Smythie
The monthly e-newsletter of the Smyth Public Library
Augusty, 2019
Volume 13, No.5

Events…

Story Walk
Saturday, September 7th from 10am-2pm

The Friends of the Smyth Public Library will host a story walk for all ages! We will start in the library, then move to the woods and pond behind the library. Come join us for this outdoor literary experience. The story walk features the book, In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming. In this book, a child explores the wonders of the natural world in this rhyming, beautiful bright colored picture storybook about the lives of small animals and insects living around a freshwater pond.

Project Coyote with Chris Schadler
Wednesday, September 18th at 6:30pm

Chris Schadler earned his Master of Science in Conservation Biology at Antioch University Graduate School and her these focused on the natural recovery of the Eastern Timber Wolf in Michigan. Now, come learn the true story of the eastern coyote – how and when it arrived in New England, how it lives among us but is rarely seen and how it contributes to keep our forests and fields healthy. Learn why it is a creature of our own making! It is smart, beneficial and by its presence, gives “wild” back to our wild lands. This New Wild also requires that livestock and pet owners step up to steward our creatures with greater care. Despite the ecological benefits the coyote brings, it is the most persecuted carnivore in North America. Yet, it survives and thrives despite efforts to eradicate it.

HOW-TO’s

How to Retirement Plan Panel
Tuesday, September 10th at 6pm

Hosted by Donna Wilton, join us here at the library to learn more about retirement planning with this panel and discussion session. Local Medicare experts along with other professionals will provide a variety of educational information, so come prepared with any questions!

How To Knit & Crochet Night with Lisa Cote
Monday, September 23rd at 6:30pm

Learn to knit and crochet with Lisa Cote! Open to adults and children.
Please register at the front desk.

If you have a special talent you’d like to share, please see Heidi at the front desk

Check out our monthly calendar on our website for all our events and programs.

New
Friends of Smyth Public Library SALE!
Saturday, August 24, 11am-2pm
Old Home Days at Moore Park
Come enjoy cotton candy and raffles too!

TRY OUT: KANOPY
WE ARE THRILLED TO PRESENT OUR NEW FILM STREAMING SERVICE
Smyth Library Patrons Now Have Access to Kanopy featuring more than 30,000 Films, For Free!
Library card holders can access Kanopy and view up to four films per month. Films can be streamed from any computer, television, mobile device or platform by downloading the Kanopy app for iOS, Android, AppleTV, Chromecast or Roku.
With the motto of “thoughtful entertainment,” Kanopy provides patrons with access to films of unique social and cultural value; films that are often difficult or impossible to access elsewhere, and programming that features diversity, with a wide array of foreign language films and films on race, and current affairs.
TRY IT AND DOWNLOAD NOW AT: smythpl.kanopy.com

New on our shelves…

New Fiction…

The shameless Atkins, Ace
Whisper network: a novel Baker, Chandler
One good deed Baldacci, David
Lion heart: a novel Cartwright, Justin.
Shamed Castillo, Linda
Cry in the night Coble, Colleen
The Russian Coes, Ben
Nondisclosure: A Medical Thriller Cooper, Geoffrey M.
Gone cold Corleone, Douglas
Labyrinth Coulter, Catherine
A dangerous man Crais, Robert
The Chelsea girls: a novel Davis, Fiona
Almost midnight Doiron, Paul
Empty seats Fischer, Wanda Adams
Stone cold heart: a novel Frear, Caz
Assassin of shadows: a novel Goldstone, Lawrence 1947-
The seekers Graham, Heather
Red metal Greaney, Mark
The good luck girls of Shipwreck Lane Harms, Kelly,
The Echo Park castaways Hennessey, M. G.,
Shadow zone Johansen, Iris
Smokescreen Johansen, Iris
The mystical adventures of Stavros Papadakis Lacoy, Michael S.
Someone we know Lape©ła, Shari,
Lady in the lake: a novel Lippman, Laura
After the end Mackintosh, Clare
Window on the bay: a novel Macomber, Debbie
Deep river: a novel Marlantes, Karl
Murder at crossways Maxwell, Alyssa
The Chain McKinty, Adrian
Dragonfly: a novel Meacham, Leila
Knife Nesbø, Jo,
Princess Patterson, James
Midnight at Marble Arch: a Charlotte and Thomas Pitt novel Perry, Anne
Out stealing horses Petterson, Per
A dream to die for Ritz, Susan Z.
The gift Roberts, Nora
Under currents Roberts, Nora
Good girl, bad girl: a novel Robotham, Michael
Bark of night Rosenfelt, David
The spies of Shilling Lane: a novel Ryan, Jennifer
Lock every door: a novel Sager, Riley,
The flight girls Salazar, Noelle,
The new girl: a novel Silva, Daniel
Fox is framed: a Leo Maxwell mystery Smith, Lachlan
Surfside sisters: a novel Thayer, Nancy
The golden hour: a novel Williams, Beatriz

