Notes From the Director!

 

 

Library Notes

Library Notes for May 7, 2008

 

Humming Bird

Food it need every fifteen minutes.

It has the metabolism of a steam engine.

Its tiny claws are slight as pared fingernail;

You could slip it with ease into a breast pocket.

There it might lie, cowed or give you a second heart. By Paul Groves

Hummingbirds are my pick of the week!!! “Wonders of Hummingbirds” by Hilda Simon will give you lots of info on this delightful bird. You can find this book and many other bird books on the shelf, call number 598. Hummers are a kind of compulsion with me. My true “Pam’s Pick” is “Compulsion” by Jonathan Kellerman. The Sherlock Holmes of the psyche, Dr. Alex Delaware, once again delves deep into the criminal mind and the dark side of a glittering city. Also, available on Audio Book. (CD)

 

New Fiction: “The First Patient” by Michael Palmer, this over-the-top yet endlessly entertaining thriller pits a country doctor against a conspiracy to kill the president. Dr. Gabe Singleton, an old friend of President Andrew Stoddard, is brought to Washington, D.C., from Wyoming when Jim Ferendelli, Stoddard's former doctor, goes missing. Almost immediately, things fall apart as Stoddard suffers from a random episode of incoherence, and Singleton is shot at while driving in early morning D.C. traffic. Complicating matters is Alison Cromartie, a sexy nurse who captures Singleton's heart. Singleton must figure out who's behind the president's mysterious illness, investigating everyone from the Secret Service agents to the vice president.

“Killer Heat” by Linda Fairstein, this is the 10th legal thriller to feature alter ego Alex Cooper. The Manhattan ADA takes a hit from a cigar at the urging of her longtime police ally, Mike Chapman. To cover the stench of a badly decomposed female body at a crime scene in an abandoned building near the Staten Island ferry. The victim later proves to be the first of a number of women in uniform targeted by the murderer, who may have military ties in his past. The trail leads to a notorious bar catering to underage drinkers, before a chance observation by a civilian shifts the inquiry dramatically. Meanwhile, Cooper is preparing to try Floyd Warren, a rapist whose first trial three decades earlier ended in a hung jury. As Cooper struggles with the evidentiary challenges of the Warren rape case and with tracking a vicious serial killer.

 

New Christian Fiction: “Dead Heat” by Joel C. Rosenberg, this is the fifth and finial novel in this Political thriller series. For Jon and Erin Bennett, the world seems to be spinning dangerously out of control. A new dictator is rising in Iraq. China is making threatening new moves toward Taiwan. North Korean forces appear ready to strike south. Israel is feverishly trying to complete the Third Temple. Oil prices are surging. And in the wake of a horrific war in the Middle East, President James MacPherson's second term is coming to an end. Now the battle to succeed him is heating up into one of the most fiercely contested presidential elections in American history, and the Bennett’s realize the stakes could not be higher. Who will lead a bitterly divided country over the next four years?

 

Book to Movie: “The Other Boleyn Girl” by Philippa Gregory, this is a rich and compelling tale of love, sex, ambition, and intrigue. Mary Boleyn was only fourteen years old when she catches the eye of Henry VIII. However, so did her best friend and rival, her powerfully ambitious sister’s Anne. As Mary watched her sisters rise to the throne, Mary knows she must take her fate into her own hands.  

 

New Non-fiction: “Around the World in 80 Rounds” by David Wood, with this book you can chase a gold ball from Tierra del Fuego to the Land of the Midnight Sun. At forty-seven, David Wood sold everything he owned and set out to fulfill every golfer’s dream. For one year, he traveled the world, except Antarctica. He went by plane, boat, train, motorcycle, and rickshaw, to play the game he loves in the most exotic locales, including the world’s highest, driest, hottest, coldest, and most remote golf courses and lived to tell the story.

 

New Biography: “A Life Up Front: Bill Mauldin” by Todd DePastino, the story of  cartoonist Bill Mauldin, who won fame as the leading spokesman for the American combat soldier during World War II, in this authoritative biography. He joined the newly mobilized 45th Infantry Division of the Arizona National Guard. Mauldin then became the 45th Division News's cartoonist. Deployed to North Africa in 1943, Mauldin participated in the invasions of Sicily and Italy. In 1944, while on staff at the GI newspaper Stars and Stripes, Mauldin created his signature characters, the weary and disheveled infantrymen Willie and Joe. Willie and Joe became soldiers' heroes and anathema to brass such as Gen. George Patton, who threatened to throw Mauldin in jail for his characters' indolence.

