Adults blog posts

Dig Mel's June Movies

Nathaniel — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 12:26:00 -0400

Dig into Movies

1. Tremors
2. Little Shop of Horrors
3. Indiana Jones and the Temple of DOOM
4. Descent
--------------------------------

1. Fantastic Mr. Fox
2. Holes
3. Frankenweenie
4. Secret Garden
5. The Great Escape
6. National Treasure
7. Bugs life

Movies based on books

(Part 2)

1. The Omega Man
2. Warm bodies
3. Misery

4. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
5. Being Julia
6. Choke
7. Planet of the Apes (1967)

8. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
9. Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy
10. Bourne identity

Mel's Marvelous May Movie Recommendations

Nathaniel — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:18:00 -0400

Movie in the spotlight! : Black Dynamite

True Life Sagas
1. Charlie Wilson's War2. Domino
3. Man on the Moon
4. Alive
5. Notorious Bettie Page
6. Basketball Diaries
7. The Informant!
8. Defiance
9. Kinsey
10. A Dangerous Method

Hail to El Presidente

1. American President

2. Air Force One

3. My Fellow Americans

4. In the Line of Fire

5. Frost/Nixon

The Humorous World of Sports

1. Happy Gilmore

2. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

3. Blades of Glory

4. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

5. Mighty Ducks

Mel's Awe-Inspiring Film Extravaganza

Nathaniel — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:20:00 -0400

Watch Out! Dystopian Future

1. Gattaca

2. In Time

3. Clockwork Orange

4. Idiocracy

5. DREDD

6. Metropolis (1927)

7. Children of Men

8. Surrogates

9. The Island (2005)

Sailing The Seas

1. African Queen

2. Waterworld

3. Overboard

4. Lifeboat

5. 50 First Dates

6.Operation Petticoat

7.Captain Ron

I Do I Do Love Weddings

1. Wedding Singer

2. My Big Fat Greek Wedding

3. The Proposal

4. Father Of The Bride

5. Wedding Crashers

Mel's Movies: Ideas for the Ides (of March)

Nathaniel — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:14:00 -0400

Nice weather isn't here quite yet. Are you staying inside to watch movies? Here are Mel's recommendations for March.

Growing up is hard to do

1. Battle Royal

2. Better Off Dead

3. Carrie

4. Accepted

5. Mean Girls

Blue And Proud! (Police movies)
1. Seven

2. 21 Jump Street
3. Fargo
4. Traffic
5. Super Troopers
6. Magnum Force
7. S.W.A.T.
8. Hot Fuzz

Get Addicted To These TV Shows
1. Dexter
2. In Treatment
3. Mad Men
4. Flight of the Conchords
5. Bored to Death
6. Deadwood
7. Downton Abbey
8. Sherlock (BBC TV show)

P.S. The Ides of March, with Ryan Gosling and George Clooney, is also a good choice!

Mel's Movies: More than Romance

Nathaniel — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 11:24:00 -0500

February Is Not Only For Love!

Maybe you're not in a romantic mood this month. See Mel's suggestions for non-love-story-movies. But if you change your mind, she's got you covered.

Are they Insane ?

Memento

What about Bob

Fight Club

12 Monkeys

Donnie Darko

Harvey

Perfect Host

Black Swan

K-PAX

Aliens- our Friends or Foes

Friend-

The Iron Giant

Escape to Witch Mountain

E.T

Superman

Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Foe-

Battle: Los Angeles

Flash Gordon

Mars Attacks

Fourth kind

Cowboys and aliens

Signs

In the mood for love?

1. Punch drunk love

2. Shopgirl

3. P.S.

4. Before Sunrise (first)/ Before Sunset (sequel)

5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

6. P.S. I Love You

7. Benny & Joon

8. Nick and Norah's infinite playlist

9. True Romance

10. Brokeback Mountain

Mel's rejuvenation cure for the January blues

Nathaniel — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 14:59:00 -0500

Need a pick up for the post-holiday letdown? Try one of Mel's recommended movies.

I Am Woman Hear Me Roar!

1. Memoirs of a Geisha

2. Persepolis

3. Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2

4. Bringing Up Baby

5. Auntie Mame

6. Jackie Brown

7. Fifth Element

8. Run Lola Run

9. Brave

Books Adapted into Movies (Part One)

1. The Never Ending Story

2. The Ruins

3. Requiem for a Dream

4. What Dreams May Come

5. Trainspotting

6. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
7. The Painted Veil

8. Rum Diary

9. Brokeback Mountain

Wonderful Documentaries

1. For the Bible Tells Me So
2. Super Size Me
3. King of Kong
4. Wordplay
5. Deliver Us from Evil

6. Murderball

7. Frozen Planet
8. Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Bullfighting, Leather-clad Vigilantes, Apology for Hire and more new books.

Nathaniel — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:47:00 -0400

Lots of interesting plots in the new books this week.

A murder investigation in Spain's bullfighting community in Or the Bull Kills You by Jason Webster.

A man finds his aging mother's diaries and discovers that she was a famous crime-fighting superhero in the 50's in The Black Stiletto by Raymon Benson.

Sorry by Zoran Drvenkar is the story of four friends who come up with a successful business: apologizing for companies that have mistreated their employees. Everything goes to hell when a serial killer decides to use their services for his deceased victims.
More great books below!

Baker, Fran. The Talk of the Town. Five Star (ME). 9/21/2011. Romance

Benson, Raymond. The Black Stiletto: The First Diary--1958. Oceanview Publishing. 9/5/2011.

Carofiglio, Gianrico. Temporary Perfections. Rizzoli International Publications. 9/13/2011. Mystery

Casey, Jane. The Burning. Minotaur Books. 8/30/2011. Mystery

Castle, Richard. Heat Rises. Hyperion Books. 9/20/2011. Mystery

Coel, Margaret. The Perfect Suspect. Berkley Publishing Group. 9/6/2011. Mystery

Costello, Matthew J. Vacation. Thomas Dunne Books. 9/27/2011.

Crane, Cheryl. The Bad Always Die Twice. Kensington Publishing Corporation. 9/1/2011. Mystery

Day, Sylvia. Seven Years to Sin. Brava. 9/1/2011. Romance

Drvenkar, Zoran. Sorry. Alfred A. Knopf. 9/20/2011.

Grisham, John. The Litigators. Random House Large Print Publishing. 10/25/2011. Large Print

Henley, Virginia. The Dark Earl. New American Library. 9/6/2011. Romance

Hitchens, Christopher. Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens. Twelve. 9/1/2011. Nonfiction

Holmes, Gina. Dry as Rain. Tyndale House Publishers. 8/17/2011.

Jaffarian, Sue Ann. Baited Blood. Midnight Ink. 9/8/2011. Mystery

Jenkins, Jerry B. . The Betrayal. Tyndale House Publishers. 8/17/2011.

Jenkins, Jerry B. The Brotherhood. Tyndale House Publishers. 1/24/2011.

Kilmer, Nicholas. A Paradise for Fools. Poisoned Pen Press. 9/6/2011. Mystery

Lamplighter, L. Jagi. Prospero Regained. Tor Books. 9/13/2011. Fantasy

Phillips, Carly. Serendipity (Berkley Mass-Market). Berkley. 9/6/2011. Romance

Poyer, David. The Towers. St. Martin's Press. 8/30/2011.

Priest, Dana. Top Secret America: The Rise of the New American Security State. Little Brown and Company. 9/6/2011. Nonfiction

Richman, Alyson. The Lost Wife. Berkley Publishing Group. 9/6/2011.

Rockcastle, Mary Francois. In Caddis Wood. Graywolf Press. 9/13/2011.

Rowland, Laura Joh. The Ronin's Mistress. Minotaur Books. 9/13/2011. Mystery

Shaber, Sarah R. Louise's War: A World War II Novel of Suspense. Severn House Publishers. 8/1/2011.

Smith, Haywood. Wife-In-Law. St. Martin's Press. 9/13/2011.

Solomon, Anna. The Little Bride. Riverhead Books. 9/6/2011.

Southgate, Martha. The Taste of Salt. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. 9/13/2011.

Sparks, Nicholas. The Best of Me. Grand Central Publishing. 10/11/2011. Large Print

Svoboda, Terese. Bohemian Girl. Bison Books. 9/1/2011.

Toyne, Simon. Sanctus. William Morrow & Company. 9/6/2011.

Webb, Katherine. The Legacy. Harper Paperbacks. 8/30/2011.

Webster, Jason. Or the Bull Kills You. Minotaur Books. 9/13/2011. Mystery

Winters, Ben. Bedbugs. Quirk Books. 9/6/2011.

New Jodi Picoult and P.D. James books to gobble up

Nathaniel — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 12:20:00 -0500

I know there are legions of Jodi Picoult fans out there, and I'm excited to tell you that she has a new book coming out at the end of February. It's called Lone Wolf and it's about an estranged son who has to decide whether or not to terminate his comatose father's life support.

