New Fiction

• Beat the Reaper - Josh Bazell
• Death of a Witch - M. C. Beaton
• Heart and Soul - Maeve Binchy
• Three Weeks to Say Goodbye – C.J. Box
  
• The Women - T. C. Boyle
• Shannon - Frank Delaney
  
• While My Sister Sleeps - Barbara Delinsky
• The Red Convertible - Louise Erdrich
  
• Plum Spooky – Janet Evanovich
  
• The Fire Gospel – Michel Faber
  
• The Moon Opera – Bi Feiyu
  
• Fire and Ice - Julie Garwood
• People of the Thunder - W. Michael Gear
  
• Irish Tweed - Andrew M. Greeley
• Black Ops – W.E.B. Griffin
  
• The Associate – John Grisham
  
• Scat - Carl Hiaasen
  
• A Darker Place – Jack Higgins
  
• The Seige – Ismail Kadare
  
• Bright Futures – Stuart M. Kaminsky
  
• Fool - Christopher Moore
• A Beautiful Place to Die - Malla Nunn
  
• Run for your life - James Patterson
• Eclipse - Richard North Patterson
  
• Runner - Thomas Perry
  
• Lark & Termite - Jayne Anne Phillips
  
• The Shanghai Moon - S.J. Rozan
• Revelation - C. J. Sansom
• Land of marvels - Barry Unsworth
• Among the Mad - Jacqueline Winspear
• Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese
• Mounting Fears – Stuart Woods

New Non-Fiction

• Poe: a Life Cut Short - Peter Ackroyd
  
• Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life - Ed Begley Jr.
  
• Wildebeest in a Rainstorm: Profiles of our Most Intriguing Adventurers, Conservationists, Shagbags and Wanderers - Jon Bowermaster
• Rodale's Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening - Fern Marshall Bradley
  
• A Rose By Any Name – Douglas Brenner & Stephanie Scanniello
  
• In Search of Our Roots – Henry Louis Gates Jr.
  
• The Inner Game of Golf - W. Timothy Gallwey
  
• Animals Make Us Human - Temple Grandin
  
• Chef MD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine - John La Puma, Md.
  
• Ultimate Landlord Handbook - William A. Lederer
  
• The Joy of Keeping Chickens - Jennifer Megyesi
• The Letters of Allen Ginsberg – Bill Morgan ed.
  
• Bombay Anna – Susan Morgan
  
• Clutter Rescue - C. J. Peterson
  
• Socks a la Carte - Jonelle Raffino
  
• Central America on a Budget - Rough Guide
  
• Whole Grains for Busy People - Lorna Sass
  
• Deer-Resistant Landscaping - Neil Soderstrom
  
• Not So Big Remodeling - Sarah Susanka
• Building a Shed - Joe Truini
  
• Our Life in Gardens - Joe Eck and Wayne Winterrowd
• The Man Who Owns the News: Inside the Secret World of Rupert Murdoch - Michael Wolff
• Madness of March: Bonding and Betting with the Boys in Las Vegas - Alan Jay Zaremba

New Audio Books

• The Art of Conversation - Catherine Blyth
• No Survivors - Tom Cain
• Agincourt - Bernard Cornwell
• The Snake Stone - Jason Goodmin
• Apt Pupil- Stephen King
• The Body- Stephen King
• The Breathing Method- Stephen King
• Desperation- Stephen King
• The Regulators - Stephen King
• Rose Madder- Stephen King
• The Shawshank Redemption- Stephen King
• Thinner - Stephen King
• Luke's Story: The Jesus Chronicles - Tim LeHaye
• The Piano Teacher - Janice K. Lee
• Three Cups of Tea - Greg Mortenson
• Songs for the Missing - Stewart O'Nan
• The Temptation of the Night Jasmine - Lauren Willig

New DVD's

• Changeling
• Cross Creek
• Da Ali G Show - Season 2
  
• Dennis Potter: 3 to Remember
• Flash of Genius
• Frozen River
• Geisha
• The Glittering Prizes
  
• Into the West
• Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
• Miracle at St Anna
• Nick and Nora's Infinate Playlist
  
• Secret Life of Bees
  
• She's Gotta Have It
• The Swan Princess

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BOOKLISTS

Every month in this spot we feature reading suggestions. These include historic fiction, science fiction, mysteries, and more. Many of these titles can be found in the Mid Hudson Library System.

