New bestsellers from Danielle Steel and Faye Kellerman

The Library continually receives new books. This week we received “One Day at a time”, the latest novel by Danielle Steel. Fantastic fiction describes this book as follows:

“Coco Barrington was born into a legendary Hollywood family. Her mother, Florence, is a mega-bestselling author. Her sister, Jane, is one of Hollywood's top producers, who has lived with her partner, Liz, for ten years in a solid, loving relationship. Florence, widowed but still radiant, has just begun a secret romance with a man twenty-four years her junior. But Coco, a law school dropout and family black sheep, works as a dog walker, having fled life in the spotlight for an artsy northern California beach town.
When Coca reluctantly agrees to house-sit for Jane, she discovers Jane's unexpected houseguest: Leslie Baxter, a dashing but down-to-earth British actor who's fleeing a psycho ex-girlfriend. Their worlds couldn't be more different. The attraction couldn't be more immediate. And as Coco contemplates a future with one of Hollywood's hottest stars, as her mother and sister settle into their lives, old wounds are healed and new families are formed - some traditional, some not-so-traditional, but all bonded by love.

With wit and intelligence, Danielle Steel's new novel explores love in all its guises, taking us into the lives of three unusual, but wonderfully real couples. Funny, sexy and wise, “One day at a time” is at once moving, thought provoking, and utterly impossible to put down.”

Another recent arrival is “Cold Case” by Faye Kellerman. Matthew Lewin reviewed this book for London’s “The Guardian” newspaper on 2/9/08 and this is what he had to say:

“Computer software billionaire Genoa Reeves was an unhappy, isolated child, saved only by the sensitive attention of teacher Ben Little. Which is why, 15 years later, she offers the LAPD a huge endowment if they can discover who killed the much-loved teacher. The file is handed to Peter Decker and his team, who begin to unearth some very unsavoury people in the drug-ridden music business - and some uncomfortable secrets that have been buried in otherwise respectable lives. Faye Kellerman is an excellent writer whose work is hugely enjoyed by those who like a slow drip of revelations. But those who like more excitement will find this a little too plodding, and the tense but messy denouement unsatisfying.”

I have always enjoyed Faye Kellerman's books, and I think Mathew Lewin is probably correct- I do enjoy the slow reveal... So this review hasn't put me off at all!

Both of these writers are regularly on bestseller lists. According to Wikipedia, Steel holds the distinction of having been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1989 for having a book on the New York Times Bestseller List for the most consecutive weeks of any author—381 consecutive weeks at that time. Faye Kellerman and her husband, Jonathon Kellerman are the only married couple ever to appear on the New York Times Bestseller List simultaneously, for two different books (Wikipedia). It will be interesting to hear what Gilgandra readers think of both these books. Tell us what you think!

James Patterson and modern reading aloud miracles

Gilgandra Library continually receives new books. This week we received the latest James Patterson novel. “8th confession” by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro is the latest book in the “Women’s murder club” series. This is what Fantastic Fiction has to say about it:

“When a preacher with a message of hope for the homeless is found brutally executed, reporter Cindy Thomas knows the story could be huge. Probing deeper into the victim's history, she discovers he may not have been as saintly as everyone thought...

Rich, beautiful, and powerful, Isa and Ethan Bailey were living in the spotlight as San Francisco's perfect couple--until they are found dead in their luxurious home.

As the hunt for two criminals tests the skills of the entire Women's Murder Club, sparks begin to fly between Detective Lindsay Boxer and her partner, Rich Conklin, making it difficult to stay focused on the case. The electrifying new chapter in the Women's Murder Club series, THE 8TH CONFESSION serves up the mile-a-minute twists that only James Patterson can deliver.”

Patterson has written 55 novels to date, many of them with co-authors. Interestingly, he also has a strong interest in encouraging children to read. He has a social networking site called Read Kiddo Read which has lots of good book recommendations, though being an American site, some of these books can be hard to find here. There was recently a post by “Book Chook” on this site stating that
“less than half the children under six in the USA are read to each day. The number is similar in Australia, where two thirds of the parents surveyed reported they didn't read to their kids because they didn't have enough time.”

In answer to this, Kate Wheeler made the following comment :
“I work for an organization that provides opportunities for parents who are physically separately from their children to read aloud via DVD from wherever they are in the world. How does this work? We connect deployed military servicemen and women around the world with their children at home. Right now, in nearly 160 recording locations around the world, soldiers and sailors are reading to their children. If a US Navy Seal can take the time to read to his child from a tent in a war zone in Afghanistan, why on earth aren't the rest of us?

When we show the videos of these men and women in uniform reading stories from Navy ships in the middle of Persian Gulf, it tends to inspire those parents at home to read a story before bedtime.”
"Parents play roles of inestimable importance in laying the foundation for learning to read. A parent is a child’s first tutor in unravelling the fascinating puzzle of written language. A parent is a child’s one enduring source of faith that somehow, sooner or later, he or she will become a good reader." Richard C. Anderson

I think reading aloud to my kids was one of the best things that I did for them, and it is now one of my happiest memories- one of the truly good and joyful parts of being a parent. It helped them, and it helped me. In a sometimes difficult day of parenting, our "book time" was an oasis of cuddles, shared enjoyment and imagination.

Happy reading, whether it is the latest James Patterson, or reading aloud to your little ones!

Politician defends reading fiction

It isn’t very often that politicians talk about the novels they love or that the subject of reading novels versus non-fiction hits the national press. This week, the Sydney Morning Herald had a wonderful article by Chris Bowen, federal Assistant Treasurer and Member for Prospect (SMH March 11, 2009).

Chris Bowen was responding to a recent boast by a federal politician that he hadn't read a fiction book since he left school. Chris Bowen said:

“This revelation from a parliamentary colleague got me thinking. Where would we be if we all lost the lessons of some of the great works of fiction? Where would we be if young people listened to this politician and stopped reading anything but textbooks? Is it a good thing that a leading politician would boast about cutting himself off from the world of novels? Why should we encourage young people to keep reading novels when there are so many other forms of modern entertainment?

People read for all sorts of reasons. Some novels are just rollicking good stories and others hold deeper lessons. A novel can be an enjoyable read and also expand the mind.

Fiction gives us an understanding of the motivations of people that is unmatched by any other art form. And that, of course is the beauty of fiction: it exposes every situation imaginable. Fiction provides a window into the human heart and human mind.

We all live one life, but readers can live thousands of lives. Novels can open the mind. Researchers have argued that people who read novels and who have to think about the connection between a character's thoughts and their actions are better at social interaction. Children who read novels are developing their imagination, and therefore their ability to "think outside the square" and solve problems.”

Lots of people in Gilgandra love to read fiction, so I think that many of us will agree with Chris Bowen’s comments. He went on to list his favourite novels. What are your favourite novels? Drop in to the Library to tell us what they are, or post them as a comment here. We could then publish a list of favourites, and use it to guide the Library towards future purchases. We hope you are enjoying whatever you are reading this week, whether fiction or nonfiction!

Gilgandra corrals a fresh mob of Westerns!

Our library is part of a co-operative called North Western Library, which includes Warren, Coonamble and Bogan Shire libraries. One of the best features of being part of this co-op is that we are able to share resources. For example, the books which are bought by the co-op are split between the four libraries, kept at each library for 6 months, then sent on to another library. This means that we are regularly receiving fresh books, on top of those we have recently purchased.

Gilgandra Library recently changed over most of our Western fiction. We received about 300 fresh westerns, including a large number of large print westerns. All of the favourite authors are represented: Max Brand, Louis L’Amour, Lauren Paine, Larry McMurtry, Corba Sunman, John Dyson and Zane Grey. We have noticed that these books are growing in popularity in Gilgandra. If you’ve never read a Western, one place to start might be “Lonesome Dove” by Larry McMurtry. This book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986. The story focuses on the relationship of several retired Texas Rangers and their adventures driving a cattle herd from Texas to Montana. McMurtry originally developed the story for a feature film entitled The Streets of Laredo, but plans fell through. McMurtry later resurrected the screenplay as a full-length novel, which became a bestseller. It was then made into a four-part TV miniseries, which won many awards.

As Nancy Pearl says, the magnificence of the landscape, the vast distances and the wide scope of historical events that occurred in the American West lend a great setting to Western fiction. If you like reading books where setting is a major drawcard, such as fantasy or historical novels, you may find that Western fiction works for you, too. Happy reading!