Coming Soon to a Library Near You!

Still waiting for your copy of "Double Cross" to come in? Why not try one of these popular authors' upcoming books while you wait?

These books, guaranteed to make a splash when they release in late spring and summer, are on order now, and available for you to put on hold now!

Archer, Jeffrey – A Prisoner of Birth (3/2008)
Brown, Sandra – Smoke Screen (8/2008)
Burke, James Lee – Swan Peak (7/2008)
Child, Lee – Nothing to Lose (6/2008)
Clark, Mary Higgins – Where are You Now (3/2008)
Cook, Robin – Foreign Body (8/2008)
Cornwell, Patricia – Front (5/2008)
Deaver, Jeffrey – The Broken Window (6/2008)
Fielding, Joy – Charley’s Web (3/2008)
Gardner, Lisa – Say Goodbye (7/2008)
Green, Jane – Beach House (6/2008)
Kane, Andrea – Twisted (3/2008)
Lowell, Elizabeth – Blue Smoke and Murder (5/2008)
Meyer, Stephenie - Breaking Dawn (Twilight, Book 4) (8/2008)
Noble, Elizabeth – Things I Want My Daughter to Know (4/2008)
Paolini, Christopher - Brisingr (Inheritance, Book 3) (9/2008)
Patterson, James – Sail (6/2008)
Perry, Anne – Buckingham Palace Gardens (3/2008)
Rice, Christopher – Blind Fall (3/2008)
Rice, Luanne – Last Kiss (7/2008)
Siddons, Anne Rivers – Off Season (8/2008)

April is National Poetry Month! (#3)

One Perfect Rose
by Dorothy Parker

A single flow'r he sent me, since we met.

All tenderly his messenger he chose;

Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew still wet --

One perfect rose.

I knew the language of the floweret;

"My fragile leaves," it said, "his heart enclose."

Love long has taken for his amulet

One perfect rose.

Why is it no one ever sent me yet

One perfect limousine, do you suppose?

Ah no, it's always just my luck to get

One perfect rose.

Enough Rope: Poems by Dorothy Parker (New York: Boni and Liveright, 1926): 73

Libraries are Reading! #8

What book do you recommend to everybody?

Stacey R: American Gods or Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman, Storm Front by Jim Butcher (I guarantee you will be hooked on Harry Dresden), and Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction, by Kurt Vonnegut. (FIC GAIMAN – WCV, FIC BUTCHER – FRA, VONNEGUT – ARM)

Tricia GW: The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger (F SAL – LEN)

Pat G: I haven’t read it yet.

Nathan: When the Wind Blows, James Patterson (FIC PATTERSON – WCV)

Kathy F: The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak (Y FIC ZUSA – SBL)

Sharon L: The Number One Ladies’ Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith (MYS MCCALL SMITH - WAM)

Wanda: Not Without My Daughter, by Betty Mahmoody (BIO MAHMOODY - WMB), and House of Sand and Fog, by Andre Dubus (FIC DUBUS - ROG)

Stephanie L: The Song of the Lark, Willa Cather (FIC CATHER – WCV)

Margaret H: The Shelter of Each Other, by Mary Pipher (AC 306.85 P – SHL), Book Lust: Recommended reading for every mood, moment, and reason, by Nancy Pearl (011.73 P – WCV),
The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold (F SEBOLD – TPL)

National Poetry Month - Poem in Your Pocket Day

Today, poets.org suggests you put a poem in your pocket to share with your friends and family. This is one of Stacey R's favorites:

Preludes, T.S. Eliot

I

The winter evening settles down

With smell of steaks in passageways.

Six o'clock.

The burnt-out ends of smoky days.

And now a gusty shower wraps

The grimy scraps

Of withered leaves about your feet

And newspapers from vacant lots;

The showers beat

On broken blinds and chimney-pots,

And at the corner of the street

A lonely cab-horse steams and stamps.

And then the lighting of the lamps.

II

The morning comes to consciousness

Of faint stale smells of beer

From the sawdust-trampled street

With all its muddy feet that press

To early coffee-stands.

