Adults @ Rockwall County Library

2012-02-07T09:09:00.000-08:00

Learn how to use your new iPad in our free one-evening class. Instructions will include how to download the Library's audio and ebooks.

Be sure to bring your iPad, or come by to learn some tricks before you buy. Call 972-204-7700 to sign up.

Outstanding genre fiction

2012-01-27T12:35:00.000-08:00

Each year American Library Association's RUSA highlights outstanding genre fiction. Choose a captivating title from RUSA's reading list:

Adrenaline:
Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson.
Each morning, Christine wakes with no memories. Christine tries to piece together her identity from clues she has left herself.

Fantasy:
Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern.
Le Cirque des Reve disappears at dawn and reappears in a new town.

Historical Fiction:
Doc by Mary Doria Russell. Russell recounts a fictional portrait of legendary gunslinger, Doc Holliday.

Horror:
The Ridge by Michael Koryta.

The unexplained death of an eccentric lighthouse keeper prompts an investigation by a journalist and local sheriff.

Mystery:

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino. Higashino's novel is a Japanese psychological puzzle that involves a mathematician's desire to protect his neighbor from a murder charge.

Romance:
Silk is for Seduction by Loretta Chase.
Marcelline Noirot, a dressmaker, will do anything to please Duke of Clevendon's intended bride. Will she be able to resist the Duke?

Science Fiction:

Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey.

The missions of a jaded cop and an ice hauler collide as the fate of Earth hangs in the balance.

Women's Fiction:
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.
A fomer foster child struggles to overcome her past. The Victorian notion of the "language of flowers" helps her discover hope. Victorians used flowers and flower arrangement to send coded messages and address complicated feelings.

*In some cases these titles will be available in more than one format.

Book Review of Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante

2012-01-12T06:59:00.000-08:00

Turn of Mind is one of the most unusual detective stories I've ever read. First-time novelist, Alice LaPlante wrote the novel from the point-of-view of the suspect who, in this case, has the later stages of Alzheimer's disease. She is suspected of murdering her grown daughter's godmother, Amanda.

Dr. Elizabeth White frequently forgets that she is a murder suspect and often insists that she just had breakfast with Amanda. How can Detective Luton discover the truth? Why has the murderer removed the victims fingers of one hand? Was Dr. White, a renowned hand surgeon involved? Why were pages from Dr. White's journal removed?

Written with hard-breaking insight into the disease--the subject of Alzheimer's is close to LaPlante's heart because her own mother had Alzheimer's--Turn of Mind is also a literary suspense novel. LaPlante is a first-rate fiction writer who also teaches creative writing.

2012-01-04T09:19:00.000-08:00

Computer Classes
We will be teaching a Basic Computer Class for those who wish to learn the basics of using a PC. We will complete a Mouserobics exercise and learn about the structure of PCs and peripherals.

We will meet in the second floor Tech Lab on Thursday, February 16, from 6:00 to 7:30pm.

An Intermediate class will be held on Thursday, March 8, from 6:00 to 7:30. Call 972-204-7770 to register for either class.

Book Review of A Stolen Life: A Memoir by Jaycee Dugard

2011-12-28T08:16:00.000-08:00

This is an amazing memoir on so many levels. Almost everyone has heard the story of Jaycee Duggard who was kidnapped at aged 11 and kept against her will by a pedophile and madman, Phillip Garrido.

What is truly amazing is that Jaycee was able to survive and triumph after living in such inhumane conditions. Tasered, tied up and forced to do unspeakable things with an older man, Jaycee managed to survive
by remembering her happy childhood and the special bond she had with her mother.

Though she spend many years isolated, Jaycee is eventually allowed to work for them in their print shop and watch TV. Her favorite show was Star Trek: TNG. Interestingly enough, she identified with Data.

Throughout her captivity, Jaycee never felt fully human. On the few outings her captors allowed her take, she felt invisible. They cut and dyed her hair and gave her a new name. She was not allowed to learn how to drive or tell the children that she was their mother. To them, she was their big "sister."

She was told that Phillip kidnapped her so that he could cure his "problem." In other words, she was told she was merely an object to be used by others. No wonder she identifies with Data, an automaton who fervently wishes to be treated as a human being.

This is a remarkable survival story. After being discovered and released, Jaycee has begun the long road toward healing and has even started a victims rights foundation, the Just Ask Yourself to Care or the JAYC Foundation.

Book Review of Drawing From Memory by Allen Say

2011-12-05T08:18:00.000-08:00

Drawing From Memory by Allen Say
Scholastic Press, September 2011. 63 pages.

Parents will want to choose this biography of Allen Say for children who may not choose this for themselves. Drawing From Memory introduces children to three important Japanese artists, Allen Say (called Kiyoi), Tokida, and Noro Shinpei who was their teacher (sensei).

Children will learn about Japanese history, Japanese culture, and cartooning, as well as the value of persistence and hard work. Sketches, drawings, and photographs illustrate the text. The title comes from Say's unique ability to draw people from memory. He draws, for instance, his teacher's first wife, Masako, who dies young. The title also has a double-meaning--to draw can also mean to pull something out from the deep well of memory.

Say, who at 13 convinces acclaimed artist Shinpei to take him as a student, has a unique story that will intrigue both young and older readers alike.

Book Review of Fatal Gift of Beauty

2011-11-07T13:53:00.000-08:00

Do you remember the names Rudy Guede, Raffaele Sollecito or Meredith Kercher? Probably not. But you almost certainly remember Amanda Knox. During her junior year at the University of Washington, while studying in Perugia, Italy, the pretty, soccer-playing Amanda was convicted (along with Rudy, and her boyfriend, Raffaele) of the 2007 murder of her British roommate, Meredith, on December 4, 2009. Many remember hearing the Italian judge’s description of the murder as a “sex game gone wrong.” Later, others would call it a "burglary gone wrong."

More recently, Amanda and Raffaele’s convictions were overturned on October 3, 2011. Rudy Guede, who Amanda said she only “vaguely” knew, had appealed his 30 year sentence down to sixteen years. Guede was the only defendant to admit being in Meredith’s room on the night of the murder.

In her book, Fatal Gift of Beauty, author Nina Burleigh examines the case based on her direct observation of the trial, and her correspondence with the defendants. Published a few months before the release of Amanda and Raffaele, Burleigh's book looks at the DNA evidence and the Italian justice system, as well as the superstition and misogyny surrounding the case.

Besides taking a hard look at the circumstantial evidence and the lack of material evidence, Burleigh looks at magistrate Giuliano Mignini, who would act as both investigator and prosecutor. Before being assigned to the Kercher murder case, Magnini was fighting allegations of illegal wiretapping from a previous case. She also examines his history of assigning blame for crimes to conspiracies and satanic cults.

While many questions about the Kercher murder remain unanswered, Burleigh does an excellent job presenting the facts and myths surrounding the case, and challenging the original assumptions that were made.

Ghost stories to read this October

2011-09-29T06:28:00.000-07:00

Hargrave, John. The Ghost Writer. Dominated by a controlling mother, Gerard's only relief is his penfriend, Alice, who lives in England. Gerard stumbles upon a picture of a woman in his mother's room. Who is this woman and why does his mother become enraged when Gerard discovers it? Gerard also stumbles upon his great grandmother's ghostly tales which seem to predict events and implicate his mother.

Hannah, Sophie. The Dead Lie Down. In this intricately plotted thriller, a woman tells detectives that her lover has killed a woman named Mary Trelease several years earlier. One problem, though, emerges. Mary Trelease is still alive.

James, M.R. Collected Ghost Stories of M.R. James. One of the best compilations of classic ghost stories, this collection will set chills down your spine.

Irwin, Stephen. The Dead Path. Haunted by ghosts after his wife's death, Nicholas also becomes entangled in a series of murder and missing person investigations.

Klavan, Andrew. The Uncanny. A motion picture producer moves to England to determine if spirits are real. He discovers more than he bargains for: Sophia, a ghost he falls in love with and an immortal villain, St. Iago.

Kinsella, Sophie. Twenties Girl. A humorous ghost story about a woman who is pestered by her great Aunt's ghost to find a missing piece of jewelry.

Review of Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant

2011-09-27T11:01:00.000-07:00

In Helen Grant's debut novel a precocious narrator, Pia Kolvenbach, ponders the strange disappearances of several children in post World War II Germany. Pia has more than most ten year old's share of problems.

Her grandmother dies in a freak accident, her parents argue, her classmates tease her, and the medieval town is divided against itself. Most of the town is quite willing to believe idle gossip--that Herr Dussel has been kidnapping several young girls. Her only friend, Stefan, wants her to investigate the disappearances.

Grant lived in Germany for six years and she brings a unique perspective--that of an English woman writing about a German town. Notably Pia is half-English. To Pia's dismay her mother wants to take Pia back to Middlesex, England to discover the "English" side of herself.

Despite being ostracized in school, Pia wants to stay in Germany to find out what happened to the missing girls. Ghost stories and fables, mostly unique to Bad Munstereifel, act as a backdrop to the main story. Pia's elderly friend and town historian, Herr Schiller, keeps her well stocked with spine-chilling stories. Pia and Stefan feel compelled to investigate any connection between the town's ghostly tales and the missing girls.

This is a first-rate debut by an author who is worth watching.

For more information about Helen Grant, www.helengrantbooks.com

Remembering 9/11 Through Fiction

2011-09-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

While non-fiction writers must rely on facts, fiction writers can explore 9/11 more closely and subjectively. Novelists can explore American culture and grief through the eyes of their fictional creations.

Take a look at these novels about 9/11:

Abbott, Shirley. Future of Love.
Beigbeder, Frederic. Windows on the World.

Delillo, Don. Falling Man.
Foer, Jonathan Saffran. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.
Glass, Julia. Whole World Over.
Kalfus, Ken. A Disorder Peculiar to the Country.
Kingsbury, Karen. One Tuesday Morning.
McCann, Colum. Let the Great World Spin.
Messud, Claire. Emperor's Children.
McEwan, Ian. Saturday.
McInerney, Jay. The Good Life.
McPhee, Martha. L'America.
O'Neill, Joseph. Netherland.
Prose, Francine. My New American Life.
Schulman, Helen. A Day at the Beach.
Swartz, Lynn Sharon. Writing on the Wall.
Walman, Amy. Submission.

Debut Novelists

2011-08-12T07:02:00.000-07:00

When Kathhryn Stockett's debut novel, The Help, came out in 2009, it was instantly successful. Helen Grant, Kevin Hearne, Jean Kwok are just a few debut novelists that are getting noticed this year.

Grant, Helen. The Vanishing of Katharina Linden. Grant was inspired to write The Vanishing of Katharina Linden after having lived six years in Bad Munstereifel, Germany where she was exposed to German folktales. The novel set in Bad Munstereifel, focuses on a brave young girl, Pia, who investigates several odd disappearances.

Harkness, Deborah. A Discovery of Witches. History professor, Deborah Harkness, pits a descendant of the Salem-witch trials, Dr. Diana Bishop, against a 1,500 year old vampire.

Hearne, Kevin. Hounded: The Iron Druid Chronicles. If you're looking for a humourous book about Druids, this urban fantasy is for you. Atticus O'Sullivan, the last of the Driuds, has lived in Arizona for 2,000 years. Unfortunately, he's made one Celtic god angry by stealing his sword.

Kwok, Jean. Girl in Translation. When Kimberly and her mother move to New York from Hong Kong, they find themselves indebted to Kimberly's Aunt. A bittersweet immigration story, Kwok's novel proves that every choice has a price.

Mayhew, Anna Jean. Dry Grass of August. Thirteen-year-old Jubie must decide where her loyalties lie--with Mary, her African-American maid or society that discriminates against blacks.

Obreht, Tea. Tiger's Wife. Obreht explores myth and memory in this powerful debut about a doctor searching for answers about her past in an unnamed European country. As she helps orphans, Natalia remembers the stories her Grandfather told her about his homeland. One of her Grandfather's stories is the unlikely friendship between a tiger that escapes from the village zoo and a deaf-mute woman.

Wingfield, Jenny. The Homecoming of Samuel Lake
Each year the Moses family gathers at "the old home place," in Arkansas. Its a welcome break for Willadee who is married to a fiery preacher. This time, however, the Moses face new challenges.

Do you know a great debut novel that's not included here? Let us know about it.

Book Review of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

2011-08-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs.

Jacob Portman is a well-to-do teen who is traumatized when he witnesses his grandfather die. Jacob is convinced his grandfather's dying words are portents rather than an old man's ramblings or dementia.

Most intriguing of all, however, are the bizarre photographs of apparently real people that illustrate the book. Ransom Riggs, a film maker who also writes photo essays for magazines, inserts photographs of people doing unusal things e.g. levitating in the air or creating balls of fire.

The photographs become part of the fictional world Riggs creates in Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children. Jacob assumes the photographs his grandfather shows him are fake, as most people would. He concludes that his Grandfather's stories of a war-time escape and a home for peculiar children are fairy tales.

After watching his Grandfather die, however, Jacob begins having nightmares and even believes that he can see monsters. Are his Grandfather's stories true? Jacob travels to Wales with his father to find out and that is only the beginning of his adventures.

Ransom Rigg's first novel is a gothic coming-of-age like no other. The otherwordly setting--a dilapidated house on an isolated Welsh island, time loops, and a school for mysterious students--will immediately capture a reader's interest. Marketed for young adults, this novel also will also appeal to adults who are intrigued by supernatural mysteries.

Review by Chantal Walvoord

Job-seeking classes at Rockwall County Library

2011-07-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

Job seeking is different in the digital age.

North Texas Regional Library System presenter, Heather Scalf, will give you tips that will help you locate and apply for jobs online. She will also give you tips on how to polish your resume.

Classes are from 10 AM - 12 PM in the Tech lab upstairs.

Searching for a Job Online, August 1
Applying for a Job Online, August 8
Resume Writing, August 15

Please call 972-204-7700 or stop by the reference desk upstairs to register

.

www.twdl.org

Book Review: Scrappy Startups: How 15 Ordinary Women Turned Their Unique Ideas Into Profitable Businesses

2011-07-27T13:56:00.000-07:00

Scrappy Startups: How 15 Ordinary Women Turned Their Unique Ideas Into Profitable Businesses.

