Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Six Inches of Partly Cloudy

Dick Goddard's book "Six Inches of Partly Cloudy" is subtitled "Cleveland's Legendary TV Meteorologist Takes on Everything - and More!" And that's entirely fitting.

David S. Glasier talked with Goddard about his book. You can read that here.

Glasier summarized Goddard's book well:
With an assist from co-writer Tom Feran, Goddard delves into the track of his long career in television, an abiding interest in weather science, war, patriotism, polarized politics, human behavior, religion and gossip. There also are plenty of stories about people he’s worked with and met in his public and private life.
“I’m eclectic,” Goddard said. “I have interests in so many things.”
Reading this book is similar to a typical conversation with Goddard. You begin in one place and make many a stop on the way to the final destination.

The entire time I was reading Goddard's book, I could hear him talking to me. I felt like I was having a conversation with my grandfather - or, rather, that my grandfather was conversing with me, telling me stories on just about everything. The conversational tone made the book easy to read, and the short sections made it easy to pick up and put down, to read just a bit at a time. The book is filled with photos, memories, quotes, illustrations drawn by Goddard, and, of course, evidence of his love of animals. If you didn't like Goddard already, his book surely will make you. Anyone who grew up watching Goddard should enjoy reading his anecdotes and stories from his life.

Interested in reading "Six Inches of Partly Cloudy"?

You can win it: Sign up this month (as in August, so by the end of today) to receive daily weather forecasts and alerts via text message from The News-Herald. Text WILWEATHER to 22700 to get started.

Check out a sample of the book below:
Ch 1 Sample SIPC

Goddard’s upcoming book signings

Sept. 10, Perry Public Library, 3753 Main St., Perry Township
Oct. 1, Cuyahoga County Public Library, 100 E. Orange St., Chagrin Falls
Oct. 22, Willoughby Public Library, 30 Public Square


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

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Sunday, August 28, 2011

Odds and Book Ends (Aug. 29-Sept. 4)

Odds and Book Ends features activities and events in the area related to libraries, books and authors. Submit your events at www.News-Herald.com/Calendar, and check back to The Book Club every week for upcoming events and activities at your local library.

This week

The computer class Mousing 101 will be offered 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 29 at Perry Library, 3753 Main St. The class will teach you how to use the computer mouse, as well as other basic components of the computer. For more information or to register, call 440-259-3300.


Friends of the Kirtland Library will have a book sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 3 in the library book cellar, 9237 Chillicothe Road. Details: 440-256-7323.


Coming up

The Geauga Humane Society’s Rescue Village is offering six-week themed preschool story time for children ages 5 and younger and their parents. The Rescue Village Little Ambassadors will discover, explore and learn about the pets at Rescue Village through stories, songs, dance, games and crafts. They will learn how to properly care for and interact with pets. Subjects covered include colors, counting, number and letter identification, and patterns. Small and large motor skills will be practiced. The first session runs Sept. 6 through Oct. 13, and the second session runs Oct. 24 through Dec. 8. The fee is $30 per six-week session, and sessions are limited to 10 participants. To register, contact Linda Hernandez at 440-596-1743 or lhernandez.walker@gmail.com.


Friends of the Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library will have a book/AV sale at Willowick Library, 263 E. 305th St., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 9, 10 and 12. Details: 440-943-4151.


Longtime Cleveland meteorologist Dick Goddard will be at Perry Library, 3753 Main St., at 2 p.m. Sept. 10. Born and raised in Northeast Ohio, Goddard has been delivering the forecast for more than 40 years in Cleveland. He is also an author, cartoonist, and passionate animal activist. Attendees also can purchase his new book, “Six Inches of Partly Cloudy.” All proceeds of the book will benefit animal charities. All ages are welcome to this free event but attendees must register by calling 440-259-3300 or online at perrypubliclibrary.org.


Computer classes are scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 12 and 11 a.m. Sept. 13 at Mentor Library's Frances Cleveland Room, 8215 Mentor Ave. Learn how to operate basic Internet. Seating is limited to 10 people. Register at 440-255-8811, ext. 215.


