Library Journal articles from February 2007

Library Journal archives from February 2007

Web exclusives: www.libraryjournal.com.(On The Web)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Go to www.libraryjournal.com to sign up for LJ's free e-newsletters, LJXpress and LJ Academic Newswire. You'll also find web-only features, including Xpress Reviews, book lists (Wyatt's World), the LJ Book Blog (in the Bookroom), interviews (LJ...

Keep pulse beating: an innovative training program to emulate--not kill.(editorial)(Public Urban Library Service Education program)
February 1, 2007... "WHAT'S A LIBRARY ADMINISTRATOR TO THINK about PULSE (the Public Urban Library Service Education program) shutting down?" asks Gary Shaffer. "They'll think PULSE didn't work. It did." Shaffer, now a public services librarian at the County...

Photo IDs needed!(feedback)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... We are a small library funded by neither city nor county and exist solely through donations from our wonderful community and through grants and fundraisers. We have very little money to spend on our collection. We have had patrons in the past...

All Americans?(feedback)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... Well I have had it! The joy, excitement, and knowledge I have had in my professional career is being strangled by separatism (Rebecca Miller & Aida Bardales, "Better Together: The Joint Conference," LJ 11/15/06, p. 34-35). Joint Conference of...

ALA democracy.(feedback)(American Library Association)(Letter to the editor)
February 1, 2007... As a newly elected American Library Association (ALA) councilor-at-large, I am both perplexed and troubled by John Berry's "Democracy in ALA" (Blatant Berry, LJ 12/06, p. 10). Not having yet attended a Council meeting as an elected...

Divine design.(feedback)(Frye Gillan Molinaro Architects; El Paso Public Library)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... The Chicago-based firm Frye Gillan Molinaro Architects is the design architects for the Lower Valley Branch of the El Paso Public Library, TX, featured in our annual Year in Architecture issue (LJ 12/06, p. 51). The library is the winner for...

Library gets vloggy on YouTube.(front desk)(Arlington Heights Memorial Library)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... After MySpace, the new thing for libraries may be a presence on YouTube. The Arlington Heights Memorial Library, IL, has begun thrice-a-week video blogs (or vlogs) to inform patrons about new services and ongoing programs. Among the recent...

The Minneapolis mayor & three branch closures.(front desk)(Michael Corleone)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... If you visualized Michael Corleone with an MBA and mob backup, you got the message: The little libraries must go sleep with the fishes. --Minneapolis Star-Tribune columnist Nick Coleman, December 21, 2006

Stat watch.(front desk)(survey; library administrators)(Survey)
February 1, 2007... My library's administrators are respected by peers in the community YES 10% NO 90% Source: 434 respondents to LJ/ULC poll on libraryjournal.com

Heard.(front desk)(books)(Rabbit, Run)(Blood Meridian)(White Noise)(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Is there a more succinct description of John Updike's Rabbit, Run than "Middle class men--Fiction"? What writer doesn't envy the economy and force of "Massacres--Fiction" for Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian and "Industrial accidents--Fiction"...

Books come from trees, of course, and Montana-based artist Celeste Sotola since January 2002 has created artwork for public libraries that makes that connection real.(front desk)("The American Nature Book" )(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Books come from trees, of course, and Montana-based artist Celeste Sotola since January 2002 has created artwork for public libraries that makes that connection real. She began "The American Nature Book," dioramas built inside a log, for 42...

ALA criticizes DoJ's privacy stance: letter of law differs from senatorial intent in colloquy.(lj news)(American Library Association)
February 1, 2007... The American Library Association (ALA) in late December criticized the Department of Justice (DoJ) for "fail[ing] to comprehend the role of libraries and the importance of privacy in the United States." ALA president Leslie Burger pointed to a...

St. Paul Friends = Consultants.(lj news)(library services)
February 1, 2007... The innovative Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library (www.thefriends.org) has launched a fee-based consultancy, offering the services of some 35 librarians and nonlibrarians who generally work part-time as consultants. Library Strategies...

New DC central library on hold.(lj news)(construction of the new District of Columbia Public Library)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Director confident that new mayor will move ahead on plan The effort to build a new central library for the District of Columbia Public Library (DCPL) has hit a pause, as the city council in December postponed any deliberation on the...

