Book Watch: Googled by Ken Auletta

Listen to Ken Auletta talking about his book Googled: the end of the world as we know it.  Read an excerpt now.  Place a hold and pick it up at an OWWL library of your choice.

Local Writer Discusses Book

Check out this new Wood Library YouTube video. Linda M. Holbrook, former Canandaigua resident, talks about her first novel, "You Wanna Go to Willard?-- a young girl's coming-of-age story set in the rural Finger Lakes. Laura's struggles and triumphs provide a message of inspiration for us all. Linda will be returning to Canandaigua to present a book talk and signing on April 29 at 7pm. Wood Library is a proud supporter of local writers. The Wood Library YouTube Channel features Read Locally -- video talks with five local authors including Kevin Andrew Cotter, Mason Winfield, Aaron Lazar, Writers for Literacy and Linda Holbrook. Click here to go there. Authors books are available for purchase at the Wood Library aStore, our special Amazon store that promotes books and DVDs featured at library programs.

Local Authors at Books Sandwiched In

Books Sandwiched In is held eight Mondays from Noon to 1:00 PM during February and March. Last fall we interviewed two of the BSI presenters for Read Locally, our online local author video series. Here are the videos again. Take a look, read their books and attend for live author talk. You can borrow their books at Wood Library.

February 9: Kevin Cotter discusses his book, The Lurking Devil of Murder.



March 2: Aaron Lazar talks about his LeGarde mystery series.

PowerPoint Class Coming Up

The two-part PowerPoint class still has openings. Call 394-1381 to register for an affordable $10 and show up on February 4 and 11 from 6:30 to 8:30pm. Learn the basics of Microsoft PowerPoint presentation software and create a project. Great for businesses and non-profits when you need to get your message across.

While you are waiting for the class take a look at this quick video on creating a great presentation. Slide:ology by Nancy Duarte is provided by Business Book Briefs. The book is being added to the Wood Library collection. Ask about it. You can also purchase a copy from the Wood Library aStore where your purchase earns a commission for the library. If you don't see the video player below, try this link.

How to Keep Kids Safe Online

How can you make sure your kids are safe on the internet when you don't know much about computers?

How to Keep Your Children Safe Online, by Michael Gorzka is "a free computer help eBook (in PDF format), for 'computer shy' parents who are concerned about online dangers that children are especially vulnerable to. This easy-to-read manual also provides a brief introduction to computer and web technologies."

Author Michael Gorzka is a former Adult Services Librarian and visiting professor at the University at Buffalo. His company "Help for the Computer Shy" creates DVDs to teach adults how to use computers.

Download the book now or vist Help for the Computer Shy website.

Bounty of Good Reads

Getting ready for the upcoming Thanksgiving Holiday? Start with A Bounty of Good Reads, a book list from the Pioneer Library System. It includes holiday-themed fiction, non-fiction, cookbooks, murder mysteries, and that most needed information on how to prepare, cook and serve the turkey. Each book links to the OWWL catalog for details and to place holds.

Here's a sample: The Case of the Tough-Talking Turkey by Claudia Bishop, a Finger Lakes author. Veterinarian Austin McKenzie has met plenty of snakes--and none meaner than turkey farmer Lewis O'Leary. So its no surprise when O'Learys dead body is found in a Dumpster. Circumstantial evidence points to a turkey feed salesman, but the doc has a feeling the guy was framed.

Ghost Author Visits "Read Locally"

Ghosts and the supernatural are popular topics for books, TV shows and movies. Mason Winfield, "the supernatural historian of western New York", says that ghost stories happen wherever people live--and that's right here in our own backyard. Barbara Henry, Adult Services Librarian and host of Wood Library's series Read Locally, recently talked with Winfield about his newest book Haunted Rochester: The Supernatural History of the Lower Genesee. Watch the video below. Want to read the book? Click here to go to Haunted Rochester in the OWWL catalog and place a hold. By the way, you can see a list of contents in the details. If you missed earlier espisodes of Read Locally, watch them on the Wood Library YouTube Channel.

Audio Book Clips in Your Email

Love audiobooks? Then sign up for the Chapter a Day newsletter. Each day’s e-mail includes a link to a 30-minute audio clip from the popular Wisconsin Public Broadcasting program Chapter a Day. Listen to the program at your convenience — it’s an easy way to read a chapter a day! Sign up on the OWWL Newsletter Sign Up Page. Scroll down to "Chapter a Day", check the box and type in your email address at the bottom of the page. Click the subscribe button. This free service is provided by Pioneer Library System and the 42 OWWL libraries. Books link into the OWWL catalog for more details and to place holds. Next: Monday September 15 through Friday October 2, 2008 A Sound Like Thunder by Sonny Brewer read by Karl Schmidt.

