New Decorating Books

Check out our new decorating books!

We just updated our bookletter for Architecture, Decorating and Garden Design.

Sign up for our various bookletters via email.

Orange Prize for Fiction goes to Madeline Miller

The Orange Prize for Fiction was awarded to the American writer Madeline Miller for her novel "The Song of Achilles."

"The Orange Prize for Fiction was set up in 1996 to celebrate and promote fiction written by women throughout the world to the widest range of readers possible. The Orange Prize is awarded to the best novel of the year written in English by a woman."

Previous winners of the Orange Prize for fiction

Retold Tales - recommended books for adults (from NoveList database)

Ray Bradbury (1920-2012)

The author Ray Bradbury died at the age of 91 on June 5, 2012 in Los Angeles, after a lengthy illness. He was born on August 22, 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois. He was best known for his novel Fahrenheit 451 which was published in 1953.

 New York Times Obituary by Gerald Jonas

Books by Rad Bradbury in our collection

Books about Rad Bradbury in our collection

Fahrenheit 451 (movie on DVD) 
directed by François Truffaut. "[Oskar] Werner stars as a fireman in charge of burning books in a future where reading is a crime. [Julie] Christie plays a dual role as his wife and his book-collecting mistress."

We received a new pass for the Shore Line Trolley Museum.
Our museum passes are funded by the Friends of the Hamden Library. The Shore Line Trolley Museum Pass offers a 50 percent discount for up to six people.
Regular rates apply for additional visitors. [Adults 10.00,
Seniors (62+) 8.00, Children (2-15) 6.00]
The Pass is valid on all scheduled public operation days (10:30am-4:30pm) and expanded special events programs during the 2012 season; except for October's Haunted Isle.

May ……………………………………. Saturdays and Sundays
Memorial Day to Labor Day ……. OPEN EVERY DAY
September…………………............ Saturday, Sundays and Labor Day
October……………………………….. Saturdays and Sundays
December…………………………….. First Four Weekends
Special Events: Easter, Mothers Day, Antique Car Show, Fire Apparatus Show, Art Show, Movie Weekend, Haunted Isle (pass is not valid for Haunted Isle), Pumpkin Patch, Star Gazing and Winter Wonderland

Two additional State Park passes available

We just added two more STATE PARK passes for circulation. Just in time for a beautiful weekend!

The passes can be checked out by Hamden residents with valid Hamden Public Library cards. One pass per family. The pass covers cost of parking, where there is a parking charge. Parking fees are charged at all four state park beaches on Long Island Sound as well as several inland parks. Also covers admission for two adults and four children at state historical sites and exhibit centers at Dinosaur, Fort Trumbull and Gillette Castle State Parks. Enjoy!

More info on State Parks in CT


Hamden Public Library Museum Pass List

CLA Special Achievement Award Winner!

Congratulations to Hamden Public Library's own Nancy  McNicol, winner of the 2012 Connecticut Library Association Special Achievement Award. Each year, CLA honors an individual who has implemented a significant project or initiated an innovative program which has had significant impact on the library, the community, or the library profession this year.


In the spring of 2011, Hamden Public Library’s Associate Director, Nancy McNicol initiated plans to celebrate the life and works of Hamden native, former U.S. Poet Laureate and 2011 recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Donald Hall. She partnered with various Hamden agencies, the Mayor’s Office, the Connecticut Poetry Society and a number of town residents to bring the plans to fruition. On the evening of September 16th, more than 300 friends and poetry lovers paid tribute to Mr. Hall. He rewarded his audience with reminiscences of growing up in Hamden and readings of his poems. We are all thankful for Nancy's tireless effort creating this remarkable event, and grateful to the Connectict Library Association for recognizing her outstanding acheivement!

Pulitzer Prizes

The Pulitzer Prize Winners 2012 have been announced. Pulitzer Prizes will be awarded at a luncheon ceremony at Columbia University in May.  

