New Audiobook Arrivals!

In 1997, four-year-old Amanda McCready vanished without a trace. Investigators Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro risked their lives to bring her home, and did so successfully, but it was the most haunting case of their careers. Twelve years later, Amanda has vanished again, forcing Kenzie and Gennaro to relive past demons and once again race to save her life.





A circle of teenage burglars that the media has dubbed The Bling Ring has taken to pillaging the homes of Hollywood celebutants, and when a pair of drug-addled young copycats stumbles upon an art heist, that's just the beginning of the disaster to come. Soon LAPD veteran "Hollywood Nate" Weiss, surfer cops Flotsam and Jetsam, and the rest of the team at Hollywood Station have a deadly situation on their hands.


former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone, whose life is shattered when he receives an anonymous note carrying an unfamiliar Web address. Logging on, he sees Cassiopeia Vitt, a woman who's saved his life more than once, being tortured at the hands of a mysterious man who has a single demand: Bring me the artifact she's asked you to keep safe. The only problem is, Malone doesn't have a clue what the man is talking about, since Cassiopeia has left nothing with him. So begins Malone's most harrowing adventure to date, one that offers up astounding historical revelations, pits him against a ruthless ancient brotherhood, and sends him from Denmark to Belgium to Vietnam then on to China, a vast and mysterious land where danger lurks at every turn.



A stunning combination of medical history, cutting-edge science, and narrative journalism that transforms the listener's understanding of cancer and much of the world around them. Siddhartha Mukherjee provides a fascinating glimpse into the future of cancer treatments and offers a bold new perspective on the way doctors, scientists, philosophers, and lay people have observed and understood the human body for millennia.




An autobiography of the 43rd President of the United States provides an observation of his personal life from childhood on and public service as governor of Texas and operations in the White House.

Weekly Titles in the Spotlight for the Week ending Nov 24, 2010!!!

Books on Sale Soon

Port Mortuary (9780399157219) by Patricia Cornwell, November 30th

Of Love and Evil (9781400043545) by Ann Rice, November 30th

As Always, Julia (9780547417714) by Joan Reardon, December 1st

The Sherlockian (9780446572590) by Graham Moore, December 1st

America by Heart (9780062010964) by Sarah Palin, December 1st

Oprah #65 (9780142196588) December 6th

New DVD Release!!

"The Twilight Saga: Eclipse" - the continuing vampire adventure based on the phenomenal best-sellers by Stephenie Meyer - stars Kirsten Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and Bryce Dallas Howard

2010's Best Cookbooks: Real-Life Labors Of Love.

According to NPR....
Put simply, 2010 was a monster year for cookbooks. It's the last thing you'd expect in the heyday of the food blog, the TV tie-in, the crowd-sourced recipe. But what we have here is an overwhelming display of carefully crafted books produced after years of research, recipe-testing and tireless detective work. These labors of love — for the most part written or edited by women — are the work of cooks who not only have a remarkable, monklike ability to delve into their subject precisely and thoroughly, but also have a passion for sharing it.

Visit this link for the full article:http://www.npr.org/2010/11/16/131357002/2010-s-best-cookbooks-real-life-labors-of-love?ft=1&f=1032

What's Your Guilty Pleasure?

NPR has inititated a "My Guilty Pleasure" series where writers talk about books they love but are embarrassed to be seen reading. The list includes titles like "Meat Loves Salt", an erotic historical fiction novel, and "The Amityville Horror", a haunted real estate nightmare novel, and Judy Blume's "Forever", a steamy teen romance book. We would love to hear what your list includes!

Books to Movies.....

The Tempest (No Fear Shakespeare) by William Shakespeare
The list author says:
"In theatres December 10th, 2010."

