Gilpin Library News and Events
Great books, film, friends, internet & fun
New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison writes books that are peopled with vampires, werewolves, banshees, and demons. In the midst of all these supernatural creatures comes bounty hunter and witch Rachel Morgan, who is described by Entertainment Weekly as a cross between “Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Tank Girl.” Rachel’s latest adventure is called Black Magic Sanction, and it looks like our heroine is in trouble with her own kind for a change. She is “denounced and shunned for dealing with demons and black magic,” and her best hope is life imprisonment, which would be better than a forced lobotomy and genetic slavery. But she’s not ready to accept any of the above, as she plots to escape. She has to depend on enemies to win her freedom, and trust is hard to come by. Then there’s her ex-boy friend turned thief, but can Rachel trust him either? According to Kirkus Reviews: “Harrison makes Rachel’s conflicts real and poignant without turning them into melodramatic slush.”
Critics and peers alike acclaim Kelli Stanley’s new noir novel, City of Dragons, in which we see the debut of a remarkable private investigator in Miranda Corbie. Set in 1940 in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Miranda walks down mean streets with all the flair and intelligence of those hard-boiled detectives who have come before. She is standing in a crowd, as fireworks explode around her, celebrating Chinese New Year’s, when Eddie Takahashi “stumbles – fatally shot – into Sacramento Street and into Miranda’s life.” While the cops want the killing covered up, Miranda seeks justice at any cost. Fellow writer Rebecca Cantrell wrote: “This is one of my favorite novels of all time.” And the late Robert B. Parker: “…a stunning re-creation of time and place that I greatly enjoyed…as will everyone who reads it.”
This is about that time of year when spirits are raised by the news that Spring Training is under way and opening day is just around the corner. I usually infuse a host of new baseball books into the library’s collection, and take great pleasure in introducing some of them to you in this column. Well, sit back and relax, I’ve got one for you today. It’s a debut novel by a young man from Chicago named Billy Lombardo. It is being compared to Bernard Malamud’s The Natural in literary circles. It tells the story of Danny Granville, extraordinary young pitcher, and his fanatic father, Henry, who taught his son the game from almost the moment of birth. But there’s a special twist to this character of Danny, he can throw with equal effectiveness with either hand – he is a “switch-pitcher,” if you will. All great baseball novels open up new insight into the game, and this one is no exception. Speaking directly to fans of baseball fiction, you can’t go wrong with The Man With Two Arms. Bob Costas: “A switch pitcher? A guy as good as Seaver righty and Koufax lefty? The thought intrigues as does Billy Lombardo’s touching and original debut novel.”
We’ll soon be looking to fill the Musician-in-Residence post here at the library, for the months of June, July and August. This will be our third summer of offering a residency to an artist, and the first time we’re looking for someone from the world of music. As in the past, we expect this person to “raise the consciousness of the people of Gilpin County” about his or her area of the arts. The residency pays an honorarium of $1,000 plus up to $500 for expenses and materials, all courtesy of the Friends of the Library. We at the library are proud to present this nationally recognized program of excellence for yet another year. Watch this column for more details and the deadline for applying. Applicants must be residents of Gilpin County. I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have in the meantime. Just give me a call or stop by the library.