Danbury Library Blog

We've just received the new biography of Albert Einstein by Walter Isaacson and it is a marvelous read. It details Einstein's towering achievements in physics as well as his interesting personal life. Not only was he a genius in science but he was also passionate about a number of social causes.

He became a promoter of racial tolerance and when Marian Anderson, the black singer and Danbury resident, came to sing in Princeton in 1937 she was denied a room at the Nassau Inn. Einstein generously offered her lodging at his home in Mercer Street in Princeton. For more information on Einstein and the bizarre journey his brain took after death look at Driving Mr. Albert

Posted by John O'Donnell at 09:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is having a special exhibit this summer featuring the work of fashion innovator Paul Poiret. Years before Coco Chanel burst on the scene with her minimalist little black dress, Poiret was freeing women from corsets and incorporating Asian aesthetic into his design philosophy. And the guy couldn’t even sew! The exhibit runs through August 5th.

Posted by Andrea at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner, will appear in Groton on Sunday, June 3rd to introduce his new book, A Thousand Splendid Suns. The event is free and open to the public. Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing.

He'll also be at RJ Julia Bookstore in Madison on June 4. It's a ticketed event but a real bargain since $5 of the $10 ticket can count toward the purchase of his new book.

“Unimaginably tragic, Hosseini’s magnificent second novel is a sad and beautiful testament to both Afghani suffering and strength. Readers who lost themselves in The Kite Runner will not want to miss this unforgettable follow-up.” ~ Booklist

Hear an excerpt read by Khaled Hosseini on NPR...

Posted by Claudia at 01:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As the weather gets warmer, we're drawn outside into the sun. Beach reading season is almost upon us and we've put out the summer books for Danbury High School. Although the days are getting longer and hotter, the balmy evenings invite us to stay up and look up at the night sky.

Books and documentaries about astronomy can be found at the library, and amateur astronomy clubs abound in Connecticut. Astronomers are predicting a particularly spectacular Perseid Meteor Shower this August- it coincides with a new moon, so the skies will be dark and meteors easy to see.

If you're not a night owl, you can still get in on the night sky action with the latest pictures from the Hubble Telescope!

Posted by Kate at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Curt Schilling, star pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, recently made some disparaging remarks about Barry Bonds. Did he make his necessary apology in the newspaper, on radio or television? None of the above. He made his apology on his blog 38 Pitches.

38 Pitches is not only about baseball but about Schilling's charitable efforts. There are links to information about ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis aka Lou Gehrig's Disease) and about malignant melanoma which his wife Shonda has survived. He's also into video gaming. Worth checking out!

Posted by John O'Donnell at 08:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Maybe you've noticed some changes to our library catalog. If you haven't you should check it out!

A while back, we mentioned LibraryThing as a fun site for enthusiastic readers. People who love books love LibraryThing and LibraryThing loves its members.

Well, LibraryThing also loves libraries! Danbury Public Library is the first library to add LibraryThing for Libraries to its catalog.

What does this mean for you? When you're looking at many of the books in our catalog, you will see more information then you did before:

Other Editions and Translations lists the other versions of a book that we have in our library.

Similar Books are titles from LibraryThing's Suggestor; it's a list of books commonly owned by people who own the book you're looking at.

Tags are words used by regular people on LibraryThing to describe books.

When you click on a tag, a new feature opens up. The tag browser lets you look at other books in the library that have the same tag. You can search for books by tag and if you click on a title, the tag browser closes and you can see that title in the library catalog.

We think this is a great addition to our library, but we want to know what you think. If you're a LibraryThing user, leave us a link to your library in the comments!

Posted by Kate at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Spring is in full swing, and it’s high time to get out for some fun in the sun. From the Danbury area you can get to a wide variety of places for a weekend jaunt. Explore some of these websites for getaway ideas:

State of Connecticut Office of Tourism
Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism
Visit Rhode Island
Travel Hudson Valley

And take some time to browse through our travel section, located near the Bank Street entrance to the library. We’re always adding new titles!

Posted by Andrea at 07:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For the green-minded, meet Blackle, the same great Google search engine, in a little black dress.

A math whiz figured out how much energy and $$$ might be saved if Google was an all-black page. Blackle folks explain how it works. Worth a try?


I see a red door and I want it painted black...

Posted by Claudia at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mystery Writers of America recently announced winners for best mysteries of 2006. The award, the "Edgar" is called so in honor of Edgar Allen Poe who many credit with writing the earliest mysteries. The actual award is a statuette of Poe.

2007 Winners are: Best Novel The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin, Best First Novel The Faithful Spy by Alex Berenson and Best Fact Crime Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson.

First awarded in 1954, early Edgar recipients included writers Raymond Chandler, Eric Ambler and John Le Carre. For more information about the 'Edgars' visit mysterywriters.org.

Posted by Mary at 01:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The library is the fortunate recipient of two new books by and about Edith Wharton. There is an outstanding biography of this towering figure of American literature penned by Hermione Lee. She not only gives us a beautiful portrait of the writings but also stresses Wharton's talents as an architect and designer of gardens. We have also received a beautiful reissue of Wharton's guide to her architectural theories entitled The Decoration of Houses. She was a woman of many talents.

Plan to make an excursion to Edith's estate, The Mount, in Lenox, Massachusetts.

Beware of monotony; it's the mother of all the deadly sins. - Edith Wharton

Posted by John O'Donnell at 01:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Do you know a teen who loves to read? Point them to the annual Alex Awards list, which recognizes “ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18.” The books are selected by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). YALSA offers many other good booklists, such as Great Graphic Novels for Teens, Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, et al.

Posted by Andrea at 08:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)