SCPL Will Be Closed

Monday, December 31 at 5:00 pm

through

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

in observance of

New Year's Day

We will reopen Wednesday, January 2, 2008

From the Page to the Big Screen

Adult Winter Reading Program 2008

Registration starts January 1st. Program ends February 1st.

• Register and receive a book light


• For every book you read, enter the weekly prize drawing for a movie night prize


• Read four books - one of which must be a book to movie - and be in the final drawing for a DVD player.


• Attend a movie matinee

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Holiday Closings

The Stanly County Public Library

will be closed

in observance of

Christmas

Monday, December 24th

Tuesday, December 25th

and

Wednesday, December 26th

We will be open

Thursday, December 27th

Vicki Lane--Appalachian Mystery Writer

The Friends of Stanly County Public Library will feature mystery writer Vicki Lane at the Albemarle Library on Thursday, January 17 at 6:00 p.m. Lane has received excellent reviews for her mystery series set in the North Carolina mountains. Lane's sharp eye for detail gets put to good use in her Appalachian series. At 53, Elizabeth Goodweather has been a resident of Asheville, N.C., for more than two decades, operating a small farm with her nephew Ben. Hear Lane discuss her heroine and the inspiration for her series.

2008 Book Club Schedule Available

The book club reading schedule has been set for 2008. Our first meeting of the year will be on Tuesday, January 15th at 11:00 am and we will discuss A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. Copies of the reading schedule are available at the library. Books are also available for checkout. Please join us in January as we start a new year of reading and discussing books.

Newest Oprah Selection

Oprah has chosen Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth as her newest book club selection. The Albemarle library does have a copy of the book available for checkout.

Coming to the Badin Branch Library

Local writers, Jim and Joyce Lavene are graciously donating their entire Sharyn Howard Mystery series to the Badin Library on Thursday, November 8th at 6:00 pm. Everyone is invited to come to the Badin Library and meet the Lavene's. Find out how Badin became the inspiration for Diamond Springs. Light refreshments will be served. The Badin Branch Library will be the only library in the Stanly County Public Library system to house the complete Sharyn Howard Series.

Fall Book Sale

PREVIEW SALE

For Friends Members

Thursday, October 25

5:00 - 8:00 pm

Memberships will be available at the door.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Friday, October 26

9:00 am - 6:00 pm

Saturday, October 27

9:00 am - 2:00 pm

Sponsored by the Friends of the Stanly County Public Library

Author Mark Ethridge

Last evening, author Mark Ethridge gave a wonderful talk about his book Grievances and the writing process, and a little bit about the newspaper business. At the end of the evening he mentioned that his grandmother, Willie Snow Ethridge, was also a published author. The library does have copies of two of her books, I Just Happen to Have some Pictures..., and You Can't Hardly Get There From Here.

Nobel Prize for Literature Announced Today

Doris Lessing, author of works from short stories to science fiction, including the classic The Golden Notebook published in 1962, has won the Novel Prize for Literature. Eleven days short of her 88th birthday, Lessing is the oldest choice ever for the prize and is the second British writer to win the prize since 2005, when Harold Pinter received the award. Last year, the academy gave the prize to Turkey’s Orhan Pamuk.

The library has two of her books available:
a biography, Under My Skin
and a novel, Ben, in the World : the Sequel to the Fifth Child

Oprah Picks New Book Today

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is the newest selection in Oprah's book club. The Stanly County Public Library does have copies of the book for checkout.


From Publishers Weekly:


The ironic vision and luminous evocation of South America that have distinguished Garcia Marquez's Nobel Prize-winning fiction since his landmark work, One Hundred Years of Solitude, persist in this turn-of-the-century chronicle of a unique love triangle. It is a fully mature novel in scope and perspective, flawlessly translated, as rich in ideas as in humanity. The illustrious and meticulous Dr. Juvenal Urbino and his proud, stately wife Fermina Daza, respectively past 80 and 70, are in the autumn of their solid marriage as the drama opens on the suicide of the doctor's chess partner. Jeremiah de Saint-Amour, a disabled photographer of children, chooses death over the indignities of old age, revealing in a letter a clandestine love affair, on the "fringes of a closed society's prejudices." This scenario not only heralds Urbino's demise soon afterwhen he falls out of a mango tree in an attempt to catch an escaped parrotbut brilliantly presages the novel's central themes, which are as concerned with the renewing capacity of age as with an anatomy of love. We meet Florentino Ariza, more antihero than hero, a mock Don Juan with an undertaker's demeanor, at once pathetic, grotesque and endearing, when he seizes the memorably unseemly occasion of Urbino's funeral to reiterate to Fermina the vow of love he first uttered more than 50 years before. With the fine detailing of a Victorian novel, the narrative plunges backward in time to reenact their earlier, youthful courtship of furtive letters and glances, frustrated when Fermina, in the light of awaking maturity, realizes Florentino is an adolescent obsession, and rejects him. With his uncanny ability to unearth the extraordinary in the commonplace, Garcia Marquez smoothly interweaves Fermina's and Florentino's subsequent histories. Enmeshed in a bizarre string of affairs with ill-fated widows while vicariously conducting the liaisons of others via love poems composed on request, Florentino feverishly tries to fill the void of his unrequited passion. Meanwhile, Fermina's marriage suffers vicissitudes but endures, affirming that marital love can be as much the product of art as is romantic love. When circumstances both comic and mystical offer Fermina and Florentino a second chance, during a time in their lives that is often regarded as promising only inevitable degeneration toward death, Garcia Marquez beautifully reveals true love's soil not in the convention of marriage but in the simple, timeless rituals that are its cement.

October is National Reading Group Month

Celebrate National Reading Group Month by joining a local book club. The Stanly County Public Library system has three ongoing book clubs that welcome new members:

• The Albemarle book club will meet on Tuesday, October 16th at 11:00 am to discuss Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.
• The Locust book club will meet on Friday, October 19th at noon to discuss Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard.
• The Norwood book club will meet on Tuesday the 8th at 6:30 pm.

If you already belong to a book club, take time this month to celebrate your accomplishments as a club. Share with all of your friends how wonderful book clubs are, and encourage them to join your book club or one that meets at the library.

New York Times Best Selling Fiction

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini


2. The Wheel of Darkness by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child


3. Dark Possession by Christine Feehan


4. Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs


5. The Elves of Cintra by Terry Brooks


6. Play Dirty by Sandra Brown


7. The Quickie by James Patterson


8. Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon


9. Away by Amy Bloom


10. Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson


11. Power Play by Joseph finder


12. The Sanctuary by Raymond Khoury


13. Loving Frank by Nancy Horan


14. Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J Anderson


15. The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva

Noted titles:

Songs Without Words by Ann Packer

Area Author Events

There are a lot of author events happening this fall in our region. I hope everyone gets the chance to attend one, or more, of these events.

An Evening with John Hart, author of King of Lies, will be speaking at the Historic Salisbury Station on Sunday, September 30 from 5:30-8:00 PM. A copy of his second novel, Down River, will be given to each person who attends. Reservations can be made by contacting The LandTrust at 70-647-0302.

A Conversation with Sue Monk Kidd will be held at the Salem Fine Arts Center, Salem College on Tuesday, October 2 at 7:00 pm. General admission, which includes dessert reception, is $22. For tickets call: 336-721-2855.

Kathy Reichs, Forensic Anthropologist and best-selling author, and Dr. James Tabor, scholar on the times of Jesus, will present Dead Bones Talk & Silent Stones Speak: Solving Mysteries with Forensic Science and Archaeology on Tuesday, October 9:00 at 8:00 pm at the Anne R, Belk Theater at Robinson Hall, UNC. Tickets are $15 for the general public and can be purchase by calling 704-687-2599.

The Friends of the Stanly County Public Library present Mark Ethridge, author of Grievances at their annual author dinner. The event will be held on Thursday, October 11 at 6:30 pm at Stanly Regional Medical Center's Family and Education Center. Tickets are $12 for Friends members and $15 for non-members and can be purchased at the Albemarle Library.

Remembering 9/11 in Fiction

The library has the following novels written around 9/11:

The Falling Man by Don DeLillo

Extremely Loud and Incredible Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

The Zero by Jess Walter

A Disorder Peculiar to the Country by Ken Kalfus

52 Ways to Use Your Library Card

(for each week of the year)

