Books to Steal from Your Teenager

First it was your daughter. And then it was your daughter’s best friend. And then it was your daughter’s best friend’s mother….and that guy at the dentist’s office…..and that 40-year old account exec on the bus! 

It’s the Twilight phenomenon, and these days, it seems as though everyone and their dog has read it – heck, Stephanie Meyer has practically taken up permanent residency on the NY Times Bestseller List, having made a home there for the last 165 weeks!  Not to mention all of the Twilight paraphernalia that has hit the market, including Twilight inspired hair tools that are specifically designed to recreate characters’ hairstyles from the movies (use the chunky round brush to shape soft waves like Bella, or try the mini flatiron for Edward’s smoothly tousled strands).   

But should Twilight’s widespread popularity really come as any surprise? I mean, at the end of the day, we’re all just looking for a well-written, engaging story – and if it just so happens to be a story about a teenager, well, what’s wrong with that?  But what I find interesting about this whole phenomenon is that it hasn’t ended with Twilight. Oh no. The phenomenon has spread, and over the past couple of years, adults across the nation have been walking….no….running to the realm of teen-lit. 

Authors like Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games) and Markus Zusak (The Book Thief) have converted many adult readers into YA fiction fanatics – and it’s no wonder why. Collins’ massively popular dystopian-romance (and soon to be blockbuster movie) is the kind of book that instantly pulls you in, with a killer Survivor-esque plot-line to boot. 

Zusak’s novel is similarly gripping, although more so in the grab-a-kleenex heart-wrenching sense. The Book Thief is a deeply moving story of the Holocaust narrated by death itself, and some of the best historical-fiction I have ever read. 

More recently, Paolo Bacigalupi’s Ship Breaker has had me swooning, and if you’re a fan of post-apocalyptic lit (Cormac McCarthy’s The Road anyone?), you’ll love this book’s gritty, all-too-imaginable climate crashed world. As you might expect, the gap between the haves and have-nots has become an abyss. Doing everything he can to survive, Nailer joins a rag tag group of workers, searching for copper wire and scrap metal to earn a living. That is, until he comes across a ship-wrecked beauty who turns his world upside down. 

Along that same woe-is-the-world line is Patrick Ness’ The Knife of Never Letting Go. This fantastic book will have you reading through your dinner with its non-stop action and riveting cliff-hangers that are so well-written, they’d make even Dan Brown drool. In New World, everyone can hear everyone else’s thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. But when Todd discovers an area of complete silence, he uncovers a secret so awful, he is forced to run for his life.  

Even authors who normally write for adults are jumping on the teen-lit bandwagon – and can you blame them? I mean, who wouldn’t want to cash in on this booming lucrative market!? James Patterson did it first, back in 2005 with his YA adventure series Maximum Ride, and has since published a handful more.  Crime writer Kathy Reichs is now writing for teens (Virals series), along with Canadian fantasy author Kelley Armstrong (Darkest Powers trilogy, Darkness Rising trilogy), mystery writer Harlan Coben (Shelter), and well-known fantasy author Richelle Mead (Vampire Academy series), among others. If you’ve read any of these authors’ “grown-up books,” you’ll have no problem slipping into their teen-lit creations. And hey, you may just find that you like them even better!      

Clearly, you’re missing out if you haven’t checked out a book from the Library’s Teen Department lately. So why not give these books a spin the next time you’re looking for a good read! There’s so much out there beyond Stephanie Meyer, even if you are a Twihard who curled your hair this morning using your Twilight curling iron.

- Lindsay

Oh well, whatever, nevermind

To say that Smells Like Teen Spirit blew me away when I first heard it would be a gross understatement. The opening guitar rifts went straight from my ears to my stomach, actually causing me physical discomfort. I could barely understand the words, but one snippet latched itself onto my brain: oh well, whatever, nevermind. This song, by a band I had never heard of, spoke to me, to my life, and I knew at that moment that music would never be the same again.

This past weekend marked the 20th anniversary of the release of Nirvana’s second album, Nevermind, an album that ranks 17 in Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. A quick search on Google will give you numerous articles and websites that have covered the news. Better writers than I have analyzed the album, given us the inside scoop on its creation, examined the band’s influence on rock, detailed the birth of grunge and alternative rock, and have interviewed the remaining band members, so I won’t even bother chiming in with my two cents. But for those of you who missed out on the music scene of the early 90s, I will recommend the following books and DVDs.

