But I can attest to his extraordinary gift: the ability to make me feel quite ancient. You see, Justin Bieber was born on March 1, 1994.

And I can remember March 1994. I bet you can, too. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane, shall we?

Celine Dion’s “The Power of Love” and Ace of Base’s “The Sign” were leading the Billboard music charts the week Bieber was born. Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain was still alive in March 1994. (He died in April 1994.)

Danielle Steel’s Accident was the nation’s bestselling book in March 1994. It was bumped to number 2 by The Celestine Prophecy in April. Published in 1992, The Bridges of Madison County, was still a bestseller.

Seinfeld was one of the most popular shows on television, and I’m not talking about the reruns. E.R. and Friends wouldn’t debut for another six months.

Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List won seven Oscars, including best picture and best director, in March 1994. The next year’s best picture winner, Forrest Gump hadn’t even hit theaters yet.

I think I’m immune to Bieber Fever. For those who aren’t, the library has biographies and albums. I’m having more fun just reflecting on the “good ole days” of 1994. Do you remember what you were you reading, listening to, and watching back when Bieber was just a baby?

Mindy

I’m talking about those positive reviews—some subtle and others over-the-moon—by other writers plastered all over book covers these days.

A blurb from Stephen King is not guaranteed to get a book racing to the top of the bestseller list the way an Oprah Book Club selection most undoubtedly will. But it will convince a good portion of his millions of fans to read something new. (Check out the hilarious analysis of Stephen King as blurb king over at the Seattle Public Library’s book blog.)

But just because you like the books someone’s written, does that mean you’ll like the same books that person’s read? Are those gushing celebrity endorsements really helpful in deciding which books to read?

Maybe.

Ann Patchett is one of my favorite authors. And so I decided a few months ago, having read all her books, that I should read books written by her friends. These are books I probably would not have read were it not for the Patchett connection: Lucy Grealy’s Autobiography of a Face, Elizabeth McCracken’s The Giant’s House, and Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love. While I enjoyed these books, I didn’t love any of them the way I loved Bel Canto.

And yet I still find myself putting books on my ever-growing “to read” list based on Ann Patchett’s blurbs.  Here are a few of her blurbs that have tempted me lately:
The Outlander by Gil Adamson

“The Outlander deserves to be read twice, first for the plot and the complex characters which make this a page-turner of the highest order, and then a second time, slowly, to savor the marvel of Gil Adamson’s writing. This novel is a true wonder.”

Sacrament of Lies by Elizabeth Dewberry

“In Sacrament of Lies, the line between certainty and madness is as thin as a razor and equally as dangerous. Elizabeth Dewberry has given us a rare gift, a literary thriller that will keep us up all night. This book is riveting.”

Heir to the Glimmering World by Cynthia Ozick

“A cause for celebration in the world of literature. Here we have a heroine to love, a story we can’t let go of, gorgeous sentences, and ideas to wrestle with. I didn’t just read this book, I devoured it.”

Hands of My Father by Myron Uhlberg

“In telling the story of his very unique childhood, Myron Uhlberg has created a book that is universal. His feelings of love and responsibility, of shame and enormous pride, can teach us all something about being a member of a family. I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t love this book.”

 Tunneling to the Center of the Earth by Kevin Wilson

“Kevin Wilson’s stories show us a world that is both real and full of illusion…He forces us to look at our own lives in a new and slightly off-kilter way.”

 Are there any authors whose blurbs you trust? Do blurbs make any difference in the books you choose?

Mindy

Brad at the Evergreen Branch is spending the summer plowing through The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T.J. Stiles. Brad says, “It’s a big ol’ book, but so far it’s been a great read and fascinating story about the rise of a new kind of capitalism in 19^th century America.”

Brad plans to balance out his heavy non-fiction reading with Villain. This Japanese crime novel will be the first book published in English by the award-winning author Shuichi Yoshida.

Eileen, our library director, also plans to tackle a few mysteries.  61 Hours: A Reacher Novel by Lee Child is the next book in Child’s extremely popular Jack Reacher action mystery series about an ex-military policeman who wanders around the country—and into trouble—with little more than the clothes on his back. Eileen says, “Lee Child really knows how to write a thriller, and I’m looking forward to a relaxing read with Jack Reacher doing all the work while I just turn the pages!”

Eileen, along with several other library co-workers, also plans to read The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, the final book in the wildly popular Swedish thriller trilogy by the late Stieg Larsson. (If you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, listen to the Lone Reader’s review of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the book that started it all.)

