Honoring Veterans

All six locations of the Des Moines Public Library are closed in today in honor of Veterans Day.
In September the Citizens Bank and Trust in Chillicothe, Missouri sponsored a Citizens Patriot Flight to Washington D.C. for twenty-one World War II veterans.  My sister Patti Leatherman got to assist, and she shared with me the details of the day. When the group (all men on this trip) gathered, one old soldier recognized another that he had not seen since the war. The trip coordinator, Betty Preston Steele, arranged a 'mail call' for all the men, with letters written by local grade-school students, family and friends.  The GI's visited The National WWII Memorial where one gentleman was able to find the name of his co-pilot who had died in the war. For these honorees, special permission was granted to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  It was handmade by Betty Preston Steele and one man from each of the four services - Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force - participated in laying the wreath.  Our father (Patti's and mine) was a GI and would have just loved a trip like this, so it was a deeply emotional day for Patti as well as the veterans. I hope this type of recognition continues through the years for all veterans. If you have a vet in your life, now is the perfect time to express your appreciation.  If you know them really well, hug a vet today!
About Iowa World War II Veterans

Veterans Day Tomorrow

All six locations of the Des Moines Public Library will be closed Thursday November 11th in observation of Veterans Day.

The first American casualty of Operation Desert Storm was Navy pilot Lt. Commander Michael Scott Speicher. His plane was shot down over west central Iraq on the opening evening of the attack, January 17 1991. For years there was hope he was alive since Speicher had gone down in a remote  area of Iraq and the remains were not found.  Until the summer of 2009, that is.  A long time for the family to wait.  Speicher had family in Iowa including a cousin, Des Moines native Julie Speicher.

Sources: Des Moines Register, 1/19/1991 p. 1A
Military History; Jan 2010, Vol.26 Issue 5, p9-9 as accessed through EbscoHost

Art of Gravy

Gravy.  Mystery or Monster?  It's a little like pie crust.  Those who can, make their own.  Those who can't buy perfectly delicious frozen pie crust imposters at the store.  If you can make gravy you have the patience of a saint and the hand-eye coordination of a videogame master. I remember my mother, whose gravy (albeit mighty tasty) was not silky smooth, bending over the pan gently swirling that huge spoon trying to get the annoying flour to become one with the gravy.  Instead of clumping. CLUMPS!  The bane of every gravy-maker.  She did however make ham gravy which some people consider to be a myth. Want to get on the gravy train?  (I tried not to, but it's mandatory. You are not allowed to write about gravy without making the train reference.  Look it up.)  Meanwhile, Get saucy!  This book is so good even the title is happy.  Gravy-making made fun!

Pogo - It's Been Awhile

Did you enjoy your extra hour of sleep this weekend?  I know, it gets dark earlier and nobody likes that, but the heaven of that one beautiful hour of sleep!  Aaaahh.  Back to Pogo.  Every so often, the Walt Kelly's comic strip Pogo pops up in the media.  One reason is this incredibly famous quote:  "We have met the enemy and he is us."  I always figured this was a general comment on the human condition, but it turns out 'Pogo' was speaking specifically about pollution.  Huh. I know the strip was brilliant and hilarious political satire but you really have to pay attention. Here's a sample of the dialogue, having to do with the loss of a chapeau:  "Huh! Ol' deacon is guv my hat to Miz Stork without so much as a bayou leave."  Guess Kelly also liked your garden-variety puns.

And the Rest of the Favorite Writers

Here we have your straight fiction, your hyphenates, your uncategorizable. I looked it up and yes, it's a word. You know which one I mean.

Veronica loves Junot Diaz and Alice 'Lovely Bones' Sebold. Diaz has only published 2 books so far, but they are astounding.

Andrea's non-genre faves include (are you missing Tiger Beat yet?)
Harper Lee
J.D. Salinger
John Steinbeck
Caitlin R. Kiernan OK, I lied. Kiernan and Brite are genre writers. I suggest you start with The Red Tree for Kiernan, so as to avoid completely blowing your mind. I mean it, she is an amazing wicked writer!
Poppy Z. Brite
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Anthony Bourdain
Sylvia Plath
Jon Krakauer

Burke hearts Henry James.

