International Mirth Month
According to “Mr. Jollytologist”, Allen Klein, March is International Mirth Month. It is followed closely by April Fool’s Day and National Humor Month in April. This seems like the perfect time to feature some of the humorous books available at the library.
Thud
by Terry Pratchett
From the book description
Commander Sam Vimes of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch admits he may not be the sharpest knife in the cutlery drawer–he might not even be a spoon. But he’s dogged and honest and he’ll be damned if he lets anyone disturb his city’s peace. Lately, an influential dwarf, Grag Hamcrusher, has been fomenting unrest among Ankh-Morpork’s more diminutive citizens with incendiary speeches. And it doesn’t help matters when the pint-size provocateur is discovered bashed to death . . . with a troll club lying conveniently nearby.
Vimes knows the importance of solving the Hamcrusher homicide without delay. It is Vimes’s second most-pressing responsibility, in fact, next to always being home at six p.m. sharp to read Where’s My Cow? to Sam, Jr. Whatever it takes to unstick this very sticky situation, Vimes will do it,
The Discworld series was written by one of my favorite authors, Terry Pratchett, who unfortunately passed away earlier this month. The series is 40 books strong and can be divided into several mini-series, based on the main characters. “Thud” is one of the “City Watch” books.
Bertie plays the blues
Alexander McCall Smith
From the book description
If you haven’t met the residents of 44 Scotland Street yet, there is no better time, since everyone seems to be in the midst of new beginnings.
New parents Matthew and Elspeth must muddle through the difficulties of raising their triplets Rognvald, Tobermory and Fegus—there’s normal sleep deprivation, and then there’s trying to tell the children apart from one another.
And in Bertie’s family, there’s a shift in power as his father Stuart starts to stand up to overbearing mother, Irene—and then there’s Bertie, who has been thinking that he might want to start over with a new family and so puts himself up for adoption on eBay.
With his signature charm and gentle wit Alexander McCall Smith vividly portrays the lives of Edinburgh’s most unique and beloved characters. This is the seventh book in the 44 Scotland Street series.
Tiger shrimp tango
Tim Dorsey
From the book description
Thanks to the growth of the Internet, America finds itself plagued by a noxious epidemic of ruthless scam artists. Where do they all come from? If you guessed 110 percent of them are spawned in Florida, you win the cigar. . . .
When a new digital scheme goes horribly awry—causing innocents to die and a young woman to go missing—only one person can set things right: obsessive Florida trivia buff and reluctant serial killer Serge Storms. Aided by his perpetually addled sidekick, Coleman, and latter-day noir private eye Mahoney, Serge launches a crusade to rid his beloved state of predators and save the girl.
This is the eighteenth book in the hilarious and twisted Serge Storm series.
These are just a few of the books on display for International Mirth Month. So whether you prefer nonfiction or fiction, cutting satire or gentle heart-warming wit, come in and checkout our book display.
It’s the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the leftovers are just about gone and all of the Black Friday madness is over. Time to start giving serious thought to putting up the Christmas decorations and planning the holiday dinner. If you’re looking for some inspiration, you might try a few of these books.
Leisure Arts presents
The spirit of Christmas: creative holiday ideas book four
Full of Christmas recipes and craft ideas, The spirit of Christmas is a great help when it comes to creating your own gifts and decorations. The cranberry muffins and fudge pound cake recipes look like they would be particularly yummy.
 Trash to treasure Christmas
From the Book Description
This edition of Trash to Treasure is packed with resourceful ideas for holiday home decor, tree trimmings, gifts and gift-wrappings. From fun and simple, to fancy and elegant, the more than 100 economical, easy-to-make projects pave the road to thrifty, yet exciting, holiday crafts.
Stories behind the great traditions of Christmas
by Ace Collins
If you’ve ever wondered where all of those Christmas traditions, such as hanging stockings, came from then this little book can explain them.
From the Book Description
Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas reveals the people, places, and events that shaped the best-loved customs of this merriest of holidays. Here are spiritual insights, true-life tales, and captivating legends to intrigue you and your family and bring new luster and depth to your celebration of Jesus’ birth. Discover how
- after eighteen centuries of all but ignoring the event, churches began to open the door for believers to commemorate Jesus’ incarnation.
- the evergreen tree, once a central theme in the worship practices of pagan cultures, came to represent the everlasting love of God.
- the magi’s three gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—are filled with spiritual symbolism.
The Santa Claus Book
by E. Willis Jones
From the Book Description
The Santa Claus Book presents a worldwide view of the jolly gift-giver from his start as an early Christian miracle worker—his 1,200 years as St. Nicholas, patron of sailors, virgins, pawnbrokers, and all kinds of children—to the hearty and ubiquitous benefactor of nineteenth and twentieth-century America.
