New Year, New You

Thinking about your New Year’s Resolution for 2013? Check out the New Year, New You display on the second floor on the library!

Have trouble keeping your New Year’s Resolutions? Check out these free apps that will help keep you on target.

Health & Fitness
	My Fitness Pal App With MyFitnessPal's free Calorie Counter, you keep a food diary that shows how much you can eat and still lose weight, and you'll have it with you everywhere you go.
	Fitocracy (iPhone Only) A fitness app that uses social tools and gamification to make working out easier. By automatically including friends and adding a similar level of competition that you’d find in a video game, Fitocracy keeps users focused on their goals without having to focus on the pain of working out regularly.
	Breathe2Relax App  Breathe2Relax is a portable stress management tool. Built on the iPhone mobile app platform, Breathe2Relax is a hands-on diaphragmatic breathing exercise.
Finance
	Mint.com app Mint.com's free app helps you get a handle on how much money is coming in, and how much goes out. With the app, you can enter purchases as you make them to keep an accurate account of spending.
Organization
	Astrid.com Lists are your best friend when it comes keeping a resolution -- and even more valuable if your resolution is to get organized. Todoroo's free Astrid app keeps track of your work and personal to-dos, and syncs them across all the devices in your life (smartphone, tablet and computer). You can speak new entries instead of spending the time typing, and even can make lists public to share with friends.
Reading more
	Goodreads.com Discover and share books you love on Goodreads, the world's largest site for readers and book recommendations!

Happy New Year's and best of luck with those resolutions!

How the Wellesley Free Library handles Young Adult and Youth Fiction

A few weeks ago, the New York Times Book Review changed its list of Young Adult Best Sellers to more accurately reflect the landscape of Young Adult Literature.  The list now separates out “Middle Grade” Literature and “Young Adult”

We here at the Wellesley Free Library have been at the practice of separating Young Adult and Youth Books. 

Youth:

Our Youth Books are located in the Quigley Youth Room, on the first floor of the library, within the Children’s Room.

The Call Numbers in the catalog look like so:

Young Adult:

Our Young Adult books are those books that focus on high school and “older” issues and often center around a character that can be classified as a “Young Adult.” Our Young Adult books are located on the second floor, to the left of reference desk, next to the Graphic Novels and Science Fiction sections.

The Call Numbers in the catalog look like so:

Friday Book Group at the Main Library

All are welcome to join the Friday Morning Book Group at the Main Library on the third Friday of every month from 10-11AM. We will meet next on January 18 in the History Room for a discussion of the memoir Paris : A Love Story by award winning journalist and  author Kati Marton.  Copies of the book and audiobook are available at the Reference Desk on the second floor  for checkout.
We look forward to seeing you!

 -DB

Small demons

What do Henry Fonda, Benito Mussolini, T.S. Eliot, William Shakespeare, Raskolnikov, Flash Gordon, Nietzsche, Marx, de Sade, Plato, Theodore Roosevelt, Lot, Washington Irving, Juan Peron, Gandhi, Tarzan and Einstein have in common? To make it easy for you to spot the pattern, what do So You Wanna Be a Rock & Roll Star, Thing of Beauty, Porno, The Right Address, Infinite Jest, Cat's Meow and The Coldest Winter Ever have in common? Alright, alright! One last chance...Mel Brooks, Cuisinart, Central Park, Dragnet, Grey Poupon mustard, New Republic and the Cannes Festival. No, I guess they're not really knowable. (I'd like to meet the person who DOES make the connections!)
The first set of names are people mentioned in Catch-22. The books listed all contain a reference to Calvin Klein. Last are the names, places and things found in Nora Ephron's Heartburn. How do I know this? Small Demons is a project designed to ferret out just those kind of details from thousands of books. At their website you can find 3 books that mention Herbie Hancock's Rockit, 1255 books that mention Cadillac, or all the names, places and "things" found in Hardship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage by Alice Munro. Check out the review on the ALA website and for sure, check out this unique website.
--RL

What's new in Mystery and Fiction for January

Wondering what books are coming out in January?  Here are a few titles:

The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier
It's 1850 in Ohio, and English Quaker Honor Bright becomes involved in the Underground Railroad.


Habits of the House by Fay Weldon
It's 1899 and the Earl of Dilberne is eage to marry his son to an heiress.  Rich, gorgeous Minnie from Chicago is the target. The first book in a planned trilogy. 

