Search results matching tags 'Round Rock Public Library' and 'Go Down Together'

Well, what did you expect?

Linda Sappenfield — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 05:15:00 GMT

Ikea does it again! Their cleverly designed tier of wire document trays sitting to my left has just yielded the answer to an unavoidable question.

Amid household receipts and insurance papers awaiting pre-income tax filing, I dredged up a snapshot of a popular book display from years ago. This feature, titled "Promises, Promises", consisted of dozens of too-good-to-be-true titles. Among the ones I can decipher from the photo are Inventing Made Easy, The Instant Gourmet, Learn Windows 98 in a Weekend, How to Win at Gambling, and so forth.

The display succeeded then (those books were practically irresistible and checked out like crazy), and today it finally suggests a simple response to "And what do you like to read?"

Faced with that question, I usually hesitate before admitting to eclectic tastes including but not limited to debut novels, classics, literary fiction, short story collections, and "certain nonfiction books". Now, recalling the stash of books that likely delivered less than advertised, here's a more articulate reply: I prefer books that go beyond the expected.

This past weekend, the first three stories in Colm Toibin's brand-new collection, The Empty Family, delighted me with their Jamesian themes. One episode features Henry James himself as a character; the others remind us that James perceived early on how differences in American and European sensibilities represent competing claims on one's loyalties.

Another winner I just finished is Penny Vincenzi's Forbidden Places, chosen as light romantic fare. Along with Vincenzi's usual well-written plot convolutions, the World War II setting chronicles interesting details about Land Girls and the WRENS--and more than a bit of suspense.

And a bonus awaited me today at the joint Round Rock Reads!/Round Rock New Neighbors discussion at Barnes & Noble. Jeff Guinn's Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde prompted an enthusiastic sharing of insights. However, even before the planned exchange commenced, the short list of March nominations (thanks, Jay!) was announced. Looks like four more contenders for what I--and probably you--like to read:

Nicholas, Denise: Freshwater Road
Garcia, Cristina: A Handbook to Luck
Cohn, Marthe: Behind Enemy Lines: The True Story of a French Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany
Smith, Patti. Just Kids

If you can't be honest, hope you're photogenic

Linda Sappenfield — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 23:46:00 GMT

If Sam Bass had resolved to change his ways on New Year's Day back in 1878, giving up his bank- and train-robbing habit, he might have lived past his 27^th birthday. Then, Round Rock probably wouldn't have been elected as his final destination.

Perhaps it was already too late for Sam. A couple of years earlier, he and a partner had gambled away the $8,000 due the owner of the cattle they'd just herded and sold. If the raids on stagecoaches initially seemed a strategy for recouping those funds, it's fairly clear that robbery became an end in itself and a career of sorts.

Spotting some Sam Bass-oriented western novels on the shelf last week reminded me of the outlaw's enduring popularity as a subject. Deputy Alijah W. Grimes, attempting to disarm Bass and his gang, was gunned down in the process; A.W. Grimes Boulevard was named for him. Sam Bass, the wanted desperado, inspired not only a street name but also a theatre, a baseball league, a statue at Madam Tussaud's, several film characterizations, at least one ballad, and scores of books. A search of the library catalog will yield several biographies and three works of fiction devoted to Bass. Deputy Sheriff Grimes has none.

Say what you will about who deserves what, the fact is that lawbreakers fascinate us. The only controversy regarding Deputy Grimes' actions has to do with the practicality of challenging Bass at that precise juncture. Just about everyone values bravery and devotion; those attributes we understand. It's rashness, greed, and cruelty that don't compute so easily. No wonder readers can't seem to get enough of true crime stories.

And if it's Texas-based, enigmatic, legendary bad guys you seek to comprehend, look no further than Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. The winning selection for the 2011 Round Rock Reads! campaign, Jeff Guinn's Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie & Clyde, sets the focus for events beginning January 4. If you can buy, check out, or borrow a copy to read, you'll be rewarded with a stranger-than-fiction tale of the first order. If you haven't finished (or even started) the book by next week, you'll still enjoy the activities. We hope you'll come to one or more. As history demonstrates, starting out the New Year right does make a difference!