The Christmas classic the world almost forgot.

I recently was skimming through Complete Copyright: A Guide for Librarians and read the most interesting tidbit about the classic Christmas film It's a Wonderful Life. This story is considered by many to be the definitive holiday movie, however 32 years ago it was so unpopular the legal department of Republic Pictures allowed the copyrights to expire. This meant that after 1974 any television or cable station could broadcast this movie without having to ask permission or pay royalties. For the next 19 years one could hardly make it through December without seeing it at least once. As the movie was broadcast endlessly during each and every holiday season, its popularity grew in leaps and bounds. Republic Pictures realized their error and was able to regain copyright control of It's a Wonderful Life in 1993. However, it was the film's continuous presence on the airwaves at Christmastime for the previous two decades that made this once nearly-forgotten movie synonymous with Christmas in the hearts of millions of people around the world. So what Republic Pictures must have considered a terrible error in judgement was actually a boon to us all.

Now that It's a Wonderful Life is back under copyright protection, it's harder to find it playing on TV. Fortunate for our patrons, we have this and dozens of other Christmas films on display this month. Here's just a sample of the classics and newer films that will make your spirits bright this season.

A Christmas Story
White Christmas
Christmas with the Kranks
It's a Wonderful Life
Elf
Love Actually

Season's Readings!

Ho! Ho! Ho! and Merry Christmas to you all. This month we have made our list and checked it twice for all the great Christmas books that have been waiting patiently the past 11 months for the holiday season to arrive. I happily hummed a Christmas tune as I collected cookbooks, personal narratives, love stories, mysteries, and so much more, all with that happy holiday flair.

These titles are just a few of the many books to put the yuletide spirit in your heart and a little elf-like spring in your step. Check our special holiday display for these books and more.


Southern Christmas : literary classics of the holidays
The first gift of Christmas
The Christmas quilt : an Elm Creek Quilts novel
A cat on Jingle Bell Rock : an Alice Nestleton mystery
Undead and unreturnable
Mistletoe and murder
A Christmas visitor
A season of angels
The gift of Christmas present

Holiday shopping to benefit your library

The holiday shopping season is well under way and we want to let you know how your holiday shopping can benefit the library. We also have some great gift ideas for you!


Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble

If you are already a loyal customer of Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble, consider making your purchases via the following links or from the library's website. A percentage of your purchase total will be given to the Friends of the Library, at no additional charge to you! How easy can it be?!

• Shop at Amazon.com
• Shop at Barnes and Noble online

Magazine subscriptions

Through the library's website you can also buy, renew, or extend your favorite magazine subscriptions and save up to 85% off off newsstand prices! Choose from over 650 popular magazine titles and 40% of your purchase goes to the Friends of the Library. Visit http://www.friendsmags.com/, select "Kentucky" and click the "Find" button. Choose "Friends of Henderson County Public Library" from the list. You'll get the satisfaction of supporting a favorite cause while purchasing something you would buy anyway. Magazine subscriptions make great Christmas gifts, or gifts anytime year round!

Local talent

If you're looking for a unique gift for that hard-to-please individual, or want a gift with local flavor, consider something from the library's online store. Henderson County is fortunate to have a large share of outstanding authors, artists, and other creative individuals. Many books and songs have been written by Hendersonians, and the Library is pleased to offer many of these items for sale. We carry books, compact discs, cassettes, framed postcards, and bookbags.

DVDs, music, and books on CD we ordered November 22

Below is a list of the DVDs, music, and books on CD recently ordered by the library. Click on the titles to see more and request a copy!


DVDs

The Covenant
The librarian: Return to King Solomon's mines
Miracle on 34th Street
Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont
One special night
Seven days in May

Carlos Mencia: Not for the easily offended
Diabetes facts, nutrition & cooking
Richard Simmons: Supersweatin': Party off the pounds
Vegetarian cooking with compassionate cooks

Built to be wild
New to the crew
Open Season


Music

Beatles: Love
Wow! Gospel: 2003


Books on CD

The Sweet Potato Queens' first big-ass novel by Browne, Jill Conner
No place like home by Clark, Mary Higgins
Bungalow 2 by Steel, Danielle

How to see yourself as you really are by Bstan-'dzin-rgya-mtsho, Dalai Lama XIV

New books we ordered November 22, 2006

Below is a list of the books recently ordered by the library. They are grouped by Fiction, Non-fiction and Large Print. Click on the title to see more and request a copy!


