Chicago: A Novel, is a very interesting fictional story of Egyptian students who come to attend the University of Illinois Medical School. The book is set in today's world, and the students must navigate the American dichotomies of openness and competition. How much assimilation should the characters allow themselves? The often painful history of Chicago is included, juxtaposed with commentary on modern Egyptian life and psyche.  The book is very helpful to understand the upheaval going on Egypt in early 2011.

Drip, Drop is a fun story written by Sarah Weeks and illustrated by Jane Manning.   On a rainy night, a mouse named Pip Squeak is kept awake by rain water dripping in through the ceiling.   He frantically puts various objects around his home to catch the water.   Rhyming and repetition make this book a great story for early readers, and a fun read aloud for younger children.  Another delightful book written by Sarah Weeks and illustrated by Jane Manning is Pip Squeak, a sequel to Drip Drop.   Check out Sarah Weeks’ website for more information about the books she has written. 

Whatever one might say about our local economy, one thing is for sure ... it is in constant change and transition.  There is a new database that is especially designed for those seeking a new job, Career Transitions, and it has been added to the San Jose Public Library collection of databases (located in the Research section).  This great resource is from Gale Publishers and it will take you through a job search step by step in a systematic approach.  It will help you assess your strengths and interests and help you explore new career opportunities. You can also prepare a resume in six easy steps and download or email it.  This is a totally free database, although first time users will need to create an account.  If you are looking for that perfect job, you've got to check out this resource.

First our regular preschool storytime scheduled on Thursday mornings will be changed to Bilingual Storytime (English & Spanish) for preschool aged children and their families. This is an excellent opportunity for families to teach their children both English and Spanish languages by participating in a bilingual storytime. Storytime participants will be listening to wonderful stories, singing songs, and doing fingerplays in both languages.

Bilingual storytime (English & Spanish) for preschool aged children will be scheduled on a weekly basis on Thursdays, starting January 6, 2011 from 11:30am-12pm (noon) at the Hillview Branch Library.

Also, starting on January 2011, Hillview Branch Library will offer  Inclusive Storytime on a monthly basis.

The first one will be on Wednesday, January 12th, 11:30am-12pm.

And others are scheduled for Wednesday, February 9th and Wednesday, March 9th at the same time.

At Inclusive Storytime, we offer a safe and supportive learning environment where children with special needs can interact with their peers. There will be activities that will engage all participants with different individual learning styles .  With the belief that each child is a valuable member of the community, we welcome and encourage participation by all children of different backgrounds and abilities. With such interaction, children come to appreciate and respect differences while developing the social and early literacy skills that are so critical to later success. Children who are learning English are encouraged to attend.

Primero, la hora de cuentos para niños preescolares de los jueves en la mañana va a cambiar a “Hora de Cuentos Bilingües” (inglés & español) para niños preescolares y sus familias.

Esta es una excelente oportunidad para familias de enseñarles a sus hijos el inglés y el español participando en la “Hora de Cuentos Bilingüe”.

Los participantes van  a escuchar bellos cuentos, cantaran  y harán  juegos digitales en los dos idiomas.

La Hora de Cuentos Bilingüe (inglés & español)  tendrá lugar cada semana los jueves de 11:30am-12pm en la Biblioteca Hillview.

La primera será el 6 de enero 2011.

También, empiezando en enero 2011, la Biblioteca Hillview va a ofrecer “Hora de Cuentos Inclusivos cada mes”.

La primera será el miércoles, 12 de enero, 11:30am-12pm.

Las siguientes serán los miércoles, 9 de febrero y 9 de marzo a la misma hora.

En la Hora de Cuentos Inclusivos, ofrecemos un ambiente de aprendizaje seguro y que brinde asistencia para niños con necesidades especiales. Ellos pueden interactuar con otros niños. Habrá actividades que estimularán estilos individuals de aprendizaje para todos lo que participen. Con la creencia de que cada niño es miembro valioso de la comunidad, les damos la bienvenida y alentamos la participación de niños de distintos orígenes y capacidades. Con esta interacción, los niños llegan a apreciar y respectar las diferencias mientras además desarrollan las destrezas sociales y de alfabetización temprana para el éxito de sus futuros. Hacemos una invitación especial a los niños que están aprendiendo inglés.

Don’t buy a car, remodel  your house, or visit your doctor without first reading Unscrewed: The Consumer’s Guide to Getting What You Paid For by Ron Burley.  The book is “a practical guide to getting what you paid for from uncaring, unscrupulous, and unavailable companies, including the government, through the creative and legal use of technology” (description from the publisher, Ten Speed Press). Included are sixteen true stories about average people who got positive results by using the techniques discussed in the book.  Author Ron Burley explains why companies don’t treat you fairly, and what you can do about it; how to avoid the voicemail trap; and how to get customer service representatives to pay attention to you.

Burley worked as a broadcast journalist for fifteen years before launching and selling three small companies. For more information about him, check out his web site.

Just in case you think this is another book about how to write a polite letter to a company that has victimized you, it’s not.  It’s a book for consumers who are ready to assertively (but not aggressively) take charge of getting what they’re entitled to.

In this funny story about bedtime routines, Cornelius' mother asks him, "Did you put away your toys?" He answers yes. The amusing picture shows that he did put away his toys (in the refrigerator.) Cornelius P. Mud Are You Ready For Bed? by Barney Saltzberg demonstrates that a feisty little piggy still needs a hug from his mother before he can really be ready for bed. You can also follow Cornelius' further adventures at school.

• Are you having trouble getting your business plan completed?
• Do you already have a business and need someone to assess it's strengths and weaknesses?
• Don't you wish you can talk to someone who has been there and done that in the business world?
• Have you heard of SCORE? No?!

Well, let me tell you a bit about SCORE...

SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) is a nationwide non-profit organization partnered with the U. S. Small Business Administration. SCORE's experienced executives provide free counseling to folks starting their own business and to existing business owners. The counselors are dedicated, trained volunteers who have experience in various industries such as retail, tech, and non-profit.  SCORE also offers great low cost business workshops and seminars.  

So, if you are thinking about starting or growing your business SCORE can help.  Check them out they have an office in San José as well as throughout the Bay Area.

Have you ever wondered where all of the words came from that lie, mostly unread, in our dictionaries?  Have you ever made the mistake of asking your teacher that question?  That's what Nick Allen does on the first day of 5th grade, in the book, Frindle, by Andrew Clements.  And, as expected, Nick has to deliver a report on dictionaries and how words are added to it.  Unexpectedly, Nick takes up the challenge.  He decides to change the name of a pen, Pen, to Frindle.  It starts slowly in 5th grade, but gathers steam until the entire school is using the word, then the other schools in town, then the stores, and the parents and teachers, and then a newspaper picks up the story of Frindle...

So what words do you think need to be added to our dictionaries?  Can you think of any words that have been added since you were born?  I have seen "Compact Disk," "Laptop," and "Cell Phone," among others, added in just the past couple of decades.  Language is fluid and growing, and we all have a right to add to its richness.  That is the major message of Frindle.  So take up the challenge, look for the next library to host a Book Adventure on Frindle, and learn how fun words can be.

Judy Yung, the author of Angel Island: Immigrant Gateway to America, was invited by San José Public Library and the San Jose State University's Cultural Heritage Center to come to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library on October 5th, 2010 to present her book and researches on Angel Island. Click on the these links to watch Professor Jochim introducing Judy Yung, and Judy Yung's Lecture on Angel Island.

Time Magazine has named Mark Zuckerberg as 2010 Person of the Year. Zuckerberg is the co-founder and CEO of Facebook. To learn more about Zuckerberg , read or listen to The Accidental Billionaires: the Founding of Facebook: a Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal by Ben Mezrich.

You can also find some short articles about Zuckerberg by logging on to Biography Reference Center, one of San José Public Library’s many online resources.

The Social Network is a recent movie about Zuckerberg and the founding of Facebook. There's a lot of buzz going around that it maybe a nominee for Golden Globe and Academy awards. The DVD is on order for the San José Public Library System, and it will soon be available for checkout.

To learn more about online social networks, check the library catalog for the many items on this topic.

If you're new at using Facebook, you could ask a kid for help--or come to the library to find some books on how to use it!

As we all know, San Jose is a pretty huge city...The 10th largest in the nation, in fact, with a population of over 1 million residents! With so much area and population, naturally the city is divided into various geographical regions. As a San Jose native, one of the things I've always loved most about this city is the rich diversity and character of these distinct regions and neigborhoods, yet also the unique traditions that unite us as a city, whether it's rooting for the Sharks, taking the family to Christmas in the Park, or the simple little things like enjoying a burrito with orange sauce at La Vic's.   

West Valley Branch Library is proud to be a part of San Jose that is typically dubbed West San Jose, which is just a stone's throw from Santa Clara, Saratoga, Campbell, and Cupertino. West San Jose is primarily residential and very culturally diverse. This is reflected in our library's collection, which features various materials in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, and several Indian languages. Wow! While West San Jose doesn't boast the hustle and bustle of downtown or the historically-rich attractions like Japantown or Willow Glen, we are grateful to have such an excellent community of people living in neighborhoods, learning at schools, playing in parks, and working together in businesses on our side of the city.

West San Jose makes up most of San Jose's District 1, which is represented by city councilmember Pete Constant. The District 1 site is full of great information about current events, resources, and organizations available in our district, and Councilmember Constant holds open office hours to the public on the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30pm at our library. Hooray for West San Jose!

