DVDs, Books on CD, and Music ordered August 13

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

DVDs
Movies
Big Jake
Bionicle: Mask of light
Bulletproof monk
Chisum
The Glenn Miller story
Kickboxer
McQ
Mirror has two faces
Operation Petticoat
Rio Grande
Run, fat boy, run
The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a warrior
Smart people
Undefeated

Family
Garfield gets real
It takes two

Regular
You can heal your life

Books On CD
Fiction
Paths of glory by Archer, Jeffrey
Plum spooky by Evanovich, Janet

Nonfiction
The monster of Florence by Preston, Douglas

Music
Kirk Franklin: Nu nation project

New books we ordered August 13, 2008

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

Fiction
The sugar queen by Allen, Sarah
Paths of glory by Archer, Jeffrey
Last post by Barnard, Robert
Babylon rolling by Boyden, Amanda
The sand castle by Brown, Rita
Suddenly single by Burton, Shana
Palace council by Carter, Stephen
Singularity by Casey, Kathryn
Blood memory by Coel, Margaret
How Dolly Parton saved my life by Connors, Charlotte
Dogwood by Fabry, Chris
Next door to murder by Fraser, Anthea
Until it's over by French, Nicci
Leave no stone unturned by Glidewell, Jeanne
Irish tweed : a Nuala Anne McGrail novel by Greeley, Andrew
Western legends : To the last man, The mysterious rider, The Lone star ranger by Grey, Zane
The good physician by Harrington, Kent
Just too good to be true by Harris, E. Lynn
Game over by Harrod-Eagles, Cynthia
Happy trails to you by Hecht, Julie
Painted dresses : a novel by Hickman, Patricia
Hardcastle's burglar by Ison, Graham
Left to die by Jackson, Lisa
Deadlock by Johansen, Iris
Killing bridezilla by Levine, Laura
Bride on the loose ; Same time next year by Macomber, Debbie
That's amore by Markham, Wendy
The rough collier by McIntosh, Pat
Some like it wicked by Medeiros, Teresa
Exile trust by O'Neil, Vincent
Breaking cover by Rhoades, J. D.
The widows of Eden : a novel by Shaffner, George
The office girls : a novel by Stephens, Sylvester
A darker side by Wells, Shirley
Cocktails for three by Wickham, Madeleine
A month of summer by Wingate, Lisa
Among the mad by Winspear, Jacqueline

Nonfiction
Change we can believe in : Barack Obama's plan to renew America's promise
Angels and wonders : true stories of heaven on earth by Anderson, Joan
Guardian angels : true stories of answered prayers by Anderson, Joan
Firebrand of liberty : the story of two Black regiments that changed the course of the Civil War by Ash, Stephen
Will work for fun : three simple steps for turning any hobby or interest into cash by Bechtold, Alan
Third term : why George W. Bush [loves] John McCain by Begala, Paul
A place called Canterbury : tales of the new old age in America by Clendinen, Dudley
Gotta keep on tryin' by DeBerry, Virginia
Lion in the White House : a life of Theodore Roosevelt by Donald, Aida DiPace
Reagan : the Hollywood years by Eliot, Marc
The Lincolns : portrait of a marriage by Epstein, Daniel
The stay-at-home mom's guide to making money from home : choosing the business that's right for you using the skills and interests you already have by Folger, Liz
Falcon fever : a falconer in the twenty-first century by Gallagher, Tim
Being with dying : cultivating compassion and fearlessness in the presence of death by Halifax, Joan
Same kind of different as me by Hall, Ron
One child by Hayden, Torey
The tiger's child by Hayden, Torey
The FBI : a history by Jeffreys-Jones, Rhodri
Will work from home : earn the cash--without the commute by Johnson, Tory
Blood, toil, tears and sweat : the dire warning by Lukacs, John
Real life : preparing for the 7 most challenging days of your life by McGraw, Phillip
How to start a home-based children's birthday party business by Peters, Amy
The complete compost gardening guide : banner batches, grow heaps, comforter compost, and other amazing techniques for saving time and money, and producing the most flavorful, nutritious vegetables ever by Pleasant, Barbara
Called out of darkness : a spiritual confession by Rice, Anne
Mortal danger by Rule, Ann
The girl from foreign : a search for shipwrecked ancestors, forgotten histories, and a sense of home by Shepard, Sadia
101 businesses you can start with less than one thousand dollars : for stay-at-home moms and dads by Shepherd, Heather
The way of the world : a story of truth and hope in an age of extremism by Suskind, Ron
101 internet businesses you can start from home by Sweeney, Susan
The complete idiot's guide to starting a home-based business by Weltman, Barbara
Sitting Bull by Yenne, Bill

