Apply now for opening on Library Board of Trustees!

In May, one of our Library Board of Trustees members will be retiring after 15 years. We'd like to publicly thank Arthur Corte for his three terms of service on our board and for his supportive advocacy efforts and his sage advice since 1996. We are seeking someone to fill Art's position in June. The only requirement is Dover residency and a willingness to fill out a Board application in the City Clerk's office. The City Council's Appointments Committee will interview candidates, then recommend their choice to the whole Council for approval. Trustees meetings are held at the library on the first Thursday of the month from September through June at 4pm. Duties of the Board are purely advisory. There are no financial or personnel evaluation/hiring functions to perform. Here's how the job description is written in the City's Administrative Code: Library Board of Trustees, Chapter 5-4 A. MEMBERSHIP: The Library Board of Trustees shall consist of five (5) members. B. TERMS OF MEMBER: Members shall be appointed to terms of five (5) years. C. AUTHORITY AND DUTIES: The Library Board shall perform the following functions: 1. Study, consider and recommend to the City Council and the City Manager, or designee, general policies regarding the operation of the Dover Public Library; 2. Advocate, promote and perpetuate the growth, prosperity and the usefulness of the public library. If you're interested, or would like to ask more questions, please call Library Director Cathy Beaudoin at 516-6050 for additional information.

Preserving America's Heritage

Each year the National Recording Preservation Board, part of the Library of Congress, chooses 25 sound recordings to add to their registry. "The controversial release of the first recording of contemporary stand-up comedy, the country music hit that divided American women, and an innovative television theme song are among the sound recordings that have been selected for preservation by the Library of Congress." The list spans the years from 1853 to 1994 and runs the gamut from Stand by Your Man (Tammy Wynette) to Take Me Out to the Ball Game--interesting.

Nook Contest starts April 10th!

Don't forget to register with NH Downloadable Books this weekend if you haven't already. During National Library Week, April 10 - 16, all checkouts by Dover Public Library patrons who’ve registered to use New Hampshire Downloadable Books will be automatically entered in a special raffle to win a Nook eReader! Each time you check out a downloadable audiobook or eBook during that week, you will qualify for another entry in the raffle.

To get started downloading audiobooks and eBooks, visit the New Hampshire Downloadable Books service.

Calling All Teddy Bears

3rd Annual Teddy Bear Sleepover-- April 11 from 6:30 to 7:30

Would your teddy bear (or special stuffed animal) like to spend the night at the library??? Here’s what we’ll do...

• We’ll gather in the children’s room to introduce ourselves---every teddy(or animal) will get their own nametag.


• Then, we’ll go over to the Story Hour Room for some stories, rhymes, and a movie---featuring, (you guessed it!)---TEDDY BEARS!!!


• Next, we’ll sit at a table for a quick project---we’ll be making special pillows for our stuffed friends to sleep with! When our pillows are finished, it will be time to tuck our teddies in….you choose the spot in the children’s room where you think they’ll be the most comfortable---will it be in the dollhouse? On the train table? On a bookshelf?


• Then, you give them one last kiss, and head on home to your own beds---In the morning, come and pick them up (after 10:00am), and we’re hoping we may be able to get some pictures of just what goes on when teddy bears sleep over at the library.

If you’d like to bring YOUR teddy (or special stuffed animal) to the teddy bear sleepover, please sign up at the Children’s Room desk or call 516-6052!

Look for these new eBooks

New eBooks have been added to NH Downloadable Books.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by    Amy Chua
The Battle of the Labyrinth by  Rick Riordan
Big Stone Gap by   Adriana Trigiani
Clouds without Rain  by   P. L. Gaus
The Dragon Heir  by   Cinda Williams Chima
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Secret UFO  by Donald J. Sobol
Frozen Assets by    Quentin Bates
The Glass Lake  by   Maeve Binchy
Home Free  by   Fern Michaels
The Hunted  by   Brian Haig
The Information by    James Gleick
Juno's Daughters by    Lise Saffran
The Land of Painted Caves  by   Jean M. Auel
Live Wire  by   Harlan Coben
Lover Unleashed  by   J. R. Ward
Oil and Ice  by   Peter Nichols
The Opal Deception by    Eoin Colfer
The Paris Wife  by   Paula McLain
The Peach Keeper by    Sarah Addison Allen
The Poisoner's Handbook   by  Deborah Blum
Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good by   Josh Levine
The Price of Everything by   Eduardo Porter
The Red Pyramid by  Rick Riordan
Secret Sanction  by   Brian Haig
Seducing the Duchess  by   Ashley March
Speed Demons by    Jasmine Jones
Steampunk'd  by   Jean Rabe, Martin H. Greenberg
The Tiger's Wife   by  Tea Obreht
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure  by   Disney Digital Books
The Troubled Man by    Henning Mankell, Laurie Thompson
The Van Alen Legacy  by   Melissa de la Cruz

New Mobile App Available

The Dover Public Library catalog is now available for your mobile phone! Here is the address you need: http://www.libanywhere.com/m/395. Mobile device users can now search the catalog, place holds, check their accounts, renew items, and contact a librarian all while on the move. The mobile catalog works with Android, BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and any mobile phone with a web browser. We are very excited to offer this new service so please give it a try and let us know what you think.

