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Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Mango expands foreign language lessons

Mango Languages has expanded its foreign languages! You can now develop skills in 22 foreign languages and 14 ESL (English as a Second Language) courses!




Mango Complete includes Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish plus ESL courses for Spanish, Polish, and Brazilian Portuguese and is for those who:


  • Have more time to spend learning
  • Wish to go more in depth with language learning
  • Started using Mango prior to November 23rd and want to continue.




Mango Basic includes Arabic (Levantine), Mandarin Chinese, Dari (Afghanistan), Farsi (Iran), French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi (India), Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Pashto (Afghanistan), Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Spanish (Latin America), Tagalog (Philippines), Thai, Turkish, Urdu (Pakistan), Vietnamese plus ESL courses for Spanish, Polish, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, French, Italian, German, Russian, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Korean, Vietnamese and is for those who:

  • Have less time to spend learning
  • Want to just learn the basics
  • Will be going overseas within a month

Get started learning your next language now! All you need is a valid library card and password.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

DVDs, Books on CD, & Music ordered Nov. 25th

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
Animal Treasure Island
Annie
Baby boom
Hellbound: Hellraiser II
Howl's moving castle
Miss Congeniality
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
Porco rosso
100 feet
Princess Mononoke
White lightning
Heavy metal
Last September
Love happens
One world
Escape to Witch Mountain
Hitman
101 dalmatians
Return from Witch Mountain

Books on CD
Ronicky Doone's reward by Brand, Max
The Shadow of Silver Tip by Brand, Max
Speedy by Brand, Max
Trouble in Timberline by Brand, Max
A cousin's challenge by Brunstetter, Wanda
Granny Torrelli makes soup by Creech, Sharon
The wrecker by Cussler, Clive
The wild zone by Fielding, Joy
The last Mountain Man by Johnstone, William
Vanishing act by Michaels, Fern

Music CDs
Janet Jackson: #1's
Them Crooked Vultures
Rihanna: Rated R
Straight No Chaser: Holiday spirits
Straight No Chaser: Christmas cheers
Beach Boys: Christmas harmonies
Brian Setzer Orchetra: The ultimate Christmas collection
Adam Lambert: For your entertainment
Susan Boyle: I dreamed a dream
Sting: If on a winter's night
Andrea Bocelli: My Christmas

New books we ordered Nov. 25th

Below is a list of the books recently ordered by the library. They are grouped by Adult and Children. Click on the title to see more and request a copy!

Books for Adults (Fiction and Nonfiction)
A truth universally acknowledged : 33 great writers on why we read Jane Austen
1001 children's books you must read before you grow up
The gift : a novel by Ahern, Cecelia
Early dawn (LT) by Anderson, Catherine
On the edge by Andrews, Ilona
Capitol offense (LT) by Bernhardt, William
Burn me deadly : an Eddie LaCrosse novel by Bledsoe, Alex
The complete book of baby names : the most names, most lists, most help to find the best name by Bolton, Lesley
The imperial cruise : a secret history of empire and war by Bradley, James
The Atlantis code by Brokaw, Charles
The truth about psychics by Browne, Sylvia
The glass rainbow by Burke, James
First lord's fury by Butcher, Jim
Hidden empire by Card, Orson Scott
Soulless by Carriger, Gail
Dealing with dyscalculia : sum hope 2 by Chinn, Stephen
Decision at Strasbourg : Ike's strategic mistake to halt the Sixth Army Group at the Rhine in 1944 by Colley, David
Whisper Kiss : A Dragonfire Novel by Cooke, Deborah
Disciple (LT) by Coonts, Stephen
The Pravda messenger : a novel by Cornuke, Robert
First rule (LT) by Crais, Robert
The boyfriend game by Davis, Stephie
Poisoned pens by Dexter, Gary
Betraying season by Doyle, Marissa
Bewitching Season by Doyle, Marissa
The wild things : a novel by Eggers, Dave
The wild zone (LT) by Fielding, Joy
Sizzle (LT) by Garwood, Julie
Committed : a skeptic makes peace with marriage by Gilbert, Elizabeth
Flesh and fire by Gilman, Laura
Baby names that go together : from Lily, Rose, and Violet to Finn and Fay-- sibling names that mix and match in a perfect way by Groves, Eric
Winter garden (LT) by Hannah, Kristin
Wolf at the door (LT) by Higgins, Jack
Highland wolf by Howell, Hannah
Savagery of the Mountain Man by Johnstone, William
Judgment in the ashes by Johnstone, William
Justice of the mountain man by Johnstone, William
How to make friends with demons by Joyce, Graham
Naruto #4 by Kishimoto, Masashi
Pop by Korman, Gordon
The second perimeter by Lawson, Michael
Treasure hunt (LT) by Lescroart, John
The fourth part of the world : the race to the ends of the Earth, and the epic story of the map that gave America its name by Lester, Toby
Ash by Lo, Malinda
Highlander in her bed by Mackay, Allie
Some like it kilted by Mackay, Allie
Tall, dark, and kilted by Mackay, Allie
Highlander in her dreams by Mackay, Allie
Nanny returns : a novel by McLaughlin, Emma
Vanishing act (LT) by Michaels, Fern
Stones into schools : promoting peace with books, not bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Mortenson, Greg
A Rumpole Christmas by Mortimer, John
Too much happiness : stories by Munro, Alice
Celtic fire by Nash, Joy
Adland : searching for the meaning of life on a branded planet by Othmer, James
This world we live in by Pfeffer, Susan
The audacity to win : the inside story and lessons of Barack Obama's historic victory by Plouffe, David
Cleaving : a story of marriage, meat, and obsession by Powell, Julie
Sweet sorrow by Roberts, David
You, having a baby : the owner's manual to a happy and healthy pregnancy by Roizen, Michael
No apology : the case for American greatness by Romney, Mitt
But I trusted you : and other true cases by Rule, Ann
House of reckoning (LT) by Saul, John
Fields of grace (LT) by Sawyer, Kim
Canticle by Scholes, Ken
The baby name countdown : 140,000 popular and unusual baby names by Schwegel, Janet
Live to cook : recipes and techniques to rock your kitchen by Symon, Michael
The complete idiot's guide to 40,000 baby names by Turner, Marcia
Believe it, be it : how being the biggest loser won me back my life by Vincent, Ali
Fly away home by Weiner, Jennifer
The lady in the tower : the fall of Anne Boleyn by Weir, Alison
Razzle by Wittlinger, Ellen

