Adult Summer Reading Program - And the winner is...

Congratulations to Valerie Bush for winning the grand prize of two tickets to an event at the Sovereign Center!





Thanks to everyone who took part in the program. We had 200 participants this year reading a total of 2181 books!

Thanks also to our generous sponsors:
Sovereign Center
Reading Phillies
Target
Alebrije Restaurant
Sam's Club
City Espresso
Reading Public Library

ASRP Comments

The Wild and Scenic Rivers of America by Tim Palmer
There is hope for the lifelines of our economy and the natural world.

Up Close and Personal by Fern Michaels
Trinity Henderson was conceived for the sole purpose of using her bone marrow to save her sister's life. Her mother, and I use the term loosely, gives Trinity to her forman and his wife to raise and never acknowledges Trinity as her daughter. Trinity suffers at the hands of her spoiled older sister and evil mother (you'll love hating this character). At age 15 someone or something causes Trinity to run away from home. Now 15 years later, friends from her childhood are searching for her. If they can find her before she turns 30, she'll inherit her biological father's fortune. Of course, if she's not found, her "mother" will inherit everything! Boo, Hiss!! Joing the search to find Trinity in Ferms Michaels' new book.

The Protector's War by S. M. Stirling
Good series.

The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson
Liked the reincarnation theme.

Murder Shoots the Bull by Anne George
A lighthearted fun mystery - easy to read and to follow.

Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult
Full of surprises and intriguing characters.

A Load of Old Bones by Suzette A. Hill
Very British - Funny!

The Well-Tended Perennial Garden by Rosemary Alexander
Fab reference book.

Desperate Duchess by Eloisa James
James sets her story in 1780s England. As with her previous books, you soon realize this will be another "series" of stories about English duchesses or noble women wishing to become duchesses: just how manycharacters included in this book will have their stories told, only Eloisa James knows. If however, as in this book, her fiture characters play chess, I will surely nod off from boredom. Accoeding to James, the Georgian period was an exciting time for chess; many games of strategy and skill were played in private by men and women in their bedrooms. In this story, James spent so much time "playing chess" with her characters that the true hero and heroine (both non-chess players) took secondary positions. Once these two characters became an item, the story moved along rapidly. If you're a chess afficionado you'll enjoy the chess matches depicted; otherwise, skip the games and go straight to the sex scenes!

How to Sell Collectibles on eBay by Jennifer A. Ericsson
Helpful on a lot of question I had.

Fresh Disasters by Stuart Woods
Not enough story.

Sin Querer Queriendo: Memorias by Roberto Gomez Bolanos
Me gusto mucho el libro!

White House Chef by Walter Sheib
Fascinating! Loads of tidbits of Presidents and their families living in the White House. Lots of recipes - although none worth making - ingredients would be hard to find. Sad and scary memories of cooking during 9/11 which was very interesting. Great book!

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
I liked this one very much and am glad it was our book club selection.

Hell Hath No Curry: A Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery with Recipes by Tamar Myers Oh, that Magdalena! Tamar Myers has written another funny, intriguing story.

ASRP Comments

Set Sail for Murder by Carolyn Hart
Enjoyable - will go back and read entire series.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows by J.K. Rowling
Great ending to a great series. Enjoyed thoroughly. Glad one of my predictions was wrong! Was right about other two.

The Execution Channel by Ken Macleod
The future is now!

High Noon by Nora Roberts
Excellent – Started out a little slow but my opinion is this is her best yet! Interesting plot.

Few authors can handle romance and suspense as successfully as Nora Roberts does, and she certainly

Edith Wharton by Hermione Lee
Best biography book on Wharton by far!

Eye of the Beholder by David Ellis
Fantastic! Gripping.

Up in Honey’s Room by Elmore Leonard
A must read!

The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown
Well worth the wait! Enjoyed it more than Andrew Morton’s.

Lucrezia Borgia and the Mother of Poisons by Roberta Gellis
Gives you great descriptions of life in the 1500s and how Lucrezia got a reputation she may not have deserved.

