Judith Barr, Associate Director of First Step, will present a program on domestic violence on October 29, 2:00-3:00PM at the Canton Public Library. First Step is a local resource offering free services to individuals affected by domestic violence and sexual assault. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and First Step believes that prevention and awareness are key components to ending violence in our communities.

This program will be held in the library’s Purple Room. It is free, no registration is required. For more information, visit First Step.

Vogue Knitting Beginner Basics

This small book is the perfect beginner guide. It's so compact that you can easily put it in your knitting bag with your project and take it wherever you're going. The instructions for learning how to knit are clear and the accompanying illustrations make things easy to understand. The basic projects range from very-first absolute beginner level to some items that are a little more involved for someone who has been knitting for a while.

Want to play chess? Looking for a worthy opponent? This program is open to children, tweens and teens. Some chess sets will be provided, but you can also bring your own. Register online today.
Program Date: Saturday, October 10, 2:00-4:00PM

From heated discussions on coal and population growth to tips on skin care, cargo-ready bikes, green jobs and ecovilages, E, The Environmental Magazine has got it all. The current issue features an article on actress Daryl Hannah and her work in West Virgina and the work of ecologists to save California's giant green turtles (550 Ibs.!). The library carries last year's issues up the current or you can access their online edition.

Did you know Canton Public Library's three public-use copy machines also double as document scanners? Because the machines have auto sheet feeders, they are great (and fast) for scanning and saving multi-page documents in either pdf or tiff format. You'll need to have an email address, because scanned files are sent electronically to the email address(es) you enter. The Copy Center also offers two letter-size flatbed scanners, which work well for photos and other graphics because you can save your scans in the popular jpeg or a variety of other formats. The flatbed scanners also have OCR (optical character recognition) capabilities, which allow you to scan text pages that convert easily to Word documents so you can edit them. There is no fee to use any of the Copy Center scanners.

The wind turbine pictured here is one of 32 harnessing clean electricity on Harvest Wind Farm in Elkton, MI. (I took this photo during a summer trip to the Thumb Area.) Michigan Wind 1, with 46 turbines, is another wind farm located just north of Elkton in Ubly, MI. Major energy companies like DTE and Consumers Energy are tapping into these and other wind farms in Michigan to supply electric power to their customers. Combined, both wind farms generate about 122 megawatts of electricity — enough to power roughly 35,000 homes.

Wind, solar and geothermal are among the most promising methods to generate clean, renewable energy. You can learn more about a clean energy future by reading Hot, Flat and Crowded, by Thomas Friedman, best-selling author and Pulitzer-prize winning columnist from The New York Times.

You may not know that the epic, fantasy anime Moribito: guardian of the spirit (shown occasionally late night on Cartoon Network) was originally a kids book by Nahoko Uehashi, and that there is now a sequel, Morbito II : guardian of the darkness! This series follows a wondering female bodyguard Balsa, and is set in a world similar to ancient Japan. If you dig a little historical fiction with sword fighting, or if you just want see the original inspiration for the anime, you might want to take a look.

With fall settling in and winter just around the corner consider revisiting an old friend by the fireplace. A novel that you've read before but inspires you to experience its brilliance once again. Emily Bronte's classic Wuthering Heights comes to mind with its brooding romantic mood it is perfect for blustery nights with the wind whistling outside the window. Experience this classic tale of tragic romance and enduring love all over again.

The Alchemy of Color Knitting: The Art and Technique of Mastering Exquisite Palettes by Gina Wilde
There are so many beautiful fibers available for knitting in retail shops and online, but sometimes it can be challenging to combine colors for a pleasing finished product. This book includes a wide variety of projects with a wide variety of color combinations and offers tips on how to combine colors successfully. I've been wanting to learn how to embroider on my handknits, and I think that the Somewhere Over the Rainbow Gloves may be my first attempt.

Our digital photo contest celebrates the Teen Read Week theme Read Beyond Reality. We are looking for photos that are beyond real. Entries can be almost anything as long as the photo is your own. For entry details check out the attachment below.