I didn't know that P.D. James is a Jane Austen fan. Her latest book, Death Comes to Pemberley, is a mystery set six years after Pride and Prejudice. Wickham is the victim!

An homage to scrapbooking, The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt by Caroline Preston tells the story of young aspiring writer/flapper through a collection of more than 600 pieces of 1920s memorabilia.

In January, you can delve into Joshaua Jackson's A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty, a book about a line of Southern women who each had their daughters at 15. The current 15 year old is getting anxious, but then the long-buried body of a baby is found in the back yard, the baby her mother actually gave birth to 15 years ago.

More new books below:

Andrews, V.C. Into the Darkness. Gallery Books. 2/28/2012.

Bacon, John U. Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines in the Crucible of College Football. Farrar Straus Giroux. 10/25/2011. Nonfiction

Beaton, M.C. Death of a Kingfisher. Grand Central Publishing. 2/22/2012. Mystery

Frehley, Ace. No Regrets: A Rock 'n' Roll Memoir. Gallery Books. 11/1/2011. Biography

Gaskell, Elizabeth Cleghorn. North and South. Oxford University Press, USA. 10/15/2008.

Jackson, Joshilyn. A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty. Grand Central Publishing. 1/25/2012.

James, P.D. Death Comes to Pemberley. Knopf Publishing Group. 12/6/2011. Mystery

Jance, J. A. Left for Dead. Touchstone Books. 2/7/2012. Mystery

Jenner, Kris. Kris Jenner...and All Things Kardashian. Gallery Books/Karen Hunter Publishing. 11/1/2011. Biography

Kaling, Mindy. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and Other Concerns). Crown Archetype. 11/1/2011. Nonfiction

Kellerman, Jonathan. Victims: An Alex Delaware Novel. Ballantine Books. 2/28/2012. Mystery

Kingsbury, Karen. Longing. Zondervan. 11/22/2011.

Kingsbury, Karen. Loving. Zondervan. 3/27/2012.

Lagnado, Lucette. The Arrogant Years: One Girl's Search for Her Lost Youth, from Cairo to Brooklyn. Ecco Press. 9/6/2011. Biography

Mack, Stephanie Madoff. The End of Normal: A Wife's Anguish, a Widow's New Life. Blue Rider Press. 10/20/2011. Biography

Matthews, Chris. Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero. Simon & Schuster. 11/1/2011. Biography

Michaels, Fern. Making Spirits Bright. Zebra. 11/1/2011.

Picoult, Jodi. Lone Wolf. Atria Books. 2/28/2012.

Pinneo, Sarah. Julia's Child. Plume Books. 1/31/2012.

Preston, Caroline. The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: A Novel in Pictures. Ecco Press. 10/25/2011.

Sharfeddin, Heather. Damaged Goods. Bantam. 3/22/2011.

Thomas, Jodi. The Comforts of Home. Berkley. 11/1/2011.

Look what we bought!

Nathaniel — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:38:00 -0400

Lots of interesting new books are now part of Schlow's collection.

Two books happen to have watery deaths in their titles: Drowned by Therese Bohman is set in the lovely Swedish countryside in an ominous thriller with changing alliances between the three main chracters. In The Drowning Girl by Caitlyn Kiernan, schizophrenic India Morgan Phelps (she goes by Imp) tries to write her memoir while dealing with the shifting realities in her mind. Fantasy, art, ghosts and mental illness mix together to create a suspenseful, original story.

Two noir books: Three A.M. by Steven John takes place in a world that just had a deadly plague and is also covered by a mysterious fog. People can only see a few feet in front of them and have to navigate by touch and dim lights. A beautiful woman in a red dress needs help solving a murder from P.I. Tom Vale. Can he fumble his way to solve the underlying conspiracy? Budapest Noir by Vilmos Kondor is set in the fear-inducing and freedom-tightening time before World War II. Crime reporter Zsigmond Gordon works the streets to solve the mystery of a Jewish prostitute. "Dark and edgy, with interesting characters and locales," says Kirkus Reviews.

Jane Austen the vampire is back for a third book in Janes Vows Vengeance by Michael Thomas Ford. Can she defeat her vampire nemesis Charlotte Bronte? Will she find Crispin's Needle, a relic that will make her human again and able to live a mortal life with her sweet fiance Walter?

Kirkus Reviews says "Never mind if you're a baseball fan. This is a damn fine read," about The Might Have Been by Joseph Schuster. A story about a baseball player who never makes it to the big time but continues to love the game despite his missed opportunities. A realistic character you'll root for.

What else? Cat mysteries, dog mysteries, exciting thrillers, hot romances and lots more. Take a look below!

Archer, Dale. Better Than Normal: How What Makes You Different Can Make You Exceptional. Crown Archetype. 3/13/2012. Nonfiction

Babson, Marian. No Cooperation from the Cat. Minotaur Books. 3/27/2012. Mystery

Binet, Laurent. Hhhh. Farrar Straus Giroux. 4/24/2012.

Bohman, Therese. Drowned. Other Press (NY). 5/22/2012.

Brokaw, Charles. The Temple Mount Code. Forge. 11/8/2011.

Brown, Stacia M. Accidents of Providence. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH). 2/14/2012.

Cash, Wiley. A Land More Kind Than Home. William Morrow & Company. 4/17/2012.

Chapman, Janet. Spellbound Falls. Jove Books. 2/28/2012. Romance

Childs, Laura. Agony of the Leaves. Berkley Publishing Group. 3/6/2012. Mystery

Fernando, Roshi. Homesick. Knopf Publishing Group. 7/17/2012.

Ford, Michael Thomas. Jane Vows Vengeance. Ballantine Books. 2/28/2012.

Fountain, Ben. Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. Ecco Press. 5/1/2012.

Gooden, Philip. The Ely Testament. Severn House Publishers. 2/1/2012. Mystery

Grisham, John. Calico Joe. Random House Large Print Publishing. 4/10/2012. Large Print

Gross, Andrew. 15 Seconds. William Morrow & Company. 7/10/2012.

Haidt, Jonathan. The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. Pantheon Books. 3/13/2012. Nonfiction

Hall, Emylia. The Book of Summers. Mira Books. 5/29/2012.

Harrison, Thea. Oracle's Moon. Berkley. 3/6/2012. Romance

Harrod-Eagles, Cynthia. Kill My Darling. Severn House Publishers. 2/1/2012. Mystery

Hunt, Stephen. Secrets of the Fire Sea. Tor Books. 3/27/2012. Fantasy

John, Steven. Three A.M. Tor Books. 3/27/2012.

Johnson, Craig. As the Crow Flies: A Walt Longmire Mystery. Viking Books. 5/15/2012. Mystery

Kiernan, Caitlin R. The Drowning Girl. Roc. 3/6/2012.

Knight, Bernard. Grounds for Appeal. Severn House Publishers. 2/1/2012. Mystery

Kogan, Deborah Copaken. The Red Book. Hyperion Books. 4/3/2012.

Kondor, Vilmos. Budapest Noir. Harper Paperbacks. 1/31/2012. Mystery

Korkeakivi, Anne. An Unexpected Guest. Little Brown and Company. 4/17/2012.

Lane, Harriet. Alys, Always. Scribner Book Company. 6/12/2012.

Levy Mossanen, Dora. The Last Romanov. Sourcebooks Landmark. 4/3/2012.

Marlowe, Mia. Touch of a Rogue. Brava. 3/1/2012. Romance

McCoy, Judi. Fashion Faux Paw: A Dog Walker Mystery. Signet Book. 3/6/2012. Mystery

McCoy, Judi. Till Death Do Us Bark. Signet Book. 8/2/2011. Mystery

McKevett, G. A. Buried in Buttercream. Kensington Publishing Corporation. 4/1/2012. Mystery

McKinlay, Jenn. Due or Die. Berkley. 3/6/2012. Mystery

Nicolson, Juliet. Abdication. Atria Books. 5/22/2012.

O'Connor, Varley. The Master's Muse. Scribner Book Company. 5/8/2012.

Pajer, Bernadette. Fatal Induction: A Professor Bradshaw Mystery. Poisoned Pen Press. 5/1/2012. Mystery

Patterson, James. Guilty Wives. Little Brown and Company. 3/26/2012. Large Print

Pekkanen, Sarah. These Girls. Washington Square Press. 4/10/2012.

Poole, Sara. The Borgia Mistress. St. Martin's Griffin. 5/22/2012.

Pulkkinen, Riikka. TRUE. Other Press (NY). 3/20/2012.

Putney, Mary Jo. No Longer a Gentleman. Zebra Books. 5/1/2012. Romance

Quinn, Spencer. A Fistful of Collars: A Chet and Bernie Mystery. Atria Books. 9/11/2012. Mystery

Radford, Ceri. A Surrey State of Affairs. Pamela Dorman Books. 3/29/2012.

