Summer Reading is here!

Come to the Normal Public Library now and sign up for Teen Summer Reading 2010 to get your reading logs.   All you have to do is keep track of your reading hours – it doesn’t matter how many books you read, or even if you’re reading books (magazines, newspapers, blogs, even audio books count too).   For every five hours you read, bring your log back in and pick up a FREE paperback from hundreds of awesome books.  When you complete all five sections on your log, turn it in for an entry in our grand prize raffle to be held at the end of the summer.  Plus, if you fill out a mini book review postcard before July 3, you can enter one of two mid-program drawings for gift baskets with some of the hottest books of the past year plus lots of other goodies.  Other big-ticket items you can win include a netbook computer, iPod nano, mp3 players, portable DVD player, t-shirts, gift cards for local restaurants and shops, swim passes, books, and more!

In addition to all of the reading for prizes you can do this summer, we’ve also got a lot of events for teens going down right here at the library.  We’ll be scrapbooking, playing with duct tape, gaming with Rock Band and DDR, learning how to dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, battling it out in an Iron Chef competition, and more.  You can check here for more information on upcoming summer events for teens, and don’t forget to stop by the library to sign up for the summer reading program!

Ghostbusters at NYC Public Library

Manga manga manga!

There’s a fun article in the New York Times on the popularity of manga among teens at Queens libraries.   It goes into the diversity of people who are into manga and some of the reasons why they like it so much.   I know we have a lot of enthusiastic manga fans here, both because I see a lot of you at Manga Anime Club and because the manga collection is checked out more than just about every other book in the teen area.   I’d love to hear some opinions from NPL’s manga fanbase.  What about manga appeals to you?   What are your favorite series that we carry?  Are there any awesome manga series that we don’t have and you think we should?  Let me know what you think in the comments!

P.S. – Don’t forget that MAC meets tomorrow night as usual from 4:30 to 6:00 in the Community Room.  This is our last meeting before we shift our start time to 4:00 for the summer.

New Nonfiction

	Photojojo! Insanely Great Photo Projects and DIY Ideas by Amit Gupta and Kelly Jensen  Do you have lots of pics of friends and family you want to show off? Make a sleek, stylish photo display rail so you can change them up at a moment’s notice. Need something to play with? Make photo slider puzzles, Rubik’s cubes, and temporary tattoos. Or spruce up your pad with a photo chandelier or a giant wall mural you can print at home!  A photo, an idea, and simple crafting skills are all you need to transform your pictures into useful, fun, giftable art.
	How to Be a Vampire: A Fangs-On Guide for the Newly Undead by Amy Grey  For those who join the decadent realm of the vampire, eternal life holds juicy perks — charm and strength, shape-shifting and flying, telepathy and super-powered senses. But then again, one becomes…so terribly hungry. Is there an etiquette for feeding without causing a scene? How do you set up your crypt? What supernatural foes will make your blood run colder? In this elegant, edgy resource, the newly immortal will find everything they need to know.
	Manga for the Beginner by Christopher Hart  With Manga for the Beginner, anyone who can hold a pencil can start drawing great manga characters right away. Learn how to draw the basic manga head and body, eyes, bodies, fashion, and more.Then go way beyond the basics to explore dynamic action poses, special effects, light and shading, perspective, popular manga types such as animals, anthros, and shoujo and shounen characters. By the end of this big book, the new artist is ready to draw dramatic story sequences full of movement and life.
	Would You Rather…? Gross Out by Justin Heimberg and David Gomberg  Would you rather…bathe in a tub of saliva or eat a salad sprinkled with boogers?  Would you rather…sweat maple syrup or cry melted cheese? Would You Rather…? Gross Out features gross-out dilemmas and wacky illustrations that include all the classic categories: boogers, farts, vomit, and more.  Read it alone for solitary chuckles or play it as a game with a group!
	The Manga Cookbook by The Manga Culinary Institute with Chihiro Hattori  Reading manga sure can make a person hungry! Food appears frequently in Japanese comics, but what exactly is it that the characters are eating? Introducing The Manga Cookbook, an illustrated step-by-step guide to preparing simple Japanese dishes using ingredients found in every Western kitchen. Learn to identify and make the same things you see in all your favorite manga: authentic onigiri (rice balls), yakitori (skewered chicken), oshinko (pickled vegetables), udon (Japanese noodles), okonomiyaki (Japanese-style pizza) and many others.
	Every Bone Tells a Story: Hominin Discoveries, Deductions, and Debates by Jill Rubalcaba and Peter Robertshaw  Archaeology and paleontology are the exciting focus in this account of four hominins who lived long before recorded history. The authors explore not only how and where their remains were discovered but also what they tell scientists today about how they lived and why they died out. Were Neanderthals brainy or brutish? Man or beast? When did language begin? The authors raise as many questions as they answer in the detailed chapters, which cover each of the four fossils and the research and debate that surround them.
	Kawaii Bento Boxes: Cute and Convenient Japanese Meals on the Go by Joie Staff  A bento box meal (single portions of different foods packed in one reusable container) is a Japanese tradition that lends itself well to today’s busy lifestyle. Although bento boxes are available to take out from restaurants and food stands, they are most frequently prepared at home, providing delicious, healthy, fun – and environmentally responsible – lunch and snack-time alternatives.

Sleeveface

How to do Sleeveface:

1. Take a record sleeve (or a CD case, in a pinch)
2. Put it in front of your face and strike a pose
3. Take a picture and post it to www.sleeveface.com
4. ???
5. Profit!

 

Photo credit: Steve Fox, from sleeveface.com