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NEWSLETTER
December 2007
Volume 4, Number 12
Find Out What's New With BookLetters
English Conversation Group to Begin in January
Magazine Feature: Holiday Ideas
Main Library Orientation Tour
What's Cooking @your library: Food for Life 4
Film & Discussion: Bonjour Shalom
Healthy Spa Party
Tony Cibotti Sings
Foreign Film Feature: Fraulein
Let's Talk About It Reading & Discussion Series: Neighbors, The World Next Door
Film Feature: Waitress
December Book Discussions & Drop-in Groups
December Exhibit: Summer Dreams by Deanne Noiseux
December Events for Children
What's New in the Library Collection
Staff Picks: What We're Reading
Calendar of Events
Friends of the Library
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Back Issues
Contact Us
Find Out What's New With BookLetters
Keep up with the latest bestsellers and other new additions to the library collection in the Readers' Links section of our website, now featuring a new service called BookLetters. Browse new titles online, or sign up to receive updates in your e-mail.
There are BookLetters newsletters for every age and interest, including bestsellers, fiction and mystery, large print, audiobooks, books for kids and teens, library staff picks, DVDs, and more. Each BookLetter is published monthly and features titles, reviews, and links to the library catalog, so reserving the titles you want is quick and easy.
English Conversation Group to Begin in January
Would you or someone you know like an opportunity to practice your oral English skills in an informal and supportive setting? The Library may be able to help! Beginning in January, we will offer a 10-week Saturday morning English Talk Time series at the Main Library, for advanced beginner and intermediate level English speakers. To find out more, please call 617-376-3295 or e-mail quenglishtalk@ocln.org.
Magazine Feature: Holiday Ideas
If you're looking for some new ideas for holiday cooking or decorating, check out these magazines at the Main Library and branches:
Better Homes & Gardens
Country Home
Country Living
Family Circle
Good Housekeeping
Martha Stewart Living
Metropolitan Home
Woman's Day
You may browse current and older issues of magazines in the Main Library Richardson building and at the branch libraries. Magazines may be checked out for two weeks and renewed for another two weeks if no other holds are waiting. If the issue you want is not available, it's easy to search and place holds in the library catalog. Go to our Catalog Help page to find out how--or just ask a librarian for help.
Main Library Orientation Tour
Take a guided walk through the library--and find out what's there for you--at a free orientation tour of the Main Library at 40 Washington St. on Saturday, December 1 at 10:00 a.m. Chinese interpretation will be provided. All ages are welcome to join the orientation tours.
What's Cooking @your library: Food for Life 4
Find out how healthy eating can also be deliciously simple on Sunday, December 2 at 2:00 p.m. at the Main Library.
Research shows that as much as 50% of all cancer may be diet related. The right food choices can reduce your risk of developing cancer--and help you beat the disease after it has been diagnosed. The immune system is critically important in fighting cancer. In this class, explore foods that are rich in immune-boosting nutrients and how food can interfere with immunity.
Healthy weight control is essential for warding off a variety of chronic diseases, and studies have shown that slimmer people are even less likely to develop cancer. Find out how filling fiber- and nutrient-rich dishes will help you maintain a healthy weight.
The Food for Life nutrition and cooking program was designed by physicians, nutrition experts, and registered dietitians at The Cancer Project, a non-profit organization committed to teaching people about the benefits of a healthy diet for cancer prevention and survival. The Food for Life program offers real recipes and shows you how to prepare simple delicious healthy meals at home.
Registration is required for this program. For more information or to register, call 617-376-1316, e-mail quref@ocln.org
or stop by the Main Library reference desk on the top floor.
Sponsored by The Cancer Project and the Friends of the Thomas Crane Public Library.
Film & Discussion: Bonjour Shalom
View and discuss the documentary film Bonjour Shalom on Monday, December 3 at 7:00 p.m. at the Main Library. Bonjour Shalom, directed by Gary Beitel and Richard Elson, focuses on the municipality of Ouremont in Montreal, where a community of Hasidim live side by side with French-speaking neighbors.