With the other masquerades

That time resumes,

One thinks of all the hands

That are raising dingy shades

In a thousand furnished rooms.

III

You tossed a blanket from the bed,

You lay upon your back, and waited;

You dozed, and watched the night revealing

The thousand sordid images

Of which your soul was constituted;

They flickered against the ceiling.

And when all the world came back

And the light crept up between the shutters

And you heard the sparrows in the gutters,

You had such a vision of the street

As the street hardly understands;

Sitting along the bed's edge, where

You curled the papers from your hair,

Or clasped the yellow soles of feet

In the palms of both soiled hands.

IV

His soul stretched tight across the skies

That fade behind a city block,

Or trampled by insistent feet

At four and five and six o'clock;

And short square fingers stuffing pipes,

And evening newspapers, and eyes

Assured of certain certainties,

The conscience of a blackened street

Impatient to assume the world.

I am moved by fancies that are curled

Around these images, and cling:

The notion of some infinitely gentle

Infinitely suffering thing.

Wipe your hand across your mouth, and laugh;

The worlds revolve like ancient women

Gathering fuel in vacant lots.

Original text: T. S. Eliot, Prufrock and Other Observations (London: The Egoist, 1917): 24-26.

Outside of a Dog, #7

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx.

In a Presidential election year politics is often on our mind. If “real life” politicians and campaigns seem a little overwhelming at times, why not take a fictional look at the political process? Here are a few suggestions to get you started.


The First Among Equals by Jeffrey Archer
Fic Archer WCV
Four very different and competitive men spend decades vying for power until one of them is elected Prime Minister of England.

The Candidate’s Wife by Patricia O’Brien
Fic O’Brien WAM
How a grueling presidential campaign changes a wife and mother.

Murder in the White House by Margaret Truman
Mys Truman WMB WDB
The Secretary of State is found murdered in the White House and even the President is a suspect.

Murder in the West Wing: An Eleanor Roosevelt Mystery by Elliott Roosevelt
Mys Elliott WCV
Eleanor begins an investigation into the murder of one of FDR’s assistants leading her into a very dangerous area of Washington D.C.

Grass Roots by Stuart Woods
Fic Woods Fic TPL
A close senate election and a controversial murder trial blend together with some surprising results.

Primary Colors: A Novel of Politics by Joe Klein
Fic Klein WAM
The behind the scenes look at the presidential campaign of a small southern governor.

Senator’s Wife by Sue Miller

Fic Miller ROK
A long term political marriage comes under scrutiny when a young married couple rents the apartment next door.

Libraries are Reading! #7

Who is your favorite author?

Stacey R: Neil Gaiman

Tricia GW: Stephen King

Pat G: Thomas Hardy, probably.

Sharon L: Barbara Wood and Nicholas Sparks

Theresa Z: John Grisham

Kathy F: It’s very hard to pick only one! Charlotte Bronte, Geraldine Brooks, Cheryl Mendelson, Jane Austen, & Alice McDermott are some.

Stephanie L: Willa Cather, but I love all of the classics by ladies: George Eliot, Jane Austen, The Bronte Sisters…

Margaret H: I’m going to run out of room, but: Jodi Picoult, Chris Bohjalian, Jonathan Kellerman, Elizabeth Berg, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Judith Guest…

LINKS:

http://www.neilgaiman.com/

http://www.stephenking.com/

http://www.yale.edu/hardysoc/Welcome/welcomet.htm

http://www.barbarawood.com/

http://www.nicholassparks.com/

http://www.randomhouse.com/features/grisham/

http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/bronte/cbronte/bronteov.html

http://www.geraldinebrooks.com/

http://www.simonsays.com/content/destination.cfm%3fsid=33%26pid=334691

http://www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/janeinfo.html

http://www.powells.com/authors/mcdermott.html

http://cather.unl.edu/

http://www.lang.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~matsuoka/Eliot.html

http://www.jodipicoult.com/

http://www.chrisbohjalian.com/

http://www.jonathankellerman.com/

http://www.elizabeth-berg.net/

http://www.susanephillips.com/

http://www.judithguest.com/

April is National Poetry Month!