Fiction

Sugar and spice
Mistletoe : 4 holiday stories by Abbott, Hailey
House of meetings by Amis, Martin
The shepherd, the angel, and Walter the Christmas miracle dog by Barry, Dave
The tower of shadows by Bowling, Drew C.
The Sweet Potato Queens' first big-ass novel : stuff we didn't actually do, but could have, and may yet by Browne, Jill Conner
The Welsh girl : a novel by Davies, Peter Ho
What is the what by Eggers, Dave
Triple cross by Ehrman, Kit
A very Merry Christmas by Foster, Lori
Twilight : a novel by Gay, William
Sight unseen by Goddard, Robert
The castle in the forest : a novel by Mailer, Norman
A far country by Mason, Daniel
I'll be home for Christmas : and stories by Miller, Linda Lael
A merry little Christmas by Palmer, Catherine
Heart of winter by Palmer, Diana
Songs of the humpback whale : a novel in five voices by Picoult, Jodi
Against the day by Pynchon, Thomas
Against the tide by Ringo, John
Emerald sea by Ringo, John
Ghost by Ringo, John
First impressions by Roberts, Nora
Chasing the dead : a novel by Schreiber, Joe
Summer lies by Schwemm, Diane
Summer love by Schwemm, Diane
Summer promises by Schwemm, Diane
Blackout by Smith, Guy N.
Bungalow 2 by Steel, Danielle
Sliver of truth : a novel by Unger, Lisa
Innocent traitor by Weir, Alison
Red sky lament by Wright, Edward


Nonfiction

GRE exam 2007 edition: comprehensive program
Life platinum anniversary collection : 70 years of extraordinary photography.
Mayo Clinic on vision and eye health / practical answers on glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration & other conditions
Ocean : the world's last wilderness revealed.
The Shambhala Anthology of Chinese Poetry
A perfect mess : the hidden benefits of disorder : how crammed closets, cluttered offices, and on-the-fly planning make the world a better place by Abrahamson, Eric
How to see yourself as you really are by Bstan-'dzin-rgya-mtsho, Dalai Lama XIV
The authentic Adam Smith : his life and ideas by Buchan, James
Nuclear power is not the answer by Caldicott, Helen
The listening heart : vocation and the crisis of modern culture by Conyers, A. J.
Destined for destiny : the unauthorized autobiography of George W. Bush by Dikkers, Scott
Creationists : selected essays, 1993-2006 by Doctorow, E. L.
Pioneer spirit : Catherine Spalding, Sister of Charity of Nazareth by Doyle, Mary Ellen
On the brink : an insider's account of how the White House compromised American intelligence by Drumheller, Tyler
The plan : big ideas for America by Emanuel, Rahm
Love and Louis XIV : the women in the life of the Sun King by Fraser, Antonia
The ode less travelled : unlocking the poet within by Fry, Stephen
God's universe by Gingerich, Owen
Hit the ground running by Greenberg, Peter
Turn away thy son : Little Rock, the crisis that shocked the nation by Jacoway, Elizabeth
Animals for show and pleasure in ancient Rome by Jennison, George
Freud : inventor of the modern world by Kramer, Peter D.
Cracking the GRE : with DVD by Lurie, Karen
Overblown : how politicians and the terrorism industry inflate national security threats, and why we believe them by Mueller, John E.
The golden voices of football by Patterson, Ted
The other side of war : women's stories of survival & hope by Salbi, Zainab
Why Darwin matters : the case against intelligent design by Shermer, Michael
Thomas Hardy by Tomalin, Claire
Medical apartheid : the dark history of medical experimentation on Black Americans from colonial times to the present by Washington, Harriet A.


Large Print

Senator and the priest by Greeley, Andrew M.
Heartbreaker by Howard, Linda
Web of evil by Jance, Judith A.
Found by Kingsbury, Karen
White lies by Krentz, Jayne Ann
High profile by Parker, Robert B.
Bungalow 2 by Steel, Danielle

Holiday closings

As the busy holiday season approaches, we want to make everyone aware of the library's closing schedule. Of course, you can still do business with the library even while we are closed! Renew materials, place holds, and check your account using our online catalog, iPac. Research your family tree (while you have everyone together!), check your mutual funds, or learn a new language in our online Research Center.

The library will be closed the following days:

Thanksgiving, November 23

Staff training, December 15

Christmas, December 24 - 27

New Year's, December 31 - January 2

The staff would like to thank each one of its patrons for another great year of library service. We wish you all a joyous and wonderful holiday season!

New books we ordered November 16, 2006

Below is a list of the books recently ordered by the library. They are grouped by Fiction, Non-fiction, Large Print and Children. Click on the title to see more and request a copy!


