Attention Teens

Waiting for Stephenie Meyer's new book, Breaking Dawn? You can now place an OWWL Hold for this title (which, as you probably know, will be released Saturday); stop by the Library to pick up a list of other books to read while you're waiting for your turn.

Click here to see two trailers for the upcoming Twilight movie, which will be released in December.

Pictures to Come

Today we're taking pictures of ...

our beautiful new Monarch butterfly, who emerged from his chrysalis this morning. He's just starting to spread his wings, and the Swallowtails seem happy to have company.

Summer Reading Art Work

All of the Catch the Reading Bug clip art I've been using here on the blog and on our in-library handouts are the product of children's book illustrator Harry Bliss' imagination. Thanks to Bliss for providing some really cute creatures for our Summer reading!

And Here's Another

Have fun!

Can You Put This Together?

Change the cut for some really neat versions (try USA for a really unusual puzzle).

Week 3 Prize Winners

Time for the third Catch the Reading Bug drawing! The winners are:

Preschool-9th Grade: Alexis B., Andrew E., Max L., Nora M., Macy P., and Leena S.; 10th Grade-Adult: SallyAnn D.

Congratulations!

If you didn't win yet, don't give up. We still have three more drawings ahead, and lots of prizes to add to the display.

Summer Reading Programs, Week 4

This week's Catch the Reading Bug programs are:

Sunday - Sunday Stories with Mrs. Garland, 2:30-3 p.m.
Monday - Rock Painting, 10 a.m.-noon; Story Hour, 1-1:45 p.m.
Tuesday - Share-a-Book Reading Club, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Thursday - Fun Club, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

No programs are scheduled on Wednesday and Friday; take advantage of these "days off" to work on your Bingo sheets. Have fun reading, and I'll see you at the Library :)

Pictures from Week 3

Enjoy!

Seeing Double?

No, this is definitely not a reflection - the second Swallowtail has emerged! And between them is a better look at the Monarch's chrysalis.

Our Swallowtail

As promised, here's our newest addition. When I left the Library this evening, the second Swallowtail chrysalis looked ready to pop - I can't wait to check on them tomorrow morning!

Another Birth!

I'm busy taking pictures of our new Swallowtail. Check back tonight or tomorrow for a glimpse of this gorgeous butterfly.

Bubble Day Today

Don't forget - Bette Bugni will be at the Library today at 1:30 with her fantastic bubbles. Wear something appropriate because you will probably get wet making those giant rainbow bubbles!

In case this cloudy day turns rainy, we'll still have some bubble fun on the porch.

Monarch Update

After chomping hungrily on those milkweed leaves nonstop for ~36 hours, our Monarch larva curled into his "J" shape Saturday afternoon.


And this is how he looked when I returned to the Library Sunday afternoon!


I'm hoping that when you click on the picture, you'll be able to see the golden rim around the top of the chrysalis; it's really beautiful! I'm experimenting with my camera and hope to have a better picture soon.

Week 2 Prize Winners

We had our second Catch the Reading Bug prize drawing this morning. Week 2 prize winners are:

Preschool-9th grade: Elizabeth B., Karly F., Hannah G., Moriah G., Anna Rose M., and Gracie Y.; 10th grade-adult: Jovan P.

Congratulations to this week's winners! Stop by to pick out a prize from the display.

Didn't win? Remember, you can also earn a prize by completing one of our Bingo cards.

Summer Reading Programs, Week 3

This week's Catch the Reading Bug programs are:

Sunday - Sunday Stories with Susan Salvaggio, 2:30-3 p.m.
Monday - Rock Painting, 10 a.m.-noon; Story Hour, 1-1:45 p.m.
Tuesday - Share-a-Book Reading Club, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Wednesday - PJ Storytime, 7-7:30 p.m.
Thursday - Bubble Day, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Friday - Friday Surprise (Craft), 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Saturday - Saturdays with Amy Thatcher, 10:30-11:15 a.m.

Look at your schedule for recommended age groups; Thursday's program is for all ages. I hope to see you at the Library this week for more Summer Reading fun!

