La Conner Regional Library

Library Notes Week February 8

2012-02-09T14:49:00.001-08:00

It is that time of year again! We have the major federal tax forms and instruction booklets at the library for you pick up. If you don’t find what you need, ask about for the reproducible forms. We can also help you access the IRS website on our public computers for any forms we don’t have. Although we cannot give you tax advice, we are happy to help you locate the information you need to file your taxes.

Next time you come in, take a look at all the new books we have. Here are a few you might be interested in checking out.

Tuesday Night Miracles by Kris Radish. Dr. Olivia Bayer suspects she’ll need a miracle to help the four women in her anger management class. Grace, a single working mother, can barely find a moment’s rest. Jane, a high-profile real estate agent, is struggling in the recession. Kit, in her fifties, has had it with her taunting older brothers. And Leah, a young mother of two, is starting over after ending a troubled relationship. All have reached a crossroads, and Dr. Bayer has an unconventional plan to steer them on the right track. As the class gets taken everywhere from a bowling alley to a shooting range, the women’s Tuesday meetings transform from tense, reluctant gatherings into richly rewarding experiments in female bonding.

The Yoga Club by Cooper Lawrence. Chatting it up with bendy WASPs is the last thing on Coco Guthrie’s mind during her 8:30 a.m. yoga class. Having made her fortune as the world-renowned inventor of Butt-B-Gone derriere cream, Coco still doesn’t feel like she belongs among the upper class— until she attends the swankiest Halloween soiree in Greenwich, Connecticut, where three of her fellow morning yogis shared her brilliant idea to appear as Sarah Palin. Soon it’s clear that a love of stretching isn’t all this accidental sorority have in common.

Love in a Nutshell by Janet Evanovich. Kate Appleton needs a job. Her husband has left her, she’s been fired from her position as a magazine editor, and the only place she wants to go is to her parents’ summer house, The Nutshell. Kate’s plan is to turn The Nutshell into a Bed and Breakfast. Problem is, she needs cash. Matt Culhane wants Kate to spy on his brewery employees. Someone has been sabotaging his company, and Kate is just new enough in town that she can snoop around for him. If Kate finds the culprit, Matt will pay her a $20,000 bonus. Needless to say, Kate is highly motivated. But several problems present themselves. Kate despises beer. No one seems to trust her. And she is falling hard for her boss.

Library Notes Week January 25

2012-01-25T13:59:00.000-08:00

I hope you made it safely through the snow storm last week. We were closed for several days due to the weather. Just a reminder that the library policy states if the La Conner Schools close because of the weather we also close. We fudged a bit by opening Thursday and Friday, since we were able to get some of the staff to the library safely. We don’t want anyone getting hurt trying to return a library book. Let’s hope that was the worst of our Winter weather.

We got a new batch of books in. Maybe you would be interested in checking one out.

77 Shadow Street by Dean R. Koontz. The Pendleton stands on the summit of Shadow Hill, a Gilded Age palace built in the late 1800s as a tycoon’s dream home. Almost from the beginning, its grandeur has been scarred by episodes of madness, suicide, mass murder, and whispers of things far worse. But since its rechristening in the 1970s as a luxury apartment building, the Pendleton has been at peace. But now shadows caper across walls, security cameras relay impossible images, phantom voices mutter in strange tongues, not-quite-human figures lurk in the basement, elevators plunge into unknown depths. With each passing hour, a terrifying certainty grows: Whatever drove the Pendleton’s past occupants to their unspeakable fates is at work again.

The Leopard by Jo Nesbo. Two young women are found murdered in Oslo, both drowned in their own blood. The crime scenes offer no coherent clues, the police investigation is stalled, and the one man who might be able to help doesn’t want to be found. Traumatized by his last case, Inspector Harry Hole has lost himself in the squalor of Hong Kong’s opium dens. Yet when he is compelled, at last, to return to Norway—his father is dying—Harry’s buried instincts begin to take over. After a female MP is discovered brutally murdered, nothing can keep him from the investigation.

Soft Target by Stephen Hunter. Black Friday America’s largest shopping mall Suburban Minneapolis 3:00 pm. Ten thousand people jam the aisles, the corridors, the elevators, and the escalators of America, the Mall—a giant Rubik’s Cube of a structure with its own amusement park located in the spacious center atrium. Of those people, nine thousand nine hundred and eighty-eight have come to shop. The other twelve have come to kill.

Library Notes Week of Nov. 14

2011-11-17T14:48:00.000-08:00

The library is part of one of the Recovery Grants you may have heard of a year or so ago. The grant we are involved in is for computer training labs. Because of the grant, we have been able to upgrade the software on our laptops and purchase special equipment so we can access the Internet for all the laptops (as long as there is cell service). This makes it possible to take our lab anywhere for classes. We are looking forward to offering more computer classes. If you are interested in basic computer training—or any computer training we may not have offered in the past—give us a call at 466-3352.

The reviews this week are from KJ Cooper, our Children’s Specialist. She has given us the plots of three newer Young Adult titles.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver. Imagine a world where there is a cure for love (amor deliria nervosa) which you must take upon turning eighteen. No more sweaty palms, difficulty focusing, loss of appetite or obsessive thoughts. Lena Haloway believes the government regulation is justified since her mother took her own life over love. But then she meets Alex --before she turns eighteen.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. A plane full of beauty pageant contestants goes down crashes on a small tropical island. The first few days after the crash, the Texan contestant insisted they continue practicing interview questions and dance routines. It soon becomes obvious that building shelter, finding food and survival are much higher priorities. Plus, larger threats exist on the island in the form of an American mega-corporation involved with shady activities and a secret arms deal between a human-rights violating dictator and presidential wannabe, Ladybird Hope. As the girls learn what’s really going on, they learn to define themselves beyond beauty pageants.

Tiger’s Quest by Colleen Houck. This second book of a trilogy picks up right where Tiger’s Curse leaves off. Kelsey Hayes has returned from India where she risked her life to rescue a handsome prince from a terrible curse. Back home in Oregon, she’s determined to move on, but Ren (the prince) is not willing to let her walk away from him and the second part of the curse. All of that is complicated by the fact that she has met LI, an ordinary fellow who could offer her an unremarkable life.

Library Notes Week of Nov. 1

2011-11-03T14:41:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, November 12, more than 20,000 people in communities across the United States will come together in the spirit of play for American Library Assoc.’s fourth annual National Gaming Day @ your library. Sponsored by Family and Party Games, the event aims to reconnect communities through their libraries around the educational, recreational, and social value of all types of games. Drop into the La Conner Regional Library between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to be a part of this fun day.

After playing a game with a child or friend, you might want to check out one of these new books.

Goddess of Vengeance by Jackie Collins. Lucky runs a high profile casino and hotel complex, The Keys in Vegas. Lennie, her movie star husband, is still writing and directing successful independent movies, while Max, her stubborn and gorgeous teenage daughter is about to celebrate her 18th birthday, and her son, Bobby, owns a string of hot clubs. Lucky has everything. Family. Love. Life. And everything is exactly what billionaire businessman Armand Jordan is determined to take from her one way or the other.

The Vault by Ruth Rendell. In the stunning climax to Rendell’s classic A Sight for Sore Eyes, three bodies—two dead, one living—are entombed in an underground chamber beneath a picturesque London house. Twelve years later, when a manhole cover is pulled back, the house’s new owner makes a grisly discovery. Only now, the number of bodies is four. How did somebody else end up in the chamber? And who knew of its existence?

Spycatcher by Matthew Dunn. Will Cochrane, the CIA’s and MI6’s most prized asset and deadliest weapon, has known little outside this world since childhood. And he’s never been outplayed. So far…Will’s controllers task him with finding and neutralizing one of today’s most wanted terrorist masterminds, a man believed to be an Iranian Revolutionary Guard general. Intending to use someone from the man’s past to flush him out of the shadows, Will believes he has the perfect plan, but he soon discovers, in a frantic chase from the capitals of Europe to New York City, that his adversary has more surprises in store and is much more treacherous than anyone he has ever faced—and survived—up to now.

Library Notes Week of August 22

2011-08-24T15:17:00.000-07:00

If your child participated in the Summer Reading Program they may have a free book waiting for them. They need to have read and reported 800 minutes to earn a book. Stop in soon for the best selection.

When you stop into the library, take a look at our new books. Here are a few you might want to check out.

The Story of Charlotte’s Web by Michael Sims. As he was composing what was to become his most popular book, E. B. White was obeying that old maxim: "Write what you know." Helpless pigs, silly geese, clever spiders, greedy rats-White knew all of these characters in the barns and stables where he spent his favorite hours. Painfully shy his entire life, White once wrote of himself, "this boy felt for animals a kinship he never felt for people."

50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants by Ruth Rogers Clausen and Alan Detrick. Clausen and Detrick make keeping deer away as simple as choosing the appropriate plant. Instead of the typical barriers and fencing, they have chosen the 50 most beautiful (and least palatable) annuals, bulbs, ferns, grasses, herbs, perennials, and shrubs. Whether it’s the charming snow crocuses that bloom each spring or the vibrant, long-blooming Texas Sage, these 50 plants provide gardeners a chance to design a deer-proof garden without sacrificing style.

The Mathematics of Life by Ian Stewart. Ian Stewart provides a fascinating overview of the vital but little-recognized role mathematics has played in pulling back the curtain on the hidden complexities of the natural world--and how its contribution will be even more vital in the years ahead. In his characteristically clear and entertaining fashion, Stewart explains how mathematicians and biologists have come to work together on some of the most difficult scientific problems that the human race has ever tackled.

Library Notes Week of August 8

2011-08-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce you can again download audio books. Look for the OneClickDigital banner on our webpage and click on it to go the site. You will have to create a new account regardless of whether you had one with NetLibraries. When you sign up it will ask for an access code which you will need to call us to get or we can help you sign up in the library. The great news is it is 100% iPod compatible and looks like it is much easier to use.

When you stop into the library, take a look at our new books. Here are a few you might want to check out.

Monument to Murder by Margaret Truman. Times are tough in Savannah for former cop and current PI Robert Brixton, so when he agrees to take on a 20 year-old murder case, he figures he’s got nothing to lose. It’s not long before the trail leads him deep into the corrupt underbelly of Savannah’s power elite, and right into the lap of a secret government organization that’s been offing “troublesome” politicians for decades. The cold case heats up when he joins forces with former attorneys Mackensie and Annabel Lee Smith to investigate the organization and the murders they committed in the name of patriotism.

Then Came You by Jennifer Weiner. Jules Strauss is a Princeton senior with a full scholarship, acquaintances instead of friends, and a family she’s ashamed to invite to Parents’ Weekend. With the income she’ll receive from donating her “pedigree” eggs, she believes she can save her father from addiction. Annie Barrow married her high school sweetheart. After years of staying at home and struggling to support four people on her husband’s salary, she thinks she’s found a way to bring in some extra cash. India Bishop, has changed everything about herself: her name, her face, her past. In New York City, she falls for a wealthy older man, Marcus Croft, and decides a baby will ensure a happy ending. When her attempts at pregnancy fail, she turns to technology, and Annie and Jules, to help make her dreams come true. But each of their plans is thrown into disarray when Marcus’ daughter becomes convinced that his new wife is not what she seems…

Overbite by Meg Cabot. Meena Harper has a special gift, but it’s only now that anyone’s ever appreciated it. The Palatine Guard—a powerful secret demon-hunting unit of the Vatican—has hired her to work at their new branch in Lower Manhattan. With Meena’s ability to predict how everyone she meets will die, the Palatine finally has a chance against the undead. Meena’s sworn off vampires for good . . . at least until she can prove her theory that just because they’ve lost their souls doesn’t mean demons have lost the ability to love. Meena knows convincing her co-workers—including her partner, Über-demon-hunter Alaric Wulf—that vampires can be redeemed won’t be easy . . . especially when a deadly new threat seems to be endangering not just lives of the Palatine, but Meena’s friends and family as well.

Library Notes Week of June 12

2011-06-10T15:53:00.000-07:00

Now that school is out kids need to get reading. Teens will want to read in order to be eligible for a drawing at the end of the program. We have a KoBo e-reader one of them will win. We have lots of weekly prizes for the younger set thanks to the generous merchants of La Conner. They will want to hit 800 minutes to be put into a drawing for a bike and helmet. Since boredom will be setting in soon, be sure to check out the many programs going on starting with Scott Petersen, the Reptile Man. He will be here Thursday, June 23^rd at 10 a.m. with his snakes and other critters. See you there.

While you are in signing your child up for the Summer Reading Program, check out one of these books from the new book shelf.

The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong. Strange things are happening in Maya's tiny Vancouver Island town. First, her friend Serena, the captain of the swim team, drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. Then, one year later, mountain lions are spotted rather frequently around Maya's home—and her reactions to them are somewhat . . . unexpected. Her best friend, Daniel, has also been experiencing unexplainable premonitions about certain people and situations. It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret, and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy—her paw-print birthmark.

Eve by Iris Johansen. After searching for years, forensic sculptor Eve Duncan is finally close to solving the mystery her daughter’s murder. With the help of her CIA friend Catherine Ling, Eve narrows the field of suspects down to either Paul Black or John Gallo, both of whom work for a corrupt military intelligence officer. Paul has a history of killing children, and John is mentally unstable after a stint in a North Korean prison. The specter of Gallo forces Eve to relive her tumultuous past, growing up in the projects of Atlanta, intent on staying out of trouble until she meets John. He was about to join the army to become a Ranger, but first they had a brief yet highly charged affair, which left Eve pregnant with Bonnie. Now nothing will stop Eve from learning the truth about her daughter’s fate.

Southern Comfort by Fern Michaels. Atlanta homicide detective Patrick 'Tick' Kelly turned his back on the world the day his wife and children were murdered. Abandoning his city and his career, he holed up in a beach house on Mango Key, Florida, and drowned his grief in Jack Daniels. Now sober and a bestselling author, Tick would gladly stay a recluse forever if his brother Pete didn't keep trying to drag him back to the land of the living. After years of sacrificing her personal life in favor of her DEA job, special agent Kate Rush resigned and moved back to her native Miami. But the unofficial assignment that has just come her way is too intriguing to pass up. She and a fellow ex-agent are relocated to Mango Key to keep an eye on an imposing, mysterious fortress believed to be at the center of a human trafficking ring.

Library Notes Week of May 30

2011-05-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

As school winds down it is time to start thinking about the library’s Summer Reading Program. If you have kids in school this is for them. Reading through the summer will help them keep up their skills and it is fun! Prizes and programs will fill eight weeks starting June 6^th. Things will be happening for Teens as well. Stop in to the library or check our website www.lclib.lib.wa.us for a list of activities.

New books are always arriving. Here are some you might like to check out.

From this Moment On by Shania Twain. The world may know Shania Twain as many things: a music legend, a mother, and recently, a fixture in the news for her painful, public divorce and subsequent marriage to a cherished friend. But in this autobiography, Shania reveals that she is much more. She is one of five children born into poverty in rural Canada, where her family often didn't have enough food to send her to school with lunch. She's the teenage girl who helped her mother and young siblings escape to a battered woman's shelter to put an end to the domestic violence in her family home. And she's the courageous twenty-two-year-old who sacrificed to keep her younger siblings together after her parents were tragically killed in a car accident.

Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? By Steven Tyler. Tyler tells what it's like to be a living legend and the frontman of one of the world's most revered and infamous bands—the debauchery, the money, the notoriety, the fights, the motels and hotels, the elevators, limos, buses and jets, the rehab. He reveals the spiritual side that "gets lost behind the stereotype of the Sex Guy, the Drug Guy, the Demon of Screamin', the Terror of the Tropicana." And he talks about his epic romantic life and his relationship with his four children.

Walt Before Mickey by Timothy S. Susanin. For ten years before the creation of Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney struggled with, failed at, and eventually mastered the art and business of animation. Most biographies of his career begin in 1928, when Steamboat Willie was released. That first Disney Studio cartoon with synchronized sound made its main character--Mickey Mouse-an icon for generations. But Steamboat Willie was neither Disney's first cartoon nor Mickey Mouse's first appearance. Prior to this groundbreaking achievement, Walt Disney worked in a variety of venues and studios, refining the Disney style. In Walt Before Mickey, 1919-1928, Timothy Susanin creates a portrait of the artist from age seventeen to the cusp of his international renown.

Library Notes Week of May 23

2011-05-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

The town just thought they got rid of the turkeys!! Kiwanis Cash Cow Art Show will feature turkeys and some of them are very cute. There will be pigs and chickens and cows as well. Look for them around town starting June 1^st.

New books arrived last week. Here are some you might like to check out.

Spider Web by Earlene Fowler. The Memory Festival is a celebration of recollections and loved ones through crafts. But when a local cop is wounded by a mysterious sharpshooter who seems to have a vendetta against the police. Benni is concerned for her police-chief husband, Gabe, who may also be a target and is showing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder through violent nightmares about his time in Vietnam. As if this isn't enough, a mysterious woman moves to San Celina who shows more than a passing interest in Gabe, leading Benni to wonder if this is yet another woman from his past. Benni is determined to make her hometown safe-before their peaceful street fair becomes a day to remember in the worst way.

The Worst Thing by Aaron Elkins. For Bryan Bennett, designing hostage negotiation programs is the perfect job-as long as he keeps a safe, theoretical distance. What he can't do is deal directly with kidnappers or their victims, as a result of his own abduction and imprisonment as a small boy. Thirty-some years later, intense nightmares still plague his sleep, and a fear of enclosed spaces prevents him from attempting to travel. So when Bryan's boss asks him to fly to Reykjavik, Iceland, to teach his corporate-level kidnapping and extortion seminar, he automatically says no. But the CEO of GlobalSeas Fisheries, Inc. has specifically requested Bryan-or no one else. Bryan finally relents...

10^th Anniversary by James Patterson. Detective Lindsay Boxer's long-awaited wedding celebration becomes a distant memory when she is called to investigate a horrendous crime: a badly injured teenage girl is left for dead, and her newborn baby is nowhere to be found. Lindsay discovers that not only is there no trace of the criminals--but that the victim may be keeping secrets as well. At the same time, Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano is prosecuting the biggest case of her life--a woman who has been accused of murdering her husband in front of her two young children. Yuki's career rests on a guilty verdict, so when Lindsay finds evidence that could save the defendant, she is forced to choose. Should she trust her best friend or follow her instinct?

Library Notes Week of May 4

2011-05-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

I hope you noticed the new furniture in the library? Actually we had the old pieces recovered and they look wonderful. It was made possible by memorial donations made in the name of Corinne Hajek, a former trustee of the library. This was one project she started, but never had an opportunity to finish. She wanted to have the furniture freshened up and I think she would be pleased with the results.

When you come in to admire the furniture, check out the new books shelf. Maybe one of the following would be of interest.

