After the big Elton John extravaganza in Laramie this weekend, you might find yourself wanting MORE! An author search for John, Elton in the Prospector catalog turns up 205 items all available for delivery to UW Libraries. And searching our local library catalog turns up sheet music, interviews and more from Sir Elton.

If you heard that T.R. Knight made an appearance at the concert and you don’t know who that is, I direct you to the Libraries’ collection of Grey’s Anatomy on DVD.

Did you read any stinkers last year? What were they?

I know this might ruffle a few readers, but the worst book I read in 2008 had to be Twilight. Of course that did not stop me from reading the sequel, too!

What wonderful books did you read last year? I loved the stories in Unaccustomed Earth, by the always wonderful Jhumpa Lahiri. And I was thrilled to read a new book by Tim Winton, a disturbing tale of fear and growth on the surf of Australia, Breath.

What would you recommend to others from your past year’s night table reading?

Need something good to read over the semester break? Ready for something light after non-stop school-related reading?

Coe Library has lots of your favorite authors (Jodi Picoult, Stuart Woods) and many of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2008 on the shelf right now. Stop by the Coe Library popular reading shelves on Level 2 just after the front doors or ask at the reference desk and we’ll make sure you’ve got something fun to read over break.

Looking to spend hours with a beautiful and fascinating book? I recommend the recently acquired Trevelyon Miscellany, located in the Coe Library reference collection.

The Miscellany is a facsimile of the treasured manuscript at the Folger Shakespeare Library. The Folger offers the following description of the volume:

Ostensibly created for the entertainment, education, and edification of his friends and family, Trevelyon’s miscellany is a lifetime achievement that continues to delight and mystify modern audiences, with its familiar scenes of domesticity and husbandry intertwined with epic Protestant and political epitomes: accounts of the rulers of England and the Gunpowder Plot, descriptions of local fairs, the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge and astronomy according to Ptolemy, illustrations of the nine muses and the seven deadly sins, of Old Testament history and household proverbs, and whimsical flowers, alphabets, and embroidery patterns.

Stop by the reference desk and we will happily show off this unique acquisition.

After reading The Silence of the Bees in a recent issue of High Country News, I was intrigued by the migratory beekeeping life, the impact of agricultural trends on beekeeping, and the double threats of varroa mites and colony collapse disorder on our bee populations.

If you’re also interested in bees, check out the links below.

Learn more about planting a bee garden. 

UW Libraries books about bees here.

Research articles about bees can be found in Agricola or at the Bee Research Center.

England’s Observer Music Monthly (OMM) published a list of the 50 greatest music books ever this week.

Number one: Hellfire by Nick Tosches, hailed by OMM for his brilliant writing about Jerry Lee Lewis:

Hellfire’s extravagantly descriptive opening chapter is worthy of any great American novel you care to mention, recreating the night that ‘The Killer’ laid siege single-handedly to Elvis’s Gracelands mansion. With a head full of booze and God knows what chemicals, and a Derringer on the dashboard, he repeatedly rams his Lincoln continental into the wrought iron gates, hollering ‘Tell him the Killer is here!’

Check out the rest of the list, including a definitive story of the blues, and a history of the indie music scene in America.

The folks at NPR take their summer reading seriously and they’ve provided loads of great recommendations this year.

Susan Stamberg offers “swell books for summer loafing” from three independent booksellers. Alan Cheuse promises to transport you to other lands, even if you aren’t traveling further than Vedauwoo this summer. And Karen Grigsby-Bates recommends a delightful list that ranges from new fiction to (my favorite) food writing.

Happy reading and happy loafing!

Do you plan to do some hiking, camping, or climbing this summer? Stop by Coe Library to check out our wide selection of guidebooks to wilderness areas in Wyoming and all over the country.