Out of Our Minds at the Valley Cottage Library

First Test Tube Baby Turns 30

2008-07-24T11:33:00.006-04:00

Many children have heard they were "miracle babies," but Louise Brown was one in every essence. Thirty years ago, her mother Lesley Brown, underwent the first in-vitro fertilization treatment and Louise Brown became the world's first "test tube baby."

The procedure was developed by Patrick Steptoe and Professor Robert Edwards. Since then, more than three million babies have been born through IVF.

As Brown celebrates her 30th birthday, she is concentrating on her own miracle- her son Cameron, 18 months, who was conceived naturally.

To learn more about this amazing technology please check out this VCL title:

Pandora's Baby: how the first test tube babies sparked the reproductive revolution

Another Winner!

2008-07-23T11:15:00.007-04:00

Our wildly popular summer reading club for adults is really taking off. We've selected our second winner this week. She's a bit shy about having her name posted, but she will be enjoying two ticket to the AMC theaters. We've included her anonymous review below.

Will your review be selected next?
_________________________________________

And here's a selection of what book club members are saying :

My Summer of Southern Discomfort by Stephanie Gayle
“The protagonist works through several problems, her own and others. She is a Harvard educated lawyer and finds herself in Macon, Georgia working in a DA’s office. You learn about law and she learns to live again. It is well written and believable.”
-Sally Costa

The Whole Truth by David Baldacci
“Billionaire Nicholas Creel – undisputed head of one of the world’s biggest defense contractors – is determined to send the world back to Cold War status. Steel, a top operator of a mysterious international law enforcement agency, is determined to stop him after his fiancé is murdered, as were 30 of her coworkers. Katie Jones, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist is Steel’s ally. Together they manage to foil Creel’s diabolical scheme.”
-Anonymous

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell
Rated: 4 stars
“I read this through in one sitting – it really drew me in quickly. A young woman finds out that a great aunt she never knew is being released from a mental asylum after 60 years. Lots of family secrets. I thought I saw the end coming, and at the last moment it surprised me.”
-Kara Sheridan

Love Walked In by Marisa De Los Santos
Rated: 4 stars
“Cornelia Brown’s life changed dramatically when Martin Grace walks into the coffee shop where Cornelia works. This is a great novel full of mystery and drama. There are some twists and turns that will keep you turning pages.”
-Anonymous

Belong to Me by Marisa De Los Santos
Rated: 5 stars
“This is the sequel to Love Walked In and will not disappoint you. When Cornelia moves to the suburbs, she is in for some shocks. The complexity of the book and the way in which the author weaves the characters together will impress you.”
-Anonymous

Heartbreak Hotel by Jill Marie Landis
Rated: 4 stars
“Heartbreak Hotel by Jill Marie Landis is an interesting, entertaining read. The author plays with your mind and makes you think one thing about a character when the story is completely different from what you thought. There was love, humor and action!”
-Kristen Talusan

The Street of a Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama
Fiction
Rated: 4 stars
“We see the effects of the food deprivations, bombings and evacuations of WWII on a loving family consisting of two grandparents and their two orphaned grandsons. Well developed is the life of one brother, a successful sumo wrestler, and less well, the second, a successful mask maker. It is difficult not to enjoy a book in which love surrounds the family and all those who enter their lives.”
-Anonymous

Phantom Prey by John Sanford
Fiction
Rated: 4 stars
“Excellent police/action/crime thriller with the main character Lucas Davenport embroiled in two separate and distinct cases. Great characters and realistic dialog and several plot twists made for nonstop reading.”
-Melvin Roy

Rise and Shine by Anna Quindlen
Fisction
Rated: 5 stars.
“I loved the relationship between these two seemingly opposite sisters. The roles we play in our own family dynamics are under the microscope.”
-Lisa Sharp

Doctored Evidence: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery by Donna Leon
Book on CD
Fiction
Rated: 4 stars
“Excellent story – loved the rude David Colacci. Set in Italy and relating to the customs of the local village. Brings in some moral values and good development of characters. A very good listen.”
-Nora Mulcahy

Final Theory

2008-07-18T23:07:00.003-04:00

It is well documented that Albert Einstein spent the later years of his life in search of a "Theory of Everything." But what if he had found it? Having watched his Theory of General Relativity unlock the secrets of the atomic bomb, would he trust the world with this unified theory? Perhaps not... In Mark Alpert's first novel, Final Theory, Columbia professor David Swift is called to his mentor's hospital bed, where he learns of the existance of a unified theory. However, he soon realizes that he is not the only one seeking Einstein's greatest discovery - and his competition is quite ruthless in their quest. Alpert's ability to deftly blend gunfights and car chases with particle physics makes Final Theory difficult to put down.

