Library Closures - New Year's

All four Chandler Public libraries will close at 5:00 pm on Monday, December 31. They will remain closed on Tuesday, January 1 and reopen with normal hours on Wednesday, January 2. (Hamilton and Basha libraries open at 9:00 am during the school intersession.)

Before 2012 is over, take a last look back at the most popular items of the year! ** 

Nonfiction Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail Fiction  Fifty Shades series Gone Girl The Casual Vacancy Youth/Teen Fiction The Hunger Games series Divergent series Freebooter's Paradise DVD Descendants War Horse Downton Abbey Children's DVD Hugo We Bought a Zoo Adventures of Tintin Teen DVD Hunger Games Breaking Dawn The Avengers

** Popularity determined by number of holds placed in 2012. Some items were published in previous years.

Library Closures - Christmas

All four Chandler Public libraries will close at 5:00 pm on Monday, December 24. They will remain closed on Tuesday, December 25 and reopen with normal hours on Wednesday, December 26. (Hamilton and Basha libraries open at 9:00 am during the school intersession.)

What to do when the kids are done opening presents? Give them something to read! TumbleBook Library features interactive books - words, pictures, audio and animation - that kids can read along to. There are picture books, chapter books, even nonfiction books such as facts about animals and learning different languages. Read them online, no need for an ebook reader or any software to download. Just use your library card and PIN numbers to log in from home.

Basha Library staff picks

Check out December's suggestions from Basha Library staff!

Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay
Stories edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio
Marni by Marni Bates
Tiny Homes: Simple Shelter by Lloyd Kahn
Undeadly by Michele Vail
The Color of Water by James McBride
Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
On the Road by Jack Kerouac
Barefoot Contessa: Foolproof by Ina Garten
Trial By Fire by J.A. Jance
An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski

Book Review: Hole in My Life

When award-winning children's book author Jack Gantos was a teenager, all he wanted to was to write, but he didn't know how to start. He didn't think his life was interesting enough, and worse, he was living with his father in the riot-torn Virgin Islands, building crates for people who wanted to move away to safety and not making any money for college. So when a drug smuggler offered him a deal - ten thousand dollars to help sail a boat filled with two thousand pounds of hash to New York - Gantos thought it was his ticket out of misery.

Hole in My Life is Gantos' memoir of the worst mistakes he ever made, his badly spent youth, his decision to smuggle the drugs, his time spent in federal prison. But the biggest mistake might have been his own self-doubt and lack of confidence as a writer, and prison time is the only thing that helps him conquer it. Gantos doesn't shy away from the darkest facts, writing with a clear and surprisingly humorous voice that makes this memoir a fascinating read. Gantos is best known for the Rotten Ralph and Joey Pigza books, as well as the Newbery winner Dead End in Norvelt. -Michelle (Sunset)

Book Review: Friendkeeping

Journalist and memoir writer Julie Klam describes herself as "a middle-aged person who uses the term 'BFF' without irony," and is baffled by her mother's lack of best friends. But whether you fall into Klam's camp or her mother's, you'll find something to smile about in Friendkeeping, a collection of anecdotes about friends. From childhood friends to those she met on Facebook, sensible friends to crazy ones, successful friends (whom she can't help being jealous of) to the odd hierarchy of play-group parents (arranged by the developmental milestones their kids have hit), you'll recognize someone in Klam's stories. Some stories carry a lesson about how to keep friendships alive, some are just laugh-out-loud funny, but all of them will make you appreciate the friends you have. - Michelle (Sunset)

Chandler Parade of Lights

Kick of the holiday season with Chandler's annual Parade of Lights event on Saturday, December 1. The fun begins at 4:30 pm with a variety of musical and dance entertainment, fun activities for children, and visits with Santa Claus in A.J. Chandler Park. The Parade of Lights begins at 7 pm. Immediately following the parade will be the lighting of the 56th Tumbleweed Tree.

The Tumbleweed Tree tradition began in 1957, when Chandler resident Earl Barnum raised the idea of a tumbleweed tree after he saw a similar one in Indiana built out of cone-shaped chicken wire with pine boughs stuck in the holes. Many members of the community helped create the first tree in Chandler using tumbleweeds that they gathered from around town. Today the city's Park Operations Division gathers tumbleweeds from the outskirts of the city, between 1,500 and 2,000 each year, and about half of them are used to adorn the 25-foot tall wire frame. The lighting of the Tumbleweed Tree draws a large crowd, with more than 12,000 expected to watch the Mayor and members of the City Council flip the switch to light this magnificent sight.

For more information, including a schedule of events, visit the City of Chandler's Special Events page. Also check this page for road closures and a parking map.

Basha Library staff picks

Check out November's suggestions from Basha Library staff!

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall
The Anteater of Death by Betty Webb
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
Tiger Can't Sleep by S.J. Fore
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
Weird Al by Nathan Rabin and Al Yankovic
Phantom by Jo Nesbo
Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson
King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
Books Can Be Deceiving by Jenn McKinlay
Black List by Brad Thor
An Invisible Thread by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski

Closed November 12 - Try out language learning materials

All four Chandler Public Libraries will be closed Monday, November 12 for the Veterans' Day holiday observation.

