Sycamore Reviews

Breadcrumbs

2012-01-24T09:14:00.000-06:00

Breadcrumbs
by Anne Ursu
Sycamore Public Library call number: J FIC URS

I liked the cover of this book. I liked the first sentence of the
first chapter: "It snowed the night before Jack stopped talking to

Hazel, fluffy white flakes big enough to show their crystal

architecture, like perfect geometric poems." When I got to the bottom
of page two I knew I was going to really like this book because I had
felt and thought the same thing Hazel was feeling: "Something stirred

inside her, some urge to plunge into the new white world and see what

it had to offer. It was like she'd walked out of a dusty old wardrobe

and found Narnia."

Hazel Anderson is an unhappy fifth grader who doesn't fit in. She
finds solace in the magic of stories. Her only and best friend is her
neighbor, Jack. The imaginative games they play are sometimes based
on traditional fairy tales like the Snow Queen. Hazel also refers to
contemporary books like Harry Potter, The Golden Compass, Coraline, A
Wrinkle in Time and When You Reach Me.

Set in present day Minnesota, the story is filled with magic and
magical thinking. There are splinters of magic mirrors, wolves, a
white witch, a match girl, puzzles, and finally a cold journey to
rescue a cold heart.

Name: Mary A
AGE GROUP: Juvenile
CLASS: Fiction

Rating: A

A great book for 3rd, 4th, 5th graders, fairy tale fans, and avid
readers to enjoy on a cold winter's day.

Caleb’s Crossing

2012-01-17T09:19:00.000-06:00

Caleb’s Crossing
by Geraldine Brooks
Sycamore Public Library call number: FIC BRO
in large type: LP FIC BRO

This novel is woven around the true story of Caleb Cheeshahtecaumauk from The Wompanaak Tribe located in Martha’s Vineyard. Caleb was born around 1646 five years after a small group of English settlers arrived on the island. Thomas Mayhew, one of the English settlers, purchased land from the tribe and his son set up a day school with 30 Indian pupils with the intention of educating them and converting them to Christianity. Little is known about Caleb except that he did attend and graduate from Harvard.

This story begins in l660 and is told by Bethia Mayfield, age 15. Her father is Thomas Mayfield, the minister who is educating several local Indians and her brother in preparation for Harvard. Bethia has a great hunger for learning and she secretly listens in on the lessons her father is teaching in Greek and Latin and learns the languages easily. She also learns the language of the Indians.

Bethia begins her story by recounting the time she claims was her “fall” three years earlier when she was 12 years old. On many occasions she would saddle her horse and ride around the beautiful island. It is on one of these trips that she encounters a young Indian boy who is astonished that she can speak his language. They begin a secret friendship and meet over the next few years. She talks to him of her Christian faith; he talks her of his Indian beliefs. Their conversations sometimes trouble her. She knows what she has been taught but is drawn in some strange way to his beliefs. Caleb later attends her father’s school and when he completes his studies he leaves the mainland, along with her brother, for preparations to attend Harvard. Bethia must join them as she has become an indentured servant due to changes in her family situation. The story continues over the next number of years as she tries to reconcile the two worlds.

At first the story seemed a little slow but as I got into it I loved it. The words flowed together and I got caught up in Bethia’s life and struggles. I highly recommend this book.

Submitted by: Nancy
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: A

New Music at Sycamore Public Library

2012-01-12T09:12:00.000-06:00

Below are some of our music CDs acquired in the last few months.

2 - Black Country Communion
The Altar and the Door - Casting Crowns
Ashes and Fire Adams, Ryan
Attack And Release - The Black Keys
Bad as Me - Tom Waits
Barefoot Blue Jean Night - Jake Owen
Billy Currington
Blueprint 3 - Jay-Z
Break the Spell - Daughtry
Breaking Dawn
Clancy's Tavern [deluxe ed.] - Toby Keith
Clear as Day - Scotty McCreery
Confessions - Pillar
De-Loused in the Comatorium - Mars Volta
Duets II - Tony Bennett
El Camino - The Black Keys
Emotion & Commotion - Jeff Beck
EvanescenceEverything I Love - Alan Jackson
Existential - Grupo Fantasma
Femme Fatale [deluxe ed.] - Britney Spears
Free for All - Ted Nugent
Free Wired - Far East Movement
Greatest Hits - Tupac Shakur
Greatest Hits II - Queen
Greatest Hits: So Far!!! - P!nk
Hats off to the Bull - Chevelle
Head First - Goldfrapp
Helplessness Blues - Fleet Foxes
Here for a Good Time - George Strait
High Mileage - Alan Jackson
Hold Out - Jackson Browne
I am the Dance Commander + I Command You to Dance - Ke$ha
III - Chickenfoot
In a Perfect World - Keri Hilson
In This Skin - Jessica Simpson
Irresistible - Jessica Simpson
Kiss and Tell - Selena Gomez
Last Night on Earth - Noah & the Whale
Lean on Me: The Best of Bill Withers
Live - Jonatha Brooke
Live - Alison Krauss & Union Station
Lost in the City - 54-40
Lyve From Steel Town - Lynyrd Skynyrd
NOW 40
NOW Christmas V. 2
Own the Night - Lady Antebellum
Paint The Sky With Stars The Best Of Enya
Paper Trail - T. I.
Plans - Death Cab for Cutie
Return To Cookie Mountain - TV on the Radio
Scream Dream - Ted Nugent
Something About Airplanes - Death Cab for Cutie
Something for the Pain - Redlight King
Somewhere in the Stratosphere - Shinedown
Sorry for Party Rocking [deluxe ed.] - LMFAO
Staind
State vs. Radric Davis - Gucci Mane
Stronger [deluxe ed.] - Kelly Clarkson
Sweet Kisses - Jessica Simpson
Talk that Talk - Rihanna
Time of my Life - 3 Doors Down
Tourist History - Two Door Cinema Club
Trouble - Trampled by Turtles
Truth Is - Theory of a Deadman
Undun - The Roots
Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses - Slipknot
Weekend Warriors - Ted Nugent
What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been - The Grateful Dead
When the Sun Goes Down - Selena Gomez &; the Scene
Who I Am - Alan Jackson
Who You Are - Jessie J
Whole Love - Wilco

If you would like to check out these or any other compact discs, browse our music collection at the top of the stairs. Talk to an Adult Services staff member for assistance in placing a hold on a specific title.

Eragon

2012-01-11T13:45:00.000-06:00

Eragon
by Christopher Paolini
Sycamore Public Library call number: Y FIC PAO
also available on disc: YCD FIC PAO
and in Spanish: SPANISH Y FIC PAO

Tell us about it: This book is about a farmer boy named Eragon who finds a mysterious blue stone in the forbidden mountains near his farm. Forced to flee from his village because of his new discovery, his only human companion an old storyteller, Eragon finds himself in the middle of a magical and dangerous plot.

Why did you pick it up? After the final book in the series launched, it seemed like a nice time to have a discussion about book 1.

"This unusual, powerful tale, begun when Paolini was 15 (he's now 19) and self-published in 2002 before being picked up by Knopf, is the first book in the planned Inheritance trilogy. It's obvious that Paolini knows the genre well--his lush tale is full of recognizable fantasy elements and conventions. But the telling remains constantly fresh and fluid, and he has done a fine job of creating an appealing and convincing relationship between the youth and the dragon. It's an impressive start to a writing career that's sure to flourish."--Sally Estes, Booklist *Starred* Review
"An authentic work of great talent ... I found myself dreaming about it at night, and reaching for it as soon as I woke."--Liz Rosenberg, The New York Times Book Review
"[T]he empathetic characters and interesting plot twists will appeal to the legions of readers who have been captivated by the Lord of the Rings trilogy and are looking for more books like it."--Susan L. Rogers, School Library Journal

Would you recommend this? Why or why not? We would recommend this book for advanced readers and readers of fantasy.

Name: Teen Book Club
Age Group: Young Adult
Classification: Fiction
Awards: Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award (2006)
Young Reader's Choice Award (2006)

Rating: A
Other Comments: May your swords stay sharp.

New Movies at Sycamore Public Library

2012-01-10T13:46:00.002-06:00

The following DVDs were added to the collection at Sycamore Public Library within the past few months. The DVD collection is located on the second floor.

30 Minutes or Less
Apollo 18
Bridesmaids
Californication: The Fourth Season
The Change-Up
Conan the Barbarian
Contagion
Cowboys & Aliens
Crazy, Stupid, Love

The Debt
Dolphin Tale
Fast Five
Final Destination 5
Friends with Benefits
Fright Night
The Hangover Part II
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
Harry Potter: The Complete 8-Film Collection
The Help

Horrible Bosses
I Don’t Know How She Does It
Kung Fu Panda 2
Larry Crowne
Midnight in Paris
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
One Day
Our Idiot Brother
Page One: Inside The New York Times
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The Smurfs
Soul Surfer
The Spy Next Door
Straw Dogs
Super 8
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil
Water for Elephants
X-Men: First Class

If you would like to check out these or any other DVDs, browse our movie collection at the top of the stairs. Talk to an Adult Services staff member for assistance in placing a hold on a specific title.

Unleashed

2011-12-30T09:22:00.000-06:00

Unleashed
starring Jet Li, Bob Hoskins & Morgan Freeman; written & produced by Luc Bresson
available from various PrairieCat libraries;
please see Adult Services staff for assistance

Jet Li plays Danny, a martial arts genius who was raised by Bart (Hoskins), a sort of loan shark, to be a vicious "dog". Danny wears a collar and is kept in a cage beneath the floor. When Bart and his gang of thugs go out to collect on debts, they take Danny along as "enforcement." If the debt is paid, the collar stays on. If the money does not appear, Bart removes the collar, and Danny's docile demeanor changes. He becomes a martial arts machine, focusing all of his concentration--and rage--on one victim at a time. It all hums along just fine (at least from Bart's perspective) until Danny sees a piano, and meets a blind piano tuner named Sam (Freeman), and starts to get a glimpse of a life beyond the cage.

Unleashed is extraordinarily violent, and, in Hoskins' case at least, the language is vile, too. But it also contains some true sweetness, tenderness and growth, which is amazing to see (especially in a martial arts film!) The juxtaposition of action and heart can be a little jarring, though, so it's worth mentioning.

"The goopy awww factor here gets awfully high, especially for a violent martial-arts movie, but the only real problem with these scenes — written by The Professional's Luc Besson, who also produced — is that they keep Hoskins off screen for a bit too long. His Bart is the king pit bull of the block, and he tears into the role as if it were a lamb chop. He's one of the best villains to saunter along since Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast."--Gregory Kirschling, Entertainment Weekly

Reviewed by: Amy
Age group: Adult
Classification: Entertainment/Fiction
MPAA: Rated R for strong violent content, language and some sexuality/nudity

Grade: A

A Feast for Crows

2011-12-29T09:11:00.000-06:00

A Feast for Crows
by George R.R. Martin
Sycamore Public Library call number: FAN FIC MAR
on disc: CD FIC MAR

The first three books in George R.R. Martin's series, A Song of Ice and Fire--A Game of Thrones, reviewed here, A Clash of Kings, reviewed here, and A Storm of Swords, reviewed here--revolve around the action in the main houses (Stark and Lannister) of Westeros, and at the Wall. The fourth, A Feast for Crows, is a little different. It sets up some back-stories, some new characters, and quite a bit of material that would not have seemed pertinent when interspersed with the 'regular' narrative.

(Martin apparently had originally written this along with the material that would later become book five, A Dance of Dragons. When it was still in the editing stage, though, he determined that it was entirely too long and confusing. Dividing it into the two books made it less daunting and more practically manageable.)

It is not my favorite of the four books that I have read so far. As with the rest of this epic set, there is a great deal to keep straight in one's mind, and I found myself flipping to the front of the book to consult the maps, and to the back of the book for the appendix (laying out the kings and their houses, and the other houses, great and small) every chapter or two. That being said, I am loving this series and would recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy even a little, or who is willing to try something engrossing and devastating.

A Feast for Crows is the fourth of George R.R. Martin's series called A Song of Ice and Fire. Five have been completed to this date; according to the Wikipedia page for the series, there will be two more.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction (Fantasy)
Awards:
Hugo Award – Best Novel (Nominated) – (2006)
Locus Award – Best Novel (Fantasy) (Nominated) – (2006)
British Fantasy Society Award (Nominated) – (2006)

Rating: B

Larry Crowne

2011-12-28T09:04:00.000-06:00

Larry Crowne
starring: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts
Sycamore Public Library call number: DVD LAR

Tell us about it: Larry Crowne is happily employed at the UMart. He spent 20 years in the Navy as a cook, never went to college and has been employee of the month 9 times. When he is called to the office, he thinks that he is going to receive his 10th employee of the month award, instead, he gets fired. Apparently, he is too good of an employee for his position, but at the top of the ladder for a person without a college degree so Company policy requires the bosses to let him go. This seems a bit odd to me, but the story really begins when Larry goes to college. He meets two women, joins a scooter gang, and begins to get an education.

Why did you pick it up? I am always on the look out for fun happy movies. If you are looking for action, violence and adventure, this movie is not for you. If you are up for a snuggle on the couch and a contented feeling, check it out.

"Roberts takes what could have been a token romantic-interest role and gives it sparks and edge: She’s fantastic. Larry Crowne gains points for its uncanny timeliness, but Hanks and Roberts transcend the story’s topicality and become real people who must learn to climb onto a different horse when their old one gives out. The film seems simple and facile at a glance, but these characters and their dilemmas stay with you. These days, any of us could suddenly be Larry Crowne."--Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald

Would you recommend this? Why or why not? If you are looking for action, violence and adventure, this movie is not for you. If you are up for a snuggle on the couch and a contented feeling, check it out.

Reviewed by: Sarah Tobias
Age group: Adult
Classification: Entertainment/Fiction
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for brief strong language and some sexual content

Rating: B+

Other Comments: This is a "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade" story that doesn't hit you over the head by being overly positive and happy even when things are tough.

Ninja Assassin

2011-12-27T08:38:00.000-06:00

Ninja Assasin
Sycamore Public Library call number: DVD NIN

Tell us about it: Unknown to the world, the Ninja still exists. Throughout history, various assassinations have taken place, with the person dying of "mysterious causes."

But a Research Assistant has tumbled on to this organization, finding the clues left by a money trail. Soon, she's next on the Ninja's list.

This Researcher learns that young orphaned children are taken in by one of the 9 Clans, a secret Ninja sect, each with their own abilities.

One Ninja comes to her rescue so she can bring him closer to his former master and in for the kill.
Why did you pick it up? Ninja movies are full of action packed stunts, weapons and cool moves. This movie had a sucky cover but after watching the movie, their isn't an image I could pick to replace it! There are so many!

"[L]et's be honest, killing is this film's business...and business is good."--Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly

Would you recommend this? Why or why not? If you want a kick-a** take no names movie that has a very good story with it, this is for you!

Don't like blood, you may want to look away.

Reviewed by: Katie Davis
Age group: Adult
Classification: Entertainment/Fiction
MPAA: Rated R for strong bloody stylized violence throughout, and language

Rating: 4 Stars

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

2011-12-25T09:09:00.000-06:00

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Sycamore Public Library call number: DVD LIF

This film, by Wes Anderson, is a favorite of mine. The cast is marvelous, headed by Bill Murray and Owen Wilson and featuring a whole host of amazing actors (Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe [touchingly hilarious], Jeff Goldblum [outstanding, as always], Michael Gambon, Bud Cort, Seu Jorge [singing David Bowie songs in Portuguese throughout], and, as "intern number one", Matthew Gray Gubler). The plot is both simple (think Moby Dick) and surprisingly complex (the nature of family, the threat and power of fame, and the mystery of love).

"What might have a self-consciously quirky comedy is deepened and humanized by its rich performances, especially from Murray, who keeps getting better and better. The director of Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums scores his most funny-sad movie to date. ****"--David Sterritt, The Christian Science Monitor

Recommended for fans of other Wes Anderson movies, like The Darjeeling Limited (reviewed here), Rushmore (reviewed here), and The Royal Tenenbaums (reviewed here).

Reviewed by: Amy
Age group: Adult
Classification: Entertainment/Fiction
MPAA: Rated R for language, some drug use, violence and partial nudity

Grade: B

The Beckets of Romney Marsh 6-7

2011-12-24T09:07:00.000-06:00

Return of the Prodigal
Becket's Last Stand
by Kasey Michaels
Sycamore Public Library call number: ROM FIC MIC

(The first three books in this series are reviewed here; books 4 & 5 are reviewed here.)

Return of the Prodigal is the story of Rian Becket's recovery from injuries sustained at Waterloo - during Fanny's book, A Reckless Beauty - and eventual return to Romney Marsh. Rian comes home in the company of an AWOL blacksmith named Jasper, who's served as his bodyguard and become a good friend in the process, as well as a young French nurse named Lisette. She is more than she initially seems to be, and there is more between nurse and patient than meets the eye.

Although it is vital to the progression of The Beckets of Romney Marsh series, this was not my favorite of the books. Rian goes through a very difficult time (extraordinarily so, considering that this is essentially "escapist fiction"!) and Lisette is a hard character for whom to find empathy. On its own, I would be reluctant to recommend it, but as a part of the series it is absolutely essential.

