My mom used to celebrate the start of the school year by singing “September, September, I love you September” to the tune of Tomorrow from the musical Annie. Now school starts in August for Waltham students…and judging by the number of fun school stories out there the start of school is fun for more than moms and dads. Among others there are the Wayside School series by Louis Sachar for 5th-6th grade level readers and the My Weird School series by Dan Gutman for 3rd-4th grade level readers. Younger readers can enjoy school stories by authors such as Miriam Cohen and we have a bunch of books for those just starting school or pre-school. If school gets too serious we also have school joke books at the call number j818.54.

posted by Lisa

Waltham set a record for the number of contributors and number of photos contributed at a Mass. Memories Road Show!! Staff at the Mass. Studies Project will be working hard to process the photos, video and data and will update here once they are live on the website.

If you haven’t seen it yet, take a look at the WCAC-TV piece on the Road Show done by Chris Wangler.

Our official stats for the Waltham Mass. Memories Road Show (July 16, 2011):

204 attendees

195 contributors

582 images (including 85 keepsake photos)

50 videos

Thank you to all of the contributors, organizers and roadies who made the event such a success!  And thanks to the sponsors:

Waltham West Suburban Chamber of Commerce

Friends of the Waltham Public Library

Waltham Historical Society

National Archives

UMass Boston

Mass Humanities

Waltham Museum

I listen to a lot of audiobooks. Some are like sitcoms: they’re entertaining while they’re on, but they don’t really stick with you. But then, there are some that are really well done and make a big impression. It struck me recently, during a conversation with a friend about Kathryn Stockett’s The Help, that many of the audiobooks that have really stood out for me have had multiple narrators. Octavia Spencer, one of the 4 narrators of The Help, will also appear as an actress in the upcoming movie version.

I find multiple narrators can really add something to a story. Sometimes it helps the listener keep multiple characters, points of view or time periods from getting confusing. Here’s a list of some of the audiobooks with multiple narrators available in the Minuteman Library Network. Feel free to click the links to be taken to the catalog to check availability or to place a request.

2666 by Roberto Bolano (Fiction) available on CD

The Art of Detection by Laurie King (Mystery) available on CD

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (Fiction) available on CD

The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory (Fiction) available on CD

The Collectors by David Baldacci (Fiction) available on CD

Dune by Frank Herbert (Science Fiction) available on CD or downloadable WMA

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer (Fiction) available on CD

From a Buick 8 by Stephen King (Fiction) available on CD

Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (Fiction) available on CD

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Fiction) available on CD or downloadable WMA

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss (Fiction) available on CD

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (Science Fiction) available on CD

Last Orders by Graham Swift (Fiction) available on CD

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann (Fiction) available on CD

A Long Way Down by Nick Hornsby (Fiction) available on CD

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult (Fiction) available on CD or in Spanish on CD

Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova (Fiction) available on CD or downloadable WMA or Playaway

Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (Fiction) available on CD

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (Fiction) available on CD

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (Fiction) available on
CD or downloadable WMA or Playaway

Happy Listening!

posted by Deb 8/2/2011