The Brookfield Library News
February
2010
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February 6 is Connecticut Loves to Read Day
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Join us on Saturday, February 6 for raffles, library card registration, and story times from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Children's area. From 3:00 to 4:00 p.m., we will host a Cartooning for Kids program with Rick Stromoski, illustrator and cartoonist of Soup2Nuts. This program is open to kids ages 5 and older. Please register online or at the library. At 4:15 p.m., Rick will offer a Hands-On Cartooning Workshop for kids ages 6 and older. Register for this free workshop online or at the library. Between the programs, Rick will be available to sign copies of his book, Soup2Nutz. Visit his web site to see some examples of his work. Connecticut Loves to Read Day is sponsored by the Northwest Council of
the Connecticut Reading Association. In addition
to the day's events, the Northwest Council will present the library with a large
basket of new books to add to our children's collection.
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Be Part of the Cookbook!
Recipe deadline extended.
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Wouldn't you like to see your favorite recipes included in The Brookfield Library's cookbook? We've extended the submission deadline to February 28.
To submit your recipe, you have options:
- email your recipe to brookfieldcooks@gmail.com (either carefully typed or scanned and sent as an attachment)
- fax your recipe to the library at 203-740-7723
- bring a copy to the library
- bring the original to the library and we'll copy it for you
If you're sending us a recipe from a cookbook or magazine, please let us know where it came from. Be sure to include your name and contact information with your recipe.
We'd like your stories, too, especially if they're related to Brookfield. Did you make that recipe for a local event? Use local food to create it? Tell us about it. You're welcome to submit more than one recipe.
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Have a Question? Text Us!
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We now offer free text message reference service. Text us at 66746 and start your question with askbl. Your standard text message rates will apply.
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Spring is Coming ... it's time for the Boston Flower Show
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 The Friends of The Brookfield Library will sponsor a bus trip to the Boston Flower & Garden Show on Saturday, March 27. The registration fee of $65/person includes round-trip coach transportation and admission to the flower show.
The show will feature demonstration gardens from many landscape designers, flower arrangements, lectures, and flower, garden, and landscape-related vendors.
The bus will leave the Town Hall parking lot at 8:00 a.m. We will leave the flower show at 4:30 p.m., which will bring us back to Brookfield by 7:30 p.m. Maximum registration is 47 people, and the Friends reserve the right to cancel this trip for insufficient registration.
Registration and payment are due by March 10. Print this form and mail with your check to the library, or bring it to the library to use your MasterCard or Visa.
If you'd like more information about the flower show, take a look at their web site. You'll find a list of demonstration gardens, lectures, and vendors.
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Come Play @ the Library!
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Crossword Puzzles (including a 25-foot-long puzzle) -- Jigsaw Puzzles -- Sudoku -- Scrabble -- Checkers -- Chess
 Please join us @ The Brookfield Library on Thursday, February 18 for Games @ the Library.
Bring your own games, or play with ours. Individuals and teams are invited to have fun -- you'll be amazed at the variety of games you'll find throughout the library that day. Kids, teens, and adults are invited to join us any time between 10:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Play for an hour, or stay all day.
No registration is required for this free program -- just drop in.
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Book Discussion: Olive Kitteridge
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Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
Thursday, February 25 -- 12:30
p.m. or 7:00 p.m.
At the edge of the continent, Crosby,
Maine, may seem like nowhere, but seen through this brilliant writer's
eyes, it's in essence the whole world, and the lives that are lived
there are filled with all of the grand human drama - desire, despair,
jealousy, hope, and love. Olive Kitteridge, a
retired schoolteacher, deplores the changes in her little town and in
the world at large, but she doesn't always recognize the changes in
those around her: a lounge musician haunted by a past romance; a former
student who has lost the will to live; Olive's own adult child, who
feels tyrannized by her irrational sensitivities; and Henry, who finds
his loyalty to his marriage both a blessing and a curse. Olive Kitteridge offers
profound insights into the human condition - its conflicts, its tragedies
and joys, and the endurance it requires.
Copies of the book and a sign-up list are available at the library's Checkout Desk.
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New Stairs to the Community Room
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 Thanks to Eagle Scout Mark Koh and his team of volunteers, we have a handsome and well-made set of stairs from the parking lot to the door of the Community Room. The team moved a dogwood tree to the front lawn to make room for the stairs, and plans to landscape the area.
Thanks, too, to the many community businesses and organizations (as well as individuals) who donated material, labor, and money for this project.
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Library Elf Subscription Ends
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Effective immediately, you will no longer be able to access your Library Elf
account. Due to high demand, Library Elf had to begin charging libraries
subscription fees for the service, and we're sorry to say we are no longer able to
afford this cost.
But don't despair -- we will be sending out pre-overdue
notices, just as we currently do with hold and overdue notices. They will be
sent 3 days before an item is due.
If we don't have your current email
address, we will need it to send you these notices. We don't have access to
the email address you used for Library Elf, so please make sure it's current with us.
Please send new email addresses or changes to George at ggrumman@brookfieldlibrary.org. Not already signed up for hold
notifications by email? This is the perfect time to do it!
