WLA Readers Section "Never apologize for what you read"
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WLA Readers Section "Never apologize for what you read" |
Spring 2005 vol 13 no. 1
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WLA will again see the Notable Books Marathon; the Banta Award winner's presentation, and a book discussion group. Plus a new program titled From Barbara Cartland to Chick Lit: The Appeal of the Romance Genre. We hope to see you there. NOTES FROM THE CHAIR By Desiree Bongers W elcometo the spring newsletter of READ! We had a great year in 2004 and 2005 looks just as promising. We've got lots of events coming up across the state, so hopefully we'll see you soon! WAPL is right around the comer and will be held May 1213 in Appleton at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel. Maureen has some great programs planned - see her article in this newsletter for more information. READ will also be having a business meeting on May 12 at 4:45pm All members are welcome to attend and we would love to hear your ideas. The Wisconsin Book Festival will be held October 14-16 in downtown Madison.
Helene Androski has once again been It's also not too early to start thinking about WLA, to be held October 25-28 in LaCrosse. Please save the date and watch for program information in READ's fall newsletter. One organizational change that took place within the last &ix months
is that the Literary A wards are now part of the Readers' section. The
READ Chair is responsible for appointing new members to the Literary A
wards Committee. There were three vacancies this year and I'm pleased
toannounce that John Hendricks, Constance Mahsem, and Edell Schaefer were
selected for the committee. Congratulations ! In February, WLA was asked to participate in ALA President Carol Brey-Casiano'
s Many Voices, One Nation initiative. ALA chapters across the country
were to submit one title that reflected their state's individual voice,
diversity or heritage. After discussing this with the Literary Awards
Committee Chair, Sandy Sechrest, we decided to submit the 2004 Banta Award
Winner, Orchard by Larry Watson. The entire list can be found on the ALA
website at READ is seeking a volunteer for the next term of the ViceChair/Chair-Elect
position, effective fall 2005. The ViceChair will be responsible for planning
programs at the 2006 MEET OUR CURRENT
VICE CHAIR/CHAIR ELECT
by Maureen Welch Thank you for voting me in as your new Vice Chair/Chair Elect. I'm looking
forward to working with the Reade~ section. In my reading life, I have
been an avid romance reader for longer than I've been working in libraries.
I come from a line of romance readers. My grandmother read early Harlequins.
My mom loves Nora Roberts. My sister Rita introduced me to category romances
in the early 80's with the early Harlequin Americans and the inaugural
Harlequin Intrigues. My sister Shannon & I traded Silhouette Desires
& Loveswepts. In my professional life, I'm the ILL & Reference
Coordinator for the Indianhead Federated Library System based in Eau Claire.
Also, a few Wisconsin library systems allowed me to share my love of romances
in my workshop called "A Passion for Romance" which focused
on understanding and appreciating the romance geme. If you haven't tried
a romance lately, check out a few of my favorites. The Reluctant Rogue by Elizabeth Powell. (Wisconsin author) Historical-
Traditional Regency & RITA nominee. My Dearest Enemy by Connie Brockway. HistoricalVictorian England Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase. Historical - Regency England. Always to Remember by Lorraine Heath. Historical - postCivil War
America. Faking It by Jennifer Crusie. Contemporary - romantic caper. Dangerous Games by Justine Dare. Contemporary romantic suspense. Utterly Charming by Kristine Grayson. ContemporaryFairy tale/mythology elements. A Piece of Heaven by Barbara Samuel. Contemporary romance/women's fiction. Blue Moon by Lori Handeland (Wisconsin author). Contemporary - paranormal set in "the forests of smalItown Miniwa, Wisconsin".
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READERS SECTION
WILL PLAY A BIG ROLE IN THE 2005 WISCONSIN BOOKFESTIVAL By Helene Androski Thanks to our wonderful volunteers, the Readers Section will be able
to flood the 2005 Wisconsin Book Festival with Date and Time: Fri, Oct 14, 12:00 - 1 :00 p.m. Presenter: James Gollata,
librarian at UW-Richland. Book: Please Don't Come Back From the Moon
by Dean Bakopoulos Date and Time: Sat, Oct 15, 9:30 - 11a.m. Date and Time: Sat, Oct 15, 1:00 - 2:00 p.rn. Presenter: Beverly DeWeese,
librarian (retired) at Milwaukee Public Each year, the Mystery Writers of America organization awards the Edgar (named for Edgar Allen Poe) to the best mystery of the year and the best first mystery novel. Listed below are the nominations for the 2005 awards for mysteries published in 2004. This year's Edgar will be presented at the MWA Awards Banquet April 28, 2005. BEST MYSTERY NOMINATIONS Bowen, Rhys. EVAN'S GATE. St. Martin's. 2004. While Welsh Constable Evan Evans is renovating a shepherd's cottage for his lovely bride-to-be Bronwen, he discovers the body of a young child buried where he plans to dig drains. Oddly enough, though this body several decades old, Evans is also currently working on a missing child case, a five-year-old girl possibly abducted by her Russian immigrant father. Lots oflocal color and gentle humor enhance this charming cozy. Lippman, Laura. BY A SPIDER'S THREAD. HarperCollins. 2004. Mark
Rubin, a wealthy furrier and an Orthodox Jew, hires P.I. Tess Monaghan
to fmd his wife Natalie and their three children. He thinks Natalie
has either run away for some unknown reason, or all four have been kidnapped,
though he has received no ransom note. But, as Tess investigates, she
gradually fmds out Mark is not telling her everything. With the help
of a group of online female investigators, Tess fmally tracks down the
whole truth. Lippman intensifies the impact of this clever mystery by
incorporating lots of background information on thecharacters and on
Orthodox Jewry. She also effectively utilizes some well-selected variations
in points of view. Mooney, Chris. REMEMBERING SARAH. Simon and Schuster. 2004.
