We Are Fearless Readers

Dover Public Librarians celebrate Banned Books Week by reading our favorite banned and challenged books.

Horse by Juliet Clutton-Brock was challenged at a Montana school for promoting evolution.

Support The Hunger Games

I am so embarrassed. A parent right here in New Hampshire is trying to get The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, banned from a Goffstown school, just days before Banned Books week began. This excellent book is not pro-violence in any way. In fact, it is a favorite of the Librarians here. It was chosen as a Librarian's Choice book in 2009 and was also was the 2009-2010 Isinglass Award winner. If you search our blog you will see The Hunger Games mentioned quite a few times, that is how much we like it. Show your support by reading it. I highly recommend it.

We Are Fearless Readers

Dover Public Librarians celebrate Banned Books Week by reading our favorite banned and challenged books.

And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson was challenged for promoting homosexuality.

We Are Fearless Readers

Dover Public Librarians celebrate Banned Books Week by reading our favorite banned and challenged books.

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein was kept locked away by a librarian (for shame!) in a Colorado Public Library because she felt it was sexist.

We Are Fearless Readers

Dover Public Librarians celebrate Banned Books Week by reading our favorite banned and challenged books.

 

Guinness Book of World Records was challenged in a Wisconsin school for being sexually explicit.

"Followalibrary" Day on Twitter is Oct.1

The Dover Public Library has been on Twitter for over a year now and has tweeted book and library news via 1,000+ posts (called "tweets"). Our Twitter address is @DPLNH.

What would happen if each person on Twitter would mention his or her favorite library there? One definite outcome would be an enormous amount of positive attention to our great industry. October 1, 2010 has been declared "Follow a Library on Twitter" day.

How does it work? Participating is very simple: tweet on October 1st what your favorite twittering library (or libraries) is (or are). Use in your tweet the hashtag (or keyword) #followalibrary. More information on the Followalibrary event can be found on: followalibrary.blogspot.com and on twitter.com/followalibrary.

Remember, we are @DPLNH! And thanks in advance for your follow!

We Are Fearless Readers

Dover Public Librarians celebrate Banned Books Week by reading our favorite banned and challenged books.

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury was challenged for profanity and taking God’s name in vain.

Speak Your Mind

There is a controversy brewing over the book Speak by Laurie H. Anderson. This is a book published in 1999, which went on to win many awards, and also to be oft challenged. Currently a Professor at Missouri State is trying to have Speak taken off the High School reading list calling the rape scene in the book "soft pornography". I think Ms. Anderson sums it up best in a statement she made against censorship:

"But censoring books that deal with difficult, adolescent issues does not protect anybody. Quite the opposite. It leaves kids in the darkness and makes them vulnerable. Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance. Our children cannot afford to have the truth of the world withheld from them."

We Are Fearless Readers

Dover Public Librarians celebrate Banned Books Week by reading our favorite banned and challenged books.

 

Doctor Dolittle by Hugh John Lofting was censored by two publishers and the author’s son to conform contemporary racial sensibilities.

We Are Fearless Readers

Dover Public Librarians celebrate Banned Books Week by reading our favorite banned and challenged books.

Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld was removed from a school in California because a parent complained it was pornographic.

We Are Fearless Readers

Dover Public Librarians celebrate Banned Books Week by reading our favorite banned and challenged books.

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig was challenged because the illustrations portray police as pigs. All the characters are animals, and the police were shown in a positive manner.

We Are Fearless Readers

Dover Public Librarians celebrate Banned Books Week by reading our favorite banned and challenged books.

Wayside School is Falling Down by Louis Sachar was challenged for promoting bad manners and improper English.

A Book Too Good To Put Down

The media has been full of reports about the Portland, Oregon bus driver who was caught on film driving a bus in rush hour traffic while reading his kindle. I suppose I shouldn't be shocked considering what I have seen other drivers at the wheel doing. What I am curious about is what book was he reading that was so good he couldn't put it down even in rush hour traffic?

