Crazy Weather? There’s a Book for That!

/ Linda / Leave a comment
Derecho

Derecho

It seems the weather has just been so crazy this year!  Recently, a new weather term (to non-weather experts, anyway) was being tossed around – derecho.   This refers to a widespread, long-lived, straight-line windstorm that is associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms.  The damage a derecho causes is similar to a tornado.  The swath of wind damage has to be 240 miles long and have wind speeds of 58 miles per hour or higher to qualify as a derecho.  Conditions were very favorable in the middle of June for a derecho to occur in the Midwest.  The potential existed for 70 million people being affected.   In June of 2012, a derecho caused 13 deaths and caused $1 billion in damages.

Windsor, CT

Windsor, CT

On July 1, 2013, Connecticut experienced a rare occurance – three tornadoes.  An EF0 (wind speeds from 65-85 mph) began in Greenwich and
ended in Stamford.  Another EF0 touched down in Enfield and an EF1 tornado (wind speeds from 86-110 mph) touched down in East Windsor, Windsor and Windsor Locks causing considerable damage.  On July 19th, an EF1 tornado started in Andover, then Coventry and ended in Mansfield.

The Cheshire Library has many books about weather.  They can be found in the Adult non-fiction section under the Dewey number 551.6 and in the Childrens’ section in the same Dewey section.

A few titles that might be of interest are:

  1. Weather by Simon Seymour
  2. Weather by Brian Cosgrove
  3. Wild, Wet and Windy by Claire Llewellyn
  4. The Weather Book by Jack Williams
  5. Complete Idiot’s Guide to Weather by Mel Goldstein
  6. Eric Sloane’s Weather Book by Eric Sloane
  7. The Winds of Change by Eugene Linden
  8. The Weather of the Future by Heidi Cullen
  9. Freaks of the Storm by Randall Cerveny

                 

O Say Can You See: Patriotic Books

/ Jenn / Leave a comment

Patriotism comes in many forms. Some people express it by joining the military and defending their country, both home and abroad. Some rally citizens through songs, speeches, writing, and art. And others instill patriotic values in their families, workplaces, places of worship, and in their own lives.

However you take pride in your country, here are a few books to celebrate your inner patriot.

  1. A Patriot’s Handbook: Songs, Poems, Stories, and Speeches

    A Patriot’s Handbook by Caroline Kennedy

    Celebrating the Land We Love by Caroline Kennedy. This collection of more than 200 selections has themes like “The Flag”, “Freedom of Speech”, and “The Individual”. The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are rewritten in full, along with presidential speeches, farewell addresses, and decisions from landmark Supreme court cases. Poems and selections from fiction, including authors like Alice Walker, Stephen Crane, and F. Scott Fitzgerald are included, along with popular patriotic songs. Kennedy also includes dissenting voices such as Thoreau, Oscar Wilde, and Frederick Douglass, reminding us that while we are the land of the free and the home of the brave, we still have much to do to make it so.

  2. Mr. and Mrs. Madison’s War: America’s First Couple and the

    Mr. and Mrs. Madison’s War by Hugh Howard

    Second War of Independence by Hugh Howard. Perhaps the most forgotten war, the War of 1812 celebrated it’s 200th anniversary last year. This conflict was truly our second war of independence, as Great Britain was looking to assert her dominance over us on both land and water. Author Hugh Howard presents this important war as James and Dolley experienced it. More came out of this war than Dolley running from the White House with the portrait of George Washington.

  3. Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American

    Revolutionary Summer by Joseph Ellis

    Independence by Joseph Ellis. Joseph Ellis is the master of taking a large subject like the American Revolution and paring it down to the nitty gritty. His latest in his canon of American Revolution titles is Revolutionary Summer, where he examines the summer of 1776 and how it changed not only our history, but history across the world. Influential figures from both sides, including John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, General William Howe, and Admiral Lord Richard, help tell the story of one of the most important summers in human history.

  4. Patriot’s History of the United State: From Columbus’s Great

    A Patriot’s History of the United States by Larry Schweikart

    Discovery to the War on Terror  by Larry Schweikart. Schweikart believes that American history has been distorted by intellectuals searching for instances of racism, sexism, and bigotry in our history and seeks to right those wrongs by telling the history as it happened. He argues that more emphasis is placed on Harriet Tubman than George Washington,  and more on the Japanese internment during WWII than D-Day or Iwo Jima. I can’t say I entirely agree with this statement, as American history is full of those problems and “oversights”, but for the right person who appreciates reading about “old dead white men” this book is for you.

  5. Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. MacPherson. I would be

    Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. MacPherson

    completely remiss if I didn’t include something from the Civil War. During this 150th anniversary of the American Civil War, it is important to remember what led us to our nation’s greatest conflict, what happened, and what we can learn. MacPherson, a well-known Civil War scholar, makes the topic readable, approachable, and entertaining for readers of all ages, reading abilities, and knowledge. The most important lesson we today can learn from that terrible war is that divided horrific things happen, but together we can accomplish anything.

From the Children’s Room: Dig Into Reading This Summer!

/ cheshirelib / Leave a comment

The Cheshire Library presents its 2013 Summer Reading program “Dig Into Reading”.

