eBranch Blog

August 27, 2008

Read the Book First - Books into Movies

There's a slew of upcoming movies based on books. If you're like me, you like to read the book before you see the movie.

Jose Saramago. Blindness
When a city is hit with an epidemic of blindness, the victims are confined to a mental hospital where a criminal element takes hold. One eyewitness becomes a guide for seven of the blind. Wide release on October 3.

Rachel Cohn & David Levithan. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Nick meets Norah and asks her to be his girlfriend for five minutes in front of his ex-girlfriend. Wide Release on October 3.

Jeanne Duprau. City of Ember
Two children try to save their crumbling underground city. Wide Release on October 10.

David Ignatius. Body of Lies
A CIA agent builds a body of lies to penetrate the network of a master terrorist. Wide Release on October 10.

Sue Monk Kidd. The Secret Life of Bees
In the summer of 1964, a young girl is given a home by three, black beekeeping sisters. Wide Release on October 17.

Stephenie Meyer. Twilight
Bella & Edward's story. Highly anticipated release on November 11.

Steve Lopez. The Soloist
True story of a musician who becomes schizophrenic and homeless and his friendship with Lopez, an LA columnist.

Cormac McCarthy. The Road
In a desolate America, devoid of life, a father and son walk towards the coast. Wide Release on November 26.

From EarlyWord

August 12, 2008

2008 Hugo Award Winners Announced

The Hugo Awards are named in honor of Hugo Gernsback, the "father of magazine science fiction." It is awarded annually for achievement in science fiction by the World Science Fiction Society at the World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon).

This year's awards were announced in Denver, Colorado on August 9th. Some of the winners are as follows:

Best Novel
Michael Chabon. The Yiddish Policemen's Union
A murder mystery based on the premise that a Jewish settlement was created in Alaska following World War II. In the small town of Sitka, Alyeska, Detective Meyer Landsman finds the body of a prominent town figure who has ties to organized crime. As Landsman digs deeper, he discovers that this is only the tip of the iceberg--and all signs point to a greater danger lurking in the shadows.

Best Related Book
Jeff Prucher. Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction
A dictionary of science fiction terms that shows definition and etymology.

Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form
Stardust (Paramount Pictures)
Tristan hopes to win the heart of his beautiful, but shallow love, Victoria. He promises to recover a star that fell somewhere beyond the stony Wall that sets between the mundane England and the fantasy kingdom of Stormhold. So Tristan sets forth on his own journey in Stormhold. Meanwhile in that magical land, the dying king has set his four surviving sons on a quest for the crown. And the witch Lamia is seeking the heart of the star for an entirely different purpose, one that involves her secret power.

You can find a listing of the other winners on The Hugo Awards website. Please see our Hugo Awards page for a listing of the past winners in the Best Novel category.

August 11, 2008

August Kids Newsletter

The August/September issue of the Kids Newsletter is now available!

The Kids Newsletter is produced every other month and features news about Harris County Public Library children's programming. It also contains interviews with our Children's Staff and new children's materials that we have just added to our collection.

This issue features Hispanic Heritage Month. Harris County Public Library celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month at all of our libraries with programs for children, teens and adults. The Kick Off event will be held at the Galena Park Branch Library on Saturday, September 13 from 10 am-2 pm.

The staff interviews in this issue are with Miss Melanie and Miss Cheryl. Miss Melanie is the Assistant Director of Children's Library Services at the Lone Star College - CyFair Branch Library. Miss Cheryl is a Children's Assistant at the Lone Star College - Tomball Community Library.

August 08, 2008

Make Your Own Read Poster

Have you seen READ posters in libraries? Ever wanted to be on one? Now, thanks to the American Library Association's new READ Mini Poster Generator, you too can be on a mini-READ poster! All you need to do is upload a photo, choose a style, add some text (optional) and voila, you're on a READ poster.

Consider adding it to your website or blog, using it as your profile pic on Facebook, or just sending it to friends to let them know you're a reader! If you're on Flickr, consider adding your poster to the HCPL Group Photo Pool.

My Creation:

August 07, 2008

Narnia Illustrator, Pauline Baynes 1922-2008

Pauline Baynes died on Friday, August 1 in the cottage in Dockenfield, Surrey, where she had lived and worked for many years. She was best known for her illustrations in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia books. She also illustrated some of J. R. R. Tolkien's books.

J. R. R. Tolkien. Bilbo's Last Song
The hobbit Bilbo Baggins bids farewell to his friends and to the world of Middle-earth as he sets forth on his last journey.

C. S. Lewis. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Four English schoolchildren find their way through the back of a wardrobe into the magic land of Narnia and assist Aslan, the golden lion, to triumph over the White Witch, who has cursed the land with eternal winter.

Pauline Baynes. The Elephant's Ball
A rhyming story about a grand party in the forest, given by the elephant and attended by all the animals.

August 01, 2008

New Titles Catalog Lists Updated

The New Titles Cataloged in the Past 30 Days have been updated for July 2008.

The lists are in PDF file format and require the free Adobe Reader to view. We hope you enjoy the new format. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about this change please use our Feedback Form.

August/September Issue of Our Space

The August/September issue of Our Space: People & Books @ HCPL is now available.

The current issue features a staff interview with Cindy Hoffart-Watson, a Library Specialist at Cy-Fair. The customer interview is with Felicia Moree, from Northwest branch. Two book lists are featured, one on fiction about 9/11 and another one on Going Green.

While each newsletter is available to read on our website, you can also subscribe to this newsletter or any of the other topical newsletters we offer by email or RSS Feed.