Sunday, December 29, 2013

Winter Reading Program 2014


Join Us for the Winter Reading Program

This winter, curl up with a good book (or three, or four), fill out our paper or online reading log, and be entered to win some fabulous prizes!

Stop by the Reference Desk to pick up the print log or go to our website, and log your books and submit reviews online.

Winter Reading will begin on January 4th and end on February 28th. 



Looking for some ideas on what to read?

Join fellow library patrons in reading January's book club selections:

Booked For Lunch

Friday, January 10th at 12:00 pm

Train Dreams by Denis Johnson

Friday, February 14th at 12:00 pm

A Pale Horse by Charles Todd


Evening Book Discussion

Monday, January 20th at 7:00 pm

No ordinary time : Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt :
the home front in World War II
 
by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Monday, February 17th at 7:00 pm

White Dog Fell from the Sky by Eleanor Morse

Our Health, Our Stories Book Group

Wednesday January 15th at 7:00 pm

The River Ran Red: Homestead 1892 by David P. Demarest



ALT Reads

Thursday, January 16th at 8:00 pm at Panera Bread at The Waterworks

Lexicon by Max Barry

Thursday, February 20th at 8:00 pm at TBD

Fordlandia by Greg Grandin


Or choose from these books recommended by staff and professional reviews:

Fiction:

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Maddaddam by Margaret Atwood
The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner
The Circle by Dave Eggers










Non-fiction:

Midnight in Peking by Paul French
Cooked by Michael Pollan
Revolutionary Summer
by Joseph J. Ellis
The Smartest Kids in
the World by Amanda Ripley

























Mysteries:

Mystery Girl by David Gordon
How the Light Gets in by Louise Penny





Biographies:

In the Body of the World
by Eve Ensler
The World's Strongest Librarian
by Josh Hanagarne














Science Fiction & Fantasy:

London Falling by Paul Cornell
The Incrementalists
by Steven Brust and Skyler White













Happy Reading!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Gettysburg 150 at the Library

July 2013 is the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg and November 2013 is the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. While you’re waiting for the Gettysburg 150 and Civil War events that Cooper-Siegel Community Library is holding in September, including a lecture by Andy Masich of the Heinz History Center and Tales of Gettysburg with Storyteller Alan Irvine, check out some of these books and learn more about these historic events:












All of these selections and more can be found at Cooper-Siegel Community Library in the nonfiction section. Look in the call numbers starting with 973.


-Emily
Librarian
Reference Department

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

More Summer Reading Suggestions


Still looking for your next summer read? Check out these literary mysteries – more than a typical whodunit, these books feature complex characters, intriguing storylines, and rich language.

 

The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco

The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield

The Alienist, by Caleb Carr

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: a Savannah Story, by John Berendt

In the Woods, by Tana French

The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold

Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson

The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova

An Instance of the Fingerpost, by Iain Pears

Mystic River, by Dennis Lehane

Spade & Archer: the Prequel to Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon, by Joe Gores

The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern

 

These books are another way to interpret this year’s theme: Beneath the Surface. As you read your books, please log your progress on the Library's summer reading website. Or, you may keep track of them on your paper log and return the completed log to a librarian at the Reference Desk.

 

- Emily Miller

Librarian

Reference Department

Monday, June 10, 2013

Adult Summer Reading 2013: Beneath the Surface



Summer Reading has begun! At a loss for what to read? Dive below the waves and learn about marine life or the shipwrecks that lie on the ocean floor, or sail above and enjoy a maritime adventure. Take a look at this list on the Library’s Adult Summer Reading theme, Beneath the Surface.

Read a classic nautical yarn:
Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Moby Dick, by Herman Melville
Master and Commander, by Patrick O’Brian
Mutiny on the Bounty, by Charles Nordhoff
Captain Horatio Hornblower, by C.S. Forester

Check out another tale of the sea:
The Hunt for Red October, by Tom Clancy
Jaws, by Peter Benchley
The Reef, by Nora Roberts
The Log from the Sea of Cortez, by John Steinbeck
    (published in The Grapes of Wrath and Other Writings)
Deep Storm, by Lincoln Child

Or science fiction:
Meg: Primal Waters, by Steve Alten
The Ghost from the Grand Banks, by Arthur C. Clarke

And learn about the ocean in these non-fiction selections:
The Discovery of the Titanic, by Robert D. Ballard
Exploring the Lusitania, by Robert D. Ballard
The Discovery of the Bismarck, by Robert D. Ballard

While the ocean is an interpretation of the theme of ‘Beneath the Surface,’ there could be many more. What are some other books that could fit this theme?

