Looking Ahead to 2013!

Best Books of 2012 lists are well and good, and you can find a bajillion or three of them, everywhere you look (don't believe me? Click here: it's the 2 trillion results you get from googling "Best Books of 2012") and in a mere four days, 2012 will go into the history books.  It's time to start looking forward, and not just to that funky baby with the top hat and sash (he freaks me out just a little).

No, I've got something better for your anticipatory needs: Flavorpill's 30 Most Anticipated Books of 2013. The good news? The release dates are spread over the next several months, so you've got plenty of time to read them all.  The bad news? Most of them aren't in the catalog yet.  So read up, make your list (do a happy dance because there's a new David Sedaris book coming out in April!!!) and keep an eye on the catalog!

Happy New Year!

Oh, and Happy Reading!

Holiday Break Programs for Kids, Teens & Families

Ah, Christmas break.  Memories made by the tree, opening gifts, spending time with family, and celebrating any number of holiday traditions.  So much to look forward to.  But, once the parties are over, how do we continue to keep the season special and the family engaged in positive activities?  Herrick District Library is here to help, with a great line up of programs for kids, teens and families.

Main library activities for kids:

• Special Holiday Story Time (ages 0+), Saturday, 12/2, 10am
• Make Sparkly Winter Slime (4 years+), Thursday, 12/27, 10am - 12pm
• Indoor S'more Book Schmooze (3rd - 5th grades), Thursday, 12/27, 2pm - 4pm
• Family Movie Marathon, Saturday, 12/29, 10am - 5pm

Main library activities for teens:

• Teen Iron Chef: Snacks & Party Food (online registration requested), Thursday, 12/27, 2pm
• Cardboard Sword Fight, Friday, 12/28, 2pm
• Minute to Win It, Wednesday, 1/2, 2pm
• Spy Academy, Thursday, 1/3, 2pm

North branch activities for families:

• Holiday Stories and Craft, Tuesday, 12/18, 4:30pm
• Holiday Stories and Craft (same program offered twice), Wednesday, 12/19, 10am
• Winter Wonderland Stories, Thursday, 12/27, 3pm

Let us help you fill your holiday break with goodness and cheer.  Click HERE to view a pdf flyer describing each program in more detail. 

Attention Book Groups

The setting is Anniwaldi, India, a makeshift settlement in the shadow of luxury hotels behind the Mumbai International Airport.  From Pulitzer Prize-winner Katherine Boo, a landmark work of narrative nonfiction tells the dramatic and sometimes heartbreaking story of families striving toward a better life in one of the twenty-first century's great, unequal cities.  (description from publisher)

Available as a Book Group To Go Bag

Attention Book Groups

The Cloud Atlas is Herrick Book Group to Go's latest fiction title.  The book has been made into a major motion picture.  The author, David Mitchell, combines flat-out adventure, a Nabokovian love of puzzles, a keen eye for character and a taste for mind-bending philosophical and scientific speculation in the tradition of Haruki Murakami, Umberto Eco, and Philip K Dick.  The result is brilliantly original fiction that reveals how disparate people connect, how their fates intertwine, and how their souls drift across time like clouds across the sky.   (description from publisher)

Oprah 2.0 Bookclub Pick!

Oprah's latest selection, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis, has been one of those debut novel Cinderella stories, and flurry of publicity has been fun to watch--and that from a book that was released only yesterday!  For more information on how to participate in Oprah's bookclub, check out the Oprah 2.0 website.

goodreads of the Year!