Idea Man by Paul Allen. Paul Allen, best known as the cofounder of Microsoft, has left his mark on numerous fields, from aviation and science to rock 'n' roll, professional sports, and philanthropy. His passions and curiosity have transformed the way we live. In 2007 and again in 2008, Time named him one of the hundred most influential people in the world. While much has been written about Microsoft's early years, Allen has never before told the story from his point of view. Nor has he previously talked about the details of his complex relationship with Gates or his behind-closed- doors perspective on how a struggling startup became the most powerful technology company in the world. Idea Man is the candid and long-awaited memoir of an intensely private person, a tale of triumphant highs and terrifying lows.

The Forgotten Founding Father: Noah Webster by Joshua Kendall. Kendall honors Webster's crucial contributions to early American nationalism, which extended far beyond his primary obsession, the written word. He paints a complex portrait of Webster a man he claims "housed a host of contradictory identities: revolutionary, reactionary, fighter, peacemaker, intellectual, commonsense philosopher, ladies' man, prig, slick networker and loner." In spite of his flaws, Webster, belongs among the ranks of America's notable founders, associating with George Washington and Ben Franklin, among others, to craft an early American identity rooted in national pride and a distinctly American lexicon.

The Best Advice I Ever Got by Katie Couric. What was the tipping point for Malcolm Gladwell? What unscripted event made Meryl Streep who she is? How did Mario Batali cook up his recipe for success? In this inspiration-packed book, Katie Couric reports from the front lines of the worlds of politics, entertainment, sports, philanthropy, the arts, and business—distilling the ingenious, hard-won insights of leaders and visionaries, who tell us all how to take chances, follow our passions, cope with criticism, and, perhaps most important, commit to something greater than ourselves.

Library Notes Week April 11

2011-04-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

Have you had a change to try out the new catalog? If you would like helping learning how to use it, just stop by and we can give you a quick tour. It is really pretty easy once you get the hang of it—and so fast compared to the old one.

You will note that when you go to “my account” you need a login and password. The login is your library card number—don’t enter the “P”—the password is the last four digits of your home phone number. Of course if we don’t have your phone number, it was a cell (and we wrote cell after it) or it was entered incorrectly you may have to come in. We can change it for you.

When you come in be sure we have your correct e-mail. The system sends out notices to e-mails that your holds are ready for pick up, reminds you that your books will be due in three days, and sends out overdue notices. It will make us much more efficient!

When you come in check out our new books, maybe you would enjoy one of these.

Fatal Error by J. A. Jance. Ali Reynolds begins the summer thinking her most difficult challenge will be surviving a six-week- long course as the lone forty-something female at the Arizona Police Academy—not to mention taking over the 6:00 AM shift at her family’s restaurant while her parents enjoy a long overdue Caribbean cruise. However, when Brenda Riley, a colleague from Ali’s old news broadcasting days in California, shows up in town with an alcohol problem and an unlikely story about a missing fiancé, Ali reluctantly agrees to help.

The Linen Queen by Patricia Falvey. Abandoned by her father and neglected by her self-absorbed mother, Sheila McGee longs to escape from her small Irish village, where her destiny seems already to be written: forever consigned to working at the mill, forced to hand over her paycheck to her mother. When she gets the opportunity to compete for the title of 1941 Linen Queen, she finally sees a way out, for the prize money will fund her dream of escaping to England. But WWII intervenes, bringing with it travel restrictions and a base set up for American soldiers. She intends to snag American officer Joel Solomon, much to the distress of her childhood friend, Gavin. Joel turns out to be a Jewish soldier of conscience and schools her in the deeper meaning of the fight against Hitler.

Gideon’s Sword by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. At twelve, Gideon Crew witnessed his father, a world-class mathematician, accused of treason and gunned down. At twenty-four, summoned to his dying mother's bedside, Gideon learned the truth: His father was framed and deliberately slaughtered. With her last breath, she begged her son to avenge him. Now, with a new purpose in his life, Gideon crafts a one-time mission of vengeance, aimed at the perpetrator of his father's destruction. But from the shadows, someone is watching. A very powerful someone, who is impressed by Gideon's special skills. Someone who has need of just such a renegade.

Library Notes Week March 7

2011-03-08T16:16:00.000-08:00

Join the Friends of the Library, Monday, March 21st for their next meeting. A social time starts at 9:30 am with coffee and goodies, followed by a program and business meeting. The program for March is Joy Lewis who talks about Angels around us--should be very interesting.

The Friends are gearing up to sell raffle tickets for their annual tulip poster. Buy a few tickets from them at the BookNook, or better yet, volunteer to help sell the tickets. Remember they are raising funds to help the library with needs we have beyond our budget. We appreciate all the work they do for us.

When you stop by the library for those tulip tickets, check out one of these books off the new book shelf.

A Heartbeat Away by Michael Palmer. As the U.S. President, James Allaire, is beginning his State of the Union address, a number of small containers of a viral agent explode and infect the more than 700 people, including every important member of the government except the director of homeland security, who have gathered in the House chamber. The Capitol must be sealed off and the infected audience held inside until a cure for the disease can be found.

The Border Lords by T. Jefferson Parker. The Border Lords finds Deputy Hood still determined to battle gun and drug traffic along the U.S.--Mexico border. ATF agent Sean Ozburn has dropped out of sight, leaving a handful of bullet-riddled bodies in his wake. Ozburn's wife, Seliah, has received e-mails from Sean that speak of a gravely important "mission" but offer no indication of his whereabouts.

A Cup of Friendship by Deborah Rodriquez. A group of women come together in a Kubul coffee shop run by Sunny, a free-spirited American. Sunny takes in the young widow, Yazmina, the casualty of her uncle's debt to Afghan thugs. Halajan is a firecracker older widow who hides her cropped hairdo, jean skirts and love letters under her burqa. Isabel, a hard-hitting BBC journalist on location who uncovers the truth about female workers addicted to the opium they handle in the fields. Finally there is Candace, a well-heeled Bostonian, who has followed her Afghan boyfriend to Kabul to fundraise for his schoo, but soon suspects his real motives for the school and their relationship.

Library Notes Week of February 14

2011-02-17T16:54:00.000-08:00

We are gearing up for another teen night @ the library. February 25 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. teens can play on our Wii system, eat pizza, and have a fun time hanging out. We will have table games available as well. Spread the word to any teens you know.

KJ has been reading some of our new titles that will appeal to our young adult readers. Maybe one of these will interest the teen in your life.

Matched by Ally Condie. Cassia lives in a world where “The Authorities” control every aspect of their lives. Cassia turns seventeen on the day of her Matching Banquet. She finds out the name of the boy who is her perfect partner…the man she will marry. But the screen is blank for several seconds before Xander’s picture finally appears. Xander, who has been her best friend since childhood is her perfect match! However, the microchip she has been given to tell her about her match tells a different story. The Authorities made a mistake? Impossible!

The Agency: A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee. Mary, at twelve years of age is plucked from the gallows by the headmistress of an unusual school for girls. Fast forward to Mary’s seventeenth year and she joins the Agency, a group of elite female detectives run by her rescuers. Mary is sent undercover to investigate the possible fraud of a well-to-do import merchant. As she unravels the mystery surrounding the claims of missing cargo, Mary has to live by her wits and rely on her intuition.

The Ring of Solomon (A Bartimaeus Novel) by Jonathan Stroud. The Bartimaeus trilogy plus one…Stroud gives us a “prequel” to his popular fantasy series. alternate Jerusalem in King Solomon is on the throne. His absolute control over his domain is held due to his magical ring that makes his subjects cower. He is having a fabulous temple built in his honor. The mischievous djinni, Bartimaeus, is banned from the project and sent to hunt bandits in the desert. There he meets Asmira, who is on a quest to steal the ring even if it means killing Solomon.

Library Notes Week January 17

2011-01-20T15:07:00.000-08:00

The IRS forms are beginning to arrive, but we don’t have much yet. Keep checking back, and remember we can help you print out what you need from our public computers. Speaking of public computers, we are starting another series of computer classes. They will be at the library from 9 a.m. to about 11 a.m. the first three Thursdays in February. This might be a good time to find out how to use that computer you got for Christmas.

We have been getting some new Young Adult books, so KJ have provided us with some reviews for that teen in your family.

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard. Shepard has begun a new series for her Pretty Little Liars fans. Emma discovers she has a long lost twin sister, Sutton. Unfortunately, by the time Emma goes to visit, Sutton is murdered. Emma becomes Sutton in order to unravel the mystery surrounding the murder. Sutton narrates the story as she watches over Emma’s search for her killer. This series has many of the same elements as PLL: mean girls with their rivalries and secrets, a love interest and a murder to solve. If the ending leaves you hanging, you only have to wait until July to get the second installment of the series.

The Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card. Rigg and Umbo are sent on a mission when Rigg’s father dies. They must find Rigg’s sister – a sister he didn’t know he had. Rigg is a Pathfinder, one who sees the paths of others’ pasts. Umbo (who has the ability to seemingly change the movement of time) and a small group of friends accompany him on this journey. He discovers his birthright that catches him between two factions—one which would have him crowned and the other that wants him dead. Woven through this story is another of a traveler using space-folding technology to pilot a colony ship from Earth to a new world. This page-turner is the beginning of another epic series by Card.

The Killer’s Cousin by Nancy Werlin. David Yaffe is sent to live with his aunt, uncle and cousin to repeat his senior year of high school. His parents hope he will be able to escape the craziness that surrounded them when he was tried for murdering his girlfriend. Even though it was an accident, David is, understandably, riddled with guilt. However, his aunt’s household is battling its own dysfunction caused by their oldest daughter’s apparent suicide years before. His aunt and uncle are cold and his cousin, Lily, is openly hostile. David begins to realize that Lily has demons of her own to conquer. Who is the cousin and who is the killer?

Library Notes week of December 13

2010-12-16T15:43:00.000-08:00

We are very excited to be having the Knights of Veritas come to La Conner December 21 at 12:30. They are a non-profit charitable organization out of Moses Lake, specializing in interactive educational demonstrations of medieval arms, armor, combat, and knighthood. The program is a great one for all ages, so we thought holding it at the Senior Center during Winter Break would be the perfect thing. Mark your calendar and be sure to come.

Here are a few new books you might enjoy.

Valcourt Heiress by Catherine Coulter. After his older brother Arthur unexpectedly dies, Garron of Kersey returns home to Wareham Castle to assume his duties as the new earl. But the castle is nearly deserted, with only a few of its retainers hiding within. It seems that a few days after Arthur’s death, the “Black Demon” arrived at the castle and demanded Arthur’s fortune in silver. When they discovered that the castle’s residents know nothing about a treasure, the Black Demon and his men wreaked havoc. As Garron attempts to restore order to his new home, he is aided by a young woman named Merry. While Merry is smart, with a mouth to match, there is something a bit off about her story.

Ghost in Trouble by Carolyn Hart. When Bailey Ruth Raeburn passed over into the great beyond, she was delighted to discover her sleuthing days would last an eternity. Joining Heaven's Department of Good Intentions, she uses her unique advantages as a ghost to help those in need and ensure the wicked get their just deserts. Bailey Ruth finds it more difficult than ever to keep up with her boss Wiggins's rules for good spirit deportment. Not only is the woman she is supposed to save determined to thwart Bailey Ruth's good intentions at every turn, she just so happens to be one of Bailey Ruth's oldest enemies. Not that that should matter to one of Heaven's best and brightest emissaries, but still, there is only so much a person can put up with—living or dead.

Our Kind of Traitor by John Le Carre. Perry and Gail are idealistic and very much in love when they splurge on a tennis vacation at a posh beach resort in Antigua. But the charm begins to pall when a big-time Russian money launderer enlists their help to defect. In exchange for amnesty, Dima is ready to rat out his vory (Russian criminal brotherhood) compatriots and expose corruption throughout the so-called legitimate financial and political worlds. Soon, the guileless couple find themselves pawns in a deadly endgame whose outcome will be determined by the victor of the British Secret Service's ruthless internecine battles.

Library Notes Week November 15

2010-11-19T09:33:00.000-08:00

The holidays are coming up fast. Maybe you need to check out some craft books so you can make some gifts. We have lots to inspire you.

If you like Science Fiction, stop in and check out one of these books from the new book shelf.

Gauntlgrym, Neverwinter by R. A. Salvatore. In their search for treasure and magic, Jarlaxle and Athrogate inadvertently set into motion a catastrophe that could spell disaster for the unsuspecting people of the city of Neverwinter—a catastrophe big enough to lure even the mercenary Jarlaxle into risking his own coin and skin to stop it. Unfortunately, the more they uncover about the secret of Gauntlgrym, the more it looks like they can’t stop it on their own.

Out of the Dark by David Weber. In the very near future, Earth has been targeted for colonization by a galactic empire known as the Hegemony. Deemed "lunatic local sentients" by a survey team that witnessed King Henry V and his troops slaughtering the French at Agincourt, humankind has essentially been written off as bloodthirsty, expendable barbarians. When the Hegemony's henchmen, the doglike Shongairi, show up to conquer Earth, the resistance is beyond anything they had ever imagined, especially when vampires appear to help the humans.

Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan. The Last Battle has started. The seals on the Dark One’s prison are crumbling. The Pattern itself is unraveling, and the armies of the Shadow have begun to boil out of the Blight. The sun has begun to set upon the Third Age. Perrin Aybara is now hunted by specters from his past: Whitecloaks, a slayer of wolves, and the responsibilities of leadership. All the while, an unseen foe is slowly pulling a noose tight around his neck. To prevail, he must seek answers in Tel’aran’rhiod and find a way--at long last--to master the wolf within him or lose himself to it forever.

Library Notes Week September 27

2010-10-01T17:27:00.000-07:00

This week is National Banned Books Week. If you have a chance to look over the list of banned books, you will likely find some of your favorite books made the list. Stop in and check one out to see for yourself why it made the list.

When you come in you might want to check out one of these new titles.

Dog Tags by David Rosenfelt. A German Shepherd police dog witnesses a murder and if his owner--an Iraq war vet and former cop-turned-thief--is convicted of the crime, the dog could be put down. Few rival Andy Carpenter's affection for dogs, and he decides to represent the poor canine. As Andy struggles to convince a judge that this dog should be set free, he discovers that the dog and his owner have become involved unwittingly in a case of much greater proportions than the one they've been charged with. Andy will have to call upon the unique abilities of this ex-police dog to help solve the crime and prevent a catastrophic event from taking place.

The Elephant’s Journey by Jose Saramago. Solomon and his keeper, Subhro, live in dismal conditions, forgotten in a corner of the palace grounds. When it occurs to the king and queen that an elephant would be an appropriate wedding gift, everyone rushes to get them ready: Subhro is given two new suits of clothes and Solomon a long overdue scrub. It was in 1551, King João III of Portugal gave Archduke Maximilian an unusual wedding present: an elephant named Solomon. The elephant’s journey from Lisbon to Vienna was witnessed and remarked upon by scholars, historians, and ordinary people. Out of this material, José Saramago has spun his novel.

The Spiders Web by Margaret Coel. When Arapaho Ned Windsong is shot to death, his fiancée Marcy is the only witness. Even though she identifies two Arapaho troublemakers, Ned's family clings to the belief that Marcy herself was responsible. Convinced of Marcy's innocence, Vicki agrees to represent the outsider- and finds herself at odds with her own people.

Library Notes Week September 13

2010-09-14T15:34:00.000-07:00

September 1st the reciprocal agreement went into effect with Sedro Woolley. If you are a resident of the La Conner Library District, and have a card in good standing, you just need to get a sticker on your library card. You can then take that card into Sedro Woolley and sign up for a card with them. We now have agreements with Anacortes, Upper Skagit and Sedro Woolley. Mt. Vernon and Burlington are in process so we hope to have those in place early next year.

If you are looking for something to read, check out one of these new titles.

Veil of Night by Linda Howard. Jaclyn Wilde is a wedding planner who loves her job—usually. But helping Carrie Edwards with her Big Day has been a nightmare. Carrie is a bridezilla of mythic nastiness, a diva whose tantrums are just about as crazy as her demands. But the unpleasant task at hand turns seriously criminal when Carrie is brutally murdered and everyone involved with the ceremony is accusing one another of doing the deed.

Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. This is the first of a 10-part epic fantasy series from Sanderson, best known for his efforts to complete the late Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. In a storm-swept world where history has dwindled into myth, self-serving aristocrats squabble over mystical weapons that render their bearers immune to mundane attacks. The ambitious scholar Shallan learns unexpected truths about the present, the virtuous aristocrat Dalinar reclaims the lost past, and the bitter and broken slave Kaladin gains unwanted power.

Lost Empire by Clive Cussler. When Sam and Remi find a huge ship's bell on a dive off the Tanzanian coast, they must work to find a way to recover it without running afoul of the Tanzanian government. Meanwhile, Mexican president Quauhtli Garza, a staunch nationalist, knows that this bell comes from a former Confederate ship that sank off the east African coast after the Civil War. Garza fears the discovery of a missing piece of a Quetzalcoatl statuette, which was aboard the ship, will undermine his grip on power.

Library Notes Week August 30

2010-09-02T13:40:00.000-07:00

School has started up for another year. Where did the summer go? As your student goes back to school remember we have homework help on our website. Check it out at www.lclib.lib.wa.us. The La Conner Rotary funds some great databases that can help your student with class assignments. Next time you see a Rotary member say thank you, we appreciate their continued support.

If you are looking for something to read, stop by and check out one of these new titles.

Star Island by Carol Hiaasen. The career of singer Cheryl Bunterman (aka Cherry Pye) is foundering due to her lack of talent and indiscriminate appetite for drugs, booze, and sex. Among those struggling to keep Cherry's career afloat are her mother, Janet Bunterman; producer Maury Lykes; and "undercover stunt double" Ann DeLusia, who will mislead the press into thinking Cherry is out and about when she's really in rehab. Crooked real estate developer Jackie Sebago and paparazzo Bang Abbott, who plans to hitch his wagon to Cherry's star, add to the madcap fun. Mayhem follows after Bang kidnaps Ann instead of Cherry by mistake, and ex-Florida governor and eco-vigilante Clinton "Skink" Tyree, who was smitten with Ann after a chance encounter, rushes to her rescue.

The Good Son by Michael Gruber. Somewhere in Pakistan, Sonia Laghari and eight fellow members of a symposium on peace are being held captive by armed terrorists. Sonia, a deeply religious woman as well as a Jungian psychologist, has become the de facto leader of the kidnapped group. While her son Theo, an ex-Delta soldier, uses his military connections to find and free the victims, Sonia tries to keep them all alive by working her way into the kidnappers' psyches and interpreting their dreams. When the kidnappers decide to kill their captives, one by one, in retaliation for perceived crimes against their country, Theo races against the clock to try and save their lives.

