Dr. Betty Middleton
Rowan Public Library
SALISBURY — If you are a fan of Patricia Cornwell’s medical examiner novels, then you will love Kathy Reichs’ Dr. Temperance Brennan.
Kathy Reichs’ first novel, “Deja Dead,” propelled her into the spotlight when it became a New York Times bestseller and won the 1997 Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Novel.
To date, she has written 13 novels which have been translated into 30 languages. Her books have been the inspiration for the Fox television series “Bones,” with Temperance “Bones” Brennan as the main character.
A large portion of the novels is based on Kathy Reichs’ real-life experiences.
She is adamant about getting the scientific explanations correct to help the reader better understand her chosen field.
Currently, Reichs is a professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, a consultant for the Laboratoire de Sciences Judiciaires et de Medecine Legale for the province of Quebec, and she has also consulted with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Chapel Hill.
In the novel “Break no Bones,” Dr. Temperance “Tempe” Brennan takes her archaeological students from UNCC to work on a site of prehistoric graves on Dewees, a barrier island north of Charleston, S.C. During their excavation they uncover a “not so prehistoric” body.
“Fatal Voyage” brings the forensic anthropologist back to North Carolina to join the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team in the investigation of an airplane crash in North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains. She stumbles upon a body part that doesn’t match up with the remains of any of the plane’s passengers. As usual, she works to trace the remains, which turn out to belong to a man killed 40 years ago.
In “Cross Bones,” the death of a middle-aged orthodox Jew in Montreal leads Brennan to the Holy Land, where the clues lead to ossuaries found in Masada and Jerusalem. The carbon 14 dating of the ancient skeletons indicates a first century AD connection and the names seem to link all of this to the family of Jesus.
Brennan, the fictional heroine in the novels, also a forensic anthropologist, shows the parallels with the real life of Dr. Kathy Reichs. Reichs’ ability to hold the reader’s attention is due to the real-life experiences she brings to her writing, and the professional expertise which helps her explain the details so we can all understand.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Library Notes
March 12, 2011
Lynn A. Denison
An intriguing title caught my eye recently as I was browsing the section in the library for new nonfiction. The title is How to Get Things Really Flat. Reading the subtitle piqued my interest even more: Enlightenment for Every Man on Ironing, Vacuuming and Other Household Arts. I found myself reading and laughing out loud at some of the ridiculously funny anecdotes the British author Andrew Martin describes. Although the target audience is men, the tips are helpful for women as well. This is not a dry guide to doing household chores. Some of the chapter headings will give you an idea of the book’s tone: Chapter 3 on ironing includes sections such as “Do I Need to Bother with the Controls on the Iron?” and “What Is the Worst Thing That Can Happen During Ironing?” Chapter 6 on dusting includes a section on “During Dusting, Where Does the Dust Go?” Chapter 7 on cleaning includes a section on “How to Impress People with Bicarbonate of Soda.”
This book set me on the trail of similar “How To” books that we might have on our shelves. The trail led to two books written by Erien Bried, How to Sew a Button and Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew and How to Build a Fire and Other Handy Things Your Grandfather Knew. The author, a senior staff writer at SELF magazine for the last nine years, gives hope to the domestically challenged among us in a practical, useful, yet humorous manner. Some of my favorite topics in How to Sew a Button include, “How to Properly Fold a Fitted Sheet.”, “How to Use Vinegar to Clean Almost Anything”, “How to Rid Your House of Mice”, and “How to Polish Your Image by Shining Your Own Shoes.”
Written for men but with women still in mind is the wonderfully helpful, back-to-basics, you can do anything guide, How to Build a Fire. Whereas How to Sew a Button deals with home-ec type things, this book offers a number of lessons on being a grown up. Some of my favorite tips include: “How to Keep a Secret”, ‘How to Make a Good Cup of Coffee”, “How to Buy a Car”, and even “How to Make Toast.”
The explanations in each book are short but helpful and most importantly, fun. After reading these books from the library, you may even decide to purchase two or three to keep on hand. They make wonderfully impromptu gifts for friends and family. As a librarian, I always feel that a book you have read and then care enough to share with a friend is a pretty special gift. Of course, Rowan Public Library is your headquarters for all kinds of “How To” books. Come by to check out our wide selection on books of all topics and experience the friendly and helpful service we always strive to provide for our patrons.
March 12, 2011
Lynn A. Denison
An intriguing title caught my eye recently as I was browsing the section in the library for new nonfiction. The title is How to Get Things Really Flat. Reading the subtitle piqued my interest even more: Enlightenment for Every Man on Ironing, Vacuuming and Other Household Arts. I found myself reading and laughing out loud at some of the ridiculously funny anecdotes the British author Andrew Martin describes. Although the target audience is men, the tips are helpful for women as well. This is not a dry guide to doing household chores. Some of the chapter headings will give you an idea of the book’s tone: Chapter 3 on ironing includes sections such as “Do I Need to Bother with the Controls on the Iron?” and “What Is the Worst Thing That Can Happen During Ironing?” Chapter 6 on dusting includes a section on “During Dusting, Where Does the Dust Go?” Chapter 7 on cleaning includes a section on “How to Impress People with Bicarbonate of Soda.”
