<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><?xml-stylesheet href="http://www.blogger.com/styles/atom.css" type="text/css"?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/' xmlns:georss='http://www.georss.org/georss' xmlns:gd='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005' xmlns:thr='http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787252728237850229</id><updated>2011-10-02T11:05:35.552-04:00</updated><category term='black history'/><category term='read alikes'/><category term='local history'/><category term='welcome'/><category term='richmond book group'/><category term='historical fiction'/><category term='instructional'/><category term='online references'/><category term='women&apos;s history'/><category term='local author'/><category term='book talk'/><category term='wellness programs'/><category term='adult programs'/><category term='berea book group'/><title type='text'>What's Happening at MCPL</title><subtitle type='html'>Check out our blog for information on programs, events, newly released books/CDs/DVDs, reading lists, electronic databases, and much more!</subtitle><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default?max-results=100'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/'/><link rel='hub' href='http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/'/><author><name>Madison County Public Library</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04973451835014524959</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S5F4bOrsK6I/AAAAAAAAABQ/F-n527adnKU/S220/800600+highway+logo+(Medium).jpg'/></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>17</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>100</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787252728237850229.post-8950502935409439591</id><published>2011-01-04T12:20:00.002-05:00</published><updated>2011-01-04T12:23:49.089-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Thursday Night Book Group:  2010 Bibliography</title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;See what we've been reading!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thursday Night Book Group&lt;br /&gt;Annotated 2010 Selections&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All titles are in chronological order of selection, beginning with January 2010.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Water for Elephants&lt;br /&gt;Author: Sara Gruen&lt;br /&gt;Publication Date: 2006&lt;br /&gt;As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Memory Keeper’s Daughter&lt;br /&gt;Author: Kim Edwards&lt;br /&gt;Publication Date: 2005&lt;br /&gt;During a blizzard in Lexington, KY, in 1964, Dr. David Henry is forced to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy, yet his daughter is born with Down’s syndrome. Rationalizing it as a need to protect his wife, he asks his nurse to take the baby away to an institution and never to reveal the secret. But his nurse has other plans – she escapes with the baby to another city, to raise the child as her own. The story unfolds over a quarter of a century in which these two families, practically ignorant of each other, must cope with Dr. Henry’s decision.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Confessions of a Shopaholic&lt;br /&gt;Author: Sophie Kinsella&lt;br /&gt;Publication Date: 2001&lt;br /&gt;Becky is a London gal with a fabulous flat in a trendy neighborhood, a troupe of glamorous friends who are the stars of the social scene, and a closet full of in-season must-haves. What’s the problem? Becky cannot afford this – any of this. Her low-paying job as a writer for Successful Saving magazine is not fulfilling on any level, and her spend-thrift ways are starting to catch up with her in the form of dismal letters from banks and creditors. She tries to cut back; she even tries to make more money, but none of her efforts are successful. As Becky starts to return to retail therapy, her professional life begins to improve – so much so that her life and the lives of those around her will be transformed forever.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Burr&lt;br /&gt;Author: Gore Vidal&lt;br /&gt;Publication Date: 1973&lt;br /&gt;Burr is a portrait of perhaps the most complex and misunderstood of the Founding Fathers. In 1804, while serving as vice president, Aaron Burr fought a duel with his political nemesis, Alexander Hamilton, and killed him. In 1807, he was arrested, tried, and acquitted of treason. In 1833, Burr is newly married, an aging statesman considered a monster by many. Burr retains much of his political influence if not the respect of all. And he is determined to tell his own story. As his amanuensis, he chooses Charles Schermerhorn Schuyler, a young New York City journalist, and together they explore both Burr's past and the continuing political intrigues of the still young United States.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Snow Falling on Cedars&lt;br /&gt;Author: David Guterson&lt;br /&gt;Publication Date: 1994&lt;br /&gt;San Piedro Island, a small community north of the Puget Sound, is a place so isolated that no one who lives there can afford to make enemies. But in 1954, a local fisherman is found dead, and a Japanese American man is charged with his murder. In the course of the ensuing trial, it becomes apparent that there is more at stake than a man’s guilt. On San Piedro, memory grows as thickly as cedar trees – especially memories of a charmed love affair between a white boy and the Japanese girl who grew up to become the wife of the accused murderer. Above all, San Piedro is haunted by the memory of what happened to its Japanese residents during World War II, when an entire community was sent into exile while its neighbors watched.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Glass Castle&lt;br /&gt;Author: Jeannette Walls&lt;br /&gt;Publication Date: 2005&lt;br /&gt;Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. In Walls’s early life, her family lived as nomads, moving around the Southwest and camping out in the mountains. Later they settled in a dismal West Virginia mining town where her father did everything he could to escape both the town and his family. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Walls, her brother and her sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents’ betrayals, and searched for the resources and will to leave home.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Loving Frank&lt;br /&gt;Author: Nancy Horan&lt;br /&gt;Publication Date: 2007&lt;br /&gt;In 1903, Mamah Borthwick Cheney and her husband, Edwin, commissioned renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design a new home for them. During the construction of the house, a powerful attraction developed between Mamah and Frank; in time the lovers, each married with children, embarked on a course that would shock Chicago society and forever change their lives. Mamah is a woman seeking to find her own place and her own creative calling in the world. Her unforgettable journey, marked by choices that reshape her notions of love and responsibility, leads inexorably to this novel's stunning conclusion.