In Julie Taymor's version of 'The Tempest,' the main character is now a woman named Prospera. Going back to the 16th or 17th century, women practicing the magical arts of alchemy were often convicted of witchcraft. In Taymor's version, Prospera is usurped by her brother and sent off with her four-year daughter on a ship. She ends up on an island; it's a tabula rasa: no society, so the mother figure becomes a father figure to Miranda. This leads to the power struggle and balance between Caliban and Prospera; a struggle not about brawn, but about intellect. Written by Anonymous

In Shakespeare's fantastical thriller the magician Prospero orchestrates spirits, monsters, a grief-stricken king, a wise old councillor, two treacherous brothers and a storm at sea into a fantastical conspiracy bringing banishment, sorcery and shipwreck into the lives of two hapless lovers to stir and seal their fate. Here Prospero takes female form as Prospera, giving her journey of vengeance and self-discovery a wholly new resonance. As Prospera breaks her magical staff against an entrancing volcanic landscape at the end of her heroic quest, this poignant story of love and forgiveness translates into a riveting and filmic mystical tale, for our own times.

Book Signing....

PAMELA KEOGH

Monday, December 6th, 7pm @ Book Revue
Bestselling author PAMELA KEOGH will speak about and sign her new book,
Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Timeless Lessons on Love, Power and Style.

It is an age old question. The Sexy Blonde or the Brainy Brunette? The flirty actress or the sophisticated first lady? Sleek or sassy? And, if it’s Marilyn men want to sleep with, but Jackie they want to marry, who should they strive to be? Can they be both? What can one learn from these two iconic women?

In her new book, Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Timeless Lessons on Love, Power, and Style, New York Times bestselling author Pamela Keogh dishes on what Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Marilyn Monroe knew that made men adore them and women want to be them. From insider tips to the juiciest gossip, Keogh looks at the public and private lives of these women and who they really were.

Pamela Keogh is the author of the internationally bestselling illustrated biographies of Audrey Style, Jackie Style, and Elvis Presley: The Man, The Life, The Legend. A journalist, she has also been published in Town & Country, British Vogue, Self Magazine, The New York Times, and many other national publications. She has also appeared on numerous television shows, ranging from Larry King Live to the Today Show. A graduate of Vassar College, she lives in New York City.

New York Times Literary Treat of the Week....

Hillenbrand, Laura. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption. Random House.

Hillenbrand specializes in sagas that captivated past generations but are largely unknown to present ones. Her 2001 Seabiscuit (both in book and DVD form at Merrick Library) is a vivid example of such subject matter. So is this account of a runner who some said in his prime could only be overcome by the horse Seabiscuit. Louis Zamperini escaped a juvenile delinquent's inevitable fate by becoming a track star who came close to breaking the four-minute mile barrier. In the Pacific War Zamperini survived a May 1943 bomber crash only to wind up a prisoner in the Japan held Marshall Islands. Kept alive for propaganda purposes due to having been in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Zamperini was subjected to prolonged torture and humiliation. Returning home, his postwar stress disorder was made manifest in alcoholism, violent fits and an unhappy marriage. Yet his conversion to Christianity in 1949 set Louis Zamperini on a path of inspirational speechmaking, starting up boys' camps and eventually forgiving his Japanese captors. Now at age 93, Zamperini's story should join that of Seabiscuit on the movie screen to be admired as well by a current generation.

Reviewed by Librarian, Bob.

Books to Movies....

"I Love You Phillip Morris" by Steve McVicker
The list author says:
In theatres December 3rd, 2010.

Steven Russell is happily married to Debbie, and a member of the local police force when a car accident provokes a dramatic reassessment of his life. Steven becomes open about his homosexuality and decides to live life to the fullest - even if it means breaking the law. Steven's new, extravagant lifestyle involves cons and fraud and, eventually, a stay in the State Penitentiary where he meets sensitive, soft-spoken Phillip Morris. His devotion to freeing Phillip from jail and building the perfect life together prompts Steven to attempt and often succeed at one impossible con after another. Written by The Film Catalogue

Incarcerated at the state penitentiary, con artist Steven Russell(Carrey) meets the love of his life: Phillip Morris (McGregor). As a free man, his passion results in a series of improbable cons to bust Phillip form jail and build the perfect life together. Written by Anonymous

Top Ten Art Books according to Booklist Novebmer 2010.

