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I’m into funny. Books that give me a laugh out loud while I’m stuck in traffic or wondering why I can’t sleep are a tonic for my ravaged soul. Some humorous memoirs I enjoyed recently: Nora Ephron's I Feel Bad About My Neck, and David Sedaris' Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim. Fiction that tickled my funnybone: The Devil Wears Prada and Dave Barry's Big Trouble. Keep me giggling – tell me your favorite funnies.
Do you know what the next hot language is to learn in schools? It's Chinese. According to Guinness World Records 2006, Chinese, with 1.4 billion speakers in the Mandarin dialect alone, is the most commonly spoken language in the world. About one-fifth of the people in the world speak some form of Chinese as their native language. In order to be more competitive in the global job marketplace, you need to learn more about China, the world's most populated nation, through direct communication. Today Chinese has become the 3rd most popular foreign language in the U.S. You should know that Chinese may soon be a common fixture in American schools. If you would like to learn Chinese, Danbury Library has some materials for you to study.
Ed and Lorraine Warren of Monroe, Connecticut have been the nation's premier psychic investigators for over three decades. They were the lead investigators for the Amityville Horror Case. If you log on to their website www. warrens.net there is a link to their most famous investigations.
They founded the New England Society for Psychic Research. Local paranormal cases that they participated in include the Brookfield Demon Slaying case. In that case a young man stabbed his landlord to death in 1981 and claimed that he did it because he was possessed by demons. The library has a book that the Warrens collaborated in writing entitled "Ghost Tracks." Sadly, Ed Warren passed away on August 23, 2006.
Come to our presentation this Sunday, October 29th from 2:00 to 4:00 to find out what you need to know to buy a digital camera and how to use it once you've made the purchase. Presenter Bill Thebert has over 20 years experience as a professional photographer and offers a program packed with useful info. Registration not required.
We have many books about digital photography in stock. Whether you want to know how to photograph an item to sell on eBay or need some scrapbooking ideas--we have the books for you.
As award-winning photographer Ansel Adams said "You don't take a photograph, you make it." Learn how to make good photographs--come to our program.
Let's face it. Ugly sells. Uglydolls are wildly popular. Ugly Betty already has a following. Designers foist the *b*-ugliest cars and shoes on a gullible public.You don't buy it? Okay, for you don't-wannabe-ugly ones, let's start with your skin—two newbies: Save Your Face and It's Not Just About Wrinkles may really reduce wear & tear. If you just hate shelling out big bucks for foofy designer beauty stuff, try my personal favorite Joe Green's Supermarket Spa. A pampered you (guys too!) can be the *New Beautiful*.
Does anything taste better than a crisp, juicy apple when you've been out cleaning up your garden or hiking on a trail? You would like to have a piece of cinnamon sweet, smooth apple pie while you are watching a baseball game. Why not plan a trip to an apple orchard for fun. Here is a listing of apple farms in Connecticut. If you go, don't forget your neighbors and your friends when you pick your own apples. Bring a few bags of apples home as a souvenir from your fall getaway trip. If you like to make apple pies, here is a book for you.
From 1859 to 1889 a mysterious man known as Leatherman walked a circuitous route around Connecticut and New York state. He would start in Brewster and walk through various towns including Danbury. He would sleep in caves along the way and farmers would leave food for him along the route. He was garbed entirely in leather (hence his name) and would hardly ever talk to people along the trail. It took him about 34 days to complete one 365 mile circuit and then he would start over. Legend has it that he spoke and came from France (and carried a French Bible) and had had a business failure in the leather industry which led to the loss of the love of his life.
Trekkies doled out $7.1 million for Star Trek memorabilia over the weekend. Cher's cast-offs fetched $3.5 million at a recent auction. You, too, can live long and prosper--well, maybe not live longer but definitely prosper using eBay to sell your items of interest. Don't think you have anything auction worthy? Think again--remember the 10-year-old, grilled cheese sandwich with a purported likeness of the Virgin Mary sold for $28,000.
Veterans and novices will find books like 101 Ways to Boost Your Business on eBay full of useful tips and tricks. Whether you want to run an eBay business or just want to buy some items to decorate your house--be sure to check out the many eBay titles.
I’m not too scientific. The scientific theory I like best is that the rings of Saturn are composed entirely of lost airline luggage*. American scientists, scoring big in the 2006 Nobels in Physics, Chemistry and Medicine, make me think I should learn more. John Mather and George Smoot snagged their Nobel in Physics for measuring the oldest light in the heavens, a feat that convinced skeptics of the Big-Bang theory of the universe's origin. Stephen Hawking called their accomplishment “the discovery of the century, if not all time.”
These 2006 books might just expand my universe: The View from the Center of the Universe and The Trouble with Physics.
*theory stolen from humorist Mark Russell-thanks!
Time for an Autumn Road Trip! Leaves on the East Coast are starting to change colors and peak season for foliage is right around the corner. Do you know why leaves change color? In the fall, because of changes in the length of daylight and in temperature, the leaves stop their food-making process. About two weeks before leaves change color, a cell layer forms at the base of each leaf and stops the flow of moisture to the leaf. As a result, chlorophyll which is what makes leaves green is not replenished and the leaves begin to change colors. In Connecticut a lot of color seekers take a weekend trip around Columbus Day to the country. For the past few years, the foliage tourism business has boomed. According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, New Hampshire reports that more than 7.5 million tourists have made a pilgrimage in fall, spending more than $1 billion in the past few years. If you would like to read more about fall foliage, check out The Colors of Fall by Jerry Monkman. You can find periods of best foliage color in New York State and Connecticut by clicking on the links.