Pictures from Week 2

Our Eating Machine

In The Family Butterfly Book, author Rick Mikula states:

"Caterpillars are eating machines. In a two-week period a caterpillar can increase in size by 2,000 times."

Here's the proof. The first picture was taken yesterday afternoon when we gave our Monarch larva a fat new milkweed leaf. The second picture is what was left of that leaf this afternoon! (Yes, I did put in a new leaf before I left work this evening.)

A Metamorphosis of a Different Kind

I hope you're planning on coming to the Library this Friday, July 18th, to see Pat Donohue's metamorphosis into Mr. Beau the Clown. Donohue starts the program with some introductory fun, and then applies his clown makeup, and dons his costume - no reason to be scared of this clown! Here are some pictures from Mr. Beau's last visit to our Library (in 2004).

This free family program is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m.

The Plural of Chrysalis

According to Merriam-Webster Online, the plural of chrysalis is chrysalides or chrysalises. Look what happened in our butterfly house this weekend!



These are the chrysalises (easier to spell and pronounce!) of our Swallowtails. You can even see the "thread" by which they attached themselves, one to the plant and the other to the window.

Week 1 Prize Winners

We held our first Catch the Reading Bug drawing this morning, and the winners are:

Preschool-9th Grade: Jenna A., Keith A., Nate L., Franelly M., Jair V., Simeon V. ; 10th Grade-Adult: Antje D.

You may all pick a prize out of the display case. Congratulations!

Pictures from Week 1

Summer Reading, Week 2

This week's Catch the Reading Bug programs are:

Sunday - Sunday Stories with Susan Salvaggio, 2:30-3 p.m.
Monday - Rock Painting, 10 a.m.-noon; Story Hour, 1-1:45 p.m.
Tuesday - Share-a-Book Reading Club, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Thursday - Fun Club, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Friday - Mr. Beau the Clown, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Saturday - Saturdays with Amy Thatcher, 10:30-11:15 a.m.

Look at your schedule for recommended age groups; Friday's program is definitely for the whole family. I hope to see you there!

Spreading Our Wings

Yes, there are lots of other things going on at our library this week - namely, Summer Reading programs - but I wanted to share these pictures with all of you!

Breaking News!

Four of our caterpillars were feeding close enough together to fit into one picture. This gang surely can eat!


This was the chrysalis yesterday (Wednesday, July 9th).


But look what happened what happened tonight!

Library Board Meets Thursday

The July meeting of the Library Board of Trustees will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 10th. Board meetings are always open to the public.

A New Lodger

Lindsay Kuhn, our butterfly supplier, dropped off a surprise for us this weekend. We now have a Monarch larvae living in our butterfly house! He's small now (you'll definitely have to click on the picture to see him on his leaf), but at the rate he's eating, he'll quickly catch up with his new neighbors.

This Week's Summer Reading

This week's Catch the Reading Bug programs are:

Monday - Rock Painting, 10 a.m.-noon; Story Hour, 1-1:45 p.m.
Tuesday - Share-a-Book Reading Club, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Wednesday - PJ Storytime, 7-7:30 p.m.
Thursday - Fun Club, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
Friday - Buggy Rock Painting, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Check the schedule for the appropriate age groups for these programs.

Remember to record the minutes you read on your Time Trackers, and to fill out prize tickets when you visit the Library. Have fun reading!

4th of July Butterfly Update

Actually, these pictures were taken the 3rd of July. The two Swallowtail "cats" are growing at an unbelievable rate, chomping away at their Queen Anne's Lace plant.


This one was climbing up the netting, then hurried back down for just one more snack!

Start Reading Today

Catch the Reading Bug is officially underway at our Library. Participants start reading today (Sunday), tracking minutes read on their Time Trackers. It's not too late to join us - come in any time this week to register.

Click here for an early printed version of the Declaration of Independence and much more from the Library of Congress.

Holiday Closing

The Library will be closed for the Independence Day weekend, July 4, 5, and 6. We will reopen at noon on Monday, July 7th.

