New Address, New Look!

On The Same Page has moved to a new address: http://sweetwaterlibraries.com/sclsblogs/readeronthesamepage/. The blog has been accepted by the Sweetwater County Library System and will look different but have the same focus and mission; sharing information about libraries, books, reading and related technology. Thanks for all the contributions and look for more exciting things to come!

Would Libraries be Created Today, if There Weren't Any?

If Public Libraries Didn’t Exist, Could You Start One Today?

Raise your hand if you hate libraries.

Even though this blog doesn’t enable me to peer through the screen into your living room (yet), I am guessing there aren’t a lot of raised hands out there. Who could possibly hate libraries?
Here’s one guess: book publishers. I am probably wrong on this, but if you care about books, hear me out.

Read the discussion started by Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner here.

Harry Potter - Green?

Going Green, One Blockbuster Book at a Time
July 13, 2007
By Kimberly Maul

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows may have the largest first print-run of a book ever, but at least it is going green. Scholastic previously announced that the book will be printed on paper that contains at least 30 percent post-consumer waste fiber and 65 percent of the paper used in the printing will be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
Read entire article at the Book Standard

Here are a few numbers to consider as anticipation builds for this unprecedented publishing phenomenon:

• 12 million — Total number of books in the first U.S. printing, the largest first printing of any book in history, beating out the runner-up by 1.2 million books. The runner-up was 2005's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which had a first printing of 10.8 million copies and sold 6.9 million copies in the first 24 hours of its release, making it the fastest-selling book in history.

• 65 percent — The percentage of the paper used in the U.S. first printing of Deathly Hallows that will be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), making Harry Potter's seventh installment the largest purchase of FSC-certified paper to be used in the printing of a single book title. All of the paper will contain at least 30 percent post-consumer waste fiber.

• 100,000 — Deluxe edition sets of Deathly Hallows available in the U.S., featuring an exclusive wraparound jacket and full-color frontispiece by illustrator Mary GrandPré, along with a foil-stamped slipcase. List price for the deluxe edition is $65, compared to $34.99 for the regular book, although both prices are being deeply discounted by many booksellers.

• 37, 10 and seven — The number of libraries, cities and weeks for the cross-country Knight Bus National Tour sponsored by Scholastic. The tour features a triple-decker purple bus decorated like the magical bus Harry rides in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Fans can add their thoughts about the series to a video journal when the bus stops in their town.

• 1,700 — Fans who will get to meet Rowling for a midnight book-signing party at London's Natural History Museum on July 21. Five hundred lucky winners, chosen at random, will also attend her midnight reading prior to the signing. And seven of these fortunate youngsters will be from the U.S., courtesy of an online sweepstakes from Scholastic (www.scholastic.com/harrypotter).

• 325 million — Total sales of the first six Harry Potter books to date, worldwide. • 120 million — Number of Harry Potter books in print in the U.S. alone.

• $3.5 billion — Total gross worldwide for the Harry Potter films (so far).

• 138 minutes — Reported running time for the film version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, to be released in the U.S. on July 11. Not bad, considering the length of the book (870 pages).

• 12 — Number of Harry Potter stamps to be released by the United Kingdom's Royal Mail. The stamps will feature the cover art from Bloomsbury's British editions of all seven novels, as well as the Hogwarts school crest and the emblems for each of its four houses.

• $265 million — Expected cost to build "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter," a theme park set to open at Universal's Orlando Resort in 2009. Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in the village of Hogsmeade, the mysterious Forbidden Forest and, of course, Hogwarts castle. "The plans I've seen look incredibly exciting, and I don't think fans of the books or films will be disappointed," Rowling says of the project.

You can read more from BookPage here.

World eBook Fair

July 4th to August 4th
Download Your Selections From 3/4 Million Total eBook Files Available. World eBook Fair will have tons of titles but will not have new titles or many that you are used to seeing.

They are currently offering free access for the month of July. Join the World Public Library and view all of the World eBook Fair titles all year long.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

'Phoenix' Rises in 4,285 Theaters
July 11, 2007
By Gregg Kilday

Moviegoers shouldn't have to search far to find Warner Bros. Pictures' Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which opens today nationwide. The film plans to work its magic in 4,285 theaters, the widest domestic opening ever for a Warners movie, and it will employ more than 9,000 prints in North America.

Read the entire article at Book Standard.