Image: Community tree-planting at Hathaway Park in West San Jose, courtesy of District 1's Flickr. 

The City of San Jose in partnership with the Office of Councilmember Madison Nguyen present Operation Prom Dress 2011. This is the third year in a row that Ms. Nguyen has led the effort to collect prom dresses for junior and senior girls to wear to their high school proms. The 2009 drive brought in over 300 dresses and in 2010 over 800 dresses were collected.

Donate a new or gently used dress at participating Libraries and Community Centers between 2010 December and 2011 April 4.

Steampunk.  What is it?  It is a subgenre of Science Fiction, a place where the past and the future come together.  Imagine the technology that powered the Nautilus in Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.  In 1987, in a letter to Locus Magazine, the author J.K. Heter coined the term Steampunk to describe the "gonzo-historical" fiction that he and several other authors had been writing.  But Steampunk has grown in the 20+ years since then to encompass so much more.  It is a fashion style, an aesthetic, even musical groups have formed based on this idea of the future that never was.  This is a rabbit hole, make no mistake, but if you wish to investigate further, strap on your goggles and top hat and jump in with me!

Music:  Abney Park is *the* name when it comes to Steampunk music.  They've been playing as a steampunk band since 2006 and I am told put on quite a show.   They all created steampunk personas which they portray in their concerts and this video of Airship Pirates gives you a look/feel for the group.

Dr. Steel also puts on a great show and has an evil mastermind sort of persona.  He is embarking on a world domination plan involving YOU if you decide to become one of his "Toy Soldiers".  Weird and Fun, all in one!

The Men That Will Not Be Blamed for Nothing produced a collection of music available for download, CD and on a limited edition recorded wax cylinder!   If you give them a listen, you'll find they put the emphasis on PUNK in Steampunk!

Rasputina's albums are all available for download on Freegal.  I downloaded How We Quit the Forest and Sister Sleep.  They feature prominent strings and vocals that reminded me of Kate Bush.

Movies:  You have probably seen a few of these titles and if you haven't you can pick them up at the Library.  The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen brings a collection of famous characters ranging from Dorian Grey to Captain Nemo together to save the world.

The Golden Compass, based on the novel by Philip Pullman, takes on many steampunk themes from airships to an alithiometer - a device which allows you to tell the real truth on any situation. 

Books:  A really compelling read in the genre is The Glass Books of the Dream-Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist.  A young woman stumbles upon a cabal of evil socialites bent on taking over the world using a technology that allows them to steal memories and store them within books made of glass and a mysterious blue clay.  From a dissolute prince to an assassin named Cardinal Chang for the red leather great coat he wears, the cast of characters never ceases to amaze and amuse.  The intrigue and suspense keep you on the edge of your seat and make it hard to put this book down!

Steampunk is definitely a DIY aesthetic and the library has a couple of titles that might help you get started in creating your own steampunk outfit.  Steampunk-style Jewelry: Victorian, Fantasy and Mechanical Necklaces, Bracelets and Earrings by Jean Campbell shows several one of a kind pieces and gives you a head-start on how to create your own.

For the past few years, a group of steampunkers have been publishing an online magazine titled, Steampunk Magazine.  This magazine is available for download and features fiction, poetry, commentary, DIY instructions and patterns.  If you are looking for a place to start, Steampunk magazine is your go-to.

Speaking of DIY - you can find a great group of instructions on how to create goggles, ray-guns and costumes on Instructables.com. 

Why would you be creating a costume?  To create your own steampunk persona!  There are groups of folks who meet-up in costume and in character and have a grand old time together!  There are conventions and other events where Steampunk reigns supreme.  In the Bay area, look for the big steampunk convention, Wild Wild East on March 25, 26 and 27.   The San Jose Steampunk group is the St. Clair Aeronauts whose personas include a crew of an airship that delivers letters.

Who knows?  The newest Steampunker could be you!

Mac and Cheese, by Sarah Weeks,tells the story of two friends, both cats.  Macaroni likes to eat and play.  He swims, pounces, bounces, sings, and chases mice.  Cheese does not like to do any of those things.  Macaroni asks Cheese what he likes to do.   What do you think Cheese tells him?  Beginning readers will have fun learning about friendship as they read and enjoy the pictures in this book. 

Prepare for the upcoming SAT and ACT Exams by checking out our latest SAT and ACT exam resources in print and electronic formats:

Books:

Peterson's Master the SAT 2011 by Phil Pine

"Master the SAT" provides a wealth of test-taking strategies and helps students prepare for the SAT with extensive reviews and nine full-length practice tests--including three on the accompanying CD--to help sharpen math, writing, and critical reading skills.

SAT 2011: Strategies, Practice, and Review by Kaplan, Inc.

Kaplan's study guide offers proven, practical tools to score higher on the SAT, including four full-length practice tests with detailed answer explanations, one full-length practice test online, student group study guide, and more.

SAT Advanced: Your Only Guide to a 2400 by Kaplan, Inc.

Kaplan’s SAT Advanced is the perfect guide for students who are serious about gaining an edge on the competition and getting a perfect score on test day.

Princeton Review's Cracking the ACT by Geoff Martz

Cracking the ACT offers proven techniques from the test prep experts. Includes two full-length practice tests in the book and exclusive free access to an additional practice test online.

CliffsNotes ACT Cram Plan by William Ma

Whether you have two months, one month, or even just a week left before the exam, you can turn to the experts at CliffsNotes for a trusted and achievable cram plan to ace the ACT - without ever breaking a sweat! 

ACT Strategies for Super Busy Students: 15 Simple Steps by Kaplan, Inc.

Offers test-taking strategies broken down into fifteen steps, covering english, math, reading, science and writing, and features advice on time management and a full-length practice exam with answers.

Online

Take online SAT or ACT practice exams by accessing LearningExpress or Tutor.com College Center (San Jose Library Card and PIN needed for home access):

LearningExpress

Note: First time users will need to create an account. 

Tutor.com College Center

Feel free to ask a teen librarian at your local San Jose Public Library Branch if you have any questions about the SAT or ACT exam preparation resources. Good luck!

Thinking of a warm and balmy Christmas where the trees don't lose their leaves or the frost doesn't nibble at your toes (at least on Oahu) or you can lie out on the beach?  Hawaii might be the answer!!!  If you don't like the warmth, Hawaii might still be the answer.  Olympic skiers like to practice on top of Mauna Kea on the Big Island.  Yes, Hawaii has snow and some of the best skiing around!  Go once for the warmth and twice for the snow!  Hana hou!

Oahu has a beautiful Christmas display in downtown Honolulu by the mayor's residence, Honolulu Hale.  Hale means house in Hawaiian.  I remember an annual display where religions with a December holiday had their own area to display their special decorations including displays for Bodhi Day, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.  During December, I also remember running (actually walking!) in a Holiday Fun Run with my co-workers; I dressed as a present and sang holiday songs.  I worked with a very musically ambitious group of people when I worked in Hawaii.  Every Thursday at lunch, we would walk around in Waikiki from hotel to hotel.  We would play the ukulele and sing holiday songs in the lobbies to entertain guests.  Actually, we did this all year, but it was especially enjoyable around the holidays when all the hotel lobbies were decorated with holiday cheer!

Family is very big in Hawaii.  In Hawaii, the whole ohana (grandparents, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.) celebrate the December holidays during two weeks of fun.  But in Hawaii, the bigger holiday is New Year's!  Because of the large Japanese-American population, New Year's is a big holiday with fireworks, food, and making mochi.  On New Year's Eve, families make mochi (rice cakes) and serve special new year's food like red fish and New Year's soup.  Broke 'da mouth (pidgin English for "delicious".) All of the traditions relate to getting luck in the new year.  At the strike of 12am on New Year's Eve, everyone sets off fireworks (when it was legal.)  I remember people setting off 50,000 to 100,000 strings of fireworks!  Wow, you couldn't hear yourself think at 12am!  In Hawaii, no one watches Dick Clark's New Year's Eve show!

Anyway, when you go to Hawaii during the holidays, there are a lot of "local" things to see outside of those luaus, beaches, or the Polynesian Center.  Hang out with the locals and check out what the locals do!  For a general idea of travel in Hawaii, check out our Hawaii guidebooks.

David E. Sanger, one of the most respected journalists of our time, has authored an informative and at times riveting work, The Inheritance: the World Obama Confronts and the Challenges to American Power. In this powerful work, Sanger has broken through the secrecy and the governmental double-speak to tell us how we got where we are today and the choices this leaves the Obama administration. This work gives the reader inside information that will at times surprise and sometimes shock, yet Sanger has framed it all in language and a literary style the layman can understand and appreciate. In short, this work is one of the most important contributions on American politics and international relations in recent years and for those who want to learn more about the challenges our nation is currently facing, The Inheritance is an essential must read. 

Anchee Min’s remarkable Pearl of China is a loving and moving tribute to Pearl S. Buck. In this fictional account of Buck’s early years in China, a young Chinese girl, Willow Yee, befriends Pearl and they form a strong emotional and spiritual bond.  Min’s literary style, with its emphasis on the inherent dignity and strength of the Chinese peasant, harkens back to the literary style that made Pearl S. Buck an internationally acclaimed author and a Nobel Laureate.

Attention all singers: if you search for "karaoke" in the Library's catalog, you will get 922 records. Many genres of music are represented, and most of the karaoke is in Vietnamese (yes, that's right - the karaoke itself is in Vietnamese). The newer CDs have their songs listed, so give it a try, superstar!

