What's Simmering?

Fox Cities Book Festival, April 2010

2010-02-12T21:17:53Z

The third annual Fox Cities Book Festival will take place April 11-18, 2010 with events at more than 15 venues throughout the Fox Cities. Visit www.foxcitiesbookfestival.org to learn more about the festival, browse the impressive list of authors participating in the event, and view the schedule. Find the events you want to attend and use InfoSoup to request book festival titles now!

Don't miss future updates on the Fox Cities Book Festival. You can sign up for email updates, subscribe to the RSS feed, become a fan of the festival on Facebook or follow the festival on Twitter (@FCBookFestival).

We hope you will come out to meet fellow Fox Cities readers and connect with your favorite writers at the 2010 Fox Cities Book Festival.

2010 Fox Cities Reads

2010-01-21T23:07:48Z

Lesley Kagen's Whistling in the Dark has been named the 2010 Fox Cities Reads' book selection.

This year’s Community Read is once again a collaboration between the public libraries of Appleton, Neenah, Menasha, Kimberly, Little Chute and Kaukauna, as well as UW-Fox Valley and the Appleton Area School District.

This year the focus is on Wisconsin-based author Lesley Kagen and her New York Times best-selling novel Whistling in the Dark. We hope you enjoy this choice, which takes place in Milwaukee in the late 1950s. In this mystery story, Sally O’Malley is a feisty heroine who will tug at your heartstrings and make you laugh.

from http://www.foxcitiesreads.org/

Please see Appleton Public Library News for additional information.

Caldecott, Newbery (and other) Award Winners Announced

2010-01-21T16:55:32Z

Every January the American Library Association announces their top honors for excellence in children's and young adult literature, including the winners of the prestigious Caldecott and Newbery Medals. Check out our 2010 ALA Book Awards list to see some of the many excellent titles honored this year.

2010 Caldecott Medal winner

The Lion & the Mouse, illustrated and written by Jerry Pinkney.

The screech of an owl, the squeak of a mouse and the roar of a lion transport readers to the Serengeti plains for this virtually wordless retelling of Aesop’s classic fable. In glowing colors, Pinkney’s textured watercolor illustrations masterfully portray the relationship between two very unlikely friends. © Copyright 1997-2009 American Library Association.

2010 Newbery Medal winner

When you Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead.

Twelve-year-old Miranda encounters shifting friendships, a sudden punch, a strange homeless man and mysterious notes that hint at knowledge of the future. These and other seemingly random events converge in a brilliantly constructed plot. © Copyright 1997-2009 American Library Association.

Operation Military Kids Reading Collection

2010-01-06T19:18:23Z

Wisconsin has almost 15,000 military kids, and they live in every county of the state. Because they are geographically dispersed, these children often feel isolated. They feel that their peers do not understand what it is like to have a parent who is serving in another county. They worry about the safety of their parent, and the extensive media coverage of military operations creates daily anxiety. Operation Military Kids recently donated 20 books relating to the issues surrounding military deployment to area public libraries. The intent of this collection of books is to provide resources for families and children experiencing deployment and to build understanding about deployment and its affect on children among community members.

View Operation Military Kids Reading Collection.

A copy of the WI OMK Reading Collection with additional descriptions is available to download as a word document from the UW Cooperative Extension.

New Mango Languages Service

2009-12-14T16:45:47Z

Mango Languages has launched a new service, Mango Basic, which is "designed to teach users simple, practical, and polite conversation skills in a foreign language." Mango Basic is ideal for the short term traveler or curious student. While limited in scope, it is available in languages not covered in Mango Complete, including Arabic, Farsi, Hebrew, Hindi, Irish, Korean, Turkish, and Vietnamese. Also available in Mango Basic are additional languages for teaching basic words and phrases in English. To use either Mango version, just go to our Mango Languages page and click on Start Using Mango Languages. From outside the library you will need a valid library card number and PIN.

Wisconsin Libraries Say Cheese

2009-11-20T22:06:22Z

Agreeing with the adage that "a picture is worth a thousand words," the Campaign for Wisconsin Libraries has created a visual way to remind people of the variety and wealth of resources, services, programs, and activities provided by their libraries. Wisconsin Libraries Say Cheese! A Day in Pictures is a project that shares digital photos taken in libraries during the week of Nov. 1-8. See if you can find photos from your favorite InfoSoup library.

Read Beyond Reality

2009-10-19T14:12:04Z

Celebrate Teen Read Week Oct. 18-23 and read something out of this world! For some great suggestions, take a look at our Teen Book Review Blog Science Fiction and Fantasy reviews. If you have read anything out of this world, or just really good, add your review to the blog.