This book set me on the trail of similar “How To” books that we might have on our shelves. The trail led to two books written by Erien Bried, How to Sew a Button and Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew and How to Build a Fire and Other Handy Things Your Grandfather Knew. The author, a senior staff writer at SELF magazine for the last nine years, gives hope to the domestically challenged among us in a practical, useful, yet humorous manner. Some of my favorite topics in How to Sew a Button include, “How to Properly Fold a Fitted Sheet.”, “How to Use Vinegar to Clean Almost Anything”, “How to Rid Your House of Mice”, and “How to Polish Your Image by Shining Your Own Shoes.”
Written for men but with women still in mind is the wonderfully helpful, back-to-basics, you can do anything guide, How to Build a Fire. Whereas How to Sew a Button deals with home-ec type things, this book offers a number of lessons on being a grown up. Some of my favorite tips include: “How to Keep a Secret”, ‘How to Make a Good Cup of Coffee”, “How to Buy a Car”, and even “How to Make Toast.”
The explanations in each book are short but helpful and most importantly, fun. After reading these books from the library, you may even decide to purchase two or three to keep on hand. They make wonderfully impromptu gifts for friends and family. As a librarian, I always feel that a book you have read and then care enough to share with a friend is a pretty special gift. Of course, Rowan Public Library is your headquarters for all kinds of “How To” books. Come by to check out our wide selection on books of all topics and experience the friendly and helpful service we always strive to provide for our patrons.
Sunday, March 06, 2011
WAR STORIES
PAUL BIRKHEAD – MARCH 6, 2011
“I have seen enough of one war never to wish to see another.”
~ Thomas Jefferson
There are a multitude of quotes about war and seldom will you find ones glamorizing it. Just like General Sherman famously said, “War is Hell.” If you haven’t actually been in combat, one way to get a feel for warfare is to read a memoir of someone who witnessed the horror first-hand. Rowan Public Library’s shelves are stocked with personal narratives from servicemen and women who have fought in all branches of America’s armed forces.
An Ace of the Eighth: an American Fighter Pilot’s Air War in Europe is a first-person account of World War II written by Norman “Bud” Fortier. Mr. Fortier was an aviator in the U.S. Army Air Corps who flew over one hundred combat missions in the skies above Europe. This narrative is full of interesting facts about the men and the aircraft that helped subdue Nazi Germany and is punctuated with photographs of Fortier, his comrades, and the aircraft that they piloted.
In No Bugles, No Drums, the setting is the Korean War. In this book, freelance journalist Rudy Tomedi gathered the reminiscences of dozens of Korean War veterans. Set roughly in chronological order, these narratives tell the story of the conflict in Korea from several points of view which makes for very interesting reading.
We Were Soldiers Once and Young by Harold Moore is the story of a small group of American soldiers in the 7th Cavalry who fought against all odds in the first significant engagement with Viet Cong regulars in Vietnam. In this battle, fought in the fall of 1965, the Lt. Col. who commanded the American forces was none other than the author himself. The book is sure to shock the reader with its descriptions of the bloody and gritty combat experiences of Moore and the men of his battalion. By the way, if the book’s title sounds familiar, it was made into a movie starring Mel Gibson back in 2002.
Speaking of personal narratives of war, and Vietnam in particular, Rowan Public Library is partnering with Waterworks Visual Arts Center to honor and illustrate the Vietnam experiences of Rowan County servicemen and women. Photos and oral histories are being collected at Rowan Public Library and will culminate in a photography exhibit at Waterworks in August 2011. Please call Paul Birkhead, at RPL’s East Branch (704-216-7841) if you would like more information.
PAUL BIRKHEAD – MARCH 6, 2011
“I have seen enough of one war never to wish to see another.”
~ Thomas Jefferson
There are a multitude of quotes about war and seldom will you find ones glamorizing it. Just like General Sherman famously said, “War is Hell.” If you haven’t actually been in combat, one way to get a feel for warfare is to read a memoir of someone who witnessed the horror first-hand. Rowan Public Library’s shelves are stocked with personal narratives from servicemen and women who have fought in all branches of America’s armed forces.
An Ace of the Eighth: an American Fighter Pilot’s Air War in Europe is a first-person account of World War II written by Norman “Bud” Fortier. Mr. Fortier was an aviator in the U.S. Army Air Corps who flew over one hundred combat missions in the skies above Europe. This narrative is full of interesting facts about the men and the aircraft that helped subdue Nazi Germany and is punctuated with photographs of Fortier, his comrades, and the aircraft that they piloted.
In No Bugles, No Drums, the setting is the Korean War. In this book, freelance journalist Rudy Tomedi gathered the reminiscences of dozens of Korean War veterans. Set roughly in chronological order, these narratives tell the story of the conflict in Korea from several points of view which makes for very interesting reading.
We Were Soldiers Once and Young by Harold Moore is the story of a small group of American soldiers in the 7th Cavalry who fought against all odds in the first significant engagement with Viet Cong regulars in Vietnam. In this battle, fought in the fall of 1965, the Lt. Col. who commanded the American forces was none other than the author himself. The book is sure to shock the reader with its descriptions of the bloody and gritty combat experiences of Moore and the men of his battalion. By the way, if the book’s title sounds familiar, it was made into a movie starring Mel Gibson back in 2002.
Speaking of personal narratives of war, and Vietnam in particular, Rowan Public Library is partnering with Waterworks Visual Arts Center to honor and illustrate the Vietnam experiences of Rowan County servicemen and women. Photos and oral histories are being collected at Rowan Public Library and will culminate in a photography exhibit at Waterworks in August 2011. Please call Paul Birkhead, at RPL’s East Branch (704-216-7841) if you would like more information.
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