New books we ordered March 24th

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

Books for Adults (Fiction and Nonfiction)

Interior design bible
Men of danger
Real men do it better
1,001 gardening secrets : the experts never tell you
The tale of Oat Cake Crag : the cottage tales of Beatrix Potter by Albert, Susan
1,001 dreams : an illustrated guide to dreams and their meanings by Altman, Jack
Red hot reunion by Andre, Bella
Game for anything by Andre, Bella
Game for seduction by Andre, Bella
Tempt me, taste me, touch me by Andre, Bella
Daughter of darkness by Andrews, V. C.
Fullmetal alchemist 1 / The Land of Sand by Arakawa, Hiromu
And thereby hangs a tale by Archer, Jeffrey
Death of a chimney sweep by Beaton, M. C.
Royal blood by Bowen, Rhys
Post office : a novel by Bukowski, Charles
Side Jobs : stories from the Dresden Files by Butcher, Jim
Moonlight Road (LT) by Carr, Robyn
Where mercy is shown, mercy is given by Chapman, Duane
Aloha quilt (LT) by Chiaverini, Jennifer
Fiber & brimstone by Childs, Laura
The reversal by Connelly, Michael
The reversal (LT) by Connelly, Michael
The routes of man : how roads are changing the world and the way we live today by Conover, Ted
By nightfall by Cunningham, Michael
Edge : a novel by Deaver, Jeffery
Immanuel's veins by Dekker, Ted
History in blue : 160 years of women police, sheriffs, detectives, and state troopers by Duffin, Allan
The brave by Evans, Nicholas
The Brave (LT) by Evans, Nicholas
Promise me by Evans, Richard Paul
Buttons and bones by Ferris, Monica
Rework by Fried, Jason
Keep a little secret by Garlock, Dorothy
Lies : a Gone novel by Grant, Michael
Fire in the Streets : The Battle for Hue, Tet 1968 by Hammel, Eric
The watchers : the rise of America's surveillance state by Harris, Shane
Young romantics : the tangled lives of English poetry's greatest generation by Hay, Daisy
Switch : how to change things when change is hard by Heath, Chip
Cold as ice by Henry, Sue
The day I shot Cupid : hello, my name is Jennifer Love Hewitt and I'm a love-aholic by Hewitt, Jennifer Love
Dead zero : a Bob Lee Swagger novel by Hunter, Stephen
Unwritten laws by Iles, Greg
Fullmetal alchemist 2 by Inoue, Makoto
Eight days to live (LT) by Johansen, Iris
Master of temptation by Jordan, Nicole
Lord of seduction by Jordan, Nicole
Fever dreams : a novel by Jordan, Nicole
To romance a charming rogue : a novel by Jordan, Nicole
To tame a dangerous lord : a novel by Jordan, Nicole
In the company of others by Karon, Jan
Full dark, no stars by King, Stephen
Unlocked : a love story by Kingsbury, Karen
Unlocked (LT) by Kingsbury, Karen
What the night knows (LT) by Koontz, Dean
What the night knows by Koontz, Dean
Lion's heat by Leigh, Lora
Renegade by Leigh, Lora
Nauti and wild by Leigh, Lora
The thorn by Lewis, Beverly
The thorn (LT) by Lewis, Beverly
Mark Twain : the adventures of Samuel L. Clemens by Loving, Jerome
The end of Wall Street by Lowenstein, Roger
Call Me Mrs. Miracle by Macomber, Debbie
Christmas mourning by Maron, Margaret
An object of beauty by Martin, Steve
An object of beauty (LT) by Martin, Steve
Every day in Tuscany : seasons of an Italian life by Mayes, Frances
Sex, greed and murder : a Carmine Delmonico novel by McCullough, Colleen
Getting to happy by McMillan, Terry
The inner circle by Meltzer, Brad
The inner circle (LT) by Meltzer, Brad
Coming back by Muller, Marcia
Adam & Eve by Naslund, Sena
Tough to tame by Palmer, Diana
Cross fire by Patterson, James
Cross fire (LT) by Patterson, James
Mercedes blue by Patterson, James
Now you see her by Patterson, James
Now you see her (LT) by Patterson, James
Bury your dead : a Chief Inspector Gamache novel by Penny, Louise
Rachel's garden (LT) by Perry, Marta
Embers of love by Peterson, Tracie
Embers of love (LT) by Peterson, Tracie
The body of Christopher Creed by Plum-Ucci, Carol
What happened to Lani Garver by Plum-Ucci, Carol
Gideon's sword by Preston, Douglas
Gideon's sword (LT) by Preston, Douglas
The complaints by Rankin, Ian
Big Jack by Robb, J. D.
Happy ever after by Roberts, Nora
Shift your habit : easy ways to save money, simplify your life, and save the planet by Rogers, Elizabeth
My lost daughter by Rosenberg, Nancy Taylor
Women, food and God : an unexpected path to almost everything by Roth, Geneen
When food is love by Roth, Geneen
The power of half : one family's decision to stop taking and start giving back by Salwen, Kevin
Rescue by Shreve, Anita
Rescue (LT) by Shreve, Anita
Waking up in Dixie by Smith, Haywood
Saying goodbye by Sparks, Nicholas
Saying goodbye (LT) by Sparks, Nicholas
What's new, cupcake? by Tack, Karen
An Irish country courtship by Taylor, Patrick
The Athena Project by Thor, Brad
Angelology by Trussoni, Danielle
In the green kitchen : techniques to learn by heart by Waters, Alice
The secret history of the Mongol queens : how the daughters of Genghis Khan rescued his empire by Weatherford, J. McIver
Plain paradise (LT) by Wiseman, Beth
Story of a girl : a novel by Zarr, Sara

