The Patriot Spot

Here is a list of new additions to the Bestsellers Collection. Remember you can browse the bestsellers in the reading area of the library’s second floor.

Fiction titles:

• Christopher Bohjalian has published his 12th novel: Skeletons at the Feast. This time, he is writing about German refugees during World War II fleeing West as the Russian army advances on them. Marvin Minkler of The North Star Daily writes about this book, “Chris Bohjalian has written his finest novel to date, set against the brutal, waning days of World War Two in Eastern Germany….Skeletons at the Feast is Bohjalian’s masterpiece. The power of the narrative will stay with the reader long after it is put down. Inspired by an actual World War II diary the author read, it will stand as one of the best novels ever written about one of the most brutal periods in history.” The book’s call number is PS 3552 .O495 S58 2008.
• Dean R. Koontz is back with Odd Hours. The New York Times said of the book: “The nice young fry cook with the occult powers is Koontz’s most likable creation.” This book has the call number PS 3561 .O55 O3 2008.
• If you are in the mood for a love story, Jude Deveraux offers Secrets: A Novel. Cassandra Madden becomes the nanny for widower Jefferson Ames. Things become chaotic when shots ring out of Althea Fairmont’s house, the actress. What are the secrets keeping Cassandra and Jeff apart? Find out in this book with the call number PS 3554 .E9273 S43 2008. This is what Booklist had to say about the book: “Deveraux gives her fans a sweet love story filled with twists and turns as her heroine changes from victim to a woman in charge of her own destiny.”
• Maybe you feel like some short fiction. How about some short fiction with cops and criminals? Michael Connelly edits Mystery Writers of America Presents The Blue Religion: New Stories about Cops, Criminals and the Chase. This anthology features 19 new tales by various writers in settings from Hawaii to L.A. to the Civil War to the present day. Call number for this book is PS 648 .D4 M97 2008.
• If you want a global thriller, David Baldacci’s The Whole Truth may be what you seek. Nicolas Creel is the head of the Ares Corporation, the world’s biggest defense contractor. Dick Pender is the man in charge of managing Ares Corporation’s image. And that is just for openers. The book is listed under call number PS 3552 .A446 W48 2008.
• Jeffrey Archer pays homage to The Count of Montecristo in his new novel A Prisoner of Birth. Four high class friends decide to frame Danny Cartwright, a poor and illiterate fellow, for a murder he did not commit. Danny gets a 22 year sentence, but with some help he manages to escape to get his revenge. Time Magazine has praised Archer as “a master entertainer.” Find this book under call number PR 6051 .R285 P66 2008.
• Jodi Picault brings us Change of Heart: A Novel. When a convicted murderer wishes to donate his heart, it creates complications for the execution. Add to this that the person needing the organ donation is the sister of the victim he killed eleven years ago. Call number for this book is PS 3566 .I372 C47 2008.

Nonfiction Titles:

• Renowned author Kenneth C. Davis takes us on a new tour of American history in America’s Hidden History: untold tales of the first pilgrims, fighting women, and forgotten founders who shaped a nation. Did you know the story of the first real Pilgrims in America, who were wine-making French Huguenots, not dour English Separatists? Read about it here. Find Davis’s book under call number E 178 .D26 2008.
• Learn about one of the most famous movie companies of all time in The Pixar Touch: the making of a company by David A. Price. This is the company behind such hits as Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. Even Alvy Ray Smith, co-founder of Pixar, praises this book when he says, “It’s quite a story, and David Price has finally got it right, it’s details and the players. This is the definitive history of Pixar.” Find it under call number NC 1766 .U52 P75 2008.
• Bestselling science writer Mary Roach looks at the science behind sex in Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex. Roach, author of books like Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers has been called “the funniest science writer in the country” by Burkhard Bilger of The New Yorker. Find Bonk under call number QP 251 .R568 2008.
• Arthur Herman writes about two of the greatest men of the 20th century and their rivalry, a rivalry that led to the end of an Empire and the birth of two new nations. Read all about it in Gandhi & Churchill : the epic rivalry that destroyed an empire and forged our age. According to The Wall Street Journal, “the rivalry between Winston Churchill and Mohandas Gandhi could hardly have been played for higher stakes. The future of British India hung upon the outcome of their 20-year struggle…. As one might expect from the author of To Rule the Waves, a fine history … Mr. Herman has researched Gandhi & Churchill meticulously and written it fluently.” Find this book under call number DA 47.9 .I4 H47 2008.
• Cokie Roberts, political commentator for ABC News, brings us the stories of American influential women in her new book Ladies of liberty : the women who shaped our nation. Find this book under call number E 176 .R65 2008.
• If you are a music fan, or you just want to read a biography, former Texas Monthly writer Joe Nick Patoski looks at the life of an American icon in Willie Nelson : an epic life. Library Journal’s review states that “Patoski infuses his biography of Willie Nelson with an encyclopedic knowledge of Texas history that deftly illuminates the depth of influence the land and people of Texas had in shaping Nelson.” This book’s call number is ML 420 .N4 P38 2008.
• Learn about the highest court in the land in The nine : inside the secret world of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin. The book surveys the court from the Reagan Presidency forward. Find it under call number KF 8748 .T66 2007.
• Finally, if you want a real life crime case that reads like a fictional thriller, then you may want to read Twisted triangle : a famous crime writer, a lesbian love affair, and the FBI husband’s violent revenge by Caitlin Rother. The book tells “the compelling true story of Margo Bennett, a married FBI agent whose jealous, vengeful husband, Gene Bennett, a former undercover FBI agent, kidnapped and attempted to murder her after she had a secret love affair with best-selling crime novelist Patricia Cornwell.” Pulitzer-winning journalist Marcus Stern praises it as follows: “Hitchcock wishes he’d dreamed it up. Capote wishes he’d written it.” Find this thriller under the call number HV 6250 .W65 R68 2008.

The Robert R. Muntz Library has acquired the following books by 2008 Texas Poet Laureate Larry D. Thomas. Mr. Thomas recently visited UT Tyler, where he was featured as the keynote speaker for the Annual Student Poetry Awards. The books are available to be checked out. Here are the titles and call numbers; their location is in the third floor stacks.

• The Woodlanders. PS 3620 .H63 W66 2002.
• Where the Skulls Speak Wind. PS 3620 .H63 W48 2004.
• Amazing Grace. PS 3620 .H63 A43 2001.

If you are looking for some poetry, and you are in the mood for poetry that evokes the greatness and beauty of Texas, then go check these books out.

On Tuesday, April 29, 2008, the UT Tyler Robert R. Muntz Library held its Annual Student Poetry Awards. This was the library’s capstone even for National Poetry Month. The event took place at Braithwaite Auditorium. The keynote was delivered by the 2008 Texas Poet Laureate Mr. Larry D. Thomas. Following a reception and book signing, the event drew students and members of the community for a night of poetry and performance. We had 34 entries this year in the contest. The winners of the contest this year were:

1. Jesse Florendo for “Japan Sketch #1.”
2. Conor Herterich for “”Epitaph.”
3. Paige Hayter for “Ode to the Gardenia.”
4. Carly Thompson for “The Need for a Story.”

• And honorable mention to Jesse Florendo for “Frankenstein’s Creature Finds Solace.”

Local poet and friend of the library Anne McCrady (link to her blog here) was one of the judges for the contest. She also gave the introduction for Larry Thomas during the event. McCrady described Mr. Thomas as an inspiration to her and other poets. She also added that Mr. Thomas’s poetry comes from the heart of a visual artist. In addition, McCrady observed that Mr. Thomas sees the job of poet laureate as a gift to the people of Texas.

After the introduction, Mr. Thomas went right on with the poetry. He talked about himself, his writing, and then delighted the audience with selections of his poetry. Mr. Thomas took the audience on a tour of Texas from West to East with poems like “Wind,” “Neches River,” “Out of the blue,” and “Apricots.” After the reading, Mr. Thomas took questions and comments from the audience.

