Category: Reading

Mighty Storms of New England

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

Virtual Author Talk With Eric Fisher

Check out the video below of Eric Fisher’s author talk from Wednesday, February 2nd, where he discussed his new book Mighty Storms of New England: The Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Blizzards and Floods That Shaped the Region and answered audience questions!  

“The New England landscape has long been battered by some of the most intense weather in US history. Discover the legendary storms that have devastated New England, including: the Great New England Hurricane of 1938 that killed 564 people; the Worcester Tornado of 1953; the Snow Hurricane of 1804 that demolished orchards and killed dozens of sailors off the coast; and the Blizzard of 1978 that brought Boston to a standstill for weeks.”

Eric Fisher is Chief Meteorologist for CBS Boston’s WBZ-TV News and anchors weather segments weeknights at 5 p.m., 6 p.m., and 11 p.m., as well as WBZ-TV News at 10 p.m. on TV38 (WSBK-TV).  He is also a contributor for CBS News, often found reporting on breaking severe weather across the country.  Born and raised in New England, Eric says there are few places on earth that produce weather like this little corner of the U.S. It offers the challenges of blockbuster snowstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes, heat waves, frigid cold snaps and dramatic seasonal shifts.  Eric vividly remembers Memorial Day of 1995 as a day that helped solidify his path as a meteorologist, when an infamous tornado ripped through Great Barrington in the Berkshires.  Glued to the red warnings crawling across the screen and watching the radar, his career in weather was born.  Eric joined WBZ-TV News from The Weather Channel in Atlanta where he spent three years as a Meteorologist.  He produced and delivered national forecasts and contributed to numerous live reports on extreme weather for The Weather Channel, NBC Nightly News, TODAY and MSNBC.  Previously he worked as the morning meteorologist at WGGB-TV in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Mighty Storms of New England is also available for purchase at Eight Cousins.

Cape Cod and New England Storm Reads

Fiction

Death on Tuckernuck by Francine Mathews

Girls of Summer: A Novel by Nancy Thayer

Storm of Secrets by Loretta Marion

Snowblind by Christopher Golden

Storm Girl  by Joseph C. Lincoln

Nonfiction

Mighty Storms of New England: The Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Blizzards and Floods That Shaped the Region by Eric Fisher

Historic Disasters of New England: Legendary Storms, Twisters, Floods, and Other Catastrophes by Randi Minetor

Thirty-Eight: The Hurricane That Transformed New England by Stephen Long

Great New England Storms of the 20th century editor Janice Page

Fatal Forecast: An Incredible True Tale of Disaster and Survival at Sea by Michael J. Tougias

The Forgotten Cape: 1940-1960 by Mary Sicchio

The Blizzard of ’78 by Michael Tougias

Storms and Shipwrecks of New England by Edward Rowe Snow; updated by Jeremy D’Entremon

Historic Storms of New England: Its Gales, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Showers with Thunder and Lightning, Great Snow Storms, Rains, Freshets, Floods, Droughts, Cold Winters, Hot Summers, Avalanches, Earthquakes, Dark Days, Comets, Aurora Borealis, Phenomena in the Heavens, Wrecks Along the Coast, with Incidents and Anecdotes, Amusing and Pathetic by Sidney Perley

Southern New England Tropical Storms and Hurricanes: A Ninety-Seven Year Summary, 1900-1996, Including Several Early American Hurricanes by David R. Vallee and Michael R. Dion

The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger

Coastal Flooding in Barnstable County, Cape Cod, Massachusetts by Water Resources Commission 

Pictures of the Worst Storm in New Bedford’s History, August 26, 1924 (reference department)

 

 

 

Science and History of Shipwrecks

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

 

Check out the video below of Marie Zahn’s talk from Please Tuesday, January 25th from 7pm-8pm as she discussed the Science and History of Shipwrecks: Archaeology and Conservation and answered audience questions!

The journey of an artifact from the past into the present.  When it comes to shipwrecks, archaeologists have a potential time capsule of the past.  It’s a safe assumption to claim that most shipwrecks happen unintentionally – all of the objects on board, from the parts of the ships themselves to the cargo and personal items of the crew, sink together.  What you have is a single slice of history preserved in one place.  A small moment in time captured unexpectedly.  This discussion into the world of underwater archaeology focusses on the challenges of artifact conservation and the effects of different underwater environments on ships and their artifacts.  See how material objects deteriorate and decay over time by looking at shipwrecks from diverse time periods throughout history as well as spanning the globe in terms of construction and final resting places – from ancient Greece to pirate treasure!

