Idaho Falls Public Library

december highlights...

2009-12-08T16:16:00.000-08:00

we're heading into some very exciting times!

We are collecting food and adult socks under our Giving Tree this year! Please remember to bring your donation on your next visit. All donations benefit The Haven Shelter.

December 14 @ 7pm is the official first meeting of the Idaho Falls Public Library Book Club. We are reading Kindred by Octavia Butler. Please come if you're looking for a book club!

December 21 is the beginning of Winter Reading--Rediscover Reading. We're very exciting about this program and the new books and authors we're going to get to "meet"

The Idaho Falls Public Library and the Iona Library will both be closed December 24, 25 and 26, as well January 1, 2010.

And 2010 is the year to REDISCOVER READING!

see you in the library!

2009-11-19T07:48:00.000-08:00

one reading program has ended, and here we go gearing up for the next great program at IFPL!!

the adult winter reading program begins on december 21!!

remember how much fun we had with beach blanket bingo a couple of years ago? that was the program that we challenged you to read books from different genres, authors from different backgrounds and award winning books... well, we're laying down a new challenge this year!

we're busily making author and setting lists, as this year we are encouraging you to read books by authors of other cultures and books set in places other than IDAHO!

this is how it works:

· Read (or listen to) books from an author from another culture, or books set in places other than Idaho

· Track your travels in your passport (*what have you read? And what did you think?)

· Come into the library with your passport, and have the librarian stamp your completed passport pages

· When you have “visited”:

*two destinations (i.e., read two books), you will get two “travel vouchers” to enter yourself into the drawing for the surprise grand prize

*five destinations, you will receive a mug and travel vouchers for the books you’ve read

*nine destinations, you will receive a book bag and even more travel vouchers!

If you decide to read more than nine books, you will receive more vouchers—no other prizes

At the end of the program, we will draw the winner of the surprise grand prize!!

*Please remember that books need to be written by authors that are from other cultures and books with settings that are in regions countries other than Idaho

*The program runs thru December 21 thru March 20, 2010—no late entries will be accepted!

almost done...

2009-10-19T19:52:00.000-07:00

we continue the Let's Talk About It series with our next book

Climbing the Mango Trees

by Madhur Jaffrey, and it's the last book in this series.

the discussion will be held November 2 @ 7pm in the Teen Room

please, please, please bring all of your LTAI books at this time for check-in. i thank you in advance!

* * * * *

have you voted for your favorite books from the 2010 Book Club in a Box Collection? voting ends the 31st... so get in here and VOTE for books you want to see in the collection.

* * * * *

do you have plans for december 14? if not, join us for the IFPL book club's first meeting! we're reading Kindred by Octavia Butler... see me if you are interested!

some odds and ends...

2009-10-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

don't worry! it's not too late...
we've only read two books in the Let's Talk About It--We Are What We Eat series. we welcome you to join us on Monday, October 19 at 7pm for the discussion for Mistress of Spices. we have a couple sets of the books left... get yours on the 3rd floor.

also... visit the book club page for questions from the last two books we've read!

* * *

do you nanowrimo?

it's November, and means it's National Novel Writing Month!
Join us on October 27 at 7pm for an introductory meeting about the program and how it works. some past nanowrimo champs will be on hand to answer your questions!

* * *
what about voting?

are you in a book club? are you interested in checking book-sets for your book club from the Idaho Falls Public Library? well, then you need to get in here and VOTE for the books you'd like to see in the 2010 Book Club in a Box sets.

you can get your ballot from a librarian on the 3rd floor!

* * *
don't forget...
the adult winter reading program will begin on December 21--the official first day of winter! hope to see you as we get Passports to Paradise!

Let's Talk About It!

2009-09-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

today is the day!

we're so pleased to offer you a new reading opportunity... as well as a community building opportunity! if you like to read good books and discuss them with good people, then

Let's Talk About It is for YOU!

so now you say, "okay, i'm ready... what do i do?"

you come in today! or maybe this weekend (we only have 15 book sets, so you won't want to lollygag)... but you can get your books from the friendly librarians on the 3rd floor!

and you read! we're starting with Choice Cuts--because it's short essays, and will be easy to read for our September 21 discussion group meeting.

you come to the discussion! please know you DO NOT have to have finished the book to come to discussion. just come and participate!

have fun reading these books about food!! and who knows, there maybe regional snacks!

if you have any questions, please call the library 612-8642!!

so who won the grand prizes?

