Lunch with the librarians!

Do you find yourself tired of reading the same old authors? Would you like to broaden your literary horizons but don’t know where to start?

If so, then join the librarians at the Red Wing Public Library on March 1st anytime between 12pm and 1pm for our inaugural Read-A-Likes Book Club. Bring your lunch and we’ll talk about our favorite authors and try to find new ones! Minnesota mystery author William Kent Krueger is the subject of our first meeting. Read any of his books, or any of the books on our "If you like William Kent Krueger" booklist (printed version available at the library), or a book you think fans of William Kent Krueger might like. Then come to our lunch hour gathering in the children’s area story well and share your thoughts (just listening is ok, too).

New from Kristin Hannah

Winter Garden, the latest novel from Kristin Hannah, tells the story of "middle-aged sisters Meredith and Nina [who] have always felt distanced from their Russian-born mother, Anya. But when their beloved father dies, he leaves them with a wish-for them to become closer to their mother and for Anya to reveal the truth about her past. This tearjerker weaves a convincing historical novel and contemporary family drama with elements of romance. It is sure to please fans of Danielle Steel, Luanne Rice, and Nicholas Sparks." Check it out!

Newsweek has a fun new book review blog: We Read It [So You Don't Have To]. But of course reading about those books does make you want to read them - and what better place to get them than from the library? Check it out!

NPR reporter Margot Adler recently did an interesting story on why vampire novels, especially those with conflicted vampires struggling to be moral, are so popular now. In the course of her research for the story, she read over 75 vampire novels. Check out her story and then check out the books from us!

Amy Greene has written an astonishing debut novel that is garnering tremendous reviews. Set in Appalachia, Bloodroot is a "stunning fiction debut about the legacies—of magic and madness, faith and secrets, passion and loss—that haunt one family across the generations, from the Great Depression to today." Check it out!

The popularity of Stieg Larsson's Millenium trilogy (beginning with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) has brought the attention of U.S. readers to other Swedish authors. One of the best is Henning Mankell, who has just released a standalone thriller, The Man from Beijing. Mankell, best known as the author of the Kurt Wallander mysteries, gives listeners an "electrifying thriller that takes off into a sweeping international drama. In the Swedish hamlet of Hesjovallen, 19 people have been massacred--and the only clue is a red ribbon found at the scene."

G'Day mates!

This Saturday, February 20, at 9:30am, we will have the third of our Winter Saturdays Family Story Times. The theme is Down Under and includes stories, songs, rhymes and a take home craft, all relating to Australia. Come on down for a corker of a time and dress up if you like! Other story hours will be presented the first and third Saturdays of March. Older siblings welcome and no registration is required.

Sad news from the publishing world

Author Dick Francis, winner of the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association’s Cartier Diamond Dagger and the only three-time recipient of the Mystery Writer of America’s Edgar Award for Best Novel, died on Valentine's Day at the age of 89. Francis was a pilot in the British Royal Air Force and a highly successful steeplechase jockey before he turned to writing. Most of his more than 40 novels are set in the world of horse racing, and virtually all of them have been bestsellers.

And the winners are...

As part of their Hot Reads for Cold Nights program, the Friends of the Library are sponsoring three contests this year (prizes will be awarded). The first, in January, was to write a novel in 6 words. The judges have reviewed the 27 entries and selected the winners:

First Place :
“Went hiking. Lost GPS. Still hiking.”

Second Place:
“Train late. Wedding off. Flying home.”

Congratulations to our winning novelists!

February's contest consists of writing a haiku about books, reading and/or libraries. Good luck!

Black History Month

February is Black History month, an annual event with roots stretching back to 1926. Come to the library to check out any of our many books on the important contributions made by African-American scientists, artists, athletes and others.

New DVDs

Newly arrived at the library:


Sunshine Cleaning (Rotten Tomatoes rating 71%)







My Sister's Keeper (Rotten Tomatoes rating 47%)







Grey Gardens (Rotten Tomatoes rating 100%)

Immortality

Henrietta Lacks died of cancer in 1951, yet in the years since then she has made important contributions to the discovery of the polio vaccine, to many cancer treatments, to gene mappping and cloning. All this made possible - without her knowledge or consent - by her "immortal' cells; the first such human cells grown in culture. The New York Times book reviewer said The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is "one of the most graceful and moving nonfiction books I've read in a very long time. A thorny and provocative book about cancer, racism, scientific ethics and crippling poverty, [it] also floods over you like a narrative dam break, as if someone had managed to distill and purify the more addictive qualities of "Erin Brockovich," Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and The Andromeda Strain. More than 10 years in the making, it feels like the book Ms. Skloot was born to write. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks has brains and pacing and nerve and heart, and it is uncommonly endearing."

Though Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine and a Miracle is a children's book, everybody who loves a pet will find it irresistibly heart-warming. "Nubs, an Iraqi dog of war, never had a home or a person of his own. He was the leader of a pack of wild dogs living off the land and barely surviving. But Nubs's life changed when he met Marine Major Brian Dennis. The two formed a fast friendship, made stronger by Dennis's willingness to share his meals, offer a warm place to sleep, and give Nubs the kind of care and attention he had never received before. Nubs became part of Dennis's human "pack" until duty required the Marines to relocate a full 70 miles away--without him. Nubs had no way of knowing that Marines were not allowed to have pets. So began an incredible journey that would take Nubs through a freezing desert, filled with danger to find his friend and would lead Dennis on a mission that would touch the hearts of people all over the world."

Winter Saturdays Family Story Time

This Saturday, February 6, at 9:30am, we will have the second of our Winter Saturdays Family Story Times. The theme is Bundle Up! and includes stories, songs, rhymes and a take home craft. Dress up if you like! Other story hours will be presented the first and third Saturdays of February and March. Older siblings welcome and no registration is required.

Great graphic novels for teens

Graphic novels are wildly popular with kids and teens. If you're trying to figure out which among all those books are worth your time, then we've got the site for you! The American Library Association has just come out with its 2010 list of Great Graphic Novels for Teens. There are 73 books in all, including Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer (makes sense, when you think about it - he's got an endless supply of wooden stakes, as long as he can tell enough lies...) Check them out!

Caldecott & Newbery winners announced

The winner of the 2010 Caldecott Medal (awarded for the most distinguished American picture book for children) is The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney. See the American Library Association website for a list of the other nominees.



The winner of the 2010 Newbery Medal (awarded for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children) is When you Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. See the American Library Association website for a list of the other nominees.