This great duet of books by Mary Doria Russell was recommended by a library patron and proved to be the most fascinating READ so far this year. The first book of the duo is entitled “The Sparrow” which takes us on an unforgettable journey. Read it or listen to the audio book read by David Colacci. Patrons return the book saying, “Wow, this really makes you think!”
The second book of the duet is “The Children of God,” while not as compelling as the first book, answers many of the questions of the Rakhat civilization.
(paraphrasing a review by Steven H. Silver)
Mary Doria Russell’s first novel, The Sparrow, tells the story of a Puerto Rican Jesuit priest, Emilio Sandoz, and his circle of friends who take off on a mission to a new world and do what Jesuits do well, meet and explore. The outcome of this mission is declared in the opening line: “It was predictable, in hindsight.”
Russell’s novel is told in two time frames. One time frame begins in 2019, when Jimmy Quinn, a friend of Sandoz’s, discovers the first intelligent extraterrestrial radio signals emanating from a planet in the Alpha Centauri system (beautiful music). Eventually this story line, which follows Quinn and Sandoz ‘s secret Jesuit mission to Rakhat, catches up to the hearing on Emilio Sandoz in the 2060s when he is being questioned about his actions on the planet.
In the year 2059, Emilio Sandoz is recovering from his trip to Rakhat. He is being held by the Jesuits for debriefing on the inhabitants and events on Rakhat. He is mutilated physically and spiritually drained. Although Sandoz has the knowledge of his actually trip, his Jesuit keepers have knowledge of the interim time passed on Earth. This information is revealed to the reader slowly, leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions from partial knowledge as the novel progresses. You keep reading, you just have to know.
The Sparrow is a novel of ideas and characters. It will leave you questioning beliefs and values you thought were well in place. The reader will continue to think about them long after the book has been set aside. Russell presents her ideas through characters who are extremely likable, and yet, have been faced with unimaginable trials.
Russell received the John W. Campbell Award on the merits of The Sparrow and its sequel, Children of God. The Sparrow, originally published in 1997, is one of the strongest debut novels in a long time and is certainly deserving of the award. If the action occasionally slows to allow more philosophical and religious discussion, it does so in order to make The Sparrow a stronger novel.
Be a Crime Scene Investigator - - - Check out our new Display at the Library
ARE YOU REALLY INTO “WHO DONE IT?”
Students will love our 24/7 series called Science Behind the Scenes Forensic Files of true-life cases with topics such as “Bullet Proof!”, “Shot and Framed”, “Toe Tagged.”
There is a great book called “Sammy Dog Detective.”
“Forensic Science” and “Crime Scene Investigation are easy-to-read levels that will introduce you to the career of a CSI. Adults will be intrigued with “Bodies We’ve Buried” by Jarrett Hallcox. This book gives us an inside picture of the National Forensic Academy, the World’s top CSI training school.
We are beginning to move deeper into our yearly theme “The Night” with some sleepy-time stories. What makes the best childhood memories?
Bedtime stories, of course!
Sleepy-time Stories
So come in and look over our great selection of stories just for those little tots.
Moms and Dads, pick up a book for yourself and sign up for some great prizes which we will be giving away during the year.
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This Year’s Library theme is “Into the Night.” So…. we are celebrating the beautiful night with our first program station called Catch a Falling Star. Let us encourage you to look up, dream, and wish.
Check out our display of great reads. Watch as we add more stations to the library during the year. Pick up a chart of the night sky. Learn about meteorites, comets and star dust.
Pick up a night-time romance or a star-quality story of dreaming and achievement.
The Sky is the Limit!
Want to get great monthly information on the night sky? … just go to www.mpm.edu/planetarium/ and subscript to the Planetarium’s monthly star chart and newsletter Starry Messenger.
Click Here to see the Earth at Nighttime?
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Recycle your inkjet cartridges here.
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Alma Public Library is offering a place to recycle your empty inkjet cartridges in our effort to make a difference in our environment. The recycling center will accept most types of cartridges.
As a result of this recycling box, the center will donate a few cents per special cartridges to the Library, and will recycle the rest. Please join in this win-win effort and bring those used cartridges in today.
The box is located in the lobby by the Library’s bookshelf.
Thank you for your support.
Alma Public Library is proud to sponsor this presentation as a finale to our year-long theme… “One World, Many Stories”
Come to Alma Area Schools Tuesday Morning to hear a fabulous performance of songs for PEACE.
Acclaimed musical artist Lauren Pelon will be performing “Listening for Peace” at the Alma School Gymnasium on Tuesday, December 13th at 10:00 in the morning.
This program is free and open to the Adult Public.
“LAUREN PELON PRESENTS “LISTENING FOR PEACE, A CONCERT” The concert will feature music and instruments from around the world, along with commentary on world peace (in the sense of ending wars), as well as the necessity of making peace with nature and the land.
…Especially the need to make some kind of peace within ourselves.
Lauren tours internationally. She sings beautifully and she has an amazing number of exotic instruments that she has mastered.
“Per Jill Timmons, Director, Lively Arts Series, Oregon: ” From Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion to the steppes of Russia and the hills of Kazakhstan, Lauren Pelon has entertained audiences with her story of music and instruments throughout history.
Her virtuosity on so many instruments and her rich voice remind us of the power of music to transcend time and culture. ” http://www.home.earthlink.net/~laurenpelon/
We are on the second week of our new Iluminar catalog. This has been a major step toward a more patron-friendly catalog. Changes and updates are being made daily as we transition into the new software.
You may easily access the catalog through our website at the left menu bar.
From the CATALOG tab at the top you can access the catalog and also find some good tips on how to get started searching and requesting your items.
Please call us if we can be of service to you at this time.
Our new WRLS catalog ILUMINAR is coming August 29th. This new software proves to be more user-friendly; with more powerful search options, customized lists, full color book covers and a special catalog just for kids.
Don't Miss It!
It’s so much fun to play “Around-the-World” Dirty Dice BINGO with a chance to win secret prizes. Monday night 7:00 PM July 11th.
Since we are learning about other countries this summer, our little prizes come from around the globe.
Here’s how we play: 1) YOU GET TWO DICE in a BOWL 2) YOU SHAKE the DICE 3) IF YOU GET DOUBLES, YOU CAN PICK a PRIZE.
But Wait! What happens when all the prizes are gone?
Then the DIRTY part starts: 1) We set the TIMER for 15 minutes 2) SHAKE the DICE again 3) IF YOU GET DOUBLES, YOU CAN STEAL a PRIZE FROM SOMEONE ELSE. Times up? Then you keep any prizes you have stolen from your friends. Too much fun!
You will enjoy the token gifts we have collected from countries all over the world. Adults 18 and older can play. Open to the Public, no registration required.
To Kill a Mockingbird” is 50 Years Old
This month Alma Public Library is celebrating the brave ground-breaking story of life, tolerance and injustice in Southern America. This 1961 Pulitzer Prize winning book by author Harper Lee brings us to one of the best human axioms: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view–until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”
As the story unfolds through the eyes of the young girl “Scout” Finch ,we see her awakening to an imperfect world; one in which her father Atticus struggles to set right. Racism and class discrimination are rampant in her town and do profoundly effect her family.
Her father simply teaches her: “Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don’t eat up people’s gardens, don’t nest in corncribs, they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.” She takes this to heart as she becomes the catalyst for friendship and tolerance in the wake of her town’s tragedy.
The Library carries the story in book, audio cassettes and DVD. Please take this opportunity to experience a great READ!
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