The comfort of food shared with friends

Tue, 07/19/2016 - 12:42pm by Lucy S

Dinner With Edward: a Story of an Unexpected Friendship

“There is a communion of more than our bodies when bread is broken and wine drunk.” M.F.K Fisher

Isabel Vincent is a writer and a journalist for the New York Post who is approaching a divorce and single parenthood when an old friend asks her a favor. This friend’s 93 year-old father is newly widowed, lonely, and living in the same neighborhood as Isabel. He is an excellent and exacting cook and could use an occasional dinner companion. This is the genesis of Isabel Vincent's delightful book, Dinner With Edward. What comes out of these dinners is a profound connection between two people who are both in need of buoying.

Edward is a perfectionist in the kitchen, and a self-taught cook. He cultivated his craft to relieve his wife of her 52 years of providing meals. He learned to cook out of love and so his cooking is imbued with it. This book speaks strongly to the importance of a human connection, and one that can be facilitated by shared food and meals. Isabel and Edward’s relationship also exemplifies a loving, platonic attachment, something that is rarely found in the stories we read today.

This slim volume will fill you with descriptions of simple, yet precise meals, and tales of an unusual and unexpected bond that comes to the rescue of these two very different people. The meals are used as a framework to unfold the story of this deep friendship, reminding us that food can sustain us, and save us in many ways. As Isabel tells us, “That night, I sat down to write my own letter to Edward. I told him that I had never been incapacitated like this, and how I was suddenly feeling middle-aged and alone. I told him that he had saved my life and that he would be with me forever. The response was swift. Edward called me right after he read my letter. ‘You saved your own life,’ he said. ‘You think about this in time and you will come to see the truth of what I’m saying. You were giving as well as receiving.’ And then his voice caught, and he said he needed to go. ‘You touched an old man’s heart.’”

This book will touch your heart, and teach you the trick to mastering a perfect roast chicken.

Dinner With Edward will appeal to fans of The Intern, Julie and Julia, The End of Your Life Book Club and anything by Laurie Colwin.

You Know Me Well

Mon, 07/11/2016 - 4:27pm by manz

You Know Me Well is a new teen book by acclaimed YA fiction authors Nina LaCour and David Levithan.

The story revolves around two characters, Mark and Kate, and the chapters of the book alternate between the two as narrators as the story unfolds.

Both are yearning for something bigger than what their lives are as the last week of high school hangs over their head.

We begin on a wild and fateful night at a club during Pride Week in San Francisco when Kate and Mark see each other and realize they know each other from school. In fact they sit next to each other in a class. “Why is he here,” she wonders. “Why is she here,” he wonders. Kate happened to be there hiding from meeting the girl of her dreams named Violet. And Mark was there with his best friend (and secret love interest) Ryan enjoying Pride festivities. At the time Kate and Mark had no idea of how much they would come to mean to each other, but this chance meeting changes the lives of all involved.

With a new found friendship the two and their band of misfit pals learn a lot that week about first love, friendship, fitting in, and what the end of high school means.

More Shakespeare Re-Imagined

Thu, 06/16/2016 - 7:09pm by Lucy S

"A riff on Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale, reimagining the character of the queen who becomes a statue as a devastatingly popular cheerleader who refuses to become a cautionary tale after she's sexually assaulted.” E.K. Johnston's web site

In Exit, Pursued By a Bear, a brilliant update of , E.K. Johnston takes one of Shakespeare’s most unconventional plays and turns it on its head. With character names and some plot points heavily inspired by the play, E.K. Johnston uses A Winter’s Tale as a platform from which to launch her well constructed and extremely relevant YA novel. Hermione Winters, the story’s main character, is the captain of a cheerleading team in a small town in Ontario, at a school for which cheerleading is a very big deal. At the beginning of the book, Hermione is heading off to her last summer of cheerleading camp with her best friend Polly and her boyfriend Leo. While at camp, Hermione is drugged and raped, and her life as she knows it changes. No longer the confident leader of the squad, Hermione struggles to come to terms with what happened to her and the way in which it alters her forever.

Shakespearean influences aside, E.K. Johnston’s book is an important contribution to young adult literature for a number of reasons. This book takes on the ugly but germane topic of rape in a brave and forthright manner. E.K. Johnston does not shy away from what happens to Hermione nor does she spend time focusing on the graphic details of it. What is central to the novel is the support that Hermione receives from many, sometimes unexpected people and the constant reminders to Hermione from these characters that she is not at fault. These messages are ones that cannot be reiterated enough for young adult readers, both male and female, today.

