Can’t find anything good to read?  The 2nd floor librarians will post new reading lists every other week, all summer long, on our summer reading for adults webpage and we have two lists there right now to get you started.  Additionally, take a look at the many other options for finding your next good read or come on up to the 2nd floor of the Corvallis library and feast your eyes on our extra large staff picks display we’ll have going all summer long.

This year, Corvallis is challenging summer readers to read a collective 500 books or more.  Last year you all read about 375 by my count, so you have some work to do!  Prove Corvallis has the best readers around and fill out an entry form for every book you read this summer to be counted toward the challenge.  We’ll be posting regular updates to our Facebook page and tracking your progress at the library, so you can keep tabs on how close we’re getting to our goal.

Read (or listen), win prizes, and find your next favorite book – summer reading just doesn’t get any better than that.

Beach Reads
Light and/or highly addictive reads selected by the 2nd Floor Librarians.

Groundbreaking Reads
Reads the 2nd floor librarians found “groundbreaking.”

Summer Reading for Adults Webpage
We’ll be adding new book lists and we’ll keep a list of what other adult summer readers are reading on this webpage – keep an eye on it all summer long for great recommendations.

Posted by Bonnie, a second floor librarian

Come to your Library for a selection of books displaying the grandeur of roses for your gardening or browsing pleasure.

Beyond the garden : easy & elegant rose design by Platt, Ellen Spector

Best rose guide : a comprehensive selection by Phillips, Roger

Impressionist roses : bringing the romance of the impressionist style to your garden by Fell, Derek

The encyclopedia of roses : an organic guide to growing and enjoying America’s favorite flower by McKeon, Judith C.

Roses for Washington and Oregon by Jalbert, Brad

Miniature roses : their care and cultivation by McCann, Sean

AMERICAN ROSE (Periodical)

100 old roses for the American garden by Martin, Clair G

A rose by any name by Brenner, Douglas

Otherwise normal people : inside the thorny world of competitive rose gardening by Scott, Aurelia C

Posted by Ruth Rose, a second floor librarian

	Forks over knives: the plant based way to health
	Everyday Paleo
	Why we get fat
	The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks
	Eat to Live
	Raw food cleanse
	Super immunity
	Monkey mind: a memoir of anxiety
	Breasts: A natural and unnatural history
	Drop dead healthy

Posted by Alex, a second floor librarian

Image credit: Photo Credit: POPOEVER via Compfight cc

Photo Credit: Los Angeles Times

The act of reading has changed dramatically in the last few years.  From ereaders to smart phones to tablets, the medium we use to read changes the way we read.  It may even change the way we write.  Are these changes positive or negative?  What might these changes mean for the nature of our interactions with information overall?  These topics will be addressed in the latest and final conversation in the Big Conversations Series, “From Print to Pixels: The Act of Reading in the Digital Age”, on Saturday, June 8th from 2:00pm-3:30pm in the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library’s Main Meeting Room.  This conversation will be facilitated by author Mark Allen Cunningham, author of two historical novels titled The Green Age of Asher Witherow (a #1 Book Sense pick by the American Booksellers Association) and Lost Son (based on the life and work of the poet Rainer Maria Rilke).  Cunningham writes occasional book reviews and cultural commentary for the Oregonian and his work has appeared in the Kenyon Review, Tin House, The New York Times, and numerous other publications.

I hope you will join us in this important conversation on the way our interaction with the written word has changed and will continue to change.  You do not have to participate in the conversation – listeners are also welcome and encouraged!  Below are some resources to get you thinking on this issue:

The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age by Sven Birkerts

Hamlet’s Blackberry by William Powers

A History of Reading by Alberto Manguel

The Net Delusion: The Dark Side of Internet Freedom by Evgeny Morozov

The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr

Technopoly by Neil Postman

ARTICLES/WEBSITES

“Judge a Book By Its Pixels”

“Why Are You for Killing Libraries?”

Posted by Bonnie, a second floor librarian

During March I came to the startling realization that my freezer was still packed with blueberries from last year’s picking. Even after all the smoothies, I still had a ton of berries to reckon with. I debated bread, muffins, or starting on a smoothie-only diet, but none seemed appealing. Then one fine day a little gem of a cookbook was returned to the Philomath Library, sparking an interest in all things boiled, stirred, sweetened, and poured into cute little jars. My partner has been a champion supporter of my new pastime, purchasing funnels, tongs, and two flats of glistening Ball jars and lids. It is a cheap, fun hobby that pays homage to our pioneer ancestors and celebrates all of the produce this valley has to offer!

This pursuit of putting things up the old fashioned way would not have happened without the help of our beautiful collection of canning and preserving cookbooks. Here are some titles to consider if you want to give canning a whirl:

Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving: 400 Delicious and Creative Recipes for Today

• This is the “original” canning book that seems to be referenced by all other cookbook authors who tackle the subject. It is a must have reference for any beginner.

Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff

• For the gastronomes in the crowd who like to try the funky and new, this is the book for you.

Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round by Marissa McClellan

• This is the little gem that started it all! McClellan’s book is approachable, easy to follow, and inspirational! The recipes are all small batch creations perfect for beginners or anyone who doesn’t need 12 jars of pickles lying around.

Put Em’ Up! by Sherri Brooks Vinton

• Vinton’s all purpose food preservation book has a nice blend of old and new. Most recipes are small batch with clear photos and great instructions! I recommend the Spicy Carrot Pickles!

Also, checkout the following web resources for tips and instructions on canning safely at home:

National Center for Home Food Preservation

USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, 2009 Revision

Posted by Ashley, Extensions Librarian

This month we gather together to celebrate the short story. What is there not to love? For busy folks, they’re quick to read. They get straight to the point. The action is immediate. They’re a good fit for small screens. They’re a great introduction to a new author’s work.

Short stories are seeing an increase in popularity, thanks to Kindle singles and other opportunities to publish on the web. Even Oprah has a list of short stories she loves.

We have an excellent collection of short stories on exhibit at our 2nd floor display. One of our Library Specialists, Robert Sullivan, helped put together this month’s display. (Psst, if you didn’t know, Robert is a local author. Read two of his short stories at McSweeney’s).

Other Resources

StoryaDay.org – founded by Julie Duffy, a writer, blogger and entrepreneur. StoryADay is a creativity challenge: write (and finish) a short story every day during May.

Short Story Month – hosted by StoryaDay.org, this is the official website celebrating Short Story Month.

Read Carrie’s post from January about short stories. She includes some excellent recommendations.

Posted by Lindy, a second floor librarian.

This is a heads-up for iOS users (iPhone/iPad/iPod touch): You will be prompted to re-enter your Adobe ID after the update. If you have a partially downloaded audiobook you will also need to reactivate the download link from the Library2Go bookshelf (not the bookshelf in the app) in order to download the remainder of your audiobook.

If you don’t remember your Adobe ID you can recover it by clicking Trouble signing in? at Adobe’s sign-in page. For the full story on the update see the Overdrive’s blog post.

Posted by Charles, a second floor librarian

For some of you this list will induce shudders, but If memory lane beckons to you, click the albums and artists for library holdings.

1. Faith / George Michael
2. Dirty Dancing (Soundtrack)
3. More Dirty Dancing (Soundtrack)
4. The Hardline According To Terence Trent D Arby / Terence Trent D Arby
5. Bad / Michael Jackson
6. Kick / INXS
7. Appetite For Destruction / Guns N Roses
8. Now And Zen / Robert Plant
9. Tiffany / Tiffany
10. Let It Loose / Gloria Estefan
11. Hysteria / Def Leppard
12. Pride / White Lion
13. Permanent Vacation / Aerosmith
14. Kingdom Come / Kingdom Come
15. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son / Iron Maiden
16. Out Of The Blue / Debbie Gibson
17. Pebbles / Pebbles
18. Savage Amusement / Scorpions
19. Whenever You Need Somebody / Rick Astley
20. Make It Last Forever / Keith Sweat

Posted by Charles, a second floor librarian

It really does take a village to raise a child, and stories shared through the printed word provide a virtual village in which to seek new ideas, find solace, and gain insight into the creation of positive and lasting family ties.    I’m grateful that I was able to give my son and daughters the sibling relationships that I never had.  These titles from the library are just some of the ones that allow an exploration of families and their challenges.

Between mothers and sons : women writers talk about having sons and raising men

Cain’s legacy : liberating siblings from a lifetime of rage, shame, secrecy, and regret by Jeanne Safer

The color of love : a mother’s choice in the Jim Crow South by Gene Cheek

Elder wisdom circle guide for a meaningful life : seniors across America offer advice to the next generations by Doug Meckelson

Loving each one best : a caring and practical approach to raising siblings by Nancy

The Meaning of Matthew: my son’s murder in Laramie, and a world transformed  by Judy Shepard

The mama’s boy myth : why keeping our sons close makes them stronger by Katie Stone Lomabardi

Mom still likes you best : the unfinished business between siblings by Jane Isay

The secret love of sons : how we men feel about our mothers, and why we never tell by Nicholas Weinstock

The sibling effect : brothers, sisters, and the bonds that define us by Jeffrey Kluger

Posted by Ruth Rose, a second floor librarian

From May 15 through June 1st, Library patrons can check out a free ebook  of The Four Corners of the Sky.  The ebook will be available to all patrons with no holds and no waiting.  Just go to Library2Go , click on Borrow and then enter your library card number to check it out.  There are two ways to read the free ebook.  You can read it in your browser on your computer, or download it wirelessly to your Kindle or other ereading device.

The ebook includes a book club guide, making it a good choice for your book club this month.

To read more about this novel set in North Carolina, and to read reviews, click here. Questions?  Contact us here.

Posted by Alex, a second floor librarian