...so there we were on the tour-trolley in Salem...at the harbor...when the tour guide said that he'd just finished reading a book about seafaring during the American Revolution (and that he was buying a copy of the book for a friend).  " Say Patriot Pirates. Say Patriot Pirates" I silently wished. I practically held my breath. "It's called Patriot Pirates" he said. I may have gasped. "I know the book. It's fabulous." I offered. I then exercised bragging rights. "Bob Patton spoke at our library in Darien when the book came out . I even had the chance to interview him."

Great book. Great moment. Magical thinking in Salem.

Drawing comparisons to our own issues with immigrants, race and immigrant labor, Leon's infamous detective Guido Brunetti is on the case again. He must fight the racism and corruption that runs rampant in the police and judicial system in Venice as he solves the murder of a vu cumpra, an illegal immigrant from Senegal.  Donna Leon has given us an intelligent mystery novel that offers us glimpses into another culture. We not only enjoy the story, we also see the ways in which human frailties and failings are universal.  Marianne's Book Group, August 2008

This morning, I read an article in The New York Times stating that the size of a carbon footprint in the average two-person household is 41,500 pounds a year.

Seriously, 41,500 pounds? Whoah! Uh...excuse me for a moment while I unplug my flat iron...and my cell phone. And maybe my television, microwave, and refrigerator while I'm at it.

It's difficult to conceptualize that much annual waste - but it exists. Bestselling author Thomas M. Kostigen's upcoming book, You Are Here: The Suprising Link Between What We Do and What That Does To Our Planet, makes the point that there is no "away" when we throw stuff away. Kostigen travels the globe to understand how our seemingly tiny behaviors have major consequences in ways we would never imagine, including the whithering away of Jerusalem's iconic Western Wall and the creation of monumentally destructive hurricanes, to name a few. He takes you along for the journey with clear, concise, and poignant writing. It's fascinating and scary at the same time.

So what can we do? Practical answers can be found in a fun, new book by Starre Vartan, Fairfield County's resident expert on going green in style. It's called The Eco Chick Guide to Life: How to be Fabulously Green, and Vartan is refreshingly upfront about the fact that a green lifestyle requires a lot of change, but it can be done at your own pace, one step at a time. Don't miss the chance to meet Ms. Vartan in person during her visit to Darien Library on September 17th at 7:00 p.m.

Furthermore, on September 8th, acclaimed journalist Thomas Friedman returns to our Library shelves with Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution - and How It Can Renew America. It's one of the most highly anticipated releases of the Fall and is a book that is certain to shape the way our country thinks about, talks about, and acts on sustaining planet Earth for generations to come. With his new follow-up to the bestselling The World is Flat, Friedman presents bold visions and solutions for tackling the environmental issues that are plaguing the world, and he does so with tireless patriotism. The book's release is especially timely given the current political contest, when we are standing front and center during a pivotal moment of our nation's energy history. The hype is big, yet warranted. In my opinion, this will be one of the best books to read this coming month, if not all year.

September means back-to-school and back-to-school means getting things in order. I therefore, present to you September's dvd releases in alphabetical order:         

I have been putting off writing this, lest it sound like an obituary.   But the 2008-2009 opera season opens next month, and it won't be the same. Kirk Browning has died.                          

You know Kirk. You sure know his work. For decades he developed  new camera techniques that enhanced the broadcasts of Live From Lincoln Center. He directed such televised treasures as You Can't Take It With You, Death of a Salesman, and Our Town.  He was a true television pioneer, having won multiple Emmy Awards, two Christopher Awards, a CITA Award, and a George Foster Peabody Award.  He was also an artist, a scientist and a remarkable person.

I first met Kirk and his wife, Barbara, in Tarrytown, NY when I was a child. She, in a black turban, had the beautifully defined features of a model. He had deep, twinkling eyes and a glint of silver in his hair. With their classy good looks and warm bearing, they seemed like royalty to me.  They were a singular and absolutely delightful combination. We were so convinced of their blue blood, that when my cousin and I (two adolescent girls at the time) saw the brass bathroom fixtures during a dinner party, we were absolutely convinced they were solid gold! Versailles? Bah! We had the Brownings!

