Adventure Out West '11 stops in Lincoln!

The Bennett Martin Public Library had a visit on Saturday from two librarians from Illinois (near Chicago), who were on a summer road trip with a literary theme.

They've been traveling with a stuffed "Owly" (see him at the Nebraska State Capitol Building!) and cardboard cutouts of Frankie Pickle and Argyle, two kids lit characters, and visiting libraries and other literary sites as they head "out west" during the summer of 2011. They take videos and still photos to chronicle their trip, often with Owly, Frankie or Argyle in them, sharing their adventures with fellow reading enthusiasts.

Our own Glory B., profiled here for the BookGuide reviewer profiles recently, got captured on camera by these roving librarians during their visit to the downtown library, and her contribution to the Lincoln portion of their trip can be seen here:



Check out their Flickr photo feed and their blog to see their other Lincoln stops -- there are a LOT of their photos on Flickr, and to continue to follow their library-loving adventures over the course of this summer! It's always fun to see visitors' impressions of things here in our fair city!

An October Staff Recommendation - Midnight Mass

Check out the 10 new reviews at BookGuide's Staff Recommendations page for October 2007.

We're going to post all ten as blog entries here over the course of the month, or you can visit the link above to see them all at once right now. Here's your first Oct selection...


A unique twist on the classic vampire story. Vampires are taking over the world, and are corralling people into 'ranches' to be 'cattle' for the vampires. Some humans are permitted to remain human, the 'cowboys', to guard the ranches during daylight hours and to help in catching more humans. This is a tale of an odd band of rebels (a fallen priest, a rabbi, a girl, and a nun) and their part in the horror of every day life. The priest has become disillusioned because his mentor invited the vampires in and helped them destroy the church, all to become a vampire himself. Can he fight the despair he feels? Can a priest work successfully with a rabbi? How on earth do they think they can destroy the vampires? Was also released as a motion picture in 2003. -- Reviewed by Julie H. [Bess Dodson Walt Branch Library]

Have you read this one? What did you think?

A September Staff Recommendations - The Speed of Dark

Check out the 10 new reviews at BookGuide's Staff Recommendations page for September 2007. Here's a taste of what you'll find:


The Speed of Dark
by Elizabeth Moon

This Nebula-Award-winning novel is ostensibly a science fiction tale, however its setting and level of technology place it sometime "next week", and should thus be accessible to even non-genre readers. A group of functioning autistics faces the possibility of undergoing a scientific procedure that would improve their abilities to interact successfully with the world around them, but may fundamentally alter the way their brains work...possibly eliminating their current personalities. Told primarily in first-person narrative form from the perspective of Lou Arrendale, one of the most functional (and brilliant) of the autists, this is a compelling fictional exploration of what makes us "us", and what the values are that we place on our predictable interactions with our fellow human beings. What would you choose to do, if you might be able to fit into society more effectively but you might not be "you" anymore?. -- Reviewed by Scott C. [Reference - Bennett Martin Public Library]

Have you read this one? What did you think?

Fall schedule for Bethany Books Talk!

Bethany Books Talk welcomes everyone for a morning of good books. For the past seven years, speakers have presented a group of books, sometimes with a theme and sometimes not. These informal presentations allow for good conversation as well. The Bethany Books Talk group meets every Friday morning, at the Bethany Branch Library -- 1810 N. Cotner Blvd., beginning at 10:30 A.M., unless otherwise noted. Come join us! Call 402-441-8550 for more information.

September 7
Books to Keep You Up at Night!* -- Marcy will bring books that you won't want to put down, even to go to bed! (*not scary)

September 14
Recent and Re-readable -- Erin will share some of her recent favorites and some titles that were so nice, she had to read them twice.

September 21
'Tis a Tale Too Sweet -- Layne explores the world of Medieval Romances. It's more than just chastity belts.

September 28
Solve it at the Library -- Come listen to Julee share titles of mystery and suspense set in the library. [Note: This booktalk went by the title "Booked to Die" when presented at the Courtyard Book Chats previously.]

October 5
One Book One Lincoln -- Join Lisa for a discussion of the hot title everyone in Lincoln is reading!

October 12
Brush Up on a Good Book -- Shannon will take us on a tour through the fascinating world of art.

October 19
Cruel and Unusual: Some Twists on Genre Fiction -- Julie and Rebecca make a joint presentation, including both thrillers and some unique twits on standard genre fiction.

October 26
A Bushel of Books -- A booksharing day -- Bring a book you enjoyed, to share with the group.

November 2
Susan's Selections -- Come hear Susan talk about some of her recent recommended reads.

November 9
ALA Notables -- Pat will discuss titles selected by the American Library Association as notable.

November 16
Westward Ho! -- Hold onto your hat! Rayma will take us back in time into the wild and untamed West.

November 23
Library closed for the Thanksgiving holiday

November 30
Mostly the Truth - Sometimes Not -- Carol will bring some interesting non-fiction titles, with a few fiction thrown in.

December 7
Give the Gift of Reading -- Just in time for the holidays, Vicki will share some titles that make good gifts.

December 14
An Assortment of Authors -- Come hear Sean talk about some of the books he's read lately.

December 21
My Favorite Things: Bookshare! -- Another booksharing opportunity -- Bring a favorite title to share with the group!

Booklists for some of these talks, given previously, are already available for your perusal at BookGuide's Book Talk Booklists page.

An August BookGuide Staff Recommendation - The Canteen Spirit

Check out the 10 new reviews at BookGuide's Staff Recommendations page for August 2007. Here's a taste of what you'll find:


The Canteen Spirit
by Annie Mummgaard [DVD 940.548 Mum]

Produced by Nebraska's very own Public Television, "The Canteen Spirit" provides an in depth look at the internationally famous, World War II North Platte Canteen. In this award receiving documentary, soldiers revisit North Platte and reminisce with great emotion and appreciation about their stop at the Canteen. They meet with people who worked the canteen and use this time to express their heart felt admiration to them. Rare and historic pictures are used through out the film to show the canteen's creation, up all the way through the demolition of the depot that housed the canteen. I was excited to finally view a Nebraska produced film about this incredible act of unity and generosity towards strangers, a generosity which has been the subject of bestselling books and national recognition since the North Platte Canteen's inception in 1941. For its production of "The Canteen Spirit" NET television received a Silver Telly in the Film/Documentary category at the 26th Annual Telly Awards national competition in 2005. In January of 2006, the documentary premiered nationally on PBS. This is a movie that is sure to educate, amaze and inspire anyone who watches it. -- Reviewed by Patty L. [Walt Branch Library]
Have you seen this one? What did you think?