I imagine that JK Rowling began her new Cormoran Strike mystery series under the pen name of Robert Galbraith so that readers wouldn’t make assumptions or judge it alongside her ubiquitous children’s fantasy series. I can only speculate that her publisher then leaked the author’s true identity to boost the modest initial sales of the first title in the series, The cuckoo’s calling, which begins with an investigation into the suspicious suicide of a supermodel. I never would have picked it up without the name recognition and curiosity about whether Rowling could pass muster in a different genre for an adult audience. Make no mistake; this is no children’s series. It is sometimes off color and gruesomely detailed, though still cozy, meant for fans of traditional mysteries with tightly woven plotlines that are methodically unraveled by the sharpest of minds. Still, here it is, my crude comparison between the two series (can’t help it; have to).

Rowling is gifted at baiting readers along with plot twists and cliffhangers. As each of the first two Cormoran Strike books progressed, I became obsessed with them. By the time I was reading The silkworm, which goes into the seedier side of the writing and publishing world, something Rowling no doubt knows plenty about, I was juggling an eAudio copy, an eBook copy, and a physical copy so that I could get back to the heart-pounding roller coaster ride at every possible moment. I remember feeling this compelled while reading the Harry Potter series years ago, long before I had any kids of my own. I believe that the reason the phenomenally popular children's series did almost as well with adults as it did with kids and teens is that the Harry Potter series is essentially an expertly-crafted mystery, albeit one with an overarching puzzle that runs through all seven books. I found it to be thrilling and often surprising, in spite of the formulaic good vs. evil devices seemingly obligatory in children’s fantasy literature. I should note for those new to the Cormoran Strike series that it has no supernatural elements whatsoever. Strike follows physical clues, relying on hard science and deft observations to solve crimes. However, like Potter, he is an oft misunderstood, damaged hero: one-legged, hulking, cranky, and crass, yet deeply ethical and ultimately lovable.

A disappointing similarity between the two series is that Strike's female partner, Robin, like Hermione before her, is relegated to a peripheral role. I don’t know if Rowling has chosen to place her brilliant female characters, as well as her own feminine identity (She elected to go with J.K. rather than her first name, Joanne, for the Harry Potter series and then chose a masculine pen name for the Cormoran Strike series.) on the sidelines in order to widen her audience. Rowling is the most commercially successful writer of all time, so she does seem to know what she’s doing in that department. She has already revealed her intention to write many more Cormoran Strike books. As the series progresses, I hope to watch Strike’s promising, wide-eyed student, with whom he shares a deep mutual admiration, develop into a hard-boiled PI in her own right and even get top billing one of these days. Maybe we’ll see more of Robin in Career of evil, which begins with a severed leg being delivered to her, and sends the duo into Strike's own past looking for suspects. It comes out in October. Get on the Hold queue (behind me!) to find out.

Have you signed up for the OPL “Read to the Rhythm” Adult Summer Reading Program, yet? All you have to do is:

1. Pick up a raffle card from any library location.
2. Either read a book and write a short description/review OR complete three different activities listed on the card.
3. Turn in your completed card at the library.
4. Do it again!

Sure, reading is its own reward, but our Summer Reading prizes this year include a variety of gift cards and a Kindle Fire HD, so get those raffle cards in by the program end date of August 8th!

Among the listed activities, in keeping with the musical theme, is to read a book about a musician. To further that goal, here is an annotated list of 10 of the best musician biographies and Music Memoirs we have on our shelves:

Beneath the underdog: his world as composed by Mingus by Charles Mingus; edited by Nel King (1991)

The legendary jazzman recounts his life and career, from his childhood in Watts and his apprenticeship with jazz musicians, to his recordings with Duke Ellington and others, and more.

A broken hallelujah : rock and roll, redemption, and the life of Leonard Cohen by Liel Leibovitz (2014)

A meditation on the life of the Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet, and novelist discusses his performing career, which began despite his crippling stage fright, to his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

 Girl in a band: a memoir by Kim Gordon (2015)

A founding member of Sonic Youth, fashion icon, and role model for a generation of women, now tells her story--a memoir of life as an artist, of music, marriage, motherhood, independence, and as one of the first women of rock and roll.

George Frideric Handel: a life with friends by Ellen T. Harris (2014)

An intimate portrait of Handel'€™s life and inner circle... a tale that reveals an ambitious, generous, brilliant, and flawed man who hid behind his public persona.

