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Speaking VolumesKeeping you up-to-date on what's happening at your library. We invite you to join in the conversation!
JANUARY 27, 2010
The Strength of Glass
 I’ve just finished reading The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. This memoir made quite a splash when it first came out a few years ago now and Ms. Walls second book, a novel has just been released. When The Glass Castle first came out and people were talking, I had no interest. A tale of growing up in poverty, it looked sad and heart wrenching. Despite its popularity, I avoided it. With her new book, the title surfaced again, and this time, I felt I should/ought read it… I really, really liked it. Was it sad? Yes. Difficult at times to get through. Yes. But at the same time, Ms. Walls takes you on a journey that I suspect was very much like her own. She was loved and she got through. I’ve a lot of respect for an author that can take a deplorable situation, one in which she and you, as reader, can feel such outrage it is palpable and at the same time be in love with the root cause of that situation. A contradiction that is very human. This memoir has made me think a great deal about family and living situations. Made me think about choice and values. I have formed many questions and few answers. But I would recommend this book, despite its difficult subject matter. Although I am late on the Jeannette Walls fan club bandwagon, I’m glad I finally boarded. Come check out Jeannette Walls’ books @ the library and tell us what you think!
JANUARY 24, 2010
Roll over or under? The Great Toilet Paper Debate!
 It's hard to believe that some of life's simplest choices can generate such discourse in households. The Choice - Whether the toilet paper should roll over or under from the dispenser. This is a question that begs "Get a Life" and yet from what I'm reading and hearing the loading of the toilet paper roll is the stuff of irritation in many otherwise happy marriages, offices and public restrooms. Cottonelle® has decided to try to solve the debate once and for all with their Roll Poll. I saw the poll advertised on TV last week and it gave me a laugh. Though initially I thought "Who Cares?", I found myself visiting the site the very next day to offer my most humble opinion. I'm not telling my husband about the poll as he'll vote the opposite and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my side wins. The videos are hilarious and the comments may make you chuckle or raise your blood pressure, depending on your personal view of this subject. Someone had a great solution in the ad I saw, an invention that allows the roll to be flipped to your preference with just a twist of the wrist. Now if everything was just that easy! Want to vote. Just visit http://www.cottonellerollpoll.com/ Feel free to share your comments here as well....and if you think you have a better contraption to dispense a roll these books might help/ You'll find them in the nonfiction stacks under 346.730486
Patent, copyright & trademark by Stephen Elias
Patent it yourself by David Pressman
JANUARY 22, 2010
Blast from the past...
I’ve always loved reading. When I was a kid I’d go to the library and check out a HUGE stack of books then spend the day curled up somewhere devouring one after another. I loved Roald Dahl, the Narnia books, Lois Lowry, and Judy Blume. I went through a ‘horror’ phase and read books like Wait Till Helen Comes and The Dollhouse Murders over and over. Then, around 5th grade I got really into fantasy and read everything I could get my hands on. So, why am telling you all this? Well, for one the big awards in Children’s Lit were announced last week and the big-daddy Newbury Award was given to Rebecca Stead for her book When You Reach Me: I loved this book and it SO reminded me of my childhood favorites. Not only that, but in the book the main character, Miranda, is never without her favorite book A Wrinkle in Time, another one of my old faves. By coincidence, When You Reach Me was also our bookclub book for this month, and next our club decided to read A Wrinkle in Time.
I remember loving A Wrinkle in Time as a kid, so it will be an interesting experience re-reading it as an adult. Although I don’t remember much of the plot, I do remember a part where they visit a planet where all the kids come out of their houses and bounce a ball in exact rhythm with each other. Creepy. This image has stuck with me and I always think of it when I am driving through a new neighborhood or housing development where all the houses look the same and there are no full grown trees. I guess I’m kinda of rambling this week, but When You Reach Me made me very nostalgic. What about you? What were your favorites as a kid? What do you remember from them? Have you re-read them as an adult? Let me know!