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Digging to America&lt;br /&gt;Author: Anne Tyler&lt;br /&gt;Publication Date: 2006&lt;br /&gt;Two families, who would otherwise never have come together, meet by chance at the Baltimore airport – the Donaldsons, a very American couple, and the Yazdans, Maryam Yazdan’s fully assimilated son and his attractive Iranian wife. Each couple is awaiting the arrival of an adopted infant daughter from Korea. After the babies are delivered, Bitsy Donaldson impulsively invites the Yazdans to celebrate: an “arrival party” that from then on is repeated every year as the two families become more and more deeply intertwined. Even Maryam is drawn in – up to a point. When she finds herself being courted by Bitsy Donaldson’s recently widowed father, all the values she cherishes – her traditions, her privacy, her otherness–are suddenly threatened.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Little Bee&lt;br /&gt;Author: Chris Cleave&lt;br /&gt;Publication Date: 2009&lt;br /&gt;Little Bee is a Nigerian asylum-seeker who flees to Britain in search of the O’Rourkes, a couple she met on a fateful day at a Nigerian beach two years earlier. When she knocks on Andrew O’Rourke’s door after being erroneously released from an immigration detention center, she is told by Sarah O’Rourke that Andrew has committed suicide: a direct consequence of their meeting on the Nigerian beach. When Sarah invites Little Bee to live with her and her young son, Charlie, she must confront the reality of Little Bee's life and deal with their own impotence in the face of great injustice.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Memoirs of a Geisha&lt;br /&gt;Author: Arthur Golden&lt;br /&gt;Publication Date: 1997&lt;br /&gt;Speaking with the wisdom of age and in a voice at once haunting and startlingly immediate, Nitta Sayuri tells the story of her life as a geisha. Sayuri's story begins in a poor fishing village in 1929, when, as a nine-year-old with unusual blue-gray eyes, she is taken from her home and sold into slavery to a renowned geisha house in Gion--the geisha district of Kyoto. Sayuri transforms as she learns the rigorous arts of the geisha: primarily competing with a jealous rival for men's solicitude and the money that goes with it. But as World War II erupts and the geisha houses are forced to close, Sayuri, with little money and even less food, must reinvent herself all over again to find a rare kind of freedom on her own terms.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Help&lt;br /&gt;Author: Kathryn Stockett&lt;br /&gt;Publication Date: 2010&lt;br /&gt;Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Year of Pleasures&lt;br /&gt;Author: Elizabeth Berg&lt;br /&gt;Publication Date: 2005&lt;br /&gt;Bette Nolan moves to a small town after the death of her husband to try to begin anew. Pursuing a dream of a different kind of life, she is determined to fine pleasure in her simple daily routines. Among those who help her in both expected and unexpected ways are the ten-year-old boy next door, three wild women friends from her college days, a twenty-year-old who is struggling to find his place in the world, and a handsome man who is ready for love.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/787252728237850229-8950502935409439591?l=whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/feeds/8950502935409439591/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2011/01/thursday-night-book-group-2010.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/8950502935409439591'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/8950502935409439591'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2011/01/thursday-night-book-group-2010.html' title='Thursday Night Book Group:  2010 Bibliography'/><author><name>Madison County Public Library</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04973451835014524959</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S5F4bOrsK6I/AAAAAAAAABQ/F-n527adnKU/S220/800600+highway+logo+(Medium).jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787252728237850229.post-2395280561490614035</id><published>2010-12-08T10:54:00.001-05:00</published><updated>2010-12-08T10:57:41.844-05:00</updated><title type='text'>ReadingGroupGuides.com - Blog</title><content type='html'>Check out this blog from Reading Group Guides:  it poses the question, "Are Kindles making reading cool?"  &lt;a href="http://blog.readinggroupguides.com/blog/2010/12/are-kindles-making-reading-cool"&gt;ReadingGroupGuides.com - Blog&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/787252728237850229-2395280561490614035?l=whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='related' href='http://blog.readinggroupguides.com/blog/2010/12/are-kindles-making-reading-cool' title='ReadingGroupGuides.com - Blog'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/feeds/2395280561490614035/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/12/readinggroupguidescom-blog.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/2395280561490614035'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/2395280561490614035'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/12/readinggroupguidescom-blog.html' title='ReadingGroupGuides.com - Blog'/><author><name>Madison County Public Library</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04973451835014524959</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S5F4bOrsK6I/AAAAAAAAABQ/F-n527adnKU/S220/800600+highway+logo+(Medium).jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787252728237850229.post-2319775830177721689</id><published>2010-10-14T15:11:00.002-04:00</published><updated>2010-10-14T15:27:27.064-04:00</updated><title type='text'>October Book Group Pick:  Suite Francaise</title><content type='html'>For our October meeting, the library's Tuesday Night Book Group (which meets at our Berea location) requested a good historical fiction with some "action" ... and &lt;em&gt;Suite Française&lt;/em&gt; delivers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Often deemed “the last great fiction of the war,” &lt;em&gt;Suite Française&lt;/em&gt; is a collection of two novellas detailing northern France’s fall to the Nazi advances of 1940. The first section, &lt;em&gt;Storm in June&lt;/em&gt;, chronicles the connecting lives of a group of Parisians, who are all fleeing the probable air raids in the city for the safety of the countryside; the group moves just hours ahead of the advancing German army. The second section, &lt;em&gt;Dolce&lt;/em&gt;, details life in a French farming village under Nazi occupation in 1941.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Némirovsky, a French writer of Ukranian Jewish origin, completed what was to be the first two sections of a planned five part Suite Française just before being arrested by the Gestapo in 1942. She was detained and months later killed at Auschwitz concentration camp. Suite Française was discovered by Némirovsky’s daughter, who finally published the text in France in 2004. Since then it has been translated into 38 languages, with millions of copies sold worldwide.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While the action in &lt;em&gt;Suite Française&lt;/em&gt; may not be as overt as a Tom Clancy novel, it is certainly a story of war. It also offers a unique perspective not only of the Germans' occupation of France, but also of the anxiety of fleeing one's home, city, and identity.