The JTPL Blog

Today in 1874, William Somerset Maugham was born in Paris, at the British Embassy. He once observed succinctly: “To write simply is as difficult as to be good.”

Well, he is good! Actually, he’s a fabulous writer. Both of the book groups I belong to read “The Painted Veil,” and both enjoyed it very much. It is a rich novel, full of believable characters, intriguing ideas, exotic locales, and wonderful prose. I urge you to read it. It will grab you from the first page.

Also, check out the film starring Ed Norton. I rarely like the film as much as the book, but this is an exception. I urge you to watch it!

If Maugham interests you, his life story is just as intriguing as his fiction. Try ” The Secret Lives of Somerset Maugham” by Selina Hastings. She portrays “the secret loves, betrayals, integrity, and passion that inspired Maugham to create such classics as “The Raxor’s Edge” and “Of Human Bondage.”

Maugham lived a long life, and died in 1965. Today we remember a great writer.

Do you have a Kindle or a Nook? And do you want to learn how to borrow books from the library’s e-book collection with your Kindle or Nook?

Drop in at the library on any Friday morning in February, from 9:30 to 10:30 AM for a free “hands-on” class. Classes will be held on February 3, 10, 17 and 24. No need to register — just come in and learn how to use your Kindle or Nook to borrow e-books from the library.

Time will also be devoted to practing the techniques introduced by the instructor.

Called “The Last Great Race on Earth,” this sled dog race over the Iditarod Trail covers 1150 miles of the most extreme and beautiful terrain known to man.

Come to the library this Sunday, and you’ll meet Kim Darst and lead dog Cotton, who will discuss their experiences being the first “musher” from New Jersey to compete in this challenging race.

Learn about the race and what it’s like to travel and compete in the Alaskan countryside at 2 PM, this Sunday, January 22.

Below is a list of the Jefferson Township Library’s  20 most borrowed books from our new book collection in 2011:

Now You See Her: a novel, by Joy Fielding (23)

Prey: a novel, by Linda Howard (19)

Smokin’ Seventeen: a Stephanie Plum novel by Janet Evanovich (19)

Lethal by Sandra Brown (17)

Hotel Vendome: a novel, by Danielle Steel (16)

Tough Customer by Sandra Brown (16)

The Silent Girl: a Rizzoli & Isles novel by Tess Gerritsen (15)

10th Anniversary by James Patterson (14)

A Turn in the Road by Debbie Macomber (14)

Hell’s Corner by David Baldacci (14)

Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson (14)

The Affair: a Reacher novel, by Lee Child (14)

The Fifth Witness: a novel, by Michael Connelly (14)

Zero Day: a novel, by David Baldacci (14)

Son of Stone: a Stone Barrington novel, by Stuart Woods (13)

The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks (13)

The Litigators by John Grisham (13)

Trader of Secrets: a Paul Madriani novel, by Steve Martini (13)

V is for Vengeance by Sue Grafton (13)

Heartwishes: an Edilean novel by Jude Deveraux (12)

Live Wire by Harlan Coben (12)

If you haven’t already read them all, put a few of these on your “to read” list for 2012!

Out with the old, in with the new! Start 2012 off right with tips from “positive living expert” Diane Lang.

Diane will be at the library on Tuesday, January 10 at 7 PM. Learn how to start letting go of the baggage that no longer serves you, and how to begin putting your health, happiness and well-being first. Please register for this free, one hour program.

The library will be open this Saturday, December 31, from 9:30 AM to 1 PM.  We will be closed Sunday, January 1 and Monday, January 2, 2012.

We wish all of our patrons health and happiness in the New Year!

Last Thursday the library’s book group for adults, Cover to Cover, met for the last discussion of 2011. Our featured book was The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.

When I announced that we would be reading this book, which combines the subject of auto racing with Enzo, a philosophical canine narrator, my group was not immediately enthusiastic…

The story resonated with almost everyone, and was one of our favorites of the year. We won’t look at our dogs in the same way again!

Here’s a list of what we read this year, and our group ratings. (We rate on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest rating.)

8.9  My Antonia by Willa Cather

8.8  Little Bee by Chris Cleave

8  Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

7.6  The Art of Racing inthe Rain by Garth STein

7.6  Ghost Riders by Sharyn McCrumb

7.5  The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff

6.6  A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

6.4  Charity Girl by Michael Lowenthal

6.1  Dark Places by gillian Flynn

5.5  Lavinia by Ursula K. LeGuin

5.1  Land of Marvels by Barry Unsworth

4.4  The Coral Thief by Rebecca Stott

The Cover to Cover Book Group meets on the fourth Thursday of each month, at 10:30 AM.

Before I left the house this morning to come to work, I put on my CD of The Capitol Years by Frank Sinatra, and let his rendition of “You Make Me Feel So Young.”  bring a smile to my face. 

But why at 9 AM you might ask? Well, it’s The Chairman of the Board’s birthday today, and I wanted to celebrate a little by listening to the man I consider the best popular singer ever.

The CD The Capitol Years might just be one of the best CDs ever too, and you can borrow it here at the library. It runs the gamut of emotion, from swinging songs like “I’ve Got the World on a String”, “I Get a Kick Out of You,” and “Come Fly With Me” to beautiful ballads like “Where Are You,” “I’m a Fool to Want You,” and “I’ll Never Smile Again.” Boy, they don’t write ‘em like that anymore!

In addition to a few other Sinatra CDs you can borrow here at the library, such as Romance: Songs from the Heart and Young Blue Eyes: Birth of a Crooner, we have quite a few books on Francis Albert Sinatra if you’re interested in reading about his life: Sinatra in Hollywood by Tom Santopietra; Sinatra: The Life by Anthony Summers; Mr. S. – My Life with Frank Sinatra by George Jacobs; and Sinatra: Intimate Portrait of a Very Good Year by John Dominis are a few of the titles available.

The newest biography, and in my opinion the best one, is James Kaplan’s The Voice. I’m not a great reader of biographies, but this one made by list of favorite books for 2011. The picture on the cover captured my interest, and the book itself offered a balanced portrait of a fascinating, talented and enigmatic man.

Frank Sinatra died in 1998 at the age of 82. “I’ll Be Seeing You” Frank, and keep swinging!

Tonight’s Christmas Stamping Workshop at the library was the place to be! A group of happy “stampers” created two different holiday cards in additional to a beautiful gift bag.

The workshop was led by Sue Lee of “Stampin’ Up.” She’s a wonderful teacher, very soft spoken, but completely knowledgeable about her subject. And she’s able to impart that knowledge in a friendly, easy to understand way.

The next craft coming up at the library will be held on Saturday, December 3 at 3 PM, featuring techniques in watercolor pencil painting. Participants will “make and take” a holiday scene featuring winter foliage. All materials will be supplied by the library. If you’re feeling that creative urge, you better sign up now, as space is limited!

The library will close at 3 PM tomorrow, Wednesday, November 23, and will be closed all day on Thanksgiving Day.

I’m heading north to New Hampshire to visit with my sister and her family. Guess what the weather forcast is? That’s right…SNOW! Well, I told her she has nothing on us this year, since we already had a big snow storm in October. Her boys will be flying in from California and Kansas, but I’m sure we’ll all get there in time to sit around the table and enjoy the Thanksgiving feast.

For your reading pleasure, may I suggest A Thanksgiving Visitor by Truman Capote? And why not stay home on Black Friday, make a pot of turkey soup, and read his A Christmas Memory? These stories will put you in the holiday spirit for sure.  He really was a wonderful writer.

A very Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.