Best Picture--Academy Awards

Ready for Sunday when the 2011 Oscar for Best Picture will be announced? Which of the nominated films do you think should win OR do you have a favorite that was not nominated?

Let us know by sending back a comment, and, if you would like, why you would vote for your choice.

2011 Nominations for Best Picture

127 Hours

Black Swan

The Fighter

Inception

The Kids are all Right

The King's Speech

The Social Network

Toy Story 3

True Grit

Winter's Bone

Travel & Seafaring

Following are the most popular travel and seafaring books since July in order.



Dogtown : Death and Enchantment in a New England Ghost Town

by Elyssa East

The area known as Dogtown is a 2000 acre woodland in Gloucester Massachusetts. Its history includes tales of murder, witches, supernatural sightings, pirates and the many dogs Revolutionary War widows kept for protection and for which the area was named.






Seized : A Sea Captain's Adventures Battling Scoundrels and Pirates While Recovering Stolen Ships in the World's Most Troubled Waters

by Max Hardberger

"Seized" throws open the hatch on the shadowy maritime world, where third-world governments place exorbitant liens against ships, pirates seize commercial vessels with impunity--and hapless owners have to rely on sea captain Hardberger for justice.






Deadliest Sea : The Untold Story Behind the Greatest Rescue in Coast Guard History

by Kalee Thompson

Commercial fishing is the most dangerous job in the United States, with a death rate 36 times higher than for all other US workers. Veteran journalist Thompson offers a fascinating look at the Alaskan fishing industry in this book-length account of the March 23, 2008 sinking of the Alaska Ranger fishing trawler in the frigid Bering Sea, and the Coast Guard's dramatic rescue.




The Spartacus Road: a journey though ancient Italy

by Peter Stothard

As he travels along the Spartacus road, Stothard breathes new life into the story of Spartacus and the greatest slave war in antiquity. Stothard retraces the journey taken by Spartacus and his army of rebels, taking us back to an ancient world which confronted similar issues to those we face today--the perils of religious belief; the comfort of organized religion; the virtues of public life. He tells it, definitively, for our time.




Educating Alice : Adventures of a Curious Woman
by Alice Steinbach

This time she roamed the world, taking lessons and courses in such things as French cooking in Paris, Border collie training in Scotland, traditional Japanese arts in Kyoto, and architecture and art in Havana. With warmth and wit, Steinbach guides us through the pleasures and perils of discovering how to be a student again. She also learns the true value of this second chance at educating herself: the opportunity to connect with and learn from the people she meets along the way.

TB

Save the Library Posters

Phil Bradley, a world-class library blogger, has done it again. Libraries are under budget attack in the UK perhaps even more than in its former colony. To aid their savelibraries campaign Phil photoshopped a set of World War I posters changing the message from support-the-war-effort to save our libraries. They're on flickr. Take a look.
--RL

Struggle for Democracy

While we witness the struggle for democracy in the Middle East during the past few weeks, our thoughts are with the protesters and their families during this time of triumph and tragedy. Many of us claim to have scant knowledge of the history and government of countries such as Yemen, Tunisia and Bahrain. Visit the library and become better educated about current world affairs. Pictured are just two excellent reference sources.


The CIA World Factbook 2008 and The World Today Series : The Middle East and South Asia are available for use in the library. Come to the reference desk on the second floor and we will direct you circulating books and online resources as well.

Comment on this blog to share your thoughts on this and other historic events around the globe. We look forward to hearing from you!

-DB

Find Wellesley Free Library on the Web

Do you want to keep up with what is happening at the Wellesley Free Library OR learn about what is new and interesting in the book and movie world?

We have some places on the web you can check us out to stay up to date:







WELLESLEY FREE LIBRARY WEB PAGE—http://www.wellesleyfreelibrary.org
Find information regarding the library, its policies, events, technology classes, reading lists, online resources, how to sign up for our monthly E-Newsletter, and much more.


LIBRARY BLOGS




WELLESLEY FREE LIBRARY REFERENCE BLOG—http://wellesleyreference.blogspot.com/
Check our blog regularly for news about Reference services, new books, websites, booklists, authors, and library happenings!


WFL STAFF READS BLOG—http://wellesleystaffreads.blogspot.com/
Librarians blog about their favorite books, audiobooks, movies, and music.


WFL KIDS BLOG—http://www.wflkids.blogspot.com/
Short reviews of books for Grades 6-12 that Children’s Department staff are reading.







WFL FACEBOOK PAGE--http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wellesley-Free-Library/49999845750
Check out library events, photos, videos, and helpful information from the library staff.






