New & Noteworthy @ WHPLibrary

Check out our collection of "Banned Books" in the circular display case across from the Children's Room.

Did you know that every year, somewhere in the United States, people demand that books be removed from libraries or schools because of their content, according to American Library Association (ALA) records. Thanks to the efforts of librarians to maintain them in their collections, most of the books featured during Banned Book Week were the targets of attempted bannings, but ultimately were not banned.

Banned Book Week, observed during the last week of September each year since 1982, celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular.

See if any of your favorites are on the list of banned and challenged classics. Or check the convenient links to these frequently challenged books provided by Googlebooks

The West Hempstead Public Library is proud to be part of the Nassau Digital Doorway (NDD) service which provides online access to best-selling and classic audiobooks for your listening pleasure.
Download and listen to content from your home computer, transfer the digital media to your compatible MP3 player, or burn them onto a CD (when allowed by the publisher). Patrons may check out up to five titles at a time, and at the end of the seven day lending period, the audiobooks will expire from the PC and automatically be returned to the digital collection, so you never have to worry about late fees.

To access the West Hempstead Public Library digital audiobook collection you will need:
      1. A valid West Hempstead Public library card in good standing
      2. Access to the Internet (high-speed connection preferred)
      3. Free downloadable software that transfers audiobooks to your computer

Please note that digital downloads can be enjoyed at home, at work, or when you travel, but are generally not for use on the computers in your library.

Before you get started, be sure to read the Quickstart Guide and the Digital Help-FAQ found in the upper right corner of the Nassau Digital Doorway's homepage. If you have the time, and a high speed connection, view the Guided Tour for an easy introduction to this convenient new service!

The Library would like to thank

bageltown,
Fabio’s Pizza,
Tasty Bite Kosher Bakery
for making this year's Adult Summer Reading Raffle a success!

Author: Katherine Center
Title: Everyone is Beautiful

"This is the story of an overwhelmed mother of 3 very active toddler boys and her journey to find herself. It held my attention from start to finish." Review by Ann Marie F.

This is Katherine’s second novel. BookPage named Katherine one of seven new writers to watch and Booklist calls Everyone is Beautiful "a superbly written novel filled with unique and resonant characters."

Author: Robin Cook
Title: Foreign Body

"Wonderful story of a medical student whose grandmother, Maris Hernandez, dies after a hip surgery in India! Jennifer tries to solve the mystery." Review by Norma H.

Doctor and author, Robin Cook, is widely credited with introducing the word "medical" to the thriller genre, and twenty years after the publication of his breakthrough novel, Coma, he continues to dominate the category he created.

Author: Lisa See
Title: Snow Flower & the Secret Fan

"This is the story of one woman’s life in 19th century China. Lily, a farm girl is fortunate to achieve a wildly excellent marriage because of her perfectly (and painfully) bound feet and her 'laotung' relationship with Snow Flower, a girl from a prestigious family. Snow Flower was not so fortunate in marriage." Review by Brenda R.

Snow Flower & the Secret Fan is a critically-acclaimed international bestseller and MGM Studios has acquired the film rights. Read the book before the movie comes out!

Everyone who participates in our Adult Summer Reading program has a chance to win a Booklover's Bag. The drawing will be held on Monday, August 17.

Author: Alice Hoffman
Title: Property of

“Alice Hoffman’s first novel about a girl who falls for a gang leader. A lifestyle & culture I cannot wrap my brain around. I found this book baffling, enraging & compelling all at once.” Review by Kelly M.

Alice Hoffman is a native Long Islander and has written 18 novels to date. Her novels have received mention as notable books of the year by The New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, The Los Angeles Times, Library Journal, and People Magazine. We own many of her books so why not check one out!

Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Title: 44 Scotland Street

“British/Scottish melodrama… A biting wit & charm.” Review by Andrea M.

Alexander McCall Smith has written more than 60 books & is best known for his internationally acclaimed No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Our library will be having a Book Chat on Wednesday July 22nd at 10:30 a.m. So, if you have not already tried an Alexander McCall Smith book, why not start now and join in our book discussion. Copies are available at the circulation desk and you may sign up at the reference desk or call 481-6591 to register.

Author: James Patterson
Title: The 8th Confession

“Excellent as all of the women’s murder mystery club books are.” Review by Linda D.

