Friday, May 29, 2009

Book Recommendations from NPR

NPR has a fount of suggestions for book lovers. Their regular critics recently recommended titles for new cookbooks, summer fiction, mysteries, and more. Click here to see a list.

New Book by Author of "Shadow of the Wind"

Readers of Carlos Luis Zafon's book Shadow of the Wind (set in Barcelona featuring books, secrets, and intrigue) will be excited to learn he has written a "prequel" due out mid-June, titled The Angel's Game. To learn more, read an article by the author at the Times Online UK.

Shadow of the Wind was a Noonday Nosh Book Club selection a few years back. To learn more about Nosh, click here to visit the Friends' website.

Music and Books ... or ... Books and Music

The NY Times has a book blog called "Paper Cuts." One of the regular features in the blog is called "Living with Music." Authors discuss the role(s) of music in their books and in their personal lives. Click here to take a look.

Summer Activities at the Library

The Friends are co-sponsoring a variety of programs for children, teens, and adults this summer. Click here to visit the Library Programs page on the Friends' website for a complete listing. Reservations are required for some of the programs, so please register early. All programs are free and open to the public. For more information, contact the library at 770-640-3075.

Summer Reading Starts June 1st

The Summer Reading Program for children begins June 1st and ends July 31st. Children who read (or listen to) 10 books or 10 hours can receive a certificate with their name on it, a coupon for the Roswell Chick-fil-A (available while quantities last), and a name tag for the big picture window showing they completed the program. AND, unique to Roswell - thanks to the generosity of the Friends - every child who completes the program will receive one free paperback book. Woo-hoo! Stop by the Children's Department to learn more.

Alice Munro wins the Man Booker Prize


Canadian author Alice Munro has won the Man Booker International Prize, a prize awarded for literary excellence. To learn more about Alice Munro, read this recent article about her in the Toronto Star. If you'd like to learn more about the Man Booker Prize, visit their website at www.themanbookerprize.com.

The Hay Literary Festival in Wales

As the Hay Festival wraps up in Wales, the Guardian UK (one of the sponsors) features a variety of articles and web clips on the featured authors (Markus Zusak, Joan Bakewell, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Clive James, Carol Ann Duffy and more). Take a look at these links to learn more:

Guardian Hay Festival

Hay Festival Homepage

June Book Club Selections

Noonday Nosh Book Club: June 16th
The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson

Mystery Book Club: June 23rd
Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey

These books are on display near the Reference Desk. To reserve one of these copies, please call the Roswell Library at 770-640-3075 and ask for the Reference Desk. Library staff will be glad to assist you.

Author Events @ the Carter Center

The Carter Center is hosting some top-notch authors this summer! Gary Pomerantz will be there June 22nd @ 7:00 p.m. to read from his new book, The Devil’s Tickets: A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age. Pat Conroy will be there August 19th @ 7:00p.m. to read from South of Broad, his newest title. To learn more, visit the Carter Presidential Library’s website.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

2009 Spelling Bee Champ

Oh, to spell like Kavya Shivashankar, the winner of the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee! This year's final was a real nail-biter and one of the longest finals ever: almost 2 hours. Kavya is an eighth grader from Olathe, Kansas and her winning word was L-a-o-d-i-c-e-a-n. To learn more about the spelling bee, visit the website by clicking here.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Jane Austen's Suitor

A new biography of Jane Austen explores just who it was that broke her heart. It may not be who you think. Click here to read more from the Telegraph UK.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

An Impromptu Farewell

In honor of our American Memorial Day, here's a moving piece from last Monday's NYT. As British soldiers who've been killed overseas are returned to their homeland, hearses travel through the village of Wootton Bassett as they make their way to a hospital morgue in Oxford. Citizens now form lines along the streets to offer their respect and farewells to the fallen soldiers. Makes one want to get out their poppy pin and put it on. Click here to read the article.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Memorial Day Weekend Paperback Book Sale

The Book Corner is featuring a special Memorial Day Weekend Paperback Sale. Paperbacks on a specially marked cart in the library's lobby are priced 4 for $1.00. Stock up on summer paperbacks!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Author Events @ the Jimmy Carter Library & Museum

Even though the Carter Center is undergoing renovations, they are still hosting a variety of author visits. Gary Pomerantz will be there June 22nd @ 7:00 p.m. to read from his new book, The Devil’s Tickets: A Night of Bridge, a Fatal Hand, and a New American Age. Pat Conroy will be there August 19th @ 7:00p.m. to read from South of Broad, his newest title. To learn more, visit the Carter Presidential Library’s website.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Mystery Book Club Reads "Motion to Suppress"


Join us on Tuesday, May 26th @ 6:30 p.m. for the next Mystery Book Club discussion at the Roswell Library. We'll discuss Perri O'Shaughnessy's book, Motion to Suppress. See you there! Learn more about the Mystery Book Club by visiting the MBC page on the Friends' website @ www.forl.net/mysterybookclub.html

The Writer's Almanac

Today is the birthday of author Jodi Picoult. And Nora Ephron, as well as Lorraine Hansberry and Malcolm X. These authors are featured in today's edition of The Writer's Almanac. The Writer's Almanac is a program on most NPR stations (sponsored by American Public Media). Hosted by Garrison Keillor, each brief program features an author or two, some background information, and a poem read in Keillor's soothing voice. Locally, the program is aired just before 11:00 a.m. on WABE 90.1 FM. Click here to visit the WA website. A free subscription to The Writer's Almanac is available.

