Sylvan Saturdays are back Saturday, November 9, from 9:30 AM-1:30 PM. Teens can attend this workshop, an introductory ACT Prep course, that will give students some tips and strategies for scoring higher on the ACT. It will also include a full length practice test with scoring. You must attend the entire session. Registration required.

Help plan an after-hours teen lock-in at the library for December (you can even get your volunteer hours for doing it!) Planning will be held in the Purple Room.

• Nov. 20 7-8pm Planning Session
• Nov. 26 7-8pm Planning Session
• Dec. 2 7-8pm Planning Session
• Dec. 9 7-8pm Planning Session
• Dec. 14 6-9 PM Lock In

Photo: Four Teens Jumping in Parking Lot by Pink Sherbert (CC by 2.0)

Into board games like Settlers, Carcassonne, or Puerto Rico? Drop by Saturday, November 2 between Noon and 5:45 PM for our monthly Board Gaming League of Canton meeting. Play some of the hottest games and meet some new folks!

Join us on Saturday, November 16 from 2:00-3:00 PM for a peek into the world which no one alive today has witnessed first-hand. As living historians renowned for their knowledge on daily life of the mid-19th century, Larissa Fleishman and Ken Giorlando will draw you into their world of horses & carriages, oil lamps & candles, and hoop skirts & top hats as they bring back the everyday life of long ago.

"Our Own Snug Fireside” is a program for audiences of all ages which offers a first-hand look into the activities, chores, occupations, manners, etiquette, and clothing of a time from over one hundred and fifty years ago. Using replica artifacts, entertaining exchanges, fun filled facts, and a bit of humor our presenters will show what life was like during such an intense time in American History: The Civil War.

Mrs. Fleishman and Mr. Giorlando have been students of history for decades, and not only have intently studied the everyday life of our ancestors, but have also been involved in the practice of historical presenting and living history/reenacting for nearly as long. “Our Own Snug Fireside” is certainly a chance to see history come alive.

[Tatton Park Sept 201027 by DeviousWolf Photography is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0]

Pinterest addicts and newbies alike are invited to come together for a crafting party! Join us on Tuesday, November 12, from 6:30-8:30 PM in the Purple Room for a Holiday Pinterest Party. You will get a brief overview of what Pinterest is and how to use it, plus make three Pinterest-inspired, holiday crafts. Registration required.

We are honoring the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address with an amazing Civil War traveling exhibit and a special showing of Lincoln. Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Academy Award winner Daniel Day Lewis, this profoundly thought-provoking movie focuses on Lincoln's final months in office as he struggles to end the war, emancipate the slaves and reunite our country. Four score and seven years ago... please join us on November 20 at 6:00 PM to share this movie and a few snacks with friends and neighbors.

Join us for informal open play as well as a tournament by the "Library Chess Clubs" on the fourth Sunday of each month in the library community room. For tournament information and registration, please email clubchess@wowway.com. This chess is open to 10 year olds and up.

Join other handcrafters for an evening of sharing. All ages and stages are welcome at this informal gathering on Monday, November 11 at 7:00 PM in the library's Purple Room. Bring your own projects, yarn and needles. No registration needed.

On Tuesday, November 5 from 4:30-5:15 PM, Thirupu Siva will teach young people from 6-16 years of age the basic asanas, building up to various intermediate poses. Please wear loose fitting clothing and bring a towel or yoga mat to work on. If you have long hair, please tie it back. Registration for this program begins on October 22.

[Vrksasana – postura del árbol / Amineko Yoga by ((carola)) is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0]

Armor and blood: the Battle of Kursk, the turning point of World War II by Dennis E. Showalter

Catastrophe 1914: Europe goes to war by Max Hastings

Constellation of genius: 1922: modernism year one by Kevin Jackson

Dallas 1963 by Bill Minutaglio and Steven L. Davis

Finding the Dragon Lady: the mystery of Vietnam's Madame Nhu by Monique Brinson Demery

The history of the Renaissance world: from the rediscovery of Aristotle to the conquest of Constantinople by Susan Wise Bauer

Autobiography of Mark Twain: complete and authoritative edition. Volume 2 by edited by Banjamin Griffin, Harriet E. Smith, Victor Fischer, Michael B. Frank

Becoming Mr. October by Reggie Jackson with Kevin Baker

Book of ages: the life and opinions of Jane Franklin by Jill Lepore

The butler: a witness to history by Wil Haygood

Empty mansions: the mysterious life of Huguette Clark and the spending of a great American fortune by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr

Jack London: an American life by Earle Labor

Last year marked the 50th anniversary of one of the most pivotal moments of the Cold War. For 13 days in October 1962, the United States and the former Soviet Union engaged in a political and military standoff over the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles in Cuba — just 90 miles off the U.S. coast. President John F. Kennedy notified the country about the presence of the missiles in an historic television address on October 22, 1962. It was during this speech that he explained his decision to enact a naval blockade around Cuba. Because of this many, people believed the world was on the brink of nuclear war. Disaster was averted, however when Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for the U.S. not invading Cuba, and also removing U.S. missiles from Turkey. The confrontation was officially ended on October 28, 1962.

