Thursday, November 29, 2007

New York Times' 10 Best Books of 2007

The New York Times has announced its list of the 10 Best Books of 2007. The list will run in the Book Review on December 9th, but you can get started reading right away!

Fiction:
  • Man Gone Down, by Michael Thomas: On the eve of the unnamed narrator's thirty-fifth birthday, he finds himself broke, estranged from his white wife and three children, and living in the bedroom of a friend's six-year-old child. He has four days before he's due in Boston to pick up his family, four days to try to make some sense of his life.
  • Out Stealing Horses, by Per Petterson, translated by Anne Born: Trond is living in self-imposed exile in a primitive cabin, but his solitude is interrupted when he meets his only neighbor, the brother of his childhood friend, who forces him to remember the fateful summer of 1948.
  • The Savage Detectives, by Roberto BolaƱo, translated by Natasha Wimmer: Bolano traces the hidden connection between literature and violence in a world where national boundaries are fluid, and death lurks in the shadow of the avant-garde.
  • Then We Came to the End, by Joshua Ferris: No one knows us quite the same way as the men and women who sit beside us in department meetings and crowd the office refrigerator with their labeled yogurts. Every office is a family of sorts, and the ad agency Ferris depicts is family at its strangest and best.
  • Tree of Smoke, by Denis Johnson: This is the story of William "Skip" Sands, CIA-- engaged in Psychological Operations against the Vietcong-- and the disasters that befall him. The 2007 National Book Award Winner.

Non-Fiction:

DVD Diva: Holiday Classics

With the Holiday Season just around the corner, why not plan on seeing some of these holiday favorites:




It's a Wonderful Life * Miracle on 34th Street * Scrooge * A Christmas Story * Home Alone * Home Alone 2: Lost in New York * Eight Crazy Nights * Kwanzaa * There's No Such Thing as a Chanukah Bush, Sandy Goldstein * National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation * Elf * Santa Clause 2

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

One day you’re ‘in’ . . .

This week’s issue of Entertainment Weekly magazine (November 30), the one with J. K. Rowling, EW’s choice for Entertainer of the Year, on the cover, includes a regular "What’s In, What’s Five Minutes Ago, and What’s Out" feature by Jessica Shaw. So what’s IN? "Getting a library card"! So "Five Minutes Ago" is reading in the bookstore, while buying books online is OUT!

Visit us soon to get or use the coolest card you can carry!

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Brian Selznick Visits the Book Clubs

The Invention of Hugo Cabret Author and illustrator Brian Selznick visited with the Young Critics' Club and Young Young Critics' Clubs on Friday, November 16th, 2007. Selznick has illustrated books like The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, Walt Whitman: Words for America, and When Marian Sang, and has both written and illustrated a few books, too-- including the innovative novel of words and pictures, The Invention of Hugo Cabret (voted Y2C2's favorite book of 2006-2007 [and YCC's 2nd-favorite book]). Brian Selznick talked to the book clubs about his inspiration(s) for the book, how he created the illustrations, and how he traveled to Paris for research.

You can see video and sound clips of the visit here!

Books on Entertaining

Thanksgiving is just the start of a season of occasions and holidays ahead. Now is the time to make your plans for entertaining!

Here are some books that may help (click on each title to place a request):



Stop by and see our selection of cookbooks, books on entertaining, and more.


Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Belated List of National Book Award Winners

The National Book Awards were presented on November 14th, 2007.


Tree of Smoke *Click here to request this book*Fiction Winner:
Tree of Smoke, by Denis Johnson
This is the story of William "Skip" Sands, CIA-- engaged in Psychological Operations against the Vietcong-- and the disasters that befall him.


Legacy of Ashes *Click here to request this book*Non-Fiction Winner:
Tim Weiner offers the first definitive history of the CIA-- and everything is on the record. Legacy of Ashes is based on more than 50,000 documents, primarily from the archives of the CIA itself, and hundreds of interviews with CIA veterans, including ten directors of central intelligence.

Time and Materials *Click here to request this book*Poetry Winner:
The poems in this collection-- Robert Hass' first to appear in a decade-- are grounded in the beauty and energy of the physical world, and in the bafflement of the present moment in American culture. This work is breathtakingly immediate, stylistically varied, redemptive, and wise.


The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian *Click here to request this book*Young People's Literature Winner:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Based on the author's own experiences, this Young Adult novel chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy attempting to break away from the life he was destined to live.

Monday, November 19, 2007

Try out our new Early Literacy Station!

Early Literacy Station

Perrot is now the proud owner of an AWE Early Literacy Station! This PC has been specially configured to run 34 different games and activities in seven different curricula. Kids-- toddlers through second-graders-- will enjoy learning on their own at the ELS. They can even print to the ELS's dedicated color printer! Come on in today and give it a try.

Part-time Job Opening in Youth Services

Part-Time Library Program Aide

Perrot Library is looking for a program aide to conduct literature-based storytimes for young children in a library setting. Love of children's literature is essential. Some work experience with groups of young children is desirable. 10 to 15 hours per week, with some flexibility. Hours subject to change with the library programing seasons. Storytimes are offered September through November, January through May, and during the month of July. $19-$24/hr DOE. Complete an official Town of Greenwich employment application (available online here), and submit it to: Town of Greenwich, Human Resources Department, 101 Field Point Road, Greenwich, CT 06830, by 12/1/07.

