Emily Post's Etiquette: Manners for a new world.

In the 18th edition, virtual manners and social networking have their own chapter.

When posting on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace or other social sites, good manners are important. "The conventions for interacting and conversing in a polite, positive, considerate, respectful and honest way still apply. That means take care with what you write and what you post. People who receive your message don't have your body language, your facial expressions, or tone of voice to help interpret the meaning of your message. All they have are the words on their screen. While you might have been joking or sarcastic, they may read your comments as hurtul, rude or spiteful. Take time with your messages and posts to consider whether they might be interpreted in a negative light by the people who look at them."

Remember to be polite. Everything online is public and permanent and what you say reflects on you. Proofread your spelling and grammar, be selective about your word choice, remember proper punctuation and keep it clean and civil.

Social networking is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family.

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg with an introduction by Lemony Snicket

The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams

The Stranger You Seek introduces a new private detective:
  "My name is Keye Street. First name from my Asian grandfather; my adoptive parents awarded me the second. By trade I am a detective, private, that is a process server and bill recovery agent. In life, I am a dry alcoholic, a passionate believer in Krystal cheeseburgers and Krispy Kreme doughnuts, and a former behavioral analyst for the FBI. How I ended up here in the South, where I have the distinction of looking like what they still call a damn foreigner in most parts of Gerogia and sounding like a hick everywhere else in the world is a mystery Emily and Howard Street have never fully unraveled for me."
Keye Street is soon dragged into consulting on a serial killer case for the Atlanta homicide department. Pleanty of action and suspense with some humor from the creative ways she gets results as a process server, The Stranger You Seek is available at Hibbing Public Library.
Amanda Kyle Williams has a website: http://www.amandakylewilliams.com/

Young Adult Novels

Books stacking up on my desk....  I need to get them back out on the shelves! ~Ginny
Here are my Fall 2011 Young Adult reads:

Ruby Red By Kerstin Gier. Translated by Anthea Bell (2011).  Warning: this is the first in a time travel series, translated from the original German (2009).  So, unless you can read German and get a copy of Sapphire Blue in German, you will have to wait until 2012 for the second book (New York Times Review).  Gwenyth's cousin Charlotte has been trained all her life to time travel, but when they turn 16 it is Gwenyth that jumps back in time with handsome but snooty Gideon. Good enough that I wished I'd waited until all the books are out (in English!)

Skyship Academy: The Pearl Wars by Nick James (2011).  Published right here in Minnesota (Flux Books, Woodbury).  Another first in a series (more patience required).  Much more science fiction than fantasy.  The year is 2095 in post-apocalypse American, two boys are thrown together Jesse from the skyship community, Cassius from the government on the Surface.  Both competing for the Pearls of energy that fall from the sky.  Both wondering where they fit in their warring societies and why the adults that mentor them are not telling them the whole story...
Ten questions with Nick James

And now for something completely different:
the summer i learned to fly by Dana Reinhardt (2011).  Not a series, not out of this world.  Dana, at age 13 and a bit of  a loner, hangs out at her mother's cheese shop.  She is given a rat, just a regular pet rat she names Hum, no magic abilities. But that rat leads her to meet Emmett, a friend who leads her into summer adventures and new awareness of herself, her town, and the people that share it. Indiebound Kid's Next List

Orionid Meteor Shower

map from http://www.meteorblog.com/

If you are interested in meteor showers and like astronomy, Check out Astro Bob's Blog.
Bob King works at the Duluth News Tribune in Duluth, Minn. as a photographer and photo editor:
"I'm also an amateur astronomer and have been keen on the sky since age 11. My modest credentials include membership in the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) where I'm a regular contributor, International Meteorite Collectors Assn. and Arrowhead Astronomical Society. I also teach community education astronomy classes at our local planetarium."

