While we all want to read what everyone else is reading and talking about, sometimes it can be just as fulfilling to read a book that doesn’t receive as much attention as one of these big blockbusters.
Here are some recommendations for some recent books that have you might have missed:
NPR is offering listeners (and readers) a chance to vote on the 100 best thriller books of all time. While I think the list is a little too heavy with recent publications, there are lots of wonderful books to choose from on this list.
You get 10 votes, but, as we know from Chicago elections, the best way to insure your favorites win is to vote early and often. NPR will announce the winners on August 2. Even if you do not vote, browse their list for some excellent book suggestions…or stop by the Readers Services Desk for even more great thriller recommendations.
The recent issue of The New Yorker – June 14 – 21, 2010 names whom they consider to be the most promising young writers under 40 years old. The last time the magazine did this was in 1999. See if you’ve read any of these authors and whether you agree or disagree with the magazine’s picks. I’m not a list fanatic, but it can be a nice way to discover new authors. Did they leave your favorite author out?
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, 32
Chris Adrian, 39
Daniel Alarcón, 33
David Bezmozgis, 37
Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, 38
Joshua Ferris, 35
Jonathan Safran Foer, 33
Nell Freudenberger, 35
Rivka Galchen, 34
Nicole Krauss, 35
Yiyun Li, 37
Dinaw Mengestu, 31
Philipp Meyer, 36
C. E. Morgan, 33
Téa Obreht, 24
Z Z Packer, 37
Karen Russell, 28
Salvatore Scibona, 35
Gary Shteyngart, 37
Wells Tower, 37
Just for comparison’s sake, here is the list of authors selected in 1999
George Saunders
David Foster Wallace
Sherman Alexie
Rick Moody
A.M. Homes
Allegra Goodman
William T. Vollmann
Antonya Nelson
Chang-rae Lee
Michael Chabon
Ethan Canin
Donld Antrim
Tony Earley
Jeffrey Eugenides
Junot Diaz
Jonathan Franzen
Edwidge Danticat
Jhumpa Lahiri
Nathan Englander
Matthew Klam
On the wait list for The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest? Well, Stieg Larsson is not the only Scandinavian author who writes fast paced, gripping mysteries. Try one of these new mysteries set in Denmark, Iceland, Norway, or Sweden and maybe that wait list won’t seem so long after all.
For even more suggestions, consult our Scandinavian Sleuths reading list.
I love the legend of Robin Hood and I am excited to see the new Robin Hood movie this weekend; so I thought I would share with you some of my favorite books about this famous outlaw hero.
The Mystery Writers of America gave out their version of the Oscar, The Edgar, last night. Congrats to all the winners: 
Best novel: The Last Child by John Hart
Best first novel: In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff Read the rest of this entry »
The book discussion is Tuesday, April 13 at 7pm.
Whether you’ve read IraqiGirl (Adult Nonfiction-Teen 956.704431 I PBK) or thinking about it, check out this bibliography for some related suggestions.
Books
Al-Windawi, Thura. Thura’s Diary: My Life in Wartime Iraq. 2004.
(Youth Nonfiction 956.70443 A)
Nineteen-year-old Thura al-Windawi kept a diary during the conflict in Iraq, saying that it was her way of controlling the chaos. The diary, which documents the days leading up to the bombings, the war itself, and the lawless aftermath, puts a personal face on life in Baghdad.
Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. 2007.
(Adult Nonfiction-Teen 966.404 B)
Children have become soldiers of choice. In the more than fifty conflicts going on worldwide, it is estimated that there are some 300,000 child-soldiers. By age 13, Ishmael Beah (from Sierra Leone) was recruited by the government army, made a full soldier and learned to shoot an AK-47.
Corrie, Rachel. Let Me Stand Alone: The Journals of Rachel Corrie. 2008. (956.94054092 C)
How do we find our way in the world? How do our actions affect others? What do we owe the rest of humanity? These are the timeless questions so eloquently posed by Rachel Corrie, a young American activist killed in 2003 when she tried to block the demolition of a Palestinian family’s home in the Gaza Strip.
Filipovic, Zlata. Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevo. 1995.
