Cheshire

It Is Ask a Stupid Question Day!

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment
penguinfeetDid you know that September 28th is  Ask a Stupid Question Day?  No matter how much we are told that there are no stupid questions, there are times for each of us when we feel like a question that we need to ask might just qualify. Well, today is the day to get any of those questions you have been too afraid or bashful to ask off your mind.

 

To get things started here are some books that offer unusual facts, crazy questions, and some questions that just about everyone has but are afraid to ask out loud.boogers If none of these books answer your questions, then please ask at the reference desk and we will find you an answer!

1. Why Don’t Penguins’ Feet Freeze?: and 114 other Questions from New Scientist

2. Why You Shouldn’t Eat Your Boogers: Gross But True Things you Don’t Want to Know about your Body by Francesca Gould

3. Do Cats Always Land on their Feet?: 101 of the Most Perplexing Questions Answered about Feline Unfathomables, Medical Mysteries & Befuddling Behaviors by Marty Becker and Gina Spadaforiwhydomen

4.  You Blink Twelve Times a Minute: and other Freaky Facts about the Human Body by Barbara Seuling

5.Why Do Men Have Nipples?: Hundreds of Questions You’d Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini by Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg

6.Because I Said So!: the Truth Behind the Myths, Tales and Warnings Every Generation passes down to its Kids by Ken Jennings

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7.Can you Hear a Shout in Space?: Questions and Answers about Space Exploration by Melvin and Gilda Berger

8.Why Does Popcorn Pop? and other Kitchen Questions by Catherine Ripley

9.Do Tornadoes Really Twist?: Questions and Answers about Tornadoes and Hurricanes by Melvin and Gilda Berger ; illustrated by Higgins Bond

10.Do Fishes Get Thirsty? by Dr. Les Kaufman and staff of the New England Aquarium

momtattooFor even more questions and answers that you might have been afraid to bring up you might want to take a peek at; What Makes an Ocean Wave?: Questions and Answers about Oceans and Ocean Life by Melvin and Gilda Berger, Everything You Always Wanted to Know about Sex, But Were Afraid to Ask by Jack Rollins-Charles H. Joffe and Brodsky, Why is My Mother Getting a Tattoo?: and other Questions I Wish I Never Had to Ask by Jancee Dunn, Why Dogs Eat Poop: and Other Useless or gross Information About the Animal Kingdom dogsby Francesca Gould and David Haviland, Why Feet Smell and other Gross Facts about your Body  by Jody Sullivan Rake, Don’t Know Much about History: Everything you Need to Know about American History, but Never Learned by Kenneth C. Davis,  The New York Public Library Amazing Women in American history: a Book of Answers for Kids by Sue Heinemann, Why Do Men Fall Asleep after Sex?: More Questions You’d only Ask a Doctor after Your Third Whiskey Sour by Mark Leyner and Billy Goldberg

On Our Shelves: New Picturebooks

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Just in time for back to school, we have been cataloging new books in the children’s area like mad. In the process I have seen some great books, and had to check some out to read for myself and share with my own children. There have even been some that are staff storytime picks.  Here are some of my favorite picturebooks that have recently been added to our collection.

The Pigeon Needs a Bath! by Mo Willems. The  latest entry in the best-selling series that includes the Caldecott Honor-winning Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! finds a mussy Pigeon refusing to take a bath and insisting he had one a month earlier

Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won. Elevated from a bad mood when he receives an exciting new hat, Elephant cheers up his equally grumpy friend Zebra before marching to the homes of other downcast friends who join them in a fabulous hat parade

Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio and Christian Robinson. After a chance encounter at the park and a switch of places, Antoinette the bulldog and Gaston the
poodle learn that family is about love, not appearances, in an adorable doggy tale from a New York Times best-selling author.

Ninja! by Arree Chung. A little boy flexes his ninja chops in an adventure that finds him silently creeping through his home and overcoming formidable obstacles, like the coffee table, to pounce upon his unsuspecting father’s tummy.

The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat. An imaginary friend waits a long time to be imagined by a child and given a special name, and finally does the unimaginable–he sets out on a quest to find his perfect match in the real world.