Marie Zahn, a Cape Cod native, is the Director of the Brooks Academy Museum and A. Elmer Crowell Decoy Barn Museum for the Harwich Historical Society, as well as serving as the Administrator for the Historical Society of Old Yarmouth. Prior to this, she spent several years working on an early 18th century shipwreck as an archaeologist, conservator, and science education coordinator.  When she’s not talking about history, Marie volunteers as a Solar System Ambassador for NASA, acting as a liaison between the space agency and the public, spreading awareness of current and upcoming NASA missions and sharing news about ongoing work in the space sciences and space exploration.  Marie’s work in science and archaeology has given her a unique perspective and appreciation for history. She believes that history is a continuous narrative, and that it is of the utmost importance to make connections between the past and where we are today. Marie aims to make science open, inclusive, and accessible to anyone that’s curious about the past, present, and future.

Cape Cod and New England Shipwreck Reading List:

Shipwrecks of Cape Cod: Stories of Tragedy and Triumph by Don Wilding

Dangerous Shallows: In Search of the Ghost Ships of Cape Cod by Eric Takakjian and Randall Peffer

The Wreck of the Portland: A Doomed Ship, a Violent Storm, and New England’s Worst Maritime Disaster by J. North Conway

The Palatine Wreck: The Legend of the New England Ghost Ship by Jill Farinelli

The Sol e Mar tragedy off Martha’s Vineyard by Captain W. Russell Webster (U.S. Coast Guard, Ret.) and Elizabeth B. Webster

Disaster off Martha’s Vineyard: The Sinking of the City of Columbus by Thomas Dresser

The Anthology of Cape Cod Shipwrecks by Donald L. Ferris

Storms and Shipwrecks of New England by Edward Rowe Snow; updated by Jeremy D’Entremon

The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger

Expedition Whydah: The Story of the World’s First Excavation of a Pirate Treasure Ship and the Man Who Found Her by Barry Clifford with Paul Berry

Exploring the Waters of Cape Cod: Shipwrecks & Dive Sites: The Complete Guide to Scuba Diving & Shipwreck Locations around Cape Cod & the Islands by Donald L. Ferris

The Pirate Prince: Discovering the Priceless Treasures of the Sunken Ship Whydah: An Adventure by Barry Clifford with Peter Turchi

Cape Cod Maritime Disasters: A Collection of Photographs of Maritime Accidents Around Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard by William P. Quinn

Treasure Wreck: The Fortunes and Fate of the Pirate Ship Whydah by Arthur T. Vanderbilt II

Shipwrecks around New England: A Chronology of Marine Accidents and Disasters from Grand Manan to Sandy Hook by by William P. Quinn

Shipwrecks on Cape Cod: The Story of a Few of the Many Hundred Shipwrecks Which Have Occurred on Cape Cod by Isaac M. Small

Great Storms and Famous Shipwrecks of the New England Coast by Edward Rowe Snow

 

Books About Radio on The Point With Mindy Todd

Posted on by Library User

(written by Jill Erickson)

This morning was the last regular WCAI radio show that I will be doing-you can listen to it here! As of October 30th I retired from the Falmouth Public Library. You can take a look at two blogs I wrote about this departure. One is about my being a reference librarian and one is about my time on WCAI. It has been an absolute pleasure to spend time every month with Mindy Todd and whichever book talker happens to be there that month. When Mindy asked me last month what book topic I would like to talk about for my last show, I immediately came up with RADIO! How it is possible that we had never done this topic, I’m not quite sure, but it was the perfect topic for the last show. 

Here is the article that includes the Jack Binns Tribute song we mentioned! Scroll to the very bottom to hear it. 
 

Peter’s Picks

Hello, Everybody: the dawn of American radio by Anthony Rudel

On the Air: the encyclopedia of old-time radio by John Dunning

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson

Raised on Radio: in quest of the Lone Ranger, Jack Benny….by Gerald Nachman

Howard Stern Comes Again by Howard Stern

Listening In: radio and the American imagination by Susan J. Douglas

Something in the Air: Radio, Rock and the Revolution…by Marc Fisher

Jill’s Picks

Radio On: A Listener’s Diary by Sarah Vowell (available via the Commonwealth Catalog)
Invasion From Mars: a study in the psychology of panic by Hadley Cantril
Broadcast Hysteria: Orson Welles’s “War of the Worlds” and the art of fake news by A. Brad Schwartz
Marconi: the man who networked the world by Marc Raboy
Out On the Wire: the storytelling secrets of the new masters of radio by Jessica Abel
The Radio Boys Trailing a Voice; Or, Solving a Wireless Mystery by Allen Chapman