The strongest relationship in this book is the friendship between Hermione and Polly, and for E.K. Johnston to put this first speaks to the complexity teens face in balancing friends and romance and also to the idea that teens can feel many kinds of love. Acceptance is a theme that runs through , religious acceptance, acceptance of sexual orientation, acceptance of choices made, no matter how difficult. The strength in E.K. Johnston’s female characters comes through both physically and in spirit. Polly is a stellar example of this fortitude. There are many character throughout Exit, Pursued By a Bear that will stay with me for while.

In her note at the end of the book, E.K. Johnston recognizes that many sexual assault and rape victims might not have the support network that Hermione finds, and provides readers with resources for support in both the US and Canada. E.K. Johnston is giving us Hermione’s story as a possible outcome and in this, it is an exceptionally worthy pursuit.

Teens Using Drugs: Education Series

Wed, 06/08/2016 - 12:25pm by Beth Manuel

The Dawn Farms Education Series, "Teens Using Drugs: What To Know and What To Do" convenes in June and then takes a break for the summer. This is a free, two-part series that will be presented from 7:30-9:00 pm Tuesday, June 7th (part one, "What to Know"), and Tuesday, June 14th, (part two, "What to Do"). The programs will be held in the "Exhibition Room" on the first floor of St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Education Center at 5305 Elliott Drive, Ypsilanti. The sessions are presented by the Dawn Farm Youth & Family Services team. This program is targeted primarily to parents/caretakers of teens & young adults but is inclusive of other family members, teens, professionals, students, people who sponsor or support teens, and others interested. Please contact 734-485-8725 or info@dawnfarm.org or see the link to Dawn Farm for further information.

Meet 2016 “It’s All Write!” Guest Speaker: Patrick Flores-Scott!

Mon, 06/06/2016 - 10:32am by BugsAndSlugs

Patrick Flores-Scott is the guest speaker at this year's "It’s All Write!” Teen Short Story Contest Final Celebration and the author of the award winning novel, Jumped In. In Mr Flores-Scott's debut novel, the protagonist, Sam, is intent on slacking his way through high school until a love of music and poetry spark an unlikely friendship with Luis - the undisputed scariest kid in school. Jumped In was named to the 2014 YALSA best fiction for young adults list and was a finalist in the Michigan Great Lakes - Great Books competition for 2016.

For more about Patrick Flores-Scott, check out his blog, watch for his new novel American Road Trip coming in January, 2017, and celebrate all the “It’s All Write!” contestants while the top nine finalists are announced on Sunday June 12, 2016 from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm in the Downtown Library: Multi-Purpose Room!

Stay tuned to find out the winners of the 2016 “It’s All Write!” Teen Short Story Contest!

Shakespeare Re-imagined

Fri, 06/03/2016 - 10:36am by Lucy S

Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler

"The Hogarth Shakespeare project sees Shakespeare’s works retold by acclaimed and bestselling novelists of today. The series launched in October 2015 and to date will be published in twenty countries."

Crown Publishing

As the third installment of the The Hogarth Shakespeare Project, Anne Tyler re-imagines The Taming of the Shrew in her newest book, Vinegar Girl. This version of the story is set in Tyler’s familiar territory of Baltimore. And as in many of her previous novels, Tyler deftly addresses relationships in the family and between the sexes. For long time Tyler readers, Vinegar Girl will provide a comfortable tone and setting. Her effortless writing is wholly absorbing. Tyler's Kate Battista is the daughter of an absented-minded research scientist, Louis. Kate is 29, single and a preschool teacher, though she doesn't really like children. She is stuck in a life taking care of her preoccupied father, whose prize research assistant, Pyotr, is visiting from Russia on a 3 year visa that is about to expire. In order to keep Pyotr in the country, Dr. Battista tries, through comical twists, to persuade Kate to marry Pyotr.
In keeping with Shakespearean comedy, Tyler's romp is predictable, playful, and delightfully entertaining. Her characters, the matronly pre-school teachers, the blond, ditzy sister, seem slightly overdone, but this gives Vinegar Girl an edge of bite. The one exception to this characterization is Kate herself, who is forthright, intelligent and endearing. In an interview in The Guardian, Tyler said of The Taming of the Shrew, “I hate it. It’s totally misogynistic. I know it thinks it’s funny, but it’s not. People behave meanly to each other, every single person.” Tyler steers clear of this trap through her portrayal of Kate as a singular woman and through the way in which Kate and Pyotr come together. "I loved Kate and Pyotr and the way they discover the oversized, tender, irreverent relationship that fits them...It is joyful," says author Rachel Joyce. Tyler’s firm grasp of family dynamics shines in her lovely interpretation of this Shakespeare classic.