Another Fine Mess: A History American Film Comedy, by Saul Austerlitz. Austerlitz seeks to redress the lack of critical respect for comedic films in 100 lively biographical sketches of top comedy talents from Charlie Chalin to Katherine Hepburn to Judd Aparow.

Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective and his Rendezvous with American History, by Yunte Huang. Huang’s beautifully written blend of history, memoir, and analysis illuminates the many faces of Charlie Chan; his real-life role model, Honolulu cop Chang Apana; and still-urgent questions of immigration and racism.


Chuck Close: Life, by Christopher Finch. Finch portrays Close with the same
meticulous detail with which Close paints faces, telling with insight and sensitivity the astounding story of the struggles and triumphs of an artist of uncommon powers.


Empire of Dreams: The Epic Life of Cecil DeMille, by Scott Eyman. Aided by unique access to DeMille family papers, seasoned biographers Eyman offers an exhaustive and evenhanded look at iconic director and producer DeMille and epic Hollywood films.


Frank: The Voice, by James Kaplan. Kaplan’s fascinating account of Frank Sinatra from his birth in 1915 through 1954, when he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in From Here to Eternity, offers astute psychological, artistic, and cultural insights.


Grant Wood, by R. Tripp Evans. Evans transforms our view of painter Grant Wood and his all-American paintings, including American Gothic, in a revelatory and heartrending biography of an artist forced to conceal his homosexuality.


The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Family’s Century of Art and Loss, by Edmund de Waal. An inheritance of 264 netsuke (miniature carved figures) inspired acclaimed ceramist de Waal to tell the astonishing story of his father’s cosmopolitan Jewish family, the Ephrussi,in a spellbinding tale of accomplishment and terror, reinvention and survival.


Just Kids, by Patti Smith. Smith chronicles the mutual love and entwined artistic Odysseys of herself and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in New York City circa 1970 in a lucid, witty, and moving memoir.

Leo and His Circle: The Life of Leo Castelli, by Annie Cohen-Solal. Gallery owner Leo Castelli was king when New York became the Capital of the global art world, but Cohen-Solal is the first to tell the full story of his Hungarian roots, Trieste boyhood,hunger for life, and devotion to cutting edge art.


Princess Noire: the Tumultuous Reign of Nina Simone, by Nadine Cohodas. Cohodas writes emphatically about Nina Simone’s indelible music, which expresses all the pain,determination, and hope of the civil rights movement, her courageous activism, and the tragedies that derailed her.

New DVD Release...

"The Extra Man" - comedy/adventure from the directors of "American Splendor" - stars Kevin Kline, Katie Holmes and John C. Reilly

As Heard on NPR

Chris Hedges, author of Death of the Liberal Class was on Talk of the Nation Monday. Monday's On Point spoke with Simon Winchester about his latest book, Atlantic: Great Sea Battles, Heroic Discoveries, Titanic Storms and a Vast Ocean of a Million Stories.

Tuesday Morning Edition interviewed Senator Christopher (Kit) Bond about his book, The Next Front: Southeast Asia and the Road to Global Peace with Islam.

The show also included a segment with Nora Ephron about her new book, I Remember Nothing.

Tuesday Diane Rehm interviewed Stacy Schiff, author of Cleopatra: A Life.

Tuesday Talk of the Nation featured Death of the Liberal Class by Chris Hedges; and African Rhythms: The Autobiography of Randy Westonby Randy Weston, Willard Jenkins, Ronald Radano, and Josh Kun (9780822347842).

Tina Brown recommended Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff on Wednesday's Morning Edition. The show also included Reza Aslan, editor of Tablet and Pen: Literary Landscapes of the Modern Middle East.

Thursday the Diane Rehm Show interviewed Deborah Cadbury, author of Chocolate Wars: The 150-Year Rivalry Between the World's Greatest Chocolate Makers.

Lynda Barry, author of Picture This: The Near-Sighted Monkey Book was on Thursday's Talk of the Nation.

Science Friday has scheduled Antonio Damasio to discuss his new book, Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain.

Dennis Lehane is scheduled for Saturday's Weekend Edition to discuss his new book, Moonlight Mile.

New York Times Literary Treat of the Week....