New Non-Fiction…

Explore the world of man-made wonders Adams, Simon
The way of the wild heart Eldredge, John.
Glory days: living your Promised Land life now Lucado, Max.
Star spangled scandal: sex, murder, and the trial that changed America DeRose, Chris
The bastard brigade: the true story of the renegade scientists and spies who sabotaged the Nazi atomic bomb Kean, Sam
American predator: the hunt for the most meticulous serial killer of the 21st century Callahan, Maureen
What to do for senior health: easy to read, easy to use Barnett, Albert E.
The blue zones solution: eating and living like the world’s healthiest people Buettner, Dan
The coconut oil miracle Fife, Bruce,
Born a crime: stories from a South African childhood Noah, Trevor
Ten years a nomad: a traveler’s journey home Kepnes, Matt,
National Geographic guide to state parks of the United States
The volunteer: one man, an underground army, and the secret mission to destroy Auschwitz Fairweather, Jack,

New Books on CD…

One good deed CD (10) Baldacci, David
Close: a novel CD (5) Cole, Martina.
A dangerous man CD (6) Crais, Robert
Smokescreen CD (12) Johansen, Iris
Window on the bay: a novel CD (8) Macomber, Debbie
Under currents CD (12) Roberts, Nora
Lost and found: a novel CD (6) Steel, Danielle

New Video…

Ashes in the snow DVD 1183 [PG13]
Run the race DVD 1184 [PG]
Maze DVD 1185 [PG13]
Quartet DVD 1186 [PG13]
The upside DVD 1187 [PG13]
Breakthrough DVD 1188 [PG]
Wonder Park DVD 1189A [PG]
Missing link DVD 1190A [PG]
Captain Marvel DVD 1191 [PG13]
Ugly dolls DVD 1192A [PG]
The Falcon mystery movie collection DVD 195C — Vol. 1 /
Piglet’s big movie DVD 211A [G]
VeggieTales double feature: lessons in friendship and facing hardship DVD 217A [G] — Sheerluck Holmes and the golden ruler, — The ballad of Little Joe
A perfect day DVD 218 [PG]
Legends of the fall DVD 219 [R]
William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice DVD 223 [R]
The Story of Jacob and Joseph DVD 227C [PG]
Stir of echoes DVD 230 [R]
The matrix revolutions DVD MTRX3 [R]

Ever think about the fact that Sitting Bull won Custer’s Last Stand?

Tip from the front desk

Which books have sold the most throughout history? The answer isn’t as straightforward as it might seem. Older books that have been published for centuries have poor data, and a lack of copyright can allow for dozens of publishers to enter the field, making numbers even more difficult to count. With the understanding that the definition of a book is difficult; data is often impossible to confirm; that religious books like the Bible and Qur’an will be excluded; and that this list is not exhaustive, or complete, these are candidates for some of the best-selling books in history, as based on a brief internet search:
Don Quixote/Cervantes/Above 500 million sold.
Pilgrim’s Progress/Bunyan/ Above 250 million sold.
A Tale of Two Cities /Charles Dickens/Estimated 200 million copies sold.
The Lord of the Rings /J.R.R. Tolkien/ Upwards of 150 million copies sold. Tolkien himself clearly stated “The book is not of course a ‘trilogy’ . . . the story was conceived and written as a whole” and only split the story up because of length and cost issues. (And with including The Hobbit the number soars up another 100 million.)
The Alchemist/Coelho/ Unclear, but an estimated 150 million copies sold.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone /J.K. Rowling/ 120 million copies and hundreds of millions more sold across the entire series.
Le Petit Prince / Antoine de Saint-Exupéry/ Unclear, but an estimated 140 million copies sold. This novella deserves its place because it’s thought to be the most translated non-religious work in the world and was translated into 382 languages.
And Then There Were None /Agatha Christie/ Commonly estimated at 100 million copies sold and is generally considered the best-selling mystery novel of all time.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe/C.S. Lewis/ 85 million copies sold.
The Da Vinci Code /Dan Brown/ Around 60 million copies sold.

