Becket Athenaeum Newsletter
November 2008
"Bad Politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don't vote"
--William E. Simon
We hope you are all ready to exercise your democratic right to vote this Tuesday! As a non-profit organization, we are required to refrain from endorsing candidates or affiliating with political parties, but we urge you all to take a close look at Question 1. Should Question 1 pass, the services we are able to offer will be dramatically reduced, and bookmobile and inter-library loan services will cease to be available.
"The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners voted to oppose Question 1 on the basis that its enactment would essentially eliminate library services, programs, networks and entire systems that have made Massachusetts libraries among the strongest in the nation."
--From the MBLC website
November's theme is politics. (Did you guess that, already?) We have a full display of books, audios, and movies for this theme! Books include The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, by Jeffrey Toobin, legal writer for The NewYorker; Mike's Election Guide by Micheal Moore, which we have in print and on CD; The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule by Thomas Frank, which is also the non-fiction bookclub selection this month.
If you are one who finds fiction truer than politics, we have American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld, a novel said to be based on the life of Laura Bush; The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, which explores the impact of Nazi occupation on the lives of residents of Guernsey; or The Other Queen, Philippa Gregory's newest historically accurate novel of political intrigue in the time of Mary Queen of Scots.
We also have plenty of politically themed DVDs, from documentaries to parodies to spy thrillers, as well as a variety of audios.
Had enough of politics? We also have new books and movies to take your mind away from the political madness. Letter to My Daughter, which we have in print and on CD, is Maya Angelou's latest book of stories and wisdom. Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice is the best-selling autobiography of Maureen McCormick. For best-selling fiction, we have The Story of Edgar Sawtell by David Wroblewski, The Host by Stephanie Meyer, The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly, and more.
"All of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and honest good will exert upon events in the political field."
--Albert Einstein
NEW BOOKS
This year we have concentrated rather heavily on updating the juvenile and young adult collections of the Athenaeum. This is ongoing, but we have made great strides and we are very proud to report that circulation of books for children and youth has doubled over the past year! We recognize that in order to accomplish this, the adults have sacrificed, and we thank our grown-up patrons for their patience and understanding as we temporarily redirected our purchasing. While we will continue to update and build upon our collection for youngsters, we will also now reestablish a balance of materials for readers of all ages.
For your convenience, we have separated books in the "new" section into two categories:
New Books—books published no later than 2006.
New-to-Us Books—books less recently published but new to our collection.
We hope this will help you better find what you are looking for.
"The experience of democracy is like the experience of life itself-always changing, infinite in its variety, sometimes turbulent and all the more valuable for having been tested by adversity."
--Jimmy Carter
COMMUNITY BOARD GAME DAY!
November 15th is "National Gaming Day at Your Library." Libraries around the nation are hosting video and board game events. We invite the community to join us for board games and light refreshments. We have games for all ages and all interests--from Candyland to Chess, from Scrabble to Sorry, from classic board games to brand new ones. We look forward to playing!
"When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?"
--Eleanor Roosevelt
READING AND CRAFT TIME
Board game day falls on the third Saturday, which is usually our reading and craft hour. This month Reading and Craft hour will be the following Saturday, November 22nd, at 11:00. We will read fall stories, make a fun festive craft, and enjoy juice and snacks. We hope to see many young faces!
"What is conservatism? Is it not the adherence to the old and tried against the new and untried?"
--Abraham Lincoln
"A liberal is a man or a woman or a child who looks forward to a better day, a more tranquil night, and a bright, infinite future."
-- Leonard Bernstein
HOLLY BALL
Tickets for the Athenaeum's annual Holly Ball will be available this month. This year's ball will be held at Bucksteep Manner, and features a new, highly recommended caterer, live music, and a fantastic raffle!
"You really don't want a president who is a football fan. Football combines the worst features of American life. It is violence punctuated by committee meetings."
--George Will
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Tuesday, November 11th, 3:00 NON-FICTION BOOKCLUB
This will bet he first meeting of the non-fiction bookclub. The group will be discussing The Wrecking Crew, which should make for lively conversation!
Saturday, November 15th, 11:00 COMMUNITY BOARD GAME DAY
Refreshments will be served!
Thursday, November 18th 6:00 MAD BOOKWORMS
The mother-daughter bookclub will continue discussing the third book in the Grimm Sister series, The Problem Child by Micheal Buckley.
Thursday, November 20th , 6:00 READER LEADER NOVEMBER EVENT
All readers with 100 points are invited to join us for more Reader Leader fun. To learn more about how the Reader Leader program works, as your friendly librarians!
Saturday, November 22nd, 11:00 STORY AND CRAFT HOUR
Please join us for fall story and craft time! Juice and snacks, too.
Tuesday, November 25th, 3:00 BOOKCLUB
The bookclub will be discussing The Lace Reader, by Brunonia Barry, a mystery set in Salem, Massachusetts.
"All great change in America begins at the dinner table."
--Ronald Reagan.
WEB SITES OF INTEREST
www.factcheck.org Look here to see if politicians' statements are right, wrong, or skewed.
www.npr.org Political news and analysis with a little less hype.
www.thedailyshow.com A spoon full of humor helps the politics go down…at the website, you can watch full episodes online.
"The Democrats seem to be basically nicer people, but they have demonstrated time and again that they have the management skills of celery. They're the kind of people who'd stop to help you change a flat, but would somehow manage to set your car on fire. I would be reluctant to entrust them with a Cuisinart, let alone the economy. The Republicans, on the other hand, would know how to fix your tire, but they wouldn't bother to stop because they'd want to be on time for Ugly Pants Night at the country club."
