Keeping Up With the Joneses

Take a peek at the lives of your neighbors and satisfy your curiosity about what “everyone” is reading…

Each morning, staff members at the Frank Sarris Public Library empty the outside drop boxes of items that were returned during the night and seeing what’s been taken out allows us a small window on the world.  Today, for example, an interesting variety of fiction and non-fiction has found its way back to us.

Novels to have crossed the circulation desk this morning include such titles as Sam’s Letters to Jennifer (James Patterson), a large print copy of Harlan Coben’s The Stranger, Sacred Sins by Nora Roberts and the recent release Descent (Tim Johnston).

An eclectric mix of non-fiction was returned in the wee hours, as well.  Titles leaning toward the practical include The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up and The Ultimate Chicken Cookbook, but books of that nature are not the only ones to have recently circulated.  For instance, we have 60 Hikes within 60 Miles of Pittsburgh, The Art of Charles Schulz and Pillsbury’s Best of the Bake-off: Casseroles, to name just a few.

So, there you have it…now you know what your neighbors are doing behind closed doors – they’re reading!

Stock up on books for the winter!

We’d love to help you stock up on books for the winter from our used book sale room! Hardbacks are $1 and paperbacks are 50¢, or you can fill a bag for just $5. We’ve got children’s books, adult paperbacks, fiction and non-fiction, all looking for a new home.

The December Fiction Book Club selection is….

“Landline” by Rainbow Rowell. It’s available in several formats for you – Polaris (our online catalog) shows that you can get the novel in either regular print or large print and it’s also available as a Playaway. You can find it (as an audio) on Overdrive, too! Read it and join us for the discussion (please contact Rachel Shaw for the day & time at rshaw@franksarrislibrary.org).

Zombies on Sunday, Vampires Today

Since zombies were mentioned a few days ago, it seems only fair to let vampires have their turn, too, so here goes…

When you think “Vampire”, do you think of Bram Stoker’s Dracula? It certainly would be understandable if that’s the case, because he is a rather well-known character, but it might surprise you that there’s a wide variety of fanged fiction out there.

Anne Rice and her Vampire Chronicles are rather well known – they began with Interview with the Vampire and let’s not forget Laurell Hamilton’s Anita Blake series! Not only do they have vampires, but – as an added bonus – they have zombies and shape shifters, too. Ms. Hamilton has branched out in other ways, as well, teaming with Marvel to put Anita and her cohorts in graphic novel form.

If you prefer your books to be on the lighter side, there’s Christopher Moore’s Bloodsucking Fiends and its sequel, You Suck! Other “vampire light” favorites of many include MaryJanice Davidson’s Undead series and the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris (these spawned the HBO Series True Blood).

Even though Valentine’s Day is still months away, we can’t let vampire romances go unmentioned.   It used to be that these books were few and far between, but that’s no longer the case…there are many, many authors out there to try, including Kerrelyn Sparks, Lynsay Sands, and Nora Roberts (her Circle trilogy).

“Twi-hards” can tell you that vampires are popular with the teen crowd, too, and there are many choices for them. A search of the library catalog reveals that, in addition to the Twilight series, your library has vampire novels by Darren Shan, P.C. Cast, and Ellen Schreiber, among others.

If the links already provided haven’t given you enough options, don’t worry, there’s more!  Try checking out The Vampire Library for news and reviews.

Did you miss the discussion of Reconstructing Amelia?

Even if you missed the book club meeting, you didn’t totally miss out on your chance to discuss the book! The below are questions about Reconstructing Amelia. Yes, there are a lot of them! Don’t let that intimidate you, though, you’re free to respond to as many – or as few – as you’d like!

1. What is Amelia’s relationship like with her mother? Why doesn’t she share more with Kate? Why are adolescents often so reluctant to talk to their parents about the events in their lives—especially problems they are having with friends?
2. Describe Amelia. Is she a typical teenager? Talk about her friendship with Sylvia. What drew the girls together? What about her relationships with Zadie and Dylan? What made her feel so close to her Internet friend, Ben?
3. Might Amelia’s situation have been different if she’d had a larger family around her? What if that family had been larger, but more filled with conflict?
4. Is Kate a good mother? She believes she knows her daughter well, but does she? What does she discover about Amelia that surprises her? What does she discover that confirms her deepest beliefs about Amelia and their relationship?
5. What kind of a support network does Kate have to rely on? Does she bear any blame for the events that occur? Is there any way she could have prevented the tragedy? What about Grace Hall—how much, if any, responsibility does the school bear for Amelia’s death? Who can you turn to for help in handling a problem involving your child?
6. Why is being popular so important in adolescence? Has the Internet and social networking added to the pressures teenagers must cope with?
7. What impact does class play in the story? What about sexuality—Amelia’s recognition of her own desires? What about Amelia’s need to be perfect—her drive to be a good student?
8. Why does such a smart girl like Amelia fall into the trap of the secret clubs? Why isn’t she more suspicious of the Magpies and the boys around them? How did her keeping the secret about the Maggies impact her relationship with Sylvia? Why are some children cruel to others? Did your school have a hierarchy or clubs like the Magpies? Where did you fit it?
9. If you have a child, how much do you know about his or her life? How far should parents go to monitor their child’s life? Do children have a right to privacy the way adults do? What might someone learn if they tried to “reconstruct” you from your emails, correspondence, texts, tweets, messages, blog posts, and Facebook updates? Does social media make us too connected? What is your opinion of social media—do you think it’s a positive development or an erosion of who we are and how we interact?
10. How does the author ratchet up the suspense in the story? What clues does she provide to point you toward the truth—or away from it?
11. Bullying is a major topic across the media and throughout society. Do you believe it is a serious issue, or do you think it’s a phase that all children go through? How has the rise of the Internet contributed to the severity of bullying and to our awareness of it? Can we decrease the incidents of bullying? How do we learn to stand up to mean people?
12. Does Kate get closure when she discovers the truth? Where do you think she will go from here?

