Library Journal articles from April 2006

Library Journal archives from April 2006

No Katrina fatigue here: New Orleans still needs our help.(editorial)
April 1, 2006... "WE'RE WORRIED ABOUT KATRINA FATIGUE," SAID Tania Tetlow, chair of the board of the New Orleans Public Library (NOPL) and a lawyer who teaches at Tulane. "This event is unprecedented in American history. The country must continue to care." ...

Humans do a better job: user satisfaction is the most important return on investment.(blatant berry)
April 1, 2006... DAMN FEW MACHINES DO A JOB BETTER THAN LIVE humans. After I've spent a day fighting with my computer at the office, battling to penetrate the increasingly complex telephone menus to get to a live person, or filling in the blanks on some online...

New Orleans kudos.(feedback)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Kudos to LJ publisher Ron Shank for his positive letter about the American Library Association's (ALA) decision to hold the 2006 annual conference in New Orleans ("New Orleans, Here We Come," LJ 2/15/06, p. 6). Any inconvenience attendees may...

To New Orleans.(feedback)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Nice job of making sure everyone knows how important it is for us all to be there at ALA in force this summer (Ron Shank, "New Orleans, Here We Come," LJ 2/15/06, p. 6). I "braved" the SARS scare in Toronto, as so many did. I think we can all...

Gimme a break!(feedback)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I think that both Sara Cook Holloway and Becky Schaade missed the point in their analyses of "Smoking Gun" (How Do You Manage? LJ 3/1/06, p. 64-65). Strictly enforcing a 15-minute break policy will completely change the working atmosphere at...

Contributing junk info.(feedback)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... When ALA and our profession espouse unfettered access to the Internet ("The Precarious Profession," Blatant Berry, LJ 3/1/06, p. 10), we contribute to the problem of junk information. We also contribute to equating information with knowledge. I...

Cultural authority.(feedback)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... James G. Neal ("Raised by Wolves," LJ 2/15/06, p. 42-44) labels as "feral librarians" those who enter the profession through routes other than a traditional MLS program. He suggests that these untamed librarians are lacking in an attribute he...

Library "kindness" means computer repair.(front desk)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The Palm Harbor Library (PHL), FL, and the Tampa Bay Computer Society (TBCS) joined forces on Valentine's Day to repair some 20 computers (nearly all PCs) brought in by patrons. Held in celebration of the concept Random Acts of Kindness"...

CD audiobooks boom.(STAT WATCH)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Percentage growth in circulation, 2002-05 Audiobooks/ cassettes 3.2 Books 37.7 Audiobooks/ 376.4 CDs Source: SirsiDynix Normative Data...

Out at the Library: Celebrating the James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center.(front desk)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Last year, the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) mounted a popular exhibition called Out at the Library: Celebrating the James C. Hormel Gay & Lesbian Center. Now the 25-panel collection, which provides a look at unique archives from the...

Heard.(front desk)
April 1, 2006... "Yes, it is assuredly a problem that [the American Library Association] is a behemoth without a welcoming public face. My fear, though, is that we'll get a shiny makeover of the public face without the slightest attention to more substantive...

LII faces 50 percent budget cut: CA-based net index to seek partners/sponsors; should every state help?(lj news)(Librarians' Internet Index)
April 1, 2006... The California-based Librarians' Internet Index (LII), formerly known as Librarians' Index to the Internet, faces a 50 percent funding cut ($200,000) for the next fiscal year, beginning July 1, and Director Karen Schneider told LJ that LII...

Jay Datema joins LJ as tech editor.(lj news)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Jay Datema has joined Library Journal as technology editor, assuming responsibility for the magazine's quarterly technology supplement netConnect as well as LJ's technology features and columns (Online Databases, Digital Libraries). He also...

TN PL considers outsourcing.(lj news)(Tennessee)(Public libraries)
April 1, 2006... $10 per capita in Jackson; decision to be made in early April The Jackson-Madison County Library, TN, serves a population of about 100,000 with a budget of only $965,000 from the city and county. The materials allocation has fallen to...

"Net neutrality" in Congress.(lj news)(American Library Association)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... ALA praises bill that would ensure equal terms for delivery The term "net neutrality" has become a buzzword in Washington, and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) March 2 introduced the Internet Nondiscrimination Act of 2006, which would block network...

