Events.

Come to the Bellevue Library November 14th, 2pm to learn from Mary Jane Beaufrand, teen author.  MJ will give us the basics on what makes a character memorable. Get some tips to make your fictional characters deeper and well rounded. After all, zombies have feelings too. Beaufrand is the author of Primavera, a young adult novel.

Space is limited so please register online or call the Bellevue library at 425-450-1765. 

This event is for students in grades 6-12.

Sponsored by the Bellevue Friends of the Library

With NaNoWriMo, (National Novel Writing Month), lurking just around the corner, my attention has turned to books about writing. There are many to choose from, including books on motivation, some that emphasize certain techniques and some that focus on selling your material once it's finished.

Break Into Fiction by multipublished authors Mary Buckham and Diana Love uses popular films to demonstrate the points of each technique they discuss. They've also provided templates for important story elements such as developing a story premise, creating believeable, motivated characters, strengthening conflict, and raising the stakes.

Many writers struggle with the beginning of a story, not knowing where to start. When facing the blank page, it can be a challenge. These successful authors suggest that the frustration can often be traced to a lack of preparation. If you have insight into the goals and motivation of your main character, it can be easier to get the words on the page. Taking the time to understand the story arc, how conflict must be escalated and the story question answered can help the beginning writer move beyond fear and into the flow of the narrative.

If you are interested in learning more about Power Plotting, NaNoWriMo programs offered throughout the library system will include workshops with Mary Buckham.

For many years, each fall - The King County Library System has offered a Book Group Gathering and invited members of book groups to get together and learn about the resources the library system can offer to help organize, support, and energize book groups. 

On Saturday, September 26, over 130 people gathered, (mostly women) at the KCLS Service Center for this year's program. With Nancy Pearl offering wonderful ideas for organizing, sustaining and controlling book groups, refreshments and prizes donated by the North Bend, Snoqualmie and Fall City Friends of the Library, and a busy morning of programs, it was huge success.

One of the most interesting items not on the agenda was an opportunity for spontaneous book sharing when one of the speakers had an emergency and couldn't make it. People raised their hand, stood up and gave a title their book group had read, and a very brief book talk.

 

The most wonderful part of this experience was the passion that surged through the room, as someone suggested a title, if others had read it, there was an audible sigh, nods and once in a while, even a shake of the head. The point wasn't to convince others that this was THE book their group should read, but to offer suggestions, endorsements and above all, to share a love of books, stories and literature.

 

We agreed to compile the list of suggestions and post it to our blog.

 

The Color of Lightning - Jiles, Paulette

Fieldwork - Berlinski, Mischa

Little Bee - Cleave, Chris

Mountains Beyond Mountains - Kidder, Tracy

A Far Cry from Kensington - Spark, Muriel

The Poisonwood Bible - Kingsolver, Barbara

 

  Seriously. Is anyone else tired of the vampire craze?  Are you ready to move on to the next best thing? Zombies!

Author Kevin Emerson (Oliver Nocturne series, Carlos is Gonna Get It), will lead a writing workshop for teens in grades 8-12.  This two-hour workshop help you create savory characters, insert them into a creepy story then we'll release the fiends! Zombies swarming up from the sod, vampires from moldy crypts, ghouls and poltergeists from the mist itself! How will your characters survive? What will they do? Are these creatures a metaphor, or what? Chills, thrills and tons of writing guaranteed.

Bellevue Regional Library October 17, 2-4 pm

Registration is required. Register online at kcls.org.

I picked up Two Wheels North by Evelyn McDaniel Gibb on whim and now I seem to be telling everyone I know about it! It's the true story of two young men who biked from Santa Rosa, California to Seattle, Washington to see the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. Vic and Ray are fresh out of high school, and barely have five dollars between the two of them, when they set out to see the great fair. They are sponsored by their local newspaper, The Santa Rosa Press Democrat, and the Seattle P-I agreed to pay them 25 dollars if they make it there on bikes.  

These guys don't have the high-tech bikes or light-weight gear that we have today, and in some places they don't even have passable roads. They run into all kinds of trouble too, including wild animals, oncoming trains, a couple of fist fights, plenty of flat tires, and even a little romance.

Book-It Repertory Theatre in partnership with 4Culture will present a dramatization of this exciting story at two King County Libraries:

Auburn LIbrary, Sunday, September 27, 1pm

Covington Library, Thursday, October 15, 7pm

This is a short and fun read about an exciting period in northwest history told through the eyes of two eager young men, and it should make a great play.

The Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition is celebrating its centennial anniversary throughout 2009. For more information about events and activities go to http://www.ayp100.org/.

Do you like to read, eat, and talk? If so you might like to join a book group at a King County Library or start one of your own. If you go to our webpage www.kcls.org and look under "How to" at the bottom right hand corner of the page, you can then click on "Find a Library" and pick the library closest to your home. Book groups are listed under "Programs".

Book groups are a great way to learn about the newest, hottest titles and also librarians who run them sometimes have extra copies of books just published or about to be published. Besides hearing about the newest books, you will also meet other teens who love to read. In addition we usually provide tasty treats and sometimes giveaway prizes.

Here's the schedule of what we have at the libraries:

Auburn Teen Book Club meets the third Tuesday of every month at 4:30 pm. Each month, the first ten people who sign up to attend receive a free copy courtesy of the Friends of the Auburn Library Here's the next three meeting dates and titles:

• Tuesday, August 18th at 4:30 pm:Define Normal by Julie Anne Peters
• Tuesday, September 22nd at 4:30 pm: The Compound by S.A. Bodeen
• Tuesday, October 20^th at 4:30 pm:Vampire Academyby Richelle Mead

Teens can also find info on the Auburn Library blog: http://blogs.kcls.org/auburn/teens/

Black Diamond's Teen Book Review Group meets on the third Tuesday of every month at 4pm. Next meeting is August 18.

