From Publishers Weekly: "Machart's bleak, accomplished debut opens in 1895 as a landowning Texas family faces both sides of life's spectrum: the birth of a fourth son and the death of the boy's mother during childbirth. This event resonates throughout the lives of Vaclav Skala, who lost "the only woman he'd ever been fond of," and his four sons who, 15 years later, find their youngest sibling, Karel, to be a preternaturally talented equestrian. While Vaclav's wagers on his son's races increase, so does Karel's confidence, especially when facing off against the talk of the town: Guillermo Villasenor, a powerful, moneyed, patronizing patriarch with three beautiful daughters. Yet Karel remains haunted by the memory of his mother, often feeling "the flat cool of her absence," and a prideful father who keeps him at arm's length. The consequences of a race that has his father's land hanging in the balance play out some 14 years later when, in 1924, Karel is married with children, yet still finds himself straying and facing inter-familial discord. Machart's moving story unfolds lyrically and sensually, with little fanfare, as his thoughtful prose propels a character-driven story about family, morality, and redemption."

From Publishers Weekly: "The sometimes crushing power of myth, story, and memory is explored in the brilliant debut of Obreht, the youngest of the New Yorker's 20-under-40. Natalia Stefanovi, a doctor living (and, in between suspensions, practicing) in an unnamed country that's a ringer for Obreht's native Croatia, crosses the border in search of answers about the death of her beloved grandfather, who raised her on tales from the village he grew up in, and where, following German bombardment in 1941, a tiger escaped from the zoo in a nearby city and befriended a mysterious deaf-mute woman. The evolving story of the tiger's wife, as the deaf-mute becomes known, forms one of three strands that sustain the novel. Obreht is an expert at depicting history through aftermath, people through the love they inspire, and place through the stories that endure; the reflected world she creates is both immediately recognizable and a legend in its own right. Obreht is talented far beyond her years, and her unsentimental faith in language, dream, and memory is a pleasure."

Coming soon!

Get your request in now, because in just a few days the final volume in Jean Auel's Earth's Children series will be here! It's been more than 30 years (and 45 million copies) since the publication of the first novel, The Clan of the Cave Bear. Barnes & Noble Review calls the latest book "a reassuring conclusion... In this evocative, carefully researched fiction, Cro-Magnon shaman Ayla and her heroic mate Jondalar struggle with environmental upheavals, and threats from wild animals and hostile hunters. Transcending difficulties, this loving, loyal couple find peace and respite in unexpected places and move resolutely towards a more secure future. (P.S. There is good reason why this novel is so eagerly anticipated: The Land of Painted Cave is the first Earth's Children installment in nine years.)" Check it out!

Great new thriller!

From Publishers Weekly: "Stevens's blazingly brilliant debut introduces a great new action heroine, Vanessa Michael Munroe, who doesn't have to kick over a hornet's nest to get attention, though her feral, take-no-prisoners attitude reflects the fire of Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander. Nine years have passed since Munroe, the daughter of American missionaries, escaped Cameroon at age 15 after a violent incident. She's forged a new life in Texas as an "informationist," a person who specializes in gathering information about developing countries for corporations. Munroe's best friend, marketing consultant Kate Breeden, refers her to Miles Bradford, a high-stakes security pro, who believes she's the perfect choice to help Houston oilman Richard Burbank find his adopted daughter, Emily, who vanished four years earlier at age 18 while vacationing in west central Africa. Munroe returns to Africa, where she reconnects with her ex-boyfriend, Francisco Beyard, a sexy drug- and gun-running businessman, who assists in the dangerous search for Emily. Thriller fans will eagerly await the sequel to this high-octane page-turner." Check it out!

Friends of the Library March Book Sale

It's finally here! The member pre-sale is today (Friday, March 25) 2:00 p.m. - 5 p.m. Memberships are $5 for individuals and $10 for family.

The public sale is tomorrow (Saturday, March 26) 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

It all takes place downstairs in the Foot Room of the Library. Get books and more at amazingly low prices!

From Publishers Weekly: "Perhaps you haven't heard: over the last 30 years the middle class has shriveled while the wealthy enjoy the skewed economics of the gilded age. The authors do their best to blow the dust off of their subject by taking a close look at this political "30 year war" and carefully parsing its roots. Corporate coalitions, lobbying, tax policies geared to the wealthy, and the extreme use of the "rule of 60" filibuster have tipped the scales and ultimately heaped blame onto the majority party. While Government can affect the distribution of wealth, it doesn't catch up with economic realities in time, and a changing Washington blocks attempts at reform. Where moderates used to rule the swing vote, now radical conservatives have taken hold. Unions are powerless, public interest groups prevail, and Christian conservatives drag Republicans ever right. Meanwhile, voters remain poorly informed. Though they never shed the sheen of "old news," Hacker and Pierson end on a note of optimism: the middle class can take the majority again with a "politics of renewal" shepherded in on a wave of "mass engagement" and "elite leadership."