Jane vs. Iris

Several of us at the library have been reading Red Hook Road by Ayelet Waldman. I loved the book, and I think it would make a great book club selection. The story begins with the wedding of two young people in Maine--the groom a native Mainer and the bride a summer-only resident. On the way from the wedding ceremony to the reception the newlyweds are killed in a car accident. Now I am not giving anything away since this happens in the first couple of pages, and it is in the description of the book. The book is actually about the two very different families, and how the individual members deal with this tremendous loss. There had always been friction between the families because of their difference in circumstances: highly educated vs. not, year round residents vs. not, and financial security vs. you get the picture. Oddly enough I didn't find this book depressing though I was leery at the beginning. The contentious point among our staff is who is more irksome Jane or Iris? I am firmly on the Iris side, and just found Jane to be a stoic Mainer. Here is a quote from the book that seems to sum up Iris: (this is Ruthie, Iris' younger daughter, contemplating going back to school for a degree in Library Science, and dreading her Mother's reaction) "She knew exactly how Iris would regard such a career path: true intellectuals, true lovers of literature and of books, did not become librarians, they became scholars." Enough said! Read the book and let's talk.

Can Algebra Be Sexy?

Can you make Algebra sexy? Danica McKellar (remember little Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years?) thinks so. Her new book, Hot X: Algebra Exposed tries to make it fun with "her trademarked sass and style". It certainly looks more appealing than your average math text with its cute fonts and cartoons, and easily understood language. Check out this book if you have a math phobic teen trying to cope with Algebra.

"Sylvan Roots" to Perform Sept. 21 @ 7pm

The Friends of the Dover Public Library will present Seacoast musicians “Sylvan Roots” in a concert on Tuesday evening, September 21 at 7pm in the library’s Lecture Hall. This accomplished trio features well-known and more obscure roots music of the folk and blues tradition, including influences as wide as Bill Staines, Woody Guthrie, Louis Armstrong, Nanci Griffith, Alison Krauss, the Grateful Dead, John Denver and Tom Paxton.
The repertoire of Sylvan Roots is eclectic, with vocal and instrumental selections, familiar covers, traditional American roots folk songs, plus blues to add some spice. In addition to playing and singing the songs, Sylvan Roots tells interesting stories about how the songs came to be.
The style of each member of the band is varied and comes from a long performance and listening tradition. Their music is driven by traditional folk, acoustic rock, protest-era songs of the 50’s and 60’s and also includes more contemporary sounds. Sylvan Roots is comprised of guitarist Neal Zweig (accompaniment and solo work); Dick Kruppa (vocals, guitar, banjo, & percussion); and Bob Moore (vocals and guitar). All have opened for "big name" groups around the country, and written and performed on movie and documentary soundtracks. All perform regularly around New England together and with other groups.
As the trio all have a connection to Pennsylvania, and perform Roots Music, they have taken the name "Sylvan Roots." Their slogan is "Sylvan Roots…roots, music and more." Come for some rousing toe tapping!
Friends of the Library programs are always free and open to all. Refreshments will be served following the performance. For more information, please call the Dover Public Library: 516-6050.

Books into Film

Did you know that Ben Affleck's new movie, "The Town", is based on the novel Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan? Or that Ben Mezrich's The Accidental Billionaires, about the founding of Facebook, is now the movie "The Social Network"?

Here are some other new films that are based on books:

• "The Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'hoole" (based on children's series by Kathryn Lasky)



• "Never Let Me Go" (book by Kazuo Ishiguro) starring Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan



• "The Romantics" (book by Galt Niederhoffer; starring Katie Holmes, Anna Paquin)



• "Freakonomics" (documentary version of the book by Steven Levitt)



• "It's Kind of a Funny Story" (young adult novel by Ned Vizzini, with Emma Roberts starring)



• "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" (pt. 3 of Larsson's trilogy---Swedish version)



• "Fair Game" (book by Valerie Plame Wilson; with Naomi Watts as Plame)



• "127 Hours" (based on Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston; starring James Franco and directed by Danny Boyle of "Slumdog" fame)



• "Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows" (final HP book split into 2 movies: this is Pt. 1)



• "Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader" (C. S. Lewis, of course!)



• "The Tempest" by Shakespeare (Julie Taymor version with Helen Mirren as "Prospera")



• "True Grit" (book by Charles Portis; re-make by the Coen Brothers with Jeff Bridges in the John Wayne role)

Of course, we have to add our tag line: THE BOOK IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN THE MOVIE!

The Dreaded Slump

I think I am in a reading slump. Several books that I have been expectantly waiting for have failed to deliver. Carl Hiaasen's Star Island seemed formulaic, as did Suzanne Arruda's The Crocodile's Last Embrace. Even the lyrical James Lee Burke's The Glass Rainbow felt like more of the same, and even worse, I hated the inconclusive ending. I think I have finally found the book to break the slump. Dexter is Delicious by Jeffry Lindsay is as delightfully dark and droll as I had hoped for. This time Dexter has to contend with vampires, cannibals, and a newborn baby. Don't miss it.

