Adult Summer Reading Program 2009

Be Creative @ Your Library®
June 8 to August 7, 2009


Carnegie-Stout Public Library will begin its third Summer Reading Program for Adults on June 8, 2009. The Program will continue through August 7, 2009. The Rules "R" this easy:

Register at the Information Desk or on our web page
Read or listen to 5 books
Record the titles on your Reading Log
Return the completed Reading Log to the Information Desk.

Programs are designed to stimulate the imagination and explore subjects like gardening, beading and songwriting. Louis Ferrante, an ex-mafia thug, will share his journey from robbery to writing in his memoir, Unlocked. We will feature another program designed to encourage participants to write their own memoirs in only six words.

Adults with an artistic bent will also be given an eclectic list of materials to create an 11” x 14” poster visualizing a scene or character from a favorite book. These artworks will be displayed in the Library.

For more information, call the Information Desk at 563-589-4225, option 4. Get those creative juices flowing!

The first program for adults is on Tuesday, June 9 at Prescott School at 6:30 p.m. The Herb Society of Dubuque will present a workshop on container herb gardening. The program is free, but registration is required. Call the Information Desk at 589-4225, option 4.

~ Betty, Adult Services

Graphic Content: Contract with God

The library's Graphic Content discussion group continues in April with Will Eisner's A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories. The group will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 9 at Comic World, 2255 John F. Kennedy Road, Dubuque.

Eisner was a pioneer of American comics and the prestigious Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards were created in his honor. The 1978 publication of Contract with God helped establish the term "graphic novel" and lead to recognition of the demand for comics dealing with mature themes and complex moralities. With characteristically detailed backgrounds and expressive figures Eisner tells four short stories of life in Depression-era New York tenements.

There is no need to register, just come and enjoy the lively discussion. Copies of the book may be picked up at the Circulation Desk a month before the discussion.

~Andrew, Adult Services

Warning: Graphic Content

March will see the start of a new adult book discussion group. Graphic Content will meet every other month to discuss a selection from the library's collection of graphic novels. Graphic novels are increasingly popular at Carnegie-Stout and at libraries across the country. I hope that over the months we'll get the chance to sample a variety of titles from this diverse genre and please fans of indy comics, manga, superheroes, and everything in between.

With renovations causing a space crunch at the library we're pleased to announce that Comic World has offered us a meeting space.

For our March meeting we'll be discussing Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon's Watchmen. First released as a twelve issue mini-series from 1986 to 1987, this is a truly classic superhero story. The book tells the story of a small group of costumed heroes trying to accomplish something noble in an all too real world of fear, politics, and moral ambiguity.

The discussion starts at 6:30 p.m. and runs until Comic Wold kicks us out. Copies of the book will be available at the circulation desk a month before the meeting.

~Andrew, Adult Services

A Fascinating Profile of Michael May

Here's a book everyone in Dubuque should read!

Crashing Through: A True Story of Risk, Adventure, and the Man Who Dared to See by Robert Kurson

Synopsis: "A fascinating profile of Michael May, a man blinded by a chemical explosion at the age of three, describes his successful life as a CIA analyst, champion skier, entrepreneur, and family man, who is offered a rare chance to see once again through risky, cutting-edge stem-cell transplant surgery."

Thanks to Dave and Sandy Parrett for thinking this is funny.

~ Posted by Michael May, Adult Services Librarian

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Join us for a discussion of this book!

Let's Talk Books: Crashing Through
7:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 10, 2009
There is no need to register, just come and enjoy the lively discussion. Copies of the books may be picked up at the Circulation Desk a month before the discussion.

2009 All Iowa Reads The Rope Walk by Carrie Brown

The 2009 All Iowa Reads selection is the novel The Rope Walk by Carrie Brown. Here's a synopsis:

At her tenth birthday party, Alice, a motherless young girl protected by her father and five older brothers, encounters two people who will change her life--Theo, a mixed-race New York City boy, and Kenneth, an artist suffering from the ravages of AIDS.

All Iowa Reads is a program sponsored by the Iowa Center for the Book which encourages Iowans statewide to read and talk about a single title in the same year. Previous All Iowa Reads selections were:

2008. Digging to America by Anne Tyler
2007. Splendid Solution: Jonas Salk and the Conquest of Polio by Jeffrey Kluger
2006. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
2005. The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich
2004. Niagara Falls All Over Again by Elizabeth McCracken
2003. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

The Rope Walk book discussion at Carnegie-Stout Public Library will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 8, 2009. There is no need to register, just come and enjoy the lively discussion. Copies of the books may be picked up at the Circulation Desk a month before the discussion.

