Library Journal articles from May 2005

Library Journal archives from May 2005

Dear Laura Bush: libraries need your help again, more than ever.(editorial)(Editorial)
May 1, 2005... BARELY 200 MILES FROM YOUR RANCH AT Crawford, TX, in a suburb of Fort Worth, a public library system has closed. That means that over 21,000 households, 47,000 people, are without their community library or the professionals who run it. The...

A hatchet job in the firs: King County won that election fair and square.(blatant berry)
May 1, 2005... BILL PTACEK NEEDS NEITHER PRAISE NOR publicity from me. He has directed the King County Library System (KCLS) in the state of Washington for nearly 16 years. Before that he ran libraries in Idaho Falls and Louisville, KY. With him at the helm,...

Better Westerns.(feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... Members of Western Writers of America (WWA) were dismayed to find that Westerns were not included in your "Best Genre Fiction 2004" (LJ 1/05, p. 56-57). Writers like Elmer Kelton, Richard Wheeler, Matt Braun, Paul Hutton, Win Blevins, and many...

The language of ROI.(feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... John Berry's "Throwing in the Towel" (Editorial, LJ 3/15/05, p. 8) misrepresents my views regarding the fight for fiscal resources for library programs and services. I do not advocate "throwing in the towel," though I believe that library...

Shocked by remark!(feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... I was shocked to see that the report on the American Library Association (ALA) Council actions ("Salinas, APA, Partnerships at ALA Midwinter Council," LJ Hotline 1/31/05, p. 1-2) in Boston included an editorial remark masquerading as reporting....

April foolishness.(feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... Kudos to L/for a much-needed infusion of humor (www.libraryjournal.com, 4/1/05). Hope you got as many laughs preparing it as I did reading it. Reminds me of the April Fool's Day I turned the picture of our library upside down on our homepage....

Priceless.(feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... Priceless (www.libraryjournal.com, 4/1/05)! --Linda Schmidthuber, Brookfield Free P.L., IL

Christian fiction.(feedback)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2005... Thanks for making room for Christian fiction (LJ 4/1/05, p. 78-79). For those of us who don't regularly read CE it is always helpful to have reviews, assessments, and a sense of the past output of a writer. Thanks especially for the...

Are libraries nimble enough?(BLOG WATCH)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... "The Pope died only about 24 hours ago, and yet Amazon has already gathered together a series of links to books by him, books about the pope and his papacy," wrote OCLC's Alane Wilson on the "It's all good" blog (scanblog.blogspot.com). "How...

Indiana U's IC2.(front desk)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... In February, Indiana University-Bloomington unveiled its second information commons, IC2:9600 square feet, 68 computer workstations, and seating for more than 100 laptop users. The difference from Indiana's first information commons? IC2 aims...

For the love of reading.(front desk)(Omaha Public Library Foundation)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Poet Laureate Ted Kooser, a recent Pulitzer Prize winner, visited the Omaha Public Library Foundation's "Shelf Life" fundraising event and showed his affection for the library's summer reading mascot, Scamper. For invitations, the library used...

Top dissertation: on spirituals.(front desk)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... What was the best-selling doctoral dissertation in 2003 published by ProQuest Information and Learning? It concerns an internationally known composer of Negro spirituals (e.g., "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child"), who died in 1949 but...

Library closes in Bedford, TX; ALA sends delegation: PL in Niagara Falls, NY, averts closing; Salinas meets minimum to stay open.(lj news)
May 1, 2005... The Bedford Public Library, TX, effectively closed at the end of March, after a property tax rollback March 5 that passed by only ten votes. This caused the city (pop. 47,000) to cut $2.6 million--20 percent--out of the budget for the last six...

Gonzales bends on Patriot Act.(lj news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee April 5, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales indicated that the administration was willing to consider minor modifications to the USA PATRIOT Act, including some to Section 215, the part that makes...

Was KCLS bond overpromoted? State agency warns library, which denies wrongdoing.(lj news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... When the King County Library System, WA, won a $172 million bond issue last September 14, it was a hard-won triumph, after a February 2003 failure (see News, LJ 10/15/04, p. 14). But Will Knedlik, a former state legislator and perennial antitax...