"It Couldn't Be Done"

Somebody said that it couldn't be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn't," but he would be one
Who wouldn't say so till he tried.
So he buckled right in with a trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it!

Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that;
At least no one has ever done it;"
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat
And the first thing we knew he'd begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That "cannot be done," and you'll do it.

This poem was written by Edgar Albert Guest (1881-1959),
and appeared in a volume called "Breakfast Table Chat", 1914.

[Submitted by Sharon @ WAM]

Libraries are Reading! #6

What is your favorite series?

Stacey R: The Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher [http://www.jim-butcher.com/books/dresden/] (SCI BUTCHER – WCV)

Tricia GW: Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling [http://www.jkrowling.com/en/] (JFIC ROWLING - WAM)

In manga, Trigun, by Yasuhiro Nightow [http://www.darkhorse.com/profile/profile.php?sku=13-031] (GN TRIGUN – CHE)

Pat G: Stephanie Plum, by Janet Evanovich [http://www.evanovich.com] (MYS EVA - CLL)

Kathy F: The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldon [http://www.dianagabaldon.com/] (BKD FIC GABALDON - RSV)

Stephanie L: The only one I really read is the Big Stone Gap series, by Adriana Trigiani [http://www.adrianatrigiani.com/books.htm ] (FIC TRIGIANI - WCV)

Margaret H: Robert Parker’s “Spenser” series [http://www.robertbparker.net/spenser_series.asp] (PB MYS P – SHL) and Sue Grafton’s Alphabet books [http://www.suegrafton.com/bookshelf.asp?ISBN=0399152970]. (NEW MYS GRAFTON – HPW)

Outside of a Dog, #6

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx.

Nice Books

Every once in awhile a library users will come to desk asking for a recommendation for a “nice” book. By that they usually mean a good story but without serial killers, gory forensic evidence discoveries, swear words, sexual descriptions they could do without, and unhappy endings.

Below are listed some fiction suggestions that fit the above criteria. Quite a few were published many years ago but that doesn’t make them any less enjoyable.

Lilies of the Field by William Barrett
FIC - WAM
A black handyman helps a group of nuns build a church.

Mrs. Mike by Nancy Freeman
FIC - SHL TPL SBL
A young woman marries a Mountie and begins a new life in the Canadian wilderness.

The Chosen – Chaim Potok
FIC - SCS TPL
In 1940’s Brooklyn, two young boys form a deep and unlikely friendship that carries them into adulthood.

At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon
FIC PBK Kar - WCV
The first book in the series featuring Father Tim, a beloved rector to his small town community is a delightful read.

Jane’s House by Robert Kimmel Smith
FIC - WMB
The touching story of a man whose wife has died very unexpectedly. He and his children valiantly struggle to cope with their loss.

Two from Galilee: The Story of Mary and Joseph by Marjorie Holmes
FIC Holmes - TPL SHL
Fictional account of the birth of Christ as told through the young couples eyes.

Memory of Running by Ron McLarty
FIC McLarty - WCV
A man takes a bicycle trip across to US to claim his deceased sister’s remains.

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
FIC Enger - WCV
The story of the unusual Land family set in rural Minnesota during the 1960’s.

Rosie Dunne by Cecelia Ahern

FIC AHERN - WCV

The story of Rosie and her best friend and all of the curveballs that get thrown at her.

Poh-tay-to, Poh-tah-to

How do you say "Gaiman"? How are you supposed to say it?
What about "Scieszka"? Or "Funke"? "Konigsburg"?

Hear the correct pronunciation direct from the author the name belongs to, at Teaching Books, who've put together an archive of voice recordings of famous authors. Sometimes, the author will tell a story (like Sherman Alexie or Tony DiTerlizzi), so they're all worth a listen!

