Library Journal articles from July 2005

Library Journal archives from July 2005

Balancing act: we're way beyond "give 'em what they want".(editorial)(Editorial)
July 1, 2005... WE'VE COME A LONG WAY FROM THE SIMPLISTIC "give 'em what they want" (with its concomitant centralized collection development) vs. "give 'em what they need" debate that riled librarians some 20 years ago. The panels at this year's Day of Dialog...

ALA Council secret revealed: what attracts librarians to run for Council?(blatant berry)
July 1, 2005... FOR 30 YEARS IT HAS BEEN PART OF MY JOB TO observe the 182 member Council of the American Library Association (ALA) in action at ALA conferences. From the beginning, I've wondered what attracts these librarians, most of them administrators, to...

How's that rivalry?(feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... How long has it been since John Berry ("The Price of Rivalry," Editorial, LJ 5/15/05, p. 8) used one of the three great library systems in New York City? Obviously, he missed out on what we've been doing and how we are working together on many,...

Blogger bummer.(feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... I am frankly appalled that Michael Pratt ("Blogger quits ALA," Feedback, LJ 6/1/05, p. 12) would choose to resign his membership in the American Library Association (ALA) because of a difference of opinion he has with ALA president Michael...

Remember LIRT!(feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2005... The recent "ABCs of ALA" box (LJ 6/1/05, p. 58) had one significant omission--LIRT, the Library Instruction Round Table. Also identified as ALA-LIRT (to recognize our relationship to the American Library Association), it is one of the largest...

Check out LJ's new web site.(front desk)
July 1, 2005... A more robust LibraryJournal.com debuted in early June, with new features and better search capabilities. There's more to the web site than just the magazine: see web-only interviews, news, reviews, and a searchable review database. Need...

Heard.(front desk)
July 1, 2005... "Is there any library practice that symbolizes the stereotype of librarians more than tie overdue fine? If you re worried about loss, do what NetFlix does: he customer can keep he item as long as she wants, but she doesn't get any more until...

Netflix probably agrees.(front desk)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... "While it may be a creative alternative, it's really not a threat to our business." --Blockbuster spokesman Black Lugash on libraries lending video material, Associated Press, May 18, 2005

Words prospective library managers should avoid in job interviews.(front desk)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... outsourcing cross-training paradigm shift planful information commons Source: http://libetiquette.blogspot.com

Breaker, breaker.(front desk)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Following last year's Liberace theme (yes, Liberace),Jacksonville PL, FL, fine arts librarian Matthew Moyer and others decided the library's 2005 annual amateur film contest would parody bad 1970s/1980s trucker films. The White Line Fever!...

BookExpo blossoms in Gotham: record crowd of 2,242 librarians helps fill Javits Center.(CONFERENCE REPORT)
July 1, 2005... Picture the largest American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference on record, with every attendee crammed onto the show floor, then add a few thousand more bodies and you come close to what BookExpo America (BEA) felt like on its...

House scales back Patriot Act.(lj news)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... On June 15, in a rebuke to a Senate effort to renew and expand the USA PATRIOT Act, the House of Representatives voted 238-187 to pass an amendment offered by Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to bar the Department of Justice from using any of its...

Day of dialog preludes BEA.(lj news)(BookExpo America)
July 1, 2005... More than 300 librarians gathered June 2 in the McGraw-Hill auditorium in New York City for LJ's prelude to BookExpo America (BEA), the Day of Dialog. It included panels on children's publishing, collection development, adult books, and graphic...

No "express" at Philadelphia PL: council and mayor approve budget for full-service branches.(LJ NEWS)
July 1, 2005... After nearly six months of advocacy from library supporters in Philadelphia and a backlash from the city council (see News, LJ 6/1/05, p. 19), the council and Mayor John Street agreed to allot some $3.5 million for the Free Library of...

AAUP pressures Google print: can digitizing library material represent infringement?(LJ NEWS)(Association of American University Presses)
July 1, 2005... In a letter to Google, Association of American University Presses (AAUP) executive director Peter Givler wrote that it's time to come clean with publishers about Google Print for libraries, Google's ambitious plan to scan the collections of...