The Brownings had a profound influence on my life. They modeled goodness, virtue, generosity and possibility.  Those of us who were touched by them learned. In style.

But, it seems there was always a literary component to knowing them, too. Kirk directed the groundbreaking  Amahl and the Night Visitors and invited our families to watch it right there in the Browning living room!   When Love Story was published, we lunched on a rice salad recipe that Erich Segal had given Barbara. And when I discovered the musical Mame, Kirk shared stories of his early career-when Patrick Dennis was his roommate!  It seemed literature and music always took on a new dimension with Kirk and Barbara. It became more alive. More relevant.  What a great thing to do with your life!

Lincoln Center  and the Metropolitan Opera will not be the same.  And, thank goodness, none of us will be the same. Thank you to Kirk (and Barbara) for living life with verve, confidence, imagination!  Thank you showing us how!

We all know why it is good to read to children under 5 - it helps lay the groundwork for a successful experience in school (and life!). In order for young children to be strong readers, they need to be read to. As kids get older (and busier) it is harder and harder to find time to read those looooooong chapter books. There are a great many benefits to continuing to read to your older children! It contiunes to build their vocubalary, it strengthens their listening skills and most importantly, it provides time for you to bond with your children. 

Here are some titles from our collection to help you get started.  Remember, everyone has different personal values and your children's maturity levels vary, so we recommend that you read the books yourself before sharing them with your children.

For recommendations of books to read to your baby, toddler or preschooler please go to our First Five Years section for book lists.

Books for School-Age Listeners:

Bunnicula: a Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Deborah & James Howe

Harold the dog shares a true story of the mysterious happenings in the Monroe household since the arrival of an unusual rabbit named Bunnicula.  The Monroes' cat, Chester, who has quite an active imagination, is convinced that the harmless looking bunny is a vampire. Chester observes Bunnicula rousing only at night to get sustenance from vegetables by draining their juices with his tiny fangs! Initially, Harold helps Chester warn the family that the strange white vegetables in their refrigerator are caused by a vampire bunny. Later though, Harold comes to Bunnicula's aid when he discovers that Chester is using garlic to starve his new fluffy friend. The story ends happily when Bunnicula goes on a liquid diet and the Monroes' vegetables are safe.

Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker

While sorting through difficulties in her friendship with her neighbor Margaret, eight-year-old Clementine gains several unique hairstyles while also helping her father in his efforts to banish pigeons from the front of their apartment building. This is a funny story of a girl who can't seem to avoid trouble and both bpys and girls will apprecitae the humor. An added bonus - the grownups in this book are actually cool!  Follow this up with The Talented Clementine and Clementine's Letter.

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

After Chester, a cricket, arrives in the Times Square subway station from his native Connecticut via a picnic basket, he takes up residence in the Bellinis' newsstand. There tiny Chester is lucky enough to find three good friends; a little boy named Mario whose parents run the unsuccessful newsstand; a fast-talking Broadway mouse called Tucker; and Tucker's pal, Harry Cat.  Between escapades in New York City, the four somehow manage tobring success to the almost bankrupt newsstand.

Frindle by Andrew Clements

When he decides to turn his fifth-grade teacher's love of the dictionary around on her, clever Nick Allen invents a new word and begins a chain of events that quickly moves beyond his control. Always a hit with elementary school kids, this book also has some good talking points! Check out the discussion guide on Simon & Shuster's website for some questions and activities to do with your kids.

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater

Mr. Popper, a house painter who dreams of the Polar region, receives a large crate containing a penguin. This is a silly book written in 1938, but a classic and an award winner. Even your younger listeners in Preschool would like this book! Follow it up with an exploration about penguins and their habitats. We've got 63 other books about penguins in our Children's Room! You can also find out more about penguins on Zoobooks - a online animal encyclopedia for kids.

