Book Notes

Books Under Discussion in February

2012-01-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

The following books are under discussion at the library in the month of February. Please see the library website for details on meeting dates and times and for directions.

• February 7: "On Happiness by Aristotle" (see Book 1 of the "Nicomachean Ethics" in Vol. 2 of the Works of Aristotle) (Warrenton -- Great Books)

• February 8: Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore (John Marshall -- Afternoon)

• February 13: The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton (Bealeton)

• February 16: Dog On It by Spencer Quinn or any mystery with a canine companion (Warrenton -- Mystery)

• February 27: Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay (John Marshall -- Evening)

Best Seller Lists

2012-01-23T19:34:00.000-05:00

New York Times 1/22/2012

Hardcover Fiction
1. Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George
2. Private: #1 Suspect by James Patterson
3. Gideon’s Corpse by Douglas Preston
4. Star Wars: Darth Plagueis by James Luceno
5. Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James
6. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
7. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
8. Copper Beach by Jayne Ann Krentz
9. Lothaire by Kresley Cole
10. The Litigators by John Grisham
11. Locked On by Tom Clancy
12. Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich
13. 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz
14. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
15. Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. American Sniper by Chris Kyle
2. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
3. Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow
4. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
5. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
6. The Obamas by Jodi Kantor
7. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
8. Elizabeth the Queen by Sally Bedell Smith
9. Greedy Bastards by Dylan Ratigan
10. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
11. A Universe from Nothing by Lawrence Krauss
12. Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
13. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
14. Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews
15. Pity the Billionaire by Thomas Frank

Washington Post 1/22/2012

Hardcover Fiction
1. Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George
2. Private: #1 Suspect by James Patterson
3. Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James
4. Locked On by Tom Clancy
5. Gideon’s Corpse by Douglas Preston
6. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
7. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
8. Copper Beach by Jayne Ann Krentz
9. Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich
10. The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Taking People With You by David Novak
2. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
3. The Obamas by Jodi Kantor
4. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
5. American Sniper by Chris Kyle
6. Smart Trust by Stephen R. Covey
7. Sexperiment by Ed and Lisa Young
8. Emotional Equations by Chip Conley
9. Elizabeth the Queen by Sally Bedell Smith
10. Building a Magnetic Culture by Kevin Sheridan

Laughter Therapy

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

The economic outlook is still not great; partisan gridlock is still the norm in Washington; there is uncertainty in the world and in this country 99% of us are restless to say the least. On top of all that, it’s January!
Do you know what we need?? A good LAUGH!!

In his latest book, Spontaneous Happiness, Dr. Andrew Weil explains that laughter is one tool that we all can use to stay physically and emotionally healthy. It’s probably true that humor, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. What makes me laugh out loud until I cry just might not tickle your funny bone quite as much. That said--here are some books, recordings and movies that have given me a good laugh:

Native Tongue and other novels by Carl Hiaasen (I especially like the recurring character Skink, ex-governor of Florida, ecowarrior and generally funny guy)

A Prairie Home Companion Pretty Good Joke Book

A Prairie Home Companion Commercial Radio , Pretty Good Bits and Prairie Home Companion10th Anniversary --- all on CD

Any title by George Carlin

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin (his movies are funny, too)

Dave Barry's Year in Review in the Washington Post Magazine (see the January 1, 2012 issue of the Post)

Up (be sure to watch the two short films included under bonus features)

The Mikado and The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan (for Pirates choose the production with Kevin Kline as the Pirate King—just wonderful!)

The Pink Panther movies starring Peter Sellers

These are some of my favorites and I’m sure you can add to the list. What makes you laugh? Do you need relief from the winter blues? Try some laughter therapy!

Maryellen@Warrenton

Marshall Book Club 2012

2012-01-13T09:00:00.005-05:00

The two book clubs at the John Marshall Library, have become popular monthly gatherings for many in the community. Lively discussions of interesting books are guaranteed at each meeting. The clubs have fostered lasting friendships and smaller “get togethers” but new members are always warmly welcomed.

The Evening Book Club is entering its 13th year and the Afternoon Book Club, its 8th. Each group reads 11 books a year, with titles suggested by group members and then voted to the final list. The suggestions are always eclectic, including fiction, non-fiction, bestsellers and classics. Every book may not be loved by all, but members often agree that they would not have discovered some of these interesting titles had they not been in the book club. Titles are sometimes seasonal or they may reflect current events. There is always a good book for a cold January evening, while summer reads may be lighter. During election years, a fall read may include something of a political nature, or a biography of a prominent American figure.

In recent years, there have been field trips that tie in to certain books. A reading of the The Moon and Sixpence (W. Somerset Maugham), led to a trip to the National Gallery to see a recent Gauguin exhibit. Because both groups had read The Help (Kathryn Stockett), there was an excited interested in going, as a group, to see the movie when it premiered. (of course lunch was included in the trip!) Local historian, Bob Sinclair, conducted a “Walking tour of Marshall”, after one club read High in Old Virginia’s Piedmont (John K. Gott). When an occasional Shakespeare play was included on the reading list, all agreed that the play would be brought to life by experiencing a live stage production. A trip to the “American Shakespeare Center” in Staunton, Virginia, made our reading of Twelfth Night one of the favorite reads of the year!

A summer picnic and a Holiday party, have become annual traditions that are eagerly anticipated by members of both book clubs. Picnics are held under the trees, on the hill, behind the Marshall Library. It is a potluck affair, with food that gets better each year! The Holiday party is held in the Library when the surroundings radiate holiday cheer. No book is read in December, so the meeting is just a time to relax, enjoy great food and good company.

The Marshall Book Clubs know no strangers. Every new person has something to offer and you will be warmly received. It is no wonder that the Clubs have become one of the most popular activities at the Library. Join us!

The following titles were chosen for the 2012 Book List:

Afternoon Book Club

Evening Book Club

The Marshall Afternoon Book Club meets on the second Wednesday of the month, at 1:00 p.m.

The Marshall Evening Book Club meets on the last Monday of the month, at 7:00 p.m.

Come join us!

Debbie @ John Marshall

Best Seller Lists

2012-01-09T14:02:00.005-05:00

New York Times 1/8/2012

Hardcover Fiction
1. 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz
2. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
3. Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James
4. Locked On by Tom Clancy
5. Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
6. The Litigators by John Grisham
7. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
8. Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell
9. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
10. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
11. Down the Darkest Road by Tami Hoag
12. The Drop by Michael Connelly
13. Micro by Michael Crichton
14. Covert Warriors by W. E. B. Griffin
15. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
3. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
4. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
5. Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow
6. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
7. Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
8. Being George Washington by Glenn Beck
9. Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews
10. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
11. Seriously … I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres
12. Imperfect Justice by Jeff Ashton
13. Boomerang by Michael Lewis
14. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
15. Arguably by Christopher Hitchens

Washington Post 1/8/2012

Hardcover Fiction
1. Locked On by Tom Clancy
2. Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James
3. 77 Shadow Street by Dean Koontz
4. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
5. Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
6. The Litigators by John Grisham
7. Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell
8. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
9. Down the Darkest Road by Tami Hoag
10. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
3. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
4. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
5. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
6. Weight Watchers One Pot Cookbook
7. The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson
8. Guinness World Records 2012 (Library has 2011 edition)
9. Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews
10. The Cooks Illustrated Cookbook

Dame Agatha's Secrets 01/6/12

2012-01-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

Dame Agatha Christie died on January 12, 1976. Even 36 years after her death most of her work is still in print, there is a steady stream of adaptations of her novels, stories and plays for movies and television, and there is continued academic interest in her life and work. What could possibly be the secret of this author’s enduring success?

In a recent work, John Curran helps us to answer this question. Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks: Fifty Years of Mysteries in the Making has won the Agatha, Anthony and Macavity awards in the category of nonfiction. Mr. Curran gives readers a look into the notebooks that Christie kept at hand in which she would jot down ideas for characters, plot lines and settings. In this very interesting work, the author reveals one of Dame Agatha’s secrets: productivity. “During the height of her powers publication could hardly keep pace with creation…It is possible to read a different Christie title every month for almost seven years…”(p.40). In fact, there was so much material covered in the Christie notebooks that John Curran has just published a second book, Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making: More Stories and Secrets from Her Notebooks.

Another secret to the enduring interest in Christie’s work is her diversity. She created two of the world’s most famous detectives and very different creations they were: the very proper British spinster, Miss Jane Marple, and the well-traveled and fussy Belgian, Hercule Poirot. If you don’t like Miss Marple, try one of the Tommy and Tuppence stories (The Secret Adversary, Postern of Fate); if Poirot is not your cup of tea, maybe one of the stand-alone novels (The Sittaford Mystery, Ordeal by Innocence) would be more to your liking. Christie’s settings range from the English country house (Crooked House, Mysterious Affair at Styles) to the exotic Middle East (Murder in Mesopotamia, Death on the Nile) and even back in time to ancient Egypt (Death Comes As the End).

There was also Dame Agatha’s ability to create a puzzle and keep her reader guessing until the very end. If you have read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Murder on the Orient Express and Curtain you know the surprising answer to the question “Who did it?” for each of these novels. Have you read the short stories in the collection titled The Mysterious Mr. Quin? Can you say just who (or what) is the mysterious Harley Quin?

Among the writers of her time, Agatha Christie was the only one to be successful in writing novels, short stories and plays (Mousetrap, Witness for the Prosecution). Her prodigious output over 50 plus years, her creation of diverse characters and settings, and her puzzling plots designed to hold the reader’s attention to the exciting final scenes have earned her the title “Queen of Crime”.

The library offers the works of Agatha Christie in a variety of formats: book, large print book, book on CD and DVD. You might also want to discover more of Dame Agatha’s secrets by reading John Curran’s books and some of the others written about her. So make a cup of tea and spend some time with the Queen of Crime!

Maryellen@Warrenton

Best Seller Lists

2012-01-03T17:29:00.000-05:00

New York Times 1/1/2012

Hardcover Fiction
1. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
2. The Litigators by John Grisham
3. Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
4. Locked On by Tom Clancy
5. Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James
6. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
7. Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell
8. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
9. V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
10. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
11. The Drop by Michael Connelly
12. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
13. Micro by Michael Crichton
14. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
15. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
3. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
4. Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow
5. Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews
6. Being George Washington by Glenn Beck
7. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
8. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
9. Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
10. Then Again by Diane Keaton
11. Boomerang by Michael Lewis
12. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
13. Seriously … I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres
14. Bossypants by Tina Fey
15. Back to Work by Bill Clinton

Washington Post 1/1/2012

Hardcover Fiction
1. Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James
2. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
3. The Litigators by John Grisham
4. Locked On by Tom Clancy
5. Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
6. Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell
7. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
8. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
9. Micro by Michael Crichton
10. Zero Day by David Baldacci

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
3. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
4. Guinness World Records 2012 (Library has 2011 edition)
5. Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews
6. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
7. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
8. Back to Work by Bill Clinton
9. Boomerang by Michael Lewis
10. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

Books under discussion in January

2012-01-01T10:00:00.023-05:00

The following books are under discussion at Fauquier County Public library branches in the month of January. Please visit the library’s website for dates, times and directions.

• January 9: Rothschild's Fiddle by Anton Chekhov (Warrenton -- Great Books)

• January 9: The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham (Bealeton)

• January 11: The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom (John Marshall -- Afternoon)

• January 19: Partner in Crime or Fire and Ice by J. A. Jance (Warrenton -- Mystery)

• January 30: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (John Marshall -- Evening)

Resolutions: To Keep or Not to Keep? (That is the question)

2011-12-30T09:00:00.006-05:00

Every year many of us deign to make New Years' Resolutions---but keeping them is an entirely different matter. However, if you need some tools to help you stick to those resolutions, the library can help.