Raymond, Jon. Rain Dragon. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. 4/24/2012.

Rollins, James. Bloodline: A SIGMA Force Novel. William Morrow & Company. 6/26/2012.

Schuster, Joseph M. The Might Have Been. Ballantine Books. 3/20/2012.

Shadid, Anthony. House of Stone: A Memoir of Home, Family, and a Lost Middle East. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH). 2/28/2012. Nonfiction.

Sigler, Scott. Nocturnal. Crown Publishing Group (NY). 4/3/2012.

Thayne, RaeAnne. Woodrose Mountain. Harlequin Books. 3/27/2012. Romance

Wallentin, Jan. Strindberg's Star. Viking Books. 5/24/2012.

Zimmerman, Jean. The Orphanmaster. Viking Books. 6/19/2012.

Infographic- What to read if you like A Discovery of Witches

Nathaniel — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 19:48:00 -0500

This is my very first infographic sort of thing.
It is not perfect.
It is a start.
Let me know what books
you would like to see used
for something like this.
Click on the image
to see the whole thing.

Melissa's December Movie Picks

Nathaniel — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 13:46:00 -0500

Robberies and heists

1) Fun with Dick and Jane
2) Inside Man
3) Snatch
4) The Lookout
5) Matchstick Men
6) 30 Minutes Or Less
7) Oceans Eleven
8) Henry's Crime
9) The Town
10) Italian Job

You don’t have to time travel to enjoy these movies

1) Time Travelers Wife
2) Midnight in Paris
3) Idocracy
4) Source Code
5) Hot Tub Time Machine
6) The Jacket
7) Last Mimsy
8) Somewhere in Time
9) Lake House
10) Star Trek 4: The Voyage Home

Christmas Movies You May Have Missed

10) White Christmas
9) Die Hard
8) Four Christmases
7) Nightmare Before Christmas
6) Trapped in Paradise
5) Gremlins
4) The Ice Harvest
3) Home Alone
2) Batman Returns
1) Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

What to read if you like Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Nathaniel — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 18:08:00 -0500

Click to enlarge and see the full image.

More Movies from Melissa

Nathaniel — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 16:06:00 -0500

Melissa's Movie Expertise: Check these out!

Do you have some time off next week- time to watch movies? Here are some titles worth borrowing.

Dark Comedies

Off color stories that will make you laugh

1) Death at a funeral
2) Heathers
3) Arsenic and old lace
4) Choke
5) Death becomes her
6) Better off dead
7) Novocaine
8) I love you to death
9) Operation Endgame
10) Bernie

Romance with a twist

Looking for a romantic movie that is not rehashed ideas and predictable story lines?

Then try these:

1) Harold and Maude
2) The Lake house
3) I love you Phillip Morris
4) 50 First Dates
5) Punch drunk love
6) Secretary
7) Wristcutters
8) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Unconventional Heroes

Here are some great anti-hero films:

1) Super
2) Kick-Ass
3) Defendor
4) Hellboy
5) Special
6) Unbreakable
7) Sin City
8) The Watchmen
9) Blade

31 Flavors of Zombie

Nathaniel — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 11:03:00 -0400

31 Flavors of Zombie

Melissa's Movie Expertise: Check these out!

Nathaniel — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 10:56:00 -0400

Wondering what's worth watching from Schlow's DVD collection? Our movie expert Melissa's top five recommendations are:

1. The Guard -Rated R- Action/Dark Comedy
2. Galaxy Quest -Rated PG- Sci-fi/Comedy
3. Mao’s Last Dancer –Rated PG- Drama
4. Hard Candy - Rated R- Thriller
5. Moon -Rated R- Drama

Does the month of October put you in the mood for some frightening films?
Turn out the lights and watch these!

Horror with a few Laughs
1. Frighteners
2. Planet Terror
3. Zombieland
4. Slither
5. Bubba Ho-Tep
6. From Dusk till Dawn

Subtle and Creepy
1. Frailty
2. Devil
3. Ruins
4. Shutter Island
5. Let the Right One In

6. Troll Hunter

Gore, and Terror (not for the light hearted)
1. American Psycho
2. 30 Days of Night
3. Land of the Dead
4. Hostel Part 2

See Jeffrey Frazier at BookFestPA!

Nathaniel — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 15:42:00 -0400

Jeffrey Frazier is one of the local authors who will appear in the BookFestPA tent this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. He collects oral lore and ghost stories from local elders and compiles them in his Pennsylvania Fireside Tales books.

Our guest blogger, Barb Foley, recently reviewed his Pennsylvania Fireside Tales, Volume 5:

     This is my first read of the PA Fireside Tales, but that’s the beauty of these series is that you don’t need to start out with Vol. 1, you can start anywhere.

     There are so many interesting tales in this book. I especially enjoyed reading about the “Indian Steps” on Tussey Mountain. I had already known about the “Thousand Steps” in Huntingdon County between Huntingdon and Mount Union along Rt. 22, and if you ever get the pleasure to walk these steps such as I have then don’t forget to take a lunch and some water as the views at the top are magnificent.

     Frazier talks about the battle of Gettysburg and two love tales whom one was about General Reynolds and his lady Kate. If you walk along the water ways, or in the battlefields, you just may be one of the lucky ones to find a few arrowheads. I have found a few of those arrowheads myself and also have seen a wonderful collection from a gentleman who has walked many fields to find them.

    I like that the author has a few poems in his book along with some photos that give you an understanding of what he’s trying to convey in his book.

     You will also find stories in this book like the cry of the wolf sometimes said to be a sad cry. Imagine living in a cabin and seeing the wolves’ eyes at night gleaming in at you between the wooded logs. You will encounter a story about a man who met up with a pack of wolves on Seven Mountains. He had to spend the night in a tree and his own dog came to save him.

     Then there are scary stories about hexes and spells in Centre County which centers on ice-cream and making butter. There are even some remedies on how to counter the spells if you ever should come across a witch. That is if you believe in witchcraft.

     You will read stories of eerily haunting ghosts who clatter up and down the train tracks while fishermen fish nearby looking for where the noise whence came. We’ve all heard about the headless horsemen, but have you ever heard about the well-kept secret of the headless ghost of Penns Creek? Spooky tales like this are throughout the book. Are you a believer? Maybe you will be after reading this book.

     There are so many counties listed in this book and I’m sure so many more tales when you read the whole series. Frazier talks about haunting Indian ambushes near Fort Roberdeau, Arch Spring Fort, known as Fort Isett, and more.

     Not as famous as Jesse James but still just as frightening were the gangs of PA terrorizing their victims. In the book some of these gangs hung around till the end of the Civil War.

     Another really interesting story was about a witch in Millheim who could “milk a towel”. Could you imagine not needing a cow back in those days but instead you could get milk from a towel? Frazier lets us know about these stories and how people came to believe in them.

     One more story I’d like to mention is the story about buried treasure in Centre County. The author gives you a clue as to where to look.

     There are just too many counties and stories to list but this was an interesting book and one I’m glad I picked up. This is people’s stories as they saw them and not just stories out of text books. Frazier has taken the time to talk to local Pennsylvania residents and it shows in how he writes with passion about them. These are the untold stories that were told by the author so they wouldn’t be lost in history, stories that may have not been written otherwise.

About Barb Foley: Married with two grown boys, raising our grandson. I love to spend time with family, read, write, photography, genealogy, scrapbook, and travel when we can. We have two dogs, a rat-terrier and a puggle, both rescue dogs. I volunteer at Paws animal shelter and I belong to the Women's Welcome Club and two book groups. I've been in the Inspirational Book Group for about two years, and just recently joined the new daytime book group at the Centre County Library.

Hunger Games Read-alikes that Adults Might Enjoy.

Nathaniel — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 15:23:00 -0400

Adults love The Hunger Games as much as teens do. Fact. I read The Hunger Games Trilogy and then made it my personal mission to find for dystopian young adult fiction that adults would also enjoy. A flood of dystopian fiction about awful governments, civil disobedience, and love triangles hit the market and I found myself having no idea what to recommend. I started to read three more popular trilogies in order to see if they could stand up to the comparison. It is an interesting project to me because there are some young adult or children's books that make the cross over to adult books easily. Harry Potter and The Hunger Games being obvious recent examples. However, there are a ton of these books that just don't appeal to adults. Sometimes it is the characters, the plot, the desperation of certain situations that older people no longer feel or relate to. Often it just the writing style that is aimed at lower level readers. I just wanted to see if these other books could holdWhen the item you want is checked out to someone else you may request that it be held for you when it is returned. Requests can be made for any item in our catalog including new releases and items on order. You will receive notification via e-mail (or telephone) when your hold is available for pick up. Your request will be honored in the order it is received. my attention. Now that it is summer reading and we are all looking for books to get sucked into (YAY!) I want to share my thoughts. Of course I am only one woman so I have not read them all and my mission is not yet complete so I only have three trilogies here.

