Library Journal articles from October 2008

Library Journal archives from October 2008

Serving in tough times: as library use jumps, we've got to get the word out to supporters.(Editorial)
October 15, 2008... IT IS SOMEWHAT IRONIC THAT AT THE SAME TIME that LJ reports in this issue continued gains in starting salaries for those who completed master's degrees in library and/or information science in 2007, the economy as a whole is going through the...

The toll of ALA's IRS muzzle: is it excessive caution or excessive cost?(blatant berry)(American Library Association and the Internal Revenue Service)(Editorial)
October 15, 2008... ONCE AGAIN, THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION (ALA) has been muzzled by the cautious warnings of its leaders regarding Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Under that law, ALA receives tax exemptions as a "charitable...

Another library drops Dewey.(front desk)(Frankfort Public Library District)(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... Inspired by the pioneering and not uncontroversial decision last year by Phoenix's Maricopa County Library District's Perry Branch to drop the Dewey Decimal System and draw on bookstore categories (see News, LJ 7/07, p. 14), the Frankfort...

The palin poll.(front desk)(Sarah Palin)(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... The Palin Poll Is Gov. Sarah Palin a threat to public libraries? Yes = 53.5% No = 46.5% Source: LibraryJournal.com, as of 9/29/08 For LJ's collection of Governor Palin links, go to LJPalin.notlong.com

The opposite of chick lit.(front desk)(Stephen King on 'manfiction')(Quotation)(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... "But, to misquote Mark Twain, reports of the male reader's death have been greatly exaggerated. Women have chick lit; guys have what my son Joe (as in Joe Hill) calls 'manfiction.' And publishers sell it by the ton." --Stephen King in...

On September 6, San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) launched its fourth annual One City One Book effort with something different--a "book mob," using blogs and local online arts calendars to alert people to form spontaneous "flash mobs.".(front desk)(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Caption: On September 6, San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) launched its fourth annual One City One Book effort with something different--a "book mob," using blogs and local online arts calendars to alert people...

Where consumers get audiobooks.(STAT WATCH)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... Where Consumers Get Audiobooks * 43% LIBRARY 27% BOOKSTORE 15% ONLINE RETAILER 9% ONLINE DOWNLOAD * Top four sources. Source: Audio Publishers Association Consumer Survey 2008 See more in Audio Sound Bites, p. 104.

ALA, libraries brace for cuts: ALA reduces revenue estimates; cities report pessimism for 2009 and beyond.(lj news)(American Library Association)
October 15, 2008... The economic downturn is taking its toll on library budgets and the American Library Association (ALA). Indeed, ALA has cut $600,000 from its budget and planned for lower conference revenue "to reflect the anticipated impact of higher air...

Director, others leave New Orleans.(lj news)(Donna Schremser of the New Orleans Public Library)(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... The September 18 resignation of New Orleans Public Library (NOPL) director Donna Schremser, shortly after her one-year evaluation by the library board, came in the wake of the departure of three top administrators and the foundation director...

Reps of small and rural libraries meet in Sacramento.(CONFERENCE REPORT)(Association for Rural & Small Libraries)
October 15, 2008... Maybe it was the shift to Sacramento, CA, after years in Columbus, OH. Maybe it was the deep engagement of the state library, including the tireless and inspired Carla Lehn. Maybe it was the new leadership inspired by the old, after the...

Hurricane Ike's effects in Texas: Galveston hurt the most, but other libraries closed after power outages.(lj news)
October 15, 2008... Numerous libraries were closed or damaged in Southeast Texas in the wake of Hurricane Ike September 13; some suffered water damage, while others had re-openings delayed by power outages. The Texas Library Association provided updates from...

Sacramento's director retires: Gold, despite controversy, says she had planned to leave at 60.(NEWS)(Anne Marie Gold of the Sacramento Public Library)(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... While the Sacramento Public Library (SPL), CA, in August rejected a grand jury report bashing the library and suggesting the dismissal of Director Anne Marie Gold (see News, LJ 9/1/08, p. 15ff.), the director announced her retirement as of...

REFORMA meets again, in El Paso.(CONFERENCE REPORT)(National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking)(Conference news)
October 15, 2008... REFORMA's long-awaited third National Conference (RNCIII), held September 19-21 at the El Paso Convention Center, TX, provided an opportunity for librarians around the country who serve the Hispanic community to meet, exchange tips, and learn...