Bedford, TX, board: no to LSSI.(lj news)
February 1, 2007... Also, mystery donor behind reopened library revealed The board of the Bedford Public Library, TX, has unanimously opposed outsourcing the facility's management and a contract with Library Systems & Services, LLC (LSSI), which has been...

Fugitives at PLs on MySpace.(lj news)(public libraries)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Fugitives in Philadelphia and Bakersfield, CA, using library computers to access MySpace, were caught by the police in December. Brandon Lee Bigsby, 24, a sex offender in violation of his parole, was arrested at Kern County Library's Beale...

Indianapolis PL head leaves.(LJ NEWS)(Marion County Public Library chief executive officer Linda Mielke)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Mielke departs troubled system with severance Linda Mielke, CEO of the troubled Indianapolis--Marion County Public Library since September 2004, left her job as of January 15, under a mutual agreement with the library board. Board president...

Buffalo DLIS seeks new home.(LJ NEWS)(Department of LIS )(Library and Information Studies )(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Also, school looks to remove "conditional" accreditation status It's been a busy time, but "energizing," says Judith Robinson, chair of the Library and Information Studies (LIS) program at the University at Buffalo (UB). In addition to...

Calendar.(LJ NEWS)(library associations)(Brief article)(Calendar)
February 1, 2007... APRIL 2-4--Oklahoma Library Assn., Oklahoma City www.oklibs.org 9-13--Florida Library Assn., Orlando www.flalib.org 11-13--Kansas Library Assn., Topeka skyways.lib.ks.us/kla 11-14--Texas Library Assn., San Antonio www.txla.org...

LC, Union at odds over reporting.(LJ NEWS)(Library of Congress)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Does employer seek too much information about meetings? The professional union at the Library of Congress (LC), the LC Professional Guild, AFSCME Local 2910, charges that Charles Carron, LC's director for work force management, is trying to...

Ford's death brings library focus.(LJ NEWS)(former President Gerald R. Ford)(The Gerald R. Ford Library)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Libraries become locus of memories of former president The December 26 death of President Gerald R. Ford, the country's 38th President--known for his steady hand in post-Watergate days and his controversial pardon of predecessor Richard M....

Salt Lake City's Tessman to retire.(LJ NEWS)(Salt Lake City Public Library director Nancy Tessman)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Nancy Tessman, director of the Salt Lake City Public Library (SLCPL), will retire in June, having earned for the library and herself numerous accolades. A 30-year veteran of the library, Tessman, 53, is in the midst of some personal change....

Ohio PL gets $10 million bequest.(LJ NEWS)(public library)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... The Pickaway County District Public Library (PCDPL), Circleville, OH, has received a $10 million bequest from the estate of Mary Joanne Clifton. "We are humbled that Mrs. Clifton thought enough of the library and its mission in the community to...

Northwest Regional Library.(people)(Northwest Regional Library's new Principal Librarian Ava Barrett)
February 1, 2007... Ava Barrett has been named Principal Librarian of the soon-to-be constructed Northwest Regional Library, Lee County Library System, Fort Myers, FL. She previously was Assistant Director at the African-American Research Library and Cultural...

Research and Instructional Services at Temple University.(people)(Temple University's new Associate University Librarian for Research and Instructional Services Steven Bell)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Steven Bell has been appointed Associate University Librarian for Research and Instructional Services at Temple University, Philadelphia. He was Director of the Gutman Library, Philadelphia University.

Jackson-Madison County Library.(people)(Jackson-Madison County Library's new Director Valerie Doyle)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Valerie Doyle is the new Director of the Jackson-Madison County Library, TN. She replaces Thomas Aud, who resigned after 30 years of service when the library board chose LSSI management. Doyle previously was Library Manager at the Delta County...

Colorado State Library.(people)(Colorado State Library's new Director of Networking and Resource Sharing James Duncan)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... James Duncan has been named Director of Networking and Resource Sharing, responsible for online services, the Colorado Virtual Library, and Ask Colorado, at the Colorado State Library, Denver. Duncan previously was Assistant Director for...

University of Maryland Libraries.(people)(University of Maryland Libraries' new Head of Access Services Sharon Epps)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Sharon Epps has been appointed Head of Access Services at the University of Maryland Libraries, College Park. Epps was Associate Librarian and Coordinator of Circulation and Reserve in the Access Services Department at the University of...

