http://71.18.102.37/blog/ en faithl@falmouthpubliclibrary.org Copyright 2010 2010-09-03T16:23:01-05:00 http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/periodical-profile-brain-child-the-magazine-for-thinking-mothers/ http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/periodical-profile-brain-child-the-magazine-for-thinking-mothers/#When:15:23:01Z The title Brain, Child seems to suggest that this magazine is about raising brilliant children, but that little comma makes a big difference in meaning; it separates brain and child into two subjects.  Brain, Child, a literary magazine, addresses a thinking mother’s need to nurture both her brain and her child.  The founders, Jennifer Niesslein and Stephanie Wilkinson, wanted to offer something unique when they started Brain, Child ten years ago.  They sought to create a magazine characterized by “smart writing that delved into the meatier issues of that life-altering experience: motherhood.” They have been so successful that Brain, Child was named by Utne Reader as one of the five best new magazines in 2000 and received the Utne Independent Press Award for Social/Cultural coverage this year. Published four times a year, Brain, Child includes a feature article, several essays from the front lines of motherhood, a short work of fiction, several book reviews and a debate on an issue of interest.  In the Spring, 2010 issue, the feature article, “Guilt Trip into the Woods” asks “Do kids really need nature?” In this age where kids are plugged in to technology for many hours a day and our environment is in danger, the question is a provocative one.  The debate, “Should Kindergarten Redshirting Be Banned?” informs about both sides of the issue of holding back “young fives” from kindergarten so they can mature more before starting their formal schooling.  World renown author, Margaret Atwood, contributes a short story from her 2007 book Tent.  By the way, Tent, a collection of very interesting and eclectic stories is in our Staff Picks collection here at the library.  It is worth checking out!  In past issues of Brain, Child you can find contributions by Pulitzer prize winning novelists Jane Smiley and Anne Tyler and best-selling authors Barbara Ehrenreich, Barbara Kingsolver and Alice Hoffman.  Essays have won a Pushcart Prize in 2003 and been listed under “Notable Essays” in Best American Essays 2002. This literary emphasis makes Brain, Child refreshingly different from your typical motherhood magazine.  You can get nourishing baby food recipes (p. 64 of the Spring, 2010 issue) as well as nourishing food for thought.  Now that school is about to start up again, re-charge those batteries by reading some thought provoking fiction and essays. The current issue is available for in library use only, but past issues may be checked out.  2010-09-03T15:23:01-05:00 http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/second-annual-end-of-summer-carnival-a-great-afternoon/ http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/second-annual-end-of-summer-carnival-a-great-afternoon/#When:14:16:01Z It was worth postponing the 2nd annual End of Summer Carnival as Thursday’s weather was just perfect!  The lemonade & cotton candy hit the spot! Quite a number of kids and their parents enjoyed the carnival atmosphere! This year we introduced two new games: a traditional sack race, and the suitcase race. It was hilarious to watch the suitcase race contestants! The inspiration for this game was a small book bought at the Friends Annual Book sale over July 4th weekend. Ice–Breakers: Games and Stunts for Large and Small Groups by Edna Geister was published in 1918 with the “express purpose of meeting the many requests for successful recreation for large and small groups of men and girls, in which round dancing has no part.” “Each contestant has a suit-case and an umbrella. In the suit-case are a hat, a coat, gloves and any other clothing desired so long as the contents are uniform. At a given signal all run to the goal, open suit-cases, put on clothes, close suitcase, open umbrellas, and run to starting point.” In their haste some of the kids put the coats on inside out, others struggled to open the umbrellas, while some ran back to the starting point with the gloves in their mouths trying to put them on! Several kids said it was their favorite game and I’m sure the spectators felt the same. A big “Thank You” to all the volunteers who helped out this year! Also to Shaw’s Supermarket and Stop & Shop for their generous donations of ice, lemonade, whipping cream, and mini fruit pies. 2010-08-28T14:16:01-05:00 http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/periodical-profile-health-magazine/ http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/periodical-profile-health-magazine/#When:14:45:02Z “Walk off 10 Lbs:  Amazing Results in Just Days,” “Curb Any Craving: The Brilliant New Secret,” “Stop Cancer with This Simple Move,” “Look Fab:  Gorgeous Skin, Pretty Haircuts, Slimming Clothes”.  These pink headlines, and more, jump off the cover of the September issue of Health, the monthly health and lifestyle magazine for women. You’ve probably seen Health, or magazines like it, in the grocery store check-out displays.  You know the type with the I’m-so-happy, attractive woman on the cover and feature articles that can tell you how to improve every part of your life.  Health has that glam and glossy look, complete with fragrance, but don’t judge this magazine by its cover.  