Melanie Keveles profiles fifteen women who started their own businesses from scratch. Nancy Gruver started a media company, New Moon, that lets tween girls write articles for girls in their age group. Bev Halisky started a driving service for the elderly because she saw a need. Many seniors had no one to drive them to their doctor's appointments. Halisky's Canadian-based business has generated several franchises.

Possibly the most impressive business, however, is the one started in a war zone. Sarah Chayes, a journalist for National Public Radio, started an Arghand Cooperative in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Hoping to spur economic development in the area, Sarah started a high-end soap company. She uses native agriculture e.g. pomegranate seeds and pistachios to create natural soaps and then exports them as luxury products. Though Sarah's business is successful, it is also a personal mission.

Scrappy Startups is full of wonderful businesses started by women who did not necesarily have a business background. Many of these businesses were started by women who saw a social need e.g. Cherry Brook Kitchen, 29 Gifts, Eco-Me, Arghand Cooperative. Questions at the end of each chapter may help budding entrepreneurs realize their business dreams.

11 Secrets of Getting Published

2011-07-11T13:05:00.001-07:00

Novelist and speaker, Mary DeMuth will discuss her eBook, 11 Secrets of Getting Published, on August 9 from 6-7:45PM in the large meeting room. Mary will also sign copies of her latest novel,The Muir House.

Book Review of The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace

2011-07-09T07:12:00.000-07:00

The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace

Is this novel really about the machine as the title suggests? Since the machine, a typewriter, is what allows the blind Contessa to communicate with her lover its obviously pretty important. But frustratingly, the novel doesn't tell us (or maybe its not meant to) what Pellegrini Turri's final letter relays. The Countess leaves his last missive on the bed even though a girl offers to read it to her. We also don't know how much Antonio knows when he burns the typewriter. Typewriters at this time were apparently made almost entirely out of wood, except for the "type" plates. The ending and the setting instantly remind me of a Henry Jamesian novel. The reader is left in the "dark" on purpose. What we don't know about characters is just as important as what we do know. The novel does make me eager to learn the Carolina Fantoni and Pellegrini Turri's history. It leaves readers with a delightful scent of lemons, winding rivers, and fanciful dreams. Though Carolina's fate is tragic the novel also leaves readers with a new appreciation for the lengths someone will go through to find a chance of happiness. Because there are so many open ended questions, this novel would make a wonderful book club selection.

Book Review of Slow Death by Rubber Duck

2011-06-17T08:21:00.001-07:00

What do you love? Do you love your Rubber Ducky? Do you love your non-stick sauté pan? Do you love eating fish? Soda from a can? Air fresheners? How about lush lawns kept green all-year by chemical treatments? Or couches, carpeting or clothes?

If you find yourself agreeing with any of these questions, you may need to read Slow Death by Rubber Duck. The title comes from the famous legislation banning phthalates, often found in rubber ducks, which was passed in California, and signed by Governor Schwarzenegger. Even if you don’t particularly like, or use, any of these products, you may discover that we are all living in an unavoidable chemical soup of damaging products.

The authors contend that the obvious pollution fears of the Sixties (belching smoke stacks; polluted waters), have given way to much more insidious poisons which enter our bodies without our knowledge. The results of unknowingly ingesting or breathing these chemicals (hormone disruptors) from everyday products, can be early-onset puberty, obesity, miscarriages, decreased sperm count, breast cancer, or prostate cancer.

Smith and Lourie cover six major chemicals, devoting a chapter to each: Phthalates (soft vinyl products; rubber ducks and toys), PFCs (perfluorinated compounds; non-stick cookware), PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers; couches, carpeting and clothes treated with flame-retardants), Mercury (from large fish, and from the exhaust of coal-fired electric plants), 2,4 D (a pesticide/herbicide combination often used to treat lawns), and BPA (bisphenol A; clear polycarbonate plastics as well as canned foods, and soda cans).

Despite the acronyms and chemistry involved, the authors make their subject clear and interesting, especially when they recount experiments using their own bodies as test subjects. After establishing a base-line of their own body’s chemical content, they intentionally use popular products known to contain a particular chemical. With frightening regularity their post-exposure tests show a dramatic increase in their level of toxicity.

Overall, an entertaining and informative study of the modern toxic soup in which we live. Not all of their findings are bleak, however. In the final chapter, Smith and Lourie summarize ways to decrease your own toxicity and, more importantly, encourage you to support legislation to limit the use of dangerous chemicals in everyday products.

Review by Alan Pippin

Book Review of Out Stealing Horses

2011-06-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson.

Out Stealing Horses is a novel that immediately grabs hold of readers. I was hooked from the moment Petterson describes Trond's friend, Jon:

Jon came often to our door, at all hours, wanting me to go out with him: shooting hares, walking through the forest in the pale moonlight...balancing on yellow logs...it was risky... He never knocked, just came quietly up the path from the river...Even in the morning early when I was still asleep, I might feel a restlessness far into my dream...He smiled his little smiled and squinted...'Are you coming?' he said. 'We're going out stealing horses.'

The phrase "out stealing horses," has a double meaning, one for the son and quite a different one for the father. Stealth is an important element in the novel, though there's no actual stealing: the boys never intend to take Barkald's horses.

The point-of-view, expertly executed by Petterson, moves back and forth in time. Readers see Trond as a fifteen-year-old, enjoying his last summer of innocence, and Trond as a sixty-seven year-old man vexed with a neighbor that could be his doppelganger.

Though Trond would rather not revisit his past, the summer he played "out stealing horses" comes back to him in his older years and in his dreams. As a teenager, Trond is blissfully unaware of anything beyond the beauty of the woods and the game he plays with his friend, Jon. Two unrelated accidents, a shooting and a fall, soon set a whole different series of events in motion that are as irreversible as the stacked timber that falls in the Glomma river.

Trond's father is not the man Trond thinks him to be--not the man he trusts and admires. The pair, Trond and his father, have been staying in a rented cabin in the furthermost reaches of Norway. Though their time cutting trees bonds father and son together; sadly, it is also a precursor to betrayal. Petterson won one of the highest literary awards, the Dublin IMPAC award, for this evocative novel.

Enjoy this and other award-winning novels at Rockwall County Library. Turn in an adult summer reading log at the Reference desk by August 6 for a book bag. For each reading log, readers earn another chance in the prize drawing.

Review by Chantal Walvoord

Book Review of Black Swan Green

2011-05-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

Black Swan Green: A Novel by David Mitchell

Jason Taylor is a “middle-ranking” boy who watches his position in the school yard fall perilously into “leper” status, before bobbing back to “middle-rank.” Jason is comfortable exploring the woods outside his home, yet finds himself at odds with his mother, father, and know-it-all sister. Jason doesn’t realize the vanity of labels or name-calling until close to the end of the novel, when he triumphs over local bullies and overcomes his strange fixation with cruel Dawn Madden. As usual Mitchell employs innovative narrative techniques. Jason Taylor hears voices in his head, “Unborn Twin” and “Maggot,” that speak up at various times in the novel. Hangman, the personification of his speech impediment, also takes control of the exasperated Jason at humorously inappropriate times.

David Mitchell might become popular again now that a movie version of Cloud Atlas is forthcoming.

May Computer Classes

2011-04-20T14:47:00.000-07:00

Brush up your computer skills.

Librarians will teach beginning and intermediate internet classes in May. Learn keyboarding and mouse skills in the beginning class. Take it to a new level in "Surfin' the Web," the advanced class.

Beginning internet, May 17 from 6:00 to 7:30 PM, Technology Lab.

Surfin' the Web, May 18 from 10:00 to 11:30 AM, Technology Lab.

Book Review of Wake of Forgiveness

2011-04-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

Book Review of Wake of Forgiveness by Bruce Machart.

Race horses play an instrumental role in this carefully crafted debut novel. By cultivating winning race horses, Vaclav Skala acquires most of the land in LaVaca county. His love for winning horse races, however, comes at the expense of his family.

After his beloved Clara dies, Vaclav is an embittered man who uses his sons as "work horses" to plow the fields. He exempts his own horses from working since he uses them to race. What proves to be Vaclav’s undoing, however, is his blind hubris.

Vaclav has so much confidence in Karel's riding abilities that he offers up his three other sons as bridegrooms to the daughters of the second largest landowner. This proves to be a tragic mistake. Vaclav may know horses and farming but he knows little about filial bonds or the disarming power of love.

Karel is a good rider but he's distracted by his opponent, Villasenor's daughter, Gabriella. Though only fifteen, he's enchanted by her beauty and the possibilities she offers. Although he is only a boy he must deal with conflicting feelings for her and loyalty towards his family--a situation that continues throughout most of his young life until a pair of delinquents force him to re-prioritize his life.

This novel is a powerful family drama and an intriguing look at life in Texas at the turn-of-the-century. Few authors write so powerfully and evocatively; this novel will resonate for a long time to come.

Review by Chantal Walvoord

National Library Week

2011-03-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

For National Library Week, Rockwall County Library is hosting two fun programs: "Genealogy 101" with Tom Crowe on April 12, 6-7:30 PM and "The Write Stuff" with C.J. Critt on April 16, 2-3:30. Both of these programs will help you "create a story."

In case you want to get a head start on writing your memoirs or writing your family history, here are some titles that may interest you.

Berg, Elizabeth. Escaping into the Open.

Binchy, Maeve. The Maeve Binchy Writer’s Club.

Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo. Organizing Your Family History Search.

Carmack, Sharon DeBartolo. You Can Write Your Family History.

Fifer, Susan. Family History for the Older and Wiser.

Melnyk, Marcia. Family History 101: a beginner’s guide.

Ulrich, Karen. How to Write Your Life Story.

For more information on National Library Week, please see, http://www.ala.org/

Book Review of The Lace Reader

2011-03-25T07:43:00.000-07:00

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

Brunonia Barry, a screenwriter, tells this supernatural mystery in a series of powerful vignettes that move back and forth in time. Towner Whitney tells her own story even though she is an unreliable narrator with “gaps” in her memory. Towner comes from an old Salem family known for a predilection toward quirkiness and an uncanny ability to “read” lace. Unfortunately, what Towner sees in the lace on her seventeenth birthday nearly causes her to lose her mind. Exactly what causes Towner’s mental breakdown is just one of the many mysteries in this multi-layered gem. Switching deftly between first and third person, Clark also introduces Detective Rafferty, a burned-out cop from New York City, who simultaneously investigates the strange death of Towner’s eccentric great Aunt and the bizarre disappearance of Angela Rickey. Towner and Rafferty, while tentatively exploring a relationship of their own, must contend with two warring factions–the witches of Salem and the fervent Calvinists led by Cal Boynton.

Review by Chantal Walvoord

Book Review: The Eyre Affair: a novel

2011-03-12T15:30:00.000-08:00

The Eyre Affair : a novel

by Jasper Fforde

Meet Thursday Next. Confused? Thursday Next is her name; literary detection is her job. The year is 1985; the setting is a Britain very unlike our own, where dirigibles are the fast mode of transportation, the greatest debate of the day is “Who was Shakespeare, really?” and uncles can invent a Prose Portal through which a work of literature can be entered. Unfortunately, this invention falls into the wrong hands of the evil Acheron, who terrorizes the world by stealing the original manuscript of Jane Eyre. Will the story be the same after he and Thursday take their cops-and-robbers battle into the book?

This title is the first in a series of five books, each one a delicious romp through literature, time-bending paradoxes, interesting characters and imaginative word gymnastics. For example, later in the series -- after there is an original The Eyre Affair manuscript -- what will happen when Thursday Next enters that book and meets the character “Thursday Next” !? Recommended for readers who like the fantasy of alternative history, without dragons and science fiction.

Reviewed by a Rockwall County Library staff member.

Book Review of Identical Strangers

2011-02-28T09:50:00.000-08:00

Book Review of Identical Strangers: a Memoir of Twins Separated and Reunited by Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein

This book is the story of two women who discovered – at age 35 – that they were identical twins separated shortly after birth. Growing up in different families, each knew she was adopted, but neither knew that she had a twin. Can you imagine the surprise! They embark on an interesting journey of discovering their similarities – and differences. Also, after further research, they suspect that they were part of a scientific study of twins – the nature vs. nurture variety – because their birth mother suffered from mental illness. This is a fascinating memoir that left me wondering – what if that was me?

Review by a Rockwall County Library Staff Member

Personal finance books

2011-01-31T15:03:00.000-08:00

America Saves Week is February 20-27, 2011. Look for these inspiring titles at Rockwall County Library that will help you meet your personal budgeting and financial planning goals.

Bissonnette, Zac. Debt-Free U: How I Paid For an Outstanding College Education Without Loans...
Chatsky, Jean. The Difference.

Chatsky, Jean. Money 911.

Gillard, Cherry. 99 Ways to Stretch Your Home Budget.

Jason, Julie. AARP Retirement Survival Guide.

Leamy, Elizabeth. Save Big: Cut Your Top 5 Costs and Save Thousands.
LeVitre, Ray E. 20 Retirement Decisions You Need to Make Right Now.
Martin, Frank. 99 Ways to Increase Your Income.

Nelson, Stephanie. The Coupon Mom's Guide to Cutting Your Grocery Bills in Half.

Ramsey, Dave. The Total Money Makeover.

Starr, Lara. The Frugal Foodie Cookbook.

Weber, Lauren. In Cheap We Trust.

Winget, Larry. You're Broke Because You Want To Be.

For more information on America Saves Week, see http://www.americasavesweek.org/.

Review: Broken: a love story

2011-01-21T12:15:00.000-08:00

Broken: a love story: horses, humans and redemption on the Wind River Indian Reservation by Lisa Jones.

