It’s going to be a long winter……..start reading a series.

January 14, 2014September 16, 2014 / Linda / Leave a comment

Now’s a good time to get involved in a gripping series to get you through those long winter days and nights. Here’s a list of first titles in a series for a variety of Police Procedurals – Mystery, Thriller and Suspense.

Still Life (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Mysteries) by Louise Penny – An engaging series hero in Inspector Gamache, who commands his forces–and this series–with integrity and quiet courage.

Bruno, Chief of Police: A Novel of the French Countryside by Martin Walker – Meet Benoît Courrèges, aka Bruno, a policeman in a small village in the South of France. He’s a former soldier who has embraced the pleasures and slow rhythms of country life. He has a gun but never wears it; he has the power to arrest but never uses it.

Naked in Death (In Death) by J.D. Robb – In a world of danger and deception, she walks the line–between seductive passion and scandalous murder. This series follows the lives of Lt. Eve Dallas and her husband, businessman Roake in mid-21st century New York City.

Eva’s Eye: An Inspector Sejer Mystery by Karin Fossum – A Scandinavian crime fiction starring Inspector konrad Sejer, a shy, old-fashioned, polite dad who never stops thinking of his latest case.

Gallows View (Inspector Banks)by Peter Robinson – A critically acclaimed thriller that first introduced the world to Yorkshire, England Chief Inspector Alan Banks.

Sworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder Mystery)by Linda Castillo – In a rural, sleepy town in Ohio, the Amish and English have lived peacefully until a series of brutal murders shatters the community.

White Sky, Black Ice (Nathan Active Mysteries)by Stan Jones – Nathan Active is an Inupiat Eskimo and Alaska State Tro0per who patrols the coldest beat in America.

Face of a Killer (Sydney Fitzpatrick Mystery) by Robin Burcell – Author Robin Burcell is currently a criminal investigator in California and was the first female police office hired in Sacramento – which makes this series about a female FBI Special Agent very believable.

The Cove (FBI Thriller) by Catherine Coulter – FBI Agents Dillon Savich and his wife, Lacey Sherlock tackle crime in San Francisco.

Lonely Hearts (A Charles Resnick Mystery)by John Harvey – Charles Resnick is a jazz-loving, melancholy cop in provincial Nottingham, England.

Sharon Reads: The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson

January 12, 2014July 2, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson is a children’s chapter book. This is a previously unpublished work from a well known author, following a family of yetis who are forced to leave their home in the Himalayas and make their way across Europe to a possible new home. Siblings Con and Ellen shepherd the yetis along their eventful journey, with the help of Perry, a good-natured truck driver. Through a mountain rescue in the Alps and a bullfight in Spain, the yetis at last find their way to an ancestral estate in England—only to come upon a club of voracious hunters who have set their sights on the most exotic prey of all: the Abominable Snowmen.

The Abominables is a fun story full of crazy incidents that keep the reader turning pages. As a child, Abigail is stolen from her father’s tent while on an expedition. Her kidnapper means no harm, only needs some help raising his young adominables. This introduction to the world of the adominables brings readers to a place where what most consider imaginary monsters, to be very much like man. Abigail teaches the adominables that she lives with to read, speak, and have good manners. When tourism threatens their home, Abigail sends her ‘family’ to her original home in search of safety. The journey is much more exciting than the travelers were prepared for. Just think about a long trip in the back of a truck with four adominables and a very confused yak. The illustrations scattered throughout the book from Fiona Robinson add a level of humor and aid the imagination perfectly, without overwhelming the reader.

I would highly recommend The Abominables to readers that are fans of the late, great Eva Ibbotson. Readers that enjoy animal stories, humor, and adventure will greatly enjoy the story. I am a little unsure on my age recommendations as I think readers around 8 and older would be my best guess. However, there is quite a bit about animal rights and cruelty so some of the youngest set might be upset by. However, (spoiler) every character gets their happy ending so that might be enough to make the mild upset worth the big happy that is sure to follow. I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.

Picturebooks for Raising Independent Girls

January 7, 2014July 2, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

I was never the typically girl dressed in pink (willingly anyway) and pretending to be a princess. Instead, I was out climbing trees and playing astronaut with the boys and defending my right to do so even though I was ‘just a girl’. My daughter loves pink and purple, but is just as likely to jump in a mud puddle as she would be to convince her big brother and all the superheros or monsters of the day to have a tea party. I want her to stay open to all possibilities and be a strong individual. I do not want her waiting for a prince or knight to rescue her, so I am always on the lookout for books that reinforce that idea. Here are some of the best picturebooks that I have found that support growth of every girl into a strong, capable individual.