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Tuesday Night Book Group meets on October 26 at 6:30PM at the library's Berea location. Sign-out a copy of the book at the library's circulation desk, then come to the meeting and share your thoughts - we will certainly have much to discuss!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/787252728237850229-2319775830177721689?l=whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/feeds/2319775830177721689/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/10/october-book-group-pick-suite-francaise.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/2319775830177721689'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/2319775830177721689'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/10/october-book-group-pick-suite-francaise.html' title='October Book Group Pick:  Suite Francaise'/><author><name>Madison County Public Library</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04973451835014524959</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S5F4bOrsK6I/AAAAAAAAABQ/F-n527adnKU/S220/800600+highway+logo+(Medium).jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787252728237850229.post-9074434305908349057</id><published>2010-09-28T15:05:00.001-04:00</published><updated>2010-10-04T16:17:02.511-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Want to hear more of the Sierra Leone's Refugee All-Stars?</title><content type='html'>Did you see Sierra Leone’s Refugee All-Stars’ Richmond concert? If you missed this great group, or if you heard them and want more, check them out at the library location in Richmond. We have their albums "Rise and Shine" and "Living Like a Refugee." We will be getting a DVD documentary about Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars soon. Enjoy.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/787252728237850229-9074434305908349057?l=whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/feeds/9074434305908349057/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/09/want-to-hear-more-of-sierra-leones.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/9074434305908349057'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/9074434305908349057'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/09/want-to-hear-more-of-sierra-leones.html' title='Want to hear more of the Sierra Leone&apos;s Refugee All-Stars?'/><author><name>Madison County Public Library</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04973451835014524959</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S5F4bOrsK6I/AAAAAAAAABQ/F-n527adnKU/S220/800600+highway+logo+(Medium).jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787252728237850229.post-7614967836722864314</id><published>2010-08-11T09:49:00.001-04:00</published><updated>2010-08-11T09:51:36.826-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Library supporters encouraged to nominate librarians for national I Love My Librarian Award | American Libraries Magazine</title><content type='html'>NEW YORK – Nominations are now open for the 2010 Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The award invites library users nationwide to recognize the accomplishments of librarians in public, school, college, community college and university libraries for their efforts to improve the lives of people in their community. Nominations run through Sept. 20 and are being accepted online at www.ilovelibraries.org/lovemylibrarian.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Up to 10 librarians will be selected. Each will receive a $5,000 cash award, a plaque and a $500 travel stipend to attend an awards ceremony and reception in New York, hosted by The New York Times in December.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Each nominee must be a librarian with a master’s degree from a program accredited by the ALA in library and information studies or a master’s degree with a specialty in school librarianship from an educational unit accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education. Nominees must be currently working in the United States in a public library, a library at an accredited two- or four-year college or university or at an accredited K-12 school.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In 2008, Carnegie Corporation of New York awarded the American Library Association (ALA) $489,000 to support the award, which will continue annually through 2012. The award continues in the tradition of one The New York Times presented from 2001 to 2006.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Last year, more than 3,200 library users nationwide nominated a librarian. For more information on last year’s winners, visit www.ilovelibraries.org/lovemylibrarian.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/787252728237850229-7614967836722864314?l=whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='related' href='http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/node/4678' title='Library supporters encouraged to nominate librarians for national I Love My Librarian Award | American Libraries Magazine'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/feeds/7614967836722864314/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/08/library-supporters-encouraged-to.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/7614967836722864314'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/7614967836722864314'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/08/library-supporters-encouraged-to.html' title='Library supporters encouraged to nominate librarians for national I Love My Librarian Award | American Libraries Magazine'/><author><name>Madison County Public Library</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04973451835014524959</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S5F4bOrsK6I/AAAAAAAAABQ/F-n527adnKU/S220/800600+highway+logo+(Medium).jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787252728237850229.post-4039822341474747066</id><published>2010-07-15T10:17:00.004-04:00</published><updated>2010-07-15T11:10:23.717-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Nancy Horan's Loving Frank vs. T.C. Boyle's The Women</title><content type='html'>Over the past two months, both of our book discussion groups have read the historical fiction novel &lt;em&gt;Loving Frank &lt;/em&gt;by Nancy Horan. &lt;em&gt;Loving Frank&lt;/em&gt; is the fictional account of the relationship between famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and his mistress, Mamah Borthwick Cheney. I knew little about Wright's work, let alone his personal life; after reading &lt;em&gt;Loving Frank&lt;/em&gt;, I wanted to learn more about this man whose life was truly stranger than fiction. The stories of his loves, losses, mistresses, and wives provides the backdrop for another novel, T.C. Boyle's &lt;em&gt;The Women&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;While &lt;em&gt;The Women&lt;/em&gt; details all of Wright's wives&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;and his mistress, &lt;em&gt;Loving Frank &lt;/em&gt;focuses solely on Mamah Cheney. In 1909, both Wright and Cheney left their spouses and children for a two-year European excursion. The trip was an "elopement" of sorts that spawned media and public scrutiny, effectively ruining Wright's career for at least a decade and breaking up both the Cheney and Wright households. The relationship was also the foundation for Wright's prairie mansion, Taliesin, that provided the couple with a respite from the harsh critics in their native Chicago, but also set the scene for a horrific murder rampage and fire that claimed the lives of seven people.