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Orange Prize for Fiction goes to Madeline Miller

The Orange Prize for Fiction was awarded to the American writer Madeline Miller for her novel "The Song of Achilles."

"The Orange Prize for Fiction was set up in 1996 to celebrate and promote fiction written by women throughout the world to the widest range of readers possible. The Orange Prize is awarded to the best novel of the year written in English by a woman."

Previous winners of the Orange Prize for fiction

Retold Tales - recommended books for adults (from NoveList database)

Ray Bradbury (1920-2012)

The author Ray Bradbury died at the age of 91 on June 5, 2012 in Los Angeles, after a lengthy illness. He was born on August 22, 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois. He was best known for his novel Fahrenheit 451 which was published in 1953.

 New York Times Obituary by Gerald Jonas

Books by Rad Bradbury in our collection

Books about Rad Bradbury in our collection

Fahrenheit 451 (movie on DVD) 
directed by François Truffaut. "[Oskar] Werner stars as a fireman in charge of burning books in a future where reading is a crime. [Julie] Christie plays a dual role as his wife and his book-collecting mistress."

Carlos Fuentes dies at 83

Catalog Link

Mexican author Carlos Fuentes died at age 83, May 15, 2012 in Mexico City. Come to the library and check out our display, or look up our holdings on Carlos Fuentes online:

Books by Carlos Fuentes in the Hamden Public Library collection

Book about Carlos Fuentes in the Hamden Public Library collection

Obituary by Anthony DePalma, published in the print edition of the New York Times, May 16, 2012

Charles Higham dies at 81

Charles Higham, a  celebrity biographer, died on April 21 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 81. Mr. Higham wrote about two dozen biographies, on Katharine Hepburn, Marlene Dietrich, Bette Davis, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, Cary Grant, Orson Welles and others. Charles Higham was born in London on Feb. 18, 1931.

Mr. Higham's biographies in the Hamden Library Collection 

New York Times obituary by Margalit Fox, published May 3, 2012

May is Gifts from the Garden Month

Come to the library this month and check out our multi-media display GIFTS FROM THE GARDEN MONTH.
I am especially intrigued by our beautiful books on the history of gardens in art and painting. Below are just a few.

You can check out a natural sound collection on CD
titled THE GARDEN or the DVD Gardens of the World with Audrey Hepburn. There are books on garden design, garden history, botanical drawing, edible landscaping, etc.

New York's Botanical Garden has a special exhibit devoted
to Monet's Garden until Oct. 21.(article in New York Times, published May 18, 2012) Last year, the Botanical Garden
featured Emily Dickinson's Garden.

The New York Botonical Garden (website)


 
   The History of Gardens in Painting by Nils Büttner.
"The creation of gardens was among the first achievements of early civilizations, and garden design was already highly developed in antiquity. Pictures of gardens are a reflection of the social, historical, and aesthetic context in which gardens were conceived. The focus of this captivating book is not the gardens themselves or the different concepts of the garden, but rather the representation of gardens in paintings. The author examines why artists paint gardens by covering the varied and lively 2,000-year history of the garden picture using 180 masterpieces of gardens as examples. The text begins with a look at ancient Rome, when paintings of gardens, as found in villas in Pompeii, were already valued as works of art. The wide-ranging coverage also includes pictures of charming medieval gardens in books of hours; Botticelli's masterwork La Primavera, set in a grove of orange trees; views of well-known historic gardens, such as those at Versailles; painter's gardens, as for example, Monet's Giverny; and modern gardens depicted by Frida Kahlo, Andy Warhol, and David Hockney, among others. For collectors of art history books and garden books, this lovely volume should appeal to a broad audience."


Secrets of Monet's Garden: bringing the beauty of Monet's style to your own garden by Derek Fell

"Derek Fell examines Monet's planting philosophies, shedding light on his use of color, sense of structure, extravagant combinations of form and texture, and favorite flowers.




Vincent's Garden: paintings and drawings by Van Gogh by Ralph Skea.

"A book for gardeners and art lovers everywhere: a selection of Vincent van Gogh's garden and flower paintings and drawings. Presents Van Goghs lifelong love affair with the garden. This title illustrates a range of works, from iconic oils such as Irises to exquisite etchings and intimate sketches."