Many of the library's resources are still available through our website even when we're closed, including Mango Languages, an interactive language learning program. Mango features over 40 different languages, from Spanish and French to Danish and Dutch, as well as English language learning materials for speakers of a variety of other languages. Each language learning unit includes written and audio materials, as well as an opportunity to practice speaking yourself. For more information about how Mango works, watch this video demo.

To get started with Mango, go to chandlerlibrary.org, hover your mouse over the purple RESEARCH tab, and choose Interactive Learning. Then click on Mango Languages - you'll need your library card and PIN numbers to sign in from home - and Create a Profile. This will allow Mango to save your work each time you log in. You can also use Mango on your mobile device by downloading the Mango Mobile app for Apple devices or the Mango Mobile app for Android.

Book Review: Freebooter's Paradise

All Cameron wants to do is spend his summer with his friends. But a day of bicycle riding and Icees is interrupted when super-sized dust devils sweep into his Apache Junction neighborhood, and a pirate ship sails in on the dust and lands in front of a newly opened HeapsMart store. But Blackbeard isn't just there to sell toys and clothes - shoppers must first walk through his ship, where they fall prey to high-interest credit cards and devious spells that brainwash them into spending more money than things are worth. And Cameron discovers that Blackbeard might be after more than Apache Junction's money. He's there to track down the Lost Duchman's Mine and steal its gold.

Freebooter's Paradise is middle-grade chapter book that kids will love, full of action and strange adventures, a wild ride of chases and magic, where Cameron and his friends must find the courage to fight the pirates and save their town... because they're the only ones who can. Author Tim Loge is a librarian at the Hamilton Library and this is his first novel. Look for more from Tim in the future! - Michelle (Sunset)

Book Review: Broken Harbor

Mick Kennedy is the top investigator in the Dublin Murder Squad. But his latest case might be more than he can handle. A family has been attacked in a half-abandoned development of luxury homes on the remote Irish coast, the children smothered, the parents stabbed, and only the mother survives, clinging to life in the hospital. It should be an easy case, but too many things don't add up: no evidence of a break-in, dozens of baby monitors lined up on the table, and holes punched in the walls throughout the victims' house. When Kennedy's partner continues to have doubts about the lead suspect, the detective's open-and-shut case threatens to collapse, and with it his trust in everything he believes about crime and justice.

Broken Harbor is the fourth novel by award-winning mystery writer Tana French. More than just a police procedural, it's a terrifying and all-too-plausible portrayal of anxiety and depression spiraling down into madness, and how a detective comes to recognize himself a little too much in the crime he's investigating. For more mysteries with a flavor of psychological suspense, try authors Mo Hayder and Minette Walters. - Michelle (Sunset)

Basha Library staff picks

Check out October's suggestions from Basha Library staff!

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
Low Pressure by Sandra Brown
44 Scotland Street by Alexander McCall Smith
Heidi Heckelbeck Has a Secret by Wanda Coven
Handmade Silk Paper by Kath Russon
Tithe by Holly Black
Star of the Morning by Lynn Kurland
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace from LEGO
SilverFin by Charlie Higson
The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman
Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
12.21 by Dustin Thomason
Stalemate by Iris Johansen

Book Review: Dreamland

NFL teams from the east coast lose Monday night games to west coast teams at an astonishing rate. An oil refinery in Texas explodes when workers fail to notice a leak. A man drives across town and attacks his wife's parents, but is unable to remember the crime. What do these stories have in common? The answer is as simple as sleep. Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep is a fascinating collection of facts and anecdotes, from sleep-deprived students who perform better on tests after a nap, to countries like Spain giving up their traditional siestas due to pressures from the global economy, to the way dreams and their interpretation have changed from ancient times through Freud's time to today. Author David K. Randall began his research after suffering bouts of sleepwalking, which his doctor was never able to diagnose, but his book may help readers with their own sleep problems, or at least give them something to think about before they go to bed.

Dreamland joins a growing list of recent nonfiction that is as engaging as it is informative, such as Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America and Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. You'll learn something and you'll have fun doing it. - Michelle (Sunset)

Closed October 8 - Do job and career development

All four Chandler Public Library branches will be closed Monday, October 8 for the Chandler school district's Columbus Day holiday and staff training. You can still get help with job searching, resume writing, and career skills with Job and Career Accelerator.

Whether you're searching for a new job or just starting out, touching up your resume or boosting your computer skills to be more marketable, Job and Career Accelerator has something for you. Search numerous online job listings at the same time. Use the handy tools to build a resume and cover letter. Take tutorials for Microsoft programs, Photoshop, and more. There's even a career aptitude test to help you explore careers you might enjoy. Job and Career Accelerator is available from home, through the library's website, using your library card and PIN numbers. Then choose New User Registration and create an account, which will allow Job and Career Accelerator to save your resumes and searches each time you log in.

News for eBook Users!

Attention ebook users! There are two new features to help you access ebooks: a new collection called Open Library, and a new version of Adobe Digital Editions.

