eBranch Blog

November 16, 2007

New Oprah Book Club Pick: Pillars of the Earth

Oprah Winfrey's new book club selection was announced this week. The newest pick is Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth. Follett's book centers around the building of a 12th century cathedral in the fictional English town of Kingsbridge.

National Book Award Winners Announced

The 2007 winners were announced this week at the 58th annual National Book Awards Ceremony and Dinner. The winners are chosen by five-member judging panels for each genre.

Fiction Denis Johnson. Tree of Smoke In his long-awaited tale of two American families swept up in the secrets and lies of the Vietnam War, Denis Johnson ?not only succeeds in conjuring the anomalous, hallucinatory aura of the Vietnam War as authoritatively as Stephen Wright or Francis Ford Coppola, but he also shows its fallout on his characters with harrowing emotional precision. He has written a flawed but deeply resonant novel that is bound to become one of the classic works of literature produced by that tragic and uncannily familiar war.? (The New York Times) Nonfiction Tim Weiner. Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA Is the Central Intelligence Agency a bulwark of freedom against dangerous foes, or a malevolent conspiracy to spread American imperialism? A little of both, according to this absorbing study, but, the author concludes, it is mainly a reservoir of incompetence and delusions that serves no one's interests well. Pulitzer Prize?winning New York Times correspondent Weiner musters extensive archival research and interviews with top-ranking insiders, including former CIA chiefs Richard Helms and Stansfield Turner, to present the agency's saga as an exercise in trying to change the world without bothering to understand it. (Publishers Weekly) Poetry Robert Hass. Time and Materials: Poems, 1997-2005 The first book in 10 years from former U.S. poet laureate Hass may be his best in 30: these new poems show a rare internal variety, even as they reflect his constant concerns ... Through it all runs a rare skill with long sentences, a light touch, a wish to make claims not just on our ears but on our hearts, and a willingness to wait?few poets wait longer, it seems?for just the right word. (Publishers Weekly) Young People's Literature Sherman Alexie. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.

To see past winners, take a look at our National Book Awards Book Lists:

Fiction
Nonfiction
Poetry
Young People's Literature

November Teen Newsletter

The November/December 2007 issue of the Teen Newsletter is now available!

The Teen Newsletter is produced every other month and features news about Harris County Public Library young adult programming. It also contains interviews with our Young Adult Staff and new young adult materials that we have just added to our collection.

This issue features the Best Books for Young Adults booklist. It is a booklist created by a committee from the Young Adult Library Services Association. Teens attend special sessions to give the committee their opinions of the nominated titles. To be on the final list of Best Books the book must be of good literary quality and be popular reading for teens, ages 12-18.

The staff interview in this issue is with Cindy Groover of the Baldwin Boettcher Branch Library. She is the Reference Librarian and also does the Young Adult programming for the branch.

November 13, 2007

Author Norman Mailer Has Died

Author Norman Mailer died this weekend at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. He died of acute renal failure about a month after a surgery meant to remove scar tissue from his lungs. Mailer was one of the last literary giants of the World War II era. His novel, The Naked and the Dead, launched him into fame. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his later novel The Executioner's Song, and has published many other novels since. His most recent novel, titled The Castle in the Forest, was published earlier this year. Mailer was 84.

November 09, 2007

Writers Strike Got You Down? The Library Has You Covered.

Does the writers strike in Hollywood already have you mourning the loss of your favorite TV shows? We've got you covered.

Why not curl up with a good book? The Books section of our website offers hundreds of good reads for every reading taste including mysteries, romance, nonfiction, science fiction, and general fiction.

Fans of 24 might want to check out the Tom Clancy Read-a-Like list.

Fans of CSI should check out Crime Scene Investigation...Forensic Mysteries.

Do you like the new shows Reaper, Pushing Daisies, or Moonlight? You might enjoy books from the Supernatural Detectives list.

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Do you already miss new editions of The Colbert Report or The Daily Show?

We also have DVDS, so why not watch reruns you choose?
Are you desperate for Desperate Housewives? Catch up with the first three seasons. Love the inhabitants of Dunder Mifflin? Check out the first three seasons of The Office - or try the British version. Just fed up, try some classics like I Love Lucy or Star Trek. We carry a variety of TV shows both old and new - for all tastes.

Whether it's books, CDs, DVDs, or downloadable materials we've got you covered at Harris County Public Library.