STAFF PICKS -- Continuous Container Gardens

Cyndi's pick:  Continuous Container Gardens, by Sara Begg Townsend

Synopsis:

In "Continuous Container Gardens", garden designers Sara Begg Townsend and Roanne Robbins have teamed up to offer an innovative system for creating stylish containers that change with the seasons. Using an unusual array of plants, Townsend and Robbins begin with a main-stage plant -a woody plant, a garden ornament, or an eye-catching perennial. Then they add a secondary player for texture and variety. As the seasons change, they show how easy it is to swap in and out a supporting cast of plants for a dynamic year-round display. This simple approach yields endless variations, seasonal bursts of color, and varied textures that echo the ever-changing beauty of nature. The book features twelve designer containers, each with a unique plan for swapping plants in every season...for a total of 48 looks in all. Each design is supported with stunning photo- graphs of the authors' unique plant palette and the fully realized container garden. Users will learn to develop their own design eye and style alongside their gardening skills. The authors' writing style is fresh, friendly, and encouraging and is sure to appeal to a new generation of homeowners and gardeners. With "Continuous Container Gardens", gardeners of every level, in every setting, will be able to create a container scene for every season. (Amazon summary)

Cyndi says:  The author is from Rhode Island so plants used in the book are available in Connecticut.  Beautiful pictures of containers in each season.  Wonderful inspiration for this time of the year.

Meet our new YA Librarian, Miss G.!

The Durham Public Library has a new YA Librarian, Miss Gardiner!  Here's 5 Quick Facts about Miss G:

1.  Favorite Book?

Miss G:  Hard to choose just one!  I'm a huge Harry Potter fan, and my favorite Harry Potter book is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  I love SO MANY though!  Some of my other best loved YA authors are Stephenie Meyer, Suzanne Collins, Jenna Black, Christopher Paolini, and Rachel Caine.

2.  Favorite Movie?

Miss G:  The Princess Bride.  (The book's pretty awesome too)  Other favorites include Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Mean Girls, Futurama, Stardust, Labyrinth, Indiana Jones, 27 Dresses, and Julie and Julia.

3.  Favorite video game? 

Miss G:  A random RPG game for the Gamecube called Tales of Symphonia (which I can happily still play on my Wii!).  Recently I've been totally addicted to Picross 3D on my DS though, I love puzzle games, and I've been seriously considering buying the new Pokemon game!

4.  What's in your TBR (To Be Read) pile?

Miss G:  My TBR pile is a massive, scary thing.  Let's just say my Amazon wish list has about 300 books on it.  But right now at the top is Across the Universe by Beth Revis.

5.  What do you love about YA books?

Miss G:  YA books are so varied and interesting!  One day I could be reading about knights and dragons, the next day spies and bombs, and the day after the relationships of an average high school student!  YA books encompass every genre I can think of, and even have a few of their own.  And I love working with teens because they have so many interests and are so passionate when they find a book or a topic that they love!

Be sure to check out Miss G.'s new Teen Blog: 

http://www.durhamteen.blogspot.com/

Library Snapshot Week

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Library Snapshot Week!  We asked people why they visited the library and here's what they said:



"The library is not just important to me, it is critical, like a favorite grandparent is to an child.  It's a place of wonder, learning, and mystery!"



"It has great programs that my children enjoy and are able to learn from."


"Because I like to read and take out animals (puppets)."


"I am unemployed and the library gives me a place to go to keep my brain active, and to get out of the house, and mingle with others.  Thank you!"



"The library is important to me because I feel like it is my second home."


"It is the place we come to read, study, research, play, and teach.  It is one of the most valuable places to our family!"


"It is the hub of the community!  A place of learning and exploration and giving."


"It is a quiet and friendly place to hang out."


"Because you can participate in so many things at the library.  It is an active core of a healthy, working community."


"It gives me information, a quiet place to do homework, and a ton of life-changing stories to fill my time."


"Because it takes me on new adventures and I read the most creative books, so I always want to come back."



"It is an inexpensive, relaxing visit where I have a weekly "date" with my 8-year-old son.  It is precious, quiet time together for us to learn new things."



"An affordable option (free!) for a whole state's worth of books.  I use interlibrary loan a lot."



"Connects me to the local community and the larger community of ideas.  I love my library!"


"I'm a writer and a teacher.  I use this library and other public libraries every week to find material, to deepen my knowledge and to make myself a better teacher."