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Ongoing Book Sale
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 Did you know you don't have to wait for the annual Friends of the Library Book Sale? The Friends maintain two sets of shelves with books, music CDs, and movies available for sale all year long. The shelves are to the right of the door as you come into the library, just across from the New Fiction shelves.
The Friends will begin collecting book donations for the annual sale later this spring. We'll announce collection dates in an email newsletter.
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AARP Driver Safety Class
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AARP Driver
Safety Class
Saturday, February
6 and Saturday, February 13
10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
 If you missed
the December classes, here's your next opportunity to take the AARP Driver
Safety Course on consecutive Saturdays. The AARP Driver Safety Program is
the nation's first and largest refresher course for drivers age 50 and
older, and has helped millions of drivers remain safe on today's roads.
You can expect to learn about current rules of the road, how to operate your
vehicle more safely in today's increasingly challenging driving environment,
and some adjustments you can make to compensate for common age-related changes in vision,
hearing, and reaction time, and more.
The course is taught by an AARP-trained volunteer and is taught in two 4-hour
sessions; you must attend both sessions for credit. The course fee is $12
for AARP members and $14 for nonmembers. Registration in advance is
required. Please bring your driver's license and AARP membership card (for
class discount) with you to the first class session, along with a check made
payable to AARP. The class is limited to 30 registrants.
Questions? Please contact the library at 203-775-6241. For
discounted insurance rates upon completion of course, contact your insurance
agent/company directly.
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Book Clubs for Kids
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Kids Night Out Book Club for children in grade 3 and older
The
Get Rich Quick Club by Dan Gutman
Thursday,
February 18, 2010, 7:00-7:50 p.m. Registration recommended. Books are available at the Checkout Desk.
Gina,
11, dreams of making her first million this summer and becoming the next Bill
Gates, and she recruits two of her classmates, as well as the annoying
neighborhood twins, to help her. They call themselves the Get Rich Quick Club.
With Gina as the CEO, they devise their company charter and bylaws and decide
to fake a UFO sighting and sell their bogus photos to the tabloids for profit.
The antics that follow are sure to tickle your funny bone. When it seems
that the kids will succeed with their plan, the rug is pulled out from under
them and their dreams are quickly dashed. A fun twist at the end pokes
fun at tabloid papers and alleged alien encounters. Gutman's fans will not be
disappointed by this fast-paced, comedic tale.
Reading Buddies for Grades 1 to 3
Annabel the Actress Staring
in "Gorilla My Dreams" by Ellen Conford
Monday, February 8, 2010
5:30-6:00 p.m. Registration recommended.
Annabel,
an aspiring young actress who advertises "...NO PART TOO BIG OR TOO
SMALL," is hired for her first job, playing a gorilla at a five-year-old's
birthday party. Her friend Maggie volunteers to make her a costume from the furry
lining of an old raincoat. Annabel
borrows a gorilla mask, and begins to practice gorilla behavior at home and at
school. Unfortunately, the material is so thick that Maggie can only pin the
pieces together and Annabel's worst enemy, Lowell Boxer, steals the mask from
her on the big day. Forced to rely on her acting skills -- while pins are jabbing
her -- Annabel is the hit of the party.
Copies of the book are available at the library's Checkout Desk. Register for the program when you pick up the book.
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Kids Afternoons @ the Movies
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The Neverending Story -- Thursday,
February 11 @ 1:30 p.m. (Staff Development Day)
 In director Wolfgang Petersen's charming fantasy, Bastian,
a lonely schoolboy alienated from his father and bullied by his classmates,
retreats to an attic where he becomes engrossed in a book. It is a tale of a magical kingdom named
Fantasia. As humanity loses faith in the
power of imagination, the once-thriving Fantasia is being destroyed by great
storms of Nothingness. Dangerously ill
herself, Fantasia's youthful empress sends the young warrior on a quest to find
a cure for the kingdom. After
encountering flying dragons, swamp monsters, and a vast assortment of other
strange creatures, the young hero discovers that only a human boy can save
Fantasia, at which point Bastian is drawn, literally, into the pages of the
story.
Rated PG for
mild violence. For
kids ages 8 and older. Free Popcorn! Feel free to bring lunch/snacks, soft
drinks and a blanket.
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Book 'Em! Mystery Book Discussion
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Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong
Monday, February 22 at 12:30 p.m.
Set a decade ago in Shanghai, this political mystery offers a peek into
the tightly sealed, often crooked world of post-Tiananmen Square China.
Chen Cao, a poet and T.S. Eliot translator assigned to
be chief inspector, has to investigate the murder of Guan Hongying, a
young woman celebrated as a National Model Worker, but who kept her
personal life strictly and mysteriously confidential. Tiptoeing around touchy politics and using
investigative tactics bordering on blackmail, Chen slowly pieces
together the motives behind the crime. The author, himself a poet and
critic, peppers the story with allusions to classical Chinese
literature, juxtaposing poignant poetry with a gruesome murder so that
the novel reads like the translation of an ancient text imposed over a
modern tale of intrigue. This is "an impressive and welcome respite from
the typical crime novel," according to Publishers Weekly.
Copies for
discussion will be available at the Checkout Desk.
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Free Wi-Fi at the Library
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The li brary offers free wireless Internet access at all times.
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Teen Advisory Group
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 There will be 2 meetings of our new Teen Advisory Group in February: the 10th @ 5 p.m. & the 22nd @ 4 p.m. You will have the chance to let your voice be heard: tell us what you want to see at the library, which books and movies we should order, what programs and events we should hold. Being a member of this group also counts as community service hours for many organizations. No registration necessary, just bring your great ideas! We will meet in the teen section of the library, and snacks will be served. |
UnValentine's Day Party for Teens
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 On Tuesday, February 16, help us un-celebrate Valentine's Day! There will be activities, food, and all sorts of anti-Valentine's day fun, without any of that boring love stuff. Heck, we're even having it after Valentine's Day!Ages 11+, $2 program fee.Sign up online, at the Checkout Desk, or by phone. |
Teen Movie Night
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Don't miss a showing of The Vampire's Assistant on Saturday, February 27th @ 5:30 p.m.
 This film, based on Darren Shan's Cirque du Freak series, is a fantasy-adventure about 14-year-old Darren, who unknowingly breaks a 200-year-old truce between two warring factions of vampires. He is pulled into a fantastic life of misunderstood sideshow freaks and grotesque creatures of the night. In the end, one teen will vanish from the safety of a boring existence and fulfill his destiny in a place drawn from nightmares.
Rated PG-13, 108 minutes.
Free popcorn! Feel free to bring your own beverage.
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Film Series Continues with The Time Traveler's Wife
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Sunday, February 14, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.
 A genuinely old-fashioned Hollywood romance with a science fiction angle, The Time Traveler's Wife stars Eric Bana as Henry DeTamble, a Chicago librarian with a genetic disorder which causes him to travel through time involuntarily. The screenplay by Bruce Joel Rubin (My Life), based on a novel by Audrey Niffenegger, incorporates some of those crazy paradoxes that are a part of time-travel fiction, but without beating one over the head. Take Henry's introduction to his future wife, Clare (Rachel McAdams), who tells him they've already met -- even though they haven't actually met.
Rated PG-13. Running time 107 minutes. This free showing will be held in the library's Community Room. Popcorn and soft drinks will be available.
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| Creative Writing Group: No Write (or Wrong) Way
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No
Write Way!
Creative
Writing Group
Thursday, February 25, 10:00 a.m.- noon in the Community Room
Writers of all levels of experience are invited to attend this
support group led by Laura Pizzirusso.
Just bring pen or pencil, notebook or laptop, and any project you're
working on. This is a great opportunity to network and share with other
aspiring writers. Registration is
appreciated.
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| Library Closed for Holidays
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The library (and all Town offices) will be closed on Friday, February 12 in celebration of Lincoln's Birthday, and on Monday, February 15, for President's Day. The library will be open on Saturday and Sunday, February 13-14.
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Mother-Daughter Book Club
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Mother and Daughter Book Club for mothers and their third grade and
older daughters
Half
and Half by Lensey Namioka
Thursday,
March 4, 7:00 - 7:50 p.m. Registration required. Books are available at the Checkout Desk.
 Eleven-year-old
Fiona Cheng is half and half -- her father is Chinese and her mother is Scottish.
Being biracial hasn't bothered her, but lately she has been thinking about it
quite a bit. Her grandfather calls her red-haired brother "laddie" and
expects him to be the one in the family interested in Scottish culture, and her
paternal grandmother always seems surprised that Fiona is not a delicate
Chinese girl. When it's time for Seattle's annual Folk Fest, Fiona is faced with
a problem. She is expected to perform with her grandfather's Scottish dance
group and participate in a talk her father is giving, wearing the costume her
paternal grandmother has made for the occasion. Unfortunately, both events are
scheduled for the same time. Fiona's solution to her dilemma allows her to
please everyone, making her realize that she is 100 percent Fiona, and that's
just fine.
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Big
Guy, Little Guy Pasta Night
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Friday,
February 26, 2010
6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Registration Required!
$5 materials
fee per person due by 2/19.
Have fun creating
pasta sculptures, then enjoy a pasta dinner buffet with all the trimmings.
For boys ages five (5) and up accompanied by
Dad, Grandpa, an uncle, etc.
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Handy Hands Craft Club: Winter Crafts for Kids
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Wednesday, February 17, 2010
5-7 Year Olds: 5:00-5:45 p.m.
8-11
Year Olds: 6:15 - 7:00 p.m.
Registration is required. Payment of materials fee is due by Tuesday,
2/16/10. Come join us
as we create crafts related to winter.
Be on the lookout for an email with more details.
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Connecticut Paranormal Research Society Program |
Save the date! The Connecticut Paranormal Research Society will present a program at The Brookfield Library on Saturday, March 6, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Registration will be available at the library and online by the middle of February. For more information about the Society, visit their web site.
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Spring Concerts |
Our next concert will be held in March. The US Military Academy Wind Quintet will perform on Sunday, March 21 in the Community Room. Additional information will be included in the March edition of this newsletter.
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