2009-09-03T14:17:00.000-07:00

well, we are waiting on a few things to be delivered!!

and when everything arrives, we will draw the names for the 4... or i mean 5 winners!

did i mention that we added another grand prize?!

we hope to draw next week, so be on alert!!

___________________________

and, now on to the Fall event

Let's Talk About It: We are What We Eat

Food is one of human beings’ favorite obsessions. Most people spend a great deal of time physically and mentally preoccupied with food: we organize and prepare meals, we daydream about what’s for lunch or dinner; we eat. Beyond simply an enjoyable, necessary human pastime, though, eating has important implications for how we think of ourselves, and how we relate to the larger culture.

September 21:
Choice Cuts: A Savory Selection of Food Writing from Around the World and Throughout History by Mark Kurlansky
Choice Cuts is a wide-ranging anthology of writing about food, spanning the ancients (Plato is represented here, discussing food as medicine) to the turn of the 21st century (Mimi Sheridan writes about bialys, Jewish onion rolls).

October 5 @ 7pm
Chocolat by Joanne Harris
Can indulgent food be a force for spiritual liberation, or is it inevitably an invitation to self-indulgent corruption? The novel Chocolat addresses this question through the story of a free-spirited outsider, a woman with a young daughter who arrives in a straight-laced French village and opens a luxury chocolate shop.

October 19 @ 7pm
Mistress of Spices by Chitra Divakaruni
The Mistress of Spices is a lyric novel, written in a mixture of prose and poetry, in the style that has been called “magic realism”: while primarily set in this world (specifically, a run-down part of Oakland, California), it includes features which defy natural laws and give it an air of mysticism.

November 2 @ 7pm
Climbing the Mango Trees by Madhur Jaffrey
Climbing the Mango Tree is a delightful memoir of the author’s childhood in mid-twentieth-century Delhi, India. Madhur Jaffrey’s wealthy family lived in an extended-family compound, and her life was rich in cousins, aunts, and uncles.

we have a limited amount of sets of these books. so if you're interested in joining this group, let me know or be here on the 11th of september to check your set out.

also, for those of you who are interested in an IFPL book club, this is an opportunity to test the waters, so to speak. i have high hopes for this reading/discussion group, and that it will naturally "morph" into the IFPL book group. don't be shy--give this a try!

smooth sailing...

2009-07-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

... the end of the adult summer reading program is on the horizon!!

with less than a month to go in the program, i wanted to remind you of a few things:

the last day to enter for the weekly drawings is august 15, with the final weekly drawing taking place on august 17.

the last day to enter for any of the 4 grand prizes is august 22, with the prizes awarded on august 24.

our program differs from the children's department, as that program ends on august 8!

you still have a lot of time for reading and reviewing your books... hope to see you filling up our entry boxes!!

this week's winners: Amy Christensen * Ashley Wyant * Billie Wixom * Chris Wheat * Danielle Tom * Heather Buck * Hilary Jimenez * Jan McCullough * Jennifer Ward * Kami Gallup * Karen Barnes * Marie Hadley * Nikki Mallard * Renee Phillips *

DON'T MISS THIS!

2009-07-20T18:26:00.000-07:00

IFPL is pleased to welcome back Robert Sims!

You may remember that Dr Sims was here last spring in conjunction with Idaho Falls Reads... Snow Falling on Cedars. At that time, he gave a wonderfully educational presention about life in the camps for the Japanese-Americans during World War II.

Now, Dr. Sims is here to present Art in the Camps!

