Horror Told Beautifully: Review of "The Book Thief"

Posted by EPL patron and guest blogger Irwin S.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is beautifully written.  The author has command of the language and uses it most effectively.  In the opning pages, the protagonist Leisel (age nine) sees her younger brother die, while on a train taking them to a foster home in southern Germany.  It is 1939, Hitler is in power.  Leisel's foster parents are not Nazis and suffer greatly therefore.  Fear, hunger, and hate are recurring themes.  Nevertheless, the book, narrated by Death, is a compelling story with complex and fascinating characters.  The book is about love and hate, survival and death, friendship and cruelty.  Loyalty is a theme and there is surprisingly little betrayal, given the story's background. 

The town is bombed by the allies, but is it never clear whether it is American planes or British.  How could the characters know, since they were hiding in their basements?  While they huddled, terrified, Leisel read to them from her stolen books.  She loves the words in her books and hates the words of Hitler, which he uses to manipulate his followers. She writes her story, calling it "The Book Thief, the last line of which is " I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right."  Our narrator read her book and found that she had indeed, "made them right."

Bookclub on the Blog: September & October Selections

Posted by EPL Bookclub

September's Discussion: Free Fire by C. J. Box
Joe Pickett, a Wyoming game warden, recently dismissed from his job, has been asked to investigate a lawyer who killed four campers in Yellowstone National Park, but was set free because the crime was committed in a remote free fire zone where no one has jurisdiction. As he investigates, he discovers a sinister conspiracy involving some of the unique natural resources within Yellowstone.  An engaging read.

October's Discussion:  Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela
The book gave a glimpse of life in the Sudan in the 1950's.  The story of the disfunctional family was somewhat of a soap opera, but the book was a worthwhile read.







November's selection is Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama.  The book disscussion group will meet Monday 11/14 at 7 PM.  Join us to disscuss your favorite reads and get ideas for new ones.

Characters Who Live On: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Annibali Carracci, Portrait of a Man Drinking, c.1581

Posted by Staff

The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll  and Mr. Hyde was published  in 1886 by Robert Louis Stevenson.  The story follows the observations of Gabriel Utterson investigating the incidents linking his long-time friend Dr Jekyll and the dark-natured Mr. Hyde.  The story is classic good vs. evil set in Victorian London and one of the first portrayals of spilt personality. Most of the evil deeds of Mr. Hyde are left undescribed, leaving a lot to the immagination.  The original story is told as a mystery and the identity of Mr. Hyde, which most of us know today, is revealled as a surprise ending in the story.

Stage and film adaptions of the story abound and most of us have seen at least one version.  The adaptations of the characters range from scary to light-hearted. Request any of these items and revisit the classic characters:

Abott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (DVD, 1953)  A horror comedy film starring Abbot and Costello and Boris Karloff as Dr. Jekyll.

The Nutty Professor (DVD, 1963) A bumbling professor creates a potion to make him a suave and socially dynamic guy.

Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical (DVD, 2001)  A broadway musical starring David Hasselhoff.

Mary Reilly (book and movie, 2004)  The story told from the point of view of a maid in the Jekyll household.

Jekel Loves Hyde (book and audio).  Two teens work on a chemistry project together to lift a family curse.

Jekyll (DVD, 2007) A BBC miniseries recasting the story in modern times with additional mysterious characters.

It's National Dessert Month

Paul Cezzane, Compotier et Assiette de Biscuits, 1877

Posted by Staff

What better way to celebrate than to look through our numerous books about desserts?  We have a very large collection of cookbooks, most of which contain sections about sweets.  And of course, we have a lot of books devoted to desserts alone. Some recommendations:

The New York Times Dessert Cookbook: 440 Recipes for Every Kind of Sweet to Make at Home edited by Florence Fabricant.  Thorough and crave inducing.

The Sweet Spot: Asian Inspired Desserts by Pichet Ong and  Genevieve Ko.  A different blend of flavors and ingredients, all delicious.

Jell-O Classic Recipes.  When was the last time you had a slice of 'Cool-N-Easy' Pie?

Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts: 150 Recipes for Old-Fashioned and Modern Favorites.  You can't go wrong with these recipes.  The book covers every type of pie you can think of (savory, too) and a few more obscure varieties as well.

Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies by Alice Medrich.  Each recipe is clearly described along with some 'upgrades' to make the recipe a bit fancier. Lots of ideas for holiday cookie exchanges.

