Heritage and History

Today I learned about a great publishing house and its interactive website, www.arcadiapublishing.com. I grew up in a large city, but until now could not find history books about it. Arcadia Publishing has three. I even checked on small Midwestern towns where my mom's family is; that was successful, too. As these books are so specialized, if Mesa County Libraries does not own what you are looking for, you might be able to borrow it through another Colorado library or Inter-Library Loan.



In the publishing house's own words: "...Arcadia has extensive specialized experience chronicling the history of communities and celebrating America's hidden stories, bring to life the people, places, and events from the past.... Customized search tools allow you to find regional history books about the town where you grew up, the cities where your friends and family live, the town where your parents met, or even that retirement spot you've been dreaming about."

I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

110 Best Books-The Perfect Library

Who doesn't love a good book list? We at the library are always up for a new one--here is one from our pals at the UK Telegraph.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/04/06/nosplit/sv_classics06.xml#11

Local author presentation: The Mafia and the Machine

Thursday, May 22 6:30 p.m. Central Library

Frank Hayde, local author, will speak about his new book, The Mafia and the Machine: The Story of the Kansas City Mob.

Description from Amazon: The story of the American Mafia is not complete without a chapter on Kansas City. The City of Fountains has appeared in The Godfather, Casino, and The Sopranos, but many Midwesterners are not aware that Kansas City has affected the fortunes of the entire underworld. In The Mafia and the Machine, author Frank Hayde ties in every major name in organized crime-Luciano, Bugsy, Lansky-as well as the city's corrupt police force.

The Latest, Greatest Audio Books

The newest format for audio books, the Playaway, is now available at the Mesa County Libraries. The Playaway is a self-contained, preloaded digital audio book small enough to fit in your pocket. Getting started is easy. Simply check out a Playaway with your library card, battery and ear buds are included, and press play. I'm a frequent walker at Sherwood Park and love to while away an hour excerising while listening to an audio book.
A selection of available titles include:
There's Nothing in this Book I meant to say by Paula Poundstone
The Last Juror by John Grisham
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
We were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates

Xeriscape Gardening

Central Library
Saturday, May 10th at 10:00am.

Dr. Curtis Swift of CSU Extension will speak about Xeriscape Gardening. Learn what Xeriscape really means, beyond cactus, yucca & rock. Dr. Swift will discuss 7 steps to Xeriscape gardening to increase drought tolerance and reduce pests in your landscape. See examples of beautiful gardens that reduce water waste and pollution.

Best of the Blogs

We hope that you, our library supporters and friends, are enjoying our blog and finding it entertaining and/or informative. Blogs have become so ubiquitous in our culture over the last few years that most libraries, organizations, and businesses are blogging about their services or products. Technorati recently rated the most popular blogs in the blogosphere. Here is a sampling:

Gizmodo-techie centric blog
The Huffington Post-the No. 1 ranked political blog
Lifehacker-described as "Heloise-link hints for the wired generation"
Blog di Beppe Grillo-a bilingual (English/Italian) blog focusing on current affairs


But, let us hear about your favorite local blogs. How are you reading? Which blogger is a "must-read" for you?

An offbeat book list

The U.K. Telegraph offers up its 50 Best Cult Books list. It's an interesting category for those with eclectic inclinations.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/04/26/nosplit/boanotherlist126.xml&DCMP=ILC-traffdrv07053100