(Adult Nonfiction-Teen B F4831.zL PBK)
Zlata began her diary just before her 11th birthday, when there was peace in Sarajevo and her life was that of a bright, intelligent, carefree young girl. Then war comes to her home, and we see the world of a child increasingly circumscribed by the violence outside.
Frank, Anne. The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition. 1995.
(Adult Nonfiction-Teen B F828.di)
A revision of this great document of WWII, considerably expanding the popular work originally published in 1947. At age 13, Anne Frank began recording her extraordinary ordeal and continued to write in her diary over the next two years.
Halpin, Mikki. It’s Your World–If You Don’t Like It, Change It: Activism for Teenagers. 2004.
(Adult Nonfiction-Teen 371.81 H PBK)
You can change the world. This book shows you how to act on your beliefs, no matter what they are, and make a difference. The information inside includes the basics of activism, projects, and outreach ideas.
Jackson, Livia Bitton. I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up in the Holocaust. 1997.
(Adult Nonfiction-Teen 940.5318 J)
An intimate and haunting memoir of a 13-year-old girl who survived Auschwitz, Elli Friedmann recounts what it was like to be one of the few teenaged camp inmates. Through a series of tiny but miraculous twists of fate, Elli managed to come out of the experience alive, together with her mother and her brother.
Jessup, Dallas. Young Revolutionaries Who Rock: An Insider’s Guide to Saving the World One Revolution at a Time. 2009.
(Adult Nonfiction-Teen 361.763068 J PBK)
From the front lines of youth activism, Dallas Jessup (age 17) delivers a how-to-guide for any teen who wants to change the world. She shares inspiring stories of 10 high-impact teens and her own community service project.
Jiang, Ji-Li. Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution. 1997. (Adult Nonfiction-Teen 951.056 J)
Ji-li Jiang was 12 years old in 1966, the year that Chairman Mao launched the Cultural Revolution in China. An outstanding student, Ji-li seemed poised for a shining future. But all that changed with the advent of the Cultural Revolution, when intelligence became a crime and a wealthy family background invited persecution or worse.
Lewis, Barbara A. The Teen Guide to Global Action: How to Connect with Others (Near & Far) to Create Social Change. 2008.
(Adult Nonfiction-Teen 303.484 L PBK)
Here’s a book for every teen who wants to get involved in service and social change. It includes practical tools readers can use to support causes they are passionate about at the local, national, or global level.
Riverbend. Baghdad Burning: Girl Blog from Iraq. 2005.
(Adult Nonfiction-Teen 956.70443 R PBK)
Riverbend is the blog name of a young Iraqi woman in Baghdad, and this book collects comments she posted from August 2003 to December 2004. Once a computer programmer who enjoyed considerable personal freedom, after Baghdad’s fall Riverbend finds that she is unemployed and largely restricted to the safety of her family’s home.
Links
HNK’s blog is a diary of IraqiGirl
The blog that became a book! This includes archives as well as current posts, artwork, links, info about the blogger, and the situation in Mosul.
Middle East Children’s Alliance
Middle East Children’s Alliance is a registered nonprofit organization working for the rights and the well-being of children in the Middle East, and sends shipments of aid to Palestine, Iraq and Lebanon, and supports projects that make life better for the children.
Elizabeth Wrigley-Field is the editor of IraqiGirl. This award winning blog has reviews and recommendations of books for children and teenagers – and much more, posted by Elizabeth and co-blogger Emily.
An article from School Library Journal
“IraqiGirl: The Modern-Day Anne Frank.”
SLJ talks to the book’s editors Elizabeth Wrigley-Field and John Ross and asks how they curated IraqiGirl’s blog posts and why Hadiya could be the Anne Frank of our time.
Documentaries
The Invasion of Iraq. Not rated. 2004. (DVD 956.70443 I)
Originally broadcast as an episode of the PBS television news program Frontline on February 26, 2004. This is a follow-up report on the U.S.-led coalition’s March 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Iraq in Fragments. Not rated. 2007. (DVD 956.70443 I pt.1-2)
This documentary in three parts offers a series of intimate, passionately felt portraits. American director James Longley spent more than two years filming in Iraq to create this stunningly photographed, poetically rendered documentary of the war-torn country as seen through the eyes of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.
Posted under Book Discussions, Lists, Nonfiction, Teen/Young Adult
