Beginning immediately, the Library is offering an amnesty for all overdue materials including books, digital media and other items that may be in patrons’ possession.

If those with overdue materials return them to either Central or Fairmont Branch no later than their close of business June 1 of this year, your total amount due will be only $10 per library card overdue account to reinstate borrowing privileges and library computer access.

While most patrons will see the amount in arrears permanently erased, those with very high fines or materials charges, while gaining immediate privileges, may be reviewed at a later date to verify they are now in compliance with library policies. Those with continuing problems will be subject to collection efforts.

And speaking of policies, June 1 also marks the beginning of some library circulation guidelines that have been recently revised. These revisions will more closely define acceptable identification to secure library membership, trim the number of materials that may be checked out at any one time, and clarify financial responsibility for minors’ borrowings when they are overdue or unreturned. These changes were put in place to more closely monitor library materials and enable effective and efficient return of items to the library’s shelves.

Other minor policy changes were also included in the revision, the first in several years, to meet the needs of our community in a safe library environment, one that encourages study and enrichment.

The complete copy of all changes is available here, but patrons may find the most important revisions available here in a simplified overview. These revisions are also available in overview in a Spanish language version here.

While lots of us are still suffering from May’s pollen as well as enjoying its many flowers, it is a good time to enjoy the highly filtered air-conditioning and take advantage of all the free things at your Pasadena Library. Come check out our new gardening and landscaping books as well as the new thrillers, mysteries, vampire tales and hot titles for all ages. Be sure and allow some extra time to take a good look at the new exhibit featuring “The Titanic: 100 Years of a Night Forever Remembered,” with its many photos and artifacts of the world of ocean liners in 1912. Top off your visit with some nice hot coffee and chocolate treats at bargain rates from our Friend’s Bookstore and check out the vintage jewelry and other items up for bids in our Silent Auction-you may find just the spring gift you were looking for.

The Fairmont Branch Library’s First Monday Book Club will be reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, and will be meeting on Monday, May 7 at 6:00 p.m. in the Meeting Room at the Fairmont Library. Come and enjoy discussing the unusual tale of a “single lady” author and her wildly assorted group of neighbors as they write about and share stories of their lives as they are living under the Nazi occupation of their island of Guernsey in World War II.

The Central Library’s Tea-Time Mystery Book Blub will be reading The Cat, the Lady and the Liar by Leann Sweeney, and will be meeting on Monday, May 21 at 3:30 p.m. in the Board Room at the Central Library. Coffee, tea and assorted tasty goodies will be served as the group follows cat quilter (and amateur sleuth) Jillian Hart as she attempts to find the owner of a gorgeous stray cat and ends up in the middle of a decades old mystery with a killer who just won’t quit.

 

Contact Kenya Johnson (First Monday) at the Fairmont Library 281-998-1095 X 14 or Lucy Turoff (Tea-Time Mystery) 713-475-4984 for more information regarding these two book clubs.

Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff

In a.d. 125, a young Roman centurion must recover the infamous Ninth Legion’s missing symbol of honor, the eagle standard. A young centurion ventures among the hostile tribes beyond the Roman Wall to recover the eagle standard of the Ninth, a legion which mysteriously disappeared under his father’s command.

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

In rural Ohio, friendships and a beautiful girl prove distracting to a fifteen-year-old who has hidden on Earth for ten years waiting to develop the Legacies, or powers, he will need to rejoin the other six surviving Garde members and fight the Mogadorians who destroyed their planet, Lorien. Nine alien teenagers are hiding on Earth. Three are dead. Number four is next. This is the launch of a gripping, action-packed series already optioned for film by Steven Spielberg for DreamWorks.

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

When one of their group mysteriously disappears, four high school girls find it difficult to maintain their friendship as they begin receiving taunting messages from someone who seems to know all their past and present secrets. The four naughty girls at the heart of “Pretty Little Liars” think their secrets are safe with Alison, but now they’re receiving creepy messages from someone named “A, in the first installment of Shepard’s addictive series.

