Meet the Staff: Joyce D.

How long have you worked at the library?  1 year
How many items do you have checked out?  2
How many items are on your hold list?  6

What book can you read again and again without losing interest?  I have read and reread Ken Follett's books The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End.  The story caught me up in the first reading and the depth of historical details entranced me in later reading.

What books do you feel guilty for not having read?  Some of Shakespeare's plays - I was an English Lit. major in college!

Have your reading habits changed since working at the library?  If so, how?  They have become a bit more eclectic thanks to our patrons.  They bring books to my attention that I might not have considered.  I enjoy their recommendations.

What is your perfect reading environment?  My perfect reading environment is a quiet room with bowls of chocolates and potato chips within easy reach of my comfy chair.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what single genre of books would you want with you?  I would want mysteries because of the wide variety within the genre!  It's never boring when you can go from 'British cozies' to 'rough and tough' investigators.

What was your favorite children's book when you were a child?  Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

What is your favorite children's book now?  I enjoy the Curious George books.

Before you worked here, what was your worst library transgression?  There was no major transgressions at our library, but I have had a few overdue books from other libraries.

Anne Recommends: All the World

This picture book is one of my personal favorites.  Through simple, rhythmic text, the author creates a charming description of life.  At the same time, the illustrator focuses on one family's day together - following them from a beach, to a restaurant and then a family gathering.  The combination of beautiful illustrations and an overall message of peace and unity make this an outstanding book.  A great choice for bedtime.

All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Caldecott Honor medalist, Marla Frazee.

Recommended for Kindergarten through 2nd grade.

Thinking about Family?

Posted by Staff
As the year winds down and the holidays gear up, our thoughts often turn to family gatherings.  Whether you look forward to a happy event, or dread the inevitable, you can be sure that there is a book or movie in which the characters had feelings or situations similar to your own.

The staff at the library have provided their picks for books and movies where family plays an important part in the story; the selections run the gamut from funny to horrific, happy to sad, poignant to carefree. 

Erika K.: It's a Wonderful Life (DVD)
                The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
                Parenthood (DVD)

Amanda E.: anything by David Sedaris and Augustin Burroughs

Jacob D.: anything by Jonathan Franzen and Phillip Roth
                 Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son about His Father (DVD)
                 Capturing the Friedmans (DVD)
                 The Incredibles (DVD)
                 After the Wedding (DVD)
                 In the Bedroom (DVD)

Dani G.: You Can't Take it With You (DVD)

Alana T: Her Fearful Symmetry by Audry Niffenegger
               The Harper Connelly series by Charlaine Harris
               The Godfather (DVD)
               The Empire Strikes Back (DVD)

Gwen B.: Witness (DVD)
                Nothing Like the Holidays (DVD)
                Everybody's Fine (DVD)
                Bella (DVD)
                This Christmas (DVD)

Cary H.: A Christmas Tale (DVD),
               Stealing Beauty (DVD)
               Moonstruck (DVD)

Judy T.: Coming Home by Rosamunde Pilcher
               Plainsong by Kent Haruf
               Tortilla Soup (DVD)

Pam O.: Rainman (DVD)
              A Christmas Story (DVD)
              The Ref (DVD) 
              Dan in Real Life (DVD)
              Four Christmases (DVD)

Joyce D. : Every Last One by Anna Quindlan

Carrie K.: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
                 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
                 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
                 Ancestor Stones by Aminatta Forna

Deanne H.: Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt 
                   Trip to Bountiful (DVD)

Susan C.: Grand Canyon (DVD)

Satire from Space

Posted by Alana T.

I am a big sci-fi fan, so I read a lot in that genre, and scanning the shelves I ran across Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi.  Wait, don't scroll down to the previous post!  Don't be scared off by the science fiction cover; read on...

First of all, the story of the publication of this book is amazing in itself.  Basically, the author wrote this novel to see if he could write at all.  He placed it on his website in 1999 and asked readers to send in $1 if they liked it.  A few years and $4000 later, a small press offered to publish a limited edition of 1,500 copies.  Those quickly sold out (now selling for hundreds of dollars apiece on eBay!).  The book has been re-published (more than 1500 copies this time) by a different company and it continues to sell well.  This kind of story only makes sense if the book is good, and it is.

Second, this book is funny.  Not happy-go-lucky chuckle here and there funny, but hard-hitting, oh that's so true it's awful funny.  It is common for science fiction to tackle social commentary, but rarely does it try to be humorous at the same time. 

The story line is simple.  Aliens have come to Earth, but they decide they need to ease the transition of their integration into human society; they are ugly and stinky, both definite negatives in our beauty obsessed culture.  The aliens (who are pretty funny by themselves) believe they have an image problem, and after watching TV transmissions for decades, they figure the best way to solve their problem is to hire a Hollywood publicity agent.  The book follows the escapades of Tom (the agent) and Gwedif (the alien) as Tom tries to find a way to make the stinky guys seem like the best thing ever.

Recommendations for British Mystery Lovers

Posted by: Cary H.

I know I'm not the only one out there obsessed with British Mysteries.  I include mysteries set in England written by American authors in this group, not to mention all the great DVD sets out there.  Here are a few suggestions -- some old, some new:

BOOKS:
The Inspector Richard Jury series -- Martha Grimes: Funny, quirky characters play off of the more serious Jury.  Set in both cozy villages and London.