"Gutman set the bird down on the table ...".(lj news)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: "Gutman set the bird down on the table..." Friends of Libraries USA (FOLUSA) March 19 dedicated Dashiell Hammett's San Francisco flat as a literary landmark. The 891 Post St. apartment was Hammett's home...

NYPL librarians accept pack: aims to give parity with Brooklyn & Queens but with givebacks.(LJ NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Unionized librarians at the New York Public Library (NYPL) embraced an eight percent salary boost, agreeing to concessions demanded by management. The librarians were agitating for months to get their salary scale consonant with their...

NC PL loses state funds: Rockingham County cut library above others; now, a $600K loss.(LJ NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The Rockingham County Public Library, Eden, NC, has run afoul of state maintenance of effort requirements, which means a loss of some $600,000 in state aid--crucial funds to buy materials--as well as access to state-funded online databases and...

Librarian suing Harvard rebuffed: jury agrees that race and gender did not hinder promotions.(LJ NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... A jury ruled in early April that Harvard University did not discriminate against Desiree Goodwin, billing supervisor and reference assistant at the Loeb Library of Harvard's Design School, who charged that she was repeatedly passed over for...

Calendar.(LJ NEWS)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
May 1, 2005... JUNE 2-3--Rhode Island Library Assn., Newport www.uri.edu/library/rila/rila.html AUGUST 3-6--Pacific Northwest Library Assn., Sitka, AK www.pnla.org SEPTEMBER 14-17--Kentucky Library Assn., Louisville www.kylibasn.org ...

PL theft charges in Texas, Oregon: copy machine coins taken and books sold online.(LJ NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Brownsville, TX, police arrested Agustin Carrera on charges of burglary. Carrera, a ten-year library employee, was slotted to manage the Southmost Public Library when it opens this summer. Security tapes recorded him entering another branch and...

Judge halts Philadelphia cuts: temporary injunction saves 12 jobs and bars ten express branches.(LJ NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Common Pleas Court judge Matthew D. Carrafiello April 7 blocked Philadelphia from laying off additional library staff and morphing ten libraries of the Free Library of Philadelphia into so-called express branches that would operate part time...

Vendors sought by GPO.(LJ NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), which is dramatically overhauling its operations for the online world, has put out a call seeking "innovative ideas from private sector vendors" for services relating to its current sales program. The...

Shaker Heights Public Library.(people)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Luren Dickinson is now Director, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH, replacing A. Isaac Pulver, who was serving as Interim Director. Dickinson was Director, Jackson District Library, MI.

State Library of Louisiana.(people)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Tom Jacques, State Librarian, State Library of Louisiana, Baton Rouge, will retire in July after 30 years in the position. He will be replaced by Rebecca Hamilton, who has been Associate State Librarian since 2003.

Portland Public Library.(people)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Sheldon Kaye has announced his resignation as Director, Portland Public Library, ME, effective September 30, after 18 years in the position.

Information Competence Initiative.(people)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Ilene F. Rockman, Manager of the Information Competence Initiative, Office of the Chancellor, California State University, Long Beach, is the 2005 winner of the Association of College and Research Libraries Miriam Dudley Instruction Librarian...

Medical Library Association.(people)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Jean Shipman, Director, Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences, and Associate University Librarian, Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries, Richmond, is the next President-elect of the Medical Library Association (MLA), for 2005-06,...

Tennessee State Library & Archives.(people)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Jeanne Sugg will be State Librarian and Archivist, Tennessee State Library & Archives, Nashville, effective July 1, succeeding Edwin Gleaves, who is retiring after nearly 28 years in the position. Sugg was Assistant State Librarian and...

SLA (Special Libraries Association).(people)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Rebecca Vargha, Librarian, School of Information and Library Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is the next President-elect of SLA (Special Libraries Association), for 2005-06, and President for 2006-07.

University of Illinois Library.(people)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... John Wagstaff is now Music Librarian and Professor of Library Administration, University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign. He was Music Faculty Librarian, University of Oxford, England, from 1998 to 2005.

