New Science Books May/June 2012

Love, Life, and Elephants : An African Love Story

     by Sheldrick, Daphne

Daphne Sheldrick is the first person ever to have successfully hand-reared newborn elephants. Her years of observing Kenya's rich variety of wildlife, and her pioneering work in perfecting the right husbandry and milk formula have saved countless elephants, rhinos, and other baby animals from certain death. In this heartwarming and poignant memoir, Daphne shares her amazing relationships with a host of orphaned animals.


Fifty Animals That Changed the Course of History
     by Chaline, Eric

Humans are the most successful species of mammal to ever walk the earth, according to author Chaline. We have needed help to claim and shape the planet, and we may still be beaten by what we consider to be lower forms of life. In 49 informative essays, the author profiles mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, insects, and other species that have assisted or resisted the human takeover. Roche, Rick Copyright 2010 Booklist

The Story of Earth : The First 4. 5 Billion Years, from Stardust to Living Planet
     by Hazen, Robert M.

In this radical new approach to Earth's biography, senior Carnegie Institution researcher and national bestselling author Robert M. Hazen reveals how the co-evolution of the geosphere and biosphere-of rocks and living matter-has shaped our planet into the only one of its kind in the Solar System,if not the entire cosmos.




 Dolphin Confidential : Confessions of a Field Biologist
     by Bearzi, Maddalena

Who hasn't fantasized about the unique thrill of working among charismatic and clever dolphins in the wild? We need not live this solely in our imaginations anymore. With Dolphin Confidential Maddalena Bearzi invites all of us shore-bound dreamers to join her and travel alongside the dolphins.




What the Robin Knows : How Birds Reveal the Secrets of the Natural World
     by Young, Jon

Birds are the sentries--and our key to understanding the world beyond our front door. The robin, junco, and other songbirds know everything important about their environment, be it backyard or forest. Jon Young guides us through  their vocalizations and behavior in order to acquire much of this bird wisdom for our own pleasure and benefit.

     Tyson

JSTOR Finds a Home with our Online Resources

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We are so excited to offer scholars, researchers, students, teachers, and those interested in continuing education and cultural pursuits an opportunity to freely search 1000+ academic journals and over a million primary resources including images and letters with our Online Resource of the Month for May--JSTOR.

JSTOR (Journal Storage) searches nearly 60 multidisciplinary fields whether they be within humanities, social science, science, or business.  Try it out today by having your library card number handy and clicking on this link.  SH

What's New for May

Looking for mystery and fiction coming out in May?  Here are a few titles:

In One Person by John Irving
A novel of desire, secrecy and sexual identity.  

11th Hour by James Patterson
Another installment in the Women's Murder Club series.

Sins of the Father by Jeffrey Archer
Part 2 of the Clifton Chronicles series.

maf

New on the Web: Data on political ads on TV

Last week the Federal Communications Commission ruled that TV stations must post detailed information about election ads they've run--including who paid and how much they paid for each ad. The information was already public, but one had to visit the TV station to see it. The rule will apply to larger stations in six months and to smaller stations by 2014. The data will be available on the FCC web site.
--RL

Edgar Award Winners Announced

2012 Edgar Award Winners were announced Thursday, April 26 by the Mystery Writers of America.  Below are the nominees and the winner for the Best Mystery Novel for 2012.  You may find other category nominees and winners by clicking here.  

Be sure to place your requests for these award winning mystery titles today by clicking on the titles.

Gone by Mo Hayder  2012 WINNER

Investigating a serial carjacker whose actual targets are young children in back seats, Jack Caffery teams up once again with police diver Sergeant Flea Marley, whose life is endangered by a discovery in an abandoned, half-submerged tunnel.

1222 by Jane Holt

From Norway's bestselling crime writer comes a suspenseful locked-room mystery set in an isolated hotel where guests who are stranded during a monumental snowstorm begin turning up dead.

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino

Yasuko Hanaoka thought she had escaped her abusive ex-husband Togashi. When he shows up one day, the situation quickly escalates and Togashi ends up dead. Yasuko's next-door-neighbor Ishigami offers his help, not only disposing of the body, but plotting the cover-up as well. 

Field Gray by Philip Kerr

While working for a crime boss in Cuba, Bernie Gunther is swept away to Germany as bait to catch Eric Mielke, the East German head of the dangerous Stasi (state security agency).  Part mystery, part war novel, this title is the latest in the Bernie Gunther series.

The Ranger by Ace Atkins
Army Ranger Quinn Colson of Alabama returns from Afghanistan to a place overrun by corruption. He finds his uncle, the county sheriff, dead by suicide, but others whisper murder. In the days that follow, it will be up to Quinn to discover the truth, not only about his uncle, but about his family, his friends, his town, and not least about himself. And once the truth is discovered, there is no turning back.

SH

Remembering Adrienne Rich during National Poetry Month

The poet, essayist and feminist who died on March 27 was one of the most widely read and influential writers of her generation. Her career spanned seven decades with numerous literary awards and more than two dozen collections of poetry.

The School Among the Ruins : Poems 2000-2004

Collected Early Poems : 1950-1970 


What is found there : notes on poetry and politics

Google Searching Tips and Tricks

Google Searching Tips and Tricks


Want to get better at searching with Google?  Take a look at their Inside Search tips and tricks page.  Lots of good info. 

maf

2 Mashables

Just a couple of fun mashables to take a look at:
Ten Places You're Not Allowed to See On Google Maps.

Ten Google Bombs That Will Live in Infamy.
--RL

What's new for April?

What's new in fiction and mystery for April? Here are a few titles:

Beastly Things by Donna Leon

Another Commissario Guido Brunetti mystery.  This time the body of a man is found in a canal.

The Beginner's Goodbye by Anne Tyler
A middle-aged man is devastated by the sudden death of his wife.  Then she returns from the dead and starts making appearances in his life.

Calico Joe by John Grisham

This story, based on the Cubs and Mets 1973 season follows the divergent paths of Joe Castle, a rookie hitter for the Chicago Cubs and Warren Tracey, a hard-throwing Mets pitcher.

maf

Tribeca Film Festival

If you enjoy film festivals with diverse offerings of documentaries each of which strives to connect people from all walks of life, plan to attend this event in NYC which runs from April 18 to April 29. Co-founded by Robert De Niro following the attacks on lower Manhattan on September 11, 2001 as a means of revitalizing the area, the festival is now in its 11th year. In addition to film screenings, many community events are held free of charge including soccer tournaments and family festivals. As a bow to big budget films, the new film 'The Avengers', due in theaters on May 4, will close out the festival.

-DB

From the IN Box

Just a few short items that landed on my desk:
--After 133 years, the government of the United States is ceasing publication of Statistical Abstract of the United States. Long a mainstay of libraries' ready reference collections, the 1000 page annual fell victim to a cost-saving program. Bernan Press and Proquest have announced their intention to keep SA alive.
--To apply a library-centric filter to your voting preferences, see the ALA's Legislative Scorecard.
--It's looking like the Minuteman Library Network will not acquire bestselling Fifty Shades of Grey for Overdrive because of its erotic content. Individual libraries are free to use their own funds to buy the ebook version.
--Margaret Atwood on the strike at Toronto Public Library: "People support libraries, but sometimes don't understand that it takes people to make them run. Just as it takes writers to write new books..."
--RL

Another big piece for your family history puzzle

It's a great season for Massachusetts genealogists! First we hear that the 1940 Census will be available on April 2. (See the Mar. 12 post)
Then, in the March 20 Globe there was an article about Delene and Jay Holbrook, an Oxford couple that spent 30 years collecting vital records from the dusty basements of town clerks around the state. In all, they accumulated 17 million records dating from 1620 on up. Of course the information itself is public and free, but with the added value of actually collecting it, the Holbrooks were able to sell the whole treasure to Ancestry.com. To do a search, find your favorite founding father, or just have a look, come to the Library to access the Ancestry database. (At the Ancestry home page, look for the menu titled More Collections. Choose Recent, and them Massachusetts Town Vital Collections.) Ancestry will also have the 1940 Census.
--RL
Please note that as of March 21, not all data was loaded into the Ancestry database.

Popular SF & Fantasy

Most Popular SF & Fantasy books at the library since July. A Dance with Dragons has the most circulations, followed by the other books in the series, followed by the other books on the list.

A Dance with Dragons By Martin, George R. R. 2011-07 - Bantam Books 9780553801477 Check Our Catalog Dubbed "the American Tolkien" by "TIME" magazine, Martin has earned international acclaim for his monumental cycle of epic fantasy. Now the #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author delivers the fifth book in his landmark series--as both familiar faces and surprising new forces vie for a foothold in a fragmented empire. …More

Rule 34 By Stross, Charles 2011-07 - Ace Books 9780441020348 Check Our Catalog Head of the Rule 34 Squad monitoring the Internet for illegal activities, Detective Inspector Liz Kavanaugh investigates the link between three ex-con spammers who have been murdered. …More

Unnatural Issue By Lackey, Mercedes 2011-06 - Daw Books 9780756405755 Check Our Catalog Richard Whitestone is an Elemental Earth Master. Blaming himself for the death of his beloved wife in childbirth, he has sworn never to set eyes on his daughter. But when he finally sees her, a dark plan takes shape in his twisted mind. …More

Hammered (the Iron Druid Chronicles, Book Three) By Hearne, Kevin 2011-07 - Del Rey Books 9780345522481 Check Our Catalog "Hammered" is the third title in an original series about Atticus O'Sullivan, the last of the Druids. In this final outing, Viking vampire Leif Helgarson asks Atticus to help take down Thor, the Norse god of thunder. Original. …More

The Moon Maze Game By Niven, Larry Author Barnes, Steven 2011-08 - Tor Books 9780765326669 Check Our Catalog Set in the year 2085, "The Moon Maze Game" tells the story of a deadly live-action role-playing game conducted on the Moon itself. …More

TB

Encyclopedia Britannica Dropping Print

Ever wonder where your mandibula is? Been caught out in the rain one too many times to arrive at a library that's just closed? Well, years back the answer to shell out a few hundred dollars and get your own copy of the Encyclopedia Britannica. The advent of the internet began the iconic publication's demise and the later appearance of Wikipedia all but assured its irrelevancy to the general public so it was to some people's surprise that, when the company announce earlier this week that they're dropping its print editions in favor of a digital version, the Encylopedia Britannica was even still around. I'll always fondly remember the commercials, however, which spell out for you the dire consequences of not having its multi-volume set at your house to help you out of sticky scholarly situations.





MW

1940 United States Census

For everyone who's interested in genealogy, the US Census from 1940 will be available to the public on April 2. Census information is kept confidential for 70 years and then released to the public. This is the year for the 1940 information to make its debut!




http://www.1940census.archives.gov/


maf

Shutesbury!!!!!

We are so fortunate to have a library as large, well-appointed and well-provisioned as the Wellesley Free Library. It's a pleasure to work in, study in, visit, find just the right books and attend a cool program in. Shutesbury residents don't have quite as good...
--RL

New Fiction and Mystery for March

What's new for March? Here are a few titles:

Stay Close by Harlan Coben

A stand-alone thriller about the darker side of happy communities.

Elegy for Eddie by Jacqueline Winspear
The latest entry in the very popular Maisie Dobbs mystery series.

Poison Flower by Thomas Perry
The seventh novel in the Jane Whitefield series.

maf

New Foreign Films

The Sky Turns (Spanish) - A film about memory and the passage of time by director Mercedes Alvarez

The Man From London - (Hungarian) A philosophical drama by director Bela Tarr

The Names of Love - (French) A romantic comedy by director Michel Leclerc

The Skin I Live In - (Spanish) Directed by Pedro Almodovar

Mysteries of Lisbon - (Portuguese) - Directed by Raul Ruiz and based on the 19th century novel of the same name by Camilo Castelo Branco.

Behind the Glass - (Croatian) Three nouveau riche Croatians in a love triangle. Directed by Zrinko Ogresta


-DB

New History Books Febuary 2012

Julius Caesar: Lessons in Leadership from the Great Conqueror By Yenne, Bill Foreword by Clark, Wesley K. 2012-01 - Palgrave MacMillan 9780230112315 Check Our Catalog "No ancient ruler inspired more legends than Julius Caesar. Under his leadership, Rome conquered territory throughout Europe and the Mediterranean, reaching the North Sea and conducting the first Roman invasion of Great Britain. Acclaimed author Bill Yenne charts the major events that shaped Caesar's leadership, his rise to power, and his crashing fall" More

Ghosts of Empire: Britain's Legacies in the Modern World By Kwarteng, Kwasi 2012-02 - PublicAffairs 9781610391207 Check Our Catalog A narrative history of the British Empire, one that avoids sweeping judgmental condemnation and instead sees the Empire for what it was: a series of local fiefdoms administered in varying degrees of competence or brutality by a cast of characters as outsized and eccentric as anything conjured by Gilbert and Sullivan. More

Obama on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President By Frank, Justin A. 2011-10 - Free Press 9781451620634 Check Our Catalog Dr. Frank analyzes the sometimes perplexing behavior of our current President, reaching conclusions that provide new ways of understanding Obama--certain to fascinate admirers and opponents alike .…More

Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War By Platt, Stephen R. 2012-02 - Knopf Publishing Group 9780307271730 Check Our Catalog This narrative history of China's 19th-century Taiping Rebellion (which cost some 20 million lives) brims with unforgettable characters and vivid recreations of massive and sometimes gruesome battles--a riveting, sweeping, and intimate portrait of the largest civil war in history. …More

City of Fortune: How Venice Ruled the Seas By Crowley, Roger 2012-01 - Random House 9781400068203 Check Our Catalog The only seas Venice ruled were the Mediterranean and Black, but it dominated European trade from 1000 to 1500, an achievement that owes much to its citizens' energy and freedom but mostly to their willingness to fight. …More

The Lost History of 1914: Reconsidering the Year the Great War Began By Beatty, Jack 2012-02 - Walker & Company 9780802778116 Check Our Catalog Beatty offers a highly original view of World War I, testing against fresh evidence the long-dominant assumption that it was inevitable. Beatty writes "My book draws a new map, uncovering paths to peace long buried under the avalanche of war." …More TB

February's Featured Online Resource--Biography in Context

Have you ever wished there was an online resource where you could find good quick information about people such as Joe Paterno, Steve Jobs, Sojourner Truth, etc?

Whether you are just interested or have a research project to complete, Biography in Context is your first stop in the library or from home to find nearly 1, 000,000 biographical entries displayed in
topic pages featuring information from
reference books,
academic journals, news articles, audio clips & videos for over 525,000 people in history.

Take a look and see what you think!

SH

Dickens at 200

The prodigious British novelist, Charles Dickens, born February 7, 1812, is being celebrated the world over this year on the occasion of his bicentennial. Considered the first literary celebrity by many scholars, Dickens, the author of more than 14 novels, was also well known as a magazine editor, playwright, actor, philanthropist and social reformer.
Dickens was the creator of some of literature's most celebrated characters such as Oliver Twist, Scrooge and Tiny Tim while his writing gave a voice to the poor and downtrodden.
The subject of numerous retrospectives around the world, Dickens fans may enjoy exhibits at the Museum of London, Museum of Modern Art in New York, and UMass Lowell, among others.
Dickens best-selling novel? A Tale of Two Cities has sold over 200 million copies!

-DB

What's new for February

What's new in fiction and mystery for February? Here are a few titles:

Wild Thing by Josh Bazell

Dr. Peter Brown, aka Pietro Brwna, is back. This time he accompanies a paleontologist on an assignment at the request of an eccentric billionaire. Murders, drug deals, of course the mob, and lots of laughs by the author of Beat the Reaper.

Pineapple Grenade by Tim Dorsey

In his 15th outing, Dorsey's protagonist Serge Storms has become a secret agent in Miami, but he ends up with two competing CIA bureaus on his tail.

The Technologists by Matthew Pearl

It's Boston in 1868 in Matthew Pearl's latest historical novel. Four of the first group of MIT students team up to look into a series of baffling scientific mysteries.

maf