Are You a Writer Wannabe?

Perhaps now is the time to act on your secret desire to be a writer! The Seacoast Writers Association Fall Conference will be held on Saturday, Oct. 16 at the McConnell Center in Dover (right next door to the Dover Public Library). There are 4 different work shops available: Being There--Creating a Sense of Place, Getting Published, Finding Your Voice, and Prose Poems for Now People. Besides the available workshops the conference is a great way to network with other writers in the area. Visit the Association's web site, at http://seacoastwritersassociation.org/, for details.

SwimGirl's Book Reviews

Two thumbs up to Emma, aka SwimGirl, who is a 10 year old Dover resident who has started her own blog. It makes us extra excited because it is a book review blog. Yeah Emma! Please take a look at her blog--she makes some good recommendations. Don't you think that Emma could be a librarian in training? Keep reading!

Busy, Busy, Busy

The school year is back in full swing, and we know that kids schedules can make things very hectic--soccer practice, band practice, karate lessons, guitar lessons, student council--aaaahhhhhh! The library would like to remind you to not let reading fall through the cracks. I know that I am probably preaching to the choir, but honestly I don't think it can be said enough. Here are a few interesting, and some sobering statistics:

• Out-of-school reading habits of students has shown that even 15 minutes a day of independent reading can expose students to more than a million words of text in a year.
• Forty-four percent of American 4th grade students cannot read fluently, even when they read grade-level stories aloud under supportive testing conditions.
• Children who have not developed some basic literacy skills by the time they enter school are 3 - 4 times more likely to drop out in later years.
  

Hope to see you at the library!

Don't Forget to Vote Tomorrow

The State Primary is Tuesday, September 14. You will be able to vote for Governor, US Senator, Congressional Representative, Executive Councilor, State Representatives, and other Strafford County positions.

Not sure where you will be voting?

The six (6) polling places in Dover are as follows:
WARD 1 - St. Mary' Church Hall - Chestnut St. (Between Third and Fourth Streets)
WARD 2 - First Parish Church Hall - Central Avenue (Between Church and Angle Streets)
WARD 3 - Langdon Place - Middle Road (Between Hubbard Road and Augusta Way)
WARD 4 - Maple Suites-Holiday Drive (Off Back River, between Durham and Mast)
WARD 5 - St. John's Methodist Church - Cataract Avenue.(Between Rutland Street and Sunset Drive)
WARD 6 - Riverside Rest Home - County Farm Road (At the intersection with County Farm Cross Road)

The City of Dover has a ward map on it's web site if you do not know which ward you live in. You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Viewer on your computer as it is a PDF file. http://www.dover.nh.gov/ccpdf/wardmap.pdf

You can register to vote at the City Clerk's office in City Hall if you are not registered yet. If you have questions you can reach the City Clerk at 516-6020.

Test Yourself

Did you know you can practice taking tests like the SAT, Praxis and Real Estate Brokers exam from home? Simply log onto the Library’s web page http://library.dover.nh.gov and click on Online Resources. Next, choose Learning Express and you will be prompted to enter your 14 digit library card number and to choose a password. Select your test from the 300 tests available and begin practicing. You can also use Learn-A-Test here at the Library.

Libricide

I am sure you will not be surprised to hear that a librarian does not approve of burning books. When I first heard about the planned burning of the Quran, I thought of the Nazi's and their infamous book burnings. Really, is that the sort of group you wish to be associated with? I was curious as to what other book burnings had occurred throughout history. The Canadian web site Freedom to read has an interesting list of burnings and bannings. Even Harry Potter books have been tossed on the pile to burn.

My curiosity on the matter led me to some interesting new words which I hope I will never have cause to use. 

Libricide and biblioclasm mean the destruction of books, often in a ceremonial fashion.

I will let Helen Keller have the last word on the issue.

"History has taught you nothing if you think you can kill ideas. Tyrants have tried to do that often before, and the ideas have risen up in their might and destroyed them. You can burn my books and the books of the best minds in Europe, but the ideas in them have seeped through a million channels and will continue to quicken other minds." 

Banned Book Week begins September 25th. Feel free to come in and read our Quran anytime.