Look at the movie at local theatres : http://www.sweetwaternetwork.com/entertainment/movies/

Simple Genius by David Baldacci

Michelle Maxwell, a tough competent ex-Secret Service agent, and Sean King, a strong good-looking, connected risk taker form an unbeatable investigative team. Normally of a robust nature, Michelle is having uncharacteristic emotional problems stemming from an unconscious repressed memory. Sean finds work investigating the death of a mathematical genius at a Virginian think tank, coincidentally across the river from a highly secret CIA property. The reader is compulsively drawn into the discovery of an autistic young girl left alone by the death of her father: the genius Monk Turing. Sean is joined by the emotionally compromised Michelle to investigate yet another suspicious death on the grounds of the think tank. Babbage Town, modeled after Bletchley Park where code breakers worked on German transmissions during World War II, form the colonized area for a computer programming think tank, or is it?

David Baldacci weaves a complex story of intrigue with likable characters, to pull the reader though the intrigue of Washington back door politics, the CIA, questionable interrogation tactics, quantum computers, the history of Camp Peary; an unacknowledged CIA property, and psychological mysteries of the personal kind.

While the book is fiction, David Baldacci uses some interesting references to real people. Charles Babbage (a name also popping up in the movies "Rain Man" and "National Treasure") is considered the father of the programmable computer. Alan Turing was a code breaker working in Bletchley Park and a genetic predecessor of the fictional Monk Turing. David Baldacci creates Champ Pollion, director of Babbage Town from real life Jean-Francois Champollion, a French linguist who worked on deciphering Egyptian codes. The Beale Cipher is an unsolved code believed to reveal an 1800's buried treasure. The idea for Simple Genius originated from the Beale Cipher mystery.

From American Libraries: Biblioteca Santiago in Chile

Biblioteca Santiago in Chile

A student filmed and produced this wordless musical video (3:58) that showcases the many types of services and activities available at the public library in Santiago, Chile. The art gallery, reading rooms, storytime, internet terminals, martial arts class, the graphic novel collection, the café, even the restrooms are featured....YouTube, June 1 What a great library!

Job Skills of the Future

Job Skills of the Future in Researchers' Crystal Ball
Views split over guidance to schools on workplace realities down the road.
By Scott J. Cech

Washington
Economists, researchers, and educators from all over the country recently took turns here looking into a crystal ball with two urgent questions: No. 1, what job skills will employers need in the decades ahead? And, No. 2, are students getting the education they’ll need to be employable?

As with most prognostications, the answers at a research workshop hosted by the prestigious National Academies depended on whom you consulted.

Ask Dixie Sommers, an assistant commissioner for occupational statistics and employment projections at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and she would tell you that, for example, from 2004 to 2014, the employment sector composed of library, training, and teaching jobs is anticipated to add nearly 2 million jobs—a jump of 20 percent.

Take a look at the entire article from Education Week here.

Secrets of Harry's Success (Penn State News)

From Penn State in University Park, Pennsylvania.

The primary component of the Harry Potter series, Steven Herb said, is independent characters. By sending them away to boarding school, the children are on their own. Many successful children's novels separate the kids from the parents, giving them more freedom. Plus, the magic in the wizarding world -- games of Quidditch played on brooms, curses and spells, good versus evil -- adds an exciting element of imagination for the readers.

Penn State librarian Steven Herb, author of two children's literature textbooks, can't think of any other book as wholeheartedly anticipated by cultures throughout the world.

Read the rest of the article here.

52 Questions, #5 Reader Lists for Best Sellers.

Reader's are always looking for new authors or titles that satisfy their reading needs. Searching for a great book can cost time browsing the aisles of the library. Instead of only judging by the cover you might consult a best seller list to find what new books and authors are being judged as good by others.

List are put together based on the rate of sales at particular bookstores or online retailers. The New York Times' list may be the best known and most consulted. It has split into categories allowing more books to claim a New York Times bestseller distinction. Separate categories include hardcover and soft cover fiction, non-fiction and advice. NYT Children's books claims another list.

Book Sense has similar categories but uses statistics from independent book sellers across the country. More localized readers might benefit from the Los Angeles Times Best sellers (based on reader choices in southern California) and the San Fransico Chronicle represents readers in the Bay area. If the midwestern section of the country is more your taste take a look at the Chicago Sun Times' best sellers.

Amazon.com is fun to watch as they list bestseller's which are updated on the hour. Do you watch a best seller list?

I couldn't say it better!

Thomson Gale sponsored a contest for the best library video and Dozier Middle School and Main Street Libraries in Virginia won $10,000 for the best "I love my library" production. The two minute video shows students following a homework assignment starting with an Internet search and winding up at the library. A new contest starts July 16!

Sweetwater County Library and American Libraries Celebrate 100 years!

Happy Birthday Sweetwater County Library!

July 4, 2007

A salute to the founders of the Carnegie Library in Green River and the enduring value of public libraries takes place July 4th at Centennial Park in Green River. The theme is “A River of Change” to reflect the many changes that have taken place in libraries over the past 100 years. The Sweetwater County Library in partnership with the Library Foundation invites the public to the celebration from 3-6 p.m. A street dance follows from 6-7:30. The Library’s Centennial committee has been organizing the event for a year and says support from numerous local donors is what has made the event possible.

The Carnegie Library in Green River opened to the public July 4, 1907, and served as the library for 73 years until 1980 when the Sweetwater County Library opened Sept. 21st at 300 North 1st East. To commemorate the Centennial, librarians have planned a variety of activities for the public.

In a tandem celebration American Libraries, an outstanding journal for libraries is also celebrating its 100 year anniversary. The ALA Focus video shows where libraries have been: Everywhere!

Down Came The Rain

"The unfortunate part is that I was never seriously educated about the fact that postpartum depression might occur. It is very real and has quietly devastated the lives of many people. If I had been better informed, I might not have considered my self a candidate but at least I would have been armed with some important information. I am incredibly thankful to have recognized early on that something was wrong and that I was able to find help. I hate to think about the women who endure this type of depression for long periods of time without knowing that there is assistance available." Excerpt from "Down Came The Rain" by Brooke Shields.

All mothers, mothers to be, and those that care for them, should take time to read this book. It is a tender story of love and motherhood postponed; tales of the frustration of infertility and the possible link to post partum depression and how it robs mothers, babies and families of the connections they all deserve. You may recognize yourself in Brook Shield's words.

52 Questions: #4 Role of Libraries?

The Library Fix
When politics gets mean and dumb, you can cheer yourself up by walking into a public library.
By Garrison Keillor

"When politics gets mean and dumb, you can cheer yourself up by walking into a public library, one of the nobler expressions of democracy. Candidates don't mention libraries -- they're more likely to talk about putting people behind bars and no coddling or shilly-shallying with appeals and that judicial nonsense, just throw them in the dungeon and stick their heads in the toilet and do what you gotta do -- and yet when I walk into the library near my house and see a couple hundred teenagers studying, most of them Hmong or Vietnamese, I see the old cheerful America that Washington has lost touch with, the land of opportunity.
The library is the temple of freedom. Growing up, we kids were aware of how much of our lives was a performance for adults. In school, at church, in Scouts, adults were watching, cueing you, coaching, encouraging, commenting; but in the library, you didn't have to perform for the librarian. She simply presided over an orderly world in which you had the freedom of your own imagination. The silence was not repressive but liberating: to allow your imagination to play, uninhibited by others."

Read the entire article at Salon.com.

What role does the library serve for you?

The Big Read

Wyoming is one of more than 100 communities to take part this fall in The Big Read, a project of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The Big Read encourages an entire community to read and discuss the same book. Read what the NEA has to say about it at http://www.arts.gov/news/news07/bigreadCycle2.html.

Wyoming's The Big Read will be on My Antonia by Willa Cather. Thirteen counties are participating: Albany, Campbell, Converse, Fremont, Johnson, Laramie, Lincoln, Niobrara, Park, Sheridan, Sweetwater, Uinta and Weston.

The Big Read will kick off at our first Wyoming Book Festival on September 15, 2007 in Cheyenne with a keynote speech by past Wyoming poet laureate Robert Roripaugh, a living history presentation of Willa Cather and free copies of My Antonia for readers to "Catch, Read and Release!"

A Wyoming The Big Read website is in the works -- look for the address in upcoming updates. Look also for great programs, book discussions and book giveaways at local libraries in participating counties in the coming months.

-Susan Vittitow
Wyoming Center for the Book Coordinator
Wyoming State Library

For more on The Big Read:

By Porter Anderson CNN
(CNN) -- An all-night reading at a local Krispy Kreme of American author John Steinbeck's 1939 classic "The Grapes of Wrath" -- literature amid chocolate iced glazed crullers -- may not rival an afternoon at your local library for quiet.
But even as Dana Gioia, the National Endowment for the Arts' chairman, announces 117 new cities chosen to participate in the agency's "Big Read" program this year, that's what you hear: Quiet.

For the rest of this article, click here.

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

Anonymous said...
I would like to recommend another excellent book "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah. If anyone is interested in learning more about what has happened in Sierra Leone over the past couple of decades, or would like to gain a broader perspective of the plight of child soldiers please read this book. Never before have words on a page made my stomach recoil in horror at what is happening in our world. It was only days ago, that three individuals were convicted of the war crimes described in this book. This is the first time an international court has convicted someone of conscripting children for military service. This small victory does nothing to change what has happened in Sierra Leone, but June 2007 should be remembered for this. Ishmael Beah is now attending graduate school and works for the Human Rights Watch Children’s Division Advisory Committee, and has spoken at the United Nations numerous times. It will only take an afternoon, read it.

Thanks to anonymous for this review.

The Elegant Gathering of White Snows by Kris Radish

A journey based on friendship; sharing tragedy, disappointments, betrayal, trauma, heart crushing loss, confusion, identity crisis, grief, mind numbing routines, expectations, responsibility and complacency. A change from knowing gentle heart sounds to hearing exploding voices from the soul; daring exploration, risk taking, acceptance found, a soft place to rest, offering and receiving support, leaving the past and making strong choices. One group of women finding each other and themselves, inspiring other women resulting in changes and clarified choices, garnering strength from each other and from within, finding each individual potential free from repercussion. Laughter, love, friendship and sharing from a female viewpoint.
I feel like a long walk with some friends.

Teen Book Video Awards 2006

Random House Children's Books sponsored a contest where film makers and animators competed for the best book video for three of the top books of 2006.

The Book Thief is work that is interesting to both young adults and adult readers. Death is the narrator and as such explores the happenings in Liesle Meminger's life from when she is left by her mother and taken into a foster home. World War II is the setting for Liesel's life, her family, the torment and the trials she encounters. Her neighborhood is filled with memorable characters, struggling through the war and occupation. Leisel steals her first book, expressing herself the only way she can, secretively. Her foster mother's cruelty, the father's kindness, her best friend Rudy, an accidental refugee Max and the solitary wife of the mayor who provides access to her personal library and enables Leisel's thievery, pepper the story and connect with the reader.

The Great and Terrible Beauty

The setting is a Victorian girls school that has a secret history. Gemma leaves her Indian home after the suicide of her mother. She is sent to a finishing school in London where she has to deal with the strange circumstances of her mother's death and integrating into a new culture. Confused and intrigued by the death and the secret of the school, Gemma finds friends within a circle of girls. What happened twenty five years before the friends attended this school? What do the teachers know? What role does the cave on the school grounds play? How is it all connected?

How I Live Now

What would happen if ware broke out where you live? Daisy lives within frightening changes after her move from Manhattan into a relatives farmhouse in England. Daisy and her cousins live without adults to depend on while the farmhouse is taken by soldiers. Even her male cousins are taken from her as she struggles to keep herself and her youngest cousin, Piper, alive. Changes within Daisy are profound, taking her from a selfish teenager to a leader and survivor. She emerges shaken by her circumstances and experiences while maturing with compassion.

Take a look at the videos at Random House.

Harry Fans

Scholastic who wisely chose to publish the American version of the Harry Potter series, has some fun downloads; screensavers, bookmarks and a desktop alert widget, on their site. It is now 25 days, 14 hours, 23 minutes and 10 seconds until the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. For all things Harry visit Scholastic. The newest and last book in the series will be available July 21, 2007.

It has been reported that copies of Harry Potter are already available in China where copyright laws are shaky at best. A hacker who goes by the name of Gabriel claims he obtained a digital copy of the manuscript for J.K. Rowling's 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' and has posted plot details online. Book Standard News also reports that "whether or not readers believe Gabriel, there is only one way to find out if he is right. And that won't happen until July 21".

Who are you going to believe muggles?

Don't have an MP3 Player?

New Chapter In Convenience, Pre-Loaded PLAYAWAY® Digital Audio Books For Library Patrons.

Each Palm-Sized Unit is Permanently Loaded with an Audio Book to Make Listening as Simple as Pressing Play; Bestselling Titles Available

Half the size of a deck of cards, Playaway is the simplest way to listen to a book on the go and – with no tapes or CDs - can hold as little as two or as much as eighty hours of content on each unit. Using clearly marked buttons, Playaway gives listeners the ability to move back and forth within or between chapters and alter the speed of a narrator’s voice. It even has an automatic bookmark feature that remembers where you left off. Additionally, Playaway has a universal headphone jack that works with almost any type of headphone or mobility accessory.

“With Playaway, we set out to create a product that was portable, technologically simple and easy to use, and it’s been a perfect fit for libraries,” said Christopher Celeste, President, Findaway World. “In fact, 99% of our current library customers would recommend Playaway to another library. We are excited to have provided such a welcome audio format for this important channel.”

Playaway is the simplest way to listen to digital content on the go. It comes with the audio content already pre-loaded on it and a battery to make it play. Simply plug in earbuds and enjoy. Each Playaway weighs only two ounces and has a universal jack.

Playaway is Made Possible by Findaway WorldFindaway World, a privately held company based in Cleveland, Ohio, is dedicated to delivering simple and immediate access to content consumers want or need. Their latest product, Playaway, is the first digital audio player of its kind, coming pre-loaded with premier content from leading publishers, authors, record labels, and artists.

Book suggestions website

Book Sense

June 2007

#1 Pick:
"It is a feat to bring off a serious, historically-set novel where the
history doesn't overwhelm the human story, nor does the human tale simply
use the history as furniture. This most impressive, captivating debut
-- a novel of a young woman finding her way into life in 17th century
Iran -- is one that does justice to both story and history."
--Rick Simonson, The Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, WA

See more book choices at Book Sense (http://www.booksense.com/bspicks/index.jsp)

52 Questions: #3 What book got you hooked?

You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be —
I had a Mother who read to me.
- Strickland Gillilan

Every child needs a parent who reads to them. My favorite memories with my children when they were young were the times we spent snuggling and laughing together as we read books. Summer reading programs were a great excuse to get into the library and check out books by the ton, find a park and read for hours. I can't remember what their favorite books were as there were so many. I know the first book my daughter loved on her own was Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell and the book I am sure I could read in my sleep from reading non-stop to my son was That's Good! That's Bad! by Margery Cuyler.

First Book is an organization dedicated to getting books in the hands of young children. For 15 years First Book has been providing brand new books to children in low-income communities nationwide. They are asking for your help in celebrating the distribution of their 50 millionth book this summer: tell us what book got you hooked and you'll have the chance to share the magic with thousands of children in one lucky state. Take a minute out of your day to particpate!

After visiting the First Book website, share your choice, what was your favorite first book?

After hours.....

Thanks to apaulos2, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwihz7iZlx0

Presenting...Craig Johnson!

Craig Johnson, author of Death Without Company, Cold Dish and Kindness Goes Unpunished, indicated interest in this blog and offered to do a virtual interview! Here is what he had to say....

I love the phrasing in your books, for instance, when you said ‘my nose hit his fist’. That sounds like Wyoming guys that I have known. I love the humor, does that come from your experiences with Wyoming people, is it intrinsic to you or is it more universal?

I grew up in one of those families that went out on the porch after dinner and told stories, learning very quickly that it was an ability just like working cattle or rebuilding a small-block—a person who could tell a good story was an individual with a talent. I was talking with Mark Spragg about this and we both agreed that the writing is an extension of that ability. I think no matter what kind of writing you’re doing you have to tell the story and dialogue is a big part. I listen to people very carefully and try to differentiate the characters with their speech pattern, syntax, the word choices—I think that’s better than just throwing in ‘he said, or ‘she said’. There’s also the advice I give students, which is—Is there another way to say this? If you’re writing along and suddenly the writing sounds like it’s been done before… Guess what? It has. Writers are like everyone else; they get lazy and start using the same old words. The big trick? Listening. Ask questions, and then listen to the answers.


Henry Standing Bear represents spirituality, maybe the centering or conscience of Walt. Do you have an equal in your life for that kind of earthly spirituality? Can you permit yourself to trust in the fate when something as difficult as a daughter’s illness might occur?

I’m fortunate enough to have good friends on both the Crow and Cheyenne Reservations and am lucky enough to be one of the only white men ever asked to raise the center lodge pole in the Cheyenne Sundance, which is quite an honor. Indians are incredible in so many ways, their integrity, their humor, their spirituality… They are the bedrock of what I consider to be the west, and excuse the pun; it would be criminal to leave them out of the books. I’ve had a pretty varied life, and I’m not to the point where I can explain all the things I’ve experienced—the things I’ve seen out of the corners of my eyes—that’s for sure. There are stranger things, Horatio, than have been dreamt of in your philosophies… I think the trick in those mystical situations that are described in the books is in allowing the reader to interpret along with the characters—did that really happen or did I imagine that? I’ve been out there on the ragged edge, where you’re talking to people who aren’t there. I think there’s a strength in acknowledging that we don’t understand everything that goes on around us, or why.


Your scene in the kindergarten where you are reading to kids who have a raw realism to their questions, have your experienced something like that with children? What are your thoughts on where today’s children might be going and what kind of support they have in their lives?

There’s an opportunity in the books to show a truth—whether the characters are Indians or police officers. The job isn’t just pulling your gun and sliding over the hood of your car screaming some pithy, Hollywood phrase like, ‘I’m getting too old for this stuff…’ It’s a question of being honest and looking for the humanity in the character, no matter what their age, gender, ethnicity or profession. The kindergarten scene at the opening of Kindness Goes Unpunished is there for numerous reasons—a reminder of Walt’s connection to his daughter, a statement on the condition of a particular society, a metaphor for what happens later… I could go on for a half a page. I think it’s a pretty accurate portrayal, and I think there are always going to be concerns about the future generations. I’m pretty sure the last generation is still worried about us…

What would you like to see Wyoming libraries offer?

