Cheshire Library

Fiction for Young Tech Fiends

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Do you have a child that loves the computers and all things internet or computer game related? If you are hoping to get those kids looking at books on paper rather than computer screens, then perhaps some books about computers, the internet, and related games might interest them in  reading a little bit more. Here are some novels that feature computers and related technology in the story.

The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman
Four fifth-grade students–a geek, a class clown, a teacher’s pet, and a slacker–as well as their teacher and mothers, each relate events surrounding a computer programmed to complete homework assignments.

The Boggart by Susan Cooper
After visiting the castle in Scotland which her family has inherited and returning home to Canada, twelve-year-old Emily finds that she has accidentally brought back with her a boggart, an invisible and mischievous spirit with a fondness for practical jokes.

Mousenet by Prudence Breitrose; illustrated by Stephanie Yue.
Sent to live with her chef father and his wife in Oregon after having stayed with her inventor uncle and scientist mother in Cincinnati, ten-year-old misfit Megan is lonely until she starts working with some computer-savvy mice to try to save Mouse Nation–and the planet.

Snail Mail No More by Paula Danziger & Ann M. Martin
Now that they live in different cities, thirteen-year-old Tara and Elizabeth use email to “talk” about everything that is occurring in their lives and to try to maintain their closeness as they face big changes.

Pure Dead Magic by Debi Gliori
When their father is kidnapped and danger looms, the Strega-Borgia children, their mysterious new nanny, and a giant tarantula use magic and actual trips through the Internet to bring peace to their Scottish castle.

Even more great computer, video game, and internet based fiction is out there. Here are some more of the titles I would recommend first; Monsters in Cyberspace by Dian Curtis Regan with illustrations by Melissa Sweet, Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian, Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde, The Softwire: Virus on Orbis 1 by PJ Haarsma, and Curses, Inc., and Other Stories by Vivian Vande Velde. Do you or your children have a favorite I missed? Please let us know so we can spread the word!

10 Books We’re Looking Forward to in June

/ Louise / Leave a comment

Summer reading never looked so good, here are some great new titles for your beach bag!

Every month, librarians from around the country pick the top ten new books they’d most like to share with readers. The results are published on LibraryReads.org. One of the goals of LibraryReads is to highlight the important role public libraries play in building buzz for new books and new authors. Click through to read more about what new and upcoming books librarians consider buzzworthy this month. The top ten titles for June are:

  1. Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healy
  2. China Dolls by Lisa See
  3. The Ice Cream Queen of Orchard Street by Susan Jane Gilman
  4. I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You by Courtney Maum
  5. The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand
  6. Summer House with Swimming Pool by Herman Koch
  7. The Lobster Kings by Alexi Zentner
  8. The Hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank
  9. The Quick by Lauren Owen
  10. Rogues edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois

 

What’s Happening at Cheshire Library in June

/ cheshirelib / Leave a comment

Fantastic programs, new services, and of course, Summer Reading are coming your way in June!

Social Media Marketing Made Simple and
LinkedIn for Business
Tuesday, June 3rd at 7:00pm

This information-packed seminar offers a basic review of the essential strategies and best practices an entrepreneur should understand to successfully use social media and LinkedIn. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library. 

More Information
Register for this program

 

Survivors Swing Band
Sunday, June 8th at 4:00pm
The Survivors Swing Band, a 7-piece professional jazz band, based in Connecticut, plays classic melodies from an era gone by–hot tunes and soothing ballads of the Swing Era– plus many of the wonderful melodies from the two decades that followed. This event is free and open to the public. Sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

More Information

 

Cooking with Chef John Bencivengo
Wednesday, June 18th at 6:30pm
Chef John Bencivengo of Chowder Pot lll will prepare 6 delicious dishes for you & will give out copies of the recipes. In addition, Chowder Pot lll will donate three Raffle Prizes you can win the evening of the event. There will be a donation fee of $5.00 per person to be paid at the door on the evening of the event to cover material costs. Seating is limited.  Please register.

More Information
Register for this program

 

Teen Games Drop-in
Friday, June 20th at 2:30pm
No registration required. Nintendo Wii available for group play with ROCK BAND 2, DDR, MARIO KART, BRAWL, and lots more! We’ve got board games too, so come play games and nibble snacks,  

More Information

Visit the Teen Page of our website!

 

Summer Reading Program
FIZZ, BOOM, READ! – will begin on Monday, June 23rd. We have a great summer planned for readers of all ages, including a wonderful line-up of fun kids’ programs that often have a science theme. And for those of you who are fans of “the Cheshire Library Cat,” we have some really cool t-shirts as giveaways again this year!

So be sure to look on our web site for information about how to sign-up for our online summer reading program – or come into the library and the children’s staff will be happy to answer any questions you have.