Fairwood Library's Books and Bites meets on the second Thursday of the month at 7pm. Come join us for snacks and hear about the newest, hottest books coming out. Our next meeting is August 13 at 7pm and we'll be serving pizza. Please call ahead if you plan on coming 425-226-0522.

Or maybe you'd like to start a book group of your own. You could connect with friends and talk about what you're reading. It's pretty simple to do as long as you agree on a time, place, and what everyone is expected to read for the meetings. Here are a couple books we have at the library to give you some ideas and a few websites to help.

Running Book Discussion Groups: A How-To-Do-It Manual by Lauren Zina John
Good Books Lately: The One-Stop Resource for Book Groups and Other Greedy Readers by Ellen Moore and Kira Stevens
http://www.readinggroupchoices.com/
http://www.readinggroupguides.com/content/index.asp

Nancy Stewart is playing a free concert at a library near you this summer!  I love Nancy Stewart and her creative use of music and movement for children.  I often use her recordings and songs in toddler story time at the library.  All ages (but especially toddlers, preschoolers and younger elementary kids) will enjoy these sing along concerts.  Check out her website after you've been to one of our concerts for activities and to listen to more of Nancy's music. 

The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant is a story of art and passion in 15th century Italy.

Florence under the Medici family was a city rich in art, culture and luxury. Alessandra grew up in this world of beauty and affluence, but at fifteen, she had never had the freedom to enjoy it. As the daughter of a wealthy cloth merchant, her purity had to be under close guard until she was safely wed. That meant being cloistered in her family's palazzo, and never going anywhere without a chaperone. But finding a husband for tall, awkward, and outspoken Alessandra was a challenge. In a world where women were taught to be hostesses and homemakers, her intelligence and gift for drawing made her freakish and undesirable. When her father brings home a young artist to decorate their chapel walls, Alessandra becomes entranced by his talent, and intrigued by his quiet intensity.

Soon enough her parents have married her off to a much older man, but the freedom that she expects as a married woman is cut short by the rise of the fundamentalist monk Savonarola. Florence becomes a city full of fear and hellfire, where no one is safe, even from their own secrets, and Alessandra must decide whether to risk exploring her own passions, both of the spirit and of the flesh...

This is a vibrant choice for those who enjoy art and historical fiction along the lines of Girl with a Pearl Earring.

Meet The Author!
Sarah Dunant will read from her new book, Sacred Hearts, at the Bellevue Regional Library on Tuesday, July 21 at 7pm.

 

Summer Teen Writing Workshop
July 6, July 20, and August 3rd at 4pm
For middle school, junior high, and high school
Participate in writing exercises that will stretch your creative thinking and jump start your word craft. Receive your own writer's notebook and enjoy ice cream treats courtesy of the Friends of the Fairwood Library.
Location: Fairwood Library, 17009 140TH AVE SE, Renton, WA 425-226-0522

Write Your Novel This July!
Bothell Library invites you to see if you can write a novel in a month. National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. The problem is that's it's in November and most teens are really busy in November. So begin writing July 1st and see if you can write a 175-page (50,000) word novel by midnight on July 31st.

Stop by the Bothell library 3:30-5:30 Tuesday afternoons in July. Join us in the teen area for write-ins and support. You can also come to the Teen Writing Workshop on July 16th at 3:30pm for a mid-month pick-me-up.
Library Location: Bothell Library, 18215 98th AVE NE, Bothell, WA  425-486-7811

 

Teen Writing Group
July 14, July 28, August 11, August 25 at 3:30pm
Join this group on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month to do writing exercises and discuss your work.
Library Location: Auburn Library, 1102 Auburn Way S, Auburn, WA  253-931-3018 

 

Teen Creative Writing Workshops with Author Louise Marley

Wednesday, July 8, 2pm--Snoqualmie Library, 7824 Center Boulevard SE, Snoqualime, WA  425-888-1223 

Wednesday, July 22, 2pm-North Bend Library, 115 E 4th Street, North Bend, WA  425-888-0554

Wednesday, August 19, 2pm-Fall City Library, 33415 SE 42nd Pl, Fall City, WA  425-222-5951

I confess, I don't know much about Goths--those folks who tend to dress mostly in black, with dramatic makeup and hair in colors that are generally not found in nature.  However, I like interesting fabrics and creative ways of dressing, even though my own attire tends toward jeans and t-shirts.  And I enjoy learning about people and the different things that they like, do, and believe.  My philosophy is that everyone is deserving of respect, and the world would be a better place with a bit more civility.  I feel like I've found a kindred spirit in Jillian Venters, author of Gothic Charm School: An Essential Guide for Goths and Those Who Love Them. 

This witty book, based in part on Venters' blog of the same name, gently reminds readers of all varieties that good manners are appropriate everywhere.  As the Lady of the Manners, she provides sound advice about interactions between Goths and non-Goths, tips on fashion and music, and info for parents of Goth-inclined teens, among other topics.  I found her history of the Goth subculture interesting, her take on teens and Goth informative, and her book suggestions illuminating.  The black and white illustrations by Pete Venters are a perfect complement to the Lady of the Manners's straightforward writing.

Venters lives in the Seattle area and will be starting her promotional tour here.  She's appearing at Bellevue Regional Library on Monday, June 29, at 7 pm.

Whether you are Goth, Goth-Friendly, or NotAGoth, Gothic Charm School: An Essential Guide for Goths and Those Who Love Them will have you snickering, nodding, and dusting off your velvet jacket.