Click University launched at SLA: speakers: human factors drive technology; Canadians offer boost.(CONFERENCE REPORT)
July 1, 2005... Thanks in part to 1,344 Canadians, attendance at the SLA annual conference, held June 4-8 in Toronto, rebounded. The 5,273 attendees, including 2,644 paid registrants and 1,583 exhibitors, easily exceeded the figures for Nashville in 2004 and...

IL PL to use fingerprint ID: decision to add security draws concern about possible misuse.(LJ NEWS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The Naperville Public Library, IL, this summer will install fingerprint scanners on 130 computers that offer either public Internet access or require a time limit on usage--a response to the apparent misuse by some patrons of others' library...

Seeking the Librarian of the Year.(LJ NEWS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The LJ editors are seeking nominations for the 17th annual Library Journal Librarian of the Year Award to honor a professional librarian for outstanding achievement and accomplishments reflecting the loftiest service goals of the library...

Ohio PL funding may be saved.(LJ NEWS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Facing a bleak scenario for state public library funding--frozen at 2004 levels through December, then cut by five percent beginning in January 2006 through June 2007 (see News, LJ 4/15/05, p. 18)--Ohio library advocates got great news on June...

Calendar.(LJ NEWS)(Calendar)
July 1, 2005... AUGUST 3-6--Pacific Northwest Library Assn., Sitka, AK www.pnla.org SEPTEMBER 14-17--Kentucky Library Assn., Louisville www.kylibasn.org 20-23--North Carolina Library Assn., Winston-Salem www.nclaontine.org ...

UK offers free 24/7 reference.(LJ NEWS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... On May 19, the UK government-funded People's Network launched a new 24/7 online reference service, a free national effort. The service, known as Enquire, will use English library staff from Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., while partners in the...

Wellcome Trust boosts open access.(LJ NEWS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The National Institutes of Health (NIH) may have made its policy on openly archiving the research it funds voluntary (see News, LJ 3/1/05, p. 18ff.), but the Wellcome Trust, the prestigious UK based independent research funding body, announced...

Academic consortia merge in Illinois.(LJ NEWS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Illinois library officials announced the merger of three academic library consortia into one, known as CARLI (the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois). As of July 1, CARLI will consolidate the operations of the Illinois...

University of Maryland.(people)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Joanne Archer is now Project Archivist, University of Maryland (UM) Libraries, College Park. She earned her Master of Library Science and Master of Arts in History degrees from UM. Jennifer O'Brien Roper was named UM's Metadata/Electronic...

Douglas Library.(people)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Anne Shaw Burgan has retired as Director, Douglas Library, Hebron, CT, after 13 years in the position.

South Carolina State Library.(people)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Patti S. Butcher is now Director, South Carolina State Library, Columbia, succeeding Jim Johnson, who has retired after 15 1/2 years in the position. Butcher was Library Development Coordinator, Northeast Kansas Library System, Lawrence.

Alexandria Library.(people)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Rose Dawson is now Deputy Director, Alexandria Library, VA, succeeding Mary Randolph, who has retired. Dawson was Coordinator for Community Youth Services, District of Columbia Public Library.

Mary Dempsey.(people)(Mary Dempsey)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Mary Dempsey, Commissioner, Chicago Public Library, represents the government sector as a recipient of the 2005 Rerum Novarum Award, presented by St. Joseph College Seminary at Loyola University of Chicago to men and women in labor, business,...

Clarion University of Pennsylvania.(people)(Terry S. Latour)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Terry S. Latour is the new Dean of Libraries, Clarion University of Pennsylvania, replacing Deon Knickerbocker, who retired after more than 30 years of service. Latour was Director of Library Services, Delta State University, Cleveland, MS.

Flint Public Library.(people)(Jo Anne G. Mondowney)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Jo Anne G. Mondowney has been appointed Director of Libraries, Flint Public Library, MI, succeeding Gloria Coles, who is now Director of Lifelong Access, Libraries for the Future. Mondowney had served at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore,...

Las Vegas-Clark County Library District.(people)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Robert L. Morss is now Deputy Director, Las Vegas-Clark County Library District (LVCCLD), NV. He had been Acting Deputy Director since January. LVCCLD was LJ's 2003 Library of the Year.

