What's on the menu for Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, hands down. It has everything a holiday should, and nothing it shouldn't -- you get food, a day off, more food, time with family, and glorious leftovers without having to buy a single gift, send a card, or decorate. So I like it because it's probably the least-commercialized of the "major" holidays. But mainly the food.

That said, here are a few ways you can use your library to make the most of your Thanksgiving holiday:

• How to Cook a Turkey: and All the Other Trimmings -- Get the basics down first...
• The Healthy Hedonist Holidays -- ...unless you're doing something different. This is "a year of multicultural, vegetarian-friendly holiday feasts."
• Thanksgiving: the Biography of an American Holiday -- Get some background information about this uniquely American holiday's fascinating history.
• Thanksgiving: the True Story -- Don't forget something to read to the kids.
• A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving -- Finally, get something to watch...
• I Love Coffee! -- while you enjoy your after-dinner coffee.
  

Click on any of the titles above to request a copy in our catalog. Happy reading/eating!
-Alan

This Just In

Once more we have something for everyone. Take a look at a few of our latest non-fiction arrivals:

• Point, Click and Save by Rachel Gordon -- Financial tips from "Mashup Mom... a widely read blogger who combines high-and low-tech strategies from multiple sources to help readers achieve financial objectives."
  
• My Reading Life by Pat Conroy -- "Storyteller Conroy revisits a life of passionate reading. He includes wonderful anecdotes from his school days, moving accounts of how reading pulled him through dark times, and even lists of books that particularly influenced him at various stages of his life."
  
• College Access & Opportunity -- A guide to "promoting college enrollment and retention for those with the least support: first generation, low income, and/or rural students. It features more than 230 college profiles highlighting opportunities and incentives for under served students."
  
• Decision Points by George W. Bush -- "George W. Bush offers a strikingly candid journey through the defining decisions of his life while writing honestly and directly about his flaws and mistakes, as well as his accomplishments"
  
• You Don't Look Like Anyone I Know by Heather Sellers --"An unusual and uncommonly moving family memoir, with a twist that give new meaning to hindsight, insight, and forgiveness. The author is face blind--that is, she has prosopagnosia, a rare neurological condition that prevents her from reliably recognizing people's faces. Growing up, unaware of the reason for her perpetual confusion and anxiety, she took what cues she could from speech, hairstyle, and gait. But she sometimes kissed a stranger, thinking he was her boyfriend, or failed to recognize even her own father and mother..."

Happy reading!
-Alan

Universal Class

What do Business Accounting, Adobe Photoshop, Chakra Meditation, Dog Training, Parenting, the Civil War and Poetry Writing have in common?

Answer: they're all classes you can take for free in our new Universal Class database! Universal Class has hundreds of classes on these and many other topics. Each class is instructor-led (meaning that an actual teacher creates the content and answers your questions) and self-paced (meaning you complete the class at your own rate). A class consists of about 10 separate lessons, with quizzes to pass before proceeding to the next lesson. The classes do not count for college credit, but UC is an authorized IACET provider, so they do count for Continuing Education Units if they're required in your field.

But try them out for yourself! To get to Universal Class (and to all of our databases):

• Visit www.hcml.org
• Click "databases" in the middle of the screen
• Scroll down to Universal Class (near the end of the list, in alphabetical order)
• Enter your barcode # and PIN when prompted if accessing from home

A representative from UC will be here Thursday, 11/4, from 4:20pm to 6:00pm to demonstrate the database and answer any questions you have.

Happy learning!
Alan

New Art

If you've been in the library lately you may have noticed our recent exhibit from Seacoast Artist Guild. We've been fortunate enough to host a second large exhibit from an all-new set of artists.

To see some selections from the exhibit, visit our Facebook photos or Flickr page.

Some of our exhibiting artists include:

• Bonnie Berchielli -- "Bonnie Berchielli is an award-winning photographer with the Seacoast Artist Guild. She grew up in northern New Jersey and lived in Rockland County, New York, before settling seven years ago in Murrells Inlet. Photography is a special hobby for Bonnie and she feels honored to present her work here at the Socastee Library alongside so many accomplished artists and photographers."
  