Listener Picks

The Great American Broadcast: a celebration of radio’s golden age by Leonard Matlin

 

Learn Libby From The Experts

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

The Falmouth Public Library is hosting a free virtual Libby webinar by the experts at OverDrive on Wednesday, September 1st at 10am!  With the Libby app, you can access the entire CLAMS digital library collection to read and listen to eBooks, eAudiobooks, and eMagazines all for free with your library card!

Register today to learn how to sign into Libby, navigate around, browse and search for titles, borrow titles and place holds, manage notifications, and much much more!

Can’t make this webinar but are interested in learning more about Libby?  Register and a recording of the webinar will be sent to you for you to watch whenever it is best for you!

To register, just click this link:  https://overdrive.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_G2S1_GJNSYmZNPDhmMtu4A 

Local Author Panel with Mark Epstein, Isabella Stewart and Sandra Stosz

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

The Falmouth Public Library is excited to announce a local author panel with Mark Epstein, Isabella Stewart and Sandra Stosz on July 12th starting at 4pm via Zoom!  Please join us as this trio presents their first publications with an audience Q&A to follow.  If you would like to submit author questions ahead of time, please email your questions to info@falmouthpubliclibrary.org.

This event is free and is open to adults and older teens.  Registration is required to receive the Zoom link.  To register, please contact the reference department at 508-457-2555 x 7 or stop by the reference desk.  You can also register by clicking here.  All three books are available at Eight Cousins for purchase.

They Call Me Pathfinder by Mark Epstein:  “Lauded by Coretta Scott King’s cousin, Christine Jackson, as “a book everyone should read!” in this inspiring memoir of an educator, Epstein shares the magic of befriending some of the greatest athletes in history as well as students and parents in the public school system.” (publisher)

Tangled Vince, Island Crimes: Martha’s Vineyard Off-Season by Isabella Stewart: “This is not a beach novel taking place in the soft summer winds.  It is the flip side taking place in the off-season when the wild vines take hold of vacant summer properties and weaken their foundations, climb and strangle trees, and weave a cloth of deception that is stronger than twine.” (publisher)

Breaking Ice & Breaking Glass: Leading in Uncharted Waters by Vice Admiral Sandra Stosz, USCG (ret):  “Admiral Sandy Stosz draws upon 40 years of extensive leadership experience and wisdom to provide tools that will help leaders navigate complexity to reach their goals and succeed at every level.” (publisher)

Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month where we recognize and celebrate the heritage and cultures of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and their contributions and influences on the United States and its history.  For more information and online events, lectures, exhibits, collections, videos and images, please visit https://asianpacificheritage.gov/

In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the Falmouth Public Library has put together a reading list of 2020 and 2021 books for all ages that are available from the library.

Kids:

A Girl Like Me by Angela Johnson

Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon by Kat Zhang

Finish the Fight!: the Brave and Revolutionary Women who Fought for the Right to Vote written by the Staff of The New York Times

Grandpa Grumps by Katrina Moore

Stand Up, Yumi Chung! by Jessica Kim

Watercress by Andrea Wang

When you Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller

Who Is Kamala Harris? by Kirsten Anderson

Yasmin the Writer by Saadia Faruqi

Your Name is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow 

Teens:

Almost American Girl : an Illustrated Memoir by Robin Ha

Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen

Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon

Adults:

Crying in H Mart : a Memoir by Michelle Zauner

Eat a Peach : a Memoir by David Chang with Gabe Ulla

Facing the Mountain : a True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II by Daniel James Brown

Heart of Fire: an Immigrant Daughter’s Story by Mazie K. Hirono

How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang

Inheritors by Asako Serizawa

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu

Last Tang Standing by Lauren Ho

Made in China : a Prisoner, an SOS Letter, and the Hidden Cost of America’s Cheap Goods by Amelia Pang

Minor feelings : an Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong

RomeAntically Challenged by Marina Adair

Sex and Vanity : a Novel by Kevin Kwan

Sigh, Gone : a Misfit’s Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit in by Phuc Tran

