eBranch Blog

June 22, 2005

CBS Early Show Summer Reading List

Looking for something to read? Check out this summer reading list by John Searles of Cosmopolitan magazine suggested on CBS' Early Show.

Fun Trashy Fiction

Tilly Bagshawe. Adored
Siena McMahon inherited much more from her grandfather than his smoldering good looks. Like the famous Duke McMahon, she has a rapacious appetite for the opposite sex, a love of high-living and adventure, and one all-consuming desire: to be the most sought-after and dazzling star of her generation. This is the mesmerizing tale of Siena?s journey to fame--her meteoric success as a high fashion model, her struggle to earn respect as an actress, and her legendary affairs with all the wrong men. It is also the story of her larger-than-life family, peopled with characters who give new meaning to the words "ruthless," "romantic," "powerful," and "glamorous."

Fun Trashy...and True!

Marina Palmer. Kiss and Tango: Looking for Love in Buenos Aires
Should you ever give up the fast track? Could you settle down with the spirit of adventure still in your blood? And just how do you say "Mr. Wrong" in Spanish anyway? Fueled by tango addiction, the hope of romancing a sultry porte?o, and a one-way ticket to Buenos Aires, Marina Palmer is about to find out.

Literary

Elizabeth Kostova. The Historian
In this riveting debut novel, a young girl discovers her father's darkest secret and embarks on a harrowing journey across Europe to complete the quest he never could--the quest to find history's most legendary fiend: Dracula.

John Irving. Until I Find You
?According to his mother, Jack Burns was an actor before he was an actor, but Jack?s most vivid memories of childhood were those moments when he felt compelled to hold his mother?s hand. He wasn?t acting then.? So begins John Irving?s eleventh novel, Until I Find You ? the story of the actor Jack Burns.

Mystery

Laura Lippman. To the Power of Three
A riveting stand-alone novel that takes on the secret -- and not-so-secret -- lives of teenage girls, illuminating a dark tragedy with startling clarity and unique empathy.

Something for the Book Clubs

Adriana Trigiani. Rococo

Hip

Nick Hornby. A Long Way Down
Meet Martin, JJ, Jess, and Maureen. Four people who come together on New Year's Eve: a former TV talk show host, a musician, a teenage girl, and a mother. Three are British, one is American. They encounter one another on the roof of Topper's House, a London destination famous as the last stop for those ready to end their lives. This is a tale of connections made and missed, punishing regrets, and the grace of second chances.

Paperback

Carl Hiaasen. Skinny Dip
Chaz Perrone might be the only marine scientist in the world who doesn?t know which way the Gulf Stream runs. He might also be the only one who went into biology just to make a killing, and now he?s found a way?doctoring water samples so that a ruthless agribusiness tycoon can continue illegally dumping fertilizer into the endangered Everglades. When Chaz suspects that his wife, Joey, has figured out his scam, he pushes her overboard from a cruise liner into the night-dark Atlantic. Unfortunately for Chaz, his wife doesn?t die in the fall.

Sarah Dun. The Big Love
Hilarious and heartbreaking, combining the emotional incisiveness of "Jane Austen" with the up-to-the-minute frankness of "Sex and the City," Dunn's latest work will be the passing must-read novel of the summer.

John Searles. Strange But True
After a mysterious fall from his New York City apartment, Philip Chase has moved back home with his mother, Charlene, a bitter woman who has never fully accepted the death of her younger son, Ronnie, five years earlier. Numb from watching too much television, rereading a tragic biography, and trading snipes with his mother, Philip is in stasis. But everything changes late one windy February night when Ronnie's high school girlfriend shows up on their doorstep.

Link via Blog of a Bookslut

Go Wild...with Pirates!

Each week during the Summer Reading Program we are featuring something wild. This week's theme is the Pirates! There's Pirate Reading and Online Fun.

Desperate Housewives Book List

Love Desperate Housewives? Desperate for something to tide you over during the summer hiatus? Check out the Desperate Housewives book list with novels featuring women in trouble or transition. Desperate housewives are an enduring theme so the list includes classics...

Gustave Flaubert. Madame Bovary
Set amidst the stifling atmosphere of 19th-century bourgeois France, Flaubert's classic is at once an unsparing depiction of a woman's gradual corruption and a savagely ironic study of human stupidity.

Modern novels...

Susan Isaacs. Compromising Positions
As they would murmur at his funeral, Dr. M. Bruce Fleckstein was one of the finest periodontists on Long Island. And so good-looking. But as he turned his muscular, white-coated back for the last time, he had no notion that he had shot his final wad of Novocaine, probed his ultimate gum; Judith Singer sinks her teeth into her very first case in Compromising Positions.