 

New Audio Books on CD: “Compulsion” by Jonathan Kellerman, “Killer Heat” by Linda Fairstein, “The First Patient” by Michael Palmer, “Dead Heat” by Joel C. Rosenberg,

 

Audio Books on Playaway: “Specials” by Scott Westerfield, and “No Country for Old Men” by Cormac McCarthy.

 

New Video: “Hairspray.”

 

BOOK SIGNING: Michael Freeland will be at the library May 10, at 9:00 for a book signing of his book "Blood River to Berlin." Mr. Freeland will also be doing a Writers workshop in the basement from 10:00-12:30 for more information call the library or go to his web page at www.bloodrivertoberlin.com

 

Pam Thomas Metts

Director

 

 

Library Notes for April 30, 2008

 

April Rain Song

Let the Rain kiss you,

Let the rain beat upon your head with silver

Liquid drops.

Let the rain sing you a lullaby…

And I love the Rain. Langston Hughes, 1902-1967

Celebrate National Poetry Month with a great poem.

I also, love the rain! I love to read when it’s raining…of course I would. “Pam’s Picks” this week is perfect rain reading books. Mary Higgins Clark with “Where Are You Now?” and Carol Higgins Clark with “Zapped,” this is a Regan Reilly mystery.

 

New Fiction: “Unknown Means” by Elizabeth Becka, forensic scientist Evelyn James returns to investigate a harrowing series of crimes. A wealthy woman is found murdered in a locked apartment; soon, Evelyn's friend and colleague Marissa Gonzalez, who lives in the same high-security building as the murdered woman, is attacked twice, and another woman is murdered elsewhere. Evelyn works with Bruce Riley, to find the connection among the victims.

“Firefly Lane” by Kristin Hannah, this novel is about love, loss, and the magic of friendships. Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the world” moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all, beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate. Inseparable.

“Below the Surface” by Karen Harper, this is a suspense thriller. Briana Devon knows her twin sister would never deliberately leave her. But when she emerges from underwater, Daria and their boat have vanished. Fighting rough waves and a fast-approaching storm, Bree doesn't have time to question if she wants to survive, she has to swim. Exhausted and terrified, Bree barely makes it to a tiny barrier island, where Cole De Roca, who has also taken shelter, revives her. Bound to Cole by the harrowing experience, she turns to him as she struggles to understand what happened to her sister. What was her twin, whom she thought she knew so well, hiding? What really transpired that terrible afternoon? And what secrets lie dormant…below the surface?

 

 

New Christian Fiction: “My Heart Remembers” Kim Vogel Sawyer, united by blood, divided by time, will three orphan train siblings ever find one another again? Orphaned in a tenement fire, three Irish-immigrant children are sent to Missouri to be adopted. Despite eight-year-old Maelle's desperate attempts to keep her siblings together, each child is taken by a different family. Yet Maelle vows that she will never stop searching for her brother and sister...and that they will be together one day in the future. Seventeen years later, Maelle is still searching. But the years have washed away her hope... and her memories. What are Mattie and Molly doing now?

 

New Non-fiction: “Beauty for Ashes” by Joyce Meyer, this book outlines major truths that will bring about healing in your life and describes how other victims of abuse can also experience God’s healing in their lives.

“Tweak” by Nic Sheff, he tells his story of drug addiction. Sheff, spares no details in telling us the compelling, heartbreaking and true story of his addiction and the road to recovery.

“Beautiful Boy” by David Sheff, this is a father’s journey through his son’s addiction. Read both to get the full story from both sides.   

 

New Audio Books on CD: “Maggie’s Miracle” by Karen Kingsbury, “Gideon’s Gift” by Karen Kingsbury, “Sarah’s Song” by Karen Kingsbury, and “Where Are You Now?” by Mary Higgins Clark.

 

New Audio Book on Playaway: “An Ice Cold Grave” by Charlaine Harris.

 

New CDs: “Joni Mitchell-Hits,” “Big” by Macy Gray, and “Introducing Joss Stone” by Joss Stone.

 

New DVD: “Carrie”

 

Book Signing: Michael Freeland author of “Blood River to Berlin” will have a book signing in the basement of the library on May 10, at 9:00. He will also do a writers workshop from 10-12:30. Call the library for more information or to sign up for the writer’s workshop.

Pam Thomas Metts

 

 

 

Library Notes for April 16, 2008

Rain Sound

At first it’s like drumming

As it patters down, then stops.

