Our latest Book Trailer of the Week is for Amor Towles’ stylish new novel A Gentleman in Moscow. Already a NY Times bestseller, the novel follows Count Alexander Rostov after a 1922 Bolshevik tribunal orders him to spend the rest of his life inside the luxury Metropol hotel for being an unrepentant aristocrat. Described by theSkimm as crossing The Grand Budapest Hotel and Eloise with all the Bond villains, A Gentleman in Moscow is Rules of Civility-author Towles at his best. Don’t miss it.
Tag: fiction
National Book Award 2015 Nominees: Fiction
The longlist for the 2015 National Book Award nominees was released today and though there were a lot of familiar faces to be found (Clegg, Pearlman, Hanagihara) we were happy to see some surprises as well. Who could have predicted the appearance of Karen E. Bender’s Refund? Or the inclusion of Welcome to Braggsville by T. Geronimo Johnson? Haven’t read them? Well here’s your chance. Reserve your own copies by clicking on the links and covers below: Continue reading “National Book Award 2015 Nominees: Fiction”
Meet Steven Erikson!
EPL is bringing fantasy to life. Fantasy fiction, that is. In case you haven’t heard, NY Times Bestselling novelist Steven Erikson is coming to the library, and we couldn’t be more excited. Author of the critically acclaimed “Malazan Book of the Fallen” fantasy series, Erikson will visit the Community Meeting Room of EPL’s Main Branch on Saturday, September 29th at 4 p.m. to read from Forge of Darkness – the first book in his new Kharkanas trilogy. As we eagerly await this very special event, we thought we’d share a pair of pleasant diversions to help pass the time until Mr. Erikson’s arrival. First off, check out this excellent intro to Forge of Darkness written for new fantasy readers by the author himself. Then, as a final literary appetizer, don’t miss this fascinating Tor interview in which Mr. Erikson discusses escapist lit, the merits of fantasy fiction, and his growth as a writer. Enjoy, and see you on the 29th!
Author Interview with Romance novelist Caridad Pineiro
A creative book project in elementary school was the impetus to the thriving, successful career of Romance novelist Caridad Piñeiro. Writing her first romance novel in the fifth grade about stranded high school students on a tropical island finding solace in each other, she is now the author of over 20 published books. The New York City Chapter of Romance Writers of America honored Caridad with the Golden Apple Author of the Year Award. In a recent interview with Reader’s Services’ Elvira Carrizal-Dukes, Caridad Piñeiro shared her love of writing.
Continue reading “Author Interview with Romance novelist Caridad Pineiro”
The Resurgence of the Thriller
The Chicago Tribune ran an interesting article entitled The Evolution of the Thriller about the resurgence of the thriller as a popular genre in the post 9/11 world. According to Brad Thor, the author of the bestseller Full Black, the time period after the Cold War through the 1990s was a stagnant period for the thriller genre. 9/11 gave readers and writers a common, well-defined enemy back. Gone are the spy novels and simmering tension of superpowers of the mid-twentieth century replaced instead by detailed novels about military hardware and modern spycraft. According to author David Morrell, thrillers are the most popular form of reading in the past 10 years. Other books mentioned in the article include Rules of Betrayal by Christopher Reich and Die Twice by Andrew Grant. The article also pays homage to some classic gems of the genre including The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John Le Carre, The Tears of Autumn by Charles McCarry, and Absolute Power by David Baldacci.
Rika G
Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2011 Longlist
This year, the 13 books of the “Man Booker Dozen” are:
Julian Barnes The Sense of an Ending
(JonathanCape – Random House)
Sebastian Barry On Canaan’s Side
(Faber)
Carol Birch
Jamrach’s Menagerie
(Canongate Books)
Continue reading “Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2011 Longlist”
“Up the Down Staircase” Author Celebrates 100th Birthday
People of a certain age will remember 
when Up the Down Staircase, a novel about teaching in a large public high school came out in 1965. It became a bestseller and was subsequently made into a very popular movie. Bel Kaufman, the author of this classic, has just turned 100 and is still as feisty and good-humored as she was when she taught in New York City schools, as a recent New York Times article attests.
Mary B., Reader’s Services
“The Help” Attracts a Lawsuit
According to the New York Times, Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help, a bestselling novel about black maids working for white families in 1960s Mississippi, has been hit with a lawsuit by a woman who works as a maid for relatives of the author. Ablene Cooper is asking for $75,000 in compensation for the unauthorized use of her name and for emotional distress, claiming that Aibileen Clark, the principal character in the book is based on her and that Ms Stockett disregarded a request not to use Ms Cooper as a model for the character. Ms Cooper says that the author’s relatives, who happen to be Ms Stockett’s brother and sister-in-law, support her lawsuit.
Mary B., Reader’s Services
African American Literature Read In at Fleetwood-Jordain Center
In honor of Black History Month, the Fleetwood-Jordain Center will host eight multi-talented authors reading and performing excerpts from their published works. The 2011 African American Literature Read-In and Book Fair is sponsored by Books Inc Bookstore and organized by
A Work of Faith Ministry & Literacy. The first annual event will take place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at 1655 Foster Street, Evanston, IL. Evanston Public Library will have a table at the book fair where residents can learn about the library’s collections, programs, book clubs or sign up for a library card. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is encouraged. For information, contact Gevell Wagner at (773) 350-4675.
Susan M.
Another Fantastic Site!
The British Council, an international organization whose motto is “Learn, share, connect worldwide,” promotes the exchange of knowledge and ideas between people around the world. One of its many resources is Contemporary Writers, a database of UK, Commonwealth, and Republic of Ireland writers to which it adds new names each month. A page comprising a biography, a list of the writer’s works, the genres in which the s/he writes, a bibliography, awards garnered, and a critical perspective on the work, is devoted to each author. This is a wonderful resource for students of literature, and for those who want to enhance their reading choices. And it’s just plain fun to browse.
Mary B., Reader’s Services
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