Our November Fiction Book Club Selection…(drum roll, please)

It’s been decided! If you didn’t make it to this month’s meeting, you’re undoubtedly wondering what’s planned for next month. Well, you needn’t wait any longer…our November fiction book club selection is Orphan Train by Christine Baker Kline. Join us November 6th at 4pm to discuss to it.

Here’s the description provided by Amazon:

Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to “aging out” out of the foster care system. A community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse…

As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.

Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life – answers that will ultimately free them both.

PS: In case you were wondering, Orphan Train is available through Overdrive 🙂

Exciting News…..

If you’ve been interested in taking part in one of our book clubs, but have been unable to attend because the time or day – or even the location – just doesn’t work for you, now you can still “play” with us! We’ll be making the book clubs available to anyone with internet access. It won’t be long before you see posts asking for suggestions for the next month’s choice and those will be followed by polls that allow you to vote. Once the selection has been made, some questions for discussion will be posted for you to reply to at your convenience.

Not sure what all of that means? Hopefully, this hypothetical time frame will help…

October 16: Suggestions for November are requested
October 16-22: Suggestions for November are accepted
October 23: Poll is posted, listing the November suggestions
October 23-29: Voting ensues
November 1: November selection is announced
November 8: Discussion questions for November’s book are posted

To see what “typical” discussion questions look like, watch this space – an example will be posted within the next couple of days!

Coming Soon, to a Library Near You…

Meteorologically speaking, fall will soon be here and with it, fall activities will be coming to your library. The below-listed programs and classes will be taking place in the near future, so why not take a moment now to check out what’s being offered and clear your calendar for the appropriate day(s) and time(s)?

• Huntington Learning Center will be offering a series of SAT overview classes from 6:30 to 8:00 pm (9/29, 10/1, 10/6 and 10/8). Registration is limited.
• Join us afterhours on Friday, October 3 from 6:30 ’til 9:00 for a special library fundraiser sponsored by the Friends of the Library. For $40 a person, you can create a painting while enjoying wine and hors d’oeuvres. Materials are included in the cost and instruction will be provided by The Art Room. Reservations are required.
• Pick up a copy of Kimberly McCreight’s Reconstructing Amelia and join the Fiction Book Club to discuss it on Thursday, October 2 at 4:00pm.
• Keep your sweet tooth happy – sign up now for the October 6 Candy Making class (6-8 pm). This is your chance to make molded chocolate candy and is open to 11th and 12th graders as well as adults. The $2 fee covers the cost of all materials.
• Mark your calendar and be sure to come to the library on Wednesday, October 8 for a 6pm session with Gary Boatman, a certified financial planner. This month, he’ll be talking about how to control health costs during your retirement years. Seating is limited, so call today to reserve your spot!
• Coupon Club will meet Thursday, October 9 from 4-5pm. Come to find coupons you need and share the ones you don’t. Expired coupons will be donated to the VA in Washington.
• Storytime has returned for fall! Call or check our website for the appropriate days and times for your child to attend.

Best Sellers? We’ve Got ’em!

If you’re a big fan of what’s new and popular, well…let’s just say that the library is the place to be. When it comes to those novels on the New York Times list of top-sellers, we suggest that you don’t spend your hard earned dollars at the book store – come to the library, instead! Here you will find the latest stories by Preston & Child (The Lost Island), James Rollins (The 6th Extinction), Sandra Brown (Mean Streak) and more. Those titles mentioned are relative newcomers, but the NY Times list includes a handful that have been around a while (Stephen King’s Mr. Mercedes, Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch, and The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd), and your library and the WAGGIN system have those, too.

If you’re not a fan of fiction, don’t fret – we’ve got something for you, too! Nearly all of the Times’ best-selling non-fiction is available at your local library, including One Nation by Ben Carson and Candy Carson (at number one for the second consecutive week), Hillary Clinton’s Hard Choices (now in its twelfth week on the list), and Think Like a Freak (by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner).

And by the way? If you’re a non-fiction devotee, or even if you’re thinking you’d like to test the waters, don’t forget that there’s a book discussion held on the first Saturday of each month just for YOU!

Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover. It’s Title, on the Other Hand…

If you’ve been in the library lately, you might have noticed that we’re in the process of moving things around a bit (okay, a LOT). From this temporary disorder has come an unexpected bright side – finding books that might not have otherwise been stumbled across. Here are just a few with titles that grab the attention and beg to be taken home…

• Knit Your Own Dog – Sally Muir (non-fiction)
• The Psycho Ex Game – Merrill Markoe and Andy Prieboy (novel)
• Is this thing on? : a computer handbook for late bloomers, technophobes, and the kicking & screaming – Abigail Stokes (non-fiction)
• Sand in My Bra and Other Misadventures – Jennifer Leo (memoir)
• Chose the Wrong Guy, Gave Him the Wrong Finger – Beth Harbison (novel)
• Am I the Only Sane One Working Here? – Albert J. Bernstein, Ph.D.
• Bitter is the new black : confessions of a condescending, egomaniacal, self-centered, smart-ass or, why you should never carry a Prada bag to the unemployment office – Jen Lancaster (memoir)
• The Demon in the Freezer – Richard Preston (non-fiction)

* The last two mentioned here can not actually be found on the FSPL shelves…Jen Lancaster’s books need to be requested from elsewhere within the system and the Richard Preston book was discovered in the book sale area 😉