Albert Lea Public Library

A List of Novels About War

Yesterday, we celebrated Memorial Day and honored those people who have served in the armed forces and fought in defense of our country.  In that spirit, here is a list of fiction set during various times of war.

The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw

"This account of the people who served our country during World War II depicts the spirit of the United States and captures its moral character. Work and sacrifice ensured that our way of life was preserved. Brokaw, veteran reporter and anchor at NBC news, honors a generation with his vivid interviews and many letters." reviewed by Eugene R. Richey for Library Journal

In Memory...

Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday in May to honor men and women who have died in military service. Originally, this holiday was started to honor Union soldiers who had died during the Civil War. After World War I, it was expanded to honor those who died in any war or military action. Take a moment today to stop and remember those who gave their lives protecting our country.

Happy Birthday, Peggy Lee!

Singer, songwriter and actress Peggy Lee was born Norma Deloris Egstrom at Jamestown, ND. She got her start singing on a Fargo, ND radio station and was soon hired by Benny Goodman to sing with his band. Known for her simple, jazzy style, her biggest hits were 1958’s “Fever” and 1969’s “Is That All There Is?” She is perhaps best remembered for the songs that she co-wrote and performed in Disney’s Lady and the Tramp. Peggy Lee continued to perform until the 1990’s, when poor health forced her to retire. She died Jan 21, 2002 in Los Angeles, CA.

Listen to Peggy Lee on these CDs available at the library:
Fever & Other Hits (CD/Old-Time Favorites/Lee)
Lady and the Tramp Soundtrack (CD/Children/Lady & The Tramp)

Library closed for Memorial Day

The Library will be closed Monday May 29 in observation of memorial day.

Travel Planning Online.

Planning vacations can be easier with the use of travel planning websites.  These sites allow you to look for prices from multiple airlines, hotels and rental cars, vacation packages and cruises as well as providing activity suggestions. Shop around and compare prices at different sites to get the best deal for your money.

Travel planning websites:
Travelocity.com
Expedia.com
Priceline.com
Orbitz.com

Unlike the sites listed above, Fodors.com provides information about events and amenities at different places and is especially useful if you're planning to travel outside the US. They use Expedia.com for purchasing tickets or reserving hotels.

You can also book airline tickets directly through most airline homepages, this is also a good way to compare prices. Do a Google search for the airline name to find their website.

Traveling books

As mentioned in last Tuesdays post, "Reading a book about a place before you visit, or while you're visiting, can enhance both the experience of the book and the visit."  While last weeks post focused on national parks, this week we'll provide you with a list of international places.

Alternatively, if you aren't able to travel around the world, these books can take you to far off and exotic places from the comfort of your own home.

AFGHANISTAN
Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Hos)
CHINA
Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan (Tan)
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (See)
INDIA
God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (R Roy)
AUSTRALIA
True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey (Car)
MOROCCO
Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits by Laila Lalami (Lal)
FRANCE
In the Company of Angels by N. M. Kelby (Kel)
ENGLAND
Atonement by Ian McEwan (McE)
Saturday by Ian McEwan (McE)
Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding (R Fie)
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon (My Had)
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks (Bro)
Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella (R Kin)
Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue (Don)
SOUTH and CENTRAL AMERICA
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende (All)
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (Pat)
ITALY
The Broker by John Grisham (My Gri)
The English Patient by Michael Ontaadje (R Ond)
The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant (Dun)
Room with a View by E. M. Forster (For)
AFRICAN COUNTRIES
Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller (921 Fuller)
No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (My Smi)
Elephant Song by Wilbur A.Smith (Smi)
Birds of Prey by Smith (LP Smi)
Blue Horizon by Smith (Smi)
Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver (Kin)
HUNGARY
Prague by Arthur Phillips (Phi)
RUSSIA
Rasputin's Daughter by Robert Alexander (Ale)
Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander (Ale)
PORTUGAL 
Company of Strangers by Robert Wilson (My Wil)
BURMA (MYANMAR)
Saving Fish from Drowning by Amy Tan (Tan)
Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason (Mas)
CANADA
Crow Lake by Mary Lawson (Law)
Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood (Atw)
Forest Lover by Susan Vreeland (Vre)
IRELAND
Haunted Ground by Erin Hart (My Har)
Lake of Sorrows by Erin Hart (My Har)
Pearl by Mary Gordon (Gor)
The Copper Beech by Maeve Binchy (R Bin)
MEXICO
Night of the Radishes by Sandra Benitez (R Ben)
NORWAY
The Body in the Fjord by Katherine Page Hall (My Pag)
CUBA
Simple Habana Melody by Oscar Hijuelos (Hij)
JAPAN
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (Gol)
GREECE
Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres (DeB)
GERMANY
Reader by Bernhard Schlink (Sch)

Library call numbers are provided in parentheses to make the books easy to find.
"Compiled by the subscribers of the Fiction_L mailing list."

Listen to a good book

This review is for the audio version of Bernard Cornwell's new novel The Pale Horseman (CD Cor) and considers not only the content of the book but how well it is read.

"Uhtred of Bebbanburg, raised by the Danes who invaded his native England, joins forces with King Alfred to resist the occupation. The unlikely allies face overwhelming odds in war and on the home front. Jamie Glover narrates the historical fiction with solemnity, capturing tones of fear and exhilaration in battle and bedroom. While Glover lightens his voice slightly to indicate female characters, he maintains a sense of distance from all the novel's many and varied personalities. His scholarly British voice fits the text, imparting historical veracity and fictional gravity. Listeners will find the production even more enjoyable if they have listened to THE LAST KINGDOM, the first book in the trilogy." reviewed by AduioFile

Audio books can really help shorten a long trip.  If The Pale Horseman doesn't sound like something you'd enjoy, here are some of the new Audio CD's at the library.  There's a wide range and, hopefully, something for everyone.

Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt by Anne Rice (C CD Ric)
We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg (CD Ber)
Got the Look by James Grippando (CD Gri)
Winter in Thrush Green by Miss Read (CD Rea)
Carry On, Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse (CD Wod)
Death of a Dreamer by M.C. Beaton (MY CD Bea)
Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie (MY CD Chr)
Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark (MY CD Cla)
The Tooth of Time: A Maxie and Stretch Mstery by Sue Henry (MY CD Hen)
Edge of Evil by Judith A. Jance (MY CD Jan)
Dirty Blonde by Lisa Scottoline (MY CD Sco)
Dark Harbor by Stuart Woods (MY CD Woo)
Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan (SF CD Jor)
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt (CD 330 Lev)
Self Matters: Creating Your Life From the Inside Out by Phillip C. McGraw (CD 158.1 McG)

National Bike to Work Day.

Today is national bike to work day. Leave your car in the garage, dust off your bike and get some extra exercise on the way to work. If the weather doesn't permit today, bike to work on Monday or Tuesday. You might enjoy it so much that it becomes a habit.

State-by-state toursim information.

State tourism agencies can provide a wealth of information when you're planning a vacation. Here are some resources no matter where you plan to go in North America.

Nearby states:
Iowa - North Dakota - South Dakota - Wisconsin

International:
Canada - Mexico

The other 46 states:
Alabama - Alaska - Arizona - Arkansas - California - Colorado - Connecticut - Delaware - Florida - Georgia - Hawaii - Idaho - Illinois - Indiana - Kansas - Kentucky - Louisiana - Maine - Maryland - Massachusetts - Michigan - Minnesota - Mississippi - Missouri - Montana - Nebraska - Nevada - New Hampshire - New Jersey - New Mexico - New York - North Carolina - Ohio - Oklahoma - Oregon - Pennsylvania - Rhode Island - South Carolina - Tennessee - Texas - Utah - Vermont - Virginia - Washington - West Virginia - Wyoming - Washington D.C. -

Get Caught Reading

May is the month for the National Get Caught Reading Campaign. 

Check out the website www.getcaughtreading.org  and see all kinds of your favorite celebrities reading books including Clifford the Big Red Dog, the Rugrats, Bob and Larry of the Veggietales and Dora the Explorer!!!  You can even order posters of these characters! Maybe you can even catch every member on your family reading and make big posters!!  Have fun and good luck!

Syttende Mai

On May 17, 1814, the Consititution of Norway was signed, declaring Norway to be an independent nation.  Much like the American July 4th, among Norwegians, the day is referred to simply as syttende mai (meaning May Seventeenth).

131 years later, the Second World War ended in Norway May 8 1945, just 9 days before syttende mai. Even though The Liberation Day is an official flag day in Norway, the day is not an official holiday and is not widely celebrated. Instead a new and broader meaning has been added to the celebration of Norwegian independence at May 17.

National Park Fiction

Reading a book about a place before you visit, or while you're visiting, can enhance both the experience of the book and the visit.  Here are some novels that take place in America's national parks.
Acadia National Park
Creature Discomforts by Susan Conant (My Con)
Canyonlands National Park
The Ranger and the Widow by Lynn Erickson Lynn
Carlsbad Caverns
Blind Descent by Nevada Barr (My Bar)
Cumberland Island National Seashore
Endangered Species by Nevada Barr (My Bar)
Everglades National Park
A Fool's Death by Patrick Cody
Gateways Park
Liberty Falling by Nevada Barr (My Bar)
Gila National Forest
Mexican Hat by Michael McGarrity (My McG)
Glacier National Park
Two Different Worlds by Rosemary Hammond
My Bar Blood Lure by Nevada Barr
Great Smokey Mountains National Park
Airtight Case by Beverly Connor
Guadalupe Moutains National Park
Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr (LP My Bar)
Isle Royal National Park
A Superior Death by Nevada Barr
Lassen Volcanic Park
Firestorm by Nevada Barr (My Bar)
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde by Gary McCarthy
Redeye by Clyde Edgerton
Ill Wind by Nevada Barr (My Bar)
Natchez Trace Parkway
Deep South by Nevada Barr (My Bar)
Olympic National Park
The Dark Place by Aaron J. Elkins
Sequoia National Park
Waltzing in Ragtime by Eileen Charbonneau
Yellowstone National Park
Letters from Yellowstone by Diane Smith
A Mother for Amanda by Anna Schmidt
Spill by Les Standiford
The Violators by Gunnard Landers
Yellowstone by Gary McCarthy

"Compiled by the subscribers of the Fiction_L mailing list."

Beyond the DaVinci Code

The Albert Lea Public Library will be hosting a viewing of the A&E documentary Beyond the Davinci Code at the Albert Lea Community Theatre with discussion led by Reverend Milt Ost.  Come see this interesting documentary at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16.

Haunted Ground by Erin Hart

Last week, the Fountain Lake Readers discussed Erin Hart's debut novel Haunted Ground.  Even if you missed the discussion, don't miss out on this book! 

"Cutting turf in the peat bogs of his Ireland farm, Brendan McGann ... is hardly prepared for the gruesome discovery he makes one pleasant April morning: the perfectly preserved head of a woman. ...archeologist Cormac Maguire, maverick local detective Garret Devaney, and Nora Gavin, an American anatomist lecturing at Trinity College Medical School, investigate the farmer's grisly finding, which could date back quite far, given that peat bogs can preserve bodies for centuries. ...Hart's novel is rich in local color: evenings at the pub, the petty feuds and jealousies of the townspeople and the traditional music and folk culture of Ireland are evocatively rendered." reviewed by Publisher's Weekly