1. Get to know your librarian, the ultimate search engine @ your library.


2. Update your MySpace page.


3. Research new job opportunities.


4. Find a list of childcare centers in your area.


5. Learn about local candidates for office.


6. Pick up voter registration information.


7. Check out your favorite graphic novel.


8. Pick up a DVD.


9. Get wireless access.


10. Participate in a community forum.


11. Find out how to navigate the Internet.


12. Prepare your resume.


13. Get new ideas for redecorating your house.


14. Get a list of community organizations.


15. Attend a lecture or workshop.


16. Hear a local author reading his/her latest novel.


17. Join a book discussion group.


18. Attend story time with your child.


19. Get homework help.


20. Look up all kinds of health information.


21. Research the purchase of a new car.


22. Trek to another planet in a sci-fi novel.


23. Call the reference desk if you have a question.


24. Research your term paper.


25. Learn about the history of your city, town, or family.


26. Decide which computer to buy using a Consumer Guide.


27. Check your stock portfolio.


28. Read a newspaper from another town.


29. Borrow or download an audiobook for your next road trip or commute.


30. Use the library's resources to start a small business.


31. See a children's art exhibit.


32. Volunteer.


33. Find a new recipe.


34. Ask for a recommended reading list for your kids.


35. Make photocopies.


36. Get a book from interlibrary loan.


37. Enroll your child in a summer reading program.


38. Take a computer class.


39. Hear a poetry reading.


40. Read the latest fashion magazines.


41. Check out a book.


42. Trace your family tree.


43. Check out a special collection of rare books.


44. Check out a legal question or issue.


45. Find out how to file a consumer complaint.


46. Learn about home improvement.


47. Borrow some sheet music.


48. Lear how to use a database or computerized catalog.


49. Find the latest romance paperback.


50. Pick up tax forms.


51. Connect with other people in the community.


52. Find a quiet spot, curl up with a book and enjoy.

"It's a Mystery" with Jim and Joyce Lavene

Local authors Jim and Joyce Lavene will be at the Stanly County Public Library on Thursday, September 13th from 6:30-7:30. They have had several books published this year, and will discuss how they write their mysteries. The Sharon Howard Mystery series is set in a fictional Badin and feature the local sheriff. If you like gardening, they also have the Peggy Lee Garden Mystery series that your knowledge of deadly plants could help you figure out who done it. Their newest series starts with Swapping Paint and is about race car driving.

We will have several copies of their books for a door prize drawing.

U.S. Poet Laureate Named

Charles Simic, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet has been named the U.S. Poet Laureate. The library has a copy of The Voice at 3:00 A.M.: Selected Late and New Poems published in 2003.

Book Club Sets Reading List

The Locust Branch Library Book Club has set their discussion list for the next six months. This lively group meets at the Locust Library on the 3rd Friday of each month at noon. Copies of the books are available for checkout, and they would love to see some new faces.

Here is what they will be discussing:

• August - The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards
• September - Dream When You're Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg
• October - Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard
• November - Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• December - Gideon's Gift by Karen Kingsbury
• January - Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

Anthony Award Nominees

The Anthony Award Nominations for best mysteries have been announced. Finalists will be announced in September.

Best Novel:
All Mortal Flesh, Julia Spencer-Fleming, St. Martins
The Dead Hour, Denise Mina, Little Brown & Co.
Kidnapped, Jan Burke, Simon & Schuster
No Good Deeds, Laura Lippman, Harper
The Virgin Of Small Plains, Nancy Pickard, Ballantine

Best First Novel:
Field Of Darkness, Cornelia Read, Mysterious Press
The Harrowing, Alexandra Sokoloff, St. Martin’s
Holmes On The Range, Steve Hockensmith, St. Martins
The King Of Lies, John Hart, St. Martin’s
Still Life, Louise Penny, St. Martin’s

The library does have copies of all of these titles - stop by and check one out. Please leave us a comment if you read one, or more, of these nominated books and let us know if you think it deserves to win.

Volunteers Needed!

The Stanly County Public Library is looking for volunteers to deliver books and other materials to people who are home bound due to illness, disability or lack of transportation. The volunteers will work with library staff to select, check out and deliver library materials to home bound patrons on an agreed-to schedule. Volunteers are needed in all areas of the county.

Benefits of Volunteering

• 
  
  Satisfaction in providing a much needed and appreciated community service.


• 
  
  Annual service recognition.


• 
  
  Valuable and meaningful use of your free time.


• 
  
  Develop new social skills.

To get more information or sign up, please contact Melanie Holles, the Outreach Services Librarian, at 704-986-3761.

Here's Your Chance to WIN a Free Book!

I recently received a free paperback copy of The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard from the publisher, Ballantine Books. The book was originally published in a hardback edition in 2006. The trade paperback edition has just been released.

I wasn't going to read the book because it's a mystery type book and it's set in Kansas. But I'm looking for good books for my book club to read and discuss next year, so I thought I would at least try this one. If you've had a chance to talk with me about books, you'll know that I don't like mysteries; and having lived in Kansas, I sure don't need to read books about it. But I loved this book! I actually had to stop myself from reading one night because I wasn't ready for it to end.

The novel is set in a fictional small town by Emporia, Kansas (where I went to graduate school). I had to keep reading to find out who the Virgin was that was buried in the cemetery (and causing miracles), and I had to find out who knew what and who killed her. The ending was very satisfying - not a happy ending like a romance novel - but all the bad guys are dealt with and the characters I liked all had closure.

