10 Books We’re Looking Forward to in May

May 15, 2015April 28, 2015 / Louise / Leave a comment

Did you know that May is “Get Caught Reading” Month? And with the terrific roster of books coming out in May, it should be easy get caught reading this month!

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 May are:

Uprooted by Naomi Novik
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi
The Knockoff by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza
Early Warning by Jane Smiley
Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
Little Black Lies by Sharon Bolton

What’s Happening at Cheshire Library in February

February 1, 2015February 1, 2015 / cheshirelib / Leave a comment

Fight the February Blahs with some educational, enriching, and entertaining programs at Cheshire Library! Mark your calendar for these events, and see even more on our Event Calendar.

Frozen Sing Along

Sunday Feb 1, 2015 , 2:00 PM

Experience FROZEN, hit musical comedy from Walt Disney Animation Studios, like never before in an all-new, full-length SING-ALONG EDITION! Follow the lyrics with a bouncing FROZEN snowflake. It’s pure enchantment — and full of fun for the whole family! All Ages Welcome. NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Cheshire Cats Classics Club

Monday Feb 2, 2015, 7:00 – 8:00 PM

The Cheshire Cats Classics Club meets once per month on a Monday evening. The Fellowship of the Ring will be discussed at the February 2nd meeting.
There is limited seating for this event. For more information regarding this program, contact Jennifer Bartlett at jbartlett@cheshirelibrary.org.

Irish Family History: Researching Irish Websites

Tuesday Feb 3, 2015, 7:00 – 8:00 PM

This workshop will introduce you to dozens of websites that can help you to research your Irish ancestors. The speaker will navigate websites and discuss the content of each one. Participants will be given a handout that lists the sites that benefit the Irish family history researcher. Register on our website.

Take Your Child to the Library Day! Magic with Chick Kelman

Saturday Feb 7, 2015, 2:00 – 3:00 PM

Magician Chick Kelman is returning to the Cheshire Public Library to add some magic to our Bring Your Child to the Library Day celebration. Join us for an afternoon program of magical tricks that will entertain and amaze! Stop by the Children’s Room after the performance for a special prize. NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Fab Film Saturday: The Boxtrolls

Saturday Feb 14, 2015, 2:00 – 4:00 PM

Come enjoy some great box office kids’ movies with Fab Film Saturdays at Cheshire Public Library!
THE BOXTROLLS. A family event movie from the creators of Coraline and ParaNorman that introduces audiences to a new breed of family – The Boxtrolls, a community of quirky, mischievous creatures who have lovingly raised a human boy named Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead Wright) in the amazing cavernous home they’ve built beneath the streets of Cheesebridge. Running Time 1 hour, 37 minutes. Rated PG. Feel free to bring your own snacks! NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Author Talk: Jon Katz

Sunday Feb 15, 2015, 2:00 – 3:00 PM

New York Times bestselling author Jon Katz (A Dog Year, A Good Dog, Rose In a Storm) will speak about his newest book, a memoir called Saving Simon: How a Rescue Donkey Taught Me the Meaning of Compassion.
Jon Katz has become well-known for rescuing “irredeemable” animals. In 2011, state police notified him of a severely neglected donkey who needed attention. It was at that time that Simon entered his life and changed it forever. Hear more about Simon’s story of healing, Mr. Katz’s writing experiences, and much more. Register on our website.

Bird Biology and Winter Plants

Monday Feb 16, 2015, two sessions, 2:00 and 3:15 PM

Local naturalist Eric Nelson will introduce children to the anatomy, identification and bird behavior through fun hands-on activities and exercises. Children wshould wear loose clothing and sneakers. For ages 6 and up. Register on our website starting on February 1st.