Divergent
Veronica Roth

The Divergent triology is the one I highly recommend. After reading the first one I could not wait for the second to come out. Now I have to wait for the third. That will not be out until next year. Eeep. This is the one with the best heroine and the most interesting plot. Divergent (and the sequel Insurgent) are set in a future where each person lives in one of 5 factions. Each faction values a particular personality trait. When they turn 16 they must decide if they belong in their faction with their parents, or if their true faction is one of the other 4. If they choose another faction they can't go home again. And their new faction may not take them in. The interactions between the 5 factions hold a reader's attention. I found myself wanting to see this made into a movie just to see how the groups would look. Of course, things are not what they appear to be and trouble is on the horizon. Is being loyal to one way of life and one group of people a good thing? Are there bad things about the group you long to join and what happens if that is the case? Why is the city surrounded by a fence? Tris was taught to be selfless and to serve others but feel like she could never be as selfless as the rest of her Abnegation Family. She could be brave like the Dauntless, or honest like the Candor, or peaceful like Amity, or intelligent like the Erudite. But soon it seems that Tris is good at a lot of things, too many. This is what makes her Divergent. She is warned that his makes her dangerous but it takes her a while to understand why. What I like about it is that Tris, the heroine, is smart and strong. She does awful and wonderful things. This is also an excellent way to examine what it means to leave your family behind when you believe you are so much different than they are. These questions and issues are not ones that we stop dealing with when we turn 18 and that makes this a good read for adults. The interactions between the 5 factions hold a reader's attention. And there's some good action in this book.

Matched
Allyson Condie

The Matched Trilogy is my number two pick. A perfect society has found the algorithms to make perfect love matches. They have also cured disease and all people die peacefully at the age of 80. Teenagers are matched with their perfect mates at an elaborate ceremony when they turn 17. But citizens are also forbidden to read or write and the government has selected a limited number of songs, poems, and paintings that they are allowed to view. At the matching ceremony young people dress in the best clothes they will ever wear and see their future husbands and wives on the screen. They are given microchips containing information about the person they will marry. But Cassia is matched with her best friend and neighbor, a rare circumstance. This is great news until she goes to view the data on him and sees someone else's face. How can she be matched with two people? The math is perfect. Like everything else. Complicating the matter is that the other face belongs to a boy she also knows, a mysterious outsider adopted by his aunt and uncle. As the book goes on Cassia must deal with her feelings for both of them. What makes this a good read for adults is that it is never black and white and allows for love to be a tricky thing without being simply about liking two dudes at the same time, much like The Hunger Games. It becomes a choice between a comfortable best friend and a boy who teaches her to do forbidden things. And it gets even more interesting in Crossed, the second book. There is also the relationship between Cassia and her dying grandfather. He tells her about forbidden things and gives her an illegal gift that changes the way she sees the world. This is another story about learning when and how to question authority and follow your heart.

Delirium
Lauren Oliver

I'm going to be honest, this is my least favorite of all of the novels I read. In this story love is a disease and the cure is given to teenagers when they reach 18. But sometimes (gasp!) they catch the disease before getting the cure. The book's protagonist, Lena, believes in the cure and fears the disease like most people. She doesn't know her parents and is being raised by her aunt. Her mother had the disease and this haunts Lena. Then she meets a boy who shows her not everything is as it seems. Maybe love is a good thing. It is a great idea and started strong, but as an adult reader I found too much hinged on describing first love. Too much time is spent on the two of them hiding together and breaking curfew while descriptions of the future world are left out. It was interesting to describe the physical symptoms of love as disease and madness, as it can feel that way. It has a little Romeo and Juliet in it since the whole world seems to be against the lovers. Still, I found it poorly written and hard to get get swept up in. Lena is just a less interesting a less developed character than I was hoping for. The author does not get into much detail about the big bad government and the Wilds outside of the fenced in world in the first book, even though the boy Lena meets knows a lot about it. I kept reading just to know what happened, not because I loved the book. I do think you should try it for yourself if you like a dramatic romance, the end of the first book is quite the cliffhanger. That is why I got Pandemonium, the second book. But I only read about 10 pages before giving it up.

I will keep reading and let you know which ones pass the "Will an Adult Like This" test. And please let me know if you have any good suggestions to pass on. Don't forget to sign up for summer reading and to review your books. We'd all love to know which YA you think works for adults and what you think of other books in our collection.

Happy Summer Reading

-Amy

Favorite authors and bizarre plots

Nathaniel — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:39:00 -0500

Our latest book order has a baseball novel by John Grisham, the next in the Murder 101 series by Maggie Barbieri, the conclusion of Gail Carringer's steampunk/paranormal Parasol Protectorate series, no. 11 in James Patterson's Women's Murder Club and more books by popular authors.

Now for the bizarre plots:
In Taft 2012 by Jason Heller, William Howard Taft completely disappears in 1912, reappears on the White House lawn 100 years later and ends up running for president as a third party candidate. Perfect for the election year, this satirical novel examines how politics has changed over the last century and how we might reclaim some of our past in order to move forward.

Blueprints of the Afterlife by Ryan Boudinot imagines the age of FUS (the second word is up and the 1st and 3rd are obscenities), a hallucinogenic, post-apocolypic world where people are connected to a medical internet where they can download hormones and enzymes wirelessly, but also allows their systems to get hacked by DJs who turn them into robots and force them to watch reality tv. The main character is an Olympic medal-winning dishwasher who has been instructed by his future brain to write a book that will be read by the Last Dude. Reviewers call the book crazy, original and funny.

Find more books, for many different tastes, below.

Andrews, Ilona. Fate's Edge. Ace Books. 11/29/2011. Fantasy

Atkins, Ace. Robert B. Parker's Lullaby. Putnam Adult. 5/1/2012.

Balogh, Mary. The Proposal. Delacorte Press. 5/1/2012. Romance

Barbieri, Maggie. Physical Education.(Murder 101 Mysteries) Minotaur Books. 11/22/2011. Mystery

Bennett, Alan. Smut: Stories. Picador USA. 1/3/2012.

Bond, Larry. Larry Bond's Red Dragon Rising: Shock of War. Forge. 1/3/2012.

Boudinot, Ryan. Blueprints of the Afterlife. Grove Press. 1/3/2012.

Bradford, Barbara Taylor. Letter from a Stranger. St. Martin's Press. 3/27/2012.

Burrowes, Grace. Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish. Sourcebooks Casablanca. 10/4/2011. Romance

Burrowes, Grace. The Soldier. Sourcebooks Casablanca. 6/1/2011. Romance

Burton, Mary. Before She Dies. Zebra Books. 2/1/2012.

Carriger, Gail. Timeless. Orbit. 3/1/2012.

Deveraux, Jude. Moonlight in the Morning. Pocket Star Books. 12/27/2011. Romance

Eccles, Marjorie. Broken Music. Minotaur Books. 11/22/2011. Mystery

Eden, Cynthia. Angel of Darkness. Brava. 12/1/2011. Romance

Edwards, Louisa. Some Like It Hot. St. Martin's Press. 11/29/2011. Romance

Estep, Jennifer. Spider's Revenge. Pocket Books. 9/27/2011. Fantasy

Evans, Chris. Ashes of a Black Frost. Gallery Books. 10/18/2011. Fantasy

Fitzhugh, Bill. Exterminators: An Assassin Bug Thriller. Poisoned Pen Press. 1/3/2012. Mystery

Fluke, Joanne. Cinnamon Roll Murder. Kensington Publishing Corporation. 3/1/2012. Mystery

Freethy, Barbara. Garden of Secrets. Pocket Star Books. 9/20/2011. Romance

Giardina, Anthony. Norumbega Park. Farrar Straus Giroux. 1/31/2012.

Gideon, Nancy. Hunter of Shadows. Pocket Books. 11/29/2011. Romance

Goodman, Jo. A Place Called Home. Zebra Books. 12/1/2011. Romance

Graham, Heather. The Unseen. Mira Books. 3/27/2012.

Grisham, John. Calico Joe. Doubleday Books. 4/10/2012.

Hamilton, Laurell K. Kiss the Dead. Berkley Publishing Group. 6/5/2012.

Hanson, Victor Davis. The End of Sparta. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. 10/11/2011.

Heller, Jason. Taft 2012. Quirk Books. 1/17/2012.

Hornby, Simonetta Agnello. The Nun. Europa Editions. 12/27/2011.

Jama-Everett, Ayize. The Liminal People. Small Beer Press. 1/10/2012. Sci-Fi

James, Bill. I Am Gold. Countryman Press. 12/5/2011. Mystery

Kay, Francesca. The Translation of the Bones. Scribner Book Company. 1/3/2012.

