The biography is the culmination of five years of research and writing—the first-ever biography of the life of Kurt Vonnegut.
See our Books, Movies, Music page
for more information about our collection
Books into movies
The Woman in Black, a good old fashioned English gothic ghost story, based on the novel by Susan Hill opens this Friday, February 3.
Share the love
There are plenty of books for young children that celebrate Valentine's Day. But did you know that your library has books that explore the joy, power, and tenderness of love in a bright array of formats that are wonderful to read to your youngest all year long? Miss Meredith especially likes the picture books that reassure the very small people in your circle that they are loved even when they digress from "perfect" behavior--the best of this group might be:
Neil Young and Crazy Horse
Neil Young and Crazy Horse are recording an album together for the frist time since 2003. And to get a glimpse of what it might sound like, Neil Young has posted a 37 mintue video of their jam session on his website neilyoung.com.
Check out some of their collaborations from the library.
After the Gold Rush
Zuma
Best Sci-Tech Books - 2011
For the next month, we'll be introducing to you to some of the best well written, researched, and popular Sci-Tech books for 2011.
Our first favorite is Incognito : the secret lives of the brain by David Eagleman.
If the conscious mind—the part you consider to be you—is just the tip of the iceberg, what is the rest doing?
eReaders and tablets: Digital toys for the whole family
It never fails. You open the present from under the tree, and discover the eReader or tablet you’ve been pining for all year! But within an hour, your kids have co-opted the device, saying they’ll “help you with the tech stuff.” However, that’s the last time you’ll see the eReader or tablet for days.
What Else Happens at the Solstice Besides Christmas?
A very long time ago, somebody noticed that around the solstice, the length of day changed, signalling the long, slow return of warm weather in the Northern Hemisphere and of cooler weather in the Southern Hemisphere. The fact that the weather is starting to improve--and the human race's urge to celebrate whatever it can whenever it can--got people feasting, giving gifts, and doing good deeds. Religious traditions developed around some feasts, and all have come into the 21st Century with ceremonies and some really wonderful food. Take a look at a few titles we have on Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, and a little something else.
So you just got an eReader, now what?
Digital devices are hot gifts this holiday season. If eBooks or downloadable audiobooks can be used on your new gadget, be sure to take advantage of the wide selection of digital media provided by your library!
Christmas Classics and Magic
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is almost the template for Christmas stories, and it's been adapted to settings well beyond its native London from Hollywood to the Wild West. Read the book, and you'll see why.
New York Times Notable Reads of 2011
The New York Times recently published their annual 100 Notable Books list. Below is just a sampling of the 100 books deemed worthy of inclusion for 2011 (both fiction and non-fiction.) Check out the list, and then check out some books from the library!
Best music albums of 2011
The year is winding to a close, which means it’s time for the top music albums of 2011. Both Rolling Stone and Paste Magazine have published their "50 Best Albums of 2011" lists. Excitingly enough, nearly all of these titles can be found right here in our collection! So check out some of these great CDs to hear what all the hype is about.
Here’s a sampling of a few of 2011’s best albums:
Season's eReadings: Choosing the best eReader
eReaders are the hottest gifts this holiday season! Here’s a quick guide to choosing the right eReader for your needs (and budget!)
Steampunk
What is Steampunk? Well, essentially it is a sci/fi-fantasy story set in a world with steam powered machines, Western/Victorian clothing, dirigible airships, and adventure.
ACLD's database - Books and Authors - posts a great description in the Expert Picks section titled 15 Steampunk Novels for Steampunk Beginners (2011).
Click on the images below to reserve a book suggested in the article.
'Tis the season
Whether you are recovering from Thanksgiving or preparing to visit relatives for the holidays, these Christmas comedies will help you cope.
A Christmas Story
In 1940s Indiana, nine-year-old Ralphie dreams of his ideal Christmas gift: a genuine Red Ryder 200-shot carbine action air rifle. But when gruff dad and doting mom regularly respond with "You'll shoot your eye out!" Ralphie mounts a full-scale Santa-begging campaign. He encounters a slew of calamities from snowsuit paralysis to the dreaded tongue-on-a-frozen-flagpole gambit.
Penguin restores eBook access to Kindle users
UPDATE (11/23/11): Kindle Book access has been restored to the Penguin titles that were already in the Library District's OverDrive collection.
eBook users who had any of these titles on hold do not need to do anything. The Kindle option was restored automatically. When the hold becomes available, users will have the option to 
check out the title in Kindle or other available formats.
Twinkle, twinkle we are... who?
Have you noticed the two bright objects that appear in the sky after sunset? One in the east and one in the west? With your attention drawn to the clear autumn skies, can you identify what constellations filll the sky?
