Thanksgiving

The library will be open until 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 25.  We will be closed for Thanksgiving.  We will be open normal hours on Friday, November 27, with storyhour at 10:00 a.m. as usual.

This year's best

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

The lists of the best books of 2015 have been coming out this month.  I love to compare the lists to our library’s collection, and this year we seem to have most of them.  I think it’s especially important to notice those books that are included on more than one list, because it’s all so subjective.  Following are some of the books that have made more than one best-of-2015 list that we have in the Litchfield Library collection.

The novel Did You Ever Have a Family was included on Library Journal’s and Amazon’s lists of the best books of the year.  This is the first novel from author Bill Clegg, although he has published two memoirs previously.   This book about a horrible family tragedy on the day of a wedding, and the aftermath, was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize and widely praised.  It was also criticized by a few reviewers.  It appears that whether you appreciate the book depends on whether you want much of a plot, and whether you find the writing style profound or clichéd.  It is certainly a very dark and sad novel about loss. 

Between the World and Me is a memoir by Ta-Nehisi Coates, written as a letter to his teenage son.  It was included on at least four major lists of this year’s best, and it won the National Book Award for nonfiction.  It has also been a number one bestseller and in demand in our library system.  Coates writes about what it means to be black in America.  He addresses the legacy of slavery, tells stories about his growing-up years, and shares the development of his opinion that race is an artificial construct. Coates is a national correspondent for The Atlantic.

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff has been chosen by Amazon as its book of the year.  It was a finalist for the National Book Award for fiction, and it is on other lists of the best of 2015.  This novel is a complex portrait of a marriage gone wrong, told by both parties.  The pair are glamorous, talented, and passionately in love, but not everything is as it appears. 

Erik Larson’s newest book is Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania.  It has been included on a couple of the major best-of lists this year, which is no surprise for a book by Larson, the bestselling author of The Devil in the White City and In the Garden of Beasts.  This one is narrative nonfiction like the other two, telling a piece of history like a dramatic story instead of like a textbook.  You probably remember that the Lusitania was a passenger ship sunk by the Germans during World War I, but you probably don’t know the story like it is told in this book. 

H is for Hawk is a book that blends memoir and nature writing in a way that has reviewers lavishing praise on it, calling it “breathtaking,” “captivating,” and “dazzling.”  It has been included on a number of those year-end lists of the best books.  British author Helen MacDonald lost her father suddenly and turned to her love of falconry to deal with her grief.  She decided to train a dangerous type of bird, a goshawk, using The Once and Future King author T.H. White’s book The Goshawk to guide her.   National Geographic says it is “one of the most riveting encounters between a human being and an animal ever written.” 

When you’re trying to find something wonderful among the hundreds of thousands of traditional print books published each year (not counting self-published and e-books), these best-books lists can be a helpful way of finding something of quality.  So many books, so little time!

Hail the new, ye Lads and Lasses! New Books!

By Jan Pease

New books brighten up the cloudiest days, and here are some new books that really shine. 

“How to Hug an elephant,” by Henry Winkler, is the sixth book in the “Here’s Hank” series.  Hank is the kind of kid that’s known for being the class clown.  His jokes hide his struggles with dyslexia, and he has a hard time with school, especially subjects like reading, math, and spelling.  One of the interesting things about this series is that the books are set in a font called Dyslexie that makes it easier for people with Dyslexia to read.  Minor changes in the letters make them more distinct from each other.    For information about this interesting adaptation, go to dyslexiefont.com.

Cornelia Funke has a new book that is very distinct from her other novels.   “Ruffleclaw” tells the story of a boy named Tommy who wants to keep the furry red monster he finds in his bed one night.  Unfortunately, Ruffleclaw drinks shampoo, eats everything in the fridge, and spits, which makes him a very unsuitable pet.  Ms. Funke usually writes for an older audience, so it will be interesting to see how her books for younger readers are received. 

Sometimes we are able to add books that are requested by our young patrons.  The “Park Service Trilogy,” by Ryan Winfield, is a series published by Birch Paper Press.  I don’t know much about this publishing company, but it seems to be closely connected to author Ryan Winfield.  We were able to order these through Pioneerland Library and we’ll have to see.   Libraries usually don’t add privately published books to their collections, but since different patrons have asked about it, we’ll give the series a try.     This is a “dystopian” series, with teens placed in dangerous situations.  “Park Service” sounds benign, but it isn’t, and the cut off age for human life is only 35, bringing an element of “Blade Runner” or "Logan's Run" to the series.

 

Mike Lupica delivers great sports action for both teens and older folks.  His new book, “Fast Break” offers a basketball story with heart.  Jayson is a boy who ends up trying to stay out of the foster care system, so he is living on his own after his mom dies.  Caught stealing some basketball shoes, he finds himself in a foster home, a new part of the city, a different school, and a different kind of game.   

Erin Hunter is the pen name for a group of writers who keep the series coming.   Some of their fans call them “the Erins.”   Their main series are “Warriors” and “Explore the World of Warriors”  “Seekers,” and “Survivors.”  Their new book in the “Warriors Super Edition series”  is titled  “Moth Flight’s Vision.”    Moth Flight is a medicine cat and this is her story.  The structure and mythology of the warrior cats is getting more and more anthropomorphic, one of my favorite words.  Read a book or two, especially one of the later ones in the series, and you will know what my favorite word means. 

 Finally, here is a bit of information for everyone.    Santa will visit the library on Thursday, December 3 for a fun late afternoon and evening.  Our Lego building group will meet only once in December, on the 12^th at 6:30 p.m., and Beginner Book Club will meet as usual on December 19^th at about 3 p.m.  The last Saturday Story Time of the year will be December 14^th at 10:00 a.m., and then we will take a break from Toddler Time and Preschool Story Time the last two weeks of December.  What does that song say?  “Fast away the old year passes!”  

The library has an iPad!

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

Our library has gotten an iPad that you can check out to use in the library.  If you’d like an option for using a computer that’s even more comfortable to use than a laptop, consider checking this out and sitting down with it in one of the library’s easy chairs.  You can browse the internet the same as on a PC, although it’s all done with a touchscreen instead of a keyboard and mouse. 

We have a number of apps installed on the iPad that will appeal to kids and adults. One that I know will be a hit is Minecraft.  If you know a child or teenager, I’m sure you’ve heard of it.  It’s a sandbox game, which means game play is freeform and determined by the player’s creativity.  There isn’t a set storyline or progression of levels.  In Minecraft, players build and craft things in a blocky world, much like Legos.  If they choose to, players can fight monsters, or they can turn those off and just do things necessary to survival – or they can even turn that requirement off and simply design a world.  We don’t have this popular game on the library computers, so I love that we can offer it now on the iPad.  Unfortunately, it can’t be connected with others using our wifi the way people do to play together in their homes, so it is a solo operation on our iPad.

Another app for kids and older is Toca Band.  Toca Boca games in general are acclaimed for open-ended creativity, as well.  Their website says, “We design digital toys not just for kids, but with kids.”  My teenagers and some adults I know have had fun playing with Toca Band.  To play it, you drag your choice of characters onto a stage, where they play rhythms or notes together like an orchestra.  You change the sound of the song by choosing different characters and placing them in different spots on the stage. 

For adults, the iPad has a number of news apps.  These include Star Tribune, St. Paul Pioneer Press, CNN, NPR News, and MPR News.  One nice feature in the NPR News app is a button at the bottom of the screen that will play the most recent hourly newscast for you at any time.  The app also offers quick access to podcasts and programs.  With three taps, I could get to the most recent episode of Radiolab or the most recently broadcast episode of Car Talk.  Of course, on all of these apps you can also read stories much as you can read the newspaper.

The iPad also offers a TED app.  This is an easy way to access videos of the popular, educational TED Talks.  For example, neuroscientist Sandrine Thuret presents an eleven-minute speech on how to grow new brain cells in the area of the brain involved in memory and mood, based on current research.  (Hint: learning increases neurogenesis, sleep deprivation decreases it.) Career coach Emilie Wapnick gives a presentation on “Why some of us don’t have one true calling,” which addresses people who never really figure out what they want to be when they grow up. 

If it seems like many of these apps involve sound, you’re right.  I recommend that you also borrow a set of headphones from us while you use the iPad, or bring along your own earbuds.  We want you to enjoy the things the iPad can do, but we don’t want to bother other people in the library.

To use the iPad, you will need to have your library card with you and it will need to be up-to-date and not blocked by fines.  You will need to stay in the library while you use it and return it to the desk when you’re done.  It does have a nice sturdy case on it, so kids can use it as well as adults.  If you’re curious to try out a tablet or you’d just like to get away from the bank of computers and curl up on a couch instead, give our iPad a try.

What Will Your Hands Do Today?

By Jan Pease

On our infrequent trips to the North Shore, my husband and daughter like to hunt for agates,  and we see all sorts of people pulled up beside Highway 61, all looking down.  This year, my husband missed an eagle that was flying low toward Lake Superior, just feet above his head.  Imagine my surprise when Becca looked down in our gravel driveway and discovered a pretty nice little agate without driving all the way “up north.”    If you’re an amateur rock hound, look for a new picture book published by Minnesota Historical Press, “Rhoda’s Rock Hunt,’ by Molly Beth Griffin.  Rhoda loves to look for rocks, but she faces the dilemma all rock hunters must face:  too many rocks to haul home.  Her solution is memorable. 

“Out of the Woods,” by Rebecca Bond,  is a  north woods story based on the experience of Antonio Willie Giroux, who was the author’s grandfather.  In 1914, little Antonio lived in a huge hotel on the edge of Gowganda Lake  near Gowganda, Ontario, Canada.  He was interested in the wildlife that he knew lived in the nearby woods, but they stayed hidden until the day a horrific wildfire devastated the area.  All of the people of the town and their livestock went into the lake to take refuge from the fire, and then they were joined by the animals from the woods.   Bears, elk, moose, foxes, wolves, rabbits, people, all stood quietly together until it was safe to come out of the water. 

