Library Journal articles from February 2006

Library Journal archives from February 2006

New Orleans, here we come: location is not the magic, it is all of you.(American Library Association's annual conference)
February 15, 2006... Compared with surviving Katrina, the troubles that most of us face daily don't amount to a tray of stale beignets. Some folks with whom I've spoken recently are annoyed that the American Library Association (ALA) annual conference will still...

The Bronx is up: a new "central" brings Bronx libraries into the 21st century.(editorial)(Editorial)
February 15, 2006... IT HAS BEEN A WEEK SINCE THE NEW LIBRARY Center in "'da Bronx" opened, and at 5:45 p.m. the place is packed, the din exhilarating. The woman who answers the phone--no phone machine hell here but a live human being--says it has been like this...

The wrong ingredient.(feedback)(Correction Notice)
February 15, 2006... The review of Jacques Pepin's cooking DVDs (Video Reviews, LJ 9/15/05) mentioned his position as founder of the Culinary Institute of America. In truth, the institute, founded in 1946, is not among Pepin's achievements. He currently serves as...

Audiobook = device on new player.(Playaway- digital audio player)(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... The Playaway, the first self-playing digital audio player, is now being offered by several public libraries. Carlos Latimer, director of the Cleveland Public Library's AV department, told LJ that the Playaway, which contains an embedded...

In the fray about memoirist James Frey.(front desk)(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... "American culture--pop or otherwise--is not segregated from American politics. We should care about the use of expedient 'fiction' in both realms." --"Cathryn" on LJ's blog In the Bookroom (www.libraryjournal.com/bookroom), January 11,...

The Lakedell Public Library, Pigeon Lake, Alta., may be small, but the Lakedell Area Community Library Society's innovative calendar is helping raise funds for a replacement.(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... The Lakedell Public Library, Pigeon Lake, Alta., may be small, but the Lakedell Area Community Library Society's innovative calendar is helping raise funds for a replacement. The calendar was actually intended to portray women, but, unlike...

The Cerritos Library, CA, has garnered international attention as the "Experience Library," thanks to such eye-catching features as an aquarium and a T. Rex.(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... The Cerritos Library, CA, has garnered international attention as the "Experience Library," thanks to such eye-catching features as an aquarium and a T. Rex. Recently, the library launched its own comic book, The Time Team. Staff members...

Better News from New Orleans.(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... "There was a time when the library wasn't anyone's priority--except ours," New Orleans city librarian Bill Johnson told colleagues in his end-of-2005 message, "With 19 people and the support and good wishes of staff who aren't here, we have...

A revolution in access? UC report urges systemwide changes, NCSU catalog exemplifies progress.(lj news)(report of the Bibliographic Services Task Force of the University of California)
February 15, 2006... A report from the Bibliographic Services Task Force of the University of California (UC) Libraries offers potent criticism of current practices and urges major changes in systemwide cataloging and access--a reflection of anxieties and...

Shank named LJ publisher.(Ron Shank, Library Journal)(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... Longtime Library Journal/School Library Journal associate publisher Ron Shank has been promoted to publisher. In naming him to the post, William McGorry, executive VP of the RBI Publishing Group, said Shank "has demonstrated a key commitment...

Report urges DCPL revamp; $450M overhaul would replace half the collection, build new central.(District of Columbia Public Library)
February 15, 2006... The Mayor's Task Force on the Future of the District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL) System released a draft report January 17 that calls for a "dramatically overhauled public library system for the 21st century," including a replacement of...

The Bronx (Library) is back.(Bronx Library Center opened)(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... The Bronx (Library) is back: With a 50-year veteran doo-wop group serenading visitors and a host of dignitaries, the New York Public Library (NYPL) on January 17 celebrated the opening of the spiffy new Bronx Library Center, a $50 million,...

CoLAPL increases net filtering: Library buys monitors with better privacy screens.(County of Los Angeles Public Library)(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... The County of Los Angeles Public Library (CoLAPL), directed by the Board of Supervisors to better block access to pornography, will spend $344,000 allotted by the county: $237,000 for 445 new computer monitors, about $75,000 to improve...