Wanting to learn more about Stan Addison's methods of gentling wild horses and his healing abilities, Lisa Jones, a freelance journalist, comes to Wind River Indian Reservation. Jones had originally featured the quadriplegic Native American horse gentler in a Smithsonian magazine article. Broken does more than chronicle his Addison's life, which is amazing in itself. Broken aslo reveals Lisa's emotional life--the psychological hangups that have precluded her from committing to anything or anyone. Lisa bravely reveals all her vulnerabilities and honestly explores her deepening spirituality. If you liked Eat, Pray, Love, you will definitely like this memoir that takes a sometimes bohemian woman into one of the most broken places in America. Broken explores the notion of God, race, healing, and redemption. All in all, it would make an excellent book discussion book.

Review by Chantal Walvoord

Review of Neverland: J.M. Barrie, the Du Mauriers, and the Dark Side of Peter Pan

2011-01-11T10:08:00.000-08:00

Review of Neverland: J.M. Barrie, the Du Mauriers, and the Dark Side of Peter Pan.

Piers Dudgeon paints a mostly negative portrait of J.M. Barrie, the playwright and creator of Peter Pan. In Dudgeon's estimation, Barrie is an interloper who manipulated the Llewelyn-Davies children as well as those of the Du Mauriers. Daphne DuMaurier was a first cousin of the Llewelyn-Davies boys, the inspiration for Barrie's Peter Pan.

Barrie played a large role in the Llewelyn-Davies' boys lives, eventually unofficially adopting them and later setting up Peter Llewelyn-Davies as a publisher. The book is highly detailed and quotes several credible sources and certainly there is proof that Barrie tampered with Sylvia Llewelyn-Davies' will, giving Barrie guardianship of her children. Whether Barrie played the part of their Svengali as Dudgeon claims in Neverland is for the reader to decide.

The strength of Neverland is the detailed analysis of Daphne DuMaurier's works. That some of Daphne DuMaurier's characters may be directly related to her friendship with "Uncle Jim" (as she called Barrie) is fascinating. Her parents were actors who had met and fallen in love while playing parts in one of James Barrie's plays. Barrie was obviously a strong influence on DuMaurier from the beginning.

Dudgeon gives a fascinating glimpse into the lives of three families who happen to be actors, artists, and writers. Family secrets, suicides, unexplained illnesses are rampant; and, yet, these same individuals are also known for incredible bursts of creativity. Though some footnotes are given, Dudgeon's style is highly readable.

Review by Chantal Walvoord

Best Books of 2010

2010-12-30T12:14:00.000-08:00

January is a good month for retrospection. It's a time to remember the best movies, the best news stories, and the best books. Here are a few of the books that made the best books of 2010 lists (Amazon, Atlantic Monthly, Barnes and Noble, Entertainment Weekly, Kirkus, PW, and Time).

Fiction:

Carey, Peter. Parrot and Olivier in America.

Donohue, Emma. The Room: A Novel.

Ferris, Joshua. The Unnamed.

Franzen, Jonathan. Freedom.

Koryta, Michael. So Cold the River.

Krauss, Nicole. Great House.

Lipsyte, Sam. The Ask: A Novel.

Oates, Joyce Carol. Sourland: Stories.

Simonsen, Helen. Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand.
Smiley, Jane. Private Life: a novel.
Spencer, Scott. Man in the Woods.

Non-Fiction

Caldwell, Gail. Let's Take the Long Way Home.
Chernow, Ron. Washington: A Life.
Hillenbrand, Laura. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption.
Lewis, Michael. The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine..
Sides, Hampton. Hellhound on his Trail: the stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr...
Skloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
Wilkerson, Isabel. The Warmth of Other Suns.

Christmas Music

2010-12-08T15:16:00.000-08:00

Your holidays wouldn’t be complete without music. Look for these titles and many others in Rockwall County Library's catalog. Use the subject “Christmas music” or “Carols.”

Dave Koz. A Smooth Jazz Christmas.

Enya. And Winter Came.

Glee: the Christmas Album.

Jars of Clay. Christmas Came.

Mannheim Steamroller. Christmas Extraordinare.

Rick Braun. Christmas Present: music of warmth and celebration.

Book Review of The French Gardener

2010-12-06T07:49:00.000-08:00

The French Gardener by Santa Montefiore poses the question--is love timeless or as ephemeral as a rainbow?

When Miranda moves to a country estate for her husband and son's sake, she's miserable. She misses Nottingham Hill and its high fashion boutiques. The last thing she wants to do is dig in the earth, yet all she hears about is how wonderful the former owner, Mrs. Lightly, kept the gardens.

Miranda, a writer and mother of two children, becomes fascinated with a scrapbook that tells the story of clandestine love affair involving one of the home's former inhabitants and a man called M.F. Shortly thereafter, a mysterious French gardener shows up at her doorstep and promises to restore the gardens to their original state.

Several reviewers state Jean-Paul is a healer who restores the gardens and Miranda's family; in a way, this is true. The bittersweet tale about love, betrayal, and forgiveness is a fast-paced and interesting read.

Heart-warming stories for December

2010-11-29T12:20:00.000-08:00

Ahern, Cecelia. The Gift: A Novel. A workaholic’s act of kindness leads to unexpected epiphanies.

Chiaverini, Jennifer. A Quilter’s Holiday. The quilters gather at Elm Creek Manor for a potluck and find new reasons to be thankful.

Cooney, Caroline. What Child Is This? : A Christmas Story. A foster child desperately wants a family for Christmas.

Evans, Richard Paul. Promise Me. In his characteristic style Evans tell a magical story about a mysterious stranger who alters the course of a woman’s life.

Flagg, Fannie. A Redbird Christmas: A Novel. An ailing Chicago businessman finds new zest for life after visiting the sleepy community of Lost River, Mississippi.

Karon, Jan. Shepherds Abiding. Even though Father Tim isn't used to working with his hands, he decides to restore a nativity scence that has suffered neglect.

Macomber, Debbie. A Perfect Christmas. A professional matchmaker, assigned to find Cassie a husband, gives her three tasks to complete by Christmas.

Free Computer Courses in November

2010-10-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

The library will host a Free Basic Computer workshop during two weeks in November. The sign up sheet is at the second floor Reference Desk. A valid library card is required to sign up for this service, if you do not have a card, see the circulation desk for details. The class times are as follows:

November 8th-10th
November 15th-17th

All workshops are three days in length and workshops start at 10:30am and finish at noon. Workshops will be held upstairs in the Technology Lab.

2010-10-28T15:54:00.000-07:00

There's must be something in the cold Swedish air that produces great spine-chilling mysteries. Two Swedish mysteries have recently been dramatized and released to audiences worldwide. The Girl Who Played With Fire is a sequel to Larsson's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. The film version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, that stars Noomi Rapace as the punk sleuth/avenger, was released to American audiences in 2010.

Book Review of The Girl Who Played With Fire.

Lisabeth Salander continues to be meticulous, ruthless, and self-reliant to a fault in the next book in Larsson's series. Some reviewers have called her an anti-social punk and have compared her (as far as her self-reliance goes) to Astrid Lindgren’s Pippi Longstocking. According to Blomkvist, Salander has her own sense of morality though it’s far from the traditional view. Salander has no problem exacting revenge as long as it’s directed at those who have harmed the most vulnerable members of society.

As far as Salander goes, we lose track of her short after she visits the couple intent on exposing Sweden’s involvement in sex trafficking. For then on, Salander appears in absentia, in negative space, as hearsay. Readers, as well as most of the characters, doubt Salander is innocent of the crime the tabloids accuse her of committing—a triple murder. Blomkvist remains incommunicado with his former researcher and love interest, until he finds a series of cryptic messages left on his hard drive.

What’s enjoyable about this novel is the pace, particularly the second half where the action moves at lightning speed. Larsson manages to enter and exit the characters consciousness seamlessly; just as we learn the motives of one, we’re plunged into the consciousness of another and a new mystery emerges.

Several of the scenes and situations in the Millennium series, however, are not for the faint-hearted. Larsson’s Girl Who Played with Fire explores the dark underbelly of Sweden, its sex trade and drug trafficking operations, the SAPO (Sweden’s secret police) and its cover-up of a key ex-Soviet defector.

The denouement in the Swedish countryside is particularly shocking and contains several gruesome scenes. The conclusion does, however, leave readers eager for the next installment.

Another Swedish book-to-movie not to be missed is Let The Right One In.

Let The Right One In. John Ajvide Lindqvist. A bullied boy learns that his only friend is a vampire.

Movie tie-in: Let the Right One In.

by Chantal Walvoord

Book Review: Through the Narrow Gate

2010-10-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

Through the Narrow Gate is an intriguing memoir by a woman who spent seven years in a convent and who later became a pre-eminent writer and speaker on religous topics. Determined to find God, Armstrong leaves a comfortable life in Birmingham, England for an austere convent at 17. She struggles with homesickness, the weekly baths, the sewing, the "rule of silence" and other strict rules. She is also not allowed, for instance, to read for pleasure, leave the convent, or write freely to her family.

Despite being called "useless" by the Novice Mistress, Armstrong or "Sister Martha" (as she has been renamed), soldiers on. Unfortunately for her, Armstrong has entered the convent before Vatican II. Her illness, epilepsy, is seen as a failure to discipline her emotions. Armstrong also find that her active mind is constantly at odds with religious life. After she enters Oxford so that she can become a teaching nun, she faces even greater turmoil. Her desire to obey the order is constantly at odds with her desire to study literature.

Surprisingly honest in her willingness to examine her mistakes, Armstrong also never shies away from asking hard questions about her religous vocation. After leaving the convent, Armstrong then went on to write about the commonalities she sees among various faiths: Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. She won the $100,000 TED prize in 2008 and drew up a Charter for Compassion that was signed by dignataries from around the world. Those who are interested in Karen Armstrong's memoir may also be interested in her second memoir, The Spiral Staircase: My Climb Out of Darkness.

Don't miss these Large Print books

2010-10-08T08:52:00.000-07:00

Bradley, Alan. The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag. Flavia de Luce, first introduced to readers in The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, applies her skills to find out who murdered a master puppeteer.

Brown, Pat. Profiler: My Life Hunting Serial Killers and Sociopaths. Pat Brown, one of the country’s leading profilers, gives readers new insights into the minds of cold-blooded killers.

Caldwell, Gail. Let’s Take the Long Way Home: a Memoir of Friendship. Gail and Caroline bond over their writing, their dogs, and their love of nature, which makes saying goodbye to Caroline even harder. This non-fiction work describes a friendship between well-known writers.

Forsyth, Frederick. The Cobra. An unnamed president asks the “the Cobra” (Paul Devereaux) to amplify America’s war against drugs with perilous results.

Macomber, Debbie. 1022 Evergreen Place. When two neighbors find a cache of love letters written by a World War II soldier, they soon find themselves working together to solve the mystery.

Sala, Sharon. Blown Away. A woman must outrun her killer as a hurricane rages around her.

Book Review: Ghosts of Kerfol

2010-09-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

Ghosts of Kerfol by Deborah Noyes

The Ghosts of Kerfol by Deborah Noyes.

Don't miss Deborah Noyes fascinating tribute to Edith Wharton's short story "Kerfol." The cursed house, Kerfol, figures prominently in each short story. When a lonely wife, Anne de Barrigan comforts herself with pet dogs, her husband, Yves de Cornault, retaliates by killing them. A chambermaid, Perrette, narrates what happens when the ghosts of her mistress' dogs exact revenge. The rest of the stories move forward and backwards in time as characters of various decades enter the house as owners, tourists, and restorers.

"These Heads Would Speak" is set shortly after the French Revolution when a recently impoverished nobleman, Victor, is set to inherit Kerfol. Victor, an artist at heart, has no idea why the servants vacate the house on a certain day, the anniversary of a particularly gruesome death. In "The Figure Under the Sheet," an American man and his spoiled daughter have inherited Kerfol. Noyes interweaves a Breton folktale, a rich king and his ungrateful daughter, that oddly mirror Kerfol's most recent owners.

Tourists in the 1980s story "When I Love You Best" learn about the murder of Suze, the young woman who dies under mysterious circumstances in "The Figure Under the Sheet." The house and its ghosts continue to haunt new inhabitants in the final story where a deaf boy hears ghosts speak. Anyone interested Ghosts of Kerfol may also be interested in Edith Wharton's
Collected Stories, 1917-1937.

Collected Stories 1917-1937

For more books by Deborah Noyes please see her official site,
http://www.deborahnoyes.com/books.html

Review by Chantal Walvoord

Book Review: Passage by Justin Cronin

2010-09-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

Not Just Another Vampire Novel

As I read The Passage I realized this book was much more than simply another vampire novel; it's a book about how humans deal with grief. Much of the novel is an action packed thriller in which characters try to defeat zombie-like vampires. The vampires are part of an experiment, the Noah Project, that has gone horribly wrong. The vampires, or "jumps" as they are called because they attack from above, are nothing like the romanticized vampires of other novels e.g. the Twilight series.

The jumps are virals created by the efforts of the infamous Dr. Jonas Lear who wanted to find a way for humans to live forever. Lear is a modern Dr.Frankenstein--even his wife is named Elizabeth--yet he manages to mitigate the havoc he has wreaked on the world with Amy's help. Amy is an enigma and it isn't clear what role she plays--heroine, victim, or both--until nearly the end of the novel. She is the ship, Lacey tells Peter.

There is so much intriguing material here and so many clues and red herrings that its almost mandatory to read it all the way through a second time. The Passage offers several surprises and ends abruptly because its part of a planned trilogy. A movie version is also in the works. If you like The Passage, then you might want to consider these epic novels, each of which is available at Rockwall County Library: Guillermo Del Toro's The Strain, Stephen King's The Stand, or Cormac McCarthy's The Road. For additional suggestions, see a librarian or try NoveList, a database available to Rockwall County Library card holders.

by Chantal Walvoord

Fantastic New Arrivals

2010-09-02T12:01:00.000-07:00

The Crossing Places

Here are just a few new arrivals. New arrivals can be found on the first floor New Arrival Shelf, in front of the elevator.

The Hidden Flame by Davis Bunn and Janette Oke.

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier.

Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky.