Warren-Trumbull County Public Library.(people)(Warren-Trumbull County Public Library's new Assistant Head Lori Faust)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Lori Faust has been named Assistant Head in the main library's Children's Department at the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library, OH. She previously worked as a Children's Librarian at the Lake Community Branch, Stark County District Library,...

Fullerton Public Library.(people)(Maureen Gebelein, Fullerton Public Library's new Director)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Maureen Gebelein has been selected as the next Director of the Fullerton Public Library, CA, effective February 5. She was Manager of the San Clemente branch of the Orange County Public Library, CA. Gebelein succeeds Al Milo, who recently...

Howard County Library.(people)(Ann Gilligan, promoted to Associate Director of the Howard County Library)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Ann Gilligan has been promoted to Associate Director of the Howard County Library, Columbia, MD. She replaces Liz Lancaster, who retired in June. Gilligan most recently was the Manager of Howard County's Central Library.

Delray Beach Public Library.(people)(appointed Lisa Kreutter )(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Lisa Kreutter has been hired as the Reference/Young Adult Librarian at the Delray Beach Public Library, FL. She most recently was a Librarian in Palm Beach County Library System, West Palm Beach, FL.

North Carolina State University Libraries.(people)(Tito Sierra, North Carolina State University Libraries' new Assistant Head for Digital Library Development)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Tito Sierra has been named Assistant Head for Digital Library Development in the Digital Library Initiatives Department, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh. He previously was Digital Technologies Development Librarian at North...

Mary Stephens has retired from her position as Yolo County Librarian, Woodland, CA.(people)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Mary Stephens has retired from her position as Yolo County Librarian, Woodland, CA. During her 37-year tenure, she expanded the Davis Library and opened a new facility in Esparto. Katy Curl, Branch Services Manager at the Sacramento Public...

Harford County Public Library.(people)(Harford County Public Library's new public service administrator Claudia Sumler)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Claudia Sumler has been appointed Public Services Administrator at Harford County Public Library, Belcamp, MD. She most recently was Director of the Camden County Library District, Voorhees, NJ.

Bridgeview Public Library.(people)(Bridgeview Public Library's new director, Rose Taylor)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Rose Taylor is the new Director of the Bridgeview Public Library, IL. She most recently was Head of Youth Services at the LaGrange Public Library, IL.

Beloit Public Library.(people)(appointed Daniel Zack as new director )(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Daniel Zack is the new Director of the Beloit Public Library, WI. He replaces the retiring Peg Bredeson, who served the library for 32 years, half of that time as Director. Zack mostly recently was a library consultant and had been Director,...

Vista Equity Partners buys SirsiDynix: tech-focused private equity firm the latest to enter library market.(infotech)
February 1, 2007... The landscape of library technology companies in recent times has been shifting almost as quickly as the products they develop. In a year marked by several major acquisitions, the waning hours of 2006 brought word of yet another top vendor...

Muse customizes Elsevier's XML.(infotech)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Muse Global has done some serious tweaking to Elsevier's XML Gateway in the form of two Muse Source Packages, which allow Scopus and Science Direct customers to "search and retrieve information from multiple sources simultaneously while...

Bisson wins Mellon funding.(INFOTECH)(Casey Bisson)
February 1, 2007... The worlds of technology and libraries drew closer together as Casey Bisson, information architect at Plymouth State University, NH, was presented with a $50,000 Mellon award for Technology Collaboration at the Coalition for Networked...

ProQuest adds One-Click search.(INFOTECH)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... On the heels of its pending purchase by the Cambridge Information Group, ProQuest has revamped its platform. Via the firm's new One Click searching, libraries licensing even a single ProQuest database can search through the full text of all the...

Endeavor purchase a done deal.(INFOTECH)(Francisco Partners' purchase of Endeavor Information Systems)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Ex Libris and parent Francisco Partners have made good on their promise that the purchase of Endeavor Information Systems would "be completed before the end of 2006": the companies announced December 22 that all legal machinations have been...

University of KY joins Encore.(INFOTECH)(Brief article)
February 1, 2007... Innovative Interfaces has added the University of Kentucky, Lexington, to its Encore development program, bringing the total number of participating institutions to 14. Encore is a platform that enhances search functionality plus offers...

The stuff of legends.(E-VIEWS AND REVIEWS)
February 1, 2007... HEALTH SCIENCES & MEDICAL LIBRARIANS If you haven't yet taken a look at Rittenhouse Book Distributors' R2 Library, you should. It offers digital full text with a lovely twist--your library selects and purchases only the titles you need...

