Nov. 7, 2009 Juvenile Holiday Books

Two Bad Pilgrims/Kathryn Lasky, John Manders

Everybody knows about the Pilgrims—pious, sober voyagers who sought new lives in the New World. But two very bad Pilgrims have been largely forgotten by history, and they are ready to tell their story! Real-life boys, Francis and Johnny Billington, nearly blew up the Mayflower, got kidnapped by Indians, and wreaked havoc wherever they went. Learn about the lives of America’s first troublemakers, as well as tons of fascinating Pilgrim facts with kid-friendly humor and energetic comic book–style art in this irreverent book that is part history, part parody, and all comedy.

Turkey Trouble/Wendi Silvano, Lee Harper

Turkey is in trouble. It’s close to Thanksgiving and Farmer Jake is looking for him. But Turkey has a plan. What if he didn’t look like a turkey? What if he looked like a horse?  Wearing a saddle  with a horse brush tied to the back of his head, he looks “just like a horse… almost.” His subsequent farm animal disguises (as a cow, pig, sheep, among others) are equally ineffective. Turkey goes with a goofy gag for his final costume. Find out what happens to this thoroughly creative turkey.

The Snow Show: With Chef Kelvin/Carolyn Fisher

Tune into The Snow Show to see Chef Kelvin and his trusty sous-chefs, Snow White and Jack Frost, investigate evaporation, condensation, and precipitation, all while cooking up the lightest, fluffiest batch of snow ever to fall from the sky. This is one snowy science-filled cooking extravaganza that will make kids wish every day were a snow day!

The Secret of Santa’s Island/Steve Breen

How do Santa and the elves relax after they’ve delivered all of the Christmas Eve gifts? When Sam McGuffin hears the sound of reindeer hooves on Christmas Eve, he can’t resist sneaking out the window and into the back of Santa’s sleigh. He wants to see what the North Pole is really like. But the sleigh isn’t headed to the North Pole that night. It’s destined for Santa’s Island, a top-secret, out-of-this-world vacation paradise. And now Sam is about to receive the ultimate gift from Santa—a day of unforgettable amusements with Santa and his elves—all because he’ll say something to Santa that no other kid has ever thought to utter. Read this book to find out the secret.

Suzy Goose And The Christmas Star/Petr Horacek

It’s Christmas Eve, and Suzy Goose and her friends are admiring their beautifully decorated tree. It’s perfect except for one thing: a star for the top. But Suzy sees just the right one, high in the sky, and no one can stop her from trying every possible way to get it! Bold, expressive illustrations follow the charmingly single-minded goose in a new adventure, a tale of seasonal magic found in surprising places.

The Wee Christmas Cabin/Margaret Hodges, Kimberly Bulcken Root

All of her life Oona dreams of having a cabin of her own. Left on a doorstep as a baby, she grows to be the prettiest, gentlest lass in the county; but no lad will marry the daughter of traveling tinkers. So Oona moves from cabin to cabin, helping wherever there is trouble or need. When the Great Famine comes and the last of the potatoes are eaten, Oona knows she must leave. She sets out on a snowy Christmas Eve, bidding a silent farewell to the village. She drifts off to sleep under a thornbush. But the magic of a white Christmas awaits her, as do hundreds of fairies, all wanting to make her dream come true. Readers of all ages will marvel at the intricately detailed artwork in this masterful retelling of a beloved Irish tale.

Looking For Christmas/Peggy Van Gurp

High in the north, in the land of long, dark winters, lives snowman Jowri, who has never celebrated Christmas. This Christmas Eve, however, he resolves to go and make merry, despite being delayed continually throughout his quest by animals who find themselves in troublesome situations. This heartwarming story reminds young and old what Christmas—a time of helping, giving, and forgiving—is all about.

Penny’s Christmas Jar Miracle/Jason F. Wright, Ben Sowards

Penny’s Christmas Jar Miracle is an original story based on the Christmas Jars tradition that has touched hundreds of thousands of lives. Penny Paisley and her family have a special Christmas tradition. All year long they collect their loose change and drop it in a glass jar on the kitchen counter. Then, each December, Penny and her family make their most exciting decision of the year: Who will receive the Paisley Family Christmas Jar? This year, Penny gets to choose what to do with the jar, and she has something special in mind. Read this special story to find out what Penny has in mind.

The Christmas Magic/Lauren Thompson, Jon J. Muth

Far, far North, when the nights are longest and the stars shine brightest, Santa begins to prepare for his big night of giving. He gathers his reindeer, feeds them parsnips and berries, and polishes his bells and his sled. Then lovingly, he chooses toys for every child in the world. For Santa loves them all, and he knows what each child at heart wants most. Then, with the thrum of magic that makes reindeers fly, he spreads the Christmas joy and warmth throughout the world.

A Season of Gifts/Richard Peck

A new family has moved in next door to Mrs. Dowdel—a family in desperate need of her help (whether they realize it or not). There’s twelve-year-old Bob, shy on courage in a town full of bullies; his Elvis-obsessed older sister, Phyllis, who just might be on the verge of spinning out of control; Bob’s little sister, Ruth Ann, ready and waiting for a larger-than-life role model; and even Bob’s two parents, the young minister and his wife, who are amazed to discover that the last house in town might also be the most vital. As Christmas rolls around, the whole family will realize that they’ve found a true home, and a neighbor with remarkable gifts to share.

Oct. 6, 2009 Nonfiction

The Post-American World/Fareed Zakaria

In this masterpiece of insight with great reporting and cultural understanding, Fareed Zakaria explains a future shaped by many emerging power centers. This book isn’t about America’s decline, it’s about how it can deploy its unique strengths to prosper as the rest of the world does so as well. This is a definitive handbook for political and business leaders who want to succeed in a global era.

War On The Middle Class/Lou Dobbs

The middle class has never been so vulnerable. Its every feature is under assault by politicians and the lobbyists who court them, big-business corporations that are sending their jobs overseas, and a media that relies on sensationalism instead of facts when reporting the news. CNN host and commentator Dobbs looks at every aspect of the decline of the middle class—from a lack of political representation to America’s corrupt health-care system—to demonstrate how the gap between America’s newest haves and have-nots is no longer merely financial, but instead includes the erosion of education, employment, government, and community. Dobbs proposes a series of measures to resolve each issue and incite people, whose future is being mortgaged to benefit a powerful few, to preserve their rights and dreams.

The Conservative Soul: How We Lost It, How To Get It Back/Andrew Sullivan

Andrew Sullivan, one of the nation’s leading political commentators, makes an impassioned call to rescue conservatism from the corruption of the Republican far right, which has become the first fundamentally religious political party in America. Through an incisive look at the rise of Western fundamentalism, Sullivan argues that conservatives cannot in good conscience keep supporting a party that believes in its own God-given mission to change people’s souls, instead of protecting their liberties. He carefully charts the arguments of the new conservatism, showing why they cannot work in today’s America, why they fail the test of logic and pragmatism, and why they betray the conservative tradition. In this bold and powerful book, Sullivan criticizes our government for acting too often, too quickly, and too expensively. He champions a political philosophy based on skepticism and reason, rather than certainty and fundamentalism. He defends a Christianity that is sincere but not intolerant; and a politics that respects religion by keeping its distance. He also makes a provocative, heartfelt case for a revived conservatism at peace with the modern world, dedicated to restraining government and empowering individuals to live rich and fulfilling lives.

American-Made: The Enduring Legacy Of The WPA: When FDR Put The Nation To Work/Nick Taylor

Launched in 1935, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) served as a linchpin of FDR’s “New Deal.” Through the WPA, Roosevelt put millions of unemployed Americans to work on public construction projects, from dams and courthouses to parks and roads. The WPA’s Federal Writers Project employed a host of artists and writers, theater and musical artists. Taylor vividly and painstakingly paints the full story of the WPA from its inception to its shutdown by Congress in 1943, at which point the war boom in manufacturing had made it unnecessary. In an eloquent and balanced appraisal, Taylor not only chronicles the WPA’s numerous triumphs but also its failures, most notably graft and other chicanery at the local level. Taylor also details the dicey intramural politics in Congress over which states and districts would get the largest slice of the WPA pie.

The Busy Family’s Guide To Money/Sandra Block, Kathy Chu, John Waggoner

Find out what you need to know to get a handle on family finances and make the most of your income. Drawing on the experience and insights of three USA TODAY financial writers, this book covers how to: start saving now, get the best mortgage, simplify investing and avoid mistakes, get tax breaks by saving for college, and how to teach kids to handle money. You’ll also find out how to claim kids as tax breaks, deal with major one-time expenses, save for retirement and protect your loved ones with basic legal documents. This book is filled with helpful charts, checklists and the ever-popular USA TODAY Snapshots.