Japanese Americans imprisoned during World War II used art to help sustain their spirits during that time. Art was an important part of Japanese culture, infusing every aspect of life, and this was reflected in their activities during their imprisonment. Some of the art produced was documentary, depicting life and
events in the camp, and much was related to nature and the landscape of the camps. A number of outstanding artists contributed to this artistic record and their work is discussed and displayed through slides.
taken from the Idaho Humanities Council

join us wednesday, july 22 @ 7pm

Dr. Sims will also be working with the Children's library for two presentations on July 22 at 11am and 1pm... bring the whole family!

escape with us...

2009-07-13T14:23:00.000-07:00

or should i say, "escape ON us"?

did you know that we now are offering 4 grand prize options? indeed, we are...

(1) NEW SONY 8GB MP3 PLAYER for our adult readers

**comes with a itunes gift card!
~8 GB capacity for up to 1,850 songs or 30 hours of video
~ Enjoy up to 45 hours of continuous music or 8 hours of video on a single charge
~ 2-inch TFT color display with white LED-backlight, QVGA (240 x 320 Pixels) resolution, and 262,144 colors
~ Supported audio formats: MP3, WMA, AAC-LC, and Linear PCM; supported video formats: AVC(H.264/AVC), MPEG-4, Windows Media Video 9
~ COMPATIBLE WITH IFPL/NETLIBRARY

(2) Apple iPod nano 8 GB (4th Generation) for our young adult (aka teen) readers

**comes with a itunes gift card!
~ 8 GB capacity for 2,000 songs, 7,000 photos, or 8 hours of video
~ Up to 24 hours of music playback or 4 hours of video playback when fully charged
~ 2-inch LCD with blue-white LED backlight and 320-by-240-pixel resolution
~ Supported audio formats: AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
~ Supported video formats: H.264, MPEG-4; Supported image file types: JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only), and PNG

(3) lava hot springs, idaho

includes: gift certificate to Lava Hot Springs Inn

gift certificate to a couple of area restaurants
gift certificate to Lava Hot Springs Pool Passes
a basket of pool goodies

(4) west yellowstone, montana
includes: gift certificate to Moose Creek Inn
gift certificate to Sydney's Mountain Bistro
gift certificate to Pete's Rocky Mountain Pizza
a Yellowstone National Park annual pass

with these great grand prizes and the pretty awesome weekly* prizes... isn't about time you signed up to read with us this summer?!

*we've already given away over 60 weekly prizes this summer!

have you signed up?

2009-06-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

signed up for what?

SUMMER READING! that's what!!

we are the full swing of things, giving away prizes every week--cool prizes too! books, t-shirts, book bags, reading/travel journals, and all sorts of gift cards! i know we're adults, and we shouldn't need prizes for reading, because we know that reading is prize enough... but it's a little guilty pleasure from us to YOU!

and don't forget about our super great trips to west yellowstone and lava hot springs!

so come on down, and go anywhere with a book!!

it doesn't feel like summer, yet...

2009-06-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

... but summer reading in the library is HEATING UP!!

we hope those of you who have signed up are enjoying your time reading, because we are enjoying reading your reviews and comments about the books! so keep those reviews coming!

last week i "negelected" to post the weekly winners... oops!

here are all of the winners so far:

Allie Walker * Amberlee Murdock * Amy Savage * Angie Rockwood * Arlynn Horne * Bonnie Blad * Brenda J Patterson * Brenda Summers * Debbie Cramer * Ellis Benson * Emily Webb * Erin Klingler * Gina Lay * Janet Stewart * Julie Flowers * Kaitlin Price * Karen Tolman * Kirstyn Hodge * Megan Lewis * Melinda Salvesen * Misty Taylor * Natasha Ohene Opar * Paula Zohner * Rachel Fullner * Robin Crepeau * Sandra Davison * Sherry Glick * Taishalyn Steiner * Theresa Suekel * Tonilia Meng

please pick up the prize that was drawn especially for you at the 3rd floor desk

(sorry, no substitutions on prizes. thanks!)

it's begun...

2009-06-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

come to the library and sign-up today!

we have great weekly prizes and extraordinary grand prizes this year in addition to being your passport to the world! take a trip, and go anywhere with a book at idaho falls public library!

be sure to visit the what to read page for more ideas about, well, um... what to read! and feel free to leave suggestions for others--we really like it when you do that : )

see you at the library!

