If the New Year makes you cringe because you still haven’t recovered from a whole year’s worth of disappointment in yourself from failed resolutions, then perhaps it’s time to take a New Year’s Challenge. From me! Your friendly neighborhood Nerd-Girl.

 I heard through varying resources that it is becoming quite common- but still fun- to read one book a month for a year. I like this idea! That’s music to a librarian’s ears!

But…

Let’s spice it up a little! (You never knew the library was so saucy, did you?!)

The 2012 Library Challenge is: “Genre Jumping” a book a month for a whole year.

Simply stated, each month you pick a different genre so that you are reading outside of your “comfort zone” every month. This is an amazing way to find authors who are fantastic but just didn’t have quite enough publicity around their novels, or discovering different writing styles that you might actually enjoy more. And, of course, all the librarians at Chatham Public Library would love to help you find great reads in all different areas!!

Perhaps we should ease into the challenge with a book from your favorite genre for January. But then, get wild!!

Snare a Horror novel: Sleeping with the lights on is popular nowadays anyway.

Confiscate a Young Adult book:  Reminisce over the years that held no responsibilities. (and become grateful all over again that you don’t attend high school anymore?!)

Take a Nonfiction: You’ll get so lost in thought you’ll burn dinner.

Run off with a Romance: that gets you daydreaming again.

Wrangle up a Western: Dig out those hidden cowgirl boots.

Swipe a  Mystery: You’ll start suspecting that everyone at the grocery store is guilty of something. 

Commandeer a Thriller: Get that blood pumping again with action, exotic countries, and big plans.

Abduct a Science-Fiction/Fantasy: Experimentation was never so fun.

Grab a Biography: Real people are the most complex, interesting, and inspirational people on the planet.

Expropriate a Play: This will be the one time you won’t seem crazy using a different voice for each character.

Procure a Classic: No matter how much changes over time, the classics really caught the human spirit and predicaments that span the ages.

Are you up for the challenge? Then come see us and we’ll get you started with some great suggestions!

The words “books” and “reading” are nearly synonymous, but sometimes we forget that there are many wonderful books that are filled with images.  These visually-engaging books aren’t all for children, either.  Art books are among the many treasures held by the Chatham Area Public Library, and some of our most eye-catching recent additions feature photography.

One of the artistic strengths of photography is its ability to capture the essence of a particular place or time.  One prolific street photographer whose works have only recently been made public is Vivian Maier.  Taken over the course of five decades on the streets of Chicago, New York, Paris, and other cities, her works are a candid portrait of day-to-day life in the 1950s-1990s.  Vivian Maier: American Street Photographer is the first commercially-available collection of her work.  While Maier’s photographs emphasized people and the bustle of city life, Ansel Adams’s focus was the majesty of the natural landscape.  A collection of his photos of some of our most beautiful natural scenery is collected in Ansel Adams in the National Parks: Photographs from America’s Wild Places.  Known for her portraits of celebrities for magazines such as Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair, Annie Leibovitz is another of our country’s best-known photographers.  Leibovitz’s new book, Pilgrimage, gives a more personal look at her photography, documenting places and subjects she chose to shoot, rather than photos she took because she was fulfilling an assignment.  The result is a fascinating series of images of people, places, and objects across the United States as well as the United Kingdom.

While Leibovitz is a celebrity because of her photography, there are a number of celebrities who have subsequently become photographers.  Public figures as diverse as Henry Winkler and Nikki Sixx have written about their photographic adventures.  Read about Winkler’s various adventures in the river and through the lens in I’ve Never Met an Idiot on the River: Reflections on Family, Photography, and Fly-Fishing.  If rock ‘n’ roll is more your style, then maybe Nikki Sixx’s This Is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography, and Life through the Distorted Lens is for you.  One of the most well-known celebrity photographers, due to her close association with the Beatles, is Linda McCartney.  A retrospective of her work can be found in the volume Life in Photographs, which features photos selected from her vast archive of over 200,000 images and was produced in close collaboration with Paul McCartney and their children.