Another option is to checkout and download magazines for free using your Liberal Memorial library card and Zinio. December’s issues of food and cooking magazines and craft magazines have a lot of helpful holiday tips.
- EatingWell offers must-make cookies and holiday salads
- Every Day with Rachael Ray has a special holiday cookie blowout
- Taste of Home shows us how to make extra cheesy casseroles and super quick holiday sides
- Even Weight Watchers magazine weighs in with “Desserts with a Sweet Secret”.
These are a few of the magazines offering recipes and decorating tips that are available for download through Zinio. If you haven’t created your free account yet, just follow these instructions, http://www.lmlibrary.org/about/zinioinstructions.pdf, or call or come by the library for help.
Yesterday, the first Saturday of November, was National Book Lovers Day, at least according to some calendars anyway. So let’s look at a few of our good-book-to-curl-up-with options.
The classics have be revisited by many authors and in about as many different ways. Here are a couple of classics retold with a horror twist, just in time for the Halloween season.
Pride and prejudice and zombies : the classic Regency romance — now with ultraviolent zombie mayhem!
by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.
I think the first sentence of the book describes this adaptation of the classic very well – “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.”
According to the book description ”A mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton–and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy.”
Little women and werewolves
by Louisa May Alcott and Porter Grand.
This is the original text of Louisa May Alcott’s classic, the first draft, before the editor altered it . . . according to the back cover anyway. At the beginning this uncensored version, it includes a letter from the editor to the author telling her to try again. This time without the werewolves.
Here is another way to honor the classics, by picking up where the author left off. The following two books are both mysteries set after the events of Pride and prejudice.
Death comes to Pemberley
by P.D. James.
It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy’s magnificent estate when Pemberley is thrown into chaos after Elizabeth’s disgraced sister Lydia arrives and announces that her husband Wickham has been murdered.
North by Northanger, or, The shades of Pemberley : a Mr. & Mrs. Darcy mystery
by Carrie Bebris.
This book is actually the third in the Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mysteries series, the first two beingPride and Prescience and Suspense and Sensibility. North by Northanger brings the Darcys into contact with the characters from another of Jane Austen’s books Northanger Abbey.
From the book description — “Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy retire to the peace and quiet of Pemberley as they await the birth of their first child. Such tranquility, however, cannot last.”
Splintered : a novel
by A.G. Howard.
Splintered and its sequel Unhinged are both recent additions to the library’s collection of young adult classics with a twist. Alyssa is the great-great-great-granddaughter of the famous Alice who told her strange dreams to Lewis Carrol, inspiring his classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Now Alyssa must travel to a very real Wonderland to right the wrongs done by her ancestor.
Cinder : a Lunar chronicles novel
by Marissa Meyer.
Another young adult book, Cinder is a very different sort of Cinderella story. “As plague ravages the overcrowded Earth, observed by a ruthless lunar people, Cinder, a gifted mechanic and cyborg, becomes involved with handsome Prince Kai and must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect the world in this futuristic take on the Cinderella story.”
Wicked : the life and times of the wicked witch of the West : a novel
Gregory Maguire
Gregory Maguire’s Wicked is a very well-known book with several sequels and even a Broadway musical based on it. It tells the story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in a way that L. Frank Baum never imagined. But it isn’t the only twisted tale that Maguire has given us. He also retold Snow White and Cinderella in Mirror Mirror and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister.
Just remember while you’re curled up in your favorite chair reading whatever book you’ve chosen, that Daylight Saving Time ends today and to set your clocks back an hour.
Our library’s catalog has a bold, vibrant new look.
The first page you see immediately shows you all of the new items we’ve brought in over the last week including large cover images.
You can still login to the catalog the same way, from http://catalog.lmlibrary.org using your library card number and password.
Tabs
If you click on the What’s New tab you’ll find showcases for this month’s new DVDs, audio books, fiction and non-fiction books, etc. The Featured tab shows featured items and items from our displays.
Select Language
One interesting new addition is the Select Language feature at the top left of the screen. Powered by Google translate, it translates the contents of the catalog into the chosen language.
Patron checkout receipts
I think one of coolest new features on our catalog is the ability to send patrons an emailed copy of their checkout and fine receipts. If you would prefer to have emailed receipts rather than printed receipts, please let the staff know when you checkout your books and other items.
