Staff Picks

To understand Stieg's work, I said, one had to know who he really was.--pg. 185

I picked up this book yearning to learn more about the author who died before his novel legacy was even published. That fact in itself intrigued me; I just really wanted to learn more about Stieg Larsson's life from an unbiased source. With this relatively short biography, you get the straight facts--no beating around the bush, just the candid and honest facts--from the one constant presence in his life: Eva Gabrielsson.

For thirty-two years, Eva Gabrielsson was Stieg's life partner--no, they never married, though not for lack of trying. Job circumstances, politics, and then Stieg's untimely death prevented them from ever making their relationship formal and legal. Because they were not married, legally, Eva was left with nothing--she can only own half of her apartment, has no access to the bank accounts they shared, and could not legally take any part in or have control over the publication of Stieg's novels. But most of all, she just misses Stieg, her "soul mate".

A general overview of Stieg's interesting life: He was raised by his grandparents in a little cabin in Northern Sweden. He got involved in political activism at a young age, and consequently met Eva at a support meeting of the Front National de Liberation in Vietnam. Stieg had so many ideas, and Eva encouraged him to start writing about them and sending in his pieces to local newspapers. Thus, his journalism career exploded. He was involved in many controversial political arguments through the articles he wrote for many different newspapers and magazines all across Europe. Together, with a few others, he and Eva founded the magazine Expo, which wrote unbiased articles about the different political dilemmas they saw, as well as their own ideas. And because of his involvement in journalism and political activism, his life (and, consequently, Eva's too) was threatened on multiple occasions by multiple groups and gangs, compromising his physical safety. And yet:

"Without Stieg's battles and crusades, The Millennium Trilogy would never have seen the light of day. His struggle is the heart, brain, and brawn of that saga."--pg. 64

What I found absolutely fascinating is that almost every detail found in The Millennium Trilogy is autobiographical in some form or fashion, whether it be similar situations and problems Stieg dealt with in real life, or creating his settings based upon his favorite spots around town, or paying homage to important people in his life by literally naming a character after them. In many ways, Mikael Blomkvist is very similar to Stieg Larsson, from the way he dresses to his passion for investigative journalism to his obsessive love of coffee. And the addresses where all of the characters lived in his novels? They came from the many walks that he and Eva took through the parts of town where her architectural projects were taking place, or from the plans sitting in her office, or from her most current work. The Millennium Trilogy was born from the people and places in Stieg's life, and this book series (intended to be 10 novels) was the impetus in Stieg taking life slower and remembering how much he cherished Eva.

Yet, in spite of all of those fascinating details, the center of this biography/memoir, to me, is the emotional journey that Eva is forced into (and still faces everyday) when Stieg suddenly passed away in November of 2004. Her unconditional love and affection for her "soul mate" is so incredibly evident as she recalls his death, the preparations, the funeral, and the mythological cursing ceremony she holds for all of those individuals (work-related and political) that pushed Stieg into such a premature death. Her grief is such a prominent part of this entire biography, and you can feel her love for Stieg flow straight off the page. She includes snippets from her diary in 2005, where she kept epiphanies as well as accounts of the mundane daily life, saying that "the diary was a way of proving to myself that I was alive" (pg. 159).

A majority of what is published in this diary chapter deals with the legal aftermath of Stieg's death, and of his father and brother's hostile takeover of all of Stieg Larsson's estate, including The Millennium Trilogy. This part of the biography also describes the deep emotional turmoil Eva was left in after Stieg's death and how she learns to survive and to keep on living. All that she continually fights for is extremely inspiring to those who knew and loved Stieg, but also to those who got to know him through reading his works. Eva's struggles have gone global, and many people have joined up in her fight not only to gain control of Stieg's intellectual estate (books, articles, etc), but also to change the law so that other couples in their situation do not have to suffer through what she had--and still has--to go through.

"The Millennium Trilogy is not just a good story made up by a good author of good crime novels. These books talk about the need to fight to defend one's ideals, and the refusal to give up, to sell oneself, or to grovel before someone powerful."--pg. 195.