Perhaps you’re looking to improve your own snapping skills.  The Library has a vast array of manuals for you to choose from.  Two good overviews are Tom Ang’s Digital Photography Essentials and The Complete Photographer.  Another strong starting point for digital photographers is Chris Grover and Barbara Brundage’s Digital Photography: The Missing Manual.  If you’re interested in getting started in professional wedding photography, then The Art of Digital Wedding Photography: Professional Techniques with Style is tailor-made to suit your needs.  For those wanting to focus particularly on shots of their own children and grandchildren, Photographing Your Family: And All the Kids and Animals Who Wander through Too by Joel Sartore and John Healey has some great tips.

These are only a few of the huge variety of books of photographs and about photography owned by the Chatham Area Public Library.  If you’re looking for some visual stimulation, or for a guide to improving your own photography, we hope you will drop by and let us show you what we’ve got.

Did you get a new Nook, Kindle, or iPad for Christmas?  Have you heard that you can check out ebooks for your reader, but you’re not sure how?  Then this is the class for you!  Come to this class to learn how to check out and download ebooks, audiobooks, music, and videos for your ereader, digital music player, or smart phone.

Registration is not required, but participation is limited, so you may want to arrive early on the day of the class.

In Sharp Objects, Chicago reporter Camille Preaker is sent home to Wind Gap, Missouri, by her editor to investigate a story about a possible serial killer.  There’s a missing little girl in Wind Gap, and a year earlier, a little girl was found, murdered, mutilated, and abandoned in a creek bed.  Her editor thinks that, being a small town, Camille will have more luck prying information out of the locals than a stranger would.  He doesn’t know, however, that Camille’s family is poisonous, her neighbors resent her, the missing girl’s family hates her, and going back to Wind Gap, far from being a much-needed break for Camille, just might be the death of her.

Dark Places tells the harrowing story of Libby Day, whose entire family was murdered in 1985.  Well, the entire family except for Libby, and her brother, Ben, who was charged with the murder.  Although only seven years old at the time, it was Libby’s testimony that clinched Ben’s conviction.  Now, nearly 25 years later, Libby’s life is still a mess.  She barely manages to survive on a bank account filled with money donated to her after the death of her family, and when she finds out the money’s running out, she agrees to make a paid appearance at “Kill Club,” a group of true crime aficionados obsessed with sensational murders and unsolved cases.  Libby is surprised and dismayed to find out that many of the Kill Club attendees believe that her brother was wrongfully convicted.  Angry and defensive at first, but eventually convinced, Libby sets out on a journey to discover the truth about what really happened on that infamous night.

Fans will be pleased to hear that Flynn’s third novel, Gone Girl, is scheduled for release on June 5th.  The novel concerns a man whose wife goes missing on their fifth anniversary.  You can visit Gillian Flynn’s website at http://gillian-flynn.com/.  You can also read a recent interview with Flynn here, on the Public Library Association’s website.

Tuesday, January 17^th, 6:00 p.m.

Do you resolve every year to finally get serious about getting organized?  If you’re hopelessly disorganized, or if you’d just like a few tips for becoming better-organized, then please join us on January 17th, when we will be joined by Professional Organizer Amy Peterson, who will discuss how to get a handle on your mess.

Registration is optional; call the library (483-2713) if you’d like to sign up.

Brick and Maggie “the Cat” Pollitt return to his family home to celebrate the birthday of family patriarch Big Daddy Pollitt.  Brick and Maggie’s tempestuous marriage, Brick’s drinking and attempts to relive his past glory days, the recent suicide of Brick’s friend Skipper, and Brick’s brother Gooper’s attempts to sway Big Daddy’s will to the benefit of himself and his wife and numerous children drive this tense family drama.

Our Midday Movies are free, open to the public, and include free drinks and snacks.  This winter we will be featuring the films of American screen legend Paul Newman.  Our January screening of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof will be followed by screenings of Cool Hand Luke in February and The Sting in March.

The holidays may be behind us but we remain in the midst of winter, forcing many of us to remain indoors. What is there to do? Well, coming to the Chatham Area Public Library District to get a book to read or an audiobook to listen to is always a good option. Another option to consider is playing a game—one that does not require batteries or high tech computerized software. How about a game of cards?

