Get Your Hands Dirty

I don’t know about you, but I am pretty anxious to get my fingers into the dirt and start planting stuff. Unfortunately, New Hampshire weather will just not cooperate with my yen for flowers. In order to satisfy my need to garden, I am planning ahead to the fabulous container garden I will create. Every year I plant a huge pot differently; one year it was all purple and silver plants, the next year I chose white flowers mixed with red and white striped petunias. Last year was a riot of yellow, red, blue and white flowers. I am looking for something different for this summer so I am browsing through The Complete Book of Container Gardening by Alan Toogood and Hanging Baskets, Window Boxes and other Container Gardens by David Joyce to get some ideas. Toogood’s book has some interesting ideas for specialty container gardens to attract wildlife, or for scent. What do you think of a red, white, and blue container garden? Too traditional? I would love to hear what creative combinations you have used in your container gardens.

Julie & Brownie Present "Healthy Choices"

Children’s entertainers, Julie & Brownie, will perform their delightful new show, “Healthy Choices”, in the Dover Public Library Lecture Hall on Tuesday, April 22 @ 2:00pm. With music, comedy, visuals and audience participation, Julie & Brownie’s performance and original songs encourage children to make healthy choices when it comes to food and safety. This show, that has earned critical praise and has launched them on tours throughout eastern United States and Canada, is being sponsored by Wentworth Douglass Hospital.

Calling All Dover Libraries

We get some strange reference questions but one of the oddest was, “Do you have the skull of Patty Cannon?” We checked the Internet to see what that was all about because we certainly don’t have any skulls here at the Library. We found out that Patty Cannon was notorious for capturing free black people in Delaware and selling them into slavery. She died in jail 1829 while she was being held on four counts of murder. She is thought to be buried in a nearby Potter's Field; except for her skull which is now said to be stored in a hatbox at the Dover, Delaware Library.

It’s not the first time we have gotten a question intended for the Dover Public Library in Delaware. Someone else called to ask who was Miss Delaware in 1964.

We also got a call asking about the Dover’s tragic mining accident. This stumped us until we figured out they were enquiring about Dover, England. Rich coal seams near Dover, England were heavily mined through shafts sunk into coal pits. August 22nd 1908, at the Maypole pit, close to Dover, a mining accident resulted in 75 lives lost due to an explosion.

I am still trying to figure out which Dover library has a collection of art by a famous pin-up artist. Do you know?

These are just a few the Dover Libraries. If you have a question, make sure you contact the right one!

Dover Public Library- Dover, Arkansas
Dover Public Library -Dover, Delaware
Hare Bay/Dover Public Library- Hare Bay Newfoundland, Canada
Dover Town Library Dover, Massachusetts
Dover Free Public Dover, New Jersey
Dover Plains Library- Wingdale, New York
Dover Public Library- Dover, Ohio
Dover Area Community Library -Dover, Pennsylvania
Dover Free Library- Dover, Vermont

Can a Photo Lie?

You have seen deceptive photos before. You must have been e-mailed that picture of a man holding a domestic house cat that appears to be the size of a cougar, or the photo of President Bush reading an upside down book. The retouching of photos has become so easy that the software that enables you to do it has become a verb.

Sometimes photos are misleading without any help at all. Louis Masur has written a book, The Soiling of Old Glory, about a Pulitzer Prize winning photo. Stanley Forman's shocking "Old Glory" photograph was shot during a 1976 Boston anti-busing demonstration. It appeared to show a well dressed black man being set upon by a crowd of white people. A young man seemed to be attempting to impale him with the American flag. The photo became symbolic of continued resistance to equality and was printed in newspapers across the country. In reality the teenager was swinging the flag, not charging, the camera caught the arc of the flag swinging in front of the black man. The man who appears to be restraining him was actually helping him to his feet. It was such a powerful image, even though it was misleading, it successfully stalled Boston’s anti busing movement. Read this book to find out what truly happened, exposed through interviews and other images on the camera.

THE DEADLINE IS HERE!!!!

Today is the very last day to enter the Dover Public Library's Poetry Contest for kids in grades k-12!!! I bet you thought I was talking about the IRS deadline, taxes schmaxes I am sick to death of hearing about them. Poetry is infinitely more interesting so run, walk, bike, or skateboard yourself down to the library to get your poem in. Oh and if you are a tax slacker and haven't done your taxes yet we have tax forms too. Good luck to all.

