SUMMER READING STARTS!

It’s that time of year again! TFPL’s Summer Reading Programs get into full swing in the first week of June, and we are all excited about the events we’ve planned for you. This year’s theme centers around bugs. Yes, you read that right — bugs; summer is a great time to “catch the reading bug”. Check out our website for information on the Children’s and Young Adult programs.

“Pollinate Your Mind” is our theme for the Adult Summer Reading Program. This summer, save gas and take a different kind of trip – READ! Whether you enjoy westerns or mysteries, biographies or fantasy, pick up a book this summer and escape. In addition to feeding your brain, you might even win a prize. This is how the program works:

1 – Read a book, any book, between June 2nd and August 12th.

2 – Fill out a simple recommendation form, explaining what you liked or disliked about that book.

3 – Win!

It’s that easy! And, we’ve made it even better this year. If you read one of our Summer TFPL Book Club titles, your entry will be counted twice. Also, get an extra entry just for attending one of our Adult Summer Programs. Look over our brochure for more information (forms and brochures are also available in the library). Please contact the Reference Department at 733-2964 ext 109 if you have any other questions.

You might be asking yourself, “What’s the catch?” Just the “Reading Bug”!

Don’t know much about history?

Then you’ve come to the right place (in more ways than one — two of our reference librarians majored in history). This week, in honor of Memorial Day, we’ve put together a list of materials that will familiarize you with some of the major armed conflicts in U.S. History.

REVOLUTIONARY WAR:

The Real History of the American Revolution: A New Look at the Past by Alan Axelrod

Fight for Freedom: The American Revolutionary War by Benson Bobrick

Liberty!: The American Revolution by Thomas Fleming

WAR OF 1812:

Union 1812: The Americans Who Fought the Second War of Independence by A.J. Langguth

1812: The War That Forged A Nation by Walter R. Borneman

MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR:

The Mexican War by David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler

Invading Mexico: America’s Continental Dream and the Mexican War, 1846-1848 by Joseph Wheelan

CIVIL WAR:

The American Civil War: A Hands-on History by Christopher J. Olsen

Shelby Foote, The Civil War: A Narrative by Shelby Foote

The American Heritage New History of the Civil War by Bruce Catton

The Civil War by Ken Burns

SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR:

The Spanish-American War by Kenneth E. Hendrickson

The Rough Riders: An Autobiography by Theodore Roosevelt

WORLD WAR I:

The First World War: A Complete History by Martin Gilbert

A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914-1918 by G.J. Meyer

The First World War by Hew Strachan

The First World War: The Complete Series by DD Video

WORLD WAR II:

The Story of World War II by Donald L. Miller

World War II: 4139 Strange and Fascinating Facts by Don McCombs and Fred L. Worth

The Greatest War: Americans in Combat, 1941-1945 by Gerald Astor

The War by Ken Burns

KOREAN WAR:

The Korean War by Max Hastings

The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War by David Halberstam

VIETNAM WAR:

10,000 Days of Thunder: A History of the Vietnam War by Phillip Caputo

The Columbia Guide to the Vietnam War by David L. Anderson

Historical Atlas of the Vietnam War by Harry G. Summers, Jr.

PERSIAN GULF WAR:

War in the Gulf by Thomas B. Allen

The Gulf War by WGBH and BBC

IRAQ WAR:

The Iraq War by John Keegan

Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq by Thomas E. Ricks

Cobra II: The Inside Story of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq by Michael R. Gordon and Bernard E. Trainor

May Flowers!

Until the weather cooperates and brings the spring flowers into bloom, we’ve compiled a list of some “floral” books to get you into the spirit of the season. Of course, we’ve also got recommendations for books with specific flower references (such as The Orchid Thief or Peony) — just stop by the Ref Desk. (All annotations are courtesy of one of our favorite databases, Book Index with Reviews. The database is here if you’re interested.)

Flower Confidential by Amy Stewart

• A behind-the-scenes look at the floriculture industry covers how cut flowers are bred, grown, and sold in the United States, discussing the historical roots of the industry and describing the attitudes of those involved in floriculture.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

• A story of friendship set in nineteenth-century China follows an elderly woman and her companion as they communicate their hopes, dreams, joys, and tragedies through a unique secret language.

The Art of Flower and Garden Photography by Clive Nichols

• Nichols, winner of the 2005 British Garden Writers’ Guild Photographer of the Year Award, here describes his techniques and inspirations in capturing garden and flower images with both digital and traditional film cameras.

Flower Children by Maxine Swann

• A full-length work inspired by the multiple award-winning short story follows the experiences of four siblings as they grow up in rural Pennsylvania under the guidance of devoutly hippie parents who believe in life without limits, a situation that involves innocence-compromising freedoms.

Flowers: How They Changed the World by William C. Burger

• An engaging and beautifully written look at how flowering plants, over more than 100 million years, have “transformed terrestrial ecosystems, supported the origin of primates, and helped us humans become the masters of our planet.”

Slay it with Flowers: A Flower Shop Mystery by Kate Collins

• When her bride-to-be cousin’s wedding party begins to disappear, resulting in murder, floral designer, bridesmaid, and occasional sleuth Abby Knight teams up with her family, a sexy bar owner, and her assistant to find the truth and to give her cousin the wedding day she deserves.

Apprentice to the Flower Poet Z by Debra Weinstein

• Delighted when she lands a job with the eminent Flower Poet Z., Annabelle G., an aspiring young poet, soon realizes that she has acquired the mentor from hell instead of finding a meaningful relationship.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

• A thirty-two-year-old mentally handicapped man takes part in an innovative scientific experiment to raise his intelligence.

– Jennifer