Teen Fiction
Ivy : a novel by Hearn, Julie
Kiss and make up by Manning, Sarra
Sealed with a kiss by Manning, Sarra
How to build a house by Reinhardt, Dana
Artichoke's heart by Supplee, Suzanne
Hurricane song by Volponi, Paul


Children
Estrella's quinceanera by Alegria, Malin
The underneath by Appelt, Kathi
Potato Joe by Baker, Keith
What every girl (except me) knows : a novel by Baskin, Nora
Gingerbread friends by Brett, Jan
Click, clack, splish, splash : a counting adventure by Cronin, Doreen
Big words for little people by Curtis, Jamie
Tadpole rex by Cyrus, Kurt
Cowlick! by Ditchfield, Christin
Phineas L. MacGuire-- blasts off ! by Dowell, Frances
Oddly normal 1 by Frampton, Otis
Gear School by Gallardo, Adam
Gone by Grant, Michael
The unexpectedly bad hair of Barcelona Smith by Graves, Keith
A very Marley Christmas by Grogan, John
Well witched by Hardinge, Frances
Mail Harry to the moon! by Harris, Robie
Lost warrior by Hunter, Erin
Doomwyte by Jacques, Brian
Eulalia! by Jacques, Brian
The twin giants by King-Smith, Dick
Baghead by Krosoczka, Jarrett
Playing with fire by Landy, Derek
Bats night at the library by Lies, Brian
Off-color by McDonald, Janet
City of Time by McNamee, Eoin
Magic pickle by Morse, Scott
If you give a cat a cupcake by Numeroff, Laura
Eve of the Emperor Penguin by Osborne, Mary
Bedhead by Palatini, Margie
The big orange splot by Pinkwater, Daniel
The magic thief. by Prineas, Sarah
Biker girl by Rocks, Misako
Dragonslayer by Smith, Jeff
Eyes of the storm by Smith, Jeff
The great cow race by Smith, Jeff
I love my hair! by Tarpley, Natasha
The perils of peppermints by Wallace, Barbara
So B. It : a novel by Weeks, Sarah
Yoko writes her name by Wells, Rosemary
Bear feels scared by Wilson, Karma
The battle for the castle by Winthrop, Elizabeth
Maizon at Blue Hill by Woodson, Jacqueline

Back by popular demand - tai chi classes

Fall tai chi classes will once again be offered by the Library beginning in September. Our last sessions filled up quickly so sign up now! The classes will be taught by Diana Hobgood, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and certified massage specialist.

The class times are as follows:

2:00 pm on Mondays: September 8 - October 27

10:00 am on Saturdays: September 6 - November 1 (no class on Sep 27)

Each class is 8 weeks long and there is a $40 registration fee which is due before classes begin. Class size is limited, so please register early by stopping by the Library at 101 South Main Street. (Checks or cash only, please)

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.

Adding Commodities to Your Portfolio? Not So Fast

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

With growth in emerging markets continuing apace, it's easy to assume that demand for commodities such as oil, metals, and food products will march inexorably higher, too.
It's also tempting to want to position your portfolio to benefit from price gains in commodities. If you're going to have to fork over more cash to fill up your gas tank and your kitchen cupboards, why not try to earn back at least some of those extra costs by owning commodities or the companies that sell them?

A lot of investors clearly have the same idea: Mutual funds in the natural-resources category, which houses energy- and commodities-focused funds, raked in $4 billion of new assets in May 2008 alone, the second-largest haul of any fund type. And we've seen a rush of new investment options--mainly exchange-traded funds--coming to market.

