Once again, it is time for my 3rd Annual Ten Great Books I Read This Year list. I am a Children’s Librarian at heart, and most of my list this year reflects that. Two of my favorites are picture books and four of them are Children’s Fiction books. But lurking somewhere deep, deep, down inside of me, there is an adult who occasionally needs to read books about cells that never die, historical figures that aren’t as mythical as we thought they were, and a nice, warm dram of whiskey.
Be sure to check us out on Facebook and at www.beloitlibrary.info. And without further ado, The List:
1) The Boys by Jeff Newman. A young boy moves into town and isn’t sure how to make new friends. Luckily, there are some boys at the local baseball diamond who are willing to help out. (Picture Book)
2) Press Here by Herve Tullet. With the press of a finger and some clapping and shaking, this book will keep your 3-year old entertained for hours on end. And it’s fun to watch adults try to figure out where all of those dots came from! (Picture Book)
3) Nothing But the Truth: A Documentary Novel by Avi. Philip thinks his teacher is being unfair. All he wanted to do was hum the National Anthem. What’s so wrong about that? Although this book was written it 1991, the story reads like it could have been written yesterday. (Children’s Fiction)
4) Saint Training. Set in Wisconsin and written by Wisconsin author, Elizabeth Fixmer, this book about a Catholic family living in the turbulent 1960’s is a great reminder that being yourself isn’t always easy. (Children’s Fiction)
5) The Reinvention of Edison Thomas by Jacqueline Houtman. Eddy Thomas is not your typical middle schooler. While reciting the Periodic Table of Elements in his head as a way to calm himself down is easy, not paying attention to the water spot on the ceiling tile and wondering how it got there, is not so easy. (Children’s Fiction)
6) One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. Sisters Delphine, Vonetta and Fern are sent to Oakland California to spend the summer with the mother who abandoned them seven years ago. The girls are looking forward to reconnecting, but their mother seems distracted by the Black Panther activities surrounding them. (Children’s Fiction)
7) Room by Emma Donoghue. Jack has always lived in Room with Ma. Bed, TV and Wardrobe have been there as long as Jack can remember. Door doesn’t open, but that’s okay, because Dora lives in TV and she and Jack go on adventures. (Adult Fiction)
8) Gandhi: The True Man Behind Modern India by Jad Adams. A fascinating look at Gandhi through the years including some very humanizing idiosyncrasies. (Adult Nonfiction)
9) Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. Discover how a small tissue sample taken from a poor African American woman over 60 years ago has turned into a multi-billion dollar business and caused endless heartache for her family. (Adult Nonfiction)
10) 99 Drams of Whiskey: The Accidental Hedonist’s Quest for the Perfect Shot and the History of the Drink by Kate Hopkins. The title speaks for itself. I wonder if the author would be interested in writing a sequel. I’d be interested in helping out…
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
November 2011
You know how you have been hearing Christmas music in the stores since about mid-September? And you’ve been seeing Christmas ads on TV since about mid-August? And your kids have had their Christmas lists ready since about mid-July? It’s all just a little crazy, isn’t it? I mean, it feels like the holidays and all their fan-fare arrive earlier and earlier every year. Well, the Beloit Public Library has crazy beat by a mile. As far back as April, we were already thinking about December programs and Christmas.
Whether it’s making reindeer ornaments (Arts and Crafts, Thursday December 8th at 4:00 p.m.), folding origami Santas (Tween Program, Wednesday December 14th at 2:00 p.m.) or creating graham cracker gingerbread houses and Kwanzaa placemats (4H Funtertainment, Tuesday December 27th at 6:30 p.m.), almost all of the Youth Services programs in December have a holiday theme. Heck, we even have good ol’ Father Christmas himself coming to the library on Saturday December 10th at 2:00 p.m. Terry Lynch, from Histories for Kids, will perform “The Legend of St. Nicholas” where kids and their families will learn about Christmas traditions from around the world. Ever wonder why we hang Christmas stockings? Or why we have Christmas trees? Come to the library and find out.
