We have a new link on our library web site: Book Talk (find it in the green stripe next to Events and Ask a Librarian at the top of our web page). This is a new service and hopefully we will be expanding on it in days to come. For now, my absolute favorite feature is the ability to “Find books seen on TV and heard on Public Radio during the week” and search our catalog for these books.
October 29, 2008
The Staff Picks display, which General Reference Librarian Sara has been creating for over a year, is now available digitally via LibraryThing.com! Sara has collected the titles of over 650 books that are staff favorites, and has been displaying them in the Great Hall of the main library. Patrons love to know what librarians are reading, so these books go fast!
Our Staff Picks library on LibraryThing.com can be viewed in either cover view or list view. Each book is tagged with the name of the staff who recommended it; links to the ACPL catalog, member reviews and recommendations are also included. We encourage patrons to explore our staff picks on LibraryThing.com, and if you find a book you like, add it to your own LibraryThing.com library.
If you’re a member, why not add ACPL as a friend?
Melissa, IT Librarian
April 16, 2008
Loving this trilogy!!! The concluding volume, Hero of Ages is scheduled for publication this fall and I’m looking forward to reading it.
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The setting for this trilogy is a mist-haunted, ash-ridden, barren world. Like many fantasy novels, the society is feudal. For one thousand years, the Lord Ruler has led an oppressive empire in which he proclaims himself God, the families of those who originally supported his rise to power have inherited noble status—and the families of those who did not support him are kept in perpetual servitude.
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Mistborn gets the trilogy off to a strong start—in the author’s own words, we have a gang of gentleman thieves, each of whom has his own distinctive magical power. What brings them together? A daring plan to overthrow the Lord Ruler. The author has stated that he wanted to create a heist story along the lines of Sneakers or Ocean’s Eleven—and I personally think he was successful—however, Mistborn is more than a heist story in a fantasy setting—much more.
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The Well of Ascension keeps the momentum going. What’s going on with the mists? They seem to be lingering past sunrise—something no one remembers them doing before. They also appear to be killing people—but how? And the mist-figure that seems focused on Vin—what purpose does it have? Does a journal from the days before the Lord Ruler assumed control have the answers?
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This is a fast-paced, action-packed trilogy with clever twists. I did not see the ‘ending’ of The Well of Ascension coming at all—the clues were there but I did not recognize them until it all came together. Sanderson’s character development is top-notch—I particularly love the characters of Vin and Tensoon.
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I picked up this series because I wanted to check out the writing of the author who will be completing Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. We’re in good hands!
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For more on Brandon Sanderson, please visit http://www.brandonsanderson.com/index.php
Becky, Interdepartmental Librarian
March 31, 2008
OK, OK, Dinah Shore, wherever you are, please forgive me.
You had to have been there, staying up in your ski pajamas late on Sunday nights, sitting on the living room floor, listening to Dinah, watching her just glow as she sang about seeing the USA in your Chevrolet. I’ve tried over the years to follow her advice, although I’ve also used American Motors, Volkswagen, Nissan, Plymouth, Toyota and Honda, and the next big jaunt will be in a Saturn. Anyway, as travel season approaches just beyond the tree buds you almost see in your front yard, my surprisingly sound advice to you is to get books from the library to help plan your own travels with Burt Reynolds or whoever else warms your heart.
Two years ago, on a trip to Vicksburg, Miss., I wouldn’t have found the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale if I hadn’t borrowed ACPL travel books. Same for the tiny Jim Henson museum in his home town of Leland, which itself isn’t much bigger than Kermit the Frog. Last year, my son Aaron and I wouldn’t have discovered one of the best-kept natural history secrets in the East — Pennsylvania’s Ricketts Glen State Park and its 22 named waterfalls. The concept applies to every other such journey I’ve taken for many years now. It’s so much more fun when you have some idea of where you are going.
Next up for Patty and me is Austin, to visit our daughter, Noelle. We’re hauling furniture for her this time, so, to break up the Interstate monotony, we’ll cruise the lovely Natchez Trace on the way down and drive among the Ozarks on the way home. I plan to load up on travel books this very evening. If you’d like to do the same (and, like me, overcome your guilt about global warming, etc.), come to the Readers’ Services Department at the Main library or work with your librarian at your local branch, who will have some materials and will be able to get others from Main.
According to Dinah, “America’s the greatest land of all.” Here at ACPL, we’ve got the books (and maps) to help you discover what she meant.
Evan
March 6, 2008
900 years ago the Quirsi, a magically-endowed race with distinctive pale skin, white hair and golden eyes, launched an invasion against their northern neighbors, the Eandi—the invasion failed. As the Forelands series begins, the races appear to be coexisting peacefully. Several Quirsi serve as advisors to the various nobles in the feudal society of the northlands; close relationships have even developed between some Eandi and Quirsi. Simmering under the surface however is a general Eandi distrust of Quirsi, compounded by fear of the Quirsi’s magical abilities; for their part, many Quirsi chafe at their precarious acceptance under Eandi rule. Individuals of both races have delusions of racial supremacy.
A powerful Quirsi, known to his followers as The Weaver, seeks to end Eandi rule in the northlands. He’s patient and politically-savvy; over a period of years, he orchestrates a series of events to divide the Eandi kingdoms. His plan is to let them weaken themselves and then, when they’ve done most of the work for him, he’ll sweep in with his army and finish the job.
Throughout the series, characters’ intentions are clear to the reader; the suspense comes from hoping the other characters will recognize the peril they are in before it’s too late. Coe has done an excellent job with this. Political intrigue abounds and, with a sad ring of truth, most of the time the motivation is individual ambition rather than the greater good. Still, there is hope–-some characters will recognize their flaws and attempt to overcome them, some will make unexpected sacrifices. For me, the only major ‘flaw’ was the fact that the logical characters did not consult, or even discuss consulting, an important ghost, given the turmoil her murder caused (in this fantasy world, talking to ghosts is an option every Bian’s Turn).
David B. Coe’s ‘Winds of the Forelands’ series is a well-written story with interesting characters and a frank look at racial prejudice. There are multiple storylines to follow so I do recommend reading the books fairly closely together—the snowy days of winter are just the time to snuggle up with this series!
*If this series hooks you, you’ll be pleased to know that Coe has begun a follow-up series: the first book is The Sorcerers’ Plague. While the Forelands series took place in the northlands, the follow-up series appears to be based in the southlands.
For more info, check this link http://www.sff.net/people/davidbcoe/SorcPlaguepage.htm
Happy reading!
Becky, Interdepartmental Librarian
January 10, 2008