David enjoys fiction writers Kurt Vonnegut and Ken Kesey. Also mystery, fiction, nonfiction, children's writer Mike Lupica

Sara savors Stephanie Bond, Nicholas Sparks and fiction/SF/Teen writer Kim Harrison

Rebecca loves Charles Dickens, Emily Bronte, and Joanne Harris (author of "Chocolate"). Nothing wrong with the classics.

Mara relishes Maya Angelou Rita Mae Brown, Dan Brown, Doris Lessing Armistead Maupin, Louise Erdrich, Barack Obama and Moa Martinson, a (1930s Swedish proletarian-feminist author. Whew!

Elaine thinks Harry Bernstein is just the best – and he didn’t start writing until he was in his 90’s!

Carla
Alice Hoffman
John Irving
Margaret Atwood
Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Sharon Kay Penman

Luann
Leila Meacham
John Grisham
Kristin Hannah
Luanne Rice
Linda Lael Miller
Richard Paul Evans
Nicholas Sparks

Deitrick, Pam is a Jan Karon fan, likes the way she brings her characters to life!

Liz likes Graham Greene and Kate Chopin. A very discerning reader.

Dave
Child, Lee
Clancy, Tom
Coonts, Stephen
Cussler, Clive
Hunter, Stephen fic
Nanette
Sandra Dallas
Matthew Reilly,
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Alicia is a sucker for Daphne du Maurier and collects Pearl Buck!

And from our anonymous contributors:
David McCullough. turned up twice!
Stephanie Kane
Jonathan Mooney
Richard St. John
James Patterson
Gloria Naylor
Alice Walker
Barbara Kingsolver
Richard Russo
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Jane Austen
George Eliot
Wilkie Collins

Anonymous has good taste. Nice to know someone else has read Wilkie Collins. Believe it or not, The Woman in White is actually kind of funny. That would be a good one to start today. While you wait for your turn to read The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.

Genre Fic

Genre Fiction - that means mysteries, westerns, science fiction, horror, graphic novels humor and anything else I decide to toss in this group. Today I decided humor and graphic novels are genres. Wheee! On with the list!

Andrea is a fan of
graphic novelists Alison Bechdel, Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez
and humorist David Sedaris

Burke:
Arthur Conan Doyle mystery
P. G. Wodehouse humor
Jack Handey humor

Sara likesPatricia Briggs' fantasy and the oh-so popular Charlaine Harris mysteries.

Joe
Ken Scholes (fantasy)
Roger Zelazny (scifi/fantasy)
Guy Gavriel Kay (fantasy) - notice a trend?

Carla
Marion Zimmer Bradley SF
Dan Simmons SF and mysteries
George R. R. Martin Fantasy
Iain Pears mysteries

Dave C.
Turtledove, Harry SF
Weber, David SF
Moorcock, Michael Fantasy
Ringo, John SF
Burke, James mysteries
Tanenbaum, Robert K. mysteries

Both Pam and Nanette enjoy the Alexander McCall Smith mysteries.
Nanette also reads Diana Mott Davidson and Aimee Thurlo mysteries.

And these authors are favorites of anonymous library employees. Know anyone well enough to guess who?
Dick Francis
Anne Perry
David Eddings;
Ilona Andrews
Bill Bryson
Robert Crais
Laurie R King
Michael Connelly
Joan Slonczewski
Sheri Tepper
Octavia Butler
Dorothy Sayers
Nevada Barr,
Donna Leon
Ursula K. LeGuin
"Star Wars" authors like Troy Denning, Christie Golden and Aaron Allston.
"Monk" series of mysteries by Lee Goldberg, based on the TV show.