Ongoing events

Mentor Library is introducing a new series of programs Sept. 12 called Monday University at the Library. The sessions will be the second Monday night of each month. Click here for further details.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

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Sunday, August 21, 2011

Odds and Book Ends (Aug. 22-28)

Odds and Book Ends features activities and events in the area related to libraries, books and authors. Submit your events at www.News-Herald.com/Calendar, and check back to The Book Club every week for upcoming events and activities at your local library.

This week

Getting Started with Gmail will be 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 22, at Perry Library, 3753 Main St. Learn basic email technology, concepts and features. By the end of the class, participants will have a Google mail account. Details and registration: 440-259-3300.


Managing Digital Pictures will be 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 22 at Perry Library, 3753 Main St. Attendees will learn how to retrieve photos from their digital cameras, and what to do with the photos when they are on the computer. Basic computer skills are required. Bring your digital camera and all necessary equipment with you if possible. Register at 440-259-3300.


James A. Garfield: Passionate Reader will be 7 p.m. Aug. 24 in the James A. Garfield Room of the Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave., Mentor. Park Ranger Alan Gephardt from the James A. Garfield Historic Site will present information about James A. Garfield's lifelong love of books. He will discuss what, when and why Garfield read, ultimately revealing the ways in which reading enhanced his life and personal relationships. To register, call 440-255-8811 or visit www.mentorpl.org.


Learn how to search for jobs online at 2 p.m. Aug. 25 at Willoughby Hills Library, 35400 Chardon Road. Register for the free program at 440-942-3362.


Mentor Library's monthly mystery/crime book club meets at 7 p.m. Aug. 25. New members welcome. The true crime book "Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty" by Caroline Alexander will be discussed. Stop by the main branch, 8215 Mentor Ave., for a copy of the book. Details: 440-255-8811.


Author Cheral White will be at Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave., from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Aug. 27 in the Hot Spot on the first floor. White is a local author who has written two new political thrillers, "Capitol Angst" and "Angst to the Nth." Refreshments will be provided by the Friends of the Mentor Public Library. For details, call 440-255-8811 or visit www.mentorpl.org.


Coming up

The computer class Mousing 101 will be offered 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 29 at Perry Library, 3753 Main St. The class will teach you how to use the computer mouse, as well as other basic components of the computer. For more information or to register, call 440-259-3300.


The Geauga Humane Society’s Rescue Village is offering six-week themed preschool story time for children ages 5 and younger and their parents. The Rescue Village Little Ambassadors will discover, explore and learn about the pets at Rescue Village through stories, songs, dance, games and crafts. They will learn how to properly care for and interact with pets. Subjects covered include colors, counting, number and letter identification, and patterns. Small and large motor skills will be practiced. The first session runs Sept. 6 through Oct. 13, and the second session runs Oct. 24 through Dec. 8. The fee is $30 per six-week session, and sessions are limited to 10 participants. To register, contact Linda Hernandez at 440-596-1743 or lhernandez.walker@gmail.com.


Ongoing events

Take a picture of someone reading somewhere in Madison and enter the photo in the "Madison Reads" contest. Entry forms are available at Madison Library, 6111 Middle Ridge Road, and entries will be accepted between Aug. 24 and 27. Photos will be displayed during the months of September and judged by the library patrons. Winning photos will be featured in Madison Library's "Remembering the Bicentennial Year 2012" calendar. For details, call 440-428-2189, ext. 223, or visit www.madison-library.info.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

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Monday, August 15, 2011

Become Your Own Matchmaker

Anyone who has read my musings on Tuned in to Pop Culture knows that I'm a big fan of Bravo TV. And, one of my favorite shows, "The Millionaire Matchmaker," comes back for a fifth season tonight. Patti Stanger is the millionaire matchmaker and CEO of an exclusive dating service, the Millionaire's Club. And since just about anyone can write a book these days, Stanger has.

