Book Review - All Roads Lead to Austen: A Yearlong Journey with Jane

I stumbled upon All Roads Lead to Austen: A Yearlong Journey with Jane by Amy Elizabeth Smith while searching for an ebook to read on the train this summer. I browsed through Freading ebooks since I knew everything would available for download immediately (no wait list!)  While I'm not an Austenite, I do seem to gravitate to books centered around Jane Austen's books ... The Jane Austen Book Club is a good example of this.

I'm also an armchair traveler so I really liked that All Roads Lead to Austen is part travelogue. During a yearlong sabbatical from teaching, Smith journeys to six countries in Latin America (Guatemala, Mexico, Ecuador, Chile, Paraguay, and Argentina) to conduct reading groups using three of Austen's novels - Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, and Emma - in an attempt to discover if Austen's books translate across time and culture.  Since this book is a memoir, it was lots of fun for me to "meet" real people from these Latin American countries, not just fictional characters created by an author. 

My absolute favorite part of the book is when Smith asked the members of her reading groups to suggest the authors from their country that they thought she should read. I diligently jotted down the author's names, vowing to read as many of them as I possibly can (translated into English, of course). I won't embarrass myself by revealing how many of the authors were new to me.

If you are curious about All Roads Lead to Austen, you can check out additional reviews on Goodreads.

This book review was submitted by Jill S.

Freegal 4.0 Is Here!

If you're not already familiar with Freegal Music, it allows you to download 3 FREE songs per week from a collection of over 7 million songs!   The songs are downloaded as MP3 files and they are yours to keep forever. Freegal Music currently has music from over 28,000 labels, including the complete catalog of Sony Music Entertainment.

In addition to songs, you can now download music videos from Freegal.  The music videos count as 2 credits compared to the 1 credit cost of each song, but like the songs, the MP4 video files are yours to keep forever. Choose from over 10,000 videos from artists including Adele, One Direction, Miley Cyrus, Michael Jackson, and many, many more.

Another feature new to Freegal 4.0 is the ability to create a wishlist of songs that you'd like to download in the future.  This will come in very handy when you see all the new songs being offered!

Each person with a Matawan Aberdeen Library card is given 3 credits per week (Monday to Sunday) which you can used to download songs and videos. To access Freegal 4.0, please visit our website at www.matawanaberdeenlibrary.com, click on Electronic Resources, select Music, and then click on the Freegal icon ... or simply click here. You can browse without signing in, but you must sign in with your library card number in order to download videos or songs.

Enjoy!

This post was written by Dennis K. and Jill S.

Book Review: Unleashed by David Rosenfelt

If you are a dog-lover, (as I am) and you like mysteries, (as I do), then you will love this latest mystery from the author, David Rosenfelt.  It is an addition to the Andy Carpenter series, but it is also enjoyable as a stand-alone.  Rosenfelt lived in Patterson, New Jersey and this is his 11^th Andy Carpenter mystery featuring this New Jersey city.

 Andy is an independently wealthy, criminal defense attorney.  His main interest is his girlfriend, his dog, and the Tara Foundation, a dog rescue center.  So it is no surprise that he is reluctant to take on new clients but after much persuading agrees to take on his accountant’s friend, Barry Price.  Unfortunately, Barry dies in a plane crash before meeting Andy.  It is soon discovered that the plane crash was not accidental and Barry’s wife is arrested for his murder.   Without spoiling the mystery, I can tell you that the story involves a mob of international terrorists threating a major attack on the United States, a group of octogenarian computer whizzes who assistant our attorney, and of course, you will meet some pretty special dogs, and have a thoroughly entertaining time.  This book will keep you turning the pages as fast as the plot keeps coming up with unexpected twists and turns to the very exciting end. The story is told with Andy’s wisecracking humor and unusual courtroom behavior and candid observations.  All this keeps his fans coming back for more and I believe you will be a fan after reading, Unleashed.

After you read this novel you may want to try his nonfiction book, Dogtripping.  Rosenfelt is an ardent dog lover and has rescued many throughout his life.  This book chronicles his funny account of a cross-country move from California to Maine, and the beginnings of the Tara Foundation, a dog rescue center.  Oh, and did I forget to mention that the family did this move with twenty-five rescue dogs, eleven volunteers, and three RVs?