Visit the Library to pick up a copy of the booklist-of-the-month brochure and check out a book from our current display.

Best Older Books Read in 2008

FICTION

• Crescent* - Diana Abu-Jabar
  
• Daughter of Fortune* - Isabel Allende
  
• The Darling - Russell Banks
  
• Invisible Cities - Italo Calvino
  
• Interred with Their Bones* - Jennifer Lee Carrell
  
• New England White - Stephen L. Carter
  
• Gentlemen of the Road: a Tale of Adventure* - Michael Chabon
  
• The Yiddish Policemen's Union* - Michael Chabon
  
• On the Black Hill* - Bruce Chatwin
  
• The Last Samurai - Helen Dewitt
  
• Bleak House - Charles Dickens
  
• Sister of My Heart* - Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
  
• Whistling Season - Ivan Doig
  
• The Book of Ebenezer Le Page* - G. B. Edwards
  
• Master Butchers Singing Club* - Louise Erdrich
  
• Thursday Next: First Among Sequels* - Jasper Fforde
  
• Pillars of the Earth* - Ken Follett
  
• The French Lieutenant's Woman* - John Fowles
  
• American Gods* - Neil Gaiman
  
• Memoirs of a Geisha* - Arthur Golden
  
• The Janissary Tree* - Jason Goodwin
  
• The Snake Stone* - Jason Goodwin
  
• The Other Boleyn Girl*- Philippa Gregory
  
• The Client* - John Grisham
  
• Water for Elephants* - Sara Gruen
  
• Staggerford - John Hassler
  
• Across the Nightingale Floor* - Lian Hearn
  
• Stones from the River* - Ursula Hegi
  
• Smilla's Sense of Snow* - Peter Hoeg
  
• Kite Runner* - Khaled Hosseini
  
• Mudbound - Hillary Jordan
  
• The Secret Life of Bees* - Sue Monk Kidd
  
• The Ha-Ha - Dave King
  
• The Art of Detection* - Laurie R. King
  
• The Poisonwood Bible* - Barbara Kingsolver
  
• The Namesake* - Jhumpa Lahiri
  
• Through a Glass Darkly* -Donna Leon
  
• Till We have Faces - C. S. Lewis
  
• 44 Scotland Street* - Alexander McCall Smith
  
• The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency* - Alexander McCall Smith
  
• The Road* - Cormac McCarthy
  
• Atonement* - Ian McEwan
  
• One Hundred Years of Solitude* - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
  
• Morningside Heights - Cheryl Mendelson
  
• A Fine Balance* - Rohinton Mistry
  
• Kafka on the Shore* - Haruki Murakami
  
• The Time Traveler's Wife* - Audrey Niffenegger
  
• Bel Canto* - Ann Patchett
  
• Prayer of the Dragon—Eliot Pattison
  
• Going Postal* -Terry Pratchett
  
• On Beauty* - Zadie Smith
  
• House of Mirth* - Edith Wharton
  

NONFICTION

• I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou
  
• She's Not There: a Life in Two Genders - Jennifer Finney Boylan
  
• Running with Scissors* - Augusten Burroughs BIO Burroughs
  
• Out of Africa* - Isak Dinesen 916.79 DIN
  
• Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight* - Alexandra Fuller 968.91 FUL
  
• Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm in the GreatDepression* - Mildred Kalish 977.7 KAL
  
• Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog - Ted Kerasote
  
• Mountains Beyond Mountains* - Tracy Kidder 610.92 KID
  
• Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: a Year of Food Life* - Barbara Kingsolver 641.097 KIN
  
• Into the Wild* - Jon Krakauer BIO McCandl
  
• John Adams* - David McCullough BIOAdams
  
• Born Standing Up* - Steve Martin BIO Martin
  
• A Year in Provence* - Peter Mayle 944.92 MAY
  
• Never Cry Wolf* - Farley Mowat 599.744 MOW
  
• Truth and Beauty: a Friendship* - Ann Patchett 362.196 PAT
  
• Manhunt the Twelve-Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer—James L. Swanson* 364.152 swa
  
• Triangle: the Fire That Changed America - David Von Drehle 974.71 VON
  
• The Glass Castle: a Memoir* - Jeannette Walls 362.82 WAL
  
• Beak of the Finch: a Story of Evolution in our Time* - Jonathan Weiner 598.8 WEI
  
• The Professor and the Madman* - Simon Winchester 423 WIN
  
• Proust and the Squid: the Story of Science & the Reading Brain - Maryanne Wolf
  

* In the Stone Ridge Library collection, others can be ordered through the Mid-Hudson system.