Beastly by Alex Flinn

A modern retelling of “Beauty and the Beast” from the point of view of the Beast, a vain Manhattan private school student who is turned into a monster and must find true love before he can return to his human form.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

By winning the annual Hunger Games, District 12 tributes Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have secured a life of safety and plenty for themselves and their families, but because they won by defying the rules, they unwittingly become the faces of an impending rebellion. Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge…

Angel by James Patterson

Heartbroken after her best friend and soul mate, Fang, leaves her flock, Maximum Ride begins to believe the evil scientists trying to convince her she needs to save the world, and that Dylan, the newest member of her flock, is her perfect mate. In the seventh book in the bestselling series, evil scientists are still trying to convince Max that she needs to save the world, this time by providing the genetic link in speeding up the pace of evolution. Worse, they’re trying to convince her that her perfect mate is Dylan, the newest addition to the flock. The problem is that, despite herself, Max is starting to believe it.

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

A latest entry in the series that includes Clockwork Angel finds Clary, Jace and Simon struggling with new levels of dark temptation and betrayal as well as a prospective romance.

Goosebumps is a series of children’s horror fiction novels written by American author R. L. Stine and first published by Scholastic Publishing. It is a collection of stories that feature semi-homogenous plot structures, with fictional kids being involved in scary situations. Themes in the series include horror, humor and the supernatural.

Sixty-two books were published under the Goosebumps umbrella title from 1992 to 1997. Various spin-off series were written by Stine: Goosebumps Series 2000, Give Yourself Goosebumps, Tales to Give You Goosebumps, Goosebumps Triple Header and Goosebumps HorrorLand. Another series, Goosebumps Gold, was never released.

Since the release of its first novel, Welcome to Dead House in July 1992, the books have gained immense popularity and commercial success worldwide. As of 2008, the series has sold over 350 million books worldwide in thirty-five languages and has been listed in many bestseller lists, including the New York Times Best Seller list for children. The series has spawned a television series and numerous merchandise.

Suggested Titles:

 
 
 
Goosebumps : Terror trips - R. L. Stine, Jill Thompson, Jamie Tolagson and Amy Kim Ganter

Featuring artwork from acclaimed comic artists, presents a graphic novel adaptation of three best-selling Goosebumps books, in which rides become creepy and fish in the sea turn into scary creatures. Simultaneous.

Stay out of the basement - R. L. Stine
 

When Margaret and Casey see their father become weedy while working on his botany experiments, they worry that his plant-testing may not be entirely harmless.

 
 
 Egg monsters from Mars – R. L. Stine

Disgusted by his bratty kid sister’s demand for an egg hunt as part of a birthday celebration, Dana Johnson is amazed when he finds a football-sized, purple-veined egg that hatches a terrifying surprise.

The horror at Chiller house – R. L. Stine
 

Andy, Sam, Jessica, Meg, Marco, and Ray are trapped by Jonathan Chiller, who expects payment for the rare HorrorLand souvenirs they have taken by playing his deadly game.

wikipedia article about Hilary Duff
 

Check out these titles by Hilary Duff –

 
Elixir – by Hilary Duff and Elise Allen

Clea Raymond has felt the glare of the spotlight her entire life. The daughter of a renowned surgeon and a prominent Washington DC politician, she has grown to be a talented photojournalist who takes refuge in a career that allows her to travel to the most exotic parts of the world. But after Clea’s father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea’s photos begin to feature eerie, shadowy images of a strange and beautiful man – a man she has never seen before. When fate brings Clea and this man together, she is stunned by the immediate and powerful connection she feels with him. As they grow closer, they are drawn deep into the mystery behind her father’s disappearance, and they discover the centuries old truth behind their intense bond. Torn by a dangerous love triangle and haunted by a powerful secret that holds their fates, together they race against time to unravel their pasts in order to save their lives – and their futures.

Devoted – Hilary Duff

Since Sage was kidnapped, Clea has no way of knowing if he is alive or dead. And even though she has only just discovered they were soulmates, she feels like a part of her is lost forever. What’s worse, she can’t even turn to her best friend Ben—because every time she looks at him, all she sees is his betrayal.

