Friday, January 8, 2010

Winter Storms and Winter Reading 01-13-10

So I’m tired of shoveling already. Are you? Maybe it’s time to sit in the house and just read a good book instead. Start a fire, make some cocoa, and curl up with one of the following:

The Burning Land, by Bernard Cornwell
Ninth century Britain saw a lot of bloodshed as the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings clashed repeatedly. This story follows the struggle of one Saxon, Uhtred, who defeats the Vikings in their quest to conquer Wessex, only to side with them after a terrible tragedy. When the King of Wessex’s daughter comes to plead for her father, Uhtred must make a choice. A must read for any fan of historical fiction!

Days of Gold, by Jude Deveraux
The follow-up to Lavender Morning, Deveraux is at her best in this series. This installment begins in Scotland in 1766, where a young laird is bewitched by an heiress and follows her to America to help her find the gold she inherited from her father. If you love a good romance and a sweeping epic, this would be a good book for you!

Fired Up, by Jane Ann Krentz
In the first book in the new Dreamlight series, Krentz takes us back into the world of the Arcane Society. Jack Winters believes he may have been cursed by the obsession of his ancestor and needs to find the Burning Lamp to prevent himself from being turned into a monster. There’s only one catch – he needs to find a woman with the gift to help him on his quest… If you enjoy paranormal love stories, check this one out!

The Honor of Spies, by W.E.B. Griffin
This book has been hailed as Griffin’s best yet by Publisher’s Weekly. Cletus Frade has only been involved with the Office of Strategic Services for a short time and already he’s been in several highly unique situations, but this one takes the cake. It is 1943 and Frade is trying to help a German Lieutenant colonel escape from a detention facility so information can be gathered from the colonel’s parents about a secret Nazi haven in South America. There are secrets within secrets in this book, and fans of spy novels won’t be able to put it down.

Kisser, by Stuart Woods
Stone Barrington has returned to New York and is looking for a little rest and relaxation after his trip to Key West. He’s counting on some simple cases, but when he gets involved with a lovely Broadway actress and lip model, he realizes nothing is ever as simple as it seems. Mystery lovers will have a hard time putting a bookmark anywhere in this novel.

Watchlist: A Serial Thriller, by Jeffrey Deaver, et al
Twenty-on of the world’s best thriller authors have come together for this unique collaboration, including Lee Child, Joseph Finder, Lisa Scottoline, and Jeffrey Deaver. Deaver came up with the original characters and plot, but each of the other authors wrote a chapter before Deaver completed what he started and brought the novel to its stunning conclusion. This is a mystery novel like few others have been before, and with so many great minds helping it along, it’s a book that will keep you up all night reading.


The Language of Life, by Francis Collins
For those of you more inclined to non-fiction, this is an excellent book for anyone interested in science and DNA. Francis Collins was, at one point, the head of the Human Genome Project, and this book takes a close look at how predisposition to many prevalent diseases can be found in a person’s genetic make-up. Collins explains in great detail how these diseases and their treatments are redefined every day and he clears up many misconceptions about human genetics.

The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, by Michael Lewis
Is football just a sport of brute strength? Or is it something far more subtle than that? Michael Lewis takes a look at the evolution of football, specifically on the position of left tackle. The analysis of the game is interspersed with the story of Michael Oher, a homeless ghetto kid until he was adopted by a well-off white family and sent to a Christian school. Before long, his size and skill had colleges all over the nation competing for his attendance. This book is excellent and has recently been made into a motion picture by the same name.

It’s also the time for the Winter Reading Program! Hot Reads for Cold Nights started on January 1st, 2010 and will continue until the end of March. The next time you stop in to check out a book, make sure the circulation librarian gives you a punch card a bookmark! Twelve books will fill up your card and you can receive a prize when you turn it in. We’ve got totebags, ice scrapers, magnets, and the ever-popular candy bars. Only one prize per person, but that shouldn’t stop you from filling as many cards as you can. At the end of March, we will have a grand prize drawing from all the punch cards we have received – the more punch cards you fill, the more chances you have of winning!

Book Club Reminder: Book Club meets the fourth Thursday of the month at 7:00 PM in the Meinders Library conference room. The next meeting is January 28th and the book is The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Everyone is welcome and if you need a copy of the book, please let us know and we can order you one!