University of Massachusetts.(people)(Jay Schafer )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Jay Schafer is the new Director of Libraries, University of Masschusetts, Amherst. He had been Interim Director since January 2004.

Richland County Public Library.(people)(Sara Shiver)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Sara Shiver has been named Periodicals Librarian, Richland County Public Library (RCPL), Columbia, SC. She was part-time Librarian, Northeast Regional Branch, RCPL. RCPL was LJ's 2001 Library of the Year.

Romeo District Library.(people)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Cindy Taskin is the new Director, Romeo District Library, MI, replacing Marina Kruse, who retired after 25 years in the position. Taskin was Assistant Library Director since 1999.

Jane Burke joins Serials Solutions: library automation veteran named general manager and VP for parent ProQuest.(infotech)
July 1, 2005... Industry veteran and librarian Jane Burke has returned to the library technology arena after a two-year hiatus. Serials Solutions June 9 announced that Burke has come onboard as general manager. She also will be a VP in parent company ProQuest....

Marquis online who's who.(infotech)
July 1, 2005... Marquis Who's Who has debuted a new online product that the company says is "the first phase of a major digitization initiative." The initial release, Who's Who in American History, contains 70,000 profiles of noted Americans. Library patrons...

Dynix Partners with Cymphonix.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Dynix has joined with Cymphonix, Inc., in LiveNetwork, a new network management service. According to the vendor, LiveNetwork "provides libraries with real-time visibility of bandwidth usage by application, category, or user, enabling...

Thomas Loy joins Tech Logic.(INFOTECH PEOPLE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Thomas Loy has joined Tech Logic as an engineering consultant. Loy moves from parent company The Library Corporation, where he served as the OPAC manager before moving into various sales capacities. In 2000 Loy was named the vendor's director...

Meridian in General Release.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Endeavor Information Systems June 1 announced the general release of Meridian, its entry into the electronic resource management (ERM) arena. Among its initial customers are Princeton University, NJ, which helped with the system's development...

Wilson offers art gallery.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(H. W. Wilson)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... With the AMICO Library of images ceasing publication in July, H. W. Wilson has announced it will replace that database with the Art Museum Image Gallery. The new database sports roughly 94,000 high-quality, high-resolution images ranging from...

ProQuest ups news coverage.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... ProQuest has signed with the Media-News Group for electronic distribution of 17 of its newspapers. The agreement covers California, Pennsylvania, and New England publications, including the Long Beach Press-Telegram, Pasadena Star News, San...

OverDrive adding VoD Service.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... OverDrive June 15 announced a forth-coming Video on Demand (VoD) service that ultimately will become part of its Digital Library Reserve network. The company said that "library patrons will be able to access high-quality digital video anytime...

Readers' delight.(online databases)(Exalead; Book Index with Reviews)(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... TAKE A LOOK Exalead (beta.exalead. com/search) is a new search engine built from a unique perspective. "Unlike physical libraries, with volumes on shelves in predictable order, the web is a mess," writes Francois Bourdoncle, Exalead's founder....

Is metasearching dead?(DIGITAL LIBRARIES)
July 1, 2005... THE BEST THING ABOUT GOOGLE Scholar, the beta Google service for searching scholarly information, is Anurag Acharya. Acharya, the architect of Google Scholar (Scholar.google. corn), is approachable, bright, and focused on building a usable...

Working for a vendor.(ONLINE DATABASES)
July 1, 2005... A COMBINATION OF CONTENT creators, online vendors, other intermediaries, and librarians work to bring online information sources to end users. Although these interconnected parts are sometimes adversarial, the current information marketplace...

Acquisitions' next step: you've come a long way, book selectors. But technological innovation means the future will be even better.(INFOTECH FEATURE)
July 1, 2005... Acquisitions modules are the Rodney Dangerfields of library automation: they get no respect. Conventional wisdom holds that technical services functions don't sell library systems because "they're only for staff." Their flashier public services...

ARTstor's digital landscape: as the image library turns one year old, it is finding an expanding audience across disciplines.
July 1, 2005... The scenario is a familiar one: Professor Smith teaches in the history department on campus (but it could be anthropology, classics, literature and languages, philosophy, religious studies, or sociology). She is winding her way through the...