New collection: Open Library
As you search the library catalog, you may find some titles with a call number of EBOOK OPENLIBRARY:

These are part of a new, free ebook collection that you can access by clicking the link marked "Access via Open Library." You can read these ebooks online in your web browser - no additional software is needed - and certain titles can be downloaded using Adobe Digital Editions. You will need to create a free account with Open Library. For more information, visit this page.

If you use Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) to read ebooks on your computer or transfer them to a Nook, Sony, or similar reader, there's a new version of ADE available. When you install the new version, you have the option to import books you had checked out on the previous version. Check out the new right-click option: now you right-click to get options such as Return and Remove. The new version automatically authorizes ereader devices you plug in to your computer. It is also compatible with screen reading software for visually impaired users.
(Please note: Overdrive is aware of a bug that causes due dates to display incorrectly, and Adobe hopes to correct the problem as soon as possible. Your due dates still show correctly when you log in to your Greater Phoenix Digital Library account.)
To learn more about ADE 2.0, visit this page.
Visit this page to download Adobe Digital Editions 2.0.

Basha Library Staff Picks

Check out September's suggestions from Basha Library staff!

Out of Sight by Elmore Leonard
Chasing Sunsets by Eva Marie Everson
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
Home Front by Kristin Hannah
Dawn Light by Diane Ackerman
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
The Stormchasers by Jenna Blum
Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson
Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann
Force of Nature by C.J. Box
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Candyfreak by Steve Almond

New Arrivals

Here are some of the new books received at the Chandler Libraries:

Adult fiction
Wild Card
Bella was told that her Navy SEAL husband was never coming home. Will she recognize him when he, in a new identity, finds his way back to her? Can he keep the secret of who he is?

The Mirrored World
This historical novel set in 18th-century Russia follows the life of the woman who would become St. Xenia.

Teen fiction
Don't Turn Around
A 16-year-old computer hacker struggles to stay anonymous and off the grid, hiding a secret that could threaten her life.

The Encyclopedia of Me
BFF, Crush List, Jealousy. Arranging her life in A-Z sections, Tink tells the story of her friends, her autistic brother, and the cute boy who lives next door.

Junior chapter books
The Power of Poppy Pendle
Get a start on the Halloween season with this story of a young witch who would rather become a baker than go to the witchcraft academy.

Always October
What's Jake going to do when his mother decides to keep the baby she finds on the doorstep? His new little brother is literally a monster - and other monsters are after him.

Children's picture books
The Monsters' Monster
More monsters! These monsters keep fighting about who's the biggest, baddest monster. Then they decide to build one, but their new monster isn't behaving as monstrously as he should.

Llama Llama Time to Share
A Gnu girl is here to visit! But will Llama want to share his toys with her?

Book Review: The Dawn Patrol

Tired of the heat, imaging an ocean breeze, and - if you're an ex-surfer like me - dreaming you're on a surf board somewhere in SoCal! If you can't catch the waves, try this: The Dawn Patrol by Don Winslow. This is not only one of the best mysteries I've read, but also a view of the world of surfing. The history, sociology, and spirituality of the Southern California Surfer come alive at Pacific Beach just north of San Diego.  You'll ride the waves with "the Dawn Patrol" as they surf the morning waves while you investigate the murder of a stripper.  Private Investigator Boone Daniels is a surfer you won't forget and his murder investigation leads to far more than the reader could imagine.  The surfing techniques, portrayal of the surfer's soul, plot, character development, suspense, are so vivid you'll feel the mist of the waves coming right out of the book! So if you've had enough Sonoran Desert Heat, place yourself in front of an air-conditioning unit, throw some water over your head, and read this great mystery.  P.S.  If it's a Chandler Library Book, watch the water - you don't want to get fined for "water damage." - Henry (Downtown)

Closed September 3 - Do investment research

All four Chandler libraries will be closed on Monday, September 3 for Labor Day.

Doing research into stocks and investments? We have a program you can access from home, even when the library is closed! Mergent InvestorEdge features company information, financial summaries, annual reports, EDGAR filings, buy/sell recommendations, and more, all free with your Chandler Library card. To access InvestorEdge from home, visit chandlerlibrary.org, hover your mouse over the purple RESEARCH tab, then choose Databases A-Z. Scroll down to Mergent InvestorEdge and click. You'll need your library card and 4-digit PIN numbers to access from home. Then you can search by company name or symbol, or choose Detailed Company Screener to search by buy or sell recommendation.

For more tips on using Mergent InvestorEdge, look for the Learn how to use this database link when you reach the Databases A-Z page.

Basha Library staff picks

Check out these suggestions from Basha Library staff!

Sacre Bleu, by Christopher Moore
Hallowed Ground by James M. McPherson
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
The BFG by Roald Dahl
The Art of Happiness by the Dalai Lama
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse
Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews
House Rules by Jodi Picoult
The Innocent Man by John Grisham
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

"Everything" books on Axis 360

Looking for more ebooks? Maybe how-to books and other illustrated books that are hard to find as ebooks? Check out the library's new ebook collection: Axis360.

