Maps and Nations

As I read the new Simon Garfield book, “On the Map,” an old obsession with maps comes back to life.  At home, I have a 4′ x 3′ map of the county where I was born.  It was in my grandfather’s office then his home all through my childhood.  I also have a small collection of old gazetteers that contain maps I would love to clip and frame, although doing this would prove my wife correct that I am a little unhinged.

Garfield weaves plenty of humor as many collectors and map makers frequently dance with madness, and in the era of the internet and GPS, maps are changing rapidly and can be used to illustrate more than geography.  Population maps, a world map that Facebook captured of traffic to their site (with a dark area over China), and Bestiaries documented creatures (often mythological) that were believed to inhabit an area.

“On the Map” does what a good book does.  It draws from the history, evolution, and diversity of its subject and pulls the reader in enough to taste the obsession on which collectors thrive.  Nicholas Basbanes’, “A Splendor of Letters,” is what ignited my fascination with books and librarianship while working in the library from which I borrowed that book.  Oddly enough, both of these books dedicate several pages to the ancient library of Alexandria, a library that the Library of Congress was likely modeled after.

As this book is in our new non-fiction collection awaiting eager readers to come in to the library, a great resource is online to provide us with political, geographic, historical, and cultural data called the CIA World Fact Book:   https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

This website will appeal to map lovers, and is a great resource for students.  When doing a report on a nation and you need the GDP, population, area, or even the lifestyle and political leanings of the citizens, this primary source is excellent.  It has plenty of maps!

As many instructors frown upon internet resources, this should be one of the exceptions.  Learning to use a library is an important skill to learn, and we strongly encourage research to begin here because our books are carefully selected, but there are a few web sites out there that I will share that are a-okay!

Chip’s Staff Pick

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

This book, with a target audience of 13 and up, appeals to even this thirty-something, and it is the first book in three years that I had to read in less than three sittings.  While Young Adult (YA) fiction is often overlooked by adult audiences, it is easy to forget that YA is actually a perfectly satisfactory genre for older readers.  “The Catcher in the Rye” and “The Lord of the Flies” are literary classics that technically fall under the YA umbrella.

As for “The False Prince,” the main character is an orphan named “Sage,” he is bought by a tyrannical Lord named “Connor” along with three other orphans.  The first part of the book consists of a series of tests and quests designed to see which of these orphans will best execute Connor’s shrewd plan.  The second half is the execution of this plan, and surprises are abundant as we near the end.

Well written and excellently paced, this book will appeal to most fantasy fans.  Harry Potter fans looking for that next series that will captivate them need to look no further.  While the characters take more time than I’d like to develop, the story line and adventure carries readers through as we get acquainted.

Maine Newsstand

When visiting the MARVEL link on our home page, you can access articles from five major Maine newspapers for free!

Included in this service are: The Bangor Daily News, The Kennebec Journal, The Maine Times, The Morning Sentinel, The Portland Press Herald, and the Sun Journal.  This site offers older articles and those that have been recently published.

Once you click on the MARVEL link, you will need your library card barcode number to set up your free account (if you don’t already have one).   Inside the MARVEL Website, a long list of links will appear.  If you have the time, it is worth reading everything that they have.  All of our online encyclopedias and online Journal databases are listed here.

On the main page, there is a navigation tool at the top, click on the “M” to skip down to the “M” section of our database collection.  Maine Newstand will be right there.

Once you click into this website, type in the topic and/or locations you would like to read about in the seach bar and then click the magnifying glass icon to the left.  Links to the articles matching the search will come up on a new page.

Also, just under the Maine Newsstand heading, a link for “Obituaries” is right there for convenient browsing of that section.

From there, browse to your heart’s content.  It’s completely free with your library card!

Dawn’s Picks December 2012

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson

            Karen Thompson Walker’s THE AGE OF MIRACLES is an amazing novel about a young girl struggling with the inevitable changes in her life and at the same time, for some inexplicable reason, the Earth’s rotation has begun to slow down, causing all kinds of havoc.  Things are changing and it becomes clear that things will never be the same.  A very interesting read.

The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers

            This is a very moving and thought provoking book about war and its effects on the men and women who take part in it. I could not put it down and it has stayed with me since.

172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad

            This book centers around three teenagers who are chosen through a worldwide lottery to take part in NASA’s first trip back to the moon in 40 years. This young adult book came highly recommended by a mother and daughter patron and I was glad they told me about it.

Where’d you go Bernadette by Maria Semple

            What an entertaining character Bernadette Fox is!  I smiled thoughout the majority of this book and even laughed out loud which is a rarity for me.  Along with Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl” and William Landry’s “Defending Jacob”, “Where’d You Go Bernadette” ranks as one of my 2012 favorites!

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

            Wow! Wow! Wow!  Loved this psychological thriller and DID not see the ending coming.  I’m still talking about this book after reading it in June!  After finishing this book went back and read her others “Sharp Objects” and “Dark Places”.  Both were worth the time.

You Came Back by Christopher Coake

            Do you believe in ghosts?  This story is about grief and the challenges to move on after a tragedy.   How do you rebuild and how do different people handle it?  A good story that kept me up reading late into the night.