The final book in the series is Becket's Last Stand, which brings to a close all of the political, military, family, and romantic intrigue that was begun in the previous six, including the relationships of Courtland (the second-oldest of Ainsley Becket's wards) and Cassandra Becket, Ainsley's only natural child. Because there is so much ground to cover and so many threads to wrap up, there was some risk that this book would seem too ambitious or over-stuffed with details. But Michaels did a great job of putting everything together in a way that made it all make sense without oversimplifying any of it. And, fittingly, the romantic elements of the last book are fairytale-worthy.

Overall, this is a very good series for fans of historical romance who really like to get into the detail of what they read. While some of the entries are necessarily better than others, more than not are really outstanding and very much worth reading on their own merits. Recommended!

Reviewed by: Grace
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction (romance, historical)

Rating: A-

Dazed and Confused

2011-12-23T09:03:00.000-06:00

Dazed and Confused
available from various PrairieCat libraries;
please see Adult Services staff for assistance with this title

Dazed and Confused may be the classic high school movie. It is filled with inappropriate behavior and terrible attitudes - and it is both very funny and remarkably true to life.

"Every one of these characters is completely familiar and recognizable.... There are too many wonderful performances to cite individually here but stand-outs include [Rory] Cochrane as the stoned doper, [Wiley] Wiggins as the young initiate, [Marisa] Ribisi as the not-unattractive smart girl who knows that there's got to be something more out there and [Matthew] McConaughey as the post-high school has-been who can't get high school out of his blood. His is a character we're all too familiar with in the movies but McConaughey nails this guy without a hint of condescension or whimsy, claiming this character for all time as his own."--Marjorie Baumgarten, The Austin Chronicle
"the ultimate party movie — loud, crude, socially irresponsible and totally irresistible."--Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

With the caveat that it is rated R for a reason, this film is very highly recommended.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age group: Adult
Classification: Entertainment/Fiction
MPAA: Rated R for pervasive, continuous teen drug and alcohol use and very strong language

Grade: A

The Rebellion of Jane Clarke

2011-12-22T09:00:00.000-06:00

The Rebellion of Jane Clarke
by Sally Gunning Sycamore Public Library call number: FIC GUN

"On the eve of the Revolutionary War, a young woman is caught between tradition and independence, family and conscience, loyalty and love..."

In 1770, Jane Clarke is living in Satucket Massachusetts, a small town on Cape Cod. Jane’s father is a strong supporter of King George. Jane is not sure what to believe about the newspaper accounts of the troubles in Boston with the British soldiers. She is seeing a man named Phinnie, whom her father has approved for marriage. When she addresses her concerns to Phinnie on the troubles in Boston, his response does not satisfy her. When she decides not to marry him her father sends her away to Boston to care for an ailing aunt as punishment. She becomes friends with Henry Knox, a supporter for independence, and becomes influenced by his views. But she is also troubled by the abuse of the soldiers by the Bostonians and she tries to remain neutral. Remaining neutral becomes more difficult after witnessing the Boston massacre.

The British soldiers are on trial for murder and are defended by John Adams. Jane’s brother, who is for independence, is a clerk for John Adams. Jane must decide what role she will play, if at all, in the trial.

There are several stories going on--her friendship with Henry Knox, the relationship with her brother, the ongoing care of her aunt, and the trial, some of which have unpredictable endings.

I enjoy historical fiction but this is not one of my favorites. However, it was an easy and enjoyable read.

Submitted by: Nancy
Genre: Adult Historical Fiction

Rating: B

Henry V

2011-12-21T08:55:00.000-06:00

Henry V
available from various PrairieCat libraries;
please see Adult Services staff for assistance with this title

Elizabethan history, while not the thing for my everyday entertainment, truly does thrill when experienced sparingly. It's been years since I've seen Kenneth Branagh's stark and exciting Henry V. I slid back into the speech patterns quickly enough, loved the costumes and casting, and was moved by the work itself. It is as much a triumph today as when it debuted.

"Straightforward, energetic, updated Bard. 28-year-old star-director-adapter Kenneth Branagh's spellbinding version of Shakespeare's Henry isn't superior to Olivier's 1944 version--it's different, and complementary to it. ... In addition to his own extraordinary performance as King Henry, Branagh elicits brilliant work from a stellar cast, including Derek Jacobi as the chorus, Paul Scofield as the French king, Ian Holm as Fluellen, Robbie Coltrane as Falstaff and Judi Dench as Mistress Quickly. "--TV Guide
"There is no more stirring summons to arms in all of literature than Henry's speech to his troops on St. Crispan's Day, ending with the lyrical 'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.' To deliver this speech successfully is to pass the acid test for anyone daring to perform the role of Henry V in public, and as Kenneth Branagh, as Henry, stood up on the dawn of the Battle of Agincourt and delivered the famous words, I was emotionally stirred even though I had heard them many times before. That is one test of a great Shakespearian actor: to take the familiar and make it new."--Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Reviewed by: Amy
Age group: Adult
Classification: Entertainment/Fiction
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for a bloody battle

Grade: B+

New to Youth Services: Winter Holiday Books

2011-12-20T08:46:00.000-06:00

Title: Little Bunny and the Magic Christmas Tree
Author: David Martin
Call: P MAR
On a magical Christmas Eve, Little Bunny falls asleep under the tree. He wakes up in the night and the ornaments on the tree have come to life. They can talk. They tell Little Bunny to close his eyes and think small, so he can come up into the tree with them. "So Little Bunny squeezed his eyes shut and thought teeny with all his might." And it worked! He scrambles up into the tree and is just the right size to drive the fire truck, his favorite ornament. Valeri Gorbachev's ink and watercolor illustrations are full of action and fun.

Title: The Littlest Evergreen
Author: Henry Cole
Call: P COL
Grown as a Christmas tree, but too little to cut, a tree's roots are bundled up and a family enjoys the live tree for Christmas. Later, they plant the tree in their yard, where it enjoys a long and beautiful life.

Title: Twelve Days of Christmas
Author: Laurel Long
Call: P LON
This book is beautifully illustrated. My favorites were the nine princess-like ladies dancing in sparkling gowns, the ten lords who are knights on horses, and the eleven angel pipers.

Title: One Starry Night
Author: Lauren Thompson & Jonathan Bean
Call: P THO
This nativity storybook for the very young shows wild animals of Bethlehem in mother and child pairs. The simple tan and blue illustrations with short, reassuring phrases conclude with Mary and Joseph watching over their newborn babe, surrounded by the animals.

Title: Over and Under the Snow
Author: Kate Messner
Call: P MES
The animals in this book eat, sleep, hide, and play over and under the winter snow. A father and child glide over the snow on skis and tell about the secret under the snow kingdom where small forest animals stay safe and warm in the winter. Short and easy to read as a picture book, the end pages include information about the animals and the "subnivean zone" under the snow.

Mary A.

The Apothecary

2011-12-18T08:50:00.000-06:00

The Apothecary
by Maile Meloy
Sycamore Public Library call number: J FIC MEL

Tell us about it: This book is AWESOME! It takes place in 1952 London at the height of the cold war. It is full of spies and all the intrigue that comes with spies.

Why did you pick it up? I honestly picked this book because I liked the cover.

"When the House Committee on Un-American Activities targets Janie’s television writer parents, the 14-year-old and her family flee from Los Angeles to London. There, Janie meets Benjamin, a 'defiant' classmate, and his father, the neighborhood apothecary, who is involved in much more than hot water bottles and aspirin. In fact, he is part of a long line of apothecaries who have discovered miraculous secrets--truth serums, invisibility, amazing physical transformations--and he is now working with scientists on an incredible plan that has global ramifications...."--Publishers Weekly

Would you recommend this? Why or why not? Yes, I would recommend this - it was a great read.

Name: Megan
Age Group: Juvenile
Class: Fiction

Rating: A+

The Beckets of Romney Marsh 4-5

2011-12-17T09:05:00.000-06:00

A Most Unsuitable Groom
A Reckless Beauty
by Kasey Michaels
Sycamore Public Library call number: ROM FIC MIC

When I reviewed the first three books from Kasey Michaels' romance series "The Beckets of Romney Marsh" (here), I jinxed myself. I hadn't read beyond the third one, you see, and could not imagine that those that followed would not be as engrossing, fun and spirited as the first had been. Happily, though, I am only a little disappointed...

Spencer Becket, Ainsley Becket's third youngest son, is A Most Unsuitable Groom and the lead of the fourth book. He is of Spanish descent and has always had a restless spirit. No one in the family was surprised when he left home to join the fight in what would come to be known as the War of 1812, in America. Spencer returns to Romney Marsh having been wounded and ill, and after a hotheaded disagreement with his commanding officer leads to a demotion. Shortly thereafter, a young woman arrives at the Becket home: Mariah Rutledge, the daughter of one of the officers. She's come all the way to England, looking for Spencer.

"Michaels hits her series' first speed bump, eschewing the light comedy for which she's known in favor of high drama and intrigue. ... It's easy to get the sense that, in trying to do too much, Michaels just skims the surface of character and plot."--Publishers Weekly

Spencer is too tortured, and Mariah far too strident and unforgiving, to be sympathetic. Their episode is necessary for understanding the series as a whole, though, and it does read fairly quickly.

The excitement and romance pick up smoothly with A Reckless Beauty--Fanny Becket's story. Ainsley adopted Fanny and youngest Becket brother Rian on the same day, and the two have been inseparable ever since. Fanny has, in fact, harbored the sense that the two are meant to be together in all ways. Therefore, when Rian volunteers for duty when Napoleon's 'escape' from Elba is imminent, Fanny follows him to the continent. Once there, though, both Beckets find themselves under the care of a good friend of their brother-in-law Jack Eastwood. His name is Valentine Clement, the Earl of Brede, and he is a long-time British intelligence officer. He makes arrangements for Rian's protection (as much as possible during a war) and begins the process of taking Fanny home. Along the way, though, Brede and Fanny cannot help but to fall in love.

"Valentine has seen enough of war and rejoices in Fanny's youthful spirit as well as her indifference to his title. As for Fanny, in the midst of tragedy on the battlefield, she not only relies on Valentine for protection but also enjoys his kisses. In Michaels' wonderful new romance about the Beckets of Romney Marsh, love flourishes in spite of the harsh realities of war."--Patty Engelmann, Booklist

A Reckless Beauty is on a par with the best of the first three books in the series. I am excited to see what the last two have in store.

Reviewed by: Grace
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction (romance, historical)

Rating: B

Feeling Minnesota

2011-12-16T09:17:00.000-06:00

Feeling Minnesota
available from various PrairieCat libraries; please see Adult Services staff for assistance

Keanu Reeves (Jjaks) and Vincent D'Onofrio (Sam) are brothers from the most dysfunctional family ever. They fight and cheat and lie and steal - and seem to come by it all naturally, as their mother (played by Tuesday Weld?!) is the ideal role model for such offspring. At her request, Jjaks, fresh out of prison, comes home for Sam's wedding. The bride is Freddie (Cameron Diaz), a foulmouthed tough with no affection for her groom, but plenty for his brother. Freddie and Jjaks run away together (after a memorable 'moment' during the wedding reception). At that point, everything goes a little crazy.

If these characters were played at the level where they exist, Feeling Minnesota would be a docudrama of despair, depravity and bad hygiene. ... But Hollywood cleans them up real nice, and casts them with Reeves and D'Onofrio, and assumes that a world-class beauty like Diaz would consider it a step up to drop Sam for Jjaks, "who likes to spend all of his free time in prison." And you know what? That's exactly how it works. By taking characters from the bottom of the barrel and casting them with beautiful people, Hollywood is able to create that ageless alchemy in which we equate physical beauty with personal worth, and so of course we want Freddie to dump Sam (who looks like an incipient Orson Welles) for Jjaks (who has a nice smile). ... Cameron Diaz is the discovery here. I first became aware of her in The Mask, in which she was a sex siren in a gown that looked spray-painted onto her almost cartoonishly perfect curves. Now, after seeing her in movies like Last Supper and She's the One, and in this lead role in Feeling Minnesota, I realize she has range and comic ability and is not only a sex bomb; she looks so warmly down-to-earth in these other films, indeed, that instead of praising a sex bomb for being able to play real, we should, I suppose, congratulate a real woman on being able to create the siren in The Mask. D'Onofrio is, as always, a substantial screen presence; he seems to block more of the sun than most actors, and has to be dealt with. You can't simply dismiss him with plot details. Reeves is very likable, and this film, coming after the enchanting A Walk in the Clouds, establishes him as one of the most gifted romantic leads of his generation.--Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times

The cast is sort of brilliant (Vincent D'Onofrio could not be any better), including Dan Aykroyd as the cop, Courtney Love as Rhonda the waitress, and Delroy Lindo as Sam's deceptively laid-back boss. (Interestingly, Lindo was also in Romeo Must Die, reviewed here.) The movie itself is odd as heck, and definitely not for everyone. I'll say one thing for it: they basically got the Minnesota accents right.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age group: Adult
Classification: Entertainment/Fiction
MPAA: Rated R for violence, sexuality and language

Grade: C+

Snow in Summer: Fairest of Them All

2011-12-15T09:00:00.000-06:00

Snow in Summer: Fairest of Them All
by Jane Yolen
Sycamore Public Library call number: J FIC YOL

As the story opens, 7-year-old Snow in Summer lives with her parents in the mountains of West Virginia. They are a happy family, gardening, laughing, singing, and playing music together. But then her mother dies giving birth, and the baby dies too. Since her Papa is useless and befuddled with grief, Summer's Godmother, Cousin Nancy, takes care of Summer daily. Small town gossips predict Nancy will be Papa's new mate, but that doesn't play out. After a few years of grieving, Papa recovers some, only to fall in love, to be besotted, with a strange woman he meets near the graveyard up on top of the mountain. He marries her when Summer is about 10, and she tries to adjust to having a Stepmama.

Author and title were open clues to me and I expected this to follow the path of a fairytale. What I really liked was the way the fairytale played out, with folk superstitions, Catholic prayers as well as serpent-handling believers. Set in the 1940s, the Stepmama possesses a magic mirror that foretells with rhymes, but even her car is evil and scary. Cousin Nancy notices, "that witch drove by going hellbent...she had Summer with her and they were heading out of town...The car was a dark green, like sludge in water near a coal mine."

I enjoyed the steady setup of the fairytale story, but read quickly through the suspenseful second half of the book. I recommend this book to 4th to 8th grade fans of extended fairytale chapter books.

Name: Mary A
AGE GROUP: Juvenile
CLASS: Fiction

Rating: B+

Strictly Ballroom

2011-12-14T09:17:00.000-06:00

Strictly Ballroom
Sycamore Public Library call number: DVD STR

An Australian movie about ballroom dancing. Kind of like a Canadian movie about curling, what could be better than that?! In Strictly Ballroom, Paul Mercurio plays Scott Hastings, a young man nearing the top of his sport who's burning out on the whole process. He's tired of following the rules, and wants to (gasp!) put some new steps in his routine. His long-time partner (played by Gia Carides) and most of the dancing establishment are horrified by his irreverence. The one person who's not is a "beginner" (which must be Australian slang for 'amateur', since she really isn't starting from scratch) at Scott's mother's dance studio, Fran (the surprisingly lovely Tara Morice). Grudgingly deciding that she's better than nothing, Scott agrees to work with Fran. They both soon discover that she's better than she seems, particularly when their dancing comes to the attention of Fran's stern father.

"First of all, it's not what you think. Sure, Strictly Ballroom is about dancing -- specifically, the rumba. But this rousing Australian comedy is for people who hate that stuff, and for those who love it. Grabbing every backstage musical cliche by the lapels, it sends each one pirouetting, then sprawling hysterically across the floor. It's hard not to love this kind of tribute."--Desson Howe, The Washington Post
"Strictly Ballroom represents the best in light entertainment.... The movie has wit, style, and a special brand of irreverence that allows it to work as a love story, a comedy of manners, and a satire. Strictly Ballroom is a welcome surprise, and the perfect antidote for the late winter blues."--James Berardinelli, ReelViews

I love this film. It's funny and sweet, and somehow manages to have me at the edge of my seat each time I see it.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age group: Adult
Classification: Entertainment/Fiction
MPAA: Rated PG for mild language and sensuality

Grade: A+

Romeo Must Die

2011-12-13T09:17:00.000-06:00

Romeo Must Die

Sycamore Public Library call number: DVD ROM

Jet Li is Han Sing, in Oakland to find out who killed his brother in what appears to be a growing war between the area's Asian and black crime families. (Romeo Must Die is Li's first English-language leading role.) Aaliyah is Trish O'Day, daughter of the opposing crime boss. (Romeo Must Die is Aaliyah's first acting role.) Han and Trish work together, in part because each has rejected their family's path, and in part because know from the start that they can count on each other.

"Romeo Must Die has a great look and an edgy feel, along with some broad swaths of humor ... The film is a new step for both Li, who hopes to break out with it, and for recording star Aaliyah, in an accomplished film debut. Han and Trish are appealing and attractive."--Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

For a violent martial arts action film, Romeo Must Die is remarkably charming and funny. It also features some good actors in terrific, albeit unheralded, roles: Anthony Anderson as Trish's dad's henchman Maurice (not "Moron"), DMX as the club owner Silk - both of whom also joined Li in Cradle 2 the Grave, reviewed here - and Russell Wong as Han's dad's second-in-command. I enjoyed this movie a great deal, and highly recommend it.