LJ to repair NOPL branch.(lj news)(New Orleans Public Library)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Library Journal is taking the lead, in tandem with architect Jeffrey Scherer (Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle) and the New Orleans Public Library (NOPL), for the restoration of the Katrina-devastated Alvar Street Branch. The library suffered...

Manga tackled at NY Comic-Con.(lj news)
April 1, 2006... The first New York Comic-Con swallowed Manhattan's Jacob Javits Center, February 24-26, attracting a crushing crowd of 35,000 over three packed days of panel sessions, author/artist signings, and film/TV screenings. The show floor burst with...

Senate, House pass PATRIOT Act renewal.(lj news)(Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... In an 89-10 vote, the Senate March 2 passed legislation renewing the USA PATRIOT Act, after four Republican Senators agreed to a compromise negotiated with the White House (see News, LJ 3/15/05, p. 16). The House of Representatives followed up...

Augustana, RIT win ACRL Awards.(lj news)(Association of College and Research Libraries)(Rochester Institute of Technology)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) has named its 2006 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award--with one notable exception: there is no winner this year in the community college category. The Thomas Tredway Library at...

UNC library, SILS join content alliance.(lj news)(University of North Carolina)(School of Information and Library Science)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The University Library and the School of Information and Library Science (SILS) at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill have joined the Open Content Alliance (OCA), becoming the first school within a university to join. UNC's...

SirsiDynix-ALA-APA awards announced.(lj news)(American Library Association-Allied Professional Association)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... AFSCME Local 1526 of the Boston Public Library and James Fish, director of the Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL), Towson, MD, have been named the winners of the American Library Association-Allied Professional Association (ALA-APA) second...

Univ. of Michigan offers free blogs.(lj news)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The University of Michigan (UM) has launched mBlog (mblog.lib.umich.edu), a program offering free blogs to UM students and employees. The program is a collaboration of the university library, information technology central services (ITCS), and...

New endowment for Tulane library.(lj news)(Richard E. Greenleaf gives donation to Latin American Library at Tulane University )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Distinguished scholar and emeritus professor of Latin American history Richard E. Greenleaf has given $500,000 to the Latin American Library (LAL) at Tulane University in New Orleans. The Richard E. Greenleaf Fellowship will provide short-term...

Calendar.(Calendar)
April 1, 2006... JUNE 1-2--Rhode Island Library Assn., Smithfield www.uri.edu/library/rila/ rila.html AUGUST 9-12--Pacific Northwest Library Assn., Eugene, OR www.pnla.org 15-19--Nevada Library Assn., N. Las Vegas www.nevadalibraries.org ...

Eleanor Clarke, Manager of the Brick Branch of the Ocean County Library System, Toms River, NJ.(people)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Eleanor Clarke, Manager of the Brick Branch of the Ocean County Library System, Toms River, NJ, has announced her retirement after 34 years with the library system.

Missouri State Library.(people)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Margaret Conroy, formerly Director of the Missouri River Regional Library, Jefferson City, has been named State Librarian, Missouri State Library. Conroy previously directed the Little Dixie Regional Libraries, Moberly, MO.

Larry Cunningham, Director of the Jennings County Public Library, North Vernon, IN, since 1986, will retire next month.(people)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Larry Cunningham, Director of the Jennings County Public Library, North Vernon, IN, since 1986, will retire next month. During his tenure, he oversaw the construction of a new, larger facility in 1997. Cunningham has also worked as an academic...

Riverside Public Library.(people)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Barbara Custen has been appointed Director of the Riverside Public Library, CA. She had served as Executive Director of the Metropolitan Cooperative Library System, the Santiago Library System, and the South State Cooperative Library System,...

Carol Hole retired March 1 from the Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL, after 32 years of service.(people)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Carol Hole retired March 1 from the Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL, after 32 years of service. Hole was hired in 1974 as a Library Assistant in Children's Services and since 1987 has been the Outreach Coordinator, instrumental...

Diane Kresh will become Director of libraries at the Arlington Public Library (APL), VA, effective April 3.(people)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Diane Kresh will become Director of libraries at the Arlington Public Library (APL), VA, effective April 3. She leaves a 31-year career at the Library of Congress, with stints as Director of the Veterans History Project, Director of Public...

Cheryl McCoy, Director of the Montclair Public Library, NJ, retired February 1.(people)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Cheryl McCoy, Director of the Montclair Public Library, NJ, retired February 1. She began as Young Adult Librarian in 1971, became Community Information Specialist in 1974, and was appointed Assistant Director in 1979. McCoy became Interim...

