As the last couple of days of '08 wind down, I started thinking of all the books we've read during the course of the past year. I took a poll of the library staff and the following are some of our favorite books of 2008: (hint: none are any of the NYT notables of '08, just really good reads)

Amy - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows, The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett and The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak.

Terry -When a Crocodile Eats the Sun by Peter Godwin and The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets by Eva Rice

Ellen B - Playing for Pizza by John Grisham and Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland.

Alene - Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews, Rule Number Two : lessons I learned in a combat hospital by Heidi Squier Kraft and Death : a Life by George Pendle

Mike - Babylon Babies by Maurice G. Dantec and Every Last Drop by Charlie Huston

Eileen - The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry and Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.

Connie - Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, Cathedral of the Sea by Ildefonso Falcones and Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith.

Ellen L. - The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid and What Happened to Anna K. by Irina Reyn.

Happy 2009!

Will Eisner's classic comics character makes the leap to the screen in this spectacular new live-action movie written and directed by Frank Miller. Coming Soon!

Do you have a reluctant reader at home? Well, the author of the Max and Pinky series, Maxwell Eaton has come up with 10 Tips for Parents of Ricky, the Reluctant Reader. Here is a taste below:

As hard as it is to believe, here we are at the end of another year and the 'best of' lists are out. I hate to admit this, but I have a lot of reading to do to make a substantial dent in the New York Times' 100 Notable Books of 2008 - how about you?

Merry Christmas! (Thanks to Mo Willems for the great cartoon.)
And Happy Hanukkah!

Looking for something to do over the winter break? Come out to the Library for Teen/Tween Vacation Game Day, Monday, December 29 @ 2-4 pm. Play our Wii and board games. And bring some of your own Wii games too. Then join us the next day, Tuesday, December 30 for a Teen Tina Fey Movie Night @ 4-8:15, featuring Mean Girls and Baby Mama...and some pizza and other food too!

As you know, the number of book discussion groups has increased dramatically over the last ten years or so. Here at the library, we always know what local book groups are reading when we get 5 or 6 requests for titles such as The Zookeeper's Wife or The Ditchdigger's Daughters, both great choices for discussion.

I saw this article, Fought Over Any Good Books Lately?, in the Sunday Times and heard it discussed on the Brian Lehrer radio show last week. Can any of you relate? I can't, at my book club, we are lucky we agree on most titles and whoever choses the book leads the next discussion. I'm glad we get along and I can now tell my group how much money we save by not needing a facilitator!

Discworld is a flat world balanced on the backs of four elephants which, in turn, stand on the back of a giant turtle. Terry Prachett wrote 36 novels based in this fantasy world. The novels are zany and at the same time very clever. The books are for people who love comedy and fantasy.

It seems that blogs are always linking to other blogs, who link to other blogs, etc. which could leave you surfing the internet for the rest of your life. But I'm just going offer two blogs from authors that I enjoy:
Douglas Florian: The staff here in the children's room just saw Douglas Florian speak at a breakfast meeting and he was wonderful. He read his poems aloud and had us all laughing out loud. I'm also making a resolution to try to read more poetry and he posts a lot of poetry on his blog.
Mo Willems : I don't think there's a funnier children's author out there, because it seems like he mostly wants to make kids laugh and if the parents get the joke too, it's just a bonus. So click away and find out where he'll be appearing (be prepared to be charmed if you see him speak) and get a peek at some awesome fan mail.

Last week at the Library our Teen Advisory Group (TAG) hosted a Holiday Card Craft. It was a big success and over 100 cards were made for local nursing home patients. These cards will make many people happy. Great work! If you missed the event, we hope to see you next time. In the mean time, check out this website http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1024.html You can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will send it to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. It's a nice way to spread some cheer!

Here are some of the cards from our craft:

There's already Oscar buzz about Kate Winslet for both of her upcoming movie roles in Revolutionary Road and The Reader. But, did you know that the movies are based on best selling novels of the same name? I read The Reader a few years ago when it was an Oprah Book Club selection and loved it. Why not read the books and then check out the movies to see if the old adage that the movie is never as good as the book still holds true? I'm betting that it is.

More Books into Movies - November & December

P.S. - the critically acclaimed indie movie, Slumdog Millionaire, is based on a 2005 novel Q&A by Vikas Swarup.

Children's book author and illustrator, Nathan Hale, is featuring a Dinosaur-A-Day Advent Calendar to promote his new book The Dinosaurs' Night Before Christmas written by Anne Muecke. Check his blog every day until Christmas for more dinosaur awesomeness!

Cyberpunk
a type of science fiction typically describing a violent, urban future in which computers and drugs predominate.....Are we there yet?
CYBERPUNK

You're reading this blog so we know that you're intelligent, but, if you want to get smarter (is that even possible?), check out 100 Blogs That Will Make You Smarter. Scroll down to #70 for the literature blogs.

Who wants to even attempt to do any shopping on "Black Friday?" I know I didn't this year, instead it was "Book Friday" for me. Cruise Amazon.com and stay home in your slippers. Here are a few of the books I'm buying as holiday gifts this year for the kids in my life:
Bats at the Library by Brian Lies - for the book lovers

Adele and Simon in America by Barbara McClintock - for the more sophisticated Where's Waldo fans
In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck - a quiet, calming bedtime story

The Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Mo Willems - a cautionary tale for those wishing for a dog under the tree
Backbeard and the Birthday Suit by Matthew McElligott - Arghh, pirates everywhere will love it!
Elephant and Piggie Series by Mo Willems - easy readers with a sense of humor

Fancy Nancy I-Can-Read Series by Jane O'Connor - tres chic, only for the fanciest girls you know