This Saturday, Sept. 25 is National Play Day. Get outside and play with your kids! The weather is supposed to be fantastic. Find out more info about the most Playful Cities in the USA. Also, remember the fun of playing ball in the street or flying a kite? Well, some city councils are outlawing just that! Let freedom ring and help fight against the play haters!

Iron Man 2 is now out on dvd. There are two fleeting moments that wet the appetite in the movie...the first is the mentioning of the Avengers (coming soon) and the second has to do with G4....
nuff said!

September is National Reading Group Month (and Library Card Sign-up Month too). If your book group is looking for a new list of books bound to start interesting discussions, try some of these titles:

Blame by Michelle Heneven
The Blessings of Animals by Katrina Kittle
Eternal on the Water by Joseph Monninger
The Girl Who Fell From The Sky by Heidi Durrow
Little Bee by Chris Cleave
The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli
Molly Fox's Birthday by Deirdre Madden
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
The Queen of Palmyra by Minrose Gwin
Room by Emma Donoghue
Up From The Blue by Susan Henderson

On October 12, the winner of the Man Booker Prize will be announced. The prize rewards the best novel of the year written by a citizen of the British Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland. The winner of the Man Booker Prize receives £50,000 and both the winner and the shortlisted authors are guaranteed a worldwide readership plus a dramatic increase in book sales.

The six shortlisted books, selected from the Man Booker Prize longlist of 13 announced earlier this year, are:

Peter Carey ~ Parrot and Olivier in America
Emma Donoghue ~ Room
Damon Galgut ~ In a Strange Room
Howard Jacobson ~ The Finkler Question
Andrea Levy ~ The Long Song
Tom McCarthy ~ C

Last year's winner, Wolf Hall, was very hard to get after the prize was announced so beat the rush and check out one of these that is guaranteed to be the winner.

The author of the Duck and Goose books, Tad Hills, has a new book out: How Rocket Learned to Read. And guess what? I got to meet the REAL Rocket, who just happens to be an absolutely adorable Wheaten terrier. There was lots of petting and cooing. Now, you may be asking, Rocket from the book is white with black spots, that's not what a Wheaton looks like?! Well, changing his color was an artistic choice. Check out this excellent book today, it's perfect for kids who are just learning to read.

According to this New York Times article, we are entering the season that booksellers just love - the fall. Major authors such as Ken Follett, Michael Cunningham, Nicole Krauss, Tom Clancy and my personal favorite, David Sedaris, all have books coming out in the next few months.

In conjunction with Election Day, there are a slew of political books due out as well. Tony Blair, Bill O'Reilly, Condoleeza Rice, Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale and G.W. Bush all have written books slated for autumn release.

So, check in here at your local library to pick up, or reserve, the book of your choice.

Nothing better than curling up on a cool, crisp day with a warm beverage while reading a great book!

The best part of back-to-school is getting new supplies. It was the only thing that got me to smile at the end of August. Looking for the lastest in pens? Check out JetPens, a Japanese site that sells every kind of pen you could want. As a pen-a-holic, this is very exciting. And did you hear that Sharpie has come out with a pencil that has liquid graphite?! Crazy! It writes like a pen, but erases like a pencil. I haven't tried it yet myself, but it sounds cool. Maybe some fancy school supplies like these can cure the end-of-summer blues.

Two days into the school year means lots of kids are still have separation problems. Here's a cute fix: the Talkatoo. This little button charm lets parents record a message that kids can listen to when times get tough at school. For every one they sell, one gets donated to a kid with parents serving overseas in the military.

If you are interested in hearing 4 best-selling authors (David Baldacci, Janet Evanovich, Ken Follett and Julie Orringer- wow, what a panel) speak about themselves and their newly published books at the Times Center in NYC on Sunday, October 3rd, then the The New York Times Great Literary Conversation series is the event for you. Looks to be an interesting and entertaining day.

Take a trip around the world without leaving the comfort of your own home by reading these stories -- 3 novels and 2 works of nonfiction --about a history teacher, an angst-filled teen, a budding celebrity chef, an intrepid spice hunter and Ernest Hemingway himself who whisk you to vacation spots around the world.

Just because summer is almost over doesn't mean you have to stop travelling, even if it is vicariously.