New books we ordered May 19th

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)
The Poetic Edda
Mourning Gloria by Albert, Susan Wittig
Life, in spite of me : extraordinary hope after a fatal choice by Anderson, Kristen
Fullmetal alchemist 2 by Arakawa, Hiromu
Chords of strength : a memoir of soul, song, and the power of perseverance by Archuleta, David
Confessions of a prairie bitch by Arngrim, Alison
Split by Avasthi, Swati
Secret affair (LT) by Balogh, Mary
Chill by Bear, Elizabeth
Dust by Bear, Elizabeth
River marked by Briggs, Patricia
The profiler : my life hunting serial killers and pyschopaths by Brown, Pat
Ghost story by Butcher, Jim
Scones & bones by Childs, Laura
Trunk music by Connelly, Michael
Red inferno: 1945 : a novel by Conroy, Robert
1942 : a novel by Conroy, Robert
Keys to the Repository by De la Cruz, Melissa
Something sinful by Enoch, Suzanne
American assassin by Flynn, Vince
Trashed by Gaylin, Alison
Heartless by Gaylin, Alison
I'm in no mood for love by Gibson, Rachel
Ostrich boys by Gray, Keith
The father of us all : war and history, ancient and modern by Hanson, Victor
Tiger : the real story by Helling, Steve
The one-day way : today is all the time you need to lose all the weight you want by Hobbs, Chantel
Blood born : a novel by Howard, Linda
Towers of midnight by Jordan, Robert
The evolution of childhood : relationships, emotion, mind by Konner, Melvin
Farm to fork : cooking local, cooking fresh by Lagasse, Emeril
Seven days of rage : the deadly crime spree of the Craigslist killer by Larosa, Paul
What your doctor may not tell you about menopause by Lee, John
What your doctor may not tell you about premenopause : balance your hormones and your life from thirty to fifty by Lee, John
Heather's Gift by Leigh, Lora
A spy in the house by Li, Rushang
Right thinking in a world gone wrong by MacArthur, John
Gardens of the sun by McAuley, Paul
Desolation Road by McDonald, Ian
Ares express by McDonald, Ian
Messages : signs, visits, and premonitions from loved ones lost on 9/11 by McEneaney, Bonnie
Southern comfort by Michaels, Fern
Lies the government told you : myth, power, and deception in American history by Napolitano, Andrew
The sky is everywhere by Nelson, Jandy
Toys (LT) by Patterson, James
Lyndon B. Johnson by Peters, Charles
The good man Jesus and the scoundrel Christ by Pullman, Philip
Second chance : a novel by Reece, Christy
Run to me : a novel by Reece, Christy
Rescue me : a novel by Reece, Christy
Return to me : a novel by Reece, Christy
Last chance by Reece, Christy
Getting the pretty back : friendship, family, and finding the perfect lipstick by Ringwald, Molly
Wooden bowls from the scroll saw : 28 useful & surprisingly easy-to-make projects by Rothman, Carole
Small sacrifices by Rule, Ann
Born to bite by Sands, Lynsay
Uncharted terriTORI by Spelling, Tori
The Prose Edda by Sturluson, Snorri
Esther : a woman of strength & dignity by Swindoll, Charles
Teaching the pig to dance : a memoir by Thompson, Fred
The divine life of animals : one man's quest to discover whether the souls of animals live on by Tompkins, Ptolemy
Flat Belly Diet! family cookbook : 150 all-new MUFA recipes by Vaccariello, Liz
400 calorie fix : the easy new rule for permanent weight loss by Vaccariello, Liz
Everybody was so young : Gerald and Sara Murphy, a lost generation love story by Vaill, Amanda
Just let me lie down : necessary terms for the half-insane working mom by Van Ogtrop, Kristin
Classic : an It Girl novel by Von Ziegesar, Cecily
This is why you're fat (and how to get thin forever) : eat more, cheat more, lose more and keep the weight off by Warner, Jackie
I am not a serial killer by Wells, Dan
Playing the numbers : gambling in Harlem between the wars by White, Shane
Honeysuckle summer (LT) by Woods, Sherryl