Honorable Mentions:
In China, the Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong // Somewhere between 740 million and five billion and copies sold. Officially, 740 million copies were published between 1966 and 1968, and reportedly almost every citizen owned a copy. Also, the Xinhua Dictionary // 567 million copies sold. Published by China’s Commercial Press, it’s the first dictionary written in Mandarin Chinese, and is a widely used reference work in China in primary school and beyond.
Betty Crocker’s Cookbook // Probably about 60 million copies sold. In 1924, a fabricated “Betty” began a radio show, and even briefly appeared on television. Such was her fame that the first printing of her cookbook was 950,000 copies.
For children’s books, The Adventures of Pinocchio, Peter Rabbit, Heidi, Black Beauty, and Anne of Green Gables each score over 50 million sold.
Golden Books like The Poky Little Puppy // estimate around 15 million+ copies sold. The goal of the Little Golden Books was to increase their availability by lowering their price—in the process, making them iconic for generations of youngsters.
Charlotte’s Web /E.B. White/ 10 million copies sold in the United States and perhaps the best-selling paperback children’s book of all time.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin /Harriet Beecher Stowe/ Probably 3 million copies sold. An 1855 article estimated it sold more than a million copies in England, “probably ten times as many as have been sold of any other work, except the Bible and Prayer-book.” The article goes on to say that it’s been translated into Italian, Spanish, Danish, Swedish, Flemish, Polish, two different times in Dutch, and 12 different German translations. It is widely considered the most successful book of the 19th century.
Well, no need to go out and buy any best seller, you can just come to Smyth Public Library and read your favorites, old or new, to your heart’s content!
Heidi Deacon, Director

Try out our new “Volunteer Your World” ideas at Smyth Public Library. Visit our Volunteer Your World Page

Coloring night for all ages, all supplies provided, Fridays 6-7 pm

Writers’ group
On the 2nd and 4th Friday of every month, 6:30pm
The Smyth Public Library hosts a gathering of writers once or twice a month where we work together on timed writing exercises using prompts and other sources of inspiration. The writing periods will be followed by sharing some of the work with each other. The goal of the group is to loosen up and get the pen moving on paper. We don’t seek to have a finished work by the end of the session and you don’t need to arrive with a finished piece of writing to share. The writer’s group is a place to meet with other writers and to flex your writing muscles. Please come ready with a writing medium of your choice: paper and pen/pencil, computer, tablet, etc.

Drop In Family Game Nights!!
First Friday of every month at 6:30

Knitting & Crochet Circle
Help with the cap, blanket, and scarf charity project, work on your own items, or just come to learn. Call Lisa 587-0603 for more info.
Third Thursday of the month, 6:30pm

Monthly Lego Night!
EVERY third Friday 6:30-7:30 for all ages.

Family Movie Night
Friday, August 23, 6:00 p.m.

“Secret Life of Pets 2”rated PG

Did you Know???
The world’s longest novel ever written is Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust, or A la recherche du temps perdu in its native tongue (French). The novel is estimated to have 9,609,000 characters.

LITTLE FREE LIBRARY
Brought to you by the Friends of the Smyth Public Library
The Little Free Library is up and running at the CYAA complex – anyone can take advantage!

In theGallery…

Mrs. Lindsey’s CCC Kids Club Art Show on Moles

ART WANTED!!!
Our art gallery and (locked) glass case is always available for the works of local artists. Just see Heidi at the front desk to display your works

LOVE TO SHARE A GOOD BOOK?
Now! 2 groups! 2 times!
How about sharing your thoughts on a book at the friendly monthly book discussion group?

My wife joined a book club. They primarily read wine labels.
– Unknown Author

Thursday, August 29th, 11:00 a.m.
Out Stealing Horses
By Per Petterson
“We were going out stealing horses. That was what he said, standing at the door to the cabin where I was spending the summer with my father. I was fifteen. It was 1948 and oneof the first days of July.” Trond’s friend Jon often appeared at his doorstep with an adventure in mind for the two of them. But this morning was different. What began as a joy ride on “borrowed” horses ends with Jon falling into a strange trance of grief. Trond soon learns what befell Jon earlier that day―an incident that marks the beginning of a series of vital losses for both boys. Set in the easternmost region of Norway, Out Stealing Horses begins with an ending. Sixty-seven-year-old Trond has settled into a rustic cabin in an isolated area to live the rest of his life with a quiet deliberation. A meeting with his only neighbor, however, forces him to reflect on that fateful summer..
Extra titles of this book are available at the front desk