I breezed through "Become Your Own Matchmaker: 8 Easy Steps for Attracting Your Perfect Mate" in advance of tonight's season premiere because I wanted to get a little more of Stanger's entertaining, no-nonesense attitude instead of rewatching reruns of previous seasons - after all, you can only watch the Hello Kitty girl crash and burn so many times. "Breezed through" is key here, because "Become Your Own Matchmaker" is written very simply, and somewhat poorly. It's so conversational - and not even in a good way. I could hear Stanger's voice as I read the book, but the tell-it-like-it-is attitude about her didn't translate well from the screen to the pages. Her anecdotes seemed fake, and I lost track of where she was going with some of her examples (the "Red Lights" and "Green Lights" of men you're dating, with nicknames that went on for pages and pages that I couldn't even keep straight). And the book committed one of the biggest sins, in my opinion: poor editing. I have been trained to be an editor and cannot read something without editing it, so I had a lot of trouble stumbling over the mistakes and inconsistencies throughout the book.

The best part of the book was the introduction, during which Stanger details her background. I wonder if that's the only part Stanger actually wrote - and if her co-author Lisa Johnson Mandell took care of the rest. But maybe I just liked the content of the introduction because I like the author's persona on TV, and I'm not looking to become my own matchmaker.

Not that the advice isn't good. Stanger is spot on with her suggestions for how women can feel better about themselves and how they should handle different dating situations in order to find their "perfect mate." I suppose I'm just not in her intended audience. I can't even figure out what audience this was written for. Maybe Hello Kitty girl? I sure hope she's read this book. She could really use a lot of Stanger's advice.

The fifth season of "Millionaire Matchmaker" airs at 9 p.m. today on Bravo TV.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

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Sunday, August 14, 2011

Odds and Book Ends (Aug. 15-21)

Odds and Book Ends features activities and events in the area related to libraries, books and authors. Submit your events at www.News-Herald.com/Calendar, and check back to The Book Club every week for upcoming events and activities at your local library.

This week

The Friends of the Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library will have a book/AV sale at Eastlake Library, 36706 Lake Shore Blvd. Hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 15. Details: 440-942-7880 or www.welibrary.info.


The computer class Mousing 101 will be offered 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 15 and 29 at Perry Library, 3753 Main St. The class will teach you how to use the computer mouse, as well as other basic components of the computer. For more information or to register, call 440-259-3300.


An overview of the CLEVNET databases will be 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 15 at Perry Library, 3753 Main St. Learn how to find product reviews using Comsumer Reports online, do genealogy research using Ancestry Library Edition, look up car repairs using Chilton Library and more. Registration is required: 440-259-3300.


A Book Club for Men will discuss books of interest along with librarian Steve Haas at 7 p.m. Aug. 15 in the Frances Cleveland Room of Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave. Join male readers to discuss "Garbage Land: on the Secret Trail of Trash" by Elizabeth Royte. Light refreshments will be served. For a copy of the book, please go to the Information Services desk or for more information call the library at 440-255-8811 or visit www.mentorpl.org.


Resume Development will be presented by Lake1Stop from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Aug. 16 at Eastlake Library, 36706 Lake Shore Blvd. The session will cover resume content and selection of the best resume format. Learn how to highlight your accomplishments and get tips on deciding what to include and what to leave out. Register at 440-942-7880.


Homeschooling: Adding Variety to the Day will be at 7 p.m. Aug. 16 in the James R. Garfield Room of Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave. Learn tips to add variety and creativity to the learning process, with field trips, unit studies, service opportunities and more. Register at 440-255-8811 or www.mentorpl.org.


Friends of the Wickliffe Library will have its annual book sale Aug. 17-20. The Friends' members-only preview is 4 to 8 p.m. Aug. 17. The public is welcome 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 18; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 19, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 20 for Bag Day. Those interested can by a Friends of the Library green bag and fill it with books for only $5 that day. Details: 440-944-6010. The library is at 1713 Lincoln Road.


