Success

One Sunday morning on the CBS early show, my husband and I watched an interview with Malcolm Gladwell. He is the one who coined the term tipping point and his book by that title and well as “Blink” were both best sellers.
His new book is “Outliers: the Story of Success.” It is built around the premise of wondering why some people succeed more than others. Gladwell argues that true success is more than intelligence and ambition and if we want to understand how some people thrive, we should spend more time looking around them—at such things as their family, their birthplace, or even their birth date. The story of success is more complex—and a lot more interesting--than it initially appears.
“Outliers” explains what the Beatles and Bill Gates have in common, the extraordinary success of Asians at math, the hidden advantages of star athletes, and the reason you’ve never heard of the world’s smartest man—all in terms of generation, family, culture, and class. It matters what year you were born if you want to be a Silicon Valley billionaire, Gladwell, argues and it matters where you were born if you want to be a successful pilot. The lives of outliers—those people whose achievements fall outside normal experience—follow a peculiar unexpected logic, and in making that logic plain Gladwell presents a fascinating and provocative blueprint for making the most of human potential.

Southern Fried Christmas Stories

I often discover the best books while walking past our library’s holding shelves. Since they are located next to our staff work room, I peruse these shelves several times every day. Whether it is a cleverly-worded title or a splashy cover, the little gems that I find are always worth my time. Yesterday, a colorful Christmas book caught my eye. I was first attracted by the lovely illustration on the cover, but when I was close enough to read the title, I knew that I had to share this book with someone else! Titled The Official Guide to Christmas in the South Or, If You Can’t Fry It, Spraypaint It Gold and written by David C. Barnette, this book is a charming, hilarious guide to decorating your home for Christmas in the Southern style. The book teaches the reader how to avoid holiday pitfalls as well as how to navigate the “sometimes unspoken details of Southern etiquette.” Chapters such as “Christmas China and Therapy” and “The Divinity Code” offer tips on how to arrange your house for the holidays and create the perfect food for your large assortment of visitors during the holiday season. Although tongue-in-cheek, the book does offer some practical advice, such as which items you can safely “gild” (translation-spraypaint gold) and give as gifts as well as which presents you can safely “re-gift” and who you can give them to. Another humorous Christmas style guide is Ruby Ann Boxcar’s Move Over Santa—Ruby’s Doin’ Christmas! Ruby is a resident of the High Chaparral Trailer Park, whose book details how to prepare your trailer, inside and out, for the holiday season. The book is arranged by the days of Christmas (one through twelve) and includes recipes, crafts, and other facts about Christmas (did you know that in 1836 Alabama became the first state to declare Christmas a legal holiday?). If you are feeling overwhelmed by this holiday season, be sure and check-out these books yourself, for some laughter and great holiday stress-relief. I promise you won’t be disappointed!!

Get Hooked by an Angel

I am a big fan of police procedurals and I have just finished reading a really great one! Angel’s Tip is the latest mystery thriller from Alafair Burke, and it truly is a fast and exciting read. The book is set in New York and features Ellie Hatcher, a tough, “newly promoted” NYPD detective who has been working in the homicide division of the Thirteenth precinct for exactly one week. The book’s action is centered around the murder of Chelsea Hart, a college student from Indiana who was spending her spring break with her two best friends, in New York City. A bit wild and carefree, Chelsea convinced her friends to leave her at a nightclub on the last night of their trip, so that that she could dance and have fun “a little bit longer.” But, the best night of Chelsea’s life turned sour when her murdered body was discovered the next day in East River Park. The plot is complicated and the action moves quickly in this book. Not only do readers’ get to hear Ellie’s point of view, but also they are pushed into the mind of the killer during several parts of the book. The best part of Alafair Burke’s novel is her heroine, Ellie Hatcher. Ellie’s father was a policeman and she has followed in his footsteps in her own career choice. Ellie lives in a world of men, and being attractive and blond has hindered her ability to be taken seriously by her fellow detectives. In this book, Ellie receives a new partner, J. J. Rogan, who as an African American has had to face his own battles within the force. Ellie and J. J.’s developing partnership and uphill battle to learn the “lay of the land” within the NYPD add an extra layer of tension to this already exciting story. Dead Connection is the first novel written by Alafair Burke, that stars Ellie Hatcher. Burke has also written three books in a series with Deputy District Attorney Samantha Kincaid that are set in Portland, OR; the first book in the Samantha Kincaid series is Judgement Calls. If you like Angel’s Tip, try also reading The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen, the first book in Gerritsen’s series starring Detective Jane Rizzolo. The story involves a creepy cerebral serial killer, a charismatic female doctor and a tough female detective set amidst the history and bustle of Boston, MA.