Thursday, August 29th at 7:00 pm
Empty Seats
by Wanda Adams Fischer

This month’s book will not be available for pick-up at the library, but feel free to join the group for many interesting discussions!
What Little Leaguer doesn’t dream of taking to the mound and striking out one of his heroes? This novel follows three such dreamers who were drafted to play minor league ball, thinking that it would be an easy ride to playing in the big time. Little did they know that they’d be vying for a spot with every other talented kid who aspired to play professional ball. Young, inexperienced, immature, and without the support of their families and friends, they’re often faced with split-second decisions -not always on the baseball diamond.
A look ahead to our September book title: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

Library Assets…

SERVICE FOR HOMEBOUND PATRONS:
Smyth Public Library is now offering home delivery of library materials for any Candia community residents in need. Please contact us for a registration form for this service or use the link to a form to fill out on our website.

The library is proud to now offer The Healing Library; reading kits to aid with coping with difficult situations. We offer The Death of a Loved One, The Death of a Pet, plus Alzheimer’s & Your Family. These are located in the children’s room, along with books relating to each topic. The kits are available now for check out.

STILL HERE!:
Digital Movies, Music and More –Instantly Available –24/7 –Free with your Library Card!
Movies, TV,Music Albums, eAudiobooks , eBooks, and Comics/Graphic Novels. All in one location, from your computer, tablet or Smartphone!
With hoopla, there are no hold lists, no extra apps or accounts needed or special steps to use it.
It just works! On a mobile device, borrowed content may be temporarily downloaded and accessed offline or, in either the app or on a computer, all borrowed content may be enjoyed while connected to the internet by streaming.

Don’t forget – you can always borrow our internet hot spot, telescope and newly offered Ukulele and a dozen baking pans!
Making Your Life Easy:
By going to our website, you can search our entire catalogue for books, CD’s, DVD’s and movies. Once found, you can check to see if what you want is in. If so, just to our website and reserve the book. The next time you come in, it will be waiting for you at the front desk. WITH OUR NEW WEBSITE YOU CAN DO IT WITH YOUR MOBILE DEVICE!
PLUS!! Check out our smythpl.org website updates and Smyth Library’s Public Catalog featuring:

– A crawl of new items.
– “What’s Hot” now covers several choices.
-“Most Popular” titles (a combination of checkouts and reserves are used to determine this list).
– “More Search Options” includes Medium that lets members search by DVD or Large Print, etc.
More Research Options:

Full text articles from thousands of magazines, journals and national newspapers, plus NoveList. Call or e-mail us and provide your name and your library card number, and we’ll give you the password.
Smyth Library has available:
The Candia Heritage Commission is pleased to announce the acquisition of a valuable historical resource, bound volumes of the Rockingham County News encompassing the years 1978-1998. A two week loan of a volume can be arranged by contacting Sis Richter 483-2585, president of the Historical Society or Diane Philbrick 483-8239, chair of the Heritage Commission.

NEW! Needed! Your Nature photos!
For the Candia Conservation Commission Calendar. Deadline Sept. 1st. Only nature and animals within Candia please. No manmade objects or structures in the photos. And no domestic animals. See the CCC website for details and how to submit. www.candiaconservationcommission.org

We’re on Facebook!
Like the Smyth Public Library
Look at our page on Facebook for events and updates about our library!

Downloadable Books!!!!
Ipods and Kindles work and you can
Order right from our website!

Kids’ Stuff…
Check out our monthly calendar for children on the children’s tab on our website.
CHILDREN’S FALL PROGRAMS Starting in October!
Book Clubs!
First Meeting will discuss what everyone read over the summer and what they will read this year in book club.

Magic Tree House Book Club (K-2)

Dear America Book Club

STEM Club (K-3)
Combined Math and Science

Art Club (K-5)
First Thursday 3pm
First Meeting: October 3

Creative Writing Club (Grades 4-7)

FOR TEENS!!

Seeking Teen Readers to Lead and Run a new monthly Book Club for Teens by Teens!
You pick the title, the time, and we pick up the pizza!
ANNOUNCING OUR NEW SERVICE:
Smyth Public Library presents:
Free Math Tutoring available starting on September 3rd with weekly drop in sessions Tuesdays from 4-6 pm.
With Candia resident, Scott Hewitt, retired Math teacher and current instructor at community college.
For all ages and abilities with help from Arithmetic to Calculus.