If you've kept to general fiction (what sf fans would call 'mundane'. What can I say, in comparison...) there are excellent reasons here to break out, go wild, throw caution to the winds and read something different. Why should I, you say? I will provide a shining example by reading a P. G. Wodehouse Jeeves novel. They've never appealed to me but now I shall make the sacrifice! The things I do for you, you audience. Ah, what the heck, you're worth it! Read now.

Authors for Those Who Read Young

You can be an adult and still enjoy books written for the youth of the world.  How many adults do you think read the Twilight books?  Possibly more than will admit it.  When I polled the staff of the Des Moines Public Library about their favorite authors, it turns out there are quite a few who like to read Teen and Children's books.

Burke - the Mark Twain and the Franklin Dixon.  Your boys' books for boys.

Sara -  Meg 'Princess Diaries' Cabot  and  Rachel 'Soul Screamers' Vincent. I hear that Twilight fans will love the Vincent series.  How long before Rachel's turn at the movies?

Mara - you know them you love them:  Harry Potter's J. K. Rowling, Captain Underpants' Dav Pilkey, and Harriet the Spy's Louise Fitzhugh.

Sarah is all about the Sarah Dessen.  Sarah (the library employee) would like nothing more than to meet her favorite author.  More than a 12-year-old girl would like to meet Justin Bieber.  If you can imagine.

Nanette is a fan of the quiet stylings of Tasha Tudor.  Tudor's illustrations are lovely and warm and make you feel good.  Is that so wrong?

Others beloved by adults:
Christopher Paolini - someday book 4 will come out!
John Flanagan (love the Ranger’s Apprentice series).
Robin McKinley; she re-imagined Beauty and the Beast long before Jane Austen met the Zombies.
Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games are all the rage!
Gordon Korman. Go ahead, start reading. He's written a gazillion books, you won't run out.
Kevin Henkes - Lilly of Purple Purse fame! His illustrations are hi-larious.
Nancy Springer's Enola Holmes series features the 14-year-old sister of Sherlock. And she solves mysteries!

Don't hesitate to raid the Children's and Teen collections for fun reads.  I never do.  Hesitate that is.

Celebrating Authors - Staff Favorites

I thought you'd enjoy my favorite authors so much you'd like more!  From other people! Here is a list from one of our prolific readers:
Laura Childs
Lee Child
Monica Ferris
Ellis Peters
L. E. Modesit
M. C. Beaton
Mercedes Lackey
Terry Prackett
Jasper Fforde
Eoin Colfer
Nancy Zieman
Patti Palmer
Alice Starmore
Claire Shaeffer
James Rollins
Alexander McCall Smith
Robert Munsch
Meave Binchy
Tomie DePaola
Peter Tremayne
Margaret Haddix
Aimee Thurlo
Kate Sedley
Margaret Frazer
Maggie Sefton
Christopher Moore
Jimmy Buffett

A fine list of writers!  Jimmy Buffett in the same list with James Rollins.  It can only happen here, folks.  I can personally vouch for Rollins for adventure, Peters for excellent historical mysteries, and we saw Alexander McCall Smith in person at AViD a couple years back.  Full kilt, ladies and gentlemen.  Just like Jimmy Buffett would arrive in a Hawaiian shirt.  If I read my Buffets right.

National Authors' Day

Hug an author today!  Ok, just say "Hi, congratulations on being an author".  That would probably work out better.  And don't we all have our favorite authors!  People just go nuts for Janet Evanovich, Stephen King, Stephenie Meyer, Alexander McCall Smith.  Here are my top 10 favorite authors for right now.  In no particular order.

Dan Simmons
Sheri S. Tepper
Laurie Notaro
Octavia Butler
Robert Holdstock
Shirley Jackson
Molly Ivins
Tim Powers
J. R. R. Tolkien
Minette Walters
 
If you'd like to venture in start with Notaro and Ivins for humor.  Tim Powers writes dazzling books set in our world with small changes.  (Say if you could keep someone's soul in a bottle).  Minetter Walter's mysteries are meaty and play off the strange reasons people do horrible things.  Doesn't that sound like fun!  Who's on your list?