Do you like gingerbread cookies and gingerbread houses?  If the answer is yes, you may enjoy The Little Cookie, written by Margaret Hillert and illustrated by Donald Charles. This easy to read version of the Gingerbread Man folk tale includes reading activities and a list of the 48 simple words used in the story.

If you are a fan of Rajnikanth, we have many of his movies at the library. Of course we don’t have Enthiran as yet. It is still running to packed houses in India and so the DVD version will take some time to make its way into our collection. But we have other titles that you might find interesting.

Sivaji (2007): Sivaji (Rajnikanth in the lead role), a U.S. returned software engineer wants to use his fortune to create social reform. But his efforts are thwarted by corrupt officials and undermined by a political strongman. Sivaji uses political blackmail to achieve his goals, but his rivals threaten his fiancée with his death if she doesn't turn over computer evidence which results in his imprisonment. My favorite line in the movie is “Panni than daa koottama varum; Singam single aa than varum” (Only the swine comes in herds; The Lion will always come alone).

Chandramukhi (2005): In this musical comedy, a newlywed couple, Senthil and Ganga, move into an old mansion and creepy things start happening. Who is behind all this: Is it the ghost of the former occupant, Chandramukhi, an ancient courtesan? Or is it the family of Shweta, the woman intended to be Senthil's bride? This movie is also available in Hindi as Bhool Bhulaiyaa with Akshay Kumar in Rajni’s role as a psychiatrist.

Padayappa (1999): There is nothing new in the storyline but its Rajnikanth flair for drama and the intense chemistry between the lead actors that makes this movie watchable. Ramya Krishna is a hot-tempered girl who admires Rajni, but Rajni likes Soundarya. Years later, and Rajni's daughter Preetha falls in love with Abbas, Ramya's nephew. Ramya uses their love affair to settle old scores with Rajni. My favorite line from this movie “En Vazhi Thani Vazhi...” (My way is a different way…)

Annamalai (1992): In this movie, Rajni plays Annamalai, who starts out as a cowherd, and becomes a millionaire by selling milk. It is the story of two childhood friends who fall out then become enemies in the hotel business. About his style of functioning, he has this to say: Naan solrathaiyum seiven, sollathathiyum seiven.” (I will do what I say, I will also do what I don’t say.)

Happy viewing!

 Attention History Lovers!  The History Book Club meets monthly at the Almaden Library.  Join us at 6:30 PM on the third Tuesday of each month.  Open to everyone, the club discusses a wide range of history-related titles.  Here are our selections for 2011 with the author's name and the title:

January--Conant - Tuxedo Park

February--Mandela - Conversations with Myself

March--Bordewich - Washington: the Making of the American Capitol

April--Finlay - Jewels: A Secret History

May--McGerr - A Fierce Discontent: The Rise and Fall of the Progressive Movement in America 1870-1920

June--Maier - Ratification: The people debate the Constitution, 1787-1788

July--Levathes - When China Ruled the Seas

Join us each month or just for those selections of interest to you.  It's a great way to discover more about the people and events that have shaped our lives.

The words "cozy" and "winter" just go together. Cozy also goes with mystery as a style of story that you want curl up with. The “cozy” mystery hero is more often a heroine. She may earn a live as a wedding planner, caterer, mobile vet, innkeeper or farmer. Her skills may include knitting, showing pedigreed dogs, or making great coffee. And the motives for a murder remain money (gaining or losing it) and strong emotions like love, hate, revenge, and fear.

These are quite a change from early 20th-century crime-solvers like Perry Mason and Miss Marple.

You can get more suggestions from our subscription database, NoveList Plus. Use your library card number to access the database from home. Search under the option SERIES using the words “cozy mystery”. And you’re set for the winter.

Oui! Well, not exactly Paris, but a taste of it. A new French bakery/cafe named A Taste of Paris Boulangerie recently opened next door to Philz Coffee (at Paseo de San Antonio, between 3rd & 4th Streets). The menu includes pastries, soup, and sandwiches on croissants or baguettes. The two times I've tried the smoked turkey (with Swiss cheese) on a baguette, all ingredients were extraordinarily fresh and delicious. The bread itself was perfectly crispy on the outside and wonderfully light and chewy on the inside. Bon appetit!

Before or after enjoying your taste of Paris, stop by King Library for some books on French cooking, such as:

• French Fried: The Culinary Capers of an American in Paris by Harriet Welty Rochefort
• Lunch in Paris: A Love Story, with Recipes by Elizabeth Bard
• The Paris Cookbook by Patricia Wells
• The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious--and Perplexing--City by David Lebovitz
• We've Always Had Paris-- and Provence: A Scrapbook of Our Life in France by Patricia and Walter Wells

Full Dark, No Stars is Stephen King’s latest and the title is appropriate! These “long stories” are dark indeed, featuring rats, murder, rape, murder, the devil and murder. Each creates a unique world:  I thought the creepiest were the first, "1922," (which reminded me of The Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption) and "Big Driver," in which a writer of cozy mysteries finds herself a character in an all-too-real work of horror.

At the same time I was reading Mr. King my daughter introduced me to the new AMC series: The Walking Dead; the whole first season is "on demand" on Comcast Cable, but is not out on DVD until March.  This series is the real zombie deal, with good special effects, make-up and acting while being character-driven and well-produced and directed. However, the violence and mayhem on the television (heck, I also was watching the 5th season of Dexter - about everyone's favorite serial killer - on HBO which is not yet available on DVD!) while reading Stephen King, who can always be counted on for more than you were bargaining for, created some interesting Thanksgiving weekend dreams. I had to stop everything and watch the Amazing Race to clear my head!

The third installment of "A Day in the Life" continues with a day in the life of a book. Follow a book as it is returned to the library and its journey to being checked out again! Starring Natalie and Candice Tran. Narration, videography and editing by Mark Lorensen. Music provided royalty free by Kevin MacLeod of Incompetech.com.

Has the cold and flu season got you down?  If so, you'll feel a lot better after reading the delightful picture book, A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Phillip Christian Stead.  The story is about an elderly man who works at the zoo but always finds time each day for his friends. Amos plays chess with the elephant, runs races with the tortoise, sits quietly with the penguin, lends a handkerchief to the rhinoceros (who has a runny nose), and reads stories to the owl.  Then when Amos gets a cold, his friends miss him, and they leave the zoo and ride the bus to his place to care for him and cheer him up.  The artwork portrays the reality that  whenever someone is sick the best medicine is always a caring friend.

Well, it was another great year of excellent books for teen readers (and adults like me that enjoy reading teen books!). The Young Adult publishing industry is still going strong with an amazing array of high-quality literature, and this year did not disappoint. It can be hard to keep up, but us librarians have got your back. The Young Adult Library Services Association selects 100 books every year for their annual Best Books for Young Adults list. From these books, they create a Top Ten list with their picks for the best Young Adult books of the year. Make some time to catch up with the best of the best for 2010:

• Sarah Rees Brennan. Demon's Lexicon
• Paul Griffin. The Orange House
• M.H Herlong. The Great Wide Sea
• Catherine Jinks. The Reformed Vampire Support Group
• Donna Jo Napoli. Alligator Bayou
• David Small. Stitches: A Memoir
• Rebecca Stead. When You Reach Me
• Francisco X Stork. Marcelo in the Real World
• Laini Taylor. Lips Touch: Three Times
• Sally M Walker. Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland

It's another interesting batch of fiction and nonfiction, with themes ranging from magic to immigration to survival at sea to vampire comedy to Asperger's Syndrome to colonial Jamestown and much more. (Whoa, imagine if these were all in the same book?) Happy reading and Happy New Year!

West Valley has donation barrels for SHFB! They are located in the lobby and will be here year round, not just for the Holidays.  Here is a list of basic food items needed:

The Food Bank needs nutritious, non-perishable foods:

• Meals in a can (stew, chili, soup)
• Tuna and canned meat
• Peanut butter
• Canned foods with pop-top lids
• Low-sugar cereals
• 100% fruit juices in single serving boxes
• Canned fruit packed in juice
• Canned vegetables (low salt)

Please avoid donating items packaged in glass. If you find glass items in your barrel, please package them in protective boxes to prevent breakage.
 

We request that you do not donate bulk quantities of rice, flour, or sugar. Although we appreciate and can utilize every donation we receive, the Food Bank does not have the repackaging facilities needed to properly distribute such items. Please contact the Donor Hotline at 1-866-234-3663 for details.

Visit their website for more information:  http://www.shfb.org/home

By the early 1920s, Igor Stravinsky had a problem. He had a large family, little income and his homeland was in shambles. Fortunately he had a benefactor in Coco Chanel, famous for her haute couture (but not yet for her perfume). This little known connection, which became very close and had unexpected consequences, has been made into a film now out on DVD. Conveniently, Chanel's earlier life was recently explored in another recent movie, Coco Before Chanel, starring a different actress, Audrey Tautou.

There is some intriguing speculation in Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky as to how the two creative geniuses may have encouraged one another, but the real reason to see this film is the stunning recreation of the debut performance of the Rite of Spring and the uproar which ensued. Music and dance were never the same again.

You can see a clip of the dance scene from the film at the film's French language site (just click on videos) or download a podcast of a recent discussion of a new book, Dreaming of Chanel, from Radio National. You can also listen to a recording of Stravinsky conducting his work at the Internet Archive.