The Snake Charmer

2008-07-15T00:01:00.002-04:00

Before I begin to give you my review of a recent book I read, a little backstory is in order. I don't like snakes, never did. On a recent trip to Disney World, I had a close encounter with one. It ended up with me on top of a picnic table. And I'm not proud to admit that I jumped up there leaving my two young kids to fend for themselves. It was one of those reactions that didn't require thought. I just jumped. Shortly after being safely off the ground, I did tell my kids to get up on the table too. I'd like to believe that if it was a speeding car, I would have pushed my kids out of the way before diving for cover.

Now, I have to say, the snake was coming right at us and did slither right beneath the table I was now not-so-proudly occupying. To make things worse right after he slithered under my table, a very cherubic three-year-old with a decidedly Australian accent decided to give it a pet. Her proud father stood nearby declaring, "This one's not afraid of anything". Now, in my defense, you must remember that I was in Disney World -- a seemingly sterile environment. On top of that we were at one of Disney's water parks, and as well all know, being in a bathing suit makes us all more vulnerable. I did take a picture of the snake for purposes of demonstrating my close encounter with death to all who care to look. Here it is :

So, what does my story have to do with books you might be wondering. Well, knowing how much I dislike snakes, you might wonder how I ended up reading a book called The Snake Charmer : a life and death in the pursuit of knowledge by Jamie James and why I loved it so much. Well, a colleague read the book and wanted to share it with someone -- a true benchmark to a book's captivation. I had read the reviews, and even scanned the photos in the book when it arrived at the library. I passed it by because there seemed to be way too much slithering for my taste. But, I took it home because of the enthusiastic recommendation. Wow! What a book! The story is that of herpetologist Joe Slowinski who on September 11, 2001 lays dying in Burma from the bite of the many-banded krait. The book takes you back through his childhood, college days and other contributions to the field of science. It's the story of a cavalier scientist, whose love of snakes and adventure shine through on each page. Take away Indiana Jones's fear of snakes and you'd have someone very much like Joe Slowinski.

As did my colleague, I'm eager to recommend this book to anyone who will have it, because it was that good. . . and you don't even have to like snakes.

Slowinski's obituary was published in the New York Times on December 30, 2001.

Tweak

2008-07-14T12:18:00.000-04:00

Tweak: Growing up on methamphetamines by Nic Sheff is a horrifying glimpse into the world of drug addiction, and a companion book to Beautiful Boy, which I reviewed on July 4. Tweak is Nic Sheff's own story of his struggle with drug addiction. It is a brave and honest description of his life using cocaine, ecstasy, crystal meth and heroin. There is raw language and graphic depictions of the day-to-day life of the addicted. Nic hits bottom, stops using and relapses many times. I found Nic's book even more compelling than his father's. I had expected that I wouldn't have much sympathy for this young man who caused his family so much pain, but I found myself rooting for him through his ups and downs as he struggled to overcome his problems. I recommend both books for parents and teens.

It was recently announced that Paramount Pictures has bought the screen rights to both books, and will be making a movie based on both bestsellers.

July is National Ice Cream Month

2008-07-12T11:00:00.001-04:00

To celebrate enjoy ice cream the whole month of July! In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated the month of July to celebrate ice cream as a fun and nutritious food that is enjoyed by 90% of the nation's population. Sunday July 20 is National Ice Cream Day so be sure to enjoy a few scoops on that day.

Did you know that:

The ice cream industry generates $21 billion in annual sales and employs thousands of workers.
9% of the milk products produced by US dairy farms is used to produce ice cream.
Total US production of ice cream and related frozen desserts in 2006 amounted to 1.55 billion gallons.
Based on ice cream consumption figures, the top five individual flavors in terms of market share in the US are: Vanilla (30%), chocolate (10%), butter pecan (4%), strawberry (3.7%), and chocolate chip mint (3.2%).
In 2006 California once again produced the largest volume of ice cream followed by Texas, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Minnesota.
The United States leads the world in the annual production of ice cream and related frozen desserts at about 1.6 billion gallons
Total US exports of ice cream reached more than 26,500 metric tons in 2006 - worth $60 million with Mexico the single largest market followed by the United Kingdom, the Bahamas, and Hong Kong.

For more information about the ice cream business, check the International Dairy Foods Association website at http://www.idfa.org/.

There is also a very interesting book about the ice cream industry - Ben & Jerry's Double Dip: Lead with your values and make money too by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, the founders of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. It's not only a book about ice cream but also about entrepreneuship and social responsibility in business.

