This Week's New Releases

Today is the release date for the following new novels:

Spartan Gold by Clive Cussler

Homer and Langley by E.L. Doctorow

Dark Slayer by Christine Feehan

A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore

Spire by Richard North Patterson

Popular Movies at the Chandler Public Library

The following items are currently the most requested movies at the Chandler Public Library.

Bedtime Stories

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

He's Just Not That Into You

Knowing

The Reader

Seven Pounds

      True Blood: The Complete First Season

      Valkyrie

Book Review: Push by Sapphire

A poignant somewhat disturbing novel that tears at your heart for the main character Claireece “Precious” Jones. Written in journal format from the perspective of Precious in her own language and style, Precious displays her innermost feelings. Precious has been sexually and physically abused by her father and mother most of her life. She has failed to make any friends, hiding behind her anger and weight issues. The story takes place in Harlem in 1987. Precious is 16 and pregnant with her second baby. Her first baby was born when she was 12, and both babies were fathered by her father. Ridiculed for years by her classmates for being overweight and an outcast, Precious has kept a terrible secret – she never learned how to read and write. She is forced to quit high school due to her pregnancy, but is given an opportunity to attend an alternative school, and enrolls in an Adult Literacy Program called Each One/Teach One. Ms. Rain, her teacher, breaks down Precious’s barriers, and is the first person in Precious’s life to care about her well being, inspiring Precious to take charge and plan for her future. Making progress in school, Precious is now living in a halfway house away from her mother and father, and taking care of her baby boy, but life takes an unexpected turn. Precious discovers her father has died and her health may be at risk. Push takes Precious through a journey that leads from darkness and pain to courage, self-determination, and love. Coming soon as a major motion picture in November 2009, titled Precious.

- Saren (Hamilton)

Popular Books at the Chandler Public Library

The following items are currently the most requested books at the

Chandler Public Library.

Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner

Black Hills by Nora Roberts

Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies by Michelle Malkin

Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

First Family by David Baldacci

First Things First: The Rules of Being a Warner by Kurt Warner

Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult

Julie and Julia by Julie Powell

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

Swimsuit by James Patterson

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Women's Lives & Relationships

There is a specific type of novel that focuses on women, their relationships, their struggles and their triumphs. Sometimes called domestic fiction, it became a popular genre in the 1850's and several women's novels of this time period became best-sellers, much to the dismay of some male authors. Nathaniel Hawthorne said, "America is now wholly given over to a damned mob of scribbling women, and I should have no chance of success while the public taste is occupied with their trash - and should be ashamed of myself if I did succeed". Despite this attitude,the genre continues to appeal to women who like to read about women like them. Below is a list of authors who represent this genre:

Elizabeth Berg

Maeve Binchy

Barbara Taylor Bradford

Barbara Delinsky

Kristin Hannah

Marian Keyes

Sophie Kinsella

Jodi Picoult

Anita Shreve

Danielle Steel

Jennifer Weiner

Facebook and Twitter: Social Networking

Facebook and Twitter: Social Networking

Sunset Library

Monday, August 24, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Facebook has exploded across the internet as a social networking space that can benefit not only teens and Gen Xers but also Boomers. Twitter is a quick way to dialogue with anyone from friends and coworkers to family across the country. In this workshop, learn the basics of both of these systems, how to use them, why you would want to use them, and how to connect with people who share your interests. Free wireless is available, so bring your laptop if you have one!

More info/Register online, or call 480-782-2842.

In the meantime, check out one of these items at your library to learn more:

All a Twitter: A Personal and Professional Guide to Social Networking by Tee Morris

Facebook for Dummies by Carolyn Abram

Facebook Me!: A Guide to Having Fun with Your Friends and Promoting Your Projects on Facebook by Dave Awl

Twitter: Tips, Tricks and Tweets by Paul McFedries

The Twitter Book by Tim O'Reilly and Sarah Milstein

Staff Picks

Meredith at Basha suggests Wormwood by Susan Wittig Albert
Fleeing to a Shaker village in rural Kentucky for rest and relaxation, China quickly discovers that the tourist attraction is not as picturesque as it looks when a shocking death takes place, forcing her to delve into old secrets to find the murderer.



Anbolyn at Downtown suggests A Pearl in the Storm by Tori Murden McClure
A Pearl in the Storm is the story of the first woman to row across the Atlantic alone. Though she faced terrible hardship and multiple setbacks, McClure was finally able to accomplish her goal. Her remarkable story will inspire, uplift and entertain you.

Audiobook Review: Relentless by Dean Koontz

Relentless is just that, by Dean Koontz, read by Dan John Miller, and reviewed by Star Lawrence

Dean Koontz is not a poor man’s Stephen King. He is his own kind of sweet, kind of overwritten, and kind of totally spellbinding self. Some people can get into that like a hot bath, others can’t stand it. I am a bather..

