And for the curious minded, At Home

Bill Bryson is fast becoming one of my more favorite authors.  His A Short History of Nearly Everything, though perhaps not quite that comprehensive, did give a rather overwhelming history of us (homo sapiens) and how we got here.  His next book, At Home, has a terser focus that covers a far more manageable area (though perhaps 'terse' is not the right word to use where Bryson is concerned).  Though Bryson's tour of the home goes from room to room, he takes us on a journey from ancient Rome to the tea plantations of China, all in an effort to better understand how our homes became just that--home.  Bryson's genius is a child-like quest for explanation and an uncanny ability to explicate the answers he finds in an entertaining manner.  In the book, the reader will meet some incredible people and hear some even more incredible stories of both folly and triumph.  The world is an interesting place and Bryson once again proves that fact is stranger than fiction.  Highly recommended.

Bernhard for the hard to buy for

Thomas Bernhard is not the easiest writer to read, but he has written some of the more interesting works of the 20th century (e.g. Correction, Woodcutters).  A good way to get to know his work is through his shorter prose, so Prose should go on any challenging reader's list. http://www.rochester.edu/College/translation/threepercent/index.php?id=2799, then let them find their own way to the novels!

Vonnegut rules

If you are looking for a gift idea for the discerning reader on your list this holiday season, look no further than two titles concerning Kurt Vonnegut.  One is the Library of America's Novels and Stories, 1963-1973.  It contains Cat's Cradle, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, Slaughterhouse-Five, Breakfast of Champions, and Stories (including Welcome to the Monkey House).  In other words, this is Vonnegut at his very best.
Or if they own all Vonnegut's books, they can read about his life in Charles Shields' And So It Goes.   This is a fascinating life, well-told. Vonnegut died from a fall in 2007 and deserves to be remembered.  His best books dealt with important ideas.  Slaughterhouse-Five should be read by all.

Mervyn Peake's year

How many of you have heard of Mervyn Peake?  He was born 100 years ago this year and is the author of the highly quirky Gormenghast Trilogy.  Made up of the books Titus Groan, Gormenghast, and Titus Alone, they tell the story of the 77th Earl of Gormenghast, Titus Groan, and the changes he must contend with as he takes over as ruler of his crumbling kingdom.  A story of immense depth and fantastic color, readers can find out more at the website: http://www.mervynpeake.org/gormenghast/
Peake was also a talented artist and illustrator and a new edition of The Gormenghast Trilogy has just been published by Overlook Press that incorporates many of his idiosyncratic drawings.
For more information on the author, check out the blog: http://mervynpeake.blogspot.com/

All aboard for the Polar Express!!

Polar Express: A Story Time

The Library invites kids ages 3-5 to board the Polar Express at Second Baptist Church (100 North Main Street) on Tuesday, December 6 at 6:30 PM, or, Wednesday, December 7 at 10:30AM. Travel to the North Pole, drink hot cocoa, meet Santa and hear the story of The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. Wear your pajamas if you’d like – and don’t forget to bring your camera. Registration starts Tuesday, November 22. You can register by calling the library at (860) 668-3896 or, stop by to see us at the lower level of Suffield Town Hall, 83 Mountain Road, Suffield, CT.  

Thanksgiving week schedule

Next week the library will be open 10-5 Monday through Wednesday and 10-5 Friday and Saturday.  On Thursday we will be imbibing. 

Who’s got Cabin Fever (by Jeff Kinney?)

We do! Cabin Fever, the sixth in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series – by Jeff Kinney – is here! (And it’s turquoise in case you were wondering.) Give us a call (860-668-3896) and we’ll put it aside for you. Couldn’t get your hands on one of our five copies? While you’re waiting for your hold to come in, try the biography Jeff Kinney by Megan Gunderson. Haven’t started the series yet? What are you waiting for?  There’s no time like the present (though the past and the future are similar). We’ve got multiple copies of all the titles: Greg Heffley’s Journal, Rodrick Rules, The Last Straw, Dog Days and The Ugly Truth.  So come on down and visit us at our temporary digs in Town Hall (83 Mountain Road).

Consumer Reports Online

Everyone needs a little help in saving money these days.  We have just the database to help you do just that. Consumer reports online is available through the library's website.  Just go to http://www.suffield-library.org/ and follow the link.

Suffield Camera Club meets Nov. 15

The 6:30 meeting will again be held at the Suffield Senior Center Dining Room due to renovation at KML.

November's theme is "Autumn" or macro close-ups. Remember, 3 picture maximum for Theme. Any additional pictures you wish to provide can be added in the Photos / a Links section on the website.

Paul Osgood will discuss digital images sizes. This includes pixels, megapixels, pixels per inch (ppi) Dots per inch (dpi). These items determine how large on image can be printed or displayed on a PC without being considered pixilated and fuzzy.u

Immediately following we will be showing the Theme pictures with comments. Then a 15 minute break so members can have informal discussions with each other.

Finally, Paul Osgood will demo the use of Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) for initial steps in editing a photo. ACR is included in Photoshop, Photoshop Elements and Lightroom and allows you to crop, adjust white balance (color temperature), exposure, contrast and make other changes prior to printing an image or posting it on the web.

Library has reopened

It has been a long week.  We hope all Suffield residents have been safe and warm through this crisis.  The Library has reopened!  Now you have something to do while the schools are closed for one more day.  Come on down.

Suffield Photo Club

The next meeting will be November 15th at 6:30 pm, Suffield Senior Center in Suffield.

The meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm at the Suffield Senior Center at 145 Bridge Street. Everyone is welcome.
Please visit the website at-
http://SuffieldPhotoClub.com
For more info email the club at-
SuffieldPhotoClub@gmail.com

Connecticut’s Nutmeg Book Award

Are you planning on voting in January for the Nutmeg Book Award? If you are in grades 4-6 (intermediate), or 7-8 (teen) there is a book award for you, in which Connecticut students vote for their favorite from a list of ten nominees. The book with the most votes wins the award. Looking for a list of the January 2012 nominees? Check the award site: www.nutmegaward.org . Want to read the nominees? Come on over to our temporary location at the Town Hall (83 Mountain Road). If you want to reserve a book – call us at 860-668-3896, we have them all.

Salutations!

What’s the capital of Pennsylvania? Well if your name is Fern Arable, the answer is “Wilbur.” Have you read Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White? Mr. Arable, a farmer, is about to get rid of a runt piglet but his hand is stayed by the saddened, tear-stained face of his daughter Fern. She is given the piglet to raise and what follows is a beloved, Newberry Award winning children’s book read by many since 1952. Take a gander at it if you haven’t read it yet. And when you’re done, take a peek at Little Pink Pup by Johanna Kerby (c.2010). It’s a true story of a runt piglet, Pink, raised by – a dachshund. Come borrow both books from the Library, temporarily located in the lower level of Town Hall on 83 Mountain Road. Questions? Call us at 860-668-3896.

What's in a database

We have a new database page up that, I hope, is easier to navigate.  Take a look at:
http://suffield-library.org/databasesmain.htm

Rick Riordan's new book!

It’s Neptune! And I Don’t Mean the Planet.

Have you been reading the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan? Well get out your wetsuit because book two is here! Come find the second book, The Son of Neptune, at Kent Memorial Library, located temporarily at Town Hall (83 Mountain Road). Questions? Call us at 860-668-3896.