Looking for a new author? Try Novelist.

Novelist offers an array of ways to find what to read next.

• Author read-alikes. Have you gone through all of Laurell K. Hamilton and need another author like her? Novelist suggests trying J.D. Robb’s Eve Dallas series; Jim Butcher’s The Dresden Files series; Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark Hunter novels; and Charlaine Harris’ Southern Vampire series. This is definitely a good place to start.

• Award winning books. Novelist lists winners from more awards than we knew existed, including several categories of Romance awards, Fantasy, Mystery, Horror, and Literary awards. If you want the best of the best, take a look here.

• What We’re Reading. Novelist has a large number of book reviewers. There’s bound to be someone on the list with similar tastes as you. Browse through and find one or two you like. They’ll let you know what they’ve read and whether or not they liked it. Reading the reviews is half the fun.

So next time you’re at home or in the library wondering what to read next, take a look at Novelist. You can find a link to Novelist on our website

Rainy Day Game Afternoon!

What it the best way to spend yet another rainy afternoon? If you're a teen, I've got the answer for you: playing games with your friends, munching on free snacks, at the Lane Memorial Library!

From 3-4:30 today in the Lane Room (downstairs next to the Children's Room) we'll have many board games set up to play, as well as any other (librarian-approved) non-board group games you can think of! As always,I'll provide snacks!

Questions? Ask Kirsten @ kcorbett@hampton.lib.nh.us or 926-3368.

IMPORTANT SUMMER PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT

Due to unforeseen circumstances, puppeteer Martha Dana is unable to perform for us on Wednesday, July 1 at 10:30 a.m. as scheduled. She is very sorry that she can't be with us on that day, but she has recommended fellow performer Peter Sheridan to come in her place.

Peter is a musician, puppeteer, and storyteller, and we look forward to seeing him in the Lane Room at that same time and date.

If you have any questions, please call the Children's Room at 926-4729.

Teen Summer Reading Program

It's that time again! This year's Teen Summer Reading Program kicked off on Monday with a foray into the artistic realm of Henna Tattooing! We will be having activities for Hampton residents in 6th thru 12th grades Mondays at 3:00 p.m.:
6/29: Game Day Part 1 (Board & Physical)
7/6: Game Day Part 2 (Video)
7/20: Sing-Along Movie, Featuring Teen Choice at Event, from available selection
7/27: Frozen T-Shirt Contest / Finale!

Teens may earn a raffle ticket for every teen program that they attend. They may also earn a ticket for every hour that they read, log, and submit to Kirsten. An additional ticket may be earned if teens choose to write a review of a book that they read for the program, which will be posted in the Teen Section. The raffle will be drawn at the Finale on Monday, July 27. Please see Kirsten @ the Reference Desk for a Reading Log and/or Teen Review Form.

We will also be hosting a Harry Potter Movie Marathon Week:
Monday 7/13 @ 1: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (PG)
Tuesday 7/14 @ 1: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (PG)
Wednesday 7/15 @ 1: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (PG)
Thursday 7/16 @ 1: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (PG-13)
Friday 7/17 @ 1: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (PG-13)
Bring your lunch, chill out in our air-conditioned Lane Room, and enjoy these delightful movies on our big screen! This is an all-ages movie event, so bring the whole family! (Viewers and/or their parents are responsible for monitoring personal age appropriateness.)

Questions? Contact Kirsten: kcorbett@hampton.lib.nh.us, 926-3368, or see our blog, or our Facebook or MySpace pages.

Game Day at the Library!

Catch the beat at the Lane Memorial Library this summer with a program for teens featuring the popular game, Dance Dance Revolution, on Monday, July 6, 3:00-5:30.

DDR is a game players can dance to (like an electronic version of "Twister," or "Simon Says" for your feet). Players compete by following directional arrows on the screen and stepping on corresponding arrows on a floor mat controller. More details can be found at http://www.ddrfreak.com.

Research has demonstrated that playing DDR improves pattern recognition skills, especially in ADHD students, and offers an aerobic workout that gets the heart rate up to 140 beats per minute. Schools in West Virginia, Kansas and California are implementing DDR and similar video games into the physical education curriculum.

Registration begins on June 23, 2009. The first twenty-four (24) players to return a signed permission slip will be eligible for participation; this program is limited to students entering grade 6-12.

DDR is a safe and fun game; however, participants play this game at their own risk. The Library cannot be responsible for participants’ health or fitness. To add your name to the registration list and pick up a permission slip, please contact Kirsten at 926-3368.

Changes to the schedule of summer reading events

Please note that due to popular demand, magician Peter Boie will not perform in the Lane Room as originally scheduled, but at the Hampton Academy upper gym, which allows for a larger audience. The time (10:30 a.m.) and date (Wednesday, June 24th) remain the same.