Reviewed by: Amy

Age group: Adult

Classification: Entertainment/Fiction

MPAA: Rated R for violence, some language and brief nudity

Grade: A

The Beckets of Romney Marsh 1-3

2011-12-05T09:17:00.007-06:00

A Gentleman by Any Other Name
The Dangerous Debutante
Beware of Virtuous Women
by Kasey Michaels
Sycamore Public Library call number: ROM FIC MIC
Kasey Michaels has a fresh, fascinating series called 'The Beckets of Romney Marsh.' It centers on a family - the Beckets, of course - who live along the eastern English coast. Ainsley Becket was a sailor who, for various and secret reasons, adopted a number of children (in addition to his one natural child). Those children each have a book in the series.

The first is A Gentleman by Any Other Name, the story of Chance Becket. A widower with a daughter, he is concerned primarily with finding childcare for young Alice so that he can get back to work at the War Office, aiding England on the home front against Napoleon. To that end, he needs to hire a nanny and move his child to his family's estate on Romney Marsh, so far off the beaten path as to be described as "in back of the beyond." Happily, though, the best choice for a nanny is Julia Carruthers, a strong-willed and lovely woman. Chance and Julia find more in common than mutual care for Alice, and before long their relationship goes far beyond what either originally intended. Because it launches the series, A Gentleman by Any Other Name is necessarily more broad than any of the others, including enough background information to get one interested in each of the stories. However, it is still Julia and Chance's romance that shines through.

"Michaels keeps the couple's relationship fresh with their cat-and-mouse mind games throughout as Julia's curiosity and intellect keep vigilant pace with Chance's manipulative efforts to protect the family secrets. Romance is only part of the well-executed plot, and the dynamic among the various Becket siblings is vital, humorous and authentic, making this an engaging beginning to the Beckets' saga."--Publishers Weekly
"[A] tale filled with mystery, sexual tension, and steamy encounters...a gem from a true master of the genre."--Patty Engelmann, Booklist

The Dangerous Debutante is Morgan Becket, Ainsley's second-eldest daughter. While traveling to London to enjoy a Season under the care of her brother Chance and his wife, she meets a fascinating horse named Alejandro--and his even more engaging owner, Ethan Tanner, the Earl of Aylesford. Although each is keeping secrets, they both find that they are drawn together in ways that cannot be ignored, and that their attraction is more than just physical (although it is obviously that; this is a pretty wild book!). If Chance and Julia's story could be called 'sweet', Morgan and Ethan's is much more 'charming'.

"The second book...is a must-read for fans of historical romance and all who appreciate Michaels' witty and sensuous style."--Patty Engelmann, Booklist
"Michaels's enticing hints about the unrevealed origins of the Beckets of Romney Marsh should more than suffice to keep readers tantalized through this book and into the next."--Publishers Weekly

Eleanor Becket's story is called Beware of Virtuous Women. Eleanor is the quiet sibling, the one whose goal has always been to stay at home and keep the family happy. Her plans change unexpectedly when her father's business associate, Jack Eastwood, reveals that there are problems afoot. Someone needs to go undercover to root out their adversaries. That someone is Jack and his stand-in "bride": Eleanor. Little does Jack know, Eleanor has been dreaming of him for years.

"Although adopted daughter Eleanor has always been reserved and self-sufficient, quietly running the boisterous Becket household, she shocks everyone by volunteering to play Eastwood's pretend wife in London. Jack quickly discovers that Eleanor's fragile looks hide a sharp mind and steely will, making her a valuable ally, but he suspects she is keeping secrets from him about her past."--Publishers Weekly
"Of all the adopted children living with Ainsley Beckett, Eleanor has always been the quiet and demure one. Now it is her turn for adventure and romance as Michaels continues to entertain readers with the verve of her appealing characters and their exciting predicaments."--Patty Engelmann, Booklist

The first three books in this series are stellar. I can only imagine that the final four will be just as fantastic. A terrific mix of history, romance and intrigue, they make a wonderful winter's day read.

Reviewed by: Grace

Age Group: Adult

Class: Fiction (romance, historical)

Rating: A

Pride & Prejudice

2011-12-04T20:50:00.005-06:00

Pride & Prejudice
Sycamore Public Library call number: DVD PRI
I have seen several versions of Pride & Prejudice, some of them more than once, and this one--with Keira Knightley as Lizzie Bennet and Matthew Macfadyen as Fitzwilliam Darcy--is still my favorite. This film captures the beautiful simplicity of this timeless story: boy meets girl, boy and girl are drawn to each other but remain apart for reasons neither really understands, and then boy and girl eventually come together because they cannot and will not remain separated.

"Knightley's performance is so light and yet fierce that she makes the story almost realistic; this is not a well-mannered Masterpiece Theatre but a film where strong-willed young people enter life with their minds at war with their hearts. ... Darcy and Elizabeth are good and decent people who would rather do the right thing than convenience themselves. Anyone who will sacrifice their own happiness for higher considerations deserves to be happy. When they realize that about each other their hearts leap, and, reader, so did mine."--Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times (RogerEbert.com)

This is a lovely movie for anyone having a rough day, in need of a dose of happiness. Or having a good day, who wants it reinforced. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age group: Adult
Classification: Entertainment/Fiction
MPAA: Rated PG for some mild thematic elements

Grade: A+

3-Iron

2011-12-03T09:24:00.003-06:00

3-Iron / 빈집
Sycamore Public Library call number: DVD THR
3-Iron is the haiku of films; there is almost no dialogue. An oddly gentle man breaks into houses (but seems to have money, too) using a simple but effective scheme. He lives, however briefly, the lives of the homeowners, only better: he tidies their houses, fixes what's broken, even does their laundry, before moving on to the next likely spot. Things get complicated when he discovers that one such home is unexpectedly inhabited, by a lovely woman who's been abused.

"Quiet, mysterious, sometimes violent, ultimately close to sublime. In Korean with subtitles. ****" --David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor

Strange, in a good way. Pick it up if you like to think while you're entertained. Other Korean films that I recommend include Shiri (reviewed here) and Tae Guk Gi.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age group: Adult
Classification: Entertainment/Fiction
MPAA: Rated R for some sexual content

Grade: B

If You Give a Girl a Viscount

2011-12-02T09:09:00.000-06:00

If You Give a Girl a Viscount
by Kieran Kramer
Sycamore Public Library call number: ROM FIC KRA
If You Give a Girl a Viscount is the fourth and final entry in Kramer's "Impossible Bachelors" series. It is very much along the classic romance-fairytale line. Daisy Montgomery lives with her stepmother and two stepsisters in an old, drafty castle in Scotland. When she discovers (through a hidden letter) that she has a godmother--Lucy Warren, Lady Pinckney--Daisy writes to her, asking for financial help. Since the death of her father, money has been very tight and they are at risk of losing everything. Since Lady Pinckney is away from home, though, her grandson, Charles Thorpe, Viscount Lumley, is running her affairs.

Lumley is also one of the "Impossible Bachelors." He and three friends were given that nickname by the Prince Regent, because they act like rogues and do such a good job of avoiding matchmaking. However, one by one, his friends have found brides. Since Lumley is convinced that he will not do such a thing, he heads off to Scotland to help Daisy--as a favor to his grandmother, and to see if he can do it.

When Harry Met Molly was the first, and best, of this series, but this is a very worthy cap on an enjoyable group of characters. Each has depth and strength that is not immediately apparent, and the books reveal growth from beginning to end, which is rare in the genre. I recommend the series as a whole, and this book in particular.

Reviewed by: Grace
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction (romance, historical)

Rating: A

I'm Too Big/ Soy Demasiado Grande

2011-12-01T09:12:00.002-06:00

I'm Too Big/ Soy Demasiado Grande
By: Lone Morton; Illustrated by; Steve Weatherill
Sycamore Public Library call number: P FL MOR
Tell us about it: I'm Too Big is a cute story about an elephant and a giraffe who are not happy about their appearance. They both change how they look, but decide they are perfect the way they are.

Why did you pick it up? As part of my extra credit project for Spanish class, I picked out and read a variety of bilingual books. This story seemed really cute, and an easy read in both Spanish and English.

Would you recommend this? Why or why not? This is a wonderful story for young children. It has a good message about loving yourself how you are.

Reviewed by: patron Autumn S.
Class: Juvenile Bilingual Fiction (picture book)

Rating: A

Octavia Boone's Big Questions About Life, the Universe, and Everything

2011-11-30T08:41:00.000-06:00

Octavia Boone's Big Questions About Life, the Universe, and Everything
by Rebecca Rupp
Sycamore Public Library call number:
in print: J FIC RUP
on disc: JCD FIC RUP
I listened to the unabridged audiobook Octavia Boone's Big Questions on three CDs. I thought Octavia seemed wise beyond her years. Maybe it was because of her character's growing philosophy of life, as written, or maybe it was because the story is performed by an adult reader. The story chronicles Octavia's 7th grade year in Winton Falls, Vermont. It is a year of turmoil. Her mother chooses a new religion and expects her family to be supportive. But Octavia, in the habit of questioning everything, rebels against the required changes resulting from her mother's new-found beliefs.

In the end, Octavia and her parents find ways to compromise. I liked how Octavia answers her own big questions. "What you believe about life, the universe, and everything is a big question that nobody can answer for you. I think you just have to work it out for yourself, and sometimes it takes your whole life."

I think in my spare time staring at clouds or walking home from school I too may have been actively working on my beliefs and philosophies as 12-year-old. I think this is a great book for upper elementary and middle school age readers who like to read and think about life. The picture on both the print book and audiobook, of a girl with a bean sprout in a jar, illustrates part of Octavia's science experiment where she attempted to prove the ineffectiveness of prayer on plant growth.

Name: Mary A
AGE GROUP: Juvenile
CLASS: Fiction

Rating: B+

Build a Burrito

2011-11-29T09:04:00.000-06:00

Build a Burrito
By: Denise Vega; Illustrated by: David Diaz
Sycamore Public Library call number: P FL VEG
Tell us about it: Build a Burrito is a very short counting book. The illustrations are cute and it teaches children different kinds of food as well.

Why did you pick it up? As part of my extra credit project for Spanish class, I picked out and read a variety of bilingual books. This book caught my eye as a cute counting book to teach numbers.

Would you recommend this? Why or why not? This would be a wonderful book for young children who are learning to count in both English and Spanish. They can also learn new types of food to help remember the numbers.

Reviewed by: patron Autumn S.
Class: Juvenile Bilingual Fiction (board book)

Rating: A

The Folk Keeper

2011-11-28T08:49:00.000-06:00

The Folk Keeper
by Franny Billingsley
Sycamore Public Library call number: J FIC BIL
Tell us about it: Orphan Corinna Stonewall is disguised as a boy, because girls aren't allowed to be Folk Keepers. Called Corin, her job is to keep the Evil Folk bribed with food so they don't spoil the milk or eggs, or any other thing that goes bad without explanation in this unscientific time. The fearsome Folk live unseen in the dark cellar and are described as, "...mostly mouth. Wet mouth and teeth." Corin/Corinna bravely deals with them at the orphanage until she is whisked away to a work in a wealthy household.

Why did you pick it up?: I recently read Billingsley's book Chime and liked it. So I went back and reread The Folk Keeper. I had not read since it was published in 1999.

Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: I liked it even better on second reading. I had forgotten the romantic, almost lost princess element to the story. Because of this mild romantic twist I would recommend The Folk Keeper to middle and high school readers who like a complex fantasy with a historical, magical edge.

Name: Mary A
AGE GROUP: Juvenile
CLASS: Fiction

Rating: A

The Conspirator

2011-11-27T08:35:00.001-06:00

The Conspirator
Sycamore Public Library call number: DVD CON
The movie begins in April 1865, the end of the Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Seven men and one woman, Mary Surratt, are arrested for conspiring to kill the President, Secretary Seward and Vice President Johnson. Mary ran a boarding house and lived with her daughter and son. The boarding house was used as a place for the conspirators, including her son, to meet and plan these murders. This conspiracy and subsequent assassination not only tore the country apart but tore Mary’s family apart as well.

Mary is defended by Frederick Aiken, who fought for the North in the war and Mary and the conspirators are southern sympathizers. Many of Aiken’s friends and allies are angered that he has taken this case but Aiken firmly believes in Mary’s constitutional rights. However, the military court seems only concerned with making these conspirators pay for this hideous crime regardless of the evidence, especially in Mary’s case. A large part of the movie has Aiken fighting against this injustice and the prejudice of the court.

I loved the movie and it kept me absorbed until the end. I did not know all the details of Mary’s connection to this conspiracy and her trial and I found it informative and troubling.

Submitted by: Nancy
Age Group: Adult
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some violent content
Class: DVD (Entertainment/Fiction - History)

Rating: A

My Name is Mina

2011-11-26T08:48:00.000-06:00

My Name is Mina
by David Almond
Sycamore Public Library call number: J FIC ALM
My Name is Mina is the prequel to Skellig, Almond's 1999 Printz Honor Award-winning book. I remember reading Skellig, more that 10 years ago, and liking it. Before I started reading My Name is Mina what I recalled about Skellig was that it was a slightly fantastical story about a young boy who discovers a stranger, maybe a man, maybe an angel, in his nearly falling-down garage. He feeds it Chinese food. The story takes place in a mining town in Great Britain.

What I had forgotten was that the boy, Michael, meets the neighbor girl, Mina, and she is his accomplice in the care and feeding of the creature named Skellig. This new book tells more about who Mina is, why she is home-schooled and why her friendship with Michael is important. Of course now I will need to reread Skellig. And when I do, I think I will like it better because of things I know and like about Mina.

I liked Mina's mother, a single mom who is doing a really good job homeschooling her creative and sometimes obstinate daughter. I liked Mina for her love of birds, nonsense, extraordinary activity plans and writing assignments. I really liked her almost admission that her extreme fear of the ordinary is sometimes just plain fear. This exchange between Mina and her mother is my favorite: "When you grow up," I said, "do you ever stop feeling little and weak?" "No," she says. "There's always a little frail and tiny thing inside, no matter how grown-up you are." "Like a baby?" I say. "Yes. Or like a tiny bird, right at the heart of you." she says. "It's not really weak at all. If we forget it's there, we're in deep trouble."

The book is the back story to a really interesting young character. It ends with Mina finding the courage to speak to the new boy in the neighborhood. Her first words to Michael are: "Hi, my name is Mina." I liked My Name is Mina because it is funny and touching, though not as fantastic and suspenseful as Skellig. I will recommend it as a companion book to Skellig. For readers 10 and up, I rate it a B+.

Name: Mary A
AGE GROUP: Juvenile
CLASS: Fiction

"...And Ladies of the Club"

2011-11-20T08:32:00.000-06:00

"...And Ladies of the Club"
by Helen Hooven Santmyer
Available from various PrairieCat libraries; see Adult Services staff for assistance
Tell us about it: It has been well over 20 years since I read this book and it remains a favorite. It follows two female characters after they graduate from school in Ohio just after the Civil War. They are invited to join a book club in their community, and the rest of book widens to include what happens to their lives--marriage, children, friendships and the book club as well as the building of the library--over a number of years. There is a great deal on information about what was happening in the country at the time as well as in their community. All the descriptions were very real and detailed! It was one of the books that you can't wait to continue reading but then feel disappointed when you finish since you felt such a part of it.

Why did you pick it up?: It was recommended to me by a coworker at the time

Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: I would--there is quite a bit of detail and the reading can be slow sometimes but the author could really put you in that time and place--even descriptions of the weather! It is also interesting about the author to know that it took her many years to write and have it published--I believe it was something like 50 years, and that she was in a nursing home when it was published.

Name: Mary O.
AGE GROUP: Adult
CLASS: Fiction

Rating: I give it a top grade!

Kikirikí / Quiquiriquí

2011-11-18T09:19:00.000-06:00

Kikirikí / Quiquiriquí
written by Diane de Anda / illustrations by Daniel Lechon
Sycamore Public Library call number: P FL DEA
Tell us about it: When Celia and Marta's Abuela brings home a beautiful rooster, they can't believe she intended it for dinner. The girls decide they must hid him and keep him safe... in their room. This was a good book in both English and Spanish, with lots of vocabulary for a new Spanish- speaker.

Why did you pick it up?: As part of my extra credit project for Spanish class, I picked out and read a variety of bilingual books. I have a passion for birds, especially chickens, and thought I would enjoy this one about a rooster.

Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: This is a wonderful book for all young children. The pictures make it very easy to follow along with the story. It was also a good read in Spanish, for those who are still a beginning speaker.

Reviewed by: patron Autumn S.
Class: Juvenile Bilingual Fiction (picture book)

Rating: A+

Water for Elephants

2011-11-17T08:58:00.002-06:00

Water for Elephants
Sycamore Public Library call number: DVD WAT
Tell us about it: Based on the acclaimed bestseller, Water for Elephants presents an unexpected romance in a uniquely compelling setting. Veterinary school student Jacob meets and falls in love with Marlena, a star performer in a circus of a bygone era. They discover beauty amidst the world of the Big Top, and come together through their compassion for a special elephant. Against all odds--including the wrath of Marlena's charismatic but dangerous husband, August--Jacob and Marlena find lifelong love.

Why did you pick it up?: Originally I wanted to watch this movie because I love Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz and the trailer didn't look half bad. I hate Twilight!! So naturally, I didn't care for Robert Pattinson. But after seeing this movie and falling in love with the story, (And now Robert Pattinson) I think I can forgive Robert for Twilight.

Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: I would definitely recommend this movie! After watching I read the book and they did change a few things in the movie that I didn't mind but that big fans of the book might. I would for surely give it a try :)

Name: Haley
Age Group: Adult
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for moments of intense violence and sexual content
Class: Fiction/Entertainment

Rating: A+

Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match/ Marisol McDonald no combina

2011-11-16T08:57:00.001-06:00

Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match/ Marisol McDonald no combina
by Monica Brown
Sycamore Public Library call number: P FL BRO
Tell us about it: This is a beautiful story about a young girl who discovers it's OK to be yourself, even if it's different than other people. Marisol McDonald doesn't match with anything she does, from her clothes, to what she eats, the way she talks, and even how she signs her name. For a bet, she tries to match for a day, and act how everyone else does. She isn't happy, and with the help of her teacher, decides that she can be exactly who she wants to be.

Why did you pick it up?: I am doing an extra credit project for my Spanish class, and part of that is to read bilingual books. This was a perfect reading level for the amount of Spanish I know. I also fell in love with the illustrations, as they are very eye-catching.

Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: I would recommend this for everyone! This story is well written, and easy to follow along with in both English and Spanish. The pictures are wonderful, and would be very appealing to young children. It is also the prefect reading level for those who are just learning Spanish.

Reviewed by: patron Autumn S.
Class: Juvenile Bilingual Fiction (picture book)

Rating: A+

the Bear series

2011-11-15T08:44:00.000-06:00

Author Bonny Becker has the cutest series of books about a bear and his friend Mouse.

The first book is A Visitor for Bear. This is when Bear and Mouse meet. Bear wants NOTHING to do with Mouse at first.

The second book is A Birthday for Bear. In this book Mouse will not rest until his friends celebrates his birthday!

The third book is A Bedtime for Bear. If Mouse won't be quiet, how will Bear ever get to sleep?

The newest book is The Sniffles for Bear. No one has ever been as sick as Bear. Will Mouse be able to cure Bear?

These are a little too long for story time, but perfect for one-on-one. They are beautifully illustrated by Kady MacDonald Denton.

These books are available at Sycamore Public Library, call number P BEC.

My Name is Celia/ Me llamo Celia

2011-11-10T18:26:00.002-06:00

My Name is Celia/ Me llamo Celia
Written by Monica Brown: Illustrated by Rafael Lopez
Sycamore Public Library call number: J FL B CRU
Tell us about it: This is a beautiful book about the life of The Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz. The illustrations are outstanding, and really aid in telling the story. It is a bilingual book, and both English and Spanish are easy to understand and flow very nicely.

Why did you pick it up?: I am doing a extra credit project for my Spanish class, and part of that is to read bilingual books. This was a perfect reading level for the amount of Spanish I know.

Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: This is a great book for young children and those learning Spanish. I would recommend this to everyone, because it is a great story all would enjoy.

Reviewed by: patron Autumn S.
Class: Juvenile Bilingual Nonfiction (Biography)

Rating: A

Chime

2011-10-31T08:52:00.000-05:00

Chime
by Franny Billingsley
Sycamore Public Library call number: Y FIC BIL
also available as a Y CD audiobook (YCD FIC BIL)
Tell us about it: Briony Larkin, a clergyman's daughter, thinks she is a witch. In her village if she is exposed as a witch, she will hang by the neck until dead and then turn to dust. Her second sight complicates her life. But the romantic attentions of Eldric, a handsome young college drop out, begin to change the way she understands her life.

Why did you pick it up?: Author Franny Billingsley's Folk Keeper is one of my favorite books. With beautifully-written mythic prose she combines historical fiction and fantasy.

Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: In the beginning it was not quite the "page turner" it was promoted to be. The writing style was a little difficult to adjust to, but I found I couldn't just give up; I cared about what happened to all the characters and needed to know how it ended. I'm glad I finished the book and recommend reading it through to the end to appreciate the whole of the story.

Name: Mary A.
AGE GROUP: Young Adult
CLASS: Fiction

RATING: B+

A Storm of Swords

2011-10-27T08:41:00.002-05:00

A Storm of Swords
by George R.R. Martin
Sycamore Public Library call number: FAN FIC MAR
on disc: CD FIC MAR
I continue to be amazed by A Song of Ice and Fire. For such an intricate, detailed and frankly long series to be so absorbing, delicate, funny, warm, and heartbreaking is a remarkable feat. The third book, A Storm of Swords, is my favorite so far. Though it is also the longest (by quite a bit), it was utterly engrossing. I could not stand to put it down, and found myself reading far past the "just one more paragraph" (or page, or chapter) mark, night after night.

"Told from ten viewpoints, the story unfolds in overlapping narratives that yield a complex tapestry of a story, solidly and intricately plotted, with a body count that makes Martin a sort of sword-and-sorcery Robert Ludlum. Characterization is definitely the strength here, as each voice is distinct and fully realized."--Ann Welton, Voya
"The third volume of the high fantasy saga that began with A Game of Thrones and continued in A Clash of Kings is one of the more rewarding examples of gigantism in contemporary fantasy. As Martin's richly imagined world slides closer to its 10-year winter, both the weather and the warfare worsen. ... The complexity of characters...will keep readers turning even the vast number of pages contained in this volume, for the author, like Tolkien or Jordan, makes us care about their fates. Those two fantasy greats are also evoked by Martin's ability to convey such sensual experiences as the heat of wildfire, the chill of ice, the smell of the sea and the sheer gargantuan indigestibility of the medieval banquet at its most excessive."--Publishers Weekly

A Storm of Swords is an extraordinary book. Most highly recommended.

A Storm of Swords is the third of George R.R. Martin's series called A Song of Ice and Fire. Five have been completed to this date; according to the Wikipedia page for the series, there will be two more. The first, A Game of Thrones, was reviewed here; the second, A Clash of Kings, was reviewed here.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction (Fantasy)
Awards:

Hugo Award – Best Novel (Nominated) – (2001)
Locus Award – Best Novel (Fantasy) (Won) – (2001)
Nebula Award – Best Novel (Nominated) – (2001)
Geffen Award – Best Fantasy Book (Won) – (2002)
Ignotus Award – Best Novel (Foreign) (Won) – (2006)

Rating: A+

Bone in the Throat

2011-10-26T09:21:00.002-05:00

Bone in the Throat
by Anthony Bourdain
Sycamore Public Library call number: FIC BOU
It is well-known that I am a HUGE fan of Anthony Bourdain. I love his television shows, and I think his nonfiction food-and-travel books are amazing adventures. But I am especially fond of his fiction, urban cooking noir with a delicious sense of urgency and humor. Bone in the Throat was his debut.

"First-time author Bourdain presents a savory portion of gangster tartare spiced with salty mobspeak, coked-up chefs, wild entrepreneurs and foul-mouthed feds, served up in the colorful ambience of Manhattan's Little Italy. The cast of this dark-humored, street-smart novel romps through Greenwich Village and Little Italy on a testosterone high in a perfect sendup of macho mobsters and feebs alike, while the kitchen antics reveal a real love for--and knowledge of--cooking, including a mouth-watering recipe for Portuguese Seafood Chowder, complete with squid, lobster, swordfish and cherrystone clams."--Publishers Weekly

"The combination of fine food and sordid slayings makes an irresistible novel, but perhaps not one to savor while dining." Denise Perry Donavin, Booklist

It is a rather graphic, violent novel in parts, but also funny and surprisingly sweet. Highly recommended. (Read my reviews for A Cook's Tour, Medium Raw, The Nasty Bits, and The Bobby Gold Stories.)

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction

Rating: A

Lords of Vice

2011-10-25T09:23:00.003-05:00

All Night with a Rogue
Till Dawn with the Devil
After Dark with a Scoundrel
by Alexandra Hawkins
Sycamore Public Library call numbers: ROM FIC HAW
The Lords of Vice are a group of ten noblemen who "prowl the glittering ballrooms of Regency London...breaking rules and hearts with equal aplomb." Each goes by a clever nickname derived from his own name or title. For instance, Alexius Braverton, the Marquess of Sinclair, is known as 'Sin.' When he is summoned by his sister and demanded a favor, he agrees, out of a combination of loyalty and boredom. His feelings about the situation change when he realizes that his actions will put a young lady's reputation at risk--and that the lady in question is someone he's come to admire. Read more about Sin and Lady Juliana Ivers in All Night with a Rogue.

One of Sin's fellow Lords of Vice is 'Reign': Gabriel Housely, the Earl of Rainecourt. Reign is a man with a past. As a very young man, he fell in love and was married, only to discover that his wife felt very differently about him. Now, several years after the scandal that ended his marriage, he is well known for his feelings about women--until he meets Lady Sophia Northam. She is unlike anyone he has known before, and he comes to realize that his anti-marriage stance, although logically-grounded, was not so sensible after all. Their story is told in Till Dawn with the Devil.

Lord Hugh Mordare is 'Dare'. After losing his heart to the woman who later married his older brother, he swore off serious relationships and tender sentiments for good. The one thing he could not stop was the way he thought about Regan, the younger sister of his good friend 'Frost' Bishop, the Earl of Chillingsworth. Although it seemed that he would be tied to those old feelings for his sister-in-law forever, it seems that Dare and Regan were the real deal. Read about them in After Dark with a Scoundrel.

The Lords of Vice series will continue in January with the release of the next book, Sunrise with a Notorious Lord, featuring Christopher 'Vane' Courtland, Earl of Vanewright.

By and large, this is a solid romance series featuring engaging characters. Volumes 1 and 3 were stronger than the second, but each is worth reading in its own way. Fans of Liz Carlyle and Stephanie Laurens will be enjoy the recommendation.

Reviewed by: Grace
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction (romance, historical)

Rating: A-

The Poker Bride: The First Chinese In the West

2011-10-24T09:14:00.004-05:00

The Poker Bride: The First Chinese In the West
by Christopher Corbett
available from a PrairieCat library;
please see Adult Services staff for assistance in acquiring this title
I picked this book up because I have a fondness for history in general, and history as told from the point of view of an exceedingly interesting person in particular. I didn't know very much about the lives of Chinese immigrants who came to North America to work on the railroads and who stayed when the gold rush began. The book seemed like a perfect fit.

Corbett presents a lot of information about the conditions in China that led to the immigration, the lives of Chinese men when they arrived in California, and the invariably awful conditions that Chinese women found were the only way of life available to them. There are almost no accounts of Chinese women ever leaving those situations, except for a woman called Polly who was smuggled into California in 1872, was won in a poker game, and lived out her life in the Idaho mountains. The part of the story that drew me to read more than the jacket flap was that Polly, who became attached to a white poker player in the mid-1870s, went to live in the mountains with very few connections to the outside world and didn't come out again until the late 1920s to a world full of cars, movies, elevators, and a much faster-paced life.

There is a lot of context to set behind Polly's story, and Corbett does a fair job of giving the reader a look at the life of Chinese immigrants of the period, but he spends over half the book setting the stage; I really wanted to get to Polly and see the time through her story. Even when he mentions a part of Polly’s life he spends several pages providing background information before he finishes gets to the point. In addition to the slow pace, quotes from other authors--from newspaper accounts of the period to contemporary scholars--litter the pages. Really, there are so many quotation marks that the writing is obscured and the block-quotes make the reading choppy. There is a lot of information, but Corbett didn't synthesize it as smoothly as other historical writers have done.

I give it a C. It doesn't fail because there is a lot of really great information about the Old West, Chinese pioneers, and the culture of the time. It doesn't win, though, because it took too long to get to the title character and because of all those quotation marks. My search for a good history of the American west in the late 1800s continues.

Reviewed by: Katherine
Age Group: Adult
Class: Nonfiction (History)

Touch: Poems

2011-10-23T08:51:00.001-05:00

Touch: Poems
by Henri Cole
Sycamore Public Library call number: 811.54 COL

Henri Cole is one of my favorite poets. His poems are brief and focused, and he often writes on topics about which I also care: cats, relationships, the frailty of humanity, and the art of writing itself.

As I looked at the empty page--
seeing into love, seeing into suffering,
seeing into madness--my head ached so,
dear reader, emotions toppling me in one
direction, then another, but writing this now,
sometimes in a rush, sometimes after drifting thought,
I feel happiness, I am not alone.

[from 'Solitude: The Tower']

Recommended for fans of Mary Oliver and Wendell Berry. Also try Cole's Pierce the Skin (2010) and Blackbird and Wolf (2007).

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Nonfiction (Poetry)

Rating: A-

A Clash of Kings

2011-10-22T09:05:00.001-05:00

A Clash of Kings
by George R.R. Martin
Sycamore Public Library call number: FAN FIC MAR
on disc: CD FIC MAR
When a good friend of mine--a major Fantasy Fiction reader--found out that I'd picked up George R.R. Martin's epic series, he warned me. He said that the writing is terrific, but Martin is brutal, both to his readers and to his characters. I did not understand what he meant until I finished this second book. The author absolutely understands, and uses to the ultimate advantage, the value of loyalty, affection and momentum. He builds them all, subtly, only to bring about completely realistic and unexpected twists and ramifications for his characters, storylines, and readers. This is a marvelous book, heart-wrenching and bold, and once I'd closed it I could not wait to go on to the third volume in the series.

"[F]ine writing makes this a thoroughly satisfying stew of dark magic, complex political intrigue, and horrific bloodshed."--Nona Vero, Amazon.com
"The rewards are considerable: a backdrop of convincing depth and texture; intricate, flawless plotting; fully realized characters; and restrained, inventive magical/occult elements."--Kirkus Reviews
"The novel is notable particularly for the lived-in quality of its world, created through abundant detail that dramatically increases narrative length even as it aids suspension of disbelief; for the comparatively modest role of magic (although with one ambitious young woman raising a trio of dragons, that may change in future volumes)... Martin may not rival Tolkien or Robert Jordan, but he ranks with such accomplished medievalists of fantasy as Poul Anderson and Gordon Dickson. Here, he provides a banquet for fantasy lovers with large appetites—and this is only the second course of a repast with no end in sight."--Publishers Weekly

A Clash of Kings is the second of George R.R. Martin's series called A Song of Ice and Fire. Five have been completed to this date; according to the Wikipedia page for the series, there will be two more. The first, A Game of Thrones, was reviewed here.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction
Awards:

Locus Award – Best Novel (Fantasy) (Won) – (1999)
Nebula Award – Best Novel (Nominated) – (1999)
Ignotus Award – Best Novel (Foreign) (Won) – (2004)

Rating: A

The Snowball Effect

2011-10-21T09:06:00.002-05:00

The Snowball Effect
by Deb Loughead
One wintery Friday night, Dylan and his friends decide to hang out on the bridge in town throwing snowballs at passing cars below. To make things more interesting, they add rocks to the snowballs causing a car accident. Dylan’s friends flee the scene, but guilt causes Dylan to check on the driver, keeping her warm and conscious until the ambulance sirens get close. When Dylan is seen leaving the scene of the accident, he is marked as a hero for helping out. As the lies spread about what really happened that night, Dylan’s guilt piles up and he has to decide whether or not to tell the truth, exposing both his friends and himself.

Find it at the Sycamore Library: J FIC LOU

REVIEWED BY: Evelyn
AGE GROUP: Juvenile
CLASS: Fiction

Ladder of Years

2011-10-20T09:05:00.002-05:00

Ladder of Years
by Anne Tyler
Sycamore Public Library call number: FIC TYL
Anne Tyler has written some extraordinary books. My favorite, Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, was a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1983. The Accidental Tourist was awarded the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1985 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1986. (You may remember the film version, starring William Hurt and Geena Davis.) She finally won the Pulitzer Prize in 1989, for Breathing Lessons. That being said, she's a writer with a rather unique style. Her characters generally have unusual names, and often behave in unique ways which, over the course of their books, come to make sense but which still stand out as being somehow abnormal.

Ladder of Years is a very mild book. Its 'star' is Delia Grinstead, mother of three, wife of the sort of family physician who still makes house-calls. When a series of events conspire to make her life seem stifling, she sets off on a walk during a family vacation, and just keeps walking. Delia hitchhikes to a town some distance away and, for all intents and purposes, starts a new life.

The title of this book is key. In considering whether Delia is "justified" in taking the actions that she does (and so whether the supporting characters are also justified in the ways that they react to her behavior), the reader is encouraged to ponder the idea that our lives are more complicated than simple moves from A, directly to B, directly to C, and so forth. Perhaps we make real choices, and those choices affect what B and C actually are.

A quick, quiet read. Recommended for fans of thoughtful fiction.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction

Rating: B

The Conspirator

2011-10-19T09:10:00.001-05:00

The Conspirator
Sycamore Public Library call number: DVD CON
Tell us about it: 1865. President Lincoln was shot. John Wilkes Booth is on the run and the Union Army is hunting him down. In Washington, Secretary Stanton has Washington D.C. searched for the conspirators.

The Union Army find 5 men. One of the conspirators is in hiding, so they arrest his mother, Mary Suratt, who owned the boarding house where these men met.

Is Mary Suratt guilty? What does she know? How far will the reformed states go to punish the murderers of the President of the United States? What does it take to defend a woman who is the most hated person in the country? Why is this case such an important historical event?

This must-see movie, directed incredibly by Robert Redford, asks and answers all of these questions and leaves the viewer wanting more.

Why did you pick it up?: This is historical drama at its best! I really wanted to see this film on the big screen, but it wasn't shown locally. Robert Redford's eye for detail and sticking to the facts is amazing! I can't wait to see the next film by the American Film Company.

Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: Totally recommend this movie to any fan of well-written, acted and costumed drama.

This film should be shown in all history classes around the country! It makes for great discussion.

