I spotted this book while I was looking for something else.  The Columbine school shooting has intrigued me over the years.  I wondered who these boys were, and why they did what they did.  There was some erroneous information that was reported after the shooting that persisted long after they were proved to be false.  First of all the boys were not loners who were bullied.  They were not members of the Trench Coat Mafia.  They wore trench coats because they were useful for hiding the guns and ammunition that they were carrying on the day of the shooting.  Eric Harris was a psychopath and Dylan Klebold was a follower.  Another misconception is that Cassie Barnall was killed because she believed in God.  The truth is that she was not even asked.  She was praying when she was shot, but the killer, Dylan Klebold, didn't say anything to her.  He asked a girl named Emily if she believed in God.  She said, "yes."  He asked her why, and she said that it was because her parents has raised her to believe in God.  Then he was distracted by something and left the room.  The author put a timeline at the end of the book.  It shows that the boys planned the massacre over a year in advance.  Also, the boys went to the prom.  It's amazing that both of them wanted to have dates and go to the prom.  Three days later they went to the school with guns and bombs.  It is a well researched and interesting book.

This is the first novel from this author.  While the writing is adequate, the story is powerful.  It is the story of Janie Marek, a 16 year old runaway ( or thrown away by her stepmother) and her struggles.  Janie meets the wrong people and due to the poor treatment she had at her stepmother's, she thinks that is permissable for men to abuse her.  She pairs up with Paul Jesse, who is a drug dealer and addict.  She feels she has no choice.  She has nowhere to go and can't even get a job at 16.  She does make a lot of friends, who eventually make her see that she doesn't deserve to be beaten by her boyfriend or any other man.  Her friends, Stella and Cookie, eventually introduce her to Marta who teaches Janie that she is a worthwhile person, who is intelligent and can depend on herself.  Jane is a strong person, once her friends teach her that she can stand as an indiviual.  This book has lots of domestic violence in it, but ends on a positive note, when Janie goes back to finish her education and realizes that she can be her own person and that no one deserves to be beaten, no matter what kind of person they are.

An Excellent book about growing up in the American Southwest.  Lily Casey Smith faced many hardships as a child and adult, but she rose to the occasion every time.  She grew up on a farm where her father trained carriage horses and she was able to complete the 8th grade and start teaching in one room schools when she was just 15.  Later on, she went to Chicago and found work and a "crum bum " husband", who was a bigamist.  After her marriage was annulled, she went back to the souhtwest to teach and married a rancher, Jim Smith, who was her match in tenacity when it came to providing for their family. 

She was a remarkable woman who could put on her resume: rancher, bootlegger,  horse breaker and trainer, teacher, bus driver, maid, pilot, entrepeneur, mother, wife, and gardener.  Her life is an amazing survival story.  She was not one to keep her mouth shut when she saw injustices and she was not afraid to take a risk if it made her family's life better.  I can see why the author held her in high esteem.

An enjoyable book narrated by a 10 year old girl living in Mill Town, MN.  "Teaspoon", nick name for Marlena Isabella, is being raised by her mother's former boyfriend, after her mother leaves for Hollywood.  It is a coming of age story in which the reader will see some of Teaspoon's innocence disappear as the book progresses. Teddy, the boyfriend; Mrs. Fry, the eighty something neighbor and the people across the street try to rub the rough edges off Teaspoon, but it takes Brenda, Miss Mill Town everything, to do the job.  Brenda becomes Teaspoon's Big Sister and sets out to help her grow up in many ways.  An entertaining book set in the 1950's.

Calling all members of Team Jacob!  Check out these awesome books about werewolves!

Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Egmont USA, 2010).  Adopted into a werewolf pack after her parents were killed by a rogue werewolf, Bryn has always resisted fully bonding with the pack, even though she's been Marked by the alpha.  But everything changes when a new wolf shows up and Bryn feel compelled to see him.  When she goes to him, she'll start to unravel dark secrets that the pack has kept from her.  Secrets that will change everything...

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause (Delacorte, 1997).  Vivian is a teenage werewolf who moves with her pack to a suburb of Baltimore.  There she meets and falls for a human boy, Aiden.  But in order for them to be together, Aiden's got to accept her for who she is and Vivian has to decide where she belongs.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic, 2009).  Ever since she was a little girl, Grace has been visited by a wolf in the woods behind her house. This particular wolf seems to appear every winter and has the most amazing yellow eyes. After wolves attack one of her classmates, Grace's wolf appears to her one night... as a human. Sam. And Grace knows that she loves him. But she also knows that she's going to lose him. For as the temperature drops, Sam's days as a human are drawing to a close. And to be together, Grace and Sam have to be willing to risk everything.

What other werewolf books do you recommend??

Tne New Albany-Floyd County Public Library and members of the Teen Scene Initiative will host a book discussion for teens in grades 6 through 12 on Tuesday, October 19, at 5:15 PM in the Small Meeting Room on the Lower Level. The selected title is If I Stay, by Gayle Forman.

