Madison Library » Reading

Family Reading Celebration

madisonlibrary — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:50:32 +0000

Stories, songs, and crafts! Families are invited to come join us on Saturday, March 6 from 10 am to 1 pm to celebrate reading as we help wrap up Madison Elementary School’s celebration of Read Across America week March 1-5.

Come see what’s new at the library and sign up for a library card.

At 11 AM, singer/storyteller Stacy Sand will share stories, songs, sing-alongs, and more with a “wild thing” theme. After the performance, stay and make your own reading log and fancy bookmark.

Parents will take home a free copy of “A Child Becomes a Reader: Kindergarten through Third Grade.”

Note that this event was rescheduled from February 27.

First Fridays are for pop culture

madisonlibrary — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 13:02:30 +0000

We’re trying something new–an informal lunchtime discussion of pop culture on the first Friday of each month at noon, the first one is February 5, 2010. Join assistant librarian Leonora Southwick to talk about new books, movies, and more. Find out what’s new at the library, tell us what new books or videos you’re waiting for and would like to see at the library. Trade reading or viewing recommendations with others. Bring your lunch, the coffee’s on us. We may even bring cookies.

BIG Read coming

madisonlibrary — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:13:03 +0000

What: NH Reads To Kill a Mockingbird
When: March 2010
Where: Programs at Madison Library, Effingham Public Library, Freedom Public Library, Jackson Public Library, Conway Public Library, White Birch Books, and locations throughout NH.
Who: Readers across NH and you!
Why: An American classic! Lots to discuss, well worth reading and rereading.

Copies of the book will be available soon. Let us know if you’d like to reserve one.

Best Books List

madisonlibrary — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:23:15 +0000

We heard from local readers (and one not-so-local via our Facebook page), who told us what their favorite books from the past decade were (2000-2009). Here’s the list, in no particular order:

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Housseini
Tolstoy: A Biography by A.N. Wilson
The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
One Man’s Wilderness by Sam Keith and Richard Proenneke
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane (“great ending!”)
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson (“stayed with me”)
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon-2 votes (“feeling of you are there”) (“so imaginative, great story”)
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Hungry Ocean by Linda Greenlaw

Feel free to add to this list by adding a comment.

Best books of the decade

madisonlibrary — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:35:55 +0000

What was the best book or books that you’ve read over the past decade? We’re compiling a list of local readers’ favorites. Let us know your pick(s) by stopping in the library, calling 367-8545, or posting a comment below. Check back for list on December 30th or so.

End-of-year book purchases

madisonlibrary — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:45:13 +0000

What a community of readers we are in Madison! Demand for new books at the library has been high this year, and we try to meet as many requests for new materials as funds allow. With grateful thanks to some recent patron donations, we will be able to continue purchasing books through the end of the year, as budgeted funds were used up earlier this fall. And, just in time to spark some interest in new titles, White Birch Books put a Books supplement in today’s Conway Daily Sun. So, if you find a title listed that you just HAVE to read (and we completely understand and identify with this imperative), let us know.

Prescriptive reading from Newsweek

madisonlibrary — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:45:00 +0000

A list of 50 books to “open a window on the times we live in.”

Stephen King recommends summer reading

madisonlibrary — Sun, 24 May 2009 02:10:00 +0000

Stephen King’s list this year has something for everyone (follow link for his annotations):

Shatter by Michael Robotham
Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson
The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer*
Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
Drood by Dan Simmons
Dog On It by Spencer Quinn*
Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult*

*in Madison Library’s collection. Other titles can be borrowed from other libraries.

For romance readers, books are necessities

madisonlibrary — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:18:00 +0000

Here’s a refreshing article about readers and reading from the NYT. Paperback romance is one genre we don’t add to the collection too often, but if there’s demand, we can try to meet it. If you’re an avid romance reader, let us know if you’d like the option of borrowing the books from the library, and let us know which authors are your favorites.

Need a new author?

madisonlibrary — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 14:37:00 +0000

“I need to find a new author” is a phrase we’ve been hearing a lot at the library (and I’m sure a lot of public libraries) lately. Thriller readers, in particular, have their favorite authors, and are regularly rewarded with new books by these popular authors as publishers push out titles from their top-sellers at an increasingly frequent pace. But, sometimes, you’re just ready for a new character and a new setting, but still want the escape of reading a good thriller. Here’s a few recommendations, all books that we have at the Madison Library:

The Tourist by Olen Steinhauer
Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
The Accident Man by Tom Cain
The Redbreas t and Nemesis by Jo Nesbo
Exit Music by Ian Rankin (Starting at the end of a long series may seem a little odd, but finding out if you like where the character ends up makes the idea of going back and reading from the beginning all the more intriguing.)