In An Uncertain World/Robert E. Rubin

Robert Rubin was sworn in as the seventieth U.S. Secretary of the Treasury in January 1995 in a brisk ceremony attended only by his wife and a few colleagues. As soon as the ceremony was over, he began an emergency meeting with President Bill Clinton on the financial crisis in Mexico. This was not only a harbinger of things to come during what would prove to be a rocky period in the global economy; it also captured the essence of Rubin himself—short on formality, quick to get into the nitty-gritty. From his early years in the storied arbitrage department at Goldman Sachs to his current position as chairman of the executive committee of Citigroup, Robert Rubin has been a major figure at the center of the American financial system. He was a key player in the longest economic expansion in U.S. history. Rubin offers a shrewd, keen analysis of some of the most important events in recent American history and presents a clear, consistent approach to thinking about markets and dealing with the new risks of the global economy. Part political memoir, part prescriptive economic analysis, and part personal look at business problems, In an Uncertain World is a deep examination of Washington and Wall Street by a figure who for three decades has been at the center of both worlds.

Sept. 12, 2009 Crochet

Creative Crochet Lace: A Freeform Look At Classic Crochet/Myra Wood

Learn a new freeform approach to traditional crochet openwork techniques that’s easier than you can imagine! You’ll discover five methods of crocheting lace done with a creative and fluid approach to create wonderful wearables, accessories and anything else you can imagine. No patterns necessary! First you’ll discover the origins of crochet lace and then each freeform method, modified from a classic style, is explained in detail. All the basics you need to know including which materials to use, how to pick yarns and fibers, and which hooks work best are explained too. There is also an in-depth discussion about “Lace Logic” and how different stitches and yarns work together. The project section goes into detail about the process used for making the pieces along with photos of the works in progress. Templates are included for many of the projects to give you a good understanding of the creative approach. Along with these excellent examples, designed to spark your imagination, there is a gorgeous gallery of fellow crochet artists’ works. You’ll also find inspiring photos of flowers and gardens to get your creative juices flowing. This book is clearly written with lots of beautiful photos to help get you started on your Creative Crochet Lace adventure.

Donna Kooler’s Encyclopedia Of Crochet/Donna Kooler

Produced by the Kooler Design Studio, this authoritative encyclopedia of crochet credits a number of well-known designers and writers in the field for its contents, including Nancy Nehring, Gwen Blakley Kinsler, Melissa Leapman, Ann E. Smith, and Kathleen Power Johnson. It includes a beautifully illustrated and footnoted history of crochet, instruction in basic crochet techniques for both left- and right-handed learners, detailed information on the abbreviations and chart symbols used in crochet patterns, instruction in specialty and thread crochet techniques, a selection of illustrative projects for crocheters with beginner to advanced skills, and a crochet pattern gallery. The gorgeous, elaborately detailed “Philosopher’s Coat” pattern for advanced crocheters shows the art of crochet at its best, while the information included on wire crochet and crocheting socks is difficult to find in other crochet handbooks.

Tunisian Crochet: The Look Of Knitting With The Ease Of Crocheting/Sharon Hernes Silverman

Tunisian crochet combines the ease of crocheting with the appearance of knitting. This instructional pattern book brings Tunisian crochet into the realm of high fashion with exquisite stitch patterns, meticulous shaping, and attractive finishing. Detailed instructions with full-color photographs and illustrations teach the art of Tunisian crochet. Sixteen chic projects for apparel, accessories, and home decor are explained in detail. Readers will learn how to make wearable items such as a chain mail scarf, child’s jumper, honeycomb skirt, and a man’s vest. Home decor projects include an ottoman cover, placemats, afghan, pillow, and more.

September 2, 2009 Listen Alaska Audio Book and Music Download Service

Listen Alaska Audio Book and Music Download Service

Homer Public Library announces its Listen Alaska Digital Catalog membership.  You can browse and download the following popular types of audio books and music anytime, day or night:

• OverDrive WMA Audiobooks
• OverDrive MP3 Audiobooks
• OverDrive Music

What do you need to get started?

• A valid library card and PIN number
• Internet access
• A computer or device that meets the system requirements for the type(s) of digital materials you wish to check out
• Free software for the computer or device on which you wish to use the materials available at this site

Look for the Listen Alaska icon located on the Homer Public Library  website or go directly to http://listenalaska.lib.overdrive.com.

Give it a try, it’s all at your fingertips!

Aug 25, 09 Large Print – YA & Juvenile

Young Adult novels in Large Print

The Giver/Lois Lowry

Jonas’s world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear of pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the community. When Jonas turns 12 he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back as he discovers the truth about the society he lives in. [YA LOW]

Found/Margaret Peterson Haddix

Thirteen-year-old Jonah has always known that he was adopted, and he’s never thought it was any big deal. Then he and a new friend, Chip, who’s also adoped, begin receiving mysterious letters. The first one says, “You are one of the missing.” The second one says, “Beware! They’re coming back to get you.”

Jonah, Chip, and Jonah’s sister, Katherine, are plunged into a mystery that involves the FBI, a vast smuggling operation, an airplane that appeared out of nowhere — and people who seem to appear and disappear at will. The kids discover they are caught in a battle between two opposing forces that want very different things for Jonah and Chip’s lives. [YA HAD]

What the Moon Saw/Laura Resau

Clara Luna’s name means “clear moon” in Spanish. But lately, her head has felt anything but clear. One day a letter comes from Mexico, written in Spanish: Dear Clara, We invite you to our house for the summer. We will wait for you on the day of the full moon, in June, at the Oaxaca airport. Love, your grandparents.

Fourteen-year-old Clara has never met her father’s parents. She knows he snuck over the border from Mexico as a teenager, but beyond that, she knows almost nothing about his childhood. When she agrees to go, she’s stunned by her grandparents’ life: they live in simple shacks in the mountains of southern Mexico, where most people speak not only Spanish, but an indigenous language, Mixteco. [YA RES]

The Sacrifice/Kathleen Benner Duble

In the year 1692, life changes forever for ten-year-old Abigail Faulkner and her family. In Salem, Massachusetts, witches have been found and widespread fear and panic reign mere miles from Abigail’s home of Andover. When two girls are brought from Salem to identify witches in Andover, suspicion sweeps the town as well-respected members of the community are accused of witchcraft. It isn’t long before chaos consumes Andover, and the Faulkners find themselves in the center of it all when friend turns themselves in the center of it all when friend turns against friend, neighbor against neighbor, in a desperate fight for the truth. [YA DUB]

Gulf/Robert Westall

There was always something different about Andy. As a baby, he was a prolific dreamer with an unusual memory for detail. As a young child, his unique blend of curiosity, tenacity, and telepathy evolved into some unusual and unpredictable obsessions. Usually a happy-go-lucky boy, he periodically slipped into odd episodes, such as the time he saw a picture of a starving Ethiopian boy and fell into a trance. At 12, his behavior turns to the bizarre when Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait. Speaking Arabic, sporting a soldier’s haircut, and packing an air rifle, the boy literally takes on the identity of an Iraqi soldier. As the intensity of the Gulf War increases, he slips deeper and deeper into the person of Latif.  [YA WES]

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Juvenile novels in Large Print

Shakespeare’s Secret/Elise Broach

Named after a character in a Shakespeare play, misfit sixth-grader Hero becomes interested in exploring this unusual connection because of a valuable diamond supposedly hidden in her new house, an intriguing neighbor, and the unexpected attention of the most popular boy in school. The clearly explained Much Ado About Nothing connections encourage young readers to explore Shakespeare. The historical references, provided by Hero’s Shakespearean scholar father, reinforce one of the book’s major themes: Reaction to an event is more important than the event. [J BRO]

Football Hero/Tim Green

Ty Lewis can’t believe it when Coach V recruits him for the football team. This is Ty’s big chance to prove how fast he is on the field, get a fresh start in a new school, and be like his older brother, Thane “Tiger” Lewis, who’s about to graduate from college—and is being courted by the NFL.

But Ty’s guardian, Uncle Gus, won’t let him play. Uncle Gus needs Ty to scrub floors and toilets for his cleaning business while he cooks up gambling schemes with the local mob boss, a man called “Lucy.”

When Lucy hears just how famous Ty’s older brother is, he becomes suddenly friendly. Are the questions Lucy is asking Ty really about fantasy football . . . or is the Mafia using Ty to get valuable insider info from his superstar brother? Desperately worried, Ty must come up with a plan to save Thane’s football career—and, ultimately, his life. [J GRE]

Way Down Deep/Ruth White
Although Ruby seemed to just appear out of thin air on the steps of the courthouse on the first day of summer in 1944, no one in Way Down Deep, West Virginia, ever worried too much about where the toddler came from. They figured that if Ruby’s people were dumb enough to lose something as valuable as a child, then that was their problem. So even though Ruby can’t help but wonder where she came from, she has led a joyful and carefree life in Way Down Deep, loved and watched over by Miss Arbutus – proprietor of The Roost, the local boardinghouse – the residents of The Roost, and the rest of the town. But when Ruby is twelve, a new family moves to Way Down Deep, and they inadvertently provide enough clues about Ruby’s past that she is able to find her own people. Ruby travels from Way Down Deep to the top of Yonder Mountain to learn who she really is – only to find that she is bound to Way Down Deep by something even stronger than family ties: love. [J WHI]

Crispin: At the Edge of the World/Avi
He was a nameless orphan, marked for death by his masters for an unknown crime. Discovering his name – Crispin- only intensified the mystery.  Then Crispin met Bear, who helped him learn the secret of his full identity. And in Bear – the enormous, red-bearded juggler, sometime spy, and everyday philosopher – Crispin also found a new father and a new world.

Now Crispin and Bear have set off to live their lives as free men. But they don’t get far before their past catches up with them: Bear is being pursued by members of the secret brotherhood who believe he is an informer. When Bear is badly wounded, it is up to Crispin to make decisions about their future – where to go and whom to trust. [J AVI]

The Dark is Rising/Susan Cooper

When Will Stanton wakes up on the morning of his birthday, he discovers an unbelievable gift — he is immortal. Bemused and terrified, he finds he is the last of the Old Ones, magical men and women sworn to protect the world from the source of evil, the Dark.

At once Will is plunged into a quest to find six magical Signs to aid the powers of the Light.  Six medallions – iron, bronze, wood, water, fire, and stone – created and hidden by the Old Ones centuries ago. But the Dark has sent out the Rider: evil, cloaked in black, mounted upon a midnight stallion, and on the hunt for this youngest Old One, Will. He must find the six great Signs before the Dark can rise, for an epic battle between good and evil approaches. [J COO]

Stealing Freedom/Elisa Carbone
The moment Ann Maria Weems was born, her freedom was stolen from her. Like her family and the other slaves on the farm, Ann works from sunup to sundown and obeys the orders of her master. Then one day, Ann’s family — the only joy she knows — is gone. Just 12 years old, Ann is overcome by grief, struggling to get through each day. And her only hope of stealing back her freedom and finding her family lies in a perilous journey: the Underground Railroad. (Ann Maria Weems was an actual slave who lived in the mid-1800s near the author’s home in Maryland.) [J CAR]

My Side of the Mountain/Jean Craighead George
A young boy relates his adventures during the year he spends living alone in the Catskill Mountains including his struggle for survival, his dependence on nature, his animal friends, and his ultimate realization that he needs human companionship. [J GEO]

August 15, 09 Juvenile Nonfiction

Do You Know Where Your Water Has Been?: The Disgusting Story Behind What You’re Drinking/Kelly Barnhill

Water covers a majority of the Earth’s surface, and  all plants and animals need water to survive. Not all water is safe for human use: it is either contaminated with illness-causing bacteria or polluted with garbage and waste. In this highly informative book, readers explore man’s search for clean drinking water throughout history, the complicated process that developed countries use to ensure clean drinking water today, and the consequences of drinking dirty water.

Getting to Know Your Toilet: The Disgusting Story Behind Your Home’s Strangest Features/Connie Colwell Miller

Toilets today can be found in every house in America, but this was not always the case. This book explores the stinky and creative history behind how man disposed of his waste from ancient Rome to modern America including pits, chamber pots, and the modern flush toilet. The invention of toilet-related items like toilet paper and the bidet as well as the health and safety concerns surrounding human waste disposal are also covered in this informative book.

Sewers And The Rats That Love Them: The Disgusting Story Behind Where It All Goes/Kelly Barnhill

Sewers are more than tunnels filled with human waste. They are part of a complex system designed to keep our cities clean and people healthy. Readers learn the details of how our modern sewer system keeps us safe from illness and disease as they explore the history of waste disposal and the complex system used today to ensure clean water flows in and waste water flows out of homes.

Garbage, Waste, Dumps, and You: The Disgusting Story Behind What We Leave Behind/Connie Colwell Miller

What happens to trash after it leaves our homes, offices and schools? What happened to trash before there were garbage men and sanitation workers to collect it from our dumpsters? This book takes readers on a learning journey to answer both these questions, starting with how our ancestors disposed of their unwanted leftovers and moving forward in time to the advanced systems we use today. From burying trash to recycling to composting, this book teaches readers about what happens to their garbage and the effects that each possible route for their waste has on the environment and human health.

Aug 13, 09 Juvenile & YA Audiobooks

Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller/Sarah Elizabeth Miller

Annie Sullivan was little more than a half-blind orphan with a fiery tongue when she arrived at Ivy Green in 1887. Desperate for work, she’d taken on a seemingly impossible job — teaching a child who was deaf, blind, and as ferocious as any wild animal. But Helen Keller needed more than a teacher. She needed someone daring enough to work a miracle. And if anyone was a match for Helen, it was the girl they used to call Miss Spitfire. [CD J MIL]

The Light Princess/George MacDonald

It’s a well known fact that a new-born princess will often be subject to a curse, especially if her royal parents neglect to invite an important magical relative to the christening. But never has there been a curse as charming (and hilarious) as that which befalls the Light Princess. Deprived of gravity, she can’t take anything or anyone seriously. Even worse, she’s apt to blow away on the first stiff breeze! Can Read more…

It’s a well known fact that a new-born princess will often be subject to a curse, especially if her royal parents neglect to invite an important magical relative to the christening. But never has there been a curse as charming (and hilarious) as that which befalls the Light Princess. Deprived of gravity, she can’t take anything or anyone seriously. Even worse, she’s apt to blow away on the first stiff breeze! Can the handsome prince bring her down to Earth? One of the most acclaimed literary fairy tales of all time, George MacDonald’s profound and witty story floats into bubbling new life in this lovingly crafted full cast reading. [CD J MAC]

Juliet Dove, Queen of Love/Bruce Coville
In the fifth installment of Bruce Coville’s Magic Shop series, a mysterious woman gives shy, plain Juliet a magic amulet. Suddenly, all the boys in her class start noticing her – and falling in love with her. Juliet doesn’t want all the attention, but she can’t get the amulet to come off! [CD J COV]

No Talking/Andrew Clements

The fifth-grade girls and the fifth-grade boys at Laketon Elementary don’t get along very well. But the real problem is that these kids are loud and disorderly. That’s why the principal uses her red plastic bullhorn. A lot.

Then one day Dave Packer, a certified loudmouth, bumps into an idea — a big one that makes him try to keep quiet for a whole day. But what does Dave hear during lunch? A girl, Lynsey Burgess, jabbering away. So Dave breaks his silence and lobs an insult. And those words spark a contest: Which team can say the fewest words during two whole days? And it’s the boys against the girls. [CD J CLE]

Shooting the Moon/Frances O’Roark Dowell

When twelve-year-old Jamie Dexter’s brother joins the Army and is sent to Vietnam, Jamie is plum thrilled. She can’t wait to get letters from the front lines describing the excitement of real-life combat: the sound of helicopters, the smell of gunpowder, the exhilaration of being right in the thick of it. After all, they’ve both dreamed of following in the footsteps of their father, the Colonel.

But TJ’s first letter isn’t a letter at all. It’s a roll of undeveloped film, the first of many. What Jamie sees when she develops TJ’s photographs reveal a whole new side of the war. Slowly the shine begins to fade off of Army life – and the Colonel. How can someone she’s worshipped her entire life be just as helpless to save her brother as she is? [CD J DOW]

The Compound/S.A. Bodeen

Eli and his family have lived in the Compound for six years. The world they knew is gone. Eli’s father built the Compound to keep them safe. Now, they can’t get out. He won’t let them. Dad asked me if I wanted to see more of the Compound. I didn’t. We would have to wait fifteen years before it would be safe to go outside. Which left more than enough time to see the rest of the Compound. Our new world. A world I would Read more…

Eli and his family have lived in the Compound for six years.  The world they knew is gone.  Eli’s father built the Compound to keep them safe.  Now, they can’t get out.  He won’t let them.  “Dad asked me if I wanted to see more of the Compound.  I didn’t.  We would have to wait fifteen years before it would be safe to go outside.  Which left more than enough time to see the rest of the Compound.  Our new world.  A world I would soon hate.” [CD YA BOD]

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie/David Lubar

Starting high school is never easy. Seniors take your lunch money. Girls you’ve known forever are suddenly beautiful and unattainable. And you can never get enough sleep. Could there be a worse time for Scott’s mother to announce she’s pregnant? Scott decides high school would be a lot less overwhelming if it came with a survival manual, so he begins to write down tips for his new sibling. Meanwhile, he’s trying his best to capture the attention of Julia, the freshman goddess. In the process, Scott manages to become involved in nearly everything the school has to offer. So while he tries to find his place in the confusing world of high school, win Julia’s heart, and keep his sanity, Scott will be recording all the details for his sibling’s—and your—enjoyment. [CD YA LUB]

Sun Moon Stars Rain/Jan Cheripko

Heartbroken over a failed romance, talented pianist Danny Murtaugh drops out of music school and returns to his rural hometown, where he discovers two new passions: one for the untouched woodlands of the reclusive Frederick P. Garrick, and one for Stephanie, the stunning new waitress at the town diner. Danny finds himself returning to the scene of the central tragedy of his life, and a painful unspoken secret. [CD YA CHE]

A Thousand Never Evers/Shana Burg

As the civil rights movement in the South gains momentum in 1963 – and violence against African Americans intensifies – the black residents, including seventh-grader Addie Ann Pickett, in the small town of Kuckachoo, Mississippi, begin their own courageous struggle for racial justice. [CD YA BUR]

Top Drawer Collection 2009

The Top Drawer Collection is a collection of works by Kenai Peninsula writers put into circulation by the Homer Public Library. The program was begun years ago by Joy and Norman Griffin because they thought it a shame that many of the stories written by their local writers’ group were read once or twice by the authors’ friends and spouses then put away in top desk drawers and often forgotten. The following books are the 2009 submissions.

Wild Fires/Jean Davis

Jean Davis won the 2009 Top Shelf award for this work of fiction.

Polar Bears and Poopy Diapers: The Random Adventures Of An Alaskan Man/Richard Holschen

Subjects:  Families, biography, autobiography

Kaleidoscope Children/Kayte Kerns

Subject:  Poetry

Sansanding: A Sojourn In Mali/Catherine Henshaw Knott

Subjects:  Essays, poetry, Mali.

Denali Echoes: A Winter’s Read/Mary Langham

Subject:  Fiction

Essays, Poems and Attitude: A Woman’s Writings From Just North Of Heaven/Victoria Steik

Subject:  Essays, poetry

Aug 6, 09 Russian Language Books & DVDs

Skazki Barda Bidlia/J.K Rowling

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a Wizarding classic, first came to Muggle readers’ attention in the book known as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Now, thanks to Hermione Granger’s new translation from the ancient runes, we present this stunning edition with an introduction, notes, and illustrations by J.K. Rowling, and extensive commentary by Albus Dumbledore. Never before have Muggles been privy to these richly Read more…

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a Wizarding classic, first came to Muggle readers’ attention in the book known as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Now, thanks to Hermione Granger’s new translation from the ancient runes, we have this stunning edition with an introduction, notes, and illustrations by J.K. Rowling, and extensive commentary by Albus Dumbledore. Never before have Muggles been privy to these richly imaginative tales.

Doroga Peremen/Richard Yates

Frank and April Wheeler live a life that appears to be perfect. They live in the Connecticut suburbs with two young children. Frank commutes to New York City where he works in an office job that he hates and has yet to figure out what his passion in life is. April is a housewife who forgoes her dream of being an actress. They are not happy. One day, April suggests that they move to Paris as a means to rejuvenate their life. Initially skeptical, Frank ultimately agrees to April’s plan. When circumstances change around the Wheelers, April decides she will do whatever she has to to get herself out of her unhappy existence.

Trudnye resheniia/John McCain

At some point in our lives, we all face tough decisions and have to make that hard call. In this book, Senator McCain and Mark Salter use experiences of both extraordinary people and people in extraordinary circumstances to describe the anatomy of a great decision. Highlights include: Henry Ford’s decision to sacrifice his company’s competitive edge by reducing the work day and guaranteeing a minimum wage; Branch Rickey’s decision to offer Jackie Robinson a contract to play for the Brooklyn Dodgers in the face of public opposition; Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf ’s decision to return to war torn Liberia after receiving an economics degree from Harvard; and General Fred Weyand’s decision to redeploy fifteen of his battalions despite resistance from senior American military commanders in Vietnam.

Stekliannyĭ sup/Jonathan Carroll
A group of 30-something Americans living in Vienna  find themselves caught in the middle of a battle between God (a giant polar bear named Bob, or possibly a mosaic) and Chaos. The McGuffin is Anjo, the unborn baby of Isabelle Neukor. In a reverse Orpheus, Isabelle has already crossed the border between life and death to retrieve the deceased Vincent Ettrich, Anjo’s father. As the contest for Isabelle’s child heats up, more and more characters are drawn into the fray, while the world constantly blends, shifts and changes dimension.

Naivnaia smert/J.D. Robb

When history teacher Craig Foster is found dead in his classroom, his young wife is devastated, and his family, friends and colleagues all shocked. The two ten-year-old students who discovered his body may be traumatized for life.  Dallas wonders if another staff member or a parent might be involved, but after the prime suspect, a promiscuous teacher who’s been harassing another employee, turns up dead, the investigation takes a shocking turn.

Zdes, na Zemle/Alice Hoffman
After nearly twenty years of living in California, March Murray, along with her fifteen-year-old daughter, Gwen, returns to the small Massachusetts town where she grew up to attend the funeral of Judith Dale, the beloved housekeeper who raised her. Thrust into the world of her past, March slowly realizes the complexity of the choices made by those around her, including Mrs. Dale, who knew more of love than March could have ever suspected; Alan, the brother whose tragic history has left him grief-stricken, with alcohol his only solace; and Hollis, the boy she loved, the man she can’t seem to stay away from.

Chtets/Bernhard Schlink

Set in postwar Germany, The Reader is a provocative, morally challenging, and deeply moving novel about a young boy’s erotic awakening in a clandestine love affair with a mysterious older woman. Falling ill on his way home from school, 15-year-old Michael Berg is rescued by Hanna, a woman twice his age. For a time, the two become passionate lovers. Then, one day, Hanna disappears without a word. Years later, as a law student observing a trial in Germany, Michael recognizes his former lover on the stand, accused of a hideous crime. And as he watches Hanna refuse to defend herself against the charges, Michael gradually realizes that she may be guarding a secret more shameful than murder.

Za sumerechnym porogom/Peter James

When a Sussex newspaper assigns Kate Hemingway to report on the noises that seem to be coming from the grave of a newly buried woman, she finagles access to a private exhumation–where it emerges that the woman had been buried alive. Meanwhile, James unfolds another story, set 20 years earlier: Harvey Swire, a pudgy, unpleasant schoolboy, has a near-death experience following a cycling accident; subsequently he undergoes frequent out-of-body episodes and develops an unhealthy fascination with the afterlife. The two plots are paced expertly, so that Kate’s investigation into a hasty cover-up lands her afoul of the sinister Swire, now a prominent anesthesiologist. The two collide in a gripping climax, with a highly satisfying twist at the end. Characters are boldly drawn, and Kate proves an exceptionally likable heroine.

Propavshaia ledi/Jude Deveraux

Forsaken by her guardian and narrowly escaping marriage to a money-hungry suitor, Regan flees Weston Manor, the only home she’s ever known, determined to rule her own destiny. When Travis Stanford, a big, rugged American, finds Regan on London’s docks, he vows to protect her — unaware of the magnificent, iron-willed beauty she would become, or the dangerous, passion-filled future that awaited them both. From England’s bawdy wharves to Virginia’s elegant mansions, their love was kindled by chance, and flamed by the thrilling pursuit of unknown tomorrows.

Progulka (The Stroll)

Twenty years of age is always the time of freedom, the speed of life and intensity of emotions.  In one day an entire life can be lives.  A girl and two companions walk through around St. Petersburg flirting, picking at each other, and in an hour and a half of real time live an entire love drama.  This walk is filled with laughter and tears, the usual fuss of the streets and some mysterious omens all of which keep the viewer’s tense attention.  However unpredictable, the resolution is natural and puts everything in its place.

O liubvi (About Love)
Loud gunshot breaks the silence of a summer morning.  What was the reason that forced a 15-year-old youngster to end his life?  The answer is sought by the character depicted by Aleksander Abdulov who tells his life story full of both happy and bitter moments.  Infidelity of a beloved wife and betrayal of a best friend forced him to leave the family when Volodya, who he believed was his son, was only five.  Years of loneliness were ended by accidental acquaintance and duel that was stopped in progress.  In the meanwhile Volodya, a child of unknown father, has grown up.  And an awkward affair with a married woman, which the boy took for true love became fatal for him…

Viazhem modnye veshchi dlia vseĭ semi : novye modeli i uzory, kriuchkom i spitsami/А. Krasichkova

This book explains how to knit and crochet.  It includes detailed patterns for projects which the beginner or advanced knitter/crocheter will enjoy.

August 1, 2009 Nonfiction: Watercolor

Paint Watercolors That Dance With Light/Elizabeth Kincaid

This easy-to-follow guide offers proven techniques for painting dazzling scenes drenched in color. Readers will learn to paint beautiful flowers, foliage and landscapes, as well as learn to visualize before painting and to better perceive abstract form, value, line and color.

Watercolor Pour It On!/Jan Fabian Wallake

Take advantage of the transparent, fluid qualities of watercolor to create striking works of art that glow with color and light! Inside you’ll find all the advice you need to master special pouring techniques that allow pigments to run free across the paper. There’s no need to worry about losing control or making mistakes. Jan Fabian Wallake takes the fear out of flow, empowering you to trust your instincts and create glazes rich in depth and luminosity. You’ll learn to pour watercolors with great results every time — no matter what your painting subject or style!

Splash 4: The Splendor of Light/Rachel Rubin Wolf

Splash 4 gathers some of North America’s finest watercolors into one glorious volume. This collection explores exciting ground by illuminating the many unique and innovative ways artists infuse their paintings with light. Readers will find more than 120 big, full-color reproductions; a diverse collection of paintings from 109 of North America’s finest watercolor artists; art accompanied by the artists’ thoughts on subject and technique; and fresh inspiration for their own works.

Splash 5: Best of Watercolor The Glory of Color/Rachel Rubin Wolf

In the spirit of the best-selling Splash series, Splash 5 reproduces more than 120 of North America’s finest watercolor paintings in one glorious volume. Works are organized into five themed chapters exploring ways to energize painting with contrasts and complements, as well as the use of color to express mood and communicate meaning with symbolism. Artists’ comments accompany each painting, offering practical advice for watercolor enthusiasts.