What's Happening with Roswell Reads?

Are you wondering about Roswell Reads? The 2010 selection will be announced December 7th at the Roswell City Council meeting at City Hall. Here's a photo of members of the committee as they work hard to select just the right book.

If you'd like to subscribe to the Roswell Reads e-mail list, please send an e-mail to roswellreads@forl.net and you'll receive the Fall 2009 newsletter, as well as future e-mails. The next newsletter will be sent out immediately after the announcement at the City Council meeting in December.

In the meantime, visit the Friends' website www.forl.net/roswellreads.htm to learn more about this community-wide reading program - now in its 5th year.

A Tribute to Catalog Cards

Library Journal has an article about a unique and fun thing happening at the University of South Carolina. A year-long series of events will honor catalog cards! Click here to read the article.

Image credit: LibraryHistoryBuff.com (great website - check out the blog).

Margie Palatini Wins the Milner Award!

Since 1983, the Friends of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System have presented the Milner Award to a favorite children's author or illustrator selected by local schoolchildren. Usually the winner only has time to visit the Central library for the awards ceremony, but this year, winner Margie Palatini will also visit the Ocee Library in Johns Creek!

Previous Milner recipients have included Judy Blume, Peggy Parish, Ann Martin, and Louis Sachar. The award was started by a gift from Atlanta schoolteacher Vera Milner. Mark your calendars to visit the Ocee Library on Saturday, November 14th @ 11:00 a.m. for a fun and entertaining program!

For more information, please visit the following websites:
Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System
www.themilneraward.org

What do you GEEK?

Last June, we mentioned the public library awareness campaign called "Geek the Library" sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. A survey is now online at the Geek website. Let your voices be heard - tell them how you feel about the importance of public libraries in our communities. Click here to visit geekthelibrary.org.

Author Terry Kay Joins the Friends of Georgia Libraries Board

Author Terry Kay, a southern favorite and author of the 2007 Roswell Reads selection The Valley of Light, has joined the Board of Directors for the Friends of Georgia Libraries! Click here to learn more.


Folks who attended the Roswell Reads Literary Luncheon with Mr. Kay in 2007 will remember how he charmed us with funny tales and kept us in rapt attention. The luncheon was such a success that it won a City of Roswell Cultural Arts Board's CABY Award for that year!

Mark Twain's Last Stand

Actor Alan Kitty, who has spent 30 years researching and performing Mark Twain, will visit the Roswell Library on Saturday, November 7th @ 3:00 p.m. The 90-minute monologue combines Twain’s wit and insight about the human condition with Kitty’s skillful portrayal. The result is a show filled with socially charged humor that reflects modern sensibility!

Atlanta Author Series

The Friends of the Roswell Library and Roswell Library staff are working on upcoming author visits for 2010. A few we can mention are Mary Kay Andrews, Sheila Moses, and Ted Dunagan! Stay tuned for dates, times, and more authors.

What a Grandma!

The Christian Science Monitor recently featured a guest blog by Rebekah Denn, founder of the blog eatallaboutit.com - a food/journalism blog based in Seattle. Ms. Denn wrote lovingly of her grandmother who just died and how her grandmother turned her into a lifelong reader. Click here to read this beautiful essay.

Book Prices: Up, Down and All Around

There's been a lot of buzz about a new book pricing war between Amazon.com, Target and Wal-Mart. Who will win? Who knows?! The NY Times featured an article the other day about the American Booksellers Association and their take on this pricing war. Click here to take a look.

Mystery Readers' Book Club Meets October 27th

The Mystery Readers' Book Club will meet Tuesday, October 27th @ 6:30 p.m. The selection is The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer.

Marcus Jewish Community Center Book Festival is coming up soon!

The Book Festival of the MJCCA is from November 10 - 22, 2009. Authors from all genres will be there discussing their latest releases! Tickets may be purchased online and are available now. Click here to visit their website and learn more about Atlanta's longest running book festival. You can also join them on Facebook and Twitter!

Book Info in the Wall Street Journal

After you've checked the stock market info, take a look at the Wall Street Journal's book pages. You'll find some well-written and interesting essays, as well as a lot of book reviews. Just like the NY Times, the WSJ usually reviews at least one book every day. Click here to take a look.

Author Jeannette Walls Visits the Central Library

Author Jeannette Walls will visit the Central Library in downtown Atlanta this Thursday evening, October 22nd, to discuss her latest book, Half-Broke Horses: a True-life Novel. The program begins at 7:00 p.m. Free parking is available after 6:00 p.m. in the parking deck just behind the library - in the old Macy's deck. For more information, please click here to visit the library system's website.

