Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson. When madness stalks the streets of London, no 
one is safe…
There’s a creepy new terror haunting modern-day London. Fresh from defeating a Jack the Ripper killer, Rory must put her new-found hunting skills to the test before all hell breaks loose…
But enemies are not always who you expect them to be and crazy times call for crazy solutions.
Gravity is a science fiction novel about Ari Alexander, a daughter of the military elite, begins falling for arrogant Jackson Locke, an alien spy, and she must decide whether to keep her father’s military secrets or divulge them to Jackson to prevent a war.
If you’re a fan of the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger, rejoice! She’s starting a new series set in the same world, a few decades before Alexa’s adventures.
Etiquette & Espionage is set in an alternate England of 1851, spirited fourteen-year-old Sophronia is enrolled in a finishing school where, she is suprised to learn, lessons include not only the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but also diversion, deceit, and espionage.
You’ve got your shiny new eReader or Tablet, but you don’t know how to use it. Join us for an educational session on the basics of downloading library eBooks. There will be a presentation on how to use our various downloadable book services, with breakout sessions afterwards for the most common types of eReaders and Tablets. Call (513)528-1744 for more information or to register or register online. Program is Monday, Jan. 28, 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Whether the expense of college is on the horizon or years away, join us at the Amelia branch on Saturday, January 26th at 2:00 p.m. for an informative discussion about paying for college. Dan Bisig joins us to discuss the myths about paying for college. Register online or call (513)752-5580
Dan Bisig is founder of College and Beyond (2005). Dan has been featured in a number of articles on college issues in the Business Courier, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Cincinnati Magazine, Florence Recorder and has been interviewed on Fox 19 News, WNKU Radio and the 55KRC radio show Simply Money.
Kim, a branch staffer at the Felicity Branch will be teaching a drawing class over the next several months. Each session will focus on a different type of drawing. Register for the program by calling 876-4134.
Kim’s been a professional artist for over 25 years and bring a lot of experience and enthusiasm!
She was gracious enough to answer some questions for us.
Q: Do you have a favorite medium to work with? And why?
Kim: My favorite medium is colored pencil. I love using lots of different colors and layering them to create texture and depth.
Q: What was the most difficult thing to learn when you learned to draw?
Kim: The most difficult thing to learn was to not overwork a drawing. Sometimes it’s hard to know when to stop.
Q: What inspires you?
Kim: The natural world inspires me–animals, clouds, mountains, sunsets, and on and on.
Q: Do you have a favorite resource like a book or website?
Kim: I have a LOT of books of Vincent Van Gogh’s work that I periodically look through for inspiration and aspiration.
Q: When did you discover that you enjoyed drawing?
Kim: It wasn’t a discovery, I’ve just always done it because I love doing it. My parents met when they were both students at the Chicago Art Institute, so it runs in the family!
Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook – From Lamb Stew to “Groosling”- more than 150 recipes inspired by The Hunger Games Trilogy.
Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones
Steampunk and zombie fans, get excited! Cherie Priest‘s Boneshaker is coming to the big screen. From Cherie’s blog –
Hammer Films bought motion picture rights to Boneshaker.
The book is set in an alternate 1880s Seattle, in which the city is walled in and a toxic gas has turned many of its residents into Rotters (zombies). A young widow hunts for her teenaged son in the Seattle underworld while dealing with airship pirates, a criminal overlord and heavily armed refugees.
Exclusive Media Group’s Simon Oakes said “Boneshaker is a classic zombie movie with a modern twist which is quintessentially Hammer so it’s a perfect fit for us. Cherie Priest’s steampunk series are fantastic with a distinct, unique style and we’re really looking forward to bringing her ‘Rotters’ to the big screen.”
Talking about the deal, Cross Creek’s Brian Oliver said “It’s like Jules Verne meets Resident Evil, and we’re thrilled to have such a fun, commercial potential franchise in Boneshaker.”
Boneshaker is the first in the Clockwork Century series, and is followed by Clementine, Dreadnought, and the recently released Ganymede. (Two more books are due in this series: Inexplicables in 2012 and Fiddlehead.)
2010 DragonCon interview with Cherie –
Check out these new books coming to a library shelf near you:
Damned by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguié. As the newly appointed Hunter, teenager Jenn leads the fighting teams who defend against the Cursed Ones–the vampires who are taking over Earth–but an even more sinister force now threatens the teams of hunters, with the fate of humanity at stake.
In the Forests of the Night – Goblin Wars #2 by Kersten Hamilton. The battle against goblinkind continues . . . but which side will Teagan be on?
Teagan, Finn, and Aiden have made it out of Mag Mell alive, but the Dark Man’s forces are hot on their heels. Back in Chicago, Tea’s goblin cousins show up at her school, sure she will come back to Mag Mell, as goblin blood is never passive once awoken. Soon she will belong to Fear Doirich and join them. In the meantime, they are happy to entertain themselves by trying to seduce, kidnap, or kill Tea’s family and friends. Tea knows she doesn’t have much time left, and she refuses to leave Finn or her family to be tortured and killed. A wild Stormrider, born to rule and reign, is growing stronger inside her. But as long as she can hold on, she’s still Teagan Wylltson, who plans to be a veterinarian and who heals the sick and hurting. The disease that’s destroying her—that’s destroying them all—has a name: Fear Doirich. And Teagan Wylltson is not going to let him win.
The Pledge by Kimberly Derting. In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she’s spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It’s there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she’s never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.
Teen’s across the country chose Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare as their favorite book in the annual Teens’ Top Ten vote. Nearly 10,000 votes were cast online between Aug. 15 and Sept. 15.
The 2011 Teens’ Top Ten is:
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Matched by Ally Condie
Angel: A Maximum Ride Novel by James Patterson
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Did your favorite make the list? I’ve read Matched, Paranormalcy, and Nightshade with Iron King and I Am Number Four on my To Be Read list.