Fresh Out of the Box

If you've been following this blog, it might have come to your attention that we get new books. A lot. Today along with our delivery of all of the holds that patrons who call Park Central branch home requested, we got another box of brand new books. We've always got something new on the shelves so remember to stop by when you're downtown, especially when the weather is nice.

Author David Toomey's latest book follows "The New Time Travelers: A Journey to the Frontiers of Physics" and Stormchasers: The Hurricane Hunters And Their Fateful Flight Into Hurricane Janet. Toomey dives into extremeophiles, organisms that love extremes, in Weird Life: The Search For Life That Is Very, Very Different From Our Own. Toomey's writing is praised for being scientific yet approachable. According to the New York Times, "In "Weird Life," David Toomey conveys these far-out theories with precision and humor -- including the theory that a "shadow biosphere" of weird organisms might thrive right here on Earth."

Juliann Garey earned high praise for her debut novel, Too Bright To Hear Too Loud To See. Los Angeles Times says "A fine, sharp-tongued debut. "Too Bright To Hear Too Loud to See" is a novel deeply wrapped around its subject, but it has its sights on grander themes — namely, how to survive in a world not made for you.” Check out NPR's review of the book, then swing by and snag it for yourself.

Book Buzz

We flipped through some of the magazines available on our periodicals shelf (we subscribe to 108 titles!) to see what books they were recommending to their readers.

Entertainment Weekly included The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer on their "Must List". The book has yet to hit our shelves and already has twenty-six holds. Entertaiment Weekly compares Wolitzer to one of our favorite authors, Jonathan Franzen. Wolitzer's latest work was given an 'A' by Entertainment Weekly's Melissa Maerz in her review of the novel.

Mojo gave Miles Davis: The Complete Illustrated History four out of four stars, stating "Helping the book to rise above the basics are the personal recollections of notable colleagues such as Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Bill Cosby..." 

Ms. Magazine's winter 2013 edition booked Mad Girl's Love Song: Sylvia Plath's Life Before Ted as one of their Great Reads for Winter 2013. This is not author Andrew Wilson's first book, check out Beautiful Shadow: A Life Of Patricia Highsmith and The Lying Tongue for more of his work. 

Vanity Fair reviewed The Third Coast: When Chicago Built the American Dream in the Fanfair section of the April edition. We've been seeing plenty of books recalling Detroit's golden age as the Motor City, and it seems the city nostalgia is spreading to Chicago with this latest offering. You can also check out Chicago Then And Now. 

Tunes

The Park Central Library's closed on Sunday, but you can still rock out with us! Here are some of the tunes we're enjoying on our day off.

Tom:

Artist: Mac Demarco 

Album: "Rock and Roll Night Club", "2"

Favorite Track: "Cooking Up Something Good"

Thoughts: I've been listening to Mac Demarco a lot lately. He put out two albums in 2012, "Rock and Roll Night Club," and "2." They're both really great. Perfect for a pool party. The first track from '2' is one of my favs. It's called "Cooking Up Something Good."  Here it is....

Neither of Tom's picks are in the Library collection, after listening to the video above do you think Mac Demarco is worth purchasing?

Heather:

Artist: Oomph

Album: Truth Or Dare

Thoughts: I recently rediscovered the awesome German band, Oomph!, while looking for songs to help me learn the language. The library has "Truth or Dare"  in English if you want to give them a shot. This CD has some of my favorite songs on it, although I listen to their German counterparts (listed in parenthesis) including: Ready or Not (Augen Auf), Song of Death (Die Schlinge), Labyrinth (Labyrinth), Dream here (Trämst Du?).

Oomph! falls under the musical genre Neue Deutsche Härte (New German Hardness) and influenced the more well-known Rammstein, but I find them to be less Industrial and more of an Alternative Rock band. Some of their videos are a bit graphic so you might prefer to watch the videos that just show the lyrics in German and English like I do. 

Brennende Liebe is the first Oomph! song I ever heard, and is still my favorite video.

Sam:

Artist: Lissie
Album: Catching A Tiger
Favorite Tracks: "Record Collector", "In Sleep"
Thoughts: I've been really enjoying this album. I took it on a road trip and listened to it a few times through, and have still been listening now that I'm back home. Lissie kept popping up on my Pandora stations, and I kept stopping in the middle of things to run and see who the artist was.

Fresh Out of The Box

It's that time again, we've got brand new books and you, Park Central blog readers, have the chance to get the jump on the competition. (By competition we mean the other library patrons. One of today's picks already has twenty-two holds on it, but we've got one shiny copy waiting for you at your downtown branch.) This delivery included lots of new biographies, so be sure to check those out if you stop by. There might also be a little something for the Dr. Who fan.