IMLS: $18.2m to libraries, others.(NEWS)(Institute of Museum and Library Services )
October 15, 2008... The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has awarded national leadership grants totaling $18.2 million to libraries, library schools, museums, and other cultural institutions. The grants require a match. Public library grants...

EPA libraries finally reopen.(NEWS)(Environmental Protection Agency )(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... Five regional Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) libraries reopened September 30, two years after EPA officials began prematurely closing them in response to a proposed 80 percent funding cut by the Bush administration. Under orders from...

Marquette University.(people)(Ann Hanlon )(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... Ann Hanlon has been appointed Digital Projects Librarian at Marquette University, Milwaukee. She was Digital Collections Librarian at the University of Maryland Libraries, College Park.

Santa Clara County Library.(people)(Nancy Howe )(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... Nancy Howe has been named Deputy County Librarian for Santa Clara County Library, Los Gatos, CA. She most recently was Adult Services Manager at Santa Clara.

Grandview Heights Public Library.(people)(Mary Ludlum )(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... Mary Ludlum has been appointed Director of the Grandview Heights Public Library, Columbus, OH. She had been Assistant Director since 1987.

Cumberland County Public Library & Information Center.(people)(Brian Manning)(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... Brian Manning is the new Deputy Director of the Cumberland County Public Library & Information Center, Fayetteville, NC. He formerly was a Reference and Resource Librarian at the Spring Lake Branch.

Douglas Country Libraries.(people)(Pare Nissler)(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... Pare Nissler, Associate Director of Community Services at Douglas County Libraries, Castle Rock, CO, has retired. She devoted 38 years of service to libraries in South Metro Denver and Douglas County.

Maricopa County Library District.(people)(Frank Patterson )(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... Frank Patterson has been appointed Staff Development Supervisor for the Maricopa County Library District (MCLD), Phoenix. He most recently was an Adult Services Librarian at MCLD's North Valley Regional Library.

Rhode Island Department of Administration.(people)(Beth Perry )(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... Beth Perry has retired from the Office of Library and Information Services, Rhode Island Department of Administration. She was Chief of the Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped since 1988. From 2006 to 2007, she served as...

Chattahoochee Valley Regional Library System.(people)(Robin Shader )(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... Robin Shader is the new Chief of Public Services at the Chattahoochee Valley Regional Library System, Columbus, GA. She most recently served as Liberty County Coordinator for Live Oak Public Libraries, Savannah.

Garfield County Public Library District.(people)(Amy Shipley )(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... Amy Shipley has joined the staff of the Garfield County Public Library District, Rifle, CO, as Acquisitions Librarian. She formerly worked in technical services at Mesa State College, Grand Junction, CO.

Obituary.(people)(Sara Siebert)(Obituary)(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... Sara "Bunny" Siebert, who spent her entire career at the Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, has died at the age of 88. She joined Pratt in 1943 and retired as Young Adult Coordinator in 1977. She received the American Library Association's...

Director's Station for usage stats: SirsiDynix's newest software releases give librarians easy access to collection circulation and usage stats; streamlined ILL process.(infotech)
October 15, 2008... When it comes to defending a library's budget, the numbers speak for themselves. Now, with the release of Director's Station 4.8.1, SirsiDynix is putting the power of statistical reporting right into the hands of library directors and...

Tagging added to WorldCat.org.(infotech)(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... The OCLC WorldCat.org team has certainly been busy: in addition to working with Google to display embedded book content right from the catalog's web interface (see Google story, p. 22) and developing an iPhone-specific WorldCat web site,...

Google allows book embedding.(INFOTECH)(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... On September 22, Google made it possible to embed a preview of Book Search texts directly into any web site. Based on the same technology found on the Google Book Search (GBS) site itself, embedded book previews will immediately begin...

Lib2Home/alerts from Auto-Graphics.(INFOTECH)(AGent VERSO ILS: Lib2Home and Active Alerts)(Brief article)
October 15, 2008... Hoping to apply the efficiency of web technologies to solve some of the logistical problems of delivering materials directly to patrons at home, Auto-Graphics has recently announced two new features for its AGent VERSO ILS: Lib2Home and...

SwetsWise eSource manager.(INFOTECH)(SwetsWise Community)
October 15, 2008... In recent weeks, Netherlands-based subscriptions service SwetsWise has announced two new projects, one a product for navigating publisher licensing agreements, and the other a crowd-sourcing wiki endeavor to collect customer-driven feedback...

