Stop You’re Killing Me: This mega-mystery site has put every mystery book properly in it’s place  – you can search by author, title, character name, character profession, place,  time period, the list goes on.

Created by Bonny Brown and maintained by Lucinda Surber and Stan Ulrich, this is a site that we just can’t get enough of.  About the only thing missing is a searchable index by color of the front cover.  (Come on, guys, get on that, will you??)

So when your patron comes to the desk looking for a mystery they read 10 years ago, featuring an Episcopal vicar from New Jersey, it will take you no time at all to point them to the Mother Lavinia Grey series by Kate Gallison.  And you will look BRILLIANT.

http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

As in all charming Nick Hornby novels, we meet the main characters just as they’re about to realize that there’s a now unacceptable divide between where they are in their lives and where they want to be. Pop culture professor Duncan is the smug expert on the reclusive American singer-songwriter Tucker Crowe. His live-in girlfriend Annie is the curator of the local museum in their gray seaside town of Gooleness. When Annie posts a review of a recently released stripped down (ie, naked) version of Crowe’s last album, Juliet, the man himself responds. An email flirtation emerges between childless Annie and the multiply-married (and divorced) father of five. The book’s not so much about music as the passion that it can produce and, in contrast, passions that can be misplaced for a lifetime. (And am I the only one who mistook the optical illusion on the cover for ovaries? It could explain why Barnes and Noble has Women’s Fiction under “Related Subjects.”)

The reviews for Hornby’s latest weren’t all love songs. Entertainment Weekly called it “How Annie Got Her Groove Back” (but still gave it a B+). Washington Post reviewer Ron Charles admits, “Yes, Hornby deserves all the success and affection he’s received, but it’s time to pick up the tempo.” Juliet, Naked may not be Hornby’s masterpiece, but his newest novel will leave many readers wanting the beat to go on.

The Song Is You by Arthur Phillips
Julian Donahue is lured out of the grief over his son’s death and his wife’s resulting infidelity by the siren song of Irish singer Cait O’Dwyer. From the shadows, writing set notes on bar coasters, Julian mentors the struggling Cait from afar. When Cait starts incorporating his comments into her shows and her success begins to grow, Julian begins to find his own voice.

The Alternative Hero by Tim Thornton
Obsession is in the eye of the restraining order petitioner. Clive Beresford formed his teen identity as the #1 fan of the band The Thieving Magpies. When the band goes bust, so does Clive’s underdeveloped sense of self. Years later Clive’s crap job and lacking love life have him still wondering where it all went wrong. Then he learns that the Magpie’s former frontman Lance Webster lives down the street, and he cons his way into a friendship with the broken rocker.

Stupid and Contagious by Caprice Crane
In this romantic comedy, downsized PR exec Heaven Albright joins unsuccessful music producer Brady Gilbert on his trip from New York to Seattle to pitch the ultimate coffee flavoring to Starbucks founder Howard Schultz. Not exactly “Roger and Me,” these two twentysomethings aren’t looking to expose big business, merely to find something bigger than themselves.

Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
In one of Pulitzer prize-winner Chabon’s earlier novels he introduces Grady Tripp–a vain, lazy, adulterous, and hilarious anti-hero. The arrival of his editor sends the pot-smoking prof and one of his students on a weekend spree to protect his uncompleted 2,000 page magnum opus. A sly look at art, academics, and missed opportunities.

Looking Up by Rebecca Gregson
Mark Webb and his wife Caitlin have a  high school reunion to thank for their mid-life bag of mixed emotions. Harried mother Caitlin is surprised by her staid husband’s sudden interest in reconnecting with his high school band mates and, yes, even an exgirlfriend. Caitlin finds herself in a spot of “what if” when a dashing new coworker  looks at her as something more than a mother of four.

Fargo Rock City by Chuck Klosterman
Ah, the 80s. North Dakota native Klosterman discovered a much larger, louder world listening to the screeching guitars and shouted lyrics of the heavy metal heavyweights of the 1980s. Yes, they were ridiculous in many ways. Yes, they wore headbands and spandex and makeup. But, man, did they rock. Klosterman perfectly captures the awe of finding the music that speaks directly to who you are or who you dream of being at a precise moment in time.

Almost Famous written and directed by Cameron Crowe
Crowe won the 2000 Oscar for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for this semi-autobiographical film. At 16, his alter ego, William Miller, gets the cherry job of going on tour with the band Stillwater for a profile in Rolling Stone magazine. I know it’s cliche to call anything “coming of age” or to use the phrase “sex, drugs, and rock & roll” but that really does sum it up.

As a singer myself (not to mention a lover of snarky humor), I was not surprised at the immediate popularity of FOX’s new show, Glee.  Although, the guidance counselor has rapidly gone from cute and quirky to disturbing and sad, and both of the pregnancy storylines are completely absurd… but I digress.

