Adult Summer Reading Program!

We are now signing up for the Adult Summer Reading Program! This year's theme is Water Your Mind - Read! Participation is easy - all you have to do is read a book and fill out a little sheet. Bring the sheet back and you'll be entered into a drawing for prizes! We also will be having another Adult Summer Reading Trivia Contest here on the blog, beginning June 9th, as well as another guessing game. So be sure to stop in & sign up; we hope to see you soon!

Isn't That Neat!

As a librarian, part of my job is to help you, our wonderful patrons, find specific and useful information in a world that is overflowing with all kinds of information, some specific and useful, some not. So, with this in mind, I am going begin a feature titled "Isn't That Neat" where I will direct you to useful websites and services that can be found on the wonderful worldwide web. I have been hording a list of them for a while now from a variety of resources, and thought the time has come to share :-)

The first featured site is www.filleritem.com

While shopping locally is always best, the reality is that people also shop online at places like Amazon. This nifty little website helps you secure that coveted free "Amazon Super-Saver" shipping by finding a filler item to add to your order. So, if you need to add a $2.00 item to receive free shipping, it will come back with a list of $2.00 items that are eligible for free shipping - just like that! Isn't that neat!

Bookworm

Fiction

The Sheen of the Silk by Anne Perry: In thirteenth-century Constantinople, physician Ann Zarides weaves her way through Byzantine society in disguise in an effort to learn why her twin brother, Justinian, had been accused of murdering a nobleman before being exiled to the desert.

Spartan Gold by Clive Cussler: Husband and wife treasure hunting team Sam and Remi Fargo find a World War II U-boat in the swamps in Maryland and end up being pursued by a Russian Persian millionaire who will stop at nothing to get his hands on a bottle the Fargos now hold which was part of Napoleon's Lost Cellar.

Burning Lamp by Amanda Quick: Crime lord Griffin Winters fears he has been hit with the Winters Curse, which brings madness to the Winters man who inherits a magical artifact called the Burning Lamp, forcing Griffin to turn to psychic Adelaide Pyne for help, unaware that Adelaide is hiding the missing lamp.

Caught by Harlan Coben: Reporter Wendy Tynes has made it her mission to bring down sexual predators on national television, but she begins to doubt her instincts after exposing social worker Dan Mercer until she discovers a link between Mercer and Haley McWaid, a seventeen-year-old girl who has been missing for three months.

The Farmer's Daughter by Jim Harrison: Collects three novellas from Jim Harrison, including the title selection, a coming of age story in which a young girl faces the harsh realities of life when her mother leaves; "Brown Dog Redux," in which Brown Dog tries to prevent his adopted daughter from being locked in an institution; and in "The Games of Night," a retired werewolf reflects on his past while he attempts to lead a normal life.

Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay: David Harwood, a reporter in a small town in upstate New York, is diverted from his investigation of a possible scandal related to a local development project when his wife mysteriously disappears while on an outing to an amusement park with him and their young son.

Lucid Intervals by Stuart Woods: Stone Barrington's latest client pulls him into the posh world of high society as Stone helps her locate a missing man whom someone wants dead.

Nonfiction

Game Changes by John Heilemann: Political reporters John Heilemann and Mark Halperin offer a behind the scenes look at the 2008 presidential campaign, discussing how Barack Obama rose from a virtual unknown to win the election, how the relationship between Bill and Hillary Clinton shaped her campaign, why McCain chose a novice governor for his running mate, and other related topics.

Someone Will Be With You Shortly by Lisa Kogan: A collection of essays in which Lisa Kogan reflects on the people and events that have shaped her life, her fears and idiosyncrasies, her feelings on politics, marriage, motherhood, and popular culture, and the importance of having fun.

Living Successfully with Screwed-Up People by Elizabeth B. Brown: The book presents real-life anecdotes, short diagnostic tests, and tools to help readers assess their own situation with difficult people, chaotic social situations, and conflict while living confidently and successfully despite the presence of negativity.

Homeschooling for the Rest of Us by Sonya Haskins: Presents advice for overcoming stress, unrealistic expectations, and other challenges faced by homeschooling families. The book is intended for new and experienced homeschoolers and is applicable to a variety of teaching methods.