WFL on TWITTER--http://twitter.com/WellesleyLib/
Receive instant messages on a wide range of topics including upcoming events, computer classes, Online Resources, helpful information from the Reference and Children’s Departments, and more.

SH

6 Must Use FREE eBook & Audiobook Websites

If you’re anything like me you have or know someone who has an e-reader. Each device lets you easily buy books from the associated stores. But, you are not limited to purchasing titles for your e-reader. You can get free eBooks to read on your Kindles, Nooks, iPads, and other devices.

Below you will find my 6 must use free eBook and audiobook websites. Each of them provides free content that you can read on your e-readers or listen to on your mp3 players.

Project Gutenberg
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page
-Has eBooks at http://www.gutenberg.org/catalog/
-Has Audiobooks at http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/categories/1
-Many different formats (HTML, EPUB, and Kindle for eBooks. MP3, iTunes, Ogg Vorbis, and Speex for audiobooks)
-Many different languages
-No signup
-Largest collection of free public domain books
-Proofread by dedicated volunteers = good quality texts.
-Lots of “classic” literature
-The eBooks are available for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch via free app Stanza

Internet Archive
http://www.archive.org/
-Public domain titles
-Has eBooks at http://www.archive.org/details/texts
-Has Audiobooks at http://www.archive.org/details/audio_bookspoetry
-Many different formats (PDF, Kindle, EPUB for eBooks. MP3 and Ogg Vorbis for audiobooks)
-No signup

Feedbooks
http://www.feedbooks.com/
-Has eBooks for free or to buy
-Has public domain titles at http://www.feedbooks.com/publicdomain
-Has original works at http://www.feedbooks.com/original
-Has for sale titles at http://www.feedbooks.com/store
-Used by well-known authors like Cory Doctorow (free titles)
-EPUB, Kindle, and PDF formats
-No signup for free titles
-Easy to search and get titles in formats for popular eReaders (Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader, iPad)

Google Books
http://books.google.com/ebooks
-Has eBooks for free at http://books.google.com/books
-Has eBooks to buy at http://books.google.com/ebooks (some free too)
-Has public domain titles, previews of other titles
-Provides links to booksellers and libraries
-Download titles to iPhone/iPad with appropriate app, or Android devices with appropriate app
-EPUB and PDF formats work with Sony eReader, BN Nook, Kobo eReader
-Not compatible with the Kindle
-No signup for free titles, but need to download an app for iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch, Android, and Nook and Sony devices

Baen Free Library
http://www.baen.com/library/defaultTitles.htm
-Science Fiction titles (i.e. 1812 by Eric Flint)
-Multiple formats (EPUB/Nook, Mobi/Palm/Kindle, Microsoft Reader, Sony Reader, Rich Text, etc)
-No signup

BookShouldBeFree
http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/
-Has free audiobooks
-MP3 and iPod/iTunes formats
-Suggests similar titles to the one you are browsing
-No signup
-Download the titles to your computer and then sync them with your MP3 player via software like iTunes.

JR

New Books for March

Live Wire by Harlan Coben

When former tennis star Suzze T and her rock star husband, Lex, encounter an anonymous Facebook post questioning the paternity of their unborn child, Lex runs off, and Suzze - at eight months pregnant - asks Myron to save her marriage, and perhaps her husband's life. But when he finds Lex, he also finds someone he wasn't looking for: his sister-in-law, Kitty, who along with Myron's brother abandoned the Bolitar family long ago.As Myron races to locate his missing brother while their father clings to life, he must face the lies that led to the estrangement - including the ones told by Myron himself. If we thought we knew Myron Bolitar, Coben now proves we didn't.

Silent Mercy by Linda Fairstein

In the latest thriller in Linda Fairstein's bestselling series, Alex Cooper dives deep into the byzantine, sinister world of New York City's powerful religious institutions.It's the middle of the night. Prosecutor Alexandra Cooper is called to Harlem's Mount Neboh Baptist Church, a beautiful house of worship originally built as a synagogue. But the crowd gathered there isn't interested in architecture, or even prayer. They've come for the same reason Alex has: to find out why the body of a young woman has been decapitated, set on fire, and left burning on the church steps.

Troubled Man by Henning Mankell

The much-anticipated return of Henning Mankell’s brilliant, brooding detective, Kurt Wallander.On a winter day in 2008, Håkan von Enke, a retired high-ranking naval officer, vanishes during his daily walk in a forest near Stockholm. The investigation into his disappearance falls under the jurisdiction of the Stockholm police. It has nothing to do with Wallander—officially. But von Enke is his daughter’s future father-in-law. And so, with his inimitable disregard for normal procedure, Wallander is soon interfering in matters that are not his responsibility, making promises he won’t keep, telling lies when it suits him—and getting results. But the results hint at elaborate Cold War espionage activities that seem inextricably confounding, even to Wallander, who, in any case, is troubled in more personal ways as well.

Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult

In the aftermath of a series of personal tragedies, Zoe throws herself into her career as a music therapist. When an unexpected friendship slowly blossoms into love, she makes plans for a new life, but to her shock and inevitable rage, some people—even those she loves and trusts most—don't want that to happen.
Sing You Home is about identity, love, marriage, and parenthood.

maf

It's Tax Time Again!

Yes, it's that time of year again, where we turn away from the unpleasant task of shoveling out from under massive snow falls and turn to the even more unpleasant task of filing our tax returns.

This year both the federal government and our state government have decided to make this time easier on their budgets and draw back from printing and mailing forms to individuals, so a lot of you may be left without the forms you need to get the job done. Never fear, the library's here!

We do our best to get the most frequently requested tax forms for you, but delays in legislation and printing have led to a dearth of forms in the library. But as of this Tuesday, we now have most of the forms and instructions you need, so come on down and pick up what you need--they're held behind the Reference Desk on the second floor, in the alcove behind the desk. If you need any other forms that we haven't ordered, we'll be happy to print them for you at the low, low cost of 15 cents a page. We may not be able to make your trip to the dentist any easier, but we endeavor to make tax time as painless as possible for you!


MW

A Second Opinion on Health Sites

An article in yesterday's New York Times Magazine looked at two different health information sites; The Mayo Clinic Health Information site, and the popular WebMD, and examined how similar sites can provide different content. Virginia Heffernan's article, A Prescription for Fear, does a great job of examining how factors such as money from drug companies influences content on the two sites. Not all web content is created equally, and this article is an interesting look at why.

ACL

Featured WFL Online Resource for February--Get your facts straight with Opposing Viewpoints in Context

Opposing Viewpoints in Context brings together primary documents, videos, academic journal articles, statistics, charts, text from reputable reference resources, and more on the most important social issues to assist in research, debates, and to clarify pro/con positions for issues the public needs to know.

The topic page display presents all formats on a single page for easy selection. Whether you are a student or someone who just wants to know more, you will find this a very interesting and helpful resource. SH

Digital Public Library?--They're woking on it...

Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society announced that it is working on a national "digital public library." The plot is ambitious and the planners include representatives from a variety of universities, foundations and government agencies. While the overall goal is to efficiently deliver electronic books, all the little realities like rights and royalties, publishers and authors and Google Books have yet to be worked out. And missing from the impressive list of participants is any involvement from public libraries or from the American Library Association. Stay tuned.
--RL

New Books on the American Revolution

Was it General Gage or General Howe who commanded the redcoats at Bunker Hill? What prominent member of the Son's of Liberty was American's first traitor? Could the agitator Samuel Adams been behind a hedge or around the corner of a tavern on Lexington green and have fired the "shot heard round the world"? Find out in these new books about the War for Independence.



Revolutionaries : A New History of the Invention of America by Jack N. Rakove

In the early 1770s, the men who invented America were living quiet, provincial lives. None set out to become "revolutionary" by ambition, but when events in Boston escalated, they found themselves thrust into a crisis that moved, in a matter of months, from protest to war.



Invisible Ink : Spycraft of the American Revolution
by John Nagy

During the American Revolution, espionage was critical to the successes and failures of both Colonial and British war efforts. Invisible Ink is an entertaining survey of the various techniques, as well as accounts of some of the more notable spies and spying episodes of the period.




Perilous Fight : America's Intrepid War with Britain on the High Seas, 1812-1815
by Stephen Budiansky

Drawing extensively on diaries, letters, and personal accounts from both sides, Budiansky re-creates the riveting encounters at sea in bloody clashes of cannonfire and swordplay; the intimate hopes and fears of vainglorious captains and young seamen in search of adventure; and the behind-the-scenes political intrigue and maneuvering in Washington and London.



As If an Enemy's Country : The British Occupation of Boston and the Origins of Revolution
by Richard Archer

In the dramatic few years when colonial Americans were galvanized to resist British rule, perhaps nothing did more to foment anti-British sentiment than the armed occupation of Boston. Richard Archer has written a gripping narrative of those critical months between October 1, 1768 and the winter of 1770 when Boston was an occupied town.




With Fire and Sword : The Battle of Bunker Hill
by James L. Nelson

A masterful new history of the first real battle of the Revolutionary War. If Lexington and Concord was the shot heard around the world, then Bunker Hill was the volley that rocked Parliament and the ministry of George III.

TB