Psst Did You Hear the Dirt?

The last film in the Sustainability Film Series, Dirt: The Movie, will be shown in the Dover Public Library Lecture Hall on Tuesday, April 5 at 6:30pm. Join us to view the film and share your thoughts afterward in a group discussion. Dirt tells the amazing and little known story of the relationship between humans and living dirt. Why Dirt? Dirt feeds us and gives us shelter. Dirt holds and cleans our water. Dirt heals us and makes us beautiful. Dirt regulates the earth's climate. Dirt is the ultimate natural resource for all life on earth. Yet most humans ignore, abuse, and destroy our most precious living natural resource.

Blended Families?

I often read two books at the same time, but I try to ensure that they're quite different so that I don't confuse characters and plots. This month, when I went on vacation, I hadn't quite finished Joyce Maynard's The Good Daughters (title characters Dana and Ruth). So the hardcover book got left behind on my bedside table to finish apres-trip. While traveling, I had my Kindle on which was The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown (featuring siblings Rose, Bean and Cordy) but I only got halfway through it on the plane home.

So now I'm finishing two books about five sisters, and to top it off, each family has a mother who's battling cancer. Both of these are very satisfying novels but I fear I haven't given either one its due diligence when I'm wondering why Rose doesn't visit Ruth or why Cordy ignores Dana. I guess I've invented my own sisters-mash-up!! Do you regularly read more than one book at the same time?

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

The Dover Public Library's Newsletters are out for the month of April. Follow the links to view the Children's Room Newsletter or the Dover Public Library Newsletter--or better yet both! Find out about the Teddy Bear Sleepover, The Peeps Contest, and how you could win a free Nook! If you would like to receive these newsletters via email follow this link to sign-up.

Librarian Fashion

Many articles and posts have covered, and ranted, about Librarian fashion, from the stereotypical dowdy librarians to the newer cliche of the sexy Librarian look. One thing I have not seen yet is discussion of the Librarian t-shirt. Just about all of us have them, most avid readers do too. My Librarian t-shirt is from the Library of Congress and has books all over the front AND back of the shirt, as well as the LOC name on the sleeve, swoon! I stumbled across this website yesterday and found out most of my co-workers knew about it already. Out of Print offers t-shirts with classic covers of books on them. My favorite is the Jazz Babies. My second favorite is the Nancy Drew t-shirt because I read my mom's copy of that book with the 1930's illustrations when I was younger.  So far, every librarian has a different favorite. Which shirt would you choose?

(standard disclaimer: I, and the Library are not affiliated with, or promoting this company. I just really liked their shirts and thought you might enjoy them too.)

Job Opening at the Adult Circulation Desk

Always wanted to work at the DPL? This is your chance!

ANTED: PART-TIME LIBRARY ASSISTANT I
ADULT CIRCULATION DESK 

Avg 11 -13 hrs/week. Includes weekday, evening, and some Saturday hours.

Seeking an energetic person, ideally with public library experience, with an extensive knowledge of books and authors, an avid personal reading habit, well-developed customer relations skills, and familiarity with computer technology to work part-time at the library’s busy Adult Circulation Desk.

Duties include: use of automated check-in/check-out system, registration of borrowers, collection of fines/fees, and assistance to patrons.  Circulation desk staff also reshelve library materials, answer telephones, offer readers’ advisory and guidance in the use of library computers/databases and in the operation of printers, photocopiers, and microfilm readers.
 
Hourly rate is $12.09 and ranges up to $17.12.
Application CLOSING DATE:  Open until filled
Responses received by April 30th will receive priority consideration.

Applicants must have high school diploma; college degree and/or library experience preferred. Benefits include vacation, holiday and sick leave on a proportional basis.   

Applications available at the City Manager’s Office at City Hall, or may be downloaded here.  A full job description is available at the Adult Circulation Desk, or can be viewed here. All completed applications must be returned to the City Manager’s Office or mailed to:

Employment
Office of the City Manager
City of Dover
288 Central Avenue
Dover, NH 03820

New Ladybug Award Nominees for 2011

The Ladybug Picture Book Award is designed to promote early literacy and honor the best in recent children's picture books. A committee of children's librarians from around New Hampshire selects 10 picture book titles early in the year. Then, during Children's Book Week in November, New Hampshire children from preschoolers to those in third grade vote to select the award winner. The award is a project of the Center for the Book at the New Hampshire State Library.
And the Nominees for 2011 are...
City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems
Guyku: a year of Haiku for boys by Bob Raczka
Hibernation Station by Michelle Meadows
In the Wild by David Elliott
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
Memoirs of a Goldfish by David Scillian
One by Kathryn Otoshi
Rubia and the Three Osos by Susan Middleton
The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson
Ugly Pie by Lisa Wheeler

Let the Sun Shine In

Seacoast Energy Alternatives will be presenting two FREE workshops on Alternative Energy.

