ADULT FICTION
"Under the Dome" by Stephen King - "The frequent accusation that King writes too long is sometimes deserved. However, when he works in an epic mode, depicting dozens of characters and all their interrelationships, he can produce great work. He did it with The Stand and with It, and he has done it again here. A small Maine town is enclosed one October morning by an impermeable bell jar of unknown origin. Within this pressure cooker, the petty differences and power struggles of village life are magnified and accelerated. Opposing camps develop, one headed by Big Jim Rennie, the Second Selectman, and the other by Dale Barbara, a drifting Iraq vet who was nearly out of town when the Dome fell. The characters are well rounded and interesting while retaining the familiar appeal that has drawn and kept King fans for decades. Verdict Regular King readers will rejoice at his return to his strengths. Some will balk at the page count, but a fast pace and compelling narrative make the reader's time fly."--Karl G. Siewert, Library Journal
Listen Up! Vermont
76 new titles have been added. Everything from current best-sellers to classics. Log into Listen Up! Vermont choose your book and download to your iPod, MP3 player or computer. You can do this from anywhere in the world you have internet access with your Greensboro Free Library card number. Over 1,000 titles are available.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Chili Dinner
Chili Dinner Will Take the Chill Out of Winter!A potluck dinner will be held at Fellowship Hall, Greensboro United Church of Christ, January 29th at 5:00 pm.
People of all ages are invited to come take the chill out of winter by partaking of chili etc.
Following a period for all to fill their tummies, you can settle in for a performance by the library's home schooling group. This year it is a Japanese inspired play entitled SUSA-NO-WO (The Dragon Slayer). Come enjoy the performance.
Thanks to the food provided by volunteers all of this only costs you a donation to support the library. Call the library at 802-533-2531 for more information.
New Arrivals
ADULT FICTION
"The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver - "Kingsolver's novel focuses on Harrison William Shepherd, the product of a divorced American father and a Mexican mother. After getting kicked out of his American military academy, Harrison spends his formative years in Mexico in the 1930s in the household of Diego Rivera; his wife, Frida Kahlo; and their houseguest, Leon Trotsky, who is hiding from Soviet assassins. After Trotsky is assassinated, Harrison returns to the U.S., settling down in Asheville, N.C., where he becomes an author of historical potboilers (e.g., Vassals of Majesty) and is later investigated as a possible subversive. Narrated in the form of letters, diary entries and newspaper clippings, the novel takes a while to get going, but once it does, it achieves a rare dramatic power that reaches its emotional peak when Harrison wittily and eloquently defends himself before the House Un-American Activities Committee (on the panel is a young Dick Nixon). 'Employed by the American imagination,' is how one character describes Harrison, a term that could apply equally to Kingsolver as she masterfully resurrects a dark period in American history with the assured hand of a true literary artist. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
YOUNG ADULT
"Eternal" by Cynthia Leitich Smith - "..this novel is a witty, dark love story of death and redemption. Miranda dreams of one day being a star, but she's already captured the heart of one fan: her lifelong guardian angel Zachary. When he sees her death approach, he desperately breaks the rules to prevent it, an act that dooms both of their souls: Zachary is cast out of Heaven, and Miranda lives long enough to be made a vampire. A year later, Miranda has settled into her wicked life as the glamorous daughter of the vampire king, and Zachary has been sent to their estate on a mission that may earn back his wings. Forced to confront the monster Miranda has become, Zachary is determined to save her soul and redeem them both. Smith's take on aristocratic vampire society is a sometimes humorous, sometimes horrible mix of the niceties of high society and the blase violence of monsters, while angels appear to be a largely bureaucratic organization. Miranda and Zachary are complex, sympathetic characters, and their hopeful ending is well earned." - Krista Hutley, -Booklist
"The Lacuna" by Barbara Kingsolver - "Kingsolver's novel focuses on Harrison William Shepherd, the product of a divorced American father and a Mexican mother. After getting kicked out of his American military academy, Harrison spends his formative years in Mexico in the 1930s in the household of Diego Rivera; his wife, Frida Kahlo; and their houseguest, Leon Trotsky, who is hiding from Soviet assassins. After Trotsky is assassinated, Harrison returns to the U.S., settling down in Asheville, N.C., where he becomes an author of historical potboilers (e.g., Vassals of Majesty) and is later investigated as a possible subversive. Narrated in the form of letters, diary entries and newspaper clippings, the novel takes a while to get going, but once it does, it achieves a rare dramatic power that reaches its emotional peak when Harrison wittily and eloquently defends himself before the House Un-American Activities Committee (on the panel is a young Dick Nixon). 'Employed by the American imagination,' is how one character describes Harrison, a term that could apply equally to Kingsolver as she masterfully resurrects a dark period in American history with the assured hand of a true literary artist. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
