New in June

What’s new in the Homer Library? Our new adult fiction includes Killer Instinct by Joseph Finder, autographed and donated by the author. Our other adult fiction includes Blue Screen by Robert B. Parker, Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich, Bleeding Hearts to Susan Wittig Albert, Coyote Moon by John A. Miller, and Like Dandelion Dust by Karen Kingsbury.

New junior fiction features The Cay by Theodore Taylor, Timothy of the Cay by Theodore Taylor, and Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins. Two new non-fiction books are Digestive Wellness by Elizabeth Lipski and Our Constitution by Donald A. Ritchie.

New DVDs are High School Musical, Glory Road and End of the Spear. Donated DVDs of classic TV include 2 Bonanza collections, and one each of Jack Benny, Roy Rogers and Everybody Loves Raymond.

Holiday closings

Because of the Fourth of July, the library will be closed July 3 and 4. We will reopen at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 5. And the children's Summer Reading Program, scheduled for July 5 at 1 p.m., will go on as scheduled. Have a happy and safe holiday, and let's be thankful for this wonderful country of ours.

CLASSIC TV

Do you enjoy old TV shows? We've got some goodies on DVD thanks to a donation. There's Jack Benny, Roy Rogers, Eveybody Loves Raymond, and several DVDs of Bonanza. Actually, we've got a bonanza of Bonanza, if you want to look at it that way!

Lions Club Calendars

The last two copies of the 2006 calendar are in the library for anyone who would like to purchase them at $6 each. These are the last two Homer Lions Club calendars ever. A real collector's item.The calendar will continue, but under the auspices of the Homer Library. The Lions Club has graciously given this community project over to the library.

eBooks for kids - some fun in the summer

Go to www.lincolntrail.info/whatsnew.html and click on the link for Tumblebooks, and chose from stories, non-fiction, puzzles and games, language learning etc. for children. The one book I watched and listened to was very well done. I had a group of boys behind me watching along and enjoying the story of a sleep walking father.

Memorial Books

The Homer Lions Club has contributed two books to the library in honor of former Lions.
The books are Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power in memory of Gene Happ, and Advanced Bass Fishing in memory of Stanley Smith. We appreciate this memorial gift.

New Stuff

Bleeding Hearts by Susan Wittig Albert, and Like Dandelion Dust by Karen Kingsbury are our new adult novels. Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins and The Cay by Theodore Taylor are the new junior fiction titles. And we have added Digestive Wellness by Elizabeth Lipski for your health information needs.

Our new DVDs, for your enjoyment, are Glory Road and High School Musical.

Summer Reading Program 2006

Voyage to Book Island starts tomorrow at 1 p.m. Children ages 5-10 are invited to come each Wednesday for the next seven weeks at that time for an hour of fun, games, crafts and prizes. July 19 will be the final program, with the awarding of prizes.

The Front Door

Have you tried to get in the building and found the door locked? Sometimes the door locks itself when it is shut hard. Sharon and Bub have worked on it to alleviate the problem. However, we are asking that when you leave the building, shut the door slowly. If you hold onto the door until it is fully closed, the problem won't occur.

Thank you!!

New Materials

We hope you had a good Memorial Day Weekend as we honored our servicemen and women. It was a very hot weekend in this part of the country.

Our newest materials are At Risk by Patricia Cornwell and Dark Harbor by Stuart Woods. The latter was donated by a patron, for which we are thankful.

The Constitution - why should we care?

How well do we know the Constitution? How well do our young people know it? How important is that, anyway? Is it a dry and technical document? Can't we just let our elected representatives make laws without our input?

The Annenberg Foundation at Sunnylands has prepared materials to help Americans, especially young people, become more aware of how our government works. These materials are available in several formats: a large volume titled Our Constitution, a set of hip pocket books, and a website: JusticeLearning.org, an online learning resource. The hip pocket books and Our Constitution are available at the Homer Library.

Need help with telecommunications decisions?

Consumers Union has given us a handbook, Practical tips for Consumers, that deals with many types of telecommunications, local, long distance and wireless phone service, as well as cable TV and internet service. If you are confused about the options, this booklet may help you make informed decisions.

Summer Reading and What's New?

The Summer Reading Program, Voyage to Book Island, begins June 7 at 1 p.m. and continues to July 19. All programs except the last one will take place in the dining room of the village hall. Children ages 5 to 10 are encouraged to attend. What is the summer reading program? It consists of fun, crafts, games and sometimes food. And Prizes.

Our new adult fiction includes The Englisher by Beverly Lewis, Digging to American by Anne Tyler, Beach Road by James Patterson and Peter De Jonge, Second Sight by Amanda Quick, Dead Watch by John Sandford, and a paperback, Love According to Lily.

Our new DVDs are Hoodwinked, Nanny McPhee, and Blondie.

We have a set of four books dealing with adolescent mental illness: Anxiety Disorder, Eating Disorder, Depression or Bipolar Disorder, and Schizophrenia.

And lastly, some chick lit, light reading for the 20 somethings.

Online book clubs

Have you ever visited the website of the Lincoln Trail Libraries System: www.ltls.org? One of the features you will find there is the online book clubs at http://www.ltls.org/bookclubs.html Hosted by Suzanne Beecher, it offers six genre of books, of which you can read 2 or 3 chapters in a week, through daily emails. Suzanne gives you the opportunity to decide if each book is one you really want to read or not. Suzanne is an online pal. Each day she includes a newsy note about what she’s doing or thinking, and she answers emails from readers. She also offers the opportunity to enter contests and win books. And, as they say on certain TV ads, It's Free!

Which brings me to my second and final point. I won a contest, and received in the mail from Noah Lukeman (I like that name) his new book, A Dash of Style, all about our favorite topic, punctuation. It will be available soon for any Homer library patrons who wish to be better writers.

Illinois Clicks!

What on earth is Illinois Clicks!? Need information? Information that's organized, vetted, reliable? Try Illinois Clicks at www.illinoisclicks.org

Selected by Illinois librarians, reliable, timely, accessible 24/7, with ongoing updates.

RIF Day #3

Today was the third and final distribution of RIF (Reading is Fundamental) books to children in the Heritage School District grades Kindergarten through fourth. Each child got to choose two books out of a large selection. We also read to them by classes, ten total, and gave them flyers with the information about the upcoming Summer Reading Program.

This RIF program is paid for in part by the library, and by the federal government.

What's New???

We have many new books and DVDs on the shelves. Thanks to a gift from the Homer American Legion Auxiliary in honor of their Gold Star Members, we were able to order four books. They are Mediterranean Women Stay Slim, Too, and The Merck Manual of Health & Aging, which have arrived, and Big Weather – a book about tornadoes, and American Courage, which are on order. We appreciate the gift from the Auxiliary.

Our new adult fiction includes Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark, Dark Tort by Diane Mott Davidson, Cage of Stars by Jacquelyn Mitchard, Dirty Blonde by Lisa Scottoline, Susannah’s Garden by Debbie Macomber, The Saddlemaker’s Wife by Earlene Fowler, When Joy Came to Stay by Karen Kingsbury and The Innocent Libertine by T. Davis Bunn and Isabella Bunn.

Our new junior books are The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo.

Our new DVDs are The Chronicles of Narnia and Dr. Dolittle 3. Donated DVDs include four of the television series Bonanza, a total of 26 episodes, and Johnny Cash at “Town Hall Party.”

Favorite Places in Illinois - Starved Rock

This is a jewel of a state park, not what you would expect in such a flat state. Located in Utica along the Illinois River, it features canyons. During the week and in the spring, it is not busy as it will be in the summer. The bluebells and other spring wildflowers are in bloom. The trails are well maintained and marked. The Lodge offers a variety of meals on the menu throughout the day. And there is no charge to visit the park.

Wrapped in Rain

Charles Martin’s first book, The Dead Don’t Dance, was optioned for a Hallmark television movie. His new one is Wrapped in Rain. Martin is a superb storyteller, an author of “God-haunted fiction.” – Bookpage

You will get inside the skin of his characters, and learn to love them. You will also get a big taste of the South, and learn the old informal name of Jacksonville, Florida.

Have you read a book recently that you especially enjoyed? Tell us about it. Write it down and we'll post it on the blog.

Attention Senior Citizens

Circuit Breaker applications and Form IL-1363 are now available in the library. The program also includes a license plate discount and help paying for prescription drugs.