Wyoming libraries are run by a pretty capable bunch, and I think they do a marvelous job. I wouldn’t guess at trying to tell them how to do their jobs, but it doesn’t keep me from trying to help. When The Cold Dish first came out, I got an email from the, then librarian in Meeteetse who was wondering if I’d ever think of doing an event over there. She explained that they were a branch library out of Cody and didn’t have a lot of money. I wrote her back and explained that once you’ve reached a certain level of notoriety—you really can’t negotiate your honorarium… Mine was the same as it’s always been, a six-pack of Rainier beer, cans preferred. She accepted my deal within three minutes. It kind of set a precedent that I’ve stuck to—whenever a Wyoming library calls, I do the event for a six-pack. It’s my way of saying thanks.

What are you reading now?

I’m reading The Ox-Bow Man by Benton Jackson, a biography of Walter Van Tilburg Clark who wrote such western greats as The Ox-Bow Incident, Track of the Cat, and House of Trembling Leaves. Ron Carlson’s Five Skies and eight manuscripts from students I’ll be mentoring at the Jackson Writer’s Conference at the end of the month— they’ve got a lot to live up to…
All the best,
Craig

Thanks for the interest, your time, and the picture Craig!

Clean off your bookshelves!

Talking with a patron today, I was reminded of a movement that involved trading books. This patron said she bought our discounted books for trips and if she left them somewhere it did not impact her much.

(It is absolutely forbidden for anyone do this with books checked out from libraries!)

There is a website; BookCrossing, that was started to "make the entire world into a library." The idea is to read a book and then pass it on by leaving it somewhere in the open where another reader will most likely find it. It is considered the world's largest book club, even getting an entry in Oxford's Dictionary:

bookcrossing, n. the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise. (added to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary in August 2004)

Scott Sorochak is the CEO but Ron Hornbaker started this community in 2001 and now boasts 562,714 members in 120 countries.

These are the rules (from the BookCrossing.com website)

The "3 Rs" of BookCrossing...
1. Read a good book (you already know how to do that)
2. Register it here (along with your journal comments), get a unique BCID (BookCrossing ID number), and label the book
3. Release it for someone else to read (give it to a friend, leave it on a park bench, donate it to charity, "forget" it in a coffee shop, etc.), and get notified by email each time someone comes here and records a journal entry for that book. And if you make Release Notes on the book, others can Go Hunting for it and try to find it!

This provides infinite possibilities for connecting with others all over the world who are like minded readers. Through the website you can track your book as others pick it up, read it and again -pass it on. Membership in Book Crossing is free. They also provide cool kits to get started.

Ruth Graham Bell

As Mrs. Billy Graham, Ruth Graham could claim to be the first lady of evangelism. She was her husband’s closest confidant during his spectacular global career.

Ruth Bell, one of five children, was born in China, where her father worked in a hospital. The Bell family lived in China for 25 years.

Ruth Bell attended Wheaton College, in Wheaton, Ill. There she spotted a man from North Carolina. She married William Graham on Aug. 13, 1943. The Grahams have 19 grandchildren and 30 great-grandchildren. Mrs. Graham died today surrounded by her family.

Wyoming Book Festival!

For bibliophiles everywhere, this promises to be a fun event!

The Wyoming Book Festival will be held in Cheyenne, Sept. 14-15, 2007. It will celebrate Wyoming's rich literary heritage, promote Wyoming's books and support the state's authors, encourage reading, broaden people's reading choices, and provide educational opportunities for Pre-K – 12 students. More than fifty authors will be invited to read, discuss and sign their work; most will have lived in or written about Wyoming.

This will be the only major book festival within a radius of 120 miles: an area home to 3 million people, including two-fifths of Wyoming's population. Events will take place in downtown Cheyenne, both in indoor venues and outside. The festival goal is to generate an audience of 10,000 to 15,000 attendees and to reach beyond the core audience of avid readers to casual readers and even non-readers.

Wyoming Book Festival events will include:
Author readings, book signings and panel . An on-site bookstore will be provided through the Wyoming State Museum.
Author programs for Pre-K – 12 students that will support state education standards.
Hands-on activities and demonstrations.
Book-related movies
Book arts
A Wyoming Libraries booth that will offer local library information, library card sign-ups and a children's storytelling stage.
Wandering appearances by costumed book characters and PBS characters such as Elmo, Clifford the Big Red Dog and Leona the Lion from Between the Lions.
Poetry slams and writing workshops for teens.
Living history presentations.
Planned focus areas include history, Wyoming women, sports and outdoors, rodeo and ranching, home and garden, railroads and transportation, genre fiction, children's and young adult literature, poetry and literary fiction.

Why would anyone miss this?

(Click here for the list of authors!)

Dangerous Book for Boys

It is so exciting to find that a book you have chosen finds its way into the news. On NPR today author Conn Iggulden was on Talk of the Nation, speaking about his passion and his new book. He said he wrote it for fathers and their children to pass on the information and the stories he and his brother don't want to see forgotten.