Name: Katie D.
Age Group: Adult
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some violent content
Class: Fiction/Entertainment

Rating: 10! A perfect 10!

A Game of Thrones

2011-10-18T09:05:00.001-05:00

A Game of Thrones
by George R.R. Martin
Sycamore Public Library call number: FAN FIC MAR
on disc: CD FIC MAR
I read A Game of Thrones when a good, old friend put it in my hand and said, "You have to try this." Because I trust him, I did so, even though I've never been a Fantasy reader, or a fan of very long novels. I'm glad that I did; I've been converted.

Martin's Seven Kingdoms resemble England during the Wars of the Roses, with the Stark and Lannister families standing in for the Yorks and Lancasters. The story of these two families and their struggle to control the Iron Throne dominates the foreground; in the background is a huge, ancient wall marking the northern border, beyond which barbarians, ice vampires, and direwolves menace the south as years-long winter advances. Abroad, a dragon princess lives among horse nomads and dreams of fiery reconquest.

There is much bloodshed, cruelty, and death, but A Game of Thrones is nevertheless compelling; it garnered a Nebula nomination and won the 1996 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. So, on to A Clash of Kings!--Nona Vero, Amazon.com

A Game of Thrones is the first of George R.R. Martin's series called A Song of Ice and Fire. Five have been completed to this date; according to the Wikipedia page for the series, there will be two more.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction (Fantasy)

Awards:

Locus Award – Best Novel (Fantasy) (Won) – (1997)
World Fantasy Award – Best Novel (Nominated) – (1997)
Hugo Award – Best Novella for Blood of the Dragon (Won) – (1997)
Nebula Award – Best Novel (Nominated) – (1997)
Ignotus Award – Best Novel (Foreign) (Won) – (2003)

Rating: A

Waging Peace – The Story of Jane Addams

2011-10-17T09:09:00.000-05:00

Waging Peace – The Story of Jane Addams
By Peggy Caravantes
Sycamore Public Library call number: J B ADD
Jane Addams was born in Cedarville IL in 1860 and spent her adult life helping those less fortunate than her. Jane graduated from Rockford College and had wanted to study medicine but gave that up due to poor health and family concerns. She was unsure of her direction in life until her calling became clear on a second trip abroad: “To help the underprivileged and provide an outlet for the intelligence and skills of college educated women.” After a few years of searching she opened Hull House in Chicago in 1891. The first residents were well educated professionals with full-time jobs who paid room and board and contributed their spare time in any way to help the immigrants who lived in the area. Donations began to increase as word spread of the positive effect Hull House had on the community. Jane was tireless in her endeavors to alleviate the suffering of those around her.

As the years progressed and WWI began she found herself on the side against the war and through the 1920’s her popularity decreased as did contributions. However, by the time of her death in 1935 she had won back many of her supporters.

This book is Juvenile Non Fiction and is very easy to read. There are Time Line and Glossary indexes in the back of the book which will be helpful for young readers.

Submitted by: Nancy
Class: Juvenile Nonfiction

Rating: A-

read all about it - or read a little about a lot of it

2011-10-07T15:31:00.000-05:00

One awesome way to learn a great deal about a certain subject, a period in history, a kind of writing, or a type of writer, is to read an anthology. An anthology is a 'collection of literary pieces'--meaning, a book made up of writing that is alike in some specific way. The following are some anthologies that Sycamore Public Library owns:

African American Literature Beyond Race: an Alternative Reader (813.008 AFR)
Animal Poems (808.819362 ANI--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Beat Poets (811.5408 BEA--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Best American Essays (814.6 BES--for the years 2000-2011)
Best American Poetry (811.5408 BES--for the year 1996; 811.6 BES--for the years 2003-2011)
Best American Short Stories (813.0108 BES--for the years 1998-2011)
Blues Poems (808.819357 BLU--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Christmas Poems (808.819334 CHR--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Comic Poems (808.817 COM--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Contemporary American Women Writers: Narrative Strategies (813.5409 CON)
El Coro: A Chorus of Latino and Latina Poetry (811.5408 ELC)
Echoes Upon Echoes: New Korean American Writings (810.808957 ECH)
Erotic Poems (808.8193 ERO--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
The FSG Book of Twentieth-Century Latin American Poetry: An Anthology (861.608098 FSG)
A Formal Feeling Comes: Poems in Form by Contemporary Women (811.54 FOR)
Friendship Poems (808.819353 FRI--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Garden Poems (808.819364 GAR--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Haiku (808.8141 HAI--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Indian Love Poems (808.8193543 IND--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Irish Poems (821 IRI--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Jazz Poems (808.819357 JAZ--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Jewish American Literature: A Norton Anthology (810.808924 JEW)
Love Letters (808.8693543 LOV--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Love Poems (808.8193543 LOV--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Love Songs and Sonnets (808.8193543 LOV--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Marriage Poems (808.8193543 MAR--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
New Stories from the South: The Year's Best (813.54 NEW--from 2003 only)
On Wings of Song: Poems about Birds (808.819362 ONW--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
PEN/O. Henry Awards Prize Stories (813.0108 OHE--for the years 1996-2003; 813.08108 OHE--for the years 2005-2011)
Persian Poets (808.813235 PER--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Poems Bewitched and Haunted (808.819375 POE--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Poems of Mourning (808.8193548 POE--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Poems of Sleep and Dreams (808.819353 POE--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Poems of the Sea (808.81932162 POE--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Poets of World War II (811.5208 POE)
Prayers (808.819382 PRA--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Pushcart Prize: Best of the Small Presses (810.8 PUS--for the years 1998 and 2000-2011)
The Roman Poets (808.813245632 ROM--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Sonnets [from Dante to the Present] (808.8142 SON--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Three Centuries of American Poetry, 1620-1923 (811.008 THR)
Twentieth Century American Poetry (811.509 MAC)
War Poems (808.81 WAR--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)
Zen Poems (808.81932943 ZEN--part of the Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series)

Learn more about literature; check out one of these, or another of the many anthologies, at Sycamore Public Library!

Bootlegger's Daughter

2011-10-05T08:34:00.004-05:00

Bootlegger's Daughter
by Margaret Maron
Sycamore Public Library call number:
MYS FIC MAR
LP FIC MAR (in large print)

This title is the first in the authors "Deborah Knott" mystery series. Deborah, an attorney, is the daughter of an infamous North Carolina bootlegger and is the only girl in a family of eleven older brothers. While campaigning for a district court judgeship, Deborah is asked to examine an old unsolved local murder.

A co-worker listened to this series on cassette and highly recommended that I read this author. Anyone looking for an atmospheric, full-of-local-color mystery should read this series. I am currently on the seventh Deborah Knott novel and have become hooked on the development of the characters and the family dynamic. In all of the novels I have read so far, the mystery almost seems secondary to the story and is never edge-of-your-seat suspenseful, but the characters are funny, engaging and well-written.

"A fine start to a promising new series."--Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed by: Debbie
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction (Mystery)
Awards: Edgar Award for Best Novel, 1993

Rating: A-

The Back Chamber

2011-10-04T09:15:00.001-05:00

The Back Chamber
by Donald Hall
Sycamore Public Library call number: 811.54 HAL
Donald Hall was the fourteenth Poet Laureate of the United States, serving from 2006 to 2007. He was married to the great poet Jane Kenyon until her death in 1995. Several poems that he's written since then have been about, or have referenced, his relationship with her and their life together.

We grieve that Jane's away.
I know she's dead--but Gus is
Never so sure. Today
He mopes and fusses,

And when we're back from walking
He sniffs at her armchair
And listens for her talking,
And climbs the stair

To poke and inquiring nose
Under a hamper's lid,
For Jane, he must suppose,
Returned and hid.

['Searching']

The Back Chamber is Hall's most recent collection, testifying to his enduring affection for Kenyon even while it reveals that he has continued to grow and change. His poems are warm and elegant. This book is a treat.

"If the poems in it are relatively somber, they’re equally witty, consummately well-crafted." --Booklist, *Starred Review*

"Featuring moving, amusing, musical poems about love, aging, and baseball, this work will have broad appeal and is recommended for all collections."--Library Journal

Check out another of Donald Hall's works, The Old Life, at 811.54 HAL.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Nonfiction (Poetry)

Rating: A

Trial by Desire

2011-10-03T08:52:00.000-05:00

Trial by Desire
by Courtney Milan
Sycamore Public Library call number: ROM FIC MIL
The second book in Courtney Milan's "Carhart series", Trial by Desire features Ned Carhart--the engaging secondary character from her unfortunate earlier work, Proof by Seduction (reviewed here), and his beautiful wife, Lady Kathleen. After being forced to marry when they were discovered together in compromising circumstances, Ned took off to China--to take care of some business--and Kate let the world think she was interested in nothing but shopping and socializing. However, she was actually running an underground 'enterprise' through which she spirited away women who were being abused by their husbands. It was something that she felt strongly about, and it kept her busy for the three years that Ned was gone. It's only fair, since Ned's got secrets of his own.

Trial by Desire was critically acclaimed; Booklist's John Charles gave it a *Starred Review* and called it "an exquisitely sensual and unforgettable romance by one of the genre’s incandescent new stars." I, on the other hand, found it rambling, overly-ambitious, and (worst of all), prone to lazy writing.

It is difficult for me to do this, but I cannot recommend this book, or this series. Please go to the library and find a wonderful alternative for your reading pleasure!

Reviewed by: Grace
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction (romance, historical)

The Gun Seller

2011-10-02T08:56:00.001-05:00

The Gun Seller
by Hugh Laurie
available from various PrairieCat libraries;
please see Adult Services staff for assistance in acquiring this title
Tell us about it: Ex-Scots Guardsman Thomas Lang, currently a freelance bodyguard is offered an assassination job. An honorable man, he not only refuses the job, but attempts to warn the victim.

Complications ensue and our anti-hero hero becomes involved in an intricate web of undercover and intrigue.

Though clearly written tongue-in-cheek, the novel is also a serious spy thriller.

Mr. Laurie's humorous prose is droll and very British. He enjoys playing with the cliches of both the English language and the traditional spy novel.

This is a first novel with a very complex plot and is sometimes a bit difficult to follow, but the story is saved by clever, often funny narrative.

Why did you pick it up?: It was recommended by a friend who knows that I like British humor and am a fan of the television show House M.D.

"There is mystery, intrigue, sex, and violence, all of which [the hero] tosses off with sarcastic wit and remarkable poise. Laurie's humor hits home. Although the subject is serious, even plausible, much of this comedy-thriller is laugh-out-loud funny and very readable. Highly recommended."--Joanna M. Burkhardt, Library Journal
"The Gun Seller is a thoroughgoing pleasure from beginning to end, and Laurie ... is a very talented writer."--Thomas Gaughan, Booklist

Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: If you like spy novels and the unique dry humor of the British, you will like this book.

Name: Tammy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction

Rating: B
Other Comments: The first sentence is, "Imagine that you have to break someone's arm." Now don't you want to find out what happens next?

Wednesday Sisters

2011-09-30T08:46:00.000-05:00

Wednesday Sisters
by Meg Waite Clayton
available from various PrairieCat libraries
in regular print, large type, and on disc--
please see Adult Services staff for assistance in acquiring this title.
Tell us about it: It is the late 1960’s in Palo Alto, California. Five housewives with very different backgrounds become friends, meeting every Wednesday at their local park. They have at least one thing in common – their passion for literature. The narrator, Frankie, a transplant from the Midwest, has always had a love of writing and on Wednesdays gathers the women together to share their stories they have put on paper with the goal of getting published. Each of them has aspirations – some not widely acceptable for women at that time. Linda is a marathon runner hoping to make the Olympic team. Brett has always had dreams of becoming an astronaut. Kath is the Southern belle reluctant to change. And then there is shy, secretive Ally. These women form a very strong bond over the years and support each other through highs and lows.

Why did you pick it up?: A friend recommended this book to me and I am glad I took her suggestion.

Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: I enjoyed getting to know each of these women and watching their friendship grow.

In a review for Booklist, Aleksandra Walker, wrote, "Readers will be swept up by this moving novel about female friendship and enthralled by the recounting of a pivotal year in American history as seen through these young women's eyes."

Reviewed by: Anonymous Reader
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction

Rating: A-

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure

2011-09-29T08:57:00.005-05:00

The Exquisite Corpse Adventure
Sycamore Public Library call number: J FIC EXQ
Tell us about it: Billed as a progressive story game played by 20 celebrated authors and illustrators. Each author has written a chapter with a cliff-hanger ending. The next person continues the story, often with new, unexpected characters and plot twists.

Why did you pick it up?: All the authors and illustrators are known children's book writers, and the idea of a new version of an old game was interesting.

Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: If you like silly, this is for you. If you want books to make sense, you should probably skip it. But it would be too bad to miss all the fun.

"As gleefully entertaining as it is preposterously ludicrous, this serial adventure features an all-star cast of authors and illustrators, including Susan Cooper, Kate DiCamillo, Gregory McGuire, Katherine Paterson, Jon Scieszka, and Lemony Snicket. ... Talking elephants, a malevolent clown, an extra-dimensional pig, pirates, and a misfortune-teller all have their parts as this adventure winds its way to a satisfying conclusion. No reason to look for deep meaning—readers should just go with the flow and enjoy the ride."--Publishers Weekly

Name: Linda
AGE GROUP: Juvenile
CLASS: Fiction

Rating: A-

Proof by Seduction

2011-09-28T08:36:00.000-05:00

Proof by Seduction
by Courtney Milan
Sycamore Public Library call number: ROM FIC MIL
You cannot judge a book by its cover - at least, not every time. This book has a great jacket! Beautiful dress, if a little low-cut and oddly presented. And there is a very positive blurb by a talented author of books I've enjoyed, Julia Quinn (she called it "One of the finest historical romances I've read in years".) Either Quinn does not read many romance novels, or she is a much more discerning writer than reader, because this one is rife with sloppy mistakes (anachronisms abound) and unlikable, cardboard characters. In all, Proof by Seduction is not a favorite.

"A gifted fortune-teller from a humble background, Jenny can make even the most sophisticated skeptic believe her predictions simply by batting her smoky eyelashes. Until she meets her match in Gareth Carhart, the Marquess of Blakely, a sworn bachelor and scientist. Broodingly handsome, Gareth is scandalized to discover his cousin has fallen under the spell of 'Madame Esmerelda,' and vows to prove Jenny a fraud. But his unexpected attraction to the fiery enchantress defies logic. Jenny disrupts every facet of Gareth's calculated plan--until he can't decide whether to seduce her or ruin her. Now, as they engage in a passionate battle of wills, two lonely souls must choose between everything they know...and the boundless possibilities of love."--(from publisher's description)

There are minor characters whose stories are sufficiently engaging to move the book along, but both Gareth and Jenny are so cold and dull that this is a real turkey. Recommended only to those with a need to read the entirety of a series, who cannot jump in on book two (Trial by Desire).

Reviewed by: Grace
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction (romance, historical)

The Ghost and Mrs. Hobbs

2011-09-27T08:42:00.003-05:00

The Ghost and Mrs. Hobbs (from the Ghost Mysteries series)
by Cynthia DeFelice
Sycamore Public Library call number: J FIC DEF
Tell us about it: Eleven-year-old Allie seems to be a "ghost magnet", as her good friend, Dub, calls her. This story begins just a few weeks after Allie has solved another ghost mystery in the book "The Ghost of Fossil Glen" from the same series. This mystery involves Mrs. Hobbs who is the creepy school cafeteria lady, mysterious fires, and a very handsome young male ghost.

Why did you pick it up?: Recommended by a student, sounded exciting and mysterious, the cover photo of Allie & Dub looking in the window was eye-catching, and I have read and enjoyed other books by Cynthia DeFelice.

Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: I would definitely recommend this juvenile fiction book to 4th through 6th graders. It is suspenseful, fast-paced, a real page-turner.

"In this genuinely exciting and suspenseful sequel to The Ghost of Fossil Glen, DeFelice revisits her plucky heroine sixth-grader Allie Nichols, picking up her story only three weeks later....This not only delivers the thrills young readers love, it will have them eagerly awaiting more ghostly encounters with Allie."--Kirkus Reviews
"Another dangerously thrilling supernatural adventure....A diverting and suspenseful ghost story offering a likeable protagonist and a thrilling romantic spark."--The Horn Book

Name: Sue M.
Age Group: Juvenile
Class: Fiction

Rating: A good read.
Other Comments: This book is a perfect read for this time of year, when October makes you think of ghosts and mysteries.

Carte Blanche

2011-09-26T08:35:00.001-05:00

Carte Blanche
by Jeffery Deaver
Sycamore Public Public library call number:
FIC DEA
LP FIC DEA (large print)

Tell us about it: James Bond is back! Jeffery Deaver takes Bond back to the way Ian Fleming envisioned him: a man who serves Queen & Country, believes in saving the world.

Bond's task is to follow an eccentric Englishman who has a penchant for recycling and decay. All kinds of decay.

This story takes them into South Africa, where politics and color still matter on all levels.

Felix Leiter is back to further the story.

Bond finds out that one man's trash is someone else's secrets for sale.

Will Bond save the day? You need to read the book to find out!

Why did you pick it up?: I picked this book because I love Ian Fleming's vision (or maybe this was Fleming's reality) of Bond and how the spy world started to appear in our world as well. Bond is a complex character and in each book, we learn a little more about him.

I also picked this book because I can see Daniel Craig acting this story out. It would be an awesome new film!