We have also now reached the capacity that the Academy can hold, so we have created a waiting list for all new Peter Boie sign ups.


Thank you all for your enthusiastic response to every one of our summer events!

Author Kevin Flynn - Reading on June 27th

In April of 2006, Sheila LaBarre of Epping, NH was arrested for the murder of Kenneth Countie after police found a human bone fragment in a mound of burning hay near her farmhouse. Behind those simple words lies an almost unbelievable story of deceit and cruelty. Last year Kevin Flynn published the book Wicked Intentions, a carefully researched and riveting account that explores the LaBarre case in depth. As the Emmy award-winning television reporter who first broke the story of the Sheila LaBarre murders, Kevin is uniquely positioned to unveil the details of the bizarre chain of events that culminated in one of America's most sensational murder stories — a spellbinding true story of obsession and vigilantism carried to a deadly extreme.

Join us at the Lane Memorial Library on Saturday, June 27th at 10 AM in the Lane Room to hear Kevin read from his book and answer questions from the audience about his research and involvement in the case. For more information, contact Darrell Eifert, Head of Adult Services at 926-3368. This presentation is free and open to the public.

Still Time to Get Some Great Books

There are still two days to come to the library and browse through the thousands of books at the Friends book sale. All day Thursday until 7pm, Friday until 4pm, and Saturday 9-noon. Hundreds of books audios, and videos have already sold, but there are still plenty left.

Friends' Booksale June 17 - 20

Looking for some great book bargains? Look no further! The Friends of the Lane Library are hosting their annual book sale here at the library from Wednesday, June 17th through Saturday, June 20th. There is a special Members Preview Night on Wednesday, June 17th, from 5:30pm-7:30pm, with annual Friends' memberships available at the door starting at only $10 for an individual.

The book sale will then be open to the public on:
Thursday, June 18th, from 9am-7pm Friday, June 19th, from 9am-4pm Saturday, June 20th, from 9am-12pm

On Saturday the Friends will offer 'Friends of Lane' book bags for $6, which you can then fill with books for free. These are fabulous tote bags that also make for a great gift.

They will also be selling Red Sox raffle tickets for $2 each, with the first of two drawings to be held on June 20th. There are raffle tickets for 2 games this year - the Seattle Mariners on July 3rd (2 field box seats!), and the Baltimore Orioles on July 26th (2 loge seats!).

The annual book sale and Red Sox raffle are major fund raisers for the library, so come pick up some great Summer reading and support the Friends!

National Recording Registry

What do Etta James, The Who, Dylan Thomas, and the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker have in common? They all just been included in the 2008 National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress. The Registry selects 25 recordings each year that are "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant," and are at least 10 years old.

Go to http://www.loc.gov/rr/record/nrpb/nrpb-2008reg.html for a full list of the 2008 selections. Audio clips accompany many of the selections.

Spice Up Your Daily Commute

The average daily commute is 24 minutes. How long is yours? Would you like to do something constructive during those otherwise wasted minutes? How about taking a college course without spending mucho bucks?

Check out the Teaching Company’s Great Courses series at the Lane Memorial Library. The Teaching Company brings engaging professors into your home or car through courses on DVDs and audio CDs. Great teachers from Brown, Stanford, Georgetown, and other leading colleges and universities have crafted courses for lifelong learners like you. Experience the adventure of learning without the homework or exams. You don’t have to be a genius to enjoy these courses, and they’re not the dry put-me-to-sleep classes you remember from your college days. Best of all you can listen while you drive.

One of the courses we have is The Human Body: How We Fail, How We Heal. In this video course, Dr. Anthony Goodman presents a systematic survey of what can go wrong in the human body, why it goes wrong and how the body itself responds, as well as what doctors can do to intervene. It covers such topics as inflammation, the immune response, bacteria and viruses, and cancer.

If physiology isn’t your thing, what about The Historical Jesus? Taught by Professor Bart Ehrman of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, this audio CD course covers the gospels of the bible as well as the Coptic gospel of Thomas, Jesus and Roman rule, and the apocalyptic teachings and deeds of Jesus in historical context. What better way to endure your daily commute than to learn something amazing like this?

The seven-part series on The Classics of American Literature might spark your interest to read some of those classics you never got around to in high school. Taught by Professor Arnold Weinstein of Brown University, this audio CD course covers a wide range of American authors. You’ll learn about Thoreau as both stylist and humorist (who knew?), the Great Gatsby as the story of lost illusions, and Absalom, Absalom! as both Civil War epic and as language of love.

Come on in to the Lane Memorial Library and see what other courses we have to offer. And kiss that boring morning commute goodbye.