New Books
The adoration of Jenna Fox / Mary E. Pearson
Seventeen-year-old Jenna awakens from a year-long coma to a body and a life she doesn’t recognize. Science fiction, medical thriller.
Audrey, wait! / Robin Benway
When 16-year-old Audrey dumps her band-singer boyfriend, he writes a hit song about their breakup. Now she must fend off the paparazzi and handle the gossip magazines. (amazon.com; 12/04/2009)
Bonechiller / Graham McNamee
In this supernatural thriller set in a remote Canadian town in the dead of winter, four friends encounter a cannibalistic creature that is hunting and killing teens. (Amazon.com; 12/08/09)
The brothers Torres / Coert Voorhees
Frankie, an awkward Hispanic teenager, has a crush on the lovely Rachel. His older brother, Steve, is running with a tough crowd and risking his college scholarship. When Frankie is beaten by a rich white boy, Steve is determined to exact revenge. Received starred Review from School Library Journal.
The fortunes of Indigo Skye / Deb Caletti
Eighteen-year-old Indigo Skye has it all – a loving family, an adoring boyfriend, a job she enjoys. Then a stranger leaves her a $2.5 million tip. As she navigates the advantages and hazards of sudden wealth, Indigo learns that money isn’t everything.
Graceling / Kristin Cashore
Katsa is a “graceling,” a person born with an extraordinary skill. She is a gifted fighter forced to work as a thug for her uncle, the king. Katsa has secretly formed the Council, a league which works for justice.
Impossible / Nancy Werlin
Lucy is destined for madness unless she can perform the three tasks described in the ballad “Scarborough Fair” and break the elfin curse.
The knife of never letting go / Patrick Ness
In Prentisstown, everyone can hear everyone’s thoughts in a cacophony known as Noise. Todd discovers a place of silence and learns a secret that forces him to flee for his life. First book in the Chaos Walking trilogy.
The last knight / Hilari Bell
It is “colder than a witch’s kiss … and blacker than a tax collector’s heart” on the night Sir Michael and his squire, Fisk, rescue Lady Ceciel. Then they learn that she is not a damsel in distress but an accused murderer.
The Maze runner / James Dashner
Thomas remembers only his name when he awakens in the Glade, a place with a maze surrounded by stone doors that open every morning and close every evening.
Muchacho / Louanne Johnson
Eddie Corazon lives in a rough town in New Mexico. On a slippery slope to delinquency, Eddie changes because of Lupe, a beautiful girl with college dreams.
Night road / A.M. Jenkins
Training a vampire isn’t easy.
Playing with matches / Brian Katcher
Leon, seventeen-year-old geek, finds a friend in Melody, an outsider whose face is badly scarred. As their friendship turns to romance, Leon draws the attention of the beautiful Amy.
Princess Ben / Catherine G. Murdock
After Princess Benevolence’s parents and uncle are killed, she is taken in by the queen, her scheming Aunt Sophia. Locked in the tower, Ben discovers an enchanted room and begins to learn the magic that will free her and save her kingdom.
Purple heart / Patricia McCormick
Haunted by the image of a Iraqi boy being shot in the chest, Pvt. Matt Duffy doesn’t feel like a hero.
Slam dunk / Kate Jaimet
Sixteen-year-old Salvador “Slam” Amaro is the assistant coach for the girls’ basketball team. It’s a cushy job until the head coach and the point guard disappear.
Stealing heaven / Elizabeth Scott
Danielle, 18, and her mother move from town to town stealing from rich families. In the latest resort, Dani becomes friends with the target and begins to question her priorities.
Suite Scarlett / Maureen Johnson
Scarlett’s family, owners of the Hopewell Hotel, is struggling financially and has let the staff go. Scarlett is responsible for the Empire Suite and its eccentric occupant, Mrs. Amy Amberson.
Ten cents a dance / Christine Fletcher
Set in 1940’s Chicago. Ruby leaves school to support her family. Trading her dreary mill job for one in a club that pays 10 cents a dance.There, Ruby experiences the glamour of the jazz age and the shadowy world of the mob.
The wild girls / Pat Murphy
Joan and her new friend, Sarah, write stories together. When an entry wins first place in a student contest, they are invited to a summer writing program.
Bishop McNamara is a Catholic, college-prep high school in Kankakee, IL. The library blog introduces new books, book reviews, book trailers, fun and interesting articles, original writing, and school and community news.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
New Library Books - Nonfiction
Nonfiction
Always looking up: the adventures of an incurable optimist / Michael J. Fox
Fox tells his story of battling Parkinson’s disease and how he has come to view obstacles as opportunities.
The assist : hoops, hope and the games of their lives / Neil Swidey
Jack O’Brien, basketball coach at Boston’s Charlestown High School, built a powerhouse program and a family for players, working to keep students focused on education rather than crime and drugs.
Clara’s war : one girls story of survival / Clara Kramer
The diary of a Polish-Jewish teenager who hid from the Nazis for 20 months in an underground bunker.
