STAFF PICKS -- Continuous Container Gardens

Cyndi's pick:  Continuous Container Gardens, by Sara Begg Townsend

Synopsis:

In "Continuous Container Gardens", garden designers Sara Begg Townsend and Roanne Robbins have teamed up to offer an innovative system for creating stylish containers that change with the seasons. Using an unusual array of plants, Townsend and Robbins begin with a main-stage plant -a woody plant, a garden ornament, or an eye-catching perennial. Then they add a secondary player for texture and variety. As the seasons change, they show how easy it is to swap in and out a supporting cast of plants for a dynamic year-round display. This simple approach yields endless variations, seasonal bursts of color, and varied textures that echo the ever-changing beauty of nature. The book features twelve designer containers, each with a unique plan for swapping plants in every season...for a total of 48 looks in all. Each design is supported with stunning photo- graphs of the authors' unique plant palette and the fully realized container garden. Users will learn to develop their own design eye and style alongside their gardening skills. The authors' writing style is fresh, friendly, and encouraging and is sure to appeal to a new generation of homeowners and gardeners. With "Continuous Container Gardens", gardeners of every level, in every setting, will be able to create a container scene for every season. (Amazon summary)

Cyndi says:  The author is from Rhode Island so plants used in the book are available in Connecticut.  Beautiful pictures of containers in each season.  Wonderful inspiration for this time of the year.

Meet our new YA Librarian, Miss G.!

The Durham Public Library has a new YA Librarian, Miss Gardiner!  Here's 5 Quick Facts about Miss G:

1.  Favorite Book?

Miss G:  Hard to choose just one!  I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, and my favorite Harry Potter book is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  I love SO MANY though!  Some of my other best loved YA authors are Stephenie Meyer, Suzanne Collins, Jenna Black, Christopher Paolini, and Rachel Caine.

2.  Favorite Movie?

Miss G:  The Princess Bride.  (The book's pretty awesome too)  Other favorites include Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Mean Girls, Futurama, Stardust, Labyrinth, Indiana Jones, 27 Dresses, and Julie and Julia.

3.  Favorite video game? 

Miss G:  A random RPG game for the Gamecube called Tales of Symphonia (which I can happily still play on my Wii!).  Recently I've been totally addicted to Picross 3D on my DS though, I love puzzle games, and I've been seriously considering buying the new Pokemon game!

4.  What's in your TBR (To Be Read) pile?

Miss G:  My TBR pile is a massive, scary thing.  Let's just say my Amazon wish list has about 300 books on it.  But right now at the top is Across the Universe by Beth Revis.

5.  What do you love about YA books?

Miss G:  YA books are so varied and interesting!  One day I could be reading about knights and dragons, the next day spies and bombs, and the day after the relationships of an average high school student!  YA books encompass every genre I can think of, and even have a few of their own.  And I love working with teens because they have so many interests and are so passionate when they find a book or a topic that they love!

Be sure to check out Miss G.'s new Teen Blog: 

http://www.durhamteen.blogspot.com/

Library Snapshot Week

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Library Snapshot Week!  We asked people why they visited the library and here's what they said:



"The library is not just important to me, it is critical, like a favorite grandparent is to an child.  It's a place of wonder, learning, and mystery!"



"It has great programs that my children enjoy and are able to learn from."


"Because I like to read and take out animals (puppets)."


"I am unemployed and the library gives me a place to go to keep my brain active, and to get out of the house, and mingle with others.  Thank you!"



"The library is important to me because I feel like it is my second home."


"It is the place we come to read, study, research, play, and teach.  It is one of the most valuable places to our family!"


"It is the hub of the community!  A place of learning and exploration and giving."


"It is a quiet and friendly place to hang out."


"Because you can participate in so many things at the library.  It is an active core of a healthy, working community."


"It gives me information, a quiet place to do homework, and a ton of life-changing stories to fill my time."


"Because it takes me on new adventures and I read the most creative books, so I always want to come back."



"It is an inexpensive, relaxing visit where I have a weekly "date" with my 8-year-old son.  It is precious, quiet time together for us to learn new things."



"An affordable option (free!) for a whole state's worth of books.  I use interlibrary loan a lot."



"Connects me to the local community and the larger community of ideas.  I love my library!"


