Summer Reading Program - the last week!

You have until Saturday, July 31 to finish reading and turn in your entry forms for the Adult Summer Reading Program! Our drawing for the grand prize gift certificate will take place on or about August 2.


Some last-minute reading ideas from recent Summer Reading entry forms:


Blueberry Muffin Murder, by Joanne Fluke
Do One Green Thing: Save the Earth Through Simple, Everyday Choices, by Mindy Pennybacker
Falcon Seven, by James Houston
The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town, by John Grisham
Island Beneath the Sea, by Isabelle Allende
Ransom My Heart, by Meg Cabot
True Colors, by Kristin Hannah


And don't forget about Summer Reading Programs for kids and teens. Now through July 31.

Volunteering at the library

Looking for something to do when summer's over? If you've been interested in volunteering at the library, our volunteer orientations are starting up again. Library volunteers assist with tutoring adult learners, checking in books, the Friends of the Library in the Gift Shop and with used books, delivering books to homebound residents and much more.

Visit this page for more information about our volunteer program (scroll down to Volunteering) as well as to download a volunteer application. The application includes more information about the different volunteer opportunities at each branch. Prospective volunteers will fill out an application, then attend a volunteer orientation.

Our first volunteer orientation for the fall will take place on Wednesday, August 11 at 10:00 am. See the event listing for registration information, and make sure to fill out your volunteer application form in advance. (View our calendar for additional monthly orientation dates.)

Teen volunteer opportunities will also re-open in the fall. Visit this page and scroll down to Teen Volunteer Application for more information about how to apply.

Teens needing community service hours for school may or may not be able to fulfill these short-term assignments at the library, depending on our schedule availability. If you need community service hours for school, please send in your application early for a better chance at getting onto the schedule.

Please note: Unfortunately, we do not have positions available for court-ordered community service. For information about court-ordered volunteer opportunities, visit this page and scroll down to Court-Ordered Community Service.

Book Review: Hollywood Station

Hollywood Station by Joseph Wambaugh immediately entertains the reader with an L.A. Police car patrol prowl on the Hollywood strip. Here, police rookies (right out of the academy) have to deal with addicts, crazies, and gangbangers. With non-stop action, you witness high-speed auto chases, a jewelry store robbery that leads to the Russian Mafia, a murder-suicide near Hollywood's famous "Grauman's Chinese Theatre", a police horse patrol on the "Sidewalk of the Stars" that goes terribly wrong, and a racial profiling investigation. This novel shines above the rest in character development, dark humor, social satire, current Los Angeles politics, and action you won't forget!

Joseph Wambaugh in Hollywood Station is at his absolute best. From U.S.C. dropout surfing cops, meth freaks, and homeless street performers - you witness some of the best character development I've ever read. The author provides a fascinating look at not only Hollywood/ Los Angeles culture but also its ever volatile social and political climate. I guarantee this thriller will provide non-stop entertainment, with characters and settings you won't forget, and may even provide relief from Arizona's heat! - Henry (Downtown)

Summer Reading Program - halfway through

Here are more of our readers' favorites for the Adult Summer Reading Program:

Caught, by Harlan Coben
Desert Wives, Desert Shadows, and Desert Cut, by Betty Webb
In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan
Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer
Knockout, by Catherine Coulter
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, by Donald Miller
Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison, by Piper Kerman
The Overton Window, by Glenn Beck
Xenogeneis series, by Octavia E. Butler

Want to read for a chance to win prizes? Just pick up entry forms at any Chandler Public Library, fill one out for each book you read (or audiobook you listen to) and drop them in the entry box. Each week we'll have a drawing for a $20 gift card, with a $50 grand prize drawing at the end of the program. The more books you read, the more chances you'll have to win! Now through July 31.
And don't forget about Summer Reading Programs for kids and teens. Now through July 31.