Our Picks! for August: Olympics and Inventions

Check out our brand-new Youth Services' Our Picks! list for August 2008 Our list this month honors both the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, AND National Invention month.

You can view the full list of book recommendations here.

Where to Look for a Lost Book

Here is a very thorough list of suggestions on where to look for that library book you just can't track down, from the Eastchester School District in New York state:

How to Find a Lost Book

Youth Services Fall Program Schedule Now Available

The Youth Services Fall 2008 Program Schedule is now available-- click here.

Our program registration is by lottery. Pick up a registration postcard for the program of your choice from the Youth Services Circulation Desk, beginning on Monday, August 11th, 2008. For complete registration instructions, click here.

Please note that we have restructured some of our programs. Two- and three-year-olds should now be registered for "2s and 3s Together," while four- and five-year-olds should be registered for "Fun for 4s and 5s." Pat-a-Cake (for pre-walking babies) and Early Words (for 12- to 24-month-olds) remain the same.

If you have other questions, please comment on this post!

Youth Services Summer Reading Contest: Final Week!

This is the FINAL WEEK of the Youth Services Summer Reading Contest! This year, since our theme is DON'T BUG ME, I'M READING, you have to guess what kind of bug is bugging our bears! You can go here to check, or come in to the Library. Once you know which book they're reading, come into the Library (and check out some books!!) to receive a guess slip. You can guess as many times as you check out books during the week!

Each week, we will put all of our correct guesses in a hat, and draw a winner. They will receive a super-cool prize! (You can see the winners so far here.) Next week, we will draw from among all the correct guess slips from all four weeks to select a GRAND PRIZE winner.

There is a very special BONUS answer for your guess slip that you can ONLY see here at Perrot's blog! Look at the picture below, and figure out what the difference is between THIS picture and the picture on our website and at the circulation desk.

[You can click on the picture below to see a larger version.]

Do you see it? Make sure you fill in the answer on your guess slip. You will be entered to win a special BONUS prize if you answer the blog bonus question correctly! Have questions? Ask us at the desk or call us at 637-8802. Or you can comment on this post.

Non-Fiction Reads for Summer

Anyone looking for some recommended reading this summer should visit Perrot's second floor, where the Reference Librarians have put up a display of non-fiction books: stories of true adventures, true crime and history, to name a few topics. We have Savage Summit, by Jennifer Jordan; Fire, by Sebastian Junger; The Hungry Ocean, by Linda Greenlaw; Dragon Sea, by Frank Pope; and Shadow Divers, by Robert Kurson.

These books would be great for a summer reading book report or for pleasure reading. Many are former bestsellers, all are compelling reading. Come and browse!

Book Drop Reminder

Please do not leave books or other materials outside of Perrot's book drop. If the book drop is too full for the door to close, please return your items when the library is open. We will waive fines gladly for this circumstance.

Thank you!

U.S.A. Today Visits Perrot Library

A photographer for U.S.A. Today visited Perrot yesterday, to photograph our very own Bartan Kennedy during her 4 P.M. storytime! Mrs. Kennedy will be among those featured in a new series in the newspaper that celebrates people who are passionate about their jobs.

More details to follow soon, but make sure you congratulate our star if you see her!

Summer Read: The Downhill Lie

The Downhill Lie: A Hacker's Return to a Ruinous Sport, by Carl Hiaasen

[Non-Fiction] Mr. Hiaasen decided to return to golf after 30 years of not playing. This is a journal of his progress. It is laugh out loud funny, especially to all golfers who have been there, done that. This reader could not help but shake her head and commiserate “I know… I know…” In typical fashion, Carl changes from driver to driver, from putter to putter. Any golfer knows that the faults to one’s game lie in the equipment, not the player– such fun! A very quick and amusing read.

-Lynn

[Don't forget, see more summer reads from the Reference Librarians here.]

Museum Passes in Youth Services

Youth Services has museum passes for you to check out! You can borrow each for one whole week and get:

FREE Family Admission to:

• The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, CT
• The Neuberger Museum of Art in Purchase, NY
• Earthplace Nature Discovery Center in Westport, CT
• ALL Connecticut State Parks and Forests (and free parking, too!)
  

DISCOUNTED Family Admission to:

• Maritime Aquarium and IMAX Theater in Norwalk, CT
• Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration in Mystic, CT

Ask at the Youth Services Desk to borrow a pass, and you may also browse informational brochures about each location (or just take a look at the links above).