Just kids by Patti Smith (2010)

An artist and musician recounts her romance, lifetime friendship, and shared love of art with Robert Mapplethorpe, in an illustrated memoir that includes a colorful cast of characters, including Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, Andy Warhol, and William Burroughs.

Life by Keith Richards, with James Fox (2010)

The lead guitarist for The Rolling Stones recounts his life, from a youth obsessed with Chuck Berry to the formation of the Stones and their subsequent stardom, and discusses his problems with drugs, the death of Brian Jones, and his relationship with Mick Jagger.

Mo' meta blues: the world according to Questlove by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and Ben Greenman (2013)

A punch-drunk memoir in which Everyone's Favorite Questlove (The Roots, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon) tells his own story while tackling some of the lates, the greats, the fakes, the philosophers, the heavyweights, and the true originals of the music world. He digs deep into the album cuts of his life and unearths some pivotal moments in black art, hip hop, and pop culture. 

Possibilities by Herbie Hancock, with Lisa Dickey (2014)

The legendary jazz musician and composer reflects on his seven decades in music, tracing his early years as a musical prodigy and work in Miles Davis' second quintet to his multigenre explorations and collaborations with fellow artists. 

Spirit rising: my life, my music by Angélique Kidjo, with Rachel Wenrick (2014)

Dubbed Africa's Premier Diva by Time Magazine, the singer/songwriter/activist shares her compelling story of escape from Africa where her voice was censored by the Communist regime to become a Grammy Award-winning, Billboard-topping musician and UNICEF Ambassador.

Words without music by Philip Glass (2015)

The world-renowned composer traces the story of his life and career and his professional collaborations with such peers as Allen Ginsberg and Martin Scorsese while sharing evocative insights into his creative process.

This is but a small sampling of the wealth of musician biographies and music memoirs spanning numerous genres. To get a personalized list of books based on your music and literature interests, try Book Me!, our new online Readers' Advisory Service. Go on and "Read to the Ryhthm".

It's Halloween, let's talk monsters!

For Book Club this month, we read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Before I get into my book rant, I'll fill you in on a few details of the author's life. Her biography is arguably more scandalous than the book's plot.

Mary Wollstencraft Shelley was the daughter of a famous feminist and a well known author who were too hip to get married. Her mom died shortly after her birth, so Mary grew up with her dad, her mean stepmom, her mom's daughter from a previous relationship (an affair with a soldier), her stepmother's kids from her previous relationship, and dad and stepmom's new kid. Mary was the poor brown-headed stepchild. As a teen, she met and started a relationship with poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Percy was already married to another woman, but why let that stop the magic. Mary and Percy ran away to Paris and when they returned to England, both Mary and Percy's wife were pregnant. Mrs. Shelley (the first one) was unhappy, she sued for alimony and custody of their kids, but eventually drowned herself, allowing Mary and Percy to be married. The new Mr. and Mrs. Shelley suffered the loss of their first daughter, only one child survived to adulthood. Also, Mary's sister dies. Oh, and shortly after that, Percy fell into an Italian lake and drowned at age 29.  

Onto the book.

It's a story within a story and different characters get to play narrator at different points. The novels is both gothic and romantic, with some seemingly never-ending descriptions of nature and light and feeling.  The meat of the novel concerns the young Swede, Victor Frankenstein. He looses his mother, becomes consumed with thoughts of death and the essence of life, goes off to college and emerges a scientist. He decides to make a man, just because, he makes the man/monster. Man comes alive, Frankenstein freaks out and runs away abandoning his creation. His creature learns to walk and talk and read, he is badly mistreated, he goes on a murderous rampage, Frankenstein vows vengeance on his creation. Excitement ensues. Here's a better annotation. 

There are 235 entries just in the Oakland library catalog for the term Frankenstein. Many of the books and movies that refer to Frankenstein is the name of the monster, not it's creator. Which brings me to the topic of names. Remember in Roots, when Kunta Kinte's master tries to make him own the name "Toby" and Kunta refuses (it was bad)? Or when the Empress of Fantasia begins to fade and die until Bastian saves her and the whole empire by giving her a name. (And, yes, I did just make a Roots and Neverending Story reference in a post about Frankenstein.) Your name helps you form your identity, it lets others identify you. It's almost as if you're not real without a name. Frankenstein not only abandoned his creation, but, in not naming him, he refused to acknowledge Creature's existence. Dirty and wrong, Victor.

