Friends of the Rochester Public Library

Birthday of Famous African-American Author, Langston Hughes

2012-02-01T14:22:00.000-06:00

Langston Hughes
Famous Black writer, poet and
columnist (1902-1967).

Langston Hughes (1902-1967)

With the month of February being Black History Month, it seems appropriate that February 1st is the birthday of writer, poet and columnist Langston Hughes (1902-1967). Born in Joplin, Missouri, he attended Columbia University, but decided that he wanted to learn from traveling instead of books.

After traveling to West Africa and Europe he moved back to the United States, and was one of the pivotal voices in the Harlem Renaissance. He was known as the Poet laureate of the negro race, and was one of the first African-American poets to embrace the language of working-class black Americans.

Hughes’ words give voice to the struggles of African-Americans for pride, equality, and justice:

"Life is for the living. Death is for the dead. Let life be like music. And death a note unsaid."

"My soul has grown deep like the rivers."

"Rest at pale evening...a tall slim tree...night coming tenderly Black like me."

"Humor is laughing at what you haven't got when you ought to have it."

"I will not take 'but' for an answer."

"What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up Like a raisin in the sun?...or does it explode?"

The Rochester Public Library has an extensive collection of works by Hughes. Take a moment to stop in and check them out!

February is Black History Month

2012-02-01T14:12:00.001-06:00

Black History Month

by Catherine H. Armstrong

February is Black History month, a month set aside to honor the many achievements of African-Americans and their very important roles in American History. This celebration finds its origins in the work of Carter G. Woodson and his creation of Negro History Week in 1926. By the 1960s, in the height of the Civil Rights Movement, Black History Week gained momentum and began to be widely recognized by American educators and historians.

In 1976, President Gerald Ford began urging Americans to observe Black History Month and, in 1978, President Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. president to officially recognize it, giving it his personal endorsement for recognition. Since then, every U.S. President has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month.

Among the list of amazing and truly gifted African American authors, you’ll find Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Sapphire and even comedian Bill Cosby.

During the month of February, watch this blog for book reviews dedicated to the works of African American Authors.

Sources:

Vox, Lisa. “The Origins of Black History Month.” www.about.com. Date of publication unknown. February 1 2012 http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/blackhistorymonth/a/The-Origins-Of-Black-History-Month.htm

“Black History Month.” 2012. The History Channel website. Feb 1 2012, 2:51 http://www.history.com/topics/black-history-month

Literary February

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-06:00

February is:

Library Lover's Month
23 February - Printed Book Day

2, 3 FRIENDS Winterfest BookSale
13 Rochester Reads Title Kick Off!

14 February - Valentines Day
20th February - President's Day (Library closed)

There are books I go to when I don't want any more of the place I'm somehow stuck in and I long for a lighter and brighter world....They make me feel I've just had a drink of a particularly sparkling Champagne. Mary Gordon

Friends Bookstore Annual Report

2012-01-31T08:41:00.000-06:00

2011 Annual Report Friends' Bookstore The past year was a full and busy one; here are the highlights of the successes and changes in the store.

2
At the beginning of 2011, the Bookstore Committee decided to begin taking debit/credit cards. Because the Bookstore is a non-profit organization, it gets a special rate from the company, both in the monthly fees and in the per-transaction costs. We saw credit/debit card sales double each month for the first four months. Now the number of customers using debit/credit cards has stabilized, but we hear multiple compliments regarding the fact that we now accept plastic.
The Bookstore participated in several special sales this year, including the White-Out Wednesday sale held on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and sponsored by the Rochester Downtown Alliance. The details of the sale were kept secret until the day of the sale, and that created a bit of buzz. In the end, we offered everything in the store at half price and made over $850.
The sorters have been kept busy this year and estimate that they receive an average of 500 books daily. The sorting system has been working very well, with the library taking all that they need for their collections before the Friends begin to select materials. The Bookstore does not lack for books, and we have special sales when one category is full. For example, right now children‟s books are buy-one-get-one-free.
The Bookstore donates many, many books and other materials to other organizations. For example, Channel One gets new children‟s, adult fiction and nonfiction books each week. We regularly send shipments to the soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, often fulfilling requests. We have donated to other libraries (in Minnesota, in the United States, and overseas), to local charities, and to area schools. We also provide books to new teachers so they can begin establishing classroom libraries.
When we have author visits (Catherine Friend in June, the Minnesota Crime Wave, Kamala Nair, and Paula McClain for examples), the Bookstore purchases copies of the author‟s books and sells them during the author visit so patrons have a chance to get the book signed. We also help with set-up and teardown of the auditorium and provide coffee and cookies.
The Bookstore sponsored a Mystery Tea and enjoyed an overwhelmingly positive response. Bookstore volunteers and Library staff members were the actors, and everyone baked goodies. We borrowed round tables from the History Center, and their success lead to the Friends Board and Foundation purchasing round tables for use at large auditorium events. Individual Friends purchases table cloths and carafes.
In February, the Bookstore sponsored a Food for Thought fundraiser for Channel One, giving customers a discount if they brought in a food donation for Channel One. The store will be participating again this year as Channel One attempts to collect a Mile of Mac „n Cheese.
Many new volunteers joined the Friends in both the Bookstore and in the sorting area. We continue to grow. Due to the hard work and dedication of all, the Bookstore is making a record-breaking donation to the Library. The Friends‟ Bookstore Committee voted on Monday, January 9, 2012 to donate $57,000 to the library, leaving a small reserve so we can pay our bills. This amount is a $5,000 increase over last year‟s donation.

nd Saturday Sales continued to be a big hit. In 2010, the sales were a new idea to attract people into the store. During 2011, many of the library patrons were familiar with the Friends' Bookstore, and we saw the benefit in large increases in sales.

WINTERFEST BOOKSALE

2012-01-30T23:44:00.000-06:00

Don't forget next week we have a fantastic booksale in the Library Auditorium during Rochester's Winterfest celebrations.

We have a fantastic selection of fiction, hardcover and paperback, an amazing array of non-fiction items, including vhs, cassette tapes, cds, dvds and audio tapes (the latter will be in the Twinkle room).

We will also be collecting food donations for Channel One on the first day of the sale - so if you bring in a non-perishable item you will receive a discount on your purchases!

AND remember, the Friends get in 30 minutes earlier to peruse the great selection! Time to join now!

New E-Mail Option!

2012-01-30T09:55:00.004-06:00

Never miss another blog
update again!

Did you know you can now receive instant updates of this blog via your e-mail? Just go to the right side of this screen and type in your e-mail address in the box provided. Each time a new blog is posted, you'll receive a copy in your e-mail inbox!

Friends Winterfest Book Sale and Bookstore Promos

2012-01-28T08:42:00.000-06:00

Another Great Selection of BOOKS at fantastic PRICES!! Don't miss your next winter read!

February Specials

Food For Thought – Last year we put a Channel One barrel in the store and offered a 20% discount to folks who made a donation (hopefully a protein) to the store. This year if folks spend $25 in the store, they’ll get a free tote bag. The Friends kick that off Food For Thought at the February 2nd/3rd Auditorium Sale. Channel One’s goal is to collect a mile of mac ‘n cheese. We will be selling boxes of KRAFT mac ‘n cheese at the auditorium sale so folks who didn’t bring boxes along can take advantage of the discount at the sale. We will give folks a discount off their entire Winterfest purchase with a mac ‘n cheese donation.

Two-fer Tuesdays – Tuesdays are a quiet day in our store (making it a perfect time to browse!). In order to entice you in on Tuesdays, we are going to try a “Two-fer Tuesday” sale during the month of March. Customers will be able to buy-one-get one (of equal/ lesser value) free. That will apply to most items in the store, the exceptions being the Rochester Reads books and the new canvas bags.

NB::The Rochester Reads books will be here by February 13, and the bags are already in the store.

Book Review - Diary of a Wimpy Kid

2012-01-26T22:27:00.002-06:00

Book Review

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Jeff Kinney

I can’t imagine too many things more challenging for a juvenile fiction author than trying to write so that your books appeal to both your young readers and their parents. More often than not, a writer really hits a home run with the kids but leaves the parents either appalled at the content or completely bored to tears. It’s a rare thing, in my experience, to find a juvenile fiction book that provokes serious belly laughs in my seven year-old son, while making me laugh so hard that I have tears streaming down my face. Surprisingly, Jeff Kinney has done exactly that in his best selling book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Narrated in diary format by the main character, Greg Heffley, Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a humorous inside look at the life of a middle school student who struggles to understand the new rules for being a “tween.” What really seems to make this book “work” is that it’s so real. Kids get the humor because they see themselves in Greg; and parents get the humor because they either remember what it was like to be a kid, or they see their own little rugrats in the actions of the main characters.

Unlike some similar books of this genre, the author does a nice job of really showing the personality of the characters without resorting to misspelled words or truly bad behavior by the main characters to lure in the target audience. Greg and his friends do misbehave because, after all, that’s what makes it funny! However, the behavior isn’t extreme enough to cause serious objections from most parents.

The reading level for this book is approximately 5th grade, but younger readers will really enjoy it as well, if read to them by an adult. And, frankly, I dare any adult to try to read this book without giggling at least once. I bet you can’t do it!

This book is the first in a series of six with similar titles, and all are available through the Rochester Public Library in traditional format. For more information about this book or the additional titles in this series, visit the website dedicated to the series at http://www.wimpykid.com/.

~ Catherine H. Armstrong

Friends Bulletin Board

2012-01-24T08:47:00.000-06:00

Annual Meeting and Luncheon

2012-01-22T18:31:00.000-06:00

Rochester Public Library - news article

2012-01-20T18:34:00.000-06:00

There was a great article in the recent (January/February) Rochester Women Magazine on the Rochester Public Library by Suzanne Jones. Thank you for your informative article, and for reaching more of our community! The Friends support the libray in many ways, but in particular we are involved in the Rochester Reads programme. We would be delighted to publish the 'several pages more abou tthe many incredible programs and services the RPL has to offer' if you have written them Suzanne!

The e-Reader Debate - Instant Gratification!

2012-01-20T13:48:00.000-06:00

Instant Gratification!

by Catherine H. Armstrong

I love books. I love the words on a page. I love the smell of books, the feel and the weight of a book in my hands, and even the sound of the crisp pages between my fingers as they crinkle slightly as I turn each page. I love immersing myself in a story and becoming one with the main character, and I love being transported to another time and place where all of the worries of my real life are left behind until such time as I choose to refocus my energies on them again. I love books so much that I can even remember exactly what it felt like to learn to read; when the words were no longer just a big jumble on a page and suddenly they took on a life of their own. I remember those first “Dick and Jane” books in the first few weeks of first grade, when it was still warm outside and I could sit in the swing in my back yard and immerse myself in the simple antics of Dick, Jane and their dog, Spot. And I remember being so deeply focused on whatever I was reading that my teacher once had to call my name several times before I realized she was speaking to me. I guess it’s fair to say that, aside from my family, books are my greatest love.

Those who know me know this about me. Reading is such an integral part of who I am that it would be nearly impossible to know me well at all and not know that I love reading and I love books. And so it’s been a normal part of my life for many years that my friends and acquaintances have directed questions about books in my direction. What am I reading? Do I have a book recommendation for a 13 year old girl? What’s my favorite book? What do I think about the latest book by...(insert name of pretty much any author here). But, with the introduction of e-readers in the last several years, the biggest question I get these days is “What do you think about e-readers?” Wow...that’s a loaded question!

When e-readers first came out, I was adamantly opposed to them. As I’ve already stated, there’s just nothing quite like the actual feel of a book in your hands. I swore I’d never buy one. They just seemed like such a silly investment. And then the iPad came out. Now, in fairness, I bought an iPad because I wanted something small I could carry around with me that would do most of the same functions as a regular computer without the size and weight. The last thing on my mind was the fact that it would double as an e-reader. However, as with any new “toy,” I had to at least give the e-reader function a try, and so I downloaded the apps for the Nook and Kindle. I have only one word for how I feel about e-readers now: WOW!

Nothing can ever entirely replace a “real” book in my heart, but I have to admit that the ease and flexibility of an e-reader has earned a place in my heart and is giving the traditional book some rather stiff competition with me. I never imagined the flexibility it would provide. I still buy, read and borrow traditional books from the library, but I have to admit that the e-reader has also earned the hype it’s received.

What could be better than hearing about a book on TV or in a newspaper article and having the ability to read it immediately? That’s truly the genius behind e-readers; the simple ability to download pretty much any title within seconds. Instant gratification!

Some people might argue that they cost money and that e-readers get expensive with so many downloaded purchases from the big book stores. This can be true, but it doesn’t need to be. Rochester Public Library, for instance, has thousands of titles available for immediate download for e-book readers. Just go to the webpage, type in the title of the book you’re searching, and you’ll often not only find the book, but you’ll find a variety of formats to choose from. And the best part is not having to worry about returning them and those nasty fines when you forget! When your loan expires at the end of 14 or 21 days, it just "disappears." But don't despair! If you haven't finished reading, you can always check it out again!

The ability to change the font of the text is a big plus with me. For years, I chose not to read when exercising at the gym because the print on the page is too small to focus on while I’m trying to accomplish my workout. But, with the e-reader, I can enlarge the text on a whim so that I can see the words more easily as the sweat drips into my eyes! And I can only begin to imagine what a gift the ability to change the font size has been for my 81 year old mother! Her reading had been mostly on hold these last few years due to macular degeneration, which is an age-related disease that causes the eye to be unable to see fine detail, and frequently makes tasks like reading impossible. But with the new e-reader she bought, she can set the font as large as she needs and she’s now back to enjoying books by the dozens.

Another benefit is the ability to immediately look up the definition of an unknown word. This is especially beneficial for kids whose vocabulary is always increasing. With an e-reader, you can just touch on a word and it will bring up the definition in seconds. No more erroneous guessing because there’s not a dictionary within immediate reaching distance. Just tap on the word and the meaning will pop up. Awesome!

Probably my favorite feature of an e-reader is the ability to read in bed in the middle of the night without having to turn on the lights! What an incredible idea! Absolutely brilliant! No longer do I need to leave the warmth and coziness of my bed in the middle of the night when insomnia overtakes me. I can just reach over and pick up my e-book and begin reading without ever disturbing my husband by flipping on the lights. I’m sure he appreciates that, and I certainly appreciate not having to go to a different room to read!

Nothing will (for me) ever completely replace a traditional book; but there are so many advantages to an e-reader that it’s difficult to ignore their potential. I feel strongly about traditional books, but I have to admit that my reading time has been equally split this last year as I’ve discovered the wonderful options available through an e-reader. My only regret is that I didn’t open my mind to the idea much sooner. All of those books out there that I’ve missed!

If you’re interested in purchasing an e-reader, your first step - presuming you desire to download books from the library - should be to determine which e-readers are compatible with the library’s e-book selection. For a comprehensive cheat sheet of those devices, follow this link: http://overdrive.com/files/ebook-cheat-sheet.pdf.

If you already have an e-reader, then you’ve taken the most important step. The next question would be: Do you know how to use it? If your answer to that question isn’t a firm and confident “Yes!”, then the library is here to help you. Beginning in February, drop-in classes are being offered by the library to help you! Just select a date from the dates listed below, bring your e-reader and the cord it came with, as well as your laptop computer if you have one. These classes will meet in Meeting Room B at the Rochester Public Library and are on a walk-in basis. No advanced registration is required.