Vineyard Stalker by Philip R. Craig
I enjoyed the latest J. W. Jackson mystery. Philip Craig’s writing reminds me of times I spent on the Vineyard in the past. He will be missed in future summers.

The Art of Detection by Laurie R. King
Very enjoyable. Never knew of the forts that guarded San Francisco Harbor - great mystery.

The Hunt Club by John T. Lescroart
A new set of characters for Lescroart, with cameo appearances by a couple of the old. Good plot but story could have told in less space.

The Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson
Top notch Alex Cross tale... but he didn't catch the wolf. Maybe next time.

Darcy's Story by Janet Aylmer
Magical.

Liked it a lot. Was neat to hear the story from his point of view.

One Thousand White Women: The Journals of Mary Dodd by Jim Fergus
Arouses more sympathy for our Native Americans.

Raintree: Inferno by Linda Howard
Raintree: Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones
Raintree: Sanctuary by Beverly Barton

Three special friends from Alabama, authors Howard, Jones and Barton, brainstormed over a period of four years to create this trilogy of good wizards, the Raintree, vs. evil wizards, the Ansara, and their final battle for dominance in modern day America...
Each book involves a separate member of the Raintree royal family and his/her fight against a renegade group of evil wizards from the Ansara clan. The stories take place during the same time in June... the week before the summer solstice when the wizards gain extra power... sot he general story line and dialogue overlap (would have loved being a part of the authors' power lunches to iron out the wrinkles in plot lines, etc.)
Now, where this trilogy differs from others I've read is that Howard's Book 1 Inferno and Jones' Book 2 Haunted end as cliffhangers! You must read Book 3 Sanctuary to see how the stories end. So, I recommend you check out all three books, and start with Linda Howard's Inferno before reading the Jones and Barton books. If you're into paranormal romance, you'll enjoy this series.

wikiHow

Here’s a website I recently stumbled upon while searching for, I must confess, reviews on anti-dandruff shampoos. It’s called wikiHow and it is an endeavor “to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual.” One of the reasons I became a librarian is my desire to know how to do everything, so this could possibly be my Bible.
The project currently 23,076 articles on range of categories such as Arts & Entertainment, Cars & Other Vehicles, Finance & Business, Family Life, Home & Garden, Relationships, Sports & Fitness, and Teenagers. Do you want to know how to get out of debt? Are you dying to know how to cause a straw wrapper to wriggle like a worm? How to side manual (A side manual is when you ride your skateboard on two wheels, but on the side, not the back)? It’s all right here.
A reservation to consider is, as with any collaborative effort on the Internet such as Wikipedia or any other wiki, the inherent fact that anyone is able to add or edit the entries. Are the authors of the entry qualified to instruct you in the best, most efficient manner of, for example, making chainmail, applying false eyelashes, or shining stainless steel appliances? You decide.

Online Librarian
Carl

WIKIPEDIA http://en.wikipedia.org
Publicly launched on January 15, 2001

What THIS SITE IS:
Wikipedia is an open source, community based, online encyclopedia. Most entries are open to the revisions and additions of anyone with Internet access. This grants an advantage in multiple viewpoints and currency but also allows room for errors of omission and spamming. Fortunately, Wikipedia has many levels of editorial oversight and control.

Positives: Current, revisable, links to other sources (both print and online), multi language capacities (Español), ever-changing “fluid” information base, hyperlinks, spawning of other projects:

• Sister projects: Wiktionary, Wikinews, Wikiquote, Wikibooks, Wikispecies, etc.
• Spinoffs: Citizendium, Scholarpedia, the forthcoming Encyclopedia of Life (~2008) etc.
• Specific Wikis: Marvel Database, Conservapedia, Wookieepedia, etc.
  

Negatives: Inaccuracies through ignorance and/or malice, same limitations as an encyclopedia


Who SHOULD USE THIS SITE:
Wikipedia is helpful for those seeking quick and dirty orientation on a topic, particularly trendy or current topics. It is also handy for web-links and bibliographies.

Librarian Note: Librarians should be as wary of Wikipedia as of any general encyclopedic information source. Being careful to always triangulate (double check with multiple sources) the information you gather.