Off course, we didn’t forget the teens and the adults. Teens can design their own holiday-themed cupcakes at our Cupcake Design program on Wednesday December 14th at 4:00 p.m. And adults will learn about Healthy Holiday Eating on Tuesday December 6th at 6:00 p.m.
Whether it’s making reindeer ornaments (Arts and Crafts, Thursday December 8th at 4:00 p.m.), folding origami Santas (Tween Program, Wednesday December 14th at 2:00 p.m.) or creating graham cracker gingerbread houses and Kwanzaa placemats (4H Funtertainment, Tuesday December 27th at 6:30 p.m.), almost all of the Youth Services programs in December have a holiday theme. Heck, we even have good ol’ Father Christmas himself coming to the library on Saturday December 10th at 2:00 p.m. Terry Lynch, from Histories for Kids, will perform “The Legend of St. Nicholas” where kids and their families will learn about Christmas traditions from around the world. Ever wonder why we hang Christmas stockings? Or why we have Christmas trees? Come to the library and find out.
Off course, we didn’t forget the teens and the adults. Teens can design their own holiday-themed cupcakes at our Cupcake Design program on Wednesday December 14th at 4:00 p.m. And adults will learn about Healthy Holiday Eating on Tuesday December 6th at 6:00 p.m.
October 2011
It’s always fun trying to figure out what book a library customer is trying to find. Some people come in with the title of the book, the author, the publisher and the call number in hand. Those customer requests are easy. Other people come in with only the vaguest notion of what the book is about. They heard about it on one of the morning talk shows, but between getting their children dressed, feeding the dog and throwing in one more load of laundry, they didn’t quite catch the title of the book. Those requests, though not so easy to decipher, are still fun to figure out.
And then there are the customers who think they know what they want, but we give them something completely different. I had a customer the other day in the Children’s Area and she was looking for “the Spanish books”. Did she want books written in Spanish, or books about Spain, or books that teach the Spanish language? Turns out she wanted to learn to speak Spanish. So, we walked over to the 400’s (come on, everyone knows the language books are in the 400’s, right?) and we found some very basic books that showed pictures of everyday objects with the Spanish word written below the object. The customer was happy with what we found. But I knew there was one more way to help her learn Spanish.
We went over to the computer and I showed her the library’s new database: Powerspeak Languages. The database walks you through the basics of learning five different languages (Spanish, English, French, German and Mandarin) using lessons such as, “People Words”, “Colors”, and “Asking for Help”. The database is friendly, functional and allows users to learn at their own pace. Although the customer was happy with the books we found, she seemed even more excited about using the new database.
Powerspeak Languages is available under the “Electronic Resources” tab on the library’s homepage, www.beloitlibrary.info. You can use it on one of the library’s computers, or you can use it at home in between loads of laundry and making sure your children have shoes on their feet before sending them off to school.
And then there are the customers who think they know what they want, but we give them something completely different. I had a customer the other day in the Children’s Area and she was looking for “the Spanish books”. Did she want books written in Spanish, or books about Spain, or books that teach the Spanish language? Turns out she wanted to learn to speak Spanish. So, we walked over to the 400’s (come on, everyone knows the language books are in the 400’s, right?) and we found some very basic books that showed pictures of everyday objects with the Spanish word written below the object. The customer was happy with what we found. But I knew there was one more way to help her learn Spanish.
We went over to the computer and I showed her the library’s new database: Powerspeak Languages. The database walks you through the basics of learning five different languages (Spanish, English, French, German and Mandarin) using lessons such as, “People Words”, “Colors”, and “Asking for Help”. The database is friendly, functional and allows users to learn at their own pace. Although the customer was happy with the books we found, she seemed even more excited about using the new database.
Powerspeak Languages is available under the “Electronic Resources” tab on the library’s homepage, www.beloitlibrary.info. You can use it on one of the library’s computers, or you can use it at home in between loads of laundry and making sure your children have shoes on their feet before sending them off to school.
Monday, September 26, 2011
September 2011
I can’t believe I actually did it. I really thought I could hold out longer than I did, but something made me snap and I took the plunge. I got an e-reader.
