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Archive for Category: Reading Room
Tuesday, February 12th, 2013 - by:
Brian Herzog, Head of Reference
 The book chosen for One Book Chelmsford 2013 is Townie, by Andre Dubus III. There are lots of events planned over the next few months, including a visit from the author - check out http://chelmsfordlibrary.org/onebook/ for more information.
Townie is a memoir of the author's early life in Newburyport and Haverhill.
After their parents divorce in the 1970's, Andre Dubus III and his three siblings grew up with their exhausted working mother in a depressed Massachusetts mill town saturated with drugs and crime. To protect himself and those he loved from street violence, Andre learned to use his fists so well that he was even scared of himself. He was on a fast track to getting killed, or killing someone else, or to beatings-for-pay as a boxer. Nearby, his father, an eminent author, taught on a college campus and took the kids out on Sundays. The clash of worlds couldn't have been more stark or more difficult for a son to communicate to a father. Only by becoming a writer himself could Andre begin to bridge the abyss and save himself.
Copies of Townie are available at the library - after you read it, please return it to the library or pass it along to someone else.
 Here's an overview of One Book events - check http://chelmsfordlibrary.org/onebook/ for more information.
- "Keeping Your Heart Open in Hell: Jump Start Your Memoir" by Nancy Slonim Aronie, author of "Writing From The Heart"
Wed, Mar 20, 2013 at 7 p.m. at the main library
- "Connecting Boys with Books" presented by Michael Sullivan
Tue, Mar 26 at 7 p.m.
- Townie Book Discussion
Mon, Apr 1, 2013: the Evening Book Group will discuss "Townie" at 7 p.m. in the fireplace room at the main library
- "From Memory to Memoir: How do we turn fragments of memory into stories that others care about?" by Mimi Schwartz, author of "Writing True, the Art and Craft of Creative Nonfiction"
Wed, Apr 3, 2013 10 a.m. - noon at the Senior Center
- "The Fatherhood Project" presented by Dr Ray Levy
Thu, Apr 4, 2013 at 7 p.m. at the main library
- Townie Book Discussion
Fri, Apr 5, 2013: the Novel Conversations Book Group will talk about "Townie" at noon at the MacKay Library
- "Why Write Memoir?" presented by Professor Maureen Stanton
Thu, Apr 25, 2013 at 7 p.m. at the main library
- Author Visit with Andre Dubus III
Sun, Apr 28, 2013 at 1 p.m. at the McCarthy Middle School
Enjoy One Book Chelmsford 2013, and be sure to let library staff know what you think!
Posted in Books, One Book, Reading Room | No Comments »
Friday, July 6th, 2012 - by:
Brian Herzog, Head of Reference
 Everyone is looking for a great book to read this summer - and the library is here to help!
We've transformed our popular "Now... It's Your Turn" program into the "Friday Fiction" reading suggestions group. With an emphasis on popular summer reads and new fiction, this program offers great tips, fun conversation, and great recommendations.
The first gathering is:
Friday, July 13, 2012 at 11 a.m.
Fireplace room in the Adams Building
Feel free to bring suggestions of your own, or just be ready to learn about great titles to read this summer.
Posted in Books, Programs, Reading Room | No Comments »
Friday, February 10th, 2012 - by:
Brian Herzog, Head of Reference
 We now have an easy way to view all the brand new books, DVDs, and audiobooks that get added to the library catalog each week.
To see this list, just click the New Book Alerts button on our homepage. Once there, you can use the menus on the left to see just DVDs, or just Childrens books, etc.
Along the top, you can click to see previous weeks, or see more than one week at a time. These new items lists just started last week, so it'll take a few weeks to build up.
Speaking of book lists, did you know the library has a Reading Room webpage devoted to provided reading suggestions? From there you can find best seller lists and lists of award winners, "read-a-likes" similar to your favorite books and authors, staff picks, and also a list of places from which to download ebooks.
And if you'd like to have reading suggestions delivered to you automatically, via email or RSS feed, check out our Electronic Signups page. You can sign up to receive notifications of new items, best sellers, library events, our Twitter feed and more!
If you have any questions about these options, please contact the Reference Desk.
Posted in Library Information, Reading Room, Resources | No Comments »
Friday, November 19th, 2010 - by:
Becky Herrmann, Library Director
 Do you enjoy reading and then discussing what you thought of the book with others? Come join one of the library's book groups!
We have several options for book groups - morning and afternoon sessions at both the main library and at the MacKay branch. Here's a brief breakdown on each one:
- Evening Book Group
Run by Library Director Becky Herrmann, this group meets at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of each month, and has been going on for about 7 years. It's an informal and talkative mix of men and women with ages ranging from mid-thirties to mid-seventies. They read a mix of fiction and non-fiction (with a heavier emphasis on fiction). Check out their list of upcoming books or sign up for email meeting reminders.
- Morning Book Group
The Morning group is run by Technical Services Librarian Vickie Turcotte, and meets at 10 a.m. on the third Wednesday of each month. This group is mainly women, primarily elderly folks but still a mix, and they read mainly fiction. Check out their list of upcoming books or sign up for email meeting reminders.
- History Book Group
This is a relatively new book group, meeting at 7 p.m. on the last Thursday of each month. It is run by one of our volunteers, and focuses on books that are historical in nature. Check out their list of upcoming books or sign up for email meeting reminders.
- Mystery Book Group
This group meets at the MacKay Branch Library at at 6:45 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of the month. They have been meeting for about 20 years, and they focus on several authors each month rather than particular books - these are die-hard, mystery fans who have read extensively in the genre. Check out their current authors list.
- "Novel Conversations" Book Group
This popular daytime book group meets at the MacKay Branch Library on the first Friday of each month at noon. This group reads fiction with the occasional biography or memoir thrown in. Check out their list of upcoming books.
- Now... It's Your Turn
This is a seasonal readers advisory program (designed with baby boomers in mind but suitable for all adults). Each season, Becky Herrmann and Mayleen Kelley highlight a group of mostly new books, to keep people reading for a few months. Attendees are also welcome to suggest titles. As this group meets sporadically, check our events calendar for dates, and also previous suggestion lists.
- Readergirlz Teen Book Group
This is a book group for Teens, led by Tricia Moore, and meets from 4-5:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month. At each meeting participants will complete a craft or activity related to the book. Refreshments will be served. Pick up a copy of this month's book at the circulation desk.
- "Cinema Night Out" Film Discussion Group
A "book group" for movie buffs, led by Teen Services Librarian (and film aficionado) Tricia Moore. The film starts at 6:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month, with discussion to follow - and refreshments are provided. Due to our public performance contract, film titles are only announced a few days in advance, but you can check the online listing or sign up for email notification.
All of our groups are open to the public, and all are welcoming new members. Each group meeting will be listed on the library's events calendar, and many of the groups send email reminders.
If none of these groups quite meet your needs, a variety of other book groups are listed on Meetup.com and LibraryThing Local.
Posted in Books, Library Information, Programs, Reading Room, Teens | No Comments »
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010 - by:
Brian Herzog, Head of Reference
Seattle Librarian Nancy Pearl recently appeared on National Public Radio to highlight a few great books she that felt might not get noticed by readers this summer.
The titles of each book are listed below, with links so you can request the book from the library's catalog (or request that we purchase it if we haven't already). If you'd like to read Nancy Pearl's description of the books, check out the story on NPR.
For help requesting one of these books from our catalog, or with placing a purchase request, please contact the Reference Desk. For more reading suggestions, check out our Reading Room page, and other book recommendations by Nancy Pearl.
Posted in Books, Reading Room | No Comments »
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