Join us June 11 at 6:30pm when we will discuss Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Books On Tap meets at Jimmy's Pub on the 2nd Tuesday of the month.

When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. As he turned to begin his long, dangerous descent from 29,028 feet, twenty other climbers were still pushing doggedly toward the top. No one had noticed that the sky had begun to fill with clouds. Six hours later and 3,000 feet lower, in 70-knot winds and blinding snow, Krakauer collapsed in his tent, freezing, hallucinating from exhaustion and hypoxia, but safe. The following morning he learned that six of his fellow climbers hadn't made it back to their camp and were in a desperate struggle for their lives. When the storm finally passed, five of them would be dead, and the sixth so horribly frostbitten that his right hand would have to be amputated.

Krakauer examines what it is about Everest that has compelled so many people - including himself - to throw caution to the wind, ignore the concerns of loved ones, and willingly subject themselves to such risk, hardship, and expense. Written with emotional clarity and supported by his unimpeachable reporting, Krakauer's eye-witness account of what happened on the roof of the world is a singular achievement.

Canceled: Tonight's (4/24) Book Friending Program at (SCENE) Metrospace. We plan to reschedule, new date to be announced soon. We apologize for the convenience.

Join us April 9 at 6:30pm when we will discuss Arc of Justice by Kevin Boyle. Books on Tap meets at Jimmy's Pub, located at 16804 Chadler Road.

An electrifying story of the sensational murder trial that divided a city and ignited the civil rights struggle.

In 1925, Detroit was a smoky swirl of jazz and speakeasies, assembly lines and fistfights. The advent of automobiles had brought workers from around the globe to compete for manufacturing jobs, and tensions often flared with the KKK in ascendance and violence rising. Ossian Sweet, a proud Negro doctor-grandson of a slave-had made the long climb from the ghetto to a home of his own in a previously all-white neighborhood. Yet just after his arrival, a mob gathered outside his house; suddenly, shots rang out: Sweet, or one of his defenders, had accidentally killed one of the whites threatening their lives and homes.

And so it began-a chain of events that brought America's greatest attorney, Clarence Darrow, into the fray and transformed Sweet into a controversial symbol of equality. Historian Kevin Boyle weaves the police investigation and courtroom drama of Sweet's murder trial into an unforgettable tapestry of narrative history that documents the volatile America of the 1920s and movingly re-creates the Sweet family's journey from slavery through the Great Migration to the middle class. Ossian Sweet's story, so richly and poignantly captured here, is an epic tale of one man trapped by the battles of his era's changing times.

Arc of Justice is the winner of the 2004 National Book Award for Nonfiction and a Michigan Notable Book for 2005.

Looking ahead:
May 14, The Dog Stars by Peter Heller

Tonight, I will have the honor of talking with two book clubs about my beloved time spent hiking the Appalachian Trail! When I hiked the trail, it was 2,164 miles long. It's stretched a little longer now, but it was long enough then! 1998 seems like a long time ago most days, but my memories of the trail are crystal clear. It made a huge impression on me and I have carried it with me in my heart every day since I last set foot on it. When I read Cheryl Strayed's book Wild, it brought back so many feelings and thoughts about my own long distance solo hike. I laughed and cried along with her and often knew exactly what she was talking about. I don't think I've ever read a book that had so many torn little bits of paper marking so many pages by the time I read the last sentence. Although our reasons for setting off on our long solo journeys were quite different, they were also very much the same. I am so excited to talk with everyone at the East Lansing Public Library's combined meeting of the Better Living Book Club and Books on Tap at Jimmy's Pub from 6:30-8 pm tonight! If you haven't read Wild yet, you still have time! You are also welcome to attend if you're still reading (we'll try not to spoil anything)! If you want to know more about these and other awesome book clubs, visit elpl.org! No registration required.

As the premiere of Downton Abbey's greatly anticipated third season has come and gone (if you’re new to the series, click here to place a hold on season 1), Downton-ites the world over have been yearning for further insight into the Edwardian era history and characters popularized by the PBS Masterpiece Classic/ITV drama. Whether you are seeking more information on the program itself or hoping to find a Downton-like storyline to tide you over until the next episode airs, we encourage you to view our list of Downton Abbey Recommendations. 