2009-05-14T09:35:00.000-07:00

come to the library and check out one of our many, many get-aways...

we like to call them BOOKS!

program begins in just two weeks on JUNE 1, 2009!

Montana? what about IDAHO?

2009-05-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

many of you have asked about this...

on my last post, I was fresh from the Montana

awards that we're announced last month, that I wanted to share some of the great stuff that is being written in (and about) our beautiful region!

But just so you know that I love

Idaho Book Awards

too, here is a list of past winners:

2007 Winner
At Nature's Edge: Frank Lloyd Wright's Artist Studio by Henry Whiting

At Nature’s Edge chronicles the design and history of the studio and the restorations that were necessary to preserve it after years of neglect. Written for all readers who are inspired by nature and architecture, the book is vividly illustrated with contemporary color photographs, historical black and white images, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s original drawings.

2006 Winner
A Danish Photographer of Idaho Indians: Benedicte Wrensted by Joanna Cohan Scherer
Benedict Wrensted, a remarkable photographer who worked in Pocatello, Idaho, from 1895 to 1912, greatly contributed to the visual legacy of the Northern Shoshone, Lemhi, and Bannock ("Sho-Ban") American Indian tribes. This beautifully designed volume, illustrated with 176 duotone photographs and 2 maps, reproduces a substantial number of Wrensted's photographs, along with a detailed description of each image, including the names of the subjects, their biographical data, and an ethnographic analysis of their Native attire.

2005 Winner
The Deep Dark: Disaster and Redemption in the America's Richest Silver Mine by Gregg Olsen, Crown Publishers
In The Deep Dark, Gregg Olsen looks beyond the intensely suspenseful story of the fire and rescue to the wounded heart of Kellogg, a quintessential company town that has never recovered from its loss. A vivid and haunting chapter in the history of working-class America, this is one of the great rescue stories of the twentieth century.

2004 Winner
The Cyanide Canary by Joseph Hilldorfer and Robert Dugoni, Free Press
The Cyanide Canary is the riveting true story of a horrific crime — of a brave young man left for dead, an unscrupulous business mogul, and the relentless EPA investigator who fought to overcome injustice. On a crisp summer morning in Soda Springs, Idaho, twenty-year-old Scott Dominguez kissed his fiance goodbye and went to work for Allan Elias, the owner of Evergreen Resources, an enterprise Dominguez thought was in the business of producing fertilizer from mining waste. A former high school wrestler blessed with Tom Cruise-like good looks, Dominguez seemed to have unlimited potential, but by eleven o'clock that morning he was fighting for his life, pulled unconscious from a cyanide-laced storage tank and not expected to live through the night. In Seattle, Special Agent Joseph Hilldorfer of the Environmental Protection Agency was given the job of finding out what happened to Dominguez and why. Initially Hilldorfer did not want the case, still frustrated by an intense two-year investigation that concluded with corporate polluters walking out of a federal courthouse free. But as he learned more, Hilldorfer, the son of a Pittsburgh cop with a blue-collar work ethic, was touched by Scott's suffering and outraged at Elias's callous disregard for his employees' well-being. Hilldorfer and his partner, Special Agent Bob Wojnicz, joined forces with seasoned Boise Assistant U.S. Attorney George Breitsameter and an indefatigable, brilliant young attorney from the Department of Justice's Environmental Crimes Section named David Uhlmann. Together they would uncover the horrifying truths and build the criminal case against Elias. A former New York whiz kid and Arizona realestate and business mogul, Elias owned businesses that had polluted Idaho with hazardous waste for nearly a decade. Yet Elias never spent a single day in jail, openly boasted of beating the environmental quality regulations, and avoided any significant fines. Would this case be any different?

2003 Winner
Traplines: coming home to Sawtooth Valley by John Rember, Pantheon Books
In 1987, John Rember returned home to Sawtooth Valley, where he had been brought up. He returned out of a homing instinct: the same forty acres that had sustained his family's horses had sustained a vision of a place where he belonged in the world, a life where he could get up in the morning, step out the door, and catch dinner from the Salmon River. But to his surprise, he found that what was once familiar was now unfamiliar. Everything might have looked the same to the horses that spring, but to Rember this was no longer home.

