This Week's Programs!

Youth Poetry Contest
entries accepted through March 31st

PC Academy: Web-based Email
Monday, March 22nd ~ 10:00 to 11:30 a.m.
registration required

Bedtime Stories & Crafts
Monday, March 22nd ~ 7:00 p.m.
all ages welcome

Story Time for Preschoolers
Tuesday, March 23rd ~ 10:30 a.m.

Books to Die For! Mystery Book Club
Tuesday, March 23rd ~ 7:30 p.m.
discussing Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter by Blaize Clement

Contemporary Authors Book Discussion Group
Wednesday, March 24th ~ 1:30 p.m.
discussing Distant Land of My Father by Bo Caldwell

Baby/Toddler Mingle ~ Baby/Toddler Story Time
Thursday, March 25th ~ 10:30 a.m.

Reading Buddies
Thursday, March 25th ~ 4:00 p.m.

End of Winter Thrillers Reception: Book Bingo!

The suspense was palpable Sunday afternoon as mother and son, father and daughter, and staff and patrons competed for each of three Book Bingo prize bags. The boards were made up of titles reviewed by participants in the Winter Thrillers Adult Reading Program from January to March 14th.

Among other finger snacks, Kappy's subs, cookies and brownies from Firehouse Subs and Qdoba Mexican Grill, and garlic knots from NYPD Pizza kept everyone's appetites satisfied, and Public Services Librarian Melissa Phillips' decorations and  Raspberry Rainbow punch made the atmosphere festive.

The dedicated help of Kathy, our wonderful volunteer for the event (who won one of the Book Bingo rounds! ), cheers from Jean and Cathy, and the book knowledge and enthusiasm of Monica, Saumer, Sumer, and Shyam made the games especially fun. Jeremiah's Italian Ice and Qdoba's Mexican grill had give-aways for everyone.

Thank you to the 43 readers for Winter Thrillers who submitted over 100 book reviews! Barry  was the winner of the drawing for the Grand Prize gift basket. It included wine donated by the Maitland Wine Market, Quodoba dinner coupons, a new Alexander McCall Smith book, and garden decorations and tools.

A big thanks too to our community business sponsors who made the program possible: Jeremiah's Italian Ice, Whole Foods Market, Maitland Wine Market, Borders Books, Firehouse Subs, Subway, First Watch Restaurant, Enzian Theater, and Qdoba's Mexican Grill!

This Week's Programs!

Youth Poetry Contest entries accepted
March 1st through 31st

Reading Buddies
Thursday, March11th @ 4:00 p.m.

Free Blood Pressure Checks by the Maitland Fire & Rescue
Friday, March 19th @ 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Julie Compton's Saturday "Meet the Author" visit has been cancelled.

A Journalist’s Olympics by Travis Sherwin
Sunday, March 21st @ 1:30 p.m.

Winner of the Next-to-Last Drawing for the Winter Thrillers Adult Reading Program (March 8th)

The winner of the $20 Target gift certificate is...Betsy. She submitted Last Words by George Carlin with Tony Hendra. Her take: “These will never be George Carlin’s ‘Last Words’ because his humor will be legendary.”

Thank you to the other participants this week, who reviewed the following books:

Fiddle Gome by Richard Thompson, reviewed by Kay Yewell:
"Retro-noir novel of Gypsey bunco and revenge from the author of  Frog Box. A complex plot which doesn't slow down, a fascinating journey founded in WW II and ending in the 'throw back' present. Off-beat characters live the journey. A fun read."

The Old Fox Deceiv'd by Martha Grimes, reviewed by Paula: "This is the second book in what is affectionately called the 'Richard Jury' mysteries. These books are colorfully-written, in such a way as to keep the reader in another era -even though they're written as taking place in current times. I guess it is because all the mysteries take place in old (and authentic) English pubs. Then there is Richard Jury himself, who seems as quaint as the countryside. Jury has a way of putting all suspects at ease before delivering the startling and powerful questions. Grimes writes the entire book in the same manner. She has you relaxed and thinking you know who the culprit is, and then with power she delivers the surprising climax."

The Man With a Load of Mischief  by Martha Grimes, reviewed by Paula:
"This book introduces us to multifarious characters, three of which continue to develop throughout the entire Richard Jury series. Richard Jury is the Scotland Yard detective who keeps his nerves steady through the most bizarre murders and keeps his childish innocence by making footprints in the snow. Melrose Plant is the titled aristocrat who has denounced his titles searching for who he really is. After clumsily aiding Jury in solving four grizzly murders, could  sluthing be his real inner quest? Lady Agatha Ardry, Melrose's aunt, is the self-proclaimed 'expert' detective who causes more problems than she solves and who everyone tries to avoid by sending her on bogus clues. These three lives take us through a wonderfully-foriegn world of quaintly-bizarre English pubs (each book in the series is named after and related to a pub), and somehow make us feel safe and at home."

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, reviewed by Cathy.

American Thighs: The Sweet Potato Queens’ Guide to          Preserving Your Assets by Jill Brown, reviewed by Betsy: “The Sweet Potato Queens’ series is always enjoyable to read for a woman, or even a man.”

Sworn to Silence by Linda Costello, reviewed by Kay: “Witness meets Silence of the Lambs. Former romantic novelist starts a series about a woman who left her Amish faith to live in the big city, eventually becoming a cop and returning to her home town as the police chief. Good mystery with insights about the Amish-“English” interface. Naturally a former romance writer gets the infrequent sex scenes right.”

Iron River by Jeff Parker, reviewed by Kay: “Complex story of guns and the drug trade along the California-Mexico border. Second or third novel featuring a LASD deputy with an interesting backstory. Some really interesting characters and enough action to keep your spine chilling.”

