Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

If you are looking for a gentle read with some history interwoven, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is sure to please. Switching back and forth between World War II and 1986, author Jamie Ford's debut provides a peak into the turmoil of the Japanese American internment and a love story that crosses time, generational and cultural lines. The book jacket gives this description: "Set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history,  Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. In (characters) Henry and Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable duo whose story teaches us of the power of forgiveness and the human heart."
Bestselling author Lisa See (Snow Flower and the Secret Fan) describes the novel as "an impressive debut." And speaking of See's book, that's the next book on my reading list. The movie is now available for checkout as well.

Founding Gardeners: the Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation by Andrea Wulf (Review by Barry Brown)

The writer of this book is a German who speaks British English, which surprised me as I thought the topic would only be of interest to an American historian.  Andrea Wulf was trained to be a design historian at London's Royal College of Art and has written for numerous influential publications as well as the books The Brother Gardeners: Botany Empire and the Birth of an Obsession and The Other Eden: Seven Great Gardens and 300 Years of English History (with Emma Gieben-Gamal).  What prompted her to write Founding Gardeners was a visit to Monticello in October of 2006 when she stood on Thomas Jefferson's vegetable terrace taking in the garden and its Blue Ridge Mountain setting she had a sense of Jefferson's vision of man and nature in perfect harmony.  Later as she was writing about the eighteenth century American plant collector John Bartram and his role in introducing non-native plants into the English landscape (John Bartram had sent boxes of seed and slips to England over five decades, beginning in the 1730's) she could not get Monticello out of her mind.  This lead to her finding out about Bartram's American correspondents, who were numerous. Quite a number of these American friends of Bartram visited him at his farm and nursery near Philadelphia during the Constitutional Convention in 1787.  This visit generated some business in seeds, plants and slips for John Bartram but also got delegates talking to one another who were very divided over the question of how representation was to be set up in the new constitution and may very well have helped bring about the compromise that became our new constitution.  It does seem strange to learn so much about our own country's history from a European design historian!  But I recommend reading this book. I reread the chapter "A Nursery of American Statesmen: the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and a Garden Visit" for both its retelling of the story of the convention and the description of John Bartram's garden and nursery.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret Takes Two

This Thanksgiving the movie "Hugo" based on Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret will be released in theatres nationwide. Read the book, enjoy Thanksgiving, see the movie, write a review!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

I must admit that when I first picked up The Invention of Hugo Cabret, I was a little concerned about a children's chapter book that weighed in at 533 pages. But I was intrigued by the 284 pages of artwork, and so I entered the world of Brian Selznick's picture book turned graphic novel. The story is about an orphaned French boy named Hugo Cabret who lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station. He is very good at fixing mechanical items, particularly toys and clocks. When his secret life collides with a grumpy toy booth owner and a book loving girl, Hugo's desire to solve the mystery of a mechanical man and a hidden message from his father are in jeopardy. This tender story is an intriguing mixture of mystery, art and history.

Scary Titles!

Take a look, if you dare, at the Halloween Book Display across from the circulation desk. Movies like The Sixth Sense and The X Files are available for checkout. Maybe you are more interested in classics like The Bride of Frankenstein or something funny like Young Frankenstein. If you would rather read, how about Dark Peril by Christine Feehan or Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris? Ready to decorate for Halloween or just get in a fallish mood, try Extreme Pumpkins or Halloween Fun or Haunt Your House. There are endless possibilities, just ask at the front desk or search the catalog for more titles. Using search keywords in Advance Search such as "vampires," "ghosts," or "Halloween" and choosing "nonfiction" or "fiction" will give you many choices. And remember, if the title is not available at Switzerland County Public Library, we might be able to get it from another Evergreen library. If you need help placing a hold, please let us know. We will be glad to help.

New Nonfiction Books at SCPL

Check out our new nonfiction books on display this month. Interested in travelling? health? We have a great variety of nonfiction from travelling tips in 101 Wine Regions to a rapid fat-loss guide in The 4-Hour Body to The Complete IBS Health & Diet Guide. How about some homespun wisdom in Country Living: Simple Country Wisdom? Handicrafts and repairs can be found in Spotlight on Wire, Weekend Handmade and Fix It! How to Repair Automotive Dents, Scratches, Tears and Stains.  Official Rules of Tennis and Defensive Captain of the Cincinnati Bengals, Dhani Jones' book, The Sportsman, would appeal to sports readers. Keeping the Republic written by Governor Mitch Daniels would make for an interesting political read.

If you are interested in more serious subjects, you might try the nonfiction books Portrait of a Monster, the account of the manhunt for an international killer, or The Triple Agent, a stunning narrative account of a CIA operation gone horribly wrong in our war against al-Qaeda. Lions of Kandahar is the inside account from the perspective of an active-duty U.S. Army Special Forces commander with multiple deployments in Afghanistan.

There are many more to choose so visit your library soon!

Janet Fans

If you have read all of Janet Evanovich's books, including the new Stephanie Plum novel Smokin' Seventeen, you might want to try some other authors. Donna Andrews' series with character Meg Lanslow and Linda Barnes's Carlotta Carlyle character could be just the thing. Andrews' books include The Penguin Who Knew Too Much and No Nest for the Wicket, among others found in the "Mysteries" section of the library. Other Janet fans have discovered works by Susan Isaacs and Lisa Scottoline. If it is the zany characters you like in Evanovich's writing, try author Sarah Strohmeyer. Her character Bubbles Yablonski and her friends are sure to get a laugh in Bubble Ablaze. Stop in the library and check out the bookmark with more suggestions.

Argyle Avenger, the name

Argyle is my favorite library attire and I am a fan of alliteration. (Also, I have always secretly wanted to be a superhero). Feel free to add your own reviews of library books you have read. Our hope is that this will be a fun way to recommend and discuss books.

Welcome to our blog!!!

Welcome to the new Switzerland County Public Library blog! Our hope is that you will be able to use the information in this blog to help choose interesting things to read. We will be highlighting new books at the library, authors of interest and various genres, including mysteries, romance, Christian fiction, and suspense.

One of our new books is Timothy Schaffert’s The Coffins of Little Hope. The novel is told from the viewpoint of Essie, an octogenarian obituary writer for a family-owned newspaper in a small Nebraska town. As the inside cover says, “When a young country girl is reported missing, perhaps whisked away by an itinerant aerial photographer, Essie stumbles onto the story of her life.” Essie uses her humorous, yet straightforward, wisdom to try to solve the mystery of the alleged disappearance and to understand her own personal circumstances. The Coffins of Little Hope would most likely appeal to fans of Anne Tyler, Catherine Dunne and Lorna Landvik.

Let us know what you think or if there are any books you'd like to see highlighted.

Enjoy!