Michael Jackson: A Visual Documentary: 1958-2009 The Tribute Edition: From the fifties to his death in 2009, it is a complete record of his moves, grooves and music.

Dancing in the Dark by Morris Dickstein: Presents a discussion of various cultural aspects of the Great Depression, including poverty, literature, Broadway musicals, and more, examining the way the arts played a role in alleviating national suffering.

Digital Photography for Absolute Beginners of All Ages by Gavin Hoole: How to master the basics of taking creative photos, editing photos, using your photos, and organizing the photo collection.

Summer Reading is Here!

Registration for Summer Reading begins today! It will continue throughout the duration of the program, and is for children entering 1st grade through 12th grade. The programs will be on Wednesday morning and will include presentations from the Mr. Conrad's Music Academy, the Riverside Zoo and more! The first reading deadline is June 9th, so be sure to stop in and sign up today!

Based on the Book

The loveable character, Marmaduke, made famous by Brad Anderson's comic strip, hits the big screen the beginning of June, and while I may not be expecting a cinematic masterpiece, I know that the comic strip will always be considered a classic.

We have a collection of Marmaduke comics titled Top Dog: Marmaduke at 50 available for checkout at call number 741.5993 AND. It is sure to be a perfect selection for a lazy spring afternoon, maybe with a glass of sun tea or lemonade. Sounds perfect to me :-)

Thank You Posie Supporters!

The Alliance Public Library Staff would like to thank everyone who helped make this year's Read Around the Posies another success!

Thank you to the Board for sponsoring the fundraiser, especially Melba Dickenson, who took such good care of the plants and made everything look so nice!

Thank you so very much to all of the bidders who opened up their wallets. Your funding will help us match the much needed Gates Grant for our public access computer lab.

And a very big Thank You to all of the below volunteers who donated their time and money by making the pots:

Dixie Nelson of the Alliance Chamber of Commerce

Shelbee and Tom Burke

Vicki Dickenson

Deb Dopheide of KAB

Karen Gray

Sharon Griffith

Val Keenan of Stained Glass Visions

Virgil Hatch of the APL Board

Hather Hauptman of All Seasons

Angie Heimstra

Amy Jackson

Marilyn Kuhnel

Sandy McCarthy of the Alliance Park Foundation

Heidi Manion for the Girls Basketball Team

Lue Nerland

Jerri Nyffler

Carrie Ransom for Alpha Delta Kappa

Nancy Reiber

Nancy Sherbarth for Girl Scout Troop 5

Wells Fargo

Theiles Pharmacy and Gifts

Pam Brown of Bank of the West

Terri Short

Alliance FCLA for AHS

Marlene Rose

Ashley Rose

Laurie McLaughlin for Friends of the Library

Vickie Hielscher for Sallows Military Musem

Water Your Mind - Read!

The last featured Read Around the Posies pot is titled Water Your Mind - Read. It is the staff pot created and designed by our very own Cindy Birkhimer, and it's not just a pot - it's a water fountain, too!

Final bids must be in by noon tomorrow, so be sure sure to stop by and either place a bid or check on your original bid.

Money raised is going to help the Foundation match a grant to replace some of the computers in the lab, which is one of the most important services we provide. Any support you can provide is very much appreciated!

Please Don't Sit on the Flowers

One of today's featured pots for Read Around the Posies is titled Please Don't Sit on the Flowers created by Heather Hauptman

Bidding ends tomorrow! So be sure to stop by and grab a number to bid on your favorite pot. We have over 25 amazing arrangements to choose from. All funds will go to the Alliance Public Library Foundation to help raise money for a matching grant from the Gates Foundation for new computers in the lab.

Garth Stein in LibraryThing Author Chat

Garth Stein's book The Art of Racing in the Rain is one of the books I recommend most to patrons and friends, so I was delighted to discover that he is participating in a an Author Chat on http://www.librarything.com/. Oh LibraryThing, how do I love thee? Let me me count the ways . . .

