May 2008

New Fiction

• Delusion - Peter Abrahams
• Winter Study - Nevada Barr
• The Winding Ways Quilt - Jennifer Chiaverini
• Where Are You Now? - Mary Higgins Clark
• Zapped: a Regan Reilly Mystery - Carol Higgins Clark
• Sword Song: the Battle for London - Bernard Cornwell
• Suddenly - Barbara Delinsky
• The Winter Rose - Jennifer Donnelly
• Pandora's Box - Clive Egleton
• Wit's End - Karen Joy Fowler
• The Death Dealer - Heather Graham
• Death Walked In: a Death on Demand Mystery - Carolyn Hart
• The Third Angel - Alice Hoffman
• The Sorrows of an American - Siri Hustvedt
• Unaccustomed Earth - Jhumpa Lahiri
• Pinkerton's Secret - Eric Lerner
• Beaufort - Ron Leshem
• The Headhunters - Peter Lovessy
• The Eye of the Leopard - Henning Mankell
• The Miracle at Speedy Motors - Alexander McCall Smith
• Slip of the Knife - Denise Mina
• Sepulchre - Kate Mosse
• Wild Nights - Joyce Carol Oates
• Dictation - Cynthia Ozick
• The Quickie - James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge
• Buckingham Palace Gardens - Anne Perry
• Guilty - Karen Robards
• Wolf Totem - Jiang Rong
• Dreamers of the Day - Mary Doria Russell
• Windy City: a novel of Politics - Scott Simon
• Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout
• TheTen Year Nap - Meg Wolitzer

New Non-Fiction

• The Sum of Our Days: a Memoit - Isabel Allenderos
• The Golf Book: the Players, the Gear, the Strokes, the Courses, the Championships
• A History of Histories: Epics, Chronicles, Romances and Inquiries - John Burrow
• Still a Kid at Heart: My Life in Baseball and Beyond - Gary Carter
• Maps and Legends - Michael Chabon
• Shakespeare's Wife - Germaine Greer
• Green from the Ground Up: a Builders Guide - David Johnson & Scott Gibson
• Conquering Gotham: Building Penn Station and Its Tunnels - Jill Jonnes
• The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food - Jennifer 8. Lee
• 1800 Stamps of the World - Dr James Mackay
• Bishop's Daughter: a Memoir - Honor Moore
• Ladies of Liberty: The Women Who Shaped Our Nation - Cokie Roberts
• The Life of Skies: Birding at the End of Nature - Jonathan Rosen
• Designing Jewelry with Glass Beads - Stephanie Sersich
• Sundays in America: a Yearlong Road Trip in Search of Christian Faith - Suzanne Strempek Shea
• On Deep History and the Brain - Daniel Lord Smail
• The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict - Joseph E. Stiglitz and Linda J. Bilmes

New Audios

All CDs unless noted

• Winter Study - Nevada Barr
• Book of the Dead - Patricia Cornwell
• Write it When I'm Gone: Remarkable off-the-record Conversations with Gerald R. Ford - Thomas M. DeFrank
• World Without End - Ken Follett
• The Reason for God : Belief in an Age of Skepticism - Timothy Keller
• Unaccustomed Earth - Jhumpa Lahiri
• Starting out in Arabic - Living Language
• Starting out in Frency - Living Language
• Dark of the moon - John Sandford

New DVD's

• Charlie Wilson's War
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
  
• The Golden Compass
  
• Juno
  
• Mr Blandings Builds his Dream House
• The Orphanage
• Savages
  
• Starting Out in the Evening
  
• Sweeney Todd
  
• There Will Be Blood

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BOOKLISTS

Every month in this spot we feature reading suggestions. These include historic fiction, science fiction, mysteries, and more. Many of these titles can be found in the Mid Hudson Library System.

Remember the 80's?

1980s Best Sellers, listed by year.