STAFF PICKS -- My One and Only

Patti's pick:  My One and Only, by Kristan Higgins

Synopsis:

Divorce attorney Harper James can't catch a break. Bad enough that she runs into her ex-hubby, Nick, at her sister's destination wedding, but now, by a cruel twist of fate, she's being forced to make a cross-country road trip with him. And her almost-fiancé back at home is not likely to be sympathetic.

Harper can't help that Nick has come blazing back into her life in all of his frustratingly appealing, gorgeous architect glory. But in Nick's eyes, Harper's always been the one. If they can only get it right this time, forever might be waiting—just around the bend.

Patti says:  I've loved all of Kristan Higgins' books, but My One and Only is by far my favorite!  I stayed up late reading it one night because I had to find out how it ended.  The story is funny and heartwarming, and the characters are charming.  One of the funniest scenes was Harper's proposal to Dennis--priceless!  I loved BeverLee, Harper's stepmother, who has a heart of gold and who always comes prepared with a bottle of Jhirmack Extra Hold hairspray.

PATRON PICKS -- The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Bonnie's Pick:  The Reluctant Fundamentalist, by Mohsin Hamid

 

Synopsis:
At a café table in Lahore, a bearded Pakistani man converses with an uneasy American stranger. As dusk deepens to night, he begins the tale that has brought them to this fateful encounter …
 
Changez is living an immigrant’s dream of America. At the top of his class at Princeton, he is snapped up by the elite valuation firm of Underwood Samson. He thrives on the energy of New York, and his budding romance with elegant, beautiful Erica promises entry into Manhattan society at the same exalted level once occupied by his own family back in Lahore.
 
But in the wake of September 11, Changez finds his position in his adopted city suddenly overturned, and his relationship with Erica eclipsed by the reawakened ghosts of her past. And Changez’s own identity is in seismic shift as well, unearthing allegiances more fundamental than money, power, and maybe even love.
 
The Reluctant Fundamentalist is a riveting, brilliantly unsettling exploration of the shadowy, unexpected connections between the political and the personal.  (Barnes and Noble summary)

Bonnie says:  The writing style is exceptional.  Very thought-provoking and insightful.  Complex characters.

PATRON PICKS -- Michael Jackson: Music Legend

Salvatore's Pick:  Michael Jackson:  Music Legend, by Sarah Tieck

Synopsis:

Colorful graphics, oversized photographs, and short, engaging sentences draw reluctant readers in to the fascinating life of Michael Jackson! This book introduces readers to Jackson s childhood, family, and rise to fame. From singing and dancing with his siblings in the Jackson 5 to achieving a groundbreaking solo career, Jackson became a legend after his death in 2009. Readers will learn how Jackson worked to develop his own musical style and create signature dance moves such as the Moonwalk, leading to his lasting impact on pop music for generations to come. Features include a table of contents, maps, "Did You Know" fun facts, a "Snapshot" page with vital information, a glossary with phonetics, and an index. (Barnes and Noble summary)

Salvatore says:  I like it because he's my favorite singer, dancer in pop history.  Plus I know everything about Michael Joseph Jackson.

PATRON PICKS -- Boston Jane Series

Christina's Pick:  Boston Jane:  An Adventure, by Jennifer L. Holm

 

Synopsis:

Fresh from Miss Hepplewhite's Young Ladies' Academy, sixteen-year-old Jane Peck has come to the unknown wilds of the Northwest to wed her true love, William Baldt, her idol from childhood. But her socially correct upbringing in straitlaced Philadelphia is hardly preparation for the colorful characters and crude life that await her in Shoalwater Bay in the Washington Territory. In a few short months, as she's waiting for her absent fiancé to return from an errand, Jane will have slept under a tent, befriended a gloriously beautiful Indian man named Handsome Jim, foraged for huckleberries, shared a cabin with a group of ill-assorted, flea-bitten men, and nearly drowned—all while completely unchaperoned! Thrown into the wild with only her wits to keep her safe, Jane learns not only to survive, but to thrive—and to discover for herself whether she is truly proper Miss Jane Peck of Philadelphia, faultless young lady and fiancée, or Boston Jane, as the Chinook dub her, fearless and loyal woman of the frontier.

 

Drawn from historical material of the region, Boston Jane is a rich potpourri of adventure, humor, romance, and suspense, featuring a dashing new heroine who will win readers' hearts as she discovers her own true desires. (Barnes and Noble summary)

Christina says:  It was very suspenseful and full of surprises!