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Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle was born on May 22, 1859, in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Doyle’s were a prosperous Irish-Catholic family, who had a prominent position in the world of Art. Charles Altamont Doyle, Arthur’s father, a chronic alcoholic, was the only member of his family, who apart from fathering a brilliant son, never accomplished anything of note. At the age of twenty-two, Charles had married Mary Foley, a vivacious and very well-educated young woman of seventeen. Mary Doyle loved literature and was a very good storyteller which she imparted to his son.
From the age of nine, Arthur was sent to boarding school in England for his education. His time there was unhappy as he hated the bigotry and corporal punishment that was part of the climate. At seventeen he graduated and returned home where he helped commit his father, who was clearly unbalanced. Family tradition would have dictated the pursuit of an artistic career, yet Arthur decided to follow a medical one. This decision was influenced by Dr. Bryan Charles Waller, a young lodger his mother had taken-in to make ends meet. Dr. Waller had trained in the University of Edinburgh and that is where Arthur was sent to carry out his medical studies. He met many fine authors (James Barrie and Robert Louis Stevenson)  while studying,  but the man who made the biggest impact was Dr. Joseph Bell, a man who used all of his talents–deduction, logic and diagnosis. These qualities would eventually be found in Sherlock Holmes.
He worked very hard. During the next years, the young man divided his time between trying to be a good doctor and struggling to become a recognized author.  In August of 1885, he found the time to marry a young woman called Louisa Hawkins. He described her in his memoirs as having been  “gentle and amiable.”

In March 1886, Conan Doyle started writing the novel which catapulted him to fame. At first it was named A Tangled Skein and the two main characters were called Sheridan Hope and Ormond Sacker.  Two years later this novel was published in Beeton’s Christmas Annual, under the title A Study in Scarlet which introduced us to the immortal Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. This marked the start of a serious dichotomy in the author’s life.  Sherlock Holmes, who very quickly became world-famous was a commercial success, but Conan Doyle wanted to be considered a serious author. Thankfully for us he continued his Sherlock Holmes series which continues to be popular.

This is a specialized, although comprehensive, guide to strengthening your arms, shoulders, back and abdominals over a seven week program focusing on pull-ups. The author guides you from the beginning in testing your level of fitness and enabling you to put together a progressive program over seven weeks towards the goal of 50 unassisted pull-ups. The book has many good tips and variations on how to perform the pull-ups as well as a handy log sheet for all three phases of the program.

Frank Robert Capra was a Sicilian-born American film director. He immigrated to the U.S. when he was six, and eventually became a creative force behind major award-winning films during the 1930′s and 1940′s.  His rags-to-riches story has made many think of him as the “American Dream Personified.” He worked his way through college, then enlisted in the Army, but was sent home after contracting the Spanish flu.  While out of work he saw an ad for work in the film industry. He eventually did everything..property man, film cutter, title writer and assistant director. As a director he won 3 Best Director Oscars. It Happened One Night (1934) was the first film to win all of the 5 top Oscars. His feelings about his work, “My films must let every man, woman, and child know that God loves them, that I love them, and that peace and salvation will become a reality only when they all learn to love each other.”  He died December 19, 2007

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Feeling nostalgic about The Office already?  Never fear.  Your library has you covered!  We own all the seasons on DVD, in addition to books about your beloved characters.

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I have to admit I am a suspense junkie–but I am loyal. So once I find a character I stick with them to the bitter end. I just finished Vince Flynn’s The Last Man and loved it!
Joe Rickman, head of a CIA clandestine operations in Afghanistan, has been kidnapped and his four bodyguards executed in cold blood. But Mitch Rapp’s experience and nose for the truth make him wonder if something even more sinister isn’t afoot. Irene Kennedy, director of the CIA, has dispatched him to Afghanistan to find Rickman at all costs. There is plenty of interesting extraneous characters and miscommunication to make Rapp’s mission difficult. This next book in the Mitch Rapp series is a wonderful addition. You get a look inside the complicated workings of our government and military inside a foreign country. The machinations that go on is astounding and it is amazing that anything gets finished. Mitch is an interesting character and I loved that he finally got a sense of humor–sort of. There is plenty of action here and enough red herrings to keep readers on their toes and ready for more.

James Matthew Barrie was born at Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland to modest weavers. He was educated in Scotland but went to London to pursue his career.  Barrie was a playwright and author, best known for Peter Pan or the Boy Who Would Not Grown Up. It was first performed in 1904. He met the Llewleyn Davies boys in a park.  They became the inspiration for his stories. He unofficially adopted them after the death of their parents. (He is also known for popularizing the name Wendy)The character of Peter Pan was invented to entertain George and Jack, (two of 5 Llewleyn children). Barrie would say, to amuse them, that their little brother Peter could fly. He claimed that babies were birds before they were born; parents put bars on nursery windows to keep the little ones from flying away. This grew into a tale of a baby boy who did fly away.

We are very fortunate indeed, that he met this family by happenstance and a wonderful novel’s of literature were born. Before his death in 1937, he specified that the copyright should go to the leading children’s hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital in London.

If you’re looking for a fun read, then I suggest you get to know Alexia Tarabotti who is one of three daughters living in high society London.  She’s a spinster and she also happens to be without a soul.  Alexia’s got spunk and when she kills a vampire with her parasol in the first chapter, you know it’s about to get interesting.  Soon vampires begin to go missing and Alexia is at the center of the mystery.  Her nonchalant attitude about her parasol-as-weapon encourages hilarity to ensue as she tries to figure out what exactly is happening.   Soulless is first in a series of five so there is plenty to read if you fall in love with Alexia and Carriger’s historical fantasy world.  Go here to place it on hold.

Michael Buble is back on top of the charts with his new album entitled, “To Be Loved.”  This is a beautiful album, and you’ll want to put it on hold to hear this crooner’s latest offering.