Ontario PL adds needle disposal: some worried that library presents wrong image to public.(London Public Library)(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... Like some other Canadian cities, London, ON, has a problem with intravenous drug use, and, like some other civic buildings, the London Public Library has installed in bathrooms yellow plastic bins, topped by red covers, for needle disposal....

Salinas libraries to restore some hours.(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... In Salinas, CA, where voters last November approved new taxes to rescue the decimated library system (see News, LJ 12/05, p. 16ff.), library service has begun to be restored. Last week, the Salinas City Council agreed to hire three librarians...

UCLA to launch rare book school.(University of California-Los Angeles )(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... The University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) has announced the formation of a rare book school within the Department of Information Studies at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. The chartering of the school comes at...

Library of the Year Award.(LJ NEWS)
February 15, 2006... The Library of the Year Award honors the library that most profoundly demonstrates outstanding community service. Selection will be made from nominations received by March 15, 2006, Members of the editorial board of Library Journal,...

Developer's Ottawa library plan nixed.(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... The City of Ottawa, ON, received an unsolicited proposal last year for a new main library, to be built by a developer (see News, LJ 11/15/05, p. 20), but city officials say such a private-public partnership wouldn't be a good deal. City...

PL controversy in Sheboygan, WI.(Mead Public Library)(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... In Sheboygan, WI, after city officials voted to grant $2.6 million to the Mead Public Library--nearly $200,000 less than it requested and about $110,000 less than it received in 2005--the deputy director and three of four department heads...

Philadelphia backs off fine policy.(Free Library of Philadelphia )(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... For cash-strapped libraries, revenue from fines may be seen as a way to fill in gaps formed by budget cuts rather than simply as a goad for users to return material. But at a certain point, increasing fines may backfire, as the Free Library...

Sign up for LJXpress, LJ academic newswire.(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... LJXpress is a weekly snapshot of the latest news, reviews, and Library Journal.com web exclusives such as interviews with trendmakers, LJ's Advice to the Librarylorn, collection development lists, and more for public and academic librarians....

Elbert County Library District.(Robb Heckel appointed)(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... Robb Heckel, previously Executive director of the Basalt Regional Library District, CO, is the new Director of the Elbert County Library District, Elizabeth, CO.

Harris County Public Library.(Beth Krippel appointed)(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... Beth Krippel has been named Branch Librarian at the Atascocita Branch of the Harris County Public Library, Houston, TX. She was the Assistant Branch Librarian at the library's Katherine Tyra Bear Creek Branch.

Lewis-Clark State College.(Susan Niewenhous appointed)(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... Susan Niewenhous is the new Director of Library Services at Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC), Lewiston, ID. Formerly Head of Public Services and Reference Coordinator at LCSC, Niewenhous holds a master's in library science from Rutgers...

Hayward Public Library.(Lisa Rosenblum)(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... Lisa Rosenblum has been appointed Director of the Hayward Public Library, CA. She was a Division Manager at the Martin Luther King Jr. Library of the San Jos6 Public Library, CA, a jointly operated facility with San Jose State University.

Marquette University.(Janice Simmons-Welburn appointed)(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... Janice Simmons-Welburn, Associate Dean of Libraries at the University of Arizona, Tucson, has been appointed Dean of the University Library at Marquette University, Milwaukee, effective April 3. Associate Director Michael Pate will serve as...

Obituaries.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
February 15, 2006... Lewis Branscomb, former Director of Libraries at Ohio State University (OSU) and founding board member of OCLC in the mid-1960s, has died at the age of 94. Branscomb joined OSU in 1948 as Associate Director and Professor, became Director in...

Greenwood launches Praeger Security International: imprint to feature both books and online material on terrorism, security, and military studies.(Greenwood Publishing)
February 15, 2006... In the incendiary political climate facing our nation and much of the world, with the rise of global terrorism, you can't have too much information on security if you're a library or other intel provider. Greenwood Publishing is launching a...

