Library Journal articles from October 2007

Library Journal archives from October 2007

Librarians: too traditional? A strong cadre of experienced librarians must loosen the reins.(editorial)
October 1, 2007... NEARLY 13 YEARS AFTER LJ'S GROUNDBREAKING report on job satisfaction, "Are You Happy in Your Job?" (LJ 11/1/94), the latest survey, touted on our cover, reveals some fundamental concerns about the profession, especially your willingness to...

Illegal librarians?(feedback)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2007... I've been around the barn on the question of what library schools should teach for a long time, perhaps even longer than John Berry ("Old Debates Renew Libraries," Editorial, LJ 9/1/07, p. 8). Unlike Berry, I don't think we are getting any...

Solidarity to Vancouver.(feedback)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2007... I read about the strike at Vancouver Public Library (VPL) (News, LJ 9/1/07, p. 16). I gave a paper on social exclusion to the VPL staff conference, and we organized for a member of VPL staff to work in Lincolnshire Libraries as part of her...

Who automated circ?(feedback)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2007... Roy Tennant's "Looking Back To Go Forward" (LJ 8/07, p. 28) includes this tidbit from his personal history in library automation at the University of California, Berkeley: "My work included helping to organize a barcoding project for thousands...

SFPL's many supporters.(feedback)(Letter to the editor)
October 1, 2007... The Friends of the San Francisco Public Library... would like to share the overwhelming support for Proposition D from political and community... leaders, including Mayor Gavin Newsom, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi,...

Corrections.(feedback)(Correction notice)
October 1, 2007... In our American Library Association coverage (LJ 8/07, p. 41), we misidentified graphic novels guru Steve Raiteri (officially Stephen) as Steven. In our Q&A with Marie Bostwick (LJ 9/15/07, p. 48), we referred to one of her previous careers as...

Scream at the Librarian.(front desk)(Chapbook by Joel J. Rane)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "And instead of hundreds, there are thousands of people in the streets, limping through the doors of the Central Library, beating on the pay phones not begging for help but demanding to pull the rest of us down into...

Nashville hosts LC StoryCorps.(front desk)(Library of Congress)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... From October 2007 through September 2008, Nashville Public Library (NPL) will be the site of a National Public Radio (NPR)/Library of Congress (LC) StoryBooth, which will record the memories of everyday Americans for NPR broadcast and LC...

Top 25 library bloggers.(front desk)(Online Education Database report)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... So who are the 25 most popular library bloggers? Online Education Database, an Internet resource for online colleges, continuing education, and distance learning, announced its Top 25 libloggers based on visitor traffic and links back to the...

MLS salary report.(STAT WATCH)(Median Librarian Salary)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... MLS Salary Report MEDIAN $53,000 AVERAGE $57,809 Source: American Library Association-Allied Professional Association Salary Survey

NYPL reorganization coming: research libraries head Ferriero takes over, consolidation proceeds.(lj news)(New York Public Library's David Ferriero)
October 1, 2007... The May departure of Susan Kent, director of New York Public Library's (NYPL) Branch Libraries, after two years and eight months on the job (see News, LJ 6/1/07, p. 14), led to the rise of David Ferriero, director of the Research Libraries, to...

Librarians "slam the boards".(lj news)(reference librarians)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... On September 10, reference librarians made their presence known on the web's most popular answer sites, for example, Yahoo! Answers, by responding to as many queries as possible and making it clear that they were librarians. The effort went...

New PL Internet study released: demand increases, bandwidth's a struggle, as is IT staffing.(lj news)(2007 Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study)
October 1, 2007... We already knew, based on preliminary results from the 2007 Public Library Funding & Technology Access Study, that public libraries face challenges in providing sufficient workstations and bandwidth to meet the needs of users. The study, now...

Fair use: worth $4.5 trillion? Debate heats up, as computer and entertainment industries face off.(lj news)(Computer and Communications Industry Association study)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... The Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) has issued a study suggesting that "fair use dependent industries" contributed more than $4.5 trillion in annual revenue to the United States in 2006, roughly one-sixth of the nation's...

Online lending libraries find niche.(lj news)
October 1, 2007... Private lending libraries have coexisted peacefully with public ones for more than a century, but the changing consumer mindset, thanks to services like Netflix, now means some book lovers want books with similar convenience. Several...

