Reference Question of the Month: June

Posted by Judy T.

Sometimes those lazy days of summer aren’t lazy at all.  We are busy with gardening, Little League games, swimming lessons, home repair projects, and the list goes on.  In the interest of feeling a little more serene and relaxed, let’s think about beaches—beautiful, warm, sandy beaches…

1.  Where is the world’s longest natural sand beach?

2.  What gives black sand beaches their color?

3.  Where is the famous Copacabana Beach located?

4.  Is it easier to float in a pool or the ocean?

5.  Which state has the oldest lighthouse that is still operating?

6.  Which country has the most coastline?

7.  What European city creates beaches where there are none?

1. Cox’s Bazar Beach along the southeastern tip of Bangladesh stretches for 76 miles making it the world’s longest natural sand beach. 2. Grains of basalt, a volcanic rock, create black sand beaches. Punaluu Black Sand Beach in Hawaii is one of the most famous black sand beaches. 3. Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
4. It is easier to float in the ocean because of the salt in the water. Salty water is “thicker” or denser than fresh water. 5. The Sandy Hook Lighthouse in Fort Hancock, New Jersey was completed in 1764, and it is still operating. 6. Canada – with 151,492 miles. This number includes the coastline of Canada’s islands, which number in the thousands. 7. Every summer since 2002, thousands of tons of sand are imported, along with full size palm trees and beach chairs, to create beaches at various locations in Paris.

Summer is for Science! Part 2: Physics and Mathmatics

Posted by Alana T.

If there is anyone in your household with a picogram of testosterone, the following book will be a big hit.  Backyard Ballistics: Build Potato Cannons, Paper Match Rockets, Cincinnati Fire Kites, Tennis Ball Mortars, and More Dynamite Devices by William Gurstelle.  My husband and I have spent hours of hilarity and amazement working on the projects described here.  Be warned: although there are some simple (and still amazing) things to make, there is a certain element of danger associated with them all.  Read and follow all the safety considerations.  In between episodes of laughter, you will learn a lot about Newtonian physics.  None of the stuff in this book is watered down for kids, so adults will definitely remain engaged.

Sadly, there aren't many math books that are as absorbing as the previous physics selection, but following are a few gems to keep the brain cells active:

How to Cut a Cake: and Other mathematical Conundrums by Ian Stewart.  Any book by Stewart is good for mental math.  He provides you with a problem, digresses into a discussion of it's history or interest, and then provides the solution - often unexpected. 

Between the Folds (DVD).  An inspiring and beautiful documentary about modern orgiami.  If you think origami is about folding paper cranes, prepare to be blown away.  As one of the featured mathematicians points out, origami is all about math (very beautiful math!).  The works shown in this film are complex, amazing, and inspiring.  If you want to practice some fun (and different) origami at home, try Dollar Bill Origami by John Montroll - for once your kids will be happy with only one dollar in thier pocket.

Online resources:
You can't beat Tom and Ray (both MIT grads!) at Car Talk for humour.  But wait!, their weekly puzzler is often mathmatical (and tricky).  Visit the CarTalk website for vintage puzzlers. 

Wired magazine has a DIY page that contains an extensive list of projects.  Many are electronics based, but that's only a short step away from basic physics.  If you (or the kids) have moved beyond reassembling toasters, browse this site for some interesting projects.  Also, the June 2012 issue contained a hefty selection of projects for the geek dad (and kids).

Need Something To Read? The Brits can help!

Posted by Alana T.

Links to whichbook.net have been quietly buzzing around social media sites recently.  I've tried it and really, really like it.  If you are looking for something new to read, but are tired of the bestsellers, this site is for you!

So what is it?   Whichbook is a readers advisory site run by British library professionals and funded by non-profits.  Instead of providing you with a list of static titles, you choose qualities you are looking for in a book and the algorithms crunch away, giving you a selection of titles that meet your criteria.  You can create an account and save your reading lists (and share them with others), or just use the site as is.  There are also ready made collections to view. You are given an exerpt from each book and lots of other info about it and similar reads.  If you live in the U.K., you can request the book from any library in England (!), or for the non-Brits, there is a link to WorldCat and Amazon.  Overall, a very well-rounded site with an easy to use interface.

Every title on whichbook has been read by one of a changing team of 150 people who are drawn from libraries and literature organizations in Great Britian. In choosing titles for the site, the teams concentrate on less well known, but still great books, and go for the widest range possible. Books must be fiction or poetry, written or translated into English and published in the last 10 years. Not included are bestsellers (everyone knows about them already, though sometimes a book is added before it became a bestseller).  The ratings and comments are created by real readers who care about books.