Sparks Like Stars: a Novel by Nadia Hashimi

Speak, Okinawa : a Memoir by Elizabeth Miki

Things We Lost to the Water: a Novel by Eric Nguyen

This is One Way to Dance : Essays by Sejal Shah

Tower of Skulls : a History of the Asia-Pacific War, July 1937-May 1942 by Richard B. Frank

The Scientist and the Spy : a True Story of China, the FBI, and Industrial Espionage by Mara Hvistendahl

The Son of Good Fortune: a Novel by Lysley Tenorio

Women’s Liberation! : Feminist Writings that Inspired a Revolution & Still Can edited by Alix Kates Shulman and Honor Moore

 

The Book Bike Rides Again

Posted on by Jessica O'Connor

The Falmouth Public Library Book Bike is hitting the road once again for its 2021 touring season!  Come check out the Book Bike on its first ride, Monday, May 17th from 10:30 to 11:00 am when it will be at the Choate Lane Apartments.  

All members of the community are invited to stop by. You can sign up for a library card, pick up free books and DVDs, and meet FPL staff.  We are looking forward to seeing you and spreading our love of the Library throughout town! 

Please note all visits are weather permitting:

Choate Apartments, Choate Ln: 10:30-11:00 am on May 17, July 12, September 13

Cape Cod Apartments, 62 Locust St: 10:30-11:00 am on June 21, August 16, September 27

Dillingham Place, 110 Dillingham Rd: 10:30-10:50 am on June 4, July 16, August 13, September 10

Harborview Apartments, 115 Scranton Ave: 10:30-11:00 am on June 7, August 2

Rose Morin Apartments, Rose Morin Ln: 11:00-11:20 am on June 4, July 16, August 13, September 10

Salt Sea Apartments, Salt Sea Ln: 10:30-11:00 am on May 24, July 19, September 20

Surf Drive Beach Storytime: 4:45-5:15 pm on July 8, July 15. July 22. July 29, August 5, August 12, August 19, August 26

For the most up to date information on the Book Bike and for additional visits, visit our Book Bike webpage by clicking here and by following @falmouthbookbike on instagram.

 

New Mystery Book Group Meets May 19th

Posted on by Library User

Mysteries of all kinds are an extremely popular fiction genre at the Falmouth Public Library and we have a new book group dedicated reading and talking solely about these stories. The first meeting of the group is Wednesday, May 19 from 4:30-5:30 on Zoom. Held as a three-part series with a new theme each series, the group will meet 9 times per year. The book group will remain a virtual book group hosted by Jennifer Woodward, FPL’s Assistant Director.

Our first theme is “Firsts & Lasts” and for each meeting we will read both (yes, both) the first and last books in a completed series.

On May 19th, we’ll read Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot series. The first is The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1921) and the last is Curtain (1975). Both books take place in the same county house and joins together Hercule Poirot with his sidekick Captain Arthur Hastings to solve the murder of the days. Curtain was written 30 years before its publication during World War II and saved in a vault. Intended by Agatha Christie to be published after her death, but published shortly before it, the title – Curtain – hints at the author’s intentions.  Please be sure to register to receive a Zoom link.

On June 9th, we’ll read Nevada Barr’s Anna Pigeon Series. The first is Track of the Cat (1993) and the last is Boar Island (2016).  

On July 14th, we’ll read Philip R. Craig’s Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries. The first is A Beautiful Place to Die (1989) and the last is Vineyard Chill (2008).

Upcoming Themes:
Beyond the Bridge: Set in distinctive locales not on Cape Cod
2021: September 8, October 13 & November 10

Short Stories: Short stories by one or more authors collected in one book.
2022: January 12, February 9 & March 9

Norton Juster June 2, 1929-March 8 2021

Posted on by Library User
Some Thoughts From Our Children’s Librarian, Laura Ford, on Norton Juster.
 
Norton Juster, most famous for his book The Phantom Tollbooth, died last week. Which is, of course, a sad thing. He was a classic figure in Children’s Literature, and The Phantom Tollbooth is a classic book. 
 
Here’s where I make a big confession … I didn’t read The Phantom Tollbooth as a child. It was published in 1961, which certainly made it readily available during my childhood, I just never came across it. And ok, when I did come across it, it seemed like it involved math, which I’m embarrassed to say was NOT my thing, so I didn’t pick it up. Fast forward a few years, and I became a Children’s Librarian. And not just a Children’s Librarian, but a Children’s Librarian in FALMOUTH. There’s a certain amount of responsibility to being a Children’s Librarian in Falmouth. People here know their books. And they deserve a librarian who’s read the classics. So believe you me, I read The Phantom Tollbooth, and plenty of other classics I’d missed along the way. 
 