The first workshop will be held on Monday, April 4 @ 7pm in the Library Lecture Hall, and will be on "Solar Hot Water for Your Home". They will answer questions such as: How do the systems work? What are the costs? What is the return on your investment?

The second workshop will be held on Monday, April 18th @ 7pm in the Library Lecture Hall, and will be on "Electricity From the Sun". Participants will learn about conventional grid-tied solar electric, battery back-up, and off-grid systems.

We hope to see you there!

Looking for More eBooks?

If you would like other sources of free downloadable eBooks in addition to New Hampshire Downloadable Books, take a look at these web sites.

InkMesh
Search engine that checks 30 sources for free eBooks. You can search by title or author.

Project Gutenberg
33,000 free eBooks that play on any eBook reader. Mostly classics and public domain works.

Baen Books
Science Fiction publisher offers over 100 of their titles as free downloads.

University of Pennsylvania’s Online Book Page
An index to thousands of free eBooks available on the Internet.

Open Library
Sign up for a free account and you can borrow up to 5 eBooks at a time, for up to 2 weeks. Books can only be borrowed by one person at a time.

You Could Win a Nook eReader!

During National Library Week, April 10 - 16, all checkouts by Dover Public Library patrons who’ve registered to use New Hampshire Downloadable Books will be automatically entered in a special raffle to win a Nook eReader! Each time a downloadable audiobook or eBook is checked out during that week, a DPL cardholder will qualify for another entry in the raffle.

New Hampshire Downloadable Books are available via the library’s website 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All you need is a valid Dover Public Library borrower’s card, a computer, and Internet access. To get started, you must install free software available on the site: for audiobooks, download OverDrive® Media Console™, and for eBooks, Adobe® Digital Editions. You may then browse the collection, check out items with your library card, and download them to a PC, Mac®, and many mobile devices. Titles can transferred to a variety of devices, including iPod®, Nook ®, Sony® Reader™, and many others. Titles will automatically expire and “disappear” at the end of the lending period so there are no late fees! The eBooks can be returned early.

To get started downloading audiobooks and eBooks, visit the New Hampshire Downloadable Books service. Use the service anytime, but don’t forget to check out items between April 10th and 16th in order to enter our Nook Raffle. The Nook has been donated by the Friends of the Dover Public Library and the winner will be notified on April 18th. 

A Princess @ DPL?

Was that a princess who walked into the Children's Room and went straight over to Bluebeary to give him a kiss? Will Bluebeary turn into a handsome prince? Those were the questions the staff in the Children's Room were asking themselves (and maybe hoping to witness a fairy tale come to life) when this beautiful woman walked by our desk but...
No, that was "Miss Strafford County", Kamilah Fucci, giving Bluebeary her traditional Kiss for good luck! It seems that Kamilah, a UNH graduate, has made it her tradition to kiss Bluebeary for good luck every time she competes in a beauty contest.
This time, she's hoping to be crowned "Miss New Hampshire" in the 2011 Miss New Hampshire Scholarship Competition. The annual competition will take place at the Stockbridge Theatre at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, New Hampshire, from April 28-30, 2011. Good Luck, Kamilah, from Bluebeary and all of us at DPL!

More New eBooks Have Been Added to the NH Downloadable Books Site

The Arctic Incident by  Eoin Colfer
Artemis Fowl by   Eoin Colfer
At the Edge of the World by  Avi
Beauty and the Spy by  Julie Anne Long
Blood, Bones & Butter by  Gabrielle Hamilton
Blue Bloods by  Melissa de la Cruz
Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Dramarama  by   E. Lockhart
Endgame by  John Mauldin, Jonathan Tepper
Evening Class by  Maeve Binchy
Four in Hand by   Stephanie Laurens
The Glass Lake by  Maeve Binchy
Heart and Soul  by  Maeve Binchy
The Heir  by  Grace Burrowes
The Hidden Reality  by  Brian Greene
The Information  by James Gleick
The Lincoln Lawyer by   Michael Connelly
The Lost Hero by   Rick Riordan
Love You More  by   Lisa Gardner
Midnight Sons Volume 1  by  Debbie Macomber
Minding Frankie by   Maeve Binchy
The Neighbor  by  Lisa Gardner
Persuader by   Lee Child
The Red Pyramid  by  Rick Riordan
The Serpent Prince by   Elizabeth Hoyt
Stink and the Incredible Super-Galactic Jawbreaker by Megan McDonald, Peter H. Reynolds
This Matter Of Marriage by  Debbie Macomber
Thunderstruck by   Erik Larson
Thursdays At Eight by  Debbie Macomber
The Tiger's Wife by  Tea Obreht
Twenty Wishes by   Debbie Macomber
The Warrior Heir by  Cinda Williams Chima
The Weird Sisters  by   Eleanor Brown
Whitethorn Woods by   Maeve Binchy
Wicked Angel  by  Julia London
You've Been Warned by  James Patterson, Howard Roughan

