Happily Ever After

I grew up on fairy tales - sitting in the tower with Rapunzel, wandering the woods with Hansel & Gretel, testing porridge with Little Red Riding Hood. At some point I decided I had outgrown fairy tales and it was time to start reading big-people-books. That's why I was so excited to discover some of these great fairy tales for adults:

In our fiction collection...
No One Noticed the Cat, by Anne McCaffrey
That Hideous Strength; a Modern Fairy-Tale for Grownups, by C.S. Lewis
The Cricket on the Hearth, A Fairy Tale of Home, by Charles Dickens
The True Story of Hansel and Gretel, by Louise Murphy
Polically Correct Bedtime Stories, by James Finn Garner

For the retelling of classics, visit our non-fiction collection at 398.21.

I haven't read all of these - yet - but I can't wait. And this is just a sample. We have a great list of Fairy Tales with a Twist in our Young Adult room for the teens, too. (Try Beastly by Alex Flinn for a little beauty and beast adventure as a start.) Happy reading!

Word Woman

Welcome to another weird and wonderful installment of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! Can you believe that it's almost August already? Back-to-school time is just around the corner, so why not warm up your neural pathways with the Word of the Week:

Snollygoster: [noun] a shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician. -- "Hatchet Jobs and Hardball: The Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang", Grant Barrett, Ed., Oxford University Press, New York, 2004.

Example: Frank complained that his ex-wife's lawyer was such a snollygoster that he was lucky to still have a pair of pants left to him by the time the trial was over.

I was recently introduced to a friend of a friend who eats only raw foods. To put his eating habits into perspective, that means no meat or dairy, no baguettes, no cooked grains or pastas, no eggs, no tofu products, and absolutely none of grandma's home-made baked goods. So what does he eat?

Well, it turns out you can make pseudo meats, cheeses, breads, cakes, cookies, and ice creams using mixtures of nuts, vegetables, and spices, and you can use a vegetable peeler to slice certain vegetables, like zucchini, into fettuccini-like "noodles." People who eat raw also use food dehydraters to "cook" certain foods, which works, although these foods never actually get hot; the reasoning behind these non-traditional eating choices has to do with the belief that raw foods are easier to digest than cooked foods and that cooking food destroys some of the vitamins and nutrients in raw items.

It all sounded insane to me, and perhaps not very delicious, but then I got to thinking: when the weather is hot, I hate to heat up the house by cooking; maybe these people who eat raw are on to something. So I started looking at raw food recipes online and I have to say that some of these recipes sound potentially tasty. Chocolate mouse made with avocado instead of milk? Zucchini noodles topped with sun dried tomato and olive marinara? I'm willing to entertain these options.

Yes, I think I might delve in the world of raw food. I don't know what will happen to me, but I've naturally put a couple of raw food recipe books on hold at the Library to help guide me through my ignorance.

Now do you think me crazy?

Blast from the Past

Here are some titles you may have missed...all made The New York Times best seller list top spots a year ago today.



Library call numbers are listed in brackets, some titles are also available in large print and audio book CD formats.

FICTION:
#1 Tribute by Nora Roberts - A former child star returns to Virginia to rehabilitate the farm owned by her grandmother, and actress who died mysteriously. [ROBERTS]

#2 Fearless Fourteen by Janet Evanovich - Stephanie Plum and her boyfriend Joe Morelli become involved when his cousin's bank robbery goes bad. [EVANOVI]

#3 The Last Patriot by Brad Thor - Scot Harvath, a Homeland Security superagent, searches for an ancient secret that could defeat Islamic militants. [BKCD THOR]

#4 The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski - A mute takes refuge with three dogs in the Wisconsin woods after his father's murder. [WROBLEW]

#5 Swan Peak by James Lee Burke - The Louisiana detective Dave Robicheaux can't seem to escape trouble on his Montana vacation. [BURKE]


NONFICTION
#1 When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris - The humorist's latest essays. [814.54 SEDARIS]

