New Audiobooks 10-31-12

 

Take a listen to these new Audiobooks!

Bringing Up Bebe  by Pamela Druckerman

The Columbus Affair by Steve Berry

The Red House by Mark Haddon

Robert B. Parker’s Lullaby by Ace Atkins

Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich

The Age of Miracles by Karen Walker

Winter of the World by Ken Follett

Beastly Things by Donna Leon

The Kingmaker’s Daughter by Phillippa Gegory

The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian

Robert B. Parker’s Fool Me Twice

Zoo by James Patterson

A Blaze of Glory by Jeff Shaara

Dream New Dreams by Jai Pausch

Amped by Daniel Wilson

The Inquisitor’s Key by Jefferson Bass

Home by Toni Morrison

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln by Stephan Carter

Little Night by Luanne Rice

The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen

Rizzoli & Isles: Last to Die by Tess Gerritsen

The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny

Bones Are Forever by Kathy Reichs

Low pressure by Sandra Brown

The Settlers of Catan by Rebecca Gable

The Red Dorr by Charles Todd

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Friends Forever by Danielle Steel

Odd Apocalypse by Dean Koontz

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

 

Juvenile Books on CD

Dark Life by Kat Falls

Alvin Ho 1-4 by Lenore Look

Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko

 

Advertisements

Read Full Post »

Our Very Best Impression: An essay

Our Very Best Impression
By Tod Owens

First impressions can be important since we may not get a chance to make a second one. Every library visit may actually be some child’s first time inside the local library and if anything about that visit makes the child feel unwelcomed or frightened or bored then he or she may never want to come back. A negative experience at the library could literally discourage him from ever using the many free educational and recreational resources that are only available at a library. That would be a loss for the child and for the library since it is our goal to satisfy every patron by giving each one the opportunity to benefit from what we have to offer. Fortunately, our library (and thus, our community as a whole) is blessed by having an exceptionally talented Youth Services Department as represented so well by Miss Tracey and Miss Jennifer! Tracey and Jennifer are the librarians who so ably carry the heavy responsibility of being “the library” for the small children and young adults who make their first visit to the library. You could simply call them our very best impression since they have succeeded for years in giving young patrons a sense that the library is a place where learning and reading can be fun! They greet every child with the same warmth and kindness you would hope to receive from a close friend and nurturing teacher.
They say it takes a village to raise a child and instill a sense of value and security within him; however, the parents of area kids may simply rest assured that the library doesn’t need a village since it has the Youth Services Staff to usher local children into the unfamiliar but promising world of books and learning! Tracey and Jennifer do so much more than merely plan and create programs designed to entertain and educate kids of all ages. They also take the time to get to know their young patrons and they do something rather remarkable in that their routine yet extraordinary kindnesses enable them to form lasting relationships with the kids. The evidence of this achievement is found in the fact that every month an enthusiastic group of teens eagerly come back to the library that they first came to know as small kids. They come back for the fun and games of the popular Teen Tuesdays but they also come back to reconnect with the friendly librarians they met years before during their own first visits to the library. We’re proud of the fact that on a regular basis local parents witness the development of a growing love for libraries in their kids and they know that they may trace this passion back to the effectiveness of our Youth Services Department! After every program we see smiling children who eagerly tell their parents about how much fun they had in one of the Youth Services programs. There can be no greater validation for a librarian than to see that our staff has made a child happy.
How does Tracey manage to inspire area children to want to read, to learn, and to become regular library users? The answer is deceptively simple yet it is as elusive to quantify as how does a teacher or mentor gain a child’s trust and make him feel secure enough to try something new. Tracey has the ability to know exactly how to alleviate any fears her new friends might have and to make them feel appreciated. She gives area children a warm welcome and introduces them to the world of reading while also providing them with experienced, knowledgeable, and reassuring company as they embark on their reading journey! No child could ask for a more nurturing and qualified guide. We invite all parents to bring their own little ones by the library to meet Tracey and Jennifer. The sign on their department door says Youth Services but those of us in the know consider them our best first impression! Most importantly, your children will just call them friends!

