Friday, December 30, 2011

Footprint Fridays! Early 2012 Programs Announced

After School Programs for 2nd and 3rd Graders
Parents of our community's 2nd and 3rd graders are invited to register their kiddos for the first two in an ongoing series of Footprint Friday programs.  Each program in the series invites kids to create, craft, and explore ideas based on popular book characters or age-appropriate book themes.

Bus transportation is provided from Memorial School to the library. Programs last about an hour, ending at approximately 4:30 p.m.  More programs in May and June, with March and April programs to be announced.

Arrghh... It's a Pirate's Life
Friday, January 13, 3:30 p.m. in the Community Room
Join us at the library as we make our own personal treasure chests, play pirate games, and learn some nifty words and phrases used by the 'buccaneers' of olden days. Also craft a fun pirate hat, suitable for picture posing!  Click here to register.

Aloha, Calvin Coconut!
Friday, February 10, 3:30 p.m. in the Community Room
Celebrate the great state of Hawaii at our luau.  Learn a little hula hoop dance, play a fishing game, and have plenty of aloha fun!  Click here to register.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

New Year Resolutions

Health & Wellness
With a new year just around the corner, we've heard tell that our neighbors, family, and friends have improving their overall approach to healthy living at the top of their 2012 agendas.  We're there with you.

Here's a short list of recent or popular consumer health titles and some tips on how to use our state's iCONN service to find information about health and wellness topics, both traditional and complementary.  As always, couple information you find in print or online with professional advice from your physician.

Muscle Medicine by Rob DeStefano and Bryan Kelly
Fitness conscious folks may appreciate bone-joint-muscle health explanations offered by a sports chiropractor and an orthopedic surgeon.

Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health by Rosemary Gladstar
Herbal recommendations from a pioneer in the herbal movement.

Doctor, Your Patient Will See You Now by Steven A. Kussin
Advice from a doctor turned author on how to handle office visits and successful interaction with your doctor.  Pair this one with Your Medical Mind : How to Decide What Is Right for You by [M.D.s] Jerome Groopman and Pamela Hartzband.

Feed Your Face by Jessica Wu
A board-certified dermatologist offers a lighthearted skin-care guide and a plan for eliminating blemishes, losing weight, and minimizing wrinkles.

The Sweet Life : Diabetes Without Boundaries by Sam Talbot
An acclaimed chef and Type 1 diabetic offers advice on living the diabetic life, from controlling stress to finding a system to reorder supplies.  The book provides recipes for fresh, all-natural dishes, and foodie wisdom. Pair this one with advice from the Mayo Clinic.

Super Immunity : the Essential Nutrition Guide for Boosting Our Body's Defenses to Live Longer, Stronger, and Disease Free by Dr. Joel Fuhrman
The latest from the author of Eat to Live and advocate for nutrient-heavy meals.

The South Beach Wake-up Call by Arthur Agatston
Another in the series by a Florida-based cardiologist. Compare and contrast to the Atkins and Sugar Busters plans.

Pick Your Diet Plan
A is for Atkins, B is for Biggest Loser, C is for Carb-Lovers or Crazy Sexy, D is for Dukan or Diet Rehab, E is for Eat This, Not That!, F is for Flex... and on and on it goes to the end of the alphabet.  Pick and choose with advice from your medical doctor.

 iCONN : Connecticut's research engine
When searching for credible health and wellness information, don't forget to use your trusty East Hampton Public Library card to freely access and use any of a number of iCONN databases including MedlinePlus, CT Consumer Health Information, Health & Wellness Resource Center, CT Physician Profiles, and more!  Click here to explore. 

Monday, December 26, 2011

Jingle Bells Rock!

Bevin Bell in the News
Matt Bevin
(Photograph by Caryn B. Davis)
If you were hustling and bustling on December 23 or are not a public radio listener, you may have missed Morning Edition's news story about East Hampton's own Bevin Bells.

Listen to a podcast of the story, courtesy of New England Public Radio.  Also read related news about Bevin Bells and Matt Bevin, courtesy of Matt's alma mater, Washington and Lee.


