Here's what's coming out in Mystery and Fiction for February:
Holy Cow by David Duchovny
Elsie Bovary, the heroine of this novel, is a cow who gathers the troops to escape an industrial meat farm.
Twelve Days by Alex Berenson
John Wells has 12 days to stop the US from invading Iran.
Motive by Jonathan Kellerman
Psychologist Alex Delaware and homicide cop Milo Sturgis go head to head with a vicious criminal.
maf
Monday, January 26, 2015
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Online Resource of the Month: Mango Languages
Did you know that
you can learn a language for free with your library card?
With Mango Languages, you learn by listening to real, everyday conversations. Hundreds of different courses allow you to choose the one that's right for you, on your time. Choose from:
- Courses in 64 different languages and counting
- Themed courses, such as Medical Spanish, Russian Slang, or Italian Romance
- Images and videos about many different cultures
- ESL instruction for speakers of 18 languages
Whether you want to brush up on old language skills or learn your first words of a new
language, Mango’s interactive activities will get you off and running!
To access Mango and other online resources, visit the WFL website and
click on “Databases A-Z” in the Research tab.
Scroll down to Mango languages and enter your Minuteman Library card
number. Download the app to your
smartphone or tablet to learn wherever you go!
To learn more about Mango and other language learning tools at the library,
sign up for Language Learning Tools at the WFL on Monday, January 26th from
10:00-11:30 in Jackie’s room.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
Wellesley Friday Morning Book/Movie Group
| Friday February 20, 2015 |
| 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM |
|
Arnold Room
|
All are welcome to come and join in the discussion! Our group meets on the third Friday of each month from 10-11AM.
For our February meeting, we are reading Then Again, Diane Keaton's delightful and powerful memoir focusing on family ties and the influence these have on our relationships. Copies of the book are available at the Reference Desk on the 2nd floor.
New participants are welcome to join at any time. For more information, Contact Deb Berenbaum at 781 235 1610 x1220 or dberenbaum@minlib.net![]() |
Labels:
biography,
Book groups,
Debra
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
New New New Book/Film Discussion Group!
Please answer these questions at your earliest convenience...
Are you (literally) always right?
Do your family members suddenly remember the socks they haven't sorted or the dust at the bottom of the basement stairs, just when you begin to tell them about an interesting tidbit you came across while rereading The Letters of Pliny the Younger?
Is your brain's Drafts folder overflowing with unfinished letters to the editors of, well... everything?
In contentious verbal debates, do you often number your arguments (as in "Number 1, not all angels even know how to dance...")
When you think back on engaging discussions you've had, do any of the following images creep into your consciousness?
White knights and black knights jousting in an open field.
Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots.
Lincoln and Douglas.
Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier.
Muhammad Ali vs. your 9th grade gym teacher.
A white-tailed deer and 9 hungry wolves.
If you answered yes (or no) to any of these questions, we have a new book discussion group for you.
On Thursday, Feb. 26 at 10 am, we will inaugurate our newest book/film discussion group: The Fourth-Thursday-of-the-Month-Provocative-Non-fiction-Book-Discussion Group. The group will meet on the fourth Thursday of each month.
Here's what we plan:
Books chosen to encourage debate.
Lively, engaging, civil(!) discussion based on ideas, opinions and principles.
Three-month themes; e.g. the first three months' books will focus on War.
The first book will be Among the Dead Cities by A.C. Grayling.
For more information, feel free to email Rob Lerman RLerman@minlib.net.
Are you (literally) always right?
Do your family members suddenly remember the socks they haven't sorted or the dust at the bottom of the basement stairs, just when you begin to tell them about an interesting tidbit you came across while rereading The Letters of Pliny the Younger?
Is your brain's Drafts folder overflowing with unfinished letters to the editors of, well... everything?
In contentious verbal debates, do you often number your arguments (as in "Number 1, not all angels even know how to dance...")
When you think back on engaging discussions you've had, do any of the following images creep into your consciousness?
White knights and black knights jousting in an open field.
Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots.
Lincoln and Douglas.
Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier.
Muhammad Ali vs. your 9th grade gym teacher.
A white-tailed deer and 9 hungry wolves.
If you answered yes (or no) to any of these questions, we have a new book discussion group for you.
On Thursday, Feb. 26 at 10 am, we will inaugurate our newest book/film discussion group: The Fourth-Thursday-of-the-Month-Provocative-Non-fiction-Book-Discussion Group. The group will meet on the fourth Thursday of each month.
Here's what we plan:
Books chosen to encourage debate.
Lively, engaging, civil(!) discussion based on ideas, opinions and principles.
