Thursday, January 6, 2011

New books!

It's everyone's first week back from the winter break and it kind of shows. The shell-shock hasn't worn off of some staff members as they realize that yes, they need to be here, and yes, they have to do things that don't involve watching movies, reading a book, or hanging out with their friends.

Or maybe I'm the only one. It feels like I was just at the airport, waiting for my flight to Florida, and now I'm getting ready for another flight, this one to San Diego. Yup, I'm leaving tomorrow for the American Library Association's MidWinter Meeting, which ought to be both fun and interesting. It's a little different from the Annual Conference, which happens in June; that one has more programs and workshops, while this one has meetings and discussion groups. I'm looking forward to learning more about how ALA works and from other librarians about how they're doing things differently from -- and maybe better than -- how we do things.

Of course, the fact that it's in Southern California doesn't hurt. Nor does the fact that there will also be an exhibition hall, at which free books will be given out. I'm planning to pack light -- need some room for those books!

In the meantime, I thought I'd hold you all over until late next week with a listing of new books. We've begun ordering, and because of various reasons, have streamlined the process so things move a little more quickly, which means books are arriving on the shelves already!

American insurgents by T.H. Breen
Fascinating analysis of the American Revolution in terms of a grassroots revolution: it was quite literally an insurgency against the British Crown. This helps paint the Revolution in a different light, and makes it considerably more a product of daily life in the colonies -- and how that daily life was overturned by violence.

Dew breaker by Edwidge Danticat
The famed Haitian author comes back with the powerful story of a Haitian immigrant whose past is not what he told his daughter it was -- and how it comes back, little by little, in glances of recognition on the streets of a city far away and in stories told to children. As a hint, the term "dew breaker" refers to an agent of the government who comes early in the morning to arrest someone or burn down a house -- breaking the dew on the grass.

The half-made world by Felix Gilman
From the author of Gears of the City -- which I keep promising to review but keep failing, if only because it's so odd -- comes this new book. Gilman is sort of a steampunk/fantasy author who likes to build universes predicated on different principles than our own. In Gears, his world was based on a large machine that was found in the center of an ancient city; in this one, it's based on two peoples -- one whose power is supernatural, the other mechanical -- who have always been at war, and how that war finally comes to an end.

Lost to the West: The forgotten Byzantine Empire that rescued Western civilization by Lars Brownworth
It can be easy to think that the period between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance was a veritable eon of darkness for the planet. However, it's a big planet, and even Europe's neighborhood is pretty big. The Byzantine Empire was originally part of the Roman Empire, but persisted after the fall of the West. This book does a fantastic job of portraying the Byzantine Empire's gradual metamorphosis from a Christian dominion to a Muslim sultanate, and exactly how much the history of the West owes to this part of the world.

How to read a word by Elizabeth Knowles
Written by a lexicographer at the Oxford English Dictionary, this book is mostly about how to use a dictionary and understand what it tells you. It sounds boring, but if you're interested in language and how definitions work, this is a great read. It includes a number of fascinating stories on the origins of some words.

Bad Marie by Marcy Dermansky
First sentence of this book: "Sometimes, Marie got a little drunk at work." Given that she works as a live-in nanny, the title is probably true to the character. Marie's an ex-con, having served six years for harboring a fugitive ex-boyfriend, and has just gotten out of prison. She's caring for her best friend's daughter while she lives with the family -- but being Bad Marie, of course, things go relatively bad relatively quickly. Fueled by a steady diet of improbable coincidences, this is a pretty fun read.

That covers it for now. We've all ordered quite a few more already, and they should start arriving within the next few weeks, so keep an eye out!

I'll be back next week, most likely with lots of stuff to report.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Comments Policy

For specific questions regarding personal accounts, please do not post a public comment. The best way to get a response and maintain privacy is to e-mail library.help@gallaudet.edu or library.circdesk@gallaudet.edu with as much detail as possible.

All comments and suggestions may be anonymous and are moderated for clarity, brevity, and appropriateness. We reserve the right to post as is, decline to post, or edit. We will not post comments that contain obscenities or otherwise lack civility and respect for any persons, groups, or this university.