HCPL Happenings: April 2010

Thursday, April 29, 2010

New books we ordered April 28th

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)
An anthology of modern Irish poetry
The art of losing : poems of grief and healing
The full spectrum : a new generation of writing about gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and other identities
Sleeping Beauties : Newborns in Dreamland
Repeat until rich : a professional card counter's chronicle of the blackjack wars by Axelrad, Josh
I'll mature when I'm dead : Dave Barry's amazing tales of adulthood by Barry, Dave
The 10 laws of enduring success by Bartiromo, Maria
The Salon by Bertozzi, Nick
The man who ate his boots : the tragic history of the search for the Northwest passage by Brandt, Anthony
The book of spells by Brian, Kate
Pure sin by Brian, Kate
Kentucky's State Capitol by Buchta, David
Making haste from Babylon : the Mayflower Pilgrims and their world : a new history by Bunker, Nick
Decision Points by Bush, George W. (George Walker)
Planetary spells & rituals : practicing dark & light magick aligned with the cosmic bodies by Digitalis, Raven
A wizard of Mars by Duane, Diane
Twice the temptation by Enoch, Suzanne
Brass diva : the life and legends of Ethel Merman by Flinn, Caryl
Satch, Dizzy & Rapid Robert : the wild saga of interracial baseball before Jackie Robinson by Gay, Timothy
The everything guide to starting and running a nonprofit by Goettler, Jim
The third rail by Harvey, Michael
Never say diet : make five decisions and break the fat habit for good by Hobbs, Chantel
GLBTQ : the survival guide for queer & questioning teens by Huegel, Kelly
City of lost girls by Hughes, Declan
It is well with my soul : the extraordinary life of a 106-year-old woman by Johnson, Ella Mae
13 bankers : the Wall Street takeover and the next financial meltdown by Johnson, Simon
La Corda d'Oro #2 by Kure, Yuki
La Corda d'Oro #3 by Kure, Yuki
La Corda d'Oro #4 by Kure, Yuki
Entering Hades : the double life of a serial killer by Leake, John
The Internet for dummies by Levine, John
God's Guest List : welcoming those who influence our lives by Macomber, Debbie
Christmas in Cedar Cove by Macomber, Debbie
One Night (LT) by Macomber, Debbie
Hannah's list by Macomber, Debbie
What if someone I know is gay? : answers to questions about what it means to be gay and lesbian by Marcus, Eric
Freeze frame by May, Peter
Child of God by McCarthy, Cormac
Tammy Wynette : tragic country queen by McDonough, Jimmy
The master your metabolism cookbook by Michaels, Jillian
Dear American Airlines by Miles, Jonathan
No wonder my parents drank : tales from a stand-up dad by Mohr, Jay
Toys by Patterson, James
Mercedes Blue (LT) by Patterson, James
The expert's guide to internet research by Popkoff, Eric
Strip Jack by Rankin, Ian
Mortal causes by Rankin, Ian
Let it bleed by Rankin, Ian
Tooth and nail by Rankin, Ian
The black book by Rankin, Ian
Celebrity secrets : government files on the rich and famous by Redfern, Nicholas
Found, Fund & Manage a Successful Not-for-profit Organization by Riddle, John
Making the "terrible" twos terrific! by Rosemond, John
New parent power! by Rosemond, John
The Cavalier King Charles spaniel by Savant-Harris, Myra
Royal harlot : a novel of the Countess of Castlemaine & King Charles II by Scott, Susan Holloway
The darkest passion by Showalter, Gena
The doctor is in : a 7-step prescription for optimal wellness by Stork, Travis
Search the dark by Todd, Charles
Behind closed doors : at home in Georgian England by Vickery, Amanda
Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Vreeland, Susan
The little stranger by Waters, Sarah
Soul mates : understanding relationships across time by Webster, Richard
Anthill : a novel by Wilson, Edward
How to live on Mars : a trusty guidebook to surviving and thriving on the Red Planet by Zubrin, Robert

Books for Children (Fiction and Nonfiction)
The time pirate : a Nick McIver time adventure by Bell, Ted
A wizard of Mars by Duane, Diane
Into the gauntlet by Haddix, Margaret Peterson
The Cloud Searchers by Kibuishi, Kazu
Virals by Reichs, Kathy
The Heroes of Olympus : Lost Hero by Riordan, Rick

