“The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling”

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1749, Books, English, four editions in one year, Henry Fielding, Mr. Allworthy, Sophia Western, The History of Tom Jones a Foundling

The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling (Andrew Millar, 1749)

Tom Jones is among the earliest English prose works that is describable as a novel. Totaling at 346,747 words, Tom Jones was divided into 18 smaller books. It was written by English playwright and novelist Henry Fielding and first published in February 1749 in London. It quickly became a best seller, selling four editions in its first year! Tom Jones is regarded as Fielding’s best work and a (still) very influential English novel.

A foundling of mysterious parentage brought up by Mr. Allworthy on his country estate, Tom Jones is deeply in love with the seemingly unattainable Sophia Western, the beautiful daughter of the neighboring squire — though Jones sometimes succumbs to the charms of the local girls. When Jones is banished to make his own fortune in London and Western follows him to escape an arranged marriage, the adventure begins.

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“American Psycho”

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American Psycho, Australia, banned, Books, Bret Easton Ellis, Christian Bale, film adaptation, musical adaptation, Patrick Bateman, purchase 18 or older, serial killer

American Psycho (Vintage Books, 1991)

Written by Bret Easton Ellis, American Psycho tells the story of Patrick Bateman, a Manhattan businessman and serial killer. The novel was adapted into a 2000 film starring Christian Bale and into a musical that opened at the Almeida Theatre in London in December 2013.

American Psycho (the book) was been banned in Queensland, Australia. It is now available in public libraries and for purchase to those 18 years or older. In other states of Australia, sales are also restricted to persons 18 or older.

“The Professor and the Madman”

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asylum, Books, Broadmoor, contributor, James Murray, murderer, Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford home, The Professor and the Madman, William Chester Minor

The Professor and the Madman (Harper Perennial, 1998)

Professor James Murray was the most distinguished editor of the Oxford English Dictionary.
Dr. William Chester Minor was an American surgeon that had served in the Civil War. He was
also one of the most prolific contributors to the dictionary, submitting thousands of words.
Murray repeatedly asked Minor to visit his Oxford home and Minor refused every time. Murray
set out to find him. This would lead to the discovery that Minor was an insane murderer locked up in Broadmoor, an English asylum for criminal lunatics.

“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”

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5 Oscars, banned, Books, Broadway, Chief, Civil Rights Movement, classic, deinstitutionalization, film adaptation, Ken Kesey, Menlo Park, Mildred Ratched, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Oregon, psychiatric hospital, Randle Patrick McMurphy

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Viking, 1962)

Written by American novelist Ken Kesey, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is set in an Oregon psychiatric hospital. The novel is narrated by “Chief” Bromden, a Native American patient at the hospital. He focuses mainly on fellow patient Randle Patrick McMurphy, who faked insanity to avoid doing his sentence for battery in prison. Unfortunately for McMurphy, the hospital ward is run with an iron fist by head administrative nurse Mildred Ratched.

Fitting that this classic novel served as a study of institutional processes and the human mind. At the time of its publication, the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing and sweeping changes of psychological approaches were occurring. The 1960s ushered in the movement of deinstitutionalization. Kesey had some inside knowledge of psychiatric facilities, he wasn’t just grasping at straws; he worked the graveyard shift as an orderly at a mental health facility in Menlo Park, California.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest wouldn’t be considered a classic book if it didn’t have controversy attached to it. (Notice that most of them do.) The book has been banned several times and pretty much in every decade since its publication. It also wouldn’t be a classic novel if it didn’t have adaptations. It has been adapted into a Broadway play in 1963 and a 1975 film that won 5 Academy Awards.

“10 Button Book”

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10 Button Book, board book, Books, children, double-thick, manipulatives, spine, tactile objects, William Accorsi

10 Button Book (Workman Publishing, 1999)

Little kids love to count. They also love books with manipulatives (books that have tactile objects incorporated in). 10 Button Book is such a book. Folk artist William Accorsi penned the story and is presented on a double-thick board book using ten strong government safety-tested plastic buttons attached by ten strong colorful ribbons that are all bound to the spine.

“Spinster’s Song”

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awfullibrarybooks.net, Books, old fashioned, romance, Spinster's Song

Spinster’s Song (Silhouette Intimate Moments, 1984)

In a stroke of genius, Michigan librarians Mary Kelly and Holly Hibner have decided to be real. Not every book stays relevant and sometimes the library needs to “weed” out or “purge” bad books. So they started a blog, which has now become a full-fledged website (www.awfullibrarybook.net)

One such removed book is Spinster’s Song. Not really because there’s anything “wrong” with the book, besides being a predictable romance novel. But Kelly justifies it like this: “This story is about a doctor named Mary, evidently destined for spinsterhood. Of course there is a the local playboy Rafe and he starts putting the moves on our poor, love starved doctor. Of course he gets the girl and it is more than a casual affair. But I bet you knew that.”

“Picnic: 125 Recipes with 29 Seasonal Menus”

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Books, cookbooks, DeeDee Stovel, picnic, recipes

Picnic: 125 Recipes with 29 Seasonal Menus (Storey Publishing, 2001)

Whether you’re heading to a neighborhood park, a music festival or the top of a mountain, DeeDee Stovel will show you how to create a tasty outdoor dining experience. You’ll be amazed at the variety of foods that are suited for outdoor eating.

“To the Beach!”

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Books, children's, illustrated, Linda Ashman, Nadine Bernard Westcott, To the Beach!

To the Beach! (HMH Books for Young Readers, 2005)

In this children’s book, a family decides to head to the beach. Unfortunately on their way, they realize they forgot certain items. In fact, the family spends most of the day having to go back home to search for unpacked items. Does the family ever make it to the beach?

To the Beach! was written by American author Linda Ashman and illustrated by American illustrator Nadine Bernard Westcott.

“Cats at Work”

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1990s, Abbeville Press, Books, Cats at Work, New York City, real life, Rhonda Gray, shopcats, Stephen T. Robinson

Cats at Work (Abbeville Press, 1991)

Author Rhonda Gray found real life shopcats in New York City and had photographer Stephen T. Robinson take their photos. The perfect book for the cat lover in your life. Or if you need to spend some time with some kitties or just need a friend while you shop, check out the stores and go pet some cats.

“The Leprechaun Who Lost His Rainbow”

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Books, children, grandfather, illustrated, Nancy Cote, Sean Callahan, St. Patrick's Day parade, The Leprechaun who Lost His Rainbow

The Leprechaun Who Lost His Rainbow (Albert Whitman & Company, 2010)

In The Leprechaun Who Lost His Rainbow, a young girl helps a leprechaun build a rainbow. She sacrifices her favorite things so that the sun will shine on her grandfather while he plays the bagpipes in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Her generosity is rewarded and she is able to make a very special connection with her grandfather. This sweet story was written by Sean Callahan and illustrated by Nancy Cote.