#2 Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler - Humorous personal essays from the stand-up comedian. [306.7092 HANDLER]

#3 Fleeced by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann - Americans are fleeced by government, business, labor unions and lobbyists. [320.973 MORRIS]

#4 What Happened by Scott McClellan - A former White House press secretary regrets that "I allowed myself to be deceived" by top officials. [973.931 MCCLELL]

#5 sTori Telling by Tori Spelling with Hilary Liftin - The actress's memoir. [B SPELLING]


Readers, did you pick up any of these titles last July? If so, share what you would recommend (or not), or tell us what you're reading now by posting a comment.

To see what is hot THIS summer visit The New York Times books section online. Have fun reading!

In the Bag

Is your book group looking for some new titles to read? Try one of our book chat kits. We'll loan you 10 copies of a book plus a discussion guide and author information. And we have tons of kits to choose from. Look through out list, and then be sure to reserve your titles in advance. Don't see the title you really want to read? Let us know and we'll look into creating a new kit at your request!

If you're not already in a book group, come to ours. We meet the second Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. in the small meeting room. Join us to discuss Mark Zusack's The Book Thief on Aug. 11. Copies of the book are available at the Accounts Desk.

Teens: we have a book group just for you, too. Join us Saturday, Aug. 8, at 3 p.m. to talk about The Diary of Anne Frank. For Teens Only, entering grades 7-12.

What about my...???

Snow Cone: It turns out that snow cones have been around for a long time. Some sources say that the Japanese used hand carving devices to make snow cones as early as 794.

Beach Umbrella: Various umbrella-like devices made their debut in the ancient societies of Persia, Greece, Rome, and Egypt. The term umbrella evolved from the Latin word umbra, which means "shaded." Colloquially, an umbrella may also be referred to as a parasol, a mush, a brolly, a bumbershoot, and a gamp. (Gamp, my personal favorite, comes from an umbrella carrying character in the Charles Dicken's novel Martin Chuzzlewit named Mrs. Gamp.)

Sunscreen: The first sunscreen was developed sometime around 1940s. Today, when buying suncreens, you can choose between products with different types of UV filters, of which there are three types:
a. Organic chemical compounds, like oxybenzone, absorb UV light.
b. Inorganic particulates, like titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, that scatter, reflect, and absorb UV light.
c. Organic particulates, like Tinosorb M, that mostly absorb light, but that also reflect and absorb a fraction of UV rays.

Swimming Suit: Again, swimming costumes have been around forever and swimwear fashion has evolved with the ages. Notably, in the Victorian era, swimmers concealed their bodies not only with a suit but also wore bathing machines into the water. What, you might wonder, is a bathing machine? Basically it's a wheeled cart covered by canvas that swimmers, especially women, would enter to roll themselves out in the the sea in so that they could protect their modesty while they enjoyed the water. Wow. How times change.

Frisbee: Hungry college kids, apparently, are responsible for the creation of the Frisbee. When they were finished eating the Frisbie Pies that were sold to several New England college cafeterias during the late 1800s/early 1900s, they discovered that tossing the empty pans also proved to be a good way to wile away time between classes.

Above image from GlamourSplash: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSnTG2t6gFwl-qeh0OY3a_oi0SdiFuLcu1dNaFwtXKUH4riHTNG8SHPNSZN1Nw7PiKUVK_TIZAEkQwaW-FINLNaLiSiZ6u06FFtOvkE8DtPs8NcF6bsud0xSjCcfQKdsl2URAVG1gLJI/s400/jul11928vogue+hh.jpg

Word Woman

Welcome to another astounding episode of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! Don't send your brain on vacation for the summer -- keep it up to date by expanding your vocabulary! Here's the Word of the Week to get you started:

Purlicue: The space between your thumb and your forefinger. -- Reader's Digest (Large Print Edition), July 2009, Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon, P. 187.

Example: Andrea was less than impressed with the purlicue of space that the person behind her in line for the ATM gave her while she was making a withdrawal.