It’s a story about a boy named Milo who is bored, bored, bored. (Sound familiar?) Milo is so bored that when a large package appears out of nowhere in his bedroom, he’s barely interested enough to open it, and when it reveals a toll booth, he hops in his boy-sized toy car and drives on through, only because he hasn’t got anything better to do. And drives on into history. 
 
Does everyone have to read The Phantom Tollbooth? Certainly not. But at at almost 5 million copies sold since it was first published (and one would have to assume that some of those copies are in a library and were read more than once,) it certainly is worth a try. If sales numbers don’t impress you, try it because it has won a slew of awards, including the Parent’s Choice Book Award and the  MSRI/CBC Mathical Books for Kids from Tots to Teens. (See? That award, right there, would’ve kept me away from it. But I digress.) 
 
Here are a few quotes, because the PT is infinitely quotable:
 
“You can swim all day in the Sea of Knowledge and not get wet.”
 
“It’s not just learning things that’s important. It’s learning what to do with what you learn and learning why you learn things at all that matters.”
 
“I am the Terrible Trivium, demon of petty tasks and worthless jobs, ogre of wasted effort, and monster of habit.”
The Humbug dropped his needle and stared in disbelief while Milo and Tock began to back away slowly.
“Don’t try to leave,” he ordered, with a menacing sweep of his arm, “for there’s so very much to do, and you still have over eight hundred years to go on the first job.”
“But why do only unimportant things?” asked Milo, who suddenly remembered how much time he spent each day doing them.
“Think of all the trouble it saves,” the man explained, and his face looked as if he’d be grinning an evil grin – if he could grin at all. “If you only do the easy and useless jobs, you’ll never have to worry about the important ones which are so difficult. You just won’t have the time. For there’s always something to do to keep you from what you really should be doing, and if it weren’t for that dreadful magic staff, you’d never know how much time you were wasting.”
 
Still not sure it’s for you (and/or your kids?) Try it in audio. It’s available as a book on cd AND in downloadable audio. (You will have to put it on hold though. It has come to the attention of scores of people now that the author has passed.) It’s available in an annotated version, and in Spanish. And listen, if it just doesn’t appeal to you, I understand. No hard feelings. There other roads into Norton Juster’s work. Try The Hello, Goodbye Window, illustrated by Chris Raschka, or The Odious Ogre, illustrated by Jules Feiffer (who just so happens to be the illustrator of a certain book about a tollbooth…) My favorite of Juster’s picture books is Neville, illustrated by G. Brian Karas. It’s fabulous to read aloud to a group of kids, given that the characters spend quite a bit of time yelling…..”Neville!” There’s a plot twist on the last page, which many kids figure out way ahead of time. I LOVE it when kids figure out the plot twist ahead of time. 
 
[P.S. From the Reference Department … don’t miss The Annotated Phantom Tollbooth. As The Horn Book Magazine wrote: “If ever there were a twentieth-century children’s book that deserved an annotated edition, it’s Juster and Feiffer’s masterpiece.”]

Marvel Movies and TV Series Are Just Comics Persevering

Posted on by Library User
Marvel Movies and TV Series Are Just Comics Persevering 
 
So now that you’ve watched every episode of ‘WandaVision’ (twice!), how are you gonna keep the manic magic inside you alive?
Good news! Your CLAMS card entitles you to TWO different Scarlet Witch comic book series for immediate reading on your computer, phone or tablet.
 
A nice place to start might be Steve Englehart, Richard Howell and Al Milgrom’s classic 1980s series, ‘Vision and the Scarlet Witch: A Year In The Life’. This series covers plotlines and characters that will be familiar to everyone who watched ‘WandaVision’, but it was done in such a completely different way that it will still feel fresh and exciting and offer new insights into what you just watched — and possibly hint at what may be coming in future Marvel/Disney+ releases!
 
If you’re curious as to the Scarlet Witch’s more recent comics appearances, check out James Robinson and Steve Dillon’s 15 issue ‘Scarlet Witch’ series. This series came out between 2015-2017, and sees Wanda traversing the globe on a mission to ‘fix’ Witchcraft. This series has one, long story arc, but it also works as a bunch of stand alone mini-adventures. Some are funny, some are sad, some are action-packed, others are creepy mysteries. Super stylish cover art, too!
 
Interested? Grab your CLAMS card, click this link to Hoopla and get reading!