Kathy alerted me to Neighborhood Watch by Cammie McGovern. The book’s description of “a librarian falsely imprisoned for 12 years” caught Kathy’s eye.  Kathy loved McGovern’s last book, Eye Contact, so much that she plans to re-read it this summer. She’s also looking forward to The Swimming Pool by Holly LeCraw.  This story of murder, infidelity, and twisted love triangles sounds like great poolside reading.

Jennifer will be reading My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares. She says, “The book has reincarnation overtones and the description of the book caught my eye enough that I wrote it down immediately.”  In this book, a man spends centuries falling in love with the same girl.

Priscilla, who recently visited Dubai, is eager to read The Sand Fish: a Novel from Dubai by Maha Garah. Set in the 1950s, this story of one young woman’s coming-of-age struggles offers a fascinating peek into the social life and customs in the United Arab Emirates.

Andrea, our new youth services librarian, is gearing up for October’s Teen Read Week by reading all 26 books nominated by teens as their favorites of the past year. Andrea is particularly looking forward to Gayle Forman’s If I Stay, in which a young woman, full of promise and energy, is in a horrible accident. While in a coma, she needs to decide if she will fight to live. 

Susan recently read Boneshaker by Cherie Priest and loved it, even though she doesn’t normally go for zombies. But this steampunk novel set in Seattle felt “like watching a movie, and there were parts where I was on the edge of my seat!”  Priest has two more books with the same characters in the works. Clementine will be released this summer and Susan can’t wait.

Another “can’t wait” book is The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell. The librarian who told me about it says Mitchell is phenomenal, and this new book—historical fiction set in Japan—will be a departure from The Cloud Atlas and his other earlier works.

If you’re like me and need some help choosing that perfect beach read or building your summer reading list, just ask us!

Mindy

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming (2008) by Joshilyn Jackson
Laurel’s happy suburban life is torn apart when a ghost appears and leads her to the dead body of a girl floating in the backyard swimming pool. This book will appeal to the reader who enjoys southern gothic storytelling, rich ghost stories, and family drama. 

The Girl Who Chased the Moon (2010) by Sarah Addison Allen
Teenager Emily wants to learn more about her elusive mother, Dulcie, and is disappointed that her grandfather won’t help her. But Dulcie’s high school rival, Julia—on her own unlikely quest to find a daughter given up for adoption—takes an interest in Emily. This book is recommended for readers who love family secrets, romantic intrigue, and magical realism.

The Girl Who Fell from the Sky (2010) by Heidi Durrow
Rachel is the daughter of a Danish mother and a black G.I. As the sole survivor of a family tragedy, she moves with her grandmother to a black community where her light skin and blue eyes attract unwanted attention. This autobiographical novel of racial identity, grief, and coming of age is recommended for those who enjoyed  The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.

The Girl Who Played with Fire (2009) and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (2010) by Stieg Larsson
These are the second and third books in the late Stieg Larsson’s wildly popular Swedish thriller series. (The first book is The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.) Fans of this series can’t get enough of Lisbeth Salander, the 24-year-old tattooed genius hacker at the heart of these mysteries. (Be sure to listen to The Lone Reader’s review of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo if you haven’t already!)

It’s not just the girls who are featured in new book titles. There are also a handful of interesting new books featuring “boys who” too: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (2009) by William Kamkwamba,  The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To (2010) by D.C. Pierson, and  The Boy Who Loved Tornadoes (2010) by Randi Davenport. 

There are so many girls who and boys who, I bet you’ll want to read about one or two.

Mindy

"Girl scouts sending cookies to Vietnam Marines," Everett Herald, 1969

Reading The Things They Carried is a vivid reminder that the Vietnam War touched the lives of all American communities. Everett was no exception. Of the 1050 Washington State men whose names are etched on the wall of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., 30 were from Everett. Another 58 were from elsewhere in Snohomish County.

To learn more about these individuals, you can search for these names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial website. Darilee Bednar of Third Street Book Exchange in Marysville has also created an online memorial, including yearbook photos and biographical information for these local men. There is a page for Everett, one for Snohomish County towns from Arlington to Lake Stevens and one for Lynnwood to Tulalip. Another page indexes many more names from throughout Washington State. She has also created similar pages for Idaho, Montana, and Oregon servicemen. Darilee’s project represents an enormous amount of painstaking research and compassion for those individuals.