2002 Winner
The Secrets of the Magic Valley and Hagerman's Remarkable Horse, edited by Todd Shallat, Black Canyon Communications
In Idaho's Magic Valley, water transformed a desert into a significant agricultural region. Here fur trappers encountered Snake River Native Americans; Oregon Trail emigrants suffered deprivation and death; miners rushed for placer gold; and an ancestor of the modern horse was found in a world-class fossil trove that would become a national monument site.

2001 Winner

Standing up to the Rock, T. Louise Freeman-Toole (University of Nebraska Press)
Chronicling her ten-year romance with the rugged and spectacular landscape of a small Idaho town, the author takes readers along as she and her son round up cattle, fix fences, hike, kayak, meet bears and encounter rural traditions and values that force her to reexamine her own views on environmentalism, the treatment of animals, property rights, child rearing, and death.

2000 Winner:
Out of the Ruins, William Johnson (Confluence Press)
Johnson's poems recreate his world in the Pacific Northwest where wild rivers, moose, and lightning are common sights. Whether beholding the Northern Lights, or staring into a high meadow where the dark shape of a bear "lumbers through patches of late melting snow", Johnson pledges his allegiance to the indescribable joy we find in creation. He uses the most homely objects in his poems — a worn out pair of work boots, a collapsed barn — to embody the past and unite it with the present. In doing so, he leads us out of the ruins along the path to love and redemption.

1999 Winner:
Irrigated Eden: the Making of an Agricultural Landscape in the American West, Mark Fiege (University of Washington Press)
This study of irrigation in southern Idaho's Snake River Valley describes a complex interplay of human and natural systems. At a great effort millions of acres were brought into cultivation, but the intended agricultural order was soon compromised by nature.

**Again, we are trying to get all of these titles not currently on our shelves. You can also use the library's interlibrary loan service to request one of these titles...

See you in the library!

local talent...

2009-04-27T18:46:00.000-07:00

did you know that there is such a thing as the Montana Book Award?

there is indeed, and the Montana Book Award is an annual award that recognizes literary and/or artistic excellence in a book published during the award year. Eligible titles will be set in Montana, deal with Montana themes or issues, or be written, edited, or illustrated by a Montana author or artist.

i have just returned from the Montana Library Conference in Kalispell and brought with me a whole list of books that are inspired by the beautiful state of Montana, and i wanted to share the winners as well as some of the noteworthy titles*:

2008 winner

FULL-COURT QUEST by Linda Peavy and Ursula Smith

...the story of the women's basketball team at an isolated Indian boarding school at Fort Shaw, Montana at the turn of the 20th century. The team eventually brought its champion skills in the fledgling game to the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. The authors profile the 10 team members who represented seven different tribes and supplement the surviving oral history of the team's success with photographs, records, and archives from the school and other institutions.

honor books
FREEMAN WALKER by David Allen Cates
At the age of seven a mulatto slave boy, Jimmy Gates, is freed by his owner-father, separated from his mother, and sent to England for an education. So begins this adventure story of one man's quest to understand the true meaning of moral freedom.

MONTANA: Stories of the Land by Krys Holmes

More than 12,000 years of Montana history come to life in Montana: Stories of the Land. This new book, created for use in teaching Montana history, offers a panorama of the past beginning with Montana's first people and ending with life in the twenty-first century. Incorporating Indian perspectives, Montana: Stories of the Land is the first truly multicultural history of the state. It features hundreds of historical photographs, unique artifacts, maps, and paintings largely drawn from the Society's extensive collections. Sidebar quotations bring the stories of ordinary people to life while providing diverse perspectives on important historical events.

REQUIEM FOR LOCUSTS by Wendy Parciak

This is the story of how people react when confronted by someone whose life is more out of control than their own. It is a story of love, misunderstanding, suspense and heartbreak. It is one that is familiar to us, as we wonder about our neighbors, experience the painfulness of self-doubt, or witness the confusion and fright of mental illness. It is the story of all who are forced to confront the chaos in their own lives.

