Cool Reads for Hot Days - ICE CREAM!

We have another fantastic Visiting Author - join us on August 9th at the Plummer House to share cake and ice cream with Ellissa Elliot and learn some of her favourite summer reads, what she is currently writing, and other literary tidbits! We will have a number of literary bucket raffles for some noontime fun. Hope to see you there.

Library Closing - Fourth July

Please note that the Friends Bookstore will be closed when the Library is closed for the Fourth of July Holiday (both Sunday and Monday) - Happy Summer Picnics everyone!

Photo contest

Photo contest - - another chance to win a book and a bottle of summer wine!
Don't forget to submit a great photo of your cat reading!!
Official Rules
Must be 21 years of age or over to win the library wine.

The book that he has made renders its author this service in return, that so long as the book survives its author remains immortal and cannot die. Richard de Bury 1281-1345 Philobiblion

Kamala Nair - The Girl in the Garden

Remember Kamala will be at the Rochester Public Library as part of our Visiting Author Series on July 28th, Thursday evening. Save the Date and join us for an interesting programme!

Summer Reading

Celebrate the Reader!

How do you read? Is summer reading different from any other time of year? do you find those hefty paperbacks for the beach? Do you download your books and browse our electronic library instead of our paper one? Do you keep a reading journal?
It is time to Cheer the act of reading itself!
Grab a great book (at our Bookstore!) and slow down, relax and enjoy:
a transformative textbook
a tome of challenging historical fact or fiction
a beguiling memoir
a slim volume of thoughtful poetry
a whirlwind online romance or chic lit
a downloaded mystery/thriller

an audible travel guide for your journey (figerative or literal)
And GUESS  WHAT? they are all available at ridiculous prices in our bookstore, or free at our library!

Author Visit - Elissa Elliott

Tuesday, August 9
12:00 - 1:00 pm
Plummer House

Elissa Elliott, local author of Eve, will be speaking about her writings during a fund-raising event at the Plummer House benefiting the Rochester Public Library. We look forward to her delightful talk as part of our Cool Reads for Hot days! There will be cake and ice cream, as well as interesting book raffles - all in all a delightful way to spend a summer day. Plan to tour the gardens too!
The proceeds from this event will help purchase a new LittleTikes computer for the children’s area of the library.

For more information or to register for the event visit: http://bit.ly/rplbac or call 328-2343.

Rochesterfest BOOKSALE

The last few hours of our huge booksale will take place today. Stop in for amazing deals on some great summer reading!

A wise man will select his books, for he would not wish to class them all under the sacred name of friends. Some can be accepted only as acquaintances. The best books of all kind can be taken to the heart and cherished as his most precious possession. John Alfred Langford (1823-1903)

Rochesterfest Booksale - last few hours!

LAST DAY FOR THE FRIENDS BOOKSALE!! Get your summer reads!!!
We had a great day yesterday with over $2500 (by donation), so help us achieve more funding for the library! Good books are still left, in all categories (travel, mysteries, paperbacks, hardcovers, children's, etc etc etc). There are also FREE Library discards!

Rochesterfest - Special and Unusual Books!

There will be a great collection of some Unusual and Special Books at the Rochesterfest Friends Book Sale!

They have limited hours 10:00 - 2:00 pm on Wednesday and Thursday, June 22 & 23, so be sure to drop in when they are available.

 Presented on Christmas 1881 to Miss Jennie Boyle of Decatur, Michigan, it contains 45 autographs ["May your name be found on the 'page white and fair'."] as well as almost 20 stunningly unused floral-decorated pages.