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The Oscar nominations were announced this week and five of the nine best picture nominees are based on books! So add these books to your reading list this winter and see how they compare to the adapted movie.

Argo by Antonio Mendez and Matt Baglio
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
Team of Rivals (Lincoln) by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Love those Best Book lists that come out at the end of the year? Well here is a best of list of those lists!

The Best of the Book Lists 2012. Enjoy!

Due to several generous donations the library has recently received, we are able to add 7 new Lit Kit titles this winter! Watch for these titles to start showing up during the next few months!

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin
The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
The Music of Silence by Andrea Bocelli
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

Click here for a complete list of titles.

New to Lit Kits? Click here to read all about them.

Books on Tap will be taking December off.

Join us January 8, 2013 when we will be discussing The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer.

Paris, 1937. Andras Lévi, a Hungarian-Jewish architecture student, arrives from Budapest with a scholarship, a single suitcase, and a mysterious letter he promised to deliver. But when he falls into a complicated relationship with the letter's recipient, he becomes privy to a secret that will alter the course of his—and his family’s—history. From the small Hungarian town of Konyár to the grand opera houses of Budapest and Paris, from the despair of Carpathian winter to an unimaginable life in labor camps, The Invisible Bridge tells the story of a family shattered and remade in history’s darkest hour.

February 12: Wild: from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
March 12: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Behind The Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo, this year's One Book One Community Selection, won the 2012 National Book Award for nonfiction.

The fiction award went to Louise Erdrich for her novel The Round House which tells the story of Joe, a young Ojibwe boy, whose life is forever changed when his mother is attacked and raped. Ms. Erdrich has been a finalist twice before this year's win.

Last year I made a ton (ok, around seven) different Bundts to celebrate National Bundt Day and participate in The Food Librarian's "I Like Big Bundts" project.  This year, it snuck up so fast I almost forgot about it.  

While I didn't make any Bundts (yet!), our baking books are filled with great recipes.  Bundts are easy, look good and taste great.  They are also perfect for people who don't like frosting.  

More ELPL Bundts:
Paula Deen Keeps It Real: Coconut Pound Cake Bundt
No Recipe Necessary: Rice Krispies Bundt Cake
The Go and Vote Bundt Cake
Jumping on the I Like Big Bundts Bandwagon: Pumpkin-Pecan Bundt Cake

Today is Carl Sagan's 78th birthday! Commemorate his life and work by checking out one of his books from ELPL!

 Extreme weather - we are experiencing it as I write this. Connecticut's governor told his state's residents, "Get out, before you can't." New Jersey's governor said, "Don't be stupid. Get out." That's about as ominous as it gets.  Want information on what causes bad weather?   Check out these titles at ELPL:

Extreme Weather: a guide to surviving flash floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, heat waves, snowstorms, tsunamis, and other natural disasters by Schneider 

Extreme Weather: understanding the science of hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, heat waves, snow storms, global warming, and other atmospheric disturbances by Mogil

The Weather of the Future: heat waves, extreme storms, and other scenes from a climate-changed planet by Cullen.

Or check out The Perfect Storm by Junger, a report of an epic storm and the lives that were lost because they couldn't get out in time.

Car giving you trouble? Did you know the library offers online access to the Chilton's Auto Repair Manuals? Just click on the Research button at the top of the page, click on the link "Alphabetical list of all databases" and then click on the link for ChiltonLibrary.com. Once there you can access the database from home by logging in with your library card number.

When you are logged in you can use the Vehicle Selector to select the year, make and model of your car. Then depending on what attention your vehicle needs you can click on Repair, Maintenance or Bullitins/Recalls.

Have you seen this YouTube video a 4th grade class in NYC made encouraging people to vote on Nov 6?  Their song, set to the tune of the pop hit "Call Me Maybe", is non-partisan and promotes voting as a civic duty.  View it here.