Books for Children (Fiction and Nonfiction)
The Christmas baby by Bauer, Marion
Perfectly prima by Goldberg, Whoopi
My little red fire truck by Johnson, Stephen
Beetle McGrady eats bugs! by McDonald, Megan

Monday, November 23, 2009

Easy holiday shopping benefits library

The holiday shopping season officially kicks off this week 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
If you are already a loyal customer of Amazon.com, consider making your purchases via the link below or from the Friends of the Library 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

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 the Magazine Store to start saving. 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, music, framed postcards, and book bags.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

DVDs, Books on CD, & Music ordered Nov. 18th

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
The California kid
Law abiding citizen
WWII In HD
All about Steve
Cloudy with a chance of meatballs
Cory in the house
I can do bad all by myself
The spirit bear
Surrogates
Wizards on deck

Books on CD
The pallbearers by Cannell, Stephen
Caught by Coben, Harlan
Winter garden by Hannah, Kristin
Going rogue by Palin, Sarah
Split image by Parker, Robert
Iron River by Parker, T. Jefferson
The sheen on the silk by Perry, Anne
Shattered by Robards, Karen
Fantasy in death by Robb, J. D.
Too big to fail by Sorkin, Andrew Ross
Big girl by Steel, Danielle
The help by Stockett, Kathryn
Lakeshore Christmas by Wiggs, Susan
The greatest trade ever by Zuckerman, Gregory

Music CDs
Mary J. Blige: The breakthrough
Van Halen: The best of both worlds
Norah Jones: The fall
Forever: Lynyrd Skynyrd
Glee : volume 1
Glee : Volume 2
Lynyrd Skynyrd: God and guns
Styx: The grand illusion
Hair of the dog
Rush: Spirit of the radio
The very best of Kiss
Paul McCartney: Wingspan
Gotta have gospel! Christmas
Aretha Franklin: This Christmas

New books we ordered Nov. 18th

Below is a list of the books recently ordered by the library. They are grouped by Adult and Children. Click on the title to see more and request a copy!

