The wacky world of competitive Scrabble

Word Freak

by Stefan Fatsis

One of my husband's family's Thanksgiving traditions, after the obligatory gorging, is to clear off a table and start a Scrabble game.

I can hold my own, but I'm seldom the grand winner. Maybe someday I'll remember to look up some more words that use the letters J,Q, and X so I don't get stuck with them at the end.

Imagine my surprise a few years ago when I came across the book "Word Freak." The tag line on the cover reads "Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players."

"Competitive Scrabble?!" I said to myself. I picked up the book and paged through it, and before long I knew I had to read this.

There's a whole Scrabble subculture out there -- people who obsessively play the game and memorize wordlists, traveling around the country to compete in tournaments.

Fatsis begins his journey through the Scrabble world as an unranked amateur, but joins in tournaments as part of his "research."

If you're the type who can create words like "DYSTOCIA" and "KNURS" on the board, this books is for you. (And if you're curious "Dystocia" means "difficult or abnormally painful childbirth, and "Knurs" is a "knot on the trunk of a tree."

Find this book on the 2nd floor, 793.734 FAT.

c Waterloo Public Library 2007

You had to be brave to be a settler

That Dark and Bloody River
by Allan W. Eckert.

Most of us today really have no understanding of what our ancestors went through to settle this country, nor do we ever really think about what white settlement patterns did to the Native American societies already living here.

The Shawnee, Mingo, Miamis, and Wyandot tribes, among others, were long-established in the Ohio River Valley. Villages were often found at the junctures of the Ohio and its numerous tributaries, and room was made for tribes, such as the Delawares, who were pushed west as European settlers took over their former lands in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania.

These tribes, used to dealing honorably, if not always peacefully, with one another were put under tremendous stress in dealing with the incoming settlers, most of whom didn't understand the Indians, and thought they were savages. Given the disgusting behavior of some of the settlers, that was the pot calling the kettle black.

The British, and later the United States government proved to be incapable of controlling the movements of their citizens, who consistently broke treaties that were made with the tribes. Although they tried for a time to live in peace with the incoming whites, the tribes eventually came to believe that they had to take a military stand and enforce the treaty boundaries.

They began to attack those who settled in their lands in violation of the treaties, and the relatively gruesome methods they used in these attacks terrified the white settlers. Soon the two groups were openly at war.

The British encouraged the fighting between the two groups, especially during and just after the Revolutionary War. They sent arms, ammunition and other supplies to the tribes to encourage them to continue fighting, hoping to weaken the newly-founded United States.

For an illuminating look at the struggles faced by both groups, I highly recommend this book. You can find it in the Non-fiction stacks on the 2nd floor, under 977 ECK.

c Waterloo Public Library 2007

travel the world from your own home

Within the last few weeks, I saw a television program I had not seen in ages. In fact, I didn't even know that it was still on television. My friend, Tom, suggested watching Iowa Public Television. Low and behold, "Rick Steves' England" was on. It was comforting to see his program, which is very low key, but very informative. Rick Steves is just a common guy, unlike some of those hosts on some of the travel programs, with their over exuberant personalities.

After checking our catalog, I was amazed to discover that we have approximately 15 videos hosted by Rick Steves.

Here are just a few of the titles to choose from:

Travel the World: Germany (Video 914.3 TRA)

Travel the World: Spain (Video 914.6 TRA)

Travel the World: Italy (Video 914.5 TRA)

Travel the World: Turkey (Video 914.561 TRA)

c Waterloo Public Library 2007

The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer

c Waterloo Public Library 2007

Several years ago I discovered Sarah Strohmeyer's series of books about Bubbles Yablonsky (including Bubbles Unbound, Bubbles A Broad, Bubbles in Trouble, and Bubbles Ablaze). Bubbles is a hairdresser turned journalist (thanks to her local Community College) whose appearance is more like a Barbie Doll than Barbara Walters. Bubbles is a wonderful character, and every bit as entertaining as Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum, and her adventures are filled with a lively cast of characters.

So, when I saw a new book by Strohmeyer called The Cinderella Pact on the shelves of the Waterloo Public Library, I grabbed it--no questions asked. As it turns out, however, Bubbles makes only a brief cameo in the book. This story is about another wonderful woman named Nola Devlin who is leading a double life. As a magazine editor, Nola feels all but invisible; she's overweight and not very assertive. When an opening comes up for a new columnist at her magazine, she submits a sample column but it is rejected outright by her boss.

Frustrated, Nola decides to create an altar ego, the glamorous Belinda Apple, and submits "Belinda's columns," which result in a big contract. Belinda's columns quickly become a major hit with readers, and soon stories are appearing about Belinda's adventures and romances. In the meantime, Nola and her two friends--who are both overweight as well--decide to form the Cinderella Pact to change their lives by losing weight.

About the same time, Nola's younger sister gets engaged and agonizes over the details of her wedding, Nola's mother frets about Nola's marital state, and Nola meets a mysterious stranger who she mistakes for a coworker. The book follows the three friends' efforts to exercise and diet, and support each other, as well as the unraveling of Belinda Apple's true identity.

