Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Summer Reading




Welcome to Summer Reading 2011! This week 237 people signed up for the program and received a nifty book bag. There are still some left, so hurry in to sign up while supplies last!

This week, 45 people read 103 books!



I Married the Boss!: Loving the Boss
I Married the Boss!: Loving the Boss
By Anthony, Laura
1999-06 - Silhouette Books
9780373193721 Check Our Catalog

…More

Criminal Innocence
Criminal Innocence
By Ashford, Jeffrey
2010-11 - Severn House Publishers
9780727869357 Check Our Catalog

A powerful novel of conscience and morality from a respected crime author - Steven Drury, a reputable barrister, is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Returning to his car after a late-night party, he is knocked to the ground and assaulted. He manages to catch a glimpse of his assailant's face - enough for him to be able to identify Daniel Fitch in a police line-up. But unluckily for Drury, Fitch was fleeing from a robbery gone wrong, one in which he murdered a jeweller. And Fitch isn't going down without a fight . . . …More

A Place Called Ugly
A Place Called Ugly
By Avi
1995-03 - HarperCollins
9780380724239 Check Our Catalog

At the end of the summer, 14-year-old Owen refuses to leave the beach house which has been his family's summer home for 10 years and which is scheduled for demolition. …More

Sugar Busters!
Sugar Busters!
By Steward, H. Leighton
Author Andrews, Samuel S.
Joint Author Balart, Luis A.
1998-01 - Ballantine Books
9780345425584 Check Our Catalog

The fact: low-fat diets don't work. The reason: because they are high in sugar. Sugar produces insulin that, in large amounts, keeps weight from coming off--in spite of strict dieting and exercise. The answer: "Sugar Busters!" Developed by renowned physicians and based on sound nutritional principles, this groundbreaking diet program explains how to eliminate sugar daily through easy-to-follow recipes and meal plans. …More

The Jefferson Key
The Jefferson Key
By Berry, Steve
2011-05 - Ballantine Books
9780345505514 Check Our Catalog

Former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone has hunted priceless treasures and confronted ruthless adversaries around the world. Now, a grave threat to the very foundation of our country has summoned him home to America.

HPL patron: Gripping, exciting, heart-stopping action

…More

Murder in Passy
Murder in Passy
By Black, Cara
2011-03 - Soho Crime
9781569478820 Check Our Catalog

The wealthy Parisian neighborhood of Passy is the last place one would expect a murder. But when Aimee Leduc's godfather asks her to check on his girlfriend at her home there, that's exactly what Aimee finds. …More

A Drop of the Hard Stuff
A Drop of the Hard Stuff
By Block, Lawrence
2011-05 - Mulholland Books
9780316127332 Check Our Catalog

BookPage Notable Title

Block brings his greatest character, Matthew Scudder, back into action in his most personal case. After a childhood friend is shot down while attempting to atone for past sins, Scudder is drawn into a murder investigation that threatens to upset his path toward recovery--and get him killed in the process. …More

Sylvia Browne: Accepting the Psychic Torch
Sylvia Browne: Accepting the Psychic Torch
By Browne, Sylvia
2009-10 - Hay House
9781401920425 Check Our Catalog

…More

An Explorer's Guide: Wisconsin
An Explorer's Guide: Wisconsin
By Boutell-Butler, Mollie
Photographer Boutell-Butler, Mollie
2009-12 - Countryman Press
9780881508284 Check Our Catalog

With city sophistication and small-town charm, Wisconsin offers much more than cheese! …More

The Blue Hackle
The Blue Hackle
By Carl, Lillian Stewart
2010-11 - Five Star (ME)
9781594149221 Check Our Catalog

…More

The Charm Stone: A Jean Fairbairn/Alasdair Cameron Mystery
The Charm Stone: A Jean Fairbairn/Alasdair Cameron Mystery
By Carl, Lillian Stewart
2009-12 - Five Star (ME)
9781594147708 Check Our Catalog

Traveling from Scotland to Williamsburg, VA, Scottish ex-cop Alasdair Cameron and reporter Jean Fairbairn combine overseeing the security of a 16th-century Witch Box with a little vacation. When murder gets in the way and a Williamsburg-crafted replica is stolen, they find that quotes from Shakespeare and a missing charm stone lead them into a real-life tangle. VERDICT Readers of Amy Myers's "Marsh and Daughter" series will like this fourth series entry (after The Burning Glass) -- from LIBRARY JOURNAL review …More

Stained Cotton
Stained Cotton
By Carter, Quentin
2008-06 - Triple Crown Publications
9780979951718 Check Our Catalog

Qu'bon Cartez is a conniving, womanizing hoodfella that knows no boundaries when it comes to money. His brother, O'bon, finds himself having to survive the game of being his only sibling. Together they'll navigate you through a single tale of lies, lust and revenge. Two very unpredictable endings will teach you why it's called "Stained Cotton."

HPL Patron: Great author!

…More

Worth Dying for
Worth Dying for
By Child, Lee
2010-10 - Delacorte Press
9780385344319 Check Our Catalog

BookPage Notable Title

There's deadly trouble in the corn country of Nebraska . . . and Jack Reacher walks right into it. First he runs afoul of a local clan that has terrified an entire county into submission. But it's the unsolved case of a missing child, already decades old, that Reacher can't let go of, in this follow-up to the "New York Times" bestseller "61 Hours."

HPL patron: Very much a page turner. Five stars.

…More

Against All Enemies
Against All Enemies
By Clancy, Tom
Author Telep, Peter
2011-06 - Putnam Adult
9780399157301 Check Our Catalog

The master of international intrigue and explosive action introduces a new hero for a new era of warfare . . . against a new kind of threat.
Get ready to meet ex-Navy SEAL Max Moore.
A terrorist bombing in Pakistan wipes out Max Moore's entire CIA team. As the only survivor, the former Navy SEAL plunges deeper into the treacherous tribal lands to find the terrorist cell, but what he discovers there leads him to a much darker conspiracy in an unexpected part of the globe?the US/Mexico border.
Here a drug war rages between the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels. The landscape is strewn with bodies, innocents and drug dealers alike, but is there an even deadlier enemy lurking in background? Into this deadly brew, Moore leads a group of specially selected agents whose daring actions reveal shocking answers and uncover an unholy plan?a strike against the very heart of America.

HPL patron: High action-good Tom Clancy as usual.

…More

The Woman in White
The Woman in White
By Collins, Wilkie
Editor Sweet, Matthew
2010-09 - Penguin Books
9780141192420 Check Our Catalog

Secrets, mistaken identities, surprise revelations, amnesia, locked rooms and locked asylums, and an unorthodox villain made this mystery thriller an instant success when it first appeared in 1860, and it has continued to enthrall readers ever since.

HPL patron: The classic original thriller writer +150 years ago. Recommended by library staffer Fran. Fast read, intircate plot with surprises-of course I skipped ahead to read the testimony of the tombstone, page 500, and thought I knew how it turned out, but wait! there's more! And a happy ending.

…More

The Fifth Witness
The Fifth Witness
By Connelly, Michael
2011-04 - Little Brown and Company
9780316069359 Check Our Catalog

Falling on tough times, Mickey Haller expands his business into foreclosure defense, only to see one of his clients accused of killing the banker she blames for trying to take away her home. Mickey puts his team into high gear to exonerate Lisa Trammel, even though the evidence and his own suspicions tell him his client is guilty. Connelly proves again why he "may very well be the best novelist working in the United States today" ("San Francisco Chronicle"). …More

The Kingdom
The Kingdom
By Cussler, Clive
Author Blackwood, Grant
2011-06 - Putnam Adult
9780399157424 Check Our Catalog

The thrilling new adventure from a #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author. The husband-and-wife team of Sam and Remi Fargo are used to hunting for treasure, but they aren't used to hunting for people--until an investigator friend of their goes missing, and they promise to search for him. What they discover, however, will be beyond anything they could have imagined. …More

Three
Three
By Dekker, Ted
2003-06 - Thomas Nelson Publishers
9780849963568 Check Our Catalog

2004 Christy Award Winner - Suspense
Three is a psychological thriller that starts full-tilt and keeps the reader off-balance until the very last suspense-filled page. W Publishing Group is launching this powerful novel in two distinct hardcover editions - a black cover version and a white cover version.

HPL patron: Although listed as Christian Fiction, no where in this book is Jesus mentioned, therefore would appeal to other spiritual groups. Loved the surprise ending/twist.

…More

Moon Handbooks Illinois
Moon Handbooks Illinois
By Garennes, Christine Des
2005-12 - Avalon Travel Publishing
9781566917032 Check Our Catalog

A local author guides history buffs, outdoor enthusiasts, wine aficionados, and shoppers alike through the rural and metropolitan destinations of the region: Ulysses S. Grant's home, Shawnee National Forest, wine boutiques, world-class department stores, antique shops, Chicago's Millennium Park, and The Art Institute of Chicago. …More

Hustlin' Divas
Hustlin' Divas
By Diamond, De'nesha
2010-11 - Dafina Books
9780758247551 Check Our Catalog

From the award-winning, national bestselling author ("Desperate Hoodwives") hailed as the Duchess of Street Lit comes a steamy, sexy, gritty tale about Memphis's ride-or-die chicks, who'll do whatever it takes to get what they want.

