One of my favorite magazines is Reader's Digest. Within the folds of its pages, you can laugh, learn and every once in awhile, enjoy "sniglets." These imaginary words are fun, and are always good to bring about that "aha!" moment; the moment that strikes a chord and you identify with the meaning behind the word. For example, this winter introduced the folks of northwest Indiana to the "chorecast." A "chorecast" is just a forecast with a twist; one that lets you know that along with whatever Mother Nature is sending our way, there will be shoveling involved. If you were lucky enough to get out of the house this winter, you may have encountered an "acceligator," someone who, while yakking on a cell phone, is also tailgating you. Reaching your destination, you'll want to be on the lookout for a "pickparker," someone who brazenly steals the parking space that you are about to pull into.
If you've had enough of the chorecast, been followed by one too many acceligators, or have been aggravated by a pickparker, stop in your local branch of JCPL and check out a new fiction title that will take your mind off your troubles.
After the state shuts him down for practicing detection without a license, Teddy gives up the idea of investigating altogether. But when a man that Teddy had just befriended the day before turns up dead in front of his office, Teddy suspects foul play and his investigative skills kick into high gear. Add to that two unexpected visitors from the pound, and "The Highly Effective Detective Goes to the Dogs" by Richard Yancey becomes a humorous romp of twists, and turns into the hot pusuit of a comically colorful murder investigation.
Entrepreneur and billionaire, James Sands, is riding high on the tide of success in the world of business, but is losing ground in his personal life and marriage to wife, Anne. Delving even deeper into a business deal that will give him control over all of the public water in the Pacific Northwest, Sands finds his empire crumbling when he discovers that his business partner has been murdered in "The Army of the Republic" by Stuart Archer Cohen, a novel of political intrigue.
Taking on the problems of the world, Claire Danner Crispin readily agrees to co-chair the Nantucket Children Summer Gala, and realizes only too late that she has been duped into hosting the event because of her connections to rock star, Max West. One catastrophe leads to another, and Claire comes to the conclusion that it's time to establish some boundaries in her life in "A Summer Affair" by Elin Hilderbrand.
Time to "op-up" (push your glasses back up on the bridge of your nose), and find your "nagivator" (spouse or partner who enjoys being a backseat driver) and come to the Jasper County Library, where you can stock up on good books right before the budding bushes, flowers and trees bring on a fit of one sneeze after another, better known in the world of sniglets as a "sneezure."
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Sunday, March 1, 2009
New Fiction Titles Offer an Adventure in Choice Reading Material!
A recent episode of the Bonnie Hunt Show featured George Lopez as a guest. As Bonnie interviewed George about his family life, the topic turned to kids, and the many conveniences and choices that are available to them today. As the conversation continued, it led to how things were when WE were kids. Our choices were limited to fried bologna to eat and Kool Aid to drink, with only two flavors to choose from, and they were both red.
Things have changed, I'll admit. A trip to the grocery store can be a visit to the state of confusion because of all the choices. Even choosing toothpaste feels like a test. Whiter teeth and fresher breath can be mine if I only choose the right one. Therein lies the confusion; do I want the added bonus of tartar control, extra whitening, fluoride, or do I have sensitive teeth that require extra ingredients? Soup is a study in confusion for me as well. They all boast the word "healthy." I bought a can of potato soup called, "Healthy Potato Soup." I bought it because I didn't want the unhealthy version of potato soup.
Take a break from the mind boggling parade of choices by visiting your local branch of JCPL, where the new adult fiction titles on the shelves can make your book shopping experience an adventure in choices that you'll actually enjoy!
In "Just Breathe" by Susan Wiggs, Sarah Moon works out the issues of her own life through the characters that she has created in her cartoon comic strip. While her personal life and marriage are falling apart, Sarah goes on hiatus to the small town in California where she grew up, reconnecting with her emotionally distant father and coming to terms with the loss of her marriage as she begins her life again, all the while, keeping her alter ego comic strip hero, Shirl, close at hand.
