Check It Out

Alif the Unseen

Barb F. of Fiction/AV/Teen Services recommends Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson:

Author G. Willow Wilson creates a fast-paced story that combines modern hacker culture and ancient Muslim mysticism. Set in an unnamed Middle Eastern city, the story centers on computer hacker Alif. Alif writes a program that is able to secretly detect the online activity of the woman who broke his heart. The program catches the attention of government censors and the chief of state security, known as “The Hand of God”. A series of dangerous adventures involving an ancient manuscript dictated by the Jinn, religious leaders, and a plethora of supernatural creatures is set in motion. This fantasy thriller is an interesting look at the world of both the seen and unseen.

By Readers' Advisor on May 6, 2013 Categories: All Staff Picks, Books, Fantasy & Sci-Fi, Picks by Barb F.

Edgar Allan Poe Awards for Best Mysteries

You don’t need a tell-tale heart to lead the way to good mysteries. This week the Mystery Writers of America crowned winners of the 2013 Edgar Awards, and the raven’s call includes intrigue in a variety of styles. Check these out:

Best Novel: Live by Night by Dennis Lehane
Best First Novel by an American Author: The Expats by Chris Pavone
Best Paperback Original: The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters
Best Fact Crime: Midnight in Peking by Paul French
Best Critical/Biographical: The Scientific Sherlock Holmes by James O’Brien
Best Short Story: “The Unremarkable Heart” by Karen Slaughter (in Mystery Writers of America presents Vengeance)
Best Juvenile: The Quick Fix by Jack D. Ferraiolo
Best Young Adult: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Best Television Episode Teleplay: “A Scandal in Belgravia,” Sherlock, teleplay by Stephen Moffat
Robert L. Fish Memorial Award: “When They Are Done With Us” by Patricia Smith (in Staten Island Noir)
Mary Higgins Clark Award: The Other Woman by Hank Phillippi Ryan

By Readers' Advisor on May 3, 2013 Categories: Awards, Books, Movies and Television, Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense

LISTS: If You Like Lilian Jackson Braun

Lilian Jackson Braun wrote cozy mysteries with laid-back pacing and a cast of colorful feline and human characters. If you’ve made your way through all of her “Cat Who…” series, how about trying something new?

Click here for authors similar to Lilian Jackson Braun.

By Readers' Advisor on Categories: Books, Lists, Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense

A Physicist More Disheveled Than Einstein

Erwin Schrödinger was an Austrian physicist integral to developing the fundamentals of quantum theory. Considered of the “new school” of physics, Schrödinger thought outside the box. His life was no different than his science. Schrödinger once hiked to a science conference. When he and his rucksack got there, he was denied entrance because he was thought to be a tramp. In addition, Schrödinger was known to be rather amorous with ladies of all ages, and his wife took equal liberties to have lovers. Erwin Schrödinger and the Quantum Revolution is a compelling pop-science biography that gets into the nitty-gritty of Schrödinger’s personal life and how he helped move science into the next century.

By Readers' Advisor on May 2, 2013 Categories: Books, Nonfiction

Book Discussion Questions: The Hard Bounce

SPOILER WARNING: These book discussion questions are highly detailed and will ruin plot points, if you have not read the book.

Title: The Hard Bounce
Author: Todd Robinson
Page Count: 301
Genre: Mystery
Tone: Gritty, Darkly Humorous, Violent

1. What did you think of “the Boy” as a character? Who was “the Boy” a part of? When did he appear in the story?

2. Did this feel different than other mysteries you’ve read? Why or why not?

3. What books does The Hard Bounce remind you of? Are there any writers that Todd Robinson reminds you of?

4. Who would you recommend this book to? Why?

5. What words would you use to describe this book when talking about it to friends?

6. Would you consider this book too graphic? If yes, why? If not, are there any books you consider too graphic?

7. Boo is the main character. Did you like him? Why or why not?

8. What did it say about Boo that he owned only 1 plate and 1 set of cutlery?

9. What can you tell about Boo as a person that he still has a beeper and doesn’t own a cell phone until Kelly Reese buys him one?

10. How do Boo and Junior know each other?

11. Do you think the author is making a statement about juvenile detention facilities?

12. What is 4DC? Who owns it? Who wants to hire 4DC? Why?

13. Boo and Junior have a common man’s approach to detective work – given the same task, how would you have accomplished solving this crime? Would you have done anything differently?

14. Why did Cassie run away from home? Who did she run to?

15. Did you believe that Cassie was capable of all the things she did at 14-years old? Did she want to be saved?

16. A main plot point of The Hard Bounce involves a snuff film. How did this make you feel? How do you think the author wanted you to feel?