Doris Betts dies at 79

Doris Betts, an award winning novelist and short-story writer died on April 21 at age 79 at her home in Pittsboro, N.C. The cause was lung cancer. New York Times obituary by Paul Vitello

Her novel "The Sharp Teeth of Love" (1997) is about "a young woman fleeing from her fiance, a runaway child in desperate trouble, a charming wanderer."

"Souls raised from the Dead" (1994) which won the Southern Book Award (also an American Library Association Notable Book), is a novel about a family and how they react to their daughter's kidney disease. Book Discussion Guide (via NoveList)

Ernest Callenbach dies at 83

Ernest Callenbach died April 16 in Berkeley, Calif., at age 83. He was the author of the novel “Ecotopia,” which was published in 1975 and foreshadowed the environmental movement.
In this book Ecology: a pocket guide, published by the University of California Press in 1998, Mr. Callenbach "provides a pocket-sized introduction to the wonderful complexity of life on Earth--and our part in it. In 60 information-packed entries, the author uses everyday, nontechnical language to explain basic ecological concepts".

New York Times obituary by Dennis Hevesi 

Pulitzer Prizes

The Pulitzer Prize Winners 2012 have been announced. Pulitzer Prizes will be awarded at a luncheon ceremony at Columbia University in May.  

Background Info on the award process

Biography of Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911)

Biography/Autobiography

George F. Kennan: An American Life by John Lewis Gaddis (The Penguin Press) 

"An engaging portrait of a globetrotting diplomat whose complicated life was interwoven with the Cold War and America’s emergence as the world’s dominant power."
previous Biography/Autobiography winners

General Nonfiction
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt (W.W. Norton & Company)
"A provocative book arguing that an obscure work of philosophy, discovered nearly 600 years ago, changed the course of history by anticipating the science and sensibilities of today."

 previous General Nonfiction winners

History

Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, by the late Manning Marable (Viking)

"An exploration of the legendary life and provocative views of one of the most significant African-Americans in U.S. history, a work that separates fact from fiction and blends the heroic and tragic.
 previous History winners

Poetry
Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith (Graywolf Press)

"A collection of bold, skillful poems, taking readers into the universe and moving them to an authentic mix of joy and pain."
previous Poetry winners







Fiction
No prize for Fiction was awarded this year. For a list of previous winners with links to our online catalog click here.

Earth Day April 22

Hamden's Earth Day celebration will take place on Saturday, April 21, 2012 from 10 to 3 in the Hamden Middle School, 2623 Dixwell Ave. in Hamden.
More information on this event can be found here.
We also put together some of our newer books on environmental topics next to the Rotunda computers in Miller Library's lobby area.
Check out these links:

http://www.earthday.org/2012

Earth Day - a selective list of materials available in the Hamden Public Library

 What the Earth is Telling us: Books on Climate Change, Extinction and Sustainability, for grades 9-12, a book talk (via NoveList Plus database)

Silent Spring - 5Oth anniversary

Catalog Link

Catalog Link

50 years ago, on April 13, 1962 "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson was published. "Rachel Carson's SILENT SPRING warned humankind that for the first time in history every person is subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals from conception until death. Carson painted a vivid picture of how chemicals - used in many ways put particularly in pesticides - have upset the balance of nature, undermining the survival of countless species. This enormously popular and influential book was a soft-spoken battle cry to protect our natural surroundings. Its publication signaled the beginning of the environmental movement" (source: Chase's Calendar of Events, 2012).
 Come to the library this month and check out our display or see our holdings on Rachel Carson here.

Connecticut author in the news

catalog link

Charlotte Rogan is a newly published author who lives in Westport, CT. This week, the New York Times featured an article about her and her debut novel THE LIFEBOAT. The article was written by Julie Bosman.
 
To place a hold on this book, click here or on catalog link below
image.

New York Times Book Review by Sarah Towers, published May 4, 2012

For more information on this book, reader's reviews, or similiar books on similiar topics use this direct link to the NoveList Plus database.

Julie Otsuka wins 2012 PEN/Faulkner award for Fiction

Julie Otsuka won the 2012 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for her novel "The Buddha in the Attic". The book's publisher is Alfred A. Knopf. It was chosen from more than 350 novels and short-story collections by American authors which were published in 2011. Ms. Otsuka will receive $15,000. The awards ceremony will take place May 5 at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. "The Buddha in the Attic" is about the lives of Japanese mail-order brides who come to San Francisco in the early 20th century. Julie Otsuka was born in 1962 and is a native of California.

