MPL staff picks favorite reads for 2010

As we say goodbye to 2010 and usher in 2011, this seems like a good time to share with you some of Missoula Public Library staff’s favorite reads of 2010. Not all the selections were necessarily written in 2010 but may have been read by staff this year. How many have you read?

A Visit from the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, Aimee Bender

Mr. Peanut, Adam Ross

Jillian (IT)

The Dreamer, Pam Munoz Ryan

Art and Max, David Wiesner

Island Beneath the Sea, Isabel Allende

Ape House, Sara Gruen

Into the Beautiful North, Luis Urrea

Karen (Children’s)

The Infinities, John Banville

The Gathering, Anne Enright

Descartes Loneliness, Allen Grossman

(Heather, Frenchtown Branch)

Under This Unbroken Sky, Shandi Mitchell

Tiger Moon, Penelope Lively

God Never Blinks: 50 Lessons for Life’s Little Detours, Regina Brett

(Christine, Reference)

Holy Water, James Othmer

(Elizabeth, Assistant Director)

Here’s Looking at Euclid, Alex Bellos

One Dog at a Time, Pen Farthing

Bookweird, Paul Glennon

(Marge, Reference)

The Idle Parent: Why Laid-Back Parents Raise Happier and Healthier Kids, Tom Hodgkinson

The Imperfectionists, Tom Rachman

The Glamour of Grammar, Roy Peter Clark

(Molly, Reference)

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, Michael Dorris

What I Thought I Knew, Alive Eve Cohen

Garlic and Sapphires, Ruth Reichl

(Cara, Reference)

The Good, Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood, Sy Montgomery

(Lisa, Public Relations)

The Devil’s Rooming House, M. William Phelps

Fall of Giants, Ken Follett

The Confessions of Catherine de Medici: A Novel, C.W. Gortner

Daughters of Witching Hill: A Novel, Mary Sharratt

The Queen’s Lover: A Novel, Vanora Bennett

(Annie, Circulation, favorite Historical Fiction)

the 2010s are here!

LearningExpress Library has added new courses for WORD 2010, EXCEL 2010 and OUTLOOK 2010. If you are interested in learning these new programs log into our website and go to the E-databses link www.missoulapubliclibrary.org/resources/online.htm select Learning Express Library and go to the computer skills center for these self-paced computer classes. Don't have access to the internet? Come on down to the library and ask to use a computer. Our staff will be happy to help you get ahead. Think... more!

Word Woman

Welcome to another outrageous installment of Word Woman's Weekly Work-Out! It's a new year, and time for a look at a new word to slip into your vocabulary. And the first Word of the Week of 2011 is:

Illicit -- (adjective) not permitted; unlawful

“illicit”, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illicit , 12/30/10

Example: Tom's illicit use of the computer at his desk to play on-line games during work hours was noted by the administrator and resulted in his transfer to the maintenance department.

Tag Line Tuesday

Tag lines. Those little catch-phrases, slogans, and one-liners designed to pique curiosity and entice you to buy-in are everywhere -- even on books. Yesterday I posted this informal poll on Facebook:

Without knowing author or title, which tag line interests you the most?
a) Family. It's not always a perfect fit.
b) In the trance, there is a vision... in the vision, only danger.
c) A piece of furniture stands between you and adulthood.
d) What fragment of truth will be mine?

It was interesting to see what people selected based solely on tag line offerings. I wonder how different the answers might have been with the addition of title and summary information. Ready for the title reveal? Well, here it is!

Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler
Call #: Y OCKLER
Tag Line: Family. It's not always a perfect fit.

When Delilah, her mother, and her aunt spend the summer in Vermont settling Delilah's estranged grandmother's estate, long-held family secrets are painfully brought to light and Delilah finally learns some difficult truths about her family's past.


Trance by Linda Gerber
Call #: Y GERBER
Tag Line: In the trance, there is a vision... in the vision, only danger.

Ashlyn was unable to use her visions of the future to save her mother's life, but as she begins to understand and control them somewhat, she realizes that love interest Jake is the subject of her most recent trances.


The Kid Table by Andrea Seigel
Call #: Y SEIGEL
Tag Line: A piece of furniture stands between you and adulthood.

Explores the quirky dynamics in an extended family full of close-knit cousins who both help and hinder each other as they celebrate holidays and momentous occasions together.


The Beginner's Guide to Living by Lia Hills
Call #: Y HILLS
Tag Line: What fragment of truth will be mine?

Struggling to cope with his mother's sudden death and growing feelings of isolation from his father and brother, seventeen-year-old Will turns to philosophy for answers to life's biggest questions, while finding some solace in a new love.

The browser for you

We will be hosting a class on web browsers this Wednesday at 12:30 in the computer classroom. A comparison of IE, Firefox and Google Chrome, this class will look at the pros and cons of these three major browsers and help you choose the one that is best for you. Sign up for this class by calling the library at 721-2665 (BOOK). You can see what our other offerings are by going to http://www.missoulapubliclibrary.org/events/Computoclass.htm. Our classes are free to all so sign up for a class and learn something new this week. Think... more!