Relentless is one of his best yarns to date, in my humble opinion. Yet, it is festooned with characteristic Koontz touches, which include a protag who is so grounded and loving he makes your eyelids slowly descend, only to snap open on such lines as, “We did not know then that by day’s end, one of us would be shot dead.”

Cubby is a novelist, a loving husband, the jokey father of a seriously smart kid (referred to by a bad guy as a “weird little Einstein”), and oh, yes, Cubby has a big secret in his past, the kind of horror you would never associate with anyone you would ever meet. You never would. Koontz would, though.

Don’t laugh, but a famous book critic wants to wipe out Cubby, his wife, their weird little Einstein, and their little dog Lassie, too!

This may sound funny, but I assure you it’s suspenseful and warped as hell.

Of course, I won’t tell you what happens, but it involves a deus ex machina shaped like a crystal salt shaker. But you knew that, didn’t you?

Anyhow, even hard-core thriller lovers will get into this one. John Dan Miller has a pleasing tenor, rendering even the most banal inter-familial banter interesting and believable.

You’re just never ready for the odd line that jumps in. “I don’t think you’re ready for this, Dad, it’s not a salt shaker anymore.”

Computer Classes at the Downtown Library

Do you need to enhance or refresh your computer skills? Are you looking for an easy and fast class that doesn't cost anything? Register for one of the following classes at the Downtown Library!



Word - August 12 at 10:30am
Create and edit documents and format text using word processing software.
***Proficiency with the mouse and keyboard is required.



Excel - August 19 at 7:00pm
Learn how to enter and manipulate numerical data using a spreadsheet.
***Proficiency with the mouse and keyboard is required.

Power Point - August 26 at 10:30am
Learn how to incorporate text and graphics into a slide presentation.
***Proficiency with the mouse and keyboard is required.

Twitter for Beginners - August 26 at 7:00pm
Have you heard of Twitter? Everyone is using it these days;don’t get left behind! This class will provide an introduction to Twitter, assistance on how to get started, and tips to make your Twitter experience rewarding and productive.

Please register here or call 480-782-2803 for more information.

Book Review: Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laura Viera Rigler

If you read and enjoyed Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler you will be sure put her latest offering, Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict, on your list of books to read this summer.

Jane Mansfield had long lamented the confinement and restrictions of her life as a gentleman’s daughter in nineteenth-century England. Practically every facet of her life was controlled by someone other than herself. The clothes she wore, the people and places she visited (properly escorted, of course), the food she ate and her own behavior was under scrutiny lest Jane be deemed “improper” which usually translated into “unmarriageable.” Imagine her surprise and utter confusion to awaken one morning as Courtney Stone, living in a small apartment in suburban Los Angeles in the twenty-first century. Almost everything has changed – even the face in her mirror – except for the love of Jane Austen’s books that Jane and Courtney share.

Of course, the premise is far fetched but the adventures of Jane as Courtney are humorous and well done. Imagine a Rip Van Winkle storyline but instead of a twenty year gap make it an almost 200 year chasm. Jane is obviously befuddled by life in 2009. Most intriguing is the glass box where small figures are performing scenes from her favorite book, Pride and Prejudice. Other machines produce music, wash clothes and heat or cool food. Lighting is achieved without candles; the air in a building is cool and comfortable as opposed to the heat outdoors. Clothing provides a constant source of anxiety for Jane; a lady would never be seen with her arms and ankles exposed, let alone wear trousers or a bathing suit. In between the confusion of modern life is Jane’s love life dilemma. She has confusing memories of her friend Wes and her ex-fiancé Frank, both of whom have purportedly betrayed her. Nineteenth-century staid morality meets twenty-first century sexual freedom; what’s a girl to do?

Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict parallels Rigler’s first novel, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict in which the protagonist finds herself transported to Jane Austen’s world. Both are excellent examples of “chick-lit” novels that are well written and entertaining without being offensive or crude. Rude Awakenings is clever fun and the perfect summer read for all of you Jane Austen addicts. You know who you are… -Linda (Downtown)

Food Memoirs

On August 7 the film version of Julie and Julia will be released starring Amy Adams and Meryl Streep. Based on the book that's based on the blog written by Julie Powell, this charming story explains how a bored government worker undertook a project to cook every recipe from Julia Child's classic cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, within 1 year. If this sort of writing appeals to you, try one of the following food memoirs:

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time: My Adventures in Life and Food by Moira Hodgson

The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food by Jennifer 8 Lee

The Tenth Muse by Judith Jones

Plenty: One Man, One Woman and a Raucous Year of Eating Locally by Alisa Smith

Heat: An Amateur's Adventure as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta Maker and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany by Bill Buford

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

My Life in France by Julia Child

Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl