View From My Window

Chickies Rock County Park overlooking the Susquehanna River. A great place to have lunch, just west of Columbia.

Wreck of the Bookmobile - Antsy McClain

Bookmobile Rocks the British Empire

The Uncommon Reader: a Novella
by Alan Bennett
reviewed by Becky

What happens when Queen Elizabeth II follows her errant corgis onto a bookmobile parked near the palace kitchen? Why, one feels compelled by protocol to check out a book, of course. One book leads to another, and soon Her Majesty has enlisted Norman, the kitchen boy, as her reader’s advisor. So begins a tale of royal awakening with surprising outcomes. Told with wit and a taste of queen-speak this novella will delight bookmobilers and all readers who have found their lives enriched by books.

This book is now available at the Bookmobile.

Library Fines

It looks like the editorial cartoonist at the The Onion had a bad day at the library. You can see the entire cartoon here. Those of you who use our bookmobile know that we do not collect fines, unless you insist, as some of you do. There are a number of reasons for this. 1)we do not have predictable access to the fully functioning circulation system and have to rely on off-line back-up systems for keeping track of books. This invariably causes mistakes or problems that will trigger fines for you, our patrons. 2) We recognize that for many of our patrons, mobility is an issue and sometimes it is just not possible to make it to the bookmobile. Some of our patrons do not have telephones or internet access either. 3) We have practical and philosophical issues with the practice of collecting fines. Studies have shown that fines are a deterrent to people bringing their books back to libraries. Also, people who need access to the libraries the most are those least able to pay fines, some of which can be quite exorbitant.

Do librarians deserve the negative stereotype as evidenced above? Of course not. But a few do. You know who you are.

New Fiction @ the Bookmobile

Stone cold // Baldacci, David
Kissing Christmas goodbye// Beaton, M. C.
The tell-tale horse // Brown, Rita Mae
Book of the dead // Cornwell, Patricia
The chase // Cussler, Clive
Protect and defend // Flynn, Vince
World without end // Follett, Ken
Dead heat // Francis, Dick
Playing for pizza // Grisham, John
Finding Father Christmas // Gunn, Robin Jones
A spot of bother// Haddon, Mark
A lick of frost // Hamilton, Laurell K.
Pandora's daughter // Johansen, Iris
Home to Holly Springs // Karon, Jan
Between Sundays // Kingsbury, Karen
A Christmas visitor // Kinkade, Thomas
Mark's story // LaHaye, Tim F.
The parting // Lewis, Beverly
Rhett Butler's people // McCaig, Donald
Bloodfever // Moning, Karen Marie
Blonde faith // Mosley, Walter
Now and then // Parker, Robert B.
Bones to ashes // Reichs, Kathy
Creation in death //Robb, J. D.
Exit ghost // Roth, Philip
Bridge of sighs // Russo, Richard
Dark of the moon //Sandford, John
Beginnings //Sawyer, Kim Vogel
The almost moon // Sebold, Alice
The choice //Sparks, Nicholas
Amazing grace // Steel, Danielle
Every secret thing // Tatlock, Ann
Shoot him if he runs // Woods, Stuart
The Wednesday letters // Wright, Jason F.

New Audio books @ the Bookmobile

American creation // Ellis, Joseph J.
Beyond the White House // Carter, Jimmy
Pontoon // Keillor, Garrison
Now & then // Parker, Robert B.
You've been warned // Patterson, James
Pick me up! //

New Nonfiction @ the Bookmobile

The World almanac and book of facts //
Woman, thou art loosed! // Jakes, T. D.
If Democrats had any brains, they'd be Republicans // Coulter, Ann H.
The conscience of a liberal // Krugman, Paul R.
The White House staff // Patterson, Bradley H.
Listening to cougar //
The art of simple food // Waters, Alice
Seasons of central Pennsylvania // Corr, Anne Quinn
Craig Claiborne's southern cooking // Claiborne, Craig
New rooms for old houses // Shirley, Frank
Fantasy art now // McKenna, Martin
Chimneys and towers // Fahlman, Betsy
Kodak guide to digital photography // Sheppard, Rob
American creation // Ellis, Joseph J.
Boom! // Brokaw, Tom
Clapton // Clapton, Eric

View From My Window

Snowy Day- November 19, 2007 White Oak, PA at Community School West

What You're Reading Now

With this post we're introducing a new occasional feature to our blog, "What You're Reading Now." The "Martinez" family* agreed to share their current reading selections to kick this feature off.

"Every man for himself : ten short stories about being a guy" edited by Nancy E. Mercado.
"Jude" by Kate Morgenroth.
"True confessions of a Hollywood starlet" by Lola Douglas.
"L.O.S.T." by Debbie Federici, Susan Vaught.
"Then he ate my boy entrancers : confessions of Georgia Nicolson" by Louise Rennison.
"The almost moon : a novel" by Alice Sebold.
Joyeux Noël [videorecording]
Pontoon [sound recording] by Garrison Keillor.
Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone [sound recording] by [J.K. Rowling].
"A Spot of Bother" by Mark Haddon
"New England White" by Stephen L. Carter
"Last Night I Dreamed of Peace : The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram"
"I Killed Adolf Hitler" by Jason
Angela's ashes [videorecording] /
Dead poets society [videorecording]
Anne Frank remembered [videorecording]
Signs [videorecording]
Tuck Everlasting [videorecording]

By my count, that comes to 10 books, 6 video recordings, and 2 audiobooks. I think it is fair to say that libraries enrich people's lives in many ways.

If you'd care to share your current selections, please be in touch.

*name changed