YOUNG ADULT
"Eternal" by Cynthia Leitich Smith - "..this novel is a witty, dark love story of death and redemption. Miranda dreams of one day being a star, but she's already captured the heart of one fan: her lifelong guardian angel Zachary. When he sees her death approach, he desperately breaks the rules to prevent it, an act that dooms both of their souls: Zachary is cast out of Heaven, and Miranda lives long enough to be made a vampire. A year later, Miranda has settled into her wicked life as the glamorous daughter of the vampire king, and Zachary has been sent to their estate on a mission that may earn back his wings. Forced to confront the monster Miranda has become, Zachary is determined to save her soul and redeem them both. Smith's take on aristocratic vampire society is a sometimes humorous, sometimes horrible mix of the niceties of high society and the blase violence of monsters, while angels appear to be a largely bureaucratic organization. Miranda and Zachary are complex, sympathetic characters, and their hopeful ending is well earned." - Krista Hutley, -Booklist
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Menu for the Future
Thursday, January 21, 7:00-8:30 pm
Greensboro Free Library
First session of a six-session community discussion group “Menu for the Future” about food and food systems. The readings, compiled by the Northwest Earth Institute, consider food from multiple perspectives – cultural, economic, ecological, health and social – each presenting a different, though often complementary, angle on the complex modern food systems that most of us depend on. Course book are available on loan or for purchase ($21) from the library. For more information contact Greensboro Free Library at 802-533-2531 or see www.nwei.org. Participants should read the first session for January 21.
New Arrivals
ADULT FICTION
"Precious" by Sapphire - "Sapphire returns to the themes of incest and child abuse that were a part of her daring American Dreams (1984) but with a starkness that is truly horrifying and unforgettable, perhaps because of the horror. Precious Jones is a victim of abuse. At 16, Precious finds herself pregnant again by her father, untrained, uneducated, and unable to care for herself or her baby. She is astute enough to know that there is a better way to live but is clueless as to how to get there. She meets a black teacher, Ms. Blue Rain, who challenges Precious to learn to read and write and improve her way of life. In her literacy class, Miss Rain instructs all of her students to maintain a journal; readers experience Precious' transformation in her journal entries. Her development and growth are astonishing in the short period of time we share her writings. Push is an intense work, both heartbreaking and frightening." - Lillian Lewis, BOOKLIST
ADULT NON-FICTION
"The Imperial Cruise: A Secret History of Empire and War" by James Bradley - "His new book, about U.S.-Japanese diplomacy in 1905, represents a departure. Asserting a causal connection between diplomatic understandings reached then and war 36 years later, Bradley dramatizes his case with a delegation Theodore Roosevelt dispatched to Japan in the summer of 1905. Led by Secretary of War William Taft and ornamented by the president's quotable daughter Alice, it sailed while TR hosted the peace conference between victorious Japan and defeated Russia. As he recounts the itinerary of Taft's cruise, Bradley discusses attitudes of social Darwinism and white superiority that were then prevalent and expressed by TR and Taft. They modified their instincts, Bradley argues, in dealing with nonwhite Japan, and secretly conceded it possession of Korea. This is what Bradley asserts was a prerequisite to Pearl Harbor in 1941, a dubious thesis when the tensions of the 1930s stemmed from general Japanese aggressiveness, not its control of Korea per se. Bradley does fine on 1905 but falters when predicting the future." Gilbert Taylor, BOOKLIST
"Precious" by Sapphire - "Sapphire returns to the themes of incest and child abuse that were a part of her daring American Dreams (1984) but with a starkness that is truly horrifying and unforgettable, perhaps because of the horror. Precious Jones is a victim of abuse. At 16, Precious finds herself pregnant again by her father, untrained, uneducated, and unable to care for herself or her baby. She is astute enough to know that there is a better way to live but is clueless as to how to get there. She meets a black teacher, Ms. Blue Rain, who challenges Precious to learn to read and write and improve her way of life. In her literacy class, Miss Rain instructs all of her students to maintain a journal; readers experience Precious' transformation in her journal entries. Her development and growth are astonishing in the short period of time we share her writings. Push is an intense work, both heartbreaking and frightening." - Lillian Lewis, BOOKLIST