All you need to do is create a free account and then you can keep track of all your books as well as participate in group chats and receive recommendations based on the books you have read or want to read. And apparently you can even connect with your favorite authors, which I give two enthusiastic thumbs up!

Here's the link to the Garth Stein Author Chat page. I didn't even have to join the group to post :-)

A Book A Day

Today's featured

Read Around the Posies pot

is titled A Book A Day Keeps

the Bookworms at Play and was

created by Stained Glass Visions

(my mother Valerie and myself)

It is mosaicked using glass and old books and includes a handmade glass worm garden stake.
Bidding ends Saturday, May 22nd at noon, so be sure to stop in and bid on your favorite pot. Procedes will help the Alliance Public Library Foundation match funds for a Gates grant for new computers in our public access computer lab, which is one of the most popular services we provide.

Patron Recommendation

Mark Dykes recommended a book titled Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde, which was featured this week in the bookworm. It is a new book and can be found in the new book section (in front of the audio CDs) under call number FIC FFO. It sounds like it would be a good read, and I have added it to my own "To Read" list, which can be viewed here on Library Thing. My list seems to get longer by the day! Do you have a "to read" list or recommendation? Leave a comment and share!

An astonishing, hotly anticipated new novel from the great literary fantasist and creator of Thursday Next, Jasper Fforde. As long as anyone can remember, society has been ruled by a Colortocracy. From the underground feedpipes that keep the municipal park green to the healing hues viewed to cure illness to a social hierarchy based upon one's limited color perception, society is dominated by color. In this world, you are what you can see. Young Eddie Russett has no ambition to be anything other than a loyal drone of the Collective. With his better-than-average red perception, he could well marry Constance Oxblood and inherit the string works; he may even have enough red perception to make prefect. For Eddie, life looks colorful. Life looks good. But everything changes when he moves with his father, a respected swatchman, to East Carmine. There, he falls in love with a Grey named Jane who opens his eyes to the painful truth behind his seemingly perfect, rigidly controlled...

Purse of Posies

Today's featured

Read Around the Posies pot

is titled Purse of Posies and

was created by Sharon Griffith

Bidding ends Saturday, May 22nd at noon, so be sure to stop in and bid on your favotire pot. Procedes will help the Alliance Public Library Foundation match funds for a Gates grant for new computers in our public access computer lab, which is one of the most popular services we provide.

Bookworm

Fiction

The Long Fall by Walter Mosely: Leonid McGill, an old school, African-American private investigator in Manhattan, makes the decision to stop taking on shady jobs, but the case of a high-paying client complicates his commitment to go straight.

The Aloha Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini: Bonnie Markham, her divorce pending and her quilt shop out of business, accepts an offer from her friend Claire to help run a quilting retreat at a bed and breakfast in Hawaii where she learns the quilting traditions of the islands, but her idyll is threatened by her estranged husband's demand for her share in the Elm Creek Quilts cooperative.

A River in the Sky by Elizabeth Peters: Amelia and Emerson Peabody, having agreed to accompany Major George Morley on an expedition to Palestine in search of the Ark of the Covenant, hope to be reunited with their son, Ramses, while on their trip, but information uncovered by Ramses while working on a dig in Samaria puts his life in danger and the Peabodys must ban together in order to save him and prevent a holy war.

Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers: Marta Schneider, hoping to prove her father wrong in his prediction that she will never be more than a servant, leaves her home, but she must make many sacrifices when she marries Niclas Waltert and begins her own family, and in her efforts to make her children strong, finds herself behaving more like her abusive father than her loving mother.

Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke: Hannah Swensen has her hands full trying to prepare for a three-day fundraising event that includes being a magician's assistant for the talent show; but when the show's host and former love interest, Professor Bradford Ramsey, turns up dead, Hannah finds herself pouring through a list of possible suspects.

The Pall Bearers by Stephen J. Cannell: Detective Shane Skully revisits the orphanage where he was raised in order to investigate the murder of the home's director, the only one to ever take in interest in Shane when he was a child.

