Crafting and Costume Guides for Halloween

October 7, 2014September 23, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Are you one of the people that just loves Halloween? The decorations, movies, and dressing up can be great fun for adults and children of all ages. There are just so many activities and crafts that are great fun this time of year. If you are planning a Halloween party, looking for some good costume ideas, or just want to go crazy with the seasonal crafting, then here are a selection for books to get you started. I have broken the list down into two sections, one for the adults and one to give ideas for using with children.

Books for Adults:

1. Halloween: a Grown-up’s Guide to Creative Costumes, Devilish Decor & Fabulous Festivities by Joanne O’Sullivan. Finally, here’s a Halloween book that’s definitely for adults. It’s brimming with practical and inventive ideas for parties, decorations, and costumes, and with an amazingly atmospheric design that’s a luscious treat for grown-up eyes.

2. Halloween by Matthew Mead. A stylish celebration of Halloween for the entire family presents an array of holiday foods, spooky decorations, and entertaining suggestions that includes easy-to-follow instructions for pumpkin treat holders, personalized candy boxes, black cat cupcakes, black duct tape stencils, and other creative projects.

3. Better Homes and Gardens Halloween Pumpkins & Parties: 101 Spooktacular Ideas edited by Carol Field Dahlstrom. Half of this book features Halloween celebrations and entertaining, while the rest highlights creativity with pumpkins.All-new ideas for both crafters and noncrafters.One-of-a-kind Halloween how-to with detailed instructions, patterns, and recipes.Third in a series of highly successful Halloween books from Better Homes and Gardens.

4. Glitterville’s Handmade Halloween: a Glittered Guide for Whimsical Crafting! by Stephen Brown. A great book for intermediate to experienced crafters, Glitterville’s Handmade Halloween will delight readers as they make their way through the playfully photographed pages of the book, which include full, never-before-published instructions for making some of Glitterville’s most sought-after items, including Halloween candy garland and the studio collection of folk figures.

5. The Big Book of Halloween: Creative & Creepy Projects for Revellers of all Ages by Laura Dover Doran. This complete source book is the perfect treat—with lots of tricks, too! Adults and kids will enjoy the mixture of fun, food, and fright. There are 50 great projects and loads of imaginative ideas—everything from decorations to costumes, party ideas to pumpkin-carving patterns. A wealth of Halloween legend and lore help illuminate the holiday’s rich history.

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Book with Ideas to Share with Children:

1. 175 Easy-to-do Halloween Crafts: Creative Uses for Recyclables edited by Sharon Dunn. Easy-to-follow directions and full-color photographs show young craft makers how to create frightfully funny decorations, pumpkins, gifts, masks, costumes, and so much more. All of the crafts are made of recyclable materials and everyday items found around the house.

2. Halloween Crafts by Fay Robinson. Provides information about the origins and customs of Halloween, ideas for celebrationg this holiday, and instructions for making a bat sock puppet, a construction paper haunted house, and a treat bag that looks like a coffin.

3. Celebrate Halloween by Deborah Heiligman. Trick or treat? Celebrate Halloween is a real treat. Vivid images and Deborah Heiligman’s lively, inviting text illuminate the spookiest night of the year.

4. Paper Crafts for Halloween by Randel McGee. Provides instructions for making paper craft items for Halloween along with a brief introduction to the holiday and its history.

5. Fun-to-Make Crafts for Halloween edited by Tom Daning. Each of these 150 craft projects for Halloween can be made from easy-to-find materials and the easy-to-follow directions include full-color photographs to help make the assembly simple.

6. Halloween Fun: 101 Ideas to Get in the Spirit! edited by Carol Field Dahlstrom. A spooky guide to Halloween fun contains an abundance of ideas, recipes, projects, and instructions for creating frightening foods, devilish decorations, scary costumes, and much more.

As always, there are plenty more books about Halloween crafts, costumes, and fun here at the library. This includes scary stories, history, and books for all interests and age groups. Come check out the selection, unless you are scared? Oh, and have a fun and safe Halloween!