Take A Ride On The Cash Cab

Many librarians love trivia; we are after all, in the information business. One of my favorite shows on the Discovery Channel is Cash Cab. Unsuspecting New Yorkers hail a cab and suddenly find themselves in a movable game show. They have the chance to win money for every correct answer; if they get 3 answers wrong they get tossed out of the cash cab. I usually feel brilliant after being able to answer most of the questions and shocked by some of the things that regular people don’t know. Nothing like a little ego stroking to make your day. Every now and then the cab driver asks a series of questions that makes me question my intellect. Oh well, win some, lose some. If you want to test your wits against the cash cab you can try their quiz. You must answer 12 questions. The first ones are real softballs like what was the name of cartoon character Calvin’s stuffed tiger. They get a little trickier later on but they are multiple choice so you can always guess. So go on, how smart are you? I got 11 out of 12.

Appearance Can Be Misleading

I know, I know, never judge a book by its cover. Some book cover art is so striking that you cannot help wanting to read the book. If the inside is as good as the outside, you will have a fabulous read. One of the covers I have really liked recently is The Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz. The slightly 3-D effect of the eyes cut into the cover perfectly conveys the humorous feel of the book, and all those watching eyes perfectly exemplify the Spellman family who cannot stop spying on each other. In this case, a fun, catchy cover matched the fun, enjoyable story inside.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen is another example of a book that fulfills the promise of its cover. The enchanting, Alice Hoffmanesque story of the Waverly women and the peculiar talents they inherited, their temperamental apple tree, and a mysterious walled garden that blooms year round, is by turns touching, enthralling, and amusing.

On the flip side, there are those covers that lead to disappointment. Take Narrow Dog to Carcassonne by Terry Darlington. The brightly colored, cute cover caught my eye; the topics were right up my alley. A retired English couple takes a narrowboat ( I always wanted to take a narrowboat cruise) from England ( I love books about England) across the channel into France ( I love books about France too) and down the many lovely canals to the ancient city of Carcassonne. To top it off they brought their whippet Jim with them ( I love books about dogs). All these topics should blend together to make a perfect storm of a book. Sadly, the book plodded wearily along: I gave up halfway through. Perhaps it was the odd blue typeface that threw me off. If you have read the whole book and can tell me the tale improves, let me know, I will persevere.

Is there a book cover that you remember as being perfectly outstanding, or perfectly misleading?

What was your favorite childhood film?

We are currently planning the library's summer movie schedule for kids. We will be showing some new releases that cannot be mentioned here due to our licensing agreement with the studios, but we are also thinking of showing some classics. Of course when I bring this up with staff members they say "...you have to show such & such because it was my favorite." Do you have suggestions? What was your favorite? My personal favorite is The Jungle Book and lucky for you this blog doesn't have sound or you would hear me belting out "The Bare Necessities" song--oh the simple bare necessities...

This year's Pulitzer Prizes have just been announced:

FICTION:
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

HISTORY:
What Hath God Wrought: the transformation of America 1815--1848 by Daniel Walker Howe

BIOGRAPHY:
Eden's Outcasts: the story of Louisa May Alcott and her father by John Matteson

POETRY:
Time and Materials: poems 1997--2005 by Robert Hass

Failure by Philip Schultz

A Great Book for Animal Lovers

Tell Me Where It Hurts by Dr. Nick Trout
It looks like we finally have a successor to the charming, heartwarming, and humorous stories of James Herriott. Nick Trout is also an Englishman, but he works just down the road from us at Boston’s Angell Animal Medical Center. The book starts off with a bang as Nick is called in to the hospital in the middle of the night by a panicked intern. A German Shepherd has arrived suffering bloat, a life threatening condition. Sage is the last gift from an elderly widower’s late wife, and means the world to him. Will the vet be able to save the loving Shepherd, who manages to wag her tail at him through her pain? Many of the stories are very humorous like that of Taco the man hating Chihuahua and the Labrador puppy that exposes a cheating fiancé by eating the fish net stocking of his mistress. Some are sad as not all pets can be saved, no matter how dearly loved. Times have changed from what the good Doctor Herriott was able to offer and there is much discussion of modern technology and the philosophical questions it poses for vets and owners. How far should you go to save the life of your pet? This book was intriguing and enjoyable, I didn’t want to put it down. Another librarian is listening to the audio book and says the narrator has been fantastic, she has been laughing at loud, as well as almost in tears.

