SJCPL Blog

Published February 5, 2009. View the complete list from The New York Times.

Hardcover Fiction:

1. THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett. (Amy Einhorn/Putnam, $24.95.) A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s ­Mississippi.

2. THE LOST SYMBOL, by Dan Brown. (Doubleday, $29.95.) Robert Langdon among the Masons.

3. KISSER, by Stuart Woods. (Putnam, $25.95.) Stone Barrington, the New York cop turned lawyer, pursues a case of financial fraud on the Upper East Side.

4. BLOOD TIES, by Kay Hooper. (Bantam, $26.) The F.B.I. agent Noah Bishop and his special crimes unit pursue a brutal enemy.

5. THE FIRST RULE, by Robert Crais. (Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated, $26.95.) Elvis Cole and his partner, Joe Pike, set out to clear the reputation of a former military contractor who has been murdered.

Hardcover Nonfiction:

1. GAME CHANGE, by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. (Harper/HarperCollins, $27.99.) Behind the scenes at the 2008 election with Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, John and Elizabeth Edwards, John McCain and Sarah Palin.

2. I AM OZZY, by Ozzy Osbourne with Chris Ayres. (Grand Central, $26.99.) Recollections of heavy metal’s “Prince of Darkness.”

3. THE POLITICIAN, by Andrew Young. (Thomas Dunne/St. Martin’s, $24.99.) A tell-all by John Edwards’s closest aide.

4. COMMITTED, by Elizabeth Gilbert. (Viking, $26.95.) The author of Eat, Pray, Love wrestles with, and overcomes, her ambivalence about marriage.

5. HAVE A LITTLE FAITH, by Mitch Albom. (Hyperion, $23.99.) A suburban rabbi and a Detroit pastor teach lessons about the comfort of belief.

Children’s Chapter Books:

1. THE HUNGER GAMES, by Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic, $17.99.) In a dystopian future, a girl fights for survival on live TV. (Ages 12 and up)

2. CATCHING FIRE, by Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic, $17.99.) The protagonist of The Hunger Games returns. (Ages 12 and up)

2. WITCH AND WIZARD, by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet. (Little, Brown, $17.99.) One of each, brother and sister, flex their newfound powers. (Ages 12 and up)

3. FALLEN, by Lauren Kate. (Delacorte, $17.99.) Thwarted love among misfits at a Savannah, Ga., boarding school. (Ages 12 and up)

4. PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS (THE ULTIMATE GUIDE), written by Mary-Jane Knight. Designed by Philip Chidlow.. (Disney-Hyperion, $12.99.) Gods, beasts and tips for children with one immortal parent, based on the series by Rick Riordan. (Ages 10 and up)

5. WHEN YOU REACH ME, by Rebecca Stead. (Wendy Lamb, $15.99.) A sixth-grade girl in New York City begins receiving mysterious notes. (Ages 9 to 12)

This circa 1910 Valentine’s Day postcard shows that for at least 100 years couples have been celebrating this holiday through romantic, flowery messages. The look of cards past might be different from today’s, but it seems that people and their idea of romance has remained the same.

On February 12, 1933, Gertrude O’Neill wrote an article for the South Bend Tribune about Valentine’s Day–or, as she called it, “the one day of the year that is so peculiarly a day of courting, of sentiment, of romance, in fact, of all that the heart connotes emotionally.” She recommended that gentlemen purchase valentines with pastel shades or, alternatively, in the newest fashion:  “black, silver and glossy paper.” O’Neill noted that flowers also were a “thrillingly subtle remembrance of the day,” but warned wooers to reflect carefully on the meaning of their bouquets. She explained that “there are tulips … and violets for friendship….  Forget-me-nots are sweetly suggestive and orchids reveal ‘you’re the only one.’ The ever lovely roses are the genuine semblance of all that is dear and suggest sincere friendship that borders dangerously on love.”

Also in 1933, just like today, folks threw parties and dances for Valentine’s Day. At that time, even private dinner parties could be mentioned in the paper, so we know that Miss Louise Studebaker entertained a group of young people in her home for the occasion. Many married couples had bridge parties, with decorations such as “red candles in crystal holders.” The “Married Folks Dancing Club” held a Valentine’s dinner dance for its members.