Rainforest Rendezvous with Animal Embassy

Tuesday Feb 17, 2015, 2:00 – 3:00 PM

Join Animal Embassy on a journey through the four major tropical rainforest regions of the world! Library patrons will meet Animal Ambassadors such as a Chinchilla, a jungle Carpet python, a Red-foot tortoise, Red-eyed tree frogs, a large Green iguana or Solomon Islands monkey-tailed skink and possibly an Eclectus parrot! For ages 4 and up. Register on our website starting on February 1st.

Genealogy Software for Family History Researchers

Tuesday Feb 17, 2015, 7:00 – 8:00 PM

After a discussion of factors to consider when purchasing genealogy software and a review of the current Top 10 software packages, presenter Edwin Strickland will explore some of the other computer software options to aid in the recording and publication of your family data and planning further research tasks. Register on our website.

Squishy Circuits

Wednesday Feb 18, 2015, 10:00 – 12:00 PM

Electricity + play dough = lights? Awesome!
Squishy Circuits area a great introduction to the fundamentals of electronics. We will use a play dough that can conduct electricity. Once you know the basics you can plug in lights and motors to bring you already cool sculpture to new levels of awesome. Drop in anytime between 10:00 a.m. and noon. For ages 6 and up. NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Truck Storytime

Thursday Feb 19, 2015, 10:00 – 11:00 AM

Bring your toy trucks and cars to this special event. There will be storytime followed by playtime. We will provide kiddie pools filled with sand to support play. Be sure to wear clothes you can get messy in. For ages 3-8. NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Dads & Donuts

Saturday Feb 21, 2015, 10:00 – 11:00 AM

Dads & Donuts is a storytime designed especially for dads and children ages 3 and up. You don’t have to be a dad either. Moms, grandparents, or partners – everyone is welcome to attend and eat delicious donuts. Snacks will follow stories based around the theme of Animals! Enjoy stories with donuts, juice and coloring and crafts to follow. For ages 3-8.
NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

E-Library Workshop: Downloadable Content at Cheshire Library

Saturday Feb 21, 2015, 2:00 – 4:00 PM

Want to learn how to download library e-books, audiobooks, movies, magazines and music to your laptop, tablet, e-reader, or smartphone? Bring your device and join us for a hands-on workshop. We’ll start with an overview of our various products and will then break into small groups with library staff, who can answer your questions about getting started.

Learn Spanish Storytime

Monday Feb 23, 2015, 10:00 – 10:30 AM

A hands-on Spanish program for toddlers, preschoolers and early elementary aged children. This bilingual storytime will be tons of fun with songs, games, activities and stories in both English and Spanish! No prior knowledge of Spanish is necessary. For ages 2 to Kindergarten. NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED.

Exploring Connecticut and the Slave Trade

Tuesday Feb 24, 2015, 7:00 – 8:00 PM

Journalist and independent historian Anne Farrow will discuss her new book The Logbooks : Connecticut’s Slave Ships and Human Memory. In 1757, a sailing ship owned by an affluent Connecticut merchant sailed from New London to the tiny island of Bence in Sierra Leone, West Africa, to take on fresh water and slaves. On board was the owner’s son, on a training voyage to learn the trade. The Logbooks explores that voyage, and two others documented by that young man, to unearth new realities of Connecticut’s slave trade and question how we could have forgotten this part of our past so completely. Seating for this event is limited. Register on our website.

Tech Talk And the Really Big TV

January 15, 2015January 5, 2015 / Susan O. / Leave a comment

Are you one of the lucky ones who got a large-screen TV for the holidays this year? Did you just replace an aging (and heavy) old picture-tube with a nice, light digital flatscreen, or did you go all-out and get that giant 50, 60, or even 80” monster that feels like you’re at the movie theater? Aren’t those digital cable channels amazing crystal clear?
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And are you upset with the really, really weird picture that makes it look like you’re watching a 1970’s BBC play?

