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Saturday, June 28, 2008

DVDs, Books on CD, and Music ordered June 25

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

DVDs
Movies
Autumn hearts
City of God
Finding Amanda
The flock
The forbidden kingdom
Futurama: The beast with a billion backs
Laura
Money pit
My blueberry nights
Nancherrow
O brother, where art thou?
Penelope
The pledge
The Spitfire Grill
Superhero Movie
The thief of Bagdad
Witless protection

Family
Camp Rock
Diego's Halloween
Dora saves the Snow Princess
Hundred Acre Wood hauntThe jungle book 2
The jungle book
Manny's pet roundup
Mickey's storybook surprises
Nim's Island
Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King
The sword in the stone

Regular
Bleak house
Coming home

Books On CD
Fiction
Heart and soul by Binchy, Maeve
The geometry of sisters by Rice, Luanne

NonFiction
When things fall apart by Chodron, Pema

Music
Hayes Carll: Trouble in mind
Lizz Wright: The orchard
Mudcrutch

New books we ordered June 25, 2008

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
Promise the moon by Arnold, Elizabeth
Heart and soul by Binchy, Maeve
Three weeks to say goodbye by Box, C. J.
Orange mint and honey by Brice, Carleen
On the grind by Cannell, Stephen
Antiques to die for by Cleland, Jane
Master of the delta by Cook, Thomas
Talent by Dean, Zoey
While my sister sleeps by Delinsky, Barbara
Death on the holy mountain by Dickinson, David
A girl called Rosie by Doughty, Anne
Grace by Evans, Richard
Devil may care by Faulks, Sebastian
The knees of Gullah Island by Fryer, Dwight
The Dirty Secrets Club by Gardiner, Meg
Voyage to oblivion by Gardner, Theodore
People of the weeping eye by Gear, W. Michael
Death list by Goines, Donald
Inner city hoodlum by Goines, Donald
Heavenly pleasures : a Corinna Chapman mystery by Greenwood, Kerry
The dark tide by Gross, Andrew
Love is not enough by Herries, Anne
A summer affair by Hilderbrand, Elin
Blood sins by Hooper, Kay
Around the way girls by Hunter, Angel
The sorrows of an American by Hustvedt, Siri
An instinctive solution by Jeffries, Roderic
Around the way girls 4 by Joseph, Dwayne
Walk the blue fields by Keegan, Claire
Take one by Kingsbury, Karen
The last time I was me by Lamb, Cathy
The last of the husbandmen : a novel of farming life by Logsdon, Gene
The blood ballad by MacPherson, Rett
House and home by McCleary, Kathleen
Fool, stop trippin' by McKinney, Tina
Desperate hoodwives : an urban tale by Mink, Meesha
Frogs & French kisses by Mlynowski, Sarah
Bloodsucking fiends : a love story by Moore, Christopher
You suck : a love story by Moore, Christopher
Second opinion by Palmer, Michael
The Truth Commissioner by Park, David
Eclipse by Patterson, Richard
Runner by Perry, Thomas
The death of Corinne by Raichev, R. T.
The hunt for Sonya Dufrette by Raichev, R. T.
The geometry of sisters by Rice, Luanne
Sweet Georgia Brown by Robinson, Cheryl
The last oracle : a [upper case Greek letter "sigma"] Sigma Force novel by Rollins, James
The triumph of Caesar : a novel of ancient Rome by Saylor, Steven
Goy crazy by Schorr, Melissa
Geek magnet : a novel in five acts by Scott, Kieran
Perfect : a pretty little liars novel by Shepard, Sara
Sun going down by Todd, Jack
Black widow : a novel by Turner, Nikki
Around the way girls 5 by Tysha
Black out : a novel by Unger, Lisa
Seduction : a black door novel by Velvet
The Lady Elizabeth : a novel by Weir, Alison
Around the way girls 2 by Williams, Kashamba
Around the way girls 3 by Yvonne, Alisha

Nonfiction
Spinal cord injury and the family : a new guide by Alpert, Michelle
A splendid exchange : how trade shaped the world by Bernstein, William
New collected poems by Boland, Eavan
Step by step : a memoir of hope, friendship, perseverance, and living the American dream by Bowman, Bertie
G.K. Chesterton : thinking backward, looking forward by Clark, Stephen R. L.
Gandhi : the man, his people, and the empire by Gandhi, Rajmohan
Flat earth : the history of an infamous idea by Garwood, Christine
The shipwreck that saved Jamestown : the Sea Venture castaways and the fate of America by Glover, Lorri
Life in the balance : a physician's memoir of life, love, and loss with Parkinson's disease and dementia by Graboys, Thomas
The private life of spiders by Hillyard, Paul
Reinventing the sacred : a new view of science, reason and religion by Kauffman, Stuart
Leadership gold : lessons learned from a lifetime of leading by Maxwell, John
Your girlfriends only know so much : a brother's take on dating and mating for sistas by Mitchell, Finesse
Fleeced : how Barack Obama, media mockery of terrorist threats, liberals who want to kill talk radio, the new do-nothing Congress, companies that help Iran, and Washington lobbyists for foreign governments are scamming us-- and what to do about it by Morris, Dick
William Cullen Bryant : author of America by Muller, Gilbert
A mended and broken heart : the life and love of Francis of Assisi by Murray, Wendy
That mean old yesterday by Patton, Stacey
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers : runnin' down a dream by Petty, TomA champion's mind : lessons from a life in tennis by Sampras, Pete
Chicken with plums by Satrapi, Marjane
Embroideries by Satrapi, Marjane
Boots on the ground by dusk : my tribute to Pat Tillman by Tillman, Mary
Traffic : why we drive the way we do (and what it says about us) by Vanderbilt, Tom
The big questions in science and religion by Ward, Keith
Mr. Playboy : Hugh Hefner and the American dream by Watts, Steven
Barbarians to angels : the Dark Ages reconsidered by Wells, Peter
Labor of the heart : a parent's guide to the decisions and emotions in adoption by Whitten, Kathleen

LargeType
Fiction
Emily's place by Bateman, Tracey
Laney's kiss by Bateman, Tracey
Tarah's lessons by Bateman, Tracey
Domestic affairs by Goudge, Eileen
The killer angels by Shaara, Michael

NonFiction
Big Russ and me by Russert, Tim

Children
Dude, that's rude! : (get some manners) by Espeland, Pamela
Treasure hunters by Smith, Jeff
Ghost circles by Smith, Jeff
Old man's cave by Smith, Jeff
Rockjaw by Smith, Jeff

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Foreign language translations 24/7


Get instant online access to top notch unabridged bilingual dictionaries, plus unique, authoritative support materials for language learners from Oxford University Press. Oxford Language Dictionaries Online is unique - it provides reliable, accurate, and detailed translations into and out of English for millions of words and phrases in the following languages:
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  • French
  • German
  • Italian
  • Russian
  • Spanish
  • Japanese (coming soon)
  • Polish (coming soon)
  • Portuguese (coming soon)

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Saturday, June 21, 2008

DVDs, Books on CD, and Music ordered June 19

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

DVDs
Movies
Adam's rib
Alien
Blue velvet
Bull Durham
Caddyshack
Children of the corn
Gremlins
Groundhog Day
Invasion of the body snatchers
Little Caesar
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
The public enemy
Raging bull
Red River
Scarface
Terminator 2
The terminator
The thief of Bagdad
The usual suspects
Waterboy

Regular
Monarch of the Glen: The Complete Series 7

Books On CD
Fiction
The cat who tailed a thief by Braun, Lilian
TailSpin by Coulter, Catherine
Crank by Hopkins, Ellen
Glass by Hopkins, Ellen
Identical by Hopkins, Ellen
Phantoms by Koontz, Dean

NonFiction
What happened by McClellan, Scott
Ghosts among us by Van Praagh, James
Democracy matters by West, Cornel

Music
The best of Radiohead
David Finck Quartet: Future day
Emmylou Harris: All I intended to be
Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Avatar
Kathleen Edwards: Asking for flowers
Perry Mayfield: Get way back
Steve Winwood: Nine lives
Thank you Uncle Edward
Van Morrison: Keep it simple

New books we ordered June 19, 2008

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
Something wicked by Beverley, Jo
Sacrifice by Bolton, S. J.
The great man by Christensen, Kate
Invincible by Denning, Troy
Doris Day : the untold story of the girl next door by Kaufman, David
The gun seller by Laurie, Hugh
House rules by Lawson, Michael
Fallen angels by Myers, Walter
Mind's eye : an Inspector Van Veeteren mystery by Nesser, Hakan
The greatest thing since sliced bread by Robertson, Don
The steel wave : a novel of World War II by Shaara, Jeff
The god of war by Silver, Marisa
The Septembers of Shiraz by Sofer, Dalia
Brothers in arms by Weis, Margaret

NonFiction
Whale done! : the power of positive relationships
Keeping bees and making honey by Benjamin, Alison
George Washington on leadership by Brookhiser, Richard
Say goodbye to being shy : a workbook to help kids overcome shyness by Brozovich, Richard
Tail talk : understanding the secret language of dogs by Collins, Sophie
Enjoying dog agility by Daniels, Julie
Simon says : a true story of boys, guns and murder by Eastburn, Kathryn
Breast- and bottle-feeding : an easy-to-follow guide by Edwards, Naia
The iambics of Newfoundland : notes from an unknown shore by Finch, Robert
My horizontal life : a collection of one-night stands by Handler, Chelsea
Distracted : the erosion of attention and the coming Dark Age by Jackson, Maggie
Not without my sister by Jones, Celeste
Forward from here : leaving middle age--and other unexpected adventures by Lindbergh, Reeve
I don't have to make everything all better : six practical principles that empower others to solve their own problems while enriching your relationships by Lundberg, Gary
Heartless : the true story of Neil Entwistle and the brutal murder of his wife and child by McPhee, Michele
Against medical advice : a true story by Patterson, James
Warped passages : unraveling the mysteries of the Universe's hidden dimensions by Randall, Lisa
Desperate passage : the Donner Party's perilous journey West by Rarick, Ethan
Nobility of spirit : a forgotten ideal by Riemen, Rob
The ABCs of breastfeeding : everything a mom needs to know for a happy nursing experience by Rubin, Stacey
White House ghosts : presidents and their speechwriters by Schlesinger, Robert
Julie Andrews : an intimate biography by Stirling, Richard
The gonzo way by Thompson, Anita
A fourth treasury of knitting patterns by Walker, Barbara
The billionaire's vinegar : the mystery of the world's most expensive bottle of wine by Wallace, Benjamin

LargeType
Married lovers by Collins, Jackie
The pagan stone by Roberts, Nora

Children
An artist's America by Albert, Michael
Cool zone with the Pain & the Great One by Blume, Judy
Paddington here and now by Bond, Michael
Maybe a bear ate it! by Harris, Robie
A day with Dad by Holmberg, Bo
Ever by Levine, Gail
The big field by Lupica, Mike
Forever Rose by McKay, Hilary
All shook up by Pearsall, Shelley
How I learned geography by Shulevitz, Uri
United tweets of America by Talbott, Hudson
Alternative cars by Wheeler, Jill
Avi by Wheeler, Jill
Barbara Park by Wheeler, Jill
Christopher Paolini by Wheeler, Jill
Cockapoos by Wheeler, Jill
C.S. Lewis by Wheeler, Jill
Everyday conservation by Wheeler, Jill
Goldendoodles by Wheeler, Jill
Kate DiCamillo by Wheeler, Jill
Labradoodles by Wheeler, Jill
Lemony Snicket by Wheeler, Jill
Mary Pope Osborne by Wheeler, Jill
Puggles by Wheeler, Jill
Schnoodles by Wheeler, Jill
Yorkie-poos by Wheeler, Jill
Go, go America by Yaccarino, Dan

A new prescription for health information


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Amid the chaos of the Internet, we have reserved a place just for you to explore the health issues that matter. No more huge lists of irrelevant search results. No more scouring the Web for relevant sites. No more relying on information from unknown sources. The Health and Wellness Resource Center is a safe haven far removed from the pitfalls of the open Web.

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Whether you need to answer questions you couldn't ask your doctor, or you need medical information in understandable terms, the Health and Wellness Resource Center is the one health site you will consult time and again.

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This information is not a tool for self-diagnosis or a substitute for professional care.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Looking for a good book? We've got you covered.


The library is offering a new feature on its website called Books and Authors. This exciting new website is for anyone who loves to read and just can't get enough of books. Have you ever plowed through stack of books and then said, "What do I read next?" Then this site's for you.

You can search or browse through authors and genres. Find out what's new and what's coming soon. Review recommended books picked out by librarians across the country. Track your own reading lists, write reviews and give ratings. Make this website one of your favorites and visit often!

Personalize your experience

Too many books to remember? No problem - just save them to a list in your own personal Reading Room. Using My Reading Room, you can save and modify reading lists, write reviews, and rate books that you have read. Create lists of books that you have read and books that you are reading or would like to read. This is a great way to organize your reading!

Coming Soon ...

New features are on the way to make your browsing and searching experience even more enjoyable. In the next few months you can take advantage of RSS feeds and search alerts so that you will be notified as soon as new titles are added to the Books and Authors database. There will be links to author websites so that you can find out even more information about authors that interest you. You will be able to search the library's online catalog directly from Books and Authors to see if we have a book you would like to read. Check back frequently for even more enhancements!