Summer Reads

Today is officially the first day of summer! Although rainy and cloudy today, the summer solstice is when we get the most hours of sunlight all year (because the North Pole is tilted toward the sun). When did the notion of "summer reading" first appear? American families seldom had leisure time to enjoy a reading weekend or a week even, until the 1960s. Many people refrained from reading as a bluestocking activity;
e.g. brainfever! However, many people read throughout their lives, during the evenings or stolen moments at lunch, on the bus, during the commute (thank you audio books!). Previously the USA had a great literacy rate, with much self-education as life long learning (much of it by candlelight and gaslight!)
The anticipation of a few leisurely summer days gives readers a destination and goal. I always stockpile new books as well as books recommended by others for summer reads. Ok, I always have a pile of books that I want to read! But knowing that many authors will be having their big debuts/sales in the autumn, summer is a time to read for pleasure - anything that takes your fancy. Classics, mysteries, fiction, history, historical thrillers, romance, period pieces, out of print novels, those yard sale delights that you couldn't resist for a dollar (or less!). To say nothing of reading through that stack you collected over winter, kept warm by the promise of sultry summer sunshine. Share your reading lists this summer - please comment! One bookclub just finished reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - and highly recommends it.

Today is also the birthay of Ian McEwan, well known for his book Atonement (and the movie). Several other distinguished novels include Amsterdam (1998), Saturday (2005), On Chesil Beach (2007), and Solar (2010). I love his reading quote: "My ideal state as a reader when I'm reading other people is feeling I'm vaguely wasting my time when I'm not reading that novel."

And we have a winner!

Brandy took a few moments away from reading Hamlet to pose for a photo for the "Well Bred, Well Read" contest.
Congratulations to Barb for submitting the winning photo. She wins her choice of books from the prize tower and a bottle of library wine!
Thanks for participating Barb!

Our next contest is ready to go! Get your cameras and cats ready...

Father's Day

Father's Day, primarily a US holiday, is celebrated on the third Sunday of June (the 19th this year). Father's Day was created by Sonora Smart Dodd, to honor her father, the veteran William Jackson Smart. He was a single parent who reared his six children in Spokane, Washington. The first June Father's Day was celebrated on June 19, 1910. Widespread support was immediate from such figures as William Jennings Bryant. President Wilson Woodrow Wilson was personally feted by his family in 1916. President Calvin Coolidge (Vermont) recommended it as a national holiday in 1924. Finally, in 1966, President Lyndon Johnson made Father's Day a holiday, although it was not officially recognized until 1972.

Consumers have adopted the holiday sending greeting cards and male-oriented gifts such as sports and electronics. Books ALSO make a great gift, and Dad will love the thrifty nature of shopping in our Bookstore! Make a stop and Andy's Liquor and pair a book with our Great Library Wine (a portion of the proceeds supports the Library as well). Mother’s Day is more popular for phone calls than Father's Day, but it is interesting to note that the percentage of collect calls on Father's Day is much higher, making it the busiest day of the year for collect calls. They also talk longer than average phone calls. Don't forget to call!

AND there is always an option of buying your Dad tickets to our Beer tasting event on Tuesday August 9th which is a fundraiser for the Library! Do something different for Father's Day this year! Don't miss it!

Summer Reading Progam

Dear parents,
The Children's Summer Reading program began May 27 and goes through September 3. Encourage your kids to read oat least 12 hours between this time and not only will they get fabulous prizes but they will also gain the benefit that reading provides. That's the real prize, isn't it?
This year, young readers (pre-readers may participate by having an adult read to them) will receive various reading rewards from the Friends of the Library, certificates for a free bowl of noodles from Noodles & Company, a free mini-pizza from Papa Murphy's, a free prize from ABC & Toy Zone, and a bookmark from IBM.
Better hurry, these prizes are first-come, first-served and only while supplies last. Last year there were so many readers that we actually did run out and had to find other prizes to give out. It was a great problem to have, really.

June Photo Contest

New Friends contest: We are still looking for new wine tags for the Rochester Public Library wine. Wine tags are the eye-catching  bling that complement the library wine labels. Creative entries will be considered for future wine labels as well.
Topic: "Well Bred, Well Read!" Submit a photo of your cat for a chance to win a bottle of library wine and a book of your choice off of our prize shelf. Deadline: June 30, 2011. (July's contest will be a well-read pet of any kind - horse, turtle, goat, etc.)
Must be 21 years of age to enter this contest. See official rules.

Speaking of Library Wine... it's still for sale at Andy's Liquor stores. For every bottle purchased (at $9.99)  $1.50 is donated to the Rochester Public Library. You can also get a case discount! (That's 12 bottles of great labels - mix and match.)