Our 8th annual photo contest

Posted by Staff

Our annual photo contest is in full swing, and the pictures have started to decorate the reading room.  If you would like to enter the contest, there is still time; we'll be accepting entries until 9 PM on November 1st.  If you would like to view the entries, they will be on display through mid-November.  Entries will be judged in six categories, and three prizes (gift cards to Target) will be awarded in each. 

For more information about the contest and rules, click here.

Book Review: The Social Animal by David Brooks

Posted by EPL patron and guest blogger, Irwin S.

James Michener and Arthur Haley produced some fascinating novels in which they inserted information about our world with stories about people and events (e.g. geology in Hawaii and archeology in The Source).  They made easier the process of learning about an erudite subject by combining it with compelling characters and interesting plots.  In The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character and Achievement, David Brooks has used a similar technique to help the reader understand the functions and operation of the brain.

Brooks' characters aren't as interesting and his plot lines scarcely qualify as such.  However, he takes on a challenging subject and does a remarkable job.  The reader will know more about herself and her associates and why they behave as they do after reading The Social Animal.

The author creates a comprehensible description and analysis of the conscious and subconscious, with emphasis on the latter which he convincingly argues is far more influential than the former.  He does so by tracing the lives of Harold, an intelligent but rather ordinary middle class person and Erica, a brilliant, assertive and aggressive person, raised by her oriental mother in a rough neighborhood. Harold may seem dull and Erica exciting, but each has a great deal to teach us about ourselves, especially about the manifestations of our subconscious.

Brooks provides many helpful and remarkable insights about the process and methods of thinking and functioning.  He explains and illustrates how decisions and events of our childhood profoundly affect our entire life.

The book contains copious endnotes.  They are a real treasure for anyone who wishes to engage in further study.  Some of the notes are traditional references to treatises and books, but many contain citations to websites, simplifying additional research.  The book is truly a product of the 21st century and a worthwhile read.

Staff Picks for October: Ghost stories

Posted by Staff

October is about chilly nights, falling leaves... and Halloween.  Instead of focusing on the really scary stuff, we've decided to turn our attention to the fun part of things, children's ghost stories.  Some of these are books we remember from our youth, others are new books that have caught our eye.

Alana T.: The Haunted Bridge by Caroline Keene.  Nancy Drew cracks a ring of jewel thieves and deals with a haunted bridge, all at the same time.

What Was I Scared Of?  by Dr. Seuss.  Classic rhymes and drawings highlight this tale about bravery and acceptance.

Dani G.: Ghosts in the House by Kazuno Kohara  Lively orange, black and white woodcut prints illustrate this cute book; clever and good-humored.

Skelly & Femur by Jimmy Pickering.  A little skeleton girl and her skeleton dog discover lots of things missing from their house.  Follow along as they solve the mystery.

Megan R.: Scary Stories 3 by Alvin Schwartz.  Full of various ghost stories.  Probably good for grades 3 and up.  Loved when I was younger, perfect for campfires and slumber parties.

Lisa E.:  The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.  An orphaned baby is adopted by a graveyard of child-friendly, helpful ghosts. This book won numerous awards in 2009 and 2010.

Book Review: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Posted by EPL patron and guest blogger Holly A.

I really enjoyed this youthful adventure story.  I started reading it to keep up with what my daughter was reading next... and then I was unable to put the book down.  The main character, Clary, thought that she was just a normal kid with average teenage problems.  However, she soon finds out what downworlders and shadowhunters are.  She discovers that she is a shadowhunter, and that her childhood memories have been altered by a magician.  Jace, Alec, and Isabel are other shadowhunter teeenagers that form a close bond with Clary.  Their hope is to locate Clary's mother who has been kidnapped by an evil shadowhunter, whom, unfortunately happens to be Clary's father.  A good read - 5 stars out of 5. 

Request City of Bones here.
Request other items in the Mortal Instruments Series here.

Poetry Month by Month

Kishi Chukido, Sitting Tiger, Meiji Period exact date unknown.

Posted by Staff

Did you know that we post a poem on the blog every month?  If you look over at the left sidebar, we have a list of 'pages'; first on the list is Forthcoming Titles (under the slideshow of book covers), then down the list is Poem of the Month.  Each poem is paired with a complimentary historical artwork.  New selections are added the first week of each month.  If you subscribe to our blog, this is one of the tidbits you may be missing on your reader.  Our poem this month is the classic, The Tyger by William Blake. Be sure to visit our pages for other library related topics.