DVDs, Book on CDs, and Music CD's ordered Apr. 28th

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
Fort Courageous
Holyman undercover
Home beyond the sun
The imposter
Lake Placid
Last Stand at Saber River
Minor details
Once upon a summer
The pianist
Rescued
Saddle the wind
Stand and deliver
Starstruck
You know my name
Sweet misery
Looney tunes: back in action
All dogs go to heaven
The bounty hunter
Laramie: The Final Season
Rawhide
A single man
Wagon train: The complete first season

Books on CD
Are you there vodka? It's me, Chelsea by Handler, Chelsea
My horizontal life by Handler, Chelsea
Cross roads by Michaels, Fern
Legacy by Steel, Danielle

Music CDs
Skillet: Awake
Skillet: Invincible
Gary Allan: Get off on the pain
Little Big Town: A place to land
The very best of Nat King Cole

Saturday, April 24, 2010

DVDs, Book on CDs, and Music CD's ordered Apr. 22nd

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 in Wonderland
Damage
Halo legends
Notorious
One last dance
Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The lightning thief
Sarah's Choice
Brooklyn's finest
Dolores Claiborne
Jay and Silent Bob strike back
Last Supper
Pandorum
The recruit
The Buddha
Gabriel
Enchanted April
Hawaii Five-O : The first season

Books on CD
Mockingjay by Collins, Suzanne
Catching fire by Collins, Suzanne
The hunger games by Collins, Suzanne
Confession by Grisham, John
The gathering storm by Jordan, Robert
The Eastern Stars by Kurlansky, Mark
1022 Evergreen Place by Macomber, Debbie
Exclusive by Michaels, Fern
Burning lamp by Quick, Amanda
Shameless by Robards, Karen

Music CDs
Boyz II Men: Motown
Nick Carter: Now or never

New books we ordered April 22nd

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)
Back roads Spain
Back roads Italy
Back roads of Ireland.
Back roads France.
Desires of a perfect lady by Alexander, Victoria
No more heroes by Banks, Ray
Raised by Wolves by Barnes, Jennifer
Death by the book by Bartulin, Lenny
The possessed : adventures with Russian books and the people who read them by Batuman, Elif
Ark by Baxter, Stephen
Deadly inheritance by Beaufort, Simon
The secret duke by Beverley, Jo
Murder in the Palais Royal by Black, Cara
Naked dragon : a Works Like Magick novel by Blair, Annette
Foot Soldier : Acombat Infantryman's War in Europe by Blunt, Roscoe
At home : a short history of private life by Bryson, Bill
Dead end gene pool : a memoir by Burden, Wendy
Possible side effects by Burroughs, Augusten
Tarzan the untamed by Burroughs, Edgar
In pursuit of a scandalous lady by Callen, Gayle
Naked edge by Clare, Pamela
A plain and simple Christmas by Clipston, Amy
Do they know I'm running? : a novel by Corbett, David
Sleep no more by Crandall, Susan
Men and dogs (LT) by Crouch, Katie
Tocqueville's discovery of America by Damrosch, Leopold
My invisible boyfriend by Day, Susie
Vortex by Denning, Troy
River lady by Deveraux, Jude
The Barbary pirates : an Ethan Gage adventure by Dietrich, William
In bed with the duke (LT) by Dodd, Christina
Dark peril by Feehan, Christine