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde: Eddie Russett, who belongs to the low-level House of Red meets Jane, a Grey Nightseer from the dark, unlit side of the village, who shows Eddie that not everything in the world is as good as he perceives.

The Plain Sense of Things by Pamela Carter Joern: A collection of interwoven stories that recount the struggles of three generations of a western Nebraska family, exploring how love, hope, and sorrow kept the family together in times of tragedy and need.

Nonfiction

This Time Together by Carol Burnett: Comedian Carol Burnett shares the story of her show business career, tells of some of the people she met throughout her years in the business, and discusses the support she received from family members, the cast of her long-running television show, and her audience.

Oprah by Kitty Kelly: A comprehensive biography of American author, producer, and television celebrity Oprah Winfrey, examining her upbringing, education, philanthropic work, and rise to fame as an icon of American culture.

Hungry Girl 1-2-3 by Lisa Lillien: Contains more than two-hundred easy-to-prepare recipes that are low in calories and fat grams, including appetizers, main dishes, snacks, desserts, and more.

Here You Have My Story by Richard E. Jensen: The book describes life on the early Plains in the words of those who came to settle in the rugged region. Originally published by the Nebraska State Historical Society between 1885 and 1919, these stories provide surprisingly accurate recollections of events and life on the Great Plains, with a focus on Nebraska.

The Politician by Andrew Young: An account of Senator John Edwards' campaign for the U.S. presidency by Edward's longest-serving aide, Andrew Young, which describes the presidential hopeful's rise and the scandal that ruined his career.

Pinwheel Fun

Today's featured

Read Around the Posies pot is

Pinwheel Fun by the

Alpha Delta Kappa Sorority

Bidding ends Saturday, May 22nd at noon, so be sure to stop in and bid on your favotire pot. Procedes will help the Alliance Public Library Foundation match funds for a Gates grant for new computers in our public access computer lab, which is one of the most popular services we provide.

Based on the Book

So today I found a book that I am going to feature, though instead of the movie being based on the book, the book is based on the movie. It is a movie I remember going to see when I was a kid during the Sunday matinee, and it features Robin Williams as a grown-up-and-not-so-adventurous fairy tale character. He eventually ends up in tights crowing like a rooster. Any guesses yet? It's Hook. Terry Brooks, one of the major players in the fantasy genre, wrote a book based on the screenplay, and it is available for checkout at call number FIC BRO.

And for your enjoyment, below is the full movie upon which the terry Brooks novel is based.

Conratulations to Our Graduates

The staff at the Alliance Public Library

would like to congratulate

all of the 2010 graduates,

including our very own

Anthony James and

Stephanie O'Connor!

We are proud of you both!

Read Around the Posies

Les Fleurs by Michelle Abrams

The flower Pots for Read Around the Posies, our annual Library Foundation fundraiser, have been coming in over the last few days, and boy are they beautiful! Bidding begins this Saturday and will run through next Saturday at noon, silent auction style. Funds raised will help the foundation match a Gates grant for new computers for the lab.

I will be sharing some of our favorite pots with you beginning on Monday, so be sure to check back in!

Bookworm

Fiction

Nowhere to Run by C. J. Box: Joe Pickett, exiled to the “warden’s graveyard” in a remote district of southern Wyoming, has one week left before regaining his old job.. On a final horseback patrol, however, a routine citation for unlicensed fishing turns into a deadly confrontation with twin brothers Caleb and Camish Grim, whose anger at the government is downright murderous.

Eight Days To Live by Iris Johansen: Eve Duncan’s adopted daughter, Jane MacGuire, has a successful art show at a Parisian gallery. But a painting titled Guilt has drawn some unwanted attention: the religious cult Sang Noir wants Jane dead.

Deliver Us From Evil by David Baldacci: Evan Waller, outwardly a respectable Canadian businessman but secretly a human trafficker who sells children into prostitution, has expanded into arranging nuclear weapons deals with Islamic fundamentalists.

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby: Annie strikes up an E-mail correspondence with Duncan's idol Tucker Crowe, a singer/songwriter who has not been heard from in years, and possibilities abound when Tucker, about to release a version of his greatest album, is summoned to England, where Annie lives.

