Tag: nonfiction

National Book Awards Finalists

The mission of the National Book Foundation and the National Book Awards is to celebrate the best of American literature, to expand its audience, and to enhance the cultural value of good writing in America. The 2012 Finalists are:

The mission of the National Book Foundation and the National Book Awards is to celebrate the best of American literature, to expand its audience, and to enhance the cultural value of good writing in America. The 2012 Finalists are:

FICTION

This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz

A Hologram for the King by Dave Eggers (CD book, MP3 CD book)

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain

The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers

 

NONFICTION

Iron Curtain:  The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1945 – 1956 by Anne Applebaum

Behind the Beautiful Forevers:  Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo (audio download, eBook)

The Passage of Power:  The Tears of Lyndon Johnson, volume 4 by Robert Caro (eBook)

The Boy Kings of Texas by Domingo Martinez

House of Stone:  A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East by Anthony Shadid (audio download)

Between the Covers: Adventure, True Survival, & True Crime

This year’s adult summer reading club has come to an end. Get Between the Covers with a nonfiction account of adventure, true survival, or true crime and enjoy the rest of the summer!

This year’s adult summer reading club has come to an end. Get Between the Covers with a nonfiction account of adventure, true survival, or true crime and enjoy the rest of the summer!

At the Devil’s Table: The Untold Story of the Insider Who Brought Down the Cali Cartel by William C. Rempel
Traces the collaborative effort between two U.S. agents and a security chief for a notorious Colombian drug cartel to dismantle the organization and bring its leaders to justice, a life-risking venture marked by a race to protect the life of a key witness.

Crazy for the Storm: A Memoir of Survival by Norman Ollestad (audio download, CD book, eBook)
Describes the author’s struggles with constant fear in the face of his father’s thrill-seeking personality, and his efforts to survive a plane crash that killed his father and stranded him in the Gabriel Mountains.

Down Around Midnight: A Memoir of Crash and Survival by Robert Sabbag
The author shares his story of surviving a 1979 plane crash in the woods on Cape Cod, and reconnects with other survivors in an attempt to come to terms with the emotional ramifications of the incident.

Extreme Weather: A Guide to Surviving Flash Floods, Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Heat Waves, Snowstorms, Tsunamis, and Other Natural Disasters by Bonnie Schneider
A CNN meteorologist shares guidelines on how to prepare for weather emergencies, providing recommendations for making evacuation plans, stocking emergency supplies, and surviving extreme weather scenarios at home, in a car, and outdoors.

Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Scott Andrew Selby & Greg Campbell
Presents an account of the largest diamond heist in history as “The School of Turin” stole half a billion dollars in diamonds and other valuables from the Antwerp Diamond Center in Belgium.

Ghost Wave: The Discovery of Cortes Bank and the Biggest Wave on Earth by Chris Dixon
Rising from the depths of the North Pacific lies a fabled island, now submerged just 15 feet below the surface of the ocean. Rumors and warnings about Cortes Bank abound, but among big wave surfers, this legendary rock is famous for one simple (and massive) reason: this is the home of the biggest rideable wave on the face of the earth.

Hell or High Water: Surviving Tibet’s Tsangpo River by Peter Heller
Tibet’s Tsangpo Gorge, inspiration for Shangri-La and one of the world’s most insurmountable stretches of river, remained unconquered until a team of seven world-class kayakers rose to the challenge.

How to Survive Anything, Anywhere: A Handbook of Survival Skills for Every Scenario and Environment by Chris McNab
A complete handbook of the urban and wilderness survival skills practiced by elite U.S. and U.K. military units.

K2: Life and Death on the World’s Most Dangerous Mountain by Ed Viesturs & David Roberts
The first American mountaineer to have ascended all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks explores the history of K2 as reflected by six dramatic climbing campaigns, describing the tragedies that have marked many attempts as well as his own near-fatal 1992 ascent.

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann (audio download, CD book, eBook)
Interweaves the story of British explorer Percy Fawcett, who vanished during a 1925 expedition into the Amazon, with the author’s own quest to uncover the mysteries surrounding Fawcett’s final journey and the secrets of what lies deep in the Amazon jungle.

Lost in Shangri-La: A True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II by Mitchell Zuckoff (audio download, CD book, eBook)
The story of an extraordinary World War II rescue mission, where a plane crash in the South Pacific plunged a trio of U.S. military personnel into the jungle-clad land of New Guinea

Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China by Paul French
Chronicles the efforts of two detectives, one British and one Chinese, as they raced to find an Englishwoman’s killer in 1937 before the Japanese invaded Peking.

