By Erin Allen
Rowan Public Library
Maybe you’ve never heard of Stephenie Meyer or her swift rise to the top of bestseller lists, but this December it will be increasingly hard to ignore this writer whose young adult series has been compared to the Harry Potter franchise.
She debuted with “Twilight,” a romance featuring an ordinary high school girl and a handsome vampire boy. The film version is scheduled for a splashy Christmas opening, and should have millions of readers-turned-viewers clamoring for tickets.
“Twilight” is the first of the four-part Twilight series that includes “New Moon,” “Eclipse” and the final installment, “Breaking Dawn,” which was released Aug. 2.The books are written for ages 12 and up, but adults shouldn’t dismiss this series because it is labeled “young adult.” Adult suspense and romance novel aficionados will find plenty of interest here. The story’s brisk pacing and realistic depictions of affection, as well as danger, add to the fascination of its supernatural subject matter.
Meyer has recently published her first adult novel, “The Host,” also available at Rowan Public Library.
Along the same folklore lines, “Keturah and Lord Death,” by Martine Leavitt, is a treasure for young and older adults who admire an intricate love story. With roots in ancient tales of Scheherazade, this novel is beautifully written and fully imagined.
Keturah, a young village woman, becomes lost in the forest after following a mystical deer. She encounters Lord Death, revealed to be more charming than he sounds, and bargains for her life by telling stories. How she continues her story and wins the love of Lord Death creates an unforgettable fairy tale.
Speaking of fairy tales, “Book of a Thousand Days” is another young adult novel that happens to be a respectable adult read. Shannon Hale’s book is based on the obscure Brothers Grimm story, “Maid Maleen.”
Lady Saren is in love with Tegus but is betrothed to an evil monarch. When she refuses marriage, she and her maid Dashti are locked away in a tower for seven years. Visits from both suitors move the action toward an unimaginable conclusion. In the hands of the Newbery Honor-winning Hale, this conventional fairy tale is rewritten with gratifying plot twists and surprises. How the love story unfolds is astonishing.
Visit Rowan Public Library today to get your copy.
Computer classes: Monday, 7 p.m., Introduction to Windows; Thursday, 2:30 p.m., Introduction to Internet Safety; Aug. 18, 7 p.m., Creating Web Pages Part 2; Aug. 21, 2:30 p.m., Creating Presentations with Power Point; Aug. 25, 7 p.m., Introduction to Searching the World Wide Web; Aug. 28, 2:30 p.m., Creating Spreadsheets with Excel.Classes are free and held at the library headquarters on the second floor. Sessions are about 90 minutes long. Class size is limited to 16 on a first-come, first-served basis.
Movies in August ó All are unrated silent films from the 1920s. Some movies appropriate for younger audiences. Children should be accompanied by an adult. Free popcorn and lemonade. Tuesday, “The General” with Buster Keaton; Aug. 19, “Metropolis” with Fritz Lang; Aug. 26, “City Lights” with Charlie Chaplin.Displays: Headquarters ó Dolls by Rowan Doll Society; South ó lunch boxes by Sharon Ross; East ó ceramic and porcelain dolls by Margie Von Cannon.Literacy: Call the Rowan County Literacy Council at 704-216-8266 for more information on teaching or receiving literacy tutoring for English speakers or for those for whom English is a second language.
Web site: For a listing of all programs at all library locations, www.rowanpubliclibrary. org.