Three-month themes; e.g. the first three months' books will focus on War.
The first book will be Among the Dead Cities by A.C. Grayling.
For more information, feel free to email Rob Lerman RLerman@minlib.net.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Connect with Your Family's History!
How much do you know about your family history?
Find out about your ancestors at the Wellesley Free Library!Ancestry Library allows you to search family history databases, including vital records, census records, ship passenger lists, military records, and so much more!
*This resource is available for use inside the library.*
Heritage Quest combines searchable images of U.S. federal genealogical census records with digitized books containing family and local histories from around the country.
This online resource is available both in the library and at home with your library card.
For more information about Ancestry and Heritage Quest, stop by the Reference Desk!
Thursday, November 20, 2014
National Book Award Winners for 2014
On November 19th, the National Book Foundation presented the winners of the National Book Award for 2014. Ursula Le Guin received the Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters for her impact on American literature. Check out her remarks regarding book publishing in America which everyone is talking about!
Other winners that you may request from the library include:
Fiction
Redeployment by Phil Klay
Nonfiction
Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China by Evan Osnos
Poetry
Faithful and Virtuous Night by Louise Gluck
Start the New Year off with the winners and finalists of the National Book Award on your reading list! SH
Other winners that you may request from the library include:
Fiction
Redeployment by Phil Klay
Nonfiction
Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China by Evan OsnosPoetry
Faithful and Virtuous Night by Louise GluckStart the New Year off with the winners and finalists of the National Book Award on your reading list! SH
Labels:
2014,
book awards,
fiction,
nonfiction,
poetry,
Sue
Friday, November 14, 2014
Amazon's Best Books of 2014
This week, Amazon.com released its list of the best 100 books of the year. You can view the winners in a number of different categories, including Audiobooks, Cookbooks & Food Writing, and Gift Picks.
The list also features the best children's book by age, holiday books by theme, and a few celebrity favorites.
The number one pick of the year was Everything I Never Told You, a novel by Celeste Ng.
Everything I Never Told You
By Celeste Ng
Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, a girl who inherited her mother's bright blue eyes and her father's jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. When Lydia's body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together tumbles into chaos, forcing them to confront the long-kept secrets that have been slowly pulling them apart.
Other books on Amazon's list include:
The list also features the best children's book by age, holiday books by theme, and a few celebrity favorites.
The number one pick of the year was Everything I Never Told You, a novel by Celeste Ng.
Everything I Never Told YouBy Celeste Ng
Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, a girl who inherited her mother's bright blue eyes and her father's jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. When Lydia's body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together tumbles into chaos, forcing them to confront the long-kept secrets that have been slowly pulling them apart.
Other books on Amazon's list include:
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Thursday, November 13, 2014
Great news for those starting small businesses, looking for jobs, and investors--RefUSA!
We love it when an online resource meets many needs and RefUSA is one of them!
ReferenceUSA is the perfect resource for anyone doing research on:
With its ability to make lists of companies from a 24 million business database or find information on a particular company—including sales volume, demographics, employee numbers, competitors’ reports, company tree—you are ahead of the crowd and on the road to success in pursuing answers.
ReferenceUSA is the perfect resource for anyone doing research on:
With its ability to make lists of companies from a 24 million business database or find information on a particular company—including sales volume, demographics, employee numbers, competitors’ reports, company tree—you are ahead of the crowd and on the road to success in pursuing answers.
You get the
picture! So take a tour of what ReferenceUSA has to offer you with your
library card or sign up for a class in Jackie’s Room on Tuesday,
November 18th from 2-3 pm!
SH
Labels:
databases,
job search,
online resources,
Sue
Monday, November 3, 2014
Popular Military History
Popular Selections from the Robert J. Hinchliffe Military History Collection.
The following list is based on recent library circulations.
1.The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter
At the same time Adolf Hitler was attempting to take over the western world, his armies were methodically seeking and hoarding the finest art treasures in Europe. The Fuehrer had begun cataloguing the art he planned to collect as well as the art he would destroy: "degenerate" works he despised. In a race against time, behind enemy lines, the Momuments Men, risked their lives scouring Europe to prevent the destruction of thousands of years of culture.

2. Nazi Science by Mark Walker
In this book, Mark Walker examines the impact of Hitler's regime on science and, ultimately, on the pursuit of the German atomic bomb. Why did German nuclear physicists like Heisenberg and Weizsacker collaborate with the Nazis? How close were the Nazis to getting their own atomic bomb? What does this say about the role of science in the modern world?
