Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds: Lucy’s Legacy

--by Hanje Richards

I have long been fascinated with anthropology and archaeology. When I have had the opportunity I have taken classes and have read many books on a variety of subjects that are encompassed by these sciences. One of the most interesting to me is paleoanthropology, which is the study of the origins and predecessors of the present human species, using fossils and other remains.

Renowned paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson (with Kate Wong) has recently published a new book, Lucy’s Legacy: The Quest for Human Origins. “This book takes readers on a fascinating tour through the last three decades of study — the most exciting period of paleoanthropologic study so far. In that time, since the discovery of Lucy in 1974, Johanson and his colleagues have uncovered a total of 363 specimens of Australopithecus afarensis (Lucy’s species, a transitional creature between apes and humans), spanning 400,000 years.”

Donald S. Johanson founded the Institute of Human Origins in 1981, now located at Arizona State University in Tempe. Kate Wong has been covering human evolution for Scientific American for more than a decade.

In Lucy’s Legacy, the authors attempt to answer questions such as "How did Homo sapiens evolve? When and where did our species originate? What separates hominids from the apes? What was the nature of Neandertal and modern human encounters? What mysteries about human evolution remain to be solved?"

If these questions and other like them intrigue you, it may interest you to know that the Copper Queen Library has four other Donald Johanson titles in addition to Lucy’s Legacy (2009) (currently shelved on New Adult Non-Fiction at 569.9 JOHANSON). Three titles are upstairs in Non-Fiction: Lucy, The Beginnings of Humankind (1981) is shelved at 569 JOH; Journey From the Dawn: Life With the World’s First Family (1990) is at 573.3 JOH; Ancestors: In Search of Human Origins (1994) can be found at 573.30 JOH; and one title, From Lucy to Language (1996), is located on the Oversize shelves at 537.2 JOH.

If human origins fascinate you, reading our collection of Donald Johanson books would be a great place to start.

Monday, September 28, 2009

I Just Read…


The Neighbor by Lisa Gardner (FIC GARDNER NEIGHBOR) currently on the New Adult Fiction shelf. For me this book is the definition of a “page-turner.” It kept me guessing (and therefore, turning and reading pages) until the very end of the book.

Lisa Gardner writes very dark, suspenseful novels, and this latest one is no exception! The book jacket says: “It was a case guaranteed to spark a media feeding frenzy—a young mother, blond and pretty, disappears without a trace from her South Boston home, leaving behind her four-year-old daughter as the only witness and her handsome, secretive husband as the prime suspect.” The twists and turns start there and don’t let up until the end of the book.

As time passes without a resolution to the mysteries that have developed, the book jacket says: “ With the clock ticking on the life of a missing woman and the media firestorm building, Jason Jones seems more intent on destroying evidence and isolating his daughter than on searching for his “beloved” wife. Is the perfect husband trying to hide his guilt—or just trying to hide? And will the only witness to the crime be the killer’s next victim?

What role does the neighbor, who is a registered sex offender, play? How about the young student with a serious crush on Mrs. Jones? And, why does her father mysteriously appear on the scene after years of silence?

If you enjoy suspense fiction like The Neighbor, the Copper Queen Library has several other books by Lisa Gardner. Check our fiction shelves under Gardner for The Other Daughter, The Next Accident, The Killing Hour, Gone, Hide, and Say Goodbye.
--by Hanje Richards

Monday, September 21, 2009

Al Franken: The Freshest Freshman Senator in the Senate and the Jokes that Got Him There

--by Hanje Richards

Whatever you may think of Al Franken’s politics, there is no doubt that he made a lot of commotion last Fall and Winter…and Spring, when Minnesota was unable to tally the votes and Al Franken had to wait until April to take his Senate seat.

Depending upon your age and inclinations, you may remember Franken from his time as a writer and comedian on Saturday Night Live, back in the day. Or you may remember him as a commentator on then-fledgling Air America Radio. He has also written several books combining his politics and his wit.

Most recently we have added The Truth (with Jokes) to our collection at the Copper Queen Library. It can be found on the New Non-Fiction shelf right now (973.931 FRANKEN) and will eventually move upstairs to the Adult Non-Fiction stacks. Franken tackles Iraq, gay marriage, moral values, the social security crisis and more.

The Copper Queen Library also carries two other Al Franken titles. The first one is Lies (And The Lying Liars Who Tell Them): A Fair And Balanced Look At The Right (973.931 FRANKEN). The publisher says of this best selling book: “No one is spared as Al uses the Right's own words against them. Not the Bush administration. Not Ann Coulter. Not the new generation of talk-radio hosts, and not Bill O'Reilly, Roger Ailes, and the entire Fox network. Lies… is sure to become the most talked about book of political humor in 2003 and beyond.”

The other Franken title CQL owns is Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot And Other Observations (973.9 FRA). The publisher says this one is “[a] wickedly funny collection of essays that takes a hard-edged, insightful look into the wonderful, terrible, complicated world of American politics.”

