New Years Closing

The library will be closed Friday, December 31st - Monday, January 3rd. We will re-open on Tuesday, January 4th at 9:30am.

Have a safe and Happy New Years!

Holiday Closing

The library will be closed Friday, December 24th - Monday, December 27th. We will re-open on Tuesday, December 28th at 9:30am.

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Search the library's catalog from your phone

A mobile version of the Jefferson County Library catalog is now available! It includes full search capabilities, item information display, and renewal capabilities. Find and request books directly from your phone!

Congratulations, Dolores Hydock!

Message from Irondale's own Dolores Hydock:

I just learned today that my latest CD, In-Laws and Outlaws: Family Stories, won a Resource Award from Storytelling World Magazine!

Each year, the magazine enlists the help of a large panel of judges to evaluate storytelling books, CDs, and DVDs, and gives Resource Awards in various categories: Storytelling Recordings, Stories for Young Children, Stories for Adult Listeners, Story Anthologies, etc. In-Laws and Outlaws was one of five CDs to win in the category of Storytelling Recordings. It is a tremendous honor to receive this recognition, and I also appreciate the comments I've received from people who've listened to the CD. Earlier today, I got an e-mail from someone who said, "I just listened to your new CD, and enjoyed it so much. I felt like you were in the room with me!" Someone else wrote "I loved the new CD. It's my new favorite...thanks for touching my heart."

The audience on the recording is wonderful. The stories were recorded at Hokes Bluff United Methodist Church, and the audience was lively and fun -- I even got an "Amen!" at one point! (We kept that in the recording...) The sound engineers from Sound of Birmingham took great care to capture that warm response.

You can find a detailed description of the new CD and my six other award-winning CDs -- and audio excerpts from each one, too -- on the CDs page of my web site at www.storypower.org, where you'll also find a PayPal link to allow you to order them online. You can also pick up copies at any of my story performances, or find them at The Alabama Booksmith, 2626 19th Place South in Homewood, 870-4242, http://www.alabamabooksmith.com/.

Congratulations, Dolores!

Be sure to browse the library's catalog and check out one of Dolores' CDs! Want to see Dolores Hydock in person? She performs regularly at area libraries and other community spaces. Visit Dolores' website to see where she will be next!

Is an E-Reader on your Holiday Wish List?

If you are thinking of purchasing an E-Reader (or are hoping that Santa brings you one!) check out this information for some tips about using Jefferson County's Overdrive downloadable audiobooks and ebooks collection. At this time Amazon's Kindle is NOT compatible with the library's ebook collection, but Overdrive has provided a list of compatible devices.

Already have an E-reader and need to know how to get started? Visit the Help Guide on JCLC's website.

Also, beginning in January the Hoover Public Library is hosting free Nook classes. Check out their website for more information!

Staff Favorites of 2010 - Young Adult Books

After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick. Although Jeff and Tad make a deal to help one another overcome aftereffects of their cancer treatments in preparation for eighth-grade graduation, Jeff still craves advice from his brother Stephen, who is studying drums in Africa.

Boys, Girls, and Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman. Hoping to start over in high school after surviving the drama of middle school, Charlie runs into her former best friend and finds that in addition to becoming handsome and athletic, he is associating with a dangerous group of bullies.

Eighth Grade Superzero by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich. After half-heartedly joining his church youth group's project at a homeless shelter near his Brooklyn middle school, eighth-grade "loser" Reggie McKnight is inspired to run for school office on a platform of making a real difference in the community.

Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler. When Delilah, her mother and her aunt spend the summer in Vermont settling Delilah's estranged grandmother's estate, long-held family secrets are painfully brought to light and Delilah finally learns some difficult truths about her family's past.

Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson. Separated from his friend Isabel after their daring escape from slavery, fifteen-year-old Curzon serves as a free man in the Continental Army at Valley Forge until he and Isabel are thrown together again, as slaves once more.

Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt. When his popular older brother Boaz returns from a three-year tour of duty in an incomprehensible war, Levi, who wearies of being compared to his superstar brother, instantly realizes that Boaz has been dramatically changed by his experiences.

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott. Frustrated by her role as the best friend that boys approach in order to get closer to someone more attractive, Sarah despairs over her crush on Ryan before realizing that he may have feelings for her as well.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. When two teens, one gay and one straight, meet accidentally and discover that they share the same name, their lives become intertwined as one begins dating the other's best friend, who produces a play revealing his relationship with them both.

You Don't Even Know Me by Sharon Flake. The Coretta Scott King Honor author of Who Am I Without Him? shares the thoughts of urban males through their own voices, which are sometimes funny and sometimes intense, but always real.

Staff Favorites of 2010 - Children's Books

Bobby the Brave (Sometimes) by Lisa Yee. Suffering a humiliating month of embarrassments and practical jokes at the hands of his peers, Bobby believes nothing worse could happen to him until he has an asthma attack in public, gets chased by a cat with too many toes and performs in the school musical.

