Summer Reading Challenge

The next two displays for the Summer Reading Challenge just went up! The first is books relating to military experiences and these books are located on the top of the new book shelving. The second display is books relating to medical/fitness and these items are located on two sides of the cube just as you walk into the library. Come in and take a look.

Film Challenge - next display!

If you are participating in the Summer Film Challenge, you may be interested to know that the next display has just gone up. This time we are featuring action/adventure DVDs and videos. The films are located on the display cart at the bottom of the stairs on the lower level of the library. Remember it is still not too late to sign up for either the Film Challenge or Reading Challenge!

Making rounds with Oscar: the extrordinary gift of an ordinary cat

Oscar is a cat that resides at Steere House, a nursing home where many of the residents have Alzheimer's. Oscar could be characterized as not necessarily liking most humans. He doesn't spend much time with anyone...until their last few hours. It seems that Oscar has the ability to sense when a resident is about to die and then proceeds to stand vigil with them.

Why I picked it up: Sister Faith recommended it to me.

Why I finished it: I really got involved with the staff at Steere House, the residents and, of course, Oscar.

I'd give it to: Anyone with aging parents. Anyone who loves a good cat story.

call number: RA1000.D67 2010 (currently shelved in the "suggestions from Eileen" display as soon as you walk in the library)

"Making Rounds With Oscar: the Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat" by Dr. David Dosa c2010

Jordan Romero has reached the summit of Everest

Click through to read Jordan's blog: http://www.jordanromero.com/weblog/

Letters to Jackie: condolences from a grieving nation

This is a collection representing the thousands of letters received by Jacqueline Kennedy following the assassination of President Kennedy. They are touching, some in their eloquence and some in their simplicity. Interspersed with the letters is some explanation of the events surrounding the assassination and of the lives of the Kennedys.

Why I picked it up: I was in grade school when President Kennedy was killed and I still remember where I was when I heard the news. And I always admired Jackie Kennedy for her grace.

Why I finished it: I found the history particularly interesting as I had forgotten some of the details of that time.

I'd give it to: Anyone who likes history.

call number - E842.9.L388 2010 (currently shelved on the cube right inside the library door on the display "Suggestions from Eileen")

Letters to Jackie: condolences from a grieving nation edited by Ellen Fitzpatrick c2010.

Summer reading challenge

The first display is up for the Summer Reading Challenge. A variety of graphic novels have been pulled and are located on top of the New Book shelving. It's still not too late to pick up a registration packet. Happy summer, everyone!

Summer Film Challenge

The first display is up for the summer FILM challenge. A variety of travelogue DVDs and videos are on display on the lower level of the library. Stop by and check it out!

Film Challenge

Join the Challenge!! Pick up information at the Main desk!

Broaden your viewings! Try something outside your usual fare. This challenge is designed to help us try the “new and different.” You can complete this challenge and still have plenty of time to view other films you saved for this summer!

Challenge Guidelines

There are 21 film categories. You may choose ten (10) from those on the enclosed sheet or pick something we haven’t thought of. Just be sure to choose ten (10) different categories.

View a minimum of 30 minutes of each. (Or watch many more minutes if you like!)

If you choose to include your favorite category, try a different production. Your choice must be in some way new to you.

You do not have to choose materials from Stoxen Library. Friends, the public library, or other venues are great places to find new and different.

Stoxen Library staff will display featured materials of the different categories on a regular basis.

Keep track of your viewing time on the enclosed reading log.

Turn in your log by August 13th to be eligible for prize drawings.

In addition, participants who turn in their viewing log by August 13th will receive:

A complimentary beverage certificate to the Common Grounds Coffee Bar

Your own personal READ poster with your favorite film in hand).

Advanced challenge:

Those who view all 21 film categories will be entered into a drawing for a special prize.

Reading Challenge

Join the Challenge!! Pick up information at the Main desk!

Expand your reading zone! Try something outside your usual fare. This challenge is designed to try the “new and different.” You can complete this challenge and still have plenty of time to read your favorites that you saved for this summer!

Challenge Guidelines

*There are 27 categories. You may choose ten (10) from those on the enclosed sheet or pick something we haven’t thought of. Just be sure to choose ten (10) different categories.