I plan to suggest to my book club that we read and discuss this book next year. But I'm still looking for other great books for my club to read. If you'd like to win my free publisher copy of this book, please leave me a comment with a suggestion for other great books my book club might enjoy. I'll draw a name from all the comments on July 28th and send them the book.

Author Read-Alike: Jennifer Crusie

Romantic comedy best describes Crusie's stories, and by introducing elements of mystery and suspense, she broadens her appeal. These are fast-paced, upbeat, heartwarming, humorous stories that address issues in human relationships - among lovers, families, and friends. Snappy dialog, steamy sex, and amusing dogs are all part of the package, as is the usually urban but definitely Midwestern setting and feel. To get a feel for Crusie's trademark humor and racy romance, try Welcome to Temptation.

Fellow Midwestern romance writer Susan Elizabeth Phillips shares many qualities with Crusie: spunky heroines with modern values, strong but vulnerable heroes, humor in characters and situations, snappy dialog, and an emphasis on the relationships among characters. Try her first hardcover title, This Heart of Mine.

Millie Criswell makes another good suggestion for Crusie readers. Criswell's books are also Midwestern in setting, humorous, and feature quirky characters. Recipes are an added draw. The Trouble With Mary is the first of her series of linked titles.

Although Janet Evanovich comes immediately to mind as a similar author, other mystery writers might appeal equally. Gillian Roberts writes with similar verve, combing humor with more serious issues and romantic interest. Sarah Shankman writes outrageously humorous, even bizarre romantic mysteries.

Mary Kay Andrews debut novel, Savannah Blues, stars a sassy heroine and includes a steamy southern setting and romance, irreverent humor, and antique lore. Not to mention a dog.

I hope everyone enjoys these suggestions from Joyce Saricks, author of Reader's Advisory Guide to Genre Fiction, and regular contributor to NoveList.

Best Crime Novels

I wanted to share with you a great list of the "Best Crime Novels" as compiled by Book List magazine. All the "*" titles are available in the Stanly County Public Library system. Use the link to the right to connect to the library online Public Access Catalog to place a reserve on any of the titles you are interested in. The titles we don't currently have will be ordered, so watch for them.

The Broken Shore by Peter Temple

The Collaborator of Bethlehem by Matt Beynon Rees

*Echo Park by Michael Connelly

*Free Fire by C.J. Box

*The Foreign Correspondent by Alan Furst

*The Limehouse Text by Will Thomas

The Meaning of the Night: A Confession by Michael Cox

*Vicious Circle by Robert Littell

*Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell

*The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

*The Zero by Jess Walter

And if none of the "best" books sparked your interest, then maybe one of these titles by rising stars will.

*Codex by Lev Grossman
*Still Life by Louise Penny
*Speak of the Devil by Richard Hawke
*Blood of Angels and The Last Goodbye by Reed Arvin
*The Sweet and the Dead by Milton T. Burton
*Sliver of Truth and Dead at Daybreak by Deon Meyer
*The Smoke by Tony Broadbent

Albemarle Reader's Circle Book Club

A False Sense of Well Being by Jeanne Braselton

• 
  
  Tuesday, June 19


• 
  
  11:00 am

At 38, Jessie Maddox has a comfortable life in Glenville, GA, with Turner, the most reliable, responsible husband in the world. But after the storybook romance, "happily ever after" never came. Now why can't she stop picturing herself as the perfect Grieving widow?

Braselton's debut novel carries recommendations on the cover from Southern writing greats; Anne Rivers Siddons, Kaye Gibbons, and Lee Smith.

Aspen Gold Reader's Choice Awards

This is a contest sponsored by the Heart of Denver Romance Writers. The purpose of the ASPEN GOLD is to inspire, motivate and reward published authors of romance fiction. I am serving as a judge for the Contemporary Novel Category. I received three titles to read and judge. The first is Simple Gifts by Shelley Galloway, and it is a Harlequin American Romance. The second book is The Nurse's Longed-For Family by Fiona Lowe, and it is a Harlequin Mills Boon Medical. The last book is The Cowboy's Return by Linda Warren, and it also is a harlequin American Romance. I read all three great books over the long Memorial Day weekend. This week I will be sending in my scores. Winners will be announced July 18th. I'm donating my signed copies of the books to the library, so I hope everyone tries these wonderful stories. If you read these books let me know what you think of them and we can compare scores.

New York Times Best Sellers - May 27, 2007

HARDCOVER FICTION

1 THE 6TH TARGET, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. (Little, Brown, $27.99.) In San Francisco, children and their nannies are disappearing, and Detective Lindsay Boxer and the Women’s Murder Club investigate.