The Unnamed: A Novel by Joshua Ferris.

Crawlspace: A Home Repair is Homicide Mystery by Sarah Graves.

The Crossing Places: A Ruth Galloway Mystery by Elly Griffiths. If you like mysteries about archaeologists, you'll really enjoy The Crossing Places, the first book in a new series. The Crossing Places has earned a starred review from Booklist.

Labor Day Closing

2010-08-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

The library will close September 4th and September 6th for the Labor Day holiday. Electronic resources will still be available (www.rocklib.com for more details). The library will resume normal business hours on the 7th.

Computer Workshop for August

2010-08-14T08:33:00.000-07:00

The library will host a three day basic computer skills workshop. This course is intended for students with little to no experience with using a computer. This course will cover typing, using the mouse, accessing the internet with the library computers, navigating the desktop, and library resources. Sign up for either the August 16th session or the August 23rd session at the reference desk on the 2nd floor. Contact Gavin Sheaffer at 972-204-7700 for more information.

Broken For You

2010-07-14T15:44:00.000-07:00

Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos. Review by Chantal Walvoord.

Dying of a terminal illness and haunted by two ghosts, Margaret decides to take in a young boarder. The novel could be grim but is actually quite humorous and filled with delicate irony. Margaret grew up as the privileged daughter of antiques dealer. She hoards beautiful things e.g. porcelain tea sets and figurines and keeps her true feelings locked away. Despite growing up in vastly different eras, Margaret and her boarder, Wanda, have a deep bond. Can their friendship allow them to transcend their past? Kallos, an award winning author, is also the author of Sing Them Home.

Rockwall: Images of America

2010-05-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

Rockwall held its Founder’s Day Festival this Saturday, May 22. For more information on Rockwall and its founding, see Sheri Stodghill Fowler’s Rockwall: Images of America. Fowler has done a thorough job of researching each historical photograph. She includes images of the downtown area, Rockwall’s first schools, distinctive buildings, and noteworthy individuals. For instance, see a picture of Dr. Jessie Castle LaMoreaux, Texas’s first formally trained female dentist who was active in the Rockwall community. Naturally, Fowler also includes wonderful pictures of Rockwall’s famous “rock wall.” Organized in four chapters, the photographs show the shifts in Rockwall’s economy: from the railroad era to the current shift towards suburbia.

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

2010-05-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier. Review by Chantal Walvoord

For a delightful break from reality, read Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier. This coming-of-age fantasy will interest young adults and adults alike. Marillier captures all of the wonder and horror that abounds in the original fey stories, yet she gives her heroines problems that anyone could identify with. Is it better to be safe or to take a risk? Is it better to control or to let go and trust your instincts? In chasing monsters (and seeking revenge) do we become what we chase?

Wildwood Dancing opens with a line that piques the reader’s interest, “I heard it said that girls can’t keep secrets. That’s wrong: we’ve proved it.” Every full moon four sisters, who live in a Transylvanian castle, lock their bedroom door and pretend to fall asleep. Then, they step into a portal that takes them into the Other Kingdom--the fairy realm of Wildwood forest—where they enjoy a night of dancing on the green.

After their father’s health deteriorates, the girls must deal with their ambitious, narrow-minded cousin, Cezar, who takes away their home and family business. The girls’ father, a textiles merchant, has left Jena in charge of the business, yet Cezar seizes it. Cezar also threatens to fell the woods surrounding the castle and promises to destroy the fairy realm that offends his sense of propriety.

Loosely based on Grimm’s “The Twelve Dancing Princesses” and “The Frog Prince,” Marillier breaks new ground with this young adult novel. More than anything this is a novel about consequences. “Nothing comes without a price,” the old crone tells Jena and her two cousins when they, as children, make the mistake of playing “King of the Lake” in the Dead Wash. The consequences of that forbidden game will have far-reaching effects—altering Cezar, Costi, and Jena’s lives while also binding them together.

Wildwood Dancing is also about impossible love, betrayal, and forgiveness. Fans of the Twilight series may enjoy the “doomed love” plot involving Tatiana and Sorrow. Sorrow is one of the Night People, who finds temporary refuge in Ileana’s glade. In addition to dealing with the supernatural elements from the Other Kingdom--an otherworldly frog, a witch who rides a white fox, the strange Night people--Jena must also deal with the desire to find love, independence, and self-fulfillment in her own world.

Wildwood Dancing won an Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel (2006) and is a YALSA Best Book for Young Adults (2007).

Memorial Day closure, May 31st

2010-05-18T13:57:00.000-07:00

The Rockwall County library will be closed on May 29th, 30th, and May 31st in honor of Memorial Day. Access to databases and other electronic services will still be available. The library will resume service on June 1st at 10am.

Book Reviews, Hope dies last and The good war

2010-05-18T13:52:00.000-07:00

For this month’s review I have selected two works by Studs Terkel. The works are “Hope dies Last: keeping the faith in difficult times” and “The good war: an oral history of WW2”. Both works have a similar format, i.e. oral history shaped into a narrative that creates an entertaining & informative non-fiction novel. Oral history has the power to bring history to life very vividly. Both of the novels reviewed use the oral history method to develop a narrative that Terkel strings together to form a central premise for each book.

In Hope dies last, Studs presents the stories of older activist and individuals at the beginning of the book, complete with their cynical outlook on life. As the work progresses, the individuals interviewed become younger and less cynical and definitely more optimistic concerning our shared future. Terkel ends the book on a high note of optimism, fulfilling the titular promise that Hope is alive in our country today and he has the interviews to prove it.

The second work, The Good war: an oral history of World War 2, Studs Terkel captures the reminiscing of ordinary men and women from all walks of life who were either a part of the fight or were supporting it through their work efforts. Terkel recounts the hardship of many a poor man and woman as they engaged in fighting in tropical climates, working endless hours in a factory, terrorized at sea aboard naval cruisers, or working nurses or doctors in a military hospital. These are the stories of the individuals who did the heavy lifting, who shouldered almost all of the sacrificing of this conflict. Terkel has chosen to exclude any reference to the high command, both militarily and politically. This is a book dedicated to the men and women who were engaged in a generations defining moment, individuals like your parents and grandparents, this is their tale.

In both novels, Studs Terkel provides minimal interpretation or personal reflection, with the lone exception of the introductory chapter. Terkel manages to ask many of the right questions and allows the interviewee to provide their own back-story and interpretation of an event, requiring only the gentlest questioning by Terkel. The subjects in both books are fascinating, all of them. Their stories represent unique slices of Americana and illuminate why our patchwork quilt of a nation is so unique. Both works serve to illuminate the power of oral history and why it is so compelling. Each book is really more a collection of short stories, written (i.e. adapted from recorded tracks and retyped) in a voice that is unique to each subject. Therefore, both novels have a tone that changes dramatically from chapter to chapter which makes for an exhilarating and interesting read.

Free computer classes during the summer

2010-05-18T13:42:00.000-07:00

The library will host a Free Computer workshop throughout the months of June, July and August in celebration of adult summer reading. The sign up sheet is at the second floor Reference Desk. A valid library card is required to sign up for this service, if you do not have a card, see the circulation desk for details. The class times are as follows:

June 21st
July 12th and 19th
August 16th and 23rd

All workshops are three days in length and workshops start at 10:30am and finish at noon. Workshops will be held upstairs in the Technology Lab.

Adult Summer Reading is around the corner

2010-05-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

Adult Summer Reading is coming soon. Starting June 7, 2010 adults (18 years and older) who hold a valid Rockwall County Library card may request an adult summer reading log at the reference desk. Our theme is Summer Reading 2010: Your Ticket to Ride because reading can take you places.

Since Adult Summer Reading around the corner, here are some recommend fiction titles from the Texas Library Association.

Bazell, Josh. Beat the Reaper.

Castillo, Linda. Sworn to Silence.

Cornwell, Bernard. Agincourt.

Dallas, Sandra. Prayers for Sale.

Dunant, Sarah. Sacred Hearts.

Duncan, Elizabeth. Cold Light of Mourning.

Fortschen, William. One Second After.

Hart, John. The Last Child.

Keane, Mary Beth. The Walking People.

Kim, Eugenia. The Calligrapher's Daughter.

Kolpan, Gerald. Etta.

Larsson, Steig. The Girl Who Played With Fire.

Lynch, Jim. Border Songs.

Maynard, Joyce. Labor Day.

Morton, Kate. The Forgotten Garden.

Quinn, Spencer. Dog on it: A Chet and Bernie Mystery.

Stockett, Kathryn. The Help.

Tropper, Jonathan. This isWhere I Leave You.

Walls, Jeannette. Half Broke Horses: A True Life Novel.

Wilson, Kevin. Tunneling to the Center of the Earth: Stories.

2010-03-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

April is "Financial Literacy" month and a perfect time to re-examine your personal budget. If you want to learn more about personal budgeting or money management, these books are for you:

Bach, David. Fight for Your Money: How to Stop Getting Ripped Off and Fight For Your Money(2009).

Bradford, Stacey. Wall Street Journal: Financial Guidebook for New Parents (2009)

Chatzky, Jean. The Difference (2009). Chatsky's book is also available at Rockwall County Library in CD Format.

Fisher, Sarah Young. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Personal Finance in your 20s and 30s (2009).

Hansen, Mark. Cash in a Flash: Fast Money in Slow Times (2009).

Jason, Julie. The AARP Retirement Survival Guide: How to Make Smart Financial Decisions in Good Times and Bad (2009).

Leonard, Robin. Credit Repair (2009).

Sandberg, Erica. Expecting Money: the Essential Financial Plan for New and Growing Families (2008).

Solin, David. The Smartest Retirement Book You’ll Ever Read (2009).

Weber, Lauren. In Cheap We Trust (2009).

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day

2010-02-24T10:54:00.000-08:00

Barbieri, Heather. Lace Makers of Glenmara (2009). A young American woman, who finds friendship with a group of lacemakers in Glenmara, Ireland, reinvents herself.

Caldwell, Joseph. The Pig Comes to Dinner (2009). In this follow up to The Pig Did It Caldwell tells a humorous ghost story about a couple that inherits a castle, the ghosts that inhabit it, and one mischievous pig.

Delaney, Frank. Shannon (2009). A young American military chaplain, who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, goes to Ireland to discover his roots.

Hart, Josephine. The Truth about Love (2009). A mother survives the death of her beloved son who died in a freak accident.

Keane, Mary Beth. The Walking People (2009). Greta longs to return to Ireland but she also wants to protect her children from her family’s secrets.

Kelly, Pat. Galway Bay (2009). Galway Bay describes the epic journey a young Irish couple undertakes when they immigrate to America.

Keyes, Marian. Brightest Star in the Sky (2010). A playful, wandering spirit reveals intimate details about the lives of several Dublin residents.

McCann, Colum. Let the Great World Spin (2009). This National Book Award winning author depicts a group of New Yorkers whose lives intersect after a hit-and-run accident.

McGilloway, Brian. Gallows Lane (2009). A series of murders in the borderlands keep Inspector Devlin busy.

Murphy, Peter. John the Revelator. In this Irish coming-of-age story, John Devine must choose between friendship and betrayal.

Sansom, Ian. Bad Book Affair (2009). Sansom offers a humorous mystery involving Israel Armstrong, a Jewish, vegetarian librarian.

Stamos, Ann. Bitter Tide (2009). Joseph Hanngegan, Ellis Island Superintendent, attempts to solve the murder of a newly arrived Irish immigrant.

Toibin, Colm. Brooklyn: a novel (2009). In this novel, a young woman in the 1950s is torn between America and the Ireland of her past.

Trevor, William. Love and Summer (2009). Love blooms between a farmer’s wife and an artist in a small Irish town.

Presidents Day

2010-02-03T10:25:00.000-08:00

Rockwall County Library will be closed Monday, February 15 in observance of President's Day.

Celebrate President's Day by visiting two online exhibits, Running for Office: Candidates, Campaigns and the Cartoons of Clifford K. Berryman or Every Four Years: Electing a President.
The National Archives & Records Administration
http://www.archives.gov/
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/running-for-office/
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/museum/4years/index.htm

E-Book of the Month

2010-02-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

If you need help getting tasks accomplished on time, consider reading this excellent e-book, The Procrastinator's Guide to Getting Things Done.

E-books and downloadable audiobooks can be accessed by setting up a free netlibrary account @ Rockwall County Library. After your netlibrary account is set up, Netlibrary ebooks and e-audiobooks can be accessed anywhere e.g. your computer, laptop, or internet enabled device.

To see a list of netlibrary titles, search http://www.netlibrary.com/ or http://www.netlibrary.org/

For more information, please see a librarian at Rockwall County Library.

Need Something Good to Read?

2010-01-20T14:36:00.000-08:00

Notable Fiction and Non-Fiction for 2010.

Every year ALA’s Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) announces its list of notable fiction and non-fiction. Here are some of the fiction and non-fiction that made the list:

Fiction
Atwood, Margaret. The Year of the Flood: A Novel.
Baker, Nicholson. The Anthologist: A Novel.
Chaon, Dan. Await Your Reply: A Novel.
Cleave, Chris. Little Bee: A Novel.
Dexter, Pete. Spooner.
Li, Yiyun. The Vagrants: A Novel.
McCann, Colum. Let the Great World Spin: A Novel.
Morrison, Toni. A Mercy.
Toibin, Colm. Brooklyn: A Novel.

Non-Fiction
Finkel, David. The Good Soldiers.
Grann, David. The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obssession in the Amazon.
Holmes, Richard. The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science.
McDougall, Christopher. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen.
Salisbury, Lainey and Aly Sujo. Provenance.
Thompson, Nicholas. The Hawk and the Dove: Paul Nitze, George Kennan, and the History of the Cold War.
http://rusa.ala.org/blog/2010/01/17/2010notablebooks/

Book Review: The Constant Princess

2010-01-15T09:04:00.000-08:00

Review of The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

Review by Chantal Walvoord

I picked up The Constant Princess after reading The Other Boleyn Girl. Both books are fascinating but I actually like The Constant Princess better. Katherine of Aragon isn’t one of Henry VIII’s most well known wives; she does not enjoy the kind of popularity that Anne Boleyn does but she is a prodigious historical figure in her own right.