Teaching Books: Author Name Pronunciation Guide

May Events at the Warren Civic Center Library

(picture courtesy of the Nature Discovery web site)

Nature Discovery presents "Reptiles and Amphibians of Michigan"

Did you know that 18 species of snakes call Michigan home? Get ready for Be Kind to Animals Week by learning about the snakes and other reptiles and amphibians living in our state.

Staff from "Nature Discovery" will be on hand to do a presentation, which will include live specimens. At the presentation's conclusion, participants will have an opportunity to handle some of the animals.

Saturday, May 3rd, 2008, at 12.30 p.m.

Yoga Saturdays for Children and Teens

Yoga is a great way to develop balance, flexibility, strength, and have fun while doing so. Personal fitness trainer/ Yoga instructor James Abney will be here to teach the basics of yoga.

Participants should wear comfortable and appropriate clothing (loose-fitting pants and top), and should alos bring a non-slip mat and a bottle of water with a lid.

**Parents must arrive at the start of the program to sign a consent and liability waiver in order for a child to participate in the program.**

Middle and High School Students: April 19th, May 10th, and June 21st, from 12.30-1.30 p.m.

Elementary School Students: April 19th, May 10th, and June 21st, from 1.45-2.45 p.m.

Please call 586-751-0770 to register for any of the events listed.

Teens! Be part of an ALA Survey!

YALSA (the Young Adult Library Services Association) is looking for your input! How do you use the internet? What sites do you visit most often? Click here to share!

Libraries are Reading! #5

What is the best biography you’ve ever read?

Stacey R: Wake Up, I’m Fat!, by Camryn Manheim (BIO MANHEIM – WCV)

Tricia GW: On Writing, by Stephen King (autobiography) (AUDIO BIO KING - ARM)

Pat G: Plain Speaking: An Oral Biography of Harry S. Truman, by Merle Miller (B TRUMAN - TPL)

Kathy F: Dearest Friend: A Life of Abigail Adams (BIOG ADAMS – WAM)

Stephanie L: I’ve only read The James Dean Story, by Ronald Martinetti, but it was very interesting! (B DEAN – CLL)

Nathan: FDR, by Jean Edward Smith (BIO ROOSEVELT – CHE)

Margaret H: It’s not the best, but the most recent: Schulz and Peanuts: A Biography, by David Michaelis (B SCHULZ - MCL)

More Than Just Books!

Opposing Viewpoints

On the left hand side of the Warren Library Website you’ll see a link called Databases. Give it a click and scroll down the screen until you spot “Opposing Viewpoints” (3rd from the bottom) It’s one of our absolute favorite databases. Here’s why…

Opposing Viewpoints offers over 250 topics of current and often controversial interest. It includes essay with both pro and con positions, full text magazine and newspaper articles, excerpts from reference books, pictures, primary sources, and a selection of web sites related to the subject. Each source gives a complete bibliographic citation.

If you don’t see your topic listed on the first screen, you can do a subject or keyword search and find related information. It covers everything from abortion to youth. Some of the material is on a more scholarly level but there is also information that would be useful to junior high or high school students. If you’re determined to snag an “A” on a term paper, this database certainly is your secret weapon.

We enthuastically recommend it for term papers, debate topics, and current events. It's available from your home computer too. We guarantee you will be overwhelmed with the amount of material offered. Even if you’re not officially doing research but just want to gain a little more understanding of an issue this is a great spot to begin. Topics such as death, divorce, animal rights, gambling, gangs, war crimes, water pollution and many more are covered in great detail.

Outside of a Dog, #5

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx

We recommend books to library users and sometimes they generously share good reads with us. A woman who stops by the library frequently suggested we give the book “Blindsided: Lifting a Life above Illness: A Reluctant Memoir” by Richard Cohen a try.
This particular library patron often reads biographies, memoirs, and personal narratives, so we knew we were in for a good read. The book didn’t disappoint. Richard Cohen is married to television personality Meredith Vieira. His slim book gives us an intimate and honest look at his continuing struggles with MS and cancer.
Bio Cohen WCV

In response to her recommendation let us suggest some other good biographies and memoirs.