Interesting FEATURE:
Check out the Reading Public Library’s new Wikipedia entry! Or create your own.

Bottom LINE:
Wikipedia is not the end stop in the research process (as no encyclopedia should ever be) but it can be decent beginning, a way station if you will. Particularly of value is the currency of certain entries; for instance I dare you to find and entry for Web 2.0 in your mother’s Britannica. Despite being flawed Wikipedia can be very useful if used wisely.

Helpful LINKS:
Instruction/Tutorials/Features
Wikipedia Help
What is a Wiki?

Extras
Internet encyclopaedias go head to head
Q&A with Jimmy Wales Wikipedia Founder

Any QUESTIONS?
Please feel free to make a comment by clicking on the comments link below or if you prefer to reach me by email.

Reading Public Library presents . . .

A Book Discussion

When: Thursday, August 16, 2007
6:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Where: City Espresso, 124 South 5th Street, Reading, PA

RSVP: The program is free, but pre-registration is requested.

To sign up, call 610-655-6355, or visit the Reference Desk
at Reading Public Library, 100 South Fifth St., Reading, PA.
Refreshments will be available for purchase from City Espresso

...

Remember...

...

an Adult Summer Reading program ticket for this title will be worth 2 chances for the prizes and attendance to this discussion will be worth another entry!

ASRP Reviews

Images of America along the Route 100 Corridor Revisited by Patricia A. Stompf Blackwell
Interesting – Loved the old pictures and history of our local area

A Summer to Remember by Mary Balough
It’s entertaining, romantic and humorous in it’s portrayal of the “battle of the sexes.”

Too Late to Say Goodbye: A True Story of Murder and Betrayal by Ann Rule
Intriguing study of murder.

Lawman by Diana Palmer
Palmer has written over 100 books, and in all of her stories she follows the same formula. If you’ve read any of her books, you’ll recognize her style. Lawman is no different from any of her other stories… the names change, and the professions MIGHT change, but the settings remain similar as well as the conflicts. Why does she have such a following, you might ask? Maybe we all enjoy an occasional story that doesn’t require any special attention to detail and when it’s over, we close the cover and realize the it won’t be long before another “cookie cutter” romance will be published. If you enjoy watching movies or TV programs for the second, third, of fourth times, maybe Palmer is the author for you.

Double Take by Catherine Coulter
Coulter’s latest FBI thriller is packed with many of the same characters from her last book, Point Blank, and true to form, Coulter keeps the pages filled with suspense and slight touches of romance. FBI Special Agent Cheney Stone, (new to this story) interrupts the attempted murder of Julia Ransom along a San Francisco pier. Six months earlier, Julia’s husband, famous psychic August Ransom, was murdered, and the SF police are doggedly determined to pin the murder on Julia. However, this attempt on Julia’s life has all the earmarks of a “hit crime,” so Cheney brings in Coulter’s regulars, FBI Special Agents Savich and Sherlock for assistance.
At the same time these events are happening, Sheriff Dixon Noble from Virginia (also from Point Blank) is notified that his kidnapped and presumed dead wife has been sighted at a SF party married to a wealthy businessman. Watch what happens when all these FBI agents, police, hit men and doppelgangers converge on the streets of San Francisco. Someone should make a TV series around that title, huh?

Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman
She’s my favorite author and this book did not disappoint.

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Neffenegger
Loved it! Quite unique idea – almost believable. Wonderful love story.

The Shape Shifter by Tony Hillerman
Fast read. Love the history of the Navajo Indians and their beliefs. Great mystery.

Memories of My Melancholy Whore by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Sad how someone can be so lonely.

When French Women Cook: A Gastronomic Memoir by Madeleine Kamman
Well written beautiful memoirs of growing up and food before World War II. Tons of recipes after each chapter… some good such as walnut cupcakes… oh la la. Others not so yummy… head of fish mashed well with mayo… yuck!

Prayers for the Dead by Faye Kellerman
Somewhat educational on Jewish and Catholic beliefs

Myths, Lies and Downright Stupidity: Get Out the Shovel – Why Everything You Know Is Wrong by John Stossel
Very informative. Lots of Facts to back up what the author says.