Swine Flu Info

At this time there are currently no confirmed cases of Swine Flu in Rhode Island and or any New England states.

Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) is working with healthcare providers, schools and other state partners to increase surveillance efforts throughout the state. RIDOH’s primary goal is to protect the health of all Rhode Islanders.

According to RIDOH the best things we can do right now are:

*Wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water. If soap and water are not available, use alcohol-based hand gel.
*Cough into your elbow.
*If you are sick, stay home from work, school or day care.

Rhode Island Department of Health, in close contact with state, regional and national partners, is monitoring and assessing the reported cases of swine influenza in the United States. For a current listing of confirmed cases, visit http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/investigation.htm. For general information about the Swine Flu, visit http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/general_info.htm

Going Green? Recycling in Middletown

It seems you can't pick up a newspaper or turn on the television without being bombarded by the words " going green". But what does it mean? "Going green" means to pursue knowledge and practices that can lead to more environmentally friendly and ecologically responsible decisions and lifestyles, which can help protect the environment and sustain its natural resources for current and future generations.

We all want a better planet for our children and grandchildren, right? Want to know one simple practice we can all do to ensure the future of our planet? Recycle! And Middletown has a great recycling program. Of course our savvy town leaders have placed all this information online so you can find out about: garbage and refuse ordinances, how to properly recycle yard waste, desposing of hazardous waste, used motor oil & e-waste drop off times, purchasing compost bins & rain barrels and MORE!

To learn more about it CLICK HERE!

On Order Now!

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

Do you sometimes feel insecure about the way you look? Well meet Terra Cooper.

Summary
As he continued to stare, I wanted to point to my cheek and remind him, But you were the one who wanted this, remember? You're the one who asked-and I repeat-Why not fix your face?

It's hard not to notice Terra Cooper.

She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably "flawed" face. Terra secretly plans to leave her stifling small town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob's path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path?

Written in lively, artful prose, award-winning author Justina Chen Headley has woven together a powerful novel about a fractured family, falling in love, travel, and the meaning of true beauty.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Sixteen-year-old Terra seems to be a typical high-achieving high-school student. Under her heavy makeup, though, she hides a port-wine colored birthmark on her cheek that makes her feel like an outsider. During yet another attempt to remove the birthmark, Terra runs into Jacob, a gorgeous Goth with a cleft-palette scar. That encounter initiates a transformation in both Terra and her subservient mother. Headley has written an exquisite book that explores the difference between physical and true beauty as Terra and her mother travel from Washington state to China, and from the home of a shame-faced, cruel cartographer into the presence of an adventurous, strong woman and her insightful teenage son. Headley uses map metaphors throughout, even in the activity, geocaching, which helps bond Terra and Jacob in both Washington and China. She also uses Terra’s artistic medium, collage, as a literary device to create layer upon layer of experiences and insights into a artfully written journey of self-discovery, self-actualization, and love. With every carefully chosen word, well-crafted sentence, and fully developed character, Headley maps out a wholly satisfying reading experience that takes readers from terra nullis to terra firma. Grades 9-12. --Frances Bradburn

Book of the Day!

The "Dead" books are a very cool and funny new series by Marlene Perez that we just got in! It's like the Twilight saga, only with a kick of sass.

Book 1: Dead is the New Black
Summary: While dealing with her first boyfriend and suddenly being pressed into service as a substitute cheerleader, seventeen-year-old Daisy Giordano, daughter and sister of psychics but herself a "normal," attempts to help her mother discover who is behind a series of bizarre attacks on teenage girls in their little town of Nightshade, California.

Book 2: Dead is a State of Mind
Summary: When a gorgeous new student's prediction that a teacher will be murdered comes true, seventeen-year-old Daisy is determined to solve the crime, but when all signs point to the killer being a werewolf, she fears she is in over her head.

Book 3: Dead is So Last Year
Summary: In the beach town of Nightshade, California, home to both human and supernatural beings, the Giordano sisters find summer employment and uncover mysteries involving doppelgangers and oversized football players.

For more information on the books and/or author, check out her website!

Book of the Day!

Remember when I mentioned that we had just received a cool new book that was sent in Rhode Island? Well guess what? Here's another wonderful new book that is set in Rhody.

Teaser by Jan Brogan

From Publishers Weekly
Troubles abound for Hallie Ahern in Brogan's satisfying third mystery starring the intrepid Rhode Island reporter (after 2007's Yesterday's Fatal). A chance viewing of an online teaser featuring two teen girls on Rhode Island Buzz, a social networking Web site, prompts Ahern to pitch a story to her newspaper, the Providence Chronicle. She receives initial support from her bosses, who see it as an audience-catching exposé: Online Dangers: Your teenager is prey. That promising start is quashed when the investigation puts her in conflict with boyfriend Matt Cavanaugh, an assistant attorney general, and when the paper's editors unexpectedly decide to drop her story in favor of another. The death of one of her young contacts transforms Ahern's quest from news story to crusade, setting her on a course that could cost her job and her life. Brogan's newspaper background serves her nicely in the setup of Ahern's sleuthing, and readers should welcome further entries in the series. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Intrepid newspaper reporter Hallie Ahern returns in her third novel. When she chances upon an online video clip that seems to indicate men are picking up young girls in a chat room and filming them, Hallie pitches the story to her editors. Then the girls begin dying, and the story becomes a murder investigation. Given its subject matter, this novel is a bit darker than its predecessors, but there are still many moments of lightness and humor. Hallie is a likable protagonist, with a mixture of foibles (including a gambling addiction) that keep her from being a cookie-cutter amateur sleuth, and the author, a veteran journalist, does an excellent job of creating the environment of a newspaper. Brogan is relatively new to the mystery scene—her first novel, the stand-alone Final Copy, was published in 2001—but she displays the kind of natural talent for character, story, and suspense that should ensure a long career in the genre. --David Pitt

For more information on the author, check out her website!

It's a Miracle! Computers are Up and Running NOW!

Thanks to our SUPERB staff our computers are back up and running! That's right my dear, wonderful patrons the computers are up TWO days ahead of schedule.

The new printing system is in place and it's working beautifully. So come on down and give it a spin. I'd be happy to walk you through it! In fact I'm looking to my right as I type this and there are a couple of open terminals just waiting for you...

Computers Down Until Thursday

We have some bad news and we have some WONDERFUL news. First the bad news: our computers will be down until Thursday morning. Why you ask? We are updating them because (here's the WONDERFUL news) we are getting a new printing system installed!

WHOO HOO! Viva la technology!!!

The new printing system will allow patrons to pay as they print. That's right! No more running up to the Circulation Desk every time you hit that print button.

Hey there dear reader. Don't let the lack of computer-use keep you away from the library. Feel free to come in and I'll find you some great books in the meantime!