Book Signing

ALANNA LEA WIEST
Thursday, January 20th, 7pm @ Book Revue
Northport author ALANNA LEA WIEST will speak about and sign her new
collection of poetry, The Other Side of the Mirror.

The Other Side of The Mirror is a collection of more than 100 poems born out of Alanna Wiest's 19-year-long struggle with schizoaffective disorder, which combines schizophrenia and mood disorder. The poems offer a stark look at her formidable battle with fears, anxiety, anger, frustrations, delusions, and the pain of depression and mania. They also offer glimpses of hope, life, beauty and survival.

Check out our People's Choice Awards Collection!

On January 5 the 37th People's Choice Awards were aired live from Los Angeles on CBS. The following movies in Merrick Library's DVD collection were honored at the ceremony:

"Iron Man 2" - Favorite Action Movie
"Grown Ups" - Favorite Comedy Movie, Favorite Comedic Star (Adam Sandler)
"Toy Story 3" - Favorite Family Movie
"Alice in Wonderland" - Favorite Movie Actor (Johnny Depp)
"The Karate Kid" and "The Spy Next Door" - Favorite Action Star (Jackie Chan)

The following recording artists were also honored at the People' Choice Awards. Also listed are their current albums among the music CDs at Merrick Library

Eminem - Favorite Male Artist and Hip-Hop Artist; Favorite Song and Music Video ("Love The Way You Lie")
Current Album: "Recovery"
Katy Perry - Favorite Female Artist
Current Album: "Teenage Dream"
Paramore - Favorite Rock Band
Current Album: "Brand New Eyes"
Selena Gomez and the Scene - Favorite Breakout Artist
Current Album: "A Year Without Rain"
Rihanna - Favorite Pop Artist
Current Album: "Loud"
Taylor Swift - Favorite Country Artist
Current Album: "Speak Now"
Usher - Favorite R&B Artist
Current Albums: "RvR," "Versus"

New York Times Literary Treat of the Week...

Brown, Mike. How I Killed Pluto, And Why It Had It Coming.

A recent episode of the hit CBS comedy "The Big Bang Theory" included an appearance by astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson who put up with claims of "deplanetizing" Pluto. Although the International Astronomical Union (IAU) voted in August 2006 for demoting Pluto to "dwarf" status the act has become a topic of much recent debate. A two million member Facebook group has protested the ruling. The controversy started when astronomer Brown in seeking bodies beyond Pluto found an orbiting mass 27 times the size of that previous planet. Yet the IAU considered the newly found "Eris" to be too small and also designated it a "dwarf." Of all the fallout from this scientific skirmish the most positive was that Brown, whose father worked on the Apollo space program, solidified his position in the California Institute of Technology and started a family. Being a husband/father in the astronomical world provides a balance in this memoir regarding how the fervor over Pluto has affected many traditional views about the universe.

Author Signing.

JOHNNY WEIR

Wednesday, January 12th, 7pm @ Book Revue
Three-time US champion, two-time Olympian, and World medalist, JOHNNY WEIR, will sign his new book Welcome to My World.

A collection of wildly entertaining anecdotes and essays about everything from pop culture to skating to fashion to Johnny himself. Finally, fans have the opportunity to get to know who Johnny Weir really is, inside and out.

At the age of 26, Johnny Weir—a three-time US champion, two-time Olympian, and World medalist—is one of the superstars of figure skating and an emerging pop-culture icon. At his very first Olympic Games in Torino, Italy, Johnny placed second in the short program, and finished fifth overall. Johnny went on to win the bronze medal at the 2008 World Championships. In 2010, Johnny made the US Olympic team for the second time and represented his country in the Olympic Games in Vancouver.

Top Ten Craft & Gardening Books according to Booklist

1. Crochet in Color: Techniques and Designs for Playing with Color, by Kathy Merrick. Designer Merrick has created a book that veteran and novice stitchers will keep at their immediate beck and call.

2. The Feisty Stitcher: Sewing Projects with Attitude, by Susan Wasinger.
Wasinger’s latest volume is a panoply of good-looking, well designed, and ecologically sound items for homes and shelves.

3. Growing a City Garden, by Jeremy N. Smith.
Bright, vibrant, and buoyantly accessible, this effervescent celebration of the local food movement thrums with regional, national, and international implications.

4. Growing Tasty Tropical Plants in Any Home, Anywhere, by Laurelynn Martin.
Fun facts, handy tips, and eye popping color illustrations and photographs round out a comprehensive yet accessible guide that will fascinate and inspire both beginning and established gardeners.

5. Luxe Knits: The Accessories; Couture Adornments to Knit and Crochet, by Laura Zukaite. It’s hard to resist the seductiveness of the four collections presented here, with thanks to top model photography and airy illustrations.

6. Of Gardens: Selected Essays, by Paula Deitz.
Deitz masterfully celebrates the myriad attractions of gardens great and small, public and private, and their ability to enrich, ennoble, and entertain.

7. The Quilters Album of Patchwork Patterns, by Jinny Beyer.
An amazing amount of meticulous research elevates this compendium from a ho-hum aggregate to one that inspires and engages.

8. Real Life Journals: Designing and Using Handmade Books, by Gwen Diehn.
This is a lovely, helpful volume that will inspire and attract journalers and scrap-bookers alike.

9. Thoughtful Gardening, by Robin Lane Fox.
This immense wealth of practical information and insight supports the maxim that sometimes devoted gardeners love reading about gardening almost more than the actual act itself.

10. Understanding Garden Design: The Complete Handbook for Aspiring Designers, by Vanessa Gardner Nagel. In this thorough and thoroughly accessible book, Nagel’s seasoned yet personable approach to an often intimidating subject will benefit both home owners and design professionals.

New Performance DVD

"The Frank Sinatra Concert Collection" - fourteen hours on seven DVDs made up of television specials, international events and scenes from Sinatra's 1957 ABC-TV series - the "Chairman of the Board" at his musical best!

Book Discussion Suggestion.

"Bloodroot"
by Amy Greene


In a dark and riveting story of the legacies--of magic and madness, faith and secrets, passion and loss--Myra Lamb is a wild girl with mysterious, haint blue eyes who grows up on remote Bloodroot Mountain. Her grandmother, Byrdie, protects her fiercely and passes down “the touch” that bewitches people and animals alike. But when John Odom tries to tame Myra, it sparks a shocking disaster that rips lives apart.