New Nonfiction @ the Bookmobile

Slightly bad girls of the Bible // Higgs, Liz Curtis.
A treasury of Christmas miracles // Kingsbury, Karen.
The nine // Toobin, Jeffrey.
Mozart and the whale // Newport, Jerry.
Plain secrets // Mackall, Joe.
The book of werewolves // Baring-Gould, S.
Desk reference to nature's medicine // Foster, Steven
Dangerous encounters-- avoiding perilous situations with autism // Davis, Bill
Louder than words // McCarthy, Jenny
Breaking autism's barriers // Davis, Bill
Entrepreneur's notebook // Gold, Steven K.
I am America (and so can you!) // Colbert, Stephen
The coldest winter // Halberstam, David.
National geographic almanac of American history // Miller, James
Celebrity detox // O'Donnell, Rosie
My grandfather's son //Thomas, Clarence

New Fiction @ the Bookmobile

The betrayed // Bergren, Lisa Tawn.
Armageddon's children // Brooks, Terry.
The hope chest // Brunstetter, Wanda E.
Looking for a miracle // Brunstetter, Wanda E.
A sister's secret // Brunstetter, Wanda E.
Like always // Elmer, Robert.
World without end //Follett, Ken.
The bloody trail // Galloway, Marcus.
Playing for pizza // Grisham, John.
On the fifth day // Hartley, A. J.
Echoes // Heitzmann, Kristen.
Forty to life // Jackson, Dave.
Summer // Kingsbury, Karen.
Just Jane // Moser, Nancy.
Run // Patchett, Ann.
Where my heart belongs // Peterson, Tracie.
Greywalker // Richardson, Kat.
Poltergeist // Richardson, Kat.
Bridge of sighs // Russo, Richard,
The orc king // Salvatore, R. A.,
Bygones // Sawyer, Kim Vogel.
Where willows grow // Sawyer, Kim Vogel.
Demon thief // Shan, Darren.
Love don't live here no more // Snoop Dogg,
The choice // Sparks, Nicholas.
Blood retribution // Thurlo, David.
Shoot him if he runs // Woods, Stuart.
When the heart cries // Woodsmall, Cindy.
When the morning comes // Woodsmall, Cindy.

The Hat Stays!

Back when I first started bookmobiling 7 years ago, our community relations department had some nice hats made up with the Library System of Lancaster County logo emblazoned on the front. "The Hat" quickly became established as a crucial element in this bookmobiler's uniform. Besides the jaunty curved bill and the stylish green color, The Hat served some useful purposes. 1) It keeps the sun out of my eyes. 2)It's just like a name tag. When I wear The Hat, people know I'm in charge. 3) A necktie decidedly does not go with The Hat.



Just recently, some of my image conscious co-workers have been giving me a hard time about The Hat. It's ugly. It's unprofessional. It doesn't project the image we want to project. It's low-brow. I beg to differ. In fact, The Hat has made some remarkable appearances in art throughout history, and likewise is making in-roads into popular culture. Take a look at Modigliani's rendition of The Hat.




Not convinced? El Greco also slipped The Hat into more than one of his iconic paintings.



Botticelli's fondness for The Hat is well documented.



My sources in Japan tell me that a new Manga series featuring "The Hat" is now in development. Here is an early concept drawing that was leaked exclusively to me.



So, my friends. The Hat Stays!

View From My Window

Fairmount Homes -West Earl Township

Spellbound

Look what happens when you put books into the hands of kids? They sit down and read!

Do you have pictures of people reading that you'd like to share with us? We'd love to post them. Our contact information is available in the column on the right.

Remembering our Tragedy

Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy
By Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt and David L. Weaver-Zercher

October 2 marks one year since the tragic events at the West Nickel Mines Amish School in Lancaster County. The shooting of ten girls brought horror to this quiet, rural community. The evening of the same day Amish men visited the Roberts family—Charles Roberts’ widow and father—to offer comfort and to let the family know that Charles was forgiven. The men were speaking for the Amish community not just themselves.

Amish Grace explores the faith and community roots of Amish forgiveness. It offers a window into the culture of a people who look to the teachings of Jesus and the stories of their spiritual ancestors for guidance in their personal and collective lives. For those of us who were startled by the seemingly spontaneous and immediate forgiveness of a killer, the book is enlightening. Could it also be transforming?