I recently watched the movie Ramona and Beezus and was pleasantly surprised. Joey King stars as Ramona, and Selena Gomez, of Disney fame, as her big sister Beezus. The girls often act like real sisters, arguing and fighting over the smallest problems. Ramona meets her friend Howie’s uncle, deals with a strict teacher and gets a new bedroom. I really liked the scenes that highlight Ramona’s imagination, including a parachute sequence, highflying canyon shots and scuba simulations. Naturally the movie is wrapped up neatly at the end, with an implied happily ever after. Parents will appreciate that this is a strictly G-rated film, and there are no bathroom jokes or sassy/rude kids.

The movie is based on various novels by noted children’s book author Beverly Cleary, including Ramona and Her Father and Ramona Forever. While the movie doesn’t stick to just one book, I hope it is enough to get kids interested in reading Cleary’s books. I think the real reason I liked this movie was that it brought back my childhood memories of reading about Ramona, Beezus and their friends on Klickitat Street.

You can now download library eBooks from OverDrive directly on your iPhone, iPod touch, or Android using the just-released OverDrive Media Console 2.0 app. The first version of the app supported the MP3 format. So now, you can also read EPUB eBooks; you can also create bookmarks, and also adjust brightness and font sizes. Using the "Get Books" feature, you can browse the 'Virtual Branch' website, check out titles, and wirelessly download directly to your device. (In upcoming versions of the app, OverDrive promises additional features such as highlighting, annotation, and in-app text-to-speech.) 

How to get the apps: If you have the older version of the app, you'll be prompted to download the new app. Or, search for "OverDrive Media Console" in the Apple App Store and Android Market.

To search for library ebooks in MP3 or EPUB formats, first visit the OverDrive Digital Library and in the center search area, click on the drop-down menu for "Format" to get started.

OverDrive also promises that apps for iPad, BlackBerry, and other devices are coming soon.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments!

82 years after his birth and 48 years after the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech, the world witnessed a significant and historic milestone in the election of the first American president of color. Join us as we celebrate the continuing legacy of this pivotal figure in U.S. history.  For more information about the celebration, call (408) 808-2098.  All events are FREE and open to the public. 

NEW - Dr. King's Birthday Celebration 2011 - pictures and article in the SJ Merc

Schedule of Activities

Feb. 5 (Noon-2 p.m.) – Freedom March  

Meet at MLK Library, march will take place throughout SJSU

Participants are encouraged to march while holding a poster/banner representing: Freedom/Liberty, Equality, Justice, Cultural/Ethnic Diversity and Competence, Economical Development and other MLK principles. 

Feb. 5 (11 a.m.-2 p.m.) – Resource Fair

MLK Library, 4^th St. Lobby

Local organizations will on on-site to hand out information about their services to the community.

Feb. 5 (2- 4p.m.) – Liberation Theology: Critical Need to Revitalize the Black Church

MLK Library, Rms 255/257

A panel will present information regarding the black church during the civil rights movement in comparison with its present status and where it needs to be to reflect the dream of Dr. King.

Feb. 8 (7-9 p.m.) – Relevance of Dr. King’s “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” to Churches

MLK Library, Rm 525

A panel will provide extensive dialog regarding the interpretation of Dr. King’s message in his letter to churches regarding empowering congregations to seek justice while on earth.

Feb. 15 (7-9 p.m.) – Dr. King’s Contributions to Freedom, Peace, Equality, Education and Justice

MLK Library, Rm 525

A panel presentation discussing Dr. King’s contributions to and influence on the following areas: freedom, peace, equality, education and justice.

Feb. 16 (7-9 p.m.) – The Role of Students in Advancing Civil Rights

MLK Library, Rm 525

A panel of students recollects the role of students during the civil rights movement. 

Feb. 23 (7-9 p.m.) – Dr. King’s Views on Violence, Non-violence and Racism

MLK Library, Rm 525

The presentation will provide an assessment of Dr. King’s perspectives regarding violence, nonviolence and racism. 

Meet Ostrich and Termite, unlikely friends who team up for misadventures in Termite Tales by Kathy Caple. Each of the book's four stories comes with an introduction for a parent to share with their beginning reader and set the stage for what is to come. Despite the sparse text, Caple manages to pack a lot of "story" into these charming and humorous tales. The first page of the book contains tips for helping brand-new readers. For even more fun with Ostrich and Termite, check out Caple's earlier volume, Termite Trouble.

Americans love tax cuts. If recent polls can be believed, the extension of the Bush Tax Cuts for everyone making up to a zillion dollars a year is a wildly popular “compromise” despite the hundreds of billions of dollars it will add to an already huge federal debt. What effect do you think continuing these tax rates at least another 2 years will have on important human circumstances, such as unemployment?

Despite nearly a trillion dollars in economic stimulus and nearly a trillion dollars in cash held by nonfinancial U.S. companies, the official national unemployment rate was 9.8% for November 2010. With the extension of the tax cuts, what do you think this rate will be one year from now, in November 2011?

If you want to guess, just comment on this post and include your estimate. If 3+ people comment, I will revisit the post one year from now to see who forecasted most accurately. By the way, my guess, for what it's worth, is 8.7%. (I hope that next November’s rate is actually much lower than that!)

If you would rather read up on the subject of tax and economic policy before making your estimate, here are some recommendations:

Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer — and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class (2010), by Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson, is a remarkably prescient book especially in light of the recent tax deal, with a chapter titled “Democrats Climb Aboard.” The book is also an enjoyable read despite what could be a dry and somewhat depressing subject. Beginning with our current economic meltdown that barely grazed investment bankers, hedge fund managers, professional athletes, and CEOs, the book argues convincingly that it is mostly political transformations of the past 35 years rather than technological or business transformations that have resulted in historically large income inequality, jobless “recoveries,” bailouts of giant corporations, off-shoring of jobs, ever increasing corporate lobbying, etc. This is a must-read if you want to understand why the Main Street economy and government budgets are in the mess… er, state they are in.

Freefall: America, Free Markets, and the Sinking of the World Economy (2010), by Joseph Stiglitz, is a well-written book on the causes and solutions of our current economic crisis. Nobel Prize-Winning Professor Stiglitz writes for the common reader and documents his list of what caused the economic “freefall” that began circa 2008: financial deregulation, Fed and government policies that led to credit and housing bubbles, financial consolidation among several “too-big-to-fail” corporations, etc. The book begins with a lead-up to the crisis, caused by reckless business practices ignored by regulators and enabled by a sense of invincibility due to repeated financial bailouts; continues with the “Freefall and Its Aftermath;” criticizes the response to the crisis by the federal government and the Fed, in such chapters as “A Flawed Response” and “The Great American Robbery;” and concludes with specific solutions to the Great Recession and preventative measures for the future. At least you will know which sound policies will likely be ignored by present and future White Houses and Congresses.

The Great American Stickup: How Reagan Republicans and Clinton Democrats Enriched Wall Street While Mugging Main Street (2009), by Robert Scheer, has a somewhat simplistic title that hides a readable, fairly well-documented look at what has happened in tax and economic policies over the past 30 years and the present consequences of these policies. The book makes a case that on the subject of taxes, trade policy, economic regulation, etc., the current President and his 3 predecessors have combined to turn the Reagan Presidency into an 8-term-plus administration. Chapters include “The Clinton Bubble” and “Sucking Up to the Bankers.” That President Obama has surrounded himself with Clinton economic advisers and even brought in the ironically named “Bill” Clinton to sell the high-cost bipartisan tax plan is little surprise to readers of the book.

Other recommended books on this subject include:

• Bought and Paid For: the Unholy Alliance between Barack Obama and Wall Street (2010) by Charles Gasparino
• Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill) (2007) by David Cay Johnston

Don’t worry: It is possible that trickle-down economics and off-shoring of jobs will finally help everyone this time, as promised.

Are you tired of hearing the same old Christmas songs in the same old arrangements? Check out the sounds available at your local library!

All of the libraries have holiday music CDs, such as Christmas Duets by Elvis Presley, Christmas Spirit by Los Lonely Boys, And Winter Came by Enya, and even Christmas with the Chipmunks!

You could also check out DVDs, including All I Want for Christmas is a Real Good Tan by Kenny Chesney, A Christmas Celtic Sojourn, Live, and Luciano Pavarotti Live at Notre-Dame: a Holiday Special.

Finally, get ready for caroling with piano and song books. One of my favorites is Christmas Joy for Piano: Piano Solos, including such favorites as “Jingle Bells”,” Deck the Hall”, and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”. Another choice, which includes guitar chord symbols, might be Carols for Children. Come check it out at your local library!

This charming story of a peddler, lots and lots of caps and a tree full of mischievous monkeys has become a treasured classic. Caps for Sale, by Esphyr Slobodkina continues to appeal to generations of children since its first publication in 1940. Monkeys, hats, silliness, suspense, drama and a surprise ending make this book fun to read and share. The crisp illustrations are handsome and timeless. Read Caps for Sale just once and you will find yourself wanting to read it again and again and again. Also, check out the sequel:  Circus Caps for Sale.

Otherwised Engagedby Eileen Goudge

This book is slightly comparable to the 2006 movie The Holiday with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz. Two women who have had devastating occurrences happen to them decide to trade “lives.” It is about the friendship between Jesse and Erin. Jesse is a freelance writer living in Manhattan and Erin is an Inn keeper still living in Willow Creek, AZ, the town where they both grew up. Jesse proposes the idea to trade places for six months. During their time in each others lives they discover the grass isn't really greener. In this novel you begin to root for the strong heroines. By trading places they find themselves. This novel will take the reader through many different phases in these women’s lives. Overall this was a wonderful and uplifting book.  