Obituaries.(people)(Obituary)
May 1, 2005... Sigurd Hartz Rasmussen, a retired World Bank Official who began his career at the League of Nations and who formed the Library of the United Nations and served as its first Librarian, 1946-49, died in February at the age of 99. Virginia G....

Historical newspapers project grows: since 2001 initiative launch, ProQuest has scanned more than 125 million documents.(infotech)
May 1, 2005... ProQuest Information and Learning's ambitious Historical Newspapers project launched with much anticipation in 2001. Four years later, the project has made admirable progress, with 125 million documents expected to be digitized by June. The...

GIS now Polaris Library Systems.(infotech)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... GIS Information Systems has renamed itself Polaris Library Systems, effective May 1. Company president Bill Schickling told LJ that the primary reason for the change is "to move toward the Polaris brand that's more recognizable in the...

TLC buys Tech Logic Corp.: Kirk named executive director, products remain vendor neutral.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... The Library Corporation (TLC) announced April 1 it has acquired the majority stock shares of Tech Logic Corporation, a manufacturer of book drop, conveyer delivery systems, and RFID and barcode checkin/checkout systems. TLC said that its CEO,...

AGent Library Card debuts: new tool allows online patrons to receive immediate access.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
May 1, 2005... Auto-Graphics is marketing the AGent Library Card, a tool to help libraries increase their reach by allowing online users to apply for temporary library cards and receive instant access to collections and services. "What other card makes...

EBSCO names award winners: MLA and ALA conference grants presented to 14 librarians.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... EBSCO Information Services has announced the 2005 crop of meeting grants and conference sponsorship winners. EBSCO presents these prizes in conjunction with the Medical Library Association (MLA) and American Library Association (ALA) to allow...

Triple play for millennium: California college, public, and county libraries go Innovative.(INSTALLATIONS)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... Three northern California libraries have selected Innovative Interfaces as their automation solution. City College of San Francisco (CCSF), Sunnyvale Public Library, and Yolo County Public Library have inked installation contracts for the...

Oxford's reference shelf.
May 1, 2005... I'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM READERS about several e-issues that have come up: BAIT AND SWITCH Have you had any experiences lately with a vendor changing the content of a source after your license is signed--and not telling you? LICENSING...

Getting the user's attention.(ONLINE DATABASES)
May 1, 2005... CAN WE DELIVER INFORMATION the way our users want it--cheap, fast, and good? According to Stewart Bodner, associate chief librarian of the New York Public Library, that's what users desire and what librarians and vendors must provide. But at...

Notre Dame's home run: an academic web site for the 21st century.(INFOTECH FEATURE)
May 1, 2005... Occasionally, a library web site comes along that advances both design and functionality, setting its own high standard in the process. Last year it was the Phoenix Public Library in the public library arena ("Phoenix Gets It Right," LJ 7/04,...

The entry-level gap: breaking in to the profession is harder than ever--if you're fresh out of library school.
May 1, 2005... Data from the library job market and mounting anecdotal evidence show that there is cause for alarm. The number of full-time, professional positions in libraries is dwindling, salaries continue to be depressed, more entry-level positions are...

Best magazines of 2004.
May 1, 2005... Despite some lackluster trends going in, 2004 turned out to be a splendid year for magazine and journal publishers. In fact, there were some 1,006 launches listed in Samir Husni's Guide to New Magazines (www.mrmagazine.com), a total that...

Manhattan transfer: conference preview, New York City, June 2-5.(CONFERENCE PREVIEW: BOOKEXPO 2005)
May 1, 2005... BookExpo America (BEA) returns to New York City's Javits Center, June 2-5. Besides being home to many of the major publishing houses, New York is ideal for BEA because of the Northeast's large concentration of librarians. A hefty 1800...

All aboard!(Collection Development / Hobbies: Model Trains)
May 1, 2005... The stereotypical image of model railroading is that of children playing with a toy train as it puffs around the Christmas tree. In reality, the hobby is dominated by adult males over 40. According to the Model Railroad Industry Association...