1980

1. The Covenant, James A. Michener

2. The Bourne Identity, Robert Ludlum

3. Rage of Angels, Sidney Sheldon

4. Princess Daisy, Judith Krantz

5. Firestarter, Stephen King

6. The Key to Rebecca, Ken Follett

7. Random Winds, Belva Plain

8. The Devil's Alternative, Frederick Forsyth

9. The Fifth Horseman, Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre

10. The Spike, Arnaud de
Borchgrave and Robert Moss

1981

1. Noble House, James Clavell

2. The Hotel New Hampshire, John Irving

3. Cujo, Stephen King

4. An Indecent Obsession, Colleen McCullough

5. Gorky Park, Martin Cruz Smith

6. Masquerade, Kit Williams

7. Goodbye, Janette, Harold Robbins

8. The Third Deadly Sin, Lawrence Sanders

9. The Glitter Dome, Joseph Wambaugh

10. No Time for Tears, Cynthia Freeman

1982

1. E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial Storybook, William Kotzwinkle

2. Space, James A. Michener

3. The Parsifal Mosaic, Robert Ludlum

4. Master of the Game, Sidney Sheldon

5. Mistral's Daughter, Judith Krantz

6. The Valley of Horses, Jean M. Auel

7. Different Seasons, Stephen King

8. North and South, John Jakes

9. 2010: Odyssey Two, Arthur C. Clarke

10. The Man from St. Petersburg, Ken Follett

1983

1. Return of the Jedi Storybook, Joan D. Vinge, adapt.

2. Poland, James A. Michener

3. Pet Sematary, Stephen King

4. The Little Drummer Girl, John Le Carré

5. Christine, Stephen King

6. Changes, Danielle Steel

7. The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco

8. White Gold Wielder: Book Three of The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Stephen R. Donaldson

9. Hollywood Wives, Jackie Collins

10. The Lonesome Gods, Louis L'Amour

1984

1. The Talisman, Stephen King and Peter Straub

2. The Aquitaine Progression, Robert Ludlum

3. The Sicilian, Mario Puzo

4. Love and War, John Jakes

5. The Butter Battle Book, Dr. Seuss

6. ". . . And the Ladies of the Club," Helen Hooven Santmyer

7. The Fourth Protocol, Frederick Forsyth

8. Full Circle, Danielle Steel

9. The Life and Hard Times of Heidi Abromowitz, Joan Rivers

10. Lincoln: A Novel, Gore Vidal

1985

1. The Mammoth Hunters, Jean M. Auel

2. Texas, James A. Michener

3. Lake Wobegon Days, Garrison Keillor

4. If Tomorrow Comes, Sidney Sheldon

5. Skeleton Crew, Stephen King

6. Secrets, Danielle Steel

7. Contact, Carl Sagan

8. Lucky, Jackie Collins

9. Family Album, Danielle Steel

10. Jubal Sackett, Louis L'Amour

1986

1. It, Stephen King

2. Red Storm Rising, Tom Clancy

3. Whirlwind, James Clavell

4. The Bourne Supremacy, Robert Ludlum

5. Hollywood Husbands, Jackie Collins

6. Wanderlust, Danielle Steel

7. I'll Take Manhattan, Judith Krantz

8. Last of the Breed, Louis L'Amour

9. The Prince of Tides, Pat Conroy

10. A Perfect Spy, John Le Carré

1987

1. The Tommyknockers, Stephen King

2. Patriot Games, Tom Clancy

3. Kaleidoscope, Danielle Steel

4. Misery, Stephen King

5. Leaving Home: A Collection of Lake Wobegon Stories, Garrison Keillor

6. Windmills of the Gods, Sidney Sheldon

7. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow

8. Fine Things, Danielle Steel

9. Heaven and Hell, John Jakes

10. The Eyes of the Dragon, Stephen King

1988

1. The Cardinal of the Kremlin, Tom Clancy

2. The Sands of Time, Sidney Sheldon

3. Zoya, Danielle Steel

4. The Icarus Agenda, Robert Ludlum

5. Alaska, James A. Michener

6. Till We Meet Again, Judith Krantz

7. The Queen of the Damned, Anne Rice

8. To Be the Best, Barbara Taylor Bradford

9. One: A Novel, Richard Bach

10. Mitla Pass, Leon Uris

1989

1. Clear and Present Danger, Tom Clancy

2. The Dark Half, Stephen King

3. Daddy, Danielle Steel

4. Star, Danielle Steel

5. Caribbean, James A. Michener

6. The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie

7. The Russia House, John Le Carré

8. The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follet

9. California Gold, John Jakes

10. While My Pretty One Sleeps, Mary Higgins Clark

LIBRARY FAIR

Saturday, June 14 10am-3pm

The preparations are beginning. Volunteers make the Fair the success it has been for so many years. We need help sorting books, stop by on Saturdays and Monday mornings right up till Fair Day. Volunteer sign up sheets are available at the Library, or you can sign up below. We would love contributions of: books, tea accessories, small gift items, jewelry, candles, stationary, china, pottery, toys, garden accessories and plants (closer to the fair time). The items can be dropped off during regular Library hours. Please call if you have questions or need help: 687-8726.

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FAVORITE AUTHOR SERIES

Mark Twain

A trip to Mark Twain's home in Hartford, Connecticut on Saturday, June 28 is co-sponsored by the Marbletown Youth Commission and The Stone Ridge Library. We will tour the museum and stop for a late lunch on the way home. The bus will leave the Community Center at 8:30am and return at about 5:30pm.

The cost is $40 for transportation and museum admission, sign up and payment is due by May 21. As there is limited seating, please sign up early.

Please join us for an informal lecture by Dr. Joseph Keefe on A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain, on June 25th at 4pm at the Library. Everyone is welcome, light refreshments will be served.

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Library Announces Architectural Firm to Create Master Plan

The Board of Trustees of the Stone Ridge Public Library has hired Paul Mays of the architectural firm of Butler, Rowland and Mays to prepare a master plan for the restoration of the library’s two historic buildings and probable additional space to meet the library’s needs in the decades ahead, announced Board President Suzanne Hauspurg to a group of library supporters at an April 12 event planned by the Stone Ridge Library Foundation and hosted by Mary McNamara of Stone Ridge.

Among those sharing remarks during the evening was Foundation Board Trustee Bill Davenport who praised the library’s outreach to children, stating that the school bus stops there every afternoon. He also addressed the need to raise funds to restore the historic building that was donated by Julia Hasbrouck Dwight in 1909, citing how the weight of the books has compromised its integrity, and adding that he had faith that the fundraising efforts will be successful. The announcement later that someone had anonymously pledged $10,000 during the event heightened everyone’s optimism and resolve.

Dr. William Rhoads, author and Professor Emeritus of American Art and Architecture at the State University at New Paltz shared that he was a fan of the Stone Ridge Library, “the institution and also the building,” citing some of his favorite historical collections and adding, “it is important to restore historic buildings and use them for noble purposes.”

Mays said that he was delighted to have been selected for the project. The Mechanicville, New York firm specializes in library and public projects. He plans to submit his architectural rendering in the Fall.

Buter, Roland and Mays has assembled a design team based on the specific needs and goals that the library has identified as a result of a Historic Structures Report that took place in June 2006 and community focus groups held this fall.

“The firm will make recommendations for stabilization and permanent repair of structural elements, particularly exterior stone masonry walls, foundations, and roof structure, “ Mays outlined in his Architectural Services Proposal for Phase I of the Master Plan, submitted to the Library Board of Trustees on March 28, 2008. The plan will entail three distinct areas of service: architectural/programming, structural, and historic preservation.

Restoration planning began in 2005 when the library received a grant from the Preservation League of New York to commission a report of the two houses. After monitoring the movement of existing cracks in the walls, stone house expert Michael Lynch employed immediate measures-- the shoring and bracing of the 1798 stone building’s exterior and the placement of steel rods in the interior at the attic level—to stabilize the structures.

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Tea Time Book Group

Wednesday, May 14th,
4pm in the Reference
Room

The selection this month is The Orchid Thief: A True Story of Beauty and Obsession by Susan Orlean. Fascinating, funny, and bizarre, a memorable and original work of nonfiction.

Join us in the Biography Room for lively Discussion and light refreshments.

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HOLMES & CO.
Mystery Lovers Book Group

Thursday, May 22,
4pm in the Reference Room

The selections for this meeting include two books: Under Orders by Dick Francis and The Cat of Many Tails by Ellery Queen, and a short story: Silver Blaze - a Sherlock Holmes mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle

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Medieval Book Group

Wednesday, June 18th, 7pm in the Reference Room

We will shift our attention away from Europe and look at the Americas before Columbus by reading Charles Mann’s acclaimed book 1491. Also recommended are two other books on history that we talked about at our last meeting- Sam Wineburg’s Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts and Dan Smail’s On Deep History and the Brain. Each book offers a fresh insight into the nature of history.

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Knitting Group

Saturdays, May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
10am-noon

The Stone Ridge Library Knitters meet every Saturday morning from 10am - 12noon. All ages and experience levels can join us and drop-in knitters are also welcome. We each bring our own supplies and do our own work, but one of the best things about us is that whatever obstacle or confusion you might encounter, you're likely to receive as much comment and advice as you need to get where you're going with a project. Some of us can help toward the repair of knitted or crocheted items too.