The transparent library: library PR 2.0.(INFOTECH)
October 15, 2008... THE RULES OF MARKETING HAVE changed. Do libraries know that? Corporate PR-types used to control the message. Sitting behind a desk, they'd write a carefully crafted press release and then send it off to newspapers and upload it to their...

You are here: using Google Maps to bring out your library's local collections.(INFOTECH FEATURE)
October 15, 2008... Librarians use online mapping services such as Google Maps, MapQuest, Yahoo Maps, and others to check traffic conditions, find local businesses, and provide directions. However, few libraries are using one of Google Maps most outstanding...

Jobs and pay both up: healthy outlook but more part-time positions and longer job searches.(PLACEMENTS & SALARIES 2008)
October 15, 2008... Despite a difficult economy and tightening budgets, both jobs and salaries rose for 2007 grads. Echoing the previous year's growth, reported annual salaries increased approximately 3.1%, from $41,014 in 2006 to $42,361. The picture was most...

Class of 2007: Dalena Hunter.
October 15, 2008... Since July 2007, Dalena E. Hunter has been librarian at the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She was promoted to that position just a month after she received her Master...

EBSCO's Tim Collins: Tim Collins, founder and still president of EBSCO Publishing, strategically focuses on the end user.(CORNER OFFICE)(Interview)
October 15, 2008... In the second installment of Corner Office, LJ interviews Tim Collins, president of EBSCO Publishing. Just out of college, he started Popular Magazine Review in 1984 with his stepfather. The tiny magazine abstracts company was snatched up in...

Finding the underserved: close examination using market segmentation can reveal useful surprises about the people your library is leaving behind.
October 15, 2008... The heart of the public library mission is to provide service to the entire community and serve the underserved. But how do you identify the people you are not reaching, where they live, and what they need? And what does it mean for your...

I loved that book!(NEXTGEN)
October 15, 2008... FORGIVE ME, DEAR READERS, FOR I have sinned. In my readers' advisory (RA) work, I have been known to use the other "L" word to describe certain books to library customers. For example, "I love Michael Chabon!" I found myself saying to a...

Prepub alert.(List)
October 15, 2008... FICTION Bass, Jefferson. Bones of Betrayal: A Body Farm Novel. Morrow. Feb. 2009. c.352p. ISBN 978-0-06-128474-8. $24,95. The elderly man whose body was yanked from a swimming pool and sent to the Body Farm obviously died of......

Romance.(Recommended readings)
October 15, 2008... YULETIDE JOY Romances have always been plentiful during the holiday season, and this year is no exception. From sizzling historical romps and sexy vampire tales to heart-melting stories of family and small-town "home for the holidays" yarns,...

Allen, Justin. The American.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Allen, Justin. The American. Overlook, dist. by Penguin Group (USA). Nov. 2008. c.320p. ISBN 978-1-59020-100-8. $19.95. F Fantasy author Allen (Slaves of the Shinar) has written a respectable if not overwhelming adventure in the...

Auchincloss, Louis. Last of the Old Guard.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Auchincloss, Louis. Last of the Old Guard. Houghton. Dec. 2008. c.192p. ISBN 978-0-547-15275-2. $24. F This understated novel recounts the partnership between Ernest Saunders and Adrian Suydam, who founded a New York City law firm in the...

Baker, Tiffany. The Little Giant of Aberdeen County.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... * Baker, Tiffany. The Little Giant of Aberdeen County. Grand Central. Jan. 2009. c.352p. ISBN 978-0-446-19420-4. $24.99. F Baker's brilliant debut is infused with vibrant language and quirky, original characters. Narrator Truly Plaice is...

Bostwick, Marie. A Single Thread.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Bostwick, Marie. A Single Thread. Kensington. Nov. 2006. c.286p. ISBN 976-0-7582-2257-2. pap. $14. F Bostwick succeeds admirably in this departure from historical fiction (e.g., On Wings of the Morning). When divorce forces Evelyn Dixon...

Chercover, Sean. Trigger City.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Chercover, Sean. Trigger City. Morrow. Oct. 2008. c.304p. ISBN 978-0-06-112669-1. $23.95. F If a crime thriller can be described as both gritty and laid-back, then Chercover would be the name on the cover. In this follow-up to Big City,...

Have yourself a merry read: savor the magic of the holidays with these 16 titles.(Recommended readings)
October 15, 2008... Visions of sugarplums dancing in your head? That means it's time for our fourth-annual roundup of holiday-themed fiction. This year brings several first-time holiday entries to long-standing mystery series, short stories, humor, and the...