Queen of the Night by J. A. Jance. Every summer, in an event that is commemorated throughout the Tohono O'odham Nation, the Queen of the Night flower blooms in the Arizona desert. But one couple's intended celebration is shattered by gunfire, the sole witness to the bloodshed a little girl who has lost the only family she's ever known. To her rescue come Dr. Lani Walker, who sees the trauma of her own childhood reflected in her young patient, and Dan Pardee, an Iraq war veteran and member of an unorthodox border patrol unit called the Shadow Wolves. Joined by Pima County homicide investigator Brian Fellows, they must keep the child safe while tracking down a ruthless killer.

Library Notes Week of August 2

2010-08-05T09:43:00.000-07:00

If you use our WiFi after library hours you will notice a big change. It will now be available only from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and not available at all on Sunday. We hope this will be temporary. If this impacts you, please let us know.

Come by and check out one of these titles from our new book shelf.

The Glass Rainbow by James Lee Burke. Dave Robicheaux is back in New Iberia, Louisiana, hoping to enjoy the company of his adopted daughter, Alafair, who is taking a semester off from law school to finish a novel. Not nearly as suspicious of Louisiana's blood-stained aristocracy as Dave, Alafair has become involved, romantically and otherwise, with Kermit Abelard, a writer who is also the son of one of the region's most notorious robber barons. Kermit, along with his friend, an ex-con turned best-selling memoirist, volunteers to help Alafair find a publisher for her book, much to Dave's chagrin. Father-daughter conflict ensues, and as Dave's investigation of a series of murders veers ever closer to the Abelards, it appears that, yet again, the closets of Louisiana's rich are knee-deep in skeletons.

Corduroy Mansions by Alexander McCall Smith. Set in present-day London, Smith's charming first in a new series offers a variation on his 44 Scotland Street books, centering on the eccentric occupants of Corduroy Mansions and their offbeat doings. William French, a wine merchant, hopes to force his son, Eddie, who refuses to take his hints about sharing a flat with other 20-somethings, to leave the nest by getting a dog whose presence in their apartment he expects will drive Eddie out. William's neighbors include Dee, who works at a vitamin shop and believes a coworker needs to purge his system of excess sodium, and her roommate, Jenny, who works for an odious MP, Oedipus Snark, who treats Jenny like dirt.

Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner. When Sylvie Serfer met Richard Woodruff in law school, she had wild curls, wide hips, and lots of opinions. Decades later, Sylvie has remade herself as the ideal politician’s wife—her hair dyed and straightened, her hippie-chick wardrobe replaced by tailored knit suits. Lizzie, the Woodruffs’ younger daughter, is at twenty-four a recovering addict and trouble always seems to find her. Her older sister, Diana, an emergency room physician, has everything Lizzie failed to achieve—a husband, a young son, the perfect home—and yet she’s trapped in a loveless marriage. After Richard’s extramarital affair makes headlines, the three women are drawn into the painful glare of the national spotlight. Once the press conference is over, each is forced to reconsider her life, who she is and who she is meant to be.

Library Notes week of July 19

2010-07-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

The Summer Reading Program is winding down. July 29th we will embellish a wind chime kit. Please call us and let us know you will be coming as supplies are limited--466-3352. All activities are held on Thursday mornings at 10 a.m. before we open our doors for the day. You can check out the schedule on our website http://www.lclib.lib.wa.us/ . Come join us for a fun time.

When you bring in your child for the craft time, take a look at the new book shelf for one of these new titles.

Alice I have Been by Melanie Benjamin. Few works of literature are as universally beloved as Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Now, in this spellbinding historical novel, we meet the young girl whose bright spirit sent her on an unforgettable trip down the rabbit hole–and the grown woman whose story is no less enthralling.

Altar of Eden by James Rollins. Louisiana state veterinarian Lorna Polk stumbles upon a fishing trawler shipwrecked on a barrier island. The crew is missing or dead, but the boat holds a frightening cargo: a caged group of exotic animals, clearly part of a black market smuggling ring. Yet, something is wrong with these beasts, disturbing deformities that make no sense: a parrot with no feathers, a pair of Capuchin monkeys conjoined at the hip, a jaguar cub with the dentition of a saber-toothed tiger. They also all share one uncanny trait—a disturbingly heightened intelligence. To uncover the truth about the origin of this strange cargo and the terrorist threat it poses, Lorna must team up with a man who shares a dark and bloody past with her and is now an agent with the U.S. Border Patrol, Jack Menard.

Southern Lights by Danielle Steel. Sifting through mountains of forensic evidence, Alexa prepares for a high-stakes trial…until threatening letters throw her private life into turmoil. The letters are addressed to her beautiful seventeen-year-old daughter, Savannah, whom Alexa has been raising alone since her divorce. Alexa is certain that Quentin is behind the letters—and that they are too dangerous to ignore. Suddenly she must make the toughest choice of all—and send her daughter back to the very place she swore she would never return to: the place where her marriage ended in heartbreak…her ex-husband’s world of southern tradition, memories of betrayal, and the antebellum charm of Charleston.

Library Notes Week of June 28th

2010-07-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

Summer activities are underway. Last week was T-shirt paintings and we had lots of fun creating our one-of-a-kind shirts. This Thursday at 10:30 a.m. will be the ancient art of Gyotaku (fish prints). July 1st at 10 a.m. Last Leaf will be back with us to perform Show Down at Starfish Canyon. Don’t miss them!! They are always so entertaining.

Have you heard we moved around our story times? Baby ‘N Me (birth to 18 months) is Wed. morning at 10:30 a.m. Toddler Time (18 months to 3 years) is Friday morning at 10:30 a.m. and, just for the summer, there will be a Pre-school/Primary story time (ages 3-6) on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays at 10:30. There is something for everyone. Come check us out.

New books are always coming in. Here are a few you might enjoy reading.

Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson. In this dramatic first-person narrative, Greg Mortenson picks up where Three Cups of Tea left off in 2003, recounting his relentless, ongoing efforts to establish schools for girls in Afghanistan; his extensive work in Azad Kashmir and Pakistan after a massive earthquake hit the region in 2005; and the unique ways he has built relationships with Islamic clerics, militia commanders, and tribal leaders even as he was dodging shootouts with feuding Afghan warlords and surviving an eight-day armed abduction by the Taliban.

Daring Young Men by Richard Reeves. In the early hours of June 26, 1948, phones began ringing across America, waking up the airmen of World War II -- pilots, navigators, and mechanics -- who were finally beginning normal lives with new houses, new jobs, new wives, and new babies. Some were given just forty-eight hours to report to local military bases. The president, Harry S. Truman, was recalling them to active duty to try to save the desperate people of the western sectors of Berlin, the enemy capital many of them had bombed to rubble only three years before.

The Man Who Ate His Boots by Anthony Brandt. A riveting read of the 19th century search for the Northwest Passage from Europe to the East, written with grace and mordant wit. After their defeat of Napoleon, the Brits thought they were invincible, even in the face of one failed expedition after another. Failure was not an option, and so into the frozen unknown they pushed in their quest for mastery of the world, urged on by one man who wielded great power in the Admiralty, John Barrow. Trouble is, until recently the Northwest Passage did not exist. They also could not be bothered to learn from the people who lived there, the Inuits so they paid the price.

Library Notes Week of June 14

2010-06-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

The Summer Reading Program --Make a Splash Read @ Your Library--begins this week. We will be decorating t-shirts, doing fish prints, deocrating wind chimes, and all kinds of fun things. All the activities will be on Thursdays at 10 a.m. Pick up a schedule at the library or check our website http://www.lclib.lib.wa.us/ for a complete list.

We have some new books you may be interested in reading. Check out one of these the next time you are in.

Wrecked by Carol Higgins Clark. During a storm, Skip, a local caretaker, finds Adele lying in a heap outside the house she's renting, her face bloody, her rowboat banging against the rocks in the nearby bay. By the time Skip returns with help, Adele is gone. As Regan and Jack aid the authorities in locating Adele's next of kin, clues surface that suggest Adele has been the victim of foul play. The two co-owners of the boutique Pillow Talk, who knew Adele as one of their best customers, offer Regan and Jack an important lead, while a visiting theatrical troupe lends a bizarre plot twist.

The Burning Wire by Jeffery Deaver. Forensic expert Rhyme takes charge of looking into a fatal blast at a Manhattan electrical power substation that destroys a bus, aided by his partner, field agent Amelia Sachs. Rhyme is able to glean many clues from the scant trace evidence left by the elusive killer at the crime scene. Meanwhile, Rhyme is also staying in close touch with Mexican army and police commander Rodolfo Luna, who's tracking dangerous assassin Richard Logan (aka the Watchmaker) in Mexico City. The twin investigations take an increasingly dangerous toll on quadriplegic Rhyme's precarious physical health.

Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin. Tessa Russo is celebrating her wedding anniversary with her handsome husband, Nick, a pediatric plastic surgeon, when his pager goes off. At the hospital, he meets his new patient, six-year-old Charlie, who has been badly burned while roasting s’mores. Charlie’s mother, Valerie, a high-powered lawyer who has raised Charlie on her own, is wracked with guilt. As Charlie goes through various grafts and surgeries to repair the damage done to his face and hand, Nick and Valerie become close. Tessa, a stay-at-home mom who has misgivings about leaving her professorship, recognizes the distance growing between her and Nick but isn’t sure what to attribute it to or what to do about it.

Library Notes Week of June 7

2010-06-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

Where did the school year go! Congratulations to the students ready to graduate from La Conner High School. I understand this batch of young people are especially gifted. We at the library wish them all the best as they head out into the world.

The Spy by Clive Cussler. It is 1908, and international tensions are mounting as the world plunges toward war. When a brilliant American battleship gun designer dies in a sensational apparent suicide, the man's grief-stricken daughter turns to the legendary Van Dorn Detective Agency to clear her father's name. Van Dorn puts his chief investigator on the case, and Isaac Bell soon realizes that the clues point not to suicide but to murder. And when more suspicious deaths follow, it becomes clear that someone-an elusive spy-is orchestrating the destruction of America's brightest technological minds... and the murders all connect to a top- secret project called Hull 44.

Cross Roads by Fern Michaels. It-s been a year and a half since the women of the Sisterhood received their presidential pardons, but the freedom they craved has come at a high price. The impossibly lucrative positions handed out to them by the mysterious Global Securities company have turned out to be golden handcuffs-scattering them around the world, cutting off communication, and leaving them in miserable isolation. But a happy homecoming at the old Virginia farmhouse is marred by the hijacking of Nikki and Kathryn-s private jet. It seems their few fellow passengers are not ordinary travelers-they-re an elite group of Interpol agents who urgently need the Sisterhood-s help.

My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares. The story is primarily that of Daniel, as, in the present, he pursues Lucy (whom he knows as Sophia in a previous life) and attempts to persuade her of their history and destiny, but his passion initially and understandably scares her off. He disappears, presumed dead, but Lucy, unable to forget him, investigates his claims of their history until she discovers the truth. Meanwhile, Daniel takes readers on a tour of romantic near-misses, from sixth-century Africa through eighth-century Turkey to WWI.

Library Notes Week of June 9

2010-06-02T13:03:00.000-07:00

Summer Reading will be starting up before you know it. A big thank you to the wonderful merchants of La Conner who have donated some awesome prizes for the kids. I hope the kids are looking forward to this fun time as well. KJ will be visiting the school soon to talk to the kids about the program. We have loads of activities planned so check our website for more information. http://www.lclib.lib.wa.us/

Stop by and pick up a book from the new book shelf. Here are a few to tempt you.

Shadow Tag by Lousie Erdrich. Irene America is a beautiful, introspective woman of Native American ancestry, struggling to finish her dissertation while raising three children. She is married to Gil, a painter whose reputation is built on a series of now iconic portraits of Irene, but who can't break through to the big time. Irene's fallen out of love with Gil and discovers that he's been reading her diary, so she begins a new, hidden, diary and uses her original diary as a tool to manipulate Gil.

Conspirata by Robert Harris. Beginning in 63 B.C.E. and told by Cicero's slave secretary, Tiro, this complex tale continues to chronicle Cicero's political career as he charms, co-opts, and bribes his way into the exalted position of consul, ruler of Rome. Although Cicero is known as a brilliant politician and philosopher, he was also a slick manipulator and shameless schemer, competing with equally sneaky rivals Caesar, Pompey, and Crassus. Cicero realizes that as the empire expands, the greatest threat to Rome comes from within, plotted by well-financed conspirators bent on turning the republic into a dictatorship.

Unfinished Desires by Gail Godwin. As Mother Suzanne Ravenel begins a memoir of her 60-plus years at Mount St. Gabriel's School in Mountain City, N.C., she's forced to re-examine the toxic year of 1951–1952, one of her worst at the school—beginning with the arrival of ninth-grade student Chloe Starnes, who's recently lost her mother, and Mother Malloy, a beautiful young nun assigned to the freshman class. Starnes and Malloy's arrivals presage a shift in the ranks of freshman Tildy Stratton's cruel clique, with significant consequences for all involved.

Library Notes Week of May 3

2010-05-03T16:20:00.000-07:00

I don’t know if you keep up with these things, but we have lost several well known authors this year. Erich Segal who wrote Love Story died January 17th at age 72. Robert B. Parker who wrote the Jesse Stone series died January 18th at age 77. J.D. Salinger who wrote Catcher in the Rye died January 27th at age 91. Dick Francis who wrote the horse racing stories died February 14th at age 89. Lastly there was Louis Auchincloss, who is probably not as well known, he died January 27 at age 92. Parker left a couple of books behind and Francis has been writing with his son lately so we may see more books out in his father’s style. It is sad to say goodbye to these talents.

We have new books coming in all the time. Here are a few you might be interested in.

The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard. One stormy night in 1986, someone shoots Hugh-Jay Linder dead, and Laurie, his discontented young wife, disappears. The authorities arrest Billy Crosby, a disgruntled ex-employee of High Rock Ranch with a drunk-driving record, in whose abandoned truck Laurie's bloodied sundress is found. In 2009, Billy's lawyer son, Collin, who's certain of his dad's innocence, secures Billy's release from prison and a new trial. Father and son return to Rose, where 25-year-old Jody Linder, the victims' daughter, works as a teacher. Collin's pursuit of justice will force Jody and other members of her family, including her three uncles and her grandparents, to finally confront what really happened on that long ago fatal night and deal with the consequences.

This Body of Death by Elizabeth George. Aggressively career-minded Isabelle Ardery, the new acting superintendent of London's Metropolitan Police, boldly manages to lure Lynley, who's been grieving over his wife's murder, back from Cornwall to look into a murder case. The body of Jemima Hastings, a young woman recently relocated from Hampshire, has turned up in a London cemetery. With suspects in both locales and numerous leads to follow and interviews to conduct, Ardery succeeds in raising the hackles of Det. Sgt. Barbara Havers, Det. Insp. John Stewart, and other members of the investigating team.

State Fair by Earlene Fowler. Racial tensions revolving around the fair's first black general manager, Levi Clark; Levi's half-white daughter, Jazz; and Jazz's various suitors stir the plot. So, too, does the visit from Arkansas of Benni's great-aunt, Garnet Wilcox. A valued African-American quilt stolen from a fair exhibit and a corpse in another exhibit add fuel to the fire.

Library Notes Week of April 26

2010-04-26T12:14:00.001-07:00

Did you know you can now check out 3 DVDs instead of 2? The Library Board changed the policy recently since we have so many more movies than we have had in the past. Oh, and a big thank you to those of you who have donated movies. We appreciate you helping us stretch our budget.

If you are looking for something to read, try one of these.

How to be a Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood by William Mann. In the 60s, Elizabeth Taylor's affair with the married Richard Burton knocked John Glenn's orbit of the moon off front pages nationwide. Yet, despite all the gossip, the larger-than-life personality and influence of this very human woman has never been captured. William Mann uses untapped sources and conversations to show how she ignited the sexual revolution with her on-and off-screen passions, helped kick down the studio system by taking control of her own career, and practically invented the big business of celebrity star-making.

Just Kids by Patti Smith. In 1967, 21-year-old singer–song writer Smith, determined to make art her life and dissatisfied with the lack of opportunities in Philadelphia to live this life, left her family behind for a new life in Brooklyn. When she discovered that the friends with whom she was to have lived had moved, she soon found herself homeless, jobless, and hungry. Through a series of events, she met a young man named Robert Mapplethorpe who changed her life. Smith transports readers to what seemed like halcyon days for art and artists in New York as she shares tales of the denizens of Max's Kansas City, the Hotel Chelsea, Scribner's, Brentano's, and Strand bookstores.

Molly Ivins: A Rebel Life by Bill Minutaglio. Until her death in 2007, Molly Ivins was a staple of the op-ed page, aiming her arrow at favorite targets like George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and the circus of Southern-particularly Texan-politics. The Texas daughter of an oil executive and major player in Houston society, Ivins enjoyed an early, privileged view of Texas deal making and the rise of modern Republicanism. Her subsequent career was a full-fledged rebellion, beginning with her father's conservatism, and culminating in a rejection of both "objective" (read: neutered) journalism and the oil-rich Republican machine. Ivins's insight couldn't be timelier, and the lines she crossed on behalf of women and journalists are overdue for celebration. She was also a fascinating and private person who charmed with her Southern character and was rumored to have had a number of high-profile affairs.

Library Notes Week of April 5

2010-04-06T15:00:00.000-07:00

The library now has a Facebook page for all you techies out there. We will post events and pictures. We want to encourage people to discuss books they are reading. I hope the book club will share about the books they are reading. It is just another way to keep in touch. Become a Fan!!

If you need something new to read, here are a few books that just came in.

Why My Third Husband will be a Dog by Lisa Scottoline. Brief, punchy slices of daily life originally published in her Philadelphia Inquirer column allow novelist Scottoline to dish on men, mothers, panty lines and, especially, dogs. Somewhere in her mid-50s, twice divorced (from men she calls Thing One and Thing Two) and living happily in the burbs with her recent college-graduate daughter and a passel of pets. Plunging into home improvement frenzy, constructing a chicken coop, figuring out mystifying insurance policies and how not to die at the gym are some of the conundrums this ordinary woman faces with verve and wicked humor, especially how her beloved dogs have contentedly replaced the romance in her life.

Committed: A Skeptic Makes Peace with Marriage by Elizabeth Gilbert.
Elizabeth Gilbert fell in love with Felipe, a Brazilian-born man of Australian citizenship who’d been living in Indonesia when they met. Resettling in America, the couple swore eternal fidelity to each other, but also swore to never, ever, under any circumstances get legally married. But providence intervened one day in the form of the United States government, which—after unexpectedly detaining Felipe at an American border crossing—gave the couple a choice: they could either get married, or Felipe would never be allowed to enter the country again. Having been effectively sentenced to wed, Gilbert tackled her fears of marriage by delving into this topic completely, trying with all her might to discover through historical research, interviews, and much personal reflection what this stubbornly enduring old institution actually is.