Patron Catalog Instructions
There are instructions for the new catalog posted on our website at http://www.lmlibrary.org/about/catalog_help.aspx. Some of the things listed there are:
- Basic Searching on the Library Catalog – for help with logging in and getting started searching
- Checking your Library Card Account – a basic overview of all the things you can view or change for your library card account, including: Items Out, Items on Hold, Lost Items, Checkout History, Active Alerts, Fine and Lost Item Payment, and My Profile
- Reader Reviews – Would you like to write a review telling other patrons about some of your favorite books?
- Creating and Managing Lists
Checkout History
Have you ever wondered if you’ve already read a book in a series you’re following? You can look through your checkout history to find out.
Active Alerts
Did you know you can set your account so that you are automatically sent an email every time the library gets in a new book by your favorite author? You can also set it to alert you when a particular title comes in, or say whenever the library get new DVDs about a certain subject or with a certain actor.
By logging in to the catalog, going to My Account and clicking on Active Alerts, you can set up whatever alerts you like. If you need any help setting this up, you can call us at 620-626-0180 or come into the library.
My Profile
The My Profile part of My Account allows you to update your mobile phone number and email address. It also allows you to pick a day of the week you would like to be emailed a status report on your account, including what books you have out, if any of them are overdue, and if you have any fines.
My Lists
Similar to a shopping cart on an online store, you can use My Lists to store lists of things you’d like to checkout eventually. The new, updated version of My Lists actually allows you to put all or some of the items in your list on hold, and lets you print, save, or email the list in a format you can use to find the items you want on the shelves at the library.
So visit our new catalog, take advantage of all its new features, and tell us what you think.
Labor Day
The Library will be closed tomorrow, September 1st, for Labor Day. The first Monday of September has been dedicated to the workers of our nation since Congress passed the act in 1894. Before that, the idea of a workingman’s holiday was driven by the labor movement of the late 19th century.
Early learning eBooks and games through the library
We all know how important it is to offer early learning opportunities to our kids, whether it’s through reading to or with them or through fun and educational games. Here are a few free and fun online activities that the library has to offer.
ABCmouse
ABCmouse is the newest addition to our lineup. It is offered free to libraries. If you are inside the library you can go tohttp://abcmouse.com from one of the library’s computers or your own device to get free access to the full online curriculum. It is geared toward preschooler through kindergarteners and consists of consist of books, puzzles, games, songs, art activities, and/or printables and covers the subjects of Reading, Math, Science, Art, Colors and Music.
TumbleBooks Library
TumbleBooks library has animated talking picture books. TumbleBooks also has puzzles and games, chapter books, a language learning section, and non-fiction books. There is no login or no software required; it is accessed directly online using a browser on your computer or mobile device. You can follow the link to it either on our library’s website,http://lmlibrary.org, or the state’s website, http://www.kslib.info/digitalbooks.
BookFlix
BookFlix also has animated talking picture books, but they are each paired with a non-fiction book. The books are grouped by subjects that you can browse through to find a pairing you’d like to read. Each pairing includes links to puzzles, games, and other things about the subject. No software required, and it is also accessed directly online. To access it, sign in to your Kansas Library Card, http://kslib.info/ecard, then click the BookFlix access link.
Kansas Library Cards are free to any Kansas resident and can be obtained at any Kansas Library. They are different from your regular local library card.
Britannica E-STAX
Another new addition is Britannica E-STAX. It’s offered through the State Library and is a nonfiction ebook service for Pre-K to Grade 12. You can browse through the ebook collection by title or subject, or you can use the search bar to find what you want. The books can be read online using a browser or offline on a PC/Mac, iPad, or Android tablet using the optional iPublishCentral Reader. To access Britannica E-STAX, sign in to your Kansas Library Card, http://kslib.info/ecard, then click the Britannica E-STAX access link.
When I looked to see what sort of things were going on today, July 27th, I found all kinds of interesting and unusual holidays. Today is officially regarded to be Bugs bunny’s birthday. In 1940 the wascally wabbit debuted in Tex Avery’s A Wild Hare.
Today is also Parents’ Day, a day set aside to promote responsible parenting and to recognize positive parental role models. It is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of July each year.
It is Aunties Day, a day honoring Aunts and Godmothers; Take Your Houseplant for a Walk Day; and Walk on Stilts Day (hopefully not while carrying your houseplant).
It also happens to be National Crème Brûlée Day. Although there does seem to be some confusion as to whether it falls on the 21st or 27th. Well, for our purposes we’ll say it’s the 27th.
In honor of National Crème Brûlée Day, I thought we might focus this column on some of the newest and more unusual cookbooks available for checkout.
