10 Books We’re Looking Forward to in March

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 March are:

  1. The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh
  2. The Accident by Chris Pavone
  3. The Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger
  4. The Outcast Dead by Elly Griffiths
  5. Panic by Lauren Oliver
  6. A Circle of Wives by Alice LaPlante
  7. Gemini by Carol Cassella
  8. Precious Thing by Colette McBeth
  9. Kill Fee: A Stevens and Windermere Novel by Owen Laukkanen
  10. Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered by Austin Kleon

Shades of Love: An Assortment of Love Stories

loveThe love stories in these books run the gamut from sweet to sinister and everything in between!

Unlikely Love Stories:

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson

The Beginner’s Goodbye by Anne Tyler

The Devil In Winter by Lisa Kleypas

The Madness of Lord Ian by Jennifer Ashley

First Love:

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer

First Love by James Patterson

Dangerous Love

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

Love Overseas

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan Philipp Sendker

That Part Was True by Deborah McKinlay

I Always Loved You by Robin Oliveira

Star Crossed Love

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Dark Witch by Nora Roberts

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

True Love

The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels by Ree Drummond

Just Kids by Patti Smith

Love & War: Twenty Years, three presidents, two daughters & one Louisiana home by James Carville

Furious Love: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and the marriage of the centuryby Sam Kashner

Source: Amazon

Great Seuss Books You Might Not Remember

Sunday March 2nd would have been Theodor Seuss Geisel’s 110th birthday. In honor of the wonderful and well loved Dr. Seuss, who also wrote under the name Theo Le Sieg, I want to mention some of his wonderful books that you might not remember. We all recognize the titles The Cat in the Hat and One Fish, Two Fish. My daughter is extremely fond of The Lorax, Fox in Socks, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and so I can recite those on demand. Most of us even have vague recollections of less known stories like Daisy-head Mayzie and that the devoted elephant Horton starred in more than one story. However, how many of these other titles have you read?

My Many Colored Days This rhyming story describes each day in terms of a particular color which in turn is associated with specific emotions.

I Am Not Going to Get Up Today!  A boy is so sleepy that he vows nothing will get him out of his morning bed, neither peas and beans nor the United States Marines.

Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! The students of Diffendoofer School celebrate their unusual teachers and curriculum, including Miss Fribble who teaches laughing, Miss Bonkers who teaches frogs to dance, and Mr. Katz who builds robotic rats.

The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories
Presents seven Dr. Seuss stories first published in magazines between 1950 and 1951, with an introduction and commentary on each. The Bippolo Seed, The rabbit, the bear, and the Zinniga-Zanniga, Gustav, the Goldfish,Tadd and Todd, Steak for Supper, The Strange Shirt Spot, and The Great Henry McBride.

And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street  A boy imagines a series of incredible sights on his way home from school so that he will have an interesting report to give his father.

And then there is: Hunches in Bunches, Great Day for Up,Wacky WednesdayThe King’s Stilts, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins Scrambled Eggs Super! Dr. Seuss’s Sleep Book, and On Beyond Zebra for children as well as You’re Only Old Once! and  The Seven Lady Godivas for adults.

This list barely touches the surface of a long list of books by Dr. Seuss. Which of his is your favorite?

What’s Happening at Cheshire Library in March

Lots to see and do this month at Cheshire Library – mark your calendars for the following events:

  • Headin’ Home – Sunday Showcase Concert

10Sunday March 9, 4:00 PM

Hailing from Cheshire, Headin’ Home is a father/daughter duo featuring Dan Hedden on guitar and vocals and Christine Hedden on fiddle. In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, the pair will perform classic Celtic tunes.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Library, this program is free and open to the public. All ages welcome!

  • Friends of the Library Vintage Booksale

 Thursday March 13

The Friends of the Library are preparing their first-ever one-day Vintage Book Sale for Thursday March 13, 2014 from 9:30 am to 8:00 pm at the Cheshire Public Library.

All books have been individually priced and range from $1 to $100.  The great majority are under $5.  For your browsing pleasure, the books will be organized by decades. You may find that special book from your childhood or a out-of-print title you have always wanted to own!

Also… Cookbooks are half-price until March 15 at the Friends Lobby Booksale!

  • Learn To Play Blackjack! 

Wednesday March 19, 7:00 pm

An introductory course in state-of-the-art strategies with Richard Harvey.  Harvey, bestselling author, world-renowned innovator of new blackjack strategies and expert player, teaches cutting edge concepts so all can understand what it takes to win at the game “21.”

To register, please visit our website.
  • Cheshire Cats Classics Club       


Wednesday, March 19, 7:00 pm 
Our March pick is A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.

Set against the terror and turmoil of the French Revolution, A TALE OF TWO CITIES is one of Charles Dickens’s most loved works, an historical adventure of high drama and surprising depth.

This month’s book is available to check out at the library.

To register, please visit our website.
  •  SAT Preparation Seminar

Monday March 24, 6:30-8:00 pm
Well-known area language arts tutor Ellis Ratner will present a free SAT Preparation Seminar.   Mr. Ratner will address all aspects of the Reading and Writing Sections, including sentence completion, reading comprehension, grammar and essay writing.   Attendees will also receive, free of charge, an SAT Preparation Primer authored by Mr. Ratner.  Mr. Ratner’s qualifications and experience as SAT Preparation Tutor are detailed on his website, www.eratnertutor.com.
To register, visit our website.
  • Mountain Lions in Connecticut              

Tuesday March 25, 2014, 7:00 pm

The mountain lion once roamed free and wild all across the Northeast. It was eradicated from this region in about 1890 and declared officially extinct here in 2011, only one month before a 140 pound male cougar was struck by a car and killed in Milford, Connecticut. If they are extinct then why do so many people see them and how do you explain the recent kill? Robert Tougias will answer this question and discuss the future of the large carnivore here in New England.  Robert Tougias is a nature author and has been studying the eastern cougar for two decades.  He is the author of the book The Quest For The Eastern Cougar.  Copies of the book will be available for purchase.