Cussler, Clive & Dirk Cussler. Arctic Drift.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Cussler, Clive & Dirk Cussler. Arctic Drift. Putnam. Dec. 2008. c.528p. ISBN 978-0-399-15529-1. $27.95. F Dirk Pitt and his gang return in the Cussler family's latest. In a mystery reminiscent of the earlier Cussler title Black Wind,...

D'Erasmo, Stacey. The Sky Below.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... D'Erasmo, Stacey. The Sky Below. Houghton. Jan. 2009. c.320p. ISBN 978-0-618-43925-6. $24. F We first meet young Gabriel when his joys are few: playing make-believe with his older sister; creating art with his mother; building miniature...

Fairstein, Linda. Lethal Legacy.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Fairstein, Linda. Lethal Legacy. Doubleday. Jan. 2009. c.416p. ISBN 978-0-385-52399-8. $26. F Could the pursuit of a rare book or map be motivation to lie, steal, or commit murder? Assistant DA Alexandra Cooper and colleagues Mike...

Harding, Paul. Tinkers.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Harding, Paul. Tinkers. Bellevue Literary. Jan. 2009. c.192p. ISBN 978-1-934137-12-3. pap. $14.95. F George Washington Crosby has eight days to live. After this first line, the life of George and of his father, Howard, who left when...

Holland, Cecelia. The High City.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Holland, Cecelia. The High City. Forge: Tor. Jan. 2009. c.320p. ISBN 978-0-7653-0559-6. $25.95. F Continuing the saga begun in The Soul Thief, Corban Loosestrife's nephew Raef Corbansson has wandered far from his homeland in the North...

Humphreys, C.C. Absolute Honor.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Humphreys, C.C. Absolute Honor. Thomas Dunne Bks: St. Martin's. Nov. 2008. c.320p. ISBN 978-0-312-35824-2. $24.95. F In this third installment of Humphreys's 18th-century swashbuckling adventure (after Jack Absolute and The Blooding of...

Li Yiyun. The Vagrants.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Li Yiyun. The Vagrants. Random. Feb. 2009. c.352p. ISBN 978-1-4000-6313-0. $25. F Following her short story collection Thousand Years of Good Prayers (LJ 9/1/05), Li's debut novel interestingly details life in the town of Muddy River,...

McEvoy, Dermot. Our Lady of Greenwich Village.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... McEvoy, Dermot. Our Lady of Greenwich Village. Skyhorse, dist. by Norton. Oct. 2008. c.384p. ISBN 978-1-60239-351-6. $22.95. F Wolfe Tone O'Rourke, a hard-drinking, Dublin-born, and Greenwich Village--bred 53-year-old bachelor, makes...

McFadyen, Cody. The Darker Side.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... McFadyen, Cody. The Darker Side. Bantam. Oct. 2008. c.368p. ISBN 978-0-553-80694-6. $24. F After a prominent senator's daughter is found dead on a plane, FBI special agent Smoky Barrett and her team are called in to investigate. Soon,...

Maguire, Gregory. A Lion Among Men.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Maguire, Gregory. A Lion Among Men. Morrow. (Wicked Years, Vol. 3). Oct. 2008. c.336p. ISBN 978-0-06-054892-6. $26.95. F Elphaba is dead; the Wizard and Dorothy are gone; the Witch's assumed progeny, Liir, is missing and so is the most...

Meyer, Philipp. American Rust.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Meyer, Philipp. American Rust. Spiegel & Grau. Feb. 2009. c.368p. ISBN 978-0-385-52751-4. $24.95. F The dying steel towns of southwestern Pennsylvania are the somber canvas upon which Meyer paints this tale of class, crime, and...

Morrison, Toni. A Mercy.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Morrison, Toni. A Mercy. Knopf. Nov. 2008. c.176p. ISBN 978-0-307-26423-7. $23.95. F In 1690, Anglo-Dutch trader Jacob Vaark sets off from New Amsterdam to collect a debt from a landowner in Maryland. Arriving at the plantation, Vaark...

Mosley, Walter. The Right Mistake: The Further Philosophical Investigations of Socrates Fortlow.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Mosley, Walter. The Right Mistake: The Further Philosophical Investigations of Socrates Fortlow. Basic Bks: Perseus. Oct. 2008. c.280p. ISBN 978-0-465-00525-3. $23. F Socrates Fortlow returns in his third adventure (after Always...