The rough guide to Nirvana, by Gillian Gaar. Gaar, a Seattle music journalist who personally interviewed many of those involved with Nirvana’s story, traces the band’s history from its early years to the untimely and tragic death of its leader, Kurt Cobain, covering the music they recorded, both in the studio and live, and everything else written or filmed about them (including musical tributes or covers of their songs).

Nirvana: the biography, by Everett True. British rock journalist True was friends with the members of Nirvana. Here, he assembles his own recollections, published sources, and hundreds of interviews into a detailed biography that recounts instances of drug and domestic abuse, suicide attempts, spirited stage shows, recordings, and business travails. True also provides a smart analysis of Seattle grunge sound and puts Nirvana and other grunge bands into their proper context.

Nirvana & le grunge : 15 ans de rock underground américain, par Florent Mazzoler. Avec la révolution de Nirvana en 1991 grâce à l’album ” Nevermind ” ; c’est tout un pan du rock alternatif américain qui rencontre un succès universel. L’envol du groupe a sorti de l’ombre le rock grunge, qui émergeait à peine d’un monde hermétique de clubs, de fanzines et de labels indépendants. Le rock alternatif s’est finalement imposé comme un nouveau genre dominant au début de la décennie 1990 et de nombreux artistes ont été propulsés, dans le même temps, sur la scène internationale.

Nirvana live! Tonight! Sold out! Originally conceived by Kurt Cobain, LIVE! TONIGHT! SOLD OUT! is a video document of Nirvana’s rise from a scruffy trio from the Pacific Northwest into one of the most iconic and important bands in the history of rock music.

 Nirvana: live at Reading. This live DVD, released in 2009, chronicles Nirvana’s 1992 performance at the Reading Festival. Bootlegged for years following the performance, the new issues present the performance for the first time mastered and color corrected.

We all know how Nirvana’s story ended on April 5, 1994.. But for now, I’m just going to sit back, listen to Nevermind and remember how it all began. Oh well, whatever, nevermind…

- Barbara

Weird and Wonderful: Canadian Film

Seen any good Canadian films lately? The 36^th Toronto International Film Festival, one of the most important and popular festivals in the world, wrapped up recently and plenty of new Canadian films debuted.  Yet, Canadian films aren’t always given the same recognition as American film and I wonder if I too have failed to give them their due.  Are there some gems out there that I have missed? I decided to do some research, make a viewing list, and discover what makes Canadian film and the industry unique.  

A good book to begin with is Brian D. Johnson’s Brave Films Wild Nights: 25Years of Festival Fever.  It documents how the Toronto film festival originated, grew, and exploded into the major event it is now. The book is packed with pictures, gossip, international film history and a basic background of significant Canadian films (in 1984 the festival did a poll on the top 10 Canadian films – number one? Mon Oncle Antoine).  The book also demonstrates how it has become harder and harder to maintain a balance between the American product and, well, everything else, including our homegrown flicks.

I found this brief but informative overview on the Canadian film industry that gives a little bit of history, mentions several of the problems in the Canadian film industry (such as the cultural cringe theory and the fact that Canadian film makers often don’t have access to the same funding as US ones), discusses seminal Canadian directors and includes a list of notable films such as Atanarjuat, The Company of Strangers, Leolo and The Sweet Hereafter. 

For a comprehensive history check out George Melnyk’s One Hundred Years of Canadian Cinema.  This book provides detailed background on Canadian cinema’s slow beginnings, the rise of the NFB and the emergence of Quebec cinema.  Melnyk also devotes chapters to the cinema of English Canada, Aboriginal film, experimental film and film criticism.  Profiles of many directors and their films are included, such as Denys Arcand’s Jesus of Montreal, Allan King’s A Married Couple and Warrendale, David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, Alanis Obomsawin’s Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance and Bruce McDonald’s Dance Me Outside.

The most enjoyable book for me is without a doubt Caelum Vatnsdal’s They Came From Within: A History of Canadian Horror Cinema. I like horror films and Caelum shares the same enthusiasm I have for often neglected and forgotten treats like Rituals, The Clown Murders, Curtains, Terror Train and Shivers.   Fans of the genre will not be disappointed with this well researched and witty book.  Find out what scares the average Canadian.