Kovacs, Ed. Storm Damage. Minotaur Books. 12/6/2011. Mystery

Leon, Donna. Beastly Things: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery. Atlantic Monthly Press. 4/3/2012. Mystery

Luckett, Jacqueline E. Passing Love. Grand Central Publishing. 1/25/2012.

McDonald, Craig. El Gavilan. Tyrus Books. 12/18/2011.

McGivering, Jill. The Last Kestrel. HarperCollins UK. 1/1/2012.

Michaels, Kasey. A Midsummer Night's Sin. Harlequin Books. 11/22/2011. Romance

Patterson, James. 11th Hour. Little Brown and Company. 5/7/2012.

Perini, Robin. In Her Sights. Montlake Romance. 11/29/2011. Romance

Rash, Ron. The Cove. Ecco Press. 4/10/2012.

Robinson, Kim Stanley. 2312 (Firsttion). Orbit. 5/22/2012. Sci-Fi

Russell, Paul. The Unreal Life of Sergey Nabokov. Cleis Press. 11/8/2011.

Saer, Juan Jose. Scars. Open Letter. 12/13/2011.

Sandford, John. Stolen Prey. Putnam Adult. 5/15/2012.

Shapiro, Alan. Broadway Baby. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. 1/24/2012.

Smith, Brad. Red Means Run. Scribner Book Company. 1/10/2012. Mystery

Solomita, Stephen. Angel Face. Severn House Publishers. 11/1/2011.

Stanton, Steve. The Bloodlight Chronicles: Reconciliation. ECW Press.
9/1/2010. Sci-Fi

Stein, Leigh. The Fallback Plan. Melville House Publishing. 1/3/2012.

Sturges, P. G. Tribulations of the Shortcut Man. Scribner Book Company. 2/7/2012.

Szalay, David. Spring. Graywolf Press. 1/17/2012.

Terenzio, Rosemarie. Fairy Tale Interrupted: A Memoir of Life, Love, and Loss. Gallery Books. 1/24/2012. Biography

Trigiani, Adriana. The Shoemaker's Wife. Harper. 4/3/2012.

Weber, David. How Firm a Foundation. Tor Books. 9/13/2011. Sci-Fi

Woodman, Richard. Ship for the King. Severn House Publishers. 11/1/2011.

Based on a communist fairy tale

Nathaniel — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:05:00 -0500

Once upon a time in the USSR, the people were promised prosperity greater than that of the U.S. We know that this story does not have a happy ending, but Red Plenty by Francis Spufford has a fascinating premise. Booklist says, "If you think that a novel about the planned economy of the USSR from the 1950s through the 1970s would be boring, think again." Bureaucrats, economists, and scientists, both real and fictional, combine to show the tragic, yet sometimes hilarious, history of a "utopian" experiment that failed miserably.

There's a new medical novel written by CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta called Monday Mornings. (Doesn't he have enough to do?) Good reviews so far, it sounds like it will appeal to fans of ER and Gray's Anatomy.

The Reeducation of Cherry Truong by Aimee Phan tells the story of the relationships between a multi-generational family of Vietnamese immigrants. Booklist says "Touching on the events of the Vietnam War, cultural assimilation, reconciliation, forgiveness, and redemption, Phan crafts an epic tale. Through Cherry's eyes, the complex country of Vietnam is lovingly explored in immense, realistic detail."

Find more up and coming books below!

Anshaw, Carol. Carry the One. Simon & Schuster. 3/6/2012.

Ashworth, Jenn. Cold Light. HarperCollins. 10/16/2012.

Bell, Ted. Phantom: An Alex Hawke Novel. William Morrow & Company. 3/20/2012.

Chaon, Dan. Stay Awake. Ballantine Books. 2/7/2012. short stories

Chung, Catherine. Forgotten Country. Riverhead Books. 3/1/2012.

Cramer, Dale. The Captive Heart. Bethany House Publishers. 1/1/2012.

Desanti, Carole. The Unruly Passions of Eugenie R. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH). 3/27/2012.

Donatich, John. The Variations. Henry Holt & Company. 2/28/2012.

Dryden, Alex. The Blind Spy. Ecco Press. 3/20/2012.

Edwardson, Ake. Sail of Stone. Simon & Schuster. 3/13/2012.

Gebbie, Vanessa. The Coward's Tale. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. 2/28/2012.

Gray, Shelley Shepard. Missing: The Secrets of Crittenden County, Book One. Avon Inspire. 3/20/2012.

Green, Jane. Another Piece of My Heart. St. Martin's Press. 3/13/2012.

Gupta, Sanjay. Monday Mornings. Grand Central Publishing. 3/13/2012.

Hall, Parnell. $10,000 in Small, Unmarked Puzzles. Minotaur Books. 1/31/2012. Mystery

Harrison, Kim. A Perfect Blood. Harper Voyager. 2/21/2012.

Kazinski, A. J. The Last Good Man. Scribner Book Company. 3/6/2012.

Lansdale, Joe R. Edge of Dark Water. Mulholland Books. 3/25/2012.

Lewis, Beverly. The Fiddler. Bethany House Publishers. 4/10/2012.

Long, Kelly. An Amish Wedding. Thomas Nelson Publishers. 11/29/2011.

Perry, Thomas. Poison Flower: A Jane Whitefield Novel. Mysterious Press. 3/6/2012.

Peters, Ralph. Cain at Gettysburg. Forge. 2/28/2012.

Phan, Aimee. The Reeducation of Cherry Truong. St. Martin's Press. 3/13/2012.

Polites, Taylor M. The Rebel Wife. Simon & Schuster. 2/7/2012.

Rice, Patricia. The Lure of Song and Magic. Sourcebooks Casablanca. 1/1/2012. Romance

Rogers, Morgan Callan. . Viking Books. 1/19/2012.

Rose, M. J. The Book of Lost Fragrances: A Novel of Suspense. Atria Books. 3/13/2012.

Rosenfelt, David. Heart of a Killer. Minotaur Books. 2/14/2012.

Schulman, Audrey. Three Weeks in December. Europa Editions. 1/31/2012.

Spufford, Francis. Red Plenty. Graywolf Press. 2/14/2012.

Steinhauer, Olen. An American Spy. Minotaur Books. 3/13/2012.

Thompson, James. Helsinki White. Putnam Adult. 3/15/2012.

Tuccelli, Jessica Maria. Glow. Viking Books. 3/15/2012.

Ward, Katie. Girl Reading. Scribner Book Company. 2/7/2012.

White, Kate. So Pretty It Hurts: A Bailey Weggins Mystery. Harper. 3/20/2012.

White, Randy Wayne. Chasing Midnight. Putnam Adult. 3/6/2012.

Wilson, Susan. The Dog Who Danced. St. Martin's Press. 3/13/2012.

Winspear, Jacqueline. Elegy for Eddie: A Maisie Dobbs Novel. Harper. 3/27/2012. Mystery

Murderous Puppets, Go Down with the Ship

Nathaniel — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:30:00 -0500

Could a puppet have committed a murder in The Memory of Blood by Christopher Fowler? It's a witty and suspenseful Golden-Age style British mystery featuring the Peculiar Crimes Unit- they solve cases that are too strange for regular police operations. The detectives investigate the creepy history of Punch and Judy shows.

It's the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic and you can slip back into that time through The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott. An aspiring seamstress gets a chance to wait on a world-renowned fashion designer during an ocean journey. Unfortunately, it's on the Titanic. History, courtroom drama and romance combine to make an engaging read.

In The Book of Jonas by Stephen Dau, a Muslim boy is rescued by an American soldier during a botched military operation and is sent to live in the United States where he does not thrive, despite a well-meaning foster family and therapy. A chance meeting between the boy and the soldier's grieving mother reveals that there is even more tragedy to the story. "A sobering and accomplished read meant to prick the conscience; highly recommended," says Library Journal.

See what else will be appearing on the New Fiction shelves at Schlow below.

Ahmed, Saladin. Throne of the Crescent Moon. Daw Books. 2/7/2012. Fantasy

Alcott, Kate. The Dressmaker. Doubleday Books. 2/21/2012.

Barnard, Robert. A Charitable Body: A Novel of Suspense. Scribner Book Company. 1/3/2012. Mystery

Bisson, Terry. Any Day Now. Overlook Press. 3/1/2012.

Blake, James Carlos. Country of the Bad Wolfes. Cinco Puntos Press. 1/31/2012.

Bova, Ben. Power Play. Tor Books. 1/3/2012. Sci-Fi

Brown, Dale. Tiger's Claw. William Morrow & Company. 8/14/2012.

Caldwell, Laura. Question of Trust. Mira Books. 2/21/2012.

Cameron, Peter. Coral Glynn. Farrar Straus Giroux. 2/28/2012.