Katherine of Aragon was the daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella who funded Christopher Columbus’ voyage. She was remarkably heroic and defended England by fighting the Scots. According to some historical sources, she rode out in full armor while visibly pregnant.

Katherine is probably best known for being the first wife that Henry VIII discarded. She is called “constant” in Gregory’s book because of her tenacity. After her first husband’s death (Arthur Tudor) she lived in near poverty but she refused to leave the court. She knew that her destiny is to marry Arthur’s younger brother, Henry VIII, even though his father and grandmother opposed the match. Unfortunately for Katherine, it was also her destiny to be the wife that Henry VIII cast off in favor of her rival, Anne Boleyn.

Readers who want another version of the same story will want to read Jean Plaidy’s trilogy about the doomed queen: Katherine, the Virgin Widow; The Shadow of the Pomegranate; and the King’s Secret Matter. For a non-fiction treatment of the same subject, try Garrett Mattingly’s Catherine of Aragon.

Book Review, Baltimore

2010-01-12T10:50:00.000-08:00

Baltimore, or, The steadfast tin soldier and the vampire
by Mike Mignola & Christopher Golden.

What is the deal with the recent trend of making vampires lovable and misunderstood? I cringe whenever a new vampire movie, television show, or book is created that describes these creatures as sympathetic or misunderstood. I prefer my Vampires dirty and despicable as well as deathly afraid of sunlight and running water. Thankfully, the creative team behind Baltimore has stuck to the original mythos and kept the vampire scourge solely in the realm of evil.

“Baltimore, or, The steadfast tin soldier and the vampire” is actually three stories within a story. The tale is told in flashback by three different characters who are summoned to a mysterious inn by the elusive Lord Baltimore, the titular hero. Each character is identified by their respective trade; one is a business man, the other is a scarred doctor, and the third is a grizzled sailor. All of the men have two things in common; the first is their shared connection to Lord Baltimore whom each character has met through their respective travels. The second connection is that each man has come face to face with supreme evil, albeit in different guises. This presents a unique angle for the overall story allowing for creative narrative to drive multiple plot points towards a spectacular conclusion. The stories within the story serve to flesh out the necessary motives and personalities of each character, which has the effect of humanizing the three men as well as providing crucial background history in an appropriate manner. Once the multiple back-stories are concluded, the real story begins.

Baltimore is a cautionary tale of evil; at once the reader is presented a ringside seat to view the macabre. The mood of the book is depressing and dark, further complemented by the hauntingly rendered illustrations. “Baltimore, or, The steadfast tin soldier and the vampire” is available at Rockwall County Library in the adult fiction collection on the second floor.

Book Review, The Devil in the White City.

2010-01-12T10:49:00.000-08:00

“The Devil in the White City, murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America”

Erik Larson is rapidly becoming a favorite author of mine. His non-fiction novels are nothing short of amazing. Devil in the White City reads as well as any popular mystery writer’s latest offering, yet you can take comfort in knowing that you are spending your time studying history and learning about a past era. You will hardly believe that the characters were real people and the events described actually transpired.

“Devil in the White City” describes an America transitioning into the 20th century. The collective national ego has been bruised by the successful Paris World Fair of 1889 and the unveiling of the Eiffel tower. Larson describes the ensuing clash of egos with details galore, providing the reader a voyeuristic view into the private lives of our country’s past elite. Larson was able to recreate the jockeying, political maneuvering, and outright character sabotage through extensive study of personal letters of all of the actors involved. Eventually, a site is chosen and a prominent architect named Daniel Burnham is tasked with building the fair. Burnham proceeds to assemble a dream team of architects, artisans, engineers, and showmen to dazzle and delight 19th century Americans with what might be the greatest spectacle to date, the 1897 World’s Fair.

As the city of Chicago braces and transforms itself to host the mother of all fairs, a lone citizen within the city is undergoing a transformation as well. This person is a consummate liar, thief, and murderer and he practices his brand of evil so methodically in the streets of Chicago that the retelling of his story will cause a shudder to run down your spine. The person is named H.H. Holmes, but throughout the novel he will assume multiple identities and pursue a broad range of criminal activities, all under the nose of decent society. The odd thing about this person, the reader will have no trouble keeping up with his dastardly schemes and multiple personalities. His story is truly shocking and will serve as a foil to the ambitions and design of the Chicago’s World Fair.

Like Thunderstruck, this offering from Larson features two separate stories within a story. Unlike the earlier work however, Devil in the White City’s two plots serve to contrasts the dark side of mans ambitions, desire for control, and lust for recognition. Devil in the White city won the national book award for non-fiction and its not hard to see why. This book is available at the Rockwall County Library in the adult non-fiction collection on the second floor.

Basic computer skills workshop for Febuary

2010-01-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

The Rockwall County Library will host a basic computer skills workshop in February. This course is intended for beginners, i.e. individuals who have little to no background or experience with computers. All potential students must have a valid library card in good standing to take advantage of this program. The workshop is structured as follows:
-Workshops are 3 days in length, starting on Wednesday and ending on Friday
-Scheduled course times are 10:30-12noon, Wednesday through Friday.
-The start dates for the workshop are February 3rd, 10th, and the 17th.
-Students may sign up for one workshop only; multiple signatures will not be honored.

Please see the reference desk upstairs to sign up for this course.

Martin Luther King Day

2010-01-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

Closings:
Rockwall County Library will be closed on January 18, 2010 in observance of Martin Luther King Day.

January's E-book

2010-01-04T14:42:00.000-08:00

Once a month Netlibrary.com features an E-book of the month. January's ebook of the month, Ten Years Thinner, may help you keep your New Year's fitness goals.

Trained as a physician, Lydon was more interested in prevetative medicine. Get a netlibrary account and checkout her "un-diet."

For more information about OCLC's Netlibrary or Netlibrary eAudiobooks, please see a librarian at the reference desk.

Precious by Sandra Novak

2009-12-30T15:09:00.000-08:00

Precious by Sandra Novak.
Review by Chantal Walvoord

Lately, there’s been a spate of books about missing persons. In addition to detective novels, recent best-selling novels e.g. Jacquelyn Mitchard’s breakout novel The Deep End of the Ocean, Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones, William P. Young’s The Shack also feature missing persons. Novak’s Precious, one of Booklist’s Top Ten First Novels, almost packs too many disappearing acts. Besides the young girl taken against her will, two other characters disappear: a mother joins a lover in Italy and a teenage daughter mimics her by running from home.

Natalia, a holocaust survivor and gypsy, gives the novel an added dimension. She frequently tells her younger daughter tales from her gypsy heritage. Natalia also sizes life up in terms of good or bad luck. When Vicki Anderson, a classmate of her daughter’s, disappears, it is simply bad luck.

When Natalia survives an attempted hanging—in a concentration camp-- she has had good luck: “In life, if anyone survived, it was luck. If anyone found a loved one after losing them, it was luck. If anyone found a way home, it was luck. Her escape, too, was luck.” Natalie escapes from Krakow when an odd man finds her clinging to life and helps her escape. He takes her to a childless German couple who immigrate to America.

Novak depicts Natalia’s malaise with great skill. Despite having survived Krakow, Natalia never feels as ease living in a middle class suburban neighborhood in Pennsylvania. Frequently, Natalia muses over the image of an abandoned Pennsylvania mining town whose underground fires still burn. Natalia is like that town—one nature partially concealed by another. Before leaving her husband for another man, she leaves him a basketful of apples. The apples are symbolic of the love she still holds for her husband, Frank, yet when he finds them he completely misunderstands.

When Natalia eventually returns home, having missed her family too much, she finds her home in disarray. Her teenage daughter will hardly speak to her. Tensions between them have come to a boiling point. Though the novel leaves some loose threads, Natalia’s youngest daughter, Sissy, finds comfort and continuity from stories. She finds that stories are “a threading of hands around the table” promising everyone “a way home again.”

2009-12-07T08:38:00.001-08:00

2009-12-07T08:33:00.000-08:00

Rockwall County Library will be closed during the following dates:
CLOSED DEC. 24-27
CLOSED JAN. 1

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-02T08:30:00.000-08:00

Try Netlibrary!

If you haven't tried Netlibrary yet, ask a librarian at the Reference desk how you can set up an account. Its free and easy to use. Once you set up an account here at the library, you can login from any Internet enabled computer.

In December, Netlibrary will be highlighting a baking book as its e-book of the month. See the description of the e-book of the month below.

The Modern Baker: Time-Saving Techniques for Breads, Tarts, Pies, Cakes and Cookies. By Nick Malgieri DK Publishing, 2008 Product ID: 279478

With the right teacher, simplified techniques, and step-by-step photo tutorials to guide the way, everyone can make freshly baked loaves, crisp flatbreads, savory tarts, and rich desserts – in record time.
Written by baking Hall of Famer Nick Malgieri, this collection of 150 straightforward recipes with gourmet appeal, strives to bring success to even the busiest of bakers, with the bulk of the preparation taking under one hour. Malgieri distills years of teaching and experience into these detailed recipes for baking everything from bread to biscotti to puff pastry to old-fashioned layer cakes. Recipes are thorough and include descriptions of how batters and doughs are supposed to appear at each stage of preparation. The Modern Baker is as necessary and essential as a good oven; Nick Malgieri leads cooks through the simple art of creating an international assortment of delicious sweet and savory baked goods, interweaving techniques and helpful sidebars.
Designed to increase awareness of online resources and highlight the value of your eBook collection, the December eBook of the Month is provided through the generous support of DK Publishing. Don’t miss the opportunity to share this comprehensive collection of recipes and time-saving techniques.

The Modern Baker will be provided with free, unlimited access December 1-31, 2009 through Netlibrary.

Computer Workshop for December

2009-12-01T10:24:00.000-08:00

The library will be hosting a Free Computer Class throughout the month of December. The sign up sheet is at the second floor Reference Desk. A valid library card is required to sign up for this service, if you do not have a card, see the circulation desk for details. The class times are as follows: December 2nd, 9th, and the 16th. All workshops are three days in length and students will have the choice of either a 10:30am to noon time or a 12:30pm to 2pm afternoon start time.

Book Review: Invisible Mountain

2009-11-28T08:25:00.000-08:00

Review of Invisible Mountain, Carolina De Robertis.

Review by Chantal Walvoord, Adult Services Librarian.

De Robertis, a debut novelist, has written an impressive family saga that spans four generations—from Ignazio’s immigration to Uruguay to Roberto’s immigration to America. In this atmospheric and richly layered novel, readers learn about the rise and fall of Uruguay’s economic system and its subsequent effect upon one family.

Ignazio, escapes poverty in Italy, and finds employment in Montevideo at the urgings of his Grandfather. Ignazio’s grandfather had entreated him to “build something useful” in Uruguay. Ignazio accomplishes this by building the family home which becomes the haven that draws one generation after another. Despite harboring deep secrets about his father—keeping secrets nearly destroys each member of the Firielli family--Ignazio remains deeply attached to his beloved wife, Pajarita.

Making useful things with one’s hands is a recurring theme in this thoughtful novel. When Pajarita left her village, she took a small bundle with her—the beginnings of an herbal business in Montevideo. Her herbs are what save her family from starvation when Ignacio abruptly abandons the family (returning a few years later). Pajarita’s daughter, Eva, also makes “useful things” though not in the sense that Ignazio expects.

“You cannot eat a poem,” Ignazio declares and sends her to his friend’s shoe store to learn a trade. That decision will have disastrous consequences for both Eva and Ignazio. Despite Ignazio’s belief that poems are useless, Eva’s poems have real consequences—exile from Argentina and the disintegration of her marriage.

As Uruguay’s economy crumbles, Eva’s daughter, Salome, becomes secretly attached to the Tupa movement. She sleeps with rifles under her mattress and becomes engaged in more and more dangerous activities. The Tupas, an underground guerilla movement, want to help the displaced Uruguayans who have lost their homes but they also commit crimes in the name of their cause. Everything is changing, Salome thinks, even the Beatles have a song about Revolution. Salome pays, however, a heavy price for her idealism—torture and more than a decade in prison. The love of her life, another Tupa, abandons her and flees to Mexico. Eva blames herself for Salome’s sorrow, saying “I’ve failed you.”

Invisible Mountain has recently been selected as one of Booklist’s “Top Ten” first novels of 2009. Though this novel has a backdrop of Uruguay politics and turmoil, it is really about a struggle to repair bonds that have been unnaturally broken. Despite tragic events, the novel ends on a hopeful note, as mother, daughter, and granddaughter reunite in the home that Ignazio built all those years ago. Family members might not agree on politics but they can drink mate and eat empanadas together. They can forgive and love each other.

Booklist's Top Ten
Carolina De Robertis webpage

The library will be closed on Veterans Day 11/11/2009

2009-11-10T13:57:00.000-08:00

The Rockwall County Library will be closed on November 11th in honor of Veterans day. The library will resume normal operating hours Thursday the 12th at 10am. Electronic resources and the catalog will still be available.

Email workshop in November (18th & 19th)

2009-10-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

The library will provide a free email workshop to registered users in November. The workshop is a two day course and the start date is November 18th. The instructor will assist users in acquiring a new email address and he will answer questions concerning features, attachments, security, and netiquette. The courses start at 10:30am and finish at noon. Please sign up in advance for this workshop, space is limited to 10 students maximum. The workshop will be held in the technology lab upstairs on the second floor. Contact Gavin Sheaffer at 972-204-7700 for more information.

The library will be closed in honor of Labor day

2009-08-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

The library will close on September 5th & September 7th in honor of labor day. Access to library databases and electronic services will still be available. The library will resume normal operating hours on September 8th at 10a.m. Have a safe and relaxing holiday weekend.

Computer Workshop for September

2009-08-17T08:40:00.000-07:00

The library will be hosting a Free Computer Class throughout the month of September. The sign up sheet is at the second floor Reference Desk. A valid library card is required to sign up for this service, if you do not have a card, see the circulation desk for details. The class times are as follows: September 9th, 16th, 23rd, and the 30th. All classes start at 10:30am and will run to noon.