James Patterson has been dubbed "the man who can't miss" by Time magazine and has had 19 CONSECUTIVE #1 New York Times hardcover bestselling novels. If you are among the few who have not read a Patterson, maybe this summer is the time to do so!

You still have time to join our Adult Summer Reading Program and win a Booklover's Bag!

The ADULT SUMMER READING PROGRAM has officially started!

“Master the Art of Reading” this summer at the West Hempstead Public Library and explore the worlds of art, books, and more. Get in touch with your creative side!

Patrons can pick up their forms at the reference desk, at circulation, or on the Adult Program page of our website. Patrons must read or listen to 3 books and then fill out the form and insert it into the bright pink box located at the Reference Desk.

There will be a raffle at the end of the program that gives each participant the chance to win a "Booklover's Bag" filled with special surprises! For every additional 3 books read and reviewed, patrons may fill out another form.

If it's ok with you, we'll post your reviews in the blog to help other readers make their summer reading choices.

All instructions are on the forms. Any questions, please ask!

The Long Island Reads Committee is pleased to announce that Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of the 2009 Long Island Reads pick, Wait Till Next Year will meet with us to discuss her book and answer questions on Wednesday, May 6 at 1 p.m. at the Brentwood Public Library.

To request your free tickets (limit of two per person) call the Nassau Library System (516) 292-8920 x236 starting on Wednesday, April 1. Ask for Roseanne: she will mail your tickets directly to your home.

We will be reading and discussing this book at our library in West Hempstead on Wednesday, March 25. Copies of the book will be available at the Circulation Desk beginning on February 23. Don't miss these exciting events!

Call us at 516-481-6591 for more information.

On Wednesday, November 12, a Norwich Terrier named Ruby visited the West Hempstead Library's Children's Room. Accompanying her, were the author, Maureen Sullivan and illustrator, Alison Josephs, to share how they created Ankle Soup, a new children's book. The appealing story is told from the point of view of a French Bulldog named Carlos in Grand Central Station on Thanksgiving Day.

Children collected in the children's program room to listen to the author and artist and meet Ruby, one of the canine characters. Later Friends of the West Hempstead Library set up a table where they sold autographed copies of the book

On Wednesday, November 12 at 7 pm we will have a special event in the Children's Program Room.

Children from ages 4 to grade 4 are invited to a special reading featuring the author, the illustrator, and one of the canine characters from the book Ankle Soup. Ankle Soup is a Thanksgiving holiday story told from the perspective of a French Bulldog named Carlos.

Long Island author, Maureen Sullivan will read from the book; illustrator Alison Josephs will talk about her pictures. Come for fun and the inside scoop on this delightful, colorful picture book!

Register at the Children's Reference Desk beginning October 30 at 5 pm.

Copies of the book may be bought and signed in the main library through Friends of the West Hempstead Public Library.

Are you a MORNING person? An EVENING person? It doesn’t matter - we aim to please all! Our next book discussion will be offered in two separate sessions.
The Book:
SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN
by Lisa See

Read this “achingly beautiful” historical novel and come to discuss the poignant friendship of Lily and Snow Flower as they live the regimented (and secretive) life of 19th century Chinese women.

The Date: Wednesday, October 29
The Times: 10:30 a.m. OR 7:00 p.m.

In a review from the Baltimore Sun, Victoria Brownworth says,

"...This haunting, beautiful and ineffably sad tale of longing so intense as to be taken beyond the grave, is written in See's characteristically strong prose. She has a keen ear for Lily's yearning, and manages to depict an era and place vastly different from our own Westernized world with grace, acumen and not a little humility..."

Please register for either time at the Reference Desk. Stop by, email, or call 481-6591 Ext. 22. Copies of the book are available at the Circulation Desk.

We think that every one of our Adult Summer Reading Club participants is a winner, and we thank you all for sharing your summaries and recommendations with the rest of the West Hempstead reading community. We hope you all had fun and will join in other reading activities at the library.
The winners from this year's raffle are:

Amy Chiert
Denise Criollo
Linda DeGuglielmis
Anne Marie Fidis
Allison Fixler
Josephine McComber

Thank you Stop and Shop for your generous donation to this event!

Thanks to our Summer Reading Club for Grownups, we have more reading suggestions to pass on:

Everything's Eventual, by Stephen King. 5
DC: 14 short, scary, deep thinking stories. My favorite was "The Little Sisters of Eluria", a continuation of Stephen King's series of the Story of Roland the Gunslinger. This is great if you don't have time to read a novel.