Open access: ARL vs. publishers: already, publishers' PRISM campaign has some defectors.(lj news)(Association of Research Libraries; Partnership for Research Integrity in Science & Medicine)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has issued a statement criticizing a new initiative in what it called an "ongoing PR campaign" against public access legislation, supported by the Association of American Publishers (AAP). ARL...

NSLs face another blow: judge's decision in case regarding an ISP applauded by ALA.(lj news)(National Security Letters; Internet service providers; American Library Association)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... The American Library Association (ALA) applauded a decision by a federal judge in New York who ruled that the gag order associated with National Security Letters (NSLs)--even though the provision was relaxed somewhat upon the revision last year...

Prisons limit religion titles: librarians don't have much of a role with such federal libraries.(lj news)(Bureau of Prisons)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Ever since the New York Times on September 10 reported on the federal Bureau of Prisons' (BOP) mission to clear the shelves of any religion titles "not on a list of approved resources," the BOP has faced a lot of criticism--but not, however, a...

WV library gets $2.5m restored: county school board had threatened to retain funds.(lj news)(West Virginia's Kanawha County Public Library)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... On September 4, the Kanawha County Board of Education, reversed its late August decision to cut $2.5 million from the budget of the Kanawha County Public Library (KCPL), Charleston, WV--one-third of the library's annual funding. The reprieve...

$10m gift for Boston PL's Map Center.(lj news)(Boston Public Library)
October 1, 2007... The Boston Public Library (BPL) has received a $10 million gift from real estate developer Norman B. Leventhal to create a permanent endowment for the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center, which he founded in 2004 in cooperation with the library and...

FOLUSA likely to join ALA's ALTA.(lj news)(Friends of Libraries USA, American Library Association, Association of Library Trustees and Advocates )(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... The American Library Association (ALA) and Friends of Libraries USA (FOLUSA) announced that "FOLUSA will provide executive management for the Association of Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA) for a period of 12 months ending August 31, 2008,...

Ashland, OR, voters approve library levy.(lj news)(Jackson County Library Services in Oregon )(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Voters in Ashland, OR, September 18 overwhelmingly approved a property tax levy that, along with money from Jackson County for the 15-branch Jackson County Library Services, likely will allow their branch, serving a community of some 20,000, to...

SLC to start again on director search.(lj news)(Salt Lake City Public Library director)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... It looked like a lock for Clyde Scoles, longtime director of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, who was the sole remaining candidate for the directorship of the Salt Lake City Public Library (SL-CPL), which lost director Nancy Tessman to...

Calendar.(lj news)(Calendar)
October 1, 2007... 16-19--North Carolina Library Assn., Hickory www.nclaonline.org 16-19--Wisconsin Library Assn., Green Bay www.wla.lib.wi.us 17-19--Georgia Library Assn., Jekyll Island gla.georgiaiibraries.org 17-20--New York Library Assn., Buffalo...

School of Library and Information Management.(people)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Gwen Alexander is the new Dean of Emporia State University's School of Library and Information Management, KS. She comes from Wichita State University, KS, where she served as Associate Dean of University Libraries since 2001.

Lenawee County Library.(people)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Teresa Calderone is the new Director of the Lenawee County Library, Adrian, MI. Most recently she was Assistant Manager of the West Toledo Branch of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library.

Camden County Library System.(people)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Debbie Dennis is the new Associate Director of the Camden County Library System, NJ. She comes from the Moorestown Public Library, NJ, where she was the Director for approximately 13 years.

Muskegon Area District Library.(people)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Stephen Dix has been chosen to head the Muskegon Area District Library, MI. He most recently (1992-2003) led the Cadillac Wexford Public Library, MI.

University of Maryland Libraries.(people)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Angie Ohler has been appointed Head of Acquisitions at University of Maryland Libraries, College Park. Ohler comes from the University of Oklahoma Libraries, Norman, where she was Assistant Head of Acquisitions.

Hancock County Public Library.(people)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Jackie Osting is the new Program Coordinator/Reference Librarian at Hancock County Public Library, Greenfield, IN. She recently served as a Reference Librarian at Indiana University-Purdue University indianapolis.