Readex expands newspaper series.(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... Digital publisher Readex is growing its Early American Newspapers offerings with the addition of two new collections. Early American Newspapers II, 1758-1900, covers an era when "the number of American newspapers rose dramatically,...

GALILEO adds SFX MetaLib.(Georgia Library Learning Online selects Ex Libris's SFX linking tool MetaLib portal )(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... GALILEO (Georgia Library Learning Online) has selected the duo of Ex Libris's SFX linking tool and MetaLib portal as components of its revamped infrastructure. GALILEO, started by the state's Board of Regents and university system, has grown...

Dual contracts for Polaris.(Polaris Library Systems, Rochester Hills Public Library, Everett Public Library)(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... Polaris Library Systems is the choice of both the Rochester Hills Public Library, MI, and Everett Public Library, WA. Rochester serves a patron base of roughly 92,000, with a collection of 230,000 items. The system will support 194 concurrent...

It's Vubis for Westmount PL.(Westmount Public Library, Vubis Smart system)(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... Geac rises from the ashes: the company announced January 9 that the Westmount Public Library, Quebec, has contracted for its Vubis Smart system. The facility houses a bilingual collection of more than 160,000 French and English books, AV...

Geoffrey Adams joins endeavor.(Endeavor Information Systems )(Brief Article)
February 15, 2006... Endeavor Information Systems January 10 announced the appointment of industry veteran Geoffrey Adams as its first director of Archive Solutions. Adams's duties will be to "provide leadership and strategic direction for the company's current...

Four-Star accommodations.(E-VIEWS AND REVIEWS)(Product/Service Evaluation)
February 15, 2006... YOUR FEEDBACK Mark Funk, head of collection development at the Weill Cornell Medical Library, New York, responds to the December column item "Buy it once, buy it twice" by proposing an alternate scheme for pricing of online products: "Charge...

What I hope will be.(DIGITAL LIBRARIES)(role of library automation)(Column)
February 15, 2006... MY RECENT COLUMN "WHAT I Wish I Had Known" (LJ 11/15/05, p. 30) took a look back at lessons learned from years in library automation. This month I look forward to a bright library future and the ways it will be accomplished. Effective...

A reader at every shelf: new tech tools and library innovations take patrons well beyond the bestsellers.
February 15, 2006... Andrew Smith, Readers Services librarian at Williamsburg Regional Library, VA, has a lament, and it's not a new one: "We have to weed many good books that haven't circulated in years--despite our best efforts." Librarians have long grappled...

Budget rebound: the strongest increase in years and a focus on fiction characterize LJ's annual survey.(BOOK BUYING SURVEY 2006)
February 15, 2006... Ah, the sweet sound of "we told you so." This year's book buying survey of U.S. public libraries, spread across 100 libraries by population served and region, substantiates trends we've seen developing over the last several surveys. Last...

Raised by wolves: integrating the new generation of feral professionals into the academic library.(role of library education in academic libraries)
February 15, 2006... Academic libraries now hire an increasing number of individuals to fill professional librarian positions who do not have the master's degree in library science. Instead of appointing librarians with the traditional qualifying credential, they...

Best audio books of 2005.(How To Build a Tin Canoe: Confessions of an Old Salt)(The Glass Castle)(Space Between the Stars: My Journey to an Open Heart)(Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise)(Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen)(Wilt, 1962: The Night of 100 Points and the Dawn of a New Era)(The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century)(The Experts' Guide to 100 Things Everyone Should Know How to Do)(The Year of Magical Thinking)(The Chinese in America: A Narrative History)(The Best-Kept Secret)(Silence in Hanover Close)(Lost Lake)(The Motive)(The Mermaid Chair)(The Ice Queen)(The Big over Easy)(The March)(Crusader's Cross)(Zorro)(Audiobook Review)
February 15, 2006... The audiobook industry is going strong. New gadgets are cropping up. Cassettes and CDs are still popular, as are MP3-CDs, but downloadable options are the latest craze. Listeners can now get spoken-word audio files (podcasts) from the...