Strohmeyer's grasp of dialogue, description, and popular culture combine with her wicked sense of humor and overall storytelling skills. She shows the depth of female friendship, and the bond experienced by women who have known each other since high school. She also explores some of the themes of how our society views "fat" and "thin," as well as the internal transformation that comes with weight loss.

I highly recommend The Cinderella Pact; while I will still be looking forward to the next book featuring Bubbles, I wouldn't mind reading more about Nola. You can find Sarah Strohmeyer's The Cinderella Pact in the Large Print section of the fiction department of the Waterloo Public Library.

The Dangerous Hour ( A Sharon McCone Mystery)

Marcia Muller is one of my favorite mystery writers, so whenever I find one of her books that I haven't read yet, it's a real treat. The Dangerous Hour came out in 2004 (Thorndike Press) but it was new to me when I discovered it at the Waterloo Public Library not long ago. (Okay, I found it in the large print edition, but after grading a big stack of my students' papers, it was a nice change of pace).

The story focuses on Sharon McCone, who runs McCone Investigations in San Francisco. Things seem to be going well until Julia, one of her newest employees, gets arrested and accused of crimes by a powerful city supervisor. Sharon starts digging for answers. Before long, it becomes clear that Sharon herself--and her business--are the real target. I don't want to give away too many details about the rest of the story; however, it's a good read, especially for those of us who have followed the series.

Sharon is a believeable, strong woman with a group of loyal friends and coworkers, as well as a boyfriend named Hy. While Sharon is an experienced investigator, she has her share of flaws, but she doesn't seem predictable. Muller's prose, with her skillful use of dialogue, description and characterization, draws you into Sharon McCone's world. However, I would caution you to not start reading The Dangerous Hour too close to bedtime, because you'll be tired the next day, after staying up extra late. On the other hand, it is just the sort of book to grab on one of these chilly evenings, when you curl up in your comfy chair with some cocoa and an afghan.

You can find Marcia Muller's The Dangerous Hour in the Large Print section of the Fiction department at the Waterloo Public Library.

Waterloo Public Library, c 2007

Pro choice or pro life?

I Am Roe: My Life, Roe v. Wade, and Freedom of Choice
by Norma McCorvey

Remember the Courier editorials last month? Even after all these years Roe v. Wade still creates quite a stir.

"I Am Roe" is the autobiography by the original Jane Roe of that case - Norma McCorvey. Norma's story is an extremely sad and disturbing one.

Born in 1947 in Lettesworth, Texas, Norma Leah Nelson had no good role models for happy, respectful relationships while growing up.

During her life she had three children. Her first daughter, Melissa, was conceived when she was married briefly to Woody McCorvey. Norma unknowingly signed over the parental rights to Melissa to her mother. The second child she gave up for adoption. Unemployed, depressed, and broke, she wanted an abortion when she discovered that she was pregnant again. The year was 1970.

In 1970, at the age of 21, she met lawyer Sarah Weddington who was looking for a woman to be a plaintiff to challenge Texas anti-abortion laws. This lawsuit became the historic Roe v. Wade. Norma was clueless as to what was going on with the lawsuit. She only agreed to be the plaintiff because she wanted out of her pregnancy. The lawsuit did not help her at all, since the Supreme Court decision did not come down until 1973. She gave the third child up for adoption.

Just a reminder though, since this book was written 12 years ago, "I Am Roe" was written before Norma McCorvey became pro-life.

c Waterloo Public Library 2006

This is for superhero fans!

The Science of Superheroes
by Lois Gresh and Robert Weinberg

I still remember when my interest in comics shifted from Donald Duck and Bugs Bunny to Superman and Batman. After purchasing a few of the superhero comics, my older brother looked at me with disdain. He grabbed them from me. My brother flipped through them, then tossed them back to me. He proclaimed that the plots and characters were illogical. Regardless, I still enjoyed them.

The Science of Superheroes, by Lois Gresh and Robert Weinberg, explores the worlds of superheroes. Each chapter focuses on a hero or heroes (if the comic promotes them as a group, like the Fantastic Four). The history of that particular comic and the special powers are discussed first. Then the authors explore the actual possibilities and consequences of gaining such abilities, i.e. being hit with gamma rays or bitten by a spider. The reader ends up getting an education in biology, physics, and chemistry. Although those topics can be overwhelming, the authors do try to simplify it enough so that you get the gist of it.

In the book, they did give praise to one artist/writer who researched and tried to give correct information in his comics. A prolific artist, this guy worked for about twenty-five years with one company. At the height of his career in the mid-1950s, three million copies of each issue were sold. You'll be surprised at who this is (although I don't think I would classify his comics in the same league as the other artists and writers discussed).

Unlike my brother, with his acerbic comments, Lois Gresh and Robert Weinberg show respect for the role superhero comics have played in the pop culture.

You can find the book on the second floor under 741.509 GRE.



c Waterloo Public Library 2006