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Alberto Giacometti by Christian Klemm

Giacometti's roughly sculpted figures stretch up thin and tall. Despite, or because of, their simplicity, I love spending time looking at them (See the Milwaukee Art Museum). Apparently other art lovers like looking at them too. I just read an article in the New York Times about a recent auction of one of Giacometti's sculptures. His 6 foot tall bronze, "Walking Man I," sold for $92.5 million. This is a record price, more than a Picasso or a Van Gogh. I was shocked. I instantly wanted to know more. Klemm's beautifully illustrated book follows Giacometti's life and works from beginning to end. I was delighted to discover many wonderful sketches and paintings that I was not aware of. Check catalog for availability.

Submitted by Paula @ MPL Central

When Mark Twain published A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court in 1889, he was already a widely popular author and humorist. With this novel, the tone of Twain's work seems to shift to his later period of harshly satirical and pessimistic writing. Rest assured, I think this novel is still hilarious, but there is underlying feeling of biting social satire mixed with madcap hijinks and merry mirth.
When mechanic Hank Morgan is knocked cold during a quarrel, he awakens in the land of Camelot surrounded by medieval peasants and King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. When Hank introduces technology from the late nineteenth century to his current medieval world, it temporarily dazzles the residents, but ultimately leads to chaos, social upheaval and the death of King Arthur.
This fine novel is a great place to start if you want to read Twain at his witty, sarcastic best. After reading this story, check out one of the two great adaptations that were filmed!
The first version stars famed comedian Will Rogers from 1931 and another musical version starring crooner Bing Crosby from 1949.

Submitted by Dan@Central

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson

The factual account of serial killer H.H. Holmes, who murdered between 27 and 200 people in Chicago during the 1893 World's Fair, is engagingly documented in this fascinating true story. As much a story of the building of the World's Fair as it is a crime drama, this well written book brings the reader back to a time that wasn't as innocent as it appears.

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Submitted by Dan @ Central

If you've ever kept a diary or keep one now, this may be an interesting read for you. Irene America has been documenting her personal thoughts in a diary, but finds out that her husband is reading it. She decides to use this to her advantage and writes entries she hopes will affect him and their rapport. At the same time she starts a separate diary to record her true feelings. Seeing the relationship from several viewpoints is interesting and shows the cracks in the veneer of this marriage in a truly unique way. Check catalog for availability.

- Submitted by Jacki @ MPL Central

North Country: A Personal Journey by Howard Frank Mosher (c1997)

Hailing from, and a vocal champion of, the North Country of Vermont, Howard Frank Mosher had long wanted to explore the "north country" of the entire United States. So, to mark his 50th birthday, he did just that and set out on a solo east-to-west coast-to-coast roadtrip across America, opting to hug the U.S./Canada border all the way. The resulting travelogue makes for an enjoyable read as Mosher humbly dabbles in the local history and current state of affairs at varied stops along his chosen route.

Makes me want to hit the road myself... but at this time of year, I think I'll head south.

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- submitted by Tom @ MPL Central

All comparisons to Nick Hornby aside, I found this debut novel from British musician Thornton to be a clever examination of pop stardom, fan obsession and the connections between people who both make and love rock n roll music.
In the late 1980's, at the dawn of "alternative music," high schooler Clive begins a life long fixation with the Thieving Magpies, an alternative band lead by abrasive singer Lance Webster. As both Clive and the Thieving Magpies age and mature, so do the parallels between them. This is a fun book loaded with references regarding the "alternative" and "Britpop" music scene of the 1990's and the fans that made them relevant, but I think the real strength of this novel are the realistic voices and artful storytelling that melds the past with the present, making the future a worthwhile endeavor.

Submitted by Dan@Central
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The small farming community of Words, Wisconsin comes to life in this lively novel from Wisconsinite David Rhodes. July Montgomery, a solitary, thoughtful farmer, becomes the catalyst that draws the eccentric residents of Words together in friendship, love and respect. As the residents of the small town face tragedy, corruption, disease and financial loss, they also experience love, revelation, trust and hope. As the main characters eke out a living, their lives entwine through hardship until one single event brings them together as a hopeful community.

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Submitted by Dan

Our Noise: The Story Of Merge Records - The Indie Label That Got Big And Stayed Small by John Cook (c2009)

Merge is a Chapel Hill, North Carolina based independent record label that was started by Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance (both of the long-running rock concern Superchunk) back in 1989. What began as a tiny bedroom operation releasing 7" singles and cassettes with handmade packaging, has slowly and steadily grown over the course of the last twenty years into a formidable business that in 2007 released an album (The Arcade Fire's Neon Bible) which debuted at Number 2 on the Billboard Charts. This book details the complete history of Merge and the label's well-rounded roster of bands and musicians (such as Spoon, The Magnetic Fields, Neutral Milk Hotel, Lambchop and the aforementioned Superchunk and The Arcade Fire). Through d-i-y hard work, honesty and associating themselves only with like-minded people, Merge has defied the odds and continues to grow while major-label record company behemoths have fallen on hard times. Check catalog for availability.

- submitted by Tom @ MPL Central

Tropper's latest novel is the funniest book I read this year (and possibly the funniest ever written about sitting shiva). After Judd Foxman's atheist father dies, his brothers and sister are astounded to learn his last wish was for them to observe the Jewish tradition of mourning together for seven days, as other friends and relatives visit to pay their respects. The Foxmans reluctantly comply and gather for a week of dysfunctional interaction, both with each other and with an endless stream of quirky mourners with their contributions of food, platitudes, and more food. Bawdy humor, keenly observed human [mis]behavior, sexual adventures and sharp verbal combat follow as Judd tries to come to terms with the losses in his life and his family's secrets and lies.

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Submitted by Christine

The often overlooked history of the U.S. Coast Guard in WWII is finally given its just rewards in this well researched study of both domestic and overseas actions that the USCG participated in during the war. From fighting Japanese submarines at Pearl Harbor to landing Marines at Guadalcanal; from protecting freighters carrying essential supplies to England from the Nazi wolf packs in the frigid North Atlantic to safeguarding the shipyards in Wisconsin from saboteurs, the USCG played an active and important role in the U.S. winning the war. I found a chapter of personal recollections about duty in the Pacific to be very interesting. Quotations and memories from then active duty Coast Guard, Navy, Army and Marine personnel tell the real story of how important the Coast Guard was to every branch of the military. The chapter on D-Day and the role the Coast Guard played in the invasion of Europe was also engrossing because I had previously assumed that was a Navy operation. Meticulously researched and filled with eye-popping photos, this book will be of interest to military and history buffs.

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Submitted by Dan@Central