Happy Reading and Welcome to the 21st Century!

Bring Your Own e-Reader (BYOE) Days
at the Rochester Public Library

Wednesday, February 1st

9:30 am - 12:30 pm

Monday, February 6th

11 am - 2 pm

Thursday, February 16th

11 am - 2 pm

Wednesday, February 22nd

3 pm - 6 pm

Friends Bookstore = new arrivals

2012-01-20T08:39:00.001-06:00

Our Friends Bookstore has a lot of new arrivals - coming in daily. We still have a special on Children's books for the month of January (buy one get one free at equal or lesser value). New displays often highlight interesting books to read if you need suggestions!
Remember our Winterfest Booksale is coming right up too (in the auditorium on February 2, 3rd).

Winnie the Pooh Day

2012-01-18T11:17:00.000-06:00

January 18th - Winnie the Pooh Day is an opportunity to enjoy your favorite bear and all of his friends. This day was created to celebrate the birth of A.A (Allan Alexander) Milne in 1882. He was an author of children's story books, and created Winnie the Pooh and his friends. Winnie's pals include Christopher Robin, Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, and Roo.

Have some fun today. Celebrate Winnie the Pooh Day by reading some storybooks about the adventures of Winnie and his friends. Don't read them alone. Read them with young children. Read them with your spouse for some wonderful memories. Read them with your book group - to create some great memories!

The MN version!

Book Review - The Hour I First Believed

2012-01-17T14:37:00.001-06:00

Book Review

The Hour I First Believed

Wally Lamb

April 19, 1995. A Ryder truck carrying 5,000 tons of explosive materials is parked in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. At 9:02 am, the truck explodes and 168 people, including 19 children, are killed and another 800 are injured. I was 24 years old, a transplant to Minnesota from Oklahoma, and my hometown had been devastated.

April 20, 1999. Two high school seniors at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, open fire upon their classmates and teachers in what would appear later to be retribution for the injustices they’d endured through acts of bullying. Nearly 100 bombs had been set to detonate at intervals within the school and the surrounding area by the gunmen, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, and - by day’s end - thirteen victims and the two gunmen would be pronounced dead, with dozens more injured. It was the day that changed the way our nation’s schools would look at the safety and security of our children..

September 11, 2001. Two planes, commandeered by hijackers, fly into the two towers of New York City’s World Trade Center. Shortly thereafter, another plane would fly into the Pentagon and yet another would crash into a field in Pennsylvania. The total number of deaths was staggering; nearly 3,000 people, including the nineteen hijackers, were officially pronounced dead. The world as we knew it had changed forever.

When tragedies like these occur, the number of dead and physically wounded are easy to count. What isn’t so easy to count, however, are the number of victims who walk away with no physical injuries, but who have been deeply and irrevocably injured nonetheless. These people have no scars to show, but their scars run deep below the surface and occasionally can be hidden for short periods of time. As a result, many of these “walking wounded” are forgotten or, at the very least, overlooked. They are the victims, the victims’ families, or even empathetic strangers who suffer the long-term emotional injuries caused by the event, and frequently manifest in symptoms of flashbacks and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

In his novel, The Hour I First Believed, Wally Lamb uses extensive research to tell the fictional story of Caelum and Maureen Quirk. On the day of the deadly massacre at Columbine High, Caelum - a teacher at Columbine - was in Connecticut dealing with the sudden death of his favorite aunt. His wife, Maureen - a school nurse, also at Columbine - had stayed behind and planned to meet up with him on the evening of April 20th, but those plans went awry when the two gunmen opened fire. In the school’s library, Maureen was forced to seek refuge in a cabinet where she hid for nearly three hours as she waited for the terrifying ordeal to be over. But for Maureen, leaving the cramped confines of the cabinet for the safe arms of her family and friends was only the beginning of her traumatic ordeal. For the next decade, she would suffer from flashbacks and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and the life as she once enjoyed it was no longer.

Narrating the story, Caelum Quirk struggles to help his wife deal with the flashbacks and emotional turmoil - the “what-ifs” - of that terrible day. But what he hadn’t expected was his own emotional struggle and the vicarious flashbacks he would experience in empathy for his wife and their friends. The Hour I First Believed is, effectively then, an in-depth look at the forgotten victims of tragedy; those whose wounds go unnoticed.

As a reader, there are some books you love, and others you respect. The Hour I First Believed would fall, for me, in that second category. It’s difficult to love a book where so many tragedies befall the main characters; however, I respected the book for the valuable spotlight it placed on the silent victims - those without scars to show for their pain.

For more information about this book or the author, visit the Harper Collins website dedicated to Wally Lamb by following this link.

~ Catherine H. Armstrong

Book Reviews: Short Takes

2012-01-16T16:41:00.000-06:00

Short takes -
I have 6 other book reviews coming out in the next few weeks, and there are simply so many interesting books to recommend. SO, here are a few that caught my fancy that you might want to try. All Library books!

I so thoroughly enjoy Alan Bennet's writing style, whether memoir or fiction. Smut is his recent short story collection (two), while A Life like Other People's is from his previous book Untold Stories.

Kathy Reichs has started a young adult series, Seizure is the second (NB I think they need to be read in order, as too much wouldn't make sense in this second book). I thought the first was quite entertaining and look forward to reading the next installment!

I just don't know where to place this book - it is by the author of a Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snickett, so I thought this must be fun. It was quite bizarre, being a series of short stories or essays that are somehow connected. The individual characterisations are priceless, but I am still feeling clueless!

Book Review - Scary School

2012-01-14T11:45:00.001-06:00

Book Review

Scary School
Derek the Ghost

In the last several months, I’ve been on an exhaustive search for age-appropriate books to read to my seven-year-old son. I love to read aloud to him, but so many of the books that are age-appropriate bore me to tears and don’t really keep his attention as well as they should. As a result, I’ve done an exhaustive search of Google, the library and the big book stores to find something that would capture his imagination...and maybe a little of my own imagination, too.

Scary School by Derek the Ghost looked promising. It received a full 5-star review from Amazon readers, 4.5 stars from Barnes and Noble readers, and the overwhelming consensus of adult readers was that it was laugh-out-loud funny to both kids and adults. If the reviews weren’t exaggerated, this was exactly the book I needed!

Written as a series of short stories and anecdotes surrounding the daily happenings at a school run by monsters, Scary School is better than laugh-out-loud funny. It’s creative and witty, and downright bizarre at times.

What could be more fun than a book narrated by the ghost of a kid who met his demise during a school science experiment gone wrong? Well, you might start with the new kid at school named Charles Nukid. When his classmates greet him as “Hey New Kid!” on his first day of school, he’s thrilled that they already know his name.

Not funny enough for you? How about a T-Rex in a blue dress who is responsible for detention? Every day at lunch time she lets out a loud “roar” and if you don’t run to your own lunch quickly enough, she might just choose you for her next meal!

Still not enough? How about a one-fanged vampire-teacher named Ms. Fang? Or a school principal with the last name of Headcrusher? Perhaps the hallway monitor, Mr. Spider-Eyes, will spark your attention? Maybe being sent to the school health office to see Nurse Hairymoles will capture your imagination? If none of that grabs you, then wait until you meet the student body!

Scary School is quite simply a great read. The bizarre antics of the characters will elicit belly laughs from young readers and bring more than a few giggles to adult readers as well. Most surprisingly to me, it captured the interest of my almost-16-year old daughter who once asked if she could sit in on a reading. Yes, it’s that entertaining!

This book is available through SELCO on inter-library loan. For more information about this book, visit the book’s interactive website at http://www.scaryschool.com/.

Note: The read-alone target audience for this book is grades 4-8; however, younger readers will enjoy this book if read to them by an adult.

~ Catherine H. Armstrong

Watch this book's trailer on YouTube

Winterfest Book Sale

2012-01-13T11:27:00.000-06:00

1st Day Set Price & sales tax will be collected (per state law).

Prices will be:

50 cents on Mass Market Paperbacks, Magazines, Cassettes, VHS, Records, Children's Books

$1.00 on Hardcovers, Trade Paperbacks, CDs, DVDs
A few special interest & old books will be priced $2-$3

2nd Day will be by donation.

Add caption

IN ADDITION IN FEBRUARY:

Food For Thought

The Friends’ Bookstore at the Rochester Public Library will be collecting food for Channel One during the month of February. During “Food For Thought” month, anyone donating a nonperishable food item will receive a 20% discount off their entire Bookstore purchase. Channel One is especially in need of protein items, such as peanut butter, tuna fish, and Mac ‘n Cheese.

History Hullabaloo

2012-01-11T12:12:00.000-06:00

Mentors, Librarians and MN History Center Staff will be available to help History Day students with their thesis, research and projects. This was a highly successful History Hullabaloo programme last year - and a great opportunity to help out! The first programme this year (2012) occurred on Wednesday January 4th, the next one will be :

Saturday January 14
from 10am to 3pm
in the Library Auditorium

Book Review: Anne Holt

2012-01-09T16:28:00.000-06:00

Anne Holt: What is Mine; What never happens/The Final Murder; Death in Oslo; Fear NotThese will haunt me for some time to come. She is a Norewegian crime writer (and lawyer), specialising in murder and mayhem in Norway. She is well known in Scandanavia and Europe (over 15 novels), you might have heard of her on NPR and PBS after the bombings in July 2011. If you like Henning Mankell or Maj Sjowall/Per Wahloo these are you next thrillers! Don’t forget Karin Fossum and Jo Nesbo (or Helene Tursten, Kerstin Ekman).
Johanne Vik (researcher, profiler) and Adam Stubo (homicide detective) are the two protagonists in one of her series, each with personal baggage, each with intricate stories. These need to be read in order because of the progression and character development. These are often nasty psychological stories, but compelling, not as dark or drastic as Dragon Tattoo, but also more plausible. I also found the ending of What Never Happens perhaps more horrific than most! Pyschological cat and mouse. Or perhaps these thrillers are more familiar to me, for this is like a reading British mystery that is set in a different culture. Val McDermid (a Scottish crime writer) once commented that ‘…Holt…reveals how truly dark it gets in Scandanavia…". Many of her books seem to have the perfect murder –there are no clues, but it is the attention to detail and persistence of these characters that makes all the difference. I found the mysteries to be complex, detailed (some might say slow moving) but intellectually challenging and interesting. She has done her homework, and has varied experiences which all contribute to the realism of the story and the accurate portrayal of everyday life in Norway. There is a lot of social commentary about the very real problems of socialism, racism, discrimination and violent crime, in Scandinavia and Europe.
Our Library has three; I came across the author on the Kindle special deal of the day. Excellent ratings, and definitely worth reading.

Visiting Author Series - Paula McLain

2012-01-08T19:14:00.000-06:00

Paula McLain

Visiting Author Presentation

Paula McLain

The first presentation of the library’s 2012 Visiting Author Series was an undisputed success this afternoon as visiting author, Paula McLain, spoke to a packed auditorium of library patrons about her recent best seller, The Paris Wife.

Recounting the extensive process by which she researched the life of Hadley Richardson, the first wife of author Ernest Hemingway, McLain spoke of the love she developed for Hemingway and his first wife as she studied the letters Hadley had written to her future husband in the weeks before their marriage.

McLain spoke for about 45 minutes and read aloud several pages of her novel, and then opened the floor for questions from the audience. During the question and answer period, McLain was asked whether she’d like to see The Paris Wife be made into a movie, to which she revealed that the book had been optioned for a movie but that it may be a long time before the idea becomes a reality.

McLain’s presentation was thoroughly enjoyable and showed the author to be not only smart and funny, but a writer with a true love for her craft and a strong desire to recreate for the reader as much historical accuracy as possible. Overall, a completely delightful presentation by an equally delightful author.

For more information about Paula McLain and The Paris Wife, visit the Random House Website dedicated to this book and the author.

~ Catherine H. Armstrong

The Paris Wife

2012-01-05T10:28:00.000-06:00

Paula McLain The Paris Wife
One good book leads to another – if you have read Hemingway’s memoir, A Moveable Feast, you have your next book: The Paris Wife. I liked that he finally recognised what he had lost with his divorce, from this comment: "I wish I had died before I loved anyone but her (his first wife, Hadley)." Paula McLain writes primarily in Hadley’s voice providing her version of events. A previous biography (Sokoloff, 1973) is quite good, but this novel portrays the woman who loved him, for himself, and is fascinating! McLain painstakingly researched the biographies, letters, and Hemingway's novels, to accurately detail their lives, including their marriage (1921-1926). She is also a poet, which is evident in her language craft and evocative prose which captures the glamour, emotions and trials of the 1920s, Europe and especially Paris.
Hadley (Elizabeth Hadley Richardson 1893-1979) was a 28 year old midwestern girl when she met the 21 year old Hemingway who was already brash and ambitious. You are caught up in their whirlwind courtship and the infinite possibilities that await them in life (even knowing the baggage that came later, you love the current story). Her inheritance enabled them to move to Paris and initially provided Hemingway with the stable environment which promoted his writing and provided him with material/ experiences.
The reader is charmed by the warm generosity, beliefs and support of Hadley, delighted by the glittering expatriate world which is littered with well know literary and artistic figures as Gertrude Stein, Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ezra Pound, James Joyce, Ford Maddox Ford, Jean Rhys, and many others, and heartbroken when their marriage dissolves, unable to survive the fame, the drinking and womanizing, especially in wake of the birth of their child (John Hadley Nicanor Hemingway "Bumby") and her family values.
Hemingway wrote The Sun Also Rises during this time frame, dedicating it to her (and their son) partly in recognition of her sacrifice to his art. The royalties were hers as well. I will always wonder if she had stood up to him more, what greatness they could have achieved together. He desired her because she was not the independent, modern woman, but forgot she was her own person. She struggled to find her place in his ever changing world. While she embraced his adventures, the outdoors, the bullfights, etc their romance withered with jealousy, celebrity, ambition, and depression.
McLain is also sympathetic to Hemingway, recognising his early troubles, from his controling mother, the trauma of the great war and his depression. We know the man he became. Hadley married journalist and political writer Paul Mowrer in 1933 (Pulitzer 1929), eventually moving back to Chicago. He was also the Poet Laureate of New Hampshire (1968). Bumby (1923-2000) went on to become an American writer and conservationist (he finished the memoir, A Moveable Feast).
HWM 2012

The Paris Wife - Paula McLain

2012-01-04T14:07:00.000-06:00

Paula McLain will be here in the Library this weekend! Sunday 8th January - DON'T MISS IT!
This is a beautifully written and captivating story and promises to be a fascinating discussion.The book is also for sale in our Friends Bookstore! I am so glad she is a friend of one of our Librarians,- what an opportunity to have her visit Rochester! This was my first exposure to her work. I would have been hugely disappointed if I had missed this book!