A wide selection of Everything books are available on Axis360, such as:
The Everything Bridge Book
The Everything Cookies & Brownies Cookbook
The Everything Dog Grooming Book
The Everything Fix-It Book
and The Everything Sign Language Book, shown here.


To get Axis360 ebooks, go to chandlerlibrary.org and choose READ - Ebooks and Digital Media. Click the Axis360 logo. Try browsing by subject for the best results: you can choose cooking, health & fitness, and more. Check out the ebooks with your library card and PIN numbers.

To open the ebooks you check out, you will need to download the free Blio program for your Windows computer, Android mobile device, or iOS mobile device. Create a free account using an email address and password. Your ebooks will be stored in the Blio "cloud" - so you can access them wherever you are, from any device that has the Blio reader installed.

Like all our ebooks, there are no late fees. Ebooks expire and are automatically returned on their due date. (Blio does not currently offer an option to return books early.) You can check out a limit of 10 Axis360 books, for 2 weeks. Look for some bestselling fictions titles too - a new addition to Axis360!

New Arrivals

Some of the new books received at the Chandler Library:

Adult mystery
The Hanging Tree: A small-town investigator tries to uncover the truth behind an apparent suicide, but it's his own past that haunts him.
Bagpipes, Brides, and Homicides: All Liss wants is a simple white wedding, but her mother wants all the Scottish regalia. What can cause more drama? Maybe a murder to investigate?

Adult nonfiction
The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet: Get more vegetables in your diet the tasty way - with this collection of veggie burgers inspired by flavors of the world.
Almost a Psychopath: Do you know someone who is highly manipulative, shallow, or a pathological liar? Learn to recognize the signs and deal with these difficult people.

Juvenile fiction (kids' chapter books)
Zac Power: Shockwave: Zac has 24 hours to save the world... and clean his room. Can he stop a LaserBlaster poised to destroy all mobile networks around the world?
The Adventures of Jo Schmo: Dinos Are Forever
Jo is an ordinary fourth-grader, until she receives a mysterious package with a superhero cape inside and joins the family business of fighting bad guys.

Book Review: Gone Girl

On Nick and Amy's fifth wedding anniversary, Amy goes missing. In the investigation that follows, Nick admits lying to the police, and a diary is discovered that details Amy's growing fear of her husband. But what really happened the day Amy disappeared?

Gone Girl is a novel that alternates between Nick and Amy's voices, but nothing is as it seems. Lies build upon lies and secrets are discovered, so that this tale of a slowly crumbling marriage becomes a fascinating web of deceit and insanity. What is Nick lying about? Is Amy as naive as she seems? The questions - and the suspense - keep building to the very end. -Michelle (Sunset)

Back to School

It's back to school for the kids. Looking for materials to help with their schoolwork? Visit the Kids' Place page on the library website.

You can find booklists for K-6, research databases and ebooks in subjects like science and state reports, links to AR Book Finder and the Grand Canyon Reader Award, and more. And everything is free and available from home, even when the library is closed. Just visit chandlerlibrary.org, hover your mouse over the green MY LIBRARY tab, and choose Pages For: Kids.

Please note: there are no regular storytimes at the Chandler libraries in August. Check our calendar of events for special events in August. Storytimes will resume in September.

Summer Reading - The Last Week!

Summer Reading at the library ends on July 28. You have one more week to read, pick up your prizes (kids and teens), and enter the grand prize drawings (teens and adults).

Here are some suggestions that have been read by other library members in the adult summer reading program:
Animal Vegetable Miracle
Before I Go to Sleep
Halfway to the Grave
The Paris Vendetta
The Sins of the Father
Sonoma Rose
Steve Jobs
Swamplandia
Up Close and Dangerous

Retro Reads: Emma

It took me a while to become a Jane Austen fan, having slept though several movie adaptations of the classic writer's novels. That changed when I saw the wonderful BBC miniseries Emma, the most recent screen version of Jane Austen's 1815 novel, and I decided to take a look at the original.

Emma Woodhouse is the pampered daughter of a country gentleman, living a carefree life "with very little to distress or vex her." When her former governess gets married and moves away, Emma takes credit for having introduced her to her husband, and to entertain herself in a now lonely house, Emma decides to pursue matchmaking full-time. Absurd situations ensue when Emma meets Harriet - a young woman with a great deal of beauty but little in the way of money, family, or sense - and embarks upon the project of preparing Harriet for society and getting her paired off. But Emma proves to be as ignorant as Harriet in matters of romance. Like many novels of its time, Emma moves slowly compared to modern stories, with more dialogue than action. Its charm unfolds gradually in the voices of the utterly innocent Harriet, Emma's hypochondriac father, and Emma herself, whom Austen described as "a heroine whom no one but myself will much like" but who becomes irresistible in her own way.

You can find Emma and hundreds of other classic books in our Always Available ebook collection, part of the Greater Phoenix Digital Library. Download them to your home computer or transfer them to an EPUB-compatible reader. You will need to download Adobe Digital Editions to access the ebooks. For the Always Available books, you will need to click the Download button, then save the file to your computer (make note of its location). Open Adobe Digital Editions, then choose Library - Add item to library. The Always Available classic ebooks do not expire and do not count against your checkout limit, so you can check out as many as you want and keep them for as long as you want.
-Michelle (Sunset)

Book Review: Calling Invisible Women

It's no surprise that middle-aged women feel invisible: taken for granted by their husbands and children, no longer turning heads on the street as young women can. But what happens when one of them actually becomes invisible?