Biblio-Babble: Summer Reading

If you're looking for the perfect quick-read, page-turning, un-put-downable books for your summer reading, here are some suggestions:

"The Scarecrow", by Michael Connelly - If you read this author's "The Poet" then you will like this one, as it brings back reporter Jack McEvoy, after he's laid off in the latest budget cuts at The Los Angeles Times. His plans for the murder story of his career is a given, but how close to the story does Jack have to get? I read this in one night because I couldn't put it down! MPL has this on our NEW FICTION Power Wall.

"Summer Girls", by Hailey Abbott - This is a Young Adult paperback that is a quick, but fun read. This is on the shelf in our YA section, YPB Abbott.

Edith Wharton's "Summer". I read this one every summer, although it is not my favorite Wharton novel. I read it for the title, for Ms. Wharton's eloquent writing style, such as ".. the breath of the summer earth, the rustle of the forest, the fresh call of birds at sunrise ... " and because it was such a controversial book back in Ms. Wharton's day. I admire her for her courage to write this novella as Summer is considered to be "the most erotic fiction Edith Wharton ever wrote." The undertones in this story shocked early twentieth century readers, but are quite mild by today's standards. I recommend this if you're looking for a fresh, fast read written with candor and realism. You can find this book in FICTION-Wharton.
For more information about Edith Wharton, visit this web site: http://www.edithwharton.org.

"Shanghai Girls", by Lisa See - Pearl and her younger sister, May, are living in affluence in Shanghai in the 1930s, until their father says that his gambling habit has ruined their finances. To pay his debts, he has sold both sisters to a well-to-do Chinese-American as wives for his sons.

"Rocket Men: The Epic Story of the First Men on the Moon", by Craig Nelson ~ just in time for the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing.

A quick mystery thriller to read is Lee Child's "Gone Tomorrow", starring none other than Jack Reacher. His latest adventure begins when he suspects a female suicide bomber is aboard a Manhattan subway car.

And, last but not least, a must-read during our hot season is "Swimsuit" by James Patterson. Another one-nighter because as in most all of JP's novels, once you start, you cannot put down his books. To say this is a page-turner is an understatement. We have several copies of this @ MPL - besides the two on our Grab-&-Go shelves there are more at our partner libraries.

If you have your own Summer Reading Picks, let us know and we'll feature them here on our blog! Just leave a comment (below).

Who said that?

We as people find each other fascinating. That's why the library has such a big biography section. But did you know our biography shelves don't just house books? DVDs and audiobooks are interfiled with the books so you can find everything you ever wanted to know about pretty much anyone from William Faulkner to William Shatner, all in one place. They're alphabetical by the last name of who they're about.


While you're looking at bios, try these titles in our new books display:

-Hands of my father : a hearing boy, his deaf parents, and the language of love, by Myron Uhlberg. B UHLBERG

-The Galloping Ghost : Red Grange, an American football legend, by Poole, Gary Andrew. B GRANGE

-Passing strange : a Gilded Age tale of love and deception across the color line, by Martha A. Sandweiss. B KING

-The first tycoon : the epic life of Cornelius Vanderbilt, by T.J. Stiles. B VANDERBILT

-Mrs. Dred Scott : a life on slavery's frontier, by Lea VanderVelde. B SCOTT

Fruit-bearing

Let's talk about important things, like goddesses, fruit, and Latin roots.

One of my favorite Roman myths involves Pomona and her lover Vertumnus. As the story goes, Pomona was the goddess of fruit trees, and she cared for nothing except her fruit. However, her beauty attracted several suitors, all of whom she she ran away from, try as they might to impress her with mad hunting skills or to win her favor with flattery. Eventually Vertumnus, the youngest of the demi-gods who were wooing Pomona, won her hand in marriage by dressing up as an old woman and, in that disguise, counselling her to marry him. (His crafty persuasive tactics included pointing how unions between different plant species helped both plant species, which ended up being an argument that Pomona could hardly refute.)