The “editors and journalists [are] dedicated to delivering accurate, trusted, up-to-date health and medical information for consumers.” They state on their webpage, Health.com, “Hundreds of doctors, experts, patients, and advocates have been interviewed during the production of our original content.  Our content is also fact-checked and reviewed periodically for accuracy.” With the September issue they introduce a new look.  Based on reader’s feedback they’ve redesigned the magazine adding more beauty and fashion pages, more workouts and less guilt.  At a hefty 240 pages, there must be something inside that will tickle your fancy, your taste buds, or inspire you to improve your health.  I’m thinking that those oat and blueberry pancakes on page 96 look delicious and I really should try some of those workouts I can do in my home on a rainy day.  I wish I knew about them earlier this week during the deluge! You can find Health in our periodical section filed between Harvard’s Women’s Health Watch and Hemmings Motor News.  Don’t worry about possibly confusing the Harvard Women’s Health Watch with Health.  (They may be addressing the same topics, like belly fat and cancer, but they do so in very different styles.  The Harvard publication is an 8-page newsletter, heavy on the text and light on the color.) We carry back issues for one year that may be checked out and the current issue, in a plastic sleeve, is for in-library use.  Swimsuit season may be winding down, but it is always a good time to take care of your health. 2010-08-27T14:45:02-05:00 http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/kids-take-the-stage/ http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/kids-take-the-stage/#When:19:41:00Z This afternoon “Kids Took the Stage” as the Theatre Workshop thespians presented “It’s In The Bag” an original work by Petra Ehrenbrink, the workshop director. The actors, all between the ages of 10 and 14, had only ten hours to read and rehearse the one act play.  “Reuse, Reduce, Recycle,” was the mantra of this creative play encouraging a “green attitude,” a perfect tie in to the Summer Reading theme of “Go Green at Your Library.” The actors assumed roles ranging from trash tossing students to talking garbage bags. The playwright made the point of recycling and saving our planet and ecosystem with a very vivid demonstration. A large container of pristine water represented Boston Harbor when the Puritans arrived on the Shawmut peninsula. Using all sorts of props the actors tossed everything from sand to clam shells, factory waste, to toilet refuse, & garbage to pollute the water. The point was clearly made! To save ourselves & our planet we need to reuse, reduce & recycle!  Family & friends enthusiastically applauded the performance! Bravo to the actors: Louisa Carlson, Garrett Chabot, Nicolette Joe, Yemi Jolaoso, Kevin Kane, Anna Shapiro, Kaylyn Skinner and Molly Smith. The Trustees of the Library sponsored this fun workshop which was free to participating students. 2010-08-20T19:41:00-05:00 http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/periodical-profile-audiofile/ http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/periodical-profile-audiofile/#When:16:01:00Z If you are hooked on audiobooks then you will want to get the latest scoop from AudioFile, the bimonthly magazine that reviews spoken-word productions, like audiobooks and audio programs.  If you’ve never tried an audiobook, then read some of these short reviews, and you’ll understand what the attraction is! To back up a moment, an audiobook is one that you listen to being read by a professional narrator.  You can listen via a variety of formats:  cassettes (which are dying out), CDs, PlayAways (more on this below), computers and a number of handheld devices, like an iPhone.  They differ from ebooks (electronic books) which you read on an electronic device, such as a computer, or an ebook reader.  Listening to a story on an audiobook brings another dimension to your experience, which can be wonderful or disappointing, depending upon the quality of the narration.  That’s why it is helpful to read recording reviews by professional reviewers.  AudioFile makes a point of reviewing the quality and appropriateness of the recording.  They do not review the written material.  Each issue of AudioFile contains hundreds of audiobook reviews, profiles of narrators and authors, and “Earphones Awards”.  The awards are for “truly exceptional presentations that excel in all of the following criteria:  narrative voice and style, vocal characterizations, appropriateness for the audio format and enhancement of the text.” I used to dismiss audiobooks thinking that since I am a slow and contemplative reader that I would miss something if I had to keep up with someone else’s pace.  But then I tried listening to Rudyard Kipling’s Captains Courageous on CD read by George Guidall and I was immediately captivated!  The story of a boy who falls off a cruise ship and is saved by a fishing boat from Gloucester includes characters from several countries.  Guidall’s handling of the various accents and the life he brought to all of the characters was so enthralling that I actually didn’t mind getting stuck in a traffic jam while I listened on my car stereo! In the August/September issue of AudioFile there is an interview with Marilyn Johnson, the author of This Book is Overdue!, (a favorite of many librarians) in which she shares her love of audiobooks.  In fact, one of her favorites was Bill Bryson’s Notes From a Small Island that is narrated by the author.  Regarding this humorous look at England from an American’s point of view she says, “His voice was so funny and wonderful, I began to actively look for audiobooks.” It just so happens that Notes From a Small Island is the book that our Nonfiction Reading Group will read for September.  