To Love What Is by Alix Kates Shulman. A fall from a loft bed left author Shulman's 75-year-old husband with traumatic brain injury and utterly dependent on his wife. The fall in the summer of 2004 in their Maine seaside cottage inflicted numerous broken bones, internal bleeding and blood clots to Scott York's brain, causing damage that Shulman gradually learned would take years to heal and probably cause permanent memory loss. Advocating for the best treatment, therapy and eventual care back in their New York City loft became the author's calling for the next year, though to her growing dismay she recognized that her once brilliant husband, a sculptor and former financier, would never make art again or even be able to hold an intellectual conversation.

Library Notes Week of March 29

2010-03-29T15:35:00.000-07:00

We are headed into Tulip Festival time! I drive through the countryside coming to work and I see some of the fields have already begun to bloom. Aside from the traffic problems, I enjoy this time of year. If you see a member of the Friends of the Library be sure to buy a ticket for the framed tulip poster they are raffling off. It is an especially nice one this year. They will be out on the streets every weekend in April or you can get tickets at the Book Nook located in the front of the library. The money the Friends raise is very important. It keeps the library going.

Our Children’s Specialist, KJ Cooper, provided the book reviews this week focusing on our young adult books.

Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher. Hannah Baker ended her life two weeks ago. Now, Clay is facing seven audiotapes on which Hannah explains her thirteen reasons why. Clay feels compelled to listen straight through the tapes and follow Hannah’s map to the significant places. The story is told by both Hannah (on the tapes) and Clay (in his reactions to the tapes) and is a moving reminder of how, sometimes, “meaningless” incidents can have a big impact on others.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. In a departure from his “Uglies” series, Westerfeld combines history with science fiction (heavy on the sci-fi). Set in 1914, the Archduke Ferdinand has been assassinated and his son, Alex is on the run from his enemies (Clankers who create amazing mechanical war machines.) In the meantime, a common girl in England, Deryn, disguises herself as a boy to join the British Air Service (Darwinists who biologically engineer fantastical creatures for their war efforts.) The two meet unexpectedly and begin an action-packed, life altering adventure aboard the Leviathan. The second in the series is scheduled to come out in October.

Shadowland by Alyson Noël. In a continuation of the Immortals series, Ever has found Damen, her soul mate across the centuries. Just when they almost reach their happy-ever-after, Damen falls under a powerful curse. Now, with any shared touch, Damen could be plunged into the Shadowland, the home for lost souls. Ever’s quest to find the magickal cure brings her into contact with Jude, who feels strangely familiar…

Library Notes Week of March 22

2010-03-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

If you have a teen, be sure they get signed up for the latest teen program from the library—The Super Amazing Race! April 1st, from 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. Teams will be sent around town to find clues and perform tasks. After they get done, prizes will be awarded at a pizza party in the library. This will be a great activity during Spring Break. Sign up at the library.

If you are looking for something to read, try one of these books off the new book shelf.

Where the God of Love Hangs Out by Amy Bloom. A young woman is haunted by her roommate's murder; a man and his daughter-in-law confess their sins in the unlikeliest of places. In one quartet of interlocking stories, two middle-aged friends, married to others, find themselves surprisingly drawn to each other, risking all while never underestimating the cost. In another linked set of stories, we follow mother and son for thirty years as their small and uncertain family becomes an irresistible tribe.

Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah. Pacific Northwest apple country provides a beautiful, chilly setting for this family drama ignited by the death of a loving father whose two daughters have grown apart from each other and from their acid-tongued, Russian-born mother. After assuming responsibility for the family business, 40-year-old empty-nester Meredith finds it difficult to carry out her father's dying wish that she take care of her mother; Meredith's troubled marriage, her troubled relationship with her mother and her mother's increasingly troubled mind get in the way. Nina, Meredith's younger sister, takes a break from her globe-trotting photojournalism career to return home to do her share for their mother. These three women find each other and themselves with the help of vodka and a trip to Alaska.

Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky. When Susan Tate's seventeen-year-old daughter, Lily, announces she is pregnant, Susan is stunned. A single mother, she has struggled to do everything right. She sees the pregnancy as an tragedy for both Lily and herself. Then comes word of two more pregnancies among high school juniors who happen to be Lily's best friends-and the town turns to talk of a pact. As fingers start pointing, the most ardent criticism is directed at Susan. As Susan struggles with the implications of her daughter's pregnancy, her job, financial independence, and long-fought-for dreams are all at risk.

Library Notes Week of March 15

2010-03-16T16:14:00.000-07:00

We are excited to announce the library now has downloadable audiobooks available thanks to the Washington State Library. There are brochures at the library to help you walk through the process of checking them out to your computer, I-Pod or MP3 player. There is one little catch—you must establish your account at the library through one of our computers or your laptop using our WiFi. It should only take a few minutes to get you set up then you can download books at home. We have a link on our webpage where you can go straight to the NetLibrary, look at the collection, and download books after you have your account. Come by and we will get you started.

If you are looking for a new book to read, try one of these.

The First Rule by Robert Crais. Frank Meyer had the American dream-until the day a professional crew invaded his home and murdered everyone inside. The only thing out of the ordinary about Meyer was that- before the family and the business and the normal life-a younger Frank Meyer had worked as a professional mercenary, with a man named Joe Pike. The police think Meyer was hiding something very bad, but Pike does not. With the help of Cole, he sets out on a hunt of his own-an investigation that quickly entangles them both in a web of ancient grudges, blood ties, blackmail, vengeance, double crosses, and cutthroat criminality, and at the heart of it, an act so terrible even Pike and Cole have no way to measure it. Sometimes, the past is never dead. It's not even past.

Catalyst: a Tale of the Barque Cats by Anne McCaffrey. Even among Barque Cats, Chessie is something special. Her pedigree, skills, and intelligence, as well as the close rapport she has with her human, Janina, make her the most valuable crew member aboard the Molly Daise. And the litter of kittens in her belly only adds to her value. Then the unthinkable happens. Chessie is catnapped from Dr. Jared Vlast's vet clinic at Hood Station by a grizzled spacer named Carl Poindexter.

Sizzle by Julie Garwood. After she unwittingly captures a shocking crime on camera, a rash of mysterious, treacherous incidents convince Lyra that she's trapped in a sinister scenario headed for a violent ending. Running scared, she turns to her best friend, Sidney Buchanan, whose connections bring dauntless and devilishly handsome FBI agent Sam Kincaid into Lyra's life. As the noose of deadly intrigue tightens and the feelings between them deepen, Lyra and Sam must place their faith in each other's hands—and stand together against the malevolent forces about to break loose.

Library Notes Week of February 22

2010-02-22T11:24:00.000-08:00

February 26th is Tell a Fairy Tale Day. This is a day that Fairy Tales are made of (and for). This is a great opportunity to read your kids. If the kids aren't around, it’s certainly okay to read them alone. We all know that everybody loves a good fairy tale. To qualify as a fairy tale, a story does not have to begin with "Once upon a time.....". But, they usually do. It is a requirement that the story has a happy ending. There's nothing better than a good story that ends with "and they all lived happily ever after". So Friday the 26th, cozy up under a blanket with the kids and read a fairy tale book you checked out of the library.

We have lots of new books in the library. If you enjoy biographies you may enjoy one of these recent additions to our new book shelf.

Here’s the Deal: Don’t Touch Me by Howie Mandell. Eleven years ago, Mandel first told the world about his “germophobia.” He’s recently started discussing his adult ADHD as well. Now, for the first time, he reveals the details of his struggle with these challenging disorders. He catalogs his numerous fears and neuroses and shares entertaining stories about how he has tried to integrate them into his act. “If I’m making myself laugh,” he writes, “then I’m distracted from all the other things going on in my head that are, at times, torturous.” And he speaks frankly and honestly about the ways his condition has affected his personal life–as a son, husband, and father of three.

Official Book Club Selection: a Memoir according to Kathy Griffin by Kathy Griffin. Kathy reveals intimate details about her life before and after she made the big time. She opens up about everything from growing up with a dysfunctional family in suburban Illinois to bombing as a young comedian in L.A., from her well-publicized plastic surgery disasters to her highly publicized divorce, and more. Only in this book will you learn how the dinner table is the best training ground for a career in stand-up, how speaking your mind can bite you on the ass and buy you a house, and which people in Kathy’s life have taught her the most valuable lessons—both inside and outside the entertainment industry.

Losing Mum and Pup by Christopher Buckley. In twelve months between 2007 and 2008, Christopher Buckley coped with the passing of his father, William F. Buckley, the father of the modern conservative movement, and his mother, Patricia Taylor Buckley, one of New York's most glamorous and colorful socialites. He was their only child and their relationship was close and complicated. As Buckley tells the story of their final year together, he takes readers on a surprisingly entertaining tour through hospitals, funeral homes, and memorial services, capturing the heartbreaking and disorienting feeling of becoming a 55-year-old orphan.

Library Notes Week of January 11

2010-01-13T15:54:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year again. Time to think about doing your taxes. If you need a form we have some of the basic forms and a few publications. Anything we don’t have you can access on-line at http://www.irs.gov/. Come in and use our computers if you don’t have one at home, we would be happy to help you.

Be sure to check the new book shelf next time you are in. Here are a few titles you might want to check out.

A Change in Altitude by Anita Shreve. Margaret and Patrick have been married just a few months when they set off on what they hope will be a great adventure-a year living in Kenya. Margaret quickly realizes there is a great deal she doesn't know about the complex mores of her new home, and about her own husband.

Paris Vendetta by Steve Berry. Danish billionaire Henrik Thorvaldsen, a friend of Malone's, has become consumed with finding out who masterminded the slaughter outside a Mexico City courthouse two years earlier that killed seven people, including his young diplomat son. Once he learns that a wealthy British aristocrat was behind the outrage, Thorvaldsen gets entangled in a conspiracy that involves an elite group of ruthless financial experts planning to destabilize the global economy, a terrorist plot to destroy a European landmark, and a legendary cache hidden by Napoleon. Malone soon finds himself in a desperate struggle to save not only Thorvaldsen's life but the lives of countless innocents as well.

A Cousin’s Prayer by Wanda Brunstetter. Katie Miller is traumatized after her boyfriend is killed in a van in which she was also a passenger. How will she find her way out of the valley of her depression? Freeman Bontrager will make any excuse to be near to Katie, hoping to win her love. But how far will he go to gain her trust. . .and her heart? What will bring this girl out of the shadows of fear, and open her heart to life—and love?

Library Notes Week of December 29

2009-12-29T16:32:00.000-08:00

As we are getting ready to start a new year, I hope you plan to make the library a regular stop. We always have new books, audio books, and videos just waiting to be checked out. Here are a few titles you might be interested in. Happy New Year!!

Last Words by George Carlin. As one of America's preeminent comedic voices, George Carlin saw it all throughout his extraordinary fifty-year career and made fun of most of it. Last Words is the story of the man behind some of the most seminal comedy of the last half century, blending his signature humor with never-before-told stories from his own life.

The Time of My Life by Patrick Swayze. A behind-the-scenes look at a Hollywood life and a remarkable love, this memoir is both entertainment and inspiration. Patrick and Lisa's marriage is a journey of two lives intertwined and lived as one--throughout their years in Hollywood and at home on their working ranch outside Los Angeles, and culminating in the hope and wisdom they've imparted to all who know them.

Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi. Agassi’s incredibly rigorous training begins when he is just a child. By the age of thirteen, he is banished to a Florida tennis camp that feels like a prison camp. Lonely, scared, a ninth-grade dropout, he rebels in ways that will soon make him a 1980s icon. He dyes his hair, pierces his ears, dresses like a punk rocker. By the time he turns pro at sixteen, his new look promises to change tennis forever, as does his lightning-fast return.And yet, despite his raw talent, he struggles early on. We feel his confusion as he loses to the world’s best, his greater confusion as he starts to win. After stumbling in three Grand Slam finals, Agassi shocks the world, and himself, by capturing the 1992 Wimbledon. Overnight he becomes a fan favorite and a media target.

Library Notes Week of December 14

2009-12-16T14:21:00.000-08:00

The library is hosting its annual Family Fun Day at the Library. Come by the library Tues., Dec. 22nd anytime between 2 and 6 p.m. We will have “make and take” projects for the kids, games, puzzles, and refreshments. It will be our way of wishing you a great holiday season.

KJ Cooper, our Children’s Specialist has been reading some of the books in our Young Adult collection. Here are a few of her reviews.

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen. Dessen delivers another of her perfectly crafted stories. This one features Auden, an insomniac, who will be going off to college in the fall. Auden has not slept at night since her parents started fighting. They are now divorced and her father has a new family. Auden decides to spend her summer with them and explore some of the teenage pleasures she has missed—most notably, riding a bike and having actual friendships. Then, she meets a fellow insomniac, Eli, a loner with problems of his own.

Maze Runner by James Dashner. Thomas wakes up in the lift remembering only his first name. When the doors open, he is surrounded by boys, Gladers, who also have no memories of how they got there. They live in the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Every morning, the stone doors to the surrounding maze are opened. Every night, they are tightly closed. Every 30 days, a new boy arrives in the lift. The pattern is disrupted when a girl with a message is sent up the very next day. In this thrill ride of a story about problem-solving. The ending nicely sets up for the next book in this trilogy, tentatively called, “The Scorch Trials.”

Hollywood is Like High School with Money by Zoey Dean. When twenty-four-year old Ohio native, Taylor Henning lands her dream job as an assistant at a major movie studio, she finds that she hasn’t left the “Mean Girls” contests of high school behind. The stakes are just higher. Taylor wasn’t one of the queen bees in high school and is ill-prepared to play the same tired games. Then, she meets her boss’s popular daughter, Quinn who takes Taylor under her wing, teaching her one lesson a week until Taylor finds herself swimming gracefully with the sharks. Dean delivers a Devil Wears Prada type story in a funny, quirky easy read.

Library Notes Week of November 18

2009-11-18T15:05:00.000-08:00

November is Native American Heritage Month. We have a wonderful database – the American Indian History Online--which has access to more than 15,000 years of the culture and history of the American Indian. There are biographies, images, maps, charts and other wonderful information. You can find it on our website www.lclib.lib.wa.us under Homework Help. It is password protected, but just give us a call and we can tell you how to get in. This wonderful resource is paid for by the La Conner Rotary.

Here are a few books from the new book shelf. Come in and check one out.

Moon River and Me by Andy Williams. When in the mid-1950s Andy Williams reached a low point in his career, singing in dives to ever-smaller audiences, the young man from Wall Lake, Iowa, had no inkling of the success he would one day achieve. Before being declared a national treasure by President Ronald Reagan, Williams would chart eighteen gold and three platinum albums, headline at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for more than twenty years, and host an enormously popular weekly television variety show.

Amelia Earhart: The Mystery Solved by Elgen M. Long. A detailed chronicle of the last days of Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, and what went before, based upon an exhaustive 25-year study. Celebrated pilot Elgen Long and his coauthor wife, a public relations consultant with the Western Aerospace Museum, claim that the solution of the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Electra, Earhart's plane, has never been found until now.

The Murder of King Tut by James Patterson. James Patterson and Martin Dugard dig through stacks of evidence--X-rays, Carter's files, forensic clues, and stories told through the ages--to arrive at their own account of King Tut's life and death. The result is an exhilarating true crime tale of intrigue, passion, and betrayal that casts fresh light on the oldest mystery of all.

Library Notes week of November 9

2009-11-10T15:23:00.000-08:00

Teen Game Night @ the Library is Friday the 13th from 6 to 8 p.m. Call and tell us you plan to be there so we know how much Pizza to order!

Saturday, November 14 is National Gaming Day @ Your Library. All ages are invited to come and have some fun. From 12 to 4 p.m. we will have table games, computer games, and the Wii set up so you can play as a family or by yourself.

So many new books arriving!! Sometimes it is hard to decide what to read next. Here are a few you might be interested in.

There Goes the Bride by M. C. Beaton. Bossy, impulsive, yet hopelessly romantic, Agatha is dreading the upcoming marriage of her ex-husband, James Lacey. Although she has set her sights on a handsome and beguiling new Frenchman, she can’t quite stop obsessing about James.

Evidence by Jonathan Kellerman. In the half-built skeleton of a monstrously vulgar mansion in one of L.A.’s neighborhoods, a watchman stumbles on the bodies of a young couple–murdered and left in a gruesome postmortem embrace. Though he’s cracked some of the city’s worst slayings, veteran homicide cop Milo Sturgis is still shocked at the grisly sight: a twisted crime that only Milo’s killer instincts–and psychologist Alex Delaware’s keen insights–can hope to solve.

Razor Sharp by Fern Michaels. When it comes to repaying a debt, the women of the Sisterhood - Myra, Annie, Kathryn, Alexis, Yoko, Nikki, and Isabelle - never forget. And now one of their allies needs help. A powerful attorney with a cut-throat reputation, Lizzie Fox has just taken on a high-profile new client - Lily Flowers, the Madam of a high-end bordello operating under the guise of a summer camp. The chips - a.k.a. the prominent Washington politicians who frequent the bordello - are stacked against Lily and her girls. But one phone call to the Sisterhood might just swing the vote. And soon, even the highest courts in the land will prove no match for seven fearless friends determined to ensure that real justice is served, Sisterhood style.

Library Notes Week of October 12

2009-10-14T12:59:00.000-07:00

We are starting up our Teen Advisory Board after the summer break. Unfortunately the members all graduated and we need some new members. If you are or know a high school student who would be interested in planning activities in the library for our local teens have them get in touch with KJ at the library. This is a once a month meeting, you get school credit and get to plan cool activities.

KJ has provided us with some reviews this week. Pass them on to young people you know or check them out for yourself.

The Witch’s Guide to Cooking with Children by Keith McGowan.
If you’ve read and enjoyed Linda Buckley-Archer’s Fairy Tale Detectives series or Lemony Snicket’s works, you might enjoy this as well. Keith McGowan’s first novel for ages 9-14 is a modernized version of Hansel & Gretel. Fay Holaderry starts the book with a “cautionary tale” telling how she gets her victims/dinners. The story includes secrets, surprises and courageous deeds as we follow the Blink children unraveling their parents’ sinister plot.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. In this sequel to the much acclaimed Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peetta Mellark are still alive, and how they managed to stay that way has ticked off The Capitol big-time. This is fueled by the fact that Katniss has become the face of the growing rebellion among the subjects of this dystopian society.

Click by David Almond, Eoin Colfer, Roddy Doyle, Deborah Ellis, Nick Hornby, Margo Lanagan, Gregory Maguire, Ruth Ozeki, Linda Sue Park & Tim Wynne-Jones. This book is labeled, “One Novel Ten Authors.” Each author contributed a chapter of the story revolving around the death of “Gee” Keane, (a world-famous photographer) and the items he left to grandchildren, Maggie and Jason. Maggie’s legacy was a wooden box with sea seven shells that Gee had collected from around the world. Inside, was a note that told her to “throw them all back.” Jason inherited a camera and a box of photographs. From there, the novel branches off into a number of different directions. Each chapter is a spin-off of the first. Each author used his/her own style. Even so, they fit together nicely. Taken as a whole, they demonstrate how we are all interrelated in this world.