From the Barnes & Noble Review: "Ever affable, ever curious New York Times columnist David Brooks has been pursuing the study of human nature for decades. The fruition of this study, at least for the present, is The Social Animal, an extraordinarily accessible look at what we now know about how the human mind works. As Brooks notes, recent breakthrough brain research has provided unprecedented breakthroughs about the human brain, especially about its dominant unconscious function. To elucidate these discoveries, Brooks conjures up Harold and Erica, a "composite couple" who develop over time in ways that our ancestors could scarcely understand. A most approachable approach to root human nature."

Finding free, high quality cultural and educational media on the Internet just got a whole lot easier. Open Culture, a blog from Dan Colman (the Director & Associate Dean of Stanford University’s Continuing Studies Program), is an incredible source of free textbooks, movies, audio, etc. Well worth a look for those who are interested in continuing their education but not interested in paying college tuition!

From Library Journal: "Edgar Award winner Franklin's classic Southern drama is more about the pathos of loneliness than the mystery that unfolds within its pages. Set in racially charged early 1970s Chabot, MS, it centers on an interracial friendship between two boys, Larry and Silas, whose lives are irrevocably changed when Larry is suspected of murder. Some 30 years later, when a local businessman's daughter disappears, the nightmare begins anew—this time, with devastating consequences for both men. With a tone and setting reminiscent of Faulkner; highly recommended."

Please come join us this Saturday, March 19, at 9:30am for the last of our special Winter Saturday Family Story Times. Library staff will present a special themed story time including stories, songs, rhymes and a take home craft. This week's theme is Walk on the Wild Side. Dress up if you like! Older siblings welcome and no registration required.

The International Music Score Library Project

Much like Project Gutenberg does for books, The International Music Score Library Project has a goal of making freely available out of copyright music scores to anybody with Internet access. The New York Times has an excellent article describing the site, and including arguments from supporters and opponents of the effort.

Book awards

The winners of the 2010 National book Critics Circle awards have been announced.

Disaster in Japan

Many of you have seen videos of the devastation in Japan. But perhaps even more powerfully affecting is a series of before and after aerial photos published in the New York Times. It is difficult to comprehend what the people of Japan are experiencing. If you'd like to help, check out this article from Salon.

From Publishers Weekly: "Vreeland (Luncheon of the Boating Party) again excavates the life behind a famous artistic creation-in this case the Tiffany leaded-glass lamp, the brainchild not of Louis Comfort Tiffany but his glass studio manager, Clara Driscoll. Tiffany staffs his studio with female artisans-a decision that protects him from strikes by the all-male union-but refuses to employ women who are married. Lucky for him, Clara's romantic misfortunes-her husband's death, the disappearance of another suitor-insure that she can continue to craft the jewel-toned glass windows and lamps that catch both her eye and her imagination. Behind the scenes she makes her mark as an artist and champion of her workers, while living in an eclectic Irving Place boarding house populated by actors and artists."

From Publishers Weekly: "Long before he became the highly acclaimed author of House of Sand and Fog, Dubus shuffled and punched his way through a childhood and youth full of dysfunction, desperation, and determination. Just after he turned 12, Dubus's family fell rapidly into shambles after his father-the prominent writer Andre Dubus-not only left his wife for a younger woman but also left the family in distressing poverty on the violent and drug-infested side of their Massachusetts mill town. For a few years, Dubus escaped into drugs, embracing the apathetic "no-way-out" attitude of his friends. After having his bike stolen, being slapped around by some of the town's bullies, and watching his brother and mother humiliated by some of the town's thugs, Dubus started lifting weights at home and boxing at the local gym. Modeling himself on the Walking Tall sheriff, Buford Pusser, Dubus paid back acts of physical violence with physical violence. Ultimately, he decided to take up his pen and write his way up from the bottom and into a new relationship with his father. In this gritty and gripping memoir, Dubus bares his soul in stunning and page-turning prose."