For those of you who just want to eat ice cream during the summer, which I assume is most of us, try these titles:

Serendipity Sundaes: Ice cream constructions and frozen concoctions by Stephen Bruce. 641.862/Bru
Icebox Desserts: 100 cool recipes for icebox cakes, pies, parfaits, mousses, puddings and more by Lauren Chattman. 741.86/Cha

Many dessert cookbooks also have recipes for frozen ice cream desserts. Here are a few titles from the Valley Cottage Library. There are more on the shelves near these.

Art of the Dessert by Ann Amernick. 641.86/Ame
Elizabeth Falkner's Demolition Desserts: Recipes from Citizen Cake by Elizabeth Falkner. 641.86/Fal
Lucious Lemon Desserts by Lori Longbotham. 641.86/Lon
Perfect Light Desserts: Fabulous cakes, cookies, pies and more made with real butter, sugar, flour and eggs - all under 300 calories per generous serving by Nick Malgieri and David Joachim. 641.86/Mal

We have a winner!

2008-07-09T10:34:00.008-04:00

Our first winner of the summer for the adult summer reading club is : Patricia Amster. Her review for the book, The Winding Ways Quilt was randomly selected. Patricia will be receiving two tickets to AMC theaters.

Here's the winning review :

The Winding Ways Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini
Rated: 5 stars
“Jennifer Chiaverini’s The Winding Ways Quilt is my new favorite among the Elm Creek Manor series. Like a well-constructed quilt pattern, the author structures this book to reflect the ‘winding ways’ that each founding member followed to bring her to this quilters’ Mecca. As a devoted reader of their series, each segment enthralled me as it recounted earlier events in the lives of characters we have grown to know and love. It is a pleasure to finally receive some insight into what made each woman into the particular character she has become. Although at the end, we are saying goodbye to two of the quilters we are assured that their ‘winding ways’ will always lead them back to the whole- whether in person or in spirit.”
-Patricia Amster
____________________________________________________

And here's a selection of what other book club members are saying :

Manless in Montclair by Amy Edelman
Rated: 4 stars
“A mom in her 40s becomes a widow suddenly, and finds her way back to love and happiness- funny and well-written”
-Anonymous

The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester
Rated: 4 stars
“History made readable and fascinating. Winchester’s style is accessible, funny at times, and he tells a fantastic story. Anyone interested in China, science, civilization, history or just a great read- will want to read this most entertaining book.”
-Alice Kintisch

Fear and Yoga in New Jersey by Debra Galant
“This is a quick ‘beach read,’ fun and amusing and clever. The ‘local’ references are an additional kick.”
-Anonymous

Long Time Coming by Sandra Brown
Rated: 5 stars
“This book describes ad man finding out that he has a biological teenage son who has been in the care of the sister of the boy’s mother. Law Kincaid and Marnie Hibbs come to fall in love, after much heartache on Marnie’s part. She has always loved Law but was a teenager at the time. At the end, he realized that Marnie has always loved him and it is Marnie who he deeply loves.”
-Arlene Sirotko

Keeper and Kid by Ed Hardy
“This is a charming tale of ‘surprise’ fatherhood. A young man ‘grows and matures’ out of necessity to wonderful results.”
-Anonymous

Divisadero by Michael Ondaatje
Rated: 4 stars
“It’s a very ‘segmented’ story, but yet very ‘connected.” The characters are family members, then not. They go into the loves of house owners of the past their very, very multi-layered functions and families, love and live, altogether fascinating!”
-Anonymous

Married Lovers by Jackie Collins
Rated: 4 stars
“A fast paced, amusing book. You can quickly get involved in the cast of characters. A great book to relax with by the pool.”
-Ann Maestri

Plum Island by Nelson DeMille
Rated: 4 stars
“Fascinating factual and fun. This is a long but quick summer reading adventure. It is yet another good novel by a talented, prolific author.”
-Anonymous

Why should kids have all the fun?

2008-07-07T15:28:00.008-04:00

Join our first ever Adult Summer Reading Club. We're really excited about the reading club and have over 78 participants registered to date. So, what are you waiting for? We'll have prize drawings every two weeks and a Grand Prize awarded at the end of the summer.

Register at the Information Desk. As you read books this summer, simply fill out a review slip and then place it in the summer reading club box on top of the center display. It's that easy!

Beautiful Boy

2008-07-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

Beautiful Boy: A father's journey through his son's addiction by David Sheff is a heartwrenching story of a father's attempts to save his son from addiction to methamphetamine and a host of other hard drugs.

