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America’s First Spies

posted by: April 18, 2014 - 7:00am

Washington's Spies: The Story of America's First Spy Ring by Alexander RoseAMC’s new Revolutionary War television series, Turn, brings viewers into a world of espionage, covert operations, code breaking and double agents. The show is based on historian Alexander Rose’s book Washington’s Spies: The Story of America’s First Spy Ring. In this case, fact is every bit as exciting as fiction. Rose tells the story of the Culper Ring, a small network of spies who operated under the direction of George Washington. This unusual group of spies worked unlike anyone before, and the Culper Ring’s activities laid the foundation for modern spy craft. Rose shares more about the groundbreaking band of spies in this interview.

 

This compelling and fascinating chapter of the Revolutionary War probably isn’t much like the story that you remember from your high school history class. Turn showrunner Craig Silverstein explains, “What we’re told in school is that it was a very David vs. Goliath tale, that we fought the British for our freedom. In reality, it was a war fought between neighbors; it was fought house to house … It wasn’t like we were repelling an alien invasion force; it was more like a divorce.”

 

Turn premiered on AMC on April 6. Get a taste of this exciting new series.


 
 

By Kids for Kids

posted by: April 17, 2014 - 7:00am

Just Jake by Jake MarcionetteThe Adventure of a Lifetime by Ravina ThakkarTwo new novels written by children for children are sure to inspire any young writer.

 

Young author Jake Marcionette hit the bestseller list at 13 years old with his debut novel, Just Jake. Jake Ali Mathews is moving from Florida to Maryland to start sixth grade in the fourth new school of his young life. Full of confidence and experienced at being the “new kid,” Jake makes a plan to attain his previous level of awesomeness at his new school, Kinney Elementary. Inspiring confidence and fortitude, Jake’s “Rules of Awesomeness” guide him well, although it takes some time to achieve his goal. Readers will easily relate to this thoroughly likable character as he navigates the social scene at Kinney Elementary School and deals with his mean older sister. Illustrated with a combination of color cartoon and photograph collage by Victor Rivas Villa, Just Jake is a wonderful read. Fans of Gordon Korman’s Swindle series and Rachel Renée Russell’s Dork Diaries will enjoy Just Jake.

 

The Adventure of a Lifetime is the first novel for 13-year-old Ravina Thakkar. Published with the help of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Illinois, Thakkar’s novel is a fantastic tale of a young girl with a love of reading.  When a special teacher gives her a copy of the new Amber the Brave book, 9-year-old Betty is ecstatic. After the book wakes her up at midnight and asks if she wants to go on an adventure, Betty is sucked into her own adventure of a lifetime with Amber herself. She and Amber must work together to defeat the evil Doctor Sly and find the portal to return Betty to real life. Fans of Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart series will enjoy this fantasy that brings a storybook to life.


 
 

Where Memories Can Be Deceiving

posted by: April 16, 2014 - 7:00am

ACID by Emma PassIn Emma Pass' debut novel, ACID, the year is 2113 and the U.K. has been taken over by the Agency for Crime Investigation and Defense, or ACID. The agency has imposed strict laws that prohibit alcohol and smoking while enforcing a curfew and arranging life partners for people when they turn 17. The population is divided by job status and salary, and ACID has created a tangible barrier between the classes.

 

Jenna Strong lived a privileged life until, at 15, an accident took her parents and forever changed her life. She was found responsible for the death of her parents and sentenced to life in a co-ed prison for adults where she had to learn to take care of herself. With the help of the prison doctor, Alex Fisher, she learned martial arts and began to take control of her fate.

 

Alex conspired with an organization to break Jenna out of jail, but he was killed in the process, leaving Jenna with a sense of guilt and a debt to be paid. After being rescued, Jenna’s appearance is transformed, and she learns that her memories had been altered by ACID. With her freedom restored, Jenna decides to take her life back and pay off old debts along the way.

 

This young adult, dystopian novel is Emma Pass’ first book and has only recently become available in the U.S. Pass has already earned her accolades in the U.K. with her intricately created and fast-paced thriller.


