Take a look at your library!

Check out our Flickr account at http://www.flickr.com/socasteelibrary.
You can see pictures of art displays, library programs, and more. The pictures are also on our Facebook page.

In other news, it looks like we'll be getting rain through the rest of the week and beyond. While this may wreck your beach plans, it's a great time to stop by the library and grab a few movies and a good book!

Adult Summer Reading Program

Have you entered the Adult Summer Reading drawing yet?
If not, be sure to pick up your Tic-Tac-Toe entry form at Socastee Library today and enter to win! All you need to do is fill in three across, three down, or three diagonally, and write your name and a contact phone number on the form. Just cut out the form and drop it in the entry jar at the library's main desk for your chance to win great prizes such as tickets to Le Grand Cirque, Carolina Opry, movies, and gourmet reading lover's baskets. Last chance to enter is Saturday, August 14, 2010. You must be age 18 or older to win. ~Sharon

Subject: Other

In our non-fiction section we have books about every subject, and some books that are a little tricky to classify. If you're in the mood for something different, try one of these unusual titles from our New Non-fiction shelves:

• Breakfast with Socrates by Robert Rowland Smith -- This book takes each part of a day--waking up, going to work, going to the doctor, cooking dinner--and tells what some of history's great thinkers have to say about it.


• The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain by Barbara Strauch -- Good news! This book argues that "we have badly underestimated the middle-aged brain. We may lose some gray matter but we increase the white stuff that lets us process information faster. As the grown-up brain reorganizes itself, it creates powerful new systems that cut through complex problems to find unique solutions."


• The Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely -- This book tackles the age-old question of why we do irrational things, and applies it widely: Why can large bonuses make CEOs less productive? How can confusing directions actually help us? Why is revenge so important to us?


• Wrong: Why Experts Keep Failing Us And How to Know When Not to Trust Them by David Freedman -- The title says it all. How do we know whether to trust "scientists, finance wizards, doctors, relationship gurus, celebrity CEos, high-powered consultants, health officials, and more"?

Happy reading!

-Alan

New Art!

There's something new in the library! We're proud to be hosting a large exhibit by the members of the Seacoast Artist Guild. The exhibit can be seen all along the perimeter of the main library, surrounding the adult fiction, non-fiction, and periodicals sections.
There are many different artists and a variety of subjects and mediums. Exhibiting artists include:
Cindy Blanchard
Ron Blanchard
Sandi Blood
Woody Bower
Tom Britton
Mike Covington
Marcelle Cushman
Walter Cushman
Laverne Davis
Mary Dezzutt
Edna Fenske
Jim Gordy
Rose Perry

Come take a look today!

This just in! (new non-fiction)

At some point you may have used our non-fiction section before, to look up some facts, research for a school project, or read about a historical figure. But even if you're not a student or a researcher, there are plenty of things in NF that can help you exactly where you are now. The following titles are from our New Non-fiction section. Check them out if you:

• Are broke. Hot Broke Messes: How to Have Your Latte and Drink it Too, by personal finance columnist Nancy Trejos, tells how to "get your money situation under control in the present--and for the future."
• Are a teacher. Best Careers for Teachers from Learning Express Library explains how to make the most of your teaching degree, both inside and outside the classroom.
• Know someone in jail. Arrested: What to Do When Your Loved One's in Jail gives practical advice about how to help inmates with their defense, avoid bond scams and lawyer rip-offs, manage your money and time, and keep them out of jail in the future.
• Just need a laugh. Humor Me: An Anthology of Funny Contemporary Writing Plus Some Great Old Stuff Too, features favorite humorists like Steve Martin, David Sedaris, Garrison Keillor, and many more. (And don't we all?)

-Alan

Be a Friend!

Of the library, that is. The Friends of Socastee Library provide support to the library in a variety of ways. If you've taken your child to our Fall Festival or a Summer Reading Program event, eaten cookies on Free Coffee Friday, visited a Cultural Safari, or done just about anything else at Socastee Library, chances are you've enjoyed something provided by FOSL.

FOSL meets in our large meeting room the first Thursday of each month at 1:00PM. Why not drop by next Thursday and see if you'd be interested in joining the Friends or helping out?

-Alan

Grill Time!

It's hard to believe that it's not even officially Summer yet. It certainly feels like it already!
I love celebrating the warm weather by grilling out on a balmy late evening. It doesn't have to be all steak and potatoes, though. Check out some of these ideas:

• The Complete Fish on the Grill is full of recipes to introduce some new flavors to your grilling.
• Pizza on the Grill takes a favorite and makes it even better.
• Cooking Light: Grilling shows how to grill in a healthier way.
• Mario Batali's Italian Grill translates another cuisine to the grill.
• And, of course, if you are cooking a steak, you've got to try Bobby Flay's Boy Gets Grill.

(And while you're at the library, you might as well pick up some books to help you grow vegetables to grill, build a deck to grill on, and some background music to play!)

Alan