Next came the award ceremony. As part of the ceremony, the winners were asked to read their pieces. They delighted the audience with their craft and diversity of themes and images in their verse. Winners received a trophy and a signed copy of Mr. Thomas’s new book.

The library would like to take this opportunity to thank The Friends of the Arts and the members of the Texas Poetry Society for their generosity in making this event possible. Our thanks as well to Joseph’s for providing the hors d’ouevres. In addition, I took some photos of the event, which interested readers can see over in my Flickr page here.

Welcome to another edition of Reference Book of the Week. We are featuring the Texas State Directory this week, which is a convenient tool to learn more about the structure of Texas government. The book is billed as “the comprehensive guide to the decision-makers in Texas government.” Started in 1935, the book is now in its 50th edition, which is the 2007 edition. It was initially published every other year, but it is now an annual publication. This almanac covers all branches and levels of Texas government. The book is arranged as follows:

• A state section: This is a guide to every branch of the Texas state government and its officials (elected and appointed). It covers the legislative, executive, and judicial branches as well as agencies, boards, and commissions.
• A county section: Get information and data from 254 Texas counties and their public officials. Information featured includes: name of the county, population, the county seat, an internet address if available, the mailing address of the county judge as well as phone numbers. There are also listings for various county officials. For example, get information about Smith County officials in the county section.
• A city section: This provides information on officials for incorporated cities in the state. For instance, get information on Tyler, Texas officials here. Note that the book states it covers “most” elected officials.
• A federal section: The book states that this section covers “the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of Texas’ Congressional delegation, federal law enforcement officials, and members of the federal judiciary in Texas” (559).
• A reference section: This features information on items of general interest such as the Capitol Press Corps, Democratic and Republican Party officials, and other pieces of information. For example, there is a diagram of the legislative process on page 607.

Basically, this is a book you would use to find out directory information about elected and appointed officials in the state of Texas. The book will also give you a sense of how the Texas state government is organized and who does what. The Texas State Directory, 2007 edition, is available in the library’s ready reference shelf (right behind the reference desk) under call number JK 4830 .T4 2007.

On Wednesday, April 23, 2008, the library held its annual Poetry Read-out. We read from 10:00am to 2:00pm in the library’s reading area. This was part of the library’s programs celebrating National Poetry Month during April. We had a good number of readers who came to the library to share their favorite pieces of poetry with the audience. We came together to celebrate the beauty of language and the art of verse. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the participants for sharing their verses and the audience for their support.

Some of the highlights:

• Anne McCrady and Cheryl Cooper had a pretty lively conversation about poetry. They went back and forth, and they both read poetry. Cheryl chose selections by Billy Collins. Anne read from her own works.
• Our head men’s soccer coach, Kenny Jones, read as well. He picked his poems on the spot from the selection of books we provided. From Robert Frost to “Casey at the Bat,” he delighted our audience.
• We heard poetry in Old English when Dr. Victor Scherb gave us a history of the English language in 15 minutes through his selections.

I took some photos of the event, which interested folks can find in my Flickr account. I included brief descriptions with the photos. Here is the direct link.

We hope to see you all for next year’s poetry read-out. Happy reading!

The following books have been added to the Bestsellers Collection. Remember that you can come by and find some recreational reading in our Bestsellers Collection. The collection is located in the second floor in the reading area of the library.

If you are in the mood for some nonfiction:

• Steven Coll looks at a family with a story that in many ways is very similar to many American stories of immigrants and success in his book The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century. Mohamed Bin Laden is revered in Saudi Arabia as a great entrepreneur, a man who went from being a humble bricklayer to founder of his own company. In the West, he is better known as the father of Osama bin Laden. This is the story of the Bin Laden family and their fortunes. Call number for this book is CS 1129 .B552 2008.
• Daoud Hari, called David by his friends, is a translator who takes journalists into the dangerous zones in Darfur. Given that Sudan has outlawed journalists in Darfur, he constantly risks his life along with the journalists who travel there to report on the genocides. And then he was captured. Read his memoir The Translator: A Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur. The call number is DT 159.6 .D27 H38.
• The time period between the end of World War II and the mid-1950s was the golden time for comic books, which were the most popular form of entertainment at the time. Unfortunately, comics attracted the attention of certain guardians of order and decency such as church groups and McCarthyist politicians. One of the companies that suffered from the crackdowns was EC Comics, owned by Bill Gaines. However, Gaine’s legacy lives in places like Mad magazine. In many ways, the censorship battles with comic books foreshadowed later battles with rock and roll music. Read about the great comic book scare in David Hajdu’s The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America. Amazon reviewer Anne Bartholomew says, “The rise of comics as a mode of expression, an outlet for entertainment, and, rather tragi-comically, as a target for censorship, couldn’t be more compelling in anyone else’s hands. In deft narrative strokes Hajdu creates a colorful, character-driven story of our first real–and lasting–counterculture (if the burgeoning popularity of graphic novels is any indication) and shows why we embrace it still.” You can find Hajdu’s book under call number PN 6725 .H33 2008.
• Kurt Vonnegut, who recently passed away in 2007, is considered to be one of America’s greatest writers. Many have probably read Slaughterhouse-Five. Now we get a new collection of previously unpublished writings on war and peace by this great author in Armageddon in Retrospect. The book features 12 pieces in fiction and nonfiction, including Kurt Vonnegut’s last speech. His son, Mark Vonnegut, provides an introduction. Find this book under call number PS 3572 .O5 A6.
• Benazir Bhutto was the first woman to lead a Muslim state. She was Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996. In her quest for democracy, she returned to her native land in 2007. She was assassinated soon after. Madeleine Albright says of this book, “it is impossible to understand today’s world without knowing Pakistan; and impossible to understand Pakistan without reading this book. A courageous woman—tragically killed—speaks to us of reconciliation. We owe it to her—and to ourselves—to listen, comprehend, and act.” The book is Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy, and The West. Get it under call number DS 389.22 .B48 A3.
• The Kennedy assassination has been the subject of many books and conspiracies as well as conspiracy theories. However, here is one more conspiracy. Abraham Bolden was the first African American on the White House Secret Service detail. When he discovers that certain officials were withholding information from the Warren Commission and denounces it, he finds himself charged with conspiracy to sell government secrets and sentenced to prison. It becomes clear from narrative there was a conspiracy to silence him. Though it can read like a movie thriller, it is a real story. The book is The Echo From Dealey Plaza, and its call number is E 842.9 .B59 2008.

If you feel like reading some fiction, we have some new titles for you as well:

• Jennifer Weiner brings forth the sequel to her successful first novel Good in Bed (2001). The book is called Certain Girls, and it revisits Weiner’s character, the feisty Candace Cannie Shapiro. The story takes place 13 years later. Candace had written a steamy and sexual novel that was a success; the novel was a fictionalized account of Candace’s own life. Fast forward those 13 years. Candace now has a daughter, and she has been out of the spotlight for a while, writing science fiction under a pseudonym. All seems at peace until her daughter, now a teen getting ready for her bat mitzvah, finds the old novel and questions come to the surface. Certain Girls can be found under call number PS 3573 .E3935 C47.
• Mary Higgins Clark returns once again with another tale of suspense in Where Are You Now?, a tale that may seem reminiscent of many recent cases of missing college students. Charles MacKenzie, a senior at Columbia University, went missing ten years ago. He just walked out of his apartment without saying a word to anyone and vanished. What happened? The only hint is the fact that he does make one phone call every year: on Mother’s Day. All he says is that he is ok and then hangs up before his mother can ask any questions. When his sister decides to track him down no matter the cost, danger surfaces. Find this thriller under call number PS 3553 .L287 W53.
• Finally for now, we get a legal thriller. Linda Fairstein brings back Alex Cooper in her new novel Killer Heat. Cooper is working on trying a rapist that got off the hook ten years ago after a hung jury while trying to track down a serial killer. Library Journal praises this new book as “a scorcher of a crime novel —her hottest yet.” Find it under call number PS 3556 .A3654 K54.

