April Showers Bring May Flowers

If these May showers have you stuck inside and not able to work in your garden, try reading one of these "May Flowers" books. The Stanly County Public Library has many books on gardening and flowers available for checkout. You can check our online catalog for more titles that may interest you.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

The Lilac Bus by Maeve Binchy

Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

The Red Geranium by Janette Oke

Blue Dahlia by Nora Roberts

Peony in Love by Lisa See

Roses are Red by James Patterson

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig

The Ghost Orchid by Carol Goodman

Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg

Like a Watered Garden by Pattie Hill

The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber

The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

Book Club This Week

On Tuesday, April 21st, the Reader's Circle Book Club will meet at 11:00 am to discuss Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. New members are always welcome, and the library has copies of the book available for checkout. Check our online catalog for availablity.

The Uwharrie Players will be performing Of Mice and Men later this month. On April 24 & 25 and May 1 & 2 showtime will be at 7:30 pm. On April 26 and May 3 showtime will be at 2:30. See their web page for more information.

The Reader's Circle Book Club will next meet on Tuesday, May 19 to discuss Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo.

Last week Pfeiffer University hosted author Pamela Duncan at their annual Friends of the Library Author Luncheon. Pam is the author of Moon Women, Plant Life, and The Big Beautiful. During her humorous talk, she mentioned the support of her writers group and how all of them are published authors. When I got back to my office I emailed Pam for more information about her writers group. She kindly shared the members names and the titles of the books they have written. The library now has on order several of these books. So once you finish reading Pam's books (I highly recommend them) you can look for the books written by the women in her writer's group: Lynn York with The Piano Teacher, Darnell Arnoult with Sufficient Grace, Virginia Boyd with One Fell Swoop and Dawn Shamp with On Account of Conspicuous Women. Pam also recommends My Old True Love by Sheila Kay Adams.

Topics of Interest

The Jewish holiday of Passover begins at sundown today. If you are interested in the Jewish culture, history, or traditions, the library has materials available for checkout. I've selected a few titles to share with you, but there are many more listings in our online card catalog.

Someone Not Really Her Mother by Harriet Scott Chessman

Joy Comes in the Morning by Jonathan Rosen

The Wonder Spot by Melissa Banks

Heir to the Glimmering World by Cynthia Ozick

Hedwig and Berti by Frieda Arkin

The Ministry of Special Cases by Nathan Englander

The Saturday Wife by Naomi Ragen

Caspian Rain by Gina Barkhordar Nahai

Stone Kiss by Faye Kellerman

Terror Town: an Abe Lieberman Mystery by Stuart Kaminsky

The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell

Jewish Cooking Around the World: Gourmet and Holiday Recipes by Hanna Goodman

The Complete Book of Jewish Observance by Leo Trepp

Healthy Jewish Cooking by Steven Raichlen

To Life! A Celebration of Jewish Being and Thinking by Harold Kushner

The Faith Club: a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew - Three Women Search for Understanding by Ranya Idliby

Open Mic Poetry Night

April is National Poetry Month. Come to the Albemarle Library to celebrate by participating in our 7th annual Open Mic Poetry Night on Thursday, April 16, 2009, from 7:00-8:00 pm. You may read your original poetry or a favorite published poem. Register to read by contacting Melanie Holles at 704-986-3761.
The Academy of American Poets has some more suggestions for celebrating National Poetry Month. Try reading a book of poetry, the Stanly County Public Library has many books of poetry available for checkout; memorize a poem; take a poem out to lunch; recite a poem to family and friends; visit www.poets.org; or attend a poetry reading.
Open Mic Poetry Night is part of the library’s celebration of National Library Week, April 12-18, 2009. Other activities include children’s story times. Check your local library for story time schedules.

It's Book Sale Time!

It's time for the Friends of the Stanlhy County Public Library semi-annual book sale!

Preview Sale - for Friends members only

Memberships are available at the door.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Open to the Public - everyone is welcome

Friday, March 27

9:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Saturday, March 28

9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Irish Authors

Here is a list of Irish authors to help get you in the mood for St. Patrick's Day.

Sebastian Barry - The Secret Scripture, The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty
Maeve Binchy - Scarlet Feather, Heart and Soul
Emma Donoghue - Slammerkin, Sealed Letter
Roddy Doyle - A Star Called Henry
Anne Enright - The Gathering
Patrick McCabe - Breakfast on Pluto
Frank McCourt - Angela's Ashes, Teacher Man
Nuala O'Faolain - My Dream of You
William Trevor - Story of Lucy Gault, Cheating at Canasta

The Stanly County Public Library has copies of these titles available to be checked out. Leave a comment if I've forgotten any Irish authors you've enjoyed reading.

It's Mardi Gras Time

And the Stanly County Public Library has lots of books that you might enjoy set in New Orleans or taking place during Mardi Gras. Stop by the library and check one of these books out.
The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast by Douglas Brinkley
Hot Blooded by Lisa Jackson
Midnight Bayou by Nora Roberts
Fodor's 2007 New Orleans
The Moviegoer by Walker Percy
Creole Holiday by Phyllis Whitney
Check the library's online card catalog for more ideas.