Butterfly Update

Last Tuesday, these Swallowtail larvae were so tiny, they were hard to spot in our butterfly house. (Clicking directly on the pictures will give you the best view.)


And on Sunday, one of the Baltimore Checkerspots formed its chrysalis!

Reading Fun, Prizes, and Surprises

Register any day this week.

Congratulations!

We're proud of all our Sodus graduates. A special congratulations to our Library Pages, Caitlin Gallacher and Valeri Murray!

Can He Catch the Reading Bug?

A click of your mouse will feed the frog!

Check Out Our Butterfly House

As part of this year's Summer Reading celebration, "Catch the Reading Bug," we have rented this beautiful butterfly house from Smoke Ridge Butterflies.

This picture shows one of the two Baltimore Checkerspot larvae; the house also holds tiny Eastern Black Swallowtail larvae and Painted Lady eggs.

We hope you stop by often to check the progress of our new boarders.

Summer's Here!

Registration for our Summer Reading program starts Monday, June 30th.

Children's Author/Illustrator Dies

I just read that renowned children's author Tasha Tudor has died at the age of 92. Click here to learn more about this remarkable woman's career and about her unusual lifestyle.

Friends Meeting

The June meeting of the Friends of the Sodus Free Library will be at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 17th in the Library's meeting room. Come join us!

New Titles

We added some great new books today. Head to your computer to place an OWWL Hold, or give us a call if you'd like to reserve one.

Fiction:

The Broken Window, Jeffery Deaver
Careless in Red, Elizabeth George
Comfort Food, Kate Jacobs
Devil's Peak, Deon Meyer
The Enchantress of Florence, Salman Rushdie
A Fatal Waltz, Tasha Alexander
From Dead to Worse, Charlaine Harris
The Garden of Last Days, Andre Dubus III
The Gift of Rain, Tan Twan Eng
The Girl With No Shadow, Joanne Harris
I Shall Not Want, Julia Spencer-Fleming
The Other, David Guterson
The Plague of Doves, Louise Erdrich
Things I Want My Daughter To Know, Elizabeth Noble
Vineyard Chill, Philip R. Craig
Wit's End, Karen Joy Fowler

Nonfiction:

Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History, Theodore C. Sorensen
Earth, the Sequel: The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming, Fred Krupp
Home: A Memoir of My Early Years, Julie Andrews
The House Always Wins: America's Most Trusted Home Columnist's Guide to Creating Your (Almost) Perfect Dream House, Marni Jameson
Inventing Niagara: Beauty, Power, and Lies, Ginger Gail Strand
Medical Myths That Can Kill You: And the 101 Truths That Will Save, Extend, and Improve Your Life, Nancy L. Snyderman
Moyers on Democracy, Bill D. Moyers
Nolo Legal Guide for Starting & Running a Small Business, Fred S. Steingold
Nolo's Every Landlord's Legal Guide, Marcia Stewart
One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War, Michael Dobbs
When You Are Engulfed in Flames, David Sedaris

Library Closing

The Library will be closed Sunday, June 15th, in honor of Father's Day.

Soldiers Honored

Some of you may have wondered why our flag was flying at half-staff today. Governor Paterson ordered the flags lowered in honor of the three Fort Drum soldiers who were killed in Iraq this week. Army Sgt. Shane P. Duffy of Tauton, Massachusetts, Army Specialist Jonathan D. Emard of Mesquite, Texas, and Army Sgt. Cody R. Legg of Escondido, California, were members of the 1st Battalion, 878th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division.

“On behalf of the citizens of New York, I extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families of Sergeants Legg and Duffy and Specialist Emard,” said Governor Paterson.

Library Board Meets Thursday

The June meeting of the Library's Board of Trustees will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 12th, in our meeting room. Board meetings are open to the public.

Thank you to all of our great Friends and volunteers who put together our "Just Paperbacks" sale, and to Shirley P. for organizing everything. (Shirley, you've done it again!)

The final total was $277 - a phenomenal amount when you think about taking it in a quarter at a time. As I often say, "We love our Friends!"

