It's that time of year again when we often see students in the Library who need to find "a classic" to read. I've also talked with quite a few adults who are reading classics - seems there's just something about the start of autumn that gets many of us thinking about books we last saw on a school reading list. The Library has lots of resources to help you find a classic read - start here for ideas!

Online
* SCPL "Classics" booklist & information
* Modern Library "100 Best Novels"

In Person
* Borrow items like Classics for Pleasure by Michael Dirda or 100 Must-Read Classic Novels by Nick Rennison

* Browse books like Accessing the Classics: Great Reads for Adults, Teens, and English Language Learners

marlise

Can you believe we're well into September already? Of course, in St. Charles that can only mean the scarecrows are coming! That's right- the 24th annual St. Charles Scarecrow Festival, held October 9-11 this year, will be here before you know it. Why not become an active participant this year? You can find all the details at their web site, St. Charles Scarecrow Festival. From this site an entry form can be downloaded, and you have until Thursday October 1 to turn it in. Then head right over to the library for inspiration. To get you started, how about checking out Creative Scarecrows: 35 Fun Figures for Your Yard and Garden by Marcianne Miller (745.5 MIL) or Scarecrows: Making Harvest Figures and Other Yard Folks by Felder Rushing (745.5 RUS). Thinking of a pumpkin for a head? Extreme Pumpkin Carving: 20 Amazing Designs from Frightful to Fabulous by Vic Hood (745.5941 HOO) or Pumpkin Carving by Ed Palmer (745.5941 PAL) can help. And Create a Bewitched Fall-o-ween: 45 Projects for Decorating and Entertaining by Kasey Rodgers (745.5941 ROG) can help set just the right backdrop. In fact, if you select Halloween decorations as a subject heading in our catalog, you will find that St. Charles Public Library has 53 titles! Let us help you find just the right project.

The Strand is a quarterly mystery-themed magazine that was England’s most popular literary periodical from 1891-1950…until low circulation closed it down. (Sound familiar?) Contributors included such literary giants as Dorothy L. Sayers, G.K. Chesterton, Leo Tolstoy, Agatha Christie, Rudyard Kipling, H.G. Wells, and its most prolific (and famous?) contributor, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In his autobiography, Doyle admits he created the serialized Holmes/Watson short stories to become established in The Strand. How fortunate for current mystery lovers that managing editor Andrew Gulli hopes to revive The Strand’s former status as one of the best known magazines in the world. P. D. James, Elmore Leonard, Peter Lovesey, Mary Higgins Clark, Anne Perry, Michael Connelly and Alexander McCall Smith are among its featured authors. And a recently discovered unfinished Graham Greene mystery which Gulli obtained the rights to will soon to be published in the magazine. Gulli hopes to offer a contest to complete the Greene’s last chapter!

P.S. You can look for the magazine to join our shelves in Readers Services in the near future! In the meantime, take a look at The Strand’s terrific website with links to current and older print issues, book reviews, short stories, author interviews and many other fascinating features.

mc

I love bookmarks. One of life's simplest pleasures, what other item is as practical yet personal, trendy, sentimental, inspirational, stylish and inexpensive? Plus, they make great souvenirs! Collecting bookmarks while traveling is a tradition in my home, and taking a moment to glance back at them always triggers wonderful memories. Almost anything can be recycled as a bookmark, and over time I've seen some pretty interesting objects used to mark a page, including: receipts, photographs, cards, grocery lists, even money.

When collecting bookmarks turns into somewhat of a hobby, one benefit is that you can actually select one that suits the title at hand. (If you're rolling your eyes after reading that, I suppose that just makes me a bit more of a diehard bookmark fan than you.)

Library Staffers also love bookmarks because they help avoid the dreaded "dog eared" page. Need a bookmark? Pick up a free one at the library today. Stop by the Readers Services Desk or any of our other desks and choose from quite an assortment. Enjoy!

jdc