Best Books 2008

Wednesday, February 25, 2008

10:00 am or 6:30 pm

Are you curious what books were being talked about in 200? Staff librarian, Melanie Holles, will discuss the best and the worst books of the year - and much more. There will also be time for the audience to share their best books of the year. Program attendees will receive a handout of the books discussed.

• Bestsellers
• Notable Books
• Books to Movies
• Award Winners
• Authors Who Have Died

Presidential Fiction

Now that the excitement of the presidential election and inauguration are over, you might want to curl up with a novel about presidents. All these titles are available in the Stanly County Public Library system, please check the card catalog for availability.

• Term Limit by Vince Flynn


• The First Patient by Michael Palmer


• Sixty Days and Counting by Kim Stanley Robinson


• Dead Heat by Joel C. Rosenberg


• American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld


• Mounting Fears by Stuart Woods

John Updike

Award-winning author, John Updike, died this week. He was 76. He was a 6 time finalist for the National Book Award and won in 1964 for The Centaur and again 1982 for Rabbit is Rich. He was also a two time winner of the Pulitzer for Rabbit is Rich in 1982 and Rabbit at Rest in 1991.

The Stanly County Library has a variety of his work. We have copies of some of his older novels, including Rabbit at Rest and some of his newest novels. His newest novel, Widows of Eastwick, which was published in October is on order. We also have a couple of collections of his poems and short stories. Please check the library's online catalog to see what is available or to place a reserve.

Read a Book, Save a Buck

The annual adult winter reading program has started. This year our fun theme will focus on how much money our patrons can save by using the library. You can sign up at any Stanly County Public Library - Albemarle, Badin, Norwood, Oakboro and Locust.

• Sign up to participate in the Adult Winter Reading Program.


• Keep a Reading Log of the books you've read and the value. Turn in the form at the end of the program and we'll add up how much money everyone has saved by using the library.


• For every book you read, sign a dollar bill and be entered for the final drawing of a stuffed book bag.

It's a simple and fun way to read books and save money.

Happy Reading!

Book Club Rescheduled

Due to the wonderful snowfall we had on Tuesday the 20th, our book club discussion has been rescheduled. We will meet and discuss The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski on Tuesday, February 17th at 11:00. This is our regular meeting day. The book we were scheduled to discuss, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, will be rescheduled for the November meeting.

First Book Club Meeting of the Year

The Reader's Circle Book Club will start their new year by discussing The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski on Tuesday, January 20th at 11:00 am. The group welcomes new members and the library has copies of the book for checkout.

Author: Ashley Warlick

The Friends of the Stanly County Library are hosting author Ashley Warlick on January 22nd 2009 from 6:00-7:30 in the library's meeting room. Ms. Warlick is the author of three books: Seek the Living, Summer After June, and Distance from the Heart of Things. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Holiday Closings

The Stanly County Public Library will be closed for the holidays:

Wednesday, December 24th

Thursday, December 25th

and

Friday, December 26th

We will re-open on Saturday, December 27th at 9:00 am

The library's web site www.stanlycountylibrary.org will be available for you to check your account, renew books and make reserves.

Happy Birthday Jane Austen

Jane Austen was born on December 16, 1775. She left us with six fabulous novels:

Sense and Sensibility,

Northanger Abbey,

Pride and Prejudice,

Mansfield Park,

Emma

and Persuasion

along with the incomplete novel Sanditon.

Today, many modern authors write novels in the Jane Austen style or continue the lives of her characters.

Darcys Give a Ball by Elizabeth Newark

Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

Emma $ Knightly: Perfect Happiness in Highbury by Rachel Billington

The Darcy Connection by Elizabeth Aston

Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange

Lost in Austen: Create Your Own Jane Austen Adventure by Emma Campbell Webster

Just Jane: A Novel of Jane Austen's Life by Nancy Moser

Stop by the Stanly County Public Library today and check out one of these great books. Some of the titles are also available on audio, and the library has movie versions too.

More New Holiday Titles

The library has received more new holiday titles:

• Santa Clawed: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery by Rita Mae Brown
• The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck
• The Spy Who Came for Christmas by David Morrell
• All I Have to Give: A Christmas Love Story by Melody Carlson
• Engaging Father Christmas by Robin Jone Gunn
• A Christmas Star: A Cape Light Novel by Thomas Kinkade
• A Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas
• The Paper Bag Christmas by Kevin Alan Milne

There is something for everyone on this list. These book get checked out quickly, so be sure to place a reserve for the title you want.

It's Begining to Look A Lot Like Christmas

The holiday themed books are starting to arrive. We have just received several new titles. All guaranteed to get you in the holiday spirit. Most of these books are short, which is perfect for this hectic time of the year. So come in to the library, or reserve a book online, and checkout these new titles for the holiday season. Watch for more holiday books to arrive.

A Christmas Grace by Anne Perry

A McKettrick Christmas by Linda Lael Miller

A Dog Named Christmas by Greg Kincaid

'Tis the Season by Lorna Landvik

Halloween Booooooooooks

Try one of these novels for Halloween.

Carole Nelson Douglas - Cat With an Emerald Eye

Stewart O'Nan - The Night Country

Nancy Pickard - Twilight

G.A. McKevett - Poisoned Tarts