Hunger Games

OK - How was the movie?  Best part?  Worst part?   Looking forward to hearing from you!

Taylor Swift sings The Civil Wars - Safe & Sound in Hunger Games

What part of the movie do you think this song will be played in?  Beautiful song.

Mistborn: A Review by Alyson

The most recent book I read was Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. This book was so awesome! This is one of my favorite book.  Mistborn is a sci-fi book that is set in the future. This book is about the main character, Vin, in the Final Empire, a country oppressed by the ruler, Lord Ruler. Vin is a skaa which is basically a slave. No one cares about them. The higher ups are a group called the nobles.  In the beginning of the novel, Vin learns she is a person called a Mistborn. A mistborn is a type of allomancer which involves controlling certain types of metals.  They can use metals in their system to do certain tasks.  An example would be steel is used to push on the metals nearby.  So if you were to stand on a metal coin and "push" you would go flying into the air.  A mistborn can use all of the allomancer metals while a misting can only use one.  The whole plot of the story is to take the kingdom back from the Lord Ruler.  It seems confusing but it will all make sense if you read it.  You will love it.  Other than sci-fi, this book has action, adventure and romance.  That is why I love this book so much.  It isn’t just one genre; it’s a bunch of my favorites.  This book is just so epic. I couldn't put it down.  I recommend this book to mostly people who enjoy sci-fi/fantasy books.                        

National Craft Month

Are you a crafty individual? Do you enjoy being creative? Well…. Then March is your month! March is known as National Craft Month.

Do you want to make a homemade gift for someone? Are you in need of some new ideas? That’s where the library comes in. We have lots of books and magazines on creating crafts for all ages. Some of them are:

Schaals Win Farming Honor

An article ran in this week's Waterford Post and other places including this link from The Country Today describing Brian and Renee Schaal's dairy farm.:

Couple win national OYF award - The Country Today: Farm: A Wisconsin family has once again clinched one of four
Outstanding Young Farmer national finalist titles.

The Schaal family organized the June Dairy Days program offered last summer at Waterford Library. Over 400 people attended this fun event filled with farm animals, dairy treats, and games. Congratulations Brian & Renee!

Detective Novel Recommendation by Hannah

If you like detective novels, I recommend the Flavia De Luce mysteries by Alan Bradley.  The heroine, eleven year old Flavia, is a precocious young chemist and aspiring detective.  She is a delight, and for the most part, a convincing eleven year old.  She is sometimes wise beyond her years, but she also acts her age, particularly when it comes to tormenting her two older sisters.   Despite the fact that Flavia's home is in the seemingly peaceful English town, Bishop's Lacey, she always manages to get involved with a murder mystery.  There are four Flavia mysteries so far, and they do not necessarily need to be read in order.  If you prefer audiobooks, they are a pleasure to listen to as well!

March 2 birthdays and trivia....2 days late & just for fun

Dr. Seuss born March 2, 1904
On this day in 1904, Theodor Geisel, better known to the world as Dr. Seuss, the author and illustrator of such beloved children's books as ‘The Cat in the Hat’ (1957) and ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ (1960), is born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Geisel, who used his middle name (which was also his mother's maiden name) as his pen name, wrote 48 books, including a few for adults, that have sold well over 200 million copies and been translated into multiple languages.

Daniel Craig born March 2, 1968

Daniel Wroughton Craig^[2]is an English actor best known for playing British secret agent James Bond in a 2006 reboot of the film series which began in 1962.

Jon Bon Jovi born March 2, 1962 

American rocker, Jon Bon Jovi, was born on this day in 1962. as John Francis Bongiovi, Jr., in Perth Amboy, NJ.

March 2 was also Read Across America day.  Did anyone participate?  What did you read?  I just finished How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr. 

