Memphis Reads

CELEBRATE THE FREEDOM TO READ!

It's time once again to celebrate Banned Books Week, an initiative of the American Library Association (ALA).

As explained on that organization's website, "Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year. Observed since 1982, this annual ALA event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted....BBW celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them. After all, intellectual freedom can exist only where these two essential conditions are met."

Resources: (in order by date added)

• ALA's Banned Books Week website
  
• Learn how the list of most challenged books is tabulated
  
• Suggested Activities from ALA
  
• Google has also created a page that highlights a selection of challenged books
  
• Banned Books Online presented by the University of Pennsylvania's "Online Books Page"
  
• Amnesty International presentation about "the plight of individuals who are persecuted because of the writings that they produce, circulate or read"
  
• Shakespeare Censored! An online exhibition from the Occidental College Library

Local Events:

• Recent Commercial Appeal article with information about University of Memphis events
  
• THE BIG READ, a program sponsored by Rhodes College and numerous community partners including the Memphis Public Library, features To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This title has been frequently challenged.

Learn More @ Your Library:

• Displays of banned or challenged books help us to visualize what's at stake. View the displays (and check out the featured titles) at several Library locations including Cordova, Poplar-White Station and South Branch Libraries
  
• Check out titles about challenged or prohibited books and censorship
  

D. Matthews, South Branch Library, contributed to this post.

Fiction/Suspense

Beth reviews OBSESSION by Karen Robards (Putnam, 2007)

Hog-tied and face-down on her kitchen floor, all Katherine can think about is how filthy her floor is--and that she doesn’t know anything about the safe the robbers are looking for. The townhouse she currently lives in belongs to her boyfriend/boss, CIA Deputy Director Ed Barnes. When Katherine fails to convince the robbers that she knows nothing about the safe, they kill her friend Lisa. Katherine escapes with a concussion and wounds and wakes up in the hospital unable to recognize the person in the mirror...

Katherine remembers herself as a pale, curvy brunette.
The woman in the mirror is tan, thin and has straight blonde hair.

To make matters worse her kitchen floor’s tiles are 6 inches longer than she remembers. And she knows one thing—she doesn’t want to kiss, let alone have sex with her boyfriend of two years. In fact, she fears him.

What has happened to Katherine’s memory? Who can she trust—her boyfriend/boss, Ed? Her neighbor, Dr. Dan Howard? Katherine must follow her instincts, which scream “RUN!”


Beth, Highland Branch Library

Labels: Reviews by Beth, Suspense

Erik Spanberg reviews David Halberstam's final book, The Coldest Winter: America and The Korean War, for the Christian Science Monitor:

Halberstam's "relentless work ethic made for sober-minded portraits and also helped establish a ready rapport with all manner of subjects. The Coldest Winter offers infinite examples of Halberstam's ability to coax former soldiers to tell their stories in the starkest, most human terms....Halberstam worked on The Coldest Winter off and on for a decade. His commitment to the project shows, as the book chronicles multiple facets of the war: the battles, the soldiers, the commanders, geopolitical landscapes and the emerging cold war that shaped the responses of all the players."

In her weekly book review, published in several regional newspapers, Maggie recommends fellow Mississippian Charlaine Harris.

Read Alice Kendall's review of Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris.

Fiction/Suspense

Beth reviews LAST BREATH by Mariah Stewart (Ballantine Books, 2007).

If you know anything about my reading habits and the author Mariah Stewart, you’ll be wondering why I had never heard of this author before...but now I plan to go back and read all her work! This book kept me on my toes wondering who the killer was....

He’d stood between his father and his brother, there on a hillside overlooking the valley where it was said an earthquake swallowed an entire city....They’d taken him up into the hills to pray. There, where the sacred city had stood, they would all pray.

"I am galas, and the priestess I obey. The faithful remember..."

Archaeologist Daria McGowan was hired by a university to catalogue the finds of her ancestor, who was also an archaeologist. The finds were rumored to have come from a lost civilization, Shandibar. She quickly discovers that several priceless treasures are missing and that their owners have been butchered according to Shandibar tradition. A quick call to friend/FBI Agent Connor Shields and they are teamed up to search for the thief/killer. Are there still real galas (demon spirits of Shandibar) and priestesses? Will Daria and Connor be able to stop the deaths?

If you love romantic thrillers, then this book is for you! The killer is someone you'll least expect! Enjoy!


Beth, Highland Branch Library

Labels: Reviews by Beth, Suspense

The Big Read

From October 1 to November 15, Rhodes College presents The Big Read, "an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to restore reading to the center of American culture."