Gift membership and Donations

2012-01-03T10:50:00.000-06:00

Your Membership support is VITAL to the Friends of the Rochester Public Library. We are very grateful to all of you who continue your partnership with us by renewing your annual membership. Please consider joining, or making an additional donation during these holiday seasons, especially in this challenging economy. The Friends’ operating budget comes from your tax-deductible contributions and other fund-raising activities. With your help, the Friends enhance library offerings by:

Promoting early childhood literacy with Read with Me book bags for babies
Sponsoring programming for children, teens, and adults, such as the visiting author series and providing prizes for the summer reading program
Operate the Friends’ Used Bookstore which contributes proceeds in
excess of $50,000 annually to the library’s collection
Directly support library services and enrich our community

Volunteers help patrons at the Rochester Public Library and the surrounding communities in the following areas: the Bookstore, homebound services, social networking, and more. In 2010, the Friends’ Bookstore contributed $52,000 directly to the library allowing them to purchase additional books, DVDs, and other items. We continued this in 2011!

In this time of economic austerity your membership dues or donations are more important than ever to help our Rochester Public Library. Your dues provide you with these personal benefits:

A 20% discount on used materials purchased in the Friends’ Bookstore
Early admission to the RochesterFest booksale and other special sales
Four newsletters per year, whether mailed or electronic. By providing your e-mail address we save printing and postage costs

PLEASE GIVE GENEROUSLY. THANK YOU.

Membership Levels

Book Collector $100 and over
Book Lover $50 - $99

Book Reader $20 - $49

Bookworm* $10 - $19 My gift will be matched by

*Full-time Student/Senior over 65 ______________________

Thank you for your tax-deductible support of the Friends of the Rochester Public Library

Book Review - Roses

2012-01-03T09:11:00.001-06:00

Book Review

Roses

Leila Meacham

With 2012 beginning, I made a resolution to not make resolutions. Instead, I have chosen to endeavor to complete projects. Somehow that seems a little more doable than a resolution. Yeah-yeah...it’s all semantics and it’s just a word game I’m playing with myself, but there ya have it.

This year, my primary endeavor is to finally make a dent in the stacks upon stacks of books I’ve collected over the years; books I just had to have right at the exact moment that I purchased them, and have since then waited patiently on book shelves or in boxes for me to finally pick them up and do more than examine their covers.

With this endeavor in mind, I selected a book from my shelf that was purchased nearly two years ago. I remember exactly where I was and the specific circumstances that led to its purchase, and I remember how excited I was to bring it home and get started on it. I was in the midst of another book or series at the time, and so I lovingly placed it on my book shelf where it has waited patiently these last two years to be remembered. That book was Roses by Lelia Meacham.

When I think of the many disappointing books I’ve selected to read since then, while this one gathered dust on my bookshelf, I could kick myself. How many times have I gone in search of a really excellent read only to bypass this masterpiece of fiction on my bookshelf?

Spanning nearly a full century, Roses is the story of three families in a small East Texas town. Descended from French Nobility and the English Houses of York and Lancaster - famous for the 16th Century “War of Roses” - the three families are bonded by their trek across America in search of land in the new country, and become the new aristocracy in the small Texas town. As they arrive in what would become Howbutker, Texas, they set aside the segregation of the their family roses and blend the roses to have new meaning that would become tradition for their future families, and would be passed down for generations. A red rose would signify the asking of forgiveness, a white rose would signify that complete forgiveness has been granted, and a pink rose signifies that no forgiveness would be forthcoming. No words would need to be spoken; simply the exchanging of the appropriate rose would convey the entire message. And so began the story of the Tolliver, DuMont and Warwick families.

Reviews of this book have boasted its similarity to Gone with the Wind, but I find those reviews to be not only overly generous, but completely unfair. How can you compare a book to Gone with the Wind without setting an unfair expectation for the reader? Those who love the original will be satisfied with nothing less, and still others will be expecting a certain style of writing and overall plot. While there are certainly similarities between the two books, Roses doesn’t need to be compared to Mitchell’s classic in order to be loved and endure the test of time. It will stand on its own as a masterpiece of a family saga.

While Roses spans several generations, the primary focus of the book is on Mary Tolliver and the inheritance of her family's cotton plantation she receives from her father upon his death. This inheritance - which excluded her mother and older brother - would change the life of not only Mary, but her relationships with her mother and brother, and eventually will define her relationships with her dearest friends in the world, Ollie DuMont and Percy Warwick.

Roses is beautifully written and was impossible for me to put down. Though it exceeded 600 pages in length, I was never once bogged down by details or felt the need to skim a few pages to “get to the point.” In fact, as the book drew to a close, I was sad to see it end.

The unwavering love, friendship, and forgiveness between the Tollivers, DuMonts and Warwicks were beautifully imagined and written, and they will not soon be forgotten. Without a doubt, this will be one of the top five books I’ll read in 2012. What a great way to start the new year!

This book is available in standard format through the library, or through downloadable audio format for electronic devices.

~ Catherine H. Armstrong

Best Books of 2011

2012-01-02T14:00:00.000-06:00

10 best books my 2011 list:
These are the books that I remember without refering to a list - that lept into my hands and were the 'you must read this' to all my friends. There were of course dozens more, and another post will have my shortened reading list (50+ titles). As always, I will post the full list as well.

Non Fiction
Elizabeth Tora Bailey. The Sound of the Wild Snails Eating;
Andrew Greig. The Loch of the Green Corrie;
David McCullough. The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris
Fiction-Mysteries
Susan Hill. The Betrayal of Trust;
PD James. Death comes to Pemberley;
Tawni O'Dell. Fragile Beasts
Literature
Lauren Belfer. A Fierce Radiance;
James Robertson. And the Land Lay Still
Biography
Tony Horwitz. Midnight Rising: John Brown
Childrens
Brian Selznick. Wonderstruck (another movie I highly recommend is his first book Hugo)
Science Fiction
George R.R. Martin. Song of Ice and Fire Series (normally I would say skip the movie, read the book, but the HBO series was also excellent!)

January is

2012-01-01T11:17:00.000-06:00

January is:
National Braille Literacy Month
2nd Week is Letter Writing Week

January 1 and 2: Library Closed
January 4th: History Hullabaloo
January 8th: Author Visit - Paula McLain
January 14th: History Hullabaloo
January 14th: Wit, Wisdom and Wine
January 16th: Library Closed (Martin Luther King Day)
January 18th: Winnie the Pooh Day - Happy Birthday A.A. Milne

The world is at your fingertips @ the library

2011-12-30T10:52:00.000-06:00

by John Hunziker
Over the past four years I have come to realize that people in our community see the library as a resource of infinite possibilities and use it in many ways.
Jay Chang stopped by the other day to share his story. I had gotten his name from Louise in the Reference area on the second floor. She had talked with Jay as she saw him in the library and passed his name to me so I gave him a call.
Jay is originally from South Korea where he studied law; he met his wife there. He spent four years in London working with a Korean language paper and then he and his wife traveled to the United States. They originally settled in California where he published a Korean newspaper in Orange County. There were over 600,000 Koreans living in Southern California in 1996.
He and his wife decided that they wanted to raise their family in a less busy part of the country and after researching areas decided on Rochester. They have lived here for 15 years and originally bought a house in Northwest Rochester. Their daughter is at Macalester College in St. Paul and their son is at Mayo High School. Jay’s original dream when they moved to Rochester had been to publish an on-line Korean language newspaper; unfortunately the internet was not as good in the 1990’s as it is today.
Needing to support themselves and their family, they opened a retail store in Miracle Mile called In Vogue. That store grew into two more over time. After 10 years they began tiring of the day-to-day stress of retail sales so they decided to sell the stores. They thought about taking the concept to the Twin Cities area but haven’t found the right location. They have found their version of the American Dream and Jay is now taking some time to find his personal meaning of life. They sold their Northwest house and have moved closer to the downtown area. Jay can easily walk the mile to the library and back home when he chooses.
Jay had thought about returning to Korea and spending time in a monastery environment to find his, “meaning of life” but finds he can do the same thing in the quiet study rooms on the second floor of the library. He brings his laptop and connects to the Wi-Fi and explores what other people have thought, whether they are Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish or various Christian philosophies. One of his favorite authors at this time is Richard Dawkins who wrote the God Delusion; Jay says that he agrees with about 90% of what Dawkins writes.
Along with his search for his own meaning of life, his personal journey, he as two goals. He still wants to publish an online magazine focused on the worldwide Korean population. He actually has a number of online blogs at this time, although they are in Korean. If they are successful he will consider English versions. Secondly he has studied for and passed in September his realtors’ tests. He spent 10 hours a day for two weeks at the library preparing for the tests as he wanted to pass the first time. He wants to be a commercial realty consultant working with people who want to invest in U.S. properties.
Jay says that with the library and our internet access, the philosophies of the world are at his finger tips.

Rochester Reads Poster

2011-12-27T09:49:00.000-06:00

Rochester Reads 2012

2011-12-15T10:25:00.000-06:00

The Rochester Reads committee decided to highlight the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War by selecting two books by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist/author Tony Horwitz, as well as a junior title for middle-school students, and a picture book for the pre-school-kindergarten crowd. Confederates in the Attic: dispatches from America’s unfinished Civil War (1998), and Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War (2011) are the two adult titles. Tony Horwitz will be speaking on the topic of Civil War and the origins of the conflict on Monday, April 9 at Willow Creek Auditorium at 7:00 p.m.

The junior title is The River Between Us by Richard Peck, and the picture book is B is for Battlecry by Minnesota author Patricia Bauer, who will be visiting several Rochester classrooms on April 10 as part of Rochester Reads.

In addition to the author visits, we will be hosting a kick-off event with Mayor Brede and the musical group The New Pearl Buttons on February 13 at the library, and there will be a number of other events - lectures on the Civil War, children’s & YA events, book discussion groups - in March and April. All information will be available on the http://www.rochesterreads.org/ as events are finalized.

Rochester Reads 2012 is sponsored by:
Friends of the Rochester Public Library
Minnesota's Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund
Post-Bulletin CompanyDoubletree Hotel

and partnered with:

Adult and Family Literacy Program
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
Diversity Council
The History Center of Olmsted County
Post-Bulletin Company
Rochester Public Library
Rochester Public Schools
Rochester Community and Technical College

WWW -Dr. Amit Sood

2011-12-14T10:48:00.000-06:00

Dr. Amit Sood will be presenting at the 11th annual Wit, Wisdom and Wine fundraising event on Saturday, January 14, 2012.

Mayo SMART Program (Mayo Stress Management And Resiliency Training Program)

Stress is perceived when there is an imbalance between the demands placed on us and our ability to meet those demands while maintaining well-being. On-going stress has a negative effect on our health, happiness, relationships, and quality of life. Excessive stress also sometimes affects our attention, memory, judgment, and decision making.
In this workshop you will understand how our brain and mind generate undesirable stress every day, even during routine daily activities. Based on this understanding you will learn a two step program that will empower you to better handle your stressors, and as a result enhance your physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual well-being.
The program will be taught by Dr. Amit Sood, Director of Research and Practice at the Mayo Clinic Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program. Dr. Sood teaches this program to patients, fellow physicians, and other staff members at Mayo Clinic. He has held several national workshops to teach this program and is conducting multiple research studies at Mayo Clinic incorporating stress management. Dr. Sood is the author of a recently published book, Train Your Brain Engage Your Heart Transform Your Life.

Gift Certificates to the Friends Bookstore

2011-12-13T17:38:00.000-06:00

ONLY 11 SHOPPING DAYS LEFT!
Give the gift that keeps on giving - all through the year that will delight the readers in your family and circle of friends. Gift Certificates to the Friends Bookstore come in any denomination from $5 up. And while you are at it, give them a Friends membership which gives them an additional 20% discount! Win win!

Book Review - Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment

2011-12-12T12:36:00.001-06:00

Book Review

Maximum Ride:

The Angel Experiment

James Patterson

With 13 days remaining until Christmas, I’m getting a littlestressed out. I’ve done all of myshopping with one exception: Istill have to buy for the readers on my list. And I can’t just buy any book and hope it’s good. Nope…not me. I can’t give a book unless I both know it’s a good book, ANDknow that the intended reader will identify with it in some way. So I’ve been doing a lot of reading!

One of the recipients on my list is a 14-year-old girl whois a voracious reader. It’s been awhile since I’ve read any YA novels, so I honestly didn’t know where tostart. And then someone suggestedJames Patterson’s Maximum Ride series. I was familiar with Patterson and I’d read several of his novels, but –though I was aware the series existed – I wasn’t aware that the target audiencewas young adult readers. With my 14-year old friend in mind, I picked up Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment.

Had a I realized in advance that this series was stronglybased in science fiction, I can assure you I would never have even consideredreading it, even as an advance screening for a gift. After all, I’ve often proclaimed that I’ll read anythingexcept science fiction. It’s justnot a genre I enjoy…or so I thought. It would seem that I should rethink my aversion to science fiction,because I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading theremainder of the series.

Maximum Ride is a 14-year-old girl who isn’t your normalteenager. She and her friends havebeen experimentally mutated by “The School” and have an avian bone structureand wings like a bird. At firstglance, they look like any other group of kids…except for the 13-foot wingspanthey keep carefully concealed under a windbreaker to avoid notice.

Four years before the opening of this book, Max and her friendswere secretly liberated from “The School” and have been hiding from the Erasers– creatures genetically mutated into wolf-like half-humans, created for the purposeof hunting them down and either killing them or returning them to "The School." Max and her friends have been locatedby the Erasers, and now they’re onthe run for their lives. Whetherthey escape unscathed is something you’ll have to discover for yourself byreading the book.

As an adult, I must admit I was surprised at how much Ienjoyed this book. While thetarget audience is young adults (probably grade 5 and above) I found that thetwists and turns made it completely enjoyable for adults to read as well. The short chapters would be especiallyattractive for young readers or busy adults, as they allow the reader to pickthe book up for a quick read and then put it down without investing a full halfhour on a chapter.

Maximum Ride was a truly outstanding read and willdefinitely be in the “to open” pile for my young friend on Christmas morning. I may even consider it for one or moreof my adult reading friends.

For more information about the Maximum Ride series of books,visit the author’s website dedicated to this series byfollowing this link.

~ Catherine H. Armstrong

Friends' Annual Meeting

2011-12-12T11:34:00.000-06:00

2012 Friends of the Rochester Public Library Annual Meeting
Mark your calendars for the Friends of the Rochester Public Library annual meeting in the Auditorium
on Monday January 30, 2012, at 11:30 a.m. Following a delicious lunch a short business meeting will be held to elect new officers and board members.
We will celebrate a successful 2011, review our achievements and give a preview and dates for 2012 activities. Dr. Gerald Anderson, historian and mystery author, will then talk about the evolution of the mystery story genre. His talk is titled - The Mystery Story, Then and Now (and Why We All Love A Good Murder).
In order to plan for food please RSVP by January 24 to Elizabeth Ritman 282-9708, Gail Harris or Marilyn Campbell 328-2341.