Mia has here entire life ahead of her. She's a shoo-in for the prestigious Julliard School of Music, and the biggest decision she has to  make is whether to move to New York on her own or stay in Oregon with her boyfriend Adam. That decision takes a back seat to the one she faces after a deadly car crash changes the course of her life. Teen readers will be thrilled, horrified, saddened and excited. Her eventual decision will resonate with readers of all ages.

Take care,
Ruth

Here's another list to give you chills in October: Great Ghost Books!

If you're looking for something about local ghosts, take a look at David Dominé's Ghosts of Old Louisville and Phantoms of Old Louisville. Both will tell you things you never knew about Louisville.

One of my favorites (and the 2009 Newbery Award winner) is Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. It's the story of a child raised by ghosts in a graveyard after his family is killed. Gaiman is a great writer (you may remember his book Coraline and the movie made from it), who can hold your interest all the way through. While this was written for children and young adults, I think all ages would enjoy it.

Definitely for older readers, Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box is guaranteed to keep you up at night. It's the story of a man who buys a suit online, attracted by the promise that the previous owner's ghost will be included. He figures it's a joke. Needless to say, he's wrong.

Ghost Story, by Peter Straub, is an older book that gets overlooked a lot these days. It was also made into its own fairly creepy movie in 1981, starring Fred Astaire and Melvyn Douglas. Compared to today's books, it may seem a little tame, but it's a story you won't forget.

So, five ghost stories. That should keep you busy for a while.

These days it seems that Kindle and its ilk are all the rage. But who can blame the poor reader when the paper and ink version of the latest thriller rings up at $25-$30 at the corner book store?

If you don't want to give up the luxurious pleasure of turning those pages but you just can't see paying out all that money, there is another way. Check out the Friends of the New Albany Library Book Sale! Every first and third Saturday, we have a fabulous book sale from 9 AM to 1 PM in the library's Annex Buidling with prices hodling at $1 hardback and 50 cents paperback (children's books are even cheaper—we want to encourage the youngsters to read!). And this is not a little corner of the library—this is a huge building with shelf after shelf of books on every subject imaginable: fiction, mystery, romance, history, biography, travel, art, cookbooks, religion, gardening—I could go on and on. You have to see it to believe it. Yes, our books are older but we do have some goodies. And we also offer an e-newsletter that gives you a sneak preview of all the special items that have come in since the last sale. To subscribe, send me an email.

Here's a list of the book sales for the rest of 2010:

• November 6: HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY, FOL BOOK SALE! Special Treats & Surprises.
• November 13: Special Book Auction & Party at the Library. Birthday cake donated by Sweet Stuff Bakery, shampagne and treat.
• November 20: Annual Thanksgiving Sale. 50% off Cookbooks & Diet Books.
• December 4 & 18: Annual Christmas Sale.
• December 11: Holidays in the Library with Santa, the Balloon Man and More!

The Trouble With Magic by Madelyn Alt is the book our mystery group will be discussing on Wednesday, October 13. The first in a series, it's a part of the paranormal cozy mystery sub-genre that sprang into existece a few years ago (and still thrives). It's the story of a disatisfied office worker, Maggie O'Neill, who literally falls into a new job at an upscale shop. She rather quickly finds out that her new boss, Felicity Dow, is a self-described witch.

Among the  themes in the book Maggie, raised in a Catholic family, learns to reconcilie her earlier religion with her respect for and friendship with Felicity. Lots of discussion about tolerance and freedom of religion, but it never sounds preachy. There's also some fun references to popular culture (Magnum P.I., particularly). The story really gets going, though, when Felicity's sister is killed and Felicity is suspected of the murder. Maggie is determined to prove she's innocent, and continuously battles with the detective assigned to the case. The growing attraction between them doesn't make things any easier. Maggie also finds herself attracted to Felicity's friend, Marcus (the typical bad boy with a heart of gold). Does she finally pick the authority figure or the rebel?

Overall, I thought the book was very well written for its genre. It was also very good (much better than average) for a first book. I do have a few quibbles, though. I felt that the secondary characters were a little too broadly drawn. The good guys are always good, and the bad guys are consistently villainous. That's pretty typical of the cozy mystery, though. There's also what seems to be a continuity problem in the scene in the cemetery. Maggie is telling someone something that she just told that same person in the previous chapter, and the other character seems surprised. I may be misinterpreting it, but I've read over this section more than once, and it alwoys seems a little strange to me.

 The story is set in Stony Mill, Indiana, a small town in the northeastern part of the state. Alt describes the local area so well that it's almost possible, if you know the area, to pick out just where the fictional Stony Mill really is. Having grown up in the area, she knows how to describe both landscapes and residents perfectly. I enjoyed reading The Trouble With Magic very much, and would gladly recommend it to others. In fact, I did recommend it to our mystery group. Sure, it's light reading, but every now and then, that's just what you need. This book would be good for anyone who likes paranormal stories, cozy mysteries, or Hoosier authors and locations.