The Big Blue Brain

We have 2 book clubs!

28 February 2009

The Daytime Book Club meets at Casa San Carlo at 420 N. Wolf Rd. in Northlake on the 4th Wednesday of the month at 11 a.m- 12:30 p.m.  Join us next time March 25th.  We will be reading Alexander McCall Smith's book The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.  This first novel in Alexander McCall Smith’s widely acclaimed No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series tells the story of the delightfully cunning and enormously engaging Precious Ramotswe, who is drawn to her profession to “help people with problems in their lives.” Immediately upon setting up shop in a small storefront in Gaborone, she is hired to track down a missing husband, uncover a con man, and follow a wayward daughter. But the case that tugs at her heart, and lands her in danger, is a missing eleven-year-old boy, who may have been snatched by witch doctors. (description from Baker & Taylor)


The Page-Turners' Book Club meets in the evening on the Third Tuesday of the Month at 7:00-8:30 p.m. on the lower level of the library . Join us next time on March 17 when we will discuss Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff by Rosemary Mahoney.  The book  documents the author's danger-ridden voyage by seven-foot skiff down the Egyptian Nile, an endeavor that is challenged by civil unrest, local disapproval about women traveling alone, wild animals, harsh climate, and the unlikely assistance of a kind Muslim sailor


Both titles are available at the Adult Services Desk on the 2nd floor of the library.  The events are free and open to all.

New Audiobooks!

16 February 2009

Outliers: The Story of Success

by Malcolm Gladwell

In this stunning new audiobook, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different? His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band. Brilliant and entertaining, OUTLIERS is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate.

Why We Suck

by Denis Leary

The four-time Emmy-nominated comic satirist of Rescue Me presents irreverent cultural observations about how society is taking itself too seriously, in an account that shares anecdotes from his Irish-Catholic upbringing, high-pressure family life, and work as a performing artist.

Run For Your Life

by James Patterson

Investigating a series of brutal killings by an assailant who calls himself the Teacher and targets wealthy and arrogant victims, detective Mike Bennett finds himself racing against time to save New York from a deadly plot, in a case that is further complicated when Mike's ten children simultaneously contract the flu.

Grand Finale

by Janet Evanovich

Possessing a talent for disaster, Berry Knudson climbs a tree to rescue a cat, and on her dive downward, she witnesses a hunk undressing in a nearby window and smashes Jake Sawyer's pizza, winning his heart.

Mounting Fears

by Stuart Woods

In the aftermath of the vice president's unexpected death, President Will Lee finds his efforts to select a replacement hampered by a contender's secret misdeeds, a rogue CIA agent's vengeful plot against the first lady, and a nuclear threat.




New books in Spanish for the month of February

10 February 2009

Olor a rosas invisibles by Laura Restrepo

The Scent of Invisible is the story of two lovers who meet again after 40 years.  Luis C. Campos is an older gentleman married, and at peace with the life he has chosen. His only ghost is the nostalgic memory of Eloísa, a lover of his carefree youth, a lover who will one day materialize in the form of an amazing flesh-and-blood woman. The Scent of Invisible Roses is a love story, but also an examination of the masculine side of adultery. 

Ya es tiempo by Miguel Algarin

Miguel Algarin, poet of contemplation and action, presents his first book on the intimate relationships we forment as individuals, nations and children of a silent god.  Openly political, blatantly blunt, religiously irreverent, Ya es tiempo takes us from the most recondite corners of the soul through the streets of New York and to other battlefields—this time in Central America and finally to union with the Godhead. 

Sun, stone, and shadow: 20 great Mexican short stories

by Jorge Hernandez

The Big Read is the largest literature program in the history of the U.S. government. Created by the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and in cooperation with Arts Midwest, the Big Read is designed to revitalize the role of reading in American Culture and promote the transformative power of literature. Sun, Stone and Shadows: 20 Great Mexican Short Stories has the distinction of being the first book published expressly for The Big Read Program. Its stories, selected with U.S. readers in mind, represent a remarkable array of Mexico's rich and vibrant literary history. Sun, Stone and Shadows is a catalyst for cultural understanding and conversation between the people of Mexico and the United States.

El susurro de la mujer by Alonso Cueto

Peruvian author Cueto’s latest novel, finalist for the First Premio Planeta-Casamérica is a very simple story told through complex characters. Verónica, the narrator, is a journalist with a seemingly stable life, an exciting job, a nice family, and a passionate lover. One day, she runs into the corpulent Rebeca, a former high school classmate. Verónica is haunted by her high school memories, when Rebeca was bullied daily and she did nothing to stop it, even though they were “secret” friends. After that initial encounter, Verónica repeatedly runs into the “whale woman” and soon realizes that Rebeca has been following her. As the mysteries of their past and present unfold, the tension between the two former friends keeps building into an explosive finale. Cueto’s writing flows effortlessly, and the plot is engaging, though some points, such as Verónica's breakup with her husband, are resolved too quickly at the end. This novel is both entertaining and heaertbreaking.

Sopa de lollo para el alma de la madre

By Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Jennifer Read Hawthorne

and Marci Shimoff

Admittedly, we sometimes become oversentimental about motherhood. But in a climate of rampant cynicism and family disintegration, stories about maternal love, courage, devotion, and triumph can be immensely comforting and inspiring. Contributors such as Dave Barry, Barbara Bush, Reba McIntire, Erma Bombeck, and Joan Rivers offer celebrity appeal. But even more heart coddling are the stories by everyday women, sharing their intimate experiences about becoming a mother, almost losing a child, discovering miracles, and honoring the wisdom of grandmothers. Mothers of all ages will appreciate this book as a gift to themselves or as a gift to a beloved mom. But get out your handkerchiefs, the editors showed no restraint when it came to including tearjerkers.

TAX FORMS

2 February 2009

APRIL 15 IS GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER.  NORTHLAKE LIBRARY CURRENTLY HAS FEDERAL AND STATE TAX FORMS.  THE INSTRUCTION MANUALS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE.  THE LATEST ISSUES OF MORNINGSTAR AND VALUE LINE ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FOR RESEARCH.  ALL FORMS ARE LOCATED ON THE SECOND FLOOR OF THE LIBRARY.  DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK IF YOU NEED ADDITIONAL FORMS PRINTED.  THE LIBRARY ALSO HAS MANY BOOKS IN REGARDS TO INVESTING ALSO.