DVDs, Book on CDs, and Music CD's ordered May 19th

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

DVDs
The accidental husband
Animal House
Battle by air
City Island
Dalva
Dark country
Everybody wants to be Italian
Hostel
Jekyll
The last song
Letters to God
Lies and illusions
Life
Night of the fox
Operation Crossbow
Preacher's kid
The sensation of sight
The story of the weeping camel
Through a dog's eyes
Trois
The silence of the lambs
The best of Banacek

Books on CD
American assassin by Flynn, Vince
Towers of midnight by Jordan, Robert
Our kind of traitor by Le Carré, John
Abraham Lincoln by McGovern, George
Toys by Patterson, James

DVDs, Book on CDs, and Music CD's ordered May 12th

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
Auschwitz: inside the Nazi state
Death at a funeral
The good guy
Helter Skelter With Vincent Bugliosi
La bamba
Me, myself & Irene
The Nazis: a warning from history
Our family wedding
The stoning of Soraya M.
Toy story 2
Wrong turn at Tahoe
Hostel II
The man in the moon

Books on CD
Crescent Dawn by Cussler, Clive
Blood's a rover by Ellroy, James
The red garden by Hoffman, Alice
It by King, Stephen
Blockade Billy by King, Stephen
Broken by Slaughter, Karin
Presumed innocent by Turow, Scott
Hollywood Hills by Wambaugh, Joseph
The last lie by White, Stephen

Music CDs
Flyleaf
Rob Zombie: Sinister urge
Trisha Yearwood: Songbook
John Prine: Fair & square
John Prine: In person & on stage
John Prine: Souvenirs
Best of Roy Buchanan

New books we ordered May 12th

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)
The fundamentals : a testimony to the truth
Frostbitten by Armstrong, Kelley
Industrial magic by Armstrong, Kelley
Personal demon by Armstrong, Kelley
Dime store magic by Armstrong, Kelley
Broken by Armstrong, Kelley
No humans involved by Armstrong, Kelley
Infamous by Atkins, Ace
Here's looking at Euclid : a surprising excursion through the astonishing world of math by Bellos, Alex
Spoken from the heart (LT) by Bush, Barbara
Michael Jackson : For the Record by Cadman, Chris
The Paleo diet : lose weight and get healthy by eating the food you were designed to eat by Cordain, Loren
Claude & Camille : a novel of Monet by Cowell, Stephanie
What's wrong with my plant (and how do I fix it?) : a visual guide to easy diagnosis and organic remedies by Deardorff, David
The poacher's son by Doiron, Paul
Love and war : finding the marriage you've dreamed of by Eldredge, John
Rules of attraction by Elkeles, Simone
Stay a little longer (LT) by Garlock, Dorothy
It's not summer without you : a summer novel by Han, Jenny
Hazard by Harris, Gardiner
Six Mile Creek by Helms, Richard
The red garden by Hoffman, Alice
Veil of the night (LT) by Howard, Linda
My life as an experiment : one man's humble quest to improve himself by living as a woman, becoming George Washington, telling no lies, and other radical tests by Jacobs, A. J.
Corpse on the cob by Jaffarian, Sue Ann
The betrayal of Natalie Hargrove by Kate, Lauren
Some like it Scot by Kauffman, Donna
The jaguar prince by Kelley, Karen
Whisper by Kitanidis, Phoebe
The girl in the gatehouse by Klassen, Julie
Life in year one : what the world was like in first-century Palestine by Korb, Scott
Great house : a novel by Krauss, Nicole
The judgment by Lewis, Beverly
The judgment (LT) by Lewis, Beverly
Alone : orphaned in the ocean by Logan, Richard
Seasonal fruit desserts from orchard, farm, and market by Madison, Deborah
The ark : a novel by Morrison, Boyd
Gourmet game night : bite-sized, mess-free eating for board-game parties, bridge clubs, poker nights, book groups, and more by Nims, Cynthia
The Damascus Way by Oke, Janette
The Damascus Way (LT) by Oke, Janette
Hearts aglow by Peterson, Tracie
Hearts aglow (LT) by Peterson, Tracie
The imperfectionists : a novel by Rachman, Tom
Eight for eternity by Reed, Mary
Her daughter's dream by Rivers, Francine
Hard rain : a thriller by Rollins, David
Down to the wire (LT) by Rosenfelt, David
Mint juleps, mayhem, and murder by Rosett, Sara
The unwritten rule by Scott, Elizabeth
Daughters of the Witching Hill by Sharratt, Mary
A heart for home by Snelling, Lauraine
A heart for home (LT) by Snelling, Lauraine
Naked moon by Stansberry, Domenic
Vienna secrets : a Max Liebermann mystery by Tallis, Frank
Speaking of faith : why religion matters--and how to talk about it by Tippett, Krista
The heretic's wife by Vantrease, Brenda Rickman
Hollywood Hills by Wambaugh, Joseph
Hollywood Hills (LT) by Wambaugh, Joseph
Serpent mage (#4) by Weis, Margaret
The hand of chaos (#5) by Weis, Margaret
Into the labyrinth (#6) by Weis, Margaret
Elven star (#2) by Weis, Margaret
Fire sea (#3) by Weis, Margaret
The seventh gate (#7) by Weis, Margaret
In the land of believers : an outsider's extraordinary journey into the heart of the evangelical church by Welch, Gina
Sweet tea at sunrise by Woods, Sherryl
Lucid intervals by Woods, Stuart
Drink This Not That! : the no-diet weight loss solution by Zinczenko, David
Cook This, Not That! 20-minute Meals : the no-diet weight loss solution by Zinczenko, David
Eat this, not that! restaurant survival guide : the no-diet weight loss solution by Zinczenko, David