I also think Katherine Monk’s book Weird Sex & Snowshoes  is extremely worthwhile. She focuses on the uniqueness of Canadian cinema (we don’t have to imitate the Americans!) and she examines themes typically prevalent in Canadian movies. In her checklist of 100 Canadian films she notes ones that have oppressive landscapes (New Waterford Girl), fragmented narratives (Careful), potent women (Maelstrom), and many more Canadian-isms like cold weather as a running gag, outsider stance, passive men, and canoes.

When considering Canadian cinema, don’t forget the local achievements of filmmakers from Winnipeg.  The Winnipeg Film Group has released several DVD compilations of short films including Beginnings 1976-1983: the Early Years, Illusion of Normalcy, Winnipeg Saga, Ladies First, Isolation in the 1980s and The Sensationalists of the 90s .  Winnipeg’s most celebrated filmmaker is Guy Maddin and Guy Maddin’s Interviews is a suitable print introduction to an artist who has built up an incomparable body of work. The library has copies of many of his films including Archangel, My Winnipeg,  Cowards Bend the Knee and Brand Upon the Brain.  This last film has been released under the prestigious Criterion label and is one of a handful of Canadian films to be selected by Criterion.  Does Maddin choose his own movie when he’s allowed to pick whatever he wants from the Criterion closet?  Find out here.  

I’ve seen some of the Canadian films mentioned above but there are many more waiting to be discovered.  What are some of your favorite Canadian films?

Steve

Nostalgic Contemporary Twists

A few weeks ago, I was washing the evening dishes and listening to Adele’s latest album and I started to wonder how many other recording artists are experimenting with this same nostalgic, jazz-influenced blues, something that’s obviously pop music but with a contemporary twist – somewhere between the Brill Building sound and jazz/blues singers such as Billie Holiday and Nina Simone.   Amy Winehouse and Norah Jones  were obvious candidates, and Madeleine Peyroux has produced five albums well worth listening to.  But who else is out there?

So as soon as I finished the dishes, I wandered over to the computer to browse the library’s website.  After a few clicks here and there I learned that this mix of nostalgia with a contemporary twist is an international phenomenon.  Artists in France and Portugal have been busy mixing Jazz/Blues and popular influences with European  folk traditions.  French singer/songwriter Zaz, who has been called the reincarnation of Edith Piaf , is known for her Romani/Jazz influenced music that topped the charts in France and Europe.  Try to imagine Django Rienhardt mixed with Piaf and then swirled together with a punk attitude. Agnès Jaoui is also interested in a hybrid of Romani and French influences but adds rhythms and sounds from the Americas and Iberian countries that cross the lines between Cabaret, Jazz/Blues, and pop music. My last discovery was Mariza, the most famous Fado singer since Amalia Rodrigues, who mixes Fado and infuses it with all of these elements and influences from Mozambique.

Curiosity and the library’s website led me to number of interesting artists and resources available using my library membership.  Unfortunately my experiments were cut short when my children asked me to turn down the music! Kids these days!!

-Phil B.

Are you On The Same Page?

Manitobans have spoken! More of you voted for a book on the 2011-12 On The Same Page shortlist than in the three previous years of the program, and you chose The Setting Lake Sun / Le soleil de lac qui se couche by J.R. Léveillé.

With generous funding from The Winnipeg Foundation and the enthusiastic participation of Manitoba libraries, bookstores and media, On The Same Page brings Manitobans together for a shared reading experience–it’s the province’s biggest bookclub.

Born in Winnipeg, J.R. Léveillé has worked for Radio-Canada for many years and written over thirty books: novels, poetry collections, and literary essays. The Setting Lake Sun is set in Winnipeg and Manitoba’s north and tells the story of Angele, a young Metis woman studying architecture, and what she learns from her encounter with Ueno, an older poet of Japanese descent. It’s a love story as a spiritual journey, a celebration of life in all its incompleteness, imperfection, and impermanence.

Now that Manitobans have selected the book to read, we move into the next phase of On The Same Page: putting together a Readers’ Guide to the book, figuring out the best ways to distribute free copies across the province, and planning a wide range of events (including chances to meet the author) to take place in January-February 2012. Keep your eye out for more!

Danielle

Food for Thought

 

     As Sir Francis Bacon observed: “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested…” and as someone who gets cravings for books as well as food this is an apt quotation. Just as my balanced food diet has room for a little bit of everything, so too does the food for my mind.