Intent on preserving their traditional lifestyle, the Hasidim distance themselves from outsiders. The French Catholics respond to their little-understood neighbors with a mixture of curiousity, frustration and mistrust. Through evocative personal interviews and scenes from daily life, the film examines the complex dynamics involved in this clash of cultures.
The film will last 53 minutes, followed by an informal discussion led by Diane Costagliola, Adjunct Instructor of English at Simmons College and a member of the library staff.
This film is being shown in conjunction with a reading and discussion series of Jewish Literature called Let's Talk About It. Funding was made possible through a grant provided by Nextbook and the American Library Association. The program is free and open to all.
Healthy Spa Party
Join Erin Boles of the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition and esthetician Christine Way-Cotter for an informative and interactive evening to support the Campaign For Safe Cosmetics on Monday, December 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the Adams Shore Branch (519 Sea St.).
Find out how common body, skin and personal hygiene products are being linked to cancer and reproductive harm. Learn how to limit your exposure, make better choices, and even how to make some of your own products! There will be samples to take home. Light refreshments will be served.
Christine Way-Cotter is the owner and sole operator of Skinsations Day Spa in Norwell. She specializes in herbal skin care, massage, yoga and other healing therapies. Christine uses many of her herbs to create Sea/Cret Garden, a line of homemade skincare products made with natural and organic ingredients, without the use chemicals and synthetic preservatives.
Erin Boles, M.S.W., is the Associate Executive Director of the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition and leads the coalition's public affairs and grassroots efforts. She also acts as MBCC's liaison to the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow and the national Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.
Co-sponsored by the Quincy Environmental Network and the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition.
Tony Cibotti Sings
Travel back to the golden age of song at a free performance by Tony Cibotti on Wednesday, December 5 at 2:30 p.m. at the North Quincy Branch Library. Tony Cibotti has been singing professionally for over 50 years and is still a regular performer in Boston area venues, singing to original pre-recorded instrumental music and recreating the songs and charisma of Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, Bobby Darren, and Nat King Cole. "I'm not interested in imitation," Cibotti said in a Boston Globe interview, "just in keeping these songs alive."
Film Feature: Fraulein
Attend a free screening of this recently released Swiss film on Thursday, December 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the Main Library.
Reza left Belgrade more than 25 years ago to seek a new life in Zurich. Now in her fifties, she has completely detached herself from the past. She owns a cafeteria and maintains an orderly, joyless existence. Ana, a young, itinerant woman who has fled Sarajevo, breezes into the cafeteria looking for work. Reza hires her and their relationship will change both women in ways they never anticipated.
"A remarkably affecting work that doesn't go for easy sentiment"--Jay Weissberg, Variety
Although this film is not subject to rating by the Motion Picture Association of America, it is not recommended for ages under 17 without parental permission. Films for the series are obtained through the library's membership in Film Movement, the exclusive distributor of curator-selected films from the world's top film festivals, including Cannes and Sundance.
Let's Talk About It Reading & Discussion Series
Explore Jewish literature and culture in a free five-part reading and discussion series at the Main Library. Led by a local scholar, Let's Talk About It: Jewish Literature - Identity and Imagination will feature lively discussions of contemporary and classic books related to the theme, Neighbors: The World Next Door. Sessions are held the third Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at the Main Library.
 The delicate, often tortuous relationship between neighboring cultures animates this discussion series, which traces the Jewish experience from Muslim Spain to Bolshevik Russia to contemporary America. The December 17 session will explore The Assistant by Bernard Malamud, in which Morris Bober, a grocer in postwar Brooklyn, "wants better" for himself and his family. First two robbers appear and hold him up; then things take a turn for the better when broken-nosed Frank Alpine becomes his assistant.
The final book, Mona in the Promised Land by Gish Jen, will be discussed on January 14.
Discussions will be led by Dr. Jeslyn Medoff, Adjunct Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. For more information or to register for some or all of the sessions, call 617-376-1305 or e-mail letstalkseries@gmail.com. Copies of each book will be available at the library for all registered participants.
