Could You Survive Henry?

Surviving Henry: Adventures in Loving a Canine Catastrophe is an account of Erin Taylor Young's life with an obstinate boxer named Henry. Fueled by fond memories of a boxer she had as a child, Erin Taylor Young sets out to find a boxer puppy for her family. One that could provide laughs and cuddles as well as long walks and wagging tails. What she gets is Henry--who Erin describes as suffering from "Supreme Dictator of the Universe Syndrome." She can't figure out how God chose to give her such and aloof and stubborn creature to be a part of her family. She doesn't understand why Henry doesn't seem to care if he is with the members of the family or not. The only time he seems to show any interest is when she begins her routine to leave the house, then Henry decides that he can't leave her side. Erin knows this is only because he loves riding in the car; not because he likes being with her. But, oh, that face when she closes the door behind her; it's enough to melt her heart, so Henry goes with her to the video store, the gas station, and anywhere else that is even slightly appropriate to take him along.
On their first day at the dog park, Erin keeps Henry outside the fence on his leash to see how he will react to the other dogs. As each new dog passes by the fence to sniff at him, Henry leaps in the air with excited anticipation; as if to say, "I wanna play! Oh please, please let me play!" Once inside the fence and off his leash, Henry quickly makes friends with the dog park set and follows a couple of his new friends--retrievers--into the small pond for water-loving dogs. There is only one problem, Henry doesn't know how to swim and he panics. Poor Erin thinks she is going to have to jump in after her awkward boxer, but he manages to paddle his way back to the shore.
Henry seems to be prone to misadventures and near death scenarios and his poor owner can only hang on for dear life. Take, for instance, their adventures at Erin's parents' lake house. On their first visit with Henry, he falls off the dock and poor Erin plunges in the freezing water to rescue him. It just so happens that every time they visit Henry seems to fall off the dock. Unless, of course, he is wearing the expensive doggie life jacket that they bought him. Once, they decided to take Henry on the Pontoon with them. He did okay, although he did pace around the decking and had to have a petting from everyone on the boat, not to mention he had to sniff the air on all four sides. When Henry moved to the front of the pontoon, he stuck his nose through the gate, but it isn't too long before he spots a flock of ducks up ahead. Erin's son manages to catch Henry's leg before the sixty-pound dog managed to get through the gate and into the water--and probably become fish food after meeting the boat's propeller.
Erin recounts many such near-misses and disasters that seem to be drawn to Henry. He vandalizes his obedience school, crashes through a window, and tears up countless toys. Erin is convinced that Henry lives to torment her. The longer she has Henry, though, the more she comes to realize that he has been put into her life to teach her a new meaning to the concept of unconditional love.
This book is a quick, funny, and poignant read. Henry's adventures can be related to by anyone who has ever been the owner of a stubborn pet. Henry's quirkiness is endearing and the lessons he teaches his family are ones that every family should learn. If you are going to love one another, then you must do so unconditionally.

Take a Moment to Give Thanks!

While the first Thanksgiving was not a successful nor a lasting peace, Abraham Lincoln's proposal of a day to celebrate the coming together of the Native Americans and the Pilgrim settlers for a common meal was truly a moment of inspiration. Thanksgiving is certainly one of my favorite holidays, simply for what it has come to represent. I'm not talking about watching football and stuffing yourself until you fall into a coma from all the calories consumed. What I love the most is the fellowship with friends and family. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all of the good things that we have in our lives. It is also a day to slow down and really take stock of what blessings we have and what blessings we can bestow on others. Some people choose to volunteer to serve a meal to those who are less fortunate or to bring a ray of light and some comfort to those who are unable to visit family.
I myself am thankful for my family, friends, and co-workers. I am glad to have had the opportunities for education and career that have been placed before me. I am thankful to live in a country where, as a woman, I have the same opportunities as my male counterparts. I am thankful that my nieces and my nephew are happy and healthy and smart and funny. I am thankful for my mom, my dad, my sister, and even my brother who annoys me endlessly. All these things, as well as others I cannot mention, make me feel truly blessed.
For all those who are less fortunate, I pray they get the opportunities they need to succeed. I pray the homeless will find homes, that the hungry will find a bounty, that the cold will find warmth, and most importantly, I pray that the lonely and downtrodden will find friendship and comfort. For everyone else, I pray that you will take a moment to pull yourself from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, put down the cell phones, and turn off the computer and the t.v. Take a look around at all that you have and see all the things there are to be thankful for in your own lives.

Trapped For 69 Days Underground

In August of 2010, a mine collapse in Chile trapped a group of 33 miners.  Against all odds and expectations, all 33 were rescued sixty-nine days after the start of their ordeal.

Agreeing only to tell their story collectively, the group chose Hector Tobar, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and novelist, to be the one they told their story through.

The story covers a story never told before - the men's lives before the collapse, the initial seventeen days when no-one on the surface knew if there were any survivors, the long waiting period of waiting for an opening large enough to allow their release and finally the aftermath as they re-adjusted to life above ground.

In Deep Down Dark, Tobar has used personal interviews with the miners and their families, the diary of one of the miners (Victor Segovia), the cellphone videos from the phone of another miner (Jose Henriquez), video from the Chilean government and more and combined them into an intense story of endurance and ultimately, of survival.

What Are You Cooking?

With the holidays coming up, I thought it would be a good idea to highlight some of the wonderful cookbooks and cooking magazines here at the library. We even have holiday cookbooks in the children's department!
Some of our wonderful cookbooks include: Paula Deen Celebrates! by Paula Deen, Historical Thanksgiving Cookery by Robert W. Pelton, Thanksgiving 101 by Rick Rodgers, and Thanksgiving Entertaining and Thanksgiving & Christmas put out by Williams-Sonoma. These books offer recipes and tips for making your holiday special. For instance, in Thanksgiving 101, author Rick Rodgers offers step-by-step instructions for carving the turkey as well as the best way to deep fry you holiday bird. He also includes a section titled "Thanksgiving Menu Planner" to give you some ideas about what to serve for your meal. Historical Thanksgiving Cookery offers recipes from the Revolutionary War through the time of the Civil War. This small book also offers historical excerpts on famous historical figures who enjoyed the dishes featured. If you need any help finding these or other titles, feel free to ask the Reference Desk for help!

We also carry some of the most popular cooking magazines available. We have Better Homes & Gardens, Cooking Light, Country Living, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Food Network Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Martha Stewart Living, and Taste of Home. Some of these may be checked out for one week at a time, or, if you prefer, you may make copies of the recipes you think you would enjoy. Don't forget about our public access computers that allow our patrons and guests to pull up websites for these magazines as well as other recipe sites.

Taking the first steps to launching the career of your dreams.

According to Ben Arment, the author of 'Dream Year : Make the Leap from a Job You Hate to a Life You Love", there is no such thing as a 'dream job'.  A job is where you are working for someone else to fulfill their dreams, not your own.

In his coaching classes, he has worked with hundreds of people to help them identify their dream career, plan it out and launch it in one year.

His new book is full of insights and advice, but most captivating part is the stories of the people who have followed his step-by-step program to switch from the jobs that paid the bills to work that they are enthusiastic about and enjoy while still making a living.

The book covers the steps in individual chapters starting with finding and defining your dream career and follows through to growing and sustaining it.  One of his main points - never give up and he gives several examples of those who had to make multiple tries before they reached their own goals, including Abraham Lincoln.

A love letter to public libraries told in photographs

New to our Adult Non-Fiction collection, The Public Library : A Photographic Essay by Robert Dawson, is a loving tribute to the many forms that public libraries take all across the United States.

With a foreword by Bill Moyers and an afterword by Ann Patchett along with reflections by Isaac Asimov, Barbara Kingsolver, Anne Lamott, Philip Levine, Dr. Seuss, Charles Simic, Amy Tan, E.B. White and others, the book shows how strongly the presence of libraries has affected not only themselves but also those that they've known and how important they continue to be in this 'information age' where there is an ever-larger amount of information that needs to be sifted through to find the information needed.

Bill Moyer perhaps expressed it best in his foreword when he said, "when a library is open, no matter its size or shape, democracy is open, too."

Welcome MLA 2014!

     We are excited to announce that the Mississippi Library Association's annual convention is back in Vicksburg this year. MLA's mission is to "to provide professional leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all." This four day conference includes workshops and vendors selling aids for use in academic, public, and school libraries. Also included are tours of historic Vicksburg. On Thursday, October 16, there will be the annual Mississippi Author Awards Dinner. These awards are given to Mississippi authors in one of three categories: fiction, non-fiction, and juvenile literature.  All of this is being held at the Vicksburg Convention Center--just down the street from our own public library. I know that as a community you will join me in showing our participants and presenters the hospitality that Mississippi is famous for! If you would like to learn more about the conference, please feel free to follow one of the links below.

Mississippi Library Association's Convention Page
http://www.misslib.org/event-856714


Vicksburg Convention Center Homepage
http://www.vccmeet.com/

Setting boundaries on technology for your family

With technology changing practically daily and younger children using that technology on a regular basis, where do parents draw the line or even know what lines need to be drawn?

Janell Burley Hofmann, writer for The Huffington Post and mother of five, ran into that problem when she gave her 13 year old son an iPhone for Christmas.  She covered her concerns that outlined the boundaries and expectations for her son in the form of a contract that she had him sign when he was given his first cell phone.  Her editor at The Huffington Post posted a copy, now known as the iRules, and it went viral.

In this book, Hofmann provides families with tools to help them reach their own balance between personal human interactions and technology.  Using her guidance on what makes up the online culture (everything from cyberbullying to sexting), parents can fashion their own iRules to fit the needs of their own families.

The book also contains a glossary of common internet terms, a listing of current popular social networking sites and a list of translations for popular abbreviations used in online chats.  All in all, it's a great reference for both the tech-savvy and the not-so-tech-savvy.

Insomniacs Be Warned!

Black Moon is a novel by Kenneth Calhoun. This is a contemporary novel about the breakdown that can occur when a society is hit with a plague. In Calhoun's United States, people are suffering from endless bouts of insomnia. First, there is the exhaustion. Next is the forgetfulness and impaired reflexes. Then, comes the irrational behavior, hallucinations--both auditory and visual. Finally, is the full-blown descent into insanity and, in most cases, suicide. Men, women, and children roam the streets dazed, confused, and muttering to themselves. They are filthy, ever-maddening creatures who scrounge food where they can. There is hope in those who are still able to sleep at night, but those few are in mortal danger. If someone with this viral insomnia finds a person asleep, then they go into a terrible rage and attack the sleeper--in some cases killing them. There are mass suicides from highway overpasses and tall buildings. Our main protagonist, Biggs, has lost his beloved wife, Carolyn. Biggs is a sleeper, but his wife has succumbed to the insomnia that is running rampant throughout the country. In a fit of confusion and despair, Carolyn wanders from their apartment and out into the chaos. During his journey to find his beloved wife, Biggs meets all sorts of characters in various states of insomnia-induced madness. There is also Lila, a high-school student who has taken to roaming the streets and subdivisions of a desert town wearing an owl mask. She, too, can sleep, but her parents sent her away when they realized that she was not safe around them. The Marine who was taking her to a military base tried to attack her when she falls asleep in the backseat of the car. She suffers minor injuries to her face, but the Marine dies, leaving her alone to roam this new chaotic world. This story starts off strong with an interesting premise, but around the center, it seems to lose steam and the ending feels rushed and a bit contrived. I can deal with the author leaving us hanging with the crumbling state of civilization, but there are loose ends that could have been resolved before bringing this book to a close. One of the main characters seems to die "off stage" (which is very annoying). Overall this is a good book, but it is a bit hard to get through in places. Some of the descriptions of the break-down of people's psyches are pretty disturbing. If you like deeply psychological accounts of dystopian futures (and not-so-futures), then this is a good book for you.

Could You Run the Maze?

The Maze Runner is a juvenile novel by James Dashner that centers around a group of boys trapped in a garden-like prison surrounded by four hundred foot grey walls that open and close on four sides at dawn and dusk. Beyond these walls there is a maze that has to be solved before the boys can escape to the unknown. The story opens with "Thomas" inside a dark room that is moving. The top opens and there are faces peering down on him. Apparently, this happens once a month--a 'greenbean' comes out of the elevator shaft in the middle of the garden. There are no adults, no girls. The boys come to the maze with no real knowledge of who they are or where they come from. They must survive with what they have and what few supplies they receive every week. Thomas decides he has to become a Runner--one of several boys who go out each morning, run through their section of the maze, mapping it in their heads, and returning each night and sketching out what they learn. The maze is familiar to him somehow. The maze is not without dangers, however, there are these half-metallic, half-organic creatures called Grievers that inhabit the maze. Mostly, they come out at night, but if they catch you they inject you with a toxin that causes you to go through an extremely painful process that causes you to see your past and you gain some knowledge of what is going on in the world, but not everyone sees the same things. This dystopian future is a fun, quick read and is the first book in a series. Some of you may have seen previews for a movie with the same title--it is based on Dashner's series. The strong female leads of series like The Hunger Games & Divergent are wonderful, but sometimes, the boys need a strong role model, too--one that uses his brains over his brawn. I highly recommend giving this series a try. The library only has the first book of the series, but it is worth checking into.