"Carte Blanche is a fantastic book....Deaver knows psychology and it shines here. Moreover, he knows human relationships...as [Ian Fleming’s stepdaughter] best summarized it, Jeffery Deaver truly got it."--Ann Arbor News
"A magnificently manic, impeccably researched and at times gory plot, with Deaver’s trademark misdirection and twists flying."--The Washington Post

Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: I totally recommend this book to anyone who likes to read books that take you out of reality for a bit, and take you for a ride. This is definitely one of them.

Name: Katie D.
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction

Rating: I give it 5 stars out of 5, a whoop-whoop, lasso in the air and a Rock On!

Other Comments: James Bond is back thanks to Jeffery Deaver!

The Emerald Atlas

2011-09-25T08:35:00.000-05:00

The Emerald Atlas
by John Stephens
Sycamore Public Library call number:
in print: J FIC STE
on disc: JCD FIC STE

Orphaned siblings, Kate (14), Michael (13), and Emma (11)find a magical book that sends them through time. In a battle to save the children of a town, they confront a witch and monsters and are aided by a wizard and dwarfs.

Released in April 2011, The Emerald Atlas has gotten glowing, 5 star reviews. I was looking for a good fantasy for middle grade readers.

I did not love this book. I would have difficulty summoning much enthusiasm to recommend it. The chapters are exceedingly long (up to 29 pages) for a children's book, and the book is 417 pages long. I would recommend it to dedicated fantasy readers. I'm very interested in knowing what young readers think of it. It is the first book in a trilogy.

Name: Mary A
AGE GROUP: Juvenile
CLASS: Fiction

RATING: C+

Other Comments: Author Stephens spent ten years working in television as a producer for Gossip Girl and a writer for Gilmore Girls. New York Times reviewer Dana Stevens said in April, "The Emerald Atlas feels adaptation-ready to a degree that may strike some as cynical. The crosscutting action sequences read like padded script, and the detailed but flat descriptions of characters and scenery could double as memos to the casting and production departments." Yes, I was seeking a negative review, feeling bad that I was not wowed by the book so many others loved.

new music at Sycamore Public Library

2011-09-24T09:14:00.000-05:00

Below are some of our music CDs acquired in September.

All of You by Colbie Caillat
Body Talk Pt. 1 by Robyn
Born This Way (spec. ed.) by Lady Gaga
Bride of the Noisemakers by Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers
Build a Rocket Boys! by Elbow
Chief by Eric Church
C'Mon by Low
Comfort Eagle by Cake
Disc-overy by Tinie Tempah
Flamingo by Brandon Flowers
Frank by Amy Winehouse
Good Evening, New York City [2 CD + DVD] by Paul McCartney
The Head and the Heart by The Head and the Heart
I'm with You by Red Hot Chili Peppers
Jet Black & Jealous by Eli Young Band
Josh Turner by Josh Turner
Leaving Eden by Brandon Heath
Middle Brother by Middle Brother
Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 23 & 24 by Mitsuko Uchida
Muppets: The Green Album
Neon by Chris Young
Outlaws like Me by Justin Moore
This is Gonna Hurt by Sixx: AM
Triple Feature: Eddie Money; Life for the Taking; No Control by Eddie Money
Triple Feature: Burning Love and Hits from his Movies; Separate Ways; You'll Never Walk Alone by Elvis Presley
Triple Feature: Project; Big Picture; i 2 (eye) by Michael W. Smith
X 2011

If you would like to check out these or any other compact discs, browse our music collection at the top of the stairs. Talk to an Adult Services staff member for assistance in placing a hold on a specific title.

When Harry Met Molly

2011-09-23T08:55:00.000-05:00

When Harry Met Molly
by Kieran Kramer
Sycamore Public Library call number: ROM FIC KRA
Lord Harry Traemore and Lady Molly Fairbanks knew each other as children. As such, they were involved in a disastrous social encounter that led not only to their intense dislike for each other, but also to a temporary "exile" for each. When they are reacquainted as adults, it is under circumstances that requires each to rely on the other in extraordinary ways.

This is not your average romance novel. The situation is contrived (at best), some of the secondary characters are stock, and sometimes the pacing is flat. And yet I was charmed from the start, and I loved this book. Harry and Molly--yes, I also gagged a little when I read those names the first few times--are marvelous characters, the kind that endure beyond the boundaries of the book itself.

"In her exceptionally entertaining literary debut, Kramer deftly sifts deliciously humorous writing, a cast of exceptionally entertaining characters, a outrageously inventive yet convincing plot, and a splendidly sexy love story into a delectable literary confection that will have Regency historical readers begging for seconds." --John Charles, in a Booklist *Starred Review*

Most highly recommended.

Reviewed by: Grace
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction (romance, historical)

Rating: A+

new music at Sycamore Public Library

2011-09-22T08:52:00.000-05:00

Listen to song samples from some of our music CDs acquired in August,
through this custom playlist from iLike.com:

Add a playlist to your page using iLike

The newly-added CDs from which these selections were taken include:

4 by Beyoncé
180/365 by OK Go
Augustana by Augustana
Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars
Blakroc, compiled by The Black Keys
Daughtry by Daughtry
Free Wired by The Far East Movement
Glee: Love Songs [EP]
Greatest Hits: So Far!!! by P!nk
Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray by Seether
If Not Now, When? by Incubus
lovestrong. by Christina Perri
NOW 37
NOW 38
NOW 39
Red River Blue by Blake Shelton
Rolling Papers by Wiz Khalifa
Simple Plan by Simple Plan
Tailgates & Tanlines by Luke Bryan
This Loud Morning by David Cook
Ukulele Songs by Eddie Vedder
Watch The Throne by Jay-Z & Kanye West
The World is a Thorn by Demon Hunter

New movies at the Library

2011-09-02T08:30:00.000-05:00

The following DVDs were added to the collection at Sycamore Public Library within the last few months. The DVD collection is located on the second floor.

The Adjustment Bureau
Arthur
Battle: Los Angeles
The Beaver
Black Swan
Blue Valentine
Burlesque
Cedar Rapids
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Country Strong
Dexter: Season Five
The Dilemma
Drive Angry
Due Date
Dylan Dog: Dead of Night
Eastbound & Down: Season Two

Faster
The Fighter
Gnomeo & Juliet
The Green Hornet
Hall Pass
Hereafter
How Do You Know
I Am Number Four
I Love You Phillip Morris
Jackass 3
Jeff Beck: Performing This Week—Live at Ronnie Scott's
Just Go with It
Justin Bieber: Never say Never
The King's Speech
Life as We Know It
Limitless
The Lincoln Lawyer

Little Fockers
Louis C.K.: Hilarious
Love and Other Drugs
Mars Needs Moms
The Mechanic
Megamind
Men with Brooms
Morning Glory
The Next Three Days
No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency: Season One
No Strings Attached
127 Hours
Paul
Priest
Rango
Rio
The Rite

Seven Alone
Skyline
Something Borrowed
Source Code
Sucker Punch
The Switch
Take Me Home Tonight
Tangled
The Tourist
Tron: Legacy
True Blood: Season Three
True Grit
Ultimate Krav Maga: Self-Defense
United States of Tara: Season Three
Unknown
Unstoppable
Weeds: Season Six
Win Win
Yogi Bear
Your Highness

do you know about the 'Parachute'?

2011-08-31T09:05:00.003-05:00

"When your book makes it onto the Library of Congress's "25 Books That Have Shaped Readers' Lives" alongside books like the Bible and War and Peace, the phrase "rest on your laurels" could certainly be applicable and understandable. But that's the last thing author Richard N. Bolles and Ten Speed Press are doing for the just released 40th anniversary edition of What Color Is Your Parachute?

"Dick Bolles has overhauled the book, with a new organization centered around job-hunting as a survival skill," said Ten Speed publisher Aaron Wehner. "The text has changed dramatically since the first edition—it's a completely different book from 40 years ago. Job searchers need to arm themselves with advanced job-finding and job-creation techniques, along with the attitude necessary for perseverance in these tough times," said Wehner. "Conventional job-hunting skills are inadequate."

Parachute has always been updated annually and for this year's edition, a new chapter titled "Networking in the Age of Social Media" has been added, which focuses on how job searchers can use social media like LinkedIn, LinkUp, Facebook, Twitter, Skype, and blogging effectively and appropriately. Chapters titled "Being Inventive Is Key to Survival" (on approaching one's job hunt from a place of creativity and invention) and "Teaching Survival Job Hunting to Others" have also been added. To coincide with the more recent iterations' focus on social media, Ten Speed launched a two-week targeted campaign on LinkedIn beginning for the August 16 pub date. Down the road, major promotions are being lined up for important job-finding periods: January, for the New Year and "new you" job seekers, as well as May, to cater to graduates entering the workforce.

Another new component in Parachute's equation is digital sales. Last year, the e-book accounted for 5% of total sales. This year, Ten Speed expects that number to double thanks to an interactive, Java-enhanced edition, with dynamic charts and graphs, set for release in September.

"The job market is always changing, as economic realities shift and job fields rise and fall," Wehner said. "Similarly, the resources and techniques available to job hunters are constantly evolving, and knowing how to use them creatively is crucial. By continuing to grow Parachute's presence in the digital space with apps, e-books, and Web presence—all of which figure prominently into the plans for the 40th edition—Parachute continues to reach out to new audiences through the ways they connect with information."

Ten Speed relies heavily on the Parachute brand in its marketing efforts, and with good reason. The accomplishments are worth pointing out: 10 million copies sold, a New York Times bestseller for six years running, translations in 20 languages, and a staple in all library collections. According to Ten Speed, sales have remained "remarkably steady" over the years, selling between 200,000 and 250,000 copies annually.

The key to Parachute's staying power is the mixture of its successful, tried-and-true method, cultivated and revised over the past 40 years, combined with the original foundation Bolles created in the first edition. "The core principles of Parachute haven't changed much—the ‘what' and the ‘where' of the job hunt—but the ‘how' has changed greatly in the digital era," Wehner said of the book's adaptability. "Networking is still critically important—the core concept of using bridge people to find connections and openings—but the ‘how,' such as utilizing social media to find or make connections, is vastly different than it was even three years ago. Every new edition addresses changes like these in depth."

Since 1971 What Color Is Your Parachute? has managed to assist generations of job hunters. The new edition appears situated to help yet another generation."

['Parachute Stays Relevant At 40', by Gabe Habash
Publishers Weekly, Aug 19, 2011]

Find What Color is Your Parachute?: a practical manual for job-hunters and career-changers by Richard N. Bolles--and other helpful books about employment--in the bright red Job Cart, near the Adult Services Desk at Sycamore Public Library!

new music at Sycamore Public Library

2011-08-29T09:11:00.005-05:00

Listen to song samples from some of our music CDs acquired in July, through this custom playlist from iLike.com:

Add a playlist to your page using iLike

The newly-added CDs from which these selections were taken include:

21 by Adele
Ali & Toumani by Ali Farka Touré & Toumani Diabaté
Black Celebration by Depeche Mode
Comatose by Skillet
Crazy Heart soundtrack
Damnesia by Alkaline Trio
Fly Me to the Moon: Great American Songbook V by Rod Stewart
Greatest Hits by Pat Benatar
It's Not Me, It's You by Lily Allen
No Pads, No Helmets--Just Balls by Simple Plan
Nothing's Impossible by Solomon Burke
Now that I've Found You by Alison Krauss
Planet Pit by Pitbull
Roll Away by Back Door Slam
Smoke Rings In The Dark by Gary Allan
Telephantasm by Soundgarden
Them Crooked Vultures by Them Crooked Vultures
Verdi: Messa da Requiem by Chicago Symphony Orchestra
We Have the Facts & We're Voting Yes by Death Cab for Cutie
Weapons of Self-Destruction by Robin Williams
With a Twist by Straight no Chaser
Ronnie Dunn by Ronnie Dunn

new music at Sycamore Public Library

2011-08-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

Listen to song samples from some of our music CDs acquired in June, through this custom playlist from iLike.com:

Box Of Rain by Grateful Dead
Angel Dance by Robert Plant
Innocent by Buju Banton
Follow Me by Uncle Kracker
Reckless Youth by Pillar
I Feel Pretty / Unpretty (Glee Cast Version) by Glee Cast

Add a playlist to your page using iLike

The CDs from which these selections were taken include:

American Beauty by The Grateful Dead
Band of Joy by Robert Plant
Before the Dawn by Buju Banton
Double Wide by Uncle Kracker
For The Love Of The Game by Pillar
Glee: The Music v. 6
Graffiti by Chris Brown
How I Got Over by The Roots
La Roux by La Roux
Le Noise by Neil Young
Modern Love by Matt Nathanson
The Pretender by Jackson Browne
The Preview by Chiddy Bang
A Rush Of Blood To The Head by Coldplay
Slipknot by Slipknot
Still Standing by Monica
Thompson Square by Thompson Square
Transatlanticism by Death Cab for Cutie
Triple Feature: Blue Öyster Cult/Fire of unknown origin/Extraterrestrial live by Blue Öyster Cult
Triple Feature: Trash/Hey Stoopid/Last Temptation by Alice Cooper
[Untitled] by Korn
Used Heart For Sale by Gary Allan
Wake Up! by John Legend & the Roots
Winelight by Grover Washington, Jr.

new music at Sycamore Public Library

2011-08-27T08:52:00.004-05:00

Listen to song samples from some of our music CDs acquired in May,
through this custom playlist from iLike.com:

Stars and Boulevards by Augustana
Who Says by John Mayer
Breathe In Breathe Out by Mat Kearney
Pretty Wings by Maxwell
You Are A Tourist by Death Cab For Cutie
More Like Her by Miranda Lambert

Add a playlist to your page using iLike

The CDs from which these selections were taken include:

All the Stars and Boulevards by Augustana
Battle Studies by John Mayer
Beastly (the soundtrack)
Blacksummer'Snight by Maxwell
Codes And Keys by Death Cab for Cutie
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend by Miranda Lambert
For Your Entertainment by Adam Lambert
The Foreign Globester by Rondo Brothers
Nine Types Of Light by TV on the Radio
Performing This Week...Live At Ronnie Scotts by Jeff Beck
A Touch Of Evil by Judas Priest

Pursuit

2011-08-26T08:50:00.000-05:00

Pursuit
by Karen Robards
Sycamore Public Library call number:
FIC ROB (hardcover)
LP FIC ROB (large print)
ROM FIC ROB (paperback)
Jessica Ford is a new associate with a high-powered D.C. law firm. John Davenport, is counsel and confidante to Annette Cooper--the First Lady of the United States. When Davenport sends Jessica on a mission to intercept Ms. Cooper, Jess has no choice but to agree. That decision sets in motion a series of events that no one could have anticipated, one that puts Jess on the run, in fear for her life. Secret Service Agent Matt Ryan is there to protect her...or maybe he is what she fears the most?

Hilary Hatton from Booklist calls Pursuit "A tense and erotic political thriller."

This is one of Robards' best works. Exciting and engrossing; highly recommended.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction

Rating: A

Compulsion

2011-08-25T08:57:00.001-05:00

Compulsion
by Heidi Ayarbe
Sycamore Public Library call number: Y FIC AYA
Tell us about it: Obsessive Compulsive Disease (OCD) is real. This book conveys the life of a teenage boy who carries the burden of having to deal with OCD, trying to hide it from his family and friends. For the reader, we finish the book and it is done, for a person suffering from this disease, there is no end.

Why did you pick it up?: I have known people of different ages with this disease. I was curious to see how realistically it would be portrayed in this book.

Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: I would recommend this book to parents, teachers, friends of people who know of or suspect someone they are in contact with who might have OCD. It may open a path to having compassion for the person suffering or give hope to someone who may feel they have the disease and are all alone.

Other Comments: All of us have our little rituals, but this book describes in detail what happens when the rituals take over every facet of everyday life.

Name: Jeannie
AGE GROUP: Young Adult
CLASS: Fiction

Rating: A

The Yellow House

2011-08-24T09:50:00.005-05:00

The Yellow House
by Patricia Falvey
Sycamore Public Library call numbers:
FIC FAL
LP FIC FAL (in large type)
It is 1905 in Northern Ireland and Eileen O’Neill, age 8, is waiting for her Da to return home from the market. Instead of buying the much needed food for the family he has instead bought yellow paint. The O’Neill home was a place of pride, being passed down from generation to generation and he wanted the house to be a beacon for all to see. Despite her anger at her husband, Ma couldn’t help being caught up in the excitement of the rest of the family as they painted the house. For Eileen life was idyllic but things would begin to change.

As political unrest in Ireland began to increase, so, too, the O’Neill family began to face their own tragedies. After the loss of the O’Neill home, Eileen, now 16, began working at the local mill to save money to buy it back. Civil war breaks out in Northern Ireland and two men enter her life, one a warrior and the other a pacifist. The story continues for the next nine years as the war for freedom continues and Eileen is torn between her love for the two men.

This is a love story but it is also a love story for one’s country and family. At times I found myself angry at Eileen for her stubbornness, anger and sharp tongue but she had amazing strength and resolve.

If you are not that familiar with the Irish struggle (as I was not) I suggest you read the Author’s Note at the end of the book before reading the novel.

Submitted by: Nancy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Historical Fiction

Rating: B

The Knife of Never Letting Go

2011-08-20T09:27:00.004-05:00

The Knife of Never Letting Go
written by Patrick Ness; read by Nick Podehl
YCD FIC NES
Todd Hewitt and his dog Manshee are fleeing from a bad situation on a planet with two moons. Todd has lived in New World all his life but just as he is about to reach the milestone birthday when he will be declared a man, he is ordered by his caring guardians to run away from the corrupt men who rule his settlement. He is given a backpack full of supplies, and a diary written by his long deceased mother.

