What's New @ Your Library?

New Nonfiction at Ritter Public Library for the month of May:


Understanding Biodiversity by David Zeigler

The title describes it all. This book attempts to explain the many different facets of biodiversity. The author does use some scientifc jargon, but explains the meanings right away. This is a plus since not everybody has a degree in Biology.
This book will appeal to readers with an interest in the sciences and to readers curious about the world around them.



Ordinary Miracles:Learning from Breast Cancer Survivors by S. David Nathanson, M.D.

Dr. Nathanson shares some of the experiences of 71 of his patients as they deal with breast cancer. In a quote from the book jacket:

"In these pages, Nathanson shares stories from his patients, teaching us about the experience of breast cancer and explaining how these individuals found and fueled the will and power to defeat the disease."

Miracle in the Andes: 72 days on the mountain and my long trek home by Nando Parrado

Written by a survivor of the disasterous 1972 crash of a plane carrying rugby players from Uruguay to Chile in the Andes. In the crash, Parrado lost his mother, his sister and many friends. This is the riveting account of his ordeal and will appeal to readers who enjoyed Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air.



Of course, these are only a few of the books we've recently purchased. Come in and see what's new!

To place a hold on any of the books mentioned in this blog, email the book title/author and your library card number to:
info@ritter.lib.oh.us

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

In this amusing story, Charlie Asher, beta male, sees a strange man wearing mint green at his wife’s hospital bedside, just after she dies. Charlie is left to wonder over why no one else seems to have seen anything and to raise his newborn daughter on his own.
Almost immediately, Charlie begins to notice strange things, items in his pawn shop glowing, bird-like shadows following him, and people dying around him. Seeking out the man in the mint green suit, Charlie learns that he is now a ‘Death Merchant.’ The story grows steadily more bizarre as Charlie investigates his suspicions that he might actually be ‘Death’ with a capital ‘D.’

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore is an entertainingly bizarre look at death. I enjoyed reading this book immensely and I recommend it to lovers of humor, horror and fantasy.

What's on Your Bookshelf?

Have you read anything you would like to share? We look forward to hearing what you think about the books you are reading. Post a comment and tell us all about them!

Let us know the title and who wrote it and what you think about it. If you liked or didn't like it, tell us why.

Anyone is welcome to leave a comment. We'd love to hear from you wherever you are! Comments can be anonymous, so don't be shy.

Remember: try not to give away the ending for those who may become interested in the book you comment about.

I'll start: I just finished reading The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I missed the boat when this book was really popular, and another staff member recommended it.

A thirteen year old girl is murdered and the book is about her family and her friend's reactions to her death and to the terrible crime in their midst. I thought it was a beautiful book, even if it dealt with a terrible tragedy.

I've been told its a 'love it or hate it' book and I loved it.

Now its your turn......

The Circus Fire: A True Story of An American Tragedy by Stewart O'Nan

A short while ago I finished listening to the audiobook for Stewart O'Nan's The Circus Fire, which details the events surrounding the fire at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus in Hartford, CT on July 6, 1944. The author details the grim history of circus fires and shows how this history lead to the tragedy in 1944.
This book is a somber, taking the reader through the events before, during and after the fire in excruciating detail. The tale of the fire itself details events that were both horrifying and heroic, either way; I didn't want to stop listening.
Amazon.com’s review had this to say:

http://www.amazon.com/Circus-Fire-Story-American-Tragedy/dp/0385496850/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-4763019-9591330?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178641410&sr=1-1

O'Nan interviewed dozens of witnesses and examined police reports, newspaper accounts, and court documents while researching the fire. The result is an engrossing--though agonizingly painful--account of the great fire and its aftermath. He probes the tragedy's enduring mysteries--How did the fire start? Who are the unidentified victims? Who is Little Miss 1565?--and offers up conclusions of his own. He also provides remarkable vignettes of panic, heroism, and grief: Merle Evans and the band playing "The Stars and Stripes Forever," the circus disaster march, over and over; Bill Curlee, standing atop the wild animal chute throwing trapped children to safety; the Cote sisters, who made it home safely then broke down when asked why they were back so early. O'Nan tells their stories with compassion--albeit with a slight tendency toward the macabre.

I highly recommend this book, but it is not for the faint of heart.

If you would like to place a hold on this book or any of the others mentioned in this blog, feel free to call the library at (440) 967-3798 or email your name, library card number and the book title to info@ritter.lib.oh.us.