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02/14/2014 - 11:41am

February 2014: Twelve Years a Slave

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I’m reading a lot of Civil War era histories and novels these days, trying to immerse myself in the time period for a project I’m working on. When my mother said she was going to see the new film Twelve Years a Slave, I immediately ordered myself the e-book to read on my Kindle. The...

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02/10/2014 - 3:13pm

New Titles for the Week of February 8

BOOKS

FICTION
Renata Adler Speedboat
Alain-Fournier The lost domain: le grand meaulnes
Tiffany Baker Mercy Snow
Willa Cather Death comes for the archbishop
E.L. Doctorow...

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02/01/2014 - 10:47am

New Titles for the Week of February 1

BOOKS

FICTION
E. M. Forster A room with a view ; Howards end ; Maurice
James Scott The kept

Historical Fiction
Daša Drndić Trieste
Maria Hummel Motherland
Brian Payton...

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01/31/2014 - 11:04am

Staff Picks: Love is in the Air

It’s February, so that means love is in the air, right? The lovers mythos surrounding the obscure Saint Valentine may have been created by Chaucer & friends in 14th century England, but the damage is done: we tend to get just a little bit twitterpated around February 14th.

This month, Mechanics’ Institute staff will be choosing some little bundles of love for you to peruse – but we’re not limiting it to romantic love, so even if you would like nothing better...

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01/31/2014 - 10:29am

February 2014: Books Written by Linguist Extraordinaire - David Crystal

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The Library holds some twenty books by language expert David Crystal, most of them focusing on various aspects of the English language. The author, who is considered to be the foremost expert on our mother tongue, is honorary professor...

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01/25/2014 - 10:41am

New Titles for the Week of January 25

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01/18/2014 - 12:12pm

New Titles for the Week of January 18

BOOKS

FICTION
Rudolfo A. Anaya Bless me, Ultima
Lindsay Hill Sea of Hooks

Historical Fiction
Fay Weldon The new countess

Mystery, Suspense, Espionage & Intrigue
Rafael Bernal...

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01/15/2014 - 4:20pm

January 2014: Favorite World War I Books

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You may be aware of the recent surge of interest in books and television shows set during World War I, possibly due to the popularity of the PBS series Downton Abbey or to the approaching 100 yea...

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01/11/2014 - 11:26am

New Titles for the Week of January 11

BOOKS

FICTION
Roberto Bolaño Woes of the true policeman
Horacio Castellanos Moya Senselessness
Janet Frame In the memorial room
Alexander McCall Smith Bertie plays the blues: a 44 Scotland Street novel...

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01/10/2014 - 3:50pm

Website review: Does the Dog Die?

The website Does the Dog Die? was created for people who “…turn off Old Yeller before the end so [they] can pretend that he lived a long and happy life” or are “…unable to enjoy the human body count in a horror movie because [they’re] wondering whether the dog's going to kick the bucket,” is an entertaining and moderately useful site. Encompassing only 660 films (as of January 4, 2014), this site indicates, with one of three icons,...

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