Terry and Tiffany

by Carole Wallencheck "The Shaman Rat" on January 14, 2011

 

It sounds like a love story, and, in a way, it is. Terry loves Tiffany enough to make her a recurring heroine. She loves Roland, but Roland is going to marry Letitia.  Preston is hanging around Tiffany all the time – could it be love?  I love them all, which is why I Shall Wear Midnight (A Tiffany Aching Adventure) by Terry Pratchett was my favorite novel of 2010. The very best thing about Terry and Tiffany? He’s one heck of a writer and she’s one hex of a witch. [click to continue…]

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Happy Book Year!

by Carole Wallencheck "The Shaman Rat" on December 30, 2010

As 2010 draws to a close, my guess is that you are still looking for a good book to read. Stop into your local library for in-person readers’ advisory help, or take a browse through the lists below. With the holidays (almost) behind us (unless you celebrate Twelfth Night – as well you should), and more days of cold and blustery weather looming ahead, this is the perfect time to catch up on the books you missed in 2010 and have that cup of tea next to the fire. [click to continue…]

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My Friend Harvey

July 12, 2010

   Harvey Pekar, our local anti-hero, died this morning.  Harvey was part of our daily life here at the Heights Library, and we quickly assembled a book display to commemorate his life and his literary output. I was having trouble trying to write this blog post all day, in-between answering calls and helping patrons (which [...]

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Esther, JT, Harvey, and Me

February 22, 2010

I don’t read graphic novels. The exception to that blanket statement is that I have read all of Harvey Pekar’s incredible work.  I’m also not Jewish ( Harvey is), but I live in Cleveland’s eastern suburbs, so I’ve picked up some Yiddish idioms and have on occasion attended temple services.  For those of you who are [...]

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All I Really Need to Know About Zen Buddhism…

February 1, 2010

…I learned from J. D. Salinger. Well, not everything, but it was my first exposure, and some of those lessons (both literary and philosophical) are with me still. Do You Like This Story? Please Share! Tweet

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Alchemy Revisited

January 4, 2010

Google’s first animated doodle alerted me to the fact that January 4th is Sir Isaac Newton’s birthday (well, one of them), so let’s break out the apple cider and have a toast.  Check out the timeline of Newton’s life, find out what “fluxions” are and why he has two birthdates, and watch a video postcard [...]

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Holmes for the Holidays

December 31, 2009

Let’s play a game. Imagine a movie company releasing a big, splashy film about Santa Claus, complete with computer-generated graphics and high-profile actors.  Now imagine that Santa shows up as a clean-shaven, black-haired, slender Japanese male dressed in a form-fitting cobalt blue jumpsuit and carrying a bloody butcher knife.  Bit of a disconnect there? Perhaps that [...]

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Classic Hauntings for Halloween

October 30, 2009

During the past week I learned lots of tidbits about Dracula, the world’s most famous blood-sucker (yes, Virginia, there were vampires before Twilight and True Blood), as well as attending a program of dramatic readings of Edgar Allan Poe’s work. I was inspired to get reacquainted with these tales that never go out of style, [...]

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The Stranger in the Mirror: Doubles, Imposters, and Changelings

July 18, 2009

Below are books of fantasy and literature about doubles, imposters, and changelings. All of them are available through the libraries of the CLEVNET Consortium — many are owned by the Cleveland Hts-University Hts. Public Library System. You can click on the title if you’d like to order the book through the CLEVNET webcatalog. Ceely, Jonatha [...]

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Sailing on the Chathrand

July 9, 2009

I wanted to run away to sea when I was a young girl. It was the wrong century, and I was the wrong gender, and the great sailing ships no longer plied the ocean, but I was captivated by the tales of Horatio Hornblower. Supplemented by Two Years before the Mast, A High Wind in [...]

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