Six year old Sarah has long been a pawn in her parents' marriage. Her
father Mike wants her to be tough and experience life. Jess, his wife,
is more protective. But both are devastated when Sarah goes missing
during an unexpected blizzard. Five years later, Mike learns something,
which indicates his child, may have been murdered. Distraught and guilty,
Mike intends to make this person pay, with his life. But does he have
the guilty party? Dennis Lehane calls this a "poignant examination
of parental love and parental folly." Parker, T. Jefferson. CALIFORNIA GIRL. HarperCollins. 2004.
Parker lovingly and meticulously recreates the 1950's and 60's in Orange
County, California, with its orange groves and the feuding juvenile
gangs of the Beckers and the Vonns. But, 15 years later, much has changed.
The orange groves are gone, and hippies and Vietnam vets have arrived.
And beautiful Janelle Vonn is found decapitated in an abandoned warehouse.
Now the three Becker boys (now a cop, a minister, and a reporter) want
to find her murderer. This intricately plotted, leisurely story is as
much a family saga as it is a mystery. Kirkus calls Parker a brilliant
tale spinner. Spencer-Fleming, Julia. OUT OF THE DEEP I CRY. Clare Ferguson Series
No.3. St. Martin's 2004. Ex-army helicopter pilot/now Anglican priest
Clare Ferguson and Millers Kill Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne are together
again solving crimes. Clare's request for money for a local charitable
trust to repair the leaking church roof triggers a big fight. If money
is given to the church, a local health clinic has to go without. It
is a difficult decision. Then, when the head of the clinic suddenly
disappears, that generates even more discussion and more questions about
the disappearance of the donor's husband 50 years ago. The beautiful
Adirondack setting and the expertly drawn relationships among the townspeople,
including Clare and Russ, have garnered excellent reviews. BEST FIRST MYSTERY NOMINATIONS ALEAS, RICHARD. LITTLE GIRL LOST. Dorcester Publishing. 2004. The
last time P.I. John Blake had heard of Melinda Sugarman, his first love,
she was an ophthalmologist in the Midwest. Then he sees her yearbook
picture on the ITont page of New York tabloid below a headline, "Stripper
Murdered." Not only is he impelled to investigate this awful murder,
but he is also forced to look into his own past. This edgy, atmospheric
mystery is part of a series of noir crime novels, called Hard Case Crime. Benoit, Charles. RELATIVE DANGER. Poisoned Pen Press. 2004. Doug
Pearce, a young brewery worker ITom Pottstown, P A, goes on an adventurous
quest to fmd out what had had happened to his long dead uncle. Along
the way, ITom Toronto to Casablanca to Cairo to Singapore, he discovers
a huge stolen gem may have figured in his uncle's death. And some people
will kill to get it. An adventurous, energetic, humorous mystery, some
scenes have been compared to those in Mark Twain's Innocents Abroad_ Callanan, Liam. CLOUD ATLAS. Bantam Doubleday Dell. 2004. During
World War n, 18-year-old Louis Belk, a bomb disposal sergeant, was sent
to Alaska to locate and defuse deadly Japanese rice balloons. But Louis
is young, and some of his comrades are killed because of his inexperience.
Still, the war continues, and Louis falls in love with a beautiful Yup'ik-Russian
Eskimo who may also be involved with a Japanese fisherman. Even the
desolate Alaskan tundra is his enemy. Later, when Louis has become a
Catholic priest, he talks to an Eskimo shaman about his troubling experiences
and frightening decisions. Called haunting, atmospheric, and moving. Koryta, Michael. TONIGHT I SAID GOODBYE. St. Martin's. 2004.
