Thinking about checking out the Tribe? How about the July 26 game against the Rangers? The Geauga County Public Library is offering discount tickets to that game. More details from a news release:

GCPL offering discount tickets to Cleveland Indians game
$20 for game against the Texas Rangers, dollar dog night, fireworks

Geauga County – June 10, 2013 – Geauga County Public Library is offering $20 discount tickets (plus processing fee) for the 7:05 p.m., July 26, 2013 Cleveland Indians game against the Texas Rangers. The evening includes the additional attractions of dollar dog night as well as post-game fireworks. Tickets may be purchased online only at: http://tinyurl.com/d7x42gt. The promotion code word is “library.” This special offer is part of GCPL’s 50th anniversary summer-long celebration. The group will be seated together in the mezzanine section.

Geauga County Public Library was established in 1963 following a board motion made by Indians owner Larry Dolan, who was serving on the Library Board at that time. Mr. Dolan is a long-time supporter of GCPL. “Both libraries and Little League Baseball are organizations that build strong communities,” Mr. Dolan says. “I’m proud to be associated with Geauga County Public Library. It’s an excellent library. And, we’re pleased that staff and patrons are celebrating its history at a Cleveland Indians’ game.”

Tickets are available while supplies last at the above link.

The Geauga County Public Library is turning 50 years old, and it is celebrating with a party on Chardon Square next month. For more information, check out the news release below:

GCPL celebrates its golden anniversary with party on Chardon Square  
1963 – 2013: Your connection to reading, learning and growing for 50 years

Geauga County – June 7, 2013 – Geauga County Public Library is celebrating its 50th anniversary as a county-wide library system, and is inviting library patrons, friends, staff and their families to a free party from 3 to 9 p.m., Friday, July 12 on the Chardon Square.

Geauga County Public Library was established in 1963 following a Library Board motion made by Larry Dolan, owner of the Cleveland Indians and a long-time supporter of the library. Mr. Dolan will be joining us to commemorate this golden anniversary at the celebration. “Libraries help build strong communities,” says Mr. Dolan, adding that Little League Baseball programs are also an important part of many families’ summertime rituals, and contribute to strong, healthy neighborhoods. “Both baseball and books can change kids’ lives. Give a kid a book, and that story will stay with him forever. And playing baseball builds lifelong skills of decision making and teamwork.”

Geauga County has both a strong library and robust baseball programs. This GCPL 50th anniversary party celebrates our love of books and baseball. Featured activities and performances include:

• An appearance by Larry Dolan
• Ice cream (while supplies last)
• Speed pitch with radar
• Super hero performance
• Audiobook demos
• Bookmobile tours
• Sidewalk chalk Temporary tattoo station
• Banjo the Clown
• Balloon art
• Music
• Games
• Prizes
• More!

In addition to the gala celebration on Chardon Square, each individual GCPL location is also hosting its own local celebration. Feel free to celebrate with your branch. The website GeaugaLibrary.net has detailed information.

• Middlefield: June 6 – 7 
• Bainbridge: July 9 and 11 
• Newbury: July 17
• Thompson: July 20
• Geauga West: Sept. 8

“Geauga County continues to have the highest library circulation per capita in the State of Ohio,” says Director Deborah F. O’Connor. “We are extremely proud of our library system, its rich history and promising future.”

About the Geauga County Public Library
The Geauga County Public Library includes four full-service community libraries in Bainbridge, Chardon, Chesterland (Geauga West) and Middlefield; two library stations housed in schools in Newbury and Thompson; one Bookmobile that serves farms, nursing homes and nursery schools; and one administrative center where technical services, computer services, facilities and administrative functions reside. GCPL has more than 500,000 books and e-books. The collection also contains more than 100,000 audio / video items and 400 research databases available through its website. Learn more about the Geauga County Public Library at www.geaugalibrary.net.

Author and Brigadier General Dick Abel, a resident of Yorktown, Va., will be in Cleveland next week to sign copies of his book, "Vector Corrector." More details from a news release:

WHEN: 2013-06-24 (9:00 am)
              2013-06-25 (10:00 - 11:30 am)
TIME: 9:00 am & 10:00 -11:30 am
WHERE: St. Ignatius High School, 1911 W. 30th St., Cleveland, OH
WHAT: Abel, a resident of Yorktown, VA, will be available to sign copies of his book, Vector Corrector.
Brigadier General Dick Abel knows leadership. In Vector Corrector, General Abel collects the wisdom of many great thinkers in business, politics, and popular culture together into one book. Using these bits of advice, we can compare our progress to the ideal, and learn to make choices that will make us better leaders as well as better human beings. Perfect for perusal whether you're a parent, manager, coach, or CEO, Vector Corrector is the kind of book you'll read over and over again, discovering something new each time.