The group is sociable and lively, and our conversation and sharing is just as wide-ranging as our projects. We are especially interested in the UFOs (Un-Finished Objects) that members bring in and love the show and tell of projects under way and being finished, new or old, simple or complex. Though knitting is our love and mainstay, we graciously adapt ourselves to stray crocheters and those of us who simply must take to the hook when the spirit moves. We share articles, magazines and books on knitting. Donations of yarn to the Library get made up into items for sale at the Library Fair and during the winter holidays for the benefit of the Library. Some of us also knit things for local hospitals or for the U.S. troops.

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ON THE SHELVES

Poughkeepsie Journal 4.6.08
On the Shelves with Gregory Callahan

Get well-versed in poetry

On the Shelves is a monthly column by a rotating list of mid-Hudson Valley library directors who comment on notable books coming to your local public library.

Poet T.S. Eliot wrote "April is the cruelest month." It's also, interestingly enough, National Poetry Month. And although it's doubtful members of the Academy of American Poets were thinking of Eliot's despairing verse when they first introduced the month long celebration in 1996, there is a certain irony in the selection.

After all, too many Americans consider having to read poetry a kind of punishment, one to be avoided at all costs.

It doesn't have to be that way. Schools, libraries and private groups often take advantage of the occasion to find novel and lively ways to introduce a sometimes skeptical public to the beauty and sheer pleasure of poetry.

For the second year in a row, I'm grateful to have the opportunity to write about some recent publications in the genre. I hope it may, in some small way, encourage readers to explore some of the innovative, lively and often challenging volumes available.

Guest editor Heather McHugh is not above having a little fun in the 2007 volume of The Best American Poetry. A spirit of linguistic play dominates many of the selections McHugh, a champion of "the textures of a text," has chosen.

There are a number of works by relatively unknown poets and it's not surprising these tend toward the experimental. Many of them also tend toward the playful as well. Even a stalwart such as Billy Collins is seen at his most spirited - and daring.

The volume has had its critics, and that is to be expected. But while academics and other writers may argue over the merits of individual poems and McHugh's overall approach, the anthology remains effective both as a work unto itself (it actually flows) and as an introduction for general readers to individual poets and the genre as a whole.

Scribner has been publishing The Best American Poetry series for 20 years. A more recent addition to popular anthologies - and a very welcome one - is Samovar Press' Best New Poets series, the 2007 edition is third installment.

Writers on the rise

The series is devoted to "emerging writers," i.e. those who may have been published in small presses but who have yet to publish a full-length volume of poetry (although some have been announced).

The volume is relatively slight: 50 selections in all. Many of the contributors have been associated with MFA programs, but most are already mature writers with distinct voices.

If there is a certain freedom from expectation in reading the works of "emerging writers," encountering the work of more established figures may seem a little more daunting. They have the imprimatur of critics and scholars, after all, and the reader may feel obligated to come to grips with their "greatness."

In the case of former Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, however, there's little need for intimidation. Pinsky's language is always clear, his imagery striking. His humor is always evident but never glib. His latest volume, Gulf Music (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), embraces the political and the personal, objects and ideas, what can be readily expressed and that which is ineffable. A profoundly moving work.

Equally striking in a very different way is the posthumous collection of Unrecounted (New Directions Publishing), a collection of haiku-like "micro-poems" by the celebrated German novelist and poet W.G. Sebald. Each poem is accompanied by lithographs supplied by the author's lifelong friend Jan Peter Tripp.

The visual images are as haunting as the micro-poems themselves: the eyes of celebrated artists and writers throughout history - and, oh yes, the author's dog as well. They are less illustrative of the writing than they are complementary. The work seems slight at first, but its effects linger.

Gregory Callahan is the director of the Hyde Park Free Library. Visit www.hydeparklibrary.org

Can't decide on what to read? Visit
Mid Hudson for links to lists of titles that might attract your interest.

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GREAT WEBSITES!

Encyclopedia of Life (EOL)

This website "is an un-precedented global effort . ... by [n]atural history museums, botanical gardens, other research institutions, and dedicated individuals ... to create the most complete biodiversity database on the Web." As of March 2008 there were about 25 exemplar species pages, covering species such as the yellow fever mosquito, peregrine falcon, death cap mushroom, and cacao. Materials include photos, description, and details about ecology and cultural relevance. more

From Domesticity to Modernity: What Was Home Economics?