We have books for weight loss, health conscious cookbooks, and exercise DVD's to help you burn off those holiday party goodies. You might check out the Health Resources page on the library's website. Created in partnership with Fauquier Health, the Health Resources page offers links to credible sources for health related issues and lists of materials available for check out at the library.

Is your goal this year to get your affairs in order? Check out Gale Legal Forms. This handy online resource provides a wide selection of state-specific (and multi-state) legal forms across the most popular legal areas--and you can use it from your home or office computer. (Reminder: you will need a valid Fauquier County Library Card to access this database). Or if you prefer books to online resources, the library has a wide selection of books that can help you plan your estate.

Not into DIY legal forms...so you need to find a lawyer instead? The library offers the Martindale-Hubbel Legal Directory. You can search for lawyers in your hometown, see where they went to law school, what types of law they practice, and read reviews.

Maybe your resolution this year is simpler than planning your future or getting healthy. Maybe you just want to read more books, but don't know where to start. The library's book clubs offer interesting reading and a pleasant environment to discuss the titles. Simpler still, you could peruse the numerous bibliographies compiled by our well read librarians for some suggestions for reading. Or subscribe to this blog for bestsellers and other popular reading supplied by library staff.

Whatever your resolution, the library is sure to have something to be of assistance. And remember if you have difficulty finding it on your own, our librarians are always happy to help you whatever you are looking for. Contact us via email, telephone, or stop in and say hello.

Happy New Year!

Dawn S. @ Warrenton

Best Seller Lists

2011-12-27T14:04:00.000-05:00

New York Times 12/25/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
2. Locked On by Tom Clancy
3. The Litigators by John Grisham
4. Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
5. Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James
6. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
7. Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell
8. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
9. The Drop by Michael Connelly
10. V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
11. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
12. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
13. Micro by Michael Crichton
14. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
15. Zero Day by David Baldacci

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
3. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
4. Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews
5. Being George Washington by Glenn Beck
6. Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow
7. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
8. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
9. Then Again by Diane Keaton
10. Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
11. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
12. Boomerang by Michael Lewis
13. A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor
14. Bossypants by Tina Fey
15. Destiny of the Republic by Constance Millard

Washington Post 12/25/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Locked On by Tom Clancy
2. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
3. Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James
4. The Litigators by John Grisham
5. Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
6. Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell
7. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
8. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
9. Micro by Michael Crichton
10. Zero Day by David Baldacci

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
3. Guinness World Records 2012 (Library has 2011 edition)
4. The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson
5. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
6. Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews
7. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
8. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
9. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
10. Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945 by Max Hastings

The Best of Fiction--2011

2011-12-23T09:00:00.012-05:00

As another year draws to a close, newspapers, magazines and literary critics create their lists of the best fiction of the year. I always find good reading for the coming winter months in these lists and maybe you will too.

Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Good Squad garnered both the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction and the Pulitizer Prize for fiction, and was on the honor list of the PEN/Faulkner Award. Of course it made several other 'best of" lists as well, including the New York Times and Time magazine lists and the American Library Associations Notable Books list.

The library catalog's description of the book is indeed intriguing.

     Egan's spellbinding interlocking narratives circle the lives of Bennie Salazar, an aging former punk rocker and record executive, and Sasha, the passionate, troubled  young woman he employs. Although Bennie and Sasha never discover each other’s pasts, the reader does, in intimate detail, along with the secret lives of a host of other characters whose paths intersect with theirs, over many years, in locales as varied as New York, San Francisco, Naples, and Africa.

I haven't read this one yet, but it will definitely be on my "to read" list.

A runner up for the National Book Award, The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht was ranked #1 by the Fiction Award Winners website because of the number of honors, "best of" and notable lists it made.

I have to admit, I've had this title frozen in my holds queue for awhile to give me time to finish other books before I delve into it. I'm a huge fan of Alice Hoffman, and the description of this story sounds like something Hoffman might have written.

     Remembering childhood stories her grandfather once told her, young physician Natalia becomes convinced that he spent his last days searching for "the deathless man," a vagabond who claimed to be immortal. As Natalia struggles to understand why her grandfather, a deeply rational man would go on such a farfetched journey, she stumbles across a clue that leads her to the extraordinary story of the tiger's wife.

A handy place to view all of these various "best of" and award winner lists is the Fiction Award Winners website. It lists award winners and provides a ranking based on how many honors a book has received. A few more of the titles that ranked high on this list include:

     The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
     1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
     The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
     The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips

And here's a list of a few award winners and honored books for the year 2011.
National Book Award Winner winner and finalists
     Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
     The Sojourn by Andrew Krivak
     The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka

Man Booker Prize finalists
     The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
     Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch
     The Sisters Brothers by Patrick deWitt

New York Times Best Fiction Books of the Year
     Ten Thousand Saints by Eleanor Henderson
     11/26/63: A Novel by Stephen King
     Swamplandia! by Karen Russell

These books and more are available at the library---in fact the library is just brimmng with wonderful fiction---and what's better on a cold winter night than to curl up with a good book and hot cup of tea?

Happy Reading!
Dawn @ Warrenton

Best Seller Lists

2011-12-19T14:28:00.000-05:00

New York Times 12/18/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
2. Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell
3. The Litigators by John Grisham
4. Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James
5. Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
6. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
7. The Drop by Michael Connelly
8. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
9. V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
10. Micro by Michael Crichton
11. Zero Day by David Baldacci
12. The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon
13. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
14. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
15. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
3. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
4. Being George Washington by Glenn Beck
5. Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews
6. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
7. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
8. Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow
9. Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo
10. Then Again by Diane Keaton
11. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
12. Boomerang by Michael Lewis
13. Gabby by Gabrielle Giffords
14. Back to Work by Bill Clinton
15. Rin Tin Tin by Susan Orlean

Washington Post 12/18/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James
2. Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell
3. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
4. The Litigators by John Grisham
5. Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
6. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
7. The Drop by Michael Connelly
8. Zero Day by David Baldacci
9. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
10. Micro by Michael Crichton

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
3. Guinness World Records 2012 (Library has 2011 edition)
4. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
5. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
6. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
7. Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews
8. Being George Washington by Glenn Beck
9. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
10. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Strikingly True

Best & Worst Cell Phones & Plans

2011-12-15T12:47:00.002-05:00

Wondering what kind of smart phone to buy? Which carrier has the best cell phone service? Check out the January 2012 issue of Consumer Reports magazine for the latest ratings on both. The January issue also rates these items:

Fish-oil pills
Paper towels
Dishwashers
Tablets
Midsized luxury sedans

There is also an article on the amounts of arsenic and lead found in popular apple and grape juice brands.

For those of you not familiar with Consumer Reports, it is a monthly magazine that publishes reviews and ratings for consumer products and services -- everything from automobiles to acne treatments to yogurt. Every issue contains a one-year index, so the latest reviews are always easy to find.

Every year Consumer Reports publishes a Buying Guide that contains ratings for currently-popular items. The 2012 Buying Guide has reviews for blue-ray DVD players, laptop computers, flooring, lawn mowers, vacuum cleaners, and much more.

Each branch of the Fauquier County Library has the print issues of Consumer Reports from 2009 up to the current issue. The Find It Virginia online databases have an index to the issues from February 1, 1976 to the current issue, and the full-text of the reviews from January 1, 1999 to June 1, 2009. You can access Find It Virginia from any library computer, or from home with your valid Fauquier County Library card number.

Top Ten @ FCPL - November

2011-12-15T01:00:00.001-05:00

Janet Evanovich

What have your fellow readers been looking for at their local library? The results for November are in...

Nora Roberts Read-Alikes

2011-12-13T10:38:00.000-05:00

Nora Roberts, who also writes as J.D. Robb, is the best selling author of a number of romance series, including the Calhoun Women, Chesapeake Bay and Bride Quartet. Similar authors include:

For more on Nora Roberts, check out her website.

Best Seller Lists

2011-12-12T13:45:00.010-05:00

New York Times 12/12/11

Hardcover Fiction
1. The Drop by Michael Connelly
2. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
3. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
4. The Litigators by John Grisham
5. Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
6. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
7. V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
8. The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon
9. Micro by Michael Crichton
10. Zero Day by David Baldacci
11. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
12. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
13. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
14. Devil’s Gate by Clive Cussler
15. The Snow Angel by Glenn Beck

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
3. Being George Washington by Glenn Beck & Kevin Balfe
4. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
5. Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews
6. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
7. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
8. Back to Work by Bill Clinton
9. Boomerang by Michael Lewis
10. Then Again by Diane Keaton
11. Throw Them All Out by Peter Schweizer
12. Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent
13. How I Got This Way by Regis Philbin
14. Imperfect Justice by Jeff Ashton with Lisa Pulitzer
15. Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with JFK

Washington Post 12/11/11

Hardcover Fiction
1. The Drop by Michael Connelly
2. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
3. Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
4. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
5. The Litigators by John Grisham
6. Micro by Michael Crichton
7. The Scottish Prisoner by Diana Gabaldon
8. Zero Day by David Baldacci
9. V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
10. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard
3. Back to Work by Bill Clinton
4. Guinness World Records 2012 (Library has 2011 edition)
5. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
6. Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews
7. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
8. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
9. Being George Washington by Glenn Beck & Kevin Balfe
10. A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor

Laurie King Read-Alikes

2011-12-10T01:00:00.007-05:00

If you like Laurie King, best known for her Mary Russel historical/detective mystery series, featuring Sherlock Holmes, you might also enjoy the following authors...

For more on Laurie King, check out her website.

What is Philanthropy?

2011-12-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

I used to think all philanthropists had to be very wealthy, but that isn’t the case at all. The Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines philanthropy as: 1. “goodwill to fellow men, especially active effort to promote human welfare, 2. “a philanthropic act or gift.”

While it is true that generous endowments from the wealthy allow people to accomplish amazing things, it is also true that anyone with a feeling of goodwill toward others can act in a way that promotes human welfare. In fact according to Wendy Smith, author of Give a Little: How Your Small Donations Can Transform Our World contributions from American households comprise 75% of all giving to nonprofits every year, far outweighing the amount provided by foundations, corporations, celebrities, and even billionaires.

But it is hard to know how to begin. How can you make sure your financial donation will be put to good use and what are some other good ways to help out? Check out these books for ideas on how to make truly helpful monetary donations and how to act philanthropically in a great many smaller ways.

The Accidental Fundraiser by Julie M. Still

Do Your Giving While You Are Living by Edie Fraser

Everyone Helps, Everyone Wins by David T. Levinson

Volunteering : 101 Ways You Can Improve the World and Your Life by Douglas M. Lawson

The Impossible Will Take a Little While by Paul Rogat Loeb

Jeanne @ Warrenton

James Patterson Read-Alikes

2011-12-08T08:23:00.002-05:00

James Patterson, a retired advertising executive largely known for his series about psychologist Alex Cross, is the prolific and best-selling author of a number popular thrillers, including the Women's Murder Club and Maximum Ride series. If you're a fan, we recommend the following authors...

