American Pickers

Do you know these guys?  If you don't, well, you should get to know them. Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz became famous when their lives as pickers were turned into a highly rated television show on the History Channel.  A new book now recounts their story and teaches the reader how to become a picker.  American Pickers Guide to Picking was written by Libby Callaway with input from Mike, Frank, Danielle and a number of other experts and pickers.  Libby's mother dealt in antiques and Libby met a lot of pickers that her mother bought items from.  She was surprised when she met Mike Wolfe for the first time in December of 2008 because he was so different from the people her mother dealt with.  Mike was young, handsome, and charming. Libby and Mike met when they were both visiting a mutual friend, a photographer. 

Mike got bored during a photo shoot of women in lingerie and asked to borrow a scooter.  He was back in 30 minutes with an enamel Oliver Tractor sign from the 1940's that he was able to sell within minutes, more than doubling his money.  Libby was stunned.  She had never heard of someone driving around and finding likely sellers of antiques and collectibles.  She couldn’t imagine herself knocking on doors but greatly admired someone who could. 

Interesting tidbits related in the book include Mike’s strategy of looking at ads in old magazines.  A few years ago, he saw an ad for a 1912 Indian racing motorcycle.  Even though the journal was from the 1970’s, he called and found out that the motorcycle had never been sold.  He immediately got on a plane and flew to Florida to try and make a deal.  The owner was very reluctant to sell, but Mike used his winning personality to eventually make a deal. 

George, who Mike and Frank turn to when they need an expert opinion, offers this advice: “You can’t just go out picking if you don’t know anything.  You should have either a very specialized knowledge or a very broad knowledge,  You have to know a lot about a little or a little about a lot.”  Mike and Frank obviously know a little about a lot and a lot about a little.  Read this book and you’ll know a little bit more yourself.

Don't have cable?  You can watch the first season of American Pickers by checking out this DVD from the Library.

We've got that TOO

Remember these guys?  If you don't, well, you should get to know them.  It's shocking to realize that there may be some folks out there who aren't aware of all the wonderful things the library owns that AREN'T books.  If you're not into Muppets like Statler and Waldorf, we have a plethora of movies both old and new available for you.  Everything from the entire Nightmare on Elm Street series (who knew they could keep bringing Freddie back like that?) to Les Miserables to State Fair to Casablanca to the entire Seinfeld series is available at the Manitowoc Public Library.  Maybe you missed a documentary like Ken Burns' Prohibition on PBS?  We're getting that one too.  We have an enormous variety of movies.  Everything from the very latest to the greatest classics.  But wait, there's more...

Do you have a long drive to and from work?  Have a difficult time keeping up with your book club?  Fall asleep every time you sit down with a novel?  Is your vision not what is used to be?  The solution is the audiobook.  Audiobooks are a wonderful tool to help readers continue with their reading lifestyle.  They help pass the time when you're waiting for your kids or spouse.  They keep you company when you're cleaning your house.  Books on CD are portable and can help keep kids entertained on a long trip.  (My personal favorites are the narrators from the Harry Potter and Lemony Snicket series.)  Audiobooks are also available through Overdrive (the link can be found on our website) and can be downloaded onto an MP3 player or laptop computer.  Listening to books is an easy way to keep your hands free and your mind and body active.

If you are afraid that you will fall asleep to the dulcet tones of a narrator, how about some music?  We own thousands of CDs.  Looking for Mozart?  We've got it.  Looking for Phantom of the Opera?  We've got it.  Want to relive your memories from the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's or an earlier decade?  Most likely you will find your favorite song and artist from those decades and beyond here.  And we have more....Emmy winners Lady Antebellum, we've got it.  Techno dance music, we've got that too.  Music for a themed Hawaiian dance party or Halloween blowout, don't look any further than your library.  How excellent is our music selection?  We have over 40 music CDs by the Beatles alone.  And when you can't find that special song?  We'll help you borrow it from another library system in Wisconsin.  Stop by the Service Desk, we can find it. 

So the next time that you visit your library, remember that we carry so much more than books.  Want to borrow a Kindle?  We've got it.  Looking for an old article on your family from the newspaper?  We have it on MICROFILM.  Don't know what that is or how to use it?  We're here to help with that too.  Maybe you just want to find the next mystery in a series by your favorite author.  You KNOW we've got that too.   

   

funny things happen when you open a book

This is a picture book with a message for parents.  Teach your kids to enjoy books now, and don't forget to show them how they "work".

