eLibraryNJ has a New Website!

          The Matawan-Aberdeen Public Library is pleased to announce that eLibraryNJ has launched their new website! Intuitively redesigned from the ground up, eLibraryNJ has never made it easier to borrow your favorite eBooks and Audiobooks. Choose from a massive selection of titles, and download them right to your Amazon Kindle, Nook by Barnes & Noble, iPad, or Android Tablet. Best of all, every one of the thousands of titles offered are completely free of charge.

          eLibraryNJ’s new website comes loaded with new features. Users can now borrow digital eBooks and Audiobooks, and read or listen to them directly in a web browser—with no eReader needed! Other features include easier-to-use advanced search, overhauled title filtering, and bookmarking/wish lists—so finding your favorite title is a snap. If you are using Internet Explorer, you may be prompted to install the Google Chrome Frame Plugin, to allow the site to behave properly. Fortunately this plugin is free, and can be installed in minutes.

          To take advantage of all of these wonderful features and more, simply type in http://www.lmxac.org/mata/pages/resources.html in a web browser, click on the eLibraryNJ link, choose a title, click Borrow, then Read (In your browser), and begin reading from a remarkable selection of eBooks that our library has to offer. For assistance on reading eBooks and listening to Audiobooks on your mobile eReader/tablet device, feel free to stop by our eReader Hour held between 2:00pm and 3:00pm every Saturday. Happy Reading!

By Skyler Lutz

Book review: Some Kind of Fairy Tale

Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce

Genre:  Psychological fiction, Urban fantasy fiction

When 16 year old Tara Martin suddenly goes missing, her parents begin to fear the worst for her survival and believe that her boyfriend, Richie, has something to do with her disappearance. As years begin to pass, the Martin's begin to move on, but Richie is physically and emotionally hurt from the outcome of being blamed for her disappearance.

20 years later on Christmas Eve, Tara turns up on her parents doorstep looking as if she barely aged, and telling them that she was traveling the world for 20 years and finally decided to come back. However, when her brother Peter, now an older man in his 40's, married with four kids finds out his missing sister is back, he is less than reluctant to believe her story. As they dig deeper into Tara's explanation, she begins to reveal where she was for 20 years, even though she believes she was only gone for 6 months.

This was a great psychological drama and it really deals with the question, "How can you prove to your family and friends that you're not crazy?" I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a book with depth and character. I really felt for Tara as she was trying to fit back into the reality she left. 

This book review was written by Library Assistant, Dennis Kuhn

HeritageQuest Online

Calling all genealogy enthusiasts - this one’s for you!  Trace your family’s journey through history by searching U.S. federal census records from 1790-1940, Revolutionary War Era Pension & Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, and Freedman’s Bank records with HeritageQuest.  Over 28,000 family and local histories and over 2.3 million genealogy articles are also included in this database, which is the perfect place to start or continue your exploration into your family’s roots.  For searching tips and helpful hints, as well as the opportunity to meet others interested in uncovering their ancestry, consider joining the Genealogy Club, which meets the first Thursday evening of every month. Email club leaders Diane Oliver and Barbara Plock at barbanddiane@yahoo.com  for more information.

This blog post was written by Rutgers University graduate student, Liz Ryan.

January 2013 book review

Beginning this month we are going to post reviews of books we've read and would like to recommend to you.  We in the Adult Services department read a variety of different genres so you'll see posts from all of us for the latest bestsellers, science fiction, nonfiction, and anything else that captures our attention. Enjoy!

Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan

Do you recall novelist Ian McEwan’s haunting Atonement?  There are plenty of us that have been chomping at the bit for Ian to pen another historical novel with a strong female lead. This time it’s in the seventies.  Ooh, how groovy.  And, it’s about the morally gray world of MI5... and reading!  

Our heroine, Serena Frome, is a Cambridge mathematics graduate and a lover of books. She devours everything from pulp fiction to classic literature.  Nearing her graduation, Serena falls for an older, wiser man. Based on her degree, intelligence, and book knowledge, he decides her career destiny lies in the mysterious world of the British spy agency.  Are you hooked now? 

McEwan accompanies us into the bygone decade so fluently you don’t miss the present at all.  The intrigue mounts as Serena is assigned to “Sweet Tooth,” a program to secretly fund left-wing, anti-communist writers, in an effort to do combat on the cultural front of the Cold War.  

Serena is asked to evaluate the handsome Tom Haley, and then to fund him via a front organization.  Haley’s stories are Chekhovian and gothic. They are summarized in detail, sometimes directly quoted.  This allows McEwan to entertain us with a remarkable collection of short stories within the book! What a novel idea!

Here’s where the Booker Prize-winning novelist shows his masterpiece: Serena is captivated by Tom not only by his words on paper but by the man himself.  They have an affair, and she struggles hour by hour whether or not to reveal her true identity.  

I highly recommend Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan.  A tasty book that’s a real treat for the senses.

Review by Susie B.

Tackle Do-It-Yourself Repairs Easily and Safely

Did your home or business suffer damages due to Hurricane Sandy? Or are there home improvement projects you've been meaning tackle around your home?  If so, we have the perfect resource for you. The Home Improvement Reference Center contains articles, photos, and videos designed to help you make repairs and improvements easily and safely.  The Home Improvement Repair Center database provides step-by-step instructions for projects, along with background information and basic tips on topics including electrical, plumbing, woodworking, outdoor projects, maintenance, and decorating.

You'll find articles on everything from emergency roof repairs and how to repair siding to decorating tips for small kitchens and removing old finishes from woodwork.

EBSCO Publishing generously donated this repair and renovation tool to the New Jersey State Library to support library card holders statewide in their efforts to recover from the hurricane.  The database will be available through June 30, 2013.

Click here to get started.

New Jersey Works!

Did you know there are job preparation and computer skills workshops being offered at public libraries throughout New Jersey ... and you are welcome to participate in them?  NJWorks@yourlibrary is a campaign developed by the The New Jersey State Library to provide resources to the unemployed and underemployed people in New Jersey in order to help with the economic recovery.  NJWorks@yourlibrary publishes a bi-weekly newsletter filled with FREE workshops and career tips!  You can subscribe to the newsletter or view a recent copy by clicking here.  You can also check out all the training opportunities available during the month of October by clicking here.

In addition, Susie has compiled lots of job searching websites into a single document called Job Resources on the Internet. Check it out and best of luck!

"Matawan/Aberdeen @ Night" photography contest winners

Congratulations to our winners!

The "Matawan/Aberdeen @ Night" photography contest was part of our 2012 Summer Reading Program which focused on the nighttime. We asked our patrons to submit photos taken at nighttime in either Matawan Borough or Aberdeen Township, and they delivered with some wonderful photos.  Our panel of judges had a very difficult task when selecting the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners who  each received a gift card from Best Buy.  The winning photos are displayed below, but all the submitted photos can be viewed by clicking here. Thank you to everyone who participated!!

1st place - Lake Lefferts by Kevin U

2nd place - by Katarina S

3rd place - Shadow Walker on Aberdeen Rd by Chris M