Nic Sheff is a wonderful child: bright, creative, talented and a loving and much admired big brother to his younger siblings. His problems begin in seventh grade, when his father discovers marijuana in his backpack. Drug use escalates in high school and during his attempts at college; it finally consumes and destroys his life. He lies, steals and ends up living in the streets. David Sheff does everything he can to save his son. There are attempts at psychotherapy, 12-step programs and stays at rehab facilities. Long periods are spent without drug use, but the relapses seem inevitable.

I found myself swept along on an emotional roller-coaster with Nic and his family. I am now reading Tweak by Nic Sheff. His book was published at the same time as his father's and is the same story told from Nic's point of view.

Kafka's Birth Anniversary

2008-07-03T12:19:00.016-04:00

Today marks the 125th birthday of one of the major German language fiction writers of the 20th century, Franz Kafka. Born to a middle class Jewish family in Prague, his unique body of writing, much of which is incomplete and mainly published posthumously, is among the most influential in Western literature.

His stories, such as The Trial and I am a memory come alive: autobiographical writings, concern troubled individuals in a nightmarishly impersonal and bureaucratic world.

Don't forget the potato salad!

2008-07-02T12:23:00.013-04:00

The holiday weekend is right around the corner and the July 4 holiday always comes with family barbecues and picnics. One of the favorite foods for these celebrations is potato salad. Everyone has a favorite family recipe that's passed around and enjoyed at family gatherings. But where did potato salad come from?

The potato was originally native to the Andes Mountains in South America and was introduced to Europe by Spanish explorers in the 16th century. By the end of the century, many countries had adopted this new vegetable and integrated it into their cuisines. A food writer traces the first reference to potato salad to 1597 when a man named John Gerrard wrote about potatoes and said that "they are sometimes boiled and sopped in wine, by others boiled with prunes, and likewise others dress them (after roasting them in ashes) in oil, vinegar and salt, every man according to his own taste. However they be dressed, they comfort, nourish, and strengthen the body." Sounds yummy, doesn't it? Hopefully, no one will bring that to my July 4th picnic!

Potato salad was introduced to America by European settlers who again adapted their recipes to local ingredients. Potato salad as we know it today became popular in the second half of the 19th century. Cold potato salads evolved from British and French recipes. Warm potato salads originated with Germans who preferred hot vinegar and bacon dressing served over vegetables.

So no matter how you like your potato salad, get out those recipes and get ready for the holiday weekend.

If you want some new ideas, here are a few books to check out at the Valley Cottage Library. There are more books on these subjects on the shelves near these titles:

One Potato, Two Potato: 300 recipes from simple to elegant - Appetizers, main dishes, side dishes and more by Roy Finamoe. 641.6521/Fin
Keep it Seasonal: Soups, salads and sandwiches by Annie Wayte. 641.564/Way
Grilling: Exciting international flavors from the world's premier culinary college by the Culinary Institute of America. 641.5784/Gri
Grill It Right! Sizzling recipes for your gas or charcoal grill by Better Homes & Gardens. 641.5784/Gri
Picnic! Recipes and menus for outdoor enjoyment by Edith Stovel. 641.3/Sto

June Book-of-the-Month Challenge

2008-06-27T00:01:00.003-04:00

Once again, the old adage 'Better late than never' becomes a conciliatory mantra. Here it is the end of June and just now am I getting to establish the Book-a-Month challenge theme. Well this month the theme is 'knowledge'.

Alas, even librarians must cast their books aside from time to time to allow other pursuits to slip in. Pair this with book gluttony and all hope is gone of me finishing the book before June is over. Three books await me already in progress, as well as a Playaway that I've been taking on some nocturnal wanderings. The book I selected weeks ago for the challenge remains unfinished.

What is this book that taunts me and will ruin my running record? The Know it All : one man's humble quest to become the smartest person in the world by AJ Jacobs is the story of one man's pursuit to read the Encyclopedia Britannica from start to finish. Ironic it is that I can't even complete his 300 page account of the endeavor. Jacob's account is arranged alphabetically and his commentary runs from his attempts to slip in facts he's learned into conversations, oddities learned, the particular proclivities of the Britannica's editors and an awful lot about the struggle of he and his wife to conceive. It's fun and light, but it is either best enjoyed in small doses, or it may be my distractibility only allowing me small bursts of reading these days. After all, summer has begun. I suspect it may be my distractibility because, if you recall, I do have two other books started . . . and that Playaway.

And for the curious, the other books contributing to my downfall are :

The Beach House by Jane Green
The Garden of Last Days by Andre DuBus III
A Free Life by Ha Jin (on Playaway)

Abner Doubleday Birth Anniversary

2008-06-26T12:02:00.008-04:00

Abner Doubleday, once credited as originator of baseball and Union general in the American Civil War was born on this day in Saratoga County, N.Y. in 1819. The A. G. Mills commission (1905-1908) investigated the origin of baseball and, based upon a single, unsubstantiated letter from an elderly man who later died in an insane asylum, declared that in 1839 Doubleday invented the game at Cooperstown, N.Y. In fact, Doubleday's obituary described him as a man who did not care for outdoor sports, and scholars since have effectively discredited the Cooperstown myth.

