Blog Post
Forgiveness and Reconnection
by Sis
If you enjoyed and was touched by The Pact by young doctors Sampson Davis, George Davis and Rameck Hunt, The Bond should be the perfect continuation of their story. This book looks at the hard lessons learned by the three men and how to stem the tide of fatherlessness in our communities. By making their pact in high school to follow their dream to become doctors together, the young men are using their successful careers as physicians to help others with The Three Doctors Foundation. The Foundation attempts to inspire and create opportunities for inner city communities through education, mentoring, and health awareness.
Blog Post
Black, White, Just Right! by Marguerite Davol
by Tahira
First published in 1993 Black, White, Just Right! by Marguerite W. Davol celebrates the similarities and differences of an interracial family.
Blog Post
Animal Lovers
by lola
My new discovery is the great animal video footage available from the Woodland Park Zoo. The zoo is located in Seattle, Washington, and houses many animals native to the Pacific Northwest. Watch the typical day of Keema and Denali, two twelve-year-old grizzly bears, on the Bear Cam. Check out footage of the new baby Gorilla born to Amanda and Vip in October. Or enjoy watching short clips of wallabies and butterflies.
Learn more about animals on the zoo website or at the library. Some of my favorite titles are Koko's Kitten and Grizzly Bears.
Blog Post
Pratchett diagnosis stuns fans
by sernabad
Terry Pratchett, author of the Discworld fantasy series, announced that he has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's.
Pratchett said he will continue to write Discworld novels (to date there are more than 40). In a statement released on the website of Paul Kidby, Discworld's illustrator, Pratchett set a tone of acceptance and optimism: "Frankly, I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there's time for at least a few more books yet :o)."
Pratchett is 59.
Blog Post
Terry Pratchett: "I'm not dead"
by N3RD
Yesterday Terry Pratchett released a press notice to his fans and world at large letting us know that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of early onset Alzheimer's. It's not the first time Terry's health has been in the news this year, earlier this year he thought he had suffered a mild "stroke". The "stroke" turns out to have been a symptom of early onset Alzheimer's.
Blog Post
A MEMORY OF LIGHT, the final novel in the Wheel of Time
by N3RD
Since the death of Robert Jordan (Wheel of time author) in September fans have been left wondering if the final book of the wheel of time series would remain unfinished and unpublished.
Late last week Tor the publisher of the wheel of light gave a press release that that have signed a deal to have Brandon Sanderson finish the final book "A MEMORY OF LIGHT" with scheduled delivery of the manuscript in December 2008 and a planned publication date of Fall 2009.
Brandon Sanderson is best known for his Alcatraz books Alcatraz Versus The Evil Librarians being the first book.
Blog Post
National Poinsettia Day: December 12
by Van
National Poinsettia Day (by decree of Congress) marks the death (fortuitously just two weeks before Christmas) of Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U. S. ambassador to Mexico, who shipped cuttings of the native Mexican plant to his Greenville, South Carolina greenhouse and propagated the plants and sent them to friends and botanical gardens around the country.
Poinsettias: the December Flower – Myth and Legend, History and Botanical Fact by Christine Anderson and Terry Tischer will help you enjoy National Poinsettia Day.
A Mexican folktale tells how a poor Mexican girl, with no gift to present the Christ Child at Christmas Eve services, gathered some plants (poinsettias) into a bouquet on her way to church. She approached the altar with love and reverence and the bouquet turned into brilliant red blossoms. The flowers are known as the Flores de la Noche Buena, or Flowers of the Holy Night, and bloom each year during the Christmas season.
The Youth Department has two books that tell this story:
The Legend of the Poinsettia retold and illustrated by Tomie de Paola and
The Miracle of the First Poinsettia: a Mexican Christmas Story by Joanne Oppenheim
Blog Post
A great teen read
by Maxine
Deb Caletti, author of several nationally recognized books for teens including Honey, Baby, Sweetheart which was a runner-up for the 2004 National Book Award has written another winner, The Nature of Jade. Jade DeLuna has heard that jade is one of the strongest materials on earth but has trouble believing it about herself. Suffering from panic attacks, Jade finds comfort and rewards in helping out with the elephants at the Seattle Zoo. It's there that she meets Sebastian, a single dad with a big heart and a secret. Characters, including the elephants, are well drawn. I rooted for Jade and Sebastian all the way through. The grandmother and therapist are gems too.
Blog Post
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance [AUDIOBOOK-CD]
by tonyabreu
Dreams from My Father by "Barack Obama", is one of the best audiobook memoirs about race and exploration of one's identity and family history I have ever listened to. Obama's father (Barack Obama Sr.) was black from Kenya and his mother (Stanley Ann Dunham) was white from Kansas. His descriptions of the struggle to figure out who he is and who his relatives are, are compelling. The whole scenario regarding racial concerns is very informative; it exposes the world to this reality and at the same time teaches us to be more considerate. I really enjoyed listening to such a wonderful Audio Biography of a smart, well-intentioned and accomplished man; as well as, the interesting Memoirs of his past, present and future life in the great land of freedom and opportunities--USA.
Listen to (Dreams from My Father) Audio Clip Sample. You may check out or reserve a free copy this Audio Book, by clicking at (BOCD 921 Obama, Barack) or the Rev. ed. Book by clicking at (Black Studies 921 Obama, Barack), from the Ann Arbor District Library's website.
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #92 (Small Gems #3)
by muffy
A Tranquil Star: Unpublished Stories by Primo Levi - extraordinary writer, poet and a survivor of Auschwitz, is a collection of 17 (very short) stories, published originally in Italian between 1949 and 1986.
“They reflect Levi's extraordinary range, revealing his abhorrence of bureaucracy, his passion for the most mysterious forces of astrophysics and other sciences, and his Shakespearean understanding of the nuances and peculiarities of human behavior."
This first English edition honors the 20th anniversary of his death in Turin, the city he called home.