Books by Julie Otsuka in our collection
Information about the winner and the finalists

The four finalists are:

Lost Memory of Skin. By Russell Banks

The Angel Esmeralda: Nine Stories. By Don Delillo

The Artist of Disappearance. By Anita Desai












 We Others: New and selected stories. By Steven Millhauser

Best Food Writing

I enjoyed reading these two recent articles on the topic of food and restaurants: "Throwback in Albany will serve last meal" by John Eligon, published in the print edition of the New York Times, Feb. 10, 2012, and "Till the last doughnut and drumstick" by Pete Wells, published in the print edition of the New York Times, Feb. 1, 2012. More articles by John Eligon who reports for the New York Times from Albany. More information on restaurant critic Pete Wells. If you are interested in food writing, check out the following new books from our collection:

Best Food Writing. Edited by Holly Hughes.


A collection of writings from periodicals, Web sites, and books that explores such topics as culinary history, food sourcing at a greenmarket, equipping a kitchen, and the economics of the restaurant business.






Will Write for Food. By Dianne Jacob.
Presents advice on how to become a food writer, discussing how to start a blog, get assignments as a restaurant reviewer, write a cookbook, compose a memoir, and put together a book proposal for prospective publishers.
From the contents:
What, exactly, is food writing? -- Characteristics of a food writer -- Getting started -- Get published with a food blog -- Becoming a successful freelance writer -- Secrets of restaurant reviewing -- The cookbook you've always wanted to write -- The art of recipe writing -- Memoir and nonfiction food writing -- Writing about food in fiction -- How to get your book published.

There is also:

American Food Writing: an anthology with classic recipes.

New Nonfiction Books in the 600s

catalog link

Check out our new book acquisitions in the 600s: books on cooking, health, technology, business etc.


If a book is in processing, or on order or checked out, you can reserve it/request it online. The Lifestyles bookletter is published on the 7th day of each month. You can also get it in your e-mail by signing up here. 

Take a look at our other bookletters here.

Author Jeffrey Zaslow (1958-2012)

Jeffrey Zaslow, an award winning American author, journalist and columnist, died Feb. 10, 2012 in a car accident in northern Michigan. Returning from a book signing event, he lost control of his car on a snow covered road and was hit by a tractor-trailer. He was 53 years old. He is survived by his wife and three daughters. Zaslow also co-authored best-selling books with Randy Pausch, Gabrielle Giffords, and Captain Chesley Sullenberger.There is an article by Tara Parker-Pope in the print edition of the New York Times, today, February 14, 2012, "Life's Frailty, and the Gestures that go a long way" in which she remembers her friend Jeffrey Zaslow and the important lessons he taught her.

The Last Lecture. By Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow. 2008.

The author, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, explores his life, the lessons that he has learned, how he has worked to achieve his childhood dreams, and the effect of his diagnosis on him and his family.

The Magic Room: A Story about the Love we wish for our Daughters. By Jeffrey Zaslow. 2012.

The New York Times bestselling journalist and author of The Girls from Ames , Jeffrey Zaslow, takes us to a multi-generational family owned small-town bridal shop called "Becker's. Run by the same family for years, Becker's has witnessed transformations in how America views the institution of marriage; some of the shop's clientele are becoming stepmothers, or starting married life for a second time.


Highest Duty. My Search for What Really Matters. By Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger with Jeffrey Zaslow. 2009.

On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed one of the most remarkable emergency landings in aviation history when Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger skillfully glided US Airways Flight 1549 onto the surface of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard. HIGHEST DUTY reveals the important lessons Sully learned through childhood, in his military service, and in his work as a commercial airline pilot. A few weeks after the crash, Sully discovered that he had lost a library book about professional ethics, Just Culture: Balancing Safety and Accountability, in the downed planes cargo hold. When he called the library to notify them, they waived the usual fees. Mayor Michael Bloomberg replaced the book when he gave Sully the Key to the City in a New York ceremony.

Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope. By Gabrielle Giffords & Mark Kelly. With Jeffrey Zaslow. 2011.

As individuals, former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, showed Americans how optimism, an adventurous spirit, and a call to service can help change the world. As a couple, they became a national example of the healing power to be found in deeply shared love and courage. Their arrival in the world spotlight came under the worst of circumstances. On January 8, 2011, while meeting with her constituents in Tucson, Arizona, Gabby was the victim of an assassination attempt that left six people dead and thirteen wounded. Gabby was shot in the head; doctors called her survival "miraculous." As the nation grieved and sought to understand the attack, Gabby remained in private, focused on her against-all-odds recovery. Mark spent every possible moment by her side, as he also prepared for his final mission as commander of space shuttle Endeavour. Now, as Gabby's health continues to improve, the couple is sharing their remarkable untold story.