Creature is feared for his ugliness, he's badly beaten and spit upon, and, while he does go on a small killing spree, he has a low opinion of himself, he just wants to be loved, he needed a name. The book doesn't have too many sympathetic characters. In my opinion, Victor Frankenstein was a mad scientist, and a bit of a spoiled brat, driven even more mad by his experiment-gone-awry. His creature was literally a nameless man-child who probably should have known better, but has still captured my sympathies. 

Are you Team Victor or Team Creature?

Submitted 31 October 2014, by Jenera Burton, Piedmont Ave branch

I’m only slightly ashamed to say that I am a librarian with little time to read these days. I read some wonderful books with my young children, and there are the informative journal articles I read for work, but my “spare” time is used for sleep, if I’m lucky enough to get some. It could be a good while before I revisit those long lazy days curled up with the perfect novel, I’m afraid. Worse, I don’t even think I have the capacity for sustained concentration anymore, having not had an uninterrupted moment for several years. I suspect my predicament is relatable by many. And so I bring you the 'Reading Minute'.

When I do pick up something to read for leisure I tend to look for the following qualities: Light and easy to digest, but still smart; discreet sections I am able to finish in one sitting without totally losing the thread when inevitably interrupted; finally, if it’s not too much to ask, just make me laugh and feel like I am connecting with a witty, insightful friend.

Lately I have been finding what I am looking for in these sort of autobiographical short essay-type books written by brilliant female comedians and comic writers. Most recently, I listened to the e-audiobook Seriously... I'm kidding by Ellen DeGeneres, which came out in 2011. I enjoyed listening to Ellen read her own book, with plenty of asides especially for audiobook listeners. Her quirky inflections made this series of silly stream-of consciousness musings (Some chapters are between 1-5 lines long, others are 20 pages.) delightful to take in while walking around Lake Merritt, laughing out loud and distractedly wandering into joggers. What I like about Ellen is that, besides being a naturally funny person and a writer with years of experience as a stand-up comic, she also has a profoundly kind take on everything and everyone. She wants us to feel great about ourselves, and to get along with each other, and to take care of the earth. And to laugh all the while, which I did.

Before that I read Bossypants by Tina Fey, also out in 2011. I have heard that this audiobook is worth a listen, too, as she is the reader, and you can’t beat a comic actress performing her own material. Tina, who was a longtime writer on the set of Saturday Night Live, knows how to punch you in the gut with funny. I came dangerously close to wetting my pants reading some of her thorny responses to ugly criticism of her found on the Internet. Bossypants is mostly about her time as the producer/writer/star of the popular sitcom 30 Rock, with hilarious yet affecting flashbacks to SNL, The Second City improv group and her awkward younger years. She goes deep, getting into what it is like being a woman in comedy and not following the lifelong conditioning of trying to please everybody. I think that, in large part, her success comes from giving an authentic voice to the way many talented women today still feel insecure and undervalued. Then she makes fun of the whole thing.

Here are a couple of books on the horizon on which I have already placed my holds with high hopes:

Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham (just out this month), the twentysomething fresh-voiced dynamo behind the hit HBO series Girls, is called "really out-there honest" by The Library Journal. Says Lena of her book:  "No, I am not a sexpert, a psychologist or a dietician. I am not a mother of three or the owner of a successful hosiery franchise. But I am a girl with a keen interest in having it all, and what follows are hopeful dispatches from the frontlines of that struggle."

 Yes Please by Amy Poehler (out in late October), Tina Fey's BFF and castmate on SNL, as well as The Second City, is described by the publisher as a "big juicy stew of personal stories, funny bits on sex and love and friendship and parenthood and real life advice". Amy is a veteran comic known most recently for her work on Parks & Recreation and, earlier in her career, for several seasons on the Upright Citizens Brigade.

Gotta run, now!

Humorist Stephen Colbert coined the term "truthiness" in 2005, it means the quality of feeling that something is true even if it really isn't. The Lifespan of a Fact  is a conversation between the author of an essay, John D'Agata and the fact checker, Jim Fingal. The magazine that originally commissioned the work later refused to publish due to factual inaccuracies, but it became the basis for D'Agata's 2011 book "About a Mountain." The book (Lifespan) is structured with the main essay in the center of the page and messages between Jim, John and sometimes the magazine's editor around the perimeter. The messages between Jim and John start out cordial, I even saw a =) in there somewhere, but they quickly devolved into name calling and insults. Also, this went on for seven years.