Monday, May 18, 2009

To "scan" at book sales ... or not

An increasing number of book buyers at Friends' book sales around the country are using bar code scanners to quickly check on book values. Is this fair or not? A recent article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune highlights some of the pros and cons. Click here to read the article.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Noonday Nosh Meets on Tuesday!

Noonday Nosh Reads The Great Gatsby - Join us on Tuesday, May 19th @ noon for a fun and lively discussion of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. What a book!

Looking for Donations!

The Friends are looking for donations. Acceptable items include clean fiction and non-fiction books, magazines less than one year old, videos, DVD's, CD's, text books (math, physics), and computer and IT books. We are not able to accept Encyclopedias, stained or damaged items, and magazines older than one year.

Items donated to the Friends of the Roswell Library are tax-deductible. Donation bins are located in the library's lobby. Thank you!

Brothers in Crime, Figuratively Speaking

Noted mystery author Lee Child's real name is Jim Grant. Grant's brother Andrew is also a mystery author and they both have new books out. Click here to read an article from the 5/14 edition of the NY Times.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Mystery Book Club Reads "Motion to Suppress"


Join us on Tuesday, May 26th @ 6:30 p.m. for the next Mystery Book Club discussion at the Roswell Library. We'll discuss Perri O'Shaughnessy's book Motion to Suppress. See you there!

Interview with Alexander McCall Smith

GoodReads has an interview with the author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency on its website. Click here to read it.

Founded in 2006, GoodReads is a social networking website for book lovers. You don't have to be a member to read this interview, but membership is free. They send out a monthly newsletter, which is also free, that helps readers stay up-to-date without making yet another commitment to a networking site.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Noonday Nosh Reads "The Great Gatsby"


Join us on Tuesday, May 19th @ noon for a fun and lively discussion of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Noonday Nosh is a book discussion group that meets on the third Tuesday of each month at the Roswell Library. See you there!

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Librarian Moms

A tip o' the hat to Moms today. Click here to read an article in School Library Journal titled "My Mom, the Librarian." It highlights several famous Americans whose mothers happen to be librarians. It even gives a shout out to Jane Saliers, retired Children's Librarian from the Ponce de Leon Branch who happens to be the mother of Emily, one half of music duo the Indigo Girls.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Delaware Library To Auction Wyeth Collection

The Wilmington Library in Delaware is planning to auction off its collection of N. C. Wyeth's "Robinson Crusoe" paintings in order to fund a much needed renovation and to also increase the endowment. Bad news for the library, but good news (one supposes) for collectors. Click here to read the article at DelawareOnline.

Blogs for Foodies

Folks who love to cook will enjoy this list of 50 popular food blogs from the Times Online/UK. Click here to check it out.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Donations Needed!

Help spread the word! The Friends are looking for donations.

Acceptable items include clean fiction and non-fiction books, magazines less than one year old, videos, DVD's, CD's, text books (math, physics), and computer and IT books.

We are not able to accept Encyclopedias, stained or damaged items, and magazines older than one year.

Donation bins are located in the library's lobby. Thank you!

A Patterson of a Different Name

Another Patterson was in yesterday’s NYT. This time, an article about Richard North Patterson’s new fictionalized account of the life and murder of Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa. Readers of this genre will see a painful similarity to South African activist Steven Biko. Click here to read the article.

James Patterson’s Protégé

Followers of James Patterson know he co-writes most of his books now. One of his protégés, Peter de Jonge, has branched out on his own. Read this profile from the May 5th edition of the New York Times.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

MAY Book Club Selections

Noonday Nosh
Tuesday May 19th @ noon
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Mystery Book Club
Tuesday May 26th @ 6:30 p.m.
Motion to Suppress by Perri O’Shaughnessy

Monday, May 4, 2009

An Ode to Reading in Bed

Sunday's AJC featured a poignant essay on reading by local novelist and playwright, Pearl Cleage. Titled "Nothing Beats Reading in Bed," it is an ode to the joys of reading. Click here to read the piece by this master essayist.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Annual Meeting - Sunday @ 3:00 p.m.

Join us for our annual meeting on May 3rd @ 3:00 p.m. We will elect new officers, review the past year, and make plans for the year ahead. A slide show featuring a brief year in review will be presented and we will formally dedicate a painting purchased in memory of longtime Friend, Don Tefft.

Writer's Rooms

The Guardian UK has an ongoing series of photos and articles featuring writer's rooms. If you've ever wondered how author's work spaces look, wonder no more. Click here to read more.

It took 341 years!

It could have been Christina Rosetti, Elizabeth Barrett Browning or a host of other English woman poets, but no. It wasn’t time. But now it is. The UK has selected its first female Poet Laureate. Click here to read about it in the New York Times.