New & Noteworthy @ WHPLibrary

Curious about the new books we purchase that are not on the bestseller list?

To see a sampling of our new books, click on these links for the latest

reference,

non-fiction,
and fiction titles.

Did you know that the library has a growing number of books labeled "Large Print" in a special area called our LARGE TYPE collection? We have adult best sellers, romance, suspense, mysteries, the full Harry Potter series, a small collection of non-fiction, and the Readers Digest magazine in large print.

What's different is that the text passages are printed in a larger font size (18+) compared to the smaller font sizes (8-12) commonly used in the publishing world.

If you would like to give your eyes a rest, click here to view THE LATEST LARGE PRINT TITLES in the adult area.

We also have large print titles in the Young Adult area and selected children's large print titles in the Children's Department. Check with the librarians for more information.

Recently, Librarian Jean King read new mysteries by two Swedish writers and two mysteries by a Scottish author. Here are her reviews:

“The Return,” by Swedish writer Hakan Nesser, is his second novel published in English. I also read his first book, “Borkmann’s Point” published in English in 2006. Nesser won the Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy Prize Best Novel Award in 1994 for "Borkmann’s Point." The main character in the books is Chief Inspector Van Veeteren.

In “The Return,” Van Veeteren is summoned to a small seaside town to track down the link between a series of murders. A recently released ex-con is murdered with an axe and then the body of a wealthy real estate mogul is found, also violently attacked.

“Never End,” by Swedish writer Ake Edwardson, is also his second mystery translated into English. His 12 Chief Inspector Erik Winter novels have been published in such countries as Italy, Norway, France, Japan, Spain, and Germany, where the series has sold more than 700,000 copies. I also read his first book translated into English, “Sun and Shadow.” His third translated novel, “Frozen Tracks,” will be published in August.

In “Never End,” a serious of unsolved rape/murders casts a disturbing shadow on the summer. Winter assembles the details of the crimes, and begins to see a connection to a five-year-old unsolved rape/murder. Has the same rapist reemerged to taunt the police or are these copycat crimes? Winter hunts for a link bridging the victims, convinced that each crime holds the key to the others.

Stuart MacBride, a Scottish writer, has written two mysteries set in Aberdeen: “Cold Granite” and “Dying Light.”

In “Cold Granite," on the day Detective Sergeant Logan McRae returns to work after a year off on sick leave, four-year-old David Reid's body is discovered in a ditch, strangled and mutilated. And he’s only the first. Logan also has to contend with a new boss and his own ex-girlfriend who now is the chief pathologist.

In “Dying Light,” MacRae is assigned to a case dealing with the deaths of prostitutes in Aberdeen’s red light district and is also working on a series of arsons where doors and windows are screwed shut from the outside right before the fire is set.

Attention West Hempstead young adults entering grades 6 through 12!

Don't forget to sign-up for the Summer Reading Club!

Just read 4 books by Friday, August 3rd and you will be invited to a pizza party on Thursday, August 16th that will include giveaways and entertainment provided by Erik's Reptile Edventures.

For those of you interested in this summer's "Who done it?" theme, you also might want to check out our "CSI:Who Done It" Program on June 28.

Any questions? Email or call Mrs. Abed at 481-6591.

Our graphic novel collection continues to be popular. Besides the usual Batman and Superman titles, look for:

Ann M. Martin's "The Baby-Sitters Club: The Truth About Stacey"

and Erin Hunter's "The Lost Warrior."

Also check out Anthony Horowitz's "Stormbreaker: the Graphic Novel."

We are starting a Young Adult Graphic Novel Club!!

For anyone who currently enjoys reading "BookPage", a book selection publication available free in our library, consider subscribing to "BookPageXTRA" for an advance peek at what's coming soon! This online e-newsletter will include news not included in the print copy, including book reviews, author updates, contests, giveaways, and more. Signup online to start getting this free e-newsletter delivered directly to your e-mailbox.

The library has a supply of books for summer reading assignments. Please remember that only one book per student may be checked out per visit to ensure that everyone has a chance to use these books.

The middle school books are color-coded by grade level: green dots-6th, blue dots-7th, and black dots-8th. They can be found on a bookcart near the graphic novel section. The high school books are on a separate cart, also parked near the graphic novels.

Here are links to the West Hempstead Union Free School District websites:

West Hempstead Middle School

West Hempstead High School

The West Hempstead Public Library is pleased to offer NextReads themed newsletters direct to you via email! Every newsletter includes recently released titles and may include additional recommendations of older books for fans of a particular author, or lists of books grouped by a theme.