'Tis the season for "Best Books of the Year" lists!  And here's one of my favorites!
This week, Goodreads announced their Choice Awards 2012 winners.  I'm partial to this particular list because the site is a social network for book lovers (think Facebook for people who are habitually hiding behind a book cover), and the list is generated entirely by votes cast by the website users.
Anyway, without further ado, the winners are....
Best Fiction: The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
Best Mystery & Thriller: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Best Historical Fiction: The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
Best Fantasy: The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King
Best Paranormal Fantasy: Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
Best Science Fiction: The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
Best Romance: Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James
Best Horror: The Twelve by Justin Cronin
Best Memoir & Autobiography: Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Best History & Biography: Elizabeth the Queen by Sally Bedell Smith
Best Nonfiction: Quiet by Susan Cain
Best Food & Cookbooks: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier by Ree Drummond
Best Humor: Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
Best Graphic Novel: The Walking Dead Volume 16: The Larger World by Robert Kirkman
Best Poetry: A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver
Best Young Adult Fantasy: Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Best Young Adult Fiction: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Best Middle Grade & Children's: The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan
Happy Reading!
Best Picture Book: Olivia the Fairy Princess by Ian Falcolner

From Page to Screen -- Oz The Great and Powerful

Next on the list of cool books being made into movies, another chapter from Frank Baum's Oz books: Oz: The Great and Powerful. Check it out:



The cast is loaded with stars: James Franco, Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis and Michelle Williams, which is all well and good, but how cool do these special effects look??
The movie is scheduled for release on March 8, 2013.

Attention Book Groups

Lynn Austin's latest novel, "All Things New" is now available as a Book Group To Go Bag.  It is a historical novel about a family living in the South during the aftermath of the Civil War.  The heroine of the story, Josephine, must deal with the new reality of life after the war.  Her father and brother are dead, and her once privileged life is gone.  With skill and emotion, Lynn Austin brings to life the difficult years of the Reconstruction era by interweaving the stories of three women -- daughter, mother and freed slave.

Attention Book Groups

The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay

In 1939, as Hitler casts his enormous, cruel shadow across the world, the seeds of apartheid take root in South Africa.  There, a boy called Peekay is born.  His childhood is marked by humiliation and abandonment, yet he vows to survive and conceives heroic dreams--which are nothing compared to what life actually has in store for him.  He embarks on an epic journey through a land of tribal superstition and modern prejudice where he will learn the power of words, the power to transform lives, and the power of one.* 

* Description from Amazon

Available as a Book Group to Go bag.

Attention Book Groups

Do you like books by Jodi Picoult?  If so, here is an option for your book group.  In her book Lone Wolf, Jodi Picoult, the #1 New York Times bestselling sensation, tells a provocative story about family secrets, love and letting go in her unforgettable new novel.

World Book Night 2013--It's Time!!!

Remember last January, when we started talking about the first World Book Night that would be held in the US?  Great news! The event was a huge success, and the publishing industry is excited to bring it back for a second year.  And it's officially time to get World Book Night 2013 under way!  As of today, the application to be a book giver is available online.
For those of you who missed it, World Book Night is an event sponsored by publishers where volunteers are given boxes with 20 copies of a book that are theirs to give away.  The goal is to get a great book into the hands of someone who might not otherwise own a book, and in doing so, hopefully spread the love of reading.
If you have any questions, feel free to call the Reference Desk at 355-3720 or check out the WBN Frequently Asked Questions page.

Where's the Card Catalog?

The easy punchline here would involve the art of using the card catalog (har, har), but who else is looking at this and thinking "Herrick might need something completely different for their Christmas decorations this year"?

According to American Libraries Magazine, the sculpture Open Book in Highland Park, IL is over 12 feet and made of (and this is the part that makes me want to whimper a little) 17,000 used library catalog cards.

And here I thought our creativity with the old literary criticism volumes was impressive...

Attention Book Groups

Stopping was never part of the plan  ...  She was a successful ad sales rep in Manhattan.  He was a homeless, eleven-year-old panhandler on the street.  He asked for spare change; she kept walking.  But then something stopped her in her tracks, and she went back.  And she continued to go back, again and again.  They met up nearly every week for years and built an unexpected, life-changing friendship that has today spanned almost three decades.

Available as a Book Group to Go Bag.