The remarkable story of
James Howard "Billy" Williams, whose uncanny rapport with the world's
largest land animals transformed him from a carefree young man into the
charismatic war hero known as Elephant Bill. Elephant Bill's exploits
would earn him top military honors and the praise of famed Field Marshal
Sir William Slim. Part biography, part war epic, and part wildlife
adventure, Elephant Company is an inspirational narrative that
illuminates a little-known chapter in the annals of wartime heroism.
4. The Price of Glory by Alistair Horne
The battle of Verdun lasted ten months. It was a battle in which at least 700,000 men fell, along a front of fifteen miles. Its aim was less to defeat the enemy than bleed him to death and a battleground whose once fertile terrain is even now a haunted wilderness. Alistair Horne's classic work, shows that Verdun is a key to understanding the First World War to the minds of those who waged it, the traditions that bound them and the world that gave them the opportunity.
5. A World Undone by G. J. Meyer
The First World War is one of history's greatest tragedies. In this remarkable and intimate account, author G. J. Meyer draws on exhaustive research to bring to life the story of how the Great War reduced Europe's mightiest empires to rubble, killed twenty million people, and cracked the foundations of the world we live in today. The First World War is one of history's greatest tragedies. Meyer brings to life the story of how the Great War reduced Europe's mightiest empires to rubble, killed twenty million people, and cracked the foundations of the world we live in today.
6. A Great and Glorious Adventure by Gordon Corrigan
In this captivating new history of a conflict that raged for over a century, Gordon Corrigan reveals the horrors of battle and the machinations of power that have shaped a millennium of Anglo-French relations.The Hundred Years War was fought between 1337 and 1453 over English claims to both the throne of France by right of inheritance and large parts of the country that had been at one time Norman or, later, English. Corrigan writes a gripping narrative of the great battles and personalities of the period - Edward III, The Black Prince, Henry V, and Joan of Arc among them.
The following list is based on recent library circulations.
1.The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter

At the same time Adolf Hitler was attempting to take over the western world, his armies were methodically seeking and hoarding the finest art treasures in Europe. The Fuehrer had begun cataloguing the art he planned to collect as well as the art he would destroy: "degenerate" works he despised. In a race against time, behind enemy lines, the Momuments Men, risked their lives scouring Europe to prevent the destruction of thousands of years of culture.

2. Nazi Science by Mark Walker
In this book, Mark Walker examines the impact of Hitler's regime on science and, ultimately, on the pursuit of the German atomic bomb. Why did German nuclear physicists like Heisenberg and Weizsacker collaborate with the Nazis? How close were the Nazis to getting their own atomic bomb? What does this say about the role of science in the modern world?
3. Elephant Company by Vicki Croke
The battle of Verdun lasted ten months. It was a battle in which at least 700,000 men fell, along a front of fifteen miles. Its aim was less to defeat the enemy than bleed him to death and a battleground whose once fertile terrain is even now a haunted wilderness. Alistair Horne's classic work, shows that Verdun is a key to understanding the First World War to the minds of those who waged it, the traditions that bound them and the world that gave them the opportunity.
5. A World Undone by G. J. Meyer
The First World War is one of history's greatest tragedies. In this remarkable and intimate account, author G. J. Meyer draws on exhaustive research to bring to life the story of how the Great War reduced Europe's mightiest empires to rubble, killed twenty million people, and cracked the foundations of the world we live in today. The First World War is one of history's greatest tragedies. Meyer brings to life the story of how the Great War reduced Europe's mightiest empires to rubble, killed twenty million people, and cracked the foundations of the world we live in today.
6. A Great and Glorious Adventure by Gordon Corrigan
In this captivating new history of a conflict that raged for over a century, Gordon Corrigan reveals the horrors of battle and the machinations of power that have shaped a millennium of Anglo-French relations.The Hundred Years War was fought between 1337 and 1453 over English claims to both the throne of France by right of inheritance and large parts of the country that had been at one time Norman or, later, English. Corrigan writes a gripping narrative of the great battles and personalities of the period - Edward III, The Black Prince, Henry V, and Joan of Arc among them.
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| Tyson |
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Privacy and Adobe DIgital Edtions
We librarians take patron privacy seriously. We do not
divulge borrowing history to anyone—including spouses or parents. Sometimes,
people think we can go back and see everything that they’ve ever taken out. We
can’t and don’t want to.
Unfortunately, we don’t exercise the same control over our
ebook collection, which passes through intermediaries such as Amazon, Overdrive
and Adobe. Several weeks ago, libraries became aware of a data “breach” by
Adobe Digital Editions—a provider of our ebook software. Borrowing information
was being sent to Adobe from individual computers unencrypted and easily
hacked.
The breach (or potential breach) applies to a fairly narrow
slice of ebook users—those using Adobe Digital Editions 4.0 on a computer.