Richard Steinbach Art on Display

Richard Steinbach, a Dover artist who began painting at age 50, has a display of many his paintings in the Reference Room. Make sure to come see them!

The Library Redecorates

I was just inspired by the March 2008 issue of Country Home magazine! The room designer wanted to "turn a distracting jumble into a neutral element" and so turned all the books on the bookshelves spine-inward:

This lovely monotonal palette of ecru, buff, cream, wheat and linen-colored pages had such instant appeal that I've made an executive decision to turn all of our library's 100,000 volumes backwards too! Won't it be fun to try and find a book? Every trip to the library will be like a scavenger hunt! I know our reference librarians will just love the change! It will, however, be more difficult for those who can only remember that the book they need "had a red cover".

Note to some aghast readers: remember to take a look at the date on this post!

All In the Family

I saw a review of Peter Leonard’s first book, Quiver,which was described as a disappointing debut by the son of legendary crime writer Elmore Leonard in the March 10^th Publishers Weekly. It got me thinking about other authors’ children who enter the field. I just finished Duma Key by Stephen King. In the novel he mentions a few times a mysterious “heart shaped box,” which also happens to be the title of his son’s breakout novel. His son, unlike the other children listed here, chose to write under a different surname, so as to avoid comparison with his father.

Peter Leonard, son of Elmore Leonard
Joe Hill, son of Stephen King, Stephen’s wife Tabitha also writes
Jesse Kellerman, son of Faye and Jonathan Kellerman, both authors
Brian Herbert, son of Frank Herbert
Carol Higgins Clark, daughter of Mary Higgins Clark
Robin Pilcher, son of Rosamunde Pilcher

I wonder, is it an advantage, or disadvantage, to have a famous parent who also writes for a living?

Dark Lantern Review

Dark Lantern by Gerri Brightwell

In this atmospheric novel of Victorian London, no one is who they seem to be. Mina, the wife of Robert Bentley, longs to flee to Paris to escape her mysterious watchers, and away from a dark secret about to come to light. Jane, the young house maid is hiding a secret that could lose her her job and reputation. The widow of Robert’s brother is an unknown quantity; is she who she appears to be? Sarah, the other housemaid, knows many secrets of the house and uses them all to her advantage. Evocative, full of twists and turns, this novel kept me guessing to the end; a real page turner!

The Currier Museum of Art Is Reopening

The Currier Museum of Art will offer free admission to the museum Sunday, March 30 to Sunday, April 6 to celebrate their grand reopening. The museum has been closed since June of 2006 to build a 30,000 foot addition. The Currier Museum of Art is an internationally renowned art museum featuring European and American paintings, decorative arts, photographs and sculpture. The permanent collection includes works by Picasso, Matisse, Monet, O'Keeffe, Calder and Wyeth. If you can’t make the grand re-opening make sure to use the Library’s passes and you can visit the museum free anytime.

Happy Winds-day !

The past few days have reminded me of a classic children’s tale. I swear Winnie the Pooh had March in mind when he made up this little ditty.

Hum for a Blustery Day
From: Winnie The Pooh and the Blustery Day


Hum dum dum ditty dum
Hum dum dum

Oh the wind is lashing lustily
And the trees are thrashing thrustily
And the leaves are rustling gustily
So it's rather safe to say
That it seems that it may turn out to be
It feels that it will undoubtedly
It looks like a rather blustery day, today
It sounds that it may turn out to be
Feels that it will undoubtedly
Looks like a rather blustery day today

896 PAGES!!

I've noticed a trend--young adult books are getting longer, and longer. It started with a little series called Harry Potter. JK maxed out at 870 pages with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Christopher Paolini's 3rd book in his Inheritance series, Brisingr, is coming out on September 20th, and is a whopping 896 pages. Stephenie Meyer's 4th book in the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn, due out on August 2 is 704 pages. There were many that thought that kids would not read The Order of the Phoenix because it was too long--I think we all know, that turned out to be false. I also know that kids, and adults, will be clamoring to read Brisingr and Breaking Dawn. All I can say is, I am glad that publishers don't charge by the pound.

