Springfield Library Corner
July 31, 2003

ELEANOR'S BEST WEBSITES

Aviation Sites – Emphasis on Military @ http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/aircraft.html

Sue Grafton @ www.suegrafton.com/

Do Not Call Registry @ www.donotcall.gov/FAQ/FAQConsumers.aspx

Grizzly Bears @ www.bear.org/Grizzly/GB_Home.html

Olive Oil Source @ www.oliveoilsource.com/

Sites and Cultural Features Around the World @ http://ukoehler.bei.t-online.de/index-1b.html


BITS FROM THE IT MAN

In the library world we salute one of our own. According to the Sunday New York Times, Alia Muhammad Baker, Basra’s chief librarian of 14 years, engineered an imaginative rescue of 30,000 books and manuscripts, some dating back to the 1300s from this Iraqi city’s central library before the library building became a casualty of war in April. She has since suffered a stroke. See www.nytimes.com/2003/07/27/international/worldspecial/27LIBR.html.

“Our Own Devices: The Past and Future of Body Technology” examines the technological evolution of helmets, footwear, eyeglasses, keyboards and baby bottles. The metal helmet made its debut a few thousand years ago as warrior protection against the skull-crushing mace but is now an indispensable “excranium” for construction workers and kayakers alike. Side note: In Pennsylvania, thanks to an organized effort that could be dubbed “Operation Biker Freedom,” motor cyclists will soon have the right to let the wind blow through their hair, helmet free, at least until they meet their SUV.

JOY'S PICKS


Margot Silk Forrest has written the definitive “how to” book for the twenty-first century. “A Short Course in Kindness” teaches the importance of courage, empathy and love in our daily lives. Read this and you’ll surely improve your interpersonal relationships.

Was your job eliminated due to downsizing? Did a corporate merger force your out of work? Unemployment is a temporary condition! J. Damian Birkel’s “Career Bounce-Back” was written for professionals in transition. It provides helpful hints and emotional support to help you get back in the saddle.

“Knitting With Wire” is not as difficult as it sounds. Nancie M. Wiseman has 30 projects in her book that will keep you “crafty” people occupied for days. The author’s step by step directions and instructional diagrams make it look so easy. You’ll surprise yourself with your creativity!

“31 Uses for a Mom” by Harriet Ziefert is for kids and mothers of all ages. Rebecca Doughty’s illustrations are priceless. Her subtle humor has universal appeal.

We are living in patriotic times. “I Like Being American” is a wonderfully inspiring patchwork quilt of essays, true stories and observations about life in the USA. It transcends the generation gap with contributors from all walks of life. My favorite section is a compilation of “Top Ten Lists”. You can’t help smiling when you read “The Top Ten Songs That Celebrate America.”

LIBRARIAN'S PICKS OF THE WEEK

“Psychopath” by Keith Ablow, whose books are rough, tough, and scary. His character, forensic psychiatrist Frank Clevenger, is as tough as they come, and in the last few books, drank, womanized and did drugs.

Now he’s cleaning up his act, since he has adopted a sixteen-year-old boy, Billy, who had been abused by his real father. Billy is tough, smart and has just been expelled from the State-mandated prep school for possible possession of drugs, when the FBI calls Clevenger to consult on a serial murder case.

After thirteen murders in thirteen states, the FBI is willing to take a leap of faith and talk to Clevenger, who has a reputation for solving tough cases in unorthodox ways. The problem is that the murderer is himself a brilliant, gifted psychiatrist who never stays in one place too long. Is Clevenger smarter and more gifted than the “Highway Killer?” You’ll be glued to the pages!

Also new and recommended: “New World, New Love” by Rosalind Laker; “Blind Side” by Catherine Coulter; “Last to Die” by James Grippando; “Snobbery with Violence” by Marion Chesney; “The House Sitter” by Peter Lovesey; “Haunted Ground” by Erin Hart; “The Wife” by Meg Wolitzer; “Conch Shell Murder” by Dorothy Francis; “Sharpe’s Havoc” by Bernard Cornwell; “Isle of Misfortune” by Geoffrey Leavenworth; “Sunset Terrace” by Rebecca Donner; “Death of an Innocent” by Sally Spencer; and “Seizure” by Robin Cook.

New nonfiction: “The White House;” “The Games We Played” by Margaret Hofer; “Writing to Inform and Engage” by Conrad Fink; “Hallowed Ground” by James McPherson; “Machine Gun Kelley’s Last Stand” by Stanley Hamilton; “Charlie Wilson’s War” by George Crile; “John Paul Jones” by Evan Thomas; “Anyone Can Grow Up” by Margaret Carlson; “Heartaches by the Number” by Bill Friskics-Warren; “Business Plans That Work for Your Small Business; “How to Write Killer Fiction” by Carolyn Wheat; “After Mastectomy” by Rosalind Benedet; and “Triathlete Magazine’s Complete Triathlon Book” by Matt Fitzgerald.

For teens: “King of the Mild Frontier” by Chris Crutcher; “Sundiata: a Legend of Africa; “Blood Trail” by Nancy Springer; “Paul Has a Summer Job” by Michel Rabagliati; “Heavy Liquid” by Paul Pope; “Haunted” y Meg Cabot; “Police Lab” by David Owen; and “The Courage to Change: a Teen Survival Guide.”

Teens, also check our YA section in 741.5 for new graphic books. The Women’s Club of Erdenheim donated a lovely book, “The Irish Way,” in memory of Charlotte Keyser, as well as a donation to purchase other books from the Club. We wish to thank them for their support of the Library every year, as well as Gail Zimmerman, a good friend to the Library, who donates funds for the purchase of books and supports us in many other ways.