Blogging for Books

The Book Stops Here and the Yellow Barn have teamed up! Riverhead Free Library is offering free blog dollars to Riverhead cardholders toward the purchase of books at the Yellow Barn, our on-site book shop. Claiming your blog bucks is simple and fun! All you have to do is register and make one comment on this blog. For more details, ask an adult reference librarian for assistance or pick up a BLOGGING FOR BOOKS brochure at the reference or circulation desks, or by our blog display at the library.

Yellow Barn

Spring Hours

Mondays & Fridays

8:30 a.m. -- 2:00 p.m.

(weather permitting)

Born to Be Wild

Featuring books about adventure, exploration, and life on the edge...

This month we will be featuring real-life stories about the U.S. Air Force as well as a history chronicling nearly a century of U.S. Air Force life.

In Heart of the Storm: My Adventures as a Helicopter Rescue Pilot and Commander by Col. Edward Fleming, the author recounts events during his thirty year career in helicopter rescue. Included in this work are rescue operations from the Halloween Storm of 1991 (The Perfect Storm) and the successful rescue of Dr. Jerri Nielsen from Antarctica.

This biography about triple Air Force Cross winner Col. James Kasler provides a riveting account of his missions as a pilot in three wars--WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Tempered Steel:The Three Wars of Triple Air Force Cross Winner by Perry D. Luckett and Charles L. Byler includes an afterword by Kasler's fellow prisoners of war, Senator John McCain and Vice Adm. James Stockdale, USN (Ret.).

Alpha Bravo Delta Guide to The U.S. Air Force by Barrett Tillman, an award-winning military historian, is a guide to the fascinating and timely history of this branch of the military, their great air engagements and the amazing aircraft used on those missions. A timeline provides a listing of U.S. Air Force milestones.

Seeking the Past: Book Discussion

LET'S MAKE HISTORY! Join us for a unique discussion about our Riverhead heritage. Local resident Tom Twomey has compiled a volume of virtually all of the important early histories about Riverhead Town between 1832 and 1905 in our May book discussion book...

Seeking the Past: Writings From 1832 - 1905 Relating to the History of the Town of Riverhead Edited by Tom Twomey

Saturday, May 17
10 a.m. - noon
Stage Room

Refreshments! Giveaways!

Members of the book discussion group will compare and contrast their own experiences with those in the book. Both old and new resident cardholders are welcome. Please sign up at the Reference Desk to receive your temporary copy of the book. You will be asked to sign a release form, which allows us to film this event.

Blue Ribbon Book Stop

Here are two recommended books sure to please...

The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham is a classic novel. Set in the 1920s, it is a love story of a young English couple who marry for the wrong reasons. They relocate to Shangai, and then to a remote village in China which is being ravaged by cholera. Their journey brings meaning and purpose to their relationship.

In the month of February Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah became one of the Library's hot new books. It is the story of two unlikely girls who become the best of friends. Their devotion to each other sends a message about the power of friendship and family.

Mr. Hollywood Speaks

Hello once again, Mr. Hollywood is back and I have some recommendations that are guaranteed to get you in the mood for Shakespeare. Now I'm sure that everyone is familiar with the standard William Skakespeare plays, like Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet, but in recent years there have been a host of not so traditional movie adaptations of his classics.

First up are two unique movies based on Shakespeare's King Lear play: a Japanese samurai classic, Akira Kurosawa's Ran on VHS, and King of Texas, starring Patrick Stewart and Marcia Gay Harden on DVD.

For a lighthearted take on Shakespeare's original Taming of the Shrew, there's 10 Things I Hate About You, a present-day version with Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger. Or, how about seeing Al Pacino in the Merchant of Venice?

You can find all of these titles, as well as other Shakespeare plays or movies on display for the month of April at the library.

Local History Book Stop

Readers and genealogical researchers alike will be fascinated by two books authored by local area resident Clement M. Healy and published by Arcadia Publishing, under the Images of America imprint. This series features local history books filled with photos and drawings, supported by written information. Healy's subject is cemeteries in the Township of Riverhead and surrounding areas.

North Fork Cemeteries includes Riverhead area cemeteries with some of the photos provided by Riverhead Free Library and the nearby Suffolk County Historical Society. Published in 2005, this book covers everything from the founding the cemeteries to close ups of a tombstone of a Civil War soldier. The Library can assist researchers who wish to contact the various cemeteries, which are overseen primarily by cemetery associations. A year later, South Fork Cemeteries was published. Both books are available for check out at the Library.