"Women sending movies to Vietnam troops," Everett Herald, 1969

HistoryLink.org, an online encyclopedia of Washington State history, also lists Washington State citizens who died while serving in Vietnam. The Everett Public Library has yearbooks from Everett and Cascade High Schools, as well as Polk’s city directories, and The Everett Herald on microfilm. These sources are useful tools in learning more about these men, their families, and how the Vietnam War affected the local community.

Mindy

Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.  –Groucho Marx *

A popular stereotype about librarians is that we’re all cat people. Books like Dewey: the Small Town Library Cat that Touched the World do little to disabuse people of this notion.

I’ve got nothing against cats, but I’m a dog person. I even like reading about dogs. Luckily, there are many wonderful dog-centric books, both fiction and non-fiction at the library. Here are a few of my recent favorites:

The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst is an odd and oddly captivating story. When Paul’s wife falls from a tree and dies, the only witness is their Rhodesian Ridgeback Lorelei. In his grief, Paul tries to teach Lorelei to speak so he can learn whether her death was an accident or suicide.    

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewsi follows the plot of Hamlet, but in Wisconsin and with a mute protagonist and his family’s special (fictional) breed of Sawtelle dogs. You don’t have to be a dog lover or a Shakespeare lover to be drawn into this thrilling family saga.

In Travels with Charley: in Search of America novelist John Steinbeck chronicles his 1960 cross country road trip with his beloved French poodle, Charley, and his truck, Rocinante. I fell in love with old Charley and with Steinbeck’s eloquent account of his journey across the changing American landscape.

In Heroic Measures by Jill Ciment, an elderly couple puts their Manhattan apartment on the market the same weekend that their beloved daschund Dorothy undergoes emergency surgery all while living in a city that is paralyzed by fear of a possible terrorist attack. There are many lovely, quiet moments amidst the drama.

I picked up Temple Grandin’s Animals Make Us Human for the dogs. But Grandin’s unique perspective as an autistic researcher and her insights into the emotional and psychological lives of animals were so fascinating, I stayed for the cats, horses, and other animals she explores in this book.

Have you read any doggone good books lately?

Mindy

* This quote, and many more, can be found here.

My tried-and-true cookbook favorite, How to Cook Everything: 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food by Mark Bittman is helping me meet this goal.  I credit his earlier book, How to Cook Everything: the Basics: Simple Recipes Anyone Can Cook, with teaching me to cook competently in the first place. His books feature basic cooking techniques and skills along with great recipes. Instructions are straightforward, adaptable, and never too fussy. 

I’ve recently found some fun new cookbooks that have inspired my weeknight cooking. Most of the recipes I’ve tried in Almost Meatless: Recipes that are Better for your Health and the Planet can be adapted for either vegetarians or meat-eaters. The idea is that cooking with less meat helps your pocketbook, your waistline, and the planet, without sacrificing any flavor or texture. I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in eating less meat without going entirely vegetarian.  

As an unabashed Francophile,  I absolutely adore Clotilde Dusoulier’s Chocolate & Zucchini: Daily Adventures in a Parisian Kitchen. Even if you don’t make a single recipe, this is a charming read. Don’t let the “adventures in a Parisian kitchen” subtitle mislead you. Dusoulier lived in San Francisco for many years, and her recipes are designed for American cooks and kitchens. Recipes are accessible, straightforward and—in my experience—always delicious. The yogurt cake recipe is so easy and such a crowd pleaser, it almost feels like cheating.

Because I’m always finding interesting new cookbooks and cooking magazines to try at the library, I think I may actually be able to stick with this tasty resolution.

Bon Appetit!

Mindy

Now that I have the audio book bug, I get to enjoy a new part of the library. I browse our Books-on-CD collections at least once a week and always find something interesting. I’ve become so hooked that I want to listen even when I’m not in the car. Luckily, Overdrive lets me download audio books to my iPod. Boring chores are now a lot more fun. I suspect I’ll be visiting the Playaway collection more once I get back on the bus and want to continue listening in an easy, portable way.

In addition to the format choices, audio books have encouraged me to push beyond my normal reading fare of literary domestic fiction and memoirs. I’m listening to more narrative non-fiction and essay collections, young adult novels, and even the occasional science fiction selection. My listening tastes and my reading tastes are not necessarily the same, and I think that’s a great thing. 

My favorite listens lately are Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, Amy Sedaris’s I Like You, David Grann’s The Lost City of Z, and Kurt Vonnegut’s Man without a Country. These are not books I’d necessarily pick up and read cover to cover, but I was completely captivated by the content and vocal performances of each.

What about you? Do you prefer your book in print or audio? Do your listening and reading habits align? Talk to me. I’m listening.

Mindy