2008 National Book Awards

The finalists for the 2008 National Book Awards were announced last week in Chicago. The finalists are:

Fiction:

The Lazarus Project by Aleksandar Hemon

Telex from Cuba by Rachel Kushner

Shadow Country by Peter Matthiessen

Home by Marilynne Robinson

The End by Salvatore Scibona

Nonfiction:

This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War by Drew Gilpin Faust

The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed

The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals by Jane Mayer

Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives by Jim Sheeler

The Suicide Index: Putting My Father's Death in Order by Joan Wickersham

Poetry:

Watching the Spring Festival by Frank Bidart

Fire to Fire: New and Collected Poems by Mark Doty

Creatures of a Day by Reginald Gibbons

Without Saying by Richard Howard

Blood Dazzler by Patricia Smith

Young Adult Literature:

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp

Winners will be announced on November 19th. Check out the library's National Book Award finalist and winner display from 2000 - 2007 in the Adult Services Department on the second floor. There are some great titles to choose from!

Books into Movies - October

Expect to see more great literature brought to life this fall - here's a sampling of films that will be released in October which are based on books:

"How to Lose Friends and Alienate People" starring Simon Pegg and Kirsten Dunst. Based on the memoir of the same title by Toby Young.

"Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" starring Michael Cera (of "Juno" fame) and Kat Dennings. Based on the book of the same title by Rachel Cohn.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe team up in "Body of Lies," based on the novel by David Ignatius.

Children's book City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau is now a major motion picture with some big names, such as Bill Murray, Tim Robbins, Saoirse Ronan (of "Atonement" fame) and Martin Landau.

Speaking of big names, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Dakota Fanning and Alicia Keys come together for the much-anticipated "Secret Life of Bees" based on the novel by Sue Monk Kidd.

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Looking for a creepy read for Halloween? Heart-Shaped Box should fit the bill nicely. Jude Coyne is an aging rock and roll star with a taste for the morbid - so when he is tipped off about a "ghost" that inhabits a recently deceased man's suit for sale on an internet auction site, he can't resist. The suit arrives - in a black, heart-shaped box - a few days later. Jude, his live-in girlfriend, Georgia, and his personal assistant, Danny have no idea what is in store for them.

The ghost wastes no time making himself known to the inhabitants of the house, not only making personal appearances, but also infiltrating the dreams of the occupants of the house, as well as transmitting his voice over the radio and TV. Jude, a wee bit disturbed by all of this undead activity in his home, discovers that the dead man just happens to be the stepfather of his previous girlfriend, who committed suicide when their relationship ended. Presumably, the ghost has come back with the intention of enacting revenge on Jude - by goading Jude into killing not only himself, but also anyone who tries to help him.

As Jude and Georgia attempt to outlast the ghost, Jude is also trying to outrun his dying father, a cold and abusive man, who is on his deathbed in rural Louisiana, and who he has not seen in over 30 years. As Jude and Georgia flee his farm in an effort to solve their ghostly predicament, they grow closer to figuring out a way to not only outsmart their ghost, but also determine what really happened to Jude's former flame. Through this all, Jude learns to grow up and see what is really important in his life...but is it too late?

I really enjoyed this book, I thought the ending was surprisingly upbeat considering the subject matter. It is interesting to note that the author, Joe Hill is Stephen King's son. He seems to have the same gift for story telling that his father does.

Stop by and check out some of our other Horror titles on display for Halloween. We've got something for everyone!