No need to remain in the dark!
The Kika Silva Planetarium at Santa Fe College offers programs that can answer these questions and more.
Season's eReadings: Best tablet computers for holiday shoppers
This 2011 holiday season is all about the tablet. Amazon has just released their Kindle Fire, while Barnes & Noble has moved up the date for the Nook Tablet to compete head to head with the Kindle Fire. And the iPad 2 is still the undisputed leader of the tablet computer, if also the most expensive of the bunch.
Curious to know more? Keep reading for a breakdown of each device, and plenty of helpful links to guide you to the correct purchase this holiday season.
Season's eReadings: Tablets vs. eReaders
The holidays are almost here, and one of the hottest gifts this year is going to be the gift of books, electronically. E-readers of various sizes and functionality are hitting the market just in time for the holiday buying season. But... with all these new eReaders to choose from, many people are just overwhelmed.
The question is, which eReader is right for you?
Antique auto show and beer tasting is Saturday at Matheson Museum
The Anitque Automobile Club of America will host an antique automobile exibit at Sweetwater Park in downtown Gainesville, adjacent to the Matheson Museum located at 513 E. University Avenue. Inside the Matheson Museum there will be a beer tasting event featuring international and local brews.
Friends of the Library Fall Book Sale rang up $159,506
If you love books, DVDs, artwork, CDs, puzzles and collector items - you might have been a customer at the Friends of the Library Book Sale October 22 -26. Maybe you were one of the 745 enthusiastic fans that entered the sale during its first 10 minutes. Or maybe you were part of the crowd of shoppers that contributed to the total of $159,506 raised during the five day sale. Though there is no total tally for attendance or items sold, it's easy to calculate that many thousands of items were sold, as items were priced from 10 cents to $4 for most everything except collector's items.
What has some eBook fans jumping for joy?
Users of Kindle readers and apps are now able to check out and download library eBooks with just a few clicks.
A few tips for the Kindle user:
All Hallow's Read 2011
Giving is important year round, and giving the gift of reading is a present that will last a lifetime. The holidays are all about traditions, and what better time to start a new tradition then on Halloween, the spookiest holiday of the year?
Join author Neil Gaiman in creating a new holiday, All Hallow's Read.
"Library of the Early Mind"
The Alachua County Library District and the Friends of the Library in collaboration with the Center for Children's Literature and Culture and the Hippodrome State Theater is co-sponsoring the screening of the film, The Library of the Early Mind.
This event takes place at the Hippodrome State Theater on Monday, October 24 at 6:00 PM and 8:30 PM, with a panel discussion at 7:30 PM. Refreshments will be served.
Steel and Other Stories
Richard Matheson has been writing since the 1950s, and his latest collection, Steel and Other Stories shows some of his great old stuff and a few newer pieces. His story 'Steel' was published in 1956. It was a Twilight Zone episode in 1963. It has also inspired the new movie Real Steel. Matheson has written horror, science fiction, future fiction, Westerns, and straight fiction. He's written movies including Duel, The Legend of Hell House, and Somewhere in Time. His novels include I Am Legend (made into 3 different movies), A Stir of Echoes, and What Dreams May Come. He wrote 16 episodes of The Twilig
Chinese language books at the Tower Road Branch
The Tower Road Branch of the library offers a wonderful assortment of classic and modern books in Chinese.
The First Expatriates
Before there were many great universities, art schools, med schools, and other places to study in the United States there was France. Some Americans went to Rome or London or somewhere in Germany, but many went to France where they could take their native talent to be taught by top teachers. They came in waves after the Revolution up to the turn of the 20th century. John Singer Sargent, James Fenimore Cooper, Mary Cassatt, and August Saint-Gaudens, among many others came to France, and especially Paris to study, to work, and sometimes to stay. David McCullough's The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris tells their stories as what started out as a one-way traffic becomes a complex and remarkable m
The Night Circus
'The circus arrives without warning.' Its tents and costumes are black and white. It illusions may not be illusions at all or maybe they are. It is part of a complex game of maneuver between two consummate wizards who are supremely indifferent to the damage they do and the hearts they break as long as the game goes forward. And yet the pieces on the board are men and women who have their own agendas and their own wills. Their docility is not to be relied upon, and their skills are growing. A street urchin, a wizard's taughter, twin circus children, and a Massachusetts lad who wants more than a farm resist the wizards in shifting alliances with performers, craftsmen, impresarios, and the broken-hearted in the game. Love and magic, fear and nerve,
New Perspectives on the Liberal Arts
The University of Florida, as you probably expect from a flagship state university, hosts a tremendous amount of lectures every year. Speakers across the humanities come to Gainesville for our potential edification and lifelong learning.
