Mixed Media

Having worked in both the publishing and library worlds, and having heard for years about the inevitable death of the printed page, I'm always interested in people who experiment with the book format and push the technological envelope. This is precisely why Level 26: Dark Origins by Anthony E. Zuiker caught my eye. Zuiker is the creator of the television show CSI, and his new book incorporates short films, a website, and other interactive technologies. Basically, you read a certain number of pages and then you are directed to a website to watch a short film. Yahoo even featured the book in one of its news stories. The Hillsdale Community Library has already ordered our copy, so you can expect it on our shelves as soon as it releases.

The same concept is used in a new series for middle-grade kids, written by Patrick Carman. Skeleton Creek is already out, and the second book, Ghost in the Machine, is set to release in October. I was lucky enough to see Carman speak--and to watch one of the short films from the second book--and I can tell you that this is spooky stuff! Maybe this is one way to get all those computer-addicted, thrill-seeking boys to actually want to read.

Hillsdale County Big Read 2010


The votes have been counted and the winner is:



The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

If you want the wits scared out of you, read One Second After by William Forstchen. It's not about things that go bump in the night, it's about technology our enemies currently have that can truly end our way of life. One Second After takes place in Black Mountain, N.C., a town not much different than Hillsdale. An EMP (electromagnetic pulse) is set off over the United States which short circuits everything that has a circuit. It wipes out every source of power and communication. Within weeks the country reverts to medieval levels of survival, each town dependent on the resources and citizens trapped within.

Although it is a work of fiction (well written, by the way) it is based on very disturbing facts. If Y2K made you nervous this book will send you over the edge.

LeAnne

Gilbery & Sullivan Set Me Free by Kathleen Karr

A totally great read. Funny, serious and enlighting all at the same time. Kathleen Karr writes about life in a Massachusetts's women prison in the early 1900's. The main character, Libby is the youngest inmate,only 16,who learns about prison life very quickly. Libby and fellow inmates are allowed to be in a choir by the chaplin and then in a play "The Pirates of Penzance". You will be rooting for Libby and her friends before chapter 2. Historical fiction with a different twist. The book is based on a true story, the Massachusetts's Sherborn Prison for Women did put on a play in 1914.

GrandLoving by Sue Johnson & Julie Carlson

Whether you live near to or far from your grandchildren, Grandloving will help you grow closer. An easy to read sourcebook for making memories with the grandkids. This book is packed full of great ideas.

Eugene the Librarian on Britain's Got Talent

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7ijwEwAvdo

I went to see District 9 last week. It is one of the most memorable movies I've seen in some time. The standard themes of prejudice, intolerance and persecution are given a new twist when inflicted on aliens stranded on Earth. After 20 years, everything comes to a head when one of us starts to become one of them. Definitely worth seeing. LeAnne