Past perfect?(CASE STUDY)
May 1, 2005... RAY CATAPANO, DIRECTOR OF THE Crispin Branch of the Sherman County Library System, called the meeting to order. "All right, everyone, get your coffee and settle in. I received a letter two days ago from the county commissioners, and I want to...

Protect the library.(ANALYSIS I)
May 1, 2005... By asking for a "majority" on the merits of criminal background checks for current and prospective employees, Catapano has misused the concept of participative management and, in effect, abdicated his managerial responsibility for...

Leave the past alone.(ANALYSIS II)
May 1, 2005... Catapano followed good management practice by getting staff input during the decision-making process. He explained the county commissioners' reasoning for requesting background checks on all potential new employees, i.e., a person with a...

Best consumer health books of 2004.(CONSUMER HEALTH)
May 1, 2005... One need only pick up a newspaper or turn on the television to know that there is a healthcare crisis in the United States. The flu vaccine shortage, the recall of Cox 2 inhibitors, and the lack of health insurance by 40 percent of all...

Life in the middle ages: publishers respond to aging baby boomers' health concerns.(CONSUMER HEALTH)
May 1, 2005... With the last of the 77 million baby boomers now in their early forties and the number of seniors in America growing steadily owing to medical and technological advancements, consumer health publishers are aiming many of their summer and fall...

Prepub alert.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... FICTION Baden, Michael & Linda Kenney. Remains Silent. Knopf. Sept. 2005. 336p. ISBN 1-4000-4419-7. $23.95. Baden, the former New York City medical examiner seen on HBO's Autopsy, joins forces with CNN legal commentator Kenney to craft...

Mystery.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... THE COMFORT OF SERIES Familiarity may breed contempt, but mystery readers delight in the recurring series protagonists, settings, and events that invite them into a comfort zone of the well known. It's little wonder, then, that mystery authors...

Allin, Lou. A Little Learning Is a Murderous Thing.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Allin, Lou. A Little Learning Is a Murderous Thing. Five Star: Gale. (Five Star First Edition Mystery). 2005. c.281 p. ISBN 1-59414-253-X. $25.95. M The death (presumed accident or suicide) of a bright English Department student at...

Baxter, Holly. Tears of the Dragon.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Baxter, Holly. Tears of the Dragon. Poisoned Pen. May 2005. c.301p. ISBN 1-59058-146-6. $24.95. M This new cozy series set in Depression-era Chicago centers around a widowed teacher and her four daughters. One daughter, Elodie Browne,...

Block, Barbara. Salt City Blues.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Block, Barbara. Salt City Blues: A Robin Light Mystery. Severn House. May 2005. c.264p. ISBN 0-7278-6153-0. $28.95. M Pet-store owner Robin (Rubbed Out) helps keep her business alive by working part-time as a bartender. The job adds to her...

Cook, Marshall. Murder at Midnight: A Monona Quinn Mystery.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Cook, Marshall. Murder at Midnight: A Monona Quinn Mystery. Bleak House: Diversity. Jun. 2005. c.240p. ISBN 1-932557-06-7. pap. $14.95. M Newspaper editor Monona "Mo" Quinn (Murder over Easy) and husband Doug have fled big-time Chicago for...

Davis, Kyra. Sex, Murder, and a Double Latte.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Davis, Kyra. Sex, Murder, and a Double Latte. Red Dress: Harlequin. May 2005. c.304p. ISBN 0-373-89519-4. $17.95. M Mystery writer Sophie Katz, who's half black and half Jewish, hits the dumps when she learns of the suspicious death of the...

Guttridge, Peter. Two to Tango.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... * Guttridge, Peter. Two to Tango. Speck. May 2005. c.220p. ISBN 1-933108-00-2. pap. $14. M Before arriving in Bogota, Colombia, to cover the Rock Against Drugs Tour, British journalists Nick Madrid (No Laughing Matter) and Bridget Frost,...

Harrison, Mike. All Shook Up: An Eddie Dancer Mystery.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Harrison, Mike. All Shook Up: An Eddie Dancer Mystery. ECW, dist. by Independent Publishers Group. May 2005. c.240p. ISBN 1-55022-688-6. pap. $15.95. M After two bank robbers complain separately that the other has stolen his share of the...