Background Info on the award process

Biography of Joseph Pulitzer (1847-1911)

Biography/Autobiography

George F. Kennan: An American Life by John Lewis Gaddis (The Penguin Press) 

"An engaging portrait of a globetrotting diplomat whose complicated life was interwoven with the Cold War and America’s emergence as the world’s dominant power."
previous Biography/Autobiography winners

General Nonfiction
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt (W.W. Norton & Company)
"A provocative book arguing that an obscure work of philosophy, discovered nearly 600 years ago, changed the course of history by anticipating the science and sensibilities of today."

 previous General Nonfiction winners

History

Malcolm X: A Life of Reinvention, by the late Manning Marable (Viking)

"An exploration of the legendary life and provocative views of one of the most significant African-Americans in U.S. history, a work that separates fact from fiction and blends the heroic and tragic.
 previous History winners

Poetry
Life on Mars by Tracy K. Smith (Graywolf Press)

"A collection of bold, skillful poems, taking readers into the universe and moving them to an authentic mix of joy and pain."
previous Poetry winners







Fiction
No prize for Fiction was awarded this year. For a list of previous winners with links to our online catalog click here.

New Pass to the Hill-Stead Museum

We received two new passes to the Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington, CT. Our museum passes are funded by the Friends of the Hamden Library. The pass offers free admission for 1 adult and two children (under 18). The pass is not valid for special programs and events. The Museum is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10 am to 4 pm. 
Check availability of pass here. 

Hill-Stead (a National Historic Landmark) is a Colonial Revival-style house, set on 152 hilltop acres. It was designed by Theodate Pope Riddle (1867-1946), who was one of the first American women architects. She was a graduate of Miss Porter's School in Farmington, CT. Hill-Stead showcases Impressionist masterpieces, as well as numerous works on paper and Japanese woodblock prints, all displayed among original furnishings in an intimate family setting.The sunken garden was designed by Beatrix Farrand.

Stepping Stones Museum for Children - Pass

The Friends of the Hamden Library provide the funding for our museum passes. We received
a pass to the Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk. The pass offers one free
admission with one paid admission. The museum is open daily, Monday through Sunday from 10 to 5. It offers free admission on First Thursdays, from 5 to 8 pm. It is closed New Year's Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Adult admission $15, Child Admission $15 (children under 1 free), Seniors (over 62) $10.

The museum is located on five acres in Mathews Park in Norwalk. It offers an Energy Lab, Tot Town, a hands-on building/construction area, and Healthyville. There is also a traveling exhibit gallery, a multimedia gallery, a celebration courtyard, community garden with garden follies, a family and teacher resource center, an art studio and science lab. 

Pass Status for the Stepping Stones Museum for Children 
List of Museum Passes 


 

Julie Otsuka wins 2012 PEN/Faulkner award for Fiction

Julie Otsuka won the 2012 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction for her novel "The Buddha in the Attic". The book's publisher is Alfred A. Knopf. It was chosen from more than 350 novels and short-story collections by American authors which were published in 2011. Ms. Otsuka will receive $15,000. The awards ceremony will take place May 5 at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. "The Buddha in the Attic" is about the lives of Japanese mail-order brides who come to San Francisco in the early 20th century. Julie Otsuka was born in 1962 and is a native of California.

Books by Julie Otsuka in our collection
Information about the winner and the finalists

The four finalists are:

Lost Memory of Skin. By Russell Banks

The Angel Esmeralda: Nine Stories. By Don Delillo

The Artist of Disappearance. By Anita Desai












 We Others: New and selected stories. By Steven Millhauser

New Pass to the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center

The Friends of the Hamden Library are funding our museum passes. We received four passes to the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford. Each pass admits two guests for free. The pass may be used for a free Stowe House tour or a Child's Tour. The Child's Tour is available Saturday & Sunday at 2 pm.

Since the Mark Twain House is located right across from the Harriet Beecher Stowe House, a family can check out both passes at the same time, if available.

Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, 77 Forest Ave., Hartford, CT. Open Wed.-Sat.: 9:30 – 4:30, Sun.: 12 – 4:30. Closed Jan. 1, Easter Sunday, July 4, Thanksgiving Day; December 24 and 25. 