John Weston hires two ex-cops (now private investigators), Lincoln Perry
and Joe Pritchard, to find out if his own private investigator son's
death was a suicide or a murder. He also wants to know why his son's
wife and daughter are missing. The search uncovers some ugly situations
involving Russian gangsters, blackmailers, and murderers. Kirkus calls
it "a gracefully Morris, Bob. BAHAMARAMA. St. Martin's. 2004. Relseased aftert
an undeserved pnson term, ex football starr and commercial boat owner
Zach Chastain finds himself the object of a "search and destroy"
mission by the man responsible for his problems. Still Zach wants to
get to the Bahamas where his girlmend Barbara is waiting. But, when
he finally gets there, Barbara is kidnapped, and the police think he
is guilty. Fortunately, with the help of some colorful friends and a
local Bahamanian cop, and in spite of an impending hurricane, Zach survives.
Lots of local color, humor and bizarre mends have made critics compare
him to Carl Hiaasen. Lee, Dan. COUNTRY OF ORIGIN. W.W. Norton. 2004. Lisa Countryman,
a half-Japanese, half-black Berkley graduate student goes to Tokyo to
research her thesis on "the reign of conformity" in Japan.
Her study soon takes her into the world of Japanese sex clubs. Then
she suddenly disappears, and no one seems interested, except for an
unhappy Japanese cop who had spent several years in Missouri. He seems
to understand himself what it means to be "aninoko, " or half-breed,
an outsider. Called a perceptive and thoughtful mystery about race and
identity. I have never known any distress that an hour's reading did not relieve.-Montesquieu HELENE'S DOWNTOWN MADISON BOOKSTORE CRAWL By Helene Andreski Madison is a book collector's dream. Within a few blocks of the Capitol
Square are some of the fmest used bookstores and independent booksellers
that you will find anywhere. You'll never settle for a Barnes and Noble
again. Here is a guided tour from someone who visits them regularly. Heading from Monona Terrace, go clockwise around the Capitol Square.
At 18 N. Carroll you come to SHAKESPEARE'S BOOKS, its cavernous
interior f1l1ed with an almost overwhelming collection of used books
in all categories. If you're willing to dig, you can probably find that
long out of print obscure title you've been hunting for here. Next head down State Street and take a short detour by turning left
on Johnson Street. On that first block you come to A ROOM OF ONE'S
OWN, 307 W. Johnson, a feminist bookstore with an excellent selection
of fiction and nonfiction as well as music CDs, calendars and postcards
and children's books. They even have books written by men! Head back to State Street and continue down until it's time for another
short detour. Turn left on Gorham St. and you come to AVOL'S BOOKSTORE,
315 W. Gorham, another used book store with a good selection of nonfiction
and Back again to State St. and continue down until you turn left on Gilman.
On your right is RAINBOW BOOKSTORE COOP, 426 W. Gilman. The term
"right" is for directional purposes only because this is a
radical leftist bookstore. Find your Noam Chomskys and Howard Zinns
here. Return to State St. and go two blocks until you reach PAUL'S BOOK
STORE, 670 State St, on your right. This is the grandaddy of all
used bookstores on State Street and wears its mantle well. A fme selection
of fiction and nonfiction plus, if you're lucky, the owner's Yellow
Lab will be there to greet you. Return to State St. and cross Lake St. onto the Library Mall. On your
left is the UNIVERSITY BOOKSTORE, 711 State St, which has a selection
of general fiction and nonfiction as well as textbooks and supplies
for students. And now you've come to the end of the crawl. Fortunately, there are
plenty of recommended coffee shops and restaurants to fortify you on
your way back up State Street to Monona Terrace. NOTE: a bit further afield at 2701 University Avenue, is BOOKED
FOR MURDER, specializing in mysteries, including a good selection
of British imports. Well worth the trip. LET'S TALK ABOUT BOOKS by Mary Dunn Have you ever wanted to sit around and talk books? Some of La Crosse Public library's staff got to do just that. During the months of February and March the library sponsored a seven-week program called Conversations about Books. Each week a different popular geme was featured - historical, romance, horror, contemporary, true crime, mystery and science/fantasy. The sessions were held around the fIreplace at the South Community Library and were 1 Yz hrs. long. Information about the geme, awards given, web and print sources available on the geme as well as favorite titles and authors ftom the presenters and the participants fIlled the evening. Here's a sampling ftom three of those evenings. HISTORICAL Thorn, James Alexander - Follow the River Cross, Donna Woolfolk - Pope Joan Websites Soon's Historical Fiction Prehistoric Fiction Fictional Rome Awards ROMANCE Howard, Linda - Open Season Morsi, Pamela - Here Comes the Bride Websites Awards HORROR Laymon, Richard - To Wake the Dead Little, Bentley - The Store Websites Awards International Horror Guild A ward is awarded annually by members of
the International Horror Guild. Categories include best novel, first
novel, collection, short story and others.
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