Strongsville author Cindi Ferrini — who recently appeared in Cleveland Heights and Seven Hills — will be signing copies of her book "No Regrets" in Chagrin Falls tonight. More details from a news release:

WHEN: 2013-06-17

TIME: 7:30-9:00 pm

WHERE: Chagrin Men's Fellowship Pine Lake Trout Club, 17021 Chillicothe Road, Chagrin Falls, Bainbridge Township, OH 44022

WHAT: Ferrini, a resident of Strongsville, OH, will be available to sign copies of her book, No Regrets.

Having raised three children of her own, Cindi Ferrini understands the reality of every mom: relinquishing free time and missing me time!

She realizes that an honest mom will admit to desiring time for herself at the end of a full day. In No Regrets, Cindi writes poetically, capturing a mother’s heart and her struggle to find that me time, that free time for which she yearns, and the resolve she discovers.

Every mom will find herself between the lines of this story where her choices will not necessarily be fun, easy, or comfortable, but in the end, right.

Congratulations to Angela Wilpula, who won a copy of "Jane Austen's World: The Life and Times of England's Most Popular Author" in our #nh140 contest.

#nh140 Tell us why YOU should have been Mrs. Darcy twitter.com/nhcheryl/statu…
— Cheryl Sadler, MLIS (@nhcheryl) June 3, 2013

What is Lizzie Bennet to me? It's like asking what are men to rocks and mountains! #nh140 #janeausten #pandp #200yrs #I♡Darcy
— Angela Wilpula (@AWilpula) June 6, 2013

Congratulations, @awilpula! You've won our #nh140 contest and will receive "Jane Austen's World"yfrog.com/ocv2zlvj
— Cheryl Sadler, MLIS (@nhcheryl) June 11, 2013

@nhcheryl yay! I'm more excited than Kitty and Lydia at a military ball with filled up dance cards!
— Angela Wilpula (@AWilpula) June 12, 2013

Keep reading News-Herald.com and follow @newsheraldinoh on Twitter to stay informed on our next #nh140 event.

It's probably been a while since you've thought about pop-up books, and even longer since you picked one up. But one that was published in April is more than worth a look for kids of all ages.

The Grand Canyon

"America's National Parks: A Pop-Up Book" (W.W.West Inc.) includes gorgeous images of six of the country's national parks, illustrated by Dave Ember in the style of 1930s WPA posters, with paper engineering by Bruce Foster. The accompanying text Don Compton gives some details and history on the national parks, highlighting the must-see features of each of the locations.

The book is absolutely gorgeous. This picture I've included with this blog post doesn't even come close to doing it justice, and the details of the illustrations are something that can be studied over and over again. The worst thing about this book? It's making me want to plan lengthy trips to each of the parks, in order to see all of the beauty that's described. This book will definitely have a place on my living room coffee table for years to come.

According to a news release:

America's National Parks is available in two hand-assembled editions. The regular is $34.95, and $8.00 from every copy is donated to the NPCA (National Parks Conservation Association); and the Deluxe Limited Edition is $105, of which $80 is donated to the NPCA—but only when purchased from the official website www.nationalparkspopup.com. Only 1,200 copies of the Deluxe Limited Edition are being produced, each will be numbered and autographed by the paper engineer, illustrator and author, will feature the NPCA mission statement stamped in gold foil on the slipcover and an NPCA logo pop-up above the mission statement, all enclosed in a black cloth slipcase.

Not a bad price to pay to help with the preservation of the country's most beautiful places.


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

Are you a fan of "Pride and Prejudice"? Should you have been Mrs. Darcy? Then tell us in 140 characters why Lizzie Bennet has nothing on you.

Tweet using the hashtag #nh140 by 5 p.m. June 11, when we'll pick our favorite love note. The winner will receive a copy of "Jane Austen's World: The Life and Times of England's Most Popular Author."

Remember to follow @newsheraldinoh on Twitter.

Spring, Texas, resident Jennifer Wilder Morgan — author of "Come to the Garden" — will be appearing in Cleveland next week to sign copies of her book. More details from a news release:

WHEN: 6/12/13

TIME: 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: Visible Voice Books, 1023 Kenilworth Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113

WHAT: Morgan, a resident of Spring, TX, will be available to sign copies of her book, Come to the Garden.

On Jennifer’s fiftieth birthday, a beautiful and magnificent thing happened. All through her life, she has been guarded and guided by Margaret, but Jennifer never had a clue—not until the angel unveiled before her in her lovely garden. From then on, they met in that exact same place every day. They talked about everything.