What starts out looking like a tragic drowning accident for Christina Haynes, the daughter of a popular U.S. Senator, ultimately turns into a murder investigation with well respected African American attorney, Rayne Martin, held as the chief suspect. "Undertow" by Sydney Bauer builds lies, deceit, and threats, one on top of another, taking unexpected twists and turns into the mysterious world of politics, creating page-turning suspense until the shocking finale.
Illicit love affairs with the wife and stepdaughter of his boss leave Cason Statler unemployed from his job at a prestigious Houston newspaper. Never a person to consider the possibility of staying politically correct, Cason struggles to find his place in the world. Latching on to a story about a young college student who mysteriously went missing six months before may be just the jump start that Cason's career needs in "Leather Maiden" by Joe R. Lansdale.
In th blink of an eye, the lives of the Churchill family are irrevocably changed when Kara Churchill, a high school student driving home one spring afternoon, goes through a crosswalk, striking and fatally injuring another young student. "The Rest of Her Life" by Laura Moriarty resonates with the deeply drawn lines that connect mothers and daughters, illuminating those relationships with real emotion and depth of feeling.
Eeny, meenie, miny, mo; that was the technically scientific method that we used as children to make choices, and when deluged with too much information, it sometimes still works for me today. But when you shop for a book at JCPL, you won't have to resort to any extreme approach. All you have to do is ask a staff member the magic question: Have you read anything good lately that you can recommend?
Things have changed, I'll admit. A trip to the grocery store can be a visit to the state of confusion because of all the choices. Even choosing toothpaste feels like a test. Whiter teeth and fresher breath can be mine if I only choose the right one. Therein lies the confusion; do I want the added bonus of tartar control, extra whitening, fluoride, or do I have sensitive teeth that require extra ingredients? Soup is a study in confusion for me as well. They all boast the word "healthy." I bought a can of potato soup called, "Healthy Potato Soup." I bought it because I didn't want the unhealthy version of potato soup.
Take a break from the mind boggling parade of choices by visiting your local branch of JCPL, where the new adult fiction titles on the shelves can make your book shopping experience an adventure in choices that you'll actually enjoy!
In "Just Breathe" by Susan Wiggs, Sarah Moon works out the issues of her own life through the characters that she has created in her cartoon comic strip. While her personal life and marriage are falling apart, Sarah goes on hiatus to the small town in California where she grew up, reconnecting with her emotionally distant father and coming to terms with the loss of her marriage as she begins her life again, all the while, keeping her alter ego comic strip hero, Shirl, close at hand.
What starts out looking like a tragic drowning accident for Christina Haynes, the daughter of a popular U.S. Senator, ultimately turns into a murder investigation with well respected African American attorney, Rayne Martin, held as the chief suspect. "Undertow" by Sydney Bauer builds lies, deceit, and threats, one on top of another, taking unexpected twists and turns into the mysterious world of politics, creating page-turning suspense until the shocking finale.
Illicit love affairs with the wife and stepdaughter of his boss leave Cason Statler unemployed from his job at a prestigious Houston newspaper. Never a person to consider the possibility of staying politically correct, Cason struggles to find his place in the world. Latching on to a story about a young college student who mysteriously went missing six months before may be just the jump start that Cason's career needs in "Leather Maiden" by Joe R. Lansdale.
In th blink of an eye, the lives of the Churchill family are irrevocably changed when Kara Churchill, a high school student driving home one spring afternoon, goes through a crosswalk, striking and fatally injuring another young student. "The Rest of Her Life" by Laura Moriarty resonates with the deeply drawn lines that connect mothers and daughters, illuminating those relationships with real emotion and depth of feeling.
Eeny, meenie, miny, mo; that was the technically scientific method that we used as children to make choices, and when deluged with too much information, it sometimes still works for me today. But when you shop for a book at JCPL, you won't have to resort to any extreme approach. All you have to do is ask a staff member the magic question: Have you read anything good lately that you can recommend?
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