Call the library if you're interested in reading up on Franken. We'll pull the book and have it waiting for you at the Circulation Desk the next time you visit.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

A Boy Named Shel

--by Hanje Richards

Anyone who knows anything about children’s books probably is aware of Shel Silverstein. He wrote The Giving Tree (J FIC SIL), A Light in the Attic (J 811 SIL) and Where the Sidewalk Ends (J 811.54 SIL), which we have in our collection at the Copper Queen Library.
These are perennial favorites of children, teachers, and librarians, but what do we actually know about Shel Silverstein the man?

I, for one, knew absolutely nothing about the author/illustrator of these wonderfully popular children’s books. Well, at last there is an opportunity to find out through a recently acquired biography of Silverstein, A Boy Named Shel: The Life and Times of Shel Silverstein, by Lisa Rogak. This book is currently on the New Non-Fiction shelf and will soon be moved upstairs to the Biography Section.

Besides the children’s books he wrote and illustrated, which have sold millions, Silverstein wrote songs like A Boy Named Sue and The Unicorn, drew cartoons for Stars and Stripes, and wrote experimental plays and collaborated on scripts with David Mamet.

Shel Silverstein, born in 1930, lived until 1999. He lived a life of travel and adventure, enthusiasm and vitality and had a rich imagination that created the poems, songs, and drawings that have touched the lives of so many children and adults.

Enjoy the biography of this modern Renaissance man, and share his poems and stories with your children or grandchildren.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

I Like Bones!

--by Hanje Richards
This summer, I started watching the TV series Bones. The series is based on novels by Kathy Reichs (photo at left) and her character Temperance Brennan. Since I have long been a fan of Reichs' fiction, is it not surprising that I really am enjoying Bones. Perhaps you have watched the TV series, but are not aware of her novels.

The Copper Queen Library has seven Kathy Reichs titles in the stacks, which you may enjoy as well if you are intrigued with books by and about forensic anthropologists. In chronological order (publication date), the books we have at Copper Queen Library are:

Deja Dead (1997), Death du Jour (1999), Deadly Decisions (2000), Fatal Voyage (2001), Grave Secrets (2002), Bare Bones (2003), and Monday Mourning (2004).

The main character in both the TV show Bones and in the mystery novels is Dr. Temperance Brennan, but they are not the same stories and, interestingly, on the TV show, Dr. Brennan, played by Emily Deschanel (photo at left), is also the author of best-selling novels about forensic anthropology.

All of these novels can be found in our mystery section on the top floor of the library. And, if any of them are checked out when you look for them, we will be happy to hold them and contact you when they become available.
Questions? Call the Library Circulation Desk.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

I Just Read…

Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, which the publisher say is “at once a murder mystery, family saga, love story, and tale of financial intrigue wrapped into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel.’

I couldn’t agree with this description more; however, I will add that it took me about 35 pages to really get lost in it, and after that, I stayed up late nights because I was so engrossed. It is absolutely worth making it through the first 35 pages.

This novel, set in Sweden, at first seemed a little foreign, and in fact a bit distant, but as I got further into the story, all of the distance vanished and I was right there in the middle of it.

A journalist, a computer hacker with a photographic memory, and an elderly business tycoon become caught up in finding the answer to a decades old mystery involving the disappearance of a young woman that occurred decades ago. The story proceeds through twists and turns that are unimaginable at the start.

I highly recommend this one and you can find it shelved under FIC LARSSON GIRL. If our copy is currently checked out, you can put a hold on it and we will notify you when it becomes available.


--By Hanje Richards

Thursday, September 03, 2009

Like History & Genealogy? You'll Love HeritageQuest

If you are a fan of history or genealogy, you'll want to know about the new HeritageQuest Online database. Produced by UMI, and containing over 20 million images, it's an online resource that will let you search for people, places, publications, and events in books, magazines, and census and other records dating back to 1700.

HeritageQuest Online™ combines digital, searchable images of U.S.federal census records with the digitized version of the popular UMI® "Genealogy & Local History" collection and other valuable content. This online database is an essential collection of unique material for both genealogical and historical researchers, with coverage dating back to the late 1700s. Researchers can use HeritageQuest Online to find their ancestors, trace their paths across America, and learn what life was like in the areas where they settled.

HeritageQuest Online includes all of the images, and extensive indexing, from the 1790 - 1930 U.S. federal censuses. It offers more than 20,000 book titles, including nearly 8,000 family histories and over 12,000 local histories. Additionally, there are more than 250 primary-source documents such as tax lists, city directories, probate records, and more.

Many other sources of information can be found within HeritageQuest Online. These include Periodical Source Index (PERSI), a widely recognized resource guide, updated annually, that covers more than 6,300 genealogy and history periodicals written in English and French (Canada) since 1800.


There are other valuable collections such as the "Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files," which identifies more than 80,000 American military, naval, and marine officers and enlisted men. The "Freedman’s Bank Records" is a database that documents more than 70,000 bank depositors and their dependants and heirs. The Freedman’s Bank Records is considered one of the most important resources for African-American genealogical research. All of these resources are fully searchable through HeritageQuest Onlines easy-to-use Web interface.

Library patrons can use HeritageQuest Online in or outside the library. If you're connecting from home, you'll need to sign in with your library card's barcode and PIN (if you don't know them, call the Circulation Desk for assistance).