2 SIMPLE GENIUS, by David Baldacci. (Warner, $26.99.) Two former Secret Service agents investigate a scientist’s murder while one battles her own demons.

3 THE YIDDISH POLICEMEN'S UNION, by Michael Chabon. (HarperCollins, $26.95.) A detective investigates the murder of a neighbor in a Jewish settlement in Alaska.

4 THE CHILDREN OF HÚRIN, by J. R. R. Tolkien. Illustrated by Alan Lee. (Houghton Mifflin, $26.) In Middle-earth, an evil lord wants to destroy his rival’s children.

5 I HEARD THAT SONG BEFORE, by Mary Higgins Clark. (Simon & Schuster, $25.95.)
A woman marries a childhood acquaintance suspected of several murders.

6 THE WOODS, by Harlan Coben. (Dutton, $26.95.) A prosecutor must confront family secrets when new evidence surfaces about a murder and disappearance at a summer camp 20 years earlier.

7 RANT, by Chuck Palahniuk. (Doubleday, $24.95.)The “oral biography” of a serial killer.

8 NINETEEN MINUTES, by Jodi Picoult. (Atria, $26.95.) The aftermath of a high school shooting reveals the fault lines in a small New Hampshire town.

9 THE GOOD HUSBAND OF ZEBRA DRIVE, by Alexander McCall Smith. (Pantheon, $21.95.) The eighth novel in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series.

10 BACK ON BLOSSOM STREET, by Debbie Macomber. (Mira, $24.95.) More stories of life and love from a Seattle knitting class.

11 FOR ONE MORE DAY, by Mitch Albom. (Hyperion, $21.95.) A troubled man gets a last chance to reconnect and restore his relationship with his dead mother.

12 BODY SURFING, by Anita Shreve. (Little, Brown, $25.99.) A woman takes a job as a tutor and becomes involved in a wealthy family’s tensions and rivalries.

13 ALL TOGETHER DEAD, by Charlaine Harris. (Ace, $24.95.) Sookie Stackhouse, a New Orleans cocktail waitress, is swept up in the intrigue of a vampire summit.

14 BUDDHA, by Deepak Chopra. (HarperSanFrancisco, $24.95.) A reimagining of the spiritual leader’s life.

15 UP IN HONEY’S ROOM, by Elmore Leonard. (Morrow, $25.95.) Marshal Carl Webster tracks German spies in Detroit in the closing days of World War II.

HARDCOVER NON-FICTION

1 EINSTEIN, by Walter Isaacson. (Simon & Schuster, $32.) A biography based on newly released personal letters.

2 AT THE CENTER OF THE STORM, by George Tenet. (HarperCollins, $30.) The former director of the Central Intelligence Agency looks back on his career.

3 PAULA DEEN: IT AIN’T ALL ABOUT THE COOKIN’, by Paula Deen with Sherry Suib Cohen. (Simon & Schuster, $25.) A memoir with recipes from the Southern cooking impresario (Food Network shows, restaurants, cookbooks, magazine).

4 GOD IS NOT GREAT, by Christopher Hitchens. (Twelve, $24.99.) Religion as a malignant force in the world.

5 ANIMAL-VEGETABLE-MIRACLE, by Barbara Kingsolver with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver. (HarperCollins, $26.95.) The novelist and her family spend a year eating homegrown or local food; an argument for diversified farms and sustainable agriculture.

6 A LONG WAY GONE, by Ishmael Beah. (Sarah Crichton/Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $22.) A former child soldier from Sierra Leone describes his drug-crazed killing spree and his return to humanity.

7 WHERE HAVE ALL THE LEADERS GONE?, by Lee Iacocca. (Scribner, $25.) The former C.E.O. of Chrysler protests the lack of political and business leadership on issues like health care and energy policy.

8 I FEEL BAD ABOUT MY NECK, by Nora Ephron. (Knopf, $19.95.) A witty look at aging from a novelist and screenwriter (“When Harry Met Sally”).

9 PRESIDENTIAL COURAGE, by Michael Beschloss. (Simon & Schuster, $28.) Profiles of nine presidents who had the courage to make unpopular decisions.

10 KABUL BEAUTY SCHOOL, by Deborah Rodriguez with Kristin Ohlson. (Random House, $24.95.) To aid Afghan women, an American runs a beauty school in Kabul.

11 THE BLACK SWAN, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. (Random House, $26.95.) The role of the unexpected.