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The gruesome Taliesin murders provide a chilling climax and finale for both novels, however, &lt;em&gt;The Women &lt;/em&gt;travels through Wright's life in reverse chronological order. The novel starts with Olgivanna, Wright's third wife, then Miriam, Wright's second wife, and finally Kitty (first wife) and Mamah. Miriam certainly causes the most spectacular drama here, arranging press conferences to discuss her husband's philandering, filing lawsuit after lawsuit against Frank in multiple states, and trespassing in to hotel and hospital rooms in hopes of catching her husband. She proves to be the most interesting of the 4 women, but definitely not in a positive way.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Overall, I would suggest Boyle's &lt;em&gt;The Women&lt;/em&gt; over &lt;em&gt;Loving Frank&lt;/em&gt;. Nancy Horan's account relied too much upon the romantic aspect, and could have offered more details about the consequences. Also, Horan delves deeply into the relationship between Cheney and Ellen Key, a Swedish feminist philosopher who greatly influenced Mamah's life choices. While Key provides an interesting backdrop, if not an explanation, there is simply not enough to drive the large portion of the novel that Horan devotes to this particular storyline. However, even though I favored &lt;em&gt;The Women, &lt;/em&gt;I still enjoyed &lt;em&gt;Loving Frank&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you want to learn about the "other" side of Frank Lloyd Wright, check out these books -- you will not be disappointed!&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/787252728237850229-4039822341474747066?l=whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/feeds/4039822341474747066/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/07/nancy-horans-loving-frank-vs-tc-boyles.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/4039822341474747066'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/4039822341474747066'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/07/nancy-horans-loving-frank-vs-tc-boyles.html' title='Nancy Horan&apos;s &lt;em&gt;Loving Frank&lt;/em&gt; vs. T.C. Boyle&apos;s &lt;em&gt;The Women&lt;/em&gt;'/><author><name>Madison County Public Library</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04973451835014524959</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S5F4bOrsK6I/AAAAAAAAABQ/F-n527adnKU/S220/800600+highway+logo+(Medium).jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787252728237850229.post-1041550992528531517</id><published>2010-07-06T18:18:00.003-04:00</published><updated>2010-07-06T18:28:15.973-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Free Concerts @ Your Library</title><content type='html'>&lt;p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:'Arial', 'sans-serif';"&gt;Join us at the Madison County Public Library during the month of July as we wrap up our Librarypalooza Summer Concert Series with six performances by local musicians! Here is our lineup:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class="MsoNormal"&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Incredible Sounds of L &amp;amp; J&lt;br /&gt;Tuesday, July 6, 6:30PM, Richmond location;&lt;br /&gt;Monday, July 19, 6:30PM, Berea location&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Unihorse&lt;br /&gt;Tuesday, July 13, 6:30PM, Richmond location&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Robert Tincher&lt;br /&gt;Friday, July 23, 6:00PM, Berea location&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Westbrook Trio&lt;br /&gt;Monday, July 26, 6:30PM, Berea location&lt;br /&gt;Saturday, July 31, 2:00PM, Richmond location &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;For band details, sound clips, and other information, visit our website:  &lt;a href="http://www.madisonlibrary.org/adultprograms.htm"&gt;www.madisonlibrary.org/adultprograms.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/787252728237850229-1041550992528531517?l=whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/feeds/1041550992528531517/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/07/free-concerts-your-library.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/1041550992528531517'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/1041550992528531517'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/07/free-concerts-your-library.html' title='Free Concerts @ Your Library'/><author><name>Madison County Public Library</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04973451835014524959</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S5F4bOrsK6I/AAAAAAAAABQ/F-n527adnKU/S220/800600+highway+logo+(Medium).jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787252728237850229.post-779960727907552228</id><published>2010-06-10T13:57:00.003-04:00</published><updated>2010-06-11T10:57:50.329-04:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='adult programs'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='wellness programs'/><title type='text'>MCPL's Couch to 5k Team</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/TBJO2JFljZI/AAAAAAAAACc/sl2_DY2GEmw/s1600/C25k.jpg"&gt;&lt;img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 200px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481530388522569106" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/TBJO2JFljZI/AAAAAAAAACc/sl2_DY2GEmw/s200/C25k.jpg" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;div&gt;MCPL's new Couch to 5k Team hit the track last week -- and we lived to tell the tale!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Couch to 5k (or C25k) is an exercise program that takes participants from inactivity to 5k running in just 9 weeks. It is completely doable; for the first several weeks, each training day alternates intervals of walking and running. As a result, new runners are far less likely to get overwhelmed.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The library's C25k team combines this easy-to-do, beginner's exercise program with a group mentality. We are a group of unique people with a common goal, and we hold each other accountable in our training -- we also manage to have fun while we do it!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;From the first training session to the second, our C25k team doubled in size. This is such a wonderful opportunity not only to get active, but to get to know others in your community! To join the library's C25k team, send an email to Christina: &lt;a href="mailto:christina@madisonlibrary.org"&gt;christina@madisonlibrary.org&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For more information about the C25k running program, visit &lt;a href="http://www.c25k.com/"&gt;http://www.c25k.com/&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/787252728237850229-779960727907552228?l=whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/feeds/779960727907552228/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/06/mcpls-couch-to-5k-team.