Meeting Speaker: Dr. Gerald Anderson
We are delighted that Dr. Gerald Anderson will be our guest speaker for the Annual Meeting on Monday January 30th, 2012. Dr. Anderson received his BA at Concordia College Moorhead, Minnesota with majors in History and Political Science, MA from North Dakota State University, Fargo and his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, Iowa City.
He recently retired after 22 years as Associate Professor of History from the North Dakota State University in Fargo, ND. He has had other extensive teaching experience at Waldorf College, Forest City, Iowa; Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa; Iowa Wesleyan College, Mount Pleasant, Iowa; Austin Community College, Austin, Minnesota and more.
He has received numerous National and International Funded Grants, and Academic Teaching Honors. He is listed in the Who’s Who in America— Midwest Edition from 1978 to the present. Dr. Anderson has had many articles published, but most pertinent for the purposes of his talk are his published mystery novels that are set in Minnesota. The latest one published in 2011 by North Star Press is entitled Murder in Bemidji or Paul’s Bloody Trousers.
The title of his talk is The Mystery Story, Then and Now (and Why We All Love a Good Murder). He intends to speak in a general way about the evolution of the mystery story genre from Edgar Allan Poe to Wilkie Collins and Dostoyevsky. Dr. Anderson will mention the golden age of mysteries such as Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers and then some general comments about today’s mystery writers and finish with comment on his books and how he writes them.

Book Review - Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things

2011-12-11T22:39:00.000-06:00

Book Review

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School,

and Other Scary Things

Lenore Look

I absolutely love the holidays. I love the giving of gifts, and my favorite gift to give isa really good book. I love theidea of choosing exactly the “right” story to appeal to the recipient’spersonality, and I love the idea of that person paging through the book andidentifying with the characters. So, for me, choosing a book as a gift is a fairly detailed process andsometimes requires hours of my time to select just the right one.

This year, the difficult reader on my list is my 7 year oldnephew. I wanted to find a bookthat he could read quietly to himself (he’s reading at a 3^rd gradelevel in 1^st grade!), but one that would also be fun for his folksto read with him if they wanted some quality family time. I think I hit the jackpot with AlvinHo: Allergic to Girls, School andOther Scary Things.

I chose this book strictly based upon the title. What could be more fun than a 1^stgrade boy who’s allergic to girls and school? There must be a story in there and, with any luck, it wouldbe a story that would give the reader a chuckle. If my own 7 year old’s belly laughs are any indication, thisbook will definitely appeal to my nephew and likely any other 1^stthrough 3^rd grade boy on your holiday list.

Alvin Ho is simply adorable! He’s an Asian-American child who is quite literally afraidof everything. When he goes toschool, he becomes so terrified of the teacher and other students that hesimply can’t speak. Kids will lovethe lists he makes regarding how to make friends, and the trouble he gets intoas he turns to his older brother, Calvin, for advice.

Parents, on the other hand, will love the moral lessons he’staught as each of his schemes to overcome his fears blows up on him. There are important lessons on “How tobe a gentleman,” the importance of avoiding peer pressure, and evenunderstanding the difference between “borrowing” and “stealing.”

Without a doubt, Alvin Ho is priceless and is sure to bringmore than a few giggles to young readers and their parents.

This title is the first in a series of Alvin Ho booksavailable in digital and traditional format through the library.

For more information on this book or the author, visit the RandomHouse website dedicated to this author and her books by following this link.

~ Catherine H. Armstrong

Gift membership

2011-12-11T14:39:00.000-06:00

SANTA IS BUSY! Be an ELF
(An Extraordinary Friend of the Library!)
Give a Gift Membership for that special reader in your life: family, friends, strangers even (e.g. an annonymous donation could be given to a local family that would help them throughout the year)!

A gift of membership at the Friends of the Rochester Public Library will delight friends and family throughout the year while providing important financial support to the Library. Share your passion for lifelong learning and reading!

You may give a gift Membership from $10 (see below):
Book Collector $100 and over
Book Lover $50 - $99

Book Reader $20 - $49

Bookworm* $10 - $19 (*students and seniors)

For information about the Friends go to our website http://www.rochesterpubliclibrary.org/friends
Or visit the Friends Bookstore or Library for our membership brochures

We also have gift cards in any denomination from $5 to help with your holiday shopping!

Please note your current email address on your renewal form to receive furture events or special offers just for Members.

Thank you for your support!

Book Review - The Black Echo

2011-12-10T10:24:00.001-06:00

Book Review

The Black Echo

(Harry Bosch Series - Book #1)

Michael Connelly

Michael Connelly is one of those authors whose name keepscreeping up on me. He’s a prolificwriter and has published more than two-dozen novels in the last twentyyears. Until last week, I’d neverread anything by Connelly, mostly because he came highly recommended by the twomen in my life whose reading preferences couldn’t be more different than myown. But, after more than a littleprodding, I gave in and decided to give Connelly a try. After all, what could it reallyhurt? If I didn’t like him, then Icould simply quit reading and move onto something else. If, however, I found somethingcompelling in his writing, then maybe I’d have a new favorite author. The answer would be in the reading.

Black Echo is the first in the Harry Bosch series of novelsbased upon a homicide detective who has been demoted to the most undesirablehomicide beat in his department because he’s not part of the “family” anddoesn’t play by the rules. He’snarrowly escaped one Internal Affairs investigation, and that department isstill chomping at the bit to find anything at all that will allow them to bringhim down, and they are relentless in their harassment and pursuit.

The premise of this book surrounds the suspicious drugoverdose death of a Vietnam Veteran and the seemingly (at first) unrelated bankvault robbery a year prior. HarryBosch is teamed up with FBI agent Eleanor Wish as the two work together tosolve both crimes while attempting to understand how they were related.

This book has more twists and turns than the average mystery/action/suspense/thrillernovel and I found myself not only holding my breath while turning the pages,but repeatedly thinking what an excellent movie this book would make. Just when I thought I had everythingfigured out, I was thrown yet another curve ball and then another that left mewith my jaw dropping and shaking my head at myself for never suspecting thefinal outcome.

The verdict, then? I loved it and wish I hadn’t been so hard-headed and resistant to givingMichael Connelly a try. I willdefinitely read more in this series to see where this character goes, and itmight even make my Christmas Gift List for those few hard-to-please readers onmy list.

For more information on the Harry Bosch series of books byMichael Connelly, or more information about this author specifically, visit theauthor’s website at www.michaelconnelly.com.

~ Catherine H. Armstrong

Book review - Second Reading

2011-12-10T09:52:00.000-06:00

Every year my Christmas wish reading list is LONG!
This year it is definitely NOT a short list either: WOW, there are so many wonderful books that have been recently published, and of course I am waiting for a number of TBP (to be published) to go on my TBR (to be read) pile! This book by Jonathan Yardley (Second Reading) is definitely on it, as I need to mark up my own copy, with my agreements, disagreements, further recommendations, and just general comments! This book is a series of book reviews from his column of books that he reread over the course of two years. I understand how difficult it is to find time to read books, let alone reread them, but I do have a handful that I always go back to (e.g. Tolkien has been read about every five years! At the end of each reading I write my comments in a book journal and enjoy the progression of my thoughts.). We are not the same people who read some of these books as a teenager or early (busy) adult. It can be very worthwhile and enjoyable to reread these classics. Second Reading is composed of many books that you have already read, that you really should give another go at reading, re-reading, or just comparing your thoughts to his. I love his columns, second only to Michael Dirda, both superb book reviewers.

I was intrigued by his review of Rebecca by Daphne DuMurier, having also just reread it when I was sorting my bookshelves. It has such a classic opening line. This time, I was certainly much older on rereading it, not relating to the naivity or the acceptable social polish/manners of a different time. BUT then of course I discovered that I hadn't seen the film (well there are several, but it is the Laurence Olivier that everyone raves about). So there I was off to the Library for the dvd (Second Reading is also available at the Library!) Excellent, especially with a cup of Earl Grey tea, on a snowy afternoon. I highly recommend this, especially in the throes of Christmas shopping. And the story isn't over. I also mentioned his thought provoking analysis at one of my book clubs, where we always try to read at least one classic a year. Several people sheepishly revealed they had not read it, and viola! We ordered the BOOK GROUP IN A BOOK BAG from the Library!

Olmsted County Journal Article on RPL

2011-12-09T16:20:00.000-06:00

This was a lovely article that appeared recently in the Olmsted County Journal. And it gives you some idea why the Friends do all they can to support the Library - including our book sales (tomorrow!)

RPL is one of the busiest in the State!
By Bill Lisser
bill@olmstedcountyjournal.com
Have you been in a public library lately? Ever wonder how the Internet and its instant access to information has affected the library?
I asked Audrey Betcher, Director of the Rochester Public Library that question.
“We don’t get the easy questions anymore,” Betcher said. “The Public Library is the number one place people go for Internet access. Research tells us that in Rochester 30 percent of them are looking for employment.” The Internet has changed how they do business.
Public Libraries today are a resource center offering many services to the community. The Rochester Public Library is one of the busiest libraries in the State of Minnesota. The number of visitors walking through the doors reached 550,000 in 2010.
“The library is conveniently located,” Betcher said. “Having as many people as we do downtown in Rochester, we are ideally located.”
People visit the library for many different reasons. Checking out books is still popular but there are CD’s, DVD’s, videos and electronic books that can be checked out. According to Betcher, “Electronic books represent three percent of the items checked out for the year.” When you consider the library checked out 1,613,740 items in 2010, that three percent represents a large number.
“We know we need to grow and change as the community grows and changes,” said Betcher. In economic hard times, library usage increases.
Betcher has been employed at the library since 1996 and has been the Director since 2000. Her enthusiasm for her job and helping people shows in her attitude. When asked what keeps her excited about her job she said, “It’s when you put information someone needs into their hands. We realize how important good information is to making life decisions.”
Community services go far beyond just checking out material. There are programs for children of all different ages based on development, young adult programs, and adult programs that help meet the needs of people of all ages. There are special programs offered to reach people with barriers to visiting the library.
Parents may take advantage of daycare packs available to help educate children on a variety of subjects. For example, if the parent wanted to work on a cooking project with kids you could check out a cooking pack. Each pack is loaded with a variety of tools to help kids learn. There are books, puzzles, and puppets to help make it an easier process for the parents.
There are also programs for children who have limited reading ability. Children may visit the library and read to therapy dogs. The nonjudgmental environment provided by the dogs enables the child to relax and be more comfortable reading. In this age of computers, the more comfortable a person is in using the computer may help make their life easier. So, there are the Little Tike’s PC’s used to introduce toddlers to the computer. Picture books to school support are all part of the library’s community service.
Computers are spread throughout the building for visitors to use and to help make life easier for employees of the library. There are computers for toddlers to play games and begin their development of using computers. There are computers in the young adult and adult areas as well.
“The young adult area is designed to get kids reading. It is not where they would go to do their homework,” Betcher said. However, there is a program developed for homework help. Students may connect one-on-one with a homework tutor. They have to indicate their grade, subject they need help with and preferred language, English or Spanish, and within five minutes they will be connected with a tutor. Three nights per week there are volunteers in the library. There is a youth advisory board that decides on the kids programs. The kids are self selected to the board and range in age from 13 to 18.
The services offered do not all lie within the walls of the building.
There are many other services offered to the community that require the library to reach out to individuals and groups. The Bookmobile reaches communities in Olmsted County not served by a library. Within the city there are deliveries to people who have barriers preventing them from getting to the library. These include nursing homes and prison. Volunteers deliver to people who are homebound in their residence.
For book groups looking for help, “Book Groups in a Bag” are available to check out. The bags contain 10 copies of a book and questions to make it easy for the groups. Betcher said, “Many groups book for an entire year.”
There is an adaptive workstation for those individuals with low vision and it is attached to a Braille printer.
If you want to do some research, there is a digital microfilm reader. People could research archives and find pictures and stories of interest. They can then take a picture and send the information to other people. Digital archives also include past city directories.
Among the other services offered by the library, a display area can be found where kids may bring in items they are collecting and display them. Three meeting rooms are available to the community for rent. The rooms offer a neutral gathering place for groups to hold events. There are study rooms for people who need a quiet area and you can bring your own computer to use and connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi. Browsing the collection of items at the library you will find things you won’t see other places. “International films, we are the place to go,” said Betcher. The library hosts a free showing of an international film each month in the auditorium.
If you are looking for a resource it is made easy with the Social Media of your choice. You can call, e-mail, IM or text if you aren’t able to make it to the building. You may go to Facebook or Twitter also. Can’t find what you are looking for? Just go to “Ask the Librarian.” Ask the Librarian is a 24/7 service provided by a consortium of people. If you are looking for something at 2 A.M. you may still get your answer because of the whole consortium of people located in different time zones. According to Betcher, “the library world does cooperation better than anybody.”
How do they keep track of over one and half million items checked out last year? The old card catalog system was thrown out years ago. There is an automated system that checks material in and sorts it. When you drop your material in the drive up window there is an automated process of checking in the material and sorting it. If someone is on the waiting list for the material it is identified so the individual may be notified. “We had to be able to do routine tasks simpler or we wouldn’t have enough people,” said Betcher. The goal is to have material back on the shelf within 24 hours.
The library depends on community support in many ways. Volunteers and charitable giving is very important. Annual volunteer hours are approximately 17,000 hours. During the Race Exhibit the number of voluntary hours increased to 20,500 hours. Charitable donations of material reached $250,000 in 2010. The Friends of the Library Book Store also contributed $52,000. The book store is operated 100 percent by volunteers and all proceeds return to the library budget.
“I appreciate being in a community that values us,” said Betcher.
The library is currently hosting an exhibit, “Homeless is My Address Not My Name.” The project began in 2008 with collecting basic stories and portraits of homeless people at an event called Project Homeless Connect Minneapolis. The event was a one-stop-shop resource fair attended by over 1,500 homeless individuals. People share their story with a trained interviewer. Following the interview, individuals may have their portrait taken and photos printed while they wait. The photos are on display through December. Different photos are on display at the Government Center and Rochester Community and Technical College.
The Rochester Public Library is a member of SELCO, the combined holdings of member libraries in Southeast Minnesota and another group of libraries that represents the entire state. As part of the advantages of being a member of these groups, cardholders in Rochester may use their card to check out material at other libraries.
And remember those past due fines? They still exist! One of the most popular services of the library is an e-mail notifying people two days before the checked out item is due. But don’t worry; the library doesn’t depend on the late fees to function. The money collected from overdue fines represents only a very small amount of the library budget; two percent. The library is funded by city and county property taxes.

Posted in Features on December 7th, 2011

Second Saturday Sale

2011-12-08T09:10:00.000-06:00

2^nd Saturday Holiday Book Sale

December 10, 2011

Gift-quality books will be for sale in the Rochester Public Library foyer from 10 AM to 1 PM on Saturday, December 10. Take advantage of the Friends’ Bookstore’s phenomenal prices to complete your Christmas shopping.

All proceeds benefit the Rochester Public Library.

Free gift wrapping

Save the Date - Paula McLain

2011-12-07T11:47:00.000-06:00

Be An ELF*

2011-12-06T09:40:00.000-06:00

An ELF is an EXTRAORDINARY LIBRARY FRIEND!!

Tis the season to consider giving thoughtful gifts, that can keep giving throughout the year!

A Friends' membership not only gives a 20% discount in our Bookstore, every shopping day of the year, but also gives early entry into our special book sales throughout the year.
We also have gift cards in any denomination from $5 to help with your holiday shopping!
We have many literary activities that are great fun throughout the year, from morning coffees to author visits to teas and treasure hunts. You never know what we will think up next! There are many volunteer opportunities in both the Bookstore and the Library too.