The name Pomona comes from the Latin word pomum, which means fruit. That information might serve you well if you plan to attend the Flathead Cherry Festival this weekend; you may, after all, run into some pomologists--those who study fruit-- at the event.

And, now that the fruits of summer are coming into season, it's time to think about fruit recipes and fruit preservation. Pies, breads, chutneys, jams... And the Library is here to help you. In the 641 call number section of the Library, we've got a fantastic selection of cookbooks and books that address various food preservation options.

*Note: Image above is a reproduction of a painting by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout (1669). The image was downloaded from The Web Gallery of Art: http://www.wga.hu/.

Word Woman

Welcome to another astonishing installment of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! Don't let your brain turn to mush in the heat of the summer. Keep it cool and on track by expanding your vocabulary. Here's the Word of the Week to get you started:

Stand hitched: This is what a well-trained horse will do when the reins are dropped -- stand as if hitched to the ground. Also, how you should act when a gun is pointed at you and how you hope your partner will act when you're in trouble. -- "Dictionary of the American West", Winfred Blevins, Facts on File, New York, 1993.

Example: With the cliff face on one side of him and a steep drop-off on the other, there was nothing for Gary to do but stand hitched and hope that the angry rattlesnake would eventually simmer down and be on its way.

Young Adult Anime/Cosplay party

Come join us for fun with anime! This Japanese animated movie genre is becoming more and more popular all over the world. We'll do anime face painting, anime games, and watch excerpts from a few anime classics. Cartoons aren't just for kids anymore--this is mature, thought-provoking material. Downstairs in the large meeting room.

Books on My Desk

Hey guys, it's time for another exciting installment of 'Books on My Desk', the blog series that gives a sneak peek of titles coming soon to a library shelf near you.

Today I'll be processing a bunch of comics and graphic novels for the young adult collection, including bound issues of Daredevil, Punisher, Hulk, Wolverine, Wonder Woman, Young Avengers and more. Also mixed in are a few literature classics and popular fiction titles that have been adapted into graphic novel form, such as the Marvel Illustrated Moby-Dick and Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series.

The library has also acquired a copy of The Will Eisner Companion: the pioneering spirit of the father of the graphic novel. This book is described as the "perfect introduction to the work of a comics legend...a must-have celebration for new fans as well as old."

The writer/artist's career spans "the entire history of comic books--from his formative days in the 1930s through the 1940s, when he revolutionized narrative sequential art with his internationally famed series The Spirit, to the 1970s, when he created the contemporary graphic novel form with A Contract with God."

The Missoula Public Library has access to quite a few graphic novels by Will Eisner; to see a listing visit the library's online catalog and do an author search using the term "Eisner, Will".

Here are some other graphic novel format books on my desk:

Dean Koontz's Frankenstein: Prodigal Son
Adapted by Chuck Dixon, illustrated by Brett Booth
This story is filled with fast-paced action, gripping horror, and thrilling adventure. Synopsis: "In the nineteenth century, Dr. Victor Frankenstein brought his notorious creation to life, but a horrible turn of events forced him to abandon it and slip away from the public eye. Two centuries later, a serial killer is on the loose in New Orleans, gruesomely salvaging body parts from each of his victims, as if trying to assemble a perfect human being."
Call # = YC KOONTZ

Stop Forgetting to Remember: the autobiography of Walter Kurtz by Peter Kuper
"Who Shot Walter Kurtz? Nobody. Walter Kurtz doesn't exist. He's the alter ego of me, Peter Kuper. But, if he were real, perhaps his obituary would read something like this: Walter Kurtz, illustrator and self-exposing cartoonist, dies of embarrassment at 48."
Call # = YC KUPER

Missing the Boat written by Wayne Chinsang & Justin Shady; illustrated by Dwellephant
"You've probably never heard of the Churamane, have you? They were a particularly lazy species that lived a long time ago and vanished without a trace. this story follows them from the time they get invited aboard Noah's Ark, all the way up to moment they finally arrive at the boat...only to realize that they're late and have been locked out! They come to realize they've missed the boat on survival, and have doomed their species to extinction."
Call # = YC SHADY

The Childrens', Young Adult, and Adult departments all have comic & graphic literature sections. Ask a librarian to show you where to locate these collections next time you visit the library.