In danger and out of time to ask for explanations, he runs into a swamp. There he finds Viola and saves her from an attack by a crazy religious zealot from the settlement. Together they run away, always pursued.

I listened to the 12-hour story on 10 CDs. At times I was confused about "the noise." At first I thought it was just a device to explain the characters thoughts. But a CD or so into the telling I realized the basic truth of the story: In New World, everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts, they call it "the noise." I especially liked the readers voicing of the dog Manshee's thoughts...a gruff, gravelly barking, usually saying "Todd, Todd, Todd," to get his master's attention. I re-listened to a little of the first disc, and chapter one begins with Todd saying, "The first thing you find out when your dog learns to talk is that dogs don't got nothing much to say--about anything."

The story is full of action, is often violent and thought provoking. I liked the book, but was really disappointed when it ended suddenly, saying simply and finally, "End of Book One." Wish I'd noticed it was the first book in the 'Chaos Walking' Trilogy. The good news is that the other two came out in 2009 and 2010. They are The Ask and the Answer: Chaos Walking: Book Two and Monsters of Men: Chaos Walking: Book Three. Sycamore Library owns both sequels in book format, and the sound recordings are available by placing a hold through interlibrary loan. I would recommend the series to middle school and older readers who like series books about survival and violent discord in a futuristic setting.

Name: Mary A
AGE GROUP: Young Adult
CLASS: Fiction

RATING: B

Also available as a book: Y FIC NES

This Beautiful Life

2011-08-19T08:50:00.000-05:00

This Beautiful Life
by Helen Schulman
Sycamore Public Library call number: FIC SCH
The Bergamot family recently moved to New York City from Ithaca. The transition has not been seamless, particularly for fifteen-year-old Jake and his mother, Liz. Father Richard and five-year-old Coco (both less-developed characters) seem to be adjusting much better; Richard goes running when he's not working at the university, and Coco's life of play-dates and kindergarten is carefree.

Everything changes when Jake goes out with friends one evening, intending to attend a party at a friend's house. The party is cancelled, so after wandering for a while, the group ends up at a different gathering, this time at the house of a precocious eighth-grader, Daisy. Jake's crush is there with her boyfriend, leading Jake to drink more than he might have otherwise, and to accept Daisy's flirting. He leaves before things get too out of hand, but when he gets home, he finds that she's sent him a provocative email message. It has such an effect on him that he forwards it to his best friend, who forwards it to a friend, who sends it to a friend.... The ramifications are devastating.

"When the crisis strikes, readers will feel torn between averting their eyes and watching in dismay as simmering resentments surface and this once beautiful life implodes."--Sally Bissell, Library Journal

I was drawn to This Beautiful Life because of its obvious parallels to Anita Shreve's Testimony, which I'd just read (and reviewed here). This book is far less introspective, more concerned with appearances and the sort of media/sociology of our increasingly online world. In addition, Jake is hardly a victim here; he continues to make poor choices revealing selfish and sometimes borderline behavior even after the consequences of his original bad act are made apparent. On the other hand, the characters in Testimony grew from start to finish, and learned from their own and others' mistakes. The writing is (far) more subtle and more revealing of deep, realistic motivation. This is recommended for fans of metropolitan urban fiction and for those seeking a point/counterpoint approach to this subject.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction

Rating: C+

Portrait of a Spy

2011-08-18T09:22:00.000-05:00

Portrait of a Spy
by Daniel Silva
Sycamore Public Library call number: FIC SIL
Tell us about it: International thriller with a team of American, British, and Israeli special forces and intelligence. This book creates a plot to locate and take down a terrorist group before a large scale attack can take place.

Why did you pick it up?: I have read all the books in the series and have enjoyed every book.

Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: Yes, If you are looking for a suspenseful thriller with action and espionage check out the Gabriel Allon series.

"Subtle and suspenseful."--Barnes & Noble.com

Reviewed by: Eric
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction (Suspense/Spy Stories)

Rating: A

Stuck on You

2011-08-17T09:14:00.002-05:00

Stuck on You
by Patti Berg
available from various PrairieCat libraries;
please see Adult Services staff for assistance
Stuck on You takes place in Plentiful, Wyoming. Scarlett O'Malley is the highly unconventional owner of a mystery bookstore. It caters to little old ladies who like tea and amateur detective work, and who collectively call themselves "Sleuths." Their unofficial role is to help Scarlett get through since the death of her mother, which she's blamed on her stepfather, police chief Adam Grant.

Logan Wolfe is new in town. He's come seeking peace and quiet, and absolutely no complications. From the start, though, Scarlett makes his life both more interesting and more complex, and he can't stop thinking about her. From her full head of red curly hair to the belly button ring that she decorates like every day is the Fourth of July, she lights up his world like fireworks.

When I picked up the book, I was looking for something light and cheerful to pass some time on a weekend. What I got was a few hours of convoluted, tiring repetition of two plot-points: Scarlett is afraid to love (and, to some extent, afraid of men); Logan didn't want commitment. This is woven through a "mystery" that works itself out pretty easily. In all, I was not too wowed by Stuck on You.

(It is linked, although not considered in series, with the author's Something Wild, which followed Born to be Wild.)

Reviewed by: Grace
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction (contemporary)

The Nine Tailors

2011-08-16T09:22:00.003-05:00

The Nine Tailors
by Dorothy L. Sayers
available from various PrairieCat libraries;
please see Adult Services staff for assistance
Tell us about it: The Nine Tailors is arguably Sayers' most ingenious novel, and is certainly one of the mystery genre's centerpieces. The story is set in 1920s England, in a small village remarkable for few things other than the local squire's loss of a stunning emerald necklace twenty years before, and a beautiful ring of bells in the church tower.

As Sayers points out in the introduction and elaborates upon in the first chapter, church bells in England are used not for playing a recognizable hymn or tune, but rather are used to ring "changes" or mathematical patterns. This theme provides the framework of the novel as the hero/sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey works his way through the mystery.

The story opens on Lord Peter having run his car into a ditch and finding his way to the village of Fenchurch St. Paul, where he participates in a record-setting nine-hour set of change-ringing at the local church. The wife of the local squire dies and is buried, and Lord Peter returns to London. Four months later the local squire himself dies and the grave is reopened to reveal the body of an unknown man whose manner of death are a complete blank to the local doctors and coroners. Lord Peter, unable to resist a problem so unusual, steps in to assist the police in their detective work. Along the way Sayers weaves a detailed story that, in the end, ties in all the loose ends and astonishes the reader as well.

Why did you pick it up?: I've read all of Sayers' Lord Peter Wimsey novels and stories; this novel really grabbed me with its intricate dance between change-ringing and murder-solving. It's also got one of the best whodunits I've ever read.

Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: I would highly recommend this book to readers of mysteries, fans of English authors, and to fans of math and puzzles.

Reviewed by: Katherine
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction (Mystery)

Rating: 5 out of 5

The Summer Before Boys

2011-08-14T08:44:00.000-05:00

The Summer Before Boys
by Nora Raleigh Baskin
Sycamore Public Library call number: J FIC BAS
The summer between 6th and 7th grade, Julia's mother is deployed to Iraq with the National Guard and her father has to work. So Julia goes to stay with her best friend Eliza and her parents for the summer. They live close to and work at the more than one hundred-year-old Mountain Lodge. Julia tells the story of how she and Eliza spend the summer, pretending lots of things. Sometimes they are old fashioned girls in long dresses, sometimes they are Indians, sometimes captive white children. They have always played with dolls, and they still have a name and story for every doll in their collection.

One day while they are swimming, Michael, a boy whose father works at the resort's stables, chases them in the water. They swim and goof around. Julia acts cool while this is happening but from this point on, she is in love with Michael. Something she thinks she keeps secret from Eliza. Interspersed through the book are chapters where Julia relates her worries about her mother's deployment and how school counselors help her talk about and understand her fears. Mid-summer her father gets Julia a cell phone to cheer her up and help her with homesickness and missing her mom. She gives Michael the number.

This story was very real to me. I could absolutely relate to secret summer crushes, having lived through that age in a tiny resort town on a lake. I remember resenting the "summer girl" who flirted with the boy I'd known since 2nd grade. I liked how the book brought together present day war worries and the possibilities of technology with the perennial problems of conflict between fledgling boy crazy friends.

"Baskin's wistful narrative carefully evokes the changes in Julia's life and attitude: Julia's uneasiness about new romantic feelings and her anxiety about her mother's safety ring true."--Publishers Weekly
"Baskin adeptly portrays Julia's ambivalence and anxiety in this thoughtful tale that artfully brings the war to the homefront."--Kirkus Reviews

I would recommend this book to middle school girls and anyone who has ever had a best friend or a pre-teen summer romance.

Name: Mary A
AGE GROUP: Juvenile
CLASS: Fiction

RATING: B+

Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People who Cook

2011-08-09T09:09:00.007-05:00

Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People who Cook
by Anthony Bourdain
Sycamore Public Library call number: 641.013 BOU
I adore Anthony Bourdain. His food writing makes me want to try new dishes, and his accounts of his travels bring out my restless wanderer. More and more, though, even in a book ostensibly about restaurants, professional chefs, and the egos that drive them, he seems to be interested in, and focusing on, the person inside the persona or behind the facade. Medium Raw is, to me, a book about individuals, and how they relate to food.

Bookmarks Magazine: "[Reviewers] found much to savor, particularly Bourdain's biting personality, his own humorous self-deprecation, his ability to bring out the unknown elements of the restaurant industry, particularly the kitchen and service staff who might otherwise be ignored, and, not least of all, the well-written (if often vulgar) and compelling stories."

Bourdain's fiction (see my review of The Bobby Gold Stories, for example) is just as compelling as his nonfiction (I've also reviewed A Cook's Tour and The Nasty Bits.) Medium Raw is more of the same: fresh, compelling, shocking, heartfelt, and highly recommended for anyone who likes food.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Nonfiction (Food)

Rating: A

The Family Man

2011-08-08T08:33:00.010-05:00

The Family Man
by Elinor Lipman
Sycamore Public Library call number:
FIC LIP
LP FIC LIP (in large type)
Henry was married to Denise until she left him for Glenn. The only thing that Henry really misses about that relationship--the only thing that hurt him when it ended--was losing out on spending time with his stepdaughter, Thalia. Although he'd fought to stay in contact with her, he lost. Now, 25 years later, Henry has been living out (as a gay man) since his divorce, Glenn has died, and Denise wants to be "friends" with Henry, who has (very happily) found Thalia again. Sound complicated? It isn't, really. It's just a little slice of Henry's fascinating life.

Publishers Weekly *Starred Review*: "The plot alone will suck in readers, but Lipman's knack for creating lovable and multifaceted characters is the real draw."
Carolyn See, The Washington Post: "Just because something is ‘light’ doesn’t mean it’s not masterful."

There is something to love in each of Elinor Lipman's books, and I was very happily transported by The Family Man. It reads a lot like Then She Found Me or The Way Men Act, so if you particularly enjoyed those books, you will love this one. I recommend it for fans of well-written fiction.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction

Rating: B+

The Mountain Between Us

2011-08-07T08:47:00.006-05:00

The Mountain Between Us
by Charles Martin
Sycamore Public Library call numbers:
FIC MAR
LP FIC MAR (in large type)
A charter plane goes down, in a snowstorm, more than 11,000 feet above sea level in the mountains of Utah. Flying VFR (visual flight rules), the pilot was not required to--and did not--file a flight plan. Neither of the passengers thought to let anyone know that they were on the plane. The pilot is killed, leaving the passengers to survive, or not, on their own. Given that one of them has a collapsed lung and several broken ribs, and the other has a broken leg and numerous superficial injuries, it would take a miracle for them (and the deceased pilot's dog) to survive. Lucky for them, they happen to have an extraordinary amount of mountain climbing and fly fishing tools along, as well as some profoundly unique expertise in such things as survival techniques, hunting, and - wow! - orthopedic medicine. And have I mentioned that it's also an inspirational love story?

For fans of total improbable, heavily contrived fiction.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction

Rating: C

A Stranger Like You

2011-08-06T08:40:00.007-05:00

A Stranger Like You
by Elizabeth Brundage
Sycamore Public Library call number: FIC BRU
"When a production company buys Hugh Waters’ film script, the insurance underwriter envisions a new life for himself as a Hollywood screenwriter. But his dreams are dashed when producer Hedda Chase drops the project, rejecting its premise: a man whose advances are rebuffed by his female coworker drugs the woman, puts her in the trunk of his car, and leaves the car to be stolen, with violent results. ... [The author] excels at pushing her characters to their limits and then reflecting on the consequences of their behavior." [Michele Leber, Booklist]

This book caught my eye because it sounded suspenseful but not overly scary; I was not in the mood to be frightened, just to be kept at the edge of my seat for a few hours. A Stranger Like You wasn't quite what I thought it would be, though. Minimal action and lots of intellectualized reaction, instead, makes it seem dull, but it's really not: it's just not the book that I'd thought it would be.

Publishers Weekly *Starred Review*: "Hollywood goes Hollyweird in this intense, provocative thriller about power, war, and the portrayal of women in film from Brundage (Somebody Else's Daughter). ... The action culminates in illuminating revelations about the intersection of theater with reality."

If you go into A Stranger Like You thinking that it'll be an action movie, you will be disappointed. If, instead, you pick it up knowing that it's really about what goes on in your mind (think M. Night Shyamalan, not Robert Rodriguez or Quentin Tarantino), and you might really like it.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction

Rating: B-

Veil of Night

2011-08-05T08:33:00.002-05:00

Veil of Night
by Linda Howard
Sycamore Public Library call number:
standard version - FIC HOW
large print - LP FIC HOW
paperback - ROM FIC HOW
on disc - CD FIC HOW
Jaclyn Wilde is an "event coordinator" (i.e. wedding planner) in Atlanta, partnered with her mother, and they have a very busy week with six weddings in five days. On top of that, they are dealing with "the bride from hell", whose wedding is still months away but who is making everyone's lives very difficult, from the caterer to the dressmaker to the florist. Everyone hates her. To make things even worse, Jaclyn gets a traffic ticket. After paying it, she - literally - runs into a very good-looking man at City Hall. Her life has no room for complications like relationships, or even one-night stands, but this guy might be enough to require an exception to her rules.

Eric Wilder (yes, please notice their pun-ny names) is a detective, overworked and stressed out. He has no room in his life for cop groupies or, really, women of any kind. Women make life complicated. But running into Jaclyn in the entrance of City Hall seems to have been fate.

When Jaclyn's "bridezilla" is brutally (albeit somewhat comically) murdered, Eric is on the case. He cannot rule out anyone as a suspect, especially the wedding planner who argued with and then was fired by the victim immediately prior to her demise. It would seem that Eric and Jaclyn's fledgling romance is dead in the water.

As romantic suspense plots go, this one is not the dumbest ever. Nor, however, is it the most seaworthy logical vessel. Still, it is a pleasant-enough beach read, worthwhile for entertaining descriptions of how high society weddings are planned and some running gags about coffee. Eric is a fun character, as is the decidedly heterosexual florist who I kept picturing as a Brendan Fraser type (and who I hope gets his own Howard book-length treatment at some point).

Reviewed by: Grace
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction (romantic suspense)

Rating: like a partially melted, mushy ice cream sundae - a treat, yes, but you know it could have been served up a whole lot better

Ship Breaker

2011-08-04T09:21:00.005-05:00

Ship Breaker
by Paolo Bacigalupi
Sycamore Public Library call number: Y FIC BAC
Tell us about it: In a future world where having a dirty and dangerous job may keep a child from starving to death, Nailer is small and malnourished enough to climb through the rotting ducts of a grounded oil tanker to scavenge copper wire. Nicknamed "Lucky Boy" after his crewmate betrays him, he survives with a combination of luck and smarts.

Why did you pick it up?: I picked it up after reading an interview with the author, who won the 2011 Printz Award for the book. "Honestly, I feel like when I’m writing about the environment and sustainability, my time is better spent telling stories to young people. They seem to have a greater capacity to change." Paolo Bacigalupi, in an interview by Christie Yant for Lightspeed Magazine.

Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: I would recommend the book to kids 7th grade and up, because of violence, alcohol and drug use. The characters reminded me of those in Slumdog Millionaire, while the story was one of the best dystopian future adventures I've read.

Name: Mary A
AGE GROUP: Young Adult
CLASS: Fiction

Other Awards:
--Finalist for the 2010 National Book Award for Young People's Literature
--Nominee for the 2010 Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy
--Listed on American Library Association's Young Adult Library Services Association list: 2011 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults list

Rating: A

Testimony

2011-08-03T09:20:00.002-05:00

Testimony
by Anita Shreve
Sycamore Public Library call number: FIC SHR
A high school girl is videotaped having sex with a group of classmates. She seems to have been a willing, even active, participant. But the three boys were basketball players (and so they were of "high social standing"). And she was only fourteen, well below the age of consent. They all attend an exclusive, private school - the sort of place where "poor choices" could be swept under the rug - but the video made its way online first. Who is really to blame?