Some of you are wondering, what’s the big deal? Some of you are wondering, what’s an e-reader? An e-reader is a device that magically (yes, it does feel like magic) downloads books, movies, and music electronically. Well, I can download that same stuff to my desktop or laptop computer, some of you may be thinking. Sure, you can. But what is truly amazing about an e-reader is that the device itself, depending on the brand, is usually no bigger than the size of a hard cover book, it is usually less than half an inch thick and it weighs less than two pounds. And to top it all off, you can literally store thousands of books on the device at the same time. Just think of how much room that saves you in your suitcase when you go on vacation!
Okay, if the e-reader is the next best thing after the printing press, why did I wait so long before getting one? Simple. I love books. I love the feel of books in my hands. I love how books look all lined up (in Dewey Decimal order, of course!) on a shelf calling out to me to browse through them. I love the sound of the pages turning and I love returning over and over again to my old dog-eared copies of my favorite books.
I love my books, and I always will, but my e-reader is my new not-so-guilty pleasure.
Visit us on the web at www.beloitlibrary.info and be sure to check out these e-books available on Overdrive (just click on the link on our homepage):
No Pet Left Behind: The Sherpa Guide for Traveling with Your Best Friend by Gayle Martz. This book provides solid information and helpful hints for modern day pet lovers who want their furry friends to be safe, healthy, and comfortable while accompanying them on their journey.. This book is not just a listing of places that allow pets; rather, it is an examination of everything you'll want to know about extensive trips to large cities, crowded places, exotic islands, and even foreign locales. Readers will be happy to discover that pets can go just about everywhere, near or far. (Book Description)
100 Mistakes that Changed History: Backfires and Blunders that Collapsed Empires, Crashed Economies and Altered the Course of our World by Bill Fawcett. This engrossing book looks at one hundred such tipping points. Japan bombs Pearl Harbor. The Caliphs of Baghdad spend themselves into bankruptcy. The Aztecs greet the Conquistadors with open arms. Mexico invites the Americans to Texas—and the Americans never leave. (Book Description)
The Fates Will Find Their Way by Hannah Pittard. Sixteen-year-old Nora Lindell is missing. And the neighborhood boys she's left behind are caught forever in the heady current of her absence. A masterful literary debut that shines a light into the dream-filled space between childhood and all that follows, The Fates Will Find Their Way is a story about the stories we tell ourselves–of who we once were and may someday become. (Book Description)
Some of you are wondering, what’s the big deal? Some of you are wondering, what’s an e-reader? An e-reader is a device that magically (yes, it does feel like magic) downloads books, movies, and music electronically. Well, I can download that same stuff to my desktop or laptop computer, some of you may be thinking. Sure, you can. But what is truly amazing about an e-reader is that the device itself, depending on the brand, is usually no bigger than the size of a hard cover book, it is usually less than half an inch thick and it weighs less than two pounds. And to top it all off, you can literally store thousands of books on the device at the same time. Just think of how much room that saves you in your suitcase when you go on vacation!
Okay, if the e-reader is the next best thing after the printing press, why did I wait so long before getting one? Simple. I love books. I love the feel of books in my hands. I love how books look all lined up (in Dewey Decimal order, of course!) on a shelf calling out to me to browse through them. I love the sound of the pages turning and I love returning over and over again to my old dog-eared copies of my favorite books.
I love my books, and I always will, but my e-reader is my new not-so-guilty pleasure.