Library Notes Week of September 28

2009-09-29T11:44:00.000-07:00

From September 26 through October 3 libraries and bookstores celebrate Banned Books Week. This is the only national celebration of the freedom to read. It was launched in 1982 after a sudden surge in the number of challenged books in schools, bookstores and libraries. We will have a display in the library and you may be surprised by the books you find on the challenged list.

We have some new books you might enjoy. Stop in an check one out. Here are a few to tempt you.

That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo. Griffin has been driving around for nearly a year with his father’s ashes in the trunk, but his mother is very much alive. He and his wife, Joy, are driving to the Cape for the marriage of their daughter Laura’s best friend. The Cape is where he and Joy honeymooned, in the course of which they drafted the Great Truro Accord, a plan for their lives together that’s now thirty years old and has largely come true. But be careful what you pray for. A year later, a far more important wedding takes place, their beloved Laura’s. This time Griffin’s chauffeuring two urns of ashes as he contends once more with Joy and her large, unruly family, and both he and she have brought dates along. How in the world could this have happened?

A Plague of Secrets by John T. Lescroart. The first victim is Dylan Vogler, a charming ex-convict who manages the Bay Beans West coffee shop in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district. When his body is found, inspectors discover that his knapsack is filled with high-grade marijuana. It soon becomes clear that San Francisco’s A-list flocked to Bay Beans West not only for their caffeine fix.But how much did Maya Townshend—the beautiful socialite niece of the city’s mayor, and the absentee owner of the shop—know about what was going on inside her business? And how intimate had she really been with Dylan, her old college friend?

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe. After moving into her grandmother's crumbling house to get it in shape for sale, Connie comes across a small key and piece of paper reading only Deliverance Dane. The Salem witch trials, contemporary Wicca and women's roles in early American history figure prominently as Connie does her academic detective work. What follows is a breezy read in which Connie must uncover the mystery of a shadowy book written by the enigmatic Deliverance Dane.

Library Notes Week of September 21

2009-09-22T16:58:00.000-07:00

Summer Reading is officially over and was great fun. If you had a student who participated and completed the required number of hours to finish, they need to stop by and pick up a free paperback. If you are not sure if they “finished” the names are listed by the paperbacks. We also want to congratulate Heather Henriksen who won the drawing for a bike and helmet. Another winner was Amanda Grant who participated in the teen program. She won a basket full of gift certificates, a movie, candy and other fun stuff.

Our Children’s Specialist, KJ Cooper has provided the reviews this week. These are some of the latest young adult and juvenile books the library has on its shelves.

The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti. This cautionary tale about a family of women with the worst collective luck with relationships rings true. The action surrounds Quinn, a seventeen year old girl who is just dumped by her boyfriend who she doesn’t even like that much. Quinn discovers that her father (who has just begun taking an interest in her and her little sister) stole more than the hearts of the women in his life. Quinn contacts her older half-sister and together with her younger sister and an gorgeous guy, set out to restore treasures to their rightful owners

Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow. Using the name Lillith Saintcrow, the author has written two adult fantasy series. In her first book for Young Adults, she introduces sixteen-year-old Dru Anderson. Dru and her dad travel the land hunting dangerous supernatural beings (wulfen, blood suckers and zombies to name a few). She is more of a Harry Potter than a Bella Swan (even though she is dealing with vampires and werewolves and is in the center of a potential love-triangle), Dru is tough and can take care of herself or so she thinks until her father comes back from a hunt a changed “man”.

Stolen by Vivian Vande Velde. The main character is running in the woods, but she has no idea why. For that matter, she doesn’t remember any part of her life before that point. Then she hears the dogs. The girl is taken in by an older couple who have six year old Ravyn living with them. As they nurse her back to health after being attacked by the dogs, she learns of the disappearance of another child, Isabel, six years before, a baby who just disappeared (both from the same family) and the witch who lived in the woods who is blamed for both disappearances. Word gets around the village and Isabel’s parents come to claim her and take her home where she meets her suspicious eighteen year old sister, Honey.

Library Notes Week of August 31st

2009-09-01T16:05:00.000-07:00

School is right around the corner. If you have a student in the La Conner School District be aware that we have some fantastic homework help links on our web page. The World Book Reference Center and American Indian History Online are great resources for students (and adults). You will need a password, but just give us a call and we can give it to you. The Rotary Club of La Conner pays for these two resources annually and we appreciate their support.

If you need a new read, stop by and check out one of these books.

The Moon Looked Down by Dorothy Garlock. When WWII breaks out, many Americans find their lives turned upside down, few more so than the Heller family. Seeking refuge from Hitler-controlled Germany, the Hellers had moved to smalltown Victory, Ill., only to find themselves, 10 years later, suspected by their neighbors of being Nazis. Feeling the threat to her family grow, headstrong 20-year-old Sophie Heller also feels powerless to stop it; soon, however, she meets a handsome, similarly frustrated schoolteacher named Cole Ambrose, whose bad leg prevents him from enlisting. Their instant attraction is, naturally defied by racist townsfolk bent on keeping them apart by whatever means necessary.

Guardian of Lies by Steve Martini. Katia, who's living with creepy Emerson Pike, a man old enough to be her grandfather, in a dilapidated estate surrounded by an expensive security fence, decides to return home to Costa Rica. In her flight, she just misses running into the legendary assassin known as the Mexecutioner, who sneaks into Pike's house.

Gone to the Dogs by Mary Guterson. Twenty something Rena, part-time Jew and full-time waitress, is depressed and moping after being dumped for another woman. In a mad moment, she steals her ex’s dog, and in the process of caring for Big Guy, she starts to recover from her depression and realizes it’s time to move on from her college apartment, job, and lifestyle.

Library Notes week of August 10

2009-08-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

We have had a great time this summer with the various summer reading activities. One that is great fun is Reading with Lukas. Lukas is a trained reading buddy dog who is coming to the library every Tuesday morning from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. Children in grade school can sign up for 10 minutes of reading aloud to Lucas. Studies show that this simple act can improve kids reading skills since he is a noncritical listener. Call us to sign up your child.

This week KJ, our Children’s Specialist, has provided us with some book reviews of recent young adult titles.

Michele Obama; An American Story by David Colbert. In 151 pages, this biography gives you a quick overview of our newest First Lady’s life and helps you understand the woman behind the President. Descended from an illiterate slave, the Robinsons emphasized the importance of an education, so both Michelle and her brother excelled in school. Instead of parlaying her Ivy League degree into a lucrative career as a lawyer, Michelle chose to work to better her community and now, the country.

The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry. This is Ms. Berry’s first novel and it shows great promise. Lucinda Chapdelaine lost her parents and their wealthy lifestyle at a young age. She was sent to live with her uncle (by marriage) and his second wife to live a Cinderella-like existence in their jewelry shop. Enter a mysterious lady with an even more mysterious gem stone, a prince and a thief. What ensues is a life-threatening adventure with underlying enchantment and romance that keeps you turning pages and wanting more.

Killer—a Pretty Little Liars Book by Sara Shepard. Hanna, Aria, Spencer and Emily are the liars for whom this series is named. Their lives of privilege are disrupted once again by murder…or is it? The body didn’t stay put long enough for law enforcement to record it. Their nemesis, an unknown texter named “A” threatens that Spencer could be next if she doesn’t figure things out. Reader reviews call this installment the best one yet. Warning: these books are not “stand-alones.” To really understand what is going on, you need to read the series.

Library Notes Week of July 13

2009-07-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

We have some great programs coming up. Don’t miss Kimmy the Clown, July 14, 10 a.m. at the library. Kimmy enjoys encouraging children and adults to explore their imaginations and creativity, thus bringing a multitude of smiles and laughter! Making people comfortable in social settings and filling the room with laughter has always been one of Kimmy's attributes. Her high energy and bubbly personality is one that can charm any crowd; babies, young children, teens and adults!

Then we have Jennifer Bradbury, July 22, 11 a.m. at the High School Library. Jennifer Bradbury is an English teacher living in Burlington. She has written a popular teen book called Shift. Jennifer will be doing a writing workshop for our teens.

KJ has supplied the reviews this week. If you have someone interested in Young Adult books, recommend one of these.

Miles to Go by Miley Cyrus. At a grand old age of 16, Miley Cyrus has written her memoirs (at least she recognizes she’s got a lot of life yet to live). This collection of her thoughts and memories is written in a chatty style reminiscent of notes passed in history class. Fans of Hannah Montana aka Miley Stewart aka Miley Cyrus will enjoy this glimpse into her real world.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. When Nobody Owens’ family is murdered, Bod was toddling out of the house into the nearby graveyard. He is raised and educated by ghosts and a guardian who moves between the worlds of the living and the dead. Gaiman was inspired by Kipling’s classic, The Jungle Book and the chapters are a series of episodes as Bod grows from a baby to a teen. The Graveyard Book combines ghost story with a coming of age novel to the delight of readers who like quirky and creepy fare.

Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty. The fifth and final installment of the McCafferty’s Jessica Darling series starts with her running into ex-boyfriend Marcus Flutie. This finale takes place at the Newark Airport and centers around Jessica and Marcus. It is the only book of the series that is told in the third person, giving the reader the opportunity to understand Marcus without Jessica’s filters. Most of the book is conversation and that may put off some readers, but most agree this is a satisfactory conclusion to the series.

Sign up now to get a part in the Teen Murder Mystery Party – Death of a Vampire. The party is Friday, August 7th, 6:30 p.m. at the La Conner Regional Library. Pizza, pop and frights will be part of the evening.

Library Notes Week of June 29th

2009-07-02T14:28:00.000-07:00

We are looking forward to the 4th of July parade this Saturday. I think the Friends of the Library will have an entry pushing some book carts and with any luck we will have a couple of people holding the library’s summer reading banner to remind everyone that children need to be reading this summer. Hope to see you there!

Stop in and check out a book from our new book shelf. Here are a few you
might be interested in.

Knockout by Catherine Coulter. FBI agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock have their hands full when Savich is caught in a bank holdup near his Washington, D.C., home. The vicious attack leaves the criminal leader dead and his injured teen daughter swearing revenge. She manages to escape, leading the FBI on a bloody chase.

A Trace of Smoke by Rebecca Cantrell. It’s 1931 in Berlin, and though the Weimar Republic has begun to crumble, the celebrated decadence of the era remains in full flower. Hannah Vogel is a crime reporter, on intimate terms with Berlin’s underbelly, but that doesn’t protect her from the shock of seeing her brother’s picture posted in the police department’s Hall of the Unnamed Dead. She’s reluctant to make a formal identification until she knows what happened to him; scandal may lurk behind his death, as Ernst was a cross-dressing cabaret star whose list of male lovers included at least one Nazi leader.

Fugitive by Phillip Margolin. Oregon attorney Amanda Jaffe takes on the case of a lifetime when she is tapped to defend Charlie Marsh, aka Guru Gabriel Sun. Marsh was a prisoner whose freedom came when he saved the life of a guard during a riot. He then changed his name and published a book in which he spoke of how you, too, could achieve personal transformation. The public ate it up, especially the wife of a U.S. congressman. After the congressman’s murder, both his wife and Marsh stood trial for the crime. Before the verdict was read, though, Marsh escaped, landing in Batanga, Africa. When Marsh finds he might be caught for bedding one of the tyrant’s wives he realizes that a trial in the U.S. bodes better for him than punishment at the hands of Batanga’s cruel ruler.

Library Notes Week of June 15

2009-06-22T16:48:00.000-07:00

School is out (or should be soon) and it is vacation time. I hope you plan on stopping
by the library and checking out a book, video or maybe an audio book. If you need help the staff can always give you a recommendation. Next week they are headed to a two day class where they will get some reference training. I am sure they will come back with lots of great ideas on how to serve our patrons better.

You Can Observe a Lot by Watching by Yogi Berra. Berra and coauthor Kaplan have penned this charming book about teamwork. In anecdote after anecdote about his legendary career with the Yankees, his not-so-legendary career as a manager, and his days growing up on the streets of St. Louis, Berra shows how respect and cooperation made him a success on the field and in life. Lessons include the importance of punctuality, owning one's mistakes, and a positive attitude.

What’s Age Got to do With It? by Robin McGraw. Robin McGraw, wife of television talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw, receives thousands of emails from women asking her what she does to look and feel so vibrant, energetic and healthy at the age of 55. It all started back in Robin's twenties and thirties when pivotal moments in her life made her realize that if she did not put her health and well-being first, no one else would.

The Woman Behind the New Deal by Kirstin Downey. Frances Perkins is no longer a household name, yet she was one of the most influential women of the twentieth century. Based on eight years of research, extensive archival materials, new documents, and exclusive access to Perkins’s family members and friends, this biography is the first complete portrait of a devoted public servant with a passionate personal life, a mother who changed the landscape of American business and society.

Library Notes week of May 4

2009-05-04T16:44:00.000-07:00

I hope you remember to use our website from home. From our catalog you can check on when your books are due, renew books, and place holds from the comfort of your own home—24 hours per day!! We have other items on there as well. If you go to the program page you can see what some of the Summer Reading Programs are going to be. We have some great events scheduled. Oh and for you gals who attended our tea party last year we have scheduled another tea party for Sunday, May 31st. Look for more information soon!!

If you enjoy reading non-fiction, here are a few of the latest titles to arrive.

Selling Your Father’s Bones by Brian Schofield. This account of the Nez Percé's trials is a painful tale well told. British journalist Schofield writes a history of this Columbia River Valley tribe down to its present-day remnant, confined to a modest Idaho reservation. Casting a wide net, he also describes white settlement in the northwest, emphasizing its devastation of wildlife, soil, rivers and forests.

The Last Good Nights by John West. The Last Goodnights provides a unique, powerful, and unflinching look inside the reality of one of the most galvanizing issues of our time: assisted suicide. Told with intensity and bare honesty, John West’s account of the deaths of two brave people is gritty and loving, frightening and illuminating, nerve-wracking and even, at times, darkly humorous.

The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama by Gwen Ifill. Ifill argues that the Black political structure formed during the Civil Rights movement is giving way to a generation of men and women who are the direct beneficiaries of the struggles of the 1960s. She offers incisive, detailed profiles of such prominent leaders as Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, and U.S. Congressman Artur Davis of Alabama (all interviewed for this book), and also covers numerous up-and-coming figures from across the nation.

Library Notes week of April 27

2009-04-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the winners in the annual Tulip Poster raffle. The Friends of the Library had another successful raffle to raise funds for the library. There were lots of prizes besides the beautiful framed poster, I hope you were lucky enough to win one.

We are getting in lots of new books. Maybe one of these will interest you.

Death of a Witch by M.C. Beaton. The Scottish Highlands most stubborn bachelor returns to his home village of Lochdubh from a disappointing vacation to discover a witch stirring up trouble. To Macbeth's annoyance, the sex-starved local men have fallen under the spell of Catriona Beldame, who turns out to be a runaway bride with a shady past. Macbeth longs to prove she's selling illegal remedies for sexual dysfunction, and warns her to stop if she is. Macbeth gets a shock when someone murders Beldame and sets her house on fire—soon after Macbeth is overheard to say he'd like to kill her.

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker. In an upstate New York backwater, Truly has a bleak existence with her depressed father and her china-doll–like sister, Serena Jane. Truly grows at an astonishing rate—her girth the result of a pituitary gland problem—and after her father dies when Truly is 12, Truly is sloughed off to the Dyersons, a hapless farming family. She befriends the Dyersons' outcast daughter, Amelia, and later leaves her beloved Dyerson farm to take care of Serena Jane's husband and son after Serena Jane leaves them. Haunting the margins of Truly's story is that of Tabitha Dyerson, a rumored witch whose secrets afford a breathtaking role reversal for Truly.

Cape Disappointment by Earl Emerson. A man and a woman, their coastal getaway interrupted, say goodbye on an isolated landing strip in Washington State. She then calls from the air. And he watches from the base of a lighthouse as the plane, with eleven people on board, plummets into the steely gray sea. The man remembering this tragic event is in a hospital room, the victim of a bombing weeks after the crash. In this extraordinary thriller by award-winning author Earl Emerson, Seattle private eye Thomas Black returns after more than a decade–and he must put together the shattered fragments of his life. His life and his country depend on it.

Library Notes Week of April 13

2009-04-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

This is National Library Week. First celebrated in 1958, it is an annual celebration of the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians.

Secretary of State Sam Reed encourages Washington citizens to help celebrate National Library Week by visiting and using their local library. “Now more than ever, libraries play a crucial role throughout Washington and America,” Reed said. “They not only provide many useful resources and services, they open up new worlds and help make lifelong learning possible. What better way for people to celebrate National Library Week than by visiting a local library and taking advantage of the many services offered?”

Washington State Librarian Jan Walsh agrees, pointing out that libraries have tremendous civic, cultural and economic value. “Everyone benefits by using libraries, especially during these tough economic times,” Walsh said. “A library can save people a lot of money. Buying books, CDs and DVDs can be expensive. But these same books, CDs and DVDs are free if you have a library card.”

Walsh pointed out that libraries are much more than books. “They give people access to newspapers and periodicals, CDs and DVDs, computers and the Internet, historical documents and so much more.”

If you haven’t visited our library lately you are missing out!! Why not stop in today.

Ghost at Work by Carolyn Hart. When Bailey Ruth Raeburn and her husband die on their cabin cruiser during a storm, Bailey joins the heavenly host. Later, she returns to earth via the Rescue Express to help the rector's wife, Kathleen Abbott. After finding the body of a dead man on her back porch, Kathleen fears either she or her husband might be accused of the crime. Bailey Ruth helps her to move the body, inaugurating a search for the killer that proves difficult as the victim was despised by many. As Bailey Ruth uncovers more than one crime, she must contend with her own violations of the Precepts for Earthly Visitation and adjust to her powers on earth.

Fire and Ice by Julie Garwood. Sophie Rose, a tough and determined newspaper reporter, is the daughter of Bobby Rose, who happens to be a notorious big-time thief sought by every law-enforcement agency in the country. When the major Chicago daily where she works insists she write an exposé about her roguish father, Sophie refuses, quits her job, and goes to work at a small newspaper. Far from her onetime high-powered crime beat, she now covers local personalities such as the quirky winner of several area 5K runs whose trademark is goofy red socks.

Oolong Dead by Laura Childs. Indigo Tea Shop proprietor Theodosia Browning and her horse, Captain Harley, encounter murder most unsavory during the annual Charleston Point-to-Point Race. Shortly after clearing a jump, they're spooked by encountering the corpse of Abby Davis, an evening TV news anchor, who's been shot through the forehead.