Clark, Cassandra. A Parliament of Spies: A Mystery. Minotaur Books. 1/31/2012. Mystery

Cole, Myke. Shadow Ops: Control Point. Ace Books. 1/31/2012.

Dau, Stephen. The Book of Jonas. Blue Rider Press. 3/15/2012.

De Jonge, Peter. Buried on Avenue B. Harper. 7/24/2012.

D'Iachenko, Serhii. The Scar. Tor Books. 2/28/2012. Fantasy

Duncan, Alice. Ancient Spirits. Five Star (ME). 2/8/2012. Mystery

Dunn, Matthew. Sentinel: A Spycatcher Novel. William Morrow & Company. 8/7/2012.

Ebersohn, Wessel. Those Who Love Night. Minotaur Books. 1/31/2012. Mystery

Edwards, Selden. The Lost Prince. Dutton Books. 8/16/2012.

Epstein, Leslie. Liebestod: Opera Buffa with Leib Goldkorn. W. W. Norton & Company. 2/13/2012.

Erickson, Steve. These Dreams of You. Europa Editions. 1/31/2012.

Fairstein, Linda. Night Watch. Dutton Books. 7/10/2012.

Fowler, Christopher. The Memory of Blood: A Peculiar Crimes Unit Mystery. Bantam. 3/27/2012. Mystery

Frankel, Laurie. Good-Bye for Now. Doubleday Books. 8/7/2012.

Fultz, John R. Seven Princes. Orbit. 1/3/2012. Fantasy

Garwood, Julie. Sweet Talk. Dutton Books. 8/7/2012.

Gorman, Ed. Blindside: A Dev Conrad Mystery. Severn House Publishers. 1/1/2012. Mystery

Gregory, Susanna. Mystery in the Minster. Little, Brown Young Readers. 11/1/2011. Mystery

Grossman, Paul. Children of Wrath. St. Martin's Press. 2/28/2012. Mystery

Hambly, Barbara. Ran Away. Severn House Publishers. 12/1/2011. Mystery

Hillenbrand, Laura. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. Random House Large Print Publishing. 11/16/2010. Large Print Nonfiction

Houellebecq, Michel. The Map and the Territory. Knopf Publishing Group. 1/3/2012.

Jacobs, Jonnie. Paradise Falls. Five Star (ME) 3/7/2012. Mystery

Jaffarian, Sue Ann. Gem of a Ghost. Midnight Ink. 2/8/2012. Mystery

Jahn, Ryan David. The Dispatcher. Penguin Books. 12/27/2011.

Jance, J.A. Judgment Call: A Brady Novel of Suspense. William Morrow & Company. 7/24/2012.

Kluge, P.F. The Master Blaster. Overlook Press. 3/29/2012.

Kowalski, David. The Company of the Dead. Titan Books (UK). 3/13/2012. Science Fiction

Leonard, Elmore. Raylan. William Morrow & Company. 1/17/2012.

McComas, Mary Kay. What Happened to Hannah. William Morrow & Company. 2/7/2012.

Robertson, Imogen. Anatomy of Murder. Pamela Dorman Books. 2/16/2012. Mystery

Shrier, Howard. Boston Cream. Vintage Books Canada. 1/31/2012. Mystery

Thompson, Victoria. Murder on Fifth Avenue. Berkley Publishing Group. 5/1/2012. Mystery

Vincent, Norah. Thy Neighbor. Viking Books. 8/2/2012.

White, Stephen. Line of Fire. Dutton Books. 8/7/2012.

Williams, Mazarkis. The Emperor's Knife. Night Shade. 11/29/2011. Fantasy

Homework: Read Brilliant Mystery Stories

Nathaniel — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 20:35:00 -0500

What do we offer to you new this week? The latest Dexter and more new books by favorite authors like C.J. Box, Umberto Eco, Orson Scott Card, Clive Cussler, MaryJanice Davidson, Sherilyn Kenyon and Joyce Carol Oates.

Study in Sherlock is a collection of 20 stories based on Sherlock Holmes by authors such as Neil Gaiman, Laura Lippman, Margaret Maron, Thomas Perry, S. J. Rozan, Dana Stabenow, Charles Todd, and Jacqueline Winspear.

What if you could step into the world of Pride and Prejudice? In Midnight in Austenland, Shannon Hale has created a Jane Austen themed resort where all guests are assigned a role and a love interest. Everything is lovely until a body shows up.

Lots more below!

Averill, Thomas Fox. Rode. University of New Mexico Press. 8/16/2011.

Ballard, Mignon F. Miss Dimple Rallies to the Cause: A Mystery. Minotaur Books. 11/22/2011. Mystery
Barrick, Ella. Quickstep to Murder. Signet Book. 9/6/2011. Mystery

Basu, Kunal. The Yellow Emperor's Cure. Overlook Duckworth. 10/27/2011.

Bellerose, Sally. The Girls Club. Bywater Books. 9/13/2011.

Box, C. J. Force of Nature. Putnam Adult. 3/20/2012. Mystery

Bradley, Alan. Study in Sherlock: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon. Poisoned Pen Press. 10/25/2011. Mystery

Brett, Simon. Bones Under the Beach Hut. Five Star (ME). 12/1/2011. Mystery

Card, Orson Scott. Shadows in Flight. Tor Books. 1/17/2012. Sci-Fi

Carr, Robyn. Bring Me Home for Christmas. Mira Books. 10/25/2011. Romance

Christie, Judy. Goodness Gracious Green. Abingdon Press. 9/1/2010.

Christie, Judy. Rally 'Round Green. Abingdon Press. 8/1/2011.

Christie, Judy. The Glory of Green. Abingdon Press. 3/1/2011.

Corby, Gary. The Ionia Sanction. Minotaur Books. 11/8/2011. Mystery

Corby, Gary. The Pericles Commission. Minotaur Books. 11/9/2010. Mystery

Cussler, Clive. The Thief. Putnam Adult. 3/6/2012.

Davidson, MaryJanice. Yours, Mine, and Ours. St. Martin's Press. 2/28/2012. Romance

DeLaney, Edward J. Broken Irish. Turtle Point Press. 9/16/2011.

Draine, Betsy. Murder in Lascaux. University of Wisconsin Press. 10/4/2011. Mystery

Drake, Nick. Egypt: The Book of Chaos. Harper. 12/6/2011. Mystery

Duncan, Elizabeth J. A Killer's Christmas in Wales. Minotaur Books. 10/25/2011. Mystery

Eco, Umberto. The Prague Cemetery. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH). 11/8/2011.

Fennell, Judi. Genie Knows Best. Sourcebooks Casablanca. 11/1/2011. Romance

Franc, John. Hooked. Tin House Books. 9/27/2011.

Hale, Shannon. Midnight in Austenland. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. 1/31/2012.

Howard, Francine Thomas. Paris Noire. AmazonEncore. 9/20/2011.

Hoyt, Elizabeth. Scandalous Desires. Grand Central Publishing. 11/1/2011. Romance

Kenyon, Sherrilyn. The Guardian. St. Martin's Press. 11/1/2011.

Kleypas, Lisa. Love, Come to Me. Signet Book. 8/30/2011. Romance

La Farge, Paul. Luminous Airplanes. Farrar Straus Giroux. 9/27/2011.

Lake, Jay. Endurance. Tor Books. 11/8/2011. Fantasy

Lapidus, Jens. Easy Money. Pantheon Books. 4/3/2012.

Lightman, Alan P. MR G: A Novel about the Creation. Pantheon Books. 1/24/2012.

Lindsay, Jeff. Double Dexter. Doubleday Books. 10/18/2011.

Millet, Lydia. Ghost Lights. W. W. Norton Company. 10/24/2011.

Oates, Joyce Carol. Mudwoman. Ecco Press. 3/20/2012.

Palmer, Michael. Oath of Office. St. Martin's Press. 2/14/2012.

Parker, Ann. Mercury's Rise. Poisoned Pen Press. 11/1/2011. Mystery

Rees, Matt. Mozart's Last Aria. Harper Perennial. 11/1/2011.

Shepard, Sara. Everything We Ever Wanted. Harper Paperbacks. 10/11/2011.

Stabenow, Dana. Restless in the Grave. Minotaur Books. 2/14/2012. Mystery

Toews, Miriam. Irma Voth. Harper. 9/6/2011.

Urrea, Luis Alberto. Queen of America. Little Brown and Company. 11/28/2011.

Zeltserman, Dave. A Killer's Essence. Overlook Press. 9/21/2011.

Watergate, an adventurous dog, the next Hunger Games and vampires

Nathaniel — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 11:30:00 -0400

Which books are special in my last order? A fictional book about Watergate by Thomas Mallon (apropriately called Watergate). Library Journal says the funny historical novel stars "a cast of clowns and self-serving creeps who make the familiar story a veritable opera buffa."

