Donated books

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Book review -night strangers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 a review.  Hmmm…It’s been a while for me, 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-book collection and several top 150 book lists, I finally settled on Mary Balogh’s First Comes Marriage.  I’d never read any of Balogh’s books so I wasn’t sure what to expect.  What I had really hoped was to find something I could review that would be interesting enough to lure in some of the most voracious romance readers, as well as tame enough that one could recommend it to her mother without worrying that she’d be shocked at the content.  First Comes Marriage definitely fit those requirements.

Set in England during the Victorian Era, First Comes Marriage is the first in a series of six “Huxtable” novels about a young family of three adult sisters pulled from the class of commoners and elevated to the aristocracy 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 her endless sense of humor.  Basically, those around her become easily enamored by her contagious laugh and ability to find 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 now has 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 find joy in the world around him?  Can she teach him to love?

While First Comes Marriage certainly follows the prescribed formula of most romance novels, I found the characters to be well-developed and interesting, and the overall story to be compelling.  Simply stated, I enjoyed it and found it to be an nice change 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

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

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

Book Review

Darkly Dreaming Dexter

Jeff Lindsay

What could be better than a fast-paced crime novel narrated by 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 Morgan knows the ins and outs of the police department and has been carefully groomed to commit the perfect crime and to not get caught.  As a blood-spatter analyst for the same police force, Dexter continues to watch and learn as mistakes are made by other killers, and he has become 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 who prey on the innocent and who escape the justice system through technicalities and legal missteps.  He is, effectively, the final judge, jury and executioner. 

Now his sister, Deborah, is on the force and pushing against the good-old boys to be taken seriously and earn a position as detective, and it’s up to Dexter to help her.  But as Deborah struggles to solve the latest serial killer’s crimes, Dexter realizes that the brilliance of this same killer speaks to him on levels he neither understands, nor wishes to admit; and it becomes increasingly more difficult for Dexter to keep his extracurricular activities a secret.

With a completely enjoyable and thoroughly charming narrator, Darkly Dreaming Dexter is fast-paced and downright witty in places.  More than once I caught myself laughing out loud at Dexter’s dry humor, and almost wishing I could crawl inside the book to get to know him better.

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

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

For more information about the author or this enjoyable series of books, visit the Random House website dedicated to these books by following this link.

~ Catherine H. Armstrong

MN Crime Writers

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

Book Review

The Language of Flowers

Vanessa Diffenbaugh

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

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

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

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

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

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

~ Catherine H. Armstrong

Literary Calendar - November

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!)