Research at risk: when we undermine cataloging, we undermine scholarship.(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... Studies abound showing that researchers don't use library subject headings. They guess at keywords. They don't grasp Boolean or word proximity search techniques. Many are apparently contented with whatever results they find quickly. They just...

Hip lit for hip chicks.(Collection Development/ Chick Lit)
July 1, 2005... Sexy, funny, and sharp, chick lit is one of the fastest growing fiction genres today. Those of a certain age may not understand the appeal, but masses of young women who may not have considered themselves heavy readers are flocking to libraries...

Religion, politics, and Paris Hilton.(CASE STUDY)
July 1, 2005... "I'M NOT HAVING THIS CONVERsation again, Walt, OK?" Paul Owens said exasperatedly. He walked away leaving Walt Brower, his longtime colleague and friend, looking solemn and disappointed. Brower returned to reshelving books. "What's the...

Seek higher authority.(ANALYSIS I)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Libraries as workplace are more diverse than ever before; patrons served by each library are also more diverse, creating many challenging circumstances. It is important to remember and reinforce respect as essential to realizing the positive...

It's harassment.(religious topics in public libraries)
July 1, 2005... Brower has created a situation for his workplace that no manager cherishes; however, any library that correctly chooses to have a staff comprised of employees with diverse backgrounds will, without a doubt, have such issues on the plate. Being...

Making the big decisions.(a young librarian's reorganization of an academic library; narrative)
July 1, 2005... IT WAS THE DREAM OF MY PROFESsional infancy: to be in charge, to make the big decisions, to be a library director and change the world, or at least one little bibliographic corner of it. In fall 2004, I got my chance. While still clinging to my...

Prepub alert.(Bibliography)
July 1, 2005... FICTION Cornwell, Patricia. Predator: A Scarpetta Novel. Putnam. Nov. 2005. 432p. ISBN 0-399-15263-0. $26.95. Now at Florida's National Forensic Academy, Dr. Kay Scarpetta is too busy to enjoy the sun: a nasty villain has burst forth....

Anderson, Sheryl J. Killer Cocktail: A Molly Forrester Novel.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Anderson, Sheryl J. Killer Cocktail: A Molly Forrester Novel. Minotaur: St. Martin's. Aug. 2005. c.320p. ISBN 0-312-31944-4. [ISBN 978-0-312-31944-1.] $24.95. M NYC fashion writer Molly Forrester (Killer Heels) attends a fancy engagement...

Blake, Victoria. Bloodless Shadow.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... * Blake, Victoria. Bloodless Shadow. Prime Crime: Berkley. Jul. 2005. c.304p. ISBN 0-425-20309-3. pap. $14. M This striking debut introduces a rather distinctive investigator. Four-time world judo champion Samantha Falconer is now a London...

Clark, Mindy Starns. The Trouble with Tulip: A Smart Chick Mystery.(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Clark, Mindy Starns. The Trouble with Tulip: A Smart Chick Mystery. Harvest House. Jul. 2005. c.300p. ISBN 0-7369-1485-4. pap. $11.99. M Mulberry Glen's Jo Tulip writes a helpful hints advice column begun by her deceased grandmother, leans...

Cohen, Mark. Bluetick Revenge.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Cohen, Mark. Bluetick Revenge. Mysterious. Jul. 2005. c.310p. ISBN 0-89296-800-1. $24.95. M Independent Colorado PI Pepper Keane (The Fractal Murders), ex-lawyer and ex-military man, steals a valuable bluetick hound from its...

Cotterill, Colin. Thirty-Three Teeth.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Cotterill, Colin. Thirty-Three Teeth. Soho, dist. by Consortium. Aug. 2005. c.272p. ISBN 1-58947-388-9. $24. M Siri Paiboun (The Coroner's Lunch) is the only coroner in 1974 Laos. He ignores authority figures, reveres the old ways, and...