East Baton Rouge Parish Library.(people)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Barbara Roos has been named Head of the Young Adult Services Division of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, LA. Prior to this position, Roos worked as Assistant Head, Branch Services Division. She replaces Brenda Eames, who has retired.

Santa Cruz Public Libraries.(people)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Jane Schwamberger recently retired from the position of Training Librarian for Santa Cruz Public Libraries, CA. A librarian since 1972, she worked in a variety of positions in New York, Florida, Washington, and California.

Menomonie Public Library.(people)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Ted Stark is the new Director of the Menomonie Public Library, WI. He had been Interim Director of the Jackson County Library System, Medford, OR, the 15-branch system that closed last April owing to a lack of county funding.

Rancho Mirage Public Library.(people)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Betty Gay Teoman is the new Director of the Rancho Mirage Public Library, CA. She previously was Director of the Rye Free Reading Room, NY, and, before that, Central Library Director at the Los Angeles Public Library.

Staten Island Libraries.(people)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Mary Elizabeth (Ma'lis) Wendt, Associate Director, Staten Island Libraries, NY, has retired after a 35-year career with the New York Public Library.

Obituary.(people)(Obituary)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Beryl Robbins, who worked at Wayne State University's Purdy Library, Detroit, for nearly three decades, has died. She was a Cataloger until her retirement in 1985. Before that, she worked at the Library of Congress for five years. Patrick...

LibLime signs Kansas and Indiana: more libraries making the move to open source ILS system.(infotech)
October 1, 2007... LibLime, the Athens, OH-based ILS company that replaces traditional proprietary software with open source solutions, is gaining more ground. LibLime recently signed large contracts with the Indiana Cooperative Library Services Authority...

Schlager launches reference imprint.(infotech)(Schlager Group )(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... The Schlager Group (www.schlagergroup.com), a top-shelf, behind-the-scenes reference outfit that has produced big projects for Gale and other reference publishers, is striking out on its own. On September 17, the company launched its new...

Polaris marketing URL Detective.(infotech)(Polaris Library Systems )(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Here's something cool: Polaris Library Systems is now offering a new tool called URL Detective, which is described as "an automated solution to resolve problem URLs in bibliographic records and web pages." The product lets users scan for faulty...

Credo presents CARLI deal.(infotech)(Credo Reference now caters to the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois )(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... On the heels of its recent agreement with SOLINET, Credo Reference is playing the partnering game again, this time with Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI) (www.carli.illinois.edu), which will allow CARLI members...

Duke debuts Carlyle e-letters.(infotech)(Duke University Press distributes Carlyle Letters Online: A Victorian Cultural Reference)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... Duke University Press is now offering Carlyle Letters Online: A Victorian Cultural Reference, the electronic edition of The Collected Letters of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle. Duke said that Carlyle Letters Online features "thousands of letters...

EBSCO releases nursing tool.(infotech)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... EBSCO has released Nursing Reference Center (NRC), a "point-of-care" tool for the nursing industry. The vendor said that NRC includes evidence-based care sheets from CINAHL, a leading nursing education database. According to EBSCO, CINAHL's...

Science select free to LIS programs.(infotech)(Science Full Text Select now available to library and information science programs)(Brief article)
October 1, 2007... H.W. Wilson (www.hwwilson.com) has added its Science Full Text Select to the crop of WilsonWeb databases available for free to American Library Association-accredited library and information science programs. Free subscriptions, renewable after...

Living the virtual library life.(ONLINE DATABASES)
October 1, 2007... YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO FAR these days to hear about the library's role in social networking. Sites such as Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, and Second Life provide a personal, but virtual, library presence to link librarians and library patrons. ...

Great work, genuine problems: they love those library jobs, but those jobs could be much better.(LJ SERIES: JOB SATISFACTION)(Report)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] So much for the disgruntled library worker. A whopping 85.6 percent of the 3,095 library staffers who responded to LJ's Job Satisfaction Survey said they would choose a career in librarianship again if they had to...

Telling it well.(First Novelist Fall 2007))(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Everybody has a story to tell, but not everybody can tell it well, which it why some first novels jump to the best sellers lists and others fade away. This year's crop of successful first novelists come from all walks of life--there's...