The Pirates of Somalia: Inside Their Hidden World by Jay Bahadur
This riveting narrative examines the world of the Somalian pirates: how they live, the forces that have created piracy in Somalia, how they spend the ransom money, and how they deal with their hostages.

Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival by Dean King
Chronicles the hardships encountered by twelve American sailors who, in 1815, were shipwrecked on the coast of North Africa, captured, sold into slavery, and sent on a difficult odyssey through the perilous heart of the Sahara.

SEAL Team Six: Memoirs of an Elite Navy SEAL Sniper by Howard E. Wasdin & Stephen Templin (audio download, CD book)
A Navy SEAL Team Six sniper reveals how he became an elite soldier while recounting the dramatic mission that nearly cost him his life, offering insider perspectives on his team’s extensive training process at the Marine’s Scout Sniper School.

The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life by Ben Sherwood
Draws on stories about survivors of accidents, crime, and serious illness to investigate why some people succumb to life-threatening hardships while others rally.

The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible by John Geiger
Explores the human capacity to survive extreme conditions, noting a phenomenon in which people in life-endangering circumstances often sense an unseen presence who offers encouragement and guidance.

The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant (audio download, eBook)
Documents the efforts of a tiger conservation leader who was forced to hunt a man-eating tiger through the brutal Siberian winter, an effort that familiarized him with the creature’s history, motives, and unique method of attack.

To the Last Breath: A Memoir of Going to Extremes by Francis Slakey
A physics professor describes the rigidly scheduled and isolated existence he led before embarking on a life-risking effort to climb the world’s highest mountains and surf every ocean.

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (audio download, CD book, eBook, large print)
The true story of a U.S. airman who crashed into the sea during WWII and had to face thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater.

Under and Alone: The True Story of the Undercover Agent Who Infiltrated America’s Most Violent Outlaw Motorcycle Gang by William Queen
A veteran ATF agent describes his stint as an undercover agent with the Mongols, a violent outlaw motorcycle gang.

Marilyn Monroe

Sunday, August 5 marks 50 years since the passing of Marilyn Monroe. Watch a movie featuring the actress or read a book that examines or imagines her life.

Sunday, August 5 marks 50 years since the passing of Marilyn Monroe. Watch a movie featuring the actress or read a book that examines or imagines her life.

FILMS

All About Eve
From the moment she glimpses her idol at the stage door, Eve Harrington moves relentlessly towards her goal: taking the reins of power from the great actress Margo Channing.

The Asphalt Jungle: City Under the City
An aging criminal is released from prison and decides to assemble the old gang to go on one last heist.

Bus Stop
A young cowboy finds the girl of his dreams, and when she is reluctant to accept his proposal, forces her to get on a bus bound for Montana.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Two showgirls set sail on a cruise ship in hopes of catching wealthy husbands.

The Misfits
A group of cowboys and a young divorcee meet in the Nevada desert to try to find a new life.

My Week with Marilyn
While filming “The Prince and the Showgirl,” an assistant director befriends Monroe, and shows her what life in London is like without the spotlight of celebrity.

The Seven Year Itch
A husband of seven years, alone in New York while his family vacations, fantasizes an affair with the TV model in the upstairs apartment.

Some Like it Hot
On the run musicians disguise themselves as women and join a singer in an all-female jazz band in order to escape the mob.

BIOGRAPHIES

Fragments: Poems, Intimate Notes, Letters by Marilyn Monroe
A collection of written artifacts, notes to herself, letters, even poems, in Marilyn’s own handwriting, never before published, along with rarely seen intimate photos.

Marilyn: The Passion and the Paradox by Lois Banner
A portrait of the actress analyzes the paradoxes in her life while reinterpreting previously unexplored aspects of her character, from her foster-care childhood and struggles with sexual abuse to her spiritual side and intellectual views.

Marilyn and Me: Sisters, Rivals, Friends by Susan Strasberg
A unique view of a Hollywood icon by actress Susan Strasberg, who knew Marilyn intimately and competed with her for the attention of her parents, acting teachers Lee and Paula Strasberg.