Best Seller Lists

2011-12-05T14:17:00.000-05:00

New York Times 12/4/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
2. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
3. Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
4. The Litigators by John Grisham
5. V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
6. Micro by Michael Crichton
7. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
8. Zero Day by David Baldacci
9. Devil’s Gate by Clive Cussler
10. The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson
11. The Snow Angel by Glenn Beck
12. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
13. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
14. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
15. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
3. Being George Washington by Glenn Beck & Kevin Balfe
4. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
5. Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews
6. Throw Them All Out by Peter Schweizer
7. Back to Work by Bill Clinton
8. Then Again by Diane Keaton
9. How I Got This Way by Regis Philbin
10. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
11. Imperfect Justice by Jeff Ashton with Lisa Pulitzer
12. Gabby by Gabrielle Giffords & Mark Kelly
13. Boomerang by Michael Lewis
14. The New New Rules by Bill Maher
15. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Washington Post 12/4/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich
2. Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
3. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
4. The Litigators by John Grisham
5. Micro by Michael Crichton
6. V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
7. Zero Day by David Baldacci
8. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
9. Devil’s Gate by Clive Cussler
10. The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Then Again by Diane Keaton
3. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard
4. Guinness World Records 2012 (Library has 2011 edition)
5. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
6. Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews
7. Being George Washington by Glenn Beck & Kevin Balfe
8. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
9. Throw Them All Out by Peter Schweizer
10. Back to Work by Bill Clinton

Giving Books

2011-12-02T09:00:00.007-05:00

One of my favorite parts of the holidays is finding just the right gift for each of my friends and family members. And quite often I find that the perfect gift is a book that reflects someone's interests or a new topic they want to explore.

This year I purchased a used, first edition of Tolkien: The Illustrated Encyclopaedia for a Tolkien devotee, (a recent addition to our family circle), and Bird by Bird for the 20 something fan of Anne Lamott (a longer term member of the family circle). I also picked up Sweetness: the Enigmatic Life of Walter Payton for one of the sports crazed individuals in my family (and they are many). For two of the adolescent boys in my life, I selected copies of the 2012 edition of The Guinness Book of World Records. I think they are all going to be thrilled with their new reading material.

To aid shoppers with suggestions for book purchases, library staff has created three helpful handouts for holiday shoppers. If you are looking for books to give as gifts for children, teens, or adults, we have the list for you. Just pick one up at a reference desk on your next visit to the library.

Of course, if you also tend to do your charitable giving at this time of year, the library is running its "Books...gifts you can open again and again" campaign. This allows library lovers to choose a title to purchase for the library before the end of the tax year.

Additionally, if you do your holiday shopping at Amazon, just one click through the library's Wowbrary page allows you to get your shopping done and make a contribution to the library at no cost to you. Amazon makes a donation to the library with every purchase made through the Wowbrary link.

Whether you choose books for yourself, your family, or for the library have a joyous holiday. Season's Readings

Dawn S. @ Warrenton

Book Club discussions for December

2011-12-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

Our book groups will be reading and discussing the following selections in the month of December. Please check the library's website for details about meeting dates and times.

Dec. 5: The Republic by Plato (Warrenton, Great Books)
Dec. 12: A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines (Bealeton)

The Mystery Book Club and the Marshall Day and Evening Clubs will be having holiday parties this month. New members are welcome to attend.

Best Seller Lists

2011-11-28T15:46:00.000-05:00

New York Times 11/27/11

Hardcover Fiction
1. Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
2. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
3. V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
4. The Litigators by John Grisham
5. Devil’s Gate by Clive Cussler
6. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
7. Zero Day by David Baldacci
8. Star Wars: The Old Republic: Revan by Drew Karpyshyn
9. The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson
10. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
11. The Snow Angel by Glenn Beck
12. Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire
13. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
14. Lost December by Richard Paul Evans
15. Hotel Vendôme by Danielle Steel

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
3. Imperfect Justice by Jeff Ashton with Lisa Pulitzer
4. Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews
5. How I Got This Way by Regis Philbin
6. Gabby by Gabrielle Giffords & Mark Kelly
7. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
8. Back to Work by Bill Clinton
9. Then Again by Diane Keaton
10. No Higher Honor by Condoleezza Rice
11. The New New Rules by Bill Maher
12. Boomerang by Michael Lewis
13. Throw Them All Out by Peter Schweizer
14. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
15. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

Washington Post 11/27/11

Hardcover Fiction
1. Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson
2. V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton
3. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
4. The Litigators by John Grisham
5. Zero Day by David Baldacci
6. Devil’s Gate by Clive Cussler
7. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
8. KBL: Kill Bin Laden by John Weisman
9. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
10. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard
3. Guinness World Records 2012 (Library has 2011 edition)
4. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
5. Back to Work by Bill Clinton
6. Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews
7. Gabby by Gabrielle Giffords & Mark Kelly
8. The Cupcake Diaries by Katherine Kallinis et al.
9. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
10. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie

The Gang's All Here!

2011-11-25T09:00:00.001-05:00

At a loss for what to do over the long holiday weekends while all the family is gathered at your house? Some years after our meal, my family would divide up and play games of Scrabble, Rummy, or Parcheesi. Years later we all played Trivial Pursuit (the in-laws vs. the out-laws---yeah, that was fun!) or a rather silly game called Pass the Pigs.

The library has a great selection of books that can help ease those long afternoons, especially if the weather isn't suitable for your traditonal after dinner football game.

If you need something to entertain an active group of children that cover a wide age range you might find something to help you in Cooperative Games and Sports : Joyful Activities for Everyone. Included you'll find games for ages 3 through 7, 8 through 12, ways to remake adult games and games from other cultures.

If your crew is crafty you might consider Big Fun Christmas Crafts and Activities. This fun volume includes instructions for making snowman wrapping paper and jingle-bell wind chimes.

For a little quiet time, consider The Family Read Aloud Holiday Treasury. This compilation includes Christmas poems and stories by Jack Prelutsky, Langston Hughes, A.A. Milne, Judith Viorst, Russell Hoban, and Beverly Cleary---there's something sure to please everyone in the family.

Then of course, there are always board and card games. For complete instructions, check out this handy guide--The New Complete Hoyle, revised : The Authoritative Guide to the Official Rules of All Popular Games of Skill and Chance. (Not sure if Pass the Pigs is in this or not...I'll have to double check that.)

Have a wonderful holiday season.

Dawn @ Warrenton

Best Seller Lists

2011-11-21T15:29:00.000-05:00

New York Times 11/20/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
2. The Litigators by John Grisham
3. Zero Day by David Baldacci
4. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
5. The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson
6. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
7. The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson
8. Hotel Vendôme by Danielle Steel
9. The Snow Angel by Glenn Beck
10. The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco
11. Lost December by Richard Paul Evans
12. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
13. Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire
14. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
15. The Affair by Lee Child

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
3. Back to Work by Bill Clinton
4. Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews
5. No Higher Honor by Condoleezza Rice
6. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
7. Seal Target Geronimo by Chuck Pfarrer
8. Blue Nights by Joan Didion
9. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
10. Boomerang by Michael Lewis
11. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
12. The Time of our Lives by Tom Brokaw
13. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
14. A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor
15. Seriously … I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres

Washington Post 11/20/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. 11/22/63 by Stephen King
2. The Litigators by John Grisham
3. Zero Day by David Baldacci
4. The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco
5. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
6. The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson
7. Hotel Vendôme by Danielle Steel
8. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
9. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
10. The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Back to Work by Bill Clinton
3. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard
4. The Cupcake Diaries by Katherine Kallinis
5. Guinness World Records 2012 (Library has 2011 edition)
6. The Quest by Daniel Yergin
7. Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews
8. Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie
9. Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945 by Max Hastings
10. No Higher Honor by Condoleezza Rice

Being Your Own Boss

2011-11-18T10:00:00.001-05:00

First there was Black Friday--then Cyber Monday---and now there's Small Business Saturday.  Small businesses all across the nation, along with the National Small Business Association are encouraging people to shop at their favorite local stores to help fuel the economy on Saturday, November 26.

This is well timed with a recent donation by the Marshall Business and Residents' Association (MBRA) that has allowed the library to begin a collection of books for the Marshall Branch Library focusing on small business growth and entrepreneurship .  Throughout the year more of these specialized titles will be added to the collection thanks to this generous donation.

So if you've ever dreamed of owning a small business, being your own boss, or setting out on the road of entrepreneurship, take a look at a few of the titles currently added.

Digital Mom Handbook: How to Blog, Vlog, Tweet and Facebook Your Way to a Dream Career at Home

Mom, Incorporated: A Guide to Business + Baby

Effortless Yes: Demystifying the Selling Process and Discover Your Selling Archetype, Your Natural Asking Style, Your Bankability

How to Sell Your Crafts Online: A Step-by-Step Guide to Successful Sales on Etsy and Beyond

Small Message, Big Impact: How to Put the Power of the Elevator Speech to Work for You

Entreleadership: 20 Years of Practical Business Wisdom from the Trenches

The library has a large collection of books for small business and home based business owners and entrepreneurs at all of its locations. If you don't find it at your branch library, place a hold on it and we'll deliver it to your local branch for pick up.

Collection Development Department
Fauquier County Public Library

Companionable Reading, volume 2

2011-11-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

Last week we reviewed a number of companion books of prolific authors. To continue this week in the same vein, we'll suggest companion books to the works of authors now deceased.

A comprehensive, A-to-Z reference on the works of the award-winning mystery writer, Dick Francis, The Dick Francis Companion by Jean Swanson and Dean James provides quotes, little-known facts, and book-by-book sysnopses along with information on the memorable characters of Francis's novels and facts about the author, his early career as a jockey, horseracing, and more.

The New Bedside, Bathtub and Armchair Companion to Agatha Christie edited by Dick Riley and Pam McAllister. Published on the 25th anniversary of Agatha Christie's death, this work is a grand salute to the queen of mysteries with contributions by sixty writers--all celebrating the Christie touch. It is filled with wonderful and surprising things about her books, her characters, the movies and plays based on them, and Dame Agatha herself.

Tolkien: the Illustrated Encyclopedia by David Day was the first encyclopedic illustrated guide to the world of Middle Earth and the Undying Lands, this book brings together every important aspect of Tolkien's vast cosmology. More than five hundred alphabetical entries cover five major subject areas: history, geography, sociology, natural history and biography. The maps, genealogies and time-charts, together with the illustrations of characters, places and events, reveal to the reader the full dramatic sweep and splendor of Tolkien's world.

Companion books are wonderful if you need to refresh your memory about the work of a certain author or if you would like a list of characters from a long-running series. Many are also just plain entertaining.

Leslie and Maryellen @ Warrenton

Best Seller Lists

2011-11-14T15:29:00.000-05:00

New York Times 11/13/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Zero Day by David Baldacci
2. The Litigators by John Grisham
3. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
4. Hotel Vendôme by Danielle Steel
5. Lost December by Richard Paul Evans
6. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
7. The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson
8. The Snow Angel by Glenn Beck
9. Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire
10. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
11. The Affair by Lee Child
12. The Wedding Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini
13. Shock Wave by John Sandford
14. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
15. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
3. Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews
4. Blue Nights by Joan Didion
5. No Higher Honor by Condoleezza Rice
6. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
7. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
8. The Time of our Lives by Tom Brokaw
9. Boomerang by Michael Lewis
10. No Regrets by Ace Frehley
11. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
12. Seriously … I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres
13. Kris Jenner…And All Things Kardashian by Kris Jenner
14. Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with JFK
15. Civilization by Niall Ferguson

Washington Post 11/13/2011

Hardcover Fiction

1. Zero Day by David Baldacci
2. The Litigators by John Grisham
3. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
4. Hotel Vendôme by Danielle Steel
5. The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson
6. Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire
7. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
8. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
9. Lost December by Richard Paul Evans
10. The Snow Angel by Glenn Beck

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Jack Kennedy by Chris Matthews
3. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
4. The Time of our Lives by Tom Brokaw
5. Guinness World Records 2012 (Library has 2011 edition)
6. No Higher Honor by Condoleezza Rice
7. Blue Nights by Joan Didion
8. The Quest by Daniel Yergin
9. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling
10. The Neely’s Celebration Cookbook by Pat & Gina Neely

Companionable Reading, volume 1

2011-11-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

Do you have a favorite author who has been writing a series for years (or even decades)? Are some of the minor characters and settings starting to seem a bit jumbled in your memory? Are the plot lines and relationships in the stories becoming more complicated as the series progresses?

