And To Think...

Good news to all aspiring writers out there--Dr. Seuss' first book, And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street, was rejected for publishing 27 times! A chance meeting with a friend, who had just become a publisher, and the rest is history. There was a great story about "How Dr. Suess Got His Start On Mulberry Street" on Morning Edition.

For Fans of Downton Abbey

If you are a big fan of PBS's Downton Abbey series then you know that one episode a week is not enough. We have created a brand new bookmark of suggested reading and viewing just for you. Try the books and DVDs on this list which cover the Edwardian period, class differences, manor life, and the lives of the serving classes. Gosford Park was written by Julian Fellowes, the same man who created Downton Abbey, and is a terrific movie in its own right. It also stars Dame Maggie Smith so how can you go wrong?

The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt
Mina by Jonatha Ceely
The Shooting Party by Isabel Colegate
Snobs by Julian Fellowes (creator of Downton Abbey)
Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin
Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton
The perfect Summer by Juliet Nicolson
Below Stairs by Margaret Powell
The Guynd: a Scottish Journal by Belinda Rathbone
The Edwardians by Vita Sackville-West
House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons

Brideshead Revisited DVD
Gosford Park DVD
Upstairs Downstairs DVDs

Remembering Bessie Parker

 

I found a lovely surprise on my desk this morning. Someone had donated this photo of a story time given by Bessie Parker, who worked at the Dover Public Library from 1900-1948. She is said to have worked here for 52 years so she may have started even earlier than 1900. I would love to hear from anyone who recognizes children in the photo, or even attended a story hour given by Bessie. Do you have a story time memory you would like to share?

Award Winners Announced

The American Library Association announced the winners of the John Newbery, the Randolph Caldecott and the Michael L. Printz medals this morning. And the winners are:

The John Newbery Medal for most outstanding contribution to children's literature:

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

Newbery Honor Books:
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin

The Randolph Caldecott Medal for most distinguished American picture book for children:

A Ball for Daisy illustrated and written by Chris Raschka

Caldecott Honor Books:
Blackout illustrated and written by John Rocco
Grandpa Green illustrated and written by Lane Smith
Me . . . Jane illustrated and written by Patrick McDonnell

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults:

Where ThingsCome Back by John Corey Whaley

For a complete listing of 2012 Youth Media Award announcements click here.

Dover Reads!

Celebrate the 10th anniversary of “Dover Reads”! "Dover Reads", a citywide reading project sponsored by the Dover School District Community Involvement Committee, encourages everyone in Dover to read the same book to promote a sense of community and the joy of reading.

This year, we are very excited that the committee has chosen The Talisman of Elan and Antarctic Ice by Dover resident Jim Mastro.
All are welcome to join us for the annual "kick-off" celebration on Friday, January 20th in the Renaissance Room @ the Dover Middle School from 7:00-8:00 p.m. Come and meet Jim and hear his presentation on his life as a scientist exploring Antarctica, and his path to becoming an author.
For more information about "Dover Reads" and upcoming events click here

Edgar Award Nominees for Best Mysteries 2011

Here are the nominees! Awards ceremony is April 26 in New York City!

Best Novel
The Ranger by Ace Atkins

Gone by Mo Hayder

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino

1222 by Anne Holt

Field Gray by Philip Kerr

Best First Novel
Red on Red by Edward Conlon

Last to Fold by David Duffy

All Cry Chaos by Leonard Rosen

Bent Road by Lori Roy

Purgatory Chasm by Steve Ulfelder

Best Paperback Original
The Company Man by Robert Jackson Bennett

The Faces of Angels by Lucretia Grindle

The Dog Sox by Russell Hill

Death of the Mantis by Michael Stanley

Vienna Twilight by Frank Tallis

Best Fact Crime
The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime That Scandalized a City and Sparked the Tabloid Wars by Paul Collins

The Savage City: Race, Murder, and a Generation on the Edge by T.J. English

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard

Girl, Wanted: The Chase for Sarah Pender by Steve Miller

The Man in the Rockefeller Suit: The Astonishing Rise and Spectacular Fall of a Serial Imposter by Mark Seal

Best Critical Biographical
The Tattooed Girl: The Enigma of Stieg Larsson and the Secrets Behind the Most Compelling Thrillers of our Time by Dan Burstein, Arne de Keijzer & John-Henri Holmberg

Agatha Christie: Murder in the Making by John Curran

On Conan Doyle: Or, the Whole Art of Storytelling by Michael Dirda

Detecting Women: Gender and the Hollywood Detective Film by Philippa Gates

Scripting Hitchcock: Psycho, The Birds and Marnie by Walter Raubicheck and Walter Srebnick

Best Juvenile

Horton Halfpott by Tom Angleberger

It Happened on a Train by Mac Barnett

Vanished by Sheela Chari

Icefall by Matthew J. Kirby

The Wizard of Dark Street by Shawn Thomas Odyssey

Young Adult

Shelter by Harlan Coben

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

The Silence of Murder by Dandi Daley Mackall

The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines

Kill You Last by Todd Strasser

Fans of Phryne Fisher, Rejoice!

We have 2 new audiobooks starring the fearless, unconventional detective righting wrongs and defeating evil doers in 1920s Australia. In Dead Man's Chest, Phryne has promised her two daughters and her faithful companion Dot a quiet holiday by the sea with no murders, however crime has a way of finding Phryne. They arrive at their vacation house to find the staff missing and place ransacked. Things only get more complicated by a gang of vicious smugglers, a film crew in town, and rumors of a pirate's treasure.
In The Queen of the Flowers, Phryne must deal with elephants, an old lover, and the disappearance of one of her daughters.
The Phryne Fisher series by Kerry Greenwood is some of the most entertaining listening you will find. Check it out!