Read Full Post »

Found in a donated book

Today Byron found this poem in n old book someone donated. We  felt  it was too good not to share.

 

It Would be Nice

Wouldn’t this old world be better

If the folks we meet would say:

I know something good about you,

And treat you just that way!

Wouldn’t it be fine and dandy,

If each hand-clasp warm and true

Carried with it this assurance

I know something good about you.

Wouldn’t things here be more pleasant

If the good that’s in us all,

Were the only thing about us,

That folks bothered to recall!

Wouldn’t life be lots more happy

If we’d praise the good we see!

For there’s such a lot of goodness

In the worst of you and me.

Wouldn’t it be nice to pratice

This fine way of thinking too:

You know something good about me,

I know something good about you!

 – Anonymous

Read Full Post »

New books in Marion 10-23-12

Come Check Them Out!

New Non-Fiction:

A Grace Revealed: How God Redeems the Story of Your Life by Jerry Sittser

It’s Your Business by J. J. Ramberg

My Mother was Nuts by Penny Marshall

500 Gluten Free Dishes

Mao by Alex Pantsov

The Oath: Obama White House and the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin

Beat Diabetes Naturally

A Grace Disguised : How the Soul Grows Through Loss by Jerry Sittser

Homemade Winter by Yvette Van Boven

Sweet Christmas by Sharon Bowers

The John Lennon Letters

Prefabulous and Almost Off the Grid

A Landowner’s Guide to Managing Your Woods

Six Months in 1945 by Michael Dobbs

The Things That Matter by Nate Berkus

Master of the Mountain: Jefferson and His Slaves by Henry Wiencek

Beauty by Lauren Conrad

Drawing Masterclass Portraits

Different Strokes Pencil Drawing

Depression a Guide for the Newly Depressed

How to Play the Guitar

Refinishing Furniture Made Simple by Jeff Jewitt

Kovel’s Antiques and Collectibles

Beautiful Winter

The Unexpected Houseplant by Tovah Martin

Painless Presentations

Empires, Nations, and Families 1800-1860 by Anne Hyde

New Fiction:

Fobbit by David Abrams

Cause of Death by Jane Adams

Have You Seen Marie? By Sandra Cisneros

Sleep No More by Iris Johansen

The Twelve by Justin Cronin

Wilderness by Lance Weller

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

Silent House by Orhan Pamuk

The Panther by Nelson Demille

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

Rogue by Mark Sullivan

The Hot Country by Robert Butler

Read Full Post »

New Materials in Marion 10-17-12

 

 

New Kid’s Books!

New and Replacement Easy books:

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, School Day Math by Barbara Barbieri McGrath

This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

Miss Smith: Under the Ocean by Michael Garland

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

Farmer McPeepers and His Missing Milk Cows by Katy S. Duffield

Penny and Her Doll by Kevin Henkes

Wolf Pie by Brenda Seabrooke

Otter and Odder: A Love Story by James Howe

Big Dog…Little Dog by P.D. Eastman

Let’s Go for a Drive! by Mo Willems

Strawberry Shortcake: School Friends by Lana Edelman

Strawberry Shortcake: Lost and Found by Lana Jacobs

Clifford Goes to the Doctor by Norman Bridwell

Clifford Sees America by Norman Bridwell

Young Cam Jansen and the Lost Tooth by David A. Adler

Hank Hammer by Adria Klein

Busy Busy Train by Melinda Melton Crow

Lego City: Fire in the Forest! by Samantha Brooke

Pooh’s School Day by Lauren Cecil

Gus and Gertie and the Lucky Charms by Joan Lowery Nixon

Pony Mysteries: The Clue in the Clubhouse by Jeanne Betancourt

Dora and Diego: Giant Tortoise Adventure adapted by Tina Gallo

Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2: Surf Princess adapted by Chelsea Eberly

Batman and Friends adapted by Jade Ashe

Star Wars: Clone Troopers in Action by Clare Hibbert

The Way I Act by Steve Metzger

You’re Mean, Lily Jean! By Frieda Wishinsky

The Reader by Amy Hest

Miss Mousie’s Blind Date by Tim Beiser

 