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee will be the featured title during a series of events hosted by Rhodes and its community partners, including the Memphis Public Library and Information Center.



How to get involved:

• Read TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
  
  
• Join A Book Discussion Group. Book discussion groups will be held at Rhodes and at various times and locations in Memphis. The Memphis Public Library will host three discussions:
  
  Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
  Monday, October 15
  7 p.m.
  
  North Branch Library
  Saturday, October 20
  2 p.m.
  
  Hollywood Branch Library
  Thursday, November 15
  4 p.m.
  
  
• Come to one of The Big Read Events
  
  The Big Read Kick-Off
  October 2, 5-6:30 p.m.
  Crain Reception Hall, Bryan Campus Life Center, Rhodes College
  Join the fun at Rhodes College as Shelby County Mayor A.C. Wharton helps Memphis kick off The Big Read.
  
  Panel Discussion: Race Relations and To Kill A Mockingbird
  October 9, 7 p.m.
  Cypress Middle School Auditorium
  The focus of the event will be on connections between the book's themes of justice and tolerance and their relation to the civil rights era and Memphis today.
  
  Family Night and Parenting
  October 5, 6 p.m.
  Hollywood Community Center
  A fun night of activities for all ages!
  
  Theatre Night
  November 8, 7 p.m.
  Theatre Memphis
  Join members of the cast from Theatre Memphis' 2007 production of "To Kill A Mockingbird." Cast members will perform scenes from the play, followed by an interactive panel discussion.

Rhodes College will have volunteers available to help lead book groups if desired. If you would like to join a book club, host a new book group, or volunteer to facilitate a book group, please contact Cathy Palmer at (901) 843-3958.

I love audiobooks. I find that I can listen to books that I would never finish on my own if I were actually reading them, and by listening to audiobooks I get to "read" a lot more books than I might otherwise have time for.

Last year a coworker introduced me to The Great Courses by The Learning Company. At first, I was a little skeptical of the idea of hours and hours of college lectures. However, I was won over after listening to the first 15 minutes of Famous Romans. I marvelled at the energy, passion and animation that the professor had in relating the various biographical sketches of the famous Romans of the course title. I learned all kinds of interesting things about ancient Rome and the series left me hungry for more. Recently, I finished Plato, Socrates and the Dialogues and have been thinking about pulling out some of those old philosophy 101 text books that have been in the back room undisturbed for the past 10 years or so.

Since my coworker pointed these out to me last year, I have been listening to these courses during my commute to and from work and have really enjoyed the classroom-style lectures in a variety of subjects such as literature, philosophy, religion and history. The materials are available in CD, cassette and DVD formats. Each lecture runs from 30 to 45 minutes. The courses come with a course guide to help you better understand the subject and follow up with reading on your own as well. The professors teaching the courses all come from very respected colleges and universities. The Great Courses will probably appeal to audiobook listeners who enjoy non-fiction titles and people who didn't get enough of these types of classes in college. I still listen to audiobooks in the car, but now I do it between classes.

Labels: Resources, Reviews by Jesse Pool

Five Chapters

Read original fiction online.

"A five-part story will be published every week, serial-style, beginning on Monday and with a new installment every weekday. The editor of FiveChapters.com is David Daley. David curated the 20-Minute Fiction in issue 12 of McSweeney's, created the Tag-team Fiction series for The Journal News, and is the former features editor of Details magazine."

Labels: Resources

From CNN.com:

"CHARLESTON, South Carolina (AP) -- Author Robert Jordan, whose Wheel of Time series of fantasy novels sold millions of copies, has died of a rare blood disease, his aide said Monday. He was 58.

Jordan, whose real name was James Oliver Rigney Jr., died Sunday at the Medical University of South Carolina of complications from primary amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy, his personal assistant, Maria Simons, said. The disease attacks the body's major organs; in Jordan's case, it caused the walls of his heart to thicken.

He wrote a trilogy of historical novels set in Charleston under the pen name Reagan O'Neal in the early 1980s. Then he turned his attention to fantasy and the first volume in his Wheel of Time epic, The Eye of the World, was published in 1990 under the name Robert Jordan."

Read Full Article

Check the Library Catalog for Robert Jordan

Labels: Author Obits, News

Fiction/African-American

Sara Ellen Reid reviews A LESSON BEFORE DYING by Ernest J. Gaines (Vintage Books, 1993)

In the fictional community of Bayonne, Louisiana during the 1940s, Jefferson, a young, uneducated black man, has been unjustly accused of murder. He was with two acquaintances when they killed a white storekeeper who refused to extend them credit. Now Jefferson has been tried, convicted, and sentenced to die by electrocution. In court, his own attorney poorly represented him and labeled him a mentally incompetent "fool" and, even worse, a "hog" that was incapable of planning a robbery or murder. "What justice would there be to take his life? Why I would as soon put a hog in the electric chair...."

