The Buzz...About Books

The Gift of Being a Man Wolf

Anne Rice returns to her gothic horror roots with The Wolf Gift. She has crafted tales of vampires, witches and angels, and now, Rice tackles werewolves.

We are introduced to our anti-hero Reuben Golding, while he is on location writing a story for the San Francisco Observer. Reuben seems to have it all, wealth, good looks and a promising career as a journalist. He is attracted to the lovely and older Marchent Nideck, who is selling her ancient family home. Reuben is captivated by the mysterious mansion, nestled in a redwood forest just north of San Francisco. While giving a tour of the house, Marchent recalls her family history, which includes a missing great-uncle Felix, who has finally been officially declared dead. During their romantic evening, Marchent is attacked and murdered and Reuben is bitten by a strange animal, while fighting with the attackers.

Of course, we all know the bizarre changes Reuben "suddenly" begins to experience at night. He dubs himself "the Man Wolf," discovering that his new animal senses allow him to hear and smell evil-doers and their victims. He becomes a vigilante of sorts, while the media, police and scientists hunt for his true identity. Throughout the novel, Reuben struggles with the moral dilemma of good and evil, and the internal conflict of embracing and fearing what he is becoming. The question of what bit him and if there are more man wolves out there continues to haunt him.

Also available in: Audiobook and Large Print

Anne Rice recently visited the Appel Salon to talk about The Wolf Gift, if you missed her that night, here are the videos!

 

 

 

St. Patrick's Day Reads

Despite it’s religious origins, St. Patrick’s Day has become a cultural celebration of everything Irish.

I am a huge fan of Irish authors and with St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, I thought I would highlight some of my favourite Irish novels.

             

The Secret Scripture By Sebastian Barry

Roseanne McNulty, approaching her hundredth year, has been a patient at the Roscommon Mental Hospital for the past 50 years. She decides to write a personal memoir recounting her life full of betrayal, intrigue and mystery. Roseanne’s chief psychiatrist is also investigating her past in order to assess her suitability for release into the community. The two narratives – often conflicting - come together in a surprising twist at the end.  Set against the backdrop of the religious and political turmoil of Ireland in the twentieth century this is a gripping and intriguing novel.

Ireland: A Novel By Frank Delaney

This delightful, beautifully written novel, interweaves the folklore and history of Ireland with its powerful coming of age narrative. One night in 1951, a storyteller or ‘Seanchai’, mysteriously appears in the Irish countryside. In exchange for a place to stay, he invites the townsfolk to gather and listen to his wondrous tales of Irish folklore, legend as well as some factual history. A nine year old boy named Ronan is mesmerized by the Seanchai and his stories. When the Seanchai abruptly leaves, the boy devotes his life to finding him.

The Gathering By Anne Enright

Following the drowning of her brother Liam, Veronica attempts to make sense of the haunting and tragic events that have shaped the large Hegarty clan over the past three generations. This is a gripping, poignant and intense novel. Winner of the 2007 Man Booker prize.

What are some of your favourite Irish novels?

Man Asian Literary Prize is Awarded to Kyung-Sook Shin

The Man Asian Literary Prize  is awarded annually to the best novel by an Asian writer, either written in or translated into English. For the first time in its five year history, it has been awarded to a woman.   Kyung-sook Shin was honoured for her novel Please Look After Mom, a story of a family's search for its matriarch after the woman disappears in a crowded subway station in Seoul.  A bestseller in the author's native South Korea, the foreign rights to the book have been sold in 19 countries.

 

Please Look After Mom will be the featured book on Book Buzz, Toronto Public Library's virtual book club during May 2012.  Register to become a member.

Man Asian Literary Prize 2011 Shortlist

Dream of Ding Village by Lianke Yan

The Lake by Banana Yoshimoto

Rebirth by Jahvni Barua
    (Not yet published in Canada)

River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh

The Sly Company of People who Care by Rahul Bhattacharya

The Wandering Falcon by Jamil Ahmad

Everybody’s Reading One Book – Girls Fall Down

It’s that time of the year again – along with the snowdrops, early daffodils and the male cardinal calling in my backyard, spring means Toronto Public Library’s Keep Toronto Reading (KTR) festival in April. Running alongside KTR is our annual One Book community read and city-wide book club. This year’s pick is Girls Fall Down by Maggie Helwig, a compelling, well-written novel, both a love story and a comment on our anxious post-9/11 mindset.