The library will be closed in honor of July 4th

2009-06-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

The library will be closed Friday (3rd) and Saturday (4th) in honor of Independence Day. The library will resume regular hours July 6th at 10am. The library databases can be accessed from home as well as other online services available to card holders. Have a happy and safe 4th of July weekend.

Book Review: Yankee Chick’s Survival Guide to Texas

2009-06-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

Book Review: Yankee Chick’s Survival Guide to Texas

By Denise Fudge, Library Assistant

I am proud to say that I am a native Texan, born and raised in Dallas, and college-educated in Houston. But in my young 20’s, I moved to New England for 5 years and felt I had moved to another country. About the same time, Sophia Dembling was making the same transition, only in reverse, moving from New York to Texas. In 2001 she wrote the insightful and funny book The Yankee Chick’s Survival Guide to Texas .

The Friends of the Library hosted Ms. Dembling for a talk a few years back. This book is very funny if you are not above looking in the mirror and laughing at yourself. A few of our customs that she tries to understand are the obsession with pickup trucks, the cult of football and cheerleaders, the reverence for the Alamo, and our love of the shape of Texas and the Texas flag. Here’s a hint that the book will show at least a little respect for the state: it’s published by Republic of Texas Press.

I like her assessment of the major Texas cities. Austin is hip and cool and “where most Texans would live if whatever they do wasn’t keeping them where they are.” Dallas is the “epicenter of conspicuous consumption” yet has an inferiority complex. Houston is “grown up, with a sophisticated arts scene and municipal self-confidence that makes Dallas look needy and Austin look like a frat boy.” Her notes on the college scene around Texas are right on the mark too.

This book reads like a very long Texas Monthly article. She has traveled all over the state and has her own stories to tell, plus lots of Yankee friends to quote. Her total conversion to Mexican cuisine and barbecue makes me smile, with some recipes in the back of the book that I want to give a try. I learned the difference between a “bubba” and a “good ol’ boy” and was enlightened by her take on the phrase “bless your heart.”

Next time you’re “fixin’ to” go to the library, check it out!

Book Review: Wishing on Dandelions

2009-06-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

Wishing on Dandelions by Mary DeMuth

Review by Chantal Walvoord, Adult Services Librarian

Wishing on Dandelions is a moving coming-of-age novel that leaves readers longing for the third installment. Continuing where Watching Tree Limbs left off, DeMuth continues to explore topics that most writers shy away from— racism and sexual abuse—with exceptional verve. Though her novels explore serious social problems, they are also filled with humor and are highly enjoyable. Mara has been abused by a vicious boy named General, yet she finds hope by relying upon God’s grace. That’s one reason Mara changes her given name, which means bitter, to “Maranatha” which means “Come, Lord Jesus.”

Despite her name change, Maranatha is no cardboard cut-out Christian. She is sometimes “bitter,” as Violin Charlie claims. Maranatha frequently jumps to conclusions and judges others harshly. Maranatha’s flaws make her all the more believable and lovable, especially as she is so remarkably self-aware and honest about her flaws. In one memorable scene, Maranatha blames her deeply prejudiced step-mother, Georgeanne, for stealing her favorite white dress, which used to belong to her mother. Georgeanne had actually taken the dress, which had been stained by red punch, to be professionally laundered in Dallas.

Sadly, Maranatha views herself as just as “stained,” as the white dress. Maranatha blames herself for the sexual abuse she endured as a child and views herself as “marked”. Sensing that she is stained, she even feels that her pure love for Charlie may be tainted. In this hopeless state, Maranatha prays that Jesus would show her his love while standing in an abandoned field of dandelions. Though praying is not the same as wishing, Maranatha feels, at this immature stage in her life, that they are one and the same. Here in this field she finds and loses a ring that she feels is symbolic of God’s love.

Local author DeMuth easily captures the quirks of Southern small-town life. Along with wise eccentrics, like Camilla and Burl, her version of Texas has its share of bigoted and predatory characters. One character, Old Mack, has a shop filled with items he never sells. Camilla is a wise-cracking poet who writes zany “truth” poems. Mama Frankie is a prophetic member of the Mt. Moriah church and Mabel is a one-eyed woman who scares children on Halloween with her glass eye. Characters get their comeuppance—like Georgeanne who experiences embarrassment at the barbecue picnic--but they are also blessed with healing grace. Maranatha fights against her own cowardice to testify against a predatory character and begins to make peace with her past.

Mary DeMuth, author of Wishing on Dandelions, will make an appearance at the Rockwall County Library at 1215 E Yellowjacket Lane in Rockwall on August 6, 2009 from 7-8pm. She will speak about her latest book and offer information to budding writers on how to get published. Should you happen to read Wishing on Dandelions or one of DeMuth’s other books, she would be glad to answer your questions.

Book Review: Breakfast at Sally’s

2009-06-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

Breakfast at Sally’s by Richard LeMieux

Review by Laurie Lynne Smith, Library Assistant

Sally's offers hope with the hashbrowns and companionship with the coffee with its sit-down meal for the homeless. Those in-the-know have given the Salvation Army in Bremerton, Washington its affectionate moniker, Sally’s. Richard LeMieux was introduced to Sally's when he found himself living in his van with his precious dog, Willow, having no money and no prospects for the future. In his book, "Breakfast at Sally's", LeMieux shares with readers his own experiences with homeless people and those who give diddly-squat about them.

What a ride this book took me on as I followed this once happily married man, father, and successful businessman through his adventures in homelessness. Gas money in his pocket promised the equilibrium he sought day-to-day. It meant freedom to move about this small town, to find a safe parking lot for the night, to give rides to fellow vagabonds like himself. He even resorted to panhandling, a great descent for a man who once traveled the world, drove high-end cars and owned a home boasting more than 5000 square feet.

While LeMieux delivered chapters devoted to his new acquaintances, I found myself wanting to know more about how he arrived at this low echelon of our society. He shared those few details sparingly throughout the book. I wanted much more but perhaps that’s for another book.
I now have it on good account that some of my assumptions about the homeless are right on. For the most part, the homeless are society’s throw-a-ways due to mental disabilities. I have always felt that our government should offer more to help these people. This responsibility has fallen to churches and other non-profits like the Salvation Army. LeMieux never got on a soap box about this, however, through his narration he provokes the reader to question what a single person can do to help.

There were three nuggets of insight I took from “Breakfast at Sally’s”:

The homeless, having very little, will help a fellow down-and-outer who needs companionship, food, shelter, money, or clothes. They are acutely aware of basic necessities and what it means to be lacking in any category. They are truly generous.
While some of us fear them, they seek safety from those who would do them harm, namely, those outside of their commune of homelessness. They know of people like them who have been tormented due to their similar circumstances.
When a successful businessman can fall from a rung high on the ladder to the lowest rung, all within a year, then many of us are more vulnerable than we thought.

Do I recommend this book? Did I thoroughly enjoy it? Yes and no. While there was some light-heartedness it was still tough to read at times. Underneath the light tone presented in this book detailing the humanity of the homeless, I felt an undertow of discomfort. I wanted all the characters to end up well. Not all did. Call me Pollyanna. What I did find endearing were those who did give a diddly-squat about these people. God bless ‘em.
So you must be wondering what precipitated LeMieux’s slip and what his plans for the future are after the debut of his book. Dear reader, I must leave something for you to discover. You can find this title in the “New Books” section at the Rockwall County Library.

Book Review

2009-06-16T08:38:00.000-07:00

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson

Review by Gavin Sheaffer, Reference Librarian

For this week’s review, I chose Erik Larson’s Thunderstruck. Thunderstruck is a work of nonfiction but it reads like a mystery novel. The novel consists of two divergent plot points that converge to form a spectacular conclusion. Erik Larson is a prominent author in the non fiction novel genre. You might have already read and enjoyed Isaacs Storm or The Devil in the White City and, if you have, this book is for you. If not, don’t despair, you will be entertained, mortified, and amazed by the novel Thunderstruck.

Thunderstruck, at its heart, is a tale of scientific achievement by one man who single handedly revolutionized communication and its impact on the schemes of another man. The achievement was wireless telegraph transmission and this breakthrough is attributed to Guglielmo Marconi. The wireless telegraphy breakthrough entailed a great deal of controversy and dispute. Other notable scientists had claimed earlier successes but for some reason or another, did not receive credit or the financial windfall that suddenly came with this discovery. Larson describes in great detail the various battles that break out over Marconi’s new invention and the forces that seek to control or exploit the man and his discovery. Larson describes Marconi as an aloof, socially insensitive yet hardworking Italian inventor who was driven by an insatiable curiosity, especially concerning the field of electrical engineering and telegraph technology. Marconi felt that electrical engineering was the way of the future and he knew this discipline and the technology that would spring forth from it would change the world.

The second actor in this story is a mild mannered doctor name Hawley Harvey Crippin who happens to be a Doctor of Osteopathic medicine who is blessed with sharp business acumen and the good fortune to be at the right place, at the right time. Crippen is married to a domineering woman who openly flaunts convention whenever possible, yet is embraced and adored in several prominent British social circles. Before the end of the book, Crippen will be at the center of a worldwide manhunt with several police agencies acting in unison in an attempt to track down the elusive Doctor. It is in this chase-scenario that the very real implications of Marconi’s discovery are realized.

Erik Larson seamlessly blends history, crime, and mystery into an intensely readable work of non-fiction. The twin characters of Marconi and Crippen are identical in so many ways, yet their ambitions and means to achieve them are devastatingly different. If you prefer a good mystery and a well written nonfiction volume, then Thunderstruck is the book for you. Thunderstruck is available at the Rockwall County Library in the Adult non-fiction collection.

Book Review: Redwall Series

2009-06-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

Redwall Series by Brian Jacques

Review by Arlene Sosta, Library Assistant

Over the years some wonderful fantasy books have come from the pens or computers of new and well-known authors. In addition, some of these books have made it to the big screen. Many times readers go to the movies to see how the written words were interpreted as they watch the story unfold. There are times that the adaptation follows the original story and other times the story’s content has been altered or changed.

Fantasy and science fiction have a common thread- make believe tales. The genre of fantasy involves stories that have characters and events that do not exist in real life. A few ingredients we find in this genre are magic, wizards, and mythological characters. The story may begin as a realistic one, but soon evolves into a strange tale that could never really happen. On the other hand, science fiction stories incorporate science and technology and involve the future on the printed page. The writers try to create a world and life quite different from planet Earth.
There are many new fantasy authors whose books have made it into school and public libraries. Christopher Paolini (the INHERITANCE CYCLE) and Rick Riordan (THE PERCY JACKSON SERIES) are very familiar names to readers of fantasy. However, if we look on the shelves we will still see the works of J.R.R. Tolkein, Jules Verne, C.S. Lewis and Philip Pullman.

British author Brian Jacques has been writing for many years and his REDWALL SERIES has stood the test of time. The adventures and challenges of the characters are set in Medieval times. The first book’s setting is Redwall Abby and Mossflower Wood. The protagonists are the mice, moles, shrews, squirrels and their friends. The antagonists are the rats, weasels, stoats, foxes and their allies. Throughout the series the theme of good versus evil is evident.

I imagine most readers are not particularly fond of mice but Brian Jacques makes us fond of Matthias, a young mouse who shows us that size does not always matter. This vibrant and charming character shows us that courage and determination can help us do the impossible. The key to bringing peace to Redwall Abbey is recovering the lost sword of Martin the Warrior. The legendary sword will help the animals combat the evil rat Cluny the Scourge and his band of followers. Matthias reminds us of Don Quixote who was on a quest while dreaming the impossible dream. Unlike Don Quixote Matthias is not chasing windmills. Matthias’s mission is believable since he is determined to keep his friends and family out of harm’s way. He promises to find the weapon and defeat the enemy (Cluny and his band of brothers). The hope of recovering the famous sword brings the peace-loving inhabitants of Redwall to join forces with Matthias in his quest As the story unfolds, we forget that the compelling and fascinating characters are not humans. Such is the case with the strong badger named Constance and Silent Sam whose knowledge of the forest is an asset. This book and the others in the series have all the excitement and elements of an action packed fantasy adventure. The series consists of twenty books.

In 2010 there will be another book added to the REDWALL SERIES-THE SABLE QUEEN. REDWALL is not just for older children but the books could definitely spark interest in the series for adults. In 2007 Brian Jacques and artist Christopher Denise transformed three of the REDWALL books into picture books. A graphic novel was also published based on REDWALL.

Our world and lives are constantly changing and at times we find ourselves feeling the pressures and challenges that face us each day. It is great if we can relax and curl up with a good book. REDWALL might be a book that will help you unwind and envision what is happening in the theater of your mind.

I would recommend this series for ages 10 and up (this includes adults). It is shelved in the juvenile fiction section at the Rockwall County Library.

Some Favorite Children’s Series BooksReview by Doreen Miller

2009-06-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

Some Favorite Children’s Series Books

Review by Doreen Miller, Children’s Librarian

One of the most enjoyable aspects of my position as the children’s librarian at the Rockwall County Library is suggesting books to young patrons, called reader’s advisory in librarianship. But the joy of sharing books goes both ways and I am delighted when children tell me about their favorite books and the latest “must reads.” A young patron was the first to tell me about the Magic Tree House books by author Mary Pope Osborne during the summer of 1999, before they became the best sellers they are now. Another young friend Cecil and I have talked about the Clarice Bean books by author Lauren Child and eagerly awaited new installments.

Therefore it’s not surprising that book-savvy Brooke Hill introduced me to the Magical Kids series written and illustrated by British author Sally Gardner. Seems Brooke first discovered the books at the Dallas Public library while there on a genealogy foray with her grandfather, Raymond Hill. Brooke wanted children in Rockwall to enjoy them as well and her grandfather offered to purchase the books for the Rockwall County Library. Thanks to the Hills we started with The Strongest Girl in the World and The Invisible Boy, published here in the US together in a fun flip-book format.