Peffer, Randall. Southern Seahawk: A Novel of the Civil War at Sea.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Peffer, Randall. Southern Seahawk: A Novel of the Civil War at Sea. Bleak House: Big Earth. Jan. 2009. c.320p. ISBN 978-1-60648-012-0. $24.95; pap. ISBN 978-1-60648-0137. $14.95. F This first entry in mystery author Peffer's (Provincetown...

Rakoff, Joanna Smith. A Fortunate Age.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Rakoff, Joanna Smith. A Fortunate Age. Scribner. 2008. c.416p. ISBN 978-1-4165-9077-4. $26. F Rakoff's first novel is unabashedly influenced by Mary McCarthy's The Group, and though it doesn't reach those heights, it's an entertaining,...

Scheinmann, Danny. Random Acts of Heroic Love.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Scheinmann, Danny. Random Acts of Heroic Love. Thomas Dunne Bks: St. Martin's. Jan. 2009. c.400p. ISBN 978-0-312-53833-0. $24.95. F This British first novel tells two tales, which converge at the end. In Ecuador, a young man named Leo...

Stanger-Ross, Ilana. Sima's Undergarments for Women.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Stanger-Ross, Ilana. Sima's Undergarments for Women. Overlook, dist. by Penguin Group (USA). Feb. 2009. c.320p. ISBN 978-1-59020-089-6. $24.95. F Sima Goldberg, owner of a bra shop in Brooklyn, NY, is the kind of woman whom other women...

Egan, Greg. Incandescence.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Egan, Greg. Incandescence. Night Shade. Oct. 2008. c.256p. ISBN 978-1-59780-128-7. $24.95. SF Though the many races of the Amalgam are spread throughout the galaxy, one place they do not visit lies at the brilliantly hot galactic center,...

Flint, Eric & Dave Freer. Slow Train to Arcturus.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Flint, Eric & Dave Freer. Slow Train to Arcturus. Baen, dist. by S. & S. Oct. 2008. c.320p. ISBN 978-1-4165-5585-8. $24. SF When an exploratory team from the planet Miran rendezvousing with an enormous alien starship is attacked by the...

Gaslight Grimoire: Fantastic Tales of Sherlock Holmes.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Gaslight Grimoire: Fantastic Tales of Sherlock Holmes. Edge. Oct. 2008. c.336p. ed. by J.R. Campbell & Charles Prepolec. illus. ISBN 978-1-894063-17-3. pap. $16.95. FANTASY A young boy goes missing and Sherlock Holmes must seek him in the...

Hoyt, Sarah A. Gentleman Takes a Chance.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Hoyt, Sarah A. Gentleman Takes a Chance. Baen, dist. by S. & S. Oct. 2008. c.336p. ISBN 978-1-4165-5593-3. $23. FANTASY Kyrie Smith, a panther shifter who works as a human at an all-night diner that caters to the population of...

Lackey, Mercedes. Foundation.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... * Lackey, Mercedes. Foundation. DAW, dist. by Penguin Group (USA). (Collegium Chronicles, Bk. 1). Oct. 2008. c.352p. ISBN 978-0-7564-0524-3. $25.95. FANTASY For as long as he could remember, Mags had labored, along with other children,...

Marillier, Juliet. Heir to Sevenwaters.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Marillier, Juliet. Heir to Sevenwaters. ROC: NAL: Penguin Group (USA). Nov. 2008. c.416p. ISBN 978-0-451-46233-6. $23.95. FANTASY As Chieftain of Sevenwaters, Lord Sean cares for one of the last havens of the ancient Fair Folk. When his...

Norton, Andre & Sasha Miller. The Knight of the Red Beard.(Young adult review)(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Norton, Andre & Sasha Miller. The Knight of the Red Beard. Tor. (Cycle of Oak, Yew, Ash, & Rowan, Vol. 5). Oct. 2008. c.368p. ISBN 978-0-7653-0748-4. $25.95. FANTASY Though Ashen and Gaurin rule the NordonLand with fairness and justice,...

Rosetti, Denise. The Flame and the Shadow.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Rosetti, Denise. The Flame and the Shadow. Ace: Berkley, dist. by Penguin Group (USA). Nov. 2008. c.384p. ISBN 9780-441-01634-1. pap. $14. FANTASY Grayson of Concordia, better known as the Duke of Ombra for his sorcerous power over...

Sagara, Michelle. Cast in Fury.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Sagara, Michelle. Cast in Fury. Luna: Harlequin. (Chronicles of Elantra, Vol. 4). Oct. 2008. c.496p. ISBN 978-0-373-80269-2. pap. $14.95. FANTASY As a member of the Hawks, sworn to defend the city of Elantra, Private Kaylin Neva has...