--Dave Barry
November 2008
"Bad Politicians are sent to Washington by good people who don't vote"
--William E. Simon
We hope you are all ready to exercise your democratic right to vote this Tuesday! As a non-profit organization, we are required to refrain from endorsing candidates or affiliating with political parties, but we urge you all to take a close look at Question 1. Should Question 1 pass, the services we are able to offer will be dramatically reduced, and bookmobile and inter-library loan services will cease to be available.
"The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners voted to oppose Question 1 on the basis that its enactment would essentially eliminate library services, programs, networks and entire systems that have made Massachusetts libraries among the strongest in the nation."
--From the MBLC website
November's theme is politics. (Did you guess that, already?) We have a full display of books, audios, and movies for this theme! Books include The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court, by Jeffrey Toobin, legal writer for The NewYorker; Mike's Election Guide by Micheal Moore, which we have in print and on CD; The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule by Thomas Frank, which is also the non-fiction bookclub selection this month.
If you are one who finds fiction truer than politics, we have American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld, a novel said to be based on the life of Laura Bush; The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, which explores the impact of Nazi occupation on the lives of residents of Guernsey; or The Other Queen, Philippa Gregory's newest historically accurate novel of political intrigue in the time of Mary Queen of Scots.
We also have plenty of politically themed DVDs, from documentaries to parodies to spy thrillers, as well as a variety of audios.
Had enough of politics? We also have new books and movies to take your mind away from the political madness. Letter to My Daughter, which we have in print and on CD, is Maya Angelou's latest book of stories and wisdom. Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice is the best-selling autobiography of Maureen McCormick. For best-selling fiction, we have The Story of Edgar Sawtell by David Wroblewski, The Host by Stephanie Meyer, The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly, and more.
"All of us who are concerned for peace and triumph of reason and justice must be keenly aware how small an influence reason and honest good will exert upon events in the political field."
--Albert Einstein
NEW BOOKS
This year we have concentrated rather heavily on updating the juvenile and young adult collections of the Athenaeum. This is ongoing, but we have made great strides and we are very proud to report that circulation of books for children and youth has doubled over the past year! We recognize that in order to accomplish this, the adults have sacrificed, and we thank our grown-up patrons for their patience and understanding as we temporarily redirected our purchasing. While we will continue to update and build upon our collection for youngsters, we will also now reestablish a balance of materials for readers of all ages.
For your convenience, we have separated books in the "new" section into two categories:
New Books—books published no later than 2006.
New-to-Us Books—books less recently published but new to our collection.
We hope this will help you better find what you are looking for.
"The experience of democracy is like the experience of life itself-always changing, infinite in its variety, sometimes turbulent and all the more valuable for having been tested by adversity."
--Jimmy Carter
COMMUNITY BOARD GAME DAY!
November 15th is "National Gaming Day at Your Library." Libraries around the nation are hosting video and board game events. We invite the community to join us for board games and light refreshments. We have games for all ages and all interests--from Candyland to Chess, from Scrabble to Sorry, from classic board games to brand new ones. We look forward to playing!
"When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?"
--Eleanor Roosevelt
READING AND CRAFT TIME
Board game day falls on the third Saturday, which is usually our reading and craft hour. This month Reading and Craft hour will be the following Saturday, November 22nd, at 11:00. We will read fall stories, make a fun festive craft, and enjoy juice and snacks. We hope to see many young faces!
"What is conservatism? Is it not the adherence to the old and tried against the new and untried?"
--Abraham Lincoln
"A liberal is a man or a woman or a child who looks forward to a better day, a more tranquil night, and a bright, infinite future."
-- Leonard Bernstein
HOLLY BALL
Tickets for the Athenaeum's annual Holly Ball will be available this month. This year's ball will be held at Bucksteep Manner, and features a new, highly recommended caterer, live music, and a fantastic raffle!
"You really don't want a president who is a football fan. Football combines the worst features of American life. It is violence punctuated by committee meetings."
--George Will
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Tuesday, November 11th, 3:00 NON-FICTION BOOKCLUB
This will bet he first meeting of the non-fiction bookclub. The group will be discussing The Wrecking Crew, which should make for lively conversation!
Saturday, November 15th, 11:00 COMMUNITY BOARD GAME DAY
Refreshments will be served!
Thursday, November 18th 6:00 MAD BOOKWORMS
The mother-daughter bookclub will continue discussing the third book in the Grimm Sister series, The Problem Child by Micheal Buckley.
Thursday, November 20th , 6:00 READER LEADER NOVEMBER EVENT
All readers with 100 points are invited to join us for more Reader Leader fun. To learn more about how the Reader Leader program works, as your friendly librarians!
Saturday, November 22nd, 11:00 STORY AND CRAFT HOUR
Please join us for fall story and craft time! Juice and snacks, too.
Tuesday, November 25th, 3:00 BOOKCLUB
The bookclub will be discussing The Lace Reader, by Brunonia Barry, a mystery set in Salem, Massachusetts.
"All great change in America begins at the dinner table."
--Ronald Reagan.
WEB SITES OF INTEREST
www.factcheck.org Look here to see if politicians' statements are right, wrong, or skewed.
www.npr.org Political news and analysis with a little less hype.
www.thedailyshow.com A spoon full of humor helps the politics go down…at the website, you can watch full episodes online.
"The Democrats seem to be basically nicer people, but they have demonstrated time and again that they have the management skills of celery. They're the kind of people who'd stop to help you change a flat, but would somehow manage to set your car on fire. I would be reluctant to entrust them with a Cuisinart, let alone the economy. The Republicans, on the other hand, would know how to fix your tire, but they wouldn't bother to stop because they'd want to be on time for Ugly Pants Night at the country club."
--Dave Barry
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