It Seemed Like a Good Idea At the Time....

I had a bad weekend last week. Definitely of the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad genre.For reasons that I no longer recall (probably due to dietary trauma), I decided that my system could do with a little purification. It was almost spring, Easter was a coming, and hey, celebrities do it all the time. How tough could it be? No, I didn't go to rehab. It was much, much worse. I decided to detox. With a downloaded menu in hand, I announced to family and coworkers alike my intentions. Actually, it was more of a warning...I thought I might be a little cranky at home and at work during the following week. In order to follow the menu plan, I was to give up all dairy products, wheat, caffeine(my coffee!)- all the good stuff in life and give my system a rest for a week. Alcohol wasn't mentioned but I decided to be good and add that too. In the spirit of solidarity, daughters 3 and 4 decided to join me in my journey. The husband threatened to eat juicy steaks in front of us as his contribution. I wasn't scared. He'd have to cook them himself. It was a very simple plan. No funny teas or potions-just a lot of organic fruits and veggies, salads, soups, and a little protein in the form of fish and chicken. Piece of cake. Day 1 passed okay. There were a few complaints about the breakfast which was described as 2 slices of wood with mud slapped on it, otherwise known as Ezekiel bread with almond butter. But other than a few longing looks at the leftover pizza in the fridge, we survived. After breakfast on day 2, I began to worry. The kids hated breakfast, salad was looking bad, and the vegetable soup I made for lunch was activating my gag reflex. We made it to dinner-gluten free pasta with marinara and salad for the third time. During dinner we spoke longingly of the good old days of bread and butter, a glass of milk or wine. I worried about being hauled over to the school for child abuse. Then Satan sat down at our dinner table in the form of daughter #3's boyfriend. He complemented the pasta , gave an evil laugh, and withdrew a large Lindt chocolate bar from his jacket pocket. All conversation ceased. "You know", I said, "We could make this a weekend detox..." Daughter #4 said she was staying up till midnight so she could eat the chocolate bar. I said it was midnight some where and dove for it. Chaos ensued but no injuries were sustained. We shook on it , decided to end detox, and try again another day. Later, as I was explaining to my massage therapist why I had a knot the size of Texas in my neck, I discovered we hadn't even made it to the hard day. Day 3 is the biggie. She detoxes twice a year and takes a week off of work each time in order to hide herself from the world. If you decide that you would like to test your own willpower and stamina, we just received a new book at the library, The Detox Strategy-Vibrant Health in 5 easy steps by Brenda Watson. We also have the Detox Diet by Elson M Haas and several other titles in the stacks. All I can say is good luck and I dare you. I double dog dare you!

That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles

I found myself using the phrase “tide her over” yesterday, and started wondering about the origin of the phrase. Is it only nerdy librarians that wonder about these types of things? I found an interesting weblog that gave me the information I was looking for, and I also browsed through some of the library’s collection of books on word and phrase origins. These books are not only good reference sources but they are also just plain ole entertaining. Who wouldn’t want to know the origin of the phrase “put the kibosh on (something)", which can be found in The Whole Ball of Wax and Other Colloquial Phrases by Laurence Urdang. The Word Detective by Evan Morris includes all kinds of interesting words and phrases—you could say everything from soups to nuts (page 187). The Yankee Dictionary by Charles F. Haywood is full good old New England sayings (many that I have never heard of). Ahhhh…I just love looking at these books—it just makes me as happy as a clam at high tide.

The Library will be closed Sunday, March 23

The Library will be closed this Sunday for the Easter holiday. In the meantime, enjoy this very cute Peeps page. People get so creative with their Peeps- there are even Peeps videos now.

And of course, if you have not seen the classic Peeps Visit the Library, you won't want to miss that!

How Well Do You Know Dover History?

After the many fascinating Heritage Walks and Reveals in Dover, many of you are aware of Dover’s historic Mills, fires, and flood. How well do you really know what happened in Dover? We dare you to test your knowledge with a short little quiz we put together.

"The Sun Was Warm but the Wind Was Chill"

We are getting desperate for spring here at the Library and it’s starting to show in our choice of bookmarks. Make sure to pick some up the next time you are in; they may be the only butterflies and flowers you will see for a while.