For further information on Doubleday, please check out this title from our collection:

Abner Doubleday, Young Baseball Pioneer

The Last Wild Wolves

2008-06-25T10:00:00.002-04:00

The Last Wild Wolves: Ghosts of the Rain Forest
By Ian McAllister

Ian McAllister studied and photographed nearly forty wild wolf packs in the north Pacific raincoast of British Columbia. For seventeen years he spent many seasons among these wolves and got to know them well enough to have names for various packs and individual members within each pack. For example, he writes extensively about members of the Fish Trap Pack. These wolves acccepted his presence nearby although White Cheeks, the leader of the pack, always checked him out as if to make sure that he was alone and in his usual place. From his close vantage point the author had an unusual view of the pack as they went about their daily routine of hunting, socializing and playful activities. He witnessed Urchin, the alpha female raise several litters of pups over a period of seven years. These raincoast wolves subsist on black-tailed deer, salmon and other aquatic prey. Incredibly during salmon run these top predators are able to protect their territory against grizzly bears many times larger in size.

The First Nation natives of coastal British Columbia have coexisted with the wolves for thousands of years. The Raincoast Conservation Society and First Nations launched the Rainforest Wolf Project in 2000. Besides the author’s own observations over many years this book reveals groundbreaking findings from the wolf research.

One outstanding feature of the book is over 100 photograhs of wolves, grizzly bears and scenic coastal views. These photographs alone make the book worth a look. The author makes a strong case for limiting logging activities in the rain forest islands so that this beautiful natural habitat of the wolves is not destroyed forever. This is an engaging book recommended for lovers of nature and wildlife.

Woolworth's 5 and 10 cent stores

2008-06-23T12:04:00.011-04:00

On June 21, 1879 Frank W. Woolworth opened his first successful five-and-ten-cent store in Lancaster, PA. Woolworth's grew to become one of the largest retail chains in the world through most of the 20th century.

The new Woolworth stores sold discounted general merchandise at fixed prices, usually 5 or ten cents, undercutting the prices of other local merchants. They were one of the first retailers to put merchandise out for the shopping public to handle and select without the assistance of a sales clerk.

After the success of the Lancaster store, Woolworth began opening other stores in other cities often in partnership with other business associates to maximize purchasing power. In 1912 four chains of stores owned by former partners were absorbed the F. W. Woolworth Company with Frank W.Woolworth as President. By 1919 there were over 1,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada.

Woolworth amassed a fortune and was director of various banks and trust companies. In 1910 he commissioned the construction of the Woolworth Building in New York City. This building was paid for entirely in cash and was completed in 1913. This 60 story Gothic building was the tallest building in the world until 1930 and was the headquarters of the Woolworth Company.

Woolworth stores were in the headlines in 1960 when on February 1 four African-American students sat down at a segregated lunch counter at Woolworth's in Greensboro, North Carolina. They were refused service setting off 6 months of sit-ins and economic boycotts that became a landmark event in the U.S. civil rights movement. In 1993, an eight-foot section of the lunch counter was moved to the Smithsonian Institution.

In the 1980's and 1990's Woolworth's began diversifying into specialty stores and moved away from an emphasis on its original department store chain. However, they were unable to compete with other chains that had eroded their market share.

In October 1993 they began restructuring and closed half of their general merchandise stores and sold their Canadian operations to Wal-Mart. In July 1997, Woolworth's closed its remaining department stores in the U.S. and changed its corporate name to Venator. In 1999 Venator moved out of the Woolworth Building and on October 20, 2001 changed its name again taking the name of its top retail subsidiary and became Foot Locker Inc.

However, the name Woolworth continues to exist. Retail chains using the Woolworth name survive in the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Mexico and South Africa. Woolworth supermarkets operate in Australia and New Zealand, operated by Woolworth's Ltd. a separate company with no historical links to the F. W. Woolworth Company.

If you're looking for information on a businessman or other notable American or international personality, the Biography Resource Center, one of many informational databases available via the Valley Cottage website, is a good place to start. All databases can be accessed from your home computer and contain information and full text articles on a wide variety of subjects - check them out for yourself.

If your're looking for background on companies, Company Profiles for Students in our Business Reference section is a good place to start.

By using the library catalog , you will also find books and audio-visual titles like:

Remember the one in your hometown?

