Book of the Week #52

Snow Island by Katherine Towler (San Francisco: MacAdam/Cage Publishers, 2002)

Snow Island is the story of two strangers who inhabit the same remote island off the New England coast and who find their lives shaped by events that happen far from their small community as America is drawn into World War II. This was Portsmouth resident Katherine Towler's first novel.

"Graceful... Towler's strength is her deft rendering of time and place. Lyrical and gentle, Alice's wartime coming-of-age - and the island itself - continues to resonate after the last page." — Publishers Weekly

Calling NH Teens -- Your Opinions are Needed

The 2009 Flume Award is seeking nominations from high school students. Fiction and nonfiction titles, with publication dates from 2005-2007, that appeal to teens in grades 9-12 may be nominated. The deadline to submit nominations is December 31, 2007. Make your nominations online or give printed nomination forms to your public or school librarian.

Book of the Week #51

Life at the Top: Tales, Truths, and Trusted Recipes from the Mount Washington Observatory. By Eric Pinder. (Down East Books, 1997)

Do you know where the coldest, windiest place in the world is?

Personally, I was not surprised to learn that it is in New Hampshire.

This book describes what it's like to live at the Mount Washington Observatory, why it is so cold there, and what the people who live there eat (Spring Thaw Soup anyone?). A little basic meteorology is thrown in for good measure.

Book of the Week #50

The 2008 Poets' Guide to New Hampshire. Edited by John-Michael Albert on behalf of the Poetry Society of New Hampshire. (2007)

In October 2006 the Poetry Society of NH sent out a call for "strong, short poems (one page) addressing some aspect of the life, history, and/or geography of the State of NH. All poets in and out of NH are encouraged to submit their best personal effort, along with a favorite poem on NH by a published poet (we're calling that the 'entry fee')." The result is this collection which arranges poems -- including several by New Hampshire's past poets laureate -- geographically. There are also indexes by subject, poet, and first line and a listing of regular poetry readings held around the state.

Copies may be available at your local bookseller, or they may be obtained for $20 each plus $2 packaging and postage by mailing your request and payment (checks payable to Poetry Society of NH) to:

John-Michael Albert, editor
The 2008 Poets' Guide to New Hampshire
19 1/2 Snows Court
Dover, NH 03820

Best Books of 2007

As we come to the end of the year we begin to see LOTS of lists of the "Best Books of 2007." Like anything else the value of these lists depends upon how the person looking at them values the opinion of the person who created them. I find them interesting even when I totally disagree that the chosen books are "the best. " Here are some "Best Books of 2007" lists for your consideration:

• The New York Times' 100 Notable Books


• School Library Journal's Best Books of 2007


• Book Sense Picks Highlights from the American Booksellers Association


• Best Book Picks from the Washington Post's Book World


• Publisher's Weekly's Best Books of the Year


• Amazon.com's Best of 2007


• Young Adult Library Services Association's Best Books for Young Adults 2007


• Paste Magazine's Article on what various writer's think were the best books this year


• Best Books of the Year from The Horn Book


• List from the Times of London


• A survey of authors' favorites from The Guardian


• NH Public Radio's The Exchange did their annual Holiday Books program today and promised to post lists of the books that were discussed

Similarly, The Best Novels You've Never Read from New York Magazine takes a longer view than just this year and presents a group of novels that didn't make best-seller status but that various people think should have. I have read a handful of these titles and agree that the ones I read were excellent which makes this a list I think is worth considering.

Is there a best books of 2007 list that you found interesting? Please share it by adding a comment to this post.

Book of the Week #49

Let's Steal the Moon: Jewish Tales, Ancient and Recent. Retold by Blanche Luria Serwer; illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. (Little, Brown, and Company, 1970)

I chose this book in honor of Hanhkkah, which began this week. Trina Schart Hyman, who lived in New Hampshire from 1968 until her death, illustrated this collection of folk tales based on actual people -- her friends, family and neighbors. This is the first book she illustrated where the pictures were not entirely from her imagination.

And the Winner is ...

There were 20,037 votes cast at 147 locations for the 2007 Ladybug Picture Book Award. The Secret Science Project That Almost Ate the School by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Stephen Gammell was the winner with 3,021 votes. Thanks to National Public Radio you can hear a reading of this book by Daniel Pinkwater and Scott Simon.

Here are the results:
3021 votes - The Secret Science Project that Almost Ate the School by Judy Sierra and Stephen Gammell
2637 votes - Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen and Kevin Hawkes
2338 votes - Duck & Goose by Tad Hills
2213 votes - Not Afraid of Dogs by Susanna Pitzer and Larry Day
2179 votes - Pip & Squeak by Ian Schoenherr
2036 votes - The Remarkable Friendship of Mr. Cat and Mr. Rat by Rick Walton and Lisa McCue
1522 votes - The Trouble with Cauliflower by Jane Sutton and Jim Harris
1489 votes - I Saw an Ant on the Railroad Track by Joshua Prince and Macky Pamintuan
1333 votes - Red Fox at McCloskey's Farm by Brian Heinz and Chris Seban
1269 votes - Moose Tracks! by Karma Wilson and Jack E. Davis

Thanks to everyone who participated in the 2007 Ladybug Picture Book Award!