Visit us on the web at www.beloitlibrary.info and be sure to check out these e-books available on Overdrive (just click on the link on our homepage):
No Pet Left Behind: The Sherpa Guide for Traveling with Your Best Friend by Gayle Martz. This book provides solid information and helpful hints for modern day pet lovers who want their furry friends to be safe, healthy, and comfortable while accompanying them on their journey.. This book is not just a listing of places that allow pets; rather, it is an examination of everything you'll want to know about extensive trips to large cities, crowded places, exotic islands, and even foreign locales. Readers will be happy to discover that pets can go just about everywhere, near or far. (Book Description)
100 Mistakes that Changed History: Backfires and Blunders that Collapsed Empires, Crashed Economies and Altered the Course of our World by Bill Fawcett. This engrossing book looks at one hundred such tipping points. Japan bombs Pearl Harbor. The Caliphs of Baghdad spend themselves into bankruptcy. The Aztecs greet the Conquistadors with open arms. Mexico invites the Americans to Texas—and the Americans never leave. (Book Description)
The Fates Will Find Their Way by Hannah Pittard. Sixteen-year-old Nora Lindell is missing. And the neighborhood boys she's left behind are caught forever in the heady current of her absence. A masterful literary debut that shines a light into the dream-filled space between childhood and all that follows, The Fates Will Find Their Way is a story about the stories we tell ourselves–of who we once were and may someday become. (Book Description)
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
August 2011
Another year of Summer Library Club has come to an end at the Beloit Public Library. This year 618 kids read 3590 books and over 90 teens participated in the Teen Reading Program. Adults read books throughout the month of July and one lucky reader won an Amazon Kindle. Not to be left out of all the fun, the staff at the library had their own Reading Program as well. Ever wonder what librarians like to read? Well, here’s just a small sampling of the books that piqued our interest this summer:
Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater - A classic of American humor, adventures of a house painter and his high-stepping penguins have delighted children for generations.
Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys Over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men by Mara Hvistendahl - China has an extreme gender imbalance. It reaches beyond Asia. Historically, eras with an excess of men have produced periods of violent conflict and instability.
Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky – a haunting coming-of-age story about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion is told through Charlie's letters.
Brute: the Life of Victor Krulak, U.S. Marine by Robert Coram – A 34-year military career of applying creative ways of fighting. Krulak's almost single-handed accomplishment is stopping the U.S. government from abolishing the Marine Corps.
The Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd – In the 1981 height of Ireland's "Troubles," Fergus, 18, is distracted from his upcoming exams by his imprisoned brother's hunger strike, the stress of being courier for Sinn Fein, and dreams of a murdered girl he discovered in a bog.
Quinn by Iris Johansen - explores the darkest corners of human hearts as forensic sculptor Eve Duncan and former Navy SEAL turned cop, Joe Quinn fall in love while closing in on the killer who stole her daughter many years ago. Emotionally charged, with one shock after another.
Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri - Gogol Ganguli, named after his fathers’ favorite author, is born to Indian immigrants after their arranged marriage. American Gogol grows up resenting both his strange name and the yoke of Bengali culture imposed by his parents.
Buttercream Bump Off by Jenn Mckinlay - Melanie and Angie’s Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery is gearing up for Valentine's Day. Unfortunately someone has iced Baxter Malloy on his first date with Mel's mother. Now Mom's a suspect, and they need to find time around frosting to dig into the man's shady past and discover who served him his just desserts.
Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Vera Rigler - Jane Mansfield inexplicably awakens in Courtney's overly wired and morally confused L.A. life. For Jane, the modern world is not wholly disagreeable except memories that are not her and wondering if returning is an option.
Latehomecomer: a Hmong Family Memoir by Kao Kalia Yang - Hmong families made the escape from Laos where they were massacred for their collaboration with the United States during the Vietnam War, then to the overcrowded refugee camps of Thailand and onward to America. (Join us for a discussion of this book on Wednesday November 30th at noon.)
To find these books and many, many more, be sure to visit the Beloit Public Library or check us out on Facebook and at www.beloitlibrary.info.
Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater - A classic of American humor, adventures of a house painter and his high-stepping penguins have delighted children for generations.
Unnatural Selection: Choosing Boys Over Girls, and the Consequences of a World Full of Men by Mara Hvistendahl - China has an extreme gender imbalance. It reaches beyond Asia. Historically, eras with an excess of men have produced periods of violent conflict and instability.
Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky – a haunting coming-of-age story about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion is told through Charlie's letters.
Brute: the Life of Victor Krulak, U.S. Marine by Robert Coram – A 34-year military career of applying creative ways of fighting. Krulak's almost single-handed accomplishment is stopping the U.S. government from abolishing the Marine Corps.
The Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd – In the 1981 height of Ireland's "Troubles," Fergus, 18, is distracted from his upcoming exams by his imprisoned brother's hunger strike, the stress of being courier for Sinn Fein, and dreams of a murdered girl he discovered in a bog.
Quinn by Iris Johansen - explores the darkest corners of human hearts as forensic sculptor Eve Duncan and former Navy SEAL turned cop, Joe Quinn fall in love while closing in on the killer who stole her daughter many years ago. Emotionally charged, with one shock after another.
Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri - Gogol Ganguli, named after his fathers’ favorite author, is born to Indian immigrants after their arranged marriage. American Gogol grows up resenting both his strange name and the yoke of Bengali culture imposed by his parents.
Buttercream Bump Off by Jenn Mckinlay - Melanie and Angie’s Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery is gearing up for Valentine's Day. Unfortunately someone has iced Baxter Malloy on his first date with Mel's mother. Now Mom's a suspect, and they need to find time around frosting to dig into the man's shady past and discover who served him his just desserts.
Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Vera Rigler - Jane Mansfield inexplicably awakens in Courtney's overly wired and morally confused L.A. life. For Jane, the modern world is not wholly disagreeable except memories that are not her and wondering if returning is an option.
Latehomecomer: a Hmong Family Memoir by Kao Kalia Yang - Hmong families made the escape from Laos where they were massacred for their collaboration with the United States during the Vietnam War, then to the overcrowded refugee camps of Thailand and onward to America. (Join us for a discussion of this book on Wednesday November 30th at noon.)
To find these books and many, many more, be sure to visit the Beloit Public Library or check us out on Facebook and at www.beloitlibrary.info.
July 2011
After nearly 17 years of marriage (to the same guy!) I have discovered one very important thing about myself. I can’t cook my way out of a tin can to save my life. Sure, I can throw stuff into a crockpot, but actual cooking just isn’t in my repertoire. Case in point: the Cornish Hen Incident of ‘98.
I had decided I was going to cook two small Cornish Hens with a side of stuffing for dinner. The recipe said to “split each game hen in half”. Deep breath. I can do this. I grabbed a pair of kitchen scissors and started cutting the hens along the breast bone. Not such an easy task, especially considering that my highly sensitive gag reflex kicked in as soon as I heard the bones cracking and saw what the inside of a Cornish Hen actually looks like. There were guts in there. Gross, disgusting, slimy hen guts. And the guts were attached to the breast meat. Okay, another deep breath. I figured if I could just cut away the guts so I didn’t have to look at them, I might be able to stop the dry heaves. Cut, snip, heave, cut, gag, snip. Done.
Wait a minute. Where did my Cornish Hens go? By the time I was done cutting away all the slimy stuff, I didn’t have much meat left to cook. No problem. I figured I would just serve extra stuffing to make up for the lack of actual food. I opened the cupboard. Wait a minute. Where did the stuffing go? Keep breathing. Not to be deterred, I seasoned what was left of the Cornish Hens, put them in the oven and hoped for the best.
My husband thought I was serving him a chicken wing appetizer. I thought he would be comfortable sleeping on the couch. We both thought McDonalds would hit the spot.
Now, just because I can’t cook doesn’t mean that you can’t either. In fact, the Beloit Public Library has a dizzying array of cookbooks to whet your culinary appetite. Check out some of the newest ones coming soon to the library:
Authentic Norwegian Cooking by Astrid Karlsen Scott. With more than 300 recipes gathered from throughout Norway, this comprehensive cookbook is easy to use, boasts recipes for every occasion, provides the history of the dishes, and includes a complete index and recipe titles in English and Norwegian. (Product Description)
Essential Pepin: More than 700 All-Time Favorites from My Life in Food by Jacques Pepin. Essential Pépin spans the many styles of Jacques’s cooking: homey country French, haute cuisine, fast food Jacques-style, and fresh contemporary American dishes. Many of the recipes are globally inspired, from Mexico, across Europe, or the Far East. (Product Description)
The Food Allergy Cookbook: A Guide to Living with Allergies and Entertaining with Healthy, Delicious Meals by Amra Ibrisimovic and Carmel Nelson. In addition to tasty, every-day recipes--from white bean artichoke dip, cinnamon rolls, and cream of mushroom soup to chicken pot pie, cranberry apple sauce, and fudge brownies--Carmel Nelson and Amra Ibrisimovic provide full-course meal plans for family holidays and social gatherings, including the perfect allergy-free turkey dinner! (Product Description)
And be sure to look for us on the web at www.beloitlibrary.info and on Facebook.