-Emily Miller
Librarian
Reference Dept.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Join us for Love the Library

 
It's that time of year again when community members come together to show their support for the library at our Love the Library event. This year's event will take place at the Pittsburgh Field Club on April 20th from 6:00-9:00 p.m.

We will be honoring Melinda Beard for her many years of service to the community. Our speaker for the evening is Andy Masich, President and CEO of the Senator John Heinz History Center. Andy will tell us about the exciting exhibit currently at the History Center entitled "1960: The Year That Rocked America".

To attend this very important fundraiser for the library, go to our website to purchase your tickets by April 10th.  

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Winter 2013 Adult Winter Reading: Books Into Movies

Adapting books into films is nothing new. In fact, the practice is as old as motion pictures itself. Birth of a Nation, the D.W. Griffith film widely considered to be the first full-length feature, was based on a novel. Since then, there have been many movies adapted from books, and even some good movies adapted from good books. Books chosen to make into films have spanned all genres and intended audiences.

Many of these books will be in high demand, so get your holds in soon! There are, of course, many more books that have been made into movies. This is by no means an exhaustive list, so feel free to search the library catalog to find others.

This past holiday season, director Peter Jackson revisited J.R.R.Tolkien’s Middle Earth to bring us the first part of a film trilogy adapted from The Hobbit, a prequel to the series The Lord of the Rings. Other fantasy and science fiction books that have been made into movies include Stardust by Neil Gaiman, The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

Another popular genre for film adaptation is ‘chick lit.’ Some books in this category that have been made into ‘chick flicks’ are: Bridget Jones’s Diary, by Helen Fielding, or The Devil Wears Prada, by Lauren Weisberger.

But it’s not just genre fiction that makes for good cinema. Smash hit bestsellers that have recently hit the big screen include The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Steig Larsson, which was made into a Swedish-language film as well as an American version. A couple other recent book-to-movie blockbusters are The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, which held a spot on the bestseller lists for months, both before and after the film, as well as Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen.

Many classic and well-loved films were adapted from novels. James Dean’s star turn in East of Eden was adapted from the book by John Steinbeck. The Wizard of Oz is from the book by L. Frank Baum, although Dorothy’s shoes were silver rather than ruby in the book. Another film from those earlier eras of film that was adapted from a well-loved book is To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. One of the most celebrated films of all time, Gone with the Wind, was originally a book by Margaret Mitchell. Some classic films from the more recent past that have been made into movies include The Godfather, by Mario Puzo, and The Graduate, by Charles Richard Webb.

Some authors seem to be particularly inspiring to screenwriters and filmmakers. Some have had multiple books and short stories adapted for the screen. In the classics department, Jane Austen rules as an enduring force. Some of her books, such as Pride and Prejudice, have become movies more than once. Two recent movies based on books by a living author were The Road and No Country for Old Men, both by Cormac McCarthy. Dennis Lehane also had a pair of mysteries made into movies with Mystic River and Shutter Island. Many of Nicholas Sparks’ books, including The Notebook have been filmed. John Grisham is another writer whose legal dramas have proven to be well-suited for the silver screen, including The Pelican Brief. But of course, one author rises above the others when I think of movies made from books: Stephen King

If nonfiction is your thing, a few books that have been made into good movies are: Girl, Interrupted, a memoir written by Susanna Kaysen about her stay in a mental ward, In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, or A Beautiful Mind, a biography of mathematician John Nash by Sylvia Nasar.

Remember, if you complete a book that was adapted for the screen as one of your four Adult Winter Reading selections, you will be entered into an extra drawing for prizes. Here are a few more book suggestions in a variety of genres, all of which can be found at Cooper-Siegel Community Library:

The Cider House Rules, by John Irving

The English Patient, by Michael Ondaatje

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

The Hunt for Red October, by Tom Clancy

Life of Pi, by Yann Martel

Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro

One for the Money, by Janet Evanovich

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky

Push, by Sapphire (film titled Precious)

The Reader, by Berhard Schlink


-Emily Miller
Librarian
Reference Dept.