The Thomas Crane Library is one of over 250 libraries nationwide receiving grants to host the Let's Talk About It series developed by Nextbook and the American Library Association.
Film Feature: Waitress
Join us for a screening of the 2007 film Waitress on Thursday, December 27 at 7:00 p.m. at the Main Library. Set in a small Southern town, Waitress revolves around waitress Jenna (Felicity's Keri Russell), who works at Joe's Pie Diner. Jenna is the pastry genius who makes Joe's joint shine. Her co-workers include the forthright Becky (Cheryl Hines from Curb Your Enthusiasm) and insecure Dawn. All three have man trouble, but Jenna has it the worst.
"Lovely, touching and infused with life...a perfect, difficult-to-achieve balance of enchantment and plausibility...If Waitress were more strenuously uplifting, it might be labeled a feel-good movie, but it isn't that. It's just a movie that leaves you feeling good"--The New York Times
Sponsored by the Friends of the Thomas Crane Public Library.
December Book Discussions & Drop-in Groups
 FRIDAY MORNING BOOK DISCUSSION
This book discussion group meets on the second Friday of each month at 10:00 a.m. The focus of this group is world literature. On Friday, December 14, the group will discuss Saving the World by Julia Alvarez. Copies of the book are available at the Main Library checkout desk. For more information, call Julie at 617-376-2411.
 WEDNESDAY EVENING BOOK DISCUSSION
This group meets the third Wednesday of each month from 7:00-8:30 p.m. at the Main Library. On Wednesday, December 19, the group will discuss Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley. Copies of the book are available at the Main Library checkout desk. New members are welcome
to join anytime. For more information, call Megan at 617-376-1331.
 THURSDAY EVENING BOOK DISCUSSION
This group meets the first Thursday of each month from 7:00-8:30 p.m. at the Main Library. The focus of this group is non-fiction books of local and regional interest. On Thursday, December 6, the group will discuss The Unredeemed Captive by John Demos. Copies of the book are available at the Main Library checkout desk. For more information, call Will at 617-689-8320.
 BOOKED FOR LUNCH @Main Library
Read any good books lately? Looking for something new to read? Bring a brown bag lunch--or grab a sandwich or salad at the library café--and join other readers for an informal conversation about books on the first Friday of each month. The next meeting is on Friday, December 7 from 12 noon to 1:00 p.m. in the Main
Library atrium. The group meets near the café--just look for the brown Booked for Lunch sign on the table. Drop in anytime and check out this friendly group!
 COOKING WITH BOOKS @Adams Shore Branch
Love to cook? Love to read cookbooks? Join other food lovers on the second Monday of each month to review new cookbooks, share favorite recipes, and perhaps take a turn at cooking something for others to sample. This group meets from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Adams Shore Branch Library, 519 Sea St., Quincy. On December 10, we'll talk about DESSERTS. You are invited to bring one of your favorite recipes to share. For more information, call 617-376-1325.
BOOK CHAT @Wollaston Branch
If you like to read and enjoy talking about books, drop by and join other readers for an informal chat about books on the third Wednesday of each month. The next meeting is Wednesday, December 19 from 2:00-3:00 p.m. For more information, call 617-376-1330.
MOVIE MATINEE @North Quincy Branch
See a variety of films selected with older adults in mind at this weekly program, most Wednesdays at 2:15 p.m. at the North Quincy Branch. Films include travel, humor, and biography as well as full-length feature films. This month's showings will be on December 12 and 19.
December Exhibit: Summer Dreams by Deanne Noiseux
Scituate artist Deanne Noiseux exhibits oil paintings and monoprints depicting the theme of Summer Dreams from December 1 to 31 in the Coletti Reading Room. A public reception with light refreshments will be held on Thursday, December 6 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
For Noiseux, creating art is a way of learning new things and presenting her own viewpoint to others that they might share a connection to the sea and the natural world. Although she considers herself a painter, she has recently discovered the enjoyment of printmaking, which allows her to combine a serious idea or theme with a collection of artistic moments and to explore the textures, colors, and images created with ink, press, and plate.