National Book Awards Announcement

The finalists for the National Book Award were announced this morning on Morning Joe.
Although there were no real surprises, here's one of those kickers that I love: two of the fiction finalists (Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk and The Yellow Birds) are both debut novels.  How cool would that be?  To actually and truly write the Great American Novel the first time you publish a book?

Anywho, this is a lengthy reading list, so get busy--the winners will be announced on November 14th!

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Ghostly Michigan

Join us on Tuesday, October 16 at 7 pm for Ghostly Michigan, presented by paranormal team Amberrose Hammond and Tom Maat.  They will talk about their favorite haunts, legends and creepy creatures lurking around Michigan.  The program will be on the lower level of the library in the Hazel 

Hayes auditorium.

Attention Book Groups

Do you have Dutch Ancestry?  If so, you may enjoy the nonfiction book "The Island at the Center of the World: the epic story of Dutch Manhattan and the forgotten colony that shaped America."  It tells of New York as a Dutch Colony in the 1600s, information which was largely forgotten when New York (once called New Amsterdam) was taken over by the British in 1664.  Author Russell Shorto tells us about the early leaders of the colony, a progressive young lawyer named Adriaen Van der donck and the authoritarian governor of the Dutch Colony, Peter Stuyvesant.

Available as a Book Group to Go bag.

Tour of Pilgrim Home Cemetery

Join us for a tour of Pilgrim Home Cemetery on Tuesday, October 23 at 6 p.m.  We will meet in the Holland Municipal Stadium parking lot and Randall Vande Water will lead us on our tour through the cemetery.  He will speak about the history of the cemetery and tell stories of some of Holland's earliest residents, including pioneers and Civil War veterans.  The tour is free and open to the public.  In the event of rain, the tour will be the following week, October 30 at 6 p.m.    

Newly Notable -- The Casual Vacancy

There's been plenty of buzz and excitement about J.K. Rowling's new book, The Casual Vacancy, but given the full-on publisher's embargo, reviews were unavailable until the book was actually released last week.
Book critics across the board are having a fairly unified reaction: it's not Harry Potter.  Some reviews are slightly kinder than others, but here's a smattering:
From The New York Times: "The reader can only hope [Rowling] doesn't try to flesh out the Muggle world of Pagford, but instead moves on to something more compelling and deeply felt in the future."
The Entertainment Weekly review was more overt: "When the novel finally arrives at its predictable and heavy-handed ending, what started as a lively comedy of manners has turned into a overwrought slog."
But Guardian out of the UK had a slightly gentler spin: "[it's] no masterpiece, but it's not bad at all: intelligent, workmanlike, and often funny.  I could imagine it doing well without any association to Rowling...it lacks the Harry Potter books' warmth and charm....but the worst you could say about it, really, is that it doesn't deserve the media frenzy surrounding it."
So there it is: it's not HP.  But I'm curious about our local readers.  Have you read it?  What are your thoughts?

From Page to Screen -- Life of Pi

I admit to skepticism, but the trailer does look pretty cool.

Release date is November 21st--need the book yet?

Newly Notable -- Joseph Anton

I've been looking forward to the release date for Joseph Anton for several months, and now--it's even better than I had imagined!  Jon Stewart to boot!

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Salman Rushdie
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Enjoy!

iPad Beginners Boot Camp Returns

Monday, October 22, 2012  6-8pm

We are pleased to bring back Bill Badran from BandA tech solutions for an evening session of the popular iPad Beginners Boot Camp.  Bring your iPad and roll up your sleeves for a work session full of beginning how-to's and optimization tips.  No registration required.  Join us in the Hazel Hayes Auditorium on the lower level.

Genealogy Program

Join us in the auditorium for a genealogy program with Michigan historian Karen Krugman on Saturday, October 6.

At 10 am she will present a workshop on Researching There When You Are Here -- how to research ancestral records in other areas of the state or nation without leaving Michigan.

At 2 pm she will present So Your Female Ancestor Has No Surname, which will help you research the female ancestors in your family who are sometimes difficult to find.