Other titles worth mentioning:

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

Love Anthony by Lisa Genova

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

This is How it Ends by Kathleen MacMahon

Sheila’s Picks December 2012

Sheila Dube has been immersed in the Young Adult World of literature lately.  For the young adult reader she suggests  A Girl Named Digit by Annabel Monaghan. Seventeen years old, Farrah Higgins, not Fawcett! But named after her.  She has the gift (or maybe a curse) of seeing patterns in everything. When she uncovers a suicide bombers plot while watching a teen soap opera, the FBI puts her under protection.  Farrah’s fresh voice is filled with glib humor, realistic teen emotions  and a perspective on a fascinating ability that keeps her juggling between eccentric and pure danger.  Fast paced action, romance and a great book layout make this a complete package.  Another title which is her all-time favorite of 2012 ( and not just because the author’s name is Sheila too)

Three Times Lucky, by Sheila Turnage.  Prepare to be pulled into the witty, down-home world of Mo (short for Moses, a girl) and her friend Dale in their small southern town of 148.  There is a murder, a missing identity and a redefinition of what it means to be family.  The writing is spot on, laugh out loud funny characters that have tremendous heart.  The mystery will keep readers guessing.  All the characters are fully developed and are endearing or hated as the case may be.

Sheila thinks the next 2 titles will be of interest to adult readers too.  For those who enjoy everything dragon and are Eragon fans, try Seraphina by Rachel Hartman.  Step into the well-developed alternative medieval world where dragons and humans tenuously exist amid crumbling treaties and generations of animosity.  Dragon lore, romance and political intrigue are clearly drawn.

For readers who enjoy  dark fiction with a mythical vein, The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan is the fantasy for you.  This dark novel evokes the smell of the sea, the passion of revenge and horror of consequences with a tale of the selkie sea-wives.  As Misskaella grows into her power as a witch and lives through the taunts and trials of the village, she draws wives for the men folk from the seals with devastating consequences on their relationships, the future lineage and own self will.  Lanagan’s words come alive on the page with richly written prose that  capture the intensity of feelings for each of the 5 narrators who are part of this generational story.

Marie’s Picks December 2012

Marie’s Staff Picks

Where’d You Go Bernadette? by Maria Semple

Where’d You Go Bernadette? is a fun and bright story told in emails and other correspondence.  This unusual story is a joy to listen to as an audiobook.

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver

I love her writing and this is another good story with a powerful message. 

The Twelve by Justin Cronin

This is the second book in a trilogy set in a post-apocalyptic world where government produced vampires run wild.  I found it to have a similar feel to the TV show “The Walking Dead.”  

Naturally Curious by Mary Holland

Great photographs and offbeat facts are found in this month by month account of what goes on in a Northeastern forest during the course of a year. 

Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Technology and books merge in a race to solve an ancient secret. I couldn’t put this book down.

Familiar by J. Robert Lennon

A woman finds herself in a slightly altered universe in this mind-bending work of fiction.

A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver

Centering poetry is just right for this time of year! I read the whole book and let it soak in.

The Age Of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker

The earth moves slower and slower on its axis and the days get off in terms of light and dark. This titles depicts an imagining of how that changes day-to-day life.

National Book Award 2012 Finalists –  During the fall, I thought it would be fun to see which books were on this list and read them.  I made it through four and they were all well written. Billy Flynn’s Long Halftime Walk is next on my list.

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

This title eventually won the National Book Award. Compared to To Kill A Mockingbird in several reviews, this coming-of-age story set on a reservation questions where the boundaries of law lie.

A Hologram For The King by Dave Eggers

A business man waits in the desert of Saudi Arabia to show the king a hologram pitch for IT from the United States.  The social commentary and the layers of the story were interesting but you have to be a patient reader.

The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers

This is a high impact work about the war in Iraq and its after effects for those in combat and their families.

This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz

This is a very well written collection of short stories that are centered around one character and his intense, doomed relationships.

Billy Flynn’s Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain 

I am planning on reading this story about veterans and their trip to a Cowboys game.  Reviews say that you don’t have to be into football to enjoy the writing.

What is MARVEL?

When visiting the library’s website, you most likely have seen this colorful icon.  This is the link to a collection of books, magazines, newspapers and journals available online for free.  Using your library card barcode (or number), you sign in and all of these resources are yours.

Part of this blog will be dedicated to revealing the hidden gems on MARVEL, and how to use it.  Maine Newsstand (to be featured in the next post), Academic Search Complete, Consumer Reports, an enhanced version of Google Scholar and numerous encyclopedias are only the beginning of what Marvel has to offer.

Many people ask how do we afford MARVEL?  Much like our free internet access, E-book lending program through Overdrive, and wireless network, the Maine State Library pays for a large sum of this so we have a minimal, annual subscription to pay at the local level.

This is one of the many things that the state library does for everyone across the counties.  Many libraries, including Springvale, supplement their large print collection from the State Library, and can order audio book devices for the blind and visually impaired.

For the first time, library supporters can easily donate $5 directly to Public Libraries through the State System.  On this year’s tax form there is a box to check to donate to the statewide “Public Library Fund.”

Many of you support us directly and tremendously, and we greatly appreciate and deeply depend on that support.  We wanted to add this note because some may be interested to give a few dollars at the statewide level knowing that this easy method was available.

Next post, I will outline one of these terrific sites on Marvel, the Maine Newsstand.

Cheers,

Chip

Welcome to Springvale Library’s Blog

This is the official blog of the Springvale Library.  In the future you will see staff book picks, we will feature online tools that we find useful, and even the occasional news about the library.

Until then, enjoy the day!

Cheers!

Chip

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