Maximum danger: Kennedy, the missiles, and the crisis of American confidence by Robert Weisbrot

One minute to midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro on the brink of nuclear war by Michael Dobbs

Use National Chemistry Week (October 20-26) as a motivator to learn about some of the fascinating and groundbreaking discoveries by chemists throughout history:

Mendeleyev's dream: the quest for the elements by Paul Strathern

Napoleon's buttons: how 17 molecules changed history by Penny Le Couteur, Jay Burreson

The Curies: a biography of the most controversial family in science by Denis Brian

Mauve: how one man invented a color that changed the world by Simon Garfield

The invention of air: a story of science, faith, revolution, and the birth of America by Steven Johnson

Marie Curie: a life by Susan Quinn

Set in the antebellum United States, the new film 12 Years a Slave is based on the true story of Solomon Northrup, a free black man from upstate New York who is abducted and sold into slavery. The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti, and Brad Pitt. For more reading:

The classic slave narratives by edited and with an introduction by Henry Louis Gates, Jr

Bullwhip days

Celia, a slave by Melton A. McLaurin

Harriet Jacobs: a life by Jean Fagan Yellin

The life and adventures of Henry Bibb: an American slave by Henry Bibb ; with a new introduction by Charles J. Heglar

Beyond the windswept dunes: the story of maritime Muskegon by Elizabeth B. Sherman

Deadly voyage: the S.S. Daniel J. Morrell tragedy by Andrew Kantar

Gales of November: the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Robert J. Hemming

Many a midnight ship: true stories of Great Lakes shipwrecks by Mark Bourrie

Mighty Fitz: the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Michael Schumacher

Ships and men of the Great Lakes by Dwight Boyer

Ships gone missing: the Great Lakes storm of 1913 by Robert J. Hemming

Raja Yoga Meditation helps you reach a deeper understanding of yourself, your intrinsic positive qualities and your innate value. Join practitioners from the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University every Sunday from 2:45-5:45 PM in the Purple Room to explore these universal concepts and encourage your inner spiritual development toward a fresh perspective on values such as justice, freedom, respect and love.

*2:45-4:00 PM class is for registrants only. You may register with Brahma Kumaris in Michigan by calling 248.987.2687 or emailing farmingtonhills@us.brahmakumaris.org
*4:00-5:45 PM class is open to any and all participants. No registration is necessary.

December Topics (vary from week to week):

• 1st - THERE WILL BE NO CLASS ON THIS DAY.
• 8th — Art of meditation
• 15th — Healing Power of Mediation
• 22nd — Inner Beauty
• 29th — World Peace through meditation

Hey Kids. Don't be fooled by LB's most recent picture. He is not in Paris, France. He is in Las Vegas, Nevada. Who knew they looked so much alike? He was there last week, soaking up the sun.

From what I can tell, Las Vegas is like having everything in one place. There is a bit of New York, a bit of California, a little bit of Detroit, and even a castle. You could play some pretty good jokes on your friends, like LB did to me, by taking pictures there. Sneaky Bear.

Bear Hugs,
Thorndyke

Fall Astronomy Day (October 13) is a good time to read up on some of the noted astronomers of the past, or watch an informative documentary:

Galileo in Rome: the rise and fall of a troublesome genius by William R. Shea and Mariano Artigas

Copernicus' secret: how the scientific revolution began by Jack Repcheck

Edwin Hubble: mariner of the nebulae by Gale E. Christianson

Galileo: a life by James Reston, Jr

Kepler's witch: an astronomer's discovery of cosmic order amid religious war, political intrigue, and the heresy trial of his mother by James A. Connor

Carl Sagan: a life by Keay Davidson

Celebrate Teen Read Week (Oct. 13-19) by voting now for your favorite books of 2013! Or, check out the top ten winners from last year.

In the spirit of Columbus Day read about some of the other explorers who ventured out in search of new worlds:

Amerigo: the man who gave his name to America by Felipe Fernández-Armesto

Henry Hudson: dreams and obsession by Corey Sandler

La Salle: a perilous odyssey from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico by Donald S. Johnson

Over the edge of the world: Magellan's terrifying circumnavigation of the globe by Laurence Bergreen

Champlain's dream by David Hackett Fischer

Hernando de Soto: a savage quest in the Americas by David Ewing Duncan