Head of Collection Management.(people)(Elizabeth Mengel appointed)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Elizabeth Mengel, formerly Librarian for Science and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Sheridan Libraries, Bakimore, has been promoted to Head of Collection Management at JHU.

Old Dominion University Libraries.(people)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Elizabeth Vihnanek is now Head of Reference and Research Services at Old Dominion University Libraries, Norfolk, VA. She was Director of the Curriculum Materials/Maps Center at Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC.

Bowker on the rebound: after facing extinction, reference company is reinventing itself with Fiction Connection, partnerships, and new strategies.(infotech)
April 1, 2006... It has been a hard slog at R.R. Bowker. For years, the prominent reference publisher had what appeared to be a stranglehold on book data through its Books in Print product, which was standard issue at every library, publisher, distributor,...

SirsiDynix names McCausland CFO.(INFOTECH PEOPLE)(Dean McCausland )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... SirsiDynix has tapped Dean McCausland to succeed the retiring Larry Smith as its chief financial officer (CFO). According to the vendor, McCausland brings "20 years of financial and operational experience" to the position. McCausland joins...

ACRL wants E-zine preservation.(INFOTECH)(Association of College and Research Libraries )(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) has endorsed an initiative calling on colleges and universities to archive online journals to prevent their permanent loss should the titles cease publication--a longtime fear among many...

European Digital Library in 2010?(INFOTECH)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... A single European web portal sporting six million books, films, and photos will be available for public access by 2010, the Associated Press reports. Dubbed the European Digital Library, the project reportedly "will link the existing Internet...

A healthy dose of science.
April 1, 2006... DID YOU KNOW? Bowker is offering its new Fiction Connection (FC) readers' advisory system (www.fictionconnection. com) free with every BookslnPrint.com and GlobalBookslnPrint.com subscription. The product holds promise: search by topic, genre,...

Building bridges.(ONLINE DATABASES)
April 1, 2006... MY CAREER AS A LIBRARIAN, LJ columnist, researcher, and teacher has been about building bridges--bridges between librarians and publishers, students and knowledge, and research and practice--which is probably why I was selected to deliver the...

The embedded librarian: getting out there via technology to help students where they learn.(INFOTECH FEATURE)
April 1, 2006... We hear it at conferences and read it in the literature: students prefer the web to the library. So, it must be true. There is no dewing that libraries have been changing. Computers and connections have replaced those gorgeous wooden cabinets....

Dark is the new cozy: crime in translation, the dominance of noir, and conjuring the paranormal.(GENRE SPOTLIGHT MYSTERY)
April 1, 2006... Americans are often accused of being a provincial bunch, but consider the xenophobic firestorm that broke out in Britain last fall when the Crime Writers Association (CWA) announced its 2005 nominations for the prestigious Gold Dagger Award for...

Reshuffling the deck: deal-making fueled development of ILS and non-ILS products.(AUTOMATED SYSTEM MARKETPLACE 2006)(Integrated Library System )
April 1, 2006... Following a phase of market fragmentation and gradual product evolution, major business transitions and industry dynamics greatly transformed the library automation marketplace. The changes in company structures broadly fostered more...

Advocacy and new alliances: LJ talks to the candidates for ALA president.(LJ Q & A ALA CANDIDATES)(Presidential elections)
April 1, 2006... It is always difficult to decide how to vote in the annual American Library Association (ALA) election unless a close friend or colleague or someone whose career you have followed is running. The winning candidate doesn't take office as ALA...

In praise of Blue Notes.(Collection Development / Jazz)(jazz music)
April 1, 2006... More than a century after its birth in New Orleans, jazz continues to thrive by resisting assimilation and definition. Spontaneity, experimentation, and individuality have defined this music since Louis Armstrong brought everything into focus...

Prepub alert.(Bibliography)
April 1, 2006... Bahr, Howard. The Judas Field: A Novel of the Civil War. Holt. Aug. 2006. 304p. ISBN 0-80506739-6 [ISBN 978-0-80506739-2]. $25. Another Civil War novel in the wake of E.L. Doctorow's The March and Robert Hicks's The Widow of the South, this...