Too Soon to Say Goodbye by Art Buchwald
Bio Buchwald WCV
Mr. Buchwald is diagnosed with a terminal condition. Convinced by his doctors he only has weeks to live, he enters a hospice. A year later he is still there!

Birdhouse Chronicles: Surviving the Joys of Country Life by Cathleen Miller
974.853 M SHL
Deciding to leave their ad age jobs in San Francisco a husband and wife discover there is much more trauma and drama in adjusting to life in rural Pennsylvania then they ever could have anticipated.

Drinking: A Love Story by Caroline Knapp
Bio Knapp WAM WMB WDB
A young woman faces the difficult realization that she is an alcoholic. Her struggle to come to terms with her family history, her difficult romantic relationships, her ambitions, and ultimately her drinking makes an engrossing story. Knapp wrote several books after this one, each are equally fascinating.

Slow Motion: A True Story by Dani Shapiro
Bio Shapiro SHL TPL
At 23 years of age Shapiro’s life in is chaos. She is a college dropout, having a difficult affair with a married man, and indiscriminately using a variety of illegal drugs. When a family tragedy occurs she is forced to face the many flawed decisions she has made. She takes readers along on the arduous journey of rebuilding her life.

Hidden Power: Presidential marriages that shaped our recent history by Kati Marton
973.173 M WCV WAM
Not exactly a biography but rather an inquisitive and entertaining look at some recent political presidential couples. The NYT called the book “an entertaining shot of history”

Wake Up, I’m Fat! by Camryn Manheim
Bio Manheim WCV WAM WMB
Probably best known for raising her Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama series, and dedicating it triumphantly to “all the fat girls!”, Manheim, activist and actress, tells a story of growing up fat, being the “Acid Queen,” and beating David E. Kelley (creator of her hit show “The Practice”) at Cribbage.

On Writing by Stephen King
Audio Bio King ARM
Part autobiography of the humorous sort, part wake up call to aspiring writers, King’s nonfiction is as riveting as his fiction.

April Events at the Warren Civic Center Library

Macomb Literacy Partners and Great Parents Great Start present "Read to me, Rosco" and a magic show. This is a great interactive story time for children. Each child will receive a free book and a free snack!

Saturday, April 12, 2008, at 1 p.m.

Yoga Saturdays for Children and Teens

Yoga is a great way to develop balance, flexibility, strength, and have fun while doing so. Personal fitness trainer/ Yoga instructor James Abney will be here to teach the basics of yoga.
Participants should wear comfortable and appropriate clothing (loose-fitting pants and top), and should also bring a non-slip mat and a bottle of water with a lid.

**Parents must arrive at the start of the program to sign a consent and liability waiver in order for a child to participate in the program.**

Middle and High School Students: April 19th, May 10th, and June 21st, from 12.30-1.30 p.m.

Elementary School Students: April 19th, May 10th, and June 21st, from 1.45-2.45 p.m.

For Middle and High School Students

It's National TV Turn-Off Week, so step away from your television and come to the library!

Learn basic jewelry-making techniques and makes a bracelet set using beads and Swarovski crystals.

Monday, April 21, 2008, from 6.30-7.30 p.m.

Curious George Adventure!

(ages 2-5)

It's time to mokey around with Curious George. Decorate a mask, play a game, and prepare a recipe you can take home and bake. Bring your camera - a surprise visitor might show up!

Saturday, April 26, 2008, 2 p.m.

Please call 586-751-0770 for details, or to register for any of the programs listed above.

Libraries are Reading, #4

What is your favorite nonfiction book?

