Get Lost in a Good Book

When the dark and cold and wet gather about us, take refuge in books. If you're looking for ideas of what to read, there is a bumper crop of "best of" lists to choose from, outlining everything from best fiction to cookbooks to business books, and selected by many, from NPR to the SF Chronicle, that can be found on largehearted boy's 2008 Year-end Online Book Lists.

For an easily digestible tidbit, here is Salon's Book Award Selections from 2008. These books are all available for request at the library.

Happy Reading!

Fiction

2666 by Roberto Bolaño

A Person of Interest by Susan Choi

The Likeness by Tana French

Atmospheric Disturbances by Rivka Galchen

The Northern Clemency by Philip Hensher

Nonfiction

Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood by Mark Harris

The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals by Jane Mayer

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale

Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are by Rob Walker

The Suicide Index: Putting My Father's Death in Order by Joan Wickersham

2009 Resolution- Share a Great Book!

With the New Year almost here, why not make one of your 2009 resolutions to join a book club at your local library? You can enjoy great books and interesting discussions at monthly gatherings for free! For example, the Point Reyes Library Book Club will be meeting on Monday, January 5th from 7-9pm for a lively discussion of "Eat Pray Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. Check our library events calendar at http://www.co.marin.ca.us/library/eventsclasses.cfm for more book club listings!

The Book Place is the Best Place!

In any season, holiday or otherwise, the Book Place is your best destination for book bargains and great gifts! You’ll find fiction, nonfiction, cookbooks, children's books, CDs, videos, audio books and more! The Book Place is open six days a week and staffed by volunteers from the Friends of Marin County Free Library. Located on Grant Avenue in Novato, the Book Place offers unbeatable prices with books starting at just twenty-five cents! For more information, visit the Book Place web page at http://marinlibraryfriends.marin.org/BookPlace.html

New Year's Teen Gaming Party

The Point Reyes Library will host a New Year's Gaming Party for teens (grades 6-12) on Friday, January 2nd, from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Join us for a snack, make new friends, and enjoy games such as Rock Band, Wii, Dance Dance Revolution, and Need for Speed Car Racing. Sign up at the Point Reyes Library or call 415-663-8375 to reserve a space.

Pajama Holiday Sing-a-long with Tim Cain

Wear your pajamas or bring your teddy bear and join us at the Point Reyes Library for some holiday music with popular Bay Area children's musician Tim Cain. The fun begins at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 18th. For additional information about this free event, contact the Point Reyes Library at 415-663-8375.

10 Best Books of 2008

As the end of the year approaches, the time of lists is upon us. Check out the New York Times "The 10 Best Books of 2008" list below. All titles are available for request at the library.

Fiction
Dangerous laughter: thirteen stories by Steven Millhauser

A Mercy by Toni Morrison

Netherland by Joseph O'Neill

2666 by Roberto Bolaño

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

Nonfiction
The Dark side: the inside story of how the war on terror turned into a war on American ideals by Jane Mayer

The Forever war by Dexter Filkins

Nothing to be frightened of by Julian Barnes

This Republic of Suffering: death and the American Civil War by Drew Gilpin Faust

The World is what it is: the authorized biography of V. S. Naipaul by Patrick French

Mystery fun at Novato Library

The Novato Library Mystery Book Club will be discussing Anne Perry’s “A Christmas Beginning” on Thursday, Dec. 18th from 7-8pm. Everyone is welcome to attend and enjoy the discussion! Special of the upcoming mystery book club selection will be available at club meetings. Book club copies check out for six weeks. If you miss a book club meeting, call the Novato Library’s reference desk to have a book club copy set aside for you to pickup. Large type editions are also available for most titles. For additional information about the Novato Mystery Book Club, call 897-1142.

How Are We Doing?

The most important goal of the Marin County Free Library is satisfying our customers. If you are not satisfied with Library services, please let us know. We’d also like to hear about what we are doing well! Request a customer comment form next time you visit the Library, or submit your comments online.

Most requested books

See what Marin County residents are reading! Here are the library's top ten most requested books for today:

1. The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly
2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
3. The Gate House by Nelson DeMille
4. Outliers: the Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
5. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
6. The Private Patient by P.D. James
7. A Most Wanted Man by John LeCarré
8. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
9. Divine Justice by David Baldacci

10. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

The Night Before Chris Mouse

P & T Puppet Theatre presents a special performance of "The Night Before Chris Mouse" at the Marin City Library on Thursday, Dec. 11^th from 11-noon. This fun puppet show is based on the beloved poem "The Night before Christmas" and Aesop's Fable of the belling of the cat. Jack Frost, Jingles, Frosty and an ice-skating polar bear are also part of this hilarious play which is sure to inspire lots of laughter and good cheers! For additional information about this free event, contact the Marin City Library at 332-6157.

Civic Center Library Book Club - January Selection

Join the Brown Bag Book Club on January 28, from 12-1, for a discussion of Laura Esquivel's Like Water for Chocolate. The club meets monthly at the Civic Center Library and new members are always welcome! For more information, call 499-6102.

Harry Potter release party at Novato Library

Join fellow Harry Potter fans at the Novato Library on Thursday, December 4th, to celebrate the release of J.K. Rowling's"Tales of Beedle the Bard"! Teens are welcome to join in the free festivities for this exciting new collection of 5 special tales which also includes a commentary by Professor Albus Dumbledore (from papers he left to the Hogwart's Archives). Our release party for this exciting new book will be held from 6-8pm. For more information, contact the Novato Library at 897-1142.