Learn to plan and compose landscape and wildlife photographs with your digital camera at Landscape and Wildlife Digital Photography from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 17 at Morley Library, 184 Phelps St., Painesville. The host is Ron Surmick. Details: www.morleylibrary.org.


Getting Started with Gmail will be 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 18, and 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 22, at Perry Library, 3753 Main St. Learn basic email technology, concepts and features. By the end of the class, participants will have a Google mail account. Details and registration: 440-259-3300.


Madison Historical Society will meet at 7 p.m. Aug. 18 at Madison Library, 6111 Middle Ridge Road. Guest speaker will be Barbara Widden of the Lake County Historical Society. She will present "The Underground Railroad and historical paths." Guests are welcome and refreshments will be served. Details: 440-298-3570.


Pop City, a father-child program, will be 11 a.m. to noon Aug. 20 at Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave. Attendees will learn how to play football, make a comet ball and watch a karate demonstration. Kids 6 years old and older and their dads (or other adult male role model) are welcome. Register at 440-255-8811.


Preview the 2011 NFL and fantasy football season at 2 p.m. Aug. 20 at Eastlake Library, 36706 Lake Shore Blvd. Register for the free program at 440-942-7880.


Coming up

Managing Digital Pictures will be 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 22 at Perry Library, 3753 Main St. Attendees will learn how to retrieve photos from their digital cameras, and what to do with the photos when they are on the computer. Basic computer skills are required. Bring your digital camera and all necessary equipment with you if possible. Register at 440-259-3300.


James A. Garfield: Passionate Reader will be 7 p.m. Aug. 24 in the James A. Garfield Room of the Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave., Mentor. Park Ranger Alan Gephardt from the James A. Garfield Historic Site will present information about James A. Garfield's lifelong love of books. He will discuss what, when and why Garfield read, ultimately revealing the ways in which reading enhanced his life and personal relationships. To register, call 440-255-8811 or visit www.mentorpl.org.


Learn how to search for jobs online at 2 p.m. Aug. 25 at Willoughby Hills Library, 35400 Chardon Road. Register for the free program at 440-942-3362.


Mentor Library's monthly mystery/crime book club meets at 7 p.m. Aug. 25. New members welcome. The true crime book "Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty" by Caroline Alexander will be discussed. Stop by the main branch, 8215 Mentor Ave., for a copy of the book. Details: 440-255-8811.


Author Cheral White will be at Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave., from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Aug. 27 in the Hot Spot on the first floor. White is a local author who has written two new political thrillers, "Capitol Angst" and "Angst to the Nth." Refreshments will be provided by the Friends of the Mentor Public Library. For details, call 440-255-8811 or visit www.mentorpl.org.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

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Thursday, August 11, 2011

All about dignity for this reader

Got an email in response to my plea for readers to tell me what it was about "Unbroken" that struck a chord with them.
I had heard such buzz about Laura Hillenbrand's work before reading it and was a bit let down to be left with so many questions when I finished.
Steve Roszczyk, the friend who had originally encouraged me to read the book - and was kind enough to send it to me - wrote:


I remember one chapter describing how the Japanese believed that if a man’s dignity can be destroyed, he has nothing left and is easily broken.  Dehumanizing Louie proved to be impossible.

 I don’t know if his yet to be discovered religious beliefs played a subconscious role in his survival, or if it was his growing hatred for his captors, but he certainly was a strong willed and determined individual.  Although many times he came close, he simply was not going  give in. Hillenbrand does a credible job in describing how Japanese culture played a role.  Yet, the brutalizing torture is something that neither you nor I can ever fully understand, irrespective of which end of the persecution we are on.

We do know, however, that self-respect and self-esteem play a vital role in quality of life issues for all individuals.  Once stripped of these, the individual is denigrated to a future of hopelessness and depression.  Apply this to the underprivileged, homeless, aged  and even those ignored by family and friends.  Unlike Louie, they’ve lost their dignity, and thus their hope.  It’s not hard to see why they choose to simply give up.

I know the book was the story of one man’s struggle to survive, but when I read the passage about dignity, I felt she was addressing more than just Louie’s life.