Surf's Up
Bevin Bros. Manufacturing
Bevin Bells on Facebook
The Last Bell Factory in America : photographs by R.J. Phil, East Hampton CT
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Catalog : Bevin Brothers Bell Shops ! Link added 12/31/11

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Sweet Touches That Make the Cake

Cake Decorating
Cake decorating is not only a great way to use your artistic talents, the outcome's tasty, too!  Here's a few of our favorites, both conventional and specialized.

Fondant Modeling by Helen Penman
This one offers 600 ideas for using fondant models to create a luscious cake for any special occasion.

Workshop Alert! To learn more about fondant, Wilton-trained instructor Jennifer Norman will lead a workshop on the topic, Thursday, January 19th at 1 p.m. in the library Community Room.  Click here to register.

Spectacular Cakes by Mich Turner
Caterer to the stars provides step-by-step instructions for making special occasion cakes with a serious wow-factor.

Cake Decorating for Dummies by Joe LoCicero
Tad insulting though these series titles may be, this bake back-to-basics gem gives easy to follow instructions on a variety of recipes and techniques, with encouragement on how to start your own cake decorating business.

The Artful Cupcake by Marcianne Miller
Enjoy 36 recipes for the upscale cupcake maker.  Pair this one with two by food sylist Karen Tack : Hello Cupcake! and What's New, Cupcake?

The library staff is at the ready to take one for the team and taste-test the samples... 

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Books to Film

From Our Young Adult Shelves to a Theater Near You?
The sure thing is the first book in Suzanne Collins' epic Hunger Games trilogy is due for release on the big screen March 23, 2012.  Jennifer Lawrence (thrilling in the book-based adult film Winter's Bone) snagged the lead as Katniss EverdeenClick here for sneak peak info on the film.

Cassandra Clare's first book in the Mortal Instruments series, City of Bones, has been "optioned", which the author says is "Hollywoodese" for no film yet.  Read ahead and try this series and books in the prequel series, Infernal Devices.

Another book-to-film possibility is Shiver, first in the Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie StiefvaterClick on over to an author website and view some fabulously artful book trailers for each of three books in the series.

Other up-in-the-air film adaptions include these underlying books : Wicked Lovely (Melissa Marr), Valiant (Holly Black); Looking Glass Wars (Frank Beddor).  Read in the mean time and we'll keep you posted on these and other Hollywood YA book-to-film choices.

Deck the Halls!

Yuletide Greetings

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Fribrary Time! 2012 Series Announced

After School Programs for 4th and 5th Graders
Parents of our community's 4th and 5th graders are invited to register their kiddos for one or more programs in our 2012 after school FriBrary Time series.  The series invites kids to meet with local experts on a particular topic, invent, craft, move and groove, act and improvise, play, and have plenty of fun, too.

Registration Begins January 7th
Link to our library events calendar to peruse a listing of all upcoming programs.  A quick way to find the FriBrary Time programs (dates and program descriptions) is to look for the image, shown left.  You may register your child for one or more events, calendar an event, and choose to send yourself an email reminder a few days before the program.

See you after school for FriBrary Time 2012!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

The NYT's Ten Best Books of 2011

Making a List
Leading up to the turn of a new year's calendar page, "best book" lists abound.  The New York Times recently published their 100 Notable Books of the Year List; here's their ten best.

Fiction Books
The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
A baseball star at a small college near Lake Michigan launches a routine throw that goes disastrously off course and inadvertently changes the lives of five people, including the college president, a gay teammate, and the president's daughter.

11/22/63 by Stephen King
Jake Epping is an English teacher in Lisbon Falls, Maine, who makes extra money teaching GED classes. Jake's enlisted by a friend to travel back in time to prevent the Kennedy assassination.

Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
A short story writer's first novel tells the story of the Bigtree family's failed alligator-wrestling theme park and the siblings who try to preserve their family and way of life.  This one's a very inventive novel with teen crossover appeal.

