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Reading: Eyes or Ears?

Written on: July 14th, 2009 in Learning, Learning Journeys

Kathy here: We have talked before about reading with our ears.  Dave Robicheaux, Stephanie Plum and Sookie Stackhouse come to life before me…the supporting characters welcome me into their conversations…when I listen to these tales. But, I simply cannot read one of these novels with my eyes. Period. Well, now I know the reverse is true as well. Last week, I marched from Disc 1 through Disc 3 of Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince while commuting to and from work. It was my 3rd vain attempt. Torture. On Saturday, I pulled my copy from the living room bookcase and dived in. Heaven. The very same thing happened when I repeatedly tried to listen to Lord of the Rings. Go figure.

What reading tales have you to share?

And, last, it must be acknowledged that my intense enjoyment of the particular audio books mentioned here is due to the talents of Will Patton, Lorelei King and Johanna Parker, respectively.

Recent additions

Written on: July 14th, 2009 in Reviews

If it’s Tuesday, it must be time for our weekly new item announcements! You can sign up to receive a weekly reminder of new items via email- visit our catalog homepage and go to the “connect with us” section in the lower left of the page and click on “other new item feeds”- enter your email address, look for a verification email, and you’ll receive a reminder when new item links are posted.

Click on the links below to get lists of new items available from the Delaware Library Catalog in various formats:

• All New Items
• New Audio Books
• New Books
• New DVDs

The New Surgeon General

Written on: July 14th, 2009 in News

The nomination of Regina Benjamin to the office of Surgeon General was announced yesterday by President Obama. According to the Surgeon General’s website, the appointee serves “as America’s chief health educator”, and reports not to the President, but to the Assistant Secretary for Health. Dr. Benjamin, the first African American woman to be elected to the Board of Trustees of the American Medical Association, and has served for 20 years as the only doctor in the remote Alabama community of Bayou La Batre. You can read about previous Surgeons General here.

Former office holders have written on personal subjects as well as on public health issues. C. Everett Koop, Surgeon General during most of the Reagan administration, wrote a well-regarded biography in 1991, which as well as describing his own fascinating life, also provided an inside look into his thinking about various controversial and ethically complex medical issues. Joycelyn Elders’ biography, also available from the Delaware Library Catalog is another fascinating story of personal accomplishment, as well as an interesting perspective on the political calculations of the Clinton White House.

Courtesy of EBSCO’s Academic Search Complete databases, here are a select few of Discover magazines “20 things you didn’t know about the Surgeon General”:

• SGs are not always MDs: Robert A. Whitney, who served in the interim between Novelle and Elders, was a veterinarian
• During World War I, under SG Rupert Blue, cigarettes were issued as part of each fighting man’s basic field rations kit
• However, 20 years later, Luther Terry published a report that nailed cigarette smoking as a cause of cancer, triggering the Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act.
• Antonia Novello, under George H. W. Bush, was a harsh critic of Big Tobacco. Her brother-in-law, Don Novello, played a chain-smoking priest. Father Guido Sarducci, on Saturday Night Live
• C Everett Koop re-introduced the military-style outfit to the office (the S.G. is one of the only 7 uniformed government services). He also had a cameo appearance in Exorcist III

You can read the whole list here with your Delaware Library Card ID and PIN