Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Staff Picks
Check the blog every Wednesday for updates on what our staff is reading and recommendations for our new and all-time favorite books. What is your favorite book? Post your answer in the comments section below. To see all previous Staff Picks posts, simply type "Staff Picks" in the search box at the top left of this blog and click the "search blog" button.

The Smoke Thief by Shana Abe -recommended by Thea
The men of the drkon tribe try to hide their dangerous secret: they can change from human to dragon and back again. When the tribe's leader hears about a jewel thief in London, he knows the culprit is a rogue drkon--and astonishingly, a woman. - Book Jacket.


The Sunday Philosophy Club by Alexander McCall Smith - recommended by Christine
A very enjoyable series of books by Alexander McCall Smith. This is the first of four so far. I'm hooked! You'll learn lots about philosophy and Scotland.



The Third Secret by Steve Berry - recommended by Gayle
"Fatima, Portugal, 1917: The Virgin Mary appears to three peasant children, sharing with them three secrets, two of which are soon revealed to the world. The third secret is sealed away in the Vatican, read only by popes, and not disclosed until the year 2000. When revealed, its puzzling tone and anticlimactic nature leave many faithful wondering if the Church has truly unveiled all of the Virgin Mary's words - or if a message far more important has been left in the shadows." - Book Jacket.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Quote of the Week

"The books that help you most are those which make you think the most. The hardest way of learning is that of easy reading; but a great book that comes from a great thinker is a ship of thought, deep freighted with truth and beauty."
-- Pablo Neruda

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Mission Viejo Library to Cancel Tenth Anniversary Event On Saturday, October 27, 2007

The Mission Viejo Library will be cancelling its Tenth Anniversary event on Saturday, October 27, 2007, due to the weather and climate issues relating to the recent wildfires. The Tenth Anniversary event will be re-scheduled to another date, yet to be determined.

The “Thomas the Tank Engine” train ride program for children has been re-scheduled to Saturday, December 1, 2007, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., in the courtyard parking lot.

For more information please call the Mission Viejo Library at (949) 830-7100, 4002.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Staff Picks
Check the blog every Wednesday for updates on what our staff is reading and recommendations for our new and all-time favorite books. What is your favorite book? Post your answer in the comments section below. To see all previous Staff Picks posts, simply type "Staff Picks" in the search box at the top left of this blog and click the "search blog" button.

Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini - recommended by Thea
Peter Blood, an Irish physician and soldier in England in the 1680's, is wrongly convicted of treason and sentenced to indentured slavery in the Caribbean. He escapes and becomes the most feared pirate captain on the Spanish Main, but all the glory of his adventures cannot help him, for the woman he loves cannot love a "thief and pirate. - book jacket.


Glass Houses by Jane Haddam - recommended by Gayle
Although Tyder has apparently confessed to the crime, his attorney believes him to be too disordered to be capable of actually committing the crimes and asks Gregor Demarkian, retired head of the FBI's Behavioral Sciences Unit, to look into the case. What would have driven Tyder to confess to crimes he was seemingly incapable of committing, and more important, if Tyder isn't the killer, then who really is behind the murders of the Plate Glass Killer? - book jacket.


Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson - recommended by Stephanie
A phenomenal West Coast bestseller, winner of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award, the PEN/Faulkner Award, and an Abby Award nominee, this enthralling novel is at once a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, the story of a doomed love affair, and a stirring meditation on place, prejudice, and justice. - book review.


Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Suess - recommended by Megan

Monday, October 22, 2007

Quote of the Week
"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing."
-Theodore Roosevelt

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Staff Picks
Check the blog every Wednesday for updates on what our staff is reading and recommendations for our new and all-time favorite books. What is your favorite book? Post your answer in the comments section below. To see all previous Staff Picks posts, simply type "Staff Picks" in the search box at the top left of this blog and click the "search blog" button.

New England White by Stephen Carter - recommended by Stephanie
Stephen L. Carter returns to the New England university town of Elm Harbor, where a murder begins to crack the veneer that has hidden the racial complications of the town's past, the secrets of a prominent family, and the most hidden bastions of African-American political influence. - book jacket.