Baby—Preschool children-
Stories, games, crafts, music, puppets
During Thursday Story Time 10 a.m.

NOW presenting two Storytimes:
Thursdays, 10 am with Jessica
Thursdays, 6 pm with Linda
Preschoolers and babies welcomed
Read to Simon, Gwen Paprocki’s Certified Therapy dog.
Want to boost reading confidence?

Why is reading to a dog educational AND fun? Because Simon is soft, furry and warm and he loves the attention you give him when you practice your reading out-loud skills! In the Children’s Library Room ~ one-on-one with Ms. Gwen and Simon present. (Simon and Gwen Paprocki are certified through Therapy Dogs International)
Please sign up if interested. Call Gwen for more info at 483-8245

FUTURE ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS!!
Second Friday, 6:00 p.m.
We break out our snap circuits! Build exciting projects including computer interfaced experiments and solar cell applications. Build over 175 exciting projects now with lights. All new kits and all ages welcome! Check our Facebook page for some cool snap circuit projects.

1000 BOOKS before Kindergarten
Personal memory registers and book bags are available for parents.

New books for children…
Border collies Sabelko, Rebecca,
Meet the dinosaurs
The moonflower Loewer, H. Peter.
The three brothers: a German folktale Croll, Carolyn
Madeline Finn and the shelter dog Papp, Lisa,
Pink and Say Polacco, Patricia
Say something! Reynolds, Peter H
The Berenstain Bears around the world Berenstain, Mike,
The Berenstain Bears pirate adventure Berenstain, Mike,
The Berenstain Bears Under the sea Berenstain, Mike,
Rocket’s very fine day Hills, Tad

New books for juni ors…
Secret soldiers: how the U.S. Twenty-Third Special Troops fooled the Nazis Janeczko, Paul B
Duel at Araluen: The Royal Ranger — 3 Flanagan, John
CatStronauts: space station situation Brockington, Drew
Theodore Boone: the accomplice Grisham, John
Dory and the real true friend Hanlon, Abby,
The Time Fetch Herrick, Amy,

From the Junior Shelves~

The Accomplice
(Theodore Boone #7)
by John Grisham
Woody Lambert is in trouble. He comes from a broken family, suffers bad grades at school and his older brother, Tony, is on probation for a drug offence. When Woody inadvertently gets caught up with Tony and one of his friends, Garth, cruising around Strattenburg in a beaten-up Mustang drinking beer, one thing leads to another and Garth holds up a convenience store with a fake gun.
Though he had no involvement in the crime other than being in Garth’s car, Woody is arrested as an accomplice. He’s going to need serious legal advice to avoid juvenile prison.
Enter Theodore Boone: after all, Theo has already decided that he will become the best courtroom lawyer in the state. It’s just that, at the age of thirteen, Theo is years from being a qualified lawyer – and Woody needs help right now . . .
Goodreads

New books for young adults…
The hive Card, Orson Scott
Sophia, princess among beasts Patterson, James
Same same Mendelsund, Peter.
The red scrolls of magic Clare, Cassandra
Spin the dawn Lim, Elizabeth,
The beauty of darkness Pearson, Mary
When we were lost Wignall, Kevin

From the Young Adult Shelves~

When We Were Lost
by Kevin Wignall

When a plane bound for Costa Rica crashes in deep jungle, the tail section breaks free and nineteen teenagers miraculously survive. Joel Aspinall, son of a local politician and student rep on the school’s council, is quick to take on the mantle of leadership, to organize everyone until a rescue party arrives. But the plane was crashed on purpose, no one knows where they are and no rescuers are coming. To make things worse, Joel’s decisions lead to more people dying, and he’s determined to wait it out.

Tom Calloway didn’t want to be on this trip. Tom doesn’t want to bond with his classmates – he isn’t the bonding type. He’d rather they just left him alone, and he’s always been unfriendly enough that they’ve been happy to oblige. But that was before the crash. Now he finds himself building the friendships he’s always tried to avoid. And despite his determined efforts to be left alone, he begins to see that he might be the one to challenge Joel and pull off another miracle, by getting all the survivors to safety.

When We Were Lost, featuring elements of Lost and Lord of the Flies, is a novel of survival, of teenagers thrust into a hostile environment. It’s a novel of life and death and the razor-thin dividing line between them. And it’s a novel about finding a place for yourself in a world that’s infinitely complex.
Goodreads

Trivia Time!