When I’m looking for a light, pleasant, snack kind of read, I turn to  Janet Evanovich. Her books are sometimes sweet, sometimes salty, but always fun,kind of like trail mix. They’re a great little cognitive coffee break, and the laughter that results from reading her books refuels me.

An author like Kelley Armstrong provides a more substantial read, more like a meal. With her gift for creating inhuman characters like   werewolves and witches, with very human personalities and problems, her books are a great choice for times when I want more than a quick bite,   something like a really good hamburger and fries. Nothing upscale, just good solid entertainment.

When being an adult is just too hard, I turn to the books I read as a child, my emotional comfort foods. Re-reading A Little Princess and befriending a rat with Sarah Crewe, being Anne Shirley’s bosom friend again, or going through the wardrobe with Lucy are my mental equivalents of mashed potatoes or macaroni and cheese. Heavy on the happy endings and the carbs, but soothing to the stomach and soul.

Other authors require more attention, in order to savour the multi-course presentation of characters, descriptions and dialogue. Much like savouring a meal in a good restaurant I don’t want to rush through the chapters.  An author   like Charles De Lint feeds that hunger very well. I find myself reading more slowly, lingering over the text, to experience every nuance of flavour, to put off as long as possible the moment when the last page is turned, and I have to leave and take part in the real world again.

And then there are books like Thinking of Answers: Questions in the Philosophy of Everyday Life which is a gourmet feast – so rich with ideas and concepts that it must be read one essay at a sitting and chewed over thoroughly in my brain, or else my intellectual palate becomes overwhelmed and mental indigestion results. Some of the ideas presented by A. C. Grayling seem odd, incompatible or downright disagreeable at first taste, like trying an exotic new dish. But, like an unusual new taste, the ideas linger, and infuse my ordinary mindset with something exciting and new.

French fries or French cuisine, brain candy or brain fiber, every book and every meal brings its own pleasures. However, the advantage to reading is that each and every book you read contains absolutely no fat, calories or cholesterol in each serving, er, chapter.

-Lori

Back to school for adults too…

It’s September. At this time of year I am ready to pack away my flip flops and wrap myself in tartan shawls, berets, chunky wool sweaters and leather boots. I scrutinize all the fat September issues of fashion magazines and the fliers that advertise colored pencils, felt pens and crisp blank scribblers. My inner “back to school” child emerges. I love anticipating new courses, new teachers and new classmates and I look for ways  to jump start my creativity and life long learning.  If you are in the same mood, try one of the following classes:

Does the current Leonardo de Vinci exhibit inspire you to take up a paint brush?  Evening art classes are offered by Lifelong Learning hosted by Winnipeg School Division 1.

Explore the culinary techniques of another culture with the international cuisine series conducted by Chef Jeremy Bender through Louis Riel Continuing Education. From sushi to roti to fajitas, you will dine on dishes YOU prepare and take home the recipes. You could also experiment at home using books like The Spice Kitchen,  one of the many cookbooks from our bountiful collection at Winnipeg Public Library.

Take charge of your spiritual wellness with a Mindfulness Meditation workshop, a powerful antidote to stress at Seven Oaks Wellness Institute. Or if you prefer to de-stress at home,  check out an audio CD course like Guided Mindfulness Meditation by Jon Kabat Zinn, a leading practitioner.

And of course WPL always hosts programs free of charge. At the Fort Garry Branch the dynamic Elizabeth Briggs will help start your journey into your family’s history at the Introduction to Genealogy course on Sept 13 & 20. Call 986-4919 for more information or to register.

What new things are you planning to learn this fall?

Jane

Great TV drama on DVD

We may not be able to say exactly what makes great TV, but we know it when we see it, right? Smart but not pretentious writing, captivating actors, memorable locations, and a streak of undefinable magic. The stories are original, absorbing and personally identifiable at some level. And with TV-series DVDs available at the Library, there’s really no excuse for not catching up on that show everybody is raving about. Here’s a few of my personal favourites:

Breaking Bad, now in its fourth season, is about an unlikely relationship which is not exactly a friendship. A disaffected high school chemistry teacher diagnosed with terminal cancer hooks up with a disaffected high school drop-out to make the best darn crystal meth for sale in Arizona! An idea with such promise goes remarkably downhill from there, and yes, it sustains your attention. The writing is crisp, the acting (particularly Bryan Cranston as Walter White) superb. Admit it, high school chem was never so interesting.