Richards, Keith and Fox, James. Life.

Last month Merrick Library welcomed to its Biography section Frank: The Voice by James Kaplan. This month Merrick says hello to the memoirs of someone who might be the rock and roll equivalent of Mr. Sinatra. Grandson of a onetime dance band saxophonist, Keith Richards from age fifteen on sought to develop his own playing style after the initial influence of American blues guitarists. Richards shared his passion for the Delta sound with school friend Mick Jagger which formed the core of The Rolling Stones. That bond has remained despite a degree of social alienation between the two on many levels particularly over their individual trysts with singer/songwriter/actress Marianne Faithfull. While Jagger has been knighted Richards continues to be the original rock antihero even after a legacy of brushes with world law enforcement bodies over illicit drug possession. In 2006 while dealing with a hematoma caused by falling from a tree Richards received get well wishes from many admiring celebrities including a surprise from his native England: then-Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Keith Richards appears on the following DVDs at Merrick Library:

Les Paul: Live In New York
Pirates Of The Carribean: At World's End
Shine A Light
Stones In Exile

And on the following music CDs:

Les Paul And Friends: American Made, World Played
Timeless: Songs By Hank Williams
Burn Your Playhouse Down: The Unreleased Duets (George Jones)
The Fantastic Mr. Fox: Original Soundtrack

On CD with The Rolling Stones:

A Bigger Bang
Bridges To Babylon
Exile On Main Street
Forty Licks
The Long Black Veil
Shine A Light

Reviewed by Librarian, Bob.

Books In The Media...

As Seen on Television

Jessica Seinfeld, author of Double Delicious!: Good, Simple Food for Busy, Complicated Lives appeared Monday morning on Good Morning America.

The Colbert Report included Jonathan Alter, author of The Promise: President Obama, Year One Monday night.

Tuesday morning Rachael Ray, author of Rachael Ray's Look & Cook appeared on Good Morning America.

Regis and Kelly included Nigella Lawson, author of Nigella Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home on Tuesday. She also appeared on the Today Show and Martha Stewart this week.

Tuesday The Early Show featured Bobby Flay's Throwdown!: More Than 100 Recipes from Food Network's Ultimate Cooking Challengeby Bobby Flay.

Wednesday morning the Today Show included Buddy Valastro, author of Cake Boss: Stories and Recipes from Mia Famiglia.

Wednesday morning, the Early Show featured Michael Chiarello, author of Bottega: Bold Italian Flavors from the Heart of California's Wine Country.

Susan G. Baker, author of Passing It On: An Autobiography with Spirit was on Fox & Friends on Wednesday.

The Today Show included Jeff Dunham, author ofAll by My Selves: Walter, Peanut, Achmed, and Me on Wednesday.

Oprah went fly fishing withBrian Grossenbacher and Jenny Grossenbacher, authors of Fly Fishing Montana: A No Nonsense Guide to Top Waters as part of Wednesday's show.

Wednesday on the View, author Mark Halperin, of Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime.

Thursday the View hosted Laurie David, author of The Family Dinner: Great Ways to Connect with Your Kids, One Meal at a Time (9780446565462).

Ellen included Portia de Rossi, author of Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain on Thursday's show.

David Sedaris, author of Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Thursday night.

Thursday The Late Show with David Letterman hosted Steve Martin, whose new novel, An Object of Beauty cmes out later this month.

Friday morning the Today Show hosted Robyn Silverman, author of Good Girls Don't Get Fat: How Weight Obsession Is Messing Up Our Girls and How We Can Help Them Thrive Despite It.

Also on Friday's Today Show author Adam Carolla of, In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks: . . . And Other Complaints from an Angry Middle-Aged White Guy.

Friday Oprah celebrates the 25th anniversary of the movie based on the book The Color Purple by Alice Walker.

Bill O'Reilly, author of Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the Age of Obama is scheduled for Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday.

Friday night the Late Show with David Letterman has scheduled Tracy Morgan, author of I Am the New Black.

New Non-Fiction Audiobooks!