Sanderson, Brandon. The Hero of Ages.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Sanderson, Brandon. The Hero of Ages. Tor. (Mistborn, Bk. 3). Oct. 2008. c.578p. ISBN 978-0-7653-1689-9. $27.95. FANTASY The sorcerer Vin, along with the Emperor Eland Venture, has ended the tyranny of the Final Empire but not without...

Shinn, Sharon. Fortune and Fate: A Novel of the Twelve Houses.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Shinn, Sharon. Fortune and Fate: A Novel of the Twelve Houses. Ace: Berkley, dist. by Penguin Group (USA). Nov. 2008. c.416p. ISBN 978-0-441-01636-5. $24.95. FANTASY Failed King's Rider Wen embarks on a personal quest seeking redemption...

Skyy, Sienna. American Quest.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Skyy, Sienna. American Quest. Story Plant, dist. by Perseus. 2008. c.330p. ISBN 978-0-9816087-0-9. $24.95. FANTASY When Gloria is possessed by Enervata, a dark demonic spirit, her fiance, Bruce, joins with his best friend, who holds his...

Swanwick, Michael. The Best of Michael Swanwick.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... * Swanwick, Michael. The Best of Michael Swanwick. Subterranean. Oct. 2008. c.464p. ISBN 978-1-59608-178-1. $38. FANTASY In one of Swanwick's earliest published short stories, a junior trade representative from Africa visits the United...

The Year's Best Fantasy & Horror 2008: Twenty-First Annual Collection.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 2008: Twenty-First Annual Collection. Griffin: St. Martin's. Oct. 2008. c.608p, ed. by Ellen Datlow & others. ISBN 978-0-312-380472. $35; pap. ISBN 978-0-312-38048-9. $21.95. FANTASY From Daniel...

The Living Dead. Night Shade.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... * The Living Dead. Night Shade. 2008. c.350p. ed. by John Joseph Adams. ISBN 978-1-59780-143-0. pap. $15.95. HORROR The shambling animated corpses of George Romero's films have lurched into the bookstores in droves in recent months,...

Masterton, Graham. House of Bones.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Masterton, Graham. House of Bones. Severn House. Nov. 2008. 236p. ISBN 978-0-72786668-4. $27.95. HORROR Masterton, the prolific author of over 70 books, has written yet another satisfying work of horror structured as a traditional...

Parker, K.J. The Company.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Parker, K.J. The Company. Orbit: Hachette. Oct. 2008. c.432p. ISBN 978-0-316-038539. $24.99. FANTASY The war is long over when Gen. Teuche Kunessin finally returns to his homeland of Faralia, but he's not there to stay. Five surviving...

Yehoshua, A.B. Friendly Fire.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... * Yehoshua, A.B. Friendly Fire. Harcourt. Nov. 2008. c.400p, tr. from Hebrew by Stuart Schoffman. ISBN 978-0-15-101419-4. $26. F Premier Israeli novelist Yehoshua (The Liberated Bride) once again scores by portraying a family scenario...

Barbieri, Maggie. Quick Study: A Murder 101 Mystery.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Barbieri, Maggie. Quick Study: A Murder 101 Mystery. Minotaur: St. Martin's. Dec. 2008. c.304p. ISBN 978-0-312-37675-8. $24.95. M English professor Alison Bergeron (Murder 101, Extracurricular Activities) is a trouble magnet. Her...

Billingham, Mark. In the Dark.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Billingham, Mark. In the Dark. Harper: HarperCollins. Oct. 2008. c.384p. ISBN 978-0-06-143273-6. $25.95. M Billingham's (Death Message; Buried) first stand-alone thriller is aptly titled, as both readers and characters are in the dark...

Ducornet, Rikki. The One Marvelous Thing.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... Ducornet, Rikki. The One Marvelous Thing. Dalkey Archive. Nov. 2008. c.164p. illus. ISBN 978-1-56478-519-0. pap. $13.95. M Ducornet, an acclaimed novelist and poet, was recently awarded an Academy Award in Literature from the American...

James, P.D. The Private Patient: An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery.(Brief article)(Book review)
October 15, 2008... James, P.D. The Private Patient: An Adam Dalgliesh Mystery. Knopf. Nov. 2008. c.368p. ISBN 978-0-307-27077-1. $25.95. M A new P.D. James novel feels as if a complex and lovely gift has been bestowed upon the reader. With this 14th novel...