From Library Journal: "In her second novel (following A Ticket To Ride), McLain creates a compelling, spellbinding portrait of a marriage. Hemingway is a magnetic figure whose charm is tempered by his dark, self-destructive tendencies. Hadley is strong and smart, but she questions herself at every turn. Women of all ages and situations will sympathize as they follow this seemingly charmed union to its inevitable demise. Colorful details of the expat life in Jazz Age Paris, combined with the evocative story of the Hemingways' romance, result in a compelling story that will undoubtedly establish McLain as a writer of substance."

From Booklist: "An army brat, Hailey Cain left West Point near the end of her fourth year and became a bike messenger in San Francisco. She counts only two people close to her: her cousin CJ Mooney, a successful music producer, and Serena Delgadillo, leader of a female gang in L.A. At Serena’s request, Hailey drives undocumented Nidia Hernandez to her grandmother’s home in Mexico. But the trip is aborted when Hailey is shot and left for dead and Nidia, pregnant with the grandson and only possible heir of powerful Anton Skouras, is kidnapped, presumably because Skouras wants the child. Finding and protecting Nidia becomes a point of honor for Hailey, whose rigorous army training serves her well as she becomes a target of Skouras’ forces. The resolution is neatly symmetrical, with Hailey’s backstory revealed only in the final pages. Compton has a definite gift for portraying flawed, multidimensional characters, and Hailey may be her most compelling creation so far."

Gail Collins, New York Times columnist and bestselling author, recounts the astounding revolution in women's lives over the past 50 years, with her usual "sly wit and unfussy style" (People). When Everything Changed begins in 1960, when most American women had to get their husbands' permission to apply for a credit card. It ends in 2008 with Hillary Clinton's historic presidential campaign. This was a time of cataclysmic change, when, after four hundred years, expectations about the lives of American women were smashed in just a generation. A comprehensive mix of oral history and Gail Collins's keen research -- covering politics, fashion, popular culture, economics, sex, families, and work -- When Everything Changed is the definitive book on five crucial decades of progress.

Great book you may have missed

From Publishers Weekly: "Ex-cop turned PI Boone Daniels lives to surf, as do the rest of the Dawn Patrol, who gather every morning on the beach just north of San Diego, Calif.--Hang Twelve, Dave the Love God, Johnny Banzai, High Tide and Sunny Day--in this terrific thriller from Winslow. Boone works his PI job just enough to keep his near idyllic life afloat, but before Winslow's done with him and he's back on his board, he'll have weathered some heavy seas and taken some perilous falls. Dan Silver, owner of Silver Dan's strip club, may have burned down his own warehouse to collect on the insurance money. When the insurance company hires beautiful lady lawyer Petra Hall to sue Silver, she turns to Boone to do the detective work. If all this sounds mildly comic, it is, but it's also dark, violent and plenty serious as Winslow keeps raising the stakes, as well as the waves, for all involved."

It's been four years, but the wait is finally over (and worth it!). Wise Man's Fear, sequel to the bestseller Name of the Wind, is finally here! From Publishers Weekly: "[A] towering work of fantasy. As Kvothe, now the unassuming keeper of the Waystone Inn, continues to share his astounding life story-a history that includes saving an influential lord from treachery, defeating a band of dangerous bandits, and surviving an encounter with a legendary Fae seductress-he also offers glimpses into his life's true pursuit: figuring out how to vanquish the mythical Chandrian, a group of seven godlike destroyers that brutally murdered his family and left him an orphan. But while Kvothe recalls the events of his past, his future is conspiring just outside the inn's doors. This breathtakingly epic story is heartrending in its intimacy and masterful in its narrative essence, and will leave fans waiting on tenterhooks for the final installment."

Fun website for book lovers

Books On The Nightstand is a weekly podcast of book talking, book stores and publishing by hosts Michael Kindness and Ann Kingman. They describe themselves as friends and colleagues and though they both work for Random House, their podcasts and blog postings include non-Random House books. Especially popular is their segment "Two books we can't wait for you to read." Well worth a look and you can subscribe and listen through iTunes!

Great books by and for women

If you're a fan of authors like Elizabeth Berg, Maeve Binchy and Debbie Macomber, check out our new booklist, 25 Great Books by and for Women. you're sure to find something you like!

Great college search advice!

Kenyon College Dean of Admissions (and Red Wing native) Jennifer Delahunty has put together a great guide for parents suffering through a child's college search. The book consists of a series of essays written by authors, professors, admissions directors, journalist and more. Learn (among many other things) to be less of a helicopter and more of a booster rocket!