SJSU Professor David Mesher will explore the equal-opportunity offensiveness of Alexander Portnoy, Philip Roth’s most over-sexed character in the initial meeting of the series  Let’s Talk About It - Jewish Literature, Your Heart’s Desire.  The series is sponsored by Nextbook, the American Library Association, and the Library.  To register for the series and get information on the books call the Reference Desk at 408-730-7300, menu option #5

It’s the middle of summer — which means we’re in the middle of grilling season. Memorial Day, graduation parties, Fourth of July…with all the opportunities for outdoor cooking, you may actually be getting tired of your same old burgers, hot dogs, or other barbecue favorites.

Luckily, Sunnyvale Public Library has the cure for the barbecue blahs in our selection of grilling cookbooks. Here are just a few from our collection. Check out some of these recipes and you’ll be sizzling along ‘til Labor Day.

100 Best Grilling Recipes : BBQ Food from Around the World. Recipes include Vietnamese grilled breast of duck and Canadian back bacon with maple mustard ‘mop.’ Nonfiction 641.5784 S

Pizza on the Grill: 100 Feisty Fire-Roasted Recipes for Pizza & More. The crowd-pleasing favorite gets a summery update in this cookbook. Nonfiction 641.76 K

Jerk from Jamaica: Barbecue Caribbean Style. Nothing will spice up your dinner like Jamaican jerk seasoning! Learn how to apply jerk methods to your home barbecue. Nonfiction 641.5972 W

Looking for something to read while the coals heat up? Try these tales from the world of barbecue fanatics and barbecue contests. Or browse through Corn Bread Nation 2, an anthology devoted to essays, newspaper columns, and even poems about Southern Barbecue.

The Sunnyvale Public Library will be closed on Friday, July 4, 2008. The Library will reopen for normal hours on July 5 at 10 a.m.

The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776 at the Pennsylvania State House (now known as Independence Hall) in Philadelphia. Today, the original document resides in honor in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom at the National Archives in Washington, D.C as one of the country’s most revered documents. You can read more about the history of the Declaration and view high-resolution images of it at the National Archives web site.

The Fourth of July is also a day of celebration across the United States. Festivities in Washington are televised as a PBS special called A Capitol Fourth, which is viewed and enjoyed by many. Many communities in the Bay Area also sponsor celebrations, some including fireworks displays. Listings of local festivities can usually be found in the newspaper close to the event or at individual city web sites.

You may have noticed that the media is fascinated with tracking stars and their invisible or not-so-invisible baby bumps and impending parenthood. You can also track them by going to the site http://www.celebrity-babies.com/. Learn about celebrities’ birthing plans, what they’re eating, how they want to decorate the nursery, and where they buy their children’s baby clothes.

Whether you are famous or lead a non-superstar life, the most important thing is that you and your baby are healthy. If you are going to be a new mom, take a look at these books about pregnancy and how to care for yourself and your baby through healthy eating and exercise:

The Joy of Pregnancy: The Complete, Candid, and Reassuring Companion for Parents-to-Be (2008 ) by Tori Kropp
This book gives facts about how your body and baby will change on a month-by-month basis without overwhelming you with too much information or advice.

The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating During Pregnancy (2006) by W. Allan Walker with Courtney Humphries
What you eat may affect your baby’s development and the health of your pregnancy. Read this book to become more informed about what nutrients will work best for you to aid in a healthy baby and smooth pregnancy and delivery.

The Complete Organic Pregnancy (2006) by Deirdre Dolan and Alexandra Zissu
Use this as a guide for avoiding harmful chemicals and toxins found in everything from water bottles to carpet cleaners. This resource will help you find the healthiest alternatives to common items in the environment.

The Everything Pregnancy Nutrition Book : What to Eat to Ensure a Healthy Pregnancy (2004) by Kimberly A. Tessmer
Give yourself and your baby a well-balanced diet during your pregnancy. Learn what vitamins and minerals are best during each trimester, as well as bust the myths about “forbidden” pregnancy foods.

The Active Woman’s Guide to Pregnancy : Practical Advice for Getting Outdoors When Expecting (2004) by Aneema van Groenou
Get moving! Being active during pregnancy can help you avoid excessive weight gain, have an easier and less complicated delivery, as well as help you return to pre-pregnancy fitness faster. Read this book to learn exercises and techniques for staying active during pregnancy.

Raising Baby Green : The Earth-Friendly Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Baby Care (2007) by Alan Greene
Go green! This book discusses ways to give your child an environmentally friendly home even before he or she enters this world. Best of all, learn how to “green” other aspects of your baby’s life, from clothing to nursery decorations to baby creams and lotions.

To find more books about pregnancy, do a keyword search in the library catalog.

*Amazon.com was used as a reference to assist with book descriptions.

In 1908, composer Albert von Tilzer and lyricist Jack Norworth submitted two copies of their song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” to the United States Copyright Office. The rest, as they say, is history.