Henry, Angela. The Company You Keep: A Kendra Clayton Novel.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Henry, Angela. The Company You Keep: A Kendra Clayton Novel. Sepia: BET, dist. by Kensington. May 2005. c.224p. ISBN 1-58314-607-5. pap. $14. M A desperate plea for help from a girlfriend in need goads part-time literacy instructor/...

Nugent, Andrew. The Four Courts Murder.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Nugent, Andrew. The Four Courts Murder. Thomas Dunne Bks: St. Martin's. May 2005. c.240p. ISBN 0-312-32758-7. $22.95. M This first mystery begins with a literal kicker: Sidney Piggott, a Dublin High Court judge, is found dead--of a kick to...

Ure, Louise. Forcing Amaryllis.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... * Ure, Louise. Forcing Amaryllis. Mysterious. Jun. 2005. c.352p. ISBN 0-89296-009-4. $23.95. M When Tucson trial consultant Calla Gentry meets the accused in a rape/murder case, a physical detail reminds her of a clue to the rape of her...

Childs, Laura. Chamomile Mourning.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Childs, Laura. Chamomile Mourning. Berkley Prime Crime: Penguin Putnam. May 2005. c.336p. ISBN 0-425-20251-8. $21.95. M Circumstances seem to work against teashop owner Theodosia Browning's (The Jasmine Moon Murder) enterprising spirit once...

Koretsky, J. Lea. The Sweat Box.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Koretsky, J. Lea. The Sweat Box. Regent. May 2005. c.215p. ISBN 1-58790-106-4. pap. $16.95. M In his third adventure (after The Eternity Look and Domino) U.S. Marshal Dalton Keys handles myriad tasks in the San Bernardino area: murder,...

Marston, Edward. The Excursion Train.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Marston, Edward. The Excursion Train. Allison & Busby, dist. by International Pubs. Marketing. Jun. 2005. c.288p. ISBN 0-7490-8392-1. $25.95. M Marston's Victorian historical set in England features Detective Inspector Robert Colbeck (The...

Page, Katherine Hall. The Body in the Snowdrift: A Faith Fairchild Mystery.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Page, Katherine Hall. The Body in the Snowdrift: A Faith Fairchild Mystery. Morrow. May 2005. c.256p. ISBN 0-06-052530-4. $23.95. M While vacationing in Vermont, caterer Faith Fairchild (The Body in the Attic) and family run into trouble....

Riggs, Cynthia. The Paperwhite Narcissus: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Riggs, Cynthia. The Paperwhite Narcissus: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery. Thomas Dunne Bks: St. Martin's. May 2005. c.224p. ISBN 0-312-33983-6. $22.95. M After a much-disliked property developer is murdered, 92-year-old sheriff's deputy...

Saylor, Steven. A Gladiator Dies Only Once: The Further Investigations of Gordianus the Finder.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Saylor, Steven. A Gladiator Dies Only Once: The Further Investigations of Gordianus the Finder. Minotaur: St. Martin's. Jun. 2005. c.288p. ISBN 0-312-27120-4. $23.95. M This collection of nine short stories establishes events in Gordianus...

Wall, Kathryn R. Resurrection Road: A Bay Tanner Mystery.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Wall, Kathryn R. Resurrection Road: A Bay Tanner Mystery. Minotaur: St. Martin's. May 2005. c.304p. ISBN 0-312-33793-0. $23.95. M Everything seems fine at first for Bay Tanner (Judas Island) on Hilton Head Island: there's tennis with French...

Box, C.J. Out of Range.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Box, C.J. Out of Range. Putnam. May 2005. c.320p. ISBN 0-399-15291-1. $24.95. M Saddlestring, WY, game warden Joe Pickett (Trophy Hunt) takes a temporary assignment in upscale Jackson, when friend and coworker Will Jensen dies from an...

Fossum, Karin. He Who Fears the Wolf.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Fossum, Karin. He Who Fears the Wolf. Harcourt. Jul. 2005. c.288p. tr. from Norwegian by Felicity David. ISBN 0-15-101091-9. $23. M When an elderly woman is found murdered in her secluded house in the Norwegian countryside, the only suspect...