• Deborah Broad -- "Deborah Broad was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. She studied fine art at the New York Phoenix School of Design and the Art League School in Alexandria, Virginia. She is represented in corporate and private collections worldwide. Broad was the recipient of the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Award from the Pastel Society of America and her contributions have been recognized by The Artist Magazine."
  
• Diana Cochran Johnson -- "Diana Cochran Johnson has been taking photos since she was about twelve years old. Though her education veered into what she 'should' take instead of what she wanted...eventually passion won out. Though classically trained in B/W photography and darkroom techniques, she now feels the digital revolution makes it possible to take photography to degrees only dreamed of before."
  
• Yvonne Smoak Knight -- "Yvonne Smoak Knight grew up in the small town of St. Matthews, SC. She graduated from the University of South Carolina and is retired from the State of South Carolina. Since first signing up for an oil painting class in 2002, she has studied under numerous artists including Gloria Perkins, William McCullough, Betsy McDonald, and Mary Manos. Her award-winning art includes First Prize in advanced oils and her paintings have been displayed at Applewood, Mercy Hospice, Belin United Methodist Church, Calhoun County Museum, and the Orangeburg County Fair. She is a charter member of the Seacoast Artist Guild."
  

For more information about the exhibit or about any artist, please email us at the address listed above.
-Alan

This Just In

Here are just a few of our recent arrivals in non-fiction. Even after seeing these books every day, it's amazing how broad a spectrum they cover -- literally something for everyone!

• Growing up Laughing by Marlo Thomas -- Not just Thomas' memoir of her years in comedy, it also includes interviews with dozens of comic legends, including Alan Alda, Stephen Colbert, Billy Crystal, Don Rickles, Jerry Seinfeld, and many more.
  
• Getting it Wrong by W. Joseph Campbell -- Do you trust everything you read? These are "10 of the great misreported stories in American journalism," ranging from Murrow vs. McCarthy and the Bay of Pigs to Hurricane Katrina.
  
• Earth: the Book -- The follow-up to America: the Book from The Daily Show team.
  
• Knit Fix by Lisa Kartus -- A book that covers what other knitting books leave out: what to do when you drop a stitch, botch a pattern, need to change a finished pattern, and more.
  
• The Best American Comics 2010 -- This installment, edited by Neil Gaiman, is brought to you by the "Best American" series (Best American Short Stories, Essays, etc.) Recommended reading for this rapidly evolving art form!
  
• Our Patchwork Nation by Dante Chinni -- It's not as simple as red states and blue states, or urban and rural. Chinni identifies twelve community types that make up our nation. (Horry County? "Boom Town" with a side of "Evangelical Epicenter.")
  

Click any of the titles above to visit our catalog, where you can request a book to be held for you at the library. Happy reading!
Alan

Book suggestions for Young Adults

"Somebody Everybody Listens To" by Suzanne Supplee is a Young Adult novel about a recent high school graduate who wants to become a country music star. Retta Lee Jones is a talented singer, known for her beautiful voice in her small hometown, but can she compete in Nashville with all the other girls pounding the streets to stardom. Will she become "somebody everybody listens to," or end up going home defeated?
This newly acquired book is recommended for anyone interested in music and in chasing dreams. It can be found in the Young Adult section of the library.

Need a good book to get you in the mood for Halloween? Check out one of the novels on display in the Young Adult area. Among the titles are:
Doppelganger by David Stahler Jr.
Blood Beast by Daren Shan
The Ghosts of Kerfol by Deborah Noyes
Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber


Linda

Christopher Paolini

Fantasy fans: Christopher Paolini will be signing books at Market Common in Myrtle Beach Monday, October 25. Click here for event details.

If you're reading, re-reading, or would like to read Paolini's Inheritance Cycle, check out some of the formats we carry:

• Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr in print
• Eragon, the 2007 film version
• Eragon or Eldest on CD audiobook
• Eragon on Playaway(Never used Playaway? It's a self-contained digital audiobook -- just plug in headphones, no other equipment required!)

And, of course, this wouldn't be a library blog post without recommending some further reading! If you enjoy the world of Eragon and have already read Tolkien, try some of these other series that are great for readers of any age:

• Earthsea trilogy by Ursula K. LeGuin
• Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen by Garth Nix
• His Dark Materials series by Phillip Pullman
  

Happy reading!
-Alan