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/779960727907552228'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/779960727907552228'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/06/mcpls-couch-to-5k-team.html' title='MCPL&apos;s Couch to 5k Team'/><author><name>Madison County Public Library</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04973451835014524959</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S5F4bOrsK6I/AAAAAAAAABQ/F-n527adnKU/S220/800600+highway+logo+(Medium).jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/TBJO2JFljZI/AAAAAAAAACc/sl2_DY2GEmw/s72-c/C25k.jpg' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787252728237850229.post-1825267625623816570</id><published>2010-05-22T10:02:00.002-04:00</published><updated>2010-05-22T10:31:20.611-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Spotlight:  "Herstory Writers Club"</title><content type='html'>In March, MCPL celebrated Women's History Month with a women's writers workshop.  The Herstory workshop included exercises, writing prompts and other activities to inspire women to begin writing down and sharing the stories of their lives.  We had so much fun that the workshop has turned into a club; today is our second meeting. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Soon, each of these "herstories" will be bound together and added to our Berea Room's local history collection.  These women are truly talented and dedicated writers, and above that, they are fabulously interesting people. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Speaking of talent, here is an excerpt from the work of one of our Herstory members.  Jean Harding, inspired by George Ella Lyon's poem "Where I'm From," penned her own version: &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"I'm from the old house, by the side of the road/ Picking wild daisies by the wood fence;  I'm from stringy hair and/ Shoes that wore out too soon; I'm from gritted corn bread, and water gravy too; (...) I'm from hard times and depression times to/ Looking out the window for Grandpa to hurry from the out house/ So we could eat our skimpy breakfast, yes and enjoy Mommy's/ Tiny biscuits smothered with black berry jam. (...) I'm from yesterday of long ago and memories that still linger on and/ take shape in my family today."&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you enjoy writing, particularly memoir writing, join our Herstory Writers Club.  Our next meeting is Saturday, July 10, at 2PM.  For questions and more info, contact Christina at either library location.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/787252728237850229-1825267625623816570?l=whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/feeds/1825267625623816570/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/05/spotlight-herstory-writers-club.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/1825267625623816570'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/1825267625623816570'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/05/spotlight-herstory-writers-club.html' title='Spotlight:  &quot;Herstory Writers Club&quot;'/><author><name>Madison County Public Library</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04973451835014524959</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S5F4bOrsK6I/AAAAAAAAABQ/F-n527adnKU/S220/800600+highway+logo+(Medium).jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787252728237850229.post-2639560159917723581</id><published>2010-05-12T11:31:00.004-04:00</published><updated>2010-05-12T14:04:15.455-04:00</updated><title type='text'>"Made to Played:  Traditional Art of Kentucky Luthiers" Exhibit at MCPL from May 5-June 2!</title><content type='html'>&lt;div&gt;  &lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S-rs6Yx3qVI/AAAAAAAAACU/7Xz7WEiy0YE/s1600/Made+to+be+Played+005.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470445185223076178" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S-rs6Yx3qVI/AAAAAAAAACU/7Xz7WEiy0YE/s200/Made+to+be+Played+005.JPG" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;The Madison County Public Library, 507 West Main Street, Richmond, is pleased to announce that it will host the exhibit, Made to be Played: Traditional Art of Kentucky Luthiers from May 6, 2010, to June 2, 2010. Sponsored by the Kentucky Arts Council and the Kentucky Historical Society, this free public exhibit presents the handmade instruments and tools of 16 Kentucky luthiers (makers of stringed instruments) who are recognized as masters in creating and repairing guitars, fiddles, dulcimers, mandolins, banjos and other original instruments.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Funded through the National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpieces grant, Made to be Played is the result of years of fieldwork by the Kentucky Folklife Program, an interagency program of the Kentucky Arts Council and the Kentucky Historical Society. The exhibit is dedicated to the memory of Homer Ledford, a gifted luthier, craftsman, instrument inventor and musician who passed away on December 11, 2006. He was known for the quality, beauty, and uniqueness of his works, some of which are included in the Smithsonian Institution’s collection. The exhibit includes examples of his handcrafted instruments, carvings, and tools.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S-rsEYddjmI/AAAAAAAAACE/h9KOpuEkkpo/s1600/Made+to+be+Played+001.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470444257424543330" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S-rsEYddjmI/AAAAAAAAACE/h9KOpuEkkpo/s200/Made+to+be+Played+001.JPG" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Other Kentucky luthiers featured in the exhibit include Roy Bowen, Winchester; Gary Cornett, Louisville; Cathy Currier, Richmond; Bryan England, Caneyville; Arthur Hatfield, Glasgow; Neil Kendrick, Frenchburg; Donna Lamb, Lancaster; Lewis Lamb, Lancaster; Scott Leedy, Winchester; Warren A. May, Berea; Art Mize, Lexington; Douglas Naselroad, Winchester; Frank Neat, Russell Springs; Frank Pittman, Bowling Green; Jimmy Robertson, Edmonton and Larry Shepherd, Caneyville.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Funding for Made to be Played: Traditional Art of Kentucky Luthiers is made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts as a part of the American Masterpieces program, which seeks to introduce Americans to the best of their cultural and artistic legacy.