The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
A cloud comes over the sunlit arch,
A wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of March.
You're one month on in the middle of May.
Two Tramps in Mud Time by Robert Frost

Irish PI's Aren't Smilin'

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, here’s a short list of some recent mysteries and thrillers by a new breed of Irish novelists. Some are set in the Old Sod while others feature Irish-born detectives working here in the U.S. They’re all highly recommended:

Ken Bruen’s “Jack Taylor” series featuring an alcoholic, ex-cop, Galway PI :
The Guards; The Killing of the Tinkers; The Magdalen Murders; The Dramatist; Priest; and Cross. Irish Noir at its best!

Paul Charles’s 1st “Inspector Starrett” mystery, Dust of Death, features a Garda detective investigating murder in Donegal. A very promising series kickoff.

Declan Hughes’s mysteries featuring seedy ex-LA cop Ed Loy who now investigates crimes in Dublin: The Wrong Kind of Blood; The Color of Blood; and The Price of Blood.

Award-winning Irish novelist John Banville writes his mysteries under the pseudonym Benjamin Black and they feature Dublin pathologist “Garret Quirke”. Set in 1950s Boston and Dublin, the two books so far are Christine Falls and Silver Swan.

Of course, you can’t miss with the “Charlie Parker” series, set in Maine, by Irish author John Connolly. The 6th in the series, “The Unquiet” is just out and a little bird tells me that Dover’s own Matt Mayberry is a character in the book! Connolly has been called Ireland’s own Stephen King.

And we can’t forget the women…

Erin Hart’s Haunted Ground and Lake of Sorrows follow Minnesota pathologist, Nora Gavin, a visiting lecturer at Trinity College, as get caught up in such gruesome crimes as a body in a peat bog.

Tara French’s “In the Woods” is both a police procedural and a psychological thriller. A detective investigates a missing child in the same woods where, 20 years, earlier, his two friends disappeared.

Irish “cozies” are the subject of Dicey Deere’s Torrey Tunet series. Torrey is a 28-year old translator from Boston, now living in Dublin, and she probes “The Irish Cottage Murder”, “The Irish Manor house Murder”, “The Irish Village Murder” and “The Irish Cairn Murder” from the hamlet of Ballyragh.

The prolific Rhys Bowen has a historical mystery series featuring plucky Molly Murphy, an Irish immigrant PI in early 20th century New York City. The seventh book, “Tell Me Pretty Maiden”, has just been published.

And for Irish “oldie but goodie” mysteries don’t pass up Bartholomew Gill’s 16 police procedurals featuring Garda Police Supt. McGarr, Peter Tremayne’s 17 “Sister Fidelma” mysteries, or County Clare Inspector Matt Minogue’s detecting in the novels of John Brady.

The Sweetest Season

Even though we are still receiving a weekly dose of snow, signs of spring have begun to appear in long suffering New England. Birds are singing, puddles and potholes are appearing in the roads, and buckets and pipes have begun sprouting from Maples everywhere. If you are curious about how tree sap becomes a delicious treat, take a look at Sweet Maple by James Lawrence. This helpful book with loaded with illustrations and recipes. If you want a guide to show you exactly how to set up your own sugaring operation, look at Making Maple Syrup by Noel Perrin.

Don't Know Much About History

There has been a fair amount of press recently about a survey of teenagers, 1200 17-year-olds, that found that they know little about history and literature. When these type of survey results surface there are always example given such as "one in four thought Columbus sailed for the New World sometime after 1750." Shocking I know, but I've always wondered about the other questions and the wording of the questions, and so I went searching for the test. Alas, I found Common Core, the company that apparently administers the test and they had a link to the test with all 33 questions. After ascertaining that I would not be displaying "stunning ignorance" in my knowledge of history and literature, I can feel better about being shocked. Make sure to take a look at the test so you too can rant, with confidence, against the injustices of the education system.

6th Annual Poetry Contest

Calling all Dover area students please join us for our 6th Annual Dover Public Library Poetry Contest! Since it's inception over 2300 poems have been submitted to our contest--I think that is pretty impressive. The contest is for students from K-12th grade and prizes will be awarded in 6 different grade categories: K-2, 3&4, 5&6, 7&8, 9&10, and 11&12. Pick up a contest rules sheet at the Dover Public Library, at your Dover School Library, or download one here. Last years 1st Place winner in the K-2 category, Joseph Thompson, wrote a poem about the Library--here it is for your reading pleasure.

