Banned Books Week

This week is Banned Books Week. Celebrate your right to read by reading a banned or challenged book. Check out the library's display of titles that have been banned or challenged. Have you read a banned book lately? Why do you think it was banned or challenged?

Hot Topic - The Wife

Writing a book about "the wife" has been good for authors. There have been lots of titles published over the years.

The Kitchen God's Wife by Amy Tan
Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund
The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
The Senators Wife by Sue Miller
Sunday Wife by Cassandra King
The Good Wife Strikes Back by Elizabeth Buchan
River Wife by Jonis Agee
The Wife by Meg Wolitzer

This year brings several more new titles about "the wife".

The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff
Novel About My Wife by Emily Perkins
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld
The Professor's Wives Club by Joanne Rendell

You can check out any one of the titles from the Stanly County Public Library. If you can think of any other titles with "the wife", please share with us. And if you've read any of these books, let us know what you thought about it.

Oprah's Newest Book Club Selection

On Friday, Oprah announced the newest book in her book club. It is The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. The book jacket cover says this about the book: "Born mute, speaking only in sign, Edgar Sawtelle leads an idyllic life with his parents on their farm in remote northern Wisconsin. For generations, the Sawtelles have raised and trained a fictional breed of dog whose thoughtful companionship is epitomized by Almondine, Edgar's lifelong friend and ally. But with the unexpected return of Claude, Edgar's paternal uncle, turmoil consumes the Sawtelles' once peaceful home. When Edgar's father dies suddenly, Claude insinuates himself into the life of the farm - and into Edgar's mother's affections." "Grief-stricken and bewildered, Edgar tries to prove Claude played a role in his father's death, but his plan backfires - spectacularly. Forced to flee into the vast wilderness lying beyond the farm, Edgar comes of age in the wild, fighting for his survival and that of the three yearling dogs who follow him. But his need to face his father's murderer and his devotion to the Sawtelle dogs turn Edgar ever homeward."

The library has several copies available for checkout.

Annual Friends of the Library Author Dinner

The Friends of the Stanly County Public Library are proud to announce that Susan Gregg Gilmore, author of Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen will be the featured speaker at the Friends annual author dinner. Susan Gregg Gilmore has written for the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the Los Angeles Times, and the Christian Science Monitor. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband and three daughters. This is her first novel. Books will be available for purchase and signing.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

6:30 pm

Stanly Regional Medical Center's Family and Education Center

Tickets are $12.00 for members of the Friends and $15.00 for non-members. Tickets can be purchased at the Albemarle branch of the Stanly County Public Library at 133 East Main Street, Albemarle, NC. Please call 704-986-3755 for more information. Tickets go on sale September 1st and must be purchased by September 22nd.

Man Book Prize Shortlist Announced

The Man Book Prize is for novels written in English by writers from Britain, Ireland or the Commonwealth of former British colonies.

From India are Aravind Adiga and his novel The White Tiger and Amitav Ghosh with the novel Sea of Poppies.

From Australia is author Steve Toltz with his first novel A Fraction of the Whole. The Albemarle library has a copy of this book available for checkout.

Ireland's Sebastian Barry recieved his second nomination for his novel The Secret Scripture. This title is on order and will be available soon.

Two novelists from England are on the list. Linda Grant for her novel The Clothes on Their Backs, which is on order and will be available soon. And Philip Hensher for his novel The Northern Clemency. His newest novel is not available for order yet, but the Albemarle library does have a copy of his previous book Mulberry Empire available for checkout.

The Man Booker winner will be announced on October 14.

It's Football Time

It's football time again. Friday night local games, Sunday afternoons in front of the TV and Monday Night Football. The Stanly County Public Library has lots of great football books for fans and football widows alike. We have everything from biographies of football players and coaches to warm love stories with handsome football heroes. Try one of these titles:

Just Too Good to be True by E. Lynn Harris

Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to pat Tillman by Mary Tillman

Between Sundays by Karen Kingsbury

Don't Bet Against me!: Beating the Odds Against Breast Cancer and in Life by Deanna Favre

Playing for Pizza by John Grisham

Quiet Strength: the Principles, Practices & Priorities of a Winning Life by Tony Dungy

Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Deal Breaker by Harlan Coben