12 TALES FROM Q SCHOOL, by John Feinstein. (Little, Brown, $26.99.) Inside the 200 5 PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament, which determines whether a golfer will have a slot on the PGA Tour, from the author of “A Good Walk Spoiled.”

13 THE AUDACITY OF HOPE, by Barack Obama. (Crown, $25.) The Illinois junior senator proposes that Americans move beyond their political divisions.

14 HOW DOCTORS THINK, by Jerome Groopman. (Houghton Mifflin, $26.) A doctor and New Yorker staff writer describes how doctors arrive at diagnoses.

15 MARLEY & ME, by John Grogan. (Morrow, $29.95 and $21.95.) A newspaper columnist and his wife learn some life lessons from their neurotic dog.

A Few Summer Reading Suggestions

Earlier this week, I made a presentation to a local book club. They wanted to hear about some books that would be good to read this summer. For the list of titles I shared with them, I looked for books that had been published in 2007 and that were fairly easy to read - not fluff, but not "literature" either. I hope you find something on the list that you will enjoy reading. Please feel free to leave a comment (good or bad) about any of the titles on the list that you read.

Dream When You're Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg.

Back on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber. Also try the first two in this series, Shop on Blossom Street and A Good Yarn.

Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs.

Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy.

Queen of the Broken Hearts by Cassandra King (wife of Pat Conroy).

The Wedding Officer by Anthony Capella

Quilter's Homecoming by Jennifer Chiaverini. An Elm Creek Quilters novel.

Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith. Number eight in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. Also try Right Attitude to Rain, number three in the Isabel Dalhousie Mystery series.

6th Target by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. Also look for The Quickie to be published later this summer.

Blue Zone by Andrew Gross (former co-author with James Patterson)

An Unexpected Family by Joan Medlicott. A Covington novel.

Antique Sale & Appraisal Fair

How much is your grandmother's old jewelry worth? Is your yard sale find an antique or a fake?

Join the Friends of the Library on Saturday, June 9 for an Appraisal Fair at the Albemarle Library. Experts will appraise a maximum of two items per person for $5.00 per appraisal. Proceeds from the appraisals will be donated to the Friends of the Stanly County Public Library and the Stanly County Museum. This event will be held along with an Antique Sale downtown beside the Museum. For more information, call (704)986-3914.

New York Times Bestsellers - May 20, 2007

HARDCOVER FICTION

1 SIMPLE GENIUS, by David Baldacci. (Warner, $26.99.) Two former Secret Service agents investigate a scientist’s murder while one battles her own demons.

2 THE YIDDISH POLICEMEN’S UNION, by Michael Chabon. (HarperCollins, $26.95.) A detective investigates the murder of a neighbor in a Jewish settlement in Alaska.

3 THE CHILDREN OF HÚRIN, by J. R. R. Tolkien. Edited by Christopher Tolkien. Illustrated by Alan Lee. (Houghton Mifflin, $26.) In Middle-earth, an evil lord wants to destroy his rival’s children.

4 THE WOODS, by Harlan Coben. (Dutton, $26.95.) A prosecutor must confront family secrets when new evidence surfaces about a murder and disappearance at a summer camp 20 years earlier.

5 RANT, by Chuck Palahniuk. (Doubleday, $24.95.) The “oral biography” of a serial killer.

6 ALL TOGETHER DEAD, by Charlaine Harris. (Ace, $24.95.) Sookie Stackhouse, a New Orleans cocktail waitress, is swept up in the intrigue of a vampire summit.

7 THE GOOD HUSBAND OF ZEBRA DRIVE, by Alexander McCall Smith. (Pantheon, $21.95.) The eighth novel in the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series.

8 I HEARD THAT SONG BEFORE, by Mary Higgins Clark. (Simon & Schuster, $25.95.) A woman marries a childhood acquaintance suspected of several murders.

9 BODY SURFING, by Anita Shreve. (Little, Brown, $25.99.) A woman takes a job as a tutor and becomes involved in a wealthy family’s tensions and rivalries.

10 * NINETEEN MINUTES, by Jodi Picoult. (Atria, $26.95.) The aftermath of a high school shooting reveals the fault lines in a small New Hampshire town.

11 BACK ON BLOSSOM STREET, by Debbie Macomber. (Mira, $24.95.) More stories of life and love from a Seattle knitting class.

12 THE RIVER KNOWS, by Amanda Quick. (Putnam, $24.95.) In Victorian England, an investigative reporter and a wealthy Londoner feign a romance while they investigate a man they suspect of murder.

13 FRESH DISASTERS, by Stuart Woods. (Putnam, $25.95.) Stone Barrington, the New York cop turned lawyer, tangles with a mob boss.