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Hm. You are not alone. We had a nice 32” digital flatscreen, but when we hit a season-clearance sale the day after Christmas and found a 50” for less than we paid for the 32”, we couldn’t say no. And thus we got hit by what is technically known as “The Soap Opera Effect.”
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Does your picture look strange, like a live performance of a soap opera, or an old videotape spacing everything out and making it look – well, not like a TV picture? There’s a reason for that. “Normal” TV pictures, those we’ve all grown up with, “refresh” or “run” at a speed of 60 frames per second (if you’ve ever seen a reel-to-reel movie, maybe in school, think of all those still frames whipping through the machine to make the movie move, and think of sixty of those still pictures every second, or 3600 of them every minute). That’s what our brains can process as smooth motion, and makes our TV look like TV.
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Now enter digital. LCD TVs, because of all those pixels firing on and off, have trouble keeping motion from blurring (or, technically, “juddering”). Some people don’t like that blur, and to combat it that number of “frames” or still pictures has been sped up to 120, or even 240 frames per second . That allows you to see all those Batman action shots in such blinding big-screen clarity it’s almost like stop-motion. Football runners never blur. Car crashes never occur too fast to follow. You can trace the path of every blood spatter when those bullets hit – better than reality. However, there are still only filmed at 60 frames per second – the extra “frames” are “filled in” either by duplicating still frames, or having the computer brain of the TV “manufacture” extra frames between actual ones (frame 1, insert frame 1.5, frame 2, make up a 2.5 to connect to frame 3, etc.) all on a microscopic increment scale.
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Still follow? In short, to keep the picture smooth, extra non-existent pictures are slipped in to keep the picture from jerking.
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It’s beautiful, but the price you pay for all that motion smoothing is The Soap Opera Effect. And it has nothing to do with what you’re watching – cable channels, an old DVD, a regular Blu-Ray, or a Super HD format, it’s just the speed the TV runs at. So what can you do if you absolutely positively hate that weird flat Masterpiece-Theater-Meets-As- The-World-Turns look?
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A little, but not necessarily much. Go to your TV’s “settings” selection. There will be a setting that addresses “motion,” “motion control,” or “motion smoothing,” or some other term usually with the word motion – Google your exact TV model number for the term your TV uses. Most TVs come from the factory with the motion smoothing default setting to ON. Find your TV’s setting and simply turn the control to OFF. Yes, sometimes it’s easier said than done, and in my case it helped a little but not a lot.
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The easiest solution is 1) buy a smaller TV. Everything is less noticeable on a smaller screen. Being able to count the hairs inside Gandalf’s nose is far more distracting than you think. Remember the days when a 26” TV was REALLY REALLY BIG? 2) Check out the picture in the store on that particular model. ASK to see it with the motion smoothing turned off. If you don’t like it, keep trying different models until you come across one you do. Some are better at it than others, and it is more bothering to some people than others; it’s really a personal preference. I’m learning to live with it, trading in the awe of seamless clarity on special effects (watching the SHIELD helicarrier lift off from the water in The Avengers was jaw-dropping incredible) for the weird teleplay of people speaking. Unfortunately it’s the shape of things to come, and eventually we’re all going to have to adjust.

What to Do After NaNoWriMo

December 23, 2014December 20, 2014 / Susan O. / Leave a comment

You made it through November with your NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) novel completed! You’ve spent the last few weeks reading through it, making changes, and having friends read it.
Now what?
If you’re really serious, the next step is to track down a book such as the Writer’s Market or the Literary Marketplace. These are the free-lance (if you don’t have a writer’s contract from an employer, you’re free-lance) writer’s Bibles. Whether you are writing a memoir, a magazine article, an indepth research on the history of the Madagascar Lemur Louse, or that spy novel that’s been twisting in the back of your head, this is the book you NEED to read.

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Both books are full of information for the beginning and professional writer. You will find encouragement, essays, notes on what to do and how to do it, professional agents who will promote your work and get you published, as well as publishers, what they are looking for, and more importantly, HOW they want you to submit your work. Do not waste the editor’s time by sending them a romance query when they do not publish romance stories. Don’t look like an amateur by submitting an email file when the agent only takes printed copy. Don’t waste your postage sending to a publisher who is not currently accepting new submissions. These books will tell you exactly how to submit your work, and to whom, to get it noticed.