Google Cloud for Everyone

Put the cloud to work for you.  Learn how to use Google Docs/Drive to store and access documents such as résumés, reading lists, contacts, and more from any computer with Internet access.  Meet in the Hazel B. Hayes Auditorium, lower level. 
Monday, October 8 ~ 6:30pm or
Wednesday, October 10 ~ 9:30am

Link Up with Linked In

Expand your options by expanding your network!  Timothy Haines will demonstrate one of the most popular networking tools in today's workplace, http://www.linkedin.com.  Meet in the Hazel B. Hayes Auditorium, lower level.

Monday, October 1 ~ 6:30pm or 

Wednesday, October 3 ~ 9:30am

Native Plant Know-how

Want to attract wildlife with native plants?  Wondering which plants are native to Michigan?  Wish you knew more about how to use them in your landscaping?  Vern Stephens, owner of Designs by Nature, is coming to Herrick to share his expertise in native plants.  

Tuesday, September 25 ~ 7-8:30pm
Meet in the Hazel B. Hayes Auditorium, lower level, at the main library on River Ave.

Five Week Program Series on Career Change

Updating my resume usually seems about as fun to me as visiting the dentist or getting a tetanus booster.  One of those things I just have to do, but never really like to do. On a similar note, planning one's next career move is a task that most people find slightly anxiety producing.  Lots of books have been written on career related subjects, and many websites offer career advice.  The information available on the topic can seem almost overwhelming to digest. 

Thankfully, Herrick District Library is here to help.   Since most of us, in almost every career field, need to think about our careers from time to time, we've put together a five week series of job search programs with something for everyone.  Just starting to think about putting together a resume?  Check out the "Word Processing for Resumes" workshops offered this week in the computer lab at the main library.  Need to further develop your professional network?  Try the "Link Up with LinkedIn" workshop for information on starting or maximizing your LinkedIn.com account.  Need a place to store and access portfolios, job search related documents, or just information in general?  Visit the "Google Cloud for Everyone" sessions.

Need some advice or just some ideas to chew on?  Nationally recognized master career counselor Ken Soper will present two sessions at the main library on Monday, 9/17 and Monday, 9/24 on the topics "Changing Careers" and "How People Find Work".  The presentations will cover issues like assessing one's strengths, researching industry trends, networking, and changing career fields.  Ken's advice will apply to everyone from the unemployed job seeker to the professional considering his or her next career move.

So stop by and check out one or more of the programs in our five week series.  While it might not be a barrel of laughs, it will be good for you. It should help inform, clarify, and simplify at least one component of your career planning. Trust us - you'll be glad you came.

More information on the series may be found at http://bit.ly/HDLJobs.  Questions?  Call the main library at 616.355.3100 and ask for the reference desk.   

Got Plans for the Fall?

Browsing through a slideshow from USA Today, I realized something...  I'm going to be really stinkin' busy this fall.
No kidding.  Take a glance through the list...  Here's a few highlights:
In case you haven't heard, J.K. Rowling's first outing since Harry Potter, Casual Vacancy, is due out September 27.
Bob Woodward's next, The Price of Politics, will be available on September 11.
The latest Jack Reacher novel from Lee Child is also due out on September 11, A Wanted Man.
Ken Follett's sequel to Fall of Giants is also headed our way--Winter of the World comes out on September 18.
And you get the idea...
But the fact is, there's more. Junot Diaz, Michael Chabon, Neil Young, Penny Marshall (admit it--you loved Laverne and Shirley as much as I did and probably want to read her biography as much as I do)....  That should take us through the end of September, but October and November?  Equally impressive outlooks.  I'll be catching up until January.
Give the Reference Desk a call for help placing holds!
Happy Reading!

Attention Book Groups

Do you like Historical Fiction?  How about Romance?  If you like these genres, you might like The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani.  It tells the story of two star-crossed lovers, Enza and Ciro, who meet, separate and meet again after many years.  It is set in the years preceding and during World War I.