We continue featuring reference books dealing with poetry as part of our National Poetry Month celebration. This week we feature the Longman Dictionary and Handbook of Poetry. This is a dictionary of terms, concepts, theories and techniques in poetry. So, what might you use this book for?

• You are discussing a poem in class, and the professor says it has internal rhyme? You want to know what that is? The dictionary will tell you that it is “a rhyme that occurs within a metrical line in order to create a musical or rhythmical effect. . . ” (145).
• You need an overview of Romanticism (pages 268-269).
• You need to tell the difference between a Petrarchan sonnet and a Shakesperean sonnet (see the entry for sonnet on pages 281-282).

This is one of those cool books that you can use to look up a term quickly and get an answer. The Longman Dictionary and Handbook of Poetry is available in the library’s reference collection. Its call number is PN 1021 .M94 1985.

Here are a few links which may be of interest for poetry reading during National Poetry Month. Remember that you can look up authors and titles of poetry books on our catalog, accessible via the library website.

• Public school teachers may be interested in some free activities and lesson plans from Scholastic here. Teachers: also note that the Academy of American Poets, which I linked above, also has some links of interest for teachers.
• The National Council of Teachers of English has a series of resources for teachers and other links related to National Poetry Month here.
• There is also a National Poet Laureate. You can learn about the program and find out about the laureates from the Library of Congress here.
• Where did the concept of poet laureate come from? Wikipedia has a nice overview here.
• Want to read some prize winning poetry? Here are some links:
  • Learn about the winners of the prestigious Bollingen Prize in Poetry, which is administered by Yale University.
  • There is a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Find a list of the poetry winners here in Wikipedia. Here is the official Pulitzer Prize site; however, it is not as easy to get a list from it.
  • The Claremont (California) Graduate School administers the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award and the Kate Tufts Discovery Award. Find a list of the winners here.
  • The National Book Foundation, which awards the prestigious National Book Award, includes poetry as one of their categories. Visit their website where you can browse through the award lists for reading ideas.
  • The National Book Critics Circle also has its own awards, and they include poetry as well. Find a list of current (2007) winners here and previous winners here.
  • The PEN Literary Awads also feature poetry categories. The 2008 awards will be announced on April 21st. You can learn about the award and find lists of winners here.

As part of the activities for National Poetry Month, we would like to invite our students, faculty, and staff to join us for the Annual Poetry Read-out at the Robert R. Muntz Library.

The Annual Poetry Read-out will take place this Wednesday, April 23rd 2008 from 9:00am to 5:00pm. You can call Joanne Buendtner at 903-566-7174 to sign up for a timeslot to read. It will take place in the library’s 2nd floor lounge area (the reading area). You can also just show up and read on the spot.

Forgot your poetry book? No problem. We will have poetry books on hand so you can select your favorite poems to read.

Want to read your own poetry? Rock on, go right ahead. Just remember that if you submitted one of your poems to our poetry contest, you cannot read that particular poem during the Read-out. Anything else is fine.

Don’t want to read? That’s cool too. Come join us and enjoy a nice day of poetry as you listen to our readers.

See y’all at the Read-out!

As part of the festivities for National Poetry Month, the UT Tyler Robert R. Muntz Library, in cooperation with the Poetry Society of Texas, would like to invite our students, faculty, staff, and friends to share in a special evening of recognition and entertainment. Please join us for the Annual University of Texas at Tyler Student Poetry Awards Ceremony. This year we are featuring as keynote speaker the 2007-2008 Texas Poet Laureate, Award-winning Poet Mr. Larry D. Thomas. The details are as follows:

The Place: Braithwaite Auditorium, UT Tyler.

The Date and Time: Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 at 7:00pm.

Note that there is a reception and book signing with the Texas Poet Laureate from 6:00pm to 6:45pm in the Braithwaite Lobby. Please call 903-566-7174 or 566-7161 for complimentary reservations.

The events are free and open to the public. The program is made possible in part by a grant from the UT Tyler Friends of the Arts.