Calling Invisible Women is Jeanne Ray's entertaining new novel, following the plight of Clover Hobart as she wakes up one morning to discover she has disappeared. What will her best friend think? Will her husband ever notice? And what does a major pharmaceutical company, maker of three popular medications that Clover takes, have to do with it? Ray's prose is charming, her tale is inspiring, and middle-aged women will be nodding in agreement. - Michelle (Sunset)

Closed July 4 - More summer reading ideas!

All four libraries will be closed on Wednesday, July 4 for Independence Day. Regular hours will apply the rest of the week.

Keep reading for the library's Summer Reading Programs! Kids, teens, and adults can enter and read for prizes or grand prize drawings, between now and July 28.

Here are some suggested titles, which people have enjoyed for the adult summer reading program:
Alex Cross's Trial
Destined
Great Gatsby
No Safe Place
Plum Spooky
State of Wonder

Book Review: White Bread

What's the best thing since sliced bread? It just might be this book. White Bread: A Social History of the Store-Bought Loaf not only tells the history of factory bread production but reveals the social causes for and responses to industrial-made bread. It might sound like a dry topic, but the writing is never dull and the book is filled with fascinating observations and facts, from early vegetarian movements (led by Sylvester Graham, whose name was later given to the cracker, in the early 1800s) to the rise of enriched white flour (a post-Depression effort to improve Americans' nutrition in anticipation of World War II) to the shipment of American grain around the world (a Cold War tactic to lure drought-stricken European countries away from Communism). Modern gluten-free diets have their predecessor in the anti-bread trend of the 1920s, and today's fascination with old-fashioned baking is the mirror of the early-20th-century love of the newfound science and technology that produced the first industrial bread. Whether you love or loathe white bread, you won't look at it quite the same way again. -Michelle (Sunset)

Summer Reading Programs

Now through July 28 - Summer Reading!

For kids - "Read, Play, Win!" Children birth to age 18 can earn prizes by reading 50 pages or listening to a book being read for 15 minutes. All kids who start the program will receive a voucher for a ticket to a Diamondbacks' game.  Co-sponsored by The Arizona Republic and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

For teens - "Cultivate Your Mind." Teens age 12-18 can win prizes including a voucher for a free Chipotle burrito, and drawings for other prizes such as movie passes and gift cards. Four Kindle Fires will be raffled off at the end of the teen program. Sponsored by Chipotle restaurants.

For adults - "Reading Never Gets Old, Celebrate Arizona." Read five books to enter a drawing for an annual membership to the Phoenix Art Museum or the Desert Botanical Gardens.

Each branch of the Chandler Public Library will host many free programs for all ages in conjunction with the summer reading programs.  Please check the library website at www.chandlerlibrary.org, or call the library at 480-782-2800.

New Arrivals

New fiction at the Chandler Library:

Her Highness the Traitor by Susan Higginbotham
In 1553, during the confusion following the death of Henry VIII's only son, Lady Jane Grey was crowned and ruled England for nine days. This novel tells the story of the two women whose ambition drove them to put their children on the throne.

Redshirts by John Scalzi
To Star Trek fans, "redshirts" are the nameless, easily expendable members of the crew who always find themselves killed while visiting strange new worlds. What happens when Ensign Andrew Dahl finds himself on a spaceship with a similar reputation for losing members of its away teams?

New nonfiction

The Cost of Hope by Amanda Bennett
A Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter uses her skills as an investigator to determine the price of saving a life in this memoir of her husband's battle with cancer.

Full Body Burden by Kristen Iversen
A history of growing up in small town near Rocky Flats, site of a secret nuclear weapons plant, and what happens when one woman begins to ask questions.

Retro Reads: The $30,000 Bequest

The Fosters, a reasonably well-off couple living in a small town in the west, are stunned by sudden news from their only living relative. This relative promises the couple a gift of $30,000 in his will, provided the Fosters make no inquiry regarding his death and do not attend his funeral. The relative makes this promise "not for love, but because money had given him most of his troubles and exasperations, and he wished to place it where there was good hope that it would continue its malignant work."

Mark Twain's classic works satirize the society of his time and beyond. The Fosters are only too recognizable as they struggle to keep their eagerness under control while reading the obituaries, argue over how to spend the money, and dream up ever more ambitious plans for the riches they don't have yet. Will their marriage survive the stress? Will their sanity?

You can find The $30,000 Bequest and hundreds of other classic books in our Always Available ebook collection, part of the Greater Phoenix Digital Library. Download them to your home computer or transfer them to an EPUB-compatible reader. You will need to download Adobe Digital Editions to access the ebooks. For the Always Available books, you will need to click the Download button, then save the file to your computer (make note of its location). Open Adobe Digital Editions, then choose Library - Add item to library. The Always Available classic ebooks do not expire and do not count against your checkout limit, so you can check out as many as you want and keep them for as long as you want.
-Michelle (Sunset)

Closed May 28 - Get ready for Summer Reading

All four branches of the Chandler Public Library will be closed Monday, May 28 for Memorial Day. Starting May 29, you can join the Summer Reading Programs for kids, teens, and adults. Wondering what to read? Try these sources for suggestions!