The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary

"Boy!" said Ralph to himself, his whiskers quivering with excitement. "Boy, oh boy!" Feeling that this was an important moment in his life, he took hold of the handgrips. They felt good and solid beneath his paws. Yes, this motorcycle was a good machine all right.

A reckless young mouse named Ralph makes friends with a boy in room 215 of the Mountain View Inn and discovers the joys of motorcycling. Follow this up with the Cleary's book Ralph S. Mouse.

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

Sarah, Plain and Tall  is an award winning tale set in the late 19th century. It is about Jacob, a widowed midwestern farmer, and his two children, Anna and Caleb. Jacob has advertised for a wife, but when Sarah arrives, she is homesick for Maine, especially for the ocean which she misses greatly. The children fear that she will not stay, and when she goes off to town alone, young Caleb, whose mother died during childbirth, is stricken with the fear that she has gone for good. But she returns with colored pencils to illustrate for them the beauty of Maine, and to explain that, though she misses her home, "the truth of it is I would miss you more." The tale gently explores themes of abandonment, loss and love.

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillio

The adventures of Desperaux Tilling, a small mouse of unusual talents, the princess that he loves, the servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin. A modern fairy tale that is sure to delight listeners of all ages. Already read this one? Try another book by this author. Kate DiCamillo is a favorite author of kids and children's librarians alike!

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit

The Tuck family is confronted with an agonizing situation when they discover that a ten-year-old girl and a malicious stranger now share their secret about a spring whose water prevents one from ever growing any older. The story is historical fiction taking place in the 1880s blended with fantasy. Check out the Reading Guide on Scholastic's website for some good questions to ask your kids after you've finished.

Stephen King is, once again, spot-on in his analysis of the publishing industry and his way with words is very evident in his review of J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter franchise.

Have a look-see!

 
 In his newest book, The Book of Lies, bestselling author Brad Meltzer poses this question: What does Cain, the world’s first villain, and Superman, the world’s first superhero have in common?

The book comes out on September 2nd  and it's a thriller. It expertly melds the story of the murder of Superman-creator Jerry Siegler's father with a dangerous present-day race to find the world's first murder weapon – that which was used by Cain to kill Abel. It's a bold book; it challenges assumptions about Cain killing Abel, heroes and villains, and Meltzer brings into the story a real murder, that of Mitchell Siegel, the father of Jerry Siegel, who created Superman and these stories are woven together in a fast-paced, fascinating, code-breaking drama. After all, explains Meltzer, it was the murder of his father in a store robbery that led the young Jerry to create a bullet-proof man called Superman.

The genius with which Meltzer imagined the story in the first place, plus his skill at bringing this story to pulse-pounding, eerie life is a marvel. Meltzer states that this is the book he was meant to write. It makes sense. We know he can write (earlier books include The First Counsel, The Millionaires, The Zero Game, The Tenth Justice, and most recently, The Book of Fate), he is legendary for his expertise in comics (he the writer of Justice League, and the author of the top-grossing graphic novel, Identity Crisis); include his belief in myths and legends, his interest in Cain, the first murderer...if feels like the perfect storm was brewing. We just might not be able to resist getting swept away. In fact, USA Today ran a story  today about the upcoming book!

Remember to mark your calendars for Brad Meltzer's appearance here at Darien Library on September 21st. Click here for more info.

There is The Eco Chick Guide to Life: How to Be Fabulously Green now on our shelves. This is such a cool book. It's broken down into three parts, the personal, the home, and the world, and is the friendliest eco-friendly talk that I've ever heard. I love the little topical headlines sprinkled throughout, for example, What's Up with My Shirt Being Made of Corn? Can I Eat It?, Uh-Oh! Someone's in the Kitchen with Vermin...and It's You! and How to Talk to Your Friends and Family About Being an Eco Chick Without Freaking Them Out. She covers everything from purses, to pet (um) poop, pleather, and partying, dispensing "Chickie Tips" and shopping guidance complete with a chapter-by-chapter "Green Shopping Basket."

Here's more great news, the echoes of which will felt for generations: The book's author, Starre Vartan, will be here on September 17th to talk about the book. Click here for more info.