Library Notes week of March 30

2009-04-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

Are you curious about the President’s stimulus package? We had the document – all 1434 pages—donated to us. Stop in if you want to wade through it. Also, April is National Poetry Month. If you go to http://www.poets.org/ you can get a poem a day sent to your e-mail. What a great way to celebrate!

We have lots of poetry titles. Below are just a few of the most recent we have in our collection.

Ballistics by Bill Collins. Two-term U.S. Poet Laureate touches on love, death, solitude, youth and aging in this collection of poetry. His tongue-in-cheek assault on the gloom and doubt in our poetry is his remedy for the loneliness that (even for him) shadows all poems: this is a poem, not a novel, he laments, and the only characters here are you and I,/ alone in an imaginary room/ which will disappear after a few more lines.

The Blue Hour of the Day by Lorna Crozier. Lorna Crozier has become one of Canada’s most beloved poets, receiving high acclaim and numerous awards. In this definitive selection of poems, Crozier’s trademark investigations of family, spirituality, love’s fierce attachments, and bereavement and loss have been given a new framework.

The Way It Is by William Stafford. His widely anthologized "Ceremony," "Thinking for Berky," and "Traveling through the Dark" are here, along with others, including "Adults Only," which begins, "Animals own a fur world; / people own worlds that are variously, pleasingly bare." A writer of silence, loss, memory, and conviction, Stafford wrote a poem almost every morning, rising at four to eat toast and compose. This is a part of his myth that the Stafford industry--other poets, workshop leaders, old friends--agrees is admirable, the hard-working farmhand who beats the cows to the dairy barn.

Library Notes week of March 9

2009-03-12T16:27:00.000-07:00

Have you visited the library website lately? We have great things available to you. Homework help, automobile repair on-line. We also have a new page about the Library Book Club that meets here the 4th Wed. of the month. The page has a list of books they have read and discussed. Try out one of the titles you might not be familiar with.

Come by the Library and check out one of these new books.

The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan. Before there was Marley, there was a gleefully mischievous boy growing up in a devout Catholic home outside Detroit in the 1960s and '70s. Despite his loving parents' best efforts, John's attempts to meet their expectations failed spectacularly. Whether it was his disastrous first confession, the use of his hobby telescope to take in the bronzed Mrs. Selahowski sunbathing next door, the purloined swigs of sacramental wine, or, as he got older, the fumbled attempts to sneak contraband past his father and score with girls beneath his mother's vigilant radar.

Stronger After Stroke by Peter Levine. This book puts the power of recovery in the reader’s hands by providing easy instructions for reaching the highest possible level of healing. Written for stroke survivors, their caregivers, and their loved ones, the book presents a new approach that is startling in its simplicity: stroke survivors recover by using the same learning techniques that anyone uses to master anything. Basic concepts are covered, including repetition of task-specific movements, proper scheduling of practice, challenges at each stage of recovery, and setting goals and recognizing achievements.

American Rifle: a Biography by Alexander Rose. In this solid history, Rose explores the development of the rifle, such as how it evolved in American history to become an iconic symbol of freedom and how it developed as an effective military instrument as well as a private citizen's firearm. Drawing on numerous primary sources, from letters and journals of ordinary soldiers to the writings of inventors such as Samuel Colt, Rose traces the rise of the rifle from its original use as a hunting tool and a means of defense and protection to its eventual use as an offensive weapon in wars of conquest.

Library Notes Week of March 2

2009-03-03T14:04:00.000-08:00

The Skagit Libraries are all participating in “Skagit County Reads One Book.” We are encouraging all adults to read Three Cups of Tea and for the kids we have Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand. There will be programs throughout the county centered around these two inspiring stories of how one person can make a difference. Multiple copies of both books will be distributed to libraries and schools throughout the county. Liz Scott will be at the Friends of the La Conner Library meeting, Monday, March 9, 9 a.m. at the Retirement Inn, 204 First Street, La Conner. Consider attending to hear the story of little Alex Scott.

Stop in to the library and see what is new. Here are a few of our latest arrivals.

Thai Die by Monica Ferris. Among the many souvenirs Betsy's friend Doris Valentine brings home from a Thailand vacation is a stone Buddha to be delivered to a St. Paul antiques dealer. When Doris discards the dirty cloth the Buddha was wrapped in, Betsy rescues the cloth, which turns out to be valuable silk more than 2,000 years old. Has Doris become an unwitting pawn in an international antiquities theft operation? After someone ransacks Doris's apartment and murders the antiques dealer, Sgt. Mike Malloy of the Excelsior police and civilian detective Betsy find themselves involved in a case more complicated than any needlework pattern she's ever attempted.

Cross Country by James Patterson. When the home of Alex Cross's oldest friend, Ellie Cox, is turned into the worst murder scene Alex has ever seen, the destruction leads him to believe that he's chasing a horrible new breed of killer. As Alex and his girlfriend, Brianna Stone, become entangled in the deadly Nigerian underworld of Washington D.C., what they discover is shocking: a stunningly organized gang of lethal teenagers headed by a powerful, diabolical man--the African warlord known as the Tiger. Just when the detectives think they're closing in on the elusive murderer, the Tiger disappears into thin air. Tracking him to Africa, Alex knows that he must follow. Alone.

The World According to Bertie by Alexander McCall Smith. Smith delivers yet another delightful installment to his Scotland Street series. This time out, he focuses mostly on the irrepressible Bertie Pollock, a precocious six-year-old whose mummy, Irene, forces him to play a saxophone, converse in Italian, do yoga and see Dr. Hugo Fairbairn, a psychotherapist who looks a lot like Bertie's baby brother, Ulysses. As Bertie struggles to accommodate his nutty mummy and new brother, another crisis explodes for artist Angus Lordie, whose beloved dog, Cyril, has been thrown in the pound for biting someone. Cyril is innocent, and Angus, with Bertie's assistance, sets out to rescue Cyril before he's put down.

Library Notes Week of February 9

2009-02-13T14:15:00.000-08:00

Feb. 12, 2009 is the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. This would be a great time to read up on Lincoln’s life or explore other topics such as freedom, democracy and equality of opportunity. Lincoln inspired many people including poets like Walt Whitman and Carl Sandburg. If you are interested in Lincoln inspired poems check out http://www.abrahamlincoln200.org/ If you want to read his Gettysburg Address or find out more about his life we have books on him and remember we have the World Book on-line available through the homework page of our website http://www.lclib.lib.wa.us/. If you don’t have the password give us a call.

If you enjoy biographies, here are some of our newest ones.

Call Me Ted by Ted Turner. An innovative entrepreneur, outspoken nonconformist, and groundbreaking philanthropist, Ted Turner is truly a living legend, and now, for the first time, he reveals his personal story. From his difficult childhood to the successful launch of his media empire to the catastrophic AOL/Time Warner deal, Turner spares no details or feelings and takes the reader along on a wild and sometimes bumpy ride.

Amarcord: Marcella Remembers by Marciella Hazan. In an evocative memoir, she recounts her life from childhood to Florida Gulf Coast retirement. Hazan spent her earliest years on another coast, in Cesenatico, a village on the Adriatic; during WWII the family moved to a lake in the mountains between Venice and Milan. Fresh out of the university, she taught college math and science and met a young man who had returned to his Italian homeland after more than a decade in America. He loved food, and his worldliness and sophistication made a good match for the comparatively earthbound author.

Tears of the Desert by Halima Bashir.
Writing with BBC correspondent Lewis (Slave), Bashir, a physician and refugee living in London, offers a vivid personal portrait of life in the Darfur region of Sudan before the catastrophe. Doted on by her father, who bucked tradition to give his daughter an education, and feisty grandmother, who bequeathed a fierce independence, Bashir grew up in the vibrant culture of a close-knit Darfur village. She anticipated a bright future after medical school, but tensions between Sudan's Arab-dominated Islamist dictatorship and black African communities like her Zaghawa tribe finally exploded into conflict.

Library Notes for the week of February 2

2009-02-03T11:54:00.000-08:00

Are you aware of all the things our Friends of the Library do for our Library? They raise money to help us purchase books, furniture, even equipment that we would otherwise be unable to buy with our budget. If you are around on the third Monday of the month stop in and visit their meeting. The meeting starts at 9 a.m. with a social time, 9:30 for the program followed by a brief business meeting. They meet at the Retirement Inn. We appreciate all the things our Friends of the Library do for us. The library cannot have enough Friends—consider joining them!

We have lots of new books. Why not check out one of these:

Rachel’s Secret by B J Hoff. When the wounded Irish American riverboat captain, Jeremiah Gant, bursts into the rural Amish setting of Riverhaven, he brings chaos and conflict to the community―especially for young widow, Rachel Brenneman. The unwelcome “outsider” needs a safe place to recuperate before continuing his secret role as an Underground Railroad conductor. Neither he nor Rachel is prepared for the forbidden love that threatens to endanger a man’s mission, a woman’s heart, and a way of life for an entire people.

Knit Two by Kate Jacobs. Drawn together by the sense of family the club has created, the knitters rely on one another as they struggle with new challenges: for Catherine, finding love after divorce; for Darwin, the hope for a family; for Lucie, being both a single mom and a caregiver for her elderly mother; and for seventy something Anita, a proposal of marriage from her sweetheart, Marty, that provokes the objections of her grown children.

Crossroads by Belva Plain. Plain's latest book focuses on two women—privileged but plain Gwen Wright and beautiful but poor Jewel Fairchild. Their lives occasionally intersect, and eventually Jewel marries a wealthy man and discovers that money can't buy happiness. Gwen, meanwhile, marries a poor but honest man—but she still finds herself drawn to Jewel's husband, and the foursome is soon tangled in a web of deceit.

Library Notes for the week of January 5

2009-01-07T14:37:00.000-08:00

Last year we had a great time providing a reading program for adults. Why should the kids have all the fun with their Summer Reading Program? Thanks to our partners—Friends of the Library and Next Chapter Bookstore—we will be running the Winter Reading Program from January 15-March 31. Pick up a reading record the week of January 12. After you finish reading three books, bring it in for a free “literary latte” and a chance to win a book lover’s basket of great local products.

Here are a few books from our new book shelf to get you started toward that free latte.

Just Breathe by Susan Wiggs. Chicago cartoonist Sarah Moon tackles life's real issues with a healthy dose of sharp wit in her syndicated comic strip Just Breathe. As Sarah's cartoon alter ego, Shirl, undergoes artificial insemination, her situation begins to mirror Sarah's own difficult attempts to conceive. However, Sarah's dreams of the future did not include her husband's infidelity: snag number two in Sarah's so-called perfect life.

Death Swatch by Laura Childs. Jekyl Hardy is hosting a Mardi Gras party in his French Quarter apartment, amid Zydeco rhythms and popping champagne corks. On a wild night like this, anything can happen. The guests—including scrapbook-store owner Carmela Bertrand—never imagine it will be murder. But as the evening progresses, Jekyl’s neighbor, float designer Archie Baudier, is found on the balcony choked to death with a barbed wire garrote. Buried up to her neck in strange clues, Carmela is sure of only one thing: whoever killed Archie is now following her.

The Red Scarf by Kate Furnivall. Davinsky Labor Camp, Siberia, 1933: Only two things in this wretched place keep Sofia from giving up hope: the prospect of freedom, and the stories told by her friend and fellow prisoner Anna, of a charmed childhood in Petrograd, and her fervent girlhood love for a passionate revolutionary named Vasily.

Library Notes week of December 29

2008-12-29T14:21:00.000-08:00

What wild weather we have been having!! Many of you know I moved from Central Washington three years ago to avoid snowy weather. Seems it happens here once in awhile. It may have been confusing if you tried to get to the library during the snow. Our policy here is to close when the La Conner School District closes due to bad weather. With most of our staff from areas outside La Conner it helps cut down on travel when the roads are bad. We also don’t want you risking life and limb to return that book or video. Don’t worry if you are late, we totally understand.

When you get out you might want to check out one of these new books.

Night of Thunder by Stephen Hunter. Nikki Swagger is seriously injured when a hit man runs her car off the road in Tennessee hill country. Despite Swagger's fears that the legion of enemies he's made over the years are responsible for the attack, the former marine leaves Nikki vulnerable to another attempt on her life in the hospital where she's being treated—an attempt foiled only by chance in the nick of time.

The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorraine Lopez. Lopez's engaging novel chronicles how four sisters' lives are shaped by the early loss of their mother and their belief that they were granted magical abilities upon the death of an enigmatic loved one.

Tsar by Ted Bell. Alex Hawke fights the leaders of a new and invigorated Russia, where Vladimir Putin has been locked up in a lethal prison built over a massive radioactive waste site. Evil mastermind Count Ivan Korsakov (aka the Dark Rider) is determined to return Mother Russia to her rightful place in the world order by reacquiring her former colonies, after which he intends to conquer Europe and reign as the new tsar. The only thing standing in his way is Hawke, who is more than up to the task of thwarting those who try to take over the globe.

Library Notes week of November 24

2008-11-24T16:19:00.000-08:00

As we approach Thanksgiving, you might consider the myth of the pumpkin pie: “Early American settlers of Plimoth Plantation (1620-1692), the first permanent European settlement in southern New England, might have made pumpkin pies (of sorts) by making stewed pumpkins or by filling a hollowed out shell with milk, honey and spices, and then baking it in hot ashes. An actual present-day pumpkin pie with crust is a myth, as ovens to bake pies were not available in the colony at that stage”. Taken from the website, Whats Cooking America. (http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/PieHistory/PumpkinPie.htm) Even if it wasn’t a pie then, I plan to enjoy my pumpkin as a pie this year.

Stop in and check out our new books. Maybe one of these will be just the thing to sit and enjoy after your Thanksgiving dinner.

A Most Wanted Man by John LeCarre. When boxer Melik Oktay and his mother, both Turkish Muslims living in Hamburg, take in a street person calling himself Issa they set off a chain of events implicating intelligence agencies from three countries.
Heat Lightning by John Sandford. It’s a hot, humid summer night in Minnesota, and Flowers is in bed with one of his ex-wives when the phone rings. It’s Lucas Davenport. There’s a body in Stillwater—two shots to the head, found near a veteran’s memorial. And the victim has a lemon in his mouth. Exactly like the body they found last week.

Final Justice by Fern Michaels. The Sisterhood -- Myra, Annie, Alexis, Yoko, Nikki, and Isabelle -- have risked everything in the name of justice, including their own freedom. Their most recent mission promises to reward them with the ultimate prize -- a presidential pardon and a chance to leave their enforced exile. But as they've learned too many times before, life doesn't always turn out as planned.

Library Notes week of November 3

2008-11-04T13:10:00.000-08:00

If you come in you will notice more changes. We are taking some of the paperbacks that are part of a series and placing them on the main shelves next to the rest of the books in the series. We have a new DVD spinner so the paperbacks have moved into the old metal spinner the DVDs and VHS tapes have occupied. We kept a small collection of VHS tapes which are on a bookshelf by the window. If you have trouble finding things, be sure to ask—we want you to find what you are looking for.

Check the new book shelves when you are in. Here are a few new titles you may find interesting.

Exit Music by Ian Rankin. It's late in the fall in Edinburgh and late in the career of Detective Inspector John Rebus. As he is simply trying to tie up some loose ends before his retirement, a new case lands on his desk: a dissident Russian poet has been murdered in what looks like a mugging gone wrong. Rebus discovers that an elite delegation of Russian businessmen is in town, looking to expand its interests. And as Rebus's investigation gains ground, someone brutally assaults a local gangster with whom he has a long history.

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld. Sittenfeld tracks the life of bookish, naïve Alice Lindgren and the trajectory that lands her in the White House as first lady. Charlie Blackwell, her boyishly charming rake of a husband, whose background of Ivy League privilege, penchant for booze and partying, contempt for the news and habit of making flubs when speaking off the cuff, bears more than a passing resemblance to the current president.

Hot Mahogany by Stuart Woods. One night at Elaine’s, Stone Barrington meets Barton Cabot, older brother of his sometime ally, CIA boss Lance Cabot. Barton’s career in army intelligence is even more top secret than his brother’s, but he’s suffering from amnesia following a random act of violence. Amnesia is a dangerous thing in a man whose memory is chockfull of state secrets, so Lance hires Stone to watch Barton’s back.

Library Notes for the week of October 6

2008-10-14T16:04:00.000-07:00

So many people have asked about beginning computer classes that we are running another series in November. These are designed for the very beginner with little or no experience with the computer. If you are interested call or stop by to sign up.

When you come in be sure to look at the new book shelf for these new titles.

A Spoonful of Poison by M.C. Beaton. When elderly Mrs. Andrews jumps to her death off the tower of Saint Odo the Severe during a church charity event in the Cotswolds village of Comfrey Magna, LSD-laced jam proves to be the cause. Agatha Raisin joins the local authorities in the investigation, which focuses on the six women who contributed jam to the church fete, including wealthy Sybilla Triast-Perkins. Agatha and Toni Gilmour, her young detective-in-training, soon find unmasking the lethal jam poisoner complicated by Sybilla's sudden suicide and a murder connected to the theft of the fete's proceeds.

Hounded to Death by Rita Mae Brown. Sister is busy showing her hounds in the hunting off-season. Then calamity strikes. At the Mid-America Hound Show in Kentucky, an unpopular master is shot dead with rat shot (aka bird shot). Back home in Virginia, a member of Sister's Jefferson Hunt Club disappears. When a veterinarian, despondent over her divorce, apparently commits suicide, Sister decides she can no longer leave matters to the police.

Blood Memory by Margaret Coel. After an attempt on her life, Catherine realizes she was far from a random target when Arapaho elder Norman Whitehorse informs her that she's one of us. Adopted as a child and still unsure of her identity and heritage, Catherine begins to understand the deep connection she feels to her latest story, about the 1864 Indian massacre at Sand Creek. Whitehorse and Cheyenne leaders call for the tribes' further compensation for Sand Creek, but when Catherine starts digging, she realizes that there's more to the land fight than meets the eye, and the trail leads all the way to Washington.

Library Notes for the week of August 25

2008-08-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

In the next couple of weeks you will see some major changes in the library layout. We are trying to carve out some better space for our WiFi patrons and just better seating for those who come in to read the newspaper. We have received some new chairs and two small tables are on order. We already have some new electrical outlets under the windows and soon we will be replacing the public computers. We recently received some discarded shelving from Skagit Valley College which we will put to good use as well. We should have all the changes complete by mid-September. We hope this makes your visit to the library more comfortable. Oh, and if you are interested in a computer table, please stop by—we have three for sale cheap.

Come in and check out the new book shelf. Here are a few titles you may be interested in.