NoveList helps you find books by a favorite author, "read-alikes" that are similar to favorite authors or books, award winners, and more. You can also find recommended reading lists by subject for adults, teens, and kids.

Books and Authors offers book suggestions and the "Who What Where When" feature, which lets you browse by Character, Subject, Location and Time Period.

Find interactive books for kids using TumbleBooks! Read story books, fact books, read-along books, and more in a fun format with text, sounds, and animation. No ebook reader required - just access them on your computer. Some titles are also available for iPad.

Use your library card and PIN numbers to access these resources, and come in starting May 29 for more information and to sign up for Summer Reading!

Book Review: The Book of Madness and Cures

"Melancholia seeps into one's life like the metallic sand of an hourglass... My friend Messalina grew so disconsolate that no one could find a cure, not even my father... It is said that the black bile of melancholia devours even stone with its terrible acid."

Such descriptions made up the understanding of medicine in Renaissance Italy, and they punctuate Regina O'Melveny's debut novel The Book of Madness and Cures. Gabriella Mondini, the only female doctor in Venice, leaves home to find her father after receiving a puzzling letter from him. Following the trail of the letters he sent over the years, Gabriella visits cities all over Europe and the Mediterranean, as far north as Scotland and as far south as Morocco. Meanwhile she tries to complete the book she began working on with him, a compendium of medical conditions and their cures, from the souls of the dead that infect the living to the blue earworms that absorb words spoken to women. The novel is not only a fascinating tour through the Renaissance world but a glimpse into the near-magical attitude medical practitioners had about illness and its treatment, all related in gorgeous writing.

Historical fiction is an ever-popular genre. Other recent historical fiction titles include The Divining, a similar story featuring a woman traveling throughout the ancient Roman Empire; Four Sisters, All Queens, about four 13th-century monarchs; and The Rebel Wife, set in the years after the American Civil War. - Michelle (Sunset)

Happy Birthday Chandler!

Chandler celebrates its 100th birthday on May 17th. Join the party during this weekend's Centennial Celebration! Visit www.chandler100th.com for complete information.

Thursday, May 17, 2012
Happy 100th Birthday Chandler! Celebration 
4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
City Hall Plaza

Check out the new 50-year time Capsule and plaque dedication; hear local entertainment and special speakers; see our community Birthday Cards and try a piece of the winning Centennial Birthday Cakes!

Friday, May 18, 2012
100 Artists Celebrating 100 Years 
4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Historic Downtown Chandler

Enjoy a relaxed evening in downtown Chandler, where our city’s history began, with artists, music, food, history and more.

Saturday, May 19, 2012
Chandler Bash of the Century 
4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Tumbleweed Park

Bring the family to Tumbleweed Park for classic games with prizes, entertainment from local talent, history exhibits, special speakers, flyovers, and a fireworks display!

Sunset Library Grand Reopening

Renovations are complete at the Sunset Library. Join us for a Rededication Ceremony on Saturday, May 12 at 10am.

There will be a special event for kids - Celebrate Sunset - at 10:30 in our renovated meeting room. Join us for stories, fingerplays, songs and a craft for ages 5 and under.

Get an inside look at the renovation process: find our pictures on the library's Facebook page!

Retro Reads: A Study in Scarlet

After discovering the fantastic new BBC series Sherlock, I wanted to go back and read Arthur Conan Doyle's original. Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson made their first appearance in A Study in Scarlet, available as a free ebook from our Digital Library's "Always Available" collection.

Many screen portrayals have captured Holmes' eccentricities, but none can match the quirks, difficult personality, and brilliance of Doyle's creation. A Study in Scarlet details the first meeting between Watson and the world's only consulting detective, as Holmes helps Scotland Yard solve a series of murders involving poison and revenge.

You can download this title and hundreds of other classic books to your home computer, or transfer them to an EPUB-compatible reader. You will need to download Adobe Digital Editions to access the ebooks. For the Always Available books, you will need to click the Download button, then save the file to your computer (make note of its location). Open Adobe Digital Editions, then choose Library -> Add item to library. The Always Available classic ebooks do not expire and do not count against your checkout limit, so you can check out as many as you want and keep them for as long as you want.
-Michelle (Sunset)

New Nonfiction

New nonfiction books in various categories arrived at the library last week.

New Travel Books

Frommer's Prague

Frommer's Honolulu, Waikiki & Oahu

Find hotels, dining options, walking tours, and more travel tips from these classic guides. Notes on history and culture are also added.

New Cookbooks

The Quintessential Quinoa Cookbook

Lushy illustrated and full of breakfast, entree, side dish, and dessert recipes using this South American grain. Tips are included for lower-fat, vegan, and gluten-free variations.

Simply Gluten-free Quick Meals

For people on special diets who don't have a lot of time, this cookbook offers easy recipes and quick-cooking strategies.

