September 17, 2003


Library Corner...
Growing up is harder today than ever before. "The Courage to Change: A Teen Survival Guide" is a collection of real-life stories by teens struggling with the issues of violence, abuse, and illegal behavior. Adolescents as well as adults will benefit from reading these honest and graphic glimpses into real-life situation. Kaz Cooke & Ruth Trickey address women's current health issues in "Menopause: Natural &Medical Solutions." Get the latest info about HRT and learn the most up to date facts on how to keep yourself in the best possible physical condition. This is a light hearted look at some serious stuff. The text is readable and covers everything middle-aged women want to know. A more serious look at the same subject matter is Barbara Seaman's "The Greatest Experiment Ever Performed on Women: Exploding the Estrogen Myth" by Barbara Seaman. This is a factual presentation of recent studies. You'll learn the right path to follow for the best quality of life. Quilters are growing in numbers. This once old fashioned craft has become increasingly popular. "Beginner's Luck" by Lynette Jensen provides encouragement for new quilters with easy to follow step by step instructions. Beautiful illustrations combined with a crystal clear format will help the novice build confidence and refine skills.


News form The Children's Department:
Here are a few well written and rather quiet books to start the school year. "Robert and the Back-to School Special" by Seul is, well, special. It's a book in which the kid gets along with everyone in a very kid way and has a pleasant time of it. And so we have a pleasant time reading about it. "seal Island School" by Susan Bartlett is a sweet little book about a small school on a remote island. They have a hard time keeping a teacher in this remote and difficult spot. When the students finally get Ms. Sparling they plan to keep her, and I mean they plan. The book does a good job of capturing the feeling of a remote island. The teacher is enchanting; anyone would want to keep her. In "The Victory Garden" by Koch, a mid-western family deals with it all through the medium of gardening; at least gardening helps them deal with it all. The book offers a refreshing view of family life; attentive parents, kind neighbors and real kids handling problems in a real kid.




Librarian's Picks of the Week: "Final Verdict" by Sheldon Seigel and "The Sinner" by Tess Gerritsen. I missed Seigel's first book, so I went back to read it, after thoroughly enjoying the airy way he writes. Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez, once husband and wife, are now two thirds of a law firm that doesn't take murder cases. But when Leon Walker, a former client charged with a previous murder (Rosie and Mike got him absolved of the charges), comes back to them with another murder charge. It's a tough decision to make. Leon only has a few weeks to live, and he doesn;t want to die and leave his only child thinking he's a murderer. Mike and Rosie have a few clues to follow, and their race is with death. This book is easy to read, the plot is easy to follow, and you'll enjoy the relationship between the formerly-married partners. "The Sinner" is an entirely different matter. The nun has been brutally murdered in the convent chapel. The nuns are a cloistered group, and the mystery is how the murderer got into the locked grounds in the first place. A second nun has been beaten, but is still alive- barely. Why would anyone want to kill a nun? And do the murders have to do with the concealed fact that the younger of the two nuns had recently given birth? Maria Isles, the medical examiner, and Detective Jane richly puzzle over the mystery as they cope with the problem of their own. The complicated resolution will surprise you. The Children;s department, headed by Leslie Talon, will feature a display for Banned Books Week. Most people are probably unaware of most of the titles that have been included on this list; for more information log on to www.ala.org and type in "banned books" as your keyword. The top 100 banned books are listed there. Freedom to choose what you want to read seems as if it should be something taken for granted, but a scan of the list will show titles that you probably have read - probably have read and not thought twice about banning. It's your choice - exercise it as often as possible.




Eleanor's Good Stuff:
Encyclopedia of Species
Forms of Address
How Gas Prices Work
Know Your Money
Mathematical Art of M.C. Escher
San Andreas Fault




October promises to be a great month at the Library for the children. Story times will be fun of Fall adventure. Ms. Talon is very creative and gifted in her ability to plan exciting themes and story times, and if you have not signed your child(ren) up for stories, they will definitely be missing alot! Two pajama story times are planned for OCtober 15th and 22nd at 7:00P.M. Bring your little ones for a fun time.