From the Horse's Mouth

Heartland (DVD)
Based on the books by Lauren Brooke, this series is set against the beautiful vistas of the Rocky Mountains. It is a story about a fifteen-year-old horse whisperer, her sister, and an inspirational grandfather, who live on their family-owned horse ranch. The multi-generational stories are about horses, family, friendship, and relationships. You will yearn for a trip to Alberta after viewing this compelling TV drama. The library has DVDs available for seasons 1, 2, and 3.

An enjoyable series for all! For those who prefer a movie to a TV series, check out Moondance Alexander or Touching Wild Horses.

In the News...

The 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War has begun. Numerous books--both fact and fiction--are available at the display (April 2011) nearest the Welcome Desk. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell is a classic. This superb piece of storytelling brings the Civil War and Reconstruction vividly to life. With the missing four chapters of the original manuscript recently found, you'll no doubt hear more about this acclaimed novel.

Cold Mountain, a novel by Charles Frazier, was the subject of a popular movie and was a National Book Award Finalist. Based on local history and family stories passed down by the author's great-great-grandfather, this novel tells the tale of a soldier's perilous journey back to his prewar sweetheart at the end of the Civil War.

Those more interested in the facts might like to read A Short History of the Civil War by James L. Stokesbury, an author who specializes in war history. The Everything Civil War Book by Brooke C. Stoddard and Daniel P. Murphy, PhD, is an easy to use source for referencing battles and events surrounding the Civil War.

From the Horse's Mouth

Secretariat (DVD)

A tribute to one of the most legendary and loved thoroughbreds of all time. After twenty-five years of no Triple Crown winners, Secretariat, affectionally known as Big Red, garnered this title in 1973. Penny Chenery Tweedy, who inherited her father's stable, acquires Secretariat when she loses a coin toss. This DVD recreates the spectacular journey of an incredible horse and the women who risks everything to make him a champion. You don't have to love horses to enjoy this family film (PG) filled with warmth, thrill, and drama. Special features include unseen race footage and interviews behind the scenes.

If you're looking for other racehorse DVDs, check out Seabiscuit; On the Muscle: Portrait of a Thoroughbred Racing Stable; and Racing Stripes. If you like to read, check with a reference librarian for some great books on the thoroughbreds.

Have you read...?

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

This fine example of historical fiction boasts a starred review in Publishers Weekly. Set in pre-Darwinian Regency England, the story tells of an unlikely friendship between two women fossil hunters who live in the small community of Lyme Regis. Together they explore the world of paleontology, a science where men rule and women are dismissed, receiving little credit for their remarkable finds.

I listened to the book on CD and each of the two characters tells their first person story, beautifully executed by the actors Susan Lyons and Charlotte Parry. As well as being available as a CD and in standard format, the book is available as an e-book and in large print. Chevalier is also the author of the popular book Girl with a Pearl Earring.

We hope you will like Have you read...? We will continue featuring new books on this blog. If you read Remarkable Creatures, please blog to us about it.

Book Discussion

The Remains of the Day

by Kazuo Ishiguro

Monday, February 16, 2911

7:00 p.m.

Please join us to discuss this critically acclaimed novel set in postwar England. Winner of the Booker Prize, its story is told from the viewpoint of Stevens, the perfect English butler. At the end of his three decades of service at Darlington Hall, Stevens confronts his doubts about the true nature of the "great" man he served.

The New York Times Book Review proclaimed this to be "One of the best books of the year" when it was written in 1988, while the Boston Globe labelled it as "One of the best books of the decade." The book was later made into a movie, starring Anthony Hopkins, and produced by Merchant Ivory.

To attend this book discussion, please sign up at the Reference Desk.

Book Discussion: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Saturday, January 22
11 a.m. to noon

Set in Sweden, Stieg Larson's international bestseller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo introduces a provocatively odd couple who investigate the forty year old disappearance of a young heiress. Mikael Blomkvist, a disgraced financial analyst, and Lisbeth Salander, a multipierced tattooed computer hacker, are a favorite of readers across the globe with Blomkvist reflecting the late author's own tumultuous career as a crusading journalist.

Copies of this remarkable crime novel are available for those wishing to participate in the book discussion. Please sign up at the Reference Desk.

Riverhead Reads: Passport to Mystery

Winter is here and so is the Adult Winter Reading Club 2011, Riverhead Reads: Passport to Mystery. Read or listen to any book for a chance to win prizes in our weekly raffle drawings. Read a book from our preferred reading list, featuring international crime fiction, and double your chances of winning. Here's a sample of a few of the books listed for Scandanavia.

Before the popular Stieg Larsson series (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), the first grandmasters of Swedish dectecive fiction were the writing team of Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo. The Man on the Balcony features Stockholm police inspector Martin Beck who also fights crime in The Locked Room. If you don't mind Scandinavian dreariness or brutal crimes, put this Edgar winning duo next on your list.

Even James Patterson has hopped on the bandwagon with his own Swedish crime thriller, The Postcard Killers, which he co-wrote with Swedish novelist, Lisa Marklund. We have plenty of extra copies of this book on hand. The number one bestselling author in Europe, Marklund has yet to make it big in the USA, but expect more of her books to surface here in the near future.

Swedish mystery writer Henning Mankell's Detective Inspector Kurt Wallander series features a rumpled, irritable middle-aged cop. Though the character failed to capture the same devoted attention of American readers as did Larsson's tattooed heroine, the author gets high praise for intricate plotting and for his tackling of social and global issues. Try The Dogs of Riga or any of his other available mysteries for something different.

The Scandanavian invasion is not just limited to Sweden. Many top notch crime writers hail from other countries, including Norwegian writer Karin Fossum. Her Inspector Sejer series is kicked off by Don't Look Back, set in an idyllic Norwegian village. Fossum is another author who is widely acclaimed across Europe and many of her books are available here as well.

Most of the international mystery authors write series mysteries with continuing characters. However, their books that are published in the USA may vary from the order in which they were published in their native countries. In most cases it is unnecessary to read an author's books in any particular order. Check with the Reference Desk to join the Adult Winter Reading Club and pick up a kit for your Passport to Mystery.