Whichbook has 40-50,000 individual users every month. The site was completely redesigned in 2011 with greater functionality - you can now save and share books and access the site from within Facebook.

The joy of words

Posted by Alana T.

Snigdha Nandipati, a 14-year-old from San Diego spelled "guetapens," a French-derived word that means ambush or trap, winning the 85th Scripps National Spelling Bee on May 31st. 

Some of the other words from the elimation rounds:
"tendenz," a literary term
"polynee," a type of pastry
"phrontistery," a place for thinking or studying
"cholecystitis," inflammation of the gallbladder
"pejerrey," a type of fish
"tirthankara," a term used in the religion Jainism
"ingluvies," the crop of a bird or insect

Last year's winning word?  "cymotrichous," used to describe having wavy hair.

Spelling bees are part of American culture.   Who doesn't have memories of standing in front of the class struggling to spell "tenebrious" right after your best friend got "fiddle."  Most of us don't proceed beyond the classroom stage of the local bee and the higher stakes regional bees remain semi-mysterious.  For an eye-opening behind the scenes view of the national bee, and close-up looks at the speller's lives, watch the the documentary Spellbound. In the meantime, boost your vocabulary by reading lots of books (we can help with that!) and downloading Webster's study guide for spellers, a great resource for kids and adults alike.

Documentaries of Distinction 2012 Part 2a - Jacob's Picks

Posted by Jacob D. via Alana T.

Jacob D. watches so many films that it's difficult to keep track.  When I asked for suggestions for documentaries, he rattled off a dozen.  Listed below are the first six.

My Architect  A son tries to find his father, decades after his death.  The son interviews people who know his father, famed architect Louis Khan, and visits his father's works around the world.  Sad, quirky, beautiful.

Gates of Heaven  Considered by Robert Ebert to be one of the 10 best movies ever made, this documentary runs the gamut from hilarious to heartwrenching, throught provoking to bizzare. Filmmaker Errol Morris lauched his career with this Oscar winning documentary about pet cemetaries.

Dear Zachary: A Letter to His Son by His Father  Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne's deeply personal film set forth to acquaint his murdered friend's son with the father he'd never know takes some seriously unexpected turns.

Little Dieter Needs to Fly Werner Herzog dramatically depicts the true story of a young German boy's wartime encounter with an American pilot that leads him to take to the sky as well-eventually flying in the Vietnam War and becoming a prisoner of the North Vietnamese.

Through the Fire  What is it like to be a high school senior on the verge of going pro? Experience a riveting documentary that chronicles the riches-or-ruin gambles of one of basketball's fastest rising stars.

Genghis Blues

Paul Pena heard a sound -- something intensely beautiful but disturbing at the same time -- coming from his short-wave radio. The sound was that of Tuvan throat-singers, a sound that changed his life forever and sent him on a journey across the world to Tuva, a small country on the border of Mongolia.

Great Mysteries, Great Characters

Posted by Judy T.

Still Life by Louise Penny

This is the first in a series featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec, a man of great integrity, courage, and intelligence. All of the books in the series offer a great feel for the small Quebec town of Three Pines and a wonderful cast of secondary characters as well.

Beastly Things by Donna Leon

Experience Venice and the culture of Italy as you meet Guido Brunetti, Vice-Commissario of the Venice Police, along with his colleagues and his family. In this most recent book in Leon’s series, Brunetti investigates the death of an animal lover whose body is found in a canal.

A Test of Wills by Charles Todd

This is the first book of a series featuring Inspector Ian Rutledge, an upper class Scotland Yard detective who returns from World War I suffering from shell shock.  There’s a strong sense of life in post war Britain as Rutledge tackles investigations and works to exorcise his inner demons in this series.

The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill

Meet Simon Serrailler, Chief Superintendent in Lafferton, a small cathedral town, in this series opener.  These books are not just about crime; the author includes members of Simon’s family in each book, and the reader is invited into the complexities of their lives and relationships.

Cover Her Face by P.D. James

Adam Dalgliesh of the London Metropolitan Police Department is extremely intelligent, private, and very successful at solving crimes. This is the first in the series, and as the books progress, Dalgliesh takes center stage and readers learn much more about him as well as several recurring secondary characters.

In The Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming

Welcome to Millers Kill, a small town in upstate New York, where Episcopal priest Clare Ferguson and police chief Russ Van Alstyne  first pair up to solve the murder of a young mother.  The series’ strong characters, interpersonal relationships, and sense of place all work to create compelling mystery stories.