We will meet on Friday September 10 from 10-11am in the library.  Everyone is welcome to take part.  Read or listen to the book ahead of time and come prepared to share your opinions.  It would be great to compare reactions from those who read the book to those who listened to it! The Library has AudioFile issues for the past year.  If you are looking for audiobooks themselves, we have them on cassette, CD and as PlayAways – all located in the center area of the Adult Collection room.  A PlayAway, by the way, is a matchbook-sized object that contains one recorded book.  You plug in your own earphones and listen on the go!  We also have audiobooks that can be downloaded to a computer or portable device via a software program called Overdrive.  Follow the link to read all about it. Overdrive offerings (which include audiobooks, ebooks and music) and the software program that needs to be downloaded to access them, are both free.  If you have any questions about audiobooks or Overdrive, ask a friendly reference librarian and we’d be happy to help you.  2010-08-20T16:01:00-05:00 http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/closed-on-monday-august-23rd/ http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/closed-on-monday-august-23rd/#When:17:20:00Z The Main Library as well as our North & East Branches will be closed on Monday, August 23rd, for another unpaid furlough day. If your items happen to be due that day, you can return them the next day with no fines attached. The Woods Hole Library & the West Falmouth Library will not have unpaid furlough days, as their staffs are not employed by the town of Falmouth. Woods Hole & West Falmouth Libraries are members of the CLAMS network, so your library card works at either library. The Woods Hole Library is open Mondays, 12-5:30, 7-9, but the West Falmouth Library is regularly closed on Mondays. 2010-08-16T17:20:00-05:00 http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/periodical-profile-the-times-literary-supplement/ http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/periodical-profile-the-times-literary-supplement/#When:17:26:13Z Readers who are interested in literary culture will be pleased to know that we have The Times Literary Supplement (TLS) in our periodicals collection.  This weekly literary journal is the world leader for insightful, impartial and authoritative reviews of important books, theatre, opera, exhibitions and film.  On their website they write … Since 1902, the TLS has scrutinized, dissected, applauded, and occasionally disparaged, the work of the twentieth century’s leading writers and thinkers. (Many of those same writers and thinkers have been notable contributors to the paper – from T.S. Eliot and Virginia Woolf in the 1920s to Gore Vidal and Seamus Heaney today.) Reviewing the books that matter, examining the questions central to our culture, the Lit Supp, as it has been known to generations of readers, provides a unique record of developments in literature, politics, scholarship and the arts, and brings a unique seriousness to bear on the major intellectual debates of our time. TLS publishes about two dozen lengthy reviews each week, along with several short reviews, letters to the editor, poems, the occasional short story and a crossword puzzle.  Regular columns include: the “now legendary” column by Hugo Williams titled “Freelance,” “Then and Now,” where reviews from the past are re-printed and “NB,” a commentary, which appears on the back page.  The library has issues for the past six months available to take home, but as always, the current issue must remain in the library (even though it is not currently inside a plastic sleeve).  Look for it in the magazine racks filed under “T” for Times. 2010-08-13T17:26:13-05:00 http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/summer-cooking/ http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/summer-cooking/#When:14:28:00Z I’ve been looking at lots of barbecue books lately, and thinking about summer cooking. Mindy, Melanie, & I were going to be talking about summer cooking on Monday’s show, but due to schedule conflicts we won’t be on next week. However, you get the benefit of some of my research right here on the library blog! For example, I found a New York Times article from August 4, 1945 that began: “Most housewives feel little inclination for cooking in summer, when neither the weather nor one’s mood is conductive to culinary pursuits.” I couldn’t agree more, but then she has a recipe for something called “Polka Dot Shortcakes” which includes a muffin batter, 4 frankfurters, and 1 1/2 cups of white sauce! Not exactly light eating! Laurie Colwin (one of my favorite short story writers) also was a columnist for Gourmet Magazine. She wrote two wonderful books of articles on food: Home Cooking & More Home Cooking. In Home Cooking she rants against grilling: “Grilling is like sunbathing. Everyone knows it is bad for you but no one ever stops doing it. Since I do not like the taste of lighter fluid, I do not have to worry that a grilled steak is the equivalent of seven hundred cigarettes.” She may not like grilling, but she loves tomatoes: “In the summer a large plate of sliced tomatoes is a salad in itself with nothing added.” Read her books about cooking for summer cooking suggestions, and just terrific writing. Other books to inspire your summer cooking: The Fishes & Dishes Cookbook: seafood recipes and salty stories from Alaska’s commercial fisherwomen Grillin’ with Gas: 150 mouthwatering recipes for great grilled food Eating Well in Seasons: the Farmer’s Market Cookbook Big Summer Cookbook: 300 fresh, flavorful recipes for those lazy, hazy days Soaked, Slathered, and Seasoned: a complete guide to flavoring food for the grill (The author also has a website www.girlsatthegrill.com) Grilling for All Seasons Steven Raichlen’s Planet Barbecue! 