Thursday, February 28, 2013

Georgia Peach Awards

Do you love teen literature?

The annual Georgia Peach Awards recognize the best in teen and young adult literature. The awards are unique because the winner is picked by teens who vote for their favorite title. Unfortunately, voting is only open to Georgia teens (not adult fans), but there are still a lot of great titles on this list for both teens and adults to enjoy. Here are my favorites from the 2012-2013 nominees:

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Lennie has lost her older sister—the person she loved best, the person she admired, the person she wanted to be, the person in whose shadow she was always standing. In her grief, Lennie turns to her sister’s boyfriend, the only other person who seems to really understand what she’s going through. But when a new boy moves to town, Lennie finds herself torn between her past and her future. A beautiful novel intertwined with poetry and echoes of Wuthering Heights.

Stick by Andrew Smith
Stick has never fit in in at school because he is deformed and was born with only one ear. To make matters worse, Stick’s home life isn’t great—his parents are very strict and his father regularly beats Stick and his brother. However, things get even worse when Stick’s brother runs away from home to escape their father and find out who he really is.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
Charlie and Vera have always been friends, but lately they’ve grown apart. Mostly it’s because Charlie has been hanging out with a new crowd, but also because Charlie died several months ago, and only Vera knows how and why. Now she’s being haunted by Charlie’s ghost and the secrets she won't admit to herself. A quirky and moving story of growing up and leaving the ghosts of your past behind.

Voting ends at midnight on Friday, March 15 for Georgia teens. Hurry and vote for your favorites before it's too late!

Cleo Slaughter
Program Manager

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Staff Picks

If you were invisible, would your family notice?

I think a lot of mothers will be able to relate to Clover Hobart’s situation in Jeanne Ray’s charming novel, Calling Invisible Women

It turns out invisibility isn’t a unique problem. (It’s an overlooked epidemic.)  Clover discovers a support group for invisible women and challenges her new friends to take on bullies and bad guys wherever they find them. If you’re feeling overlooked this story will put a smile on your face even if no one notices. 

Another fascinating but much darker take on invisibility is found in Chuck Klosterman’s The Visible Man.    As an Austin social worker is drawn into the bizarre world of a man who claims to possess his own invisibility suit you may find yourself listening for the tell-tale sounds of an unseen visitor in your own home.
The Visible Man offers insights into obsession, perspective, the unrecognized power of observation and what really goes on behind closed doors.   This intriguing and creepy tale pays homage to the works of Franz Kafka, Philip K. Dick and H.G. Wells and is a story that readers susceptible to the powers of suggestion will be sure to remember for years to come.

Alicia Cavitt
Information Specialist

Monday, February 25, 2013

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss

The library is celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday all week long with special storytimes full of silly rhymes and classic Seuss stories.

Dr. Seuss has been a staple of children's literature since the 1930s. Characters like Horton, the Grinch, the Lorax, and of course, the Cat in the Hat, have a special place in many of our childhoods. Check out Dr. Seuss books at your library. You're never too young or too old to appreciate his special brand of humor and creativity.

For a special Dr. Seuss experience, check out this suggestion from a library staff member:
"Many high school graduates receive a copy of the Dr. Seuss’ book, Oh! The Places You'll Go as a graduation present. A fun and meaningful way to share this classic book is to purchase a copy for your child beginning in preschool and ask your child’s teacher to write a message in the book about their experience for each school year."

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss and thank you for sharing your world with readers of all ages!

Saturday, February 23, 2013

The Literazzi Book Club

Kurt Vonnegut’s own experience as a World War II soldier, prisoner of war and survivor of the Allied bombing of Dresden, Germany form the basis of our March Literazzi selection, Slaughterhouse Five.    
Have you read it?  Always wanted to read it?  Wondered what makes this 1969 novel so remarkable and controversial?

Both a heartbreaking autobiography and a profoundly imaginative novel -- Slaughterhouse Five tells the story of a fictional young soilder named Billy Pilgrim whose World War II experiences are mirrored in his post-war life as an optometrist when he becomes the object of fascination for an alien race.

Our Literazzi Book Club will discuss this unique novel on March 26th and 27th at Sharon Forks Library.  Please join us for what is sure to be a very interesting book club.

