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"So, just what are those links on the sidebar of the Book News and More blog and where will they take me?" Well, they certainly will not take you to creepyville or spam territory or the dreaded crash zone. These links are here to provide you with great reading and reference resources. They will help you find such varied information as the ratings of popular movies or a list of books in a particular series. There's even a link that lets you bypass the usual long phone menu when you dial a company's 800 number - instead you speak directly with a live human being. That's pretty powerful information, isn't it? To get linked in, all you have to do is scroll down the sidebar of our blog and click away.

"Investigate These" Display Puts McCall Smith Books Under the Magnifying Glass

photo source: Bernardsville Public Library

In case you didn't know, HBO is premiering the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency mystery series this Sunday based on the books by Alexander McCall Smith. Set in Botswana where McCall Smith taught at one time, these books feature the memorable character, Precious Ramotswe, a lady of ample proportions and clever wit, who is just looking for a good man as she solves her cases. The New York Times today has a nice article about the author, his stories and the upcoming television show.

photo source: Bernardsville Public Library

Don't wait until then to acquaint yourself with the wonderful Mma Ramotswe or any of Alexander McCall Smith's other characters. Just stop by Bernardsville Public Library to see our latest display in the new books area featuring the library's collection of McCall Smith books and book CDs. Included among these are his Scotland Street and Sunday Philosophy Club series. Please investigate.

Staff Picks for Young Readers

Felicia Ballard, youth services staff member at Bernardsville Public Library, has been busy sampling a variety of children's fiction and recommends the following books for young readers and their families. Here are Felicia's comments:


The Green Dog by Suzanne Fisher Staples is a light read. It's the story of one girl's summer, her dog, and her family. It's also a book about growing up. The Green Dog would definitely make a good summer reading choice.






Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye tells the story of a young girl born and raised in the United States who moves to her father's homeland, Jerusalem, when she turns 13. Although there is a little bit of romance in the story, the book also provides great deal of insight into the Middle East conflict. The author has given Habibi a terrific teenage voice, and this is a book that is guaranteed to keep a young person interested.




I read Number the Stars by Lois Lowry because it is one of my daughter's favorite books. Number the Stars is about the role that Denmark played in

World War II, including the smuggling of Jews across the sea to Sweden. Told through the eyes of a young Danish girl, this is a very moving book.




Newbury Award winning The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, was engrossing, although it did leave me wondering about a few of its twists and turns. Sequel maybe? I also heard that the book CD version of The Graveyard Book is excellent. It's read by the author, and while author-read books sometimes fall flat, this one seems to be a winner.
~Felicia Ballard

Reminder: Book Group Bags Are Available to Check Out at Bernardsville Library

photo source - Bernardsville Public Library

Gerry Van Tassel, readers' services staff member at Bernardsville Public Library, admires one of our customized book group bags shown above. These bags were made possible last year by a grant from Bernardsville patron, Jean Horton, who is a book group leader herself. Thanks to her gift, the library has been able to assemble a number of bags which are available for checkout to book group leaders. These bags may be borrowed for one month at a time.

photo source: Bernardsville Public Library

Each sturdy canvas bag contains ten paperback copies of a popular book as well as a discussion folder to assist the group leader. Book reviews, discussion questions, and author biographies make these green folders required reading for any group leader.

photo source - Bernardsville Public Library

All the contents fit neatly into this attractive, canvas zip-up tote. The library will be adding more book group bags to our collection shortly. Currently we offer the following titles: The Book Thief, The Year of Magical Thinking, Shadow Divers, Three Cups of Tea, The Road From Coorain, Water for Elephants, and Nineteen Minutes.

Saturday Crafters Have A Great Time

Bernardsville Public Library extends an open invitation one Saturday afternoon each month for crafters to bring their projects and join others in a few hours of work and pleasant conversation.

Called the Saturday Crafters, this group will meet again on Saturday, April 18th, at 3 p.m. in the library's Community Room. If you like to do handcrafts, please join us at that time and bring your own project. Here are some photographs taken at the last meeting held Saturday, March 14th.



Our group size varies with the day, but including myself, there were seven happy crafters. What was so interesting to me was that each person brought a different craft.

Ann has started to do bargello needlepoint again after completing many such projects in the past. Her daughter tells her that bargello is back in style, so Ann has picked up her needle again.