Skippy Dies

Catchy title don't you think? I am eagerly awaiting my turn to read Skippy Dies by Paul Murray, a book that has been called "extravagantly entertaining" by the New York Times Book Review. I was immediately intrigued after reading a glowing review, and I realized that I have a penchant for books that take place in boarding schools. I don't know the reason for this exactly but a few of my favorite books are The Secret History by Donna Tartt, Gentlemen & Players by Joanne Harris, Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld, and of course Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling--all taking place in boarding schools.

Here is a description of the book that may intrigue you too!

Why does Skippy, a fourteen-year-old boy at Dublin’s venerable Seabrook College, end up dead on the floor of the local doughnut shop?

Could it have something to do with his friend Ruprecht Van Doren, an overweight genius who is determined to open a portal into a parallel universe using ten-dimensional string theory?

Could it involve Carl, the teenage drug dealer and borderline psychotic who is Skippy’s rival in love?

Or could “the Automator”—the ruthless, smooth-talking headmaster intent on modernizing the school—have something to hide?

Why Skippy dies and what happens next is the subject of this dazzling and uproarious novel, unraveling a mystery that links the boys of Seabrook College to their parents and teachers in ways nobody could have imagined. With a cast of characters that ranges from hip-hop-loving fourteen-year-old Eoin “MC Sexecutioner” Flynn to basketball playing midget Philip Kilfether, packed with questions and answers on everything from Ritalin, to M-theory, to bungee jumping, to the hidden meaning of the poetry of Robert Frost, Skippy Dies is a heartfelt, hilarious portrait of the pain, joy, and occasional beauty of adolescence, and a tragic depiction of a world always happy to sacrifice its weakest members. As the twenty-first century enters its teenage years, this is a breathtaking novel from a young writer who will come to define his generation.

Closed for the Holiday

Don't forget, the Library will be closed Saturday through Monday in honor of Labor Day. See you Tuesday!

Have We Entered the Twilight Zone?

Do you remember the Twilight Zone episode entitled "The Midnight Sun"? The Earth had moved out of its normal orbit.  Norma, and her landlady, Mrs. Bronson, were the last people in the apartment building. The rest of the tenants had either moved north where it was cooler or died in the heat. Rod Serling solemnly intoned, "One month ago, the Earth suddenly changed its elliptical orbit and in doing so began to follow a path which gradually, moment by moment, day by day, took it closer to the sun. And all of man's little devices to stir up the air are now no longer luxuries - they happen to be pitiful and panicky keys to survival. The time is five minutes to twelve, midnight. There is no more darkness. The place is New York City and this is the eve of the end, because even at midnight it's high noon, the hottest day in history, and you're about to spend it in the Twilight Zone."

That is how it has felt in Dover lately. If you would like to watch this intriguing episode, come in and check out volume 15 of  The Twilight Zone.

Hot enough for you yet?

Congratulationattons!

Today is the 35th anniversary of Cathy Beaudoin, our Library Director, being hired at the Dover Public Library! We had a small celebration for her yesterday, and decorated with a purchased banner which was supposed to say "Congratulations". After stringing it up we realized it said "Congratulationattons". It seemed especially fitting for this to happen for a celebration for Cathy because she has been called the Grammar Goddess by some, and nit-picky by others (we are not naming names). Nevertheless we would like to say congratulationattons from the entire staff!

Reading on the Job?

When I tell a new acquaintance that I am a librarian, I invariably hear "Oh so you get to read all day?" Well no I am not sitting at my desk reading the latest spy thriller, but yes there is some reading that is an integral part of a librarians' job. We recently received a complaint that a member of the library staff was seen reading a newspaper, and that this projected a negative image of the library (and its staff). Let me set the record straight. We do have a member of the staff whose job involves indexing the Foster's Daily Democrat. We have a Dover content index of the Foster's that dates back to the mid-1970s, and an online obituary index that dates back to the 1940s. These are both very useful tools that are heavily relied upon by genealogists and researchers, and the Dover Public Library is the only source for this information! Also, the library subscribes to several magazines-- Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, School Library Journal to name a few--that we rely upon to help us choose, through reviews, what books to purchase for our collection. So, while the majority of the staff could be categorized as voracious readers, we save our entertainment reading for our leisure time!

Saturday Matinees

Saturday Matinees at the Library will resume on Saturday, Sept. 11 at 2:00pm with Under the Mountain. As always our movies are FREE and open to the public. To see a complete listing of our Fall movie line-up visit our web site at http://www.dover.lib.nh.us/movies.htm.