Dangerous Book for Boys is a manual for for fathers and sons to connect over kite flying, fishing, camping and camp fire stories. It is a how to on building go-carts and tree houses, folding paper airplanes and tying knots, making bow and arrows and using correct grammar. To keep the librarians of us happy, there is even a section on 'books every boy should read'! Brothers Hal and Conn Iggulden believe that "in the age of video games and cell phones there must still be a place for knots, tree house and stories of incredible courage."

For all the fathers and for all the sons, for all of us interested in information, wisdom and how things work, Dangerous Book for Boys keeps memories and skills alive that contribute to the awesome nature of childhood, inspiration and wonder.

Question #2 Which book has the best father character?

In our new tradition of a question a week for one year, and in celebration of fathers, who is your favorite father in print?

There are many that come to mind; Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird, or more recently Chris Gardner of Pursuit of Happyness fame. Many of the same attributes stand out for fathers that also stood out for mothers: unconditional love, common sense or wisdom, deferred gratification and the ability to be admired. A great father gives us someone strong to look up to, someone we are proud of and someone we would like to be able to emulate.

Harper Lee modelled Atticus after her own father, her mother was something of a cold and unpleasable woman. Finch was quietly loving, while having strong beliefs and integrity in the face of overwhelming public dissent. Chris Gardner battled the odds, believed in himself and kept his eye on the prize.

Here are some other titles of interest to celebrate fathers; Father's First Steps : 25 Things Every New Dad Should Know by Robert Sears, MD.

Wisdom of our Fathers : Lessons and Letters from Daughters and Sons
by Tim Russert.


Keeping the Baby Alive Till Your Wife Gets Home : The Tough New 'How-To' For 21st Century Dads by Walter Roark.

What characteristics make your favorite literary dad great?

Award Winning Wyoming Author - CJ Box

Winner of the Anthony Award, Prix Calibre 38 (France), the Macavity Award, the Gumshoe Award, the Barry Award, and an Edgar Award and (Whew!) L.A. Times Book Prize Finalist, CJ Box's newest Joe Pickett mystery hit the New York Times bestseller list.

Our Cheyenne, Wyoming author created a character who tries to do the right thing, be a good husband, father and man yielding common sense and his game warden badge. His stories revolve around the life of Joe Pickett, his job and his family, possibly similar to Box's own experiences traveling, fishing, hiking, working as a ranch hand, a surveyor and a newspaper man.


The series starts with Open Season, Savage Run, Winter Kill, Trophy Hunt, Out of Range and his newest award winner: Free Fire. In Free Fire, Joe has been fired from his job as game warden, and the politics are daunting. The Wyoming governor is faced with public critisism with the murders of four campers in Yellowstone by an attorney. Something profitable and dangerous is going on in Yellowstone so the governor offers Joe his badge if he will investigate without credentials.

Look for the next Joe Pickett mystery Blue Heaven in 2008.

Kindness Goes Unpunished by Craig Johnson

Craig Johnson's newest mystery Kindness Goes Unpunished, is out!

Craig Johnson writes of Wyoming; of Wyoming characters with Wyoming voices. It makes for a fun read; the characters speak like people you are, or have met, that live in Wyoming and live the life. Johnson runs a cattle ranch out of Ucross, Wyoming and writes to "get this out of his system". He claims to have a rich barrel of inspiration from living here and knowing eccentric characters.

Johnson spends a lot of time on the road, loves to talk about book with folks who don't like to read and convinces his horses and dogs that he is John Steinbeck. His background is in law enforcement, hence his main character: Walt Longmire the town sheriff, but I get the impression that he enjoys having fun and loves what he is doing.

Different from his first two books: Cold Dish

and Death Without Company,

Johnson takes Sheriff Longmire out of his comfort zone and to Philadelphia to help his daughter when her boyfriend is murdered. Sheriff Longmire plays the fish out of water well and even with stereotyping local personalities the intrigue, mystery and Wyoming humor stand out.

Music Fun

For all those library users who always need a song, here is a fun site I came across.

Josh Hosler has created a database, user friendly, that allows you to find THE #1 SONG ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY. I checked out my birthday and dates of members of my family's birthdays. You could look up the day you were married, the day you graduated high school or some other date of significance in your life. It goes back to 1890 so it is not just for the YA crowd.

My song on my date of birth is "Don't/I Beg of You" by Elvis Presley. Funny, I don't remember that one.