The Library

Tunnel of imagination

Has to be quiet

Elaborate quietly

Live another life

Isn't so cool to be yelling

Books, Books, Books, Dictionaries, and more books

Rare tenderness kids peace

A dictionary is not enough

Roll to the adventures

You are the mastermind

Student Art on Display at the Library

In celebration of Student Art Month, Dover High School art students are displaying their fantastical creations here at the Library. Take a look at the blog slide show to see some of their brilliant artwork but you really need to visit in person to see how creative and original they truly are. You don’t want to miss the giant cupcake and plastic utensil bird!

And Now For Something Completely Different

There are no deep thoughts or important news to impart in this post. Instead, I offer you a bit of silly sweetness to bring a smile to your face; the world’s cutest bookend.

Is it deductible?

It is tax season again and since this is one of the tasks that falls to me in my household I have been doing a bit of research. I'm always worried that I claimed something I shouldn't have and they are going to throw me in the big house, or that I missed out on some deduction that everyone else knows about but me. Paranoid--who me? While doing my research I found an "Is it deductible?" quiz on Kiplinger's website. Did you know you can claim a charitable contribution if you host a foreign exchange student? Ok, I don't have an exchange student living with me, but if I ever do, I now know. Also they have a tax rebate calculator for those of you who are unsure of how much money you are entitled to, if any, from the economic stimulus package that was signed on Feb. 13. Now I just need to stop procrastinating and get my taxes done. If you don't get your taxes done by the April 15th deadline the library has extension forms on hand--form 4868.

Love and Consequences

Yet another fabricated memoir--this one was titled Love and Consequences: A Memoir of Hope and Survival by Margaret B. Jones (real name Margaret Seltzer). This gang memoir was purportedly about a multi-racial women living in South Central Los Angeles and how she survived the gangs, drugs, foster system, and violence. Ms. Seltzer was found out when her sister saw her profiled in the New York Times, along with a picture, and called the publisher to let them know. Seems pretty silly to me to allow your photograph to be in the paper, where someone you know is bound to see it, when you are trying to pull off this scam. Anyhow the real Margaret lived a fairly privileged life across town in the more upscale Sherman Oaks section of Los Angeles. Her excuse for the scam is that the while working to end gang violence she met many people who lived the life she described and their stories needed to be told. Take a look at the article in the New York Times about her, or you can actually listen to an interview with her on NPR that was taped before her confession but never aired. Let us know how you feel about this--was she just trying to make a buck or was she genuinely trying to tell a story she thought needed to be heard?

New Downloadable Audio Books Available

The Chicago Tribune has caught on to how great downloadable Audio Books are; have you? The New Hampshire State Library has purchased more new titles for you to download, check them out!

Title	Author
Airman	Colfer, Eoin
Geography of Bliss	Weiner, Eric
Kiss of the Highlander	Moning, Karen Marie
The Mephisto Club	Gerritsen, Tess
The Sweet Far Thing	Bray, Libba
100 Cupboards	Wilson, N.D.
Beverly Hills Dead	Woods, Stuart
The Fifth Woman	Mankell, Henning
Peter and the Secret of Rundoon	Barry, Dave
The Secret of the Old Mill	Dixon, Franklin W.
The Senator's Wife	Miller, Sue
The Middle Place	Corrigan, Kelly
Be the Pack Leader	Millan, Cesar
Hide and Seek	Michaels, Fern
The Killing Ground	Higgins, Jack
Musicophilia	Sacks, Oliver
A New Earth	Tolle, Eckhart
Prepared for Rage	Stabenow, Dana
The Spiderwick Chronicles, Volume II	Black, Holly
The Spiderwick Chronicles, Volume III	Black, Holly
Stardust	Gaiman, Neil
The Water Horse	King-Smith, Dick
The Appeal	Grisham, John
Firefly Lane	Hannah, Kristin
Lady Friday	Nix, Garth
The Secret Between Us	Delinsky, Barbara
Sizzle and Burn	Krentz, Jayne Ann

Looking for Young Artists

Do you have a budding Rembrandt or Picasso in the family? March is Student Art Month and we would love to showcase art by Dover kids and teens on the Library blog. You can send a jpeg of your artwork to doverpl@gmail.com, or bring in your drawing or painting to be scanned (no larger than 8" by 12" please). Interested? Bring your art to the Reference Desk.