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Love's Labour's Lost Shakespeare Colloquy

The title page of Love's Labour's Lost

Anne Gilhuly will present our latest Shakespeare Colloquy on the play Love's Labour's Lost this month. Known as a "feast of language," this is one of the bard's earliest comedies, in which four bachelors who have dedicated themselves to chastity and scholarly pursuits soon encounter the women of their dreams. This event will take place in the library, on Wednesday, November 28th, 2007, at 7:30 P.M. Free copies of the play are available at the Adult Circulation Desk.

1,000th Download Prize

You could win an MP3 Player just by downloading an audiobook. . .

The patron who checks out the 1,000th downloadable audiobook or eBook from the Greenwich Library System's digital library will win a Creative MuVo MP3 player.

Go to it!: http://www.greenwichlibrary.org/downloadablelibrary.asp

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

DVD Diva: Thanksgiving DVDs

Why not take home some Thanksgiving movies to watch after filling up on turkey? It’s a looooong weekend. . .

Here are a few Thanksgiving-themed suggestions:


Pieces of April *Click here to request this DVD*Pieces of April
Family outcast April lives in a beat-up apartment in New York's Lower East Side with her boyfriend, Bobby. In order to spend some time with her dying mother, April invites her conservative suburban family to her place for a Thanksgiving feast.
More at Internet Movie Database (IMDb)



Planes, Trains and Automobiles *Click here to request this DVD*Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Neal Page (Steve Martin) wants to fly home to spend Thanksgiving with his family. Del Griffith (John Candy) leads Page on a hilarious cross-country wild goose chase that keeps him from tasting his turkey.
More at IMDb




Hannah and Her Sisters *Click here to request this DVD*Hannah and Her Sisters
During a Thanksgiving Day party we make acquaintance with a numerous and problematic family. The leading characters are three sisters: Lee, Holly and Hannah. Nominated for seven Academy Awards.
More at IMDb





What’s Cooking
In L.A.'s diverse Fairfax district, four households celebrate Thanksgiving amidst family tensions.







Here are some sites that can help you prepare for the holiday:

* Decorating ideas
* Great recipes
* Fun games

Thanksgiving Closing Reminder

Perrot will be closed on both Thursday, November 22nd, 2007, and Friday, November 23rd, 2007, for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Annual Lion's Club Grapefruit Sale

The Old Greenwich Lion's Clubs is selling grapefruits and oranges, as part of its annual fund-raising effort to flight blindness worldwide.

Grapefruits and oranges are available for purchase at Perrot (ask at the Adult Circulation Desk). The fruit is $16 per carton, or $8 for a half carton.

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Everybody Cooks . . .

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! Involve your kids in the holiday meal preparation and make more than dinner– make family memories! Here are some of our favorite books to give you an idea or two:

THERE’S A CHEF IN MY WORLD, by Emeril Lagasse (J 641.59 LAGAS)
HONEST PRETZELS, by Molly Katzen (J 641.5 KATZE)
EVERYBODY COOKS RICE, by Norah Dooley (EASY J 641.5 DOOLE)


While you’re cooking up your own rice, do something good for somebody else: visit Free Rice at http://freerice.com/index.php to test your vocabulary and support the United Nations World Food Program. For each word you define correctly, you’ll donate 10 grains of rice to the program-- it adds up fast! Let us know how well you do by leaving a comment below-- how many grains of rice will YOU provide?

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

(Stroller) Parking Woes



Parking woes at the Library, as you can see, are not confined to the parking lot!

Monday, November 05, 2007

Winner of our Youth Services Blog Giveaway!

Blog Giveaway Winner

Andrew S., age 8, was the first to send us an e-mail and won a copy of the book Extreme Dinosaurs! Watch the blog for chances to win other cool books n' stuff!

Friday, November 02, 2007

A Fourth Book in the Inheritance 'Trilogy'

Random House has announced that there will be a fourth book in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Trilogy (I guess it's not a trilogy anymore. . .). The third book will be released in September 2008; there is no release date yet for the fourth book. Paolini, who started writing the series when he was 15, says he realized that he wouldn't be able to fit all the things he wanted into book 3, necessitating a fourth book: "In order to be true to my characters and to address all of the plot points and unanswered questions Eragon and Eldest raised, I needed to split the end of the series into two books." You can see a video announcement of the news on Paolini's website, here.

New Great Reads List

Take a break from eating all that leftover Halloween candy... and find a good book to chew on. This months' Great Reads from the Reference Librarian's is ready for you here!

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Flute Sweets and Tickletoons

Flute Sweets and Tickletoons

FLUTE SWEETS AND TICKLETOONS

will present two storytelling and music performances at Perrot on
Sunday, December 9th, 2007:

"Little Kids, Little Songs," a program for children ages 2-5, will take place at 1:30 P.M.:

Rolling in mud, climbing trees, flying like an airplane and getting rid of monsters – is what “Little Kids Little Songs” is all about. Each original song was created to engage the imagination of the very young. Soft, sweet, playful and funny- the original music and storytelling of Keith Torgan and the virtuosity of flutist Barbara Siesel will tickle the newest and youngest of audience members.


"Green Golly and the Treasure of Light," a program for school-aged children, will take place at 3:00 P.M.:

In this enchanting sequel to “Green Golly & Her Golden Flute,” Green Golly escapes the tower, goes “on tour” and discovers the “treasure of light”- a chest filled with dusty old scrolls of sheet music that when played (with heart) transport the player to holiday celebrations near and far. Delight in the ways people from all over the globe celebrate their holidays– and sing along! {It is not necessary to see part one to appreciate part two.}

These events were generously sponsored by the Perrot Memorial Library Association.

Sign up for tickets to both events at the Youth Services Desk!