Time for Movies

Academy Award nominations were announced today - congratulations to local actor Philip Seymour Hoffman on his Best Actor nomination for Capote! If all the talk of Oscars has put you in the mood to watch a movie, stop by the Library. We've added several new DVDs to our collection; among them are Lord of War, Flightplan, Transporter 2, Red Eye, The Constant Gardener, and Beauty Shop. As Oscar-nominated movies become available on DVD, we will be purchasing them. For those who enjoy documentaries, my personal recommendations are March of the Penguins and Mad Hot Ballroom. Any of these titles can be placed on hold.

Best Books for Young Adults 2006

YALSA (the Young Adult Library Services Association) has announced its 2006 recommended list of Best Books for Young Adults. A fifteen-member committee narrowed a list of 217 nominations down to the final list of 991 recommended titles. Click here to access the BBYA list. The committee also selected a Top Ten list of titles, which you will find here. Place an OWWL Hold on any title you'd like to read.

Best in Children's and Teen Literature

This morning in San Antonio, Texas, the American Library Association announced the year's top books for children and young adults. The winner of the John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature is Lynne Rae Perkins for Criss Cross. Chris Raschka won the Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children with The Hello, Goodbye Window.

Looking for Alaska by John Green is the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award winner for excellence in literature written for young adults. The Coretta Scott King Book Award, recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults, was given to Julius Lester, author of Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue, and to Bryan Collier, illustrator of Rosa. The first Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book went to Cynthia Rylant for Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas.

Click here to see the complete list of all the 2006 literary award winners, including Honor books. Stop by or call the Library to place OWWL Holds on any of these award-winning books.

Decadent, Devilish, Delightful, and Decidedly Delicious!

Yes ... it's almost time for our Friends group's fabulous Third Annual Valentine Chocolate Sale! Offerings for your honey will include homemade pies, candies, cakes, cookies, brownies, etc. - everything and anything chocolate. The sale will be held Thursday, February 9, from noon until 8 p.m., and on Friday, February 10, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Contributions of chocolate products will be gratefully accepted between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Thursday. See you there!

Annual Association Meeting

The annual Sodus Free Library Association meeting and election of Trustees will be held on February 2nd, at 7 p.m. The Library's 2006 financial budget will also be submitted for approval at this meeting. Three candidates (Robert Bayless, Jr., Carol Sergeant, and John Cook) are running for two Board openings; each position is for a five-year term. To vote in this election, you must be 16 years of age, a resident within the Sodus Central School District, and an OWWL card holder. If unable to attend the meeting, you may vote by absentee ballot, available now at the circulation desk.

Come Linger & Mingle!

Click here for an interesting article about libraries which appeared in the January 13, 2006, issue of The Christian Science Monitor.

New Oprah Book Club Selection

The newest title chosen for Oprah's Book Club is Night by Elie Wiesel. While we do have a copy available, the "official" Oprah selection is an entirely new translation by the author's wife, Marion Wiesel. This new edition is touted as being longer and more accurate than the previously published edition, and features a new introduction by the author, along with his 1986 Nobel Peace Prize presentation and acceptance speeches. We have these new copies on order, and will be accepting OWWL Holds for them starting next week.

January Friends Meeting

The Friends of the Sodus Free Library will meet at 4 p.m. on Thursday, January 19, in the Library's meeting room. All are welcome to attend.

Painting Rocks at the Library

Intrigued by the beautiful rock houses on the bottom shelf of our display case? Would you like to try your hand at this unique art? Shirley Patchett will be teaching a three-part class on how to transform rocks into houses, shops, or virtually any building you can imagine. The classes will be held at 10:30 a.m. on three consecutive Mondays, starting January 23rd. Registration is required and will be limited to ten, so stop by the Library at your earliest convenience to sign up. Upon registering, you will be given a sheet of the supplies that Shirley would like you to bring to the first class. And start hunting for that "perfect" rock!

Library Closing

We will be closed on Monday, January 16, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday. Click here to learn how you can volunteer for a day of service, making it "a day on, not a day off."

Pictures from Kwanzaa Program

Symbols of the holiday




Storytelling: Seven Spools of Thread, a Kwanzaa Story, by Angela Shelf Medearis

January Board of Trustees Meeting

This month's meeting of the Board of Trustees will be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, January 12, in the Library's meeting room. All Board meetings are open to the public.

Blue Ribbon Awards

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books has announced its 2005 Blue Ribbons, awarded to titles that the Bulletin's staff deem to be the best of the previous year's literature for youth. Most are available at our Library; those we do not own are easily obtained by placing an OWWL Hold. Click here for the list, and make plans to share some quality children's literature with your favorite young person.

Quote for the New Year

"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives ... not looking for flaws, but for potential."
~Ellen Goodman, quote from January 1991 Reader's Digest

Nguzo Saba: Kwanzaa Demonstration

Join us on Thursday, December 29, from 6:30 - 8 p.m. for a Kwanzaa demonstration put on by the Wayne County Multicultural Arts Project, Inc. The evening will feature dance performances by Youth Inspiration, storytelling, food, fellowship, and fun. Chase's Calendar of Events defines Kwanzaa as an "American black family observance created in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga in recognition of traditional African harvest festivals. This seven-day festival stresses unity of the black family, with a harvest feast (karamu) on the first day and a day of meditation on the final one. Kwanzaa means 'first fruit' in Swahili." Come learn more about it!

New Year's Closing

The Library will be closed on Saturday, December 31, and Sunday, January 1, for the New Year holiday. Be sure to come in and stock up on books and videos before Friday at 5 p.m.

Successful Bread Sale

Thanks to all who helped organize, advertise, bake, set up, and sell all the delicious breads, muffins, and cookies at our 3rd annual Christmas Bake Sale. Thanks also to all of our generous customers. Our final total was $258.55, the most successful sale yet. Everything was delicious, and we're already looking forward to the Friends' Chocolate Sale in February!

Christmas Closing

The Library will be closed Saturday, December 24, through Monday, December 26, for the Christmas holiday. Be sure to stop by and pick up a holiday book or video to share with your family.