Time to Wade In?
So, should you join the throngs flocking to energy and commodities? Recent returns have certainly been scorching: As worrisome signs about inflation and the strength of the U.S. economy have been dragging down the broad market, commodities, energy, and basic-materials securities have been a rare bright spot. From early 2002 through May, the Goldman Sachs Commodity Index gained nearly 20% per year on average, versus a 5% gain for the S&P 500. And while the 15-year returns of the Goldman Sachs Commodity Index and the S&P 500 are neck and neck (gaining roughly 10%, on average, per year), there was little performance correlation. So, commodities clearly are a worthwhile diversifier as a small part of a long-term portfolio.

Nonetheless, the contrarian in me gets very nervous when investors stampede into any asset class, whether it's technology stocks or houses. I'm not about to call a top in commodities, but I can't help but wonder whether the smart money has already been made. It also makes me nervous that hedge funds, some of them betting with borrowed money, have been among the biggest investors in commodity-related investments. Should they start reversing their bets or be forced to sell securities to meet redemptions, the fortunes of commodities and commodity-related stocks could take a hit. Finally, it also stands to reason that rising prices, at some point, will tamp down demand for energy and basic materials.

Similarly, several fund managers speaking at Morningstar's Investment Conference in late June expressed caution about the area. Of course, you'd probably expect that managers who have long avoided energy stocks, such as Peter Langerman at Franklin Mutual Shares and Bob Torray at Torray Fund still don't like them. (If they weren't biting when oil was trading at $70 a barrel, let's hope they don't like energy stocks now that the price of oil has doubled!) What really gets my attention, however, is when a manager who has made good money in energy-related stocks, such as Bruce Berkowitz at Fairholme Fund, decides to take some profits and invest elsewhere. (Fairholme still has a decent-size weighting in energy, but Berkowitz says that he has been scaling back and putting the money to work in health-care stocks.)

Look Before You Leap
An even bigger reason to be cautious about adding energy- and commodity-related investments at this juncture is that you may well already have a fair amount of exposure to these areas already. Even if you don't own a commodities fund that specifically tracks commodity-price performance, if you own mutual funds, you're likely to own shares of public companies that extract and distribute commodities. Over time, the performance of these stocks hasn't precisely tracked commodity prices, but it has tended to move in the same general direction.

Even if you've not added dedicated energy and basic-materials stock exposure, it's a good bet that some of your fund managers have. Managers from across the value/growth spectrum have been adding to their stakes in energy and basic-materials stocks over the past few years. Even a tack of benign neglect would have resulted in a higher energy-stock stake, owing to the sector's massive appreciation since 2002. The Dow Jones Wilshire 5000 Index's position more than doubled during that time frame. Fund managers have also been aggressively adding to their commodities-related holdings outside of the energy sector, and it's not unusual to see mining companies and agricultural-product purveyors in diversified fund portfolios these days.
You may also have compounded your exposure without knowing it by adding to your winners. If you own a mutual fund that has performed markedly better than your other holdings over the past few years, chances are that fund has a fair amount of exposure to energy and other basic materials.

Ditto if you are among the legions of investors who have bought or added to an international, global, and/or emerging-markets fund over the past several years. Several of the fastest-growing international markets, ranging from India to Brazil to Russia, owe at least part of their recent success to spiking demand for oil, metals, and other basic materials. (Many of these economies happen to have rich reserves of commodities.) In fact, energy stocks currently account for about 18% of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index, and some of the more aggressively positioned funds hold an even larger stake than that. The "Industrial Materials" sector, which houses basic-materials companies as well as manufacturing firms, accounts for another 20% of the index.