And brand new releases.

Susan Coll. Rockville Pike
From the acclaimed author of "karlmarx.com" comes the hilarious, offbeat story of an unfulfilled housewife who regains her sanity and identity amidst the wackiness of everyday life.

June 20, 2005

New Bestsellers 6/20/05

The following books are appearing on the best seller lists for the first time this week. For a complete listing see our collection of Best Seller Lists.

E = Essence Magazine
NYT = New York Times
PW = Publisher's Weekly
USA = USA Today
WSJ = Wall Street Journal

Fiction
Michael Cunningham. Specimen Days
The same group of characters, a young boy, an older man, and a young woman, are present in each historical period of this genre-bending, haunting, and transformative ode to life in New York. The novel provides a meditation on the direction and meaning of America's destiny. (NYT #11, PW #13)

Jeffrey Deaver. The Twelfth Card
Killing machine Thompson Boyd is after high school student Geneva Settle, and it's up to detective Lincoln Rhyme and his protegee to figure out why. Deaver's stunning twists strike at the very heart of the U.S. Constitution. (NYT #6, PW #7, WSJ #8)

Nick Hornby. A Long Way Down
Meet Martin, JJ, Jess, and Maureen. Four people who come together on New Year's Eve: a former TV talk show host, a musician, a teenage girl, and a mother. Three are British, one is American. They encounter one another on the roof of Topper's House, a London destination famous as the last stop for those ready to end their lives. This is a tale of connections made and missed, punishing regrets, and the grace of second chances. (NYT #5, PW #5, WSJ #4)

APPALOOSA, by Robert B. Parker. (Putnam, $24.95.) Two lawmen attempt to capture a rancher who is terrorizing a frontier town. (NYT #15)

Amanda Quick. Lie By Moonlight
A novel of thrilling historical romantic suspense, set in late Victorian England, this is the tale of an unconventional teacher fleeing with her charges from a notorious London crime lord. She has no choice but to trust the fierce private agent who has offered his aid. (NYT #16, WSJ #13)

Nonfiction

Nancy Grace. Objection! Court TV host Nancy Grace presents her case in this behind-the-scenes look atthe high-profile cases everyone is talking about. (NYT #7, PW #11, WSJ #12)

June 17, 2005

Go Wild...at the Zoo!

Each week during the Summer Reading Program we are featuring something wild. This week's theme is the Zoo!. There's Zoo Reading and Online Fun.

June 13, 2005

New Bestsellers 6/13/05

The following books are appearing on the best seller lists for the first time this week. For a complete listing see our collection of Best Seller Lists.

NYT = New York Times
PW = Publisher's Weekly
USA = USA Today
WSJ = Wall Street Journal

Fiction

Christine Feehan. Oceans of Fire
The third daughter of seven in a magical bloodline, Abigail Drake was born with an affinity for water and a strong bond with dolphins. After she witnesses a murder, she flees right into the arms of Alexsandr Volstov. On the trail of stolen Russian antiquities, he's a relentless Interpol agent--and the man who once broke Abby's heart. But he isn't going to let the only woman he's ever loved slip away again. (USA #6)

Luanne Rice. Summer's Child
The story of the mysterious disappearance of a young woman from her quiet Connecticut town, and continues in July with Summer of Roses, the hardcover that brings the tale full circle. (USA #5)

Nora Roberts. Black Rose
The second novel of Roberts' In the Garden trilogy, as three women discover the secrets from the past contained within their historic home. (USA #1)

Lisa Scottoline. Devil's Corner
This knockout thriller features a young federal prosecutor who risks her life to bring down the kingpin of a conspiracy responsible for murders in West Philly. (NYT #9, PW #11, WSJ #11)

Nonfiction

THE BOYS OF POINTE DU HOC, by Douglas Brinkley. (Morrow, $22.95.) The story of the Army Rangers who landed on the Normandy coast in 1944, and of the homage paid to them 40 years later by Ronald Reagan. (NYT #7)

Mark Victor Hansen. Cracking the Millionaire Code
Like the dozens of people whose inspiring stories of Enlightened Wealth are told in the pages of this book, you can live the life you want?the life you were meant to lead. What are you waiting for? (PW #15, WSJ #9)

THE SURVIVOR, by John F. Harris. (Random House, $29.95.) An assessment of Bill Clinton's performance in the White House by a reporter for The Washington Post. (NYT #12)

Michael Thurmond. 6-Day Body Makeover
Michael Thurmond of television's 'Extreme Makeover ' explains his scientific approach to eating, the 'blueprinting system, ' which identifies a person's unique metabolism and body type and which foods will trigger the body to shed pounds. (PW #11, WSJ #15)

June 09, 2005

Time Magazine's All Time 100 Best Films

Time Magazine critics Richard Corliss & Richard Schickel have selected their list of the 100 best films of all time. While they include many of the usual suspects (e.g. The Godfather, Casablanca, & Psycho) they also include many foreign films and more obscure titles.

