Review: OUTWITTING TROLLS, by William Tapply

When Boston attorney Brady Coyne meets old friend and neighbor Ken Nichols for a drink, he doesn't expect anything out of the ordinary to happen. Instead, he becomes mixed up in murder, when Ken's ex-wife, Sharon, finds him stabbed to death in his hotel room. When Brady takes Sharon on as a client, he is quickly involved in the mystery surrounding Ken's death. Sharon is the prime suspect, but as Brady investigates he finds other possibilities. Could the mysterious bearded man Brady saw talking to Ken be responsible? Or Ken's drug-dealer son, Wayne? Brady needs to find the real killer, before the killer can find him.

As with all Tapply's books, this is well-written and fast-paced, with solid characterizations and a mystery that keeps the reader guessing to the end. Sadly, Tapply died in 2010, and so this is his last book. His earlier books in the Brady Coyne series, as well as those featuring Stoney Calhoun, are available through the library.

Challenging the World

Libraries run lots of programs for children: story hours, summer reading programs, Dr. Seuss's birthday celebrations, etc. The Teen Room at the Lawler Branch Library caters to the needs of young adults, providing not only reading material, but entertainment, special programs, and a place to hang out. For our adult patrons,though, there's been little besides our book clubs. That was one reason we decided to offer the 50 Book Challenge. We expected it to be successful. We just didn't realize how successful. To date we have nearly 200 people participating. It's a fantastic response, especially considering that it's the holiday season, and we're pretty excited about it.

What we never expected was to get attention outside the area. Somehow, the story about our challenge went national. We've been featured on the websites of CNN, USA Today, MSN, and the New York Daily News. The Boston and Providence newspapers carried the story, which also was shown on TV news from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Oregon. But then we went global: Singapore, Prince Edward Island, Shenyang Province, China - all posted news about us, to our astonishment. Yahoo News made the challenge the subject of its daily poll; 87% of people responding said they could read 50 books in a year. That's a gratifying amount.

People being people, some of the reactions have been a bit, well, odd. Commenting on the Yahoo poll, one responder wondered why he should waste time reading so many books, unless he gets money as a prize. Some people considered 50 books an enormously high amount to read; others thought it ridiculously low. One man even used the challenge as an excuse to take potshots at libraries and at paying taxes. Most people have been positive, though, with a few from out of the area wishing they could join in. Maybe we've started a trend.

If you haven't yet joined, come see what the fuss is about. Stop in at any New Bedford library and take the challenge. We can't wait to see you.

It's On!

The 50 Book Challenge, that is. Starting today I'm challenging myself to read 50 books in the next year. It's pretty exciting. I've met this challenge in the past, but this year I'll be among friends and fellow readers, all aiming for the same goal. The New Bedford Free Public Library is presenting the challenge as a reading program for adults. Why should kids have all the fun?

If reading 50 books in a year sounds impossible, think of it this way. It averages one book a week, with time to spare. Since it's the holiday season, I decided to kick off the challenge by reading Christmas Mourning by Margaret Maron. It's part of a mystery series set in a fictional North Carolina county, featuring Judge Deborah Knott and her extended family. Murder might not quite fit into the holiday spirit, but Maron is a good writer and the book, so far, is fun. And that's what this challenge is about. I love to read, and I plan to enjoy every page of the next 50 or so volumes.

I think you should, too. So shut off the TV and put down the remote (unless you're watching the Celtics or the Patriots). What better thing to do on a cold winter night than snuggle up with a good book and some chocolate? Sounds good to me. In fact, I think I'll go do so, right now!

For more information on the 50 Book Challenge, visit the New Bedford Free Public Library's website at www.newbedford-ma.gov/library.

New Writer's Group

Have you always wanted to write a novel, the one that you know is inside you? Or maybe it’s a memoir of an interesting life, or a children’s book. If that’s the case, Wilks Library’s new Writer’s Group is the place for you. Meeting once a month, the group welcomes all writers. It doesn’t matter your level of experience, whether you’re a beginner or have been at it for a few years. It doesn’t matter what you write. Here you’ll find the kind of help and support that comes only from other writers. The most important thing is getting feedback on your work. Writing is solitary and it’s hard to know if what you’re doing is any good. Oh, your mother says it is (of course), but mothers aren’t impartial. Other writers are. A group like this can be invaluable.