I had decided I was going to cook two small Cornish Hens with a side of stuffing for dinner. The recipe said to “split each game hen in half”. Deep breath. I can do this. I grabbed a pair of kitchen scissors and started cutting the hens along the breast bone. Not such an easy task, especially considering that my highly sensitive gag reflex kicked in as soon as I heard the bones cracking and saw what the inside of a Cornish Hen actually looks like. There were guts in there. Gross, disgusting, slimy hen guts. And the guts were attached to the breast meat. Okay, another deep breath. I figured if I could just cut away the guts so I didn’t have to look at them, I might be able to stop the dry heaves. Cut, snip, heave, cut, gag, snip. Done.
Wait a minute. Where did my Cornish Hens go? By the time I was done cutting away all the slimy stuff, I didn’t have much meat left to cook. No problem. I figured I would just serve extra stuffing to make up for the lack of actual food. I opened the cupboard. Wait a minute. Where did the stuffing go? Keep breathing. Not to be deterred, I seasoned what was left of the Cornish Hens, put them in the oven and hoped for the best.
My husband thought I was serving him a chicken wing appetizer. I thought he would be comfortable sleeping on the couch. We both thought McDonalds would hit the spot.
Now, just because I can’t cook doesn’t mean that you can’t either. In fact, the Beloit Public Library has a dizzying array of cookbooks to whet your culinary appetite. Check out some of the newest ones coming soon to the library:
Authentic Norwegian Cooking by Astrid Karlsen Scott. With more than 300 recipes gathered from throughout Norway, this comprehensive cookbook is easy to use, boasts recipes for every occasion, provides the history of the dishes, and includes a complete index and recipe titles in English and Norwegian. (Product Description)
Essential Pepin: More than 700 All-Time Favorites from My Life in Food by Jacques Pepin. Essential Pépin spans the many styles of Jacques’s cooking: homey country French, haute cuisine, fast food Jacques-style, and fresh contemporary American dishes. Many of the recipes are globally inspired, from Mexico, across Europe, or the Far East. (Product Description)
The Food Allergy Cookbook: A Guide to Living with Allergies and Entertaining with Healthy, Delicious Meals by Amra Ibrisimovic and Carmel Nelson. In addition to tasty, every-day recipes--from white bean artichoke dip, cinnamon rolls, and cream of mushroom soup to chicken pot pie, cranberry apple sauce, and fudge brownies--Carmel Nelson and Amra Ibrisimovic provide full-course meal plans for family holidays and social gatherings, including the perfect allergy-free turkey dinner! (Product Description)
And be sure to look for us on the web at www.beloitlibrary.info and on Facebook.
June 2011
People collect strange things. There is a man named Graham Barker who has been collecting “navel fluff” since 1984. He’s got jars and jars of the stuff. I just hope it’s all his own. Bob Hiemenz has over 61,000 8-Tracks in his collection. Go ahead kids. I’ll wait for you to go ask your parents to tell you what an 8-Track is. And there is woman who has over 6000 Santa Claus dolls. It takes her almost three weeks to display them all at Christmas time.
So what do I collect? I started collecting angels when I was about 4 or 5 years old, and then I moved on to collecting Hard Rock Café t-shirts as a teenager. As an adult my OCD tendencies kicked in to high gear and I started getting rid of clutter in the house. I don’t really collect anything anymore. Well, I take that back. I do have one small collecting quirk. I have a collection of pictures of myself standing in front of libraries. I have pictures from Scottsdale (AZ), Fox Chapel (PA), Patna, Bihar (India), Spring Green (WI), Plymouth (MA) and Mackinac Island (MI), just to name a few.