Books for Adults (Fiction and Nonfiction)
Positive attitude / Dilbert 29 by Adams, Scott
When the game was ours by Bird, Larry
Last words by Carlin, George
Spring breakdown by Carlson, Melody
Stories behind men of faith by Collins, Ace
Jesus freaks. revolutionaries : stories of revolutionaries who changed their world : fearing God, not man / Vol. II by DC Talk (Musical group)
Hunt to kill by Distel, Dave
The monuments men : Allied heroes, Nazi thieves, and the greatest treasure hunt in history by Edsel, Robert
Rage of a demon king by Feist, Raymond
Rise of a merchant prince by Feist, Raymond
Shards of a broken crown by Feist, Raymond
Eating animals by Foer, Jonathan Safran
Skin and bone by Fox, Kathryn
Malicious intent : a novel by Fox, Kathryn
Gideon by Frank, Jacquelyn
The Gerson therapy : the proven nutritional program for cancer and other illnesses by Gerson, Charlotte
What the dog saw : and other adventures by Gladwell, Malcolm
Fear not tomorrow, God is already there : trusting Him in uncertain times by Graham, Ruth
Speed demon by Guttenberg, Goldie
Last scene alive by Harris, Charlaine
Dogs by design : how to find the right mixed breed for you by Hochberg, Ilene
Invasion USA by Johnstone, William
Remember the Alamo by Johnstone, William
Border war by Johnstone, William
Dark embrace by Joyce, Brenda
Dark victory by Joyce, Brenda
The collected short stories of Louis L'Amour / The Frontier Stories by L'Amour, Louis
Cradle to cradle : remaking the way we make things by McDonough, William
Still standing : the untold story of my fight against gossip, hate, and political attacks by Prejean, Carrie
Warning to ministers, their wives, and mistresses by Price, Betty
Too soon for Jeff by Reynolds, Marilyn
If you loved me by Reynolds, Marilyn
Poisoned love by Rother, Caitlin
Dracula : the un-dead by Stoker, Dacre
D.N. Angel #13 by Sugisaki, Yukiru
D.N. Angel #5 by Sugisaki, Yukiru
D.N. Angel #6 by Sugisaki, Yukiru
D.N. Angel #7 by Sugisaki, Yukiru
D.N. Angel #8 by Sugisaki, Yukiru
D.N. Angel #9 by Sugisaki, Yukiru
D.N. Angel #10 by Sugisaki, Yukiru
D.N. Angel #11 by Sugisaki, Yukiru
D.N. Angel #12 by Sugisaki, Yukiru
Top secret recipes unlocked : all new home clones of America's favorite brand-name foods by Wilbur, Todd

Books for Children (Fiction and Nonfiction)
Smoke Mountain by Hunter, Erin
Great groundhogs! by Ruelle, Karen

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Does Your Retirement Portfolio Need a Moat?

Investing tip of the month from Morningstar Investment Research Center by Christine Benz, director of personal finance and editor of Morningstar PracticalFinance.

Investors who are in or nearing retirement face a conundrum. On the one hand, increased longevity means that holding stocks is a must for most retirees. Without the growth potential that equities afford, the risk of outliving your assets is simply too great. On the other hand, the recent market debacle amply demonstrated the havoc that stocks can wreak on retiree portfolios. If your portfolio incurs big losses before or during retirement, the net result might not be just sleepless nights but also a meaningful change in your standard of living.

Because your asset allocation is such a big determinant of how your portfolio behaves, finding the right stock/bond/cash mix is the most significant investment decision you'll make, no matter what your life stage. Not only should the size of your portfolio play a role in the asset-allocation decision-making process, but also whether you have income from other sources, your ability to withstand losses (would portfolio losses of a certain magnitude require you to reduce your spending?), and your desire to leave a legacy for your loved ones.

Assuming you've decided to carve out a portion of your portfolio for stocks, however, the type of stocks you choose will also have an appreciable impact on your portfolio's return potential, as well as its potential for losses. True, 2008 might have seemed like the kind of market environment when stock investors simply couldn't win: Stock types that retirees may have assumed to be less risky, including dividend payers, large- and mega-caps, and value-oriented names, all tumbled at once.

When viewed through another lens, however, 2008 was very much a tale of two stock markets. And while it wasn't possible to avoid losses entirely, it would've been possible to dramatically reduce them by adding another tool to your stock- and fund-picking arsenal. Companies with what Morningstar's stock analysts call moats--in short, defensible franchises and sustainable competitive advantages--clearly held up better than no-moat companies last year. By extension, mutual funds that held wide-moat companies also posted much smaller losses than funds with no-moat or narrow-moat firms. No-moat companies lost close to 50% in 2008, whereas wide-moat firms lost 20 percentage points less.

That trend has reversed itself thus far in 2009. As investors embraced risky assets again, narrow- and no-moat firms have trounced wider-moat companies.

That zig-zag 2008/2009 performance pattern argues for maintaining some exposure to both types of companies if you want to be truly diversified. Nonetheless, you're still far better off avoiding losses in the first place than trying to make them up after a downturn. And needless to say, loss avoidance is particularly important for those who are already in retirement and may not have years and years to wait around for their portfolios to recover. For example, the investor who lost 49% by holding no-moat stocks in 2008 would have to see his portfolio double in value during a recovery just to get back to break-even. The wide-moat investor who had lost 28% in 2008 would have his work cut out for him, too--losing a fourth of your portfolio is nothing to sneeze at--but he'd have to gain a much smaller percentage in a recovery to get back to break-even.

It's also worth noting that wide-moat stocks currently appear to be undervalued relative to no-moat companies. Thanks to the latter's recent outperformance, Morningstar's stock analysts believe low-quality stocks are roughly 15% overvalued, based on their estimates of companies' price/fair value ratios. Wide-moat companies, in contrast, are roughly 15% undervalued, according to our analysts' estimate. (These data are as of early September.) So if you have cash you've been waiting to deploy into equities but are concerned about buying after six months' worth of rally, wide-moat stocks and funds could prove to be a very good way to go about it.

Moats and Why They Work
For these reasons, I strongly believe that retirees can help their own cause by skewing the equity components of their portfolios toward wide-moat firms. True, all bear markets are different, and it's a mistake to assume the patterns we saw during 2008 will hold true in future downturns. For example, smaller-cap and value names strongly outperformed large-cap growth stocks during the 2000-02 bear market, but that wasn't the case in 2008. (Our stock analysts weren't assigning moats to every company they covered during the bear market earlier this decade, so it's not possible to examine the performance of wide-moat versus no-moat stocks during that downturn.)

But just as it's easy to understand why investors gravitate to Treasury bonds when they're worried about the future, it's also easy to see why wide-moat companies hold up better than narrow- or no-moat companies in times of economic turmoil. Simply put, the strong get stronger during tough economic environments, and wide-moat firms have generally shown a consistent ability to earn a return on invested capital that's higher than their cost of capital. Wide-moat firms hail from a variety of market sectors.. But, typically, companies with what our stock analysts call wide moats have one of the following characteristics, and many wide-moat firms have more than one of these qualities.

Huge Market Share: When a firm enjoys economies of scale in areas like manufacturing, sales, and marketing, that can be a strong competitive advantage. Wal-Mart WMT is a good example of a company that enjoys an economic moat due to its size. As the world's largest retailer, the company can negotiate favorable terms on everything from the products on its shelves to store leases and distribution agreements.

Low-Cost Production Capabilities: The ability to produce and sell products or services at a lower cost than competitors is an advantage that's especially potent in commodity industries. Wal-Mart is another good example here. Because its prices are lower than most retailers of everyday goods, it can readily steal market share from higher-cost competitors. That ability was on display in 2008, when strapped consumers traded down from higher-priced retailers.

Patents, Copyrights, or Governmental Approvals and Licenses: Some companies generate enormous profits when their products or markets are protected by the government. Pharmaceutical maker Abbott Laboratories ABT exemplifies a firm with a wide economic moat as a result of its many patent-protected drugs.

High Customer-Switching Costs: If you can make it tough for your customers to use a competitor's product, it's usually easy to keep ratcheting prices up just a bit year after year, which can lead to big profits. Microsoft's MSFT wide moat owes in part to high customer-switching costs. Many computers come preloaded with Microsoft software, meaning that consumers have to go out of their way to use another operating system.

The Network Effect: This is a relatively rare, but potentially quite potent, source of competitive advantage, and often accrues to the first mover in an emerging technology. Because a network's value increases as more people use it, the company that creates the network can create a massive economic moat. Our stock analysts point to credit-rating agency Equifax EFX as an example of a wide-moat firm that benefits from the network effect. Not only do businesses rely on its reports, but they also provide it with data, leading to a virtuous circle.

Identifying Wide-Moat Stocks
So how do you find wide-moat companies? Identifying wide-moat stocks using Morningstar Investment Research Center is easy. Go to the Stock Screener and choose Morningstar Economic Moat from the dropdown menu and set the condition to equal. You can also layer on additional criteria such as companies with low price/fair value ratios, meaning that our analysts think they're trading cheaply. I also like to look at low fair-value uncertainty ratings, which generally mean that our stock analysts have a high degree of confidence in the predictability of a company's future free cash flows. Our preliminary analysis shows that companies with low fair value uncertainty ratings, like those with wide moats, dramatically outperformed in 2008.

Here are some individual stocks that look good on all three metrics: wide moats, low fair-value uncertainty ratings, and price/fair value ratios of less than 1.0, indicating that our stock analysts think they're trading at a discount to what they're truly worth.

Abbott Laboratories ABT
As I noted before, Abbott's portfolio of patent-protected drugs provides it with a wide moat. Because patent expirations are inevitable for drug firms, however, the firm also has strong lineups in the areas of health-care diagnostics and nutritional products. The stock is currently trading at just 70% of what our analyst thinks it is worth, and investors get paid to wait: The company had an above-market dividend yield of 3.4% in late September.

ExxonMobil Corporation XOM
Like all energy firms, Exxon is vulnerable to swings in volatile energy prices, but our analysts think the firm's successful pursuit of operational efficiencies will set it apart from other firms within the same sector. Management also has a good track record of allocating capital to the highest-payoff projects. ExxonMobil is currently trading at an 80% discount to our analyst's estimate of its fair value.

Procter & Gamble PG
This consumer-product stalwart has built a wide moat with its product development and marketing prowess, and it has also done a good job of acquiring and integrating competitors with complementary product profiles, as was the case with its Gillette purchase in 2005. Our analyst is also impressed that the firm, which is the largest consumer-products company in the world, has been able to avoid bloat despite its girth, controlling costs and delivering strong per-employee productivity levels. Like Abbott, P&G has a dividend yield that's comfortably above that of the broad market.

Stryker SYK
Unlike the above-mentioned firms, medical-equipment maker Stryker didn't hold up especially well in 2008, as reduced hospital spending cut into the firm's sales. However, the analyst particularly likes the firm's orthopedic-implant business, including artificial knees and hips, because the business tends to be sticky: Once a surgeon learns to use a certain type of artificial implant, he or she is loath to make a change. Stryker appears particularly undervalued right now, with a price/fair value ratio of just 0.63.

Identifying Wide-Moat Funds
Even if you're not a stock investor, you can ensure that your portfolio also has wide-moat stocks. Here are some of my favorites that are widely available to fund investors. You'll note that many of these funds haven't performed particularly well thus far in 2009, but they may also have greater upside potential from here than do funds with more narrow- or no-moat companies.

Jensen JENSX
It's no surprise that Jensen consistently shows up on Morningstar's list of the funds with the highest share of wide-moat companies: Management seeks firms that have delivered returns on equity of 15% or better in each of the past 10 years, a feat that would be impossible to pull off without having a sustainable competitive advantage. Whereas this portfolio has historically tilted heavily toward consumer-staple stocks and drugmakers, and still does, management has recently been finding more technology and industrial companies that meet its criteria. Jensen's portfolio also earns a remarkably low fair-value uncertainty rating, meaning that our analyst team has high confidence in the cash-flow-generating abilities of its underlying companies.

Dreyfus Appreciation DGAGX
Yes, its year-to-date performance has been underwhelming, and yes, I wish its costs were lower. But apropos for retiree portfolios, this fund's basket of wide-moat stocks has helped it excel on the downside, making it easy for shareholders to hang on during periods of broad-market turbulence. The fund's investor returns, a measure of what the average shareholder has actually earned here, are higher over the past decade than its published total returns. I'd argue that owes to the fund's low volatility, which has helped keep shareholders from buying high and selling low.

Sequoia SEQUX
Although Sequoia's average moat rating isn't quite as high as the aforementioned funds, it still towers above most mutual funds. The fund's fair-value uncertainty rating is also very low relative to other large-company funds, indicating our analysts have a high degree of confidence in the cash-flow-generating abilities of its underlying companies. The merits of such a portfolio were on full display in 2008, when it lost fully 10 percentage points less than the S&P 500.

Vanguard Dividend Appreciation VDAIX
Vanguard Primecap VPMCX also has a big share of wide-moat companies, but it's closed to new investors. This fund is a close second on the moat front at Vanguard, however, as its focus on companies with a record of growing their dividends has helped keep the overall portfolio's quality high. Note that its strategy doesn't give it a high dividend yield in absolute terms, but we're still bullish on this fund's prospects and think its very low costs are another big plus.

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.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

DVDs, Books on CD, & Music ordered Nov. 11th

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
Baitshop
Foxes
Gamer
The getaway
Near dark
9
Speak
True Stories: Sins of the mother
Yours, mine and ours
The dead
Wycliffe: Series one
Wycliffe: Series two
The boondock saints
The Helen West casebook
Mr. Troop Mom
Of mice and men

Books on CD
Open by Agassi, Andre
Tough customer by Brown, Sandra
Fever dream by Child, Lincoln
The bride collector by Dekker, Ted
The lion by DeMille, Nelson
The walk by Evans, Richard
To the far blue mountains by L'Amour, Louis
The Bourne objective by Lustbader, Eric
The 9th judgment by Patterson, James
The postcard killers by Patterson, James
Private by Patterson, James
Demons and druids by Patterson, James
Rules of betrayal by Reich, Christopher
Spider Bones by Reichs, Kathy
Burnt Mountain by Siddons, Anne
Southern lights by Steel, Danielle
Innocent by Turow, Scott

Music CDs
B. B. King: Blues anthology
Braveheart soundtrack
The Civil War soundtrack
Whitney Houston: Greatest hits
Tamela Mann: The master plan
David Mann: Good ol' time church
Carrie Underwood: Play on
Panic! at the Disco: Pretty odd
Chris Brown: Graffiti

New books we ordered Nov. 11th

Below is a list of the books recently ordered by the library. They are grouped by Adult and Children. Click on the title to see more and request a copy!

Books for Adults (Fiction and Nonfiction)
The heart of Christmas
A new literary history of America
Black magic by Adair, Cherry
Blue spells by Adair, Cherry
The darling dahlias and the cucumber tree by Albert, Susan
Leni : the life and work of Leni Riefenstahl by Bach, Steven
Rogue's home : a knight and rogue novel by Bell, Hilari
Tough customer by Brown, Sandra
Miles gone by : a literary autobiography by Buckley, William
Captive of sin by Campbell, Anna
Fever dream by Child, Lincoln
Fever dream (LT) by Child, Lincoln
The whisperers by Connolly, John
Undead and unfinished by Davidson, MaryJanice
The bride collector by Dekker, Ted
The lion by DeMille, Nelson
The lion (LT) by DeMille, Nelson
Scarlet nights by Deveraux, Jude
Chains of fire by Dodd, Christina
Chains of ice by Dodd, Christina
Secret society by Dolby, Tom
Women of the pleasure quarters : the secret history of the Geisha by Downer, Lesley
Mr. Jefferson and the giant moose : natural history in early America by Dugatkin, Lee
Eating : a memoir by Epstein, Jason
The walk by Evans, Richard
Devil may care (LT) by Faulks, Sebastian
Rushed to the altar by Feather, Jane
Water bound by Feehan, Christine
Wild fire by Feehan, Christine
Fall of giants by Follett, Ken
State Fair by Fowler, Earlene
Doris Day : the illustrated biography by Freedland, Michael
The other side of the door by French, Nicci
Heaven's fury : a novel by Frey, Stephen
Live to tell : a novel of suspense by Gardner, Lisa
Stay a little longer by Garlock, Dorothy
Pugs for dummies by Gewirtz, Elaine
Heart of the matter by Giffin, Emily
Splendor : a Luxe novel by Godbersen, Anna
The red queen by Gregory, Philippa
Reckless : a novel by Gross, Andrew
The capitol game by Haig, Brian
Letters to a young sister : define your destiny by Harper, Hill
The cupcake queen by Hepler, Heather
Artisan bread in five minutes a day : the discovery that revolutionizes home baking by Hertzberg, Jeff
A simple Christmas : twelve stories that celebrate the true holiday spirit by Huckabee, Mike
Knit the season by Jacobs, Kate
The lost memoirs of Jane Austen by James, Syrie
Slaughter in the ashes by Johnstone, William
Butcher bird : a novel of the Dominion by Kadrey, Richard
Damaged : a Maggie O'Dell novel by Kava, Alex
In other worlds by Kenyon, Sherrilyn
Vermilion drift by Krueger, William
Silent scream : an Anna Travis mystery by La Plante, Lynda
The redemption of Sarah Cain by Lewis, Beverly
That perfect someone by Lindsey, Johanna
The Bourne objective (LT) by Lustbader, Eric
The Bourne objective by Lustbader, Eric
How to be a movie star : Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood by Mann, William
Miranda's big mistake by Mansell, Jill
Perfect timing by Mansell, Jill
Enemies of the people : my family's journey to America by Marton, Kati
Solar by McEwan, Ian
The devil wears plaid by Medeiros, Teresa
Game over by Michaels, Fern
Return to sender by Michaels, Fern
At home in Stone Creek by Miller, Linda Lael
God ain't through yet by Monroe, Mary
From the finite to the infinite by Muktananda, Swami
Light on the path by Muktananda, Swami
Samuel Johnson : a life by Nokes, David
The perfect murder by Novak, Brenda
It's your time : activate your faith, achieve your dreams, and increase in God's favor by Osteen, Joel
Maximum Ride : the manga 3 by Patterson, James
The 9th judgment by Patterson, James
The 9th judgment (LT) by Patterson, James
The postcard killers by Patterson, James
The postcard killers (LT) by Patterson, James
Private by Patterson, James
Private (LT) by Patterson, James
Demons and druids (LT) by Patterson, James
Demons and druids by Patterson, James
Never less than a lady by Putney, Mary
Rules of betrayal (LT) by Reich, Christopher
Rules of betrayal by Reich, Christopher
Spider Bones by Reichs, Kathy
Portobello : a novel by Rendell, Ruth
Dog tags by Rosenfelt, David
The homecoming : a Shelter Bay novel by Ross, JoAnn
The dead-tossed waves by Ryan, Carrie
Hell's heroes by Shan, Darren
Burnt Mountain by Siddons, Anne Rivers
Burnt Mountain (LT) by Siddons, Anne Rivers
The kind diet : a simple guide to feeling great, losing weight, and saving the planet by Silverstone, Alicia
Broken by Slaughter, Karin
Too big to fail : the inside story of how Wall Street and Washington fought to save the financial system from crisis--and themselves by Sorkin, Andrew
High society : the life of Grace Kelly by Spoto, Donald
Innocent by Turow, Scott
Innocent (LT) by Turow, Scott
Lover mine : a novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood by Ward, J. R.
Mission of Honor by Weber, David
Once was lost by Zarr, Sara
An off year by Zulkey, Claire

Books for Children (Fiction and Nonfiction)
One brown bunny by Bauer, Marion Dane
Lego Star Wars : the visual dictionary by Beecroft, Simon
A pig called Pete by Bowater, Alan
Attack of the fiend by Delaney, Joseph
Clash of the demons by Delaney, Joseph
Wrath of the bloodeye by Delaney, Joseph
Seymour and Henry by Lewis, Kim
First day of school by Mayer, Mercer
Going to the sea park by Mayer, Mercer
The fireworks show by Meier, Joanne
What's that, Mittens? by Schaefer, Lola M.
Boo hoo Bird by Tankard, Jeremy
Floop in the dark by Tremblay, Carole

Monday, November 09, 2009

New library license plate - show your support!

The Kentucky Library Association has designed a new license plate for Kentucky in the hopes of raising support for our libraries. In order for the Division of Motor Vehicle Licensing to produce the plates, they must receive a petition with at least 900 supporters.

Are you a library lover that would like to join library supporters across the state to make this happen?

To show your support for Kentucky libraries, pledge to purchase a plate by contacting Linda Kompanik (KLA Library Awareness Committee Chair) at linda@loganlibrary.org. At a later date, you will be asked to complete an application and pay a $25 application fee.

Friday, November 06, 2009

Fall tai chi classes on Saturdays

5 weeks of tai chi classes will be offered by the Library at 10:00 am on Saturdays beginning November 21. The one-hour classes will be taught by Diana Hobgood, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and certified massage specialist.


A $25 registration fee is due before classes begin. Class size is limited, so please register early by stopping by the Library at 101 South Main Street.



Benefits of tai chi exercise, which is a slow, gentle exercise system based on Chinese martial arts, include:



  • improved posture
  • flexibility
  • balance
  • lower body strength
  • coordination
  • physical endurance
  • breath control
  • stress management

If you have questions, please call the Library at 826-3712.

Thursday, November 05, 2009

Free Resume Workshop at Library

The Library will be offering a free workshop on how to write effective resumes and cover letters on Saturday, November 21, from 10 am to 11:30 am.

Taught by the Library's Public Computer Instructor, Retta Zollinger, you will learn about different resume styles and why a cover letter is important. Helpful tips will be shared to make your resume professional and eye-catching.

Participants should bring job experience and education information needed to create a resume as they will be given time to work on their individual resumes. Participants must have basic computer skills. Space is limited. To sign-up or get more information, please stop by the Library or call us at 826-3712.

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

DVDs, Books on CD, & Music ordered Nov. 4th

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
The brothers Bloom
The brothers Grimm
The detonator
The dog who saved Christmas
Drag me to hell
The enemy below
The littlest light on the Christmas tree
The maiden heist
Motives
Murder most English
Off the map
Outlander
Show boat
Sweet land
The tenants

Books on CD
In the president's Secret Service by Kessler, Ronald

Music CDs
The Allman Brothers Band at Fillmore East
Alice in Chains: Black gives way to blue
Taylor Swift: Fearless - Platinum edition
Foo Fighters: Greatest hits
Weezer: Raditude
Tim McGraw: Southern voice
New moon: original motion picture soundtrack
Bootsy Collins: The one giveth, the count taketh away

New books we ordered Nov. 4th

Below is a list of the books recently ordered by the library. They are grouped by Adult and Children. Click on the title to see more and request a copy!

Books for Adults (Fiction and Nonfiction)
Recipe Club : a tale of food and friendship
The casebook of Victor Frankenstein : a novel by Ackroyd, Peter
Shades of midnight by Adrian, Lara
Open : an autobiography by Agassi, Andre
The dead of winter by Airth, Rennie
Evil for evil (LT) by Benn, James
Evil for evil : a Billy Boyle World War II mystery by Benn, James
Confections of a closet master baker : one woman's sweet journey from unhappy Hollywood executive to contented country baker by Bullock-Prado, Gesine
Blood rites by Butcher, Jim
Dead beat : a novel of the Dresden files by Butcher, Jim
Proven guilty : a novel of the Dresden files by Butcher, Jim
Summer Knight by Butcher, Jim
Death masks : a novel of the Dresden files by Butcher, Jim
New York debut by Carlson, Melody
Lost in Las Vegas by Carlson, Melody
Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates : using philosophy (and jokes!) to explain life, death, the afterlife, and everything in between by Cathcart, Thomas
Manhood for amateurs : the pleasures and regrets of a husband, father, and son by Chabon, Michael
Love at first click by Chandler, Elizabeth
Red bones : a thriller by Cleeves, Ann
America for sale : fighting the new world order, surviving a global depression, and preserving U.S.A. sovereignty by Corsi, Jerome
Butterfly lovers : a tale of the Chinese Romeo and Juliet by Dai, Fan
A lady of persuasion : a novel by Dare, Tessa
The maze runner by Dashner, James
Rewind by Dower, Laura
Hush, hush by Fitzpatrick, Becca
The battle for Skandia by Flanagan, John
Never after by Hamilton, Laurell
Shadow government : how the secret global elite is using surveillance against you by Jeffrey, Grant
Destiny's path by Jones, Frewin
The masquerade by Joyce, Brenda
The stolen bride by Joyce, Brenda
Deadly love by Joyce, Brenda
Fallen by Kate, Lauren
Kissing Santa Claus by Kauffman, Donna
Naruto #5 by Kishimoto, Masashi
Dreamhunter by Knox, Elizabeth
Dreamquake : book two of the Dreamhunter duet by Knox, Elizabeth
The owl killers : a novel by Maitland, Karen
Honeybee : lessons from an accidental beekeeper by Marchese, C. Marina
The quiet war by McAuley, Paul
Live it up without outliving your money! : getting the most from your investments in retirement by Merriman, Paul
Cleopatra's daughter : a novel by Moran, Michelle
Shadowland by Noël, Alyson
The last empress : Madame Chiang Kai-shek and the birth of modern China by Pakula, Hannah
Caitlin by Parker, Jade
Robyn by Parker, Jade
Whitney by Parker, Jade
Twilight's serenade by Peterson, Tracie
On hallowed ground : the story of Arlington National Cemetery by Poole, Robert
No more dying by Roberts, David
The sheriff of Yrnameer by Rubens, Michael
The renegade hunter : a rogue hunter novel by Sands, Lynsay
Love bites by Schreiber, Ellen
Royal blood by Schreiber, Ellen
The Coffin Club by Schreiber, Ellen
The sunless countries by Schroeder, Karl
Fruits basket #19 by Takaya, Natsuki
Fruits basket #20 by Takaya, Natsuki
Fruits basket #21 by Takaya, Natsuki
Fruits basket #22 by Takaya, Natsuki
Fruits basket #23 by Takaya, Natsuki
You, maybe : the profound asymmetry of love in high school by Vail, Rachel
Dragon's bait by Vande Velde, Vivian
A fortunate life by Vaughn, Robert
Country living : simple country wisdom by Waggoner, Susan
Clean food : a seasonal guide to eating close to the source : with more than 200 recipes for a healthy and sustainable you by Walters, Terry
Life on the color line : the true story of a white boy who discovered he was black by Williams, Gregory

Books for Children (Fiction and Nonfiction)
Nubs : the true story of a mutt, a Marine & a miracle by Dennis, Brian