We are increasing the number of books on cd that you may borrow from the library.  I often write reviews of adult, teen and children’s audiobooks for several journals.  It always amazes me that a wonderful book can be made less so if the reader is not accomplished.  Evident expression, a strong sense of pacing, and the ability to change tones are essential in a good reader.  George Guidall is probably the king of all readers, having recorded thousands of books for the company called Recorded Books.  I just listened to the latest MC Beaton Hamish Macbeth mystery which had a reader who brilliantly handled the Scottish accents.  I know Scotland very well and he was so precise as to speak with a Glaswegian accent for those characters, the Highland intonations, and the upper class BBC Britain accents.

Often, it is the books for children and teens that feature the most inventive and exciting readers.  The Lemony Snicket books are narrated by Tim Curry who is nearly on par with Harry Potter narrator Jim Dale.  Did you know that Jim Dale gets those huge Harry Potter books the same time we all do and he has a weekend to read the latest one and come up with accents for the multitude of characters Rowling uses.

If you need any recommendations, I’d love to talk audiobooks with you!

Allison

Happily, our furnace is working today so if you want to brave the elements and drop by, we have lots of good, cozy reads available for you.  On days like this, I especially like to sit in a comfy chair, with a cup of chai tea in one hand, and a cozy English mystery in the other.  Some particular favorites are: the Hamish Macbeth series by M. C. Beaton (which take place in my beloved Highlands of Scotland), the Ellie Haskell series by Dorothy Cannell,  and who can resist the challenging mysteries by Iain Rankin?  Do you have any particular favorites?  I’d love to hear about them.

Gee, now I wish I were at home reading!  Stay warm out there.   Allison

It was a rough week last week for our reference librarian and our local history expert as they oversaw a massive shifting of materials in the rotunda level. We moved the History Collection to the other corner office so that the materials are no longer in a room with such severe mold and moisture issues. We have moved the entire (and wonderful to browse) non-fictio oversize book collection into what used to be the local history room. This is certain to make these great books more available to you as we now have them all shelved with the spine facing out.
The move also necessitated the shifting of the non-fiction collection.
It all looks great and will be much more user friendly. I checked out a bunch of oversize books when I went into the room and saw the many wonderful topics covered.
So, check it out!

“In a very real sense, people who have read good literature have lived more than people who cannot or will not read.”     S. I. Hayakawa

We are refining some formatting problems with the report but will be sending it to the bindery next week.  The full report and appendices will be on our webpage but not until mid-July.  Eric Cohen, our webmaster and all around computer genius is going on vacation so we must await his return before loading the document.  Once the physical copies are available, you can come to the library and ask to see it.  We will have one available at the Circulation Desks.  In my office will be the report, appendices and miscellanea.  Please feel free to come ask to see it.  We project that it will be available to you in paper and web format by July 10.