Library Corner…
If you’ve been to Paris, hope to go to Paris, or have any interest in Paris you’ll love sharing “Crepes by Suzette” (Monica Wellington) with your young child. Each page is a masterfulmixed-media collage created by the author from personal photos and travel artifacts. The keystone state has a rich heritage that reflects the development of our nation. “Pennsylvania’sHistoric Places” (Ruth Hoover Seitz) is a collection of essays and photographs that will intrigueand inform locals and visitors alike. This is more than a guidebook –it’s a glimpse backwards intime that validates our legacy as Americans. We all know about the bond between humans andanimals. “The Philosopher’s Dog” (Raimond Gaita) explores these relationships on a deeperlevel. The author’s amazing insights make for a fascinating book that will help you view the world through your pet’s eyes and think through your pet’s brain. You can take your quilting skills one step further with “Landscape Quilts for Kids.” Let Nancy Zieman and Natalie Sewell introduce you to some really fun projects that will delight the youngsters in your life. You’ll be creating heirlooms for future generations and have a lot of fun doing it. Are you at a crossroads with your career?Colleen A. Sabatino’s “The Play of Your Life” will help you find your true calling in life. With her help you can establish your deepest values and set your highest goals; she’ll show you that you can be the star performer in your own future. Joan Gryboski is Springfield Library’s visiting artistfor the month of September. Stop in and see her magnificent print display which include someawesome seascapes. Now that your children are back in their school routine you may find thatyou have a few hours (or minutes) to yourself. Springfield Library can be an oasis of tranquilityfor busy moms and dads. And if you spend a lot of time driving your children to and from activities, it’s always a good idea to keep a book in your car. You never know when they’ll keep you waiting - mine always took forever in the locker room after sports.

Alessandra’s Book Bites:
The best way to comment on Lewis H. Lapham’s new book “Gag Rule: On the Suppression of Dissent and the Stifling of Democracy” is in Benjamin Franklin’s words when he said, “They that can give up essential liberties to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Sarah Wise’s “The Italian Boy: A Tale of Murder and Body Snatching in 1830s London” is the true story of the high-profile trial of three body-snatchers or "resurrection men"-dealing in London's furtive trade in human corpses who killed to satisfy the first rule of the cadaver market: the fresher the body, the higher the price. In “The Israelis: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Land” journalist Donna Rosenthal gives the reader an in-depth look at the rich variety of people in the Jewish state. Relying on dozens of interviews, she gives a lively, variegated portrait of all facets of Israeli life. Michael Takiff’s “Brave Men, Gentle Heroes: American Fathers and Sons in World War II and Vietnam” is an oral history of the war experiences of two generations. This book presents the “frank, moving, and harrowing stories of men who served in World War II and of their sons who served in Vietnam -- fathers and sons bonded as deeply by their common experience in war as by blood.” This is a must read for all veterans and their families, as well as all those who would like to begin to understand what combat troops experience in time of war. In “America the Vulnerable” national security expert Stephen Flynn writes, that we are in a time of "homeland insecurity"-and, he adds," we are sailing into a national security version of the Perfect Storm." Flynn argues that too little has been done since September 11th to safeguard the country’s transportation infrastructure. “Crusade: Chronicles of an Unjust War” is a collection of articles by James Carroll a columnist for the for the Boston Globe. In these powerful and passionate essays Carroll “dissects the president’s exploitation of the nation’s fears, invocations of a Christian mission, and efforts to overturn America’s traditional relations – with other nations and with its own citizens.”