Paperback Leftovers

This is a bargain you simply can't miss:

All paperback leftovers are going for $1 for 2 bags - and they're going fast!

This is your last chance. Whatever isn't purchased today is heading off to the Salvation Army.

Bargains Today

The paperbacks that have not yet been sold are now available for $1/bag. Don't miss these bargains!

Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Sunday hours are 2 to 4 p.m.

Stop In

There are lots of really good titles left in our paperback book sale. They're going for 25 cents each, 13 for $3, and 26 for $6. Stop in today - we're open until 5 p.m.

"Just Paperbacks"

The members of our Friends group are busy getting ready for their annual paperback sale. Our meeting room will be chock full of paperbacks of all types. Stop by next Thursday and Friday, June 5th and 6th, and you can pick up some great titles for 25 cents each, or a pile of 13 for $3. Then come back on Saturday, June 7th, and fill up a couple of bags for just $1 each. Don't miss this opportunity to collect an armload of terrific titles at a terrific price!

Fiction Additions

Some of the recent fiction titles we've added to our shelves are:

The Front, Patricia Cornwell
Odd Hours, Dean Koontz
Skeletons at the Feast, Christopher Bohjalian
Phantom Prey, John Sandford
Frames, Loren Estleman
Secrets in the Shadows, V. C. Andrews
Secrets, Jude Deveraux
The Rosetta Key, William Dietrich
The Lady Elizabeth, Alison Weir

Most, if not all, of these new books are already checked out, but OWWL Holds can be placed on any of them.

Click here for a history of the holiday.

24/7 Services

The Library is now closed for the Memorial Day weekend (we reopen Tuesday at noon), but many of our services are still available to you. You can log into your account at OWWL.org and check due dates, choose titles to put on Hold, or renew what you already have out.

You can log into our online databases to access full-text magazine articles, business and health information, local, New York, and national newspapers, and more. From the online databases link, you can also access LearnATest and practice for an upcoming civil service examination, your GED, college entrance and military exams, or work on various skill improvements. From that same link, a click on NoveList will let you browse through well over 100,000 recommended fiction titles. When you find one that sounds good to you, click on "Check the Library Catalog." This will take you directly back to OWWL, where you can place a Hold on the title.

There are many more things you can do through these subscription databases, but if I tried to list them all, you and I wouldn't have enough time left to be able to enjoy our long weekend! Enjoy browsing through our 24/7 services, and I'll look forward to seeing you in the Library soon.

New DVDs

I just put out a new "Circle the Video" sheet. These are some of the recently purchased titles now available for OWWL Holds:

P. S. I Love You
Charlie Wilson's War
I'm Not There
Mad Money
The Great Debaters
The Golden Compass
In The Name Of The King
27 Dresses
Cloverfield

Place a Hold online, stop by to pick up a circle sheet, or give us a call, and we'll place the Hold for you.

Library Closing

The Sodus Free Library will be closed Memorial Day weekend, May 24th, 25th, and 26th. No materials will be due on these three days.

Successful Vote

Thanks to the 266 people who voted "Yes" on Proposition #3, authorizing Library funding. We appreciate the support!

Remember to Vote Today

Today you can cast your vote on the school budget between noon and 9 p.m. in the Sodus High School lobby.

Proposition #3 reads "Shall a levy of $60,000 on the taxable property of the Sodus Central School District as a contribution to the Sodus Free Library for its maintenance and support be approved?" This funding will provide approximately 30% of our income this year.

We appreciate your thoughtful consideration of this proposition.

Friends Meeting

The monthly meeting of the Friends of the Sodus Free Library will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20th. Come join us as we finish planning our upcoming third annual "Just Paperbacks" sale - which will be held on June 5, 6, and 7 during library hours.

Books-Sandwiched-In

Join us at noon on Tuesday, May 20th, for this month's Books-Sandwiched-In. The program, sponsored by the Friends of the Sodus Free Library, will feature Jean Baker reviewing John Brogan's best-selling book, Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog. Reservations are required, and the $3 charge includes sandwiches, beverage, and dessert. I hope to see you there!