The Ed Sullivan Show

2008-06-18T17:11:00.006-04:00

A perfect mirror of its time, The Ed Sullivan Show ran from 1948 (when it was called The Toast of the Town until 1955) to 1971, echoing this period's every chapter: the birth of television, the conformist 1950's, the dawn of the rock era-featuring a hip-shaking Elvis and the The Beatles U.S. debut- and finally, the tumultuous late 1960s.

Through it all, Sullivan presented his signature mix of highbrow and cornpone, Borscht Belt and Middle America, from Fred Astaire to Richrd Pryor, Walt Disney to Janis Joplin. It was the longest running variety show and the most popular one for decades.

Like his show, Sullivan's life was a mirror of its time and Impresario, his first major biography of this iconic showman, tells his story as an engaging narrative. Impressively researched-including interviews with top performers like Joan Rivers, George Carlin and Carol Burnett- this is a fascinating story of a pioneering showman who both shaped and reflected American culture at the birth of the modern media age.

Child 44

2008-06-18T10:00:00.002-04:00

The year is 1953. Despite its utopian roots, socialism has lost its way in the Soviet Union. Dreams of equality and social harmony have given way to Stalin's ferocious communist regime. In this police state, government will is enforced with unflinching brutality; sentences of death or hard labor are handed out daily. Millions go about their daily lives in constant fear.

Child 44, the first novel from author Tom Rob Smith, tells the story of Leo Demidov, a high-ranking officer of the MGB, the feared state security force. He has devoted his entire life to his country, allowing his family to live comfortably, while most of the population struggles to survive.

When a savage killer begins targeting young children, there is no investigation. The State says that there is no crime in the Soviet Union; thus, any suggestion otherwise is an offense punishable by death. As the number of victims grows, Leo finds himself under attack from enemies within the MGB. Vulnerable for the first time, he begins to question his own allegiance to the State as he hunts the serial killer. But Leo soon finds out just how difficult life can become for "enemies" of the State.

Written in a style reminiscent of the bestselling The Rule of Four or Dan Brown's quartet of novels, Child 44 grabs you immediately and quickly becomes difficult to put down. Tom Rob Smith's crime thriller brings to life the unimaginable cruelty of communist rule in the Soviet Union.

New Exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History

2008-06-15T13:00:00.008-04:00

American Museum of Natural History is a popular destination for local residents. The Museum is now featuring a new exhibit - The Horse.

This exhibit examines the relationship between the horse and humans. It also explores the origins of the horse family that extends back over 50 million years; the early interactions between horses and humans that led to horse domestication; and shows how horses have changed warfare, trade, transportation, sports and other facets of human life.

The exhibit features spectacular fossils from the Museum's collections and art objects from around the world including such items as horse gear and armor from 15th century Germany and a horse drawn fire engine dating from the 19th century.

The exhibit also includes videos, computer interactives, and hands-on activities. For example, there is a station that will let you measure your strength in horsepower.

The Horse will be an ongoing exhibit through January 4, 2009.

For more information about the museum and its hours check their web site http://www.amnh.org/.

For more information about horses, check these titles at Valley Cottage Library:

The Ultimate Horse Book by Elwyn H. Edwards. 636.1/Edw
The Horse: A miscellany of equine knowledge by Julie Whitaker. 636.1/Whi
Simon & Schuster's Guide to Horses and Ponies of the World by Maurizio Bongianni. 636.1/Bon
The Man Who Listens to Horses by Monty Roberts. 636.1/Rob
A Horse in Your Backyard: A first-time owner's primer of horse keeping by Virginia P. Clemens. 636.2/Cle

Valley Cottage Library has museum passes for several New York museums including the American Museum of Natural History. The museum passes can be borrowed by cardholders who are residents of the Nyack School District. Passes can be borrowed for two days.

Gang Leader for a Day

2008-06-10T15:00:00.001-04:00

Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh

My husband and I came across Sudhir’s name while listening to a book on CD during a long drive: Freakonomics by Steven Levitt. When I saw that Venkatesh had published his own book telling his complete story, I was excited and immediately took it home, where it was devoured by both my husband and son.

This is an incredible story of a young graduate student who befriended the leader of a gang dealing in crack coccaine in a Chicago housing project. Sudhir grew up in southern California. After receiving his undergraduate degree from UC - San Diego he started his Ph.D. program in sociology at the University of Chicago in the fall of 1989. One of his professors suggested to him that instead of just analyzing data on poverty to do his research he should get to the streets of Chicago and gather information by interviewing poor people. Sudhir put together a questionnaire and set off to interview people in a south side housing project.