Subscribe to as many newsletters as you would like and you’ll receive the most recent issue(s) immediately, with more to follow. Click on the NextReads Logo on this page or on our library website to join the West Hempstead Reads! community.

Long Island Reads is scheduled to take place during the month of April in conjunction with National Library Week. This is our annual island-wide reading initiative when people throughout Nassau and Suffolk come together to read and discuss the same book and participate in library events.

The 2008 LI Reads Committee has chosen Aloft by Chang-rae Lee. This literary novel takes place in the Long Island suburbs and should appeal to both men and women.

The author is currently the Director of the Program in Creative Writing at Princeton University . Lee has been recognized with numerous literary awards for his two earlier novels, Native Speaker and A Gesture Life. Lee will be available to talk about his book during the month of April 2008.

Our Book Chat will take place on Thursday, March 13 in the Conference Room on the second floor of the new library. Please call the Reference Desk at 481-6591 to reserve a place. We welcome you to join our West Hempstead Book Chat to discuss this moving story about 21st century American life.

Have you found our Large Print books in the new library?

Look for them in the Fiction section on the ground floor, between the regular fiction and the mysteries.

For help, ask a librarian at the reference desk.

Here is a list of the latest arrivals.

Our first book discussion in the new library will be held in the second floor Board Room on February 7, 2008 at 7 pm.

Our selection, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, shocked the public and was harshly criticized when it was first published in 1899. It re-emerged from obscurity in the late 1960’s as social and cultural changes led to the recognition of Chopin as a classic writer who addresses many of contemporary women's concerns.

According to biographer, Emily Toth, "Kate Chopin anticipated so much: daytime dramas, women's pictures, The Feminine Mystique, open marriages, women's liberation, talk shows, Mars vs. Venus, self-help and consciousness raising. But in 1899, she was a lonely pioneer."

Here are some links to whet your appetite:
Editorial Reviews, courtesy of Amazon Books
The Kate Chopin International Society
PBS Program "Kate Chopin: A Re-Awakening"

Join us as we explore our own reactions and share insights on the themes of personal freedom, alienation and loneliness, public identity vs. private needs, and more.

Books will be available at the circulation desk in January. Please stop by the Reference Desk or call 481-6591 to register.

Check this list of our NEWEST LARGE TYPE books. Click on the title to check the Online Library Catalog to see if the book is currently available and to REQUEST IT FROM HOME by using your personal account.

Both fiction and non-fiction titles are shelved on the first floor of the new library in the wing facing Hempstead Avenue. When you visit us, ask a Reference Librarian to steer you in the right direction.

Join us for a May Day Book Chat on Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 7pm in the second floor conference room.

We will select the book for discussion based on feedback offered by the March 13 Book Chat participants during our Long Island Reads meeting, so stay tuned. We'll update our library blog and the website and post flyers in the library with the title of the book. Copies of the book will be available at the Circulation desk by April 1.

We also welcome book choices suggested by other readers in the community who plan to join our group in the future. Check our website for books we have read and discussed in the past. Please email or call the reference desk at (516) 481-6591 to register for a book discussion or to be added to our mailing list.

Author, Annie Dillard
In her review of The Maytrees in Bookpage, Linda White comments "If you have not been enthralled by the details of a moth flying into a candle flame in Holy the Firm, or enchanted by a silken string of spiderweb across a coffee mug in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, then you should slow down and read carefully. For Dillard takes the most amazing facts and lays them bare for all to see."

So, what is this book about? Scott Simon, of National Public Radio, calls it "a quirky story of the Maytrees' fractured marriage" written in a short, simple, poetic style. Listen to the NPR interview and hear Annie Dillard read a passage from the novel.

Pick up a copy of The Maytrees, available now at the circulation desk. Register at the reference desk or call us at 481-6591 to let us know that you will join our discussion at 7 pm in the second floor Conference Room on May 1.

Check here for more reviews.

Have you heard about our new Book-a-Librarian service?

Whether you need help tracking down consumer information, tracing your family roots, or exploring ideas on what to read next, we can help.

With our Book-a-Librarian service you may reserve a free 30-minute session with a professional reference librarian to help you navigate through the many informational resources available to you in the library, through our catalog, in our databases and on the internet.

Just fill out a Book-a-Librarian Request Form in the library or email or call the Reference Desk at 516-481-6591 to request the service. Each request will be given to a Reference Librarian who will schedule your personal appointment at a mutually convenient time

Book-a-Librarian appointments must be scheduled in advance and are restricted to West Hempstead Public Library cardholders.