Catalog Link

Catalog Link

Harriet Beecher Stowe's Life

Harriet Beecher Stowe House

Uncle Tom's Cabin

List of Hamden Library's Museum Passes

Best Food Writing

I enjoyed reading these two recent articles on the topic of food and restaurants: "Throwback in Albany will serve last meal" by John Eligon, published in the print edition of the New York Times, Feb. 10, 2012, and "Till the last doughnut and drumstick" by Pete Wells, published in the print edition of the New York Times, Feb. 1, 2012. More articles by John Eligon who reports for the New York Times from Albany. More information on restaurant critic Pete Wells. If you are interested in food writing, check out the following new books from our collection:

Best Food Writing. Edited by Holly Hughes.


A collection of writings from periodicals, Web sites, and books that explores such topics as culinary history, food sourcing at a greenmarket, equipping a kitchen, and the economics of the restaurant business.






Will Write for Food. By Dianne Jacob.
Presents advice on how to become a food writer, discussing how to start a blog, get assignments as a restaurant reviewer, write a cookbook, compose a memoir, and put together a book proposal for prospective publishers.
From the contents:
What, exactly, is food writing? -- Characteristics of a food writer -- Getting started -- Get published with a food blog -- Becoming a successful freelance writer -- Secrets of restaurant reviewing -- The cookbook you've always wanted to write -- The art of recipe writing -- Memoir and nonfiction food writing -- Writing about food in fiction -- How to get your book published.

There is also:

American Food Writing: an anthology with classic recipes.

New Nonfiction Books in the 600s

catalog link

Check out our new book acquisitions in the 600s: books on cooking, health, technology, business etc.


If a book is in processing, or on order or checked out, you can reserve it/request it online. The Lifestyles bookletter is published on the 7th day of each month. You can also get it in your e-mail by signing up here. 

Take a look at our other bookletters here.

OneClickDigital eAudiobooks

We have some exciting new updates for our Hamden OneClickDigital service! First, Mac users running OS 10.6 or higher may now install the OneClickDigital Media Manager, available through the Mac app store. This will allow Mac users access to our ENTIRE downloadable audiobook collection! And stay tuned - we're told a mobile app is in the works, so you will soon be able to download audiobooks directly to your mobile devices.

Second, all ICONN OneClickDigital audiobooks have now been integrated with Hamden's collection. This means you can download all available audiobook titles with a single login. (Other Connecticut residents with a valid library card may still access ICONN OneClickDigital,  without Hamden's collection included). 

Take a look at our OneClickDigital Getting Started page to learn how to set up a new account. Our OneClickDigital FAQ page will help answer general questions about the services, as well as questions about lending rules.

New DVDs in Art, Architecture, Design

The following DVDs have been recently added to our collection or are on order. The titles are linked to our online catalog. They can be checked out for 7 days.

Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens. Directed by
Barbara Leibovitz.

Profiles the celebrity photographer from her Connecticut childhood to her current work for Vanity Fair. Originally broadcast on television as an episode for the PBS series "American masters" in 2006.

Art: 21 - Art in the Twenty-First Century. Season 1 & 2. Created and produced by Susan Sollins, Susan Dowling ; directed by Catherine Tatge and Deborah Shaffer.

Meet diverse contemporary artists through revealing profiles that take viewers behind the scenes into artists' studios, homes, and communities to provide an intimate view of their lives, work, sources of inspiration and creative processes.

Bauhaus: The Face of the 20th Century. Written and narrated by Frank Whitford ; producer, Julia Cave.

Looks at the development of the Bauhaus and at the key figures involved in it, including the founder Walter Gropius, his successor Mies van der Rohe, Lásló Moholy-Nagy and Josef Albers. The program also sets the history of the Bauhaus in the context of the political unrest and economic chaos of the Weimar Republic in Germany. Former students discuss their time at the Bauhaus and architect Philip Johnson tells how it influenced his work. Contains rare archival footage of the Bauhaus at Dessau and looks at the architecture of Chicago, much influenced by Mies van der Rohe, who emmigrated there after the Bauhaus was shut by the Nazis in 1933.