 Do you need help with your homework?  Live Homework Help is a FREE online tutoring service available to students in Kindergarten through sophomore year of college.  Enter subject and grade level and connect to a certified tutor to help with your specific homework problem. Tutors are available daily 2 PM – Midnight. Tutoring available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. 

Who needs the mall when you can make your own gifts? The library has tons of different materials for the novice and expert craftsperson. Create a unique gift for your friends and family!

Don't throw that old t-shirt away; make it into your new fashion statement or something completely different. Generation T has a couple of books out that will help you turn that old shirt into a hot new style. Can't afford those trendy screen-printed shirts and canvas bags at the local boutique? Screen Your Stuff gives you step-by-step instructions as well as templates for patterns. If knitting and crochet is your thing, make Amigurumi!, cute crocheted stuffed animals that would be a great present for kids, big and small. For the little ones in your family, make them a silly costume from Wacky Baby Knits!

SJPL now has a digital subscription to the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal and the Book of Lists, plus 39 other business journals, including the San Francisco Business Times and Sacramento Business Journal. The Book of Lists includes contact information and data on the top local businesses.

We are seeking teen volunteers to read to children grades 1st-3rd during our Reading Buddies time. If you are interested, please attend our Reading Buddies volunteer training to learn how to read aloud to children. Join teensReach by filling out the application and bring it to the training. For a teensReach coordinator to contact you, please fill out the Interest Form online.

Qualifications

• Enjoy working with children
• Enthusiastic about reading and books
• Proficient in reading
• Reliable and punctual
• 13-17 years old

Benefits

• FUN!
• Help young readers enhance literacy skills
• Direct involvement in building our community
• Fulfill community service hours
• Receive a Reading Program Completion Certificate (when eight-week block is completed)

Commitment

• Tully Community Branch requires 1 hour orientation and 1 hour hand-on reading practice on the Third  Thursday of the month from 3:00-5:00 PM. After the training you can start to assist children from 1^st -3^rd grade to read for 1 hour on Thursdays from 4:00-5:00 PM.

Hear other volunteers' testimonies about their volunteering services.

It's cold outside, so drink some Hot Cocoa, and watch some entertaining Holiday movies! Yes, we have the classics like White Christmas and Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life, but I'm referring to some newer Holiday movies, sure to tickle your funny bone.

1. Scrooged-starring Bill Murray. A hilarious version of the "Christmas Carol" story complete with all the glitz and splendor of a 1980s Christmas movie. The Ghost of Christmas Future may be a bit scary for some viewers, but this is certainly on its' way to being an irreverant Holiday classic.

2. Christmas Vacation -Chevy Chase is back as Clark Griswold, celebrating the Holiday season with a zany cast of characters as his extended family. Watch for the squirrel chase towards the end.

3. A Christmas Story - otherwise known as the "you'll shoot your eye out, kid" movie. Ralphie is on a quest for the ultimate boyhood Christmas gift, a Red Ryder B.B. Gun.

4. Love Actually- a Holiday movie featuring a veritable Who's Who of British actors and actresses, fun and dramatic at the same time.

So enjoy your Holiday season with lots of love and laughter!

My family has very few Christmas traditions. As we grow older and grow apart, there is less and less that we have time for. However, there is one tradition that has lasted for us since 1993.  The Muppet Christmas Carol is a must watch on Christmas day. It is the perfect movie for the whole family.  With all your favorite muppet characters playing roles in Charles Dickens beloved Christmas Carol. We may grow older and have less time for family, but for this movie, we all make time. 

Sing, laugh, and have fun with PapaHugs and his Playtime Characters at Almaden Branch Library on Saturday, December 18, at 11:30 AM. 

PapaHugs' original music is guaranteed to get you up and moving anytime of day. Children and families will delight in this fun-filled performance for all ages. Everyone is invited!

The new Tron: Legacy movie opens this weekend, and I'm not ashamed to admit that it's the first movie in ages that I've actually wanted to see in the theater opening weekend. So, why do I want to brave the loud and crazy crowds, sticky floors, and expensive tickets?

First, I am of the Tron generation! I was 5 when the original Tron came out and can still remember images from the film and the idea of being inside a computer network.  Maybe that's one reason why I got into tech!  The idea of a Tron sequel makes me happy.  If you want to experience the original before seeing the new movie, you can check out a copy of Tron on DVD from the library.

Another reason this movie rocks is that the soundtrack is to die for! Disney hired the electronica band Daft Punk (*fan girl squeal*) to compose and perform the entire soundtrack.  Fan girl-ness aside, this soundtrack is Academy-award-nomination-worthy.  You can see the music video for the song "Derezzed" on YouTube (which already has 2 million views).  The Library has copies of the soundtrack almost ready to check out (still being processed) and we have three other Daft Punk albums available for check-out too.  You can also follow Daft Punk on Facebook.

Want to learn more about the new movie?  Get more info on Tron: Legacy at the Internet Movie Database, read its always-changing Wikipedia entry, and read reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.  And, but of course, below is the official trailer. To quote the original movie, "This is the key to a new order. This code disk means freedom."  They were right.  Code is freedom in its purest form.

Dear English language learners!

If you need to improve your English skills, please use the following links to FREE ESL classes information in our area:

Дорогие пользователи нашей библиотеки!

Если вам нужно улучшить ваш английский, пожалуйста обратитесь на следующие сайты за информацией о бесплатных курсах английского языка:

Metropolitan Adult Education Program in San Jose:

http://www.metroed.net/esl.html

Palo Alto Adult School in Palo Alto:

http://www.paadultschool.org/classes/esl.html

Sequoia District Adult Education in East Palo Alto and Menlo Park:

http://www.sequoiadistrict.org/2145201122144546707/site/default.asp

Salinas Valley, the heart of Steinbeck Country, is a short drive away from San Jose by highway 101 south. John Steinbeck wrote about the Valley in East of Eden, “I remember my childhood names for grasses and secret flowers. I remember where a toad may live and what time birds awaken in the summer—and what trees and seasons smelled like—how people looked and walked and smelled even. The memory of odors is very rich.” He drew his inspiration from the Valley and championed the cause of farm labor.

Today, in Oldtown Salinas, National Steinbeck Center is open, welcoming visitors from all over. Yet, few people realize that directly opposite the Center across the railroad tracks is a historic Chinatown that first came into public awareness through Steinbeck’s novels. The Chinatown is now completed cut off from Oldtown by a fence along the railroad track. It used to be the hub for family and economic activities of all of the Chinese, Japanese and Filipino communities in Salinas. Although the Salinas Confucius Church, the Buddhist Temple, and Filipino Community Center remain as community centers for their members, the 12-square blocks in Chinatown have been neglected and become blighted. Amidst the street scenes of vacant buildings and lots, a couple storefronts and street corners stand out as service points where at-risk population congregate, including a soup kitchen run  by Franciscan Workers and the Community Learning Center and Garden run by CSUMB. With all its challenges, this Chinatown is nevertheless the one and only left of its kind in between San Francisco and Los Angeles (see also American Chinatown.)

And change is on the way. Three major players - City of Salinas, Salinas Downtown Community Board, and California State University Monterey Bay- together have provided leadership and collaborated, for a few years already, on a plan called “Salinas Chinatown Renewal Project” in order to preserve its cultural heritages and, at the same time, transform it into a vibrant neighborhood once more for families, businesses, and service providers alike.  

It’s also worth noting that, thanks to the Literary Landmarks project, there is a landmark plaque set in the sidewalk in Chinatown to commemorate the works of authors who were inspired by this site, namely, John Steinbeck, Carlos Bulosan, and Lani Ah Tye Farkas.

Whenever you feel like delving into the wealth of California history or the riches of our diverse cultural heritages, be reminded please there are special collections and programs, beyond general resources, in King Library as follows:   

• California Room
• Cultural Heritage Center
• Center for Steinbeck Studies
• Digital Collections

Wish you success in your research!

Image  Courtesy: California State University Monterey Bay.

Image from: Cal State Monterey Bay News.

Do you shy away from non-fiction books because they seem dry and boring?  Would you rather read something that will make you laugh and send your imagination soaring?  If so, maybe give Mary Roach a try!

Mary Roach is a popular science writer that adds humor to all her work.  She entertains as well as informs!  Her first work, Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, gives the reader an in depth look at the use of human cadavers throughout history.  Have you ever thought of being an organ donor?  Read this book!

Her second book, Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife  ,   takes a look at the human soul and ponders the question "Does it survive after death?"

Her third book, Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex, is a scientific look at the history and exploration of human sexuality.

Mary's latest, Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void, offers the reader a look into what it would really be like when living in space, what it takes for some astronauts to gain access to space, and if space travel is really "worth it". 

All of these books give you a wealth of knowledge, but also make you laugh out loud.  Learning plus a good laugh, who could ask for more?

Nobody Knows About the Persian Cats is a  great movie with English subtitles, about the underground music scene in Iran. The director Ghobadi, won the Un Certain Regard award and the Special Jury Prize when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. This film chronicles the hardships facing young Iranian musicians seeking to evade censorship.

You can also read a review from NPR about this movie.