In D'Agata's essay, there's a lot of truthiness, half truths, and flat out untruths, but, there is also a lot of beauty and sadness. It's a picture of a lonely boy in a lonely town who jumps from a lonely tower in Las Vegas. He tells of a series of events that occur before and after this boy's death that lead the reader to believe that the event was inevitable. The essay is so well-written, it flows so perfectly, and the author speaks with such authority that each fact presented is unquestionably true. "On the day that Levi Presley died, five others died from two types of cancer, four from heart attacks, three because of strokes. It was a day of two suicide by gunshot as well. The day is yet another suicide from hanging." Five, four, three, two, one, and then there was Levi, it's perfect, too perfect, how could this not be true? But it isn't, Fingal checked with the Coroner's office and these statements simply aren't all true. They aren't all big lies, but they are lies, and we are only four sentences into the piece. As Fingal writes to his editor, after fact-checking just the first few lines, "we're only one sentence into this piece, though, and I don't think this is the worst of it." And it isn't the worst of it.

My allegiance keeps moving between the fact checker and the author. D'Agata claims that Presley died at 6:01:52 in the evening, which, according to the Coroner's Report is one second off. The difference of that one second is probably trivial, except that D'Agata's excuse for not correcting his mistake is that it would "ruin the essay." On the one hand, how can the author be so morally corrupt that he would lie about someone's final moment? As Fingal complained, it's not as if the boy was a celebrity or some important historical character-come legend, but he was important to someone, and isn't that worthy of respect? On the other hand, there is a larger story here about our unaccommodating world. All of our stories deserve to be put into context, be made cinematic, and accessible. In a way, the whole book is about this one-second disparity.

Fingal claims a number of "factual disputes", and quotation inaccuracies in the essay, some of which are in fact, factual disputes, or quotation inaccuracies, some of which are simply good editing. For example  D'Agata says that in the 1990s the homeless rate in Las Vegas nearly quadrupled. Fingal rebuts "the raw data is correct. But there's a problem with the rate estimate…" blah blah blah "4.88, which is more accurately represented by the statement "nearly quintupled," not "quadrupled." Goodness, leave the poor man alone, I mean he's not a statistician, in fact he doesn't even claim to be a journalist! I think that we all have learned that statistics can be manipulated, and that a series of facts does not always equal the truth. But a series of truths also don't always paint and accurate picture.

I kind of don't like either of them toward the end. D'Agata sort of redeems himself, sort of. His essay is amazing, but full of... lies? "Lies", "truths", apparently the genre is called creative nonfiction, which is not a term that I'm entirely comfortable with. How do you feel about it?

You may have noticed that our online catalog is looking snazzier these days. We have enhanced it with Novelist Select, offering over 5 million reading suggestions to help you find your next book.

The Readers' Advisory database known as Novelist Plus is not new to us, as we have offered it for several years. OPL patrons have often been delighted to find a NoveList match made in reading heaven for their interests. Here you will find "read-alikes" for favorite titles, authors, and series, or browse by topic or genre for lists of recommended titles. Access to NoveList Plus is also available through a mobile interface. 

Novelist Select is an extension of this service that has turned our catalog into a place for book discovery, with reader-focused features such as recommendations, series information, book reviews and more. We are seeing NoveList Select gather a community of OPL readers extending beyond the library walls. If you are at home looking for a book recommendation or want to expand your librarian recommendations, NoveList Select can be like a well-read friend who always thinks of the right book just for you.

Say, for instance, you search in the catalog for Flash Boys, a very popular new title by local author Michael Lewis (Moneyball, 2003), holding steady with around 60 holds on our 11 copies. Of course, we have many more copies on order, as we endeavor to maintain a 1 to 3 copies to holds ratio on books. But, while you wait for the supply to catch up with demand, you may scroll down to the bottom of the results screen to find some helpful suggestions about what might interest you in the meantime:

Among the titles and authors recommended here is David Wolman's The End of money.