If you liked The Hunger Games, put a reserveWhen the item you want is checked out to someone else you may request that it be held for you when it is returned. Requests can be made for any item in our catalog including new releases and items on order. You will receive notification via e-mail (or telephone) when your hold is available for pick up. Your request will be honored in the order it is received. on Pure by Julianna Baggott. In this postapocalyptic world an event called the "Detonations" left the survivors scarred, burned and required at 16 to become soldiers, or live targets if they're too damaged to serve. Some, called Pures, were safe inside the "Dome" during the disaster. One of the Pures finds out that his mother might be still alive outside the Dome and goes to look for her.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey is a "fairy tale with an edge." In 1920, a childless couple homesteading in Alaska creates a child out of snow. In the morning the snow child is gone, but a blonde-haired girl appears in the woods and they begin to love her as a daughter. The publicist for this novel said "Ivey's work is why we all in our various ways go into this book business."
Watergate, Pure and The Snow Child will be released in February.

In the Sci-Fi novel The Revisionists by Thomas Mullen, a Department of Historical Integrity agent has to stop "historical agitators" (or hags) from trying to prevent the world's great disasters from occuring. How can their society have their "perfect" present if they can't learn lessons from horrific mistakes in the past? (To me this book sounds like the opposite of the premise in Isaac Asimov's The End of Eternity.)

A book for dog lovers, Roam: A Novel with Music by Alan Lazar is writen from the point of view of Nelson, a half-beagle, half poodle mix, who goes on an Incredible Journey type of adventure back to his "Great Love," his owner. It's "a touching page-turner" says Publisher's Weekly.

The third book in Guillermo del Toro's "The Strain" vampire invasion series, The Night Eternal, comes out just in time for Halloween.

Look below, there's more you'll like!

Baggott, Julianna. Pure. Grand Central Publishing. 2/8/2012.

Bazell, Josh. Wild Thing. Reagan Arthur Books. 2/8/2012.

Bertrand, J. Mark. Pattern of Wounds. Bethany House Publishers. 7/1/2011.

Buchanan, Edna. A Dark and Lonely Place. Simon & Schuster. 11/8/2011.

Cooper, Karina. Blood of the Wicked: A Dark Mission Novel. Avon Books. 5/31/2011.

Crombie, Deborah. No Mark Upon Her. William Morrow & Company. 2/7/2012. Mystery

Day, Alyssa. Vampire in Atlantis. Berkley Sensation. 6/7/2011.

del Toro, Guillermo. The Night Eternal: Book Three of the Strain Trilogy. William Morrow & Company. 10/25/2011.

DeLaney, Frank. The Last Storyteller. Random House. 2/7/2012.

Dorsey, Tim. Pineapple Grenade. William Morrow & Company. 1/24/2012.

Dorsey, Tim. When Elves Attack: A Joyous Christmas Greeting from the Criminal Nutbars of the Sunshine State. William Morrow &; Company. 10/25/2011.

Duenas, Maria. The Time in Between. Atria Books. 11/8/2011.

Duffy, Erin. Bond Girl. William Morrow &; Company. 1/24/2012.

Funder, Anna. All That I Am. HarperCollins. 2/7/2012.

Fury, Dalton. Black Site: A Delta Force Novel. St. Martin's Press. 1/31/2012.

Gray, Shelley Shepard. Christmas in Sugarcreek: A Christmas Seasons of Sugarcreek Novel. Avon Inspire. 10/25/2011.

Green, Simon R. For Heaven's Eyes Only: A Secret Histories Novel. Roc. 6/7/2011.

Hand, Elizabeth. Available Dark: A Thriller. Minotaur Books. 2/14/2012.

Harstad, Johan. Buzz Aldrin, What Happened to You in All the Confusion? Seven Stories Press. 6/7/2011.

Hatcher, Robin Lee. Belonging. Zondervan. 8/16/2011.

Higley, T. L. Pompeii: City on Fire. B&H Publishing Group. 6/1/2011.

Hore, Rachel. A Place of Secrets. Holt McDougal. 1/31/2012.

Houston, Pam. Contents May Have Shifted. W. W. Norton & Company. 2/6/2012.

Ivey, Eowyn. The Snow Child. Little Brown and Company. 2/1/2012.

Jensen, Nancy. The Sisters. St. Martin's Press. 11/8/2011.

Kennedy, Douglas. Temptation. Atria Books. 4/24/2012.

Lazar, Alan. Roam: A Novel with Music. Atria Books. 11/1/2011.

Leon, Bonnie. Wings of Promise. Fleming H. Revell Company. 8/1/2011.

Lindsey, Johanna. When Passion Rules. Gallery Press. 6/14/2011. Romance

Livesey, Margot. The Flight of Gemma Hardy. Harper. 1/24/2012.

Love, Dorothy. Beyond All Measure. Thomas Nelson Publishers. 5/31/2011.

Ludlum, Robert P. Robert Ludlum's the Janson Command. Grand Central Publishing. 2/14/2012.

Mallon, Thomas. Watergate. Pantheon Books. 2/21/2012.

Mason, Richard. History of a Pleasure Seeker. Knopf Publishing Group. 2/7/2012.

Neuman, Andres. Traveler of the Century. Farrar Straus Giroux. 3/13/2012.

Novak, Brenda. Inside. Mira Books. 6/28/2011. Romance

Odell, Jonathan. The Healing. Nan A. Talese. 2/21/2012.

Patterson, James. Private: #1 Suspect. Little Brown and Company. 1/2/2012.

Pearl, Matthew. The Technologists. Random House. 2/21/2012.

Quinn, Julia. Just Like Heaven. Avon Books. 5/31/2011. Romance

Richards, Caroline. The Darkest Sin. Brava. 6/1/2011. Romance

Roberts, Sheila. The Nine Lives of Christmas. St. Martin's Press. 10/25/2011. Romance

Robinson, Peter. Before the Poison. William Morrow & Company. 2/7/2012.

Robotham, Michael. Bleed for Me. Mulholland Books. 2/27/2012.

Sands, Lynsay. The Bite Before Christmas. William Morrow & Company. 10/25/2011. Romance

Woodrell, Daniel. The Outlaw Album: Stories. Little Brown and Company. 10/5/2011.

Start the week off with a new book

Nathaniel — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 15:41:00 -0400

Just ordered for Schlow's collection: The Midnight Special by Edmond Addeo about the life of the musician Leadbelly, Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire (the final book in the Wicked series), a new Inspector Gamache mystery by Louise Penny, a biography about Wendy Wasserstein and lots of new romance novels and mysteries. Take a look!

Addeo, Edmond G. The Midnight Special: A Novel about Leadbelly. Authorhouse. 8/12/2009.

Benaron, Naomi. Running the Rift. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. 1/17/2012.

Blake, Jennifer. By His Majesty's Grace. Mira Books. 7/26/2011. Romance

Bryant, Niobia. The Hot Spot. Dafina Books. 8/1/2011. Romance

Carlson, Melody. River's Song. Abingdon Press. 8/1/2011.

Child, Lee. The Affair: A Reacher Novel. Random House Large Print Publishing. 9/27/2011. Large Print

Cody, Christine. Blood Rules. Ace Books. 8/30/2011.

Connolly, Harry. Circle of Enemies: A Twenty Palaces Novel. Del Rey Books. 8/30/2011. Fantasy

Cooper, Brenda. Mayan December. Prime Books. 8/23/2011. Fantasy

Cottam, F.G. The Magdalena Curse. Thomas Dunne Books. 8/2/2011.

Disher, Garry. Wyatt. Soho Crime. 8/9/2011.

Douglass, Sara. The Devil's Diadem. Harper Voyager. 7/26/2011. Fantasy

Due, Tananarive. My Soul to Take. Washington Square Press. 9/6/2011.

Eglin, Anthony. Garden of Secrets Past. Minotaur Books. 8/16/2011.

Elias, Gerald. Death and the Maiden. Minotaur Books. 8/16/2011. Mystery

Eriksson, Kjell. The Hand That Trembles. Minotaur Books. 8/2/2011. Mystery

Ernst, Kathleen. The Heirloom Murders. Midnight Ink. 9/8/2011. Mystery

Evanovich, Janet. Explosive Eighteen: A Stephanie Plum Novel. Random House Large Print Publishing. 11/22/2011. Large Print

Ghaemi, Nassir. A First-Rate Madness: Uncovering the Links Between Leadership and Mental Illness. Penguin Press. 8/4/2011. Nonfiction.

Goyer, David S. Heaven's Shadow. Ace Books. 7/5/2011. Sci-Fi

Grey, Juliet. Becoming Marie Antoinette. Ballantine Books. 8/9/2011.

Johnson, D. E. Motor City Shakedown. Minotaur Books. 9/13/2011.

Katsu, Alma. The Taker. Gallery Books. 9/6/2011.