As a side note, I would also like to add that one of our own staff members at MAPL has met David Rosenfelt and has corresponded with him.  She is also a lover of dogs.

Genre:  Legal thrillers; Suspense stories   Writing Style:  Compelling; Witty

Book reviewed by Cecelia R.

Adult Summer Reading Club ends soon!

Week 7 raffle prize

There are only a few days left to participate in the 2013 Adult Summer Reading Club.  While the Children and Teen Summer Reading Clubs both end on Friday, August 9 with the Finisher’s Day activities, the Adult SRC will continue until Monday, August 12 @ 1 PM.   This means you have plenty of time to finish that book you’re currently reading, or even start a new book if you are a fast reader.  Just remember to return your book (or audiobook) by Monday @ 1 PM to get that last raffle ticket.

Sometime after 1 PM we’ll draw for the Week 7 raffle prize, a beautiful basket of assorted summer goodies and two new books – Unwritten by Charles Martin and The Moon Says It Will by Vell Sweeney. Next we’ll pool together all the adult raffle tickets from the entire summer and draw for the Grand Prize - a Barnes & Noble NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight (courtesy of the Friends of the Library)!

Remember, you can’t win if you don’t enter!  Good Luck everyone!

Book Review: Full Body Burden by Kristen Iversen

Have you ever heard of the Rocky Flats Plant in Jefferson County, Colorado? If not, don't worry, because after reading Full Body Burden by Kristen Iversen, you'll learn the history and the secrets behind the plant.  In Iversen's autobiography she writes about her childhood (from heartbreak to family secrets and her family experiences living near the plant), and of course the real agenda behind Rocky Flats. Most residents living near the plant believed they were making cleaning products, but secretly it was a working nuclear plant creating plutonium triggers for nuclear weapons.  Throughout the book she highlights specific workers and their experiences in the plant along with events happening in her family and is able to interweave these two topics into a wonderful narrative.   
Kristen Iversen's autobiography of her time growing up near the plant reads more like a work of fiction, and at times you have to remind yourself that these events really happened and that the people highlighted were real.  If you enjoyed the movie Erin Brockovich you will love reading this book about the secrets that a plant hid from its community and the outcomes that followed the residents and workers.   

This post was written by Dennis K.

Book Review: The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer is the story of six friends who meet at summer camp in 1974 and remain part of each others lives for the next few decades. It’s a summer camp for the arts so the book has plenty to say about creative people and what role creativity plays in their lives. Is it enough to be talented without ambition? Is it better to be talented and lucky, or wealthy? At what point do you "settle"? Smart and funny, The Interestings has well drawn characters, with dramatically different lives and relationships. They support each other, they drift apart. They share secrets and lies. They celebrate each other but they can also be jealous. Wolitzer has a remarkable eye for detail, and ear for dialogue. She captures a lot of life’s beautiful small moments and larger truths. The Interestings is aptly named, and a great addition to your summer reading list.


This post was written by Susie B.

Prizes and Fun are guaranteed this summer at MAPL!

Sign up now for our annual Adult Summer Reading Club. Every time you return a book, audiobook, or Playaway, you will have the chance to win fun weekly prizes such as gift cards, gift baskets, and much more! The more you read, the more chances you have to win. In order to win prizes you'll need to register for the club at the Circulation Desk.  You'll be assigned a number and receive a FREE tote bag courtesy of the Friends of the Library. While you're there pick up a brochure with details on all the amazing programs going on at the library this summer! Learn about Life At An Edwardian Manor (7/22 @ 7 pm) , the History of the Jersey Shore (7/31 @ 7 pm), or listen to the music of Gregory Irish (7/19 @ 7 pm), plus so much more.  The sooner you get started, the more chances you'll have to win. At the end of summer all the raffle tickets will be put back in the jar for a chance to win the Grand Prize - a Barnes & Noble NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight (also from the Friends of the Library).

Good luck to everyone!

This post was written by library intern, Dennis Kuhn, with reference librarian, Jill Stafford.