JANUARY 20, 2010
Squirrel Appreciation Day
Tomorrow, Jan 21st, is Squirrel Appreciation Day. I know that some people don’t like squirrels, but I am not one. I find them quite charming. Okay, so their brain is the size of a walnut and they do come from the rodent family, but there are many things that make the squirrel great. They are one of the few wild animals that have adapted to humans and coexist with us reasonably well. Of course, they have had much time to practice. The gray squirrel has been traced back over 50 million years. Although known for raiding bird feeders, squirrels can actually be very congenial. Although an adult squirrel normally lives alone, in severe cold it will share its nest with other squirrels. If it’s a storm, the squirrels may not leave the nest for days, but once the temperature rises, the guests will be on their way. Really, our little furry friends get a bad rap. If their nest gets infested with fleas, they move! Their erratic path while crossing the street is believed to really be an attempt to confuse the car. Clearly, this doesn’t work, but still… Squirrel bites occur when people try to feed them by hand holding the food between their fingers. As a squirrel’s eyes are located at the sides of their head, they can’t see what their eating that well. I’m glad there is Squirrel Appreciation Day and if you feel the same, come by the library and check out some squirrel books! 
JANUARY 17, 2010
You've got to wonder...
Early Christmas morning while most people were waiting for Santa, I opened my freezer and all I could think was the Clement Moore line "When, what to my wondering eyes should appear"! Take a look at this picture.
Yep, that's my freezer, and by golly what's in it? Believe it or not, at first I thought those coiled black things were snakes. Don't laugh. I did find a dead snake peeking out from under the freezer one day. Then sanity kicked in and I saw them for what they were, not menacing hissing snakes but plain old electrical cords. Ok, you've got to wonder...what were they doing in my freezer. There was really only one way they could have got there so up from the cellar I go to find my husband and hear the story. Seems he was conducting an experiment (he could have told me). He needed to replace the cord on his chain saw and was trying to see which of the three cords in my freezer could best withstand low tempatures, remain pliable and uncoil easily in the cold. Alright...it was 7 degrees outside so why would you use my freezer. I never really got a good answer but decided he must have not wanted to brave the actual cold outside to plant his cords. You gotta love him. Oh, and no, none of the cords passed the test. He ended up buying a new cord for his chain saw. Chainsaw Operator's Manual: Part 1: Chainsaw Safety, Maintenance and Cross-Cutting Techniques Forestworkds
JANUARY 12, 2010
Libraries: the information side of social services
There are many who tend to view libraries, particularly public libraries more as entertainment venues than intellectual institutions. At best, they may be seen as community centers. As a result, library budgets get lumped under “recreation,” and patron’s immediately gravitate to the DVDs. But libraries are in fact a lot more. I know of no public library, anywhere, that does not offer various kinds of job services and health services. The public library is still called upon when one gets a troublesome diagnosis or when one needs to update a resume. Students of all ages from kindergarten through college still come to the public library for materials. Business people and start up entrepreneurs almost always start at the Public library. We help people with life’s good events, such as their long planned for trip to Europe. We help people with life’s sad events, such as the legal cases. Larger urban libraries daily provide shelter for homeless. In fact, the San Francisco Main Library has hired a social worker specifically to assist homeless patrons. Almost every library at some point has collected food for fines, coats for shelters or served in some other way as a central point for such services. Our small library is no different. Like all public libraries, we are a social service agency. Come visit us @ the library and see the many things we offer.
JANUARY 8, 2010
Children's Author Jason Deeble to visit the Saxton B!
On Saturday, Jan. 23rd at 10:30 we will be hosting children's author/illustrator Jason Deeble. This special visit is part of the KiddieCAT - the Connecticut Authors Trail...for kids! Some of you may remember the Saxton B. participating in the CAT trail this summer when we hosted two adult authors, Jessica Speart and Anne Kelleher. Well, now it’s the kids turn! Each Saturday, from January 9th to March 27th, local libraries will take turns hosting The trail starts tomorrow at the Janet Carlson Calvert Library in
We’re excited to have Jason Deeble here – he wrote and illustrated the book Sir Ryan’s Quest, about a young boy who uses his imagination to have adventures around his house. Jason will read his book and lead an art activity for the kids! Check out his website: http://www.jasondeeble.com/ All the events that are part of the KiddieCAT are free! Stop by or give us a call to register to see Jason Deeble! To see all the stops on the trail visit the KiddieCAT website: http://sites.google.com/site/kiddiecatlibraries/
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