Fiction

The gilded web by Balogh, Mary
Secrets of my Hollywood life : a novel by Calonita, Jen
Empire by Card, Orson Scott
Moon white : color me enchanted by Carlson, Melody
Home at last by Corgiat, Jerri
Sing me home by Corgiat, Jerri
The prince kidnaps a bride by Dodd, Christina
Deadly game by Feehan, Christine
Dial L for Loser : a Clique novel by Harrison, Lisi
The uses of enchantment : a novel by Julavits, Heidi
Lonesome Dove : a novel by McMurtry, Larry
High noon by Roberts, Nora
Invisible prey by Sandford, John
Reckless : an It Girl novel by Von Ziegesar, Cecily
Gluttony by Wasserman, Robin
Sloth by Wasserman, Robin
Wrath by Wasserman, Robin
The dragonbone chair by Williams, Tad


Nonfiction

The Marvel Comics encyclopedia : a complete guide to the characters of the Marvel universe.
What ifs? of American history : eminent historians imagine what might have been
The art of living well : looking good, feeling great by Collins, Joan
Cancer : we live and die by radiation by Delfino, Michelangelo
Everett Grist's big book of marbles : a comprehensive identification & value guide for both antique and machine-made marbles by Grist, Everett
Firstlight : the early inspirational writings of Sue Monk Kidd. by Kidd, Sue Monk
David : 90 days with a heart like his by Moore, Beth
Namath by Namath, Joe Willie
Civilization : a new history of the Western world by Osborne, Roger
Out of my mind by Rooney, Andrew A.
Ask the fruitcake lady : everything you would already know if you had any sense by Rudisill, Marie
Antique Trader book collectors price guide by Russell, Richard
Keep the river on your right by Schneebaum, Tobias
Science friction : where the known meets the unknown by Shermer, Michael
Mindless eating : why we eat more than we think by Wansink, Brian
11 days in December : Christmas at the Bulge, 1944 by Weintraub, Stanley
Jack Bauer's having a bad day : an unauthorized investigation of faith in 24: Season 1 by Wesemann, Tim


Large Print

Ladies' man by Brockmann, Suzanne
On Tall Pine Lake by Garlock, Dorothy
Hunters by Griffin, W. E. B.
True evil by Iles, Greg


Children

Care and feeding of Sprites by Black, Holly
Bad Dog, Marley! by Grogan, John
Marley : a dog like no other by Grogan, John
Augustine by Watt, Melanie
Alphabet rescue by Wood, Audrey

DVDs, music, and books on CD we ordered November 16

Below is a list of the DVDs, music, and books on CD recently ordered by the library. Click on the titles to see more and request a copy!


DVDs

Big trouble
Broken bridges
Dark kingdom: The dragon king
Great balls of fire
Gridiron gang
How to lose your lover
Idlewild
Jet Li's Fearless
My super ex-girlfriend
Sergeant York
Snakes on a plane
Spun
Who made the potatoe salad?

Agatha Christie: Poirot: Classic crimes collection
Poirot: The movie collection 2
Poirot: The movie collection

The fox and the hound 2
Heroes to the rescue
Home alone
Knights of the snake table
The legend of the volcano sisters



Music

The best of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
Brooklyn Tabernacle: God is working
Now that's what I call Christmas III


Books on CD

Jim Cramer's real money by Cramer, Jim
Facing your giants by Lucado, Max

Obsession by Robards, Karen

How to Conduct an Annual Portfolio Review

When holiday trimmings begin appearing in stores, you know what time of year it is: It's time for you to give your portfolio a thorough year-end checkup.

Key points to cover include:

Asset mix: Your mix of U.S. stocks, foreign stocks, bonds, and cash.

Investment style: Does your portfolio still match your style and goals? Remember, portfolios can shift over time, as some investments perform better than others.

Overconcentration: You may discover you own more of a stock than you think. You have to be especially careful if you own mutual funds, as an overlap of holdings occurs regularly.

Foreign exposure: Perhaps you believe you don't have any. But you may be surprised. Most large companies have international operations, and these count as foreign exposure.



So how do you rebalance?

First, go to Portfolio X-Ray on Morningstar Library Edition. Here you can enter your holdings. Once you do, you can check everything mentioned above, and more, including fees and expenses. You can dig down to the individual holdings level to see how your stocks, funds, and ETFs are performing, all from the privacy of your home or business.

Second, consult a reference on ways to conduct a portfolio review. Doing so ensures you don't overlook something important. We suggest you refer to the Portfolio courses in the Investing Classroom on Morningstar Library Edition. While we think you will find the entire section invaluable, you'll find two tracks in particular that deal with the task at hand: Portfolios 301 and 302--How to Monitor Your Portfolio, Parts 1 and 2.