The first playing cards can be traced back to the 9th century during the Tang dynasty in China. Playing cards first appeared in Europe towards the end of the 14th century. The original suites were denoted as swords, polo sticks, cups and coins with ranks as king, governor, second governor, and ten to one. Tarot decks emerged in Italy in the mid 1400’s. A full tarot deck contains 14 cards in each suit; low cards labeled 1 – 10, and court cards Valet (jack), Chevalier (cavalier/knight), Dame (queen), and Roi (king) plus the fool or excuse card and 21 trump cards. In the 18th century, the card images of the traditional Italian tarot decks became popular in cartomancy and evolved into decks used primarily for fortune telling. If cartomancy is an interest of yours, Fortune-Telling by Playing Cards: A New Guide to the Ancient Art of Cartomancy by Nerys Dee may provide further direction for you.

The French suits of spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs were introduced in the late 1400’s and replaced the earlier Latin suits of swords, polo clubs, cups, and coins. The French suits became popular in English playing cards in the 16th century. Antique Playing Cards: A Pictorial Treasury by Henry Rene d’Allemangne illustrates the artistic transition of cards through the years. The best known deck internationally is the Anglo-American poker deck. This is a French suited deck of 52 cards—one for each combination spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs and the thirteen ranks running from king, queen, jack, ten, nine down to two (deuce) and ace. The trump cards and knight cards from the French playing tarot deck are not included. Some card games such as Samba require the use of jokers. Therefore, pay close attention the next time you purchase a deck of playing cards to ensure you get the standard deck of 52 plus 2.

A card game is played with a deck or pack or cards. When multiple decks are shuffled together for a game, the cards form a shoe. It is important not only to know the game instructions but also the rules. You may benefit from a quick perusal of Hoyle’s Rules of Games: Descriptions of Indoor Games of Skill and Chance, with Advice on Skillful Play: Based on the Foundations Laid Down by Edmond Hoyle, 1672-1769 edited by Morehead and Mott-Smith. Edmond Hoyle was a British writer on card games. He is memorialized in the phrase “according to Hoyle” and in various game rule books that contain his name in the title as an indication of authority. Few card games are governed by official standard rules. Most of the time house rules apply. House rules can be defined simply as rules the players agree upon.

Card games can be played by one or more players of all ages. The Illustrated Book of Card Games for One: Over 120 Games of Solitaire by George Hervey offer wide-ranging alternatives for this card game standard. Vernon Quinn wrote 50 Card Games for Children: With an Easy Lesson in Contract Bridge and Complete Layouts for Playing. The Treasury of Family Games by Jim Glenn and Carey Denton includes card as well as board games. Besides the selection of books you can check out of the Library, there are various card games such as Uno available for patron use in the Library. In the young adult section of the Library, there is a game table set up awaiting the challenge for chess and backgammon.

So the next time the question is asked—what is there to do? Grab a deck; refer to The New Complete Hoyle: The Authoritative Guide to the Official Rules of All Popular Games of Skill and Chance by Morehead et al and play cards!

“I found the purpose of my existence, and also the purpose of my circumstance. There’s a purpose for why you’re in the fire.”

Australian-born Nick Vujicic (pronounced ‘Vooy-cheech’) is one of the world’s most awe-inspiring and uplifting  inspirational speakers of all time. Nick is the president of an international 501c3 non-profit organization Life Without Limbs, a world-traveling motivational speaker, and writer of his memoir Life Without Limits. What makes him truly exceptional though is his ability to use his circumstances–being born with no limbs– as his greatest asset to change the whole world.

Life Without Limits: Inspiration For A Ridiculously Good Life

Image from Life Without Limbs website

“Imagine being born without arms. No arms to wrap around a friend; no hands to hold the ones you love; no fingers to experience touch; no way to lift or carry things. How much more difficult would life be if you were living without arms and hands? Or what about legs? Imagine if instead of no arms, you had no legs. No ability to dance, walk, run, or even stand. Now put both of those scenarios together… no arms and no legs. What would you do? How would that affect your everyday life?”