In this inquisitive voyage of self-discovery, Rhonda Byrne reveals that people have the ability to dramatically improve their lives. From better health to a successful, fulfilling career, listeners will discover how to completely overhaul their lives and finally start living the way they have always wanted.


In 1997, James Keene was sentenced to ten years to life in prison for dealing drugs. Unable to serve that amount of time, James made a deal with authorities: he could obtain an early release if he can get a convicted serial killer to confess his crimes. Sent to a maximum security prison for the criminally insane, Keene endured the most harrowing experience of his life.

Despite the controversy surrounding her personal life and the mystery still shrouding her death, Marilyn Monroe is still one of America's most iconic women. Here, this collection of Monroe's personal writings offers listeners a taste of the unique individual the world prematurely lost.


Marianne Williamson offers 21 lessons completely separate from anything related to diet or exercise. This program will retrain the mind in the area of weight in order to break the cycle of overeating, dieting, and shame that rules so many lives.





A history of the 40-year battle between the Comanche Indians and white settlers, centering on the Comanche chief Quanah.

New York Times Literary Treat of the Week...

Deaver, Jeffery. Edge.
Lehane, Dennis. Moonlight Mile.
Nadelson, Reggie. Blood Count.
Camilleri, Andrea. The Track of Sand.

The Detectives' Club of the Merrick Library Mystery Department recently welcomed a new member. He is Corte, a government security specialist whose current assignment of protecting a Washington D.C. police detective and his family comes with not knowing which member is the target of an assassin (Edge). Corte was made at home by New England operative Patrick Kenzie, who is at a life and career crossroads when he must locate again a girl that years before almost riiped his life to shreds (Moonlight Mile). Also on hand was Artie Cohen, the Russian born shamus looking into the death of an old countrywoman in a famous Harlem apartment building (Blood Count). A surprise arrival from Sicily was police detective Salvo Montalbano, whose investigation into illegal horse racing on his island nation begins with a dead equine outside his beach house (The Track of Sand).

Also by Jeffery Deaver at Merrick Library:

The Blue Nowhere
The Bodies Left Behind
The Bone Collector
The Chopin Manuscript (large print)
The Devil's Teardrop

By Dennis Lehane:

Coronado: Stories
Darkness, Take My Hand
A Drink Before the War
The Given Day

By Reggie Nadelson:

Disturbed Earth
Fresh Kills
Londongrad
Red Hook

By Andrea Camilleri:

August Heat
The Paper Moon
The Wings of the Sphinx

Books to Movies.......

Love & Other Drugs:

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Josh Gad, Judy Greer, Hank Azaria
Director: Edward Zwick
Distributor: 20th Century Fox Distribution
MPAA Rating: R
Release Date: November 24th (wide)
Based on: LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS by Jamie Reidy

A humorous expose of the highly competitive and cutthroat world of pharmaceuticals. An ambitious college grad schmoozes doctors, nurses, hospitals and begins a relationship with a woman suffering from Parkinson's, all while competing against other salesmen who trying to push their brand of drugs.

Love and Other Drugs: Based on Jamie Reidy's memoir "Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman."

(Hathaway) is an alluring free spirit who won't let anyone - or anything - tie her down. But she meets her match in Jamie (Gyllenhaal), whose relentless and nearly infallible charm serve him well with the ladies and in the cutthroat world of pharmaceutical sales. Maggie and Jamie's evolving relationship takes them both by surprise, as they find themselves under the influence of the ultimate drug: love.

Earth (The Book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race.

First America (The Book), and now, six years later, Earth. Yes, once again fearless anchor and ringleader Jon Stewart and his gang of snark-attack writers at The Daily Show bring barbed, laser-guided intelligence camouflaged with gleeful vulgarity to the page, this time to tell the story of Earth from its gritty beginnings as an unwieldy whirl of gasses and dust to its coalescence into a "fertile oasis of sophisticated life in the endless barren expanse of the universe (no offense)."

Attention Fantasy Fiction Readers!

The Top 25 Fantasy Books, Fantasy Games, and Movies are all listed on this site. Enjoy!

http://www.bestfantasybooks.com/