Forthcoming debuts.(FIRST NOVELIST FALL 2007)(Bibliography)
October 1, 2007... NORTHEAST Jami Attenberg. The Kept Man. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Dec. New York Emily Benedek. Red Sea. St. Martin's. Sept. New York. (LJ 8/07) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Charles Bock. Beautiful Children. Random. Jan. New York...

Down with e-reserves: confusing, contentious, and vital, e-reserves fuel higher education--and an ongoing copyright battle.(electronic course reserves)
October 1, 2007... A little over a year ago, press releases from the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and Cornell University touted the release of new "jointly drafted" copyright guidelines to govern what has become a tense subject: the use of electronic...

It's all in your head.(Collection Development: Neuroscience)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Hardly a newscast airs today without some reference to the brain, whether in terms of brain health or more broadly in terms of how people think and why they act the way they do. Just this past summer, for example, a...

The entry-level gap, revisited.(BACKTALK)
October 1, 2007... IT WAS GOOD TO SEE A RESPONSE to our article, "The Entry-Level Gap" (LJ 5/1/05), appear in the September 1 issue of LJ. Authors David Conners and Laena McCarthy certainly do their part to move the dialog about the library job-market situation...

Prepub alert.(pre-publication fiction and nonfiction books on various topics)(Bibliography)
October 1, 2007... Berenson, Alex. The Ghost War. Putnam. Feb. 2008. 352p. ISBN 978-0-399-15453-9. $24.95. CD: Penguin Audio. Having infiltrated an al-Qaeda cell in The Faithful Spy and single-handedly short-circuited a terrorist attack, CIA agent John Wells...

Mystery.(Book review)
October 1, 2007... TEAM WORK Classic mystery fiction is filled with great crime-solving duos and trios: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson; Nick and Nora Charles; Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin; and Perry Mason, Della Street, and Paul Drake. Contemporary crime fiction...

Prepub mystery.(pre-publication mystery books)(Bibliography)
October 1, 2007... Ault, Sandi. Wild Inferno: A WILD Mystery. Berkley Prime Crime. Feb. 2008. 304p. ISBN 978-0-425-21922-5. $23.95. Bureau of Land Management agent Jamaica Wild and her wolf, Mountain, investigate the whispered plea of a burning man on the...

Spiritual living.(Book review)
October 1, 2007... TOUGH TIMES This year has been a difficult one for believers--Jewish, Christian, Muslim, or otherwise--in the wake of such books as Christopher Hitchens' God Is Not Great: How Religions Poison Everything. The response is an almost frantic...

Q&A: Peter Gomes.(SPIRITUAL LIVING)(Interview)
October 1, 2007... Rev. Peter J. Gomes, longtime pastor of Harvard University's Memorial Church and a professor of Christian morals there, first came into the publishing limelight with his New York Times best-selling primer on the Bible, The Good Book: Reading...

Bennett, Ronan. Zugzwang.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Bennett, Ronan. Zugzwang. Bloomsbury, dist. by Holtzbrinck. Nov. 2007. c.288p, illus. ISBN 978-1-59691-253-3. $24.95. F Claiming a patch of Boris Akunin's literary territory, prerevolutionary Russia, British novelist Bennett (The...

Bock, Charles. Beautiful Children.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... * Bock, Charles. Beautiful Children. Random. Jan. 2008. c.432p. ISBN 978-1-4000-6650-6. $24.95. F With blunt and sometimes uncomfortable descriptions of abuse and squalor, this debut novel addresses the harrowing issue of this country's...

Caldwell, Joseph. The Pig Did it.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... * Caldwell, Joseph. The Pig Did it. Delphinium. Jan. 2008. c.195p. ISBN 978-1-8832-8529-6. $22.95. F An out-of-control pig starts the spirited plot rolling in this sixth novel from Caldwell. After several failed love affairs, Aaron McCloud...

Coetzee, J.M. Diary of a Bad Year.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Coetzee, J.M. Diary of a Bad Year. Viking. Jan. 2008. ISBN 978-0-670-01875-8. $24.95. F Senor C, an aging and ailing writer in Australia, has been asked by his publisher to contribute political essays to a book called Strong Opinions....