For more information and best viewing times to see the Orionid Meteor Shower Saturday morning, check out Astro Bob's Blog: http://astrobob.areavoices.com/ and Meteor Blog: http://www.meteorblog.com/

Explore Careers in the Health and Medical Sciences

The National Institutes of Health's Office of Science Education "Life Works" homepage was designed to help young people learn about different careers in the health and medical sciences. Visitors can browse for information on more than 100 careers by title, education required, interest area, or median salary. (from The Scout Report, October 21, 2011)

A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny

Chief Inspector Gamache revisits the small village of Three Pines after a body is found in the flowerbed of his artist friends, Clara and Peter Morrow. Clara, full of terror and joy at the accolades for the success of her gallery showing, is astonished when a body is discovered the morning after the party.

Louise Penny says this about her books: “My books are about terror. That brooding terror curled deep down inside us. But more than that, more than murder, more than all the rancid emotions and actions, my books are about goodness. And kindness. About choices. About friendship and belonging. And love. Enduring love.
If you take only one thing away from any of my books I'd like it to be this:  Goodness exists.”

Louise Penny has a website: http://www.louisepenny.com/
The seventh and previous books in the series are available through Hibbing Public Library and our digital media catalog.

Do It Yourself Repair

Snow will be on the ground soon and now is the time to make sure your snowmobiles and snow blowers are ready to go.  The Small Engine Repair database is a reference that is available free of charge to library card holders.

It is the definitive online tool for small engine assistance.  Original photos and illustrations guide the user through every repair job.  The database provides assistance for routine maintenance such as tune ups and brake service as well as extensive repairs involving engine and transmission disassembly.

Just go to the library’s website at www.hibbing.lib.mn.us, click on “databases and search engines”, click on “consumer” and then click on “Small Engine Repair”.  Have your library card handy because the 14 digit number on the back is need for access.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

A debut novel by Vanessa Diffenbaugh about a young 18 year old woman  named Victoria who is a distrustful and and troubled product of the foster care system.  The book alternates between past and present events which brings greater meaning to why she behaves the way she does with the people she meets.  We see how Victoria learns and communicates through the language of flowers and we see her struggle to accept herself and the love others offer.

A nice touch to the end of the book is Victoria's Dictionary of Flowers.

The Killer Is Dying by James Sallis

Three males converge:

Christian, Vietnam veteran, goes by the nickname he received while serving in Vietnam. A hired hit man with a terminal disease, Christian has a contract on John Rankin but someone else attempts to murder Rankin before Christian can shoot him. Already living longer than expected, Christian wants to understand the meaning of his life as a contract killer. “How many dead and dying men had he stood above or beside? And death, finally, wasn’t all that interesting. What was interesting, what never failed to surprise and amaze him, is the way life always holds on, whatever the circumstances, how it just won’t let go.”

Jimmie, abandoned by his parents, lives on the toys he buys and sells on the Internet, living a life he never expected to last. “At first he had waited, living off what was left, canned food, cereal, expecting someone to show up at the door, a neighbor school officials, police. But no one did. So then, still expecting to be exposed any day, he’d gone on to work with what he had. Now he found it difficult to imagine another life, another way of living.” Jimmie learns while living on his own that, “Your day needs structure.” He has built a life for himself by volunteering at the local retirement home and Mrs. Flores, his neighbor can be counted on in an emergency.

Detective Graves and Sayles are investigating the shooting of John Rankin. Sayles’ wife, Josie is dying and has gone into hospice care. Sayles says “Strength was not about overcoming things. Strength was about accepting them.”

Sayles is unknowingly looking for Christian, while Jimmie dreams about Christian’s memories.

James Sallis: Drive, currently in theaters and The Killer is Dying, his latest book, has a website: http://www.jamessallis.com/

Defensive Wounds by Lisa Black

Theresa MacLean, forensic investigator, is called to the murder of the criminal defense attorney, Marie Corrigan, by a text from her daughter who has a summer job at the front desk of the famed hotel. The Ritz-Carlton in Cleveland is hosting a convention for lawyers when Corrigan is found in the presidential suite by housekeeping.

Not well liked, Marie Corrigan was not exactly mourned by the police community who nevertheless must investigate her murder while believing that her unethical behavior in the courtroom caused her death. Corrigan’s murder has many suspects as this police procedural looks for a killer amongst her personal and professional relationships.