Mind game by Feehan, Christine
The real you diet : your personal program for lasting weight loss by Fernstrom, Madelyn
Lake magic by Fisk, Kimberly
An American saga : the story of Helen Thomas and Simon Flexner by Flexner, James
Oddly Normal 2 by Frampton, Otis
Stealing Kathryn by Frank, Jacquelyn
On shadow beach by Freethy, Barbara
The clothesline diet : the incredible story of how one woman went from flab to fab and how you can, too! by Gatt, Karen
Wolf in tiger's stripes by Gordon, Victoria
The confession by Grisham, John
Confession (LT) by Grisham, John
The ten-mile trials by Gunn, Elizabeth
Never let you go by Healy, Erin
Here burns my candle by Higgs, Liz Curtis
Forget me not : a novel by Hinze, Vicki
Hunter's moon by Hoesel, Don
If he's sinful by Howell, Hannah
Provocative in pearls by Hunter, Madeline
Ravishing in red (LT) by Hunter, Madeline
Naruto 16 by Kishimoto, Masashi
Bride of the wolf by Krinard, Susan
The Eastern stars : how baseball changed the Dominican town of San Pedro de Macorís by Kurlansky, Mark
Tuck by Lawhead, Steve
Elizabeth's Wolf by Leigh, Lora
The man within by Leigh, Lora
Kiss of heat by Leigh, Lora
Tempting the beast by Leigh, Lora
Soul Deep, Coyote Breeds by Leigh, Lora
Soul of a citizen : living with conviction in challenging times by Loeb, Paul
The book of spies by Lynds, Gayle
Beatrice and Virgil : a novel by Martel, Yann
Kade : Armed and Dangerous by McCray, Cheyenne
Blackmailed by Mckenna, Annmarie
Guardian by McKenna, Lindsay
Shadows from the past (LT) by McKenna, Lindsay
Beyond the limit (LT) by McKenna, Lindsay
Civil War by Millar, Mark
Somewhere to belong by Miller, Judith
Secrets of a scandalous bride by Nash, Sophia
The PETA practical guide to animal rights : simple acts of kindness to help animals in trouble by Newkirk, Ingrid
Father Elijah : an apocalypse by O'Brien, Michael
A landscape with dragons : the battle for your child's mind by O'Brien, Michael
The heat of the moon by Parshall, Sandra
Disturbing the dead by Parshall, Sandra
Eye of the raven by Pattison, Eliot
In harm's way by Pearson, Ridley
Vintage Veronica by Perl, Erica
Ravished by a Highlander by Quinn, Paula
Gray Ghost : The Life of Col. John Singleton Mosby by Ramage, James
Shameless (LT) by Robards, Karen
Shameless by Robards, Karen
A game of character : a family journey from Chicago's southside to the Ivy League and beyond by Robinson, Craig
Down to the wire by Rosenfelt, David
The education of Hyman Kaplan by Rosten, Leo
The Real Alice in Wonderland by Rubin, C. M.
Contested Will : who wrote Shakespeare? by Shapiro, James
Jewish communities on the Ohio River : a history by Shevitz, Amy
Thief eyes by Simner, Janni
Mercy Street (LT) by Stewart, Maria
Twilight fall : a novel of the Darkyn by Viehl, Lynn
Double trouble by Warren, Susan May
The new Atkins for a new you : the ultimate diet for shedding weight and feeling great by Westman, Eric
The winter thief by White, Jenny
The last lie by White, Stephen
Home at Rose Cottage by Woods, Sherryl
The highly effective detective plays the fool by Yancey, Richard

Thursday, April 15, 2010

DVDs, Book on CDs, and Music CD's ordered Apr. 14th

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 African Queen
Hachi, a dog's tale
Ushpizin
A woman of independent means
Gomorrah
The last station
Shutter Island
LEGO: The adventures of clutch powers
Elijah
Elisha
Beauty and the beast
Muppet Treasure Island
The prince & me 4: the elephant adventure
Star Wars, The Clone Wars: Clone commandos
Star Wars, The Clone Wars: A galaxy divided
Spartacus

Books on CD
Moment of truth
Hell's corner by Baldacci, David
Playing the game by Bradford, Barbara Taylor
The weed that strings the hangman's bag by Bradley, C. Alan
Second nature by Pollan, Michael
Look again by Scottoline, Lisa

Music CDs
Plain White T's: Big bad world

New books we ordered April 14th

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)
Secrets of the code : the unauthorized guide to the mysteries behind the Da Vinci code
Taken by Midnight : A Midnight Breed Novel by Adrian, Lara
Rules for radicals : a practical primer for realistic radicals by Alinsky, Saul David
Hell's corner by Baldacci, David
Hell's Corner (LT) by Baldacci, David
Jane and the madness of Lord Byron : being a Jane Austen mystery by Barron, Stephanie
Army wives : the unwritten code of military marriage by Biank, Tanya
Grange House by Blake, Sarah
Playing the game by Bradford, Barbara Taylor
The secret legacy of Jesus : the Judaic teachings that passed from James the Just to the Founding Fathers by Bütz, Jeffrey
The Prostitutes' Ball by Cannell, Stephen
Parrot and Olivier in America by Carey, Peter
Changeless by Carriger, Gail
Trying to Get to Heaven : Opinions of a Tennessee Talker by Carter, Dixie
Goddess of light by Cast, P. C.
Goddess of love by Cast, P. C.
Goddess of spring by Cast, P. C.
Goddess of the rose by Cast, P. C.
Goddess of the sea by Cast, P. C.
Bedeviled Eggs by Childs, Laura
Nightschool 1 : the Weirn books by Chmakova, Svetlana
Nightschool 2 : the Weirn books by Chmakova, Svetlana
Nightschool 3 : the Weirn books by Chmakova, Svetlana
Dead or alive by Clancy, Tom
Death Wave by Coonts, Stephen
Dead shot : a sniper novel by Coughlin, Jack
Four freedoms by Crowley, John
Crescent dawn : a Dirk Pitt novel by Cussler, Clive
Privilege : Harvard and the education of the ruling class by Douthat, Ross Gregory
Forgivin' ain't forgettin' by Elliott, Mata
Happyface by Emond, Stephen
Crescendo by Fitzpatrick, Becca
The ingenious Edgar Jones : a novel by Garner, Elizabeth
Crime partners by Goines, Donald
Arcadia Falls : a novel by Goodman, Carol
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by Green, John
Mike and Mike's rules for sports and life by Greenberg, Mike
In Serena's web by Hooper, Kay
Tricks by Hopkins, Ellen
Chasing the night by Johansen, Iris
Mercury by Larson, Hope
The swimming pool by LeCraw, Holly
Culture shift : transforming your church from the inside out by Lewis, Robert
Promise me tonight : a Weston novel by Lindsey, Sara
Ancient Rome on five denarii a day / A Guide to Sightseeing, Shopping and Survival in the City of the Caesars by Matyszak, Philip
Annie's rainbow by Michaels, Fern
Baja Florida by Morris, Bob
Us : transforming ourselves and the relationships that matter most by Oz, Lisa
The best is yet to come ; Maternity bride by Palmer, Diana
The opposite of me : a novel by Pekkanen, Sarah
Spells by Pike, Aprilynne
Ghosting by Poyer, David
God is not one : the eight rival religions that run the world--and why their differences matter by Prothero, Stephen
Her mother's hope by Rivers, Francine
The happiness project, or, Why I spent a year trying to sing in the morning, clean my closets, fight right, read Aristotle, and generally have more fun / Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, by Rubin, Gretchen Craft
Girl, Get Your Mind Right! by Smalls, Tionna Tee
Slow death by rubber duck : the secret danger of everyday things by Smith, Rick
Humphrey Bogart by Thomson, David
Ingrid Bergman by Thomson, David
Bette Davis by Thomson, David
Gary Cooper by Thomson, David
Pilgrim heart : the way of Jesus in everyday life by Tippens, Darryl
Farther than I meant to go, longer than I meant to stay by Warren, Tiffany
Truly, madly by Webber, Heather
When I stop talking, you'll know I'm dead : useful stories from a persuasive man by Weintraub, Jerry
Dragon Wing by Weis, Margaret
Naked economics : undressing the dismal science by Wheelan, Charles
Echoes of the dance by Willett, Marcia
First friends by Willett, Marcia
A friend of the family by Willett, Marcia
The courtyard by Willett, Marcia
Second time around by Willett, Marcia
Home in Carolina (LT) by Woods, Sherryl

Books for Children (Fiction and Nonfiction)
Tom Swift and his big tunnel by Appleton, Victor
Tom Swift and his sky racer by Appleton, Victor
Tom Swift in the city of gold by Appleton, Victor
The Berenstain bears and too much junk food by Berenstain, Stan
Cooking the Mexican way : revised and expanded to include new low-fat and vegetarian recipes by Coronado, Rosa
Pancakes for breakfast by DePaola, Tomie
Growing vegetable soup by Ehlert, Lois
Theodore Boone : kid lawyer by Grisham, John
Ratfink by Jones, Marcia Thornton
Diary of a Wimpy Kid #5 by Kinney, Jeff
Charlie Bone and the Red Knight by Nimmo, Jenny
Esperanza rising by Ryan, Pam Muñoz
Scrambled eggs super! by Seuss, Dr.
The relaxation & stress reduction workbook for kids : help for children to cope with stress, anxiety & transitions by Shapiro, Lawrence
What happens to a hamburger? by Showers, Paul
Mirror mirror : a book of reversible verse by Singer, Marilyn
I bet I won't fret : a workbook to help children with generalized anxiety disorder by Sisemore, Timothy
I can be anything! by Spinelli, Jerry
The mysterious howling by Wood, Maryrose
Mr. Rabbit and the lovely present by Zolotow, Charlotte

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Prepare for Happily Ever After

Investing tip of the month from Morningstar Investment Research Center by Rachel Haig.

Newlyweds envision a long, happy life together. Usually, however, those dreams leave out a key detail: How will you pay for it?

Figuring out how to budget for your day-to-day lives together is already tricky, but mapping out a retirement savings plan can seem even more overwhelming.

Whether you're just starting out or part of a couple who has already started saving for retirement, establishing a coordinated retirement plan is an essential task to add to the post-wedding to-do list.

Get a Plan of Attack

First, you'll need to decide where to put your savings and set up accounts for each of you if you haven't already. You have the option to invest pretax dollars in a traditional 401(k) or IRA, or to invest aftertax dollars in a Roth IRA (or Roth 401(k) if your employer offers it).

But don't think of it as an either/or choice; a combination of different types of accounts makes a lot of sense. Saving some assets in a Roth account and some in a traditional account will give you options when it's time to withdraw your money in retirement.

Here's how to execute this approach:

If you're both employed, first check your employer plans, which may be a 401(k), 457, or 403(b), depending on if you work in the private sector, for the government, or for a nonprofit organization. If your employers offer a match, make sure you each contribute at least enough to receive it.

Once you contribute enough to get any employer matching, start a Roth IRA for additional flexibility in retirement (if your employer doesn't offer a match, you may consider starting the Roth right off the bat).

Roth assets have two main advantages: They will be free from required minimum distributions in retirement, and they diversify your tax hit so that you will have a basket of tax-free assets to tap in retirement. IRA contributions are currently limited to $5,000 for individuals under age 50, however, so plan to contribute to your company plan again once you max out your IRA.

Income limits restrict who is eligible to contribute to deductible traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs, but starting in 2010 everyone has the ability to get into a Roth IRA through the back door by converting nondeductible IRA assets (you can open a nondeductible IRA and immediately convert it to a Roth IRA).

It's important that you each have a retirement account, even if one of you isn't working. If only one of you has a retirement account, you miss out on your full allotment of tax-advantaged treatment. Because you can each contribute $5,000 to an IRA, for example, you can receive tax-advantaged treatment for $10,000 if you both have an IRA. The same goes for 401(k)s: In 2010, you can each contribute up to $16,500 if you are under age 50. If you're over age 50, limits are higher for both IRAs and 401(k)s to allow for extra "catch-up" contributions. In addition to being a sensible tax move, it's also a good idea to have retirement savings in your own name in case "happily ever after" turns into "happy for a while."

A spouse without income can contribute to an IRA as long as the couple's income covers the contributions both spouses make (that is, if one person makes at least $10,000 per year, both people can contribute the maximum $5,000).

Check Your Combined Asset Allocation

Once you've figured out what combination of accounts makes sense for you and your spouse, it's time to look at your actual investments.

Now that you're married, there are apt to be at least two retirement accounts to keep on track. Look at your accounts as a whole rather than checking up on each in isolation. Even though the money is being saved in separate wrappers, your accounts should make sense in aggregate.

For couples who already have significant retirement savings, it's particularly important to take inventory of each of your accounts and make sure your investments are streamlined and in step with your spouse's.

Sit down with your spouse and figure out your target asset allocation. The appropriate proportion of stocks, bonds, and cash depends on how long you have until retirement and your joint risk tolerance.

One way to determine an appropriate asset allocation is to look at target-date funds for when you expect to retire. Vanguard and T. Rowe Price target-date funds are good ones to look at for guidance. T. Rowe Price's series tend to be slightly more aggressive, with higher equity allocations.

To see what your combined asset allocation is now and what changes you may need to make, Morningstar Investment Research Center's Portfolio X-Ray is an invaluable tool. Enter your holdings and your spouse's holdings to see your combined distribution between stocks, bonds, and cash, plus your exposure to different sectors and regions. Creating a combined portfolio can also help you see how your different accounts fit together.

You and your spouse's retirement accounts should match your asset-allocation targets when you look at them together. You may have some variation between individual accounts, particularly if you use IRAs to supplement gaps in your company plans, but make sure your holdings come together to form a logical strategy.

Designate Beneficiaries

There is one important step left once you have your accounts on track: designating beneficiaries. Unlike bank and brokerage accounts, retirement accounts cannot be held in both of your names; you each have separate accounts. It is critical to specify who would receive the assets in your account if something were to happen to you.

Beneficiary designations allow the assets to pass directly to the person (or charity trust) you name without going through probate. The beneficiary you name also overrides directions in your will. So, if you want your assets to go to your spouse and not the sister you listed as a beneficiary before you got married, make sure you update your beneficiary information. Avoid naming children as beneficiaries unless they are over the age of majority--18 or 21, depending on the state--because they cannot hold assets in their own names until then.

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.