Thank you for your support!

From the Director

2011-12-04T11:35:00.000-06:00

The Rochester Public Library recently received two workplace recognition honors for wellness and workplace flexibility, and I wanted to share the good news with you.
We received a bronze award at the 2011 Workforce Wellness Conference on September 28, 2011, in Rochester.
Wellness Works, a coalition of small and large organizations, confers the award on employers who have invested in and are excelling at offering varying levels of worksite wellness services. The library was one of seven workplaces that received either a bronze, silver or gold award. The award is based on fulfilling various criteria. Since we established a Wellness Committee in December, 2010, the committee organized a community supported agriculture program with a local farm for fresh vegetable delivery for the 2011growing season, recommended changes that were adopted by the library board for healthy options in public and staff vending machines, and organized a program by a dietician on healthy lunch time alternatives for a general staff meeting.
On October 20th the library received an Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility. The ceremony, part of the Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Member Event, took place at the Rochester Event Center. The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce encourages organizations to submit nominations. The award recognizes model employers for innovative and effective practices that make work better for both the employer and the employee. The award is given to employers who rank in the top 5% nationally. The Sloan Awards are part of When Work Works, a research-based initiative to highlight how effective and flexible workplaces can yield positive business results and help employees succeed at work and at home.
For the award we highlighted information on our telecommuting and job sharing policies and the Wellness Committee. The Library was also a champion of a city-wide Flexible Work Arrangement policy that was approved by city council on October 17th. The policy creates a process for employees to request flex time, compressed work weeks, phased retirement and other options to promote flexibility and win/win situations for the city and employee. We strive for a culture of flexibility.
We not only want the library to be a great place for the community, but we also want to be a great place to work.
Audrey Betcher, Rochester Public Library Director

Book Review: Ransom Riggs

2011-12-03T23:57:00.000-06:00

Ransom Riggs Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2011)Are you tired of vampires and werewolves?
Do you also love the "odd little book"?
If you love Lemony Snickett or John Connolly or Adam Gopnick (teen fiction series) this is book is definitely for you. It is quirky fantasy/adventure story combined with unique photography, which made the book utterly fascinating, charming and intriguing, especially for a debut novel. The complex/detailed vintage photographs added an unusual level of immersion with the story, with the reader visualising what Jacob is experiencing. The descriptive writing is so evocative that the unusual photographs interspersed numerously throughout the text, while not crucial to the story, certainly provide an additional element of realism (and surrealism!). Especially knowing that they are actual photos. Wouldn’t you love to make up your own story with these? (NB However, they are difficult to read/view on the Kindle.) The detailed prose creates a rich and magical otherworld of peculiar children and monsters that precariously co-exists with our human world which is all too realistically at war.
In the novel, Jacob Portman is an average, seemingly normal teenager, wanting an adventurous life, as described by his colourful, larger than life grandfather throughout his childhood. Jacob is not popular or overly smart and has one best (and only) friend. But with his grandfather death and the horrific monster that plagues his nightmares, Jacob’s world crashes around him. Then on his 16^th birthday a book from his grandfather sets him on a voyage of discovery to an orphanage on a small isolated island in Wales. Once there, Jacob understands more than he ever could have believed about his grandfather and himself. His world is now separated into "Before and After". He stumbles into time loops and uncovers his peculiar talent that transforms his previous reality. Jacob's dark adventure turns from creepy to scary, then to a poignant coming of age. It also foreshadows a sequel!

excerpts:　
"My grandfather was the only member of his family to escape Poland before the Second World War broke out. He was twelve years old when his parents sent him into the arms of strangers, putting their youngest son on a train to Britain with nothing more than a suitcase and the clothes on his back. It was a one-way ticket. He never saw his mother or father again, or his older brothers, his cousins, his aunts and uncles. Each one would be dead before his sixteenth birthday, killed by the monsters he had so narrowly escaped. But these weren’t the kind of monsters that had tentacles and rotting skin, the kind a seven year old might be able to wrap his mind around – they were monsters with human faces, in crisp uniforms, marching in lockstep, so banal you don’t recognize them for what they are until it’s too late."
"I gathered up what scrawny courage I had and waded through waist-high weeds to the porch, all broken tile and rotting wood, to peek through a cracked window. All I could make out through the smeared glass were the outlines of furniture, so I knocked on the door and stood back to wait in eerie silence, tracing the shape of Miss Peregrine's letter in my pocket. I'd taken it along in case I needed to prove who I was, but as a minute ticked by, then two, it seemed less and less likely that I would need it."

Book Review - Explosive Eighteen

2011-12-02T12:11:00.001-06:00

Book Review

Explosive Eighteen

Janet Evanovich

Janet Evanovich must be the only author I know who can continue to write the same book eighteen times over and still bring something fresh to the pages and tickle the funny bone of the reader. Explosive Eighteen is a prime example.

If you've read any or all of the previous seventeen books in this series, then this book will seem familiar to you. Hmmm...maybe so familiar that you'll swear you've read it before. In fact, you have. Seventeen other times. But to be honest, it's still funny and it's still worth the time invested to read.

The book opens with Stephanie Plum "escaping" from her vacation to Hawaii. We don't know what caused her to flee, but we're led along for a while with a few clues: a ring line tan on her left finger, and the two men in her life also returning from Hawaii - both battered and bruised, presumably each by the other's fist. Discovering what happened is enough to keep the reader turning the pages until it's much too late to turn back.

As with the previous books, Grandma Mazur is still attending funerals and she never fails to come packing her favorite weapon; Lula continues to keep Cluck-in-a-Bucket in business; Stephanie's mother's alcohol consumption appears to be increasing with each new fiasco that Stephanie falls into; and, I almost forgot...Yes, Lula and Stephanie get to blow something up, this time with an illegal rocket launcher. Oh, and an avid reader mustn't forget Ranger and Morelli! The two men continue to wage a silent battle for Stephanie's attentions; however, with each new book, the "clear" winner becomes less and less clear.

And yet with all of this sameness, we keep reading. Why? Because the books are fun and complete escapism. Because deep down we're secretly delighted with the goofball antics of Stephanie Plum. And because most of us have picked our favorite hero and are willing to stick it out to the end to finally see Stephanie choose Ranger over Morelli...or Morelli over Ranger...or just take them both and call it a day.

If you've read the previous books and enjoy the series, then chances are good you'll enjoy this new installment as well. If you've never read any of the Stephanie Plum series, then I would strongly encourage you to stop in at the library and pick them up. The series is easily titled to help you choose them in order, so start with One for the Money, then Two for the Dough and just keep reading from there. And remember, they're always more fun when read in order!

For more information about this book, or any of the Stephanie Plum Books by Janet Evanovich, visit the author's website at www.evanovich.com.

~ Catherine H. Armstrong

Amazon Shopping

2011-12-02T11:39:00.000-06:00

Amazon Pays Off Friends!
Tell your friends! Tell your family! Tell the person behind you at the checkout line!
When you shop on Amazon.com through the Friends’ portal, we receive a commission on your purchases!
Just click on the Friends’ tab on the RPL website, then click on the Amazon link, and spend at will!
Every month, Amazon deposits a check for 5% of all purchases made through the Friends site. All your purchases! Not just books, music, movies, software -- but also headphones, iced-tea makers, pet fountains,
sweatshirts, nutmeg, propane torches, lighters...!
Not just Amazon's products, but offerings from Amazon Marketplace vendors as well! Last year we earned over $400 in commissions.
So please, support your library and remember your Friends when you shop Amazon for the Holidays or anytime!

Literary December

2011-12-01T21:33:00.000-06:00

December is Read a New Book Month
December 6^thEncyclopedia Britannica published.

December 3rd, 4th Holiday Book and Bake Sale, Auditorium RPL

other dates of note:
December 6^th Sinterklaus
December 21^st Winter Solstice
December 25^th Christmas

When I discovered libraries, it was like having Christmas every day. Jean Fritz.I do love secondhand books that open to the page some previous owner read oftenest. Helen Hanff

Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill. Barbara W Tuchman

On December 6^th in 1768 that the first edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica was published. It's the oldest English-language encyclopedia still in print. It was co-founded by two Scottish men: the printer and bookseller Colin Macfarquhar, and the engraver Andrew Bell. The first edition was titled "Encyclopadia Britannica, or, A dictionary of arts and sciences, compiled upon a new plan." They were inspired to produce an encyclopedia in the spirit of the Scottish Enlightenment, to celebrate scientific and intellectual ideas. Scotland was one of the most literate nations in Europe, with a literacy rate of about 75 percent.
When Macfarquhar died, Andrew Bell took over the entire operation. Bell was quite the character in Edinburgh. He was less than five feet tall, but he proudly rode the tallest horse in the city, which he had to mount and dismount with a ladder, while people cheered for him. And he had an enormous nose, and sometimes when people stared at it, he would pull out his even-larger papier-mache nose, and put it on.
Bell illustrated 160 plates for the first edition of the Britannica, including illustrations of female pelvises and fetuses for the "Midwifery" entry, which shocked King George III so much that he demanded they be ripped out of every copy of the encyclopedia.
Today, the Encyclopedia Britannica employs 100 full-time editors and more than 4,000 contributors.

Book Review- Skeletons at the Feast

2011-12-01T11:35:00.000-06:00

Skeletons at the Feast is a novel by Vermont Author Chris Bohjalian (2008). I purchased several of his books while I was in one of my favourite bookstores: Rivendell in Montpelier, Vt this autumn. I read his Night Strangers (2011) first as it was an ebook from our library (Rochester) and reviewed that earlier. I was intrigued enough to continue through his repertoire, and delighted I did.
This well written historical novel is absolutely fascinating, extremely well researched and based on a WWII Prussian diary (1920-1945). Both the diary and the novel detail the brutal last days of the war when many Poles, Germans fled through the Nazi Germany they barely knew ahead of the Russian Army, hoping to reach Allied lines.
The characters include 18 year old Anna Emmerich a sheltered daughter of Prussian aristocrats and her younger innocent brother Theo. There is also 20 year old Scottish POW Callum Finella, who was forced labor on their remote sugar beet farm. Another important character is Wehrmacht corporal (of many names, many taken from German officers whom he killed, assuming their identities), who is in reality Uri Singer, a jew who escaped his fate in Auschwitz and is hiding in plain sight. In a parallel storyline, Jeanne and Cecille are French Jewish prisoners on a forced death march to another concentration camp.
These descriptions are unforegttably haunting, depicting harrowing treacherous times of man's inhumanity to man. Very clearly no one wins in war, yet we are all susceptible to the hope that lies in the novel. Plan ahead - I don't know how you will put this book down at night; I read straight through. I am still asking questions about personal responsibility, moral questions and justice vs revenge.

This is a beautiful, moving tribute to his friends and neighbours, their lives and ours interwined. There are so many aspects of history we never learn, so many personal stories that give you the realism you can't (hope to never) repeat. Another fascinating read on this theme is by Sparrow Author Mary Doria Russell, A Thread of Grace about the flight out of France into Italy, where 43,000 Jews were hidden during the war.
"There's a saying in Hebrew... 'No matter how dark the tapestry God weaves for us, there's always a thread of grace.' " Both novels are more than 'holocaust literature' and deserve a wide audience. Let's hope history doesn't repeat itself.
HWM Nov 2011

Donated books

2011-11-29T12:27:00.000-06:00

What Happens to Books Donated to the Library?
After being sorted by the Friends of the Library for use in the Library, the book store, or sales by the
Friends, books and non-print materials have been donated by the Friends of the Rochester Public Library
to these schools, nonprofit agencies, businesses, and families.
Some of these places are:

 Hobson City Public Library in Alabama: Note: Shirley Taylor, a former RPL librarian, is director of this library
 Pine Island Elementary School: 200 books for school library
 Longfellow Elementary School, Rochester: about 100 beginning reading books
 Pinewood Elementary School, Rochester: about 200 books for school library
 Friedell Middle School, Rochester: about 100 books for school library
 Ben Franklin Elementary School, Rochester: 50 books to Mr. Greseth’s fifth grade room
 Rochester Central Lutheran School, Rochester: about 600 books for school library.
 Aldrich Nursery School, Rochester: picture books and tapes
 PAIIR Rochester Public Schools: picture books and tape
 Hawthorne Education Center: books on adult literacy
 Read with me books program for every baby born in Olmsted County
 Imagination Library: In each Read with Me bag, the family receives an application to get a free book every month for five years from Dolly Parton’s program
 Language Sprouts, St. Paul, MN: about 600 foreign language books and VHS tapes
 Korean Charter School, St. Paul/Mpls: 50 Korean children’s picture books (opening 2012)
 Channel One Food Shelves, Rochester: approximately 250 books per week are given out
 Community Food Response, Rochester: approximately 350 books per month are given out
 Rochester Kiwanis Clubs 75 books for book drive and distribution
 Gift of Life Transplant House, Rochester: program just started
 Hope Lodge, Rochester: approximately 25 audiobooks
 Intajuice, Rochester: approximately 50 books
 Olmsted County Detention Center and Jail: books for inmates
 Dunn Brother’s Coffee, Rochester: about 300 books for customers to take
Operation Paperback: over 3000 books have been distributed to soldiers across the world and their families
 The Retreat, Wayzata, MN: books on addition treatment for programs
 Wabasha Motel and RV: books for lobby bookshelf
 Red Lake Indian Reservation, Red Lake, MN: about 150 books for early childhood education program
 Wit, Wisdom and Wine Gala: library books for silent auction at fundraiser.

November Second Saturday Sale

2011-11-28T11:45:00.000-06:00

RECORD SALE

On Saturday, November 12, 2011, the Bookstore had $971.88 in sales. Why the big day? We had a 2^nd Saturday Sale in the lobby, the focus being on unique, collectible and nostalgic books. Special thanks go out to Pat Stephenson for organizing and running the sale. Thanks also go to Carol Smyrk, Dana Gilbertson, and Ruth Mangan who helped set-up and worked during the sale. And the sales couldn’t run smoothly without excellent cashiers at the register, so thanks to Mary Anderson and Phyllis Hodgson. The Bookstore is richer (pun intended) for the time you have spent volunteering!

Pictured above:

Dana Gilbertson, Carol Smyrk, and Pat Stephenson.

