We got the second season of True Blood!!!!!!

One of my favorite books (and movie) of all-time is celebrating it's 50th anniversary this summer. To commemorate the Golden Anniversary of the "Best Novel of the 20th Century" (from a Library Journal poll of American librarians), filmmaker Mary Murphy has interviewed prominent figures--including Oprah, Anna Quindlen, and Tom Brokaw--on how the book has impacted their lives, and compiled the interviews in Scout, Atticus, and Boo: A Celebration of 50 Years of 'To Kill a Mockingbird'," out next month.

There will be parties, movie screenings, readings and scholarly discussions throughout the country in celebration of the anniversary this iconic, Pulitzer Prize winning novel.

True to form, author Harper Lee, now 84, will not attend any of these events. As another one of my favorite authors, Wally Lamb, says "it's the mystery surrounding her, and that sort of silence that she decided to maintain with the media, that becomes part of the legend of the book."

Below is a photo of Ms. Lee from 2007 - don't you want to grab a drink and chat about that great book with this talented lady?

The Board of Trustees and the staff of the Library extend a heartfelt thank you to the community for approving the Library's 2010 - 2011 operating budget. We will continue to strive to provide you with the best service, programming and materials we can offer.

Congratulations to April Wexler and Charlie Kelleher on their re-election as Library Trustees.

Emily doesn't search to belong..... ......she searches to be lost. She's always strange, look her down.

The librarians here in the children's room are going to two exciting conferences this week and we'll be coming back with the lastest info on all the new books that are coming out or have recently been published. At the School Library Journal Day of Dialog we will be hearing from some of the modern greats, like Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Gennifer Choldenko, David Wiesner and Cornelia Funke. And then we head to Book Expo America where we will be on a mission to get the latest from Mo Willems, Brian Lies, Peter Brown and Gail Carson Levine before they are available to the public! Nothing is as exciting to a librarian as free books.

If you haven't read this charming book, do yourself a favor; get a cup of tea and a couple of, as the English say, biscuits (we call them cookies) and curl up & relax with this debut novel by Helen Simonson.

It's an unexpectedly modest book with no vampires, schoolboy wizards or sinister secret societies. What it is is a romantic comedy/love story about a widowed 68-year-old retired British officer who meets a Pakistani widow/shop keeper in the small village of Edgecombe St. Mary. There are several interconnected subplots that explore the complexity beneath the surface of this idyllic little village. Believe me, there are characters that make you both laugh out loud and wince in pain.

I'm now trying to figure out who to cast in a "Merchant/Ivory" type independent film or an episode of Masterpiece Classics. Any ideas??

Stardate 7-27-10

South Korea is probably going to have a country wide party.......the country has game shows for the original Starcraft.....wow that's dedication!

This craft popped up on one of the librarian listservs recently and it's so cute I had to share it: Seed Bombs. Basically you mix seeds and dirt to form a ball and then you throw it anywhere that needs some flowers. Find more detailed instructions here.

It also pairs perfectly with a very sweet book: Max's Magic Seeds by Géraldine Elschner.
Also try these fun books as you start to plant your gardens:
The Carrot Seed by Crockett Johnson
The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
The Empty Pot by Demi

Geek Goddess Olivia Munn is going to be in Iron Man 2......but we're not sure as what...yet.. rumors have it that she might be The Scarlet Witch.

I recently came across a fantastic new (at least to me) website devoted to reading. Lit Lovers was developed by a former college English instructor who loves to read and can't stop talking about literature.

What can you do on LitLovers? Lots of things. Find a book. Find a review. Find a discussion guide. Take a course. Whip up a recipe (to match your book). Want to start a book club--for kids or adults? They show you how.

If you are in a book club and looking for some title suggestions, they have wonderful lists such as a lighter touch, wonderfully written and great works. They also list brand new, recent, ongoing and all-time favorites.

If you love to read, this is the website for you!

Since I facilitate the Monday Mysteries Book Discussion Group at the library, I was very interested in Booklist's Year's Best Crime Novels list. I'm proud to say that our group read two of the books listed - The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and The Case of the Missing Servant. Both were excellent first books in series that we really enjoyed and hope you will too.

Children's Book Week starts today! Celebrate by making this cool bookmark from artist Sara Varon. Also check out some of her great books: Chicken and Cat, Chicken and Cat Clean Up and Robot Dreams.