Forty Signs of Rain by Kim Stanley Robinson: The world is headed toward an environmental crisis as global warming poses a significant threat, but Charlie Quibler has a difficult time convincing a skeptical administration while his wife, Anna, attempts to protect new technology that could solve the problem from getting into the wrong hands.

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris: Sookie Stackhouse, cursed with the ability to read minds, thinks she has finally gotten lucky when Bill, whose mind is totally blocked from her, comes into her life, but she soon learns that her dream man is a vampire with a bad reputation, and when a murder goes down, she begins to fear for her life.

Miss Julia renews Her Vows by Ann B. Ross: Miss Julia, concerned that her husband Sam has promised to attend marriage enrichment classes led by Dr. Fred Fowler--a man who avidly pursued her years earlier, tries hard to avoid the sessions while at the same time attempting to clear innocent Etta Mae of charges that she attacked husband-hungry widow Francie Pitts.

YA Fiction

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pheffer: Miranda Evans, her two brothers, and their mother struggle for survival a year after the moon's collision with a meteor altered the climate forever, and while things become more difficult with the arrival of six more people, including her father and stepmother, a new disaster threatens to derail the new lives they have been trying to build.

Diary of a Wimp Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney: Middle-schooler Greg Heffley nimbly sidesteps his father's attempts to change Greg's wimpy ways until his father threatens to send him to military school.

DVD Nonfiction

Big Cat Challenge: The film portrays the unique hunting skills of each of three big cats in South Africa, where cunning, speed and sheer physical power all play a part.

CDs Fiction

Rainwater by Sandra Brown: In 1934, Ella Barron struggles to keep her Texas boardinghouse afloat despite the financial hardships her neighbors are facing, which leads her to rent a room to the soft-spoken David Rainwater, who shows Ella and her ten-year-old son the true meaning of trust and compassion.

CDs Nonfiction

Almost Astronauts by Tanya Lee Stone: Profiles thirteen women who challenged social norms and government policies to prove they could be exceptional astronauts.

Based on the Book

One of my favorite stories is hitting theaters yet again this coming Friday. The story of Robin Hood, most recently starring Russell Crowe, has been made into a number of movies over the years, a few of which we have available for checkout. We also have many books that retell the age old story of Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men. Below are just a few of the available titles concerning Robin Hood. Click on the titles for more information.

Hood by Steve Lawhead puts a new spin on the familiar tale (FIC LAW)
The Adventures of Robin Hood: An English Legend by Paul Creswick is a tradition telling of the legend. (FIC CRE & YA CRE)
In a Dark Wood by Michael Cadnum tells the story of Robin Hood with the Sheriff of Nottingham as the narrator. (YA CAD)
Maid Marian by Elsa Watson offers up a romantic reimagining. (FIC WAT)

Other formats:
Some Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (a Playaway Audio book - PA JF FLY)
Disney's Robin Hood (VID EF ROB)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (VID FIC ROB)
Robin Hood Men in Tights (VID FIC ROB)

And here you will find the trailer and interviews for the 2010 release, slated to release this Friday:

May Brown Bag Tomorrow!

Don Henderson reviews

Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heros of Seal Team 10

by Marcus Luttrell

Friday, May 7, 12:00 noon

The Alliance Learning Center Community Rooms

(The library will close during the Brown Bag presentation)

The free program and light refreshments are provided courtesy of The Friends of the Library!

Bookworm

I am late posting the bookworm this week . . . but as the saying goes, "Better late than never."

Fiction

Shattered by Karen Robards: Attorney Lisa Grant's boss sends her to the basement to organize cold case files as punishment for missing an important court date, where she finds a picture of a woman who could be her twin in a file about a family that went missing nearly thirty years earlier, and when a series of catastrophes strike, Lisa realizes her discovery of the photograph has put her life in danger.

Silent Sea by Clive Cussler: Captain Juan Cabrillo and the crew of the "Oregon," while searching for a crashed satellite in the Argentine jungle, make a shocking discovery that leads to further revelations involving a Chinese curse hundreds of years old.