So Don't Miss our NEXT Second Saturday Sale - December 10th

From the Library Director

2011-11-27T12:41:00.000-06:00

As we highlight the READ posters and celebrate local
readers, I thought I would share some of my favorite
reads with you.
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin. I learned a great deal from this book: history, politics, and leadership. I found the presidential nomination process of the day fascinating. Lincoln’s ability to work through incredibly
difficult political situations was inspiring. Even though I knew how the book would turn out, I began to understand why he is the great man so beloved by so many. I listened to this one on CD, and after I was done, I missed Abraham Lincoln on my commute to work.
The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Colllins (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay) This is the story of a futuristic North America where 12 districts are ruled by “The Capitol”. The Capitol rules with an iron fist and maintains its power with an annual death match that pit two teens drawn by lottery from each of the districts in a fight to the death. All of the novels have strong characters and a compelling story.
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz (Also The Revenge of the Spellmans, Curse of the Spellmans, and The Spellmans Strike Again) This is a laugh out loud series about a dysfunctional, but loveable, family of private investigators who spend more time investigating each other than doing business.
The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. I read this series to my daughter, and now I am reading it to my son. I can’t tell you how much I’ve enjoyed the books because it has been fun for all of us (even the second time around ). As I recently sat next to my daughter at the midnight premier of Deathly Hallows part 2, I was excited to share the experience with her. She reread Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in the week before the premier. We have these wonderful conversations that compare the books to the movies. At 3:00 am we stood in the kitchen and reread the last the last chapter together and discussed it. Anything that gets kids that excited about reading is fantastic in my eyes.
Whether you read for information, for fun, to create experiences with your children, it doesn’t matter …
READ!
Audrey Betcher, Rochester Public Library Director

300,000 Imagination Library books

2011-11-26T11:49:00.000-06:00

300,000 Imagination Library books
This month of November, somewhere in Olmsted County, a child will receive the 300,000th book delivered through the United Way of Olmsted County partnership with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. The link is to an ABC news article that provides many of the details. Remember books make wonderful holiday gifts for your children! And the deals in our Bookstore and at the Holiday Sale are amazing. Create a reader today!

Wit, Wisdom and Wine

2011-11-25T13:48:00.000-06:00

John Kruz and Heather Engh from Blue Moon Ballroom will be demonstrating the Salsa at the 11th annual Wit, Wisdom and Wine fundraising event on Saturday, January 14, 2012.

Salsa and Latin Dance

John and Heather, dance instructors at the Blue Moon Ballroom, will introduce you to the exciting world of Salsa & Latin Dance. They will give a hot demonstration, a fun lesson, and explain the background and health benefits of Salsa & Latin Dance. Did you know that the average person can burn 420 calories in one hour dancing Salsa? Anyone can learn to “Salsa”, so join John and Heather to find out how you can have fun and stay fit at the same time.

Tracy McCray will be presenting at the 11th annual Wit, Wisdom and Wine fundraising event on Saturday, January 14, 2012.

20 years with Tracy McCray

After twenty years on the airwaves at KROC FM and AM along with the last few years as the Talk of the Town columnist for the Rochester Post Bulletin, Tracy McCray has just about heard it all. She’ll discuss the best and worst guest stories, the most memorable on-air gaffes (there are more than she’d like to remember!) and the most asked questions. PLUS you get to ask your own questions too.

Lee Aase will be presenting at the 11th annual Wit, Wisdom and Wine fundraising event on Saturday, January 14, 2012.

Social Media

Lee Aase is director of the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media, a first-of-its-kind social media center focused on health care, which builds on Mayo Clinic’s leadership among health care providers in adopting social media tools. Mayo Clinic has the most popular medical provider channel on YouTube and active, popular outposts on Twitter and Facebook. With its News Blog, podcast blog and Sharing Mayo Clinic, a blog that enables patients and employees to tell their Mayo Clinic stories, Mayo has been a pioneer in hospital blogging.
By night, Lee is Chancellor of Social Media University, Global (SMUG), a free online higher education institution that provides practical, hands-on training in social media for lifelong learners.

WWW Save the Date

2011-11-24T12:46:00.000-06:00

The 11th Annual Wit, Wisdom and Wine event will be held on Saturday, January 14, 2012.

We have an amazing line-up of speakers and are rounding up some excellent silent auction items. Stay tuned for more details!

Tim Penny will be presenting at the 11th annual Wit, Wisdom and Wine fundraising event on Saturday, January 14, 2012.

The Blame Game: The Economy and the Election

Incumbent presidents have historically faced tough re-election odds in tough economic times. Will this pattern play out again in 2012? In 2008, then candidate Obama surged past John McCain, his campaign fueled by voter desire for “change” in the midst of a recession and the aftermath of a financial industry melt-down. Looking back over the past four years and ahead to November, how will Obama’s economic record influence this year’s election? More importantly, does either party have the formula for economic success? And, are voters prepared to support a candidate who tells some hard economic truths? As this year’s campaign unfolds, it is certain that both political parties will play the “blame game.” But come November, who will the voters blame?

Friends Book Store Sale and Bookstore Hours

2011-11-22T12:30:00.000-06:00

DON'T FORGET: WHITE WEDNESDAY BOOK SALE
In the FRIENDS' BOOKSTORE!!! AMAZING DEALS YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS!
BEAT THE BLACK FRIDAY CROWD!!

REMINDER
The Friends Bookstore will be closed
Thursday the 24th and Friday the 25th to celebrate THANKSGIVING!
We will reopen normal hours on Saturday November 26th.

Monday: 10 am-7 pm
Tuesday: 10 am-4 pm
Wednesday: 10 am-7 pm
Thursday: 10 am-7 pm
Friday: 10 am-4 pm
Saturday:
Winter 10 am-4 pm
Sunday:
Winter 1:30 pm-4:30 pm

Silent Auction - Holiday Sale

2011-11-22T10:21:00.000-06:00

A wonderful new addition to our REPURPOSING books! This unique table lamp will be available as a SILENT AUCTION Item at our Holiday Book and Bake Sale on December 3,4th (Saturday and Sunday) in the Library auditorium. Bidding will start at $50. It is a perfect bedside reading lamp! It would make a GREAT GIFT in this holiday season. All proceeds benefit the library, and it is a donation for those end of the year taxes!

Friends' Bookstore book sale

2011-11-20T11:30:00.000-06:00

Book review -night strangers

2011-11-19T14:40:00.000-06:00

Chris Bohjalian The Night Strangers (2011)

This was a new Vermont author for me- I was very excited to find him in the mystery section with an entire series to read. My first reaction was how had I missed him!? The first chapter was riveting, well written, and quite intriguing, especially with the local detail of my home state. I do not normally read about airplane crashes, so there was some trepidation, but after having become a pilot myself, his information was pitch perfect and interesting. I was sucked into this book, recognizing people, locations, seasons, traditions....until it hit me. He is Vermont's answer to Stephen King....oh no! How was I going to finish this? I am often told that King's books are "just fantasy Helen not real!" Ha. His books are peopled with characters I am very familiar with in my everyday living! Which makes it extremely scary to think my next door neighbor is an axe murderer, bodies are buried in the cellar or back yard....and I did have a car that was nearly Christine.... I like sleeping at night so often avoid King's novels....(loved Shawshank, highly recommend his book on writing, enjoyed many of his short stories, but am NOT going to convert to horror anytime soon...).

So what was I doing in the middle of The Night Strangers??? I panicked- I went to the last three chapters, trying to avoid some of the nightmares. I did figure it out fairly correctly, but still didn't sleep well for two nights.... I do not know what distinguishes some of the horror genre from mystery...Many of John Connolly's books are equally disturbing with similar violence and supernatural, but I would recommend each and every one. He is an extraordinary Irish writer! His latest The Burning Soul continues the story of Charlie Parker (please read in order!!)

I loved reading Bohjalian's bio online - recommend checking out a number of his sites. I had not made the connection to one of his first books : Midwives (1998) about a rural VT midwife Sibyl Danforth, which was selected as an Oprah Book and won the NE Book Award (2002). Bohjalian lives in a small Vermont town (pop 900) and found his writing voice here. He is known for thoughtful characters making the reader interested in their stories. Which is why I did finish the book The Night Strangers, as I needed to know what happened, not necessarily all that happened! I enjoyed reading that the Night Strangers was a ghost story inspired by a door in his own basement (definitely the kind of door that I don't want to find, and one that he said he boarded up and hoped the walls of his house didn't bleed). He has long been a fan of ghost stories; the only book he owns from his childhood is Edgar Alan Poe's Great Tales.

HWM

Crafters Needed to Repurpose Books

2011-11-18T12:31:00.000-06:00

Crafters Needed
Several of the volunteers and library staff members have been working on note cards and blank cards to
sell in the Bookstore. The Friends would like additional volunteers who like to work on craft projects
to step forward and create note cards, journals, matchbooks, or anything else that you fancy! The spiral notebooks pictured here were made with book covers from books that were too damaged for the store. If you are interested in helping with this project, contact Elizabeth Ritman.
The crafters met for the first time on September 6, and have continued to meet monthly to exchange ideas, help with other crafts (some add ribbons, others stickers, etc!) but would welcome new members. The group would also be glad for any donations of ribbon, yarn,beads, and buttons. Most of the work is accomplished at home, meetings are not mandatory, but we are looking for crafts especially to sell during the holiday season!

Friends Publicity Meetings

2011-11-17T12:35:00.000-06:00

by Majel Hall, Publicity Chair
First, the good news: More people have discovered our great auditorium sales and our bookstore.
However, there are still those who do not know about our fabulous book bargains.
President Elizabeth Ritman has called the Friends Publicity Committee to co-ordinate both print and electronic media. Those in attendance in at least one meeting were: Mary Barret, Barbara Eakins, Ginny Erbe, Nan Frie, Majel Hall, Helen McIver, Elizabeth Ritman, Pat Stephenson and Bruce Witts.
There has been a problem of different times posted for our auditorium sales. We decided that our sales
chair, Bruce Witt, in collaboration with Ginny Erbe, library electronic communications, will decide on the official dates and times. Electronic communications such as web sites, blogs, twitter, myspace and Facebook are increasingly valuable for our publicity. Helen McIver, Eugenia Dragonmir-Daescu and Ginny Erbe are updating all library events and a growing number of people are checking these sites. We are still using our Bulletin Board located in the Library Foyer, which is being maintained by Helen McIver and Julie Taylor.
Bookstore manager, Mary Barrett, also has been expanding publicity through media and print announcements. Besides using our ever faithful Paige Turner, Mary and Pat make bookmarks with our sale dates and times to give out to our bookstore customers. The bookstore distributes sale posters. Mary and Pat Stephenson have also handled the Second Saturday sale promotion.
The publicity committee is mainly a brain-storming group, to think of projects to bring money to the library. President Elizabeth Ritman tries to keep everything orderly, while our secretary, Barbara Eakins, is intent on capturing all the ideas flying around the table.

Please let us know if you have any ideas that you would like to see implemented, or if you would like to volunteer on any of our various projects. We can always use new Friends!

Book Review: Tag Man

2011-11-16T14:41:00.000-06:00

Archer Mayor. Tag man (2011)
At last! This is Mayor's first book to make the NYTimes best seller list, and frankly I thought at least a dozen previous mysteries should have been there.
There are 22 novels featuring VT detective Joe Gunther, with details and interesting descriptions of modern Vermont life. This is a particularly creepy chapter of the series with an intriguing character that breaks into people's homes for several hours, seemingly taking nothing, but leaving his calling card 'Tag'. He obviously has a penchant for gourmet food (champers and caviar!) as he chooses affluent houses with well stocked fridges. But then he stumbles on nasty secrets and has to run for his life, while also protecting his daughter. The reader soon learns his identity, as well as develops an affinity for him (which I thought would be nearly impossible after the chapter describing what he does inside peoples houses). There is continued development of all the main characters in this series, which is why I often recommend reading these in order. Interestingly, there were clues perhaps to the next book in the series! If you are a fan of Lucas Davenport or Alan Banks, these mysteries should appeal to you.

Mayor received 2004 the NE Independent Booksellers Assoc Award for best fiction, the first time a crime novel has ever been honored Mayor is also a death investigator for Vt chief medical examiner, deputy Sheriff for Windham County, and an investigator for the Wyndham county state attorney office as well as volunteer firefighter EMT. He appeared in a number of independent booksellers in Vt recently including the Galaxy Bookshop in Hardwick, and Bear Pond books in Montpelier. Up next Mayor will appear at the Fairfax Library on November 17th. In December (10th) he will be in Manchester Vt and on the 11th at the Yankee Bookshop in Woodstock, Vt. Most events are free and open to the public. Check his website for future signings or readings.

HWM

READ Dr. Jack

2011-11-16T12:44:00.000-06:00

Dr. Jack, a miniature pinscher, is a therapy dog that works in the Mayo Clinic’s rehabilitation team. He even has a book written about him! Dr. Jack the Helping Dog by Matt Dacy.
For more information about Dr. Jack, visit the Mayo Clinic’s website.

Friends Holiday Sale

2011-11-15T12:48:00.000-06:00

This is an exceptional sale of gift quality books that would be PERFECT for those special Christmas presents, gifts for people who love to read, Children's books at great prices, PLUS our fabulous baked goods from our great Volunteers, Friends and Library staff. You won't want to miss either day of the sale (shop early, shop often!!). We will also have repurposed book crafts for sale, including journals, calendars, photo holders, notebooks and other items.

Preserving History at the Library

2011-11-14T12:37:00.000-06:00

The Rochester Public Library’s archival collection of county histories and city directories (similar to phone books, but with more information) are ideal resources for helping researchers find answers to their historical questions about Rochester and Olmsted County. These directories can trace home ownership, school or organization history, and even where the name “Kutzky” came from.
Unfortunately, the Library’s original copies of these irreplaceable, sometimes hundred-year-old-plus documents have deteriorated from use through the years. Very few copies of them are in existence anywhere. Thanks to a generous donation from the Rochester Public Library Foundation (RPLF) and an enthusiastic volunteer, these volumes are not only being saved from further wear and tear, but are also being made available digitally to historians (and the merely curious) via the Library’s website.
A digital book scanner was purchased in 2011 with RPLF funds. This machine allows scanning of pages very easily, without harming the book’s spine. Images can be saved in a variety of quality levels and formats (such as .pdf, .jpg. or .tif). Once scanned, these images can then be run through an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) program to convert the image to text and become a searchable document that can be read online. This scanner is available for public use and is located on the second floor of the library—a flash drive is needed to save the scans.
Bryan Graves, the son of Ginny and John Graves, is the library volunteer who faithfully comes twice a week to scan books and documents for the library so they can be loaded onto the Internet.
For the past three years, Bryan has participated in Supported Employment, a program of PossAbilities of Southern Minnesota. Since he likes to hang out at Barnes & Noble in his free time, he approached his job coach, Sharon, about working at the Library. Sharon met with Rochester Public Library’s volunteer coordinator, Marilyn Campbell, to find a project for Bryan. His first library task was to re-label thousands of magazines so issues could be checked out. With the assistance of Hilary, Katie, and Kim, his current job coaches, Bryan was able to move to the scanning project when the magazines were finished.
Because of Bryan’s desire for perfection and his ease with repetition, he is especially suited to scanning projects. Bryan carefully scans each page ; the straighter the scan, the better the OCR program will convert to correct text. A single directory may have over 600 pages. That’s a lot of scanning!
Because he can use the new book scanner, push the buttons and work on a computer, Bryan thinks the scanning project is much more enjoyable than labeling magazines or his sometime job at the PossAbilities center, shredding paper.
Bryan lived in North Carolina before moving to Rochester 13 years ago. He is a John Marshall graduate who loves animation, especially the original Bugs Bunny cartoons and the older Transformers films.
Bryan is doing something the Library couldn’t afford to do without his help. To have the directories professionally prepared would cost about $320 per book. Bryan is making a valuable contribution to preserving the history of the community and making it available worldwide.
City directories from 1873 to 1929 are available from the Public Library website as well as some histories of Olmsted County from 1866 and 1910. Plans are to add additional directories when copyright permits, it as well as various other historical Rochester and library related documents.
Search and view this digital history collection at http://cdm16080.contentdm.oclc.org

Friends Membership

2011-11-13T12:35:00.000-06:00

Recently you may have received our annual membership letter asking you for financial support. Stop by the Library or the Bookstore if you did not receive this mailing and ask to join! We are grateful for your partnership with us, especially in this challenged economy.
Your annual dues and contributions are important because they help the Friends and the Library (and hence the community) in many ways: buying or replacing equipment, sponsoring innovative programming, promoting early childhood literacy, etc.