The Girls from Ames. A story of women and a forty-year friendship. By Jeffrey Zaslow. 2009.

From the co-author of the bestselling "The Last Lecture" comes a moving tribute to female friendships, with the inspiring story of 11 girls and the women they became.

Charles Dickens - 200th Birthday!

Charles Dickens was born 200 years ago, on Feb. 7, 1812.
When you come to the library this week, check out our display, or
click on these links to our online catalog to see what we have to offer on Charles Dickens.

Charles Dickens - materials in our collection for children

Charles Dickens - materials in our collection for adults

Charles Dickens on DVD

Charles Dickens (talking books)

Charles Dickens on Videocassettes (VHS)

Books about Charles Dickens

Dickens 2012 (international events)

Charles Dickens Exhibit at the Morgan Library and Museum in Manhattan


The Museum of London has created a free ipad and iphone app which takes users on a journey through the darker side of Charles Dickens' London.

And the Oscars go to ... books!

The 84th annual Academy Awards Ceremony will honor the best films of 2011. It will take place on Sunday, February, 26, 2012 at the Kodak Theatre in the heart of historic Hollywood, California. But the real winners this year are books! Eleven literary adaptations received recognition in major award categories. Six out of the nine best picture nominations are based on books. Cinema depends on literature, on the written word. Woody Allen's original screenplay for "Midnight in Paris" is a love declaration for the literary world of T.S. Eliot, Djuna Barnes, Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.

Don't just see the movies, read the books! Click on the book title for a link to our catalog, the statewide catalog, or worldcat.org.

Moneyball: the Art of Winning an Unfair Game. By Michael Lewis. (This author also wrote the source for the movie Blind Side)

"Explains how Billy Beene, the general manager of the Oakland Athletics, is using a new kind of thinking to build a successful and winning baseball team without spending enormous sums of money."

My Week with Marilyn. By Colin Clark.

"Presents the author's diary accounts of the week he, an assistant on the set of the movie "The Prince and the Showgirl," bonded with Marilyn Monroe after she escaped the high-pressure set and toured the English countryside with him."

War Horse. By Michael Morpurgo.


"Joey the horse recalls his experiences growing up on an English farm, his struggle for survival as a cavalry horse during World War I, and his reunion with his beloved master."

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. By John Le Carré.

"Who is the mole buried within British intelligence, planted by Karla in Moscow years ago? George Smiley is back, in the first novel of The quest for Karla trilogy."

Albert Nobbs: a novella. By George Moore.

"Long out of print, George Moore's classic novella returns just in time for the major motion picture starring Glenn Close as a woman disguised as a man in nineteenth-century Ireland."

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. By Jonathan Safran Foer.


"Oskar Schell, the nine-year-old son of a man killed in the World Trade Center attacks, searches the five boroughs of New York City for a lock that fits a black key his father left behind."

The Iron Lady: Margaret Thatcher. By John Campbell.

"Traces the life of Britain's only female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, from her upbringing in Grantham to her unexpected challenge to Edward Heath for leadership of the Conservative party and her eventual removal from power."

The Descendants. By Kaui Hart Hemmings.

"A descendant of royalty and one of the largest landowners in Hawaii, Matthew King struggles to deal with his out-of-control daughters--ten-year-old Scottie and seventeen-year-old Alex--as well as his comatose wife, whom they are about to remove from life
support."

The Invention of Hugo Cabaret: a novel in words and pictures. By Brian Selznick.

"When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing clocks within the walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious toyseller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized."

The Help. By Kathryn Stockett.

"In Jackson, Mississippi, in 1962, there are lines that are not crossed. With the civil rights movement exploding all around them, three women start a movement of their own, forever changing a town and the way women--black and white, mothers and daughters--view one another."

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. By Stieg Larsson.

"Forty years after the disappearance of Harriet Vanger from the secluded island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger family, her octogenarian uncle hires journalist Mikael Blomqvist and Lisbeth Salander, an unconventional young hacker, to investigate."

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New Nonfiction Books in the 700s

We just updated our Bookletter service for the following subject areas:



Crafts, Needleworks and Fashion Design










Architecture, Decorating and Garden Design








Art and Photography










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