Collins, James. Beginner's Greek.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... * Collins, James. Beginner's Greek. Little, Brown. Jan. 2008. c.448p. ISBN 978-0-316-02155-5. $23.99. F Peter Russell, an up-and-coming financial trader, is a romantic at heart. As he boards a transcontinental flight to Los Angeles, he is...

Winter, Leon de. Hoffman's Hunger.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... de Winter, Leon. Hoffman's Hunger. Toby. Nov. 2007. c.310p, tr. from Dutch by Arnold Pomerans & Erica Pomerans. ISBN 978-1-59264-211-3. pap. $14.95. F This literary thriller, the first of prize-winning Dutch novelist de Winter's books to...

Dixon, Stephen. Meyer.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Dixon, Stephen. Meyer. Melville House. 2007. c.350p. ISBN 978-1-933633-30-5. pap. $16.95. F Life's two great challenges are how to live and how to die. At 68, author/professor Meyer Ostrower is obsessed with both, particularly as they...

Durcan, Liam. Garcia's Heart.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Durcan, Liam. Garcia's Heart. Thomas Dunne Bks: St, Martin's. Nov. 2007. c.304p. ISBN 978-0-312-36708-4. $23.95. F Following his 2004 short story collection, A Short Journey by Car, Durcan's outstanding debut novel walks a taut line between...

Edelman, Amy Holman. Manless in Montclair: How a Happily Married Woman Became a Widow Looking for Love in the Wilds of Suburbia.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Edelman, Amy Holman. Manless in Montclair: How a Happily Married Woman Became a Widow Looking for Love in the Wilds of Suburbia. Shaye Areheart: Harmony. Nov. 2007. c.288p. ISBN 978-0-307-23695-1. $22. F WJF seeks D/WJM: Must love kids....

Erdogan, Asli. The City in Crimson Cloak.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Erdogan, Asli. The City in Crimson Cloak. Soft Skull. Oct. 2007. c.176p, tr. from Turkish by Amy Spangler. ISBN 978-1-933368-74-0. pap. $14.95. F Physicist-turned-novelist Erdogan debuts in English with a meandering yet heartfelt work set...

Everett, Percival. The Water Cure.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Everett, Percival. The Water Cure. Graywolf. 2007. c.246p. ISBN 978-1-55597-476-3. $22. F As much about language as story, this experimental novel hangs on a thin thread of plot: when Ismael Kidder's 11-year-old daughter is brutally...

Follett, Ken. World without End.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... * Follett, Ken. World Without End. Dutton. Oct. 2007. c.992p. ISBN 978-0-525-95007-3.$35. F For nearly 18 years, Follett has been receiving pleas for a sequel to his most popular novel, The Pillars of the Earth. Finally, the wait is over....

Gerber, Merrill Joan. The Victory Gardens of Brooklyn.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Gerber, Merrill Joan. The Victory Gardens of Brooklyn. Syracuse Univ. (Library of Modern Jewish Literature).Nov. 2007. c.406p. ISBN 978-0-8156-0892-9. $24.95. F A prequel to Gerber's award-winning The Kingdom of Brooklyn (1992), this work...

Gloss, Molly. The Hearts of Horses.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... * Gloss, Molly. The Hearts of Horses. Houghton. Nov. 2007. c.304p. ISBN 978-0-618-79990-9. $24. F Martha Lessen is a young woman on the run, taking with her the three horses she loves. It is 1917. Looking for work in the dry-grass country...

Herin, Miriam. Absolution.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Herin, Miriam. Absolution. Novello Festival, dist. by John F. Blair. Oct. 2007. c.320p. ISBN 978-0-9760963-9-9. $22.95. F Part murder mystery, part legal thriller, part reflection on the Vietnam War in light of current wars, this novel...

A book bag full of treats: Santa's coming to town with 17 holiday reads.(17 christmas and mystery fiction books)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Once again, our favorite authors have brought out a cornucopia of holiday delights. From new Christmas entries in several favorite series to a debut or two, there is something here for everyone's reading pleasure. Fans of urban street lit made...

Hill, Lawrence. Someone Knows My Name.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Hill, Lawrence. Someone Knows My Name. Norton. Nov. 2007. c.512p. ISBN 978-0-393-06578-7. $24.95. F Around 1745, young Aminata Diallo is abducted from her West African home and sold into slavery in South Carolina. An observant and highly...

