Seldovia Public Library

We've moved!

2007-11-12T10:25:00.000-09:00

We apologize for interrupting your reading, but the library blog has moved to http://seldovialibrary.wordpress.com/.

In case you’re wondering why we’ve moved, it’s about more features; a cleaner look for you, the reader; a better interface for us, the posters; and smoother portability to our (we hope) own hosting sometime in the future.

So please bookmark our new site and return there often to stay current with what's happening in your library.

11/3: New at the library this week

2007-11-03T15:43:00.000-08:00

DVDs:

Hollywood ending
Foyle's War : Invasion, Bad Blood, Bleak Midwinter, Casualties of war
The history boys
CutThroat island
The passion
Planet of the apes
Ghost
Red dragon

Videos:

Identity

Books:

Thursday Next in first among sequels / Jasper Fforde — It's been fourteen years since Thursday pegged out at the 1988 SuperHoop, and Friday is now a difficult sixteen year old. However, Thursday's got bigger problems. Sherlock Holmes is killed at the Rheinback Falls and his series is stopped in its tracks. And before this can be corrected, Miss Marple dies suddenly in a car accident, bringing her series to a close as well. When Thursday receives a death threat clearly intended for her written self, she realizes what's going on—there is a serial killer on the loose in the Bookworld. And that's not all—The Goliath Corporation is trying to deregulate book travel. Naturally, Thursday must travel to the outer limits of acceptable narrative possibilities to triumph against increasing odds. (Thursday Next Series, #5)
It's getting ugly out there : the frauds, bunglers, liars, and losers who are hurting America / Jack Cafferty — For the millions who watch the "Cafferty File" on CNN's The Situation Room, Jack Cafferty stands for common sense-the much-needed voice of reason who skewers right-wing nut jobs and liberal eggheads alike. For years, he's voiced the views, hopes, and fears of the average American in inimitable style. Now, in It's Getting Ugly Out There, he brings that level-headed wisdom to bear on the most critical issues facing us today-and explains why Americans must take our country back from those who are harming it. (table of contents)
The first commandment / Brad Thor — Six months ago: In the dead of the night, five of the most dangerous detainees in the war on terror are pulled from their isolation cells in Guantanamo Bay, held at gunpoint, and told to strip off their orange jumpsuits. Issued a civilian clothes and driven to the base airfield, they are loaded aboard a Boeing 727 and set free. Present day: Covert counterterrorism agent Scot Harvath awakens to discover that his world has changed violently - and forever. A sadistic assassin with a personal vendetta in wreaking havoc of biblical proportions. Unleashing nightmarish horrors on those closest to Harvath, the attacker thrusts everything Harvath holds dear - including his life - into absolute peril. (read a sample chapter)
The deepest water / Kate Wilhelm — Abby Connors' father, Jud, was a novelist whose career finally took off after three novels and years of hard work. Jud was also the most important man in Abby's life, to the chagrin of her husband, Brice. When Jud is murdered in his Oregon lakefront cabin, Abby's life is overturned. Was the killer someone she knew? (read a sample chapter)
Tell me again about the night I was born / Jamie Lee Curtis — A young girl asks her parents to tell her again the cherished family story of her birth and adoption. (Age Range: 3 to 7)
Love kills / Edna Buchanan — When a bulldozer in the Everglades unearths the skull of an infamous kidnapper, the Cold Case Squad is brought in to investigate. Britt was the last person to see him alive, and the detectives have questions only she can answer. On a remote desert island where she has sought solace, Montero finds a camera on an isolated beach. The film inside yields photos of a happy young couple on their honeymoon. Soon after, Britt is shocked to learn the newlyweds were lost at sea. When only the groom is rescued, the connection between the reporter and the new widower astonishes her -- and Britt is even more astonished when she finds out the truth. Ultimately, her search for the bridegroom's secrets and the Cold Case Squad's search for the kidnapper's killer collide. (Britt Montero Series, #9; read a sample chapter)
High noon / Nora Roberts — Police Lieutenant Phoebe MacNamara found her calling at an early age when an unstable man broke into her family's home, trapping and terrorizing them for hours. Now she's Savannah's top hostage negotiator, defusing powderkeg situations with a talent for knowing when to give in-and when to jump in and take action. It's satisfying work-and sometimes those skills come in handy at home dealing with her agoraphobic mother, still traumatized by the break-in after all these years, and her precocious seven-year-old, Carly.
Killer weekend / Ridley Pearson — Eight years ago, in Sun Valley-snowcapped playground for the wealthy and ambitious-all that stood between U.S. Attorney General Elizabeth Shaler and a knife-wielding killer was local patrolman Walt Fleming. Now Liz Shaler returns to Sun Valley as the keynote speaker of billionaire Patrick Cutter's world-famous media and communications conference, a convergence of the richest, most powerful business tycoons. The controversial attorney general is expected to announce her candidacy for president. It's a media coup for Cutter-but a security nightmare for Walt Fleming, now the county sheriff.
Washington / Meg Greenfield — Washington is an exploration of a subculture that is both fabled and notorious. Like an anthropologist, Greenfield uses her famous wit, her eye for detail, and her understanding of how political people behave to show us why so many Americans hate Washington, D.C. - and how some who live there manage, despite all the obstacles, to do some good. (read an exerpt)
You've been warned / James Patterson — Kristin Burns is making her way in New York City. Her photos are being considered at a major Manhattan gallery, she works by day with two wonderful children, and the man of her dreams is almost hers for keeps. But just as everything she's ever wanted is finally within reach, her life changes forever--with one murderous nightmare. (read a sample chapter)
Dead heat / Dick Francis ; Felix Francis — Max Moreton is a rising culinary star and his Newmarket restaurant, The Hay Net, has brought him great acclaim and a widening circle of admirers. But when nearly all the guests who enjoyed one of his meals at a private catered affair fall victim to severe food poisoning, his kitchen is shuttered and his reputation takes a hit. Scrambling to meet his next obligation, an exclusive luncheon for forty in the glass-fronted private boxes at the Two Thousand Guineas, Max must overcome the previous evening's disaster and provide the new American sponsors of the year's first classic race with a day to remember.
Playing for pizza / John Grisham — Rick Dockery was the third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. In the AFC Championship game against Denver, to the surprise and dismay of virtually everyone, Rick actually got into the game. With a 17-point lead and just minutes to go, Rick provided what was arguably the worst single performance in the history of the NFL. Overnight, he became a national laughingstock and, of course, was immediately cut by the Browns and shunned by all other teams. But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback–for the mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy. (read an exerpt)
The coldest winter : America and the Korean War / David Halberstam — Halberstam gives us a masterful narrative of the political decisions and miscalculations on both sides. He charts the disastrous path that led to the massive entry of Chinese forces near the Yalu, and that caught Douglas MacArthur and his soldiers by surprise. He provides astonishingly vivid and nuanced portraits of all the major figures -- Eisenhower, Truman, Acheson, Kim, and Mao, and Generals MacArthur, Almond, and Ridgway. At the same time, Halberstam provides us with his trademark highly evocative narrative journalism, chronicling the crucial battles with reportage of the highest order. (read a sample chapter)
The war : an intimate history, 1941-1945 / Geoffrey C. Ward ; Ken Burns — Focusing on the citizens of four towns - Luverne, Minnesota; Sacramento, California; Waterbury, Connecticut; Mobile, Alabama - The War follows more than forty people from 1941 to 1945. Woven largely from their memories, the compelling, unflinching narrative unfolds month by bloody month, with the outcome always in doubt. All the iconic events are here, from Pearl Harbor to the liberation of the concentration camps - but we also move among prisoners of war and Japanese American internees, defense workers and schoolchildren, and families who struggled simply to stay together while their men were shipped off to Europe, the Pacific, and North Africa. (read an exerpt)
The great American bake sale book / Alison Molinare Boteler
Drop the hook, let's eat / Rachel Barth
The tin roof blowdown / James Lee Burke — Hurricane Katrina has left the commercial district and residential neighborhoods awash with looters and predators of every stripe. The power grid of the city has been destroyed, New Orleans reduced to the level of a medieval society. There is no law, no order, no sanctuary for the infirm, the helpless, and the innocent. Bodies float in the streets and lie impaled on the branches of flooded trees. In the midst of an apocalyptical nightmare, Robicheaux must find two serial rapists, a morphine-addicted priest, and a vigilante who may be more dangerous than the criminals looting the city. (Dave Robicheaux Series, #16; read an exerpt)
The good guy / Dean R. Koontz — Timothy Carrier, having a beer after work at his friend’s tavern, enjoys drawing eccentric customers into amusing conversations. But the jittery man who sits next to him tonight has mistaken Tim for someone very different—and passes to him a manila envelope full of cash. (read an exerpt)
Blaze / Richard Bachman — The story of Clayton Blaisdell, Jr. -- of the crimes committed against him and the crimes he commits, including his last, the kidnapping of a baby heir worth millions. Blaze has been a slow thinker since childhood, when his father threw him down the stairs -- and then threw him down again. After escaping an abusive institution for boys when he was a teenager, Blaze hooks up with George, a seasoned criminal who thinks he has all the answers. But then George is killed, and Blaze, though haunted by his partner, is on his own. (read a sample chapter)
Open house / Elizabeth Berg — Samantha's husband has left her, and after a spree of overcharging at Tiffany's, she settles down to reconstruct a life for herself and her eleven-year-old son. Her eccentric mother tries to help by fixing her up with dates, but a more pressing problem is money. To meet her mortgage payments, Sam decides to take in boarders. The first is an older woman who offers sage advice and sorely needed comfort; the second, a maladjusted student, is not quite so helpful. A new friend, King, an untraditional man, suggests that Samantha get out, get going, get work. But her real work is this: In order to emerge from grief and the past, she has to learn how to make her own happiness. (read an exerpt)
Bon appetit: tastes of the world
Chocolate fantasies / Oxmoor House
Miller's international antiques price guide, 2004 / Elizabeth Norfolk
The country fair cookbook / Alison Molinare Boteler
The Blue Willow Inn cookbook / Jane Stern — For five years in a row, The Blue Willow Inn in Social Circle, Georgia, 40minutes east of Atlanta, has been voted best small town restaurant in the Southby the readers of Southern Living magazine. Billie and Louis Van Dyke saythat no one is allowed to leave hungry, and certainly no one should after feasting on a variety of Southernsalads, meats, vegetables, breads and desserts and, of course, sweet tea, the"Champagne of the South," and lemonade. Housed in a gloriouslyrestored southern mansion, The Blue Willow Inn is home to Southern hospitalityand charm at its best.
The King Island journal : The 1951-52 journal of Juan and Rie Munoz, teachers on a Bering Sea island / Juan Munoz ; Rie Munoz — A collection of more than 140 photos and letters from 1951-52, when the Munozes taught school at the village.

10/13: New at the library this week

2007-10-13T14:12:00.000-08:00

DVDs:

Hollywood ending

Videos:

Identity

Books:

Teens in Russia / Jessica Smith — The Russian Federation has been an independent country since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. For Russian teenagers, this change has presented many opportunities. At school, teens are learning about a history that the communist government tried to hide. In their free time, they are learning to express themselves in ways their parents were not allowed. Teens in Russia is part of Global Connections, a series that uncovers the challenges, pastimes, and customs of teens around the world. (Age Range: 10 to 12; table of contents)
The book that dripped blood / Michael Dahl — A fur-covered book entitled Claws is loose in the city, and only the Librarian can stop it from claiming more victims. (Age Range: 8 to 12)
Manners at school / Carrrie Finn — (Reading level: Ages 4-8)
The dead letters / Tom Piccirilli — Five years ago, Eddie Whitt's daughter Sarah became the victim of a serial killer known as Killjoy, and Whitt vowed to hunt him down-no matter what the cost. But the police have given up. And Killjoy has stopped killing...and in some bizarre act of repentance has begun kidnapping abused infants and leaving them with the parents of his original victims. (read a sample chapter)
The book of pilates / Joyce Gavin
Goddess : a celebration in art and literature / Jalaja Bonheim — For centuries tales of the goddess's creativity, strength, and suffering have sprung forth from every civilization and corner of the world. Editor Jalaja Bonheim, Ph.D., has compiled a unique and culturally diverse anthology of goddess-related literature and art. This elegant volume is created with a non-partisan perspective to appeal to a general audience.
Slipknot / Linda Greenlaw — Jane Bunker is a marine investigator who has just moved back to a sleepy Maine community. She's a lover of all things Scottish and so thrifty that she never throws anything away. When the town drunk falls to his death off the town dock, it looks like an open and shut case, so Jane's insurance company will pay. But did he really fall or was he whacked in the head and then pushed? Was he really a drunk? How does this relate to a heated town hall meeting about energy windmills, fishing rights, and paternity suits? And can Jane get to the bottom of it all without spending any money and without ending up in mortal peril? The answer is "yes" about the money, but things take a turn for the worse when she finds herself literally at sea with the killer.
Power play / Joseph Finder — It was the perfect retreat for a troubled company. No cell phones. No BlackBerrys. No cars. Just a deluxe lodge surrounded by thousands of miles of wilderness and a desolate seacoast. Jake Landry is a junior executive at the Hammond Aerospace Corporation, a steady, modest, and taciturn guy with a gift for keeping his head down—and a turbulent past he prays he’s put behind him. Ordered to fill in for his boss at the annual offsite, he’s out of his element. He’s uncomfortable with the lavish accommodations and especially with the arrogant, swaggering men who run the company and the only person he knows there is the new special assistant to the CEO—who happens to be Jake’s ex. (read a sample chapter)
Bone : v. 3: Eyes of the storm / Jeff Smith — In Eyes of the Storm, volume three of the nine-book Bone saga, Lucius, Smiley, and Phoney survive an attack by the rat creatures and return safely to Lucius' tavern in Barrelhaven. Phoney, desperate to win a bet with Lucius, stokes the townspeople's fear of dragons and boasts that he is a professional dragonslayer. Back at the farm, Fone Bone and Thorn are troubled by strange dreams, and Gran'ma Ben's reaction to them is stranger still: She reveals long-kept secrets and warns of great danger. Thorn, Fone Bone, and Gran'ma Ben may have to leave the farm forever. (Bone Series, #3; Age Range: 9 to 12)
Bone : v4: The dragonslayer / Jeff Smith — Fone Bone confronts a host of dangers in Book 4 of the BONE saga, The Dragonslayer. He and Gran'ma Ben and Thorn have a terrifying encounter with Kingdok, ruler of the rat creatures. The Hooded One is inciting his army to full-scale war. Someone is continuing to haunt Thorn in her dreams. And then wise Gran'ma Ben disappears. To make matters worse, Phoney Bone has hoodwinked the townspeople into believing that he is a mighty dragonslayer. When he actually does catch the Red Dragon -- much to his surprise -- he must face up to his promise: to slay the dragon at sunrise. (Age Range: 9 to 12; Bone Series, #4)
Bone : V. 5: Rock jaw / Jeff Smith — In this fifth volume of the Bone saga, Fone and Smiley Bone strike out into the wilderness to return a lost rat creature cub to the mountains. It doesn't take long before they run smack into Rock Jaw, "Master of the Eastern Border," an enormous mountain lion with a none-too-friendly disposition. Life gets even more complicated when they befriend a group of baby animals who are being orphaned by rat creature attacks. Everything comes to a head in an earth-shattering clash between Rock Jaw and Kingdok, the leader of the rat creatures. (Age Range: 9 to 12; Bone Series, #5)

10/6: New at the library this week

2007-10-06T17:59:00.000-08:00

Audiobooks:

Beach road (CD) / James Patterson — Montauk lawyer Tom Dunleavy's client list is woefully small - occasional real estate closings barely keep him in paper clips. When he is hired to defend a local man accused in a triple murder that has the East Hampton world in an uproar, he knows that he has found the case of his lifetime. (read a sample chapter)
Double homicide : Boston : Santa Fe (CD) / Jonathan Kellerman ; Faye Kellerman — It's Christmastime, and police officers Darrel Two Moons and Steve Katz are expecting the usual gang assaults, feuding spouses, and alcohol-related misdemeanors. Then the call comes in from the Historic District: the reported death of an art gallery owner whose bludgeoned body stretches across a bleached pine floor like a big, nasty still life. (read a sample chapter)
Emma's secret (cassette) / Barbara Taylor Bradford — The legendary Emma Harte, heroine of A Woman of Substance, returns in Emma's Secret, a novel that showcases the storytelling power of Barbara Taylor Bradford.
Death's acre : inside the legendary forensic lab the Body Farm where the dead do tell tales (CD) / William M. Bass — Dr. Bill Bass, one of the world's leading forensic anthropologists, gained international attention when he built a forensic lab like no other: The Body Farm. Now, this master scientist unlocks the gates of his lab to reveal his most intriguing cases-and to revisit the Lindbergh kidnapping and murder, fifty years after the fact.

DVDs:

The clearing

Videos:

The scarlet and the black
The truth about Charlie
Oscar's greatest moments
Penny serenade
The amazing adventure
Power yoga with Rodney Yee
Lower body yoga for beginners (Gaiam)
Upper body yoga for beginners (Gaiam)
Yoga conditioning for life (Gaiam)
Abs yoga for beginners (Gaiam)
Stress relief yoga
War and remembrance (12-tape set)

Books:

The captain's dog : my journey with the Lewis and Clark tribe / Roland Smith — Born the runt of his litter and gambled away to a rusty old riverman, the Newfoundland pup Seaman doesn't imagine his life will be marked by any kind of glory—beyond chasing down rats. But when he meets Captain Meriwether Lewis, Seaman finds himself on a path that will make history. Lewis is just setting off on his landmark search for the Northwest Passage, and he takes Seaman along. Sharing the curiosity and strength of spirit of his new master, Seaman proves himself a valuable companion at every turn. Part history, part science—and adventure through and through—The Captain's Dog is the carefully researched, thrilling tale of America's greatest journey of discovery, as seen through the keen, compassionate eyes of a remarkable dog. (Age Range: Young Adult)
Seaman : the dog who explored the West with Lewis & Clark / Gail Karwoski —This imaginative retelling of the journey of Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and the Corps of Discovery brings to life an unheralded member of the Corps -- Seaman, a 150-pound Newfoundland dog. As Seaman makes the long trek with the Corps, he serves a key role in the expedition's success. Come along with Seaman and his companions as they explore the vast uncharted lands beyond the Mississippi River. Travel with them as they form friendships with several Indian tribes and welcome Sacagawea to the expedition. Experience with them the many dangers of this wild land. And rejoice with them when they cross the Continental Divide and finally reach their goal -- the rocky shores of the Pacific Ocean. (Age Range: 8 to 12)
Lewis and Clark and me : a dog's tale / Laurie Myers — From his first meeting with Lewis, to being mistaken for a bear by Indians who had never seen such a large dog, to his encounters with wild animals both familiar and unfamiliar, Seaman's tales are filled with the joys of companionship and the tingling excitement of adventure. (Age Range: 8 to 12)
Mothers of the South : portraiture of the white tenant farm woman / Margaret Jarman Hagoood — In 1937 Hagood visited 254 tenant houses in the Carolina Piedmont, Georgia, and Alabama, talking with and listening to southern mothers. Mothers of the South records not only the results of her work but the voices, attitudes, and expectations of the people she interviewed. Tenant farming, a widespread way of life in the '30s, began to disappear with the coming of World War II and increased farm mechanization and became virtually nonexistent by the 1970s. Hagood's work is invaluable for its insight into this lost world.
Alaska hooch : the history of alcohol in early Alaska / Thayne I. Andersen
Collected poems, 1934-1952 / Dylan Thomas
Helping children cope with grief / Alan Wolfelt — Guidelines are presented in the book of how one can create a "helping healing relationship." Through reading and participating in the activities presented, the reader will become capable of establishing a very special kind of goal-directed experience with the grieving child. Unites interpretation of human research and grief processes to accentuate the quality of caregiving to children during their grief periods. Explained are the stages through which the grieving person must travel with help, characteristics of a caregiver are expounded, and techniques presented to create the best atmosphere for a grieving child to thrive with love and care.
Garden almanac : a month-by-month guide / Penelope O'Sullivan — Maintaining a beautiful garden is as simple as following each month's "to do" list in this handy book. Geared to zones 3 to 6, Garden Almanac provides inspiration with color photographs and historic botanical illustrations, and the tools to keep gardens flourishing: easy-to-use monthly overviews, calendars, and task lists.
Creating birdhouses : 30 delightful projects to turn your garden into a home for birds / Mary Maguire — Choose from 30 projects to create your own birdhouse, table, nesting box, bird feeder or bird bath - each one beautiful, functional and highly individual. Includes traditional, classic designs plus more contemporary projects, as well as tips for decorating existing birdhouses and tables.
Making old-fashioned Santas / Candie Frankel
We all shine on : the stories behind every John Lennon song 1970-1980 / Paul Du Noyer —

9/29: New at the library this week

2007-09-29T17:15:00.000-08:00

DVDs:

Books:

Capitol offense / Mike Doogan— A beautiful young woman is found strangled in the office of an Alaskan state senator. Standing over her dead body is gifted young legislator Matthew Hope. Before this unfortunate event, he was the most promising native Alaskan politician in the state. Now he's facing serious time, and he's not talking to anyone. In desperation, a mysterious, wealthy patron hires Nik Kane, disgraced ex-cop, to investigate the crime. What Kane discovers is a political culture corrupted by the influence of oil and big money. At the core is a secret so great that Kane may have to pay for it with something more precious than his soul.
Robert Ludlum's the Bourne betrayal / Eric Lustbader — Jason Bourne takes a mission to rescue his only friend in the CIA, Martin Lindros, who disappeared in Africa while tracking shipments of yellowcake uranium. Once safely back in America, Lindros persuades Bourne to help track the money trail of terrorists buying the nuclear material in Odessa. But once there, Bourne is hampered by confusing flashbacks of unfamiliar places and events and he wonders: Is someone brainwashing him in order to throw him off the trail? Worse, is the man he saved in Africa really Martin Lindros? (read a sample chapter)
Arthur & George / Julian Barnes — As boys, George, the son of a Midlands vicar, and Arthur, living in shabby genteel Edinburgh, find themselves in a vast and complex world at the heart of the British Empire. Years later—one struggling with his identity in a world hostile to his ancestry, the other creating the world's most famous detective while in love with a woman who is not his wife–their fates become inextricably connected. (Man Booker Prize finalist; read a sample chapter)
Sea change / Robert B. Parker — When a woman's partially decomposed body washes ashore in Paradise, Massachusetts, police chief Jesse Stone is forced into a case far more difficult than it initially appears. Identifying the woman is just the first step in what proves to be an emotionally charged investigation. Florence Horvath was an attractive, recently divorced heiress from Florida; she also had a penchant for steamy sex and was an enthusiastic participant in a video depicting the same. Somehow the combination of her past and present got her killed, but no one is talking-not the crew of the Lady Jane, the Fort Lauderdale yacht moored in Paradise Harbor; not her very blond, very tan twin sisters, Corliss and Claudia; and not her curiously affectless parents, living out a sterile retirement in a Miami high rise. (Jesse Stone Series, #5)
Blackou t / John J. Nance — Minutes after a Boeing 747 rises majestically into a Hong Kong sunset, a flash splits the darkening sky. The pilot - suddenly blinded and doubled over in pain - fumbles in the dark in a frantic effort to gain control as the huge jet shudders through its descent. Kat Bronsky, FBI agent and terrorism specialist, is assigned the hunt for a Challenger-class business jet seen nearby just before the incident. The case poses countless questions: Was the flash a pilot error, a missile attack, or a malfunction? Or was it some new kind of weapon? And why are several government agencies interested in what Kat uncovers? (read a sample chapter)
I like you / Sandol Stoddard Warburg — A tiny book that expresses the true meaning of friendship. (Age Range: 8 to 12)
A wrongful death / Kate Wilhelm — The peace and quiet of Barbara's retreat on the Oregon coast is shattered when a terrified young boy calls to her as she walks along a deserted beach. Frantically he leads her to a cabin deep in the woods where his mother lies senseless and battered—clearly left for dead. Barbara runs for help, but by the time she returns with the police and medics both mother and son are gone. The puzzle only deepens when, back in the city, Barbara learns that the boy she met is the grandson of a wealthy and prominent family . . . and that they have accused her of aiding and abetting his disappearance. (Barbara Holloway Series, #10; read a sample chapter)
The girl with braided hair / Margaret Coel — In 1973, Liz Plenty Horses was accused of betraying the militant American Indian Movement, known as AIM, to the FBI after the death of one of their members. She went into hiding with her baby daughter, never to be seen again. Now, a skeleton with a bullet hole in the back of the skull has been discovered at the bottom of a ravine on the Wind River Reservation. The body was that of a woman who was murdered sometime in 1973. With the police reluctant to investigate, Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden and Father John O'Malley must unravel the truth-even if it incites the malice of a long-dormant killer.

Sept. 26 Library Board meeting report

2007-09-28T20:05:00.000-08:00

A quorum of members did not attend the scheduled library board meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 26 but the four attending members, Shirly Giles, Leny Buchman, Ila Dillon, and Savannah Lewis did hold an informal workshop discussion on several library matters.

Included in the discussions were:

need to recruit new board members to replace one or two (not clear at present) members who no longer reside in the community;
review of collection weeding practices and objectives;
increased outreach to students in the light of reductions to the school library;
development of a policy for reduction of priviledges for accounts with large numbers of missing or substantially-overdue items;
security and bandwidth usage considerations in proposed addition of wireless internet service;
review of documentation required as we move towards online publication of a searchable collection catalog.

No actions on these items were taken due to lack of a quorum.

The group agreed that setting a regular standing meeting schedule for the last Wednesday of each quarter would provide board members better opportunity for planning ahead. Because of the Christmas holidays, however, the next meeting was tentatively scheduled for Jan. 2, 2008, at 4 pm in the library. All board meetings and workshops are open to attendance by the public although public participation may be limited at the discretion of the meeting chair.

9/15: New at the library this week

2007-09-15T14:15:00.000-08:00

Books:

Bone v. 6: Old man's cave / Jeff Smith — As war spreads through the valley, the Bone cousins join Gran'ma Ben and Lucius at Old Man's Cave to make a stand against the rat creatures. But not everything goes as planned. By the end of the book, Phoney Bone is strapped to a stone altar and about to be sacrificed; Thorn is lying lifeless nearby; and the rumblings of an earthquake suggest that the Lord of the Locusts is about to be released. Fone and Smiley Bone must do something drastic to save their friends. (Librarian's note: volumes 3, 4 & 5 are on order, so if you are afraid of spoilers, you may want to wait till they arrive.)
Vampire Island / Adele Griffin — Life isn’t easy for vegetarian vampires trying to blend in with regular people in a new city. The Livingstone kids are fruit bat hybrids who have left Old World dangers, and immortality, behind for a “normal” life in New York City. But normal doesn’t necessarily mean easy, especially with lingering vampire traits complicating things. (Age Range: 8 to 11)
The quickie / James Patterson; Michael Ledwidge — Lauren Stillwell is not your average damsel in distress. When the NYPD cop discovers her husband leaving a hotel with another woman, she decides to beat him at his own game. But her revenge goes dangerously awry, and she finds her world spiraling into a hell that becomes more terrifying by the hour. (read a sample chapter)
New England white / Stephen L. Carter — returns to the New England university town of Elm Harbor, where a murder begins to crack the veneer that has hidden the racial complications of the town’s past, the secrets of a prominent family, and the most hidden bastions of African-American political influence. At the center: Lemaster Carlyle, the university president, and his wife, Julia Carlyle, a deputy dean at the divinity school—African Americans living in "the heart of whiteness." Lemaster is an old friend of the president of the United States. Julia was the murdered man’s lover years ago. The meeting point of these connections forms the core of a mystery that deepens even as Julia closes in on the politically earth-shattering motive behind the murder. (read a sample chapter)
The secret / Rhonda Byrne — Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it.
Chocolate indulgences / Linda Collister — Chocolate lovers will be in heaven with this irresitible collection of recipes, from Truffles to Tarts and from Cookies and Cheesecakes.
A ship made of paper / Scott Spencer — Daniel Emerson lives with Kate Ellis and is like a father to her daughter, Ruby. But he cannot control his desire for Iris Davenport, the African-American woman whose son is Ruby's best friend. During a freak October blizzard, Daniel is stranded at Iris's house and they begin a sexual liaison that eventually imperils all their relationships, Daniel's profession, their children's well-being, their own race- blindness, and their view of themselves as essentially good people. (read a sample chapter)
Quiet strength : the principles, practices & priorities of a winning life / Tony Dungy; Nathan Whitaker — When Tony Dungy led the Indianapolis Colts to victory in Super Bowl XLI—and made history as the first African American coach to win the big game—millions of people, amazed by the success of his quiet, authoritative leadership style, wondered: how does he get it done? (read a sample chapter)

Library board meeting Sept. 26

2007-09-14T17:33:00.000-08:00

The Seldovia Public Library Board of Directors will hold a regular meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 4 pm at the library. Library board meetings are open to the public, although public participation is at the discretion of the meeting chair.