SAVING HOMEWATERS by Gordon Sullivan

Charting the transformation of Montana's streams and rivers from polluted waterways in the late 1800s to championed areas by conservationists, this book tells the story of how they became protected by policies set between 1900 and 1940 as well as problems with industry and restoration efforts thereafter. The second half of the book details individual rivers and their advocates. Sullivan, a Montana native, is a professional photographer and author.

**we don't have all of these in the library, but we're working on getting them just as soon as we can FOR YOU!

see you in the library!

looking for something?

2009-04-09T08:18:00.000-07:00

are you a reader?

are you looking for other readers?

are you interested in a book club?

well, then you're at the right place!

we're looking into starting a book club here at IFPL! if you are interested, please leave a comment here or send me an email jhentzen@ifpl.org. with enough interest, more information will be forth coming!

see you at the library!

success!

2009-04-09T08:01:00.000-07:00

thank you to all of you who read

Snow Falling on Cedars

with us this year!

chapter 10...

2009-03-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

... that's where you should be for tonight's discussion for

Snow Falling on Cedars!

hope to see you at the discussion tonight!

discussion tonight at 7pm and again on Friday at 10am

if you have questions, please call jenniffer 612-8330

thank you!

2009-02-28T12:58:00.000-08:00

did you know that you--the ifpl cardholders--are the best!

again, you have surpassed my idea of success for our TIKI! TIKI! TIKI! winter reading program! we had more readers signed up, more active participants, and more prizes given out this year. so we thank you!!

and now on to Idaho Falls Reads...

Snow Falling on Cedars

by David Guterson

the books are now available in the library, and will be available at both Great Harvest Bread, Co. locations, as well as Wasabi Japanese Restaurant on Monday, March 2.

we're very excited to invite you to your free copy of the book, to come into the library for discussion groups, as well as a presentation by Robert Sims, called Minidoka: A Japanese American Prison Camp in World War II.

we hope to see you in the library for the all of the events!

*remember, if you can't make the book discussion groups, check out the reading group/book club blog

tiki! tiki! tiki!

2009-02-10T14:18:00.000-08:00

is almost over! over! OVER!

you still have time to get your free book or free

t-shirt!

just keep reading

and bring in your

finished review forms

to the library by february 28, you can still pick up your prizes!

have you read something so good in the tiki! program, and you want to share it with other readers?

come on february 17 at 7pm for our open mic night. you can give us a little taste of your book!

Idaho Falls Reads...

2009-01-28T07:39:00.000-08:00

coming in March 2009

Idaho Falls Reads... is the Idaho Falls Public Library annual community-wide book club, where we provide the books, the speakers, the events and the discussions for everyone in Idaho Falls, well actually for everyone in Bonneville County!

We are so excited to be reading Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson this year. This book is especially poignant for the southern Idaho region, as it deals with haunting issues of prejudice towards the Japanese Americans during World War II.

from the publisher:

San Piedro Island, north of Puget Sound, is a place so isolated that no one who lives there can afford to make enemies. But in 1954 a local fisherman is found suspiciously drowned, and a Japanese American named Kabuo Miyamoto is charged with his murder. In the course of the ensuing trial, it becomes clear that what is at stake is more than a man's guilt. For on San Pedro, memory grows as thickly as cedar trees and the fields of ripe strawberries — memories of a charmed love affair between a white boy and the Japanese girl who grew up to become Kabuo's wife; memories of land desired, paid for, and lost. Above all, San Piedro is haunted by the memory of what happened to its Japanese residents during World War II, when an entire community was sent into exile while its neighbors watched. Gripping, tragic, and densely atmospheric, Snow Falling on Cedars is a masterpiece of suspense — one that leaves us shaken and changed.

