Happy 2012 !!! December 29, 2011
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HAPPY 2012 EVERYONE! It’s going to be a great year. (The photo was taken last year by my friend, George Koch.)
THE WINTER GHOSTS By Kate Mosse December 27, 2011
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The Lycan Librarian didn’t expect this book to actually be a ghost story, but she was intrigued by the 1928 setting in the French Pyrenees so plucked it from the “New Book” shelf. Well hooray, hooray. It truly is a yarn about ghosts reaching out from the past and requesting the help they need to rest. Although this reader is reluctant to reveal too much of any plot in a review, she doesn’t feel this tidbit will come as a surprise to anyone who opts to enjoy this selection .
Freddie is traveling after a stay in an institution. He is unable to come to terms with the death of his brother, who was lost in WWI. He has been only half alive since that event, and this book, and its ghosts, stress the importance of living fully, of looking about and reveling in life. In being aware of your place and purpose during your own time.
The book has short chapters and is a very quick read. It is easy to keep saying, “Oh, one more chapter,” and then, “Oh, just one chapter more.” Then, before you know it, you have closed the back cover and finished the novel. The ghosts’ stories are based on true and very horrific historical events. If you are a reader who enjoys old novels discovered in the corner of resale shops and buried deep in erratic piles of goods at flea markets, then you will appreciate this selection. It has a timeless sense to it, so while it doesn’t read exactly like a modern novel, it can still be happily devoured by todays’ bibliophiles.
I am going to try another Mosse selection, as the book jacket proclaims this to be her third novel and I very much enjoy her writing style.
Happy 2012! This is going to be a terrific year!
DRAMA: AN ACTOR’S EDUCATION by John Lithgow December 22, 2011
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This book is a memoir, not an autobiography, so those of you hoping to sneak a peek at what it was like on the set of 3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN or DEXTER will not get what you are hoping for. Rather, readers can expect an interesting and unique tale of an unusual man and his equally unusual life. His family hopped from place to place a lot while he was growing up, and acting was introduced to Lithgow at a very young age — it was his father’s passion. For those who live in the area where I grew up, Northeast Ohio, you will get a bonus in the fascinating little tidbits about places such as the Stan Hywet mansion, and a walk down that proverbial old lane named memory. This is a delightful read about an actor’s introduction and education to the stage, and about how he was groomed from a very young age to appreciate that being different is a gift.
HUGO — A Rave Review December 18, 2011
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Having read and loved the Brian Selznock novel, the Lycan Librarian was very, very excited to see this movie. And for good reason. This is one of those precious and rare cases when the book and movie are both excellent. First, let me boast about the good luck that followed the librarian around this day. Imagine going to a Saturday matinée with a friend. being surrounded with lines of bouncing children, retreating into theater 7, and being the only ones in the space. Strange, but true. Christmas shopping and the array of other kids’ movies being shown left us blissfully alone. No whispering, no rustling of cellophane bags, no coughing or laughing at inappropriate times. Ahhh!
With or without distractions, this is a film that takes the viewer out of their environment and transports them into its magical world. I had no awareness of being in the theater or in my body. The 3-D was amazing, and all the actors, even the three dogs, were magnificent in their roles.
This story is about a 12-year-old boy, an orphan who lives in the walls of a Paris train station and secretly keeps the clocks running on perfect time. His story is braided with those of the merchants who sit, daily, at their booths in the station selling flowers, toys or croissants. But the toy seller is the one whose story is most intriguing, and the lesson found in viewing this fantastic visual treat is that it is never too late to dream, to create, and to live in wonder. Dreamers of all ages will love it. 
CLASSICS FOR PLEASURE By Michael Dirda November 28, 2011
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This is a selection the Lycan Librarian was delighted to stumble upon. It’s not a book that she had heard about, but was drawn to it immediately and is now very happy to have it in her clutches. Pulitzer Prize winner, Dirda, has compiled a collection of essays about his favorite authors. Don’t be turned away by the word “classics,’ because Dirda is very open-minded in using the term. For example, it was fun to see a section for authors such as Edward Gorey, those who are blessed with a “playful Imagination.” There isn’t much that has to be said about this book, except that the essays are thoughtful and very interesting. I doubt anyone who loves books and reading can close the cover on this selection without having compiled a list of their own — a list of books they simply must either read or reread. And what luck! I bring this to your attention just in time for you to add it to your list for Santa.
LINE BY LINE By Barbara Hacha November 19, 2011
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LINE BY LINE is a very interesting and unusual novel about a female hobo during the great depression. Maddy is at a loss when her school is closed in her senior year. She leaves home after she is abused by her cousin and learns to ride the rails as she seeks not only a meal and safe corner to sleep, but also a place to belong. The book is full of wonderful details about the times and the hobo ways, such as their art. They carved the faces of nickels, from buffalo and Indians, into hikers and derbied profiles to trade and sell, and those pieces are worth a pretty large chunk of change today. The book shows readers how to hop on and off a moving train, explains the hobo system of leaving messages for each other, and exposes that there was an enormous difference between a bum and a hobo. The plot branches out into other concerns of the time, and that is where, to this reader, the plot encountered some bumps. I most enjoyed seeing the world through the eyes of the hobos, but our heroine was stationary through a big chunk of the book. Those small issues would have been easily resolved by a good agent and a publisher’s editors, but this author didn’t have that luxury. The novel is self-published, and it is also a finalist in the Best New Fiction category of USA Book News “Best Books of 2011″ Awards. I did not mention the fact that this book is self- published to demean it or imply it isn’t as good as one accepted by a major publisher. In today’s world, luck and connections play a greater part in getting published than talent or art. Many people don’t realize that agents can work with a client on a book for up to a year before getting it in shape to send to a publisher, and then the publisher works on it with them for an additional period of time. By the end, the book can be so massively reworked that it’s only a shadow of the originally submitted work. At that point it’s considered better, but the reading public will not be the ones deciding if it truly is or not.
LINE BY LINE is memorable and well worth the read. It is easily available and can be found (of course!) on Amazon. If you can’t find it at your local library, make a purchase request. That way you can share the unique experience of this novel with those hungry library patrons who are looking for a good read in today’s sea of the unexceptional and monotonous selections being offered by conventional publishers.
HOW TO DEAL WITH A COLD November 9, 2011
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The worst part about a head cold is the inability to think. I have one, so have been going through the Moonlit Library whistling out of the tiny space in my left nostril where air can get through. The cold is breaking, and everything is draining, so I emit frequent and annoying little barks when the back of my throat is tickled.
I typed up a little bit of a rough draft, but can’t do any final editing or work on the glossary for my nearly completed novel. Getting away from the computer wouldn’t be a bad thing, and when I can manage it, I usually either do aerobics or read. Both are out. I feel too drained and can’t take in enough air to exercise. I know it sounds like a cop-out, but sometimes our bodies tell us what’s best for them. I tried reading and read the same paragraph three times without comprehending it. There are always movies, but I know if I put one in, I’ll fall asleep and miss half of it. I guess I could watch one I’ve seen before…
I am grateful that I am able to be home when I’m sick. It’s really terrible to have to go into work sick, and even worse for everyone else when some contagious sick-o goes into work and spreads their germs around. The last, and best alternative is to take the dogs for a walk around the property. It’s a little cool outside, but the brisk air will wake me up and the hounds will certainly appreciate a bit of time to romp. Dogs are so great. Even though I disgust myself, they aren’t at all repulsed by my dripping, snorting and coughing. They don’t cringe when I sneeze or blow my nose and they like having me around with or without germs. They seem to sense they have to back up a little and allow me my rest, but they’re also there, ready and willing to warm the bed if I decide to take a nap.