ADULT NON-FICTION
"The Imperial Cruise: A Secret History of Empire and War" by James Bradley - "His new book, about U.S.-Japanese diplomacy in 1905, represents a departure. Asserting a causal connection between diplomatic understandings reached then and war 36 years later, Bradley dramatizes his case with a delegation Theodore Roosevelt dispatched to Japan in the summer of 1905. Led by Secretary of War William Taft and ornamented by the president's quotable daughter Alice, it sailed while TR hosted the peace conference between victorious Japan and defeated Russia. As he recounts the itinerary of Taft's cruise, Bradley discusses attitudes of social Darwinism and white superiority that were then prevalent and expressed by TR and Taft. They modified their instincts, Bradley argues, in dealing with nonwhite Japan, and secretly conceded it possession of Korea. This is what Bradley asserts was a prerequisite to Pearl Harbor in 1941, a dubious thesis when the tensions of the 1930s stemmed from general Japanese aggressiveness, not its control of Korea per se. Bradley does fine on 1905 but falters when predicting the future." Gilbert Taylor, BOOKLIST
Monday, January 4, 2010
New Arrivals
ADULT FICTION
"Pirate Latitude: A Novel" by Michael Crichton - From one of the best-loved authors of all times comes an irresistible adventure of swashbuckling pirates in the New World, a classic story of treasure and betrayal" - inside front cover
"Wrecker" by Clive Cussler - "Cussler, known primarily for his contemporary high-tech thrillers, steps back in time--more than a century, in fact--in this rousing sequel to the The Chase (2007). Van Dorn Detective Agency operative Isaac Bell returns, this time to track down a clever saboteur who's been dubbed the Wrecker. Seems the Wrecker has it in for the Southern Pacific Company, and he will stop at nothing, including murder, to keep the company from putting through a new railway line between San Francisco and northern California. Isaac is a sharply drawn series lead, and the story, as befits a railroad-themed thriller, moves at a brisk clip. In addition, there's a very nice surprise in the final scenes. Readers who have sensed a certain been-there-done-that feeling in some of Cussler's recent novels will be pleased to find a new spark here. More Isaac Bell novels would be most welcome."--David Pitt, Booklist
"The Given Day" by Dennis Lahane - "In a splendid flowering of the talent previously demonstrated in his crime fiction (Gone, Baby, Gone: Mystic River), Lehane combines 20th-century American history, a gripping story of a family torn by pride and the strictures of the Catholic Church, and the plot of a multifaceted thriller. Set in Boston during and after WWI, this engrossing epic brings alive a pivotal period in our cultural maturation through a pulsing narrative that exposes social turmoil, political chicanery and racial prejudice, and encompasses the Spanish flu pandemic--This story of fathers and sons, love and betrayal, idealism and injustice, prejudice and brotherly feeling is a dark vision of the brutality inherent in human nature and the dire fate of some who try to live by ethical standards. It's also a vision of redemption and a triumph of the human spirit. In short, this nail-biter carries moral gravity." -- Publisher's Weekly
MYSTERY
"The Birthday Present: A Novel" by Barbara Vine - "British master Vine (the pen name of Ruth Rendell), a life Labor peer who used her knowledge of politics in 2002's The Blood Doctor to explore the personal rather than the political ramifications of power, does both in this intricate novel, which charts the wreckage caused by Ivor Tesham, a Conservative member of Parliament, who concocts a kinky present for his married mistress--a mock kidnapping that results in a mixup of identities and murder. While nothing links the MP to the crime, the elitist Tesham, with his callous attitude toward people and public service alike, realizes justice may eventually catch up with him. Vine knows 'how we walk all the time on that thin crust that covers terrible abysses.' The consequences for the innocent victims of Tesham's recklessness provide the book's deep and genuine pathos. Full of psychological insight, this is an absolute must for Vine/Rendell enthusiasts--and those who have yet to encounter her genius."--Publisher's Weekly
"The Long Fall" by Walter Mosley - "Mosley leaves behind the Los Angeles setting of his Easy Rawlins and Fearless Jones series (Devil in a Blue Dress, etc.) to introduce Leonid McGill, a New York City private detective, who promises to be as complex and rewarding a character as Mosley's ever produced. McGill, a 53-year old former boxer who's still a fighter, finds out that putting his past life behind him isn't easy when someone like Tony 'The Suit' Towers expects you to do a job; when an Albany PI hires you to track down four men know only by their youthful street names; and when your 16-year-old son, Twill, is getting in over his head with a suicidal girl. McGill shares Easy's knack for earning powerful friends by performing favors and some of the toughness of Fearless, but he's got his own dark secrets and hard-won philosophy. New York's racial stew is different that Los Angeles's, and Mosley stirs the pot and concocts a perfect milieu for an engaging new hero and an entertaining new series"--Publisher's Weekly
