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July 22, 2008
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July 11, 2008
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Library Journal magazine
gave to:
American Wife: A Novel (Hardcover)
by
Curtis Sittenfeld
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Library Journal magazine said:
""American Wife" was reviewed in our Tag Team review series (http://www.libraryjournal.com/blog/77000...), in which two librarians review one book. One loved it, the other came close to panning it. Have a look at these contrasting opinions o...more
"American Wife" was reviewed in our Tag Team review series (http://www.libraryjournal.com/blog/77000...), in which two librarians review one book. One loved it, the other came close to panning it. Have a look at these contrasting opinions on what will surely be a controversial book.--Heather McCormack
John Helling:
The typical librarian, according to the stereotype, is a mousy, unassuming spinster with a bland personality and a profoundly boring life story. She begins and ends with her job and has no interest in anything besides reading and shushing. Not so Alice Lindgren. Sittenfeld has given her protagonist a richly detailed and involving life with lots of twists and turns.
The only hitch comes when Alice takes up her place in the White House, and it begins to become apparent, then clear, then screamingly obvious, that Alice’s husband is a stand-in for George W. Bush. The book up to this point is cleverly constructed and nuanced so that the thinly veiled metaphors seem blunt and ham-handed. It’s a bit jolting, but it hardly makes the book any less enjoyable.
Natasha Grant:
Sittenfeld frequently breaks off streams of dialog to share the narrator’s extensive thoughts about the past and to provide back stories featuring minor characters. Her tendency to supply minute details and in-depth descriptions at every possible turn serves only to slow the story to an agonizing pace.
The more I read, the more resistant I became to investing in the narrator’s life, especially as the book boils down to a weakly veiled memoir of the current First Lady, borrowing several details from her life, including the car accident that she was involved in that killed a classmate, her profession as a teacher and librarian, her marriage to her husband shortly after meeting him, and the role she played in his political campaigns. I would recommend this work only as a point of comparison to real-life events surrounding today’s First Family.
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Library Journal magazine
gave to:
The Time Paradox: The New Psychology of Time That Will Change Your Life (Hardcover)
by
Philip G. Zimbardo
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Library Journal magazine said:
"Managing Editor Heather McCormack has noticed the increasing sophistication of the self-help genre: "Zimbardo's book goes beyond the usual do-this, not-that approach to incorporate actual science on improving one's life."
What ca...more
Managing Editor Heather McCormack has noticed the increasing sophistication of the self-help genre: "Zimbardo's book goes beyond the usual do-this, not-that approach to incorporate actual science on improving one's life."
What can explain the behavior of suicide bombers, successful investors, and depressives? According to psychologists Zimbardo (emeritus, Stanford Univ.; The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil) and Boyd (director of research, Yahoo!), it’s their attitude regarding time—past, present, and future. Here, Zimbardo, a past president of the American Psychological Association renowned for his 1971 Stanford Prison Experiments, and research partner Boyd describe six major time perspectives. Through a questionnaire called the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory, readers can determine whether they are primarily driven by concerns with the past, the present, or the future as well as whether they view each time period positively or negatively and how that perspective might be influencing their behavior. The authors further explore what has been learned to date about how to achieve a set of perspectives that seems most likely to help people become happy and successful. So little self-help material based on real science is published that, when something like this comes along, we owe it to our patrons to make sure it is readily available. For all public and most academic libraries.—Mary Ann Hughes, Neill P.L., Pullman, WA(less)
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Library Journal magazine
gave to:
The Billionaire's Vinegar: The Mystery of the World's Most Expensive Bottle of Wine (Hardcover)
by
Benjamin Wallace
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Library Journal magazine said:
"Cookery Editor Ann Burns points out that Benjamin Wallace has been chosen for Barnes & Nobles' "Discover Great New Writers" program:
In 1985 in London, the Forbes publishing family paid more than $150,000 for a nearly 200-year-ol...more
Cookery Editor Ann Burns points out that Benjamin Wallace has been chosen for Barnes & Nobles' "Discover Great New Writers" program:
In 1985 in London, the Forbes publishing family paid more than $150,000 for a nearly 200-year-old bottle of Château Lafite Bordeaux rumored to have once been owned by Thomas Jefferson. The bottle was part of a collection unearthed by German wine entrepreneur Hardy Rodenstock. At first only a few doubted the authenticity of the wine, but over time, as more bottles from the same cache were sold, the questions about Rodenstock and his Jeffersonian bottles kept coming. Wallace, a journalist who has written for magazines such as Food & Wine and Philadelphia, has crafted a richly intriguing tale of wine collecting, Thomas Jefferson, and the rivalry between the wine departments at Christie’s and Sotheby’s, following the trail of Rodenstock and his famous “discovery.” With the same deliciously entertaining blend of history, mystery, and wine found in Don and Petie Kladstrup’s Wine and War, Wallace’s book is highly recommended for public libraries.—John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ(less)
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July 10, 2008
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Library Journal magazine
gave to:
The Lost Duke of Wyndham (Two Dukes of Wyndham, #1)
by
Julia Quinn
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read in July, 2008
Library Journal magazine said:
"Romance Editor Bette-Lee Fox wanted to preface the review this way: "Julia Quinn’s general Regency flair is highlighted to perfection in this first of two novels that cover the same events simultaneously. Witty, stylish, entertaining writing p...more
Romance Editor Bette-Lee Fox wanted to preface the review this way: "Julia Quinn’s general Regency flair is highlighted to perfection in this first of two novels that cover the same events simultaneously. Witty, stylish, entertaining writing punctuates this wonderful story, with a fascinating modern twist at the end. I won’t give it away, so be sure to read it before putting it on the shelves. You won’t be disappointed."