Mystery.(Heart of the World)(Black Silk Handkerchief)(Dirty Laundry)(Out of Cabrini)(See Delphi and Die)(Deadly Housewives)(Witch's Sabbath)(The Tooth of Time)(Pretty Girl Gone)(Cold Kill: A Detective Stella Mooney Novel)(Learning To Kill: Stories)(Strawberry Moon)(Snakeskin Shamisen)(Murder on the Rocks: A Gray Whale Inn Mystery)(Who Gets the Apartment? Ransom Note)(Superior Death)(The Janissary Tree)(Night of the Jaguar)(Cripple Creek)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... GLOBETROTTING SLEUTHS Private investigators of all different styles can be found anywhere in the world either willingly performing their duties or dragged into service by needy family and friends. Linda Barnes's Heart of the World finds...

Nordic Crime.(Sun Storm)(Borkmann's Point: An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery)(The Torso)(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... U.S. publishers have tapped a rich vein of crime fiction by Nordic writers, with some books being translated into English more than a decade after their original publication. These novels, many of them winners of awards from the Swedish Academy...

Prepub mystery.(Bibliography)
April 1, 2006... Andrews, Donna. No Nest for the Wicket. Minotaur: St. Martin's. Aug. 2006. 288p. ISBN 0-312-32940-7. $23.95. A game of "Extreme Croquet" is bound to lead to murder and mayhem for ornamental blacksmith Meg Langslow in her seventh humorous...

Christian fiction.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... BIBLE STORIES With the enormous success of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and the May release of the film version starring Tom Hanks, Christian writers are returning to the Bible for inspiration. The Old and New Testaments provide a rich palette...

CF publishing news.(Simon & Schuster Inc. acquires Howard Publications Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2006... Simon & Schuster (S. & S.) has entered the Christian market with the recent acquisition of Howard Publishing, an inspirational publishing company based in West Monroe, LA. Founded in 1969, Howard currently publishes 45 titles a year and will...

Ackroyd, Peter. Lambs of London.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Ackroyd, Peter. Lambs of London. Nan A. Talese: Doubleday. Jun. 2006. c.224p. ISBN 0-385-51461-1. $23. F The Lambs of London, Charles and Mary, are featured players in the larger drama of William Ireland's story in this skillful...

Arriaga, Guillermo. The Night Buffalo.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Arriaga, Guillermo. The Night Buffalo. Atria: S. & S. May 2006. c.240p. ISBN 0-7432-8185-3 [ISBN 978-0-7432-8185-0]. $24. F Having made a blood pact (represented by a buffalo tattoo) with best friend Gregorio, Manuel has a difficult time...

Berdoll, Linda. Darcy & Elizabeth: Nights and Days at Pemberley.(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Berdoll, Linda. Darcy & Elizabeth: Nights and Days at Pemberley. Sourcebooks Landmark: Sourcebooks. May 2006. c.436p. ISBN 1-4022-0563-5 [ISBN 978-1-40220563-7]. pap. $16.95. F Berdoll's sequel to Jane Austen's seminal Pride and Prejudice,...

Berenson, Alex. The Faithful Spy.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Berenson, Alex. The Faithful Spy. Random. Apr. 2006. c.340p. ISBN 0-345-47899-1. $24.95. F John Wells, a CIA special operations agent, was the first Westerner to graduate from the al Qaeda camps near Kandahar. After years spent fighting...

Broder, Bill. Taking Care of Cleo.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Broder, Bill. Taking Care of Cleo. Handsel: Other. Apr. 2006. c.360p. ISBN 1-59051-213-8. $24.95. F In his third novel (after The Sacred Hoop and Remember This Time), playwright Broder has meshed the gangster-driven Prohibition era of...

Chatterjee, Upamanyu. English, August: An Indian Story.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... * Chatterjee, Upamanyu. English, August: An Indian Story. New York Review. Apr. 2006. c.330p. ISBN 1-59017-179-9. pap. $14.95. F Originally published in 1988, Chatterjee's witty and lyrical first novel became a best seller in his native...

Coburn, Randy Sue. Owl Island.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Coburn, Randy Sue. Owl Island. Ballantine. Jun. 2006. c.368p. ISBN 0-345-48763-X. $23.95. F When a former lover returns to the remote Puget Sound island where she lives, Phoebe, a fortysomething single mother of a grown daughter, finds her...