Ms. Gardner is best known for her masterful tale I, Coriander written for an older audience. The stories in the Magical Kids series are shorter novels for children ages 6 through 10, with appealing young characters. In the stories, ordinary children gain magical powers and use those powers to help their friends and families. Sometimes adults in the stories try to exploit the magical talents of the children but the children triumph through their own strength of convictions and ingenuity.

Last week I read the newest two stories in the series to be published in the US, The Smallest Girl Ever and The Boy Who Could Fly. While admittedly The Smallest Girl Ever is the stronger of the pair, especially with its implications that the ability to read stories is “magic” in itself, The Boy Who Could Fly was my favorite. On Thomas’ ninth birthday he receives a surprise visit from a plump, no-nonsense fairy. First she gives him a run-down of birthday wishing rules: “You can’t wish for all the money in the world or to turn Aunt Maud into a sheep. It just won’t work like that.” And although Thomas wants to wish for his father to be fun, that too is against the wishing rules. Instead Thomas wishes for the first thing that comes into his head: he wishes he could fly!

And fly he does! Tentatively at first, but with growing confidence that soon spills over into his everyday life. Thomas’ unusual talent causes a positive change in himself as well as those around him. By the end of the story, other characters, including Thomas’ father, have learned to look beyond the ordinary to recognize the everyday magic all around us.

So thanks to Brooke, Cecil, Jason, and many other children, I read lots of great books. The next time you wonder what you should read next, ask some youngsters in your life. They would be glad to share.

Book Review: Nebula Awards Showcase 2008: The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy edited by Ben Bova

2009-06-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

Nebula Awards Showcase 2008: The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy edited by Ben Bova

Review by Denise Fudge, Library Assistant

I call myself a science fiction fan, but in truth I have only read a handful of favorite authors extensively. So when I saw this book, I thought it would be a good way to get introduced to some new authors and I was not disappointed.

What are the Nebula Awards, you ask? Think Hollywood and the Oscars. The Nebula Award winners are chosen by published SF authors each year, starting in 1965 with four categories: novel, novella, novelette and short story. Since then, other awards such as Grand Master and Best Script have been added. The list of past winners, included at the end of the book, is a veritable Who’s Who of science fiction – Asimov, Bradbury, and Clarke, just for starters.

This 2008 volume includes an excerpt from the award-winning novel and the shorter works in their entirety, all by authors new to me: Jack McDevitt, Elizabeth Hand, James Patrick Kelly, and Peter S. Beagle. Each story begins with a preface by the author. Expecting to enjoy a female writer’s post-September-11th apocalyptic story, I was disappointed to find it boring. Anticipating that a story about fire-fighting in a Walden-type society would be just for guys, I was pleasantly surprised to like it instead. That is one benefit of reading a story collection: if you don’t like one story, you haven’t wasted much time and the next story offers a fresh beginning.

In between the stories are essays on the state of science fiction as a genre and other industry tidbits. For example, Diane Wynne Jones humorously comments on the “book to film” process for her novel “Howl’s Moving Castle” whose script (which she did not write) won Best Script award. Reading such essays is like watching the special features on a DVD; easy to fast-forward past if you’re not interested.

My biggest surprise was to learn about the Rhysling Awards presented by the Science Fiction Poetry Association. Science Fiction Poetry! Where have I been? Categories include short poem, long poem, and the new Dwarf Stars Award for poems less than ten lines in length. What an interesting sub-sub-genre to discover! In the spirit of my discovery, I offer the following haiku conclusion:

find new SF tales
handy in softbound cover
at the library.

Book Review: Murder with Peacocks; A Meg Langslow Mystery

2009-06-16T08:31:00.000-07:00

Murder with Peacocks: A Meg Langslow Mystery by Donna Andrews

Review by Lindsey Snelling, General Services Librarian

Some books make you laugh out loud and for me Murder with Peacocks by Donna Andrews is one of them. Murder with Peacocks is the first installment in the Meg Langslow Mystery series and an endearing read if you like kooky extended families and/or amateur-sleuth mysteries.

Three weddings in three weeks…as maid-of-honor and designated wedding organizer for all three of the impending nuptials, Meg Langslow was feeling overwhelmed (and not a little bit cranky) and that was before they found the body.

Meg’s mother, her brother Rob and best friend Eileen are all getting married within three weeks of each other; and the brides seem convinced that only Meg can keep the wedding plans on track.

Meg’s mother, a woman whose beauty is only exceeded by her delegating skills, is engaged to the oddly skittish widower Jake, her forgetful brother Rob is engaged to the rather cunning yet narrow-minded Samantha Brewster. Meanwhile Eileen’s wedding to Steve is first on the docket and she’s the only bride that hasn’t chosen gowns for her bridesmaids.

As Meg grows increasingly frustrated with her trio of brides, the discovery of a body and the resultant investigation turn this rural Virginia town on its ear just as all the eccentric Langslow cousins are beginning to turn out in force for the upcoming celebrations. Meg along with her intrepid father and Michael, the hunky son of the local seamstress, endeavor to resolve the mystery before it interferes with the festivities.

Murder with Peacocks is an animated read thats true charm lies in the foibles of its supporting cast of characters. Save a date and spend some time with this whimsical novel featuring Meg Langslow as the beleaguered maid-of-honor for three weddings that are going to be the death of someone.

Book Review: The Worst Hard Time

2009-06-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan

Review by Gavin Sheaffer, Reference Librarian

For this book review, I chose Timothy Egan’s The Worst Hard Time. This book can best be described as a non-fiction novel; its subject is the great depression. Egan addresses much more than the depression; whole chapters are devoted to customs, attitudes, and beliefs of the different people at the time. Egan address sociological, environmental, and political issues that were the hot button topics of the late twenties and early thirties. Egan approaches the twin terrors of the Dust Bowl effect and the Great Depression with the vigor of an investigative journalist, supplemented with copious eye witness accounts and benefitting from meticulous research of archival sources. The Worst Hard Time may be non-fiction, but it does not read like your typical non-fiction work.

The sales pitch went as follows: Come to the great American plains, the last unsettled frontier in the US, where a man can own a piece of the earth and make an honest living from it. This was the lure that was used to seduce, dupe, and otherwise cajole desperate sharecroppers and tenement farmers to settle in what was otherwise the ancestral hunting ground of the Cherokee, Kiowa, Apaches, and other plains Indians. The settlers were bound and determined to make the best of a rotten situation; there would be viable farming on the Great Plains. The method used at the time was known as dry earth farming, which required the removal of the native prairie grass. Removal of the prairie grass was a mistake. The grass acted like an anchor for the topsoil; with the grass removed, nothing would prevent the wind from blowing the topsoil away. Add to this the drought-like conditions that the plains area faced plus howling winds and you have the making of the worst ecological disaster in American history. The farmers’ actions led to an even more life altering and devastating atmospheric phenomenon, massive dust storms. The thick clouds of prairie topsoil blew across the United States, but its deadly effects were felt mainly in the prairie states. The effects of blowing topsoil led to a condition that was later diagnosed as dust pneumonia. Dust pneumonia killed slowly and indiscriminately.

Timothy Egan recreates through creative narrative a window to view the misfortunes and tragedy that befell thousands of families in several states. The environmental degradation, droughts, speculative fervor and crop failure described in the book are to blame for the settlers’ trouble. Egan draws the reader in and vividly describes an environment hostile to life in all forms. Egan also captures the unique outlook (or stubbornness) of the landowners who were determined to stay with their homesteads against all odds. The Worst Hard Time is written with an attention to historical detail, capturing the triumphs and tragedy of a colossal catastrophe and illuminating this event for the many who did not live it, but whose lives (in a roundabout way) are shaped from it. The Worst Hard Time is available at the Rockwall County Library in the adult non-fiction area.

Book Review: Three Cups of Tea

2009-06-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

Review by Laurie Lynne Smith, Library Assistant

I was there…in Pakistan and later Afghanistan, following Greg Mortenson, a Montana-sized American, as he built school after school. Okay, I wasn’t actually there but Mortenson led this reader into each impoverished village, met each child who hugged him with excitement and gratitude, and felt cold fear as he struggled to survive in a country where insurgents revile Americans.

Apparently I’m not the only fan of Mortenson’s book, Three Cups of Tea, as it’s been a
# 1 New York Times bestseller for 82 weeks since its January 2007 release, and was Time Magazine Asia Book of The Year. Before reading this best seller, the title made me think of a cozy setting with English women sharing a spot of tea in delicate porcelain cups held tenderly with pinkies up in the air. Titles can be so misleading.

Mortenson didn’t set out to be an American ambassador in a hotbed of political chaos. He simply found a village where a group of girls sat in the dirt scratching out school lessons without benefit of walls, floors, textbooks, shelter from the weather, a place of their own to learn. He vowed to build that school and stone on stone reverberated goodwill and peace. In his own words, “You can drop bombs, hand out condoms, build roads, or put in electricity, but until the girls are educated, a society won’t change”.

Although I don’t normally read non-fiction, this book will remain one of my favorites. Not only was it a fiction-like page-turner but I found myself appreciating that I was learning more about the people of this region, their customs and dreams, daily lives and tribal traditions.
While I fell in love with the author and his story of goodwill, I must give kudos to two other people who played roles in this book: Tara Mortenson shouldered family responsibilities back home in the States while lending support to her husband’s efforts in Pakistan and Afghanistan and co-writer David Relin who struggled in getting Mortenson to stay still long enough to get this incredible story written.

Three Cups of Tea is an excellent read with a cup of coffee, a cup of tea, or in my case, a Diet Dr. Pepper.

Greg Mortenson spends part of every year making personal appearances and raising funds for more schools. His itinerary for 2009 includes a visit to Sherman and Dallas on March 5. That morning he will give a public lecture, “Promoting Peace through Education” at Austin College in Sherman. Later that day, he will receive the 2009 Austin College Leadership Award at the Belo Mansion in Dallas. Regrettably, both events are SOLD OUT.

Book Review: The Year of Fog

2009-06-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond

Review by Eileen Conway, Circulation Supervisor

We all know that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Unfortunately for me, when I pass a book in the library that has an appealing cover, it literally jumps off the shelf and into my arms. There is nothing like a brilliant photograph or illustration to pique my interest and make me want to flip open the cover and read the “tease” on the front flap. Such was the case with The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond. Little did I know that when I chose to look further into the story behind that incredible cover illustration, I would be treated to one of the most compelling plots and some of the most beautiful prose that I had read in a very long time.

Abby Mason, photographer, fiancée, and soon-to-be-stepmother lives for the mornings she spends on the beach with 6 year old Emma. Her love for Emma is every bit as strong as if she had given birth to her. Together they collect sea shells, ocean glass, pebbles and all the wonderfully colorful treasures that fill a six-year-olds pockets and imagination. So when Emma runs ahead and disappears into the thick San Francisco fog, a family is torn apart. At first Abby thinks Emma is playing hide-and-seek. Then she becomes angry when Emma won’t answer. Then panic sets in.

Abby becomes obsessed with finding Emma. She searches beaches, roads, restaurants, and places nearby. Grasping at tidbits of information, she travels far and wide trying to restore the life they once had. Days drag into weeks and into months while she attempts to recover the little girl she lost.

Emma’s father becomes distant, although he claims that he doesn’t blame Abby. He finds comfort in religion and tries to come to grips with the truth - his little girl is forever lost. He recognizes that Abby blames herself and he tries to convince her to move on, but she soon realizes he means for her to move on without him.

With the weight of an almost unbearable guilt, Abby vows to provide Emma’s father with closure and perhaps restore some of the life they had. She leaves San Francisco for a country thousands of miles away. There, on another beach, she makes a most terrible discovery.
Michelle Richmond paints pictures with words. She teases us with memory games shrouded in “fog” so that we want to flip back and forth to see what she didn’t see when Emma disappeared. She creates a story so profoundly moving that we rush to the end and at the same time we regret that it is over. It was published in 2007. Think you might have read it? If you can’t remember, then you didn’t. Think you know how it will end?

If you have ever grieved for the family of a child - if you have ever loved a child - you must treat yourself to The Year of Fog. And do judge a book by its cover. You will find the most wonderful treasures.

Book Review: Sea Swept

2009-06-16T08:25:00.000-07:00

Sea Swept by Nora Roberts

Review by Laura Brosie, Library Assistant

I admit it. I was a snob. With an undergraduate degree in Mass Communications, I rarely read fiction. In fact, I can’t remember a time prior to two summers ago when I read fiction. I was a news junkie and found myself reading serious non-fiction books and watching serious television.
Well, no more. Suddenly, the world was serious enough whether or not I took notice. And so it was, on that long, hot summer afternoon that I read my last paragraph of non-fiction. It was a very important book, I’m sure. But I set it aside and declared myself free to enjoy reading for pure pleasure.

And I’ve never looked back.

I’ve read more than one hundred titles since I made my declaration to fiction. But the very first title remains one of my favorites. Perhaps it’s one of yours, too.
Sea Swept, the first title in the Chesapeake Bay series by Nora Roberts, brings all of the elements of real life into focus. With Roberts, it’s all about family. Roberts, in real life, was the youngest of five children and the only girl in her family. Perhaps that is why the men in her novels are so believable.

Cameron “Cam” Quinn, is the oldest of three foster-children, adopted by Ray and Stella Quinn, a loving older couple in a small town on Maryland’s eastern shore. And, though we first meet a grown Cam, as a successful international boat racer, absently (rather comically) romancing a super model after his latest win in Monaco, his priorities realign abruptly when he receives word his father has been critically wounded in a car crash.

Losing their mother several years earlier, Cam and his brothers now return home in time to hear their father’s dying wish and to say goodbye to the only father they’ve ever known. And, on his deathbed, their father introduces them to their newly adopted brother, Seth. Their promise? To come back to Maryland and make a home for this brooding, young stranger. And, unanswered until the third installment of the series, what connection did this rebellious teen have to their father?

