Ranger's Apprentice

I can't believe that I went this long without talking about the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan! We all know how I love a good teen fantasy series, and this is consistently one of the best. I just got done reading number seven in the series, Erak's Ransom, and it was phenomenal. Do you know how I can tell? Because it's a prequel to books five and six, so fundamentally, I knew how it was going to turn out. But still . . . I was on the edge of my seat, reading far past my bedtime so that I could find out where it was going to take me. That's the sign of an excellent book! So if you like stories about underdogs who make good, epic battles, Viking-esque warriors, strong females, and against-all-odds journeys, check this series out.

Kay Scarpetta Returns

Patricia Cornwell's mystery thrillers starring Dr. Kay Scarpetta have been very popular over the years, and her latest, Port Mortuary, is sure to follow suit. As the chief of the new Cambridge Forensic Center in Massachusetts, a joint venture of the state and federal governments, MIT and Harvard, Scarpetta is confronted with a case that could shut down her new facility and ruin her personally and professionally. The Hillsdale Community Library has Port Mortuary available in both the book and CD format.

Through the Years . . .

Do you remember when HBO was pretty much the only premium channel around, and it seemed so revolutionary? If you were a kid, like me, then you sat in front of the TV day after day watching the same few movies . . . Grease 2, Under the Rainbow, 9 to 5, and my favorite, Clash of the Titans. To this day, I can recite huge chunks of dialogue from the original Titans, and these repeated viewings opened up a special place in my heart for Harry Hamlin. Then, decades later, he showed up in a favorite TV show, Veronica Mars. Yay!

Hamlin recently released a book about his childhood, Full Frontal Nudity: The Making of an Accidental Actor. I haven't had a chance to read our copy yet, but by all reports, it's quite good. But if Harry Hamlin is not your cup of tea, perhaps you'd like one of the other new celebrity biographies and memoirs we've gotten at HCL. They cover a wide range of topics, from Dick Cavett to Paul McCartney, and there's sure to be one to pique your interest.

Do You Believe in Monsters?

What would you do if the fate of the world rested on your shoulders, and yours alone? What if generations of your family had been in the same situation? And what if nobody around you believed in any of it? That's the scenario in a new book, The Caretaker of Lorne Field by Dave Zeltserman, and it is fascinating! Jack Durkin's family has sacrificed generations of first-born sons to fulfill a contract with the city. Every day these first-born sons methodically weed a field full of Aukowies, weed-like monsters that will take over the world if left alone. But everyone in town, including his wife and first-born son, think that he is crazy . . . that the weeds are just weeds. Who is right? Who is delusional? You'll have to read the book to find out!

Jane Austen Goes to Boarding School

Jane Austen is a popular author in Hillsdale, with people of all ages reading her works. A friend who works in publishing sent me a pre-publication copy of a new book based on the Austen tale, Pride and Prejudice. This new teen book, Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg, is set in an extremely exclusive boarding school where the prom is the most important thing to happen each year. Scholarship student Lizzie Bennet is despised by her classmates for not being wealthy, which colors her perception of the various boys she meets. This is a smart update of a great Austen novel, retaining enough of the original plot to appeal to fans of Jane Austen but tweaking enough of the details to make it seem fresh. Prom and Prejudice doesn't come out until January 2011, so be on the lookout for this fun teen book.

Presidential Memories

Regardless of how you feel about George Bush, you have to admit that his new book, Decision Points, is bound to be a bestseller. This presidential memoir has been all over the news this past week, and many people are eagerly anticipating it. Bush's tenure was marked by controversy and crisis, which makes his telling of the story even more interesting. The Hillsdale Community Library has both the book and the audio, so come in today to check out this hot book!

New King

While Stephen King is probably best known for his mastery of the horror novel, he has proven to have an immense amount of talent in writing short stories, as well. One need only go as far back as "The Body" (which served as the basis for the hit movie Stand By Me) or "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" (which was made into another great movie) to see that he has a certain brilliance in this shorter format. His latest book, Full Dark, No Stars, which is out this month, is a collection of short stories that will no doubt excite fans of both the genre and of King.