Bouchercon 2010 will be held in San Francisco this year, October 14 - 17.  Bouchercon is the World Mystery Convention. Every year readers, writers, publishers, editors, agents, booksellers and other lovers of crime fiction gather for a long weekend of both education and entertainment. Panel discussions, author signings, awards, and more are available throughout this four day conference. This year's Guests of Honor are Lee Childs, Denise Mina, Laurie R. King, Eddie Muller, and Maddy van Hertbruggen. 

For more information visit Bouchercon by the Bay 2010.

Bouchercon 2010 is a memory now. Named in honor of the late Anthony Boucher — mystery writer, mystery critic and mystery fan — this largest world mystery convention met in San Francisco and has been dubbed "Bouchercon by the Bay." Bouchercon emphasizes the best in mystery fiction by providing the setting for the presentation the Macavity Awards, the Barry Awards, the Shamus Awards, Bouchercon’s own Anthony Awards, and the Crimespree and Derringer awards. Carol Thomas' Mystery Series Examiner column has a complete list of the nominees and awards.

Bouchercon 2011 — Spirits of St. Louis will meet September 15-18 in St. Louis, Missouri.

[Logo: Private Eye Writers of America 2010]

This month, the Canton Seniors Book Discussion group which is held at The Summit, will meet on the third Wednesday of the month, November 18th. at 2:00PM to discuss The Art of Mending by Elizabeth Berg. Ms. Berg's novel looks at the consequences of one family member's revelations at an annual family reunion. Copies of Ms. Berg's book are available at Canton Public Library at the Adult Reference Desk.

Our collection of books in Malayam has proven to be very popular. Today we're adding several new fiction books for you to enjoy, including:

• 9 by Susmēṣ Cantrōtt
• Ākāśabhūmikaḷuṭe tākkōl by Bi. Eṃ. Suhaṟa
• Enṯe priyappeṭṭa kathakaḷ by Vatsala

I don't know if you've heard, but Robert Kirkman's survival horror comic book series The Walking Dead is soon going to be a TV series on AMC! Really. I'm not joking. I decided to pick this up recently, and man is it entertaining. I recommend checking it out before the series airs. I'm hooked enough that I'm now digging into book two. Kirkman basically explores what might happen if a zombie movie kept the camera rolling. After the initial survival frenzy, what would it be like trying to live your life in a Zombie apocalypse? What would that do to people? It makes for interesting reading, let me say. Can't wait to finish book two and get into book three...

New Marathi fiction is going on the shelves today. Titles include:

• Sambhramācyā lāṭā by Ratnākara Matakarī
• Prādhyāpaka vāīkarāñcī kathā : jhapāṭalelyā eka vāstūcī bhayakathā by Nārāyaṇa Dhārapa
• Kālindī by Jagannātha Kuṇṭe

Come on in and take a look!

Get in the Halloween spirit by signing up for this month's Tween Book & Pizza Club meeting on Saturday, October 31, from 1-2pm. This month we're reading The Mysterious Benedict Society - a creepy story about a mad scientist trying to brainwash the world! Full of interesting riddles and mysteries for you to solve along the way, it's sure to entertain! Registration begins Saturday, October 17, at 9am, so sign up and come to the children's reference desk to pick up a copy of the book.

Today at 11:00 a.m., the Busy Moms Book Club will meet in the Children's Library Purple Room for a book discussion on Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez. After the Taliban regime fell in Afghanistan after 9/11, the author traveled with a humanitarian group to help Afghans begin rebuilding their lives. Through American donations, she and other hair stylists established the Kabul Beauty School, where Afghan women learned skills in order to start their own businesses.

The Alex Awards are given every year to the top ten books written for adults that have special appeal to teens. The 2009 Alex Awards include some incredible titles including Over And Under by Todd Tucker. If the teen room just doesn't have what you need, check out the current and past Alex Award lists for a recommendation.