What I love about these pictures is that no matter what the outsides of the buildings look like, the insides of the buildings are the same around the country and around the world. This year’s Summer Library Club theme is “One World, Many Stories”. I love that because libraries are the best places in the world to read many different stories. You have plenty of time left in the summer to stop by your Beloit Public Library today and pick up a story or two.
Visit us on the web at www.beloitlibrary.info and be sure to check out these great new books coming soon to the library:
The 100 Best Affordable Vacations by Jane Woolridge. Even in a weakened economy, research shows interest in travel is still strong and this book provides 100 great ways to satisfy your wanderlust without breaking the bank. This book also offers profiles of inspirational travelers, as well as fun, lively sidebars about off-season travel, how to be a traveler and not a tourist, and more. (Product Description)
Dog Days: A Year in the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile by Dave Ihlenfeld. It was the ultimate post-college road trip: a year-long journey in a 27-foot-long fiberglass hotdog across the US and Europe. Rife with breakdowns, meaty puns, the burdens of instant celebrity and more Wiener Whistles than anyone could ever hope for, Ihlenfeld's uproarious recounting of his time behind the wheel is a coming-of-age story-as irreverent as it is touching-of learning about life, love, and (sausage) links, ultimately arriving at the realization that that the future is anything but a straight road. (Product Description)
Life After College: The Complete Guide to Getting What You Want by Jenny Blake. In Life After College Twitter meets What Color is Your Parachute for 20-somethings. Written by popular blogger and life coach Jenny Blake, Life After College provides tips, inspirational quotes and coaching exercises for every area of life including: Work, Money, Home, Organization, Friends & Family, Dating & Relationships, Health, Fun & Relaxation, and Personal Growth. Life After College is a powerful life-planning tool that no twenty-something will want to be without! (Product Description)
So what do I collect? I started collecting angels when I was about 4 or 5 years old, and then I moved on to collecting Hard Rock Café t-shirts as a teenager. As an adult my OCD tendencies kicked in to high gear and I started getting rid of clutter in the house. I don’t really collect anything anymore. Well, I take that back. I do have one small collecting quirk. I have a collection of pictures of myself standing in front of libraries. I have pictures from Scottsdale (AZ), Fox Chapel (PA), Patna, Bihar (India), Spring Green (WI), Plymouth (MA) and Mackinac Island (MI), just to name a few.
What I love about these pictures is that no matter what the outsides of the buildings look like, the insides of the buildings are the same around the country and around the world. This year’s Summer Library Club theme is “One World, Many Stories”. I love that because libraries are the best places in the world to read many different stories. You have plenty of time left in the summer to stop by your Beloit Public Library today and pick up a story or two.
Visit us on the web at www.beloitlibrary.info and be sure to check out these great new books coming soon to the library:
The 100 Best Affordable Vacations by Jane Woolridge. Even in a weakened economy, research shows interest in travel is still strong and this book provides 100 great ways to satisfy your wanderlust without breaking the bank. This book also offers profiles of inspirational travelers, as well as fun, lively sidebars about off-season travel, how to be a traveler and not a tourist, and more. (Product Description)
Dog Days: A Year in the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile by Dave Ihlenfeld. It was the ultimate post-college road trip: a year-long journey in a 27-foot-long fiberglass hotdog across the US and Europe. Rife with breakdowns, meaty puns, the burdens of instant celebrity and more Wiener Whistles than anyone could ever hope for, Ihlenfeld's uproarious recounting of his time behind the wheel is a coming-of-age story-as irreverent as it is touching-of learning about life, love, and (sausage) links, ultimately arriving at the realization that that the future is anything but a straight road. (Product Description)
Life After College: The Complete Guide to Getting What You Want by Jenny Blake. In Life After College Twitter meets What Color is Your Parachute for 20-somethings. Written by popular blogger and life coach Jenny Blake, Life After College provides tips, inspirational quotes and coaching exercises for every area of life including: Work, Money, Home, Organization, Friends & Family, Dating & Relationships, Health, Fun & Relaxation, and Personal Growth. Life After College is a powerful life-planning tool that no twenty-something will want to be without! (Product Description)
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