9/14: New at the library this week

2007-09-14T17:29:00.000-08:00

DVDs:

Videos:

Jekyll & Hyde
The nutcracker : A fantasy on ice
The century of warfare : Air war 1939-1945
Charlie Chaplin festival: The pawn shop; The immigrant
A Walt Disney Christmas
La Bamba
The last tycoon
The omen
Lonesome dove
Flying tigers
The quiet man
101 dalmations
The little mermaid
Space camp adventure
The snowman
Star wars : A new hope
The gate to the mind's eye
Who framed Roger Rabbit
The land before time

Books:

Island of the lost : shipwrecked at the edge of the world / Joan Druett — In the winter of 1864, five seamen aboard the schooner Grafton wreck on the remote and icy Auckland Island, 285 miles south of New Zealand. An isolated speck in the Southern Ocean, it is a godforsaken place, with winds howling at sixty miles an hour, rain three hundred days a year, and an almost impenetrable coastal forest.
Out stealing horses / Per Petterson — Trond's friend Jon often appeared at his doorstep with an adventure in mind for the two of them. But this morning was different. What began as a joy ride on "borrowed" horses ends with Jon falling into a strange trance of grief. Trond soon learns what befell Jon earlier that day—an incident that marks the beginning of a series of vital losses for both boys. Set in the easternmost region of Norway, Out Stealing Horses begins with an ending. Sixty-seven-year-old Trond has settled into a rustic cabin in an isolated area to live the rest of his life with a quiet deliberation. A meeting with his only neighbor, however, forces him to reflect on that fateful summer.
Agatha Raisin and the haunted house / M. C. Beaton — Just back from an extended stay in London, Agatha Raisin finds herself greeted by torrential rains and an old, familiar feeling of boredom. When her handsome new neighbor, Paul Chatterton, shows up on her doorstep, she tries her best to ignore his obvious charms, but his sparkling black eyes and the promise of adventure soon lure her into another investigation. (Agatha Raisin Series, #14; read a sample chapter)
The perfect paragon / M. C. Beaton — After being nearly killed by both a hired hit man and her former secretary, Agatha Raisin could use some low-key cases. So when Robert Smedley walks through the door, determined to prove that his wife is cheating, Raisin Investigations immediately offers to help. Trouble is, Agatha hates divorce cases--especially when the client is as pompous as Smedley--but she has a business to run and she's not about to turn away a paying customer. (Agatha Raisin Series, #16; read a sample chapter)
Agatha Raisin and the day the floods came / M. C. Beaton — Crankier than ever, Agatha Raisin wants to forget that her husband left her to enter a monastery-a turn of affairs more humiliating than when she caught him with a mistress. She feels abandoned, fat, frumpy, and absolutely furious. What are her options? She takes an island vacation and joins a Pilates class. But what finally lifts her spirits is finding a corpse. (Agatha Raisin Series, #12)
Hasty death / Marion Chesney — Eager to join the working classes, Lady Rose Summer has abandoned the comforts of her parents' home to become self-supporting. But life as a working woman isn't quite what Rose had imagined--long hours as a typist and nights spent in a dreary women's hostel are not very empowering when you're poor, cold, and tired. Luckily for Rose, her drudgery comes to a merciful end when she learns of the untimely death of an acquaintance. (Edwardian Mystery Series, #2)
Aunt Dimity and the deep blue sea / Nancy Atherton — A series of death threats sends Lori Shepard to a remote island off the Scottish coast and to a fabulous castle restored by an eccentric friend of her husband's. But she finds herself drawn into an elaborate whodunit that may involve smuggling—or worse. Why has a human skull washed up on the beach? Is a desolate island really the best place to hide from a murderer? (Aunt Dimity Series, #11)
Aunt Dimity and the next of kin / Nancy Atherton — Feeling a touch world-weary, Lori Shepherd decides to become a volunteer at the Radcliffe Infirmary, where she can spread a little good cheer. There she meets Elizabeth Beacham, a kind, retired legal secretary with no family, except a brother who has mysteriously disappeared. But after only a few visits, Miss Beacham suddenly passes away, leaving Lori to tie up the loose ends of her late friend's life. Lori soon discovers that hidden among Miss Beacham's belongings are clues that Lori believes her friend left for her to discover. (Aunt Dimity Series, #10)
Death of a celebrity / M. C. Beaton — Access to Lochdubh is along a single, twisting, one-track road, but even its isolation can't keep Crystal French of Strathbane Television from dragging her crew and cameras into town. There to do a new show focusing on village life, Crystal quickly earns the outrage of the local folks when she rakes up old scandals and intimate secrets - tactics that promptly get her high ratings. Soon, even the local astrology column is hinting that Crystal had better watch her step. And no one, least of all Constable Hamish Macbeth, is surprised when she is killed. (Hamish MacBeth Series, #18; read a sample chapter)
Death of a dustman / M. C. Beaton — Lochdubh's dustman, Fergus Macleod, a sour little man given to domestic violence and drinking, gets by with a one-day work week collecting the village's trash. But when Mrs. Freda Fleming, wrath of the Strathbane Council, decides to make an environmental example out of Lochdubh, Fergus is promoted (at double his usual salary) to man the new and elaborate recycling center. Now a bullying tyrant with a neat uniform and a new truck, he issues harsh fines and enforces petty rules-until he is found dead, stuffed into a recycling bin. (Hamish MacBeth Series, #17; read an exerpt)
Death of a poison pen / M. C. Beaton — Minor writer John Heppel has a problem - he's by all accounts a consummate bore. When he's found dead in his cottage, there are plenty of suspects. But surely boredom shouldn't be cause for murder, or so thinks local bobby and sleuth Hamish Macbeth, whose investigation of Heppel's soap opera script uncovers much more than melodrama. (Hamish MacBeth Series, #20; read a sample chapter)
Death of a village / M. C. Beaton — During the eerie half-light of a far north summer night, a crime spree - from scams to burglary - strikes the Highlands. Suddenly Hamish Macbeth, never an ambitious man, has more police work than he desires. (Hamish MacBeth Series, #19; read a sample chapter)
The traveler / John Twelve Hawks — Maya is hiding in plain sight in London. The twenty-six-year-old has abandoned the dangerous obligations pressed upon her by her father, and chosen instead to live a normal life. But Maya comes from a long line of people who call themselves Harlequins—a fierce group of warriors willing to sacrifice their lives to protect a select few known as Travelers. (Fourth Realm Series, #1; read an exerpt)
The dark river / John Twelve Hawks — Siblings Gabriel and Michael Corrigan now know that they are Travelers, part of an ancient lineage of prophets, but the realization has effected them differently. Gabriel sees it as a calling fraught with responsibility; Michael grabs it as an opportunity, defecting to the enemy. (Fourth Realm Series, #2; read an exerpt)
Barefoot / Elin Hilderbrand — It's summer on Nantucket, and as the season begins, three women arrive at the local airport, observed by Josh, a local boy, home from college. Burdened with small children, unwieldy straw hats, and some obvious emotional issues, the women--two sisters and one friend--make their way to the sisters' tiny cottage, inherited from an aunt. They're all trying to escape from something: Melanie, after seven failed in-vitro attempts, discovered her husband's infidelity and then her own pregnancy; Brenda embarked on a passionate affair with an older student that got her fired from her prestigious job as a professor in New York; and her sister Vickie, mother to two small boys, has been diagnosed with cancer. Soon Josh is part of the chaotic household, acting as babysitter, confidant, and, eventually, something more, while the women confront their pasts and map out their futures. (read a sample chapter)
A cup of Tey (The daughter of time; Bratt Farrar; Miss Pym disposes) / Josephine Tey

Library bake sale Saturday, Oct. 6

2007-09-01T15:46:00.000-08:00

The library will be holding a bake sale to benefit our collection on Saturday, Oct. 6 in conjunction with the monthly crafters' bazaar. Can you bake and donate something to help out our efforts? If so, please contact Shirly Giles or Leny Buchman. If not, come to the sale and purchase some of Seldovia's famous yummy baked goods and help us fund more books and other circulating items for our collection.

9/1: New at the library this week

2007-09-01T15:42:00.000-08:00

Videos:

Books:

Rituals of the season / Margaret Maron — Judge Deborah Knott has a severe case of anxiety in the final days before her late December nuptials to Deputy Sheriff Dwight Bryant. Her calendar is booked solid with receptions and parties, last-minute details, and family obligations. There is absolutely no way she can fit a homicide case into her schedule. (Deborah Knott Series, #11; read a sample chapter)
Dancing with the virgins / Stephen Booth — In a remote region of northern England where a prehistoric ring of stones, the Nine Virgins, harbors a dark legend, the limbs of a murdered cyclist, Jenny Weston, are arranged to parody a woman dancing. Is a maniac on the loose? Detectives Ben Cooper and Diane Fry search for the killer. (read a sample chapter)
A heartbreaking work of staggering genius / Dave Eggers — Dave Eggers' memoir of bringing up his younger brother after his parent's death. (Pulitzer finalist; read a sample chapter)
Three cups of tea : one man's mission to fight terrorism and build nations-- one school at a time / Greg Mortenson — Anyone who despairs of the individual's power to change lives has to read the story of Greg Mortenson, a homeless mountaineer who, following a 1993 climb of Pakistan's treacherous K2, was inspired by a chance encounter with impoverished mountain villagers and promised to build them a school. Over the next decade he built fifty-five schools—especially for girls—that offer a balanced education in one of the most isolated and dangerous regions on earth.
Stalin's ghost / Martin Cruz Smith — Investigator Arkady Renko, the pariah of the Moscow prosecutor's office, has been assigned the thankless job of investigating a new phenomenon: late-night subway riders report seeing the ghost of Joseph Stalin on the platform of the Chistye Prudy Metro station. The illusion seems part political hocus-pocus and also part wishful thinking, for among many Russians Stalin is again popular; the bloody dictator can boast a two-to-one approval rating. Decidedly better than that of Renko, whose lover, Eva, has left him for Detective Nikolai Isakov, a charismatic veteran of the civil war in Chechnya, a hero of the far right and, Renko suspects, a killer for hire. The cases entwine, and Renko's quests become a personal inquiry fueled by jealousy. (Arkady Renko Series, #6; read a sample chapter)
Bones to ashes / Kathy Reichs — Temperance Brennan, like her creator Kathy Reichs, is a brilliant, sexy forensic anthropologist called on to solve the toughest cases. But for Tempe, the discovery of a young girl's skeleton in Acadia, Canada, is more than just another assignment. Évangéline, Tempe's childhood best friend, was also from Acadia. Named for the character in the Longfellow poem, Évangéline was the most exotic person in Tempe's eight-year-old world. When Évangéline disappeared, Tempe was warned not to search for her, that the girl was "dangerous." Thirty years later, flooded with memories, Tempe cannot help wondering if this skeleton could be the friend she lost so many years ago. And what is the meaning of the strange skeletal lesions found on the bones of the young girl? (Temperance Brennan Series, #10; read an exerpt)
Secrets of fat-free cooking : over 150 fat-free and low-fat recipes from breakfast to dinner--appetizers to desserts / Sandra L. Woodruff — A very different kind of cookbook, Secrets of Fat-Free Cooking is designed to help readers create low-fat and no-fat dishes that are easy to make, taste delicious, and are also high in nutrition. Woodruff guides readers through the basics of nutrition and provides dozens of helpful tips that will insure great results with every dish. 16 color photos. 30 line drawings.
Pot pies : comfort food under cover / Diane Phillips — All of us grew up with pot pies--homemade if we were lucky, otherwise store-bought. Either way, we all remember breaking through that flaky, buttery crust to get at the steaming, creamy chicken or beef or vegetables inside. Pot pies are, in fact, the ultimate comfort food, conjuring up images of Mom in the kitchen and a milk-and-cookies kind of world. Now, at the turn of the century, Diane Phillips brings pot pies back into our lives. And like us, they've grown up, developed a sophistication and a range of tastes and styles. But at the same time, they remain just as comforting, soothing, and satisfying as the ones we remember with so much affection. (read an exerpt)
Soup, a way of life / Barbara Kafka — In this stunningly rich and wide-ranging book, Barbara Kafka gives the food we love perhaps best in the world a new vitality. Though the subject is so familiar to us all, her approach is totally original. In a wonderfully diverse collection of nearly 300 recipes from all over the world -- some traditional, some newly minted, many so simple they require no cooking at all, each of them very much a part of our spiritual and emotional lives -- she offers up a lifetime worth of pleasure: (read an exerpt)
Low fat : practical cookery / Stephen Knowlden — There are over 175 recipes in this beautifully designed, easy-to-use book, which is well-illustrated with step-by-step photography to guide you through the preparation. Full of useful cooks 'tips and recipe variations, the book provides the ultimate in choice for a collection of delicious meals that are easy to prepare but satisfy the most demanding of appetites. The dishes include bright new suggestions using the freshest and most wholesome of ingredients, while other recipes are innovative re-workings of traditional dishes.
The Culinary Arts Institute cookbook / Culinary Arts Institute

Yoga and t'ai chi class resources

2007-08-25T15:01:00.000-08:00

With the end of the summer series of the Seldovia Arts Council yoga and t'ai chi classes, instructors Kate Springer and Betsy Scott have left some resources at the library to help class members and other interested members of the public continue with their practice during the winter.

The classes have donated the following items to the library's collection:

Qigong Beginning Practice dvd (watch a video clip)
The complete idiot's guide to t'ai chi and qigong / Bill Douglas (includes dvd)
OM yoga : a guide to daily practice / Cyndi Lee

Kate Springer has also suggested the following list of additional resources for her students:

Yoga the Iyengar Way / Silva, Mira & Shyam Mehta, forward by BKS Iyengar
Publisher: Brookvale, N.S.W. :Simon &Schuster, 1990.
ISBN: 0731800737 : 9780731800735
The Sivananda companion to yoga : a complete guide to the physical postures, breathing exercises, diet, relaxation, and meditation techniques of yoga / Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center (New York, N.Y.)
Publisher: NewYork : Simon &Schuster, 2000.
ISBN: 0684870002 9780684870007
The complete yoga book : yoga of breathing, yoga of posture, and yoga of meditation / James Hewitt
Publisher: NewYork : Schocken Books, 1978, ©1977.
ISBN: 0805236872 : 9780805236873 0805205926 : 9780805205923
Elise Miller: Intermediate Yoga in Fiji (at netflix)
Shiva Rea: Creative Core Abs (at netflix) (Anything by Shiva Rea is recommended)
Power Yoga Total Body with Rodney Yee (advanced) (at netflix)
Yoga Conditioning for Weight Loss (at netflix)

For class members, the library also has pdf copies of Kate's yoga workout suggestions and her recommented resources list.

8/25: New at the library this week

2007-08-25T14:19:00.000-08:00

Books:

Last breath / Mariah Stewart — As renowned archaeologist Dr. Daria McGowan readies the most important project of her career–a University museum exhibit showcasing the priceless artifacts her great-grandfather unearthed a century earlier in the Middle East–she makes a shocking discovery: many of the most significant pieces have vanished. Panicked, Daria turns to the FBI. (read an exerpt)
High profile / Robert B. Parker — When the body of controversial talk-show host Walton Weeks is discovered hanging from a tree on the outskirts of Paradise, police chief Jesse Stone finds himself at the center of a highly public case, forcing him to deal with small-minded local officials and national media scrutiny. When another dead body-that of a young woman-is discovered just a few days later, the pressure becomes almost unbearable. (Jesse Stone Series, #6)
Woodworking classics : skill-building projects for the home woodworker / Woodworker's Journal
Woodworking favorites : top projects and techniques for your shop and home / Woodworker's Journal
Woodworking secrets : essential methods and projects for fine-tuning your shop skills / Woodworker's Journal
The home woodworker : classic projects for your shop and home / Woodworker's Journal
From start to finish : quality plans and techniques for the home woodworker / Woodworker's Journal
The complete woodworker : time-tested projects and professional techniques for your shop and home / Woodworker's Journal
From shop to home : essential projects, tips and techniques for today's home woodworker / Woodworker's Journal
Olivia Owl's opposites / Maurice Pledger — Maurice Pledger's Olivia Owl teaches children how to identify opposites in this beautifully illustrated board book. Children will delight as they turn each page and learn such things like big and small, long and short. Each page is packed with wonderful drawings of Maurice Pledger's animal friends. (Age Range: For infants or children in preschool)
Bobby Bear's ABC / Maurice Pledger — Maurice Pledger's lovable Bobby Bear coaxes children to think of a creature for each letter of the alphabet in this colorful board book. Young ones travel from A is for Ant to Z is for Zebra before going Zzzz along with a sleepy Bobby Bear. Children will delight in the wonderful drawings of busy bugs, reptiles, birds, and animals. (Age Range: For infants or children in preschool)
Billy Bunny's 123 / Maurice Pledger — Maurice Pledger's cuddly Billy Bunny makes counting fun in this delicately illustrated board book. Children count with Billy, finding and adding up the correct number of animals on each page, from one little bunny to ten beautiful butterflies! It's counting at its cutest and most fun! (Age Range: For infants or children in preschool)
Oscar Otter's colors / Maurice Pledger — Maurice Pledger's lovable Oscar Otter 's Colors will delight children with it's vividly illustrated spreads. This book will captivate children as they turn each page and learn about color in nature. Each page is packed with animal friends and things in nature that are so different yet created in the same color. (Age Range: For infants or children in preschool)
Justice denied / Judith A. Jance — Seattle investigator J. P. Beaumont is handed a hush–hush special assignment: find out what really happened in the shooting death of an ex–con. At first, everything seems straightforward, but the deeper Beau digs, the more complicated it becomes. The ex–con really had turned over a new leaf and his murder has nothing to do with, say, a drug deal gone bad. Someone targeted DeShawn for death. (read a sample chapter)

8/18: New at the library this week

2007-08-18T19:19:00.000-08:00

DVDs:

Stone cold

Books:

The secrets of a fire king / Kim Edwards — In this, her first collection of stories-now with three new stories added-she explores the lives of those who exist on the fringes of society: a fire-eater, an American and his Korean war bride, Madame Curie's maid, and others.
The Visual dictionary of everyday things / Dorling Kindersley Limited — Here is an entirely new kind of dictionary — one that is packed iwth vivid photogrpahs and thousands of names for the components that make up familiar objects. The Visual Dictionary of Everyday Things will give you instant access to the specialist vocabulary used in furniture making, clock making, tailoring, bookbinding, and manufacturing a multitude of everyday objects.
Eyewitness question & answer book / John Farndon
Seashore / Steve Parker — Here is an original and exciting new look at the fascinating natural world of the seashore. Stunning real-life photographs of crabs, lobsters, tide pools, fish, seals, seabirds and more offer a unique "eyewitness" view of life on the seashore. (table of contents)
Crystal & gem / R. F. Symes — Here is a spectacular and informative guide to the amazing world of crystals and gems. Superb color photographs of crystals, jewels and gemstones of every color, size and shape offer a unique "eyewitness" insight into their extraordinary beauty and variety. (table of contents)
Making things : the handbook of creative discovery / Ann Sayre Wiseman — A compilation of the "best selections" from Making Things and Making Things 2, published in the 1970s, this book has many inspirational quotes, philosophical tidbits, and a wealth of creative ideas.
The beastly book : 100 of the world's most dangerous creatures / Jeanne K. Hanson
The adventures of Tom Sawyer / Mark Twain — The adventures of a mischievous young boy and his friends growing up in a Mississippi River town in the nineteenth century.
The Twits / Roald Dahl — How do you outwit a Twit? Mr. and Mrs. Twit are the smelliest, ugliest people in the world. They hate everything -- except playing mean jokes on each other, catching innocent birds to put in their Bird Pies, and making their caged monkeys, the Muggle-Wumps, stand on their heads all day. But the Muggle-Wumps have had enough. They don't just want out, they want revenge. (Age Range: 9 to 12)
Esio trot / Roald Dahl — Mr. Hoppy is in love with Mrs. Silver, but her heart belongs to Alfie, her pet tortoise. Mr. Hoppy is too shy to approach Mrs. Silver, until one day he comes up with a brilliant idea to win her heart. If Mr. Hoppy's plan works, Mrs. Silver will certainly fall in love with him. But it's going to take one hundred and forty tortoises, an ancient spell, and a little bit of magic. (Age Range: 8 to 12)
The Borrowers afloat / Mary Norton — The Borrowers, a family of miniature people, journey down a drain, live briefly in a teakettle, and are swept away in a flood before finding a new home. Sequel to "The Borrowers Afield." (Age Range: 9 to 12)
The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm / Nancy Farmer — The year is 2194, and Tendai, his brother, and his sister -- the children of Zimbabwei's chief of security -- have escaped from their father's estate to explore the dangerous city of Harare. The Ear, the Eye and the Arm was a Newbery Honor Book, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, an ALA Notable Children's Book, a BCCB Blue Ribbon Book, and received a Golden Kite Award, and a Parents' Choice Award. (Age Range: 7 to 10)
The family under the bridge / Natalie Carlson — This is the delightfully warm and enjoyable story of an old Parisian named Armand, who relished his solitary life. Children, he said, were like starlings, and one was better off without them. But the children who lived under the bridge recognized a true friend when they met one, even if the friend seemed a trifle unwilling at the start. And it did not take Armand very long to realize that he had gotten himself ready-made family; one that he loved with all his heart, and one for whom he would have to find a better home than the bridge. (Age Range: 7 to 11; read an exerpt)
The door in the wall / Marguerite De Angeli — Ever since he can remember, Robin, son of Sir John de Bureford, has been told what is expected of him as the son of a nobleman. He must learn the ways of knighthood. But Robin's destiny is changed in one stroke when he falls ill and loses the use of his legs. Fearing a plague, his servants abandon him and Robin is left alone.
Abel's island / William Steig — Abel's place in his familiar, mouse world has always been secure; he had an allowance from his mother, a comfortable home, and a lovely wife, Amanda. But one stormy August day, furious flood water carry him off and dump him on an uninhabited island. Despite his determination and stubborn resourcefulness--he tried crossing the river with boats and ropes and even on stepping-stones--Abel can't find a way to get back home. (Age Range: 8 to 12)
Mrs. Frisby and the rats of Nimh / Robert C. O'Brien — Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with four small children, is faced with a terrible problem. She must move her family to their summer quarters immediately, or face almost certain death. But her youngest son, Timothy, lies ill with pneumonia and must not be moved. Fortunately, she encounters the rats of NIMH, an extraordinary breed of highly intelligent creatures, who come up with a brilliant solution to her dilemma. And Mrs. Frisby in turn renders them a great service. (Age Range: 9 to 12; on this year's Battle of the Books list)
No reservations required / Ellen Hart — Twin Cities businessman Ken Loy is the first to die; shot between the eyes during a sunset bike ride. Half an hour later, Bob Fabian, the rich and handsome owner of the Minneapolis Times Register, meets a similar fate. It was a year ago when Loy broadsided the VW Beetle driven by Fabian’s wife, Valerie, killing her instantly. Coincidence? Sleuthing food critic Sophie Greenway doesn’t buy it. (Culinary Mystery Series)
Call the devil by his oldest name / Sallie Bissell — Haunted by the death of her mother and tortured by the secret that died upon her best friend's lips, assistant district attorney Mary Crow is obsessed with finding the man who holds the key to both those tragedies. (Mary Crow Series, #3; read an exerpt)
Land of burning heat / Judith Van Gieson — An ancient religion, a family's hidden past, and a modern-day murder confront archivist Claire Reynier in her search for a priceless document. A young woman named Isabel Santos discovers a faded scrap of paper buried for hundreds of years under her family's adobe house. It could be the controversial last words of a Jewish mystic condemned to death by the Inquisition in Mexico City in 1596. (Claire Reynier Series, #4)
Death angel / Martha Powers — When Kate and Richard Warner's ten-year-old daughter is murdered, the normal world disappears into a nightmare of heartbreak, fear and grief. Kate struggles to keep her own sanity and fight against the rising tide of suspicions. Eventually she realizes that the only way to discover the truth is to join forces with the police, digging through the facts of the crime in order to help bring the murderer to justice.
Unpaid dues / Barbara Seranella — Munch Mancini is one of those fictional characters who jump off the page and into readers' hearts. Mechanic, limo driver, mom, Munch -- short for Miranda -- has lived a hard life and done it all: sex, drugs, you name it. But now she has her adopted eight-year-old daughter, Asia; she has a house; she has a job she loves. And she has trouble. (Munch Mancini Series, #6; read an exerpt)
Ordinary heroes / Scott Turow — Stewart Dubinsky knew his father had served in World War II. And he'd been told how David Dubin (as his father had Americanized the name that Stewart later reclaimed) had rescued Stewart's mother from the horror of the Balingen concentration camp. But when he discovers, after his father's death, a packet of wartime letters to a former fiancée, and learns of his father's court-martial and imprisonment, he is plunged into the mystery of his family's secret history and driven to uncover the truth about this enigmatic, distant man who'd always refused to talk about his war.

Special closed hours Tuesday evening, Aug. 14

2007-08-11T15:36:00.000-08:00

The library will be closed Tuesday evening, Aug. 14, from 7:30-9:30 pm. It will be open that afternoon as usual, and resume the regular schedule Thursday, Aug. 16.