Available as a Book Group to Go Bag.

Attention Book Groups

Defending Jacob tells the story of Andy Barber, an assistant district attorney who has practiced for over twenty years in a suburban county in Massachusetts.  A shocking crime happens in the town, and his fourteen-year old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.

Available as a Book Group to Go Bag

Some Teasers are Just Plain Mean...

So, you know how promotions run rampant right before a big release of a book or a movie?
Check this out.
It's a teaser clip of an interview between J.K. Rowling and Daniel Radcliffe, talking about Harry Potter and a particular visit that Rowling made to the set.  Here's the really mean part: it's only a minute and a half, and the full interview?  Only available on the Harry Potter Wizard's Collection set...available September 7.
Mean.  Just plain mean.

50 Shades of Withdrawl?

Most popular question I've been getting at the Reference Desk lately: I loved 50 Shades of Grey--what else can I read like it?

A big thanks is due to the good people at USA Today, who have conveniently supplied us with this article including titles of several current and past bestselling erotica novels. Love it or hate it, erotica seems to be a reblossoming genre that has rapidly overtaken the vampire craze. (Fair warning: some of the titles mentioned are available only through Amazon as Kindle books--but as for the rest?  Call the Reference Desk to place a hold.)

As long as I'm on the 50 Shades topic, here's another article you might want to take a look at: the world according to the husband of E.L. James, Meet Mr. Fifty Shades.

Happy (or something) Reading!

LOTR--Pick a Style!

See how confused poor Frodo looks?  =>

There's a good reason for that.

He's been uprooted on Changing the Times.  To my great amusement. they've rewritten passages of Lord of the Rings as other authors.  And okay, yes, it's an entry dating back to May 2011, but cut me some slack--the internet gets update faster than I can read it!

Take a gander when you have a moment, just don't make the same mistake I did and read the P.G. Wodehouse entry with a cup of coffee in your hand.  I'm pretty sure this stain won't be coming out.

Attention Book Groups

The Art of Fielding is a fictional story about baseball star Henry Skrimshander.  It has been called "baseball fiction the way Moby Dick is just a fish story" (Nicholas Dawidoff).  It is a warmhearted novel about ambition and its limits, about family and friendship and love, and about commitment--to oneself and to others.

Available as a Book Group to Go Bag 

From Page to Screen -- On the Road

So...  In a post-Twilight world, wherever will we get our Kirsten Stewart fix?
Answer: film adaptations of Jack Kerouac novels.  Not bad, eh?

Initial reviews of the film as a whole are good--and that will have to sustain us all the way through until almost Christmas: the release date is December 21st.  Ouch.
Good thing you've got ye faithful librarian to point you to the book to keep you occupied...
You're welcome.
Happy Reading!

Newly Notable -- In My Father's Country

I can admit it--by and large, if it shows up on The Daily Show, I'm interested and will likely end up reading the book.  I will say, however, that this interview is very unlike Jon Stewart's typical fare...

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Saima Wahab
www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor & Satire Blog

The Daily Show on Facebook

Click here to place a hold on the book.
Happy Reading!

From Page to Screen -- Anna Karenina

So, there have been a bunch of screen adaptations of Anna Karenina, but here's one with a unique spin.  Watch this "featurette" clip for an upcoming adaptation....

...right.  I'm not quite sure what to make of that, either.
Anyway, in case you've not done so already, try to read the book.  I'm linking my favorite translation--by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky (very cool story--husband and wife translating team--he's American, she's Russian--they work together and come up with these incredibly easy to read, engaging translations of what can otherwise be kinda' daunting undertakings--their work on Dostoyevsky is really remarkable).  The film debuts on November 9.
So....  Yep--starting today, that's plenty of time to tackle a Russian classic!