This is what Stieg Larsson did until the day of his death, and this is what Eva Gabrielsson continues to do to this day--to fight for what they believe in, and to refuse to give up.

This is an quick-read if you are looking for/needing to read a biography. But more importantly, like The Millennium Trilogy stresses over and over again, this biography gives you the truth about Stieg Larsson's life, about his death, and about what happened after his death, all told by the person that knew him best. What a heart-wrenching and interesting read that answers a lot of questions surrounding both the novels and his purpose for writing them. Fans of the novels should definitely read it! You will not be disappointed!

-JP

I do not exactly know what I was expecting when I opened The Language of Flowers and started reading, but I do not think that I was expecting to be completely and utterly amazed and captivated by the story right from the very first paragraph:

For eight years I dreamed of fire. Tree ignited as I passed them; oceans burned. The sugary smoke settled in my hair as I slept, the scent like a cloud left on my pillow as I rose. Even so, the moment my mattress started to burn, I bolted awake. The sharp, chemical smell was nothing like the hazy syrup of my dreams; the two were as different as Carolina and Indian jasmine, separation and attachment. They could not be confused. (pg 3)

Those lines provided me such a lyrical and intriguing introduction to a beautiful story of a girl-from-the-system.

This is the story of Victoria, an 18-year old girl just emancipated from the foster-care system who, after spending the last 8 years in a group home, is finally free to live on her own. With nowhere to go, and no one to go to, she turns to the only source of comfort and solace that she has ever found: flowers. This is the story of how her past meets her present, of how she uses her gift of the language of flowers to inspire and heal the lives of those she comes in contact with, and how she eventually is able to heal her own life.

Diffenbaugh does a brilliant job of meshing Victoria's past with her present by providing readers with two distinct storylines, which are told in alternating chapters. In her present, she meets a Russian flower-shop owner by the name of Renata, and after proving her worth in the flowering business, is hired as an assitant. It is while working with Renata and venturing to the flower market that she meets the mysterious flower vender who knows the language of flowers too. She comes to find out that she has met him before, a long time ago. In her past, we learn of her childhood on the vineyard with Elizabeth, the woman who almost became her mother, and who taught her the language of flowers.

Throughout the whole novel, we know that things in her past do not work out, obviously, because we are reading her present, and that keeps you wondering why, and how, and compelling you to continue with the story. And the beauty of the novel, and of the language, and of the writing, continues, and readers will fall in love with all of the characters, from the crazy Mother Ruby to the gracious Renata to the patient and loving Grant to the motherly and forgiving Elizabeth. But readers will fall in love with the heroine of this story and watch her as she stumbles and falls, and picks herself back up, over and over; as she grows and learns and then retreats again; as she learns to love and forgive herself, and as she learns to love others, and most importantly, let others love her.

This is a story of growth and of redemption, of forgiveness and acceptance, of family and friends, of mothers and daughters. But most of all, love: love of self and love of others. Vanessa Diffenbaugh captures so many things in this one 300-page novel, and each emotion is felt so strongly and so powerfully. She draws you in to Victoria's story, as if you are a part of her life, as if you are watching her learn, struggle, and grow right in front of you. Her characters become your family, too, and you can't help but love them.

I only have praises for Diffenbaugh's first work--and you would never know that this is her first novel--for The Language of Flowers is powerful and beautiful, and it nestles deep in your heart. Thank you, Vanessa, for this beautiful work.

Mrs. Diffenbaugh will be one of the authors at Southern Voices 2012.

Request this book The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

-JP

Part three of three.  We did not read as many nonfiction titles this year.  We are making a New Year's Resolution to improve on that in 2012.

