More Than Books has a new home!

Update your bookmarks and RSS feeds: More Than Books has a new home! Chandler Library's new website has its own blog platform, so we're moving to:

http://www.chandlerlibrary.org/more-than-books.html

You'll also find our blog featured in a box right on our homepage, with all the same book reviews, library news and highlighted resources.

Looking for... Books about our four-legged friends

Saturday, November 15 is Woofstock! Join your fellow dog lovers at Chandler's Tumbleweed Park for a day of training demonstrations, entertainment, vendors and more. This free-admission event starts at 9:00 am.

Dog lovers have also put their prints on the book world. Travels with Casey takes one man and his dog on a road trip across America - to look at other people and their dogs. The modern classic Marley and Me tells the story of living with "the world's worst dog." Or, you can go back even further and read famous veterinarian James Herriot's Favorite Dog Stories.

Find even more dog-related resources at the library:
Dog stories
Dog training
More books on dog ownership: stop in at your branch and look for 636.7 in nonfiction.

Don't forget our other furry and feathered friends! Books on pets of all sorts are found in nonfiction at 636.1 - 636.9.

Looking for… History Resources?

Helping a student do research for a history article? Or do you want to brush up on your own history knowledge? Chandler Library has two new resources to help you: U.S. History in Context and World History in Context. Find overview essays, primary sources, articles from journals and newspapers, and more. Read about the Colonial Era and other time periods, biographies of prominent people, major Supreme Court cases, and other historical topics.

To access these databases, start at chandlerlibrary.org and hover your mouse over the purple RESEARCH tab. Then click Databases A-Z, and scroll down to choose U.S. History or World History in Context. You’ll need your library card and PIN if you’re signing in from home. Then you can browse popular topics from the main page or use the search bar at the top to search for your own topic. Also - look for the Citation Tools link that goes with each article. It will tell you how to include the resource in a Works Cited page, just like a regular book or magazine.

The 5th Annual Chuck Wagon Cook-Off

Get your wagons hitched up and head to Tumbleweed Ranch at Tumbleweed Park November 7-9 for the 5th Annual Chuck Wagon Cook-Off. There's fun planned for all ages with a campfire glow, live music, gunfighter shows, and delicious food!

In case you want to get into a more "Western" state of mind before the big weekend, check out our list of Modern Westerns -- a great list of books featuring titles by Charles Portis, Larry McMurtry, Jeff Guinn, and Phillipp Meyer.

For those who want to try their hand at a little campfire cooking, check out a few of the titles below:

• Cabin Cooking: Delicious Easy-to-Fix Recipes for Camp, Cabin, or Trail by Kate Fiduccia
• Campfire Cuisine: Gourmet Recipes for the Great Outdoors by Robin Donovan
• Easy Campfire Cooking: 200+ Family Fun Recipes for Cooking Over Coals and in the Flames with a Dutch Oven, Foil Packets, and More!
• A Fork in the Trail: Mouthwatering Meals and Tempting Treats for the Backcountry by Laurie Ann March
• The Outdoor Dutch Oven Cookbook by Sheila Mills
• The Leave-No-Crumbs Camping Cookbook: 150 Delightful, Delicious, and Darn-Near Foolproof Recipes from Two Top Wilderness Chefs by Rick Greenspan
• The One Pan Gourmet: Fresh Food on the Trail by Donald Jacobson The Scout's Dutch Oven Cookbook by Tim Conners

Looking for... Book Group Resources

Do you belong to a book group? Looking to start one or join one? Chandler Public Library has resources for you!

Visit our Book Clubs page to see what book groups are currently going at our library branches. Locations, times, and book selections for the next two meetings are available at this page. (Check our events calendar to see if your book group has scheduled meetings and book selections past the next two months.)

Also on our Book Clubs page, you can find book suggestions for your own group to read, as well as resources to help with your discussion, such as ReadingGroupGuides. And you can sign up for our Online Book Club to get samples of books by email.

Need even more book suggestions? Check out our Book Lists page for books by genre or category: Popular Book Club Picks, Mystery, Award Winners, and more. Search our catalog for availability and place holds right from these lists.

Do you have a book club that might not be as exciting as it was when you first started? Here's some advice from NoveList (another great resource for reading suggestions) that could help:

Several years ago, I noticed that our discussions were becoming...difficult. There was no easy flow of conversation and ideas. One or two people dominated the conversation and participants were not open-minded to the opinions of others. We were having trouble getting deeper than comments such as, "I liked the book!" The lack of give and take in our discussions was upsetting to everyone. We wanted to get together to have fun and vibrant discussions, but somewhere between our desires and our reality we were missing a critical step.  Read more

@ 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.

Library Closed: Check our our ebooks!

All four Chandler Public Library locations will be closed on Monday, October 13 for system-wide staff training. The libraries will reopen on Tuesday at their regular times.

You can still check out books when the library's closed - with 3M ebooks! All you need to download books is the free 3M Cloud Library app, an internet connection, and your valid Chandler Library card and PIN numbers. There are apps for your PC or Mac, iOS device, Android device, Kindle Fire and Nook. Check out up to 10 items at a time for 2 weeks. Ebooks expire automatically on their due date, so there's nothing to return and no late fines! Take a look at this article to learn more!

Another great reason to get started with 3M Cloud Library now - our subscription to the OverDrive Greater Phoenix Digital Library expires on October 31. Please visit our Digital Media resources page to see how easy it is to use 3M Cloud Library!

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!

Looking for... Resources for Kids' School Reports?

Your child's school report is due, the teacher says you can't use Google, and the library's closed. What to do? Try our databases! These are collections of information, reprinted from books and magazines, available for free with your library card and PIN.

National Geographic Kids is full of articles that appeared in the National Geographic Kids magazine, easy to search by subject. Lots of books published by National Geographic are available, too. Search a book's contents or browse through, page by page.

Kids InfoBits gives you even more articles from a wider selection of magazines, chosen to be the right reading level for elementary-school readers. Searchasaurus offers additional magazine articles for younger grades.

To access all these databases, start at chandlerlibrary.org and hover your mouse over the purple RESEARCH tab. Then click Databases A-Z, and scroll down to choose Kids InfoBits, National Geographic Kids, Searchasaurus - and more! You’ll need your library card and PIN if you’re signing in from home. Then you can browse popular topics from the main page or use the search bar at the top to search for your own topic. Also - look for the citation information that goes with each book or article. It will tell you how to include the resource in a Works Cited page, just like a regular book or magazine.

Looking for... World News and Issues?

Do you have a student doing a pro/con issues report? Are you interested in the big issues around the world and looking for more thorough news coverage? Global Issues in Context brings together articles from news sources and academic resources on topics such as the environment, women’s rights, and world conflicts. Most articles are available in full text, just as they appeared in their original sources, including copyrighted articles not available in a free Google search.

To access Global Issues in Context, start at chandlerlibrary.org and hover your mouse over the purple RESEARCH tab. Then click Databases A-Z, and scroll down to choose Global Issues in Context. You’ll need your library card and PIN if you’re signing in from home. Then you can choose a popular topic from the main page or use the search bar at the top to find your own topic.

@ 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