Sarah Vowell - The Barnes & Noble Review

Sarah Vowell is one of my favorite non-fiction authors. Her books cover American history, politics and culture, but with her unique brand of observation and humor, are anything but dusty and dull.

Her newest effort, Unfamiliar Fishes, which details the United States' annexation of Hawaii, has just been released (and is available through Three Rivers Library.) Here is a short review of her new book, as well as a few of Sarah's favorite go-to books.

Sarah Vowell - The Barnes & Noble Review

Sarah was also interviewed by Jon Stewart this week on The Daily Show:

The Daily Show - Sarah Vowell
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

April Bookies Book Club

With April finally just around the corner - my, it's been a long winter - we can finally emerge from hibernation and look forward to warmer days ahead. Please join us for our April Book Club, where we will discuss Moloka'i by Alan Brennert and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. Both books are available at the Minooka Library.

Bookies will meet on Saturday, April 9th @ 10:00 a.m. at the Minooka Village Hall. Hope to see you there!

Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell

Sarah Vowell is a history nerd, and proud of it. Her fascination with the premature deaths of three American presidents who have been assassinated is the topic of this 2006 book and, despite what you might be thinking about such a topic, is incredibly both informative and entertaining!

Vowell has the unique gift of being able to bring the reader into the scene as she hunts down the well-known and not-so-well-known sites where grisly presidential history has taken place. Her road trip (ironic because she herself does not drive and she must entice her friends to take her,) takes her all over the U.S. in search of a piece of presidential assassination pie.

Her ability to put a human face on not only Lincoln, but the lesser-known James Garfield and William McKinley (I've learned much about both,) is a testament to her ability as a writer. Her irreverent sense of humor, wry observations and talent in interacting with and interpreting the events of our past ensure that the reader will enjoy every minute of this educational and interesting book.

The Night Season by Chelsea Cain

Chelsea Cain's latest entry, her fourth, in the Archie Sheridan detective series does not disappoint. With serial killer Gretchen Lowell behind bars once again, Archie has slowly begun the physical and emotional healing process, and is back on the job at the Portland, Oregon Police Department with reporter Susan Ward at his side.

The city is undergoing the worst flooding it has seen in decades, and several people have drowned as a result - until the medical examiner discovers that the deaths were actually the result of a mysterious toxin only found in a rare type of octupus. The authorities are baffled by the clues they have to work with, until even one of their own falls victim to the serial toxin.

As Archie and his team tirelessly follow any and all leads, they are in a race against time as Portland's flooded streets become more and more dangerous and their colleague struggles to hang on. Will they be able to locate the source of the poisonous octopus and stop the killer before he strikes again? Will Susan piece together the historical clues from the vanished community of Vanport, washed away 50 years earlier in an earlier flood?

Chelsea Cain does a marvelous job in her first book where Gretchen Lowell is not a major player - she nicely ties in the historical back story with the contemporary crises. As always, her books are so well written, she keeps the action humming right along, and in this case, two mysteries are solved by the end of the book while the friendship between Archie and Susan deepens.

March Books Into Movies

This month sees a plethora of movies being released that are based on literary works. Here is a taste of what to expect - just remember the old adage, "Never judge a book by its movie!"

"The Adjustment Bureau" starring Matt Damon and Emily Blunt. Suspenseful flick based on the short story "The Adjustment Team," by Philip K. Dick. Rated PG-13.

"Beastly" starring Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Hudgeons, Mary-Kate Olsen and Neil Patrick Harris. This modern-day fairytale is based on the book of the same name by Alex Finn. Rated PG-13.

"Jane Eyre" This new version of the classic gothic romance stars Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, and the always excellent Judi Dench. From the book by Charlotte Bronte. Rated PG-13.

"Kill the Irishman" Based on the true story of Danny Green, an Irish mobster in 1970's Cleveland. Starring Ray Stevenson, Vincent D'Onofrio, Val Kilmer and Christopher Walken. Based on the book, TO KILL THE IRISHMAN: The War That Crippled the Mafia by Rick Porrello. Rated R.

"Mars Needs Moms" featuring Joan Cusack and Dan Fogler. Digital 3-D based on MARS NEEDS MOMS! by Berkeley Breathed. Rated PG.

"Little Red Riding Hood" starring Amanda Seyfried and Gary Oldman in this dark retelling of the classic fairytale. Rated PG-13.

"Limitless" starring the always scrumptious Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish and Robert De Niro. This thriller is based on the book THE DARK FIELDS by Alan Glynn and is rated PG-13.

"The Lincoln Lawyer" boasts a star-studded cast, including Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei and Ryan Phillippe. This legal thriller is based on the novel by the same name by best-selling author Michael Connelly. Rated R.

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules" is the second movie based on the super-popular children's series by Jeff Kinney. Zachary Gordon, Steve Zahn and Rachael Harris all return for more wimpy fun! Rated PG.

Bookies Book Club!

Bookies will be meeting Saturday, March 19th at the Minooka Village Hall from 10-12 p.m. We will be discussing The History of Love by Nicole Krauss and Henry's Sisters by Cathy Lamb.

As an extra special treat, we will be speaking with Cathy Lamb by phone during our discussion! As always, copies of our next books will be available for pickup. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Suck on This Year by Denis Leary

Chances are, if you are a Denis Leary fan, you will enjoy this book. It basically is a compilation of his "best" tweets of 2010, so if you follow him on Twitter or Facebook, you've probably already read most of these. If not, many of Leary's usual targets make an appearance, such as the Catholic Church, Lindsey Lohan, Sarah Palin, etc.

That being said, this is a book of Twitter updates - so 140 characters or less - with one update per page (@ 112 pages,) equals a really, really super fast read! Leary himself calls this more of a pamphlet than an actual book. If you are looking for something that will make you laugh, think and maybe get a little angry that you can read in about 10 or 15 minutes, this is the book for you! A percentage of monies from the purchase of this book goes to the Leary Firefighters Foundation as well.