Find Your Baseline
One starting point for gauging how much exposure you have to such securities is to use Morningstar Investment Research Center's Portfolio X-Ray tool to check up on your portfolio's current positioning. Simply enter the dollar amounts and ticker names for each of your holdings, then click Show Instant X-Ray. You'll be able to see your portfolio's stock/bond/cash mix, as well as your investment-style and sector positioning. You can then compare that sector positioning with that of the S&P 500.True, owning a lot in energy and industrial-materials stocks isn't the same as owning an index fund that tracks actual physical commodities. But if your exposure to those sectors is high, that should set off alarm bells about adding commodities at this juncture. And in any case, those looking to add a dedicated commodities fund shouldn't do so expecting overnight riches but instead should consider it part of a long-term asset-allocation strategy.

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.

Are you ready for digital TV?

If you're not ready for digital TV, then don't miss the WNIN DTV workshop!

On February 17, 2009, analog TV will be replaced by digital TV.
WNIN, Public Television wants to help you understand this change and answer your questions.

Join WNIN representatives on Tuesday, August 26, at 6:00 p.m. at the library for a workshop on DTV.

Topics will include:

• What is DTV
• Why is the DTV transition happening
• How does the change affect you and your equipment
• Do you need a converter box
• How do you get free coupons for converter boxes
• Will your antenna will still work

A public service of WNIN 405 Carpenter Street, Evansville, IN 47708
812-423-2973
http://www.wnin.org/

DVDs and Music ordered August 06

Below is a list of the 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
Movies
2 days in Paris
Charlie's angels
Charlie's angels: Full throttle
Harold and Kumar escape from Guantanamo Bay
Iron Man
It's a boy girl thing
The jerk
Kramer vs. Kramer
Otis
Second in command
This Christmas
Weird science

Regular
I, Claudius
State of play

Family
Horton hears a who!
You make me feel like dancing

Music
Flintstones soundtrack
Scooby-Doo 2 soundtrack
Speed racer soundtrack

New books we ordered August 06, 2008

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

Fiction
Losing ground by Aird, Catherine
Cutting loose by Andersen, Susan
The lace reader by Barry, Brunonia
Paint the town dead : a Judge Jackson Crain mystery by Bell, Nancy
First team : soul of the assassin by Bond, Larry
Marked by Cast, P. C.
The paths of the air by Clare, Alys
July and August by Clark, Nancy
Summer blowout by Cook, Claire
Red sky in the morning by Culhane, Patrick
Black and white and dead all over by Darnton, John
Little brother by Doctorow, Cory
The Bible salesman : a novel by Edgerton, Clyde
The enchanted April by Elizabeth
Findings by Evans, Mary
Buried too deep by Finnis, Jane
Stalking death by Flora, Kate
Getting some of her own by Forster, Gwynne
Queen of the flowers : a Phryne Fisher mystery by Greenwood, Kerry
Godless by Hautman, Pete
The garden of evil by Hewson, David
Playing with the hand I was dealt by Jenkins, Nikki
Another man's moccasins by Johnson, Craig
The cold dish by Johnson, Craig
Kindness goes unpunished by Johnson, Craig
Married to the badge by Johnson, Stephanie
Land of a hundred wonders by Kagen, Lesley
A job to kill for : a Lacy Fields mystery by Kaplan, Janice
Rules, regs and rotten eggs by Keating, H. R. F.
A bridge to the stars by Mankell, Henning
Shadows in the twilight by Mankell, Henning
Perfect fifths by McCafferty, Megan
Vampire Academy by Mead, Richelle
High country bride by Miller, Linda
All that glitters : a novel by Minter, J.
Some kind of wonderful : inside girl : a novel by Minter, J.
Birds of America by Moore, Lorrie
A vengeful longing : [a novel] by Morris, Roger
Black water by Oates, Joyce
A promise to believe in by Peterson, Tracie
Rules of deception by Reich, Christopher
The magician by Scott, Michael
Afterthoughts by Tincher, Lynn
How to be single : a novel by Tuccillo, Liz
An absolute scandal : a novel by Vincenzi, Penny
Reclaiming Nick : noble legacy by Warren, Susan
The Moneypenny diaries by Westbrook, Kate
Sleeping arrangements by Wickham, Madeleine
Damnation Falls by Wright, Edward