The Paper Bag Princess written by Robert N. Munsch; illustrated Michael Martchenko
After her castle and clothes are destroyed by the dragon, Princess Elizabeth, dressed only in a paper bag, sets out to rescue Prince Ronald, who was taken captive.

Me– Jane by Patrick McDonnell
Holding her stuffed toy chimpanzee, young Jane Goodall observes nature, reads Tarzan books, and dreams of living in Africa and helping animals. Includes biographical information on the prominent zoologist.

The Sandwich Swap by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah with Kelly DiPucchio; illustrated by Tricia Tusa. Best friends Lily and Salma disagree over their preferred foods, but after trading sandwiches to see how they taste, the girls change their minds.

I Like Myself! written by Karen Beaumont; illustrated by David Catrow
In rhyming text, a child expresses her self-esteem and exults in her unique identity.

Cloud Tea Monkeys by Mal Peet and Elspeth Graham; illustrated by Juan Wijngaard
When her mother becomes too ill to harvest tea on the nearby plantation, Shenaz is too small to fill in, but when she tells the monkeys she has befriended why she is sad, they bring her a basket filled with rare and valuable wild tea.

The Gardener written by Sarah Stewart; pictures by David Small
A series of letters relating what happens when, after her father loses his job, Lydia Grace goes to live with her Uncle Jim in the city but takes her love for gardening with her.

For even more books you can take a look at these options; Amazing Grace written by Mary Hoffman; pictures by Caroline Binch, The Three Ninja Pigs written by Corey Rosen Schwartz; illustrated by Dan Santat, Every Cowgirl Needs Dancing Boots by Rebecca Janni, Blueberry Girl written by Neil Gaiman; illustrated by Charles Vess, Not All Princesses Dress in Pink written by Jane Yolen and Heidi E.Y. Stemple; illustrated by Anne-Sophie Lanquetin, My Name is Not Isabella written by Jennifer Fosberry; pictures by Mike Litwin, Basketball Belles written by Sue Macy; illustrated by Matt Collins, The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, Sally Jean, the Bicycle Queen written by Cari Best ; pictures by Christine Davenier, O’Sullivan Stew: a Tale Cooked Up in Ireland wirtten by Hudson Talbott, Unspoken: a Story From the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole, and The Princess Knight written by Cornelia Funke; illustrations by Kerstin Meyer; translated by Anthea Bell.

What’s Happening at Cheshire Library in January…

January 3, 2014January 2, 2014 / cheshirelib / Leave a comment

NEWS AND EVENTS AT THE LIBRARY – JANUARY 2014

Happy New Year! January is shaping up to be a busy month at CPL – here’s what’s happening:

January Movie Matinees

Tuesdays at 1:00pm

January 7 : Lion In Winter

January 14 : Flags of Our Fathers

January 21 :Suspicion

Cheshire Cats Classics Club

Wednesday, January 15, 7:00pm.

This month we are discussing one of the great classics of the English language, Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. Set near the end of the 14th century, 29 travelers from vastly differing backgrounds set out one April for Canterbury on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Thomas Beckett. Travel is arduous and wearing, so to maintain their spirits this band of pilgrims entertains each other with a series of tall tales that span the spectrum of literary genres. Five hundred years later people are still reading The Canterbury Tales.This month’s book is available to check out at the library. Please join us! To register, please visit our website.

Powerful Positive Thinking

Thursday January 16 7:00pm

Speaker Diane Frankel-Gramelis is director of Community Education at Milford Hospital and a Health & Wellness Educator at Yale New Haven Hospital and other institutions. She has been designing and implementing health and wellness programs for over 25 years. Diane has a dynamic and varied background in childbirth, parenting counseling, stress management and health promotion; she is an empowering wellness speaker, bringing warmth, wisdom and real-life solutions to her audience. To register, please visit our website.

