Danbury Library Blog

In September 1943 a cottage in the Neversink area of Candlewood Lake burned. The remains of the house, which had been closed for the season two weeks earlier, were viewed by the owners but essentially left untouched.

The following May the owners of the cottage, a Mr.& Mrs. Noce, came back and went through the ruins and made a grisly discovery in what had been the basement. They found a pair of summer shoes and what appeared to be human bones. The remains were given to Dr. John D. Booth, the medical examiner for Danbury (shades of CSI) and he determined that the remains were of a woman between the age of 16 & 21 who had been shot in the head. The medical examiner called this his most interesting case & dubbed it the "Candlewood Murder Case."

The murderer, William Saunders, of New York City, was arrested 8 days later and confessed to the crime. He received life in prison but was paroled after 14 years.

Posted by John O'Donnell at 08:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ah, the halcyon charms of a backyard hammock or beach blanket. The perfect place for...murder?! For some reason, beautiful summer days and fictional dark deeds go together like ice cream and cones. Relax this summer and enjoy new works by the best and most popular authors of mystery/suspense/crime fiction: Michael Connelly; Jeffrey Deaver; Lee Child; John Burdett; Dean Koontz; Robert B. Parker; James Patterson; John Sandford.

Want more suggestions? Try The Mystery Reader, What’s Next (for books in a series), and WRL Bookweb.

Posted by Andrea at 07:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You’ve no doubt heard about the 40th anniversary of the Beatles’ classic album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, released on June 2, 1967, in the U.S. I remember seeing the cover several days before it was released in the display window of the downtown record store where I grew up. It’s hard to describe what seeing that cover for the first time was like to anyone who didn’t grow up during the so-called “Summer of Love.” It was eye-popping, jaw-dropping. There had never, ever been an album cover that looked even remotely like that! When I finally heard the music, the sonic experience exceeded the visual one.

Was Sgt. Pepper the greatest rock album of all time? It often tops the lists. In early ‘68, Johnny Rivers’ song “Summer Rain” rang true with the lyric, “Everybody kept on playing ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’”. AM radio stations were doing the unthinkable: playing songs from an album. This one piece of vinyl containing amazing songs and an outstanding cover dominated pop culture in one of those rare moments in history.

To honor the album’s birthday, we’ve got a display near the Ask Me desk of Sgt. Pepper- and Beatles-related books, including George Martin’s account of the recording, With a Little Help from My Friends: The Making of Sgt. Pepper, and a vintage cover. For videos and more, check out the official Beatles web site.

Posted by Mark at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A good friend (not the young man pictured above) recently participated in an attempt to break a Guinness Record--a total of 1683 guitarists-mostly males--gathered in a stadium in Kansas City, MO and played Deep Purple's Smoke on the Water. It wasn't quite Woodstock but a good time was had by boys of all ages and some girls, too.

Boys and boys-at-heart in need of adventure should take a look at A Dangerous Book for Boys a major bestseller in the UK written by two fathers who offer a wide array of activities for boys of all ages from coin tricks to go-cart building--activities designed to "cultivate curiousity" and healthy risk-taking. The authors also cover topics boys should know about such as the Battle of the Somme and Scott of the Antarctic. Authors have received emails from grateful readers age 7 to 87.

Posted by Mary at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you are a Civil War buff and also wish to travel to historical locations this summer try Jeff Shaara's Civil War Battlefields. In ten chapters Shaara takes you to the most important battlefields and tells you in a succint fashion what happened here, why is this battle important and what you should see if you visit. It is extremely compelling and profusely illustrated.

In light of Father's Day on Sunday June 17 it is touching to read his story in the introduction of how this book and his other books resulted from a journey that he made with his father, Michael Shaara, to the Gettysburg battlefield in 1964. His father told him stories about the battle while they were walking it which captivated his imagination and destined him to be a writer who would vindicate his father's reputation for writing The Killer Angels and create his own career.

Posted by John O'Donnell at 03:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Looking for summer activities for the young ‘uns? We have directories and guides with plenty of ideas about camp, employment, sports, classes, etc. A good online listing of programs in Connecticut can be found through Peterson's, and be sure to check out these local opportunities:

City of Danbury Parks & Recreation Department
Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut
Escape to the Arts
Weir Farm National Historic Site

Posted by Andrea at 07:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When the weather turns toward summer, I'm tempted to chuck it all, get outta here, be free! Pete Jordan, aka Dishwasher Pete, did it and tells the tale in his funny memoir Dishwasher: One Man's Quest to Wash Dishes in All Fifty States. Dishwasher Pete's quirky profile...

Somehow washing dishes is not in my mental picture of chucking it all...I'm going to chuck the dishes too! So long Madge!

Posted by Claudia at 01:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Beadworking has been practiced in parts of Asia and Africa since ancient times --also by Native Americans. We have many popular titles on jewellery making, knitting or crocheting with beads.

Posted by Mary at 02:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)