Compiled with help from the subscribers of the Fiction_L mailing list.

Making Ends Meet

Wednesday, March 11
6-7:30pm
in the Reference Room

The Cornell Cooperative Extension is offering a free budget and credit card management workshop at the Library. Learn how to manage your money, control credit card debt, develop a spending plan and establish & reach your financial goals. Pre-registration is required. Call Barbara Grumberg at 845-430-3990.

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Tea Time Book Group

Reading Between the Lines
Book Series

Wednesday, March 11,
4pm, Biography Room

Rethinking Religion: Recent Women's Novels and American Identity

The New York Council for the Humanities is sponsoring a series that explores four novels by women that involve the quest for meaningful religious experience in contemporary American society. Each session centers on book selected by Elizabeth Toohey, a graduate student at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Dr. Joseph Keefe, our guest scholar will facilitate the discussions.

This session continues with a conversation about Final Payments, Mary Gordon's examination of a New York Irish-Catholic community, which the New York Times called a "remarkable" first novel.

Join us in the Biography Room for lively Discussion and light refreshments.

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Medieval Book Group

Wed. March 18, 7pm
in the Biography Room

The book chosen for this session is Mont St. Michel and Chartres by Henry Adams. Henry Adams referred to this book as "A Study of Thirteenth-Century Unity," and its expansive scope, together with the author's deep understanding of the period, makes it a classic in art history as well as in American literature. He wrote, "I wanted to show the intensity of the vital energy of a given time, and of course that intensity had to be stated in its two highest terms-religion and art." Henry Adams' record of his journeys through France, searching for images of unity in an age of conflict, is accompanied by observations on literature, politics, religion, and maior church leaders such as Abelard, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Thomas Aquinas.

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HOLMES & CO.
Mystery Lovers
Book Group

Thursday, March 19,
4pm in the Biography Room

The selections for this meeting include: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John LeCarre and The Adventure of the Resident Patient - a Sherlock Holmes mystery by Arthur Conan Doyle.

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The New Yorker Discussion Group

Friday, March 13 at 4pm
in the Reference Room

Come to this meeting and join in the discussion.

Brian Drabkin will be our facilitator for this meeting. He has chosen the following New Yorker articles for discussion.

1. Feb. 9th Issue P 42 THAT BUZZING SOUND: What causes tinnitus by Jerome Groopman

2. Feb 9th Issue P 80 A REPORTER AT LARGE: The Ponzi State, Florida forclosed by George Packer

3. Feb. 2nd Issue P 70 BOOKS: Heroes and Zeroes, When central bankers rescued then ruined the world by John Lancaster

4. Jan 26th Issue P 26 ANNALS OF PUBLIC POLICY Getting there from here, how should Obama reform health care

If time permits we may consider: Feb 9th Issue P 102 James Baldwin’s flight from American by Claudia Roth Pierpoint

Please bring any discussion questions or thoughts about the above articles.

Please bring your wish list of articles for discussion from current New Yorker magazines for the April meeting. Our next facilitator (it could be you) choses from the wish list which articles will be discussed.

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WRITERS GROUP

Every Saturday

1pm in the
Reference Room

The Library has a writers group that meets every Saturday in the Reference Room. They read from their writing and share thoughts. If you are interested in writing you are welcome to join us.

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Knitting Group

Every Saturday
10am-noon

The Stone Ridge Library Knitters meet every Saturday morning from 10am - 12noon. All ages and experience levels can join us and drop-in knitters are also welcome. We each bring our own supplies and do our own work, but one of the best things about us is that whatever obstacle or confusion you might encounter, you're likely to receive as much comment and advice as you need to get where you're going with a project. Some of us can help toward the repair of knitted or crocheted items too.