The Lost Suitcase

Just finished The Paris Wife by Paula McLain which is the early story of Ernest Hemingway, and his first marriage to Hadley Richardson. Most of the book takes place in Paris where the young couple goes so that Hemingway can become part of the writing scene. They meet and befriend other writers of the time such as Gertrude Stein, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ezra Pound. There is a part in the book where Hemingway has been sent to Switzerland on assignment, by the newspaper he is writing for, and meets fellow journalist and editor Lincoln Steffens. Steffens is impressed with Hemingway's work and asks to see more of his writing. Hadley is just leaving to visit Hemingway and decides to suprise him by packing all of his manuscripts and copies into a suitcase and bringing them to him. The suitcase is stolen on the train and she has to explain to Hemingway that it is all gone. Of course, I had to research this to make sure it was a true, and yes it was. It is such a crushing and heartbreaking story! Imagine if that suitcase was found today? There are some that say this tragedy freed Hemingway to adopt the "clean prose style" that he became famous for, but I still wouldn't have wanted to be the one to tell him I'd lost years of his work.

Announcing the Third Annual Peeps Show Contest!

The Dover Public Library is looking for some creative peeps to enter our third annual “Peeps Show” contest during National Library Week, April 10-16.

Here’s how it works: Build a diorama using peeps of any color in a standard size shoe box. The theme is anything literary; recreate a scene from a favorite book or portray a character from a book.

Anyone 18 or older is invited to compete in the Adult Division, while peeps, er, people 13- 18 may enter the Teen division. Children ages 4 – 7 are invited to enter the Kids Division, and ages 8 – 12 may enter in the Youth Division. On the back of your shoe box, please include your name, address, phone number, and title of your “Peeps Show”. All Peeps displays may be dropped off at the Dover Public Library beginning Monday, April 11th, through Saturday, April 16th during operating hours. The Peeps will be displayed in the library for all to enjoy. Prizes will be awarded Monday afternoon, April 25th. Peeps should be picked up Thursday, April 28th. All Peeps not picked up by the deadline will be discarded or eaten.  For more information, call 516-6082.

Spring @ the DPL

 I was so excited when I saw this proof outside of the Children's Room that spring is truly coming.

 

To an Early Daffodil by Amy Lowell

Thou yellow trumpeter of laggard Spring!
Thou herald of rich Summer's myriad flowers!
The climbing sun with new recovered powers
Does warm thee into being, through the ring
Of rich, brown earth he woos thee, makes thee fling
Thy green shoots up, inheriting the dowers
Of bending sky and sudden, sweeping showers,
Till ripe and blossoming thou art a thing
To make all nature glad, thou art so gay;
To fill the lonely with a joy untold;
Nodding at every gust of wind to-day,
To-morrow jewelled with raindrops.  Always bold
To stand erect, full in the dazzling play
Of April's sun, for thou hast caught his gold.

Wishing You a Happy St. Patrick's Day

The Librarians would like to wish you all a 

very happy St. Patrick's Day!

Sticky Fingers

Just read an article in Publishers Weekly titled "Where the Kids Are: Marketing Online". I was a bit shocked by this quote: "In general we've seen a major shift in resources and dollars to the online market," says Lucille Rettino, director of marketing for the Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Group. "We still do traditional marketing, but if we want to reach kids--even as young as three or four, who are playing with their parents' iPhone or iPad--we need to be in that space." Now I don't have either an iPhone or an iPad, but I do have a 3 1/2 year old and I can't picture myself letting him play with either of those things. Would you let your child play with your iPhone or iPad?

Why Should Grown Ups Have All the Fun?

We have been talking and writing a lot lately about eBooks, and how you can access some free from NH Downloadable Books. Did you know that this is not just a service for adults? There are Teen and Children's sections offering over 200 titles! These titles include crowd favorites such as books from the Judy Moody, Junie B. Jones, Magic Tree House, and Percy Jackson series. Teens may be interested in these authors: Lauren Oliver, Alex Flinn, Beth Kephart, Bree Despain, L. J. Smith, among others. As always this is a free service to Dover Public Library cardholders. Follow this link to the NH Downloadable web site--what do you have to lose?

Rubber Ducks Overboard!