New Children's Nonfiction

Citizen Scientists

Inspiring kids to go outside and discover the world around them, this book offers practical tips and background information about butterflying, birding, frogging, and ladybugging.

Armed Services

An overview of the military for young readers, including history, global combat, weapons and aircraft, and more.

Book Review: Monday Mornings

What happens when doctors make mistakes? Who is punished, and which doctors lose their jobs? What happens to the patients, or to their surviving family? And how do doctors learn from tragedy?

Practicing neurosurgeon and media correspondent Sanjay Gupta brings these issues to life in his novel Monday Mornings. At the fictional Chelsea General Hospital, surgeons are summoned to a six-a.m. Monday conference to analyze their own mistakes - the neurosurgeon who failed to screen for a deadly bleeding condition before operating, the triage doctor who declared a neo-Nazi accident victim dead before examining him, even the director of the surgery department who made a basic and careless error. The professional and personal lives of these characters are explored in a compelling and fascinating read, opening the door on the difficult choices and very human mistakes that surround doctors every day. - Michelle (Sunset)

Book Review: The Thief

Fuminori Nakamura is Japan's new sensation. Recent winner of Japan's most prestigious literary prize,The Akutagawa Award, The Thief is his first novel published in English. It's a crime novel you won't be able to forget or put down - a cross between James Patterson, Franz Kafka, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky. If this hasn't piqued your interest, have you ever thought of the psychological dynamics of a pickpoket as he weaves his way through Tokyo crowds? How does he operate? What is he thinking? Does he have a moral system? Does he love? Can a brief moment of spiritual enlightenment and a moment of kindness change his eternal path? In just two hundred and eleven pages you are going to have your socks knocked off! Fast-paced entertainment with a spiritual thunder clap that will enlighten the most critical reader! - Henry (Downtown)

Chandler Mayors' Stories: April 3

On April 3, 2012, Mayor Jay Tibshraeny and former Mayor Coy Payne will share their stories of growing up in Chandler and how they came to serve on the City Council. “Chandler Mayors’ Stories” will be held at the Downtown Chandler Library, 22 S. Delaware Street, starting at 6:30 p.m.

Mayor Tibshraeny served from 1994-2002, and 2011 to the present; while Coy Payne led the City from 1990-1994. Each arrived in the mayor’s seat through a very different set of circumstances, and their stories provide an interesting contrast - while revealing the rich diversity of our history. They will also talk about the ways they tried to shape the community under their leadership, and the major challenges they dealt with during their terms.

The presentation is part of the City’s Centennial Speaker Series, celebrating Chandler's 100th birthday on May 17. For more information about the Centennial, including events, history, and more, visit www.chandler100th.com.

Book Review: Party

On the day after school ends for a group of Southern California high school students, everybody is preparing to attend the same end-of-the-year blowout. The events of the day, beginning in the afternoon, are revealed through the eyes of a dozen or so narrators, each with a different reason for attending the evening's party: Some see the event as a chance to hook up, others to let go and one or two see it is a final chance to fit in before the school year ends. Most of the book feels, largely, like an homage to any number of films aimed at teenagers (Dazed and Confused comes to mind), but Leveen manages to bring the tension up a few notches as it becomes clear that these characters' paths are going to cross in a startling way.

In Party, Tom Leveen skillfully writes from multiple perspectives, giving each character a distinct voice. While not terribly original, the novel is a safe bet to have widespread appeal: I would recommend it to both guys and girls looking for stylish, realistic teen fiction. - Nick (Downtown)

For more teen reviews, visit Chandler Library's newest blog, Teens Read... & Write About It!

Book Review: Pure

On her sixteenth birthday, Pressia is on the run, targeted by soldiers whose violence is as threatening as the mystery of their unknown mission. Meanwhile, Partridge tries to escape his perfectly sanitized, perfectly controlled home to get into Pressia's dangerous world, hoping to find his mother although he's been told all his life she is dead. Pure is a wildly imaginative novel set in a near future where some people have been saved from a deadly nuclear blast - and the rest have endured bizarre injuries and oppression from a military force that may not be what it seems. Author Julianna Baggott writes a surprisingly engaging tale full of strange and fascinating elements, told in numerous voices that flesh out her world.

Pure joins a long literary history of post-apocalyptic fiction, from the classic The Handmaid's Tale to Cormac McCarthy's recent bestseller The Road and the new novel When She Woke, which was reviewed on this blog in December. -Michelle (Sunset)

Spring Reading Programs for Kids

Now through April 14, kids up to age 12 can read and earn prizes!

Crawl Into Reading for children age 0-3

Stop in at any library branch and pick up a game board that lists simple literacy building activities you can do with your child, such as "describe to your baby what you're doing as you shop, cook, or drive" and "sing a song that has motions you and your baby can do together.” Families will perform these activities at home and then return the game board to the library. A free board book will be awarded to each family that completes the entire series of activities.

Cover to Cover reading program for children age 4-12

Sponsored by In and Out Burger! Kids can pick up a reading log at any library branch, read 5 books, and earn a certificate for a free burger. Finish up to 3 logs to earn 3 burgers.