8/11: New at the library this week

2007-08-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

Books:

Very merry mysteries / Charlotte MacLeod; Margaret Maron; M.C. Beaton — Rest You Merry, by Charlotte Macleod, Corpus Christmas by Margaret Maron, A Highland Christmas by M.C. Beaton
Sixpence House : lost in a town of books / Paul Collins — Paul Collins and his family abandoned the hills of San Francisco to move to the Welsh countryside-to move, in fact, to the village of Hay-on-Wye, the "Town of Books" that boasts fifteen hundred inhabitants-and forty bookstores. Taking readers into a secluded sanctuary for book lovers, and guiding us through the creation of the author's own first book, Sixpence House becomes a heartfelt and often hilarious meditation on what books mean to us.
Dead air / Barbara Jean Miller — A politically savvy thriller that gives the reader a real-world glimpse into TV journalism.
Deceit / Clare Francis — Her husband's tragic death forces Ellen Richmond to cope with matters she'd never had to deal with. And things are even worse than she'd feared. Harry went sailing alone and his yacht mysteriously vanished. Could it have sunk by accident? His business was in bad shape: the police imply that he might have committed suicide. (read a sample chapter)
Letter from home / Carolyn G. Hart — World-renowned journalist G.G. Gilman does her best not to think of the past. But one day she gets a letter—sent from the small Oklahoma town where she grew up—that brings it all back. Memories of people she had once known and loved dearly—and of the sultry summer when her life changed forever. (read a sample chapter)
We shall not sleep / Anne Perry — After four long years, peace is finally in sight. But chaplain Joseph Reavley and his sister Judith, an ambulance driver on the Western Front, are more hard pressed than ever. Behind the lines, violence is increasing: soldiers are abusing German prisoners, a nurse has been raped and murdered, and the sinister ideologue called the Peacemaker now threatens to undermine the peace just as he did the war. (World War One Series, #5; read an exerpt)
The distant echo / Val McDermid — Four in the morning, mid-December, and snow blankets St. Andrews School. Student Alex Gilbery and his three best friends are staggering home from a party when they stumble upon the body of a young woman. Rosie Duff has been raped, stabbed and left for dead in the ancient Pictish cemetery. The only suspects are the four young students stained with her blood.
Officer of the court: A Novel Of WWII / Bill Mesce — On a remote Scottish island the body of an American officer has washed ashore. Major Harry Voss, a lawyer in the Army's Judge Advocate's office, doesn't hesitate to take the assignment of finding out who killed Lieutenant Armando Grassi, and why. Harry worked with Lieutenant Grassi on the case of a murdered American fighter pilot shot down by his own comrades. That inquiry left good men dead, a woman destroyed, and justice undone. For Harry, this is a chance to right the wrongs of the past. (read an exerpt)
The coil / Gayle Lynds — Liz Sansborough thought she had left her past behind forever. A former CIA field agent as well as the daughter of perhaps the most notorious Cold War assassin, the man known to the world only as The Carnivore, Liz is now a university professor in Southern California specializing in the psychology of violence. But her dead father's legacy has come back to overtake Liz. (read a sample chapter)
Midnight in Ruby Bayou / Elizabeth Lowell — Since the breakup of a disappointing love affair, Faith Donovan has poured her heart and soul into making the exquisite artistic jewelry favored by the rich and famous. She needs rubies of the finest quality and to get them, she needs Owen Walker, a man with an intimate knowledge of the ruby trade. The idea of working with Faith makes Owen nervous. He suspects that protecting her and the fabulous wedding necklace commissioned by the Montegeaus, a family descended from smuggles and pirates, will be more dangerous than smuggling rubies out of Afghanistan. (Donovans Series, #4; read an exerpt)
Still life / Louise Penny — Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montréal and yet a world away. Jane Neal, a long-time resident of Three Pines, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it’s a tragic hunting accident and nothing more but Gamache smells something foul this holiday season…and is soon certain that Jane died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter. (read a sample chapter)
The prayer of the night shepherd / Philip Rickman — At Stanner Hall, a Victorian mansion-turned-hotel, Ben Foley, unemployed TV producer, hosts unprofitable murder-mystery weekends and nurtures his dream—to prove that Stanner Hall is the house on which Arthur Conan Doyle based his immortal Baskerville Hall. It's a local tradition that the origins of The Hounds of the Baskervilles lie not in Dartmoor, but in the Herfordshire legend of a black dog foreshadowing death. Young Jane Watkins, whose first weekend job is at the hotel, is intrigued. But Jane's mother, the Reverend Merrily Watkins, Deliverance Consultant to the Diocese of Hereford, is unhappy when she learns how Ben Foley proposes to prove his theory. (Merrily Watkins Series, #6)

8/9: New at the library this week

2007-08-09T15:46:00.000-08:00

Videos:

Books:

Dead connection / Alafair Burke — When two young women are murdered on the streets of New York, exactly one year apart, Detective Ellie Hatcher is called up for a special assignment on the homicide task force. The killer has left behind a clue connecting the two cases to First Date, a popular online dating service, and Flann McIlroy, an eccentric, publicity-seeking homicide detective, is convinced that only Ellie can help him pursue his terrifying theory: someone is using the lure of the Internet and the promise of love to launch a killing spree against the women of New York City. (read a sample chapter)
Harry Potter and the deathly hallows / Joanne Kathleen Rowling — The final volume in the series.
The grey pilgrim / J. M. Hayes — A strikingly original plot blends unknown bits of real history with imagined incidents to create an unusual thriller. Its base is the last American Indian uprising in Arizona ,occuring in October, 1940. At its core lay a struggle for civil rights. Deputy U.S. Marshall and Spanish Civil War veteran J.D. Fitzpatrick arrives in Tucson, a shell shock case. His job should have been a sinecure, but then the insensitive local BIA agent provokes a gunfight over the draft and riles the Papagos. Fitpatrick is sent to the reservation to arrest the ringleader, Jujul, and his band of renegades, but they have skipped out into the desert. Why should they accept a call for military service from a country that refuses to recognize their citizenship?
Daddy's girl / Lisa Scottoline — University of Pennsylvania assistant law professor Natalie "Nat" Greco finds herself in way over her head when an unintended visit to a minimum-security prison in nearby Chester County puts her in the middle of a deadly uprising -- and places her at the center of an elaborate plot that involves an incarcerated crime boss and more than a few improbable conspirators. (read an exerpt)
Epic / Conor Kostick — Generations ago, violence was banned on New Earth. Society is governedand conflicts are resolved in the arena of a fantasy computer game, Epic. Everyone plays. If you win, you have the chance to go to university, get more supplies for your community, and fulfill your dreams; if you lose, your life both in and out of the game is worth nothing.
Interworld / Neil Gaiman ; Michael Reaves — Joey Harker isn't a hero. In fact, he's the kind of guy who gets lost in his own house. But then one day, Joey gets really lost. He walks straight out of his world and into another dimension. (read a sample chapter)
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency / Alexander McCall Smith — The No.1 Ladies´ Detective Agency, located in Gaborone, Botswana, consists of one woman, the engaging Precious Ramotswe. A cross between Kinsey Millhone and Miss Marple, this unlikely heroine specializes in missing husbands, wayward daughters, con men and imposters. When she sets out on the trail of a missing child she is tumbled headlong into some strange situations and not a little danger. Deftly interweaving tragedy and humor to create a memorable tale of human desires and foibles, the book is also an evocative portrait of a distant world. (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series, #1; read a sample chapter)
Tears of the giraffe / Alexander McCall Smith — Mma Ramotswe faces a new challenge: resolving a mother´s pain for her son who is long lost on the African plains. Mma Ramotswe´s own impending marriage to the most gentlemanly of men, Mr J.L.B. Matekoni, the promotion of Mma´s secretary to the dizzy heights of Assistant Detective, and the arrival of new members to the Matekoni family, all brew up the most humorous and charmingly entertaining of tales. (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series, #2; read an exerpt)
Morality for beautiful girls / Alexander McCall Smith — Continuing the adventures of Mma. Ramotswe, Morality for Beautiful Girls finds her expanding her business to take in the world of car repair and a beauty pageant. (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series, #3; read a sample chapter)

7/28: New at the library this week

2007-07-28T15:41:00.000-08:00

Videos:

The front page

Books:

Crispin : the cross of lead / Avi — England in the year 1377. Thirteen-Year-old Crispin, has no parents, no home, no name. Yet he is being pursued, and his life is threatened. As he seeks to find out why, he must first learn who and what he is. (Age Range: 12 and up; 2003 Newbery Medal)
Body surfing / Anita Shreve — At the age of 29, Sydney has already been once divorced and once widowed. Trying to regain her footing once again, she has answered an ad to tutor the teenage daughter of a wellto- do couple as they spend a sultry summer in their oceanfront New Hampshire cottage. But when the Edwards' two grown sons, Ben and Jeff, arrive at the beach house, Sydney finds herself caught up in a destructive web of old tensions and bitter divisions. As the brothers vie for her affections, the fragile existence Sydney has rebuilt for herself is threatened. (read a sample chapter)
Secret asset / Stella Rimington — Liz has always been particularly skilled at “assessing people,” and when one of her agents reports suspicious meetings taking place at an Islamic bookshop, she trusts her instinct that a terrorist cell is at work. Her boss, Charles Wetherby, Director of Counter-Terrorism, knows to trust Liz’s instincts as well: he immediately puts a surveillance operation into place. (Liz Carlyle Series, #2; read a sample chapter)
The night ferry / Michael Robotham — Ali Barba, a Sikh detective with the Metropolitan Police, is recovering from injuries sustained in the line of duty when she receives a letter from her estranged friend, Cate, imploring her to come to their high school reunion. Alarmed by the urgent tone of the note, and eager to make amends for her unforgivable past behavior, Ali goes to the reunion. Cate is pregnant, but before Ali has the chance to congratulate her, Cate hurriedly whispers, “They want to take my baby. You have to stop them.” (read a sample chapter)
The far reaches / Homer H. Hickam — The year is 1943 and World War II in the Pacific rages on, with Americans engaged in desperate battles against a cunning enemy. Coast Guard Captain Josh Thurlow is on hand at the invasion of Tarawa, as the U.S. Navy begins the grand strategy of throwing her marines at island after bloody island across the Pacific. But nothing goes as planned as young Americans go up against fanatical defenders, who revel in snipers, big guns, and human wave attacks from which there is no escape save death. (read a sample chapter)
The ladies' man / Elinor Lipman — Thirty unmarried years have passed since the barely suitable Harvey Nash failed to show up at a grand Boston hotel for his own engagement party. Today, the near-bride, Adele Dobbin, and her two sisters, Lois and Kathleen, blame Harvey for what unkind relatives call their spinsterhood, and what potential beaus might characterize as a leery, united front. The doorbell rings one cold April night. Harvey Nash, older, filled with regrets (sort of), more charming and arousable than ever, just in from the Coast, where he's reinvented himself as Nash Harvey, jingle composer and chronic bachelor, has returned to the scene of his first romantic crime. (read a sample chapter)
Fast food nation : the dark side of the all-American meal / Eric Schlosser — Fast food has hastened the malling of our landscape, widened the chasm between rich and poor, fueled an epidemic of obesity, and propelled American cultural imperialism abroad. That's a lengthy list of charges, but here Eric Schlosser makes them stick with an artful mix of first-rate reportage, wry wit, and careful reasoning. (read a sample chapter)
Knitting in the round / Jeanne Stauffer — With circular-and double-pointed needles, discover the pleasure of having fewer seams to sew at the end. And for larger projects, you won't have long straight needles poking out to the side. (table of contents)
The good husband of Zebra Drive / Alexander McCall Smith — Automobile repair shop owner Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni -- husband of Botswana's leading, and only, female private detective, Precious Ramotswe -- unexpectedly approaches his wife with the ill-conceived idea of becoming a part-time investigator; one of Matekoni's bumbling apprentices quits; and Ramotswe's longtime assistant, Grace Makutsi, suddenly resigns. (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series, #8; read a sample chapter)

7/21: New at the library this week

2007-07-21T13:14:00.000-08:00

Videos:

The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy

DVDs:

The gods must be crazy

Books:

The devil's bed / William Kent Krueger — When President Clay Dixon's father-in-law -- a former vice president -- is injured in a farming accident, First Lady Kate Dixon returns to Minnesota to be at his side. Assigned to protect her, Secret Service agent Bo Thorsen soon falls under Kate's spell. He also suspects the accident is part of a trap set for Kate by David Moses, an escaped mental patient who once loved her. What Bo and Moses don't realize is that they're caught in a web of deadly intrigue spun by a seemingly insignificant bureaucratic department within the federal government. (read a sample chapter)
The Verge practice / Barry Maitland — Scotland Yard's superlative detective duo take on a puzzling case in the posh world of big-name international architecture, and it's got them chasing red herrings and hopping fences from London to Barcelona.
Embroidered truths / Monica Ferris — After her friend Godwin is arrested for the murder of his boyfriend, Betsy sets out to prove him innocent. She finds that the victim had some dishonest dealings that made him a lot of money-and a lot of enemies. Now, Betsy has to untangle a cat's-cradle of lies if she's going to save Godwin before the murderer decides to cut off the loose ends for good. (Needlecraft Mystery Series, #9)
The iron girl / Ellen Hart — After years spent mourning the death of her partner, Christine Kane, Minneapolis restaurateur Jane Lawless thinks she's ready to move on. That is, until she finds a gun missing from Christine's belongings. The night before Christine dies of cancer, three members of the Simoneau family, Christine's real estate clients, were murdered. The timing of their deaths appeared coincidental and Jane always assumed Christine knew nothing of the family's secrets. But as she searches for clues to understand what really happened all those many years ago, the gun and a few other discoveries begin to convince Jane otherwise.
The ice maiden / Edna Buchanan — Fourteen years ago, two teenagers on a Christmas Eve first date were abducted, and only one lived through the ordeal. The lone surviving victim, Sunny Hartley, became a wealthy sculptor, but the reclusive “ice maiden” will not talk about what happened that terrible night. Now a chance encounter in the Miami morgue between reporter Britt Montero and a petty thief, bizarrely electrocuted during the commission of a crime, has placed the still unsolved kidnapping/murder on the front burner of Sgt. Craig Burch's Cold Case Squad. (Britt Montero Series, #8; read a sample chapter)
Cold case squad / Edna Buchanan — A man and a woman are shot dead at a strip club in Miami Beach. A few hours later, an explosion rocks a child's birthday party, killing a father of three. The murders go unsolved and the blast is deemed an accident. Twelve years later, a blonde walks into the Miami Police Department's Cold Case Squad. She's been seeing her husband everywhere she goes. Trouble is, he's been dead for twelve years. (read a sample chapter)
Dancing naked at the edge of dawn / Kris Radish — Meg Fratano has just witnessed the unthinkable: her husband of twenty—seven years making love to another woman. In her bed. And all Meg wanted to do was watch. Quietly, secretly, watch. Then she realized her life would never be the same.
Renegade / Diana Palmer — Newly appointed police chief Cash Grier makes it his personal mission to keep law and order in the streets of Jacobsville. As a true renegade, Cash has learned never to take anything at face value — especially not his gorgeous sworn enemy,"Georgia Firefly" Tippy Moore. But Tippy is no longer a spoiled Hollywood starlet, just an unassuming beauty who has almost as many skeletons in her closet as Cash. Now the hard-edged Texan finds himself powerless to resist their explosive chemistry. (read an exerpt)
Winter house / Carol O'Connell — never has Mallory faced as many surprises as in the case before her now. It seems cut-and-dried at first: a burglar has been caught in the act and killed by an ice pick-wielding home owner. Except that the home owner turns out to be the most famous lost child in NYPD history, missing for almost sixty years, thought to have been kidnapped following the massacre of her family: five siblings, father, stepmother, nanny, and housekeeper -nearly the entire household wiped out . . . with an ice pick. (Kathleen Mallory Series, #7; read a sample chapter)

7/14: New at the library this week

2007-07-14T13:21:00.000-08:00

Videos:

Charlie Chaplin double feature : The Gold Rush; The Rink; The Tramp; Making a Living; His Favorite Pastime

DVDs:

Books:

Tumbling blocks / Earlene Fowler — With Christmas just a few weeks away, Benni's queenly boss, Constance Sinclair, demands that she investigate the death of a local socialite. It's not long before Benni recognizes that there may be some deadly truth to Constance's suspicions. But with a famously reclusive artist about to put Benni's quilting museum on the map-and her daunting mother-in-law and her "surprise" new husband visiting-Benni's holiday is already hectic. Nevertheless, she'll need to crack the exclusive circle of suspects before one more gourmet goose gets cooked.
Spanish dagger / Susan Wittig Albert — Between the herb shop, the catering business, and a weekend paper-making class, China Bayles has her work cut out for her. And now China's half-brother is opening up old wounds, trying to investigate their father's supposedly accidental death, and her husband is taking on the case-meaning she's just bound to get involved. (China Bayles Series, #15)
Potted gardens : a fresh approach to container gardening / Rebecca Cole — A revolutionary new voice in gardening shows how anyone, regardless of experience and previous success, can create beautiful and unusual gardens using any plants and any containers.
The perfect fake / Barbara Parker — Tom Fairchild is a man with a past he can't shake. He's struggling to make it as a graphic artist, but his probation officer thinks he belongs in jail. When millionaire Miami real estate developer Stuart Barlowe offers him $50,000 to travel to Italy to duplicate a rare Renaissance map, Tom sees a way to solve his problems. The only catch is that Barlowe's daughter, Allison, a map expert herself, has to supervise the project. Allison and Tom fell in love as teenagers, but that was twelve years ago, and now Allison thinks Tom is lying. There's no way he can make a perfect copy.
The double eagle / James Twining — Somehow, impossibly, someone has invaded Fort Knox and stolen five of the world's last remaining Double Eagles -- the $20 gold coin ordered destroyed by President Roosevelt during the Great Depression. Now, one has resurfaced during an autopsy in France -- in the stomach of a murdered priest. (read an exerpt)
Hide yourself away / Mary Jane Behrends Clark — Nobody in this perfect seaside resort town ever imagined that the body of a missing heiress might be found deep in a tunnel beneath her family's crumbling Newport estate. Nobody, that is, but the last person to see her alive. Now, as a KEY News crew investigates the murder, a cold-blooded killer lives in fear of discovery. Too many reporters are closer than they realize to the truth behind a chilling secret... (read an exerpt)
Lean mean thirteen / Janet. Evanovich — In the thirteenth book in the series, the stakes are raised even higher as Stephanie Plum finds herself in her most dangerous, hilarious and hottest chase yet. (Stephanie Plum Mystery Series, #13; read a sample chapter)
Obsession / Jonathan Kellerman — Tanya Bigelow was a solemn little girl when Dr. Alex Delaware successfully treated her obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Now, at nineteen, Patty Bigelow, Tanya’s aunt and adoptive mother, has made a deathbed confession of murder and urged the young woman to seek Delaware’s help. (Alex Delaware Series, #21; read an exerpt)

Found at the library: insurance card

2007-07-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

Found: card for Premera/Alaska Care/Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska, at the library this week. To claim, please contact the Seldovia Police Dept. at 907-234-7640.

7/7: New at the library this week

2007-07-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

Books:

Storm world : hurricanes, politics, and the battle over global warming / Chris Mooney — Chris Mooney, author of The Republican War on Science and one the leading young environmental journalists and bloggers working today, immerses readers in the world of those who study hurricanes. What was once an arcane branch of meteorology (itself an arcane science) has become embroiled in one of the politicized and hotly contested debates in American science: whether or not the recent hurricane disasters—culminating in Katrina—are connected to global warming. Mooney follows the lives and careers of the two leading scientists who stand, bitterly opposed, on either side of the issue. (read a sample chapter)
Invisible prey / John Sandford — In the richest neighbourhood of Minneapolis, two elderly women lie murdered in their home, killed with a pipe, the rooms ransacked, only small items stolen. It's clearly a random break-in by someone looking for money to buy drugs. But as he looks more closely, Davenport begins to wonder if the items are actually so small or the victims so random, if there might not be some invisible agenda at work here. Gradually, a pattern begins to emerge – and it will lead Davenport to somewhere he never expected. Which is too bad, because the killers – and yes, there is more than one of them – the killers are expecting him. (Lucas Davenport Series, #17)
A thousand splendid suns / Khaled Hosseini — Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them-in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul-they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation.
One cold night / Kate Pepper — New York Police detective Dave Strauss is haunted by the one case he couldn’t solve. A schoolgirl vanished off the streets of New York, with only a trail of blood and a series of untraceable phone calls from "the Groom" hinting at her fate. Now the cold dark night has engulfed another young girl -- but this time she is part of Dave’s family.
My Seldovia--my life / Mae Annette Fox Sharp
Original white animals / Tracy Philpot
Bad dog, Marley! / John Grogan — In John Grogan's memoir, Marley & Me, the world learned how one bad dog became the heart of the family that loved him. Now, in this original picture book, Mommy, Daddy, Cassie, and Baby Louie welcome the puppy Marley to the Grogan family. Marley grows and grows . . . and grows. His eagerness and energy grow with him, getting him into trouble in a great big way. And, in the end, Marley's over-the-top energy is just what's needed to save the day. (Age Range: 4 to 6)
Anastasia again! / Lois Lowry — Twelve-year-old Anastasia is horrified at her family's decision to move from their city apartment to a house in the suburbs. (Age Range: 9 to 12)
Emily Post wedding etiquette : cherished traditions and contemporary ideas for a joyous celebration / Peggy Post —
Forward the foundation / Isaac Asimov — brings to vivid life Asimov's best loved characters: hero Hari Seldon, who struggles to perfect his revolutionary theory of psychohistory to ensure the survival of humanity; Cleon II, the vain and crafty emperor of the Galactic Empire, (Series: Foundation Series, #7; read an exerpt)
The shining ones / David. Eddings — ears past, the Child-Goddess Aphrael had hidden Bhelliom, the Stone of Power. It rested at the very bottom of the deepest ocean, that nevermore should its awesome power sing temptation to mortal men. Now Sparhawk, Knight and Queen's Champion, must retrieve that Sapphire Rose from its briny sleep. (Tamuli Series, #2)
The hidden city / David Eddings — The third and final volume in David Eddings's epic fantasy series. Sparhawk returns to rescue Queen Ehlana from the evil clutches of the mad God Cyrgon. But their demented opponent has prepared a terrifying counter attack. (Series: Tamuli Series, #3)
The tangle box : a magic kingdom of Landover novel / Terry Brooks — Troublesome magical trickster Horris Kew has unleashed a powerful evil sorcerer who's bent on ruling Landover. And that means destroying its king, Ben Holiday. (Series: Magic Kingdom of Landover Series, #4)
Fodor's exploring China / Inc. Fodor's Travel Publications —
How nature works / David Burnie — (For ages 8-14)
Georgia Bonesteel's spinning spools : a pattern club for quilters, V. 1 & V. 2 / Georgia. Bonesteel —

New checkout period

2007-07-07T15:26:00.000-08:00

As of today, all books and audiobooks are checked out for three weeks. And, as ever, they can be renewed, either in person (you don't need to bring the book with you) or over the phone.

Going away or know you'll need an item out a little longer? Just let us know when you check it out and we can adjust the due date right then for you.

Thanks for a great book sale!

2007-07-07T15:21:00.000-08:00

A big thanks to everyone who stopped by the library book sale on the Fourth and helped us find new homes for almost 400 books. Not only do those folks have new-to-them books to read, but they helped fund new purchases for the library collection.

See you again next year, same time, new assortment of books.

July 4th Annual Book Sale

2007-07-02T14:02:00.000-08:00

When you're out and about enjoying all of the fun activities on the Fourth, be sure to stop by the library and check out our Second Annual Giant Book Sale.

We'll be setting up in the library parking lot around 7 am--just in time for you to stop by after your pancake breakfast at the Firehall--and will be there till about 3 pm. If the weather's too wet, we'll be indoors and upstairs at the library.

We've got a fine assortment of old and (relatively) new books for all ages and interests and they are priced to move: $.50 apiece or 3/$1. All proceeds from the sale go straight back into the library's purchasing budget, so this is your chance to support the library while taking home some great reading.

Don't feel you need anything new to read? Last year one happy purchaser took home a lovely set of old encyclopedias to make new legs for her sofa (they matched her upholstery perfectly), and there are lots of other projects you crafty folk can do with old books, like make shelves or purses or art projects. So remember, even if you don't want to read it, there are lots of ways to give these books a second chance.

6/30: New at the library this week

2007-06-30T16:11:00.000-08:00

DVDs:

Over the hedge

Books:

Little earthquakes / Jennifer. Weiner — First comes love. Then comes marriage. And then things start to get really interesting...A tale of romance, friendship, forgiveness, and extreme sleep deprivation, as three very different women navigate one of life's most wonderful and perilous transitions: the journey of new motherhood. (read an exerpt)
Something borrowed / Emily Giffin — tells the story of Rachel, a young attorney living and working in Manhattan. Rachel has always been the consummate good girl---until her thirtieth birthday, when her best friend, Darcy, throws her a party. That night, after too many drinks, Rachel ends up in bed with Darcy's fiancé. Although she wakes up determined to put the one-night fling behind her, Rachel is horrified to discover that she has genuine feelings for the one guy she should run from. (read an exerpt)
Gossip hound / Wendy Holden — Grace Armiger isn't living the high life. As a publicist in a London publishing house, she spends her days trying to interest an indifferent media in her collection of oddball authors. Home's not much better-her scruffy apartment, untrustworthy boyfriend, and nagging mother aren't doing much to keep her spirits high. Plus, she's just had a wildly inappropriate one-night stand with one of her writers. But when a chance encounter turns into a brush with an A-list celebrity, Grace dares to think her life may finally be taking a promising turn . (read an exerpt)
In her shoes / Jennifer Weiner — Meet Rose Feller. She's thirty years old and a high-powered attorney with a secret passion for romance novels. She dreams of a man who will slide off her glasses, gaze into her eyes, and tell her that she's beautiful. She also dreams of getting her fantastically screwed-up little sister to get her life. together. Meet Rose's sister, Maggie. Twenty-eight years old, drop-dead gorgeous and only occasionally employed. Although her dreams of big-screen stardom haven't progressed, Maggie dreams of fame and fortune -- and of getting her dowdy big sister to stick to a skin-care regime. These two women with nothing in common but childhood tragedy, shared DNA, and the same size feet, are about to learn that their family is more different than they ever imagine, and that they're more alike, than they'd ever believe. (read an exerpt)
Miracle in the Andes : 72 days on the mountain and my long trek home / Nando Parrado — In the first hours there was nothing, no fear or sadness, just a black and perfect silence. Nando Parrado was unconscious for three days before he woke to discover that the plane carrying his rugby team, as well as their family members and supporters, to an exhibition game in Chile had crashed somewhere deep in the Andes. He soon learned that many were dead or dying—among them his own mother and sister. Those who remained were stranded on a lifeless glacier at nearly 12,000 feet above sea level, with no supplies and no means of summoning help. They struggled to endure freezing temperatures, deadly avalanches, and then the devastating news that the search for them had been called off. (read an exerpt)
A million little pieces / James Frey — Amemoir of drug addiction and recovery that daused controvery when it was revealed to be partly fabricated. (read an exerpt)
Snuggle mountain / Lindsey Lane — It's morning, and Emma wants pancakes. But the two-headed giant who lives on Snuggle Mountain has forgotten all about breakfast. So lump by bump, Emma begins her climb up the shaking, quaking mountain to reach the giant's snuggly cave. How can Emma wake the giant without getting caught in the Sleeping Spell? (Age Range: 3 to 6)
Alaska park science : Scientific studies on climate change in Alaska's national parks / Monica Shah — The tenth issue of Alaska Park Science, entitled “Scientific Studies on Climate Change in Alaska’s National Parks,” focuses on current trends and evidence of climate change. If future projections hold true, the ecological and societal effects of climate change will be considerable in the twenty-first century.
Maximum Ride : saving the world and other extreme sports / James Patterson — There's one last chance to save the world in MAXIMUM RIDE: SAVING THE WORLD AND OTHER EXTREME SPORTS, the closing chapter of James Patterson's thrilling trilogy. The time has arrived for Max and her winged "Flock" to face their ultimate enemy and discover their original purpose: to defeat the takeover of "Re-evolution", a sinister experiment to re-engineer a select population into a scientifically superior master race...and to terminate the rest. Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel have always worked together to defeat the forces working against them--but can they save the world when they are torn apart, living in hiding and captivity, halfway across the globe from one another? (Age Range: 12 and up)
The navigator : a novel from the Numa files / Clive Cussler — Years before the current Gulf war, a diminutive statue was stolen from the Baghdad Museum. For some reason, this missing Phoenician icon has recently attracted marked interest among men not readily identifiable as art connoisseurs. In fact, the men who seek the so-called Navigator are ruthless killers who have already struck once. Saving the life of a UN investigator, Curt Austin and Zavala learn of this homicidal quest firsthand, thus beginning NUMA's full immersion into a mystery of Da Vinci Code dimensions
The alibi man / Tami Hoag — She was a vision. She was a siren. She was a nightmare. She was dead. Now he needed her to disappear. And he knew just how to make it happen. The Palm Beach elite go to great lengths to protect their own-and their own no longer includes Elena Estes. Once upon a time a child of wealth and privilege, Elena turned her back on that life. Betrayed and disillusioned by those closest to her, she chose the life of an undercover cop, the hunt for justice her own personal passion. Then a tragic, haunting mistake ended her career. Now Elena exists on the fringes of her old life, training horses for a living. But a shocking event is about to draw her back into the painful vortex she's fought so hard to leave behind. (read an exerpt)
Bangkok haunts / John Burdett — Sonchai has seen virtually everything on his beat in Bangkok’s District 8, but nothing like the video he’s just been sent anonymously: "Few crimes make us fear for the evolution of our species. I am watching one right now." He’s watching a snuff film. And the person dying before his disbelieving eyes is Damrong—a woman he once loved obsessively and, now it becomes clear, endlessly. And there is something more: something at the end of the film that leaves Sonchai both figuratively and literally haunted. (Sonchai Jitpleecheep Series, #3; read a sample chapter)
Lawn boy / Gary Paulsen — One day I was 12 years old and broke. Then Grandma gave me Grandpa's old riding lawnmower. I set out to mow some lawns. More people wanted me to mow their lawns. And more and more. . . . One client was Arnold the stockbroker, who offered to teach me about "the beauty of capitalism. Supply and Demand. Diversify labor. Distribute the wealth." "Wealth?" I said. "It's groovy, man," said Arnold. (Age Range: 9 to 12)
The short bus : a journey beyond normal / Jonathan Mooney — A young man once called unteachable journeys across America to investigate the lives of those, like himself, who are forced to create new ways of living in order to survive Labeled “dyslexic and profoundly learning disabled with attention and behavior problems,” Jonathan Mooney was a short bus rider—a derogatory term used for kids in special education and a distinction that told the world he wasn’t “normal.” Along with other kids with special challenges, he grew up hearing himself denigrated daily. Ultimately, Mooney surprised skeptics by graduating with honors from Brown University. But he could never escape his past, so he hit the road. To free himself and to learn how others had moved beyond labels, he created an epic journey. He would buy his own short bus and set out cross-country, looking for kids who had dreamed up magical, beautiful ways to overcome the obstacles that separated them from the so-called normal world.
Acacia / David Anthony Durham — Leodan Akaran, ruler of the Known World, has inherited generations of apparent peace and prosperity, won ages ago by his ancestors. A widower of high intelligence, he presides over an empire called Acacia, after the idyllic island from which he rules. He dotes on his four children and hides from them the dark realities of traffic in drugs and human lives on which their prosperity depends. He hopes that he might change this, but powerful forces stand in his way. And then a deadly assassin sent from a race called the Mein, exiled long ago to an ice-locked stronghold in the frozen north, strikes at Leodan in the heart of Acacia while they unleash surprise attacks across the empire. On his deathbed, Leodan puts into play a plan to allow his children to escape, each to their separate destiny. And so his children begin a quest to avenge their father's death and restore the Acacian empire–this time on the basis of universal freedom. (read an exerpt)
Black holes and baby universes and other essays / Stephen Hawking — These thirteen essays and one remarkable extended interview broadcast over the BBC on Christmas day 1992 range from the autobiographical to the purely scientific. Building on his earlier work, Stephen Hawking discusses imaginary time, how black holes can give birth to baby universes, and scientists' efforts to find a complete unified theory that would predict everything in the universe, a concept that he believes will come to seem as natural to the next generation as the idea that the world is round.
Good harbor / Anita Diamant — Good Harbor is the long stretch of Cape Ann beach where two women friends walk and talk, sharing their personal histories and learning life's lessons from each other. Kathleen Levine, a longtime resident of Gloucester, Massachusetts, is maternal and steady, a devoted children's librarian, a convert to Judaism, and mother to two grown sons. When her serene life is thrown into turmoil by a diagnosis of breast cancer at fifty-nine, painful past secrets emerge and she desperately needs a friend. Forty-two-year-old Joyce Tabachnik is a sharp-witted freelance writer who is also at a fragile point in her life. She's come to Gloucester to follow her literary aspirations, but realizes that her husband and young daughter are becoming increasingly distant. Together, Kathleen and Joyce forge a once-in-a-lifetime bond and help each other to confront scars left by old emotional wounds. (read an exerpt)
Judge & jury / James Patterson — Senior FBI agent Nick Pellisante is closing in on the notorious mob boss "The Electrician," when the scheduled sting goes spectacularly awry. Two FBI agents are dead, the boss is wounded, and Pellisante vows the Electrician's next move will be from a jail cell. (large print edition)
Ricochet / Sandra Brown — When Detective Sergeant Duncan Hatcher is summoned to the home of Judge Cato Laird in the middle of the night to investigate a fatal shooting, he knows that discretion and kid-glove treatment are the keys to staying in the judge's good graces and keeping his job. At first glance, the case appears open-and-shut: Elise, the judge's trophy wife, interrupted a burglary in progress and killed the intruder in self-defense. But Duncan is immediately suspicious of Elise's innocent act. His gut feeling is that her account of the shooting is only partially true -- and it's the parts she's leaving out that bother him. (large print edition; read a sample chapter)
The Da Vinci code / Dan Brown — While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci -- clues visible for all to see -- yet ingeniously disguised by the painter. (large print edition; read an exerpt)
The Book of Christmas / Neil Philip ; Sally Holmes — A luminous sampling of 24 stories, carols, and poems for the holiday season, this is a lavish collection of cherishedChristmas writings, at theheart of wh ich lies the Nativity story, told in the words of the King James Bible.
Michael Hague's favorite Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales / H. C. Andersen — Hans Christian Andersen was one of the greatest storytellers of all time. Michael Hague has chosen nine of Andersen's best-loved fairy tales to illustrate in his unique style.
Alaska's Kenai Peninsula wildlife viewing trail guide / Doug O'Harra —
The Alton gift / Marion Zimmer Bradley — After the tragic, untimely death of Regis Hastur, a ruler who struggled lifelong to save the beloved world of his birth from the ambitions of the ruthless Terran Federation, the Terrans have finally abandoned Darkover to pursue interstellar civil war. As Lew Alton-returned home to the world of his birth after decades spent in exile as the Darkovan representative to the Terran Senate-wrestles with the dark shadows from his past, his daughter Marguerida's psychic Gifts warn her of impending danger. But danger to whom?

6/16: New at the library this week

2007-06-16T12:12:00.000-08:00

DVDs:

Books:

The sea hunters II / Clive Cussler — More true adventures with shipwrecks and the real life NUMA — Clive Cussler's National Underwater & Marine Agency. (read a sample chapter)
Three wishes / Barbara. Delinsky — When a surprise October blizzard hits Panama, Vermont, blanketing the sleepy little town with several feet of snow, it creates a scene so tranquil no one suspects the tragedy to come, least of all Bree Miller. Slipping and sliding as she walks home from the diner where she works, she barely has time to notice the runaway truck skidding toward her until it is too late. (read an exerpt)
Shadows on the tundra : Alaskan tales of predator, prey and man / Tom Walker — Drawing on 25 years' experience as a hunter, licensed guide and photographer, Walker writes a superb account of Alaska's big-game animals and their habitat. Following him, we observe and track grizzly bears, moose, wolves, caribou and Dall sheep.
The Margarets / Sheri S. Tepper — The only human child living in a human work colony on the Martian satellite Phobos, little Margaret Bain has devised a system for keeping the suffocating demons of boredom and loneliness at bay: She invents six imaginary companions, each an extension of her own personality, to play with. When the unproductive Phobos project is shut down, and after Margaret is forced to return to Earth with her parents, the child's other selves are lost to her. But they are not gone. (read an exerpt)
In an instant : a family's journey of love and healing / Lee. Woodruff ; Bob Woodruff — In January 2006, the Woodruffs seemed to have it all-a happy marriage and four beautiful children. Lee was a public relations executive and Bob had just been named co-anchor of ABC's World News Tonight. Then, while Bob was embedded with the military in Iraq, an improvised explosive device went off near the tank he was riding in. He and his cameraman, Doug Vogt, were hit, and Bob suffered a traumatic brain injury that nearly killed him. (read an exerpt)
Everyone worth knowing / Lauren Weisberger —Soon after Bette Robinson quits her horrendous Manhattan banking job like the impulsive girl she's never been, the novelty of walking her four-pound dog around the unglamorous Murray Hill neighborhood wears as thin as the "What are you going to do with your life?" phone calls from her parents. Then Bette meets Kelly, head of Manhattan's hottest PR firm, and suddenly she has a brand-new job where the primary requirement is to see and be seen inside the VIP rooms of the city's most exclusive nightclubs. (read an exerpt)
Pasadena / David Ebershoff — At the story's center is Linda Stamp, a fishergirl born in 1903 on a coastal onion farm in San Diego's North County, and the three men who upend her life and vie for her affection: her pragmatic farming brother, Edmund; Captain Willis Poore, a Pasadena rancher with a heroic military past; and Bruder, the mysterious young man Linda's father brings home from World War I. (read an exerpt)
Abide with me / Elizabeth Strout — In the late 1950s, in the small town of West Annett, Maine, a minister struggles to regain his calling, his family, and his happiness in the wake of profound loss. At the same time, the community he has served so charismatically must come to terms with its own strengths and failings-faith and hypocrisy, loyalty and abandonment-when a dark secret is revealed. (read a sample chapter)
Damage control / Robert Dugoni — A rising star at her prestigious Seattle law firm, Dana Hill knows all about stress. She pours herself into her work and family with all the energy she has. But her carefully balanced life is about to be turned upside down. First a frightening medical diagnosis forces her to reassess her roles as a lawyer, mother, and wife to a man she suddenly no longer trusts. Then her life is rocked further by the shocking and brutal murder of her twin brother. (read a sample chapter)

6/2: New at the library this week

2007-06-02T13:29:00.000-08:00

DVDs:

Meet the Fockers

Books:

The grave tattoo / Val McDermid — After torrential summer rains uncover a bizarrely tattooed body on a Lake District hillside, long discarded old wives' tales takes on a chilling new plausibility. For centuries, Lakelanders have whispered that Fletcher Christian staged the massacre on Pitcairn so that he could return home. And there, he told his story to an old friend and schoolmate, William Wordsworth, who turned it into a long narrative poema poem that remained hidden lest it expose Wordsworth to the gallows for harboring a fugitive. Wordsworth specialist Jane Gresham, herself a native of the Lake District, feels compelled to discover once and for all whether the manuscript ever existedand whether it still exists today. But as she pursues each new lead, death follows hard on her heels. (read an exerpt)
The Homer Spit : coal, gold, and con men / Janet R. Klein
Exploring Alaska's Prince William Sound, its fiords, islands, glaciers, and wildlife / Neil C. Johannsen ; Elizabeth Johannsen
A Parade of Alaska history : sculptured in bas-relief for the Alaska Mutual Savings Bank, Anchorage, Alaska / Miriam Hilscher ; Herb Hilscher
Charles Russell / Charles M. Russell, ; Sophia Craze — Charles Russell's life and art are revealed in this large-format volume focusing on sixty-six full color paintings and sculptures. Known as the "cowboy artist," he embodied the rugged individualism of his time.
Prisoner of Tehran : a memoir / Marina Nemat — What would you give up to protect your loved ones? Your life? In her heartbreaking, triumphant, and elegantly written memoir, Prisoner of Tehran, Marina Nemat tells the heart-pounding story of her life as a young girl in Iran during the early days of Ayatollah Khomeini's brutal Islamic Revolution.
The overlook / Michael Connelly — In his first case since he left the LAPD's Open Unsolved Unit for the prestigious Homicide Special squad, Harry Bosch is called out to investigate a murder that may have chilling consequences for national security. A doctor with access to a dangerous radioactive substance is found murdered on the overlook above the Mulholland Dam. Retracing his steps, Harry learns that a large quantity of radioactive cesium was stolen shortly before the doctor's death. With the cesium in unknown hands, Harry fears the murder could be part of a terrorist plot to poison a major American city. (Harry Bosch Series, #12; watch a video of four novel exerpts)
The Odyssey / Homer ; Robert Fitzgerald
Shadow divers : the true adventure of two Americans who risked everything to solve one of the last mysteries of World War II / Robert Kurson — For John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, deep wreck diving was more than a sport. Testing themselves against treacherous currents, braving depths that induced hallucinatory effects, navigating through wreckage as perilous as a minefield, they pushed themselves to their limits and beyond, brushing against death more than once in the rusting hulks of sunken ships. But in the fall of 1991, not even these courageous divers were prepared for what they found 230 feet below the surface, in the frigid Atlantic waters sixty miles off the coast of New Jersey: a World War II German U-boat, its ruined interior a macabre wasteland of twisted metal, tangled wires, and human bones–all buried under decades of accumulated sediment. (read a sample chapter)
The unquiet / John Connolly — Daniel Clay, a once-respected psychiatrist, has gone missing. His daughter insists that he killed himself after allegations surfaced that he had betrayed his patients to foul and evil men -- but when a killer obsessed with uncovering the truth behind his own daughter's disappearance comes seeking revenge, long-forgotten secrets begin to emerge.
The remains of the day / Kazuo Ishiguro — A tragic, spiritual portrait of a perfect English butler and his reaction to his fading insular world in post-war England.

5/24: New at the library this week

2007-05-24T20:15:00.000-08:00

DVDs:

Books:

Narn i chîn Húrin : the tale of the children of Húrin / J. R. R. Tolkien — reunites fans of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings with Elves and Men, dragons and Dwarves, Eagles and Orcs. Presented for the first time as a complete, standalone story, this stirring narrative will appeal to casual fans and expert readers alike, returning them to the rich landscape and characters unique to Tolkien.
Maniac Magee / Jerry Spinelli — One night during high school, Spinelli watched the football team win an exciting game against one of the best teams in the country. While everyone else rode about town tooting horns in celebration, Spinelli went home and wrote “Goal to Go,” a poem about the game’s defining moment, a goal-line stand. His father submitted the poem to the Norristown Times–Herald and it was featured in the middle of the sports page a few days later. He then traded in his baseball bat for a pencil, because he knew that he wanted to become a writer. (Age Range: 9 to 12; read a sample chapter)
Edenville Owls / Robert B. Parker — There is something evil in the air. Fourteen-year-old Bobby senses it. Who is that man he saw arguing with his pretty, new English teacher? And what was the real reason she missed school for days afterward? Bobby knows he should mind his own business, but times are confusing. World War II has just ended and the world is changing. Bobby's world, especially. There's his relationship with Joanie, for one-why does being her friend feel awkward all of a sudden? And then there are his buddies, the junior varsity Edenville Owls-a group of basketball players in need of a leader. Can they help each other off the court as well as they can on it? They will need to. (Age Range: Young Adult)
Part of me : stories of a Louisiana family / Kimberly Willis Holt — The lives of four generations of one Louisiana family, woven together by a master storyteller Tracing a family’s roots is like taking a journey through the years. In the case of one Louisiana family, that journey can be charted by the books they read and loved. The journey begins in 1939 with Rose, who moves with her mother and siblings from rural Texas to live with their estranged grandfather in the Louisiana bayou. (Age Range: 8 to 12; read a sample chapter)
Eggs / Jerry Spinelli — Nine-year-old David has recently lost his mother to a freak accident, his salesman father is constantly on the road, and he is letting his anger out on his grandmother. Sarcastic and bossy 13-year-old Primrose lives with her childlike, fortuneteller mother, and a framed picture is the only evidence of the father she never knew. Despite their differences, David and Primrose forge a tight yet tumultuous friendship, eventually helping each other deal with what is missing in their lives. (Age Range: 8 to 12)
Hannibal rising / Thomas Harris — Hannibal Lecter emerges from the nightmare of the Eastern Front, a boy in the snow, mute, with a chain around his neck. He seems utterly alone, but he has brought his demons with him. Hannibal's uncle, a noted painter, finds him in a Soviet orphanage and brings him to France, where Hannibal will live with his uncle and his uncle's beautiful and exotic wife, Lady Murasaki. (Hannibal Lecter Series, #4; read an exerpt)
The blue zone / Andrew Gross — Kate Raab's life seems almost perfect: her boyfriend, her job, her family . . . until her father runs into trouble with the law. His only recourse is to testify against his former accomplices in exchange for his family's placement in the Witness Protection Program. But one of them gets cold feet. In a flash, everything Kate can count on is gone. (read a sample chapter)
Astrid & Veronika / Linda Olsson — Veronika, a young writer, rents a house in a small Swedish village as she tries to come to terms with a recent tragedy while also finishing a novel. Her arrival is silently observed by Astrid, an older, reclusive neighbor who slowly becomes a presence in Veronika's life, offering comfort in the form of companionship and lovingly prepared home-cooked meals.
The year of fog / Michelle Richmond — Life changes in an instant. On a foggy beach. In the seconds when Abby Mason—photographer, fiancée soon-to-be-stepmother—looks into her camera and commits her greatest error. Heartbreaking, uplifting, and beautifully told, here is the riveting tale of a family torn apart, of the search for the truth behind a child’s disappearance, and of one woman’s unwavering faith in the redemptive power of love. (read a sample chapter)
One naked baby / Maggie Smith — We count up from one to ten as baby gets out of the bath, gets dressed, has a meal, and heads outside with mom to play. Then we count down again from ten to one as baby notices flowers and birds, splashes in puddles, plays with puppies, and gets dirty enough . . . to need another bath. (Age Range: 5 to 6)
Together / Jane Simmons — Have you ever noticed how being with your best friend makes your day brighter? Mousse and Nut have! They love walking together, playing together, and laughing together. Everything is wonderful—until they start to notice there are some things they just can't do together. Can Mousse and Nut really be friends when they're so different? Of course they can! (Age Range: 5 to 8)
Ghost ship / Mary Higgins Clark — Thomas loved his summer visits to his grandmother's on Cape Cod. He spent hours wondering about the sailing ships of the past and imagining their stories. He dreamed of being on a sailing ship himself. One afternoon after a night of terrible thunderstorms, Thomas finds, deep in the sand, a weathered, old-fashioned belt buckle. When he picks it up, a boy his own age, Silas Rich, who was a cabin boy on a ship called the Monomoy that sailed almost 250 years ago, appears. (Age Range: 6 to 10)
The boy raised by librarians / Carla Morris — When something interests Melvin, his librarian friends help him find lots and lots of books on the subject. When he collects creepy bugs in a jar, they help him identify, classify, and catalog the insects. When he is cast as the Enormous Eggplant in the school play, Betty reads aloud from Organic Gardening to help him find his motivation. As the years pass, Melvin can always find the answers to his questions - and a lot of fun - in the library. Then one day he goes off to college to learn new things and read new books. Will he leave the library and his friends behind forever? (Age Range: 4 to 8; download a pdf exerpt)

5/19: New at the library this week

2007-05-19T15:59:00.000-08:00

Books:

False impression / Jeffrey Archer — When an aristocratic old lady is brutally murdered in her English country home on the night before September 11, 2001, it will take all the resources of the FBI and Interpol to work out the connection between her death and a priceless Van Gogh, which is stolen that night. But in the end, it is a courageous young woman who escapes from North Tower of the World Trade Center after the first plane crashes into the building, who has the foresight and determination to take on both sides of the law and avenge the old lady’s death.
Moby-Dick / Herman Melville — A masterpiece of storytelling and symbolic realism, this thrilling adventure and epic saga pits Ahab, a brooding sea captain, against the great white whale that crippled him. More than just the tale of a hair-raising voyage, Melville's riveting story passionately probes man's soul. Required reading in American literature courses from high school to college. Unabridged reproduction of a standard edition.
Bad Girl Creek / Jo-Ann Mapson — Phoebe DeThomas has lived life as spectator, confined to a wheelchair, in awe of her beloved Aunt Sadie, and overshadowed by her financial wizard brother, James. But when Sadie dies, leaving Phoebe a flower farm, the world opens up to her in ways she could never have imagined.
Stickeen / John Muir — An illustrated edition of the well-loved tale in which world-famous naturalist John Muir recounts how he and a dog named Stickeen struggled to cross an Alaskan glacier during an ice storm. An exhilarating story that has become an American classic. (Age Range: 8 to 10)
Stickeen : John Muir and the brave little dog — John Muir's favorite story of "the most memorable of all my wild days"-his classic adventure on an Alaskan glacier with the dog Stickeen-is now retold in modern language with stunning illustrations for another generation of children to enjoy. This is a compelling story of the developing relationship between Muir and an aloof, unfriendly little dog, Stickeen. After becoming stranded on the glacier, they reach safety with the help of a courageous trip over an ice bridge. (Age Range: 8 to 11)
Close case / Alafair Burke — For Deputy District Attorney Samantha Kincaid's thirty-second birthday, she gets an unusual gift: a homicide call out. The crime scene: the elite Hillside neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. The victim: hotshot investigative reporter Percy Crenshaw, who has been bludgeoned to death in his carport. (Samantha Kincaid Series, read a sample chapter)
Silvermeadow / Barry Maitland — Two cases. One location. The first case, a girl gone missing, seems a decidedly local affair. The second, the return of a violent criminal who had fled the country, instantly attracts the interest of Scotland Yard and Detective Chief Inspector David Brock. When he learns that his longtime nemesis, the amphetamine-juiced killer and thief known as "Upper" North, may have surfaced, Brock assembles his team, summoning Detective Sergeant Kathy Kolla to assist him. Their manhunt centers on Silvermeadow, the huge and glittery supermall on the outskirts of London where North was spotted. (Kathy and Brock Mysteries Series; read a sample chapter)
The pilgrim's progress in the allegory of a dream / John Bunyan; Cheryl V. Ford — (public domain text)
Field of blood / Denise Mina — When the body of a four-year-old boy is found tortured and battered to death, it is assumed the child has been the victim of a vicious sexual predator. Instead the police are led, not to the house of an adult killer, but to the doors of two eleven-year-old boys. (Paddy Meehan Series, #1; read an exerpt)
Hide in plain sight / Michele Albert — Fiona Kennedy can tell a forgery from the genuine article in a snap. Drop-dead-sexy Grif Laughton, however, is not so easy to read. He's clearly a masterpiece of the male variety -- and the attraction he sparks is definitely the real thing. But Grif is a man of secrets, and the potentially priceless manuscript he's asked her to appraise is just one of them. (read an exerpt)
A northern light / Jennifer Donnelly— Sixteen-year-old Mattie Gokey has big dreams but little hope of seeing them come true. Desperate for money, she takes a job at the Glenmore, where hotel guest Grace Brown entrusts her with the task of burning a secret bundle of letters. But when Grace's drowned body is fished from the lake, Mattie discovers that the letters could reveal the grim truth behind a murder. (Age Range: Young Adult; read an exerpt; 2004 Printz award winner)

5/12: New at the library this week

2007-05-12T15:09:00.000-08:00

Videos:

DVDs:

Audiobooks:

The zero game / Brad Meltzer (casssette) — Matthew Mercer and Harris Sandler are best friends who have plum jobs as senior staffers to well-respected congressmen. But after a decade in Washington, idealism has faded to disillusionment, and they're bored. Then one of them finds out about the clandestine Zero Game. It starts out as good fun—a simple wager between friends. But when someone close to them ends up dead, Harris and Matthew realize the game is far more sinister than they ever imagined—and that they're about to be the game's next victims. (read a sample chapter)

Books:

Revenge of innocents / Nancy Taylor. Rosenberg — Carolyn knew everything about Veronica Campbell. She knew about the case of murder and retribution that haunted her life and her career. About her stormy relationship with her husband, Drew. About the emotional darkness that was overwhelming Veronica's fragile seventeen-year-old daughter, Jude. But seeing her friend laid out on a cold hard slab of steel in a morgue, and hearing the initial judgments of the investigators, Carolyn also knows this: there's no way Veronica would have ever taken her own life. (Carolyn Sullivan Series, #4)
The Alexandria link / Steve Berry — Cotton Malone retired from the high-risk world of elite operatives for the U.S. State Department to lead the low-key life of a rare-book dealer. But his quiet existence is shattered when he receives an anonymous e-mail: "You have something I want. You're the only person on earth who knows where to find it. Go get it. You have 72 hours. If I don't hear from you, you will be childless." His horrified ex-wife confirms that the threat is real: Their teenage son has been kidnapped. When Malone's Copenhagen bookshop is burned to the ground, it becomes brutally clear that those responsible will stop at nothing to get what they want. And what they want is nothing less than the lost Library of Alexandria.
The woods / Harlan Coben — Twenty years ago, four teenagers at summer camp walked into the woods at night. Two were found murdered, and the others were never seen again. Four families had their lives changed forever. Now, two decades later, they are about to change again.
Betraying our troops : the destructive results of privatizing war / Dina Rasor; Robert Bauman — In this shocking exposé, two government fraud experts reveal how private contractors have put the lives of countless American soldiers on the line while damaging our strategic interests and our image abroad. From the shameful war profiteering of companies like Halliburton/KBR to the sinister influence that corporate lobbyists have on American foreign policy, Dina Rasor and Robert H. Bauman paint a disturbing picture. Here they give the inside story on troops forced to subsist on little food and contaminated water, on officers afraid to lodge complaints because of Halliburton's political clout, on millions of dollars in contractors' bogus claims that are funded by American taxpayers. Drawing on exclusive sources within government and the military, the authors show how money and power have conspired to undermine our fighting forces and threaten the security of our country.
6th target / James Patterson; Maxine Paetro — When a horrifying attack leaves one of the four members of the Women's Murder Club struggling for her life, the others fight to keep a madman behind bars before anyone else is hurt. And Lindsay Boxer and her new partner in the San Francisco police department run flat-out to stop a series of kidnappings that has electrified the city: children are being plucked off the streets together with their nannies-- but the kidnappers aren't demanding ransom. Amid uncertainty and rising panic, Lindsay juggles the possibility of a new love with an unsolvable investigation, and the knowledge that one member of the club could be on the brink of death. (Women's Murder Club Series, #6)
Young men & fire / Norman Maclean — On August 5, 1949, a crew of fifteen of the United States Forest Service's elite airborne firefighters, the Smokejumpers, stepped into the sky above a remote forest fire in the Montana wilderness. Two hours after their jump, all but three of these men were dead or mortally burned. Haunted by these deaths for forty years, Norman Maclean puts back together the scattered pieces of the Mann Gulch tragedy. (National Book Critics Circle Award 1992)
The golden compass / Philip Pullman — Here lives an orphaned ward named Lyra Belacqua, whose carefree life among the scholars at Oxford's Jordan College is shattered by the arrival of two powerful visitors. First, her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, appears with evidence of mystery and danger in the far North, including photographs of a mysterious celestial phenomenon called Dust and the dim outline of a city suspended in the Aurora Borealis that he suspects is part of an alternate universe. He leaves Lyra in the care of Mrs. Coulter, an enigmatic scholar and explorer who offers to give Lyra the attention her uncle has long refused her. In this multilayered narrative, however, nothing is as it seems. (His Dark Materials Series, #1; read an exerpt)
The inheritance of loss / Kiran Desai — In a crumbling, isolated house at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga lives an embittered old judge who wants to retire in peace when his orphaned granddaughter Sai arrives on his doorstep. The judge's chatty cook watches over her, but his thoughts are mostly with his son, Biju, hopscotching from one New York restaurant job to another, trying to stay a step ahead of the INS, forced to consider his country's place in the world. When a Nepalese insurgency in the mountains threatens Sai's new-sprung romance with her handsome Nepali tutor and causes their lives to descend into chaos, they, too, are forced to confront their colliding interests. The nation fights itself. (read a sample chapter)
What the dead know / Laura Lippman — Thirty years ago two sisters disappeared from a shopping mall. Their bodies were never found and those familiar with the case have always been tortured by these questions: How do you kidnap two girls? Who'or what'could have lured the two sisters away from a busy mall on a Saturday afternoon without leaving behind a single clue or witness? Now a clearly disoriented woman involved in a rush-hour hit-and-run claims to be the younger of the long-gone Bethany sisters. But her involuntary admission and subsequent attempt to stonewall investigators only deepens the mystery. (read a sample chapter)
A wicked snow / Gregg Olsen — Hannah Griffin was a girl when tragedy struck on her family’s farm. She still remembers the flames reflected against the newly fallen snow and the bodies the police dug up - one of them her mother’s. It was the nation’s worst murder scene in decades and the killer was never found.Twenty years later Hannah is a talented CSI investigating a case of child abuse when the past comes hurtling back. (read a sample chapter)
The Yiddish policemen's union / Michael Chabon — For sixty years, Jewish refugees and their descendants have prospered in the Federal District of Sitka, a "temporary" safe haven created in the wake of revelations of the Holocaust and the shocking 1948 collapse of the fledgling state of Israel. Proud, grateful, and longing to be American, the Jews of the Sitka District have created their own little world in the Alaskan panhandle, a vibrant, gritty, soulful, and complex frontier city that moves to the music of Yiddish. For sixty years they have been left alone, neglected and half-forgotten in a backwater of history. Now the District is set to revert to Alaskan control, and their dream is coming to an end: once again the tides of history threaten to sweep them up and carry them off into the unknown. (read a sample chapter)
The widow / Carla Neggers — Four days after Abigail Browning's wedding, her life changed in a way she never expected: her husband was shot, meeting his death along the rocky Mount Desert Island coast. Was it a random act of violence, or could someone have wanted Christopher dead? That's the question that has haunted Abigail, now a homicide detective, for the past seven years. As determined as ever to find her husband's killer, she returns to the foggy Maine island -- and the home she has inherited there -- after receiving an anonymous tip. Is it just another false lead by someone looking for attention? Or can she finally prove that his death was tied to something that happened that night . . . and that he was murdered? (read an exerpt)
Children are no match for fire : A fire safety story for the whole family / Carol Dean ; Sandra Dunn — John and Jodie are twins who are turning five years old on July 4th. They attend a class at their local fire department, where Patches, the department's Dalmatian, shows them his version of Stop, Drop, and Roll. The twins are eager to share what they have learned with their parents, and want to practice the things Chief Foley had suggested. Little did they know how important the training was going to be to their friend Kim. John and Jodie have a birthday they will never forget. John becomes a hero, and receives an award for his quick action.
Edward Weston : the flame of recognition: his photographs accompanied / Edward Weston — Integrating revealing excerpts from Edward Weston's own Daybooks and letters with some of his most exquisite photographs, Nancy Newhall sheds light on Weston's own attempts to "understand the strange flashes of vision" that came through his camera.
The daybooks of Edward Weston Vol II: California / Edward Weston — For more than fifteen years, Edward Weston kept a diary in which he recorded his struggle to understand himself, his society, and his medium. Seldom has an artist written about his life as vividly, intimately, or sensitively. His journal has become a classic of photographic literature.
Dancing with the wheel : the medicine wheel workbook / Sun Bear — The result of nearly twenty-five years of intensive study with two Native American dreaming societies, Dancing the Dream draws our attention to the four directions of the Medicine Wheel (East, South, West, and North) and the three unseen directions – Above, Below, and Within – and explains how each of these seven directions represents a specific path on the spiritual journey. (read an exerpt)
By my side / Nora Roberts — Contains two books— 1) From This Day: When B. J. Clark, manager of the Lakeside Inn, met the new owner, Taylor Reynolds, she was fully prepared to dislike him. She feared--and with good reason--that he planned to transform her lovely, sleepy old hotel into a resort for jet-setters. But when sparks flew between them, B.J. soon found herself torn between her professional antagonism and her growing attraction to the man she had sworn to despise. 2) Temptation: Socialite Eden Carlbough didn't expect running a girls' camp to be easy, but she never thought she'd literally be run up an apple tree by the little monsters--nor did she think she'd come crashing down into the capable arms of orchard owner Chase Elliot. Chase knew he'd caught a windfall when he looked at the woman in his arms. He didn't like being cast as the serpent, but how could he resist when she'd just offered him such forbidden fruit? (read an exerpt)
The same sweet girls / Cassandra King — On an island every summer and in the mountains every fall, the Same Sweet Girls come together to share their stories. When one of the group faces the most difficult challenge of her life, the novel builds to an almost unbearably powerful conclusion, one of the most memorable in current fiction. Without a touch of sentimentality, Cassandra King writes of the way close friends can help each other through even the most cataclysmic life events. (read an exerpt)
Housekeeping / Marilynne Robinson — the story of Ruth and her younger sister, Lucille, who grow up haphazardly, first under the care of their competent grandmother, then of two comically bumbling great-aunts, and finally of Sylvie, the eccentric and remote sister of their dead mother. The family house is in the small town of Fingerbone on a glacial lake in the Far West, the same lake where their grandfather died in a spectacular train wreck and their mother drove off a cliff to her death. It is a town "chastened by an outsized landscape and extravagant weather, and chastened again by an awareness that the whole of human history had occurred elsewhere." Ruth and Lucille's struggle toward adulthood beautifully illuminates the price of loss and survival, and the dangerous and deep undertow of transcience. (read a sample chapter)
The flamingo rising / Larry Baker — It's the 1960s in Jacksonville, Florida (where the sixties are still the fifties), and some of America's last sweet moments of innocence are unfolding out on the coastal highway at the Flamingo Drive-In Theatre, owned and operated by the Lee family. (read an exerpt)
Ugly ways / Tina McElroy Ansa — Three sexy, screwed-up Southern sisters come home to Mulberry to put their totally self-centered mother, Mudear, in her grave. We meet the Lovejoy women as they gather in their mother's house to lay her and the demons she has dumped on them to rest.
Ghost soldiers : the forgotten epic story of World War II's most dramatic mission / Hampton Sides — On January 28, 1945, 121 hand-selected trooops from the elite U.S. Army 6th Ranger Battalion slipped behind enemy lines in the Philippines. Their mission: March thirty miles in an attempt to rescue 513 American and British POWs who had spent three years in a surreally hellish camp near the city of Cabanatuan. Hampton Sides explores the mystery of human behavior under extreme duress - the resilience of the prisoners, who defied the Japanese authorities even as they endured starvation, tropical diseases, and unspeakable tortures; the violent cultural clashes with Japanese guards and soldiers steeped in the warrior ethic of Bushido; the remarkable heroism of the Rangers and Filipino guerillas; the complex motivations of the U.S. high command, some of whom could justly be charged with abandoning the men of Bataan in 1942; and the nearly suicidal bravado of several spies, including priests and a cabaret owner, who risked their lives to help the prisoners during their long ordeal. (read an exerpt)
The art of being an elephant / Christine Denis-Huot; Michel Denis-Huot — They're the majestic lords of the savannah--and as these magnificently beautiful photos and engaging text prove, the elephant is one of the most surprising and intelligent creatures on our planet.
Staircases / Eva Jiricna — Forty-nine historic staircases in 18 countries are reviewed.

4/28: New at the library this week

2007-04-28T15:09:00.000-08:00

DVDs:

Man of la Mancha

Books:

Angle of repose / Wallace Earle Stegner — Angle of Repose tells the story of Lyman Ward, a retired professor of history and author of books about the Western frontier, who returns to his ancestral home of Grass Valley, California, in the Sierra Nevada. Wheelchair-bound with a crippling bone disease and dependent on others for his every need, Ward is nonetheless embarking on a search of monumental proportions - to rediscover his grandmother, now long dead, who made her own journey to Grass Valley nearly a hundred years earlier. Like other great quests in literature, Lyman Ward's investigation leads him deep into the dark shadows of his own life. (read an exerpt)
The organized life : secrets of an expert organizer / Stephanie Denton — You'll find tips, checklists and easy-to-follow guidelines for organizing every part of your life, including: Paper piles, Grocery shopping, Home office, Closets & clothes, Garage, Kitchen & pantry, Holiday shopping & storage, Photos & memorabilia, Kids' rooms & toys, Bedroom & bathroom. Real-life examples and inspiring full-color photos show you how to make these proven techniques work for you, no matter how busy vou are.
The Book Club / Mary Alice Monroe — On the surface, it is a monthly book club. But for five women, it is something more precious — a chance to share their hopes and fears and triumphs. They are women in transition, and as they embrace the challenge of change, they will hold fast to the true magic of the book club — friendship.
The bad quarto / Jill Paton Walsh — The campus of St. Agatha's College, Cambridge University, is steeped in history. One particular building, however, has a history that most would rather forget-- a tower that has drawn several students to their death. Much discouraged by the authorities, it is a college tradition for students to try their luck jumping the gap between a window and a pediment--nicknamed Harding's Folly--and the gap has recently claimed another victim, a glamorous and controversial Shakespearean scholar. (Series: Imogen Quy Mysteries Series)
River secrets / Shannon Hale — Razo has no idea why he was chosen to be a soldier. He can barely swing a sword, and his brothers are forever wrestling him to the ground. Razo is sure it's out of pity that his captain asks him to join an elite mission--escorting the ambassador into Tira, Bayern's great enemy. (Age Range: Young Adult)
Enna burning / Shannon Hale — Enna and Princess Isi became fast friends in The Goose Girl, but after Isi married Prince Geric, Enna returned to the forest. Enna's simple life changes forever when she learns to wield fire and burn anything at will. Enna is convinced that she can use her ability for good--to fight Tira, the kingdom threatening the Bayern borders--and goes on secret raids to set fire to the Tiran camps and villages. But as the power of the fire grows stronger, she is less able to control her need to burn. (Age Range: Young Adult)
Arctic thaw : the people of the whale in a changing climate / Peter Lourie — How will climbing temperatures affect the ancient culture of the Inupiat people of Alaska's North Slope? Their culture revolves around the tradition of hunting bowhead whales from a platform of ice on the water. The hunt is the great cooperative endeavor that brings the community together to work, store food for lean times, tell stories, dance, and give new life to old traditions. Now the permafrost is thawing, and increasing dangers await whale hunters as the sea ice becomes fragile.
Plum lovin' / Janet Evanovich — It’s a new year for Stephanie, Lula and the gang—and Connie Rosolli has a secret admirer. Or does she? Connie is getting two kinds of anonymous mail: love letters and hate mail—could they be from the same person? Or does Connie have two stalkers? Stephanie is determined to find out the truth. (Series: Stephanie Plum Mystery Series; read a sample chapter)
City of bones / Cassandra Clare — When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder — much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing — not even a smear of blood — to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy? (Series: Mortal Instruments Series, #1; Age Range: Young Adult)

4/21: New at the library this week

2007-04-21T14:26:00.001-08:00

DVDs:

4/14: New at the library this week

2007-04-14T15:23:00.000-08:00

DVDs:

The departed

Books:

Water like a stone / Deborah Crombie — When Scotland Yard superintendent Duncan Kincaid takes Gemma, Kit, and Toby for a holiday visit to his family in Cheshire, Gemma is soon entranced with Nantwich's pretty buildings and the historic winding canal, and young Kit is instantly smitten with his cousin Lally. But their visit is marred by family tensions exacerbated by the unraveling of Duncan's sister Juliet's marriage. And tensions are brought to the breaking point on Christmas Eve with Juliet's discovery of a mummified infant's body interred in the wall of an old dairy barn—a tragedy hauntingly echoed by the recent drowning of Peter Llewellyn, a schoolmate of Lally's. (Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James Series, #11; read a sample chapter)
Man in the middle / Brian Haig — Dispatched to investigate the suicide of one of D.C.'s most influential defense officials--an ardent, early supporter of the war in Iraq--Drummond and his female partner find themselves in the middle of a tug-of-war between Washington's most influential power brokers and his own personal allegiance to the soldiers dying overseas. (read a sample chapter)
People of the nightland / W. Michael Gear. ; Kathleen O'Neal Gear — It has been a thousand years since Wolf Dreamer lead his people up through the dark hole in the ice to a rich, untouched continent bursting with game. But the world has changed. When a young orphaned boy named Silvertip receives a vision from Wolf Dreamer that their world is about to end, no one believes him--no one except a jaded war chief and a little girl. (First North Americans Series)
Lush / Natasha Friend — It's hard to be a thirteen-year-old-girl. But it's even harder when your father's a drunk. It adds an extra layer to everything - your family's reaction to things, the friends you're willing to bring home, the way you see yourself and the world. For Samantha, it's something that has been going on for so long that she's almost used to it. Only, you never get used to it. Especially when it starts to get worse. (Age Range: Young Adult)
Song of Solomon / Toni Morrison — Milkman Dead was born shortly after a neighborhood eccentric hurled himself off a rooftop in a vain attempt at flight. For the rest of his life he, too, will be trying to fly. With this novel, Nobel Prize laureate Toni Morrison transfigures the coming-of-age story. As she follows Milkman from his rustbelt city to the place of his family's origins, Morrison introduces an entire cast of strivers and seeresses, liars and assassins, the inhabitants of a fully realized black world. (read an exerpt)
Fight fat : secrets to successful weight loss / Alisa Bauman
Low-fat living cookbook : skillpower not willpower / Leslie L. Cooper — The Low-Fat Living program is not a diet. It's a system that shows you how to make simple "switches" in your everyday eating patterns.
Eat great lose weight : tried and true recipes and tips from real weight-loss winners / Jane Kirby
Dead and berried / Karen MacInerney — developers have returned to Cranberry Island. This time, theyre planning to wipe out a natural cranberry bog, along with the island's namesake berries, to build a luxury subdivision. Natalie Barnes isn't sweet on the idea of commercial interests souring their cozy oasis, but the single innkeeper has other problems on her plate: a withering relationship with her best friend Charlene, the sudden appearance of her ex-fiancé with a tempting proposal, and eerie bumps in the night suggesting the Gray Whale Inn is haunted.
Pillsbury baking / Pillsbury Company — This is the cookbook with fun family appeal that draws upon the Pillsbury consumer's love of easy baking, packed with choice recipes for baked goods and the latest baking information.

Comment on the Alaska quarter design

2007-04-12T16:27:00.000-08:00

The Alaska Commemorative Coin Commission is collecting comments on the four Alaska quarter design finalists. Public comments are welcomed through April 22, 2007.

4/5: New at the library this week

2007-04-06T14:15:00.000-08:00

Videos:

DVDs:

Books:

At some disputed barricade / Anne Perry — July 1917: Joseph Reavley, a chaplain, and his sister Judith, an ambulance driver, are bone-weary as they approach the fourth year of the conflict; the peace of the English countryside seems a world away. (World War One Series #4; read an exerpt)
Secrets of a family album / Isla Dewar — Obsessively neat Lily, a writer who writes about writers, is asked to interview the enigmatic Rita Boothe, journalist, photographer, self-styled culinary expert and wit. Sitting in Rita's living room, leafing through a book of photographs from the early seventies, Lily comes across a picture of an incandescently sexy young woman sitting in the back of a limousine swigging Jack Daniels. It is her mother, Mattie.
Bad blood / Linda A. Fairstein — Defendant Brendan Quillian, a prominent young businessman, is charged with the brutal strangulation of his beautiful young wife, Amanda. His conviction is not a certainty: Quillian was conveniently out of town on the day of the killing, and he has hired a formidable defense attorney who seems one step ahead of Cooper as the trial opens. But with the help of detectives Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace, she is confident she can prove Quillian paid a hit man to commit the crime. (Alexandra Cooper Series; read a sample chapter)
Step on a crack / James Patterson — With the unexpected death of a beloved former first lady, the nation falls into mourning as the world's most powerful people gather in New York for her funeral. Then the inconceivable occurs. Billionaires, politicians, and superstars of every kind are suddenly trapped by one man's brilliant and ruthless scenario.
The suspect / John T. Lescroart — When Dr. Caryn Dryden is found floating dead in her hot tub, homicide inspector Devin Juhle targets a suspect close to home: her husband, Stuart Gorman. After all, Stuart was recently asked for a divorce, and he stands to gain millions in insurance. His alibi - that he was at his cabin on Tamarack Lake that weekend - doesn't keep him out of hot water. But maybe a shrewd attorney will.
The best life diet / Bob Greene — a lifetime plan for losing weight and keeping it off. Bob Greene helped Oprah achieve her dramatic weight loss, and he can help you too. You'll eat the same delicious food that Oprah enjoys, and, just like Oprah, you'll have Bob to encourage you at every step.
An Irish country doctor / Patrick Taylor — Barry Laverty, M.D., can barely find the village of Ballybucklebo on a map when he first sets out to seek gainful employment there, but already he knows that there is nowhere he would rather live than in the emerald hills and dales of Northern Ireland. The proud owner of a spanking-new medical degree and little else in the way of worldly possessions, Barry jumps at the chance to secure a position as an assistant in a small rural practice.
The road / Cormac McCarthy — A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. They sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearting, a cart of scavenged food-and each other. (read an exerpt)
From Baghdad, with love : a Marine, the war, and a dog named Lava / Jay Kopelman — When Marines enter an abandoned house in Fallujah, Iraq, and hear a suspicious noise, they clench their weapons, edge around the corner, and prepare to open fire. What they find during the U.S.–led attack on the "most dangerous city on Earth," however, is not an insurgent bent on revenge, but a tiny puppy left behind when most of the city's population fled before the bombing. Despite military law that forbids the keeping of pets, the Marines de-flea the pup with kerosene, de-worm him with chewing tobacco, and fill him up on Meals Ready to Eat. (read an exerpt)
Do-it-yourself home improvement : a step-by-step guide / Julian Cassell — Covering everything you need to know for any home task. From quick-fix repair jobs to major construction, this is the ultimate visual guide to every aspect of home improvement.

Genealogy Center hours: update

2007-03-31T13:21:00.000-08:00

The Genealogy Center is resuming its full, regular hours:: Monday: 1-4 pm; Thursday: 1-4 pm; Saturday: 1-4 pm

For additional information, please call Jan Wyland or email the center.

3/24: New at the library this week

2007-03-24T15:25:00.000-08:00

Videos:

Tuesdays with Morrie

DVDs:

Books:

Nineteen minutes / Jodi Picoult — Sterling is a small, ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens -- until the day its complacency is shattered by a shocking act of violence. In the aftermath, the town's residents must not only seek justice in order to begin healing but also come to terms with the role they played in the tragedy. For them, the lines between truth and fiction, right and wrong, insider and outsider have been obscured forever. (read a sample chapter)
The official Fahrenheit 9/11 reader / Michael Moore — The Official Fahrenheit 9/11 Reader is a book that includes the complete screenplay of the most provocative film of the year. The book also includes extensive sources that back up all facts in the film, as well as articles, letters, photos, and cartoons about the most influential documentary of all time. (read a sample chapter)

IRS Urges Caution about Internet Sites that Resemble the Official IRS Site

2007-03-15T11:07:00.000-08:00

Following on our previous post about obtaining tax forms online from the IRS website, the IRS Urges Caution about Internet Sites that Resemble the Official IRS Site.

Tax forms for 2006 filings

2007-03-13T15:53:00.000-08:00

With tax filing time fast approaching, more folks are looking for tax forms. The IRS no longer ships the library piles of forms or printable form books the way it once did. Today, the IRS provides all of these forms through its website in downloadable and printable pdf files.

The most commonly used forms may be downloaded directly from their home page's lefthand sidebar; they have a full directory of all of their publications and forms; and there is also a table from which you may select the specific form or instruction booklet you want (hint: they are in numerical order by form number, so you may need to scroll quite some distance down the list to find such forms as the 1040). The forms page also includes links to directions for downloading, printing, and filling in their forms.

To open or print files of the pdf format, if you use a Windows-based computer you must also have a copy of one of the free readers for this file type, such as Adobe Acrobat Reader or Foxit Reader.

If you do not have access to a printer, you may print IRS forms from the library's public-use computers using our printer at the usual charge of $.10 a page. We also have a photocopier, for which we charge $.10 a page as well.

Genealogy Center closed 3/16-3/27

2007-03-10T14:33:00.000-09:00

The Seldovia Genealogy and Family History Center will be closed from March 16-27. For assistance, please contact Sandee or email gen.cent.sov@gmail.com.

The main library will be open its usual, posted hours.

Daylight Saving Time on your computer

2007-03-08T07:58:00.000-09:00

Daylight Saving Time comes early this year, thanks to a recent federal law change. We will "spring forward" this Sunday, March 11, by setting our clocks an hour later and we won't "fall back" until November 4. Because these time changes are built into the operating system of most of our computer-based devices, we normally don't have to give that much thought: our computers and all of their programs just update on their own.

But this year, we'll need to update the information our computers use to make that change. Some computers, especially those running Microsoft Vista and Microsoft XP with automatic updates enabled, will have already received the special update to accomplish this. Other computers and devices will require a manual download. Here are some places you can look to find more information specific to the versions you have on hand (or to help decide what it is you have):

Microsoft's Daylight Saving Time Help and Support Center
Daylight Saving Time on your Mac
Is Your Windows XP Ready to Spring Forward?
And there's even a patch for your Windows-operated cell phone: Updating Windows Mobile-powered devices for the new Daylight Saving Time

(via Librarians' Internet Index)

updated to add:

And for other software than your basic operating system, The Calendaring and Scheduling Consortium offers Extended Daylight Saving Time Links, Advisories and Changes (via Brad)

2/27: New at the library this week

2007-02-27T19:09:00.000-09:00

DVDs:

Books:

Wicked : the life and times of the wicked witch of the West / Gregory Maguire — When Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil? (read an exerpt; sample chapter)
Hollywood Station / Joseph Wambaugh — For a cop, a night on the job means killing time and trying not to get killed. If you're a cop in Hollywood Division, it also means dealing with the most overwrought, desperate, and deluded criminals anywhere. When you're patrolling Sunset and Hollywood Boulevards, neither a good reputation nor the lessons of scandals past will help you keep your cool, your sanity, or your life when things heat up. (read a sample chapter)
The bronze horseman / Paullina Simons — Tatiana and Dasha Metanov are not just sisters, but close friends. They share a bed in the communal apartment where they live under Soviet rule in Leningrad, a city of lost grandeur where people now struggle in poverty along its once romantic streets. In the summer of 1941, war is the furthest thing from their minds. Then the horrifying announcement comes crackling over the radio: the German army has invaded. It is against this background that Tatiana falls in love with a Red Army officer, Alexander—the very same soldier who is the object of Tatiana's beloved sister's affection. As the relentless grip of winter closes in and the German army advances, Tatiana and Alexander are drawn into an impossible love that could tear Tatiana's family apart. (read an exerpt)
The summer garden / Paullina Simons — This is the climactic book in Paullina Simons' epic trilogy that began with the international bestseller, the heartbreaking The Bronze Horseman. From the bestselling author of The Girl in Times Square, comes the magnificent conclusion to the saga that was set in motion when Tatiana fell in love with her Red Army officer, Alexander Belov, in wartime Leningrad in 1941.
Murder at the opera / Margaret Truman — Political opera has been alive and well in Washington D.C. since the city became the nation's capital, and the Washington National Opera company, housed at the Kennedy Center, is no stranger to politics itself. Murder at the Opera re-introduces a popular couple who have appeared in some of the earlier Capital Crimes novels: law professor Mac Smith and his wife, Georgetown gallery owner Annabel Reed-Smith, who has a professional relationship with some of the Washington National Opera's most renowned players - its trustees. (Capital Crimes Series, #22) (read a sample chapter)
Mornings on horseback : the story of an extraordinary family, a vanished way of life, and the unique child who became Theodore Roosevelt / David G. McCullough — is about the world of the young Theodore Roosevelt. It is the story of a remarkable little boy, seriously handicapped by recurrent and nearly fatal attacks of asthma, and his struggle to manhood: an amazing metamorphosis seen in the context of the very uncommon household (and rarefied social world) in which he was raised. (read an exerpt; sample chapter)
The path between the seas : the creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 / David G. McCullough — The building of the Panama Canal was one of the most grandiose, dramatic, and sweeping adventures of all time. Spanning nearly half a century, from its beginnings by a France in pursuit of glory to its completion by the United States on the eve of World War I, it enlisted men, nations, and money on a scale never before seen. Apart from the great wars, it was the largest, costliest single effort ever mounted anywhere on earth, and it affected the lives of tens of thousands of people throughout the world. Here in all its heartbreak and eventual triumph the epic adventure is brought vividly alive by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of such books as The Johnstown Flood, The Great Bridge, Truman, and John Adams. (read an exerpt)
Surprisingly simple quilts / Martingale & Company — Add beauty and brilliance to quilts without all the work! Great fabric and color combinations are the key to gorgeous quilts, and this collection of patterns proves that easy and eye-catching can make the perfect quilting team. Choose from over a dozen projects that require no templates-truly quick and easy to complete.
The book of lost things / John Connolly — High in his attic bedroom, twelve-year-old David mourns the death of his mother. He is angry and alone, with only the books on his shelf for company. But those books have begun to whisper to him in the darkness, and as he takes refuge in his imagination, he finds that reality and fantasy have begun to meld. While his family falls apart around him, David is violently propelled into a land that is a strange reflection of his own world, populated by heroes and monsters, and ruled over by a faded king who keeps his secrets in a mysterious book... The Book of Lost Things. (read a sample chapter)
Blue rodeo / Jo-Ann Mapson — Owen Garrett is sitting on his horse surveying a bundle of activity: A newcomer in town, Margaret Yearwood, dressed only in a man's workshirt and panties, is running back and forth between a water faucet and two amorous dogs engaged in what Owen calls "the natural order" - and one of those dogs is his own blue heeler, Hopeful. When Margaret's attempts to separate them fail, Owen takes the opportunity to introduce himself to his new neighbor, who he soon learns shares his desire to leave the past behind.
Point blank / Anthony Horowitz — When an investigation into a series of mysterious deaths leads agents to an elite prep school for rebellious kids, MI6 assigns Alex Rider to the case. Before he knows it, Alex is hanging out with the sons of the rich and powerful, and something feels wrong. These former juvenile delinquents have turned well-behaved, studious—and identical—overnight. It's up to Alex to find out who is masterminding this nefarious plot, before they find him. (Alex Rider Series; Age Range: Young Adult) (read an exerpt)
Skeleton Key / Anthony Horowitz — Working as a secret agent for Britain's most exclusive agency, Alex Rider has seen it all. He's been shot at by international terrorists, stood face-to-face with pure evil, and saved the world—twice. But fifteen-year-old Alex is about to face something more dangerous than he can imagine: A man who's lost everything he cared for—his country, his son—a man who has a nuclear weapon, and will stop at nothing to get his world back. Unless Alex can stop him first... (Alex Rider Series; Age Range: Young Adult) (read an exerpt)

2/15: New at the library this week

2007-02-15T16:37:00.000-09:00

DVDs:

Books:

Thunderstruck / Erik Larson — tells the interwoven stories of two men-Hawley Crippen, a very unlikely murderer, and Guglielmo Marconi, the obsessive creator of a seemingly supernatural means of communication-whose lives intersect during one of the greatest criminal chases of all time. (read an exerpt; sample chapter)
The rising tide / Jeff Shaara — begins a staggering work of fiction bound to be a new generation’s most poignant chronicle of World War II. With you-are-there immediacy, painstaking historical detail, and all-inclusive points of view, Shaara portrays the momentous and increasingly dramatic events that pulled America into the vortex of this monumental conflict. (read an exerpt; sample chapter)
Wild fire / Nelson DeMille — Welcome to the Custer Hill Club - a men's club set in an Adirondack hunting lodge whose members include some of America's most powerful business leaders, military men, and government officials. Ostensibly, the club is a place to relax with old friends. But one fall weekend, the club's Executive Board gathers to talk about 9/11 - and finalize a retaliation plan, known only by its code name: WILD FIRE.
Miracle on 49th Street / Mike Lupica — Josh Cameron has it all: a World Championship ring with the Boston Celtics, an MVP award, a clean-cut image, and the adoration of millions. What he doesn't have is family. Until the day 12-year-old smartaleck Molly Parker confronts him in a parking lot and claims to be his daughter--the only daughter of Jen Parker, Josh's college sweetheart and the still the only girl he's ever loved. Trouble is, Jen Parker died last year, and now Molly has tracked down the father she never knew, the one her mother never wanted her to know about. Josh Cameron cares about two things only: himself, and basketball. The last thing this superstar wants or needs is a 12-year-old daughter. Yet this isn't just any 12-year-old. Mr. World Champion has finally met his match. (Age Range: 9 to 12)
Dear John / Nicholas Sparks — When Savannah Lynn Curtis comes into his life, John Tyree knows he is ready to turn over a new leaf. An angry rebel, he had enlisted in the army after high school, not knowing what else to do. Then, during a furlough, he meets the girl of his dreams. Savannah Lynn Curtis is attending college in North Carolina, working for Habitat for Humanity, and totally unprepared for the passionate attraction she feels for John Tyree. (read a sample chapter)
Forever in blue / Ann Brashares — With unraveled embroidery and fraying hems, the Traveling Pants are back for one last, glorious summer. (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Series, #4; Age Range: Young Adult) (read a sample chapter)
You, on a diet : the owner's manual to waist management / Michael F. Roizen ; Mehmet Oz — will invigorate you with equal parts information, motivation, and change-your-life action to show you how your brain, stomach, hormones, muscles, heart, genetics, and stress levels all interact biologically to determine if your body is the size of a baseball bat or of a baseball stadium. In YOU: On a Diet, Roizen and Oz will redefine what a healthy figure is, then take you through an under-theskin tour of the organs that influence your body's size and its health. You'll even be convinced that the key number to fixate on is not your weight, but your waist size, which best indicates the medical risks of storing too much fat.
The shape shifter / Tony Hillerman — The original case involved a priceless, one-of-a-kind Navajo rug supposedly destroyed in a fire. Suddenly, what looks like the same rug turns up in a magazine spread. And the man who brings the photo to Leaphorn's attention has gone missing. Leaphorn must pick up the threads of a crime he'd thought impossible to untangle. Not only has the passage of time obscured the details, but it also appears that there's a murderer still on the loose. (Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee Series, #18; read a sample chapter)

2/11: New at the library this week

2007-02-11T17:17:00.000-09:00

DVDs:

Malibu's most wanted

Books:

A deeper sleep / Dana Stabenow — When the jury returns a verdict of not guilty, Kate and Jim are devastated, and like the rest of the citizens of Niniltna, Alaska, certain that a man has gotten away with murder. They can’t help but think that it’s only a matter of time before he’s in the frame for another killing. Sure enough, a few weeks later a shooting leaves two dead in an apparent robbery. But this time Kate and Jim have a witness, and they’re not going to let Louis Deem get away again. Or will he? (Kate Shugak Mystery Series, #15)
Running with scissors / Augusten Burroughs — the true story of a boy whose mother (a poet with delusions of Anne Sexton) gave him away to be raised by her unorthodox psychiatrist who bore a striking resemblance to Santa Claus. So at the age of twelve, Burroughs found himself amidst Victorian squalor living with the doctor's bizarre family, and befriending a pedophile who resided in the backyard shed. The story of an outlaw childhood where rules were unheard of, and the Christmas tree stayed up all year round, where Valium was consumed like candy, and if things got dull an electroshock-therapy machine could provide entertainment. (read an exerpt)
On beauty / Zadie Smith — Howard Belsey, a Rembrandt scholar who doesn't like Rembrandt, is an Englishman abroad and a long-suffering professor at Wellington, a liberal New England arts college. He has been married for thirty years to Kiki, an American woman who no longer resembles the sexy activist she once was. Their three children passionately pursue their own paths: Levi quests after authentic blackness, Zora believes that intellectuals can redeem everybody, and Jerome struggles to be a believer in a family of strict atheists. Faced with the oppressive enthusiasms of his children, Howard feels that the first two acts of his life are over and he has no clear plans for the finale. Or the encore.
Welcome to Molly's world, 1944 : growing up in World War Two America / Catherine Gourley — Inside this book you'll see what growing up was like in World War Two America. Take a peek at real letters and diaries of girls and women, soldiers and civilians. Learn about the sacrifices Americans made to help the war effort-children gave up candy, toys, and the foods they liked to eat! Follow the brave women who joined the military, from their basic training to the battlefront. Best of all, join America in a worldwide celebration of peace. (American Girls Collection Series: Molly; Age Range: 7 to 12)
Brimstone / Douglas J. Preston — Art critic Jeremy Grove is found dead, his face frozen in a mask of terror. His body temperature is grotesquely high; he is discovered in a room barricaded from the inside; the smell of brimstone is everywhere...and the unmistakable imprint of a claw is burned into the wall. As more bodies are discovered--their only connection the bizarre but identical manner of death--the world begins to wonder if the Devil has, in fact, come to collect his due. (Special Agent Pendergast Series, #3) (read a sample chapter)
The National Geographic desk reference / National Geographic Society — A full-color desk reference for the millennium, collecting essential, frequently needed information into one accesible volume and offering a multifaceted and comprehensive view of geography. Photos, charts, maps & graphs. 220 full-color illustrations.

Read a book online, free.

2007-02-11T17:12:00.000-09:00

The Gecko and Sticky in...the Villain's Lair by Wendelin Van Draanen is a children's book being published online a chapter at a time. New chapters go up on Mondays and an email notice list is available. The site also features a page for teachers, lots of images from the book, and a special section on "Superhero training." The book is hosted by the Maricopa County Library district. (via A Year of Reading)

Found: dvd

2007-02-11T16:56:00.000-09:00

Did you lose this dvd? It came to us inside the case of another library movie. We'd be happy to return it to you; just stop by the library to pick it up.

1/27: New at the library this week

2007-01-28T12:08:00.000-09:00

DVDs:

Books:

Heritage of Lancaster County / Beverly Lewis — The Shunning, The Confession, The Reckoning (read an exerpt, the front cover flap)
Casa Mexicana / Tim Street-Porter
Downsize this! / Michael Moore — Nothing but the truth is sacred in Michael Moore's hilarious screed on the state of America, Downsize This! With the same in-your-face tenacity that has made him everyman's hero, Moore gets under the skin of corporate giants, politicians, lobbyists, and the media - anyone who has made life tougher for the millions of Americans who are working longer hours for less pay and have had enough. (read an exerpt)
Mexico : architecture, interiors, design / Mark Luscombe-Whyte — From simple rural adobe dwellings and ornately decorated churches to deluxe seaside retreats and high-tech modern structures they explore the evolution of Mexican style from the traditional dwellings of ancient civilizations to the cutting-edge examples of today's most influential architects and designers. (preview table of contents)
Quilts in the tradition of Frank Lloyd Wright / Jackie Robinson — Wright's art glass designs (1900-1923) inspired these quilts. Take a tour with Jackie Robinson as she guides you through construction of your "Wright window" in fabric using machine piecing methods. Directions for 18 projects.
The illustrated atlas of Hawaii / Gavan Daws — Along with detailed, full-color maps, this richly illustrated text brings to life the diverse landscapes and cultures of Hawaii in one concise source. (preview table of contents)
How to design & build decks & patios / Lin Cotton — Shows how to create decks and patios to extend living spaces outdoors. Includes guidelines for developing a design, drawing up a working plan to obtain a permit, and calculating materials needed. Includes complete constructions details for finishing a project.
Converting basements, garages & attics : expanding your usable space easily, attractively & affordably / Roger Dodge Woodson — Found space...that's what this book is all about. You'll learn how to maximize the usable but unfinished areas in your house-including the basement, attic, or garage-as new living space for your growing family, without the expense of a costly addition and without the trouble of moving to a larger house.

1/21: New at the library this week

2007-01-24T17:57:00.000-09:00

Videos:

DVDs:

Books:

True evil / Greg Iles — If you wanted to kill your spouse and get away with it, you had to do something truly ingenious: something that wouldn't even be perceived as murder. And that was the service that Andrew Rusk had found a way to provide. Like any quality product, it did not come cheap. Nor did it come quickly. And perhaps most important of all, it was not for those with weak constitutions. (read a sample chapter)
Cross / James Patterson — Cross's former partner, John Sampson, calls in a favor. He is tracking a serial rapist in Georgetown, one whose brutal modus operandi recalls a case Sampson and Cross worked together years earlier. When the case reveals a connection to [his wife] Maria's death, Cross latches on for the most urgent and terrifying ride of his life. (Alex Cross Series, #12) (read a sample chapter)
That wild berries should grow : the story of a summer / Gloria Whelan — Elsa is a precocious fifth-grade girl who cannot imagine living anywhere but amid the hustle and bustle of busy downtown Detroit. Even in the midst of the Great Depression there are many exciting things to occupy her time. But when the prescription for a sudden illness includes spending the summer at her grandparents’ country cottage beside Lake Huron, Elsa must learn to find excitement in "empty" places. (Age Range: 9 to 12)
The Pox party, volume one (The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation) / M. T. Anderson — It sounds like a fairy tale. He is a boy dressed in silks and white wigs and given the finest of classical educations. Raised by a group of rational philosophers known only by numbers, the boy and his mother - a princess in exile from a faraway land - are the only persons in their household assigned names. As the boy's regal mother, Cassiopeia, entertains the house scholars with her beauty and wit, young Octavian begins to question the purpose behind his guardians' fanatical studies. Only after he dares to open a forbidden door does he learn the hideous nature of their experiments - and his own chilling role in them. (Age Range: Young Adult) (National Book Award winner)(download a study guide from the publisher)
Web of evil / Judith A. Jance — The highway from Los Angeles to the Palm Springs desert is parched, unforgiving, and deadly. In the suffocating stillness of a car trunk, a man — his mouth and hands bound with tape — waits to learn his fate. Fortunately for him, he'll never know. What possible enemy could be bitter enough to commit such a heinous crime? And when will the monster make another move?

Download a free book for your iPod

2007-01-13T16:04:00.000-09:00

Choose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowman comes to life! is available for download in a format that can be read on an iPod, complete with links to each of the story's plot alternatives. The free file download runs through January 25, 2007, and installation instructions are available. (via The Consumerist)

1/6: New at the library this week

2007-01-06T17:20:00.000-09:00

Videos:

Her alibi
Wagons east!
Black hawk down
The horse soldiers
Mission: impossible
My girl
Scent of a woman
Batman returns
Dangerous liasons
World war II : The Stillwell Road; The Nuremberg trials
Family business
Brubaker
Romeo & Juliet
Foul play
Guarding Tess

DVDs:

Books:

The Mephisto Club / Tess Gerritsen — The Latin is scrawled in blood at the scene of a young woman's brutal murder: I HAVE SINNED. It's a chilling Christmas greeting for Boston medical examiner Maura Isles and Detective Jane Rizzoli, who swiftly link the victim to controversial celebrity psychiatrist Joyce O'Donnell-Jane's professional nemesis and member of a sinister cabal called the Mephisto Club. (Jane Rizzoli & Maura Isles Series, #6)
Mannheim Steamroller Christmas : a night like no other / Jill (Jill Parsons) Stern — When Evan Darling realizes that his children have become so focused on gifts that they've completely lost sight of the true meaning of Christmas, he knows he has to do something to help them see the wonder of it all. As a blizzard rages, Evan sits the family down and tells them the extraordinary tale of a young boy's magical experience during another blizzard long ago.
Retro stud : muscle movie posters from around the world / David Chapman
Public radio : behind the voices / Lisa A. Phillips — After adecade of working at public radio stations around the country, Phillips was driven to know more about the people who deliver the news, the conversation and the diverse programs that she and millions of listeners enjoy every day. The result is a collection of personal stories from more than 40 of the most listened to voices in public radio. (read an exerpt)
Stalemate / Iris Johansen — Eve Duncan has turned down the job twice already. Her skill and devotion in identifying murder victims and helping bring their killers to justice may be world-renowned. But Eve works exclusively for law enforcement and the families of the innocent, and the man on the other end of the phone is many things-none of them law-abiding or innocent. (Eve Duncan Series, #7)
The thirteenth tale / Diane Setterfield — Margaret Lea works in her father's antiquarian bookshop where her fascination for the biographies of the long-dead has led her to write them herself. She gets a letter from one of the most famous authors of the day, the mysterious Vida Winter, whose popularity as a writer has been in no way diminished by her reclusiveness. Until now, Vida has toyed with journalists who interview her, creating outlandish life histories for herself - all of them invention. Now she is old and ailing, and at last she wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. Her letter to Margaret is a summons. (read an exerpt)
Lisey's story / Stephen King — Lisey Debusher Landon lost her husband Scott two years ago, after a twenty five year marriage of the most profound and sometimes frightening intimacy. Lisey knew there was a place Scott went -- a place that both terrified and healed him, could eat him alive or give him the ideas he needed in order to live. Now it's Lisey's turn to face Scott's demons, Lisey's turn to go to Boo'ya Moon. What begins as a widow's effort to sort through the papers of her celebrated husband becomes a nearly fatal journey into the darkness he inhabited. (read an exerpt)
Barefoot Contessa at home : everyday recipes you'll make over and over again / Ina Garten — Ina shares her life in East Hampton, the recipes she loves, and her secrets to making guests feel welcome and comfortable.
The innocent man : murder and injustice in a small town / John Grisham — In 1982, a 21-year-old cocktail waitress in Ada named Debra Sue Carter was raped and murdered, and for five years the police could not solve the crime. For reasons that were never clear, they suspected Ron Williamson and his friend Dennis Fritz. The two were finally arrested in 1987 and charged with capital murder. If you believe that in America you are innocent until proven guilty, this book will shock you. If you believe in the death penalty, this book will disturb you. If you believe the criminal justice system is fair, this book will infuriate you.
The Bancroft strategy / Robert Ludlum — When Todd Belknap—a legendary field agent for Consular Operations with a reputation as something of a cowboy— is cut loose from the agency after an operation goes wrong, his best friend and fellow agent is abducted in Lebanon by a militia group with a vicious reputation. When the government refuses to either rescue him or negotiate for his release, Belknap decides to take matters into his own hands.
State of denial / Bob Woodward — examines how the Bush administration avoided telling the truth about Iraq to the public, to Congress, and often to themselves. (read a sample chapter)

Best of 2006: Reading lists for adults and children

2006-12-30T13:23:00.000-09:00

It's typical of the weeks that end the old year and begin the new that everyone who can commit a thought to a shareable medium compiles a list of the best [whatevers] of the year. Libraries, readers, reviewers and bloggers have been thinking back over the year's best reading and posting their lists of the best. Here's a (non-exhaustive) selection:

American Library Assoc.: Notable Books, 2006
Assoc. for Library Service to Children (ALA): 2006 Notable Children's Books
Cybils: The 2006 Children's and YA Bloggers' Literary Awards, including
The Economist: Books of the year 2006
Library Journal: Best Books 2006 , including:
- Best Genre Fiction 2006 (Mystery, Thriller, Romance, SciFi &Fantasy)
- Best How-To 2006
MotherReader: Top Picks for 2006 (So Far)
New York Times: The 10 Best Books of 2006
Publishers Weekly: 100 Best Books of the Year (multiple adult and child genre divisions)
The Seattle Times: Best books of 2006
School Library Journal: Best Books 2006
Time Magazine: 10 Best Books
Washington Post: our editors reveal their favorite reads of 2006
Young Adult Library Services Assoc. (ALA): Best Books for Young Adults 2006 and Teens' Top Ten

See something on these lists that you'd especially like to read? Stop by the library, call, email or leave a comment here on the blog to see if we've already got it in the collection or to ask to add it to our list of potential additions to the collection.

12/23: New at the library this week

2006-12-23T14:49:00.000-09:00

DVDs:

The big valley (Season one)

A song for the season

The Christmas shoes

Cricket on the hearth

The original television Christmas classics (Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, Frosty the snowman, Santa Claus is comin' to town)

The retrievers

The Ponderosa: Comes a horse & The lesser of two evils

The Ponderosa: Brother against brother & Treasure

Franklin's magic Christmas

Return to the secret garden

The penny promise

Rigoletto

Escape from Wildcat Canyon

A fariy tale Christmas

Summer of the monkeys

The princess stallion

Pit pony

A family for Joe

Books:

Runaways : Pride & joy / Brian K. Vaughan — All young people believe their parents are evil … but what if they really are? Meet Alex, Karolina, Gert, Chase, Molly and Nico – whose lives are about to take an unexpected turn. When these six young friends discover their parents are all secretly super-powered villains, the shocked teens find strength in one another. Together, they run away from home and straight into the adventure of their lives – vowing to turn the tables on their evil legacy.
Runaways : Teenage wasteland / Brian K. Vaughan — (Runaways Series, #2) (Age Range: Young Adult)
Runaways : Missing: The good die young / Brian K. Vaughan — The world as we know it is about to end and the Runaways are the only hope to prevent it! But if our fledgling teenage heroes are going to succeed, they may have to become just as evil as their villainous parents. The Runaways have learned how their parents' criminal organization began, and now they must decide how it should end. As the Runaways' epic battle against their evil parents reaches its shocking conclusion, the team's mole stands revealed, and blood must be shed. Which kids will still be standing when the smoke finally clears? This is the story that changes everything (seriously!). (Runaways Series, #3) (Age Range: 12 and up)
Runaways : True believers / Brian K. Vaughan — When a group of teenagers discovers that their parents are actually super-villains, they run away from home... but that's only step one! Now that the evil Pride is gone, nearly every bad guy in the Marvel Universe is trying to fill the power vacuum in Los Angeles, and the Runaways are the only heroes who can stop them! Plus: What does a mysterious new team of young heroes want with the Runaways, and which fan-favorite Marvel characters are part of this group? (Runaways Series, #4) (Age Range: Young Adult)
Runaways : Escape to New York / Brian K. Vaughan — The team's lineup changes forever in the perfect jumping-on point for the series that Wizard said "could be the most original book to focus on teenaged super heroes since Spider-Man debuted all the way back in 1962!" When a dangerous alien invades Los Angeles, the Runaways' own Karolina Dean may be the only hero in the Marvel Universe who can stop him... but at what cost? (Runaways Series, #5) (Age Range: Young Adult)
Gifts / Ursula K. Le Guin — When a young man in the Uplands blinds himself rather than use his gift of "unmaking"--a violent talent shared by members of his family--he upsets the precarious balance of power among rival, feuding families, each of which has a strange and deadly talent of its own. (Age Range: Young Adult)
Voices / Ursula K. Le Guin — Ansul was once a peaceful town filled with libraries, schools, and temples. But that was long ago, and the conquerors of this coastal city consider reading and writing to be acts punishable by death. And they believe the Oracle House, where the last few undestroyed books are hidden, is seething with demons. But to seventeen-year-old Memer, the house is a refuge, a place of family and learning, ritual and memory--the only place where she feels truly safe. (Age Range: Young Adult)
Nature girl / Carl Hiaasen — Honey Santana-impassioned, willful, possibly bipolar, self-proclaimed "queen of lost causes"-has a scheme to help rid the world of irresponsibility, indifference, and dinnertime sales calls.
Naked / David Sedaris — Sedaris's message is pay attention to me. Whether he's taking to the road with a thieving quadriplegic, sorting out the fancy from the extra-fancy in a bleak fruit-packing factory, or celebrating Christmas in the company of a recently paroled prostitute, this collection of memoirs creates a wickedly incisive portrait of an all-too-familiar world.
Three complete novels / Nelson DeMille — (Word of honor, Cathedral, By the rivers of Babylon)
Our bodies, ourselves : a new edition for a new era / Boston Women's Health Book Collective — Read a sample chapter, Table of contents
Arctic lace : knitting projects and stories inspired / Donna Druchunas — Qiviut, or musk ox down, is a world-class fiber--luxurious, warm, and lightweight. People who experience it become obsessed. Qiviut makes perfect hand-knitted lace, as demonstrated by the Alaskan artisans of Oomingmak Musk Ox Producers' Co-op. This book presents how-tos for knitting and designing lace, projects suited to new as well as experienced lace knitters, yarn sources, and comprehensive cultural background.
A photographer's life : 1990-2005 / Annie Leibovitz —"I don't have two lives," Annie Leibovitz writes in the Introduction to this collection of her work from 1990-2005. "This is one life, and the personal pictures and the assignment work are all part of it."

12/16: New at the library this week

2006-12-16T17:32:00.000-09:00

Books:

1001 books you must read before you die / Peter Boxall — For discerning bibliophiles and readers who enjoy unforgettable classic literature, 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die is a trove of reviews covering a century of memorable writing. Each work of literature featured here is a seminal work key to understanding and appreciating the written word. The featured works have been handpicked by a team of international critics and literary luminaries.
On Christmas Eve / Ann M. Martin — Eight-year-old Tess is convinced this is the year she will finally meet Santa, and experience "the Christmas magic." She also wishes with all her heart that her best friend's ill father will recover. Tess' faith in the season results in a Christmas Eve so wondrous, so sparkling, readers won't be able to help but feel transformed.
Toys go out : being the adventures of a knowledgeable Stingray, a toughy little Buffalo, and someone called Plastic / Emily Jenkins — Together is best for these three best friends. Together they look things up in the dictionary, explore the basement, and argue about the meaning of life. And together they face dogs, school, television commercials, the vastness of the sea and the terrifying bigness of the washing machine. (Age Range: 6 to 9)
Crispin : at the edge of the world / Avi — He was a nameless orphan, marked for death by his masters for an unknown crime. Discovering his name -- Crispin -- only intensified the mystery. Then Crispin met Bear, who helped him learn the secret of his full identity. And in Bear -- the enormous, red-bearded juggler, sometime spy, and everyday philosopher -- Crispin also found a new father and a new world. Now Crispin and Bear have set off to live their lives as free men. But they don’t get far before their past catches up with them. (Age Range: 9 to 12)
The book without words : a fable of medieval magic / Avi — The Book Without Words appears to be a volume of blank parchment pages. But for a green-eyed reader filled with great desire, it may reveal the forgotten magical arts of making gold and achieving immortality. For generations, its magic has been protected from those who would exploit it. But on a terrible day of death and destruction, the Book Without Words falls into the hands of a desperate boy. (Age Range: 12 and up)
I will hold you 'til you sleep / Linda Zuckerman — Here is the rare book that not only expresses a parent's love for their child, but offers a hope for what that love will become. It begins with a wish at bedtime, as parents hold their children tight and hope their love will cradle them, safe and sound. It continues through the day their children have grown up, proud and strong, and can pass that love on to someone else. This is a book that goes beyond a parent's "I love you" to the generous wish that our children will make the world a better place. (Age Range: 4 to 8)
Gardening essentials / Barbara Pleasant — Gardening Essentials gives you essential ideas, knowledge, lists, instructions and projects you need to make better gardening decisions and meet your own personal gardening goals, be they big or small or somewhere in between.
The gardener's bird book : a guide to identifying, understanding, and attracting garden birds / Tom Carpenter
Solving garden problems : flowers / A. Cort Sinnes
Perennials / Maggie Oster
The gardener's butterfly book : a guide to identifying, understanding, and attracting garden butterflies / Alan Branhagen
Plant propagation / Alan Toogood
The big book of flowers / A. Cort Sinnes
Better gardens, less work / Barbara Pleasant
Shade gardens / Mimi Luebbermann

12/9: New at the library this week

2006-12-10T07:24:00.000-09:00

Books:

Rise and shine / Anna Quindlen — It's an otherwise ordinary Monday when Meghan Fitzmaurice's perfect life hits a wall. A household name as the host of Rise and Shine, the country's highest-rated morning talk show, Meghan cuts to a commercial break-but not before she mutters two forbidden words into her open mike. In an instant, it's the end of an era, not only for Meghan, who is unaccustomed to dealing with adversity, but also for her younger sister, Bridget, a social worker in the Bronx who has always lived in Meghan's long shadow. The effect of Meghan's on-air truth telling reverberates through both their lives, affecting Meghan's son, husband, friends, and fans, as well as Bridget's perception of her sister, their complex childhood, and herself.
Judge & jury / James Patterson — Senior FBI agent Nick Pellisante is closing in on the notorious mob boss "The Electrician," when the scheduled sting goes spectacularly awry. Two FBI agents are dead, the boss is wounded, and Pellisante vows the Electrician's next move will be from a jail cell. Andie Echeverra, a part-time actress and a single, full-time mom, is assigned her next role as Juror #11 in the landmark trial against Mafia Don Dominic Cavello. Everybody is on edge. No one has ever crossed the man whose orders have made entire families disappear.
Motor mouth / Janet Evanovich — A woman with a taste for speed and a talent for breaking the rules, Barney also knows a little too much about cheating. First there was Hooker and that salesclerk. Now she's convinced one of the competitors is up to no good on the track. Snooping to find evidence, Hooker and Barney "borrow" a NASCAR hauler. Turns out, the hauler is carrying two race cars and a dead guy. Now Barney and Hooker are facing multiple counts of grand theft auto and homicide.
Triptych / Karin Slaughter — From Atlanta's wealthiest suburbs to its stark inner-city housing projects, a killer has crossed the boundaries of wealth and race. And the people who are chasing him must cross those boundaries, too. Among them is Michael Ormewood, a veteran detective whose marriage is hanging by a thread- and whose arrogance and explosive temper are threatening his career. And Angie Polaski, a beautiful vice cop who was once Michael's lover before she became his enemy. But unbeknownst to both of them, another player has entered the game: a loser ex-con who has stumbled upon the killer's trail in the most coincidental of ways- and who may be the key to breaking the case wide open.
Thirteen moons / Charles Frazier — At the age of twelve, under the Wind moon, Will is given a horse, a key, and a map, and sent alone into the Indian Nation to run a trading post as a bound boy. It is during this time that he grows into a man, learning, as he does, of the raw power it takes to create a life, to find a home. In a card game with a white Indian named Featherstone, Will wins - for a brief moment - a mysterious girl named Claire, and his passion and desire for her spans this novel.
Pirate Island adventure / Peggy Parish — Summer vacation at Pirate Island! Liza, Bill, and Jed can't believe their grandparents' wonderful surprise. The excitement begins even before they reach the island, as Grandpa gives the first clue to the unsolved mystery of a long-lost family "treasure." (Age Range: 7 to 10)
Chomps, Flea, and Gray Cat (that's me!) / Carol Wallace — Jealous? Me? Well...maybe a little. My people got a new white puppy named Chomps. That's because he bits at everything, especially flies. What could a gray cat—me—want with a Scottish terrier, anyway? The little nipper got into some trouble with the big rats in the barn. It was partly my fault. So...I had to save him. Problem is, now I can't get rid of him. What am I supposed to do with a dog who's determined to get himself into trouble. (Thats Me Series; Age Range: 8 to 10) (read a sample chapter)
Carlotta's kittens and the Club of Mysteries / Phyllis Reynolds Naylor — It is the coldest part of winter and all of the male cats in the Club of Mysteries — which meets over Murphy's garage — have one thing on their minds: Carlotta. Has anyone seen the she-cat that they all adore? Has she had her kittens yet? Because they all know that once Carlotta and her kittens appear, it will be their job not only to protect the young ones from the dangers of the world — including being discovered and taken to the pound — but also to teach them the skills they'll need to survive. (Cat Pack Series; Age Range: 8 to 10)
The Van Gogh Cafe / Cynthia Rylant — The Van Gogh Cafe, located in Flowers, Kansas, has magic in its walls, causing strange and mysterious events to occur there. (Age Range: 8 to 12)
Akiko on the planet Smoo / Mark Crilley — When fourth grader Akiko finds a spacecraft hovering outside her window one night, she begins the adventure of a lifetime. She is whisked off to the planet Smoo to lead a team searching for the King of Smoo's kidnapped son. Akiko the head of a rescue mission? She's afraid to be on the school's safety patrol! (what's a graphic novel?)
The chameleon wore chartreuse : from the tattered casebook of Chet Gecko, private eye / Bruce Hale — Chet Gecko loves a good mystery. Almost more than he loves his fee —stinkbug pie. So when fellow fourth grader Shirley Chameleon asks him to find her missing brother, Billy, Chet expects the case to be as easy as pie. But Billy's disappearance is part of a larger plot, one that involves the Rat Sisters, a riddling junkyard dog, and a vicious Gila monster named Herman. If Chet doesn't solve the case fast, the entire school could be humiliated. Worst of all, Chet might not get his fee. And Chet's hungry.... (Chet Gecko Mysteries Series; Age Range: Young Adult)
The trouble with Tuck / Theodore Taylor — Helen adored her beautiful golden Labrador from the first moment he was placed in her arms, a squirming fat sausage of creamy yellow fur. As her best friend, Friar Tuck waited daily for Helen to come home from school and play. He guarded her through the long, scary hours of the dark night. Twice he even saved her life. Now it's Helen's turn. No one can say exactly when Tuck began to go blind. Probably the light began to fail for him long before the alarming day when he raced after some cats and crashed through the screen door, apparently never seeing it. But from that day on, Tuck's trouble—and how to cope with it—becomes the focus of Helen's life. (Age Range: 9 to 12) (read an excerpt)
The seven treasure hunts / Betsy Byars — Two boys make up a series of treasure hunts for each other, with disastrous and hilarious results. (Age Range: 9) (read an excerpt)
Our only May Amelia / Jennifer L. Holm — It isn't easy being a pioneer in the state of Washington in 1899, but it's particularly hard when you are the only girl ever born in the new settlement. With seven older brothers and a love of adventure, May Amelia Jackson just can't seem to abide her family's insistence that she behave like a Proper Young Lady. Not when there's fishing to be done, sheep to be herded, and real live murderers to be captured! May is sure she could manage better if only there were at least one other girl living along the banks of the Nasel River. And now that Mama's going to have a baby, maybe there's hope.... (Age Range: 9 to 12) (read an excerpt)

2006 best reading and gift book lists

2006-12-07T11:17:00.000-09:00

The end of the year is notable for the publication on all sorts of summing-the-year-up lists, not the least of which are compilations of the year's best books. The Waterboro Public Library in Maine has published a great list of the best books of the year and best holiday gift books to get you started.

12/2: New at the library this week

2006-12-07T11:08:00.000-09:00

Videos:

DVDs:

Books:

Murder below zero / Ronald P. Lovell — Professor and sometime amateur sleuth Thomas Martindale leaves campus to sign on as a science writer for a research expedition to the Arctic for a change of pace from the often mundane world of the university. The work is unique: an attempt to study ice as a tool for national security. Soon after the members of the team board a U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker for the journey to their base—a remote island in the Beaufort Sea—Russian scientists join the group with unpleasant consequences. (read a sample chapter)
The end / Lemony Snicket — This book is the last in A Series of Unfortunate Events, and even if you braved the previous twelve volumes, you probably can't stand such unpleasantries as a fearsome storm, a suspicious beverage, a herd of wild sheep, an enormous bird cage, and a truly haunting secret about the Baudelaire parents. (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #13)(Age Range: 9 to 12) (read a sample chapter)
The life and times of the thunderbolt kid / Bill Bryson — Bill Bryson's first travel book opened with the immortal line, "I come from Des Moines. Somebody had to." In this hilarious new memoir, he travels back to explore the kid he once was and the weird and wonderful world of 1950s America. He modestly claims that this is a book about not very much: about being small and getting much larger slowly. But for the rest of us, it is a laugh-out-loud book that will speak volumes - especially to anyone who has ever been young.
Happy feet : the movie storybook — Little Mumble isn't like the other penguins--he loves to dance! When the penguin elders blame Mumble's unique "happy feet" for the shortage of food, Mumble bravely sets off on an epic quest to prove them wrong . (Age Range: 3 to 6)
Santa cruise / Mary Higgins Clark — Alvirah Meehan, the lottery winner turned amateur sleuth; her husband, Willy; recently hitched private detective Regan Reilly and her groom, Jack, head of the NYPD Major Case Squad; and Regan's parents, Nora and Luke, are guests on the Royal Mermaid's maiden voyage, the Santa Cruise. The cruise is Commodore Randolph Weed's gift to a select group of people who in the last year "made the world a better place." What he really wants is good publicity that will generate future bookings for his struggling new venture. He also plans to scatter his beloved mother's ashes at sea during this four-day odyssey in the Caribbean. What he doesn't know is that his ne'er-do-well nephew, Eric, has smuggled two escaping criminals on board. (read a sample)

11/18: New at the library this week

2006-11-18T17:01:00.000-09:00

Videos:

Wallace & Gromit: A grand day out
Wallace & Gromit: A close shave
Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers

DVDs:

Books:

More bitter than death / Dana Cameron — In an historic, if isolated, New England hotel, some of the most respected names in archaeology are coming together to celebrate the work of Julius Garrison, a legend in the field. It's a conference Emma Fielding is determined to attend -- braving a furious winter storm to get there -- even though Garrison is no friend to her or her family.And when the honoree's lifeless body is discovered outside the snow-bound inn, Emma suddenly finds she is a murder suspect, along with a surprising number of the other guests.
Missing justice / Alafair Burke — Newly promoted Deputy District Attorney Samantha Kincaid's first assignment back after a much-needed vacation is a hot one: Judge Clarissa Easterbrook has gone missing from a wealthy Portland neighborhood, and Sam has to make the DA look good until the prodigal judge returns. Yet it soon becomes clear that the woman didn't vanish voluntarily-and it's no surprise when her bludgeoned body turns up at a local construction site. (Samantha Kincaid Series, #2)
Good-bye, Boise—hello, Alaska : True Story of a Family's Move to a Remote Island Ranch / Cora Holmes
Antarctica : both heaven and hell / Reinhold Messner — Detailed account of Reinhold Messner's and Arved Fuchs' 1,800-mile, 92-day journey on foot across Antarctica.

11/4: New at the library this week

2006-11-04T18:11:00.000-09:00

Audiobooks

Because of Winn-Dixie / Kate DiCamillo

Books:

Short straw / Stuart Woods — reintroduces Santa Fe lawyer Ed Eagle, who first appeared in Woods's 1992 thriller, Santa Fe Rules. In his first adventure, Ed fell in love with the seductive Barbara Kennerly, and married her — against his better judgment. Turns out that Ed should have listened to his intuition. Ed Eagle awakens the morning after his fortieth birthday to find that Barbara has vanished, and Ed's money — from his business, his bank, and his brokerage accounts — has been wired to the Cayman Islands.
Snow treasure / Marie McSwigan — In the bleak winter of 19 0, Nazi troops parachuted into Peter Lindstrom's tiny Norwegian village and held it captive. Nobody thought the Nazis could be defeated--until Uncle Victor told Peter how the children could fool the enemy. It was a dangerous plan. They had to slip past Nazi guards with nine million dollars in gold hidden on their sleds. It meant risking their country's treasure--and their lives. (Age Range: 8 to 11)
Stormbreaker: The Graphic Novel / Anthony Horowitz — They told him his uncle died in a car accident. Fourteen-year-old Alex knows that's a lie, and the bullet holes in his uncle's windshield confirm his suspicions. But nothing prepares him for the news that the uncle he always thought he knew was really a spy for MI6—Britain's top secret intelligence agency. Recruited to find his uncle's killers and complete his final mission, Alex suddenly finds himself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Now is your chance to see this book visualized in a brand-new format, with bold, edgy, manga-like illustrations that bring Alex Rider to life in a way not seen before.(Alex Rider Series; Age Range: Young Adult)
Ghosthunters and the Gruesome Invincible Lightning Ghost! / Cornelia Caroline Funke — Hugo, still an Averagely Spooky Ghost, and Hetty Hyssop, world-renowned ghosthunter, have formed an agency dedicated to dealing with difficult apparitions. No case can defeat them--until they encounter a Gruesome Invincible Lightning Ghost. This smoking specter has claimed the penthouse suite of a beachfront hotel, where it passes its eternal vacation by turning guests into ghosts themselves. Could Hugo's slime douse the flaming phantom--or are Tom and the team about to get burned? ( Ghosthunters Series, #2; Age Range: 7 to 10)
Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost / Cornelia Caroline Funke — Nine-year-old Tom can't catch a break: He's a klutz, his sister Lola pretty much hates his guts, and--and this is a BIG "and"--he just found a ghost camping out in his cellar. Lucky for Tom his grandma's best friend just happens to be the world's foremost ghosthunter. Under her expert tutelage, Tom learns the tools of the trade--which just happen to include buckets of graveyard dirt--and soon finds he has to face down not just the Averagely Spooky Ghost (ASG) in his basement but the Incredibly Revolting Ghost (IRG) in town. ( Ghosthunters Series, #1; Age Range: 7 to 10)
Sugar sugar rune 1 / Moyoko Anno — Chocolat and Vanilla are young witch princesses from a magical land. They've come to earth to compete in a contest - whichever girl captures the most hearts will become a queen! Living in a boarding school, they must make as many boys fall in love with them as possible if they want to achieve their goal. Standing against them are a pair of rival princes looking to capture their hearts because they want to be kings! (publisher's preview)
Sugar sugar rune 2 / Moyoko Anno — Chocolat's problems in the Human World continue, as sweet and modest Vanilla wins many admirers. But there's more at stake than a contest when Chocolat learns something shocking about Pierre, the boy she's falling for. It is a secret that threatens Chocolat's life and forces her to return to the Magic World to uncover a truth no one in the Kingdom wants to discuss. Worse still, as the challenge heats up, the two best friends find themselves drifting apart and their friendship on the verge of ending!(wikipedia entry)
Havana Bay / Martin Cruz Smith — The body, what was left of it, was drifting in Havana Bay the morning Arkady arrived from Moscow. Only the day before, he had received an urgent message from the Russian embassy in Havana saying that his friend Pribluda was missing and asking that he come. (Arkady Renko Series, #4)
Lights out tonight / Mary Jane Behrends Clark — As KEY News film and theater critic, Caroline Enright knows her opinions have influenced the box office habits of millions of Americans. She has taken her fair share of irate phone calls, and even an occasional threat, from disgruntled movie producers and agents angered over her reviews. But she is unprepared when her trip to the Warrenstown Summer Playhouse is interrupted by murder.
Braids & bows / Anne Akers Johnson
Beautiful braids : an illustrated step-by-step guide / Judy Rambert
Album of horses / Marguerite Henry — The award-winning author of the wonderful stories Misty of Chincoteague, King of the Wind, and Brighty of the Grand Canyon, Marguerite Henry describes in vivid detail the hardworking Shire, the elegant Lipizzan, the spirited Mustang, and many more. Never before have facts about horses been more accessible, and with Wesley Dennis's classic illustrations highlighting every page, this unique collection is sure to be treasured by horse lovers of all ages. (Age Range: 7 to 10)
Just dogs : a literary and photographic tribute to the great hunting breeds — a memorial, a literary and photographic tribute, to those dogs living and gone who have graced the lives of hunters. Here are evocative photographs, literary excerpts, and stories that recreate scenes and events that all who have ever hunted with a favorite dog can recall.
Past malice / Dana Cameron — Asked to join in a dig at the site of the eighteenth–century Chandler House, archaeologist Emma Fielding and her student crew have descended upon Stone Harbor, Massachusetts. But certain residents of the tiny coastal community are none too happy about Emma's arrival -- especially when her excavation uncovers a pair of freshly slain corpses.
A fugitive truth / Dana Cameron — The opportunity of a lifetime awaits archaeologist Emma Fielding in the Berkshire foothills of Western Massachusetts: the chance to study the eighteenth-century diary of Margaret Chandler, the accused witch and murderess whose home Emma excavated only months before. However, the three other Shrewsbury Foundation fellows she must share the premises with are a disturbingly odd bunch, and before too long one of them is dead.

10/28: New at the library this week

2006-10-30T11:14:00.000-09:00

Books:

All mortal flesh / Julia Spencer-Fleming — Police Chief Russ Van Alstyne's first encounter with Clare Fergusson was in the hospital emergency room on a freezing December night. A newborn infant had been abandoned on the town's Episcopal church steps. If Russ had known that the church had a new priest, he certainly would never have guessed that it would be a woman. Not a woman like Clare. (Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Series, #5)
Act of treason / Vince Flynn — It's a gorgeous autumn day in Georgetown. The Democratic candidates for president and vice president of the United States are dutifully glad-handing voters and the media outside a grand estate where a national security conference has just been held, bringing together the world's greatest minds to discuss the issues that are threatening the country. It's American politicking at its best. That's when all hell breaks loose.
The collectors / David Baldacci — The assassination of the Speaker of the House sets the members of the Camel Club in a race to prevent a silent yet bloody coup in Washington (Camel Club Series, #2)
Maternal fitness : preparing for the marathon of labor / Julie Tupler — If you're newly pregnant, you're probably watching your diet carefully, getting plenty of rest, and preparing for the arrival of your new baby. You're also thinking about the big day itself and what the experience of labor will be like. Even if you're following a regular fitness program, you'll want to do everything you can to strengthen and prepare your body for the rigors of labor. Maternal Fitness features clearly illustrated exercises that focus specifically on the muscle groups you'll use throughout labor, especially the transverse abdominals - the stomach muscles that play a critical role during delivery.
The old iron road : an epic of rails, roads, and the urge to go West / David Haward Bain — From Omaha to San Francisco, Bain and his family retraced the entire route of the first transcontinental railroad. Following abandoned railroad tracks and the traces of old wagon trails, cruising down back roads and main streets, they discovered the deep, restless, uniquely American spirit of adventure that connects our past to our present.
Drawing on the right side of the brain : a course in enhancing creativity and artistic confidence / Betty Edwards — the world's most widely used drawing instruction book
Voices of South Africa : growing up in a troubled land / Carolyn Meyer — The author recounts her visit to South Africa where she interviewed numerous young people, both black and white, to find out what growing up is like in a country torn apart by racial strife. (Age Range: 12)

10/21: New at the library this week

2006-10-22T09:04:00.000-08:00

DVDs:

Books:

Invasive plants of Alaska
Chicken soup for the gardener's soul/ Jack L. Canfield — Whether you're a master gardener, a struggling beginner, or someone who appreciates all things green, Chicken Soup for the Gardener's Soul will brighten your day and lift your spirit like the first crocus of spring.
Under orders / Dick Francis — Sadly, death at the races is not uncommon. However, three in a single afternoon was sufficiently unusual to raise more than one eyebrow. It's the third death on Cheltenham Gold Cup Day that really troubles super-sleuth Sid Halley.
The king of lies / John Hart — When Work Pickens finds his father murdered, the investigation pushes a repressed family history to the surface and he sees his own carefully constructed façade begin to crack. Work's troubled sister, her combative girlfriend, his gold digging socialite wife, and an unrequited lifelong love join a cast of small town characters that create no shortage of drama in this extraordinary, fast-paced suspense novel.
The widow / Carla Neggers — Four days after Abigail Browning's wedding, her life changed in a way she never expected: her husband was shot, meeting his death along the rocky Mount Desert Island coast. Was it a random act of violence, or could someone have wanted Christopher dead? That's the question that has haunted Abigail, now a homicide detective, for the past seven years. As determined as ever to find her husband's killer, she returns to the foggy Maine island -- and the home she has inherited there.
On, off / Colleen McCullough — At the heart of this brilliant blend of suspense, forensic science, eerie and sadistic sexuality, and good old-fashioned storytelling is a dedicated but lonely detective, Lieutenant Carmine Delmonico. The year is 1965, the setting a university town in Connecticut, and serial killers are still referred to as "multiple murderers." Profiling hasn't even begun, so Delmonico has to go it alone on a frantic learning curve that has the killer always two steps ahead of him.
One drop of blood / Thomas Holland — As the director of the Department of the Army's Central Identification Laboratory, Robert Dean "Kel" McKelvey has made a career solving some of the country's most complex identification cases. But after fifteen years at the CIL, Kel is fast approaching emotional meltdown. And that's when he encounters his thorniest case yet: the recovery of Jimmie Carl Trimble, a soldier from Arkansas who died a hero's death during the Vietnam War.
Artemis Fowl : the eternity code / Eoin Colfer — Ever the resourceful young criminal mastermind, Artemis has found a way to construct a supercomputer from stolen fairy technology. Called the "C Cube," it will render all existing human technology obsolete. Artemis then arranges a meeting with a Chicago businessman, Jon Spiro, to offer to suppress the Cube for one year in return for gold, his favorite substance. But the meeting is a trap. (Artemis Fowl Series, #3) (Age Range: 9 to 12
Artemis Fowl : the lost colony / Eoin Colfer — Artemis Fowl, teenage criminal mastermind, has solved temporal equations that no human can. So when a confused and frightened demon pops up in a Sicilian theatre, Artemis is there to meet him. Unfortunately, a second mysterious party has also solved the equations and has managed to abduct the demon. (Artemis Fowl Series, #5) (Age Range: 9 to 12)
Artemis Fowl / Eoin Colfer — When a twelve-year-old evil genius tries to restore his family fortune by capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold, the fairies fight back with magic, technology, and a particularly nasty troll. (Artemis Fowl Series, #1) (Age Range: 9 to 12)
Artemis Fowl : the opal deception / Eoin Colfer — Artemis is in Munich preparing to steal a famously well-guarded painting from a German bank. Little does he know that his every move is being watched by his old rival, Opal Koboi. The evil pixie has spent the last year in a self-induced coma, plotting her revenge on all those who foiled her attempt to destroy the LEPrecon fairy police. And Artemis is at the top of her list. (Artemis Fowl Series, #4) (Age Range: 9 to 12)
Artemis Fowl : the Arctic incident / Eoin Colfer — Artemis is at boarding school in Ireland when he suddenly receives an urgent video e-mail from Russia. In it is a plea from his father, who has been kidnapped by the Russian Mafiya. As Artemis rushes to his rescue, he is stopped by Captain Holly Short of the Leprecon fairy police. But this time, instead of battling the fairies, he is going to have to join forces with them if he wants to save one of the few people in the world he loves. (Artemis Fowl Series, #2) (Age Range: 9 to 12)
The Artemis Fowl files / Eoin Colfer — Two original short stories, plus puzzles, interviews with characters, and other writings that unlock secrets of the Artemis Fowl books, which feature a twelve-year-old evil genius and his dealings with fairies and other magical beings. (Artemis Fowl Series) (Age Range: 9 to 12)
Snow blind / P. J. Tracy — With the holidays over and the long cold winter looming, January can be a bleak month in Minneapolis. So what better way to bring a little cheer to the good people of the city than by sponsoring an old-fashioned snowman-building contest? In a matter of hours, a local park is filled with the innocent laughter of children and their frosty creations. But things take an awful turn when the dead bodies of police officers are discovered inside two of the snowmen - sending the entire department and Detectives Magozzi and Rolseth on high alert.
The saddlemaker's wife / Earlene Fowler — Ruby McGavin isn't quite sure what she's doing in the small town of Cardinal. After the death of her husband, Cole, Ruby is shocked to learn from his will that she had inherited part of a cattle ranch in the rustic grasslands of Tokopah County, California. But she is even more surprised to find out that the family he claimed died years ago is very much alive.
The river killings / Merry Bloch Jones — Zoe Hayes, a divorced art therapist with a six-year-old adopted daughter, returns with another gripping tale set in Philadelphia, this time taking place on the famous Boathouse Row. On summer vacation from her job as an art therapist, Zoe takes a sculling class for fun with her best friend, Susan Cummings. One evening, while her daughter, Molly, waits with Susan's children at the boathouse on the banks of the Schuylkill River, Zoe rows off with Susan to practice for an upcoming regatta. When Susan's oar catches on some flotsam (which turns out to be a woman's dress), the boat flips, and the two find themselves in deep waters with not just one but an entire throng of floating bodies.
Mercy Watson fights crime / Kate DiCamillo — Leroy Ninker is a small man with a big dream: he wants to be a cowboy, but for now he's just a thief. In fact, Leroy is robbing the Watsons' kitchen right this minute! (Age Range: 6 to 8)
Mercy Watson goes for a ride / Kate DiCamillo — Mr. and Mrs. Watson's porcine wonder, Mercy, loves nothing more than a ride in the car. It takes a fair amount of nudging and bribing and a "You are such a good sport, darling" to get the portly pig out of the driver's seat, but once the convertible is on the road, Mercy loves the feel of the wind tickling her ears and the sun on her snout. (Age Range: 6 to 8)
Mercy Watson to the rescue / Kate DiCamillo — To Mr. and Mrs. Watson, Mercy is not just a pig -- she's a porcine wonder. And to the portly and good-natured Mercy, the Watsons are an excellent source of buttered toast, not to mention that buttery-toasty feeling she gets when she snuggles into bed with them. This is not, however, so good for the Watsons' bed. (Age Range: 6 to 8)
I'll be seeing you / Jerry Borrowman
The last spymaster / Gayle Lynds — Charles "Jay" Tice was a spy's spy. The chief of the CIA's elite Clandestine Services, he was a legend throughout the world of international intelligence. But secretly he was also a traitor, reputedly selling information that will seriously compromise the security of the United States for decades to come. Since his treachery was exposed, Tice has been kept under strict surveillance in a maximum security prison. Then one morning, his cell is discovered empty.
Temping fate / Esther Friesner — Temping Fate by Esther Friesner - Until she stumbled upon the Divine Relief Temp Agency, Ilana Newhouse was having a hard time finding a summer job. But when she reports for her first day as a temp, Ilana discovers why Divine Relief isn't shy about hiring someone a little left of ordinary. Ilana, is temping for the extraordinary, life- controlling, Greek mythological goddesses, the Fates. Now her summer is going to be less about surviving a stuffy office and more about avoiding being turned into a pig, or worse! (Ages 12 and up)

9/23: New at the library this week

2006-09-23T17:08:00.000-08:00

Videos:

DVDs:

Young Adam
The black & blue collection
Gardens of stone
About Schmidt
The rats
Mazes and monsters
Skeleton man
Waterborne
Muhammad Ali : through the eyes of the world
Bats
The grudge
Man on the moon
Best of Gallagher : Volume 1
Young Ivanhoe

Books:

Slim to none / Taylor Smith — After losing custody of her young son, security specialist Hannah Nicks has one goal: earn enough money to retire and raise her child. The fastest way to accomplish that is to take on a covert, privately funded mission in the Middle East, and in a war fueled more by money than morality, Hannah is on only one side—her own.
The five lost aunts of Harriet Bean / Alexander McCall Smith — Alexander McCall Smith takes readers into the world of 9-year-old Harriet, who lives alone with her father, an absentminded inventor of extraordinary but useless things. When Harriet's father tells her one day that she has five aunts-his sisters-that he's never told her about before, and with whom he tragically lost touch in childhood, Harriet is delighted, and determined to track down each of her colourful aunts one-by-one. (Harriet Bean Series #1, Age Range: 7 to 9)
Harriet Bean and the League of Cheats / Alexander McCall Smith — Harriet is invited to help her two mind-reading detective aunts, Thessalonika and Japonica, investigate serious cheating in the world of horse racing. Cunningly disguised by Aunt Thessalonika as a jockey, 9-year-old Harriet works to uncover the dastardly deeds of the unscrupulous League of Cheats. (Harriet Bean Series #2, Age Range: 7 to 9)
The book of fate / Brad Meltzer — A two-hundred-year-old code devised by Thomas Jefferson becomes the key to a present-day conspiracy at the highest levels of Washington and the power elite of Palm Beach.
Bread Alone : bold fresh loaves from your own hands / Daniel Leader, Judith Blahnik — In a richly told tale, Leader chronicles his crossings of America and Europe to locate the most vital ingredients at the source, to learn from the methods of the world's great bakers, and to perfect their traditional techniques. His recipes are ones that have been used for centuries: large sourdough ryes, rich and dark raisin pumpernickel loaves, real French pain au levain, big round wheats with walnuts, crusty baguettes, high and airy breads, and more.
Changeling / Delia Sherman — Neef is a changeling, a human baby stolen by fairies and replaced with one of their own. She lives in "New York Between," a parallel Manhattan of elves, fairies, demons, and mythological spirits. Neef has always been protected by her (rat) nursemaid,Astris, until she winds up breaking Fairy Law. Now, unless she can meet the challenge of the Lady of Central Park, she'll be sacrificed to the bloodthirsty Wild Hunt. But Neef is a native New Yorker, streetwise and sharp, and she's determined to beat the rap.
Hinduism and other Eastern religions: worship, festivals, and ceremonies from around the world / Trevor Barnes — World Faiths: Hinduism and Other Eastern Religions explores the major religions of the Eastern world, including Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism. From Hindu gods and goddesses to life in a Buddhist monastery, it reveals the origins of each religion, the key elements of its belief systems, and the appeal of Eastern religions to the West. (Age Range: 12 and up)
Islam : worship, festivals, and ceremonies from around the world / Trevor Barnes — Islam is practiced by almost one billion Muslims worldwide. World Faiths: Islam covers the life and teachings of the prophet Muhammad, as well as the development and history of Islam, the sacred text of the Koran, and important geographic locations like Mecca and Medina. This beautifully illustrated book also presents the crowning achievements of Islamic art and a fascinating survey of Islamic customs. (Age Range: 12 and up)
Christianity : worship, festivals, and ceremonies from around the world / Trevor Barnes Christianity is practiced by almost a third of the world's population. World Faiths: Christianity tells the story of Jesus and examines how different festivals, including Christmas and Easter, are celebrated around the globe. It also explores the many divisions within Christianity, as well as the architecture of the world's great cathedrals and churches. (Age Range: 12 and up)
Judaism : worship, festivals, and ceremonies from around the world / Trevor Barnes — From the early history of Judaism to the festivals celebrated today, World Faiths: Judaism is the definitive guide to the world's oldest monotheistic religion. All of the significant events, including the destruction of the Temple and the Diaspora, are vividly recounted. The importance of tradition—both written and oral—and the central role of worship in Jewish life are covered, as well as key rituals and celebrations such as the Passover meal. (Age Range: 12 and up)
The weight of water / Anita Shreve — On a small island off the New Hampshire coast in 1873, two women were brutally murdered by an unknown assailant. A third woman survived the attack, hiding in a sea cave until dawn. More than a century later, a photographer, Jean, comes to the island to shoot a photo-essay about the legendary crime.
At home with Michael Chiarello : easy entertaining, recipes, ideas, inspiration / Michael Chiarello — Celebrated television, cookbook, and restaurant chef Michael Chiarello is a master of simple, casually elegant cooking—and a fabulous host. In this cookbook—packed with great recipes, gorgeous photographs, and inspiring entertaining ideas—he shares his secrets for celebrating in style (and having fun doing it too!).

