Are you a young adult who enjoys listening to audiobooks?  Or an adult who enjoys listening to young adult (YA) audiobooks?  Or just someone with an interest in audiobooks?  Then let me tell you about a great program happening this summer. For the third year in a row, SYNC, sponsored by AudioFile, is offering two free audiobook downloads per week from May 30 to June 5, 2013.  The downloads consist of one current YA title thematically paired with a classic title.  These eAudiobooks are yours to keep and listen to whenever you want to.  Just visit this page every week starting Thursday, May 30, 2013 to download the two titles.

See the selections from SYNC for Summer 2013 below!

And if you can’t wait or you want to preview the offerings, you can always check out some version of each title from SJPL.  See the link after each for SJPL’s offerings.

May 30 – June 5, 2013
Of Poseidon by Anna Banks (SJPL)
The Tempest by William Shakespeare (SJPL)

June 6 – June 12, 2013
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, Book 1: The Mysterious Howling by Maryrose Wood (SJPL)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (SJPL)

June 13 – June 19, 2013
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater (SJPL)
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya (SJPL)

June 20 – June 26, 2013
Once by Morris Gleitzman (SJPL)
Letter From Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr. (SJPL)

June 27 – July 3, 2013
Rotters by Daniel Kraus (SJPL)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (SJPL)

July 4 – July 10, 2013
Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford (SJPL)
She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Goldsmith (SJPL)

July 11 – July 17, 2013
The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann (SJPL)
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (SJPL)

July 18 – July 24, 2013
Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers (SJPL)
Hamlet by William Shakespeare (SJPL)

July 25 – July 31, 2013
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen (SJPL)
The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain (SJPL)

Aug 1 – Aug 7, 2013
Death Cloud by Andrew Lane (SJPL)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (SJPL)

Aug 8 – Aug 14, 2013
Enchanted by Alethea Kontis (SJPL)
Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (SJPL)

Aug 15 – Aug 21, 2013
Sold by Patricia McCormick (SJPL)
Let Me Stand Alone by Rachel Corrie (SJPL)

The library's subscription to Freegal ends this week due to ongoing budgetary considerations. Please be sure to download your tracks ASAP. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please contact me at mana.tominaga@sjlibrary.org if you have specific questions.

Did you miss Free Comic Book Day? Yes - there is a official day in which comic book stores around the Country and participating library systems promote the importance of literacy through comics and graphic novels. A crazy concept I hope many won’t miss for next years event. Because of prior commitments, my family and I missed out on the opportunity to attend this years give away that the SJPL was facilitating throughout all of our branches. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop me from taking my boys to stock up on some new reading material the day before at our local comic book store.

The Free Comic Book Day event occurs every year on the first Saturday of the month of May. Participating comic book stores around the country join together to promote the importance of having brick and mortar comic book shops and how they inspire literacy for the youth by giving away free comics. Growing up, i couldn’t get enough of comic books. From Bill Watterson’s - Calvin and Hobbes, to Marvel’s Spider-Man, it seemed to be the only way my mom could get me to read as a kid. As I grew up, I  then graduated onto more lengthy reads. However - if it weren’t for the influence of the early graphic novels in my youth, I would have never appreciated the art of storytelling as I do now. Back then, the internet along with other online media was still a new concept and the digitization of any literature for consumer use was in its early stages. Too early for it to be readily available for the average household. There was no eBay, no Google, no iPhones, no Amazon, and no eBooks of any kind just yet. I'm sure the majority of you remember those days. However, my kids and the current fortunate generations don't.

Today the majority of our information and consumer goodies come from the vast amount of online services available at just the click of a button, or two. No need for a car ride or locating the address of your destination - since there is no destination, just a URL address. This however does not mean we have improved the consumers experience. That remains to be subjective. I personally still enjoy the experience of browsing through dust filled stacks of comics or books. I don't always know what i came for, but i do know i'm looking for something new. The physical interaction of picking the brain of the comic connoisseur sitting behind the register and discovering new finds while roaming the room, is an experience that humbles the reader. Just as one can walk into the library and browse your favorite subject of choice, then decide what item for the day you want to take home and explore more. The same sense of mystique I hoped my two boys would take away from their visit, became successful. The adventure in searching for just the right comic to purchase and being able to flip through the pages before making their decision has already got them bugging me to bring them back the following weekend. Granted these comics were not free, you can only imagine how excited our library customers were at the Free Comic Book Day event.

Even if you missed out on the fun from this past weekend, you can still enjoy free comic books here at the library. They are not free to keep, however still free to borrow :) - with a great selection of Manga, Graphic Novels, and dozens of comic series to choose from. To stay updated on fun future events for all library customers to enjoy, be sure to check our Events page regularly.

If you have a talent for creating comic/manga style illustrated short stories, you are invited to enter San José Public Library’s Graphic Novel Making Contest for all ages as part of our Summer Reading Celebration, 2013. This contest is sponsored by San José Public Library, Hijinx Comics, San José Museum of Art and TRY Japan Culture Group.

Here’s how to enter …

• Create your own comic book with a maximum length of 8 pages, including the cover page.
• Use letter-size paper (8.5 x 11) with black-and-white drawings and text on one side only.
• Each submission must be the creative and original work of a single individual—the author/illustrator.
• The contest is limited to amateur authors/ illustrators only.
• Computer generated images are acceptable as long as they are your original work (no clip art)
• Consider submitting a photocopy that is an accurate reflection of the original (as submissions are non-returnable).
• San José Public Library reserves the right to reproduce your work. You can reuse all your work after the contest.
• Be sure to print and complete the creative works release form. Include your Name, Age, Contact Information and Signature.
• Entries can be submitted to any San José Public Library location no later than 8p.m. on Wednesday, July 31, 2013. 
• Entries can also be submitted online to sjplgraphicnovelmakingcontest@gmail.com as a jpeg or pdf attachment.
• There is a limit of one entry per contestant.

Entries will be judged on content and illustrations by a panel of library staff and comic industry professionals. All cash prizes will be awarded as gift cards. 

• Children (up to age 6): first prize $25; second prize $15
• Children (7-12): first prize $40; second prize $20
• Teens (ages 13-17): first prize $100; second prize $70; third prize $50
• Adults (age 18 and above): first prize $100; second prize $70; third prize $50

Winners will be announced and prizes awarded at a reception to be held at the Seven Trees Branch Library on Saturday, August 24th at 2:00 p.m.in the Community Room. 

Check out the award winning entries from 2012, 2011 and 2010.   

San José Public Library staff members are ineligible to participate.

San José Public Library reserves the right to refuse submissions that are not appropriate for a general audience. This contest is open to all California residents.