Graphic lit fans, please comment and recommend a graphic novel!

Biblio-Babble

This is my first book review blog for Missoula Public Library. One of the best parts of my job at the library is the interaction with patrons and the sharing of books we've read. Although I have read Vince Flynn on occasion, I passed on his newest novel when it hit our New Fiction Power Wall. A patron who has similar reading interests as mine commented on how this was Mr. Flynn's best book to date. I still didn't check it out. After several days of him asking if I'd read it yet, I decided to try it.

"Extreme Measures" features Mitch Rapp, an American counterterrorism operative. The storyline for this book is taken from our modern day headlines, dealing with the threat of terrorism. Two terrorist cells have been thwarted, but a third cell threatens to attack somewhere within the United States. Mitch recruits a fellow operative to help stop the terrorists before it is too late. As you read, you see the obstacles that Rapp and his protege' are up against, namely our own government, which must balance between upholding the laws and protecting the nation.

I really enjoyed this book! The pace of the novel was good, as it alternated between the investigations and progress of the CIA people and the schemes of the terrorists. What I particularly liked was that while reading this novel you get a real sense of what goes on behind the scenes in Washington when dealing with matters of national security. If you like action and suspense, read "Extreme Measures". I'm glad I did and look forward to sharing more of our patrons' recommendations here on MPL's blog.

Step Up to the Plate

Summer makes us think of 2 things: reading and baseball. We're combining the 2 tomorrow (July 11) with the return of our popular "Step Up to the Plate" event.

Visit the library at 11 a.m. Saturday to meet players from the Missoula Osprey, and listen to some of the stories they're going to read aloud. We'll have classic baseball snacks like peanuts and crackerjack, and if you bring your ball or mitt the players will autograph it for you. Even Ollie will here!

Geeking on Blogs

Speaking of geeking out, one of my favorite ways to "geek" is to read blogs. I have my favorites, which generally coincide with my interests, and then I have my fancies, which don't completely coincide with my interests but which do vaguely remind me of things that I'm interested in.

Here's a couple favorites and a couple fancies:

Neatorama includes a mish-mash of information; recent posts include titles like "The Dark Side of Disney" and "Words That Changed Their Meanings." http://www.neatorama.com/

Dark Roasted Blend posts about "weird and wonderful things." Enough said. http://www.darkroastedblend.com/

Envirovore: Eat Your Greens is a blog created by Missoula locals that discusses local and international food issues. http://envirovore.com/

Then, of course, I like to check up some of the library related blogs listed in MPL's blogroll. (See links on the right.)

And what about you, Missoula? What blogs do you read? Please tell. I'm always on the lookout for interesting new reads.

Geeks of the World Unite and Take Over!

What do you geek?

That’s what the folks at geekthelibrary.org are asking and the answers are diverse. This online project has spearheaded a community-based public awareness campaign aimed at spreading the good word about the vital role of public libraries. The project organizers believe that “no matter who you are, there are things you are passionate about—things you geek. Maybe you geek engineering or hip hop. Maybe you are passionate about composting, schooners or vampires. Or maybe you just geek the weather. Whatever you geek, serious or fun, the public library supports you!”

I discovered GeektheLibrary today via a BooklistOnline blog. I enjoyed learning what other library lovers across the country are passionate about and how they use libraries to pursue their interests and hobbies. The ‘Get Your Geek On’ section invites participants to talk about what they geek and you can also find some great tips on how you can turn your library love into a little social activism. Take a minute to explore the site and don’t forget to post a comment here and tell us what it is that you geek!

p.s.