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Kentucky Arts Council is a state agency in the Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet that creates opportunities for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S-rs6Kv0UWI/AAAAAAAAACM/XwLa6zLKtok/s1600/Made+to+be+Played+003.JPG"&gt;&lt;img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 150px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470445181456372066" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S-rs6Kv0UWI/AAAAAAAAACM/XwLa6zLKtok/s200/Made+to+be+Played+003.JPG" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;Made to be Played: Traditional Art of Kentucky Luthiers is available to visitors during normal library hours; there is no charge to view the exhibit. For more information, please contact Christina Cornelison, Madison County Public Library Adult Programmer, at (859)986-7112. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/787252728237850229-2639560159917723581?l=whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='related' href='http://artscouncil.ky.gov/Luthier/Luthier_About.htm' title='&quot;Made to Played:  Traditional Art of Kentucky Luthiers&quot; Exhibit at MCPL from May 5-June 2!'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/feeds/2639560159917723581/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/05/made-to-played-traditional-art-of.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/2639560159917723581'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/2639560159917723581'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/05/made-to-played-traditional-art-of.html' title='&quot;Made to Played:  Traditional Art of Kentucky Luthiers&quot; Exhibit at MCPL from May 5-June 2!'/><author><name>Madison County Public Library</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04973451835014524959</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S5F4bOrsK6I/AAAAAAAAABQ/F-n527adnKU/S220/800600+highway+logo+(Medium).jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S-rs6Yx3qVI/AAAAAAAAACU/7Xz7WEiy0YE/s72-c/Made+to+be+Played+005.JPG' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787252728237850229.post-3008685728366181413</id><published>2010-05-03T10:51:00.002-04:00</published><updated>2010-05-10T14:29:35.879-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Boot camp teaches computer basics</title><content type='html'>Check out this Richmond Register article about MCPL's Computer Classes!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://richmondregister.com/archive/x1271727013/Boot-camp-teaches-computer-basics"&gt;Boot camp teaches computer basics&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Posted using &lt;a href="http://sharethis.com/"&gt;ShareThis&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/787252728237850229-3008685728366181413?l=whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/feeds/3008685728366181413/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/05/boot-camp-teaches-computer-basics.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/3008685728366181413'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/3008685728366181413'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/05/boot-camp-teaches-computer-basics.html' title='Boot camp teaches computer basics'/><author><name>Madison County Public Library</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04973451835014524959</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S5F4bOrsK6I/AAAAAAAAABQ/F-n527adnKU/S220/800600+highway+logo+(Medium).jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787252728237850229.post-4970611062362191187</id><published>2010-04-22T17:28:00.003-04:00</published><updated>2010-04-22T17:49:22.798-04:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='read alikes'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='online references'/><title type='text'>Looking for your next favorite book?</title><content type='html'>I just stumbled upon this website ... but I don't remember how - radio... internet...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Either way, LibraryThing's Suggest feature is an amazing tool to help you find your next favorite book. It works a little like a subject directory. Type in the name of a book that you enjoyed (LibraryThing has an "Unsuggest" feature as well, for those books you didn't quite like), and LibraryThing brings you to a results page populated with titles that match the title you typed. Click on the link that matches the title, and view the books that are similar to it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For example, let's say that you really enjoyed Sarah Gruen's &lt;i&gt;Water for Elephants&lt;/i&gt;. You are now on a mission to read books that have a similar appeal - maybe you liked the strong characters, the alternate settings and points-of-view. Instead of relying on Google for read-alikes, go to &lt;a href="http://www.librarything.com/suggest"&gt;www.librarything.com/suggest&lt;/a&gt;. Here, you will see two search boxes: one for books you like, one for books you do not like. Since you liked &lt;i&gt;Water for Elephants&lt;/i&gt;, type the title in the "Suggest" box. On the next page, click the first link for &lt;i&gt;Water for Elephants&lt;/i&gt;. The page that follows is a list compiled by LibraryThing, using its user's profiles and picks, that contains books with similar appeal elements. So if you liked the strong characters in &lt;i&gt;Water for Elephants&lt;/i&gt;, you will love the story of the Henry family in &lt;i&gt;The Memory Keeper's Daughter&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So if you are at a loss when it's time to find a new book, try LibraryThing Suggest: &lt;a href="http://www.librarything.com/suggest"&gt;www.librarything.com/suggest&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/787252728237850229-4970611062362191187?l=whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/feeds/4970611062362191187/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/04/looking-for-your-next-favorite-book.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/4970611062362191187'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/4970611062362191187'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/04/looking-for-your-next-favorite-book.html' title='Looking for your next favorite book?'/><author><name>Madison County Public Library</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04973451835014524959</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S5F4bOrsK6I/AAAAAAAAABQ/F-n527adnKU/S220/800600+highway+logo+(Medium).jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787252728237850229.post-7289480377153832676</id><published>2010-04-09T15:40:00.004-04:00</published><updated>2010-04-09T16:53:06.396-04:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='read alikes'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='richmond book group'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='berea book group'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='adult programs'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='historical fiction'/><title type='text'>If you enjoy our April book group selections ...</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;Each month, our book discussion groups in Berea and Richmond choose the book they will read and discuss for the next meeting. In my opinion, both groups made intriguing choices for April.