Snow Falling on Cedars:
· Winner of the 1995 PEN/Faulkner Award
· American Booksellers Association Book of the Year Award
· Pacific Northwest Bookseller Association Award

Other people said:
· "Compelling...heartstopping. Finely wrought, flawlessly written." The New York Times Book Review
· "[A] thoughtful, poetic first novel, a cleverly constructed courtroom drama with detailed, compelling characters....Packed with lovely moments and as compact as haiku — at the same time, a page-turner full of twists." Kirkus Reviews
· "A powerful meditation on the nature of pride and prejudice and personal responsibility....Casts a deepening spell." Seattle Post Intelligencer
· "The novel poetically evokes the beauty of the land while revealing the harshness of war, the nuances of our legal system, and the injustice done to those interned in U.S. relocation camps. Highly recommended." Library Journal

IFPL is looking for volunteers for the planning committees for this program. if you are interested, please contact Jenniffer at the library, 612-8330 or jennifferh@ipl.org

book talks @ open mic

2009-01-13T09:01:00.000-08:00

tell us what you think!

next tuesday night (the 20th @ 7pm) we want you to come to the library and tell us what you thought was the best book of 2008--or at least what you thought was the best book you read in the past year!

you can talk about almost any book you want, and we welcome discussion starters!

please contact me jennifferh@ifpl.org if you are interested in speaking next week.

the best of...

2009-01-07T09:04:00.000-08:00

2008

i've created a list of the best books of the past year--not only with my own opinion, but with the "collective brain" of librarians nation-wide, as well as the best seller lists and just from what YOU have told me. check out the what to read blog for the lists with a brief synopsis for each book. you can also snag your lists at the library...

happy reading in 2009!

time to curl up with a good book!

2009-01-05T09:55:00.000-08:00

with the lovely

distractions of family and friends during the Christmas season, we don't seem to notice the the snow and cold. there are all of those FUN things to look forward to...

... and then we're faced to deal with the reality of winter! well, i think i have a bandaid cure for the bleakness of winter--reading a good book!

TIKI! TIKI! TIKI! also known as the IFPL winter reading program is still running strong, and you have until February 28 to read and win prizes! and i have been hearing that people are wandering over into the 800 section and finding really good stuff--stuff they might never have found without being encouraged. for example, did you know that Isaac Asimov wrote about his favorite jokes? you can read all of them in Isaac Asimov's Treasury of Humor. or did you know that the illustrated Ten Great Plays (by Shakespeare) is the most popular--according to circulation stats--book in the 800 section? or did you know that there is a book full of poems and stories about baseball? Baseball: a literary anthology is here and hiding out in the 800s! stroll over there and browse the shelves...

just so you know, the libraries (Idaho Falls and Iona) will be closed on January 19 for Human Rights Day. please plan ahead.

on to other things... Open Mic Night is on January 20 @ 7pm and we're going to focus on books we read in 2008--either books we LOVED or those we really didn't. please come and give us a little synopsis about your book, to talk about your feelings about the book, and maybe be prepared to defend your stance.

it should be a fun night!

and like i said before, we are all feeling that winter is here... please, please plan ahead on your borrowing. we can usually renew a book/magazine/audio book (as long as no one has requested the item), but there is no way we can renew DVD or VHS items.

keep that in mind while taking those items home.

Idaho Falls Reads... is just around the corner. this is a major event for us at the library, and we think that your input would help us make this program even better! contact me (jennifferh@ifpl.org / 612-8330) if you have suggestions or comments. thanks!

see you in the library!

you missed it!

2008-12-17T09:08:00.000-08:00

the attendance was spare, but the Christmas spirit was strong!!

at our first Open Mic Night, we welcomed two readers who both shared Christmas stories:
Brent read us the tale of Stubby Pringle written by Jack Schaefer (of Shane fame)...

Stubby Pringle, spurs a jingle, jobs upslope through crusted snow.The roan, warmed through, moves strong and steady under him. Line cabin and line work are far forgotten things back and back and up and up the mighty mass of mountain. He is Stubby Pringle, rooting, tooting hard-working hard-playing cowhand of the Triple X, heading for the Christmas dance at the schoolhouse in the valley.

Lula shared an autobiographical Christmas story as well as a poem...

i'm thankful for those who came to read, and those who stayed to listen. We'll do the Open Mic Night again on January 20, 2009, and we welcome original work, interpretive readings or even book talks! it's open...