Upcoming Literary Events at the Carter Library

The Jimmy Carter Library will be hosting a couple of exciting author programs in the coming weeks. On Tuesday, October 27th at 7:00 p.m., journalist Lynn Joiner will discuss her new book, Honorable Survivor: Mao's China, McCarthy's America and the Persecution of John S. Service and on Tuesday November 3rd, also at 7:00 p.m., Zachary Karabell will discuss his new book Superfusion: How China and America Became One Economy and Why the World's Prosperity Depends on It.

For more information, visit the Carter Center Library and Museum online.

A Salute to Amy Tan

San Francisco's literary community recently honored author Amy Tan. Click here to read all about it in the NY Times.

Happy Friends of Libraries Week

National Friends of Libraries Week October is 18 - 24. Click here to visit the Friends of Libraries USA's website to look at pictures from selected 2008 celebrations around the country. At Roswell, the Circulation Staff will hand out membership applications to everyone checking out materials this week.

One Book Each Day

Would you like to read a book a day? Sure - and not get anything else done. However, one woman in New York is proving just how possible it is to read a book a day and she's almost done with her year-long quest. Click here to read Pete Applebome's column about Nina Sankovitch and her journey in the NY Times.

Librarians Rock

NPR's Story Corps series recently featured a piece about Judge Olly Neal in Arkansas. It seems that a keen librarian kept an eye on him when he was young and kept his hunger for reading satisfied - all without him knowing it until later. This is a heart-warming story that reminds you what being a librarian is all about. Click here to read all about it.

Finally, A Funeral for Poe

Edgar Allan Poe died a quiet death in 1849. No large funeral, no loving obituaries in the local paper. In recognition of the 200th anniversary of his birth, Baltimore is giving Mr. Poe his due. His funeral is Sunday, October 11th at 12:30 p.m. Oh, wait. It will be repeated at 4:30 p.m. Click here to read about it in the Washington Post. Then, to learn details that would surely make Poe proud, check out the website poebicentennial.com.

Better Late Than Never

A World War II veteran has returned two books he took from a Nazi "storage mine" over 60 years ago. Robert Thomas contacted the National Archives and was persuaded to return the tomes. Thomas delivered them in person last week. Click here to read the story in the Washington Post. The Washington Post may require you to register to read the article, but not to worry - registration is quick, easy and free.

Blind Willie McTell

The late Atlanta guitarist Blind Willie McTell may finally be getting the attention due to him and his extraordinary musicianship. The AJC recently featured an article about a new biography titled Hand Me My Travelin’ Shoes written by Michael Gray. And, the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System is hosting a three events in celebration of the book's release. Click here to read the AJC article and click here for a list of the events.

Betsy-Tacy Books Rock!

The classic children's series about Betsy and her pals in Minnesota has been reissued. Author Maud Hart Lovelace would be glad to know that a new generation of readers will enjoy the timeless adventures of Betsy and the gang. EarlyWord.com recently featured a link to a Wall Street Journal article written by popular author Meg Cabot (The Princess Diaries). Click here to read it online.

Good Night, Gourmet

Yesterday's New York Times announced the news that Gourmet magazine is closing down, as of the November 2009 issue. First published in 1941, Gourmet has been a kind of elite foodie magazine, but elite or not, the times they are a-changing. Fans of Editor Ruth Reichl (former dining critic for the NYT) can look forward to a new memoir about her years at Gourmet. Click here to read the article online.

New Russian Books at the Roswell Library

The library has received a large collection of books and DVD's in Russian, courtesy of the Central Library. These books are located near the adult Spanish collection in the browsing area (near the end of the magazines). Please spread the word!

December Book Sale

Mark you calendars! Our next book sale will be held in early December - just in time for holiday shopping. The dates are Friday, December 4 for the preview party and Saturday, December 5 for the regular book sale. The times will be announced soon.

The Best Secondhand Bookshops in the UK

Oh, fun! A virtual tour of the "10 Best Secondhand Bookshops" in England. Click here when you're ready to go, courtesy of the Guardian UK. Photo credit: Linda Nylind.

National Friends of Libraries Week

National Friends of Libraries Week October is 18 - 24. Click here to visit the Friends of Libraries USA's website to look at pictures from selected 2008 celebrations around the country. This is a great time to honor and celebrate the wonderful things we do (yes, if we may say so ourselves)!