Now it’s an animal

Outside the window

Quietly licking its chops.  By Lillian Morrison

What kind of books go with rainy days and maybe something licking its chops outside…mysteries and suspense, Right? Right…so that’s what you have for “Pam’s Picks” mystery, scary and suspense. Plus, one book to movie, “Atonement” by Ian McEwan.

 

New Fiction: “Aunt Dimity: Vampire Hunter” by Nancy Atherton, this is a new book in the Paranormal Detective series. Lori Shepherd’s life in England couldn’t be more tranquil or more satisfying, except for one thing. Her five- year-old twins have started school, and Lori fears they’ll catch everything from the flu to fleas. What they do come home with, however, is worse: a report of a pale, cloaked figure with bloodstained lips lurking in the woods. Lori is skeptical at first but soon grows concerned enough to consult with her late (but not entirely departed) Aunt Dimity and her dear friend Kit Smith. The vampire-hunting trail leads to Leo, a charismatic vagabond who just returned to England after a self-imposed exile, a bitter old crone named Lizzie Black, and finally to Aldercot Hall, where a mysterious murder took place forty years ago. With Kit and Aunt Dimity’s help, Lori uncovers the secret that will shock everyone about the true identity of the vampire.

“Death of a Gentle Lady” by M. C. Beaton, this is the 23rd Hamish Macbeth mystery finds the 50-year-old Scottish detective taking pity on a beautiful Turkish maid named Ayesha in danger of being deported, and asking her to marry him. When Ayesha goes missing and her employer, Mrs. Gentle, turns up murdered, Hamish discovers that his bride-to-be wasn't exactly who she claimed to be. The villagers thought Mrs. Gentle was a sweet old lady, but why would such a nice woman be the target of blackmail?

“The Purrfect Murder” by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown, this is a Mrs. Murphy mystery. Mary Minor Harry Haristeen, the former postmistress of Crozet, Va., is saddened to hear that a local ob-gyn has been killed, either by a resentful friend, who thought the doc had once slept with his wife, or by pro-life fanatics who were angered by his willingness to perform abortions. Next, a wealthy middle-aged woman is murdered at a fund-raiser. Harry's friend Tazio Chappars appears to be the most likely suspect, but Harry is sure of Tazio's innocence and begins to wonder if the two deaths are connected.

“Of All Sad Words” by Bill Crider, this is a Sheriff Dan Rhodes mystery. Strangers are moving into Blacklin County, and none of them is any stranger than Seepy Benton, a math teacher whom the county judge suspects is a wild-eyed radical. Benton and Max Schwartz, who has opened a music store, are among the students in the Citizens’ Sheriff’s Academy, which seemed like a good idea when Sheriff Dan Rhodes presented it to the county commissioners. However, when a mobile home explodes and a dead body is found, the students become the chief suspects, and the commissioners aren’t happy. To make matters worse, there’s another murder, and one of Rhodes’s old antagonists returns with his partner in crime to cause even more trouble.

 

New Non-fiction: “The Martha Washington Cookbook” by Marie Kimball, this book is a reprint of the 1940 edition. Martha Washington kept and used her personal one-of-a-kind family cookbook for over fifty years. In 1799, she presented the book to her granddaughter, Eleanor Parke Curtis as a wedding gift when she married Lawrence Lewis. The cookbook was handed down from mother to daughter until 1892 when the Lewis family presented it to The Historical Society of Pennsylvania where it still resides today. In 1940, the Society gave special permission to historian Marie Kimball to study the manuscript and prepare a cookbook entitled, "The Martha Washington Cook Book." Mrs. Kimball fully adapted Martha’s cookbook to practical, modern use. All the recipes were proportioned to our current practice of a formula for serving six people. Each recipe was tested. It is not only correct, but tastes great!

“Why Mars & Venus Collide” by John Gray, PhD, this book is on improving relationships by understanding how men and women cope differently with stress. We are often too busy to see what is obvious. A man will give his heart and soul to make enough money to provide for his family and return home too tired even to talk with them. A woman will give and give to support her husband and children and then resent them for not giving back the kind of support she thrives on giving. Under the influence of stress, men and women forget why we do what we do.

 

New Kentucky Non-fiction: “Killings: Folk Justice in the Upper South” by William Lynwood Montell, this book explains the historical and social conditions, as well as the prevailing attitudes and values, that gave rise and support to rowdy behavior and homicidal acts from the Civil War to the 1930’s. He describes more than fifty killings that took place in the area, locating them against a background of farming, moonshining, and sawmilling activates in Kentucky.

 

New Audio Books on CD: “Shopaholic Takes Manhattan,” “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” and “Shopaholic Ties the Knot” all by Sophie Kinsella and “Killer Heat” by Linda Fairstein.

 

New Audio Book on Playaway: “Atonement” by Ian McEwan. 

 

New CDs: “Jeff Foxworthy: Greatest Bits,” “Here’s Your Sign, Reloaded” by Bill Engvall, “Ray Stevens: Greatest Hits,” “Words & Music: John Mellencamp’s Greatest Hits,” “Happy Feet: Music from the Motion Picture,” and “The Grascals: Long List of Heartaches.”

 

New DVD: “Clifford the Big Red Dog: Happy Birthday, Clifford.”

 

Book Signing: Trigg County resident Brandy Woodall will have a book signing on Monday, April 28, from 4:00-6:00 in the library board room. Mrs. Woodall is a teacher at Trigg County Middle School. Her book is: “Living Over Caves,” a collection of poetry.

 

Pam Thomas Metts

Director

 

 

Library Notes for April 9, 2008

 

Remember my Spring poem from last week? I could not find any light, frivolous new books to go with Spring…well…its better this week. “Pam’s Picks” are Sophie Kinsella, “Remember Me,” and Mary Kay Andrews, “Deep Dish.” The Kinsella book (Shopaholic fame) features a fresh new heroine who finds herself in a life changing, hilarious predicament. “Deep Dish” is a delicious treat of Southern sass, wit, and charm featuring Gina, whose cooking show on local Georgia public television gets cancelled! Enjoy!

Added edition for Oprah followers…we have two copies of her latest pick “A New Earth” by Eckhart Toole.

 

New Fiction: “Morning Light” by Catherine Anderson, Crusty Clint Harrigan is sworn off romance. Then the arrival of a cute clairvoyant challenges his resolve and his skepticism. Seer Loni Kendra MacEwen, is shocked when she bumps into Clint at the grocery store. He's the dream cowboy she's had visions of her whole life, and she has recently connected those visions to visions of Trevor, an endangered boy who was lost in the Shoshone Wilderness Area after a river accident killed his mom and step dad, an Oregon senator. Loni tells Clint he's the only one who can save Trevor, and soon the hunt is on.

“A Prisoner of Birth” by Jeffrey Archer, this is the story of fate and fortune, redemption and revenge. Four upper-crust friends from Cambridge University known as the Musketeers conspire to frame Danny Cartwright, an illiterate London East Ender, for the murder of Danny's oldest friend and brother-in-law to be, Bernie Wilson. The outcome of the intriguing trial, which pits a relatively novice defense lawyer against a skilled prosecutor, is a 22-year sentence for Danny. In maximum-security Belmarsh prison, Danny is lucky enough to share a cell with Sir Nicholas Moncrieff, the book's Abbé Faria figure, who teaches him to read and write. In a trick familiar to those who know their Dumas, Danny escapes by impersonating Moncrieff and hatches an intricate scheme to punish the Musketeers and clear his name.

“Change of Heart” by Jodi Picoult, a captivating story of redemption, justice, and love. Freelance carpenter Shay Bourne was sentenced to death for killing a little girl, Elizabeth Nealon, and her cop stepfather. Eleven years after the murders, Elizabeth's sister, Claire, needs a heart transplant, and Shay volunteers, which complicates the state's execution plans. Meanwhile, death row has been the scene of some odd events since Shay's arrival, an AIDS victim goes into remission, an inmate's pet bird dies and is brought back to life, and wine flows from the water faucets. What other miracles will happen if Claire gets a heart, his heart?

 

New Christian Fiction: “Sister’s Choice” by Judith Pella, this is the second book in the Patchwork Circle series. When it comes to quilting, Maggie Newcomb is all thumbs. And nobody rubs it in more than Emma Jean Stoddard. But Maggie swallows her anger for one simple reason: she has a crush on Emma Jean's handsome son, Colby, and doesn't want to ruin her chances. So she works hard to become the best quilter in Maintown.

Her plan seems to be working, until Tamara Brennan comes to town. Tamara is wealthy, poised, and beautiful. Several of the local boys are immediately smitten with her, including Colby. Desperate to keep Colby's attention, Maggie devises an elaborate plan with her friend Evan. But her scheme brings unexpected consequences, and before long Maggie isn't sure what her heart truly desires.