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming
America Is Under Attack: September 11, 2001 by Don Brown
At This Very Moment by Jim Arnosky
Balloons Over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet
Big Questions by Laura Buller
Blizzard of Glass: The Halifax Explosion of 1917 by Sally M. Walker
Can We Save the Tiger? by Martin Jenkins
Celebritrees: Historic and Famous Trees of the World by Margi Preus
Energy Island: How One Community Harnessed the Wind and Changed Their World by Allan Drummond
Every Thing On It by Shel Silverstein
The Great Big Book of Families by Mary Hoffman
How They Croaked: The Awfuls Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson
Into the Unknown: How Great Explorers Found Their Way by Land, Sea, and Air by Stewart Ross
The Lego Ideas Book: Unlock Your Imagination by Daniel Lipkowitz
Miss Dorothy and Her Book Mobile by Gloria Houston
A Nation's Hope: A Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis by Matt de la Pena
Nurse, Soldier, Spy: The Story of Sarah Edmonds, A Civil War Hero by Marissa Moss
Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People by Monica Brown
Shy Spaghetti and Excited Eggs: A Kid's Menu of Feelings by Marc A. Nemiroff
Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman
Treasury of Greek Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes & Monsters by Donna Jo Napoli
Underground by Shane W. Evans
Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) by Sue Macy
Worst of Friends: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and the True Story of an American Feud by Suzanne Tripp Jermaine

Part two of three.  We read (and loved) a lot more mysteries than usual.

An Accidental Adventure: We Are Not Eaten by Yaks by C. Alexander London
Aliens on Vacation by Barrett Clete Smith
Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney
Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry
The Boy at the End of the World by Greg Van Eekhout
The Candymakers by Wendy Mass
Charlie Joe Jackson's Guide to Not Reading by Tom Greenwald
The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy
Cosmic by Frank Boyd Cottrell
Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angelberger
The Deadlies: Spiders on the Case by Kathryn Lasky
The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
Everybody Bugs Out by Lesley Margolis
Flat Broke by Gary Paulsen
The Friendship Doll by Kirby Lawson
The Ghostwriter Secret by Mac Barnett
The Grave Robber's Secret by Anna Myers
Horton Halfpott by Tom Angleberger
Hound Dog True by Linda Urban
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis
The Midnight Tunnel by Angie Frazier
Nowhere Girl by A.J. Paquette
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt
Saving Zasha by Randi Barrow
Second Fiddle by Rosanne Parry
The Six Crowns: Trundle's Quest by Allan Jones & Gary Chalk
The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
Spellbound by Jacqueline West
The Star Maker by Lauren Yep
Storm Runners by Roland Smith
Theodore Boone: The Abduction by John Grisham
Toys Come Home by Emily Jenkins
True ( . . . Sort of) by Katherine Hannigan
Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
Vanished by Sheela Chari
Waiting for the Magic by Patricia MacLachlan
When Life Gives You O.J. by Erica S. Perl
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
Young Fredle by Cynthia Voight

Here's the first of the three-post series about our favorite children's books of 2011.  Apparently, we had a soft spot for pet-themed picture books this year.

Apple Pie ABC by Alison Murray
Back to School Tortoise by Lucy M. George
A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka
Be Quiet, Mike! by Leslie Patricelli
Big Bouffant by Kate Hosford
Bugs by the Numbers by Sharon Werner
The Busy Life of Ernestine Buckmeister by Linda Ravin Lodding
Caveman: A B.C. Story by Janee Trasler
Cows to the Rescue by John Himmelman
Dinosaur Vs the Library by Bob Shea
Dog in Boots by Greg Gormley
Five Little Monkeys Reading in Bed by Eileen Christelow
Gilbert Goldfish Wants a Pet by Kelly DiPucchio
Good Night, World by Willa Perlman
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith
Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator by Mo Willems
I Broke My Trunk! by Mo Willems (an Elephant & Piggie book)
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen
If Beaver Had a Fever by Helen Ketteman
If You're Hoppy by April Pulley Sayre
I'm a Shark! by Bob Shea
Is Everyone Ready for Fun? by Jan Thomas
Itsy Mitsy Runs Away by Elanna Allen
Leap Back Home to Me by Lauren Thompson
The Little White Owl by Tracey Corduroy
Llama Llama Home with Mama by Anna Dewdney
Love Waves by Rosemary Wells
Mr. Duck Means Business by Tammi Sauer
My Dad, My Hero by Ethan Long
Not Inside This House! by Kevin Lewis
A Pet for Petunia by Paul Schmid
Piggies in the Kitchen by Michelle Meadows
Pirate Boy by Eve Bunting
Press Here by Herve Tullet
Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg
Rah, Rah, Radishes! A Vegetable Chant by April Pulley Sayre
RRRalph by Lois Ehlert
Say Hello to Zorro! by Carter Goodrich
Sneezy the Snowman by Maureen Wright
Socksquatch by Frank W. Dormer
Teach Your Buffalo to Play Drums by Audrey Vernick
Ten Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin, Jr.
Where's Walrus? by Stephen Savage
Wiener Wolf by Jeff Crosby
You Will Be My Friend! by Peter Brown
You're Finally Here! by Melanie Watt