White Heat
James Cagney plays Cody Jarrett is a cold-blooded criminal and a psychological time bomb ruled by impulse. He murders a wounded accomplice and revels in the act. He neglects his sultry wife and adores his doting mother. It is among the most vivid screen performances of Cagney's career. Directed by Raoul Walsh. Starring James Cagney & Virginia Mayo. NR

Audiobooks on the Go: Best Listening for Kids & Families

Taking a trip with the family this summer? Want an audiobook everyone can agree on? Try Audiobooks on the Go: Best Listening for Kids and Families, which is divided into four categories (classics, other times & places, fantastic worlds, family & community) that will appeal to the whole family.

Adele Geras. Troy
Told from the point of view of the women of Troy, portrays the last weeks of the Trojan War, when women are sick of tending the wounded, men are tired of fighting, and bored gods and goddesses find ways to stir things up. Read by Miriam Margolyes.

New Books/Movies/Audio Lists Updated

The New Books, Audios, and Movies lists have been updated with titles cataloged in May 2005.

June 08, 2005

Go Wild...in the Jungle

Each week during the Summer Reading Program we are featuring something wild. This week's theme is the Jungle!. There's Jungle Reading and Online Fun.

June 07, 2005

2005 HCPL Staff Recognition & Awards

On May 20, 2005, Harris County Public Library had it's sixteenth annual Staff Recognition and Awards Ceremony. The morning included breakfast, entertainment by staff, a key note address by Susanne Gaddis, PhD, and last, but not least, the presentation of the awards.

And the winners are...

Directors Award: Sarah Davis
Administrative Support Staff of the Year: Esther Gonzales
Administrative Professional of the Year: Bill Jarvis
Branch Support Staff of the Year: Chris Torres
Branch Professional of the Year: Myra Wilson
All Star Team: La Porte Library Film Committee
Star Program: Cowboy Stories & Chuckwagon Chili
Shining Star: Ismelda Trevino
Rising Star: Serge Danielson-Francois

Photos of winners and nominees can be seen in the Staff Awards 2005 photo gallery.

June 06, 2005

New Bestsellers 6/6/05

The following books are appearing on the best seller lists for the first time this week. For a complete listing see our collection of Best Seller Lists. Because of a vacation, this posting includes new bestsellers from the past few weeks.

The Library Journal Lists of Most Borrowed Books in Public Libraries for Fiction and Nonfiction were updated for June 1.

E = Essence
NYT = New York Times
PW = Publisher's Weekly
USA = USA Today
WSJ = Wall Street Journal

Fiction

Isabel Allende. Zorro
Born in southern California late in the 18th century, Diego de la Vega is a child of two worlds. His father is an aristocratic Spanish military man turned landowner; his mother, a Shoshone warrior. It is here, during Diego's childhood, that he witnesses the brutal injustices dealth Native Americans by Eorpoean settlers and first feels the inner conflict of his heritage. At the age of sixteen, Diego is sent to Barcelona for a European educaton. In a country chafing under the correction of Naeleonic rule, Diego follow the example of his celebrated fencing master and joins the "La Justicia," a secret underground resistance movment devoted to helping the powerless and the poor. Diego falls in love, saves the persecuted, and confronts for the first time a great rival who emerges from the world of privilege. (PW #14)

Michael Connelly. The Closers
25-year LAPD veteran Harry Bosch comes back from retirement to try to solve the 1988 murder of a 16-year-old girl. (NYT #3, PW #2, USA #11, WSJ #2)

Robin Cook. Marker
New York City medical examiners Dr Laurie Montgomery and Dr. Jack Stapleton are back to pursue the causes of seemingly unrelated patient deaths. When Laurie is pulled into the nightmare as a potential victim herself, she and Jack race to connect the dots-and save her life. (NYT #9, PW #13, WSJ #15)

Iris Johansen. Countdown
Orphaned at an early age, Jane grew up the hard way, but she was given a new life, a loving family, and a chance to pursue her interest in one of the greatest archaeological finds ever unearthed. Now someone was trying to destroy that new life before it could even get started. The past is returning with the kind of vengeance that knows no mercy. The countdown has already begun, and it's approaching zero faster than anyone thinks. (NYT #13, PW #5)