Miss Emma, Jefferson's godmother who reared him, is deeply hurt by this portrayal; she enlists Grant Wiggins, a local plantation school teacher, to help Jefferson cope with the reality of the situation and to die with a sense of humanity. Mr. Wiggins, the story's narrator, is clearly unhappy about the assignment, but finally agrees to talk with Jefferson out of loyalty to Miss Emma. He has no idea how to proceed. Wiggins is dealing with his own issues--his discontent with his lot in life, his uncertain faith in God, and his sense of futility. Ultimately, the two men forge a friendship and both learn important lessons about living, as well as about dying with wisdom, courage, and dignity.

A Lesson Before Dying is a deeply moving, thought-provoking story which deals with life and death issues common to mankind. It was honored with the National Book Critics Circle Award and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.


Sara Ellen Reid, Parkway Village Library

Labels: African-American Fiction, Reviews by Sara Ellen Reid

From CNN.com:

"HARTFORD, Connecticut (AP) -- Author Madeleine L'Engle, whose novel A Wrinkle in Time has been enjoyed by generations of schoolchildren and adults since the 1960s, has died, her publicist said Friday. She was 88.

L'Engle died Thursday at a nursing home in Litchfield of natural causes, according to Jennifer Doerr, publicity manager for publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

The Newbery Medal winner wrote more than 60 books, including fantasies, poetry and memoirs, often highlighting spiritual themes and her Christian faith.

Although L'Engle was often labeled a children's author, she disliked that classification. In a 1993 Associated Press interview, she said she did not write down to children.

'In my dreams, I never have an age,' she said. 'I never write for any age group in mind. When people do, they tend to be tolerant and condescending and they don't write as well as they can write.' "

Read Full Article

Check the Library Catalog for Madeleine L'Engle

Photo taken from Biography Resource Center

Labels: Author Obits, News

From the Memphis Public Library's latest blog, Job & Career News:

"We have lots of different resources that can help you in your search to find scholarships and grants–books, website suggestions, etc.

Now, at the Central Library, you can also search the Foundation Center’s Grants to Individuals for scholarships as well. Stop by the desk on the 3rd floor to sign up to search this subscription-only database."

Fiction/Suspense

Beth reviews UP CLOSE AND DANGEROUS by Linda Howard (Ballantine Books, 2007)

In today’s society it is not unheard of for marriages to take place for many reasons outside of love—health benefits, money, or a business arrangement, for example. Linda Howard’s most recent book, Up Close and Dangerous, brings these marriages to light. Bailey Wingate married her boss and soon after became a widow. Now she’s living comfortably on his estate...and controlling the trust funds of his two adult children!

A year later Bailey is headed away on a private plane to spend two weeks with her brother and his wife on a rafting trip...if her plane makes it there! Cam Justice, her Texan ex-military pilot, manages to crash-land their plane but now they are stranded in the wilderness. Cam has a head injury and loses a lot of blood while Bailey has minor wounds. Will they be found before they freeze to death or starve? Cut off from the world, Bailey must learn to trust not only herself but Cam as they work together for survival.

Questions need to be answered: Why did their plane crash? Was it mechanical failure or sabotage? And who would want them to crash? This page turner leaves you ready for more of Linda Howard’s work.


Beth, Highland Branch Library

Labels: Reviews by Beth, Suspense

The Memphis Public Library & Information Center sponsors book clubs at many branches and at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library. Here's a list of the titles that will be discussed this month. For a book club's contact information, click the link for that branch or call (901) 415-2700.

Book Lover's Book Club

East Shelby Branch Library
Tuesday, September 18, 1:30 p.m.
Book selection: Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang (first half)

Central Readers' Club

Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library
Monday, September 17, 7:00 p.m.
Book selection: The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw

Cordova Book Club

Cordova Branch Library
Tuesday, September 18, 12:00 p.m.
Book selection: Crow Lake by Mary Lawson

North Renaissance Men's Book Club

North Branch Library
Saturday, September 15, 2:00 p.m.
Book selection: A Man Inspired by Derek Jackson
Learn more about the Renaissance Men's Book Club

North Women's Book Club

North Branch Library
Saturday, September 22, 2:00 p.m.
Book selection: The Tea House on Mulberry Street by Sharon Owens

Second Saturday Book Club

Highland Branch Library
Saturday, September 8, 1:30 p.m.
Book selection: The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Learn more about this book club

Labels: Books and Movies, Coming Attractions