But waiting for something to happen is not an option, so Clea is ready for action. Suffering through dreams of seeing Sage with another woman, she makes an uneasy alliance with Sage’s enemies and sets out to be reunited with Sage…in this life or the next.

 

 

 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a pentalogy of humorous fiction books written by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. The books are the journals of the main character, whose name is Greg Heffley.

Befitting a child’s diary, they are filled with hand written notes and simple drawings of his daily adventures. The first three books of the series are based on a visual novel featured on FunBrain; the other books are thought to derive from the visual novel as well, but the series’ website denies this.

Check out these awesome funny books!

Diary of a wimpy kid : Greg Heffley’s journal / by Jeff Kinney

Greg records his sixth grade experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, hope just to survive, but when Rowley grows more popular, Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship.

Diary of a wimpy kid : Rodrick rules / by Jeff Kinney

Greg Heffley tells about his summer vacation and his attempts to steer clear of trouble when he returns to middle school and tries to keep his older brother Rodrick from telling everyone about Greg’s most humiliating experience of the summer.

Diary of a wimpy kid: dog days / by Jeff Kinney

In the latest diary of middle-schooler Greg Heffley, he records his attempts to spend his summer vacation sensibly indoors playing video games and watching television, despite his mother’s other ideas.

Diary of a wimpy kid : the ugly truth / Jeff Kinney

Since their last event together did not go well, middle-schoolers Greg Heffley and his friend Rowley must decide whether they will stay friends. 
 

Diary of a wimpy kid : the last straw / by Jeff Kinney

Middle-schooler Greg Heffley nimbly sidesteps his father’s attempts to change Greg’s wimpy ways until his father threatens to send him to military school.
 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid was well received from the Princeton Review, Gold Card Association, The Dallas News, The TRR Editors, The NW Press, and The JJ Printing Company. There are five books in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and each one of them has a different color.

Official Site – http://www.wimpykid.com/

You might have heard of some of his other books, Captain Underpants and the Dumb Bunnies? How about A Friend for Dragon or The Hallo-wiener? Dav has been writing books for children of all ages since the early 1990’s. He is already up to number 46 – with more to come.

No underpants for dogs

An interesting thing you might have noticed is that Dav’s name is spelled in a unique way. This started this when he worked at Pizza Hut in the 80’s. His manager ran out of room on his name badge and dropped the letter ‘e’ from the end – and the name Dav just stuck!

So grab yourself a copy of The Adventures of Ook and Gluck at the Pasadena Public Library! If you would like more information on Dav Pilkey and his many children’s books, check out the websites below. They are full of stories, information, coloring pages and games. Also, check out Dav Pilkey’s instructions on how to create your own Flip-O-Rama story on YouTube!

http://www.pilkey.com
http://www.scholastic.com/captainunderpants/

William Blake's The Great Red Dragon

Here is a list of some “angelic titles” that could sway you on the side of good. Check these out.

Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She’s never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment. But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora’s not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can’t decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel. For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen – and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

Kissed By an Angel by Elizabeth Chandler

Murder, ghosts, and eternal love tangle together in this unforgettable trilogy of romance and suspense, now bound together in a single volume.
 
 

Torment by Lauren Kate

Hell on earth. That’s what it’s like for Luce to be apart from her fallen angel boyfriend, Daniel. It took them an eternity to find one another, but now he has told her he must go away. Just long enough to hunt down the Outcasts-immortals who want to kill Luce. Daniel hides Luce at Shoreline, a school on the rocky California coast with unusually gifted students: Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans. At Shoreline, Luce learns what the Shadows are, and how she can use them as windows to her previous lives. Yet the more Luce learns, the more she suspects that Daniel hasn’t told her everything. He’s hiding something-something dangerous. What if Daniel’s version of the past isn’t actually true? What if Luce is really meant to be with someone else? The second novel in the addictive FALLEN series . . . where love never dies.

Fallen by Lauren Kate

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori. Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword and Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move. Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret… even if it kills her. Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, Fallen is a page turning thriller and the ultimate love story.

