This coming Monday, we as a nation, recognize the extraordinary service provided for all of us by those who serve in the military. According to Military.com, "Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice
Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor the end of
World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislation
that was passed in 1938, November 11 was "dedicated to the cause of world peace
and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.'" As such, this new
legal holiday honored World War I veterans. In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War,
the 83rd U.S. Congress -- at the urging of the veterans service organizations --
amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting the
word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, Nov. 11
became a day to honor American veterans of all wars."
Some of us confuse Veterans Day with Memorial Day. Again, from Military.com, "Memorial Day honors service members who died in service to their country or as
a result of injuries incurred during battle. Deceased veterans are also
remembered on Veterans Day but the day is set aside to thank and honor living
veterans who served honorably in the military - in wartime or peacetime."
I know that my father and father-in-law were both very proud of their service during World War II. My dad flew with the Army Air Corps over Europe and my father-in-law served on a destroyer in the Pacific. My dad came home without a scratch. My father-in-law survived the sinking of his ship and came home with a crushed elbow. And even though I listened to all their war stories, I never said, "Thank you for your service." So Monday is our opportunity to say thank you to veterans and their families.
Asbury, Epworth, and Holy Cross Branches will be closed on Monday, November 11th. Since school is still in session, our Farley Branch will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and our NICC/Peosta Branch will be open regular hours; 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
The Library is doing an upgrade to its online catalog over the weekend. If you go to the webpage on Sunday, the catalog may not be available. We will be up and running on Tuesday morning with some improvements that I think customers will like.
Over the next few weeks, the Library will be a busy place with upcoming programs. On Tuesday evening, Epworth Branch is hosting our first "Mom's Night Out" from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. There will be food, information, and fun. You won't want to miss this one. Call our Epworth Branch to register, 563-876-3388.
Now that it's getting colder, you should join us for a movie on Saturday mornings. On the 1st and 2nd Saturdays of the month, we will be showing a popular, family movie beginning at 10:00 a.m. at our Holy Cross Branch. Or come to our NICC/Peosta Branch the third Thursday of the month for a family movie. The show starts at 6:30 p.m.
Preschool and family story times are continuing. Check our webpage (www.dubcolib.lib.ia.us) for the times and locations. You will want to take a look at the calendar for a complete list of events.
I hope everyone has a nice weekend. See you at the Library. Dawn
"Reading is everything. Reading is bliss." I love this quote from the late Nora Ephron. Ephron wrote and directed the wonderful movie, "You've Got Mail" starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. I totally agree with Nora, that's what reading should be. I was listening to National Public Radio yesterday and Nancy Pearl was on. Nancy Pearl is the library queen of reading and book recommendations. She has written at least nine books starting with 2003's "Book Lust" that categorize books for pleasure reading. She has suggestions for every genre, every taste, every age from the classics, to first novels, dog stories, ghost stories, fantasy, memoir, and so much more. If you don't know what to read next, Nancy has a recommendation for you. Nancy even has her own action figure for those of us who are total library geeks!
On the radio, she was reminding her fans of her rule for starting a new book. If you are 50 or under, give the writer 50 pages and then if you don't care what is happening to the protagonist or only want to find out "who done it," skip to the last page and find out. There is no shame in not finishing the book. If you are over 50, subtract your age from 100, and that is how many pages you should read before it is perfectly acceptable to put the book aside. Pearl admits that sometimes she just isn't in the right mood for a book and she stops reading and hopes to try again another time. There are so many good books out there for every reader that you do not have to read something that you don't like or doesn't interest you.
Sometimes I am guilty of just not being able to give up on a book. My most recent example is "Eiefelheim" by Michael Flynn. This is a science fiction novel about alien contact set in medieval Germany. I know, it sounds weird anyway, but I like alien contact novels and I love medieval history. Flynn is a well known author. So, I thought this must be the book for me. I slogged my way through and it was terrible. The plot was simplistic and there was way too much German history that wasn't explained at all. The author assumed that I was an expert on German kings, princes, barons and countless feuds and battles. And the ending was so disappointing. Over all, a colossal failure of a book. Let that be a lesson. If after the required number of pages, if the book isn't engaging you, give up. You can always return to it if you think it's worth another try.
Remember leisure reading is for pleasure. After finishing that book, I rewarded myself with Sheri Holman's "The Dress Lodger" which I loved. I just finished her first novel, "A Stolen Tongue." It's not as good, but still a compelling read.
If you like reading for pleasure, follow Nancy's other cardinal suggestion, go to the library and ask the librarian for a recommendation. We will ask you what you have read, what you liked about your favorite books, and then suggest titles that you may enjoy. We love to talk about books!
Or join our library book discussion group. This month we are reading Khaled Hosseini's second novel, "A Thousand Splendid Suns." According to Amazon, "It is a deeply moving story of family, friendship, faith, and the salvation to be found in love set in modern Afghanistan." I read it several years ago and I am looking forward to re-reading it. Our book group meets the third Thursday of each month at our NICC/Peosta branch and begins at 6:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome. Copies of the book are available for loan, just call your local branch and we will send one out for you. The next meeting is November 21st. In December, we will be talking about David Sedaris' "Holidays on Ice." Please join us.
Thanks to everyone who visited the library after the Asbury Halloween parade. We loved meeting you and you are welcome back any time.
Have a great weekend. Dawn
This coming Monday, we as a nation, recognize the extraordinary service provided for all of us by those who serve in the military. According to Military.com, "Veterans Day, formerly known as Armistice
Day, was originally set as a U.S. legal holiday to honor the end of
World War I, which officially took place on November 11, 1918. In legislation
that was passed in 1938, November 11 was "dedicated to the cause of world peace
and to be hereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day.'" As such, this new
legal holiday honored World War I veterans. In 1954, after having been through both World War II and the Korean War,
the 83rd U.S. Congress -- at the urging of the veterans service organizations --
amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting the
word "Veterans." With the approval of this legislation on June 1, 1954, Nov. 11
became a day to honor American veterans of all wars."
I know that my father and father-in-law were both very proud of their service during World War II. My dad flew with the Army Air Corps over Europe and my father-in-law served on a destroyer in the Pacific. My dad came home without a scratch. My father-in-law survived the sinking of his ship and came home with a crushed elbow. And even though I listened to all their war stories, I never said, "Thank you for your service." So Monday is our opportunity to say thank you to veterans and their families.