Attention Book Groups

In his book Have a Little Faith, bestselling author Mitch Albom has written about two very different clergymen, an elderly rabbi from his home synagogue in New Jersey and an African-American pastor ministering to Detroit's homeless population.  He talks about both of these very different men and their messages of faith.

Available as a Book Group to Go Bag

Attention Book Groups

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by C. Alan Bradley

Here's a new book for Book Groups starring Flavia DeLuce, a precocious 11-year-old girl, who lives in a large, old house in England with her stamp collecting father and two mean older sisters.  She has a passion for chemistry, and is very good at solving mysteries.  When a dead man is found in the family garden, she sets out to find out how he died and solve the mystery.

Available as a Book Group to Go Bag

Rain Barrel Basics

Quick!
Capture that rain water while you can.
Want to know how to do that?

Join us on  Monday, July 30, 2012 at 7:00pm to learn about rain barrel basics and for a chance to win an unfinished barrel.

From Page to Screen -- Life of Pi

So here's one that's been a long time in the making...

And I'm thinking, after watching the trailer, that I may have missed some key scenes in the book (glowing whale? Does anyone else not remember that bit?)--the good news is that I (and you, of course) still have time to (re-)read the book!  The movie is set to release on December 14 of this year.
Oh, and did I mention it's by Ang Lee?  That means I'm pretty sure it's going to be good and am officially willing to take a shot, whatever's up with the glowing whale.  Also?  In the role of Richard Parker?  Seriously spot-on.
Happy Reading!

From Page to Screen -- The Hobbit

New trailer released at Comic Con:

An Unexpected Journey is scheduled to release on December 14, 2012.
There and Back Again will be released on December 13, 2013.
And you had to know I would say it--there's still plenty of time to read the book!

"Rotten Tomatoes" for Readers

For years now, movie goers have delighted in a unique interactive website known as Rotten Tomatoes.  The concept is fairly simple: movies are listed on the website, users can log in and rate the movie giving it anywhere from 1 to 5 stars and leave comments. Movies are then given a rating on the "tomatometer" (cute, huh?).
Anywho, there's a new website that serves a similar function for readers called I Dream Books.  The rating system is a less original "readometer" and the graphics less exciting (little smiley clouds? Really?), but you'll also see critics reviews on the main page for each book, and when you log in, you can also create a "to read" list for yourself.
Not quite as much fun as actually hurling a tomato, but useful for those of us who find ourselves quite unable to stay on top of everything we think we want to read.
Happy reading!

Still looking for the great summer read?

I realized something this morning: we're half way through summer. I have yet to have my perfect summer fling with the best book I've ever read (well, since last summer and, of course, until next summer).
How's your summer?  Are you in the same boat?
The good news is, we can help!  This summer marked the launch of Herrick's new matchmaking service, finding just the right book for each reader.  Click here to get to the questionnaire.  After filling in the form, click submit.  Then, all you have to do is sit back and wait while we review your answers and a list of books we think you'll enjoy!  Your list will arrive via email within about a week.
Questions? Give us a call at the Reference Desk: 355-3720.
Happy Reading!

Fine. I'll post about it.

So, there's a bit of a phenomenon currently going on in the reading world.  Maybe you've heard about it?  Little ditty called 50 Shades of Grey?
Whatever your feelings on the books or their topic, the uproar is hard to miss.  And part of me feels a little remiss for not writing anything before now.  So without further procrastination, here's the highlights...
1.  Those rumors that it's being made into a movie?  Getting closer to reality. Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti (of The Social Network fame) have been chosen as the producers.  All kinds of rumors about casting are circulating, but none that I feel like we can post here and say "YES! THIS is a trustworthy source!" So I'll let you do your own fantasy casting until more information has been released.
2. USA Today posted an article that, love it or hate it, take an interesting look at what might be so fascinating people.  Check it out: 10 Reasons '50 Shades of Grey' Has Shackled Readers. I'd say the title was a clever play on words, but...
3. Are you familiar with the website goodreads?  If not, take a poke around, they do fun stuff there like this: a geographic analysis of the popularity of 50 Shades. Useful information? Probably not--but still interesting.  And as an added bonus: a short list of read-alikes--for those who just can't get enough!
No doubt I'll cave and post again--but in the meantime, what are your thoughts on 50 Shades?

