Noraf's blog

The Friends are having a big book sale this weekend!

All books, mostly adult hardcover and trade paperback, will be $0.50. Lots of best sellers and popular subjects. Bring a big bag and take away some big bargains!

Spring is in the air and it is a great time to clean up, clean out and get organized. Some people are naturals at this, but if you’re like me you may need a little help to get started. The Nonfiction Department has a lot of books on this subject. If you want to browse the shelves you can find organizing and de-cluttering books in the 640.43, 648.8 and Home Decorating 648.8 number.

Here are some of the books that have helped me conquer my clutter enemy.

• The Organized Home from the editors of Real Simple
• Unclutter Your Life in One Week by Erin Rooney Doland
• The Clutter Clinic by Romaine Lowery
• The Life Laundry by Dawna Walter
• Restoring Order to Your Home by Vicki Norris

You don’t expect to hear a cautionary story on bicycle safety during a library program highlighting career training opportunities in construction. However, with the days growing longer and the warmer temperatures, Byron McCain’s story about his son’s journey needs to be shared.

Walker McCain opted to not wear a helmet when biking with a friend. Less than a mile from home, his hat blew off and he applied the brakes instinctively reached backwards to catch it. Walker went over the handlebars and slid 50-75 feet, landing against a rock. He lost consciousness and among his injuries were a broken neck and extensive brain injuries.

Would you like to get more sleep, fall asleep faster, or lose weight? Yes, lose weight! Looking for a good reason to get more quality rest? Look no further than Sleep Away the Pounds by Cherie and John Calbom. More than a weight loss book, this work instructs you in the restorative powers of sleep, teaches relaxation methods, provides sleep strategies for improving your sleep, and details a menu plan that tells you not only what to eat, but when to eat it. Peppered with interesting facts and written in a straightforward, positive, and easy to read style, this book offers great incentives to get more sleep. Sweet dreams!

While perusing the shelves in the Sciences today I came across Parallax: The Race to Measure the Cosmos by Alan Hirschfield, and I am adding it to my reading list pronto. The story traces the path to solving astronomy’s greatest challenge: measuring the distance to a star. The quest begins with the ancient Greeks , and the story promises excitement and intrigue with kidnappings, dramatic rescue, swordplay, madness and even some old-fashioned bitter rivalry. It looks irresistible! Come check it out, and for other scientific capers like this one, peruse the shelves around 523.8 in the Nonfiction Department and you won’t be disappointed.

We have an extensive collection of Christian nonfiction here at the Hoover Public Library. If you are looking for something from popular insipirational authors like Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer, T.D. jakes, Gary Chapman, Anne Lamott or local author David Platt , we have what you need. If you are looking for classics from C.S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer or Billy Graham, we have those as well. We have books detailing the history of the Christian church and its various denominations, and ones on building the church of the future. We have books of prayers, hymns and daily devotionals. We even have books on dieting and nutrition from a Christian perspective!

The votes are in and the following titles have been chosen for 2011:

January 13 A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White

April 14 The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by C. Alan Bradley

May 12 The Elephant Keeper by Christopher Nicholson

The votes are in and the following titles have been chosen for 2011:

January 6 A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White
Please join us at this meeting to visit with the author via Skype.

February 3 The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

March 3 The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by C. Alan Bradley

April 7 The Elephant Keeper by Christopher Nicholson

May 5 The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

June 2 Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

July 7 The Girl wih the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Join us for a lively discussion of The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga on Thursday, November 18 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Refreshments provided.

We will be voting on next year's titles at this meeting, so please join us and cast your vote!