Carol is busy stringing beaded bracelets, and Susie is designing and making her very own stationery.

Pat has started several needlepoint projects and keeps them both going almost at the same time. How does she do that?

Erin loves to knit and felt, but she is now bravely moving on to crochet as her next skill. One of the library books came to her rescue with good how-to illustrations. I was busy knitting a scarf for the Dulaan project, but failed to take a picture of myself...hee, hee.

Nancy works on the back side of her rughooking - a panel which her sister designed for her. Nancy has been hooking the wool panel for several years and is now stitching the edges to the back.

photo source: Bernardsville Public Library

Here's the beautiful front side of her hooked masterpiece. She is one happy crafter!

Go Ahead...Push That Button!

As more and more people have recently discovered, local and state libraries are among the best places to go for help in addressing today's challenging economic problems. Numerous postings on the Book News and More blog have educated you about some of the ways Bernardsville Public Library can help you weather these financial storms. Simply click on the word "economy" on this blog's labels to find these postings. Now the New Jersey State Library has stepped in to offer a well organized Web site which pulls together a wealth of information and links addressing today's areas of economic concern. Whether seeking food stamps, dealing with a possible home foreclosure, finding employment or locating family assistance organizations, New Jersey citizens (and anybody else) can now click their way to authoritative online information. This site provides helpful tools in the categories of work, finance, housing, health, parenting and senior issues. Veterans seeking job assistance will find a link for this, seniors in need of help with utility bills may gather information, and families dealing with the emotional fall-out from stress can find answers to mental health questions as well. Click on the button above or http://gethelp.njlibraries.org/ to get help!

Doctor, Heal Thyself: An Addiction Memoir With A Happy Ending

Evelyn Fischel, staff member at Bernardsville Public Library, recently read this compelling nonfiction account of alcoholism and a promising drug treatment "cure." Here is her review:


Olivier Ameisen is a notable French cardiologist who practiced medicine and taught at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College. A talented pianist, Ameisen was urged by no less than Arthur Rubenstein to pursue music rather than medicine as his intended career. He was also the first and only student to pass the French baccalaureat without having finished his last two years of high schooling. In addition, President Jacques Chirac awarded him the Legion of Honor for his "contributions to the image of France abroad and to cardiology." But Olivier Ameisen is also an alcoholic whose disease brought him to deepest despair, ruined his practice, and almost killed him.

The End of My Addiction, published in January 2009, chronicles Dr. Olivier Ameisen's desperate attempts to save himself from a hopeless descent toward incapacitation and likely death due to his advanced alcoholism. Having severely injured himself repeatedly in drunken falls, Ameisen found himself admitted to city emergency rooms where he risked having his secret condition discovered by fellow doctors. Personal relationships suffered, and his successful career as a New York cardiologist came to an end when he decided that he could no longer practice. Although he checked himself into numerous rehabs and participated in recovery programs, none of these therapies worked for him.

Some colleagues turned away from him, wondering why he just couldn't stop; a few tagged him as a hopeless case; others gave him encouragement and support. One man in particular, his M.D. thesis advisor Phillipe Coumel, expressed compassionate understanding, saying to him, "As a physician, how can you be embarrassed about having a disease?" This good mentor also motivated Ameisen's scientific curiosity, stating, "I cannot believe that a man of your intelligence cannot find the solution." And Olivier Ameisen did find a solution that worked for him.

The End of My Addiction is a compelling story about the terrible struggles and discrimination facing individuals with an alcohol addiction. It is also a work of medical detection recounting the author's self-experimention with an older medication, baclofen, approved as a fairly harmless muscle relaxant, but found to quell the cravings of cocaine addicts in a University of Pennsylvania study. Ameisen learned about this small study and ran with it, medicating himself with higher and higher doses of the drug until he reached a level where his brain no longer responded to any typical triggers and thus no longer created the cravings which drive addicts deeper into their addictions. Baclofen had completely suppressed the symptoms of his alcoholism, and no serious side effects were experienced. Dr. Ameisen believes this drug deserves a large-scale study, but points out that baclofen is an off-patent product and fears that pharmaceutical companies will not be interested in this kind of study. He has written this book to encourage investment in such a study and has provided chapters on the science behind his experiments.