We also have the following movies by the same award-winning director in our library system:

• A Time for Drunken Horses
• Marooned in Iraq
• Turtles Can Fly

This past summer, I ventured out to Kings Canyon and this time I wanted to make sure I could spend more time looking at nature and less time staring into a tour guide book. If you’ve ever gone hiking and used a Lonely Planet book, it’s like carrying a 300 page brick in your backpack so this time I decided to go a bit more high tech. Before leaving on my trip, I downloaded the SJPL app for my Android phone and downloaded the electronic copy of Frommer's Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Park onto my phone using the Mobile Library Catalog. I’ve done several hikes all over the place and I must admit that leaving the travel books behind is huge burden of my back, literally. E-Books not only make your hike much more enjoyable but they also make finding trails and sites of interest a lot easier. Plus if you’re ever lost you can use Android’s built in GPS to see exactly where you are in the park. Using SJPL mobile with ebooks is perfect for any travel-holic!

On January 22, 2011 at 3:00PM a new program is coming to the Children's Room of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library called "STUFF"! "STUFF" is a program designed for children of all ages. It's about the stuff we keep around and all the different "Stuff" we can create from it. We'll be using found materials in creative, and most of all fun ways. Some projects will include making murals for decorating the Children's Room, creating masks to celebrate Mardi Gras and much much more!
 

Are there co-workers, relatives, friends in your life who have everything  all planned out, every hair in place, are perfectly unflappable? Do they make you feel ashamed?  Do you feel put down that your life isn't the epitome of order and perfection theirs is? Don't worry, be happy! Check out A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder. Don't ever hang your head in shame at your scattershot ways again. The further subtitle of this lifestyle-justification book says it all: "How crammed closets, cluttered offices, and on-the-fly planning make the world a better place."  So go forth to your local San José Public Library and make the world a better place!

Currently low key in theaters is the movie 127 Hours which is based on the true story of Aron Ralston, a mountain climber who gets trapped under a boulder for five days before refelcting on his life and gaining enough courage to take the necessary actions to free himself.

Before you go check out the movie, come visit your local library to check out the book (Between a Rock and a Hard Place) so you are in the loop!

The book may give you more depth into what he must have been thinking during his ordeal that could not thoroughly be portrayed.  Maybe it will help you reflect on your own life! Or inspire you to embark on your own adventure! After all, what doesn't kill you will makes you stronger! Happy holidays!

The Alviso Branch Library is seeking a motivated volunteer to help coach job seekers with job searches and resume questions. Come and meet your neighbors and make new friends by sharing your time and abilities with the community.There are a variety of volunteer opportunities for both teens and adults at the library. Click here for more information on volunteering at San Jose Public Library as well as other volunteer opportunities at your local library.

1. We have books about business, lot's of them, in print and online
2. We have access to expensive business research databases such as Business Source Complete and Reference USA which you can access for FREE with a SJPL library card
3. We have free WiFi
4. We have small group meeting rooms that you can reserve up to 4 days in advance with your library card
5. Don't have a printer at home? No problem! Our libraries have computer access and printing
6. Get personalized business research assistance from yours truly, in person, by phone, or via email

When the madness of holiday shopping, cooking, and travelling has burned you out, turn to some reading by NPR-regular and humorist, David Sedaris!  His recent title Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modern Beastiary features short stories (with illustrations) with animals as the main characters dealing with human-esque situations. 

For those who are more interested in holiday readings during this time of year, Holidays on Ice, is another compilation of Sedaris essays where he discusses the life of a Christmas elf working at Macy's, and offers his version of those annual family update letters you receive in holiday cards. 

Another way to enjoy the hilarity of Sedaris is to listen to the audio book versions; he reads all of his works and it just brings another element of laughter.   

 'Tis the season to pull out your baking pans, rolling pins, cookie cutters, and other fun kitchen appliances as we gear up for holiday baking time! It's one of the best times of the year to make and share goodies with your family and friends. But this year, why not try a vegan recipe or two?

Vegans choose to avoid eating and using animal products for a variety of ethical, environmental, and health reasons. Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals or Peter Singer's classic Animal Liberation will give you many philosophical points to consider. Even omnivores like Michael Pollan advocate for reduced consumption of animal products for a healthier body and world.

But hey, I'm not here to convert you. We're talking about cookies here. If you're not about to forgo the Brie and crackers or honey-glazed ham anytime soon this holiday season, there are still plenty of excellent vegan cookbooks that are well worth a try. You'll soon discover that it is indeed possible to make delicious treats without butter, milk, and eggs, just like all of these folks showing off on Flickr. But if you just don't buy it, try the Chocolate Chip Cookies or the Lemon Bar recipes in one of my all-time favorite vegan baking books, The Joy of Vegan Baking. You'll be pleasantly surprised with the results. Happy holidays!

San Jose Public Library loves your suggestions on book titles, film, and music.  We always benefit from hearing what YOU WANT!

“We’re just a million little gods causing rainstorms, turning every good thing to rust.”

If you haven't heard Arcade Fire's Funeral yet, then I think it's time you find yourself a Funeral day that doesn't necessarily involve dead bodies but can involve crying (True story. The album is deep stuff.).

The library categorizes the album as alternative rock music, which I guess it falls into; but in my heart, Funeral was categorized under the Awesome label. Yes, in case you couldn’t tell, I’m still more than mildly infatuated with the album. It’s my favorite of more recently released music albums (because in the end, can any thing really compare to Bon Jovi?), so it gets huge recommendations from my corner.

I was studying to music when something caught hold of my ears.

It was this song: (In case you're wondering, the man who looks like plastic is actually David Bowie.)

The band sings with so much energy and so much passion, it would be offensive not to really sit down and listen to their message. So grab a cup of coffee and find somewhere cozy, because the moment you get lost in their metaphors is the moment you can have a little more faith in the direction the music industry is going.

And if you've already heard Funeral, then I guess you can get the next Arcade Fire albums at the library (for reference, Pitchfork rates Funeral at a 9.7:

• Suburbs (2010) Rated by Pitchfork as an 8.6: "[Suburbs] focuses on this quiet desperation borne of compounding the pain of wasting your time as an adult by romanticizing the wasted time of your youth."
• Neon Bible (2007) Rated by Pitchfork as an 8.4: "On Neon Bible, the band looks outward instead of inward, their concerns more worldly than familial, and their sound more malevolent than cathartic"

We have recently received a large number of new Telegu movies at the Evergreen Library. One of the titles is Magadheera. It had received great reviews everywhere but I was really skeptical. How good could it be? A story set in 1609 is just an excuse for the main characters to jump around in skimpy clothes. The first 30 minutes were just as I expected. The acting was uninspiring, the jokes were insipid, the dialogues seemed very trite and Chiranjeevi was wasted in his cameo appearance. But, the story started to pick up around the half way point starting with the flashback. The reincarnation theme has been done to death in Indian movies but I was pleasantly surprised with Magadheera.  This movie requires a true suspension of disbelief but it is an enjoyable movie with some great production values, interesting camera angles (especially during the fight sequences) and well-designed costumes.

If you enjoyed watching Magadheera, you might also like Arundhati which has a similar theme of reincarnation and revenge.

This is the first in a monthly series of interesting question/answer transactions that take place in the San Jose Public Library system.  Reference questions are received and answered at physical library service desks, and via our telephone, email, or chat reference services.

Often we receive questions about books that people remember reading many years ago. Readers will recall aspects of books such as plot, major characters, rough time of publication, or perhaps when they read them. Sometimes we can pinpoint the book through a Google search. Other times we are assisted by a database named NoveList. Sometimes we rely on group memory - it's amazing what a large staff of librarians can remember about books!

This time the question arrived via email and was from a library customer whose husband couldn't recall a book's title or author. It used a play on words, for example, instead of "library" was "lieberry," a berry which caused whoever ate it to do nothing but lie. Also, instead of "computer," was "com pewter," which was something like a pewter mug.

Some of you familiar with this particular series of books might already know the answer, but having never read it myself, I started with Google. The search BOOK "LIE BERRY" "COM PEWTER" yielded only two results, the first of which was partly in Japanese (which I can't read), and the second of which took me closer to the answer. The second result was an actual original typewritten document (in pdf format) which was later published as a book. Looking up the author/series information on Amazon.com, I learned that the book was Xanth 14: Question Quest by Piers Anthony, published in 1990. Interesting! (SJPL does not own the book, but it's available to SJPL patrons via 4 Link+ libraries.)

Reference librarians enjoy learning something new every day on the job. Please keep those reference questions coming!

Get ready for some holiday fun! Kids are invited to make a holiday ornament this Saturday, December 11, from 4:00-5:00 in the Community Room of the Santa Teresa Branch Library.

Did you know that you can ask a librarian a research question via email? To get factual answers from sources you can trust, or to get guidance on using our library reference tools, just use this form. (If the link fails, please use the SJSU Ask A Librarian page and click on the link to the email form.) You will receive an automatic acknowledgement of your question, and a response within 24-48 hours. This service is provided by San Jose Public and San Jose University reference librarians. We're here to help!

(For questions about your library account or borrowing library items, please contact Library Access Services at (408) 808-2000 during regular hours or email circ.sjpl@sjlibrary.org).

I’ll be honest.  I don't buy a lot of books. Why should I? I work at a library, after all.

This book, A Dirty Job, I bought.  I called a dozen book stores trying to hunt down a hardcover copy until I eventually just bought it on Amazon.  And then, since I was in Germany when the author came to visit the area most recently, I sent my partner over the hill through the Highway 17 to get my book autographed. Moore signed, "Not in the butt!" because that was apparently a popular quote from the book.