What bothered you?

All excellent points, Steve. So I guess what bothered me is the not knowing. How, in the face of the unspeakable, did he retain that dignity? And earlier in his saga, before the torture, when it was just him and his fellow servicemen adrift at sea for so long, what kept him going then when others struggled?
I doubt we'll ever really know. I guess I just hoped to learn something that I could use in my own life when things looked bleak.(Not that I'm likely to endure even one-one zillionth of the struggles he did!)

Anyone else come away with a different take?
- Tricia Ambrose

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Monday, August 8, 2011

'Little Bee' didn't blow me away

After Tricia gushed about "Little Bee," she lent the book to me. Did it blow me away? Not really. I'm still trying to figure out if I really liked the book. I definitely didn't love it.

The way the stories of the main characters intertwined was pretty interesting and incredible, as Tricia mentioned in her review, but I spent a lot of the book wondering how I was supposed to feel about the two women. I worried for Little Bee, for her safety, for her future. But I found Sarah - her "friend" in England - to be kind of unlikeable. I judged her for her actions and didn't sympathize for the situation that she got herself into that linked her to Little Bee.

The story is told by both women, alternating perspectives by chapter. I kind of wish the author would have just stuck to Little Bee. I didn't care enough about Sarah to care what happened in her life. I did care - and worry about - her son, permanently dressed up in a Batman costume to keep the Baddies away from his father, which to me was the most simple, tragic description in the book. Maybe it's because I've lived a suburban life, but it was harder for me to read about a child who doesn't understand how he's supposed to grieve than about a woman who witnessed rape and murder in Nigeria. Maybe it's because I work in the news business.

I wish I had seen what this commenter did in the book, and I probably would have come away liking it a little more - or at least come away really knowing whether I liked it. (Warning: Spoiler alert with that link.)


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

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Sunday, August 7, 2011

Odds and Book Ends (Aug. 8-14)

Odds and Book Ends features activities and events in the area related to libraries, books and authors. Submit your events at www.News-Herald.com/Calendar, and check back to The Book Club every week for upcoming events and activities at your local library.

This week

Learn how to operate Microsoft Publisher basics at Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave. The August computer classes will be 6 p.m. Aug. 8 or 11 a.m. Aug. 9. Seating is limited to 10 people. To register, call 440-255-8811 ext. 215.


Beginning Homeschooling with tips to decide if homeschooling is right for your family and what you need to think about to get started homeschooling will be 7 to 8 p.m. Aug. 8 in the James R. Garfield Room of the Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave. Register at 440-255-8811 or www.mentorpl.org.


Jumpstart Your Job Search, presented by Lake1Stop, will be 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Aug. 9 at Eastlake Library, 36706 Lake Shore Blvd. Attend the session to learn about free workshops and job search assistance available through Lake1Stop. Register with the library at 440-942-7880.


A three-part Basic Computer Training class will be offered from 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 9, 16 and 23 at Perry Library, 3753 Main St. Learn the basics of the computer, Internet, email and word processing. The free classes are funded by a grant though Everyone Connect Ohio. Find more information or register at 440-259-330 or www.perrypubliclibrary.org.


Reel Talk-Book and movie Discussion Group, meets at 2:45 p.m. the second Monday of every month in Meeting Room B of Morley Library, 184 Phelps St., with the next meeting planned for Aug. 9. Books and DVDs are available at the check-out desk on the main floor. Details: 440-352-3383 or www.morleylibrary.org.


Karate for Kids will be at 2 p.m. Aug. 10 at Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave. Curious about karate or want to learn more about martial arts? Visit the library for a karate demonstration presented by Mentor Karate. No registration is necessary. Details: 440-255-8811 or www.mentorpl.org.


The Prisoners will perform a concert from 7 to 8 p.m. Aug. 11 at Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave. The Prisoners will perform on the Read House Grounds for an end-of-summer band concert. Details: 440-255-8811 or www.mentorpl.org.