Hicks, Randall. The Baby Game.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Hicks, Randall. The Baby Game. Wordslinger. Aug. 2005. c.254p. ISBN 0-9631638-5-X. $22.95. M Adoption attorney Toby Dillon cleans tennis courts in return for free rent and a storage-room office and counts two Hollywood stars as best...

Konrath, J.A. Bloody Mary: A Jack Daniels Mystery.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Konrath, J.A. Bloody Mary: A Jack Daniels Mystery. Hyperion. Jul. 2005. c.320p. ISBN 1-4013-0089-8. $22.95. M A special problem confronts Chicago detective Jack Daniels and her partner, Herb Benedict, when they answer a call to the morgue:...

McIntosh, Pat. The Nicholas Feast.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... McIntosh, Pat. The Nicholas Feast. Carroll & Graf. Jul. 2005. c.304p. ISBN 0-7867-1570-7. $25. M Gil Cunningham, who has foresworn a planned priestly life in order to become engaged to a French stonemason's daughter, participates in the...

Roberts, Barrie. Sherlock Holmes and the King's Governess.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Roberts, Barrie. Sherlock Holmes and the King's Governess. Severn House. Jul. 2005. 186p. ISBN 0-7278-6223-5. $28.95. M An Englishwoman from Canada, formerly governess to the children of the King of Mongkuria, visits London in 1897 for...

Scoppettone, Sandra. This Dame for Hire.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... * Scoppettone, Sandra. This Dame for Hire. Ballantine. Jul. 2005, c.272p. ISBN 0-345-47810-X. $21.95. M Scoppettone's new series immerses its readers in World War II-era Manhattan, complete with period idiom, dress, and stereotypes. In...

Bannister, Jo. Breaking Faith.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Bannister, Jo. Breaking Faith: A Brodie Farrell Mystery. Minotaur: St. Martin's. Aug. 2005. c.352p. ISBN 0-312-34301-9. [ISBN 978-0-312-34301-9]. $24.95. M Brodie Farrell (The Depths of Solitude), who specializes in finding things for...

Mickelbury, Penny. Two Graves Dug.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Mickelbury, Penny. Two Graves Dug. Five Star: Gale. Jul. 2005. c.216p. ISBN 1-59414-301-3. $25.95. M Puerto Rican ex-cop Phil Rodriguez works as a PI in NewYork's East Village, where he's hired to find the serial rapist/murderer of...

2005 Anthony, Macavity nominees announced.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Nominees for the 2005 Anthony Awards have been announced. Named for mystery's premier reviewer/critic, Anthony Boucher, the awards will be presented on Saturday, September 3, at Bouchercon 2005, the World Mystery Convention, at the Sheraton...

Ripley, Ann. Summer Garden Murder.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Ripley, Ann. Summer Garden Murder. Kensington. Aug. 2005. c.304p. ISBN 0-7582-0817-0. $22. M Series sleuth Louise Eldridge (Death at the Spring Plant Sale), star of a public television gardening show, leaves town when someone she fingered...

Wait, Lea. Shadows at the Spring Show: An Antique Print Mystery.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Wait, Lea. Shadows at the Spring Show: An Antique Print Mystery. Scribner. Aug. 2005. c.256p. ISBN 0-7432-4951-8. $24. M American history professor and part-time sleuth Maggie Summer (Shadows at the Fair) organizes an auction to benefit an...

Airth, Rennie. The Blood-Dimmed Tide.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Airth, Rennie. The Blood-Dimmed Tide. Viking. Jul. 2005. c.341p. ISBN 0-670-89996-8. $24.95. M It is 1932, and more than a decade has passed in John Madden's life since he first appeared in Airth's acclaimed River of Darkness. Now retired...

Maron, Margaret. Rituals of the Season: A Deborah Knott Mystery.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... * Maron, Margaret. Rituals of the Season: A Deborah Knott Mystery. Mysterious. Aug. 2005. c.303p. ISBN 0-89296-809-6. $23.95. M Maron is in top form here, as Judge Deborah Knott (High Country Fall) and Chief Sheriff's Deputy Dwight Bryant...

Andrews, Donna. Delete All Suspects.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Andrews, Donna. Delete All Suspects. Prime Crime: Berkley. Nov. 2005. 256p. ISBN 0-425-20569-X. $23.95. Turing, an almost sentient computer, is the brains and her human friends do the legwork in unraveling a hit-and-run case in the fourth...

