Jim Butcher to visit the Library

Bestselling Author Jim Butcher to Discuss Turn Coat,

The Latest Book in His Dresden Files Series

(Kansas City, Missouri) – Author Jim Butcher discusses Turn Coat, the newest book in The Dresden Files series, on Thursday, April 16, at 6:30 p.m. in the Truman Forum at the Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St.

Turn Coat is the 11^th installment in Butcher’s The Dresden Files, a series of fantasy/mystery novels featuring private investigator and wizard Harry Dresden. The stories are told from the point of view of Dresden as he recounts his investigations into supernatural happenings in present-day Chicago.

In Turn Coat, Dresden’s friend Morgan shows up at Harry’s doorstep broken, bleeding, and begging for protection from the Wardens; and Dresden finds himself once again at odds with the White Council.

Butcher’s books will be available for sale, and the author will sign copies purchased during event.

Butcher was born in Independence, Missouri, and continues to make his home there.

Admission is free. Call 816.701.3407 to indicate your interest in attending or you may RSVP online.

Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel by Michio Kaku

In Physics of the Impossible, author Michio Kaku explores the fantastical world of science fiction and tells us exactly which of these “impossible” inventions are actually possible, at least according to our understanding of the current laws of physics. While most of these will not be seen in our lifetime, this intensely readable text makes it fun to imagine the possibilities that await future generations. Kaku does an outstanding job of making physics understandable and enjoyable, a remarkable feat for a science writer.

Free E-Book Friday

Rare and acclaimed Doctor Who novels available to read for free!

All feature brand new artwork and extensive notes by the original authors.

Robert Asprin

I had been meaning to post about this a couple of weeks ago but have been so busy trying to read my ever expanding list of nominees/suggestions that I haven't had a spare moment to blog. I am still a Twittering fool in part because I can do that on my phone while standing in line at the grocery store and in part, because it is addictive. Right now I am reading a 811 page book about the Mitfords. Next up, the positively tiny 500 pager about Picasso.

Anyway, when I am not reading literary fiction and non-fiction for a book award, I am reading a mixture of mystery, romance, westerns and anything else you can think of, including Science Fiction. My favorite SF are space operas and humorous SF and fantasy. One of my favorite humorous authors was Robert Asprin, who passed away on May 22, 2008. This means that there will be no more Myth Adventures which makes me very sad indeed.

This is a light frothy fun series with a wanna be magician/thief named Skeeve, a demon from Perv named Aahz. Now, anything with a character named Perv is bound to be good but truthfully, the main attraction for me was the clever banter and lord knows, I am a sucker for clever banter. After the June award meeting I may have to take a little break and finish off the last few (or possibly re-read the entire series) to cleanse the palette for my next round of weighty tomes.

Missouri Authors

I recently went to a talk by Missouri authors and was highly entertained by Jim Butcher's talk. His series features Harry Dredsden, a private detective/wizard who solves paranormal crimes. This weekend when I was out running errands I picked up a copy of his first book, Storm Front. It is also a TV series now. When my notable reading is over (or I need a non-literary reading break) I am going to dig it out to read. I am half look forward to, half dreading finding another author I like with a large backlist.

I am already seriously behind on keeping up with many of my favorite authors although a few like Margaret Drabble, Margaret Atwood and Haruki Murakami have been on my reading lists so I managed to at least keep up with their newest. I joke on my personal blog that I only have to live until I am 921, reading a book a day, to finish my current backlist of must read novels. While that may be an exaggeration, it probably isn't that far off the mark.