The Wire, written with caring expertise by David Simon,  is a great five-season show about Baltimore’s cops, criminals, politicians, schools, and reporters. It’s a gritty drama with memorable, flawed characters and a city’s corrupt institutions, somehow combined into a ‘love story’ about Baltimore by Simon. Once you start this series, you basically can’t stop. Make time.

Dexter is a show that’s hard to talk to others about. What? You root for the serial killer who’s the main character? And he’s a police officer too? A guilty pleasure perhaps, but this Dexter character you will find has many layers and hidden dimensions. He’s a lot more than what he first appears to be. Reserve judgement. Now finished its fifth season.

Homicide: Life on the Street is a no-nonsense, seven-season police procedural about investigating violent crimes, also set on the grim streets of, you guessed it, Baltimore. Can that be because it is written by the same David Simon? The show won a series of Emmy awards back in the ’90s, and if you watch it you’ll see why. Andre Braugher as gifted but troubled Detective Frank Pembleton is one of the many stars worth watching the show for.

It’s hard to beat six-season-long Lost for a compelling drama that keeps you guessing what’s coming around the bend. A plane crashes on a tropical island; some passengers survive. Seems simple, but bend it does — characters, storylines, time, life itself. And if you’ve ever pondered the destiny or free will problem, you’re going to love this series. Recommended: don’t get lost. Read the unofficial Finding Lost episode guides by Nikki Stafford to enhance your plot and character understanding.

The Sopranos. Hard not to have heard of this one, right? The Guardian newspaper in the UK called it the most compelling drama series on television, ever! Over six seasons (mainly directed by David Chase), you get a chance to watch Tony Soprano — and his family, friends and enemies — reveal their ‘true’ character in some of the most bizarre, mobster-inspired situations imaginable! And it all starts innocently enough with Tony feeding the birds in his yard in New Jersey. What could possibly go wrong?

What’s your most memorable TV series?

Lyle

Two kinds of detective stories

I really can’t accept that it’s September already, so instead of talking about new books for the fall, or good reads for chilly nights, I thought I’d tell you about a couple of books I really enjoyed this summer.

The GCPD in action.

On the recommendation of a friend, I picked up the DC comics series Gotham Central by Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka.  The original run has been reprinted in a number of trade paperbacks, and WPL has all of them. This series is unique in that it follows not one main character, but an ensemble cast, over its 40 issue run.

Gotham Central focuses on the police department of Gotham City, which just happens to be Batman’s city. It tells the stories of the men and women who work in the Major Crimes Unit (MCU) of the department. What I like is that it doesn’t make the cops out to be one-dimensional stooges who need rescuing and assistance from the superhero in every issue, as in many superhero comics. Rather, the detectives try to solve cases, big and small, on their own and only turn the Bat-signal on as a last resort. The police actually resent the idea of Batman and often find him to be a distraction.

Batman and many familiar villains (Mr. Freeze, Joker, Two Face, etc) appear throughout the series, but often only in supporting roles. The true stars and heroes of this series are the police who follow up on mundane leads, sit on stakeouts, and navigate departmental politics.

I stuck with the detective theme and really enjoyed P.D. James’ Unnatural Causes.

This is the third book in which Inspector Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard appears. Dalgliesh has just completed a gruesome and emotionally draining case in London, and is looking forward to a peaceful holiday on the Suffolk coast at his aunt’s cottage. But it isn’t long until his holiday is interrupted by the news that a body has washed ashore in a small boat  — with both hands cut off. It turns out to be the body of a local mystery writer and soon we’re introduced to many of the eccentric residents of this usually sleepy village, most of whom are suspects. While Dalgliesh is not officially a part of the investigation, news spreads that Scotland Yard’s finest is in the vicinity and he is drawn in to help solve the case.

While some have criticized James for being too wordy, I personally love to get lost in her poetic prose. I’ll leave you with the following passage, when Dalgliesh first arrives at the coast:

At the crest of the track Dalgliesh stopped the car to watch and to listen. Autumn had never been his favourite season, but in the moment which followed the stopping of the engine he wouldn’t have changed this mellow peace for all the keener sensitivities of spring. The heather was beginning to fade now but the second flowering of the gorse was as thick and golden as in the first richness of May. Beyond it lay the sea, streaked with purple, azure and brown, and to the south the mist-hung marshes of the bird reserve added their gentler greens and blues. The air smelt of heather and wood-smoke, the inevitable and evocative smells of autumn.

Trevor