Read Now, Discuss Later

Perrot will be hosting highly acclaimed author Elizabeth Strout to discuss her latest novel, Olive Kitteridge, on November 12th, 2008. Widely praised by critics, the novel is a compelling series of connected short stories that illuminate the complicated character of Olive Kitteridge and her small-town Maine community. Ms. Strout is the author of the other renowned books, Amy and Isabelle and Abide with Me.

Put Olive Kitteridge on your summer reading list! You may purchase copies at the Adult Circulation Desk, or place a hold on one of the library's copies through this link.

A Martha's Vineyard Mystery, and More Great Summer Reads

Vineyard Chill, by Phillip R. Craig

For fans of the Martha’s Vineyard Mystery series written by Philip R. Craig, this is a sad moment: it’s the last book of the series, since the author passed away last year. Vineyard Chill has everything I want in a mystery: good characters, a fast moving plot, and not a lot of blood and gore. It has the real feel of Martha’s Vineyard, and all the usual haunts of J.W. Jackson and his family, but this time it’s winter. An old friend of Jackson’s, Clay Stockton, shows up and he’s his old charming self– and as always, there’s trouble following close behind. A great introduction if you’ve never read Craig’s books, but go back and recapture some of the earlier ones if you can.

- Linda

For more great summer reads, take a look at the latest Great Reads from the Reference Librarians list!

You liked it so much, we got another one!

Our first Early Literacy Station was so popular, we got a second one!

Toddlers through second-graders will enjoy a range of educational games and activities, and can even print to the ELS's own printer.

Try one out next time you're here!

DVD Diva: British Television Series

Very popular at the library right now are British television productions. Here is a sampling you can choose from:

The First Churchills
Tells the story of the 50-year marriage of John and Sarah Churchill, the first Churchills to make their mark on British history.

Monarch of the Glen
Based on the Highland novels of Compton MacKenzie, this series explores the comings and goings of the Lairds at the decaying family estate, Glenbogle, in Scotland.

The Complete Jeeves & Wooster
Stars Hugh Laurie as Bertie Wooster, the classic young British man of means, blessed with a touch too generous a heart and a slight deficit in the noggin department. Steven Fry is Jeeves, his hilariously arch and resourceful valet, a "Gentleman's Gentleman."

Prime Suspect
Helen Mirren stars as Detective Chief Inspector Tennison, and the first woman to hold the position.

Touching Evil
A contemporary, darkly-edged mini-series that follows the exploits of the Organized and Serial Crime Unit.

Agatha Christie’s Poirot
David Suchet plays the role of Hercule Poirot, who always solves crimes by using his little grey cells.

Second Sight
Stars Clive Owen as a hotshot police detective who lives for the thrill of the chase, while desperate to conceal a terrifying secret: he's losing his vision.

The Inspector Lynley Mysteries
No detective is better suited to expose the secrets of the upper classes than Lynley, himself the eighth Earl of Asherton. And while his partner, Havers, may not know her earl from her escargot, she knows how to dig for clues in places a bit too seedy for the well-manicured Lynley.

Movies in the Park

Please join the us in Binney Park this summer for two special screenings. Come early with your family and friends and picnic to join us for these wonderful events. The great success of our movie program last year makes it a new tradition for Old Greenwich!

THE LAST EMPEROR (Rated PG-13)
Saturday, July 12th, 2008 at 8:30 P.M. (Rain Date: Sunday, July 13th, 2008)

The Last Emperor is a biopic about the life of Puyi, the last Emperor of China. The movie was written by Mark Peploe and Bernardo Bertolucci, directed by Bertolucci, and was released in 1987 by Columbia Pictures. Puyi's life is depicted from his ascension to the throne as a small boy to his imprisonment and political rehabilitation by the Chinese Communist authorities.

The film stars John Lone as Puyi, with Joan Chen, Peter O'Toole, Ruocheng Ying, Victor Wong, Dennis Dun, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Maggie Han, Ric Young, Vivian Wu, and Chen Kaige. It was the first feature film for which the producers were authorized by the Chinese government to film in the Forbidden City in Beijing. The film won nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

CHARIOTS OF FIRE (Rated PG)
Saturday, August 2nd, 2008 at 8:30 P.M. (Rain Date: Sunday, August 3rd, 208)

Chariots of Fire is a British film, released in 1981. Written by Colin Welland and directed by Hugh Hudson, it is based on the true story of British athletes preparing for and competing in the 1924 Summer Olympics. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won four, including Best Picture.