Paula by Isabel Allende - recommended by Christine
A mothers biography about taking care of her terminally ill daughter. Very insightful for all moms.




Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov - recommended by Megan
A well written book that has been described as the most controversial classic novel of the 20th century.




Prince of Dogs by Kate Elliot - recommended by Thea
Prince of Dogs returns readers to the war-torn kingdoms of Wendar and Varre, and to the intertwined destinies of: Alain, raised in humble surroundings but now the Court's heir; Laith, who struggles to unravel the secrets of her past while evading the traps set for her by those seeking the treasure she hides; Sanglat, believed dead by those who could save him, but actually a prisoner in the city of Gent; and Fifth Brother, who now builds an army to do his father's - or his own - bidding in a world at war! - book jacket.

Monday, October 15, 2007

Quote of the Week
"Censorship, like charity, should begin at home; but unlike charity, it should end there."
— Clare Booth Luce

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Staff Picks
Check the blog every Wednesday for updates on what our staff is reading and recommendations for our new and all-time favorite books. What is your favorite book? Post your answer in the comments section below. To see all previous Staff Picks posts, simply type "Staff Picks" in the search box at the top left of this blog and click the "search blog" button.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - recommended by Thea
First published in 1813, "Pride and Prejudice" has consistently been Jane Austen's most popular novel and contains some of her most astringent comments on manners and morals. It is the tale of how three of the five daughters of the bookish and indolent Mr. Bennett find themselves husbands, in a timeless pattern of courtship, property, marriage, and love. - book jacket.


Hunting and Gathering by Ana Gavalda - recommended by Stephanie
Written by a bestselling Parisian author, this is the story of three misfits who find a strong bond together. Well written.



The News from Paraguay by lily Tuck - recommended by Christine
This national book award winner is wonderful historical fiction. You'll learn a lot about the country of Paraguay.



The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon - recommended by Thea
In 1939 New York City, Joe Kavalier, a refugee from Hitler's Prague, joins forces with his Brooklyn-born cousin, Sammy Clay, to create comic-book superheroes inspired by their own fantasies, fears, and dreams. - Novelist.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Staff Picks
Check the blog every Wednesday for updates on what our staff is reading and recommendations for our new and all-time favorite books. What is your favorite book? Post your answer in the comments section below. To see all previous Staff Picks posts, simply type "Staff Picks" in the search box at the top left of this blog and click the "search blog" button.

The Attack by Yasmina Khadra - recommended by Stephanie
This heart stopping novel brings to life the unending struggle between the Palestinians and the Israelis. A haunting story.




So Big by Edna Ferber - recommended by Christine
A Pulitzer Prize winning novel that is beautifully written. A quaint story of a nineteenth century life in Illinois. You'll enjoy.


Through the Children's Gate by Adam Gopnik - recommended by Valerie
How do you learn to connect with your neighborhood- especially if it is Manhattan- in the heart of New York city?


A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge - recommended by Thea
Thousands of years hence, many races inhabit a universe where a mind's potential is determined by its location in space, from superintelligent entities in the Transcend, to the limited minds of the Unthinking Depths, where only simple creatures and technology can function. Nobody knows what strange force partitioned space into these "regions of thought," but when the warring Straumli realm use an ancient Transcendent artifact as a weapon, they unwittingly unleash an awesome power that destroys thousands of worlds and enslaves all natural and artificial intelligence. Fleeing the threat, a family of scientists, including two children, are taken captive by the Tines, an alien race with a harsh medieval culture, and used as pawns in a ruthless power struggle. A rescue mission, not entirely composed of humans, must rescue the children-and a secret that may save the rest of interstellar civilization. - From the book jacket.

Monday, October 01, 2007

Quote of the Week

"Poet Han Yun wrote, 'All things not at peace will cry out'"

- Quoted by Lisa See, at her recent author talk at the Library, in reference to the self expression of the Chinese women she wrote about in her new book Peony in Love.