Dover High School students will also be displaying artwork in various mediums in the Library in March. Don't miss this exhibit; their artwork is always creative and eye-catching.

Flower by Sam Wood

A Veritable Beowulf Bonanza

Everywhere I look lately there is another retelling of the classic epic poem Beowulf. This Saturday, March 1st at 2:00pm we are showing the recent movie Beowulf, directed by Robert Zemeckis. Also, we just purchased a graphic novel version of Beowulf adapted and illustrated by Gareth Hinds. The children’s room just received a simplified and illustrated retelling of the epic poem: Beowulf, a hero’s tale retold by James Rumford. It is fascinating to me that we can still be retelling a story from so long ago. The only surviving manuscript for Beowulf, dates back to around 1000, and it is the earliest heroic poem in any modern language that still exists.

Is He Alive or Is He Dead?

I was driving to work today with my husband when Joe Walsh came on the radio singing “Life’s Been Good”. This sparked that age old game of “is he alive or dead”? We get this question a lot at the Reference Desk. Not just about Joe Walsh, but all sorts of celebrities. Of course, I had to check to see who was right when I got to work. He took the stance that Joe was alive, I was sure he died last year. There is actually a web site called Who’s alive and Who’s Dead. Oh no, it looks like hubby was right. Just to be positive I checked the Library’s Biography Resource Center (a very useful database for students working on papers at home). Darn it, I was still wrong. It was Warren Zevon I was thinking of. Sorry Joe.

Library Patron Inspires Author

In August 2006, seven year old Noah Albion wrote his first fan letter to award winning children's author Mary Amato. He wanted to tell her how much he loved her first two books in the Riot Brothers trilogy, Snarf Attack and Drooling and Dangerous. Touched by his letter, Ms. Amato wrote back to Noah and his mom: "The letter and little photo of Noah came at a time when I was suffering from writer's block and was the key in helping me get over it. I put Noah's photo by my desk and decided to write 'for him'. It worked!".

The third book in the Riot Brothers trilogy, Stinky and Successful, was released in the fall of 2007. The dedication page reads: "Hey, Noah Albion, this one is for you and your mom!".

On Monday, March 3rd @ 7:00 p.m., Mary Amato will visit Dover Public Library thanks to Noah, his mom, Michele, and ZMJ Enterprizes, Inc.. Join us in the Lecture Hall for a fun, interactive presentation. Ms. Amato will read from her latest book in the Riot Brothers series. She will also let you in on some Riot Brothers secrets and teach you a Riot Brother game and song.

A Fascination With Food, Part 2

As promised earlier, here is the full review of The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn.

After being let go from a corporate job that she loathed, Kathleen Flinn decided to accomplish her life long dream of attending Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School in Paris. She cashed in her life savings and left for France even though she was barely able to speak the language. While Kathleen learned techniques for preparing puff pastry and making stock, she made friends with culinary students from Brazil, Japan, and one from England who looks like Liz Hurley. She was tutored by the owner of her local wine shop as well as by a homeless man who advised her that her sauces needed more salt. Loads of interesting characters, particularly the chefs, spice up this fun memoir of one woman’s adventure of a lifetime. You may find yourself learning a few things too. The title refers to the fact that if your knife is dull when you cut you will bruise the onion more than you would with a sharp knife, causing the onion to release more alkaloids that will make your eyes tear up. There is a local tie in too; The Atlantic Culinary Academy at McIntosh College is part of Le Cordon Bleu™ culinary program.

The Stolen Generations

The Australian government seized thousands of Aboriginal and mixed race children from their families from the 1880s through the 1960s. These children, known as the “stolen generations,” were forbidden to speak their native language or practice Aboriginal customs in a misguided effort to provide a better life through forced assimilation. Just last week, the Australian government released its long awaited apology to the Aborigine people for the wrongs perpetrated against them. The Rabbit Proof Fence is a brilliant film depicting this historical event. It tells of three little girls who were forcibly taken from their mothers to be trained as domestic servants. They escape from the “settlement school” and begin the 1,500 mile walk through the Australian Outback with only a fence designed to keep rabbits from overrunning the country to guide them home. It is based on a true story but feels like a novel; a daring escape, a torturous trek through brutal desert pursued by an unwavering enemy. This is one of the best films I have ever seen; it is unforgettable.