As usual, I cannot stop there. Here are some more new picturebooks,  and a few easy readers thrown in for good measure, as suggestions for some fun and family friendly reading. My New Friend Is So Fun! by Mo Willems, Brimsby’s Hats by Andrew Prahin, Poppy the Pirate Dog’s New Shipmate by Liz Kessler, Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot by Dav Pilkey,  Tulip Loves Rex by 
Alyssa Satin Capucilli, How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth by Michelle Robinson, Little Big Horse: Where’s my Bike? by Dave Horowitz, and The Loch Mess Monster by Helen Lester.

Ahoy, It’s International Talk Like A Pirate Day Again!

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment
Here is it, September 19 and my favorite holiday, International Talk like a Pirate Day! It is a day that always inspires the wearing of pirate hats and much shouting of ‘Ahoy! Matey’ and ‘Shiver me Timbers’ in my house. Thankfully my kids get into the day along side me, and so do a number of my friends and coworkers.
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Last year I created a list of picturebooks and related non-fiction children’s books to celebrate the day. We can revisit that post here. This year I am going to take a different look at pirates, and offer up a selection of adult non-fiction about pirates that will sate your desire for adventure and travel, and perhaps whet your appetite for even more information. If you are still looking for more after reading this post, we do have a display in the lobby, near the adult fiction, of pirate related books that just might catch your eye!

 

empireofbluewater1. The Pirate Hunter: the True Story of Captain Kidd by Richard Zacks

2.The Pirate Queen: Queen Elizabeth I, Her Pirate Adventurers, and the Dawn of Empire by Susan Ronald

3.The Pirates of Somalia: Inside their Hidden World by Jay Bahadur

4.Empire of Blue Water: Captain Morgan’s Great Pirate Army, the Epic deadmenBattle for the Americas, and the Catastrophe that Ended the Oulaws’ Bloody Reign by Stephan Talty

5.Dead Men Tell No Tales: the Lives and Legends of the Pirate Charles Gibbs by Joseph Gibbs

6.Blackbeard: the Real Pirate of the Caribbean by Dan Parry

7. Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean: How blackbearda Generation of Swashbuckling Jews Carved out an Empire in the New World in their Quest for Treasure, Religious Freedom–and Revenge by Edward Kritzler

For even more pirate information you might want to explore; The World Atlas of Pirates: Treasures and Treachery on the Seven Seas, in Maps, Tall Tales, and Pictures by Angus Konstam, The Pirate Coast: Thomas thepiratecoastJefferson, the First Marines, and the Secret Mission of 1805 by Richard Zacks, Expedition Whydah: the Story of the World’s First Excavation of a Pirate Treasure Ship and the Man Who Found Her by Barry Clifford with Paul Perry, The Honourable Company: a History of the English East India Company by John Keay, Savage Kingdom: the True Story of Jamestown, 1607, and the Settlement of America by Benjamin Woolley or A Pirate Looks at Fifty by Jimmy Buffett.

 

10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know You Can Do at the Library

/ Mary / Leave a comment

Sure, everyone knows you can check out books, audiobooks, movies, and music but did you know you can learn how to use a computer? Put on a puppet show with your kids? Take a cooking class? Today’s libraries are full of a wide variety of interesting, fun, and even unusual things to do.

Here’s a small sample:

  1. Watch a Movie. For free. silver_linings

We show movies nearly every week at our library. From classics like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Some Like it Hot to blockbusters like Divergent and Frozen, you can watch a wide range of shows. BYOP. (Bring Your Own Popcorn.)

Love the movies? We have DVDs and Blu-rays available for checkout and an ever-growing streaming video collection from Overdrive.

  1. Build with Legos

Builder’s Brigade occurs twice a month. (Check out the Builders Brigade blog.) Kids and their parents get to express their creativity by building amazing Lego creations, which are then displayed in the children’s room. And for those who cannot wait for Wednesday afternoons to roll around, we have a stash of Legos always available at the Children’s Room at the Lego table.

If you are looking for some creative ideas for Legos try The Lego Ideas Book: Unlock Your Imagination.

  1. Play MinecraftMinecraft

Log in to Minecraft on any teen or Children’s Room computer and start trying to build (and survive) the Minecraft world.

Want to become a really super Minecraft player? You can borrow The Ultimate Player’s Guide to Minecraft from the library.

  1. Schedule a computer lesson

We offer one-on-one lessons for beginning computer users. If you need help learning to navigate the Internet or would like a basic course in email or how to use Microsoft Word, contact our Reference Department to schedule an appointment. It won’t be painful. We promise.

If you can’t wait, you can peruse Teach Yourself Visually Android Phones and Tablets or Kindle Fire HD The Missing Manual

  1. Go to a concert

On various evenings and weekends throughout the year, talented musicians and singers perform in the Mary Baldwin room. All concerts are free and open to the public, courtesy of the Friends of the Library. Check out our Calendar of Events for upcoming shows.

In between shows, you can find nearly every type of music in our collection from The Magic of Lang Lang (classical piano) to Diary of a Madman (Ozzy Osborne)

  1. Try an Exercise Class Fitness

From Zumba for Kids to an introduction to the martial art of Hapkido, the library hosts a variety of fitness programs throughout the year. It’s a great way to sample an exercise program before actually enrolling.

Don’t know what to try? Check out Fitness for Dummies, which describes a variety of exercise programs from cardio training to yoga.

  1. Change Your Lifestyle

Learn to mediate. Hear about the benefits of detoxification. Enjoy an evening delving into the characteristics of introverts versus extroverts. Talk to a professional decorator. Learn about nutrition.

Some good titles to get you going: Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening or The Clean in 14 Days Detox

  1. Join a Drum CircleWorld Groove

Children (and adults) can learn the fundamentals of music while playing interactive rhythm games with drums and hand-held percussion instruments from around the world. And have the fun of making a lot of noise in the library!

If you love world music try the Putumayo Presents World Groove CD.

  1. Food, Food, Food

Attend cooking classes and demonstrations. Meet cookbook authors and local chefs. And samples, samples, samples. Learn some new cooking skills, discover new recipes, and try out tasty treats.

While you’re at it, you can also peruse our cookbook collection, which offers everything from America’s Most Wanted Recipes to Weber’s Big Book of Burgers.

10. Grab a Cup of Coffee

Or tea or even a cup of hot chocolate. Our coffee bar has something for everyone. And what could be better than sipping the hot beverage of your choice while browsing for a good book. Or movie. Or audiobook. Or CD. Or graphic novel. Or…

Well, you get the idea.

Do You Want To Blog Like Us?

/ Sharon Tyler / 1 Comment
Since you are reading this blog, you are at least partially aware of how many people, businesses, organizations, and so on have started blogging. Some people blog about their daily life, parenting, working, crafting, reading, or whatever interests they have. Others are blogging to promote themselves, their business, or a cause important to them. It is hard to making blogging fun while still reaching the desired audience.  Striking the balance of hard work and fun is hard, especially when you are hoping that others read and find value in your efforts.

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I find myself, at least on my personal blog, often ignoring the technical advice about SEO, algorithms, and all the important stuff that helps readers find your blog,  and writing what I would like to read. However, knowing the best tools and information, even if you do not necessarily subscribe to it, can only help your efforts. If you are interested in learning more about blogging or trying it out for yourself here are some books you might want to consider checking out.

 

 

 2. The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging by the editors of the Huffington Post

 

 

 

 

  6.Food Blogging for Dummies by Kelly Senyei

 

 7.Blogging for Dummies by Susannah Gardner and Shane Birley

 

 8.Mom Blogging for Dummies by Wendy Piersall

 9.Sams Teach Yourself WordPress 3 in 10 minutes by Chuck Tomasi, Kreg Steppe

 

 10.WordPress for Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson

 

 And for even more information on social media, writing for the web, and blogging in general you might also want to check out; Writing for the Web : Creating Compelling Web Content Using Words, Pictures, and Sound by Lynda Felder, Social Media Marketing all-in-one for Dummies by Jan Zimmerman and Deborah Ng, New Media  edited by Albert Rolls, Get Rich Blogging by Zoe Griffin, Freedom is Blogging in your Underwear by Hugh MacLeod, Blogging by David L. Hudson Jr., Creative Blogging: Your First Steps to a Successful Blog by Heather Wright-Porto, or Blogging America: the New Public Sphere by Aaron Barlow.