Overdrive apps for mobile devices are apparently not allowing this breach of
privacy.
Since the issue became public, and the ensuing protest from
librarians around the country, Adobe has updated Digital Editions to encrypt
the data sent from your computer.
For the American Library Association’s statement on Adobe’s
fix, click here.
To read about the larger issue of libraries and third-party
digital vendors, see this article in Slate:
Monday, October 20, 2014
BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Most Popular New History 2014
These are the most popular new history books so far of 2014, according to the library's circulation statistics. Enjoy!
by Richard Brooks
In 1217 England was facing her darkest hour, with foreign troops
pillaging the country and defeat close at hand. But, at the battle of Lincoln,
the seventy-year-old William Marshal led his men to a victory that would secure
the future of his nation.
by Robert Hutchinson
After the accession of Elizabeth I in 1558, Protestant England was
beset by the hostile Catholic powers of Europe, including Spain. Popular
history dictates that the defeat of the Spanish Armada was a David versus
Goliath victory, snatched by plucky and outnumbered English forces. In this
tightly written and fascinating new history, Robert Hutchinson explodes this
myth recreating one of history's most famous episodes in an entirely new way.
by Edward Klein
Edward Klein delves into the rocky relationship between the Obamas and
the Clintons. An old-school reporter with incredible insider contacts, Klein
reveals just how deep the rivalry between the Obamas and the Clintons runs,
with details on closed-door meetings buttressed by hundreds of interviews.
by Helen Rappaport
The Romanov Sisters sets out to capture the joy as well as
the insecurities of those young lives against the backdrop of the dying days of
late Imperial Russia. Helen Rappaport aims to present a new and challenging
take on the story, drawing extensively on previously unseen or unpublished
letters, diaries and archival sources, as well as private collections. It is a
book that will surprise people, even aficionados.
by Janice MacLeod
A few days into her stop in Paris, Janice meets Christophe,
the cute butcher down the street-who doesn't speak English. Through a
combination of sign language and franglais, they embark on a whirlwind Paris
romance. She soon realizes that she can never return to the world of
twelve-hour workdays and greasy corporate lingo. But her dwindling savings
force her to find a way to fund her dreams again.
by Ken Adelman
A dramatic account of the historic 1986 Reagan-Gorbachev
summit in Iceland by Ken Adelman who was Reagan's arms control director. The
meeting led to negotiations and concessions that neither side had predicted and
laid the groundwork for the most sweeping arms accord in history. From his
position as a participant in these historic events, Ken Adelman is able to
reveal the motivations, relationships, and conversations that led to the
summit's breakthroughs.
A Great andGlorious Adventure: A History of the Hundred Years War and the Birth ofRenaissance England
by Gordon Corrigan
Military historian Gordon Corrigan's gripping narrative of
Hundred Years War fought between 1337 and 1453.
Corrigan reveals the horrors of battle and the machinations of power
bringing these events refreshingly alive, and giving the great battles and
personalities of the period - Edward III, The Black Prince, Henry V, and Joan
of Arc among them, the full attention and reassessment they deserve.
by Carlotta Gall
Carlotta Gall has reported from Afghanistan and Pakistan for
almost the entire duration of the American invasion and occupation. Gall
combines searing personal accounts of battles and betrayals with moving
portraits of the ordinary Afghanis. Her firsthand accounts of Taliban warlords,
Pakistani intelligence thugs, American generals, Afghani politicians, and the
many innocents who were caught up in this long war are riveting. Her evidence
that Pakistan fueled the Taliban and protected Osama bin Laden is revelatory.
by Tilar J. Mazzeo
Established in 1898 in the heart of Paris, the Hôtel Ritz instantly
became an icon of the city frequented by film stars and celebrity writers. By
the 1920s the bar became a favorite for F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest
Hemingway. Mazzeo chronicles life at the Ritz during the Nazi occupation, when
the hotel served as headquarters to the highest-ranking German officers, including
Göring, and home to wealthy patrons (and to the spies among them) who stayed on
in Paris. A hotbed of illicit affairs and deadly intrigue is revealed, as well
as stunning acts of defiance and treachery.
The Holocaust has long seemed incomprehensible, a monumental
crime that beggars our powers of description and explanation. Masterfully synthesizing
the myriad causes that led Germany to disaster, McMillan shows why thousands of
Germans carried out the genocide while millions watched, with cold
indifference, as it enveloped their homeland. Persuasive and compelling, How
Could This Happen explains how a perfect storm of bleak circumstances,
malevolent ideas, and damaged personalities unleashed history's most terrifying
atrocity.
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| Tyson |
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