-"Shreve flawlessly weaves a tale that is mesmerizing, hypnotic, and compulsive."--Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal *Starred Review*
-"Part of what makes the novel so riveting is its graphic rehashing of a scandal familiar from newspaper headlines, but most of this affecting novel’s appeal lies in the way it so carefully fills in the nuances often missing from the headlines. ... Shreve views all of the characters, even the most flawed, with a good deal of compassion, revealing the heartbreaking consequences of a single reckless act."--Joanne Wilkinson, Booklist *Starred Review*
-"In the end, however, Testimony--like Shreve's other novels--is not always enjoyable, but it's impossible to put down."--Bookmarks Magazine

Riveting, much like the author's The Last Time They Met. Recommended for fans of thoughtful, suspenseful literature.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction

Rating: B

Eleven

2011-08-02T08:58:00.002-05:00

Eleven
by Mark Watson
Sycamore Public Library call number: FIC WAT
Eleven is about coincidences, the little things that happen that don't seem to matter, but that do matter. Maybe not at the time, maybe not in the way that they seem to, maybe not to the person they should matter to. But they matter, and they have consequences, and there are ramifications of those consequences...often that we never have the first clue about. So all we can do is the best we can do, and let the universe take care of itself.

"Eleven" is also XI, the Roman numeral, which is also the initials of Xavier Ireland, the main character of Eleven. It is a surprisingly comprehensive theme in the book, working in directions that are cleverly, unexpectedly designed. Mark Watson created a corner of the world that is warm, funny, sweet, and unexpectedly touching. I did not want it to end. This is one of the best books I've read in a long time.

--“I hugely recommend. Gentle, compassionate, unusual, and thought-provoking. Expected a fun read and got something better.”--Chris Cleave, author of Little Bee
--“Funny, sharply observed, and unexpectedly moving... The connections are ingenious and there are some very dark undertones, admirably handled.”--The Times (London)

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction

Rating: A

The Mistress's Revenge

2011-08-01T08:33:00.002-05:00

The Mistress's Revenge
by Tamar Cohen
Sycamore Public Library call number: FIC COH
Sally is a freelance writer who works from a home office in the house she shares with her longtime lover, Daniel, and their two children. When her affair with their friend Clive, a married record producer, ends abruptly, Sally has a difficult time dealing with the breakup. Her work and home life starts to show the strain.

The cover art--three antique pink-red roses on a weathered, graying tabletop, with a bee nearly hidden inside one of them--drew me to this book. I was also compelled by its tagline: "Never have an affair with someone who has less to lose than you do." That seemed to be a riddle, and I was proven right in the end.

"In brisk, compulsively readable prose, Cohen details an obsession that is sure to end badly, its most painful aspect being the effect on Sally's children. As obsession turns to lust for revenge, the question is who will be hurt and how, and the answer comes as a surprise. British journalist Cohen displays considerable skill as a storyteller in this engrossing first novel."--Michele Leber, Library Journal
"While Cohen's clever, sardonic voice diminishes the sense of predictability, this one-note story can, like the affair itself, seem ultimately rather empty."--Kirkus Reviews

As you can see, critics were not in accord about The Mistress's Revenge, and I agree. Somewhat in spite of my own better judgment, I read the book voraciously. Still, I am hard-pressed to say that I liked it, or believe it was well-written, or continue to care about any of the characters. It was all so messy and sordid, I am mostly just glad it's over. Read it if you are not at all bothered by glibness, moral compromise, and a great deal of drug abuse.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction

Rating: D

Here and Now: Poems

2011-07-31T08:56:00.002-05:00

Here and Now: Poems
by Stephen Dunn
Sycamore Public Library call number: 811.54 DUN
Stephen Dunn won the Pulitzer Prize for Different Hours in 2001. Here and Now is his most recent book. At times low and slow, at other times wry and funny - but always fresh - it is an accessible collection that inspired me to seek out more of his work.

Library Journal's Ellen Kaufman recommends Here and Now: "Dunn knows how to grab your attention; you may want to dislike him, but he will make you laugh out loud. He convincingly enumerates his own flaws, but he is unstintingly loyal to the language."

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Nonfiction (Poetry)

Rating: B+

By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead

2011-07-30T09:11:00.001-05:00

By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead
by Julie Anne Peters
Sycamore Public Library call number: Y FIC PET
This is Daelyn’s story. She is the victim of a lifetime of bullying. Even now at the all-girls private school her parents enrolled her in, she gets called “mute freak.” Girls can be vicious.

Why do they call her mute? Because she is; a failed suicide attempt left her vocal cords so damaged she can no longer speak. But Daelyn is determined to succeed this time. With the help of through-the-light.com, Daelyn purges herself of her history and plans her death in a way that she simply cannot fail.

And then she meets Santana. But with less than 23 days until her “completion” it’s too late for someone to understand, isn’t it?

Reviewed by: Evelyn
Age Group: Young Adult
Class: Fiction

Ratings--
--Popularity/appeal: 5 stars
--Quality: 3 stars

Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty

2011-07-29T08:58:00.003-05:00

Yummy: the Last Days of a Southside Shorty
Written by Greg Neri & illustrated by Randy DuBurke.
Sycamore Public Library call number: Y GRAPHIC YUMMY NER
This graphic novel is based upon the true story of a murder that took place in Chicago in 1994. Yummy (i.e., Robert Sandifer) joined the Black Disciples at age eleven. He was a 4’ tall, 60 pound bad boy with something to prove. One day, Yummy opened fire on rival gang members playing basketball, but the only casualty was a non-affiliated, 14-year-old neighbor girl named Shavon Dean. After Shavon was shot, the Black Disciples helped hide Yummy from the police. Once the gang decided they were getting too much publicity due to this shooting, they came after Yummy and killed him.

I thought this graphic novel portrayed Yummy’s story clearly; both with the black and white drawings and the text. It’s a quick read, and includes a list of resources about Sandifer that I also checked out. I was only ten when Yummy murdered Shavon, and after reading this book and some of the cited resources, I now know much more of the story.

Reviewed by: Evelyn
Age Group: Young Adult
Class: Graphic Novel

Rating: 4 stars

Welcome to Temptation

2011-07-28T08:33:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Temptation
by Jennifer Crusie
Sycamore Public Library call number:
FIC CRU
or
ROM FIC CRU
Welcome to Temptation is the first of Jennifer Crusie's "Dempsey Family" series (the second is Faking It, which was reviewed here). It tells the story of Sophie and Amy Dempsey's calamitous arrival in Temptation, Ohio. While they believe they've been hired to film an audition video for their friend (and brother Davy's former girlfriend) Clea, the project is actually more complicated - particularly when Temptation's mayor, Phin Tucker, gets involved.

"Crusie adroitly mixes the outrageous and the practical, modern feminism and old-fashioned romance, and adds a liberal dose of razor-sharp humor. ... Minor characters offer more humor and romance: the police chief and the ex-juvenile delinquent, Sophie's scheming brother and his ex-wife, the porn king and the town debutante, Phin's daughter and his mother. Like a stand-up comic, Crusie (Crazy for You) charms with her brisk, edgy style, and the repartee between Sophie and Phin keeps energy and sexual tension high. A romantic comedy that adds luster to the genre, this effervescent tale will please readers who can relate to Sophie's undaunted exploration of all her desires."--Publishers Weekly

"Crusie's previous novels (Crazy for You, Tell Me Lies) are notable for merging a seemingly endless supply of secondary characters with outlandish situations and very funny dialog. This offering is no exception."---Margaret Ann Hanes, Library Journal

This is one of the author's best, freshest, funniest books. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction (Romance)

Rating: A

What the Lady Wants

2011-07-27T09:20:00.000-05:00

What the Lady Wants
by Jennifer Crusie
Sycamore Public Library call number: ROM FIC CRU
Mitch Peatwick is a private investigator, running on his last legs. He's had enough of the divorce gig, which had been enough to convince him that everybody lies. All he really wants is to make a little money, to not have to chase down any clients who aren't paying, and to basically stay out of hassles. His Sam Spade/Brigid O'Shaughnessy fantasy has just about played out.

Mae Sullivan is in trouble. She needs somebody to find her uncle's diary, and she's chosen Mitch Peatwick. The problems? To get him to help, she's had to lie, heavily. And he doesn't seem to be nearly as dumb as she needed him to be, to believe her lies. And there seems to be something going on between them, which wasn't part of her plan.

What the Lady Wants is one of Jennifer Crusie's earliest books, originally published in 1995. It is not as polished and fleshed out as the novels that she's written more recently. Taken for what it's worth, though--a very short comedy, almost a farce, with heavy noir overtones--it's a couple of hours' light entertainment. Enjoy.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction (Romance)

Rating: B

I'm in No Mood for Love

2011-07-26T09:04:00.001-05:00

I'm in No Mood for Love
by Rachel Gibson
Sycamore Public Library call number: ROM FIC GIB
I'm in No Mood for Love is the second in Rachel Gibson's series involving a set of author friends, Lucy (book #1, Sex, Lies and Online Dating), Maddie (#3, Tangled Up in You), Adele (#4, Not Another Bad Date), and Clare. Clare writes romance novels, but unlike her heroines, she cannot seem to find the right guy. Capping off a rather dull romantic history, she just caught her most recent boyfriend (actually, fiance) - with another man. She is ready to call it quits.

Enter childhood playmate and occasional tormentor Sebastian Vaughan. The son of her mother's handyman, he is now a famous journalist, coming back to Boise to get to really know his dad. At the same time, Sebastian and Clare seem unable to resist their interest in, and attraction to, each other.

Maria Hatton, reviewing for Booklist, wrote: "Gibson's all-around great story has everything: excellent characters, amusing wit, and a real, believable romance. Gibson exceeds expectations with this terrific tale."

I thought that the main characters were somewhat hard to like (Clare is very "poor me", and Sebastian is supposed to be simultaneously intellectually brilliant and romantically as thick as a brick), but the plot was engaging and kept things rolling well enough. Recommended for fans of the author and contemporary women's fiction.

patron review by: Grace
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction (romance, contemporary)

Rating: worth reading

Twin Cities

2011-07-25T09:06:00.000-05:00

Twin Cities
by Carol Muske-Dukes
Sycamore Public Library call number: 811.54 MUS
The new book by Carol Muske-Dukes, Twin Cities, is a great example of low-key, accessible poetry. That does not mean it is lowbrow, boring, or lacking in any way. Quite the contrary, this author makes poems that are welcoming, understandable, and also very beautiful.

"Even as she inhabits a mainstream of American culture focused on validating personal experience, Muske-Dukes stands out as a poet committed to lyrical intensity."--Publishers Weekly
"A collection that highlights the richness that makes life mysterious and yet clear and immediate; for all readers."—Sadiq Alkoriji, Library Journal

"Widows" and "Twin Tree" are the big treasures here. Highly recommended for poetry fans and anyone who enjoys well-crafted language.

Reviewed by: Amy
Age Group: Adult
Class: Poetry

Rating: A

Daisy's Back in Town

2011-07-22T09:09:00.000-05:00

Daisy's Back in Town
by Rachel Gibson
Sycamore Public Library call number: ROM FIC GIB
Daisy and Jack have been friends since children; they grew up as constant companions with Steven, too. It all became complicated when they hit adolescence, and the three of them couldn't have the easy friendship that they'd always known. Nearly half a lifetime later, Daisy's come back to their hometown of Lovett, Texas. She's intent on talking with Jack about the events that led to her leaving. She needs to make him understand.

"Although the sexual chemistry between the two is near palpable and their banter never lacks for wit, what's really impressive is how much the protagonists grow throughout the book and have grown since their initial affair, which is revealed through flashbacks. Secondary characters like Daisy's smart-alecky son and her bitter, newly divorced sister also shine, making this a well-rounded and truly noteworthy read."--Publishers Weekly

This is what romance should be: fun but not frivolous, thoughtful without being onerous, and ultimately as satisfying as any other well-written novel. Recommended for fans of Jennifer Crusie and Alisa Kwitney.

patron review by: Grace
Age Group: Adult
Class: Fiction (romance, contemporary)

Rating: A

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

2011-07-21T09:04:00.000-05:00

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter
by Tom Franklin
Sycamore Public Library call number: FIC FRA
Tell us about it: The title doesn't make sense until you read its explanation in the front of the book: M, I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, humpback, humpback, I.--How southern children are taught to spell Mississippi. It is a murder mystery as well as a story of friendship, loneliness and growing up in Mississippi in the mid-80s.

Why did you pick it up?: Two mystery reading friends picked it up because it won a 2010 Edgar Award. They both highly recommended it to me.

Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: I think this book will appeal to adults and high school age readers who like mysteries.

In a *Starred Review* for Booklist, Allison Block wrote, "Edgar Award winner Franklin (Hell at the Breech, 2003) renders luminous prose and a cast of compelling characters in this moody, masterful entry."

Name: Mary A
AGE GROUP: Adult
CLASS: Fiction

Rating: A

Uglies

2011-07-20T09:19:00.004-05:00

Uglies
by Scott Westerfeld
Sycamore Public Library call number: Y FIC WES

Tell us about it: it is about this world where when you turn sixteen you get turned Pretty. The main character, Tally, has a friend who ran away. Tally needs to find her and turn her in to Special Circumstances (the government), or Tally will never be made Pretty.
Why did you pick it up?: it was on the bonus reading list, and my friend read it and said it was good.
Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: I would, for those science fiction lovers, because this book is all about science fiction.

Age Group: Young Adult
Classification: Fiction (Science Fiction)
Name: Eriq

Rating: *** :):)

Matched

2011-07-19T09:01:00.000-05:00

Matched
by Ally Condie
Sycamore Public Library call numbers:
Y FIC CON (book)
YCD FIC CON (on disc)
I just finished Matched by Ally Condie. I was intrigued by the premise of this book where the characters live in a society not unlike the one in Lowry's The Giver. The government is in full control - there are only 100 of everything left in existence; songs, history lessons, poems. Your vocation is assigned to you, and a formal "matching ceremony" decides who your life partner will be. Cassia receives conflicting data about her match and begins to question the freedoms The Society has taken away.

While I still love the ideas that led Condie to write this novel, I can't help but think it should have been about 100 pages shorter. The "I love Zander but I also love Ky, and even more so" constant internal monologue really bogged the book down. All of the interesting theories seemed to get lost by the wayside, for example, Kassia discovers that The Society poisons the food of the elderly to ensure that they die on their 80th birthday, and she never attempts to find out more.
I would recommend this book. After everything, I still get the appeal. Readers who want less science fiction and more angsty love-triangles will gobble this up. I guess I just wasn't in the mood this week.

Reviewed by: Evelyn
Age Group: Young Adult
Class: Fiction

Rating: 2.5 stars

The Distant Hours

2011-07-18T09:17:00.000-05:00

The Distant Hours
by Kate Morton
Sycamore Public Library call number: FIC MOR
The story begins in 1992 in London when Meredith Burchill receives a lost redirected letter from fifty years ago. Her daughter, Edith, who is telling the story, is confused by her mother’s secrecy and unwillingness to talk about it. Meredith reluctantly tells her daughter that she had been a child war evacuee during World War II.

The story alternates between 1992 and the early war years when Meredith lived at Milderhurst Castle in Kent as a war evacuee. Edith wants to learn more but her mother is unwilling to talk about it. Edith has a business trip in the country and by taking a wrong turn mistakenly arrives at the entrance to Milderhurst Castle. (I did find this coincidence a little too “coincidental”). While at the entrance gates, a memory is awakened in Edith and she is sure that her mother had brought her to this spot many years ago. When she asks her mother about it she denies it and Edith is then determined to find out all she can with or without her mother’s help. Edith is sure the Castle has the answers to her mother’s past. As she investigates she realizes that it is more than just her mother’s past that is hidden. A quote from the jacket describes it best: “The truth of what happened in ‘the distant hours’ of the past has been waiting a long time for someone to find it.”

This novel is described as a form of Gothic Fiction, a favorite of mine, but it took a little longer for me to get hooked on it, but once I did I found it very readable and enjoyable. As the story progressed and became more intriguing I couldn’t wait to get the end and to find out “the truth of what happened” but I also did not want the book to end.

Age Group: Adult
Classification: Fiction
Name: Nancy

Flip

2011-07-17T08:32:00.002-05:00

Flip
by Martyn Bedford
Sycamore Public Library call number: Y FIC BED
Alex wakes up from a bad dream to realize his whole life has become a bad dream. His soul is trapped inside the body of Philip, Alex’s polar opposite. Alex is left trying to discover what exactly happened on that night 6 months ago, the last night he can remember. If he figures out the secret, he just might be able to switch back into his own body – if he still has a body to return to.

I loved the mystery in this book. While feeling terrible for Alex, it was fun to watch him analyze Flip’s personality and his relationships. I couldn’t decide whether I wanted Alex to return to his body or if I’d rather him stay Flip forever.

I give this book 3 stars.
Find it in our collection: Y FIC BED

Reviewed by: Evelyn
Age Group: Young Adult
Class: Fiction

12th Grade Kills

2011-07-16T09:22:00.001-05:00

12th Grade Kills
Volume 5 of "The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod" series
by Heather Brewer
available by Inter-Library Loan;
see Adult Services Staff for assistance in acquiring this title.
Tell us about it: it is a very interesting book about a vampire/human teenage boy who is called the Pravus.
Why did you pick it up?: I read it because my friend said it was a book about a vampire, and I like the supernatural
Would you recommend this? Why or why not?: yes, because I really liked it a lot.

Age Group: Young Adult
Classification: Fiction
Name: Eriq

Rating: five stars and five paws up