Yes, I indeed enjoyed this book that much.  Christopher Moore himself actually has a sort of cult following (his Facebook is very entertaining), and I immediately joined their rankings after a read of his A Dirty Job.

The book begins in a hospital where the quiet and paranoid Beta Male Charlie Asher (as opposed to the more common alpha male protagonists who charismatically storm the scene and sweep ladies off their feet to defeat dragons and things of that nature) is with his wife as she gives birth to their first child, a daughter. An example of his paranoia could be seen in his questions like, "What if she has a tail?"

Charlie's wife insists that he go home to let her rest after the delivery and he reluctantly agrees until he notices that they forgot her favorite CD in the car.  He rushes back up to her hospital room up to deliver it, like he says a good husband should.  Scenarios of all the different things she could say ran through his head, but by the time he opened the door, none of it plays as he would've expected.  His wife was dead.  (I was heartbroken when I got to this part.  It was like that first part of Pixar’s Up all over again!)

When he gets home, he slowly starts to notice that things aren’t at all as they used to be.  The people he encounters start dying around him.  Ravens storm the sky.  The sewers talk to him.  If that were to happen to me, I would personally think I was going crazy.  Instead, Charlie realizes he’s been chosen to be Death.

I know, I know.  Another man becomes death book?   This one’s different.  This one’s been written by Christopher Moore and with his sword of wit and satire, A Dirty Job is a quick read that had me literally laughing out loud (but not too loud; it is still a library afterall).

I've been on an improved nutritional regimen (diet) the past month and am happy to report having lost nearly 10 pounds.  Making the right choices about what is going in my mouth is something I've been paying a lot of attention to lately.  With the help of the library, I've found some delicious ways to stay on track and to keep motivated.

The library doesn't discriminate between weight loss plans - from Weight Watchers, Atkins, Mediterranean Diet and even Weight Loss Surgery.  Books in these categories range from the entire diet plan to recipe books to keep things interesting.  I like simple recipes that make just a few swaps in order to make the dish more healthy but still resembles foods I was cooking before.

Because the weather is getting colder, exercise DVD's are a great way to burn off some extra calories while staying in the warm, dry comfort of your own home.  Check out Bhangra Aerobics, Shred-it With Weights or Yoga for the Rest of Us: Easy Yoga for Arthritis.

I know that exercise and diet are important but so is your mental attitude - Start Living, Start Losing: Inspirational stories that will motivate you now and Savor: mindful eating, mindful life can help  you think about what you're doing!

I recommend Stepping on the Cracks by Mary Downing Hahn as a novel for 4th-to 7th-graders who want a suspenseful, action-filled story involving an 11-year-old girl. I caution that the book covers some heavy themes successfully (domestic violence) and unsuccessfully (grief at the death of a sibling and child), and could use a bit more balance in the difficult debate between pacifism and fighting a war started by other nations.

Summary: Margaret, who tells the story, and her neighbor friend Elizabeth both have older brothers serving as soldiers overseas in World War II. These 11-year-olds gradually learn that the local bully of the same age, Gordy, is hiding a deserter from the Army. Because of their own feelings and what they have been told about deserters, Margaret and Elizabeth have a dilemma: Do they help when the deserter becomes seriously ill and almost dies? Do they ignore his situation, especially because of their nemesis Gordy? Or do they turn the deserter in to the authorities, becoming heroines in their hometown?

Review: The action and main characters are first rate, but the book seems a bit unrealistic in spots. The setting is a small U.S. town in the 1940's that is quite similar to the town that the author grew up in. Because of that, the descriptions of the neighborhood, family life, and physical settings have a real genuineness about them. There is a fair amount of tension between the girls on one hand and Gordy and his gang on the other, and the action picks up fairly early in the story. The suspense over a hideaway in the woods and chase scenes with unknown pursuers contribute to an atmosphere of excitement. Margaret begins the story as a timid follower but grows into an independent agent by the end, overshadowing Elizabeth, who takes on less of a role as the book progresses. We gradually learn why apparently Gordy is the bully he is, although the other products of his dysfunctional family didn't resort to terrorizing other children, as he does. The Army deserter is a tragic but noble figure who ends up in a battle of sorts, after all. However, his being a bit too good to be true and a central figure in the story is one of Hahn's ways of advancing her pacifism side of the debate. Also, there is a significant death in the book that seems glossed over too easily by the affected characters.

Preview Stepping on the Cracks at Google Books

Note: Once you read this book, you may be interested in its sequel Following My Own Footsteps. This book concerns what happens to Gordy the bully after the conclusion of Stepping on the Cracks.

See other books by Mary Downing Hahn in the Library

Bring the family in for some dancing and singing along with Papa Hugs and his playtime characters!

Mark your calendars for this Wednesday, December 8 at 6:30pm at the Santa Teresa Branch Library.

Don't miss out on a guaranteed fun time for the whole family!

If you are already a member of Facebook, we would like to extend an invitation to join or more accurately to "Like" the Almaden Branch Library's Page.  On our Facebook page you will receive updates on our upcoming programs and descriptions of various services offered at our Branch.  Hope you will enjoy our Facebook page, Almaden Branch Library and please feel free to make comments or postings as you see fit.

Hanukkah has already begun, and Christmas will be here in just 3 weeks!

With Winter holidays upon us, many folks are preparing for gift exchanges, lavish feasts and festive entertainment. Consider stopping by Almaden Branch Library for some holiday inspiration! We have cookbooks, holiday movies and music, and books about crafts, decorating, and gift-making.

Check out our holiday materials!

Martha is back and this time she won't share, so her favorite new word is MINE! She won't share her puppets, her magic tricks or her Ping Pong game. However, Martha soon learns that it's not much fun trying to play these games by herself so she decides to share with her brother and her mom and dad. Martha Doesn't Share by Samantha Berger is the sequel to Martha Doesn't Say Sorry. I can't wait to see what Martha won't do next. Stay tuned!

Baby Baby blah blah blah! by Jonathan Shipton explores the love and frustration new big brothers/sisters experience with the arrival of new siblings. This charming story has vibrant illustrations with a sprinkling of photographs to view at the end of the story.  Some additional titles to check out that cover the topic of introducing new siblings to the family are:

• Barfburger baby, I was here first! by Paula Danziger ; illustrated by G. Brian Karas
• Sophie and the New Baby by Laurence Anholt ; illustrated by Catherine Anholt
• Now We Have a Baby by Lois Rock
• A New Baby Arrives by Nicola Barber
• I'm a Big Brother by Joanna Cole
• I'm a Big Sister by Joanna  Cole

If you are a regular at Willow Glen Library, you're probably familiar with the cafe. While the library doesn't currently feature a coffee vendor, all one has to do is take a walk down the avenue, a short ways to Downtown Willow Glen. There are a few great options right at the corner of Lincoln and Minnesota for all your caffeinated needs!

While on the subject of coffee, SJPL has a wonderful assortment of materials on just that! One feature film to look out for at your local library is Coffee and Cigarettes, a series of shorts revolving around your favorite caffeinated beverage!

I know it's hard, but I'm going to ask you to remember the time before guns.  Think Gladiator.  Think Kingdom of Heaven.  Think Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (if you want to keep it real, you can try imagining it without the Orcs and elves and stuff, but I personally like to imagine the Middle Ages really were filled with those guys).  Yeah, that's right.  Back in the day, they fought with things like swords, bows and arrows, and catapults.  Now focus on the catapults.

I'll help you focus on the catapults with 4 minutes of catapult excellence from a few of our cinema favorites compiled by a fellow catapult enthusiast on YouTube.

So come to Hillview Library on December 9th for our Recycled Science Craft: Catapults program from3:30-4:30 PM.  We're not just going old school on the battle field, but we're doing it green-friendly style by using recycled materials like spoons, rubber bands.  Then you better hope your enemies don't like marshmallows, because that's going to be our primary weapon of attack.

I know shooting marshmallows probably isn't going to help you survive a zombie apocalypse (or will it?!), but it will help you demonstrate the awesomeness of physics; and with physics, you can survive ANYTHING.

Although his schedule is hectic around this time of the year, Santa manages to squeeze us in.  Santa will visit the Tully Community Branch Library on Saturday, December 18 from 1-4PM.  He will bring gifts of books for all good little boys and girls.  To make the event even more festive, the Friends of the Tully Library and teensReach volunteers will also lend a hand at various craft stations.  More importantly, don’t leave without your photo with Santa! 

Please help us spread the word, so that every child will have a moment of fun visiting with Santa. 

¡Papá Noel Visita la biblioteca Tully!

A pesar de que su agenda está muy ocupada en esta época del año, Papá Noel,  nos hará una visita especial. Papá Noel  visitará la biblioteca Tully el sábado 18 diciembre 1-4 PM. Él traerá regalos de libros para todos los niñas y las niños buenos. Para que el evento sea aún más festivo, los amigos de la biblioteca Tully y los voluntarios de la teensReach  nos ayudaran con manualidades para los pequeños. ¡Más importante aun, no se vaya sin su foto con Papá Noel!   Por favor ayúdenos  a pasar la palabra, para que cada niño tenga un momento de diversión con Papá Noel.

Ông Già Noël Đến Thăm Thư Viện Tully!