Miss Lonelyhearts by Nathaniel West, reviewed by Jean M.
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls, reviewed by Jean M.
The Gates by John Connolly, reviewed by Kaye: “A brilliant, hilarious, purely-enchanting novel for young people of all ages, a sci-fi fantasy where young peoples’ universe and thinking outside the box triumph over the grotesque evil wrought by adults. A must-read!”

The Beginning Runner’s Handbook by Ian MacNeill, reviewed by Monika: “Great book to start and build up on your running program. I loved the training tips by Olympic runner Lynn Kansha in every chapter.”

The Daylight Diet by Paul Nison, reviewed by Monika: “ I finished reading this book 2 weeks ago and started following some of the advice. My weight loss which had plateaued started again. Lost 2.5 lbs in the last 2 weeks. Wonderful tips for health and longevity.”

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, reviewed by Sally.
Tsar by Ted Bell, reviewed by Patricia: “Can the Cold War come back with a vengeance? Lead by a brilliant, diabolical self-appointed ‘Tsar,’ this is exactly what can happen. The possibility of one man holding the destruction of the world in his hands is bone-chilling! Clever, up-to-date, using present technology – this is a thriller that makes us all think of the possibilities.”

Silencer by James W. Hall, reviewed by Kaye: “Above-average “intimate” thriller set in rural South Florida with an environmental point-of-view. Doesn’t’ spend a lot of time with character development, but continuing characters mitigate the lack. Plenty of weird characters that you really don’t want to know better. Too much character development can slow the action down. A fast read that will raise your pulse a few notches."

A Deadly Silver Sea by Bob Morris, reviewed by Bo and Pat. (three checks for "cheers" - good book!)

This Week's Programs!!!

Youth Poetry Contest entries accepted
March 1st through 31st

Bedtime Stories & Crafts
Monday, March 8th ~ 7:00 p.m.
all ages welcome

Story Time for Preschoolers
Tuesday, March 9th ~ 10:30 a.m.

PC Academy: Computer Virus Q & A
Tuesday, March 2nd ~ 7:00 p.m.

Brain Health Club
Wednesday, March 10th ~ 2:00 p.m.
Play games, stay active!

Culture Club: Egypt
Wednesday, March 10th ~ 4:00 p.m.

Baby/Toddler Mingle ~ Baby/Toddler Story Time
Thursday, March 11th ~ 10:30 and 10:45 a.m.

Reading Buddies
Thursday, March11th ~ 4:00 p.m.

READing Paws
Saturday, March 13th ~ 1:30 to 2:45 p.m.
registration required

Second Saturday at the Library
Saturday, March 13th ~ 3:00 p.m.
Celebrating Dr. Seuss’ Birthday

End of Winter Thrillers Reading Program reception
Sunday, March 14th ~ 2:00 p.m.

Little Red Bus Visits Maitland Public Library

     On March 3, 2010, the Florida Blood Centers' Little Red Bus arrived at the Maitland Public Library for the Library’s first Blood Drive. Seven donors spent a few minutes donating a pint of blood. Those seven donations will help save twenty-one lives.
        Watch for future blood drive donations at the Maitland Public Library.

Winter Thrillers March 1st Prize Drawing

The winner of this week's drawing for 3 newly-released books from Borders, a free Italian ice from Jeremiah's, and Fire House Subs coupon, is Kathie. She describes the book Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, as “fascinating and sensitive."


Cheers to the week's participants:
Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult, reviewed by Margaret.
Manhunt: the 12-day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson, reviewed by Margaret.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, reviewed by Margaret.
Going Rogue by Sarah Palin, reviewed by Margaret.
Saving Cee Cee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman, reviewed by Margaret.
Split Image by Robert B. Parker, reviewed by Kay: “ I can’t knock Parker as he is the master of his style. However, he has become too predictable. It is all about style, with no need for substance. I have read all his books and own many, including his a first edition of his first. He will be missed, but I feel he has said all he has to say – for some time. His early stuff was in my estimation his best.”

America’s Prophet by Bruce Feiler, reviewed by Bob.
Pursuit of Honor by Vince Flynn, reviewed by Patricia: “If you want an action-packed, exciting, fast-moving book – this is a must-read! Definitely 5-star rating.”

Water For Elephants by Sarah Gruen, reviewed by Jean: “Exciting story, and good historical background on Depression-era and circus history.”

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, reviewed by Sandra.
Born for Love by Leo Buscaglia, reviewed by Jean: “Comments by author and selected quotes by others on the general subject of love –all kinds: brotherly, romantic, and universal.”

Shandaram by G. Roberts, reviewed by Alice: “At 900+ pages, it’s a long one, but worth it!”

Open by Andre Agasi, reviewed by Suzanne.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy, reviewed by Betty.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett, reviewed by Margaret.

This Week's Programs

Youth Poetry Contest entries accepted
March 1st through 31st

PC Academy: Computer Basics: Computer and Mouse
Monday, March 1st ~ 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. ~ registration required

Bedtime Stories & Crafts
Monday, March 1st ~ 7:00 p.m.
all ages welcome

Story Time for Preschoolers
Tuesday, March 2nd ~ 10:30 a.m.

PC Academy: Computer Virus Q & A
Tuesday, March 2nd ~ 7:00 p.m.

Little Red Bus
Wednesday, March 3rd ~ 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Donate blood ~ Save a life

Baby/Toddler Mingle ~ Baby/Toddler Story Time
Thursday, March 4th ~ 10:30 a.m.

Reading Buddies
Thursday, March 4th ~ 4:00 p.m.

Knit and Crochet Club
Thursday, March 4th ~ 7:00 p.m.
all skill levels welcome