"I'm a writer and a teacher.  I use this library and other public libraries every week to find material, to deepen my knowledge and to make myself a better teacher."

STAFF PICKS -- My One and Only

Patti's pick:  My One and Only, by Kristan Higgins

Synopsis:

Divorce attorney Harper James can't catch a break. Bad enough that she runs into her ex-hubby, Nick, at her sister's destination wedding, but now, by a cruel twist of fate, she's being forced to make a cross-country road trip with him. And her almost-fiancé back at home is not likely to be sympathetic.

Harper can't help that Nick has come blazing back into her life in all of his frustratingly appealing, gorgeous architect glory. But in Nick's eyes, Harper's always been the one. If they can only get it right this time, forever might be waiting—just around the bend.

Patti says:  I've loved all of Kristan Higgins' books, but My One and Only is by far my favorite!  I stayed up late reading it one night because I had to find out how it ended.  The story is funny and heartwarming, and the characters are charming.  One of the funniest scenes was Harper's proposal to Dennis--priceless!  I loved BeverLee, Harper's stepmother, who has a heart of gold and who always comes prepared with a bottle of Jhirmack Extra Hold hairspray.

PATRON PICKS -- The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Bonnie's Pick:  The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid

 

Synopsis:
At a café table in Lahore, a bearded Pakistani man converses with an uneasy American stranger. As dusk deepens to night, he begins the tale that has brought them to this fateful encounter …
 
Changez is living an immigrant’s dream of America. At the top of his class at Princeton, he is snapped up by the elite valuation firm of Underwood Samson. He thrives on the energy of New York, and his budding romance with elegant, beautiful Erica promises entry into Manhattan society at the same exalted level once occupied by his own family back in Lahore.
 
But in the wake of September 11, Changez finds his position in his adopted city suddenly overturned, and his relationship with Erica eclipsed by the reawakened ghosts of her past. And Changez’s own identity is in seismic shift as well, unearthing allegiances more fundamental than money, power, and maybe even love.
 
The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a riveting, brilliantly unsettling exploration of the shadowy, unexpected connections between the political and the personal.  (Barnes and Noble summary)

Bonnie says:  The writing style is exceptional.  Very thought-provoking and insightful.  Complex characters.

PATRON PICKS -- Michael Jackson: Music Legend

Salvatore's Pick:  Michael Jackson:  Music Legend, by Sarah Tieck

Synopsis:

Colorful graphics, oversized photographs, and short, engaging sentences draw reluctant readers in to the fascinating life of Michael Jackson! This book introduces readers to Jackson s childhood, family, and rise to fame. From singing and dancing with his siblings in the Jackson 5 to achieving a groundbreaking solo career, Jackson became a legend after his death in 2009. Readers will learn how Jackson worked to develop his own musical style and create signature dance moves such as the Moonwalk, leading to his lasting impact on pop music for generations to come. Features include a table of contents, maps, "Did You Know" fun facts, a "Snapshot" page with vital information, a glossary with phonetics, and an index. (Barnes and Noble summary)

Salvatore says:  I like it because he's my favorite singer, dancer in pop history.  Plus I know everything about Michael Joseph Jackson.

PATRON PICKS -- Boston Jane Series

Christina's Pick:  Boston Jane:  An Adventure, by Jennifer L. Holm

 

Synopsis:

Fresh from Miss Hepplewhite's Young Ladies' Academy, sixteen-year-old Jane Peck has come to the unknown wilds of the Northwest to wed her true love, William Baldt, her idol from childhood. But her socially correct upbringing in straitlaced Philadelphia is hardly preparation for the colorful characters and crude life that await her in Shoalwater Bay in the Washington Territory. In a few short months, as she's waiting for her absent fiancé to return from an errand, Jane will have slept under a tent, befriended a gloriously beautiful Indian man named Handsome Jim, foraged for huckleberries, shared a cabin with a group of ill-assorted, flea-bitten men, and nearly drowned—all while completely unchaperoned! Thrown into the wild with only her wits to keep her safe, Jane learns not only to survive, but to thrive—and to discover for herself whether she is truly proper Miss Jane Peck of Philadelphia, faultless young lady and fiancée, or Boston Jane, as the Chinook dub her, fearless and loyal woman of the frontier.