This event is jointly sponsored by the Cheshire Planning Department and the Cheshire Library.

To register, please visit our website.
  • The Art of Psysanka: Ukrainian Easter Eggs

Wednesday March 26, 7 PM

eggs

Join Wallingford resident Gloria Paproski Horbaty as she shares her talents in the beautiful and ancient art of pysanka: the Ukrainian Easter Egg. Horbaty will speak about the history and folklore of the the pysanka and will give a short demonstration on how pysanky are created.To register, visit our website.
  • Growing Herbs Organically

Monday March 31, 7 PM
Growing Herbs Organically will be presented at the Cheshire Public Library on Monday, March 31, at 7:00 p.m.
Carole Miller of the Topmost Herb Farm in Coventry, CT leads a show-and-tell lecture on growing herbs organically.  This program will provide an overview of her experiences in growing both culinary and medicinal herbs; which varieties grow best in our zone, best planting and harvesting methods, and a few organic strategies in dealing with pests and diseases.

This event is jointly sponsored by the Cheshire Planning Department and the Cheshire Library.

To register, visit our website.
Looking ahead to April…

  • Etsy.com: Set Up and Sell

 Tuesday, April 1, 7 PM

Do you want to start your own handmade business but you’re not sure where to begin?  Go on a guided tour of Etsy.com with handmade business educator, Jennifer St. Jean.  Jen has been selling on Etsy since 2009, and has had thousands of sales both on and off Etsy. . Don’t forget to bring questions about selling your work online. Jen’s Etsy shop name is ittybittybag.
To register, visit our website .
  • Celebrate National Poetry Month

 Thursday April 3, 7 PM

 In celebration of National Poetry Month, the library will present Stratford poet Norah Pollard.  Norah has recently released her wistful and joyous new book “In Deep”, her fourth poetry collection.  She has received the Academy of American Poets Prize from the University of Bridgeport, and for several years edited the Connecticut River Review.

To register, visit our website .
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Children’s Programs

Story Cat

 Starting March 1 you may register for the following programs:
 

Zumba for Kids

Fridays, March 14 and 28
10:00-10:45 AM
Ages 3-6
Silly Sing-a-long 

Friday, March 21
10:30 – 11:30 AM
Ages 5 and under.
cat-head
The following programs do not require registration:
Tween Games Drop-In  
Tuesday March 4, 4:00 PM. Ages 8-12.
Wednesday March 5 and 26, 4:00-5 PM. For all ages.

Bookmarks Book Club

Tuesday March 18, 4:00 PM.  Grades 1-3.
Tuesday March 18, 4:00 PM. Grades 4-6
Wednesday March 19, 4:40-5:00 PM. All Ages.

Please check the Kids’ page on our website for a complete list of our popular weekly children’s programs. Registration for March-April storytimes and our after-school science program began on February 15.
See our calendar  to register or for more information.
  •  Just For Teens

Please join us for the following teen programs:

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

Already Missing “Downton Abbey”? Ten Books to Read While You Wait for Season Five

Ring the footman for more tissues, Downton Abbey is over for another year. <sniff!>

Now that Season 4 has drawn to a close, what will you do to fill the void until the Crawleys return? Here are 10 books that may help ease the pain:

  1. American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin. The story of vivacious Cora Cash, whose early twentieth-century marriage to England’s most eligible duke is overshadowed by his secretive nature and the traps and betrayals of London’s social scene.
  2. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh. The difficult loves of insular Englishman Charles Ryder, and his peculiarly intense relationship with the wealthy but dysfunctional family that inhabited Brideshead.
  3. The Stranger’s Child by Alan Hollinghurst. Embraced by the family of his Cambridge schoolmate, Cecil Valance writes an inspiring poem in an autograph album that becomes a staple of every English classroom after he is killed during World War I. (Man Booker Prize-winning author.)
  4. The Fox’s Walk by Annabel Davis-Goff. During World War I, a ten-year-old girl sent to live with her autocratic grandmother in the country gradually discovers that her family’s privilege is purchased at great cost to many other people.
  5. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. Stevens, an impeccable, quintessential English butler, embarks on a motoring trip through the West Country, on an odyssey that evokes disturbing memories of his thirty years of service to Lord Darlington and of the housekeeper, Miss Kenton.
  6. Summerset Abbey by T.J. Brown. Daughters to the second son of the Earl of Summerset, Rowena and Victoria, after their father dies, move in with their uncle’s family in a much more traditional household where they learn about class division and, as war approaches, hope for a more modern future.
  7. Snobs by Julien Fellowes. Preparing to marry heir Charles Broughton, attractive accountant’s daughter Edith Lavery makes humorous and astute observations about contemporary England’s class system. (By the creator of Downton Abbey.)
  8. The House at Riverton by Kate Morton. Living out her final days in a nursing home, ninety-eight-year-old Grace remembers the secrets surrounding the 1924 suicide of a young poet during a glittering society party hosted by Grace’s English aristocrat employers, a family that is shattered by war.
  9. A Room With a View by E.M. Forster. British social comedy examines a young heroine’s struggle against Victorian attitudes as she rejects the man her family has encouraged her to marry and chooses, instead, a socially unsuitable fellow she met on holiday in Italy.
  10. Cavendon Hall by Barbara Taylor Bradford. A tale spanning 16 years in Edwardian England finds the centuries-long relationship between the aristocratic Inghams and the Swann family who serves them tested by the outbreak of World War I.

Take heart, Anglophiles, we’ll get through this together!