May is Latino Books Month

The Association of American Publishers Publishing Latino Voices for America (PLVA) Task Force has declared May Latino Books Month. Through the month of May, booksellers, librarians, and others in the book industry are encouraged to promote reading among Latinos in their communities, and to raise awareness of the rich variety of books authored by Latinos that are available, in both English and Spanish.

Check out the display in the library!

L.A. Times Book Prize Winners

The annual Festival of Books began Friday night, April 25th with the announcement of the 2007 L.A. Times Book Prize winners.

The winners were announced in the following genres: biography, current interest, fiction, first fiction, history, mystery/thriller, poetry, science & technology, and young adult fiction. Novelist Maxine Hong Kingston won this year's Robert Kirsch Award, which honors a living author with a connection to the American West whose works have made a substantial contribution to American letters.

More Book Blogs

Here are three book blogs for your reading pleasure:

Buzz Girl: A publishing insider (the NYC correspondent for BookPage) gets the skinny on tomorrow's best sellers

Jacket Copy: Book news and information from the Los Angeles Times

Paper Cuts: A blog about books and other forms of printed matter written by the editors of the New York Times Book Review

Earth Day is Approaching

Earth Day is on April 22nd!

Here are a few books that will help you celebrate the day and get you in the green spirit:

Green Up Your Cleanup by Jill Potvin Schoff.
It is easy being green. Find out how to tackle household cleaning tasks without using harmful chemicals.

Green Building and Remodeling for Dummies by Eric Corey Freed.
Want to build responsibly, reduce waste, and help preserve the environment? This friendly, step-by-step guide introduces you to every facet of green building and remodeling.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Living by Trish Riley.
In this book, you will find an overview of global warming and environmental degradation of air, water, and soil; what sustainable living is and how to do it; how to cut down on carbon output; and environmentally friendly home and lawn care products.

Solar Power your Home for Dummies by Rik Degunther.
Want to take advantage of solar power? This friendly, hands-on guide takes the mystery out of this energy source and shows you how to do everything from adding small components to your home to building a solar-powered house from the ground up.

Green Remodeling by John D. Wagner.
This book discusses simple green renovation solutions for homeowners, focusing on key aspects of the building, including foundations, framing, plumbing, windows, heating and finishes.

National Library Week

Check out the books on this display in honor of National Library Week!

Libraries in Movies

In honor of National Library Week (April 13-19, 2008), why not watch a movie that features at least one scene that takes place in a library.

[What is National Library Week?
First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April. It is a time to celebrate the contributions of our nation's libraries and librarians and to promote library use and support.]

You can find an interesting list of movies that feature great scenes that take place in libraries at the Entertainment Weekly website: "18 Sexy Trips to the Library Stacks".

Here are the movies they list:
Atonement (2007)
Breakfast Club (1985)
Ghostbusters (1984)
Jumper (2008)
The Mummy (1999)
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Seven (1995)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1985)
Philadelphia (1993)
Desk Set (1957)
The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
The Music Man (1962)
All The President's Men (1976)
Lorenzo's Oil (1992)
The Ninth Gate (1999)
A Beautiful Mind (2001)

DVDs for everyone!!

We first started to buy DVDs about 6 years ago by purchasing a core collection of the classics and some of the new blockbusters. Thanks to the budget gods and the Volunteer Guild of the Buena Park Library (who provide us with an annual gift) we have been able to continue to add to that collection every year.

So, we now have over 2,000 feature films, including everything from enduring classics to the new releases. If you look closely we also have a wide selection of foreign films and TV shows, with a few cult classics and strange documentaries thrown in to round things out.

So, stop by and pick up something different to watch. And if you can think of a title that we've missed, be sure to drop us a line. We'll see if we can get that title too!!