The Angel Experiment by James Patterson

In James Patterson’s blockbuster series, fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride, better known as Max, knows what it’s like to soar above the world. She and all the members of the “flock”–Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel–are just like ordinary kids–only they have wings and can fly. It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph into a living nightmare at any time…like when Angel, the youngest member of the flock, is kidnapped and taken back to the “School” where she and the others were experimented on by a crew of wack jobs. Her friends brave a journey to blazing hot Death Valley, CA, to save Angel, but soon enough, they find themselves in yet another nightmare–this one involving fighting off the half-human, half-wolf “Erasers” in New York City. Whether in the treetops of Central Park or in the bowels of the Manhattan subway system, Max and her adopted family take the ride of their lives. Along the way Max discovers from her old friend and father-figure Jeb–now her betrayed and greatest enemy–that her purpose is save the world–but can she?

Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you are traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.) Then her dad turns up dead but still walking and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever or “whoever” is hunting her?

Meridian by Amber Kizer

Half-human, half-angel, Meridian Sozu has a dark responsibility. Sixteen-year-old Meridian has been surrounded by death ever since she can remember. As a child, insects, mice, and salamanders would burrow into her bedclothes and die. At her elementary school, she was blamed for a classmate’s tragic accident. And on her sixteenth birthday, a car crashes in front of her family home—and Meridian’s body explodes in pain. Before she can fully recover, Meridian is told that she’s a danger to her family and hustled off to her great-aunt’s house in Revelation, Colorado. It’s there that she learns that she is a Fenestra—the half-angel, half-human link between the living and the dead. But Meridian and her sworn protector and love, Tens, face great danger from the Aternocti, a band of dark forces who capture vulnerable souls on the brink of death and cause chaos.

The Fairmont Branch Library’s First Monday Book Club will be reading The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot and will meet on Monday, February 6, at 6:00 p.m. in the Conference Room at the Fairmont Branch Library to discuss this very interesting work.

The Central Library’s Tea-Time Mystery Book Club will be reading The Collectors by David Baldacci and will meet on Monday, January 20, at 3:30 p.m. in the Board Room of the Central Library. Coffee, tea, roses, and CHOCOLATE will be shared in the company of interesting people while discussing this suspenseful work by one of today’s best-selling authors.

Pasadena Public Library proudly took part in the “Stop SOPA” Internet Blackout on January 18th, 2012.

We joined internet presences great and small (including Wikipedia, Google, WordPress.org, and many libraries and individual blog owners) to help raise awareness about this pending bill and the severe ramifications it would have on free speech and the freedom of the internet.

By providing a pop-up with quick information about SOPA, its threat to free speech and access to internet content, AND providing a way to contact local representatives with ease, the voices of U.S. citizens have been heard — Brendan Sasso of the Hill.com technology blog wrote:

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) announced on Friday that he will postpone consideration of his Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) until there is wider agreement on the controversial legislation.

“I have heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online piracy,” Smith said. “It is clear that we need to revisit the approach on how best to address the problem of foreign thieves that steal and sell American inventions and products.”

Smith’s announcement came just minutes after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced he would shelve the Senate’s version of the anti-piracy legislation, the Protect IP Act.

Smith was the author of SOPA and its most vocal proponent. He had repeatedly said the bill did not need to be changed and accused the critics of “spreading lies.”

But support for the bill collapsed after a massive Web protest on Wednesday. Major sites including Google and Wikipedia either shut down in protest or displayed messages opposing the legislation.

Add to that the Motion Picture Association’s Chris Dodd, saying:

“This is altogether a new effect,” Mr. Dodd said, comparing the online movement to the Arab Spring. He could not remember seeing “an effort that was moving with this degree of support change this dramatically” in the last four decades.

The Pasadena Public Library is actively working to ensure your access to cultural and educational materials by participating in events such as the Internet Blackout.

We are proud to serve the community of Pasadena, Texas both online as well as at both our locations by providing free access to internet resources in both our locations, including free wifi, free computer classes at our business center teaching Microsoft Word, Excel, and classes for Internet en Espanol, as well as easy access to our vast array of online databases both in the library and from the comfort of your home through our site at PPLTX.net.

For more information on the services we can provide, please contact us through this site, or call us at (713) 477-0276.