 
 

And the Finalists Are…

posted by: April 15, 2014 - 7:00am

The Devil's Heart by Cathy MaxwellThe Countess Conspiracy by Courtney MilanCrazy Thing Called Love by Molly O'KeefeRomance writers across the country were recently thrilled to receive that special phone call sharing the news that their books were finalists for a RITA Award. RITAs are the highest honor of distinction in romance fiction, and are awarded in 12 categories. The categories cover the wide range of romance readership, including erotica, paranormal and historical.

 

The Romance Writers of America (RWA) bestows these awards to highlight excellence in published romance novels and novellas at its annual conference in San Antonio, Texas, in July. Want to see how many you’ve read? Check out the complete list, which also includes Golden Heart (excellence in unpublished romance manuscripts) nominees. Have you read any of the RITA Award nominees? Let us know what you thought in the comments. Congratulations to all the finalists!


 
 

2014 Pulitzer Prizes Announced

posted by: April 14, 2014 - 4:36pm

Cover art for The GoldfinchThe winners of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize were announced this afternoon. In addition to the awards for journalism, prizes are also given in the area of Letters, Drama, and Music. Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch took this year’s prize for Fiction. The judges said that The Goldfinch is "a beautifully written coming-of-age novel with exquisitely drawn characters that follows a grieving boy’s entanglement with a small famous painting that has eluded destruction, a book that stimulates the mind and touches the heart." A favorite in the category, The Goldfinch was featured on many lists of the best books of 2013 and has been very popular with BCPL readers.

 

Other winners include Margaret Fuller: A New American Life by Megan Marshall for Biography, 3 Sections by Vijay Seshadri for Poetry, Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation by Dan Fagin for General Nonfiction, The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832 by Alan Taylor for History and The Flick by Annie Baker for Drama.

 

For a list of all the winners, click here.
 


 
 

Old Friends are New Again

posted by: April 14, 2014 - 7:00am

Cover art for Jessica Finch in Pig TroubleCover art for Rocky Zang in The Amazing Mr. MagicCover art for A Short Tale about a Long DogTwo beloved children’s book characters are featured in a couple of new series for young chapter book readers.
 

Author Megan McDonald adds to her Judy Moody and Stink collection of stories with Judy Moody and Friends, a series focusing on Judy’s friends. With bright, bold colors, the illustrations by Erwin Madrid make these shorter novels appealing to newly independent readers. Jessica Finch in Pig Trouble starts off the series with Judy’s friend Jessica preparing for her birthday party and really wanting a pig for her gift. After a fight with Judy, she disinvites her to her party. Rocky Zang in The Amazing Mr. Magic has Judy’s best friend Rocky trying his hand at magic. Judy helps out as his bumbling assistant until she gets mad and stomps off. Capturing the charm and mood of the original series, Judy Moody and Friends is sure to be a hit with fans of Barbara Park’s Junie B. Jones series and Sara Pennypacker’s Clementine series.
 

Fans of Hank Zipzer: The World’s Greatest Underachiever, by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, can get to know Hank as a second grader in their new series, Here’s Hank. Thanks to an observant fourth grade music teacher, Hank is diagnosed with dyslexia in the original series. Before then, despite his tremendous effort and to the great frustration of his father, Hank just couldn’t get his schoolwork done. In A Short Tale about a Long Dog, Hank’s father promises he can get a dog if there is improvement in all of his grades. Despite his best efforts, Hank doesn’t improve his math grade. Mr. Zipzer gives him one chance to take care of his dog, but puts him on warning. Hank is a realistic and relatable character.  Young fans will enjoy reading about Hank’s efforts to do his best and empathizing when he fails. A bonus for young readers is that the Here’s Hank series is published with a relatively new font called “Dyslexie,” which is designed to make the letters more distinct and “weighted down.” According to the authors, these attributes help kids read faster and with fewer errors.


 
 

Between the Covers with Donna Jackson Nakazawa

posted by: April 11, 2014 - 7:00am

Donna Jackson NakazawaThe Last Best Cure by Donna Jackson NakazawaThe Autoimmune Epidemic by Donna Jackson NakazawaBaltimore author Donna Jackson Nakazawa discusses her latest book, The Last Best Cure, on Wednesday, April 16 at 7 p.m. at the Perry Hall Branch, sponsored by the Friends of the Perry Hall Library. The award-winning science journalist and writer recently answered questions for Between the Covers about her book.