14 NO HUMANS INVOLVED, by Kelley Armstrong. (Bantam, $20.) A necromancer struggles to free the trapped ghosts of six murdered children.

15 DREAM WHEN YOU’RE FEELING BLUE, by Elizabeth Berg. (Random House, $24.95.) Three Irish-American sisters in World War II Chicago.

What to read this summer?

Recently the Charlotte Observer had a list of what books incoming freshman are being asked to read at some of North Carolina's colleges and universities. It's an interesting list of non-fiction and fiction titles. I wanted to share with you some of the titles. All on this list are available from the Stanly County Public Libraries.

• A Home on the Field: How One Championship Team Inspires Hope for the Revival of Small Town America" by Paul Cuadros.
• An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore
• Blood Done Sign My Name by Timothy Tyson
• The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions by Sister Helen Prejean
• When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
• The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp

Check out one of these books and discover what incoming college students will be reading and discussing. If you've read one or more of these books and want to share your opinion, please leave a comment.

Thank You

We want to say a great big, huge "Thank You" to all of our patrons who took the opportunity to pay their fines during our Food for Fines promotion during National Library Week. The library was able to donate 445 pounds of food to the Stanly County Christian Ministries. We hope you'll join us again next year in April when we celebrate National Library Week.

Have You Heard?

Beginning This Monday
May7, 2007

For your convenience, PC Reservation:

• Allows for public computers to be reserved up to 24 hours in advance eliminating time spent waiting while informing you exactly what time your PC will be available!
• Requires little staff intervention - all you'll need is a library card with a PIN number to begin a session!
• Permits you two sixtly-minutes sessions per day with unlimited 20-minutes extensions (as long as computers are available/unreserved)!

With Print Managemnt:

• We can be a greener library! By releasing only pages you want to print there will be less wasted paper! Better for you, better for the environment!

Optimal changes to serve YOU better!

Internet Computers are Unavailable

On Tuesday, May 1 and Wednesday, May 2, library staff will be installing new software and hardware to manage computer sign ups. The new system will require that all library patrons have a library card in good standing to be able to use the internet computers. Any staff member at the circulation desk can help you get a library card if you need one.

Once the new system is up and running, computer users will easily register for computer time at a designated terminal. The new system will also monitor printing.

Come back to the library on Thursday, May 3 and experience a new and improved internet computer session.

Historical Fiction: Women of the Bible

Novels about women in history are becoming a publishing trend. A sub-genre of these novel is stories about women of the Bible. Here is a short list of some titles of interest:

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, about the daughter and wives of Jacob

The Canaan Trilogy (Sarah, Zipporah, Wife of Moses and Lilah) by Marek Halter

The Women of Genesis series (Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel and Leah) by Orson Scott Card

Leaving Eden by Ann Chamberlin, story told by Na'amah, daughter of Adam and Liliath

Queenmaker: A Novel of King David's Queen by India Edghill, the story of Michal, daughter of King Saul

According to Mary Magdalene by Marianne Fredriksson

The Gilded Chamber: A Novel of Queen Esther by Rebecca Kohn

You can find these novels and more at the Stanly County Public Library.

National Library Week

April 15-21, 2007

We have a full week of events planned to celebrate!

Ongoing events:

Food for Fines. For every canned or non-perishable food item donated, we will waive one dollar of your overdue fine (up to a maximum of twenty dollars). Food will not be accepted for replacement costs or charges for lost or damaged items. No food items are to be left in the book drop. All food collected will be donated to the Stanly Communiity Christian Ministries.

Give Away. Until supplies last, we have neat little cell phone holders to give away. Even if you don't have a cell phone, these are great to hold you library card and car keys.

Door Prize Drawing. Everyone who uses thier library card during the week will automatically be entered into a drawing. Winners will be drawn at each location - Albemarle, Bdain, Norwood, Oakboro and Locust. The Friends of the Library have donated a tote bag filled with a library logo t-shirt, coffee mug, copy of the book Grievances by Mark Ethridge, and a coupon for a free antique appraisal at the upcoming Antiques Fair.

Quilt Display. Celebrating 150 years of quilts in Stanly County.

Daily Events:

Monday. County Commissioners/Library Board of Trustees Annual Meeting

Tuesday. Library Workers Day

Book Club - Albemarle -

Story Time - Badin

Story Time - Norwood

Wednesday. Story Time - Albemarle

Thursday. History of Albemarle Program - presented by the Stanly County Museum

Friday. Book Club - Locust

Needle Crafts - Norwood

Come by any of the local libraries and celebrate with us.