If your patrons gush to you about Glee, why not share some of these reads with them:

How I Changed My Life by Todd Strasser.
Is it possible that this 1995 YA novel held some inspiration for Glee? High school nobody Bo decides it’s time for a life makeover senior year when she finds herself working on the school play alongside a  hunky football player, Kyle.  Fast-paced with funny dialogue.

To Be Someone by Louise Voss.
Part of what has people buzzing about Glee is the show’s use of old favorite songs, which has everyone running to iTunes the next day. (Admit it, YOU LIKE JOURNEY.)   Voss’ book follows the rise of a British rock group and the eventual crash landing of Helena, the lead singer.  Each chapter is punctuated by an 80s-90s Britpop song which will drum up memories.

Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas.
This YA book features snarky high school humor and a realistic look at what life is really like for teens.  In an effort to pass his English class, 18-year-old Steve  has to write a 100-page essay about his life, giving him a chance to reflect on his four years of high school, from drugs to pranks to the most realistic “first time” scene ever.

Election by Tom Perrotta.
A satirical look at high school politics, Perrotta’s novel (famously made into a movie which made me weep for an aged Ferris Bueller) explores the painful truth about teenage life – it’s all a popularity contest and it sucks.  Glee’s Rachel has got to be related to the novel’s Tracy Flick, somehow.

How I Paid for College: a Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater by Mark Acito
When Eddie’s dad tells him he won’t pay for Juilliard, Eddie and his overly-dramatic friends decide that petty crime is the way to go, including blackmail and setting up a fake scholarship fund.   Over-the-top funny with a  pitch perfect teenage voice.  Followed by Attack of the Theatre People.

Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus.
29-year old Kate realizes she hasn’t really left high school behind when her former flame, now a major pop star, comes back to town.  Jake has spent the last decade turning their brief relationship in to a string of pop hits, and Kate wants some closure.  Readers will love the chapters set in their high school days.

The Sopranos by Alan Warner.
Not everyone’s cup of tea (a bit on the rough side and very Scottish), this novel follows the all-girls choir from Our Lady of Perpetual Succor through a weekend of pub crawling, snogging, and shoplifting.

RA librarian, instructor (and full disclosure:  friend of ours – see, it pays to put up with us…) Becky Spratford dishes all about Readers Advisory on RA for All, featuring what she’s reading, what her patrons at the Berwyn Public Library are reading, and what her students at Dominican University are learning about.  We like her clean layout and unpretentious writing.

Librarians, this will give you tons of ideas you can use on a practical level in your library – lots of booklist, book group, and display ideas.  Readers, it’s like chatting with friend about great books.

Great reviews and heavy holds lists for Jonathan Tropper’s newest novel This is Where I Leave You speak to the comfort readers find in being able to view family farce from a safe and well-told distance.

Sitting shiva for his agnostic father, Judd Foxman is also mourning his marriage and career. (They go hand in hand when your wife’s sleeping with your teeth-bleached, egomanic boss.) His self-involved siblings and cleaveage-bearing mother enjoy nothing more than picking at each other’s tenderest scabs, leaving them all with impressive emotional scars. For readers who like their domestic drama over the top (and I mean that in the best way):

The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
Enid Lambert is desperate for one last perfect Christmas before her husband Alfred’s Parkinson’s-induced dementia turns his family into nothing more than an unreliable memory. The three Lambert children are far from perfect, of course, and they return to St. Louis with emotional baggage from their adult lives that battles for attention with the unpacked wrongs from their childhood.

An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England by Brock Clarke
After you’ve served a prison sentence for “accidentally” burning down Emily Dickinson’s house, it’s really no surprise that blame falls to you when Edith Wharton’s crib gets torched. Sam Pulsifer tries to clear his name while living with his unabashedly alcoholic parents and stalking his estranged wife.

Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson
Nonny has not one, but two dysfunctional families, and now she’s stuck in a family feud that began the night she was born. Her biological family, the Crabtrees, are the poor lawless outcasts of their rural Georgia town;  her adopted family, the Fretts, are the upper-crust, can-do-no-wrong type. Her adopted mother is blind and deaf, her rocker husband is always half out the door, and her  biological grandmother sets her Dobermans on anyone she doesn’t like.

Why Did I Ever by Mary Robison
Script doctor Money Breton’s got her hands full with three ex-husbands, teams of ridiculous movie people demanding her help, money problems, a new boyfriend, undermedicated ADD, a methadone-addicted daughter, and a son whose recent assault may have exposed him to AIDS. It shouldn’t be funny. It really shouldn’t. But what can I tell you? It really, really is.