Seeing Me Naked, by Liza Palmer. 5
AF: The story centers around the life of a pastry chef and her dysfunctional relationship with her famous author father and brother.... The author draws you into Elisabeth's life. I could not put it down.

Under the Tuscan Sun: at home in Italy, by Frances Mayes. 5
JM: It is a love story - but not between 2 people. It tells a story of being drawn to a beautiful area (Tuscany) and becoming a part of it.... I recommend this especially if you like reading about other countries and more importantly, food and cooking.

Play Dirty, by Sandra Brown. 4
AC: A football player with a gambling problem gets put in jail for throwing the final game before superbowl... I recommend this book - it is not really a football book.

DailyOM: Inspirational Thoughts for a Happy, Healthy, and Fulfilling Day, by Madisyn Taylor. 4
LD: 1-2 pages daily inspirational thoughts.

Friday Nights, by Joanna Trollope. 4
AF: A group of six women from very different lifestyles meet at one home on Friday nights and become good friends.....They all learn from and lean on each other over the years.... I recommend this book. There is a lot of character development and you begin to feel like part of the group.

The Third Angel, by Alice Hoffman. 3.5 - 4
JS: 3 seemingly unrelated storylines, suddenly connecting, and you find yourself flipping back to previous chapters to remind yourself who this character is. I had been looking forward to reading it, and had high expectations, which didn't seem as though they'd be met...until the third section of the book. At that point, I was so caught up, I hated to put it down, yet hated to have it end.

Did you know that Edgar Allan Poe’s Short Stories can be found on-line on many websites including Great Literature Online at http://www.classicauthors.net/

WHHS readers might appreciate these:
“The Fall of the House of Usher,”
“The Masque of Red Death,”
“The Pit and the Pendulum,”
“The Black Cat,”
“The Cask of Amontillado.”

For more information about other online texts (homework help!) check out the Internet Public Library.

Read the recommendations submitted by the West Hempstead adult readers who are participating in our Summer Reading Club for Grownups. Don't forget - you still have time to post a review and win a prize! We will be extending the end-date to August 1.

Change of Heart, by Jodi Picoult. 5+
JS: I absolutely recommend this book to all readers, bookgoups and fans (or future fans) of Jodi Picoult's books. A compelling, thoughtfully written story dealing with a really tough subject matter, yet it does not go into graphic detail of the murder and deaths.

The Tenth Circle, by Jodi Picoult. 5
AF: Yes, I would recommend this book. It covers so many levels in relationships - between parents, parent and child - what one would do for the other.

My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult. 5
AF: So gripping I couldn't put it down.

Obsession, by Karen Robards. 4
JS: This was a very entertaining story - not very deep, but highly enjoyable. Also, you'll want to read right through, no pauses.

The Book of Old Houses (A Home Repair is Homicide Mystery), by Sarah Graves.
3
JS: I recommend this to "light" mystery fans, serial book fans, anyone looking for a quick read.

Chili con Corpses (A Supper Club Mystery), by J. B. Stanley. 3
AF: The book was somewhat predictable and did not include a lot of character or plot development. The included recipes look delicious. It is a good summer read.

The Saturday Wife, by Naomi Ragen. 1
AF: Not this one! I enjoyed all of Naomi Ragen's other books - They had substance. This was a farce and somewhat insulting.

Why should kids have all the fun?

Participate from Monday, July 7 through Friday, July 25 and you, too, might win a prize for reading!

Just read or listen to a library book. Fill out a review form (available in the library) or down load it here. Drop the completed form in a special box located at the Reference Desk. The more reviews you write, the more chances you’ll have to win the prizes given at the end of the program.

If permission is given, we may post some reviews on our website so you can see what others in West Hempstead have been reading. Maybe you will find some new titles or authors to read!

Join the Summer Reading Club! Click with your mouse to feed Freddie.

Courtesy of the 2008 New York Statewide Summer Reading Program

Metamorphosis ...... Change ...... Transformation
What does it mean to you?
Can you help change the world? ... Your neighborhood? ... Yourself?

The 2008 New York Statewide Summer Reading Progam provides games and activities to help you investigate this theme. Explore metamorphosis online! Then come to the library for more summertime reading and activities.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!!

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.

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.

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.

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.