10 Books We’re Looking Forward to in October

October 5, 2014September 23, 2014 / Louise / Leave a comment

The days are getting shorter, the evenings chillier. It’s the perfect time to curl up with a new book. Luckily, there are a lot of great new titles coming to Cheshire Library in October!

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 October are:

A Sudden Light by Garth Stein
Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes
Not My Father’s Son: A Memoir by Alan Cumming
Some Luck by Jane Smiley
The Boy Who Drew Monsters by Keith Donohue
The Life We Bury by Allen Eskins
Reunion by Hannah Pittard
Malice by Keigo Higashino
Murder at the Brightwell by Ashley Weaver

What’s Happening at Cheshire Library in October

October 2, 2014October 2, 2014 / cheshirelib / Leave a comment

It’s October, leaves are changing on the trees, the days are getting shorter, and Cheshire Library’s got loads of great programs to keep you busy all month long. And it’s BOOK SALE MONTH!

Gargoyles of Yale University

Monday Oct 6, 2014, 7:00 – 8:00 PM

Mathew Duman, author and photographer of An Education in the Grotesque : The Gargoyles of Yale University, has explored the variety of sculpture found on the buildings of Yale University and has researched and documented these new world grotesques which are much closer but no less interesting than their European counterparts. Registration required.

Cheshire Cats Classics Club

Monday Oct 6, 2014, 7:00 – 8:00 PM

For the October meeting, the book club will be discussing All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. Copies of this book may be borrowed at the library. Registration required.

Halloween Read-Aloud with FEA

Thursday Oct 9, 2014, 3:30 – 4:15 PM

Come and read with the Future Educators of America (FEA) from Dodd Middle School! Dress up in Halloween colors to get in the spirit. There will be stories, crafts, and a snack. For ages 3-6. Registration required starting on October 1st.

Fab Film Saturday

Saturday Oct 11, 2014, 2:00 – 4:00 PM

Today’s film is Frankenweenie (2012 – rated PG – 1 hr, 27 min). From Disney and creative genius Tim Burton comes the hilarious and offbeat FRANKENWEENIE, a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life — with just a few minor adjustments. Feel free to bring your own snacks! No registration required.

Tuesday Movie Matinees

Tuesday Oct 14, 2014 – The Uninvited (1944 – 99 minutes).

Tuesday Oct 28, 2014 – Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941 – 94 minutes)

1:00 – 3:00 PM, No registration required.

Witchcraft Trials of Connecticut

Tuesday Oct 14, 2014, 7:00 – 8:00 PM

Join Richard Tomlinson, author of Witchcraft Prosecution : Chasing the Devil in Connecticut as he discusses the fears that drove some citizens to seek out and punish accused witches that lived in their community. Tomlinson will explore the witchcraft trials in 1600s Connecticut and highlight three major trials in Connecticut history: the Hartford Witch Panic of 1662-63; the landmark prosecution of Katherine Harrison of Wethersfield; and the trial of Mercy Disbrow, the last woman convicted of witchcraft in Connecticut. Registration required.

Bobcats in Connecticut

Wednesday Oct 15, 2014, 7:00 – 8:00 PM

Bobcats are common in Connecticut and found in most towns throughout the state. They have been spotted in Cheshire and in other towns in the region. Bobcats are stealthy predators; secretive, solitary and seldom observed, tending to hunt and travel in areas of thick cover. Christine Clark, from Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo, will highlight the abilities, adaptations and natural history of the bobcat using slides, video and artifacts. Registration required.

Friends of the Library Semi-Annual Book Sale: Members-Only Preview Night

Wednesday Oct 22, 2014, 6:30 – 8:30 PM

Preview the popular Friends of the Cheshire Public Library Semi-Annual Book Sale. Memberships can be purchased at the door.

