Library in Autumn

We had a drenching downpour earlier this afternoon and it looked like November was setting in early. Then the sun broke through the grey sky and it turned into such a splendid Autumn day I had to take some photos.

Halloween Drop-in Story Time!

Calling all ghosts, goblins, witches, princesses, etc., to join us on Monday, October 25 @ 7:00pm for a special Halloween "drop-in" story time for ages 3 & up.
Miss Kimberly will try not to be too scary!
If you'd like to--- wear your Halloween costumes or come in your pajamas. All are welcome.

Great Expectations of Cake

Put down your weapons, quarreling Jane Austen and Shakespeare Librarians, and think of Charles Dickens. Poor Charles, the Miss Havisham Wedding Cake that was entered in the Decorated Cake Competition at the Royal Melbourne Show in Australia was disqualified for being in poor taste. Personally I would have given it extra points for being hilarious. Check out the Hotham Street Ladies blog for more photos.

Jane With a Little Bit of Yiddish

I was reading an article about Howard Jacobson, winner of the Man Booker Prize for his novel The Finkler Question (on order at the library), in the the New York Times Book Review. Now Mr. Jacobson is a Jewish man who writes about the Jewish experience, but he refers to Jane Austen several times during the interview--I am not making this up. “I’m an old-fashioned English lit. man,” he said. “Straight down the line — it’s George Eliot, it’s Dickens, it’s Dr. Johnson, it’s Jane Austen.” Early in his career he tried to write like his heroes, but that didn't work so well for a Jewish man from New York. Mr. Jacobson has been likened to an English Philip Roth (he writes about British Jews), but he would rather be the English Jane Austen. I will leave you with my favorite quote of the article--maybe my new favorite quote period.

“I’m an English writer who happens to know about Jews and would like to write like Jane Austen, with a little bit of Yiddish,” he said.

Silver Lake Summers Tuesday Night at the Library

Tuesday, October 19 at 7:00pm in the Library Lecture Hall
Sponsored by the NH Humanities Council, we are proud to offer the Pontine Theatre's presentation of Silver Lake Summers, which explores the life of E.E. Cummings. An American poet and painter, he was a life-long summer resident of Silver Lake, NH in the town of Madison in Carroll County. His home, Joy Farm, is on the National Historic Register and Harvard University is home to a large collection of his letters, diaries, manuscripts, notebooks and sketchbooks. These materials form a basis for this show which includes scenes from their full length play and featuring remarks about the poet's special connection to New England, along with slides of historic photos and his paintings.

Co-Directors of Pontine Theatre Marguerite Mathews and Greg Gathers are the creators and performers of this presentation. Together they offer a theatre of astonishing dramatic and visual integrity.

Want to Save Money?

That usually gets people's attention! If you haven't borrowed one of the library's Kill A Watt Energy Detectors now might be a good time. What is a Kill A Watt Energy Detector you may ask? It is a small device that allows you to plug your appliances or electric devices into it, and you can monitor the energy usage of that item. Armed with this information you can quickly identify the biggest opportunities for savings. Winter is coming and that usually means higher utility bills so take advantage of a Kill A Watt Detector today so you can have some extra $$$ in your pockets for the holiday season!

An Evocative Scent

Fragrances are wonderful memory triggers. The smell of Coppertone immediately brings back my memories of happy  days at the beach. Finally, there is a perfume for all of us devoted readers. It is called In the Library, and it is a "warm blend of English Novel, Russian & Moroccan Leather Bindings, Worn Cloth and a hint of Wood Polish". The creator of the perfume says of his inspiration: 

There are few things more wonderful than the smell of a much-loved book.  Newly printed books certainly smell very different from older ones.  Their ink is so crisp though the odor of their paper is so faint.  Older books smell riper and often sweeter.  Illustrated books have a very different odor from those with straight text and this smell often speaks of their quality.  I've also noticed that books from different countries and different periods have very individual scents too.  These speak not only of their origin, but of their history to this moment.  I can distinguish books that were well cared for from those that were neglected.  I can often tell books that lived in libraries where pipes or cigars were regularly smoked.  Occasionally I run across one that I am certain belonged to an older woman fond of powdery scent.  Books from California smell very different from those I buy in New York, London or Paris.  I can tell books that have come from humid places - these have a musty richness in the scent of their pages.

Shakespeare Kicks Jane Austen's Butt!

Yep, that's right. I'm busting on Jane Austen again. How many books about Jane, Eliza, Mr.Darcy, and her neighbors can we stand? I'm surprised they have not come out with one by her mother called Jane Journal: My Experience with the Author in Utero. Now Shakespeare is another story. Lots more. We've had several new novels come in which use Shakespeare's plays in the plot. Juliet by Anne Fortier is a wonderful first novel set in Siena Italy. The books switches between Julie Jacobs in present day Siena and her ancestress Giulietta Tolomei, the model for the original Juliet. Jennifer Lee Carrell's Haunt Me Still has Kate Stanley agreeing to direct MacBeth. And we all know what happens when the Scottish play is involved. Murder and creepiness abound. So much more exciting than polite conversation and witty reparte. Et tu, Jane.

Instant Success!

Funny essay in the New York Times about the book "Operation Dark Heart", which the Pentagon made into an instant best seller by buying all the first-run copies in order to protect national security. There are many authors who are wild with envy about Anthony Shaffer's instant success!

Kids, Reading, & the Digital Age

A new study concerning kids and reading in the digital age had some interesting findings about eBooks. "The study found indications that technology could be a positive motivator to get kids reading -- 57 percent of kids (age 9-17) say they are interested in reading an eBook, and a third of children age 9-17 say they would read more books for fun if they had access to eBooks on an electronic device. " If you have a device that is compatible with the New Hampshire Downloadable eBooks, and are willing to share with your kids there are some great titles available. For teens the popular Maximum Ride and Twilight Series are available, as well as titles by Sarah Dessen, Scott Westerfeld, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Walter Dean Myers, to name a few. There are fewer titles for younger kids, but Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events is available. Something to think about if your kids need a nudge.

A Message to Publishers of Weighty Tomes

Dear Publishers,
If you must print books of 900 plus pages please print them in two volumes. I am halfway through Ken Follett's Fall of Giants and am in danger of breaking my wrists due to the sheer weight of the book, or breaking my nose if the book falls on me when I read in bed.

The Ol' Dead Dad Syndrome

I had to laugh when I read an article in Publishers Weekly titled "The Ol' Dead Dad Syndrome: Why are there so many dead parents in kids' books?" by Leila Sales. I have been asking myself that questions for years, and Ms. Sales has some interesting theories. First, lazy writing. She believes that creating and developing characters is hard work, and that some authors take the easy way out, and lop off a few here and there. Second, it is an easy way to create sympathy for a character. "Dead parent equals immediate sympathy." And third, grownups are boring. When kids are left to their own devices they can run wild and get into all sorts of trouble as the Baudelaire children prove in Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events series. Ms. Sales suggests one possible solution to this--set the book at a boarding school, summer camp, or another parent-free zone--Hogwarts anyone? I found the article interesting, and believe Ms. Sales was making light of the "syndrome", but with anything these days there are some that took offense. For an interesting defense of dead parents take a look at Nathan Brandsford's blog. Is it me or is everything too complicated these days?

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."