Jonathan Kellerman. Rage
Troy Turner and Rand Duchay were barely teenagers when they kidnapped and murdered a younger child. Troy, a remorseless sociopath, died violently behind bars. But the hulking, slow witted Rand managed to survive his stretch. Now, at age twenty-one, he's emerged a haunted, rootless young man with a pressing need to talk once again with psychologist Alex Delaware. But the young killer comes to a brutal end, that conversation never takes place. Or has someone waited for eight patient years to dine on ice-cold revenge? (NYT #7, PW #7, WSJ #8)

Dean Koontz. Velocity
After his usual eight-hour bartending shift, Bill Wile finds a typewritten note under the windshield wiper of his car. "If you don't take this note to the police and get them involved, I will kill a lovely blond schoolteacher. If you do take this note to the police, I will instead kill an elderly woman active in charity work. You have four hours to decide." Bill thinks it's a joke and ignores it. Less than 24 hours later, a young, blond school teacher is murderd and Bill knows it's his fault. Now he has another note, with another ultimatum, and two more lives hanging in the balance. (NYT #4, USA #14, WSJ #7)

Fern Michaels. Nosy Neighbor
A young woman discovers her fiance is the head of an international crime ring and a handsome nosy neighbor helps her break off her engagement and marry the right man. (USA #4)

Kimberly Lawson Roby. The Best-Kept Secret
It was love-to-hate at first sight when Kimberla Lawson Roby's readers met Reverend Curtis Black--surely one of the cleverest ne'er-do-wells ever to set foot in a church. In this new tale, Curtis is starting over. He has a new job, a new wife (again), and a newfound will to follow the straight and narrow path of righteousness. (E #3)

John Sandford. Broken Prey
Lucas Davenport faces a living nightmare, in one of the scariest Prey novels yet from the number-one bestselling author. (NYT #5, PW #6, WSJ #9)

Trish R. Thomas. Would I Lie to You?
Feisty and daring fictional heroine Venus Johnston returns in this much-anticipated sequel to Thomas's hit debut "Nappily Ever After." (E #10)

Nonfiction

Donna Brazile. Cooking with Grease
Cooking with Grease is a powerful, behind-the-scenes memoir of the life and times of a tenacious political organizer and the first African-American woman to head a major presidential campaign. (E #7)

COACH, by Michael Lewis. (Norton, $12.95.) The author of "Moneyball" and "Liar's Poker" recalls the lessons he learned from a high school baseball coach. (NYT #11)

David McCullough. 1776
In this stirring book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence -- when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper. Written as a companion work to his celebrated biography of John Adams, David McCullough's 1776 is another landmark in the literature of American history. (NYT #1, PW #1, USA #1, WSJ #1)

Business

Lois P. Frankel. Nice Girls Don't Get Rich
From executive to entry level, single to married, every woman needs to know the subconscious behavior that prevents her from developing a healthy and successful relationship with money--from depending on men for financial advice or support to a reluctance for negotiating. Frankel offers help in recognizing these self- defeating behaviors--as well as financial and investment advice and tips to help women claim wealth and riches. (NYT #10)

Seth Godin. All Marketers are Liars
The new rule of marketing is that it doesn't matter if something is actually better or faster or more efficient. What matters is whether consumers believe the story. Godin teaches readers to create a story that fits the consumer's world view, a story they will intuitively embrace and share with friends. (WSJ #14)

PW Children's Fiction

Blue Balliett. Chasing Vermeer
When seemingly unrelated and strange events start to happen and a precious Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal. (#12)

Jeanne DuPrau. The City of Ember
In the year 241, twelve-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a Messenger to run to new places in her decaying but beloved city, perhaps even to glimpse Unknown Regions. (#13)

Jeanne DuPrau. The People of Sparks
Having escaped to the Unknown Regions, Lina and the others seek help from the village people of Sparks. (#11)

Lauren Myracle. ttyl
Chronicles, in "instant message" format, the day-to-day experiences, feelings, and plans of three friends, Zoe, Maddie, and Angela, as they begin tenth grade. (#9)

June 03, 2005

Oprah Selects Three Faulkner Novels

Oprah Winfrey has selected three novels by William Faulkner for her popular Oprah's Book Club. The book club is starting with As I Lay Dying. All three novels are set in Yoknaptawpha County, Mississippi.

As I Lay Dying
The harrowing, darkly comic tale of the Bundren family's trek across Mississippi to bury Addie, their wife and mother, as told by each of the family members--including Addie herself.

The Sound And The Fury
By turns lyrical and dramatic, hilarious and heartbreaking, The Sound and the Fury is the tragic story of beautiful Caddy Comapson and the dissolution of her family.

Light In August
The story od Lena Grove's search for the father of her unborn child, and features one of Faulkner's most memorable characters: Joe Christmas, a desperate drifter consumed by his mixed ancestry.