Nicolas Cage - Thoughts by Stacy

     

Nicolas Cage is the worst actor of all time. My friends and I have come to this conclusion after much research and gathering of data on this subject. What really went against his acting prowess was the movie City of Angels. In this delectable treat, he is an angel, cannot feel, and people can’t see him even when he is standing right over their shoulders. This results in him creeping on Meg Ryan and having the same blank slate of a face as he always does. This movie was supposed to be romantic. Instead I was frightened. I am afraid that he is watching me, all the time, even when I SLEEP. After some therapy I might get over my Nicolas Cage phobia.

Now let’s move on the Con Air. In this supreme cinematic picture, he had a sort of mullet going on and spoke like he had a brain tumor suppressing any intelligent thought he could have had at one time. His haircut alone was such a disaster that he should have been shunned from modern society, but the fact that his hairstyle is always changing is something to marvel at. I believe there should be a special scientific sector that only studies the evolutionary changes in his hair because of it’s amazing adaptability to be the most humiliating and ugly abomination possible.

Other than his hair dilemma, the movie The Wicker Man has him literally going around punching women in the face, and at one time karate kicking one with amazing accuracy, making me believe that he does this in his free time. Meanwhile, his face remains one of concentrated constipation that is his classic signature of mediocre acting. Then of course he has to yell random things in all of his movies which I am starting to think he improvises himself because he likes to raise his voice just for the sake of hearing himself louder than socially acceptable. Overall, I hope he can always make movies that go straight to DVD and provide entertainment through his failure.

Only 32 more days!

Valentine's Day Quiz Answers

1. Approximately 85% of Valentine's Day cards are purchased by women.

2. Cupid is Venus' son.

3. Candy manufacturer NECCO made the first "Conversation Hearts" (then called "Motto Hearts") in 1866.

4. 3% of pet owners will give Valentine's Day gifts to their pets.

5. About 36 million boxes of chocolate were sold for Valentine's Day in 2003 according to the Chocolate Manufacturer's Association.

6. Valentine's Day is mentioned in Hamlet when Ophelia sings "Good morrow! 'Tis St. Valentine's Day; All in the morning betime; And I a maid at your window,; To be your valentine!"

Valentine's Day Trivia

Watch tomorrow's blog for answers!

1. Approximately what percentage of Valentine's Day cards are purchased by women according to the Greeting Card Association?

2. Cupid is whose son?

3. In what year were conversation hearts first made?

4. What percent of pet owners will give Valentine's Day gifts to their pets?

5. Approximately how many boxes of chocolate are sold each year for Valentine's Day?

6. In what Shakespeare play is St. Valentine's Day mentioned?

American Library Association announces 2012 Youth Media Award winners | American Libraries Magazine

American Library Association announces 2012 Youth Media Award winners American Libraries Magazine

Pay special attention to the Michael L. Printz and the Alex awards for teen reads.  What have you guys read off of the list?  I loved Scorpio Races!

Anna Dressed in Blood Review by Jacqui

There have been love stories between humans and vampires, and there have been love stories between humans and werewolves, but where are the love stories between humans and ghosts?  For all of you that have been waiting for a human and ghost love connection, your prayers have been answered!   The new book Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake takes the reader into the world of Cas Lowood, a teenage boy who moves around the country finding and killing murderous ghosts.  Cas and his mother move to a new town to find the so-called ghost, Anna dressed in Blood.  When Cas eventually comes face to face with Anna and tries to kill her, Anna’s strength overcomes him, but for some reason she spares his life.  Cas teams up with a local witch and the homecoming queen to help uncover the truth about Anna’s mysterious death, but they find out more than they ever could imagine.  The book takes many twists and turns, leaving the reader wanting more.  There is mix of romance, horror, gore, and humor throughout the book that keeps you entertained and horrified at the same time.  This book is for anyone who likes the supernatural and enjoys a bit of romance thrown in the mix.  If you end up really enjoying the book, you are in luck; Kendare Blake is coming out with a sequel that will be released sometime this year!   

Friday the 13th!

