NaNoWriMo 2015

If the calendar says it’s November, then it’s time for NaNoWriMo! We’re encouraging all you would-be writers and procrastinators to write 50,000 words in 30 days (it can be done!). And, this month, Twin Falls Public Library is offering three events to help keep you working toward your goal.

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First, join us for KICKOFF – Monday, November 2 – 7 PM

• NaNo pro Seve Isaacs of Canyon Ridge High School will be on hand to give us details about NaNo and start our brainstorming.

Then, drop by for the WRITE-IN – Tuesday, November 17 – 6:30-8:30 PM

• We’ll have snacks (and caffeine!) to keep up your energy, as well as tips and tricks to keep up your motivation.

Finally, we invite you to the TGIO! party – Tuesday, December 1 – 7 PM

• Thank Goodness It’s Over! Come share your favorite passage, your experience, or even your excuses!

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For more information, check out the official NaNoWriMo website, or contact the Reference Desk (733-2964 ext. 200 or email). Your novel can’t be a Best Seller until it’s finished!

The Way Back Machine – Best Sellers 1986

Lace up your Air Jordans and get ready to go back to 1986. Like most years, there was:

• the good – NY Mets win the World Series!
• the bad – the Space Shuttle Challenger explodes after takeoff
• and the ugly – the Iran-Contra Affair comes to light

You might also remember the year for its pop culture standouts, such as Top Gun, The Legend of Zelda, and Rock Me Amadeus. (Now you’ll have that song playing in your head for awhile, won’t you?)  As far as books go, take a look at the following, all of which made the New York Times Best Seller list for the week of October 19, 1986. Rad!

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FICTION

1. It by Stephen King

2. Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy

3. Hollywood Husbands by Jackie Collins

4. Wanderlust by Danielle Steel

5. The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy

6. Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen

7. Roger’s Version by John Updike

8. The Beet Queen by Louise Erdrich

9. The Golden Cup by Belva Plain

10. A Matter of Honor by Jeffrey Archer

11. Last of the Breed by Louis L’Amour

12. Foundation and Earth by Isaac Asimov

13. Regrets Only by Sally Quinn

14. The Good Mother by Sue Miller

15. The Wild Blue by Walter J. Boyne and Steven L. Thompson

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NONFICTION

1. His Way by Kitty Kelley

2. Fatherhood by Bill Cosby

3. Mayflower Madam by Sydney Biddle Barrows with William Novak

4. You’re Only Old Once! by Dr. Seuss

5. McMahon! by Jim McMahon with Bob Verdi

6. The Story of English by Robert McCrum, William Cran and Robert MacNeil

7. Snake by Ken Stabler and Berry Stainback

8. One Knee Equals Two Feet by John Madden with Dave Anderson

9. Necessary Losses by Judith Viorst

10. James Herriot’s Dog Stories by James Herriot

11. I, Tina by Tina Turner with Kurt Loder

12. Eisenhower at War, 1943-1945 by David Eisenhower

13. Star Woman by Lynn V. Andrews

14. The Reckoning by David Halberstam

15. My Daddy Was a Pistol and I’m a Son of a Gun by Lewis Grizzard

Take Ten: Rodents

October just happens to be “Squirrel Awareness Month” – we’re not kidding – so we thought we’d look to see how often those critters show up in our everyday life (just not in the kitchen, hopefully!). And though most books about rodents are geared toward kids, we adults can’t seem to escape them altogether. Here are a few works that feature a creature in their titles; if not inside the book as well – eek!

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Cat and Mouse – Harold Coyle

• Frustrated that his unit is pursuing a goal that has nothing to do with their mission, soldier Nathan Dixon encounters political resistance while working to undermine a terrorist who would unite various Islamic factions in order to maximize American casualties.

The Gerbil Farmer’s Daughter – Holly Robinson

• The author describes her father’s lifelong ambition to breed the perfect gerbil and their life on a hundred-acre farm with a variety of animals and over nine thousand gerbils.

Man with a Squirrel – Nicholas Kilmer

• In Boston, art dealer and sleuth Fred Taylor comes upon a fragment of canvas recently cut from an 18th Century painting and depicting a squirrel on a chain. As Taylor seeks the rest of the painting–thought to be the work of an important painter–he comes across a con artist and a murder.

Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck

• The tragic story of two itinerant ranch hands on the run–one is the lifelong companion to the other, a developmentally disabled man.

The Mouse-Proof Kitchen – Saira Shah

• Preparing to start over in idyllic Provence, France, after learning she is pregnant, Anna and her easygoing musician partner, Tobias, embark on an unexpected journey of the heart when their daughter is born with severe disabilities, a situation that is further complicated by a rickety home, eccentric neighbors and frequent trips to the hospital.

Rat Race – Dick Francis

• Assigned to fly four racing buffs to the track, pilot Matt Shore is forced to make an emergency landing, and he soon finds out that the mob has been tampering with the horse-racing industry.

Rats, Bats, and Vats – Dave Freer

• Trapped behind enemy lines with a group of enhanced rats and bats, Chip must rescue a damsel in distress, confront the unpleasant personalities of his rodent companions, and fend off an alien attack.

Shopping for Porcupine: A Life in Arctic Alaska – Seth Kantner

• The author presents a series of essays that traces his childhood in a sod igloo in Alaska, work as trapper and fisherman, and perspectives on the rapidly disappearing community of his youth.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary– David Sedaris

• An original collection of humorous fables features animals with unmistakably human failings, including a cynical cat struggling to sit through his prison-mandated AA meetings, and a pair of lovers separated by prejudiced family members.

Vale of the Vole – Piers Anthony

• Esk, the young ogre-nymph-human, recruits a band of bizarre creatures from the treacherous depths of Xanth to help him save a lush river valley and its peaceful inhabitants from demon hordes.

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Plus 2:

The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment – A.J. Jacobs

• A book of essays on all of A.J.’s hilarious adventures as a human guinea pig, including “My Outsourced Life” and “The Truth About Nakedness.”

Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City’s Most Unwanted Inhabitants – Robert Sullivan

• The author dispenses rat facts and rat stories, looking into the history of rats, and describes how, with the aid of a notebook and night-vision gear, he sat nightly in a garbage-filled alley getting to know the wild city rat.

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Annotations are courtesy of NoveList Plus. Use your TFPL card to login to NoveList Plus for more great book information, including reviews, series, and suggestions.

Great Online Resource: IndieFlix

Maybe you’re a film snob and live to eschew movies with mass popular appeal. Maybe you’re a budding documentarian looking for ideas. Or, maybe you’re just a movie addict and you’re running out of stuff.

If any of these scenarios fit (or even if they don’t, but they make you curious), you are going to love TFPL’s new datatbase: IndieFlix!

Through IndieFlix we now offer access to streaming independent films, short films, documentaries, and much more. Click on the graphic and create a new account. Then, find something that intrigues you and watch on your computer, your smartphone, your tablet, and even your TV – with Roku or Xbox. Give us a call (733-2964 ext 200) or stop in if you have questions.

Have fun fueling your (indie) film addiction!