In 100 years, the simple song has become a true cultural phenomenon. It is played or sung daily in nearly every baseball stadium around the country, large and small. It is one of the most recognizable songs in America. Some people call it the “other” national anthem. Remarkably, very few know much about the origins and history of the song. That it was penned in a New York subway car and that neither of the two authors had ever seen a professional ball game. That there are actually two verses and they tell the story of a girl who asks to be taken to a baseball game instead of a show. That Cracker Jacks experienced a huge surge in popularity and are now synonymous with the baseball experience as a result of the song.

In this centennial year, the song is getting even more attention. An online contest sponsored by Major League Baseball and the Baby Ruth candy bar invited fans to submit videos of them singing the song, with the prize of singing the song at the All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium in New York. The United States Postal Service will issue a commemorative stamp this summer. One of the most interesting tributes is in the Library of Congress’ online Historic Baseball Collection, which features historical information on a variety of baseball topics as well as the opportunity to view the original sheet music.

If it’s been awhile since you attended a ball game and you’re feeling nostalgic, below is a recording this librarian made of the song during the seventh-inning stretch at a recent game between the New York Yankees and Oakland A’s. Enjoy.

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”– George Orwell, Animal Farm

British political satirist George Orwell, born Eric Arthur Blair on June 25, 1903, is most famous for his gripping stories of government run amok. His political novels, 1984 and Animal Farm, have long been considered must-reads, but this noted author has even more to offer. Check the Sunnyvale Public Library catalog for these books by Orwell, or ask a librarian to help you find a title.

Down and Out in Paris and London (1933): Early in his writing career, Orwell dressed as a vagrant and joined the ranks of London’s hard-hit and homeless, seeking to learn about their experiences. The book also includes tales from his two years as a struggling writer in Paris.

Burmese Days (1934): Orwell’s first published novel, Burmese Days is the story of a man trying to fit in with other British colonials in Burma (now Myanmar), but chafing against the oppressiveness of English colonial society. Orwell, who for five years was an officer for Britain’s Imperial Police, drew from his own experiences for the novel.

Homage to Catalonia (1938): Orwell and his wife moved to Spain in the 1930s to help fight against the rise of fascism there. But Orwell became disillusioned by power struggles he saw within the anti-fascist movement, and then fled the country after being shot in the throat during a battle. Homage to Catalonia describes some of his experiences during this period.

Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays (1950): This collection contains essays like “Politics and the English Language,” in which Orwell argues that “the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts.” The title essay, “Shooting an Elephant,” and other pieces reflect on incidents from Orwell’s years in Myanmar.

[Some information above was taken from Contemporary Authors Online, Thomson Gale, 2005 and Concise Dictionary of British Literary Biography, Volume 7: Writers After World War II, 1945-1960. Gale Research, 1991. Want to learn more about Orwell or other authors? Visit the Biography Resource Center! (Library card required for remote access).]

Summer Reading Program for Adults
Sunday, June 1 - Sunday, August 31

The Library invites you to join our annual Adult Summer Reading Program, Book A Great Summer. To participate, you must be 16 years or older (younger readers should sign up for the Teen or Kids Summer Reading Programs). You must have a current Sunnyvale Public Library card and must have read at least one book at the time you sign up. Sign-ups begin Sunday, June 1, and will end on Friday, August 1. Books can be fiction or nonfiction and in any language. Unabridged recorded books also qualify. The books you read are recorded in a log that you will receive when you sign up. After the first eight books are read, you will receive a free paperback book as your prize. The last day to record titles is Sunday, August 31. Join us at the Library and “Book a Great Summer!”

Flickr photo by artisticexpressions

Today is the fifth International Polar Day , focusing on land and life: the plants and animals of polar lands and the changing permafrost and hydrology. International Polar Day is part of a large scientific program, International Polar Year, focused on the Arctic and Antarctic from March 2007 to March 2009.

Images of Antarctica is on the Web site of the British Antarctic Survey, where you’ll find picture galleries, webcams, and image databases.

In the Antarctic, there are no naturally-occurring mammals, reptiles and amphibians; but there are whales, seals, sea birds and penguins. Penguins by Susanne Akesson combines a fabulous visual study with up-to-date information on all seventeen species from the largest, Emperor Penguin, to the tiniest, Little Penguin. The popular DVD, Luc Jacquet’s March of the Penguins, chronicles the Emporer Penguins’ annual journey in single file across hundreds of miles of the harsh Antarctic landscape to the sea in quest of a mate to start a family. The the same cinematographer reveals four visually stunning portraits of favorite places and animals in the DVD, Untamed Antarctic. Joan Myers documents in her book, Wondrous Cold, the haunting beauty, the unusual creatures, and the spirit of curiosity and perseverance that continues to draw explorers and scientists to what has been called the “most hostile continent on Earth.”

This coming Thursday, June 19, the Library’s Monthly Book Group will be discussing Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety. Tracing the interlocking lives, loves and aspirations of four lifelong friends who move between Vermont and Wisconsin, Stegner’s 1987 masterpiece is a work of quiet majesty, deep compassion and powerful insight. Please join us Thursday evening at 7 p.m. in the Library Program Room.

Monday, June 23, 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.

The popularity of blogs has exploded over the past few years and is transforming the way the Web works. Come hear practical ideas for launching your web presence. Learn about free tools to create a blog in minutes and new technologies can help you reach the world with your message.

This program is free and no registration is required.