More information

Visit the Kids Page of our website!

 

Fab Film Saturdays
Saturday, June 28th at 2:00pm

How to Train Your Dragon. Hiccup is a young Viking who defies tradition when he befriends one of his deadliest foes – a ferocious dragon he calls Toothless. No registration required!
More information

Visit the Kids Page of our website!

 

Stream Videos
Now Available!

OverDrive, your source for free downloadable ebooks and audiobooks, has a new collection available: videos! You can borrow and watch free shows, movies, and more from the library’s digital collection right in your web browser without having to download files or use special software. We also just purchased Sesame Street videos for our streaming videos collection!

More Information

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New Circulation Software at the Library
Monday, June 2nd

The library will be upgrading its software to a next-generation technology platform. This will enable us to offer new services in a rapid and cost-effective manner. We are working with the system provider to convert the current system to the new platform while ensuring minimal disruption of patron services. As with implementing any new enterprise-level software, the library may experience intermittent service issues during the brief transition period.
More Information

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Summer Saturday Hours

The library will be open Saturday mornings from July 12 through August 23, from 9:30 a.m. To 1:00 p.m.
Come on in to cool off or grab a book for summer reading fun!

Summer Calendar

Jenn Reads: Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore

/ Jenn / Leave a comment

Our mystery book club recently read Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan.

A recently unemployed millennial, Clay, wonders into a curious San Francisco bookstore and leaves finding himself employed. It’s a strange bookstore- long with shelves that seem to reach towards the sky and some odd books. His boss, Mr. Penumbra, has just three rules for Clay, the most important of which is to never look inside the books on what Clay calls the “wayback shelves.”

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Clay works the midnight shift and encounters a few characters, all of whom want books from the “wayback shelves.” It does not take Clay long to peek into those books and open the proverbial can of worms. Along with the help of friends, Clay seeks to solve the puzzle of eternal life.

This is a book for anyone who loves to read, loves bookstores or libraries, or ponders what the future will bring. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is a book for today, with its clash of technology and traditional ways and methods. We get asked a lot here at the library what we believe the future of print books will be with the advent of e-books. It is difficult to say for sure (no one has a crystal ball), but I would personally like to hope that print books will always be around. After all, people still use brooms even though they have vacuum cleaners!

This book also raises the question: How do will we solve problems – by using computers or our own brains? How reliant will we become on computers? Clay finds throughout the book that technology can be useful, but it also cannot do the critical and complex thinking our minds can accomplish.

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is an easy to read, engaging, and quirky book. I enjoyed the adventure and the resolution of the puzzle (solved without the help of a computer!). There were times however, when problems were too easily solved with a ready answer or helping hand. So-and-so just happened to have that skill or know a person who could help them. It became a little too predictable. I would not recommend this book to anyone who is not at least familiar with some of the changes in technology – this book is full of 2012 popular jargon and pop culture references, which could be confusing for some.

Rating: 4 bookmarks out of 5

See you in the stacks,
Jenn

Linda Reads: Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead

/ Linda / Leave a comment

astonish meAfter reading a review, I decided to give Astonish Me a try.  I was not disappointed!  This book takes you into the fascinating world of ballet and into the complicated life of a second string dancer.  The chronological way of telling this story was, at first, awkward.  But as the book progressed, it made a complex story more interesting.  There are several ‘main’ characters, each with their own story to tell.  Ms. Shipstead deftly weaves their stories together.  While the world of dance is foremost,  you don’t have to be a lover of ballet to like this book.  This is a story of love, family, marriage, careers and the struggles of life that many can relate to.

Astonish Me is the irresistible story of Joan, a young American dancer who helps a Soviet ballet star, the great Arslan Rusakov, defect in 1975. A flash of fame and a passionate love affair follow, but Joan knows that, onstage and off, she is destined to remain in the background. She will never possess Arslan, and she will never be a prima ballerina. She will rise no higher than the corps, one dancer among many.
After her relationship with Arslan sours, Joan plots to make a new life for herself. She quits ballet, marries a good man, and settles in California with him and their son, Harry. But as the years pass, Joan comes to understand that ballet isn’t finished with her yet, for there is no mistaking that Harry is a prodigy. Through Harry, Joan is pulled back into a world she thought she’d left behind—back into dangerous secrets, and back, inevitably, to Arslan.

Maggie Shipstead

Maggie Shipstead

Maggie Shipstead is a novelist and short story writer. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a former Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford. Maggie’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, Tin House, The Paris Review Daily, VQR, American Short Fiction, The Best American Short Stories, and elsewhere. Her story “La Moretta” was a 2012 National Magazine Award finalist. Her debut novel, “Seating Arrangements,” was a national bestseller and the winner of the Dylan Thomas Prize and the L.A. Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction.