Blog Post
Basket 101 - Wed Aug. 13 @ Downtown
by ryanikoglu
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Another session of BASKETS 101 will be on
Wednesday, Aug. 13, 10-11:30 am,
in the Youth Department of the Downtown Library.
This program was most rewarding for kids in upper elementary grades.
Younger grade kids can succeed if they come with a dedicated "Helper".
Middle School and High School ages enjoy this activity,
and are welcome to join in.
Blog Post
August 11th - Happy Birthday Alex Haley!
by darla
Alexander Murray Palmer Haley was born on August 11, 1921 in Ithaca, New York. As a young boy, Alex Haley learned of his African ancestor, Kunta Kinte, by listening to the family stories of his maternal grandparents while spending his summers in Henning, Tennessee. According to family history, Kunta Kinte landed with other Gambian Africans in "Naplis" (Annapolis, Maryland) where he was sold into slavery. Alex Haley's quest to learn more about his family history resulted in his writing the Pulitzer Prize winning book Roots. The book has been published in 37 languages, and was made into the first week-long television mini-series, viewed by an estimated 130 million people. Roots also generated widespread interest in genealogy and eventually helped spawn the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation.
Other Haley publications include many well received Playboy interviews (including Martin Luther King, Jr.), his first major book, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, A Different Kind of Christmas, a 1990 book about the underground railroad, and Queen, the story of Haley's paternal ancestors. Perhaps one of Alex Haley's greatest gifts was in speaking. He was a fascinating teller of tales. In great demand as a lecturer, both nationally and internationally, he was on a lecture tour in Seattle, Washington when he suffered a heart attack and died in February 1992.
Blog Post
Creativity Camp Theme of the Week: Medieval Times
by Cherie Lee
Creativity Campers, and any other kids who think it's a shame they weren't born in a time of lords and ladies, knights, and castles, can come to the Downtown Library's youth department and find books on the back of the new shelf that will transport them back to the middle-ages!
Blog Post
Too Little Too Late
by detra
Victoria Christopher Murray’s book, Too Little Too Late, is a story about Jasmine Bush. Jasmine has only one mission and one mission only: to keep all of her secrets hidden. The story begins with Jasmine and her husband Hosea renewing their wedding vows. For him, it’s a chance to start their marriage fresh, to get past his shock and betrayal when Jasmine informed him 18 months earlier that he wasn’t the father of their daughter, Jacqueline. He’d left her that day, walking away from both his wife and daughter. But he came back, explaining that since God had put them together, he was obligated to forgive her and make things work. Unfortunately, Jasmine has many more secrets she’s hiding from her husband.
Too Little Too Late is a tale of a marriage threatened by lies, deception and betrayal.
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #121
by muffy
Wendy Lee's accomplished debut Happy Family* explores the immigrant experience and what it means to belong.
Hua Wu exchanges poverty in Fuzhou with loneliness and back-breaking restaurant work in New York City. Meeting Jane Templeton and her adopted Chinese daughter, Lily, seems a stroke of good fortune, especially when she was asked to nanny. But things are not quite what they seem...
Fans of Gish Jen's Mona in the Promised Land, and National Book Award winner Ha Jin's latest - A Free Life will find Wendy's debut a compelling read.
Wendy Lee is a graduate of Stanford University and New York University’s Creative Writing Program. She lives in New York City.
* = Starred Reviews
Blog Post
A seafaring adventure...
by RiponGood
What happens when you take the sea-faring storytelling of Patrick O'Brian and introduce fantasy elements? You get Robin Hobb's The Liveship Traders trilogy. In book 1 Ship of Magic we are introduced to the Vestrit family, one of the oldest of the merchant families in Bingtown, the hub of trade. At her father's death, Althea's family liveship Vivacia is passed to her sister's husband Kyle. The spurred Althea then strives to regain his birthright. The story is continued in Mad Ship and Ship of Destiny.
Blog Post
Cuentos en Español con Teresa Satterfield
by StoryLaura
Join us for stories in Spanish for the whole family. Teresa Satterfield will share lively tales with audience participation on Thursday, August 14 at 7:00 pm at the Downtown Youth Story Corner. Unase a nosotros para disfrutar de historias y canciones en Español con Teresa Satterfield!
Blog Post
The Story of Islam by Rob Lloyd Jones
by Tahira
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A concise and accurate depiction of the history of Islam from its inception to the present. Colorful illustrations of mosques and historical photos are an additional bonus.
Blog Post
John Adams: A Life
by anonymous
Been waiting to see the HBO miniseries John Adams? The library has it on order. The series aired in seven parts and is in three discs on DVD. Check out Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3. Paul Giamatti stars as Adams, one of the founding fathers and the second President of the United States, and Laura Linney plays his wife Abigail. The basis for the series is David McCullough's Pulitzer prize winning biography, John Adams.
Blog Post
Recipes from America's Rich Immigrant Heritage
by darla
Preheat those ovens, dear readers, and grab a copy of Greg Patent's A Baker's odyssey : celebrating time-honored recipes from America's rich immigrant heritage. After visiting the kitchens of more than sixty bakers around the country, Patent (an immigrant himself) discovered the baking secrets, cultural significance and treasured recipes of immigrant families from a multitude of countries around the globe. His cookbook's authentic recipes are grouped by cooking style, rather than nationality, allowing readers to see the connections between regional specialties (like Chicken & Potato Sambouseks from Iraq vs. Samosas from India vs. Shrimp Rissois from Portugal).
If the idea of nibbling Australian Lamingtons (what chocolate cupcakes are to Americans), getting messy with Koeksisters (South African deep fried pastries) or baking up Szarlotka (Polish apple pie) sounds appealing to you, I highly recommend this book. The author includes a big list of mail order sources for baking gear and specialty ingredients that you may not be able to find in your local market. Also, for the baking challenged (like myself), a DVD is included with the book that demonstrates baking techniques for items like Cannoli, Schwabisch Pretzels and Thai Shrimp & Bean Sprout Fritters. One word of caution - if it isn't already obvious to you - these recipes are NOT for people on a diet! Mmm...bring on the butter.