Tuesday, April 24, 2012

What We're Reading

Staff Member: Fay

I Would Recommend: "In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin" by Erik Larson 

"A tremendously well told story! This is about William E. Dodd, America's first ambassador to Hitler's regime in 1933, and his family: his scandalous daughter, Martha, and his wife and son. This book tells vividly the story of the rise of Nazi Germany and their obsession for absolute power and the effect it had on Germany and the Dodd family. Very informative with an insight into the war before it began, with an insider's view of how Hitler came to power."






The time is 1933, the place, Berlin, when William E. Dodd becomes America's first ambassador to Hitler's Germany in a year that proved to be a turning point in history. 


A mild-mannered professor from Chicago, Dodd brings along his wife, son, and flamboyant daughter, Martha. Enamored of the “New Germany,” Martha has one affair after another, including with the surprisingly honorable first chief of the Gestapo, Rudolf Diels. But as evidence of Jewish persecution mounts, her father telegraphs his concerns to a largely indifferent State Department back home. Dodd watches with alarm as Jews are attacked, the press is censored, and drafts of frightening new laws begin to circulate. As that first year unfolds and the shadows deepen, the Dodds experience days full of excitement, intrigue, romance—and ultimately, horror, when a climactic spasm of violence and murder reveals Hitler’s true character and ruthless ambition.


Suffused with the tense atmosphere of the period, and with unforgettable portraits of the bizarre Göring and the expectedly charming--yet wholly sinister--Goebbels, In the Garden of Beasts lends a stunning, eyewitness perspective on events as they unfold in real time, revealing an era of surprising nuance and complexity. The result is a dazzling, addictively readable work that speaks volumes about why the world did not recognize the grave threat posed by Hitler until Berlin, and Europe, were awash in blood and terror.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

What We're Reading!

Staff Member: Sue

I Would Recommend: "Wonderland Creek" by Lynn Austin

"I enjoyed this book because I was born in the mountains of West Virginia, where this story takes place. Although it takes place many years before I was born, I could still see the similarities. It really helps you understand the importance of a library in a rural community. I especially enjoyed the antics and mystery that Alice had to go through---she's a girl from Chicago who finds herself in eastern Kentucky after all!"


 
Alice Grace Ripley lives in a dream world, her nose stuck in a book. But the happily-ever-after life she's planned on suddenly falls apart when her boyfriend, Gordon, breaks up with her and she loses her beloved job at the library because of cutbacks due to the Great Depression. Fleeing small-town gossip, Alice heads to the mountains of eastern Kentucky to deliver five boxes of donated books to the library of the tiny coal-mining village of Acorn. Once there, Alice volunteers to stay for two weeks to help the librarian, Leslie McDougal. But Leslie, as well as the four lady librarians who travel to the remote homes of Acorn to deliver books, are far different than she anticipated. While Alice finds herself trapped in Acorn against her will, she soon finds that real-life adventure and mystery ---and especially romance--- are far better than her humble dreams could have imagined.

Check it out today!

World Book Night 2012!



Did you know that in eleven days people across the nation will be holding a celebration?


If not, then you probably haven't heard of "World Book Night". A celebration of reading which will see tens of thousands of people sharing books with others in their communities, the focus of World Book Night is to spread the joy and love of reading across the nation. And this year's celebration will be held on April 23rd! We here at the Salem Township Public Library are proud to announce our participation in such a worthy cause by serving as a pick-up location for those in our area who have signed up to be official "book givers".


-"Where is World Book Night being held?"
In 5,000 cities across the U.S.

-"How many books are being given away?"
Over half a million books will be handed out.

-"Where did World Book Night begin?"
This is the first year it is being held in the U.S. It began in the UK and Ireland last year.

For more information, please stop in the library today and see our display at the Circulation Desk or visit www.us.worldbooknight.org.

In honor of World Book Night, we will be giving away a copy of Little Bee by Chris Cleave, one of the 25+ titles selected for distribution on World Book Night. For a chance to win, fill out an entry slip at the library today!