Host by Stephenie Meyer: Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

The Great Man by Kate Christensen: This novel is less about the great man of its title than the women Oscar Feldman, fictional 20th-century figurative painter, left behind: Abigail, his wife of more than four decades; Teddy, his mistress of nearly as many years; and Maxine, his sister, an abstract artist who has achieved her own measure of fame. Five years after Feldman's death, as the women begin sketching their versions of him for a pair of admiring biographers, long-buried resentments set the stage for secrets to be spilled and bonds to be tested.

Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein: Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast.

Library Notes for the week of July 30

2008-07-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

Summer is just flying by this year. We had a great time at our Fancy Nancy Party last week and here is a photo of the fun. Don’t forget to get your child to the Grand Finale of the Summer Reading Program. Thursday, August 7^th, Last Leaf Productions will perform Bayou Bug Tales. There will be three performances so you can go to Sedro-Woolley, Anacortes or Mount Vernon. They are wonderful and not to be missed. Get those reading minutes in so your child will be in the drawing for the end of SRP prize!

For the adults we have some new books in. If you are into biographical accounts, here are a few you may be interested in.

In the Frame: My Life in Words and Pictures by Helen Mirren. Helen's aristocratic Russian grandfather was sent to London by the Czar and found himself stranded and penniless by the Bolshevik revolution. He brought with him a trunk of papers and photographs. This memoir starts with the contents of the trunk, with evocative pictures of Helen's Russian antecedents. She has kept a rich seam of photographs and memorabilia from her life, and her parents, family life, childhood, teenage and early years as an actress.

My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor. On the morning of December 10, 1996, Jill Bolte Taylor, a thirty-seven-year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist, experienced a massive stroke when a blood vessel exploded in the left side of her brain. A neuroanatomist by profession, she observed her own mind completely deteriorate to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life, all within the space of four brief hours. As the damaged left side of her brain--the rational, grounded, detail- and time-oriented side--swung in and out of function, Taylor alternated between two distinct and opposite realties: the euphoric nirvana of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace; and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized Jill was having a stroke, and enabled her to seek help.

The Thief at the End of the World by Joe Jackson. On June 10, 1876, a self-styled explorer named Henry Wickham arrived at Liverpool having sailed from Brazil. He hastened to London and the offices of the Royal Botanic Gardens where he immediately presented the director with a sample of the precious cargo he had brought: 70,000 seeds of "the valuable rubber known as 'Pará fine,' " Wickham's story is interesting in and of itself, but obviously its ramifications go far beyond. "Biopiracy," at its core "is about power and its imbalance -- the historical fact that poorer countries have been high in resources, while richer nations want what they have."

Library Notes for the week of May 19th

2008-05-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

We are looking forward to summer for a number of reasons. Summer Reading starts and we have all those wonderful programs for our young readers. Be sure to check the program page of our website for dates and times. We also are starting a program we are calling Baby ‘n Me. This will be a fun time for moms and their little ones—those too young for our toddler story time. Mom and baby will enjoy stories, songs and activities geared especially for the under 2 crowd. If you have a little one, or know someone who has one, join us on Friday mornings beginning June 6^th.

For some grown-up reading try one of these new titles off the new book shelf.
The Body in the Gallery by Katherine Hall Page. Faith's catering business has been slow with the downturn of the economy, so when her friend Patsy Avery proposes that she take over the café at Aleford's Ganley Art Museum, it seems like a not-to-be-missed opportunity. And Patsy has an ulterior motive—she discovers that the Romare Bearden piece she lent the museum has been switched with a fake and wants Faith to snoop around to find the culprit.

The Angel by Carla Neggers. When Keira Sullivan, a young Boston illustrator and folklorist, decides to travel to Ireland to research a Celtic legend about three brothers battling for a stone angel, she pays no heed to warnings not to go from antique collector Victor Sarakis, even after Victor drowns under suspicious circumstances in the Public Garden pond.

Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews. The Cooking Channel is looking to add a new show to their line-up and has two chefs in the competition. Gina Foxton is a 30-year-old chef with a health-conscious approach to classic Southern fare and Tate Moody is the “kill it and grill it” cook from a show called Vittles. The competition between Gina and Tate ramps up when the network decides to turn their competition into a reality show.

Library Notes Week of March 17

2008-03-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

Some of you may notice activity around the library parking lot. We have a broken pipe under our parking area and digging, we hope, will begin soon to replace it. A side affect is we have no water to the building so you will find our restroom is out of order. We are sorry if this proves to be a problem during your visit. We hope it is resolved soon.

Biographies are always interesting reads. Here are a few of the newest ones to our library.

Born Standing Up by Steve Martin:

At age 10, Steve Martin got a job selling guidebooks at the newly opened Disneyland. In the decade that followed, he worked in Disney's magic shop, print shop, and theater, and developed his own magic/comedy act. By age 20 he was performing a dozen times a week, most often at the Disney rival, Knott's Berry Farm. Obsession is a substitute for talent, he has said, and Steve Martin's focus and daring--his sheer tenacity--are truly stunning.

Diana Ross by J. Randy Tarabarrelli:

There is only one Diana Ross. And this is her story. Drawn from hundreds of interviews conducted over four decades and featuring rare, never-before-published photos, Diana Ross paints an unforgettable picture of an extraordinary and often controversial legend, a woman who has distinguished herself as a Civil Rights trailblazer, a temperamental celebrity, a loving and very present mother, and a consummate entertainer.

Dark Victory: The Life of Bette Davis by Ed Sikov:

Bette Davis was a force of nature-an idiosyncratic talent who nevertheless defined the words 'movie star' for more than half a century and who created an extraordinary body of work filled with unforgettable performances. In Dark Victory, the noted film critic and biographer Ed Sikov paints the most detailed picture ever delivered of this intelligent, opinionated, and unusual woman.

Library Notes for the week of March 3rd

2008-03-06T09:13:00.000-08:00

It was sudden brought to my attention that Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday March 9^th. With the change in daylight and weather you may not be reading as much. I know the garden begins to call about this time each year. Here are a few gardening books to inspire you.

Theme Gardens by Hazel White. A guide to distinctive garden styles with a wealth of ideas for your home landscaping. How to create garden vignettes that capture a look, evoke a mood or take your garden in a whole new direction.

Beautiful Bulbs by Georgeanne Brennan. This book contains simple, easy-to-follow directions for growing lovely flowers from bulbs indoor and out, for every season of the year. Includes tips on when and how to buy, force, plant, naturalize and store bulbs.

Country Living Cottage Gardens by Toby Musgrave. Evoke all the romance of a classic cottage garden with traditional and contemporary plants. Create a cottage garden that’s a haven of peace and tranquility and a place to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Glorious Indoor Gardens by Michele Driscoll Alioto. Explore a wide variety of planting possibilities and garden styles. Alioto focuses on the design, history, and family use of each site he showcases, from a magnificent desert garden in Arizona to a terrarium-filled Soho loft in New York.

Library Notes for the week of February 4

2008-02-07T09:32:00.000-08:00

We had such excitement here at the library when First Gentleman Mike came to visit on his literacy tour of the State. Reading is so important and it was nice to see is it valued by the highest levels of our state government as well.

Have you picked up your reading record for the Winter Reading Program? Read three books and get a Literary Latte from The Next Chapter as well as a chance for a Booklover’s Bag of goodies. Maybe one of the following titles will end up on your reading record.

Fire in the Blood by Irene Nemirovsky. When she was writing Suite Française in 1940, Némirovsky, who died in Auschwitz in 1942 before turning 40, was also reworking this novel, newly discovered among her papers. In a leisurely narrative, middle-aged narrator Silvio recounts three interlocking stories of love and betrayal over two decades. These secret affairs, he says, can be explained only by fire in the blood, the intense passion that can overtake men and women when they are young, highly sexed and vulnerable.

A Free Life by Ha Jin. Nan Wu, a Chinese graduate student in Boston, drops out after the Tiananmen Square massacre. He would like to abandon his marriage, too, but his sense of duty toward Pingping and their young son is stronger than his desire for passion and the freedom to write poetry. So Nan laboriously progresses from busboy to chef, and purchases a small Chinese restaurant outside Atlanta, Georgia. He and Pingping work hard, live frugally, and strive to understand their baffling new world, including white friends who adopt a Chinese daughter.

The Air We Breathe by Andrea Barrett. In the fall of 1916, as the U.S. involvement in WWI looms, the Adirondack town of Tamarack Lake houses a public sanitarium and private cure cottages for TB patients. Gossip about roommate changes, cliques and romantic connections dominate relations among the sick—mostly poor European immigrants—when they're not on their porches taking their rest cure. Intrigue increases with the arrival of Leo Marburg, an attractive former chemist who has spent his years in New York slaving away at a sugar refinery, and of Miles Fairchild, a pompous and wealthy resident who decides to start a discussion group, despite his inability to understand many of his fellow patients.

Library Notes for the week of December 31st

2007-12-31T14:19:00.001-08:00

Now that Christmas is over it is time for those thank-you notes. Try this on-line site for light-hearted guidelines to help you write thank-you notes. Suggestions include greeting the giver, expressing your gratitude (with tips such as "use the present perfect tense," and "never directly mention money"), discussing uses, mentioning the past and alluding to the future, and signing off. From the Morning News, an online magazine. http://lii.org/cs/lii/view/item/25095

Now maybe the time to catch up on your reading, why not try one of these books from our new bookshelf.

Blonde Faith by Walter Mosley. Easy Rawlins, L.A.'s most reluctant detective, comes home one day to find Easter, the daughter of his friend Christmas Black, left on his doorstep. Easy knows that this could only mean that the ex-marine Black is probably dead, or will be soon. Easter's appearance is only the beginning, as Easy is immersed in a sea of problems.

My Soul to Keep by T. Davis Bunn. An entrepreneur with nothing more than a dream teams up with an actor just out of prison and a has-been scriptwriter. Is their effort truly inspired or doomed from the start?

Between Sundays by Karen Kingsbury. Derrick Anderson, a retiring quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, promised his dying son that he would win a Super Bowl for him. His hope may rest on upcoming star Aaron Hill, who is beginning to find the glitz and glamour of life at the top meaningless. To complicate things, there's a young foster child named Cory who believes that Aaron is his dad and is determined to get his point across, and sparks fly (of course) between Aaron and Megan, Cory's foster mother.

Library Notes week of December 17

2007-12-18T11:00:00.000-08:00

Looking for something to do with your kids during the Christmas Holiday? We are planning a Family Storytime for Thursday, Dec. 27th at 6 p.m. Stories for kids and parents, prizes and refreshments, come and have a great time.

Maybe you have finished your Christmas shopping and need something to read. Here are a few of the latest titles to hit our new book shelf.

A Spy by Nature by Charles Cumming. Alec Milius is young, smart, and ambitious. He also has a talent for deception. He is working in a dead-end job when a chance encounter leads him to MI6, the elite British Secret Intelligence Service, handing him an opportunity to play center-stage in a dangerous game of espionage.

North River by Pete Hamill. In the dead of winter in the Depression year of 1934, Dr. Delaney knows the cause of death was always life. Delaney is numb from the war and the abandonment of his family. When he saves the life of gangster friend Eddie Corso, Italian hood Frankie Botts is not happy. Delaney can feel the threat to him and his grandson in his bones.

The Careful Use of Compliments by Alexander McCall Smith. Isabel has recently become a mother, but she has an ambiguous relationship with her son's father, Jamie, whose attempts to formalize their connection have been unsuccessful. Their ties are further strained by Jamie's ex-girlfriend, Cat, who not only still harbors strong feelings for him but is Isabel's niece. Isabel must also deal with petty academic politics aimed at depriving her of her position as editor of the Review of Applied Ethics.

Library Notes for the week of December 10th

2007-12-11T09:13:00.000-08:00

We have been evaluating our magazine collection lately. As you are aware we have a very small collection of current magazines we subscribe. We have added a couple we hope will be popular. MasterGardener is a magazine published quarterly by the Washington State Fruit Commission. It covers gardening information for both sides of the state, has great pictures, and very informative articles. Piecework Magazine is published bimonthly and will be an inspiration for those creative souls in La Conner. The issues have a wide variety of topics from collecting vintage textiles to projects for you to crochet, sew, embroider and knit. I hope you will come in and take a look at these new additions to our magazine collection.

Why not stop by and pick up a book to read? Here are a few of the latest titles to hit our new book shelf.

Facets by Barbara Delinsky. Nothing can prepare writer Hillary Cox for seeing her lover of 20 years announce on television that he's marrying another woman. Seeking revenge, Hillary begins a tell-all book exposing John and his shady past.

Mad Dash by Patricia Gaffney. Professional photographer Dash Bateman is the opposite of her worrywart, straitlaced husband, Andrew, a history professor at Mason-Dixon College. After Dash's mother dies and the couple packs off their daughter for her freshman year at college, Dash leaves her house and husband for an extended stay in the couple's isolated cabin.

Amazing Grace by Danielle Steel. Sarah Sloane, 30-something wife of Seth, a wildly successful hedge fund entrepreneur, and mother of two, has planned to perfection a high-ticket charity auction. The only thing she hasn't counted on is the biggest seismic event to hit San Francisco since 1906 and the aftershocks it will cause in her marriage.

Library Notes for the week of December 3rd

2007-12-04T16:10:00.000-08:00

Now that Thanksgiving is over the Christmas season begins in full force. Take some time in between your hectic shopping to enjoy a good book. Here are a few off the new book shelf with a Christmas theme.

Kissing Christmas Goodbye by M.C. Beaton. Agatha Raisin is feeling woefully middle-aged after hiring Toni Gilmour, an endearing U.K.-style Nancy Drew full of teen energy and charm. As Toni takes over the pet recovery end of the sleuthing business, Agatha looks into a mysterious letter from Phyllis Tamworthy, the rich matriarch of the Manor House in the idyllic Cotswolds, who suspects family members of plotting to kill her before she can change her will to disinherit them.

Christmas Pearl by Dorothea Benton Frank. Theodora is the matriarch of a family that has grown into a bunch of truculent knuckleheads. While she's finally gotten them all together in South Carolina to celebrate, this Christmas looks nothing like the extravagant, homey holidays of her childhood. Luckily for Theodora, a special someone who heard her plea for help arrives, with pockets full of enough Gullah magic and common sense to make Theodora's Christmas the love-filled miracle it's meant to be.

The New Year’s Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini. Having married on Christmas Eve at Elm Creek Manor, Sylvia and longtime family friend Andrew Cooper have to face the music and tell Andrew's children, especially his bitter daughter, Amy. On the way, master quilter Sylvia plies at a long unfinished quilt she calls New Year's Reflections, which she plans to give Amy in the hope of reconciliation.

Mark your calendar for December 27^th 6 p.m. at the library. We would like to invite you to a Family Storytime. There will be refreshments and prizes for all ages. You will hear more about this fun event later.

Library Notes for the week of November 19

2007-11-19T16:38:00.000-08:00

In honor of Children’s Book Month, K. J. Cooper, our Children’s Specialist, has supplied us with reviews this week. Here are a few of the new children’s books we have in.

Peter and the Secret of Rundoon by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson:
This much-awaited (our copy was ordered in July) story wraps up their trilogy about Peter Pan. Never Land is immersed in a tribal war and Peter and Molly are in the land of Rundoon fighting to save the planet from the unthinkable. This duo of authors have hit another high note with this tale.

Happy Birthday Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald & Anne MacDonald Canham: Those of us who grew up Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle are delighted that Betty MacDonald’s daughter found her mother’s unpublished works to introduce to another generation of readers to her magic. Cures realized in this volume relate to today’s kids, including “The Messy Stuff and Cram Cure” and “The Insult Cure”.

Mercy Watson, Princess in Disguise by Kate DiCamillo: It’s Halloween and Mrs. Watson is determined that Mercy (their pig/child) will trick-or-treat. Mercy isn’t thrilled with the princess costume, but the promise of treats lures her on. Of course, the Lincoln sisters and their new cat throw a monkey-wrench in the evening. But all’s well that ends well and Mercy ends up happy. This easy-reader series (about second grade level) is sure to keep young readers amused.

Remember we have storytime every Thursday morning at 10:30 for toddlers. Of course we will be closed Thursday the 22^nd for Thanksgiving, but drop by any other Thursday to hear fun stories read to our littlest patrons.

Library Notes for the week of November 5

2007-11-09T12:11:00.000-08:00

What a lovely event Arts Alive! is each year. Here at the library we have bookmarks designed by the elementary school students. Come see the “Reading is Magical” winning designs. Also, remember the library will be closed Monday, November 12^th for Veteran’s Day.

While you are in the library, check out a new book. Here are a few you might be interested in.

The Elephanta Suite by Paul Theroux: These novellas of hunger -- physical and spiritual -- only make sense in a country such as India, where such extremes meet constantly. Though Theroux repeats himself just a bit in the middle of "The Gateway of India," the thought-provoking novellas of The Elephanta Suite are otherwise beautifully paced, by turns moving, sexy and disturbing. You could finish one in an evening, which means that at least three evenings this fall would be very well spent.

The Heir by Barbara Taylor Bradford: At the age of thirty-three, Edward Deravenel, having survived harrowing years of betrayal, threats from ruthless enemies, countless lovers, and a war that ravaged his country, is finally king of his company. It’s 1918 and an influenza pandemic is sweeping the country. Meanwhile, the wrath of his ever-jealous wife is reaching a boiling point with suspicions about Edward’s relationships with other women.

Now and Then by Robert Parker: When a client who suspects his wife is cheating on him is murdered, Spenser, the Boston PI takes it personally, not only because the case resonates with Spenser's past history with love interest Susan, but also because, like Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade, Spenser feels he can't let a client get murdered without doing something about it.

Library Notes for the week of September 24

2007-09-24T15:05:00.000-07:00

Skagit Kids Read Week is September 23-29. Join the kids in reading Crazy Hair Day by Barney Saltzberg. This is a great picture book story about an elementary school boy named Stanley who wraps, dips and sprays his hair for crazy hair day at school.

We have several new books on raising children. Here are a few you might want to check out next time you are in the library.

In Defense of Childhood by Chris Mercogliano. As co-director of the Albany Free School, Chris Mercogliano has had success in helping youngsters find their way in the world. He regrets, however, that most kids' lives are subject to some form of control from dawn until dusk. Lamenting risk-averse parents, overstructured school days, and a lack of playtime and solitude, Mercogliano argues that we are robbing our young people of "that precious, irreplaceable period in their lives that nature has set aside for exploration and innocent discovery," leaving them ill-equipped to face adulthood.

Practical Wisdom for Parents by Nancy Schulman. Starting with the premise that parents today face more pressures than ever, the authors admit that getting a child into preschool can be a hurdle. The atmosphere of competitiveness is one of the most significant changes they've witnessed during their combined 59 years in the field. Discussions of bedtime, meals, discipline, and toilet training combine to make this a practical and comprehensive resource.