I grew up trying to get my mom's attention when her nose was stuck in a book.  Sometimes we would yell "Fire!" just to see if she would evacuate the house or die reading.  When we finally DID get her attention, the look on her face was somewhat similar to his....

Share your knowledge; share the experience; fall into the story.  Learn to read for life.

BRAIN CANDY IS GOOD

The undead have feelings too. After being passed over for centuries by vampire love and hot werewolves, zombies are finally coming into their own. It's a zombie revolution, guard your brain. Brains, in case you missed the cult classic movies "Dawn of the Dead" or "Night of the Living Dead", are delicious candy to the zombie with a discerning palate and NOTHING can stop them from seeking out more. Here are a few new titles on the continuing saga of the undead and the people who live (briefly) with them. How does one deal with a ferocious, expressionless, unstoppable attacking zombie?

A hilarious twist on a beloved classic is Seth Graham Smith's, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: the classic Regency romance-now with ultraviolent zombie mayhem! Be prepared to laugh ruefully as Elizabeth and Darcy fight zombies, not their love for one another. They admire one another for their equally amazing zombie annihilation skills. Mr. Collins, a character that anyone familiar with the original story deplores, gets what he deserves and more. The undead success of this book has been followed by a prequel, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls and a sequel, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dreadfully Ever After, both by Steve Hockensmith. You will laugh out loud as you enjoy tea and crumpets while checking the locks on the doors.

Zombies have also found success with the younger generation. Stacey Jay's You are So Undead to Me combines teen angst with hungry zombies. Megan Berry, the heroine, must save homecoming, work on her cheerleading try-out, and attempt to attract the attention of her crush all while dealing with the dead that are not dead. For those interested in the romantic lifestyles of the undead, there is I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked it by Adam Selzer or the Generation Dead series by Daniel Waters. Whether you love them or hate them, they are sure to keep your mind off of your real problems.


Finally for those who wish to be prepared for the coming of the undead apocalypse, there is World War Z: an oral history of the zombie war by Max Brooks. When the zombie hordes are calling, it will be important to know their habits and how to deal with zombification competently. Mac Montandon's Proper Care and Feeding of Zombies will help provide answers for everyone hosting the ravenous horde. To learn about the inner workings of the zombie mind, try Brains: a zombie memoir or Zombie, Ohio: a tale of the undead.

Brain candy, it's not just for zombies anymore.

It’s NOT of this world

 Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Having barely survived an attempt to colonize earth by an alien, insectoid race, earthlings devise a plan to destroy the aliens before another attack.  A military battle school in space is created where the most promising children in the world are sent to train.  The Wiggins are allowed to have an unheard of third child, Ender, because their first two children were geniuses but lacked the personality to lead soldiers.  Ender's sister, Valentine, was too meek.  His brother, Peter, was too much of a psychopath.  Protected by constant monitoring during his first six years, Ender shows enough promise that the military leaders decide to test him by removing his electronic monitor to see if he can survive the attentions of his brother.  He passes that challenge and now must survive the battle school where there are other students will stop at nothing to win.  Ender is the ultimate survivor but can a child save earth?

The Manitowoc Public Library will be hosting a book discussion on Ender's Game, Thursday, September 8^th at 6pm to celebrate Sputnikfest. Sputnikfest in Manitowoc is a self-proclaimed wacky, tacky, fun event that commemorates ACTUAL space debris from Sputnik IV landing in the middle of 8^th St. on Sept., 6^th in 1962. This year's festivities will be held Saturday, Sept. 10^th starting at 10am. To find out more about Sputnikfest in Manitowoc, visit their website at http://www.sputnikfest.com/.

Discussion Questions for Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

1. Ender's father said that it was better to play the war games and have a better chance of surviving when the buggers came again. He was referring to children playing a make-believe game. How does this philosophy represent the theme of the book?
2. Is it ethical to place children in the position of being maimed or killed? Is it ethical to make children responsible for saving the earth?
3. Is Ender's brother Peter a psychopath or good at pretending to be a psychopath?
4. Ender is afraid that he is a monster like Peter. Is Ender a monster?
5. Colonel Graff is called a monster. Is he?
6. Why did Ender agree to attend Military school?
7. How is the Battle Room useful for learning how to fight against the buggers?
8. Peter has a new focus after Ender leaves. What are his motives?
9. Did Valentine betray Ender by convincing him to return to his training?
10. Was it necessary to destroy the entire race of buggers?
11. What made Ender a good leader?
12. Was it best for Ender to leave earth? Was it best for earth?
     

