Elizabeth Edwards 1949-2010

Elizabeth Edwards was born July 3, 1949 and died December 7, 2010 of cancer at the age of 61. She was an attorney and best-selling author.

Upon the death of her 16 year old son in a traffic accident, she retired from legal practice. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. Her cancer returned in 2007.

In January 2010 she legally separated from her husband, John Edwards, the former US-Senator from North Carolina who was the 2004 United States Democratic vice-presidential nominee. She actively took part in John Edwards' 2008 presidential bid. Elizabeth Edwards is survived by her three other children: Catharine, Emma Claire and Jack.

Books by Elizabeth Edwards in our library

Obituary by Robert D. McFadden, published in the New York Times, Dec. 7, 2010

Spread Some Holiday Cheer to Those in Need

During the holiday season all three Hamden libraries are accepting donations of coats, gloves, and mittens for adults and children, as well as toys for children of all ages, which will be distributed through the Keefe Center and the Quinnipiac Bank & Trust Company’s Coat Drive. You can also donate non-perishable food for the Hamden Food Bank. All items can be dropped off at Miller Memorial Library, 2901 Dixwell Avenue where the annual “Mitten Tree” has become a tradition for library users. Also participating in this town-wide effort are Brundage Community Branch at 91 Circular Avenue and Whitneyville Branch at 125 Carleton Street. For further information contact the Miller Library Info Desk at 287-2680.

Thornton Wilder Writing Competition

It's time once again for the annual Thornton Wilder Writing Competition. Students from all Connecticut public, private, and parochial high schools students are invited to submit their one-act plays, short stories, essays, poetry, or selections from longer works for the chance to win a cash prize.

Learn more about the Competition>

Download Application

Mark Twain - bestselling author

Mark Twain's Autobiography is the surprise best-seller of the season. It has gone back to press seven times. More than 350,000 copies of the four pound heavy book have been printed so far. Yet bookstores across the country are running out of copies and are having a hard time keeping up with demand.

Publisher's Weekly, December 6, 2010 reports that the printer of the book, Thomson-Shore located in Dexter, MI rehired employees they laid off in 2009 to fill all three printing shifts. Mark Twain's book is creating jobs!

It has reached the No. 5 spot on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction best-seller list.

Mark Twain's Autobiography Flying Off the Shelves article by Julie Bosman, published in the New York Times Nov. 19, 2010

The University of California Press has published a website for the book with audio, pictures and a timeline of Twain's life.

Visit the Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford with our museum pass.

National Book Award Winners 2010

The National Book Award Winners for 2010 are:

Fiction
Jaimy Gordon: Lord of Misrule
Interview with Author


Nonfiction
Patti Smith: Just Kids
Interview with Author

Poetry
Terrance Hayes: Lighthead
Interview with Author

Young People's Literature
Kathryn Erskine: Mockingbird
Interview with Author

Hamden Library Logo Contest

The Hamden Public Library is seeking a new logo design to represent the Library on print materials (fliers, newsletter, library cards, etc.) and on the Library’s website. The designer of the winning entry will receive a $200 honorarium. Deadline for submission is January 29, 2011. Click the links below to download contest rules and entry form.

Contest Rules
Entry Form

Top Ten Books of 2010

Publisher's Weekly has compiled a listing of Top Ten Books of 2010. This list was published on November 8, 2010.

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan published by Knopf
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen (published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux)
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand (published by Random)
The Surrendered by Chang-rae Lee (published by Riverhead)
The Big Short by Michael Lewis (published by Norton)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (published by Crown)
Just Kids by Patti Smith (published by Ecco)
Man in the Woods by Scott Spencer (published by Harper)
The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall (published by Norton)
The Warmth of other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (published by Random)

Ted Sorensen dies at 82

Ted Sorensen, political adviser, speechwriter and White House counsel died October 31, 2010 in New York City, following a stroke. He was 82 years old. He served in the White House from January 20, 1961 until February 29, 1964 under President John F. Kennedy and President Lyndon B. Johnson.

New York Times Obituary by Tim Weiner

Books by Ted Sorensen in our library

See also the book White House ghosts: Presidents and their speechwriters. By Robert Schlesinger.