I just read a review in the New York Times Book Review of Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them By Donovan Hohn. The books story stems from a real event in 1992 when a container ship, in the North Pacific, carrying bath toys loses its cargo--namely 28,800 rubber ducks, blue turtles, and green frogs. The bath toys took until 2000 to make it to the North Atlantic, and are found on beaches in New England. There is a very interesting article about the event in the Daily Mail that has a timeline of where the bath toys have been found, and map of where they traveled. Donovan Hohn trys to answer the questions where did the ducks come from, where did they drift, and why? Of course, if you are looking for a more simplistic version of events you could read Eric Carle's picture book 10 Little Rubber Ducks which is also based on the 1992 event. :)

Friends of the Library Irish Book Sale, March 14 - 19

Celtic-themed books will be on sale mid-month at the Friends of the Dover Library’s Irish Booksale which will run for one week only, Monday, March 14 through Saturday, March 19, on the library’s Main Floor.

A large selection of Irish paperbacks, hardcover books, and some cassette tapes will be available at prices from $1.00 to $3.00. All of the items were donated to the library and the inventory includes a wide variety of Irish fiction, short stories, classics and poetry (some in the Irish language), history and geography, biographies, Celtic myths, folklore and legends, music, and many regional travelogues.  These books would make wonderful St. Patrick’s Day mementos for anyone with a fondness for Ireland or the tradition of Irish culture. 

All proceeds will benefit the Friends of the Library, a 501(c)3 charitable organization which last year donated over $14,000 to the library for museum passes, children’s and adult programs, furnishings and equipment.

I came across an interesting web site recently--The Prison Library Project. The mission of the group is to provide reading material free of charge to inmates nationwide. Here is a quote from their web site:

"We believe that everyone deserves access to literature and educational materials, including people trying to work towards social change, self-empowerment or rehabilitation within the incarceration system. The U.S. has less than 5 percent of the world’s population, but more than a quarter of the world’s prisoners. Nearly one percent of American adults are incarcerated, the highest rate in the world, but many prisoners have little access to books or educational material."

Very sobering statistics.

Do all good things really come to an end?

Have you ever wondered how the life of your favorite "serial" heroine/protaganist is going to work itself out? If you've been reading J. A. Konrath's novels over the years featuring Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels, you've watched her go through her career as a police Lieutenant meeting up with the most vicious serial killers while building a career and working through a marriage and a couple of long term relationships. Konrath's latest, "Shaken", is a compilation of several time lines in Daniels life that show where she's been, what she's been through, and what might have been. More than just an exploration of Jack's life though, this book is still a thriller, bringing together several notorious killers. The mystery successfully catches everyone up, even if you've never read Konrath's books (Bloody Mary, Rusty Nail, Dirty Martini, to name a few).

The really interesting part of this book is the author's afterward. Konrath foretells of the conclusion of his Jack Daniels series and Blake Crouch's Andrew Thomas series featuring villain Luther Kite. Crouch's Luther Kite showed up in a couple of Konrath's mysteries, making way for a perfect collaboration. Konrath and Crouch are currently hard at work on the finale "Stirred". Since they are calling the conclusion "bittersweet for the authors", I'm wondering how I'm going to deal with the ending to Jack Daniels career or life!

China Patterns

There've been several new books lately which have focused on the experiences of westerners living in China. Each is part memoir, part travelogue, and part biography, yet each one tells a unique and strikingly-good story about this most populous land in the world. Pick the "China Pattern" that appeals to you from among:

Big in China: My Unlikely Adventures Raising a Family, Playing the Blues, and Becoming a Star in Beijing by Alan Paul. After his wife takes a 3-year post in China, the Paul family, with three young children, adjusts to a new culture, a new language, and a new way of life in Beijing. Alan forms a blues band with 3 Chinese musicians and they end up winning an award as Beijing's Best Band! Based on the author's blog for the Wall Street Journal and sure to be enjoyable!

Fortunate Sons: the 120 Chinese Boys Who Came to America, Went to School, and Revolutionized an Ancient Civilization by Liel Leibovitz. In 1872, these boys were sent to elite New England prep schools and colleges in order to learn "western ways". After 9 years, they were called back to China and many became prominent in China's drive for modernization. Here is their fascinating story both here and abroad.

The Foremost Good Fortune by Susan Conley. This Portland, Maine-based mom of 2 young sons moved to Beijing with her husband on the eve of the 2008 Olympics. Just as they were getting adjusted, she developed breast cancer and had to return to the States. After treatment, she did return to China where she searched for the perfect Chinese talisman to ward off any leftover "cancer juju" and hoping to ease her boys' fear about their mom's mortality. An uplifting and memorable story.

Country Driving: a Journey Through China from Farm to Factory by Peter Hessler. This author of two other renowned books about China here recounts his epic road trip following the Great Wall along northern China. His experiences with driving on roads ranging from superhighways to dirt paths, from villages to industrialized cities, with so many "car-crazy" and inexperienced new drivers is both funny and fascinating.