*Read a minimum of 15 pages of each. (But you can go for 600 pages if you like!)

If you choose to include your favorite category, try a different author. Your choice must be in some way new to you.

You do not have to choose materials from Stoxen Library. Friends or the public library are also great places to find something new.

Stoxen Library staff will put up displays featuring materials of the different subjects/categories on a regular basis.

Keep track of your reading on the enclosed reading log.

Turn in your log by August 13th to be eligible for prize drawings.

In addition, participants, who turn in their reading log by August 13th will receive:

A complimentary beverage certificate to the Common Grounds Coffee Bar

Your own personal read poster (see samples featuring students and staff)

Advanced Challenge
Those who read 20 or more categories will be entered into a drawing for a special prize.

Mount Everest & Mountain Climbing Display

We have added a new display to the cube in the library. Books on mountain climbing and Mount Everest are being showcased due in part to an article in Outside Magazine’s April issue about 13 year old Jordan Romero of California. This May, Jordan will be attempting to become the youngest person to summit Mt. Everest. Not without controversy of course as people ask “How young is too young?” and “Is this expecting too much?”

More information, along with twitter and facebook links, can be found about Jordan at his website http://www.jordanromero.com/

You can also watch the team’s progress, with GPS locations here: http://edn1.esri.com/everest/Default.html

There is another record breaking attempt being made this year by Apa Sherpa, a Nepalese mountaineer. He will be trying for a record 20th summit. The summit isn’t his only goal as he is leading the Eco Everest Expedition (2010). According to the website Asian-Trekking .com:

“Our focus will be on climbing in an eco-sensitive manner, bringing old garbage, in addition to our own, and all human waste produced on the mountain down to base camp for proper disposal.”

Two years ago the Eco-Everest Expedition climbing crew removed 143 pounds of human waste and more than 2,000 pounds of garbage from above Base Camp. Last year it hauled down 252 pounds of human waste and more than 12,000 pounds of garbage, including the wreckage of an Italian Army helicopter that crashed between Camp 1 and Camp II in 1973. (source: http://www.petethomasoutdoors.com/2010/04/everest.html )

More information about Apa Sherpa may be found at http://www.apasherpa.com/

You can follow general news about the 2010 climbing season at the following sites: http://www.alanarnette.com/news/ and http://www.everestnews.com/

New items in Stoxen Library

Check out the New Library Purchases added during the first quarter of 2010--January, Februay and March! You will find the link on the library's home page under Library Information, Services & Forms. The listing shows titles of books, DVDs, and other resources. For your convenience, the Library of Congress classification numbers are included to direct you to where the items are shelved.

Fun book to read...

How to be a Cowboy by Jim Arndt is a compendium of knowledge and insight, wit and wisdom, an all around resource for every aspect of cowboy life.

Martin Brady in his bookreview from BookPage states, "It's the rich color camerawork that really compels, and Arndt's classy shots of elaborately designed boots, shirts, blue jeans and hats, plus peripheral cowboy gear, are enough to make a guy chuck the 9-to-5 and head out to the wild, wild West."

The classification number is F596 .A716 2009

Between Two Worlds: My Life and Captivity in Iran

On January 31, 2009, Roxana Saberi, an Iranian-American journalist who had been working in Iran for six years, was picked up by intelligence agents and eventually was held in Iran's Evin Prison. At times she was held in solitary confinement, interrogated by the agents and eventually sentenced to eight years in prison. For weeks her family and friends did not know her whereabouts. She was released on May 11, 2009. Her trial made international headlines, but was especially covered here in North Dakota, because she was born in New Jersey and raised in Fargo, North Dakota. In this book, Saberi recounts her months of confinement.

Why I picked it up: Because this was in the news on a daily basis, I was curious to read Roxana's version of the events.

Why I finished it: It's an easy read and I wanted to know what she had to do to be released from prison.

I'd give it to: Anyone who wants to read about a North Dakotan who survived a harrowing experience.

call number - PN4874.S23A3 2010 (currently shelved in New Books)

Between Two Worlds: My Life and Captivity in Iran by Roxana Saberi.

Murder in the Library!

Clue

You must check out the DVD that is on reserve at the Main Circulation desk. Remember to have your student ID in hand. Watch the DVD in one of the viewing rooms on the lower level to obtain your next clue.