Girls are falling down on Toronto’s subway, claiming they smell something strange. Panic ripples through the city and soon words like ‘poisoning’ and ‘terrorism’ become airborne.

Alex witnessed the first incident. He is a photographer – by day he works in a busy hospital documenting illness, injury and death; by night he attempts to capture the city he loves. Out of the blue, he encounters his old flame, Susie-Paul, and helps her try to find her brother Derek, a schizophrenic, homeless man – and her twin.

Read Girls Fall Down this month and then join the Library at One Book and KTR events all around town in April; visit keeptorontoreading.ca soon for more details. We’ve got related reading lists, book discussion questions, an interactive map and events to complete your reading experience. From lectures to walking tours to workshops, we’ll help this intriguing title come to life for you.

Show us your Hidden Toronto by entering our Hidden Toronto Photo Contest; full deets at keeptorontoreading.ca/photocontest. You could have your images published in the Toronto Star! 

And finally, chat online with Girls Fall Down author Maggie Helwig on Book Buzz, Toronto Public Library’s online book club. Visit http://torontopubliclibrary.typepad.com/bookbuzz/maggie-helwig-chat.html to participate or sign up for a reminder. Maggie will be chatting on April 16^th at 7 pm. Be part of our Reader City this spring, and all year round.

Have an Awesome Day!

March 10 is the International Day of Awesomeness.  The holiday was founded in 2007 based on the theory that "no one's perfect but everyone can be awesome" and encourages people to commit "acts of awesomeness" either alone or in groups.

Because I'm at work today, my opportunities to commit awesome acts outside of the library setting are limited.  This blog post celebrates the five most awesome books I've read over the past few years.  The books on the list are the ones that have delighted, enlightened, and entertained me and gotten stuck in my head.

Awesome Fiction

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Boy Detective Fails by Joe Meno
Billy Argo was once a famous boy detective, solving crimes with his sister and their best friend. Now an adult, Billy is confronted with a world that is incomprehensible and full of unsolvable problems. Poignant, dark and wonderful.

Three Bags Full: a Sheep Detective Story by Leonie Swan
It's a book about crime-solving sheep! I know that sounds crazy but it is a delightful read--and not as cute as it sounds.

The Zero by Jess Walter
This dark and comic critique of post-9-11 America is not for everyone but I enjoyed every page.

Awesome Non-Fiction

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everything is Miscellaneous: the Power of the New Digital Disorder by David Weinberger
It's a book about classification systems! I never expected to enjoy reading about classification systems but this book is a revelation. In a fun and accessible way, Weinberger demonstrates how the computer age has changed the way people organize their "stuff" and how this has influenced society.

Survival of the Sickest: a Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease by Sharon Moalem
This book traces the origins of disease showing how some of the medical conditions in the present day actually provided our ancient ancestors with evolutionary benefits. I read this book ages ago and I still regularly refer to it in conversation.

    Audiobook

What awesome books do you recommend?

Find out more about The International Day of Awesomeness.

If you want more awesomeness, take a look at The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha.

Related Post:

A new book by a favourite author...Awesome!

Book Buzz reads...Half-Blood Blues

Esi Edugyan's Half-Blood Blues is one of the most celebrated books of the year.  It was the winner of the Scotiabank Giller Prize, and a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award, and Man Booker Prize.  Just this week, it was nominated for two more awards--The Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and The Orange Prize.

Certainly, it is a book people are talking about.  If you'd like to have your say about the novel, join us this month on Book Buzz, Toronto Public Library's virtual book club.  The great thing about an online book club is that you can join the discussion any time and participate when it's convenient for you.

Become a member at our registration page.  All you need to do is pick a user name.  Guest users are also welcome.

Five Biographies for International Women's Day

March 8 is International Women's Day.  What better way to celebrate than by reading a biography of an extraordinary woman?

Ada Blackjack: a True Story of Survival in the Arctic by Jennifer Niven
The only woman on an ill-fated mission to settle remote Wrangel Island, cook and seamstress Ada Blackjack endured a two-year ordeal on the unforgiving land.  When a rescue party finally reached the island, she was the sole survivor.

The Bride of Science: Romance, Reason and Byron's Daughter by Benjamin Woolley
The child of poet Lord Byron, Ada Lovelace's mathematical abilities became evident when she was a teenager. She created an algorithm for use with Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine and althought the Engine was not built in her lifetime, this work is considered the first computer program.