Pearl Buck in China: a Journey to The Good Earth by Hilary Spurling. This biography of the author (1892--1973) of "The Good Earth" trilogy traces her youth in China as the daughter of a missionary and her work in the US for multicultural adoption and anti-discrimination laws. Buck won both the Nobel & Pulitzer prizes yet, at one time, was blacklisted as a communist sympathizer. Reading "The Good Earth" in junior high was my introduction to Chinese culture and the novel (pub. 1958) made a lasting impression on me.

For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History by Sarah Rose. The true story of a Victorian-age botanical thief, Robert Fortune, who was hired by London's East India Company to spy and steal tea seeds and young tea plants in China and smuggle them to British India: "the greatest theft of trade secrets in the history of mankind"!

Beautiful Art in Children's Room

Youth Art Month (created in 1961) is a national event held every March to emphasize the importance of Art Education for all children. Every March, in celebration of this event, the talented art students from St. Thomas Aquinas High School arrive in the Children's Room to set up displays to exhibit their artwork. Be sure to stop in to admire their work.

An Invitation to Young Poets

We are pleased to announced the commencement of the Dover Public Library's 9th Annual Poetry Contest. Nine years--I can't believe it! The contest is for kids in grades k-12 that either have a Dover Public Library card or go to a Dover school (this includes private schools). Prizes will be awarded in 6 different grade categories. Pick up a contest rules sheet at the Dover Public Library, at your Dover School Library, or on our website. Deadline for submission is April 11. Good luck to all.

The Year of the Tiger?

Four recent, highly-acclaimed new books all feature the word "TIGER" in their titles. Three are non-fiction; the other a novel. Each is radically different from the next, but each has received rave reviews and/or significant notice from critics. They are:

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua. This is the controversial, and oft-debated, book by a Chinese-American mom who applied strict, uncompromising, and authoritarian parenting techniques in raising her two daughters. Chua disdains Western-style "indulgent" parenting and the fallout from this book has been all over the media.

The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant

Cited on many non-fiction "Best" lists, this riveting story follows a deadly Siberian tiger and the Russian poachers who seek to trap him. Not just an adventure story, the book explores late 1990s politics, socioeconomic conditions, and conservation fronts in the Russian Republic. The lethal encounters between man and beast are "bone-chilling".

Tiger, Tiger: A Memoir by Margauz Fragoso (on order)

The author's 15-year relationship, from age 7 to 22, with a pedophile she met as a child at a public pool, is detailed from her diaries with "unflinching honesty" and shows how pedophiles can manipulate and menace the lives of children. An important yet disturbing memoir.

The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht

This book, no doubt, will be named one of 2011's finest. Set in the wartorn Balkans, it is the story of a young woman doctor's search for her grandfather who has died in a remote village. On her journey, she recounts the family stories, legends and folk tales he told her as a child. A wondrous mix of magical realism and reality will keep the reader mesmerized.

Thou Shalt What???

If you happen to be in England for the Royal wedding this spring, you may want to pop over to Cambridge University to check out their special display of rare bibles. One of the bibles is known as the "wicked bible" or "sinner's bible". Through a typographical error, or Freudian slip, the seventh commandment was listed as "thou shalt commit adultery". King Charles I, that old killjoy, was most displeased. He fined the printers and demanded that all the bibles be recalled and burned. Only a few bibles survived, making the wicked bible very rare indeed.

Busby Berkeley Was Here

Sawyer Mansion

The Library just received a new biography of Busby Berkeley, Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley. During the 1920s, Hollywood choreographer Busby Berkeley owned the Sawyer Mansion here in Dover. Berkeley was famous for elaborate musical productions featuring scores of chorus girls. He shared a very close bond with his mother, who lived with him. The Dover City Directory listed the house at 47 Central Avenue under his mother's name, Mrs. Gertrude B. Enos. The property was taken over by the city after Busby Berkeley neglected to pay taxes. The Sawyer Mansion was torn down in 1958 when the Spaulding Turnpike overpass was built, where the present day Burger King stands. We were thrilled to find that the Library's website was sited as a source of research for the book! Want to see the web page the biography mentioned?

Help I'm Having a Moral Dilemma

I just finished reading The Death Instinct by Jed Rubenfeld. I really enjoyed the book which is a historical thriller set in 1920, surrounding the real-life unsolved mystery of the Wall Street bombing. During the story we meet up with Sigmund Freud, Marie Curie, Warren Harding & Billy Flynn. Here is the moral dilemma: Jed Rubenfeld is married to Amy Chua, better known as "Tiger Mom", from her now infamous book The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. If you are not familiar with Amy Chua or her book take a look at this Wall Street Journal article that seems to have started the controversy. I personally find Amy Chua's parenting techniques upsetting to put it mildly. Where was Jed while all this was going on? Did he agree with the parenting techniques? I am feeling a bit guilty about enjoying his book. What do you think--can you like a book by an author that you find distasteful?

Townie

Andre Dubus III, author of House of Sand and Fog, has a new memoir being published today. Townie: a Memoir has been getting great reviews--it is being called powerful and gritty. Mr. Dubus grew up in a seedy, violent and drug infested section of Haverhill, Massachusetts. His Father leaves the family, and his Mother struggles to raise 4 children alone. Each of the Dubus children deal with their situation in their own way, and Andre eventually turns to weightlifting and boxing so that he can be the family protector. It is an amazing story of how he eventually becomes a writer. You can read a review of the book at The New York Times or listen to a great interview with him on the Diane Rehm's Show.

Would You Love to Visit a Palace?

Wouldn't you love to visit a stunning Venetian-style palace with three stories of galleries surrounding a sun- and flower-filled courtyard? Ok, you might have to wait until spring for the sun and flower filled part, but this can all be found at The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. The Friends of the Library have generously purchased this new museum pass for us, and we want you to take advantage of it. Call us now to book a pass, 516-6050.

Did You Celebrate National Dog Biscuit day?

I am so embarrassed. I let February 23rd slip away without celebrating National Dog Biscuit Day. Thank goodness my dogs haven't figured out how to read a calendar yet. I am going to make it up to them by checking out the chapter on dog biscuits in  Better Food For Dogs by David Baston. He has 12 different recipes so I am sure I can find something I want to make and the dogs want to eat.

Moving Forward

I just finished Alice Hoffman's latest book, a collection of connected short stories called The Red Garden. It has the light touch of a magical element that I have always enjoyed in her other novels. The stories take place in a small town in the Berkshires and take the town from its founding to modern times, with reoccurring themes of eels, bears, a ghost child, collies, and a garden with soil that is blood red. I was totally immersed in the audiobook, read skillfully by Nancy Travis.Then that New England accent would wrench me out of the story. Nancy Travis has lived in Boston and New York and has the New England habit of pronouncing forward as foe-ward. That dropped r kept jarring me out of the story. You would think after all these years surrounded by New Englanders I would be used to it. I can't complain, her slight  New England accent is perfectly appropriate to the story. I just never realized how many times Alice Hoffman uses "forward" in the book.
I recommend The Red Garden, it is wicked awesome.

The Library Newsletters are Going Green!

Did you know that it takes one 15 year old tree to produce half a box of paper? Help us to save paper and sign up now to receive the Library's new eNewsletters, plus other valuable information about events and programs at your favorite library. Follow this link to access the form and you will be on your way!

New Museum Passes Available

Thanks to the generosity of the Friends of the Dover Public Library, we now have a 2nd pass to the Children's Museum of New Hampshire! The passes allow admission to the museum for up to four people (children and/or adults) for half price ($4 each). We are excited to be able to offer two of these passes per day to our patrons.

Last year, over 250 DPL families made use of this savings. Next year, we hope to make the number of happy borrowers 500+. Drop by or call the Children's Room @ 516-6052 to reserve your pass.

*There are still passes available for borrowing during February vacation week. Call soon!

More New eBooks Have Been Added to the NH Downloadable Books Site!

New eBooks, check them out at NH Downloadable Books.

Afternoon on the Amazon    Mary Pope Osborne

Alone    Lisa Gardner
Angels Flight    Michael Connelly
Another Thing to Fall    Laura Lippman
By a Spider's Thread    Laura Lippman
Chasing AllieCat    Rebecca Fjelland Davis
Cloaked    Alex Flinn
A Compromised Lady    Elizabeth Rolls
Dead in the Family    Charlaine Harris
Deep-Space Food Fighter    Peter Hannan
Dreaming of You    Lisa Kleypas
The Fates Will Find Their Way    Hannah Pittard
Flyte    Angie Sage, Mark Zug
The Girl in the Green Raincoat    Laura Lippman
Heartwood    Belva Plain
His Lady Mistress    Elizabeth Rolls
I, Alex Cross    James Patterson
If Morning Ever Comes    Anne Tyler
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks    Rebecca Skloot
In a Strange City    Laura Lippman
The Incredible Journey    Sheila Burnford, Carl Burger
The Iron Queen    Julie Kagawa
Judy Moody    Megan McDonald, Peter H. Reynolds
Junie B. Jones and that Meanie Jim's Birthday    Barbara Park, Denise Brunkus
Kabul Beauty School    Deborah Rodriguez, Kristin Ohlson
Kiss an Angel    Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Knight of Desire    Margaret Mallory
Knight of Pleasure    Margaret Mallory
The Last Place    Laura Lippman
Leon and the Spitting Image    Allen Kurzweil
Marrying the Captain    Carla Kelly
The Millionaires    Brad Meltzer
No Surrender    James Sheeran
Not My Daughter    Barbara Delinsky
Pictures of You    Caroline Leavitt
Private    James Patterson, Maxine Paetro
The Red Garden    Alice Hoffman
Rogue    Rachel Vincent
A Scandalous Proposal    Julia Justiss
The Sentry    Robert Crais
Show Time    Sue Stauffacher, Priscilla Lamont
The Spark    Chris Downie
Strategic Moves    Stuart Woods
Three Seconds    Anders Roslund, Börge Hellström
Tick Tock    Dean Koontz
Unbroken    Laura Hillenbrand
Will Grayson, Will Grayson    John Green

Free Programs for School Vacation Week

Next week is school vacation week in Dover, and the library has great programs planned with a "Summer in February" theme. All programs are FREE and open to the public.