A Special Education by Dana Buchman. Fashion designer Buchman was a woman of accomplishments, when her toddler was diagnosed with neurological, spatial, and motor-skill problems. As Charlotte grew older, she manifested dyslexia, had trouble counting and telling stories, and moved awkwardly. In this intense memoir, Buchman details her journey to find the means to help her daughter learn.

Library Notes for the week of September 17

2007-09-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

If you are afraid of that computer your kids insist you have to have to communicate with them, remember we are offering free computer classes. Computer Basics is Wed., the 19^th and Surfing the Internet is Sept. 25^th. Get more details and sign up at the library.

No! I Don’t Want to Join a Book Club by Virginia Ironside. Marie Sharp is about to turn 60, and unlike many of her peers, she has no interest in taking up paragliding or living for three months with a tribe in Africa. She's intent on accepting this new phase of her life. Marie, in fact, has such an easygoing attitude toward aging that her friends are constantly inviting her out to dinner and on vacation. And though Marie has declared herself done with romantic entanglements, there's a very kind old friend, recently widowed, who has a crush on her.

Starburst by Robin Pilcher. A young, beautiful French violin virtuoso, an English mother working as a comic, a retired photography director, and a newlywed festival director, among others, meet and forge friendships as they each chase their dreams.

Getting Rid of Matthew by Jane Fallon. Helen, office staffer at a public relations firm, is fast approaching her 40th birthday. She is in despair of ever getting out of the secretary pool or snagging a full-time commitment from Matthew. When Matthew abruptly leaves wife Sophie and preteen daughters Suzanne and Claudia to move in with Helen, she's not sure it's the happy ending she had envisioned. Then she meets Sophie and begins a head-spinning ruse to convince Matthew to go back home to his family.

Library Notes for the week of August 27

2007-08-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

The library recently received a grant for a laptop lab in order to provide more computer training around the community. The Computer Lab is supported by a grant from the Washington State Library with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Thanks to the grant we have purchased 9 laptops. The library is currently scheduling a series of basic computer classes. Wed. September 19th Computer Basics will be held at the La Conner Retirement Inn from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the private dining room. Tuesday, September 25th Surfing the Internet will be held at the Library from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. These classes are all free, but limited so call the library to sign up.

New books are always arriving. If you like a light cozy mystery, try one of these off the new book shelf.

Damsels in Distress by Joan Hess. A Renaissance fair descends on Farberville, while Claire, nervously contemplates her marriage to police detective Peter Rosen. She finds plenty of distraction when Edward Cobbinwood, a member of the Renaissance fair group, confides that he has come to Farberville in search of his long-lost father. Fearing that her late, unlamented husband, Carlton, was Edward's father, Claire spends time with the fair's organizers, hoping to discover the truth. A house fire claims the life of a mysterious woman named Angie, and the subsequent murder of a talented artist complicates everything.

Scots on the Rocks by Mary Daheim. When Judith and her cousin Renie go on vacation in a remote and possibly haunted Scottish castle strange things start occurring. There's a ghost, some goofy villagers, and enough suspects to overwhelm any police force, but no mystery is too daunting for these cousins.

Death by Chick Lit by Lynn Harris. Lola Somerville has a husband and a new apartment in Brooklyn, but what she really wants is for her novel to make it big. At a book party, Lola finds her author friend Mimi McKee with her throat slashed. When the bodies of It-Girl writers begin to pile up, Lola starts asking dangerous questions.

Library Notes for the week of August 20

2007-08-20T14:31:00.000-07:00

KJ our Children's Specialist is helping one of our little patrons pick out just the right book to take home.

Remember the survey the library sent out in our newsletter? We have compiled the results and have them available at the checkout desk. If you are interested feel free to pick up a copy next time you are in. We really appreciate your input and will use it in our planning.

Remember Teen Night @ the Library is Friday, 6-8 p.m. Kids are invited to play games, eat pizza and hang-out at the library for an evening of fun.

New books are always arriving. Here are some of the newest non-fiction you might be interested in reading:

The Last Mrs. Astor by Frances Kiernan. After a disastrous early marriage, Brooke Astor wedded the notoriously ill-tempered Vincent Astor, who died in 1959. In a highly publicized courtroom battle, Brooke fought off an attempt to break Vincent's will, which left some $67 million to the Vincent Astor Foundation. As the foundation's president, Brooke would use this legacy to benefit New York, where the Astor fortune had been made. (Note: Mrs. Astor died on August 13^th at the age of 105)

The Reagan Diaries by Ronald Reagan. During his eight years as the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan kept a daily diary, in which he recorded his innermost thoughts and observations. The handwritten diaries have been seen by only a few people to date, and they share Reagan's personal insights into the extraordinary, the historic, and the routine day–to–day events of his Presidency.

Dirt: the Erosion of Civilization by David R. Montgomery. Dirt, soil, call it what you want--it's everywhere we go. This fascinating yet disquieting book finds, however, that we are running out of dirt. An engaging natural and cultural history of soil that sweeps from ancient civilizations to modern times, Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations explores the compelling idea that we are--and have long been--using up Earth's soil.

Library Notes for the week of August 13

2007-08-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

Summer is coming to an end and school will be starting up soon. We have planned one last hurrah for our local kids.

Teen Night @ the Library will be August 24^th, 6 – 8 p.m. We all (adults included) had a blast with the kids at the one we had in June. There will be games—both on computer and board games—competitions, and great prizes. Of course we will also have food generously funded by the Kiwanis Club of La Conner. If you know a teen or two let them know they are welcome.

Here are a few of our new books. Check them out.

The Water’s Lovely by Ruth Rendell. A 13-year-old girl drowns her stepfather in the bathtub. That girl, Heather, is grown up, as is her sister, Ismay. The scene of the crime has been boarded up as a room, and the family lives without acknowledging that the crime has been boarded up as well.

Up Close and Personal by Fern Michaels. South Carolina heiress Sarabess Windsor must face the fallout of a decision she made 30 years ago: when her beloved daughter was diagnosed with a potentially fatal illness, doting Sarabess hatched a plan to bear another child solely as a source of bone marrow for little Emily.

Tumbling Blocks by Earlene Fowler. With Christmas just a few weeks away, Benni's queenly boss, Constance Sinclair, demands that she investigate the death of a local socialite. It's not long before Benni recognizes that there may be some deadly truth to Constance's suspicions. She'll need to crack the exclusive circle of suspects before one more gourmet goose gets cooked.

Library Notes for the week of August 6

2007-08-07T16:58:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to David who won the La Conner Library Grand Prize Drawing.

The Summer Reading Program has reached the end of another great year. Congratulations to Hailey Azure on winning the Skagit County drawing for the bike donated by Skagit Cycle Center. Our local grand prize winner was David Takehara who won an MP3 player funded by Kress Chiropractic, Cliff and Gillian Sanctuary, and Sweet Haven Bakery. The library also had a drawing for the two Ike dogs used in our display. Hayleigh Summers won the large Ike and Will Southard won the small Ike. Above all, congratulations to all the kids who read. We had a total of 59,172 minutes read this summer!!

For the adults, we have some new titles you might want to check out next time you are in the library. Below are just a few.

Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician by Daniel Wallace. Henry Walker, once the "greatest magician in the world," has been reduced to a novelty act in a traveling circus. Henry's story, begins during the Depression, when Henry's family fell on hard times. While down and out, Henry meets and apprentices with the devilish magician Mr. Sebastian.

Peony in Love by Lisa See. As Peony, the 15-year-old daughter of the wealthy Chen family, approaches an arranged marriage, she commits an unthinkable breach of etiquette when she accidentally comes upon a man who has entered the family garden.

Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann. A completely original, cleverly written story, about a flock of Irish sheep who vow to solve the murder of their shepherd. George has always treated the flock like humans, reading to them, feeding them, protecting them from the local butcher, acknowledging their individual personalities, and even promising to take them to Europe. Imagine the flock's shock when George is found dead in their meadow with a spade stuck in his chest! Led by Miss Maple, the smartest of them all, the sheep decide they must find out who killed George.

Library Notes for the week of July 30

2007-07-31T13:47:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Hailey!! She was the lucky winner of the Summer Reading Program Skagit Countywide prize. Skagit Cycle Center in Burlington donated the bike.

Where has the summer gone? I cannot believe it is August already. August is Cataract Awareness Month as well as Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month. If you know someone with vision problems I hope you encourage them to use our large print books or books on tape. We can also direct people to the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library in Seattle. They supply books and magazines in a variety of formats for the visually impaired. The service is free to those who qualify.

If you stop into the library be sure to check the new book shelf. Here are a few of our newest titles:

The Perfect Summer by Juliet Nicolson. Juliet Nicolson chronicles the summer of 1911, when the rich partied, the industrial strikes almost brought the country to a standstill, and WWI loomed on the horizon. Drawing on a wide variety of primary sources—from Churchill's memoirs to the tell-all What the Butler Winked At—journalist Nicolson serves up a delightfully gossipy yet substantial slice of social history.

Dog Days by Jon Katz. Bedlam Farm, a cross between a working and a hobby farm, is the home of the animals that are his inspiration in this book. Rose, the border collie, who can be relied on for all kinds of work; the border collie, Izzy, who comes from a troubled past; and the Labradors Clem, who loves everyone but needs one special person, and gentle Pearl, who knows instinctively what everyone needs.

Rumspringa: To Be Or Not To Be Amish by Tom Sachtman. A teenage Amish girl sits in her buggy, one hand dangling a cigarette while the other holds a cellphone in which she is loudly chatting away. This girl, like many Amish teens 16 and older, is in a period called rumspringa, when the strict rules of community life are temporarily lifted while an adolescent chooses whether to be baptized into the church and abide fully by its laws.

Library Notes for the week of July 23

2007-07-23T16:37:00.001-07:00

Saturday, July 21st the library celebrated the release of the last Harry Potter book with Master Payne and his illusions. We also gave away a copy of the Harry Potter title to one lucky audience member. Brayden Howard was the lucky winner!

Some exiting news at the library! We received a grant through the Washington State Library Gates Staying Connected Project to replace two of our aging public computers. If you use our public computers you know they are getting hard use and are in need of replacement. This grant helps us stretch our technology budget a bit further. The new computers should be up and running soon.

Kids, don’t forget the big countywide celebration for the end of our Summer Reading Program. Thursday, July 26^th at either 10:30 a.m. or 6:30 p.m. Brothers from Different Mothers will perform at the new Burlington library. You will not want to miss this!!

We are getting lots of new books. Why not check out one of these.

Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinkski. A young American freelance writer accompanies his girlfriend to Thailand, where, from a person he'd known before, he is offered a story to pursue. It seems a woman anthropologist had been imprisoned in Thailand for murder and subsequently killed herself during her incarceration.

Woman in Red by Eileen Goudge. Alice Kessler, the married mother of two sons, is living on Grays Island, in the Pacific Northwest, when her eight-year-old son is run over while riding his bike. Alice is convinced the driver, Owen White, was drunk—though her husband is not--neither is the court system. So, on the day Alice loses her wrongful death lawsuit, she runs Owen down in the courthouse parking lot, crippling but not killing him. Alice serves nine years and returns to the island near-broke and hoping to reunite with her surviving son now 16.

Still Life with Elephant by Judy Reene Singer. When social worker turned horse trainer Cornelia "Neelie" Sterling finds out her vet husband, Matt, is cheating on her, she throws him out, but can't bear to make it legal. Faced with losing her house and barn, Neelie jumps aboard Matt's mission to Zimbabwe to rescue two wounded elephants, thinking the transatlantic journey will convince him to recommit to the marriage.

Library Notes week of July 16

2007-07-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 18th the library had a crowd of 50 people for a special Summer Reading program: The Magic of Sterling Dietz.

With only 2 years of experience in the art of magic and illusion, Dietz is taking the magic world by storm. He took 2nd in the world at the world magic Seminar in Las Vegas in Feb. and 1st place teen stage at the International Brotherhood of Magicians convention in Reno just 3 weeks ago. Not only that, he is on the honor roll at Lynden High School, where he is a student. What a treat.

If you are in the library be sure to check out our new books. Here are a few of the latest titles.

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. The book opens on the anxious Dorset Coast wedding suite dinner of Edward Mayhew and the former Florence Ponting, married in the summer of 1963; the looming dramatic crisis is the marriage's impending consummation, or lack of it. Their fears about sex and their inability to discuss them form the story's center.

Only the Cat Knows by Marian Babson. The feline-themed cozy takes readers to a remote castle where a wealthy business tycoon, Everett Oversall, lives surrounded by female employees. One of them, Vanessa, takes a fall and lapses into a coma. Vanessa's twin brother, Vance, who happens to work as a female impersonator, is sure that someone tried to kill his sister, so he dons her clothes, fakes amnesia and infiltrates the compound.

The Broken Shore by Peter Temple. Joe Cashin, a city homicide cop recovering from an injury, returns to the quiet coastal area of South Australia where he grew up. There he investigates the beating death of elderly millionaire Charles Bourgoyne. After three aboriginal teens try to sell Bourgoyne's missing watch, the cops ambush the boys, killing two. When the department closes the case, Joe decides to find the truth on his own.

Library Notes

2007-07-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

5 kids ages 7 - 11 had a great time doing the Library Scavenger Hunt on Friday, July 6th. They searched the library for answers to questions like who illustrated the Velveteen Rabbit and who created Sherlock Holmes. Kaitlyn was the winner with the most correct answers. She received this great pirate book. The parents learned as much as the children did about how to use the library.

Independence Day is a time that makes us remember our historical past. If you enjoy history, you may enjoy some of these new titles that shed light on parts of the history of the United States. Check one out next time you are in the library.

Fallen Founder by Nancy Isenberg. This biography by Isenberg argues that Burr was the real thing, a founder "at the center of nation building" and a "capable leader in New York political circles." Isenberg believes Burr was "the only founder to embrace feminism," the only one who "adhered to the ideal that reason should transcend party differences." Far from being an empty vessel, she says, Burr defended freedom of speech, wanted to expand suffrage and was a proponent of equal rights.

Presidential Courage by Michael Beschloss. Using new sources and providing interesting perspectives, Beschloss examines a variety of actions and decisions taken by presidents under great stress. Some of the more interesting episodes examined here include Washington's decision to fight for ratification of the unpopular Jay's Treaty with Britain, Jackson's struggle against the rechartering of the Bank of the United States, and Truman's decision to support the establishment of the state of Israel, despite vociferous opposition from the State Department.

Last Flag Down by John Baldwin. During the Civil War the Confederate ship, the Shenandoah, launched a series of remarkably successful raids on Union shipping. However, cut off from communication with the Southern homeland, the crew was unaware of the surrender of Confederate armies in April 1865. Since the Shenandoah continued raiding, the sailors on board were now pirates. When the officers realized this, they began a heroic effort to find a refuge for themselves and their crew.

Library Notes for the week of July 2

2007-07-02T15:13:00.000-07:00

If you missed Allyoop at the library last week, you missed a great program of riddles, songs and stories. You don’t want to miss any of the future programs. Friday, July 6^th is a library scavenger hunt for ages 7-11. July the 11^th we will have the actors of Last Leaf production presenting “The Wolf’s Tale”. You will not want to miss Sterling Dietz, award winning teen magician, from Lynden- he is amazing. He will be performing Wed. July the 18^th. Check out the library window where we will have reminders.

While you are at the library check out one of these new titles:

Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Beth Harbison. In this entertaining novel set in Washington, D.C., three very different women are brought together by a shared passion: shoes. They meet once a week to trade Manolos and Maglis, but soon they rely on each other for much more.

Summer Reading by Hilma Wolitzer. The story of three women whose paths cross during a summer in the Hamptons. Lissy Snyder, an insecure second wife, is uncertain of her place in her husband's heart and feels intimidated by her stepchildren. To help cement her position in Hamptons society, Lissy decides to host a book club for other young socialites and hires an eccentric former English professor, Angela Graves, to lead the group.

The Marriage Game by Fern Michaels. When Samantha Rainford -- newly wed to Douglas Cosmo Rainford III -- returns home from her honeymoon to find divorce papers waiting, she's shocked and heartbroken. Then she discovers that she's not the first to be abandoned -- she's one of four (or maybe more) ex-Mrs. Rainfords -- and decides it's time to put into practice that old truism: Don't get mad, get even.

Library Notes for the week of June 25

2007-06-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

Our Summer Reading Program is well underway with the kids of La Conner. If your child (or grandchild) has not signed up, get them in soon so they get in on the wonderful prizes we have this year. For programs this week we have preschool storytime at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Hairytown Museum; and for the middle school kids a special showing of the movie National Treasure at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Lincoln Theater. Pickup a schedule of events at the library and join in the fun.

For the adults come in and check out one of these new titles:

Always by Nicola Griffith. Aud Torvingen is flying to Washington. She has inherited her father's holdings and must deal with a Seattle real-estate manager who is robbing her blind. She also needs to see her wealthy, diplomat mother and meet her new stepfather. Interspersed are flashbacks of the women's self-defense class she'd taught back home in Atlanta--with unforeseen and deadly results.

Cat in a Red Hot Rage by Carole Nelson Douglas. Electra had volunteered for security at the Vegas convention of the Red Hat Sisterhood. The crime du jour occurs when Pink Lady Oleta Lark (an under-50 Red Hatter) is strangled with a purple scarf that Electra earlier happened to help her tie. Oleta was another ex-wife of Electra's third ex-husband, Elmore Lark. Eager to prove Electra's innocence, Temple and Midnight Louie swing into action with the help of Electra's fellow Red Hatters and some clever cats.

Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris. In this funny debut, a group of copywriters and designers at a Chicago ad agency face layoffs at the end of the '90s boom. Indignation rises over the rightful owner of a particularly coveted chair. Gonzo e-mailer Tom Mota quotes Walt Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson in the midst of his tirades, desperately trying to retain a shred of integrity at a job that requires a ruthless attention to what will make people buy things.

Library Newsletter and Survey

2007-06-21T09:15:00.000-07:00

We recently sent out our second annual newsletter to our patron base. Included in the newsletter was a survey. I would like to say thank you to all the people who completed surveys for the library by the June 18 deadline. We are so pleased by the number of responses and are currently compiling the information. If you didn't get a survey completed you can still participate. There are surveys in the library or you can take the survey from our website: www.lclib.lib.wa.us . We will take comments through the end of June. The winners of the June 18th drawing are: Stephanie Hancock, dinner at Nell Thorn; Bruce Hubbard, dinner at La Conner Seafood & Prime Rib; and Alexis Vogel, dinner at La Conner Brewing Company. Congratulations! Thank you also to the restaurants who donated the gift certificates. This community is the best!

Joy Neal, Director

The La Conner Library Blog

2007-06-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

For our patrons who travel and want to stay in touch with the happenings at La Conner we are exploring a blog. I intend to post my weekly column from the Channel Town Press so you will get brief reviews of our newest books and little snippets of what is happening around here. I hope you enjoy our step into the brave new technology.