HPL Patron: Good book, can't wait to read the sequel

…More

Wicked Appetite
Wicked Appetite
By Evanovich, Janet
2010-09 - St. Martin's Press
9780312652913 Check Our Catalog

The #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author is back with a brand-new series. Diesel, the man with unmentionable talents, leaves the world of Stephanie Plum for the North Shore of Boston, where he partners with pastry chef Lizzie Tucker to stop his criminal mastermind cousin, Gerewulf Grimorie, from intercepting a collection of priceless ancient relics representing the Seven Deadly Sins. …More

The Widow's Kiss
The Widow's Kiss
By Feather, Jane
2002-01 - Bantam
9780553581874 Check Our Catalog

Dear Reader,
When I first saw her, I realized that the miniature portrait I had shown to the king did not do her justice. Lady Guinevere Mallory's beauty transcended even a portrait painter's skill. It was nearly impossible to believe that this woman, who had buried four husbands before her thirtieth birthday, could have used murder and the dark arts of witchcraft to achieve her great wealth. Surely, I thought, such a woman would bear some obvious mark of treachery on her countenance, in her manner. But when we met I saw only the beauty of her pale blond hair and her deep violet eyes that seemed to me to offer a glimpse into the intriguing world of her brilliant mind and spirit. I began to wonder how the gentle hands of such an elegant woman, whose cool composure belied her dubious past, could have committed cold-blooded murder.
Now as I learn more about the mysterious widow, I find myself growing more curious about the secrets of her heart-and more determined to reveal those secrets. Guinevere is the most captivating and intriguing woman I have ever met. I have but one question:
Will my interest in her prove to be a fatal one?
Hugh of Beaucaire
…More

Major Lord David
Major Lord David
By Ferguson, Sherry Lynn
2011-05 - Thorndike Press
9781410436801 Check Our Catalog

…More

Halt's Peril
Halt's Peril
By Flanagan, John
2010-10 - Philomel Books
9780399252075 Check Our Catalog

The renegade outlaw group known as the Outsiders may have been chased from Clonmel, but not before killing Halt's only brother. Now Rangers Halt and Will, along with the young warrior Horace, are in pursuit, and it will take every bit of skill and cunning for the Rangers to survive.

HPL patron: Halt, Will, and Horace go on a quest to try to get rid of the Outsiders-a religious cult. Meanwhile, Halt gets shot with a poisoned crossbow bolt.

…More

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Stay Safe During a Lightning Storm

Stay Safe During a Lightning Storm: From USA.gov: 

"Thunder and lightning storms happen frequently during the summer months, so it’s important to know what you should do if a storm catches you by surprise.

As part of National Lightning Awareness Week, FEMA offers these tips for how to avoid injury during a lightning storm:
  • Avoid contact with corded phones.
  • Avoid contact with electrical equipment or cords. If you plan to unplug any electronic equipment, do so well before the storm arrives.
  • Avoid contact with plumbing. Do not wash your hands; do not take a shower; do not wash dishes; and do not do laundry.
  • Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off porches.
  • Do not lie on concrete floors, and do not lean against concrete walls.

If you’re caught outside during a storm, stay away from tall trees or seek shelter in a car.

Find more information on lightning safety.
"

Monday, June 27, 2011

Z's Kids Club Traveling Animal Show

Z's Kids Club Traveling Animal Show!

Today at 2:00 PM at Hackley Public Library.

Learn about the amazing ways animals can move in this Way-to-Go theme program. Zoo docents lead the session and let kids see the animals close up.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Review: Get digital with the Aluratek Libre Color

Review: Get digital with the Aluratek Libre Color: From Overdrive:

"So you are ready to step forward into the digital age and jump on the eBook reader bandwagon. BUT you find yourself on a budget. What is a tech-lover to do? Well, late last year, Aluratek released the Libre Color for a fraction of the cost of the NOOKcolor.


First and foremost this is a tried and true eBook reader to enjoy Adobe EPUB and Adobe PDF eBooks, with added support for MP3s and video. Since the device doesn’t have Wi-Fi or direct downloading, you’ll need to first download your checked out eBooks to Adobe Digital Editions and then transfer them to your Libre Color.


The actual reading experience on the Color is good. It has a very fast refresh and page turn. I also thought it was great that the buttons on the side of the device to turn a page are the perfect size. It was comfortable to hold even though it weighs in at 11.9 ounces. The 7” TFT color LCD screen brightness can be adjusted to your personal preference, which is nice although it is a feature that should be standard on these types of devices. Colors of cover images and other embedded pictures were sharp but not quite at the level of other LCD eBook readers I’ve seen.


The Libre Color comes equipped with a mini USB port, DC jack to charge without a computer, and a SD card slot for additional memory. You will find the device has 2 GB of internal memory already provided. It also comes preloaded with 100 classic eBooks like Dracula, A Tale of Two Cities, and 98 more.


Navigating through the interface was fairly easy. The main screen simply lists your titles and there are several tactile buttons along the front bottom: menu, zoom, directional keypad/enter, play, and return. Use the directional keypad to scroll through your titles and click the enter button to open. Once open, you have several options, such as bookmarking, changing font sizes, and even the ability to auto flip pages at different speeds.


I do want to point out that the Libre Color, although very attractive in price, does not have all the features that other devices I’ve mentioned or reviewed have. Most notably, it does not have Wi-Fi, a web browser, or direct download capabilities. I did find that a few other things were missing, as well. For instance, I found it odd that it would not save my font size preferences. I wanted to test out the audio controls while listening to The Abandoned by Douglas Clegg, and I was surprised to find that the device does not have tactile volume controls. Lastly, I was unable to find much information on the battery life expectancy. For me, it seemed to last for about 6 hours or so with continuous use.


Bottom line, at right around $100, the Aluratek Libre Color is a great value for the price. I even found it for as low as $99 on one website. As long as you keep in mind that this is not a tablet and if you are looking with a budget in mind, the Libre Color will satisfy you as you start to get digital.


Megan Greer is an account specialist for OverDrive.


"

Friday, June 24, 2011

New Links on Our Site

Upcoming Events at Hackley Public Library

Summertime and the livin' is easy




Ereader Petting Zoo
Saturday, June 25

2:00 pm
Interested in Ebook Readers?  Not sure about what they do or how they work?  Best Buy associates will explain it all!

Free and open to the public.  For more information call 231-722-7276.
For more information call HPL at 231-722-7276.


 

Keeping Your Computer Safe
Saturday, June 25

3:00 pm
Best Buy Associates will be on hand to explain how to keep your computer free from viruses and other nasties.

Free and open to the public.  For more information call 231-722-7276.


 

Way to Go Reading Game Begins
Monday, June 27

Starting today kids will earn fun reading   incentives when they play the magnetic Way to Go game.    A Read to Me version lets all ages play.   Kids can play any day they've read a book since their last visit.

Please call the Youth Services Department at 231-722-7276 x 230.


 

Z’s Kids Club Traveling Animal Show
Monday, June 27

2 PM
John Ball Zoo brings live animals to the Library.  Kids will learn about the amazing ways animals can move in this Way-to-Go-theme program.   Zoo docents lead the session and let kids seethe animals close up.

Please call the Youth Services Department at 231-722-7276 x 230.


 

Patriotic Crafts
Wednesday, June 29

2 PM
Get ready for the Fourth of July with patriotic make-and-take projects.   We’ll create   Muskegon Skyline Firework Paintings,
air-powered sky rockets and red, white and blue Patriotic Pudding.

Please call the Youth Services Department at 231-722-7276 x 230.


 

Wednesday Knitters
Wednesday, June 29

5:30 - 7:00 pm
Open to knitters of all skill levels, from beginners to advanced.  Learn to knit, hone your skills, help other knitters!  For more information call 231-722-7276 and ask for Jocelyn


 

Milk and Cookie Tales I
Tuesday, July 5

6 PM
Enjoy preschool stories with a bedtime snack.  Miss Cassie and Mr. Jim share the fun.  No signup required.

Please call the Youth Services Department at 231-722-7276 x 230.


 

Travel by Dogsled!
Wednesday, July 6

2 PM
Sled dog expert Marva Odren tells about her sport and brings a fully equipped racing sled.  Lucky volunteers will find themselves in harness for a sled-pulling demo.  The program includes photos and facts about Huskies.

Please call the Youth Services Department at 231-722-7276 x 230.


 

Avoid Cell Phone Radiation Scams

Avoid Cell Phone Radiation Scams: From USA.gov:
"There is no scientific proof that cell phone radiation shields significantly reduce exposure from cell phone emissions, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

A “shield” is any product that claims to block radiation from harming someone using a cell phone.

But scam artists might still try to sell the so-called “shields.” Products that only block one part of the phone are ineffective because the entire phone can emit electromagnetic waves. Phony radiation shields might actually emit more radiation if they draw more power from the device.

While health studies are still ongoing, the FTC offers tips on reducing your exposure to cell phone emissions:

  • Use an earpiece or the speakerphone feature as often as possible
  • Keep calls brief and text when you can
  • Wait for a strong signal; phones emit more radiation when they have a weak signal and are looking for service
  • When purchasing a new phone, look at its specific absorption rate (SAR) which will tell you how much radiation your body absorbs while using the phone
Learn more about radiation shield scams.
"