Illustrator Spotlight: Tasha Tudor

Posted by Dani G.
Born in 1915 in Boston, MA, Tasha Tudor was named Starling Burgess but later renamed Natasha by her father after the heroine of Tolstoy's War and Peace. Raised by creative but somewhat sporadic parents, Tasha began drawing at a young age with early dreams of becoming an illustrator. Being part of a well connected family, her parents would have Tasha attend social functions which she never enjoyed. She was always happiest in the country and in the company of animals.

Tasha's parents divorced when she was nine and her mother went to Greenwich Village in New York City to pursue a Bohemian lifestyle; Tasha rarely saw her father for the remainder of his life. She was sent to live with family friends in Redding, CT, including the granddaughter of Nathanial Hawthorne known as "Aunt Gwen." "I was dumped into the most unconventional atmosphere you can imagine. It was the best thing that ever happened to me." In this new household,  there were no schedules or rules. The family put on plays for the neighborhood and the children were encouraged to write their own parts and perform. Tasha remembers "they were really wonderful and quite professional." Tasha often opened the plays with a dance performance. Living this lifestyle in the countryside, she decided her path was to be a country woman and an artist.

After marrying, she settled in an old farm house that was falling apart.. It sat on 450 acres without running water or electricity. "People all thought I was a bit crazy anyhow, but they'd have been surer than ever had they seen the tumbledown house I set my heart on." It was here that she would set about raising a family of four children, create her many beloved books and illustrations, and live out the life she always wanted.

It was this old way of domesticity she embraced in her artwork and lifestyle that her fans continued to fall in love with through many generations. She wove fabric, sewed and knitted clothing for the family. She grew, raised, cooked, canned, and preserved their food. The family milked their own cows to churn their own butter. Mixed in with the daily chores, her children fondly remember her optimism and sense of play. A famous scene from one of her books, Becky's Birthday, was inspired from  her daughter Bethany's real life birthday party in which they celebrated by the river. Tasha went ahead of the children and sent her birthday cake along with several lit candles to float on the water and meet them at their picnic site.

You can read more about Tasha and her lifestyle in the following books:

Drawn From New England by Bethany Tudor

Tasha Tudor's Heirloom Crafts by Tovah Martin

Around the Year by Tasha Tudor

Known for her love of animals, Tasha lived with a variety including horses, cows, cats, goats, chickens, dogs and crows. Among her pets, she is most known for her love of Corgis which are featured in many of her books.

Do you have any fond memories of Tasha Tudor?

Are we scared yet? Top Horror Fiction Picks of the Year

Edward Collier, A Vanitas Still Life, 1699

Posted by Staff

In a recent edition and just in time for the scary season, Booklist selected their top horror picks from the past year.  The selections run the gamut from the ever present vampire story (with a few modern riffs) to psychological terror.  If you're in the mood for a good chill, try out of one these recent books (all descriptions by Booklist):

American Vampire by Jennifer Armintrout.  On his way to a vampire party in New York, Graf McDonald takes a wrong turn and ends up in Penance, OH, which one can enter but not leave.....

Dust by Joan Frances Turner.  The author has taken the familiar zombie clichés and given them a good shake, creating a new zombie mythology that is smart, scary, and viscerally real.

Full Dark, No Stars by Stephen King.  King begins his afterword by stating, "The stories in this book are harsh."  The man aint' whistlin' Dixie.  Rarely has he gone this dark, but to say there are no stars here is crazy.

Ghost Story by Jim Butcher.  Harry Dresden's back for another adventure battling forces far greater than himself - business as usual for Chicago's favorite wizard; except this time he has a bit of a handicap: He's dead, and he's been sent back to solve the mystery of his murder.

The Glass Demon by Helen Grant.  With its fascinating information on medieval folklore, unique setting, and increasingly claustrophobic sense of terror, this is an exhilarating page-turner that offers a cerebral blend of horror and mystery.

I Don't Want to Kill You by Dan Wells.  Horror and fantasy fans of all ages, especially those who get a kick out of Jeff Lindsay's Dexter novels, should embrace this third and, perhaps, final novel about John Cleaver.

Jane and the Damned by Janet Mullany.  Mullany rewrites history in more ways than one in this novel, which sets up Jane Austen as a vampire.  A fast-paced adventure for those who don't mind the vampire craze impinging upon historical events and beloved authors.

The White Devil by Justin Evans.  Readers of this thoroughly upsetting horror-mystery hybrid will find their nightmares imprinted with several unshakable images; smart, scary, sexy, and gorgeously written to boot.

The Zombie Autopsies by Steven C. Schlozman.  While medical professionals may get a few laughs from Schlozman's meticulous faux scientific research, the target audience - horror fans and zombie enthusiasts - will be pleased.