Cunningham, Elizabeth. The Passion of Mary Magdalen.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Cunningham, Elizabeth. The Passion of Mary Magdalen. Monkfish, dist. by Consortium. (Maeve Chronicles). Apr. 2006. 640p. ISBN 0-9766843-0-6. $29.95. F In Daughter of the Shining Isles, her first volume of "The Maeve Chronicles," Cunningham...

Dave, Laura. London Is the Best City in America.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Dave, Laura. London Is the Best City in America. Viking. May 2006. c.246p. ISBN O670-03756-7. $24.95. F Emmy Everett's life has been on hold since she broke off her engagement and left New York three years ago. The aspiring filmmaker has...

Ehrenreich, Ben. The Suitors.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Ehrenreich, Ben. The Suitors. Counterpoint: Perseus. Apr. 2006. c.288p. ISBN 1-58243335-6. $23. F Ehrenreich puts a spin on The Odyssey, weaving a tale that's less about the hero's return journey than about the suitors, 12 men and one...

Fleming, Anne Taylor. As If Love Were Enough.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Fleming, Anne Taylor. As If Love Were Enough. Hyperion. Apr. 2006. c.288p. ISBN 1-4013-0105-3. $22.95. F Journalist Fleming's (Marriage: A Duet) second work of fiction is the story of two sisters, told in two time periods. Clare is a...

Goddard, Robert. Play to the End.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Goddard, Robert. Play to the End. Delta: Dell. Apr. 2006. c.368p. ISBN 0-385-33918-6. pap. $12. F Toby Flood, a has-been British actor, arrives in Brighton to play the male lead in a failing play for its final week. His estranged wife,...

Grenville, Kate. The Secret River.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Grenville, Kate. The Secret River. Canongate, dist. by Grove/Atlantic. May 2006. c.352p. ISBN 1-84195-797-6. $24. F In this follow-up to her Orange Prize-winning The Idea of Perfection, Australian writer Grenville turns to her own family...

Griffiths, Niall. Wreckage.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Griffiths, Niall. Wreckage. Graywolf. Apr. 2006. c.268p. ISBN 1-55597-441-4. pap. $15. F This work continues the tale of two thugs begun in Griffiths's third novel, Stump. Failing to locate the nameless one-armed man sought in the earlier...

Harrigan, Stephen. Challenger Park.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Harrigan, Stephen. Challenger Park. Knopf. Apr. 2006. c.416p. ISBN 0-375-41205-0. $24.95. F In this sweeping novel about the career lives of NASA astronauts, Harrigan (The Gates of the Alamo) has created a dynamic and intimate portrait of...

Holliday, Geneva. Fever.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Holliday, Geneva. Fever. Broadway. Apr. 2006. c.320p. ISBN 0-7679-2115-1. pap. $12.95. F Holliday's sequel to Groove takes place a few years later with the same group of childhood friends from New York City. Geneva is now trying to raise...

Kovetz, Lisa Beth. The Tuesday Erotica Club.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Kovetz, Lisa Beth. The Tuesday Erotica Club. Sourcebooks Landmark: Sourcebooks. Apr. 2006. c.352p. ISBN 1-4022-0664-X [ISBN 978-1-4022-0664-1]. $19.95. F Aimee is pregnant at 40 and married to a man who's moving emotionally and physically...

Krasznahorkai, Laszlo. War & War.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Krasznahorkai, Laszlo. War & War. New Directions, dist. by Norton. Apr. 2006. c.288p, tr. from Hungarian by George Szirtes. ISBN 0-8112-1609-8. pap. $16.95. F In Krasznahorkai's second novel to be translated into English (after The...

McMurtry, Larry. Telegraph Days.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... McMurtry, Larry. Telegraph Days. S. & S. Jun. 2006. c.304p. ISBN 0-7432-5078-8. $25. F Once considered minor gentry in Virginia, 22-year-old Nellie Courtright and her brother, Jackson, are now all that remain of their family after an...

Maheu, Layne. Song of the Crow.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... * Maheu, Layne. Song of the Crow. Unbridled. Jun. 2006. c.240p. ISBN 1-932961-18-6. $23.95. F This debut novel is an enchanting account of the natural history of a crow named "I AM" and his observations on a peculiar mammal called Keeyaw,...

Merot, Pierre. Mammals.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Merot, Pierre. Mammals. Black Cat: Grove. May 2006. c.208p, tr. from French by Frank Wynne. ISBN 0-8021-7019-6. pap. $13. F This work offers a glimpse into the life of a depressed, alcoholic, self-loathing 40-year-old man. After a series of...