Should You Have a Shine for Gold?

Investing tip of the month from Morningstar Investment Research Center by Paul Justice, CFA.


Investing in gold isn't a priority for everyone, but it has some valuable uses. For one, commodities like gold offer diversification benefit. Unlike equities or bonds, commodities are nonearning assets that are worth only what another party is willing to pay. However, commodities in general offer an uncorrelated benefit that can traditionally be reaped when other securities markets are performing poorly.


Gold is also a good hedge against inflation and the dollar, as the two tend to have an inverse relationship. When the dollar gets weaker, gold generally goes up, because it's a limited commodity that retains purchasing power even when price inflation ratchets up.

Conversely, when the dollar is strong, gold's value decreases because you may be able to get more bang out of the greenback than from the precious metal. And, because gold is generally uncorrelated to how stocks and bonds move, it can serve as a good diversification tool in your portfolio.

Finally, unlike paper currencies, gold isn't at the mercy of government policy. Governments have historically been lousy stewards of the value of their currencies, and a gold position can help hedge a portfolio against such losses because it's not something that can be easily issued or mined. Thus, you won't see its value decrease overnight, as you may if the government suddenly decides to pump up the circulation of currency in the market.

Investors may also wish to directly speculate on gold prices, but many investors are horrible at deciding when to invest in gold. When bullion prices are soaring, it's all too easy to jump on the gilded bandwagon. The last time gold prices soared, in the early 1980s, many speculative investors lost their shirts buying Krugerrands after the price of gold collapsed.

This history could offer a timely lesson, as our equity analysts have tempered their previously bullish view on gold prices. Gold price behavior and strength were very much noticeable through most of 2009, but prices began retreating in the first quarter of 2010. We think that the price pressure, along with the overwhelming interest by new retail investors over the past two years, could lead to a fall in gold prices as quickly as the rise ensued.