 

Before The Last Best Cure, you authored another book about autoimmune diseases, The Autoimmune Epidemic. What insights or new knowledge did you gain between that book and The Last Best Cure? What was going on in your life prior to writing these books?

 

The Autoimmune Epidemic focused on how modern chemicals in the world around us and in our diet are overwhelming the human immune system, contributing to rising disease rates and chronic illnesses. The Last Best Cure takes this research a step further and investigates “psychoneuroimmunology,” a new field of study that investigates how mind states, such as anxiety, fear, worry, rumination, anger and pain, can end up damaging our immune function in much the same way as environmental chemicals. Prior to this, I was struggling with my own health crises. The Last Best Cure is my chronicle of a one-year doctor/patient experiment to see if altering my mood state might shift my inflammatory markers and perhaps even improve my physical well-being.

 

The Last Best Cure has received much critical praise, described as a book that will offer hope for recovery, and change and save lives. What is the most important insight or piece of information you want readers to take away from your book?

 

I want people to know that there already exists an understanding as to how we can activate the healing potential of the brain. Understanding how to do this gives us powerful tools, ways to change the messages our brain is sending to our cells and our body. Everyone deserves to live the life they want, and these tools can help us all achieve a greater sense of well-being, and even joy.   

 

You were already an award-winning science journalist and writer when you began writing these last two books. What was it like writing professionally about a topic that was also very personal to you? Were there any “aha” moments for your own life as you were writing?

 

At first, I was only going to write about my personal experiences in the introduction to The Last Best Cure, but my editor thought readers would want to read more about how I also went on this transformational journey myself. She thought it would help convey to readers that we can all take this journey, no matter what physical or emotional health challenges we face. There was so much that I realized along the way about adversity, self-respect and how they play a role in adult illness. Now I’m profoundly grateful to have taken this journey: Life is sweeter, relationships are better and it’s a better, more meaningful way to live.

 

In addition to being about healing and recovering personal joy, The Last Best Cure is a story about a health epidemic. What steps do we need to take now to secure a better health outlook for future generations?

 

We need to absolutely, completely and radically change how we view the doctor/patient relationship. If we keep up the current “medical factory” model we’re going to see very little progress in managing chronic health issues. Right now, 133 million adults in America have chronic illnesses, not counting the 22 million with addiction – and these numbers are rapidly climbing. The tools to help patients participate in their own healing and facilitate greater well-being exist; it just requires that physicians incorporate new practices into their doctor/patient paradigm. In order to do this, we must change the way we as a society view treatment, health care and the doctor/patient relationship.

 

Are there any new books in the works?

 

Yes, one due out at the end of next year called Childhood Interrupted: How Adversity in the Past Writes the Story of Our Future – And How We Can Change the Script (Atria/Simon & Schuster). It’s a deeper, more extended study of how childhood adversity can create changes in the brain and in our immunology that impact our health long into adulthood – and what we can do to reverse those effects as adults. I’m telling cutting-edge stories of science, about how even very common forms of childhood adversity can reset our immune system to be more stress-reactive, sparking a state of chronic low-grade neuroinflammation for life. I want to help readers understand how the stress we meet in childhood can determine our lifelong "set point" for emotional reactivity, inflammation, disease and depression – and what we can do to reverse the impact of early adversity and trauma years later, in adulthood, to regain our physical and emotional well-being.

 

How long has the Baltimore area been home to you? What do you like best about living in this area?

 

My family moved to Baltimore four years ago from Annapolis; my mom and my husband’s parents were already living here, so it just made sense. What I like best about Baltimore is its people. Baltimoreans are real, genuine, honest, intellectual, creative, smart and energetic. They’re committed to their community and engaged in making this a better place to live. We love it here. It’s a vibrant place to be.

 

To learn more about The Last Best Cure, please visit the author’s website or link with her on Facebook.