Mermaids in the Basement by Michael Lee West
Mourning the death of her mother, Renata escapes to her grandmother’s cottage, but instead of finding rest and relaxation, finds more stress, thanks to her family. Eventually, she discovers that her parents led secret lives to which she was never privy, until now: Grandmother Honora and pals have decided it’s time to let all of the skeletons out of the family closets. And to top matters off, when her father’s new fiancée is found unconscious in the pool at their engagement party, Renata becomes the prime suspect.

Kick Me by Paul Feig
The creator of the short-lived (and much mourned) TV show “Freaks and Geeks” mines the dysfunction not so much of his immediate family but of the absurdity of adolescence itself in this humorous essay collection. The humiliations of growing up are never forgotten, and in Feig’s case–that’s a good thing.

Loser Goes First by Dan Kennedy
The subtitle “My Thirty-Something Years of Dumb Luck and Minor Humiliation” really sums it up. Kennedy’s comic memoir wryly examines the genuine shock one feels when you realize that adulthood is full disappointment that you have to have to deal with yourself. The fashion, music, and other media shoutouts to the 80s and early 90s are particularly rewarding for anyone who has a love/hate relationship with grunge music and Meg Ryan movies.

In honor of the movie Zombieland opening this weekend, and in light of the recent popularity of Zombie fiction, ( and because it’s Halloween before you know it…) we bring you a selection of ghoulishly good reads. Essential reading to be prepared for the Zombie Revolution, if you will.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance, Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem by Seth Grahame-Smith

In this clever and hip “expanded edition” of Pride and Prejudice, 85 percent of the original text has been preserved but mashed-up with “ultraviolent zombie mayhem.” When the novel opens, England has been overrun by zombies, and Elizabeth Bennett has been trained in martial arts. She and Mr. Darcy engage in all-out zombie war, brought together by their common interest in zombie-killing. A totally original spin on a classic tale.

World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

Brooks, author of the nonfiction title The Zombie Survival Guide, brings us a post-apocalyptic battle against zombies. The story is told through a series of first-person accounts by various characters around the world – first hand experiences and testimonies of survivors of a zombie war that nearly wipes out humankind. Tongue-in-cheek yet with an air of total seriousness, this is a great pick for guys.

The Living Dead by John Joseph Adams

This anthology of zombie short stories features a wide variety of zombies (who knew there were so many?). There are apocalyptic stories such as Stockholm Syndrome by David Tallerman; voodoo tales including Zora and the Zombie by Andy Duncan; historical settings as in Sherman Alexie’s Ghost Dance; and humorous satire, found in Less Than Zombie by Douglas E. Winter. Classics from Stephen King (Home Delivery) and Clive Barker (Sex, Death, and Starshine) dovetail nicely with newer fiction from the likes of Dan Simmons (This Year’s Class Picture) and Laurell K. Hamilton (Those Who Seek Forgiveness).

Patient Zero by Jonathan Mayberry

Baltimore detective Joe Ledger been secretly recruited by an ultra-secret government office to combat terrorists. But not your usual terrorists. Oh no, these terrorists have figured out how to bio-engineer zombies, to use as weapons of mass destruction. Fast-paced with tons of action, this is a modern twist on the zombie tale.

Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament by Scott G. Browne

In this black comedy (billed as a “rom-zom-com”), Andy Warner has just survived a car crash. Well, if you call being a zombie surviving. He moves into his parent’s basement to mourn the loss of his wife, who died in the crash, and finds it’s a difficult transition to go from alive to…not really dead. He’s not the only one in this boat however, and soon joins Undead Anonymous, a group of the newly undead that quickly moves from support group to activists for the flesh-eaters.

James Patterson’s The Murder of King Tut: The Plot to Kill the Child King comes out today, and of course, you don’t have enough copies for your patrons. Or perhaps, when they’ve read it, their interest is piqued. Here are some more titles on the Boy King.

Fiction:

The Lord Mehren Series by Lynda S. Robinson.  The 6 titles in this series follows Lord Meren, a confidant of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun, as he solves crime in ancient Egypt.  Full of historical customs and facts.

The Egyptologist by Arthur Philips.  Set in the 1920s, Egyptologist Ralph Trilipush risks his career and his reputation searching for the tomb of an ancient pharaoh.

The Amelia Peabody Series by Elizabeth Peters.   Victorian spinster shakes off the mores of the day to travel to Egypt and become an archaeologist. Another series by Peters, featuring art historian Vicky Bliss, contains a novel where Bliss sets off to find the missing mummy of King Tut – The Laughter of Dead Kings.

Valley of the Kings: A Novel of Tutankhamun by Cecelia Holland.  A fictional account of Howard Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamen’s long-lost tomb.

Nonfiction:

The Mysterious Death of Tutankhamun by Paul Doherty.  Written like a best-selling thriller,  Doherty asks and answers questions surrounding Tut’s death and discovery.