9/16: New at the library this week

2006-09-21T16:15:00.000-08:00

Videos:

DVDs:

Books:

Water for elephants / Sara Gruen — When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, grifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town.
Peter and the Starcatchers / Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson — Discover richly developed characters in the sweet but sophisticated Molly, the scary but familiar Black Stache, and the fearless Peter. Treacherous battles with pirates, foreboding thunderstorms at sea, and evocative writing immerse the reader in a story that slowly and finally reveals the secrets and mysteries of the beloved Peter Pan. (Peter Pan Series)
Peter and the shadow thieves / Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson — Peter leaves the relative safety of Mollusk Island - along with his trusted companion, Tinker Bell - for the cold, damp, dangerous streets of London. On a difficult journey across the sea, he and Tink discover the dark and deadly slithering part-man/part-creature Lord Ombra, who is intent on recovering the missing starstuff - celestial dust that contains unimagined powers. (Peter Pan Series)
Behind the curtain / Peter Abrahams — In echo falls you never know what's coming next -- and everyone has a secret. Things are amiss at 99 Maple Lane: Ingrid's dad's job is in jeopardy, but he won't explain why. Ingrid's brother, Ty, is getting buff -- really buff -- but when Ty starts getting moody, Ingrid wonders if there's more to his physical fitness than lifting weights. Meanwhile, Ingrid's beloved soccer coach is replaced by an icy newcomer named Julia LeCaine, who seems a little too savvy to be in it for the post game pizza. True to her hero, Sherlock Holmes, Ingrid begins fishing around to find out who's really pulling the strings in Echo Falls. Age Range: 12 and up (Echo Falls Mystery Series, #2)
The rookie club / Danielle Girard — A seasoned inspector in the Sex Crimes department, Jamie Vail is on a terrifying case: female officers brutalized by a stranger who leaves no clues to his identity and whose sick game is turning into a deadly vendetta. As she hunts a killer, who could be one of their own, Jamie's time is running out-because she's the killer's ultimate prize.
This dame for hire / Sandra Scoppettone — New York, 1943. Almost anything in pants has gone to serve Uncle Sam in the war - including Woody Mason, the head of a detective agency in midtown Manhattan. Left to run the show is his secretary, Faye Quick, who signed on to be a steno, not a shamus. At twenty-six and five foot four, there's not much to Faye, but she's got moxie - which she'll need when she stumbles over a dead girl in the street and takes on her first murder case. (Faye Quick Series, #1)
The 5th horseman James Patterson — Somebody dies. A young mother is recuperating in a San Francisco hospital when she is suddenly gasping for breath. The call button fails to bring help in time. The hospital's doctors, some of the best in the nation, are completely mystified by her death. How did this happen? Apocalypse nears. This is not the first such case at the hospital. Just as patients are about to be released with a clean bill of health, their conditions take a devastating turn for the worse. (Women's Murder Club Series, #5)
The complete book of boat electronics / Ernest A. Zadig —
Long shadows / Susan Saxton D'Aoust — Story of the MacTavish family, set in Alaska

Help us make the best use of your donations

2006-09-10T10:51:00.000-08:00

While the library is very pleased to receive donations of books that expand our collection in identified areas of need or that can be sold to augment our grant funding, there are things donors can do to help us take best advantage of your donations.

Please call in advance (or drop by when we're open) to see if we want and can use your particular donations. There are many types of books or books in certain conditions that we cannot accept and our space for warehousing unwanted books is extremely limited. Other recipients might be better able to make use of your donations, and we can help guide you to some of these.
Please call in advance (or drop by when we're open) to arrange a time for dropoff. Our library is staffed only a few hours and days a week. When you drop items at other times, books may become damaged or they may be beyond the physical capabilities of a particular volunteer to move. Big bundles of books dropped into the book return only damage our library materials and become weather-damaged themselves. Recently, a very large donation was left outside the library, without notice, for days in boxes too large for our volunteers to lift once they did discover them. In that time, the books became weather-damaged as well as suffering from the territorial marking practices of local dogs. Would you want to read these books or have your children read them? What a sad waste, and one that could have been prevented with a phone call.
These are some donation types we welcome:
- current or popular authors, fiction or nonfiction, in hard cover or trade (large format) paperback editions
- any Alaskana titles
- children's titles in good condition
- movies on videotape or DVD with original packaging in good condition
- music or book CDs or cassettes with original packaging in good condition
These are some donation types that we regretfully cannot make use of:
- books damaged by water, damp, mildew, smoke, mold, animal gnawing, food, or with torn pages or scribblings
- textbooks
- regular (small) format paperbacks, although you are welcome to add them to the paperback trade carousel in the hall outside the library (please don't just drop them on the floor for volunteers to put away)
- encyclopedia sets
- large back issue collections of magazines
- instructional videos that came with building supplies or appliances
- homemade/home-recorded videotapes or ripped DVDs/CDs

Remember—all it takes is a quick call or visit to make sure that we're the best recipient for your donations and can make good use of them once you deliver them. Our phone numbers, email address and open hours are at the head of this page and posted on the library door. And if we can't use your donations, we'll be happy to make suggestions for other good uses of these items. Like you, we don't want to see them go to waste.

9/9: New at the library this week

2006-09-09T11:33:00.000-08:00

DVDs:

Memoirs of a geisha

Books:

Why Darwin matters : the case against intelligent design / Michael Shermer —A creationist-turned-scientist demonstrates the facts of evolution and exposes Intelligent Design's real agenda.
Digging to America / Anne Tyler —In what is perhaps her richest and most deeply searching novel, Anne Tyler gives us a story about what it is to be an American, and about Maryam Yazdan, who after thirty-five years in this country must finally come to terms with her 'outsiderness.'
Copper River / William Kent Krueger —This book finds Cork O'Connor running for his life from professional hit men who have already put a bullet through his leg. Desperate, he finds sanctuary outside a small town called Bodine on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in an old resort owned by his cousin, Jewell DuBois. (Cork O'Connor Mystery Series)
Crime beat : a decade of covering cops and killers / Michael Connelly —Before he became a novelist, Michael Connelly was a crime reporter, covering the detectives who worked the homicide beat in Florida and Los Angeles. In vivid, hard-hitting articles, Connelly leads the reader past the yellow police tape as he follows the investigators, the victims, their families and friends--and, of course, the killers--to tell the real stories of murder and its aftermath.
Living rooms / Amanda Harling
The complete book of floorcloths : designs & techniques for painting great-looking canvas rugs / Kathy Cooper —Two dozen different methods for creating and embellishing a design; eight projects ranging from geometric patterns to freeform squiggles; 63 artists showing off a glorious range of contemporary work: and dozens of luscious pictures: in short, it's the home decorator's dream guide to making the perfect floorcloth.
The Hawaiian quilt / Reiko Mochinaga Brandon
Hand-painting china : how to design and paint your own beautiful ceramics, without the need for kiln-firing / Lesley Harle
The book of beads : a practical and inspirational guide to beads and jewelry making / Janet Coles
The garden problem solver / Reader's Digest Association —Few sites offer ideal conditions for the gardener. An eyesore, such as an old (but useful) storage shed, might dominate the scene. Or perhaps your site has a steep slope making garden design difficult. Still other gardens are shady or have very acidic or poor alkaline soil. For any and all of these situations, help is finally at hand.
52 McGs. : the best obituaries from legendary New York Times writer Robert McG. Thomas Jr. / Robert McG. Thomas —Among his devoted fans, his pieces were known simply as McGs. With a "genius for illuminating that sometimes ephemeral apogee in people's lives when they prove capable of generating a brightly burning spark" (Columbia Journalism Review), Robert McG. Thomas Jr. commemorated fascinating, unconventional lives with signature style and wit.
Messenger of truth / Jacqueline Winspear —London, 1931. The night before an exhibition of his artwork opens at a famed Mayfair gallery, the controversial artist Nick Bassington-Hope falls to his death. The police rule it an accident, but Nick's twin sister, Georgina, a wartime journalist and a infamous figure in her own right, isn't convinced. When the authorities refuse to consider her theory that Nick was murdered, Georgina seeks out a fellow graduate from Girton College, Maisie Dobbs, psychologist and investigator, for help. (Maisie Dobbs Series, #4)
Cover of night / Linda Howard —In the charming rural town of Trail Stop, Idaho, accessible to the outside world by only a single road, young widow Cate Nightingale lives peacefully with her four-year-old twin boys, running a bed-and-breakfast. Though the overnight guests are few and far between - occasional hunters and lake fishermen - Cate always manages to make ends meet with the help of the local jack-of-all-trades, Calvin Harris, who can handle everything from carpentry to plumbing. But Calvin is not what he seems, and Cate's luck is about to run out.
Blue screen / Robert B. Parker —Buddy Bollen is a C-list movie mogul who made his fortune producing films of questionable artistic merit. When Buddy hires Sunny Randall to protect his rising star and girlfriend, Erin Flint, Sunny knows from the start that the prickly, spoiled beauty won't make her job easy. And when Erin's sister, Misty, is found dead in the lavish home they share with sugar daddy Bollen, there doesn't seem to be a single lead worth pursuing. (Sunny Randall Series, #5)
Kinds of love / May Sarton — Friendship, marriage, and intertwined lives in a small New Hampshire town.
George Washington : a life / Willard Sterne Randall —Randall tells the fascinating tale of a man who turned an impoverished childhood into a life of creative rebellion and creation. He follows Washington's rise to greatness as he turns from managing plantations to becoming a professional soldier and eventually joining in the fight again taxation without representation, which would spark the American Revolution.
Alaska's sky follies : the funny side of flying in the far north / Joe Rychetnik —You know those outlandish tales you've heard about early bush pilots of the Far North? Turns out some of them are true.
The Esprit quilt collection / Julie Silber
Dr. Seuss goes to war / Theodor Seuss Geisel —For decades, readers throughout the world have enjoyed the marvelous stories and illustrations of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. But few know Geisel's work as a political cartoonist during World War II for the New York daily newspaper PM. In these marvelously trenchant cartoons, Geisel captured the Zeitgeist - especially the attitudes of the New Deal liberals who read PM - with a wonderful Seussian flair.
The quilt design workbook / Beth Richardson Gutcheon
Last climb : the legendary Everest expeditions of George Mallory / David Breashears —George Leigh Mallory is not the only man to have died tragically on the forbidding heights of Mount Everest, but he is surely the most famous. When he and Andrew Irvine disappeared into the mists not far from the summit in June 1924, they climbed into mountaineering legend. For more than 70 years, the fraternity of high-altitude adventurers could only speculate on their fate--until 1999 when Mallory's body was found at last, 2,000 feet below the summit.
Calming crafts : relaxing crafts to inspire your creativity / Dawn Frankfort

9/2: New at the library this week

2006-09-05T14:23:00.000-08:00

DVDs:

Oliver's travels

Books:

Killer instinct / Joseph Finder — Jason Steadman is a thirty-year-old sales executive living in Boston andsworking for an electronics giant, a competitorsto Sony and Panasonic. He's a witty, charismatic guy who's well liked at the office, but he lacks the "killer instinct" necessary to move up the corporate ladder. To the chagrin of his ambitious wife, it looks as if his career has hit a ceiling. Jason's been sidelined.
The foreign correspondent / Alan Furst —an epic story of romantic love, love of country, and love of freedom- the story of a secret war fought in elegant hotel bars and first-class railway cars, in the mountains of Spain and the backstreets of Berlin. It is an inspiring, thrilling saga of everyday people forced by their hearts' passion to fight in the war against tyranny.
Telegraph days / Larry McMurtry — Told in the voice of Nellie Courtright, a spunky, courageous, attractive young woman whose story this is in part, Telegraph Days is the big novel of the Western gunfighters that people have been hoping for years Larry McMurtry would write.
Full of grace / Dorothea Benton — Hilton Head, a South Carolina retirement heaven -- at least it's supposed to be, but for Big Al and Connie Russo, the move from New Jersey to this southern paradise has been fraught with just a few complications. Especially for their daughter, Grace.
Frank Spencer and the wildfire / Hannah C. Watkins — Another disaster-related story book for young readers, published in cooperation with the Kenai Peninsula Borough. Previous stories in the series have focused on other common threats like tsunami and earthquake.
Slaves in the family / Edward Ball — First-time author and award-winning journalist Edward Ball confronts the legacy of his family's slave-owning past, uncovering the story of the people, both black and white, who lived and worked on the Balls' South Carolina plantations. It is an unprecedented family record that reveals how the painful legacy of slavery continues to endure in America's collective memory and experience. (1998 National Book Award for nonfiction)
The hunt club / John T. Lescroart — A federal judge is murdered, found shot to death in his home - together with the body of his mistress. The crime grips San Francisco. To homicide inspector Devin Juhle, it first looks like a simple case of a wife's jealousy and rage. But Juhle's investigation reveals that the judge had powerful enemies...some of whom may have been willing to kill to prevent him from meddling in their affairs.
Don't know much about geography : everything you need to know about the world but never learned / Kenneth C. Davis — The author of the critically acclaimed national bestseller Don't Know Much About History now takes us on a fascinating, breathtaking and hilarious grand tour of the planet Earth — opening our eyes and imaginations to a wide, wild, and wonderful world we never knew.
E=mc2 : a biography of the world's most famous equation / David Bodanis — In this lucid and brilliant book, one of the best popularizers of science illuminates one of science's most complex concepts. Ranging widely from Exit signs in theatres to the future fate of the earth, from smoke detectors to black holes and the structure of the atom, David Bodanis delivers a scintillating and colourful account of the real meaning of E=mc2.
Lost angel / Mike Doogan — Moses Wright founded the Christian commune of Rejoice. The rough-and-tumble interior of Alaska may seem a strange place for such a community, but for twenty years it has served as a beacon in the wilderness. Two decades later Moses granddaughter, Faith, is the star of the younger generation. Pretty and intelligent, she's the first teenager in the town to choose to experience the outside world. When Faith disappears, the elders of Rejoice look beyond their village for help.
In the company of soldiers : a chronicle of combat / Rick Atkinson — For soldiers in the 101st Airborne Division, the road to Baghdad began with a midnight flight out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in late February 2003. For Rick Atkinson, who would spend nearly two months covering the division for The Washington Post, the war in Iraq provided a unique opportunity to observe today's U.S. Army in combat. Now, in this extraordinary account of his odyssey with the 101st, Atkinson presents an intimate and revealing portrait of the soldiers who fight the expeditionary wars that have become the hallmark of our age.
There's no place like hope : a guide to beating cancer in mind-sized bites / Vickie Girard —

8/29: New at the library this week

2006-08-29T09:34:00.000-08:00

DVDs:

Howl's moving castle (fully-redubbed English version)
good night, and good luck

Audiobooks:

Before the dawn / Carol Warburton — plot synopsis

Books:

Freshwater fishing secrets / North American Fishing Club —
The secret of sigma seven / Franklin W. Dixon —The aliens are invading! No, they're not from another galaxy. They're not even from Mars. They're from Hollywood! A science fiction convention has come to Bayport, and movie director Simon Devoreaux has lost his billion-dollar baby: the film of his latest blockbuster has dematerialized before his eyes. (Hardy Boys Paperback Mystery Stories Series, #110)
Day of the dinosaur / Franklin W. Dixon — A new museum is under construction outside Bayport--and it's like no museum Frank and Joe have ever seen. Its theme is prehistory, and its #1 attraction is sure to be the dinosaur park. But when the boys sign on to help prepare for opening day, they make a startling discovery: Not only are the dinosaurs incredibly lifelike...they are potentially lethal! (Hardy Boys Paperback Mystery Stories Series, #128)

Footprints under the window / Franklin W. Dixon — Hardy Boys Mystery Stories Series, #12
Fear on wheels / Franklin W. Dixon — A quarter of a million in cold cash - that's how much an unknown extortionist is demanding to insure the safety of the monster truck and hot rod show at the Bayport Arena. Promoter Grant Tucker asks Frank and Joe to go underground and crush the crooked plot before the cook delivers a crushing blow. (Hardy Boys Paperback Mystery Stories Series, #108)
Cleese encounters / Jonathan Margolis — The introverted and awkwardly tall boy (six feet, four and three-quarter inches at the age of thirteen) from the dreary English village of Weston-super-Mare nearly became a lawyer, until he discovered Cambridge and the footlights at the dawn of the Swinging Sixties. Today, after masterful roles in films like Life of Brian ("miserable little film" - Malcolm Muggeridge), Clockwise, and A Fish Called Wanda (thought to be incredibly sexy in Japan), John Cleese may at last have the answer to that tormenting question from Wanda: "Do you have any idea what it's like being English?"

Complex cloth : a comprehensive guide to surface design / Jane Dunnewold — Discover textile artist Jane Dunnewold's secrets to creating visual complexity and depth in fabric. In this comprehensive guide, Jane explains her system of layering simple processes to produce intriguing surface designs. Full-color photographs of fabric, quilts, and clothing provide a sampling of her beautiful results.
French by design / Betty Lou Phillips — Demonstrates how interior designers create a French country look in contemporary American homes.
The complete stenciling handbook / Sandra Buckingham — Beginning with the simple stencil — a template that lets you easily create a painted shape on a surface and allows you to repeat the exact pattern wherever and as often as you wish — renowned stenciler Sandra Buckingham literally transforms the world around her.

8/23: New at the library this week

2006-08-23T19:39:00.000-08:00

Videos:

Books:

Dead wrong / Judith A. Jance — Juggling a family and a career is never easy - and it's becoming a real challenge for Sheriff Joanna Brady. Coping with the impending delivery of her second child as well as a staff shortage, the last things Joanna needs are two serious crimes. (Joanna Brady Series, #12)
The fourth bear / Jasper Fforde — Detective Chief Inspector Jack Spratt and his trusty sergeant, Mary Mary, are back in another sidesplitting Nursery Crime adventure. Spratt must track down a legendarily violent criminal known as the Gingerbreadman, a "seven-foot biscuit with a bad attitude." (Nursery Crime Series, #2)
Two sticks and a string: Knitting Designs Inspired by Nature / Kerry Ferguson
Fighting ships of the world / Robert Jackson

Fried green tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe / Fannie Flagg — It’s first the story of two women in the 1980s, of gray-headed Mrs. Threadgoode telling her life story to Evelyn, who is in the sad slump of middle age. The tale she tells is also of two women—of the irrepressibly daredevilish tomboy Idgie and her friend Ruth—who back in the thirties ran a little place in Whistle Stop, Alabama, a Southern kind of Cafe Wobegon offering good barbecue and good coffee and all kinds of love and laughter, even an occasional murder.
The edge of town / Dorothy Garlock — At 21, Julie Jones is convinced that life is passing her by. Her mother's death four years ago left her in charge of caring for her father and five siblings, and dashed her hopes of meeting that special someone who would whisk her away to the glamorous big city. Then all at once, Julie's predictable existence is overturned when her father finds love with an attractive widow, and Evan Johnson, the mysterious son of the town drunkard returns home and starts courting her.

8/16: New at the library this week

2006-08-16T07:49:00.000-08:00

Videos:

DVDs:

Books:

Promise me / Harlan Coben —Because of the simple urge to protect two neighborhood high-school girls from the all-too-dangerous and all-too-common mistake of getting in a car with a drunk driver, Myron has them make him a promise: If they are ever in a bind but are afraid to call their parents, they should call him rather than get in a car with someone who's been drinking. Several nights later, the call comes at 2:00 am, and true to his word, Myron picks up one of the girls in midtown Manhattan and drives her to a quiet cul-de-sac in New Jersey where she says her friend lives. The next day, the girl's parents discover that their daughter is missing. And that Myron was the last person to see her. (Myron Bolitar Series, #8)
Out of my mind : the discovery of Saunders-Vixen / Richard Bach —Bach's journey begins as he puzzles over design modifications for his airplane, a Piper Cub. Perfect designs--simple and practical--seem to come to him out of the blue. But one day when a design appears, along with a fleeting glimpse of an intriguing woman, Bach sets out to discover the source of the visions. The journey leads to a startling destination: a parallel universe where a British airplane manufacturer--Saunders-Vixen Aircraft Company Ltd.--makes superb biplanes and solves problems for perplexed aviators.
Lonely hearts / John Harvey —British detective Charlie Resnick--middle-aged, overweight, divorced and disillusioned--investigates the murders of two women who shared nothing except their use of the local paper's lonely-hearts column to meet men. (Charlie Resnick Series, #1)
A girl named Zippy : growing up small in Mooreland, Indiana / Haven Kimmel —When Haven Kimmel was born in 1965, Mooreland, Indiana was a sleepy little hamlet of three hundred people. Nicknamed "Zippy" for the way she would run around like a circus monkey, this small girl was possessed of big eyes and even bigger ears. In this lovingly told memoir, Kimmel takes readers back in time to when small-town America was still trapped in the amber of the innocent post-war period—people help their neighbors, go to church, keep barnyard animals in their backyards.
Plainsong / Kent Haruf —In the small town of Holt, Colorado, a high school teacher is confronted with raising his two boys alone after their mother retreats first to the bedroom, then altogether. A teenage girl — her father long since disappeared, her mother unwilling to have her in the house — is pregnant, alone herself, with nowhere to go. And out in the country, two brothers, elderly bachelors, work the family homestead, the only world they've ever known.
House beautiful : decorating with books : use your library to enhance your decor / Marie Proeller Hueston —From grand bookcases in home libraries to casual stacks artfully arrayed on chairs, House Beautiful presents countless eye-catching ideas for displaying and arranging your hardcovers, paperbacks, encyclopedias, and even valuable first editions. Useful tips shed light on how to organize a large collection; situate bookcases in the room for the best effect; and make the most of books' appealing visual and tactile qualities.

8/5: New at the library this week

2006-08-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

Books:

The Wright 3 / Blue Balliett— Spring semester at the Lab School in Hyde Park finds Petra and Calder drawn into another mystery when unexplainable accidents and ghostly happenings throw a spotlight on Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House, and it's up to the two junior sleuths to piece together the clues. (Age Range: 9 to 12)
Broken trail / Alan Geoffrion— During the late 1800s two unique events were taking place in the American West. The British were deep in the throes of the Boer War and were coming to the U.S. to purchase horses for their military campaigns. Meanwhile, another trade was taking place. Chinese women were being kidnapped from the West Coast and brought to the interior west to serve as prostitutes. In Broken Trail, the story unfolds upon these historical facts, following the story of five Chinese women, kidnapped and destined for a life of misery, whose fate becomes intertwined with two horseman (Duvall/Church) wrangling horses for sale to the British Empire.
Dancing in a distant place / Isla Dewar— A warm and intelligent novel about a young teacher who throws herself into the lives of her students in the hopes of forgetting the past, only to find it returning more vividly than ever.When Iris Chisholm arrives in the tiny Scottish Highland community of Green Cairns, she's still in a state of shock--not so much from her husband's untimely death as from the discovery that he'd gambled away all their money and even their home. In addressing the problems of the children at the school where she works, Iris finds distractions from worries.
Artful illusions : designs to fool your eyes / Aki Nurosi— These exquisitely designed brain-bending, mind-blowing, all-color optical illusions will really fool your eyes. Each is a masterpiece, created to appeal to wide-eyed children, design students, and art lovers.
The joy of origami / Margaret. Van Sicklen— Traditional in spirit—she reaches back to origami's original aim, as a way to share unique gifts with friends and family—yet contemporary in look and feel, with 100 sheets of paper featuring bold, often whimsical patterns specially designed to complement the models, it's a jazzy, essential book for every origami hobbyist, whether an old hand at folding or new to the craft.
The kids' guide to digital photography : how to shoot, save, play with & print your digital photos / Jenni. Bidner— Digital photography is hot, and kids want to get in on the fun. This comprehensive instructional guide, created especially for youngsters, tells them exactly what they need to know to capture those birthday parties, school events, sleepovers, and family vacations. Every important question gets an easy-to-understand answer.
Lola at the library / Anna McQuinn — (Age Range: For infants or children in preschool)
The geographer's library / Jon Fasman — When reporter Paul Tomm is assigned to investigate the mysterious death of a reclusive academic, he finds himself pursuing leads that date back to the twelfth century and the theft of alchemical instruments from the geographer of the Sicilian court. Now someone is trying to retrieve them. Interspersed with the present action are the stories of the men and women who came to possess those charmed—and sometimes cursed— artifacts, which have powers that go well beyond the transmutation of lead into gold.
Break no bones / Kathy Reichs — The inspiration for the hit Fox series Bones, Kathy Reichs explores another high-stakes crime from today's headlines-in a case that lands forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan in the middle of a gruesome international scheme. Summoned to South Carolina to fill in for a negligent colleague, Tempe is stuck teaching at a lackluster archeology field school in the ruins of a Native American burial ground on the Charleston shore. But when Tempe stumbles upon a fresh skeleton among the ancient bones, her old friend Emma Rousseau, the local coroner, persuades Tempe to stay on and help with the investigation. (Temperance Brennan Series, #9)
Bleeding hearts / Susan Wittig Albert— High school football coach Tim Duffy is handsome, charming, and married into a wealthy local family. But now, an anonymous accuser has made shocking allegations of improper behavior-and China Bayles is asked to conduct a discreet investigation. (China Bayles Series, #14)
Reader's Digest North American wildlife / Susan J. Wernert— A valuable athome reference and an extraordinarily usable guide to more than 2000 of the most common and conspicuous wild plants and animals. Specially designed for quick and easy identification. Vibrant, specially drawn fullcolor illustrations of each of the 2000plus species.
Piloting & dead reckoning / H. H. Shufeldt— This basic reference is filled with practical advise, step-by-step calculations, diagrams, and lots of helpful illustrations. It also introduces the reader to the increasingly sophisticated, satellite-monitoring navigational aids that have become more widely available in recent years.
Better homes and gardens new complete guide to home repair/ Charles Wing

7/31: New at the library this week

2006-07-31T09:26:00.000-08:00

Videos:

Curtain call

DVDs:

Books:

At risk / Stella Rimington — An announcement is made at a meeting of the BritishIntelligence Joint Counter-Terrorist group: "The opposition may be about to deploy an invisible." Intelligence officer Liz Carlyle has had to prove herself in countless ways as she's come up through the ranks of the traditionally all-male world of Britain's Security Service, MI5. But this announcement marks the start of an operation that will test all her hard-won knowledge and experience-and her intelligence and courage-as nothing has before.
Before I wake / Anne Frasier — Anne Frasier delivers a new blockbuster about a one-time criminal profiler who will risk everything-even her own sanity-to lure out of hiding the madman who murdered her family. Even if it means she becomes the number-one suspect.
The house on the point : a tribute to Franklin W. Dixon and the Hardy Boys / Benjamin Hoff — Hoff sets this recast story, based on the original Hardy Boys The House on the Cliff, in 1947, when the Swing Era was giving way to the Baby Boom, and gives it a plot involving a post-war smuggling racket, a young newcomer to town who may have something to hide, and a police chief who's in no hurry to investigate. And he does so with a greater attention to detail, more fully developed characters, and a modern ear for dialogue.
The road to Inconceivable / J. M. DeMatteis — Kate's little brother Matt is missing, and Kate thinks she will never see him again. But then she finds out that Matt is trapped in the world of Abadazad. Will Kate have the courage to look for her brother? And if she leaves home -- will she ever return? (Abadazad, #1; age range: 9 to 12)
The dream thief / J. M. DeMatteis — Kate needs all the help she can get when she encounters the Lanky Man. He's mean and heartless, and he wants to steal children's dreams. Everyone seems to be against her -- which only makes her more determined to find her brother. And Matt is getting closer -- isn't he? (Abadazad, #2; age range: 9 to 12)
The vacation / Polly Horvath — When his mother decides on a whim to be a missionary in Africa and drags his unwilling father with her, Henry is left in the care of his Aunts Magnolia and Pigg. Henry's sure they dislike him and he's trying to keep his distance, but that becomes more difficult when Mag decides they should take a destination-less road trip. (Age range: 12 and up)
The touch / Colleen McCullough — When Alexander Kinross -- remembered in his native Scotland only as a shiftless boilermaker's apprentice and godless rebel -- summons his bride Elizabeth Drummond to Australia, his Scottish relatives realize that Kinross has made a fortune in the goldfields and is now a man to be reckoned with. (Large print edition)

Thank you, Peggy and Everett Boscacci!

2006-07-24T13:19:00.000-08:00

The library would like to thank Peggy and Everett Boscacci for their kind donation of materials to our collection.