Paige Meets Gregory Maguire

Hello, everybody! 

Paige, here.  I just wanted to share my latest adventure.  I went to hear Denton Reads author Gregory Maguire speak.  He was amazing.  He talked about his books and his writing process.  I learned that the story of Wicked evolved from his childhood when he would play the “Wizard of Oz” with the kids in his neighborhood.  When he grew up, he realized there more stories to tell from the land of Oz and he wanted to tell them.  As you can see, we became instant friends. 

Storybook Quilts

The Denton Public Library and the Denton Quilt Guild will present a Storybook Quilt program at all three library branches. The Emily Fowler Central Library will host a program at 4:00 pm, Tuesday, December 1st, the North Branch Library at 4:00 pm, Tuesday, December 8th, and the South Branch Library at 3:30, Wednesday, December 30th.

Members of the Denton Quilt Guild have purchased children’s storybooks with quilt-related themes, and have have made small quilts to complement each book. At present, the collection includes over 20 books for children. Currently, the Denton Quilt Guild has an exhibit of Storybook Quilts at the Center for the Visual Arts. This exhibit will run from November 22, 2009 through January 4th, 2010.

Area quilters have loaned the Denton Public Library several Storybook Quilts. These will be displayed at all three library branches, and will be used to teach a Storybook Quilt program for children. This special program will include stories, quilting projects for children, and will give the children an opportunity to create a special gift for soldiers serving overseas. The program is best for children ages 6 and up.

For more information, contact Rebecca Ivey, Public Services Librarian at 940.349.8724 or at rebecca.ivey@cityofdenton.com.

For other news items on the City of Denton, visit our website at www.cityofdenton.com,  go to Quick Information and click on Press Releases.

Holiday Crochet

Come join the fun and get ready for the gift-giving season! Beginning at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 3, at the Emily Fowler Central Library, and continuing on Friday, December 4, at the North Branch Library, there will be a chance for teens and adults to get started on some crocheted items for the holiday season.

Library staff will present a variety of crochet projects and ideas for a gift with your personal touch. Beginner patterns include a simple Christmas card and crochet ornament and wreath; intermediate patterns include a crocheted bell and snowman ornament; advanced patterns include crocheted scarf and toboggan hat. Supplies will be provided, but if you have your own yarn or hooks, you can bring them. This program is provided at no charge and is best for ages 12 and up.

Contact Mary.cresson@cityofdenton.com or 940.349.8753 to register or for further information.

Paige goes to Las Vegas

Paige has been traveling again. This time, she spent a week in Las Vegas. Here she is in front of the Hard Rock Hotel. There are lots of shows to see and good things to eat in Las Vegas. She sampled a Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity 3 – YUMMY! She also went to see a show starring Bette Midler.

New Movies

We just ordered these upcoming DVDs, which means you can put them on hold!  Just follow the link and click “Request it” on the left side of the screen.

1.  9

2.  The Final Destination

3.  Gamer

4.  Jennifer’s Body

5.  Post Grad

6.  Surrogates

7.  The Time Traveler’s Wife

8.  Tyler Perry’s I Can Do Bad All by Myself

9.  Whip It 

Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby

Annie and Duncan have been together for fifteen years.  Has it been a waste?  Both are starting to think so, and Duncan  starts questioning his marriage as soon as he starts questioning his obsession with Tucker Crowe, a reclusive musician who hasn’t written or performed in thirty years.  After a lost Crowe recording is released, Duncan gushes about it on his Crowe fansite, and Annie answers with a wittier, better received counter-argument.  The reclusive Crowe comes across Annie’s review and initiates an email correspodence that further complicate her feelings about her husband. 

If you’ve never read a Nick Hornby book, be aware that most of them follow a certain formula:  Man w/ pop culture obsession +woman that somewhat understands it but isn’t obsessed = resentment and relationship issues.  This formula works great for Hornby because he wrenches so much conflict and insight out of these seemingly trivial pop culture obsessions.

In the end, though, it’s always the human relationships that reign supreme over pop culture detritas  in a Hornby book, and Juliet, Naked is no different.  The dialogue between the characters is authentic, and his characters are flawed enough to make them believable (although the males always seem to be just a little more hubristic than the females).

Juliet, Naked should be a satisfying read for Hornby fans and first-time Hornby readers that enjoy exploring the psychological anatomy of romantic relationships.

                                                     -Dana Zakrzewski

 

Get Ready for Thanksgiving

We have a lot of great cookbooks to help you cook all kinds of Thanksgiving feasts!  Here are just a few of our newest selections:

EatingWell Comfort Foods Made Healthy: the Classic Makeover Cookbook by Jessie Price 

Memorable Recipes: to Share With Family and Friends by Renee Behnke

The Big Green Cookbook by Jackie Newgent

Cooking Know-How by Bruce Weinstein

The Illustrated Kitchen Bible edited by Victoria Blashford-Snell

How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

 More

Denton Reads Movie Marathon

Denton Reads, in association with the Denton Public Library, will present a movie marathon Saturday, November 14^th at the North Branch Library, located at 3020 North Locust Street in Denton.  The selection of films is inspired by the novels of  Gregory Maguire, who will be the speaker at this year’s Denton Reads author program.  The titles and times are:

 10:00 am         The Little Match Girl   A short animation of Hans Christian Anderson’s classic tale.

 10:15 am         The Muppet Christmas Carol  A musical-comedy of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, featuring the Muppets.

1:00 pm           Enchanted  An animated fairytale world collides with modern-day New York in this Disney story about a fairytale princess who is sent to our world by an evil queen.

4:00 pm           The Wizard of Oz  The well-loved musical fantasy tale about a Kansas girl named Dorothy who visits the magical Land of Oz.

Gregory Maguire is the author Wicked (1995); Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister (1999); Lost (2001); Mirror, Mirror (2003); Son of a Witch (2005); and  A Lion Among Men (2008).  His most recent books, Making Mischief: a Maurice Sendak Appreciation and Matchless: a Christmas Story, were published this Fall.

Denton Reads is a collaboration of the Denton Public Library, the libraries of the University of North Texas and Texas Woman’s University, and the libraries of the Denton Independent School District to support activities that encourage reading and intellectual curiosity.  Denton Reads is also partially funded by a grant from Humanities Texas.

For more information, contact Carmen Grant at 940-349-8778 or visit http://dentonreads.unt.edu/events.

Texas Bluebonnet Award 2010-2011

Last week, the Texas Library Association announced the nominees for the 2010-2011 Texas Bluebonnet Award.  We don’t have them all yet, but we should by the January!

Home of the Brave  by Katherine Applegate

All Stations! Distress!: April 15, 1912: The Day the Titanic Sank by Don Brown

The Uglified Ducky: A Maynard Moose Tale by Willy Claflin

Surfer of the Century: The Life of Duke Kahanamoku by Ellie Crowe

14 Cows for America by Carmen Agra Deedy

Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff

Pirates by David L. Harrison

That Book Woman by Heather Henson

Down Down Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea by Steve Jenkins

Dying to Meet You: 43 Cemetary Road, Book 1 by Kate Klise

11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass

The Hinky Pink: An Old Tale by Megan McDonald

Squirrel’s World by Lisa Moser

Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo by Linda Sue Park

Mudshark by Gary Paulsen

Sparrow Girl by Sara Pennypacker

Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow by James Rollins

The Cabinet of Wonders by Marie Rutkoski

Calvin Coconut Trouble Magnet by Graham Salisbury

The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau by Dan Yaccarino