By Sara Grajek
Rowan Public Library
Every year, I take a look back at the list of books Iíve read in the past 12 months.
I also review my ěto-be-readî list. It seems that list grows a little longer every year, yet the list of books Iíve read never grows quite as much.
Recently I read ěHowardís End is on the Landingî by Susan Hill, where the author looks around her house one day and realizes how many books she has collected and hasnít read.
Although Hill has a different taste in reading materials than I do ó she reads classics and literature while I choose young adult fiction, a wide variety of non-fiction and current fiction ó I found it interesting to read about her year of ěreading from home.î
During that year, she chose to only read books that were already in the house; the exceptions to this rule being academic books from the library and books sent to her from publishers to review.
While I do not intend to stop checking out books from the library, I think this year may involve reading from my very long ěto-be-read list.î
What books are on your reading list this year? Chances are, Rowan Public Library has some of them. I know they have many of mine.
ěThe London Eye Mystery,î by the late Siobhan Dowd, has been on my reading list since it was first published in 2008. Dowd received much critical acclaim for the few young adult books written in her short career. A human rights activist, her books are poignant and leave you thinking about them long after you have finished them.
In ěThe London Eye Mystery,î Ted and Kat take their cousin Salim to the London Eye and watch as he circles high into the sky and back down ó and doesnít emerge from the ride. Where could he have possibly gone when Kat and Ted were watching the exit the whole time? When the police and other adults canít solve the mystery, Kat and Ted (who has Aspergerís) take on the challenge.
Explorers David Livingstone and Ernest Shackleton are well known, but Col. Percy Fawcett? David Graham tells us in ěThe Lost City of Zî that during his era, Fawcett was just as well known. After hearing Fawcett speak at the Royal Geographical Society, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle used his experiences as inspiration for writing ěThe Lost World.î
A few colleagues believed he was ěimmune to death.î His last adventure proved them wrong, however, when he departed for the Amazon with his 21-year-old son, searching for El Dorado, or the City of Z, as Fawcett called it. The entire group vanished, leaving behind few clues and a group of adventurers determined to find them.
Oliver Sacks, the neurologist and author who is perhaps best known for his book ěAwakenings,î writes about the complexities of the human brain. ěMusicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brainî examines the science of music. Readers will learn about the man who was struck by lightning, then experienced an overwhelming desire to listen and learn to play music. Youíll read how music can help senile patients regain lost memories and help bring movement to immobile patients.
Sacks believes music can be beneficial to neurology because it works in many areas of the brain. Even if one area of the brain were to become damaged, another part may still recognize or remember music.
With these books, and the 116 others that are still on my list, I should be able to find something to read this year. Reading from home, as Susan Hill did, but mostly, reading from the library.
Computer classes: Classes are free. Sessions are approximately 90 minutes. Class size is limited and on a first-come, first-serve basis. Dates and times at all locations are subject to change without notice.
Headquarters ó Tuesday, 2 p.m., All About NC Digital Media; Feb 7, 7 p.m., Microsoft Word 2003 Part 1; Feb. 22, 2 p.m., Absolute Beginners; Feb. 28, 7 p.m., Microsoft Word 2003 Part 2.
South ó Feb. 7, 7 p.m., Introduction to Access; Feb. 24, 11 a.m., Introduction to Word
East ó registration required for East Branch only. Feb. 17, 1 p.m., Online Shopping.
Childrenís Storytime: Feb. 2 through April 29, weekly story time. For more information, call 704-216-8234.
Headquarters ó Toddler Time (18-35-month-olds), Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m.; Baby Time (6-23-month-olds), Wednesdays, 11 a.m. Preschool Time (3-5-year-olds), Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.; Noodlehead (4-8 years), Thursdays, 4 p.m.
South ó Noodlehead, Mondays, 4 p.m.; Baby Time, Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m.; Preschool Time, Tuesdays, 1:30 a.m.; Toddler Time, Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.
East ó Preschool Time, Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m.; Toddler Time, Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.; Baby Time, Thursdays, 10:30 a.m.
Book Bites Club: South only; Feb. 22, 6:30 p.m., ěBig Stone Gap,î by Adriana Trigiani. Book discussion groups for adults and children are at South Rowan Regional Library and meet the last Tuesday of each month. The group is open to the public. There is a discussion of the book and light refreshments at each meeting. For more information please call 704-216-8229.
Book chats for children: South (only) ó Feb. 17, 4:15 p.m., ěFreckle Juiceî by Judy Blume, grade 2.
Children in grades 2-5 (different grade each month) are invited to participate in ěBook Chats,î a program at South Rowan Regional Library in China Grove. Registration is required and space is limited. Please call 704-216-7728 for more information.
American Girl Club: Headquarters, Feb. 26, 11 a.m., a book discussion group about the life and times of the American Girls characters.
JRís Adventure Club: Headquarters, Feb. 9, 11 a.m. The club will choose a project to build, and have books from the library and recommended websites that go along with the project. The club is open to all school age children. Light refreshments will be served. Call 704-216-8234 to learn more.
Teen program: Chocolate Festival back by popular demand. Chocolate fountain, taste testing, painting, mold demonstration and more.
South, Feb. 15, 5:30-7 p.m.
East, Feb. 21, 5:30-7 p.m.
Headquarters, Feb. 22, 5:30-7 p.m.
Displays: Headquarters ó watercolors by Carolina Marshall; log cabins by North Hills Christian School; South ó Rowan Doll Club by Jim Beaudion; East ó Rubber stamping by Glenda Trexler.
Literacy: Call the Rowan County Literacy Council at 704-216-8266 for more information on teaching or receiving literacy tutoring for English speakers or for those for whom English is a second language.