Your Libraries
With so many books and so little time, an audiobook is a great way to expand your literary horizons. Listening to a book can be an easy way to fit reading into a busy schedule. Put one on as you clean around the house, head out for your daily walk or trip to the gym, or while you craft. You may even find yourself doing an extra chore or two or going an extra mile just to finish up a chapter. And of course there's always the option to listen while you drive. Rush hour traffic can be a lot easier to bear with a good book!
Today, audiobooks come in a variety of formats, including audiocassette, books on CD, and our newest format, the Playaway, a pre-loaded digital audio player. Each Playaway contains an entire book and can fit in the palm of your hand. A pause button can bookmark your place, and advance and rewind buttons allow you to skip around with ease. Plug in headphones, and you're good to go.
Downloadable audiobooks are also a newer service available to library cardholders. These are digital files available through a statewide consortium that can be downloaded to your computer any hour of the day. Listen to the books through your computer speakers, or transfer them to a variety of compatible MP3 players. Some titles can also be burned to a CD, and a growing list is now available for iPod users. These can be accessed through the library's website at www.londonderrynh.org/library/library.htm by clicking on the Downloadable Audios link.
Now that you know how you can listen to a book, here are a few examples of what is available for your listening pleasure. A recent bestseller that lends itself well to the format is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. This charming novel consists of a series of letters exchanged between a London author and the residents of Guernsey, a British Channel Island, immediately following the Second World War. Five narrators give voice to the letter-writers, instilling a wonderful individuality and vitality to the correspondence. Listeners who enjoy this audio gem will find much to enjoy in the heartfelt story of perseverance.
A crowd-pleasing choice for a family road trip can be found in the Inheritance Cycle books by Christopher Paolini, the latest of which, Brisingr, was recently released. This fun fantasy series follows 15-year-old Eragon and his dragon Saphira in their struggle against an evil Empire trying to take over their world. Epic battles and a vivid landscape are brilliantly portrayed by narrator Gerard Doyle in this rousing performance.
In honor of the upcoming holiday, catch up on your American history with noted historian David McCullough's 1776 and John Adams. 1776 is narrated by McCullough himself and covers the events and personalities that played key roles over the course of that year in our country's founding. John Adams takes a closer look at the life of one of the Founding Fathers who is vibrantly brought to life by the skilled narrator Nelson Runger, known for his narration of books on historic figures.
As you can see, even if your summer schedule seems jam-packed, don't think you need to leave your books at home... grab one to go! There's always time for a good story.
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Kendall Ann Koladish is the public services librarian at Leach Library in Londonderry. Leach Library is located at 276 Mammoth Road in Londonderry. For more information on library events, call 432-1132 or visit the library's Web site at www.londonderrynh.org/library/library.htm.
Events at the Leach Public Library
Summer Reading Program 2009
Young Adults
The Young Adult Summer Reading Program sign-ups are currently underway and will continue through August 10. After signing up, every book you read earns you a raffle ticket for one of the Grand Prizes. Weekly Wednesday meetings will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. in the downstairs meeting room. Upcoming topics include sharing your favorite book titles on July 8, Games Night on July 15, and fascinating facts on July 22. Snacks and drinks will be provided and door prizes will be raffled off.
Children's Room
The theme for this summer's Children's Summer Reading Program is "Summertime...and the Reading is Easy." The library is pleased to offer some great programs, including craft days, book bingo, trivia contests, weekly special performers and more. Participants will work as one team trying to read enough books to keep a kite soaring around the children's room for 21,600 minutes, twice as long as the longest recorded kite flight. One book will equal one minute. Registration for the program can be done in the Children's Room. When you sign up, you will get a fun activity and information pack, which includes a calendar of all the wonderful events scheduled for the summer.
