So we tweet on, boats against the current...

Did you know there's a person out there who's tweeting The entire Great Gatsby, word by 144-character-word?  Begun on September 9, this opus will take five years to complete.

Tweet on, old sport.

See Hear Feel Film

Many Amherst children have already or will be participating in the Amherst Cinema's See Hear Feel Film program during 3rd grade.  In a nutshell it uses film and filmmaking tools to inspire children's creative writing and critical thinking skills.  Want to know more? Now you have a chance to experience it for yourself! 

Amherst Cinema will hold free, one hour sessions of See Hear Feel Film for adults on these dates: Wed. October 8; Sunday, November 2; and Monday, December 15 from 6-7 pm.  No reservations or tickets are necessary.  Come and experience what Amherst Cinema offers over 1,000 students in the Valley every year.

Free popcorn included.

(click on image to enlarge)

Spoiler alert!

The 10 best closing lines in literature have been compiled just for you.  While this list might be a little subjective, you can now relive those moments just before you gently, and with some sorrow at the ending of such a life-changing experience, closed the book with a sigh.

Or you can just quote the endings of these books and sound as though you've read them when we all know you secretly spend your time reading these.

Don't worry: your secret is safe with the Friends.

Perfectly normal and often banned

NPR has a segment for Banned Books Week discussing "It's Perfectly Normal," a book meant to teach children 10 and older about sexual health, emotional health and relationships, and has sectoins on puberty, pregnancy, and sexual orientation.  Click here to read it, and click here to listen to it (it's less then 4 minutes).

Then feel free to go check out the book from the library and read it for yourself.  

Snack Facts

The Jones Library’s Children’s Department will present a free puppet show titled“Snack Facts” on Saturday September 27, 2014 at 11 a.m. in theWoodbury Room.

Nicol Wander, puppeteer, and her hand-crafted puppets, Bobby Broccoli and Cleo Carrot, will encourage children to know their facts about their snacks.                                               

Open to children ages 4-8.  For more information, please contact Sondra Radosh at413/259-3091.

This program is supported by a grant from the Amherst Cultural Council.

Um, yeah. Pretty much AWESOME!

Books are like dessert.

Kids these days

Did you know that people under 30 read more books last year than people over 30?  Check out NPR's article.  Then, if you're over 30, go to the Jones, pick up a book, and get busy.  There's a competition to be won, people!

Banned in Boston

From 'Banned in Boston' to Ethnic Studies in Arizona – Intellectual Freedom in America Today

Thursday, September 25, 2014

7pm

Woodbury Room

 

This program will explore the meaning of Banned Books Week and what censorship means, as well as looking at what gets "banned" in America these days.  Laura Quilter, a local librarian and information policy attorney, will lead a lively discussion of the law and politics of "banning books" -- from Comstockery through modern-day removal of identity studies curricula in Arizona and LGBT-themed children's books in public and school libraries. 

Laura Quilter is a librarian and information policy lawyer.  Her practice has included First Amendment, privacy, media, and intellectual property.  At UMass, she principally helps campus members with copyright and open access issues.  Laura speaks and teaches frequently, including teaching "Intellectual Freedom" to library science students.  

Free and open to the public.  For more information, please contact Janet Ryan at 413/259-3223. 

More information about Banned Books Week can be found at http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/

121 Books

The Greatest Kids Books of All Time.  Ever.  Definitive.  Done and Done.

Any chance there could possibly be some missing?  Let us know!

McDonald's in India

Last month McDonald's announced something wicked cool about their Happy Meals in India.  We want some of that over here in the States!

Amherst Block Party!

In case you missed it, there was a rockin' block party downtown on Thursday!  While there were contortionists and stilt-walkers and dancers and loads of tasty foods to eat, the real star of the evening was THIS booth.

Postcards, a raffle for autographed hardcover books, and lollipops.  Good times.

May we have the envelope, please?

Ladies and gentlemen, we have our five winning raffle tickets from last night's block party in hand.  And the winners are...

(Drum roll, please.)

... Jade Lebel, Jayden Perez, Joanne J., Rob Mattson, and Nina Kliman!!!!

Message us so we can get your your hardcover, author-signed, way cool books!

Happy reading,
the Friends

2014 National Book Award nonfcition contenders

There's only one woman under consideration for the nonfiction National Book Award.  

Just some food for thought...

Book groups!!

Does fall make you want to curl up with a good book and a steaming mug of tea in front of a roaring fire?  Maybe you want to check out the Jones book groups?  They've got five, count 'em, FIVE book clubs to choose from.

(The Friends kind of think you should read this book 

just for its cover alone.)

STORYWALK!

The Jones Library Children’s Department will present a STORYWALK as part of the town’s second annual Poetry Festival on September 19, 20, 21, featuring the book PLEASE, LOUISE by Toni and Slade Morrison. Follow the pages of the book displayed in a succession of store windows starting at the Toy Box at the north end of North Pleasant St. and ending at the Jones Library Children’s Room. Storywalk guides can be picked up at the library or at any of the participating stores. At the end of the walk participants sign in at the Children’s Room to register for a raffle prize.

Got books?

Do you have extra books floating around your house 

and no place to put them? 

Do the Friends have ideas for YOU...

Poetry. This Sunday.

Come get some culture.

The Sorcerer's Stone in 3 minutes

Can't quite remember the plot of the first Harry Potter that your tore through ever so long ago? This brilliant dad will rap it all up for you.

10 Things That Happen...

 ...when you can't put down a good book.

  

Do you see yourself in some of these?

Miss your favorite childhood books?

Here's a nifty list of "if you liked this as a child, you'll like this as an adult" books.

What children's book character are you?

In the mood for a wee time waster?  Take this quick 5-question New York Public Library questionnaire to find out.

Summer's over.

And we're all back to work.  But before you bemoan your job as The Worst In The World, check this out.  Could always be worse...

Little Free Libraries create neighborhood heroes

A movement begun in Wisconsin in 2009 has caught fire.  Will you become a neighborhood hero?

It IS silly, yes...

...but because it'll make you giggle at your desk, the Friends feel we ought to share how much better everything is with butter.