The Friends of the Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library will have a book/AV sale at Eastlake Library, 36706 Lake Shore Blvd. Hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 12, 13 and 15. Details: 440-942-7880 or www.welibrary.info.


Burton Library's annual Community Appreciation Night is set for 7 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 12 at the library, 14588 W. Park St. The Little Brothers (early blues from the deep South) and the Dust Busters (old-time string band) will perform. Weather permitting, the event will be in the Reading Garden. Refreshments will be served, and the library will remain open until 9 p.m. Details: 440-834-4466 or lbaker@burton.lib.oh.us.


Dick Goddard will speak about his new book, "Six Inches of Partly Cloudy," at 2 p.m. Aug. 13 at Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave. Goddard will talk about his book and tell some of his favorite stories from 50 years in television. Details: 440-255-8811 or www.mentorpl.org.


An Intro to Digital Photography will be presented at 2:30 p.m. Aug. 13 in the Frances Cleveland Room of the Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave. This class is designed to introduce attendees to the basics of digital photography. The instructors will talk about different types of cameras, basic exposure techniques and tips on how to improve photographs. Guests are welcome to bring their camera and manual. Details: 440-255-8811 or visit www.mentorpl.org.


Coming up

The computer class Mousing 101 will be offered 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 15 and 29 at Perry Library, 3753 Main St. The class will teach you how to use the computer mouse, as well as other basic components of the computer. For more information or to register, call 440-259-3300.


An overview of the CLEVNET databases will be 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 15 at Perry Library, 3753 Main St. Learn how to find product reviews using Comsumer Reports online, do genealogy research using Ancestry Library Edition, look up car repairs using Chilton Library and more. Registration is required: 440-259-3300.


A Book Club for Men will discuss books of interest along with librarian Steve Haas at 7 p.m. Aug. 15 in the Frances Cleveland Room of Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave. Join male readers to discuss "Garbage Land: on the Secret Trail of Trash" by Elizabeth Royte. Light refreshments will be served. For a copy of the book, please go to the Information Services desk or for more information call the library at 440-255-8811 or visit www.mentorpl.org.


Resume Development will be presented by Lake1Stop from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Aug. 16 at Eastlake Library, 36706 Lake Shore Blvd. The session will cover resume content and selection of the best resume format. Learn how to highlight your accomplishments and get tips on deciding what to include and what to leave out. Register at 440-942-7880.


Homeschooling: Adding Variety to the Day will be at 7 p.m. Aug. 16 in the James R. Garfield Room of Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave. Learn tips to add variety and creativity to the learning process, with field trips, unit studies, service opportunities and more. Register at 440-255-8811 or www.mentorpl.org.


Friends of the Wickliffe Library will have its annual book sale Aug. 17-20. The Friends' members-only preview is 4 to 8 p.m. Aug. 17. The public is welcome 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 18; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 19, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 20 for Bag Day. Those interested can by a Friends of the Library green bag and fill it with books for only $5 that day. Details: 440-944-6010. The library is at 1713 Lincoln Road.


Getting Started with Gmail will be 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 18, and 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 22, at Perry Library, 3753 Main St. Learn basic email technology, concepts and features. By the end of the class, participants will have a Google mail account. Details and registration: 440-259-3300.


Madison Historical Society will meet at 7 p.m. Aug. 18 at Madison Library, 6111 Middle Ridge Road. Guest speaker will be Barbara Widden of the Lake County Historical Society. She will present "The Underground Railroad and historical paths." Guests are welcome and refreshments will be served. Details: 440-298-3570.


Pop City, a father-child program, will be 11 a.m. to noon Aug. 20 at Mentor Library, 8215 Mentor Ave. Attendees will learn how to play football, make a comet ball and watch a karate demonstration. Kids 6 years old and older and their dads (or other adult male role model) are welcome. Register at 440-255-8811.


Managing Digital Pictures will be 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 22 at Perry Library, 3753 Main St. Attendees will learn how to retrieve photos from their digital cameras, and what to do with the photos when they are on the computer. Basic computer skills are required. Bring your digital camera and all necessary equipment with you if possible. Register at 440-259-3300.


