The Buzz...About Books

Remembering Maeve Binchy, 1940-2012

Maeve Binchy was born in Dalkey, a Dublin suburb.  She was the eldest of four children. After graduating from the University College Dublin, she worked as a teacher and journalist before devoting her life to fiction writing.

Her debut novel, Light a Penny Candle was rejected five times before it was finally published in 1982.  Tara Road, a novel about an Irish and an American women trading houses to escape personal problems was selected by Oprah Winfrey for her book club.  It became an international bestseller.

She briefly retired from writing in 2000 following the publication of Scarlet Feather but relented after 800 letters of protest were sent to The Irish Times newspaper.  She went on to publish another five novels--Quentins, Nights of Rain and Stars, Whitethorn Woods, Heart and Soul and Minding Frankie.  One final book, A Week in Winter is scheduled for release in October 2012.

In recent years her mobility had become restricted due to painful arthritis and a heart condition. 

Maeve Binchy died on July 30 following a brief illness.

Manga: Staff Members Pick Their Favourites

Manga are Japanese comic books but that description is perhaps oversimplistic.  In Japan, manga are read by people of all ages and classes.  Subject matters are varied with non-fiction as well as fiction manga available.  It is becoming more popular in North America as well.  In 2008, the Canadian and US manga market was valued at $175 million. 

Manga generally uses black and white images, often featuring stylized characters with oversized eyes.  Most manga published in North America retain their original Japanese formatting with the books reading from right to left. 

I asked library staff members to suggest some of their favourite manga titles and these were their responses.  Since manga is usually published in multi-volume series, the links below are for the catalogue record for the first book in the series.

Bakuman by Tsugumi Ōba and Takeshi Obata
Two high school students team up to produce manga. The series documents their struggles as they learn to craft a good story and create the art to match.

A Distant Neighborhood by Jirō Taniguchi
A middle-aged business man is given a chance to relive his childhood when he wakes up as a 14 year old. This is a wonderful, poignant story with beautiful illustrations. Unlike most manga, this two volume story is formatted like a Western book, reading from left to right.

Drops of God by Tadashi Agi
A wine critic has died but instead of leaving a traditional will, he has set a challenge. His biological son and his protegé must compete to prove who has more knowledge of wine. The winner takes all. Packed with information about wine, the series was a bestseller in France as well as Japan.

Kingyo Used Books by Seimu Yoshizaki
This mystical used bookstore has the perfect book for every customer who enters. Really a collection of short stories about the bookstore patrons, this series also provides a history of manga.

Oishinbo, a la carte by Tetsu Kariya
A journalist must track down the dishes that will create the "Ultimate Menu" for his newspaper. Each volume of this series centres on a different aspect of Japanese cuisine.

While these are examples of somewhat serious manga stories, there is a lot of variety within the format.  You can find horror, historical sagas, science fiction, fantasy and romance among the manga at Toronto Public Library.

Can't get enough graphic novels and manga? Check out these blog posts.

• Graphic Novels Recommended by Library Staff
• More Graphic Novels Recommended by Staff
• Non-Fiction Graphic Books Recommended by Staff

The Olympics: Fiction of Champions

If you can't get enough of the Olympics this summer, try these novels featuring Olympic Games of the past, present and future.

The Bone Cage by Angie Abdou
The relationship between two elite athletes is tested as they prepare for Olympic competition.

Flight from Berlin by David John
A spoiled American heiress joins forces with a cynical British journalist in a deadly game against the Gestapo during the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

A Game of Lies by Rebecca Cantrell
Journalist and British spy Hannah Vogel attends the 1936 Berlin Olympics posing as a Swiss reporter. When her contact is murdered at the opening ceremony she is determined to find out why, even at the risk of her own life.

The Games by Ted Kosmatka
In the near future genetically modified humans fight to the death in the Olympic Gladiator competition. This novel describes the efforts of geneticists to build a better competitor.

• eBook

Gold by Chris Cleave
Cyclists Zoe and Kate meet at nineteen when they are both trying out for the British Cycling Team. The novel follows their friendship and rivalry through Athens, Beijing and London, the last Olympic Games for the women.

• Audiobook

Private Games by James Patterson
When a high ranking member of the London Olympic committee is murdered, Private, the world's best security firm, must stop a criminal mastermind before he destroys the games.

• Audiobook
• eAudiobook
• Large Print

Remember Summer by Elizabeth Lowell
An equestrian on the American Olympic team becomes the target of an assassin in this romantic thriller.