Margaret is different from the familiar angel stereotype that Jennifer has known and expected, which makes her yearn for her angel’s visits. Jennifer reveals her dreams to her long-time guardian angel and begins seeing things from her dreams that both frighten and amaze her when she realizes they have all actually happened. Consequently, they begin work on a project that makes a significant change in Jennifer’s life. Her garden has a lot more to offer than she could have ever imagined.

Rogers, Ohio, author Kathryn Blystone Watkins will be signing copies of her series "Log Cabin Stories" this weekend. More details from a news release:

WHEN: 6/08/13

TIME: 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

WHERE: White House Fruit Farm, 9249 State Route 62, Canfield, OH 44406

WHAT: Watkins, a resident of Rogers, OH, will be presenting and available to sign copies of her series, Log Cabin Stories.

"In our world of popular reality writings and tv series, let me introduce a reality in my life.. my creative series of children's books written from my heart based on my interesting life with animals on our "almost heaven" farm in rural Rogers, Ohio. I share this innovative series called "Log Cabin Stories" of over 45 years of research compiled from the animals that have come into my life. I would like to share my journey with those who have missed the privilege of caring for pets, learning about them and with them, feeling their love and loyalty, learning each of their personalities, likes and dislikes."

David L. Moody has become something many of us readers only dream of — a published author. 

“Political Melodies in the Pews? The Voice of the Black Christian Rapper in the Twenty-first Century Church” grew out of the dissertation he completed to obtain his PhD while teaching at Bowling Green State University.

The Mentor man had been teaching at BGSU following a lengthy career in radio and television and stints teaching at Lakeland Community College and Notre Dame College.


He began exploring the possibility of getting his dissertation published about four years ago.

It really only required tweaking, he said, to turn it from a scholarly focus to a work more open to a broader audience. 

And while Moody’s focus is on the black Christian rapper, his work does provoke thoughts regarding the tools any church uses to reach out.

“Churches are using these tools to reach the masses,” he said. And yet, “in a lot of churches, doors are not open to this type of music.

“It’s too closely tied to secular rap music.”

Because rap music is often associated with things like guns and drugs and a “gangsta” lifestyle, there’s “a lot of baggage when you use the term,” he said.

That’s a lot for the black Christian rapper to overcome in his quest to reach youth of today.

Yet artists like Kirk Franklin have done just that.

“Kirk Franklin has taken it to another level and crossed over to commercial success,” he said.

As he writes:

Like the secular rap artist, Franklin uses the poetic language of rap to express his own personal trials and tribulations; his adulation of Jesus Christ is spiritually choreographed internally and expressed outwardly through rap and hip hop music. 

And it clearly resonates beyond the church walls. Franklin has sold more than 12 million recording since his group began, Moody writes.

He envisions this book as part of a trilogy and has plans to look at the issue of women and the pulpit and homosexuality in the church as it pertains to the black musician.

An assistant professor at SUNY/Oswego since 2010 — and you thought your commute was a long one! — Moody also now is working on a book project on black identity in film and television.

“Political Melodies in the Pews? The Voice of the Black Christian Rapper in the Twenty-first Century Church” is available on Amazon.com.

- Tricia Ambrose

Reading during the summer helps kids maintain or even increase reading test scores — especially kids in low-income households. You can help stop the "summer slide" by donating to First Book, where $2.50 pays for a brand-new book for a child in need, and 97 percent of all revenue goes directly to providing books.

We here at The News-Herald are not the only ones celebrating Jane Austen this month. (We're giving away the book "Jane Austen's World" next week. For more details on how you could win, check out our blog post #nh140: Win "Jane Austen's World" by telling us why YOU should have been Mrs. Darcy.)

Mentor Public Library has planned a few events framed around the author. The first one took place over the weekend, but you still have two opportunities to head to the library to talk about Jane Austen and learn about modern adaptations of her work. Head over to Lifelong Learning At Mentor Public Library: Jane Still Reigns to read more about what's coming up.

Seattle Public Library kicked off its 2013 summer reading program by attempting a world record of longest book domino chain. Check out what they came up with in what is the coolest video I've watched in a while:




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

Are you a fan of "Pride and Prejudice"? Should you have been Mrs. Darcy? Then tell us in 140 characters why Lizzie Bennet has nothing on you.

Tweet using the hashtag #nh140 by 5 p.m. June 11, when we'll pick our favorite love note. The winner will receive a copy of "Jane Austen's World: The Life and Times of England's Most Popular Author."

Remember to follow @newsheraldinoh on Twitter.