Also check out the Out of This World booklist for more suggestions.

InfoSoup Memory Project

2009-10-15T20:46:03Z

Please take a look at the latest addition to InfoSoup, the InfoSoup Memory Project. This project provides a powerful online platform for presenting local history material from InfoSoup libraries. The project is just getting started, but we are excited by the possibilities for making available some of the unique local history materials in our libraries.

If you are interested in local history, you may also want to take a look at Digital Collections @ Your Library and Local History @ Your Library, a collection of links and information about a variety of online and in print local history resources.

Health Information Online

2009-09-10T17:01:57Z

Another exciting new addition to BadgerLink this year is Consumer Health Complete.

CHC provides content covering all areas of health and wellness from mainstream medicine to the many perspectives of complementary, holistic and integrated medicine. This full-text database covers topics such as aging, cancer, diabetes, drugs & alcohol, fitness, nutrition & dietetics, children's health, men & women's health, etc.

Consumer Health Complete includes information from hundreds of well known medical reference books, thousands of evidence-based health reports, generic and brand name drug patient education sheets, physician-generated videos, and much more. This resource can be found on InfoSoup Research Tools Page. From outside an InfoSoup library you will need to enter your library card and pin to access this resource.

Auto Repair Information Online

2009-08-13T14:53:04Z

The Auto Repair Reference Center provides information on most major manufacturers of domestic and imported vehicles, with repair information for most vintage makes starting as far back as 1945. Content includes:

Nearly 800,000 Drawings and Step-by-Step Photographs
Approximately 83,200 Technical Services Bulletins & Recalls
Over 99,800 Wiring Diagrams
Labor Time Guide & Estimator
Specifications & Maintenance Schedules

The Auto Repair Reference Center is made available through BadgerLink! BadgerLink provides access to full text magazines, newspapers and reference resources, literature, and other information. The services are provided by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction with funding through the Public Service Commission, Universal Service Fund.

This resource and many more can be found on InfoSoup Research Tools Page. From outside an InfoSoup library you will need to enter your library card and pin to access this resource.

Summer Fun for Kids and Teens

2009-05-20T13:47:22Z

InfoSoup's summer reading blogs are now available!

Kids and parents can visit Be Creative @ Your Library to find book reviews, coloring sheets, craft projects, puzzles, and more. Why not add your own review of your favorite book or comment on a posted review from someone else? We hope you'll tell us about what you're reading this summer.

Teens are also welcome to post their own reviews and comment on posted reviews at Express Yourself @ Your Library. We have also collected some links to interesting web sites for you to check out this summer. If you don't see your favorite site, be sure to tell us about it so we can add it to our list.

The blogs were created to supplement the reading programs taking place in InfoSoup libraries this summer. Be sure to check out your local library to see what they have planned for you!

Discover New Authors with LibraryThing

2009-05-12T16:25:32Z

We are happy to announce the addition of LibraryThing, a new feature in InfoSoup that will enable you to find titles similar to your favorites, as well as other editions or translations. LibraryThing also adds a tag cloud, so you can explore words and phrases that describe one title in order to find others that you might enjoy.

Take a look at the Finding Similar Titles and Other Editions in InfoSoup (a.k.a. LibraryThing) screencast to learn more, then let us know how you like it in the comments of this post.

Enjoy!

Teen and Adult Reviews in InfoSoup

2009-05-11T13:14:06Z

Check out the latest reviews added to InfoSoup!

For Adults

True Detectives: A Novel by Jonathan Kellerman
I enjoyed the primary characters described in this book immensely. The 1/2 brothers, Aaron and Moe and their Mom each had quirks that made the read a good one. However, the questioning of suspects, and the conversations between the people "working the case" could have been abbreviated (summarized?) because it became repetitious.

If Angels Burn : A Novel of the Darkyn by Lynn Viehl
This story took a while to really get rolling and it's a bit more horror - especially in the beginning. But I found myself becoming compelled as it moved along and by the end I was sorry it was over. So I guess it was really good! The main "hero", if you can call him that, was really good. His name is Michael Cyprien and I found him very alluring in many ways, even though it was subtle and you didn't notice it at first. The heroine is fun and lively and good too. The only part that left me a bit cold was her brother, who is a priest. But mostly it was very good.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Be careful where you read this. You don't want to read it in a very quiet place where others will be annoyed by your constant snickering, chuckling and laughing out loud. Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce is a delight - brilliant, wicked, and yet still bewildered by many of the adults about her. I can't wait for the next one!

Jacob by Jacquelyn Frank
This was an EXCELLENT book. I was captivated throughout. The characters were great and the storyline was intelligent and interesting. I can't wait to read the others in the series. 5 stars!