Teen literature is a favorite among many of the librarians at Hoover. Two-thousand and eleven was a year for sequels, the return of favorites and debut talent writing wonderful books for teens. Here is our list of the best;

Across the Universe by Beth Ravis
Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Chime by Franny Billingsley
Death Cloud by Andrew Lane
Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Entwined by Heather Dixon
Forgotten by Cat Patrick
Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan
Goliath by Scott Westerfeld
Karma by Cathy Ostlere
The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson
Liar's Moon by Elizabeth C. Bunce
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan
Ranger's Apprentice: The Lost Stories by John Flanagan
Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel
Timeless by Alexandra Monir
Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han
Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury

The Kid Zone's pick actually won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature!  Not only is it a completely amazing read, it also features our great state.  Make sure you add Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai to your holiday reading list.  Once you've finished it, you'll definitely want to take a look at this interview with the author.

I know what you're thinking.  You're running through all the things named Hugo that might be important enough to feature on our library blog.  I bet you thought of Victor Hugo, author of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  You might even have come up with the Hugo Award, which recognizes excellent science fiction and fantasy every year.  But I'm referring to the Hugo created by Brian Selznick in his groundbreaking, Caldecott Award-winning book The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  Martin Scorsese has brought it to theatres, and it is getting rave reviews.  Read the book first (of course you will), then take a trip to the movies and see why everyone's talking about Hugo. 

Oh, one more thing.  If you love it as much as I think you will, I have GREAT news!  Brian Selznick has a new book out -- Wonderstruck.  And it doesn't disappoint.

Think back to 2006. Do you remember the first time you heard that a group of astronomers had decided that Pluto was not a planet anymore? Remember that sad feeling of “Oh, poor Pluto” or maybe you got angry and thought, “Why are they picking on Pluto? What did Pluto do to anyone?” Now you have someone to blame. Meet Mike Brown, the astronomer who discovered “the tenth planet”, which ultimately led to the downfall of Pluto. In How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming, Brown raises the question of what exactly is a planet. You think that the answer would be simple, but Brown raises several important arguments that might change your views on the former planet. How I killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming made me wish I had paid more attention in astronomy class in college. Who knew an astronomer could write so charmingly? By the end of the book, I was rooting for Brown’s cause. This story is filled with intrigue, backstabbing, love, and even a baby. Sandra Tsing Loh said it right when she wrote, “Mike Brown is the funniest, smartest, and most surprisingly poetic Caltech astronomer who ever made my daughters cry. Certainly their happy nine-planet childhoods were worth sacrificing for this truly fascinating and engaging read.”

Be sure to check the catalog and reserve your copy of How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming today!

-JW

Panda Bear is the stage name of Noah Lennox, one of the founding members of Animal Collective. Lennox is an incredibly prolific musician, releasing material with other bands in addition to his work with Animal Collective and Tomboy is his fourth solo album to date. Tomboy is yet another showcase for Lennox’s ability to make complex and peculiar compositions full of drones and swirling melodies almost sound radio-friendly.

It’s an album that somehow manages to sound original while wearing its influences on its sleeves. The track Slow Motion, for instance, shows a heavy dub influence despite sounding 100% Panda Bear. Other tracks like Alsatian Darn show that a song need not have a lot of dramatic sonic motion to be compelling, much like the music of composers Steve Reich and Philip Glass. Tomboy is incredibly rewarding for those willing to step a little out of their musical comfort zone and it is an album that will likely sit near the top of many critics’ “Best of 2011” lists at the end of the year.

Find Tomboy in the catalog