During the week of October 26, the Michigan Humanities Council will initiate an online dialogue with high school classrooms and residents across the state. The dialogue will focus on Stealing Buddha's Dinner, perspectives presented in Nguyen's author tour, and the themes of cultural understanding, immigration stories, and contemporary history. The public is invited to participate, at the Council's Facebook Discussion Forum.

Hey Kids!
Well, you voted, and the results are in! Now you need to come to the Library to check out my cool Halloween costume! "Wizard" won with a whopping 30 votes. "Superhero" came a distant second with 11 votes. And there was even a write in vote for "Princess". Hmmmm, Royalty could be a good costume for next year. I like the sound of King Thorndyke. Thanks for all your votes--in the library and online! And don't forget to wear your Halloween costume to the library too, 'cause I want to see them! Now I just need to practice my magic words. Abracadabra, Abracazoom! Until next time,
Bear Hugs!
Thorndyke.

Try Comedy Improv Saturday, October 3 from 1:00-4:00PM. Teens in grades 7-12 can join us for some improv comedy games “Whose line?” style. Don’t worry, you don’t have to be great at this. In fact, one of our games is a competition for telling the worst jokes ever. Come to watch or to partake; it’s all good!

Every Monday morning, my email contains a special book. The email book club sends out a few pages every day in email. By the end of the week, you have read two to three chapters of a new book. You can then decide whether you want to check it out at the library or purchase it. It's a great way to discover new authors and genres. There are twelve categories from which to choose - pick one or all of them, including fiction, audio, romance, teen, good news, thrillers, classics and more. Your only requirement is an email account. The next Monday, it starts all over again with new books. What a great idea! This service is sponsored by the Friends of the Canton Public Library and is free to our patrons. Just log onto our web site at www.cantonpl.org, go to the column on the left and click on services. Next, click on book clubs and scroll down to email book club.

Learn about financial aid options, the FAFSA form, scholarships, the MET program and more at this program designed to help you put together a plan for funding your college costs. Judy Benfield Tatum, Financial Ad Director at U of M-Dearborn, a representative from the Michigan Educational Trust and Joan Noricks from the Canton Community Foundation will be at the library on October 5, 6:00-8:00PM to guide you and answer your questions. Registration is required.

In celebration of Banned Books Week, these books were some of the most frequently challenged in 2008.

• And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson
• His Dark Materials (trilogy) by Phillip Pullman
• Forever by Judy Blume
• TTYL; TTFN; L8R, G8R (series) by Lauren Myracle
• Scary Stories (series) by Alvin Schwartz

Banned Books Week takes place annually on the last week of September. It is a celebration of our freedom to read and the importance of our First Amendment right. Celebrate this week by reading a banned book or participating in one of the many banned books activities!

Attention quilters and wanna-be quilters…If you haven’t read the Elm Creek Quilts series, I highly recommend it. They are good stories, incorporating quilting lore, history and patterns. The series stars with The Quilter’s Apprentice. Also available on CD.

Also check out the Elm Creek quilts: quilt projects inspired by the Elm Creek quilt novels. This book contains patterns for quilts that are talked about in the first four books. Anyone who is interested in quilting would enjoy these books.

Knitting in Tuscany: Fabulous Design, Luscious Yarns, Shopping Secrets, Food & Wine, Travel Notes by Nicky Epstein
Knitting guru Epstein returns with a gorgeous book that is equal parts travel guide and pattern book. Filled with stunning photographs, it at times resembles a scrapbook of the author's experiences in this ever-inspiring corner of the world. The patterns range from elegant to rustic, but all evoke the beauty and old-world charm of Tuscany.

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of giant robot shows normally, but I gotta say Code Geass is some good stuff. If you haven't watched it yet you are missing out. Think Gundam crossed with Death Note. Tight, ingenious plotting, lots of action, but also good tense moments of character development. It's just so enjoyable watching Lelouch mysteriously pull himself out of one impossible situation after another. We will be getting the 2nd two discs of the 2nd season in pretty soon (R2).