Some experience necessary.(BACKTALK)(computer training programs in libraries)
February 15, 2006... THERE IS A CHASM IN OUR SOCIETY. On one side of it are jobs, resources, and education. On the other side is a growing number of people who lack the basic skills to access these opportunities. For me, this "digital divide" wasn't a reality...

Secure our professional future.(librarians)
February 15, 2006... IN JANUARY 2005, A SHORT AND easily overlooked American Libraries blurb reported on how newer U.S. Census data changes retirement projections for the nation's librarians. Using 2000 numbers, and assuming retirement at age 65, the American...

Prepub alert.
February 15, 2006... FICTION Deaver, Jeffery. The Cold Moon: A Lincoln Rhyme Novel. S. & S. Jun. 2006. 416p. ISBN 0-7432-6093-7. $26. Lincoln Rhyme is back, helped along by Amelia Sachs, who has her own case to solve even as she and Rhyme track a serial...

Romance.(The Secret)(The Spirit of the Wolf)(Designed for You)(The Secret Wish)(Last Bride Standing)(The Sunshine Coast News)(Underfoot)(In the Groove)(Lord Perfect)(The Queen in Winter)(In the Thrill of the Night)(Beauty and the Spy)(Lover Eternal)(More Than Friends)(Fever)(A Rake's Ransom and A Loyal Companion)(The Education of Lady Frances and Miss Cresswell's London Triumph)(Cocktails for Three)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... LOVE IN MANY COLORS Although much has changed in the publishing world since Pinnacle launched its groundbreaking Arabesque line in 1994, the multicultural or ethnic romance continues to grow in both popularity and diversity. Arabesque, now...

Intoxicated: A Novel of Money, Madness, and the Invention of the World's Favorite Soft Drink (Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Barlow, John. Intoxicated. Morrow. Feb. 2006. c.320p. ISBN 0-06-059176-5 [ISBN 978-0-06-059176-2]. $24.95. F This tale set in Victorian England recalls the birth of soda pop. Readers first meet Rodrigo Vermilion, a midget with a humpback,...

Britton, Andrew. The American.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... * Britton, Andrew. The American. Kensington. Mar. 2006. c.384p. ISBN 0-7582. 1333-6. $24. F During a secret Middle East mission, Jason March, a South African--born American soldier, traitorously kills the other men in his squad and...

Brockmeier, Kevin. The Brief History of the Dead.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... * Brockmeier, Kevin. The Brief History of the Dead. Pantheon. Feb. 2006. c.272p. ISBN 0-375-42369-9. $22.95. F Inhabitants of the City eat at Jim's sandwich shop and read Luka Sims's mimeographed News & Speculation Sheet--never mind that...

Cleage, Pearl. Baby Brother's Blues.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Cleage, Pearl. Baby Brother's Blues. One World: Ballantine. Mar. 2006. c.419p. ISBN 0-345-48110-0. $23.95. F Cleage (Babylon Sisters) continues chronicling the lives of the diverse community of Atlanta's West End inhabited by Regina and...

Dean, Debra. The Madonnas of Leningrad.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... * Dean, Debra. The Madonnas of Leningrad. Morrow. Mar. 2006. c.240p. ISBN 0-06-082530-8 [ISBN 978-0-06-082530-0]. $23.95. F As a young woman, Marina became a docent, guiding Soviet citizens through the treasures of the Hermitage Museum....

Donohue, Keith. The Stolen Child.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... * Donohue, Keith. The Stolen Child. Nan A. Talese: Doubleday. Apr. 2006. c.272p. ISBN 0-385-51616-9. $23.95. F Fairy tales often reach into dark places, and this one is no exception. Inspired by a W.B. Yeats poem, it is a modern retelling...

