People Are Strange

In a Good Way, Of Course
Mary Roach writes books about popular science topics with at least a humorous, and depending on what makes you laugh, hilarious twist. As always, your choice.

Latest Book
Roach's latest, Gulp : Adventures on the Alimentary Canal, is set for release on April 1st. Explore your gastrointestinal system if you dare!

Previous Books
Stiff : The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Spook : Science Tackles the Afterlife
Bonk : The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
Packing for Mars : The Curious Science of Life in the Void

About Mary Roach
Author Website
Radiolab

Nature Rules

Classic Books
In the lead up to Earth Day 2013, we offer a short list of great books widely considered to be among the best examples of American nature writing, with a focus on preserving natural landscapes.

The Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
Walden; or Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
Arctic Dreams : Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape by Barry Lopez
The Solace of Open Spaces by Gretel Ehrlich

Saturday Afternoon Concert
Join us for an early celebration of Earth Day 2013 and a concert featuring singer, songwriter, shantyman & balladeer Geoff Kaufman. The concert is titled Natural Reflections and short readings from several of the above classic books will accompany the tunes.

Click here to register for this free prose and song concert scheduled for Saturday, April 6 @ 2 p.m. in the library Community Room.

People... People Who Read People

Biography and Memoir
If you are sometimes fascinated with famous people in history, sports, literature, or popular culture -- or are always up for reading a compelling memoir -- here's a few short lists of selections worth considering.

Hello, Sports Fans!
Terry 'Tito' Francona led the 2004 Red Sox to the team's first World Series victory since 1918. Mike  Piazza's autobiography endured more than a little criticism over on Baseball Nation. "Big Bad Bruin" Derek 'Turk' Sanderson's autobiography is bound for big-screen movie treatment. Retired Tennessee Vols coach Pat Summitt's autobiography is also available, just in time for NCAA tournament season, aka March Madness.

Singers, Songwriters, Actors, Gurus
From serious to dishy, read the latest on Barbra Streisand, Rita Moreno, Penny Marshall, Andrew McCarthy, Bruce Lee [video], Valerie Harper, Dennis Hopper, Leonard Cohen, or Clive Davis.

Writing Lives
Buzz has it that Syliva Plath's semi-autobiographical classic, The Bell Jar, will be movie-converted soon. The greater buzz relates to a new book cover, created in line with the 50th anniversary of the book's publication. Chuckles for the mashups. Read about Plath's life in several great books.

Louisa May Alcott devotees will find much to enjoy in Marmee & Louisa by Eve LaPlante. Pair this one with Eden's Outcasts by John Matteson.

Lastly, if you don't know much about celebrated and controversial French author George Sand, or her oh-so notorious 19th century love life, spend a little page time with The Last Love of George Sand.

In My Life
Each of these memoirs might find a place on your must-read list.

The Backyard Parables by Margaret Roach (reflections on gardening)
Chanel Bonfire by Wendy Lawless (dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship)
Dwarf : a Memoir by Tiffanie DiDonato ("adapting to a world when it won't adapt to you.."
The Heavy : a Mother, a Daughter, a Diet -- a Memoir by Dara-Lynn Weiss (bookend to Battle Hymn of a Tiger Mother)
Her : a Memoir by Christa Parravani (achingly brilliant memoir of enduring love, loss, and identical twins)
Raising Cubby : a Father and Son's Adventures with Asperger's, Trains, Tractors, and High Explosives by John Elder Robison (Aspergian father raising his Aspergian son)
Shouting Won't Help : Why I - and 50 Million Other Americans - Can't Hear You by Katherine Bouton (a personal and public discussion of hearing loss)
A Still Point of the Turning World by Emily Rapp (emotionally fearless and loving reflections on raising a little boy with a fatal disorder)
Still Points North by Leigh Newman (growing up in the wilds of Alaska)
The Ordinary Acrobat : a Journey Into the Wondrous World of the Circus, Past and Present by Duncan Wall (from Ringling Brothers to Cirque du Soleil, join the circus with a turn of a page)

Shamrocks and Such

Celebrating St. Paddy's Day
Everyone goes green (at least a little) on Paddy's Day, the feast day which annually celebrates Saint Patrick (385–461), one of the patron saints of Ireland. If you decide to wear the color on March 17th, please do feel free to accent your green finery with Ireland's traditional color blue.

In the lead up to the big day, we also hope you'll plan to do some reading, listening, viewing, doing, and surfing. As you might expect, we have a few suggestions.

Books for Kids
Our holiday book collection features quick find-and-go selections for the little people (hee-hee) in your life.

For wee-bit older kids:
O'Sullivan Stew by Hudson Talbott
Tim O'Toole and the Wee Folk by Gerald McDermott
Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato by Tomie De Paola
That's What Leprechauns Do by Eve Bunting
Fiona's Luck by Teresa Bateman
Leprechaun in Late Winter by Mary Pope Osborne
Shannon and the World's Tallest Leprechaun by Sean Callahan
A Fine St. Patrick's Day by Susan Wojciechowski

There's A Leprechaun on My Refrigerator!
If you are in the age 4-8 range, join us on Saturday, March 16, @ 11 a.m. and use your skills, creativity, and imagination to craft a mischievous little elf not unlike ... at times... you!  All materials provided but always an opportunity to add your own special touches. Click to register or give us call if you plan to participate.  

For the Record : 4 3/4 Size
No Irish holiday would be complete without tunes. We recommend the Chieftains' or Clancy Brothers' collaborative-efforts or music from the Irish Tenors, Cherish the Ladies, Clannad, or Dervish. Connecticut-based performers -- all of whom have performed at the library -- are also represented in our collection. Enjoy CDs from Danny Quinn, The Kerry Boys, Full Gael, or Tara's Thistle.