Tutankhamun The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs by Zahi A. Hawass and Sandro Vannini. Written to commemorate the world museum tour of Tut’s tomb in 2008, this lavish book features photographs and illuminating commentary.

Who Killed King Tut?  Using Modern Forensics to Solve a 3,330-year-old Mystery by Michael R.King and Gregory M. Cooper ; with Don DeNevi. The authors speculate on who or what killed Tut, based on ancient history, modern forensic techniques, and archaeological evidence.

In the Valley of the Kings: Howard Carter and the Mystery of King Tutankhamun’s Tomb by Daniel Myerson.  A biography of Carter, the British archeologist who discovered the  tomb of the boy king Tut in 1922.

Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture by Ellen Ruppel Shell is getting a lot of press these days.  It’s a frank discussion of why we buy junk we don’t need, how prices affect us psychologically, what happened in the past to send us down this path, and how it’s affecting our future.  When a patron asks you for it, steer them towards these as well:

Not Buying It: My Year without Shopping by Judith Levine.  Levine and her partner try to spend an entire year not buying anything but necessities.

Give It Up!: My Year of Learning to Live Better with Less by Mary Carlomagno.  Similar to Levine’s book, Carlomagno gives up one thing per month – drinking, shopping, dessert, even swearing.

Throw Out Fifty Things:  Clear the Clutter, Clear Your Life by Gail Blanke.  Blanke shows you how to stop letting bad purchases clutter your space and your life.

Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America’s Independent Businessesby Stacy Mitchell.  A look at how mega-retailers are shrinking the middle class and adding to environmental concerns.

A Year Without “Made in China”: One Family’s True Life Adventure in the Global Economy by Sara Bongiorni.  Bongiorni, her husband, and 2 kids try to spend an entire year not purchasing anything made in China, with fascinating results.

To be fair, you could always add:

The Wal-Mart Revolution: How Big Box Stores Benefit Consumers, Workers, and the Economy by Richard Vedder and Wendell Cox.  Because libraries like to remain fair and balanced, right?

Give Me Something Good to Eat

The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite by David Kessler is one of those nonfiction books that just took over at my library.  We had to go back to purchase more copies to satisfy the hold list.  Kessler examines how food companies spend big money devising just the right overload of salt, fat, and sugar to trick your brain into craving unhealthy food.  While your patrons are waiting, or, after they’ve read it and they want to learn more, share these titles:

Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Undermines our Health and How to Fight Back by Michelle Simon.  Very similar to Kessler’s book but a bit more serious in tone, Simon explains why we cannot trust food corporations to “do the right thing” and why we need to fight for our health in today’s corporate food culture.  A call to arms, if you will.

Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated Into What America Eats by Steve Ettlinger.  A fascinating look at the science of processed foods – sure to make turn you into a label reader and make you rethink how tasty chemicals can be.

The Gospel of Food: Everything You Think You Know About Food Is Wrong by Barry Glassner. Glassner.  Glassner interviews chefs, chemists, nutritionists, and restaurant critics about the way we eat and what it all means.

All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America? by Joel Berg.  More academic (and a little less readable) than Kessler’s book, Berg has anyalzed 50 years of domestic food policies in the US and investigates the political and economic impact of food insecurity.  For those serious about the subject.

What to Eat by Marion Nestle. Once readers have figured out what not to eat, they’ll want to know what they should be eating.  This is the definitive guide to making healthy and informed choices about food from a famous and acclaimed nutritionist.  Highly readable and entertaining, as well as informative.

The Queen of Fats: Why Omega-3s Were Removed from the Western Diet and What We Can Do to Replace Them by Susan Allport.  While Kessler divulges how bad food is processed to taste good, Allport reveals how good food is processed to take the good things out.  An eye-opening look at why the food we eat today, even natural stuff, is not as good for us as the same food we ate 30 years ago.

An Apple A Day: The Myths, Misconceptions, and Truths About the Foods We Eat by Joseph A. Schwarcz.  Eat fish, it has omega 3’s.  Don’t eat fish, it has mercury! Cook with Teflon pans because you don’t have to add fat – but watch out, the fumes will kill your pets!  Schwarcz looks at today’s top food fears, trends, and questions, giving a scientist’s perspective on what to eat and what to stay away from.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again, we LOVE Early Word! EarlyWord’s goal is to help Collection Development and Readers Advisory librarians stay ahead of public demand and identify hidden gems. Edited by Nora Rawlinson, this site is a must-read for anyone who wants high-demand titles on their shelves and something smart to say about them.

Chock full media buzz, movie deals, and sales figures, the site also offers comprehensive lists of best-seller lists, pre-pub announcements, publisher catalogs, and book awards. As close to a collection development crystal ball as there is.