~ Mike, Adult Services

Reading Lolita in Dubuque

In observance of Banned Books Week, September 27 through October 4, 2008, Carnegie-Stout Public Library is hosting Reading Lolita in Dubuque, a program to encourage Dubuquers to celebrate the freedom to read by checking out Vladimir Nabokov’s highly controversial and frequently banned novel Lolita, along with Azar Nafisi's bestselling memoir Reading Lolita in Tehran.

Some Dubuquers have already started celebrating . . .


Dubuque City Manager Mike Van Milligen ~
 
Dubuque Police Chief Kim Wadding ~
 
Dubuque Public Health Specialist Mary Rose Corrigan~ 

To celebrate your freedom to read, go to Carnegie-Stout Public Library and check out copies of Lolita and Reading Lolita in Tehran!

Oprah Picks The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

Oprah's Book Club is now reading the novel The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. Here is a synopsis:

"A Hamlet-style tale that also celebrates the ancient alliance between humans and dogs follow the coming-of-age of speech-disabled Wisconsin youth Edgar, who bonds with three yearling canines and struggles to prove that his sinister uncle is responsible for his father's death."

For more info, see Oprah's Book Club and Oprah Books at Carnegie-Stout Public Library.

~ Mike, Adult Services

All Iowa Reads

Need a good suggestion so that you can finish your reading log for the Adult Summer Reading Program? How about one of the All Iowa Reads selections?

Haven't heard about All Iowa Reads? This program of the Iowa Center for the Book, State Library of Iowa, is now in its 6th year. The purpose of All Iowa Reads is to encourage Iowans statewide to read and talk about a single title in the same year. For more information about All Iowa Reads, click here.

Carnegie-Stout Public Library will host a discussion of the 2008 selection, Digging to America by Anne Tyler, on Tuesday, September 9 at 7:00 p.m. in the 2nd floor rotunda.

Tyler's novel tells the story of two families who meet at the airport where they are adopting Korean infants. The Donaldson family is as all-American as they come. The Yazdans are recently arrived Iranian immigrants. Digging to America uses the story of the families' growing friendship to explore what it means to be American, what it means to belong, and what makes someone an outsider. Each chapter is told from a different perspective, but centers on the main character, Maryam Yazdan, the grandmother in the Iranian family. Copies of the book will be available at the Circulation Desk a month before the discussion.

Previous All Iowa Reads selections were:

2007. Splendid Solution: Jonas Salk and the Conquest of Polio by Jeffrey Kluger
2006. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
2005. The Master Butchers Singing Club by Louise Erdrich
2004. Niagara Falls All Over Again by Elizabeth McCracken
2003. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

Hurry! Completed reading logs must be returned to the Information Desk by August 4, 2008.

~ Betty, Adult Services

Upcoming Book Discussions

Carnegie-Stout Public Library's book discussion group for adults meets bi-monthly on the second Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in the 2nd floor gallery.

Jan 8, 2008
THE MALTESE FALCON
By Dashiell Hammett

March 11, 2008
LOVING FRANK
By Nancy Horan

May 13, 2008
THE RIDE OF OUR LIVES:
Roadside Lessons of an American Family
By Mike Leonard

July 8, 2008
THUNDERSTRUCK
By Erik Larson

Sept 9, 2008
DIGGING TO AMERICA
By Ann Tyler
2008 All Iowa Reads Selection

Nov 18, 2008
THE MADONNAS OF LENINGRAD
By Debra Dean

Copies of the books may be picked up at the Circulation desk a month before each discussion. All discussions are free of charge and the public is cordially invited to attend.

For more information, please call the Library Information Desk at 563-589-4225 option #4, or click here to visit the Adult Services Programs and Events page.

THE BIG READ in Dubuque

Click here to complete THE BIG READ survey!

Carnegie-Stout Public Library is one of 127 organizations hosting a BIG READ celebration of one of 16 classic novels from January-June 2008.

THE BIG READ is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and bring the transformative power of literature into the lives of its citizens. THE BIG READ brings together partners across the country to encourage citizens to read for pleasure and enlightenment.

Dubuque's BIG READ events will run from January 13 through February 29, 2008 and will feature Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon.

Programs will include book discussions, film screenings, panel discussions, an author visit and a spectacular closing reception.

Our partners include the following organizations:

• Dubuque County Library
• James Kennedy Public Library in Dyersville
• National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium
• River Lights, 2nd Edition

For information about specific programs, contact the Library Information Desk at (563) 589-4225, option 4, or visit the Library's Adult Services Programs Calendar.

Click here to complete THE BIG READ survey!

