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Durham Public Library
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Durham, CT 06422
860-349-9544

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"You see, I don't believe that libraries should be drab places where people sit in silence, and that's been the main reason for our policy of employing wild animals as librarians."--Monty Python


Thursday, March 31, 2011

PATRON PICKS -- Black Wave

Cathy's Pick:  Black Wave, by John and Jean Silverwood

 
“I told God that if he would let us survive this night, I would make it mean something worthwhile. And then, somehow, I felt calmer than I have ever felt. Unreasonably so. Irrationally so. I looked over the scene of our wrecked life and I smiled–a crazy smile for sure–and I looked through the dark at the mad beauty of it.”
–Jean Silverwood

An exhilarating true-life adventure of one family’s extraordinary sea voyage of self-discovery and survival, tragedy and triumph.

Cathy says:  Very exciting.  A family's boat gets wrecked and they survive until rescued.

PATRON PICKS -- Confessions of Georgia Nicolson Series

Flannery's Pick:  Confessions of Georgia Nicolson Series, by Louise Rennison (YA)


From Book #1:

There are six things very wrong with my life:
1. I have one of those under-the-skin spots that will never come to a head but lurk in a red way for the next two years.
2. It is on my nose
3. I have a three-year-old sister who may have peed somewhere in my room.
4. In fourteen days the summer hols will be over and then it will be back to Stalag 14 and Oberfuhrer Frau Simpson and her bunch of sadistic teachers.
5. I am very ugly and need to go into an ugly home.
6. I went to a party dressed as a stuffed olive.
In this wildly funny journal of a year in the life of Georgia Nicolson, British author Louise Rennison has perfectly captured the soaring joys and bottomless angst of being a teenager. In the spirit of Bridget Jones's Diary, this fresh, irreverent, and simply hilarious book will leave you laughing out loud. As Georgia would say, it's "Fabbity fab fab!"  (Barnes and Noble summary)

Flannery says:  Funny!!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

PATRON PICKS -- Geronimo Stilton series

Micala's Pick:  Geronimo Stilton Series

About the series:

Geronimo Stilton runs a newspaper, but his true passion is writing tales of adventure. Here in New Mouse City, the capital of Mouse Island, his books are all bestsellers! His stories are full of fun—tastier than Swiss cheese and tangier than extra-sharp cheddar. They are whisker-licking-good stories, and that's a promise! (Barnes and Noble)

Micala says:  I like them because they are funny and they have pictures.  Sometimes there are mysteries and they are interesting.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

PATRON PICKS -- John Adams

Julie's Pick:  John Adams, by David McCullough

Told by one of our country's greatest historians, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Truman, here is the extraordinary history of the birth of our country, seen through the lives of two extraordinary men: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Deftly, and with a key eye for detail, McCullough describes the childhood, youth, and coming of age of these two very different Americans who, though bitterly opposed to each other, profoundly influenced the destiny of America.  (Barnes and Noble book summary)

Julie says:  Bejamin Franklin used to be my favorite founder, until I read this riveting biography of John Adams.  Patriot, quintessential New Englander, devoted husband--my kind of guy.

PATRON PICKS -- The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel (YA series)

Kevin's Pick:  The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series, by Michael Scott (YA)


Synopsis:
The main story arc charts the adventures of fifteen year old twins Sophie and Josh Newman, whose regular lives working at their summer jobs (Sophie works in a coffee shop, Josh works in a bookstore) are turned upside down by the arrival of Dr. John Dee. Dr. Dee engages the bookstore owner Nick Fleming in a battle of magic in an attempt to steal an ancient book, The Book of Abraham the Mage (aka the Codex) from him. Dr. Dee snatches the book from Josh's grasp but Josh manages to retain two pages. Dr Dee also kidnaps Nick's wife Perry in the melee and imprisons her on Alcatraz Island.

After the battle Nick Fleming confesses to Josh and Sophie that his real name is Nicholas Flamel, that he is the French alchemist from history, that he is also immortal, and that the twins, himself and Perry (his immortal wife, Perenelle Flamel) are in grave danger. Nicholas tells the twins that he believes them to be mentioned in a prophecy within the Codex, and that the fate of the world as they know it could depend on his success in getting their latent magic awakened. He also tells them that without the Codex, both he and Perry will die within a month, as their immortality depends on a recipe for a special elixir found only within its pages.

Meanwhile Dr. Dee has found out that he is missing two very vital pages from the Codex. The pages are the Final Summoning, needed by him to return his masters, the Dark Elders, to the face of the earth ... and so begins a fast paced race as Dee pursues the twins, Nicholas for the pages of the Codex, whilst Nicholas aided by Scathach and others race to get the twins latent magical auras awakened, to get them schooled in the use of the elemental magics, and to rescue his beloved Perry.

The stories criss-cross the globe featuring well known places and sites, such as San Francisco,  London, the Eiffel Tower, Stonehenge and the Golden Gate Bridge. Many characters from history and mythology help both sides pursue their goals. (Wikipedia plot summary)

Kevin says:  Very entertaining and lots of action.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

PATRON PICKS -- Down the Nile

Kassie's Pick:  Down the Nile:  Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff, by Rosemary Mahoney

Synopsis:
When Rosemary Mahoney, in 1998, took a solo trip down the Nile in a seven-foot rowboat, she discovered modern Egypt for herself. As a rower, she faced crocodiles and testy river currents; as a female, she confronted deeply-held beliefs about foreign women while cautiously remaining open to genuine friendship; and, as a traveler, she experienced events that ranged from the humorous to the hair-raising—including an encounter that began as one of the most frightening of her life and ended as an edifying and chastening lesson in human nature and cultural misunderstanding. Whether she's meeting Nubians and Egyptians, or finding connections to Westerners who traveled up the Nile in earlier times—Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert among them—Mahoney's informed curiosity about the world never ceases to captivate the reader. (Barnes and Noble book summary)

Kassie says:  A woman rowing down the Nile in Egypt!  An oblique look at a culture which has woken up and risen up to change what seemed unchangeable.

STAFF PICKS -- Left Neglected

Melissa's Pick:  Left Neglected, by Lisa Genova (author of Still Alice)

Synopsis:
Sarah Nickerson is like any other career-driven supermom in Welmont, the affluent Boston suburb where she leads a hectic but charmed life with her husband Bob, faithful nanny, and three children—Lucy, Charlie, and nine-month-old Linus.
 
Between recruiting the best and brightest minds as the vice president of human resources at Berkley Consulting; shuttling the kids to soccer, day care, and piano lessons; convincing her son’s teacher that he may not, in fact, have ADD; and making it home in time for dinner, it’s a wonder this over-scheduled, over-achieving Harvard graduate has time to breathe.
 
A self-confessed balloon about to burst, Sarah miraculously manages every minute of her life like an air traffic controller. Until one fateful day, while driving to work and trying to make a phone call, she looks away from the road for one second too long. In the blink of an eye, all the rapidly moving parts of her jam-packed life come to a screeching halt.
 
A traumatic brain injury completely erases the left side of her world, and for once, Sarah relinquishes control to those around her, including her formerly absent mother. Without the ability to even floss her own teeth, she struggles to find answers about her past and her uncertain future.
 
Now, as she wills herself to regain her independence and heal, Sarah must learn that her real destiny—her new, true life—may in fact lie far from the world of conference calls and spreadsheets. And that a happiness and peace greater than all the success in the world is close within reach, if only she slows down long enough to notice.  (Goodreads book summary)

Melissa says:  I related with the main character, Sarah, who was in the midst of a fast-paced life, as most young working mothers are today.  And in a "blink of an eye," her life changes.  Very thought provoking!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

PATRON PICKS -- Three Stages of Amazement

Carla's Pick:  Three Stages of Amazement, by Carol Edgarian


Synopsis:
A sweeping, richly compassionate novel about marriage, ambition, and the reclaiming of love—by the bestselling novelist and cofounder of Narrative magazine.
 
Many love stories end in marriage; rare is the love story that begins with one—already promised, already worn. Set in San Francisco during the first year of Obama’s presidency, Three Stages of Amazement deftly charts the struggles and triumphs of Lena Rusch and her husband Charlie Pepper, still believe they can have it all—sex, love, marriage, children, career, brilliance. But life delivers surprises and tests—a stillborn child, an economic crash, a ruthless business rival and the attentions of an old lover. Touched by tragedy and by ordinary hopes unmet, Lena and Charlie must face, for the first time in their lives, real limitation.
 
Fifteen years after her stunning debut, Rise the Euphrates, Carol Edgarian has created a panoramic and deeply moving story about business and family and the demands of love in our time. She takes readers on a spellbinding journey inside America today, with an unforgettable cast of characters including Cal Rusch, Lena’s uncle, a Silicon Valley titan, and Ivy, his socialite wife, who engender complication in the lives of all the people they touch: their grown children, business partners, friends, the servants and workers upon whom the glamorous life depends—and Lena, whose quest for grace is the pulse of this gorgeous novel.
 
As Lena and Charlie, Ivy and Cal, face the temptations of their youth and the fantasy of the redo, they discover that real life is the ultimate challenge. Told with eloquence and compassion, Three Stages of Amazement is a true thriller of the heart, a riveting story about confronting adversity, gaining wisdom, and finding great love.  (Barnes and Noble book summary)

Carla says:  The characters felt very real.  The family's problems touched me and the references to current events seemed relevant to the story.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

PATRON PICKS -- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Riley's pick:  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis

Synopsis:

When Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy took their first steps into the world behind the magic wardrobe, little do they realize what adventures are about to unfold. And as the story of Narnia begins to unfold, so to does a classic tale that has enchanted readers of all ages for over half a century.  (Goodreads book summary)

Riley says:  It has a lot of suspense and action.  (It's my favorite book in the world.)

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

PATRON PICKS --Children's Books

Taryn's Picks:

Blue Hat Green Hat, by Sandra Boynton

Taryn says:  I like that the silly turkey doesn't know where his clothes belong.








The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle

Taryn says:  I like to look at all the food the caterpillar eats.







Dear Zoo, by Rod Campbell

Taryn says:  I like lifting all the flaps.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

STAFF PICK -- The Evolution Man or How I Ate My Father, by Roy Lewis

Christine says:  Ernest's father decides to bring his ape-man horde out of the trees and live standing on two legs.  Father is constantly pushing the horde to discover new ways to quickly develop evolutionally.  A favorite part is his insistence that the horde women make their two-year-olds walk and stop crawling.  This quick read is full of wit and the antics of a very forward thinking ape-to-cave man intellectual.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

PATRON PICKS -- Magic Tree House series

Paul's Pick: Magic Tree House series, by Mary Pope Osborne

The bestselling Magic Tree House series makes history fun by taking you right there, whether it's to France in the Middle Ages, the prairies of America, the moon, or beyond. (Amazon book summary)

Paul says:  It has history.  It is funny.  It has good vocabulary.

STAFF REVIEW - Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Diana's Review:

To me this book was about one woman's search for peace within herself. She is a writer who discovers she is totally unhappy with her life. You could also say she is looking for God, but I thought that it was more that if she found God, she would find peace. She takes a year off to find herself and decides to write a book about her search. (She got an advance from her publisher) She travels to three different places in her search: Italy, because she loves the Italian language; India, because she wants to join an Ashram to meditate (find God); and Indonesia because a yogi had previously told her that she would study with him.
In my opinion this book was hard to get through. I felt like she was having a mid-life crisis and the reader goes through it with her. I felt sorry for her husband, she blindsided him and didn't give their marriage a chance. During her travels I would have to say nothing interesting happens. It is her ruminating about different things, and how they make her feel. I couldn't really connect with the other characters in the book. I did a lot of skimming. Maybe if I was going through a mid-life crisis I would have connected more. The part of the book I found easiest to read was the end when she was in Bali.

I also watched the movie, thinking if I saw the characters come to life I would be more interested. But, no, the characters still didn't interest me. And, as with most books to movie, I felt I had much more insight having read the book. I think some things, especially when she leaves her husband, were not explained well in the movie.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

PATRON PICKS -- Peter and the Starcatchers

Elle's Pick:  Peter and the Starcatchers, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Synopsis:
Don’t even think of starting this book unless you’re sitting in a comfortable chair and have lots of time. A fast-paced, impossible-to-put-down adventure awaits as the young orphan Peterand his mates are dispatched to an island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They set sail aboard the Never Land, a ship carrying a precious and mysterious trunk in its cargo hold, and the journey quickly becomes fraught with excitement and danger.

Discover richly developed characters in the sweet but sophisticated Molly, the scary but familiar Black Stache, and the fearless Peter. Treacherous battles with pirates, foreboding thunderstorms at sea, and evocative writing immerses the reader in a story that slowly and finally reveals the secrets and mysteries of the beloved Peter Pan. (Barnes and Noble book summary)

Elle says:  It had so many interesting fantasy subjects with loads of suspense.  With so-called monsters, it takes a fantasy we know and explains it to match this terrific tale.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

PATRON PICKS -- Nineteen Minutes

Alicia's Pick:  Nineteen Minutes, by Jodi Picoult
 
Synopsis:
In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five.... In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it. In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge.
 
Sterling is a small, ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens -- until the day its complacency is shattered by a shocking act of violence. In the aftermath, the town's residents must not only seek justice in order to begin healing but also come to terms with the role they played in the tragedy. For them, the lines between truth and fiction, right and wrong, insider and outsider have been obscured forever. Josie Cormier, the teenage daughter of the judge sitting on the case, could be the state's best witness, but she can't remember what happened in front of her own eyes. And as the trial progresses, fault lines between the high school and the adult community begin to show, destroying the closest of friendships and families.
 
Nineteen Minutes is New York Times–bestselling author Jodi Picoult's most raw, honest, and important novel yet. Told with the straightforward style for which she has become known, it asks simple questions that have no easy answers: Can your own child become a mystery to you? What does it mean to be different in our society? Is it ever okay for a victim to strike back? And who -- if anyone -- has the right to judge someone else? (Barnes & Noble book summary)

Alicia says:  I enjoy the way that she always combines fiction and law into her novels.  I really enjoy the law aspect in all her books.

PATRON PICKS -- Savvy

Elle's Pick:  Savvy, by Ingrid Law

Synopsis:
Mibs Beaumont is about to turn thirteen, which in the Beaumont family means her "savvy"-her special power-is about to strike. Her brothers' savvies let them create hurricanes and spark electricity, but Mibs has yet to learn what her savvy is. Then, two days before her birthday, her father is in a terrible car accident. He is sent to a hospital two hours from their isolated small town, and Mibs determines that she must get there, adamant that her savvy is going to help save him. She ends up on a traveling bible salesman's pink bus with all her siblings and the preacher's children, including the preacher's son, Will, who has a crush on her. The story chronicles the ups and downs of their journey to the hospital-where, in the end, Mibs's savvy (she can hear the thoughts and feelings of people with ink on their skin) helps her hear Poppa's tattoo speak and, ultimately, save his life. (Barnes & Noble book summary)

Elle says:  It had suspenseful chapters, extraordinary characters and amazing events.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

PATRON PICKS -- Beverly Lewis' Amish Series

Barbara's Pick:
Beverly Lewis' Amish Series


Barbara says:  Beverly Lewis' Amish books make you think.  They're all about forgiveness and caring for one another.  Wonderful.  Some of the best.






STAFF PICKS -- Still Life

Cyndi's Pick:  Still Life, by Louise Penny

Synopsis:
As the early morning mist clears on Thanksgiving Sunday, the homes of Three Pines come to life—all except one…

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montréal and yet a world away. Jane Neal, a long-time resident of Three Pines, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it's a tragic hunting accident and nothing more but Gamache smells something foul this holiday season…and is soon certain that Jane died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter. …

Cyndi says:  This great mystery takes place in 3 Pines--a small village near Montreal.  First in the Inspector Gamache series.  Makes you want to visit 3 Pines, go to the Bistro, sit by the fire, observe all the wonderful townspeople, and maybe help solve a murder.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

PATRON PICKS -- I Am the Messenger

Gina's Pick:  I Am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak (YA)
 
Synopsis:
This teen gem about an unambitious teenager whose life is suddenly turned upside down by anonymous messages has it all-mystery, humor, romance, friendship.
 
Meet Ed Kennedy-underage cab driver, pathetic card player, and useless at romance. He lives in a shack and he's hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence, until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery. That's when the first Ace arrives.That's when Ed becomes the messenger.
 
Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary), until only one question remains. Who's behind Ed's mission?
 
Michael L. Printz Honor Winner

Gina says:  The ending blew my mind.  It's not even like a YA book, because it's very mature.  It's a great story.

PATRON PICKS -- The Help

Pat's Pick:  The Help, by Kathryn Stockett

Synopsis:
Be prepared to meet three unforgettable women:
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.
 
Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.
 
Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town...

Pat says:  It is a real page turner and very thought provoking.  Wonderful, colorful characters.  Great discussion book.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Wanted: Book Recommendations for Children's books...



We'd love to have some book recommendations from our younger patrons!  It's easy -- just stop by the library and fill out our Patron Picks form or you can write the recommendation in the comments box below.  Be sure to include the title of the book,
author, why you liked it, and your first name.