Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Commemorating the American Civil War

"That Generations to Come Might Know Them"
Join us on Thursday, April 14, 1 p.m., to learn about Connecticut's Ninth Regiment Connecticut Volunteers, better known as Connecticut's Irish Regiment.  The regiment was organized in New Haven in September of 1861.  Members of the Irish American History Society will present information about the 9th in battle, including photos of and letters by the soldiers.  Click here to register for this free, history-related event.

Surf's Up
Monuments to the Ninth Regiment's service are located in New Haven and in Vicksburg National Military Park.  You might also like to visit the Connecticut Historical Society's web site for overview and listing of our state's Civil War monuments.

Your Town
If you spend any part of your day in the Village Center, you've seen this boulder. Discovered in Marlborough by Henry T. Sellew In 1921, a committee of prominent citizens contracted for 4 bronze tablets to honor local veterans who served in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, Spanish American War, and WWI.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Funny Bunnies!

Wiggle Your Nose While You Read...
Here's a quick list of latest additions to our kid-friendly Holiday Book collection :

10 Easter Egg Hunters
by Janet Schulman
Big Bunny by Betseygail Rand
Easter Bunny's Basket by Lily Karr (board book)
Hoppy Passover! by Linda Glaser
Who Hid the Easter Eggs? by Pirkko Vainio
The Easter Egg by Jan Brett

Oldies But Goodies (with and without bunnies)
Bunny Day
by Rick Walton
Owen's Marshmallow Chick by Kevin Henkes (board book)
Why on This Night? by Rahel Musleah
Max's Chocolate Chicken by Rosemary Wells
The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

Friday, March 25, 2011

WWII : An Aerial View

The War in the Air
World War II continues to be examined and re-examined by historians. Could the war have been won without good air support? The following titles explore the question of why air cover was an essential component of a combined war effort in a detailed, yet interesting format.

James Holland’s new book, The Battle of Britain: Five Months that Changed History, May-October 1940 studies the significance and contribution the Battle of Britain made to England's survival using new material not previously available.

World War II by aviation historian Donald Nijboer covers the war in the west and in the east with numerous archival images, bombing strategies, and pilot portraits. Also try companion titles : Cockpit and Gunner.

Williamson Murray’s War in the Air, 1914-1945 is one in the Smithsonian History of Warfare series and presents chapters on the First World War, the Interwar Years, the Air War in Europe, and the Air War in the Pacific. Photographs and maps enhance the text, same as other books in this series.

Also of general interest and great for browsing is Fighter : the World's Finest Combat Aircraft, 1914 to the Present Day by Jim Winchester.

Further Reading and Online Services
Ask at the front service desk for pointers to a variety of resources about World War II, its aerial operations, and fighter pilots. Don't forget our subscription to Encyclopædia Britannica Online, a handy and credible research tool which you can access using your local library card.

Post by Bev Simmons

Photo credit : Four U.S. Army Air Forces P-51 Mustang fighter airplanes in formation over the Italian countryside during World War II. Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Source : P-51. [Photograph]. In Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition Retrieved from http://library.eb.com/eb/art-101029

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Quirk Classics : Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

The Saga Concludes...
If you are a fan of Jane Austen's classic novels -- or if you don't mind the idea of Pemberton being overrun by unruly swarms of the undead -- the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies trilogy may be for you. The final book in the series published by Quirk Classics was released today.

Unconfirmed rumors (as rumors tend to be) say the first book will soon become a big screen film.

Further Reading and Viewing
For a quick list of Jane Austen's novels, related fiction/non-fiction, and films, click here.

For a quick list of other zombie fiction and films, click here.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Queen of the Nile

Cleopatra
Stacy's Schiff's biography of the charismatic and enormously powerful Cleopatra has graced the NYT bestseller list for over 18 weeks. Little wonder; the book is rich in detail but reads like a fast-paced novel. It also takes on the popular myths that surround the Queen of Egypt, providing a more balanced portrait of her life and times.

A great read by a Pulitzer-prize winning author.

Further Reading, Listening and Viewing
Cleopatra : Life & Death of a Pharaoh by Edith Flamarion
Cleopatra by Michael Grant (audio CD)
Cleopatra by Don Nardo (young adult & adult readers)
Cleopatra by Diane Stanley (for grade-school children)

... and let's not forget the classic film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

Post by Bev Simmons

Image Above
:
Cleopatra: bas relief portrait of Cleopatra. Photograph. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition.


Click here
and use your East Hampton Public Library card barcode number to sign into Encyclopædia Britannica Online for research and enjoyment.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Book News!

Looking for a Good Read?
Check out our monthly newsletters for tips on bestsellers, regarded or award-winning books, locally popular titles, or great reads you may have missed along the way.

The newsletters include reviews, descriptions and quite often, author commentaries and special features. Newsletter titles link directly to the library's online catalog, where you can place holds on items you decide you want to read and check out at the library.

You can subscribe to our newsletters using your email address or via an RSS reader. Newsletters are updated on the 15th of each month. Click here for March newsletters.

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

e-Discover the Classics

East Hampton Project Gutenberg
Did you receive an e-book reader as a holiday gift? Wondering what to put on it? Thanks to Project Gutenberg and the Colorado Library Consortium, the library is offering over 400 classic e-book titles, all downloadable for free.

How-to
Use our online catalog as usual to search for and find perennial favorites such as Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein, Anne of Green Gables, Jane Eyre, Sunzi’s Art of War, and many more. e-books are flagged with a digital file icon and you will see a link in the record: “click here to access a downloadable book.”

Click on this link and you’ll be taken directly to the download page of Project Gutenberg, which has files in a variety of formats appropriate for your computer, your new e-reader, or your cell phone. The titles are copyright free so you can build a personal reading list and legally keep the content.


To Browse the Collection of e-Classics
Enter Gutenberg in an Author Search.