What will we do for you in return?
You get a 20% discount on used books at the Friends Book Store,

early admission to the RochesterFest book sale and other sales,
plus four newsletters throughout the year to keep you informed about Friends activities.
Please be generous. Your renewed commitment to the Library and the Friends is urgently needed and will be deeply appreciated.

Your donation is tax deductible.
Thank you.

READ MN Crime Wave

2011-11-12T12:43:00.000-06:00

Established in the fall of 2000, the Minnesota Crime Wave consists of mystery writers Ellen Hart, Carl Brookins, and William Kent Krueger. Between them they have published more than thirty novels and have received nearly two dozen local, regional, and national awards for their writing. They have toured the country several times, presenting over a hundred events and workshops at libraries, bookstores, conferences, and book festivals.
We have a fabulous author visit with them - well over 100 people attended this event and thoroughly enjoyed their readings, discussion, chats and photographs! Thanks to Katherine and Mary B for baking such wonderful cookies! A double treat!
Don't forget the Bookstore often carries the titles of these authors, as well as MANY more MN authors (and even more mystery writers!) at incredible prices. See you there!

Second Saturday Book Sale

2011-11-11T16:24:00.000-06:00

Don't Miss the Second Saturday Book Sale!

We have a WONDERFUL selection of books!
There are also two carts of VHS tapes!
Attic Treasures, Interesting Collectibles, Fascinating Children's books, some coffee table books, unusual and rare books...ETC

PERFECT TIME TO START SHOPPING FOR CHRISTMAS!

Alphabet Authors - Vermont

2011-11-10T21:19:00.000-06:00

I love the literary alphabet game that the Library plays most Fridays on facebook - so here is one for the State of Vermont....
Vermont authorsA Laurie Alberts, George Aiken
B Chris Bohjalian, Frank Bryan, Joseph Battell
C David Carkeet
D Deane Davis
E Marc Estrin
F Dorothy Canfield Fisher, Robert Frost
G Thomas C. Greene, Bill Gove
H John Hall
I John Irving
J Charles Johnson
K Francis Parkinson Keyes, Madeleine Kunin
L Jeffrey Lent, Patrick Leahy
M David Mamet, Archer Mayor, George Perkins Marsh
N Howard Norman
O Joseph Olshange
P Jay Parini, Noel Perrin, Annie Proulx
Q
R Rowland Robinson
S Bernie Sanders
T J T Trowbridge, Tasha Tudor
U
V RD Veitch
W Conrad Wells
X
Y Agatha Young
Z Sharon Zeechinelli

Anyone to fill in the blanks?

"If I wake up and I am still in Vermont, it is a good day"

Second Saturday Sale

2011-11-10T16:20:00.000-06:00

Shop early for Christmas!! Pat will open the store at 10am this Saturday, with Paige and Carol! If you have any questions, or a favourite book you would like to give as a gift, please ask. They may have a copy! This sail only lasts til 1pm - so don't miss it!!

Picture It Craft Day

2011-11-10T12:52:00.000-06:00

On October 20th, 25 Rochester kids between 10-18 joined us for this fun afternoon of photo related crafts projects to make and take home. We have some very crafty people at the Library. The Friends purchased the supplies for the photo albums, picture frames, magnets and other items. Everyone had a great time! Do think about signing up for another youth programme!

READ @ your library

2011-11-09T11:00:00.000-06:00

Amor & Jur Kucha [pronounced “Koo-cha”] hail from South Sudan, E. Africa; but since the late 1990’s, and their marriage in October of `99, they’ve been proud to call Minnesota their home. Jur is a translator at Mayo Clinic, and Amor is employed by Reichel Foods; but their full-time jobs (on different shifts!) coupled with rearing four active children, ages ranging from 3 to 11, seem to leave them with little time for such pleasurable activities as reading. “But our children love the Library and are good readers,” says Amor with a mother’s pride. Jur has been very busy this year helping to rally the local Sudanese-American community to be supportive of his native region’s newly achieved independence. The Kuchas join other new Americans who still celebrate their homeland, while being active members of the Rochester community.

Friends Bookstore

2011-11-08T16:28:00.000-06:00

November is Mystery Month! Not just our local MN crime authors, but so many more wonderful writers in this genre. We have a great display of mysteries, with new arrivals into the Bookstore every day, in so many categories.

Book Review - First Comes Marriage

2011-11-08T09:02:00.000-06:00

Book Review

First Comes Marriage

Mary Balogh

So last week the call went out over our Facebook page wanting to know if anyone was a romance novel reader and could do areview. Hmmm…It’s been a while forme, but I could use some fun and fluff reading. But where in the world to start? Historical Romance? Contemporary Romance? Paranormal Romance? Historical Western Romance? What in the world are people reading? What do they want to know?

After an exhaustive search of the library’s e-bookcollection and several top 150 book lists, I finally settled on Mary Balogh’s First Comes Marriage. I’d neverread any of Balogh’s books so I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I had really hoped was to findsomething I could review that would be interesting enough to lure in some ofthe most voracious romance readers, as well as tame enough that one could recommend it toher mother without worrying that she’d be shocked at the content. First Comes Marriage definitely fitthose requirements.

Set in England during the Victorian Era, First ComesMarriage is the first in a series of six “Huxtable” novels about a young familyof three adult sisters pulled from the class of commoners and elevated to thearistocracy when their younger brother inherits an earldom. At the center of the story is Vanessa Dew (nee Huxtable), a young widow accepted as the “Plain Jane” of the family.

Though she lacks the physical beauty of her two sisters,Vanessa’s inner beauty shines through in her every word and through herendless sense of humor. Basically,those around her become easily enamored by her contagious laugh and ability tofind joy in the smallest of things.

Through a series of events and for the sake of convenience,Vanessa marries the stoic and humorless Elliot, Viscount of Lyndon, and nowhas a huge task in front of her with her new husband. Can she help him find his sense of humor? Can she teach him to be happy and findjoy in the world around him? Canshe teach him to love?

While First Comes Marriage certainly follows the prescribedformula of most romance novels, I found the characters to be well-developed andinteresting, and the overall story to be compelling. Simply stated, I enjoyed it and found it to be an nicechange from what I’ve been reading lately.

First Comes Marriage is available at the Rochester Public Library in paperback format, or through SELCO in e-book and downloadable audio format.

For more information about this book or the author, visit her website by following this link.

~ Catherine H. Armstrong

Second Saturday Sale

2011-11-07T09:43:00.000-06:00

It is never too early to shop for Christmas, especially if it is books. Saturday the 12th November the Friends' Bookstore is having a special Saturday sale with collectible, unusual, special, older books. Here are a few examples of sets, children's books, and fiction that will be available. We will highlight a few on similar posts this week. Call ahead if you see something you really want! REMEMBER Friends get a discount off their purchases. There has never been a better time to become a Friend of the Rochester Publich Library!

TODAY - SUNDAY

2011-11-06T09:41:00.000-06:00

Don't forget to Join Paige TURNER in the Library Auditorium this afternoon for what promises to be a brilliant discussion with favourite MN authors! All this and cookies too!

Can't you tell Paige loves these events? I would love to see her wardrobe closet!! What's next?!

Book Review - Darkly Dreaming Dexter

2011-11-05T21:06:00.000-05:00

Book Review

Darkly Dreaming Dexter

Jeff Lindsay

What could be better than a fast-paced crime novel narratedby a serial killer? Not much,unless that serial killer isn’t even the one committing the crimes.

Adopted and raised by a well-respected cop, Dexter Morganknows the ins and outs of the police department and has been carefully groomedto commit the perfect crime and to not get caught. As a blood-spatter analyst for the same police force, Dextercontinues to watch and learn as mistakes are made by other killers, and he hasbecome the self-proclaimed “perfect monster.” But there’s a catch: Dexter isn’t what you might expect from a serial killer. He only kills other monsters; those whoprey on the innocent and who escape the justice system through technicalitiesand legal missteps. He is, effectively,the final judge, jury and executioner.

Now his sister, Deborah, is on the force and pushing againstthe good-old boys to be taken seriously and earn a position as detective, andit’s up to Dexter to help her. Butas Deborah struggles to solve the latest serial killer’s crimes, Dexterrealizes that the brilliance of this same killer speaks to him on levels heneither understands, nor wishes to admit; and it becomes increasingly moredifficult for Dexter to keep his extracurricular activities a secret.

With a completely enjoyable and thoroughly charmingnarrator, Darkly Dreaming Dexter is fast-paced and downright witty inplaces. More than once I caughtmyself laughing out loud at Dexter’s dry humor, and almost wishing I couldcrawl inside the book to get to know him better.

Fans of a good crime novel will likely enjoy this book; andfans of the Showtime series Dexter will both enjoy it and find manysimilarities between this book and the first season of the TV show.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter is the first in a series of sixDexter Morgan books by Jeff Lindsay, all of which are available through thelibrary. Don’t have time toread? Skip to the Showtime serieson DVD, all of which are also available at the library.

For more information about the author or this enjoyableseries of books, visit the Random House website dedicated to these books byfollowing this link.

~ Catherine H. Armstrong

MN Crime Writers

2011-11-05T09:38:00.000-05:00

You will recognize this great team of MN CRIME WRITERS! Join us in the Library Auditorium on Sunday November 6th for a brilliant literary afternoon (with amazing cookies from Library staff!)

Looking for something to do this coming Sunday?

How about attending the Minnesota Crime Wave - especially you Mystery Crime readers.

Sunday November 6, 2011

2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Library Auditorium

Established in the fall of 2000, the Crime Wave consists of mystery writers Ellen Hart, Carl Brookins and William Kent Krueger. Between them they have published more than 30 novels and have received nearly 2 dozen local, regional and national awards for their writing. They have toured the country several times, presenting over a hundred events and workshops at libraries, bookstores, conferences and book festivals.

Remember the Friends help sponsor the Author Series - Go and Enjoy!

Book Review - The Language of Flowers

2011-11-04T16:35:00.001-05:00

Book Review

The Language of Flowers

Vanessa Diffenbaugh

How does one begin to trust after a lifetime ofbetrayals? Is it possible for oneto be trusted after a lifetime of one’s own lies and deceit? These are the questions that VictoriaJones struggles to answer in The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh.

Orphaned at birth and processed through the foster caresystem her entire life, Victoria has finally reached the age of majority andhas aged out of the foster care system. Completely on her own for the first time, she must learn to land on herfeet and make it on her own, or face certain homelessness and starvation. At a time when most young womenare just discovering who they are or who they want to be, Victoria must makethese discoveries while simultaneously shouldering the burden of her ownsuccess or failure in a world that has thus far shown more cruelty thankindness.

With no money, no education and no support system in placeto help her, Victoria turns to the only good thing she’s ever known: The nearly forgotten language offlowers -- a language created by the Victorians as a means to express theiremotions through flowers.

Is it true that “A rose is a rose is a rose” as GertrudeStein once argued? Are things really exactly as they seem to be, or might therebe more to be discovered below the surface? As Victoria struggles to answer these questions forherself, she is forced to admit to her own culpability in the trail of youthfuldestruction she has left behind.

The Language of Flowers is a beautiful story thatintertwines Victoria’s past with her present, and teaches us all the importantlesson that we sometimes must make peace with our past in order to look forwardto a bright future.

This title is available in standard and e-book format at thelibrary. For more information onthis first novel by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, visit the Random House websitededicated to this book by following this link.

~ Catherine H. Armstrong

Literary Calendar - November

2011-11-04T08:57:00.001-05:00

Literary November
November 5 - Book Editors Day
November 6 - Book Lover's Day (first Saturday in November)
November 12 - One Million Books Day
November - National Children's Book Week (third week of November)
November 30 - Steal This Book Day

There are perhaps no days of our childhood that we lived as fully as those spent with a good book. Marcel Proust
There is no substitute for books in the life of a child. Mary Ellen Chase

Novermber 11^th Veterans Day/Rembrance day (the Bookstore and Library will be closed)

November 24^th Thanksgiving (NB: save the date for Black Friday in the Bookstore!)

Book Review - The Buddha in the Attic

2011-10-29T09:35:00.000-05:00

Book Review

The Buddha in the Attic

Julie Otsuka

I’m not sure where the old saying “Don’t judge a man untilyou’ve walked a mile in his shoes” originated, but I can tell you that there isno advice better suited to describe Julie Otsuka’s The Buddha in the Attic thanthose time-honored words of wisdom.

Written in first person plural, The Buddha in the Attic iseasily one of the most unique books I’ve ever read. It tells the story of a generation of Japanese women as theycome to America to pursue better lives with husbands they’ve never met.

The entire book contains not a single line of dialogue, andthere is no main character. Rather, the main character is a collective population of firstgeneration Japanese Americans as they discover that the “better life” theysought in the United States simply was not available to them.

Rather than reading like a traditional novel with plenty ofrich characters and a clearly defined plot, story climax and resolution, The Buddhain the Attic reads more like a long essay illustrating the collectiveexperiences and lack of equality of the Japanese immigrants in America. And yet, in spite of (or maybe becauseof) the writing style, I found the book strangely compelling and absolutelyfascinating.

Though there was no one main character, the collective castof transient characters is so richly described that the reader has nodifficulty being drawn into the story and identifying with every single one ofthe faces whose lives and experiences are described within the pages.

The Buddha in the Attic is a very short read and would be agreat choice for book clubs, as the story lends itself well to thought and discussion. Copies are available at the library instandard, e-book and audio book format.

To learn more about this book, visit the author’s website at http://www.julieotsuka.com/.

~ Catherine H. Armstrong

Visiting Author - Mary Lethert Wingerd

2011-10-27T10:24:00.000-05:00

Visiting Author, Mary Lethert Wingerd
Sunday, October 30th at 2:00 p.m.
Library Auditorium

Join us on Sunday, October 30th at 2:00 pm in the library auditorium to meet author Mary Lethert Wingerd.

Wingerd is an Associate Professor of History at St. Cloud University, and is the author of North Country: The Making of Minnesota, as well Claiming the City: Politics, Faith and the Power of Place in St. Paul.

Following the author presentation, there will be a walking tour of Indian Heights Park in Northwest Rochester.

Admission is free and open to the public.

Keep Reading Banned Books

2011-10-25T14:01:00.000-05:00

In celebration of Banned Books week, library staff posed for photos with the top ten challenged books of 2010.
#6 Lush by Natasha FriendReasons: drugs, sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group

#8 Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich
Reasons: drugs, inaccurate, offensive language, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint

You can buy many of the banned books in the Friends' Bookstore.

