The New York Times recently published their annual 100 Notable Books list. Below is just a sampling of the 100 books deemed worthy of inclusion for 2011 (both fiction and non-fiction.) Check out the list, and then check out some books from the library!
And So It Goes:. Kurt Vonnegut: A Life. By Charles J. Shields.
The biography is the culmination of five years of research and writing—the first-ever biography of the life of Kurt Vonnegut.
The biography is the culmination of five years of research and writing—the first-ever biography of the life of Kurt Vonnegut.
Honest, intelligent, and deeply moving, The Boy in the Moon explores the value of a single human life.
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman. By Robert K. Massie.
A masterpiece of narrative biography, this is the extraordinary story of an obscure young German princess who traveled to Russia at fourteen and rose to become one of the most remarkable, powerful, and captivating women in history.
A masterpiece of narrative biography, this is the extraordinary story of an obscure young German princess who traveled to Russia at fourteen and rose to become one of the most remarkable, powerful, and captivating women in history.
In the early 1950s, an 11-year-old boy in Colombo boards a ship bound for England. As the narrative moves between the decks and holds of the ship and the boy’s adult years, it tells a spellbinding story about the magical, often forbidden discoveries of childhood and a lifelong journey that begins unexpectedly with a spectacular sea voyage.
Clarence Darrow: Attorney for the Damned. By John A. Farrell.
Clarence Darrow is the lawyer every law school student dreams of being. His days-long closing arguments delivered without notes won miraculous reprieves for men doomed to hang. This book offers a candid account of Darrow’s personal life: his divorce, affairs, and disastrous finances.
Clarence Darrow is the lawyer every law school student dreams of being. His days-long closing arguments delivered without notes won miraculous reprieves for men doomed to hang. This book offers a candid account of Darrow’s personal life: his divorce, affairs, and disastrous finances.
Come On All You Ghosts. By Matthew Zapruder.
Matthew Zapruder's third book mixes humor and invention with love and loss
Harlem Is Nowhere: A Journey to the Mecca of Black America. By Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts.
For a century Harlem has been celebrated as the capital of black America, a thriving center of cultural achievement and political action. At a crucial moment in Harlem's history, as gentrification encroaches, Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts untangles the myth and meaning of Harlem's legacy.
For a century Harlem has been celebrated as the capital of black America, a thriving center of cultural achievement and political action. At a crucial moment in Harlem's history, as gentrification encroaches, Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts untangles the myth and meaning of Harlem's legacy.
The Last Werewolf. By Glen Duncan.
One last full moon - then it will all be over. Jacob Marlowe has lost the will to live. For two hundred years he has wandered the world. Now, the last of his kind, he knows he cannot go on. But as Jake counts down to suicide, he is plunged straight back into the desperate pursuit of life - and love.
One last full moon - then it will all be over. Jacob Marlowe has lost the will to live. For two hundred years he has wandered the world. Now, the last of his kind, he knows he cannot go on. But as Jake counts down to suicide, he is plunged straight back into the desperate pursuit of life - and love.
Moby Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them. By Donovan Hohn.
When the writer heard of the mysterious loss of thousands of bath toys at sea, he figured he would interview a few oceanographers, talk to a few beachcombers, and read up on Arctic science and geography. But questions can be like ocean currents: wade in too far, and they carry you away.
When the writer heard of the mysterious loss of thousands of bath toys at sea, he figured he would interview a few oceanographers, talk to a few beachcombers, and read up on Arctic science and geography. But questions can be like ocean currents: wade in too far, and they carry you away.
My New American Life. By Francine Prose.
Set in the aftermath of 9/11, it offers a vivid, darkly humorous, bitingly real portrait of a particular moment in history, when a nation's dreams and ideals gave way to a culture of cynicism, lies, and fear.
Set in the aftermath of 9/11, it offers a vivid, darkly humorous, bitingly real portrait of a particular moment in history, when a nation's dreams and ideals gave way to a culture of cynicism, lies, and fear.
The Submission. By Amy Waldman.
A jury gathers in Manhattan to select a memorial for the victims of a devastating terrorist attack. Their deliberations complete, the jurors open the envelope containing the anonymous winner’s name—and discover he is an American Muslim. Instantly they, and the country, are cast into roiling debate about the claims of grief, the ambiguities of art, and the meaning of Islam.
A jury gathers in Manhattan to select a memorial for the victims of a devastating terrorist attack. Their deliberations complete, the jurors open the envelope containing the anonymous winner’s name—and discover he is an American Muslim. Instantly they, and the country, are cast into roiling debate about the claims of grief, the ambiguities of art, and the meaning of Islam.
A Train in Winter: An Extraordinary Story of Women, Friendship, and Resistance in Occupied France. By Caroline Moorehead.
They were teachers, students, chemists, writers, and housewives; a singer at the Paris Opera, a midwife, a dental surgeon. Eventually, the Gestapo hunted down 230 of these women and imprisoned them. Sent to Auschwitz, only 49 returned after the war. This is their story.
They were teachers, students, chemists, writers, and housewives; a singer at the Paris Opera, a midwife, a dental surgeon. Eventually, the Gestapo hunted down 230 of these women and imprisoned them. Sent to Auschwitz, only 49 returned after the war. This is their story.
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System status
A new library system and online catalog will debut on May 30. Here's the current status of:
- Checkouts: Continue as usual, but May 24-29 you must have your physical library card in hand to check out materials.
- Due dates: All checkouts will have a due date of June 22, except DVDs and GRU watt meters, which still have 7-day limit.
- Holds and requests: New holds and purchase requests cannot be placed until May 30, but those placed previously will continue to be processed and will carry over to the new system.
- Returns: Please "Babysit Our Books" — keep them until the new system is running smoothly (mid-June).
- Registration: Continues as usual today, but cannot be done May 24-29, as our entire system will be down.
- Interlibrary loan: No new ILL requests can be placed May 24-29.
- Digital checkouts: OverDrive checkouts and holds will work normally throughout the transition.
- My Discoveries: Will be retired with the AquaBrowser catalog on May 24. Please retrieve any saved book lists before then.
- Website: The Library District website (www.aclib.us) will be up as normal throughout the transition.
- My Account: Account info will be available through May 24. Your account will appear on the new system on May 30.
- Bill payment: All payments including PayPal are working today. No payments can be accepted May 24-29
- New catalog: Watch for its debut on May 30, with new features.
More about the transition.
More about the new online catalog.
Have any questions? Please Ask Us!