During the last historical gold price peak in 1982, the average investor could not wait to sell physical gold, including the family jewels. Our equity analysts think that gold prices could be range-bound between $1,000 and $1,250 per ounce over the course of the next several months. However, our approach to investing in gold to establish a hedge against inflation remains unchanged. We continue to believe that only a small portion of one's portfolio should be in gold.

Incorporating Gold into a Portfolio

As a way to invest in gold as a hedge or as part of an asset-allocation strategy, SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) or iShares Comex Gold Trust (IAU) do the job. Each share of both funds represents about one tenth of an ounce of bullion at current market prices. They represent a direct investment in the underlying commodity and do not invest in equity securities or futures contracts.

When considered as a long-term core holding, we would recommend using a gold exchange-traded fund only up to a weighting of 2% of total assets, if at all. Our research suggests that a 4%-10% total weighting for all direct commodities exposure is sufficient, and the majority of that weighting should be split among energy, agricultural, industrial, and precious metals. That said, a gold ETF can be used periodically as a satellite holding as an inflation hedge or store of value during periods of currency valuation uncertainty.

Thanks to their format, SPDR Gold and iShares Comex Gold offer direct exposure to the value of gold in a more liquid and convenient package than burying gold in your basement. Instead of buying guard dogs and a security system, you pay 0.40% per year. The fund sells gold held by the trust on an as-needed basis to pay the trust's expenses. As a result, the amount of gold represented by each share will fall marginally over time.

Both ETFs charge the same fee and have the same structural qualities, but the iShares fund has only about one tenth the assets invested. This means that transactional costs, caused by wider bid-ask spreads and lower trading volume, are typically higher in the iShares product.

Newcomer ETFS Physical Swiss Gold Shares (SGOL) also shares a similar structure and is ever so slightly cheaper at 0.39% per year, but its assets under management are less than one 35th of that of GLD. We doubt the lower fee is sufficient enough to make up for the fund's lack of liquidity. For these reasons, SPDR Gold Shares is one of our ETF Analyst Picks.

Investors trying to get a piece of the action in the commodities market may opt for a more broadly diversified commodity fund, such as iPath Dow Jones-AIG Commodities (DJP). For a 0.75% fee, investors gain diversified exposure to 29 commodities, including energy, agricultural, and metals. However, the fund is structured as an exchange-traded note and thus leaves investors exposed to credit risk from Barclays.

PowerShares DB Commodity Index Tracking (DBC) also charges 0.75%, but it uses a smaller sampling of six commodities and is more heavily weighted toward energy. However, it is structured as an ETF and thus minimizes the credit risk that is inherent in an ETN.

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.

Downloading Library Books and More

Grab your laptop, iPhone, iPod, MP3 player, smartphone, nook, or any of their cousins and head to the library on Saturday, June 12, 2010, from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. There will be a demonstration and Q&A session on how to borrow audiobooks, ebooks, music, and videos from the library’s website and download them to your gadget. You will learn how to search the website, select items, place holds, make requests, check out, download, and transfer the items to your portable device. We encourage you to bring your portable device and/or laptop so you can practice. A limited number of laptops will be available for practice for those who do not have one. Registration is required and you will need to know your library card number and password to use the service.

DVDs, Book on CDs, and Music CD's ordered May 5th

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
Austin Powers in Goldmember
The bounty
The hard easy
Jennifer's body
New Jack City
The white ribbon
Wrong turn 3: left for dead
Emma
Great expectations
Green Zone
The warlords
Dog gone
The suite life of Zack & Cody: Lip synchin' in the rain
Tommy and the cool mule
Train master
Two weeks