If you have questions or have a book you’d like to reserve or renew, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at (507) 825-6714. The hours for Meinders Library are Monday through Thursday from 10 AM – 8 PM, and Friday and Saturday from 10 AM – 5 PM. Meinders Community Library is located at 1401 7th Street SW, on the south side of the high school.

Computer Classes: Free Software 01/19-01/23

During times of economic stress, it is always good to find luxury items that you can get for free. Lester Landgren is going to help us with that!

Lester will be teaching a computer class this month on different free downloadable software you can find on the internet. Picasa, for photographs, is among those, as are several anti-spyware programs and anti-virus programs. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! There is so much out there that you can get for free that Lester tells me I could save over $200 a year if I just paid attention.

If you’re interested in getting good programs for your computer and not having to spend and arm and a leg to get them, then this class is for you.

The dates of the class are as follows:
January 19 at 6:30 PM
January 20 at 6:30 PM
January 21 at 6:30 PM
January 23 at 1:30 PM

The class size is limited to 15 for each class, so give the library a call and we’ll get you signed up. Don’t miss this great opportunity!

Meinders Library is open from 10 AM to 8 PM Monday through Thursday, and from 10 AM to 5 PM Friday and Saturday. If you have any questions or you have a book you’d like to reserve or renew, give us a call at (507) 825-6714. We look forward to hearing from you!

Kick Off Party for 1000 Books Before Kindergarten!

Thanks to the Pipestone Community Foundation, Miss Purse-n-ality Melissa Scotting, and volunteers from First Bank and Trust, Meinders Library is ready to start signing children up for the 1000 Books Before Kindergarten program!

This program is designed to help kids develop a life-long love of learning and to help parents understand that they are their kids’ first teachers. Any child between the ages of birth and 5 years old (as long as they haven’t started kindergarten) can sign up to receive their free reading log and backpack for carrying their books. A short enrollment form needs to be filled out and then you can get started reading!

Once each child reads 500 books (or has 500 books read to them), the child will receive a paperback book of their own. At 1000 books, the child will receive another paperback book and will be invited to our yearly graduation party, complete with pizza and snacks, where they will receive a certificate of completion, which is a great milestone to help them learn just how much fun books can be.

Our kick-off party will be four days long, from January 19 until January 22. Those four days, from 10 AM to 2 PM, we will have cookies for snacking and fabric paint available to customize the backpack the children will get upon signing up! Stop in, have a cookie, and make your bag fantastic.

Don’t worry if you can’t stop in between those times. You can stop in any time while the library is open to sign up and get started.

Meinders Library is open from 10 AM to 8 PM Monday through Thursday, and from 10 AM to 5 PM Friday and Saturday. If you have any questions or you have a book you’d like to reserve or renew, give us a call at (507) 825-6714. We look forward to hearing from you!

PAFL Book Sale!

Once again, it’s time for the Pipestone Area Friends of the Library Book Sale!! Meinders Library is very pleased to host this annual event, with hundreds of wonderful books to add to your collection at home.

This year we have a large amount of audio books on cassette, VHS tapes, and non-fiction books. Be on the lookout for gardening books, cook books, and crafting books, as well as many others that could greatly enrich your wealth of knowledge in various subjects.

We also have a huge amount of paperback and hardcover novels, many very new. I even believe there are some LP records on the sale this year as well! It promises to be a good one, so make sure you stop by.

The sale will be held on December 28, 29, and 30 during the library’s open hours, which are 10 AM until 8 PM. On the second day, all items will be half-price and on the third day, you’ll be able to take home a bag of books for $1.

We are also still accepting donations for the sale, so if you have books you need to get rid of at home, now is the time to do it! Bring them by to the library anytime and we’ll be happy to put them on the sale for you.

Book Club Reminder: Book club meets the fourth Thursday of the month (except for December) at 7:00 PM in the Meinders Library Conference Room. On January 28th they will be discussing the book The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. Everyone is welcome! If you would like a copy of the book, please contact the library so we can order you one.

If you have any questions, or have a book to reserve or renew, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 507-825-6714. The hours for Meinders Library are Monday through Thursday, from 10 AM to 8 PM, and Friday and Saturday from 10 AM to 5 PM. Meinders Community Library is located at 1401 7th Street SW, on the south side of the high school.