The Telling by Beverly Lewis: Grace Byler leaves her Amish community with her new English friend to search for her estranged mother in Ohio; meanwhile, Grace's mother, Lettie, continues her own quest to find what she feels is missing and swallows her guilt over leaving her family.

Take Three by Karen Kingsbury: Film producers Chase Ryan and Keith Ellison begin to question their career ambitions when they are confronted with personal crises, while Bailey Flanigan goes on a Campus Crusade retreat and figures out her relationship with Cody Coleman.

Large Print Fiction

The Badge of Harry Cole by Clifton Adams: As a deputy marshal, Harry Cole valued nothing more than his job, not even his wife, Cordelia. Along the way, he had left a trail of death and broken lives and now the memories return to haunt him as he faces Cordelia's rejection of everything he stood for.

Hanging Woman Creek by Louis L’Amour: Pike and Holt are looking to survive a winter in a Montana line shack, collect their pay and settle down for good. They cross paths with an Irish immigrant and his sister who've been burned off their land. Pike and Holt will risk everything on this fight they don't want.

Dead Man's Gold: The Loner by J.A. Johnstone: After Kid Morgan has buried his wife's killers; he heads to Mexico. On the way, he's sidetracked by some travelers who are hunting down a golden artifact. And others are after it too.

Stormy Range by D.B. Newton: After his older brothers were shot dead, Clem Hardin was left alone to try to restore peace to the range they had turned into a ruin. On one side, he faced the gang the Hardins had hired to terrorize the nesters. On the other side were those nesters who were cutting down any man named Hardin.

Let Darkness Come by Angela Hunt: Briley Lester has taken on a case of a mistreated society wife thought to have killed her abusive husband. It seems hopeless, but Briley is becoming more convinced that her client truly is innocent.

A Green Journey by Jon Hassler: Agatha McGee after a problem at the school where she teaches prompts her to travel to Ireland and look for her pen pal. She meets people that she would never have allowed herself to know before, and learns through experience that love is unpredictable.

Outlaw Canyon by Lewis B. Patten: The Outlaw Canyon is a grim hiding place and holds the answers to the disappearing cattle. Matt and Wes have been feuding since growing up -- first small spats, then over a girl, now over the missing cattle. Matt is going to ride to Outlaw Canyon and settle the feud.

The Hash Knife Outfit by Zane Grey: When Glorianna Traft came to Arizona to visit her brother Jim, the Hash Knife Outfit were stealing cattle and terrorizing the valley. Glorianna wanted to meet a real desperado and became a captive of the most dangerous killer in the gang leading to her and Jim becoming true and valiant citizens of the frontier.

Lawless Guns by Dudley Dean: The drunken gang was reliving the Civil War and their unwavering hatred for anybody who sympathized with the North.

Lord of Far Island by Victoria Holt: Ellen Kellaway was orphaned at age five and raised by wealthy cousins who never allowed her to forget their charity. When the son of a powerful London family marries her, a new world opens up. Ellen continues to have bad dreams about the image of an unfamiliar room, a door opening and a dreadful presence.

Based on the Book

Iron Man 2 is being heavily promoted and is slated to release over the weekend. It is sure to have some big numbers and capture the attention of both adult and juvenile audiences.



If you have a "reluctant" reader, this is the perfect opportunity to bring him or her into the library to check out our Iron Man Comic Books. Who knows - Iron Man today could turn into War and Peace tomorrow. We have four titles available, and even though they are all currently checked out, we can certainly place them on hold. The availabe titles are Iron Man: The Creeping Doom, Iron Man: Enter the Dragon, Iron Man: Hostile Take Over, and Iron Man, Heart of Steel.



I myself am a fan of the graphic novel. I read them every once in a while for a quick paced read, and they are certainly popular among our juvenile and teen crowd. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are great examples of graphic novels for the younger crowd; however, we also have titles in the YA section that deal with more serious topics like abuse and suicide. For more information on this growing genre, click the links below:
Here are some FAQs about Graphic Novels and Comic Books
Click here for an article on engaging reluctant readers with Graphic Novels
Library Journal's list of recommended Graphic Novels for reluctant readers