At the same time The End of My Addiction offers a vivid, but compassionate portrait of what it is like to be an alcoholic today. It was very moving to read about the author's struggles with this disease, and he clearly makes the point that "willpower" is not equivalent to medicine. If people with other diseases were asked to will away their conditions, we would say that was absurd. The author does support the 12 step programs for their helpful behavorial adaptations, and he believes that attention should be given to underlying depression and anxiety when treating patients. Ameisen makes us rethink our assumptions about alcoholism, and he has demonstrated that there may be real hope of a successful medical treatment for this addiction. ~ Evelyn Fischel

Irish Authors Featured in Our New Book Display

photo source: Bernardsville Public Library

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, lucky shamrocks ornament Bernardsville Public Library's new display featuring books by Irish authors. You'll find this display near the New Fiction area next to the circulation desk.

Be sure to browse through the wonderful assortment of Irish literature and modern fiction found there. To help make your selection, you may also consult our brand new Bernardsville Library bookmark devoted to Irish Writers. The bright green bookmark contains a list of Irish authors such as Edna O'Brien and Malachy McCourt. You'll find copies of the Irish Writers bookmark at the circulation desk and also tucked among the shamrocks in this display.

As Seen From The Front Desk

The other day a mother and her young child returned some books at the circulation desk. The parting between the child and his books was sorrowful, and he politely pleaded with his mother to keep them longer. But mother prevailed, and so the child stepped down off our stool dejectedly. A quick recovery was made, however, when he spotted a shiny, aerodynamic motorcycle helmet placed next to one of the public computers. A man in a riding jumpsuit had biked over to the library to use the computer and noticed the boy's eyes widen at the sight of this alluring piece of space-age equipment. He allowed the boy to put on his helmet (twice the size of the child's head,) and with the mother's permission the three of them walked out of the library together so that he could show the boy his motorcycle in the parking lot. It took just a few minutes from the man's day to do this, but the little boy will surely remember it for a long time. Those of us who noticed this kind act were left beaming for the day. And, no doubt, we will see the boy back in the library soon looking for books about motorcycles!

Do You Need To Update Your Business/Computer Skills?

Are you thinking about getting back into the workplace or perhaps upgrading to a more challenging job? If so, you are undoubtedly aware that technology changes quickly, and job seekers must adapt their skills to meet the times.

Why not go to that interview reassured that your computer skills are up-to-date? Bernardsville Public Library has your needs in mind. We have been offering free computer classes for a number of years and want to encourage you to attend them. The classes are taught on laptops in the library's Community Room by staff member Karen Vaias, and you will get the attention you deserve because class sizes are small.

Karen's classes fall into two categories: Build Up Your Computer Skills, which provides basic computer instruction, and Polish Your Microsoft Office Skills, which covers programs such as Excel, PowerPoint and Publisher. Please consult the library's Web site for more information. Once there, click on the picure of the computer mouse and the words "Help for New Computer Users." To reserve your spot at one of these classes, come to the circulation desk to sign up and please be prepared to leave a deposit of $5 for each class. Your deposit will be returned to you once you attend the class.

You may also sign up for free, individual computer classes with volunteer instructors who will walk you through your particular area of need or interest. These classes are held in the library as well and require a sign-up, too. Stop by the circulation desk to make an appointment. Classes run one hour in length. Best of all, you do NOT need to have a library card to take advantage of these wonderful career and life-enhancing classes.

This is "Book News and More" For Sure...Dog Reviews Book About A Cat!

Margaret Harvey, readers' services staff member at Bernardsville Public Library, is a dog lover through and through, but she and her dog Skip were moved by the recent nonfiction book, Dewey. Skip is a "mixed breed" shelter dog, so he can relate to the miraculous rescue of the little kitten, Dewey, who became the live-in mascot for a small library in Iowa. With assistance from Margaret, Skip has provided a dog's perspective on a book about a cat. Dewey: the small-town library cat who touched the world by Vicki Myron

Skip's review of the book follows below:

As a dog I rarely read books about cats, but I know about libraries because my mom works at one. When I saw the cat on the cover, I wanted to gnaw on it. I changed my mind and decided to peek at it since I figured there was no way a cat could really change the world. I have to say, I am not fond of cats. After reading Dewey, I have a new respect for the cat and his book.

