The 13th Annual Love is Murder Conference for Mystery writers and readers will be held in Chicago at the Intercontinental Chicago O'Hare Hotel Friday, February 3 through Sunday, February 5. The conference offers author chats, opportunities to meet with publishers and/or agents, and writer's workshops. Entertainment in the evening includes a performance by Those Were The Days Radio Players.

Artistic license by Julie A. Hyzy — Ms Hyzy is the conference's Guest of Honor.

Christopher Eric Hitchens, author and journalist, columnist and literary critic for The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, World Affairs, The Nation and others died at 62 years of age on December 15th from complications from esophageal cancer. He was voted the world's 5th top public intellectual in a Prospect/Foreign Affairs opinion poll. Here are some of the books Canton Library owns by this controversial author:

God is not great: how religion poisons everything by Christopher Hitchens

Hitch-22: a memoir by Christopher Hitchens

Check out some of the library's new author biographies which have been published recently. Place your holds now!

And so it goes: Kurt Vonnegut, a life by Charles Shields

Charles Dickens: a life by Claire Tomalin

Fiction ruined my family by Jeanne Darst

Mark Twain, one of America's best-known and well-loved authors, was born on November 30, 1835. His works have been translated into hundreds of languages, and Hollywood continues to produce film adaptations of his books. The first volume of his autobiography was published in 2010 on the centenary of the author's death as he did not want some of his more scalding opinions and observations in print until he had been dead at least a century. The book was published by the staff of the Mark Twain Project — an archive that contains Twain's private papers.

John Cusack will portray Edgar Allan Poe, the "godfather of goth" in the upcoming movie The raven. Author Edgar Allan Poe forms a reluctant partnership with a police detective to catch a murderer who kills his victims by following elements of Poe's stories. Alice Eve plays Poe's love interest, Alice, and Luke Evans plays the police detective. The film is directed by James McTeigue. The raven is due in the theaters in March 2012.

Happy National Library Week!
Best-selling author Pat Conroy shares his reminiscences of his boyhood days visiting the library every Monday with his mother. This video clip is made available by The Open Road Integrated Media.

If you enjoy fairy tales, you may have read some of Barbara McClintock's books. This Author and Illustrator has created fabulous editions of many of our favorite tales such as The Mitten, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and the Gingerbread Man. But did you know she got her start by seeking advice from Maurice Sendak? Or that her first books were stories about Jim Henson's Fraggles? Discover more about Mrs. McClintock (and admire her beautiful artwork) by checking out her website. Then look for some of her books here at the library.

Mark Twain, one of America's best-known and well-loved authors, was born on November 30, 1835. His works have been translated into hundreds of languages, and Hollywood continues to produce film adaptations of his books. The following Special Collection focuses on his life and work.

Wednesday, December 1, 5:30-7:00PM. Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library, Gallery in Room 100 (use Diag entrance) 913 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI

Being in Pictures: A Conversation with Joanne Leonard and Sidonie Smith

Are you interested in art? Photography? The lives of women? Join us for a conversation with author Joanne Leonard and Sidonie Smith, U-M Professor of Women's Studies and English. In Joanne Leonard’s book, Being in Pictures: An Intimate Photo Memoir, she uses her personal experiences as a feminist artist, academic, single mom, identical twin, and daughter of an Alzheimer's patient to create evocative art and heartfelt writing. The conversation will explore the creative process and the ideas the work inspires. Followed by a book sale and signing, courtesy of the Michigan Union Barnes & Noble. Sponsored by The Author's Forum.

Eleanor Taylor Bland died this past week at the age of 65. Ms. Bland was the author of 13 mystery novels featuring female African-American Chicago homicide detective Marti MacAlister. A Dark and Deadly Deception was her most recent book, released in 2005. With Marti as her protagonist, Eleanor Taylor Bland attempted to give voice to the homeless, mentally ill, elderly, and children.

It's time for the fourth annual Local Author Event. There are still a few slots open for local authors to share their stories and books with us on Thursday, May 13 at 7:00PM. Please contact Marcia at (734) 397-0999 x1079 if you are a published author and would like to participate. The authors will each be given a few minutes to speak and will then retire to their respective tables to sell their books and talk with fans.

April 21 is the 100 year anniversary of the death of Mark Twain (November 24, 1832 - April 21, 1910). A keen observer of human nature, Twain's stories portray America as it became a nation. An American humorist, lecturer, essayist, and author, several of Twain's books have been adapted for the screen including The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Life on the Mississippi, and a present-day version of The Prince and the Pauper.

Children of Dust a memoir written by Ali Eteraz reveals Islamic fundamentalism and madrassa life in rural Pakistan, the culture shock of moving to the U.S., and a journey of reconciliation to the modern Middle East. Author Ali Eteraz will speak on Wednesday, April 21st, 2010 at 12:00pm in the University of Michigan's Hatcher Graduate Library, Gallery - Room 100 (use Diag entrance).

Author Erich Segal died last week (January 17) at the age of 72. He was teaching Greek and Roman literature at Yale University, when his collaboration with the Beatles in 1968 on their movie Yellow Submarine and the production of a screenplay he wrote about the doomed romance of a Radcliffe scholarship girl and a Harvard old-money boy entitled Love Story brought Segal fame. Released in 1970, "Love Story" was a huge box-office hit. "Love Story", when released in paperback, had the largest print order in publishing history at the time, with 4,325,000 copies. Reaction to the book was strong and surprisingly controversial.

Celebrate the January 13th birthday of the author who brought us Paddington Bear! Check out one of Michael Bond's books about Paddington, and be sure to watch our website for another very special bear-related birthday this week!

Celebrate Rudyard Kipling's birthday on December 30th! Read one of his many stories for adults or children, or find out more about his life.

Celebrate Noel Streatfeild's birthday on December 24th!  Come to the library early (we're closed on the 24th and 25th) to check out some of her books.  My favorite is Ballet Shoes, and the library has many other fiction books about ballet, or informative books on dance.  Come check them out!

Celebrate Jane Austen's birthday on December 16. You might think that there's nothing new with Austen, since she's been dead for almost 200 years, and sure enough, her collection of classics hasn't grown much lately. But there have been a slew of spin-offs, add-ons, continuations and re-tellings, and you can explore some of them on the shelves at CPL. Keep an eye out for a new version of Emma coming to Masterpiece in January, and while you wait, check our shelves for other Austen movies!

Well, we've missed the actual day (November 10) of Neil Gaiman's birthday, but it's never too late to celebrate a wonderful author!  He's gotten a lot of attention this year between winning the Newbery Award for The Graveyard Book, and the release of the film version of Coraline.  If those piqued your interest, you might enjoy other books by Neil Gaiman.  You'll find them all over the library, for Children, Teens and Adults.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!  Take some time this week to celebrate Julie Andrews' birthday (October 1).  If you haven't read one of her books before, she has written several under the name Julie Edwards.  It's also the perfect week to check out Mary Poppins, or any of Julie Andrews' other movies.  Happy Birthday, Julie Andrews!