Celebrate the Freadom to Read--Banned Books Week 2013

Tomorrow is the last day of the official Banned Books Week where we have an opportunity to reflect on all of the treasures we may have missed if individuals and groups had succeeded in suppressing the access to published works in libraries.

What are some of these titles that have been challenged or banned in the United States?

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare

Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini

1984 & Animal Farm by George Orwell

Color Purple by Alice Walker

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling

Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Parks

Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey

This is just a sampling of the many titles that requests have been made to remove or have been removed from library shelves due to political, sexual, religious, or social reasons..  For more lists see the ALA Banned Books website. 

Celebrate that you live in a country where you have access to the published word and that you have a public library that is the place to find what you need!  SH

60th Anniversary of the Korean War

To enrich the observance of the 60th Anniversary of the Korean War, check out the 2^nd floor display table for a variety of Korean War nonfiction and fiction books, audiobooks, and DVDs.  The Reference Department also has booklists available for you take.

The official website for the anniversary, Korean War 60th Anniversary, offers (by clicking on History on the toolbar at the top of the page) the history, personal testimonials, photographs, biographies and more for this Forgotten War,

Some of the titles available on the display include:

Naval Aviation in the Korean War 




Bully Able Leader : the story of a fighter-bomber pilot in the Korean War

Home: A Novel by Toni Morrison

Mash: A Novel about 3 Army Doctors by Richard Hooker

War Trash: A Novel by Ha Jin

SH

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

Friday Five: YA Series to Watch

It seems like after the success of Harry Potter, every YA book title promotes itself as a "The first book in the ____ series." As a YA junkie, I am okay with this. As a buyer of books, I say "Enough!" And as a lover of books, I would rather see them stop at one book rather than pumping out two more books of low quality just to market the series as the next Hunger Games. In the hope of highlighting some quality up and coming series, I present to you todays "Friday Five: YA Series to Watch" with my reviews:

Series: Divergent

Author: Roth, Veronica

Book Title(s): Divergent, Insurgent

My thoughts: I am very excited about this series and this author. Veronica Roth is in her early twenties and already pumping out some quality work. Her characters are very human and I cannot wait to see what she gives us in the future. For now we have this YA Dystopian Novel about a teenage girl who must choose between staying with her family and being who she really is

, as well as the repercussions of that decision. Divergent is definitely one to watch. While it has not hit Hunger Games or Twilight fandom, it does have a large following and a movie adaptation to be released March 21, 2014.

Series: Unwind

Author: Shusterman, Neal

Book Title(s): Unwind, UnWholly

My thoughts: Rather than a discussion on war or love, this book series takes on the concept of abortion. In the future, abortion is illegal. However, at 16 parents can choose to have their unruly child “unwound.” Instead of dying, the teen lives on with his heart in a man who needed one, his skin as a graft for a burn victim. The story in Unwind has 3 main narrators and was a great read. UnWholly came out recently and I am trying to get to it this weekend.

 

Series: Graceling

Author: Cashore, Kristin

Book Title(s): Graceling, Bitteblue

My thoughts: Graceling contained a quality of writing you rarely see in debut novels. This idea centers in a world where some people are born with “graces” or amazing skill sets that can range from excellent culinary skills to a killing “grace.” We meet our young female hero (surprise!) who has a killing grace and has become somewhat of personal thug to the king she serves, who happens to be her uncle. It is a very fun read and I cannot wait to finally read Bitterblue, the second book in the series.

Series: Legend

Author: Lu, Marie

Book Title(s): Legend, Prodigy (tbr 2013)

My thoughts: I will say I was annoyed that there are two different fonts in this book to show which of the two narrators are talking. I find it offensive to all readers that whoever made that decision thought the average reader could not see the difference in narrators. Once I got past my annoyance with the font, I was immensely impressed with the descriptions of action sequences in this book. The story focuses around two teenage military geniuses who are on different sides of the current military regime. I am excited to see where Prodigy, due out 2013, picks up.

 

Series: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Series title unknown)

Author: Riggs, Ransom

Book Title(s): Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

My thoughts: The sequel to this book was just announced this past week. I loved the book but I do not know if I can be truly excited about the sequel. The book took such an interesting turn of events from start to finish that I do not know what to expect from the sequel.

Are there any series you are excited about?

~Jason

Space Race

Neil Armstrong the first man to walk on the Moon has died at the age of 82. Remember the race to the Moon with these books.



John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon
     by John M. Logsdon
JFK actively involved himself in space decisions and several times reviewed his decision to go to the Moon, each time concluding that the benefits of being the leader in space outweighed the massive costs of the lunar landing enterprise. Logsdon traces the evolution of JFK’s thinking and policy up until his assassination

The Race: The Uncensored Story of How America Beat Russia to the Moon
     by James L. Schefter
The messy and glorious saga of the golden years of the American space program, told in never-before-revealed detail by a man who was there. Life reporter Schefter could not write a fraction of what he saw then for PR reasons.Now, at last, he can tell it all.

Race to the Moon: America's Duel with the Soviets
     by William B. Breuer
Race to the Moon is the first book to trace the entire story of how America got to the moon before Communist Russia.
The book reads like an espionage thriller.

One Giant Leap: Apollo 11 Remembered
     by Piers Bizony
The first moon landing in July 1969 captured the imagination of the world as no subsequent "space spectacular" has.  Forty years later, space historian Piers Bizony has produced a stunning visual record of this unparalleled mission.

The Book of the Moon
     by Rick Stroud
To celebrate the fortieth anniversary of man's first steps on the moon, a visually striking cornucopia of everything worth knowing about our closest neighbor in space.