Guy on Fire: 130 recipes for adventures in outdoor cooking
by Guy Fieri, with Ann Volkwein
This is the perfect time of year to explore outdoor cooking. Guy Fieri, of Food Network fame, introduces us to the equipment and rules of barbecue as well as some very interesting recipes (charred octopus and white bean salad anyone?) Some of the recipes included in this book might be a bit ambitious for the average camper, but I thought the baked ziti and the pineapple upside-down cake with rum blueberries might be worth a trying out.
Salad samurai : 100 cutting-edge, ultra-hearty, easy-to-make salads you don’t have to be vegan to love
by Terry Hope Romero
Salad Samurai ( I just really like the name), according to the book cover will “teach you the way of the veggie warrior, rescuing salads from their bland, boring reputation and ‘side’ status“. The author, Terry Hope Romero, is an award-winning chef and bestselling author. There are salad dressing recipes, hearty salads, seasonal salads, and even sweet and savory desert salads. So if you’re thinking vegan or just looking to find a really good new salad recipe, give this book a chance.
The can’t cook book : 100+ recipes for the absolutely terrified!
by Jessica Seinfeld
I’d like to mention The can’t cook book even though it’s checked out right now and I haven’t had a chance to get a good look at it. According to the description it will “show you how to prepare the deliciously simple food you love to order in restaurants…in easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions”. I think this cook book sounds like it’s more my speed.
This is the author’s second book. Her first book, Deceptively Delicious, was a #1 New York Times bestseller. If the author’s name sounds a bit familiar, it’s because her husband is Jerry Seinfeld. Yes, that Jerry Seinfeld.
Keep cookin’ cowgirl : more recipes for your home on the range
by Jill Charlotte Stanford
“Cowgirls have always known that what makes people happy is good food, prepared simply.” This book is filled with simple dishes that will stick to your ribs plus black and white photos and anecdotes of cowgirls past. These recipes are suitable for Sunday dinners with the family or for out on the range.
The author has written several other books including The Cowgirl’s Cookbook andYou Might Be a Cowgirl If…A Guide To Life on the Range.
 The dairy-free kitchen : 100 recipes for all the creamy foods you love–without lactose, casein, or dairy
by Ashley Adams
This book actually does have a recipe for crème brûlée in it!
Ashley Adams has a blog on About.com called Dairy Free Cooking. She discovered, like many people, that she has a food allergy to dairy. She has since mastered the techniques of dairy-free substitutions in cooking and baking recipes.
The Dairy-Free Kitchen includes tips on how to avoid buying hidden dairy and finding nondairy calcium sources – including spinach, almonds, and sesame seeds among others. There is even a chapter on making dairy-free milks, butter, cheeses and yogurts. Now, I don’t think I would ever go so far as to make my own milk or cheese, but some of the recipes are interesting and don’t look too complicated. The last chapter is devoted to recipes just for kids, traditional family staples with a dairy-free twist.
These are just a few of the cookbooks currently available. Visit us at the library and see a display of all our newest cookbooks. As always, all of the books on display are available for checkout.
Summer reading events this week
* Legos at the library, Children’s Summer Reading Program – Tuesday, June 24th
We’ll be playing Legos at the Library. Build to your heart’s content. Each hour we’ll have a new group starting. Come at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00 or 4:00 to begin building. Each group is limited to 24 builders.
* Smoky Hills Public Television, Children’s Summer Reading Program – Wednesday, June 25th at 2:00 p.m.
This program is aimed at kids from kindergarten to grade 3. We’ll be having fun with Smoky Hills Public Television. Space is limited, so be there early!
* Dan, Dan the Magic Man! – Friday, June 27th at 2:00 p.m.
Do you believe in magic? Come one, come all to see Dan, Dan, the magic man perform. This action packed show for all ages will guide kids into a world of science and illusion.
DB_Blue_GoldNew website design
The Kansas State Library website, where we can go to checkout downloadable audiobooks and ebooks among other things, has a new look. The site was down briefly during the upgrade. This may have caused some problems with checking out ebooks, but the transition is over and all of the problems have been sorted out.
You can get to it through our library’s webpage or directly by going to http://www.kslib.info/digitalbooks.
On the left of the page, you’ll find tutorials, links to software, and frequently asked questions. There is also a link where a patron can request that the library purchase a certain book for checkout.
Direct links to ebook and audiobook checkout are in the center of the page. These links include:
Audiobooks
OneClickdigital Audiobooks – Mostly fiction, some popular non-fiction. Registration via the Kansas Library eCard Login (http://kslc.org) is necessary to create your username/password.
Ebooks
3M Cloud Library – Bestsellers, predominantly fiction, a little non-fiction. Login with your Kansas Library eCard number.