Of course he had no idea what he was about to get into. As he entered the dilapidated building and headed for the stairs he was accosted and threatened by a group of young people who were members of the Black Kings gang. As it turned out the stairwell of the building was one place they hung out. An abandoned apartment in the building was often used by the gang to produce crack cocaine. Later that night, J. T. the leader of the gang appeared and asked Sudhir what he was doing there. When Sudhir explained that he was there to interview poor people for his research the gang leader wanted to be asked a sample question. His reply and actions following Sudhir’s first question “How does it feel to be poor and black?” left the young and naïve graduate student traumatized for the rest of that night. However, he did not give up on his real life research on poverty in America. He kept going back to this dangerous building and over time befriended the powerful gang leader, members of the violent drug-dealing gang and many of the poor welfare-dependent residents of this building, including some who were part time prostitutes.

Over the next several years Sudhir found that this was only a branch of an extended drug dealing gang that operated in many such poor neighborhoods in Chicago and other big cities. They maintained complete control over members of the gang and other residents through intimidation and providing some basic needs for the poor residents, e.g. running occasional parties for the local kids. Incredibly, the entire Black Kings organization was structured like any successful business in America – from top echelon management who lived in luxurious homes in the suburb, to middle managers like the gang leader J.T. making more money than they could in a regular job, and young people in the lowest rung who were risking their lives for very little financial gain. J.T. insisted that the young gang members complete their high school education while learning the “business” of selling crack cocaine within designated territories. The name of the book comes from the fact that at one point J.T. challenged Sudhir to act as a gang leader for one day to see how difficult a job it was to manage and lead a drug-dealing gang.

After finishing his Ph.D. Sudhir spent a few years at Harvard as a research fellow. He is currently a professor of sociology and African-American studies at Columbia University. His book gives us a fascinating glimpse into a slice of life in poverty-riddled parts of America that most of us are unware of.

40th ANNIVERSARY OF RFK'S ASSASSINATION

2008-06-05T12:32:00.012-04:00

Forty years ago, on this day a very bright light on the political stage was snuffed out when Robert F. Kennedy, U.S. senator and brother of assassinated President John F. Kennedy was himself gunned down by a 24 year old Palestinian immigrant named Sirhan Sirhan. The tragic event occured shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968, just after RFK's victory speech at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles celebrating his California primary win.

Kennedy's body lay in repose at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York for two days before a funeral mass was held on June 8th. His body was interred near his brother John at Arlington Nation Cemetery. His death prompted the protection of presidential candidates by the United States Secret Service. Hubert Humphrey went on to win the Democratic nomination for the presidency, but ultimately lost the election to Richard Nixon.

Sirhan Sirhan remains incarcerated for this crime as of this date.

To read more about this tragic event, please check out this title from our collection:

Robert Kennedy, In His Own Words: the Unpublished Recollections of the Kennedy Years

The Film Club

2008-06-04T10:20:00.001-04:00

The Film Club by David Gilmour is an unusual memoir portraying an unconventional relationship between a father and son. David Gilmour, a Canadian writer and film critic, finds himself facing a difficult problem. His 15 year-old son Jesse hates school, and refuses to even try to succeed at it. David feels a power struggle evolving, and knows that he will ultimately lose, and irrepairably damage his relationship with his son. He comes up with an unusual proposal. He will let Jesse quit school on the condition that he watch 3 movies a week of his father's choosing.

The book is a wonderful depiction of a father's love and a teen's struggle to find his place in the world. I was at first put off by David's permissive parenting, but was eventually won over by his empathy and love for his son and his sensitivity to his feelings.

Often using old movies as a starting point for discussions, father and son cover many topics: girls, love, music, drugs, money and friendship. David helps his son cope with unpredictable girlfriends and painful breakups.

I would recommend this book for parents of teens as well as lovers of classic films. There is a wealth of information on a wide range of movies, and a filmography at the end lists all the films viewed and discussed.

It All Began With....

2008-06-02T11:00:00.013-04:00

On June 3, 1621 a charter granted by the States General of the Netherlands incorporated the Dutch East India Company. This commercial trading company established it's first permanent settlement at Fort Orange (now Albany, NY) in 1614 followed by a trading post at New Amsterdam which grew to become New York City.

The charter of the Dutch East India Company granted the Company a monopoly over Dutch trade for 24 years along the Atlantic coasts of Africa and the Americas. Even though they established settlements, the Dutch regarded these settlements as incidental to their other commercial interests. Their primary interests were trade and making money and they concentrated on the profitable commercial operations of fur and slave trading and capturing booty from Spanish trading ships. By the time the British fleet dropped anchor in New York harbor on August 18, 1664 and demanded that the Dutch governor, Peter Stuyvesant, surrender, New York had grown into a diverse town of merchants and middleclass artisans. Two-thirds of its citizens were Dutch and the rest were English, German, Jews, French Protestants, and slaves. From this small beginning, New York City grew to the diverse city we know today.