Books on CD
Our lady of immaculate deception by Martin, Nancy

Music CDs
Glee: The Music : Volume 3

New books we ordered May 5th

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 lost art of real cooking : rediscovering the pleasures of traditional food, one recipe at a time by Albala, Ken
The promise : President Obama, year one by Alter, Jonathan
Indigo blue by Anderson, Catherine
The way I see it : a look back at my life on Little house by Anderson, Melissa
Possession by Armintrout, Jennifer
All souls' night by Armintrout, Jennifer
Ashes to ashes by Armintrout, Jennifer
The lost girls : three friends, four continents, one unconventional detour around the world by Baggett, Jennifer
In the garden of Iden : a novel of the company by Baker, Kage
Not less than gods by Baker, Kage
Directive 51 by Barnes, John
Claiming ground by Bell, Laura
For better, for murder / A Broken Vows Mystery by Bork, Lisa
The desert spear by Brett, Peter
Killing Willis : from Diff'rent strokes to the mean streets to the life I always wanted by Bridges, Todd
Spoken from the heart by Bush, Laura Welch
George, Nicholas, and Wilhelm : three royal cousins and the road to World War I by Carter, Miranda
Life after death : the burden of proof by Chopra, Deepak
Posed for murder by Cole, Meredith
Nightshade by Cremer, Andrea
Get Capone : the secret plot that captured America's most wanted gangster by Eig, Jonathan
The best pet name book ever! by Eldridge, Wayne
Keeping chickens with Ashley English : all you need to know to care for a happy, healthy flock. by English, Ashley
Canning & preserving with Ashley English : all you need to know to make jams, jellies, pickles, chutneys and; more. by English, Ashley
Wicked appetite by Evanovich, Janet
Appetite for America : how visionary businessman Fred Harvey built a railroad hospitality empire that civilized the Wild West by Fried, Stephen
The missing by Gautreaux, Tim
Something red : a novel by Gilmore, Jennifer
In harm's way by Hannon, Irene
Keeping chickens : self-sufficiency by Hatcher, Mike
Murder by mistake by Heley, Veronica
Brain thief by Jablokov, Alexander
Firelight by Jordan, Sophie
War by Junger, Sebastian
One enchanted evening by Kurland, Lynn
Girl in translation by Kwok, Jean
Strong men armed : the United States Marines against Japan by Leckie, Robert
A ticket to the circus : a memoir by Mailer, Norris
Strong waters by Mansfield, Scot
Obama zombies : how the liberal machine brainwashed my generation by Mattera, Jason
How to write a business plan by McKeever, Mike
The joy of keeping a root cellar : canning, freezing, drying, smoking, and preserving the harvest by Megyesi, Jennifer
The river kings' road : a novel of Ithelas by Merciel, Liane
Angel face : the true story of student killer Amanda Knox by Nadeau, Barbie
Nemesis by Nesbø, Jo
250 things you can do to make your cat adore you by Newkirk, Ingrid
The history of White people by Painter, Nell Irvin
The small business start-up kit by Pakroo, Peri
In the shadow of Gotham by Pintoff, Stefanie
Prophecy of days by Raedeke, Christy
Invisible boy by Read, Cornelia
Beekeeping : self-sufficiency by Ryde, Joanna
Gomorrah : a personal journey into the violent international empire of Naples' organized crime system by Saviano, Roberto
Eva's story : a survivor's tale by the stepsister of Anne Frank by Schloss, Eva
Hellhound on his trail : the stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the international hunt for his assassin by Sides, Hampton
Dark visions by Smith, L. J.
Fireworks over Toccoa by Stepakoff, Jeffrey
The small business bible : everything you need to know to succeed in your small business by Strauss, Steven
2012 : the War for Souls by Strieber, Whitley
Empire in black and gold by Tchaikovsky, Adrian
Do it gorgeously : how to make less toxic, less expensive, and more beautiful products by Uliano, Sophie
Put 'em up! by Vinton, Sherri
Spinning, dyeing, and weaving : self-sufficiency by Walsh, Penny
Inviting God to your wedding : and keeping God in your marriage by Williamson, Martha
The replacement by Yovanoff, Brenna

Books for Children (Fiction and Nonfiction)
Letters to God by Doughtie, Patrick
The summer before by Martin, Ann
The shell house by Newbery, Linda