Great. You follow the link to that title and look at reader ratings and reviews on GoodReads, also embedded in the catalog:

You further scan the professional review literature included right there in the catalog:

You place a hold, and pick it up within the next week.               

Done. And, who knows? It may end up being your next favorite book. 

This Earth Day consider checking out something from OPL’s quickly expanding digital collection; choose from thousands of eBooks. Whether you already dabble in eBook reading or are certain you could never give up the feel, smell and comfort of a good book, or even if you suspect eReaders and tablets are heralding the decline of civilization, you may be surprised at how easy it is to sink into a good eBook. I was. I was so sure I would never want to read from a backlit screen that I read books in the dark next to my sleeping baby with the flashlight from my phone pointed at the page. When my husband got me an iPad for my birthday I never planned to use it for personal reading, but I had to try out our eBook platforms as part of my job. (Didn’t I?) In no time I began reading mostly on the iPad. I read it in the dark, I read it in the light, in waiting rooms, on trips (you can load a ton of books onto one tablet). I would read it on the train, and I would read it in the rain (carefully). I would read it with a fox, and I would read it in in a box. I do so love my green earth-friendly tablet.

I am not alone. OPL patrons are checking out eBooks like crazy. Look at the upward trajectory of eBook checkouts at OPL over the past 2 years on the Overdrive eBook platform:

In spite of the addition of a second eBook platform, 3M Cloud Library, last January (over 400 amazing new titles and counting), Overdrive checkouts continue on their steady incline. We've gotten the message and have been enthusiastically purchasing all kinds of eBooks for adults, teens, and children. The majority of what we purchase are the latest popular titles on bestseller lists and topping our own print holds queues. We maintain a maximum ratio of 1 digital copy per 6 holds. But, also, a substantial portion of our eBook collection comes to us through Patron Driven Acquisition, which is an elaborate way of saying, "You choose the eBooks at your library". It works like this: If you see that Overdrive or 3M Cloud Library have titles that you want that are not currently owned by the library, you recommend them to us through the click of a button. Then we purchase them and you get notified. That's it. And you'll find much more than the bestsellers from which to choose.

Why do we now offer two options for borrowing eBooks? 3M Cloud Library has an easier setup process and eBook titles not available from Overdrive. Overdrive offers digital audiobooks and Kindle books, which are not available from 3M Cloud Library, and other eBook titles not available from 3M Cloud Library.

 A bit more about each eBook platform:

   Not just for Scotch tape anymore!

http://ebook.3m.com/library/OaklandPublicLibrary 

• Our very latest ebook titles for adults, teens, and kids.
• Download ebooks for tablets, various eReaders, and Kindle Fires.
• Get started with an easy setup process. Simply download the app and log in with your library card number and PIN.
• Insider's tip: 3M hasn't caught on at OPL, yet, so there is little to no wait on most frontlist titles.

____________________________________________________________

http://oakland.lib.overdrive.com/9250FB38-4664-481D-A526-4A085C353F69/10...

• OPL’s largest e-collection, with thousands of titles, for adults, teens, and kids.
• Get books for most devices, including the Kindle, Nook, iPad, and your Windows or Mac computer.
• Popular fiction and non-fiction titles in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Russian.
• You’ll need to create an account using your library card number and PIN, and install free software (Adobe Digital Editions).

To learn as much as you could ever want to know (more even!) about these eBook platforms and other digital media available through OPL, go to: http://oaklandlibrary.org/online-resources/e-books-and-downloadable-audiobooks 

If you are browsing, you should go directly to the 3M Cloud Library for titles published since January (generally), and to Overdrive for those published in 2013 and earlier (usually). However, if you know what you are looking for and want to take the guesswork out of where to look, you can search directly through our catalog and find records for all our eBooks, updated every week or two. Here's an example:

http://encore.oaklandlibrary.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb1944861__Sstill%...

Even niftier is that 3M eBooks are integrated with our catalog, which allows for quick e-book checkouts, holds and account management from the 'My Account' feature of the catalog. You never have to leave our site. As with most of our print collection, the checkout period is for 21 days.

Am I suggesting that eBooks should replace print books? No way! I'm a librarian. I love real live paper books. Plus, many publishers are still not working with digital library models, yet, and you'll need to stick with their print copies until they get there. But it may be rewarding, and environmentally friendly, to make a little room on your bookshelf for an eReader or tablet loaded with a few good books.