Soldier-turned-highwayman Jack Audley is stunned when the noblewoman whose coach he waylays claims he looks like her dead son and might be the real Duke of Wyndham. He eventually goes to Belgrave Castle to get some answers, but his existence creates quite a stir, especially for his cousin Thomas, the current duke, and Thomas’s betrothed, Amelia. Amelia’s father intends for her to marry the titleholder, so if Jack should end up with it, this would be a problem not only for Thomas and Amelia but also for Jack and Grace Eversleigh, the dowager’s companion, who were drawn to each other at first sight. This sexy, witty tale is typical of Quinn’s light historicals and is the first in her Dukes of Wyndham duo; Mr. Cavendish, I Presume is scheduled for an October release. The popular Quinn (The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever) is best known for her Bridgerton series. —Kristin Ramsdell, California State Univ.–East Bay (LJ 6/15/08)(less)
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Library Journal magazine
gave to:
All We Ever Wanted Was Everything (Hardcover)
by
Janelle Brown (Goodreads author)
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Library Journal magazine said:
"Fiction Editor Wilda "Willy" Williams says, "At a recent breakfast talk for librarians, Brown noted that the day her book was published, she immediately checked how many patrons had placed reserves for her book at the Los Angeles Publi...more
Fiction Editor Wilda "Willy" Williams says, "At a recent breakfast talk for librarians, Brown noted that the day her book was published, she immediately checked how many patrons had placed reserves for her book at the Los Angeles Public Library. Exactly 36 eager readers. In an interesting little bit of synchroncity, LJ reviewer Beth Gibbs, liking the early advanced reviews, had placed a hold on the book the very morning she received the advanced reading copy for review. Having grown up in Silicon Valley and covered the dot.com boom and bust for Salon.com, Brown brilliantly captures that culture of success and excess in a gripping debut."
Verdict: Brown's first novel rates as one the most difficult-to-put-down books of the year. It is the quintessential summer read, except that description downplays Brown’s quirky, sharp-as-tacks characters, unbelievably real dialog, and helluva plot. For all libraries.
Background: Janice Miller has a perfect life in Silicon Valley until her pharmaceutical executive husband, Paul, serves her with divorce papers, and she discovers that he has been having an affair with her best friend. Things fall apart, and Janice’s daughters attempt to put it back together. Living in Los Angeles, Margaret, 26, is scraping by and attempting to launch her own feminist magazine. Lizzie, at 14, is still at home and calls Margaret back for reinforcement. Janice simply can’t cope and becomes addicted to crystal meth, which she scores from James, the pool boy. Janice doesn’t even know what meth is, but she sure enjoys the high it gives her and enables her to cook, clean, and organize her way out of the divorce doldrums. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 1/08; Brown was a featured speaker at BEA’s Random House/LJ breakfast; see LJ’s video interview with the author.—Ed.]—Beth Gibbs, Davidson, NC(less)
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Library Journal magazine
gave to:
Master of Ceremonies: A True Story of Love, Murder, Roller Skates and Chippendales (Hardcover)
by
David Henry Sterry (Goodreads author)
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recommended for: fans of the prostitute memoir and anything about Studio 54
Library Journal magazine said:
"Assitant Editor Anna Katterjohn could not resist this book's cover, er, its equally salacious content:
Sterry chronicles his adventures as a struggling comic after he is hired as the host of the popular all-male strip show Chippendales in ...more
Assitant Editor Anna Katterjohn could not resist this book's cover, er, its equally salacious content:
Sterry chronicles his adventures as a struggling comic after he is hired as the host of the popular all-male strip show Chippendales in the early Eighties. He more than delivers on the promise of his title, and readers looking for sex, drugs, and New York–style debauchery will find it in spades. There is a tabloid-level sleaziness inherent in the material, which Sterry utilizes for maximum entertainment value. He avoids providing direct sociological commentary on the sexual power dynamics at play in Chippendales, preferring to let events speak for themselves. There are two underlying love stories, one between Sterry and a coworker, and one between Sterry and his craft; both enrich the narrative with genuine heart. Sterry possesses an engaging writing style, and fans of his earlier memoir, Chicken: Self-Portrait of a Young Man for Rent, will not be disappointed. Recommended for large public library collections and cultural and media studies collections.—Katherine Litwin, Chicago(less)
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June 23, 2008
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