K2 : life and death on the world’s most dangerous mountain / Ed Viesturs with David Roberts
The real-life adventures of six expeditions to the world’s second-tallest mountain, K2, in the Karakoram Range in northern Pakistan.
A lucky child : a memoir of surviving Auschwitz as a young boy / Thomas Buergenthal
Buergenthal grew up in a Polish ghetto and survived Auschwitz. He is now a judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
No choirboy : murder, violence, and teenagers on death row / Susan Kuklin
Presents the stories of four young men who committed murder before they were 18 and the story of a victim’s family.
The sunflower : on the possibilities and limits of forgiveness / Simon Wiesenthal
While imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, Simon Wiesenthal was taken one day from his work detail to the bedside of a dying member of the SS. The soldier wanted to confess to – and obtain absolution from – a Jew. Wiesenthal said nothing. After the war ended, Wiesenthal wondered if he had done the right thing. In this revised and expanded edition, fifth-three distinguished men and women respond to Wiesenthal’s dilemma. (paraphrased from the back cover; 12/4/2009)
The things they carried / Tim O’Brien
Fictional account of American soldiers’ experience in Vietnam.
Always looking up: the adventures of an incurable optimist / Michael J. Fox
Fox tells his story of battling Parkinson’s disease and how he has come to view obstacles as opportunities.
The assist : hoops, hope and the games of their lives / Neil Swidey
Jack O’Brien, basketball coach at Boston’s Charlestown High School, built a powerhouse program and a family for players, working to keep students focused on education rather than crime and drugs.
Clara’s war : one girls story of survival / Clara Kramer
The diary of a Polish-Jewish teenager who hid from the Nazis for 20 months in an underground bunker.
K2 : life and death on the world’s most dangerous mountain / Ed Viesturs with David Roberts
The real-life adventures of six expeditions to the world’s second-tallest mountain, K2, in the Karakoram Range in northern Pakistan.
A lucky child : a memoir of surviving Auschwitz as a young boy / Thomas Buergenthal
Buergenthal grew up in a Polish ghetto and survived Auschwitz. He is now a judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague.
No choirboy : murder, violence, and teenagers on death row / Susan Kuklin
Presents the stories of four young men who committed murder before they were 18 and the story of a victim’s family.
The sunflower : on the possibilities and limits of forgiveness / Simon Wiesenthal
While imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, Simon Wiesenthal was taken one day from his work detail to the bedside of a dying member of the SS. The soldier wanted to confess to – and obtain absolution from – a Jew. Wiesenthal said nothing. After the war ended, Wiesenthal wondered if he had done the right thing. In this revised and expanded edition, fifth-three distinguished men and women respond to Wiesenthal’s dilemma. (paraphrased from the back cover; 12/4/2009)
The things they carried / Tim O’Brien
Fictional account of American soldiers’ experience in Vietnam.
Monday, December 7, 2009
"Fire" - coming soon to a library near you
Fire is a companion to Kristin Cashore's excellent fantasy novel, Graceling (a recent Mac library purchase). Read a review at the New York Times
Friday, December 4, 2009
New Books
The things they carried / Tim O’Brien
Fictional account of American soldiers’ experience in Vietnam.
The knife of never letting go / Patrick Ness
In Prentisstown, everyone can hear everyone’s thoughts in a cacophony known as Noise. Todd discovers a place of silence and learns a secret that forces him to flee for his life. First book in the Chaos Walking trilogy.
Audrey, wait! / Robin Benway
When 16-year-old Audrey decides to dump her band-singer boyfriend, she has no idea that he will go on to write a chart-topping song about their breakup. Now she must fend off the paparazzi and handle the gossip magazines. (Amazon.com; 12/04/2009)
Graceling / Kristin Cashore
Katsa is a “graceling,” a person born with an extraordinary skill. She is a gifted fighter forced to work as a thug for her uncle, the king. Katsa has secretly formed the Council, a league which works for justice. She rescues the father of the Lienid king, and with his grandson, unravels the plot that led to his capture. Received a starred review from School Library Journal.
Slam dunk / Kate Jaimet
Sixteen-year-old Salvador “Slam” Amaro is the assistant coach for the girls’ basketball team. It’s a cushy job until the head coach and the point guard disappear.
The fortunes of Indigo Skye / Deb Caletti
Eighteen-year-old Indigo Skye has it all – a loving family, an adoring boyfriend, a job she enjoys. Then a stranger leaves her a $2.5 million tip. As she navigates the advantages and hazards of sudden wealth, Indigo learns that money isn’t everything.
The brothers Torres / Coert Voorhees
Frankie, an awkward Hispanic teenager, has a crush on the lovely Rachel. His older brother, Steve, is running with a tough crowd and risking his college scholarship. When Frankie is beaten by a rich white boy, Steve is determined to exact revenge. Received starred Review from School Library Journal.