 

Drawn from historical material of the region, Boston Jane is a rich potpourri of adventure, humor, romance, and suspense, featuring a dashing new heroine who will win readers' hearts as she discovers her own true desires. (Barnes and Noble summary)

Christina says:  It was very suspenseful and full of surprises!

PATRON PICKS -- A Mourning Wedding

Mary's Pick:  A Mourning Wedding, by Carola Dunn
 

Synopsis:

The inimitable Daisy Dalrymple Fletcher and her husband Detective Chief Inspector Alec Fletcher seem to get a reprieve from their sleuthing duties when they are invited to the wedding of their friend, Lucy Fotheringay.

 

Lucy's grandfather is hosting the ceremony at his beautiful estate and so it promises to be a typical affair with hordes of gossipy aunts and other colorful but not necessarily pleasant relatives. Daisy meets all these characters and observes the ensuing familial fraternization with a certain kind of amusing nonchalance. That is, until Lucy's great aunt is found strangled to death in her bed. Lucy, in the meantime, has arranged to meet her betrothed in the conservatory, but when she arrives she finds him trying to revive her uncle, who has died-or has he been murdered? And just like that a normally celebratory occasion turns suspicious. Now Daisy must sift through a throng of relatives-aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents- once wedding guests and now murder suspects. And she must find the killer quickly before another family member becomes a corpse.  (Barnes and Noble summary)

Mary says:  Mystery with laugh-out-loud humor.  Female main character.

STAFF PICKS -- A Great and Terrible Beauty

Karyn's pick:  A Great and Terrible Beauty, by Libba Bray (YA)

Synopsis:

It’s 1895, and after the suicide of her mother, 16-year-old Gemma Doyle is shipped off from the life she knows in India to Spence, a proper boarding school in England. Lonely, guilt-ridden, and prone to visions of the future that have an uncomfortable habit of coming true, Gemma’s reception there is a chilly one. To make things worse, she’s been followed by a mysterious young Indian man, a man sent to watch her. But why? What is her destiny? And what will her entanglement with Spence’s most powerful girls—and their foray into the spiritual world—lead to?

From the Hardcover edition.

Karyn says:  A victorian gothic novel about a young girl who has lost her mother.  Set in a girls boarding school, the vivid language made it a real page turner.

Author David Macinnis Gill says he'd like to be censored...

We're very pleased to have Young Adult author David Macinnis Gill at DPL BookTalk!

David is the author of Soul Enchilada, Black Hole Sun, and the forthcoming Invisible Sun, all from Greenwillow Books. His short stories have appeared in several magazines, including The Crescent Review and Writer’s Forum. His critical biography of young adult author Graham Salisbury, Graham Salisbury: Island Boy, was published by Scarecrow Press. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English/creative writing and a doctorate in education, both from the University of Tennessee.

David is the Past President of ALAN (The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents) and is an Associate Professor of English Education at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. His nonfiction, book reviews, essays, and academic work have appeared in a variety of publications, including The English Journal, Teacher-Librarian, and many others.

DPL:  David, thanks for stopping by DPL BookTalk!

DMG:  Thanks for having me.

DPL:  You’re currently working on Invisible Sun, the sequel to Black Hole Sun.  Since you’ve already published 2 books, has the writing experience been easier this time?

DMG:  It’s been easier only in that it’s more focused and efficient. In the past, I’ve written 120+ thousand plus words and whittled those down to the final 75k that ended up in the final version. With Invisible Sun, I spent more time hashing out the story before writing a final draft, so there wasn’t as much cutting. The actual sentence by sentence, word by word writing was still a grind, however. I think it will always be.

DPL:  Where's your favorite place to write?

DMG:  On my laptop. I’m very good at blocking out noise and other stimuli when I’m writing, so I can write just about anywhere. In fact, crowds kind of give me energy. One the one thing I can’t do, though, is responded verbally to people. I must use the same parts of my brain for talking and writing because nothing derails my train of thought faster than having to talk.

DPL:  What do you enjoy the most about YA literature?

DMG:  In YA, you can try anything in any form. You can be as experimental or as traditional as you like, and the audience will go right along with you. When I was writing literary fiction for adults, I was often told that certain narrative forms were anathema for those readers. Teens so don’t do anathema.

DPL:  Do you base any of your characters on real people?