The group will be led by librarian Mary Kruger, a published author of romance and mystery novels. Meetings will be held on the first Thursday of every month, at 6-7:30 PM. The first meeting is on November 5th. For more information or to register, call the library at (508) 991-6214. The Wilks Library is located at 1911 Acushnet Ave, New Bedford. Membership is limited, so reserve your place soon!

Dueling Books

Usually slapping a leather glove (or bookmark) in someone's face means pistols at dawn. In this case, it means books at dawn, on July 1. The books that I'll have read, more than my esteemed co-worker has. She is going to lose. Big time. My Irish is up, and so is my competitive streak. No way am I going to lose.

Last year I took the 50 Book Challenge one further and decided to try for 100 books. When I heard my co-worker talking about her goal this year, the challenge was set. We might talk about winning pizza or cake, but what's really at stake is bragging rights. The truth is, it's been fun. I've always loved reading, but through this challenge I've discovered a new dimension to it. Yes, I want to win the contest, but I also want to read more than I have in a while. I suspect she does, too. The winner might walk away with the prize in a few days, but we've both already won something. We've won renewed joy in books.

That being said, this is still very much a contest. Since I see how many books she takes out I sometimes panic: can she possibly read as fast as I can? Or is she spinning a web to confuse me? I'll have to ferret out the answer to that question.

One thing is not in doubt, though. Come Wednesday, I'll be eating chocolate cake!

Showdown at the Library

How many books do you read in a year? How about 6 months?

At some point at the end of 2008, my co-worker and I got to wondering. Wondering led to comparing. Comparing led to challenging. I’m not even sure how it happened, though I think she might have smacked me in the face with a leather glove at some point. My memory is a little hazy.

A year seemed too long, so we decided to see who could read the most books in 6 months – from January 1 to June 30 2009.

The rules are few. Read a book. Keep track. We’re on the honor system. We also assume that the books we are reading have a decent amount of pages – at least 100. Though since we never formally agreed on that point, 11:30 p.m. on June 30 might find me reading all the Dr. Seuss books I can get my hands on.

I have no idea how many she has read so far, though I see the books that she checks out, takes home, then brings back and I get a little worried. But maybe she’s just trying to psych me out.

What’s riding on this? Cake for her if she wins, pizza for me if I win. Not to mention bragging rights.

Challenge yourself at the 50 Book Challenge (http://community.livejournal.com/50bookchallenge/) or just keep track in a notebook or a spreadsheet. You might surprise yourself. (And perhaps you too can reward yourself with a treat!)

The deadline for our little competition is fast approaching - stay tuned. I’m looking forward to the pizza! :-)

Leno, O’Brien… or Carson?

How do you take your late night TV? If you’re a Tonight Show fan, you probably know that the show has passed from Jay Leno’s hands to Conan O’Brien’s. Before being chosen to take over for Leno, O’Brien had hosted NBC’s Late Night since 1993. He had been plucked out of relative obscurity for Late Night – he was a writer and producer for the television show The Simpsons from 1991 – 1993.

Check out some of his work by borrowing early seasons of The Simpsons on DVD.

• The Simpsons, The Complete 4th Season - episodes: “Marge vs. the Monorail,” “New Kid on the Block”
• The Simpsons: The Complete 5th Season - episodes: “Homer Goes to College,” “Treehouse of Horror IV"

Leno, who hosted The Tonight Show for 17 years, had previously been a comedian and a writer. A staple during his tenure on The Tonight Show was “Headlines,” in which he shows actually news clippings featuring ridiculous (but true) headlines. He has published some of these as books.

• Jay Leno’s Headlines: Real but Ridiculous Headlines from America’s Newspapers

Of course, the legendary Johnny Carson was the host of The Tonight Show for 30 years. Highlights of his shows, including his best monologues, interviews and animal guests, are available on several DVD sets:

• The Ultimate Carson Collection (3 DVDs)
• The Johnny Carson Show (2 DVDs)
• Here is…the Johnny Carson Show (3DVDs)

You can place any of these items on hold with your library card.