Friends of the Library Semi-Annual Book Sale

Thursday Oct 23 – Saturday Oct 25, 2014

Halloween Magic

Monday Oct 27, 2014, 6:30 – 7:30 PM

Please join us for a fun-filled Halloween Magic Show with Mr. Magic, Rick Rothstein. Rick will amaze everyone with his illusions with water and other visual trickery. For all ages. Registration required starting on October 1st.

iPad 101

Tuesday Oct 28, 2014, 7:00 – 8:00 PM

Learn the basics on how to use the most popular tablet on the market. This class will cover everything from changing settings to taking photographs. Please bring your own iPad if possible. The library has a limited number of iPads participants can use.

Topics covered:
Changing your settings
Securing your iPad for unauthorized use
Downloading Apps
Setting up your email
Organizing your life with iCalendar and Reminders
Photo-taking 101

Cheshire Magic : The Gathering Club

Tuesday Oct 28, 2014, 7:00 – 8:30 PM

In Magic: The Gathering, you are counted among the elite spellcasters of the Multiverse—the Planeswalkers. Your deck of cards represents your weapons, containing the spells you know and the creatures you can summon to fight for you. (Cards will be provided to play with if you don’t have any of your own.) Grades 9—12 and up, no registration required.

Before the Auto: Transportation in Cheshire during the 19th Century

Wednesday Oct 29, 2014, 7:00 – 8:00 PM

Learn how turnpikes, the Farmington Canal, steam railroads, and electric trolleys provided transportation in Cheshire in the nineteenth century. Presenter Richard DeLuca is the author of “Post Roads and Iron Horses,” which looks at transportation in Connecticut from Colonial Times to the Age of Steam.

Halloween Storytime and Costume Parade

Thursday Oct 30, 2014, 4:00 – 5:00 PM

Join Miss Nicole for a Halloween Storytime and Parade in the library! We’ll read some stories and then go treak-or-treating around the library! Be sure to wear your costume! For ages 8 and under. Registration required starting on October 1st.

Anime Club Halloween Cosplay Extravaganza

Friday Oct 31, 2014, 3:00 – 4:45 PM

Dress up and act like your favorite character: anime or otherwise! Prizes will be awarded for effort and creativity. Japanese refreshments will be provided, but the major event will be the cosplay contest, so start planning your costume and moves today—this is one event you won’t want to miss!! Grades 6—12. No registration required.

Make Your Party a Success with Help from the Library

September 30, 2014October 7, 2014 / Mary / Leave a comment

Recently, a friend of mine threw her annual summer party. Every year it’s something different and this year’s theme was Around the World.

No, she didn’t mean Around the World in 80 Days, the famous story of Phileas Fogg the most punctual man in the world. She provided a culinary and artistic world tour for her lucky guests. And she told me she could not have done it without the library.

There was tea and sushi in a Japanese garden. A German Biergarten. Shrimp on the barbie ala our mates in Australia. Indian cuisine. Asian. Every continent was represented. She even had a table of cookies with a red and white striped pole nearby labeled North Pole.

And the music! Depending on where you wandered in her house and yard, you could hear everything from Celtic harp to Caribbean steel drums.

How was the library involved? All of the recipes she used came from cookbooks she borrowed from the library. Wonderful titles such as My Paris Kitchen, It’s All Greek to Me, and Simple Thai Food stood proudly on each table. Guests could thumb through the books for interesting international recipes.

The music was all from Putumayo, a company devoted to world music. The background music consisted of World Party, Vintage France, Italian Café, Celtic Tides and many, many others.

My friend told me she got the idea for the party from the wide range of international cookbooks she saw on display at the library. When she confided her project to me, I had mentioned that she could also get a variety of world music at the library, too.

It was a memorable, multicultural evening. a world tour that never left town. I can hardly wait to see what next year’s party brings.

And, in case you were wondering, on the table that held the cookies from the North Pole, all the recipes cards simply said Mrs. Claus.

Check out our Putumayo collection and our cookbook collection:

It Is Ask a Stupid Question Day!

September 28, 2014September 29, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Did 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. If none of these books answer your questions, then please ask at the reference desk and we will find you an answer!