Stacey R: Schott’s Original Miscellany, by Ben Schott, and Fat! So?: Because You Don’t Have to Apologize for Your Size, by Marilyn Wann (031.02 S – WCV and 306.4 W - CHE)

Tricia GW: Grimm’s Fairy Tales, by Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm [I can cheat because it’s in the 300s!] (J 398 G - FRA)

Wanda: A Question of Honor, by Lynne Olson & Stanley Cloud (940.54 O - WCV)

Pat G: 1776, by David McCullough (973.3 M – HPW)

Stephanie L: In Cold Blood: A True Account of Multiple Murder and Its Consequences, by Truman Capote (364.1523 C – RAY)

Margaret H: There are too many to list!!
I enjoy Jon Katz, Anne Lamott, Anna Quindlen, Sherwin Nuland, and Otherwise: New and Selected Poems, by Jane Kenyon (811.54 K - TPL)

Libraries are Reading, #3

What book are you reading right now?

Stacey R: Extras, by Scott Westerfeld, Paint It Black, by Janet Fitch (ebook), and The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory (Y FIC W - EPL, FIC FITCH - WCV, and PBK-CONTEMPORARY (G) – SBL)

Kathy F: Good Family, by Terry Gamble (F GAMBLE - TPL)

Tricia GW: The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova (FIC KOSTOVA - ARM)

Wanda: The Kitchen Boy, by Robert Alexander (FIC ALEXANDER - MTC)

Pat G: A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry (F MIS – LEN)

Stephanie L: Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens (YA FIC DICKENS – WAM)

Margaret H: The Race, by Richard North Patterson, Breaking Back, by James Blake, and A Three Dog Life, by Abigail Thomas (FIC PATTERSON – WCV, B BLAKE – SHL, and B THOMAS – MPL)

Outside of a Dog, #4

"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." - Groucho Marx

Our relationships with other people can be tricky, surprising, unexpected, and challenging. The following books explore our connections with our fellow human beings in ways that will entertain as well as enlighten readers.

Practice of Deceit by Elizabeth Benedict
Eric Lavender is a therapist and confirmed bachelor. After meeting single mom and divorce lawyer Colleen Golden he finds himself completely smitten. He marries and embraces family life quickly finding out things are a bit more complicated and sinister than he ever imagined.
Fic Benedict WCV

Walking Home by Gloria Goldreich
Rochelle Weiss’s life is turned upside down when she learns both of her parents are dying of cancer. In her efforts to care for them, she eventually loses her job and many of her friends. Ultimately she discovers a great deal about herself and her values.
Fic Goldreich WAM

Suspicion by Barbara Rogan
Mystery novelist Emma Roth has mixed feelings about her familuy’s move from New York City to a rather isolated country home. One there the family learns the former owner is rumored to have killed her husband.
Fic Rogan WAM

Coming Back to Me by Caroline Leavitt
Gary and Molly find their marriage tested when the birth of their long awaited first baby leaves Molly with a life threatening medical condition.
Fic Leavitt WAM WDB

The Last Time They Met by Anita Shreve
A man and a woman manage to sustain a deep and passionate relationship over the course of many years, even though they have only met three times.
Fic Shreve WAM WDB WMB

The Distance from Normandy by Jonathan Hull
A young man having problems at school and with his single mother goes to spend some time at his grandfather’s home. They come to understand and appreciate one another in ways they never imagined.
Fic Hull WAM WDB

Study Rooms at the Warren Civic Center Library

If you've visited the year-old Warren Civic Center Library, you've probably seen the three study rooms that flank the left side of the library, often with people in them. If you'd like to use these rooms, just let us know!

* The rooms, daily, are on a first-come, first-serve basis. If one is empty, go right in!
* You can reserve the rooms, but it must be at least a day in advance.
* Rooms must be vacated by 15 minutes to close.
* You can get wireless in the rooms.
* Use of the rooms is free.

The rooms are as follows:

Louisa May Alcott: Seats 2-3, one table attached to the wall.
Edgar Allan Poe: Seats 2-3, one table attached to the wall.
Harriet Beecher Stowe: Seats 4-6 comfortably, one table in the middle, four chairs.
Mark Twain: Seats up to 16, one large conference table and chairs. (This is for nonprofit-group use only, and MUST be reserved in advance.)

Please call 586-574-4564 for more details.