309 recipes, 60 countries, an electrifying journey around the world’s barbecue trail (Grilled Ice Cream or Smoked Ice Cream anyone?) Tomato: a fresh-from-the-Vine Cookbook Gelato! Italian Ice Creams, Sorbetti & Granite Serendipity Sundaes: ice cream constructions & frozen concoctions Oh, and after looking at all those barbecue books I was thinking there has got to be a mystery with a barbecue theme ... and there is! Check out Revenge of the Barbeque Queens by Lou Jane Temple. “At the Barbeque World Series, more than ribs will be swimming in sauce!” Lou Jane Temple actually has a whole series of food related mysteries. 2010-08-11T14:28:00-05:00 http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/periodical-profile-whole-living-body-soul-in-balance/ http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/periodical-profile-whole-living-body-soul-in-balance/#When:16:55:02Z Have you been looking in our periodicals room for the summer issues of Body + Soul, the new-age health magazine?  We still carry it, but with the July/August issue it is sporting a new name and therefore, a new additional spot on our shelves.  It is now called Whole Living:  Body + Soul in Balance and is filed under “w” between Where to Retire and Wired.  One year’s worth of past issues of Body + Soul are in their customary spot.  Just lift the shelf to find the stack. Whole Living is a Martha Stewart publication that is published ten times a year.  It features articles, action plans, instructions for making and doing a wide variety of things, recipes, exercises, book reviews, myriad tips and nuggets of information to improve your body and soul.  Unlike some Martha Stewart home style ideas and culinary creations, this magazine is not full of difficult to obtain perfection and preciousness; the tone is more practical and includes many simple improvements that can be worked into one’s everyday pattern.  It is geared toward busy women who are looking for healthy options for all the choices they face throughout the day from what to eat to how to de-stress.  Regular departments are “whole life,” “whole health,” “whole beauty,” “nourish,” “reflect” and “in balance”. Feature articles in the July/August issue include:  “Fresh Off the Grill” which presents a healthy summer menu free of the B-B-Q fat and mayo laden salads (The quinoa and green bean salad on page 95 looks good and easy!); “Soothe Sayers” gives instructions for making three of your own botanical salves to treat sunburns, bug bites and other summer skin issues; and “Take It Outside” inspires you to leave the gym and do your workout on the beach or in a park.  There are also several interesting info-bits like, did you know “that when animals were exposed to palmitic acid – the saturated fat in ice cream and red meat – fat molecules caused their brains to ignore appetite-suppressing signals. … Translation:  the body doesn’t realize it’s full.” That explains why I can’t stop eating ice cream!  If you have any interest in modifying your activities to improve your well-being or that of the planet, then surely you will find something helpful in Whole Living.  The current issue needs to stay in the library until September arrives, but then it can be checked out.  In the meantime, you just might want to photocopy some of those recipes for handy reference.  I know I’ll be trying out the instructions for “brightening my whites without using bleach” on page 122.  Check it out! 2010-08-06T16:55:02-05:00 http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/notes-on-library-art-from-the-assistant-director/ http://www.falmouthpubliclibrary.org/?/blog/entries/notes-on-library-art-from-the-assistant-director/#When:15:36:01Z Lynne Carreiro, our Assistant Director, has recently announced the arrival of some returning art to the library walls. Here is her report: “The woodcuts in the magazine/newspaper room are by California artist Edgar Dorsey Taylor (1904-1978). They are representative of American abstract expressionism of the New York school and the theme is the California coast. They were originally hung in the library in 1980. In 1968 he visited Falmouth and Provincetown. Sig Purwin (1915-1996) was a well known artist who resided in Woods Hole and died there in 1996. He was a painter, muralist, sculptor and print-maker as well as an inventor who discovered a technique called Thermo Relief Painting. One day, before I began work here in 1986, Sig was invited to perform a story-hour at the library. In the course of the program he recited stories and sketched the lovely paintings which now adorn the children’s room entry. Alfie Glover, a local artist, has loaned us two of his fanciful pieces curently adorning the two fireplaces. Alfie is also the artist who designed and built Phyllis’ House in the Children’s Room in memory of our former Children’s Librarian Phyllis Eastwood. The Falmouth Public Library Foundation raised private funds to refurbish and hang the library’s art collection. Their next project will be to clean and stabilize (build a new stand) for “America” by Hiram Powers, and to clean and relocate the sculpture “Airfoil” by Robert DuBourg, which is currently standing unnoticed in the garden by the library parking lot.” 2010-07-31T15:36:01-05:00