Can Johnny search?(ONLINE DATABASES)
February 1, 2007... FEDERATED SEARCHING SEEMS obvious in the age of Google: students, faculty, and the public have what they've come to expect--a simple search box for one-stop shopping for information. Of course, the unique bells and whistles of each system get...

Moab's living room: Grand County Public Library, UT.(BEST SMALL LIBRARY IN AMERICA 2007)(Cover story)
February 1, 2007... When the people of Moab, UT, were asked what they wanted for their new library, they said they wanted it to be "the town's living room." At first, Director Eve Tallman was put off by the idea. "It gave me the heebie-jeebies," she says, but...

In the field: an innovative role puts academic librarians right in the departments they serve.
February 1, 2007... Imagine traveling to Angouleme, France, with a faculty member to attend an international comic book festival; spending the night at the villa of R. Crumb (the proclaimed founder of the underground comics movement); and purchasing hard-to-find...

Corporate score: marrying two expert tools will help you sustain your corporate library.
February 1, 2007... The library manager of a large insurance company rearranges the library's print collection to resemble a large bookstore, set up mostly by subject with excellent signs above each section. In consultation with her corporate supervisor, she...

Cultivating your family tree.(Collection Development: Genealogy)(Bibliographic citation)
February 1, 2007... Once the pristine pastime of blue bloods tracing their pedigrees back to the Mayflower, genealogy--from hobby to serious endeavor--has broadened and deepened into a democratic avocation. It was Alex Haley's Roots, published 30 years ago,...

For whom DaBell Tolls.(CASE STUDY)(Anne DaBell)
February 1, 2007... "THIS IS GOING TO BE BAD," JANET Davey, director of the Bittner Public Library, said to assistant director Arthur Mottolo. "How bad?" Mottolo said. "Bad bad, Artie. The board is still fighting with the mayor, but it's not looking good....

Daley dose.(ANALYSIS I)(libraries; human resource)
February 1, 2007... Decisions--the joy and the bane of having responsibility or authority. Making a decision that puts the institution forward is usually a joy. Yet for Davey, Mottolo, and DaBell, deciding to get rid of something is not easy--especially when the...

Adios, Artie.(ANALYSIS II)(Janet Davey)(Bittner Public Library )
February 1, 2007... Determining to eliminate a position is never an easy task, but the administrative problems at the Bittner Public Library run far deeper than Davey's simply deciding which employee to terminate in order to reduce expenses. In a library where...

Prepub alert.(books)
February 1, 2007... FICTION Abu-Jaber, Diana. Origin. Norton. Jun. 2007. 384p. ISBN 0-393-06455-7 [ISBN 978-0-393-06455-1]. $24.95. What appears to be a series of crib deaths might actually be murder. From the author of Crescent; with a nine-city tour....

Mystery.(books)
February 1, 2007... KEEPING IT FRESH To write a mystery series, authors must maintain a high level of interest in the lives of their lead characters and produce fresh adventures to keep their avid readers coming back for more. Some authors make this constant need...

Prepub mystery.(books)
February 1, 2007... Abbott, Megan. Queenpin. S. & S. Jun. 2007. 192p. ISBN 1-4165-3428-8 [ISBN 978-1-4165-3428-0]. pap. $13. A feminine twist brings heat to this hardboiler when a young woman grifter is taken under the wing of mob luminary Gloria Denton. Edgar...

Christian fiction.
February 1, 2007... MEN SEE THE LIGHT Male readers of Christian fiction rose from 15 percent to 25 percent between 2002 and 2004. One reason for the jump is the increase in Christian suspense fiction, a natural for men's reading choices. In addition, there's...

Q & A: D.S. Lliteras.(CHRISTIAN FICTION)(Interview)
February 1, 2007... D.S. Lliteras has always been a spiritual novelist. Although his early Llewellyn trilogy (In the Heart of Things; Into the Ashes; Half Hidden by Twilight) reflected the author's experiences as a combat corpsman during the Vietnam War, it also...

The Second Mrs. Darcy.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Aston, Elizabeth. The Second Mrs. Darcy. Touchstone: S. & S. Mar. 2007. c.352p. ISBN 0-7432-9729-6 [ISBN 978-0-7432-9729-5]. pap. $14. F When widowed Octavia Darcy returns to England from India, her half brothers and sisters--worried about...