Unlike most romance novels, Sea Swept is more a story of the hero, rather than the heroine. Anna Spinelli, the social worker assigned to decide whether or not the Quinn men can provide a suitable home for Seth, is no pushover. Obviously attracted to Cam – and who wouldn’t be? – she takes her job seriously and, because she has a past of her own, maybe a bit too personally.
There are a few surprises, a bit of romance, some colorful language, but all of it is neatly woven by Roberts in the tales of these men and what they had to do as children to survive and how unconditional love can change everything.

The series is about each man, struggling to be more than their past. And, in their own way, keeping their promise to save a boy who is so much like they were. Who better to take him in than men who were taken in, themselves? And, in taking him in, honor Ray and Stella Quinn, who meant so much to them all.

Rediscover Nora Roberts. She writes the books you never want to put down and the stories you never want to end.

Book Review: Beyond Belief

2009-06-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

Beyond Belief by Josh Hamilton

Review by Chantal Walvoord, Reference Librarian, Rockwall County Library.

Beyond Belief, a memoir published by Hachette for young adults is a cautionary tale every young adult and every parent, for that matter, should read. Shortly after high school, Josh Hamilton was the number one pick in the 1999 minor league baseball draft. In North Carolina, where he grew up, no one doubted his talent. As a child playing for Little League, he could throw about 50 mph and was a regular topic of conversation among scouts. Hamilton was unstoppable; his prospects were golden; and his character, at this time, was above reproach.

Sometime after joining Tampa’s Ray Devils things began to go horribly wrong for Hamilton. Frequent injuries and self-doubt took over. Instead of sliding into bases, Hamilton finds himself sliding into full-scale drug addiction—alcohol, cocaine, and, at the height of his addiction, crack. For violation of the Ray Devils’ drug policy, Hamilton is suspended from playing baseball for a year. To his credit, Hamilton blames no one for his fall and emphasizes that his parents have never been anything but completely supportive.

Hamilton goes through a revolving door of drug rehab clinics, never finding any solace until, as he tells it, he turns himself over to his faith one day at his Grandmother’s house. Kicking drugs is only half the battle. As the title pointedly states, it is “beyond belief” that Hamilton not only reinstates himself at the minor league level but also moves beyond that to the major leagues. Hamilton credits God in his recovery. “It’s a God thing,” he says in his book.

Beyond Belief is a captivating spiritual and sports memoir by All Star Outfielder for the Texas Rangers, Josh Hamilton. Not too long ago, memoir writing was thrown into question when A Million Little Pieces author, James Frey, admitted he had fabricated large portions of his memoir. Unlike Frey’s memoir, Hamilton’s story is true—“all stories herein are true.” Many networks, including ESPN, reported Hamilton’s struggle with addiction and his phoenix-like return to the sport he loves. Hamilton’s memoir has also given hope to many—he regularly speaks about his recovery from addiction—and his Christianity.

Author Program--Mary DeMuth

2009-06-09T12:36:00.000-07:00

Join us on August 6, 2009, 7-8 PM for "So How Do I Get Published?"

Rockwall County Library

1215 E. Yellowjacket Ln

Rockwall, TX 75087

972-204-7700

Rockwall County Library has an exciting program for Mary DeMuth fans. Mary will be signing copies of her books and will be speaking on the topic, "So How Do I Get Published?"

Mary DeMuth is coming to Rockwall County Public Library!
Join us on August 6, 2009, 7-8 PM for a visit with Mary DeMuth. Mary will be discussing her latest book and giving a presentation, “So How Do I Get Published?”

Mary DeMuth is a local Rockwall author of six books with three more on the way in the next year. Currently she's published by Zondervan, a division of Harper Collins. She's written nonfiction parenting books and novels set in the south. Her passion is to help her readers turn their trials to triumph, and she also loves helping writers fulfill their publishing dreams at www.thewritingspa.com. Find out more at http://www.marydemuth.com/.

Adult Summer Reading Program at the Rockwall County Library

2009-06-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

The Adult Summer Reading Program at the Rockwall County Library has begun. If you would like to sign up for this activity, please see the circulation staff on the first floor for the sign up sheet. There will be prizes and a raffle at the conclusion of the program.

Children's Summer Reading Program at the Rockwall County Library

2009-06-09T11:18:00.000-07:00

The Children's Summer Reading Program has started at the Rockwall County Library. Please see the librarian at the first floor children's reference desk to sign up. There will be prizes and a raffle at the conclusion of the program.

2009-05-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

Computer Workshops for the Month of May

2009-05-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

The Library will host two workshops that will run continuously throughout the month of May. The meeting dates will be Monday and Wednesday morning from 10:30AM-Noon. The workshops are free and the only requirement is a valid library card.

For Monday: Basic Computer Skills Workshop. The courses will cover mouse and keyboard use as well as other basic but important computer skills, so feel free to sign up. The sign up sheet is at the Reference Desk on the 2nd floor. The course meets on the following dates- 4th, 11th, and the 18th

For Wednesday: Internet Research and Email Workshop. The sign up sheet is at the reference desk on the second floor. This course will be presented in a topical fashion, email, research, security, and other topics will be addressed. The course meets on the following dates- 6th, 13th, 20th, and the 27th.

Library will close on May 23rd, 24th, and the 25th in observance of Memorial Day.

2009-05-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

The Rockwall County Library will close in observance of Memorial day on the 23rd, 24th, and the 25th. Online access to databases will still be active, normal business hours will resume on the 26th from 10am to 8pm.

Library will close on 4/10 & 4/11

2009-04-06T09:01:00.001-07:00

The Rockwall County Public Library will be closed on April 10th and 11th, 2009 in observance of Good Friday and Easter. All cardholders can still access our Online Resources 24/7. The library will resume normal business hours on April 13th, 2009.

Internet Service is restored

2009-03-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

Internet and other networked services were restored at 7:45 pm March 10th, 2009. The Rockwall Library apologizes for the disruption in patron services.

Workshop canceled

2009-03-10T08:09:00.000-07:00

The following workshop has been canceled: Resume and job hunting.

The cancellation is due to technological issues that the county staff is working to resolve at the moment. Feel free to contact the library if you have questions regarding the restoration of services at the library (972-204-7700).

Internet Service is unavailable

2009-03-10T08:02:00.001-07:00

Good morning,

Due to server issues the following services are interrupted within the library: Public Access computers are not available at the moment and the library catalog is also out of order due to the server being down.

Service that will be interrupted from home due to the web page being unavailable: ReferenceUSA and the other databases that rely on the library web page for authentication purposes. Also, the catalog is not accessible from home due to the server being down.

The library is working hard to restore service to these crucial areas. We hope to have the issue resolved shortly. Feel free to contact the library at 972-204-7700 for information regarding the full restoration of services.

Resume workshop for March and April

2009-03-06T14:14:00.000-08:00

The library will offer a workshop throughout the months of March and April that will assist with résumé issues and questions, as well as providing internet access to job seekers during the morning hours. You must have a valid Rockwall County Library card to sign up for this service. The technology lab on the second floor will be the primary location for the workshop and the sign up sheet is at the reference desk on the second floor. All workshop start times are at 10am on the assigned day and can last till noon!!!!

Workshop Schedule

March Meeting Dates: 9th, 10th, 11th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 30th, and 31st.

April Meeting Dates: 1st, 6th, 7th, 8th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 27th, 28th, and the 29th.

Book review "No Country for Old Men".

2009-03-06T09:06:00.000-08:00

Readers who are familiar with the format and tone of Cormac McCarthy’s earlier works will not be surprised by the violence contained within No Country for Old Men. Casual readers who pick this book and are not familiar with McCarthy’s style are in for a surprise.

The setting for No Country for Old Men is the Texas southwest. McCarthy sprinkles hints of San Antonio, Laredo, El Paso, and even a mention of Odessa as locations throughout the story. The plot centers on Llewellyn Moss, the protagonist of the story and his lucky break and the chain of events that Moss sets in motion. Llewellyn Moss is forced to flee from one locale after another due to the relentless & murderous pursuit of the book’s antagonist, Anton Chigur. The narrator of the story is Sheriff Bell, a soulful and sad law-enforcement agent who is continually one step behind both Llewellyn and Anton. Throughout the course of the story, Moss demonstrates his ability to stay one step ahead of the narrator and antagonist, a testament to Llewellyn’s resourcefulness. Between all three characters, McCarthy paints a surreal yet believable tale of intrigue, violence, and the never ending quest to understand the human condition.

The real genius of No Country for Old Men is in the rich character development and the interactions between all of the central characters and the supporting characters. Cormac McCarthy creates moving dialogue that encapsulates the full range of human emotion, from playful banter between spouses, to tearful pleas for mercy, No Country for Old Men has it all. This book has appealed to many different readers and is a success because of this notable balancing act. The characters defy convention; McCarthy is not working with the usual cartoon stereotypes. His characters have dimension, you share their triumphs as well as their tragedies.

This book is violent, I will not sugarcoat it, but if you are familiar with Cormac McCarthy’s body of work than this will come as no surprise. If you disdain literature that has violence within, then I encourage you to read the dust jacket to see if this book is suitable for your tastes. If you are a fan of crime drama, you will enjoy this book. If you are looking for a modern day western, this book is it. If you are looking for a work of literature that has well rounded, likeable, three dimensional characters then look no further. I read this book, cover to cover, in three sittings which is unusual for me due to the number of multiple books that I read at any given time. I was engaged from start to finish, solely on the quality of writing and in-depth character development. No Country for Old Men is available at the Rockwall County Library on the second floor in the fiction collection.

Book reviewed: No Country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy
Reviewer: Gavin Sheaffer, Reference Librarian

Book review "The Worst Hard Times".

2009-03-06T08:58:00.000-08:00

For this month’s book review, I chose Timothy Egan’s “The Worst Hard Time”. This book can best be described as a non-fiction novel; its subject is the great depression. Egan addresses much more than the depression; whole chapters are devoted to customs, attitudes, and the beliefs of the different townspeople at the time. Egan address sociological, environmental, and political issues that where the hot button topics of the late twenties and early thirties. Egan approaches the twin terrors of the Dust bowl effect and the Great Depression with the vigor of an investigative journalist, supplemented with copious eye witness accounts and benefitting from meticulous research of archival sources. The Worst Hard Time may be non-fiction, but it does not read like your typical non-fiction work.

The sales pitch went as follows: The great American plains, the last unsettled frontier in the US, where a man can own a piece of the earth and make an honest living from it. This was the lure that was used to seduce, dupe, and otherwise cajole desperate sharecroppers and tenement farmers to settle in what was otherwise the ancestral hunting ground of the Cherokee, Kiowa, Apaches, and other plains Indians. The settlers were bound and determined to make the best of a rotten situation; there would be viable farming on the Great Plains. The method used at the time was known as dry earth farming which required the removal of the native prairie grass. Removal of the prairie grass was a mistake, the grass acted like an anchor for the topsoil, with the grass removed; nothing would prevent the wind from blowing the topsoil away. Add to this the drought like conditions that the plains area faced plus howling winds and you have the making of the worst ecological disaster in American history. The farmers actions led to an even more life altering and devastating atmospheric phenomenon, massive dust storms. The thick clouds of prairie topsoil blew across the United States, buts its deadly effects were felt mainly in the prairie states. The effects of blowing topsoil led to a condition that was later diagnosed as dust pneumonia. Dust pneumonia killed slowly and indiscriminately.

Timothy Egan recreates through creative narrative a window to view the misfortunes and tragedy that befell thousands of families in several states. The environmental degradation, droughts, speculative fervor and crop failure described in the book are to blame for the settler’s trouble. Egan draws the reader in and vividly describes an environment hostile to life in all forms. Egan also captures the unique outlook (or stubbornness) of the landowners who were determined to stay with their homestead against all odds. The Worst Hard Time is written with an attention to historical detail, capturing the triumphs and tragedy of a colossal catastrophe and illuminating this event for the many who did not live it, but whose lives (in a roundabout way) are shaped from it. “The Worst Hard Time” is available at the Rockwall County Library under the call number 978.032 EGA.

Book Review: The Worst Hard Time

By: Gavin Sheaffer

Latest Essay Contest

2009-03-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

Woman's Day has partnered with libraries since 2002--asking readers how the library has changed their life. Here's their latest contest.

Have you used the library to help save money during tough times?
Share your story with Woman’s Day magazine!

Do you have a story about using the resources and services at the library to save money, search for a job or manage your small business? If so, you could be selected to appear in Woman’s Day magazine. Between February 17 – May 18, women 18 and over are invited to tell their story in 700 words or less and send it to womansday@ala.org. Up to four stories will be highlighted in the March 2010 issue of Woman’s Day. For more information and to read the official rules, visit www.womansday.com/ala.
The initiative was developed by Rockwall County Library, Woman’s Day and the American Library Association’s (ALA) Campaign for America’s Libraries, (ala.org/@yourlibrary) ALA's public awareness campaign that promotes the value of libraries and librarians.

Happy President's Day

2009-02-13T10:23:00.001-08:00

Rockwall County Library will be closed on February 16, 2009 for President's Day.

New DVD Titles at Rockwall County Library

2009-02-04T13:19:00.000-08:00

Recent DVD additions to the Rockwall County Library media collection:

1. Redbelt
2. August Rush
3. Around the World in 80 Treasures
4. Beowulf
5. Bigger, Stronger, Faster
6. Bull Durham
7. Centennial (complete series)
8. Darjeeling Limited
9. Encounters at the End of the World
10. Get Smart

New books at the Rockwall County Public Library

2009-02-03T12:11:00.000-08:00

The library has recently added the following new titles:

When you are engulfed in flames by David Sedaris

The complete writings of John Maxwell, Library of America Series

Ernst & Young 2008 Tax Guide

The Power of Positive Dog Training, by Pat Miller

Called out of darkness: A spiritual confession, by Anne Rice

Without a backwards glance, by Kate Veich

Blue shoes and happiness, by Alexander McCall Smith

Duma key: a novel, by Stephen King

Maggie, the dog who changed my life: a story of love, by Dawn Kairns

Compulsion: an Alex Delaware Novel, by Jonathan Kellerman