Henderson, William Haywood. Augusta Locke.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Henderson, William Haywood. Augusta Locke. Viking. Apr. 2006. c.421p. ISBN 0-670-03491-6. $24.95. F In his third novel (after The Rest of the Earth and Native), Henderson portrays rural frontier woman Augusta (Gussie) Locke in the first...

Horsley, Kate. Black Elk in Paris.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Horsley, Kate. Black Elk in Paris. Trumpeter, dist. by Random. Mar. 2006. c.212p. ISBN 1-59030-329-6. $19.95. F Paris in 1888 is a city of pride and excess inspired by the coming Universal Exposition. Parisians are confident that they...

Keyes, Marian. Anybody Out There?(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Keyes, Marian. Anybody Out There? Morrow. May 2006. c.464p. ISBN 0-06-073130-3 [ISBN 978-0-06-073130-4]. $24.95. F The lovable Walsh family (Angels; Watermelon; Rachel's Holiday) is back in Keyes's newest endeavor, this time with Anna at...

Khalifeh, Sahar. The Inheritance.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Khalifeh, Sahar. The Inheritance. American Univ. in Cairo. (Modern Arabic Literature). 2005. c.259p, tr. by Aida Bamia. ISBN 977424-939-9. $24.95. F Khalifeh was raised in Nablus, Palestine, the setting for her second novel (after Wild...

King, Stephen. Cell.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... King, Stephen. Cell. Scribner. Jan. 2006. c.384p. ISBN 0-7432-9233-2 [ISBN 978-07432-9233-7]. $26.95. F King (The Colorado Kid) has an ax to grind and he employs the tools of his trade to accomplish the task. Clayton Riddell is in Boston...

Marias, Javier. Voyage along the Horizon.(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Marias, Javier. Voyage Along the Horizon. Believer: McSweeney's. Apr. 2008. c.192p. tr. from Spanish by Kristina Cordero. ISBN 1-9324164-0-4. $18. F Around 1904, a group of obviously gullible European writers and scientists, under the...

Mazya, Edna. Love Burns.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Mazya, Edna. Love Burns. Europa, dist. by Consortium. Mar. 2006. c.224p. tr. from Hebrew by Dalya Bilu. ISBN 1-933372-08-7. pap. $14.95. F A debut novel from a noted Israeli playwright presents a macabre set of scenes that sometimes...

Merrick, Elizabeth. Girly.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Merrick, Elizabeth. Girly. Demimonde. 2005. c.524p. ISBN 0-9768801-0-5. pap. $19.95. F With her first novel, Merrick (founder and director, Grace Reading Series), editor of the forthcoming Random House anthology This Is Not Chick Lit,...

Miller, Sarah. Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn.(Brief Article)(Book Review)(Young adult review)
February 15, 2006... Miller, Sarah. Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn. Griffin: St. Martin's. May 2006. c.290p. ISBN 0-312-33375-7 [ISBN 978-0-312-33375-1]. pap. $16.95. F Teenage angst has never been so appealing. First-time novelist Miller has written a...

Mosse, Kate. Labyrinth.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Mosse, Kate. Labyrinth. Putnam. Mar. 2006. c.528p. ISBN 0-399-15344-6. $25.95. F Two women, separated by eight centuries, share a special connection both to each other and to three mystical books of power in this adventure novel by the...

Nance, John J. Orbit.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... * Nance, John J. Orbit. S. & S. Mar. 2006. c.288p. ISBN 0-7432-5052-4 [ISBN 978-0-7432-5052-8]. $25. F What goes up must come down--unless you're a passenger in a damaged spaceship orbiting Earth in this tense and gripping novel by New...

Rash, Ron. The World Made Straight.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Rash, Ron. The World Made Straight. Holt. Apr. 2006. c.304p. ISBN 0-8050-7866-5. $24. F Rash (Appalachian studies, Western Carolina Univ.; Raising the Dead) once again succeeds in offering a convincing portrayal of Southern life....

Rozier, Gilles. The Mercy Room.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Rozier, Gilles. The Mercy Room. Little, Brown. Mar. 2006. 192p. tr. from French by Arthur Bell. ISBN 0-316-15973-5. $22.95. F The eponymous room is the basement of a house in occupied France during World War II where the narrator, an...

Schechter, Peter. Point of Entry.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Schechter, Peter. Point of Entry. Rayo: HarperCollins. 2006. c.336p. ISBN 0-06-084330-6 [ISBN 978-0-06-084330-4]. $24.95. F Syrian agents have decided to attack the United States. With the connivance of a rogue Colombian politician who...

Abraham, Daniel. A Shadow in Summer.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Abraham, Daniel. A Shadow in Summer. Tor. (Long Price Quartet, Bk. 1). Mar. 2006. c.336p. ISBN 0-7653-1340-5 [ISBN 978-0-7653-1340-9]. $24.95. FANTASY Fleeing the harsh school where families send noninheriting sons to save them from...

Anderson, Kevin J. Landscapes.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Anderson, Kevin J. Landscapes. Five Star: Gale. Mar. 2006. c.414p. ISBN 1-59414-476-1. $25.95. SF In the first of four stories centered around Altemitech, a corporation that arranges for time traveling to alternate realities, a young...

Bova, Ben. Titan.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Bova, Ben. Titan. Tor. Mar. 2006. c.464p. ISBN 0-7653-0413-9 [ISBN 978-0-7653-0413-1]. $24.95. SF In the last decade of the 21st century, the colony ship Goddard reaches its destination and assumes an orbit around Saturn. The scientists,...

Cherryh, C.J. Pretender.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Cherryh, C.J. Pretender. DAW, dist. by Penguin. (Foreigner, Bk. 2). Mar. 2006. c.336p. ISBN 0-7564-0374-X. $25.95. SF Upon his return from a space rescue mission aboard the starship Phoenix, Bren Cameron, human paidhi (advisor) to...

Dart-Thornton, Cecilia. The Well of Tears.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Dart-Thornton, Cecilia. The Well of Tears. Tor. (Crowthistle Chronicles, Bk. 2). Feb. 2006. c.480p. ISBN 0-7653-1206-9 [ISBN 978-07653-1206-8]. $27.95. FANTASY Jewel, the daughter of Jarred and Lilith and the last of the line of infamous...

Hamilton, Peter F. Judas Unchained.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Hamilton, Peter F. Judas Unchained. Del Rey: Ballantine. Feb. 2006. c.848p. ISBN 0-345-46166-5. $26.95. se In the 24th century, the Intersolar Commonwealth spans the galaxy, yet the powerful corporations and families that determine the...

Hemingway, Amanda. The Sword of Straw.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Hemingway, Amanda. The Sword of Straw. Del Rey: Ballantine. (Sangreal Trilogy, Bk. 2). Mar. 2006. c.336p. ISBN 0-345-46080-4. pap. $12.95. FANTASY Once again, the supernatural invades the life of Nathan Ward, a 14-year-old British...

The James Tiptree Award Anthology 2.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... The James Tiptree Award Anthology 2. Tachyon, dist. by Independent Pubs. Group. Feb. 2006. c.272p, ed. by Karen Joy Fowler & others. ISBN 1-892391-31-7. pap. $14.95. SF Since 1991, the James Tiptree Awards have honored novels, short...

Smith, Dominic. The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Smith, Dominic. The Mercury Visions of Louis Daguerre. Atria: S. & S. Feb. 2006. c.306p. ISBN 0-7432-7114-9. $24. F Most of Smith's promising if flawed debut novel takes place when the great inventor is already crippled by old age and...

McDonald, Ian. River of Gods: August 15, 2047 - Happy Birthday, India.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... * McDonald, Ian. River of Gods: August 15, 2047--Happy Birthday, India. Pyr: Prometheus. Mar. 2006. c.583p. ISBN 1-59102-436-6. $25. SF It's 2047, and the centennial of India's nationhood approaches. Amid the turmoil and vigor of a nation...

Scalzi, John. The Ghost Brigades.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... * Scalzi, John. The Ghost Brigades. Tor. Mar. 2006. c.320p. ISBN 0-7653-1502-5 [ISBN 978-0-7653-1502-1]. $23.95. se The alliance of three alien races against interstellar humanity, the defection of a human military scientist, and the...

Shinn, Sharon. The Thirteenth House.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Shinn, Sharon. The Thirteenth House. Ace: Berkley, dist. by Penguin Group (USA). (Twelve Houses). Mar. 2006. c.432p. ISBN 0-441-01368-6. $24.95. FANTASY The shiftling Kirra aids in the rescue of Lord Romar Brendyn, kidnapped by the minor...

Stackpole, Michael A. Cartomancy.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Stackpole, Michael A. Cartomancy. Spectra: Bantam. (Age of Discovery, Bk. 2). Feb. 2006. c.448p. ISBN 0-553-38238-1. pap. $15. FANTASY As the world faces an invasion from an unknown enemy, brothers Keles and Jorim Anturasi, grandsons of...

Watt-Evans, Lawrence. The Wizard Lord.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Watt-Evans, Lawrence. The Wizard Lord. Tor. (Annals of the Chosen, Vol. 1). Mar. 2006. c.336p. ISBN 0-7653-1026-0 [ISBN 978-0-7653-1026-2]. $26.95. FANTASY The world of Barokan enjoys prosperity under the benevolent rule of the Wizard...

Wilson, Steven H. Taken Liberty: A Tale from the Arbiter Chronicles.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Wilson, Steven H. Taken Liberty: A Tale from the Arbiter Chronicles. Firebringer. Feb. 2006. 268p. ISBN 0-9773851-0-8. pap. $17.95. SF Though the Confederated Worlds have outlawed slavery, the traders of the Varthian system have...

Svoboda, Terese. Tin God.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Svoboda, Terese. Tin God. Univ. of Nebraska. (Flyover Fiction). Mar. 2006. c.135p. ISBN 0-8032-4331-6. $24.95. F In this book, god is not a solemn, dignified deity but a wisecracking woman with attention deficit disorder--the...

Urquhart, Jane. A Map of Glass.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Urquhart, Jane. A Map of Glass. MacAdam/ Cage. Mar. 2006. c.375p. ISBN 1-59692-170-6. $25. F This multilayered novel focuses on Sylvia, a reclusive woman who suffers from a condition affecting her ability to relate to others. When a...

Weldon, Fay. She May Not Leave.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Weldon, Fay. She May Not Leave. Atlantic Monthly. Jun. 2006. c.288p. ISBN 0-87113-942-1. $24. F Beware the au pair! Martyn and Hattie, staunchly unmarried new parents of Kitty, overcome their liberal political principles by hiring a...

Winthrop, Elizabeth Hartley. Fireworks.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Winthrop, Elizabeth Hartley. Fireworks. Knopf. Apr. 2006. c.304p. ISBN 0-307-26295-2. $23.95. F Hollis Clayton is slowly coming apart at the seams. His wife has left him for the summer to give them both space. He is avoiding his editor...

Yamada, Amy. Bedtime Eyes.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Yamada, Amy. Bedtime Eyes. St. Martin's. Feb. 2006. c.240p. tr. from Japanese by Yumo Gunji & Marc Jardine. ISBN 0-312-35226-3 [ISBN 978-0-312-35226-4]. $23.95. F Yamada (Trash), winner of the Naoki Prize, Japan's equivalent of the...

Baldassari, Anne. Bacon/Picasso: The Life of Images.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
February 15, 2006... Baldassari, Anne. Bacon/Picasso: The Life of Images. Flammarion, dist. by Rizzoli. 2005. 237p. illus. bibliog. ISBN 2-0803-0486-0. $60. FINE ARTS In this handsome, oversize volume, Baldassari (curator, Musee National Picasso, Paris;...