Book Discussion Group - "My Antonia"

The majority of Book Discussion Group attendees enjoyed reading Willa Cather's novel, "My Antonia".

Discussion topics included:

• The author's writing style & use of language.
• The historical accuracy of how the mid-west was portrayed during the late 1800's.
• The main characters (Antonia, Jim, etc...).
• What the author did not tell us and the questions left unanswered.
• And other interesting topics that came to people's minds while reading the novel!

For more information about Willa Cather's life and other books that may interest people who enjoyed reading "My Antonia", try these suggestions:

Click on the link to be brought directly to the book/DVD in the CLAMS Catalog!

• Willa Cather: The Road Is All - a recent PBS special (DVD) about Willa Cather.
• "Giants In The Earth" by Ole Edvart - one of our attendees was reminded of this novel while reading "My Antonia".
• "The Virginian" by Owen Wister
• "Barren Ground" by Ellen Glasgow
• "Yonnondio: From the Thirties" by Tillie Olsen
• "The Age of Innocence" by Edith Wharton

Please join us next month for our next meeting when we will discuss "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee! Stop by the circulation desk to pick up your copy today!

Gus Ben David Live Animal Interview @ the OBPL

Thursday, July 26 from 7pm-8pm at the Oak Bluffs Public Library

Gus Ben David, the renown Island naturalist and former Felix Neck director, will bring live frogs, toads and other creatures to the library for a fun & informative nature program!

Learn more about Gus Ben David by visiting the World of Reptiles and Birds Website!

This is a Della Hardman Day Event!

Did you know?

Ben Roethlisberger, Quarterback for the 2006 Super Bowl Champion Steelers, was named the spokesman for this year's Library Card Sign-Up Month (Sept. 1 - Sept. 30).

Stay tuned for library promotions & displays for Library Card Sign-Up Month in the near future!

The Smartest Card. Get It. Use It. @ Your Library

Book Discussion Group - "The Time Traveler's Wife"

Many of the Book Discussion Group attendees had distinctly different experiences while reading the book, "The Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger.

While many people did not like the time travelling/sci-fi aspect, relationships, etc... in the book, others enjoyed the novel's unique plotline and love story.

The differing opinions made for an intriguing discussion!

If you weren't able to read the book for the discussion group, you can request the book in the CLAMS catalog today!

Other books with time traveling/memory themes include:

1. "A Shortcut in Time" by Charles Dickinson
2. "Replay" by Ken Grimwood
3. "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold
4. "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut
5. "Crooked River Burning" by Mark Winegardner

New Africana Encyclopedia!

Come to the Reference Department and browse the latest encyclopedia to be added to our collection, "Africana" ed. by Kwame Anthony Appiah and Henry Louis Gates Jr.

"Substantially larger than the first edition (1999), and with expanded references and indexing, this five-volume set covers a vast geographic area and encompasses the complex histories of Africans in Africa and the Americas. It is written for high school level readers and above and for a non-specialist audience. Slavery and the struggle for political and economic freedom and equality are central themes, and the roots of African and African-American culture in the histories of individual countries are thoroughly explored. In addition to topical entries, "interpretation" essays offer, for example, an examination of the dual tradition of African American fiction with discussion of perceptions, stereotypes, and alternative avenues for analysis. Among the topics new to this edition are African American architects, African oral literature, Black classicism in the U.S., the history of writing in Africa, Black literature in South Africa, the transatlantic slave trade database, and migrancy and African literature. "

Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Baseball Card Raffle!

Baseball Card Raffle

Come to the library on Tuesday, July 10 between 10am-8pm to be entered into a raffle for a 2007 Team Set of baseball cards (Choose your favorite team!) and other prizes.

Also learn how you can be entered into the Step Up to the Plate @ Your Library program (ages 9-18) and win a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame!

And remember, if you read a book for the Step Up to the Plate @ Your Library program you can count the time you spent reading towards your Summer Reading Program at the Oak Bluffs Public Library!

Exploring a Coral Reef - Michael Wooley

On Thursday evening Michael Wooley, a local swimming teacher and lifeguard as well as an accomplished visual artist, presented his recent underwater photographs taken on a scuba diving trip to the second largest barrier reef in the world off the coast of Belize.

A crowd of approximately 30 people attended the event and were mesmerized by the slideshow of beautiful photographs (taken by Michael) projected onto the library's big screen.

Michael spoke about the rich ecosystem of the coral reef and provided the names of numerous fish, corals, plants, and animals that he encountered during his undersea adventure.

Afterwards, everyone enjoyed refreshments while asking Michael questions about his trip and the incredible artwork that he creates (on display for the event)!

Please check our online events calendar to learn about more interesting programs happening at the Oak Bluffs Public Library!

Book Discussion Group - "Empire Falls"

The Book Discussion Group recently met to talk about the book "Empire Falls", written by Richard Russo. The novel won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2002 and led to some interesting discussion by attendees.

To read a brief summary of "Empire Falls" try visiting the Fantastic Fiction website: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/r/richard-russo/empire-falls.htm.

Fantastic Fiction is a great website to learn about new books by your favorite authors, books that are a part of your favorite series, popular reads and much more.

If you enjoyed reading "Empire Falls" try reading these recommended books by Novelist:

• "Wonder Boys" by Michael Chabon


• "Back When We Were Grownups" by Anne Tyler


• "The Bean Trees" by Barbara Kingsolver


• "Foolscap" by Michael Malone

Ask a librarian about Novelist - a great source for finding new reading material!

Scrabble Group Meets for the First Time!

The Scrabble Group met for the first time at the library on Saturday, May 19th. Memorable moments from the games included a 68-point word (rations) using all seven tiles, a high score of 209 total points for a match (4 players), and the appearance of a slew of other interesting words: borage, bivalve, etc...

We will be holding future meetings on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month. So keep June 2nd (10am-12pm) on your calendar free and join us for the next Scrabble Group meeting. Please bring a scrabble board with you if you own one.

Refreshments will be served and all ages and skill levels are invited to attend!

Library Friends Book Sale!

The Library Friends organized and ran a very successful book sale in the Library's Meeting Room this past Friday and Saturday. Thank you to all of the Library Friends and Volunteers that worked so hard to set up the room and operate the sale. Here are a few pictures from the fundraising event: