Book Discussion: Lost in the Forest

Wednesday, November 19
7 p.m.

Saturday, November 22
2 p.m.

Bestselling author Sue Miller sets this novel in the vineyards of Northern California where tragedy shatters a family's peace. With astonishing sensuality and immediacy, Lost in the Forest moves through the most intimate realms of domestic life from grief and sex to adolescence and marriage. Here is a rich tale of a family breaking apart and coming back together again.

Go to the Reference Desk to register for the book discussion and order a copy of this bestseller.

Local History Book Stop

For those who enjoy Halloween and a good scare or two, the library has some creepy new books just for you. Long Island ghost lecturer and author Kerriann Flanagan Brosky, with the help of paranormal investigator Joe Giaquinto, entertains and provides historic insights into Long Island's haunted history.

Brosky's first book, Ghosts of Long Island: Stories of the Paranormal, captures the real-life ghost stories surrounding Long Island homes and businesses, based on interviews with real people! Ghosts of Long Island II: More Stories of the Paranormal focuses on the spiritual aspect to a greater degree, according to Brosky, while providing an understanding of our Native American past.

Spooky Creepy Long Island by Scott Lerfebvre is somewhat lighter fare with thirty-five haunting tales of Long Island's supernatural history. From the infamous Amityville house to asylums, and creepy lighthouses, Lerfebvre provides a brief overview for the curious reader, or for those wishing to explore some actual haunted sites.

Visit our "thrilling, chilling, and terrifying..." display with the bat for more scary stories and strange phenomena. (On display through October 2008)

Listen Up!

Have you listened to a Playaway yet? It is the easiest way to listen to a book or music because the title is already loaded on a digital player. It weighs only 2 ounces, and there is no need for a separate CD or tape player. All you need is a battery and earphones and you are ready to go.

Feeling the need for some inner peace, how about listening to the Playaway, The Beginner's Guide to Meditation? The author Joan Z. Borysenko, Ph.D., leads you through three distinct forms of meditation: concentration, mindfulness, and a centering pray.

For peace of mind and body, listen to the Playaway 1 on 1 Yoga . O2 Yoga. The instructor, Mimi Loureiro, uses heat-generating sequences of postures and a mind-focusing breathing technique. The result is an invigorating and calming vinyasa yoga experience.

Feeling the need for some harmony? Give a listen to the Playaway Being in Balance. Author and lecturer Wayne W. Dyer shows you how to restore balance in your life by offering nine principles for realigning your thoughts so that they correspond to your highest desires.

Hermann Hesse's book Siddhartha, available on Playaway, is a sort of Buddhist guide to the unraveling of the tantalizing mysteries of Asian philosophy. Hesse's credo, "There is no duty, no duty whatever, for awakened humanity except the one duty to seek one's self, to become firm within oneself, to grope one's way forward, no matter where the road may lead." The Siddhartha is a story about a young man and his journey to find truth and balance in life.

Our Playaways are located by the books on CD and tape. Stop by the library and check one out.

Mr. Hollywood Speaks

Based on a true story... Whether its a gripping drama or an inspirational story this month's recommendations are all based on true events. With that in mind, we have a great line-up of films that are must-watches. And if you like what you see, be sure to ask at the Reference Desk for books on the same subject.

Glory Road, on DVD, is the inspiring true story of Coach Don Haskins and the Texas Western basketball team. This is the underdog story of history's first all African American lineup that went on to win the 1966 NCAA championship.

Football season is in full swing, so before the next big game check out Disney's Invincible: Inspired By a True Story on DVD. This chronicles the true story of Vince Papale, a 30-year-old part-time bartender who made it to the Philadelphia Eagles after they held open tryouts in 1976.

And finally we have the heartbreaking and riveting true story of Mariane Pearl, wife of the Daniel Pearl, the Washington Post reporter who was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in 2002. A Mighty Heart follows Mariane's story of the desperate search for her missing husband and her courage in the face of insurmountable odds.