17. Boo wants to immediately kill Snake/Derek. Who talks him out of it and why?

18. Do you believe Snake/Derek when he later tells Boo that he truly loved Cassie and wanted to run away with her?

19. Why didn’t Boo go to see his sister Emily? Would you have gone to see her?

20. Why don’t Boo and Junior trust cops?

21. Do you think multiple points of view about law enforcement (both positive and negative) are given? Do you think it is the author’s responsibility to give multiple points of view on this issue?

22. Who is Underdog? What went wrong with Underdog’s career? Does he fix it by the end of the book?

23. Did all of the musical references add to the setting or distract you?

24. What did you think of the dynamic between Kelly and Boo? Did you think they would fall into a relationship? Why do you think they like each other? Do you think it will last?

25. When does the break in the case about Cassie come?

26. Who was Sid and what did you think of her occupation?

27. How was the mafia involved in the case?

28. What ultimately happens to Cassie? Who kills her? Why?

29. Boo goes into a depression by the end of The Hard Bounce. Why? Does he shake out of it?

30. Does The Hard Bounce have a happy ending? Did it end where and how you wanted it to?

Other Resources:

Lit Reactor interview with Todd Robinson
MPPL interview with Todd Robinson
Todd Robinson reading from The Hard Bounce
Crimespree Magazine review of The Hard Bounce
Mystery Scene Magazine review of The Hard Bounce

By Readers' Advisor on May 1, 2013 Categories: Book Discussion Questions, Books, Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense

Larry’s Pick: The Metabarons

The Metabarons by Alexandro Jodorowsky and Juan Gimenez is an epic space opera graphic novel. The characters include humanoids, cyborgs, and other mechanical and living creatures. It is a story of bravery, sacrifice, loyalty, survival, ethics, and morality. The plot, enhanced by luscious illustrations, makes this book a page-turner.

By Readers' Advisor on April 30, 2013 Categories: All Staff Picks, Books, Picks by Larry

Everything is Connected

How does the search for a missing cat turn into a warehouse explosion and a dead billionaire? Only in the world of Dirk Gently, an invention of Douglas Adams, can randomness and chaos actually back into solving cases. The anti-Sherlock Holmes, Gently eschews logic and deduction and instead holds tight to his faith in the interconnectedness of all things. Of course, this holistic approach comes at a price, a price that may include charging clients for a new refrigerator or a Bahamas vacation because, after all, that’s part of the process, too. New to DVD, the 2010 pilot and handful of 2012 episodes are just enough to endear the manic Dirk Gently and his put-upon partner to viewers ready for a madcap departure from the stereotypical British detective.

By Readers' Advisor on April 29, 2013 Categories: Humor, Movies and Television, Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense

LISTS: For METAL!!! Maniacs

“We want to be the band that if we moved in next door to you, your lawn would die,” said Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead. From hair bands to thrash to Finnish folk death metal, the Library has your heavy metal needs covered.

For metal movies and books, click here.
Click here for classic metal bands.
Click here for 80s metal bands.
Click here for contemporary metal.

By Readers' Advisor on April 26, 2013 Categories: Books, Lists, Movies and Television, Music

Defeating Negativity

Alice Herz-Sommer and her young son survived Theresienstadt concentration camp due to her skills on the piano, having played over 100 concerts for the Nazis. Today, Alice is 109 years old. She lives in a London flat by herself and still plays 3 hours of piano a day. A Century of Wisdom: Lessons from the Life of Alice Herz-Sommer, the World’s Oldest Living Holocaust Survivor expresses the positive mindset that let Alice survive and thrive though her closest friends and family did not. Alice’s life has crossed continents and she’s met the likes of Kafka, Mahler, Freud, and Rilke. She is a firm believer that music fights despair and that it can help fine-tune a positive mental outlook.

By Readers' Advisor on April 25, 2013 Categories: Books, Nonfiction

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction

The U.S. book world uttered a collective sigh of relief when the 2013 Pulitzer committee actually named a Fiction winner. Still reeling from the unpopular decision to withhold the 2012 Prize, readers have even more reason to celebrate The Orphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson, the worthy recipient of this year’s honor. Lauded as “an exquisitely crafted novel that carries the reader on an adventuresome journey into the depths of totalitarian North Korea and into the most intimate spaces of the human heart,” The Orphan Master’s Son was selected over fellow finalists What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank by Nathan Englander and The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. The Prize is given annually to a work of distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life.

By Readers' Advisor on April 24, 2013 Categories: Awards, Books, Literary