Kennedy, Kathryne. The Lady of the Storm. Sourcebooks Casablanca. 8/1/2011. Romance

Kent, Christobel. A Murder in Tuscany. Minotaur Books. 8/2/2011. Mystery

Kita, Bronia. The Swansong of Wilbur McCrum. MacMillan UK. 9/1/2011.

Klein, Matthew. Switchback. Severn House Publishers. 7/1/2011.

Kollin, Dani. The Unincorporated Woman. Tor Books. 8/16/2011. Sci-Fi

Lazellari, Edward. Awakenings. Tor Books. 8/30/2011. Fantasy

Macmeans, Donna. Redeeming the Rogue. Berkley. 8/2/2011. Romance

Maguire, Gregory. Out of Oz: The Final Volume in the Wicked Years. William Morrow & Company. 11/1/2011.

Maksik, Alexander Kolya. You Deserve Nothing. Europa Editions. 8/30/2011.

Mallery, Susan. Only Mine. Harlequin Books. 7/26/2011. Romance

McFarland, Nora. Hot, Shot, and Bothered. Touchstone Books. 8/2/2011. Mystery

Michaels, Kasey. The Taming of the Rake. Harlequin Books. 7/26/2011. Romance

Nadal, Rafael. Rafa. Hyperion Books. 8/23/2011. New Bio.

O'Donohue, Clare. The Devil's Puzzle: A Someday Quilts Mystery. Plume Books. 9/27/2011. Mystery

Parshall, Sandra. Under the Dog Star. Poisoned Pen Press. 9/6/2011. Mystery

Patterson, James. Kill Me If You Can. Little Brown and Company. 8/29/2011. Large Print.

Penny, Louise. A Trick of the Light. Minotaur Books. 8/30/2011. Mystery

Reece, Christy. Sweet Justice: A Last Chance Rescue Novel. Ballantine Books. 9/6/2011. Romance

Robb, J. D. The Unquiet. Jove Books. 9/27/2011.

Salamon, Julie. Wendy and the Lost Boys: The Uncommon Life of Wendy Wasserstein. Penguin Press. 8/18/2011. Biography

Scott, A.D. A Double Death on the Black Isle. Atria Books. 9/27/2011. Mystery

Singh, Nalini. Archangel's Blade. Berkley. 9/6/2011. Romance

Stanley, Kelli. City of Secrets. Minotaur Books. 9/13/2011. Mystery

Strauss, Jacques. The Dubious Salvation of Jack V. Farrar Straus Giroux. 8/30/2011.

Taseer, Aatish. Noon. Faber & Faber. 9/13/2011.

Wallace, Randall. The Touch. Tyndale House Publishers. 8/17/2011.

Warren, Tracy Anne. The Bed and the Bachelor. Avon Books. 7/26/2011. Romance

Wilcock, David. The Source Field Investigations: The Hidden Science and Lost Civilizations Behind the 2012 Prophecies. Dutton Books. 8/23/2011. Nonfiction.

Young, Thomas W. Silent Enemy. G.P. Putnam's Sons. 8/4/2011.

Great Penn State Sports Lists!

Nathaniel — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:18:00 -0400

Hey there Penn State sports fans! David Pencek, editor of Town & Gown magazine, has just published a book about the top moments, players, and many other interesting facts about Penn State sports. David will be speaking at Schlow this Thursday (Sept 1) at 7 p.m. Come learn about his research for the book and debate about what you think should have been in there!

Here's a review of the book by Kitty Wunderly of Bellefonte:
“The Great Book of Penn State Sports Lists,” by Matthew Pencek and David Pencek, Running Press, 2011

Anyone who has ever gotten into a spirited discussion of Penn State sports – you know who you are, and your numbers are legion – probably will need several copies of this book. The first will be damaged beyond utility by banging it on tabletops (or your
companions) while making a point, or smeared with food at tailgates, and the second will be for the permanent home library.

This book will help to begin or end arguments, being a lively compendium of the factual and the quirky from several dozen contributors with good claims to being experts about various PSU sports (not only football) and sports-related topics. PSU defensive lineman and later four-time Super Bowl winner Matt Millen
relates lessons he learned from Joe Paterno; All-American offensive tackle Dave Joyner lists five reasons why Paterno’s “Grand Experiment” of combining good football with good students has worked; and football team physician Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli supplies his list (painful reading) of top eleven comebacks from injuries sustained in PSU
football, basketball, fencing, swimming, gymnastics, and soccer.

Lydell Mitchell reminisces about his three Nittany Lion seasons with Franco Harris, a pairing that surely was made in some football heaven. Joe Bastardi, first a PSU wrestler and then a noted meteorologist, contributes a very funny list of the top ten (plus one honorable mention) “memorable weather games.”

Well-thumbed and debatable parts of the book will surely include the list of “Most Memorable Calls,” by Steve Jones, the longtime play-by-play “voice of Penn State sports”; the “Greatest Quarterback Controversies” section; and probably even the lists of best pizzas, bars, and Creamery ice cream flavors.

The book is divided into sections of no more than three or four pages each, perfect for quick reads, but likely to turn into extended reading because the content is so much fun, interesting to anyone who knows and loves Penn State in general, not just its sports in particular.

Penn State fans will give copies to one another as gifts, always a comical situation, but useful in this instance, as each will have one to refer to when the squabble begins over which was the most thrilling ending, the most heartbreaking loss, the best bowl victory.

Think about a copy for the young fans in your circle, too – it’s exactly the type of book that will lure a self-described non-reader into devouring it, word for word. The material is interesting and often funny, and it’s well-written but not pedantic (no mistaking it for a school text). Plus, for Centre County kids, it has the great appeal of being local history!

Kitty Wunderly lives in Bellefonte. She is the author of a book, “Bellefonte and the Early Air Mail, 1918-1927.”

Meet The Great Book of Penn State Lists author David Pencek at 7:00pm on Thursday, September 1st at Schlow Centre Region Library. David stands ready to defend his lists – and hear your alternatives! Free to the public, this is a great way to kick off the opening of football season. Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing.

Sultry books for summer

Nathaniel — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:30:00 -0400

Has it been hot enough for you? If not, check out some of our brand new romance novels. Some are RITA award winners.

Among the Wonderful by Stacy Carlson sounds intriguing. A giantess and a taxidermist inhabit P.T. Barnum's museum in Manhattan in the 1840s.

In The Submission by Amy Waldman, the winner of a 9/11 memorial design contest turns out to be a Muslim American. Library Journal says, "This is an insightful, courageous, heartbreaking work that should be read, discussed, then read again."

More new books below.

Campion, Alexander. Crime Fraiche. Kensington Publishing Corporation. 7/1/2011. Mystery

Carlson, Stacy. Among the Wonderful. Steerforth Press. 8/2/2011.

Carlyle, Liz. The Bride Wore Scarlet. Avon Books. 7/26/2011. Romance

Castle, Jayne. Canyons of Night: Book Three of the Looking Glass Trilogy. Jove Books. 8/30/2011. Romance

Chen, Guanzhong. The Fat Years. Nan A. Talese. 1/10/2012.

Colfer, Eoin. Plugged. Overlook Press. 9/1/2011. Mystery

Collins, Max Allan. Bye Bye, Baby. Forge. 8/16/2011. Mystery

Datlow, Ellen. Naked City: Tales of Urban Fantasy. St. Martin's Griffin. 7/5/2011. Fantasy

Everson, Eva Marie. Chasing Sunsets: A Cedar Key Novel. Fleming H. Revell Company. 6/1/2011.

Hatvany, Amy. Best Kept Secret. Washington Square Press. 6/7/2011.

Hill, Donna. Heat Wave. Dafina Books. 7/1/2011. Romance

Kane, Andrea. The Girl Who Disappeared Twice. Mira Books. 5/31/2011.

Knight, Angela. Burning Up. Berkley Sensations. 8/3/2010. Romance

Mann, Catherine. Cover Me. Sourcebooks Casablanca. 7/1/2011. Romance

McOmber, Adam. This New & Poisonous Air. BOA Editions. 6/21/2011.

Roberts, Nora. The Next Always: Book One of the Inn Boonsboro Trilogy. Berkley Publishing Group. 11/1/2011. Romance

Roper, Gayle G. Shadows on the Sand: A Seaside Mystery. Multnomah Publishers. 7/19/2011.

Seilstad, Lorna. A Great Catch. Fleming H. Revell Company. 5/1/2011. Romance

Spiegelman, Peter. Thick as Thieves. Knopf Publishing Group. 7/26/2011.

Strobel, Lee. Ambition. Zondervan. 5/17/2011.

Thomas Nelson Publishers. Fairer Than Morning. Thomas Nelson Publishers. 5/10/2011.

Waldman, Amy. The Submission. Farrar Straus Giroux. 8/16/2011.

Warner, Kaki. Pieces of Sky. Berkley Publishing Group. 1/5/2010. Romance