 

New Kentucky Non-fiction: “Harlan Miners Speak: Report on Terrorism in the Kentucky Coal Fields” by Theodore Dreiser, John Dos Passos, and Sherwood Anderson, who investigated the desperate situation of striking Kentucky coal miners in November 1931. This book records the living and working conditions of the miners during the 1930’s.   

 

New Non-fiction: “”The New Rules of Lifting for Women” by Lou Schuler, workout programs by Alwyn Cosgrove. This book is a breakthrough in fitness and diet for women.

 

New Travel Books: “Spain 2008” by Fodor’s, and “England 2008” by Fodor’s.

 

New Audio Book on CD: “Remember Me? By Sophie Kinsella.

 

New DVDs: “Ghost Rider,” and “Deliverance.”

 

New Display: Boyd Bears are in the display case this month. This soft and cuddly collection of bears belongs to Jeanette Mills. This display is sure to make you smile.

 

Book Signing: Trigg County resident Brandy Woodall will have a book signing on Monday, April 28, from 4:00-6:00 in the library board room. Mrs. Woodall is a teacher at Trigg County Middle School. Her book is: “Living Over Caves,” a collection of poetry.

Pam Thomas Metts

Director

 

Library Notes for April 2, 2008

 

Spring

I’m facing through meadows

Without any coat

I’m a gamboling lamb

I’m a light leaping goat

I’m a bud

I’m a bloom

I’m a dove on the wing.

I’m running on rooftops

And welcoming spring! By Karla Kuskin

A poem like that deserves a light, frivolous, funny book for “Pam’s Pick.” Something to go with Spring. Well…guess what…there is nothing funny, light or frivolous on the latest best seller list, except maybe Jeff Foxworthy’s new children’s book. Yes, I said children’s book. “Dirt on My Shirt” this is a frivolous collection of poems. I just love this book so much I have read it to my husband and some to my kids. His book is a cross between Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein.

So I am going with three, always good reading authors, J. D. Robb’s “Strangers in Death,” “Stranger in Paradise” by Robert B. Parker, and “Lady Killer” by Lisa Scottoline. Enjoy!

 

New Fiction: “L.A. Outlaws” by T. Jefferson Parker, this is a fast paced suspense thriller. Los Angeles is gripped by the exploding celebrity of Allison Murrieta, her real identity unknown, a modern-day Jesse James with the compulsion to steal beautiful things, the vanity to invite the media along, and the conscience to donate much of her bounty to charity. Nobody ever gets hurt, until a job ends with ten gangsters lying dead and a half- million dollars worth of glittering diamonds missing.

“The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen” by Syrie James, this book is written in a style that echoes Austen's own, this unforgettable novel offers a delightfully possible scenario for the inspiration behind this beloved author's romantic tales. It's a remarkable book, irresistible to anyone who loves Jane Austen and to anyone who loves a great story.

New Christian Fiction: “A Sister’s Test” by Wanda Brunsetter, this is book two in the Sisters of Holmes County series. The Hostettler family continues to face an unseen enemy who randomly attacks their property. Despite the unrest, Ruth, the second oldest sister, is about to realize her greatest dream to marry and raise a family with Martin. But in a flash, her world is shattered. Can Ruth stitch together her life with faith and heart intact or will she forever question her value as a wife?

 

Kentucky Non-fiction: “My Century in History: Memoirs” by Thomas Clark, the story of a man who not only changed the history department at the University of Kentucky but the entire commonwealth.

 

Non-fiction: “Character Makes a Difference” by Mike Huckabee, where you’re from, where you have been, and what you believe makes your character. But one thing that is tried and true: commitment and total confidence in core convictions. When you start with those, you can handle the biggest challenges in your life…sitting down.

 

Audio Books on CD: “Betrayal” by John Lescroart, and “Killing Ground” by Jack Higgins.

 

New DVDs: “Shrek the Third,” and “Jungle Book.”   

 

Don’t forget: You only have a few more days to get your taxes done. We are still making appointments for AARP and RSVP tax services. AARP will be here on Mondays. RSVP are here on Tuesdays and Thursdays, call the library at 270-522-6301 for an appointment. We have a special day for the Stimulus Tax Refund, AARP will be doing them on Monday, April 7, and you will need to call for an appointment.  

 

Special Storytime: Ms. Tammy will have a special guest for Storytime on Wednesday, April 2. Mark Adams, author and illustrator of several books will be here to share his stories and do caricatures. Mark has been here before and the kids really love his drawing. He will also do cartoon drawing for the kids.

Pam Metts

Director

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 


 

 

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Last update Wednesday, May 7, 2008