Churchill, Jill. Who's Sorry Now?(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Churchill, Jill. Who's Sorry Now? Morrow. Nov. 2005. 256p. ISBN 0-06-073459-0. $23.95. The sixth in the Depression-era mystery series has the riches-to-rags brother-sister duo Lily and Robert Brewster solving two murders in their...

Harris, C.S. What Angels Fear.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Harris, C.S. What Angels Fear. NAL: Penguin. Nov. 2006. 352p. ISBN 0-451-21669-5. $23.95. Brutal rape and death in the streets of 1811 London has Sebastian St. Cyr, nobleman extraordinaire, running for his life and trying to catch the...

McClure, Ken. Eye of the Raven.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... McClure, Ken. Eye of the Raven. Allison & Busby, dist. by IPM. Nov. 2005. 288p. ISBN 0-7490-8334-5. $25.95. A deathbed confession of rape and murder may exonerate a man already convicted, a man whose medical research once sent shockwaves...

Peffer, Randall. Killing Neptune's Daughter.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Peffer, Randall. Killing Neptune's Daughter. Speck, dist. by Consortium. Nov. 2005. 249p. ISBN 1-933108-05-3. pap. $14. The death of his childhood sexual obsession seduces Billy Bagwell back to his hometown and to the dark depths of...

Santlofer, Jonathan. The Killing Art.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Santlofer, Jonathan. The Killing Art. Morrow. Nov. 2005. 352p. ISBN 0-06-054107-5. $24.95. After the tragic death of her husband, art expert Kate McKinnon plunges into writing a new book on the "New York School" of painters and into a...

Smiley, Patricia. Cover Your Assets.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Smiley, Patricia. Cover Your Assets. Mysterious. Nov. 2005. 304p. ISBN 0-89296-019-1. $23.95. The murder victim is a successful, philandering Hollywood agent who carried on a love affair with drugs. He's also Tucker Sinclair's ex-flame....

Vargas, Fred. Have Mercy on Us All.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Vargas, Fred. Have Mercy on Us All. S. & S. Nov. 2005. 336p. ISBN 0-7432-8401-1. pap. $14. Sacre bleu! The French are on the U.S. mystery scene! Commissaire Adamsberg and Danglard, his straight-edged partner, investigate threats of the...

Posadas, Carmen. The Last Resort: A Mystery.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Posadas, Carmen. The Last Resort: A Mystery. Random. Aug. 2005. c.320p. tr. from Spanish by Kristina Corder. ISBN 0-375-50888-4. $23.95. M After his mother dies, Rafael Molinet decides it's time for him to end his life, too. An older...

Spiegelman, Peter. Death's Little Helpers.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... * Spiegelman, Peter. Death's Little Helpers. Knopf. Jul. 2005. c.352p. ISBN 1-4000-4079-5. $22.95. M Spiegelman's debut, Black Maps, introduced John March, former upstate sheriff's investigator-turned-NYC private eye. Here March, who's...

Wan, Michelle. Deadly Slipper: a Novel of Death in the Dordogne.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... Wan, Michelle. Deadly Slipper: A Novel of Death in the Dordogne. Doubleday. Jul. 2005. c.304p. ISBN 0-385-51457-3. $23.95. M Nineteen years ago, Mara Dunn's twin sister, Bedie, disappeared in France's Dordogne region. When Mara finds...

Winspear, Jacqueline. Pardonable Lies.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
July 1, 2005... * Winspear, Jacqueline. Pardonable Lies. Holt. Aug. 2005. c.352p. ISBN 0-8050-7897-5. $23. M Winspear's third Maisie Dobbs novel (after Maisie Dobbs and Birds of a Feather) will thoroughly delight existing fans and should garner her new...

Graphic novels.(graphic novels with homosexual themes)
July 1, 2005... In LJ 5/1/04, I defined some basic manga terminology such as shojo manga (girls' comics) and shonen manga (boys' comics). This time I'd like to take a look at a thornier group of terms--shonen ai, yaoi, and "boys' love"--which all relate to a...