For Teens

Origins by Cate Tiernan
So if you're looking for a continuation of Morgan and Hunter's romance you won't find it in this book. It's written from the point of view of Rose MacEwan - Morgan's relative. It's a good enough book, but not about our main characters. And in the end Morgan instantly forgives Hunter for kissing another witch while he was on his trip to Canada. I found this a bit surreal. She should have given him a little trouble for that one - not just fall into his arms. Is she a doormat, or what?

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
Fablehaven is a lot like Harry Potter. For all fairy tale lovers you will love this suppenseful book.

Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull
This story is just as good as the fisrt. You MUST read the fisrt book for it to make any sense to you. Suspenseful you will not want to put this book down.

Add Your Review

If you'd like to add a review but need a little help, take a look at Using Community Reviews in InfoSoup. Or, feel free to add a review here in the comments. We'd love to hear about what you're reading lately!

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T11:15:06Z

Founded in 1970 by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. Learn more about Earth Day at Wikipedia.

What will you do to celebrate this day? Why not visit your local library and check out some of the wonderful, FREE resources they have available to help you learn more about our planet and how to be a good steward of the environment. Here are a few titles from InfoSoup to get you started.

For Adults:

Beyond Earth Day: fulfilling the promise by Gaylord Nelson
The man from Clear Lake: Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson by Bill Christofferson
The official Earth Day guide to planet repair by Denis Hayes
Easy green living: the ultimate guide to simple, eco-friendly choices for your and your home by Renee Loux
The everything green living book by Diane Gow McDilda

For Kids:

Dora celebrates Earth Day! by Emily Solinger
Earth Day by Margaret McNamara
It's Earth Day! by Mercer Mayer
All new crafts for Earth Day by Kathy Ross
Earth Day - hooray! by Stuart J. Murphy
more Earth Day materials for kids

Can't make it to your library today? Try some of these online resources:

Earth Day Network
EarthLab.com - calculate your carbon footprint
EarthDay.gov
Earth Day - US Environmental Protection Agency
The Green Guide
Green Living Ideas

For kids and families:

Learn something new, adopt a green living tip (or two or three or four), and start to make a difference today!

Recommended Books for Kids

2009-04-20T13:28:54Z

The following materials were recently reviewed in InfoSoup. Take a look - maybe you'll discover something new to enjoy with your family! And remember to visit InfoSoup's Family Page for access to award winning books, reading lists, and TumbleBooks (online animated talking picture books).

InfoSoup Reviews

Bubble Homes and Fish Farts by Fiona Bayrock
Author Fiona Bayrock explores animals that use bubbles for a functional purpose, from violet sea snails to humans! Each description is accompanied by a beautiful watercolor by illustrator Carolyn Conahan and the scientific name of the animal. Additional materials include “More amazing facts about bubble makers” (you will want to find out how herring farts were accidently discovered) and a glossary. Young readers will want to listen to you read this book to them (one animal at a time or the whole book in a sitting) and older readers can explore this book on their own. Older readers may want to dive into other books to learn about the physics of snapping shrimp bubble popping.

If the World Were a Village: A Book About the World's People by David J. Smith
David Smith condenses the world population into a village of 100 people to make a meaningful summary of the world's 6.6 billion people (in 2007). Did you realize if you lived in this village and only spoke English that you would only be able to communicate using language with eight other people? Is it alright for only 30 of the village members to always have enough to eat? These and other facts are conveyed in simple terms and displayed with vibrant illustrations by Shelagh Armstrong. The book also contains tips on how to teach children about the global village and a listing of data sources.

A Personal Tour of Monticello by Robert Young
As an adult, I often look to children's nonfiction for an introduction to a subject that I'm not familiar with. The maps and house plans provided in this book are quite good. Large photographs also provide a good sense of Monticello. This book is partially written as the daily experiences of contemporaries at Monticello in Jefferson's time. These stories seemed fragmented and uninteresting to me. Inventions and tools, such as a dumbwaiter, could have been explored in more depth.

One Well: The Story of Water on Earth by Rochelle Strauss
All of the earth's water makes up the one well that we all share. Plants and animals, including humans, all depend on this well. Did you know that there is ten times the water in our atmosphere than in our rivers? This and many other facts are presented along with brightly color illustrations. Additional information includes "Becoming Well Aware," Notes to Parents, Guardians, and Teachers," and an index.

Add Your Review

If you'd like to add a review but need a little help, take a look at Using Community Reviews in InfoSoup. Or, feel free to add a review here in the comments. We'd love to hear about what you're reading lately!