Freading eBooks – No holds, smaller publishers, huge catalog with a wide variety of fiction & non-fiction. Access books via the Kansas Library eCard Login at http://kslc.org
Enki Library eBooks – Includes self-published authors, independent publishers, and a high variety of fiction & non-fiction. Login with your Kansas Library eCard number.
TumbleBooks Library – Animated talking picture books. No login, use directly online.
If you have problems logging in or have trouble downloading, there’s an email address and phone number, located on the upper right side of the page, where you can speak directly to knowledgeable people at the Kansas State Library. Below this there is also a news section, where you can find out if any problems you’re having might be widespread and if they are working to fix it.
Cinco de Mayo
Celebrated in parts Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla, Cinco de Mayo is known as El Día de la Batalla de Puebla (The Day of the Battle of Puebla). It commemorates the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, when an outnumbered Mexican army defeated the invading French.
In the United States, where it is a much bigger holiday, Cinco de Mayo has grown to be a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage.
Liberal’s Cinco de Mayo community celebration is being held on Saturday May 10th. There will be a parade at 1:00 p.m., traveling north up Western Avenue to end at the fair grounds and followed by the Liberal Rodeo Fiesta held there at the Seward County Fair Grounds.
The library has several children’s books about the holiday, including:
Cinco de mayo : celebrating the traditions of Mexico
by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith
Book Description
A young Mexican American from California learns about her heritage and celebrates the holiday with her friends, family, and community.
Max celebrates Cinco de Mayo
by Adria F. Worsham ; illustrated by Mernie Gallagher-Cole.
Book Description
Join in the celebration of Cinco de Mayo as Max is invited to a fiesta at Jose’s house which includes food, music, dancing, and a parade as part of the fun.
Star Wars Day – May the Fourth be with you
Some of you may not know this, but today, May 4th, is a holiday as well. It’s an unofficial, fan-created, holiday, but a holiday none the less. The day was chosen based on a pun, “May the Fourth be with you”.
It’s said that the first use of the pun was on May 4, 1979, the day the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was elected. There was ad in the London Evening News proclaiming, “May the fourth be with you…” Since then is has become an internationally celebrated holiday.
This year’s celebration is bound to be a big one, with so much talk about the new movie, “Star Wars Episode VII”, floating around on the internet. It’s going to be a day for fans worldwide to break out their Darth Vader helmets and Wookiee costumes or maybe grab their lightsabers to show off their dueling skills.
If you’re like me you might want to go a little more low key and have a Star Wars party and movie marathon with a few friends. The Library has all of the Star Wars movies available for checkout, episodes one through six, plus “The Clone Wars” an animated adventure from 2008 which is meant to take place between episodes two and three.
The library also has just shy of a hundred Star Wars books, ranging from fiction to non-fiction; adult to children’s books; Lego books to comic books. There are print books and audiobook versions. Here are just a few of the newer ones:
William Shakespeare’s The empire striketh back : Star Wars part the fifth
by Ian Doescher
This is the second in the William Shakespeare’s Star Wars trilogy, with the third book soon to follow in July.
Book Description
Many a fortnight have passed since the destruction of the Death Star. Young Luke Skywalker and his friends have taken refuge on the ice planet of Hoth, where the evil Darth Vader has hatched a cold-blooded plan to capture them. Only with the help of a little green Jedi Master—and a swaggering rascal named Lando Calrissian—can our heroes escape the Empire’s wrath. And only then will Lord Vader learn how sharper than a tauntaun’s tooth it is to have a Jedi child.
Art2-D2’s guide to folding and doodling
by Tom Angleberger.
This is part of a popular children’s series, “Origami Yoda”.
Book Description
Kellen and the kids from McQuarrie Middle School – with some help from Art2-D2 – present this guide to mastering over seventy-five activities inspired by the bestselling Origami Yoda series, including: doodling, folding, and more! May the doodles by with you!
The wildlife of Star Wars : a field guide
by Terryl Whitlatch and Bob Carrau.
This field guide catalogs some of the some of the amazing creatures that inhabit the Star Wars universe. It is organized by planet, from Tatooine through to Coruscan with a helpful index in the back.
Star Wars. Kenobi
by John Jackson Miller
This book takes place before the events of episode four.
Book Description
Ben—Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, hero of the Clone Wars, traitor to the Empire, and protector of the galaxy’s last hope—can no more turn his back on evil than he can reject his Jedi training. And when blood is unjustly spilled, innocent lives threatened, and a ruthless opponent unmasked, Ben has no choice but to call on the wisdom of the Jedi—and the formidable power of the Force—in his never-ending fight for justice.
|
|