Guitar and Mandolin featured in January Sunday Showcase

Sunday, January 26, 4:00pm

Husband and wife duo Judy Handler and Mark Levesque blend Brazilian, Latin American, swing, gypsy, classical and folk music influences to create their sophisticated and expressive arrangements. Audiences respond with great enthusiasm to their extraordinary sound and the uplifting spirit of their music. They have performed over 1,500 concerts together throughout the Northeast and Midwest. All ages welcome – no registration required.

Free Video Production Training and Facilities at Cox Communications – Tuesday January 28, 7:00 pm.

Cheshire Library will present David Smith, Cox Communications Cheshire Public Access, on Tuesday January 28 at 7:00pm. Mr. Smith will discuss the video production training and equipment that Cox Communications offers free of charge to residents of Cheshire, Southington and Meriden. This includes the use of field equipment, studio production and video editing. Mr. Smith will also answer any questions participants may have about Cox’s local facility. To register, please visit our web site .

Chocolate for Valentine’s Day!

Thursday, January 30, 7:00pm

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, many of us wonder what kind of goodies we can easily make as gifts for family and friends. Think chocolate! Long time chef and chocolate expert Maria Brandriff will demonstrate both some decadent truffles and some healthier chocolate treats in a program entitled Chocolate for the Holidays. Recipes and ample samples will be available. Space is limited. To register, please visit our website.

Children’s Programs

Monday/Tuesday Storytime

Mondays-January 6, 13, 27, February 3, 10

Tuesdays- January 7, 14, 21, 28, February 4, 11

10:00 – 10:30 AM

Stories, songs, rhymes and a craft.Enhances children’s literacy and social skills. Children may stay with the librarian without parent or caregiver to create a sense of independence.

For ages 3-kindergarten

Mother Goose Time

Wednesdays-January 8, 15, 22, 29, February 5, 12

Session 1-9:30-9:55 AM (for children ages birth to 24 months)

Session 2-10:00-10:25 AM (for children ages 2-3)

Register for Session 2

Stories, songs and fingerplays that help develop speech and social skills. Children attend with a parent/caregiver.

Family Time

Thursdays-January 9, 16, 23, 30, February 6, 13.

10:00 – 10:55 AM

Age-appropriate toys, craft activity, games and books. Provides opportunities for socialization and development of fine and gross motor skills. For children ages 1-3 with parent/caregiver. Register.

Gizmos, Gadgets and Goo: Mad Scientists’ Club

Thursdays, 3:45-4:45 PMThis hands-on, one-hour science program offers children a chance to see just how cool science can be! For grades 3-6.
Select Track A or B (the programs will be duplicated).

The following programs do not require registration:

Builders’ Brigade

Wednesday January 8, 22, 4:00-5 PM. For all ages.

If you love to create masterpieces with LEGO® bricks or MEGA BLOKS®, then this program is perfect for you! This program is geared toward kids ages 7 and up, but younger builders are also welcome!

Bookmarks Book Club

Tuesday January 21, 4:00 PM Grades 1-3

Tween Book Club

Tuesday January 28, 4:00 PM Grades 4-6.

Fab Film Saturday

“Turbo” Saturday, January 11, 2:00 PM. All ages.

Schedule subject to change
See our calendar for more information or check the KIDS’ PAGE on the library website!

Just For Teens

Please join us for the following teen programs:

Cheshire Anime Club – Friday, January 17, 3:00 pm

Anime Club Xtra – Tuesday, January 7, 6:00 pm

Teen games, drop-in – Fridays, January 3, 10, 24 at 2:30 pm

Yu-Gi-Oh: It’s Time to Duel – Friday, January 31, 2:30 pm

See the library’s teen page or the calendar for more information!

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Local Newspapers Available on Library Website

Want to check up on a news event from yesterday, last year, or even as far back as 25 years ago?

Then Cheshire Library has an online resource for you.

Cheshire residents have access to articles from the following Cheshire-area newspapers: Cheshire Herald 2007 to present; Meriden-Record Journal 12/7/1997 to present; New Haven Register 1988 to present. This Newsbank database is indexed and searchable, and provides full-text articles from electronic editions.

To access Cheshire-area newspaper archives, online:

Go to the Cheshire Library homepage: www.cheshirelibrary.org
Mouse over the Research tab
Click on Newspapers and Magazines
Select the title you wish to search
Enter your Cheshire Library card number

If you have any questions, call the library’s Reference Department at 203-272-2245, ext. 4.