What Did You Read This Summer?

You did it in the car, on the beach, on the trail, in a hammock and on the front porch. Where ever you were this summer you were reading. Book Buzz wants to know what you read this summer.

Summer's the traditional time of year to catch up on some reading. Did you read a book that really got you going? You had to tell all your friends? How about a novel you would put on the best-seller list?

Here's your chance to click the "comments" below and help create Wood Library's Summer 2008 Best-Read List.

Convention Days

Balloons, confetti, votes!

It will soon be political convention season in America, as the Democratic Party meets Aug. 25-28 in Denver, and the Republican Party gathers Sept. 1-4 in Minneapolis. Some observers see these meetings as celebrations of democracy, others as outmoded events that no longer serve a constructive purpose. Whatever your opinion, you can use books from the library to learn more about the history of political conventions and revisit some of the most memorable conventions of the past century. Read more and browse the list compiled by the Pioneer Library System. Remember, each book is linked to the online catalog. Find a book you like, place a hold. We'll let you know when you can pick it up.

Book Buzz

This new Book Buzz comes from Adult Services Librarian Barbara Henry who is currently on vacation. Barbara writes, "Hello. It's a great summer for reading. I've got three books going all at once. Help! Two are being read for a book discussion group. The other is for pure pleasure. I will tell you about that one--it is a marriage of archaeology and mystery, two favorite themes of mine. The book is Grave Consequences (Emma Fielding Mysteries, No. 2) by Dana Cameron. Emma Fielding, an American archaeologist, goes to England to help a colleague with a dig in an ancient cemetery at an old medieval abbey. But not all the burials are ancient. Some have marks of very recent activity. While investigating the site, a dig crew member is found dead in a nearby skip (British for dumpster). Couple that with strange New Age characters, a young female vicar, and ley lines for a satisfying mystery that just won't give up its secrets until the end. By the way, Dana Cameron, the author, is a real live practicing archaeologist. She brings a lot of authenticity to each page. I highly recommend Grave Consequences if you like your mysteries with a timeline twist. Go to the OWWL catalog to take a look at Grave Consequences and place a hold. Happy summer reading. See you in August."

Book Buzz

Jessica Cutting, a member of the Wood Library staff, recommends The Things They Carried, an earlier work of fiction by Tim O'Brien. Jessica says: "This compilation of stories reflects O'Brien's experiences in the Vietnam War. Throughout the book, O'Brien conveys a sense of what it was actually like for the soldiers during the war. They experienced pain and suffering of the acutest kind: friends dying, having to kill other men, trying to say alive under the worst conditions, and even fight with themselves to find a reason to stay alive. It is easy to forget this is historical fiction."

National Book Award winner Tim O'Brien chose to share his war experience as fiction because he felt it was more emotionally powerful. Vietnam and the 1960s are frequent themes in O'Briens other books. Get details on The Things They Carried in the OWWL catalog or place a hold.

McClellan's "What Happened" Available as Download

What Happened Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception by Scott McClellan is available as a downloadable audio book. Scott McClellan belonged to Bush’s select inner circle of trusted advisers during one of the most challenging and contentious periods of recent history. To find out more about this title or to listen to an excerpt and download it, simply click on this link and go to OWWL2go.

Book Buzz

Dark Trends in Romance

Think romance heroes are limited to cool cowboys, dashing dukes and hunky highwaymen? Then you probably haven’t been to the romance section of the library lately.

Those tried-and-true tropes have given way to darker imaginings. Vampires, demons, shape-shifting werewolves and other supernatural creatures are the hottest things going in romance and women’s fiction, thanks to groundbreaking writers like Sherrilyn Kenyon and Laurell K. Hamilton. Romance stalwarts like Nora Roberts, Linda Lael Miller and Teresa Medeiros have come out with paranormal series in recent years, and the trend has continued into teen fiction with books like Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling Twilight series. Give it a try—if you dare. Get more details or place a hold for Sherrilyn Kenyon's Devil May Cry. Watch for Book Buzz each week. Content supplied by BookPage.com.