You see, poor Dewey was abandoned in a cold book return at a library in a small town in Iowa during the 1980’s. He nearly froze to death, but was found by the nice librarians who worked there before that happened (Librarians are nice people.) After thawing him out, they decided to keep him. A cat in the library? Well evidently, this was not as unusual as you might think. There is actually historical evidence for cats in libraries which astounds me as I think dogs would be so much nicer. You can read about that in the book.

The author, who was the library’s director, tells lots of anecdotes that cat lovers will really enjoy. Dogs won’t appreciate them too much, but people who like libraries will find Dewey’s life story intriguing even if they don’t care much for cats. Libraries can be quite fun places to be, and this library in Iowa was no exception. While the author tells about Dewey’s life in the library, she also recounts how the cat and the library impacted the community during a bad economic period in the town. This makes it a timely book for you humans.

I liked this book because it shows how great animals (including cats) are and how good they are for people of all ages. Maybe after you read this book you will want to have a cat in your library. Or even better, a dog in the library.

~Skip Harvey
Margaret Harvey’s best dog

New Library Display Celebrates Lincoln's 200th Anniversary

Today is the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. To celebrate this occasion and to note his presidency, Bernardsville Public Library has installed a new book display in its lobby. Included in this broad assortment of items are biographies, book recordings, and histories about Abraham Lincoln which have been selected for children, young adult, and adult readers. Shown below are some of the books currently on display. Please pause to look through them as you enter the library, and please feel free to check out any of these books from the display.

"Purrrfect" for Pet and Animal Lovers

photo source - Bernardsville Public Library

Are you on the lookout for great stories with animal subjects? Have you considered getting a pet recently? Do you take comfort in the company of animal friends?

photo source - Bernardsville Public Library

Look no further than the circulation desk at Bernardsville Public Library where a new bookmark has been added to our very own collection of original bookmarks. This one is entitled Creature Comforts and offers a list of current and older book titles with great animal characters. Included among these titles are books for both adults and children alike. On the other side of the bookmark are some suggested readings for animal care and breed information. Learn how to care for your pets. Loving them is easy!

New in Nonfiction - A Staff Pick

Karen Vaias, reference librarian and readers' services staff member at Bernardsville Public Library, recently read this new nonfiction book. Her review follows:

When the New Year rolls around, our thoughts often turn to self improvement. Resolutions can include such topics as reducing one's carbon footprint or one's waistband. The new book, Food Matters: a guide to conscious eating with more than 75 recipes by Mark Bittman offers help on how to achieve each of these. In it, he addresses the concept of sustainability in a practical and economical manner. Bittman discusses how significantly our meat-dominated menus impact global warming and depletion of resources. He also maintains that what is good for the environment is good for the individual: you will actually lose weight by implementing his suggestions! The author's guidelines are flexible enough to fit into most lifestyles and budgets. In the second part of the book, he includes menu plans and recipes that yield great results from a minimum of ingredients. Mark Bittman is the author of numerous cookbooks and a weekly New York Times column. He also appears regularly on the Today Show.

Newbery Medal Awarded to Neil Gaiman

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) has awarded the 2009 John Newbery Medal for outstanding children's literature to Neil Gaiman, versatile British author of fantasy, science fiction, graphic novels and children's books, for The Graveyard Book. On its Web site, the ALSC, a chapter of the American Library Association, states the following about The Graveyard Book, "A delicious mix of murder, fantasy, humor and human longing, the tale of Nobody Owens is told in magical, haunting prose."

Furthermore, the Web site for The Graveyard Book offers this opening summary for the book, "Hear this tragic tale: a sleeping family, a talented murderer, and an adventurous toddler—orphaned, but not assassinated. Small and alone, by accident and luck he escapes the scene of the crime and climbs a grassy hill to safety. At the top of the hill the boy finds a fence, and on the other side, a dark, quiet place. "

The dark, quiet place, of course, is the graveyard, where the boy is raised by the spirits within. Although the Newbery Medal is targeted to children's books, The Graveyard Book can be enjoyed by adults, too. Coraline, another children's book by Neil Gaiman, has successfully crossed age lines as well and is currently being made into a film for popular release.