The sunflower : on the possibilities and limits of forgiveness / Simon Wiesenthal
While imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, Simon Wiesenthal was taken one day from his work detail to the bedside of a dying member of the SS. The soldier wanted to confess to – and obtain absolution from – a Jew. Wiesenthal said nothing. After the war ended, Wiesenthal wondered if he had done the right thing. In this revised and expanded edition, fifth-three distinguished men and women respond to Wiesenthal’s dilemma. (paraphrased from the back cover; 12/4/2009)
Fictional account of American soldiers’ experience in Vietnam.
The knife of never letting go / Patrick Ness
In Prentisstown, everyone can hear everyone’s thoughts in a cacophony known as Noise. Todd discovers a place of silence and learns a secret that forces him to flee for his life. First book in the Chaos Walking trilogy.
Audrey, wait! / Robin Benway
When 16-year-old Audrey decides to dump her band-singer boyfriend, she has no idea that he will go on to write a chart-topping song about their breakup. Now she must fend off the paparazzi and handle the gossip magazines. (Amazon.com; 12/04/2009)
Graceling / Kristin Cashore
Katsa is a “graceling,” a person born with an extraordinary skill. She is a gifted fighter forced to work as a thug for her uncle, the king. Katsa has secretly formed the Council, a league which works for justice. She rescues the father of the Lienid king, and with his grandson, unravels the plot that led to his capture. Received a starred review from School Library Journal.
Slam dunk / Kate Jaimet
Sixteen-year-old Salvador “Slam” Amaro is the assistant coach for the girls’ basketball team. It’s a cushy job until the head coach and the point guard disappear.
The fortunes of Indigo Skye / Deb Caletti
Eighteen-year-old Indigo Skye has it all – a loving family, an adoring boyfriend, a job she enjoys. Then a stranger leaves her a $2.5 million tip. As she navigates the advantages and hazards of sudden wealth, Indigo learns that money isn’t everything.
The brothers Torres / Coert Voorhees
Frankie, an awkward Hispanic teenager, has a crush on the lovely Rachel. His older brother, Steve, is running with a tough crowd and risking his college scholarship. When Frankie is beaten by a rich white boy, Steve is determined to exact revenge. Received starred Review from School Library Journal.
The sunflower : on the possibilities and limits of forgiveness / Simon Wiesenthal
While imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, Simon Wiesenthal was taken one day from his work detail to the bedside of a dying member of the SS. The soldier wanted to confess to – and obtain absolution from – a Jew. Wiesenthal said nothing. After the war ended, Wiesenthal wondered if he had done the right thing. In this revised and expanded edition, fifth-three distinguished men and women respond to Wiesenthal’s dilemma. (paraphrased from the back cover; 12/4/2009)
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
For Sale - 1963 Typewriter
To be auctioned by Christie's : 1963 Olivetti Lettera 32, manual typewriter. Acquired from a pawn shop in Knoxville, TN. Paid $50. Present owner, Cormac McCarthy.
[McCarthy says, “The typewriter] has never been serviced or cleaned other than blowing out the dust with a service station hose. ... I have typed on this typewriter every book I have written including three not published. Including all drafts and correspondence I would put this at about five million words over a period of 50 years.”
Cormac McCarthy is the author of more than a dozen novels, including "All the Pretty Horses," "No Country for Old Men," and 2007 Pulitzer winner, "The Road." The movie adaptation of "No Country for Old Men" won four Oscars, including the award for Best Picture.
McCarthy decided to sell his trusty, but nearly-worn-out, Olivetti when a friend, John Miller, offered to buy a replacement. Miller managed to locate another Olivetti 32, and purchased it for $11.
Christie's will auction the typewriter on Friday; the purchase price is estimated between $15,000 and $20,000. The proceeds to the Santa Fe Institute, a nonprofit interdisciplinary scientific research organization with which both McCarthy and Miller are affiliated.
Read the original article at The New York Times.
[McCarthy says, “The typewriter] has never been serviced or cleaned other than blowing out the dust with a service station hose. ... I have typed on this typewriter every book I have written including three not published. Including all drafts and correspondence I would put this at about five million words over a period of 50 years.”
Cormac McCarthy is the author of more than a dozen novels, including "All the Pretty Horses," "No Country for Old Men," and 2007 Pulitzer winner, "The Road." The movie adaptation of "No Country for Old Men" won four Oscars, including the award for Best Picture.
McCarthy decided to sell his trusty, but nearly-worn-out, Olivetti when a friend, John Miller, offered to buy a replacement. Miller managed to locate another Olivetti 32, and purchased it for $11.
Christie's will auction the typewriter on Friday; the purchase price is estimated between $15,000 and $20,000. The proceeds to the Santa Fe Institute, a nonprofit interdisciplinary scientific research organization with which both McCarthy and Miller are affiliated.
Read the original article at The New York Times.
100 Most Notable Books of 2008
The 100 most notable books of 2008 according to The New York Times Book Review. Follow the link to a list of titles and synopses.
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