A Tree with a Literary History

Monday in Amsterdam, the Chestnut tree that provided Anne Frank with a glimpse of the outside world, and hope, crashed to the ground. Local authorities had known for years that the tree was diseased and in danger of falling. An international campaign to save the tree, known as the Anne Frank Tree, prevented them from cutting down the ailing tree. Helga Fassbinder of the Support Anne Frank Tree foundation said the remains of the trunk will be left in the ground so that a shoot growing out of healthy wood on one side can grow.

“From my favorite spot on the floor I look up at the blue sky and the bare chestnut tree, on whose branches little raindrops shine, appearing like silver, and at the seagulls and other birds as they glide on the wind.”

Anne Frank, Feb. 23, 1944.

Interested in Learning About Dover Architecture?

Granite State College offers some short, usually one day, classes through their Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, and one that is coming up in September is "Exploring New Hampshire Architecture As Seen in Dover". The class will be held on Monday, September 27 from 10:00 to 11:30 and has only a $5 fee. The class will be taught by Tessa McDonnell, former president of the Dover Historic Society, who has a long-time interest in historic preservation. Visit the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute web site to see a list of Seacoast location classes, and follow the register link on the left hand side to sign up, or come in to the library to pick up one of their fall catalogs. I don't know if the house pictured above is to be included in the class--I just like it. FYI it is located at 35 Cushing St., and you can find out more about it on our historical images web site.

I Am Not Making This Up

We just received the first volume of the manga series Library Wars by Kiiro Yumi. Yes, I said Library Wars--libraries those bastions of knowledge and learning involved in a war? It is not what you might be thinking--we will not be taking up arms against the Somersworth Library in a battle for turf. Here is the description from the back of the book:

In the near future, the federal government creates a committee to rid society of books it deems unsuitable. The libraries vow to protect their collections, and with the help of local governments, form a military group to defend themselves---the Library Forces! Iku Kasahara has dreamed of joining the Library Defense Force ever since one of its soldiers stepped in to protect her favorite book from being confiscated in a bookstore when she was younger. But now that she's finally a recruit, she's finding her dream job to be a bit of a nightmare. Especially since her hard-hearted drill instructor seems to have it out for her!

Do you think that the Library Defense Force has a uniform? I am thinking of something involving a cape.

Library Love from Grammar Geeks

This blog post by the Society For The Promotion For Good Grammar warmed the cockles of this librarian's heart. Please read the post entitled, "Hey, Buddy: Your Ignorance Is Showing".

The author makes some very valid points. I could not have written them better myself, so I will just quote a small bit of that splendid post. However, I would be too polite to use the term "Moron". Although I might think it.

"We can't help but notice this disturbing trend in cities across the country in which libraries are being shut down, pecked at, and put on the chopping block to balance community budgets. 

People have no idea how much pleasure they could get and how much money they could save by making the library their first stop in entertainment. Libraries also level the playing field somewhat for the poor.

That is why we say to the creator of this sign, "You are a moron. A MORON. Perhaps if you spent more time in your library you would know there is no apostrophe in 'fees'.""

Mockingjay Will Soon Be Here!

The eagerly anticipated conclusion to the Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay, will be available next Tuesday, August 24. Its been a long, hard wait for fans of the cult hit. Hunger Games came out last September and readers have been clamoring for the next installment from the second they turned the last page in the book. If your teen reader, or you (many adults are enjoying the series, myself included) are worried about what to read after Mockingjay, fear not. The Young Adult Library Services Association has created a list of read alike books for you. Enjoy!

Three literary trends I've avoided reading (so far)

I confess I have no authority to comment on any of these recent publishing trends as I've not read a one of them, but it is worth mentioning that these types of books are flourishing and sales are growing:

1.) Graphic novels by so-called mainstream novelists: Janet Evanovich, Dean Koontz, Philip K. Dick, Stephenie Meyer, Sherilynn Kenyon and Jim Butcher are just some of the authors coming out with new novels written in cartoon style, or with illustrated adaptations of their previous works. (I will continue to avoid these: I am just not a visual reader...I even disdained comic books as a child, preferring actual words on a page with no pictures.)