 
 

A Second Act

posted by: April 10, 2014 - 7:00am

Cover art for The Widow's Guide to Sex and DatingWriter and reality TV star Carole Radziwill’s debut novel, The Widow’s Guide to Sex and Dating, is a smart, funny story about a woman dealing with grief and finding herself. When her husband, Charlie, is killed by a falling statue, 34-year-old Claire Byrne’s world stops. She is devastated. Claire, who gave up her career when she married her much older husband, finds herself starting over in every facet of her life. Over the next year, she embarks on a journey to find herself, seeking help from therapists, a psychic, a “botanomanist” and a griot. She even begins dating again and tries to find love. Claire eventually understands that losing Charlie has also given her a chance to change her life and pursue her passions. This quick, fun read will appeal to readers who enjoy novels by Madeleine Wickham, Gigi Levangie Grazer and Helen Fielding.

 

The Widow’s Guide to Sex and Dating isn’t the only thing that Radziwill is getting attention for right now. Her writing career recently became the center of a conflict on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City. Radziwill was discussing writing with her co-star Aviva Drescher, who was writing her first book, Leggy Blonde: A Memoir. Drescher insinuated that Radziwill used a ghostwriter for her bestselling 2005 memoir What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship and Love. Radziwill immediately fired back, denying the accusation and defending her career as a writer. Their feud has become one of the biggest on the show this season, with Bravo dubbing it "#BookGate."


 
 

From Winter to Spring

posted by: April 9, 2014 - 7:00am

Cover art for Brimsby's HatsCover art for Sparky!Cover art for Some BugsThree strong new picture books are sure to bring smiles to young readers and their caregivers. Debut author/illustrator Andrew Prahin brings us Brimsby’s Hats, wherein the title character owns and operates a small mail-order hat business out of his cozy home. Each day, his badger friend comes to help design and box the millinery, until one day when it is time for the striped one to set off on a new adventure. Lonely Brimsby must find new friends and a new purpose. Soft digital pastels and engaging characters lift this fine tale that covers the well-worn topic of adjusting to change.  
 

In Sparky!, by Jenny Offill and Chris Appelhans, a young girl is desperate to have a pet. Her mother declines the pleas, citing the amount of work that is required. Undaunted, she has a sloth sent from Brazil, and instantly (and, as it turns out, ironically) calls him Sparky. The young girl attempts to teach him the sorts of tricks that she expects him to learn, to no avail. He prefers to be a sloth-like sloth! Cool watercolors, hand-drawn lettering and touches of humor for kids and adults are all present in this story of measured expectations.

 

Some Bugs, by Angela DiTerlizzi and Brendan Wenzel, is a raucous introduction to many insects and related crawlers. In simple verse, countless attributes of some bugs are relayed. Each double-page spread brings much to look for, as the young reader may want to try to identify which bugs are depicted. Wenzel’s collage-like, mixed-media illustrations are entomologically accurate but with exaggerated bug eyes. At the end, all of the creatures are identified, including a cat that makes multiple appearances during the proceedings. This picture book is a bright, fun reminder of the insects that soon will again be upon our backyards.


 
 

Carnegie Medal Shortlist Announced

posted by: April 8, 2014 - 7:00am

Carnegie Medal imageForty-four books were recently selected to the longlist for consideration for the 2014 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction. That list has now been narrowed to six strong finalists representing the best in fiction and nonfiction published last year.
 

The fiction finalists include Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, focusing on a Nigerian immigrant’s experience in America; Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticat, a series of beautifully written interconnected stories set in a small fishing town in Haiti; and The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, a magnetic story told from the point of view of a smart 13-year-old coping with extreme circumstances and upheaval.
 

Nonfiction finalists are On Paper: The Everything of Its Two-Thousand-Year History by Nicholas A. Basbanes, a history of one of civilization’s staples; Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink, a remarkable account of Hurricane Katrina and what happened at Memorial Hospital before, during and after the storm; and finally, Doris Kearns Goodwin’s The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft and the Golden Age of Journalism dissects the complex relationship between Presidents Taft and Roosevelt and their roles in the Progressive movement.
 

The Carnegie Medals were established in 2012 to recognize the best books for adult readers published in the United States in the previous year. These awards honor the 19th-century American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in recognition of his deep belief in the power of books and learning to change the world. The award is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and administered by the American Library Association (ALA). These are the first single book awards for adults given by the American Library Association and reflect the insight and expertise of library professionals. Librarian and NPR commentator Nancy Pearl serves as chair of the selection committee. The winners will be announced in June with the winning authors receiving a medal and a $5,000 cash award.


 
 

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