Alicia Cavitt
Information Specialist

Friday, February 22, 2013

The Literazzi Book Club

I recently read Shanghai Girls by Lisa See in preparation for the upcoming Literazzi Book Club discussion group.  It was an easy read although not always a happy one.

 One facet of the story that I found fascinating was the family dynamic between sisters Pearl and May: each claims that the other is the favored child; Pearl, the older sibling, feels an obligation to protect the younger at any cost while May, the younger sibling, feels entitled to sacrifices from the older sister; and the sisters' loyalty, however tenuous it may be at times, holds them together through times of unexpected and unbelievable adversity.

An interesting development was the way the two sisters changed so radically following the upheaval in their lives caused by politics and violence.  Although at the start of the book both believed themselves to be trendy young ladies of their time, one found herself more and more falling back on the traditional  ways of her mother while the other embraced the possibilities that came with moving to America.

Helen Lug
Collection Support Aide

Staff Picks

I recently read The Husband List by Janet Evanovich. It is not her usual style, and I didn’t think I would like it because I normally don’t like historical romance.  I thought I would give it a day and it turned out that I thoroughly enjoyed it and read it very quickly. The book is set in 1894 and the main character is twenty two years old. Her mother is trying to get her married off and has prepared a list of suitable husbands. Of course, the daughter has a totally different list!


Sharon Anderson
Information Specialist

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Staff Picks

In Dorothea Benton Frank's novel Porch Lights, Jackie McMullen's husband is killed in the line of duty as a fire fighter.   Her ten-year-old son, Charlie becomes withdrawn after his father's death.  

Jackie takes leave from her job as a military nurse and decides to return to Sullivan's Island where she grew up.   Her mother welcomes them with open arms and promises to make their visit perfect. It turns out to be an eventful summer when her estranged husband Buster returns to the island and a single male neighbor starts visiting.

Mary Ann Kowaleski
Information Specialist

Friday, February 15, 2013

Staff Picks

I just finished reading Promise Me This by Cathy Gohlke.  This story involves many settings (the Titanic, a farm in New Jersey, London, World War I field hospitals) and major and minor characters.  Michael, a stowaway on the Titanic survives and sets out to find the farm and family of his fellow passenger and friend Owen who didn’t survive.  Michael hopes to fulfill his friend’s dream of bringing his younger sister Annie to America.  Michael and Annie’s story makes up the romance element of the book.  I enjoyed the whole story.  I enjoy reading about the Titanic and it’s survivors (fictional or real).  I liked the way the story continued after the sinking and brought World War I into the storyline.  I learned a few things about the families of Titanic victims that I didn’t know before.  I liked the way the author explored the faith of the characters in their storylines.  If you enjoy this story as much as I did, you might also enjoy the following titles.

A Distant Melody by Sarah Sundin (book 1 in the Wings of Glory series)
Echoes of Titanic by Mindy Starns Clark
Hope Takes Flight by Gilbert Morris
Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke (book 1 in the Love Comes Softly series)

Kim Cavalenes
Selection Assistant


Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Staff Picks

Readers and cinema fans alike are always excited to see their favorite novels turned into much buzzed-about films. This Valentine’s Day will see the release of Beautiful Creatures, a film based on the novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. While this title may be an old favorite of young adult literature fans, Beautiful Creatures is poised to explode at the box office and create a whole new legion of avid readers.

Beautiful Creatures tells the story of Lena, a girl from a small southern town on the verge of her 16th birthday. But Lena is no ordinary girl—she is a Caster, a mortal who has magical powers she will claim when she turns 16. The novel is told from the perspective of Ethan, a local boy who quickly falls for Lena and realizes she is more than just the new girl at school.

Want more books like Beautiful Creatures? Check out these other paranormal romances:

Chime by Franny Billingsley
Briony knows she’s a witch. Briony knows she is evil. And those are only the beginning of Briony’s long list of secrets.

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
When Gemma is sent to live in England and attend a posh boarding school after living her whole life in India, she begins to have terrible visions and realizes she and her friends may have powers they never imagined.

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers
In 15th century Brittany, Ismae, marked from birth by Death himself, escapes a life of poverty and joins a convent where she is trained to become an assassin and enact justice on those who have done wrong.

Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
Growing up as the only non-clairvoyant in a family of psychics, Blue’s life is anything but normal. But when Blue has her first paranormal vision, everything in her life is turned upside-down, including her heart.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
All over the world are doors. Karou knows where these doors lead—to the chimaerae, horrifying monsters and the only family Karou has. But when mysterious hand marks begin appearing on the doors, Karou begins to discover truths which have been hidden from her her entire life.