Juvenile Board Books

Say & Play: Things That Go

Pony Brushes His Teeth by Michael Dahl

Star Wars 1 2 3

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

Allison Sweeney loves Libraries

Shelf Life Oct. 15, 2012
Alison Sweeney
(www.alisonsweeney.com)

In addition to starring as Sammi Brady on “Days of Our Lives” Alison Sweeney
hosts “The Biggest Loser” and is the author of The Mommy Diet and All the Days of My Life So Far. She also manages to fit a love of libraries into her busy routine as she shared exclusively with Smyth-Bland Regional Library’s Shelf Life.
“Reading has always been my favorite escape ever since my mom and I read Black Beauty together when I was 7. The library was better than a candy store!! I remember checking out every Laura Ingles Wilder book and finishing them that very night hidden under my covers with a flashlight. I am still the voracious reader I was as a child, and I am proud to share the library with my children. They already
love it as I do.”

Alison Sweeney

Read Full Post »

All Treats, No Tricks: An Essay

 

 Shelf Life: All Treats and No Tricks!
By Tod Owens

Picture if you will, a smiling child leaving a building with a bag full of free treats. Considering the time of year, you might immediately assume I’m describing a Trick or Treating child who has finished a successful visit on Halloween night; however, the same description could also be applied to a child whohas just left her local public library with a bag full of newly borrowed books and DVDs! If you think about it, you’ll realize that a visit to the library may be the closest experience an adult may have to recapturing the childhood excitement of receiving treats merely by asking for them! It’s true that most people don’t wear odd costumes when they visit the library nor do library patrons have to say any particular phrase in order to receive their desired books and movies; however, a library is the only place I know of that will actually give visitors something for free! (If you’re skeptical, I invite you to try walking out of the nearest grocery store or gas station with selected items and see how far you get before the police arrive for your perp walk!) I know a library doesn’t give you a bag of sweets but 5 out of 5 dentists surveyed would approve if one of their patients decides to watch a movie about a chocolate factory instead of actually snacking on a pile of mini candy bars! (Of course, we all want to impress our dentist, right?) The kind of treats a library provides might give you sustenance that will last a life time in comparison with the transitory pleasure of something that will bypass your brain and hang around your hips for far too long! Library treats stimulate your imagination and leave you hungry …for ideas and vicarious pleasures that come in the non-sticky pages of a book!
There are other ways in which a library visit might be like childhood Treat or Treating! Do you recall that great philosopher Linus Van Pelt of “Peanuts” fame? He was certain that on Halloween night the Great Pumpkin would rise up out of a special pumpkin patch and bring treats to all the good children of the world. There was a catch in the blanket-carrying sage’s theory. The gift-giving Gourd would only appear in a pumpkin patch that was notable for its sincerity! Libraries are among the most sincere of all organizations. The library does not operate in search of a profit nor does it seek to sell you anything but a love of lifelong learning. Libraries want their patrons to get exactly what they want not what some nebulous distributor or shadowy syndicate hopes to sell! Libraries, like the fabled pumpkin patch of lore, are dripping with sincerity. Sincerity can be contagious. That’s why we have lots of bottles of hand sanitizer at each desk. (By the way, don’t take my library/pumpkin patch analogy too far by trying to carve smiling faces in the front desk! They frown on that kind of thing!)
Of course, there is another obvious similarity between a library visit and Halloween. Halloween is associated with more scary sights and sounds than you’d find in Vincent Price’s game room and few things are as frightening to an enlightened society as the idea that harsh economic times could mean an end to easy library access! Library budgets are carved up with more ruthless gusto than the aforesaid Jack O’Lantern and when the results are considered there’s nothing about which to smile a crooked smile. Libraries are not relics from the days in which children actually received apples or unwrapped candy on Halloween. Libraries still have a vital role to play and they need patron support more than ever. Stop by and support your local library. We promise not to turn off the lights and pull all the curtains! Our free treats are yours for the asking! All we ask of you is that you come inside! Now that’s pretty thrilling, wouldn’t you say?

Read Full Post »