Federal and Connecticut State Tax Forms Available

Federal and State tax forms and instruction booklets will be available in the Reference Department located on the Library’s lower level. Forms will be delivered to the library throughout the month of January, but please note that the library does not receive all forms and cannot guarantee when forms will be available. Please call (203-272-2245, ext 4) to determine if a particular form or booklet is in stock.Federal forms may be downloaded at http://www.irs.gov/Forms-&-Pubs.Connecticut state tax forms may be downloaded at http://www.ct.gov/drs/cwp/view.asp?a=1509&q=443200

From the Director’s Desk:

—Technology Survey on Library Website

We are writing our first Technology Plan and need your help to determine the best technology services for our library. The Impact Survey, developed by staff of the University of Washington Information School, ask how you use or would use various library technology services such as public computers, wireless networks, online resources, digital literacy training, etc. The survey will take about ten minutes to complete. Thank you in advance for your time!

Technology Survey

—Zinio Downloadable Magazines

I am completely hooked on Zinio, the library’s downloadable magazine service and want to tell everyone how terrific it is! Haven’t tried it?

Just go to Zinio on the library’s website and sign up with your Cheshire library card. Over 60 popular magazines are available. Need some help getting started? Check out the library’s “Downloadables” page.

Ramona Burkey
Director
Cheshire Public Library

Foreign Language Books for the Younger Set

January 2, 2014July 2, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Did you know that there is a small collection of nonfiction books, picturebooks, and chapter books in the children’s section in languages other than English? From dictionaries to long time children’s favorites, we have something to interest most readers that either speak two or more languages or want to learn. We also have some DVD’s to teach foreign languages to children, or adults like myself that have trouble learning new language. Here is a small selection of the books from some of the languages we have on the shelf.

French:
ABC x 3 : English, Español, Français by Marthe Jocelyn and Tom Slaughter.
French Phrase Book by Jane Wightwick and Wina Gunn with illustrations by Leila Gaafar and Robert Bowers.
Bonsoir Lune by Margaret Wise Brown with illustrations de Clement Hurd.
Babar a New York by Laurent de Brunhoff.
Le Hibou et la Poussiquette (freely translated into French from the English of Edward Lear’s “The owl and the pussy-cat.”) with illustrations by Barbara Cooney.
Le Bon Lion by Louise Fatio with images by Roger Duvoisin.

Spanish
Nancy la Elegante by Jane O’Connor with illustrations by Robin Preiss Glasser, translation by Liliana Valenzuela.
De Colores (Bright with colors) pictures by David Diaz.
Me llamo Gabito: la Vida de Gabriel García Márquez (My Name is Gabito: The Life of Gabriel García Márquez) by Monica Brown and illustrated by Raúl Colón.
El Ratoncito de la Moto by Beverly Cleary with translation by Lydia Permanyer Netto
La Ardilla Listada by Patricia Whitehouse with translation by Patricia Abello
Te Amo, Bebé, Little One by Lisa Wheeler and illustrated by Maribel Suárez.
La Araña muy Ocupada by Eric Carle.
Harry Potter y la Piedra Filosofal by J.K. Rowling and translation by Alicia Dellepiane

Chinese
Milet Picture Dictionary, English-Chinese text by Sedat Turhan and illustrations by Sally Hagin.
To Grandmother’s House: A Visit to Old-Town Beijing with text and photographs by Douglas Keister.

Hebrew
The Jewish kids’ Hebrew-English Wordbook by Chaya M. Burstein.
Count Your Way Through Israel by James Haskins,

Italian
My First Book of Italian Words by Katy R. Kudela with translation by Translations.com.
Count Your Way Through Italy by Jim Haskins with illustrations by Beth Wright
Italian Bilingual Dictionary: A Beginner’s Guide in Words and Pictures by Gladys C. Lipton and John Colaneri.

Japanese
My First Book of Japanese Words by Katy R. Kudela with translations by Translations.com
Where Are You Going? To See My Friend!: A Story of Friendship in Two Languages by Eric Carle
A Place Where Sunflowers Grow (Sabaku ni Saita Himawari) by Amy Lee-Tai
Count Your Way Through Japan by James Haskins

For even further language resources come check out our foreign language shelf in the children’s room, the instructional DVD’s, or either of the two electronic resources our library offers access to; Muzzy Online and Transparent Language Online.