Nonfiction
A history of Iran : empire of the mind by Axworthy, Michael
Why I came West by Bass, Rick
Cupcake heaven by Blake, Susannah
The best game ever : Giants vs. Colts, 1958, and the birth of the modern NFL by Bowden, Mark
The night of the gun : a reporter investigates the darkest story of his life, his own by Carr, David
The Obama nation : leftist politics and the cult of personality by Corsi, Jerome
Y'all come eat by Deen, Jamie
The well-adjusted dog : Dr. Dodman's seven steps to lifelong health and happiness for your best friend by Dodman, Nicholas
Habits not diets : the secret to lifetime weight control by Ferguson, James
The wrecking crew : how conservatives rule by Frank, Thomas
The compassionate carnivore : or, how to keep animals happy, save Old Macdonald's Farm, reduce your hoofprint, and still eat meat by Friend, Catherine
Naturalism by Goetz, Stewart
Dead lucky : life after death on Mount Everest by Hall, Lincoln
London rising : the men who made modern London by Hollis, Leo
Fallen founder : the life of Aaron Burr by Isenberg, Nancy
The lesser evil : the diaries of Victor Klemperer, 1945-1959 by Klemperer, Victor
Sandra Lee semi-homemade grilling 2 : sensationally fast flame-seared recipes that taste like they're made from scratch. by Lee, Sandra
Robin to the rescue : quick & simple recipes for delicious home cooking by Miller, Robin
Fish without a doubt : the cook's essential companion by Moonen, Rick
Von Braun : dreamer of space, engineer of war by Neufeld, Michael
Naked by Sedaris, David
Iwo Jima : World War II veterans remember the greatest battle of the Pacific by Smith, Larry
Shepherding a child's heart : parent's handbook by Tripp, Tedd
Bake until bubbly : the ultimate casserole cookbook by Wright, Clifford

Children
Christopher Columbus : the voyage that changed the world by Berne, Emma
Louis Braille by Donaldson, Madeline
Venus & Serena Williams by Donaldson, Madeline
Johann Sebastian Bach by Du Bouchet, Paule
The ruins of Gorlan by Flanagan, John
The hamster of the Baskervilles : from the tattered casebook of Chet Gecko, private eye by Hale, Bruce
Murder, my tweet : from the tattered casebook of Chet Gecko, private eye by Hale, Bruce
The possum always rings twice : from the tattered casebook of Chet Gecko, private eye by Hale, Bruce
Trouble is my beeswax by Hale, Bruce
Exploring the New World : an interactive history adventure by Herr, Melody
Indian captive : the story of Mary Jemison by Lenski, Lois
A place for Zero : a math adventure by LoPresti, Angeline
Alexander Graham Bell : an inventive life by MacLeod, Elizabeth
Cochise : jefe Apache by Phillips, Larissa
The tales of Beedle the Bard : a wizarding classic from the world of Harry Potter by Rowling, J. K.
Magellan's voyage around the world by Senker, Cath
Muhammad Ali by Stout, Glenn
Magellan's world by Waldman, Stuart
Benjamin Banneker by Welch, Catherine

This just in ... July's new materials

For those of you who like nice and neat organized lists (like librarians do), we have put together lists of the new materials that were added to the library's collection in the month of July.

Click on the links below to see the lists and request items. (Hint: You can see these lists every month in the "Book Lover's Corner" section of the library's online catalog, or in the library in the New Books section.)

Books
General Fiction
Mysteries, Westerns, and Science Fiction
Nonfiction and Biography
Large Print
Children
Teen - A new teen collection has been launched! Ask about it the next time you're in the library.

Movies, Audio books, and Music
DVDs
Books on CD
Downloadable eAudiobooks (what's this?)
Music on CD

DVDs, Books on CD, and Music ordered July 30

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

DVDs
Movies
The big country
City of industry
Deception
From dusk till dawn
Funny games
Ghost story
Gremlins 2, the new batch
Hellfighters
Night and day
Sgt. Bilko
Stargate continuum

Regular
Earth: The Biography
Shine a light

Books On CD
The associate by Grisham, John

Music
Beethoven's last night
Congo : Rumba on the river.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
The Indiana Jones trilogy soundtracks
Star Wars: The Corellian edition