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

Maier, Pauline. Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788.

When the Constitutional Convention adjourned in Philadelphia September 17, 1787 those Federalists bent on state ratification must have taken to heart a saying of that city’s favorite son Benjamin Franklin: “Lost time is never found again.” M.I.T. American History professor Meier depicts a movement lasting four days short of a year driven by the fear that another opportunity to replace the Articles of Confederation may not ever come to pass. A roadblock was the Antifederalists that forced conventions in nearly every state (in Pennsylvania they insured a quorum at a Statehouse vote) and denounced the lack of a Bill of Rights. Their chief spokeman Patrick Henry at the Virginia convention was backed in his remarks by a sudden thunderstorm. Federalists such as John Jay used backroom genteel politics to gather more New York supporters than his brash colleague Alexander Hamilton at the podium. Sadly other backers of the new Constitution utilized censorship and mob violence against their rivals in debate. George Washington is depicted as ready to become President of whatever government resulted from the deliberations.

Also by Pauline Maier at Merrick Library:

American Scripture: Making The Declaration of Independence

The Library also has in its Reference section:

The Federalist Papers - Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay

Reviewed by librarian, Bob.

The Romance Readers Connection

Attention Romance Readers. Browse this site for reading suggestions, articles and reviews of romance novels.

http://www.theromancereadersconnection.com/

Books to Movies....

Saturday, October 30th, 2pm

Bestselling authors of Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, RACHEL COHN & DAVID LEVITHAN and acclaimed YA author MATT DE LA PEÑA will speak about and sign their latest YA novels, Cohn and Levithan's Dash & Lily's Book of Dares and de la Peña's I Will Save You.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

“I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Rachel Cohn is the author of Very LeFreak, You Know Where to Find Me, Cupcake, Shrimp, Pop Princess and Gingerbread. David Levithan is VP Editorial Director at Scholastic Press and a teacher in the New School's Children's Literature program.

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

Le Carre, John. Our Kind of Traitor. Viking.

“Everything old is new again!” penned the late songwriter Peter Allen. This tale by the creator of Alec Leamas and George Smiley has all the flavor of a Cold War spy story in dealing with modern international villains. Dima, a money launderer in his fifties, wants to spill all he knows about Russian organized crime kingpins in exchange for sanctuary in England and getting his children enrolled in prestigious Eton. Dima’s go-betweens are Gail and Perry, an upwardly mobile and unmarried British couple on a Carribean tennis vacation. Within a universe where every detail down to headwear reminds one of an old time espionage novel, the young pair soon find that their initially reluctant mission is being made difficult by a British Secret Service at cross purposes with Parliament. It might have been better for Perry to forget the whole business and do the old-fashioned thing every male suggests to him: marry Gail!

Also by John Le Carre at Merrick Library:

Absolute Friends
Call For The Dead
The Little Drummer Girl
The Mission Song
A Most Wanted Man
The Night Manager
Our Game
Single And Single
Smiley's People
The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
The Tailor Of Panama

Reviewed by librarian, Bob.

New Audiobooks!

For years, CIA agent Mitch Rapp has served his country with ruthless efficiency. Here, author Vince Flynn chronicles Rapp's very first assignment, a mission that will turn the green agent into the most hardened and revered counterterrorism operative in the world.









The author presents a collection of three animal-themed essays. In The Toad, the Turtle, and the Duck, a group of complete strangers bitterly discuss the order of things within the animal kingdom. In Hello Kitty, a miserable alcoholic cat attends AA. In The Squirrel and the Chipmunk, two lovers are torn apart by their quarreling families.









A decorated Jewish detective solves a string of bizarre murders that brings him to the doorstep of the Third Reich.











After years as a respected defense attorney, Mickey Haller continued his stellar career as a state prosecutor by convicting the infamous Jason Jessup with a brutal child murder. Now 24 years later, DNA evidence clears Jessup of the crime. Convinced of Jessup's guilt, Haller calls on LAPD Detective Harry Bosch to uncover the truth before the killing resumes.









Introduced, narrated, and performed by Sam Hoffman ; with original performances by the Old Jews telling their jokes.










Art dealer Peter Harris and his wife, editor Rebecca, are living the quintessential Manhattan urban life with a comfortable apartment, a savory reputation, and boundless happiness. However, when Rebecca's younger brother Ethan walks back into the picture after years of drug problems, Peter starts questioning both his career and his personal life.

Belva Plain Dies at 95.

SHORT HILLS — Belva Plain, who wrote more than 20 best-selling novels during a literary career that spanned several decades, has died. She was 95.

Plain's daughter, Barbara, said the author died in her sleep Tuesday at her home in New Jersey. A cause of death was not disclosed.

Plain, known for epic novels of family and forgiveness, never owned a computer and wrote her novels longhand on a yellow pad. And while she had written short fiction for women's magazines in her younger days, Plain put her pen on hold and instead focused on raising her three children.
She didn't start writing novels until after she became a grandmother.

Books to Movies....

Fair Game:
Cast: Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Satya Bhabha, Bruce McGill, Sam Shepard
Director: Doug Liman
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Release Date: November 5th (limited)
Based on: FAIR GAME: How a Top CIA Agent Was Betrayed by Her Own
Government by Valerie Plame Wilson

A suspense-filled glimpse into the dark corridors of political power,Fair Game is a riveting action-thriller based on the autobiography of real-life undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame, whose career was destroyed and marriage strained to its limits when her covert identity was illegally exposed.

As a covert officer in the CIA’s Counter-Proliferation Division, Valerie leads an investigation into the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Valerie’s husband, diplomat Joe Wilson, is drawn into the investigation to substantiate an alleged sale of enriched uranium from Niger. But when the administration ignores his findings and uses the issue to support the call to war, Joe writes a New York Times editorial outlining his conclusions and ignites a firestorm of controversy.