Celebrate Audiobook Month With These Family Friendly Selection

Posted by Staff

Summer is here and many families are hitting the road together.  One option for keeping everyone entertained as the miles sweep by is to listen to audiobooks - a great way to celebrate National Audiobook Month.  Below we've listed some of our favorite family-friendly selections. 

Cary H.: Not In The Flesh by Ruth Rendell narrated by Tim Curry (of Rocky Horror fame).  "Curry has such a wide spectrum of voices that he transforms this British Murder Mystery - an Inspector Wexford novel - especially great on the female characters"!







Alana T.: The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King, narrated by Bronson Pinchot.  "My memories of Pinchot are from 80's TV; however, as a narrator he is superb!  The story is basically an adult fairy tale (a kingdom, a wronged prince, a nasty sorcerer, etc.) but with plenty of cynical Stephen King humor for the adults. You will be riveted by the fantastic voices".

Deanne H.: The Body by Stephen King, narrated by Frank Muller. "The movie Stand By Me is based on this story.  Pre-teens and up will love this coming of age story".

Ike D.: A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck, narrated by Ron McLarty.  Humorous adventure of two kids from the Windy City visiting their larger than life grandma for the summer.  A good choice for younger kids.

Lisa E. (and many other staff members!): The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, narrated by Jim Dale.  "We enjoyed these audiobooks over several summers while we travels to/from summer camps, baseball tournaments, and vacations.  The narrator does a wonderful job giving voice to the characters".  Consider the audiobooks even if you've read the books and seen the movies.  Dale has won numerous awards for the narration of this series and some credit him with the upswing in popularity of audio for younger audiences.

Alana T. suggests the following for preteens and up:

For gentle mysteries, try the Mrs Pollifax Series.  Pollifax is a grandmotherly type who moonlights as a spy and barely manages to keep out of trouble.  Most of these novels are set in foreign climes, funny and well narrated; each is approximately 6 hours long.  For classic mysteries, we have a variety of full-cast productions of Agatha Christie stories and a set of Sherlock Holmes inspired stories; all are produced by the BBC and run about 3 hours.

Quest in Paradise and Quest Under Capricorn, written and narrated by David Attenborough, each about three hours long.  Listen to one of the world's best naturalists as he describes his travels through New Guinea and Australia.  Attenborogh is well known for his nature-themed miniseries (e.g. Life of Birds, Planet Earth, Frozen Planet, etc.).  TV versions released in the U.S. utilize American narrators (losing much character!), but these audiobooks retain the author's own remarkable, passionate voice. 

This year is Charles Dickens' 200th birthday.  Celebrate and educate with BBC full cast productions of The Old Curiosity Shop, Oliver Twist and Nicolas Nickleby.  Each is about 6 hours long.  Definitely easier than reading!  Another classic to consider is Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.  The full-cast reading and abbreviated story (about 5 hours) make this Gothic romance enticing to younger readers.

Everyone has heard of the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer, but have you read The Host? Although this is a sci-fi story, it focuses on the relationships among Melanie a young woman (the host) who refuses to give up her mind, the alien who has taken over her body, and Jared, the man Melanie loves.  The relationship between host and alien slowly changes, and you may find yourself sympathetic to the alien's plight. 

Follow us on Pinterest!

Posted by Staff

The Edwardsville Public Library now has a Pinterest page.  Our boards contain staff picks to help you find something fantastic to read, listen to or watch. Our pins are linked to the blog and online catalog, so if you see it here, likely it will soon be there.  If you hate scrolling through old posts to find recommendations, jump over to Pinterest and check out our boards - quick and easy!  We will update often to keep things fresh.

The Life of a Library Book: Withdrawl

Withdrawn and donated items waiting to go to Carnegie's

Posted by Deanne H.

In order to keep a library collection that excites, educates, and enriches our community, our library must sometimes withdraw an item from our collection.  An older book, CD, cassette, or DVD, must sometimes leave in order to make room for something new.   

Our staff very carefully analyzes each withdrawal.  We look at the year it was purchased, how many times it has been checked out by a library patron, how many additional copies (if any) we own of the title, the item’s physical condition, and if it is non-fiction – what other titles we have on that topic.  If we decide that it can be withdrawn, the item goes to our Technical Services department for withdrawal from our library catalog.   

Then it goes to Carnegie’s Books and Café.  Carnegie’s, run by our Library Friends, sells our withdrawn books, CDs, etc. along with donated items from our community.  Be certain to ‘check this out’ on your next visit to the Library.  You’ll find great buys – paperbacks are $.25 each, hardbacks are $.50 each.