Summer Tech Fun

Hold on tight as Timothy Haines takes you on a guided tour of Flikr and YouTube. Learn how to connect and share your summer fun, tech style. 

Monday, July 16 @ 6:00pm 
or
Tuesday, July 17 @ 9:30am

Meet in the lower level Computer Lab


What's your Pinterest?

Learn  how to use this fun online tool for sharing & organizing your virtual interests.

Join us in the lower level Computer Lab on

Thursday, July 12 at 2pm
or
Saturday, July 14 at 9:30am.

Attention Book Groups

True Sisters is a historical fiction novel which tells the true story of the Mormon Handcart Tragedy.  In 1856 a group of Mormons, many of them new converts from Europe, travelled from Iowa to Salt Lake City pushing handcarts instead of riding in covered wagons.  Unfortunately, the group left too late in the spring to arrive at their destination before winter storms arrived, resulting in disastrous consequences.

Available as a Book Group to Go Bag

Attention Book Groups

If you have read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen or seen the movie you know all about the aloof Mr. Darcy, the beautiful Elizabeth Bennett and her sisters, and the vile Mr. Wickham.  In the novel by PD James the story continues.  Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are now happily married and living at Pemberley.  Suddenly, late one evening Elizabeth's silly sister Lydia arrives in a carriage, screaming that Mr. Wickham has been murdered and stately Pemberley is thrown into a murder mystery.

Available as a Book Group To Go Bag

The Mennonite Returns!

Holland's favorite Mennonite has a sequel in the works!  Rhoda Janzen, author of Mennonite in a Little Black Dress appeared in the Book Buzz section of USA Today last week.  Janzen is an Associate Professor of English at Hope College and her first memoir sold over 500,000 copies.
Keep an eye on the blog--her new book, Does This Church Make Me Look Fat? A  Mennonite Finds Faith, Meets Mr. Right and Solves her Lady Problems is set to be released on October 2 and we'll be able to start taking holds soon.
Happy Reading!

An Invitation to READ!

Here's a special invitation just for you. Come in Come in! We have some golden tales to spin and you can find them all at your public library. We welcome you to summer reading.

\

Summer Reading, Redux

And then I have to ask myself, what could you possibly need me for?

Via Teach.com and USC Rossier Online

Is anyone else just a little bit tempted to get this tattooed somewhere?

Ray Bradbury - Science Fiction Master - RIP

Ray Bradbury, pioneer of science fiction and champion of public libraries passed away Tuesday, June 5, 2012.


The author of the classic Fahrenheit 451 was one who shaped 20th century science fiction and embraced an imagination that both celebrated technology and cautioned against its abuse.  He educated himself through public libraries was a firm advocate of them.  Ray  Bradbury wrote for 70 years.  He was 91 years old.


"Libraries raised me. ... I couldn’t go to college, so I went to the library three days a week for 10 years.” - Ray Bradbury 


Read the New York Times Obituary

“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”  -- RB on Fahrenheit 451

From Page to Screen -- The Perks of Being a Wallflower

You've still got awhile to wait for the actual release, but here's your first look at little Hermoine Granger Emma Watson all growed up...

Get More: Nina Dobrev, Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, 2012 Movie Awards, New Movies

If you haven't read it yet, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is rather a cult classic among students and well worth a place on your Summer Reading list.  Especially considering that you have to wait until September 14 to see the movie...

Summer Reading Lists: The Biggies

Remember last week when I mentioned that ever news media source is going to come around to publishing a Summer Reading list?  Here's two of the big ones:

The Sunday Book Review for the New York Times released their list this weekend, which is surprisingly light on fiction. It did, however, come with this snazzy artwork that I cheerfully borrowed for this blog post.