Standing in Another Man's Grave by Ian Rankin
 John Rebus returns to investigate the disappearances of three women from the same road over ten years.
maf

Goodreads announces Best Titles for 2012

If you love to read and haven't discovered or used Goodreads yet, now is a great time to see what they have to offer with the GoodReads Choice Awards. 

This 2012 Best Books list is voted by readers.  Take a look.  It may help with your choices for gifts as well as what you should read next!

SH

Library Staff Holiday Gift Suggestions

Library Staff Holiday Suggestions

Looking for the perfect holiday gift for friends or family? The Wellesley Free Library staff members are here to offer some suggestions!

Jason from Reference Suggests…. 

Ender’s Game

By Orson Scott Card

 

 

 Ender’s game is a great Science Fiction book for any age! This book will be made into a movie starring Harrison Ford in 2013, making it great for any friend or relative who likes to read the book before they see the movie. 

Marian from Children’s Department Suggests…

Norman Rockwell’s Christmas Book

 

 Norman Rockwell’s Christmas contains stories, poems, carols and recipes by famous authors along with 120 illustrations by Rockwell. Great for Rockwell fans, but also a special gift for anyone who loves Christmastime.

 

Joellen from Circulation Suggests….

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Arranged by: Dan Fox

This beautifully illustrated book contains musical scores of all of your favorite holiday songs. A beautiful gift for anyone!

 

Anne From Reference Suggests…

State By State: A Panoramic Portrait of America

Edited by: Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey

 

From the bestselling editors of "The Thinking Fan's Guide to the World Cup" comes an American road trip in book form: original writing on all 50 states by 50 of America's finest novelists, journalists, and essayists. A fun gift for anyone on your holiday shopping list!

Farouqua from Children’s Department Suggests...

Just Kids

By Patti Smith

 

Smith's evocative, honest, and moving coming-of-age story reveals her extraordinary relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. Part romance, part elegy, "Just Kids" is about friendship in the truest sense, and the artist's calling.

Lisa from Technical Services Suggests…

Appalachian Trail

By Bill Bryson

 

The only illustrated book officially published with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, The Appalachian Trail explores this legendary footpath in detail: with a foreword by Bill Bryson and filled with more than 300 spectacular contemporary images, as well as unpublished historical photos, documents, and maps from the ATC archives.

Lisa also suggests...

Upstairs and Downstairs

By Sarah Warwick

 

 Upstairs and Downstairs gives readers an inside look at a regular day in an upper-crust English home in the Edwardian era. The book includes real historical accounts from both masters and servants. Fans of the hit show Downton Abbey would love to receive this gift!

Megan the Intern Suggests...

J. R. R. Tolkien by Michael White

This biography looks at Tolkien's work as a teacher, his relationship with his publisher, the formation of the group the Inklings, and the continuing impact of Tolkien's works.

J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography by Humphrey Carpenter

The author of "The Brideshead Generation" and "The Inklings" was given unrestricted access to all of Tolkien's papers for this biography of the author of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings". 14 photos.

With the release of the film The Hobbit this holiday season any Lord of the Rings fan would love to receive either of these books as a gift!

Elise from Administration Suggests...

 

Playaways! This holiday season give your loved one their favorite book on a playaway. A playaway is a small audio player that holds a complete audiobook. Portable and easy to use, playaways make a great gift for anyone! If you love this format, come see our large selection of playaways at the Wellesley Free Library!

Kat from Children’s Department Suggests...

Tangled Weds: How False Statements are Undermining America

By James B. Stewart

 A bestselling author presents an investigation of our era's most high-profile perjurers, revealing the alarming extent of this national epidemic. With many prosecutors, investigators, and participants speaking for the first time, "Tangled Webs" goes behind the scene of the trials of media and homemaking entrepreneur Martha Stewart; top White House political adviser Lewis "Scooter" Libby; home-run king Barry Bonds; and Wall Street money manager Bernard Madoff. This book is a great gift for anyone who loves non-fiction!

Tyson from Reference Suggests...

2312

By Kim Stanley Robinson

The year is 2312. Scientific and technological advances have opened gateways to an extraordinary future. But a sequence of events will force humanity to confront its past, its present, and its future.