To learn more about this brief but interesting and significant period of Dutch New York, you should read the recent and enjoyable book by Russell Shorto The Island at the Center of the World: The epic story of Dutch Manhattan, the forgotten colony that shaped America.

And there are other titles of interest at Valley Cottage Library including:

A Short and Remarkable History of New York City by Jane Mushabac. 974.7/Mus
Colonial New York : A history by Michael Kammen. 974.702/Kam
Hudson River Landings by Paul Wilstack. 974.7/Wil

What's New in Computer Technology Books at VCL

2008-05-29T15:25:00.005-04:00

The other day we added nine new titles to our computer books collection. They will be found with the New Non-Fiction. Here are some of the highlights.

Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery , by Garr Reynolds.

Presentation Zen will help presenters see the process in a way that is different, simpler, more visual, more natural, more effective, and ultimately far more meaningful. Presentations are generally poor because their creators have learned bad habits and lack awareness and knowledge about what makes for a great presentation (and what does not). This book aims to help people break out of the rut of making typical PowerPoint presentations. This book provides an equal dose of inspiration and education. The content focuses on helping readers become (1) more aware, (2) more knowledgeable, and (3) more inspired.

How to Do Everything with YouTube, by Chad Fahs.

This book explains how to shoot and edit videos, insert titles and captions, add special effects, and upload content. You'll learn how to set up a YouTube channel and integrate YouTube videos into your websites and blogs. You'll also discover the success secrets behind YouTube celebrities and breakout videos. And did you know that YouTube hosts more than 60 percent of all online video downloads and ranks fifth among English-language websites worldwide? So once you master it, your video will get plenty of exposure.

Facebook for Dummies, by Garr Reynolds.

Find out how to maximize your Facebook experience. Create a Facebook profile that enhances your real-world relationships. Whether you want to connect with friends already on Facebook or be the first on your block to join, this is the book you need. Written by a pair of Facebook insiders, Facebook For Dummies shows how to create a profile, communicate with friends, play with Facebook applications, and explore the unique ways Facebook can improve your business.

Switching to the MAC, by David Pogue.

Pogue explains how Windows users can make a relatively trouble-free switch to Mac OS X. Novices and power users alike will learn how to move files, adapt to Mac versions of programs such as Microsoft Office, FileMaker, Photoshop and Quicken; find familiar controls in the new system, and much more.Is Windows giving you pause? Ready to make the leap to the Mac instead? There has never been a better time to switch from Windows to Mac, and this incomparable guide will help you make a smooth transition.

Taking Your iPod Touch to the Max, by Erica Sadun.

Fast and fun to read, Taking Your iPod Touch to the Max gives you all the tips and techniques you could ever think of to make the most of your Apple iPod Touch. Erica Sadun is an expert at hacking devices to discover undocumented tricks, and this book reveals everything and more about the functionality of the iPod Touch.

Ian Fleming Centenary

2008-05-28T10:19:00.007-04:00

May 28, 2008 marks the centenary of the birth of British novelist Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond. His famous James Bond character appears in 12 novels and 2 collections of short stories. The first novel, Casino Royale, was published in 1953. The Bond novels were not initially bestsellers in America, but became popular after President John F. Kennedy included From Russia With Love on a list of his favorite books.

The library has a good collection of Ian Fleming's novels, and all of the James Bond movies on DVD.

Ian Fleming is also the author of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, a children's story about a magical car, written for his young son, Caspar. The movie version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is available on DVD.

Einstein and Time Travel

2008-05-27T14:22:00.008-04:00

I've always been fascinated with the concept of time travel; the ability to travel to any point in the past or future. What could be cooler? You could jump into your time machine and go back and witness major events in history and talk to the people who were there! I would love to travel back to the ancient civilizations of Rome, Greece and Egypt (providing I was a member of the "upper class"!) I was also be interested in going back and meeting myself at an earlier age (especially if I could somehow impart some clue to myself as to what to expect in the future)...this would be a sort of Back to the Future experience. It's these possibilities that have made time travel the subject of so many science fiction books and movies.

Ideas of time travel have existed for centuries, but when Albert Einstein released his theory of special relativity, he laid the foundation for the theoretical possibility of time travel. As we all know, no one has successfully demonstrated time travel, but no one has been able to rule it out, either.

To learn more about this most interesting idea, why not check out this title from our non-fiction collection: Time Travel in Einstein's Universe: the Physical Possibilites of Travel through Time