Noiseux has an MS in Art Education from the Massachusetts College of Art and currently teaches art at Norwell High School. She is a member of several art associations and has participated in many art shows on the South Shore.
December Events for Children
STORYTIME WITH MICHELLE
Join storyteller Michelle Andrews for stories, songs, rhymes, and more for children aged 2-5 accompanied by an adult on Saturday, December 1 at 10:00 a.m. at the Main Library. No registration required. Sponsored by the Friends of the Thomas Crane Public Library.
SATURDAY FUN FOR LITTLE ONES
Join children's librarians Jane Miller and Gail Columbare as they present Mother Goose and Little Bo Peep: A Nursery Rhyme and Song Extravaganza, a fun-filled program of stories and songs for children ages 0-4 accompanied by an adult on Saturday, December 8 10:00 a.m. at the Main Library. No registration is required but space is limited to the first 125 people. When we reach capacity, we will have to close the doors.
ENGLISH/CHINESE STORYTIME WITH MICHELLE
Bring your child to a free English/Chinese drop-in storytime on Saturday, December 15 at 10:00 a.m. at the Main Library. Join storyteller Michelle Andrews for stories, songs, rhymes and crafts for children ages 2-5 accompanied by an adult. This special monthly storytime will be interpreted in Cantonese and Mandarin. No registration required. Sponsored by the Friends of the Thomas Crane Public Library.
MAD SCIENCE: Dinosaurs
This Mad Science of Greater Boston workshop combines fun demonstrations and activities in an exciting exploration of dinosaurs. Let's become Paleontologists and learn about excavating and recovering fossils. We'll discover all about dinosaurs, what they were, what they ate and where they went. The children will examine real fossil casts, and explore the differences in the teeth of plant eating and meat eating dinosaurs. They'll also participate in a mini dinosaur excavation and make a cast of a dinosaur tooth to take home.
This workshop will be held on Saturday, December 22 at 10:00 a.m. at the Main Library.
Registration is required, beginning Monday, December 3. Stop by the Main Library Children's Room or call 617-376-2411 to register. Due to space limitations, this program is limited to Quincy residents. Sponsored by the Friends of the Thomas Crane Public Library
KIDS FILM FEATURE: Ratatouille
Join us on Thursday, December 27 at 10:00 a.m. at the Main Library for a screening of this animated hit movie. Remy, a rat who wants to be a chef, teams up with Linguini, a hapless kitchen worker, to create wonderful culinary treats at Gusteau's restaurant. Soon the restaurant becomes the talk of the town--but would it still be the toast of Paris if everyone knew a rat was running the show? The movie is rated G and is suitable for all ages. Sponsored by the Friends of the Thomas Crane Public Library.
BOOK CLUBS
The Library offers three book discussion groups for kids: Night Owls 3 for third graders, Night Owls 4 for fourth graders, and the Phoenix for grades 5-8. Each group meets once a month at the Main Library. Call or stop by the Main Library Children's Room for more information or to register.
What's New in the Library Collection
Browse for new books, audiobooks, and DVDs in the Readers' Links section of our website or sign up to receive BookLettersupdates in your e-mail. There are BookLetters for every age and interest, including bestsellers, fiction and mystery, large print, audiobooks, books for kids and teens, DVDs, and more. Each BookLetter is published monthly and features titles, reviews, and links to the library catalog, so reserving the titles you want is quick and easy.
To see lists of other new materials, check out the New in the Library lists in the Old Colony Library Network online catalog. To see only new titles owned by a Quincy library, go into the catalog from our Catalog Search page. To see new titles owned by all libraries in the Old Colony Library Network, go into the catalog from the OCLN website using the catalog search box, without logging in with your library card number.
Friends of the Library
Become a Friend of the library! Your Friends membership fee ($10 for individuals, $15 for families) helps support museum passes and events for all ages. For more information about
the Friends, go to the Friends
of the Thomas Crane Public Library page or pick up a brochure at the library.
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