Screen Time
Everyone has a list of must-see St. Patrick's Day films and these are included on more than a few regarded list-maker's lists. A baker's dozen plus one and as always, watch the ratings labels and chose for yourself or for your kids :
Finian's Rainbow -- The Quiet Man -- Once -- The Commitments -- The Wind That Shakes the Barley -- Waking Ned Devine -- In America -- The Secret of Kells -- Leap Year -- Secret of Roan Inish -- Ondine -- Hunger -- The Guard -- Ryan's Daughter

Page Turning : Adult Fiction & Non-Fiction
Pick and choose from our quick lists of recommended fiction books with an Irish flare or regarded non-fiction books about Ireland's storied history and people, native and American vintage.

Someone's In the Kitchen
Rachel Allen's cookbooks offer easy-to-follow recipes, both traditional or with a contemporary twist. Eight-time recipient of the James Beard award (and Greenwich CT resident) Colman Andrews' book, Country Cooking of Ireland is also in the house. Don't forget the soda bread, wheat or gluten-free. Also consult epicurious.com for a very inviting round-up of St. Patrick's Day recipes, including all the essential instructions (as if you need them) for making corned beef and cabbage.

Abraham Lincoln: The Life of an American President

Image courtesy of www.whitehouse.gov

The Life and Legacy of 16.
Over 15,000 books have been written about Abraham Lincoln; Ford's Theater last year erected a tower containing nearly 7,000 titles. Lincoln has also, for over 200 years, been depicted in art, fiction, poetry, films, and popular culture.

We offer here a round-up of resources about our 16th President and an invitation to an upcoming library program.

Regarded Books
Browse a quick list of adult non-fiction books; a few book jackets pictured left. Click here for a quick list of books for kids, fiction and non-fiction.

Lincoln in Films
The highly-awaited Spielberg film Lincoln, starring Academy Award winner Daniel Day Lewis, is set for DVD and Blu-ray release on  March 26.  Pair this one with the Criterion Collection re-master of 1939's Young Mr. Lincoln, directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda. Also consider giving documentary screen time to The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln (PBS) or The Hunt for John Wilkes Booth (History Channel).

Upcoming Program : Abraham Lincoln and the American Experience
Thursday, March 14 @ 1PM
Celebrate our nation’s 16th president with a special program on Lincoln’s life and political activities presented by David Koch, Associate Professor of History at Housatonic Community College. Explore the personality of this powerful but surprisingly enigmatic figure in American history. Learn about Lincoln’s childhood, professional career and political ambitions.

Mr. Koch is a wide-ranging historian who specializes in Civil War and Native American history. Please register online or phone the library at (860)267-6621.

The Turn of a Thoughtful Page

Worth Mentioning
How do you choose books? Maybe you have a favorite author whose books you always read; maybe you read the blurbs on the book jacket or the emerging virtual equivalent. Do you make it a point to read books recommended by NPR, the NYT, Wall Street Journal, other favored magazine or TV talk show? Or do you find your next read via Goodreads or LibraryThing? Does a catchy title influence your choice? A friend's recommendation? Browsing an online bookstore? The shelves of your public library?

All of the above in some way factor into our quick lists of recommended reads. Here goes...

Bestseller Buzz
Salt, Sugar Fat : How the Food Giants Hooked Us by Michael Moss -- Provocative for sure with encouragement to read the labels.

Life Code by Dr. Phil McGraw -- Advice from a popular psychologist : how to handle baiters and haters, users an abusers, and other rhyming combinations.

The last from the late, great Maeve and the latest from Jodi, and James. Though we do try to keep current, the latter will probably have released another bestseller by the time we publish this post...

Critical Acclaim and a Novel with Connecticut Roots

The Curse : Big-time Gambling's Seduction of a Small New England Town : a Novel by Robert H. Steele -- Steele's a CT resident and former Congressman. Pair this one with Jeff Benedict's Without Reservation.

The Carbon Crunch : How We're Getting Climate Change Wrong -- and How to Fix It by Dieter Helm -- Plenty of lively reviews of Helm's book, all around the block and on all sides of the climate debate.

Detroit : An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff -- Ostensibly about the Motor City with a huge but... Reviewed all over, from many different perspectives; podcast and book excerpt on NPR.

Foodopoly : the Battle Over the Future of Food and Farming in America by Wenonah Hauter -- As point-of-view reference, the author is the executive director of Food & Water Watch. View an author book talk on C-SPAN2.

The Dinner : a Novel by Herman Koch -- Recommended by disparate sources ranging from the Economist to Oprah's Book Club 2.0, this Dutch novel has been compared to Gone Girl, We Need to Talk About Kevin, and Defending Jacob.

Reading History : Popular Books
Coolidge by Amity Shlaes -- A book about our country's 30th President; now attracting renewed attention. View an author book talk on C-SPAN.

The Barbarous Years : The Peopling of British North America by Bernard Bailyn -- Scholarly but accessible account of life in British Atlantic colonies with a narrative that flows geographically. Representative comments from The Daily Beast and The New Republic.

The World Until Yesterday : What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies? by Jared Diamond -- From the author of Guns, Germs and Steel.

1775 : A Good Year for Revolution by Kevin Phillips -- "Iconoclastic historian and bestselling author.. punctures the myth that 1776 was the watershed year of the American Revolution." Mmm, sounds interesting.

Thomas Jefferson : The Art of Power by Jon Meacham -- Meacham also won a Pulitzer for American Lion (President Andrew Jackson). Pair this one with a counterpart, David McCullough's John Adams.