The Inspector Ian Rutledge series -- Charles Todd:  Set in post WWI England, Rutledge is a disturbed officer with shell shock trying to get his life back as a Scotland Yard detective.  Both city and village settings.

The Inspector Reginald Wexford -- Ruth Rendell:  Ruth Rendell has been writing mysteries for over 40 years.  Her Wexford series is a great place to start, but she has many stand alone murder mysteries as well.  I've been happily satisfied.  Some movies have been made from her novels and are available on DVD.

DVDs:
Inspector Lewis series  -- Current day Oxford, England.  Realistic without being disturbing.  Interesting relationships and murder unfold in a university setting.

Midsomer Murders series -- A must-see!  This series is in its 13th season.  Watch the first season and you'll see why.  Who knew so many murders could occur in the country villages of Midsomer county?  The library has many of these titles on DVD.  Based on the books by Caroline Graham.

The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes -- A new take on a familiar character.  From the POV of a young Arthur Conan Doyle, we learn about Doyle's real-life inspiration for Sherlock Holmes and some of the real-life events that figured in Doyle's future fiction.  Smart writing and great characters.

AUDIO BOOKS:
For those die-hard Agatha Christie fans like me, try your favorite titles, or some you haven't gotten around to reading yet, in audio CD format.  The library has lots of choices.

Meet the Staff: Amanda E.

Posted by Amanda E.

How long have you worked at the library? 5 years
How many items do you have checked out?  18
How many items are on your hold list?  33

What book can you read again and again without losing interest?  Anything by Jane Austen. I love getting lost in the romance and strictness of regency England

If you were a literary character, who would you be and why?  I would be Beka Cooper from the Tamora Pierce Tortall books.  She's so fierce!  No one can mess with  her, but she's also human.  Plus a talking cat familiar!  'Nuff said.

What aspects of the library do you think are underutilized?  I have to go with the entire building here.  I don't know exact numbers  but the percentage of E-ville residents who actually have cards is so low!

What is your favorite book format?  Book all the way.

If you use multiple formats, what percentage do you use each?  75 book, 23% audiobook on CD, 2% ebook

What is your favorite aspect of working at the library?  Discourse.  I learn so  much about such a wide range of topics just from talking to patrons and my co-workers.

What is your guilty reading (or listening) pleasure?  I love to hate trashy romance novels from the 50's & 60's.  I get so worked up about injustices while I read them, but I also get sucked in.  I can't stop!

What books do you feel guilty for not having read?  Atlas Shrugged and Fahrenheit 451.  I've started both of them but got distracted and haven't made it back yet.

Have your reading habits changed since working at the library?  If so, how?  Sure, I used to read all books that I started.  Working here, surrounded by books, I've come to realize that I don't have to finish something if I'm not loving it.  There's too much amazing stuff out there to waste time on the mediocre.

What is your perfect reading environment?  My bed late at night with a steady rain beating the windows.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what single genre of books would you want with you?  I have to go with speculative fiction here.  A splash of sci/fi, a splash of fantasy, lots of social dissection; it's the most wide ranging genre.

What was your favorite children's book when you were a child?   Sarah's Unicorn by Bruce and Katherine Coville was the first book I ever bought for myself.  I read it over and over.  It sparked my love of books AND unicorns.

Before you worked here, what was your worst library transgression?  I'm a late book turner in.  I had a $17 fine once at my home library from books I hadn't returned.  That's the kind of bill you don't mind paying though, since it's going to such a good place.

Sometimes there is just too much to read....

Posted by: Staff

One of the sad realities of having finite space in a building is that there is, by definition, a finite number of places to put things.  Here at the library, we deal constantly with the dilemma of adding new materials and caring for the old . In the case of newspapers (we subscribe to 20), although they arrive daily, the space allotted to them remains the same.
The most recent issue of each paper is kept in a rack near the adult circulation desk.  We keep the current month of back issues on a set of gray shelves in the non-fiction area.  Generally, newspapers are not available for checkout, but special arrangements can be made at the reference desk or the main circulation desk.  The local high school occasionally assigns homework requiring the use of newspapers; for that purpose we set aside a few bundles of older papers near the north windows.  Back issues of The Edwardsville Intelligencer are sent out to be microfilmed, but all other papers are donated to the Metro East Humane Society.

Meet the Staff: Katherine R.

How long have you worked at the library?  2 1/2 years
How many items do you have checked out?  45
How many items are on your hold list?  1

What is your favorite book format?  Book

What is your favorite aspect of working at the library?  I love being around books all day.

What books do you feel guilty for not having read?  There are a lot of 'classics' that I haven't read like Catcher in the Rye and Catch-22.

Have your reading habits changed since working at the library?  If so, how?  I have gotten more comfortable with not finishing books that I don't like.  There are so many others out there!

What is your perfect reading environment?  I love reading curled up in a comfortable chair with a blanket.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what single genre of books would you want with you?  I would want non-fiction books so I could figure out how to survive and how to get off the island.

What was your favorite children's book when you were a child?  What is your favorite children's book now?  One of my favorite children's books was Katy No Pocket by Emmy Payne.  Now I love to read "Eat!" Cried Little Pig by Jonathan London to my kids.

Before you worked here, what was your worst library transgression?  If my kids ripped a page in a book, I would tape it with regular scotch tape before returning the book.