Leave a comment and tell us your favorite paranormal read!

Cleo Slaughter
Program Manager

Monday, February 11, 2013

The Literazzi Book Club

Last month our Literazzi book club held a fascinating discussion on the John Irving classic A Prayer for Owen Meany.  

Unforgettable characters and master storytelling have made John Irving a literary icon and the tiny but mighty Owen Meany -- a young man with a dramatic vision of his own destiny -- may be Irving's most captivating creation.

At the heart of Owen's coming-of-age story is an enduring friendship with narrator Johnny Wheelwright.   Growing up in Gravesend, New Hampshire during the transformative 1950s and 60s, the boys' lives are filled with tragedies and triumphs in this humor-filled and heartbreaking story.

I loved hearing reader's reactions to this thought-provoking novel and I look forward to discussing the other 2013 selections in the coming months.

The Literazzi welcomes newcomers!  Come join if you're looking for a great book club.

Alicia Cavitt
Information Specialist

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Book Sleuths Book Club

The Book Sleuths will be discussing Defending Jacob by William Landay at the Cumming Library on Tuesday, February 12 at 7:00 p.m. and Wednesday, February 13 at 2:00 p.m. Here's a synopsis of this month's title:

"Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: his fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student. Every parental instinct Andy has rallies to protect his boy. Jacob insists that he is innocent, and Andy believes him. Andy must. He’s his father. But as damning facts and shocking revelations surface, as a marriage threatens to crumble and the trial intensifies, as the crisis reveals how little a father knows about his son, Andy will face a trial of his own—between loyalty and justice, between truth and allegation, between a past he’s tried to bury and a future he cannot conceive."

If you love mysteries, thrillers, and a lot of suspense, the Book Sleuths is the book club for you. New members are always welcome!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Staff Picks

I want to share my discovery this year of author Kate Morton. Basically, she is just a great storyteller. All the elements I love are there in each of her books: a historical setting, a family secret hidden for many years, a contemporary character searching for clues to reveal the secret, the narrative of the character in the past, and the slow revelation of the circumstances surrounding the secret.

Best of all is the setting that ties together the characters, the family history, and the secret: an ancient, brooding house or estate in the English countryside reminiscent of Manderley, the house in Daphne Du Maurier’s novel, Rebecca. As with Manderley, theses house are so infused with character and the ghosts of previous events and inhabitants that the house itself is almost a character in the story.

Morton’s novel are:

The House at Riverton
The novel takes place in the period between the wars with lots of Jazz Age atmosphere. The main character is a housemaid for an aristocratic family giving the feel of "Downton Abbey."

The Forgotten Garden
The novel takes place before the Great War and the garden in the title reminds readers of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and is full of fairy tale illusion.

The Distant Hours
Once again, a fabulous old manor house that whispers the secrets of three eccentric sisters during World War II.

The Secret Keeper
Also set during World War II and the 1960’s, I am currently reading this novel and savoring every page because I know there isn’t another Kate Morton novel waiting for me to read at this time!

Holly Raus
Collection Support Aide

Monday, February 4, 2013

Literazzi Book Club February 2013


  Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

Pearl and May are sisters living in 1937 cosmopolitan Shanghai, the Paris of Asia. They believe they are modern and independent but when they learn their father has lost them in a gambling bet, they become the traditional Chinese daughters.

They are to marry two Chinese Americans and are supposed to join their new husbands in America to start a new life. Shanghai at that time is under siege and is being attacked by the Japanese. Pearl and May suffer difficulties and indignities in trying to flee from the horrors and encounter many atrocities along the way. When they reach San Francisco, they are detained at Angel Island by the immigration authorities. The sisters face hardship in adjusting to their new life in America.

This story covers 20 years and illustrates the culture and history of Chinese Americans at the time and the struggles they have go through in order to adjust to a new country. The author narrates a captivating and engaging story of two worlds that are on the verge of change.

FCPL's Literazzi book club will be discussing Shanghai Girls February 26th at 7:00 pm. and February 27th at 2:00 p.m. at the Sharon Forks Library.  We look forward to hearing what patrons think about this unique book. 

Shamsha Karim
Information Specialist