• eBook
• Large Print

Man Booker Longlist Announced

The Man Booker Prize is one of the most prestigious fiction prizes in the world and its longlist announcement is one of the most eagerly awaited literary events of the year. Last year's prize, eventually awarded to Julian Barnes for The Sense of an Ending, was considered controversial because the shortlist included a number of lesser known writers.  Nominated titles must be written in English by a citizen of a Commonwealth country, Ireland or Zimbabwe.

Man Booker Prize Longlist

Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Communion Town by Sam Thompson

The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng

The Lighthouse by Alison Moore

Narcopolis by Jeet Thayil

Philida by André Brink

Skios by Michael Frayn

Swimming Home by Deborah Levy

The Teleportation Accident by Ned Beauman

Umbrella by Will Self

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

The Yips by Nicola Barker

Please note that The Lighthouse by Alison Moore is not available in Canada at this time.

Non-Fiction Graphic Books Recommended by Staff

Some of the most moving and profound graphic novels are not "novels" at all but are works of non-fiction.  There are some wonderful memoirs but you can find graphic novels about science, history and current affairs as well.  These non-fiction graphic novels were selected by staff as their favourites.

Dragonslippers: This is What an Abusive Relationship Looks Like by Rosalind B. Penfold
Penfold documents her own journey from successful business woman to abused spouse and demonstrates how women become trapped in violent relationships.

Fun Home: a Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
Based on her childhood diaries and memories, Bechdel tells the story of her life with her father, a closeted gay man who taught English and ran the local funeral parlor.

The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone on the Media by Brooke Gladstone and Josh Neufeld
A history of media and examination of current media issues from NPR broadcaster Brooke Gladstone.

Louis Riel: a Comic Strip Biography by Chester Brown
A critically acclaimed book examining the life of Métis leader Louis Riel.

Maus: a Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman
Widely considered a masterpiece, Spiegelman illustrates his father's Holocaust experiences.

The Mysterious Death of Tom Thomson: a Wordless Narrative Told in One Hundred and Nine Woodblock Engravings by George A. Walker
The life and death of one of Canada's legendary landscape painters is presented in a series of wood engravings.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
A series of black and white images tells the story of Satrapi's childhood during a time of political upheaval in Iran.

The Stuff of Life: a Graphic Guide to Genetics and DNA by Mark Schultz, Zander Cannon and Kevin Cannon
This entertaining and accessible book teaches the basics of genetics using a narrative about an alien.

Related Posts:

Graphic Novels Recommended by Library Staff
More Graphic Novels Recommended by Staff

Let the Games Begin

Although the Olympic Games begin this week, this post is not about those types of games--it's about computer games.  Computer games are among my favourite things and these are some of my favourite novels featuring computer games and virtual reality.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Six-year-old Ender Wiggins is recruited into the Battle School where he is trained for war with computer games.

Halting State by Charles Stross
An Edinburgh police officer is called in to investigate a bank robbery that has taken place in a virtual world. Unwilling to take the case seriously, she soon realizes that what happens online may have an impact on the offline world as well.

• eAudiobook
• eBook

jPod by Douglas Coupland
The frustration and absurdity of the modern workplace is spotlighted in this novel about a Vancouver game designer trying to juggle work, life and romance.

• eAudiobook
• eBook

Pocket Kings by Ted Heller
A man who has failed at most things in life finds success playing online poker in a virtual world. As he becomes more immersed in the online world, he becomes more detached from everything on the outside.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Poverty and environmental crisis have essentially trapped people in their homes and a virtual world is the only escape for most citizens.

• Audiobook
• eAudiobook
• eBook

Reamde by Neal Stephenson
The creator of a MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) must battle to save his company and his niece after a virus in the online world has real life consequences.

• Audiobook
• eBook

Rock Paper Tiger by Lisa Brackmann
Iraq war veteran Ellie Cooper is trying to forget the past in China, surrounded by artists and gamers. When her boyfriend disappears, she is pursued by various agencies both in real life and in an online game.

This is Not a Game by Walter Jon Williams
A game designer begins to blend real life murders and political intrigue into her game world and uses gamers to sort out the truth and the lies.

Looking for a summer read? Try a non-fiction 'novel'

Summer vacation is a great time to delve into books that take a bit more time to read such as narrative non-fiction, which are sometimes called non-fiction novels.  Narrative non-fiction books are available in just about any subject.  While non-fiction, these books are written as stories and the best ones are both well-researched and well-told. 