Dig into your best summer yet with our annual Summer Reading Program! Register online for our Summer Reading Club. Read books, log what you’ve read, write reviews & get prizes! Program begins June 24th & continues through August 19th. Children and parents can come to the library after registering and receive the Summer Reading packet, which includes a bookmark, a packet of sunflower seeds, and promotional items from Quassy Park, Applebees, TD North Bank, Connecticut Higher Education Trust, the Sound Tigers, Connecticut Sun, and Pottery Piazza.

tshirt

2013 Summer Reading T-Shirt design by Laurie Lee

Children in preschool through grade two will read 6 books to receive a t-shirt and 12 books to finish the Reading Club. Children in grades three and up need to read 3 books to receive a t-shirt and 6 books to finish. T- shirts will be available while supplies last.

Children who finish the club will receive a ticket voucher for the New Britain Rock Cats and the Pawtucket Red Sox. Instructions for receiving the tickets and information about game dates will be forthcoming. Children will also receive a reading certificate and a ticket for a gift certificates drawing to be held at the end of the reading program.
The Summer Reading Program features wonderful programs all summer long, sponsored through the generous support of the Friends of the Library.
Register for programs on our website.

How many books will YOU read this summer?

Female Role Models in Fantasy

/ Sharon Tyler / 1 Comment

I am a fan of books from a wide variety of genres, for a wide variety of age groups. However, there is one common thread in the books I feel the most passionate about, and that is well-written characters. When I find a book with a strong protagonist that I can actually like and yet also believe in as real, I am thrilled. Sometimes finding one of these characters that just happens to be female, and one I would want to hold up to my daughter or nieces as a role model, is very hard. A teen or young female character who does not act as a victim even if the situation might make others feel like one. They act and do everything they can to make their life, and the lives of others, better. Thankfully, I have read fantasy for a long time, and have found a few. Here are the authors, and some of their noteworthy books that you can recommend to the young girls and young adults in your life.

[Cover]1) Tamora Pierce is my go-to recommendation for everyone that walks into the library and is looking for a fantasy book.  Alanna: The First Adventure  is the first book in the first series, Song of the Lioness, by Pierce. Alanna is a young girl that poses as her twin brother to become a knight and deals with the issues of bullying and personal strength. There are currently nine series by Pierce, two of which are geared for young adults, while the rest are for children, and she is still actively writing in at least one of them. My favorite series starters from Pierce are Alanna: The First Adventure,  First Test (Protector of the Small), Trickster’s Choice (Daughter of the Lioness), and Terrier (Beka Cooper).

[Cover]2) Robin McKinley has written a number of books that take classic stories, or plots that are reminiscent of them, and give them a solid twist. One of my favorites, The Hero and The Crown is about Aerin, who has the guidance of the wizard Luthe and the help of the blue sword to secure her birthright  as the daughter of the Damarian king and a witchwoman of the mysterious, demon-haunted North. The Blue Sword, Beauty, Chalice, Spindle’s End, Pegasus, and Sunshine are other books I would recommend from McKinley.

[Cover]3) Cornelia Funke is the author of the Inkworld series, which begins with Inkheart. You might recognize the shared title from the movie which was released in 2008.  In Inkheart, twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father, who repairs and binds books for a living, can “read” fictional characters to life when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service. The sequels Inkspell and Inkdeath are equally good reads. For younger readers, I recommend Funke’s Igraine the Brave,  The Princess Knight, and the Ghosthunter’s series which begins with Ghosthunters and the Incredibly Revolting Ghost!.

[Cover]4) Patricia C. Wrede is the author of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles quartet, which begins with Dealing with Dragons in which Cimorene is everything a princess is expected not to be. She is headstrong, tomboyish, and smart. But most of all she is bored, so bored that she runs away to live with a dragon and in the process finds the family and excitement she’s been looking for. Other books that I would recommend by Wrede are Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot, Thirteenth Child, Mairelon the Magician, and Shadow Magic– all of which begin their own series.

Other authors that tend to offer up strong female children, teens, and adults as main characters in fantasy include: Libba Bray, Kristin Cashore, Cassandra Clare, Robin LaFevers, Maria V. Snyder, Garth Nix, Holly Black, Lilith St. Crow, Rachel Vincent, Elizabeth Moon, Kristen Britain, Edith Nesbitt, Dianna Wynne Jones, Patricia A. McKillip, and Sharon Shinn.

I know I left some great authors out, some are on the tip of my tongue even as I type this. Do you have a favorite fantasy book or author with strong female characters?

Connecticut State Park Commission Celebrates 100 Years

/ Linda / Leave a comment

waterfallOne hundred years ago, a small group of businessmen and naturalists recognized the need to preserve the state’s special places before they were lost to the industrial revolution and development.  This group, The Connecticut Park Commission, launched a statewide tour to select sites that represented Connecticut’s heritage, beauty and recreational potential.  The first property that was purchased was in Westport in 1913 and, in 1914, Sherwood Island State Park opened.  Today, there are 107 state parks and 32 state forests that see 7.8 million visitors each year.

A year-long Centennial celebration is planned. The official centennial observation will be kickeddino off by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on August 14th with a reception at Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill.  For more information on centennial activities, and information about  Connecticut’s parks and forests, here is a link to the State of Connecticut’s website.

The Commission generously provides one free State Parks and Forests pass that can be used at any state park or forest  to every library in the state.  The Library purchased one pass with money provided by the Friends of the Cheshire Public Library.  Four passes were purchased with a private memorial donation – giving the Library 6 passes in total.  These passes are valid until December 31, 2013.

The Cheshire Public Library has a wonderful selection of  museum passes available to a variety of places.  For more information on these passes and their availability, click here.