Life Without Limits asks a million dollar question, and how many of us could really respond the way Nick did? His memoir takes us through his quandary from infancy through teenage depression to the fated epiphany that launched him into his God-given purpose: inspire others and lead them to The Good News. You’ll muse, cry, and laugh hysterically. Nick Vujicic never writes with a tone that feels sorry for himself; his writing style is the same as his speaking style– honest, upbeat, and funny.

This is the perfect reading for this special season; the season of goodwill among men and a  renewed Hope for the coming year. Grab your warm throw blanket, put extra marshmallows in your hot cocoa (you deserve them!), and nestle in with this inspirational memoir from Chatham Area Public Library!!

Want more, or too busy to sit and read? He also has many DVDs available at his website.

Festive lights on houses and trees.  Sugar cookies and gingerbread men.  Buying presents to give and receiving gifts.  Spending time with our friends and family.  These are the types of things you think of as being associated with Christmas.  But if you peruse the masses of Christmas-themed books that are published every year, you might be surprised by the great proportion of them that turn out to be murder mysteries.  Sometimes it’s not just cold outside—it’s cold-blooded murder.  If you’re in the mood for some spine-tingling chills that are the result of more than just the low reading on the mercury, stop in at the Chatham Area Public Library for some holiday-inspired mystery reading.

A Bitter Truth, the latest entry into Charles Todd’s series about British World War I nurse Bess Crawford, is set in London in December 1917.  Bess is home on leave and finds a battered woman taking shelter from the cold, and her abusive husband, on Bess’s doorstep.  Bess agrees to help the woman, Lydia, get home for a memorial service for her brother-in-law.  While Bess and Lydia are in Sussex for the funeral, one of the guests of Lydia’s family winds up dead, and Bess herself is targeted as the police’s prime suspect.  It therefore falls to her to falls to discover the truth about the man’s death and killer.  This is the third book in the Bess Crawford series; if you like to read series in order, then you may want to check out the first two entrants into the series, A Duty to the Dead and An Impartial Witness.

The fourth book in the popular Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley, I Am Half-Sick of Shadows, also takes place at Christmas-time.  Plucky eleven-year-old detective Flavia, who readers will remember from The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, The Weed that Strings the Hangman’s Bag, and A Red Herring without Mustard, returns in this classic locked room style mystery.  A film crew descends on Flavia’s family home to film a movie, and half the town follows soon thereafter to gawk at famous actress Phyllis Wyvern.  A blizzard traps cast, crew, and townfolk alike at Buckshaw and then, in the middle of the night, a body is found.  Phyllis Wyvern has been strangled with a length of film, and it is down to Flavia—naturally—to find out who is responsible.

Joanne Fluke is known for her food-centric mysteries featuring baker and amateur sleuth Hannah Swenson.  Many of these are set during the Christmas holidays, when Hannah often finds herself particularly busy with catering orders and inconveniently-timed murders.  Candy Cane Murder and Gingerbread Cookie Murder are anthologies of holiday-themed murder mysteries for which Fluke provides the headlining story, while Sugar Cookie Murder and Plum Pudding Murder are a standalone Hannah Swenson mysteries.

What discussion of murder mysteries could be complete without a mention of Sherlock Holmes?  Holmes for the Holidays, edited by Martin H. Greenberg, Jon L. Lellenberg, and Carol-Lynn Waugh, features fourteen short stories by well-known American and British mystery writers including Anne Perry, Carole Nelson Douglas, and Carolyn Wheat.  These stories place Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic characters, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, in the midst of a variety of Christmas-themed murder mysteries in a collection that was deemed by Publishers Weekly to be “a fine collection in which even the weakest story pays worthy homage to Doyle and will please the ardent Holmes fan.”

If you’re getting stressed out by all of your various and sundry holiday preparations, take some time out to visit the Chatham Area Public Library and pick up one of these great Christmas murder mysteries.  What could be more relaxing than a festive little murder investigation?

We will also be closing at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 31st.  We will be closed on Monday, January 2nd, and our regular hours will resume on Tuesday, January 3rd.

Happy Holidays from the Chatham Area Public Library!