Review of home economics as a collegiate field of study, begun in the early 20th century and "dedicated to improving the quality of life in the American home through the application of modern science and management." Includes introductory essays and annotated images on educational techniques, role in national emergencies, and related topics. Also includes material about the College of Home Economics at Cornell University (1900-1969). From the Division of Rare & Manuscript Collections, Cornell University. more

Hands-Only CPR

Simplified instructions for administering cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) "when an adult has a sudden cardiac arrest." The site states that studies have concluded that "Hands-Only CPR [in which the aider pushes hard and fast in the center of the chest], can be as effective as conventional CPR." Includes a FAQ, video demonstration, scientific background, survivor stories, and related material. From the American Heart Association. more

Bald Eagle Cam

Bald Eagles are making a big come back; they are nesting at the Ashokan Resevoir and along the Rondout. This bald Eagle cam is from the Norfolk Botanical Gardens in Virginia. With links to past highlights such as mating, laying eggs, and an owl surprise. There is also a link to a Falcon cam. more

Computer Tutorials Based on Pictures

Collection of free, easy-to follow illustrated tutorials for software and computer subjects such as Microsoft Office,Dreamweaver, Photoshop Elements, HTML and CSS, My SQL, PHP, and Perl. Originally developed as part of a U.S.Department of Education study to help people with learning disabilities to learn computer skills. From Visibooks. more

Quick Information For Your Health

"The following titles represent easy-to-read health information available in both English and Spanish. Some titles are available as printable PDFs and as printed brochures for ordering." Brochure topics include diabetes, arthritis treatments, giving medicine to children, volunteering for clinical trials and medical treatments, and using medicine safely. From the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). more

SelecTree: A Tree Selection Guide

With information on more than 1,400 trees, this tree selection guide features options for searching, browsing by common and scientific names, and generating a list of trees that match a set of attributes (such as height, fragrance, and water and soil requirements). Tree profiles include photographs, growth habit, pest and disease problems, and more. From the Urban Forest Ecosystems Institute, based at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly). more

The Gulf Coast's Everyday Heroes

This 2008 ongoing series profiles "some of these little-known heroes who are making a difference" in the rebuilding of New Orleans and Gulf Coast following 2005's Hurricane Katrina. Profiles include educators, religious leaders, a doctor, and the developer of a community database. Includes audio and print pieces. From National Public Radio (NPR). more

Gold Price

This site provides charts of the current gold price in 23 major currencies. It also provides "timely and accurate silver and gold price commentary, gold price history charts for the past 30 days, 60 days, 1, 5 and 10 years and gold futures quotes and charts." The site notes that "the gold price reflects not only the inherent value of gold, but also the relative strength of the currency in which it is quoted." more
Old Jewelry Worth Its Weight in Gold?
This March 2008 article considers whether "it could be the right time to recycle your gold jewelry" because of rising gold prices. Topics include selling jewelry (to whom to sell, gold content, and appraisal for estate jewelry), gold coins, dental and other gold, valuing your gold, and finding a buyer. From Bankrate. more

Recorded Sound Reference Center

Website for this center that "provides access to the commercial and archival audio holdings of the Library of Congress." Includes an online catalog of holdings, tips for preserving sound recordings, collection highlights, links to related Library of Congress material, and guides and reference aids (including a radio format/genre terms guide for catalogers). From the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division of the Library of Congress. more

Bring Your Own Bag

Website for a campaign to remind people to bring "your own bags every time you go to the store. It's one simple way to go green in your daily life." Includes some statistics about paper and plastic bags, a list of bagging solutions from around the world, tips to remember your bags (such as keeping them by your door), and links to related sites. From the San Francisco Bay Area Recycling Outreach Coalition. more

The Top 25 Blogs

"From millions of blogs about nothing, [Time.com has] selected the 25 best about something -- from politics and global affairs to shopping and sports." This "first annual blog index" provides a brief description of each blog, with a link to the blog and to a sample post. From Time.com. more

Trailblazers and Trendsetters: Art of the Stamp

"This exhibition showcases original artwork com-missioned by the [U.S.] Postal Service for stamps." Each stamp honors a "person, invention, event, or place in America's history." View annotated images of stamps of individuals and objects associated with sports, arts and entertainment, transportation, history and exploration, and literature. Also includes an artist index. From the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. more

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Phone: 687-7023

E-Mail: Webmaster

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