Stuart Kaminsky, a former Grandmaster of the Mystery Writers of America and author of many mystery series and stand-alone novels, died Friday, October 9, 2009 at the age of 75. His four series featuring Lew Fonesca, Abe Lieberman,Toby Peters,and Inspector Porfiry Rostnikov were extremely popular. Kaminsky's Inspector Rostnikov novel A Cold Red Sunrise received the 1989 Edgar Award for Best Novel. He earned six other Edgar nominations, most recently for the 2005 non-fiction book "Behind the Mystery: Top Mystery Writers Interviewed", which was also nominated for an Anthony Award, a Macavity Awards, and an Agatha Award.

Do you love fantasy books in which a whole different world exists right next to — or within — our own? If you do, you might want to check out the Comtemporary Fantasy Wiki. Don't forget to click on Urban Fantasy in this wiki--it contains another great list of authors. One name I didn't see on the wiki was Neal Shusterman, author of some dark and creepy books including: Everlost and Downsiders. And if you've already read everything and want the newest we've got, get on the hold list for Megan Crewe's Give up the ghost. I've heard some good things about it.

A single man with a single cat, the simply drawn animated adventures of Simon & his cat became a hit on YouTube. Cat owners everywhere related to Simon as he found his life run by a cat. Now the cat has come to the printed page in "Simon's Cat". The same simple drawings relate humorous little snippets of Life with a Cat. From feeding the cat to litterbox mishaps, a cat owner is sure to see some familiar situations. Check it out and share a laugh with your favorite feline. 

As the weather gets colder and we all start staying indoors more, here are some cute picture books about being artistic to inspire you to create!

I ain't gonna paint no more! by Karen Beaumont; illustrated by David Catrow

The dot by Peter H. Reynolds

Harold and the purple crayon by Johnson, Crockett, 1906-

Frederick by Leo Lionni

The North American Branch of the Association of Crime Writers announced that The Turnaround by George Pelecanos (Little, Brown), has been named the winner of the organization's annual Hammett Prize for a work of literary excellence in the field of crime writing.

We recently added new Polish books to our collection, including:

• Głowa Minotaura by Marek Krajewski  
• Dziewice, do boju! by Monika Szwaja 
• Czarna wdowa atakuje by Irena Matuszkiewicz.
  
  Come on in and check them out.

Today we are putting new French fiction titles on the shelves. Titles include:

• Le fait du prince by Amélie Nothomb
• Les gens du Balto by Faïza Guène
• Un lieu incertain by Fred Vargas

Come on in and check them out!

Weird Al Yankovic is the latest celebrity to snag a deal to write a picture book. His book will be published in 2011 and will feature an eight-year-old protagonist who fantasizes about the unusual careers he wants to pursue when he grows up.

“I’ve always wanted to write children's books,” said Yankovic. “And now, it’s not only a goal, it’s a contractual obligation.”

Since it'll be awhile before the book is published, why not check out some of Weird Al's music in the meantime?

photo by mufan96 used under Creative Commons license

Hilary Mantel’s historical novel set in 16th-century Britain has won the £50,000 ($79,400) Man Booker Prize for Fiction. Wolf Hall (Fourth Estate) is the story of Thomas Cromwell’s tumultuous rise in the Tudor court.

With fall settling in and winter just around the corner consider revisiting an old friend by the fireplace. A novel that you've read before but inspires you to experience its brilliance once again. Emily Bronte's classic Wuthering Heights comes to mind with its brooding romantic mood it is perfect for blustery nights with the wind whistling outside the window. Experience this classic tale of tragic romance and enduring love all over again.

Authors and publishers are trying new web gimmicks to gain readers:

• Author Shya Scanlon is serializing his new novel, Forecast, across 42 blogs in the coming weeks
• Concord Free Press gives away unique books, on the premise that the readers will donate to charity, then pass the book along
• Journalist and author Chris Anderson is giving away his latest book, Free, in multiple formats on the web. Of course, you can borrow it free here as well

If you're looking for classics and other books that you can read online, take a look at the following sites:

• Google Books offers millions of books and editions, many in full text. Additionally, Google Books has LIFE Magazine for many years. Protip: Use the advanced search to "Full view only"
• Read Print Library has far fewer books (around 8,000), but the interface for finding and reading books is very friendly
• Internet Archive stores Project Gutenberg as well as many other texts. The archive also has video, audio, and web categories