Visit "The Shack!"

I am usually not fond of reading books on the bestseller list, especially when the book is a “14-day” check-out because so many people want to read it! I don’t enjoy being stressed out and forced to read a book quickly, as I prefer to read at my own pace. However, I just finished reading The Shack by William P. Young, a book that has been on the bestseller list for several weeks. The book is a work of fiction, but the story is so compelling, I kept asking myself as I read it, “What if this book is based on a true story?” The story revolves around MacKensie (Mac) who has a wonderful family and a nice life, until a terrible tragedy occurs and causes him to lose his faith in God and become burdened by The Great Sadness. Mac then gets the chance to have a conversation with God and what he learns is startling, amazing, and wonderful. The God that Mac meets is different from his version that he grew up with and how Mac is changed by him makes the book a good read. The story is vivid and a bit challenging to read – I suggest reading it in small doses, so you can spend time thinking about the story.

For other books that deal with people and their relationships with God try also reading Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsche, in which he chronicles his extraordinary experience of conversing with God through the process of "auto-writing."

STEAMBOATS ON THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER

I attended a tribute ceremony to the Delta Queen Steamboat and learned interesting historical facts. Steamboats have played important roles in history. Hopefully those remaining will be in operation for future generations to enjoy. Our library has many books on steamboats, such as
Live Steam by Jon Kral, a photojournalist who gives a behind the scenes look at what it’s like to live and work aboard steamboats.

Monday, November 3, 2008 at 4:00P.M.

Tribute to the Delta Queen

Along the Vicksburg riverfront and from the bow of the American Queen a tribute was made to the departing steamboat, Delta Queen. The Captain John Dugger presented a plaque to
Mayor Laurence Leyens. Mayor Leyens spoke of the importance of keeping the stern-wheel steamboats on the River and proclaimed November 3rd as “Delta Queen Day” for Vicksburg. The American Queen Quartet played and the "Delta Queen Waltz" was performed. The history of the Delta Queen was given as being built in 1927 with a cost of less than a million dollars. She began overnight trips between Sacramento and San Francisco for the next thirteen years going through the Depression. From 1940 to 1946, the Delta Queen served in the U.S. Navy. She was painted overall gun barrel gray. In 1946 she was put up for auction and bought by Tom Green from Cincinnati, Ohio for $46, 250.00 The Green Family renovated the Delta Queen in 1947. Cruises began in 1948 on the Ohio River and have continued for the past sixty years. In 1966 a law was enacted for ocean going vessels having wooden superstructure, stating that they couldn’t carry more than fifty passengers overnight. The Delta Queen has been exempted nine times from this law allowing her to have passenger cruises. Recently the exemption wasn’t given to the Delta Queen and expired on November 1st. The public is being encouraged to contact representatives to ask Congress to allow the exemption. For more information see the website at http://www.deltaqueenhistory.com/

Vote for Your Favorite Adult and Children’s Book!

In acknowledgement of the election season, the Warren County-Vicksburg Public Library asked patrons to nominate their favorite adult and children’s books during the month of October. Nominations were accepted through October 31, in cooperation with an exhibit case display of famous people and their favorite books. The nominations in both the Adult and Children’s categories were wide-ranging and covered both Non-Fiction and Fiction titles. When the nominations were tallied, the top five books with the most nominations were:

Adult Books
1) The Bible
2) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
3) The Time-Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
4) My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
5) The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Children’s Books
1) Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
2) Eragon by Christopher Paolini
3) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
4) The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss.
5) Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White

Now, it’s your time to vote! Please visit the library and fill out a ballot, and place it in the “star-covered” paper box located on the top of the exhibit case on the second floor of the library. The case is located to your right when you walk into the library. You may vote for ONE favorite book in both the adult and children’s categories. Votes may be cast until November 21, 2008. The results of the vote will be published in the newsletter as well as on a poster inside the library. If you can’t visit the library, you may e-mail your vote to me, at jensmith@warren.lib.ms.us Don’t miss out on your chance to voice your opinion!