January 2013

  • Freegal – Three for Free: I’ll Take Geographic Band Names for $200

    All right everybody, set down your signaling devices and make your wagers, it’s time for Freegal “Jeopardy!” If this were an actual “Jeopardy!” category I would immediately assume the five answers given would be Chicago, Kansas, Boston, Phoenix and Europe. But in this case the bands are ones that have songs available for free download… Continue reading

  • Ed Young’s children’s picture books

    I fell in love with Ed Young’s children’s picture books when I was taking a children’s literature class at the library school I attended. Many of his stories that I love are drawn from folktales of different cultures and teach moral lessons to children through his simple text and stunning illustrations. Mouse Match, an ancient Chinese… Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Fridays: Exposed to the elements

    As the wind blows, the rain falls and snow looks to be on our horizon, here are three books that feature the elements, in their many forms and iterations. People of the Raven by Kathleen O’Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear The Raven people and the Northwind people become locked in an epic battle for… Continue reading

  • Library Love Fest, this Monday at the Central Library

    We love librarians here at ShelfTalk (psst: many of us are librarians), and our readers do too, judging from some of our most popular posts on Librarian Fantasies and Librarians in Fiction. This Monday, January 28 at noon, that love will be on full display during a special “Library Edition” of SPL’s regular story time… Continue reading

  • Crime: Philip Kerr – Back to Berlin.

    Way back in 1989, British author Philip Kerr published March Violets, a hardboiled mystery in which tough, tarnished private investigator Bernhard Gunther plunged into the depthless iniquities of Nazi Berlin in search of some small sliver of justice. This was followed up by two other moody period novels featuring Gunther – The Pale Criminal and… Continue reading

  • Tricky books

    An amazingly wide range of questions come across our library information desks, I’m sure every librarian has their favorites. My current favorite was from an earnest young man of around seven years of age who was interested in “tricky books.” I tried to show him magic books with no satisfaction. Of course there just isn’t… Continue reading

  • Riffs on the classics: The Odyssey (Part 2)

    Last time, I looked at the Odyssey and some close-hewn translations and versions of the original epic poem.  Come along as we continue our wanderings through the text and beyond to see where it will take us. From these rather straightforward threads of the original, things get a little weird, as the stories become more… Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Fridays: Thrillers that are out of this world

    Three science fiction thrillers that are the perfect antidote to the post-holiday doldrums. Echoes of an Alien Sky by James P. Hogan Colonists from Venus have just begun settling on the mysterious planet Earth as Kyal Reen, a Venusian scientist, leads a team of experts to discover the truth behind the disappearance of the races… Continue reading

  • Crime: 2013 Edgar Award nominees

    It’s that time of year, and the Mystery Writers of America have announced their nominees for the 2013 Edgar Awards. However you feel about awards – winners, losers, what all that means – if you read crime fiction, the following titles/series are all worthy of your notice. Continue reading

  • Cold nose, warm heart – a dog’s life

    I am a working dog: I protect, I comfort, I listen. I am a good dog. Here are some of my stories. Dog Heroes: Saving Lives and Protecting America by Jen Bidner This history of canine search and rescue celebrates brave dogs with special talents, such as detecting skin cancer and locating unmarked Civil War… Continue reading

  • Return to Sanctificum

    Chris Abani is one of the most significant living poets of English letters. But don’t take my word for it, let Abani take your imagination on a spiritual journey from Africa to America. Follow his life engraved in memory, life that could have ended at the sweet age of 18 when he was sentenced to… Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Fridays: Top twelve of 2012 Part 3 of 3

    Part III in the countdown of the best genre fiction of the year. Part I can be found here and part II can be found here, and don’t forget to leave your favorites in the comments! Broken by Susan Jane Bigelow A gorgeous, melancholy book about a shattered superhuman and a young man with a secret… Continue reading

  • Crime: New books for the new year

    Well, here we are: the world didn’t end, the fiscal cliffhanger is past, and the Library has upped the number of reserves to fifty, so let’s fill up that holds list with some stellar new crime offerings from tried and true authors. Lawrence Block started writing crime fiction over 50 years ago, (and some of… Continue reading

  • Little people up to no good (part 2): the modern tiny person

    Were you thrilled when Arrietty came out, but now want new tiny adventures? Well, look no further! The Bromeliad trilogy by Terry Pratchett (1989) I’ve tried very hard to stick to tiny people who are more people than fairy, and of all of Pratchett’s tiny people, the Nomes of the Bromeliad best meet that criteria.… Continue reading

  • Riffs on the classics: The Odyssey (Part 1)

    What makes a classic a classic? A lot of definitions have been offered, but one that resonates with me is the influence a work exerts on other works that follow. How have other authors responded to it with their own versions, counter-versions, sequels, prequels, and completely alternate takes on the original? The more responses there… Continue reading

  • Science Fiction Fridays: Top twelve of 2012 Part 2 of 3

    Part II in the countdown of the best genre fiction of the year. Part I can be found here, and don’t forget to leave your favorites in the comments! The Croning by Laird Barron A tiny candelight held up to the moments in life where reality turns to nightmarish horror. Barron explores one man’s flickers… Continue reading

  • Individuals

    While explaining diversity to the class, a teacher says, “We are all individuals,” which prompts one student to proclaim, “I’m not!” A funny joke, but it’s also an apt depiction of “different.” Manuals on identifying and coping with human differences are factually and practically useful, but sometimes hearing about someone’s life helps a reader more… Continue reading

  • Little people up to no good (part 1): the classics

    Have you ever noticed how many books there are about the lives of tiny people? Jonathan Swift pretty much started it with Gulliver’s Travels (1726), but the conceit of itty bitty humans really seems to have taken off from there. Continue reading