Every month we ask a trivia question. If you know the answer, drop it off at the front desk or e-mail it here. We will randomly select the winner from the correct answers and the WINNERwill win ONE FREE WEEK of OVERDUE FINE AMNESTY ON ONE BOOK

Last month’s question and answer:
Q. What famous American author lived next door to Mark Twain in Hartford, Connecticut?
A. Harriet Beecher Stowe

No Winner!

This Month’s Trivia Question:

What book was mentioned by the following musicians: The Beatles (Rocky Raccoon), Jethro Tull (Locomotive Breath), Elton John (Jimmie Rodgers’ Dream) and even Bing Crosby (Bye Bye Baby)?
From the New and Recent Shelves~
We (being I) are always looking for contributors to this reviews section. The editor has a limited range of taste, so any reviews would be more than welcomed. Just e-mail them in reply to this, or to librarian@smythpl.org
I admit to a rather limited taste in reading materials. I generally eschew science fiction, fantasy and what are euphemistically referred to as “chic books”. I realize this is a deficiency in not only me, but the “From the New and Recent Shelves” section of “The Smythie”.
I may therefore resort to pilfering reviews from Goodreads.com for a book at times to widen the breadth of this service. I’d much rather have a contributing reviewer (or twelve). If you’ve read a book you’ve loved, please shoot me a review so we can enjoy a more personal perspective.

Fiction…

The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz is the second Daniel Hawthorne book. Hawthorne is a Holmes-like private investigator who is called in by the London police – of which he once one – when a case gets tough. Anthony is his Watson, except that Anthony does not particularly like Hawthorne. Horowitz is Anthony and he makes mention of his other novels, which is another different touch.
The plot is old-fashioned murder mystery with some nice touches, like the victim was murdered with a bottle of wine worth 2000 pounds. There is also some dry humor mixed in. You need not have read the first in the series, The Word is Murder, but the library has it.

More Fiction…

Non stop hero action from start to finish well executed…that’s all you need to know. 🙂 Brad Thor’s Backlash is light on plot intricacy but heavy on the superhero action. No need to have read the prior eighteen in the series. We’re talkin’ beach reading here. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

More Fiction…

From Fiona Davis, the nationally bestselling author of The Dollhouse and The Address, the bright lights of the theater district, the glamour and danger of 1950s New York, and the wild scene at the iconic Chelsea Hotel come together in a dazzling new novel about the twenty-year friendship that will irrevocably change two women’s lives.

From the dramatic redbrick facade to the sweeping staircase dripping with art, the Chelsea Hotel has long been New York City’s creative oasis for the many artists, writers, musicians, actors, filmmakers, and poets who have called it home—a scene playwright Hazel Riley and actress Maxine Mead are determined to use to their advantage. Yet they soon discover that the greatest obstacle to putting up a show on Broadway has nothing to do with their art, and everything to do with politics. A Red scare is sweeping across America, and Senator Joseph McCarthy has started a witch hunt for Communists, with those in the entertainment industry in the crosshairs. As the pressure builds to name names, it is more than Hazel and Maxine’s Broadway dreams that may suffer as they grapple with the terrible consequences, but also their livelihood, their friendship, and even their freedom.

Spanning from the 1940s to the 1960s, The Chelsea Girls deftly pulls back the curtain on the desperate political pressures of McCarthyism, the complicated bonds of female friendship, and the siren call of the uninhibited Chelsea Hotel. Goodreads

Non-fiction…

Star Spangled Scandal is the account of murder committed by Congressman Daniel Sickles in broad daylight in Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C. The name may be more recognizable as the successful general in the Civil War that started a few years after the killing. The murder was sensational. He shot a descendant of Francis Scott Key who had “defiled” his marital bed.
The first half relating to the murder is very interesting. The trial account was good but could (should) have been about 50 pages shorter. In addition to the account of the murder and the account of the accounts of the murder, there are some interesting historical tidbits about the Buchanan administration and life in the United States in 1858-9.

Ever want to be one of those know-it-all reviewers?
Got a book to recommend?
Want to write a blurb?
Have a child with a favorite book who would like to contribute to the Smythie?

We welcome contributors (less for us to write!), especially children and teens to review and recommend favorite books. Just drop Heidi Deacon an e-mail at librarian@smythpl.org or “reply” to this and we’ll include it here. It need not be a new book – it can be a golden oldie, a classic, a trashy beach book or whatever you have enjoyed.
I hope you have enjoyed this edition. Comments, suggestions and, of course, reviews are always welcomed.
Rick Mitchell and the library staff
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