DVDs, Book on CDs, and Music CD's ordered Mar. 24th

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
American beauty
Crazy heart
Daniel O'Donnell: At home in Ireland
Daniel O'Donnell: Can you feel the love
Daniel O'Donnell: Hope and praise
Daniel O'Donnell: Peaceful waters
Educating Rita
Enclosing, finishing, landscaping
Landscaping
Men at work
Rooster Cogburn
Celtic Woman: Songs from the heart
Traffic
True grit
Universal soldier: Regeneration
The book Of Eli
Daybreakers
Edge of darkness
Invictus
The road
Tooth Fairy
The wolfman
Adventures in courage
Adventures in faith
Adventures in friendship
Adventures in honesty
Adventures in honor
Adventures in integrity
Adventures in work

Books on CD
Death of a chimney sweep by Beaton, M. C.
Side jobs by Butcher, Jim
The reversal by Connelly, Michael
Lost empire  by Cussler, Clive
Edge by Deaver, Jeffery
Immanuel's veins by Dekker, Ted
The brave by Evans, Nicholas
Promise me by Evans, Richard Paul
Wild fire by Feehan, Christine
Wild rain by Feehan, Christine
Burning wild by Feehan, Christine
In the company of others by Karon, Jan
Mountains beyond mountains by Kidder, Tracy
Full dark, no stars by King, Stephen
Unlocked by Kingsbury, Karen
The phoenix transformed by Lackey, Mercedes
An object of beauty by Martin, Steve
Getting to happy by McMillan, Terry
The inner circle  by Meltzer, Brad
Mercedes blue by Patterson, James
Now you see her by Patterson, James
Cross fire by Patterson, James
Anna's Return by Perry, Marta
Rachel's garden by Perry, Marta
Gideon's sword by Preston, Douglas
The battle of the Labyrinth by Riordan, Rick
The demigod files by Riordan, Rick
The last Olympian by Riordan, Rick
The sea of monsters by Riordan, Rick
The Titan's curse by Riordan, Rick
The art of exceptional living by Rohn, E. James
Rescue by Shreve, Anita
Saying goodbye by Sparks, Nicholas
High society by Spoto, Donald
The Athena Project by Thor, Brad

Music CDs
Eagles: The complete greatest hits
Blake Shelton: Hillbilly bone
Eagles: Long road out of Eden
Timbaland: Shock value II
Hezekiah Walker: Souled out
Jimmy Needham: Speak
Very best of The Doors
WOW gospel 2008
Crazy heart

New books we ordered March 17th

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)
Ladies prefer rogues
The service of the sword / Worlds of Honor
The girl who chased the moon : a novel by Allen, Sarah
The Crusades : the authoritative history of the war for the Holy Land by Asbridge, Thomas
Foods that fight pain : revolutionary new strategies for maximum pain relief by Barnard, Neal
The weed that strings the hangman's bag : a Flavia de Luce mystery by Bradley, C. Alan
Five skies by Carlson, Ron
Tempt me if you can by Chapman, Janet
Belief : readings on the reason for faith by Collins, Francis
Whom not to marry : time-tested advice from a higher authority by Connor, Pat, Father
Waiting for daybreak by Cushman, Kathryn
Miss Dahl's voluptuous delights : recipes for every season, mood, and appetite by Dahl, Sophie
The body finder by Derting, Kimberly
This house of sky : landscapes of a Western mind by Doig, Ivan
The rest falls away : the Gardella vampire chronicles by Gale, Colette
The bleeding dusk by Gleason, Colleen
Rises the night by Gleason, Colleen
Marry him : the case for settling for Mr. Good Enough by Gottlieb, Lori
I appreciate it : my life by Griffith, Andy
Conservative victory : defeating Obama's radical agenda by Hannity, Sean
Moonlight by Hawthorne, Rachel
All unquiet things by Jarzab, Anna
Jesus wars : how four patriarchs, three queens, and two emperors decided what Christians would believe for the next 1,500 years by Jenkins, Philip
Jesus : a biography from a believer by Johnson, Paul
Judgement day by Johnstone, William
The world in six songs : how the musical brain created human nature by Levitin, Daniel
The big short : inside the doomsday machine by Lewis, Michael
Healing hearts : a memoir of a female heart surgeon by Magliato, Kathy
Countdown for couples : preparing for the adventure of marriage by Mathis, Dale
Flip! for decorating : a page-by-page, piece-by-piece, room-by-room guide to transforming your home by Mayhew, Elizabeth
Kokoro by Natsume, Sōseki
Before I fall by Oliver, Lauren
The bag lady papers : the priceless experience of losing it all by Penney, Alexandra
Holy warriors : a modern history of the crusades by Phillips, Jonathan
Blow : how a smalltown boy made $100 million with the Medellín cocaine cartel and lost it all by Porter, Bruce
Government's end : why Washington stopped working by Rauch, Jonathan
Hunter killer by Robinson, Patrick
Tomorrow's table : organic farming, genetics, and the future of food by Ronald, Pamela
Courage and consequence : my life as a conservative in the fight by Rove, Karl
WWW : watch by Sawyer, Robert
Life eternal by Silver, Drew
Crazy time : surviving divorce and building a new life by Trafford, Abigail
Made for goodness : and why this makes all the difference by Tutu, Desmond
American conspiracies : lies, lies, and more dirty lies that the government tells us by Ventura, Jesse
A match made in high school by Walker, Kristin
Back to life after a heart crisis : a doctor and his wife share their 8-step cardiac comeback plan by Wallack, Marc
Beautiful things happen when a woman trusts God by Walsh, Sheila
Num8ers by Ward, Rachel
Oath of swords by Weber, David
The stars at war II by Weber, David
Empire from the ashes by Weber, David
In death ground by Weber, David
After you believe : why Christian character matters by Wright, N. T.

Books for Children (Fiction and Nonfiction)
Revenge of the witch by Delaney, Joseph
Pokémon adventures 2 by Kusaka, Hidenori
The sixty-eight rooms by Malone, Marianne
A hidden magic by Vande Velde, Vivian

DVDs and Music CD's ordered Mar. 17th

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

DVDs
Cold souls
Curtain call
Deep blue sea
Diary of the dead
Expiration date
Greystoke: The legend of Tarzan
Ice castles
Mother Teresa
Ninja assassin
Point break
Romeo + Juliet
Sweeney Todd: the demon barber of Fleet Street
Tara Road
Uncross the stars
Wedding crashers
Witness protection
An education
The messenger
12 monkeys
The war of 1812
Founding brothers
The founding fathers
The Revolution

Music CDs
Rancid: And out come the wolves
Blue Sky Mile: Sands once seas

Spring Break Pirate Mania

AHOY THERE MATES, ye be invited for some Pirate Mania fun during Spring Break at the Henderson County Public Library. Mateys ages 5 – 12 are invited to participate in our daring high sea adventures. You must be registered to participate and registration will be held March 21 – March 27, 2010. You can register online or stop by the library during regular business hours. Space is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Pirate Story Hour
Tuesday, March 30, 2010 @ 1:30pm
This program will feature pirate stories, songs, rhymes and other piratey things….

Crafts on the High Seas
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 @ 1:30pm
Participants will make a pirate hat, a spyglass telescope (good for spotting treasure), and a parrot (a good pirate wouldn’t be caught without one).

Pirate Party
Thursday, April 1, 2010 @ 1:30pm
Participants should come dressed as a pirate. The program will feature games, activities and snacks fit for a pirate.

DVDs, Books on CD, and Music CD's ordered Mar. 10th

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
Alice
Angus, thongs and perfect snogging
Avatar
Beyond the law
The big Lebowski
The cove
Grifters
In the blink of an eye
Pirate radio
Sharpe's Peril
St. Elmo's fire
The story of us
The taking of Pelham 1 2 3
10 secrets for inner peace & success
Tenderness
East of Eden
Springtime surprises
Bugs Bunny's Easter funnies
Curious George 2: Follow that monkey!
Dear John
Extraordinary measures
Frosty the snowman
The Great Mouse Detective
Olivia takes ballet
Soccer dog
Soccer dog 2: European cup
Soccer mom
The spy next door

Books on CD
The cobra by Forsyth, Frederick
Crossfire by Francis, Dick
Abraham Lincoln by Grahame-Smith, Seth
Take Three by Kingsbury, Karen

Music CDs
Pink Floyd: Echoes
Music from the unrealized film script: Dusk at Cubist Castle
Raphael Saadiq: The way I see it
Paramore: All we know is falling
Alan Jackson: Freight train

New books we ordered March 10th

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)
Better homes and gardens complete guide to container gardening
The Pacific by Ambrose, Hugh
Things we didn't see coming by Amsterdam, Steven
Burning up by Andersen, Susan
Able One by Bova, Ben
Rebel angels by Bray, Libba
The sweet far thing by Bray, Libba
Tenth grade bleeds by Brewer, Heather
Eighth grade bites by Brewer, Heather
Eleventh grade burns by Brewer, Heather
Ninth grade slays by Brewer, Heather
Raising happiness : 10 simple steps for more joyful kids and happier parents by Carter, Christine
Naked heat by Castle, Richard
The secret life of Emily Dickinson : a novel by Charyn, Jerome
Savage lands by Clark, Clare
The great American university : its rise to preeminence, its indispensable national role, why it must be protected by Cole, Jonathan
Clean kill : a sniper novel by Coughlin, Jack
The ides : Caesar's murder and the war for Rome by Dando-Collins, Stephen
Misguided angel : a Blue Bloods novel by De la Cruz, Melissa
Emerald embrace by Drake, Shannon
The Biggest loser complete calorie counter : the quick and easy guide to thousands of foods from grocery stores and popular restaurants by Forberg, Cheryl
The Biggest loser simple swaps : 100 easy changes to start living a healthier lifestyle by Forberg, Cheryl
Abraham Lincoln : vampire hunter by Grahame-Smith, Seth
Crawlspace : a home repair is homicide mystery by Graves, Sarah
Starbound by Haldeman, Joe
Honeymoon of the dead by Hallaway, Tate
Dead if I do by Hallaway, Tate
Dead sexy by Hallaway, Tate
Tall, dark & dead by Hallaway, Tate
A girl from Flint by Hernandez, Treasure
Viking in love by Hill, Sandra
The truth about Lord Stoneville by Jeffries, Sabrina
The physics of superheroes by Kakalios, James
Here comes trouble by Kauffman, Donna
The surrendered by Lee, Chang-rae
Steamed : a steampunk romance by MacAlister, Katie
The Jesuit guide to (almost) everything : a spirituality for real life by Martin, James, S.J.
Fatal system error : the hunt for new crime lords who are bringing down the Internet by Menn, Joseph
Twisted tree by Meyers, Kent
The wives of Henry Oades : a novel by Moran, Johanna
Dark flame by Noel, Alyson
Broken places by Parshall, Sandra
Ruby's spoon : a novel by Pietroni, Anna Lawrence
Island by Rogers, Jane
Beet by Rosenblatt, Roger
Lapham rising by Rosenblatt, Roger
Father's first steps : 25 things every new dad should know by Sears, William
The baby book : everything you need to know about your baby--from birth to age two by Sears, William
The discipline book : everything you need to know to have a better-behaved child--from birth to age ten by Sears, William
The vaccine book : making the right decision for your child by Sears, William
Major Pettigrew's last stand : a novel by Simonson, Helen
Strange Fate by Smith, L. J.
Gone 'til November by Stroby, Wallace
The devil's casino : friendship, betrayal, and the high-stakes games played inside Lehman Brothers by Ward, Vicky
Blackout by Willis, Connie
Jack : secret circles by Wilson, F. Paul
Except the queen by Yolen, Jane
The domino pattern by Zahn, Timothy

Books for Children (Fiction and Nonfiction)
The Ever Breath by Baggott, Julianna
Someday a tree by Bunting, Eve
The trouble with dragons by Gliori, Debi
My heart is like a zoo by Hall, Michael
Just Grace and the snack attack by Harper, Charise Mericle
Smile! by Hodgkinson, Leigh
The falconer's knot by Hoffman, Mary
Lost worlds by Howe, John
Over a thousand hills I walk with you by Jansen, Hanna
A whole new ball game : the story of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League by Macy, Sue
The case of the stinky socks by Montgomery, Lewis
Lost boy by Newbery, Linda
Leprechaun in late winter by Osborne, Mary Pope
Westminster Abby by Ostow, Micol
What really happened to Humpty? : (from the files of a hard-boiled detective) by Ransom, Jeanie Franz
Pumpkins : a story for a field by Ray, Mary Lyn
January joker by Roy, Ron
Sophie Peterman tells the truth! by Weeks, Sarah
A brand new me by Winkler, Henry

DVDs, Books on CD, and Music CD's ordered Mar. 3rd

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
At first sight
Au pair 3: adventure in paradise
The Book of Ruth
The Delta force
Donnie Brasco
Doomsday
Double impact
Lewis & Clark: the journey of the corps of discovery
Meditation for beginners
Motives 2: retribution
My best friend's wedding
My fake fiance
Rising sun
Still smokin
Taking lives
Texas chainsaw massacre: the next generation
George Bernard Shaw on film
Article 99
Celine Dion: A new day: live in Las Vegas
Legion
A summer place
Terror in the family
Whisper of the heart

Books on CD
Stones into schools by Mortenson, Greg
Three cups of tea by Mortenson, Greg
Citizens of London by Olson, Lynne
Bloodhound by Pierce, Tamora
Bad Blood by Sandford, John
Santa Fe edge by Woods, Stuart

Music CDs
Tibetan Chakra Meditations

New books we ordered March 3rd

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 living dead
The lost
The Kitchen Table Book : 1,427 Kitchen Cures and Pantry Potions for Just About Every Health and Household Problem
Betty Crocker the 300 calorie cookbook : 300 tasty meals for eating healthy every day.
Crochet edgings & trims : 150 stitches
Start your own child-care service : your step-by-step guide to success
The room and the chair : a novel by Adams, Lorraine
The spirit lens : a novel of the Collegia Magica by Berg, Carol
The emperor's tomb by Berry, Steve
Living with PCOS : polycystic ovary syndrome by Best-Boss, Angie
The complete guide to female fertility by Brian, Kate
Out of body : a court of angels novel by Cameron, Stella
The anger trap : free yourself from the frustrations that sabotage your life by Carter, Les
Divine by blood by Cast, P. C.
What your doctor may not tell you about getting pregnant : boost your fertility with the best of traditional and alternative therapies by Chang, Raymond
The letter and the scroll : what archaeology tells us about the Bible by Currie, Robin
Mind over markets by Dalton, James
Me, myself, and why? by Davidson, MaryJanice
My skin is my sin : a novel by DeJon
Making rounds with Oscar : the extraordinary gift of an ordinary cat by Dosa, David
The choice : a novel by Fisher, Suzanne
Judaism : a way of being by Gelernter, David
Eona by Goodman, Alison
Fertility facts : hundreds of tips for getting pregnant by Hahn, Kimberly
The ultimate PCOS handbook : lose weight, boost fertility, clear skin and restore self-esteem by Harris, Colette
Ghost in trouble : a mystery by Hart, Carolyn
Willie Mays : the life, the legend by Hirsch, James
Little boy blues by Jones, Malcolm
Castaways by Keene, Brian
Red demon by Knight, Deidre
Parallel heat by Knight, Deidre
Red fire by Knight, Deidre
Red kiss : a gods of midnight novel by Knight, Deidre
Parallel seduction by Knight, Deidre
Parallel attraction by Knight, Deidre
Parallel desire : a novel of the midnight warriors by Knight, Deidre
Butterfly tattoo by Knight, Deidre
Natural nursery knits : twenty hand-knit projects for the new baby by Knight, Erika
Healthy shoulder handbook : 100 exercises for treating and preventing frozen shoulder, rotator cuff and other common injuries by Knopf, Karl
The wife's tale : a novel by Lansens, Lori
The Harvard Psychedelic Club : how Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Huston Smith, and Andrew Weil killed the fifties and ushered in a new age for America by Lattin, Don
The reckless bride (LT) by Laurens, Stephanie
Endless night by Laymon, Richard
Flesh by Laymon, Richard
Cuts by Laymon, Richard
Dark mountain by Laymon, Richard
Beware by Laymon, Richard
After midnight by Laymon, Richard
Our kind of traitor by Le Carré, John
Characters of lust : a novel by LeBlanc
I slept with Joey Ramone : a family memoir by Leigh, Mickey
Searching for Tina Turner by Luckett, Jacqueline
Apparition & late fictions : a novella and stories by Lynch, Thomas
Having a baby : when the old-fashioned way isn't working by Margolis, Cindy
No one would listen : a true financial thriller by Markopolos, Harry
Silk parachute by McPhee, John
Life and holiness by Merton, Thomas
The last days of Ptolemy Grey by Mosley, Walter
How to open & operate a financially successful child care service, with companion CD-ROM by Musial, Tina
Louder than words : take your career from average to exceptional with the hidden power of nonverbal intelligence by Navarro, Joe
Monsters of men by Ness, Patrick
Sourland : stories by Oates, Joyce Carol
Citizens of London : the Americans who stood with Britain in its darkest, finest hour by Olson, Lynne
I am Ozzy by Osbourne, Ozzy
The allergen-free baker's handbook : how to bake without gluten, wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, and sesame by Pascal, Cybele
Every last one by Quindlen, Anna
Red carpet ready : secrets for making the most of any moment you're in the spotlight by Rivers, Melissa
The moanin' after : a novel by by Ross, L. M.
The bread of angels : a journey to love and faith by Saldana, Stephanie
If at first you don't conceive : a complete guide to infertility from one of the nation's leading clinics by Schoolcraft, William
Hellraisers : the life and inebriated times of Richard Burton, Richard Harris, Peter O'Toole, and Oliver Reed by Sellers, Robert
Cirque du Freak 1 by Shan, Darren
Cirque du Freak 2 / The Vampire's Assistant by Shan, Darren
The girl with glass feet : a novel by Shaw, Ali
Prophet of purpose : the life of Rick Warren by Sheler, Jeffery
The untold war : inside the hearts, minds, and souls of our soldiers by Sherman, Nancy
Reality hunger : a manifesto by Shields, David
The kill artist by Silva, Daniel
Just kids by Smith, Patti
The vampire and the virgin by Sparks, Kerrelyn
Roadfood : the coast-to-coast guide to 700 of the best barbecue joints, lobster shacks, ice cream parlors, highway diners, and much, much more by Stern, Jane
Denial : why business leaders fail to look facts in the face--and what to do about it by Tedlow, Richard
Taking charge of your fertility : the definitive guide to natural birth control, pregnancy achievement, and reproductive health by Weschler, Toni
Messin' up : a novel by Williams, LaTonya
Learning to soar : how to grow through transitions and trials by Willis, Avery
Blood, iron, & gold : how the railroads transformed the world by Wolmar, Christian

Books for Children (Fiction and Nonfiction)
Sapphique by Fisher, Catherine
Night whispers by Hunter, Erin
Pokémon adventures 1 by Kusaka, Hidenori
The 39 Clues #9 by Park, Linda
Mystery ranch by Warner, Gertrude Chandler

The Best Investments for Taxable Accounts

Investing tip of the month from Morningstar Investment Research Center by Christine Benz, Director of Personal Finance and Editor of Morningstar PracticalFinance.


If you saw a stack of money lying on the ground, would you pick it up?

I certainly would. I think you would, too. But it's surprising how many investors routinely pass up free money by ignoring or downplaying the tax implications of their investment selections.

Paying attention to the types of investments you select for your taxable accounts is arguably even more important now. That's because many noted market prognosticators expect relatively modest returns for the foreseeable future in a so-called "new normal" environment. With potentially less money coming in, it makes sense to trim whatever investment costs you can, including the amount you'll owe to Uncle Sam.

Here are some of the key things to keep in mind when selecting investments for your taxable accounts.

1. Go straight to the source.

Perhaps the most simple and effective way to improve your portfolio's aftertax return is to consider a fund that's explicitly designed to minimize the tax collector's cut. Investors in all mutual funds have to pay taxes on any income or capital gains their mutual funds pay out, regardless of whether those payments are reinvested in the fund.

So-called tax-managed funds try to keep those income and capital gains to a bare minimum. Although their strategies vary, most such offerings actively offset any capital gains with losses elsewhere in their portfolios and shun investments that generate ordinary income, which is taxed at the highest rate.

The result is that a tax-managed fund with returns that look unimpressive on a pretax basis may look superb--or at least quite healthy--on an aftertax basis. Vanguard runs a terrific suite of tax-managed funds for nearly every role in your portfolio, while Eaton Vance runs solid tax-managed funds as well.

2. Consider a municipal-bond fund.

Municipal-bond funds are the original tax-managed funds. Whereas any interest you earn from a conventional bond fund is taxed at your own income-tax rate, you won't have to pay federal income tax on a municipal-bond fund's payout; you may also be able to skirt state income tax by buying a muni fund dedicated to your state's bonds.

Although you might think municipal bonds are a tax dodge geared toward the super-rich, you needn't be in the highest tax bracket to benefit from opting for a muni fund. To determine whether you're better off in a taxable-bond fund or a municipal-bond offering, you can calculate the Tax-Equivalent Yield using the formula, Tax-equivalent yield = Tax-free yield/(1-your tax bracket). By plugging in the current yields of taxable- and municipal-bond funds you're considering, along with your own income-tax rate, you can quickly see how much the taxable-bond fund would have to yield to outstrip the muni fund's payout once taxes are taken into account.

There is, however, one notable caveat to bear in mind when venturing into municipal bonds. Although I noted that income from muni bonds generally isn't subject to federal income tax, the payouts of certain municipal bonds are subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax. To avoid muni funds holding AMT-subject bonds, look for those with "Tax-Free" or "Tax-Exempt" in their names. Such funds are required to keep 80% or more of their assets in bonds not subject to the AMT.

3. Be picky about investment approach.

Maybe you have a hard time getting excited by the available tax-managed or municipal-bond funds. If you're venturing into funds that aren't explicitly geared toward keeping your tax bill down, you should know which fund types will tend to be tax-efficient and which will not.

When buying stock funds for your taxable account, you'll generally want to focus on those that use low-turnover approaches, such as most large-cap index funds. These passively managed funds aim to match the returns of a market index and make portfolio changes only when the index constituents change. Actively managed funds, on the other hand, may follow a faster-trading strategy as the manager moves in and out of positions seeking to beat the market, potentially triggering lots of taxable gains.

Whether you're seeking passive or actively managed funds, look for those with turnover rates of less than 25% a year, if possible. (A turnover rate of 25% indicates that a manager trades the entire portfolio every four years.) Higher-turnover funds tend to generate lots of capital gains, some of them short-term. Capital gains payouts are never welcome for taxable investors, but short-term gains are particularly harmful because they're taxed at your ordinary income-tax rate.

You'll also want to concentrate your search on those funds that generate returns via stock-price appreciation rather than income from bonds or other securities. That's because income from bonds and real estate investment trusts is taxed at the highest rate--your ordinary income-tax rate. (Stock dividends are less worrisome for taxable investors, because they're currently taxed at your capital gains rate--though that advantage is scheduled to expire at the end of 2010.) If you're inclined to buy a heavy-income generator--such as a high-yield bond, real estate, or even a balanced fund--consider stashing it in a tax-advantaged account such as your IRA or 401(k) plan.

4. Pay attention to history.

To help identify those funds that have historically done a good job of keeping the tax collector at bay or to see how tax-friendly your current holdings are, you'll want to pay close attention to the Tax section that we supply on each Morningstar.com Fund Report.

By eyeballing a fund's aftertax return and rankings, you'll be able to see how much of that offering's raw return an investor in the highest tax bracket would have been able to pocket once taxes were taken into account. In some cases, the difference can be meaningful. For example, Schneider Small Cap Value's (SCMVX) 10-year average pretax return of 11.7% lands the fund in the top 12% of its category, but after accounting for the tax bite, its average return and category percent rank drop to 8.4% and 30%, respectively.

In the same Tax section, Morningstar also provides a tax-cost ratio for each fund for each time period. You can use the tax-cost ratio much as you do a fund expense ratio, and you can add the tax-cost ratio to your fund's expense ratio to estimate that offering's total costs for investors in the highest tax bracket.

5. Look to the future.

While tax-adjusted returns and tax-cost ratios will show you how tax-efficient a fund has been in the past, they won't tell you everything you need to know about whether a fund is likely to be a good bet for a taxable account in the years ahead. That's where Morningstar's potential capital gains exposure figure (also available on the Fund Report Tax tab) comes in. This statistic shows you what percentage of a fund's assets is made up of realized or unrealized gains or losses. For example, if a manager bought a stock at $10 five years ago and it's now selling for $110, the portfolio has $100 in unrealized appreciation per share. If he or she were to sell the stock tomorrow, shareholders would have to pay capital gains tax on that $100. Funds can also have negative potential capital gains exposure, meaning that the fund has losses on its books that it can use to offset future gains.

Morningstar Investment Research Center users can put several of these statistics together to screen for funds that have been tax-efficient in the past and could be good bets for taxable accounts in the future, too. For an example, visit the Fund Screener page and select Aftertax Stars from the Morningstar Screens menu.

6. Venture beyond mutual funds.

Although I've focused largely on mutual funds so far, your taxable account is a great place to hold individual stocks if you're inclined to do so, particularly if you trade infrequently. As I've noted, with a mutual fund you're on the hook for taxes on capital gains payouts regardless of whether you've sold any shares. If you own individual stocks, on the other hand, you don't have to pay capital gains tax until you yourself sell a share and lock in a gain.

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) can also prove a tax-efficient alternative to mutual funds. ETFs sell on an exchange, meaning most trading takes place between shareholders. Individuals cannot redeem their shares for cash directly from the fund company. Thus, the fund manager doesn't have to meet redemptions, so he or she won't be forced to sell shares to raise cash, potentially realizing a capital gain. Furthermore, the large institutional shareholders that are permitted to redeem ETF shares directly from the fund company do not receive cash in exchange for their shares. Instead, when they redeem, they are given a basket of the stocks held in the ETF's portfolio. This allows the ETF to continually hand off its lowest-cost-basis shares to redeeming institutions, helping ETFs keep their potential capital gains exposure much lower than it would otherwise be.

7. Beware of generalizations.

Although ETFs are generally more tax-efficient than conventional mutual funds, there have been a handful of instances when ETFs have made sizable capital gains distributions. And as mentioned above, index funds are also frequently cited as being more tax-efficient than actively managed funds, but that's not necessarily so, either. Index funds that track benchmarks that frequently make substantive changes to their holdings--notably, many small-cap index funds--may be no better for your taxable account than will actively managed funds.

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.

The newest personal finance guide from Morningstar Investment Research Center, “How To Find Your Money Baseline,” is now available.  This booklet includes content and worksheets taken from Morningstar’s newest book, 30-Minute Money Solutions, written by Director of Personal Finance, Christine Benz.

Features include:

• Find Your Baseline
• Calculate Your Net Worth
• See Where Your Money Goes
• Set Your Financial Goals
• Create a Budget

This 20-page booklet is available for free as a PDF download.

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.

Beginner Genealogy Workshop

Trying to climb your family tree? Find out how the Library's Genealogy Department can help you get on your way! On Saturday, October 17 from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, the Library will host a Beginner Genealogy Workshop to show you how to get started tracing your family tree. You will receive a pedigree chart and other helpful forms for keeping records as you research your family tree. You will also be shown how to use the online resource Ancestry.com Library Edition. To register, come by the Library or contact us at 826-3712. Space is limited!