Librarian’s Pick of the Week:
“Trace” by Patricia Cornwell. Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta series should be read in sequence so that the reader is familiar with all the characters; if you don’t know Pete Marino’s history, haven’t seen Scarpetta’s niece Lucy grow up, don’t know Benton, the love of her life, and especially are not familiar with her career as a medical examiner in Richmond, you may be nonplussed by the attitudes and interactions throughout the story. That having been said, I have to say that the story sped along quickly, with the main medical mystery – how did a young teenaged girl die while she was recovering from the flu? – being thoroughly engrossing. The author alternates the chapters between Scarpetta and Lucy, and for a while I skipped the Lucy segments just to follow the medical story, then went back and caught up with Lucy. All of Cornwell’s complicated characters jump off the pages, and they are just as engrossing as the mystery. I’m not giving anything away by telling you that you will be introduced to a creepy character named Edgar Allan Pogue, who has always wanted to live in Hollywood, and has moved there – to Hollywood, Florida - close to where Lucy runs her hush-hush business, The Last Precinct. We know Pogue’s up to no good; why else would he be carrying around and talking creepily to a box of human ashes? But how does he fit into the story? This book is one of Cornwell’s best.
Also new and recommended:
“Safelight” by Shannon Burke; “The Egyptologist” by Arthur Phillips; “The Children’s War” by Monique Charlesworth; “Slowkill” by Michael McGarrity; “The Inner Circle” by T.C. Boyle; “The Witch’s Tongue” by James Doss; “Foxmask” by Juliet Marillier; “Checkpoint” by Nicolson Baker; “The Bog Town” by Sarah Dunn; “The Program” by Gregg Hurwitz; “Fire Point” by James Smolens; “Solos” by Kitty Burns Florey; and “Deception” by Denise Mina. New non-fiction: “The United States Election System;” “Sylvia’s Farm” by Sylvia Jorrin;” “Adorable Knits for Tots” by Zoe Mellor; “The New Retirement” by Jan Cullinane; “Art Clay Silver and Gold” by Jackie Truty; “Granny Quilt Décor” by Darlene Zimmerman; “Pillows, Cushions and Tuffets” by Carol Zentgraf; and “250 Essential Chinese Characters for Everyday Use (2 volumes)” by Philip Yungkin Lee. For the kids: “Jake Drake Know-It-All” by Andrew Clements; “Hillary Rodham Clinton’ by Bernard Ryan, Jr.; “Letters from Wolfie” by Patti Sherlock; “The Great American Bunion Derby” by Molly Griffis; “The Very Best Daddy of All” by Marion Bauer; “The Postman Always Brings Mice” by Holm & Hamel; and “Carlo and the Really Nice Librarian” by Jessica Spanyol.
Alessandra’s Web Bites:
National Association of Senior Friends
Lourdes-France
Julia Child: Lessons with Master Chefs
Hurricane Resources
The Gorilla Foundation

As we wind down our wonderful summer – and it was wonderful, even including the extra rain, which made gardens grow lushly (I know it’s September already, but officially Fall doesn’t start until the 22nd) – parents and students alike should be thinking about the Library and the great books we have purchased over the last couple of years. Through a gift from the Citizens Partnership of Springfield Township and our own fundraising, we have been able to acquire terrific books which benefit school children as well as the younger set. A brand new series we purchased this summer is about the decades, starting with the 1900s and ending with the 1980s. Another set of titles is all about dance (”Feel the Beat;” “The Right Moves;” “Gotta Dance!,” etc.) Throughout the summer, the Children’s Librarians have been weeding out loads of old titlesbecause of the search for space. (To me, the search for space in the Library is the Final Frontier!) Luckily, we have had plenty of help from one of our great volunteers, Jane Gable, who used to be a school librarian and can set her hand to anything “library.” I don’t know what our acquisitions department would do without her. But I also have to mention Joy Utz, who contributes to this column and does the dirty job of removing the item records from the database – each title is not only removed from the shelf, but also has to be removed from the system. The other side of this process is linking new titles to the database, and Joy gets to do that part as well, so she sees every title that enters the library first, and that’s the happier part of the job. So when you bring your children to the Library, look for brand-new titles, which the Children’s Librarian showcases in the Children’s Room. And bring your tots to Story Time, which begins on Monday, October 11th for toddlers; three to six year-olds can attend the Tuesday or Friday story times. Ms. Talon asks that you arrive about ten minutes before story time starts, so that the program can start promptly. You wouldn’t want your children to miss anything exciting!