The group is sociable and lively, and our conversation and sharing is just as wide-ranging as our projects. We are especially interested in the UFOs (Un-Finished Objects) that members bring in and love the show and tell of projects under way and being finished, new or old, simple or complex. Though knitting is our love and mainstay, we graciously adapt ourselves to stray crocheters and those of us who simply must take to the hook when the spirit moves. We share articles, magazines and books on knitting. Donations of yarn to the Library get made up into items for sale at the Library Fair and during the winter holidays for the benefit of the Library. Some of us also knit things for local hospitals or for the U.S. troops

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On the Shelves

Poughkeepsie Journal - 2.8.09 -
By Rebekkah Smith Aldrich

Libraries offer fun, cheap boost during tough times

In the library profession, it's called the "Librarian's Axiom," and it goes like this: "Public libraries prosper when the country is experiencing economic stringency."

In 1986, Atlanta University professor Stephen James noted the relationship between library usage and economic conditions has been discussed within the library "industry" for more than 100 years.

The effect was observed as early as 1880 in the annual report of the Chicago Public Library and later during the Great Depression that followed the stock market crash of 1929.

Fast-forward 80 years, and the effect is manifesting itself again.

People are flocking to libraries - Hudson Valley libraries have seen increases as high as 14 percent in the past year and we expect more of the same in 2009.

Residents are looking to the library to save household entertainment dollars - rather than buy the latest bestsellers they are borrowing from the library.

People are scrambling to find other ways to save money - National Public Radio reports cookbooks are some of the hottest books out there as people stay home rather than go out to eat; library directors report patrons are looking for travel books on locations closer to home and how to "go green" to save on heating costs and cleaning supplies.

Others are just looking for a break from the barrage of bad news. After a long day of work, sometimes you just need to escape or be inspired to carry on. Books can be that escape, they can be that inspiration.

Here's a list of good books for tough times. More are waiting for you at your local library. If you haven't been there in a while, stop by. We might surprise you.

Saving money

The Busy Family's Guide to Money by Sandra Block, Kathy Chu, & John Waggoner.

Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan by Suze Orman.

America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money: Your Guide to Living Better, Spending Less, and Cashing in on Your Dreams by Steve and Annette Economides.

Going green

Greening Your Cleaning by Deirdre Imus.

Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills by Abigail R. Gehring.

Easy Green Living: The Ultimate Guide to Simple, Eco-Friendly Choices for You and Your Home by Renee Loux.

Staying healthy/inspiration

The UltraMind Solution: Fix Your Broken Brain by Healing Your Body First by Mark, M.D. Hyman.

The Essential Laws of Fearless Living: Find the Power to Never Feel Powerless Again by Guy Finley.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.

Escape

What's your pleasure? Murder mysteries? Wizards? Love stories? True stories? We've got those. Find them at your local library.

Rebekkah Smith Aldrich is the coordinator of member information of the Mid-Hudson Library System, supporting 66 public libraries in Columbia, Dutchess, Greene, Putnam and Ulster counties. She is the incoming president of the Library Administration & Management Section of the New York Library Association. Can't decide on what to read? Visit MidHudson for links to lists of titles that might attract your interest.

BOOK CLUB IN A BAG

The Book Club in a Bag program recently created the 100th kit: An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England by Brock Clarke. This is a great service to all book clubs; kits consist of a tote bag containing 10 copies of a single title, discussion questions for the title, and discussion leader tips - everything you would need to run a group. Start your own book club, we now have 100 titles to choose from. You can view the available kits in the online catalog or through the link on our web site's home page, but must request kits through our library staff. more

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ULSTER COUNTY INFO PORTAL

The following databases are provided free to the residents of Ulster County through the gracious support of the Ulster County Legislature. Your Library Card barcode is necessary to access these databases.

Mango Language Learning

Learn a language with Mango. Choose from Spanish, French, Italian, German, Greek, Russian Portuguese, Japanese and Chinese, ESL for Polish, Spanish and Portuguese is included.