If so, you might like to look at a reader’s companion. A companion is a volume that contains information about an author’s books and short stories. Companions may contain synopses, character lists or genealogies, maps, essays and sometimes even recipes.

Many contemporary authors, such as those listed below, provide reader’s companions for their own work.

The Outlandish Companion by Diana Gabaldon: for the Outlander series, contains synopses, character lists, related websites, research bibliography and much more.

The Sookie Stackhouse Companion by Charlaine Harris the guide for her Southern Vampire Mystery series, contains a new novella, a map, a fan essay, an extensive glossary, recipes and more.

For Frank Herbert's Dune Series, Herbert along with Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson have created a volume that contains alternate and deleted chapters and short stories in The Road to Dune.

The Mitford Bedside Companion by Jan Karon contains excerpts, essays, photos, trivia and more to accompany her Mitford Years series.

The Official Nora Roberts Companion by Nora Roberts (aka J D Robb) covers all series, contains essays, photos, synopses and more.

The Stephen King Companion by George Beahm is packed with interviews, essays, inside information, rare photographs, and tantalizing trivia.

Companion books are wonderful if you need to refresh your memory about the work of a certain author or if you would like a list of characters from a long-running series. Many are also just plain entertaining.

Stay tuned for next week to read about Companion Books for deceased authors or written by someone other than the authors themselves.

Leslie and Maryellen @Warrenton

Best Seller Lists

2011-11-07T18:55:00.001-05:00

New York Times 11/6/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. The Litigators by John Grisham
2. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
3. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
4. The Snow Angel by Glenn Beck
5. The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson
6. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
7. The Night Eternal by Guillermo del Toro
8. The Affair by Lee Child
9. Damned by Chuck Palahniuk
10. Shock Wave by John Sandford
11. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
12. Bonnie by Iris Johansen
13. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
14. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
15. The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
3. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
4. Boomerang by Michael Lewis
5. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
6. Three and Out by John U. Bacon
7. The End of Normal by Stephanie Madoff Mack
8. Seriously … I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres
9. This is Herman Cain! by Herman Cain
10. Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with JFK
11. Suicide of a Superpower by Patrick J. Buchanan
12. West by West by Jerry West
13. That Used To Be Us by Thomas L. Friedman
14. Van Gogh by Steven Naifeh
15. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

Washington Post 11/6/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. The Litigators by John Grisham
2. 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
3. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
4. The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson
5. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
6. The Snow Angel by Glenn Beck
7. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
8. The Night Eternal by Guillermo del Toro
9. The Affair by Lee Child
10. Shock Wave by John Sandford

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
2. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly & Martin Dugard
3. Every Day a Friday by Joel Osteen
4. Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
5. Boomerang by Michael Lewis
6. Guinness World Records 2012 (Library has 2011 edition)
7. Giving 2.0 by Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen
8. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
9. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
10. Great by Choice by Jim Collins & Morton T. Hansen

Entertaining for the Holidays

2011-11-04T09:00:00.004-04:00

It's hard to believe that the year is coming to a close and we are approaching another holiday season. I never have to cook an entire Thanksgiving meal, but I do contribute a dish or two to share at the home of a sibling. I do, however, always prepare an entire Christmas dinner for my immediate family which we devour on Christmas Eve and then reheat our individual favorites on Christmas Day.

With all this cooking and prepping in mind, I've started perusing cookbooks along with my younger daughter, who loves to cook. And it's never too early to start thinking and planning for holiday meals.

If it's your first time fixing up a holiday meal for family and friends you might take a look at Thanksgiving 101 It may be just the book for you. This title provides fool proof recipes for your Thanksgiving turkey and all the trimmings, along with a large helping of advice. I know I could have used some advice the first time I cooked a turkey!

Should you choose to offer a new dish or two to your guests, consider these titles. Each has a collection of delicious recipes and might have the perfect offering for your holiday gathering, whether it's in November, December or even January.

A compilation of casual recipes Perfect Recipes for Having People Over includes advice about which events go with certain dishes, how you might vary the recipes, and suggestions for which side dishes and drinks to serve with each dish. There's also valuable information about how far in advance you can prepare the dish---a nice fact to have if you're planning for a large gathering.

Real Life Entertaining has lots of uncomplicated recipes for everything from sit down dinners to a mid morning brunch (a nice idea for New Years' Day, maybe). Check out the introduction to this book in which the author talks about her love of entertaining and making human connections...and about the first time she prepared a meal for guests at the tender age of 9!

Updated and revised, The New Elegant but Easy Cookbook skips the processed cheese and onion soup mix recipes of the 1960 version and gets right to the heart of cooking good food with quality ingredients.

Nigella Lawson loves food and loves cooking food for her family and friends. You can't help but get excited about a good meal shared when you read Feast: Food that Celebrates Life.

Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates offers some great meatless recipes for holidays and special occasions through out the year. The book is divided by season, so it's pretty simple to find things for Hanukkah, Christmas, New Years' or Kwanzaa.

Or would your family prefer you stick to more traditional fare?

Christmas with Paula Dean is chocked full of recipes for holiday sweets, meats and side dishes, all with Paula's traditional Southern flair.

The Christmas Kitchen includes wonderful recipes and menus but also includes ideas for gifts and parties to make the holiday season special.

In The World of Jewish Entertaining acclaimed author and chef Rabbi Gil Marks gives practical advice and easy-to-follow recipes for a wide variety of dishes from the most homey and traditional foods to haute cuisine. In addition, he provides background information on all the events, putting them in a traditional Jewish context.

Fauquier Libraries will be displaying a wide variety of holiday entertaining and cooking books over the next several weeks. Stop in and browse, you might find a new favorite recipe or get a great idea for a party or gift.

Happy Cooking and Happy Holidays!

Dawn S. @ Warrenton

Book Club Discussions for November

2011-11-01T00:01:00.000-04:00

Here is a sampling of the books under discussion at the library in November. Check the library's website for details about dates and times for book group meetings.

Nov. 7: On Tragedy by Aristotle (Warrenton, Great Books)
Nov. 9: Little Bee by Chris Cleave (John Marshall, Afternoon)
Nov. 14: Half-Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls (Bealeton)
Nov. 17: Any title by Lawrence Block (Warrenton, Mystery)
Nov. 28: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (John Marshall, Evening)

Best Seller Lists

2011-10-31T15:55:00.000-04:00

New York Times 10/30/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
2. The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson
3. Bonnie by Iris Johansen
4. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
5. The Affair by Lee Child
6. Damned by Chuck Palahniuk
7. Shock Wave by John Sandford
8. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
9. The Tehran Initiative by Joel C. Rosenberg
10. The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory
11. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
12. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
13. The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
14. Double Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
15. 1225 Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
2. Boomerang by Michael Lewis
3. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
4. Suicide of a Superpower by Patrick J. Buchanan
5. Seriously … I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres
6. Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with JFK
7. That Used To Be Us by Thomas L. Friedman
8. West by West by Jerry West
9. Van Gogh by Steven Naifeh
10. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
11. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
12. Rin Tin Tin by Susan Orlean
13. Destiny of the Republic by Constance Millard
14. The Price of Civilization by Jeffrey D. Sachs
15. Confidence Men by Ron Suskind

Washington Post 10/30/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
2. The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson
3. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
4. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
5. Bonnie by Iris Johansen
6. The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory
7. The Affair by Lee Child
8. Shock Wave by John Sandford
9. The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje
10. The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
2. Junior’s Dessert Cookbook by Alan Rosen
3. Boomerang by Michael Lewis
4. In My Time by Dick Cheney with Liz Cheney
5. Guinness World Records 2012 (Library has 2011 edition)
6. Every Day a Friday by Joel Osteen
7. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
8. Suicide of a Superpower by Patrick J. Buchanan
9. Great by Choice by Jim Collins
10. Essential Pepin by Jacques Pepin

Urban Fiction

2011-10-28T09:00:00.019-04:00

Urban Fiction, primarily written by and about African Americans, is a genre that emerged largely in the 1960's with the writings of Donald Goines, Claude Brown, and Richard Wright. The publication of The Autobiography of Malcolm X, while a non-fiction work, is an urban coming-of-age story that became standard reading for many African-American teenagers and furthered the genre's growth. In later years Sister Souljah, and Sapphire were among authors who added more selections to the genre.

For more Urban Fiction authors, check out the list below.
Kevin Baker
Virginia DeBerry
E. Lynn Harris
Solomon Jones
William Henry Lewis
Dinaw Mengestu
Mary B. Morrison
Kiki Swinson
Nikki Turner
Omar Tyree

Best Seller Lists

2011-10-24T17:37:00.000-04:00

New York Times 10/23/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
2. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
3. Snuff by Terry Pratchett
4. The Affair by Lee Child
5. Shock Wave by John Sandford
6. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
7. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
8. Lethal by Sandra Brown
9. The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
10. 1225 Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber
11. Survivors by James Wesley Rawles
12. Heat Rises by Richard Castle
13. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
14. Neverwinter by R. A. Salvatore
15. Nightwoods by Charles Frazier

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
2. Boomerang by Michael Lewis
3. Seriously … I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres
4. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
5. Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with JFK
6. That Used To Be Us by Thomas L. Friedman
7. This is Herman Cain! by Herman Cain
8. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
9. Destiny of the Republic by Constance Millard
10. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
11. The Quest by Daniel Yergin
12. Rin Tin Tin by Susan Orlean
13. Confidence Men by Ron Suskind
14. The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker
15. The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt

Washington Post 10/23/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks
2. The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
3. Snuff by Terry Pratchett
4. The Affair by Lee Child
5. Shock Wave by John Sandford
6. The Stranger’s Child by Alan Hollinghurst
7. The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
8. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
9. Nightwoods by Charles Frazier
10. 1225 Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Boomerang by Michael Lewis
2. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
3. Paula Deen’s Southern Cooking Bible by Paula Deen
4. Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with JFK
5. Seriously … I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres
6. Every Day a Friday by Joel Osteen
7. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
8. In My Time by Dick Cheney
9. Great by Choice by Jim Collins
10. Guinness World Records 2012 (Library has 2011 edition)

The Third Man (or Woman)

2011-10-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

Although you might think this is going to be a few paragraphs about the novels of Graham Greene, that is not the case. As we approach the presidential election of 2012 it might be a good time to read up on the history of third party candidates and the elections they ran in.

In their recent book, That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World it Invented and How We Can Come Back, Thomas Friedman and Michael Mandelbaum suggest that a third party candidate in the upcoming presidential election might offer the “shock therapy” necessary to end the monumental gridlock and bipartisan bickering that is currently the norm in Washington. They cite the elections of 1912 (Theodore Roosevelt), 1968 (George Wallace) and 1992 (H. Ross Perot) as examples of third party candidacies that produced changes in the politics of the time. Furthermore, although not winners themselves, these third-party candidates inspired the winners of these elections to initiate policies that they might not have otherwise proposed.

So here are some titles to help us all get to thinking about the possible impact of that third man…or woman:

The History of Third Parties by Vicki Cox

Two Parties—or More? The American Party System by John F. Bibby and L. Sandy Maisel

1912: Wilson, Roosevelt, Taft &;Debs—the Election that Changed the Country by James Chace

Theodore Roosevelt, the Progressive Party, and the Transformation of American Democracy by Sidney M Milkis

Citizen Perot: His Life & Times by Gerald Posner

Presidential Campaigns, From George Washington to George W. Bush by Paul F Boller, Jr.