Transumerism--Try to Say That Three Times Fast

While browsing through Body + Soul Magazine yesterday I ran across a short piece about the transumerism movement. This term refers to “consumers in transit—people who forgo permanent ownership of possessions in favor of renting.” Transumerists don’t want the hassle of ownership and possessions. This trend has made the use of used goods cool which in turn has allowed web sites like Ebay, Craigslist, and Freecycle to flourish. In researching this trend further I came across a fascinating website that talked about the movement in depth. Did you know that you can rent handbags, jewelry, and dresses? I didn’t. Also there are companies that allow car sharing of all types of cars from the economical to the super luxury—Lamborghini or Ferrari anyone?

Though the term may be fairly new they gave examples of entities that have been doing this for awhile—and one of them was libraries. So get yourself down to your local library to borrow that latest bestseller, board books or picture books for the kids, magazines, books on CD, music CDs, DVDs—you never know what you will find. Don't want the hassle of owning your own computer? Use one of ours. Just thought you should know that we are on the cutting edge here at the DPL—we always knew it, now the rest of the world does too. Finally!

Feeling Frumpy?

Watching too much "What Not to Wear"? Worried that it is only a matter of time before Stacy and Clinton nab you at the local mall? Never fear. Your local library has your style solutions. The other night while meandering across the Internet, I happened across the Stylenosh blog. The posting which caught my eye was entitled, "The Top Five Reasons Given for Looking Like Crap". Really, how much more blunt can you get? The top reason given was that people said they just didn't know how to dress or put together an outfit. Stylenosh has no pity for this excuse. She suggests visiting other style and fashion websites such as the Budget Fashionista and checking out fashion books and magazines. The books recommended were "The Lucky Shopping Manual", "Instyle's Instant Style", and "Dress Your Best". Magazines suggested were Marie Claire, Lucky, and Glamour. All of which can be found at the library. That is, as soon as I bring them back. What can I say? I love Stacy and Clinton. So no excuses now. Get out there and shop. It's good for the soul and good for the economy. Dover Public Library can not be held responsible for poor fiscal or fashion decisions.

Who Is Sam Peabody?

My walk early this morning brought thoughts of spring. The sky was a clear blue, there were birds chirping and singing, finally breaking the silence of winter. I was able to identify a Phoebe, a Cardinal, and a raucous Blue Jay. I decided that I better take home The Bird Song Ear Training Guide Book on CD again to sharpen up my identification skills before the real onslaught of spring birdsongs begins. Do you know which bird calls out “Poor Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody?” My grandmother, who was from New Brunswick, always claimed he was really saying, “"O-oh sweet Canada, Canada, Canada." If you don’t know who this mystery bird is, you may want to take the CD home. There is a special bonus for dog lovers; just wait to see the look on your dog’s face when he hears a Mourning Dove cooing from the stereo speakers. It’s priceless.

American Political Stew

A recipe:
Mix one Christian evangelical preacher, one moderate Senator who’s a former POW, a dirty-tricks political campaign strategist, a former African-American Secretary of State, and an influential right-wing television network CEO. Add the hot-buttons issues of stem-cell research, gay marriage, underlying racism, terror threats, and the place of religion in politics.

Sounds like the nightly news on CNN, right? It’s not! It’s the latest political thriller from one of my favorite writers, Richard North Patterson. “The Race” follows the primary campaign of fictional Ohio Senator Corey Grace in his quest for the Republican nomination for president.

“The Race” is an intriguing, gripping tale filled with drama, some romance, and a great deal to say about the Machiavellian inner workings of American politics today. The twists and turns in this novel come fast and furious but the rise of Corey Grace concludes in a particularly satisfying way.

I suggest reading all of Patterson’s stuff. (Don’t confuse him with the hyper-prolific James Patterson though.) Richard North Patterson’s legal and political novels are multi-layered, highly characterized, well-researched, and always enjoyable.