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I am almost finished with Berea's selection, &lt;i&gt;Girl with a Pearl Earring&lt;/i&gt;, and even though I've seen the movie, I'm really enjoying the narrative. I got an email today from a book group member who said she found herself wanting books from a similar prospective -- namely, a story behind a work of art.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;I went online and looked for books that are similar to &lt;i&gt;Girl with a Pearl Earring&lt;/i&gt; – click the following links to find these titles:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.westlib.org/pdf/biblio/pearlearring.pdf"&gt;http://www.westlib.org/pdf/biblio/pearlearring.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.wmrls.org/services/colldev/HistoricalGenre/0706readalikes.pdf"&gt;http://www.wmrls.org/services/colldev/HistoricalGenre/0706readalikes.pdf&lt;/a&gt; (scroll down to the very bottom)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.elcslpl.org/resources/readalikes/girlwithpearl.html"&gt;http://www.elcslpl.org/resources/readalikes/girlwithpearl.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;After I finish Berea's selection, I will start on Richmond's: &lt;i&gt;Burr&lt;/i&gt; (as in Aaron Burr) by Gore Vidal. This novel is the first of Vidal's Narratives of Empire series, a series of historical fiction novels about the "rise and fall" of the "American Empire." For more information on the Narratives of Empire series, click here: &lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narratives_of_Empire"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narratives_of_Empire&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For titles similar to &lt;i&gt;Burr&lt;/i&gt;, keep reading the Narratives of Empire series (if you like Vidal's style, which admittedly, many folks do not). Check out the following links for more fiction based on US History:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/booklists/?id=americanhistoricals"&gt;http://www.cincinnatilibrary.org/booklists/?id=americanhistoricals&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Plot_Against_America"&gt;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Plot_Against_America&lt;/a&gt; -- this is one of my personal favorite books, Philip Roth's &lt;i&gt;The Plot Against America&lt;/i&gt;. It falls in the subcategory of Alternate History -- a genre of fiction consisting of stories in which history has diverged from the actual history of the world. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Please join us at our book group meetings!  Berea's Tuesday Night Book Group meets on Tuesday, April 20, 2010, at 6:30PM at MCPL's Berea location; Richmond's Thursday Night Book Group meets on Thursday, April 21, 2010, at 6:30PM at MCPL's Richmond location.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Enjoy!&lt;br /&gt;CC&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/787252728237850229-7289480377153832676?l=whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/feeds/7289480377153832676/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/04/if-you-enjoy-our-april-book-group.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/7289480377153832676'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/7289480377153832676'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/04/if-you-enjoy-our-april-book-group.html' title='If you enjoy our April book group selections ...'/><author><name>Madison County Public Library</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04973451835014524959</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S5F4bOrsK6I/AAAAAAAAABQ/F-n527adnKU/S220/800600+highway+logo+(Medium).jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787252728237850229.post-4883769056926007717</id><published>2010-04-07T16:16:00.002-04:00</published><updated>2010-04-07T16:29:36.100-04:00</updated><title type='text'>MCPL One of Five Libraries to Win 100 BBC Audiobooks!</title><content type='html'>Thanks to a generous donation, MCPL is now home to 100 new BBC audiobooks!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Recently, five libraries were awarded brand-new audiobook collections thanks to the friendly efforts of some audiophiles. Hundreds entered BBC Audiobooks America's Facebook Holiday Giveaway by becoming a new fan during the month of December for the chance to give the gift of listening.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The randomly selected sweepstakes winners each chose their favorite US library to receive a diverse prize package of 100 audiobooks (with a retail value of more than $8500), including titles by bestselling and classic authors such as Mark Twain, Joyce Carol Oates, Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Lethem, Pat Barker, Thomas Friedman, and more.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Sweepstakes winner Robert Cornelison, a resident of Richmond, chose to donate this prize package to the Madison County Public Library!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;To help you find these books, the Richmond location offers a list of new audiobooks each month, and the Berea location has a new audiobook section where they are shelved.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Madison County Public Library is thrilled to have been selected to receive these high-quality audiobooks. We hope that you enjoy them and that you will becomes fans of BBC Audiobooks America and our local donor, as we have.&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/787252728237850229-4883769056926007717?l=whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/feeds/4883769056926007717/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/04/mcpl-one-of-five-libraries-to-win-100.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/4883769056926007717'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/4883769056926007717'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/04/mcpl-one-of-five-libraries-to-win-100.html' title='MCPL One of Five Libraries to Win 100 BBC Audiobooks!'/><author><name>Madison County Public Library</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04973451835014524959</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S5F4bOrsK6I/AAAAAAAAABQ/F-n527adnKU/S220/800600+highway+logo+(Medium).jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787252728237850229.post-7564104670105676004</id><published>2010-04-01T14:34:00.004-04:00</published><updated>2010-04-01T14:50:30.557-04:00</updated><title type='text'>Baby, Our Library Dog, Turns 4 on April 3!</title><content type='html'>&lt;a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S7TqdvqkoaI/AAAAAAAAAB8/H88Ujycyx7I/s1600/baby1"&gt;&lt;img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 296px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 177px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455242845384647074" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S7TqdvqkoaI/AAAAAAAAAB8/H88Ujycyx7I/s320/baby1" /&gt;&lt;/a&gt; &lt;div&gt;Baby, our lovable Library Dog, will be 4 years old on Saturday, April 3rd. She hopes everyone will celebrate her birthday by taking a romp through the woods, followed by a good long nap and then by eating something really yummy. (Pup-Peroni, anyone?!?)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Stop by MCPL's Berea location and wish Baby a happy birthday!