New Oprah Book Club Selection

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, 1989.

Historical fiction, 973 pages.

"Set in twelfth-century England, this epic of kings and peasants juxtaposes the building of a magnificent church with the violence and treachery that often characterized the Middle Ages."

The Pillars of the Earth at Carnegie-Stout Public Library

Author Ken Follett at Carnegie-Stout Public Library

Oprah's Book Club Selections at Carnegie-Stout Public Library

Oprah's Book Club

Goodreads: Read More Than Your Friends!

Need a place to keep track of all the books you have read or want to read? My friend recently invited me to sign up at Goodreads, a social networking site for book lovers.

Goodreads allows you to create lists of books to read, rate books from 1 to 5 stars, and even write book reviews. And book lists are printer friendly so you can bring your list to the Carnegie-Stout Public Library with you!

Goodreads also lets you keep in touch with friends. You can create your own groups of friends and see what titles they have recently added to their "bookshelves."

My friend and I have had a competition for years about who has read more books. She's read over 300 books, while I am at a mere 157. My friend counts kids' books, though – that's not fair, is it?

Anyway, Goodreads has inspired me to read more. I can't wait to rate my "currently reading" book and switch it over to a "read" book. I am about 20 pages from 158 books read!!

One caveat about Goodreads: When you sign up, be aware that there is an option for you to enter the password to your personal email account, like Yahoo, Hotmail, AOL, Gmail, etc. Entering your personal email account password allows you to see which people in your email address book already subscribe to Goodreads, and to automatically send invitations to those who have not signed up yet.

I chose not to enter my email password, as many people in my address book are business related, and I did not want to accidentally send an invite to a business contact.

For more details, see the Goodreads privacy policy, "about us" page, "how it works," and blog.

Happy reading and happy listing!

~ Angie, Circulation Services

Let’s Talk Books: The Things They Carried

Photo: "Home is where you dig it"
National Archives, College Park, MD

Carnegie-Stout Public Library’s bi-monthly book discussion for adults will meet on Tuesday, November 13, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. in the second floor gallery. As a tribute to our Veterans, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien will be discussed.

Heroic young men carry the emotional weight of their lives into war in Vietnam in O’Brien’s account of a modern journey into the heart of darkness. The book is a cross between a novel and a story collection. They carried malaria tablets, love letters, 28-pound mine detectors, dope, illustrated Bibles, each other. And, if they made it home alive, they carried unrelenting images of a nightmarish war that history is only beginning to absorb. Since it was first published, The Things They Carried has become an unparalleled Vietnam testament, a classic work of American literature and a profound study of men at war that illuminates the capacity, and the limits, of the human heart and soul.

Copies of the book are available at the Circulation Desk. For additional information please contact the Information Desk (563) 589-4225 option 4, or visit the Library’s Adult Services Programs page online at: http://www.dubuque.lib.ia.us/adult/programs.

All Adult Services programs are free of charge and the public is cordially invited to attend.

Book and Movie Suggestions

Need help picking out a good book to read or movie to watch? No problem! Take a look at our new book and movie suggestions page. This fancy new page includes:

• Over 20 free e-newsletters highlighting titles and authors in several categories, updated and delivered daily, weekly and monthly by email or RSS feeds
• Book and movie descriptions, annotated with reviews, author interviews, audio and video clips, and direct links to titles in Carnegie-Stout Public Library's online catalog
• New York Times best-sellers lists, book awards lists, religion selections, and more
• Links to Carnegie-Stout databases and resources, like Novelist, a fiction database of 135,000 titles, and NetLibrary's eAudiobook Center, featuring downloadable digital audio books
• Links to other websites, such as Book Sense Picks, Overbooked, and Movie Review Query Engine

Happy browsing!

Adult Services Book and Movie Suggestions

Let’s Talk Books: Splendid Solution

Copies of Jeffrey Kluger's non-fiction book Splendid Solution: Jonas Salk and the Conquest of Polio are now available for check out at the Library circulation desk.

Carnegie-Stout patrons are encouraged to check out and read Splendid Solutions, and then attend our book discussion, Let's Talk Books, in the Library's 2nd Floor Rotunda at 7 p.m. on September 11, 2007.

Splendid Solutions is the 2007 selection for All Iowa Reads, a program sponsored by the Iowa Center for the Book which encourages Iowans statewide to read and talk about a single title in the same year. Discussion questions are available here.

As part of the 2007 program, the Iowa Center for the Book is collecting stories from Iowans about what they remember of the impact of polio and the development of the polio vaccine. These stories and photos can be viewed at http://www.iowapoliostories.org.