Mark Dawidziak presents his one man show featuring selections from various Dickens works including The Story of Paul from "Dombey and Son", The Ghost of Christmas Present from "A Christmas Carol," the Period from "A Tale of Two Cities" and a delightfully macabre bedtime story, Captain Murder from "An Uncommercial Traveler."

Step back in time as we begin the holiday season on a very entertaining note on Thursday, December 13th at 7:00 PM.

Join other handcrafters for an eveing of sharing and learning.  All ages and stages are welcome at this informal gathering on Monday, December 10 at 7:00 PM in the library Purple Room.  Bring your own project, yarn and needles.

Tim Heller, avid chess player, hosts informal open play on the second and fourth Sundays of most months in the library Community Room, while providing instruction and pointers on improving your game.  Beginners are welcome.  The 4th Sundays include a tournament by "Library Chess Clubs."  For tournament information and registration, please email clubchess@wowway.com
December date is the 9th at 1:00 PM.
No December 23rd date due to holidays.

Chinese writer Mo Yan 莫言, winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, set much of his fiction in his home province Shandong, China. His books touch on many of contemporary China’s most sensitive themes, including the Cultural Revolution and the country's strict family-planning policies. The award citation states that "Mo Yan has created a world reminiscent in its complexity of those in the writings of William Faulkner and Gabriel García Márquez, at the same time finding a departure point in old Chinese literature and in oral tradition." CPL has many of his works in Chinese, a couple in English translations, as well as a DVD of his Red Sorghum.

Election themed entertainment to help you set the mood for November 6, 2012.

Election

Ides of March

The Manchurian candidate

State of the union

Milk

Napoleon Dynamite

The Wayne State University School of Library and Information Science Alumni are partnering with Hip Hop Knit Shop and Children's Hospital of Michigan to bring sick kids books, toys and stories and both the Canton and Plymouth Libraries are drop-off points. Starting November 1 through December 12, we will be collecting books and toys, telling stories, navigating art carts and knitting blankets for the kids at Children's Hospital. Join us as we help to make kids feel better this holiday season!

Hey kids, I told you LB was still at it. He just got home from his last trip for a while, a week in Chicago, Illinois. Now, LB's been to Chicago before (briefly) and I'm sure that many of you have been there too, being that it is so close. But I haven't, so most of what LB saw was new to me. First of all, LB got to take the train. It's the second time he's ridden one. I think LB just has to go on a cruise ship and he'll have experienced pretty much every type of transportation there is. And he got to meet Sue. Have you met Sue? She's big and has a very nice smile. She's a T-Rex skeleton at the Field Museum. And he spent a bit of time exploring Nacy Pier where he rode a ferris wheel and he went to the top of the Willis Tower. Apparently LB is not afraid of heights. He's been lots of places way up high! But I think he's ready to stay put for a while. I'm glad because it's been lonely around here without him.

Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke

Learn to create a spreadsheet and manage a
list with Microsoft Excel 2007.
Prerequisite: Mouse and keyboarding skills.
Join us Tuesday, December 11th from 10:00 to 11:30 AM. 

If you just can't take one more rendition of The Monster Mash or The Purple People Eater at your next Halloween party, then try some of our suggestions below:

• Alison Gross
• Bad moon rising
• The battle of evermore
• Black magic woman
• Boris the spider
• The creature from the black lagoon
• Dead man's party
• Dream on
• Graveyard train
• The green manalishi (with the two-pronged crown)
• Hell hound on my trail
• Human fly
• I put a spell on you
• Love potion number nine
• Moon over Bourbon Street
• Pet sematary
• Season of the witch
• Spooky
• Vampire blues
• Voodoo child
• Werewolves of London
• Wicked Annabella
• Witch's promise
• Witchy woman
• Zombie boy
• Zombie zoo

Γεια σας παιδιά! Now don't adjust your screen — that's just "Hi Kids" in Greek. Yup, LB just got back from exploring Greece. Looks like he had lots of fun eating lobster, seeing ancient art and swimming in the ocean. I bet you know more about Greece than you think you do. The Olympics originated there, and you know all those gods in the Percy Jackson books you like? Yup. They're from Greece too. And if you like Baklava, they make it in Greece. Yum! Sounds like a place I'd like to go. Keep you eyes open.

On November 29, from 6:30-8:30 PM, Starfish Family Services will present the second of a two-part Problem Solving series titled, Children Can Solve Their Own Problems. Their trained instructor will present an important six-step process to encourage children to resolve conflicts on their own. Attendees are encouraged to bring their children into the Purple Room to play with Starfish's licensed daycare providers while the caregiver's program takes place in the Community Room.

Are you in 5th, 6th, or 7th grade and looking for ways to fulfill your community service requirement for school? Join us and work as our Tween Service Corps. You can earn one hour of your community service time and also have fun helping out in the Children's Department. Our next date will be Saturday, November 10, 2012 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM. We look forward to seeing you!

Join library staff and other eReader users as we share eBook tips and tricks in an informal environment. Group will meet Thursday, November 15th from 7:00-8:00 PM in Meeting Room A.

Practice speaking English in an informal setting with Community Literacy Council volunteers November Fridays from 9:30 to 11:00 AM in the Purple Room.

Interested in writing? Join other adults to share your work, get feedback and discuss the craft of writing. We will meet at 2:00 PM on:

• Saturday, November 10

Learn to create a spreadsheet and manage a list with Microsoft Excel 2007. Prerequisite: Mouse and keyboarding skills. Join us Friday, November 9th from 10:00 to 11:30 AM.

On Thursday, November 8 at noon we'll be discussing:

The language of flowers: a novel by Vanessa Diffenbaugh — After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, Victoria Jones is unable to get close to anybody and her only connection to the world is through flowers. She uses the Victorian language of flowers (originally developed to convey romance) to communicate grief, mistrust, and solitude. Praised by Booklist as "enchanting, ennobling, and powerfully engaging", this debut novel creates a vivid portrait of a woman whose gift for flowers helps her change the lives of others even as she struggles to overcome her own troubled past. 

Looking for a new dish for your holiday table? Want to share the great potluck dish everyone raved about at the last party you attended? Share your favorite recipes, or discover new ones with our Holiday Recipe Exchange.

Bring in several copies of your favorite recipe (printed out on an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper and paper clipped together) to put in the Holiday Recipe Exchange kiosk located by the Reception Desk from mid-November through late December. Look at the recipes others have left, and take home a new recipe or two.

If you prefer to share your recipe online, simply add the recipe in a comment to this blog post.

Bon Appetit!

Interested in a little light office work? The CPL Business Services office needs help with filing documents and other clerical duties, including some data entry.

If you can volunteer 2 hours weekly (your choice of Monday through Friday between 10:00 AM-5:00 PM), are detail-oriented, neat and accurate, we would like to interview you for this volunteer opportunity. Basic computer skills (use of Internet, keyboarding) are a must; familiarity with Excel and other Microsoft Office applications preferred. Any candidate must be able to:

• Visually distinguish among various account folders
• Understand spoken instructions and communicate clearly with supervisor
• Lift and carry 10-25 lb. if necessary

Applications will be accepted through Friday, November 2 at 6:00 PM.
Email gladdenk@cantonpl.org or drop off at the Reception Desk.