King, Laurie R. Locked Rooms: A Mary Russell Novel (Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... * King, Laurie R. Locked Rooms: A Novel of Suspense Featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes. Bantam. Jun. 2005. c.400p. ISBN 0-553-80197-X. $24. M Tormented by recurring nightmares, Mary Russell (The Game) returns to San Francisco after...

Murder & Margaritas: a report from LCC 15.(Left Coast Crime convention)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2005... At the 15th annual Left Coast Crime (LCC) convention, held February 24-27, 2005, in El Paso, TX, over 400 mystery writers and devoted readers gathered to discuss crime fiction (and imbibe margaritas!). Reflecting this year's...

Prepub mystery.(Bibliography)
May 1, 2005... Benjamin, Carol Lea. Without a Word. Morrow. Sept. 2005. 288p. ISBN 0-06-053901-1. $23.95. PI Rachel Alexander and her pit bull Dashiell are at it again, this time involved in a dark and emotionally complex seventh case. Dog trainer and...

Rosenfelt, David. Sudden Death.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... * Rosenfelt, David. Sudden Death. Mysterious. May 2005. c.306p. ISBN 0-89296-783-8. $23.95. M If you like witty mysteries, e.g., Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, then you should become acquainted with Andy Carpenter, a Patterson,...

Smith, Alexander McCall. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Smith, Alexander McCall. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies. Pantheon. 2005. c.240p. ISBN 0-375-42271-4. $19.95. M The sixth entry in Smith's always delightful "The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" series sees the return of newly married...

Transgressions.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... * Transgressions. Forge: Tor. May 2005. c.784p, ed. by Ed McBain. ISBN 0-7653-0851-7. $27.95. M Transgressions are not normally viewed as opportunities, but this eponymous collection of novellas by Stephen King, Lawrence Block, Walter...

Barr, Emily. Solo.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Barr, Emily. Solo. Plume: NAL. May 2005. c.368p. ISBN 0-452-28536-4. pap. $13. F Barr (Backpack) is sure to please fans with this story of yet another heroine working through the psychological damage of a past trauma. Thirty-year-old Erie...

Bauer, Ann. A Wild Ride up the Cupboards.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Bauer, Ann. A Wild Ride up the Cupboards. Scribner. Sept. 2005. c.288p. ISBN 0-7432-6949-7. $24. F In her gripping first novel, essayist and journalist Bauer recounts the story of Rachel and Jack's marriage and the lives of their three...

Campbell, Bebe Moore. 72 Hour Hold.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... * Campbell, Bebe Moore. 72 Hour Hold. Knopf. Jul. 2005. c.336p. ISBN 1-4000-4074-4. $24.95. F In her fifth novel, Campbell (Singing in the Comeback Choir) confronts the heavyweight issues of mental illness, race relations, and family...

Cruz, Angie. Let It Rain Coffee.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Cruz, Angie. Let It Rain Coffee. S. & S. May 2005. c.256p. ISBN 0-7432-1203-7. $22. F Character matters in Cruz's second novel (after Soledad) about immigrants from the Caribbean. The Colon family, struggling to make a life for themselves...

Dickey, Eric Jerome. Genevieve.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Dickey, Eric Jerome. Genevieve. Dutton. May 2005. c.304p. ISBN 0-525-94878-3. $24.95. F Chick-lit sensation Dickey (Drive Me Crazy) presents this sizzling, sexy, downright gritty love story about a professional African American couple...

Dillman, Bradford. Kissing Kate.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Dillman, Bradford. Kissing Kate. Fithian. May 2005. c.176p. ISBN 1-56474-447-7. pap. $14.95. F Normally, everyone's a critic. But in Elsinore, an exclusive California retirement community, everyone's an actor--or so folks think. Broadway...

Farrington, Tim. Lizzie's War.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2005... Farrington, Tim. Lizzie's War. HarperSanFrancisco: HarperCollins. May 2005. c.416p. ISBN 0-06-056234-X. $24.95. F Farrington (The Monk Downstairs) beautifully braids together an American soldier's view of the Vietnam War, a study of his...