Women of Mystery - A Big Read Event!

The Maltese Falcon defined detective fiction, and Sam Spade epitomized the hard-boiled private detective character. What has historically been a male-dominated genre is not anymore. Female authors have brought us female versions of the private detective, as well as characters that solve crimes while doing their jobs as police investigators, lawyers, park rangers, medical examiners, and housewives.

At the Women of Mystery discussions, participants are asked to come to casually discuss favorite female detectives in fiction: how are they similar to each other and how are they different? And, how do they stack up to their male counterparts?

So, come tell the group about your favorite female investigator and listen to what others think about women of mystery.  Not yet a fan of female detective fiction? That’s okay, come anyway, and maybe you’ll be inspired to give the women a shot.

Discussions led by Ann Mason.

Wednesday, February 22, 11am

at Hattie’s Books

This program is part of the The Big Read: Coastal Georgia Reads The Maltese Falcon

An initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest and sponsored locally by Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association, The Three Rivers Regional Library System, and the College of Coastal Georgia.  Additional partners include McIntosh Art Association, Arts Camden, The Brunswick News and Qantum Communications.

The Big Read - Some Great Links & Resources

If you are like me, you look forward each year to The Big Read selection. There is something magical about the people in a community reading the same book. The sense of connection is really remarkable. Plus, there is all the great stuff that goes along with it. Movies, lectures, discussions, exibits... so many resources (almost all FREE!) to enhance the experience. This year's choice is the 1930's hard-boiled dectective novel, The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.

The Big Read , with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts is once again presented by through a partnership of the Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association, Three Rivers Regional Library System and the College of Coastal Georgia. The schedule of Big Read events at the GIAHA website is huge, and offers something for everyone!

Hattie's Third Tuesday book club read The Maltese Falcon for our January selection. Mary Farnsworth, who led a really good discussion shared information from a fabulous website. If you are reading The Maltese Falcon, you may be having some trouble with the slang. Well, fret no longer about the meaning of the "gooseberry lay" or a "Baumes rush". Twists, Slug and Roscoes is here to turn all that slang into plain English!

Are you joining in The Big Read? Let us know your plans!

Motivation for the New Year!

Need a little inspiration to help you with those New Year's resolutions? Look no further than your favorite book store! Here are a few of the motivational (and educational) books available at Hatties' to help you on your journey to health and happiness in 2012.

Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss

Joel Fuhrman

Clean: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body’s Natural Ability to Heal Itself
Alejandro Junger

Younger Next Year: Live Strong, Fit, and Sexy —
Until You’re 80 and Beyond

Chris Crowley, Henry S. Lodge

Our Bodies, Ourselves 40
Boston Women’s Health Book Collective
This is the 40th Anniversary Publication of this wonderful book! I'm definitely in for a copy of this classic!

Change Your Brain, Change Your Body
Daniel G. Amen

What French Women Know
Debra Ollivier

January 2012 - Now In Paperback

Wondering what's new this month in Paperback? Here are a few selections you will be sure to find at Hattie's Books!

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
by Amy Chua
"Yale Law professor and history scholar Chua bravely and honestly relates her experiences in raising two daughters. Her ‘Chinese parenting’ approach presents a challenge for readers to understand how her unconditional love can translate into ‘foreign’ parental strategies that, impose stringent strictures on her children’s development. Their accomplishments in violin, piano, and academics strongly argue for the effectiveness of her method, although the pitfalls of the approach manifest themselves, and the difficult process of reevaluation results in a provocative and instructive work."  —Ed Conklin, Chaucer’s Books, Santa Barbara, CA

Ghost Light
A Novel, by Joseph O’Connor
"Occasionally, a novel will come along that breaks the bounds between fact and fiction, romance and reality, to create a story so insightful and true that the scenes come to life before your eyes. Ghost Light is the fictionalized account of the famed Irish playwright J.M. Synge and his lover, the actress Maire O’Neill. Alternating with the Dublin tableaux is the tale of Maire’s later life as a poverty-stricken alcoholic in 1952 London, where she haunted by the memories of both her days with Synge and her acting career, and struggling to make her way, day by day. Bravo!" —Carl Hoffman, Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, WI

The Other Life
A Novel, by Ellen Meister
"Quinn’s artistic mother took her own life, leaving Quinn wondering why. To help her cope on this journey, Quinn has the ability to travel between two parallel worlds via hidden portals. One world is a safe, suburban life with her husband, Lewis, and their young son Isaac on Long Island, albeit a world filled with the reality of her mother’s death. The other is a dramatic life in New York City with neurotic Eugene, a life in which her mother is still very much alive. The premise of these portals may seem strange, but Meister makes it work and does it very well." —Annie Philbrick, Bank Square Books, Mystic, CT

You Know When the Men Are Gone
by Siobhan Fallon
"Surprising, get-under-your-skin characters populate the spare landscape of Fort Hood, Texas, in this collection of linked stories that will have a compelling effect on even the most skeptical reader. Fallon opens a window into military base life from the perspective of the quiet supporters—spouses, children and injured vets—who stay home when the men deploy. A riveting debut!." —Nicole Magistro, The Bookworm of Edwards, Edwards, CO

Which of these books appeal to you? Let us know what you think!