Hunt, Samantha. The Invention of Everything Else.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Hunt, Samantha. The Invention of Everything Else. Houghton. 2007. c.272p. ISBN 978-0-618-80112-1. $24. F Hunt (The Seas) delivers a breathtaking novel that is both difficult to classify and impossible to ignore. The year is 1943, and famed...

Ireland, Perrin. Chatter.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Ireland, Perrin. Chatter. Algonquin. Oct. 2007. c.256p. ISBN 978-1-56512-540-7. $23.95. F Having been married for 18 years, Bostonians Sarah and Michael have learned to adapt to each others' imperfections--namely, Sarah's persistent...

Kaufman, Millard. Bowl of Cherries.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Kaufman, Millard. Bowl of Cherries. McSweeney's. Oct. 2007. c.336p. ISBN 978-1-932416-83-1. $22. F Kaufman, cocreator of Mr. Magoo and two-time Oscar-nominated screenwriter for Take the High Ground! (1954) and Bad Day at Black Rock (1956)...

Kruger, Michael. The Executor: A Comedy of Letters.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Kruger, Michael. The Executor: A Comedy of Letters. Harcourt. Feb. 2008. c.192p, tr. from German by John Hargraves. ISBN 978-0-15-101268-8. $23. F This novel is comparable to Imre Kertesz's Liquidation as well as several of Kruger's...

Card, Orson Scott. A War of Gifts: An Ender Story.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Card, Orson Scott. A War of Gifts: An Ender Story. Tor. Nov. 2007. 128p. ISBN 978-0-7653-1282-2. $12.95 SF Can you celebrate Christmas and battle aliens at the same time? The author of the best-selling Ender series answers the question in...

Christmas Stories.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Christmas Stories. Knopf. (Everyman's Pocket Classics). Nov. 2007. 400p. ed. by Diana Secker Tesdell. ISBN 978-0-30726717-7. $15. F This anthology gathers short Christmas fiction by such masters as Nikolay Gogol ("The Night Before...

Michaels, Fern & others. Comfort and Joy.(BRIEFLY NOTED)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Michaels, Fern & others. Comfort and Joy. Zebra: Kensington. Nov. 2007. 470p. ISBN 978-0-8217-8048-0. pap. $7.99. F This collection features holiday contributions from popular authors in women's fiction: Michaels, Marie Bostwick, Cathy...

Lee, Carol Ann. The Winter of the World.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Lee, Carol Ann. The Winter of the World. Perennial: HarperCollins. Oct. 2007. c.336p. ISBN 978-0-06-123881-9. pap. $13.95. F A London-bound funeral train passing through the rain-soaked English countryside is quietly observed by throngs of...

Maloy, Kate. Every Last Cuckoo.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Maloy, Kate. Every Last Cuckoo. Algonquin. Jan. 2008. c.288p. ISBN 978-1-56512-541-4. $22.95. F This lovely tale depicts the surprises and changes that come about with aging. Upon the unexpected death of her husband, Sarah finds strength...

Nagai Kafu. Rivalry: A Geisha's Tale.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Nagai Kafu. Rivalry: A Geisha's Tale. Columbia Univ. Oct. 2007. c.176p. tr. from Japanese by Stephen Snyder. ISBN 978-0-231-14118-5. $24.95. F Nagai's Udekurabe, translated as Rivalry: A Geisha's Tale, may not be as famous in the West as...

Nemirovsky, Irene. Fire in the Blood.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... * Nemirovsky, Irene. Fire in the Blood. Knopf. Oct. 2007. c.160p, tr. from French by Sandra Smith. ISBN 978-0-307-26748-1. $22. F If you loved the author's Suite Francaise--and how could you not?--you'll likewise take to this recently...

Nussbaum, Jay. A Monk Jumped Over a Wall.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 1, 2007... Nussbaum, Jay. A Monk Jumped Over a Wall. Toby. Nov. 2007. c.356p. ISBN 978-1-59264-201-4. pap. $14.95. F We have an abundance of novels and memoirs about high-powered attorneys who find themselves questioning the life choices they've...