 

Rebecca Bender, a Canadian author and illustrator has written a sweet book that is not a north woods story.   Giraffe tries and tries, but he can’t reach the water to get a drink. His friends, Bird, a zebra, a hippo, and a flamingo, laugh hysterically at his predicament .  His goofy friend, Bird, finds a way to get everyone laughing together instead of at Giraffe.  “Don’t Laugh at Giraffe” might spark conversations about what is funny and what is hurtful.

“It’s Tough to Lose Your Balloon” is another new book about the downs and ups of life.  The author, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, says “When life gets you down, look up, up, up!”  Each of the injustices faced by the children in his book has a happy ending.  For example, “It’s scary having a new babysitter, but you get to stay up late!” 

Kathryn Otoshi, who visited Litchfield schools about one year ago, has published a new book, “Beautiful Hands.” It was written with her friend Bret Baumgarten after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  The illustrations are made with hand art, using the hand prints of more than 100 family members and friends.  Kathryn had a huge party, inviting the guests to use the stacks of paper and trays of paint to make handprints.  The handprints were then scanned and she used them to create wonderful illustrations that answer the question, “What will you do with your beautiful hands?”  This was the question Mr. Baumgarten asked his children, Noah and Sophie, every day until he passed away.  

Bret Baumgarten wrote: “My hope that this story empowers love, creativity, compassion, and a connection to you and yours, in the fulfilling and remarkable way it has for me.” 

~ Bret Baumgarten, 1970–2014  Information about the writing of “Beautiful Hands” is found in an article by Kiera Parrott   in  the August, 2015 edition of School Library Journal.

 

What will your beautiful hands do, today?

Halloween Murder Mystery Party for teens at the library

Haunt your library this Halloween

by Beth Cronk, Litchfield head librarian

It’s Halloween time, and spooky and scary is the order of the day.  Here are some ideas from Litchfield’s new materials that fit the season:

The Ghost Fields by Elly Griffiths is a Ruth Galloway mystery.  Ruth is a forensic archaeologist called in when a World War II plane with a body in the pilot’s seat is discovered by a construction crew in Norfolk, England.  Ruth ends up trapped in a crumbling English manor on a dark and stormy night. 

In a Dark, Dark Wood is a psychological thriller that is very popular right now.  This first novel by Ruth Ware is also set in the English countryside.  A reclusive author accepts an invitation to spend a weekend at a long-lost friend’s strange home, then wakes up two days later not remembering anything except that someone is dead.  This fast-paced story is being compared to Gone Girl and Girl on the Train.

For something gentler, pick up The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer, a Paws and Claws cozy mystery by Krista Davis.  The crew for a reality show about ghost hunters has arrived for the Halloween festivities in Wagtail, Virginia, described as “the top pet-friendly getaway in the United States.”  Holly Miller and her pets discover a young woman drowned in a supposedly-haunted bathhouse, and Holly works to solve the crime before someone else is killed. 

For a true story about a ghost (whether the ghost is real or not), check out American Ghost: A Family’s Haunted Past in the Desert Southwest by Hannah Nordhaus.  Nordhaus is the author of the 2011 bestseller The Beekeeper’s Lament.  For her new book, she researched the life and supposed afterlife of her great-great-grandmother Julia Schuster Staab, a Jewish immigrant who died in 1896.  Sightings of a dark-eyed woman in a long black gown were first reported in the 1970s in the Santa Fe hotel that used to be her home.  Nordhaus tells of her ancestor’s frontier history and examines how a true story becomes a ghost story. 

For another nonfiction book that seems to fit the season, place a hold on The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff.  Schiff won a Pulitzer Prize in 2000 for the book Vera (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov) and had a number one best-seller with her book Cleopatra: A Life in 2010.  The buzz about this book is tremendous, with many people saying it’s the best book on the Salem witch trials that has ever been written.  We've got a waiting list on this one and it won't be published until October 27^th, so put your name on the list if you’d like to read it soon. 

If you’d like to brush up on the Addams Family before the Litchfield high school’s production of the musical, we have some of their creepy and kooky DVDs and a music CD.  The Addams Family, Volume One is a three-DVD set of the original television episodes from 1964-65.  We also have the 1991 movie The Addams Family, starring Anjelica Huston and Raul Julia, and the cast album for The Addams Family: A New Musical, in case you’d like to hear the songs the local students will be performing in their show.  Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth starred in the original Broadway cast.

On the afternoon of Halloween, which falls on a Saturday this year, our library is hosting a Halloween murder mystery costume party for teens, ages 12-18.  Called “Get Away (with murder?) @ your library,” this is a Teen Read Week event.  The 2-hour party starts at 1:30 on the 31^st.  The murder mystery will involve a live Clue-style game (not a board game) with prizes to win along the way.  Costumes are optional, and refreshments will be served.  Happy Halloween!