Mặc dù Ông Già Noël rất bận rộn vào những ngày Giáng Sinh, nhưng ông vẩn dành một chút thời gian để đến thăm chúng ta.  Santa sẽ có mặt tại Thư Viện Tully vào Thứ Bảy, ngày 18 tháng 12 từ 1:00-4:00 giờ trưa. Ông sẽ mang tặng sách cho tất cả các cô và cậu bé ngoan hiền. Để làm cho chương trình được vui nhộn hơn, các thân hữu của Thư viện Tully và các em học sinh thiện nguyện viên teensReach cũng sẽ giúp một tay tại các bàn làm thủ công. Quan trọng hơn, quý vị nhớ chụp hình lưu niệm với Santa nhé!

Xin giúp chúng tôi thông tin đến những gia đình có trẻ em, để các em có một buổi thăm viếng đầy thú vị với Santa.

  SJPL now has children's books all related to Disney's new animated film Tangled.  Tangled is based on the original fairy tale Rapunzel.  Look at all the versions of Rapunzel that you can find at the library !   And if you are having a bad hair day like Rapunzel, you might find some helpful styling tips from the library's collection of books on hairstyling.

People who work with me soon realize I enjoy numbers, data, and facts (though I am kept very busy as the manager of a large and active library system I am still a librarian at heart).

I'm guessing you did not know that last fiscal year more people visited the San Jose libraries (the 18 branches and the joint use King Library) than attended the home games of the SF Giants, the Oakland As, the Sharks, the Raiders, and the 49ers combined? Their attendance was 5.9 million, the libraries had 7.6 million visitors.

Last year the King Library and five of the 18 branches each checked out or renewed over 1 million items. All told, just under 15 million items were checked out or renewed. San Jose's libraries are among the most heavily used large city libraries in the U.S.

Of course, underlying these huge numbers are the stories of hundreds of thousands of people whose lives are made easier and better by using library resources and by receiving assistance from library staff. From time to time, I'll share some of those stories through this blog. 

I really enjoyed this book! The Help recounts the lives of two black maids, close friends, in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s. Through a third friend, a white female author, their stories, and those of people around them are coallated into a novel. It's hard to believe how difficult life was back then - and this is a book everyone should read, either to refresh memories or to learn some history.

If you ever feel like picking up a new hobby, you should note that being a ping pong master sounds pretty classy.  

It can say a lot of things about a person, such as one's ability to handle tiny rackets, tiny balls, and tiny nets.  It can mean that you, fine sir or madam, are able to handle the details in things and display it in a beautiful dance around the ping pong table.  Or it can mean that, well, maybe we hand out the title of "ping pong master" all too easily.

Regardless, I highly recommend joining us at Hillview for our Ping Pong day.  It's part of our Wednesday Game Day series where our activity changes every week.  This week it was Ping Pong.  Next week, it'll be a test of your hand-eye coordination with the Nintendo Wii.  Who knows what it'll be the week after!  Okay, to be perfectly honest, we actually do already know because on our calendar says it's air hockey, but don't let the lack of mystery dismay you.

So stay tuned for what goes on at Hillview's Wednesday Game Day Series.  Give us a call at 408-808-3033 or check out our calendar for the latest updates.

 The Tully Branch Library's  Book Sale takes place generally on every First Monday of the even months except Holidays. Stop by our monthly Book Sale organized our volunteers to help and support teensReach and the Friends of the Tully Community Branch Library. We have children and adult books/CDs/DVDs including fiction, non-fiction, & Vietnamese language . All proceeds will benefit the Tully Community Branch Library. If you have any question, please call Chieu Nguyen at 408-808-3030.  

Volunteers are needed for the event. If you are interested to be a volunteer, please turn in an application.  Teen volunteers can go to our teensReach meeting on every Third Wednesday of the month to participate.

Also check out our other events at Tully Community Branch Library.

Meet with other teens and have fun to work on a 3 minute video that describes why you like your library and what makes its a special place for you.

Upload it to our library’s blip.tiv account by January 15, 2011 to compete with other branches‘ teen groups. The winner branch will get a pizza party for their teens.

Tully Community Branch Library teens will meet on Sat. Dec. 4 at 10:00 AM,

Wed. Dec. 15 at 6:00 PM,  and Sat. Jan. 8 at 10:00 AM.

Join teensReach to work on this project as community service.

During December, I am quite content to listen to holiday music all month long.  On the radio after a while, the same songs seem to be played over and over and my patience with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Jingle Bell Rock wears thin.  Every year I do seem to stumble on a great holiday album that includes new titles I'd never heard or revisions of old classics. 

As a child I cherished the Chipmunks album I had!  I never grow tired of "Christmas Don't Be Late" from Christmas with the Chipmunks!

When I was in college, Windham Hill came out with the first in a series of New Age holiday albums.  A Winter's Solstice is great to play during a holiday party - instrumental versions of holiday favorites.  Songs of Joy and Peace by Yo-Yo Ma and Friends is another great album to celebrate the holiday season with Hannukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year music.

A couple of years ago, a group of dj's who specialize in mashups and remixes came out with a collection called Santastic which they put online for download.  Santastic 4 is out now.  This is dance music with a holiday twist.  Take a listen to Pumping Up Christmas and see if you like holiday mashups!

Maybe you saw the Sting concert on PBS last year - I did and I loved it!  The concert featured older songs accompanied by the Lute - some of which I had never heard before!   The Library has the CD If On A Winter's Night and the DVD A Winter's Night: Live from the Durham Cathedral.

When I heard Alicia Keys singing "Little Drummer Girl" from Jermaine Dupri presents the Twelve Soulful Nights of Christmas, I got goosebumps!

You can browse through literally hundreds of holiday songs - when you get to Freegal, just type in the word Christmas or Holiday and see what pops up.  While was there I also found a Laura Nyro song, "Upstairs By a Chinese Lamp" from her album Christmas and the Beads of Sweat.  Remember, you can download 3 songs a week, so I rounded out my trip to Freegal by downloading one of my favorite songs, "The Cherry Tree Carol" as sung by Jose Feliciano from his Feliz Navidad album. 

I love acapella music - and I was pretty excited to see that the Library just ordered the Straight No Chaser CD With a Twist.  It isn't their Holiday CD - but please, enjoy this video of their version of the "12 Days of Christmas."  It is hilarious and might get you in the mood for Holiday music!

 The Secret by Rhonda Byrne is best described as a big gift containing many gifts inside.  As the reader unfolds each present he/she discovers the secret of money, relationships, health, happiness, but most importantly the secret of oneself.  A must read for everyone wanting to make a positive change in their life.

I donned the mantle of Smokey Bear (there is no "the", apparently) Wednesday night at West Valley's 6pm Story time. I had a fun time wearing the suit and interacting with the kids who were all happy to see Smokey. A good time was had by all in attendance and I recommend wearing a character suit at least once in your lifetime!

This might be a first – story time at a San José City Council meeting!  Librarian Ed Koetitz (Almaden) was asked to do a five-minute version of story time at Tuesday’s Council meeting (11-30-2010).  He got the audience to sing along with him and participate with gusto.  The Library Foundation was in attendance and they graciously participated by playing rhythm sticks in the last musical selection "There is a Planet Bright and Blue."

In Nancy Pyle's opening remarks (Council member for District 10), she pointed out that story time at the San José Public Library was one of its most popular services to the residents of San José.  During the last fiscal year (09-10), the library presented 3,022 Story Times with 119,033 parents and children in attendance. 

Research has shown that children who are read to and who enjoy the reading experience are much more likely to become proficient readers and as a result, have great academic success throughout their lives.

You can watch the video here. Council member Nancy Pyle begins introducing Ed at exactly one minute into the meeting.  Enjoy!

Everyone and their mothers have been telling me that I should pick up the series Dexter, and having a mild case of thanatophobia (my vocab word for the day; it means fear of death), I figured passing might be okay.  I was wrong.

Do not pass on Dexter.  There is intensity in this direction and it’s the good kind.

Meet Dexter.  He's just a normal guy except he's kind of a sociopathic serial killer raised by a cop foster father who taught him to kill by a certain code.  The need to kill is instilled deep within him and it feeds often.  He also works in the forensics department of the Miami PD.

But there’s a new serial killer in town that the homicide department is tracking down: The Ice Truck Killer, known as such because he likes to drain the blood out of his victims when he chops then into slices with the aid of a chilly environment to slow down the flow of blood.

The Ice Truck Killer already kills in a way that sends Dexter shivers of excitement; but when Dexter finds out that he’s being called out by his fellow serial killer, he needs to find out how they’re linked.  He digs into his past, trying to find out about the memories his mind is blocking and how he became the sociopath he is.

Probably not suitable for children.

 Materials are never due on days that we are closed.

During the month of December there will be several days when items will have extended due dates.  This is to ensure that materials will not be due during Holiday closures.

Because space in our return drop is limited, we recommend that customers return materials on days that we are open or renew items before they are due.

Thank you, and Happy Holidays!!

I remember singing a version of “Knick Knack Paddy Whack” way back in elementary school.   I recently discovered a book called Knick Knack Paddy Whack that has colorful collage illustrations by Christiane Engel.  An older gentleman plays a drum and several children play a variety of musical instruments.  A cute dog with a bone follows the man and the children as they parade through the neighborhood and stop for a bite to eat.  A CD with vocals by Mr. Steve accompanies this delightful book, so that readers can listen and sing while turning the pages. 

Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone? is another fun book with a CD.   The 1864 song, composed by Septimus (Sep) Winner is accompanied by illustrations by Erica Pelton Villnave.    

Happy reading, listening and singing!