ADULT NON-FICTION
"America's Prophet: Moses and the American Story" by Bruce Feiler - "To Feiler, one figure above all others symbolizes America--not a politician or a war hero but Moses. Feiler persuasively and entertainingly chronicles how Moses as action hero, Moses as role model has affected virtually every level of American society.--Feiler confidently concludes that the major themes of Moses' story continue to shape America and affect the lives of countless Americans, such as Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Facsinating and thought provoking."--June Sawyers, Publisher's Weekly
JUVENILE NON-FICTION
"Dinosaurs in Your Backyard" by Hugh Brewster - "Gr. 3-5 This informative book..transports readers back to a time when North America was defined by substantially different coastlines and divided by a broad inland seaway. Introducing some of the dinosaurs living there, such as Tyrannosaurus rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Diplodocus, and Broachiosaurus, the books uses double-page spreads that typically describe one animal in a paragraph of descriptive or dramatic text as well as a section of fast facts relating its size, weight, era, diet and range. Large, painterly illustrations set the tone, supported by smaller maps and photos of fossils. The occasional dramatic tooth-and-claw scene is more than balanced by the weight of accessible, interesting information provided in the illustrations as well as the text. A time line, a pronunciation guide, bibliographies, and a list of dinosaur exhibits in the U.S. and Canada conclude this colorful introduction to North American dinosaurs." Carolyn Phelan
"Dinosaur's in Action" by Matthews Rupert - "Gr 3-6 - Heavily illustrated, with emphasis on teeth, horns and color patterns, the book has immediate eye-appeal.The realistic, colorful pictures are accompanied by dig-site maps, comparative-sized diagrams, 'Wow!' boxes, and photos of existing fossils. The simple texts are arranged on topic spreads that open with a sentence or two in dark type, followed by up to three paragraphs each consisting of a few brief sentences. Each title contains a 'Dino Guide' table that lists creatures by period, providing pronunciation guidance and length, weight and diet information for the dinosaurs mentioned in the text...Reluctant readers will enjoy this offering."--Patrician Manning, School Library Journal
"The Pebble First Guide to Rocks and Minerals" by Zachary Pitts - "K-Gr 1...This compact and attractive introductory guide presents information through charts, maps and detailed and colorful photographs, with each spread devoted to one subject--one type of rock, for example. There are no full sentences here; just brief lists of 'fact bytes' to whet young readers' appetites. As acknowledged in an opening note to parents and teachers, early readers may need help with some words and in using the table of contents and back matter."--Amy Rowland, School Library Journal
"Pirate Latitude: A Novel" by Michael Crichton - From one of the best-loved authors of all times comes an irresistible adventure of swashbuckling pirates in the New World, a classic story of treasure and betrayal" - inside front cover
"Wrecker" by Clive Cussler - "Cussler, known primarily for his contemporary high-tech thrillers, steps back in time--more than a century, in fact--in this rousing sequel to the The Chase (2007). Van Dorn Detective Agency operative Isaac Bell returns, this time to track down a clever saboteur who's been dubbed the Wrecker. Seems the Wrecker has it in for the Southern Pacific Company, and he will stop at nothing, including murder, to keep the company from putting through a new railway line between San Francisco and northern California. Isaac is a sharply drawn series lead, and the story, as befits a railroad-themed thriller, moves at a brisk clip. In addition, there's a very nice surprise in the final scenes. Readers who have sensed a certain been-there-done-that feeling in some of Cussler's recent novels will be pleased to find a new spark here. More Isaac Bell novels would be most welcome."--David Pitt, Booklist
"The Given Day" by Dennis Lahane - "In a splendid flowering of the talent previously demonstrated in his crime fiction (Gone, Baby, Gone: Mystic River), Lehane combines 20th-century American history, a gripping story of a family torn by pride and the strictures of the Catholic Church, and the plot of a multifaceted thriller. Set in Boston during and after WWI, this engrossing epic brings alive a pivotal period in our cultural maturation through a pulsing narrative that exposes social turmoil, political chicanery and racial prejudice, and encompasses the Spanish flu pandemic--This story of fathers and sons, love and betrayal, idealism and injustice, prejudice and brotherly feeling is a dark vision of the brutality inherent in human nature and the dire fate of some who try to live by ethical standards. It's also a vision of redemption and a triumph of the human spirit. In short, this nail-biter carries moral gravity." -- Publisher's Weekly