Heritage Quest

Find your roots with HeritageQuestOnline. A collection of unique material for both genealogical and historical researchers, with coverage dating back to the late 1700s. Find your ancestors, trace their paths across America, and learn what life was like in the areas where they settled.

GALE Testing and Education Reference Center With Career Search

This offers practice tests to prepare for the GED, SAT, ACT, Civil Service, vocational & military tests. Also resources for making informed education decisions.

Downloadable
Audiobooks

Download audiobooks to your computer. Play them back on your MP3 player. Choose among popular business books, novels, classics - all original and unabridged. Some titles available for iPod.

Historical
New York Times

Read first hand descriptions of historical events in the back issues of the New York Times from 1851 to 2003! Available in Facsimile or text format.

BrainPOP

BrainPOP features Science, Math, English, Health and Technology subjects for grades K-8. Topics contain an Animated Movie, a Comic Strip, an Interactive Quiz, an Experiment, a How-to hands on application, a Timeline and a printable Activity Page. Your user name is: Ulster, and your password is: Hudson

TumbleBooks

TumbleBooks are animated, talking picture books which teach kids the joy of reading in a format they'll love. TumbleBooks are created by taking existing picture books, adding animation, sound, music and narration to produce an electronic picture book which you can read, or have read to you.

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GREAT WEBSITES!

The White House Blog

This is the official White House blog, launched in January 2009 at the start of the Barack Obama administration. Includes video and text of the "Weekly Address," and announces events, proclamations, executive orders, and other White House activities. RSS feed is available. more

Design by the Book 

In "this online-only miniseries, ... the [New York Public] Library partnered with [a] leading design blog ... to invite five New York City-based artists to sift through our collections in search of inspiration. Watch as the artists, who range from a glassblower to a letterpress printer, create unique works inspired by what they found." From the New York Public Library (NYPL). more

Feed the Pig

Website for a campaign with the goal to "encourage and help Americans aged 25 to 34 to take control of their personal finances" and live within their means. Includes money-saving tips from "under-savers" such as the "chronic collector" and the "not-so-frugal-foodie," an interactive savings commitment calculator, articles, and more. Also provides a link to material for tweens (4th-6th graders). From the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Advertising Council. more

Internet Evolution: Future of the Internet III

Press release for a December 2008 "survey of experts by the Pew Internet & American Life Project that asked respondents to assess predictions about technology and its roles in the year 2020." Includes summary and full text of the report, which found that experts predict the "mobile device will be the primary connection tool to the internet ... in 2020." Also includes links to previous "Future of the Internet" and other related reports. more

Presidents of the United States: Resource Guides

These presidential resource guides "compile digital materials that are available throughout the Library [of Congress]'s Web site. In addition, each resource guide provides links to external Web sites and a bibliography containing selected works for both a general audience and younger readers. This site will be updated on a regular basis." As of early 2009, guides are available for 20 presidents, the most recent being Franklin D. Roosevelt. From the Library of Congress. more

Book Design Review

Judge a book by its cover? blogger Joseph Sullivan does in his daily blog. Full of pictures, he examines the best and worst book covers of whatever he finds interesting, hardcovers, paperbacks and coffee table books. more

Bon Appetit! Julia Child's Kitchen at the Smithsonian 

This exhibit provides a look at chef Julia Child's kitchen, which was donated to the Smithsonian Institution. Features an interactive view of the kitchen (zoom in to learn about appliances and other items), images of selected items in the collection, sample stories from Julia Child (some with audio), and related items about the chef and the exhibit. From the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. more

Birds, Bees and Blooms 

"Presented here is a selection of some of the wonderful natural history books now in the care of Glasgow University Library's Special Collections." Features images from John James Audubon's "Birds of America," Charles Darwin's "Origin of Species" Robert Hooke's "Micrographia," and others. Includes a selected bibliography. From the Special Collections Department, Library, University of Glasgow, Scotland. more

Reading Tea Leaves 

Introduction to the art of reading tea leaves to tell fortunes. Includes description of the ritual ("Put a pinch of tealeaves in the cup and pour boiling water over them. ... Drink the contents of the cup leaving tealeaves and a very small amount of liquid." Then swirl the contents of the cup.), and how fortunes are told based on the shape and location of leaves. From the Tea Association of the USA.  more

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