Fabulous Fiction Firsts #36

Fri, 09/29/2006 - 5:18pm by muffy

Alternately called “campy”, “intriguing”, “wry”, “mesmerizing”, “overkill” (500+ pages), this artfully structured debut novel Special Topics in Calamity Physics, is in the end, a sincere and uniquely twisted look at love, coming of age and identity.

Teen narrator Blue Van Meer is finally staying put her senior year at the St. Gallway School in Stockton, North Carolina, after spending most of her life with her father, an itinerant academic, on a tour of college towns. She is bemused when befriended by a group of eccentric geniuses - “The Bluebloods”. And then, there is a murder. Blue and the "Bluebloods" are deeply enmeshed.

First time novelist Marisha Pessl impresses by modeling this intricately plotted novel after the syllabus of a college literature course, by naming each of the 36 chapters after great works such as Othello and Paradise Lost. Stunning effort – absorbing and great fun. Starred review in Publishers Weekly.

Fabulous Fiction Firsts #35 (What I did this summer)

Sun, 09/24/2006 - 11:31am by muffy

Nordic mysteries.

If you like Sun Storm and Borkmann’s Point, you might just like these…

Jar City is a thriller by Icelandic author Arnaldur Indriðason, the first to be translated by Bernard Scudder from Icelandic. Set in modern day Reykjavik, this police procedural is as twisted as its city streets and as chilling as the arctic wind. It also introduces Inspector Erlendur, a dogged loner of a policeman with a few secrets of his own. Jar City won the Glass Key Award for Best Nordic Crime Novel 2002. (Reviews).

Silence of the Grave is another cold case for Erlendur and his team. It explores even deeper into the complex psychological character of this desolate and windswept community and its unspoken secrets. Besides the 2003 Glass Key Award, Silence also won the British CWA’s Golden Dagger Award 2005.

For additional titles on forthcoming new thrillers/mysteries… go to Overbooked’s Crime Fiction Stars.

Comics Art Digital Coloring 101, Sunday, November 12

Thu, 09/21/2006 - 6:17pm by K.C.

Comics art in your blood? Jerzy Drozd will teach you how to use Adobe Photoshop Element to clean up your art, fill in line work with colors and halftones, create cool lettering, prep the finished page for printing, and more.

Choose the session you'd like to attend [12:30-2:30 p.m. OR 3-5 p.m.]. Register by calling 327-8301 or stop by any information desk.

ACT / SAT Test Practice 10:30-Noon, Saturday, September 30

Thu, 09/21/2006 - 5:30pm by K.C.

Yep, test time draws near! LearningExpress Library can help you get ready. Join us in the Pittsfield Computer Training Center and take an e-practice test.

International Day of Peace

Tue, 09/19/2006 - 8:07pm by Maxine

On September 21, 2002, the United Nations declared that day International Day of Peace, a time "devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples." This day would be observed by all nations committing to a global ceasefire and non-violence. Vigils, speeches, music and other activities mark the day in cities throughout the world.

There are many peace groups working on a national and local level. Families for Peaceful Tomorrows is a group of people who all lost a family member in the 9/11 tragedy. They have come together to work for peaceful solutions to terrorism.

On the local level, Michigan Peaceworks is a grassroots organization that was organized in response to 9/11 and has grown into a significant activist group working for changes in national policy.

The Women's International League for Peace and Freedom is an international organization connecting people working for peace and justice.

To further explore this topic, check out a new dvd in our collection, Peace One Day a documentary by Jeremy Gilley which portrays one man's attempts to persuade the world to declare a day of non-violence. Anthony C. Zinni has written a persuasive book, The Battle for Peace, encouraging a more in-depth look at causes of international conflict.

Amazon.com's Teen Topsellers - Nonfiction

Tue, 09/19/2006 - 11:54am by jillean

It's all about those pesky standardized tests this week on Amazon.com's Teen Topsellers. Here are a few to help you prepare. Good luck!

Cracking the SAT: with DVD
The Official SAT Study Guide: for the new SAT
The Real ACT Prep Guide: the only official prep guide from the makers of the ACT

Amazon.com's Teen Topsellers - Fiction

Tue, 09/19/2006 - 11:43am by jillean

Here is what's up for teens on Amazon.com's Topsellers list. See anything interesting? Maybe they left out your latest favorite. If so, post what you think should be added to the list.

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer
Eldest (Inheritance, Book 2)
Armageddon's Children by Terry Brooks
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Endymion Spring by Matthew Skelton
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Warning! These books are bad for you!

Fri, 09/15/2006 - 3:41pm by K.C.

Ever read a banned book? Check out the most challenged books of the 1990s. Are any of these titles favorites of yours?

As part of Banned Books Week September 23-30, the American Library Association would you to vote for your favorite banned book.

An Apple for Agatha

Fri, 09/15/2006 - 1:07pm by Maxine

Now that the weather's cooler, cuddle up with your favorite Agatha Christie mystery in celebration of her birthday today, September 16. Christie, born in Devon, England in 1890, was most famous for her Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple novels. By the time of her death in 1976, she had written over 100 novels and was the best selling English novelist in history.

While reading, grab an apple in celebration of "International Eat An Apple Day." There are so many varieties of Johnny Appleseed's favorite fruit that even just in Michigan, there are many to choose from like the rare Arkansas Black apple that originated in Missouri.

The Library has many books on apples. Two new ones are Best Apples to Buy and Grow published by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the charming picture book by Swedish writer, Gorel Kristina Naslund, Our Apple Tree in which two elfin children descibe the life cycle of an apple tree.

Super Smash and Double Dash Tournament Weekend

Fri, 09/15/2006 - 11:48am by eli

Registration is open for Friday Night's Super Smash Bros. Melee Tournament from 6-9 PM for ages 13 and up, and Saturdays' Round 2 in the Super Smash Double Dash Championship Series! Register now to bypass long lines at the event and get right to open play. Tonight's Melee tournament will be 100% ITEM-FREE, so those of you that have no love for lady luck can relax a little, but remember that you'll have no excuse if you lose. Read on for more.