Homework Help Volunteer Assistants WANTED at the Mission Viejo Library

The Mission Viejo Library offers the Homework Help for elementary school children struggling to understand and complete their homework on Wednesdays from 3:30- 6:00pm beginning Sept. 19.

Parents may sign up their children one week before scheduled appointment. The service is provided by adult volunteers with strong knowledge of elementary school subjects.

We are currently accepting application for Homework Assistants volunteer positions. If you want to gain a valuable teaching experience, make a difference in children’s life, and get community service hours, please contact The Mission Viejo Library at 830-7100 ext 2250.

Staff Picks
Check the blog every Wednesday for updates on what our staff is reading and recommendations for our new and all-time favorite books. What is your favorite book? Post your answer in the comments section below.

On Gold Mountain by Lisa See - recommended by Stephanie

If you enjoyed Amy Tan's Joy Luck Club, you will enjoy this story. Gold mountain is what the Chinese laborers called California during the building of the transcontinental railroad. This is a biography of three generations of Chinese and Americans by noted author Lisa See. It is a history of northern California during the 1860-1920s and Los Angeles in the 1920-1995. Lisa See will be at the Mission Viejo Library on Sept 25 at 7pm.

Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough - recommended by Mike

It is a very interesting book and shows how business and the environment can be beneficial to each other rather than always making compromises between the two. The author promotes "being good" and nourishing the environment through intelligent design and business rather than "being less bad" and attempting to minimize our damage to the environment which is not sustainable. The authors give many examples of design projects they have already completed for major companies. They also talk about the design of the actual book which is very interesting.

Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou - recommended by Megan
This is one of my all-time favorite books. Her writing style is beautiful. You will be amazed by her experiences and the awesome strength she shows as a mother, a writer, and a woman.

Real Style: Style Secrets for Real Women with Real Bodies by Sam Saboura - recommended by Valerie
A woman's best friend is her tailor! And Spanks:) Read this for more great style tips.

Quote of the Week

"A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved. "
-- Kurt Vonnegut

Staff Picks
Check the blog every Wednesday for updates on what our staff is reading and recommendations for our new and all-time favorite books. What is your favorite book? Post your answer in the comments section below.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - recommended by Nick
This book was amazing. The story had many ups and downs. Just when you read something very sad you get uplifted with the next turn of the story. This book can really show a person how things happen in daily life in Afghanistan, besides the horrible war situation.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - recommended by Nick
By the author of The Kite Runner, this book is purely amazing. Although it is fictional it really puts you in the daily life of 3 Afghan families. What was 3 separate stories in the beginning becomes one great amazing tale in the end. This book is a must read.


Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins - recommended by Megan
A truly unique and entertaining story. It will make you laugh and get you thinking. A tale filled with love, philosophy, and best of all - a quirky sense of humor.

Early Autumn: A Story of a Lady by Louis Bromfield - recommended by Christine
A lovely Novel that won the Pulitzer prize in the 1920’s About a 40ish upper class woman who falls in love.

Adult Summer Reading Program Wrap-up Party

Thursday, August 2nd

7:00 p.m. in the Heritage Room

Join us for a chance to meet other avid readers and find out who wins the grand prize - a $50 gift certificate to California Pizza Kitchen and two movie tickets. You will also have a chance to win additional small prizes. Refreshments will be provided. We hope to see you there.

Do You Have Travel Plans?

It is currently taking three (3) months or more to obtain a U.S. Passport using routine services. Plan ahead! Apply for your passport at least 6 to 12 months in advance of your trip. In fact, make sure your passport is current (at least by 6 months) before booking reservations.

If this is your first time applying and your were born in the United States be sure you get a certified copy of your birth certficate (one that is issued by the County or State of birth).

The U.S. Passport Agency will not accept damaged or badly worn, unreadable birth certificates as proof of citizenship. If yours is in that condition, get a replacement copy of your birth certificate. You may wish to get a second copy to have on hand.

As of January 1, 2008, U.S. Passports will be required for all border crossings. The demand for passports could more than double at that time and you could experience even greater delays.

The library can help you get your passport. Visit the Passport section of our website for more information.

Take a Look at our New Magazines
The Library has added 14 new magazines to its list of subscriptions. The first issues will begin arriving in July. As with our current subscriptions, we will keep all back issues of these new magazines for 2 years. All magazines (except for the most current issue) can be checked out for one week.

Better Homes and Gardens Creative Home

Commentary

Communication Arts

Coastal Living

Cuisine at Home
Diabetic Cooking
Domino
Everyday with Rachel Ray

Maximum PC

Muscles and Fitness
Natural Health
Simple and Delicious
Sporting News

The Week

Burning Books to Encourage Reading?
"Wherever they burn books they will also, in the end, burn human beings."—Heinrich Heine, German poet

Historically people have burned books to keep others from reading them. Now one man is burning books in order to get people to read them. Check out this article on CNN.com titled "Unwanted books go up in flames." to get the full story. Do you agree or disagree with Tom Wayne's decision?

Ancestry.com Adds War Records

The library now has a subscription to Ancestry.com-Library Edition. The database is currently only accessible from inside the library and is a collection of more than 4,000 databases and two billion names. This database has unparalleled coverage of the United States and the United Kingdom, including census, vital, church, court, war records, and immigration records.

To learn more about the recent addition of the war records to this database read the article "Ancestry.com posts 90M war records" By Donna Borak, Associated Press.

"Writers Present"

Wednesday June 20th
City Council Chamber
7:00 p.m.

Jennifer Kaufman and Karen Mack teamed up to write the entertaining Los Angeles Times Bestseller Literacy and Longing in L.A.. They will appear together as part of the ongoing “Writers Present” series. Jennifer Kaufman is a former L.A Times reporter and Karen Mack is a former entertainment attorney who currently produces theatrical and television movies. Literacy and Longing in L.A. is a novel in which the main character, Dora, reads obsessively for comfort and to escape from her real life. To learn more about this book or these authors, visit their website www.literacyandlonginginla.com. To make a reservation for this free event or for more information, contact Stanton@cityofmissionviejo.org or call (949) 830-7100 extension 4008.

June 20th is also the first day of our Adult Summer Reading program. For all those who are like Dora and love to read, this is your chance to meet like-minded people and earn fun prizes for doing what you enjoy.