Staff Picks: Poetry

The Cinnamon Peeler: Selected Poems by Michael Ondaatje
Absolute Trust in the Goodness of the Earth: New Poems by Alice Walker
Loose Woman: Poems by Sandra Cisneros
Howl: And Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg
Seleted Poems by Gwendolyn Brooks
The Broken World: Poems by Marcus Cafagna
19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye
Vintage Hughes by Langston Hughes
The Language of Life: A Festival of Poets by Bill Moyers, et al.
An Invitation to Poetry: A New Favorite Poem Project Anthology by Robert Pinsky, et al.
American Wits: an Anthology of Light Verse by John Hollander, Ed.
The Pushcart Book of Poetry: the Best Poems from Three Decades of the Pushcart Prize by John Murray, Ed.
Any books from the Best American Poetry series.

Contributer: Jesse Alexander-East, Children's Department Manager, The Library Center

May We Suggest...James Patterson

James Patterson was described by Time magazine as, "The Man Who Can't Miss". According to Bookscan, he has sold more books than any other author in the past three years. He is the first author to have #1 titles simultaneously on the New York Times adult and children's lists and is the only author to have five new hardcover novels debut #1 on the list in one year every year since 2005. Patterson has had nineteen consecutive #1 New York Times bestselling novels and holds the New York Times record for the most Hardcover Fiction bestselling titles by a single author, which is also a Guinness World Record.

Patterson writes several series, including those about characters Alex Cross, Michael Bennet, the four founding ladies of the Women's Murder Club, Max and her flock in Maximum Ride, Daniel X, and Wisty and Whit Allgood in Witch & Wizard. He also has several stand-alone novels that range from a children's holiday picture book to a sizzling summer read.

Two of his novels have been made into movies: Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider both starring Morgan Freeman as Alex Cross. The ABC network ran a 13-episode season of the Women's Murder Club, starring Angie Harmon.

Read-alikes

John Sanford writes a similar suspense, hard-edged series (Prey series) that also have a police detective as their hero. Try the first, Rules of Prey, or the single title Night Crew.

If you like plot twists or alternating points of view, try Greg Iles. He writes more elegantly than Patterson, but tells just as complex stories. Try his novel, The Devil's Punchbowl.

Reading Jeffrey Deaver is like reading Patterson only with a nightmare quality. Try his novel, Devil's Teardrop. In it you will get a glimpse of his series character, Lincoln Rhyme.

If what you like about Patterson is the pace, that once-you-start-reading-you-can't-put-the-book-down feeling, you may like these authors:

Tell No One by Harlen Coben

The Big Picture by Douglas Kennedy

Verticle Run by Joseph Garber

Watch-a-Likes

Seven starring Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt

High Crimes starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd

Bone Collector starring Denzel Washington as Lincoln Rhyme and Angelie Jolie

Silence of the Lambs starring Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster

Or try any of the seasons of the hit television shows:

Criminal Minds

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

Profiler

Fans

Are you a fan of JP? His website houses many groups you can join, including character- and series-driven clubs to young writers that want help with their stories. You can also become a fan of his Facebook page.

by Tysha Shay, Reference Manager, The Library Station

National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month (NPM). It is a month-long, national celebration poetry established by the Academy of American Poets. So, how can I celebrate? Well, you can start by going to http://www.poets.org/. This site provides all kinds of poetry information, including thousands of poems, as well as poet biographies, and a national events calendar. I would suggest going to the page that features Missouri poets, poetry, events, literary journals, and more. You can also get some ideas for how to celebrate NPM from the 30 Ways to Celebrate page. You can also come to the Library Station where we have a National Poetry Month display. Change it up! Check out some poetry this week.

Read-alikes

Donna Seaman provided a list of readalikes on Booklist Online this week. Her theme: Treasures Unburied. This is what she had to say:

The hunt for buried treasure is an archetypal theme in literature the world over, whether it involves the hidden loot of pirates, an explorer's quest for ancient objects, or an individual looking for family heirlooms. Not only does an arduous and risky search make for a delectable adventure story, the unearthing of a precious object or truth can also have unintended consequences that yield intriguing insights into both history and the human psyche. Each novel of excavated treasures cited below takes a highly imaginative approach to this flexible theme(Donna Seaman, Booklist Online, April 1, 2010).

The following are Seaman's picks, of Treasures Unburied read-alikes available through the Library:

The Bonesetters Daughter by Amy Tan

In the Shadow of the Cypress by Thomas Steinbeck (audiobook cd)

Lighthousekeeping by Jeanette Winterson

Once on a moonless night by Sijie Dai

Remarkable creatures by Tracy Chevalier

The Rosetta Key by William Dietrich

Ruins by Achy Obejas

*to place a hold on a book, just click the desired book title above. It will take you to the book's record in the Library catalog. Click on the Place A Hold button on the screen, enter your first or last name, your library card number, and chose a pick-up location. You will be contacted when your book is available for pick-up.