We live in an age where we have tons of remedies and relief measures for the common cold, but none of them can compare to the soothing comfort of a beloved pet.
ROOM By Emma Donoghue November 3, 2011
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The Lycan Librarian loved Donoghue’s novel, SLAMMERKIN. She is a good writer who tackles dark subjects, and that is what urged this reader to finish the author’s newest selection. ROOM is about a nineteen year old girl who is abducted and kept in a garden shed for seven years. The tale begins when her son Jack, the product of one of the numerous rapes she suffers through the years, is five years old, and the story is told from his point of view. There are times when the boy’s voice is almost babyish, and others when it seems too adult, and that was bothersome. Many of the scenes bordered on boring as the two entertained themselves during the eternal days and nights in one room, but that was probably the author’s intent. That device, however, did not work well for this reader. I did finish the book, but never fully connected with either mother or son, so although I was curious to see what happened, I didn’t root for them one way or the other. (I know that sounds pretty terrible, but I’m just bring honest, and, hey, this is fiction!)
My guess is many other readers will have more of an emotional connection to the plight of the pair. The boy, after all, was born in the room so had virtually no childhood. The mother must bear, along with many other trials, a bad tooth and her captor will not take her to a dentist, so she simply has to try to ignore the pain until the tooth literally rots out of her mouth. It is, indeed, a horrifying situation.
The book is an easy read and even with the tedious passages, it goes quickly. If you are intrigued with the real life stories of the numerous unfortunate girls who are taken and hidden away by perverts and other nut cases, then you will probably savor this selection from beginning to end. Alas, this reader can merely offer it a lukewarm review.
ANONYMOUS — A VERY SHORT REVIEW November 2, 2011
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Don’t expect information about the plot. It will only ruin it for you, and I refuse to take away from such a thrilling storyline. I went into this film only knowing it had something to do with a conspiracy about who wrote Shakespeare’s works, and that it took place in his time. That was more than enough to get this viewer’s ticket money.
The atmosphere and the scenery in this film is brilliant, and the overhead views of the surrounding landscape are especially breathtaking. It is a feast for the eyes with elaborate costumes, worn both in the plays and by the royalty.
This is a piece I have to see again, because the long line of characters and titles got muddled for me in spots, especially since the action kept going back, in steps, further and further in time. But the presumptions made are so shocking and interesting that I have been online trying to figure out which theories presented may have a strong basis in truth. I was on the edge of my seat during the entire movie, and I gasped out loud two or three times.
If you like period pieces, Merry Olde England, Shakespeare (although you may not like him as much after seeing this) and surprises, then this is a movie well worth viewing. I had to go to an art theater to see it because it’s not at the general theaters. This is really too bad, because there are many who probably will not see this if it isn’t at their familiar movie house. But is it not at regular theaters because they really need all three theaters to show another mindless comedy or lame date movie? Whatever the reason, you truly should take the time to go the extra distance to see ANONYMOUS and be amazed. I’m very happy that I did.
I, MONSTER: SERIAL KILLERS IN THEIR OWN CHILLING WORDS By Tom Philbin October 27, 2011
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Are you looking for a thoroughly terrifying Halloween read? Philbin’s book is it. No monsters of the imagination can compare to this group of maniacs who, through many years, have felt justified and productive in murdering. Some of these guys are long gone, like H.H. Holmes, whose acts were carried out in Chicago in 1893. Some are still behind bars. Some are famous, and others not as much. But the single thread tying them all together are their deeds. None of them are sorry for them, and most either still are, or died, very angry. One can’t say much about this selection that the author hasn’t.
We can’t know who among us is a serial killer. Looking at their pictures in this book, it’s unlikely any of us could recognize these normal looking people to be monsters, so the question of how many more are out here among us keeps circling the reader’s mind, over and over again. It doesn’t get any scarier than the reality exhibited so starkly in this powerful nonfiction work.