DMG:  Bug, the main character in Soul Enchilada, was an amalgamation of several teen girls that I knew as a high school teacher. She has the brains, wit, pluck, and problems of those girls, who I admired for their ability to achieve something when so many things were stacked against them.

DPL:  How long does it take you to write a book?

DMG:  Forever! Not true, but it seems that way sometimes.  It takes 12-18 months between initial plotting to the final copyedits. The first draft, which I write as quickly as possible after the plot outline is ready, takes about a month.

DPL:  Have you experienced any censorship with your Soul Enchilada or Black Hole Sun?

DMG:  No, unfortunately, because I would really like to become embroiled in a censorship battle. I’m serious. As a professional, I’ve been involved in several censorship cases, but none of my books have been banned. The closest they come is reports of librarians avoiding Soul Enchilada because of the Faustian elements.

DPL:  What books have you read lately that you’d recommend?

DMG:  I’ve just finished Shine by Lauren Myracle, Sugar & Ice by Kate Messner and Fury of the Phoenix by Cindy Pon. It’s the sequel to her Silver Phoenix, another kick-butt fantasy novel. I’ve heard great things about Pearl by Jo Knowles and The Pull of Gravity by Gae Polisner, but I haven’t gotten my hands on those yet.

DPL:  What is the funniest question that you’ve received from a reader?

DMG:  “How long have you been a man?” That was asked by a teen reader who assumed that because Soul Enchilada was written from a female POV, I would be a female. My answer was, “All my life?”

DPL:  Which writer(s) influenced you the most in your teens and 20’s?

DMG:  I drew a lot of inspiration from Stephen King, John Barth, Phillip Roth, Kurt Vonnegut, and Ursula K. Le Guin. Angsty absurdist humor with horror overtones and ray guns, that’s me in a nutshell.

DPL:  Do you find yourself dreaming about your characters?

DMG:  Of course!  They not only haunt my dreams, they start narrating the humdrum events of my life. That’s when I know I’ve captured the character’s voice.

DPL:  What is the most annoying interview question that you’ve been asked?

DMG:  Somebody once asked me, “What is the most annoying interview question that you’ve been asked?” J  Seriously, it’s an honor to be interviewed, so I’ve never been annoyed at anything I’ve been asked.

DPL:  Favorite movie?

This is probably the most difficult question ever for me. It would have to be Star Wars because of the lasting effect that it’s had, but there are so many other movies I love, such as Alien, Terminator, Diner, The Big Chill, The Shining, The Road Warrior…

DPL:  Words to live by?

DMG:  “Could be better.”

PATRON PICKS: The Search for WondLa

Jordyn's pick:  The Search for WondLa, by Tony DiTerlizzi

 

Synopsis:

When a marauder destroys the underground sanctuary that Eva Nine was raised in by the robot Muthr, the twelve-year-year-old girl is forced to flee aboveground. Eva Nine is searching for anyone else like her, for she knows that other humans exist, because of an item she treasures—a scrap of cardboard on which is depicted a young girl, an adult, and a robot, with the strange word, “WondLa.” Tony DiTerlizzi honors traditional children’s literature in this totally original space age adventure: one that is as complex as an alien planet, but as simple as a child’s wish for a place to belong.

 
Breathtaking two-color illustrations throughout reveal another dimension of Tony DiTerlizzi’s vision, and, for those readers with a webcam, the book also features Augmented Reality in several places, revealing additional information about Eva Nine’s world.  (Barnes and Noble summary)

Jordyn says:  It was exciting!

PATRON PICKS--The True Story of the Three Little Pigs

Kathleen's pick:  The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, by Jon Scieszka

Synopsis:

Now fans of the delightful The True Story of the Three Little Pigs can hear the story read aloud in inimitable style by Jon Scieszka. Side one features a reading of the story accompanied by music, while side two offers a toe-tapping original soundtrack by composer Kurt Hoffman.

Kathleen says:  This was a cute story of the wolf's side of the story.

PATRON PICKS -- Freedom

Liz's pick:  Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen

Synopsis:

Patty and Walter Berglund were the new pioneers of old St. Paul--the gentrifiers, the hands-on parents, the avant-garde of the Whole Foods generation. Patty was the ideal sort of neighbor, who could tell you where to recycle your batteries and how to get the local cops to actually do their job. She was an enviably perfect mother and the wife of Walter's dreams. Together with Walter--environmental lawyer, commuter cyclist, total family man--she was doing her small part to build a better world.