If you liked Ender's Game, David recommends-

The Maze Runner by James Dashner (first in a trilogy)

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (first in a trilogy)

On Basilisk Station by David Weber (first in the Honor Harrington series)

The Giver by Lois Lowry (first in a trilogy)
Matched by Allyson Braithwaite Condie

NOT-SO-LIGHT SUMMER READING

Have you had enough of the "light summer reading" lists you see in every magazine and blog you read?  Are you ready for something with a little more meat on it's bones?  Something that will add a few more wrinkles to your laid back, summertime brain? MPL's got just the thing for you:

The Hidden Reality by Brian Greene (with description, links, and video from Knopf Publishers)

From the best-selling author of The Elegant Universe and The Fabric of the Cosmos comes his most expansive and accessible book to date—a book that takes on the grandest question: Is ours the only universe?
There was a time when “universe” meant all there is. Everything. Yet, in recent years discoveries in physics and cosmology have led a number of scientists to conclude that our universe may be one among many. With crystal-clear prose and inspired use of analogy, Brian Greene shows how a range of different “multiverse” proposals emerges from theories developed to explain the most refined observations of both subatomic particles and the dark depths of space: a multiverse in which you have an infinite number of doppelgängers, each reading this sentence in a distant universe; a multiverse comprising a vast ocean of bubble universes, of which ours is but one; a multiverse that endlessly cycles through time, or one that might be hovering millimeters away yet remains invisible; another in which every possibility allowed by quantum physics is brought to life. Or, perhaps strangest of all, a multiverse made purely of math.
Greene, one of our foremost physicists and science writers, takes us on a captivating exploration of these parallel worlds and reveals how much of reality’s true nature may be deeply hidden within them. And, with his unrivaled ability to make the most challenging of material accessible and entertaining, Greene tackles the core question: How can fundamental science progress if great swaths of reality lie beyond our reach?
Sparked by Greene’s trademark wit and precision, The Hidden Reality is at once a far-reaching survey of cutting-edge physics and a remarkable journey to the very edge of reality—a journey grounded firmly in science and limited only by our imagination.

PLACE A  HOLD ON THE LIBRARY'S COPY OF THIS TITLE


Brian Greene received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and his doctorate from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He joined the physics faculty of Cornell University in 1990, was appointed to a full professorship in 1995, and in 1996 joined Columbia University, where he is professor of physics and mathematics. He has lectured at both a general and a technical level in more than thirty countries, and on all seven continents, and is widely regarded for a number of groundbreaking discoveries in superstring theory. His first book, The Elegant Universe, was a national best seller and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. His most recent book, The Fabric of the Cosmos, was also a best seller. He lives in Andes, New York, and New York City.

Four Years to Remember

ses·qui·cen·ten·ni·al/ˌseskwisenˈtenēəl (dictionary.com)

We study it in school. We visit the memorials and battlefields. We reenact it. The Civil War in America was a seminal turning point in America's history. This year in April we marked the sesquicentennial of the beginning of the Civil War, the shots fired on Fort Sumpter in Charleston harbor. What else can we learn from 1861?


In 1861, the United States of America (Union) instituted the first income tax. The Revenue Act of 1861 imposed a three percent tax on incomes over eight hundred dollars. Designed to help fund the expenses of the war, it was a flat rate tax. This was repealed in 1862 and replaced by a progressive rate tax which was to terminate in 1866. Obviously, 1866 was not the end of the income tax debate in America. For more information on this subject, check out The Great Tax Wars: Lincoln to Wilson by Steven Weisman (336.242 Weisman).

OTHER EVENTS AND ITEMS OF INTEREST IN 1861-The Pony Express, which began in April of 1860, ended in October of 1861 when the Pacific Telegraph line was completed.
Serfdom was abolished in Russia.
Louis Pasteur begins working on the germ theory of disease, eventually leading to the process of pasteurization.
The Gatlin Gun, a hand-cranked machine gun, is invented. (The idea being that fewer soldiers would be needed on the battlefield.)
The kinematoscope, a precursor to the cinema, is invented.

For the next four years, throughout our nation, there will be Civil War battlefields to visit, reenactments to view, and historical events to remember. Take the time to visit our history through fact and fiction.

RECOMMENDED FICTION-
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara

The Long Roll by Mary Johnston

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane

The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks

March by Geraldine Brooks not to be confused with The March by E.L. Doctorow (also recommended)

The Starbuck Series by Bernard Cornwell

Gettysburgh Trilogy by Newt Gingrich

Note-for those of you signing up for the Adult Summer Reading program at MPL, these books are historical fiction and would account for one of your genre reads.