Best Books for 2012

It's Holiday shopping time and you may want to check out the best books of the year to give to your best friend or a loving family member for those long winter evenings?  Try the following recommendations from popular lists!

Publishers Weekly Best Books 2012

Kirkus Reviews Best Fiction Books of 2012 (Nonficton list will be released on December 3 at same link)

Library Journal Best Books of 2012 by Genre The index for genre you want is on the right side of the page

Amazon Best Books of the Year Editors Picks

Massachusetts Book Awards 2012 and Must-Reads.   There is a link to download the entire list for fiction and nonfiction.

National Book Awards 2012 List includes the winners and finalists

Happy Reading!!!  SH

Most Popular Passwords

With the ability to manage banking, pay bills, apply for jobs, and network online, internet users these days have a lot of user-ids and passwords to remember. These passwords are intended to provide a level of safety not guaranteed with online transactions. Passwords should be unique to you, not something generic. Passwords are best with 8 or more characters, capitalization, and numerials. Do you have any passwords that appear on this list? Make sure you change those passwords to something more challenging to guess! Check out Mashable's post on the Top 25 Passwords for more ideas on how to best protect your identity on the internet http://mashable.com/2012/10/23/worst-passwords/


Top 25 List -
1. password

2, 123456
3. 12345678
4. abc123
5. qwerty
6. monkey
7. letmein
8. dragon
9. 111111
10. baseball
11. iloveyou
12. trustno1
13. 1234567
14. sunshine
15. master
16. 123123
17. welcome
18. shadow
19. ashley
20. football
21. jesus
22. michael
23. ninja
24. mustang
25. password1

~JH

The Future of E-Readers and Tablets is E-Paper

UC research is bringing closer the e-sheet, shown here in a photo illustration, e-Devices will one day be as thin and as rollable as a rubber mat.

The screens on today's e-devices are made of glass.  But what if you had a device like an IPad with a plastic screen that you could roll up or fold.  A breakthrough in electrofluidic imaging at the University of Cincinnati may make e-paper a reality soon.

In 10 to 20 years, consumers will see foldable/rollable e-Devices with magazine-quality color, viewable in bright sunlight but requiring low power, as shown in this photo illustration.  UC research is bringing these devices closer.

      A paper thin plastic film coated with a thin layer of electronics uses fluid mechanics to transport colored ink and clear fluids for the screen.  The e-paper uses ambient light and little power to operate.  The first devices will be monochrome with color to come within 10 to 20 years.
See the complete article at e! science news.

Tyson

Durable Values

Wellesley resident Cynthia Wight Rossano is a writer and editor who for nearly thirty years was sole editor to the late Reverend Peter J. Gomes, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Minister in The Memorial Church, Harvard University. 

Together, Gomes and Rossano published numerous articles, papers and books, including the New York Times and national best-sellers, The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Mind and Heart, and The Good Life: Truths That Last in Times of Need. 

Next Thursday, December 6th at 7:00 P.M., Rossano will read excerpts from Durable Values: Selected Writings of Peter J. Gomes, and take questions. As Rossano explains in the introduction, Gomes had planned to write a memoir of his life in the ministry and at Harvard before he died. This collection of writings is Rossano's best guess at what that memoir might have been. 

Free and open to the public, sponsored by the Friends of the Wellesley Free Libraries. Copies of Durable Values will be available for sale and signing.

ecm

What defines a library?

Though the traditional and obviously simplistic definition of a public library is  a collection of information sources, resources, books, and services, the wider meaning is certainly a sanctuary of community and healing for those in need. Rarely was this more apparent than after Hurricane Sandy when the New York and New Jersey public libraries became a refuge for the those without power, heat and in many cases, a home. The fact that the libraries themselves were damaged in the storm was more of a back story but unfortunately, a real one.  As they continue to reel from the effects of the storm, the staff are often struggling to provide essential library services.

New York Library Disaster Relief Fund 

Rebuilding New Jersey's Libraries

-DB

What's new in mystery and fiction?

Notorious Nineteen by Janet Evanovich
We can't get enough of these Stephanie Plum novels.

Shadow Creek by Joy Fielding
Crazed killers wreak havoc in the Adirondacks.
 