Ongoing events

Works of art for the sixth annual juried art show hosted by the Geauga Council for Arts & Culture will be accepted from noon to 4 p.m. Aug. 8 at the Geauga West Library, 13455 Chillicothe Road in Chester Township. Categories in the show include oil or acrylic, watercolor, photography and other media. Artists in Northeast Ohio, professional or amateur, who are at least 16 years of age are eligible to enter. Cash awards will be given for Best of Show and first and second places in each category. Awards will be presented at a reception Aug. 10. Entry forms are available at the Geauga West Library and online at www.geaugaartscouncil.org. For details, call 440-286-9549 or 440-537-3344 or email presidentgcac@gmail.com.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl

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Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Couldn't connect with inspirational tale

"Unbroken" has gotten a lot of buzz.
Laura Hillenbrand has penned a well-researched, inspirational story of survival.
The book has been on the best-seller lists, and no matter where I've been this summer people have been talking about it.
So I'm almost ashamed to admit I didn't care for it.
Don't get me wrong, I am as impressed by anyone with Louie Zamperini.
How Zamperini managed to become an Olympic athlete is impressive in itself. How he survived World War II is a true triumph of the human spirit.
And I guess that's why, for me, Unbroken didn't resonate.
I don't understand how.
To her credit, Hillenbrand's account of Zamperini's days stranded in the Pacific and years as a prisoner of war in Japan is understated. The horror of the events does not need graphic sensationalism.
What was it in Zamperini that enabled him to remain Unbroken? How did he cope through those long days and nights of brutality? What can I learn from his experience?
Clearly, lots of others found a connection with this work. I'd love to hear from readers who disagree with my take. What was it about the book that held you?  
- Tricia Ambrose

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Monday, August 1, 2011

Preserving every book ever written???

I can't even keep track of all the books I have in my house, so I'm pretty impressed to read that Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive, wants to preserve a physical copy of every book ever written.

That task is even more ambitious than it sounds.

Consider that the Library of Congress has a collection of more than 147 million items, and it receives its materials "through an acquisitions program that extends throughout the world and includes over fifteen thousand agreements with foreign governments and research institutions for the exchange of research materials; gifts; purchases; transfers from other U.S. government agencies; and copyright deposits. Each day about thirty-one thousand items arrive at the Library; approximately seven thousand of these items will become part of the permanent collections." (source: www.loc.gov/loc/legacy/colls.html) Not all of those items are books, but that's the type of number we're looking at.

Kahle's goal, according to The Associated Press:
Kahle envisions the book archive less like another Library of Congress (33 million books, according to the library's website) and more like the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, an underground Arctic cavern built to shelter back-up copies of the world's food-crop seeds. The books are not meant to be loaned out on a regular basis but protected as authoritative reference copies if the digital version somehow disappears into the cloud or a question ever arises about an e-book's faithfulness to the original printed edition.
"The thing that I'm worried about is that people will think this is disrespectful to books. They think we're just burying them all in the basement," Kahle said. But he says it's his commitment to the survival of books that drives this project. "These are the objects that are getting to live another day."

My next question for Kahle would be about his selection decisions. Do you choose the first imprint of a book? The hardcover or the paperback? The original copyright, or the 20th anniversary edition with a new forward by the author? Or do you keep every copy of every book ever printed? It's a lofty, complicated ambition, for which I admire Kahle. But I also am glad that I won't have to be the one to make any selection decisions. You can keep as many books as you want, until you run out of space. More space costs money, but is it worth it to preserve everything?

I would love an opportunity to tour the facility when he is finished - though his work will never be done.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl


P.S.: If you want to have a lot of fun (and waste a lot of time), check out the Wayback Machine, part of the Internet Archive, to see what your favorite websites looked like in previous incarnations. Unfortunately (or fortunately, perhaps, for how clunky it was before), News-Herald.com is not archived with the Wayback Machine.

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