The Bookshelf

The 2009 Booker Prize committee has selected Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel as this year’s winner of best novel written by an author from Britain, Ireland, or the Commonwealth nations. James Naughtie, leader of the panel of judges, described Wolf Hall  as “a thoroughly modern novel set in the 16th century,” which “probes the mysteries of power by examining and describing the meticulous dealings in Henry VIII’s court, revealing in thrilling prose how politics and history is made by men and women.”

Every year, the Macarthur Foundation presents a series an award to a number of people who are making a huge difference in their field. Whether in science, art, community work, literature, or another field, this $500,000 “genius grant” is meant to represent a firm belief in the recipient’s contributions to our culture, and a strong encouragement to continue their great work.

The 2009 Macarthur Fellows were just announced this morning. Among them are creators whose work can be found in the library:

Edwidge Danticat; memoirist and chronicler of the Hatian immigrant experience. Her most recent work is Brother, I’m Dying.

Rackstraw Downes; landscape painter whose work often illustrates the intersection of man-made structures in a natural landscape. He has written and edited a number of works on contemporary art, one of which is in our collection.

Deborah Eisenberg; short story writer who creates intimate portraits of contemporary American life.

James Longley; filmmaker and director  of the Oscar-nominated documentary Iraq in Fragments.

Heather McHugh; poet known for her deftly constructed works focusing on intricate wordplay and the joys of language.

Elyn Saks; attorney and mental health rights advocate. Author of The Center Cannot Hold, a personal chronicle of her own struggle with schizophrenia.

The other Fellows include environmentalists, papermakers, and ornithologists, among other fields.

If you had the opportunity, who would you give a “genius grant” to? Let us know in the comments!

Perhaps you’ve heard about some of these new-fangled technologies geared toward putting you in touch with all of your favorite books. Between eBook readers, digital downloads, and a whole host of MP3 players, there are now more ways to read a book than ever.

But maybe you haven’t taken the leap into the digital book world just yet. Come July 9th, you’ll get a risk-free chance to try out some of these technologies on your own.

From 10-4, we’re getting a visit from the Digital Bookmobile, an traveling interactive exhibit offering hands-on access to a number of virtual materials. You can try out many of the newest advances in hardware and software, and get a first-hand look at what’s new at the Library!

In the meantime, you can check out some of our e-reading resources on your own. Browse our digital collection, including popular titles, computer guides, children’s books, and much more, all in a variety of formats. We also have first and second generation Kindles available for you to try out in the Library. Look for me at the Readers’ Services desk, and we’ll see you on the Digital Bookmobile!

You’ve probably noticed a number of changes on the first floor. With an ever-growing collection, certain genres were starting to get too big for their britches. So we’ve moved some things around to make them more convenient, and to give everything a little more breathing room. Have a look:

As you can see, the graphic novels are now down on the parquet floor. Next to them are current editions of our most popular newspapers. (You can still find the newspaper upstairs, too.) The other side of that shelf is the new home of Westerns and Chick Lit.

If you go around the corner to the right, you’ll find our new coffee machine. Grab a cup, have a seat in one of our comfy chairs, and spend some time with us!

The Pulitzer Prizes were announced today at Columbia University. In addition to their 14 awards for excellence in journalism, a number of prizes were awarded for literature. Check out some of the prize-winning titles!

• Fiction: Olive Kitteridge, by Elizabeth Strout
• History: The Hemingses of Monticello : An American Family by Annette Gordon-Reed
• Biography: American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham
• Poetry: The Shadow of Sirius by W.S. Merwin
• General Nonfiction: Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A. Blackmon

Click on the links to search for the items, or to place a hold. You can also see the rest of the prize winners by clicking the medal above!

The beloved and very British Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy has a new book coming out in the very near future.  The late, great Douglas Adams created, I think, the quintessential comedic science fiction series but tragically died before writing a planned continuation.

16 years later Eoin Colfer, the author of Artemis Fowl series (which I have not read but now must), will write And Another Thing… with the blessings of all involved.  Big shoes to fill.

I hope it will be a decent addition.