52 Nonfiction Books in 52 Weeks: 2013 Dewey Decimal Challenge

Hello, Bradley Beach! 

At the Library, we just recently added labels to the shelves in our adult non-fiction section to make our books easier to browse! These labels reflect classifications included in the Dewey Decimal System (more about this system below).

In order to highlight all of the wonderful books in our non-fiction collection (which doesn't seem to get as much love as our fiction section), I've decided to participate in a 2013 Dewey Decimal Reading Challenge starting on January 1, 2013, and ending on December 31, 2013.  The goal of this challenge is to read one nonfiction book per week that represents one of the classifications within the Dewey Decimal System. In total, I’ll be reading 52 non-fiction books. Each week on Monday, I’ll post my book review on this blog!

If you're interested in participating in this reading challenge (it should be fun!), please e-mail me (sharlene@bradleybeachlibrary.org) the review for the book that you've chosen each week so I can include it in our blog! This is a great way to discover new interests and new authors! It's also a great way to force yourself to step away from the Netflix and step into a book. : )

I'm excited to begin this adventure! And, to be honest, I'm also a little nervous about finding the time to sit down and read each week. I guess I'll just have to curb my Hulu. com addiction and get cracking. 

Happy Reading!

Sharlene Edwards

Program Director

A little about the Dewey Decimal System: 

The Dewey Decimal System is the way in which many libraries organize their non-fiction books. It was created in 1876 by Melvil Dewey and has been revised and expanded throughout the years. The Dewey Decimal System groups subjects, keeps similar books together, and aids in browsing. Numbers represent the different subjects within the collection. If you want to learn more about the Dewey Decimal System, you can check out this Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dewey_Decimal_classes.

The Dewey Decimal System has ten main classifications with many more subcategories within these ten main categories. For each of the main categories, I will select five books to read over the course of five weeks. This will equate to a total of 50 books. The remaining two books will be selected randomly.

Categories & Subcategories:

000 Generalities

000 Computers, Loch Ness, Bigfoot, UFO’s, Aliens

020 Libraries, Encyclopedias & World Record Books

030 Encyclopedias & World Record Books

060 Museums

070 Newspapers

100s Philosophy

130 Ghosts, witches, & the supernatural

150 Optical Illusions, Feelings

170 Emotions, Values, Animal Rights

200s Religion

220 Old Testament Bible Stories

230 New Testament Bible Stories

290 Mythology, World Religions

300s Social Sciences

300 Social Issues

310 Almanacs

320 Government

330 Careers

340 Court System, Famous Trials

350 Armed Forces

360 Drugs, Environmental Issues, Titanic, Police, Firefighters

370 Schools

380 Transportation

390 Holidays, Folktales, Fairy Tales

400s Language

410 Sign Language

420 Dictionaries, Grammar

430 German Language

440 French Language

450 Italian Language

460 Spanish Language

490 Hieroglyphics, Japanese Language

500s Science and Math

500 Science Experiments, Science Sets

510 Mathematics

520 Stars, planets, astronomy, space

530 Physical Science

540 Chemistry, Atoms & Molecules, Rocks & Minerals

550 Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Weather, Hurricanes, Tornadoes

560 Dinosaurs, Prehistoric Animals, Fossils

570 Forests, Rain Forests, Deserts, Mountains, Oceans, Evolution

580 Plants, Flowers, & Trees

590 Animals & Insects

600s Applied Science

600 Inventions

610 Human body, Health

620 Rockets, Trains, Cars, Trucks

630 Farming, Farm Animals, Cats, Dogs, Pets, Horses

640 Cookbooks, Sewing

650 Secret Codes

660 How Food is Made

670 Paper Making

680 Woodworking

690 Building

700s Art

710 Art Appreciation, History of Art

720 Houses, Buildings

730 Origami, Paper Crafts

740 Drawing, Crafts

750 Painting

760 Printing

770 Photography

780 Music

790 Sports, Games, Magic, I Spy, Camping, Fishing, Racing, Hunting

800s Literature

810 Poetry, Plays, Jokes, & Riddles

820 Shakespeare

860 Poetry in Spanish

900s Geography and History

910 Explorers, Atlases

920 Flags, People (Biography)

930 Archeology, Ancient Civilizations

940 Knights, Castles, World War I & II, European Countries

950 Asian & Middle Eastern Countries

960 African Countries

970 North & Central American Countries, Native American Tribes, American History, States

980 South American Countries

990 Pacific Islands, Australia, Hawaii 

 

This startling, brief  book -- originally, a one-woman show--  imagines Mary in Ephesus looking back on her life.

 

In The New York Times Book Review, author Mary Gordon said:

 

"It takes its power from the surprises of its language, its almost shocking characterization, its austere refusal of consolation. The source of this mother's grief is as much the nature of humankind as the cruel fate of her own son."

 

The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking

Oliver Burkeman has written a wonderful book that provides an alternative to the "positive thinking" "get happy" schools of thought. He investigates his intuition  that self-help programs could actually prevent you from being successful. He explores several tradition that embrace "negative" thoughts and comes up with a negative path for happiness that works for him.

Beautifully written, meticulously researched, provocative and...there's even a video trailer. Check it out!

Meet the Candidates

The Library was proud to join the Chamber of Commerce in sponsoring this year's Meet the Candidates night at the Firehouse on October 22.

More than 100 people came out to hear all four Mayoral candidates -- Wayne May, Mark Nemjeh, Harold Cotler and Gary Englestadt -- answer questions about their plans for Bradley Beach. "It was clear that all the candidates, and the people in the audience, really care about Bradley Beach," said Library Director Janet Torsney. "It was wonderful to be part of a discussion that was more heat than light."

Don't forget to vote on November 6th!

Save the Date: October 14

Did you know that the Bradley Beach Library has been at 511 Fourth Avenue for 85 years?

To celebrate our anniversary, we are going to have a Sunday afternoon tea to thank all the people who have been so supportive of the Library. It will be on October 14 from 2 to 4 pm.

Details to follow!

Chicago in Bradley Beach

This month, the large-print book club is reading Devil in the White City, a true-life story about murder and the magnificent 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.

And our newest book club is reading Divergent, a  young adult novel about a dystopian Chicago of the future.

Are book clubs in Chicago reading about Bradley Beach? Hmmmm

Every Day in Tuscany

Nanci Bachman recommends the audiobook EveryDay in Tuscany: Seasons of an Italian Life, which was written and read by Frances Mayles.

She said it was a great listen and has a fabulous  bonus: the last CD includes delicious recipes that can be printed out, cooked and eaten. She particularly liked the final recipe. "All that's left," she said, "is the trip to Tuscany!"

Mid-Year Report

We don't have an All-Star break. But, just like the baseball players, we like to check our stats.

Here are the highlights from the year to date:

·         We currently have 6.400 members. Last year, we had 6,256.

·         We have had more visits in the first sixth months (22,273) than all of last year (19,000).

·         More people have participated in our programs during the first sixth months of 2012 (1,798) than all of 2011 (1,705).

·         Circulation for all of 2011 was 22,000; we have already reached 14,337.

Go, Bradley Beach Library!

Gone Girl Review

Maureen Fitzsimmons on Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

"This is an incredibly interesting read. I found myself empathizing with wife and then with husband and back again to wife, etc. The ending was so realistic as people who are bound up in dysfunctional relationships often cannot find a way out! A real page turner!"

Thanks for your review, Maureen. Has anyone else read this book? What did you think?

Forever in Peace May It Wave!

Have you seen the big, beautiful flag outside the Library? We're so proud of it, especially because the last place it flew was over the US Capitol. On July 18. Congressman Pallone, Jr. arranged for the flag to be flown to honor the Library's 85th anniversary. Thank you, Congressman Pallone and Happy Anniversary, Bradley Beach Library!

Congratulations, Basket Winners!

Last night, we picked the winners of the three beautiful baskets that the Friends of the Bradley Beach Library have been raffling off since May. Drumroll please.... The winners are Shirley Bongiovanni, Tom McGrorry and Kathy McGrorry. Congratulations to the lucky winners and thanks to everyone who bought tickets to support the Library. We are so grateful to the people who contributed more than $900 worth of gifts and services for the baskets! Special thanks to our fabulous Friends who are always coming up with new ways to support the Library.

Keep Your Eye on the Birdseye

I just finished Birdseye: The Adventures of a Curious Man by Mark Kurlansky. It's a fascinating look at the life of a man who genuinely revolutionized food in America.


