The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier

From Booklist: "Honor Bright sailed from England to America in 1850 with her sister, Grace, who is betrothed to a fellow Quaker in Ohio. After Grace's death, Honor is left in the awkward position of an outsider, searching for her place in an unsettled land of restless change where even the Quakers are different from those she had known at home. She finds solace in writing letters to friends and family in England and in the exquisite quilting skills that tie her to her old life and offer some hope of ties to a new one. Honor's only true American friend is Belle, the unorthodox milliner who clandestinely aids runaway slaves, even as her rough and charismatic brother, Donovan, hunts them down. Horrified by the realities of slavery, Honor faces the new complexities of the Fugitive Slave Law and the challenges it poses for the Quakers and for her personally. Chevalier offers a cast of strong characters wrestling with thorny personalities, the harsh realities of the frontier, and the legal and moral complexities of American slavery."

Systems are back up

All systems are go - at least that's what we've been told by SELCO. Please let us know if you experience any problems, and once again we are sorry for the inconvenience!

Computer problems

As you may have noticed, we are experiencing some computer problems. The regional consortium (SELCO) is suffering some sort of major outage, and it has taken down many of our systems as well, including the in library computers, the ability to request items online, online access to databases and access to eBook accounts as well. We are very sorry for the inconvenience!(but you can still come in and check out books - we'd love to see you!). They have not given us any idea when things will be working again.

Ubuntu Made Easy by Rickford Grant

Tired of Microsoft? Can't afford an Apple? You might want to look at a different operating system, Linux. A popular 'flavor' of Linux is Ubuntu. The Amazon.com review lists 5 good reasons to try Ubuntu: "1) it’s free; 2) its hardware requirements are pretty low; 3) it's easy to install; 4) it meshes pretty well with the Windows world; and 5) it’s robust, easy to use, and easily customizable." Ubuntu Made Easy is a great way to learn about your options for escaping the Microsoft/Apple hegemony! -Randy

Seven Days by Deon Meyer

From Library Journal: "When an ambitious South African lawyer is found stabbed to death in her luxurious apartment, the police have absolutely no clues. A month later, Bible-quoting emails arrive accusing the cops of a cover-up, and the author begins shooting one police officer a day until the case is resolved. In near panic, the authorities assign Benny Griessel to the Directorate of Priority Crimes Investigation (the Hawks). Benny-220 days sober, recently divorced, and feeling he has been a failure-races to solve the murder and find the shooter while fighting his own demons and trying to help musician friend Alexa deal with her alcohol problems. Meyer's eighth South African mystery bluntly shows how everything revolves around color even in postapartheid South Africa. The real appeal lies in the skillfully drawn characters, the everyday tensions among ordinary people, and the pain Benny feels in trying to do right. Meyer is a superb storyteller; his crime novels are a must read for fans of high-quality mystery."

Changes to library eBooks!

Overdrive, the company that provides us with eBooks and eAudiobooks, has rolled out the next generation of their catalog. It's quite different and has many improvements - we hope you like it! An 'orientation' to the new features can be found here. Please let us know if you have any questions!

Social reading

An increasingly popular method of finding good books to read involves social reading sites (think Facebook for books). Two of the most popular are LibraryThing and Goodreads. Curious about which might be best for you? Check out part 1 and part 2 of this very interesting article by Amanda Nelson of BookRiot.

You may have noticed that both our event and meeting room calendars are missing from our web page. Our web provider's site was the victim of an attempted hacking and while the trouble has been contained, our calendars suffered 'collateral damage.' This should be a very temporary condition; we should have them back up soon. Call us if you have questions. Sorry for the inconvenience!