Blog Post
Jump Start Your Herb Garden
by Sancho Panza
Time to get those herbal container gardens started! Now that frost warnings are (more or less—this is Michigan) a thing of the past, it’s high time to ditch the bottled, freeze-dried stuff in favor of something fresher. Stop by the Pittsfield Branch this Saturday afternoon to get a head start, and grab one or two of our herb gardening books while you’re at it! Abbott’s Nursery will be providing plants and soil as well as valuable information to patrons looking to green things up a bit, and add some fresh, summer flavor to their food. Bring your own container, or take one of ours. Come early for best selection!
Blog Post
Define-a-thon!
by Sancho Panza
Afraid you may be losing your perspicacity*? An opportunity to test yourself is just hours away. But what if the questions come from a guy who, according to an article in the New York Times, “has a tattoo of the phonetic vowel chart on his back”? Steve Kleinedler, owner of the aforementioned tattoo, will be presenting a Define-a-thon at the Ann Arbor Book Festival on Saturday, May 19. According to the article, Define-a-thons, sponsored by Houghton Mifflin’s American Heritage Dictionaries, are sweeping the nation, and attracting huge crowds to witness contestants battling for largest lexicon. I, for one, am relieved not to be competing—I had to keep dictionary.com open while reading the article—tintinnabulation, anyone?
*The first person to correctly identify this reference gets a prize**!
**The prize is the receipt of my approbation and obeisance.
Blog Post
A Dangerous Mind Comes to Town
by amy
Part secret agent, part talent scout - Chuck Barris has lived a life most of us only dream about. Host of The Newlywed Game, The Dating Game, and The Gong Show, and a one-hit wonder with the 1962 hit "Palisades Park," Barris also wrote Confessions of a Dangerous Mind: The Unauthorized Autobiography, ("a remarkably well-crafted and entertaining book" Publishers Weekly) which includes a dubious "confession" of his double life as a decorated CIA assassin. (The book was later made into the 2003 film directed by George Clooney). Barris' most recent effort is the novel The Big Question.) Bang a gong with one of the more inventive minds of the television era next Tuesday, May 22, at 7:00 p.m. in the Downtown Multi-Purpose Room.
Blog Post
"It's All Write!" Awards Ceremony with special guest Ron Koertge
by Bertha
Winners of the "It's All Write" contest will be announced and all Finalists honored at the Awards Ceremony on Saturday, May 19th at the Modern Languages Building, Auditorium 3, corner of Washington and Thayer Streets, as part of the Ann Arbor Book Festival. Ron Koertge, a nationally known teen book author and poet, will be the featured speaker.
Students who participated in the 2nd Tuesday Writers Series and who read Stoner and Spaz and Margaux with an X can meet Ron and have him sign their books.
Blog Post
Meet Curious George
by lola
Come to Nicola’s Books on Saturday, May 19th at 11 AM to meet the curious monkey himself. Make sure you read up on George before you go. Here are some of my favorites:
Curious George Learns to Count from 1 to 100
Curious George Takes a Job
Curious George and the Hot Air Balloon
Blog Post
Make a Custom Wallet at Malletts Creek!
by Sancho Panza
Have you guys ever heard of Poketo? It’s a collaborative network of artists who got together a couple of years ago to start making cheap, wearable art featuring up-and-coming designers. They make clothing, bags and stationary, but they’re mostly known for their wallets, which display original designs between two thin pieces of flexible plastic. Sound cool? We’re going to make our own wallets based on those produced by Poketo at Malletts Creek on Wednesday, May 16. We’ll have plenty of supplies and images on hand, but feel free to bring your own, too.
Blog Post
FIGURE IT OUT soon !
by ryanikoglu
400,000 people figured out how to put men on the moon with Apollo 11. Team Moon tells that story.
Library Staff figured out what to do for this summer, when school gets out. We are visiting schools now to let kids know they need to get ready.
Summer Reading Game is coming June 11 and the theme is FIGURE IT OUT: READ!
Watch blogs for titles being talked about.
Watch the web site for Summer Program Events.
We're gonna FIGURE OUT lots of things together.
Remember... Summer Reading is for ALL AGES. "Listeners", "Learning Readers", "Bibliomaniacs", "Student Researchers", and "Retirement Readers" are included.
Nobody ever gets turned away.
Blog Post
Gardening with Native Plants
by iottJen
Are you a gardener—or do you dream of being one? Get some inspiring ideas when you learn about Michigan’s native plants on Thurs., May 10 at 7 pm at the downtown Library. Greg Vaclavek of Native Plant Nursery will tell us about native Michigan plant species and the benefits of growing them. The folks from Native Plant Nursery can be found at the Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market every Saturday from mid-April through September. The graceful plant in the photo is Nodding Wild Onion or Allium cerium.
Blog Post
Landscaping with Native Plants this Thursday
by Sancho Panza
After a trip to the Farmer’s Market this weekend, I am pleased to announce the full return of all things green to Ann Arbor. Which is good timing, because Greg Vaclavek of the Native Plant Nursery will be on hand this
Thursday evening to discuss the benefits of using native plants in your own yard. A great way to jump on the green bandwagon, native plants provide food and habitat for insects and animals, and are often much easier to care for than plants not used to Michigan’s unpredictable weather. Come with questions and leave with lots of ideas!
Blog Post
Sword Fighting Fairies? Count Me In!
by Sancho Panza
May Moonlight Delight is downtown tonight! Le Dog soup and chili dogs all evening, stores open late, and sword fighting fairies. Need I say more? Speaking of fairies, the Library is open until 9 tonight, so stop in and check off the first stop on your Ann Arbor Book Festival scavenger hunt while you’re at it!