The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by J. Randy Taraborrelli (eBook)
Explores the roles of the influential women in her life, including her mentally ill mother, in an account that also discusses Monroe’s own struggles with mental illness, her estranged father, and the Kennedys.

NOVELS

Bye Bye, Baby by Max Allan Collins
Hired by Marilyn Monroe to listen to threatening phone calls from a movie studio that wants to fire her, celebrity private investigator Nate Heller discovers a massive conspiracy to murder the iconic star and faces a career-ending challenge when Monroe turns up dead shortly after.

The Empty Glass by J. I. Baker
A tale inspired by historical events and conspiracy theories follows L.A. County Deputy Coroner Ben Fitzgerald’s investigation into the death of Marilyn Monroe, whose diary describes a doomed love affair and suggests a high-level cover-up.

The Life and Opinions of Maf the Dog, and of His Friend Marilyn Monroe by Andrew O’Hagan
Given as a Christmas present to Marilyn Monroe, Maf the dog provides keen insight into the world of the Hollywood starlet during the last two years of her life.

New Book Friday: August

We had a dilemma this year – do we put New Book Friday up a week early, or a week late? Lucky for you, you get August’s New Book Friday a week ahead of schedule!

If you’re curious as to what the staff is loving…

A Bad Day for Voodoo – gross, gory, and HYSTERICALLY funny. Miss Kate has gotten weird looks on the subway because of how much she’s been LOLing.

Croak – ever wondered if there’s more than one Grim Reaper? And what if snarky teens had the job?

The End – learn how the world might end … or why some apocalypse movies just won’t happen in the real world.

Selection – okay. One of our librarians has the ebook out (THERE’S AN EBOOK) – but it’s apparently a cross between The Hunger Games and America’s Next Top Model.

     

     

     

     

   

     

     

   

Happy Mother’s Day!

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 13. Read a novel or memoir about motherhood (and grandmotherhood) and have a happy Mother’s Day!

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 13. Read a novel or memoir about motherhood (and grandmotherhood) and have a happy Mother’s Day!

Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg
After the death of her husband, Helen Ames is shocked to discover that he spent their retirement savings before he died, but what he did with their money leads Helen and her 27-year-old daughter Tessa to embark on new adventures.

How to Be an American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway
Entreated to visit her ancestral family in Japan in place of her ailing mother, Sue uncovers family secrets that influence her life in unforeseen ways, offer insight into her mother’s marriage to an American GI and reveal the role of tradition in shaping personal choice.

29 by Adena Halpern
Ellie Jerome is a 75-year-old who feels she has more in common with her granddaughter, Lucy, than her daughter, Barbara. After a birthday wish to be 29 again for a single day, she and Lucy are sent on an adventure of unexpected twists and turns.

Bloom: A Memoir by Kelle Hampton
Recounts the author’s first year with her newborn daughter, Nella–who has Down syndrome–and her own journey of transformation as she realized that she had been chosen to experience an extraordinary and special gift.

Watermelon by Marian Keyes
When her husband, James, leaves her after she delivers her first child, Claire retires to her family in Dublin, where she slowly recovers from the experience, giving James a big surprise when he shows up again.

The Rest of Her Life by Laura Moriarty.
When her daughter accidentally hits and kills another high school girl with the family’s car, Leigh, a troubled mother, is forced to confront her relationship with her daughter and her long-buried feelings towards her own neglectful mother.

Things I Want My Daughters to Know by Elizabeth Noble
Having received letters and a journal from their mother written at the end of her life, four sisters struggle through their first year without her, a time marked by their bereavement and efforts to achieve joy and passion.

Not Becoming My Mother: And Other Things She Taught Me Along the Way by Ruth Reichl
Reflects on the author’s mother, focusing on her early life as a bookstore owner and housewife and the diaries she kept which had been retrieved by her daughter after her death.

Best Friends, Occasional Enemies: The Lighter Side of Life as a Mother and Daughter by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella
A mother and daughter present personal essays that explore life through their close bond, in a volume inspired by their weekly column, “Chick Wit,” that discusses such topics as their relationship, their carb counts, and the green jacket that almost caused a catfight.

The Leopard Hat: A Daughter’s Story by Valerie Steiker
The author describes her magical childhood growing up on Manhattan’s Upper East Side with her mother, a Belgian Jew hidden as a child from the Nazis during World War II, whose appetite for joy, flamboyance, and protectiveness surrounded her family with love, and the tragic loss of her mother during her junior year at Harvard.