Our nonfiction pick (the previously mentioned title with twenty-two holds) is Charles Graeber's The Good Nurse: A True Story Of Medicine, Madness, And Murder. This true crime novel delves into the chilling case of Charlie Cullen, a registered nurse who was arrested in 2003, suspected of killing as many as 300 people.  Graeber used interviews, police records, and conversations with Cullen in jail to compile the book.

Next is Tomorrow There Will Be Apricots by Jessica Soffer, whose work has also been in Vogue. The premise brings to mind other cooking-centered fiction, such as The Lost Recipe For Happiness and The Love Goddess' Cooking School. Soffer's father immigrated from Iraq in the 1940's and she incorporates Middle Eastern culture and food into the story. 

Fresh Out of the Box

Along with the snow last Thursday, we got a delivery of brand new books. Our last 'Fresh' post was featuring some books from our newly refreshed collection, but with this post we're returning to our normal format, one fiction and one nonfiction pick out of our newest delivery of books.

Still Points North by Leigh Newman chronicles the effects of the author's life as it was split between her father in the Alaskan wilderness and her mother in Baltimore. With one parent she hunted caribou, with another she navigated the world of a private girl's school. As an adult, Newman became a travel writer, and is now the deputy editor and head of books coverage for Oprah.com.

Paul Cornell's London Falling is an urban fantasy set in, you guessed it, London. Four police officers gain 'the Sight' after coming into contact with an artifact. Now the crimes they investigate have a new angle, including those that may be the work of a child-sacrificing witch. The premise calls to mind 2009's Sherlock Holmes, which involved the police and crimes of a otherworldly nature. From the cover of "London Falling" - "But when London's monsters become aware of their meddling, the officers must decide what they are willing to sacrifice to clean up their city." Cornell is known in the literary world for writing television episodes for "Doctor Who" and "Robin Hood."

Tunes

The Park Central Library's closed on Sunday, but you can still rock out with us! Here are some of the tunes we're enjoying on our day off.

Kat:

Artist: Emeli Sandé
Album: "Our Version of Events"
Favorite Track: Song: "Next to Me"
Thoughts: I love Emeli Sandé's vocals; she really great to listen to no matter what mood you're in. I'm extremely fond of the track "Next to Me," because it's a refreshing change from the usual love song. Instead of the song being about pining away over someone who may not reciprocate your feelings, "Next to Me" is about a mutual love. It's great! The other tracks on this album are wonderful, as well.

Sam:

Artist: Ray LaMontagne

Album: "Gossip in the Grain"

Favorite Track: "Hey me, Hey mama", "Meg White", "You Are The Best Thing"

Thoughts: It was hard not to list all of the songs as my favorite track. I enjoy all of his albums, but this one doesn't have a single track I don't love. This one gets played a lot during dinner and yard parties at my house, and the intro to "You Are The Best Thing" never fails to perk me up.

Judy:

Artist: Gary Clark, Jr.
Album: "Blak and Blu"
Favorite Track: "Ain't Messin; Around"
Thoughts:  I am listening to Gary Clark, Jr.. I have downloaded his video "Ain't Messin' Around" to my iPad and watch it at least once a day. ;-) It's rhythm, it's blues, it's rock, it's awesome. Also, as a nerd who occasionally plays the saxophone, I love the sound of his backup group! It is simple and soulful and you can't keep from tapping your toes!

Upcoming Events: Coraline

We'll be showing Coraline on our projector screen tonight at 7 p.m., as part of this year's Big Read celebration! The award-winning animated film, based on a novella by Neil Gaiman, garnered an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year in 2010. Join the fun and celebrate the Big Read 2013!

Neil Gaiman is a fan of Edgar Allan Poe, the focus of this year's Big Read.  Read this great essay he wrote for Barnes and Noble, in which he recounts his first encounter with Poe's distinctive style of writing, and subsequent experience reading many of Poe's works. Some have said that "Coraline" was influenced by Poe.

We'll have a bevy of Gaiman titles on display for you to pick up. Click on the images below to place a hold in our catalog.

If you're a huge Neil Gaiman fan (we are!), the Library has many of his titles in multiple formats, from e-books to books on CD. Any one of Gaiman's works might be the perfect way to add some intrigue to your commute or keep the kids happy in the back seat.

Check out this other all-ages Big Read event, and make sure and check out the 2013 Big Read title, The Great Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe.

• Author Margaret Stohl, April 30, at 7 p.m. at the Springfield Art Museum. Authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl have created a sensation with their darkly supernatural "Beautiful Creatures" book series, now a major motion picture. Margaret Stohl will give the Library's keynote address to culminate our Big Read 2013 celebration during this evening at the Springfield Art Museum. Pick up free tickets for this event at any Library branch.