Book Review - The First Day of the Rest of My Life

2011-10-21T21:03:00.000-05:00

Book Review

The First Day of the Rest of My Life

Cathy Lamb

Cathy Lamb is easily the most gifted storyteller I've encountered in all of my adult years of reading. She intuitively knows people, relationships and life experiences; and each of her many books pulls the reader in almost immediately with a story that not only catches the attention, but wraps the reader so tightly in the cocoon of the story that the reader begins to feel like a member of the main character's intimate circle of friends. The First Day of the Rest of My Life is no exception, and is an example of a great author at her best.

This book focuses on the lives of Madeline and Annie O'Shea, two adult sisters still learning to overcome the emotional damage of the most heinous crimes against children that anyone could ever imagine. They've grown up and become successful young women, but the abuse they suffered as children permeates every aspect of their daily lives.

Given the premise of this book, one might think that the book is a gut-wrenching story about the abuse of two young girls, but it's so much more than that! It's a story about love; familial love, romantic love and the love of good friends. And, ultimately, it's a story about owning your past so that you can take control of your future.

Intertwined with the core of the story is a group of unforgettable characters and rich humor that only Cathy Lamb could bring to such a serious subject matter. Their mother, grandparents, childhood friends and adult acquaintances are people we all know - or wish we knew - and lend just enough humor to the story to keep the reader from suffocating in the terrible trauma that was Madeline and Annie's lives. Beautifully written and a story that won't soon be forgotten by the reader.

To read more about The First Day of the Rest of My Life, follow this link. For more information about Cathy Lamb or to find a listing of her other amazing novels, visit her website at www.cathylamb.net.

~ Catherine H. Armstrong

Unusual and Special BOOKS Display

2011-10-21T08:41:00.000-05:00

We have an amazing eclectic selection of older unusual and special books - come browse our display case and find a special gift. It is never too early to start thinking about that Christmas gift that has eluded you in the past! This display changes monthly so don't miss out!

Murals in the Library

2011-10-19T13:50:00.000-05:00

by Heidi Preslicka

It was almost two years ago that we received a phone call from a library requesting to have a mural for their children’s section. This would be our first library job, and we were thrilled. After creating murals in several day cares, dentist offices, activity centers, and homes, Greg was ready for the creativity and challenge that a library mural would offer.
My name is Heidi Preslicka; my husband is Greg Preslicka, a Minnesota artist. He creates large-scale wall murals that grace almost 50 rooms throughout Minnesota. We work together to run our small business. Greg creates the artwork, and I do the bookkeeping, marketing, and project management. For twenty years we have worked together in our graphic design studio in our home. However, three years ago, when the economy started to affect our business, we needed more work. We decided Greg should try painting wall murals in our children’s rooms. He has been doing art all his life, so this work wasn’t far off from his experience. The murals’ large-scale offered a new challenge for Greg. The murals turned out great and so, “The Big Picture” was born. Greg created a logo, a website, and I got to work marketing our business. Now, Greg enjoys the balance of working at his computer doing graphic design AND getting out of the office to do what he truly loves - painting. Now, over one third of our work is murals.

Murals can transform a space – whether it is an office, library, daycare, school, fitness studio, a bedroom, or a child’s play room. Murals bring a little bit more fun to a place that is already fun. Recently, Greg completed a large mural in the skyway connecting the Rochester Public Library and the parking ramp. Greg enjoys painting murals in libraries. Not only is he a huge fan of reading, but his job also requires him to keep his imagination flowing and reading helps this process. Greg enjoys children’s books, and he has even written and illustrated several books for our children. His favorite books are non-fiction, but he has recently been enjoying some fiction as well and has also been enjoying the library’s new audio book system.
Since our first library job two years ago, Greg has brought his talent to many Minnesota libraries. A library is the perfect place for a mural; a place where you can enjoy a vast variety of information, learn a new hobby, and read stories. It is a place where your imagination can flow, a place to escape and enjoy. Libraries offer a chance to learn about almost anything in the world - all in one place. The decor in a library should reflect what a library has to offer, this being: history, culture, imagination, relaxation, beauty or a combination of these. Libraries have a similar look with the rows of shelving, but murals are a way to break up the monotony and provide a unique look, making it a more exciting place to venture into. Children love libraries; and adding murals makes it even more special for children and adults. Greg’s murals give you a sense of being in another place. Libraries can take you away to another world with all they have to offer through reading. Greg’s murals do the same and add to this wonderment, whether the mural is of outer space, a tropical island, underwater world, a serene forest, or in the case of the Rochester Skyway mural – a view of the vast diversity within the town of Rochester.

Murals are awe-inspiring and have generated a huge response within every town that Greg has worked. Greg feels honored to create a new work of art each time and he enjoys the process every step of the way. The process begins with meeting our client and discussing their vision. Sometimes our clients do not have a vision, but Greg walks them through these early steps and guides them into a direction they would like to go. After the first meeting Greg creates computer-generated layouts and with his computer, he super-imposes these images into photos of the space. With these images, the layouts appear as if the mural has already been created, giving our clients a chance to make the best choice for their space. Occasionally, our clients wish to see more and Greg will go back to the sketch-pad and computer. He wants our clients to love their mural and he’ll make changes to layouts until they are happy. Sometimes Greg works with a larger group of people. When working with a library board or a committee at a business there are many opinions and ideas that float around. Greg is able to work with a group and bring the discussion back to the goals of the mural and how those goals are going to be best achieved. He helps to guide the group to develop a design that is enjoyed by everyone.
We have received many testimonials about the impact that the murals have had on the businesses we have worked with. It has been an overwhelming response. Those testimonials make this job even more fun. We hope you’ve been able to see the mural both in the skyway and in the children’s section of the Rochester Public Library. Thank you Rochester Public Library for supporting our business and for giving Greg the opportunity to contribute to the beautification of Rochester.
Greg painted two murals in the Rochester Public Library - check out the photos on our Flickr account! Below is a small sample of other murals Greg has painted. Visit The Big Picture to see more of his work.

Picture It! - Youth Craft Program

2011-10-19T11:58:00.000-05:00

The holidays are sneaking up on us, and what better way to get the ball rolling than with a craft class for kids!

Kids between the ages of 10 and 18 are invited to join us for an afternoon of photo-related craft projects! Presented by Lynette Perry, kids will have the opportunity to learn new craft ideas using photographs, and will take their completed projects home with them at the end of the class!

Date: October 20, 2011

Time: 1:00 - 2:30 pm

Location: Library Auditorium

Admission is FREE and all supplies for this class will be provided by the library!

Friends Fall Coffee

2011-10-17T14:06:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, October 25
Library Auditorium

Friends Book Sale

2011-10-16T11:45:00.000-05:00

LAST DAY OF THE BOOKSALE!

The October Auditorium Sale CONTINUES Today

Sunday October 16th (from 1:30-4:00pm)!

We still have a nice selection of fiction and non-fiction paperbacks, hardcover, audiobooks, and other items.

Time to stock up for winter reading at unbeatable prices!!

Our next Book Sale will be the Holiday Sale the first weekend of December.

FALL BOOK SALE

2011-10-14T11:37:00.000-05:00

Fall into a GOOD BOOK SALE:

The October Auditorium Sale will be TWO DAYS this year:

Saturday October 15th (from 9:30am to 5:00pm) and

Sunday October 16th (from 1:30-4:00pm) !

That's TOMORROW! Hope to see you Early for the best selection!

We have a huge selection of fiction and non-fiction paperbacks, hardcover, audiobooks, and other items. Join us (remember Friends get early admission!) for a great sale - time to stock up for winter reading!!

Spine Tingling Books!

2011-10-12T08:38:00.000-05:00

We have a wonderful selection of scary books - mysteries, facts, fiction, sci fi, childrens and young adult and more! Come in to the Friends Bookstore for the BEST PRICES in town! Don't get spooked!

iFilm - Little Sparrows

2011-10-11T10:15:00.000-05:00

Join us tomorrow evening - October 12th - at 6:00 pm in the library auditorium for this month's iFilm production of Little Sparrows.

October 12th at 6:00 pm
Rochester Public Library Auditorium
Admission is Free

Synopsis: In the middle of an Austrialian summer, we meet three grown sisters - Nina, Anna and Christine - who return home for their last Christmas together after learning that their mother's breast cancer has returned. Each daughter must confront personal change and growth, while their mother guides them by revealing a secret of her own.

This film is intended for an adult audience and admission is free.

For more about this film, visit the movie website or follow this link to watch the movie trailer.

Book Review - The Paris Wife

2011-10-09T13:47:00.001-05:00

Book Review

The Paris Wife

Paula McLain

One of my favorite things about being an avid reader is notbeing afraid to pick up a book I know nothing at all about and give it atry. I read so many books that Idon't have to be choosy about what I read; if I don' t like it, then there'salways the next book or the next book after that. With those thoughts in mind, I reserved a copy of TheParis Wife from the Rochester Public Library without knowing anything about it. Its only recommendation came from thefact that there was a long queue of people waiting to read it and, therefore,there must be something redeeming about the story.

And so I began the story of Ernest Hemingway and his firstwife of five years, Hadley; a book I would never have read had I first read thesynopsis on the back cover. I mustadmit, however, that I'd have missed a good read if I'd bypassed this book onthe prejudice of not being interested in the topic.

Paula McLain paints a vivid picture of the 1920s, Paris,Hemingway and their circle of literary friends who live each day by their ownrules and moral standards. In themidst of these people is his wife, Hadley; clearly the most normal and least"entitled" of any in their social set. Her entire focus and goal in life is to be the loving wifeand supportive partner to her narcissistic, self-absorbed husband. "Are you on my side or not?"Hemingway repeatedly asks of Hadley, when what he really means is that to holdany other opinion than his is to be on the "other" side. As a devoted and supportive wife,Hadley is always on her husband's side, regardless of her own personal convictions.

Throughout this book, I vacillated between being completelyirritated with Hadley and her constant need for her husband's approval, andcomplete understanding of the position she had chosen. In a time when the women's movement was at its peak, she haddeliberately cast herself in the more traditional role of submissive wife toher husband. Once there, it becamenearly impossible for her to stand up for herself and her own interests untilrighteous indignation finally forces her hand.

While I originally had no interest in Hemingway or hisworks, I'm now forced to admit that I'd like to know a bit more about the manand his writing, and will soonfind myself testing out one or two of his published works.

The Paris Wife is a book worth reading; and one that wouldappeal to those who follow Hemingway, or who enjoy biographical fiction.

To learn more about The Paris Wife or the author, visitthe Random House website dedicated to this book. It's filled with additional information and photographs of the Hemingway family, as well as many of the landmarks central to the story of The Paris Wife. Also note that, as part the library's Visiting Author Series, Paula McLain will be a guest of the RochesterPublic Library on January 8, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. Mark your calendars nowand stay tuned for more information on this event in the coming months!

~ Catherine H. Armstrong

Book Review - Before I go to Sleep

2011-10-08T16:53:00.000-05:00

Book Review

Before I go to Sleep

S.J. Watson

Mystery and intrigue are the fundamental focus of S.J. Watson's newest thriller, Before I go to Sleep; and, if you're looking for a page-turner, this just might be the next read for you.

The premise of the book is similar to the movie "50 First Dates" with Drew Barrymore. The lead character, Christine Lucas, has suffered a terrible trauma some 20 years ago and, as a result, has completely lost her memory. Every morning she wakes up with no memory of who or where she is. Some days she wakes up believing she's still a child or adolescent, and other days believing she's a young and attractive 20-something woman; and each morning she's shocked to look in the mirror and see a 50-something woman staring back at her. She simply remembers nothing once she falls asleep at night and awakens in the morning, and has to be told each day who she is, who her husband is, and who the important people are in her life.

To tell you more about this book is to give away its secrets, which would be unfair to future readers. Suffice it to say that "somehow" Christine has a feeling that something's not right and must find a way to discover what that something is before she falls asleep each night...or before her life becomes in serious jeopardy.

Definitely a good read, especially if you enjoy problem-solving or anticipating the discovery of what really happened. But don't skip ahead and read the last pages...that's cheating!

This title is available at the Rochester Public Library, but you better get in quickly or you may find yourself waiting in a long queue!

To learn more about this book or other books by this author, visit his website at www.sjwatson-books.com/.

- Catherine H. Armstrong

Visiting Author Series: Bonnie J. Rough

2011-10-08T10:09:00.000-05:00

Paige can't wait, and has patiently waited ;-), to join Bonnie Rough! She has dressed for the occasion and looks forward to welcoming you to this Friends' Event! Hope to see you there TODAY for a very informative session.

Banned Books

2011-10-06T22:09:00.000-05:00

We are continuing Banned Books Week (ended 2 October) with our display case in the Library. These and many other books are available for sale in the Friends Bookstore at unbeatable prices. Now is a good time to catch up on that reading list - Hemingway was banned! (those of you currently reading The Paris Wife); FScott Fitzgerald (calling all MN authors), JK Rowling (Harry Potter!) and SO many others.
Join the Friends in supporting your right to read.

The display illustrates banned books over several years, but the Library also has a number of books with the reasons that books and authors have been banned or challenged. This is not a new phenomenon, but there are more and more challenges every year.

Good News for Kindle Owners!

2011-10-05T13:54:00.000-05:00

The wait is over! Kindle owners now have the option to download ebooks from the library’s digital collection.
Visit our website: http://digital.rochesterpubliclibrary.org/ to browse our collection, download books, and to view tutorials on how it all works.

Mark your calendar!
Thursday, October 20
eBooks and Downloadable Audiobooks
Meeting Room B 4:30 pm
Find out how to check out free eBooks for your eBook Readers (such as the Nook and Sony Reader) and downloadable audiobooks from the library’s collection. Register online, at the first-floor Fiction, Movies and Music desk or by calling 507-328-2305.

Bonnie Rough Interview

2011-10-04T13:45:00.000-05:00

This is an interesting preview to our upcoming author visit - we hope you will join us! There will be lovely light refreshments served before this talk by Friends of the Rochester Public Library. If you are interested in becoming a Friend, please check out our informational brochures, and speak to any of the staff or Friends that will be there.

FALL INTO A GOOD BOOK - SALE

2011-10-03T13:48:00.000-05:00

The October Auditorium Sale will be TWO DAYS this year:

Saturday October 15th (from 9:30am to 5:00pm) and

Sunday October 16th (from 1:30-4:00pm)!

AND REMEMBER
Christmas is coming!! One of our best sales is the Holiday Book and Bake Sale. Add the dates of December 3 and 4th (Saturday and Sunday) to your calendars now so you won't miss it!

Literary Calendar - October

2011-10-02T17:49:00.000-05:00

October is National Book Month. This annual event encourages readers of all ages to enjoy books.

"Embark on the journey of a lifetime, travel to exotic places, mythical lands and experience adventure beyond imagination. Or escape to another era altogether. All without luggage, tickets, a passport or leaving home. All you need is an open mind. And an open book."

Check out the National Book Foundation for additional literary events that are happening all across America.

October 1: National Book It! day
October 7-9: National Storytelling Festival
October 9: Visiting Author Series: Bonnie J. Rough Are you coming? Facebook it!
October 12: Cookbook Launch day
October 15 - 16: Friends of the Library Autumn Book Sale in the Auditorium
October 16 - 22: Teen Read Week