The Discovery of Jeanne Baret: a Story of Science, the High Seas, and the First Woman to Circumnavigate the Globe by Glynis Ridley
When her lover, botanist Philibert Commerson joined a French expedition set on circumnavigating the world, Jeanne Baret disguised herself as a teenage boy and became his assistant.

• eBook

Jane Jacobs: Urban Visionary by Alice Sparberg Alexiou
Jane Jacobs was a writer and activist whose books like The Death and Life of Great American Cities had a tremendous influence on urban planning and development.

Martha Gellhorn: a Life by Caroline Moorehead
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Gellhorn became a journalist and one of the most respected war correspondents in the 20th century, reporting on virtually all world conflicts from the Spanish Civil War to Vietnam during her 60 year career.

This is only a small sample of the many books at Toronto Public Library about fascinating women.  Ask staff at your local branch for additional suggestions.

Fiction for Downton Abbey Fans

Are you waiting breathlessly for the third season of Downton Abbey? Fill the time with these fiction titles about the Edwardian era, British aristocracy, and country houses.

Brideshead Revisited: the Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder by Evelyn Waugh
Charles Ryder is enchanted by the wealthy Flyte family but soon discovers that their privileged lives are not without complications.

The Edwardians by Vita Sackville-West
Nineteen-year-old Sebastian enjoys the luxuries of his upper class life, but finds himself rebelling against its restrictions. 

Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier
Two girls from different classes meet and become friends as the Edwardian era begins to change social customs.

The Fox’s Walk by Annabel Davis-Goff
Ten year old Alice Moore is sent to live at her grandmother’s country house during World War I where she begins to realise that her family’s privileged lifestyle often comes at the expense of others.

Gingerbread Mansion by Lizbie Brown
Set immediately after World War II, this novel tells the story of the destitute Jago family and their efforts to preserve their crumbling stately home.

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
In 1924, a glamorous society party at a country house is disrupted by the suicide of a promising young poet.  Years later, Grace Bradley, a household servant who knows the truth about the incident is finally given the chance to explain what happened.

Howards End by E.M. Forster
Forster’s 1910 novel profiles three British families, each representing a different social class, showing the impact of their interactions with one another.   

Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford
This comedic novel examines the challenges of aristocratic life and love between the wars.

Remains of the Day by Kasuo Ishiguro
After three decades of service, Stevens, the perfect English butler, re-examines his life and career as the world changes around him.

If you need to catch up on the Downton Abbey phenomenon, Toronto Public Library has the first two seasons on DVD.

Downton Abbey, Season 1
Downton Abbey, Season 2

Related Posts:
Books for Downton Abbey Fans

The poem that ignited the Renaissance

In The Swerve: How the World Became Modern, Stephen Greenblatt tells the story of Poggio Bracciolini and his discovery of  Titus Lucretius Carus' influential poem De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things).  According to Greenblatt, it is the discovery of this beautiful poem, which had been lost for more than a thousand years, that was the spark that begun the Renaissance and therefore the beginning of the modern world. 

Lucretius' poem contained some very dangerous ideas for 15th century Europe.  It claimed that the universe functions without the help of gods, that death should not be feared because there is no afterlife, and that the world is made up of very small particles that are randomly colliding and swerving.  Greenblatt argues that these ideas went on to have a significant impact on the great thinkers who followed, including Galileo, Freud, Darwin and Einstein.

Greenblatt presents a vivid picture of the political, intellectual and religious climate of the early 1400s, when the Roman Catholic Church was split between several Popes and interest in the works of Greek and Roman philosophers was reviving.  Bracciolini, one of the great bookhunters of his time, spent his life trying to find lost classical manuscripts, such as On The Nature of Things, by visiting remote monasteries where generations of monks had spent their time copying, and recopying, the books in their collections.

 

The Swerve was a engaging and enjoyable book, easily understood by anyone with a basic knowledge of history. It may appeal to those who enjoy medieval and Renaissance history  as well as anyone interested in the history of philosophy.  Fans of Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens may also find it of interest, as Lucretius' philosophy is part of the history of the their ideas.

 

The Swerve was the winner of the 2011 National Book Award for Non-Fiction. Reviews for this book appeared in the Globe and Mail, and The Guardian, and The New York Times. The Swerve is also available as an eAudiobook.

 

For more suggestions of non-fiction books, have a look at our Literary Non-Fiction We Recommend list.