Ten Thousand Saints by Eleanor Henderson
When his best friend Teddy dies of an overdose on the last day of 1987, Jude Keffy-Horn finds his relationship with drugs and his parents devolving into the extreme when he gets caught up in an underground youth culture known as straight edge.

The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
Remembering childhood stories her grandfather once told her, young physician Natalia becomes convinced that he spent his last days searching for "the deathless man," a vagabond who claimed to be immortal.

Non-Fiction Books
Arguably by Christopher Hitchens
This collection of essays, most of which appeared in the Atlantic, the Guardian, Newsweek, Slate, and Vanity Fair, speak to everything from politics to religion, literature to popular culture. Not always admired for his criticisms and views, but always for his writing and wit, the author died yesterday in Huston.  Farewell, Mr. Hitchens.

The Boy In the Moon by Ian Brown
Canadian writer Ian Brown's son, Walker, was born with an extremely rare genetic mutation called CFC (cardiofaciocutaneous syndrome). Brown retraces his steps as he traveled the world, connecting with medical specialists and families similarly affected by CFC.

This authoritative biography, also a National Book Award Finalist, draws on new research to offer a more complete interpretation of a complicated man. Pair this one with the best-known autobiography, written with Alex Haley.

Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
The Nobel Prize winning author explores how we make decisions.  What drives us to decide to do or choose X instead of Y or Z?  Bias? Willpower? Logic? Optimism? Deliberation?  The book features very accessible prose for any decision maker.  A fun brain book, too!

A World On Fire by Amanda Foreman
An award-winning author explores the interdependence between Britain and both North and South. Letters, diaries, drawings, and journals help relate the history of British influence on the Civil War.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Soup Makes the Meal

Nourishing, Comforting, and Tasty, Too!
Yesterday, an audience of health-conscious foodies enjoyed a Soups On workshop led by Robin Glowa, a.k.a. the Conscious Cook. Here we'll share one of the thoroughly taste-tested and absolutely yummy recipes featured in the workshop.  If you're interested, you can pick up a copy of workshop handout at the front desk; the handout also includes a recipe for maple butternut bisque.

Tuscan Beans and Greens Soup
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium diced onion
2 finely diced garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups chick stock
2 cups torn broccoli rabe
3 cups torn kale
2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 large can whole tomatoes
2 springs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat olive oil until just starting to smoke. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add garlic, along with the broccoli rabe and kale and stir frequently until wilted. Add beans and stir to combine.  Add chicken stock.  Squeeze the whole tomatoes into pot, one by one, stir to combine. Add thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer until very hot and serve.

More Soup
January is National Soup Monthclick here to find titles featured in a previous post.  Also consider related titles which include full or chapter treatment about soups.  Two on the list are on their way to our shelves.

Veggiyana : The Dharma of Cooking by Sandra Garson
Love Soup : 160 All-new Vegetarian Recipes by Anna Thomas
Make It Fast, Cook It Slow by Stephanie O'Dea
Salad as a Meal by Patricia Wells
Soup ; forward by Eric Schlosser

Monday, December 12, 2011

CT Sings! Song of the Airline Trail

First Row, Left to Right : Alexander Link, Elijah De Siqueria Campos McLaughlin, Vanessa Naughton, Elizabeth Link, London Brazel, Lucia Petruzziello, Dante Petruzziello
Standing : Chuck E. Costa (CT State Troubadour), Mira Stanley

Last Saturday, our CT State Troubadour, Chuck E. Costa, led a workshop for our community's budding singer-songwriters.  Thinking it was "impossible" to write a song, this inventive group of kiddos proved themselves wrong and penned a song about the Airline Trail.  A rough audio of their creation will be available shortly.  In the mean time, enjoy the poetry of their original song's chorus :

It used to be a train track.
Now it's the Airline Trail.
Bikes, beasts, and feet
Go down the worn out rail.
Someday you might go there...
An adventure on the Airline Trail.  

Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Down Through the Village...

Frosty Meets Wreath!
The East Hampton CT Belltown Garden Club annually adorns the Community Center with holiday finery. Check out our holiday roof-dweller, Frosty the synthetic snowman, and his festive companion, a Garden Club wreath made with bundles of variegated greens.

