@ Your Library: Dig Deeper on International Archaeology Day

On October 18th, Chandler Public Library joins archaeological organizations, museums and libraries around the world to celebrate International Archaeology Day. Join us at the Downtown Library on Saturday at 2:00 pm for a special program that will encourage you to excavate your inner Indiana Jones. Author Judith Starkston will discuss her debut novel Hand of Fire, as well as her travels to the archaeology sites of Troy (Turkey).

Hand of Fire tells the tale of Briseis, the captive woman Achilles and Agamemnon fought over in The Iliad. When Achilles, the half-immortal Greek warrior, takes Briseis captive in the midst of the Trojan War, he gets more than he bargained for: a healing priestess, a strong-willed princess - and a warrior. She raises a sword against Achilles and ignites a passion that seals his fate and changes her destiny.

To learn more, see what books and resources the library has to offer! Search the catalog for books on archaeology, both nonfiction and fiction, for adults and kids. Do even more research in Britannica Online, available for free through your library (with your library card number and PIN). Or, get back to basics and read Homer's Iliad.

Star Wars Day! October 10-11

“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”

It was with these opening lines that Star Wars stole our hearts and minds forever. While most people have heard of the two trilogies, there is a whole Star Wars Expanded Universe, composed of TV shows, computer and video games, comics, and books out there that many people don’t know about. Now, for the third year, Lucas Arts and Disney have worked with libraries and book stores across the nation to bring you Star Wars Reads Day! This Friday and Saturday, October 10-11, 2014, Jedi masters and Sith Lords everywhere will unite to spread their love of reading about all things Star Wars.

So grab a book and celebrate! Here are just a few of Star Wars titles you can find at your Chandler Public Library:

Vader’s Little Princess and its companion book, Darth Vader and Son, explore the trials and tribulations of juggling parenting and being a Sith Lord. Great for parents and their little padawans.

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda is the first in a fun new series about sixth grade, origami, pop quizzes, and Star Wars. In this first book, Tommy wonders whether his Origami Yoda really can predict the future…

For those of you eager for more on our intrepid heroes from the original trilogy, look no further than Timothy Zahn’s latest Star Wars: Scoundrels. Join Han, Lando, and Chewie as they work together to pay off Jabba the Hutt’s bounty on Han’s head.

Find these titles and more in our library catalog. Don’t forget to check out one of the Star Wars Reads Day events at your Chandler Library! May a love of reading be with you!

@ Your Library: Knit & Crochet

Christina Hendricks, Meryl Streep, Alyssa Milano, Catherine Zeta-Jones - other than acting, what do these women have in common? They are all confirmed crocheters or knitters! 

Join their ranks by attending our Knit & Crochet Saturday: August 30 at 1:00 pm at the Sunset Library. Bring your current project to share with the group, mingle with like-minded makers, swap patterns, ideas, and tips, and make new friends at this hour-long program. Needleworkers of all skill levels are invited to join the group.

Other options include:

• The Stitch’ n Time program at our Basha Library, every first and third Friday at 12:30
• Search our catalog for books on knitting or crochet

Joss Whedon says it best, “Write it. Shoot it. Publish it. Crochet it, sauté it, whatever. MAKE.” 

Come make with us at the library!

@ Sunset Library: Edible Plants of the Sonoran Desert

Wondering what to do with all those pods falling off of your mesquite trees? Tired of throwing away prickly pear fruit when you know it would make a tasty jam? Join us at the Sunset Library to learn about these and other edible plants of the Sonoran Desert. Master Gardener and Sonoran plant expert Jean Groen will be here to tell us more about where to find edible plants, and how they were historically used by Native Americans as medicine and food. 

Jean Groen is the author or co-author of 7 books about plants in the Sonoran Desert. She loves experimenting with seeds, plants, and berries, as well as modernizing ancient Indian recipes to use native plants in new and interesting ways. Her personal slogan is, “I eat anything that doesn’t eat me first.” Don’t miss out on this opportunity to discover the surprising foods growing all around us.

Saturday, August 16^th, 10:30am-12:30pm
Sunset Library
4930 W Ray Rd
Chandler, AZ 85226
No registration required

Want to learn more? Check out these books on cooking with native plants:

• Edible and Useful Plants of the Southwest by Delena Tull
• Cooking the Wild Southwest by Carolyn Niethammer 
• Wild Foods of the Sonoran Desert by The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum 
• Sonoran Desert Food Plants by Charles W. Kane