Non-Fiction

Amanda Knox’s Memoir to be Released April 30, 2013

/ Linda / Leave a comment

amandaWhether you believe Amanda Knox is guilty or not guilty of killing her college roommate in Italy six years ago, her soon to be released memoir, Waiting To Be Heard, should answer some of the questions the public has.

On November 2, 2007, Amanda’s roommate, Meredith Kercher, was found with her throat slit in the villa they shared in Perugia, Italy.  Amanda, her boyfriend, and a third person were convicted of the murder.  Two years later, the conviction was overturned.  Just this past March, however, Italy’s higher court overturned the acquittal and has ordered a new trial.

Amanda has always maintained her innocence and admits contemplating suicide and fending off unwanted attention from her guards in the Italian prison.  She hopes Meredith’s family reads the book as it is all about “setting the record straight”.

Amanda is currently attending school in Seattle and dating an old friend who wrote her letters while she was in prison.

The Cheshire Public Library has the book on order and it should be arriving soon.  You may place a hold on it at this time.

Listen Up! with an Audiobook

/ Susan O. / Leave a comment

Don’t have time to read?  Driving a long commute, or perhaps an out-of-state trip? Do you have trouble focusing on printed words?  Try an audio book! Cheshire Library has a large collection of books on cd, from mysteries to romance, to fiction, non-fiction, science-fiction, and foreign languages, and we add at least one new selection a day. Here’s a list of just some of our newest additions in the past month:

[Cover]  Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts

Toms River by Dan Fagin

The Hormone Cure by Sara Gottfried

Suspect by Robert Crais[Cover]

Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russell

Coming of Age in Mississippi by Anne Moody

[Cover]Pukka’s Promise: The Quest for Longer-lived dogs by Ted Kerasote

Rita Moreno: A Memoir By Rita Moreno

The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte [Cover]Cristo by Tom Reiss

The Dogs of War by Lisa Rogak

When Your Parent Becomes Your Child by Ken Abraham

[Cover]Car Talk: 25 Years of Lousy Car Advice

Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of World War II by Keith Lowe

A Land More Kind than Home by Wiley Cash

The Butterfly’s Daughter by Mary Alice Monroe[Cover]

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

Red Ink: Inside the High-Stakes Politics of the Federal Budget by David Wessel

[Cover]My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor

’42’ – A Movie About Jackie Robinson

/ Linda / Leave a comment

movie 42The movie ‘42′ is set to be released Friday, April 12th.   It tells the life story of Jackie Robinson (played by Chadwick Boseman) who became the first African-American to play professional baseball.  He signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers where team executive Branch Rickey (played by Harrison Ford) guided Robinson through this momentous time.  The movie is already generating positive buzz with great reviews and high praise.

The Cheshire Library has several books about Jackie Robinson that you might want to read – for both children and adults.

Adult:

Jackie Robinson and the Integration of Baseball by Scott Simon

The Jackie Robinson Reader: perspectives on an American hero by Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson by Arnold Rampersad

Children:

Jackie Robinson by Tony DeMarco

Stealing Home : Jackie Robinson: Against All Odds by Robert Burleigh

Jackie Robinson and the Story of All Black Baseball – by Jim O’Connor

There are also more titles to choose from.  The Children’s Librarian or Reference Librarian can help you locate them.

 

Jane Fonda’s Adopted Daughter

/ Linda / Leave a comment

jane fondaIt came as a surprise to many people that Jane Fonda has an adopted African-American daughter who was raised in Oakland during the 70’s in a family that belonged to the Black Panthers.   Mary Williams’ father was in prison most of her life, her older sister was a prostitute and her mother struggled to raise six children alone.   When Mary was thirteen, she was invited to spend the summer at the Laurel Springs Children’s camp run by Jane Fonda and her then husband, Tom Hayden.  Mary flourished at the camp and started to confide in Jane about her difficult life at home.  After Mary suffered a nightmare assault, Jane provided care and therapy and invited her to come live with her family.  Jane was a wonderful mother who helped with homework, and offered inspiration and encouragement.

Mary’s life since has been one of adventure and opportunity.  It also involved returning to Oakland to reconnect with her biological family.  The Lost Daughter: A Memoir is a chronicle of her journey back in time, an exploration of fractured family bonds, and a moving epic of self-discovery.

 

Books for LEGO Lovers

/ Sharon Tyler / 1 Comment

Do you still love LEGOs? Does someone in your family love LEGOs? They are more then just a great toy, and a danger when walking barefoot. LEGOs can be used to make engineering marvels, works of art, and just about anything you can imagine as long as you have all the right pieces. There are many books that demonstrate the wide-spread love of LEGOs. Here are some of the books I recommend for LEGO fans for all age groups.

Amazing ABC

There are board books for the youngest fans. Some that can be used to help teach the ABC’s, like the Amazing ABC: an Alphabet Book of Lego Creations by Sean Kenney,while others just make all of us marvel at the effort the creators have put into creating the images used to illustrate the books.  There are also easy readers that show off some fabulous LEGO work, and use some favorite characters from books and television to capture the imagination. Cool Castles, books that feature Star Wars characters built from LEGOs, as well at the LEGO Ninjago series, which are popular for emerging readers.

The LEGO Book

Books can be found that simply feature the wide variety of pieces that LEGO creates, including ideas for things to build and encyclopedias that list and describe the specific LEGO pieces created around a specific book or movie series. The LEGO Book shares the history behind LEGO bricks. It includes a timeline which highlights key moments in LEGO history and includes new and updated information about LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Ninjago, LEGO Friends, and much more. There are also the Lego Harry Potter book,  LEGO Star Wars Character Encyclopedia, and many more to feed any mind eager to learn about the seemingly endless supply of LEGOs.

Simple Machines

For our builders that do not want to just look at all the amazing things others have done, but want some inspiration and instruction on how to expand their own building abilities, there are books for them as well!  You can study the step by step images and create your own Simple Machines, Wheeled Wonders, and Fantastic Contraptions.

If all this LEGO fun and wonder is not enough for you, then stop by the library and check out the creations the members of the Builder Brigade have built. This is a monthly program, for children ages 7 and up which allows children to work alone or in groups in order to use their creativity and design buildings, creatures, and more using Lego and Mega blocks. For more information, news, and photos take a look at the Builder’s Brigade Blog here.