Book Club Picks – It’s All About Love

September 25, 2014September 25, 2014 / Linda / Leave a comment

The hustle and bustle of summer is over. It’s a great time to settle in with a warm and fuzzy romance. Here are a few to choose from.

Return to Tradd Street by Karen White – Struggling to complete renovations on her house before her baby arrives, single mother and psychic realtor Melanie Middleton seeks help from the man who broke her heart when a series of hauntings plaguing her house turn violent.

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philip Sendker – When a successful New York lawyer suddenly disappears without a trace, neither his wife nor his daughter has any idea where he might be–until they find a love letter he wrote many years before, to a Burmese woman who is unknown to them.

Whiskey Beach by Nora Roberts – After suffering through an intense year of public and police scrutiny after being wrongly implicated in his fiancâe’s murder, Boston lawyer Eli Landon takes sanctuary in a centuries-old family home and falls in love with resident housekeeper Abra Walsh, with whom he is entangled in an old, life-threatening mystery.

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham – A struggling actress in 1990s New York City searches for work and the perfect hair product while befriending a rival and resisting her father’s pressure to get a “real” job.

Three Sisters by Susan Mallery – Buying one of the famed Three Sisters Queen Anne houses on Blackberry Island, Dr. Andi Gordon, deciding that both her life and home are in need of some major renovations, forms an unbreakable bond with her neighbors–two very different women who are dealing with their own struggles.

The Summer Girls by Mary Alice Monroe – Summoned by their Charleston society grandmother to a historic family home on Sullivan’s Island, estranged sisters Carson, Eudora and Harper share a summer of healing and forgiveness while exploring the tenacious complexities of sisterhood and friendship.

Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews – Calling off her high-society wedding after discovering her fiancâe’s infidelity, Keely Murdock faces financial ruin before receiving assistance–and an opportunity for revenge–from the new owner of a local bra company.

The Inn At Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber – Jo Marie Rose opens the Rose Harbor Inn bed and breakfast in Cedar Cove in order to start a new life, but the inn and its first guests bring surprises into Jo’s life.

Twelve Times Blessed by Jacquelyn Mitchard – A year in the life of a fortysomething woman reveals the reflections of widow True Dickinson, who has raised a son and built a successful small business while putting off the kind of romance she desperately desires.

War Brides by Helen Bryan – Five women form a bond of friendship in the English village of Crowmarch Priors as they find their lives altered by loss and love during World War II.

On Our Shelves: New Picturebooks

September 23, 2014August 20, 2014 / 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.

Everything You Need to Know About Computers

September 21, 2014September 4, 2014 / Linda / Leave a comment

The Cheshire Library has approximately 80 computers and lately it seems like they’re all acting like cranky two year olds! So if you see an out of order sign, or a frustrated Librarian, please bear with us! Luckily, we have a great Library Technology Coordinator to trouble shoot for us. We also have a great selection of books about computers to help educate our patrons. Do you want to know how to trouble shoot, program or just turn on a computer? Would you like to know a little history, or benefits of computers? Check out our computer section (.004-.006.78) downstairs in the Reference Department.

Here’s a small sample of what you can find:

Computing Before Computers

The Plug-In Drug: television, computers, and family life

Most Human Human: What Talking to Computers Teaches Us About What It Means to be Alive

Dogfight: how Apple and Google went to war and started a revolution

Is This Thing On? : a computer handbook for late bloomers, technophobes, and the kicking & screaming.

Degunking Windows

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

September 19, 2014September 13, 2014 / 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.

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!

1. 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 Battle 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 a 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 Jefferson, 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

September 16, 2014October 7, 2014 / 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:

Watch a Movie. For free.

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.

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.

Play Minecraft

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

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

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)

Try an Exercise Class

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.

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

Join a Drum Circle

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.

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.