Kamala Nair - Video

Don't Miss Kamala at Barnes and Nobles tomorrow (Friday) night for her book launch in Rochester!

Save the Date for July 28th Thursday for her book reading at the Library.

Biographies - Dorothy L Sayers

June 13th is the birth date of one of the great mystery writers of all time: Dorothy L Sayers, best known perhaps for her Lord Peter Wimsey series. I will never forget my first novel of hers and rapidly read my way through all of them. Periodically I reread them, especially after publication of some recent biographical materials. Lately, Jill Paton Walsh has credibly continued the series. (After the drought, it was delightful to be transported back in time).
On the centenary of her birth in 1993, a celebration of her work was published as a collection of essays by various esteemed authors, edited by Alzina Stone Dale. I recently discovered this well hidden in the stacks of our library and highly recommend your perusal. I loved three of the essays by Amanda Cross (Carolyn G Heilbrun), Anne Perry and Sharyn McCrumb. Each brought an interesting perspective and fascinating tidbits about Sayers works, her life and her legacy. Most of the essayists have strong connections to DLS. I always glean something new - CK Chesterton's whimsical The Man who was Thursday was a favourite book of hers (as well as Anne Perry). I need to find the Wimsey Papers as well, to make sure I have read those!
We occasionally have copies in the bookstore; I highly recommend owning your own. Til then, enjoy the Library's copies.

Rochesterfest Book Sale

Our  huge two-day sale featuring tens of thousands of books is held during Rochesterfest in the Library auditorium. This is a perfect chance to find ALL your summer beach reads!

Wednesday, June 22  Book Sale
9:30am - 8:00pm - Auditorium
(Friends have early entry at 9:00 am)

Unusual, Special Booksale
10:00am - 2:00pm
Thursday, June 23 Book Sale
9:30am - 7:30pm - Auditorium

Unusual, Special Booksale

10:00am - 2:00pm

Remember to stop by the Friends' Bookstore with your Rochesterfest button and receive a free book!

Second Saturday Sale - June 11

Join Paige Turner and the Friends

In the Bookstore on Saturday June 11th.

We have so many new arrivals and  great books, we are not holding a special Saturday Sale, but hope you will come into the Bookstore to browse - Don't forget, NEXT weekend is Father's Day and  your Dad could use a great gift from our store! (and don't forget a wonderful beach read for your Mom - or yourself!)

Book Reviews - Biography

It pays to chose (carefully) your biographer!  I recently read two quite distinctive and different biographies - Gregory Maguire wrote a wonderful Appreciation of Maurice Sendak (the author of Where the Wild Things Are). He is of course a distinguished author, eminently readable in any form: essay, children, adult. Delighted to find this on our Library shelves.  Then reading a review of "Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: the unconventional story of Bill Watterson and his revolutionary comic strip" by Nevin Martell (2009), I thought I simply must read this (I subscribed to the International Herald Tribune for years simply because they reran the strips!). The Library copy was immediately available (and shortly had a waiting list as I mentioned it to several people).
But, it wasn't what I was expecting. I respect people's privacy, and certainly never know what is going on in the tabloids. I was hoping however to have some detailed descriptions of his art, the techniques, some critical commentary into his body of works. I will have to further my research to find those essays which exist, but appear not to have been consulted by Martell. Still, I enjoyed the vignette by Berke Breathed, another of my favourite "comic" writers (with Gary Larson of course; an amazing trio in nearly the same decade). I loved being reminded of some of my favourite episodes with Hobbes, Susie and Calvin. Surprised to learn that the decals and other items are pirated - that he insisted nothing ever be commercialised.

