has all but given up on romance.  That is until she sees the new Finnish orchestra conductor Aleksi Kullio in action and develops an obsessive crush on him.  However, there are two problems with Kullio: 1). he’s married and 2). his beautiful wife might be trying to poison him.  Allison feels she has no choice but to investigate the wife and attempt to woo Kullio by transforming herself from a librarian with glasses into a librarian without glasses and with bouncy hair!

Quibbles:  Aleksi Kullio never really appealed to me as a potential romantic lead. He was described as being middle aged and having long, white blond hair.  I pretty much pictured him as Dewey Largo (appropriate name!), Lisa’s music teacher from the Simpsons’-- not exactly Rodrigo Santoro.  Also, he came across as being pretentious and a little bit creepy.  It was hard to understand why Allison was so smitten with him.  Allison’s boss (and other potential love interest) Gordon was slightly more appealing, though Carr never really described what he looked like besides being a lady killer.  I really don’t think there are too many handsome, charming  playboy librarians running around though!

The not-so-hunky Dewey Largo!

The mystery plot also seemed a little tacked on.  There is never too much suspense, besides Kullio’s wife Michelle  walking into the library, looking up poisons (for her "novel”), and being mean to Allison.  In turn, Allison “investigates” by following Michelle around to keep tabs on her.  Not exactly the best or most subtle method.  

Praise:  I did like the fact that Allison isn’t really a typical chick lit character.  She’s skinny because she lives off Lean Cuisine meals and not all that concerned with her hygiene.  She’s also well read, Bryn Mawr-educated, and listens primarily to classical music.  It was refreshing to have a character who was a little bit pretentious, mean and socially awkward.  It also made her obsession with Kullio a little more plausible (seriously though I don’t know why anybody would be obsessed with Dewey Largo!).

Overall, I thought DDSoL was a fun, light read.  Fans of libraries, classic music, and late bloomers would probably enjoy this book, though the mystery could have been better developed.  

Me Want Books!

I came across this hilarious Sesame Street clip today, featuring the one and only Cookie Monster (my favorite Sesame Street-er).  Personally, I think the librarian is being far to stuffy and dramatic.  Who doesn't want books with a side of cookies?!



Via LIS News.

Have you mastered the Dewey Decimal System?

Mental Floss created a belated National Library Week lunchtime quiz about the much beloved (and frequently misunderstood) Dewey Decimal System. While I always knew that non-fiction books were arranged by numbers starting with 000 and ending at 999, I didn't have all 10 major classes memorized (let alone the divisions under each class).  I pretty much only knew the numbers I visited frequently (641= cookbooks, 741= graphic novels, 810s= American Literature, 780s= Music, and so forth). This is probably the way most library users understand Dewey.

However, now as a librarian, I am almost fully fluent in Dewey. You can give me a call number (613.25 for instance) and I can tell you what the subject of the book is going to be (dieting) and where it is in the stacks.  It's a nerdy and specific science, but useful. Naturally, I scored a (perfect) 10 on the quiz, not that I'm the bragging type...

Well, whadda you know!

Spotted this fabulous library ad on Boing Boing, originally published courtesy of the National Social Welfare Assembly. Ed is kind of a know-it-all, but he's got the right idea.

Cute Author Alert: Mac Barnett

Mac Barnett: In fact, almost all my ideas for books have come to me while traveling. The others occur to me while taking showers.
Adam Rex: Now he's got a hundred children's librarians picturing him in the shower. Le travail bien fait, Mac Barnett.
 

Mac Barnett is a children's book author and strongman-for-hire.  He is also a director of 826 LA, a non-profit organization that helps support and improve children's and teenagers' writing skills. 826 LA has a sense of humor and whimsy about itself not usually associated with after-school programs, including their store called the Echo Park Time Travel Mart (a convenience store for time travelers, motto: "Whenever you are, we're already then") and allowing Sam Rockwell the opportunity to tute children.  He participated in the Guys Read series started by author Jon Scieszka, which promotes reading and literacy to boys, you can read more about the program here and here (and see more pictures of Mac and fellow cute author Adam Rex). Just when I thought Mac couldn't get any dreamier, it turns out he's a fan of librarians too:

Library budget cuts: Who you gonna call?

Improv Everywhere comedy troupe as Ghostbusters at the New York Public Library:

Like many libraries around the country, the New York Public Library is facing budget cuts; potentially $37 million may be cut. NYPL hopes that this video will draw attention to its Don't Close the Book campaign.

Help to save funding for Illinois libraries