Whitethorn Woods.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Binchy, Maeve. Whitethorn Woods. Knopf. Mar. 2007. c.368p. ISBN 0-307-26578-1 [ISBN 978-0-307-26578-4]. $25.95. F In classic Binchy style (Nights of the Rain and Stars), many diverse characters tell their own, sometimes overlapping, stories...

By the Time You Read This.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... * Blunt, Giles. By the Time You Read This. Holt. Feb. 2007. c.352p. ISBN 0-8050-8061-9 [ISBN 978-0-8050-8061-2]. $19.95. F In Silver Dagger Award winner Blunt's latest, Det. John Cardinal (Blackfly Season) is back, and this time it's...

Little Lady, Big Apple.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Browne, Hester. Little Lady, Big Apple. Pocket Bks: S. & S. Feb. 2007. c.368p. ISBN 1-4165-1493-7 [ISBN 978-1-4165-1493-0]. $23. F Melissa Romney-Jones, alias Honey Blennerhesket, is back in Browne's second novel (after The Little Lady...

The Sacred Bones.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Byrnes, Michael J. The Sacred Bones. Regan Bks: HarperCollins. Mar. 2007. c.320p. ISBN 0-06-114607-2. [ISBN 978-0-06-114607-7]. $24.95. F In Byrnes's improbable debut thriller, the styles of Dan Brown and Michael Crichton collide. An...

The Monk Upstairs.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Farrington, Tim. The Monk Upstairs. HarperSanFrancisco: HarperCollins. May 2007. c.272p. ISBN 0-06-081516-7 [ISBN 978-0-06-081516-5]. $23.95. F How does a couple become a couple, especially when one person has been segregated from society...

Radiant Days.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... FitzGerald, Michael A. Radiant Days. Shoemaker & Hoard: Avalon, dist. by Publishers Group West. Feb. 2007. c.256p. ISBN 1-59376-131-7 [ISBN 978-1-59376-1318-1. pap. $15. F This skillfully written debut relates the dramatic journey of a...

The Machiavelli Covenant.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Folsom, Allan. The Machiavelli Covenant. Forge: Tor. 2007. c.558p. ISBN 0-7653-1305-7 [ISBN 978-0-7653-1305-8]. $25.95. F At least seven men in the U.S. president's cabinet are members of a cabal, which turns out to be a coven with at least...

7: The Mickey Mantle Novel.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Golenbock, Peter. 7: The Mickey Mantle Novel. Regan Bks: HarperCollins. Mar. 2007. c.304p. ISBN 0-06-123859-7 [ISBN 978-0-06-123859-8]. 24.95. F Eleven years after his death, Mickey Mantle still reigns as a mythical baseball hero. In his...

The Book of Air and Shadows.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Gruber, Michael. The Book of Air and Shadows. Morrow. Apr. 2007. c.384p. ISBN 0-06-087446-5. [ISBN 978-0-06-087446-9]. $24.95. F Praised author Gruber (Tropic of Night) attempts to join The Da Vinci Code frenzy in his latest thriller, which...

For a Few Demons More.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Harrison, Kim. For a Few Demons More. Eos: HarperCollins. Mar. 2007. c.352p. ISBN 0-06-078838-0 [ISBN 978-0-06-078838-4]. $21.95. F Harrison's (A Fistful of Charms) "Hollows" series moves to hardcover with this fifth volume, which once...

Confessions of a Gambler.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Jacobs, Rayda. Confessions of a Gambler. Overlook, dist. by Penguin Group (USA). Jul. 2007. c.256p. ISBN 1-58567-897-X [ISBN 978-1-58567-897-6]. $26.95. F Abeeda is a 49-year-old divorced Muslim woman living in South Africa who becomes...

Canaan.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... McCaig, Donald. Canaan. Norton. Mar. 2007. c.480p. ISBN 0-393-06246-5 [ISBN 978-0-393-06246-5]. $24.95. F This historical novel continues the action of Jacob's Ladder, McCaig's 1999 novel about Civil War--era Virginia, but it is even...

Strangled.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... McGrory, Brian. Strangled. Atria: S. & S. Feb. 2007. c.352p. ISBN 0-7434-6368-4 [ISBN 978-0-7434-6368-3]. $25. F 'Tis the season for the Boston Strangler. While William Landay sets his story The Strangler in 1963, McGrory (The Incumbent)...