&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/787252728237850229-7564104670105676004?l=whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/feeds/7564104670105676004/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/04/baby-our-library-dog-turns-4-on-april-3.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/7564104670105676004'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/7564104670105676004'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/04/baby-our-library-dog-turns-4-on-april-3.html' title='Baby, Our Library Dog, Turns 4 on April 3!'/><author><name>Madison County Public Library</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04973451835014524959</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S5F4bOrsK6I/AAAAAAAAABQ/F-n527adnKU/S220/800600+highway+logo+(Medium).jpg'/></author><media:thumbnail xmlns:media='http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/' url='http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S7TqdvqkoaI/AAAAAAAAAB8/H88Ujycyx7I/s72-c/baby1' height='72' width='72'/><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787252728237850229.post-5207897599646620078</id><published>2010-03-31T11:01:00.007-04:00</published><updated>2010-03-31T11:50:48.943-04:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='women&apos;s history'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='black history'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='book talk'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='local author'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='local history'/><title type='text'>Book Talk:  Lucy’s Story: Right Choices but Wrongs Still Left</title><content type='html'>&lt;div&gt;&lt;em&gt;This book talk is by MCPL Director, Sue Hays.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The Madison County Public Library is pleased to offer a book which has Black History, Women’s History, and Local History appeal in one moving story. Author Larry Hamilton lives in Ohio, but still has relatives and other close ties to Madison County. He has generously donated a copy of his book to the library so all Madison Countians may enjoy it.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Lucy’s Story: Right Choices but Wrongs Still Left&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;By Larry Hamilton&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Larry Hamilton, the author, was challenged by a meeting with Alex Haley that inspired him to do an oral history with his grandmother. This book is a novel, but is based on that oral history.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Lucy, a young slave, was raised on a plantation in Madison County, Kentucky. She lived there with her mother and her sister, knowing little of the outside world. Lucy’s story picks up from 1850 through the end of the Civil War. As the story progresses, Lucy, her mother and her sister are given to the owner’s daughter when she marries, and they move down the road to their plantation. After an incident on the new plantation, Lucy’s mother, in an attempt to protect her daughters, takes them and flees to Camp Nelson in Jessamine County. Camp Nelson is being built as a supply station for the Union Army and has become a refuge. There Lucy finds a whole new world, learns to read and write through the efforts of John Fee and his family, falls in love and begins to understand life outside the confines of slavery. Kentuckians will appreciate learning about Camp Nelson and Madison County history in this novel based on fact. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/787252728237850229-5207897599646620078?l=whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='related' href='http://madison.sirsi.net/uhtbin/cgisirsi/x/RL/x/123' title='Book Talk:  &lt;em&gt;Lucy’s Story: Right Choices but Wrongs Still Left&lt;/em&gt;'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/feeds/5207897599646620078/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/03/book-talk-lucys-story-right-choices-but.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/5207897599646620078'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/5207897599646620078'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/03/book-talk-lucys-story-right-choices-but.html' title='Book Talk:  &lt;em&gt;Lucy’s Story: Right Choices but Wrongs Still Left&lt;/em&gt;'/><author><name>Madison County Public Library</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04973451835014524959</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S5F4bOrsK6I/AAAAAAAAABQ/F-n527adnKU/S220/800600+highway+logo+(Medium).jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-787252728237850229.post-6425503470896125895</id><published>2010-03-05T16:40:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2010-03-10T15:19:34.168-05:00</updated><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='welcome'/><category scheme='http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#' term='instructional'/><title type='text'>Welcome!</title><content type='html'>&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;Welcome to the Madison County Public Library's &lt;strong&gt;new blog! &lt;/strong&gt;Here you will find information about all things library: books/materials, services, online databases, as well as programs and special events for all ages. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Soon, we will share our blog on our Facebook page and our website. To receive updates straight to your inbox or to your favorites, click on the RSS button to begin receiving feeds from the library's blog.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:arial;"&gt;We want this blog to be as interactive as possible. Please share any ideas that you may have about how your library can serve you!&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Arial;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-family:Arial;"&gt;Thank you for supporting your library.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;div class="blogger-post-footer"&gt;&lt;img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/787252728237850229-6425503470896125895?l=whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com' alt='' /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</content><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/feeds/6425503470896125895/comments/default' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/03/welcome.html#comment-form' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/6425503470896125895'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/787252728237850229/posts/default/6425503470896125895'/><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://whatshappeningatmcpl.blogspot.com/2010/03/welcome.html' title='Welcome!'/><author><name>Madison County Public Library</name><uri>http://www.blogger.com/profile/04973451835014524959</uri><email>noreply@blogger.com</email><gd:image rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail' width='32' height='24' src='http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Wt-YatoZo/S5F4bOrsK6I/AAAAAAAAABQ/F-n527adnKU/S220/800600+highway+logo+(Medium).jpg'/></author><thr:total>0</thr:total></entry></feed>