Open Mike Poetry Night

April is National Poetry Month. Every year, we celebrate by hosting an open Mike night here at the Albemarle library. You may read your original poetry or a favorite published poem. Please call Melanie at 704-986-3761 to register.

Date: Thursday, April 26, 2007
Time: 7:00-8:00 pm

Other ways you can celebrate National Poetry Month:

• Check out and read a book of poetry.
• Memorize a poem.
• Recite a poem to family and friends.
• Visit www.poets.org
• Attend a poetry reading.

It's Time for the Spring Booksale

Preview Sale for Friends Members

Thursday, March 29, 2007

5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Memberships will be available

Open to the Public

Friday, March 30, 2007

9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Saturday, March 31, 2007

9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Whitethorn Woods by Maeve Binchy

I have a love/hate relationship with Maeve Binchy. She can create the best characters, and I love them all - the good, the bad and the ugly. But, her novels are more collections of short stories. I hate that I don't get to follow any of her amazing character for a whole book. The unifying theme in her newest book, Whitethorn Woods, is a pagan wishing well called St. Ann's Well in the Irish town of Rossmore, that is being threatened by a new road. Each of the wonderful characters in the book has some tie to St. Ann's Well. And the last section of the book is an unsatisfying tie up to some of the stories. I would love to hear from other readers of Maeve Binchy to hear your ideas of her books.

Reader's Circle Book Club

This morning I was frantically finishing up the book for book club when I realized that book club is NEXT Tuesday - March 20th. So now I'm ready to discuss The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards. I hope everyone else has read it, or is working on finishing up. I can't wait to hear what everyone thinks of this book. It got lots of good reviews last year and was an unexpected paperback bestseller.

So I'll see you all next Tuesday, March 20th at 11:00 in the Albemarle Library meeting room!

Adult Winter Reading Program - Winner!

Our Adult Winter Reading Program has ended for the year and we have a winner for the $25.00 Barnes & Noble gift card. In fact, we have FIVE winners. There were enough prizes this year for each library location to have a final drawing winner. Thanks so much to the Friends of the Library who provide all the prizes for our reading programs. The Albemarle winning entry was for Love in the Present Tense by Catherine Ryan Hyde. Our winner said that this book about a bachelor who takes in a five-year old and finds the love of his life is a GREAT book. Why don't you check it out and see what you think. Watch for our Adult Winter Reading program next winter for your chance to read books and win prizes.

Free Genealogy Wokkshop

Local Guide to Genealogy and Preservation

Date:Saturday, March 3, 2007

Time: 9:00am- noon and 1:00-5:00pm

Pre-Registrater by Monday, February 26, 2007 by calling 704-986-3755

• 
  
  Session I: Basic Genealogy


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  Session II: Materials Preservation - including documents, photos and textiles

Sponsored by: Stanly County Public Library, Stanly County Genealogical Society, Yadkin River Patriots DAR, and the Stanly County Museum

New Date for the Best Books Program!

Thursday, Febraury 22nd at 7:00 pm.

Please come and join me for the discussion of the Best Books of 2006. And, I hope you'll hsare your best, and worst, books of the year.

See you then-

Best Books Program ReScheduled

Due to the weather today, the library was closed. I will definately re-schedule the Best Books 2006 discussion. I have lots of great things I want to share with everyone. Please keep a watch out for the new date - I'll be posting it soon.

It's Time for the Best Books Discussion!

It's that time of year again - when we spend an evening discussing the best, and worst, books of 2006. I have spent the last year reading reviews and collecting fun and interesting information about books and authors. I hope you'll come and join me on Thursday evening, February 1st at 7:00 pm at the Albemarle Library. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the books you read last year. For everyone who attends, I'll have a great handout with lists of bestsellers, notable books, books made into movies, award winning books and authors who have died - all in 2006.

Cathy Pickens will discuss her mysteries Southern Fried and Done Gone Wrong at the Albemarle Library on Thursday, January 25 at 6:00 p.m. Friends of the Stanly County Library will sponsor this program as well as the book signing which will follow. Pickens' novels will be available for purchase. For more information, call (704)986-3766.

Reading in a Winter Wonderland

Get warm and cozy this winter with a good book, and join our annual adult winter reading program.

Starting on January 2, sign up at your local library - in Albemarle, Badin, Norwood, Oakboro, or Locust - and you will receive a special book mark. For each book you read, drop and entry form into the weekly drawing box and be eligible to win a limited edition library mug. All weekly entries will be eligible for the final drawing of a $25.00 gift certificate to Barnes and Nobel Bookstore.

This is the time to read some of the great books that have been published in the last year, or to pick up an old classic you've been meaning to read, and maybe win a prize!