Now Is the 'Most Exciting Period to Be a Reader'

Ever feel like print is dying out? No more libraries, books, etc.?! Well, I found this in a newsletter I subscribe to. To the library world this is good news!

Now Is the 'Most Exciting Period to Be a Reader'

Amidst all the doom and gloom (Books are dying! Print is dead! The Kindle will destroy us all! Big Publishers want to kill your pets! ARMAGEDDON IS NIGH!!!), I just want to take a moment to proclaim that this is quite possibly the most exciting period to be a reader in my lifetime. Think about it: when was the last time books and publishing were as much a part of the daily conversation as they are now?... [I]n my thirty years on this planet, I cannot remember a time when so many people were discussing books themselves, the future of books, and what it all means for everyone involved. All in all books have a 'buzz' about them that I can't recall ever feeling. The future of publishing feels like an important discussion well outside the cul-de-sac of the industry itself, and there are more books and book-related discussions than I can remember in a long, long time. --Jason Pinter in the Huffington Post.

-Linda

Book Recommendation: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

by Rebecca Skloot

When Henrietta Lacks-- a poor, African-American mother of five-- died of cervical cancer in 1951, neither she nor her family knew that cells from her tumor had been taken without her knowledge. Henrietta's aggressive cancer cells were the first to grow, thrive, and replicate in culture. Soon these so-called HeLa cells were offered for sale for use in experiments. HeLa cells were used-- among many other things-- to develop the polio vaccine, and uncover the secrets of cancer and viruses. Henrietta Lacks' family, on the other hand, knew of none of this until more than 20 years after her death. Rebecca Skloot weaves multiple tales together, telling of Henrietta's difficult upbringing, the troubled lives of the children she left behind, the history of HeLa cell research and the ethical dilemmas surrounding informed consent. This book is not a relaxing read-- it will make you think, and it doesn't leave you with any easy answers-- but I found it difficult to put down.

-Vicky

A Day in the Life of CT Libraries- please help

Please help us record how important Perrot is to the community. Your comments may be used to support Connecticut libraries in the upcoming legislative session. If you have a moment, please respond to the following poll and optional question below.

Why did you visit Perrot's website or blog today? -- select all that apply
	To search for an item in our catalog
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	Other- please leave response in the comments
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Optional additional question: Why is the Library important to you? Please leave your answer in the comments.

Thanks for your support!

A fine tribute

From the Greenwich Time, Sunday, February 7, 2010:

To the editor:

I'm writing this letter about the two librarians, Ms. Mac and Mrs. K, who died last year. They were two people very close to me and having them go was very hard. I would just like to have people remember them like the way I did. So I wrote this poem about them and I hope it makes everyone remember how great they were. Their influence will continue on forever.

Never Forget

Two stars shining bright.
Lighting up the darkest night.
Filling minds with hopes and dreams.
They were the greatest team.
Two stars gone no shine at all,
But darkness did not fall.
The hopes and dreams,
Of the greatest team,
Was kept alive.
Their ideas still thrive.
Don't forget the two stars.
Even through the hurtful scars.
They will be kept near.
They will never be far, no fears.
Just don't forget all they taught.
Remember how they never fought.
Keep them close at heart.
Even through their rough depart.

Thank you.

-Emily Hunt
Riverside

The writer is age 12.

InfoAnytime Is Back!

InfoAnytime's Ask a Librarian service was discontinued for several months after state budget cuts, but CT's libraries have rallied and contributed funds to bring it back! InfoAnytime is a virtual reference desk and is free of charge. This is a real-time web-based reference service staffed by professional librarians. You won’t need to download any special software– just have your library card and your question ready when you connect. So, when you have a question, particularly outside of regular library hours, you can have one of InfoAnytime librarians help you with your research. Just follow this link: InfoAnytime's 24/7 Virtual Reference.

New Graphic Novels in Youth Services

Copper [click here to place a hold]
Kazu Kibuishi's (Amulet) popular web comic is now available as a book. Copper is curious. Fred is fearful. Together boy and dog are off on a series of adventures powered by Copper's limitless imagination.

Grown-ups Are Dumb! (No Offense) [place hold]
Dumb parents, little brothers, gigantic messes, and homework-- this is the plight of young readers everywhere. And, until now, it had not been expressed by someone so close to the source-- ten-year-old Alexa Kitchen, the world's youngest professional cartoonist.

Missile Mouse 1: The Star Crusher [place hold]
Missile Mouse, secret agent for the Galactic Security Agency, is a risk taker and a rule breaker, which is why he's in hot water at GSA headquarters. Then RIP, the Rogue Imperium of Planets, kidnaps a scientist who knows about the Star Crusher, a doomsday machine capable of destroying the entire universe. Time to let loose the mouse!

Look for these and other great new graphic novels in the new book bin in Youth Services. Have a graphic novel series you'd like to see at Perrot? Comment on this post!

DVD Diva: Romantic Movies

Romance will soon be in the air with Valentine’s Day coming, so why not have a candlelit dinner and watch one of these romantic movies with your sweetie:

It’s always fun to watch Hugh Grant fumble his way through life as he tries to find his special someone. Two that I particularly like are Notting Hill with Julia Roberts and Four Weddings and a Funeral with Andie McDowell.

Michael Douglas and Annette Benning combine politics and romance in The American President.

And when you combine intrigue and romance and the great line “We'll always have Paris,” you get Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in one of the all-time favorite romantic movies, Casablanca.

Shakespeare in Love features a young Shakespeare, out of ideas and short of cash, when he meets his ideal woman and is inspired to write one of his most famous plays, Romeo and Juliet.

You've Got Mail has Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan falling in love over the internet, a not-uncommon way to meet your mate these days.

In Jerry Maguire, Renee Zellweger tells Tom Cruise “You had me at hello” and a new catch-phrase was born.

And in Love Story, Ryan O'Neill tells Ali McGraw "Love means never having to say you're sorry."

Thanks to the Riverside Garden Club

Thanks to the Riverside Garden Club the adult circulation desk will once again be adorned each week with a beautiful flower arrangement like the one pictured below.

Bargain magazines

Beginning Monday, 2/1, we will be discarding our 2008 magazines. They will be available for sale at 25 cents each (please pay at the Adult Circulation Desk) at Perrot's For Sale shelf, located to the right of the bulletin board in the main building. We also have discarded books available for 25 cents; all other items are $1.00.

Two Sparkly Ones

Before I even reach the top of the library stairs, I know the stylish, carefree woman, who runs the Children’s Room, will be waiting for me. Not a hair out of place, not a wrinkle in her dress, Mrs. Mac runs over, her bright eyes dancing as she straightens the scarf tied loosely around her neck. Beaming, she holds up the book she has just read and gives me a quick, friendly wink. Unfortunately, no matter how much I enjoy Mrs. Mac’s company, I cannot keep her to myself. All the children want to talk to her as well. But if Mrs. Mac is tired or annoyed, she never lets it show. Even the rudest person cannot extract an unkind word from her. Nevertheless, this calm, collected woman has a fun-loving childlike side. When she spots a new book, her eyes light up like those of a child in a toy store. Her forehead is never creased with worry, and her constant smile never fades. Wherever she goes, Mrs. Mac creates an aura of happiness which brightens the world. -SC, age 12

Kathy was like a sparkling ray of sunshine everyday. She would drop everything she was doing to answer a question or have a chat- she had a unique ability to make everyone she spoke to feel like they were the center of her attention. And talk about a perfectionist- everything she touched turned to gold! I spoke to someone today who only knew Kathy by sight; he said something about how pretty she was and I told him that her physical beauty was a mere fraction of her inner beauty. -Laurie

It is a measure of Kate’s and Kathy’s charisma that so many of us feel this loss so deeply and personally. Their passion, energy and dedication: so rich and full and generous. They are two sparkly ones who left a trail of glitter wherever they went. I am so sad they are gone, so grateful they were here in the first place. -Children's Author Sharon Creech

Kate McClelland and Kathy Krasniewicz

Mrs. Mac and Mrs. K

We miss you today and always

Tax Time

At last, we have tax forms at the library! We have recently received Connecticut state tax booklets and forms: there are only two now: CT 1040 and CT 1040 Non-Resident. They have done away with CT 1040 EZ. See www.ct.gov/drs for more information.

For federal forms, we have the 1040 series and some of the supplemental forms. We also have a book of reproducible forms. In addition, you can always check the Internet at www.irs.gov for forms and publications.

Please inquire at the Reference Desk for tax forms.

Upcoming Event: An Evening with Pemba Gyalje Sherpa

CLIMBING THE WORLD'S HIGHEST PEAKS: A SHERPA PERSPECTIVE
An Evening with Pemba Gyalje Sherpa,
National Geographic Adventurer of the Year 2008.
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010, 7:00 PM
Perrot Memorial Library, Radcliffe Children’s Wing

Sherpas are an ethnic group from the most mountainous region in Nepal who are renowned for their extraordinary mountaineering abilities and knowledge of the local terrain of the Himalayas. They have a long history of assisting inclimbing expeditions to the world's highest peaks.

The Perrot Library is honored to welcome Pemba Gyalje Sherpa, winner of the 2008 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year Award and the American Alpine Club's prestigious David A. Sowles Memorial Award in 2009. These awards were conferred on Pemba for his heroic rescue of two stranded climbers on the mountain K2 in the summer of 2008, the deadliest climbing season in its history.

In addition to his amazing ascent of K2 without oxygen, and his seven ascents of Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, Pemba has had a long and distinguished career as an adventurer in the Himalayas. Pemba embodies the Sherpa ideals of humility, hard work and a positive attitude. Please join us for what is sure to be a memorable discussion on March 3rd!

For more information please visit:
http://www.pemba.com.np

2010 Children's Literary Award Winners

The winners of the 201o major literary awards for children were just announced at the American Library Association's Midwinter Conference in Boston.


[Click on each title to view in the catalog and to place a hold.]


Caldecott Medal Winner:
The Lion and the Mouse, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
In this wordless retelling of an Aesop fable, an adventuresome mouse proves that even small creatures are capable of great deeds when he rescues the King of the Jungle.



Newbery Medal Winner:
When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead

As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1980s television game show, "The $20,000 Pyramid," a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space.



Coretta Scott King Author Award Winner:
Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal, by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
Bass Reeves seemed bigger than life. As a deputy U.S. Marshal-- and former slave who escaped to freedom in the Indian Territories-- Bass was cunning and fearless. This title reveals the story of a remarkable African-American hero of the Old West.


Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Winner:
My People, illustrated by Charles R. Smith, Jr. (written by Langston Hughes)
Langston Hughes's spare yet eloquent tribue to his people has been cherished for generations. Now, acclaimed photographer Charles R. Smith Jr. interprets this beloved poem in vivid sepia photographs that capture the glory, the beauty, and the soul of being a black American today.


Geisel Award Winner (for best beginning reader):
Benny and Penny in the Big No-No!, written and illustrated by Geoffrey Hayes
Brother and sister mice Benny and Penny track down a mysterious new kid who may have climbed over the fence into their yard and stolen Benny's pail (a no-no). But when they meet the culprit (a mole in a polka-dot dress, green flippers and goggles), they re-evaluate the situation.


Sibert Award Winner (for non-fiction):
Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream, written by Tanya Lee Stone
When NASA was launched in 1958, 13 women proved they had as much of the right stuff as men to be astronauts, but their way to space was blocked by prejudice, insecurity, and a scrawled note written by one of Washington's most powerful men.


For the complete list of this year's award winners and honor books, take a look at the ALA website.

Book Review: Nanny Returns

Nanny Returns
by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

This is the sequel to The Nanny Diaries, which enjoyed commercial success as both a book and a movie. Here, we revisit Nan, twelve years later, as she returns to her old stomping grounds of the Upper East Side where she was once a nanny. She’s traveled the world with her husband, and has now purchased a house and started her own consulting business. Often, sequels are great in pulling you back into the original world they described, but I thought this was a bit of a rehash, and harder to get into. Try it out and see for yourself!

What was your favorite book sequel? Comment on this post!

-The Reference Librarians

Spaces Still Available in Spotlight, for 2nd/3rd graders

There are a limited number of spaces still available for the winter session of Spotlight, our after-school program for kids in Grades 2 and 3. The theme this session is the Winter Olympics. Spotlight will meet from 4 PM to 5 PM on the following Wednesday afternoons: January 27th, February 3rd, February 10th, February 24th, and March 3rd, 2010.

Please call the Library (203-637-8802) or stop by to register your child!