Ascent.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Mercurio, Jed. Ascent. S. & S. Mar. 2007. c.288p. ISBN 0-7432-9822-5 [ISBN 978-0-7432-9822-3]. $24. F Could the Soviets have been the first to put a man on the moon? This is the premise of British screenwriter and novelist Mercurio's...

Anxious Pleasures: A Novel after Kafka.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Olsen, Lance. Anxious Pleasures: A Novel After Kafka. Shoemaker & Hoard: Avalon, dist. by Publishers Group West. Mar. 2007. c.192p. ISBN 1-59376-135-X [ISBN 978-1-59376-135-6]. pap. $15. F Olsen, who demonstrated his brilliance in probing...

The Blackest Bird: A Novel of Murder in Nineteenth-Century New York.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Rose, Joel. The Blackest Bird: A Novel of Murder in Nineteenth-Century New York. Norton. Mar. 2007. c.464p. ISBN 0-393-06231-7 [ISBN 978-0-393-06231-1]. $24.95. F Writer Edgar Allen Poe has been the subject of--or at least a significant...

Roma: The Novel of Ancient Rome.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Saylor, Steven. Roma: A Novel of Ancient Rome. St. Martin's. Mar. 2007. c.576p. maps. ISBN 0-312-32831-1 [ISBN 978-0-312-32831-3]. $25.95. F Before the Roman Empire, there was the Roman Republic, and before that, what? If all you recall is...

Body Surfing.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... * Shreve, Anita. Body Surfing. Little, Brown. Apr. 2007. 291p. ISBN 0-316-05985-4 [ISBN 978-0-316-05985-5]. $25.99. F Already once divorced and now recently widowed, 29-year-old Sydney Sklar looks at a tutoring job at a New Hampshire beach...

Zig Zag.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Somoza, Jose Carlos. Zig Zag. Rayo: HarperCollins. Apr. 2007. c.512p. ISBN 0-06-119371-2 [ISBN 978-0-06-119371-2]. $24.95. F This is an uncomfortable book to read: consisting of long episodes of tension punctuated by intimations of horrific...

Certainty.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Thien, Madeleine. Certainty. Little, Brown. Mar. 2007. c.320p. ISBN 0-316-83499-5 [ISBN 978-0-316-83499-5]. $23.99. F A radio commentator, provoked by her longtime boyfriend's affair, travels afar to learn more about a woman who had...

April in Paris.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Wallner, Michael. April in Paris. Nan A. Talese: Doubleday. Apr. 2007. c.263p. tr. from German by John Cullen. ISBN 978-0-385-51914-4. $21.95. F It is the summer of 1943, and Wehrmacht corporal Roth finds himself in Paris, translating SS...

The Religion.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... * Willocks, Tim. The Religion. Sarah Crichton: Farrar. May 2007. c.704p. ISBN 0-374-24865-6 [ISBN 978-0-374-24865-9]. $26. F Set against the backdrop of the 1565 Turkish invasion of Malta, this sprawling epic brims with unbridled violence,...

Cezanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Cezanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde. Yale Univ. in assn. with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2006. 464p. ed. by Rebecca A. Rabinow & others. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 0-300-11779-5. $65. FINE ARTS With an...

Bliss Express: Illustrating Happiness.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Chia, Althea. Bliss Express: Illustrating Happiness. GUU Pr. 2006. 224p. illus. ISBN 0-9735867-1-0 [ISBN 978-0-9735867-1-8]. $39.95. GRAPHIC ARTS Journalist Chia describes this book as "a visual discourse on the idea of happiness" that...

Ewing, William A. Face: The New Photographic Portrait.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Ewing, William A. Face: The New Photographic Portrait. Thames & Hudson, dist. by Norton. 2006. c.340p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 0-500-54321-6 [ISBN 978-0-500-54321-4]. $50. PHOTOG The human face has been widely photographed since the...

Barcelona and Modernity: Picasso, Gaudi, Miro, Dali.(Brief article)(Book review)
February 1, 2007... Barcelona and Modernity: Picasso, Gaudi, Miro, Dali. Yale Univ. in assn. with the Cleveland Museum of Art. 2006. c.524p. ed. by William H. Robinson & others. illus. bibliog. ISBN 0-300-12106-7. $65. FINE ARTS A Spanish waiter will offer a...