2.) Literary "Mash-up" parodies: about 60-85% of a mash-up is the original text of a classic; the rest includes new plot twists added in by a contemporary author, usually involving vampires, zombies or other creatures. Hit titles in the past year have included: Android Karenina, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Little Women and Werewolves, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, and Paul is Undead: the British Zombie Invasion. But as one mother said, "Hey at least my kid is reading Jane Austen!"

3.) Children's books by adult authors: James Patterson, John Grisham, and Alice Hoffman have each embraced writing for older children/teens. Patterson's "Maximum Ride" series, Grisham's new "Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer" series (#1 just published) and Alice Hoffman's mermaid tales have posed a problem for this library. Patrons hear that there's a new Grisham or Patterson title and place a hold immediately! We have had many disappointed customers show up and say, "but this is a children's book!" (Actually children's books can be great fun; you should read it anyway as long as you made the trip to the library to pick it up!)

Trendy or traditional, the library has it all!

Did You Hear the One About J.D. Salinger's Toilet?

Did you hear that J.D. Salinger's toilet is being sold on eBay for 1 million dollars? Really, it's not a joke, although I am sure late night comedians will come up with some great punchlines.
I hope this doesn't start a new literary trend....

A Matter of Taste

A delightful 531-page cookbook entitled “Food for the Hungry: A Complete Manual of Household Duties” appeared this week in a box of donations to the library. Written in 1896, it contains “well-tried recipes compiled from famous sources…together with Bills of Fare for All Seasons” and gives us a fascinating look into culinary tastes and habits from over a century ago.

Authors Julia MacNair Wright and Marion Harland remind us of the “close connection between good morals and good digestion” and assure us in the book’s introduction that there is “nothing here to tempt coarse gluttony, or to incite appetite for alcoholic stimulus.”

There are hundreds of recipes for popular items: Philadelphia Pepper Pot (start with two lbs of tripe), Scrambled Codfish (eggs and pickled fish), stewed beef kidneys, soused pigs’ feet, calf’s head cheese, piccalilli and chowchow, Johnnie Cake, Sally Lunn, Pompton Puffs, Gooseberry Fool, Dandy Pudding and Quaking Custard.

There’s also lots of stern-toned cooking advice: “do not scowl nor contort your mouth while carving meat”; “boil a lobster for ½ to ¾ hour…if cooked too long they will be tough”; “never cook poultry until 6-8 hours after killing it. Pluck feathers, then when it is picked clean, roll up a piece of white paper, set fire to it, and singe off all the hairs.”

In addition, there are whole chapters on household remedies and cleaning solutions: learn to make poultices, cure boils, banish ringworms, rid your home of bedbugs, or treat chilblains. Make your own mosquito repellent, ant traps, beauty creams and bayrum lotions; find out how to waterproof leather shoes, remove household stains from rugs and furniture, and clean your best kid gloves.

One section is devoted to table settings (no starch in the napkins, please, and never use your crumb-brush until the preparation for bringing in the dessert) and another to table etiquette: “once seated, gloves should be drawn off and laid in the lap under the napkin, which is spread lightly, not tucked in”. Also, “do not twirl your goblet, nor soil the tablecloth by placing bones or fragments upon it”; “Never blow on your soup”; “One’s teeth are not to be picked at table; but if it is impossible to hinder it, it should be done behind the napkin”; “Corn should be eaten from the cob, held with a single hand only” (oops, I’d flunk that one!); “Sit erect. Let the food be taken to the mouth and not the mouth to the food.” And above all, “Don’t come to the table half-dressed, half-washed, half-combed.”

I checked Alibris.com, the used/rare book site, and this book is selling there for $38. We won’t be adding it to the library’s collection (the binding is in pretty poor condition and pp. 9-20 are missing) but if you know someone who might be entertained and amused by it, I’d certainly sell it at the same price to a cookbook collector! Call the library, 603-516-6050 if you’re interested!

The Unwelcome Visitor

We love it when we have visitors at the Library, except for the flying variety of visitor. Behold your brave librarians in action when a bat visited the Circulation Desk last week.

A Good Time Had By All

About 150 people celebrated at the Summer Readers' Party hosted by the Children's Room staff. As promised T-Bone had everyone clapping, dancing, and limboing--I'm serious. Pictures don't lie take a look.

Do two halves make a whole?

These two novels, both by women, both first novels, and both centered around women in transition, arrived at the library today in the same box. It struck me immediately that their covers were nearly a match to make a whole torso!

Stuff That Never Happened by Maddie Dawson

Simply from Scratch by Alicia Bessette