Norman Public Library

National Book Award Finalists and Winners

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Last Updated on Friday, 14 December 2012 12:03

The winners of the National Book Award were announced this month. The National Book Awards are annual literary awards awarded every November presented by the National Book Foundation. Here are links to the winning and finalist books we currently have in our catalog:

Fiction

Winner:   Louise Erdrich, Round House

One Sunday in the spring of 1988, a woman living on a reservation in North Dakota is attacked. The details of the crime are slow to surface as Geraldine Coutts is traumatized and reluctant to relive or reveal what happened, either to the police or to her husband, Bazil, and thirteen-year-old son, Joe. In one day, Joe's life is irrevocably transformed. He tries to heal his mother, but she will not leave her bed and slips into an abyss of solitude. Increasingly alone, Joe finds himself thrust prematurely into an adult world for which he is ill prepared. While his father, who is a tribal judge, endeavors to wrest justice from a situation that defies his efforts, Joe becomes frustrated with the official investigation and sets out with his trusted friends, Cappy, Zack, and Angus, to get some answers of his own. Their quest takes them first to the Round House, a sacred space and place of worship for the Ojibwe. And this is only the beginning.

Finalists:  Junot Diaz, This is How You Lose Her

Read more: National Book Award Finalists and Winners

National Novel Writing Month

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Last Updated on Friday, 14 December 2012 12:04

November is National Novel Writing Month, which is referred to as NaNoWriMo by participants. NaNoWriMo was started in 1999 by a group of 21 young people with some spare time and an interest in writing. Over the years, NaNoWriMo has grown significantly with 256,618 participants in 2011 and an estimated 300,000+ participants in 2012.

The idea of NaNoWriMo is to encourage writers across the globe to conquer the fear of taking on a big writing project by diving in and writing a 50,000 word novel within the 30 days of November. (Don't worry. That doesn't include editing time.) Participants who complete the 50,000 words in the allotted time are considered "winners" and are offered a free manuscript of their novel, which they can later use as a tool to become a published author.

Read more: National Novel Writing Month

Frankenstein Friday

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Last Updated on Friday, 14 December 2012 12:04

October 26th is Frankenstein Friday! This holiday is meant to be a celebration of Frankenstein's true creator, Mary Shelley. And we can say a special Thank you to Boris Karloff, who played the Monster in the 1931 classic film.

You can celebrate with us by downloading a free copy of the classic here, checking out details of the novel in one of our databases, or dropping by your local Pioneer hometown library checking it out in person.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Call Number SHELLEY

Mary Shelley's timeless gothic novel presents the epic battle between man and monster at its greatest literary pitch. In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings Victor to the very brink of madness. How he tries to destroy his creation, as it destroys everything Victor loves, is a powerful story of love, friendship, scientific hubris, and horror. This heavily revised second edition includes the originally published 1818 text of the first edition publication of Mary Shelley's much discussed, analyzed, and critiqued Frankenstein, a new introduction, explanatory annotations, and several illustrations new to this edition. Also included are many new major interpretations, a chronology, and selected bibliography. The section on contexts includes commentary on composition, the significance of place, reception and impact, and sources and influences.

Frankenstein [1931] ; director, James Whale

Oscar Wilde and Arthur Miller

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Last Updated on Friday, 14 December 2012 12:05

It's a time for celebrating some of the classics this month on October 16th and 17th with the birthdays of popular playwrights and novelists, Oscar Wilde and Arthur Miller, approaching.

Oscar Wilde is most known for his play The Importance of Being Earnest, and Arthur Miller is renowned for his play The Crucible, which he received a Tony for, and drama The Death of a Salesman, which earned him the Pulitzer Prize in 1949. If you are interested in these birthday gentlemen, try the following titles:

The importance of being Earnest by Oscar Wilde ; critical material selected and introduced by Henry Popkin Call Number 822.8 WI

Wilde's most popular play is considered his wittiest and finest comedy. The play's subtitle, "A Trivial Comedy for Serious People" hints at its clever wordplay, ingenious epigrams, and sly British humor. Two English gentlemen use the same slant when meeting women, by saying their name is Earnest. Everything is going well until both men fall in love with the same girl, using the same a.k.a. It is a story of multiple mistaken identities--both deliberate and unintentional- and what ultimately becomes a hilarious exercise in keeping everyone's name and pseudonym straight. First performed in 1895, it has enduring appeal as dramatic literature and in live theatrical performance. This edition includes an appendix with Wilde's earlier versions of the play and deleted scenes that illustrate Wilde's creative process.

Read more: Oscar Wilde and Arthur Miller

Read the Book – Then See the Movie

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Last Updated on Friday, 26 October 2012 13:36

Do you like to read the book before you see the movie? Here’s a heads-up on some of the books being turned into movies this Fall. Check them out from the library today!

September:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
A tale of adolescence whose hero is Charlie, a high school freshman in Pennsylvania. The novel follows Charlie as he is introduced to love, literature and pot.

Read more: Read the Book – Then See the Movie

We See These Books in Your Future

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Last Updated on Monday, 30 July 2012 10:32

The first week of August, this year August 6-10, is Psychic Week. Created by Hollywood press agent Richard R. Falk in 1965, the goal is to use psychic powers to concentrate on beneficial causes like world peace and finding lost and missing people. Are you unsure as to whether you have psychic powers? Maybe you're not a psychic believer? This is your week to take a walk on the psychic side. Whether it's a book about tarot cards, crystals, auras, past lives - future lives, or if you didn't get enough ghosts during the Summer Reading Program, we have something scintillatingly psychic for you.

The Complete Guide to Manifesting with Crystals by Marina Costelloe

Providing real-life examples on how to live in a fruitful partnership with crystal energy, this how-to guide fully explains the power of crystals and how they can be utilized. Crystals magnify the highest energy within, and both the newly spiritually aware and the seasoned crystal worker can gain insight and focus into their lives when combining this energy with the suggested positive affirmations to elicit forces of attraction and confidence. The book also taps into ancient and medieval cosmology to explain how crystals interact with the four elemental substances thought to constitute the physical universe: earth, fire, water, and air. By applying the wealth of information and experiences the manual has to offer, anything that can be visualized can also be fulfilled, whether extending the journey of the soul or wishing to improving surrounding circumstances, such as relationships, health, well-being, and career.

Read more: We See These Books in Your Future