Hip & Hop Don't Stop by Jef Czekaj. Hip is a turtle who raps really slowly. Hop is a bunny who raps superfast. Even though they both live in Oldskool County, neither of them has ever met. When they see a sign for a rap-off, they become fast friends. When the big contest arrives, neither slow nor fast wins the prize. A hip new take on the tortoise and the hare fable, this debut picture book features simple, engaging art that combines elements of comics with those of a traditional picture book. Short, humorous raps read at varying speeds make this a rollicking read aloud that kids will want to hear over and over.

Little Diva by LaChanze. Nena wants to be a diva just like her mother, who is a star on Broadway, but she knows that it will take practice and lots of hard work to sing, act, and dance well enough to be a diva.

Olivia Goes to Venice by Ian Falconer. Everyone's favorite piglet, Olivia, travels to the land of fine art, Carnevale and gondolas on a family vacation filled with gelato, pigeons and European style.

One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia. In the summer of 1968, after travelling from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to spend a month with the mother they barely know, eleven-year-old Delphine and her two younger sisters arrive to a cold welcome as they discover that their mother, a dedicated poet and printer, is resentful of the intrusion of their visit and wants them to attend a nearby Black Panther summer camp.

Pecan Pie Baby by Jacqueline Woodson. When Mama's pregnancy draws attention away from Gia, she worries that the special bond they share will disappear forever once the baby is born.

Pete the Cat by Eric Litwin. Wearing his brand-new white shoes, Pete the Cat walks down the street paying no mind to the piles he steps in, which turn his white shoes into colorful messes.

Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone. An adventure inspired by the Thorne Rooms, an exhibition of 68 exquisitely crafted miniature rooms in the Children's Galleries of the Chicago Art Institute, envisions a magical key that enables people to shrink to a small enough size to visit the rooms directly and discover hidden secrets and the mysterious activities of previous visitors.

Word After Word After Word by Patricia MacLachlan. Every school day feels the same for fourth graders Lucy and Henry and Evie and Russell and May. Then Ms. Mirabel comes to their class—bringing magical words and a whole new way of seeing and understanding.

Staff Favorites of 2010

Fiction

Faithful Place by Tana French. Planning to run away with his girlfriend to London in the hopes of escaping poverty, Frank concludes he has been dumped when Rosie fails to join him and is astonished when Rosie's suitcase and evidence of foul play are discovered more than 20 years later.

Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi Durrow. After a family tragedy orphans her, Rachel, the daughter of a Danish mother and a black G.I., moves into her grandmother's mostly black community in the 1980s, where she must swallow her grief and confront her identity as a biracial woman.

Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin. Meeting by chance when a fateful accident sends a 6-year-old boy to an upscale Boston hospital, the child's mother and the doctor's stay-at-home wife find their lives changing in unexpected ways.

The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman. Preoccupied by personal challenges while running a struggling newspaper in Rome, an obituary writer confronts mortality, an eccentric publisher obsesses over his dog, and other staff members uncover the paper's founding by an impulsive millionaire.

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. Working as an indentured servant alongside slaves on a tobacco plantation, Lavinia, a 7-year-old Irish orphan with no memory of her past, finds her light skin and situation placing her between two very different worlds that test her loyalties.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson. Forced to confront the realities of life in the 21st century when he falls in love with widowed Pakistani descendant Mrs. Ali, a retired Major Pettigrew finds the relationship challenged by local prejudices that view Mrs. Ali, a Cambridge native, as a perpetual foreigner.

Room by Emma Donoghue. A 5-year-old narrates a riveting story about his life growing up in a single room where his mother aims to protect him from the man who has held her prisoner for seven years since she was a teenager.

I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg. Hiding her unhappiness from those who believe she has a perfect life, former beauty queen Maggie has an unexpected change of circumstances that leads to surprising discoveries and valuable lessons in friendship

Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. Working side-by-side for a record label, former punk rocker Bennie Salazar and the passionate Sasha hide illicit secrets from one another while interacting with a motley assortment of equally troubled people from 1970s San Francisco to the post-war future.

Non-Fiction

Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. Chronicles the author's year spent testing the edicts of conventional wisdom to assess their potential for improving life, describing various activities ranging from getting more sleep and singing to her children to starting a blog and imitating a spiritual master.

Talking to Girls About Duran Duran: one young man's quest for true love and a cooler haircut by Rob Sheffield. The author traces his adolescence in the 1980s, a journey during which pop culture trends marked his transformation from a reclusive geek to an independent young man with his first girlfriend.

This Book is Overdue! : how librarians and cybrarians can save us all by Marilyn Johnson. In a celebration of libraries and the dedicated people who staff them, the author argues that librarians are more important than ever, and discusses a new breed of visionary professionals who use the Web to link people and information.

The Warmth of Other Suns: the epic story of America's great migration by Isabel Wilkerson. An epic history covering the period from the end of World War I through the 1970s chronicles the decades-long migration of African Americans from the South to the North and West through the stories of three individuals and their families.

Did we leave your favorite book of the year off of our list? Tell us - we would love to hear from you :-)

Tomorrow we will post our favorite books of 2010 for teens/children!

PJ Storytime

PJ Storytime

Monday, December 6th

6:30pm

Come wear your pajamas, hear stories & decorate Christmas cookies!

All ages welcome.

Call 951-1415 or email us (irondalelibrary@gmail.com) for more information.