Maryellen @ Warrenton

Best Seller Lists

2011-10-17T14:51:00.000-04:00

New York Times 10/16/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Shock Wave by John Sandford
2. The Affair by Lee Child
3. Survivors by James Wesley Rawles
4. Neverwinter by R. A. Salvatore
5. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
6. Lethal by Sandra Brown
7. Aleph by Paulo Coelho (NOTE: Library has CD Book)
8. 1225 Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber
9. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
10. Feast Day of Fools by James Lee Burke
11. The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
12. Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman
13. Son of Stone by Stuart Woods
14. New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb
15. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
2. Boomerang by Michael Lewis
3. Seriously … I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres
4. This is Herman Cain! by Herman Cain
5. Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with JFK
6. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
7. That Used To Be Us by Thomas L. Friedman
8. Confidence Men by Ron Suskind
9. Destiny of the Republic by Constance Millard
10. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
11. Rin Tin Tin by Susan Orlean
12. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
13. The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt
14. Sweetness by Jeff Pearlman
15. In My Time by Dick Cheney

Washington Post 10/16/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. The Affair by Lee Child
2. Shock Wave by John Sandford
3. Nightwoods by Charles Frazier
4. Lethal by Sandra Brown
5. Survivors by James Wesley Rawles
6. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
7. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
8. 1225 Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber
9. The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
10. Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
2. This is Herman Cain! by Herman Cain
3. Boomerang by Michael Lewis
4. The Family Meal by Ferran Adrià
5. Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with JFK
6. The Magic of Reality by Richard Dawkins
7. Seriously … I’m Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres
8. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
9. That Used To Be Us by Thomas L. Friedman
10. Confidence Men by Ron Suskind

There and Back Again

2011-10-14T09:00:00.001-04:00

When my daughter recently told me that she was reading The Lord of The Rings trilogy for the first time (she's never been a fan of fantasy or science fiction) and was really enjoying it, I was inspired to go back and re-read The Hobbit and the following triology.

These had been favorites of mine in my younger days, so I pulled the yellowed and slightly tattered paperback off my shelves and settled in for a good read. I was delighted to find that I still love the story of Bilbo's adventures traveling beyond The Shire with the wizard, Gandalf and the company of dwarves.

On to the trilogy. Now, The Hobbit is a pretty quick read, but The Lord of the Rings is different story (no pun intended). So I decided once again to take advantage of my commute and checked out the CD of volume one, The Fellowship of the Ring. Brit, Rob Inglis does an amazing job reading the books. His voice was rich and full of feeling as he led me along the road to Mordor. After finishing up The Two Towers and The Return of the King I was happy that I'd gone back to these old favorites.

With winter approaching, I'm wondering what other old favorites I might go back and read again. Probably To Kill a Mockingbird next---Sissy Spacek is the reader---that might be a real treat. But I'm open to suggestions. . .

Dawn S. @ Warrenton

Best Seller Lists

2011-10-11T15:43:00.000-04:00

New York Times 10/9/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. The Affair by Lee Child
2. 1225 Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber
3. Feast Day of Fools by James Lee Burke
4. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
5. Lethal by Sandra Brown
6. Aleph by Paulo Coelho
7. Son of Stone by Stuart Woods
8. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
9. New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb
10. Heat Rises by Richard Castle
11. Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson
12. Reamde by Neal Stephenson
13. Nightwoods by Charles Frazier
14. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
15. The Race by Clive Cussler

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
2. Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with JFK
3. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
4. Confidence Men by Ron Suskind
5. Destiny of the Republic by Constance Millard
6. That Used To Be Us by Thomas L. Friedman
7. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
8. In My Time by Dick Cheney with Liz Cheney
9. The Quest by Daniel Yergin
10. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
11. Rin Tin Tin by Susan Orlean
12. The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt
13. Hemingway’s Boat by Paul Hendrickson
14. Living in the Material World by Olivia Harrison

Washington Post 10/9/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. The Affair by Lee Child
2. Nightwoods by Charles Frazier
3. Lethal by Sandra Brown
4. 1225 Christmas Tree Lane by Debbie Macomber
5. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
6. Reamde by Neal Stephenson
7. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
8. Feast Day of Fools by James Lee Burke
9. New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb
10. Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly
2. Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with JFK
3. Confidence Men by Ron Suskind
4. The Quest by Daniel Yergin
5. That Used To Be Us by Thomas L. Friedman
6. Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain Cookbook by Bobby Flay
7. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
8. Destiny of the Republic by Constance Millard
9. In My Time by Dick Cheney with Liz Cheney
10. Here Comes Trouble by Michael Moore

Bealeton Library now subscribes to 'Civil War News'

2011-10-07T09:00:00.001-04:00

The Bealeton Library, a branch of Fauquier County Public Library, now has a subscription to Civil War News, a tabloid-sized monthly newspaper chock full of current events happening around Virginia and elsewhere for reenactments, exhibits, speakers and related programs. It also includes book reviews, and regular columns on preservation, medicine, and firearms. Stop by the Bealeton Library's Reference desk to look at the latest copy.

Best Seller Lists

2011-10-03T14:28:00.000-04:00

New York Times 10/2/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Heat Rises by Richard Castle
2. Lethal by Sandra Brown
3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
4. Reamde by Neal Stephenson
5. Son of Stone by Stuart Woods
6. New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb
7. Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson
8. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
9. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
10. The Race by Clive Cussler
11. Robert B. Parker’s Killing the Blues by Michael Brandman
12. Abuse of Power by Michael Savage
13. Goddess of Vengeance by Jackie Collins
14. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
15. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with JFK
2. Confidence Men by Ron Suskind
3. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
4. The Quest by Daniel Yergin
5. In My Time by Dick Cheney
6. That Used To Be Us by Thomas L. Friedman
7. Destiny of the Republic by Constance Millard
8. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
9. Here Comes Trouble by Michael Moore
10. Rogue by Joe McGinniss
11. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
12. Pearl Jam Twenty by Pearl Jam
13. The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt
14. Willpower by Roy F. Baumeister
15. Bossypants by Tina Fey

Washington Post 10/2/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Reamde by Neal Stephenson
2. Lethal by Sandra Brown
3. Heat Rises by Richard Castle
4. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
5. New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb
6. Son of Stone by Stuart Woods
7. Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson
8. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
9. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
10. Robert B. Parker’s Killing the Blues by Michael Brandman

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. The Quest by Daniel Yergin
2. Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with JFK
3. Confidence Men by Ron Suskind
4. That Used To Be Us by Thomas L. Friedman
5. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
6. In My Time by Dick Cheney
7. Wicked Success is Inside Every Woman by Vickie L. Milazzo
8. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
9. EntreLeadership by Dave Ramsey
10. Destiny of the Republic by Constance Millard

The Mysterious East

2011-09-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

It may be time for mystery lovers to turn from the snowy landscapes and misanthropic characters of Scandinavian writers such as Stieg Larsson, Jo Nesbo and Henning Mankell to less icy climates and warmer personalities. Mysteries set in the Far East give readers the experience of cultures and characters very different from those depicted by the somber Scandinavians.

Out-of-the-ordinary characters seem to be a specialty of author Colin Cotterill. For a series set in 1970s Laos he chose a 70-something coroner, Dr. Siri Paiboun, as his main character. In a stand-alone book titled Killed at the Whim of a Hat, Cotterill sets in the present-day Thai countryside the investigations of Jimm Juree, female crime reporter and friend of the local police.

John Burdett also writes a series set in Thailand. Its main character is police detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep who is of mixed race and a devout Buddhist. Burdett sets this series under the harsh neon lights of the drug- and crime-infested streets of Bangkok.

Many authors find Japan a perfect setting for their mysteries or crime thrillers. There is The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino or Out by Natsuo Kirino for modern-day suspense. For readers who like historical mysteries there is the Sano Ichiro series by Laura Joh Rowland or the Sugawara Akitada series by I.J. Parker.

Modern China is becoming increasingly popular as the setting for suspense writers. Qiu Xiaolong has created the character of Chen, a police inspector in Shanghai. Diane Wei Liang pens the adventures of Mei Wang, a modern woman and the first successful female private investigator in Beijing. Eliot Pattison writes a series featuring Shan Tao Yun, an exiled Chinese national and former Beijing investigator.

Even Mongolia is not too distant a setting for a thriller writer, as evidenced by The Shadow Walker written by Michael Walters. So, if you’re ready for a change from Scandinavian thrillers, try one of these, set in the mysterious East.

Maryellen@Warrenton

Best Seller Lists

2011-09-26T18:41:00.000-04:00

New York Times 9/25/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb
2. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
3. Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson
4. Abuse of Power by Michael Savage
5. Robert B. Parker’s Killing the Blues by Michael Brandman
6. The Race by Clive Cussler
7. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
8. How Firm a Foundation by David Weber
9. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
10. Goddess of Vengeance by Jackie Collins
11. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
12. Dark Predator by Christine Feehan
13. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
14. Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer
15. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with JFK
2. That Used To Be Us by Thomas L. Friedman
3. In My Time by Dick Cheney
4. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
5. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
6. Pearl Jam Twenty by Pearl Jam
7. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
8. Here Comes Trouble by Michael Moore
9. The Black Banners by Ali H. Soufan
10. Arguably by Christopher Hitchens
11. Bossypants by Tina Fey
12. A Grand Pursuit by Sylvia Nasar
13. 1493 by Charles C. Mann
14. Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness
15. Life Itself by Roger Ebert

Washington Post 9/25/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. New York to Dallas by J. D. Robb
2. Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson
3. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
4. The Race by Clive Cussler
5. How Firm a Foundation by David Weber
6. Robert B. Parker’s Killing the Blues by Michael Brandman
7. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
8. A Chesapeake Shores Christmas by Sherryl Woods
9. Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Debbie Macomber
10. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with JFK
2. That Used To Be Us by Thomas L. Friedman
3. A Course in Weight Loss by Marianne Williamson
4. In My Time by Dick Cheney
5. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
6. Keep the Change by Steve Dublanica
7. Every Day a Friday by Joel Osteen
8. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
9. Simple Times by Amy Sedaris
10. Guinness World Records 2012 (Library has 2011 edition)

Kits of children's books on CD donated

2011-09-23T10:38:00.002-04:00

Thanks to a generous donation, all three Fauquier County Public Library branches have new kits of children’s books on CD. More than 60 popular and classic tales, such as Mo Willem’s Pigeon series, Harry the Dirty Dog , Little Bear and more are available to check out.

New readers, early readers, and reluctant readers can read along with the book while they listen to the story.
See a complete list of titles included in the collection.

Library branches are: Bealeton Library, John Marshall Library, and Warrenton Library.

See the many ways you can support the library.

