Readers' Nook

Hefty but Helpful!

dluinstra — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Weighing just over 2 kilograms and containing 960 pages, 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die is by itself a must read!

This elegant book is arranged chronologically from the pre 1700s through to today. The 100 contributors present an eclectic selection of what they consider to be the best novels from the past and present, with a summary of why each title is compelling. This is a great resource for book club leaders looking for fresh material.

Lavishly illustrated with drawings and photographs, including author photos or colour pictures of the book covers, and printed on quality paper, this book is a treasure--a book to borrow again and again and handy at all times!

Ask for it for Christmas or your birthday, or better yet, sign it out from your local branch of the Calgary Public Library today!

Great Science Fiction

dluinstra — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 23:22:00 GMT

Science Fiction is a genre with an incredible amount of variety and depth that goes way beyond the Star Trek and Tekk War series. Check out the following interesting and thought-prokoving science fiction novels.

Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sowe: Lauren Olamina, a black teenager, grew up in a 21st-century America that was tearing itself apart. Global warming, massive unemployment, gang warfare and corporate greed combined to break down society in general and her impoverished southern California neighborhood in. When her relatively safe neighborhood enclave is inevitably destroyed, along with her family and dreams for the future, Lauren grabs a backpack full of supplies and begins a journey north.

Robert Charles Wilson, Spin: One summer night the stars abruptly blink out. Three young people are lying on the grass behind a house. They react, like the rest of the country, with a variety of emotions, and everyone wonders if the sun will come up.

Mary Doria Russell, The Sparrow: The Catholic Church sends a group of scientists and one priest to make first contact with an extraterrestrial civilization. One man returns with a horrifying story of how their best intentions radically changed that civilization.

Metacritic Books

dluinstra — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:00:00 GMT

I, like many readers, am hopelessly addicted to reading book reviews. I've recently discovered a great website that allows you to search hundreds of reviews at a time and uses an easy to understand rating system.

Metacritic (http://www.metacritic.com/books) is a free web resource that collects reviews of movies, CDs, video games, and, as of 2004, books. The site is laid out in an easy-to-read style, and even a quick glance can tell you whether critics thought a book was any good. Another helpful feature is that each review is summarized by a one sentence quote, so it's not necessary to read entire reviews. If a review looks interesting, a link to its full text is provided. Metacritic Books is a quick, reliable source for informed opinions on books across genres. Check it out!

LibraryThing

dluinstra — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:00:00 GMT

I recently discovered a great website for voracious yet somewhat disorganized readers like myself. Library Thing (http://www.librarything.com), with over 5.1 million books listed, helps users store, share and catalogue their personal library. The site makes an excellent online reading journal, a place where you can review and rate your books, share your library with like-minded readers, discuss your favourite books, and "tag" (assign descriptive words) to your books for ease of retrieval. Book information is retrieved from worldwide sources, including Amazon, Library of Congress, National Library of Canada and the University of Calgary. If you've ever wanted to organize your book collection and have a lot of fun along the way, check out Library Thing.

Classic Reads

dluinstra — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:00:00 GMT

What makes a book a classic? Generally, it is a work of enduring interest and appeal, which is discovered and enjoyed by successive generations. Classics may be from any country, genre or time period, but their appeal goes beyond geography and generations. A classic title is often reread with as much of a sense of discovery as the first time it was enjoyed.

But how do you go about finding these masterpieces? There are a variety of tools available through Calgary Public Library to help you with your search. For example, Genreflecting, 6^th ed., has lists of selected classics in each genre section, including historical fiction, westerns, crime, adventure, romance, science fiction, fantasy, horror and Christian. Another title to help you negotiate this genre is Accessing the Classics. Or if you are going to a cocktail party and you want to impress your friends, check out Book Smart, Your Essential Reading List for Becoming a Literary Genius in 365 Days by Jane Mallison.

What classic fiction have read lately that has inspired you?

Discover graphic novels

dluinstra — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Graphic novels have been around for a long time and have many devoted readers. In fact, graphic novels have their own awards, named after Will Eisner, who coined the name “graphic novel” to identity a “longer work, not published as a pamphlet, with greater permanence and literary merit”. This sets them apart from comics.

Comic books exist primarily for entertainment. A comic is still what it used to be, a slim thing on flimsy paper that is usually published at regular intervals and often has ongoing story elements. Graphic novels are a format, rather than a genre, and can be about almost any topic, including everything from the Holocaust to fractured fairytales to superheroes. Superheroes dominate but manga is the most popular in the YA area. Manga are Japanese comics, noted for characters with big hair and big eyes. Chances are you have seen some examples already (think Pokemon or last year’s movie Howl’s Moving Castle).

Graphic novels are now so prolific that there are books to help identify the best graphic novels as well as books to help understand why they can become so addictive. Paul Gravett’s Graphic Novels: Stories to Change Your Life provides great examples of different styles and ties them together for the reader.

Come visit any branch of the Calgary Public Library to check out our children's, young adult, and adult graphic novel collections.

Staff Recommended

dbaggley — Thu, 22 May 2008 23:59:00 GMT

A spot of bother : a novel / by Haddon, Mark.

Touchstone : [a novel of suspense] / by King, Laurie R.

Mistress of the art of death : [a novel featuring Adelia Aguilar] / by Franklin, Ariana.

My sister's keeper : a novel / by Picoult, Jodi, 1966-

Extraordinary people : [the first of the Enzo files] / by May, Peter, 1951-

Welcome!

dluinstra — Thu, 22 May 2008 21:43:00 GMT

Welcome to the Readers’ Nook, a blog dedicated to books, readers, and anything related to the printed word. At Calgary Public Library we have tens of thousands of books, with every possible topic and genre represented. From timeless classics to chick-lit, paranormal romance to westerns, we have you covered. But how to navigate the sometimes overwhelming world of reading? We hope that through this blog we will introduce you to new books and authors, show you some tools to help you find your next book, and allow you to share your passion for reading with other Calgarians.

Check back often for book lists, genre overviews, book reviews, and much more. Thank you for being part of this exciting new community of readers.

Asian Fiction and Non-fiction

dbaggley — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:54:00 GMT

A concise Chinese-English dictionary for lovers : [a novel] / by Guo, Xiaolu.

The age of Shiva : a novel / by Suri, Manil.

Peony in love : a novel / by See, Lisa.

A thousand miles of dreams : the journeys of two Chinese sisters / by Welland, Sasha Su-Ling, 1969-

The bonesetter's daughter / by Tan, Amy.