Even The Workers’ Relief Association, a Depression-era association, sponsored a ball. By pooling members’ funds, a nice dance could be held at little cost to each individual. This year, with the country in the midst of a recession, many people are again looking for ways to treat their Valentines without having to use up what’s left of their savings. Here are some low-cost ideas for St. Joseph County:

• Check out a museum pass from SJCPL and visit the Studebaker National Museum’s “National Treasures” exhibition for free! See eight famous (and lovely) vehicles from the Studebaker collection that the National Park Service has designated as official National Treasures.
• Rent a romantic movie from SJCPL’s Sights & Sounds department on the 3rd Floor of Main Library in downtown South Bend. Cost:  $0.50 per day, for up to four days. Here’s a short list of some good romances and romantic comedies: His Girl Friday (Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell), Gigi (Leslie Caron and Louis Jourdan), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard), A Room with a View (Julian Sands and Helena Bonham Carter), Moonstruck (Cher and Nicholas Cage), When Harry Met Sally (Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal), Monsoon Wedding (Vasundhara Das and Parvin Dabas), Possession (Gwyneth Paltrow and Aaron Eckhart), and Something New (Sanaa Lathan and Simon Baker).
• Attend Jane Eyre, the Musical at Bethel College on February 11, 12, or 13. The tickets are $15 per person ($13 for students and seniors).
• Enjoy some Mendelssohn and Brahms at the Notre Dame Symphony Orchestra’s Winter 2010 Concert, “Musical Valentines.” The concert is on Friday, February 12, and only costs $6 (less for seniors and Notre Dame employees and students).
• If any snow arrives and sticks, take part in the Cocoa, Candlelight, and Cross-County Ski at St. Patrick’s County Park next Friday, February 12. Pay the gate fee of $3 per car and $10 to participate in the skiing and get your hot cocoa. You can rent skis for $10 a pair.
• Go snowshoeing at Ferrettie/Baugo Creek County Park next weekend. The cost is $3 per car to enter the park, and you can rent snowshoes for only $3 per person. Lots of fun and a great bargain. If you want to take the whole family, you can also try innertubing at Ferrettie/Baugo or St. Pat’s.
• Make like the 1933 “Married Folks Dancing Club” members and attend a dinner dance. Southside Christian Church is hosting a Valentine’s Day dinner dance on Friday, February 12: “Suggested donation of $10/person at the door, but no one will be turned away.”
• Hear local folk singer Judy Berg perform at the Artpost gallery downtown on Saturday, February 13. The cover charge is only $5.
• The least expensive, easiest, and possibly most romantic option of all: check out a love story or poems from SJCPL and read it to your sweetheart over a special home-cooked meal! I’d suggest Griffin & Sabine, Jane Hirshfield’s poems in After, or The 100 Best Love Poems of All Time (which includes Shakespeare’s “Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer’s Day?,” Emily Dickinson’s “Wild Nights!,” and ee cummings’s “i carry your heart with me”).

Any other suggestions for low-cost Valentine’s Day celebrations?

Once upon a time, a wonderful author of teen books wrote a trilogy about alternate worlds and Victorian young girls. The first book in the series was called A Great and Terrible Beauty and the writer ’s name is Libba Bray.

Libba Bray’s newest creation is Going Bovine. The cover art is eye-catching (how often do book covers show a human-looking cow with a garden gnome tucked under its foreleg?). The writing crackles with wit–no wonder it won the Michael L.Printz Award for literary excellence in YA fiction. For the first few chapters, I thought Going Bovine was going to be a change of pace for this author. Then as I kept reading–and laughing–the Libba Bray alternate universes unfolded. Like Bray’s Victorian trilogy, there are many layers to this book. It often seems a ‘companion’ piece to Don Quixote. It has mythology (in this case, Norse mythology) and a time-traveling Inuit pop music group. It was a lovely romp, with the unexpected thrown in at every turn. As an added treat, the author also created a quirky trailer about her book: Going Bovine is mooo-velous!

Mi Papá Diego Y Yo/My Papa Diego and Me por Guadalupe Rivera Marín & Diego Rivera–Memorias del hijo del artista Diego Rivera.

La Puerta  Hechizada por Sandra Montañez Carreño–La puerta es la entrada a un mundo mágico con brujas juguetonas, duendes traviesos y más.

Cheech y el Autobús Fantasma por Cheech Marin. El actor y comediante creó el personaje del chofer de un autobús escolar. En este libro, Cheech y sus ‘Cheecharones’ intentan de todo para deshacerse de los fantasmos.

Dog Who Loved Tortillas/La Perrita Que Le Encantaban Las Tortillas por Benjamin Alire Sáenz. Un libro bilingüe sobre una perrita y la familia que la quiere.

Fiction
Butter Safe Than Sorry: A Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery with Recipes by Tamar Myers
Irish Country Girl by Patrick Taylor
Nauti Deceptions by Lora Leigh
The Queen’s Governess by Karen Harper
Wild Child, and Other Stories by T. Coraghessan Boyle

Nonfiction
Green Barbarians: How to Live Bravely on Your Home Planet by Ellen Sandbeck
I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne
The Only Thing Worth Dying For: How Eleven Green Berets Forged a New Afghanistan by Eric Blehm
The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life by Bethenny Frankel
Start Over, Finish Rich: 10 Steps to Get You Back on Track in 2010 by David Bach

DVDs
Amelia
Love Happens
More Than a Game
New York, I Love You
Zombieland

CDs
Crazy Heart: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack—Various Artists
Forget and Not Slow Down—Relient K
Grammy Nominees 2010—Various Artists
The Sun Came Out—7 Worlds Collide
Y Not—Ringo Starr

Children’s
A Friend Like You by Tanja Askani (Preschool)
Ghost in the Machine by Patrick Carman (Grades 4–6)
The Great Big Book of Mighty Machines by Jean Coppendal (Preschool–Grade 3)
Lone Wolf (Wolves of the Beyond) by Kathryn Lasky (Grades 4–6)
Polo and the Dragon by Regis Faller (Preschool–Grade 2)

Audiobooks
Death of a Valentine by M.C. Beaton
The First Rule by Robert Crais
The Honor of Spies by W.E.B. Griffin
Impact by Douglas Preston
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

Los Casos de la Doctura Anabel Ochoa–La doctura Anabel Ochoa fue un personaje extraordinario dentro del ámbito de la comunicación, particularmente en el contexto del la educación sexual en México.

Pregúntale a Silvia…los secretos de Eva por Silvia Olmedo.La vida de una mujer nunca es facil. Infidelidad? Prevenir un embarazo? Que debo hacer por mi carrera? Identidad soy gay? En este libro se reunen personajes y circunstancias de la vida real con consejos practicos que ayudaran a las lectoras a enfrentar algunas de las situaciones dificiles de la vida. Un libro informativo, divertido y controversial.

Bebé y niño, guía útil por Dra Carol Cooper.  La guía esencial para abordar y disfrutar el rápido desarrollo de tu bebé.

Guía de supervivenica para mamás por Cheryl Saban. Aprende a gestionar ese cúmulo de sensaciones y emociones desbordadas que pueden sobrevenir tras el parto.

Adolescentes y sexo:el papel de los padres por José María Corominas. Un libro que puede ser leído por los padres para prepararse bien para hablar con los hijos adolescentes.

25,000 nombres de bébe: la mejor guía para escoger el nombre adecuado por Carla Veazquez de Haro.

February is Black History Month. It was established in 1915 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, an African- American historian, educator and author. SJCPL has numerous Black History resources for researching this rich and unique history .

For biographical information, check out our online source, Gale Biography Resource Center. Books covering subjects ranging from slavery to civil rights can be found in the following sections: African American History, African American Social Issues, and Slavery and Anti-Slavery Movements. One of my favorite authors of African-American studies is Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

The areas mentioned  are just some of the suggested areas that you can find books about the extensive history of African-Americans at SJCPL.

Last night the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards were held and you can click here for a list of all the winners.Beyonce and Taylor Swift were the ruling divas of the evening, but the surprise and most touching moment was watching Paris and Prince accept the Lifetime Achievement award for their late father, Michael Jackson. It is hard to believe that seven months have passed since the reigning King of Pop departed this world. Similarly, it was difficult to imagine that these were indeed children, so mature, so sophisticated, so cool, calm and collected, accepting this honor on behalf of their dad. Visit SJCPL and check out music from any of the winning artists. One of my personal favorites, which won Album of the Year, is Fearless by Taylor Swift.

Recently, I was checking in books at the Tutt Branch when I noticed a book with an interesting cover. The cover featured a picture of a pair of flowery women’s underwear hanging on a clothesline. I looked closer only to find that they were the exact same pair of women’s briefs that were in my drawer at home. I thought this was pretty funny until I saw that the title of the book (there is also a website) was How Not to Act Old. Really? Maybe my choice of undergarments was a tad on the sensible side but, me, old??? I mean, come on! I Twitter! Granted it is not with John Mayer frequency (more like once a month) but I know how!!!! I can also text (although I must admit I have to fight the urge to put in proper capitalization, spelling, and punctuation). I also can blog, as you can see! I know who Jay-Z, Lady Ga-Ga, and Rhianna all are.

