Week 6 Summer Reading Club Update

Congratulations to Deborah E. , who won the "Tea-Licious" raffle basket, the sixth of eight weekly prizes offered through the 2011 Adult Department Summer Reading Club! It's not too late to join this all-online club for book lovers, which is free and open to all adult Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library cardholders: sign up here or call (631) 399-1511 x 240. You can read or listen to any book you want, and for each book review you contribute to our site, you're entered to win the raffle prize of the week. So far over 550 books have been reviewed! Next week's prize is "Shutter Bug;" good luck and happy reading from your Community Library!

Just Announced: World Fantasy Award Nominees

This year's World Fantasy Award nominees have been announced!  The winner won't be revealed until the World Fantasy Convention in late October, so why not read them all and see if your favorite wins?

• Zoo City by Lauren Beukes - Zinzi has a Sloth on her back, a dirty online 419 scam habit – and a talent for finding lost things. But when her latest client, a little old lady, turns up dead and the cops confiscate her lastpaycheck, she’s forced to take on her least favourite kind of job: missing persons.
• The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin - After Yeine Darr is summoned to the majestic city of Sky and named an heiress to the king of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, she is thrust into a vicious power struggle with cousins she never knew she had, drawing ever closer to the secrets of her mother's death and her family's bloody history.  The first book in a planned trilogy.
• The Silent Land by Graham Joyce - Buried under a flash avalanche while skiing, young married couple Jake and Zoe miraculously dig their way out only to discover themselves alone in an eerily silent, evacuated region and unable to contact the outside world.
• Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay - Shen Tai, a general serving the Emperor of Kitai, receives 250 Sardian horses, an unthinkable gift fit to overwhelm an emperor, and travels to claim the horses in person.
• Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord - When Paama leaves her husband, she attracts the attention of the undying ones who present her with the Chaos Stick, which allows her to manipulate the subtle forces of the world.

New Historical Thriller: The Hangman's Daughter

In the international bestselling novel The Hangman's Daughter, children start disappearing from a small 1659 Bavarian town; some reappear dead and tattooed with a strange symbol.  The local hangman, aided by his daughter Magdalena and the university-educated son of the local doctor, must determine whether witchcraft is involved. Now available in English translation, this historical thriller is likely to continue its international success, with wholesale giant Costco announcing that The Hangman's Daughter is their book selection of the month for August.

German author Oliver Pötzsch is a first-time novelist who based the main character of The Hangman's Daughter on one of his own ancestors; he's currently writing another historical thriller inspired by other members of his family tree, set in the time of "Mad King" Ludwig II.  Interested in exploring your own family tree?  Your Community Library offers free Saturday appointments with a genealogy specialist every month - call (631) 399-1511 extension 240 to schedule yours!

Novel Destination: Hawaii

Visit Hawaii from the comfort of your home when you check out one of the great Hawaii-themed adventures now on display at your Community Library!  Selections include books by well-known authors (Swimsuit by James Patterson, The Aloha Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini, Spider Bones by Kathy Reichs) as well as hidden gems like Pele's Tears by Sharon K. Garner, a love story in which a Hawaiian woman returns home in search of a family treasure, or Under a Maui Moon by Robin Jones Gunn, an inspirational tale about a woman who escapes to Hawaii looking for solutions to her shaky faith and crumbling marriage.  Click here for the full list, compiled by librarian Genive P.  Did we miss any of your favorite Hawaii reads?  Comment!

Debut Released Today: The Family Fang

What is it like to be raised by two push-the-envelope performance artists? The Family Fang, Kevin Wilson's debut novel, explores this question from the point of view of the now-adult children Annie and Buster Fang. Flashbacks to their childhood show their eccentric parents Caleb and Camille pulling stunts that ruin their family vacation, among other things. Reserve this new book, which received a starred review in Kirkus, by calling your community library at 399-1511 x240 or clicking the "request" button in the catalog.