The L.A. Times, on the other hand, brought out a veritable party of every sort of reading delineation you could possibly imagine!  And it's so pretty...  No really--lots of covers, book review links, the works!

Happy Reading!

Summer Reading Lists -- An Intriguing Spin

Hey--remember that thing I promised I would do?  The thing where I compile the Summer Reading lists for you?  Here's one I've decided I love!

Library Journal is a magazine near and dear to my heart--read it every month, thought about naming my son after it (not really, but I wanted to make sure you were paying attention).  Anyway, they made this nifty reading list that pairs new books released for summer 2012 with titles that are a couple years older.  Got a book you love from five years ago?  It could well be on the list, paired with a new book released for this summer.  Cool, huh?

Happy Reading!

Newly Notable...literally by the dozens....

It's that time of year, folks--as surely as the snow eventually melts and there is a last day of school looming in the near future, a plethora of school spring concerts and performances begin racking up, most news media organizations will publish a Summer Reading List.

As they begin to trickle in, here are a few of my favorites...

NPR's list is a perennial favorite of mine--the recommendations are typically made by independant booksellers who are near and dear to my heart (thank you, best college job ever!!!).

The Wall Street Journal is always worth a look--they tend to nab a number of the books whose reviews I find intriguing.

Also worth checking out is USA Today's funky new format, and a newcomer to my radar, Good Housekeeping, which has some very promising sounding listings. 

Happy Reading!

From Page to Screen -- The Great Gatsby

Color me intrigued... The folks who brought you the mega-production that was Moulin Rouge are now taking on F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby!



While we might have awhile to wait for this one (release is slated for Christmas day), I must say that the idea of a soundtrack including Kanye West and Jay-Z? Combined with Leonardo DiCaprio in the role of Jay Gatsby? My curiosity is piqued...

The good news? There's officially plenty of time to read the book!

Attention Book Groups

If your book group would like to try a mystery novel, our latest Book Group To Go addition is Skinwalkers, a novel by Tony Hillerman -- one of the books in the Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee mystery series.

Here is a description:  Along with the attempted murder of Officer Jim Chee of the Navajo Tribal Police, Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn uncovers three unsolved homicides that may be linked to witchcraft buried deep within the Navajo culture.   

Newly Notable: Shadow of Night

In case you were one of the many that formed the bajillion-member fanclub of Discovery of Witches, I have good news: Harkness's second book in the trilogy, Shadow of the Night, is now available for holds!
According to the publisher...
...Picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.
The book is scheduled for realease on July 10, 2012.
Happy Reading!

Jean Craighead George

It's been a tough month for authors of childrens' books, first Maurice Sendak, and now Jean Craighead George.  Most known for Julie of the Wolves, the Associated Press announced this morning that the author had died a "peaceful and painless death" at the age of 92. 

Attention Genealogists

Join us on Monday, June 4 from 6-8 pm for a genealogy class with Gordon Mitchell.  Mr. Mitchell is a genealogist and a member of the Hastings Genealogical Society.  He has taught genealogy classes for many years. 

This is a basic class that explains many sources and how to find them plus helpful internet websites. 

iPad Beginners Boot Camp is back!

Have questions?

Need answers?

Want tips?


Join Bill Badran, from BandA Tech Solutions, for another round of beginner's boot camp tips and tricks.  Topics include how-to's and optimization. 

Choose from
Wednesday, May 23, 2012 10-11:30am
Thursday, May 24, 2012 1-2:30pm

Bring your tablet.  iPad owners of all ages welcome.  No registration required.  Meet in the lower level auditorium.

Interested in Sustainable Gardening?

Want to know more about topics such as pesticide use, fertilizer use, water conservation and lawn reduction?  Then join us in the lower level auditorium on Tuesday, May 15 from 6-8pm as the Ottawa Conservation District presents information on sustainable gardening.  This is an adult program.