Theresa, while pulling samples from the presidential suite where Corrigan was found tries to limit her daughter Rachel’s exposure to the grim aspects of the murder investigation when a second murder occurs. In this fourth book in the mystery series, Theresa and the homicide detectives, Kelly and Powell, try to figure out how the murder occurs in this new twist in the case of the locked room when there is no record of an electronic key issued.

Lisa Black has a website: http://www.lisa-black.com/

WikiHow: Featured Website

WikiHow states that they are "the world's collaborative how to manual."
First learn how to from one of the 123,291 articles by finding the topic you are interested in; share your how to information with millions of people; and work together with others to improve on your how to experience.
Check out the featured articles on everything from office etiquette to pitching a baseball and tieing a tie.
Browse by category: arts and entertainment; computers and electronics; finance, business and legal; and sports and fitness; and travel.

Kindle Owners Can Download Books from Library

Kindle owners can now download free ebooks from the library’s Overdrive site.  You can enjoy library eBooks on your Amazon Kindle or free Kindle reading app.

All you need to get started is a valid library card and a registered Kindle device or reading app.  Next visit the library’s collection of eBooks.  Just click on the “Download Audio Books” icon on the website at www.hibbing.lib.mn.us.

• Browse the ebook collection and check out a Kindle book.
• Click the 'Get for Kindle' button. This opens the Amazon.com website. You may be required to sign in with your Amazon.com account if you are not already logged in.
• Select a Kindle device or Kindle reading app. Click the 'Get library book' button and sync your device or app to download the book, or choose to send it to your device via USB.
• An active Wi-Fi connection is required for wireless delivery to a Kindle device.
• If your Kindle is not Wi-Fi capable or you do not have an active Wi-Fi connection, read Amazon's instructions for transferring files via USB.

Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of American Culture by David Mamet

Film director, playwright and essayist David Mamet takes a sociological, political and philosophical look at American Culture during his lifetime and describes how it has shaped his current values. The Secret Knowledge is available at Hibbing Public and other Arrowhead Libraries through interlibrary loan in book and sound recording (discs) format.

Fire Prevention Week is October 9th - 15th

The library recommends the Hibbing Fire Department's annual open house on Saturday, October 8th from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.  This is a free event that features public safety booths and demonstrations, health and blood pressure screenings, equipment and rigs on displaly, fire extinguisher demos, kids games, AED lessons, lunch and much more.

Everyone in the family has a role to play in home fire safety.  Both adults and kids should be familiar with smoke alarms and home fire escape planning.  Attending the open house is a great way to get started on a safer future.

Remember to check the library for books on fire safety.  Currently available in the children's department:

Fire Safety by Lucia Raatma

A Kid's Guide to Staying Safe Around Fire by Maribeth Boelts

Smoke Alarms by Lucia Raatma.

Heat Rises by Richard Castle

Third book in the Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook series, action abounds in New York City with the murder of a parish priest. Heat and Rook with the homicide squad follow the leads which take some surprising turns.

The Nikki Heat series, entertaining with a lot of action - also mentioned on the television Castle series - closely mirrors the case solving skills of Castle and Beckett and the homicide crew.

Also recently out is the graphic novel: Castle: Richard Castle's Deadly Storm by Brian Michael Bendis, Kelly Sue DeConnick and Lan Medina.

American Pickers: Guide to Picking by Libby Callaway with Mike Wolfe, Frank Fritz, and Danielle Colby

Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz answer the question what does a picker do?
"Pickers are kind of a cross between Indiana Jones and Sanford & Son. Basically, we're professional treasure hunters, but instead of precious artifacts, we're on the lookout for good old all-American junk - aka rusty gold."
Based out of Le Claire, Iowa, Wolfe and Fritz: "Pickers travel - a lot. You don't uncover the one-of-a-kind things we're in the market for by staying in one place for very long. We're always burning up the back roads, taking the routes less traveled, keeping our eyes open for properties that look like they might be holding hidden jewels."
If you want to take a try at being a picker, Read American Pickers under 745.1075 CALLA in the new book section. American Pickers also has a television series on the History Channel.