Best Seller Lists

2011-09-19T16:46:00.000-04:00

New York Times 9/18/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson
2. The Race by Clive Cussler
3. Dark Predator by Christine Feehan
4. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
5. Prey by Linda Howard
6. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
7. Pirate King by Laurie R. King
8. The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
9. Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs
10. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
11. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
12. The Tears of the Sun by S. M. Stirling
13. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
14. The Sookie Stackhouse Companion by Charlaine Harris
15. A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. In My Time by Dick Cheney
2. That Used To Be Us by Thomas L. Friedman
3. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
4. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
5. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
6. Bossypants by Tina Fey
7. 1493 by Charles C. Mann
8. Willpower by Roy F. Baumeister
9. Just My Type by Simon Garfield
10. After America by Mark Steyn
11. Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness
12. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
13. Rafa by Rafael Nadal
14. Top Secret America by Dana Priest
15. Arguably by Christopher Hitchens

Washington Post 9/18/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson
2. The Race by Clive Cussler
3. Dark Predator by Christine Feehan
4. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
5. Prey by Linda Howard
6. Cross Fire by James Patterson
7. Pirate King by Laurie R. King
8. The Cut by George Pelecanos
9. The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck
10. The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. That Used To Be Us by Thomas L. Friedman
2. In My Time by Dick Cheney
3. The Two-Second Advantage by Vivek Ranadive
4. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
5. Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie
6. Top Secret America by Dana Priest
7. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
8. Obama’s Wars by Bob Woodward
9. America by Heart by Sarah Palin
10. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

Esperanza Magazine promotes good health

2011-09-16T09:00:00.001-04:00

Esperanza, a magazine sponsored by the Fauquier County Mental Health Association, is now available at the Warrenton Library.

This quarterly publication is filled with articles by and about personalities who share the issues of living with anxiety and depression. Each issue contains hints on thriving, enjoying life and eating well. Plus, they are filled with pages of news, research, and how to get better care.

Esperanza columnists speak to people living with anxiety and depression and to parents of children who are also living with anxiety and depression. It reaches out to adults and to caregivers as well.

All but the most current issue of Esperanza may be checked out by Fauquier County Public Library card holders. If you don't have a library card, get details on how to apply online for a card.

Best Seller Lists

2011-09-12T16:21:00.001-04:00

New York Times 9/11/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson
2. The Sookie Stackhouse Companion by Charlaine Harris
3. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
4. A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny
5. Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs
6. The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
7. Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer
8. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
9. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
10. The Omen Machine by Terry Goodkind
11. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
12. Cold Vengeance by Douglas Preston
13. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
14. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
15. The Measure of the Magic by Terry Brooks

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. In My Time by Dick Cheney with Liz Cheney
2. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
3. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
4. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
5. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
6. 1493 by Charles C. Mann
7. After America by Mark Steyn
8. Bossypants by Tina Fey
9. Rafa by Rafael Nadal
10. Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness
11. Seal Team Six by Howard E. Wasdin
12. Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick
13. What It Is Like To Go To War by Karl Marlantes
14. Eighty-Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts
15. Just My Type by Simon Garfield

Washington Post 9/11/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Kill Me If You Can by James Patterson
2. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
3. The Sookie Stackhouse Companion by Charlaine Harris
4. The Cut by George Pelecanos
5. Cross Fire by James Patterson
6. A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny
7. Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs
8. Midnight and the Meaning of Love by Sister Souljah
9. Only Time Will Tell by Jeffrey Archer
10. Getting to Happy by Terry McMillan

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. In My Time by Dick Cheney with Liz Cheney
2. Afghanistan by Thomas Barfield
3. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
4. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
5. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
6. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
7. Decision Points by George W. Bush
8. 100 Plus by Sonia Arrison
9. 1493 by Charles C. Mann
10. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

September 11th, ten years later….we still remember

2011-09-08T08:00:00.001-04:00

As we approach the 10th anniversary of what is commonly referred to as September 11th, or simply 9-11, we remember Sept. 11, 2001, as a day that altered history.

It was a day that brought America together, and it was a day when most of the world embraced our country. Many books have been written about the attack and its aftermath, and many of those help us to remember the individuals of that day. We recognize of all of them as heroes, and there are books that help us to better understand some of them.

America’s Heroes: Inspiring Stories of Courage, Sacrifice and Patriotism, is a collection of personal narratives and photographs of ordinary people who, on one horrific day, were transformed from ordinary to extraordinary. Out of that unspeakable tragedy, came heroic stories of incredible courage, sacrifice and patriotism.

Firehouse, by David Halberstam, is a tribute to the firefighters who lost their lives following the terrorists’ attack on the World Trade Center. The author explores the lives of members of FDNY Engine 40 Ladder 25, offering a portrait of everyday life in a firehouse and the courageous efforts to preserve life.

The story of Rick Rescorla is told in Heart of a Soldier: A Story of Love, Heroism, and September 11th by James B. Stewart. After safely evacuating the Morgan Stanley offices in the south tower, Rescorla went back into the building minutes before it collapsed, to search for stragglers. As a decorated Vietnam veteran, this was not Rescorla’s first selfless act of bravery. The author captures the enormity of the World Trade Center attack, by retracing one of the lives lost in the disaster.

With nearly 50 of its community lost in the World Trade Center attack, the New Jersey town of Middletown, suffered the highest death toll of anyplace in America, on September 11th. Middletown, America: One Town’s Passage from Grief to Recovery by Gail Sheehy is an inspiring portrait that describes how the inhabitants of this town dealt with their grief, anger and trauma following that tragic day.

New York Times reporter, Jere Longman has written a tribute to United Flight 93, which crashed in Shanksville, PA, on 9-11. Among the Heroes: The Story of United Flight 93 and the Passengers and Crew Who Fought Back is a detailed account of the heroism and terror of the final moments of this flight.
The author spoke with almost all of the families of the passengers and crew. It is universally acknowledged that this brave group acted with heroic defiance as they thwarted the terrorists that were on their way to either the Capitol or the White House.

On that flight was Todd Beamer, and who can forget his famous, final words, “Let’s Roll”. Lisa Beamer, Todd’s widow, has written Let’s Roll!: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Courage. Her story conveys a message of character, courage and undeniable faith in the face of horrifying tragedy.

Not to be forgotten, are the many heroic dogs who were a part of the events, during and after September 11th. Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero is the inspiring story of a blind survivor who owes his life to his faithful dog.

When the first plane struck Tower One, Michael Hingson tells of how he was led from the 78th floor, down 1,463 stairs, by his guide dog Roselle. In this harrowing story of trust and courage, we see how blindness and a bond between dog and man saved lives and brought hope during one of America’s darkest days.

In the days and hours following the attack, there were many other dogs who served side by side, with the rescuers, in their valiant recovery efforts. Dog Heroes of September 11th: A Tribute to America’s Search and Rescue Dogs by Nona Kilgore Bauer, is a salute in stories and photographs to the canines that served our nation in the recovery missions following the terrorist’s strikes. A testament to man’s best friend, this book pays tribute to 78 canine heroes and their handlers.

A beautiful, inspiring and comforting collection of songs and hymns are included on the CD, American Anthem. Recorded by, renowned opera singer, Denyce Graves and others, these selections are a memorial to the victims of September 11, 2001.

As we pause to remember this somber anniversary, we honor all of those who were lost on that tragic day. Through their stories we can continue to be inspired by their lives.

Deborah @ Marshall

Best Seller Lists

2011-09-06T15:57:00.000-04:00

New York Times 9/4/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs
2. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
3. The Measure of the Magic by Terry Brooks
4. The Omen Machine by Terry Goodkind
5. Cold Vengeance by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
6. Full Black by Brad Thor
7. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
8. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
9. Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
10. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
11. Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva
12. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
13. One Summer by David Baldacci
14. The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood
15. Now You See Her by James Patterson

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
2. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
3. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
4. After America by Mark Steyn
5. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
6. 1493 by Charles C. Mann
7. Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness
8. Bossypants by Tina Fey
9. Rafa by Rafael Nadal
10. Eighty-Dollar Champion by Elizabeth Letts
11. Seal Team Six by Howard E. Wasdin
12. God, No! by Penn Jillette
13. Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick
14. Wendy and the Lost Boys by Julie Salamon
15. First-Rate Madness by Nassir Ghaemi

Washington Post 9/4/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs
2. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
3. Full Black by Brad Thor
4. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
5. Cold Vengeance by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
6. Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva
7. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
8. The Measure of the Magic by Terry Brooks
9. Victory and Honor by W. E. B. Griffin
10. The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
2. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
3. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
4. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
5. Decision Points by George W. Bush
6. 1493 by Charles C. Mann
7. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
8. After America by Mark Steyn
9. Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness
10. On China by Henry Kissinger

Following In Their Footsteps

2011-09-02T09:00:00.005-04:00

Does talent run in the family? Or is it simply a matter of exposure: watching a parent practice a trade day after day? Whether it is nature or nurture, there are examples in, for instance, writing and acting of a son or daughter following in the footsteps of a successful parent.

Alafair Burke is the daughter of popular author James Lee Burke. Her first series began in 2003 with the publication of Judgment Calls.

Jesse Kellerman’s parents, Jonathan and Faye, are both writers. Jesse’s first novel, Sunstroke, was published in 2006.

Stephen and Tabitha King are the parents of Joe Hill. Joe is the author of Horns and Heart Shaped Box as well as a graphic novel and the story collection, 20th Century Ghosts.

Acting talent also runs in families, as these biographies demonstrate:

Been There, Done That by Eddie Fisher and Wishful Drinking by his daughter, Carrie Fisher.
My Heart Belongs by Mary Martin and Leon Adams’ book about her son: Larry Hagman: a Biography.

Call Me Anna: the autobiography of Patty Duke by Patty Duke and Kenneth Turan. Her talented son also wrote an autobiography called There and Back Again/ An Actor’s Tale by Sean Astin with Joe Layden.

Sons and daughters often follow in the footsteps of successful parents. Sometimes their work and life stories are similar and sometimes they are definitely not!!

Maryellen@Warrenton

Community

2011-08-26T11:00:00.001-04:00

Have you ever wondered just what it is that defines a community? Sometimes a community is defined by its location as when those who live in a subdivision are considered members of a community. Sometimes location is combined with social circumstances in defining a community, as when those who have children attending school in a certain area, live in a certain voting district or subscribe to a particular political party are identified as a community. Whether we see each other at the local pool, attend school programs together, or stand in line to vote together, we soon discover that the dialogues, conversations and actions we engage in with one another form the true substance of our various community memberships.

How does the library fit into our sense of community? Libraries have traditionally been considered quiet sanctuaries where information is made available to studious individuals, but they are also very important to the formation and definition of community.

Through the Fauquier County Public Library you have access to the Fauquier County Code, Subdivision Ordinance, Zoning Ordinance and various other planning and budget documents which establish and guide the growth and development of the town and county in which we live. You will find local and national newspapers and magazines available in print and in the form of searchable online databases. The library provides free access to computer terminals and wireless service and encourages you to explore far and wide through the Internet in search of anything from games and Facebook friends to online college courses.

But then, closer to home, with respect to those all-important dialogues, conversations, and actions which substantiate our membership in community, visitors will find that the library supports a number of popular reading and discussion groups, lecture series, and special programs for children and adults.

Please stop at your local library branch in Bealeton, Warrenton or Marshall and let us help you use the materials and resources that are available to you. And then let us introduce you to other members of your community engaged in programs and discussion groups which you, too, might want to join.

Jeanne @ Warrenton

Best Seller Lists

2011-08-22T15:51:00.001-04:00

New York Times 8/21/2011

Hardcover Fiction

1. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin

2. The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood

3. Full Black by Brad Thor

4. Victory and Honor by W. E. B. Griffin

5. Cold Vengeance by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

6. Ghost Story by Jim Butcher

7. Ascension (Star Wars – Fate of the Jedi) by Christie Golden

8. The Magician King by Lev Grossman
9. Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva
10. Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon
11. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
12. Now You See Her by James Patterson
13. Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
14. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
15. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
2. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
3. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
4. 1493 by Charles C. Mann
5. After America by Mark Steyn
6. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
7. Bossypants by Tina Fey
8. Seal Team Six by Howard E. Wasdin and Stephen Templin
9. Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow with Nathan Whitaker
10. Of Thee I Zing by Laura Ingraham with Raymond Arroyo
11. The Secrets of the FBI by Ronald Kessler
12. Those Guys Have All the Fun by James A. Miller
13. Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea Handler
14. A Book of Secrets by Michael Holroyd
15. Turn Right at Machu Picchu by Mark Adams

Washington Post 8/21/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
2. The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood
3. Victory and Honor by W. E. B. Griffin
4. The Magician King by Lev Grossman
5. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
6. Full Black by Brad Thor
7. Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva
8. Cold Vengeance by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
9. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
10. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
2. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
3. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
4. After America by Mark Steyn
5. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
6. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
7. Zero-Sum Future by Gideon Rachman
8. 1493 by Charles C. Mann
9. Fish! by Stephen C. Lunden
10. Bossypants by Tina Fey

Best Seller Lists

2011-08-15T14:40:00.010-04:00

New York Times 8/14/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Cold Vengeance by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
2. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
3. Full Black by Brad Thor
4. Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon
5. Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
6. Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva
7. Happy Birthday by Danielle Steel
8. Now You See Her by James Patterson
9. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
10. Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
11. Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner
12. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
13. Split Second by Catherine Coulter
14. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
15. Back of Beyond by C. J. Box

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
2. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
3. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
4. Bossypants by Tina Fey
5. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
6. Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow
7. Seal Team Six by Howard E. Wasdin
8. Of Thee I Zing by Laura Ingraham
9. Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea Handler
10. Incognito by David Eagleman
11. Those Guys Have All the Fun by James A. Miller
12. The Secrets of the FBI by Ronald Kessler
13. Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff
14. Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? by Steven Tyler
15. Reckless Endangerment by Gretchen Morgenson

Washington Post 8/14/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
2. Cold Vengeance by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
3. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
4. Full Black by Brad Thor
5. Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva
6. Retribution by Sherrilyn Kenyon
7. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
8. Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner
9. Now You See Her by James Patterson
10. Happy Birthday by Danielle Steel

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
2. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
3. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
4. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
5. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
6. Go the ____ to Sleep by Adam Mansbach
7. Bossypants by Tina Fey
8. The 17 Day Diet by Dr. Mike Moreno
9. The Secrets of the FBI by Ronald Kessler
10. The Triple Agent by Joby Warrick

Books on the Go

2011-08-12T10:00:00.001-04:00

I'm a commuter and while I love to listen to music while I'm traveling to and from work, I also enjoy listening to books from the library's audiobook collection. Recently, I've listened to three very different titles--all equally enjoyable.

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin
     I  gravitate toward novels with good character development and Franklin hit his stride in this book. The two main characters, an African American constable in rural Mississippi, Silas Jones and his one time friend, Larry Ott are so well developed that you come to a real understanding of each as a whole person---neither all good nor all bad, but a mix of both, like all of us. The plot moves at a nice clip too, so it doesn't drag, as some character driven novels can. Ken Kenerly, the reader on the CD, does a good job with the Southern dialects and makes all the characters come alive.

The Tsarina's Daughter by Carolly Erickson
     I've read a lot of Erickson's non-fiction, but not much of her fiction. I was pleasantly surprised with this historical novel which puts a twist on the old conspiracy that Anastasia was the one Romanov to survive their murder by the Bolsheviks. Again, the characters are well drawn, although not all are likeable. This book made me go back and brush up on my Russian history and the relationships between the royalty of Europe in the early twentieth century. (Everyone was someone's cousin it seems thanks to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.)

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall
     This is a lovely children's book and the second in a series of books about the four Penderwick girls, their father, their dog and an assortment of friends and adventures. A simple story really, the book is timeless--it's actually difficult to set it in any particular era. Although, I must admit, sometimes the voices the reader creates for certain characters can become a bit grating.
     The first book The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy is a must before moving to book two. You have to get to know the children's personalities, their father and their life circumstances. I've listened to both of them on my commute and have thoroughly enjoyed them. I'm looking forward to book three The Penderwicks at Point Mouette in the coming weeks.

For those of you who ride and read by listening, give these novels on CD a try.   I hope you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Dawn S. @ Warrenton

Birthday Greetings

2011-08-12T09:00:00.002-04:00

Each month the reference staff at Warrenton Library create a book display of works by authors who are celebrating birthdays. There are dozens of authors every month and August is no exception. We'll name just a few birthday celebrants this month:

Herman Melville, 1st
Garrison Keillor, 7th
Frank McCourt, 19th
Orson Scott Card, August 24th

To check out some authors featured in previous displays, take a gander at the list below.

July: Clive Cussler, Ernest Hemingway

June: Patricia Cornwell, Larry McMurtry

May: Maeve Binchy, Robert Ludlum

April: Janet Evanovich, Anne McCaffrey

March: Douglas Adams, Louis L'Amour

February: Bernard Cornwell, Margaret Truman

January: Umberto Eco, Philippa Gregory

Vicky @ Warrenton

Best Seller Lists

2011-08-08T15:15:00.000-04:00

New York Times 8/7/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
2. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
3. Full Black by Brad Thor
4. Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva
5. Happy Birthday by Danielle Steel
6. Now You See Her by James Patterson
7. Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
8. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
9. Split Second by Catherine Coulter
10. Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner
11. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
12. The Bourne Dominion by Eric Van Lustbader
13. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
14. Against All Enemies by Tom Clancy
15. One Summer by David Baldacci
16. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
2. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
3. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
4. Bossypants by Tina Fey
5. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
6. Seal Team Six by Howard E. Wasdin
7. Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea Handler
8. Of Thee I Zing by Laura Ingraham
9. Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow
10. Incognito by David Eagleman
11. Reckless Endangerment by Gretchen Morgenson
12. Those Guys Have All the Fun by James A. Miller
13. Absolute Monarchs by John Julius Norwich
14. Sex on the Moon by Ben Mezrich
15. Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? by Steven Tyler

Washington Post 8/7/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
2. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
3. Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva
4. Full Black by Brad Thor
5. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
6. Split Second by Catherine Coulter
7. Happy Birthday by Danielle Steel
8. Now You See Her by James Patterson
9. Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner
10. The Bourne Dominion by Eric Van Lustbader

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
2. The End of Molasses Classes by Ron Clark
3. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
4. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
5. Fish! by Stephen C. Lunden
6. Go the ____ to Sleep by Adam Mansbach
7. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
8. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
9. Bossypants by Tina Fey
10. The Triple Agent by Joby Warrick

So Many Books…So Little Time

2011-08-05T09:00:00.001-04:00

Many readers keep a journal or list of books they haven’t had a chance to get to, but hope to read in the future. I started such a list about fifteen years ago but, for the sake of my sanity, gave it up after about a year. I soon realized that I would not be on this earth long enough to read everything on a list that grew exponentially each month.

Now I take a more “short-term” approach. As new books become available I try to at least look at each one that I’m interested in and make the decision while holding it in my hand whether or not I actually have the time and desire to read it right away. Because life slows down a bit during the winter months, I also select 3 or 4 books, different from my normal reading tastes, to read each winter holiday season. Even though the summer is not quite over I’m already considering some titles for this year: Sister Bernadette’s Barking Dog: the Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences by Kitty Florey; Emily Alone by Stewart O’Nan; Embassytown by China Mieville. There will probably be a few more titles I’ll think of before making my final selections in November.

Then there is the continuously shifting mental list of books I would like to read (or listen to—the only good thing about a long commute!) that maybe I just won’t get to…ever. One of these is The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. I really enjoyed Collins’ The Woman in White but it was long and difficult and it took some effort to finish. Then there is The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens which I would follow up with Drood by Dan Simmons.

When I’m in the mood for something humorous I could read Boomsday or Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley. How about fantasy in the tradition of JRR Tolkein? I’m sure I’d enjoy books by Guy Gavriel Kay, such as Tigana or A Song for Arbonne. Of course, I’ve always meant to get back to the Sharon McCone mystery series by Marcia Muller. I read the first one, Edwin of the Iron Shoes, years ago. Number two, Ask the Cards a Question , and the 26 (!) others are waiting for when I have the time.

This list could go on and on but you get the idea. It’s one of a reader’s greatest frustrations: so many books, so little time.

Maryellen @ Warrenton

Best Seller Lists

2011-08-01T15:22:00.000-04:00

New York Times 7/31/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
2. Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva
3. Happy Birthday by Danielle Steel
4. Split Second by Catherine Coulter
5. Now You See Her by James Patterson
6. Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
7. Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner
8. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
9. The Bourne Dominion by Eric Van Lustbader
10. Against All Enemies by Tom Clancy
11. One Summer by David Baldacci
12. Burnt Mountain by Anne Rivers Siddons
13. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
14. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
15. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
2. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
3. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
4. Bossypants by Tina Fey
5. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
6. Of Thee I Zing by Laura Ingraham
7. Seal Team Six by Howard E. Wasdin
8. Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea Handler
9. Reckless Endangerment by Gretchen Morgenson
10. Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow
11. Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff
12. Incognito by David Eagleman
13. Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? by Steven Tyler
14. Demonic by Ann Coulter
15. Those Guys Have All the Fun by James A. Miller

Washington Post 7/31/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Portrait of a Spy by Daniel Silva
2. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
3. Split Second by Catherine Coulter
4. Happy Birthday by Danielle Steel
5. Now You See Her by James Patterson
6. Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner
7. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
8. Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
9. The Bourne Dominion by Eric Van Lustbader
10. Against All Enemies by Tom Clancy

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
2. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
3. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
4. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
5. Go the ____ to Sleep by Adam Mansbach
6. Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer
7. Bossypants by Tina Fey
8. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
9. The 17 Day Diet by Dr. Mike Moreno

10. The Triple Agent by Joby Warrick

Adventure! Survival!

2011-07-29T10:00:00.003-04:00

Do you need a little adventure in your life, but not quite ready to scale Kilimanjaro or uncover a spy ring yourself? Well, here are stories of true adventure and survival---from World War II, to the CIA, to deserted islands, to tornadoes and more.

The Company We Keep

Island of the Lost

33 Men

North by Northwestern
Unbroken
Into Thin Air
F5
Miracles on the Water
Near Death in the Arctic
Not Without Hope

Maybe you do want to test your survival skills and endurance, but you need a bit of help getting prepared. If so, check out these survival guides.

Man vs. Wild
How to Survive the End of the World As We Know It
The Survivors Club
The Survival Handbook
The Book of Survival

But if what you really want is the thrill of adventure that excites your imagination, try an adventure novel.

Dirk Pitt Adventure series
In the Heart of the Canyon
Sigma Force series
Together: A Novel of Shared Vision
Snowbound

For more adventurous reads, check out the display in Warrenton going up August 1!
Mary Sue @ Warrenton

Best Seller Lists

2011-07-25T16:51:00.000-04:00

New York Times 7/24/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
2. Now You See Her by James Patterson
3. Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner
4. Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
5. Quinn by Iris Johansen
6. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
7. Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson
8. Against All Enemies by Tom Clancy
9. One Summer by David Baldacci
10. Iron House by John Hart
11. The Silent Girl by Tess Gerritsen
12. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
13. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
14. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
15. The Devil Colony by James Rollins

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
2. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
3. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
4. Bossypants by Tina Fey
5. Of Thee I Zing by Laura Ingraham
6. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
7. Seal Team Six by Howard E. Wasdin
8. Reckless Endangerment by Gretchen Morgenson
9. Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea Handler
10. Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow
11. Demonic by Ann Coulter
12. Sex on the Moon by Ben Mezrich
13. Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff
14. Absolute Monarchs by John Julius Norwich
15. Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? by Steven Tyler

Washington Post 7/24/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin
2. Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner
3. Now You See Her by James Patterson
4. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
5. Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
6. Against All Enemies by Tom Clancy
7. One Summer by David Baldacci
8. Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson
9. Quinn by Iris Johansen
10. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
2. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
3. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
4. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
5. Bossypants by Tina Fey
6. Go the ____ to Sleep by Adam Mansbach
7. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick M. Lencioni
8. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
9. The 17 Day Diet by Dr. Mike Moreno
10. Of Thee I Zing by Laura Ingraham

Award Winners

2011-07-22T09:00:00.002-04:00

According to Seymour Topping, professor emeritus at Columbia University and former Administrator of Pulitzer Prizes, "Joseph Pulitzer stood out as the very embodiment of American journalism" in the late nineteeth century. Topping describes Pulitzer as "a visionary, who richly endowed his profession." He was the first to call for the training of journalists at the university level and of course, the establishment of the Pulitzer Prizes in his will, is a testament to his vision. (pulitzer.org)

This spring, A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan won both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award. Check out these other Pulitzer winners announced this spring and available at the library.

Nonfiction: The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Biography: Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow

History: The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery by Eric Foner

Founded in 1974, the mission of The National Book Critics Circle is to honor outstanding writing and to foster a national conversation about reading, criticism and literature. (bookcritics.org) In addition to Egan's recent work, other 2011 National Book Critics Circle Award Winners available for check out are:
Nonfiction: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

Biography: How to Live or A Life of Montaigne One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer by Sarah Bakewell

Autobiography: Half a Life by Darin Strauss

Sheree @ Warrenton

Best Seller Lists

2011-07-18T17:22:00.000-04:00

New York Times 7/17/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Now You See Her by James Patterson
2. Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
3. The Silent Girl by Tess Gerritsen
4. Against All Enemies by Tom Clancy
5. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
6. One Summer by David Baldacci
7. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
8. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
9. Betrayal of Trust by J. A. Jance
10. Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
11. Escape by Barbara Delinsky
12. The Devil Colony by James Rollins
13. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
14. Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank
15. Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
2. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
3. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
4. Bossypants by Tina Fey
5. Seal Team Six by Howard E. Wasdin
6. The Miracle of Freedom by Chris and Ted Stewart
7. Reckless Endangerment by Gretchen Morgenson
8. Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea Handler
9. Demonic by Ann Coulter
10. Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow with Nathan Whitaker
11. Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff
12. Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? by Steven Tyler
13. Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen
14. Those Guys Have All the Fun by James A. Miller
15. On China by Henry Kissinger

Washington Post 7/17/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Now You See Her by James Patterson
2. Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
3. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
4. Against All Enemies by Tom Clancy with Peter Telep
5. One Summer by David Baldacci
6. The Silent Girl by Tess Gerritsen
7. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
8. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
9. Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
10. Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
2. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
3. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
4. Go the ____ to Sleep by Adam Mansbach
5. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
6. Bossypants by Tina Fey
7. The 17 Day Diet by Dr. Mike Moreno
8. Seal Team Six by Howard E. Wasdin
9. Reckless Endangerment by Gretchen Morgenson
10. Man Down by Dan Abrams

Best Seller Lists

2011-07-11T15:33:00.002-04:00

New York Times 7/10/2011
Hardcover Fiction
1. Now You See Her by James Patterson
2. Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
3. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
4. Against All Enemies by Tom Clancy
5. One Summer by David Baldacci
6. The Devil Colony by James Rollins
7. Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
8. Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank
9. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
10. Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver
11. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
12. Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
13. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
14. Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
15. The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
2. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
3. Bossypants by Tina Fey
4. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
5. The Miracle of Freedom by Chris and Ted Stewart
6. Demonic by Ann Coulter
7. Reckless Endangerment by Gretchen Morgenson
8. Seal Team Six by Howard E. Wasdin
9. Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff
10. Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow with
11. Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea Handler
12. Those Guys Have All the Fun by James A. Miller
13. Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? by Steven Tyler
14. Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen
15. The Social Animal by David Brooks

Washington Post 7/10/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Now You See Her by James Patterson
2. Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
3. Against All Enemies by Tom Clancy
4. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
5. One Summer by David Baldacci
6. The Devil Colony by James Rollins
7. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
8. Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver
9. Bright’s Passage by Josh Ritter
10. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Go the ____ to Sleep by Adam Mansbach
2. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
3. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
4. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
5. Bossypants by Tina Fey
6. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
7. Demonic by Ann Coulter
8. The Aging Myth by Joseph Chang
9. Reckless Endangerment by Gretchen Morgenson
10. Seal Team Six by Howard E. Wasdin

Tom Clancy

2011-07-08T11:10:00.000-04:00

Tom Clancy is recognized as a master of techno and military thrillers. If you're looking for more intrique and espionage in Clancy's vein, consider trying one of the authors below.

Dale Brown

Lee Child

James Clavell

Len Deighton
Ken Follett
John Gardner
W.E.B. Griffin
Jack Higgins
John Le Carre
Robert Ludlum
Eric Van Lustbader
David Morrell
David Poyer
Lawrence Sanders
Martin Cruz Smith
Irving Wallace
Robin White

Best Seller Lists

2011-07-05T18:52:00.002-04:00

New York Times 7/3/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
2. Against All Enemies by Tom Clancy
3. The Devil Colony by James Rollins
4. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
5. One Summer by David Baldacci
6. Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
7. Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver
8. Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank
9. Fallen by Karin Slaughter
10. Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
11. The Kingdom by Clive Cussler
12. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
13. Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
14. Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews
15. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
2. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
3. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
4. Reckless Endangerment by Gretchen Morgenson
5. Bossypants by Tina Fey
6. Demonic by Ann Coulter
7. Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow
8. Seal Team Six by Howard E. Wasdin
9. Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea Handler
10. Those Guys Have All the Fun by James A. Miller
11. The Miracle of Freedom by Chris and Ted Stewart
12. Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? by Steven Tyler
13. On China by Henry Kissinger
14. Lost in Shangri-La by Mitchell Zuckoff
15. Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen

Washington Post 7/3/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
2. Against All Enemies by Tom Clancy
3. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
4. The Gray Zone by Daphna Edwards Ziman
5. One Summer by David Baldacci
6. The Devil Colony by James Rollins
7. Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver
8. Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
9. Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan
10. Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Go the ____ to Sleep by Adam Mansbach
2. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
3. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
4. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
5. Bossypants by Tina Fey
6. Reckless Endangerment by Gretchen Morgenson
7. Demonic by Ann Coulter
8. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath
9. Seal Team Six by Howard E. Wasdin
10. Those Guys Have All the Fun by James A. Miller

A Year of Favorite Reads

2011-07-01T12:00:00.001-04:00

The Marshall Afternoon Book Club has been meeting at the John Marshall Branch Library for the past 8 years. The book selections are eclectic and include best sellers, classics, and nonfiction. Often, monthly titles are accompanied by field trips and movies which highlight our discussions.

The most recent book club field trip was to the National Gallery of Art to see the special exhibit, “Gauguin: Maker of Myth.” In April, the group read The Moon and Sixpence, a short novel by W. Somerset Maugham which is based on the life of the painter Gauguin. The exhibit was a perfect complement to our earlier discussion.

When club members were asked to vote on their favorite books of the last year, the top choice was Out Stealing Horses, by Per Pettersen. Originally published in Norway, this is the story of Trond, a 67-year-old recluse who is forced to reflect upon a long-ago incident from his youth. After meeting with his only neighbor, Trond is forced to confront the tragic incident that marks the beginning of a series of losses for him and his childhood friend.

A wonderful bestseller was the club’s second choice. The Help by Kathryn Stockett has been a favorite of many book clubs around the country and it will be released as a movie this summer. Set in Jackson, Mississippi, during the 1960s, this is the story of the complicated relationships between white families and their domestic “help.” In the midst of the Civil Rights movement, three women start a risky movement of their own. Their determination changes a town and the way that both black and white women view one another.

Another popular pick was a timely nonfiction selection. The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East by Sandy Tolan was the book that provoked the most enlightening conversation of the year. This is the true story of a remarkable relationship between two families, one Arab and one Jewish, who are brought together by a house and a lemon tree. In 1967, not long after the Six-Day War, three young Arab men ventured into Israel on a pilgrimage to see their childhood homes. Their families had been driven out by the Israelis nearly 20 years earlier. Two of these men were turned away, but the third was met at the door by a young Israeli woman who invites them in. So begins a decades long relationship that changes the hearts and minds of those involved. This moving story symbolizes the hope for peace in the Middle East, and it had a great impact on all of our readers.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer is another popular book club selection. It is a story that is told, remarkably, through letters. The setting is the British island of Guernsey which faced German occupation during all of World War II. The intriguing name of this society was born as a spontaneous alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans who occupied their island. Through letters between an aspiring author and a native of Guernsey, this story is born. All of our readers agreed that this was a unique look at a historical time and place that had not been well known.

The final favorite was actually the first selection of the year, the January title. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton is the perfect book to sink into on a cold winter night. With elements of a fairy tale and a mystery, this book cast its spell on everyone in the group. Abandoned on a 1913 voyage to Australia, a young girl is found and raised by a dock master and his wife, who do not tell her until she is an adult that she is not their child. This leads that young girl, Nell, to return to England to seek out her story. Unable to unlock the mystery before her death, she hands down her quest for answers to her granddaughter. This is a beautifully written novel that moves through time to show the strong bond that links a grandmother, mother and daughter. It left everyone wanting to read other titles by this new Australian author.

The Marshall Afternoon Book Club meets in the John Marshall Branch Library on the second Wednesday of the month, from 1 – 3 p.m. New members are always welcome. Check the Library website for a listing of the 2011 selections.

Marshall Library Afternoon Book Club

Best Seller Lists

2011-06-27T16:02:00.002-04:00

New York Times 6/26/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Against All Enemies by Tom Clancy
2. One Summer by David Baldacci
3. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
4. Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank
5. Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver
6. The Kingdom by Clive Cussler
7. Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
8. Hit List by Laurell K. Hamilton
9. 10th Anniversary by James Patterson
10. Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
11. The Jefferson Key by Steve Berry
12. Buried Prey by John Sandford
13. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
14. Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews
15. Dreams of Joy by Lisa See

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
2. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
3. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
4. Demonic by Ann Coulter
5. Seal Team Six by Howard E. Wasdin
6. Bossypants by Tina Fey
7. Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow
8. Those Guys Have All the Fun by James A. Miller
9. Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea Handler
10. Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? by Steven Tyler
11. On China by Henry Kissinger
12. ____ My Dad Says by Justin Halpern
13. Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen
14. Reckless Endangerment by Gretchen Morgenson
15. The Secret Knowledge by David Mamet

Washington Post 6/26/2011

Hardcover Fiction
1. Against All Enemies by Tom Clancy
2. One Summer by David Baldacci
3. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
4. The Kingdom by Clive Cussler
5. Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver
6. Bloodmoney by David Ignatius
7. Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
8. The Sixth Man by David Baldacci
9. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
10. Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank

Hardcover Nonfiction
1. Go the ____ to Sleep by Adam Mansbach
2. The Greater Journey by David McCullough
3. Unbroken by Lara Hillenbrand
4. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
5. Those Guys Have All the Fun by James A. Miller
6. Bossypants by Tina Fey
7. Seal Team Six by Howard E. Wasdin
8. Demonic by Ann Coulter
9. Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me by Chelsea Handler
10. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath

Patricia Cornwell

2011-06-24T11:01:00.000-04:00

Cornwell's work as a technical writer and computer analyst for the Chief Medical Examiner for the city of Richmond, Va., gave her the experience and knowledge she needed to break through the world of crime fiction with her the first in her Kay Scarpetta series, Postmortem. For more crime fiction, check out these authors.