Two Graves by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
FBI Agent Aloysius Pendergast discovers that his wife Helen -- who he thought was dead -- is alive.  Then she's kidnapped and he must go looking for her.
maf

Densho Encyclopedia

In February 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 authorizing the military to evacuate all people of Japanese ancestry from the west coast of the United States. Over 100,000 Japanese and Japanese-Americans were forcibly relocated to a handful of detention centers, until their release in 1945. Of course the Library has a wealth of materials (including the classic Farewell to Manzanar) on the relocation, but now there is a free online encyclopedia devoted entirely to the subject. Denshon includes images, videos, documents and interviews and is intended for high school and college students.
--RL

November Featured Online Resource is CQ Researcher

The place to turn for clear information on hot topics and issues is CQResearcher.  Each topic, whether political, economic or social, provides in depth research, statistics and charts, and a pro/con feature to illustrate positions on an issue.   

Topics recently covered include Mormonism, the new Health Care Law, the Euro Crisis and Supreme Court Controversies. Take advantage of this unique tool and stay up to date with the important issues of our time!  SH

Happy Birthday Bram Stoker!

Check out the Google Doodle for today:

Today is Bram Stoker's 165th birthday! Celebrate his birthday by sinking your teeth into his most famous work, Dracula.

Dracula is one of my 'all-time' favorite novels, and if you have not read it, I suggest giving it a try. While popular culture seems to spit out a new vampire novel every month, none of them have the depth that this novel possesses. It was not the first vampire novel, however it remains the foundation for a great deal of vampyric myth. Beyond the monster legend, Dracula is a book about colonialism, post-colonialism, immigration, and the role of women in Victorian Society. It is interesting to think about the fact that Stoker, an Irishman, wrote Dracula, a book about an outside force invading England and literally bleeding it dry, shortly after the Irish Potato famine. There was an immense amount of hostility toward England, as they continued to export goods out of Ireland during the worst times of the potato blight, essentially bleeding Ireland dry. Much of Irish literature has been explained as pre or post famine, and this novel is very interesting to read knowing it is post-famine.
In the novel Dracula starts out as the colonized when an Englishman named Jonathan Harker travels to his home in the Carpathian Mountains to purchase the estate. While Harker is trapped in the estate of Dracula, Dracula travels to England and preys upon the Victorian women. The colonizer (England), becomes the colonized when Dracula turns a few of the English characters in the book into vampires. I have a great deal more to say about this book, but I am afraid I have already given so much of the plot away! Check out the book youself and stop by the Reference Desk sometime and let me (Jason) know what you thought!

Books on Stoker and Dracula
The new annotated Dracula
The essential Dracula

Further Information:
Dracula : between tradition and modernism by Senf, Carol

Potato Famine:
The great Irish potato famine by Donnelly, James S. Jr



The United States of YA

Created with the contributions of readers, EpicReads has made a fairly awesome map of YA books.

You can see the full post here

I am looking forward to tackling this list. I have read a number already, but now that I see this list I cannot resist reading them all. How many of these have you read? What do you think about the full list?

~jh

And God Spoke to Abraham Lincoln

Disunion Blog

The New York Times DISUNION Blog follows the Civil War as it happened 150 years ago.  In a recent post by by EDWARD J. BLUM and PAUL HARVEY which talks about how President Lincoln received a letter from God.  

“I am your Heavenly Father and the God of all Nations,” it began. God had particular explanations and instructions for the president, whose entire term of office had been defined by war. “I am the cause for the disruption between the North and the South,” he continued, and the point was to destroy the “horrible state of affairs” that man’s “selfish nature” had brought. “I am not partial and have no respect of persons.” Coming just weeks after the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, the letter made it clear that God wanted to destroy slavery. For further instructions, God told Lincoln to gather six of his best men and meet in person “my instrument the Messenger of Peace the Christ of this day.”  Lincoln did not believe the letter was from God, of course; as he suspected, it came from a local religious devotee named Lydia Smith, who believed herself to be God’s medium.

To read the entire post click HERE.
 
Today a President has staff to go through his mail and is less accessible then he was 150 years ago.  Still I picture Lincoln writing at his desk or reading about military strategy not answering "crank" letters or being influenced by the great awakening.

Tyson

 

Classic foreign film on DVD

Many of our classic films on VHS have now been replaced on DVD format. Come in and browse this new collection of older titles.  A sampling:

 

Which are your favorites? Any suggestions for purchase? We would love to hear from you!

-DB