Superstitions

A superstition is a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, or proceeding. It is also an irrational fear of what is unknown or mysterious, especially in connection with religion. The word, as we know it, is most commonly associated with the second definition. There are lots of superstitions out there, but to name a few of the common ones they are:

Friday the 13th (Bad luck associated with Judas being the 13th member at the Last Supper and Jesus being crucified on a friday.)

Breaking a mirror (7 years bad luck)

Finding a Horseshoe (Good luck, but make sure you pick it up with your right hand!)

Opening an umbrella inside (Bad luck will "rain" on you.)

Knocking on wood (Knock on wood 3 times after mentioning good fortune or the evil spirits will ruin things for you.)

Tossing spilled salt over your left shoulder (By doing this, you are driving away the evil spirits lurking around to cause to misfortune.)

Black cats (It's bad luck if you cross one of these because they are associated with evil witches.)

Again, these are just a few of the superstitions out there, but there are quite a few books about superstitions available for adults and children. Some that we have here at the library are:

Dictionary of Superstitions by: Iona Archibald Opie

A Treasury of American Superstitions by: Claudia De Lys

Blue Monday and Friday the 13th by: Lila Perl

Jinxed: Baseball superstitions from around the Major Leagues by: Ken Leiker

So, what do you think? Are you superstitious?

BONUS: Did you know the official term for fear of Friday the 13th is paraskevidekatriaphobia?

Bleach by Kubo Noriaki

I am currently going through a graphic novel phase. This has got me obsessed with the manga Bleach. If you don't know what manga is, it is basically Japanese graphic novels. My friend Staci recommended the series to me and now I can't stop. This series is the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains the powers of a Soul Reaper—a death personification kind of like a Grim Reaper—from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki. His newfound powers force him to take on the duties of defending humans from evil spirits and guiding departed souls to the afterlife. There are two different types of souls. There are regular souls that still look like humans. Then there are Hollows, that look like monsters and are evil. The hollows attack other good spirits and humans to eat their souls. This series is action packed and has a good plot. Plus, there is still humor in them. Sometimes I even catch myself laughing out loud from these books. Anyone will be able to finish these in a small amount of time since they still are basically pictures. The only downside to these is the characters all have Japanese names so it's kind of hard to pronounce. I would recommend these graphic novels to anyone who wants something to read that is short, adventurous and funny. - Alyson

Prove That Teens Use (and Love) Libraries

Prove That Teens Use (and Love) Libraries

Clockwork Angel - A Review

I FINALLY got around to reading the book Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, which my friend recommended to me. It’s been sitting on my overcrowded bookshelf for awhile, annoyed that it wasn’t getting the attention it deserved. It definitely should have been read sooner, because it was such a guilty pleasure. I usually despise any romance books, especially when I finally read one and the main character dies at the very end without any warning, breaking my soul into a million different pieces, leaving me weeping on the floor, and tempting me to find the author and murder him with no remorse (One Day by David Nicholls). Seriously…I can’t even think about that book without shaking with rage. ANYWAYS, the book Clockwork Angel combines one perfect thing, steampunk, and one questionable thing…romance, and puts it together in one book. For everyone who has no clue what steampunk is, which is almost everyone except horribly geeky people like me, it’s a sub-genre of fantasy/science fiction that combines the Victorian era and mixes it with steam power, aka, complicated mechanical machines. It’s amazing. I’m not going to lay out the plot or anything, but the main character, Tessa, has an interesting ability that allows her to change shape. After various events she arrives at the London institute, and gets to meet the shadowhunters. These are, as described in the book, ridiculously gorgeous people who protect mundanes (normal people) and are actually angels. Yada yada yada, and you get to Will and Jem. They are two shadowhunters that somehow BOTH like Tessa. How does this happen?! Geez…if I had a nickel for every time two guys fought over me…I would have exactly ZERO nickels. Even though this is highly unlikely, this love triangle is so addicting. Both of them are very unique and engrossing. That’s why I have just started the second book in the series and am 123 pages in. Who will win the young maiden's heart?! - Staci