The Boy Next Door by Meggin Cabot (fiction)

New York City gossip columnist Melissa Fuller is known for being obsessive about Winona Ryder, being late for work and dating the wrong men. One morning she is detained by the attempted murder of her elderly next-door neighbor, Mrs. Friedlander, who now lies in a coma. Mel, always the good girl, has volunteered to take care of Mrs. Friedlander's pets until the neighbor's nephew Max, a famous fashion photographer and reputed lady's man, can be reached. Despite the strange fact that he likes to be called John and appears to be between photo shoots, they begin to date and Mel discovers that he shares her love for Stephen King novels and natural disasters, so it doesn't take long for her to fall head over heels. When a mysterious e-mail arrives explaining that there is more to her beau than meets the eye, she is duly upset and uses the power of her pen to get even. But when Mrs. Friedlander's attacker returns, will Mel and Max be able to put their differences aside to catch a killer? In her first novel for adults, Cabot relates a romantic comedy of errors told entirely through email messages. Fans of Bridget Jones’s Diary and Sex and the City will enjoy this book.

Dead Aim by Iris Johansen (fiction)

On assignment in Colorado, photojournalist Alex Graham overhears conspirators discuss a dam collapse, which they disguised as an act of nature. When they realize that Alex has heard them, they go after her, and Alex's friend Sarah is wounded in an attempt on Alex's life. Sarah's husband John, a billionaire with political connections, hires Judd Morgan, a former military assassin, to keep Alex safe. Knowing that Alex won't leave the dam mystery alone, and wanting to keep his own wife out of harm's way, John authorizes Judd to kidnap Alex and take her to a safe location. Alex persuades Judd that the dam collapse was a deliberate act, and that more sites are slated to be destroyed. The two team up to learn the identities of the conspirators, who appear to have ties to the FBI and the CIA and a Central American terrorist ring. Johansen's nonstop action and slick plotting will not disappoint.

The Quality of Life Report by Meghan Daum (fiction)

Lucinda Trout, a New York City television morning-show reporter, flees the big city for wind-swept Prairie City, promising to send back a series of TV segments dubbed "Quality of Life Reports" intending to demonstrate that wholesome, small town life still exists. But once she settles in, the locals, though well-meaning, don't live up to the cliché. She surprises her cynical self by shacking up in a remote farmhouse with an irresponsible, faux-Sam Shepard type while helping to care for his three kids, and trying to make it through a long, cold winter with an inadequate car and little money. Lucinda's determination to make everything work makes for some brilliant flashes of comedy. By the end, Lucinda may not have found love, or necessarily a better life, but she does learn to relax a bit and take things as they come.

So many books, so little time. For all those busy people, the Schaumburg Township District Library is offering a new service: an OnLine Book Club that delivers books electronically. Each day, Monday through Friday, subscribers will be e-mailed a portion of a book that takes about 5-minutes to read. You'll be able to read two or three chapters from a book during the week. If you like a book, you can check our library catalog to see if it is available, or place a reserve on it. Each week the library features new books.

With 11 book clubs to choose from, there's something for everyone. Patrons can read fiction, non-fiction, romance, business, good news (inspirational), teen, and mystery titles. You can also listen to audiobooks in your email and there's even a PrePublication Club so you can start reading books in your email before they're even published. Now you can discover great books, even if you're too busy to visit the library.

Most readers will not immediately recognize the name, but Kathleen Winsor is often credited as being the mother of the modern romance novel. Winsor was the author of seven novels, but perhaps her most famous work is her first novel, Forever Amber (published in 1944 when she was only 24 years old), as well as the controversy surrounding its release.

The author first became fascinated with Charles II and his court after reading her first husband's (Robert Herwig) senior thesis on the subject. She later claimed to have read 356 books on the subject and, five years and much research later, she wrote Forever Amber. The novel, set in Restoration London under the somber rule of Oliver Cromwell, is "enthusiastically bawdy," telling the tale of Amber St. Clare who, abandoned on the London streets at age 16, uses her wits, beauty and courage to better her position.

When Hollywood considered making a film version of Forever Amber, the novel was immediately condemned by the Hays Office, an organization that dictated to the studios on morality. State censorship boards were quick to point out the "miscellaneous objectionable passages" and denounced the novel as "a crude and superficial glorification of a courtesan." Winsor denied that her book was particularly daring, and said that she had no interest in writing sexually graphic scenes. "I wrote only two sexy passages," she remarked, "and my publishers took both of them out. They put in ellipses instead. In those days, you know, you could solve everything with an ellipse."

The banning of the book, however, did nothing to dissuade the American reading public. In its first week of publication, the book sold 100,000 copies and went on to sell over three million copies and was translated into 16 languages.

None of her other novels achieved the success of Forever Amber. The novel was reissued in 2002, with an enthusiastic foreword by Barbara Taylor Bradford and the advocacy of influential critics like Elaine Showalter, bringing that ultimate hussy Amber St Clare to a new generation of readers. A sequel, Amber In America, was planned but never written.

Get that novel in your head on to the paper. Newly-published Joe Konrath and the multi-published Robert W. Walker will offer their tips on writing and getting published. Copies of Mr. Walker's books will be available for sale at the event.

Author Anne Ylvisaker will talk about her family history which inspired her book, Dear Papa, a daughter's letters to her father during World War II. This book is the premier selection for the Schaumburg Township Reads program and copies will be available for purchase and autographing at the event. No fee, but registration at the Reader Services Desk is required. Refreshments will be served.

For those who might be unable to attend today's earlier author tea, Ms. Ylvisaker will be speaking again in the evening. Ann Ylvisaker’s book, Dear Papa, is the first featured book in the Schaumburg Township Reads event. Come and hear Ms. Ylvisaker talk about writing and her book characters. Copies of her book will be available for purchase and autographing.

This table includes an assortment of titles from the various fiction collections (general fiction, mystery, sci-fi) that Library Staff have read and enjoyed.

Check out some of these titles appearing, or scheduled to appear, on the big screen over the next few months!

October:

November:

December:

October is National Reading Group Month. Reading group members celebrate the joy of a book shared and inspire individuals who do not belong to a reading group to join one or start their own.

November 1^st is National Authors' Day. This observance was adopted by the General Federation of Women's Clubs in 1929, and in 1949 was given a place on the list of special days, weeks and months prepared by the US Department of Commerce. The resolution states: "by celebrating an Authors' Day as a nation, we would not only show patriotism, loyalty, and appreciation of the men and women who have made American literature possible, but would also encourage and inspire others to give of themselves in making a better America…"

November 3^rd is Cliché Day. Use clichés as much as possible today. Why not? Give it a shot! Win some, lose some. You'll never know until you try it!

Over the past few years, the Readers' Advisory staff has created lists of our favorite books of the past year. Be sure to pick up this list in December -- it may give you a few gift ideas or some new reading selections for yourself.