Tyson

Summer's Here and the Reading is Easy

Want to start working on your summer reading requirements?  OR perhaps you are just looking for a good read!
Take a look at the Wellesley High School summer reading requirements and selections found on our website as a list of titles trifold, and if you would like to have a short summary of the title, take a look at the list with annotations that has been prepared by the Reference Department. 

You will find the required book for all students listed--The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks --as well as 200+ other titles that are recommended.  Find all of the titles at the Wellesley Free Library.  SH

Top 10 History Books of 2011

Rankings are based on popularity determined by circulation statistics.

1. In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
By Larson, Erik
2011-05 - Crown Publishing Group (NY)

The time is 1933, the place, Berlin, when William E. Dodd becomes America's first ambassador to Hitler's Germany in a year that proved to be a turning point in history.

2. The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris
By McCullough, David
2011-05 - Simon & Schuster

McCullough tells the story of the American artists and scientists who studied in Paris, and changed America through what they learned there.

3. Zeitoun
By Eggers, Dave
2009-07 - McSweeney's Books

"This is a beautiful book. "Zeitoun" is a poignant, haunting, ethereal story about New Orleans in peril. Eggers has bottled up the feeling of post- Katrina despair better than anyone else.

4. The Perfect Nazi: Uncovering My Grandfather's Secret Past
By Davidson, Martin
2011-03 - Putnam Adult

Using the skills he honed as a documentary producer for the BBC, Davidson explores the truth behind his family's dark secret--his grandfather was a Nazi SS officer.

5. The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss
By de Waal, Edmund
2010-08 - Farrar Straus Giroux

In the 1870s, Charles Ephrussi assembled a collection of 360 Japanese ivory carvings known as "netsuke." In this grand story, a renowned ceramicist and the fifth generation to inherit the collection traces the story of a remarkable family and a tumultuous century.

6. Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
By Hillenbrand, Laura
2010-11 - Random House
Telling an unforgettable story of a young lieutenant's journey into extremity, "Unbroken" is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

7. Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization
By Miles, Richard
2011-07 - Viking Books

The first full-scale history of Carthage in decades, "Carthage Must Be Destroyed" reintroduces modern readers to the larger-than-life historical players and the ancient glory of this almost forgotten civilization.

8. Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919
By Puleo, Stephen
2003-09 - Beacon Press
The Boston molasses flood lives dimly in popular memory, but no historian has explored it fully until now. Puleo brings this disaster to life with vivid prose, using the dreadful catastrophe as a lens through which to view the panorama of a changing Boston, as well as to survey the major events that would shape the future of 20th-century America.

9. The Whites of Their Eyes: Bunker Hill, the First American Army, and the Emergence of George Washington
By Lockhart, Paul Douglas
2011-06 – Harper

One hot June afternoon in 1775, on the gentle slopes of a hill near Boston, Massachusetts, a small band of ordinary Americans--frightened but fiercely determined--dared to stand up to a superior British force. Paul Lockhart combines military and political history to offer a major reassessment of one of the most famous battles in American history.

10. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
By Mann, Charles C.
2005-08 - Knopf Publishing Group

In this groundbreaking study, Mann shows how a new generation of anthropologists and archaeologists, using new research techniques, have come to the persuasive conclusion that more people lived in the Americas in 1491 than in Europe.

TB

October Snow now What?

Did the freak October snow storm cause some damage to your trees and shrubs?
Learn how to prune and care for damaged trees with these books.

Homeowner's complete guide to the chainsaw : a chainsaw pro shows you how to safely and confidently handle everything from trimming branches and felling trees to splitting and stacking wood By Ruth, Brian J. Author Ruth, Jen W. 2009-10 - Fox Chapel Publishing 9781565233560 Check Our Catalog Taking the fear out of chainsaws by emphasizing safe handling practices, this resource aims to put raw power in the hands of everyday yard workers. With step-by-step color photographs throughout, 12 of the most common household chainsaw operations are tackled with expert advice and sure-handed guidance. …More

The Tree Doctor: A Guide to Tree Care and Maintenance By Predergast, Daniel Author Predergast, Erin Author Prendergast, Daniel 2003-09 - Firefly Books 9781552977422 Check Our Catalog "A practical guide for growing healthy trees." As the most dominant and permanent feature in any garden, trees establish a landscape's character more than any other plant. Moreover, trees can filter the air of pollutants, muffle noise, screen the sun, calm the wind, attract birds, reduce soil erosion, raise the water table, and increase property values. Knowing which varieties to grow and how to maintain them is a must for anyone who owns trees or is considering planting one. The Tree Doctor is an easy-to-understand guide for growing healthy trees that will benefit generations to come. …More

The Pruning Answer Book By Hill, Lewis Author O'Sullivan, Penelope 2011-03 - Storey Publishing 9781603427104 Check Our Catalog Previously published as: Pruning made easy. …More

Pruning Basics: Tools * Techniques * Timing By Squire, David 2001-06 - Sterling Publishing 0806951133 Check Our Catalog "Gives excellent, thorough advice on what to prune when and how to go about it, with clear, easy-to-read diagrams and lots of them. It will help you achieve full bloom, healthy growth and proper shaping for any kind of shrub or small tree."--"Chicago Tribune." …More

Pruning & Training By Brickell, Christopher Author Joyce, David Joint Author Joyce, David 1996-08 - DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley) 1564583317 Check Our Catalog Whether you are planning a new garden, wondering how to bring back a neglected tree or shrub, or want to develop areas of special interest, AHS Pruning & Training contains all the techniques you need in easy-to-follow, step by step explanations. …More TB