I geek the Missoula River Market!

nincompoop? balderdash? scuttlebutt?

Did you know that ...

Red tape originally referred to the red colored tape used to secure legal documents or other official correspondence.

Versions of the word yo originated in the early fifteenth century as a warning or call to attention.

To jump on the bandwagon was first popularized in political campaigns.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Weird Word Origins by Paul McFedries has made a pit stop at my desk before wending its way to the "NEW" shelf in the young adult department. I was surprised to find an entry for the word book -- I mean, it doesn't seem like such a weird word, but the origin is interesting! Here is the listing I found:

"Authors sometimes jokingly refer to themselves as 'tree-killers' because of the great numbers of trees that go into the making of their books. However, from a historical point of view, they could also get away with calling themselves 'tree-makers.' That's because the word book can be traced back to Anglo-Saxon times when scribblers used to scribble on chunks of bark from the beech tree. Their name for this tree was boc, and eventually that also became their name for the slabs of beech bark-based writings that they would bind together. That word eventually changed to book and stuck around even when the beech-bark slabs were replaced by printed pages." (p. 18, 2008)

Celebrating the Fourth

I can hardly believe it's already the Fourth of July. Did it sneak up on you too? Don't panic if you're expecting a bunch of guests and haven't figured out what to do with them yet, the library is here for you.

Take a stroll through our cookbook section to find some funky new ways to fire up the grill. Then sidestep over to our selections on outdoor entertaining - you're sure to find something that will wow them (we won't tell that you didn't think it up on your own!).

Hope everybody has a safe and happy Fourth of July!

"Fire and Brimstone"

The Frenchtown Branch (of Missoula Public Library) Book Discussion Group just finished discussing the book we read over the course of the month of May. The book, called Fire and Brimstone, was, we all agreed, a page turner. It was written by local writer/scholar Michael Punke and is a non-fiction account of the Butte mining disaster of 1917. Fire and Brimstone also discusses in a broader sense the social/economical/political climate of Butte around the time of the disaster.

Although I had some knowledge of Butte's tumultuous history before reading the book, I hadn't realized just how dramatic the events that took place in Butte during that time period were and how much they affected the nation at large. According to Punke, "...everything about Butte looms larger than life, magnified, exaggerated, like some gross caricature of itself. Butte's villain are more villainous, its heroes more heroic, its wealth more extravagant, its poverty more grinding. Butte's triumphs are the stuff of legends. Butte's tragedies are almost too painful to bear" (273-274). Here's' some especially interesting snippets I learned from Punke's book:

--In the late 1800's-early 1900's, William Clark, one of Butte's infamous "Copper Kings," spent 7 million dollars building a mansion on Fifth Avenue in New York with money he'd made in Butte (41).

--Former Montana Senator B.K. Wheeler, a man who "settled in Butte as a result of a losing poker hand" and who started his political career there as the federal district attorney for Montana, turned down the opportunity to run for Vice President on the same ticket as FDR in 1944 (73). Had he been FDR's running mate, it's likely that he would have ended up as the first and only president from Montana after the president died in 1945 (263-264).

--To establish the Berkeley Pit in 1955, 6,000 Butte homes were destroyed. Additionally, the Pit swallowed churches, cemeteries, and Columbia Gardens, a local amusement park. Today the inoperative Pit is filled with toxic turquoise water, water so poisonous that when a flock of snow geese made the mistake of landing there, they died. And, the scariest part about the Pit is that the level of that poisonous water is rising. If nothing is done about the rising water, analysts speculate that it will spill over the edge of the Pit around 2025 and flood the town and valley below. Drag. (269).

If the book sounds interesting to you, you can, of course, find copies at the Library. And if you're interested in checking out the Fire and Brimstone book club kit or another one of our book club kits, follow the MORE RESOURCES link on our home page to reach a link to a list of our available kits.

*Punke, Michael. Fire and Brimstone. New York: Hyperion, 2006.