• Tues., Feb. 22 @ 10:30am: Indoor Tide Pooling--a special hands-on program presented by the folks at the Seacoast Science Center. Learn how sea sea stars eat, where urchins live, how crabs crawl, why snails have trap doors, and more!
• Wed., Feb. 23 @ 10:30am: Special Drop-in Story Time--Miss Kimberly will present a drop-in story time featuring summertime fun.
• Sat., Feb. 26 @ 2pm: Saturday Matinee showing of Secretariat, rated PG, based on the remarkable true story of the 1973 Triple Crown winner.
• Feb. 22 - 26: Make-it , Take-it Craft--join us to make a rainbow windsock.

Undissing the Undead

I find myself in the awkward position of having to recant a statement I made in last week's blog post concerning vampires. I mentioned that they were "so yesterday." Boy, was I wrong. I just finished reading "A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah Harkness and my antipathy for the undead is no longer. Matthew Clermont is one hot vampire. His romance with historian and witch Diana Bishop begins in Oxford's Bodleian library and ranges from France to upstate New York. We have forbidden love, lost manuscripts, and secret orders of knights all wrapped up in a juicy novel. And the best part is that it is only volume one of the All Souls trilogy. Can't wait for volume two!

Who Was Your Crush?

This morning the Librarians were all gathered to discuss what we read this weekend. Really, we did! I mentioned I was reading the latest book by Alison Pearson who wrote the wonderful, I Don't Know How She Does It. Oh, one of the other Librarians said, you mean, I Think I Love You, the book about the woman who wins a contest to meet her teenage crush, David Cassidy and doesn't get to meet him until she is in her late 30s? That's the one! That got us all talking about our first crushes, an appropriate subject for Valentine's Day. Some of the long ago crushes included Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits, Leif Garrett, David Cassidy, William Shatner, and Barbara Eden. How about you, who was your first crush?

Despicable Me

Join us this Saturday at 2:00pm in the Library Lecture Hall for our free Saturday Matinee: Despicable Me. This is an animated family comedy, and the film is rated PG. Here is the description:

Vying for the title of “World’s Greatest Villain”, Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) – along with his hilarious crew of mischievous minions – plots to pull off the craziest crime of the century: steal the moon! But when Gru enlists the help of three little girls, they see something in him nobody else has ever seen: the perfect dad.

I was surprised how touching this movie is in light of it's title. Don't miss it!

How Many Books Could You Read in a Year?

I am a subscriber to the web site Good Reads, which is a social networking site for readers. I was looking at their 2011 Reading Challenge, which is designed to motivate people to read more books during the next year. The average challenge number is 72 books. Now, I was encouraged by this number because I think it is a lot--especially considering all the data that shows that a large part of our population reads absolutely nothing. Now my coworker came along and said 72 books is that it? What do you think? Not enough or way to go!

What Did You Say?

Did you know flowers have a language of their own? During the 19th century, florigraphy, as the language of flowers was known, was extremely popular.The Victorians were skilled as assembling bouquets with all sorts of symbolic meanings. Most of us know that red roses symbolize romantic love, but did you know a full rose over two buds symbolizes secrecy? The lovely hydrangea symbolizes boastfulness, heartlessness and frigidity. Striped tulips declare, "you have beautiful eyes". New Hampshire's state flower is the purple lilac which symbolizes first love. You could assemble a really special bouquet full of hidden meanings for your Valentine by researching "The Secret Language of Flowers" by Shane Connolly.

What Do We Do Now?

Since all things football are over and it looks like all things spring are a way off, we hear people wondering "what do we do now"? From the kinds of material patrons are checking out, here are some suggestions to keep the winter blahs from invading your thoughts:

• People are dreaming of vacations in warm places. Check out our 2011 guidebooks on South Florida, Miami & the Keys, Maui, and the Virgin Islands. If it's more fun in the snow you want we have 2011 travel books on Montreal & Quebec City, the places for winter carnival fun.
• Speaking of the ever-present snow, come look over the books in our 796.9 section on skiing and skating which also include information on cross-country and snowshoe trails.
• But if your thoughts are truly migrating to gardening, opportunities abound to get a head start on spring by forcing bulbs. Books in our 635.944 section will guide you to indoor blooms that will chase away the winter blues.
• If you really just want to enjoy the final winter weeks from your window, come get an armload of materials -- books, dvds, music – on subjects meant for inspiration, movitvation, self-indulgence, relaxation, pleasure, or entertainment. We have it all!