Dutch Masters. Kultur Video, 2006. 6 DVDs.

This unique series chronicles the life, times and works of the greatest artists in history. Includes: Rembrandt, Vermeer, Rubens, Van Dyck, Bosch and Bruegel.

 
 

Genius of Design. produced by Wall to Wall Media for BBC 2 ; directed by Chris Wilson, Chris Rodley, Peter Sweasey. Originally broadcast on television in 2010.
 
The art, science and development of design and how people are impacted when interacting with what has been designed are explored in five episodes.

The Impressionists: their lives, times and works. 6 DVDs.
 
An in-depth look at the lives of six artists of the Impressionist movement. Monet -- Degas -- Renoir -- Pissarro -- Seurat -- Manet.









The Mystery of Picasso. A film by Henri-Georges Clouzot. Originally released as a motion picture in 1956.

Explores the mind and motivations of Pablo Picasso as he creates over fifteen works before the camera. Using a specially designed transparent 'canvas' to provide an unobstructed view, Picasso creates as the camera records. He begins with simple works that take shape after only a single brush stroke. He then progresses to more complex paintings, in which he repeatedly adds and removes elements, transforming the entire scene, until at last the work is complete.

Painters Painting: a candid history of the New York art scene, 1940-1970. A film by Emile de Antonio and Mary Lampson. Originally produced in 1972.

Artists, critics, and patrons discuss post-war art in New York City against the backdrop of footage of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's exhibition "New York painting and sculpture, 1940-1970.







Restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright's Heurtley House.

The Heurtley House is located in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Frank Lloyd Wright constructed the house in 1902.

Van Gogh: a Brush with Genius. Directed by Francois Bertrand.

Bertrand takes the viewer into the heart of van Gogh's paintings and life. His letters are used to explain his art. The locations that inspired him are also part of the film.

Vermeer: Master of Light. A National Gallery of Art Film.
directed by Joseph J. Krakora. Narrated by Meryl Streep.

Explores Vermeer's paintings, examining his techniques of lighting and composition.

Living with Books

Here are some of our newer titles on living with books:

Living With Books

Books Make a Home






Of related interest are these recent newspaper articles:

Selling Books By Their Guilded Covers,

Should I Store My Messy Collection of Books?

See also my earlier posting about Designing with Books.

New Tote Bags

Tote bags featuring our new library logo are now available for just $10! You can get yours at the Checkout Desk at Miller Central Library (coming soon the the branches).

Perfect for all your summer activities. Show your support the library wherever you go!

Check out a museum pass

If you are a Hamden resident with a valid Hamden library card, you can check out our museum passes.

Passes are available at Miller Library, at the info desk. If you check out a pass this Friday, July 1, you can keep it until Wednesday, July 6, due to the 4th of July Holiday Weekend. The library is open today Friday until 5:30 pm. We are closed Saturday, Sunday, Monday and will open again Tuesday, July 5, at 10 am. During the week passes can be checked out overnight. Passes cannot be reserved. We have passes which offer either free admission or a discount.

Mango Languages App from iTunes

We are pleased to announce that Mango is now offering an app of their foreign language program for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Get free access to more than 34 foreign language courses and 14 English as a second language courses in the palm of your hand with your Hamden Library account. Just visit the iTunes store to download the Mango Languages app. Mango makes learning a new language fast, easy, and incredibly effective!



You will need create a user login on the web-based version of Mango before you can use the app. To get started, the Hamden Library's Mango Languages database. After entering your library card number, create a Mango account (email address and password), then use that email address and password to log in to the app.

Android, Blackberry, and other mobile users may use the Library's web-based version of Mango Languages with their device's web browser.

Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum Pass

We received two new passes to the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, CT. Each pass admits the pass-holder and accompanying family members for free. The museum is open Tuesday - Sunday, 12 noon to 5 pm. Closed on Mondays and New Year's Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The museum is open on the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, and Labor Day. The passes can be checked out by Hamden residents only with valid Hamden Library cards (first come, first served).

Pass Status

List of Museum Passes

New Art and Photography Books