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Whether you choose to go a traditional publishing route or create your own published work through Amazon or similar sites, pay the money for a professional to review your work first, even if all you do is pay your child’s teacher to go over it. A professional will correct your spelling, your grammar, and maybe even point out a flaw you didn’t see. They can make your manuscript appear professional and polished, and give you your best shot. If you choose to include testimonials to your work, don’t use quotes from family members. Find someone with even a minimum of credit behind their name, or don’t do it. You want your presentation to be as professional-looking as possible.

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Remember, in the publishing industry, money is supposed to flow toward you, never away from you. If you are being asked to put money up front to help with costs, you are being scammed. There is a wonderful site every writer should know: SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America). This page is for all writers, not just fantasy and science fiction authors. It will alert you to the current scams aimed at writers who don’t know better, and take you step by step through what you should and shouldn’t do as a new writer of any genre.

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And don’t be discouraged by rejection. It’s not personal. Some publishers receive thousands of submissions per month. Even J.K. Rowling was rejected numerous times before Harry Potter was picked up by Scholastic. Imagine how those publishers feel now!

Pete Seeger, An American Bard

January 29, 2014January 29, 2014 / Susan O. / Leave a comment

Pete Seeger, the granddaddy of American folk music, passed away peacefully in his sleep January 27, at the age of 94. Pete left a legacy of not only a tremendous contribution to American music, but of political activism and ecology with an emphasis on peace.

If you’ve ever heard The Lettermen sing “Turn, Turn, Turn,” if you’ve ever heard “We Shall Overcome” sung at a protest, if you ever listened to Bruce Springsteen belt out his We Shall Overcome album, you’ve been touched by Pete’s music. If you’ve ever driven along the Hudson River in New York and noticed the lack of garbage floating in it, you’re looking at Pete’s work.

Pete began singing with the Almanac singers back in the 40’s, alongside the bedrock of American folk singers such as Woody Guthrie (who wrote the iconic and ironic song “This Land is Your Land”), Lee Hays, and Cisco Houston, among others. The Almanac singers morphed into The Weavers by 1950, with Lee Hays, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman, and enjoyed great popularity (including a number one hit in “Goodnight Irene”) until 1953, when they were blacklisted by McCarthyites as being suspicious for singing about such things as worker’s rights and political oppression around the world. This did not stop them from playing Carnegie Hall in 1955. By the 1960’s folk music was only increasing in popularity, and Pete had a great influence on such upcoming folk singers such as Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and Arlo Guthrie, Woody’s son, with whom he kept a life-long friendship. Seeger – four of his six siblings are also folk singers – continued to influence music through the 80’s, 90’s, and 2000’s by working with mega-musicians such as John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen, who released a well-received folk album after mentoring from Pete.

If Seeger was anything, it was tireless. It was he who introduced Martin Luther King Jr. to the song “We Shall Overcome.” In 1966 he became part of the Clearwater effort to clean up the toxic waste and raw sewage that was destroying the Hudson River in New York, something he never stopped doing. He stood behind Occupy Wallstreet. He played at President Obama’s inauguration, at the age of 89. He was still playing and giving concerts at 93. He was predeceased by Toshi, his wife of 70 years, just last summer. He has been a part of, well, generations of American history, from WPA projects to serving in World War II to facing down the House Committee on UnAmerican Activities to the civil rights movement, ecology, founded music festivals, and more. He is truly an American Icon, one we can all be proud of.

If you want to listen to classical truly American music, if you’re looking for great songs for singing or guitar, if you want your children to listen to some fun and rolicking children’s songs, check out some of Pete’s extensive legacy. Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen walk in his shadow, but there is no one alive who can come close to filling Pete’s giant footprints.