Here are some of my favourites:

97 Orchard: A Edible History of Five Immigrant Families in One New York Tenement by Jane Ziegelman.
Through the stories of five immigrant families, all residents of 97 Orchard Street, Ziegelman explores the history of New York's Lower East Side and the impact that these immigrants have had on the foods we enjoy today.

 

Brunellschi's Dome: The Story of the Great Cathedral in Florence by Ross King.
An account of the design and construction of the dome of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy.  In addition to describing the innovation required to build the dome, King places its construction in the context of the political and social world of that period -  medieval Florence.

 

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson.
This is the story of two men who were living and working in Chicago just miles from each other in the early 1890s.  One was a famous architect who designed and built Chicago's World Fair.  The other a charismatic young doctor who murdered many young women, using the success of the Fair to act undetected. Available in Large Print, Audiobook, eBook, and eAudiobook.

 

The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic and How It Changed Science, Cities and the Modern World by Steven Johnson.
The deadly cholera epidemic of 1854 decimated London's population in eight days. Johnson describes the two heroic figures battling the disease, Reverend Henry Whitehead and Dr. John Snow, whose combined efforts solved the mystery of how cholera spreads. This discovery had implications not only for medicine but for all future city planning. Available in Audiobook, eAudiobook, and Talking Book (restricted to Print Disabled Patrons).

 

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. 
In 1951, Henrietta Lacks, an impoverished African American woman, had her cancer cells taken without her consent.  They became known as HeLa cells – the ‘first immortal human cells’ - and have been the basis for a vast amount of medical research ever since, but with unintended impacts on her family.  A fascinating, thought-provoking and sometimes heart-breaking, investigation into the unintentional consequences of medical research.  Available in Large Print, Audiobook,  eBook, eAudiobook,  and Talking Book (restricted to Print Disabled Patrons).

 

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach.
An examination of the lives of astronauts, their training, and the strange experiments that have been performed in the name of space science.  Both informative and funny, this book will appeal to anyone who has ever wondered what it would be like to travel to space. Available in Audiobook, eAudiobook, and Talking Book (restricted to Print Disabled Patrons).

 

Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 by Simon Winchester
The catastrophic eruption of the volcano island of Krakatoa, located just off the coast of Java, was so huge that the effects of the waves were felt as far away as France and sound of the eruption was heard in Australia and India.  The eruption also had unforseen regional political consequence as well.   Available in Large Print, Audiobook, eAudiobook, and Talking Book (restricted to Print Disabled Patrons).

 

Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan.
A fascinating exploration into food we eat.  He follows the food chain on four different meals, following the trail to the original sources of the food.  In the process, he investigates large agribusiness, sustainable agriculture as well hunting and foraging.  You may never look at your dinner the same way again. Available in Large Print, Audiobook, and eBook.

 

The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant.
This is a gripping tale about a  man-eating tiger which is has attacked several people outside a remote village in Russia’s Far East.  Tiger attacks were rare in this area of the world as humans and tigers have always had a mutually respectful, if somewhat tenuous relationship. However, the trackers soon discover that these attacks aren’t random: the tiger is engaged in a vendetta. Available in Audiobook, eAudiobook, Talking Book (restricted to Print Disabled Patrons).

 

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Kraukauer.
Both a historical account of Mormon fundamentalism and a true crime story, Krakauer examines the double murders committed by Ron and Dan Lafferty, who claimed that they acted according to a revelation from God.  It is an account of religious extremism and a demonstration of the power of faith.  Available in Large Print, eBook, and Talking Book (restricted to Print Disabled Patrons).

 

2012 Prometheus Award: Winners Announced

The Prometheus Award was created in 1979 by L. Neil Smith to honour fiction which feature libertarian philosophy and ideals. The award is currently administered by the Libertarian Futurist Society.

This year there were two winners:

The Freedom Maze by Delia Sherman
This children's novel tells the story of 13-year-old Sophie who, while staying at her grandmother's Louisiana house, discovers a hedge maze that transports her back to 1860 where she is mistaken for a slave. The Prometheus judges praised the book for celebrating the values of honour, respect, courage and personal responsibility.

 

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
In 2044, the United States has been devastated by poverty and environmental crisis and people connect with each other through an online world. A scavenger hunt for control of the virtual world pits a group of gamers against a powerful and corrupt corporation. This is a great read for fans of 1980s computer games and movies. The Prometheus judges appreciated the theme of open Internet access for everyone.

• Audiobook
• eAudiobook
• eBook

The other nominees were:

The Children of the Sky by Vernor Vinge

In the Shadow of Ares by Thomas L. James and Carl C. Carlsson
(This book is currently only available for the Kindle.)

The Restoration Game by Ken McLeod
(This book is only available at the Merill Collection.)

Snuff by Terry Pratchett

More Graphic Novels Recommended by Staff

If you aren't a graphic novel reader, you may be surprised at the great variety of titles available.  Not all graphic books deal with masked crime fighters, although there are lots of those.  You can find stories from all different genres--general fiction, crime, speculative fiction.  There is a graphic novel that is perfect for every reader.

These are some of the favourite graphic novels of library staff members:

Blankets by Craig Thompson
Thompson's semi-autobiographical work tells the story of his childhood, his relationships with his brother and his parents and his struggle to find his own identity.

Daytripper by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá
Every chapter of this Eisner Award winning book concentrates on a different significant event in the life of Brás, a Brazilian writer and ends with his death. Although Brás dies in each chapter, the entire story of his life is told with a message of living life to the fullest.

Invincible by Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker
High school student Mark Grayson is pretty normal, except that his father is a superhero and that he's discovered he has inherited superpowers of his own.

Locke and Key by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez
A mysterious mansion with strange doors, mystical keys and supernatural creatures becomes home to the Locke children after their lives are shattered by the murder of their father.

The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger
A woman finds a mysterious disappearing bookmobile containing all the books that have had an impact on her life and she becomes obsessed with reliving her past through the books.

The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar
A cat belonging to a rabbi develops the ability to speak after eating the family's other pet, a parrot. Set in 1930s Algeria, the story follows the pair as they explore and discuss the world around them.

Revolver by Matt Kindt
The United States is attacked by a dirty bomb, society collapes, chaos reigns and mild-mannered Sam becomes a hero but when he wakes up the next morning, everything is back to normal; the next day he finds himself back in the disaster and Sam must find out what is happening to his world.

Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley
In order to win the heart of Ramona Flowers, slacker musician Scott must defeat her evil exes. Set in Toronto, this series is full of local landmarks including Wychwood Library, where Scott first sees Ramona and Toronto Reference Library, where an epic battle is staged.

Invincible, Locke and Key, The Rabbi's Cat and Scott Pilgrim are multi-volume works.  The links will take you to the first book in the series.

If you haven't seen anything you like, more staff recommendations are on their way.  Check this blog next Wednesday when the focus will be non-fiction graphic books.

Related Post:

Graphic Novels Recommended by Library Staff

Graphic Novels Recommended by Library Staff

This is the final day of  San Diego Comic-Con.  Although launched in 1970 as the Golden State Comic Book Convention, it is not just for comic book lovers.  The convention is now a multigenre extravaganza which includes novels, television, gaming, films and of course, comic books, manga and graphic novels.

These are some of the favourite graphic novels of Toronto Public Library staff members. 

Animal Man by Grant Morrison
Buddy Baker fights crime with the animal powers he acquired when an alien spacecraft exploded. This series dates back to the 1960s but was revived in the 1980s by Scottish writer Grant Morrison.

Axe Cop by Malachai and Ethan Nicolle
Axe Cop is a cop who fights the forces of evil armed with an axe. A wonderfully creative series that is written by 6 year old Malachi with art by his older brother Ethan.

Black Hole by Charles Burns
Set in the 1970s, this is the story of a sexually transmitted disease that attacks teenagers, leaving them with grotesque mutations.

Burma Chronicles by Guy Delisle
A graphic novel inspired by the year Delisle spent in Burma with his young son and wife, an administrator for Médecins Sans Frontières.

Fables by Bill Willingham
Characters from fairy tales have been forced out of their world and created a secret community in New York City.

Ghost World by Daniel Clowes
Enid and Rebecca, two smart and cynical girls, cope with the difficult, sometimes unforgiving teenage years.

Hello Me Pretty by Line Gamache
Expo 67 and the FLQ crisis provide the backdrop for this autobiographical novel about life with a mentally disabled sibling.

Animal Man, Axe Cop, and Fables are multivolume stories.  The links will take you to the first book in the series.

If you've never tried a graphic novel, now is the perfect time.  If you don't see anything on this list that appeals to you, check this blog on Wednesday when another list of staff suggestions will be posted.

Related Post:

More Graphic Novels Recommended by Staff