From the Staff of the Ligonier Valley Library

HAVE A HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!

The library will be closed on Friday, July 4th,
but will reopen on Saturday, July 5th at 10:00 am.

JURY DUTY

Yesterday, I was summoned to the Westmoreland County Courthouse in Greensburg to perform my civic duty of being a potential Juror. I arrived at 8:30 a.m. found a seat, then waited. They call this the "hurry-up, slow-down" process. You race to get there on time, then wait for as long as it takes. The process is actually kind of interesting, they make you aware of everything from what will be expected of you to how your day will play out should you be picked or not. But then, you wait... and wait... and wait.

Naturally, I was happy to see that a number of people had brought books to read. For my own part, I was excited to have the chance to up my Summer Reading Club minutes! I took two books with me in case I needed a little variety in my wait, Open Season by C.J. Box and Small Favors by Jim Butcher. Maybe I should have been reading Runaway Jury by Grisham.

While it might have been interesting to actually serve on a Jury (especially being an avid mystery reader), I have to confess feeling slightly relieved when they dismissed us (they settled). The whole idea of making a decision that will effect other people's lives is frankly a little intimidating; regardless of whether the case is civil or criminal.

I'd like to thank the ladies who work in the Jury Commissioner's Office. They should be commended for trying to make us as comfortable as possible, and doing so with smiles and good humor.

Book Ideas @ the library

Ever walk into the library not knowing what to read next? Why not get some suggestions from the library's booklists?

Booklists are an easy way to find out which books are highly recommended on certain subjects. For example, if you like books about the Civil War, pick up the booklist about Civil War Fiction. If you like to read about the people stuck on a deserted island, pick up the booklist called "Tales of Survival." Several topics are represented in our booklist section, located in front of the library's Circulation Desk.

Other booklist topics include: Fiction in the Form of Letters and Diaries, Period Mysteries, Novels with Twist Endings, Pulitzer Prize Winning Fiction, Gen X Books, Robot Tales, True Crime Books, Forgotten Best Sellers, Nice Novels, and Nonfiction that Reads Like Fiction--to name a few.

Another form of booklist that is popular is one that contains readalikes. Readalikes are books just like another book you might have read. You can pick up booklists containing readalikes for "The Da Vinci Code" and "Marley & Me," for example.

So the next time you're in the library and looking for something to read, why not pick up a booklist and see if any of the titles jump off the page at you.

Two weeks is a long time to watch extras

If you're a movie nut like me, you might like watching all the bonus features that accompany a movie on DVD. This usually includes behind the scene footage, a blooper reel, and a commentary track if you're lucky. These extras make the movie experience even better because you get to learn more about what went into making the film itself.

Unlike a video store, which allows you to rent a movie for only one or two nights, the library lets you to borrow a DVD for two whole weeks. That's plenty of time to watch all those bonus features. And, if you've ever seen the Ligonier Valley Library's copy of "Jaws," you know the extras include a two-hour "making of" documentary.

The other day I watched the entire commentary about the movie "Swing Time." Released in 1936, it is the quintessential Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movie. I thought the commentary was amazing. The commentor went through the whole film and gave detailed accounts about the movie, the dances, and facts about the stars themselves. It was like reading a whole book about Astaire and Rogers, yet it took only 90 minutes to listen to it.

The two most interesting things about the movie are: 1) This movie includes the dance that took 47 takes to film and made Ginger's feet bleed. 2.) This movie is only available from the Greensburg-Hempfield Library, but you can order it through the Ligonier Valley Library and receive it as soon as the next day thanks to our new Polaris system.

Yes, that's right, if our library doesn't have the movie or TV show you'd like to see on DVD, one of the other 19 libraries in the system might--and you can order them yourself online through our county catalog! (But, be careful, if you order too many at once, they might all come in at once!)

So, movie fans, check out some movies at the Ligonier Valley Library, or pick them up here by ordering through our county system, and take your time enjoying all the extras after you watch the movie itself.

Is it possible to read too much?

Yes, it is possible to read too much. I see it all the time here at the library. A patron will come in and plop a book down on the counter and exclaim, "I read two pages and realized I read it already!"

I always reply, "That's a sure sign that you read too much!"

Some of our readers come prepared, though. You always see them with a stack of books and a little notebook with every title they've ever read written down in it. This way, they'll know if they've read something already.

Of course, you could ask to have your reading history kept in our computer system. But beware, we have to warn you that the government can come in at any time and request to read your history. We always let people know this fact if they choose the reading history option on their library card application. One woman replied, "Oh, I'm sure if the government wants to see what I read they'll find a way to do it anyway!"

Still, with these two options--the journal and the reading history choice-- some people still choose to "wing it" when they come in and run the risk of taking home books they've already read.

Though it happens frequently. I'm still amazed every time I hear someone say that they didn't realize they'd already read a title. I start to wonder how many books a person would have to read to have this happen. Then, one day it happened to me. I was reading "The Twelfth Card" by Jeffery Deaver and, even when I finished it, I couldn't remember if I'd read it before because I couldn't remember the ending. Honestly, I still don't know. (It was a great book, though.)

So, if you find yourself reading a book and thinking, "My, this sounds familiar," maybe you've read it before...and, maybe you read too much. But, hey, I'm a librarian, so I'm always gonna think that reading too much is a good thing!

Was Chris McCandless crazy or simply seeking spiritual fulfillment?

Jon Krakauer's book "Into the Wild" stirred up a great discussion at the Titles & Tea Book Club this week.

This non-fiction account of the 24-year-old college graduate who donated his last $24,000 to charity and was found dead two years later in Alaska was recently made into a movie by director Sean Penn. As you can imagine, the 1996 book has been in demand again.

Krakauer's book developed out of a magazine article he wrote for "Outside" magazine. (read the article at http://outside.away.com/outside/features/1993/1993_into_the_wild_1.html) The book reads like an investigative account into the mindset of a charismatic young man who set off on an adventure and attracted friends wherever he went.

After setting off to see the country by foot, he made his way to Alaska to live off the land. For 112 days, he killed small game and survived on the local fauna. Then, in September of 1992, his emaciated body was found in a bus by moose hunters.

Alaskans vilify him for being stupid and unprepared. Worse, they say that he has caused many more stupid and unprepared people to come to Alaska to fulfill a similar wanderlust.

Many say that he was just young. Some say he was suicidal. Others think that he just wanted to do what Henry David Thoreau did almost 150 years before him. Thoreau abandoned society to live alone in the woods by Walden Pond for two years. During this time, he wrote the book, "Walden, or Life in the Woods." A book loved by many and praised by all.

But what if Thoreau never walked out of the woods? Would people think of him as crazy or suicidal? If Chris McCandless had survived or written a beautiful account of his adventure, would he be hailed a hero today?

Chris McCandless could have survived if he had taken a map with him. He purposefully went "Into the Wild" with a meager amount of possessions. Yet he died fulfilled.

To offer a quote from Walden, "To be awake is to be alive." In my opinion, that is what McCandless was after. The movie "Into the Wild" reflects this attitude more than Krakauer's book. In the movie, we get to know Chris McCandless more intimately. In the movie, we get to see what McCandless meant by his last message that he wrote on a piece of cardboard and held up in a picture he took of himself before he died. "I have had a happy life and thank the Lord. Good-bye and may God bless all!"

So what's your opinion? Read the book or watch the movie. You can find both at the Ligonier Valley Library.

Hot Reads @ the checkout counter

Ever wonder what the rest of the Ligonier Valley is reading? Members of the staff see the names of many authors "cross the desk" while we check books out to people at the library. Some writers are so popular that we often recommend them to our patrons.

One of the names I often see while checking books out and in is Debbie Macomber. Known for creating memorable characters that live in great little towns, Macomber has been winning fans with her books for several years. Her latest, "Twenty Wishes" is about widows who meet on Valentine's Day and begin a list of twenty wishes of things they "always wanted to do but never did."

Whenever a patron checks out a Harlan Coben book, I always warn them not to start it unless they plan on staying up all night to finish it. His books are page-turners and, once started, can not be put down. "Hold Tight," his latest, tells the tale of paranoia in suburbia. When Adam Baye's parents attach a spyware program to his computer, they are terrified by what they find. Then, when he disappears, they become frightened.

Janet Evanovich is a perennial favorite at the checkout counter. People scramble to get the latest in her Stephanie Plum mystery series. "Fearless Fourteen" already has a waiting list. Numbers one through thirteen in her series, though, are also popular because the rest of the valley is trying to catch up with those already in the know about Evanovich.

Kathy Reichs has gain popularity in recent years. "Devil Bones," the next book in her Temperance Brennan series, comes out in August.

J.D. Robb, aka Nora Roberts, is so popular people ask to be put on reserve for her books before they are even published! "Strangers in Death" is the 26th installment in her "Eve Dallas" mysteries.

The recent favorite in the Nicholas Sparks line is "The Choice." People are still clamoring for this one while waiting for "The Lucky One" to come out in September.

Whether you're in the mood for a funny mystery, a page-turning thriller, or a sweet romance, the above authors are names to look for the next time you're in the library.