But as I perused the various chapters of the book I realized that I do indeed act old. For example, one suggestion is “Enough With The Seinfeld Already.” Now, I am not a huge Seinfeld fan, but I do frequently refer to my wallet as the George Costanza wallet because it is a black, man-style wallet and I keep a TON of receipts in it. Another is “Never Admit You Hated The Dark Knight.” I guess then I probably shouldn’t admit I have never seen The Dark Knight then, should I? Yet another piece of advice is “Don’t Wake Up Before Dawn.” I have become, though no fault of my own, an early riser. I have a chubby beagle who loves to eat and pesters me until I get up and feed her. The latest she can wait before fainting from hunger is 7:00 a.m. Now, you might be thinking, how old is this lady, 82? But before you judge, here are a few more old things you might want to avoid that are explained in the following chapters. (I know some of you library staff members in particular are guilty of a few of these.)

Don’t Worship Jane Austen

Don’t Admit You’re Crazy About Springsteen

Fall Is So Not Your Favorite Season

Don’t Advise People to Carry an Umbrella

Don’t Dance to “Sexual Healing”

If you want some more tips on how to act younger, check out a copy of How Not to Act Old at your favorite SJCPL location today!

Published January 29, 2009. View the complete list from The New York Times.

Hardcover Fiction:

1. THE HELP, by Kathryn Stockett. (Amy Einhorn/Putnam, $24.95.) A young white woman and two black maids in 1960s ­Mississippi.

2. KISSER, by Stuart Woods. (Putnam, $25.95.) Stone Barrington, the New York cop turned lawyer, pursues a case of financial fraud on the Upper East Side.

3. THE LOST SYMBOL, by Dan Brown. (Doubleday, $29.95.) Robert Langdon among the Masons.

4. THE BURNING LAND, by Bernard Cornwell. (Harper/HarperCollins, $25.99.) In the fifth of the Saxon Tales, the ninth-century Saxon warrior Uhtred breaks with King Alfred, but eventually returns to help fight the Danes.

5. THE FIRST RULE, by Robert Crais. (Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated, $26.95.) Elvis Cole and his partner, Joe Pike, set out to clear the reputation of a former military contractor who has been murdered.

Hardcover Nonfiction:

1. GAME CHANGE, by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin. (Harper/HarperCollins, $27.99.) Behind the scenes at the 2008 election with Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, John and Elizabeth Edwards, John McCain and Sarah Palin.

2. COMMITTED, by Elizabeth Gilbert. (Viking, $26.95.) The author of Eat, Pray, Love wrestles with, and overcomes, her ambivalence about marriage.

3. STONES INTO SCHOOLS, by Greg Mortenson. (Viking, $26.95.) Building schools, many of them for girls, in northeast Afghanistan; takes up where Three Cups of Tea left off.

4. HAVE A LITTLE FAITH, by Mitch Albom. (Hyperion, $23.99.) A suburban rabbi and a Detroit pastor teach lessons about the comfort of belief.

5. GOING ROGUE, by Sarah Palin. (Harper/HarperCollins, $28.99.) A memoir by the former Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate.

Children’s Chapter Books:

1. CATCHING FIRE, by Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic, $17.99.) The protagonist of The Hunger Games returns. (Ages 12 and up)

2. WITCH AND WIZARD, by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet. (Little, Brown, $17.99.) One of each, brother and sister, flex their newfound powers. (Ages 12 and up)

3. PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS (THE ULTIMATE GUIDE), written by Mary-Jane Knight. Designed by Philip Chidlow.. (Disney-Hyperion, $12.99.) Gods, beasts and tips for children with one immortal parent, based on the series by Rick Riordan. (Ages 10 and up)

4. FALLEN, by Lauren Kate. (Delacorte, $17.99.) Thwarted love among misfits at a Savannah, Ga., boarding school. (Ages 12 and up)

5. WHEN YOU REACH ME, by Rebecca Stead. (Wendy Lamb, $15.99.) A sixth-grade girl in New York City begins receiving mysterious notes. (Ages 9 to 12)