But now, in the new millennium, the Berglunds have become a mystery. Why has their teenage son moved in with the aggressively Republican family next door? Why has Walter taken a job working with Big Coal? What exactly is Richard Katz--outre rocker and Walter's college best friend and rival--still doing in the picture? Most of all, what has happened to Patty? Why has the bright star of Barrier Street become "a very different kind of neighbor," an implacable Fury coming unhinged before the street's attentive eyes?

In his first novel since The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen has given us an epic of contemporary love and marriage. Freedom comically and tragically captures the temptations and burdens of liberty: the thrills of teenage lust, the shaken compromises of middle age, the wages of suburban sprawl, the heavy weight of empire. In charting the mistakes and joys of Freedom's characters as they struggle to learn how to live in an ever more confusing world, Franzen has produced an indelible and deeply moving portrait of our time.

Liz says:  Suburban stories, wryly told, truthfully reported.  You will recognize these people, in your neighbors and in yourself.

PATRON PICKS-- Take the Reins

Jessica's Pick:  Take the Reins, by Jessica Burkhart

 

When Sasha Silver and her horse, Charm, arrive on the campus of the elite Canterwood Crest Academy, Sasha knows that she's in trouble. She's not exactly welcomed with open arms. One group of girls in particular is used to being the best, the brightest, and the prettiest on the team, and when Sasha shows her skills in the arena, the girls' claws come out.

Sasha is determined to prove that she belongs at Canterwood. Will she rise to the occasion and make the advanced riding team by the end of her first semester? Or will the pressure send Sasha packing?  (Amazon summary)

Jessica says:  This is definitely a book for horse lovers.  It's about a girl named Sasha and her horse, Charm, who go to Canterwood Crest.

PATRON PICKS -- Heaven is for Real

Ellie's Pick:  Heaven is for Real, by Todd Burpo (with Lynn Vincent)

Synopsis:

Heaven Is for Real is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear.

Colton said he met his miscarried sister, whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each. He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, about how "reaaally big" God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit "shoots down power" from heaven to help us.

Told by the father, but often in Colton's own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready, there is a coming last battle.  (Amazon summary)

Ellie says:  Fantastic true story.  Faith restoring, uplifting, with lots of promise.

PATRON PICKS -- Deeply Rooted

Kassie's Pick -- Deeply Rooted:  Unconventional Farmers in the Age of Agribusiness, by Lisa Hamilton

Synopsis:

A century of industrialization has left our food system riddled with problems, yet for solutions we look away from the land — to nutritionists and government agencies, scientists and chefs. In a groundbreaking departure, Deeply Rooted finds answers by looking to the people who actually grow our food.
Hamilton makes this vital inquiry through the stories of three unconventional farmers: Harry Lewis, an African-American dairyman in Texas who plays David to the Goliath of agribusiness corporations; Virgil Trujillo, a tenth-generation rancher in New Mexico struggling to restore agriculture as a pillar of his community; and the Podolls, a modern pioneer family in North Dakota breeding new varieties of plants to face the future’s double threat: global warming and biotech food.
Together, these remarkable characters and their surprising stories make the case that in order to correct what has gone wrong with the food system, we must first bring farmers back to the table.  (Barnes and Noble summary)

Kassie says: I love farms and farming.  The diverse portraits of men and women with small farms making their way in the face of agribusiness encourages me to believe there is still life in old virtues.

PATRON PICKS -- Thirst series (YA)

Paige's Pick:  Thirst series, by Christopher Pike (YA)

From Thirst No. 1:

Alisa has been in control of her urges for the five thousand years she has been a vampire. She feeds but does not kill, and she lives her life on the fringe to maintain her secret. But when her creator returns to hunt her, she must break her own rules in order to survive.

 

Her quest leads her to Ray. He is the only person who can help her; he also has every reason to fear her. Alisa must get closer to him to ensure her immortality. But as she begins to fall in love with Ray, suddenly there is more at stake than her own life.... (Barnes and Noble summary)

Paige says:  I liked it because it's good and it's about vampires.