MYSTERY
"The Birthday Present: A Novel" by Barbara Vine - "British master Vine (the pen name of Ruth Rendell), a life Labor peer who used her knowledge of politics in 2002's The Blood Doctor to explore the personal rather than the political ramifications of power, does both in this intricate novel, which charts the wreckage caused by Ivor Tesham, a Conservative member of Parliament, who concocts a kinky present for his married mistress--a mock kidnapping that results in a mixup of identities and murder. While nothing links the MP to the crime, the elitist Tesham, with his callous attitude toward people and public service alike, realizes justice may eventually catch up with him. Vine knows 'how we walk all the time on that thin crust that covers terrible abysses.' The consequences for the innocent victims of Tesham's recklessness provide the book's deep and genuine pathos. Full of psychological insight, this is an absolute must for Vine/Rendell enthusiasts--and those who have yet to encounter her genius."--Publisher's Weekly
"The Long Fall" by Walter Mosley - "Mosley leaves behind the Los Angeles setting of his Easy Rawlins and Fearless Jones series (Devil in a Blue Dress, etc.) to introduce Leonid McGill, a New York City private detective, who promises to be as complex and rewarding a character as Mosley's ever produced. McGill, a 53-year old former boxer who's still a fighter, finds out that putting his past life behind him isn't easy when someone like Tony 'The Suit' Towers expects you to do a job; when an Albany PI hires you to track down four men know only by their youthful street names; and when your 16-year-old son, Twill, is getting in over his head with a suicidal girl. McGill shares Easy's knack for earning powerful friends by performing favors and some of the toughness of Fearless, but he's got his own dark secrets and hard-won philosophy. New York's racial stew is different that Los Angeles's, and Mosley stirs the pot and concocts a perfect milieu for an engaging new hero and an entertaining new series"--Publisher's Weekly
ADULT NON-FICTION
"America's Prophet: Moses and the American Story" by Bruce Feiler - "To Feiler, one figure above all others symbolizes America--not a politician or a war hero but Moses. Feiler persuasively and entertainingly chronicles how Moses as action hero, Moses as role model has affected virtually every level of American society.--Feiler confidently concludes that the major themes of Moses' story continue to shape America and affect the lives of countless Americans, such as Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Facsinating and thought provoking."--June Sawyers, Publisher's Weekly
JUVENILE NON-FICTION
"Dinosaurs in Your Backyard" by Hugh Brewster - "Gr. 3-5 This informative book..transports readers back to a time when North America was defined by substantially different coastlines and divided by a broad inland seaway. Introducing some of the dinosaurs living there, such as Tyrannosaurus rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, Diplodocus, and Broachiosaurus, the books uses double-page spreads that typically describe one animal in a paragraph of descriptive or dramatic text as well as a section of fast facts relating its size, weight, era, diet and range. Large, painterly illustrations set the tone, supported by smaller maps and photos of fossils. The occasional dramatic tooth-and-claw scene is more than balanced by the weight of accessible, interesting information provided in the illustrations as well as the text. A time line, a pronunciation guide, bibliographies, and a list of dinosaur exhibits in the U.S. and Canada conclude this colorful introduction to North American dinosaurs." Carolyn Phelan
"Dinosaur's in Action" by Matthews Rupert - "Gr 3-6 - Heavily illustrated, with emphasis on teeth, horns and color patterns, the book has immediate eye-appeal.The realistic, colorful pictures are accompanied by dig-site maps, comparative-sized diagrams, 'Wow!' boxes, and photos of existing fossils. The simple texts are arranged on topic spreads that open with a sentence or two in dark type, followed by up to three paragraphs each consisting of a few brief sentences. Each title contains a 'Dino Guide' table that lists creatures by period, providing pronunciation guidance and length, weight and diet information for the dinosaurs mentioned in the text...Reluctant readers will enjoy this offering."--Patrician Manning, School Library Journal
"The Pebble First Guide to Rocks and Minerals" by Zachary Pitts - "K-Gr 1...This compact and attractive introductory guide presents information through charts, maps and detailed and colorful photographs, with each spread devoted to one subject--one type of rock, for example. There are no full sentences here; just brief lists of 'fact bytes' to whet young readers' appetites. As acknowledged in an opening note to parents and teachers, early readers may need help with some words and in using the table of contents and back matter."--Amy Rowland, School Library Journal
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