There is a lot of fervor about the upcoming national and local elections. For those who love to voice their political and ideological views, we are featuring two special programs this fall. Both are conversations facilitated and sponsored by the New York Council for the Humanities. Here is a chance to speak out and share your thoughts with others.

"Clear and Present Danger:Free Speech and the Constitution" is the first featured on October 2 @ 1PM. James Coll, a professor at Nassau Comunity College and a detective with NYPD leads a discussion on landmark Supreme Court decisions and the delicate balance between this important civil liberty and public safety in America. There is short preparatory material available, call 634-4997 ext 139 to receive a copy.

The second is "Democracy" on November 8 @ 1PM. This conversation sets out to determine if our ideology has changed from 150 years ago. Former director of the African Burial Ground in NYC and currently adjunct instructor, Dr. Sherrill Wilson leads the audience to review American values in the past, present and also the future. 

The summer's nearly over, alas!  In a week, it's back to pencils and books (or computers and smartboards) for the younger generation.  If you've got kids in school you might hesitate to pick up a long novel right now, with the demands of the school year looming so close.  Or maybe you don't have kids, but end-of-summer burnout is making your reading pile look like the Tower of Babel.  Well, fear not!  The library (as always) has an answer for you: Young Adult books... for grown-ups!

Young Adult (or "YA") titles tend to be faster reads for adults, but that doesn't mean they're poorer ones.  These books will hook you early and hard, grabbing your attention from the get-go.  Think about it-- they have to grab a teen's attention away from school, sports, friends, social media, texting, gaming, movies, shopping... you get the idea.  And in the name of grabbing that audience, YA authors are often willing to be more innovative and edgy than their adult-market counterparts-- telling an entire story through chat windows, for example, or using Death himself as a narrator.

One of the great things about the summer is grilling and barbecuing.  It is the only time I do less cooking.  Perhaps it’s because the man of the house suddenly takes an interest in preparing the meals.  The summer heat seems to beckon the call of the wild in him.  Even with the frequent rain we’ve been having, it doesn’t deter him from cooking outdoors.   Nothing comes between the man and the meat on his grill.  And to make the food on that grill receive the highest compliments, he makes use of rubs and marinades to spice things up.  This inspires the family to offer their “ooh and aahs” as Dad is saluted for his supreme grilling talents. 

What are you reading before you get your turn for that wildly popular new title?  Here are some more suggestions to consider while you're waiting. 

While I like all of our databases I do have a favorite that I use all the time. That database is Novelist Plus, fun to use and a great help to those of us who do readers advisory.  You can use it to find books in series order, find a read-alike, a book review, a book discussion guide and much more.  If you remember parts of a plot and forget the author and title, you can describe the plot in a few words and see what Novelist finds.  There are feature articles about authors, genres and trends in literature.  There are lists of annotated recommended books by genres and sub-genres, for example, religious mysteries, humorous romances and biblical fiction.  One of the nice features is the read-alikes, for every book you click on, Novelist will provide three read-alikes.  This database is great for book discussion groups searching for another title.  They have also partnered with GoodReads, so you can check other reader reviews.  In some cases, it provides a first chapter, ao you can get a sample of the book.