Prior knowledge of The Taming of the Shrew is not necessary to enjoy Tyler’s giddy tale. She provides an enjoyable read for both her avid readers and Shakespeare fans.

Tyler’s work follows Jeanette Winterson’s The Gap of Time (A Winter’s Tale) and Howard Jacobson’s Shylock is my Name (The Merchant of Venice).

Next up, Margaret Atwood takes on The Tempest in Hag-Seed, and then we can look forward to contributions from Jo Nesbo, Tracy Chevalier, Gillian Flynn and, Edward St. Aubyn.

Teens! Volunteer at the AADL this summer!

Wed, 06/01/2016 - 4:07pm by eapearce

Hey, teens! Are you interested in volunteering at the library this summer? If you’re between the ages of 14 and 18, you can! We need your help with program prep, filling summer game prize shop orders, and with hosting the tons of great programs that take place over the summer including the Ann Arbor Comic Arts Festival and the Detroit Circus’ performance at the AADL!

Visit www.aadl.org/teenvolunteer to fill out the application form and find out information about orientation dates and times. You’ll also find a link there to the permission slip, which needs to be printed out and signed by a parent or guardian and brought to one of 6 orientations taking place over the course of the summer. At these orientations, you’ll learn about volunteering at the library and have the chance to sign up for the volunteer shifts you’re interested in, so bring your calendar!

At the end of the summer, you’ll get a letter from the AADL emailed to you that states the number of hours you volunteered helping us out.

Questions? Email teenvolunteer@aadl.org or call (734) 327-8326. See you this summer!

Meet 2016 “It’s All Write!” Judge #8 - Adi Alsaid!

Thu, 05/26/2016 - 11:49am by BugsAndSlugs

The final judge for this year's “It’s All Write!” Teen Short Story Contest is Adi Alsaid! Adi was born and raised in Mexico. He currently lives in Mexico City, where he writes and coaches basketball.

Adi Alsaid is the author of two YA novels Let's Get Lost, the story of a 17 yr old girl who travels cross-country and touches the lives of four strangers, and Never Always Sometimes, about teenage friends Dave and Julia, and their discovery that avoiding all the clichés can mean missing out on some of the best parts of high school.

Adi Alsaid is also working on a third and still untitled YA novel, due to be released in 2017!

Up Next: Patrick Flores-Scott, this year’s guest speaker for the “It’s All Write!” Teen Writing Contest final celebration on June 12th!

2016 "It's All Write!" Contest Finalists!

Fri, 05/20/2016 - 4:35pm by krayla

The finalists of the 2016 “It’s All Write!” Teen Short Story Contest are officially published! Check out the list of finalists to see who will move on to the next round. A panel of published Young Adult authors will read the finalist stories over the next several weeks to choose the contest winners.

If you wrote a story for the contest this year, give yourself a pat on the back! Everyone worked very hard, as evidenced by the high-quality writing that was entered. The judges have loved reading your stories so far and noted how difficult it was to choose just a few finalists. If you have been chosen to move on, congratulations! All writers, friends, family, and supporters are welcome to join us at the Final Celebration on June 12!

Tonight! Meet YA authors K. A. Barson & Cori McCarthy

Thu, 05/19/2016 - 1:30pm by manz

Tonight is a special event at Nicola’s Books featuring Michigan YA authors K. A. Barson & Cori McCarthy offering a disucssion & signing of their new novels.

Kelly Barson is the author 45 Pounds (More or Less) and her newest: Charlotte Cuts It Out.

Cori McCarthy is the author of several books, including Breaking Sky and her newest: You Were Here.

Take advantage of this unique opportunity to meet authors of teen fiction and discuss their works with a like-minded crowd! The event takes place Thursday, May 19 at 7pm at Nicola’s Books.