The Short List

The Agatha Awards are given out for books published in the US which honor the traditional mystery-typified by Agatha Christie. The awards are sponsored by Malice Domestic and are voted on by Malice Domestic members. Awards will be given out this year at their convention in Washington, DC–May 4-6. Nominated for best novel for 2006 are: “All Mortal Flesh” by Julia Spencer Fleming; “Messenger Of Truth” by Jacqueline Winspear; “The Saddlemaker’s Wife” by Earlene Fowler; “The Virgin Of Small Plains” by Nancy Pickard and “Why Casey Had To Die” by L.C. Hayden.

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Thursdays 4-5pm , March 1, 8, & 15

Boys and Girls in Grades 3-6 are invited to our new program that combines reading and acting as a way of helping raise children’s interest in what they are reading. The children will read a story together and then parts will be handed out for skit planning and activities. Parents are welcome to come for the last 10 minutes to view the skits. Please call the library at 767-1560 or email jmccann@essexlibrary.lioninc.org to register for this 3 week program.

The Edgar Awards are sponsored by the Mystery Writers of America. This year’s nominees for Young Adult books are: “The Road Of The Dead” by Kevin Brooks; “The Christopher Killer” by Alane Ferguson; “Crunch Time” by Mariah Fredericks; “Buried” by Robin Merrow MacCready and “The Night My Sister Went Missing” by Carol Plum-Ucci. The winner will be announced at the Edgar Banquet on Thursday, April 26th. Read them all and see which one you’d give the award to.

Essex Library patrons will soon notice the appearance of Playaway Audio Books on our shelves.

Not an MP3 or CD player and not software, Playaway is the self-contained audio equivalent of a book. Half the size of a deck of cards, Playaway is packaged with earphones, a lanyard and a standard AAA battery to allow for immediate listening. Using clearly marked buttons, Playaway gives listeners the option of placing digital bookmarks and controlling the speed of a narrator’s voice, all while easily moving both forward and back through audio book selections that can range from six to twenty-four hours. Additionally, Playaway has a universal headphone jack that works with almost any type of headphone or mobility accessory.

Here are the 10 nominees for the 2008 Nutmeg Award for the grades 7-9 category: “Bucking The Sarge” by Christopher Paul Curtis; “Locomotion” by Jacqueline Woodson; “Down The Rabbit Hole” by Peter Abrahams; “Revenge Of The Witch” by Joesph Delaney; “Emako Blue” by Brenda Woods; “The River Between Us” by Richard Peck; “In Darkness Death” by Dororthy Hoobler; “The Sea Of Trolls” by Nancy Farmer; “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan and “Shackleton’s Stowaway” by Victoria McKernan.

The Connecticut Nutmeg Awards were announced on February 14th. These awards are meant to encourage children in grades 4-8 to read quality literature and to choose their favorite from a list of 10 nominees. The 2007 winners are “Thunder From The Sea” by Joan Hiatt Harlow and “Vampire High” by Douglas Rees.

The 2008 Nutmeg nominees for grades 4-6 are: “A Bear Named Trouble” by Marion Dane Bauer; “Project Mulberry” by Linda Sue Park; “Escaping The Giant Wave” by Peg Kehret; “The Ravenmaster’s Secret” by Elvira Woodruff; “Hatching Magic” by Ann Downer; “The Seven Professor’s Of The Far North” by John Fardell; “Jackie’s Wild Seattle” by Will Hobbs; “Shredderman: Secret Identity” by Wendelin Van Draanen; “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan; and “White Star: A Dog On The Titanic” by Marty Crisp.

Joan Didion’s highly popular book, “The Year Of Magical Thinking” will open on Broadway in March starring Vanessa Redgrave. The book chronicles the sudden death of Didion’s husband of 40 years-author John Gregory Dunne, the illness of their daughter and the grief over the following year. For more about the play, see the article at NPR.com.

You can now download videos from our website to your computer 24 hours-a-day. Just click on the image (see left) on our homepage and follow the instructions. Please note the system requirements that are listed to be sure you can save and play the videos on your computer. Then you may select from a dynamic lineup of documentaries, classic and independent films, cooking shows, travel series, how-to programs and thought-provoking presentations on health and literature. Watch episodes of cooking shows such as: America’s Test Kitchens, Julia and Jacques Cooking At Home and Michael Chiarello’s Napa. See episodes of Antiques Roadshow and interviews with some of today’s most fascinating authors as well as more than 45 classic and independent films in a collection that’s constantly growing. If you’re interested in travel, you’ll have hundreds of episodes of Globe Trekker, TravelView International and Rick Steve’s Europe at your fingertips. Give our new service a try!

The Alex Awards are given to adult books that will appeal to teenagers. 10 books were selected at this year’s annual ALA conference: “The Book Of LostThings” by John Connolly; “The Whistling Season” by Ivan Doig; “Eagle Blue” by Michael D’Orso; “Water For Elephants” by Sara Gruen; “Floor Of The Sky” by Pamela Carter Joern; “Color of The Sea” by John Hamamura; “The Blind Side” by Michael Lewis; “Black Swan Green” by David Mitchell; “The World Made Straight” by Ron Rash; and “The Thirteenth Tale” by Diane Setterfield.

School Vacation Book Blizzard!

February 17 – 25

Essex Elementary School, Essex Library and the Ivoryton Library are having a Book Blizzard during the February vacation. See how many books you can read during this week. Book Blizzard information and reading packets will be sent home from Essex Elementary School.

Kindermusic With Nancy Thomas

Tuesday, February 20 at the Library

2 sessions generously donated by The Community Music School.

10-10:45am for children aged 18 months to 3 years

11-11:45am for children aged 4-6 years.

Space is limited, please register early.

Board Games

Wednesday, February 21, 1-4:30pm

Children of all ages are welcome to drop in to the library to play board games throughout the afternoon. No registration is necessary.

Crafts With Merry Coleman

Thursday, February 22^nd 11am-12pm

Children in grades K-2 are invited to make a penguin craft.

Space is limited, please register early.