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced

Nujood Ali is from Yemen and was married at the age of 10. Her father arranged for her marriage to a man three times her age. After she is abused both physically and sexually, she manages to escape and make it to the "court" where she seeks a divorce. She is the first child bride to be granted a divorce in Yeman and was named a Glamour Woman of the Year in 2008.

Why I picked it up: I was intrigued by both the title and the picture of this beautiful, young girl on the cover.

Why I finished it: It is an easy read and I wanted to know if she lives "happily ever after."

I'd give it to: Those who read biographies and enjoy reading about other cultures.

call number HQ784.C55A4513 2010 (currently shelved in New Books)
I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui (translated by Linda Coverdale)

In the Land of Invisible Women

When her visa is denied for her to stay in the United States, Dr. Qanta Ahmed decides to pursue a position in Saudi Arabia. Even though she has grown up in England, she is a Muslim and believes she understands the way of life she is about to encounter. She encounters great frustration...and great satisfaction.

Why I picked it up: I needed a biography for the Reading Challenge that Stoxen Library sponsored this past summer.

Why I finished it: It was interesting to read about a different way of life. Some of it was frustrating in terms of the treatment of women. It was most educational to read about another culture.

I'd give it to: Anyone who likes biographies...and/or enjoys learning about other places in the world.

call number - R692.A346 2008
In the Land of Invisible Women: a Female Doctor's journey in the Saudi Kingdom by Qanta A. Ahmed c 2008

Latte & Literature at Stoxen Library

On Monday, Feb. 22 at 7:00 pm, Dr. David Solheim will lead a book discussion featuring Diane Glancy's Asylum in the Grasslands. This event will take place at the Common Grounds Coffee Bar in the Library. You need not have read the book to join the discussion. Asylum in the Grasslands is Glancy's most recent book of poetry where she "explores the history of loss" of the Cherokee community. Glancy is a Cherokee poet, fiction writer, essayist, playwright and screenwriter.

A variety of Diane Hall Glancy's books are on display in the Library and are available for check out.

Diane Glancy will be the next author for the Heart River Writer's Circle and will be speaking on Tuesday, March 2 at 7:00 pm at Beck Auditorium. She also will be a guest speaker during the Women's Voices luncheon on Wednesday, March 3.

Arrgh, Mateys!

Stoxen Library recently had a visit from Captain Jack Sparrow

He is bringing awareness to an interesting topic: Pirates

Whether you’d like to read about Buccaneers of the 1600s or modern day pirates attacking ships off the coast of Africa, we have the books for you!

In John Matthews’ ­Pirates, you will find many unique extras including an example of a recruitment advertisement from 1779 and a Little Book of Pirate Slang so you can work on your pirate speak.

Learn what to do if you come across a Swashbuckler as you go about your day in What If You Met a Pirate written and illustrated by Jan Adkins.

Go back to the seventeenth century in Buccaneers of the Caribbean by Jon Latimer and Daniel Sekulich will provide insight into the high seas piracy currently going on in the world in his book Terror on the Seas.

If these titles interest you please stop into the library and check them out. While Captain Jack did have to continue on his journey, if you have questions, the Library Staff is always here to assist you in whatever treasure hunting you’re doing.

Free ebook for February

The free ebook for February is "The Procrastinator's Guide to Getting Things Done." The review for this resource states "Everyone waits till the last minute sometimes. But many procrastinators pay a significant price, from poor job performance to stress, financial problems and relationship conflicts. Expressly designed for people who want to make changes but would be easily daunted by an elaborate self-help program, this guide is packed with highly practical tips and suggestions.
Author and cognitive-behavioral therapy expert Monica Ramirez Basco peppers the book with easy-to-relate-to examples from "recovering procrastinators"—including herself. Inviting quizzes, exercises, and practical suggestions help you:
• Understand why you procrastinate.
• Start with small changes that lead to big improvements.
• Outsmart your own delaying tactics.
• Counteract self-doubt and perfectionism.
• Build crucial skills for getting things done today."

This book is available via netLibrary. Begin at the library homepage and choose "Online Reference Resources" and then "netLibrary" at the next screen. This book will be available for the month of February.