Also visit the Club's blog to learn more about their many projects and contributions to making our community a more greenified and beautiful place to live.  Who knows?  You might be inspired to join the club...

Photo courtesy of the East Hampton CT Belltown Garden Club

Tuesday, December 06, 2011

Today's Kiddo, Tomorrow's Scholar

 Destination College Savings
Charlotte Minnick Saves for College
Last summer, for the third year in a row, the Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET) partnered with the Connecticut State Library to offer children the chance to receive one of four $1,000 contributions to a CHET direct-sold 529 college savings plan.  Official Destination College Savings entry forms were distributed to our state's public libraries, ours included, as part of the statewide, collaborative summer reading program : One World, Many Stories.

Way to Go, Charlotte Minnick!
Local kindergartner, Charlotte Minnick, received one of the four $1,000 CHET contributions, which also won the East Hampton Public Library $500 for use in funding library programs for local children. We couldn't be more pleased for Charlotte and her family : parents Scott and Lynn and 3rd grade brother, Julien, pictured here at a ceremony hosted by our State Library on September 10th.

As the days unfold, we'll keep you posted on children's programs made possible by Charlotte.  Thank you!

About CHET
CHET is administered by the Connecticut State Treasurer's Office. The CHET Direct-Sold Plan is managed by TIAA-CREF Tuition Financing, Inc. (TFI).

Check out the CHET website for information about how the plan works, how our state's plan compares to other college savings plans, and how to participate.

Photos used with permission

Monday, December 05, 2011

Planning Ahead : Adult Book Discussion Group

Reading Outside the Box
Our library book discussion group reconvenes in January with a three-part series about great American authors.  The spring series explores --  dah, dah, dah -- the fictional land of the master spy. All are welcomed to attend the discussions.  Books are generally available for checkout a month before each discussion date.  Library staff member Phil Carr moderates. 

Winter 2012 Series : 20th Century American Writers
Join us for an exploration of the life and often troubled times of three great American writers as seen through the eyes of the people who knew them well.

Tuesday, January 24, 6:30 p.m. : Running With the Bulls by Valerie Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway’s personal secretary and daughter-in-law tells her story, both exhilarating and sorrowful.

Wednesday, February 22, 6:30 p.m. : John Cheever : A Life by Blake Bailey
Bailey’s definitive work chronicles the personal struggles of one of America’s foremost fiction writers, arguably best known for The Wapshot Chronicle.
 
Wednesday, March 21, 6:30 p.m. : A Ticket to the Circus by Norris Church Mailer
Norman Mailer’s sixth and last wife describes her 30-year relationship with the not infrequently controversial author.
 
Spring 2012 Series : I Spy a Book Discussion
When this winter winds down (let's hope this one is not at all like the last), expect more detailed info on spring 2012's spy novel series.

Saturday, December 03, 2011

What a Bargain!

Pinch That Penny
Cost conscious patrons might enjoy radio/web bargain guru Clark Howard's latest : Living Large in Lean Times.  Follow up with Suze Orman's The Money Class : Learn to Create Your New American Dream, a book about employing new financial strategies during difficult days.  Orman's tome pairs up nicely with The New Frugality : How to Consume Less, Save More, and Live Better by Chris Farrell.

Couponing
Try the Coupon Moms' book and website.  Connecticut resident Gina Juliano can also help you get very serious about couponing, discount deals, and sales you won't want to miss.

For Seniors
Four local supermarkets offer discount shopping days to seniors... ahem, older adults.
Noel's Supermarket : 5% discount offered only on Monday and Wednesday for age 62 and up.
Ted's IGA : 5% discount offered everyday for age 62 and up.  First apply for a Ted's card; then apply for senior discount.
Tri-Town Foods : 5% discount offered only on Wednesday and Thursday, for age 65 and up. First apply for Tri-Town card to get senior discount.
Westchester Marketplace : 5% discount offered Tuesday through Thursday for seniors.  For discount, just tell the cashier when checking out.  Also on site is a full service post office; very convenient.