Have your library card handy to get started now!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

DVDs, Books on CD, and Music ordered June 11

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

DVDs
About a boy
Before the Devil knows you're dead
The diving bell and the butterfly
Identity
Legend
Mean girls
Practical magic
The road warrior
Sleepers
What dreams may come

Fiction Books on CD
Twilight by Meyer, Stephanie
Breaking dawn by Meyer, Stephenie
Eclipse by Meyer, Stephenie
The host by Meyer, Stephenie
New moon by Meyer, Stephenie

Music
Guns 'n roses: Greatest hits

New books we ordered June 11, 2008

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
Collision by Abbott, Jeff
Seasons of the witch by Burge, Constance M.
Truth and consequences : an original novel by Dokey, Cameron
Darkness before dawn by Draper, Sharon M.
The book of three : the official companion to the hit show by Gallagher, Diana G.
Dark vengeance : a novelization by Gallagher, Diana G.
Mist and stone : an original novel by Gallagher, Diana G.
Cry revenge by Goines, Donald
Dopefiend by Goines, Donald
Garden of evil : an original novel by Harrison, Emma
False charity by Heley, Veronica
Shadow of the sphinx by Jablonski, Carla
The water's edge by Judson, D. Daniel
Charmed again : a novelization by Lenhard, Elizabeth
Date with death by Lenhard, Elizabeth
The independence of Miss Mary Bennet by McCullough, Colleen
An unexpected love by Peterson, Tracie
Dark horse : a political thriller by Reed, Ralph
Cost by Robinson, Roxana
How to talk to a widower by Tropper, Jonathan


Non-fiction
The four seasons : poems
Making beautiful hemp & bead jewelry : how to hand-tie necklaces, bracelets, earrings, keyrings, watches & eyeglass holders with hemp by Baskett, Mickey
An American family : the Buckleys by Buckley, Fergus Reid
Wicca : a guide for the solitary practitioner by Cunningham, Scott
Daniels' running formula by Daniels, Jack
The sixties unplugged : a kaleidoscopic history of a disorderly decade by De Groot, Gerard J.
While they slept : an inquiry into the murder of a family by Harrison, Kathryn
Gandhi & Churchill : the epic rivalry that destroyed an empire and forged our age by Herman, Arthur
Ageless memory : simple secrets for keeping your brain young by Lorayne, Harry
Hemp masters - getting knotty : more ancient Hippie secrets for knotting hip hemp jewelry by Lunger, Max
Advanced marathoning by Pfitzinger, Pete
Designed for success by Scumaci, Dondi
Just how stupid are we? : facing the truth about the American voter by Shenkman, Richard
Making the best of it : following Christ in the real world by Stackhouse, John G.
Hiding in plain sight : the secret of Raymond Burr by Starr, Michael Seth


Large Print
An unexpected love by Peterson, Tracie

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Investing Tip: 5 funds for the next 15 years

Investing tip of the month from Morningstar Investment Research Center, by Bridget B. Hughes, CFA, Senior Fund Analyst

Mutual fund leader boards are always interesting.

Did you know that on Monday, May 5, 2008, ProFunds UltraSector Mobile Telecommunications WCPSX gained nearly 8%, topping all mutual funds? During the global market correction between the end of October and mid-March, when the MSCI All Country World Index lost more than 17%, ProFunds UltraShort Japan UKPIX gained 84.32%! And over the past year, CGM Focus' CGMFX high-conviction portfolio, helped by some astute short positions in Countrywide Financial CFC, Freddie Mac FRE, and Ambac Financial Group ABK, gained 70%, putting it in the mutual fund universe's second place for that peri od.

When you look at short-term leader boards, you generally find narrowly focused funds that take on a lot of risk. Those rankings can make for good chatter, but they're not always meaningful. And while short-term returns can sometimes help you understand funds' behavior, they tell you little about the long-term merits of a mutual fund.

So what about the long-term leaders' list? Surely, over the long term, the funds with the best strategies and managers should rise to the top. I took a look at how funds are currently stacking up based on 15-year returns. There are more than 1,800 funds that are old enough to fall in that grouping (though many others have been liquidated or merged into other funds).

Tailwinds Still Help
As it turns out, some niche funds have persisted. On the current 15-year leader list, natural-resources funds and Latin America choices are most prevalent. BlackRock Global Natural Resources SSGRX tops that list, with an 18.17% average annualized gain. True, we like that fund and recently made it a Fund Analyst Pick in the category because of its experienced management team; however, there's no question that energy stocks have been in favor for the past five years, giving the fund some recent tailwind. The same holds for Latin America funds.
Still, these good long-term results suggest that it's possible to enjoy long-term success with more-narrow funds. The key is to remember to use them in very small doses. In fact, we'd suggest you invest only what you can afford to lose, particularly if the timing of your cash-flow needs is uncertain. Consider that on the bottom of the 15-year performance list are a number of similarly specialized funds, most prominently from the Japan-stock category. (And that doesn't even show all the cruddy funds that closed down.) Stick with our Analyst Picks for these types of mutual funds and invest for the long haul. Considering they're typically volatile over shorter periods, I'd take a contrarian approach, buying them when they are down as opposed to after a big run. (That means no natural resources or Latin American funds for me now, thanks--maybe Vanguard Health Care VGHCX instead.)

A Level Head Is an Advantage, Too
What I found more interesting about the long-term leaders list, though, is that you really don't have to take a lot of risk to rise above the competition. In fact, of the diversified funds that proved superior (landing in the fund universe's top 50), the best ones tended to be generally conservative in their stock-picking and philosophy. Unlike with the specialty funds, you don't necessarily need to be a contrarian buying these. Following are some of those that made the list that we recommend. There's a lot more competition out there now than there was 15 years ago, but these strategies and management teams give us confidence in their futures.

Columbia Value & Restructuring UMBIX
15-year Return: 15.82%
This fund recently got a new parent--and a new name--but it's still a winner. We most like its manager, David Williams, for his candor, humility, and simple approach. He's proved a great judge of corporate managements going through restructuring, which has paid off for shareholders. From time to time, the fund's conviction and long-term mindset mean it can fall behind the pack--and it can suffer bouts of volatility--but Williams has shown a knack for avoiding value traps. There is some key-man risk here--Williams has already amassed a multidecade record, and though he works with a small team, he is a big contributor to the portfolio--but as long as Williams remains at the helm (at least), we're confident. We recently made the fund an Analyst Pick, and Williams was a runner up in 2007's Morningstar Manager of the Year deliber ations.

FPA Capital FPPTX
15-year Return: 14.88%
Bob Rodriguez, this Analyst Pick's manager, may be bold in this portfolio's construction--he recently publicly boycotted buying any stocks because he didn't like the credit worries and risks that pervaded the markets--but at the heart of his process is what seems an innate need to preserve capital (avoid losses). Over the years, that's meant he's held a lot of cash and bonds in the portfolio from time to time. A contrarian investor, Rodriguez can have the fund looking out of step with the market, but we trust his intuition and experience. In another sign of his individualism, Rodriguez hasn't reopened the fund, as many of his tenured value peers have recently; he just doesn't yet see attractive enough valuations. Still, it's a good fund to add to your watch list if you invest through a broker.

Mutual Discovery MDISX
15-year Return: 14.74%
Over the past 15 years, portfolio managers at Mutual Series have come and gone--and a couple have come back. But the disciplined value process that has made this fund a success remains intact. Mutual Series is careful about who it hires, and the newer analysts and portfolio managers all share the same passion for value investing, arbitrage opportunities, and distressed investing that has long defined the group. Discovery is led by Anne Gudefin, who has been with the firm since 2000, and Charles Lahr (2003). This fund has been helped by its ability to hang tough in harder times for stocks as well as its flexibility to invest around the world as its managers see fit. It has also been less volatile than its peers. The fund's Z shares are closed, we recommend the fund's A shares TEDIX for investors using a broker.

Harbor International Instl HAINX
15-year Return: 14.49%
The first purely international fund in the top 50 is run by one of our favorite managers, Hakan Castegren, who, along with his team of four experienced analysts, was also named Morningstar's International Manager of the Year for 2007--a title he won in 1996. Castegren is somewhat flexible in his approach--searching for stocks in both traditional value and growth sectors as well as buying in emerging markets--but his sensitivity to valuations and research intensity have kept risk in check. The fund's blue-chip flavor makes it a great core holding. The institutional shares require a $50,000 minimum, but the fund's investor shares HIINX ask only $2,500 and also boast a reasonable expense ratio.

American Funds Capital World Growth & Income CWGIX
15-year Return 14.42%
Consistency and reason come to mind when I think of this fund, and that's just the way American Funds would have it. While the fund's performance never tops its world-stock category charts, neither does it frequent the group's basement. In building the portfolio, the fund's nine portfolio managers, each of whom run a separate portion of the fund here, certainly value quality and growth, but they aren't willing to overpay for it--in fact, they tend to buy when other investors sell, serving as a contrarian investor. (That certainly helps, given the fund's and fund family's enormity.) And they're keen on dividends, which helps smooth returns.

Morningstar Investment Research Center is great tool for new and veteran investors. It's chock full of unbiased analyst reports, tools for evaluating your portfolio, and lessons on how to invest. The best part is that it's free to all valid library cardholders! Begin now or learn more.