Library's new look

There was a slight disturbance in the library for a few weeks in May. As a result, changes have made to the lobby and adjacent space. The large desk where the self-checks used to be was removed and the floor underneath was repaired. A new desk replaces the temporary banquet tables that the self-checks sat on. It will accommodate one handicapped accessible self-check unit. A smaller Fiction, Movies and Music desk was installed. Permanent shelving for the reserve materials was built. Although the location of the library catalog computers has shifted, the number of computers for searching the library’s holdings remains the same.
A keystone in this change is adding more self-check units because of the generosity of the Friends. The additional self-check units will make it more convenient for patrons to check out materials themselves. Currently, there are often lines for the self-check units. When the change is complete, there will be five new self-check units.
The new self-checks will not only provide for two more stations for people to check out materials, but every unit will also have more features than the old ones:
• Each unit will have a credit card swipe enabling people to pay fines and fees at the self-check unit
• The new units are smaller, eleven inches narrower, than the current self-check machines.
• The units are touch screen and will support multiple languages.
• Patrons will be able to see their account information (and even print it or email it) right from the self-check.
• Receipts will be optional.

All the changes are being made to serve the community better. None of this would have happened without your generosity!

Book Reviews - Mysteries

Nicola Upson, An Expert Witness and Angel with Two Faces (2008, 2009).
I just discovered this series, in our Library collection. I cannot wait for the August 9th debut of the third book (And Two For Sorrow - reserve your copy now, behind me! I requested purchase.) And while you are waiting, catch up on the Josephine Tey novels/mysteries so you have some great background reading. She had three pen names, and there are a couple of interesting biographies as well. See especially Catherine Aird's biography.
This mystery series features Josephine Tey, as an author writing her first and second novels (so far) with unfortunate murders complicating her life. The historical detail is accurate, and feels very familiar (particularly after reading the Maisie Dobbs series, although this latter is set slightly earlier). The second novel is set in Cornwall (after the debut novel in the theatre world of London). The descriptions made me feel right at home with my childhood memories. Ms Tey is developing a relationship with Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Archie Penrose, a Cornishman, whom she has known for over 20  years. Their lives have held much tragedy and they are attempting a fresh start to their friendship. Both of these are fairly typical English mysteries, well written and well paced. The polished surface of polite society has a great deal lurking beneath, especially when dealing with mystical Cornish people. Indeed, this is not for the faint of heart. But I found the stories immensely satisfactory and a good read. I hope you will also enjoy them.

Cool Reads for Hot Days - August 9th

COOL READS FOR HOT DAYS
Tuesday August 9th, Plummer House from 11am to 1.30 PM
ICE CREAM SOCIAL
with book and writing discussions with Ellissa Elliott

This Library fundraiser (through the Friends and the Foundation) is to help purchase a new/replacement children's computer. We have a very active Children's division, accounting for 35% of the total library circulation. In addition, last year alone, over 15,645 children and parents attended various programs. The library's programs and materials help young children learn important pre-literacy skills so they can become good readers and succeed in school.


We currently have 3 well-loved Little Tikes computers in Children's that are in constant use. Oftentimes, children are vying for position. They have only learning games on them with appealing characters and bright colors--game titles include: Millie's Math House, Trudy's Time and Place House, and Sammy's Science House. The computer station itself is attractive, with brightly colored child-sized components including: small mouse, lightweight child bench, and a flat child-friendly keyboard. The "house" for the computer system is made of a tough, durable plastic that can stand up to long-term use (over 7 years). Our two oldest computers were worn out from constant use and replaced by generous donations. We currently have a 3rd unit that we would need to update. The picture shows the appealing unit. Please help us achieve this goal. If you cannot attend our Cool Reads for Hot Days icecream social, please consider making a donation. We appreciate your efforts.

Kamala Nair

The Friends will be hosting another Author Visit this summer! Save the Date::

Don't miss this exciting Cultural Event!

Her book will be for sale in the Friends' Bookstore, as well as available for purchase on the day. Be sure to get your copy signed! Check out the Library's youtube account for readings and further information about the book. We look forward to seeing you there.

Literary Calendar - June

In the Literary Calendar, June is Audiobook Month!

There are also additional literary dates including:
June 11 - Dirty Book Day
June - National Black Bookstore Week (week of June 19th)
June 19 - Mass Market Paperback Book Day

Holidays in June to celebrate reading also include:
June 14th Flag Day - patriotic books!
June 20th Father’s Day - history books, landscaping, sports - fishing, golfing, football!
June 21st Summer Solstice

A book is a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party, a company by the way, a counselor, a multitude of counselors. Henry Ward Beecher

The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books. Longfellow