Happy 100th

The blonde, light-footed partner of dancer Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers was born in Independence, Missouri in July, 1911 and died in 1995. In 1941, Rogers was Hollywood's highest paid female star performing dramatic, comic and Broadway leading roles. She made 73 movies opposite such leading men as James Stewart, Cary Grant and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Her 1941 Academy Award for her performance in Kitty Foyle are displayed at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University along with a trove of correspondence, photographs, scripts and film and stage memorabilia in honor of her birthday. Come browse our media collection for some of Rogers' films such as The Gay Divorcee, The Barkleys of Broadway, Swing Time, Shall We Dance, Top Hat and 42nd Street.

-DB

October 2011 Audiofile Earphone Awards

If you are an audiobook lover, you will want to take a look at the newly announced Audiofile Earphone Awards for October, 2011. These awards are given to audio presentations with exceptional

• narrative voice and style

• vocal characterizations

• appropriateness for the audio format

• enhancement of the text

Some of the titles include:

The Wreckage by Michael Robotham; read by Sean Barrett.

The Return by Hakan Nesser; Read by Simon Vance.

Neuromancer by William Gibson; Read by Robertson Dean

Dead Man's Folly by Agatha Christie; read by John Moffatt



So if you are going on a trip, exercising, or just relaxing, request one of the October 2011 Audiofile Earphones Award Winners to enjoy!

SH

New Books for November

What's coming out in November? Here are a few titles:

11/22/1963 by Stephen King

What if you could go back into the past and change the course of events? See what happens in Stephen King's new novel.

V Is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton

Kinsey Milhone is back -- for the 22nd time! And there's a woman with a murky past. Did she kill herself or was it murder?

The Impossible Dead by Ian Rankin

No more John Rebus books from Ian Rankin. This is the second novel featuring the new character, Inspector Malcolm Fox of the Edinburgh Internal Affairs Department.

maf

Keeping up with Standardized Tests

If you used a #2 pencil to fill in circles on standardized tests you'd be amazed on how much has changed. Nowadays, computers rule and security in testing centers puts the TSA to shame. For some exams you can even click a button and find out most of your scores before you leave the center!

Because the tests undergo significant changes every few years it's important to use an up-to-date test preparation book. Here are just a few of the recently revised 2012 prep books available in the library:

Cracking the New GRE (The Princeton Review)

Kaplan GMAT Premier

Cracking the SAT Math Subject Tests (The Princeton Review)

Kaplan AP Chemistry

Downloading library ebooks for your Kindle

Have you heard about how you can download library ebooks for your Kindle but been a little shy about trying it out? There's no need to fear, we've created a tutorial to help you get started--you'll be downloading ebooks in no time, I promise.




MW

Libraries, Amazon and Privacy

Amazon Kindle owners will probably have heard by now that they can borrow ebooks from libraries (through Overdrive) and read the books on their readers. This was exciting and long-anticipated news, since Kindles are so popular among e-reading devices. There is a new wrinkle, however, making its way into librarian discussion groups. Public libraries have very strict guidelines (embedded in state laws, and American Library Association principles) about the confidentiality of library records--specifically the borrowing history of its patrons. Short of a court order, those records are erased and unavailable to anyone when a book is returned. So what about the borrowing records of Kindle ebooks? Those records, are the property of Amazon and are used to sharpen their marketing of similar books to their customers. The discussion is still in its early stages, so no one knows yet how (or whether) public libraries will be able to uphold its principles and continue to deliver ebooks in this very popular format. The Minuteman Library Network will discuss the issue in its November meeting. Stay tuned...
--RL

Wellesley the Home Front 1940-1945

The Wellesley local history collection has a wonderful oversize book of the publicity of the Wellesley Committee on Public Safety during the war years 1940-1945. It is filled with articles published by the Townsman, Boston Globe, Boston Herald and Wellesley Ledger.

Defense information, air raid planning, scrap collection, food and nutrition classes, blackouts, first aid, knitting, and other public safety articles reflect what life was like in Wellesley during the war years.

Ask to see it at the reference desk.

Click on picture for larger image.


TB

Try Scientific American Online

Wellesley Free Library is happy to offer online access to the most 

respected science magazine for the general reader—ScientificAmerican, winner of the 2011 National Magazine Award for General Excellence.   

Scientists, inventors, and engineers present their ideas and achievements that demonstrate the latest in scientific discovery and technological innovation in easy to understand articles with rich graphics.  So whether you are an amateur scientist or a student with a project, keep up with our fast moving world from home or in the library using this wonderful resource!

SH

The Marilyn Obsession

The coming fiftieth anniversary of Marilyn Monroe's death in 2012 has sparked even more Marilyn Obsession (as described last week in the NYT Fashion & Style section).  The October Vogue cover story features a photo shoot by Annie Liebowitz of Michelle Williams as Marilyn, the role she plays in the upcoming movie My Week with Marilyn.  The movie is based on the book by Colin Clark, son of Sir Kenneth Clark (most well-known to Americans for his 1969  BBC series, Civilization). The audio version of Clark's book features narrator Simon Prebble, one of AudioFile's Best Voices of 2009.

-DB