Library Rave by Ben Macintyre

I came across this article: Paradise is Paper, Vellum and Dust, Libraries will Survive the Digital Revolution Because They are Places of Sensuality and Power, which is a little dated having been published in 2004 but still very cool. It is in praise of libraries in light of the controversy that the Internet will make libraries obsolete. Ben Macintyre, the author, writes:

"I have spent a substantial portion of my life since in libraries, and I still enter them with a mixture of excitement and awe. I am not alone in this. Veneration for libraries is as old as writing itself, for a library is more to our culture than a collection of books: it is a temple, a symbol of power, the hushed core of civilisation, the citadel of memory, with its own mystique, social and sensual as well as intellectual. Even people who never enter libraries instinctively understand their symbolic power."

The entire article can be seen http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/ben_macintyre/article403760.ece and was published by the Times Online in the UK, December 18, 2004.

Obviously I, and the staff of our library system, love books and libraries and technology and feel similar to Macintyre in his reverence for the institution. How about you, do libraries fill your reading and information needs? What would you like to see the library offer you?

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Khaled Hosseini , author of The Kite Runner, has allowed us another look into the the hearts of the Afghan people. From a country with a proud and rich culture to a war torn and crumbling society he takes us through the disintegration and hopeful rebuilding through the eyes of a family. I am always surprised to find a novel written well by a man from a woman's point of view. While I don't think he entirely masters the complexity of consciousness of a woman's soul, his effort is commendable. With the characters of Mariam and Laili, he gives us the gut-wrenching efforts of two women and their survival, loyalty, motherhood, friendship, integrity and endurance during the jihad, civil war and Taliban tyranny of Afghanistan.

Marian is the scorned illegitimate harami daughter of a wealthy but conformist businessman, raised by a defeated mother and forced to marry a brutal 40 year old man at the age of fifteen. Laili is the daughter of a dysfunctional and grieving mother and an intellectual but accepting father with high hopes for her college career and future. Twenty years after Mariam and Rasheed's marriage and after Laila's family and friends are killed, Laili's choices in the war torn country are starvation, prostitution or to accept being the 14 year old second wife of Rasheed and the housemate of a scornful Mariam. Rasheed's violent misogyny is a tough read but is reflective of and supported by the Taliban rule. A Thousand Splendid Suns shines a light on the history of the country and the repression of women represented by the burqa and their invisible lives under a veil.

At Khaled Hosseini's request, please visit UNHCR, the United Nations High commission for Refugees where Hosseini volunteers as a US envoy.

52 Questions - #1 Who is your favorite mother in print?

This feature of the On The Same Page was stolen shamelessly from PaperCuts, -a library/readers blog from the Topeka and Shawnee Public Library. Each week a new question will be asked and YOU are invited to respond!

Share your memories, your book choices, your ideas and your thoughts on the subject of the week.

This week's question comes from the blog creator. Next week we may concentrate on Father's Day, but in preparation for that, in your reading who have you found that was a stand out mother? Many real life mothers come to mind, those that I admire, those I emulate and those who love their children beyond reason. My literary answer would be the mother in One True Thing by Anna Quindlen. Ellen Gulden, a daughter finds herself forced to care for her mother as she battles cancer. Ellen begins to see a strong and beautiful version of the mother she previously held in disdain. The truth emerges; painful and surprising - revealing a woman who make choices based on dignity and her core beliefs - remarkable woman.

Need a New Read?

The library system website (www.sweetaterlibraries.com) offers a reader's advisory service called NextReads. Library users may sign up for the service offering email notification tailored to your reading interests. Look for the logo on the library's front page and enter your preferences by checking the boxes. The options include:

Armchair Travel
Audiobooks
Biography and Memoir
Business and Personal Finance
Christian Fiction
Fantasy
Fiction A to Z
Historical Fiction
History and Current Events
Home, Garden, and DIY
Horror
Inventory
Kids' Books
Literate Nerd Society List
Mind and Body Fitness
Mystery
Nature and Science
Picture Books
Popular Culture
Romance
RSL - Staff Picks
Science Fiction
Spirituality and Religion
Thrillers and Suspense
WML Reading Rascals
Young Adult Books

NextReads and Sweetwater County Library staff have put together book suggestions. New reading suggestions will be mailed to your inbox.

The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian

Laurel is a woman working as a social worker at a homeless shelter. She is dealing, -although not completely adequately-, with a violent incident from her college days. Laural meets a homeless man who she discovers may have an indirect tie to her past. Bobbie Crocker has a box of photographs that depict famous people and additionally keys into Laurel's interest in photography. On assignment to publicize the homeless shelter and illuminate the stories of their clients, Laurel digs into the Bobbie's history, identity and his photographs. In a thriller that weaves together stories of literary characters; Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan, coincidentally from Laurel's childhood neighborhood and the Gatsby heirs, Laurel is on a chase that may involve her and a deep hidden family secret. Even the title: A Double Bind reveals information.

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