What are you waiting for? Click here to begin!


Armed with these tips and tools provided free by your library, you'll be ringing in the new year in great financial shape!

DVDs, music, and books on CD we ordered November 9

Below is a list of the DVDs, music, and books on CD recently ordered by the library. Click on the titles to see more and request a copy!


DVDs

Accepted
The black dahlia
Bring it on: All or nothing
Con Air
The guardian
The Illusionist
Little Miss Sunshine
Mallrats
Rounders
A scanner darkly
Scoop
The tenants
Timeline
Wildflower
Yes

Father Brown
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries #2
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries #3
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries #4
Salem Witch trials



Music

Gary Allan: Tough all over
K.T. Oslin: Country legends
Nick Lachey: What's left of me


Books on CD

Heartstopper by Fielding, Joy
The gods of Newport by Jakes, John
The marriage game by Michaels, Fern
At some disputed barricade by Perry, Anne
We shall not sleep by Perry, Anne
Dry ice by White, Stephen

New books we ordered November 9, 2006

Below is a list of the books recently ordered by the library. They are grouped by Fiction, Non-fiction, Large Print and Children. Click on the title to see more and request a copy!


Fiction

Scattered leaves by Andrews, V. C.
One good turn : a novel by Atkinson, Kate
The hard way : a Rachel Alexander mystery by Benjamin, Carol Lea
Monkey man by Brewer, Steve
Bitter rose : color me crushed by Carlson, Melody
Blade silver : color me scarred by Carlson, Melody
Bright purple : color me confused by Carlson, Melody
Burnt orange : color me wasted by Carlson, Melody
Dark blue : color me lonely, a novel by Carlson, Melody
Deep green : color me jealous by Carlson, Melody
Faded denim : color me trapped by Carlson, Melody
Fool's gold : color me consumed by Carlson, Melody
Pitch black : color me lost by Carlson, Melody
Torch red : color me torn by Carlson, Melody
Married to the game by Chunichi
Because she can by Clark, Bridie
Medicus : a novel of the Roman Empire by Downie, Ruth
Run afoul by Druett, Joan
Effigies by Evans, Mary Anna
Playing God : a Joe Burgess mystery by Flora, Kate Clark
Woman in red by Goudge, Eileen
Death comes for the Fat Man by Hill, Reginald
Double dippin' by Hobbs, Allison
The cccomplice by Ironside, Elizabeth
Not easily broken by Jakes, T. D.
No trace : a Brock and Kolla mystery by Maitland, Barry
Diary of a mistress by Miasha
God don't play by Monroe, Mary
Rumpole and the reign of terror by Mortimer, John Clifford
Unholy fire : a novel of the Civil War by Mrazek, Robert J.
Silence by Perry, Thomas
My life is all I have by Rivers, Anthony V.
A Roman ransom by Rowe, Rosemary
Going broke by Russell, Trista
The devil's labyrinth by Saul, John
Obsessions can be murder by Shelton, Connie
The Limehouse text : a novel by Thomas, Will
A false mirror by Todd, Charles
Cape Farewell by Tonkin, Peter


Nonfiction

The essential Kabbalah : the heart of Jewish mysticism
Sculpting a galaxy : inside the Star Wars model shop.
Sanity and grace : a journey of suicide, survival, and strength by Collins, Judy
The Ten commandments of working in a hostile environment by Jakes, T. D.
Adolescent depression : a guide for parents by Mondimore, Francis Mark
Andrew Carnegie by Nasaw, David
Dr. Pitcairn's complete guide to natural health for dogs & cats by Pitcairn, Richard H.
George Gershwin : his life and work by Pollack, Howard
The heirs of Mohammad : Islam's first century and the origins of the Sunni-Shia split by Rogerson, Barnaby
Lincoln's assassins : their trial and execution : an illustrated history by Swanson, James L.
Redneck woman : stories from my life by Wilson, Gretchen


Large Type

What I know for sure by Smiley, Tavis


Children

Giraffes can't dance by Andreae, Giles
The door within by Batson, Wayne Thomas
The final storm by Batson, Wayne Thomas
The rise of the Wyrm Lord by Batson, Wayne Thomas
The Chicago adventure by Hutchens, Paul
The killer bear by Hutchens, Paul
The lost campers by Hutchens, Paul
The secret hideout by Hutchens, Paul
The swamp robber by Hutchens, Paul
The winter rescue by Hutchens, Paul
Giraffes by Kalz, Jill
Little giraffes by Marie, Christian
Griffy Giraffe's accident by Sheehan, Jennifer E.
A giraffe and a half by Silverstein, Shel