Book Review: The Girl Who Became a Beatle

Meet Regina, the protagonist of The Girl Who Became a Beatle and teenage frontwoman of a Beatles cover band, the Caverns. The band is the center of Regina’s life and when they break up, Regina does what any teenager would do: she wishes she were someone else. Regina soon finds herself fronting the most famous band in the world: a world in which the Beatles never existed; a world in which she owns the entire Beatles songbook. While Regina initially embraces her new role in the universe, she quickly comes to realize the drawbacks of fame and being considered a genius, especially when that genius actually belongs to someone else.

Author Greg Taylor keeps the pace fast and the prose simple, making The Girl Who Became a Beatle a good read for late middle-schoolers and high-schoolers alike, not to mention any Beatle fanatic who would enjoy every clever nod to the Fab Four’s career. - Nick (Downtown)

For more teen reviews, visit Chandler Library's newest blog, Teens Read... & Write About It!

YA Fiction Roundup

Some of the new arrivals for teens (and other fans of YA novels):

Awkward by Marni Bates
Mackenzie isn't the most graceful girl in school, but when someone catches her latest awkward moment on video, she becomes the latest YouTube sensation. Suddenly she's popular, and that's when things get really interesting...

The End of the Line by Angela Cerrito
Robbie is locked in a room with a pencil and paper, and nothing else - no food, no bed, nothing - until he writes down the words that will explain who he is and how he came to be incarcerated.

Hidden by Helen Frost
The lives of two girls become linked when one girl's father steals the car that the other girl is hiding in. Fans of Ellen Hopkins' books will enjoy this story that uses poetry to bring together the two girls' stories.

You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis
Luna thought she had gotten over her mother's death, but when she finds her mother's cell phone - and the seven unplayed messages on it - she becomes caught up in the mystery surrounding how her mother actually died.

Closed February 20 - Take a virtual tour of Washington, D.C.

All four branches of the Chandler Public Library will be closed Monday, February 20 for Presidents' Day. Library resources are still available even if the library's doors are closed - try taking in a virtual tour of Washington, D.C. with our Reference Books from Gale.

You can access numerous Eyewitness Travel Guides, and many other reference resources, through the library's collection of databases. Start at chandlerlibrary.org and hover your mouse over the purple RESEARCH tab. Choose Databases A-Z, then scroll down to choose Reference Books from Gale Virtual Reference Library. To access the database from home you'll need to enter your library card and 4-digit PIN numbers.

You'll see all of our online reference books in an alphabetic list. Scroll down to choose Washington, D.C, or choose any other travel guide. The entire book is available, including full-color illustrations. You can click on the Table of Contents to navigate chapter-by-chapter.

Chandler Science Spectacular: February 16-18

Join Chandler businesses, artists, students, and innovators in a three-day celebration of science! On Thursday, February 16, local businesses including Intel and Microchip are opening their doors to visitors for the Chandler Tech Crawl and open house. Friday's Downtown Chandler Art Walk will feature discussions, exhibits, hands-on activities, shows and tours of the science behind candle making, glass blowing, oil painting, wine and pottery making, and more. Chandler's Science Saturday will be an extravaganza featuring interactive demonstrations and activities from our technology companies and students, showcased along Commonwealth Avenue in Downtown Chandler.

For more information, a detailed schedule, and maps of the events, visit www.chandleraz.gov/science.

Book Review: Would It Kill You to Stop Doing That?

Columnist and New York resident Henry Alford takes on modern manners in Would It Kill You to Stop Doing That? This funny, irreverent, and sometimes outright rude collection of anecdotes and philosophy looks at how we should - and shouldn't - behave in a world that seems to have forgotten etiquette. He talks about his visit to Japan and that country's rigid system of proper behavior (don't break apart a bunch of bananas at the market), his not exactly mannerly game of Touch the Waiter (and what happened when he tried explaining its rules to a waiter), and his attempts to give etiquette advice to friends ("two successes, one semi-success, one uncertainty, and one miss"). Some of the stories will leave you giggling, some squirming with recognition of an uncomfortable situation, and some glad that you don't have to navigate the manners minefield of New York society. It's not a Miss Manners guide, but it will leave you amused, and maybe grateful that you haven't made the same mistakes. - Michelle (Sunset)

Chandler Centennial Whiskerino Contest

Chandler's Centennial is coming up in May! Join the celebration in the city's Whiskerino Contest - a beard growing contest like those held at the city's 50th and 75th anniversary celebrations, and harkening back to the styles of A.J. Chandler's time.

To participate in the Whiskerino Contest:
1. Get a team of three men who live, work, or go to school in Chandler,
2. Get a sponsor or entity to represent (business, church, school, organization, agency or other entity),
3. Fill out a contest application and turn it in by the deadline of February 3,
4. Appear at City Hall on February 7 for a photo, cleanshaven,
5. Start growing! Teams will meet at Tumbleweed Park on May 19 for their final judging.

See the city's centennial contest website for more information. And visit www.chandler100th.com for a complete list of centennial activities, projects, history, and more!