While he was, personally, what we would now call a localvore, he made processed food possible for millions. 


There are lots of adventures -- in the Arctic, Peru and NJ -- as this "can do" guy finds his inspiration. 

Besides, what's better for a hot summer day than a bio about the invention of frozen food?

Bradley Beach E-Book Top 10

Since we added e-books to our collection this Spring, we have nearly 40 titles that are available only to Bradley Beach library members.

So far, the most popular Bradley Beach titles are:

1. The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings
2. The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
3. Death of a Nag by MC Beaton
4. Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling

The most recently added books include:

• The Game of Thrones by George RR Martin
• The Affair by Lee Child
• Snatched by Karin Slaughter
• The Vow by Kim Carpenter
• Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich

Happy reading (e and otherwise) to all our members!

Louis L'Amour and the Large Print Ladies

My father-in-law was a Louis L'Amour fan so I've bought a few of his books. But I hadn't read any until the Large Print Book Club picked Comstock Lode for the June selection.

I really enjoyed reading about the adventures in the new West and mining that are covered so vividly in this book. I especially enjoyed that the bad guys were so rotten and the good people were so good. It was comforting to have some certainty in the world.

His life was just extraordinary: he worked on cattle ranches, saw mills, lumber camps and mines. He was a   professional boxer, merchant seaman and served in the Army during World War II. Once he settled to writing, he was incredibly productive. He still has 105 titles in print and remains one of the most populat American authors.

Thanks to the Large Print Book Club for opening my eyes to this American icon.

Any ideas for other books for the Large Print gang? Any other book clubs you'd like to see at your Library?

Send Us Your Reviews!

Marilyn Rosen sent us this review:

"I just read several books.   One was short and meaningful.  It is not new - For One More Day by Mitch Albom  who wrote Tuesdays with Morrie.  

Charlie Benetto had a drinking problem along with other life's problems.   He was planning to commit suicide.   What would you do if you had one more day with someone who passed away.   Charlie gets that one more day with his Mother.
Needless to say, this changed his life - a fast, good read."

Have you read this book? What did you think?

What books do you reccomend?
Marilyn Rosen

Seuss is on the Loose

We'll be celebrating the wacky, wonderful Dr. Seuss on Friday, March 2 at 11 am and 3:30 and, again, on Saturday at noon. There will be celebrity readers sharing their favorite stories. 

"We'll also be playing games and enjoying some sweets,"says Program Coordinator Sharlene Edwards.  "Reading is a serious thing, but it can also be fun! That's the way Dr. Seuss would want us to celebrate his birthday." 

Arts at the Beach Poster Contest

On Saturday, kids from Bradley Beach and surrounding towns will have a chance to show their skills. Between 10 am and noon at the Carmen Biase Center, they can pick up materials and share ideas about posters that illustrate this year's theme: THE BEACH...What you love about it and how to keep it beautiful!

Everyone who attends the workshop will receive the materials they need to make their poster. The posters will be displayed in the windows of local businesses. For more details, check out the website: ttps://sites.google.com/site/artsatthebeach/

Prizes will be awarded for the best posters by 1st-2nd grade, 3rd-5th grade, & 6th-8th grade. There will also be a GRAND PRIZE of a $50 savings bond and a tree planted in your name.

Posters must be submitted on Saturday, Feb 25th between 11am and 2 pm at Boro Hall Meeting Room (701 Main Street). The Award Ceremony will take place on Friday, March 16th at 7 pm at the Bradley Beach Elementary School.

Festive Flutes at the Library

There was beautiful music at the Library on Sunday afternoon. A fantastic program -- everything from Vivaldi and Schumann to Gershwin and Berlin -- was enjoyed by kids and grownups alike.

"The Festive Flutes brought such beauty to our Library," says Program Coordinator Sharleen Edwards. "We are grateful they chose the Bradley Beach Library to kick off their spring season." This event was the first in a series of programs, entitled "A Flute Garden," that will be taking place in libraries throughout Ocean and Monmouth County.

Enjoy the Festive Flutes performance at the Library last year by following this link.

The Festive Flutes are Emma Korolik, Gwendolyn Morris, Stephanie Sun and Carol Wasserman under the able direction of Founder Marjorie Koharski. For more information about the Festive Flutes, go to their website