Minot, Eliza. The Brambles.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Minot, Eliza. The Brambles. Knopf. Jul. 2006. c.247p. ISBN 1-4000-4269-0. $23.95. F With its warm portrayal of families and relationships and its unexpected plot twists, Minor's new novel (after The Tiny One) will appeal to a range of...

Lisa Tucker.(Q&A)(Interview)
April 1, 2006... Not surprisingly for a writer who once toured the Midwest as a jazz singer, music is a leitmotif in Lisa Tucker's fiction. The Song Reader featured a character who could read people's secrets through their favorite songs, while Shout Down the...

Mitchard, Jacquelyn. Cage of Stars.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... * Mitchard, Jacquelyn. Cage of Stars. Warner. May 2006. c.293p. ISBN 0-446-57875-4. $24.95. F As with Mitchard's The Deep End of the Ocean and A Theory of Relativity, this latest novel explores family dynamics in the aftermath of tragedy....

Monardo, Anna. Falling in Love with Natassia.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Monardo, Anna. Falling in Love with Natassia. Doubleday. Jun. 2006. c.400p. ISBN 0-385-51466-2. $23.95. F It takes a village to raise a child, but what if the village is populated by egocentric, psychologically wounded adults? Thirteen...

Murphy, Yannick. Here They Come.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Murphy, Yannick. Here They Come. McSweeney's. 2006. c.240p. ISBN 1-932416-50-1. $22. F From deep in the trenches of family dysfunctionality, this story magnifies the weird but absorbing life of a girl coping with a broken home in a broken...

Oberbeck, Elizabeth Birkelund. The Dressmaker.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Oberbeck, Elizabeth Birkelund. The Dressmaker. Holt. Jul. 2006. c.320p. ISBN 0-8050-8033-3 [ISBN 978-0-8050-8033-9]. $23. F Claude Reynaud, a dressmaker who fives in a small village near Paris, specializes in creating wedding dresses that...

Osborne, Betsey. The Natural History of Uncas Metcalfe.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Osborne, Betsey. The Natural History of Uncas Metcalfe. St. Martin's. May 2006. c.240p. ISBN 0-312-34277-2. $22.95. F Osborne, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, has given us a powerful first novel about love, betrayal, family, and...

Parkhurst, Carolyn. Lost and Found.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Parkhurst, Carolyn. Lost and Found. Little, Brown. Jun. 2006. c.304p. ISBN 0-31615638-8. $23.95. F Take seven unlikely couples with juicy secrets, a globetrotting reality show, a couple of unscrupulous producers, a host who loves to be...

Pearl, Matthew. The Poe Shadow.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Pearl, Matthew. The Poe Shadow. Random. May 2006. c.384p. ISBN 1-4000-6103-2. $24.95. F Mild-mannered Baltimore lawyer Quentin Clark enjoys reading smiles and poetry by Edgar Allan Poe. On hearing of Poe's sudden demise in the fall of...

Preston, Caroline. Gatsby's Girl.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... * Preston, Caroline. Gatsby's Girl. Houghton. May 2006. c.320p. ISBN 0-618-53725-2. $24. F In 1916, pretty 15-year-old Ginevra Perry is the spectacularly self-absorbed daughter of wealthy Lake Forest, IL, parents. After a series of...

Reuss, Frederick. Mohr.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Reuss, Frederick. Mohr. Unbridled. May 2006. c.320p, photogs. ISBN 1-932961-17-8, $25.95. F On a trip to Germany, Reuss (Horace Afoot) came upon some photos of the family of distant relative Max Mohr, a Jewish playwright who left his...

Rosner, Elizabeth. Blue Nude.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... Rosner, Elizabeth. Blue Nude. Ballantine. May 2006. c.224p. ISBN 0-345-44222-9. $22.95. F Rosner's sophomore novel (after The Speed of Light) is steady on its feet but without much substance. Its central story acts out an art-world cliche...

Roth, Philip. Everyman.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2006... * Roth, Philip. Everyman. Houghton. May 2006. c.192p. ISBN 0-618-73516-X. $24. F Much like John Updike's Harry Angstrom, the protagonist of Roth's new novel confronts the loneliness of growing old, despair over the loss of his sexual...